Thursday, December 27, 2012

Zucchini Pasta Revolution

The wonders of getting creative with natural food!

From Squash.....

(Google Image)

To Pasta







I think I know what you are having for dinner tonight...

This way of making pasta is simple, but it takes patience and time if you are going to do it by hand as I did. I use a small vegetable peeler with blade teeth. Like this one:


Or you can use a regular vegetable peeler to make Fettuccine noodles.

To save a lot of time, specially if you enjoy eating pasta often, you could invest in a Vegetable Spiral Slicer machine. They come in various sizes and different prices. There are also some that make different shapes of noodles!
(Google Image)

Just search on the internet for "Vegetable Spiral Slicer" and have fun picking one out :)

So this makes a healthier version of the regular pasta we find at supermaket stores because we are using food closer to its natural state, and making it low in Carbohydrates for those people who don't tolerate Carbohydrates well or are wanting to eat less calories and loose weight.

Zucchini: Is a mild tasting vegetable (which makes it a perfect candidate for noodles) with low calories because of its high water content. Its high Potassium and Magnesium content provides good blood flow circulation in the body. It is a good source for Vitamin A, Folate, Potassium, Vitamin C, Protein, and Manganese. Manganese is an essential nutrient that keeps the internal body functioning properly, facilitates absorption of fat and carbhoydrates, and provides a healthy nervous system.

The regular pastas at the supermarket are made out of hard to digest grains (leaving us bloated and puffy feeling), genetically modified organisms if not organic (corn, soy, potato, and wheat flours), have added preservatives, and during the manufacturing process the ingredients may become oxidized once they are exposed to air and light making it devoid of nutrients. 

Grocery stores have now started carrying pastas made out of better ingredients and no preservatives. You can now find pasta made out of Quinoa flour, Amaranth flour, Buckwheat, and whole Spelt flour as the main ingredient a long with a few other natural ingredients such as sea salt and water.  What is nice about these besides not having unhealthful ingredients is the beautiful earthy and elegant color they have as well as they fill you up more than the regular "white" pastas. 

However, I personally belief that eating too many whole grains that have not been prepared properly has health consequences. Some people get very negatively affected from eating whole grains that have not been soaked and sprouted. Ancient cultures even went as far as fermenting their whole grains before eating in order to make them easy to digest and to remove the toxic anti-nutrients found in them. Some people may experience bloating issues, digestion issues, and other more serious health issues that they have found to have disappeared once they stopped eating whole grains. Whole Grains are a new food crop, meaning that it is a food that our bodies have not yet adapted to consuming. Keep in mind though that you may be one of those people who do fine digesting higher quantities of whole grains and get away with it. Not everyone is allergic to gluten. Some people can handle eating carbohydrates, and others have digestion issues with it. Find what works for you. 

 Done with my short rambling on whole grains! I will go more in depth on a new post later. Okay, you want pasta! 

 So when you make your pasta out of Zucchini, you don't have to worry about eating a lot of carbohydrates, calories, and anti-nutrients. You can have the pleasure of making it a raw spaghetti meal if raw food is your thing, or steaming the zucchini noodles for a more real pasta meal texture. I'm not a big fan of eating raw zucchini, so I do like to steam the zucchini noodles. What is fun about making zucchini pasta meals is that you can add any condiments, healthy oils, and vegetables, and it will come out tasting delicious. Forget about measurements! Add anything you want to it and as much as you want and the flavors will all come together. I've played with toppings such as sauteed mushrooms in Olive Oil, parmessan cheese, sweet bell peppers, caramelized onions, melted butter, chopped olives, tomato sauce with meatballs, pesto sauce....have fun experimenting and trying new flavor combinations! 
 
What is best about making this is that YOU are making it. Your pasta did not come from a factory and was not sitting in a box for years. You get to use your hands for this recipe and really connect with your food and feel proud of what you have accomplished, as well as providing health for others.
 
Woo!
 
