Food

Recipe – Raspberry-Vanilla “Ice Cream” Sandwiches

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Recipe
Raspberry–Vanilla “Ice Cream” Sandwiches
2 cups cashews 2 pinches salt
2 cups water 2 ½ Tbsp. melted coconut oil
½ cup maple syrup 1 ½ tsp. ground cardamom
1 ½ Tbsp. vanilla extract 2 cups raspberries, lightly mashed
Seeds of one vanilla bean
Brownie Crust
2 cups almonds 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Medjool dates 2/3 cup walnuts
1 ½ cups raisins 2 pinches salt
½ cup carob powder 1 ½ tsp. water
Prepare the “ice cream”: In a high speed blender, blend the cashews, water, maple syrup, vanilla extract and scraped insides of the vanilla bean until completely smooth. Add the salt and coconut oil and blend to incorporate. Chill the liquid in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours. Process the chilled, thick cream in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Prepare the brownies: Grind the almonds into flour in a food processor. Add the dates and raisins. Process until they are completely broken down. Add the remaining ingredients and process to combine. Press half of the dough into an 8–inch–square pan. Set aside remaining dough and refrigerate until ready to use.

Assemble the sandwiches: Once the “ice cream” is done churning (the consistency will be like soft-serve ice cream), mix in the cardamom. Then, gently mix in the raspberries, taking care not to overmix or the berries’ color will bleed. Spread the “ice cream” evenly over the brownie, working quickly to prevent melting. Immediately transfer to the freezer until frozen, at least 6 hours. Once frozen, firmly press the other half of the brownie dough on top. Cut into 1 ½ x 2 ½-inch bars. Store in freezer until ready to enjoy. Makes 15 servings.

 

Food – Rah Rah – Raw Desserts!

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Your foray into the tasty genre of raw desserts may begin as a fluke, as one lady learned as she was preparing to host a dinner. The morning of this event, her oven and stove malfunctioned.

While she was able to prepare dinner on the grill, dessert posed a problem. Instead of making a peach-blueberry crumble, she decided to marinate peaches in fresh orange juice and serve them with a sprinkle of sweetened nuts and a dollop of cashew crème, made by blending cashews with maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt in her Vita-mix blending machine.

From this experience she learned that raw desserts, often defined as food prepared with whole-food ingredients in their natural state (nothing is heated above 118°F, to preserve nutritional value), can be just as delicious and elegant as traditional desserts—and they can be a lot better health-wise.

“When it comes to ingredients in the raw desserts repertoire, nuts take center stage. Typically ground in a food processor to create crusts for cookies, cakes and bars, they are also blended to form a base for ice creams, puddings and creams, giving them that smooth, buttery consistency often found in dairy-based desserts.

“Other mainstay ingredients are coconut oil, coconut butter (a creamy paste made from dried, ground coconut meat) and nut butters. For sweetness, unrefined favorites include fresh fruit purées, raisins, Medjool dates, coconut nectar, coconut sugar, stevia and maple syrup. The boiled sap of maple trees, while technically not “raw,” is often used because it is minimally processed; contains manganese, zinc and other minerals; and has a distinct, irreplaceable flavor.

“Any style of dessert, whether raw or cooked, wouldn’t be complete without chocolate. Whole-food forms of chocolate include cacao nibs, cacao butter and cacao powder.” Carob chips or carob powder may be used in raw recipes as a chocolate substitute.

“The technique of making raw desserts is fairly easy. Ingredients quickly come together in a food processor or high–speed blender, and are then set aside in the fridge or freezer.” Since nothing is baked, it is the great flavor of the natural ingredients that makes these healthful treats taste delicious. The Costco Connection, August 2015, E-Commerce & Publishing, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Seattle, Washington.

Recipe
Raspberry–Vanilla “Ice Cream” Sandwiches
2 cups cashews 2 pinches salt
2 cups water 2 ½ Tbsp. melted coconut oil
½ cup maple syrup 1 ½ tsp. ground cardamom
1 ½ Tbsp. vanilla extract 2 cups raspberries, lightly mashed
Seeds of one vanilla bean
Brownie Crust
2 cups almonds 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Medjool dates 2/3 cup walnuts
1 ½ cups raisins 2 pinches salt
½ cup carob powder 1 ½ tsp. water
Prepare the “ice cream”: In a high speed blender, blend the cashews, water, maple syrup, vanilla extract and scraped insides of the vanilla bean until completely smooth. Add the salt and coconut oil and blend to incorporate. Chill the liquid in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours. Process the chilled, thick cream in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Prepare the brownies: Grind the almonds into flour in a food processor. Add the dates and raisins. Process until they are completely broken down. Add the remaining ingredients and process to combine. Press half of the dough into an 8–inch–square pan. Set aside remaining dough and refrigerate until ready to use.

