Heal yourself in 15 days with the 'Attitude of Gratitude' (part twelve)

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Heal yourself in 15 days with the 'Attitude of Gratitude' (part twelve)

Does Cholesterol Really Matter?

Does Cholesterol Really Matter?

Vanilla Bean Banana Ice "Cream"

Ice "Cream"

We all agree, once you have this, you will never want dairy ice-cream again.

For "sorbet" use the ice "cream" recipe below and omit the bananas and sunflower seeds. Add any fruit; fresh or frozen or a combination of fresh and frozen.

You will need a high-speed blender. This recipe alone makes the price of a Vita-mix worth it!

Two to Four Servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of clean source water or coconut water
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• 2 whole vanilla beans
• 1 cup activated sunflower seeds
• 6 clean source ice cubes
• 3 whole bananas (peeled and frozen)
• 1/3 cup of raw honey (optional)
• pinch of ground cardamon (optional)
• 1/2 to 1 cap-full of almond extract (optional)

Step one (optional): Activating the sunflower seeds is optional. However, it results in a creamier dreamier ice "cream." Activate to your preference, do not allow to sprout.

Step Two: It is important to start with softened seeds. To soften, soak in clean source water for a minimum of 20 minutes, drain and rinse before adding to blender. Put water, salt, seeds, and vanilla beans in first. Blend until vanilla beans are broken up.

Step Three: Add other ingredients. Use the auger to push frozen fruit and ice cubes into the blades while they are turning on low speed. Switch to high at the end. Do not over blend. It will heat the mixture. If it does, no biggy. You will just need to chill it longer, especially if you are making a layered dessert with several flavors. (See Neapolitans, below). Pour into glasses or ceramic bowls and chill in the freezer to desired consistency. Or drink as a thick mylk shake.

To make Vanilla Pear ice "cream", substitute frozen pear slices for bananas. Use 1/2 a pear per person (So far, this is every body's favorite! It's just hard for me to sacrifice the pears because they are so good to just EAT. I always seem to have plenty of extra bananas.)

To make Mocha ice "cream," use the recipe above and add 1 tsp of carob (or highest quality raw cacao powder) and 1 tsp of fine ground light roast coffee.

For a "Chunky Monkey" add chilled organic peanut butter from New Mexico and fresh or frozen bananas at the end and pulse so it's not totally blended in. This is especially good in a cocoa or carob ice "cream."

I like red bananas best, but any organic banana will do! I also like to add Mystic Tonic's, Vanilla Blend when I feel like I need extra boost. It has maca, hemp seeds, cordecepts and EFAs from natural sources. It is the only protein powder I will use.

Peanut butter from New Mexico is free from molds and pesticides. It is the only peanut butter I will use.

Add frozen aronia berries, blue berries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, apples, kiwi, lemon, persimmons, fennel, oranges, pineapple, fresh pumpkin or strawberries for variety.

For basic

fudge sauce:

Mix, in this order:

• 2 TBs warm, but not boiling, water
• 3 TBs Carob powder or highest quality raw cocoa powder
• 1 TB raw honey
• 2 TBs grade B maple syrup
• scant pinch of Himalayan pink salt (optional)

Sometimes we make Neapolitans:

Make a full blender of vanilla (with pear or bananas). Pour 1/3 into chilled low-ball glasses. Place in the freezer while you add strawberries to the blender. Blend. Pour 1/3 on top of the vanilla. Place in the freezer while you add carob powder to the remaining third and pour onto the top. The last layer will be "loose" so you might add a little more salt and ice if you plan to serve right away. The result is a banded dessert that would impress even the most discerning mother-in-law! Garnish with a whole fresh strawberry on each glass.

ENJOY!

Cooked Foods: Hummus

Sprouted Garbanzo Bean Hummus

Sprouting the garbanzo beans increases nutrient content and improves flavor. I have not arrived at a raw hummus that is as satisfying, so I'm keeping this as one of my cooked foods. This is true of most beans. I sprout, then cook them. Raw beans are difficult to digest.