If you don't want the noodles to look green you can peel off the skins and discard them. I chose to use the green skin of the zucchini for that Christmas color, but the flesh of the zucchini has the color just like pasta :)

 
For this Christmas recipe, I used olive oil to coat the noodles, soaked sun dried tomatoes, ground grass-fed meat, caramelized onions, fresh basil leaves cut thinly, pine nuts and sea salt. After cooking the zucchini noodles and ground meat, I mixed everything together in a pan to warm it all up. I then sprinkled good quality parmessan cheese on top. Mmm deliciously comforting.
 



Thursday, December 20, 2012

Squash this Cold!


I'm typing this as I sit here with a tissue in my hand. The past few days here in Marin County have been extremely cold. Double layer of sweatpants, 2 layers of shirts under 2 BIGG sweaters, double layer of socks, 4 cups of tea, and a fireplace is how my family and I survive winter at our beach house. I don't know what is colder, the fridge or the house! Sometimes we just let food sit out for the day that needs to be refrigerated.

My family and I went shopping in the city yesterday and after freezing all day, being dehydrated, undereating big time, and eating out, I woke up with a runny nose and a bit of a dry throat. I started my day with coffee, tea, and fresh fruit. I hit those Mandarines hard! I ate 4 of them for that extra Vitamin C kick. My other specialties to fight this cold was eating about 3 raw garlic cloves mixed with food, I also had raw honey, and a raw soup made of water, raw washed spinach, hemp seeds, raw garlic, lemon juice, a whole bunch of cilantro, a green onion, a small mandarine, half an apple, and sea salt in the blender. Can't forget the healing warming sunshine!

(Mt. Tam)


Today as I'm finishing up this post, I'm feeling much better. Today I had some water with lemon, coffee, tea, a smoothie, 2 cups of hot chocolate, and fruit. For dinner I am having a little bit of chicken and this butternut squash soup again because it was so delicious and comforting. 



Recipe:
I wanted something quick, nourishing, simple, warm, and yummy. Butternut Squash soup came to mind. Squashes and root vegetables are packed with more vitamins and minerals than other vegetables. They are very filling, high in fiber, and provide a lot of antioxidants. The Carotenoids found in squash have been shown to protect against heart disease. It is high in Potassium, Vitamin B6, and Folate, and provides a good dose of Vitamin C. Native Americans believed the seeds of the squash to be beneficial for improved fertility, which may be because of its high Folate content. Because it is high in magnesium, it improves absorption of Calcium. Butternut Squash is mildly sweet. It is more sweet than Pumpkin, and less sweet than Sweet Potatoes.

(Butternut Squash. Don't judge. Once you get to know it, I'm sure you'll fall in love with it hah)



This is how I made it:
This is your base:  I bought a small butternut squash (2 pounds) and cut it up uncooked into small uneven cubes.


(This is how I cut it first. Then I cut the skin off, and chopped the flesh into small cubes.)



I then put about a cup of the chopped Squash in the blender, and enough water to get it to blend and create a thick consistency. I transferred it to a small cooking pot. I did the same steps with the rest of the cut up Squash. You could use more water for a more liquid soup consistency base.  I then put all of the squash mixture in a pot and cooked it at medium high and stirring often. 

Once I could taste the sweetness of the squash, I turned down the heat,  and added chopped green onions, cilantro, parsley, onion powder, and sea salt mixed in. Seriously, experiment with any kind of herbs you want! You can't go wrong in the flavor with herbs and spices. Use whatever you have in your kitchen. Even just the plain Butternut Squash with a touch of sea salt will be wonderful. You could also add Coconut Milk for more liquid and for a richer flavor.

(For myself I added a spoonful of raw quality butter, raw crushed garlic, cayenne, Cummin, and after the picture I covered my bowl in extra extra herbs. Adding lots of herbs gives for a very nice texture.)


http://www.wholeliving.com/134734/power-foods-butternut-squash
http://benefitof.net/benefits-of-butternut-squash/

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Pink Macadamian Ladies

(Raw, Vegan)
I love these Pink Macadamian Cookies. The ingredients are very simple, and they just have a touch of maple syrup for each serving. Classy cookies.
 
