I’m in a juicing phase.

I go through phases … for several days, even weeks in a row, I’ll make green smoothies in my VitaMix. Then I start to get bored with the smoothies, so I’ll pull out my juicer and go through a juicing phase until I get tired of the little bit of extra work involved in juicing, and then I’ll back to making smoothies.

Sometimes I live a really wild life and have a smoothie for breakfast and juice for dinner … but I digress…

Right now that little bit of extra work is so worth it when I sip on my juice creations. I say ‘sip’ which is what I try to do … savour and enjoy every drop. But sometimes the flavour and enthusiasm of the liquid yum gets the better of me and I find myself gulping it back like I hadn’t had anything to drink for days.

That’s what happened with today’s juice. I fully intended to take a picture of the ingredients and the finished product to show you … but somehow I got lost in the creation and enjoyment of it all and before I knew it … all that was left of my experience was this empty glass and my body saying ‘thank you for the liquid yum.’

Liquid Yum is:
- Alkaline
- Diary Free
- Gluten Free
- Raw
- Vegan

Ingredients (for each person)
1 apple
3 stalks celery
¼ – ½ stalk broccoli
¼ – ½ bell pepper (red, yellow or orange)
¼ head romaine lettuce or 1 cup of leafy greens
2 ice cubes (if you like your juice chilled)

Directions
1. Wash all ingredients
2. Chop into appropriate sizes for your juicer
3. Put the ingredients through the juicer
4. Place the ice cubes in the juice while you clean the pulp out of the juicer (It’s much easier to clean a juicer immediately after using it, before the fibre bits have dried.)
5. Stir the juice and remove the ice
6. Pour into a glass and enjoy … sipping and gulping allowed

This fresh tasting dish is quick and easy to put together. The tomato and cucumbers have edible covers, so there is little waste … and it looks pretty too!

Tomato, Cucumber, Pine Nut Salad is:
- dairy free
- diabetic friendly
- raw
- vegan
- wheat free

Ingredients (per person)
1 ripe Tomato
¼ – ½ Long English Cucumber
¼ cup Pine Nuts
Olive Oil
Rice Wine Vinegar
Tarragon (or your favourite savoury herb)

Directions
1. Chop Tomato and Cucumber into bite size pieces
2. Place in bowl and sprinkle with equal amounts of Olive Oil and Rice Wine Vinegar
3. Add Pine Nuts and chopped fresh Tarragon
4. Toss together
5. Enjoy!

Its cold and flu season … just in case you hadn’t heard about it in the news … and I’m surrounded by people in various stages of sniffles and coughs, and plenty of people who have been down a few days and recovered.

With all this going on I’ve been thinking about how to fortify my immune system the low crap way.

So I started blending up a small clove of garlic with my morning smoothie.  I don’t do it every day …  just the days that I wake up with a little tickle in my throat (which is a sure sign my immune system is under serious strain.)

I’ve discovered over the years that when my body needs a garlic boost I am not bothered by the unpleasant smell normally associated with eating raw garlic. When I start to smell garlic coming through my skin, then I know that the garlic has done its job in fortifying my immune function and I won’t eat it for a few days.

If you really don’t like the taste of garlic in your smoothie (its actually quite subtle) then you can take deodorized garlic tablets (1 or 2 per day is plenty) and achieve the same results. Remember though, processed garlic tablets are not low crap … what with all the packaging and processing that goes on to make them.

Garlic is worthy food medicine to keep on hand. It has antibiotic and antiviral properties and it is excellent for both preventing and treating respiratory conditions such as colds and flu. While you are keeping away colds and flus you will also be doing your heart good as garlic will lower cholesterol. Be aware though that garlic is a natural blood thinner; so use caution if you have a bleeding disorder or are using pharmaceutical blood thinners.

Fresh raw garlic is truly low crap, self-packaged goodness.

If you have a few random vegetables in the fridge and whole grain or lentils in the pantry … then you’ve got soup.

Home made soup is wonderful low crap food. The possibilities are endless and its quicker than you think.

No crappy tin cans are involved.

If you have a slow cooker, you can assemble your soup in a hurry and have it cooking while you go about your day.

It is a perfect way to get low cost real food nourishment into growing bodies.

Throw in a few cloves of garlic and you have a flu-defying remedy in a bowl.

I like to serve my home made soup over a handful of fresh spinach leaves to get an extra serving of greens into my day.

I don’t have specific recipes that I use. It all depends on what I have on hand. Here’s some general instructions to get you started. Remember, like smoothies, you really can’t go wrong. As long as you like all the ingredients that you put into your soup, it should turn out just fine.