Assemble the sandwiches: Once the “ice cream” is done churning (the consistency will be like soft-serve ice cream), mix in the cardamom. Then, gently mix in the raspberries, taking care not to overmix or the berries’ color will bleed. Spread the “ice cream” evenly over the brownie, working quickly to prevent melting. Immediately transfer to the freezer until frozen, at least 6 hours. Once frozen, firmly press the other half of the brownie dough on top. Cut into 1 ½ x 2 ½-inch bars. Store in freezer until ready to enjoy. Makes 15 servings.

 

Recipe – Borscht

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Recipe – Borscht
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4 beets, whole 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
4 russet potatoes, diced 1 tsp. raw agave or sweetener of choice
1 onion, chopped ¼ head red; ¼ head white cabbage, shredded
1 green pepper, diced 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
2 carrots, grated Salt, to taste
6 cloves garlic, minced Fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. olive oil Healthy homemade sour cream
Boil beets until crisp tender. Remove from water; peel and set aside. Cook potatoes in beet water for about 10 minutes. Sauté onion, bell pepper, carrots, and garlic in olive oil until tender; add tomato paste; cook 2 minutes. Combine mixture into beet water. Add grated beets, cabbage, sweetener, salt and lemon juice. Gently simmer 40–50 minutes for flavors to enhance. Garnish with parsley and sour cream.

 

Food – The Unbeatable Beet

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Beet or beetroot has a bulbous, dark red root that may be eaten as a vegetable in a variety of ways. Beetroots are rich in essential vitamins and minerals, making them an excellent addition to your diet. Although commonly a beautiful reddish-purple hue, beets also come in varieties that feature white, yellow, orange, striped and even rainbow colored roots.

Beets pack a number of health benefits:

  • “Beets contain zero trans fat and zero saturated fat. They are also low calorie.
  • Beets are high in carbohydrates, which means they are a great instant energy source. They can be regarded as body fuel.
  • Beets contain folic acid, which is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells. This is especially important for pregnant woman or anyone undergoing physical healing.
  • Studies have shown that betacyanin, the pigment that gives beets their red color, helps inhibit the formation of cancer-causing compounds and is protective against colon and stomach cancer. Beets have been used to help get rid of tumors and to aid in supporting people with blood diseases and leukemia.
  • Medical studies have also shown that including beets in a diet helps protect the body against heart disease.
  • Beets have been shown to help cleanse the blood, cleanse the colon and strengthen the gallbladder and liver.
  • Some people have used beets to treat and cure boils, abscesses and even acne.
  • Beets are one of the best sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, highly beneficial for eye health.
  • Beets also contain betaine, which enhances serotonin production in the brain.
  • Beets are an excellent source of fiber and magnesium, which helps make and maintain RNA and DNA cells and prevent anemia.
  • Beets contain sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron and phosphorous. They are considered a fiber food and contain vitamins A and C as well as niacin.
  • Beets also contain potassium, which is necessary for building muscle and regulating the heart’s electrical activity, and manganese, which helps maintain muscle and nerve function, build bone strength, regulate blood sugar levels, and promote a healthy immune system.” www.healing.org/only-23.ht

Beets may be enjoyed in several ways: grate them raw over salads; steam; roast in the oven, cut in chunks and top a tossed salad, adding a favorite dressing; juice raw with other vegetables for a healthy drink or use diced or grated in soups. Borscht, a very popular vegetable soup made of beets is a delicious favorite in Poland, Russia, Germany and other European menus.

Recipe – Braised Celery

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Recipe
Braised Celery
8 stalks of celery, scrubbed and ends trimmed (chop and reserve leaves) Pinch of salt or seasoning salt
1 Tbsp. oil ½ cup of vegetable stock
Cut celery into 1-inch slices on the diagonal. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery, along with salt and cook until it starts to become tender. Add broth, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for 5 minutes longer, allowing the broth to caramelize a little. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately, garnished with reserved chopped leaves. You may also add chopped tofu.

 

Food – Celery – Stalks of Protection

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This member of the parsley family contains compounds that may help lower blood pressure and perhaps help prevent cancer. Celery is also a good source of insoluble fiber as well as a number of essential nutrients, including potassium, vitamin C, and calcium.

Chomp Down on Blood Pressure

Celery has been used for centuries in Asia as a folk remedy for high blood pressure. In the United States, it took one man with high blood pressure and persistence to persuade researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center to put this remedy to the scientific test.

