Don’t be afraid of fats and oils! We all need them in our diets. Every cell in our body, every nerve sheath and most of our brain is made up of lipids (fats). If we don’t eat them, then our cells will have nothing to rebuild with! Fat free diets are detrimental to health. In fact, learning disorders and depression are often successfully treated with essential fatty acid supplementation. Make sure they are from natural sources, cold pressed and with the least amount of processing. Commercial polyunsaturated cooking oils, margarine, anything hydrogenated or deep fried are to be avoided at all times.
Use small amounts of coconut oil, butter or rice bran oil for sauteeing (add in some broth too) or extra virgin olive oil if cooking with low to medium heat. Just don't let it smoke or it's too hot! I like to use a flax seed oil dressing on my greens. Make sure you buy a good quality flax seed oil out of the refrigerator - it can't be stored or shipped at room temperature. Just add the following to a glass jar and shake and pour. This is also delicious on steamed veggies like Brussels sprouts, asparagus or sauteed kale and Swiss chard. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, or two shallots, finely chopped 1 cup millet 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 1/2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 1 small zucchini, peeled and shredded 1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded 1/2 c. finely shredded spinach 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest plus 1 T. fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in millet and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, for 10 minutes. Stir in zucchini, carrot, spinach, Parmesan, thyme, lemon juice and zest and pepper. Cook, uncovered, maintaining a simmer and stirring often to keep the millet from sticking, until the mixture is soft, very thick and the liquid has been absorbed, about 10-15 minutes more. In the last 5 minutes or so, lift and fold the mixture regularly but gently, being careful not to bruise the millet. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve garnished with more cheese and a few thyme sprigs. For Making into cakes: Uncover and let stand until room temperature, then chill overnight. With dampened hands, shape the millet mixture into 12 patties 3 inches wide (a scant 1/3 cup each). In a light oiled skillet, add 4 millet cakes and cook until the bottoms are browned, 3 - 5 minutes on medium heat. Carefully turn the cakes with a wide spatula and cook until the other side is browned, 3 - 5 minutes more. Re-oil the pan and cook the remaining cakes in batches, reducing the heat if necessary to prevent burning. 1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced ½ medium sweet onion, chopped into large pieces ¼ -½ cup slivered almonds or pine nuts 1 cup fresh red bell pepper, chopped 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well 2 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water 2 tbsp. fresh basil and/or parsley, finely chopped Sea salt and pepper to taste Directions: In a large, deep sauté pan add olive oil, garlic and onion. Sauté on medium heat until onion is translucent. Add quinoa and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid (approximately 15-20 minutes; quinoa should fluff with fork). Remove from heat and set aside. Add vegetables and herbs into cooked quinoa. Cover until ready to serve. (The vegetables and fresh herbs will blend with the cooked quinoa but will remain crisp.) Top with nuts and serve. About Quinoa: Quinoa (keen-wa) is a gluten-free grain and an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. It is also high in protein. You can buy quinoa in bulk, but buying it pre-rinsed allows for easier cooking. You may use traditional, red or black quinoa for this recipe. This recipe is an excellent way to eat your fresh sprouts and veggies without cooking the goodness out of them - and it's not another salad. The vegetables are in the pan only long enough for the egg to set, so you are still getting the important enzymes and tasty crunch of celery and onion. This dish is filling, saucy, tasty and affordable, even with free range organic eggs because you don't need any meat in this one (but feel free to add some shredded cooked chicken if you like). Free range eggs are one of the most bioavailable sources of protein and please don't buy into using just the egg whites. All of the nutrients - vitamins, minerals, omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants are in the yolks, although I can't say the same for commercial eggs which are nutritonally depleted. As for cholesterol concerns, recent studies do not support this theory. In fact, high cholesterol is more of a marker of an underfunctining liver and highly processed diet of refined carbs. More on that later but for now, try this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Experiment with different sprouts and toppings and make it your own.
