Here's a great way of adding texture and flavor to top pastas and salads with the goodness of raw cashews. Cashews are a good source of iron, copper, manganese and zinc. This is a dairy free option and there are no additives or preservatives. It's RAW so all the vitamins and minerals are intact.
Ingredients:
Prep work:
· Soak the cashews for at least 2 hours before making this recipe to have a soft creamy texture. · Zucchini holds a lot of water. To help get rid of the excess water after spiralizing, lightly salt the zucchini to draw out the water and let sit for half an hour then drain off the liquid. Don’t premix this salad with the sauce as it will become watery. Ingredients: · 1 small zucchini – spiralized Sauce: This sauce makes over a cup and stores well in the fridge. · 1 cup raw cashews, soaked, rinsed and drained · 2/3 cup purified water · 2 Tbs. olive oil · 1.5 Tbs. lemon juice · 1 Tbs. tamari · 2 Tbs. fresh rosemary, chopped fine · 2 cloves garlic, minced (omit if don’t you like garlic) · 3 Tbs. nutritional yeast · Sea salt and pepper, to taste · Garnish with fresh chopped basil and black pepper Method: 1. Soak cashews for two hours or more. 2. Spiralize the zucchini and lightly salt and set aside. 3. Put cashews, water, olive oil, lemon juice, tamari, rosemary, garlic, nutritional yeast and sea salt and pepper in a blender or NutriBullet and blend until smooth. 4. Drain excess water from the zucchini. 5. Pour on dressing, about one third to a half, and mix lightly with the zucchini noodles. 6. Top with chopped basil and black pepper and serve. Note: This is a RAW recipe and is a perfect summer meal. You can quickly heat the zucchini if you want this dish warm but don’t cook long or else you’ll have a mushy mess. Go here to print this recipe: recipe_zucchini_spirals_with_faux_alfredo_sauce.docx Save your money on fancy olives by jazzing them up for yourself. I learned this trick when I lived in Chile where olives and cheese where common restaurant, bar and party fare.
SAN REMO OLIVES: Are usually on sale anywhere you shop. The can contains four ingredients: ripe olives, water, salt and ferrous gluconate. So what is ferrous gluconate? It's iron! www.befoodsmart.com rates ferrous gluconate as a 'B' so olives are a source of iron. For better absorbability, try to eat olives with a citrus or food that contains vitamin C. So, if you add these to your salad, use lemon juice in the salad dressing or have some tomatoes in your salad. Jazzed up Olives: Ingredients:
Quinoa is an awesome gluten free vegan protein source. The way I prepare it, you'll want to put it on and in everything. But first....make sure your soak it. Soak quinoa for about 4 hours with water and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. I like to use the same pot I'm cooking in to soak as it saves on dishes. Soaking grains and beans in water and some type of acid breaks down the phytic acid which coats the grains. Phytic acid naturally protects the grains from bacteria and other critters. By soaking your grains, you make them much better for absorption and assimilation. This is particularly important for vegans and vegetarians who rely on this versatile grain for it's protein content. Quinoa contains all essential amino acids so it is a complete protein and one cup (cooked) has 8 grams of protein. It is a superfood high in all the B vitamins, magnesium, and iron. It's high in fiber so it is great at balancing blood sugar and it's filling so with just one cup in a salad you will be satisfied for hours without feeling heavy, bloated or sleepy. Curried Quinoa Ingredients:
Go here to print this recipe: recipe_curried_quinoa.docx Here's another recipe from the FMTV 21 day program. I double the amount of salad vegetables. Especially the greens, I use one small clam shell of organic mixed greens. There's enough dressing for a really big salad like the one pictured below. There's plenty for two people or it's a great salad to take to a party. If you are going to make one portion for yourself, store half the dressing in a sealable glass container and keep the avocado pit to place in the center of the dressing to stop the dressing from going brown. Ingredients (use organic ingredients where possible) 2 handfuls of bitter greens (arugula, dandelion and endive) 1 carrot, grated 1 cucumber, sliced 1/4 red onion, finely diced - the original recipe calls for 1/2 a red onion which I find too much. (And so does everyone I talk to after lunch!) Optional: 1 radish Dressing 1 lime, juiced 1 avocado - I use a big one. 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar - Bragg's is the best. Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 tsp. raw honey - Fredrich's is the best. 1 handful fresh, soft herbs (works best with dill, cilantro or basil leaves) 1/4 tsp. salt Method
1 cup of cooked chickpeas for extra protein. Soak chickpeas for 4 hours or overnight, strain, then cook in boiling water for 30 minutes or until soft and drain and serve. Go here to print this recipe: recipe_skin_beauty_salad.docx Nutritional Information Avocado is a great source of monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, B-vitamins and fiber. Avocados have carotenoid lutein which is required for healthy eyes as we age.