I got in the mood to have fun with food coloring, but I did not want to use any chemical based, lab created with those weird numbered labels for the ingredients in food coloring (red #40, blue#2, yellow#6, etc). Give me the Real Deal! So what did I decide to use?
 
Beets!
 
Beet juice has a deep red-purple color that stains like crazy. Its dark strong color is derived from Betacyanin, which is a cancer-fighting agent. The lovely dark pigment of Beets makes it a perfect food to play with :)
 
Try using it for shirt dyes, make-up (yes!! works as a nice blush), creative gift presents, to soak certain light colored veggies in the beet juice to change the colors for a colorful salad, cupcake coloring, etc... what comes to your imagination?
 
Just a little bit more facts on Beets! Beet juice has been shown to improve running endurance better than Nitrate supplements, it is abundant in antioxidants and natural occurring nitrates which helps strengthen blood circulation. With good bacteria in your mouth, the nitrates get converted into nitrites and those nitrites promotes good blood flow. Beet juice also lowers blood pressure, it has shown to improve brain health in older adults, and aids in fighting against colon cancer because of its ability to increase CD8 cells. The role of CD8 cells is to destroy malignant cells in the body by stimulating the immune response against tumor cells. Hmm...Sounds pretty sweet to me!
 
 
 
Recipe:
 
Have the Beet juice ready. You will need to juice the uncooked beets to get the beet juice using a Juicer. Unless you have a Vitamix blender or a super powerful blender, you won't be able to blend the uncooked beets in the blender. For a regular blender you may need to blend the raw beets with water to get it to blend, but  the water will dilute the color of the beets.
 
Once you have the juice ready, set it aside in a bowl next to a brush to paint the cookies with.
 
For the dough:
 
-1 cup Macadamias
-1/2 cup shredded coconut
-2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
-1 soft Medjool Date, pitted and chopped
-2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
-A touch of Sea Salt
-Clean and positive energy hands!
 
In your food processor, SHORTLY process the macadamias, shredded coconut, chopped medjool date, and salt. Untill it gets crumbly. Then add the maple syrup and melted coconut oil evenly throughout the mixture and process again. Be careful not to overprocess. Check the mixture for a doughy consistency. You want the mixture to hold together when you press a little bit in your hand to form the dough. (Safety tip: never put your fingers inside the food processor when the plug is on).
 
Now you play with your food. You can shape up the mixture however you want. Once you have your cookies shaped, start by brushing a little bit of the beet juice on top and adding as many layers as you want to achieve your desired color.
 
I sprinkled raw Cacao Nibs on top. You can also use shredded coconut on top, dusted Chocolate powder, Goji Berries, or just the beet juice. Whatever comes to your mind!


 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22709704
http://www.nutritionj.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-11-106.pdf
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/truth-about-beetroot-juice
http://www.naturalnews.com/031711_beetroot_juice_brain_health.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12070710

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Easy Superfoods (Tight budget & availability)

If we think about it, the popular superfoods we keep hearing about and reading about come from far away places, such as from the highlands of Tibet (Cordyceps) and from the majestic wild life of the amazon in south america (Cacao). If we lived back to our ancestral paths, we would be spending our energy scavenging for these wild foods, walking for miles away from our homes, and using a great deal of time to process them. But who has time for that now, right?

The good news is that superfoods are becoming more easily available in the market and online. Some of you belief that superfoods are pointless and a waste of money. Others belief that superfoods have uplifted their health significantly or have gotten a nice boost. I personally enjoy treating myself to superfoods. They are fun, intriguing, provide new flavors, more nutrient dense than the typical natural food variaties at the supermarket, and I do gain a nice boost of their health and energy benefits. Sure, it may be a placebo effect, but if it affects me in that way and I feel happy and energized, then I'm all for that! 

