Thai Cocunt Milk Soup

Thai Cocunt Soup


20oz coconut milk
2 cups water
4 stalks lemon grass, bruised and chopped
Mushrooms, shitake and button 1/2 pound each
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon thai paste
small onion chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tsp minced ginger
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
salt and pepper to taste
**add shrimp or chicken for added protein

Bring coconut milk and water to a simmer
In a separate pan sautee mushrooms, onions and garlic in olive oil until soft
add mushroom mixture to broth
add all other ingredients except basil
simmer on low for one hour
season with salt and pepper, add cayenne to taste
add fresh basil and serve

Summer Kale Salad

Kale is an amazing vegetable! It is full of flavonoids, yep that's a real word, giving it anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties! It has been linked to lowering the risk of a half-dozen cancers as well as being known as a great aid to the bodies detoxification system. 

This is a very simple and amazing salad full of flavor! 

Ingredients 

2 bunches chopped kale 

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup shredded red cabbage 

1 cup organic feta cheese

1/2 cup sliced almonds 

Dressing:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

Put chopped vegetables in a heat safe bowl. Put dressing ingredients in a small pot heat until honey melts and stir. Pour hot dressing over salad, toss and  let stand for 20 minutes. (You may need to make more dressing depending on how much kale you have, just be sure the majority has been covered lightly). Add feta and almonds, season with pepper and put in fridge uncovered for an hour. You want the kale to wilt. Serve. 

This keeps well in a glass tupperware container for a few days. 

Wake up your garden with coffee grinds!

If you are a coffee drinker pause before you toss out the grinds left from your morning brew. Coffee grinds are an excellent mulch choice for gardens!  They are a great source of nitrogen and minerals like magnesium, potassium and calcium. There are a few ways you can take advantage of the benefits of coffee grinds in your garden. 

1. If you have a composter just toss them in 

2. Add them directly to the soil, just sprinkle them around the plants and watch them grow! 

3. Use them as a barrier for snails. (broken egg shells work well for this too) Just sprinkle a small wall of the grinds around your plants, snails avoid the texture and the acid in the grounds. 

4. Liquid fertilizer can be made by adding a few cups of coffee grounds to a 5-gallon bucket. Let it steep over night

If you're not a coffee drinker stop by your local Starbucks and ask them for their grinds! They are usually happy to give them to a gardener! 

Happy Gardening! 

Spicy Salmon glaze, oh so easy!

I love salmon and this has to be my favorite way to cook it!

Glaze 

1/4 cup red pepper jelly 

3 garlic pieces garlic clove

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 bunch cilantro 

1tablespoon lemon juice 

salt and pepper to taste 

lemon wedges 

Place all ingredients in a small food processor, blend together and spoon over salmon before cooking. I prefer to BBQ it on a cedar plank. Save about 2 tablespoons to put on after it's cooked. Serve with lemon wedges. Delicious! 

Coffee and honey face mask

I absolutely love to make skin care products out of ingredients found in my kitchen! Many of the products we eat to nourish our bodies are just as fantastic for our skin. One of my favorite masks is made with honey and coffee! 

Coffee is a great ingredient for the skin. It's rich in antioxidants which prevent aging and repair skin damage. It is highly effective at removing toxins and reducing puffiness. Honey is a natural antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and is very moisturizing to the skin. This is simple to apply and you're skin will feel oh so soft after just 10 minutes. On a side note I swear the caffeine soaks right through my skin and gives me a little caffeine rush so maybe skip your morning cup of coffee when you apply it!

2tsp honey

2tsp used coffee grounds (caffeinated)

Mix together and apply to the skin, leave on for 10-15 minutes then wash off with warm water. 

To Block or not to Block?

Every year when spring arrives and the weather begins to change I look forward to all the beauty of summer; beach days, fresh garden food, warm evening walks, lazy days by the pool I could go on and on. With all this beautiful sun comes responsibility! We must decide if and how to protect our skin from the suns harmful rays. Long past are the days of rubbing baby oil on your body and going for the "how dark can I get look" well at least for most of us. 

Personally, I protect my skin because of the two C's; cancer and crows feet! I am pale and my skin burns easily. I would like to avoid the long-term consequences of unprotected sun exposure! Now don't think you're safe because you always get a golden tan and never burn. In fact the UVA rays that penetrate deep into the skin and give you that color are equally as dangerous as UVB that burns. 

