Eat More Veggies!

We try to eat mushrooms as often as possible.  Today we lightly sauteed them with red onion and bell peppers (nothing added).  Mushrooms are one of those foods to have in your immune strengthening arsenal.
Some mushrooms are anti-inflammatory, stimulate the immune system, prevent DNA damage, slow cancer cell growth, cause programmed cancer cell death, and inhibit angiogenesis. Angiogeneiss is the promotion of new blood vessel growth from existing blood vessels.  These blood vessels feed cancer and tumor growth and also fat cells. In addition to these properties, mushrooms also contain aromatase inhibitors – compounds that can block the production of estrogen. Which is good news for inhibiting some hormone cancers.

Studies show that onions halt the development of some cancers. They are loaded with antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory effects.

Colorful vegetables like bell peppers are high on the nutrient density list and they are also a high water content food.

With all of these benefits shouldn't you be eating more vegetables today?

More Local Veggies & Kale and Bean Salad Recipe

Here is a picture of some of the yummy young kale I received from my CSA farmer. 

Kale is a cruciferous vegetable.  

Kale is one of my family's favorite greens.  All of my kids love to put kale in green smoothies or lightly steamed.

Today I am making a kale & bean salad that I came up.

 

  Kale and Bean Salad

  

1 bunch of kale~cleaned and chopped

Place kale in the bottom of a large bowl

3 cans of variety beans~ ex. Black, garbanzo, kidney~ drain & rinse

1 small red onion diced fine

1 bell pepper your choice of color

2 stalks of celery diced

Place all of these ingredients in a different bowl.

Marinade

¼ c. honey or a mixture of agave & honey

½ c. lemon juice fresh or no preservatives

2 T. Extra Virgin Olive oil or flax or hemp oil

Blend marinade ingredients together and pour over bean mixture.

Add pepper if you like or salt free herbs of choice.

Then pour the bean mixture over kale and let sit for a couple of hours to marinate.

This can be served as a main dish or a side.

Cruciferous Veggies

This is a picture of some radishes I just devoured.  Our CSA is just about to begin and as usual we have the option to order some of the veggies that are coming on prior to the start of the season.  

Radishes are a cruciferous vegetable and produce ITC's (Isothiocynates) ITC's occur when the cell walls are broken by chewing, blending or juicing.  Make sure you crush those cell walls prior to cooking or the chemical reaction does not occur that produces ITC's.  Try to eat some raw cruciferous veggies everyday.

Why do you need ITC's?

Isothiocyanates combat carcinogens by neutralizing them and compartmentalizing them.   ITC's fight for us...they have anti inflammatory effects, antioxidant effects, they detoxify carcinogens, and prevent carcinogen DNA binding and promote the repair of damaged DNA, promote apoptosis (cancer cell death), promote the excretion of estrogens, they have antiviral & antibacterial properties and they inhibit H. Pylori growth.

 

here are a few of your choices.....arugula, bok choy, broccoli, broccoli rabe, broccolini, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mache, mustard greens, radish, red cabbage, rutabaga, turnips, turnip greens, watercress.

I found this photo on my memory card compliments of my daughter.  This picture was taken in my front yard.

Have you ever seen a Pilated Woodpecker?  They are quite breathtaking...and very large.

God Bless your day.......

Time with My Daughters and a Visit to the Farmer's Market

This past weekend my youngest daughter and I went on a road trip to Tennessee to spend time with my oldest daughter.

Time spent with my children is the best.   I love the time trapped in the car with my youngest.  It offers a focused time of sharing.  Then reconnecting with my oldest daughter and taking in the woman she has become and sharing about life is a blessing too.

We have many seasons of life....

Jim Elliott said.....

Wherever you are be all there. 

Make sure you take time to be in the moment, not wandering out in the future or the past too much...you just may miss out on the important stuff.

While we were in Tennessee we took a trip the the Nashville Farmer's Market and then wandered around downtown Nashville.

We visited a really cool eclectic shop called Pangaea with everything from hip and trendy clothing to unique and funky gifts.  

Sorry, no picture but you can follow the link to check it out and if you go to Nashville look them up.

We also visited our favorite Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant  The Wild Cow.  This time they had fresh juice...kale, apple, ginger, which was delicious!  I also spotted a raw raspberry lemon cheesecake that looked yummy....but I was stuffed this time from my taco salad.

