Bacon!?! Better! Eggplant Bacon!!!!

Eggplant Bacon Wraps with Saute of Cabbage, Onion, Garlic, Mushrooms;

Fresh Yellow Bell Pepper Slices;

Fresh-picked Pea Sprouts in Lettuce Leaves

Used as a condiment, eggplant bacon is a healthy alternative to commercial vegetarian bacon substitutes. This recipe was inspired by Matthew Kenny's book, Everyday Raw. He uses eggplant bacon to make a vegetarian version of a traditional Cobb Salad. We used it for EBLT wraps, salad, egg-salad, sprouted lentils and baked* potato toppings. Yum.

It might sound weird, but his is a standard raw-foodie ingredient to keep on hand for wraps, salad toppings, snacking. There are a lot of recipes out there that are SUPER high in sodium. Hey, that's what's appealing about bacon. It's salty. Eggplant bacon is no different. The saltier, it seems, the better. My Thursday Demo & Dine class and helped work out this recipe to reduce the sodium level considerably from what we saw posted on-line and in various raw food uncook-books. I also like the "smokey" taste we achieved by using smoked paprika powder from Alhabahi Mart in the City River Market, KC, MO. You can use Hungarian paprika with a pinch of chili powder as a substitute.

You can flavor this up different ways. Think: honey, onion, chipotle chili pepper, garlic, mustard, rosemary, lavender...oh, I could go on! Make it really complex, or you just do the quick version to have as a staple hand. It keeps for several weeks refrigerated and freezes well too. This version turned out really good. For a quick version, leave out anything below that says (optional). It will still be good!

Once you get a feel for this, do double batches.

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant sliced length-wise (We left the peel on. It turns black, but no bother. It tastes great and the texture is snap-crispy! You can peel it if you are impressing the in-laws or fussy people. It does look better peeled. Use a Cut-Co peeler. Otherwise, you'll be frustrated! I'm not kidding.)
• 2 TBS of sea salt
• 1/4 cup of toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup grade B maple syrup**
• 2 TBS of namu shoyu
• 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp of smoky paprika (or substitute Hungarian paprika)
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste (We used gourmet peppercorn mix)
• Juice from 1 orange (optional)
• Zest from one orange (optional)
• 1 tsp chili powder (optional)
• 1 tsp of ground cumin (optional)
• tamarind paste or concentrate (available at Middle-Eastern Stores) (optional)
• VERY SMALL pinch of cayenne (optional)

Step 1: Lay sliced eggplant in a glass dish, toss with coarse sea salt (fine ground salt will work too. Avoid processed salts). Let rest for 1-3 hours at room temp or or longer the fridge.

Step 2: Before adding the seasonings, drain and squeeze the liquid from the resting eggplant slices. Also give them a quick cold-water rinse in a stainer. Give the glass dish a quick rinse-out while the eggplant slices are in the stainer. Return the eggplant to the clean glass dish.

Step 3: Blend other ingredients into a "dressing." Adjust the seasoning. Remember, you are going for salty, sweet, smokey. The flavors will intensify with dehydration. Don't over-do the salt or pepper. You can wreck the whole thing with too much Cayenne. When you are happy with the sweet-salty balance, pour over the eggplant slices and allow to marinate for at least 45 minutes. I like to marinate for a whole day in the fridge and turn them a couple of times. (The longer the marinating time, the more intense the flavor.)

Step 4: Dehydrate 24 to 36 hours on screens or tefex sheets at 105 degrees, until crisp. Eat warm or store refrigerated in waxed paper or plastic zip-locks with a paper towel added to the bag. Can be re-heated by placing a few strips in the dehydrator at 1005 degrees, 10 to 20 minutes prior to use, and it stays crisp even when cold.

Another variation: Use honey in place of maple syrup and apple cider or apple-beet juice in place of orange juice. This variation is good with LOTS of fresh-ground pepper. The beet juice makes it looks like bloody bacon when its marinating. Weird! Not to worry, it turns into a nice rosy appearance when dehydrated.

Favorite variation, so far: Use the Vita-mix or a blender to macerate a whole tomato with a pinch of salt, and one heaping TBS of tamarind concentrate. Add to the dressing. If a tomato is not available, organic ketchup can be substituted. (Ah ha! you say, the secrets come to light! Yes, sometimes I go for the quick fix, but not every day and not to compromise on quality. The ketchup actually tastes even more awesome than the tomato, but, it's a compromise all the same. Ketchup is processed and it s not raw.)