So just put some sunscreen on and you're good right? Not exactly. First, some of the ingredients in sunscreen leave me opting for a burn instead! Secondly, only about 10% of sunscreens block UVA rays. If that isn't annoying enough sunscreen is hardly regulated by the FDA. Manufacturers are not required to test the products to see if they work.  

So what to do? Make sure the sunblock you use has UVA and UVB protection, check the safety of the ingredients (www.cosmeticdatabase.com), wear a hat and see what happens. If you find yourself burning or tanning then try another brand. 

There are two sunscreens I use and I have found them to be safe and effective;  california baby and alba botantica. 

Enjoy the sun! 

Clean House, Healthy House!

I'm a huge fan of a clean house but not of all the toxic ingredients in household cleaners! Here are a few of my favorite go to cleaners that are inexpensive and safe! 

Wood Cleaner: 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup water, 1tsp soap, 1tablespoon olive oil few drops rosemary extract  

Wood polish:  2tablespoons olive oil, 1tsp lemon juice mix together, apply directly to cloth and rub on wood 

Stone and glass: 1 Cup Vinegar to 1 gallon water (I prefer warm water on glass)

All purpose: 1/2 cup vinegar 2 teaspoons Borax, 1/2 gallon water, essential oil for scent 

or 

 1tsp liquid soap, 1tsp borax, 2tsp lemon juice, 2 cups water (I like this in the bathroom)

or                       

1/4 cup castile soap and 1 gallon water (I love Dr. Bronner's it will clean just about anything!) 

My favorite bathroom cleaner: cut a lemon in half, put 1tsp borax on the lemon, scrub the counter and wipe with a clean damp cloth! (I have a crazy producing lemon tree so this is an easy one for me) 

Air freshener 

2 cups water

15-20 drops eucalyptus or lavender oil 

Happy, healthy cleaning! 

Real Men Eat Tofu!

My husband loves these and said I should share it on my blog, proof that real men eat tofu! The thing about tofu is if you don't like it then you did something wrong! It's all about how you season and serve it, by itself it  has almost no taste. The same can not be said for this dinner! 


Tofu Burritos with Black Beans and Spicy Slaw! 

Spicy Cabbage slaw 

1 head cabbage 

Juice from two lemons

1tsp cumin

1tsp cayenne

1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt 

1/4tsp salt

1/4tsp pepper

2 tablespoons vinegar 

Mix all ingredients except cabbage. Cut cabbage in 1/2 and then in long thin strips. Mix cabbage with dressing. Let stand in fridge for at least 30 minutes for cabbage to wilt slightly. 

Tofu Burritos 

1 package extra firm tofu cut into about 1/4inch cubes

1tsp cumin

1tsp chili powder or cayenne 

1 cup onion diced

1 cup red or yellow bell pepper

2 cups zucchini

2 cups chopped tomatoes 

3 cups black or pinto beans 

whole grain tortillas

Low-fat sour cream or greek yogurt (I prefer greek yogurt)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

Olive Oil 

Place tofu in a bowl season with cumin and chili powder. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell peppers and zucchini saute 3-4 minutes. Add tofu and cook another 2-3 minutes. 

Warm tortillas, spoon in mixture and cheese, roll up. Top with tomatoes and sour cream to taste. 

Serve burritos with spicy slaw and black beans on the side. 

Serves 4 

Garlic Fire Spray will keep the Bugs away!

We started gardening 3 years ago when my husband built me a garden box for Mother's day. Last year we expanded to a 600sq ft vegetable garden on the side of our house. Last summer we enjoyed all the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, zucchini, squash, eggplant, watermelon, peppers and herbs we could stand! 

Our first commitment to gardening was to only grow organic. The problem is the bugs! They love my delicious vegetables almost as much as I do, almost! There is nothing more frustrating than growing beautiful food and having it ravaged by bugs! In this regard I can see the appeal to pesticides, it's the poison part I can't get on board with! My answer is Garlic Fire Spray! This little recipe was shared with me by a local gardener and it worked great last year. 

Garlic Fire Spray

Blend ingredients in blender, strain through cheese cloth and transfer to spray bottle. Spray about once a week. 

• 2-3 garlic bulbs (about 6-10 cloves per bulb)
• 6 large or 12 small hot chilli peppers. If you don't have peppers use 2 tablespoons cayenne  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or oliveoil
• 2tsp dish soap 
• 6-7 cups water

Bye bye bugs.... hello vegetables! 

So what, I sweat!

