Juicing!!

We all love freshly juice fruits and veggies. Little Aiden, the fruitarian, appreciates it more than Adrian's. Aiden will drink any combination of fruits and veggies... So this week we went all out!

Apples and carrots...

...add some kale...

... a couple beets...

... pineapple...

... and let the fun begin!

... and a little extra for Adrian... mango-pineapple!

From the creative mind of Little Aiden

Life in frames...

Healing recipes... Day six

Satisfy your sweet tooth.

Fruit and milk*...

Frozen fruit yogurt

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas (I prefer pineapple), cur into chunks
1 15 oz. can unpeeled apricot halves in light syrup, drained
1/2 cup apricot nectar or orange juice
1/4 cup light colored agave syrup
2 16 oz. cartons vanilla soy or coconut yogurt
1/2 cup regular or unsweetened soy or coconut milk

Directions

In a blender, combine bananas (or pineapple), apricots and apricot nectar or orange juice.

Blend until smooth.

Add the agave syrup

Blend until syrup s dissolved

Add yogurt and milk to the banana (pineapple) mixture and gently whip.

Pour into a freezable container and freeze.

Enjoy!

* non dairy

Healing recipes... Day five

You nourish the body... you nourish the soul

Pasta, grain and vegetables...

Singapore-Style Rice Noodles (Courtesy of Vegetarian Times)

Ingredients

1 8-oz. pkg. rice vermicelli

¾ cup low-sodium vegetable broth

3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

2 Tbs. Chinese cooking wine or sherry

1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. brown sugar

2 Tbs. canola or peanut oil

½ lb. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced 

½ onion, thinly sliced 

4 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 Tbs. curry powder

4 green onions, chopped 

Directions

Soak rice noodles in hot water 15 minutes, or until softened. Drain, and set aside.

Whisk together broth, soy sauce, wine, and brown sugar in bowl. Set aside.

Heat wok over high heat, until water droplets evaporate within 1 second. Add oil, and swirl to coat wok. 

Add mushrooms, bell peppers, and onion; stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. 

Add cabbage, garlic, and curry powder, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Add broth mixture, and toss with vegetables; add noodles, and toss to combine. 

Stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes, or until noodles absorb some of sauce and soften. 

Remove from heat, and stir in green onions.

Healing recipes... Day four

"A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools." ~ Spanish Proverb

Fruits...

Jicama*

Jicama is a round, fleshy taproot vegetable of bean family plant. It is pronounced as hecama. Its underground starchy root is one of the popular edible root vegetable grown in many parts of Central American, South Asian, Caribbean, and some Andean South American regions. The refreshing, crispy, ice-white fruit-like pulp is eaten raw or cooked in a variety of sweet and savory dishes worldwide.

Some of the common names of this tuber are yam bean, Mexican water chestnut, Mexican turnip, sengkwang, yacon,

It bears round, fleshy, turnip-like starchy edible root underneath the ground surface. Unlike other starch roots like potato, sweet potato wherein the peel may be eaten, jicama features thick dust-brown color inedible skin. Inside, its white starchy flesh has crisp texture and fruit like succulent, sweet-starchy taste.

Jicama is very low calorie root vegetables. Its high quality phyto-nutrition profile comprises of dietary fiber, and anti-oxidants, in addition to small proportions of minerals, and vitamins.

Jicama is one of the finest source dietary fiber and excellent source of oligofructose inulin, a soluble dietary fiber. Inulin is a zero calorie, sweet inert carbohydrate and does not metabolize in the human body, which make the root an ideal sweet snack for diabetics and dieters.

As in turnips, jicamas are rich in vitamin C. Vitamin-C is a powerful water-soluble anti-oxidant that helps body get rid of harmful free radicals.

It also contains small levels of some of valuable B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid and thiamin.

Jicama provides healthy amounts of some important minerals like magnesium, copper, iron and manganese.

Jicama*- berry salad

Ingredients

Romaine and/or white kale leaves, ripped
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup peeled jicama, cut into thin bite-size strips
3 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 tablespoon orange juice
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint or 1 teaspoon dried mint, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mrs Dash salt-free seasoning blend

Directions

Dressing: Combine vinegar, orange juice, shallots, mint, olive oil, and seasoning blend in bowl or dressing mixing bottle.

Add romaine and white kale leaves, strawberries and jicama to a bowl and toss gently. Drizzle dressing over the salad and serve.

Healing recipes... Day three

"You are what you eat."

Vegetables...

Roasted Ratatouille

Ingredients

1 small zucchini or yellow summer squash, cubed
1 small eggplant, cubed
1 medium yellow sweet pepper, cut into one inch strips
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons snipped fresh Italian parsley or curly-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
11/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Focaccia, cut into wedges

Directions

In a non-stick baking pan, combine the zucchini or summer squash, eggplant, sweet pepper, onion and parsley.