*Yes, that's "baked" as in "cooked at a high temperature." Remember, "high-raw" means "a high percentage of raw foods" and some cooked foods. I'm not crazy! I like my potatoes cooked!

**Also, Maple Syrup is a living food. But, it is not raw. Sap from the maple tree is boiled into a syrup. The condensed sugars are pro-biotic and hence, "living". Grade B Maple syrup has a higher nutrient content than grade A, and grade B usually costs less. A to Z Fresh-air Fair, 114 S. 8th Street, in DT Saint Joseph, carries a WONDERFUL grade B maple syrup in quart sized GLASS Bottles! PERFECT! Look for Herrman's Pure Wisconsin Maple Syrup

Frugal Raw Gourmet Tip:

Save extra marinade and use it to flavor:

Veggie patties that you make from the pulp left-over after juicing

OR

Living Seed Crackers (see basic recipe at demoanddinelive.blogspot.com)

Worth repeating, the following article is an excerpt from Living-foods.com, explaining whole food plant minerals as our best source of health and vitality. Dehydrating actually gives our system MORE access to these important minerals.

MINERALS IN DEHYDRATED FOODS Dried food is the most exciting way to get minerals IN BALANCE. Exciting because it tastes good and it's great to share with friends. Nothing turns a friend on more than raw fig bars, cashew-date leather, or home-dried apple or banana -- well at least turns them on to raw foods! You get MORE minerals in dried foods because all the water's gone, which is 70% of the cells. So you get both QUANTITY and BALANCE. Dehydrating gives you more nutrients for less digestive work, just like juicing. It's so easy to snack on a few fig bars made from living plants in your very own Dehydrator. Compare that to gorging on all those plants if they were still plumped up with water, especially the sprouted grain. It would take forever to chew on the grains, nuts, seeds and figs in a fig bar. To me, it's not possible to get enough minerals if you don't include dehydrated foods and juices in your life. Double Noble Laureate Dr. Linus Pauling said: "One could trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency" (quoted in "The Power of Plant Derived Minerals" by Elmer Heinrich). Heinrich also writes: "I have witnessed thousands of people lose weight naturally, and I mean lots of weight, after they began to consume a full spectrum of 70 or more minerals on a daily basis." When you get the right kitchen equipment -- a Dehydrator, a Sprouter and a Juicer -- and choose ORGANIC plant foods, you will enjoy every mineral you need, more than 70, in perfect harmony. There's over three thousand known minerals, and who knows how many we need? Only plants hide that secret. Buy your veggies, fruits and Sprouter seeds from mineral-rich organic soils. end-

Live Vibe: juices!

Green Apple, Pumpkin, Celery, Beet Juice

Check out the STRIPES:

This Living Juice is SO BEAUTIFUL it was difficult to stop photographing it and drink it! I should have had a video cam - All the stripes "breath"!

I joined a Juice Club on-line with cafegratitude.com

I love Cafe Gratitude's energy and the co-founder, Terces Engelhart!

So, it's juice for the first week of each month of 2010! There. That's a New Year's Resolution, if I've er'heard one!

I juice the green apples, pear, celery and ginger first and then add the beets and pumpkin last. The result is the amazing striping: a peachy delicate foam top; a glowing translucent chartreuse base and a big yummy fuchsia middle.

For two juices:

Chop the ingredients into pieces that will fit in the juicer and divide into equal stacks:

3 to 4 small green apples

1 pear, divided (optional)

1 or 2 barbs of celery

1 medium beet with 2" of the stems still attached

1 small piece of ginger, divided

1 four-inch burdock root (optional)

Juice the light-colors first and the darker ones last.

Drink in layers, or stir it up. It's all good!

What's in the Freezer at Val's

Hey, wait. That's not really my freezer is it? Wow, what's that in front? Empty places to put things? No Way! Delightful. Okay, I'm easy to please. But, I have to say, having a clean, organized freezer it the best feeling. Ever since Teresa Moylan helped me organize my pantry, I've been on a roll... Thank you Teresa!Let me know if you would like Teresa and I to help you with kitchen coaching and pantry organization. We're a team. We don't charge too much and we won't tell anybody about the chocolate and Cheeze-puffs.

(Saint Joseph and Kansas City area)

816-364-6922

Okay, What's in my freezer?

