"Pizza?"

This was something I ate often when I was little and it's a kid friendly, healthy version of pizza. It's full of flavor, super quick and ready in the amount of time it takes to melt cheese in your oven. With very few ingredients you can have fun with the kids and teach them how to love good food.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 7-10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 slice of bread (I used shepherd style sourdough)

sliced tomatoes

2 slices of Swiss cheese

sprinkle of cheddar or any fine grated cheese

Mustard

sliced (thin) onions

Basil

Pepper

Directions:

Spread mustard on your bread and layer first your Swiss cheese, tomatoes, onion, cheddar(fine grated), and pepper. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and on a foil lined cookie sheet place your "pizza" in for 7- 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Add the basil at the end for a bright, and fresh flavor!

**The best part about this great snack even more than it being a healthy alternative is that you can make it for less than $2.00.....wow!

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Fresh home-made Almond Milk (3 steps)

Almond milk is so easy and good for you. If you live the milk-free lifestyle, but still love a cold creamy glass to go with your sweets, in your smoothies or even in your coffee then almonds milk is awesome. Although be aware that almond milk shouldn't be a substitute in regards to the calcium or protein you get from a source like cow's milk. When comparing the two researchers find that almond milk has 1 gram of protein vs. cow's milk having 8 grams. Milk made from almonds is very low in calories at 60 per cup, there is no cholesterol or saturated fats it's low sodium and has lots of Omega-3 fatty acids. There isn't as much calcium as they state milk has but it does have 30% of your daily requirement. Great news for your skin in terms of Vitamin E too:) almond milk has 50% of your daily intake. While I don't truly know if this is the best idea since we ALWAYS kept it refrigerated I read an article that states it can be left at room temperature safely. Always do your own research and always have fun in the kitchen!

Here is an easy three step process to have fresh almond milk in your kitchen in less than 10 minutes!

You will need:

Blender
Cheese cloth
Container with a lid

Prep time: 24 hrs (although I forgot to soak the almonds it still works but they release more protein and are easier to blend.)

"Cook" time: 5 minutes

Servings: approx. 9 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups of raw almonds
7 cups of water (we fill the blender to the 9th cup mark)

Directions:

1. Soak almonds overnight

2. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes

3. Strain in cheese cloth (pulp included) and store in the fridge!

 To this mixture you can add a couple Tbs. of honey or agave to make it sweet. I prefer it plain, but The Hunebee likes hers with a hint of sweetness<3 We stored ours in large mason jars that have a screw on lid and put them in the fridge. This "milk" should keep for 2-3 days.

 ENJOY!

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RAW-berry Shortcake (raw recipe #2)

This weeks RAW-recipe was a raw take on the famous "strawberry shortcake." A recipe that was created for Cilantro Live, the Raw, Vegan restaurant Christine and I worked for, a recipe that Christine is responsible for improving upon. It has been years since either of us has attempted any of these delicious treats. Last night was a whole lot of fun not only to do, but to eat! We even got my meat and potatoes boyfriend, Tyler, to enjoy one as well! From the bottom you'll see an almond "crust," the second layer is a sweet strawberry sauce, the ice cream is a basil flavor made from cashews along with the "whipped" topping. While this dessert is a tad bit of work it's also a whole lot of fun!

You will need to have 3 major appliances for this recipe: 1. a food processor, 2. ice cream machine and 3. a blender. Without those 3 things this will be almost, no, it will be impossible so it's a good idea to make sure you have them. I purchased a great Sunbeam brand, electric, 4 quart ice cream machine the only down side is it does require ice and salt, but was actually pretty quick from start to finish. I received from Tyler, for my birthday/mother's day, a 7 cup Cuisinart food processor that we used for the "crust" and strawberry sauce. The blender is vital for the ice cream and "whipped" topping, and even though the cashews are soaked over night they still need to be blended until they are the consistency of "cream." 

