Get In Your Greens - Enjoy a Green Smoothie For Breakfast

The Standard American Diet (SAD) that most people eat these days is seriously lacking in greens. By having a green smoothie every day for breakfast, you can get easy get the required amount of green leafy vegetables in your diet.

Green smoothies also are a great way to get your daily vitamins and antioxidants. It is a much yummier to drink your vitamins than to choke down a big, dry pill each morning. Plus, by getting your vitamins directly from a food source, you know that you are getting the most pure form of the vitamins.

Although green smoothies may look off-putting because of their bright green color, they are actually very delicious, as they are made up of 60% fruit and 40% greens. The fruit is the main flavor in the drink, so even if you don't like salad, you can get your greens in because you don't taste them. After your first drink, the color won't bother you anymore, as your mouth will associate the green with delicious.

Here's how you make a green smoothie.

1. Cut up some fresh fruit and put it into a high-speed blender container. Regular blenders don't have the horse power that you need to make a smoothie that has a nice smooth texture. So unless you don't mind a lot of chunks, a high speed blender is recommended.

Select only a few fruits at a time for the best tasting smoothie.

Fruits are anything that has seeds in it. An apple is a fruit, but a tomato, avocado, cucumber, and red bell pepper are also fruits.

My favorite combination is banana, mango, and strawberries.

2. Add water to the blender so the fruit is covered. Pure spring water is best.

3. Top up the blender with fresh green leafy vegetables.

Each morning be sure to rotate which greens you use in your smoothie so your body doesn't build up high levels of any one alkaloid. Some of the greens you can choose from include kale, parsley, spinach, bok choy, dandelion greens, swiss chard, and lettuce.

4. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Keep it simple - don't mix in too many ingredients. If you keep it to only fruits, green leafy vegetables, and water, you will get the best results. Another bonus is that it will be easier for your body to digest. So skip all the powders, seeds, and other additives that you may be tempted to throw in there.

So now that you know how easy it is to incorporate more greens into your daily diet, start blending and reap the rewards of improved health.

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Mushroom Manchurian

I was a hungry and inquisitive teenager when there was an unexpected eruption of Indian pubs popping open around me; ripe time for new flavours and surroundings. I mean pubs that served Indian food. On the menu was a whole, liberated jumble of deep-fried breads, dosa's (probably with cheese) pizza's (of course with chilli and maybe even paneer) and then chips that had been doused in chilli sauce (I inhale deeply and regretfully at the memory of that tart chilli) and most notably Indo-Chinese Food. All this colourful food whacked sporadically in the middle of a wobbly, red coated table.

I believe this cuisine originates from the Chinese community in Calcutta and is pretty widespread in the big cities of India. Neither Indian, nor Chinese in origin, this variety of food teases with a dance on the tongue and the mind where the routine is actually, oddly familiar but not quite known. Overflowing with flavour and curious modernity, I can see why this type of bite is popular in pubs because it is strong and punchy and ideal with drinks-a-flowing!

Loud and impactful throws of garlic and ginger, cumin and coriander, hot chilli but then wait...5-spice and soy sauce? Don't worry, the essences collide and then embrace passionately. They'll intoxicate you into heady state and don't be surprised if you're doddering out of the pub afterwards.

Confusing as it is, it's addictive. It's the sort of food that hits the spot when you're famished. Crispy and sweet, spongy and tangy, spicy and...more, more, more...So much so, that even though you are suave, polished and worldly now and even though you eat foods of the world that are cooked for you by a super-chef and presented beautifully in Michelin style...you still come home to Indo-Chinese food, now and again. Like when you were 17 and eating Hakka noodles with your friends.

As always, let me know how you go...

Recipe

Ingredients
250g Mushrooms (I used chestnut mushrooms)Oil for deep frying

Ingredients for the batter

150g of plain flour6 tbsp. corn flour3 cloves garlic, 5g knob of ginger and 1 large red chilli minced togetherSalt to taste1 tsp. of Chinese 5 spice powder200ml water

Ingredients for the sauce

3 tbsp. soy sauce4 tbsp. tomato ketchup (Groan. I know, but it's necessary in this recipe)1 tbsp. caster sugar1 ? tbsp. rice wine vinegar1 large red pepper, sliced2 cloves garlic, chopped2 green chillies, finely chopped4-5 spring onions, chopped horizontally1 tsp. Chinese 5-spice2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Method