Over last summer a friend and I joined a group of people in a wild walk on Mt. Tam led by Christian Bates and Bethanne Wanamaker, both Marin County locals and enthusiasts of health and wild foods. I came across some huckleberries! I was not aware of what the cute tiny plumpy berries were and so I asked if those were edible. I was so happy to find out these were Huckleberries! I've read about them in the past being a super nutritious wild fruit that grows on the mountains and have been dying living to try them! I returned to the spot on Mt. Tam a few days later to collect some for myself and bring back to my family for us to enjoy. THANKFULLY, they only ate 2 or 3 berries, because when I ate them they were gone in less than 5 minutes. I wanted more! It made me so happy though that my parents and younger sis tried some for their first time ever! How cool is that. I love it when nature introduces me to something new. Well they weren't too crazy over the berries like I was. I ate the majority of them and they were gone so soo quick. It took me about 2 hours to collect half a cup of those berries, and 5 minutes to finish it all. But you know what? I loved every second of it. It felt like meditation as I was squatted down next to the bush, sorting through the thin branches with my fingers to find the ripe berries one by one, focusing my eyesight on the tiny berries, and quieting my mind and only paying attention to the berries and the fresh wind and warm sunrays. Seriously. Try it! You feel so refreshed and empowered after doing this. Collecting your OWN food :D It does take a while to do and have patience, so find a good time to do this. 


(( Searching and gathering for fruit growing outside. Plums and Huckleberries !♥ Searching for your own food, interacting with nature, learning your surroundings, putting your body to use, and coming up with your own strategies is truly an amazing experience. Great way to spend 3 hours outside and get a nice tan! FREE food for the win! ))
Anywho, so back to the point of this post. "Easy Superfoods." We have become a society that loves convenience, and I belief it is because of our fast paced living. I am so thankful for the easy availability of certain superfoods today. Some people just don't have the time to do a lengthy drive into the mountains to spend 2 hours collecting a tiny bit of wild food. Thankfully, our health supermarkets today are expanding the variaty of superfoods on their shelves.  It is common to see now Maca powder, Cacao powder, Cacao butter, Algea powders, Chia seeds, amazonian fruit powders, and more products!  All we do now is just head over to the grocery store, find the section for these products "raw food section", and grab which ever one calls out to you. There are some great companies out there now who are dedicated to bringing these superfoods to the people imported from other countries, as well as cultivating and carefully processing (drying, extracting) these foods (Healthforce Nutritionals is my favorite company). These availabilities fit very nice with the busy life style we live in today because we can incorporate these superfoods to boost our health in a short amount of time.

However, these superfoods may not be easily accessible to some people because of money situations, just like organic fruits and veggies at the store. There may be some possibilities to change this:
  • We don't need to buy tons of these superfoods. A little goes a LONG way. They are so nutrient dense. For some of the superfoods your paying for an amount that will last you months. Half a teaspoon of Spirulina will have a good affect on your health. Same with Maca if you only want its nutritional benefits, but if using it for healing purposes you may be wanting to use bigger portions like a couple tablespoons a day or however needed and you may go through the bag pretty quickly.
  • Think about replacing a non-healthy food product you buy often for something good for you to try. If you usually buy a bag of chips and a liter of coke, which amounts to about 6 dollars, you get to save those 6 dollars to invest in a new healthy product to try that you never have before to make a delicious refreshing filling smoothie, or buy some savory Kale chips (you can find them at the health grocery store).
  • The prices for healthy foods do cost more than their regular non-healthy counterparts, but remember those extra couple of dollars you pay is to maintain your health! I would much rather not have to pay a ton of money for a serious illness I get later on and all the health inconveniences to go through due to bad habits.
  • Paying a little extra in the present to eat better will help you to avoid medicine colds, sore throat drops, expensive strong tasting liquid medicine, allergy pills, etc. Paying a little more for eating natural foods while making them taste good sounds way better than having to pay the consequences for eating poor foods. Your cost expenses for medicine will go down.

Personally, I like to go the route of cutting down expenses on materialistic products, and investing more on delicious fun food. What keeps me hooked to doing this is the result of how I feel! I wake up feeling refreshed with soft skin and motivated to live up my day! I like that I can stay awake late in the night without yawning too much doing homework, sometimes pull all nighters if I want, and yet I can fall asleep within minutes if I want.