I always eat cooked foods, including hummus, with plenty of fresh vegetables to aid in digestion. Sometimes, I'll eat kraut and/or a digestive enzyme supplement as well.

The important thing is to ENJOY the cooked foods!

Endorphins are Everything: Mood-enhancing, immune supporting and energizing! It's simple to make sure you get enough endorphins:

Step one: ENJOY what you eat, and also what you: do, think, say, have.. be gratitude.

Step two: Repeat step one. Celebrate that you can enjoy foods, cooked and raw, and you can start now. That's it.

Step three: "But what about this, but what about that, but..." says your busy mind. Watch that go past and repeat step one. some coked foods in the diet have proven to increase vitality in most clients I have consulted with. I recommend that you periodically, go 100% raw for a few weeks or days --whatever feels great to YOU.

In the winter months, I choose to eat an average of 5 to 7 cooked foods a week, less often in the spring, summer and fall. You will find your balance by monitoring how you feel as you incorporate fewer, or more cooked foods into your life.

Hummus is an ancient middle-eastern food tradition with a long history of health benefits to peoples who use it as a regular protein source. The traditional recipes usually include sesame seed paste, called tahini. I prefer to leave it out or make fresh tahini and stir it into the hummus prior to serving, as raw sesame seeds go rancid quickly and can spoil the batch. However, I use sesame seeds in the same meal as garbanzo beans in the form of a salad dressing or topping. The combination of sesame and garbanzo makes a "complete protein" with all the detectable amino acids our bodies need. Ancient cultures didn't have laboratory testing. How did they know to combine these two things? My guess is, they were in tune with their natural selves.

I have found that prepared tahini in a jar is bitter and contains sulphates or other preservatives that create free-radical damage in our bodies. However, adding freshly prepared home-made tahini* when serving the hummus is an excellent idea.

*See Raw Tahini Recipe below. I use a small amount of honey in these recipes because Mediterranean lemons are much sweeter than North American ones we buy. The honey is intended to bring balance, but should not be a dominant flavor. Adjust amounts to your taste and to adjust for the sweet or sourness of your lemons. You can also use 1/2 fresh-squeezed lemon and 1/2 fresh squeezed orange to balance.

Hummus Recipe:

You will need a food processor or high-speed blender. (I prefer the food processor to make a thicker consistency.)

Ingredients:

4 cups of dried garbanzo beans

8 cups of clean source water, plus more for rinsing and water changes

3 to 5 bay leaves (optional)

juice of 2 large lemons or 3 small ones

1 to 2 tsp of ground cumin

1 TBs raw honey

1 to 2 tsp Himalayan pink salt or other high quality unprocessed mineral salt

2 -4 cloves or garlic, crushed

1/2 cup raw tahini (if using) - recipe below

Extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil (1 to 1 1/2 cups)

All ingredients are organically grown and sustainably harvested.

Hummus Instructions:

Step one (optional): Sprouting is optional. You can make hummus by cooking dried garbanzos right out of the container. Sprouting increases the nutrient value and the yield and results in a creamer, dreamier hummus!

There's no one right way to sprout the garbanzos. Do it to your liking. There are plenty of differences in the sprouting guides I have reviewed. Sprout to your liking. Just soaking until they double in size is good enough. I keep some under water in my fridge on the ready. They seem to keep well for at least 4 days, if I change the water each day.

Here's my preferred method:

• Soak them over night in water;
• Change the water the next day;
• Leave them wet at room temp in a ceramic mixing bowl, covered, away from light, all day and overnight the second night;
• Rinse and change to a clean bowl, place in fresh water to cover by 2 inches and put outside in the sun for 4 to 8 hours. ( If it's a hot day, above 70 degrees air temp) change the water at least one time mid-day and place the ceramic bowl in a large stainless bowl filled with ice for the second half of the sunning. Cover with a bug screen or mesh.
• Wash one more time before transferring to the cooking pot with fresh water to cover.

