Every since my favorite yoga instruction, Mira (One Heart Yoga), mentioned that she was making Live Strawberry Parfaits, I have had a steady flow of fresh fruit and live coconut cream in my fridge. With strawberries coming into season in North Carolina, it's been my breakfast staple. My basic recipe for coconut cream is below - yum!
But first a few coconut fun facts.......
Young Thai Coconuts have a host of health benefits. Not to be confused with brown mature coconuts, to the right you will see a young thai coconut. Inside this vessel you will find a delicious, slightly sweet water and a gel like flesh. Coconut water is a superfood filled with minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, and growth factors. It is low in fat and has only a fifth of the sugar found in most fresh fruit juices.
To make your own coconut milk simply blend the water and flesh together and enjoy.
For a real treat and a great topping for fruit you can make a decadent coconut cream. Below is the basic recipe. You can jazz it up by adding different extracts, sweeteners, and spices.
COCONUT CREAM
Blend together the flesh and 1/2 the water from a young, thai coconut. Add a squirt of agave or honey. Add a teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract. Sprinkle in any other yummy delights such as cinnamon or cloves.
Slice fresh fruit and layer in a parfait glass with cream. Add a sprinkling of sunflower or hemp seeds. Enjoy!
HOW DO I CRACK INTO A COCONUT??
Tips for opening a coconut: There are a ton of videos on You Tube that demonstrate how to opening a thai coconut if you'd like a visual demonstration. Here is how I normally handle the task.
1. With my dedicated coconut-only butcher knife, I put the coconut on its side and carefully whack off the tip.
2. After the tip is off, I push through the soft top and empty the water into a bowl.
3. Put the coconut back on it's side and give strong chops around the diameter and pull open.
I never need a reason to chow down on avocados. I find them to absolutely delicious. However, if you are not friends with this fabulous fruit and need a little motivation below are some great reasons to give this green treat a try. I personally like to cut them open and eat them with a spoon but if you need other ways to enjoy an avocado you can use the creamy meat as a sandwich spread, in guacamole, diced in a salad, as a base in smoothies/raw soups, or even in chocolate pudding. YES, I SAID CHOCOLATE PUDDING (the recipe is below). Here are some great to the reasons to INDULGE!
1. Cancer Prevention: Avocados have been studied for their benefits in preventing breast, prostate and oral cancers.
2. Peeper Protection: Because avocados contain a high amount of lutein that can help protect your eyes from cataract formation and macular degeneration.
3. Keeps Your Ticker in Tip Top Shape: One cup of avocado has 23% of the recommended daily value of folate. Studies show that people who eat diets rich in folate have a much lower incidence of heart disease than those who don't. The vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, and glutathione in avocado are also great for your heart.
4. Lowers Cholesterol: Studies show that people who increased their intake of avocado started to show a lowering of cholesterol in as little as one week.
5. Vitamin E: Avocados are a rich source of vitamin E for overall good health.
Now, avocado and chocolate?????? YES! The recipe below make the creamiest, most decadent, chocolate pudding you will ever eat. Give it a try:
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
2 medium avocados
5 tablespoons of cocoa powder
3 tablespoons honey
2-3 tablespoons coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest
sea salt
In a food processor or heavy duty blender – puree avocados, cocoa powder, honey, coconut milk, vanilla extract and orange zest until smooth. ENJOY!!
I had the wonderful opportunity to share some holiday dishes with the ladies of My Carolina Today last week. This show often shines a bright light on ways to live a healthy, toxin free life!!! I always feel amazingly blessed and lucky that allow me to participate on their show :)
Enjoy!!!!
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For many of us, it wouldn’t be the holidays without indulging in “food centered” celebrations.You can still enjoy rich, decadent holiday dishes that are delicious and nutritious without meat or dairy products. Because these dishes are all prepared without heat or at temperatures below 117 degrees, the maximum nutritional value of each ingredient has been maintained.
Just as a quick reminders below are a few facts about how and why including more raw and living foods into your diet can enhance your wellbeing:
Why Raw?
—Food in its natural state is the complete package – a wonderful balance of minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and micronutrients. —Some nutrition is destroyed when any foods are cooked —Some believe up to 99% of nutrition is destroyed when cooking vegetables. —Fruits and vegetables contain a lot of water which is lost when they are cooked. —Natural enzymes are destroyed when foods are cooked.
And now, on to the recipes...............................
Egg”less”nog
1/2 C Almonds
1 Young Coconut (flesh from)
3 Dates
3 T Agave
1 1/2 t Cinnamon
1/2 t Nutmeg
1/2 t Cloves
1 t Rum Extract (not raw but completes the eggnog flavor)
3 C Water
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until very smooth. Strain through nut milk bag. Top with a sprinkle of extra nutmeg. You can serve this warm or cold.
Health Benefits of Almonds:Five large human epidemiological studies, including the Nurses Health Study, the Iowa Health Study, the Adventist Health Study and the Physicians Health Study, all found that nut consumption is linked to a lower risk for heart disease. Researchers who studied data from the Nurses Health Study estimated that substituting nuts for an equivalent amount of carbohydrate in an average diet resulted in a 30% reduction in heart disease risk. Researchers calculated even more impressive risk reduction--45%--when fat from nuts was substituted for saturated fats (found primarily found in meat and dairy products).
