Zucchini Chips and Beet Salad

For several weeks we have been receiving beets & zucchini in our CSA boxes.  God has surely blessed us with abundance even in this dry weather.

Many of you may not be sure what to do with all of the extra's you cannot consume.

Here are a few idea's from my side of the kitchen. 

*make the recipes below

*shred and freeze your zucchini for later use

*slice and dehydrate to add to soups this winter (zuch. is great in minestrone)

*add 1/4-1/2 of a beet to 2 quarts of smoothie

*add a 1/2 of a medium or 1 small zucchini to your morning smoothie (they are very bland so you do not really taste them.  Don't peel them..just cut off the stem stub

*cut zucchini in chunks and freeze to add to smoothies later.

*add zucchini when juicing...thanks go to my friend Teri Hawkins-Fox of Natural Rejuvenation for this idea that she shared with me a few years ago.


*make zucchini noodles with a spiralizer or potato peeler...add fresh pesto or marinara


*add beets when juicing...just be cautious as they are very detoxifying. Start with a small amount, ex. 1/4  beet per quart.  


*add to stir fry or lightly steam 


*share your extra's with a neighbor, friend or co-worker & give them a recipe card so they know what to do with them

 
                                                BEET SALAD

2 bunches of red beets~shredded

5-10 garlic cloves

( used 10 because they were not very big)

1/4 to 1/3c. of extra virgin olive oil

1/4-1/3 c. of 100% pure lemon juice

(no preservatives-look in the health section at Kroger)

Himalayn Salt or sea salt/real salt to taste

clove powder~taste often as this is very strong (optional)

Mix together and let marinate for a little while..if you can wait, if not~ it is still delcious.

Save the beet tops ~wash and drain~ and shred them~layered on a plate and top with the beet salad

sometimes I add dulse flakes and/or raw sunflower seeds

Click here for the health benefits of beets

I have found that consuming RAW beets daily in addition with adequate amounts of high water content fruits and veggies ,and sufficient filtered drinking water keep my digestion in optimal condition.

What works for me is to have at least 2-4 Tablespoons with each meal.  Sometimes I eat more, because they are sooo good.

  

 ZUCCHINI CHIPS

2 Zuchinni's , sliced thin with peeler or mandolin
Olive oil or coconut oil spray  ( I found a  refillable pump spray bottle at one of the discount stores) 
1 teaspoon Crushed garlic
1 teaspoon Sea Salt (optional.  I do not use this if I am using Mrs. Dash)
½ teaspoon paprika or any of Mrs. Dash's seasonings.  I especially like the Southwest Chipotle from Mrs. Dash

Slice zucchini into strips or rounds and place in a bowl and lightly spray with olive or coconut oil and add crushed garlic and mix & marinate for about 10 minutes.  Spread the mixture out on a dehydrator tray and sprinkle with seasonings of choice. Remember that the flavor will intensify since you are dehydrating. Dehydrate on around 105 for about 8 hours or so.

You could also dry these on very low temperature in the oven.

To your health~
Kathy

Watermelon Ginger Juice

It is HOT here in the Midwest.  We have been enjoying temperatures in the upper 90's & 100's.
I am about to make some Watermelon Ginger Juice and thought you might enjoy making some of your own.
This juice will help to keep you hydrated and the ginger helps with inflammation & digestion.


A few weeks ago I  messed up the plug in for my memory card on the computer so I have not been able to post any pictures of the great recipes I have been making with the produce from my CSA.
I hope to get back to posting some of my own pictures again soon....until then I'll re-post some old pic's and some helpful video's.

