BLOG | martinazand

Mar 6

The Best Glazed Tempeh!

Tempeh - either you hate it or you love it. If you're lukewarm about it, then I hope to change your mind with this recipe. Tempeh is made from fermented soy beans that are pressed together to make a block that you can chop up into small, bite-sized pieces. It's slightly bitter tasting and not very interesting by itself. However, when you throw on a finger-licking delicious glaze, it's a whole different game! And you never have to ask the question "where do you get your protei

Jan 28

Tahini Brownies For Your PMS

The luteal phase is the last phase of your cycle and the one where PMS hits you. It's the time you might be craving chocolate - check out this video to learn why that is. Every craving has a reason. I go super in-depth on this cravings topic in the 4 Week Health Kickstarter Online Program with an entire week dedicated to cravings. So we don't just deal with a craving by ignoring it but by understanding what it is our body actually needs. Chocolate cravings tell us two things:

Jan 20

Ovulation Bowl With Lentils, Leafy Greens, Soy Eggplant, And Peanut Sauce

We are talking all about ovulation this week in our #selflovejanuary sequence. Ovulation is the peak period of your cycle where you feel extremely energetic and you will want to eat in a way that nourishes your body during this energy-high. Try not to just live on coffee :-). Your estrogen is at its peak during ovulation phase and it has some fun side effects you can check it out here. We need estrogen for a healthy cycle but sadly we often have too much of it in our system a

Jan 12

Hormone-Balancing Bliss Balls

Do you know what you need to eat to balance out your hormones? Fat! Lots of it. The very thing we have been avoiding for decades worrying that it makes us fat. ⁣ ⁣ Instead, with all the fat-free diets we have created a system with imbalanced hormones, more infertility, worse mood swings, a lot more cramping, and a lot less happy women. ⁣ ⁣ So let’s get back to eating more fats. These hormone-balancing bliss balls taste yummy, make the perfect snack for every day, and help you

Nov 18, 2020

Baby Zand's Birthday Salted Caramel Cupcakes

2020 has felt like a marathon and even if the actual year is coming to an end, the effects of it will linger for a long time for me. So much has shifted, so much has changed, and I have stretched myself to limits I never knew were possible. I wouldn't change any of it though! I have grown as a person and I definitely wouldn't want to go back to January for anything. Onwards we dance! Just before we went into lockdown I had set myself very strict social media rules. Get it all

Oct 30, 2020

Fall Millet Salad

After all these sweet recipes I have posted over the last few weeks, I thought it was time for a refreshing fall salad. Millet is a grounding grain that resembles couscous. The grains are small and very fluffy. The millet is combined with fall veggies and fruit to make a salad that fills you with goodness. You can toss the chopped zucchini in some olive oil in a pan for a few minutes if you prefer a warm element to the salad (and it also makes the texture a little softer). Th

Oct 16, 2020

Pumpkin Spice Creamy Rice Pudding

Yes, I am very aware that this is the third pumpkin spice recipe in a row (before I already posted Pumpkin Spice Moon Milk and Pumpkin Banana Bread With Pecan Crumble Topping) and I apologize if you don't love pumpkin spice. I, however, am obsessed! Nothing screams fall and comfort like pumpkin spice to me. Sadly, here in the Bay Area it feels like summer has finally arrived and with temperatures over 30°C/86°F, a lot of these warming foods are a little out of place. And yet,

Oct 2, 2020

Pumpkin banana bread with pecan crumble topping

This bread is everything I want from fall baking (minus melting in the house at 31°C/ 88°F with the current heat wave and terrible air): the cinnamon, the pumpkin, the pecan crumble on top! You must try the new pumpkin banana bread with pecan crumble. You will want it for breakfast, lunch, and your afternoon snack. It's super easy to throw together and it will last for up to 1 week in the fridge (well, I don't actually think it will make it that long but you can try...). It's

Jun 26, 2020

BBQ veggie skewers with the best marinade

Last week I did an entire week of BBQ tips over on the daily Instagram stories. If you missed them, they are saved to the highlights and you can go back all summer long to watch them again. I talked a lot about cancer-causing particles and how to avoid the negative side effects of BBQing. I also mentioned the Balanced Plate (don't I always?!) and to focus on adding more veggies to your BBQ so you have an easier time digesting the meal. Which brings us to these amazing veggie

Apr 10, 2020

Easter chocolate eggs (raw chocolate)

With Easter standing right in front of our door I feel very sad. Baby Zand was planning an Easter extravaganza over the last couple of weeks, telling me excitedly who she wanted to invite, what food there should be, and how everyone would go hunting for Easter eggs. I already knew we wouldn't be able to pull it off, but I didn't have the heart to tell her. So these last few days I have been pulling out all the stops trying to make this weekend as special as possible. We've be

