A Clean-Eating Simple Meal (Quick and low-carb)

A Simple Balanced Protein-Oil Meal

My mom eats this simple meal a lot. It is very soothing, nourishing and restorative to the body. You are getting the much needed healthy fats, living raw food from the soaked sunflower seeds, protein, and probiotics. Once you have made the basic components, it is extremely easy to prepare for a quick breakfast, a snack, or for any other time you choose. You can choose a low-carb Greek yogurt if you want to, like FAGE Total Greek Yogurt.



SIMPLE PROTEIN-OIL MEAL Recipe:

2/3 to 3/4 c. fat-free Greek yogurt
1/4 c. "C" SOAKED SUNNIES (sunflower seeds), or to taste (recipe on this blog)


Method:

Mix together the yogurt and soaked sunnies.
Add cold water until the mixture is like heavy whipping cream in consistency.
Add "BioSalt" to taste (recipe on this blog). This cuts the sour taste.
Drizzle on 1/2 -1 t. warmed "GOLDEN OIL" (recipe on blog), or use flax seed oil or "UDO'S OIL".


Variations:

Instead of water, add coconut water plus coconut milk (warm the coconut milk to mix).

Instead of Greek yogurt, use seed or nut milk yogurt, or Quark (kefir cheese).

Instead of Greek yogurt, use plain kefir - no extra water is needed.


Enjoy,

Leila.

"C" SOAKED SUNNIES (No more dingy sunflower seeds!)

"C" SOAKED SUNNIES 

Our family likes these raw sunflower seeds because they have a beautiful look, nice texture and they taste great. They are so easy to prepare and use. They are a living food and are very nutritious too. you can add these to smoothies, salads, puree for seed butters, use as a topping, etc...or just snack on them as is.

Vegan, Raw food

Difficulty level: Easy peasy


"C" SOAKED SUNNIES Recipe:

1/2 c. fresh raw hulled sunflower seeds
Water
Ascorbic acid powder (Vitamin C crystals)


Method:

Rinse the whole sunflower seeds well. Pace in a glass jar and fill the jar half way up with water.

Add a pinch of ascorbic acid powder

Tighten on the lid of the jar and shake to disperse the ascorbic acid.

Put the jar into the refrigerator. You can store the sunflower seeds this way for up to a week. Just drain the sunnies to use.

Tip:

It is easy to see the bad sunflower seeds because they will be darker and brown, so you can easily pick them out and discard them.

Cool Fact:

These soaked seeds stay fresh and beautifully white colored, unlike sunflower seeds soaked without the ascorbic acid.

Source: 

Vitamin "C" crystals fron NOW brand, NutriBiotic brand, or other supplement company. Find in health food stores or online.

Have a healthy day,

Leila.

Crispy Soaked Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans, and Hazelnuts Recipe (a RAW food and easier to digest)

RAW CRISPY ALMONDS

Our whole family really love these! Make a big batch of these almonds because you will love them too. They are worth the effort. Soaking the almonds removes the enzyme inhibitors that all nuts have. This makes nuts healthier to eat, less bitter, and easier to digest. This method also works wonderfully with pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc...and is our family's preferred way to eat all nuts.

Difficulty level: Easy


RAW CRISPY ALMONDS Recipe:

4 1/2 to 5 pounds raw whole shelled almonds
water

Method:

Soak all the almonds in water. The water will discolor, so rinse the almonds and soak again with clean water. Repeat this soaking and rinsing process until the water is only slightly orange-ish, but not until the water looks cloudy. This will take a few hours, but is easy to do.

Drain the almonds. Pat the almonds dry between paper towels or spin-dry in a salad spinner.

Dehydrate the almonds in a food dehydrator until dry, crisp, and crunchy. The food dryer set at 110 degrees F keeps these almonds "raw".

To see if they are done, take a couple nuts out of the dryer, let then cool and then bite into one. It should be dry and delightfully crispy! Let cool to room temperature before storing.

Store the CRISPY ALMONDS in the refrigerator or freezer in an air-tight container.


