Greens, Greens, Fabulous Greens...

If you're like me, you're always looking for the new "green" to spruce up your menu.  Smoothies with spinach, kale, and collards are a thing of the past (well, not really - those are always staples to drink by), but we've moved on to parsley, spearmint, pak choy, bok choy, and even pineapple sage to spruce up our smoothies these days...  These beauties have been bringing smiles to our faces and filling our tummies with a more exciting dose of nutrition.  Above, you'll see our new swiss chard growing, and it's literally taken over our garden...rainbow chard, to be exact.  It's on the pungent spectrum, and sometimes overpowering, so for smoothies, include super sweet fruits like mango or very ripe pears to help balance it out. Also, for swiss chard, replacing water in the smoothies with a sweet tea (herbal peach, etc.) helps. 

At 11:00 we have radish tops...the tender smooth tops are actually more palatable than the "adolescent" greens which have a bit more fuzzies on them, but I love them each way.  Again, if you're like me and you've over seeded (very excited once spring came, and I just put them everywhere), you can reap the reward of two crops - first, the little leaves with no radishes, and secondly, harvesting the radishes when they're mature. The best of both worlds! At the 2:00 spot you'll see the water-rich pak choy greens...very succulent and again, strong in flavor, but I love just picking them and eating them right from the garden.  Excellent in salads too. And at 6:00, you'll see the beginnings of butter lettuce.  

Don't forget your herbs...we've got rosemary, thyme, chives, and (not seen here) parsley, cilantro, pineapple sage, spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint, stevia....the whole world of herbs at your fingertips.  They're not just for adorning plates any more....forget that. Go crazy and really give them a shot to create delicious green soups in your blender. Or try what we had this morning... a whole head of parsley, bananas and strawberries...simple but super satisfying and it gave us a megadose of "multivitamin" nutrition. 

And last but not least, Kohlrabi leaves.  These have become my new passion.  Not only is the bulb absolutely delicious (recipes to follow!) but the greens are very tasty too.  Look for the new mint/kohlrabi greens recipe in the next week.  They're milder than kale but have a taste of their own, reminiscent of radishes a little bit.  You can use the greens in shakes and chiffonade in salads.  Excellent green and incredibly underutilized.  


So enjoy...a little walk through our garden to show you the possibilities are literally endless.  Have fun, get your hands dirty, and enjoy all that spring has to offer! 

Flax Brownie Bites

One of the things that typically gets people hooked on raw foods is the raw desserts, and for all the right reasons.  Raw foods give you exactly what you're searching for - all of the nutrition your body craves for but none of the guilt.  What I've found, however, is that even in the raw food world you can still have too much of a good thing.....a lot of raw foods desserts are super high glycemic or high fat.  And binging on raw honey, or watermelon and bananas since you know they're good for you will actually lead to a sugar imbalance in your system if you eat too much, especially if your body is sensitive to sugar (as mine is).  Again, everything in moderation. 


I was looking for a raw dessert that was high in fiber and lower in sugar than most raw treats, and this is what I came up with.  And to boot...the good news is that these are so filling, you really need just two or so to get that fix you're looking for. 


Filled with fiber from the flax, anti-inflammatory properties through the roof, only sweetened with raw honey, and full of that chocolate flavor you love from antioxidant-rich raw cacao, these brownie bites pack a punch.  The cacao does contain caffeine, so for those of you who experience a lot of adrenal stress or insomnia, maybe don't eat the whole bowl and just stick with a couple....but on the upside, the maca powder actually helps to offset all of those adrenal worries since it is an adaptogenic root which helps support the adrenals.  Also, the flax carries enough fiber and good fat to lower the glycemic index of the honey, so you won't get that "high-low" blood sugar reaction, and you'll stay fuller longer on just two bites than a regular candy bar.  Wow...these actually are "good for you brownies"!

This big mess of flax is covered with (from top to bottom):  powdered vanilla at 11 o'clock, cacao on the right, maca powder on the bottom. 

I say...get to work.

