SUPERFOODS – Spirulina
Tahini Salad dressing recipe
Experimenting on myself… again!
Collard Greens
This week I’m talking about the fourth Super food, Spirulina, which is basically... algae! Personally, I have not tried Spirulina (there are only so many super foods a girl can consume in one day!) Spirulina is freshwater-growing algae, living on the planet since the appearance of life. Its green color is from chlorophyll and its blue tinge is from the pigment phyococyanin. Here are its beneficial properties:
It is 65-71 percent complete protein, meaning it contains all eight essential amino acids.
It is rich in vitamins A, B 1, 2, and 6, E and K.
It is an abundant source of chlorophyll, salts, phytonutrients and enzymes.
It is the best source of GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) which is an anti-inflammatory.
It is a blood builder, containing as much iron as red eat.
It is a powerful anti-oxidant and immune system booster.
What does it taste like and how to use it? NO personal input here, so you’re on your own! Its taste is described as “a cross between chlorophyll and fish, with a slightly sulfer-rich aftertaste.” I’m sorry, that just does NOT sound appealing! The most common form is powdered, which you “can” add to smoothies or sprinkle on top of salads. I “think” I’ve had some Spirulina in one of those uber-healthy raw “green” energy bars. I also remember not loving the taste, but not gagging, either. For me, putting something that tasted “fishy and sulphurish” in my smoothies would be just plain GROSS! Here is a recipe which seems edible and almost tasty, if you want to eat Spirulina.
Spirulina and Chocolate Balls
1/2 c raw cacao powder
2T spirulina
2 T coconut oil/butter
3T honey
Pinch salt
Dash vanilla
1/4 c finely ground nuts
Roll everything together into little balls, freeze about 15 minutes, keep in fridge, eat one each day.
Tahini Salad Dressing is my newest daily go-to dressing, which I use on the chopped veggie dishes I eat regularly. It is SO easy, SO delicious and SO good for you. Tahini is ground sesame seeds, comes in a jar and you can purchase it from the health food store, any Asian store and probably from Giant or Wegmans.
This is the basic recipe which you can alter by flavor, thickness, sweetness, etc.
4 T Tahini
2 T Apple Cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 T honey
2 T high quality olive oil
Put in a bowl, mix well with a fork or whisk. Add ins include: water to thin to desired consistency, orange juice concentrate, grated lemon or orange rind, herbs, tamari, garlic, a drop of sesame oil and grated ginger will give you a delicious Asian flavor.
The finished dressing should be pourable. I love this on my basic chopped veggie salads, put less water in and you’ve got an awesome dipping sauce for raw veggies or crackers, thicken it with still less water and you’ve got a mighty tasty sandwich spread.
Experimenting on myself yet again produced DISASTROUS results! I don’t know what comes over me sometimes, but I start doubting the validity of eating raw, so I start nosing around other “diets.” Also, vanity kicks in and I decide to lose weight. So… against my better internal voice of sanity, I went on that Dukan Diet… the wonder French diet where all you eat for five days straight is meat, and magically, you drop all kinds of weight. By day 3 of this regime, I was NOT a happy girl. My digestive system totally shut down, I did NOT lose any weight, the arthritis pain and depression feelings came inching back, fatigue set in… Yuck. In the midst of this, I had a bodywork session with the person who knows me and my body very, very well. She got to my liver and asked me what on earth I was doing differently in my diet. My liver energy was chaotic and blocked, which believe me, are NOT good things. My liver was struggling to process the protein overload. That was all I needed to hear… after years of working with people with liver issues, I knew that was a very dangerous place to put my health. I went home, had two green drinks and then a massive raw veggie salad for dinner. Within eight hours, all body systems returned to normal. I should know by now, NOT to tinker with what I eat, because it never yields good results. Raw and mostly vegan inherently and intuitively feel “right” for me. I simply can’t argue with the amazing health benefits which are mine since being raw. I was not happy to feel so GROSS, but the happy ending was validation and confirmation that raw is right for me.
Collard Greens conjured up images of a slimy, grayish-green mess I ate once in South Carolina. Standing in the produce section a few weeks ago, I needed to get some variety into my daily greens intake – I was getting bored with spinach, kale and romaine lettuce. Collards weren’t too expensive so I figured if they were “gag producing” and I tossed them out, no big deal. Well… WOW! I love them because they don’t have a strong taste at all! I put the leaves in my green smoothies and… this is really cool, use them as a wrap! I’m giving you a link below for a Collard Green wrap which is really, really good! So, don’t be afraid to buy and try Collard Greens – they defy all the stereotypes!
http://www.rawmazing.com
Why I do what I do… minimal arthritis pain, NO prescription meds other than for my thyroid, energy, regularity, glowing skin and clear eyes, stamina, perfect blood pressure and blood work… Why would I EVER want to go back to what I ate and what I was before? I learned a very uncomfortable lesson with this last foray into heavy protein, cooked eating. No more.
One more thing… we’re having Memorial Day party. I’m fixing lots of traditional food for friends who think I’m CRAZY eating the way I do. Here’s what I’m fixing for hubby and me: raw chopped veggie salad with the Tahini Dressing made with orange juice and rind, raw zucchini pasta (I’ll talk about that next week) with raw tomato sauce, raw veggie crackers from the dehydrator and raw fruit for dessert. Everyone else can eat burgers, hot dogs and chicken to their heart’s content. Not me.
