Lemon Drop Smoothie

If I don't make a definite effort to keep getting greens into my body every day, it is easy to forget. There are lots of good foods which are fine to eat, but they don't have as many important nutrients as greens. I can really feel it in my body when I eat more greens. And if I start forgetting, I start to suffer. Before I started eating them all the time, I really didn't know how much they could help a person. But now I know they are the most important thing a person could eat.

So, to help us all start eating greens more, I'm going to post a favorite green recipe. It may look green, but it is a fresh vibrant green. And it doesn't taste green at all. My husband has named it "Lemon Drop Smoothie". Because that is what it tastes like.

Lemon Drop Smoothie

2 - 3 large Fuji apples or other sweet apples, washed, cored, cut in large chunks
1 - 2 cups of cold water
1 large handful of washed fresh parsley
3 - 8 leaves of romaine or kale or other dark greens
1/4 of a washed lemon, flesh and skin, minus the seeds (The skin is important. It is what makes it taste like a lemon drop. It is full of nutrients.)

Place it all in your blender jar and whiz it until it is smooth. A Vita Mix can get away with less water. A regular blender will need more water, and it will help if the apples and lemon is cut in smaller pieces. Pour into elegant glasses and enjoy the best breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack you could ever drink. Serves 4

Gluten Free Focaccia - Recipe Review

I am excited to tell about a recipe I tried last night, Gluten Free Focaccia Bread with Tomatoes and Garlic. I found the gluten free blog called Karina's Kitchen. It is so good that we have another loaf in the oven right now. This yummy bread is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and soy free. It also contains whole grain flours. That is a pretty steep challenge for bread, but with this excellent recipe it is a success.

I did a few things differently, and learned a lesson when making the bread which I will tell you about, and hopefully save you a little frustration.

First of all, don't add extra water to the recipe, even if you think it needs it. It make the bread take longer to bake. After the bread had bake an extra 10 minutes and still wasn't done, I took the bread out and cut it into wedges and then put them on a cookie sheet, and then back to the oven. They were nicely done in another 10 - 15 minutes. And the results were very delicious.

Second, the tomatoes that were thinly sliced were better then the ones slice thick.

Third, I didn't have any millet flour or potato starch. So I subbed in some potato flour, some corn flour a little garfava flour, and some more sorghum flour, and the flour combination worked just fine. It seems that brown rice flour or teff would work just fine too, if that is what you have on hand.

Also, I used an Italian herb mix instead of the basil and thyme in the recipe. And I sprinkled the Italian seasoning on top of the bread too before putting it in the oven.

If you are wishing for special gluten free breads, this one is likely to satisfy.

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Follow up note - 4/28/09

I have made the bread several times since then, and have discovered that it works best when you follow the recipe as close as possible. The potato starch and millet flour are very important.
Substitute only if you have to and you will have better results.

Also, the tomatoes taste yummy baked on the bread, but make the bread soggy. You may wish to add them at the end, or not at all.

Whole Life Nutrition

I am excited to let my readers know that I have found an excellent gluten free blog that features whole foods called Whole Life Nutrition. The dad of the family is a nutritionalist who discovered that he is gluten intolerant during a cleanse. They have many recipes that I am eager to try. The newest one is for Banana Teff Pancakes. Go to www.glutenfreewholefoods.blogspot.com and I also put it over on the side.

About My Waffle Recipe

Note to anyone who has copied down my waffle recipe:

I have removed the baking powder from the recipe, because it is not necessary. They turn out just fine without it. Your waffles will run over the edge if you use the baking powder. You will like the waffles better without the baking powder.

Oven Hashbrowns and Veggies

When my husband concluded after his heart attack that based on the research we should not be using oil in our cooking. I went into big shock. I am sure that most would say that I did not use much oil in my cooking. I have since learned to cook lots of common items without oil and they turn out just fine.