To cook:

• Bring pot to a boil, add bay leaves, reduce to a simmer. Monitor the water level and add more warm water form a tea kettle, as needed. You may also choose to use a pressure-cooker. (Be sure all cooking pots are highest quality stainless steel. Such as SaladMaster or other "waterless cookware" that is NOT bonded to aluminum.)
• When garbanzo beans are softened to your liking, salt the water and allow the cooking water and beans to cool to room temp (or still warm, but not too hot to handle). Reserve liquid.
• Remove bay leaves and discard. Take some beans out for garnishing, wraps and salad toppings. Refrigerate. Store in a glass or ceramic container.

To process:

Add batches of cooked beans to a food processor fitted with an S-blade along with the lemon juice, garlic, honey, cumin and tahini, if using. Add cooking water in 1/4-cup increments as the mixture is blending. Wait until the mixture is smooth, then drizzle the oil in as the processor is turning. Adjust for salt AFTER adding the oil.

To serve:

Serve room at temp, or store refrigerated. Garnish with more oil, and spices or herbs of choice: ground paprika, sumac (pictured), cumin, or cardamon; fresh cilantro, scallions, diced red onion, shallots, chives, basil, sage or mint. Traditionally, Egyptian version will include a topping of oil with pine nuts and sprinkle of cayenne or ground chillies, cumin and sumac. Easy on the cayenne or ground chilies. They will increase in heat as they become more saturated with the moisture from the hummus. Also great with diced Sun-dried tomatoes and olives.

We eat this hummus with living seed crackers or savory sun breads or dip slices of: cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli stem, snap peas, pepper strips, celery or carrots Left-overs make a filling for hollyhock-leaf, romaine, cabbage-leaf or chard-leaf wraps with sprouts, marinated or shredded veggies and whole garbanzo beans. Hummus wraps are excellent to serve with Tzatziki sauce (see recipe below)

Beyond Basic:

Be creative. Check ingredients in Middle-Eastern recipes to get ideas for flavored hummus.

• Add sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers to the food processor for a hummus rich in flavanoids, selenium and licopene.
• Increase the garlic and add soaked dried hot peppers for a spicy hummus high in anti-microbial properties.
• Experiment with curries and fresh herbs. (Napoleon Basil & Hand-harvested Mendocino Sea-Palm Fronds were added to this magic hummus, above.)
• Adding an entire hand-full of fresh basil and 1/2 cup of soaked walnuts makes a great sandwich spread!
• Add an half an onion, half a zucchini or 1/2 a cucumber to the processor in place of cooing water to increase the raw content of the food.

Raw Tahini Recipe:

I recommend making this in small batches and using the left-over to make dressing. It has a short shelf-life. But it's not difficult and it is definitely worth making if you want the traditional middle eastern hummus flavor.

• 2 cups of raw sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup RAW sesame oil
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp clover honey (optional)
• 3-5 cloves of garlic

Soak sesame seeds overnight or up to two days, refrigerated. Drain and rinse well in cheese cloth or fine sieve. Transfer to a bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Process all ingredients until a smooth paste forms. Add a little clean source water, if needed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process again.

Transfer to a jar or ceramic dish. Cover with more oil, to store. Or, add to salad dressing or garbanzo bean hummus recipe.

TIP: Make the tahini first, then use the processor to make the humus, saving a wash-up.

Tzatziki sauce

• 1 large cucumber, scrubbed and peeled in stripes to remove about half of the peel.
• Dice or chop in food processor with:
• 1/2 white onion,
• 2 to 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• juice of 1/2 or one whole a lemon, to taste (I sometimes use 1/2 lemon 1/2 orange)
• pinch of kelp or sea salt

Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the "yogurt" and herbs:

• 1/2 to 2/3 cup of goat-milk yogurt, kefer or soured cashew cream.
• Fresh mint, chopped to your preference (optional)
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley

You can make this recipe chunky or smooth to your preference.