My New Favorite Juicer

I am loving my new juicer.  Jay Kordich's Pro Grind.  It is fast, but not too fast and it juices everything...greens, fruits & nuts!!!  It is easy to clean and it doesn't take hardly anytime.

I have a Champion...it is a good juicer, but it takes too much time.

My Green Power takes too long and is a hassle to clean up.

My Jack LaLanne...is great, but it doesn't handle the greens and the pulp is wet.

But this one is GREAT!

GREEN Juice at the top and another green/beet juice at the bottom.

yummy....

This is a picture of Kristen's banana bread topped with strawberries and pecan.  All raw and super delicious. I've been keeping some of the bread in my car for a quick snack.

Remember to always be prepared when you go out so you are not tempted to eat unhealthy foods.

Carry nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and or veggies.

When I leave home and know I'll be gone for a while I pack up large bowls of cut up veggies and some fruit to snack on.

What do you take with you on the road?

Hungry For A Change~Free Viewing of the Film

This film will help to educate you about what you are eating and what we should be eating.
Follow this link to view this film for free until March 31st.
Please educate yourself!

to your health
Kathy

Juicing and Carrot Cake, Banana Bread and Eggplant Bacon

My daughter and I are juicing again.  We like to cleanse periodically by juicing for a few days and then continue cleansing by drinking smoothies.  We usually do not set a time limit on our cleanse. We listen to our bodies and come off the cleanse when we need to.

Today I made a gallon of green juice and a gallon of carrot, apple, romaine ginger juice.

My Green Juice consisted of:

celery

baby swiss chard...our first taste of the CSA this year!

parsley

romaine

fennel

cucumber

ginger

lemon

liquid stevia to sweeten

This is what I store my juice in.

After juicing I thought I'd use some of the pulp to make a carrot cake for the hubs and if there is any left after our liquid fast we may get to partake.

This is one of the most delicious raw cake recipes I have ever made.  Compliments of RawDawg Rory.

You can watch his video of how to make it here.

Carrot Cake ~ Rawdawg Rory's recipe

This batch is for either 1 layer or a small cake! For an approx 2″ high by 8″ round cake, go ahead and repeat this recipe! 

1+1/2 cups of almonds 
1 cup of rough chopped carrot
1 cup of dates
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
pinch of sea salt



Place the almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in your food processor and grind until you’ve turned them into “flour”. Remove to a bowl. Put your carrots into the processor and grind down finely. Now here’s a tweak option, you can use the carrots as is to make an extremely moist cake or you can place them in cheese cloth or a juice bag and wring them out a bit.. I left mine juicy.

Mix the carrots and flour together in a mixing bowl and divide in half . Place half the carrot/flour mix into the processor and grind with half of the dates, repeat with the leftover ingredients, this step may seem tedious, but it’s to make sure the dates are finley ground down and the finished cake well combined. Now gently press the mix into a greased 8″ spring form pan and allow to set in the fridge for 30 minutes while you make the frosting..

Orange Vanilla Creamy Frosting ~

1+ 1/2 cups of cashews, soaked for an hour to soften (you can sub macadamia nuts if you like
1/2 cup of dates, pitted
juice of 2 oranges
3/4 tsp of the fresh orange peel
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla bean seeds)
pinch of sea salt

Blend everything until smooth and creamy in your blender. If using a standard blender, you can soak the dates in the o.j. before blending to soften them up.

 

       What to do with Almond Pulp???

My family drinks almond milk every few days so we always have almond pulp leftover.  Most of the time I just place it in a glass jar, then stick it in the freezer~adding to it until it is filled.  When I have several jars, I thaw them out and place the pulp into the dehydrator and dry it, then blend it in my Vita-Mix and I have almond flour.  Sometimes I thaw the almond pulp and make almond cheese ....But Kristen's got a great recipe that I will be using , and playing with in the days to come.....
        Kristen's Raw~Cinnamon Banana Bread Squares
Kristen's recipe is sooo simple and these squares are so yummy!  Next time I will be making a couple of batches.  I added broken raw pecan pieces to mine before dehydrating. You can follow the link above for Kristen's recipe.  You could also layer 2-4 circles of this bread and make a cashew frosting  for each layer to have a nice layered cake!!!  I had my cashews ready to do this, and when I was pushing my plunger into the Vita-Mix I pushed too hard and shaved off the bottom of the plunger....therefore I had plastic shavings in my frosting....oh well...next time..