Here is a recipe for Oven Hashbrowns that we love to make on Sunday mornings along with some scrambled tofu. I has some fat, in the nuts in the gravy, but doesn't use processed oil. Exact measurements aren't necessary in this recipe, but I'll give you some guidelines, to get you started. It can be made without vegetables, but my tastebuds have changed and their new vote says that it tastes much more interesting and alive with them. I try to get more vegetables in our diet as many ways as possible.

Oven Hashbrowns and Veggies

1. Grate up a big pile of scrubbed clean potatoes, skins and all. You need somewhere between 6 and 10 cups for a large cookie sheet full of hashbrowns. I often use red potatoes, or Yukon Golds for this. You can use a hand grater, or food processor. I use an electric Salad Shooter. Place the grated potatoes in a big mixing bowl.

2. Chop up 2 - 4 heads of broccoli into tiny bite sized pieces, including the stems. Peel the stems only if necessary. You need 4 - 6 cups of broccoli bits. Add to the grated potatoes.

3. Make a gravy. This is close to what I make, though I'm not always good at measuring. Adjust the seasonings to your liking. In your blender or vita-mix whiz up until very smooth: 1 1/2 cups of cashews, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tablespoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast. (Add more water if necessary in a regular blender.)

4. Mix the gravy into the potatoes and broccoli and mix until everything is coated well. Other optional veggies, if you have them. Diced red or green pepper, chives, minced parsley or cilantro or basil, diced onion, minced garlic, spinach. Be creative and see what you come up with. It is really yummy.

5. Spread everything onto a baking sheet or two. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Serves 4 , more or less, depending on how many veggies you prepare.

Food on Fridays

Ann Kroeker writes about food on Fridays. Today she wrote about chocolate gravy. That sounds amazing and something I don't know much about. But I do have a Cashew Gravy recipe that is pretty great! But even more tasty is my Butternut Squash Curry recipe. It is really something you have to try. It is the recipe that friends ask from me more then any other. It is eaten really quickly whenever I take it to a potluck. My family gets quite excited when I make it.

I posted both recipes yesterday. But you can look at them on Friday, or any other day if you wish.

I Love Your Heart With All My Heart

Many have come to think of rich foods, and fatty sweet treats when they think of Valentine's Day. I used to think it was loving to give one of those fatty sweet indulgences on holidays. Now I am thinking differently. If we really love someone, we should give them what is good for them, not just what tastes good. But hopefully, we can think of something that tastes good without being bad for the heart and health. If you love someone you want them to be around a long time, so you should give them food that is good for their heart, especially on heart day. It would show that you love them with all your heart, and are not out to help them die off sooner.

If care about someone's heart health, you need to get oils, margarine, butter, cheese and other fats out of the diet, especially animal fats. Most plant fats when found in their original package, such as flax seeds, nuts, avocado, and olives are good for heart. Meat is not good for hearts, bones or health in general, so it has to go. Milk was made to turn a baby calf into a 600 pound bull in one year. It has too much fat and protein for good human health, even though the dairy industry disagrees. The research and evidence is clear that milk will not "do you good."

So is there anything left to eat? Yes! Absolutely, yes! What is left is the foods that make a healthy long life. If you care about your valentine, please give them some vegetables and fruit this year, and a fun walk together out in the fresh air. In fact do it everyday for a month for their Valentine's Day gift, and start reaping good health. It is the loving thing to do.

Baked Potatoes and Gravy

Baked potatoes are easy to prepare, easy and normal for most people. We usually eat them once a week. We love Yukon Gold potatoes because when baked they are naturally yellow and a little creamy in texture. We don't use margarine anymore, so a tasty homemade gravy is very important.

To bake potatoes I simply scrub some up, and put them on the middle rack of the oven, then bake them at 400 degrees for 1 hour. I don't wrap them in foil anymore, because aluminum seems to contribute to disease.

Here is Tami Benton's gravy recipe from Pure and Simple.