One small change makes a difference, and brings a long more changes and new experiences :)

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Lucious Macao Hemp Shake sprinkled with Bee Pollen




What is Macao you may be wondering? Just the words Cacao and Maca combined. The name of this smoothie was getting too long so I decided to combine those words and I really liked the sound of Macao :) This shake came out very comforting and satisfying. Those plump Blackberries from my local farmer's market were amaazzinng. I've always been attracted to deep dark colored fruits like blueberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries, purple flesh plums, pomegranates, and Acai.

This is one of my favorite snacks to have. Berries and a nice hydrating blend of superfoods and fruit. This shake has adaptogenic properties (stress adaptors) thanks to the Maca (more on Maca later) as well as hormone balancing effects, good fats for long sustained energy from Hemp seeds and the eggs, and a nice dose of steady energy, antioxidants, and PEA (Phenylethylamine)from the Cacao. PEA is a chemical that acts as a neurotransmitter, is good for attention span, and gives us a mood of well-being.

Recipe: (Makes about 2 cups)
1 spotted banana
3 local pasture-raised raw eggs
1 T raw Maca powder
1 T raw pure Cacao powder
1 1/2 T Hemp Seeds
1 cup water, preferrably locally harvested Spring Water. You can check on Findaspring.com for nearby Springs in your area.

Blend eggs last! Okay so first start with 1 cup of water in the blender, then add your Maca, Cacao, and Hemp seeds and blend for 20-30 seconds. Add in the ripe banana and blend until smooth. Then drop in the 3 raw eggs and blend gently. I like to lightly press down on the blend button and release it off and on so I just gently mix it. You don't want to oxidize the egg yolk by adding in too much oxygen from blending with force. I then sprinkled a little bit of Bee Pollen on top. I had already had a small spoonful of Bee Pollen before.

Raw Eggs: Nutrition in a Shell

 
 
I began by blending raw eggs in my smoothies. I had a few failed attempts at eating them raw on their own. I tried cutting them up in a small bowl and eating it bits by bits but I just couldn't handle the texture and taste. I recently came a cross a video of a guy swallowing them raw. As simple as that! Of course I decided to try it out! The first few times I did this I swallowed them without mixing in any saliva. I then began to chew the raw egg a little bit, and to my surprise, I actually enjoyed the texture and taste. Now it tastes like a cooked egg, very yolky, and almost salty. I'm starting to consume eggs this way as a pick-me-up :) It is pretty refreshing. My favorite way is still to drop them in smoothies. They completely enhance the taste and texture of any smoothie, and it is nice that it gives it a shine to the smoothie. 
I'm not sure why, but I don't handle well semi-cooked eggs. They leave me feeling dehydrated, brain-fogged, and with loss of energy. But they make me feel well when I consume them raw. Some people do great with scrambled, hard boiled, and fried eggs, but they just don't settle well with me when they are heated. I absolutely love the taste and texture of a good omelet or plain cooked egg. Does anyone know a possible reason for my reaction to cooked eggs vs in their raw state? 

So, you may be asking: hello?? Salmonella? Yes, I am worried about Salmonella, only when it comes to factory raised chickens. I do not buy factory farmed chickens (and meat) because of their treatment towards the animals, the health risks they possess, and I do not want my money going towards the business of these mass corporations who only care about filling up their pockets and not what the consequences are to the health of the public. High quality eggs are incredibly nutritious. Most of us are not getting enough Choline, which is abundant in eggs. Choline protects us from fatty liver disease and helps protect the structure of our cell membranes. The good fats in eggs balance our hormones, helps burn fat, strengthens our hair, nails, and skin, strengthens our nervous system, and keeps us filling full with good energy. We should not be worried about consuming raw eggs from a local, pasture-raised, preferrably organic farm. It has been reported that only 1 in 30,000 eggs are contaminated with Salmonella. These are eggs coming from huge farming industries cramming in sickened chickens pumped with antibiotics to keep them alive. Have you seen the hidden videos showing the sanitary conditions of the farm industries? Sick chicken will produce sick egg, which will make you sick. There is actually a high risk of Salmonella contamination from cooked food kept in the fridge than from consuming raw eggs. (I will look for the article where I learned this, I actually think it was from a book). 