The story began when a man named Mr. Le was diagnosed with mild high blood pressure. Rather than cutting back on salt as his doctor advised, he began eating a quarter-pound (about four stalks) of celery per day. Within a week his blood pressure had dropped from 158/96 to 118/82.

William J. Elliott, M.D., Ph.D., who was then assistant professor of medicine and pharmacological and physiological science at the University of Chicago, decided to put celery to the test. Researchers injected test animals with a small amount of 3-n-butyl phthalide, a chemical compound that is found in celery. Within a week, the animals’ blood pressures dropped an average of 12 to 14 percent.

“Phthalide was found to relax the muscles of the arteries that regulate blood pressure, allowing the vessels to dilate,” says Dr. Elliott. In addition, the chemical reduced the amount of “stress hormones,” called catecholamines, in the blood. This may be helpful because stress hormones typically raise blood pressure by causing the blood vessels to constrict.

If you have high blood pressure and would like to give celery a try, try this strategy recommended by Asian folk practitioners. Eat four to five stalks every day for a week, then stop for three weeks. Then start over and eat celery for another week.

But don’t overdo it and start eating celery by the pound, Dr. Elliott warns. Celery does contain sodium—one stalk contains 35 milligrams—and for some people this can cause blood pressure to go up rather than down. “Eating a ton of celery can be dangerous if you have salt-sensitive hypertension,” he warns.

Blocking Cancer Cells

Who’d have thought that crunching celery might help prevent cancer? Celery contains a number of compounds that researchers believe may help prevent cancer cells from spreading.

For starters, celery contains compounds called acetylenics. “Acetylenics have been shown to stop the growth of tumor cells,” says Robert Rosen, Ph.D., associate director of the Center for Advanced Food Technology at Cook College, Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

In addition, celery contains compounds called phenolic acids, which block the action of hormonelike substances called prostaglandins. Some prostaglandins are thought to encourage the growth of tumor cells, says Dr. Rosen.

The Doctors Book of Food Remedies, by Selene Yeager and the Editors of Prevention Health Books, Rodale, pages 129–131.

Recipe
Braised Celery
8 stalks of celery, scrubbed and ends trimmed (chop and reserve leaves) Pinch of salt or seasoning salt
1 Tbsp. oil ½ cup of vegetable stock
Cut celery into 1-inch slices on the diagonal. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery, along with salt and cook until it starts to become tender. Add broth, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for 5 minutes longer, allowing the broth to caramelize a little. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately, garnished with reserved chopped leaves. You may also add chopped tofu.

 

Recipe – Yummy Banana Oat Bars

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Recipe
Yummy Banana Oat Bars

Serves: 8
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant) 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 3/4 cup finely chopped apple
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Press into a 9-by-9-inch baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, cut into squares or bars.

 

Food – Wonderful World of Oats

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Oats are such a simple grain but yet so filled with wonderful nutrition for our bodies. The following is a little bit of history you might find interesting about simple oats.

“If it weren’t for horses, we probably wouldn’t even know about oats, to say nothing of the great health benefits they provide. When horses were introduced in various parts of the world, oats went along as their feed. Not surprisingly, however, humans were a bit reluctant to take a taste. Samuel Johnson’s 1755 Dictionary of the English Language defined oats as ‘a grain which in England is generally given to horses, but which in Scotland supports the people.’ It seems the Scotts were ahead of their time.

“Oats are a very healthy grain. For one thing, unlike wheat, barley, and other grains, processed oats retain the bran and germ layers, which is where most of the nutrients reside. … Studies show that getting more oats in the diet not only lowers total cholesterol but, more encouragingly, lowers the bad low-density lipoprotein (LD) cholesterol while leaving the beneficial high-density lipoprotien cholesterol alone. …

“Although all grains contain a little fat, oats contain quite a bit. For example, a half-cup serving of oatmeal has a little more than 1 gram of fat … while oats are somewhat high in fat, almost 80 percent of the fat is the heart-healthy, unsaturated kind. …

“An additional benefit is the soluble fiber in oats. Because it soaks up lots of water, it creates a feeling of fullness. This means that when you eat oats, you feel satisfied longer and so are more likely to eat less, which is good news for anyone who’s trying to lose weight.

“Eat for convenience. Unlike many foods, in which the processed versions are often the least nutritious, oats retain their goodness in different forms. So when time is an issue, go ahead and enjoy quick oats. They provide just as many vitamins and minerals as the traditional, slower-cooking kind. Keep in mind, however, that quick oats do contain more sodium than their slower-cooking kin.

