Today is National Eat Your Vegetables Day! Be sure to get at least 5 servings of veggies in daily! It may sound hard, but it really is pretty easy! Instead of that bag of tortilla chips, have a handful of carrots, broccoli and celery. Add veggies to your sandwiches and smoothies. It's amazing how yummy that can be! You won't believe it!
Over the weekend, I hosted a health party! I invited friends over to learn how to cook healthy foods and to make some beauty supplies. We had so much fun! Lots of great food and our hands are so smooth from our salt scrub!
Here are a few of the recipes from this weekend:
Hummus
- Dreena Burton (Vive Le Vegan)
this is a bean dip that you can use with veggies, on crackers, or with tortilla chips. Whatever you like it with. I like to make a salad with tomatoes, olives and a dollop of hummus on top. Add a little balsamic vinegar on top and it is pretty yummy.
2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) canned is okay.
3 1/2 - 5 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (adjust to taste)
2-3 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste - get at the health food store)
2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small or medium clove garlic, sliced
1/2 tsp sea salt
3-4 tbsp water ( or less/more as desired)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a blender or a food processor combine all the ingredients and puree until smooth, adding a littl water at first, then more if desired to thin it. Scrape down the sides of the bowl several times throughout and puree again until very smooth. Season to taste with additional salt, pepper or lemon juice. Serve in a large bowl, drizzled with extra virgin oil.
Makes 5-6 servings or more as an appetizer with bread, chips or veggies
Spinach Salad
I don't really have a recipe for this, but this is what all I put in it.
Fresh Spinach leaves ( cut up in small, bite size pcs)
tomato
cucumber
red onions
walnuts (these are really good toasted in a skillet with a little bit of maple syrup)
drizzle with balsamic dressing
For the dressing:
equal parts extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar - you can add 1 tsp mustard to this if you like it tangy. Mix well
Fruit Salsa
1 red onion, diced
pineapple, maybe about 1/2 cup? diced
1-2 jalepenos diced
2 cups? mango - diced or chopped
dash of salt
dash of chili powder
2 cloves of garlic - chopped
1/4 cup cilantro - chop it up and add
handful or 2 of grape tomatoes - cut them in quarters
lemon or lime juice - probably about 1/2 of the fruit - squeezed onto the salsa
I soak the jalepeno in about 1/4 cup of water and then cut up the pepper and add the water to the salsa.
This will get better as it sits. I don't really follow a recipe, so I hope this is right. You can also add a little store bought salsa to it if you like
Basic Blisscuits
Mariel Hemmingway (Mariel's Kitchen)
Makes 60 blisscuits or 32 oz of dough
This makes enough dough for about 60 blisscuits, make the whole recipe and freeze the leftovers.
2 cups almond meal
1 cup plus 2 tbsp whey protein isolate powder ( I will use hemp protein since I don't eat dairy products)
1 cup plus 1 tbsp xylosweet
1/2 cup finely shredded coconut
3 tbsp coconut flour
3 tbsp brown rice flour
2 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
2 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup coconut oil
3 large egg whites
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp almond extract
1. Preheat over to 300 degrees. Cover 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together well.
In a med bowl whisk together coconut oil, egg whites, and vanilla and almond extracts. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix together well.
3. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut into 2 inch squares. or form into 2 inch patties 1/4 inch thick with your hands. Place on prepared bakind sheets and bake until golden, 15-20 mins.
4. Let cool before storing in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to a month.
You can divide dough into 1 cup amounts and wrap tightly in plastic wrap then in foil. Blisscuit dough can be frozen for up to 2 months. This way you can defrost a cup at a time and bake fresh blisscits whenever you like.
Salt of the Earth Body Scrub - Organic Body care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles
This is an ultra-invigorating blend, perfect to use in the morning as a wake-me-up, skin sparkling scrub. It enlivens all the senses!
2 cups sea salt (preferably finely ground, but regular granular will do)
3/4 cup extra-virign olive base oil or base oil of choice
20-40 drops peppermint, spearmint, grapefruit, geranium or rosemary essential oil (or whatever oil you like)
In a medium sized bowl, comgine the sea salt and the base oil. Using a whisk, stir to blend. Add the essential oil drop by drop and blend. Spoon into a storage container with a tight fitting lid. No refrigeration is required, but for maximum greshness and gragrance, please use within 6 months.
Application tips: Massage approzimatley 1/4 - 1/2 cup of scrub onto premoistened skin using circular motions. Rinse.
We had a great time!