"Energetically, honey acts upon the stomach, spleen, and lungs. It tones, soothes, and nourishes and has laxative properties. It is also useful in cases of fluid retention. Some health-care experts believe that consuming local honey may decrease the allergic response for people with pollen allergies." References
Here's another great recipe from FMTV. Perfect for a Spring lunch. Ingredients (use organic ingredients where possible)
Method: 1. In a large bowl, mix together the cooked quinoa, chopped tomatoes, onion, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. (I add my chickpeas here). 2. Mix well and add salt to taste. 3. Serve on a bed of fresh mixed greens or spinach. Serve it as a main, a side dish or as a filling for bell peppers, lettuce cups or wraps. Nutritional Information: Naturally gluten free, a complete protein and a source of iron, B-vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, vitamin E and fiber, quinoa is a nutritional powerhouse! Go here to print this recipe: recipe_quinoa_tabbouleh.docx This is my go-to salad meal when I am in a hurry, starving and don't have time to prepare anything.
Everything in this salad is prepared ahead of time so all I have to do is assemble it. Use a bigger bowl than you need. I use about a 4 cup bowl to make my salad. The mixed greens take up a lot of room at first and it's easier for mixing at the end. Let's build one together from the bottom to the top. Ingredients Two large handfuls or more of organic mixed greens 1 cup mixed salad vegetables: eg cucumber, carrots, celery, peppers, radishes, green onion 1/2 cup roasted vegetables: e.g. onions, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli 1 cup cooked quinoa - a great vegan protein source 2 Tbs. sauerkraut - Buy refrigerated at your favorite health food store. It's a great probiotic. 1/2 an avocado - I use the other half in my morning smoothie. Loaded with healthy fats that will keep you full for a long time. One handful mixed raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds - more Omega3 and protein 2 Tbs. hemp seeds - also Omega3 and protein 5-6 olives - read the label and watch out for preservatives (optional). Don't worry about ferrous gluconate as an ingredient which is very common in olives. It is actually Iron and has a ranking of "B" on the www.befoodsmart.com scale. Don't be afraid to add anything else you like for example sprouts or left over roasted vegetables. Use my Golden Yum Dressing that has flax oil in it....More Omega3! Toss and eat. Delish! This is a version of the Hollyhock dressing. Hollyhock is a retreat on Cortes Island that features exceptional learning opportunities through lectures, cozy accommodations, organic vegetarian cuisine, organic gardens, yoga, nature walks and meditation.
Ingredients: 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 2/3 cup purified water 1/3 cup tamari 1-4 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes 1/2 cup flax seed oil Method: Place all ingredients in blender. (except oil) Add oil with blender running to desired consistency. For a creamier dressing add more nutritional yeast. For a thinner dressing, add more purified water. Store in the refrigerator. When you return from the market with all your beautiful fresh vegetables, don't just throw them in your refrigerator and forget about them until they are mush in a plastic bag. Start washing, chopping, and storing in glass containers so they are ready to go. This cuts down on food waste and ensures all your vegetables are ready to eat at any time, It's easier to eat more vegetables if they are already cleaned and prepped. The above photo features: Organic Romaine lettuce, washed, spun and cut with a plastic knife. Pre-washed organic mixed greens taken out of the clam shell, fluffed up and put in a glass container with paper towel on the bottom and top. These delicate greens turn really quickly so you don't want to keep them in the moisture ridden clamshell. Organic baby carrots rinsed and stored in purified water in glass container. Great for quick snacks with hummus. Finally, salad vegetables stored separately from the lettuce. This way you can add as much as you want. From bottom to top: 1 cucumber, peeled, split in half, seeds removed by running a spoon down the middle (cucumber seeds make the salad too wet and turn the cucumber faster) 2 carrots, peeled, halved and sliced 2 celery sticks, sliced 1 pepper, diced 2 radishes, sliced 2 green onions, sliced Part of a holistic kitchen is glass storage containers for fridge and freezer. Plastic storage containers generally contain BPA which can release xenoestrogens into your food. Xeno (meaning foreign) mimics estrogen in the body which can lead to estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance can have lots of symptoms and conditions such as: accelerating aging, allergies, asthma, hives, rashes, breast tenderness and breast cancer. Switch to glass by using Mason Jars, Anchor containers and Snap Lock. Canadian Tire has a great selection and they are usually on sale.
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