Eggs protect us against disease with its carotenoids of lutein and zeaxanthin. Research has shown that Lutein found in eggs is easier to absorb than from other foods. (http://www.sapoultry.co.za/pdf%20Dr%20McNamara/Chung%20et%20al%20J%20Nutr%20134%201887%202004.pdf)

The fat and protein in eggs help to keep one feeling full for a long period of time until the next meal. Fat burns slower and gives a steady dose of energy. They are packed with nutrition. They provide us with fat soluble vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and B Vitamins. 

There have been cases of people healing their health by consuming raw quality meats (do research on this), raw dairy, and specially raw eggs.  

I am one fond of research, facts, history, but specially of people's experiences and experiences of myself.  

What to look for in an egg:
  • Make a fun trip to a farmer's market. Talk to the farmer about the eggs he/she is selling. Are the chickens raised out on the fields? Is the majority of their diet grass?
  • Preferrably, avoid corn fed and soy fed chickens. You can tell them you are allergic to soy if you want. Chickens require a little bit of corn/grain feed to get enough nutrition in them, but it shouldn't make up for the majority of their diet. 
  • Organic is best. However, I prefer pasture-raised over organic. You can find organic corn fed grain fed chickens which are not the best. 
  • When your back in the kitchen, the final product should be a rich deep orange colored yolk. A pale yellow color, or I would even say a bright yellow is a no go.    
 These eggs may be pricey compared to conventional eggs. But remember! Your paying for the quality and nutrition that your body will consume. I belief it is better to pay a little extra in the present time for your health than to get very sick in the future and pay tons for medicine and treatments. 

Happy egging :) 



 


 

Final Exam Fuel!

Here is my Final Exams Week prep. While others are stacking up on bagels and sugar ladened coffee, I'm eating Bee Pollen, black coffee with raw grass fed butter stirred in, and lots of Spring Water. Sometimes it does look weird when I bring in these foods to my classes, but it is so worth it in the end. People get curious about what I have with me, some give it evil or worried looks after I say what it's called (I wonder why this is), and others get very intrigued. So anyway, this is how I began my Friday in preparation for finals. I did a little bit of Intermittent Fasting in the morning, and broke my fast with this easy absorbable, nutrient dense mixture.

I have re-introduced Bee Pollen into my eats so I'm starting out with small doses (1 teaspoon or less) and will be increasing it as the weeks come. This is a whole food. Don't be worried about consuming too much. Eat as much as you can handle. Then I had about 2 cups of coffee (the usual for me) with a spoonful of butter to provide me with good fats for long sustained energy until my next meal (this class is 3 hours long).Butter is easy to digest and gets converted into energy quickly. I get my raw organic butter from Organic Pastures. I believe it is the only raw butter on the market in Santa Cruz so far. Other towns may have their local raw butters to sell.

Chocolate breaky! This was my study snack before dinner. Unfortunately, the Bliss Bars are a little expensive for someone who seeks more volume of food when purchasing. Keep in mind this chocolate is made out of wild crafted organic cacao blended with amazonian herbs and superfoods. The ingredients are pretty awesome, except for the agave. It is deffinitly not a frequent treat to have if you are on a budget, but it is so nutrient dense and rich in flavor that it makes for a satisfying snack and worth the purchase. It is about $4. I found this one on sale for $1.50! Inside the glass jar is coconut butter with cacao. I found this product at Whole Foods Market in Marin County. Don't be worried you may eat at the whole jar because it will fill you up after like 3 spoonfuls! It is incredibly delicious and filling. I want to try their plain coconut butter next time. The Cacao flavored one is perfectly sweetened with coconut sugar. You can find out more about the Bliss Bar and its wonderful creators here :)


Saturday, December 8, 2012

Andean Treasure Raw Lucuma Cheesecake brushed with Cacao Sauce(raw/plant-based/nutbased)


The second time I made it I garnished it with orange peel. The flavor came out even better! 