Organic Resources:

Garbanzo Beans, Sesame Seeds, Himilayan Pink Salt - Trader St. Joe's at Kovac's 2201 Frederick Ave. St. Joseph, MO

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Trader St. Joe's at Kovac's 2201 Frederick Ave. St. Joseph, MO 65407 (out of stock)

Lemons, Valencia Oranges, cucumbers, fresh veggies, garlic, Himilayan Pink Salt - freshconnectkc.com

Cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh greens, Napoleon Basil - Goode Acres Organic Farm (Weds and Weekends at the KC River Market or goodeacres.com

Sea Palm Frond and Kelp Powders - Trader St. Joe's at Kovac's 2201 Frederick Ave. St. Joseph, MO or order direct from Mendocino Sea Veggie Co. www.seaweed.net/

Goat Yogurt - need a local source! Please advise.

Raw Honey - A-Z Fresh Air Fair, 114 South 8th Street St. Joseph, MO 64501

Greek Olives - Superfooduniverse.com

Cooked Foods

One Dish Wonder!

Of Course, A High-Raw Life-Style (higher percentage of raw foods) Includes SOME Cooked Foods, Too.

The question comes up, what to choose for cooked foods? If I'm going to the trouble to cook something, I choose delicious, satisfying, healthy foods. There are some things I've tried to make raw or sprouted and have learned that I just prefer them cooked. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Sprouted garbanzo beans (also known as chick peas);
• Fresh pink, green and tan chicken or duck eggs (from birds and their farmers, who I know personally);
• Sprouted quinoa;
• Sprouted barley;
• A variety of lentils (Dried or fermented in goat yogurt);
• sprouted dried beans;
• Artichokes;
• Popcorn;
• Potatoes (I recommend to use small heirloom varieties);
• Occasionally, I enjoy steamed, sweated or wilted: greens, cabbage, onions, squash, broccoli, asparagus;
• Toasted mustard seeds and coconut;
• Or, I'll melt coconut oil inn a stainless steel pan and saute onions, celery, mushrooms, fresh herbs and/or root vegetables as toppings and condiments. These are all great raw too!

Currently, in the late winter months, I choose to eat 3 to 5 cooked foods a week as: condiments, side dishes, special treats and mid-day meals served with lot's of fresh veggies for optimal nutrient absorption. You may also choose to supplement with a digestive enzyme or eat some fermented kraut with your cooked foods to aide in metabolic processes. Whenever we eat cooked foods, our metabolic enzymes are used to digest them. This interrupts the "healing and vitality" role of our system. A healthy body can compensate with help from mircoorganisms found in fermented foods and enzymes from a reliable source. (Metabolic enzymes are your healing and vitality workers. They must stop what they are "doing" and aide your digestion and obsorption whenever you present your system with a challenge. Cooked foods are a challenge. None-the-less, cooked foods bring us pleasure. Enjoyable meals are key to health and healing! Feeling satisfied increased your endorphins and levels out your hormonal activities. So, if you percieve a raw foods life-style as "rabbit food," or attach other negative connotations to eating this way, your higher self may be telling you to incorporate cooked foods. Using one of the 80/20 "rules," eat cooked foods (20% of your meal) and raw foods (80%) whenever you feeling unsatisfied. To find a enjoyable balance, monitor how you feel after each meal. Eat cooked foods mid-day, exercise regularly and drink clean-source water in abundance.

Here are a few cooked recipes you may want to incorporate into your raw high-raw foods lifestyle!

I will post the recipes separately. Use the search window of the blog to find these and other recipes by name or ingredients. Enjoy!

• Channa Dal Dhoka (Steamed Lentil Cakes)
• Hummus (Garbanzo Bean Dip/Spread)
• Frittata (Cooked Eggs with Fresh Veggie Toppings)
• One Dish Wonder! (pictured above)

Here are foods you should never heat above 105 degrees:

• olive, nut or seed oils
• olives
• seeds and nuts
• fruits (fresh or dried)

The result is carcinogenic!

Eggplant and Flax Veggie Burgers

Make a batch!