Proper Food Combining

As many of my readers know  I was diagnosed with IBS several years ago.  This can be quite painful.
One of the most important things I did and still do to relieve my digestive issues is to properly combine my foods and properly time my meals.  Most of us have not even heard about food combining and have been mis-combining our foods our whole life. In fact, it is a standard american tradition.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons why we have so many digestive troubles.
I have friends who are following these principles and they tell me what a positive difference it has made in their own health conditions.
Doing this will also relieve many other symptoms...fatigue, allergies, muscle pains, headaches, etc.  It will  help you lose weight too!  I challenge you to practice proper food combining for one week and see what a difference it makes for you &  your health.  Please let me know if you do and the results.
Here is a primer I found on youtube...read below the video for rules that you can print out for your own reference
IF you like to read follow this link on a few lessons about food combining
This is one of the best food combining charts I have found

For the meat eaters...


                                                     Remember to practice your deep breathing and
                                                                                 Be still..................

Dave The Raw Food Trucker is coming to Indianapolis!!!

Dave the Raw Food Trucker is coming to Indianapolis July 25th, from 6-9pm at The Chase Legacy Center, 725 N. Oriental Ave, Indpls. 317.423.2000. cost is $20.  No reservations are needed! Come and learn how Dave transformed his health!!
 
Not long ago, Dave was dying from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, kidney leakage, obesity. Today, not only has he gotten his life back, but he lives everyday in vibrant, radiant health

In 2008, Dave was literally at the “brink of death.”

Dave’s weight topped 430 pounds; His kidney’s were leaking proteins into his blood system, his blood pressure was skyrocketing, he had stage 1 colon cancer, digestive problems eating 4 packs of rolaids a day and taking zantac every day, struggling with diabetes. 

As he will tell you, Dave said he was getting ready to “check out.” He felt his health situation was hopeless, that he had lived his life, and that it was only a matter of a year or two before he would die.  Find the rest of Dave's story here.

http://daveconrardy.com/ 
you can find Dave on Facebook here:https://www.facebook.com/davetherawfoodtrucker/info

Smoothies, Juice and Soft Serve

Lemon Balm Green Smoothie

2-3 c. water

4 c. kale

1/4 c. lemon balm or mint leaves

1 1/2 c. blueberries (frozen or fresh)

 1 c. of mixed fruit blend 

(I used  frozen mango, strawberries, peaches & pineapple)

2 T. hemp seeds

Blend & Enjoy!

This made about 2 quarts  my daily dose of green smoothie. I normally drink 1-2 quarts of green smoothie per day. This is a good way to get a significant amount of nutrient dense greens into your diet.  

Green Juice

kale 

spinach

romaine

leaf lettuces

beet greens

cucumber

zucchini

2 radishes

ginger

lemon juice

Juicing is another way to flood your cells with nutrients.

This is for pure pleasure!

Strawberry Soft Serve with Cacao Sauce

1 c. fresh almond milk

2 frozen bananas

frozen strawberries with greens

Blend in a Vita-Mix or food processor.

To make this more nutritious you can add some spinach or green powder.

Cacao Sauce

2 T. raw cacao or cocoa powder

1 t. vanilla 

agave to sweeten and blend to desired consistency

I made this soft serve the next day.  

Chocolate Sunbutter (taste like peanut butter) Soft Serve. 

1 c. almond milk

2 T. sunbutter

2 frozen bananas

vanilla

blend in Vita-Mix or food processor 

Banana Soft Serve can be made into any flavor you desire.  Just remember the almond milk & frozen bananas are the base.  Use your imagination and enjoy!

Stawberry Rhubarb Smoothie

Last week we received rhubarb in our share.  

While at my daughter's Karate class I was sharing with a lady who uses it in her smoothies. (thanks Holly!)

So I decided to make a strawberry rhubarb smoothie and it turned out great.

Here is my recipe~

Strawberry Rhubarb Smoothie

2 c. water

1 banana

handful of beet greens including stems

big handful of spinach

2 small stalks of tender rhubarb

1 1/2 c. frozen strawberries (if using fresh add ice to smoothie)

Blend & Enjoy!

Eat More Greens!

Beet and Kale Salad Recipes & What to do with Mint

I've been getting spearmint and peppermint from one of my CSA shares.  

What to do with it??