Ok, so we all sweat and sometimes we stink! In order to prevent sticky pits and offensive odor people reach for antiperspirants or deodorant. Antiperspirant and deodorant are often assumed to be the same thing, they are not. Deodorant is the stuff that stops the smell and antiperspirant clogs the ducts and prevents the body from perspiring. 

The active ingredient used to stop the flow of sweat onto the skin  in antiperspirant is aluminum. Aluminum is believed to cause an increase in risk of Alzheimer's disease and some would argue cancer. The FDA allows this poisonous ingredient to be added to deodorant in regulated amounts. Regulated poison, really? I'll pass. 

The other ingredient  of concern in antiperspirants are parabens. This has in fact become quite a buzz word in the US. There are rising concerns that parabens can cause cancer by acting like estrogen in living tissue.  I am sure you have noticed more and more products with labels that say "paraben" free. There must be a reason for this right? Although there aren't any studies to prove that antiperspirant causes cancer, I'm not going to wait for those to come out.  

For me it comes down to this, I don't want to put a poison on my skin day after day and don't want to stop my body from doing something it does for a reason. I stopped using antiperspirant about 7 years ago and so far nobody has ran away to avoid my odor! I use organic deodorant, it keeps me from smelling and allows my body to do what it wants to do. I will say that I did sweat quite a bit when I first stopped using antiperspirant but over time that has changed. I rarely sweat any more and when I do I deal with it, I'll take a little sticky odorless pit over years of exposure to poisons. 

So my challenge to you is this, give it a try! Put your antiperspirant away from 30-days and give an organic deodorant a try. 

Black Bean Burger w/ spanish rice

Ok this recipe is oh so easy and oh so delicious!

5 cups cooked black beans
1/4 cup cilantro
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs (see instructions below)
1 1/2 cups grilled onions
2 garlic cloves
4 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup low fat greek yogurt
1/2 poblano pepper
5 cups cooked brown rice
4 corn tortillas cut into small triangles (like chips)
Olive oil


Cook rice. Roast tomatoes, 1 cup onions, 1/2 poblano (or other mild pepper) and 2 garlic cloves on a cookie sheet in the oven at 375 until onions begin to brown about 15 minutes. Cook remaining 1/2 cup onion in small pan with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Smash black beans and mix with cilantro, egg, bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grilled onions in a bowl.

Remove tomato mixture from oven and mix in with rice and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside

Form black bean mixture into patties, place on hot grill or pan (with olive oil to prevent sticking) allow to firm up on one side and flip, cook until slightly brown on both sides. Top with avocado, greek yogurt and salsa to taste.

Toss tortillas in a bowl with olive oil place on cookie sheet sprinkle with salt and out in oven on low broil until slightly crispy.

Of course use only Organic ingredients!

Enjoy!

Eat Organic

I can't say this enough, eat, eat, eat organic! Do you really think that chemicals designed to kill bugs don't impact your health? Organic foods are better for your body and better for the environment.

 It's also not as expensive as you might think. Of course, organic is slightly more expensive than non-organic but is it not worth it to avoid putting chemicals into your body? I find on average organic produce is 10-15% higher than non-organic. Meat and juices tend to have the biggest jump in price. One thing you can do  if you are a meat eater is have 2 vegetarian meals a week you'll save $$ and as far as the environment goes it's like buying a hybrid! Also, buy in bulk and shop at the farmers markets! I find my grocery bill is very comparable if not lower than most families I know. Some of the reasons, I don't buy red meat (if you're a carnivore stop panicking, you don't have to give it up completely, just cut back), I don't buy juices,  I don't buy pre-packaged convenience foods. I make everything I can from scratch.

Example, don't buy organic chicken broth packaged! Buy a whole organic chicken, boil it, peel the meat, and freeze the broth! It's a huge saver over buying canned chicken and broth separately! When I do this I use the broth to make soup, half the chicken for dinner and the rest to make chicken salad sandwiches; three birds, one stone! Buy rice and beans (dried) on bulk not having someone soak and package your beans saves you money too.

If you have a local farmers market buy organic there, the goods don't have to be shipped which is better for the environment and the freshness of your food. Plus it's so much more fun than the store!

I also find that smaller health food stores have lower prices on organic foods than your larger chain stores. Trader Joe's is also a store I don't think gets enough credibility for affordability.

My thoughts are this, pay now or pay later. Whatever choices we make we deal with at some point. You are what you eat after all!