You'll be surprised how fast they go!

(If you are uncooking for 1 or 2 eaters, no worries, they freeze and re-heat well.)

You will need a food processor, a spice mill or clean coffee grinder and a dehydrator with temp setting or 105 degrees.

All ingredients are grown using organic practices. This recipe makes 8 to 10 patties.

Prep:
Prepare the eggplant by slicing into 1/4" slabs. Position half the slices in layers in a stainless steel strainer, salting in between each layer liberally with Himalayan pink salt or coarse ground unprocessed salt. Let stand for 15 minutes to 2 hours at room temp or overnight in the fridge.

Wash off the salt with clean source water, drain the eggplant slices to remove excess moisture.

(Use the other half of the eggplant to make marinated dehydrated eggplant slices. Add freshly sliced eggplant to olive oil infused with herbs. Use a garlic press to add the pulp of 3 or 4 garlic cloves. Add a thinly sliced lemon, if you have it. Dehydrate for 2 to 5 hours. Serve as a "topper" for the veggie burgers.) Speaking of "toppers"... While you have the extra virgin olive oil in hand, marinate some mushrooms and onions in the same mix. Add rosemary or basil, if you have it! Oh Yum. In a few hours you will have heaven. Expose to sunlight, if possible. If it's cool out (below 40 degrees, but not freezing), you can set marinating veggies out covered with a parchment paper tent. Otherwise, use a tight fitting "bug screen". (A draw-string, laundry-delicate-bag works well or an unused nylon paint strainer with the over end tucked under the dish will keep most critters out. Check and rescue anything that's still moving!

Remove the eggplant and lemons from the marinade after 1/2 hour or up to 2 hours, and transfer to the dehydrator. Set at 105 degrees. Use the flavored oil to marinate Swiss chard, Rainbow Chard (pictured here) or kale.

Measure 1/4 cup whole flax seeds, freshly grind in a spice mill or or clean coffee grinder with 1/4 tsp of course unprocessed salt.

Shred carrot or parsnip or sweet potato or all three. Use a total of 1/2 cup of shredded root vegetables in the veggie burger recipe. (Add a vinaigrette dressing and celery seed to shredded veggies and refrigerate to use as a topper for the veggie burger or side salad or serve as a slaw)

To make the veggie burger:

(Grind together the ingredients in two phases)
First add to the food processor:

• 1/4 cup whole flax seeds, freshly ground
• 1/2 a spicy chili pepper, seeds and pith removed
• 1 whole mild jalapeno pepper, seeds and pith removed
• 5 to 7 sage leaves (or 1 tsp of rubbed sage)
• 2 TBs fresh rosemary, chopped fine
• 3 coves of garlic, pressed

Pulse and scape down the sides, grind again until chili peppers are small bits. Then, add:

• 2 cups or activated walnuts
• 1/2 a medium eggplant (salted and washed)
• 1 small onion
• 3 to 5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, plus 2 TBs of the oil
• (Substitute 1/4 cup homemade ketsup)
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot or parsnip (optional)
• 1/2 cup fresh mushroom stems (optional)
• 1 TBs grade B maple syrup
• 1 or 2 tsps of maca root or carob powder to color (carob results in a very dark brown patty. Maca, a golden brown)

Scoop out burger-sized blobs of the "meat" mixture onto Teflex sheets. Use wet hands to shape and flatten each into a patty. Dehydrate for 3 to 5 hours at 105 degrees flipping once. When reheating, or just before serving, crank the temp up to 125 degrees for 5 or 8 minutes and transfer to a warm plate to serve.

Still working on the "bun." Let me know if you have a recipe for a soft raw sandwich sunbread. In the mean time, I serve the burgers with a large salad and top with marinated mushrooms, kale and onions, root vegetable slaw with optional BBQ sauce, mustard, kraut and ketsup. Didn't get a "finished" shot. Both times I have made these, it was for a group and we were too hungry to wait for pictures! Amazingly, this recipe makes 10 patties! They were so good! I'll make more and add a picture soon.