Apr 3, 2020

Paprika lemon soy roasted sweet potato

Yes, the combination may sound weird, but don't mock it until you've tried it! These sweet potatoes are amazingly yummy, super easy to prepare, and you can whip up a big batch that you can keep for quick lunches thrown together. Sweet potatoes are some of the things still available at the stores right now - I guess since most people don't have the patience to cook them?!? Either way, they are a super simple way to add something nutritious to your meals right now: Sweet potato

Feb 8, 2020

Banana coconut chia pudding

Now that #selflovejanuary is over I am going to make some changes to the blog. It's getting a revamp so you can navigate it more easily (give me a bit of time please to get it all done - this is one huge website!). On top of that you have told me you would like more ebooks and online programs to learn chunks of information around a topic. I love that both the Everyday Detox ebook and 4 Week Health Kickstarter have been such big help to you! Creating content is really my favor

Nov 19, 2019

Baby Zand's banana cream birthday cake

Yes, that little number is a 4 on the side. I can't believe Baby Zand is already 4 years old!!! Where has the time gone? I can tell you where: to endless hours of cuddles in the middle of the night, time spent in the kitchen together making energy balls (these are by far her favorite), and so many moments of "I can't do this anymore" ... and then I soldier on and continue being a mother to this wonderful bundle of joy. Every year for her birthday I make a big raw cake (check

Sep 10, 2019

Zucchini cacao muffins

We have put so much love and care into our garden this summer, and it is rewarding us handsomely. We are flooded with apples, zucchini, celery, lettuce, and more, and I am loving it. It makes me be creative in the kitchen with the sudden influx of certain produce. We have made an endless amount of zucchini noodles, I have made huge batches of this summer squash lentil soup, and last night we had the zucchini spring salad. I often add zucchini to baked goods, but have realized

Aug 20, 2019

Chocolate mousse with aquafaba

A couple of weeks ago on Instagram I shared how we were making chocolate mousse with aquafaba. No one knew that aquafaba was, and how it turned into chocolate mousse. Get ready, because this will surprise you! It is the liquid you drain away from canned chickpeas. I know, super weird :-). Once you know about this, you will see it everywhere in health food stores and vegan cafes. It basically can be beaten like egg whites, so it is used in mayonnaise, meringues, or in mousse f

Jul 24, 2019

Raspberry peanut butter balls

These balls are our favorite go-to snack right now, especially because Baby Zand helped create the whole thing: the recipe, taste testing (of course!), picking the flowers, styling the photo, and directing me to get the right shot... and let's not forget the actual enjoying of these balls afterwards at the playground, with her dolls, and with me, yay! These balls are super versatile. You can use any freeze dried fruit - strawberry or blueberry anyone? You can use other nut bu

Jul 2, 2019

Breakfast popsicle

The new free Summer Popsicles ebook is here! Have you checked it out yet? It is filled with over 35 delicious recipes that are all dairy free, gluten free, and refined sugar free. Most of them come together in just a few minutes, and they are rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Every single popsicles in this ebook will nourish your entire body from the inside out! This breakfast popsicles is one of my favorite for many reasons: When another heat wave strikes, we will

May 14, 2019

Quinoa lentil balls with tomato relish

I have been working non stop on my next ebook all about detoxes and cleanses. I am writing all about the fad cleanses out there, how our body works, and what we can do to truly support it... which always comes back to eating real, whole foods. There is no magical formula, no pill that will undo all the damage we have done in our lifetime, no bar that we eat every day to make up for unsupportive food choices the rest of the time. There is only one way to support our body: to c

Apr 16, 2019

Raw carrot cupcakes with lemon vanilla frosting

Easter is almost here, so it's time for yummy carrot cake. Even though carrot cake sounds healthy - carrots are a vegetable after all, right? - most are filled with processed vegetable oils, refined sugar, and gut inflaming flours. And as you may know by now, I set out to make every holiday a little healthier because it should never just be bland, boring food for you while everyone else enjoys treats. I take this approach with my daughter, too, making sure she has access to s

Mar 25, 2019

Banana oatmeal muffins

We are currently in Singapore visiting my sister and Baby Zand's cousins. It's been a week of fun, sunshine, and swimming. Plus an entire new household of toys - needless to say Baby Zand has been in heaven. For me, I've been able to test out what it's like having 4 kids - it's a never in a million years for me! :-) Plus we've been enjoying some of my favorite dumplings, coconut buns, and lots of fresh tropical fruit. Last week I had a lovely friend from Shanghai come over, a

Mar 18, 2019

Cherry rose jam

Persian New Year is here again! As you can see, I am clearly more obsessed with making sweets healthier with a touch of Persian New Year flavors such as cardamom and rose. In the last two years I've made cookies and chocolate. This year I made a Persian New Year inspired jam with rose water. It's light, fragrant, and a perfect addition to my morning warming oatmeals. Baby Zand loves her jam on toast, and I will also happily shove a spoonful into my mouth as a quick dessert af