Ingredients for approximately 1 liter of soup
1 liter of water
½ – 1 cup of uncooked brown rice, wild rice, lentils, quinoa (or a combination)
2 – 6 cups chopped vegetables (Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Corn, Green Beans, Leeks, Onion, Parsnip, Peas, Potatoes, Squash, Tomato, Yams, Zucchini, etc)
Seasoning (Herbs, Pepper, Salt, Spices, Curry, etc)

Directions
1. Wash and chop veggies into bite size pieces.
2. For extra flavour, sauté the stronger flavoured vegetables in a little butter or olive oil until tender and slightly browned (celery, garlic, leeks, onions).
3. Place all ingredients into pot or slow cooker.
4. Add ½ to 1 tsp sea salt, and other spices and herbs. Taste the broth at this point, but know that the flavour will change as everything gets cooked up together.
5. Bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer until the grains/legumes are cooked and the vegetables are tender, approximately 30 – 60 minutes. If using a slow cooker, set on low over night or while you are away at work.
6. Just before serving adjust the seasoning.

My kitchen is never without fresh ginger root … especially at this time of year when the seasons are changing and I know a long, cold winter is not far away.

You may know ginger for its endearing ability to quell queasiness and aid digestion. You may even know about ginger’s ability to warm the body from the inside out and ease the pain of arthritis.

What you might not know about ginger is that when its boiled up, then combined with honey and lemon, it can quite literally stop a cold or flu before it starts and allow you to get on with your life, instead of having to succumb to three days of feeling miserable.

For me, Ginger Tea is one of those “wrap my hands around the mug and close my eyes” kind of tea.

I love to drink it on days when morning has come way too soon and I find myself stumbling around in the kitchen wrapped in a blanket, unwilling to let go of my bed.

Or those nights when a chill in my bones and scratch in my throat threatens to spoil weekend plans.

I especially welcome Ginger Tea at that beginning stage of a cold or flu … when I can’t warm up and my ears are popping and my throat hurts and I just feel darn miserable.

Fresh Ginger Root Tea is easy to make at home. You simply boil sliced ginger root in a pot of water and serve with lemon and honey.

Fresh Ginger Root Tea is
- dairy free
- gluten free
- vegan

Ingredients
4 – 10 slices fresh, organic Ginger Root (You will need to experiment with how much ginger you use. Some people like a strong Ginger Tea with a sharp bite; other prefer a more subtle ginger taste.)
2 – 4 cups filtered water
Fresh Lemon wedges, one per cup
Honey to taste

Directions
1. Place sliced ginger root and water in pot with lid.
2. Bring to a boil, then cover pot and reduce heat.
3. Simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Pour into a mug. Add lemon wedge and honey to taste.

Here’s a quick, no mess way to dice up an avocado

1. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and twist the two halves slightly to loosen one half from the pit

2. Remove pit by carefully inserting knife and gently twisting

3. Cut the avocado flesh diagonally in one direction, then cut it again diagonally in the other direction

4. Use a spoon to scoop out the pieces

I call this recipe a ‘super salad’ because it’s a super way to make a quick meal out of whatever is in your fridge. Simply start with a base of cooked brown rice or quinoa and then add whatever is on hand … the possibilities are endless and changeable.

Don’t worry if there is no salad dressing on hand nor time to whip one up … a simple splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar always works. And sometimes you won’t need a dressing at all because the blend of flavours from your ingredients happens to work perfectly … so don’t forget to taste your super salad before adding dressing.

Super salad will keep in the fridge for several days.

Suggested Ingredients

Base: cooked brown rice or quinoa

Vegetables: whatever you have on hand or feel like eating. Here are some suggestions: alfalfa sprouts, arugula, asparagus, avocado, basil , beet greens, bell pepper, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chives, corn kernels, cucumber, daikon radish, dandelion greens, fennel, fresh herbs, green beans, green onion, hot peppers, leafy greens, lettuce, mushrooms, parsley, pea greens, peas, radish, red onion, spinach, sprouts, tomato

Protein: quinoa and brown rice are both good sources of protein, but if you want your super salad to be more substantial, here are a few suggestions: almonds, black beans, brazil nuts, cashews, cheese, chick peas, feta cheese, grilled chicken, hard boiled eggs, kidney beans, pine nuts, walnuts

Extras: add flavour, texture, colour and interest with a few extras such as: apple, berries, currents, edible flowers, kiwi, nasturtium flowers, olives, peach, pear, raisons

Dressing: use whatever premade dressing you have on hand, or try this suggestion: splash of a good quality oil such as olive or hemp and a splash of either balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice

… told you the possibilities are endless. Of course this is a non-exhaustive list of possible ingredients for your super salad. Let me know what your favourite super salad ingredients are.

Directions
1. Chop whatever needs chopping
2. Toss everything together into a bowl
3. Enjoy

To help get you started, here’s a picture of what I found to use for my super salad today. Most of the ingredients came from my fridge, but I also found some in the container garden on the patio. The picture at the top of this post is the finished salad just before I ate it.

Don’t be afraid to experiment … as long as you like all the ingredients you are putting in the super salad, you won’t go wrong.

Quinoa (pronounced “keen wah”) is a super-nutrient grain-like product that comes to us from high in the Andes Mountains of South American.

Botanically speaking, Quinoa is a member of the Goosefoot Family (Chenopodiaceae). Other distinguished super-nutrient members of the Goosefoot clan are Beets, Swiss Chard, Spinach, and Amaranth.