Onion Gravy
By Tami A. Benton

Saute onions until soft:
1 large onion

Blend until smooth:
3 cups of water
2 T rice flour
3/4 cup raw cashews
1 1/2 t salt
1/8 t garlic powder

Add blended mixture to the onions and simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

One trick to get people to eat more veggies at a potato meal is to put out the salad as the first course, with nothing else at the table. If you pre-serve the salad on pretty plates, people will eat even more then then normally do, because salad looks so lovely with all it's colors and textures. After the salad course, bring out the potatoes with another veggie such a cooked, frozen peas, asparagus or broccoli. No meat or entree' is needed. There is good nutrition in salad greens.

Sensational Salads and Ranch Dressing

For the salad, never settle for a just lettuce and a few token tomatoes. Salad can be so pretty! Make it one of the most beautiful things on the table.

I almost always use romaine lettus, sliced or torn thinly. This salad contains:
tomato
yellow and red pepper
cucumber,
sweet salad onions (use green onions)
slivered red cabage
grated carrot

The salad dressing is out of Tami Benton's cookbook, Pure and Simple. Her recipe is a good place to start. I make about the same thing most days, but I find I vary the amount of seasons to my taste and desires that day. I've had many people get so excited about how yummy this kind of dressing is. And I have to say it is easy to make, you just have to have a good blender.

Ranch Dressing
by Tami A. Benton

1 cup raw cashews
1 t salt
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
1/4 t thyme
1/4 t rosemary
1/4 t basil
1 T fresh lemon or lime juice
1 cup water
1 T dill (after blending)

Put all the ingredients except dill in the blender and blend until very smooth. At the end add the 1 T dill and stir in or pulse blender just once or twice on a slow speed.

My notes: Experiment with the amount of seasonings. You are competing with the flavor enhancer MSG when you serve homemade ranch dressing, so it helps to put in a lot of herbal flavor. I usually put in only about 1 t garlic powder and 2 t onion powder and I usually add more basil, maybe 1 t. I also like to add 1 t of ground mustard powder. And because my kids aren't crazy about that much dill, I add only about half of what is in the recipe. But I have to say that any variation is good. Fresh herbs are also wonderful, if you have some out in your garden, put some in. Add more water if you want it more pourable. Figure out what works well for your family.

Tomato Herb Lentil Loaf

Last year we had a very special guest for lunch. Dr. T. Colin Campbell author of the important book, "The China Study" was going to be speaking in our town on Saturday and Sunday. I was asked if we could prepare lunch for him and his wife and another couple. I was a little scared, but what an honor. We have people over sometimes, but they are usually other families with kids, or people more like us. I've never cooked and cleaned for such a famous person before.

As it turned out, Dr. and Mrs. Campbell are wonderful people. The are small town people, just like us. They were easy to talk with, and easy to be around. I think everyone one present instantly felt at ease.

For the meal I served a lentil loaf out of my friend's just published cookbook, Pure and Simple by Tami Benton. It is a cook book featuring plant based foods that are gluten free, and MSG free. Just to get you interested, Tami gave me permission to share a couple recipes.

Tomato Herb Lentil Loaf
By Tami A. Benton

*Cook the lentils and rice ahead. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
1 cup cooked brown lentils
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup ground raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup tomato, chopped
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup celery, finely chopped
5 T tomato paste or 1/2 of a 6 oz. can of tomato paste
2 T salt
1/8 t sage
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
dash cayenne (careful, not too much)
dash rosemary
dash thyme
dash basil

Press into an oiled 4" by 8" loaf pan. Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until brown. Allow pan to cool. Decorate a platter with lettuce leaves and place loaf in the middle. Or place directly on the serving platter and drizzle cashew gravy over the top.

It does freeze nicely.

My Notes: Make sure your lentils have as much liquid drained off of them as possible before measuring or your loaf ends up a little too wet. The loaf does come out of the pan easier after it is cooled. If you loaf does not come out in one piece, like mine did, then all is not lost. Just take a spoon and mound and smooth the sides. It still turns out pretty. I added cooked carrots around the edge of mine for decoration.
If you would like to hear a couple lectures by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, I have good news. I found two of them at google video.

Lecture one - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-847196066367535747&q=T.+Colin+Campbell



Lecture two -

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1719204869171202407&q=T.+Colin+Campbell



Also his book, The China Study, is really worth reading.