1 cup ground tan or brown flax seed

2 tablespoons liquid coconut oil

3 heaping tablespoons raw cacao

2 heaping teaspoons raw honey

1 tablespoon maca root powder

1 teaspoon ground vanilla powder (or liquid)

2-3 tablespoons water (start with 1 and see if you need more)

Mix ingredients together with a spoon, and use a melon scooper to form into little mini brownie bites.  Refrigerate for best texture, as they will harden a bit, at least 2 hours.  

Raw Rescue Chocolate Sauce

I call this "rescue chocolate sauce" because the urge for sweets comes pretty quickly for some, especially after a really salty meal, and this is where we can make some pretty poor choices for desserts.  This chocolate sauce will rescue you, as it's rescued me many many times (ok, almost daily).  For me, it has to be quick and it has to be simple or I just won't do it.  Often, I peel an orange and there's my dessert (I'm not a saint, I'm just practical). But other times, I'm really feelin' for some chocolate, and it's chocolate I must have.  This recipe always changes since I never really measure anything, but here's as close as I can get to it.  

You can serve it like I do, with bananas and pecans for a special "chocolate banana pecan pie sort of thing", over toast, or just with fruits (berries are my favorite).  Or if you're that down in the dumps, with a big spoon all by its lonely self.  I promise you won't be disappointed.  And it's not loaded with sugar, butter, milk, eggs, so you feel like you can indulge like a decent human being without feeling deprived or guilty. 

2 heaping tablespoons raw cacao

1 tablespoon raw honey

pinch salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond or hazelnut)

water (I'd use about 3 tablespoons for a really thick sauce 

or more for a thinner sauce...you call the shots)

Mix everything together in a bowl and adjust water for consistency and honey for sweetness.  Enjoy!

You can also make a raw "Reese's" taste with this if you add a tablespoon of raw almond butter.  This sauce will be pretty thick and rich at that point, and oh so good....

Anytime virgin grapefruit margarita smoothie...

This is complete heaven.  We just spent the whole morning gardening, pruning trees, you know...hard labor.  Not really, actually.  I could have this job any day, since I love the bees, trees, flowers, and just beautiful dirt underneath my fingernails.  But I'd like to think we worked hard...sweat, tears, and hours of pruning later, we are deserving of a cool afternoon margarita...except that it's not even 11:00 a.m. yet and there should be some laws out there (despite the fact that it's 5:00 p.m. somewhere) that alcohol is not the best on an empty stomach for breakfast.  If there isn't one, I just made it so.  So virgin we go...


This is also "grab everything you got from the farmers market on Sunday and put it in" like your spinach (which is soon to be out of season as it's definitely hot and humid out) and the big ol' bag of spearmint. Drink up, and enjoy, and if need be (to congratulate your pruning), grab a drink umbrella for your glass.

2 grapefruits, peeled and cut into manageable blend-able pieces

2 bananas, peeled

2 cups of spearmint, stems and all

1 to 2 cups baby spinach

a good chunk (up to you) of peeled aloe - we used about a 3 inch square

2 cups water

1-2 cups ice

Blend away (preferably in a Vitamix, or just chop everything small if you don't have a powerful blender) and enjoy.  Magical pruning reward system.  That should be its new name. And to boot, it actually helps the stomach (aloe and mint), so if you're having trouble in that area, you can tell them I told you this margarita smoothie is actually supposed to do you good....

Almond Date Bars

I'm always looking for a treat that looks like I'm splurging, but that is guilt free.  Namely, I  was looking for a sweet and filling bar that I can bite into when I'm on the run, but not one that's packaged with all sorts of difficult-to-pronounce ingredients.  I wanted simplicity...three or four ingredients tops and I'd be happy.  And this is the finished product.  High in fiber, packed with iron and just delicious.  So easy to make, wrap up, and have with you in your bag when you need a sweet but filling fix.  

2 cups dried figs, hard ends cut off, chopped

1 cup sliced or chopped almonds

water (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)

organic unsweetened shredded coconut

In a food processor, combine figs and almonds until fine and crumbly. Alternatively, you can save 1/4 cup of the almonds and add them in at the end if you wanted to see bigger almond chunks.  As the machine runs, add a tablespoon of water at a time, just until the mixture starts to stick together like a dough.  