• Ice for the ice chest comes out of the ice maker. I use clean-source water in trays for chillin' the Chichory hazelnut drinks.
• Then, there's the frozen blueberries and a big jar of sun-dried wild Canadian blueberries. I stocked up because they are seasonal.
• The big jar in the middle is muesli (Raw rolled oats with dried fruits). I could keep it in the fridge, if there was room. (I won't bore you with the fridge)
• Behind the muesli jar are bags of hemp, sesame and flax seeds, buckwheat grouts and some frozen coconut mylk.
• There is a plastic zip-lock bag full of favas and behind that are some cow beans.
• Then, there's a bunch of jars full of nutmeats, raisins, gojis, sultaines and other yummy things to add to muesli and use as ingredients for goodies.
• There's a container of hummus and some left-over peanut-butter macaroons (glass dish).
• I also store soft seeds like sunflower, pumpkin and fennugreek in the freezer. I have extra in the garage-fridge. but, I like having them on hand and it doesn't hurt to freeze them.
• Bottom shelf: clean-source water ice cubes for hazel-nut chicory chillin'; a bowl with 3 persimmons* (They will turn into a delightful freezy or pudding treat after thawing a bit); more nutmeats and seeds in glass jars so I can always see how much is left.

*See Easy Persimmon Freezy Recipe in this blog

Love Beets All!

You have heard of Dinosaur Kale?

I'm calling these Elephant Beets!

The Fresh Connect beets are gorgeous. I want to do a painting of them! But, there are hungry people to be fed and one of the first things to eat in the Fresh Connect Box will be the beet tops! They are most likely to wilt later in the week and become soup stock. So, I try to get to them first. Plus I love sautéed and/or wilted beet tops so-much, I could eat them every day!

Beets, also known as beetroot, are high in potassium, folacin, and fiber, yet low in calories. Their edible leaves offer protein, calcium, fiber, beta-carotene, vitamins A and C, and some B vitamins. They're known in the arena of natural healing for their ability to purify the blood and the liver.

Celebrate beets by eating the beet tops! They are highly nutritious. Add them to green smoothies, save the small ones to mix with other salad greens, slice and add to raw and cooked soups, sauté’s and loafs. Use in fermented chim chees and krauts.

Leave the beets in tact until you are ready to use them. (Another reason to eat them first: Elephants tend to be huge and take up much needed fridge space.)

Val's Favorite Beet Top Recipe

(Not 100% Raw)

Sauté them with Onion & Garlic

Get Ready:

Make a bunch. They are great leftover!

Make a workspace:

Clear sink, cutting board, knife, strainer, large stainless steal skillet or pan with wide surface area, wooden spatula, and camera. Check!

When ready, cut off the tops, leaving at least 1 inch of stem attached to the bulb, place the bulbs in a waxed paper bag or brown paper lunch sack to keep the dirt out of the produce bin in your fridge. Leave the dirt on the bulbs. It's good for them! I'm serious. Beets, carrots, potatoes continue to draw nutrients form the soil while in storage. Celebrate the dirt! (You'll need the bulbs for juicing later in the weekend!) Wash the tops in clean source water and drain.

Separate the stems from the leaves. Chop the stems. You will add the stems with the garlic and onion to the pan first. Then, add the more tender leaves last. Chiffonade the leaves. (Save the small ones to mix with other salad greens

Gather organic ingredients:

• A grip of beet tops (A "grip" is however many you have an/or however many you can carry. That way, you've always got a grip!)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 a large white onion (refrigerated for an hour, or more, to avoid onion-gas-tears)
• 1/2 tsp living sea salt
• 1 tsp to 1 TBS of clover honey (to taste)
• Juice of one orange plus 1/2 a lemon (Or substitute a TBS of raw apple-cider vinegar mixed with 1/4 cup clean-source water)
• Ground Black Pepper
• Optional Garnish: 1/2 cup sprouted Sicilian almonds, soaked in inland seawater, dehydrated until crunchy (I make them in batches and store them in glass jars to keep on hand.)

Recipe:

1. Chop onion, sprinkle with sea salt

2. Sweat the onion first in a hot pan, on lowest of low heat, covered until clear. Add honey, stir, and a few tablespoons of water if needed. The amount of water will depend on the type of cookware you are using and the temp of your stove. So, don't get stuck on the phone in the middle of this step.

3. Chop the beat stems and garlic, add them to the onions, and continue to sweat on low heat, covered. Stir a few times.

4. Add chiffonade of beet leaves last. They should be slightly damp with clean-source water. Stir them into the onions, stems and garlic. Add fruit juice or vinegar when bottom of pan is sticky or leaves start to get wilted or a little dry, to preference. I know I'm close when the onions have turned bright pink.