That’s quite a line-up of stars from one family!

Quinoa seeds cook up quickly and are as versatile as any food I know.

I like to keep a cooked pot of either Quinoa or Brown Rice on hand in the fridge to use as the base for breakfast cereal, super salad, or as a quick snack on its own splashed with a little Tamari sauce.

Quinoa supplies nutrition and bulk to soups and stews.

The uncooked seeds can be ground up and used as gluten free flour.

If you are into the raw lifestyle, Quinoa can be soaked and/or sprouted and incorporated into raw recipes.

Quinoa is an excellent source of protein, calcium, iron and B-vitamins

Cooked Quinoa is:
- low alkaline forming
- dairy free
- diabetic friendly
- gluten free
- vegan

Ingredients
1 cup Quinoa seeds
2 cups filtered water

Directions
1. Put Quinoa seeds into a fine mesh sieve and rinse with cold water
2. Add rinsed Quinoa seeds to water in medium sized pot
3. Turn heat to high just until the water starts to boil, then turn heat to simmer and place lid on pot.
4. Let simmer with lid on for 20 minutes.
5. When 20 minutes has passed, gently lift the lid and tilt the pan slightly to the side. If the Quinoa holds in place, it is ready. If the Quinoa starts to slide, there is still too much moisture in the pot, so put the lid back on and return it to the heat for a few more minutes. But watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.

See Brown Rice for Breakfast for ideas on how to use cooked Quinoa as a breakfast cereal and simply substitute Quinoa for rice.

For lunch, dinner or untraditional breakfast, use cooked Quinoa in a super salad … tomorrow’s entry.

As a quick and nutritious snack, toss cold cooked Quinoa with Tamari soy sauce, or your favourite spices, and enjoy. 

Cooked Quinoa will store in the fridge for up to a week.

Almond milk is easy to make at home … really!

When you make your own almond milk you avoid having to deal with the cartons, both lugging them home from the store, and sending them back to the recycler. And home made almond milk is much more economical than the commercially prepared brands, especially if you purchase almonds in bulk and store them in the freezer.

Another advantage of making your own almond milk, is you can sweeten it how you choose … or don’t sweeten it at all. And you can filter it or not. This flexability allows you to create almond milk to suit your particular need. For instance, if I am going to use the almond milk in a recipe that already contains sweetening ingredients, I make an unsweetened version. I make a sweetened almond milk to pour on my unsweetened breakfast cereal (usually cooked brown rice or quiona).

The only time I filter my almond milk is when I am going to drink it on its own.

It takes less than 5 minutes to make a full litre of almond milk that will keep in the fridge for several days.

Almond milk is
- low alkaline forming
- dairy free
- diabetic friendly
- gluten free
- raw
- vegan

Ingredients
1 cup raw almonds
4 cups filtered water

Optional Ingredients
Sweetener: 1-2 pitted dates OR 1 tbsp honey OR 1 tbsp maple syrup
Flavouring: pinch of sea salt, splash of vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla bean, 1 tsp cinnamon, allspice or nutmeg
Enhancer: 1 tbsp organic coconut oil (adds richness to the finished product) 

Directions
1. Place almonds and water into high speed blender (Vita-mix works perfectly for this)
2. Blend on high for about 60 seconds
3. Decide what type of almond milk you want and follow the appropriate directions below.

For unsweetened, filtered milk:
- Pour it through a strainer or nut milk bag. The ‘pulp’ will keep in the fridge for several days, or can be dehydrated and ground up into almond flour. 
- Enjoy the milk as is, over ice, or added to recipes

For sweetened, filtered milk:
- Pour it through a strainer or nut milk bag. The ‘pulp’ will keep in the fridge for several days, or can be dehydrated and ground up into almond flour.
- Put the filtered ‘milk’ back in the blender
- Add your choosen sweeteners, flavourings and/or enhancer and blend for about 30 seconds. When using dates as a sweetener, you may need to blend a little longer to ensure the dates are completly broken down.
- Enjoy the milk as is, over ice, or added to recipes

For unsweetened, unfiltered milk:
- You’re done!
- Enjoy the milk as is, over ice, or added to recipes

For sweetened, unfiltered milk:
- Add your choosen sweeteners, flavourings and/or enhancer and blend for about 30 seconds. When using dates as a sweetener, you may need to blend a little longer to ensure the dates are completly broken down.
- Enjoy the milk as is, over ice, or added to recipes

Frozen berries are a wonderful low crap food staple to have on hand. (See yesterday’s post to learn how to freeze berries for later use.)

Here are 10 ways to enjoy your berry bounty.

1. quick, cold snack eaten right from the bag
2. mix into plain yogurt 
3. fancy up Sunday morning pancakes
4. add variety to fresh made muffins
5. have a jam making adventure on a snowy day
6. smoothie muse
7. throw into green salads (blueberries and Saskatoons are best)
8. makes fresh fruit salads extra juicy
9. flavouring for home made salad dressing
10. scones and biscuits become unboring