Variation:

CRISPY TOASTED ALMONDS: This version is lightly toasted, not raw.

Instead of dehydrating in a food dehydrator, spread out the soaked almonds onto 2 cookie sheets and bake in a 170 degree F oven for 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

Let the almonds cool for 3 hours.

Re-bake the cooled almonds again in a  170 degree F oven, until dry and crispy.

Then toast the almonds in a 350 degree F oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Roast almonds only until the almonds BEGIN to smell toasted. Watch the almonds closely so that they don't get over-browned. Stir almonds about every 20 minutes and switch cookie sheet positions half way through the roasting process.

Put a heat-safe wedge in the oven door and let the toasted almonds cool to room temperature.

Store the CRISPY TOASTED ALMONDS in the refrigerator or freezer in an air-tight container.


FUN TIP:  If you pinch.& squeeze "Crispy Almonds .... Most of them will pop apart into crunchy halves and pieces. Kids of all ages love to do this.... No need to chop crispy nuts unless you want them very fine.


Variation:

You may roast the dehydrated "Crispy Nuts" in a 350 degree F oven, just until they smell toasted...stirring several times for an even roast.


Enjoy!

Leila

Crispy Soaked Raw Pecans are made the same way.

Crispy Walnuts can also be made, loosing their bitterness.


Author, Leila.

Green Oil, Rosemary Oil, Garlic Rosemary Oil (A Very Healthy Olive Oil Substitute)

GREEN OIL 

A very nutritious olive oil substitute created by my mother for those people who cannot eat olives or olive oil.

GREEN OIL Recipe:

4 c. virgin (golden/green) avocado oil
1 c. hemp seed oil
1/2 c. unrefined pumpkin seed oil

2 c. grape seed oil (or rice oil)

Method:

Mix the oils and store in glass mason jars in the fridge up to 2 weeks, or longer term in the freezer.

Use:

Drizzle on foods as a garnish. Use in salad dressings, etc... Do not Saute, fry or bake with this delicate oil.


Variations:

Rosemary Infused Oil:

You can make a very tasty rosemary infused oil by adding from 1 T. to 1/4 c. minced fresh rosemary...OR... 1/4 c. crushed dried rosemary to the 2 c. grape seed oil (or rice oil) and very gently heating it on the lowest heat for 30 minutes or so, to infuse to taste.
Let cool to room temperature,
Strain out the rosemary if desired.
Add the rest of the oils.
Store in the refrigerator.
This is a safer way to make herbal infused oils, avoiding possible contamination issues.

The old way to make this flavored oil is to just infuse the rosemary in the oil blend for 2 weeks and store  in a cool, dark cupboard, shaking the jar 2 times a day. Then optionally strain to use.

Garlic Rosemary Oil:

This makes a delicious garlic rosemary oil! To a portion of Rosemary Infused Oil, simply add crushed and minced (or pressed) fresh garlic, 1 hour before serving.

Rosemary

Enjoy!

Leila

Golden Oil (Better than UDO'S OIL)

GOLDEN OIL


This is a great tasting, highly nutritional oil formula that my mom created to use in the place of a commercial product called UDO'S OIL.These are healthy fats, so enjoy adding them to your diet!

Make sure all your oils are fresh. Taste all your oils first. If any of them taste bitter or rancid throw them out, they have oxidated.


GOLDEN OIL RECIPE:

1 c. melted coconut oil (warm)
1 c. raw sesame oil (or grape seed oil)
1 c. red rice oil (or flax seed oil)
1 c. raw sunflower oil
1 c. avocado oil (or almond oil or hazelnut oil)
3 T. melted red palm oil
1 T. sunflower lecithin or non-GMO soy lecithin, optional
1/4 t. Vitamin E oil, optional


Method:

Stir in each oil into the warmed coconut oil. If it thickens too much, set over a hot water bath and stir until liquefied. Store tightly closed in a glass container in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks. Freeze for long term storage. You can take out a little oil at a time for use, storing in the fridge.


Use:

Use as a garnish or glaze on cooked vegetables or grains.
Drizzle over popped popcorn and season to taste with onion salt.
Use in homemade salad dressings, etc.
Use as you would "UDO'S OIL".