5. Adjust seasoning, salt, pepper, and honey. Garnish with almonds very last so they stay white.

5 1/2. Hide it from everyone so you can eat it all! Just kidding. Sort of.

6. Actually, I shared and served the beet tops three ways:

• (Not pictured) As a warm topping over white Quinoa with a large side salad, New Year's Eve.
• (Pictured below left) Cold as a salad topping. They "jell" in the ridge overnight and the colors intensify. The almonds turn bright pink! I topped it with more white almonds, too.)
• (Pictured below right) Warm, as a base for the Vegan Hopin' John on New Years Day. I topped it with chopped white onion.

Store left-overs refrigerated, if you have any! The almonds will turn pink too. It's pretty. But, you can also garnish with more white almonds, if you prefer.

The China Study (results incapsulated by Kevin Gianni)

Here is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni's new book, High Raw. I recommend Kevin's new book for new-bes and experienced raw-foodies alike. He is referring to an important over-looked often misquoted study.

On pages 34-36:

One of the best studies that I’ve seen to date is The China

Study, by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. The China Study is the

largest epidemiological study ever, with surveys from 6,500

adults in more than 2,500 counties across China and Taiwan.

Using hundreds of health and nutrition variables, The China

Study draws links between diet and heart disease, cancer

and diabetes.

The China Study began with an investigation into the

unusually high incidence of liver cancer in children in the

Philippines due to what they thought was high consump-

tion of a mold toxin, called aflatoxins, in peanuts and corn.

According to T. Colin Campbell, his findings in the Phillipines

revealed something that flew in the face of science: “children

who ate the highest protein diets were the most likely to get

liver cancer!”2 This discovery led to an in-depth scientific

investigation into the affects nutrition on health.

The findings in The China Study were quite revealing

about the link between nutrition and health:

• People eating diets high in animal protein experienced

more Western diseases, like cancer, heart attacks, hyper-

tension and diabetes.

• People eating plant-based diets and plant-based protein

were not suffering from Western diseases.

• Casein, which makes up 87% of cow’s milk protein was

the biggest promoter of cancer.

• Plant protein was the “safe” protein, which did not pro-

mote cancer.

• People who ate the most animal-based foods suffered

most from chronic disease.

• People who ate the most plant-based foods were healthi-

est and did not tend to suffer from chronic disease.

• Healthy diet can reverse heart disease, diabetes and obe-

sity and can benefit cancer, autoimmune disease, brain

disorders, kidney health and bone health.

• A plant-based, whole foods diet has consistently shown

to provide the most health benefits.

Live Vibe: Easy Persimon Freezey

Nature Knows How to Make Dessert!

I asked for extra persimmons in my Fresh Connect Box this week, so I would have an extra-easy, extra-special dessert for friends and family. Yum!

Organic Ingredients:

One persimmon per person (plus a few extras for those repeat "desserters")

Instructions:

Wash gently, pat dry, pop into the freezer. Forget about it until later.

Bring out the frozen persimmons 1/2 hour to 40 minutes before serving for a frosty sorbet. (Or give it 1 1/2 to 2 hours thaw-time for a bright pudding.) Pop the stems off, slice an "X" in the top of each fruit and eat them right out of the skins with a sharp-edged spoon.

PS

For proper food combining, we actually eat dessert first!

Eating fruit, by itself, 20 minutes to an hour before consuming other foods is cleansing and aids in proper digestion.

For more information, take Val's nutrition/un-cooking class:

Demo & Dine

Most Weds. and Thurs. eve's starting Jan. 6

Call 816-364-6922 for reservations.

Unbelievable Natural Yumminess!

Frugal Raw Gourmet--Use Juicer Pulp to Make Doggie Treats

Doggie Biscuits for Jena

Good Girl!

I tried to get a photo of the biscuit in my hand with the dog coming to get it. However the dog-powered vacuum hole was too much for mere shutter speed time!

Okay, I'm serious. She LOVEs these! Her favorite is Pumpkin Apple with Celery and Burdock Root. But, any veggie-based juice-pulp will do. If you have a centrifuge juicer, you will need to run the pulp through the food processor first. Then, add in the other ingredients.