1. Heat some oil, in preparation of letting the mushrooms sizzle and swim in it- and that too dressed.
2. Wash and chop the mushrooms into bite sized chunks and set aside.
3. To make the batter, combine the ingredients and whisk together, we don't want any lumps but it should be pretty thick.
4. Coat the mushrooms with the batter and drop them, individually into the oil. Don't overcrowd the pan or else they'll stick together-that's not nice. When the mushrooms have achieved a golden brown colour, drain them on to kitchen paper to remove the excess oil.
5. To make the sauce, heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and then add the garlic, spring onions, green chillies and red pepper and stir-fry until the peppers have softened a little; this should take 3-4 minutes. Then add the soy sauce, ketchup, 5-spice, vinegar, sugar and stir through and bring to a gentle simmer, before mixing in thoroughly the mushrooms. Serve immediately to ensure that the mushrooms stay nice and crispy. Try and share, I know it's hard.

Deena Kakaya, Vegetarian Food Writer
http://www.deenakakaya.com/
http://www.twitter.com/deenakakaya

My vision is to share rousing, sensational world-influenced recipes for you the open-minded busy person who loves to eat. I'd love to know that you actually make these recipes, not simply read about them. Like me, many of my recipes have an uncomplicated Indian strand, but that's the reality of modern cuisine, isn't it? And I promise to share all this with you,with a story...its always more fun that way.

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Italian Spinach Balls With Parmesan, Romano and Mozzarella Cheeses

I arrived 15 minutes early for my shift at the public library book store. The two departing volunteers were discussing vegetarian food. "I'll give you my recipe for Italian spinach balls," one said. His statement aroused my curiosity. Though I had heard of spinach balls, I had never tasted or made them.

My curiosity led me to an Internet search and to my surprise, found many recipes for this classic Italian dish. All of them contained either bread crumbs or flour to hold the chopped spinach together. Eggs helped bind the meat ball mixture as well. One recipe called for nutmeg, a common ingredient in creamed spinach. Another called for lean ground beef.

"The Cooking of Italy," by Waverly Root, in my cookbook collection, contained more information. Because he lived in Italy, Root is familiar with the food, and describes it as colorful and harmonious. "Italians obviously believe that the pleasure of eating (and living) is enhanced by preserving the characteristic tastes of separate ingredients (and the personalities of the individuals)," he writes.

Root's recipe for spinach balls differs from the ones I found on the Internet. The balls are cooked in boiling water first, transferred to a buttered baking dish, sprinkled with cheese, and broiled. Reading the recipe made me salivate and I decided to make my own version of it.

I followed the basic recipe, adding half Parmesan and half Romano cheese for more flavor. Large balls are ideal for a sandwich or casserole. Smaller ones make tasty appetizers and may be served plain or with sauce. Since I was going to make a casserole, I made large balls, cooked them in the oven, and added them to tomato sauce. Within minutes, the kitchen smelled like a pizzeria. This recipe will help you get the vegetables you need and satisfy your yearning for Italian food.

Ingredients

10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 cup grated Parmesan and Romano cheese

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste (may be omitted)

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups no-salt tomato sauce

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Method

Put spinach in a strainer and press out every drop of water. Transfer spinach to a large mixing bowl and add all remaining ingredients, except the Mozzarella. Form the mixture into 18 large balls or 36 small ones. Cover a rimmed baking pan with release aluminum foil. Set the balls on the pan, leaving an inch between them, and bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and increase heat to 425 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon tomato sauce on bottom and set meat balls in sauce. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese and bake, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes, or until balls start to brown. Serve with Italian bread and fresh fruit. Makes 6 servings.

Copyright 2011 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com/

Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 30+ years. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from Amazon.

Centering Corporation published her 26th book, "Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life" and a companion journal. The company also published her latest book, "The Spiritual Woman: Quotes to Refresh and Sustain Your Soul."

Hodgson has another new book out, "101 Affirmations to Ease Your Grief Journey: Words of Comfort, Words of Hope," also available on Amazon. Please visit her website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.

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Exciting Meal Choices For The Vegetarian Family

While many people think of backyard barbecues during the summer complete with fish, chicken, and burgers, you can enjoy some great summer meals even if you are a vegetarian. There is no need to miss out on the flavors of summer just because you choose to avoid eating meat. You will find there are plenty of great alternatives that you can cook up for a wonderful barbecue, picnic, or just a nice family dinner together. Here is a look at a few exciting meal choices for the vegetarian family that are sure to be a big hit.