In a casserole dish (8x8 works well), dust the bottom with an even layer of shredded coconut.  With your hands, pat the dough down so that it's evenly distributed with an even thickness.  You can also roll the date/almond mixture with a mini pastry roller if you have one, to create a flat top.  Dust the top with some more coconut, just enough to cover, and pat it down.  


For an alternate taste, you can make these mocha flavored by adding 1-2 tablespoons cacao powder, and sprinkle with cacao nibs at the end.  You may also add any seasonings you like - a dash of salt, some cinnamon, anise, clove, anything that floats your boat.  


Refrigerate at least 2 hours so that it solidifies and settles, and then cut into bars.  You can wrap these up or keep them in the casserole dish, but they keep very well and for a long time (unless you and your family decide to eat them in two days like we did). Enjoy!

My BFF salad...

I cannot tell a lie, I eat this almost every day, in some variation, and I'm completely hooked.  It's almost like I did without cucumbers for months and now I'm on a ravenous rampage, although I didn't know it.  They're cooling, light, sweet, crunchy, and you can top them with anything that's in season like these gorgeous garlic onion flowers (whole things are edible and although they taste spicy, there is no onion breath after, which is incredibly awesome in every way :) Also, I'm always into those types of recipes where you get to detox, and didn't even know it.  Cukes are very cleansing, water rich, light on your system, and oh so fresh for spring!


The dressing couldn't be easier, and if you're like me (when you get hungry, you get hungry!), this is a snap to make.


Here we go...

One cucumber, peeled, and sliced on a diagonal really thin

5 or so raw olives (I get mine from Sunfood)

About 10 small cherry tomatoes, sliced thin

1 tablespoon flax seeds oil (make sure it's fresh)

1-2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar

pinch salt

1/2 avocado, sliced

garnish:  

a few pinches black sesame seeds

a few pinches bee pollen

a few garlic onion flowers with stems

Place the first 7 ingredients together and mix well in a large bowl.  Decorate with the sesame, bee pollen and onion flowers as garnishes, and enjoy.  You can always divide this in two and serve it over a bed of greens.  Delish.  Every day.  Sometimes twice.  I'm not ashamed...

How to sprout...

What would you say if I told you that one of the healthiest foods on earth is also the cheapest?  And I personally call them a "Superfood", since little else compares to the nutrient density of sprouts!  They are filed with chlorophyll, enzymes, amino acids, protein and health.  It really just takes a mason (ball) jar, some find-mesh gauze like cheese cloth, a really strong rubber band, some patience (for 3 days or so) and voila...you have your very own garden of health.  

Tools:

One large mason jar (quart size or bigger)

a sprouting cap, fine mesh window-screen material or cheese cloth

rubber band

You can use most kinds of seeds for this project, but the ones that work best are alfalfa, clover, broccoli, radish, onion and arugula.  You can mix them together or grow the individually, as you wish.  You can also stagger them by starting them about 3-4 days apart, so you always have a supply of sprouts available.  


1.  Soak 2 tablespoons of sprouting seeds per quart jar, in plenty of room-temperature water (not cold, not hot). In the morning, drain and rinse them very well, a few times.  


2.  Cover the mouth of the jar with the cap, screen or cheese cloth and secure with a rubber band. Shake the jar a bit, before putting it in place, so that the seeds are scattered around inside the jar and not in a pile at the bottom.  Air circulation is very important at this stage to impede any tendency to mold. 


3.  Place the jar in a shady spot (under kitchen cabinets, away from a window, works well). Lean the jar, mouth down, at a 45-degree angle so any residual water can drip away through the opening.  You can lean your jar in a dish rack or simply (as I do) by leaning it against the wall with the mouth resting in a bowl. Empty the bowl water very often, if you see it creating a pool.


4.   Follow the rinsing (2x per day) procedure until little tails appear, about 4-5 days.  You can take another day and put the sprouts in a sunny window so they create the chlorophyll-rich green color. 


5.  If you find the sprouts have a lot of hulls, pour out the sprouts in a large bowl and cover completely with fresh room temperature water.  With your hands, sweep the hulls to the side of the bowl and pick up the sprouts themselves through the middle.  Dry them very well (either between towels or in a salad spinner) and eat immediately.  


