Week 3 CSA Share and Mimi Kirk's Raw Cookies!

The picture above is my full CSA share with the exception of some missing strawberries. I was cleaning them when I realized I had not taken my pic for the week's share.

Starting in top left corner and going clockwise:

Purple kale

bag of mixed salad greens

lemon balm & apple mint

sorrel (is hidden)

chives

parsley

green ice lettuce

asparagus

snap peas

strawberries

This picture includes more of the same.  I was generously gifted by a friend of ours that will be leaving the country to go on a mission trip.

Purple Kale Salad

2 bunches of kale including stems

(the stems were sooo tender and tasty I chopped them up and added them to the salad)

1 bunch of chives including the tops

8 mini sweet peppers diced

1 bulb of garlic

handful of diced celery

EVOO

lemon juice

Bragg's Liquid Aminos

drizzle of toasted sesame oil

dash of Himalyan Salt

1 c. soaked and drained pumpkin seeds

Mimi Kirk's book, "LIVE RAW" ~  came in the mail last week!....it was autographed and a special dog tag necklace was included.

Mimi was voted the sexiest vegetarian over 50 years old in 2009!  In fact Mimi is 72!

Great book Mimi! The pictures are gorgeous and the slick pages are wonderful to have while working in the kitchen...just in case of a spill.

This book is full of yummy recipes and tons of information.

I caught Mimi's Video a couple of weeks ago on how to make raw cookies...so I HAD to make them.

I modified my recipe by using coconut butter instead of coconut oil and added vanilla.

I ate too many!

I've posted Mimi's how to video below. You can find Mimi on Facebook or at her site Young on Raw Food

Enjoy!

Kickin' Chipotle Swiss Chard Roll Ups!

What to do with all that wonderful Swiss Chard???

Our CSA shares have included Chard the last two weeks and I know there is more to come.  Many folks are not familiar with this colorful leafy veggie, so I would like to offer some ideas.  You can also check  my previous post... Cheezy Garlicky Swiss Chard

                               Kickin' Chipotle Swiss Chard Roll Ups

 Oh my, these are wonderfully delicious.

Early this morning I thought I'd make some kind of sunflower seed cheese.  So this afternoon

I decided that I would create one...how hard could it be?????   

This cheeses is so good I will be making it again.

Chipotle Sunflower Seed Cheese

In a glass mason jar:

1 c. raw sunflower seeds

cover with water and allow them to soak for several hours

drain, rinse, drain again

place in a Vita-Mix or food processor

add:

3 cloves of garlic

Himalayan salt to taste

Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipolte~no measurements..

my lid fell off as I was shaking it

add enough lemon juice to blend

Blend until smooth

This Cheese will make anything taste good, so if you are not fond of the strong flavor of Chard

make the cheese hot and roll it up!

Assembly line for the Swiss Chard Roll Ups

Chipotle Seed Cheese

chopped up stems of the chard leaves (waste nothing)

cilantro

zuchinni and carrot noodles (leftovers from Pasta Marinara)

tomatoes

spread your cheese on the wide end of the chard leaf add toppings of your choice and roll up!!

Use whatever toppings you and your family prefer...be creative

You can also make a wrap with romaine leaves, collards, cabbage or whatever leafy green you have

The Cheese is good for a dip for veggies or crackers

Before rolling

Get your greens on...eat them raw as often as possible...they are nutritional powerhouses!

Thank you for taking time to read my blog

I hope all of you have a safe and wonderful weekend!!

love

peace

joy

God Bless

                                                                            Kathy

CSA Share this week! Green and Red!

Each week I am posting my CSA share.  If you are interested in joining contact me.

From top left~

2 heads of Green Ice lettuce,

1 bunch of swiss chard

  1 bunch of chives

asparagus

 1 bad of mixed greens

2 lbs of strawberries

parsley

lemon balm

The Simply Raw Living Foods Detox Manual~Living Muesli recipe

 I recently read~, "The Simply Raw Living Foods Detox Manual "
by Natasha Kyssa.
I have to say it is one of the most comprehensive and compact books of its kind. Her raw food philsophy is grounded in the teachings of Ann Wigmore, Brian Clement, Colin T. Campbell, Victoria Boutenko, Steve Meyerowitz, Matt Monarch and his wife Angela, Paul Nison, Rich Anderson, Harvey Diamond, Louise Hay, Sherry Rogers and Christopher Vasey.  If you are familiar with the teaching of these people mentioned and want a great detox manual, get this one!.....or if you are new to raw foods and want to transition and clean house, this would be an invaluable resource.  Natasha will educate you and gradually get you there through her 28-Day program and instruct you in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Click on the picture above to go to Amazon and read more about this book or to purchase one for yourself.

This is a recipe from Natasha's book.  I have modified it a bit and given more detailed instructions.

My recipe is for four servings.

LIVING MUESLI

In a quart mason jar add:

4 T chia seeds

4 T. hemp seeds

4 T. raisins

fill with raw almond milk

cinnamon and vanilla to taste

put lid on jar and shake it every few minutes for about 15-20 mins so the chia seeds do not clump together

In a separate glass jar:

4 T. raw sunflower seeds

4 T raw pumpkin seeds

4 T. raw almonds

cover with water and let soak overnight

Place both jars in the fridge until morning

In the morning:

drain nuts and seeds~rinse~drain

add mixture to chia seeds mixture

 then add:

4 banana's chopped into small pieces

Enjoy!!

