Dried fruits and herbs for Berry Nourishing Tea #HerbalMedicine
I’ve been studying the medicinal powers of herbs this past year (as I detailed in this post on tinctures). As a result, I don’t go a day without some sort of herbal medicine in my diet via tea, tincture, homemade syrup, or herbal-medicine-rich food (pesto anyone?).
I’ve created quite the beautiful collection of herbs. What can I say? I’m now an herb geek. When I read books and articles on medicinal herbs I can’t help but get wrapped up in their history and seemingly magical powers. It’s all very romantic to me.
Here is a wonderful tea recipe that can be used to help the health of heart, eyes, immune system, and beauty. It’s delicious, rich, and fun to drink warm or over ice, sweetened with raw honey or not (though the licorice root sweetens it perfectly for me).
I sourced all of the ingredients for this mixture from Mountain Rose Herbs. I highly recommend that you start a collection of organic herbs for medicine. I use them (internally and externally) for everything: skin beauty, boo boos, immune strength, adrenal support, vision support, longevity, calming, sleep, dreaming, and overall optimal performance. Honestly, I feel empowered using medicinal herbs… like I know secrets of the earth that many others do not. Read More »
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Confession Granola #GlutenFree
I have a confession. I made granola. Really good (too good, actually) granola.
Why is that a confession? It’s a confession because I don’t eat many grains (usually only in the form of white rice, if at all) and I make a pretty big stink about sticking to that. By making granola, and using (gluten-free) oats (because oats are what true granola has), and it being granola that is impossible to only eat a few bites of… well, I ate a lot of it. So there, I admit it. I’m not perfect and I ate oats. (It was really good though.)
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Sunday, June 15th, 2014
by Kristen Suzanne
in avocado,
celery,
gluten free,
honey,
paleo,
raw,
raw dressing,
raw recipes,
recipe,
salad,
salad dressing
Grapefruit-Jicama Salad w Avocado Dressing #Recipe
Summer is one of my favorite times to dive into fresh and bright salads so I can go about my day feeling light. This Grapefruit-Jicama Salad with Creamy Avocado is a delightful experience perfect for just that. Crisp jicama and celery along with juicy grapefruit and creamy avocado. Need I say more?
Grapefruit-Jicama Salad with Creamy Avocado
Yield 2 servings
The Salad Base
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (or lemon juice)
- 1 small jicama, peeled and cut julienne-style
- 2 red or pink grapefruit (or 3 oranges), peeled, white pith removed, seeded, and cut into segments
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- Whisk together the honey and lime juice, and set aside.
- Toss the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Add the honey mixture and toss to coat.
- Plate the salad mixture, reserving any leftover honey mixture that is in the bowl.
The Creamy Avocado
- Leftover honey mixture (from the salad base)
- 1 avocado, pitted and peeled
- 2 tablespoons raw macadamia nut oil (or raw olive oil)
- 1 tablespoon filtered water (or more)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
- pinch black pepper, more to taste
- Blend all of the ingredients until smooth. Serve over the Grapefruit-Jicama Salad.
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“Give Me More” Stuffed Bell Peppers #GlutenFree #Vegan
Doesn’t that bell pepper look scrumptious? I promise you it is. I am sharing with you another recipe from my Raw Vegan Transitions book. It’s an easy recipe that you can make for a beautiful appetizer or impressive lunch.
The crisp crunch from the fresh bell pepper combined with the warmth of the rice and the “smoosh” factor from the avocado and soaked sun-dried tomatoes are absolutely delicious. Enjoy.
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups cooked white or brown rice
- 1 cup spinach, chopped and gently packed
- 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tamari (wheat-free) or coconut aminos
- 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
- dash nutmeg
- 4 to 6 yellow, red, or orange bell peppers
- Place the sunflower seeds in a bowl and cover completely with filtered water plus about an inch. Let them soak for 6 to 8 hours. Drain off the water and give them a quick rinse. Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a separate bowl and add enough water to cover them. Let them soak for up to an hour. Drain the water off.
- When the seeds and sun-dried tomatoes are ready to use, set them aside in a large bowl together. Begin cooking the rice, as directed by the manufacturer’s instructions. While the rice is cooking, prepare the other ingredients and place them in the bowl with the sun-dried tomatoes. Add the (warm) cooked rice to the bowl and toss to mix.
- Take your bell peppers and cut off the tops (including the stems). Dig out the seeded part. Spoon the stuffing into the bell peppers.
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Vibrant Green Chia Pudding Raw Paleo Gluten Free
Here is a refreshing chia pudding recipe for the summer that can be enjoyed as a snack, dessert, or as an easy breakfast (make it the night before to enjoy the following morning). I pulled it from my Raw Vegan Transitions book and changed it up a bit to suit my preferences these days. Mainly, I swapped out the agave nectar for raw honey. (To keep it vegan, simply use agave nectar or maple syrup in place of the honey.)
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Tuesday, April 15th, 2014
Olive n Veggie Pasta (gluten free, paleo, raw vegan)
The first time I created this recipe both my husband and I knew it’d become a regular in our house, and it has been for years. The textures and flavors are refreshing and delicious (especially fantastic during the warm summer months), and it’s a pretty dish. Oh, it takes a maximum of 10-minutes to throw together – I love that.
Olive and Veggie Pasta (Gluten Free. Raw Vegan. Paleo.)