“For protein, take your pick. Both rolled oats and oat bran are good sources of protein. One cup of cooked oat bran contains 7 grams, 14 percent of the Daily Value (DV), while a serving of rolled oats has 6 grams, 12 percent of the DV.”

Excerpts from The Doctors Book of Food Remedies, Prevention Health Books, Rodale, 374-378.

 

Recipe
Yummy Banana Oat Bars

Serves: 8
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant) 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 3/4 cup finely chopped apple
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Press into a 9-by-9-inch baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, cut into squares or bars.

 

Recipe – Maple Walnut Cookies

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Recipe
Maple Walnut Cookies

(a.k.a. Brain Food Cookies, Mood Enhancing Cookies, Prozac Cookies)
2 ½ c. walnuts, ground in food processor 1/3 c. carob chips
2/3 c. whole wheat pastry flour 1/3-½ c. maple syrup
1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. ground flaxseed
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl add all ingredients in given order; mix well. Drop small spoonful of dough on slightly oiled cookie sheet and flatten with fork. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, checking often to prevent burning. Let cool before removing from sheet.

 

* May add chopped dates, dried cherries, etc., decreasing amount of maple syrup.

Recipe from Dr. Neil Nedley

 

Food – Nuts for Walnuts

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Walnuts are round edible single-seeded fruits from the trees of the Juglans genus belonging to the tree nut family. Wrapped up in its small case is a nearly perfect package of protein, carbohydrate, healthy fat, antioxidants, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals. Their benefits ranging from heart health, tumor protection, depression and beauty cannot be overlooked.

The plant is believed to have originated in India and the regions surrounding the Caspian Sea, and in the 4th century A.D., the ancient Romans introduced the walnut to many European countries. Since then it has been cultivated there extensively. Today China is the largest producer of walnuts, closely followed by the United States, Ukraine and Romania. In the United States, California produces 99 percent of the nation’s commercial English walnuts.

There are almost 30 varieties of walnuts, of which the three most commonly known are Persian or English walnut, black walnut, and butternut walnut. It takes 15 years for the tree to grow until it starts producing fruit. Walnut trees have an average lifespan of 80 years; however, under favorable conditions some may live for 300 years or more.

Among all other nuts, walnuts contain the highest amount of antioxidants, making them extremely effective in aiding in destroying free radicals and combating heart disease. Adequate intake has been shown to significantly raise blood levels of healthy omega-3 fats which may prevent the formation of blood clots which can cause sudden cardiac death, as well as lowering bad cholesterol and increasing the production of good cholesterol, thus also maintaining safe insulin levels with type 2 diabetes.

The antioxidant properties of walnuts help lower the risk of chronic oxidative stress, and the anti-inflammatory properties help lower the risk of chronic inflammation. Lowering these two risks helps diminish the greatest threat for cancer development. Prostate, breast cancer and bowel cancer risk has been found to be reduced by the consumption of approximately 3 ounces per day. Studies have found that the greater the omega-3 acids, the smaller the tumor.

Walnuts which are rich in B-vitamins and antioxidants aid in preventing skin from free radical damage, wrinkles, and signs of aging. The walnut’s oil protects the skin from dryness and returns its natural moisture. It is also used as base oil in many massage oils used for massage therapy. Walnuts are a good hair food as they contain biotin or vitamin B7 that helps strengthen hair, reduce hair fallout, and improve hair growth to a certain extent.

Because the shell is shaped somewhat like a human skull and the crinkly kernel resembles a brain, the walnut has historically been regarded as brain food. In fact, because it provides omega-3 fatty acids coupled with iodine and selenium, it does indeed aid in ensuring optimal healthy brain function. Consuming walnuts may increase serotonin and melatonin levels, which are directly linked to mood, cognitive function, and sleep. Boosting levels of omega-3s may have a natural effect on decreasing the symptoms of depression.

 

Recipe
Maple Walnut Cookies

(a.k.a. Brain Food Cookies, Mood Enhancing Cookies, Prozac Cookies)
2 ½ c. walnuts, ground in food processor 1/3 c. carob chips
2/3 c. whole wheat pastry flour 1/3-½ c. maple syrup
1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. ground flaxseed
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl add all ingredients in given order; mix well. Drop small spoonful of dough on slightly oiled cookie sheet and flatten with fork. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, checking often to prevent burning. Let cool before removing from sheet.

 

* May add chopped dates, dried cherries, etc., decreasing amount of maple syrup.

Recipe from Dr. Neil Nedley