Tasty Portobello Burgers

You do not have to miss out on a summer favorite - burgers. Vegetarians will find that Portobello burgers provide plenty of flavor without the meat. Since you are using no meat, you are able to save some of the fat and calories that come with eating ground beef burgers. You will need just a few ingredients to turn out these tasty burgers for the whole family. You will need some larger Portobello mushrooms. Make sure you take off the stems before you are ready to cook the mushrooms. While you can cook these mushrooms on the stove top, you will get the best flavor by cooking them out on the grill. Brushing them with a bit of olive oil that includes garlic will give them plenty of flavor. Usually grilling for about 4-5 minutes for each side is going to be plenty. Enjoy using a variety of toppings, such as feta cheese, red peppers, lettuce, sliced onions, and more.

Veggie Ribbon Side Dish

Another of the exciting meal choices for the vegetarian family during the summer is a nice veggie ribbon side dish. This is a dish that is full of color, flavor, and healthy nutrients. This type of a dish is best made with zucchini and carrots. A vegetable peeler can be used to make ribbons from the vegetables. Simply add a bit of olive oil to a skillet and heat with some minced onion and garlic. Add in the veggie ribbons for a few minutes, using salt and pepper to season them. One they are tender crisp, add a bit of thyme and serve the vegetables immediately.

Raspberry Rhubarb Dessert Bar Recipe

Not only do you need some nice main dishes and sides during the summer months, but it is always nice to finish up your meal with a nice dessert that is tasty and refreshing as well. Here is a recipe for an especially tasty dessert that includes both raspberry and rhubarb for a healthy finish to your summer meal.

What You'll Need:

1 tablespoon of cornstarch,2 large oranges, juiced (use just the juice)5 cups of raspberries, fresh? cups of rhubarb, diced1 cup of rolled oats, uncooked1/3 cup of granulated sugar? cup of whole wheat flour? cup of all purpose flourTablespoon of orange zest, grated? cup of light brown sugar, firmly packed? teaspoon of ground ginger? teaspoon of ground cinnamon? teaspoon of baking powder? cup of canola oil? teaspoon of salt, optionalAlmonds, finely chopped

How to Make It:

Preheat your oven to 350. Take a 9-inch baking dish and spray with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and a tablespoon of the orange juice. Combine the raspberries, orange zest, rhubarb, brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons of the orange juice in a saucepan, heating on medium high heat. Simmer the mixture. Lower the heat and simmer partially covered for about 5-9 minutes, making sure rhubarb has become tender. Stir the cornstarch mix into the pan, cooking until the mix thickens. Remove pan from the heat and allow to cool.

In another big bowl, combine together granulated sugar, ginger, flours, oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add in the oil and the rest of the orange juice, using a fork to mix until it becomes crumbly. Take two cups of the mixture and press into your baking dish. Pour the raspberry rhubarb mix on top of the crust, spreading evenly. Take the rest of the oat mixture and add in almonds. Sprinkle it on top of the filling. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the topping is golden. Cool and then cut into bars.

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Recipes For Success On Your Raw Food Diet

When one first goes on a raw food diet, they may find it quite easy to eat whole fruits, vegetables, salads and nuts for the first few weeks. Just the fact that preparation is much simpler than a cooked food diet, not to mention the way it will improve their health is a wonderful incentive to do well with it.

Within the first week of starting a raw food diet, most will begin to feel the positive effects to their health and wellbeing. That becomes incentive to stay on the diet knowing it is helping to somewhat detox your body and improving your health. After a while though you may feel that you are eating the same things repetitiously and may tire of it.

If you are planning on staying on a Raw Food diet for more than a few weeks, or even years, you will find it necessary to look for a variety of different recipes. You may be really gung ho at first about starting your raw food diet, but if you don't vary your foods or eat the same things all the time you may get bored and give up. You will find if you research and learn what nutrients come from what, you will be able to put together a balanced raw food diet that you can be happy with. If you don't, you may start craving unhealthy foods again, and you don't want that.

If you do your homework, you will find there are raw food diet recipes that can be substituted for much of the different types of cooked dishes that you now enjoy. You don't have to live on just salads! There are appetizers, main dishes, and a vast amount of desserts you can make. Smoothies made with whole fruits and green veggies are both delicious and packed with vitamins, minerals and nutrients essential to good health. You can make raw food diet bars that are pleasing and filling. You can even make vegan pizzas by using a nut base for the "dough".