6.  For storing, you can reuse the same ball jar and place the sprouts in the refrigerator.  They are best eaten in the following 2-3 days, but it's very important to note that they must be dry without any pools of water, which invite mold.  


Enjoy!  You can add sprouts to salads, wraps, sandwiches, even smoothies!  

Enzyme-Rich Grilled Asian Veggies

Now you must be thinking, what ARE enzyme-rich grilled veggies, and can you have both? Well, technically, no....but for this post, absolutely.  Typically grilled veggies are charred with dark burnt spots, and those you really want to stay away from since they're considered carcinogenic....and definitely not enzyme rich.  What I'm talking about are dehydrated veggies, which give you the impression of being cooked and have all the flavor of grilled deliciousness.  You can eat these without the guilt and absolutely all the enzymes intact.  That's what I'm talking about!


Here's what you'll need:


veggie 1:  Portabella mushrooms, cleaned
veggie 2:  Brussels sprouts, cleaned and cut in half or quarters
veggie 3:  Asparagus shoots, small ones, and thick ends removed

Marinade ingredients:

5 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 clove garlic, grated

1/2 inch grated ginger piece

Make the marinade mixture in a deep bowl.  Take one veggie at a time, rub rub rub, and then let it sit for about 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes are up, place the veggie on a dehydrator tray lined with a teflex sheet (but leave the marinade in the bowl).  Proceed with the following two veggies using the same marinade, in the same fashion.  Sometimes you might have to supplement with a little extra sesame oil or tamari, but for me, this marinade lasted (also depends on how many veggies you use - you can double or triple the marinade recipe of the marinade to suit your needs, if you're making a lot of veggies - just adjust the cooking time accordingly since they might need more).  


I know the tamari, maple syrup and oil aren't considered raw, but most importantly, I want to retain the veggie enzymes...and by dehydrating, then you're doing just that.  The marinade ingredients are just used as a flavoring and used minimally.


I use an 11-tray Excalibur dehydrator, and like to separate the trays as much as possible for more air flow.  For that reason, I only use three trays for this, one for each veggie, and take the rest of the empty trays out.  Make sure all the veggies are in a single layer, and if possible, separated by some space (not all piled up on one another)... I put the Brussels up top, maybe 2 shelves lower from the absolute top shelf, then the asparagus in the middle and the portabellas in the bottom third of the dehydrator (they're more meaty and cook faster, whereas the Brussels take the longest).  Dehydrate at 113 degrees for anywhere between 4 hours and 6 hours, depending on how "cooked" you'd like them to be.  Somewhere around the 5 hour mark I'd say works well, but go with your taste.  Also, nibbling before their done is absolutely advised...they're delicious! Enjoy!

Maple Tamari Tofu Boats

Tofu is one of those love-hate foods...you hear so much good rap about it and so much bad rap.  I say, simply simplify and follow these true to heart rules:  buy organic, sprouted when possible, and don't have it more than once a week...but when you do, enjoy it.  Yes, tofu is estrogenic so you don't want to give it to children on a regular basis (I say twice a month is OK - there are worse things in our environment that are estrogenic such as perfumes, cleaning sprays, pollutants, etc.)  The other thing is that tofu is overproduced, GMO and heavily sprayed, so always always always buy organic...that way, you can guarantee that it's non-GMO and much better for your health.  That said, I enjoy it, and it's especially a good version of soybean vs. the other not-so-good forms for you, such as soymilk and tofu pups.  Just don't go there.  With all those disclaimers taken care of, this dish will knock your socks off, and it's easily assembled in less than 3 minutes.  

2 boxes of sprouted extra firm (or as firm as possible) tofu, sliced lengthwise in half then in 5 slim fingers, so you get 10 fingers per block

tamari

maple syrup

1 head of boston lettuce

Place the sliced tofu in a casserole dish so they hang out in a single layer.  Pour over about 1/2 cup tamari and about 1/3 cup maple syrup (although I never measure) and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or so.  If you like it more caramelized, you can leave it in there for another 10 minutes until the sauce bubbles.  Let it cool slightly and place them in separated boston lettuce leaves.  Enjoy!