Lucky Living Green and Gold Seed Crackers: Magically Delicious!

What makes them green?

Special Spirulina!

What so special about spirulina? It's great for vegans and vegetarians and everybody because it is a natural organic whole food that is high in the very nutrients that are hard to come by in modern cement-land, including: potassium, all of the B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and iron, 18 vital amino acids, beta carotene and lutein. It's has a rich "meaty" flavor.

Limited quantities can be purchased from Val for $1.50 per ounce (4 oz. minimum). First-come-first serve. I'm taking orders for "Magically Delicious Lucky Green and Gold Crackers" to be delivered the week of St. Patrick's Day. Call 816-364-6922.

Or

See the "basic cracker recipe" posted to make your own! Just add spirulina to 1/2 the batch prior to dehydrating. You will need to be a "seed sprouter" and have a dehydrater with a temp setting at 105 degrees.

We will have organic spirulina available for purchase at our next Trader St. Joe's distribution nite. I'l keep you posted!

Lucky Green Crackers - Magically Delicious!

Layered Aronia Berry Parfait

Ultra-Healthy, Super Antioxidant Packed Delicious Desserts

What's so special about Aronia berries? Aronia Melanocarpa, the black version of aronia berries, is PACKED with antioxidants, and best of all for those of us living in the United States, they're very plentiful... In fact, the aronia berries I used to make this parfait were grown less than 20 miles from here by Steve Blazer on his 12-organic-acres near St. Joseph. Aronia's extremely high antioxidant levels make it one of the eight “true” superfruits in the world, and it's the only one of the eight that is native to the United States. Why go to Brazil or China to get your fill of antioxidants when you can buy them fresh or frozen from local organic farmers in the US?

Recipe:

You will need a Vitamix or high speed blender.

Ingredients: For each serving, add the following:

• 1 frozen banana, peeled
• 1/2 fresh or frozen pear, cubed and cored
• 1/2 cup frozen or thawed whole aronia berries (plus a few extra for garnish)
• 1 TBS of raw clover honey

Use the auger to push fruit into the blade to create an ice-cream consistency. (If your blender will not smooth out the frozen fruit without liquid, add a little coconut water until it starts turning freely.) Blend until smooth, pour into glass dishes, place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour. Do not wash out the blender. You will be making the topping in the same pitcher. The "left-over" dark purple sorbet that is still in the blender will create a beautiful violet hue for the topping.

Topping:

• 1/2 cup soaked, hulled, raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 whole vanilla bean
• 1/2 cup frozen coconut mylk
• 1 to 2 TBS of Raw White Honey or Clear Agave Nectar (to taste)

Blend until smooth, pour over the aronia berry sorbet, return to the freezer until firm. Top with thawed aronia berries.

(I created a marble effect in the topping using some of the juice from the frozen berries)

This will be amazing with fresh mint when it starts to peek through the snow any day now!

We will be featuring Steve's local aronia berries at our next distribution night. I'll keep you posted.

They are also great salad toppers! A teaspoon of these lovely dark tart berries is the antioxidant nutritional equivalent to a shot of Monovie (which retails for $35 a bottle!) Yikes.

If you like, sign up to "be a follower" of this blog and you will be automatically up-dated when I post more recipes about aronia berries. I'm having a blast experimenting with them. Here are a few tips I can share: If you are using in smoothies, add a little raw honey to bring out the rich tannins! Mixed well with pears, apricots, apples, bananas, cherries, and blueberries. Goat yogurt, if you partake, is a wonderful base for frozen aronia custard. Just mix a whole vanilla bean, 1/2 cup of aronia berries, (frozen or thawed ) a little clean-source water and ice in the Vitamix. Blend until smooth. Add plain organic goat yogurt to taste. I like it tart, so I add lemon. If you like it sweet, add honey or agave. You can "drink" it or set it in the freezer until it firms into a spoon-able ice-mylk consistency. YUM! [Photos TK. My family woofed it down before I could get picture! I love them!]