This will keep for a couple days in fridge...if you don't mind your banana's getting softer and discoloring a bit.

We have been eating in for b-fast and snacking!

Beware...the picture below is not food!!

my daughter found this outside in our wooded yard climbing a tree....

What do you think this is???

We live in the midwest.......

Butterscotch-y Cacao Nib~ Dandy Blend Smoothie

After my second walk today I needed a quick pick me up. 

Yes, I know it looks like a Starbucks...but it is NOT.  Just go to Starbucks for the triple filtered water and fill it up at home with your own smoothie.  :)

This smoothie taste like it has coffee in it since the Dandy Blend taste like coffee..but it's better for you!

Read about Dandy Blend here.

Butterscotch-y Cacao Nib Smoothie

1 c. fresh almond milk

1 over ripe banana

1 t. Dandy Blend or if you drink coffee 1 t. organic instant coffee

1 T. cacao nibs

1 t. maca powder (this powder has a butterscotch flavor)

1/2 to 3/4 of one squirt of Hazelnut liquid stevia by Sweetleaf

Below are links to Amazon.com  for most of the ingredients

The Stevia and cacao nibs are available at a 15%  discountwith their subscribe and save program.

Cheezy Garlicky Swiss Chard

This post is for my CSA friends who don't know what to do with their Swiss Chard....

Cheezy Garlicky Swiss Chard

In a bowl place:

1 bunch of swiss chard~(Chiffonade) follow the link for demonstration of this technique

& massage the chard to wilt and soften it.

2-3 small celery stalks diced

4-5 green onions chopped

1 container of grape tomatoes

6-7 radishes finely diced

(soaked pumpkins seeds make a nice addition to this salad)

Cheezy Garlicky Dressing

1/3 c. tahini

1/4 c. lemon juice

2-4 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos

4-5 garlic cloves

2 stalks of celery~coarsely chopped

1/4-1/3 c. nutritional yeast

dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

  add water to thin if necesary

Blend in Vita-Mix or high powered blender

Pour this dressing over the salad and mix into it with your hands. Let it sit and marinate for 30 mins to meld the flavors together or it can be eaten right away.

You can also add swiss chard to salads, smoothies, juices or use it as a wrap instead of tortillas for avocado roll ups or in place of nori rolls.

For those who prefer to cook it.  It is good lightly steamed~adding onion/garlic/Bragg's or whatever your taste dictate

I encourage you to eat as many of your vegetables raw this season and see if you notice any improvements in your health. 

Why eat raw foods???

check out these sites

The Best of Raw Foods

Living and Raw Foods

Speak kind and encouraging words today...

the power of life and death are in the tongue....

you reap what you sow

what you plant will grow

plant

peace

 love

joy

Banana Puddin' & Recovery Smoothie

After my morning walk with the ladies of our community it was time for a recovery smoothie and a bowl of my daughter's Banana Puddin'

Green Smoothie

1 c. water

1 banana

1/2 white peach

1/2 container of blackberries

big handful of spinach

1 celery stalk

2 radish leaves with stems

 (yes, I said leaves)

dash of cinnamon

couple drops of liquid vanilla creme stevia

ice

BLEND & ENJOY

While taking care of our bills my daughter popped into the room and grabbed the camera.

Yesterday in our CSA share we received a multitude of Greens, so I thought I'd indulge myself and not let anything go to waste....

Kale  Salad

&  Other  Bitter Greens

layer bottom of bowl with 2 swiss chard leaves chopped

2 flowering stalks of arugula (from my garden)

2 radish leaves and stems diced

Top with Kale Salad

and

2 radishes diced finely

grape tomatoes

dulse granules

This is a very Green & Bitter Salad.  Unless you like it this way...leave out the extra bitter greens and just try the Kale Salad recipe, which is very good.

Greens have a multitude of benefits. Check out this link for the Importance and Health Benefits of Greens this list is not exhaustive but has some basic information.

Greens are great for alkalizing, detoxing, cleansing and building the body!

Get your greens on today!

The average adult should be consuming approximately 2 bunches of greens each day for optimal health according to Victoria Boutenko author of, "Green For Life"

Remember to be thankful today!

We all have something to be thankful for.

Breathe Deeply

Love passionately

and

   Smile!!!

First CSA share of the Season!!! Everything is turning Green!!

This is two different shots of the same portion of veggies.

I wanted to make sure you could see all the good greens we received in all their glory.

Included are from top left corner.

1 bag of mixed salad greens

1 bag of spinach

1 bag of kale

1 bunch of radishes

loose bunch of swiss chard

asparagus

Green Ice lettuce

Extra's we get for free

from top left corner

chives

parsley

apple mint (bottom right corner)

sorrel (bottom left)

lemon balm (in the middle)

tarragon (right under the chives)

If you are interested in our local CSA and you know me contact me via e-mail or by phone and I will get you connected.

or~if you want to find a CSA in your area go to Local Harvest.org