Yield 2 servings
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 medium to large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 avocado, pitted, scooped / peeled, and diced
- 6 raw olives, pitted and chopped*
- 4 to 5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives or 1 green onion, chopped
- fresh organic lemon or lime juice, a good squeeze’s worth
- drizzle high quality raw olive oil
- sea salt, to taste
- Using a spiral vegetable slicer, spiralize the zucchini into noodles (if you have kids, have them help with this because they’ll love it). If you don’t have a spiral slicer, use a vegetable peeler to cut the zucchini into long, thin, ribbon-like slices.
- Put the zucchini in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients.
- Toss well with some fun bamboo hands and serve immediately.
* We really love Essential Living Foods Raw Peruvian Black Botija Olives. They are so unbelievably good… very juicy and meaty. The only ingredients are organic raw botija olives and sea salt.
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Red bell peppers
It’s time for a raw plant based recipe today. A fun one, too. Even though I eat a diet rich in high quality animal products, it doesn’t mean I don’t make my family raw plant-based recipes, too. I find value in raw vegan recipes for their diversity to my family’s diet and the phtyo-nutrients they offer. Whole-food, plant-based recipes have a place in all diets although I no longer subscribe to a 100% plant based diet anymore for us.
Apart from the soaking time of the sunflower seeds, this recipe can be whipped up in no time flat – that’s my kind of recipe. Or, use Go Raw sunflower seeds which are already sprouted and it’ll take even less effort. The texture of the final recipe will have some crunch since the seeds won’t be soaked but that’s totally cool, too.
Easy Stuffed Peppers (Gluten Free. Raw Vegan. Paleo.)
Yield 2 servings
- 3⁄4 cup raw organic sunflower seeds
- 1⁄2 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons organic flax meal
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons minced fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 1⁄4 teaspoon himalayan crystal salt (or perhaps less, if using already salted seeds like these)
- 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1⁄8 teaspoon chipotle powder
- dash of freshly ground pepper
- 2 medium to large organic red, orange, or yellow bell peppers
- Put the sunflower seeds in a bowl and add filtered water to cover by about 1 inch. Let them soak at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight if that’s easier. Drain the sunflower seeds and rinse. Remember, if you use already soaked and sprouted raw sunflower seeds like Go Raw’s then you can skip this step.
- In a food processor, combine the sunflower seeds with celery, flax meal, chives, lime juice, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Process the mixture until it’s a lightly coarse texture.
- Cut the top off each bell pepper, including the stem, and pull out the seeds. Stuff the bell peppers with the sunflower seed mixture. Serve immediately.
Image credit
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Tuesday, March 18th, 2014
Spicy Metabolic Vanilla C Tonic with grapefruit
Everyone has heard of the master cleanse right? I tried that diet / cleanse, among most others. I lasted almost 5 days before I was so hungry I was dreaming of lettuce to eat, desperate as I was. Well. I have to admit that the tonic you make on the Master Cleanse is pretty darn tasty and possibly has some nutritional value, but not nearly enough. That’s where my Spicy Metabolic Vanilla C Tonic comes into play. It’s my spin of the Master Cleanse tonic that is to be enjoyed whenever and where ever BUT not as a replacement for food! Note: I am not suggesting that you drink this as part of that cleanse, or any cleanse, that involves removing food because I am not a fan of cleanses – food is a good thing. I’m simply sharing a delicious and nutritious tonic that you can drink anytime.
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Ginger Cream Green Smoothie
Do you ever feel like you want more salad in your life but simply lack the motivation to get everything out, chop it up, make a dressing, and put it all together? I know I do, and that’s why I’m drawn to green smoothies, especially lately. By making green smoothies like the one I’m sharing with you today, I’m able to get light and fresh greens in my diet… and, it’s quick which is important to me. I’m a busy mama who home schools, reads, plays Words with Friends, socializes on play-dates at the park, and makes all of our meals from scratch. Oh and I clean the home on occasion. So, yeah. Busy.
Green smoothies are pretty regular in our house, but they’re probably not the same as the green smoothies you see so often on the web which are usually full of dark leafy greens like kale, chard, or even spinach. If I eat those, I cook them for proper nutrient import and export.
I also don’t feel drawn to a high sugar or carb-heavy diet these days, even if it is from fruits, so you won’t see many fruits in my smoothies. I do eat berries and some seasonal citrus, and I’m not opposed to fruit in general, but I find that I feel better if I’m not eating too much of it. So these days, I like to keep my smoothies sweet-fruit-free.
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Mexican Tuna Salad Paleo Gluten Free
Are you looking for a quick salad that is high in protein and nourishing fat but low in carbs? Want something that is also gluten free, paleo, and good for you? Look no more and try my Mexican Tuna Salad. This salad will keep you satisfied all afternoon and energized to boot.
We’re just coming off a trip to Mexico and I am still desiring those wonderful flavors. Here I have a low mercury tuna, by Wild Planet, along with fresh cilantro which is good for combating mercury anyway, plus crunchy fresh red bell pepper, savory green onion, and delicious creamy avocado. It’s like mashed up guacamole, salsa, and tuna basically.
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Hi! I'm a chef, author, homeschooling mom, and I love to eat and cook super healthy food. I'm a former vegan, now real-food omnivore, who enjoys coffee(!), dark chocolate, rebounding, and researching the latest tips for optimal living. 