Thanks Kristen for the great recipe!!

 

FAKIN MAPLE BACON

2 eggplants sliced on mandolin

Blend the following ingreds in blender and pour over eggplant to marinate for an hour or two

3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

2 T. raw agave

2T. pure maple syrup (optional)

Black pepper to taste

spread  eggplant on teflex sheets dehydrate @ 105 degrees until crispy

 

I will not be eating of this yummy food during my liquid cleanse....but it will be waiting for me when we are finished.

My daughter and I were sorting through a bulk of raw almonds and she happened upon this heart shaped one.  <3

One way I get more greens into my diet is by eating blended soups and salads.  They are also great to get and keep things moving through your digestive tract.  

Greens are the most micro nutrient rich food on the planet.  Make sure you are eating them everyday to fill a portion of your micro nutrient load.  Also, make sure you are eating lots of vegetables and fruits in sufficient quantity and variety each day.

My favorite blended Salad/Soup

Best Blended Salad

1 Ataulfo mango

(my favorite, but you could also use another variety)

3 small vine ripe tomatoes

mixed salad greens

2 swiss chard leaves

small handful of cilantro

1 1/2 c. celery

3/4 of a large cucumber

jalapeno peppers to taste

lemon juice

Blend to desired consistency

This made a full Vita-Mix container or about 2 quarts

and I topped mine with granulated dulse flakes

Blended soups and salads are easy to digest, filling and delicious.  You can make them any consistency you like...smooth for a soup or chunky so you have something to chew.  Leave out the fruit for a savory soup or salad...use whatever greens or salad fixin's you have on hand, change up your spices/seasonings, add avocado for a creamy soup or salad.or chop it into the bowl..be creative....if I think it might be too bitter I add jalapeno and it usually cuts right through it.

For the dressings I usually add the ingredients right into the blender...for instance...tahini, lemon juice and Bragg's Liquid Aminos is good....or for Italian...garlic, oregano, basil, dash of Olive oil or leave out the oil and use an avocado for the fat.  Sometimes I'll look at salad dressing labels of things I used to eat and create one of my own from their ingredients list that I modify.

Raw Corn Chips

Raw Corn Salad/Salsa

6 ears of corn~cleaned and shaved off the cob (you can also use organic frozen corn)

1/2 of a red onion corsely chopped

1/4-1/3 c. jalapeno's diced

splash of lemon juice

cilantro to taste

Mix and let marinate to allow the flavors to mingle

you could also add a dash of salt

other optional ingredients~diced red sweet peppers, diced celery or any other veggie you have on hand

you could leave out the jalapeno's and add the other veggies plus a bit of olive oil so that it is more like a  salad  rather than hot salsa

You might want to make a corn soup or chowder...

place it in the Vita-Mix and add water, salt, garlic, jalapeno, avocado, a little lime juice and blend

Be creatvive and Enjoy!

When I was ready to make my chips 

I placed the leftover corn salad in my Vita-Mix and added water and about 1/2 c. of ground Golden flaxseed, next I spread them onto a teflex sheet and scored them into chips shapes  

Dehydrate for until they are able to peel from the teflex sheet

 Peel and flip over onto mesh screen and dry until crisp.

*If you use salt be sure to sprinkle it lightly on the wet mixture so that it will stick...for a healthier salt free version sprinkle with a salt-free herb blend or cayenne. 

Super Berry Chocolate Smoothie

1 c. water

3 cups of baby spinach

1/2 frozen banana

1-2 c frozen mixed berries

1 T. raw cacao

1 squirt Sweet Leaf English Toffee Stevia

Blend and top with raw cacao nibs

Cherry Soft Serve

In Vita-Mix place:

1 frozen banana

1 c. frozen dark sweet cherries

vanilla

almond milk to blend

blend until smooth & creamy but be careful not to over blend

you can also use a food processor

    Superfood Salad

  romaine

celery

bell peppers

cherry tomatoes

banana peppers

avocado

dulse

lime

Don't forget to smile!