 

This is so far my favorite raw dessert that I've made! I've made a lot of raw desserts in the past but nothing that I've been crazy over. I'm not big on the desserts anymore I suppose. But this one.....is for me to devour all of it! Except it would be impossible because this one is very filling and satisfying. It is a cheesecake, but if eaten cold enough it passes as an ice cream pie :p

Lucuma: (Pouteria Lucuma), is a low-glycemic tropical fruit that grows in the high Andes of Peru. This fruit is very popular to consume in my native land of Peru. It is now shipped to other parts of the world, but only in its raw powdered form. I'm happy to say I have finally tried the fresh Lucuma fruit! It is very dry, yet very smooth. When it is is ripe it looks like something you want to stay far away from. It is very ugly and rotten looking, but once you cut it open you find this beautiful rich yellow/orange colored flesh. I've been told by my family in Peru that the best way to eat it is to make smoothies out of it. They don't usually eat it whole as it is. The best mix is to blend it with fresh cut mango or orange juice. Tribes and indigenous cultures highly prized this fruit. In Peru this fruit is highly marketed today in candies, yogurts, cheesecakes, and specially ice cream. This fruit is mainly cultivated in Peru, Chile, and Ecuador.

It is a low glycemic fruit, high in Vitamin B3 (great for nervous system), high in carbohydrates, recommended against depression, improves hemoglobin (blood), high in iron and beta-carotene. 

The oil extracted from the nut contains fatty acids that has been shown to promote wound healing and has theraputic properties for the skin.


Here is a short video I made of the cheesecake for fun during a stormy boring day. It'll give you an idea of how to make it. 




Recipe:

You need a High-Speed Blender and Food Processor.

Crust:
-1 1/2 cups Walnuts
-3/4 cup pitted Medjool Dates. Then chopped into small pieces.
-A dash of Sea Salt

Process everything until the mixture presses into a dough. Pour mixture into an 8 1/2 in diameter Springform Pan and press into a crust. I recommend using a spoon so the temperature of your hands don't break down the fats in the nuts more. Freeze for an hour before adding filling.

Filling:

-1 1/2 cups plain Cashew Nuts
-1 cup Almond Milk or Cow's Milk
-1/4 cup water
-1/4 cup melted Refined Coconut Oil (I'm using Refined so it doesn't taste like Coconut)
-1/4 cup Maple Syrup
-9 Tablespoons Lucuma Powder
-2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
-13 drops Stevia Extract (if you don't have Stevia Extract, you could experiment with adding an extra 1/4 cup of Maple Syrup. I'm not sure how to convert Stevia measure to Maple Syrup measures.)
-1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt

You will first need to soak the Cashew Nuts in water for 2 hours. This makes the nuts more nutritious and provides better texture for the recipe.

After 2 hours and draining the nuts, begin to melt the Coconut Oil over medium low heat. You can do this by bringing water to a light boil in a cooking pot, and putting a stainless steel bowl over it. Put the Coconut Oil inside the stainless steel bowl and wait for it to liquify. Once it is liquified, keep it very warm in the same bowl so it stays as liquid until ready to use.

Begin by adding the nuts to the blender, then the liquid ingredients, and then the dry ingredients so it blends easy. ADD COCONUT OIL AFTER EVERYTHING ELSE IS BLENDED. Slowly pour in the very warm Coconut Oil while the mixture is blending. The mixture will be very thick. You may need to use a big spoon to help blend.

Bring the crust out of the freezer, and pour in the filling onto the crust. Then cover and freeze for a couple of hours. To serve, thaw it for a 30-40 minutes.



http://www.biblioteca.udep.edu.pe/bibvirudep/tesis/pdf/1_161_186_112_1548.pdf
http://scholar.qsensei.com/content/1pdxm3
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1473-2165.2010.00509.x/abstract



Friday, December 7, 2012

New to blogging

This is my first time blogging, ever. I've wanted to begin blogging for some time now but haven't been able to get around to it because of too much homework and I wouldn't have enough time to post thoughtful blogs. These past few days I don't know what happened that blogging just seemed to have fallen into place :) I suppose I have a little more time than before. I will try to keep up with consistent blogging, but I do like to use most of my free time to research and spend time outside. I really want to be more involved in the health movement. It is my main passion (more on that later). 