You should start out your raw food diet with a plan to cover all of your nutritional needs. There are websites for people who want to track their success in losing weight, or just those who want to keep track of what they eat. These sites often offer a printable spread sheet so you can keep track of and monitor what you are eating and what nutrients you may be lacking in your raw diet. You can make a food diary and follow it for a couple of weeks until you are certain you are eating healthy in your raw diet. One such website is fitday.com. Check it out; you may be glad you did.

In the case where you find you are lacking certain nutrients, you'll have to do your homework and find a raw food source that contains what you lack. There will be some foods that contain a certain nutrient you lack that you don't care for. This is where the raw food diet recipes will help you. There may be a certain combination of the food you don't like, prepared with other foods you do like so you don't really taste the one you don't like. When there's a will, there's a way, so to speak.

Your nutritional needs may not be fully met on a raw food diet, so in that case, you may have to find another raw source. Raw food diets generally don't have enough calcium for our body's needs. What the Government recommends in the amount of calcium we require is not agreed by many. Some raw fooders believe that meat eaters lose absorption of calcium into their bodies due to a substance in animal products that blocks it. There is nothing however that confirms this claim.

You may find some die hard raw fooders who use raw dairy products to supplement the calcium they are lacking. This is very dangerous however, as salmonella, e-coli and other dangerous and often deadly bacteria's may be present due to the lack of pasteurization. Some may go outside the box for this and use a calcium supplement although not raw, safer. There are certain fruits and vegetables very high in calcium that could simply be eaten more of such as broccoli, cabbage, oranges, raw almonds to name a few. By adding extra of these raw foods in the daily diet you should cover the deficit.

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Raw Food Diet Ideas

Raw foods are becoming popular again. It's a kind of cultural idea that is wonderful and beneficial to good health. Many years ago, around 1980, I was involved with a Wheat Grass Institute and teaching people about raw foods, how to live on them every day, and how to use raw foods to heal from illness. The entire raw food lifestyle was pretty basic back then, when it was mostly sprouts, juices and vegetables and creative salads and sprouted breads or patties.

These days, we have gourmet raw food chefs that are amazing. They make the most wonderful creations of all kinds of combinations of raw foods, making them into patties, loafs, raw pizza, raw apple pie, raw crackers, raw sprouted grain bread, raw "spaghetti sauce" with grated zucchini and more. Or, they bring together magical combinations of foods, like almonds, walnuts and some veggies, maybe a little onion, some carrot and put those in a food processor with seasonings such as soy sauce for a high protein "nut cheese" mixture we can put on our salad.

Here are a few quick ideas on how to integrate super healthy raw foods into your daily routine.
Let's start with avocados. Avocados provide essential fatty acids and concentrated protein easy to add to a salad. Add some lettuce, tomato, cucumber and cabbage to jazz it up a bit. A favorite breakfast combination is avocado and banana just sliced together, a delicious way to combine fat, protein with carbs, to slow down blood sugar overload from the carbs in the banana, and easy enough for a baby to digest.

Sprouts are another amazing part of the raw food diet. What sprouts do for us is give us a very vital seven-day nutrient, containing powerful enzymes and life force of early plant growth; they are super rejuvenating and restorative to life force of the body. We rarely have to grow our own sprouts anymore since so many of them are generally sold in grocery stores. It's easy to pick up everything from wheatgrass to alfalfa and clover sprouts or traditional Oriental mung bean sprouts.

We can make some incredible dips and dressings out of raw foods. For instance, soak a half a cup of sunflower seeds, in a cup of water overnight (begins the sprouting process, making more digestible). Put in the blender with a little soy sauce, a bit of curry powder, some nice spices and herbs, and maybe a touch of honey and/or lemon juice. Blend the mixture till smooth, and you've got an incredible vegetable dip or salad dressing that's very nourishing, and filled with protein and essential fatty acids.

Another fun raw food concept is to make dehydrated vegetable chips. Slice zucchini, sweet potatoes or other seasonal raw vegetables, and put a few herbs on them and possibly a little bit of soy sauce or earth salt and chili pepper. Dry them in a dehydrator or low-temperature oven and they'll be like a potato chip but with no fat. They're not fried and not cooked, just a fun, healthy raw food snack that mimics something familiar, so it helps us with dietary transition towards more raw.