Prep. time: 24 hours

"Cook" time: 1-1 1/2 

Servings: 6

Cost per serving: $3.75

 Ingredients:

(ice cream)

1 1/4 cup cashews (soaked in water, over night in the fridge)

1/4 basil

1/2 agave

Pinch of salt

Water up to 4 cup mark

(whipped topping)

3/4 cup cashews

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 cup agave

1 tbs. water (Blend until creamy, if it's too thick add 1 Tbs. water)

Directions:
(start the ice cream first)

Soak the cashew in a bowl of water over night in the refrigerator. Drain the water and measure out 1 1/4 cup. Add the cashews, 1/4 cup whole basil leaves, 1/2 cup of agave and a pinch of salt into the blender. Fill the blender up to the "4 cup" mark and blend on "HIGH" for 2-3 minutes or until you have a frothy, light green "cream."

Pour into your ice cream maker and  turn on, and work on other components while the ice cream comes together. The ice cream should take 45 minutes to an hour to finish.

Ingredients:
(strawberry sauce)

1 cup chopped strawberries (save 4-6 fresh whole berries for the garnish)
1 1/2 tsp. lime juice
1/8 cup agave
Pinch of salt

Directions:

In the food processor add 1 cup of fresh strawberries, 1 1/2 tsp. of fresh lime juice, 1/8 cup of agave and a pinch of salt. Pulse until the berries are smooth and set aside in a smaller bowl for your next step; the "crust."

Ingredients:
(crust)

1 cups peeled almonds
1 tsp lime zest
1 1/2 tsp. lime juice
1 1/2  tsp. water
Pinch of salt

 Directions:

Slightly boil water and pour over raw almonds, let it sit for 20-30 minutes, once the water has turned a brown color and the skins feel "loosened" you can pop the almond out of it's casing. Discard the casings and drain the water. Measure out 1 cup of peeled almonds add to the processor with 1 tsp. lime zest, 1 1/2 tsp. lime juice, 1 1/2 tsp. water and a pinch of salt.

(directions cont.)

The consistency of the almond "crust" should be a loose paste and you should be able to pack it into your hand, but it shouldn't be overly moist.

To assemble your dessert start by packing 2 Tbs. of the almond "crust" into a shallow container, or small parfait cup(that is what we used at the restaurant).

On top of the "crust" add 2 Tbs. of strawberry sauce and remember to save some fresh strawberries for garnishing. We sliced them and added 4-5 fresh pieces to each dessert cup.

To finish add two scoops of the basil ice cream, 

 dollop of the whipped topping, a sprig of basil leaf

 and fresh strawberry slices!

ENJOY!

  

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Superfoods: Kale and Beans

I am in no way advocating a completely meat-free diet or judging anyone who adheres to one. Years ago I personally worked in a raw, organic, vegan kitchen and it was a lot of fun. I feel that people should be very understanding that it truly is a lifestyle and a lot of work. Being "Vegan" or "Vegetarian" isn't just not eating meat or animal by-products. To be healthy and to safely live a meat-free life you need to supplement correctly with foods that will make up for not eating the sources of some pretty important vitamins and minerals. While no one actually likes to hear that they should eat "fats" it is also a pretty important component to overall health and energy.

In my, so far, short existence I have encountered many different ideas on food and feeding the body. There are many correct ways to make that happen and then there are many detrimentally unhealthy reasons for not being healthy. Since food is such an important part of my life I love getting to talk to people about how and what they eat, and sometimes that isn't the true nature of our conversations. In listening to people and watching them I have learned a little about "some things" and enough for form a small opinion.

Here I would like to share that I myself have struggled with my weight and have tried many different "eating habits" to maintain or control myself for optimum health. Anything you read here is an observation of a wide variety of experiences and an educated guess at best, but generally that is what most sciences are.