I'm not able to do much in the health community because I'm so busy but at least through facebook and these blogs I can put myself out there during the college semesters. Lately, I have been posting my recipes and thoughts on my facebook page and will begin using my blogs for that, and continue to use facebook as well. 

I'm still not sure how to connect with others through here, so if you see  me doing any weird activity lol, it's because I'm a newbiiee. 


Hope to connect with many of you :)

What diet to follow?


What else...High Carb, Zero all kinds of sugar, High Fat, No Meat, or High fruitarian? We have health leaders arguing that nuts are good, nuts are bad, cells run on sugar, sugar is bad, eggs are nutritious, eggs are harmful, raw dairy is mucus forming, raw dairy is healing, Cacao causes anxiety, Cacao offers antioxidants and nourishment, carbs are fattening, carbs give you energy, leafy greens have oxalics and are irritating, leafy greens are blood builders and nourishing, one health leader says meat is bad and we should eat more fruits, veggies, and whole grains, while another health leader says whole grains are bad, we should limit fruit intake, and eat meat to satisfaction......WHAT THE HECK SHOULD I EAT?! 

What this tells me is that there is a good and bad to every natural food out there. We should also keep in mind that when someone publishes a book based on their experience with a certain diet, it is THEIR experience. I've noticed people tend to come to their final conclusion about a diet based on their experience. They don't realize that the natural diet they tried, may in fact, not be beneficial for someone else. 

It seems that all the health leaders out there are making us more confused than ever about what is healthy for us. There is so much argument and name calling between our health leaders. One expert will say nuts are packed with nutrition and do a body good, another steps in and says NO, nuts are acid forming, have too many phytates, and cause digestion and teeth problems. Why should we argue over what is healthy and not? Everyone is different. One food may be super beneficial for someone, while for another it may be irritating to his/her digestion. It would be nice if the health leaders could just provide us with information about what that food is good for, rather than if we should eat it or not.


This is an issue I have given a lot of thought about these past few months. When I get into conversations with friends about food/nutrition most of them point out that it is all too confusing and have stopped caring for it. "There is too many contradicting information out there." They say they don't know what to belief anymore. This is just not about fad diets, it is also about "natural/healing" diets. Some experts say a high fat diet of healthy fats is optimal for health and energy, while another expert has a book on how too much fat in the diet causes low energy, mental fog, and leads to clogged dirty arteries. Seriously? It really gets so confusing. I completely understand where people are coming from when they feel stress trying to eat healthy. 

This is how I handle my nutrition sanity amidst this crazy talk...I learn about the foods and see how they affect ME. I use the information out there as a guide, and listen to my stomach. It all comes down to how you, your own body, your own unique body function, settles with a particular food. Bio-individuality. We all have our own unique needs. Someone can feel grounded with energy on a high fat diet, while another person will feel sluggish with digestion issues. I for example, don't do so good with Coconut Water, even fresh from the whole coconut. It is highly advertised to consume coconut water for its amazing health benefits, but I tend to get bloated after drinking it, so I choose not to spend money on it. You may hear that one food is bad because of this and that, but really it gives YOU energy and mental clarity. Keep it simple, and go out there, have fun trying out new foods and discovering what suits yourself. 

One more thing. When I hear about a food being good, yet another source says it is bad, and I know it was produced by nature, I decide to stay in the middle and experiment with it, as long as it came from the soil and was not created by man. Foods from nature are for us to fuel ourselves on, we just need to find out for ourselves which ones suit us our own genetic make up. 

I hope this helps you in your health path. I like that this is my first blog post. There is so much confusing information out there, but it really comes down to how we react with those foods. Through my blog I will be providing nutritional information, with certain limits on nutritional recommendation. I hope to bring you information to help with your decisions, but I am careful on saying what you should and shouldn't eat.