Yes, dogs need vegetables too! Jena is old and has arthritis. We use ground flax and pumpkin or sweet potato as anti-inflammatory agents in these biscuits. You can leave them out and it will be just as successful as a daily treat. You can also purchase joint support formulas for dogs and add the powders to this mix. (E-3 Live has a couple of good ones. ) The sea veggie provide important mineralization (for people too!)

Organic Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 cups of left-over pulp from making veggie juice for "people-consumption" (pumpkin, apple, kale, celery, lettuce cores, cabbage, pears, sweet potatoes, burdock root, lemon grass, carrots, beats, or you name it -- just NOT peanuts, grapes or melons.)
• 1/2 cup of sprouted buckwheat grouts or teff meal
• 1 cup of ground brown flax seeds
• 1/4 cup of kelp flakes or crumbled sea veggies of choice
• optional: 1 TBS raw honey or maple syrup
• optional: splash of namu shoyu or pinch of living sea salt
• optional: 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast flakes
• clean-source water, as needed

Instructions:

Place ingredients in a large food processor, make a mushy globby sticky mess, adding small amounts of water as needed. Pulse at first then let it run until it's pretty much consistent all the way through. (It can have some chunks too. She seems to enjoy celery strings. Go figure!)

Use a spoon to transfer dog-bite-sized globs to a dehydrator sheet. Don't worry about the shape or outer texture of the glob at this point. You can mold them into shapes after dehydrating for a few hours, if you like. Otherwise, Jena doesn't mind a biscuit shaped like a dried glob. She thinks it's extra special!

Dehydrate until crunchy. They keep longer that way. Transfer to you favorite doggie's cookie jar. If your favorite doggie does not have a cookie jar, get on it! What else are you going to do with all that veggie pulp?

The more we juice, the more doggie treats there are! It's a win-win!

Live Vibe: Sprouted Seed & Coconut Crackers

Super Easy Basic Living Seed Crackers

Organic Ingredients:

• 4 cup golden flax seed (dry measure), soaked and sprouted over-night to two days.
• 1 TBS Himalayan pink salt or other high-quality unprocessed salt
• 4 cups of macaroon coconut (soaked for an hour in 2 cups of clean source water)
• 3 TBS raw honey or organic clover honey
• 1/2 cup sprouted pumpkin seeds, soaked overnight in Namu Shoyu, Optional
• Add pretty and tasty herbs or dried flowers if you have them! (I like Safflower petals. they keep their bright color and add a slight saffron flavor)

Instructions: Wash, then soak flax seeds overnight or up to 3 days in cool location, adding water to cover as needed. Do not rinse after soaking. You need the gelatinous goo to hold the crackers together.

When ready to make the crackers, get a REALLY BIG BOWL. It helps if you soak the coconut in a really big bowel and then you can add all the other ingredients to it.

add pumpkin seeds and herbs, if using.

Mix everything up. Pour onto teflex sheets, dehydrate at 105 degrees overnight. Flip once, if needed.

Cyndi's Crackers!

Cyndi James requested these custom crackers for her Juice Plus distributor's holiday gathering. I hope you got to keep a few crumbs! They sure went fast!

Sunny Coconut Crackers

Organic Ingredients:

• 1 cup golden flax seed (dry measure)
• 4-inch piece of dried seaweed of choice
• 1 TBS coarse ground salt or other high-quality unprocessed salt
• 4 cups large coconut flakes
• or 2 1/2 cups of macaroon coconut
• 3 TBS raw honey
• 1/2 cup sprouted pumpkin seeds (soaked overnight in Namu Shoyu)
• Fresh ground nut meg to taste
• Juice of two Valencia oranges
• Additional clean-source water (4 to 5 cups)
• Herbs and seasonings : rosemerry, safflowers, pressed garlic, chopped Katabala olives, pits removed, and red onions to taste.

Instructions: Wash, then soak flax seeds overnight. Do not rinse after soaking. You need the gelatinous goo to hold the crackers together. (For crisper crackers, soak seeds 2 nights. Then, sun sprout 15 minutes to 3 hours on the 3^rd day.) Add water to the flax seeds daily to cover.

Grind coconut and seaweed in a coffee grinder or spice mill, one cup at a time. Add to the flax goo.

If needed soften honey. Stir raw honey, salt, fresh squeezed juice and nutmeg into the coconut flax mixture. (See, it’s not a “goo” any more! Now, it’s “a mixture.”)

Let stand 10 minutes or overnight. Add more clean-source water as needed.

Pour onto teflex sheets, dehydrate at 105 degrees overnight. Flip once, if needed.