Hearty Nut Stuffing
2 cloves garlic
2T sage
2T rosemary
2T thyme
2C walnuts, soaked 12 hours
2C almonds, soaked 12 hours
1T white miso
1 onion, chopped
6 celery, chopped
1C parsley, chopped
Process garlic and herbs. Add nuts and miso slowly and process. Put in bowl and stir in onion and celery. Crumble mixture on teflex sheets and dehydrate at 105 for 6 hours.
Health Beneftis of Herbs:
Parsley is an amazing medicinal herb with a world of health benefits. The root contains calcium, B-complex vitamins, and iron, which nourish the glands that help regulate the uptake of calcium. It is a source of magnesium, calcium, potassium, vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin K.
Sage contains a variety of volatile oils, flavonoids and phenolic acids, including rosmarinic acid. The oils found in sage are both antiseptic and antibiotic, helping it fight infections.
Rosemary contains caffeic acid and rosemarinic acid, both of which are potent antioxidants as well as anti-inflammatory agents. Rosemary is also a good source of antioxidant vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) and other important antioxidants.
Thyme has a long history of use for chest and respiratory problems including coughs, bronchitis, and chest congestion. It is an excellent source of iron and manganese, and a good source of calcium and dietary fiber. Thyme contains a variety of important flavonoids and volatile oils, including the important volatile oil thymol.
Marinara (to top stuffing, if desired)
1C sundried tomatoes
1/4C raisins
2L tomatoes
1t thyme
1t sage
1t rosemary
Blend in Vitamix
Mashed Taters 2 Cups Cauliflower 1/4 Cup Pine Nuts 1/2 Cup Pecans 1 Cup Macadamia nuts 3 Tablespoons olive oil 2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning 3/4 Tablespoons garlic 1 teaspoon salt Fresh ground pepper to taste
Process nuts in a food processor with the "S" blade until they become smooth and creamy. Add in remaining ingredients and continue to process until it is smooth. Top with cream of mushroom gravy.
Health Benefits of Cauliflower:Several dozen studies link cauliflower-containing diets to cancer prevention, particularly with respect to the following types of cancer: bladder cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. This connection between cauliflower and cancer prevention should not be surprising, since cauliflower provides special nutrient support for three body systems that are closely connected with cancer development as well as cancer prevention. These three systems are (1) the body's detox system, (2) its antioxidant system, and (3) its inflammatory/anti-inflammatory system. Chronic imbalances in any of these three systems can increase risk of cancer, and when imbalances in all three systems occur simultaneously, the risk of cancer increases significantly.
RAW VERSION
TRADITIONAL VERSION
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Cauliflower Potatoes
2lbs Potatoes, 3/4C cream, 1C butter
8 Servings
10 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories
251.7
Calories
335.6
Total Fat
26.3 g
Total Fat
21.9 g
Saturated Fat
3.4 g
Saturated Fat
13.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
4.1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat
17.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat
5.7 g
Cholesterol
0.0 mg
Cholesterol
61.0 mg
Sodium
52.0 mg
Sodium
145.1 mg
Potassium
193.9 mg
Potassium
788.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate
5.2 g
Total Carbohydrate
32.5 g
Dietary Fiber
2.8 g
Dietary Fiber
4.1 g
Sugars
1.1 g
Sugars
1.5 g
Protein
3.1 g
Protein
4.1 g
***Notice that each recipe has a similiar fat content but the raw version contains far more healthy fats while the traditional version is nearly all saturated fat.
Gravy 2 Cups Pecans, soaked 2 Cups Water 1/2 Cup dehydrated onion 1 Tablespoon poultry seasoning 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Salt to taste
Blend the ingredients thoroughly to a gravy consistency.
“Pumpkin Pie”
2 C almonds, soaked 1 C walnuts or pecans, soaked 1 C unsweetened shredded coconut 20 dates, soaked overnight 2 C cashews, soaked overnight, and drained 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced. 3 t pumpkin pie spice drizzle agave nectar
CRUST Combine almonds, walnuts or pecans, and coconut in food processor or Vitamix, and process until ground fine and dough-like Pat the dough into two pie plates
FILLING Drain dates; reserve soak water. In food processor, puree dates, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie spice Remove mixture from food processor and set aside in a bowl. Set mixture aside in a bowl. Process cashews, agave nectar, vanilla, and date soak water as needed, until smooth and creamy. Combine cashew mixture and sweet potato mix puree Spread filling in pie shells Dehydrate for 6 hours, then refrigerate.
Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes: High in vitamins B6, C, iron, and magnesium
Holiday Fudge
1 c. raw coconut oil
3/4 c. raw carob (or cocoa)
2 t. vanilla flavor
1/2-1C agave (depending on how sweet you want your fudge)
1 c. raisins, raw nuts, coconut, or whatever you want
Put the coconut oil in a bowl, Put this bowl in another bowl of hot water, When it's melted, stir in the carob to make it smooth, then stir in the other stuff. Spread on wax paper lined cookie sheet, put in fridge or freezer 5-10 minutes to make it hard. Break into pieces
Try experimenting with peppermint or other flavors instead of vanilla.