Another treat to make in the dehydrator is vegetable/nut patties. Soak nuts and seeds such as almonds and sunflower seeds, drain and grind in a food processor. Put into a mixing bowl, and add grated zucchini squash, yellow squash, carrots, maybe some diced peppers. Add favorite herbs and spices for seasoning: a little oregano, dill, a pinch of curry and cumin. Stir and you'll have a nice soft mixture. Form the mix into patties, and dehydrate these for about 12-15 hours. You will have a nice little patty that can be served along with salad for a snack or as a main dish.

Adding raw foods to the diet will increase vitality, energy and immune system health. Give these ideas a try and look for more raw food ideas.

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3 Recipes With Cantaloupe

The variety of melons called muskmelons consists of a juicy, edible fruit that is characterized by its round shape and a ribbed exterior. Cantaloupes are a type of muskmelons..

Extensive variation occurs in this fruit. Some cantaloupes are substantial and others are small; some have pink or yellow flesh yet others have white or light-green flesh. The flesh of these fruits contains a large amount of water; therefore, their food value is not high, being just a little more than half as much as that of apples.

If melons good enough for the table are desired, they ought to be

selected with care. To be just at the correct stage, the blossom end of the melon should be a little soft while pressed with the fingers. If it is very soft, the melon is maybe over ripe; but if it does not give with pressure, the melon is still unripe.

Various ways of serving cantaloupes exist. If they are to be served natural as a breakfast food or a lunch dessert, cut them crosswise into halves, or, if they are large, divide them into sections lengthwise.

With the melons cut in the desired fashion, remove all the seeds but keep the melons on ice until they are to be served. The pulp of the melon can also be cut from the rind yet then diced and used in the making of fruit salads.

Again, the pulp can be partly scraped out of the melon and the rinds then filled with fruit mixtures and served with a salad dressing for a salad or with fruit juices for a cocktail. The pulp that is scraped out may be diced and utilized in the fruit mixture.

Recipe 1

FRUIT IN CANTALOUPE SHELLS

During cantaloupe season, a delightful fruit salad can be knocked up by combining several different sorts of fruit with the flesh of cantaloupe and serving the mixture in the cantaloupe shells. Such a salad is an excellent one to serve if light refreshments are needed or when something unusual is required for a pleasant lunch.

Cut cantaloupes in half crosswise, yet, using the French cutter, cut some of the meat into round balls. Dice the rest but mix with any blend of fruit desired. Position this in the cantaloupe shells after cutting points in the top edge. Garnish with the balls cut from the cantaloupe yet serve with any desired dressing. You can also sprinkle nuts on top to add a variation of textures.

Recipe 2

FRESH FRUIT COMPOTE

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh strawberries, halved

1 cup sliced fresh peaches, peeled

1 cup fresh blackberries or raspberries

1 cup watermelon balls

1 cup cantaloupe balls

1 cup seedless grapes

1/2 cup sparkling wine (or sweet) wine, chilled

2 tbs thawed orange juice, frozen, concentrated, undiluted

Mix together all of the fruit in a large glass or ceramic bowl and gently stir to mix. Add the orange juice and wine and gently stir again. Chill with a wrapping on it for at least 20 minutes. Toss again gently before serving.

Recipe 3

ERDBEER BOWLE (Strawberry Wine Punch)

1/2 pt strawberries, stemmed, rinsed, cut in half

1 tbs granulated sugar

1/2 bottle German Riesling, well chilled

1 tbs brandy (preferably Alsbach Uralt)

1/2 bottle German Sekt well chilled

Bowle is a typical German party wine punch. During the month of May, throughout Germany, bowle is served flavoured with fresh woodruff (Waldmeister), a sweet scented herb with white flowers, which grows particularly well in wooded and shady areas away from hot sun. Later, during strawberry season, bowle is prepared with strawberries which grow abundantly everywhere. As German summer season progresses, bowle is prepared with other fruits like peaches, chunks of juicy watermelon, cubes of bright orange cantaloupe, or plump raspberries.

Put the strawberries in a large covered glass jar (a sun tea jar will be fine), sprinkle them with sugar and drizzle them with the brandy. Set them aside to marinate for two hours to allow the sugar to draw out the juice from the berries.

Add white wine, stir, and set aside for two more hours. When ready to serve, pour into a punch bowl. Add Sekt and serve chilled in wide champagne style glasses, making certain to distribute strawberries with the wine.

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