Variations and additions: For fun, add a cup or two of soaked pumpkin seeds and/ or sunflower seeds to the mix. Make a batch with mint, oregano, rosemary or other winter herbs. Use orange zest or grated ginger in one tray of crackers to see what you think. Add 4 saffron threads and soaking water on special occasions. Adding a cup of nutritional yeast flakes and 1 TBs of turmeric make “cheddar” flavored crackers. Add peppery things or oniony things! Add chopped olives! Add chopped or dried fruits! Yum! Add nuts and nut oils. Have fun. Make crackers!

Adding local black walnuts and fennel

Give Zinny Butter!!!

Zinny, the queen of the universe (who we ALL serve), is quite refined. Except when she requires butter. This is when she jumps on the counter. Not to worry. The universe is safe. I've got it covered. I know where the butter is kept in the queen's palace and I will give her only the finest organic local butter. If I can't find that, she will have unsalted Irish butter. She approves.

Domestic cats have co-evolved with dairy animals. Unlike humans, who are generally intolerant of un-fermented dairy, cats require fatty whole milk products for optimal health. (Goat milk is superior.) I give her about a teaspoon a day and occasionally a saucer of un-pasteurized goats milk or kefir. She also eats organic cat kibble and fresh fish daily.

I might be prejudiced, but I noticed immediate health and behavioral improvements in my cats after discovering this nutritional need. Also the lush coat of a butter-eatin' queen is something to behold! (Hey, if you ate nothing but processed canned food and kibble, your coat would look like heck too!)

Live Vibe: Blended Soups!

The Sultan's Soup

Cool Pumpkin-Apple-Ginger Soup with Exotic Sprouted Black Lentils

Forget what food is "supposed to" taste like and enjoy the rich, sweet, savory, mildly spiced exotic flavor. It is reminiscent of pumpkin pie - but forget that part. Just enjoy it like a the sultan king or queen that you are, experiencing pumpkin for the first time!

In addition to warming, beautiful and unique, this simple elegant soup is great medicine! Raw foods contain enzymatic activity that our bodies need to grow, rebuild and heal. Cooking foods destroys these important enzymes.

Do not try this with an ordinary blender. You will need a high-powered Vitamix or other work-horse industrial machine of choice.

Start with frozen pumpkin.(Not difficult this time of year.) I recommend leaving the pumpkin whole in a clean area of a porch or garage where you can carve chunks away, leaving the core in tact until the last wedge is used. A pumpkin will continue to "live" as long as it has it's seeds. You can also cube it up and put it into "stasis" in the freezer for use later.

Pumpkin, apples and celery are all cleansing foods. Grade B Maple syrup and Ginger are anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and immune-boosting.

Organic Ingredients:

• Chunks of peeled, frozen or fresh pumpkin to fill 3/4 of the blender pitcher
• 1 celery stalk, strings removed
• 1/2 of a large apple (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 inch of peeled fresh ginger root
• 1 to 2 TBS of Grade B Maple syrup
• 1 tsp (or less) of living sea salt
• 1 tsp of Garham Marsala seasoning (Usually a mix of dried ginger, ground cloves, nutmeg, cardamon, fenugreek, cinnamon, cumin or coriander) Five Chinese Spice or Allspice can be substituted. Go light on the seasonings! These are powerful flavors. You will love the taste of the pumpkin, so do not cover it up!

Instructions:

Place all the ingredients in the Vitamix and let it run until smooth but still cool. Pour into goblets or soup bowels. Serve immediately.

Optional Garnish: Sprouted or cooked exotic black lentils mixed with sea salt.

Sprouted Black Lentils:

Soak in water overnight, wash and drain the next day, let rest damp and covered for 8 to 24 hours. Wash lentils under clean-source water in a sieve before plunging into a warm salt-water bath. Let cool to room temp or serve warm.

For a warm salt water bath:

Boil water, use a candy thermometer or a momma's wrist to be sure the water cools to between 105 and 115 degrees before adding lentils and salt. Dissolve salt (about 1/2 tsp per cup of water). Plunge the sprouted lentils into the pot. Cover for 10 minutes as the lentils continue to soften and cool slightly. Use a slotted spoon to serve. Reserve extra lentils for use as lentil salad with chopped veggies and vinaigrette dressing or to add to miso soups.

Hippy Health Tip: Use stainless steel pots and pans. Look into it. Your pots and pans may be poisoning you. Surgical stainless, waterless cookware, like Salad-master brand, is superior.