You can make  Spearmint or Peppermint Infused Water

Infused Water~

Thank you Penni Shelton of Raw Food Rehab

This batch of water includes

fresh spearmint

1 organic navel orange

goji berries

liquid stevia

I placed this in the fridge overnight and it was ready in the morning.

I waited to add the stevia to each glass.

Mint tea's help the body to stay cool in the heat.  I try to keep some in the fridge all summer long.

Or make some Tabbouleh~

Tabbouleh

1 bunch of parsley~chopped fine

1 bunch of cilantro~chopped fine

4 tomatoes~diced

4-6 stalks of celery~diced

4 green onions~chopped

2 c. cooked quinoa or for all raw use hemp seeds

1/3 c. lemon juice

1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t. cumin

2-3 T. fresh MINT

black pepper to taste

Tonight we enjoyed this Tabbouleh with lemon Tahini dressing (tahini, lemon juice, Bragg's Liquid Aminos and water to thin)..I like to drizzle this dressing over my salad. On the table was garlic hummus and warm pita bread. 

We also recieved Beets in our share.

Here is one of my favorite raw recipes:

Beet Salad

1 bunch of beets peeled and shredded

5-6 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 c. ev olive oil

1/4 c. lemon juice

dash of salt

dash of ground cloves

mix and let marinate for a bit.

Did you know that  CLOVES neutralize garlic breath?

Remember clove gum?

I used to love it!

This is not garlic clove. 

KALE SALAD

1 bunch of kale

radished~diced

mini sweet pepperrs~chopped

chives~finely chopped

Chinese Five Spice to taste

 lemon juice

extra virgin olive oil

Himalayan salt

handful of raw pumpkin seeds

Cheezy Kale Salad

not pictured

1 large bunch of kale cleaned, de-stemmed and shredded

in blender:

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1/4 c. Bragg's liquid Amino's

1/2 c. filtered water

1/3 c. tahini

1/4 to 1/3 c. of  raw sesame seeds

2 garlic cloves

Himalayna  salt to taste

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

blend until smooth and pour over kale massage and let sit in fridge or eat right away if you cannot wait!

Mediterrianean Kale Salad~pictured above

kale

yellow bell peppers

olives

olive oil

lime juice

Himalyan salt

Remember to smile today

and be kind to those you meet

you never know what someone is going through

Strawberry Banana Soft Serve and what I'm doing with my Veggies

Yesterday was our first portion from our CSA.  I am blessed to belong to two of them.  I received strawberries in my full share and more are expected next week from my other farmer.

We ate many of them, stems included.  Don't throw away the greens.  They are full of chlorophyll and other nutrients.  If you are not hard core like me, just toss them in your smoothie.

My daughter and I  had planned on making Banana soft serve today...but those strawberries were sitting on the counter so I tossed a few in....Yummy!!!

Here is the recipe:

Strawberry Banana Soft Serve

In Vita-Mix  

add in this order:

1/2 c. fresh almond milk

4 strawberries

4 medium frozen bananas broken up

1/2 t. vanilla 

begin blending at 2, then increase speed to 3 or 4 until four mounds appear.  stop your machine so that it doesn't overheat or melt your ice cream.  

This soft serve was absolutely the best!

you can use a food processor if you don't own a Vita-Mix.

Enjoy!

I have been getting lots of greens from my farmer over the last few weeks so I've been enjoying lots of green juices.  This is another way to get tons of micronutrients.

We received a leek in our share yesterday.  So I made some quinoa.

I made 2 c. of quinoa

then added

chopped leek

orange bell pepper

black pepper

lemon juice

Here is another item we were blessed with, asparagus

I water sauteed it with leeks and tossed in a few chopped collard leaves

My lunch

Kale &  Bean Salad 

(we also received kale in our share) 

asparagus

quinoa

Being part of a CSA is a great way to recieve load of healthy immune strengthening micronutrient rich foods.

You can find pictures of last years harvest here. 

Thanks for reading.

God bless your day!!