In a small bowl stir together garlic, olive oil, salt, ans black pepper. Drizzle over vegetables and toss gently to coat.

Roast vegetables, uncovered, in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, stirring once halfway through roasting. Stir in the tomatoes and lemon juice. Roast for 8-10 minutes more or until the tomatoes are very soft and starting to juice out.

Spoon vegetable mixture onto wedges on focaccia and serve,!

Enjoy!

Healing recipes... Day two

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food." ~ George Bernard Shaw

Pasta and grains...

Roasted vegetable and quinoa

Ingredients

2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
4 plum tomatoes, cut into eighths
2 small onions, cut into thin wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1 teaspoon snipped fresh savory, or 1/2 teaspoon dried savory, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 cloves garlic with skin
11/2 cups quinoa
141/2 ounce can vegetable broth
11/4 cups water

Directions

Spread out squash, tomatoes, and onion in a non stick.

Drizzle vegetables with the olive oil; sprinkle with thyme, savory, and pepper.

Place garlic cloves to one side of the pan.

Bake at 400 degree for 20 minutes.

Remove garlic from the pan and set aside to cool.

Bake remaining vegetables for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender

In the meantime, thoroughly rinse quinoa and drain.

In a large saucepan combine broth and water and bring to a boil.

Stir in quinoa, and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Squeeze softened garlic from each clove and discard skin.

Stir garlic into quinoa

Add roasted vegetables to quinoa, toss gently and serve.

Enjoy!

Healing recipes...

"He who has health has hope, and he who has hope, has everything." ~ Arabian Proverb

In my search for a naturalistic... vegan... solution to these migraines plaguing me, I have decided to eat my way through seven days of healing foods.

So here is Day One... Beans and Legumes

Black bean corn salsa

Ingredients

1/2 of a 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 3/4 cup)
2/3 cup corn relish
1/4 cup thinly sliced radishes
11/2 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bag organic baked tortilla chips

Directions

In a bowl stir together the beans, relish, radishes, lime juice, and cumin. Let stand, covered, for 30 minutes.

Serves salsa with the tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

... and a little something extra... it falls within this Beans and Legumes group.

Fruity tofu shake

Ingredients

11/2 cups fresh or frozen fruits (strawberries, raspberries, peeled and ut up peaches or mango, cut up nectarines or pitted dark sweet cherries)
11/2 cups orange juice
1 101/2 oz package silky or soft tofu cut up
2 tablespoons agave syrup

Directions

If frozen, partially thaw the fruit.

In a blender combine the fruits orange juice, tofu, and agave.

Cover and blend until smooth.

Serve and enjoy!


Soy foods like tofu are tops in health benefits, providing cancer-fighting and heart protecting phytochemicals^, daidzein*, and genistein**

(^Phytochemicals are plant compounds found in grains, vegetables, and fruits that protect against cancer and heart disease.
*Daidzein is an isoflavone found in soy. Isoflavones are types of flavonoids found in plants. The main sources for isoflavones are soy products, beans, peas, nuts, grain products, coffee, tea and certain herbs such as red clover.

**Genistein is one of the best known and studied isoflavones)

Day Six ... and Seven

The final installment in the Brussels Sprouts series...

Day six... Courtesy of Food Network

Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, Parsnips and Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium carrots cut into 1 ½ -inch thick circles

1 ½ cups Brussels sprouts, halved

4 cups red bliss potatoes, cut into 1 ½ -inch thick slices

3 medium parsnips, cut into 1 ½ -inch thick slices

1 cup sweet potatoes, cut into 1 ½ -inch thick slices

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried basil

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet pan with extra-virgin olive oil. Place vegetables in baking sheet and add the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Toss well, evenly coating all the vegetables with the seasonings and oil.

Add more oil if the vegetables seem dry

Spread the vegetables evenly on a large baking sheet. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

I haven't tried this one yet, but if you do... please let me know how it turns out.

... and on Day Seven...

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Gremolata*

*Gremolata is an Italian garnish of lemon zest, minced garlic, and fresh parsley that's traditionally sprinkled raw over a dish.

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 ½ lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 Tbs. lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ tsp. grated lemon zest, plus more for garnish (optional).

Directions

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add Brussels sprouts, and stir to coat with oil.

Add ¼ cup water, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until Brussels sprouts are tender and water has evaporated, stirring occasionally.

Stir in parsley, lemon juice, garlic, and lemon zest.

Sauté 30 seconds, or until garlic is fragrant. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to serving bowl, and garnish with lemon zest, if using.