Tahini Salad dressing recipe
Experimenting on myself… again!
Collard Greens
This week I’m talking about the fourth Super food, Spirulina, which is basically... algae! Personally, I have not tried Spirulina (there are only so many super foods a girl can consume in one day!) Spirulina is freshwater-growing algae, living on the planet since the appearance of life. Its green color is from chlorophyll and its blue tinge is from the pigment phyococyanin. Here are its beneficial properties:
It is 65-71 percent complete protein, meaning it contains all eight essential amino acids.
It is rich in vitamins A, B 1, 2, and 6, E and K.
It is an abundant source of chlorophyll, salts, phytonutrients and enzymes.
It is the best source of GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) which is an anti-inflammatory.
It is a blood builder, containing as much iron as red eat.
It is a powerful anti-oxidant and immune system booster.
What does it taste like and how to use it? NO personal input here, so you’re on your own! Its taste is described as “a cross between chlorophyll and fish, with a slightly sulfer-rich aftertaste.” I’m sorry, that just does NOT sound appealing! The most common form is powdered, which you “can” add to smoothies or sprinkle on top of salads. I “think” I’ve had some Spirulina in one of those uber-healthy raw “green” energy bars. I also remember not loving the taste, but not gagging, either. For me, putting something that tasted “fishy and sulphurish” in my smoothies would be just plain GROSS! Here is a recipe which seems edible and almost tasty, if you want to eat Spirulina.
Spirulina and Chocolate Balls
1/2 c raw cacao powder
2T spirulina
2 T coconut oil/butter
3T honey
Pinch salt
Dash vanilla
1/4 c finely ground nuts
Roll everything together into little balls, freeze about 15 minutes, keep in fridge, eat one each day.
Tahini Salad Dressing is my newest daily go-to dressing, which I use on the chopped veggie dishes I eat regularly. It is SO easy, SO delicious and SO good for you. Tahini is ground sesame seeds, comes in a jar and you can purchase it from the health food store, any Asian store and probably from Giant or Wegmans.
This is the basic recipe which you can alter by flavor, thickness, sweetness, etc.
4 T Tahini
2 T Apple Cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 T honey
2 T high quality olive oil
Put in a bowl, mix well with a fork or whisk. Add ins include: water to thin to desired consistency, orange juice concentrate, grated lemon or orange rind, herbs, tamari, garlic, a drop of sesame oil and grated ginger will give you a delicious Asian flavor.
The finished dressing should be pourable. I love this on my basic chopped veggie salads, put less water in and you’ve got an awesome dipping sauce for raw veggies or crackers, thicken it with still less water and you’ve got a mighty tasty sandwich spread.
Experimenting on myself yet again produced DISASTROUS results! I don’t know what comes over me sometimes, but I start doubting the validity of eating raw, so I start nosing around other “diets.” Also, vanity kicks in and I decide to lose weight. So… against my better internal voice of sanity, I went on that Dukan Diet… the wonder French diet where all you eat for five days straight is meat, and magically, you drop all kinds of weight. By day 3 of this regime, I was NOT a happy girl. My digestive system totally shut down, I did NOT lose any weight, the arthritis pain and depression feelings came inching back, fatigue set in… Yuck. In the midst of this, I had a bodywork session with the person who knows me and my body very, very well. She got to my liver and asked me what on earth I was doing differently in my diet. My liver energy was chaotic and blocked, which believe me, are NOT good things. My liver was struggling to process the protein overload. That was all I needed to hear… after years of working with people with liver issues, I knew that was a very dangerous place to put my health. I went home, had two green drinks and then a massive raw veggie salad for dinner. Within eight hours, all body systems returned to normal. I should know by now, NOT to tinker with what I eat, because it never yields good results. Raw and mostly vegan inherently and intuitively feel “right” for me. I simply can’t argue with the amazing health benefits which are mine since being raw. I was not happy to feel so GROSS, but the happy ending was validation and confirmation that raw is right for me.
Collard Greens conjured up images of a slimy, grayish-green mess I ate once in South Carolina. Standing in the produce section a few weeks ago, I needed to get some variety into my daily greens intake – I was getting bored with spinach, kale and romaine lettuce. Collards weren’t too expensive so I figured if they were “gag producing” and I tossed them out, no big deal. Well… WOW! I love them because they don’t have a strong taste at all! I put the leaves in my green smoothies and… this is really cool, use them as a wrap! I’m giving you a link below for a Collard Green wrap which is really, really good! So, don’t be afraid to buy and try Collard Greens – they defy all the stereotypes!
http://www.rawmazing.com
Why I do what I do… minimal arthritis pain, NO prescription meds other than for my thyroid, energy, regularity, glowing skin and clear eyes, stamina, perfect blood pressure and blood work… Why would I EVER want to go back to what I ate and what I was before? I learned a very uncomfortable lesson with this last foray into heavy protein, cooked eating. No more.
One more thing… we’re having Memorial Day party. I’m fixing lots of traditional food for friends who think I’m CRAZY eating the way I do. Here’s what I’m fixing for hubby and me: raw chopped veggie salad with the Tahini Dressing made with orange juice and rind, raw zucchini pasta (I’ll talk about that next week) with raw tomato sauce, raw veggie crackers from the dehydrator and raw fruit for dessert. Everyone else can eat burgers, hot dogs and chicken to their heart’s content. Not me.
