‘Red sky at night, sailors’ delight’

“You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing, and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand, for all that is life.”
– Jiddu Krishnamurti

Photos from Wednesday night (balcony view) Enjoy!

Cucumber Noodles With Cabbage And Pesto

Bell Peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C, containing twice the amount than what is found in an average orange. They contain antioxidants such as Vitamin E which protect cells from the damaging effects of free radicals. Bell peppers make a refreshing addition to your meals. I decided to make a light pesto sauce using yellow bell peppers and added them to some fresh cucumber noodles. I also threw in some cabbage to help bulk it up! Cabbage is great for the kidneys which will aid in your overall health. Try out my simple recipe below. Enjoy!
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-HealthProfessional/
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=50&tname=foodspice
http://www.yourkidneys.com/kidney-education/Diet-and-nutrition/15-super-foods-for-kidney-health/2924

Cucumber Noodles With Cabbage And Pesto Recipe

Serves 2 

Ingredients:

∙ 4 organic garlic cloves 

∙ 2-3 small organic shallots

∙ 1 tbsp organic coconut oil (for frying)

∙ 1 organic yellow pepper

∙ 1/4 of organic extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed)

∙ 1 organic lemon (about 1/2 lemon or 1 small lime)

∙ a bunch of organic spinach

∙ 2 medium (or large) organic cucumbers

∙ 2 cups of shredded organic green cabbage

∙ Himalayan pink salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. On a chopping board, chop garlic and onion and let sit for at least 10 minutes.

2. Cut yellow pepper in pieces and add to a container (for blending).

3. Then add olive oil, lemon (or lime), spinach and salt to the container. 

4. Heat a small frying pan and add coconut oil. Then add red onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat and set aside.

5. Using a julienne peeler, peel cucumber, creating noodles and place in a large mixing bowl.

6. Add shredded cabbage to mixing bowl. You can slightly steam the cabbage if you do not like it raw. Set aside.

7. Add onions and garlic to container (holding the spinach and other ingredients) and blend until smooth.

8. Add pesto sauce to large mixing bowl (holding noodles and cabbage) and mix well.

9. Add more salt if necessary and taste. 

10. Once seasoned, distribute noodles to 2 plates.

11. Serve and enjoy a refreshing meal!

Sunday At The Lakeshore

“The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, not the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you with a friendship.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The weather has finally gotten warmer in the last couple days. I took a little trip down to Port Credit Lakeshore with a friend. Enjoy the pics below!

 

Leafy Greens With Avocado

Broccoli is great for the kidneys and provides anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and detoxification benefits. It contains calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium and more! It is rich in vitamin C and repairs skin damage. Since our skin is known as the third kidney, having skin issues such as dark circles under our eyes and pimples, is a clear sign that we are having problems filtering our kidneys and it would be wise to detox and eat fruits and vegetables that can benefit them. Such foods include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, bell peppers, grapes, strawberries and blueberries. Enjoy!
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=9
http://www.yourkidneys.com/kidney-education/Diet-and-nutrition/15-super-foods-for-kidney-health/2924
http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/5-health-benefits-of-broccoli/
http://www.kidneyservicechina.com/diet/1469.html

Green Tea Latté With Sprouted Almond Milk

I love lattés! Once I found out about the dangers of cow’s milk, I switched to homemade almond milk or coconut milk for my drinks. Processed almond milk that is sold in stores is not healthy due to the fact that they do not sprout their almonds before processing. All nuts must be pre-soaked in order to activate the nutrients and release the enzymes. Nuts that have not been pre-soaked contain enzyme inhibitors that are toxic to our bodies! Check out my simple recipe for a Green Tea Latté With Sprouted Almond Milk below! Enjoy good health!

Green tea Latte (Almond Milk) Recipe

makes about 2 cups of milk 

Ingredients:

∙ 1 cup of organic almonds (pre-soaked for at least 8 hours, 24 – 48 hours is best)

∙ 2 cups of water (fluoride free, filtered OR coconut water)

∙ 1-2 tbsp of organic honey or 2 medjool dates

∙ 1/2 tsp of organic vanilla bean (optional) 

∙ organic fair trade green tea of your choice or Matcha Green Tea Powder

Note: You will need either a mesh coffee filter or a paper coffee filter and a strainer, as well as a hand held milk frother.

Directions:

1. Drain the water from the soaked almonds, peel the skins and add them to a container (for blending).

2. Add water, dates (or honey) and vanilla bean (optional).

3. Hand blend all ingredients until smooth.

4. Using a paper coffee filter over a strainer, pour milk into another container. If you have a mesh coffee filter, you can use that instead of the paper coffee filter and strainer.

5. Stir occasionally to get the liquid through the coffee filter and eventually press down on the filter to continue pushing liquid through. 

6. Heat 1 cup of water with tea bags or Matcha Green Tea Powder (best). Once tea is ready, keep at very low heat.

7. Add almond milk and using a milk frother, froth your milk until desired temperature for milk is reached. For raw foodists like myself, I like to have my tea at room temperature so I can keep the almond milk raw and live with enzymes. If you want your milk raw, once tea is ready, remove from stove and add the milk without further heating, then froth.  

8. Pour into 2 cups, serve and enjoy!

Note: Almond milk is best when served fresh but can be stored in the fridge for a short time

Good luck! 

Cucumber Noodles with Pesto

Cucumbers are fruit vegetables that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. They are 95 percent water so they help hydrate the body, as well as aid in digestion and in getting rid of toxins! They also contain Vitamins B, C and K. If you love zucchini noodles as an alternative to pasta, you should give cucumber noodles a try. They go great with pesto and tomato sauces. Top them off with some lemon, mushrooms and avocados and it makes for a wholesome meal. Be sure to include the skin because it contains a high source of vitamin C. Learn more about the health benefits of cucumbers in the links below. Enjoy!
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=42
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/cucumber.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/036769_cucumbers_health_benefits_rehydration.html

Zucchini Spaghetti With Veggie "Meatballs" (rice)

I’ve been slowly implementing more cooked foods into my diet to test things out. I definitely feel the difference in digestion time. Raw is best! But if you want to keep cooked foods in your diet, there are still healthy ways to do it. When cooking rice, use organic brown rice that has been pre-soaked for at least 8 hours (overnight). When frying foods, always use coconut oil and cook at lower heat temperature. Although coconut oil can stand high temperatures, it’s a matter of not cooking every bit of nutrition out of the food. Also, when making tomato sauces, keep it raw because tomatoes become acidic when cooked and will have no nutritional value for you. I came up with another simple recipe for veggie ‘meatballs’ using rice as the main component. I topped it off with Homemade tomato sauce. I’ll be posting the recipe soon… Click Here for an older recipe of veggie meatballs made with eggplant and lentils.

Bean Soup (Sopa De Frijoles) with Faux Sour Cream

Sunflower seeds are high in Vitamin E – a potent antioxidant. It offers protection against damage to the fats that line the outside of every cell by traveling throughout the body neutralizing free radicals. Why bother with dairy when there are plenty of healthy alternatives, such as faux sour cream made with organic pre-soaked sunflower seeds! It’s a simple recipe that goes great with Bean Soup and Avocados, Bean Salads, Yam Gnocchi and more! Nuts, seeds and coconuts are amazing alternatives for those of us who grew up on dairy not knowing about the harmful effects. Some of our favorite foods are hard to give up and now we don’t have to. I’ll be posting more recipes with faux dairy ingredients so stay tuned.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=57