Note:

Experiment with different blends of your favorite oils.
Red rice oil is high in GAMMA ORYZANOL, and is tolerant of high heat, as in frying.
Red rice bran oil when mixed with coconut oil is also good for frying.

Source:

Rice Oil - California Rice Oil (866-742-3645), www.californiariceoil.com


Enjoy,

Leila

Healthy Sugar-Free Cranberry Juice Cocktail Recipe

Sugar-Free Cranberry Juice Cocktail Recipe

Today I decided to create a healthy version of cranberry juice cocktail. My version uses no high fructose corn syrup, sugary fruit juices, or sugar. Cranberries are very high in anti-oxidants, it's all the sugar that is normally found in cranberry juice cocktail that is a heath concern. This would be an excellent drink for U.T.I., a common female ailment.

I chose to use xylitol for it's anti-cavity and anti-bacterial properties. I add stevia glycerite to cut back on the amount of xylitol needed, and to create a more balanced sweetening profile. The BioSalt adds minerals and the ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) adds a bit more dimension to the drinks flavor.

This is a great recipe to use up some extra cranberries you may have left over from the holidays.

SUGAR-FREE CRANBERRY JUICE COCKTAIL RECIPE:

Yield: 1/2 gallon

Difficulty Level: Easy-Peasy

12 ounces cranberries
8 1/2 c. water, divided
1/2 c. xylitol
1 t. stevia glycerite
1/4 t. ascorbic acid crystals or powder
1/8 t. BioSalt (recipe is on this blog)

Method:

In a blender or food processor, roughly puree the washed and sorted cranberries in 2 cups of the water. Pour into a large non-reactive pot.

Add 2 cups water to the emptied blender (put the lid on!) and turn it on long enough so that the sides are rinsed clean of the berries. Pour blender contents into the pot.

Add 2 cups more water to the pot and bring the mixture up to a boil on medium-high heat. As soon as it starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes. then take off heat and let cool a while.


Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a 1/2-gallon glass jar (with tight fitting lid). use a silicone spatula to stir the pulp as you strain, to release more juice.


Mix the spent pulp with the last 1/2 cup water and strain into your juice container.


Add the xylitol, stevia glycerite, ascorbic acid, and BioSalt. Put the lid on tightly and shake to dissolve the xylitol. Taste for sweetness and chill.


Serve over crushed ice. Yum.


Note: I mix the spent cranberry pulp into natural, unsweetened applesauce and sweeten it to taste with a few drops of stevia glycerite, or other healthy sweetener of choice.

Tip: Now brand stevia glycerite works well and can be found at health food stores. Ascorbic acid and Xylitol can also be found at health food stores.

Cranberry juice cocktail in the making

Straining and stirring the cranberry pulp

Cranberry pulp with the 1/2 c. added water

Finished Cranberry Juice Cocktail

Note: The quininic acid found in cranberries is what causes the distinctive bitter taste, and is also thought to have nutraceutical properties. When consumed, quininic acid is converted to Hippuric acid, which removes toxins from the urinary tract and kidneys. Here's to your Health!

Author, Leila

Healthy Mini Cheese Balls (Gluten Free, Nut Free & Sugar Free)

NUT-FREE MINI CHEESE BALLS

A super snack, a little goes a long way into satiety. You can vary the combinations of coatings and cheeses, to suit your taste. These work great for a low-carb, high protein mini-meal on the go. Kids like them too. They curb the munchies nicely.


NUT-FREE MINI CHEESE BALLS Recipe:

creamy cheese of choice (ie, cream cheese, neufchatel, chevre goat cheese,  thick seed cheese, etc.)

Toasted, salted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds (homemade with BIOSALT is best)


Method: 

Form small balls and roll to coat thickly in seasoned seeds of choice.
Place into an air-tight container and chill.


Notes: If the cheese is too firm, soften at room temperature. If the cheese is too soft, chill until workable. You may use pecans or walnuts instead if you choose.

The recipe for BioSalt is on this blog.



Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy