Raw Cocoa Bliss Balls

No soup today because... ITS CHRISTMAS EVE! Today I made some raw cocoa goodies to give to my extended family tonight at our big Christmas Eve dinner. I'm always excited to show off how tasty just pure wholesome ingredients can be without any processed sugar. I also hate giving people treats that I know will only put them on a blood sugar roller coaster ride. These on the other hand are sweet mainly because their base is dates and they are full of antioxidants (raw cocoa powder), quality fats (walnuts, almonds) and an all round "health bite" disguised as a dessert. Tricky huh? I found the recipe in one of my new favorite cookbooks called The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone.

Here are the ingredients:
(Makes 10 - 12 Balls)
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup pitted dates
• Scant 1/2 cup raw carob powder
• Scant 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup whole almonds
• 2 cups shredded coconut (sweetener or unsweetened)

This is all you need to do!...1. Place the walnuts in a food processor & process until coarsely ground. Add the dates & pulse until well combined with the nuts.

2. Add the carob powder, syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract & salt. Process until mixture is thick & smooth.

3. Add the almonds, pulse a few times until combined, but you want them to remain in crunchy chunks so do not over process.

4. Form into golf-size balls with your hands. Roll the balls in coconut, icing sugar or whatever you desire.

I wrapped mine up in  pretty little packages and can't wait to share them with my family tonight. No one is going to believe me when I tell them that they are a healthy treat: )

Perfect Weather for some Chili Eh?

Even though the weather here in CO doesn't seem as cold as Seattle's when I left last week, I can't help but crave some warm, comforting chili. I found this simple recipe on one of my favorite blogs: Oh She Glows. Although she serves hers in pumpkins which is adorable, I made this in less than 20 minutes without the pumpkin and it is simply delicious. I doubled the recipe so that it will last me throughout the week and keep me nice and warm!


Here's my hearty recipe of the week:


Butternut squash black bean chili with kale...

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 cups chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled butternut squash

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

1 bunch of kale (leaves torn off of stem into bite size pieces)

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. 
2. Add onions and garlic; sauté until tender and golden, about 9 minutes. 
3. Add squash; stir 2 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cumin. 
4. Stir in beans, broth, and tomatoes with juices; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. 
5. Stir in kale; simmer until kale is tender but still bright green, about 4 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.

The butternut squash is providing you with an excellent source of Vitamin A, the beans give you some great fiber and the kale is like eating nature's multivitamin. Enjoy!!

Curried Carrot and Cauliflower Soup

I'm finally home for Christmas break and ready to get into a good routine of cooking that is sustainable throughout the upcoming quarter ahead.  Here's my proposal: 

Friday: Soup

Sunday: Hearty grain dish

Between the two big dishes I'll have at least a go to meal to turn to everyday and I can prepare short and sweet meals throughout the week as I juggle my classes.

In accordance with my proposal I made a soup tonight from the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen Blog.  It turned out so well and was incredibly simple. The picture above basically captures all the ingredients needed.

INGREDIENTS:

2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil

2 small onions (or 1 large one), chopped

1 to 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 to 3 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium head cauliflower, chopped

6 cups water

sea salt, to taste

coconut milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a 6-quart pot over medium heat. Add onions and a dash of salt and cook until the onions are soft and starting to change color. Then add the ginger, garlic, and spices and saute a minute more
2. Then add the carrots, cauliflower, and water. Simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes. Then puree in batches in a blender until smooth. Add salt to taste. Serve each bowl with a swirl of coconut milk.
3. Enjoy!

I can't believe that this time last year I was madly taking biochemistry, dreaming about possibly attending Bastyr. Now that I've completed my first quarter at Bastry, there is so much I want to share but so much I have yet to learn about nutrition. Its exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. I'm hopeful that blogging the information will be helpful not only to reader but to me as I sort through the information and make it palatable to anyone who happens upon it. Nourishing the body with whole foods shouldn't be complicated and I'm determined to show everyone how it can be done: ) 

 

Vegetable of the week: Romanesco!!

Doesn't this look like a vegetable from outer space? My gosh, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw it at the market this weekend and decided I HAD TO HAVE IT. What a fun seasonal vegetable! After doing a bit more research, here's what I found out about it:
Basically it is an edible flower that boasts the following

- Vitamin A

- Vitamin B1, Thiamin

- Vitamin B2, Riboflavin

- Vitamin B3, Niacin

- Vitamin B5, Pantothenic Acid

- Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine

- Vitamin B9, Folate

- Vitamin C

- Vitamin K

- Dietary Fiber

- Manganese

- Magnesium

- Protein

- Phosphorus

- Potassium

- Tryptophan

- Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Impressive eh?  One thing I've found when cooking romanesco is that it should only be cooked lightly or else its texture is ruined and its flavor tainted. 

Here's the big recipe that I am making this week substituting it for broccoli. http://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/06/energizing-spicy-broccoli-dal/

If you see romanesco at the store grab some and either make this delicious dish or roast it lightly in the oven with some coconut oil and pepper!

I'm Back!

Remember how I mentioned that Seattle's damp climate was one of the things that was hardest for me to get used to? Well it was hard for my immune system to get used to as well which explains my hiatus from blogging. Basically after a few weeks of battling what I thought was an epic cold, I found out I have an allergy to mold that happens to be growing in my house.... yikes! Thankfully I have a great staff of Naturopathic Doctors at the Bastyr clinic working on my case and I should be good to go. I'm back on board the blogging train and ready to share all that I've been learning these last few weeks.

The first thing I'd like to share is one of the amazing sources of anti-inflammatory omega 3, vitamin D and vitamin A I researched and found to be amazing.... COD LIVER OIL. I couldn't speak more highly of how much better I felt as soon as I started supplementing with it, AND my worries about not getting enough vitamin D living in Seattle are no more. Weston A. Price, a very reputable health source has some great research backing his claim that cod liver oil should be consumed everyday. Check out the following article: http://www.westonaprice.org/cod-liver-oil/clo-number-one-superfood

Are you supplementing with a fish oil? If not you might want to consider cod liver oil. This is the company I purchased mine from (http://www.greenpasture.org/public/Home/index.cfm) because it is not processed so the levels of D and A are the highest but you can simply grab some at whole foods. *warning* a bit of juice is needed to get it down but the benefits your body will reap from the icky taste will most definitely be worth it!: )

Cookies or Milk before Bedtime?

source

Don't we all have those nights where we get an intense craving for something yummy before we hop into bed? Or worse are those nights where we lay in bed wide awake while all the thoughts of things we need to do the next day somehow get manifested into an intense hunger pang that keeps us from falling asleep. Its nights like these that we run into the kitchen, grab a glass of warm milk (just as our grandmas told us to) and of course a handful of cookies because you can't drink milk without a cookie right?  I've had many experiences of nights like these I think it is useful to know what foods can both satisfy the hunger AND settle the flurry of our busy minds.  Based on a macronutrients lecture given a few weeks ago I was given all the answers and I'm here to pass them on.

First of all it is helpful to know that the neurotransmitter that is responsible for calming the mind and promoting happy thoughts is serotonin. Foods that are rich in the amino acid tryptophan get converted to serotonin.  Foods that are high in tryptophan include turkey, eggs soybeans milk and oatmeal. There is a very important caveat to this however.  When high protein foods (such as the ones with high levels of tryptophan) are consumed alone, less tryptophan is actually allowed into the brain because all the other amino acids are competing for a ride to the brain as well. Therefore.... it is actually carb-rich foods that should be eaten before bedtime. Carbs will stimulate insulin production which (through a series of more complicated mechanisms) allows tryptophan into the brain more readily. In the brain tryptophan is then converted to serotonin. 

So... I guess our grandmothers were right about the milk being a high serotonin forming food but without the presence of a carb to stimulate the uptake the other amino acids tryptophan never actually makes into the brain. Therefore, next time you can't fall asleep have a carb rich food on hand (other than cookies I might add). Putting a little protein on top won't hurt because it will normalize the level so that you don't get a RUSH of serotonin which could cause other problems...One tasty suggestion is a puff rice cracker with nut butter on top.

Sweet Dreams!!

The Perfect Breakfast

Haven't we all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Despite the fact that most of what you hear through the media is false, this is one message that is in fact true! Breakfast primes the body to function properly which entails thinking clearly, having energy and avoiding strange or intense sugar cravings. Basically, if the right food is prepared, it can serve as fuel that will make you feel great all day. Before coming to Bastyr I regularly prepared myself a "breakfast porridge" that consisted of a warm grain, some flaxseed, berries and nut butter. It was tasty to be sure but in my first class as a grad student I was taught how to make it even more nutritious by turning it into a complete protein.

Complete proteins are usually found in animal protein sources but if grains and legumes are combined in a 3:1 ratio, they can also become a complete protein. The advantage of eating complete proteins is that you are feeding your body the amino acids that it cannot make on its own (otherwise known as essential amino acids). Quinoa is one grain that is very special in that it contains all the essential amino acids but lets be honest, eating quinoa every morning for breakfast will become quite bland after a week or so.

I experimented with my previous breakfast porridge recipe and found that the variety that comes with combining grains and legumes in a 3:1 ratio is actually delicious.

Ingredients needed:
2/3 cup grain (I chose brown rice but others include barley buckwheat, oats and millet)
1/3 cup legume ( I chose lentils but others include black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, and mung beans)
1 T flaxseed
1 T nut butter
Frozen Berries
1 T Berry jam (look for one that has no added sugar. Hard to find but well worth the search)

Grind the grains and legumes in blender and add it to 2 cups boiling water. Once the porridge is cooked (or has become a texture that you like) add the other ingredients and enjoy! If it isn't sweet enough add a few drops of stevia.

At the beginning of the week I cook 2 cups of porridge and each morning I warm it up then add in whatever various toppings suit me that day. For instance, bananas walnuts  and cinnamon is a great natural sweetener and topping combination!

Regardless of what natural toppings you choose, you can be assured that you are feeding your body and excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals that provide sustainable health for the day. What more could you ask for?  

Quick side note: If you want to make it even MORE healthful, you can sprout the grains before grinding them which enhances their nutritional value by up to 30%!! Sprouting "how to" post is on its way....