Egg Foo Young 1 cup thinly sliced celery 1 cup mung bean sprouts 1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet onions 3 free range eggs, beaten 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper 1/2 tsp sea salt 1-2 Green onions, chopped 2 tbsp sesame seeds (raw, not toasted) Sauce 1 cup cold chicken stock 4 tsp arrowroot powder or organic, non-gmo cornstarch 2 tsp Braggs In a small saucepan whisk the sauce ingredients together on medium-high till starting to bubble, then turn to simmer, whisking frequently. Slice the celery and onion, chop sprouts in half and place all in mixing bowl. Beat the eggs with salt and pepper and add to veggies. Stir together and pour half into a small saute pan lightly coated with olive oil. Cook 2 pancakes on medium and top with the sauce, green onions and seseame (or hemp) seeds. Delicious! Granola bars have a healthy reputation but most commercial brands are a huge obstacle to good health for many reasons. Loaded with unhealthy sweeteners like corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup, articifical sweeteners, chemical additives and hydrogenated oils, granola bars cannot be considered a healthy snack. Even bars like Nature Valley are a poor substitute due to their high sugar content. I won't even compare the bars slathered with chocolate and studded with marshmellows which are completely anti-nutrient (meaning any possible healthy benefits are far outweighed by the poor ingredients used). Unfortunately, most of the nuts used in commercial bars have been roasted at high heat, which ruins the integrity of the essential fatty acids we need for good health. This recipe for granola is full of raw nuts and seeds, healthy fruit, high fiber and old fashioned oats without any chemical additives and sweetened with apple juice concentrate and dried fruit. I love it with almond milk, mixed with plain yogurt and berries and even sprinkled on my hot cereals. I process the almonds slightly into chunks and meal and I play around with the seeds using whatever I have on hand. Last time I made this, I didn't have almonds so I subbed in 1/2 cup hemp seed and 1/2 cup whole flax. For the fruit, I've subbed in dried cherries, goji berries, currants or dates. (When I'm feeling naughty, I've even added one litttle glug of pure maple syrup.) Experiment and make it yours.
First the Granola..... 3 c rolled oats (large flake & old fashioned, NOT instant or quick-cooking) 1 cup oat bran 1/4 c sesame seeds 1/4 cup ground or whole flaxseed 1/2 c sunflower or pumpkin seeds 1 c chopped walnuts or almonds 1/2 c. apple juice concentrate - thawed 1/4 cup coconut oil (warmed in the preheated oven in a glass measuring cup) or olive oil 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 c raisins (with no sulphites!) or 1 cup raisins and 1 cup cranberries 1/2– 3/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil two cookie sheets with coconut or olive oil. Mix oats and oat bran in a large bowl. Combine the apple juice concentrate, oil, vanilla, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until everything is well coated with the oil mixture. Spread the mixture evenly on the two cookie sheets. Bake for 18-20 minutes (stirring after 10 minutes) or until golden brown. While baking stir the other ingredients together in a bowl. Remove oat mixture from the oven and add nuts, seeds, dried fruit, coconut, mixing together on the pan. Let cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Granola Bars Once you've made your granola, these bars are a snap and contain eggs for an excellent source of protein and to bind them together instead of unhealthy sweeteners. They taste even better 2-3 days later. 3 eggs 3 TB apple juice concentrate 3 cups granola 1/2 cup to 1 cup unsulphured raisins Preheat over to 350. In a large bowl beat together the eggs, apple juice concentrate and cinnamon. Add the granola and raisins or dried berries and mix well. Let the mixture sit in order to absorb some moisture while you lightly oil a 9 inch square baking pan. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan, and pat it down with the back of a large spoon. Bake for 25 minutes, or until set and lightly brown around the edges. While the mixture is still warm, cut into 1 1/2 in squares (I make mine bigger). Store in the refrigerator. Please buy raw seeds and nuts that are refrigerated and store them in the fridge. You can find these at health food stores. Most unrefrigerated nuts and seeds are rancid and therefore the valuable essential fats within have been rendered moleculary unstable, hence they become free radicals in your body. |
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