The inspiration for this rambling today comes to you via "MindBodyGreen" a health forum I follow on Facebook. I love their posts because they have great ideas along with RELIABLE information. There is nothing more frustrating than reading about something I find on the internet or even in a magazine regarding health, passing that information on to my friends or family, and then finding out I have to track them down to tell them it was wrong. And YES, that is something I DO, just ask The Hunebee! It is very comforting to know that MindBodyGreen does their research keeping their opinions to themselves till they have gotten to the bottom of all the possibilities:)

Today we are not talking about why Animal Meat products are bad, rather what foods you can eat that have as much if not more of the vital nutrients and less of the cholesterol. This is also inspired by the constant struggle I have with picky eaters, staunch childhood diets, and emotional pacifiers. There is a MAJOR balance between food "The Vitality for LIFE" and food "The Hobby."

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6142/All-Hail-Kale-Infographic.html This is a great article from MindBodyGreen with some amazing facts about Kale.

"Did you know that kale has more iron than beef, or more calcium than milk." 

That is the first line in the article, how could that not grab you!! I also learned from MarthaStewart.com that the colder the weather the sweeter the kale, making fall through spring the best time to grow or eat.

Some great Kale recipes can be found here:

For those of you that LOVE bacon and the tang of apple cider vinegar check out:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/braised-kale-with-bacon-cider-10000000577156/

Everyone knows how much I love Garbanzo beans, if you do as well go here:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/garbanzo-beans-greens-50400000109639/

I love a very basic kale, cooked down, a little spicy and definitely with fresh lemon. Try Martha's recipe:
http://www.marthastewart.com/862205/spicy-sauteed-kale-lemon?czone=food%2Fwinter-produce%2Fwinter-produce&gallery=286367&slide=862205&center=1009854


BEANS!
Protein, Fiber and Antioxidants OH MY! By the way Red Meat has little or no fiber (found on WebMD's article http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/beans-protein-rich-superfoods), but I'm not cutting out meats entirely, I'm just giving you an option that you can add to your meals. Red meats shouldn't be eaten with every meal or even every day,  and with "Super foods" like beans you don't have to. Here is an excerpt from WebMd on the importance of Beans and the benefits to your health and weight loss:

"Beans are comparable to meat when it comes to calories, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, a registered dietitian at Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Wellness Institute in Chicago and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. But they really shine in terms of fiber and water content, two ingredients that make you feel fuller, faster. Adding beans to your diet helps cut calories without feeling deprived."
(By Jenny Stamos Kovacs WebMD the Magazine - Feature Reviewed by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD)

*Who doesn't want to feel full on less?!

Besides my bean recipes here are some great ones that I've found while searching around:

Slow cooked tomato and herb white beans from theKitchn.com

http://www.thekitchn.com/slowcooked-tomato-and-herb-whi-97163

Here is a Three Bean salad from Allrecipes.com it's a sweet version of the bean salads that I often post:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Three-Bean-Salad-5/Detail.aspx?prop24=RD_RelatedRecipes

I had these at a local soda shop in San Diego and they were fantastic! Roasted crispy Chickpea's from Steamykitchen.com :
http://www.steamykitchen.com/10725-crispy-roasted-chickpeas-garbanzo-beans.html

I have met many people who don't understand not eating meat every day, or at least for dinner every night. While meats have their benefits they also have consequences. I see that if you can eat something else once in a while and not deprive yourself of the health requirements, then why not? That, in the first sentence, is the most obvious answer to why there is so much more meat consumption....people don't understand. Like all eating habits it is about education. We all love to indulge, but when indulgence meets health safety we have to grow up and think outside the box. I am lucky to have a toddler who will eat most anything you place in front of her. Oddly she prefers not to eat as much meat as she does beans and vegetables, but that is a win in my book.

So to conclude kale and beans are a great source of iron, calcium, protein, fiber and a mixed alphabet of vitamins. Some of those vital nutrients prove much higher than that of red meat, which is a great thing for creating healthier eating habits and learning new things.