Category: Recipes

Vegan Cucumber & Artichoke Salad Dressing

When I made the decision to embrace a vegan diet, I knew what I would miss the most – feta cheese in my salads.

You see, we eat salads – nice big ones- every single day. Raw vegetables are the basis of a healthy diet, so we go all out. Our salads are filled with a large variety of vegetables. Typically they include the following: spinach, kale, collard greens, beet tops, chard, red cabbage, red peppers, onions, leeks, and garlic, along with shredded carrots, beets, zucchini, and daikon radishes. Meat, eggs, and beans are optional.

We top our salads with nuts and seeds, olives, raisins, feta cheese,  avocado, turmeric, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. The combination of textures and flavors is to die for.  They are so good, these salads never get boring, even if they are the same day after day. It’s not at all like eating those old lettuce based salads. But when I cut out the cheese, my salads didn’t taste right. Suddenly they were bland and boring.

I took out the raisins and added cucumber and tomatoes, but it still wasn’t working for me. I knew I needed to create a new salad dressing. Before I’m done, I will probably create a few. This was the first.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium size cucumbers
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 1/2 jar of marinated artichokes with 1/2 the liquid.
  • 2 heaping TBLS of vegan mayo (Just Mayo is what I used)
  • 2 TBLS dried parsley
  • 1 teas frrsh cracked pepper
  • 1 teas salt

Instructions

  • Cut the ends off the cucumbers. Leave the peels on.
  • Peel the onion and garlic. Chop or slice the cucumbers, onion, and garlic.
  • Throw them in the blender and add the other ingredients. Blend until the ingredients are liquefied.
  • Store in a jar in the refrigerator.

Salads are wonderful again. Who needs cheese?

To learn more about a healthy diet and how to heal your gut, check out the articles below.

Further Reading:

How to Pickle Anything Like a Pro – Infographic

Did you pick a peck of peppers with Peter Piper this summer? Pickling your summer harvest will not only preserve your bounty, but will also give it an entirely new and delicious flavor – not to mention all the added health benefits.

Pickling vegetables is a relatively easy task, but there are a few tips and tricks you can use to ensure pickling perfection. For starters, it is very important that you follow the recipe exactly. If you alter the quantities you risk the spread of spoilage-causing bacteria. It is also important to clean all cooking utensils and jars in hot, soapy water.

There are also some ingredients that are better suited for pickling than others. If you don’t have access to garden-fresh vegetables, make sure you select produce that appears blemish-free and crisp. Keep in mind if you wish to pickle cucumbers, there are different varieties. Pass on salad cucumbers or ones that are waxed and look for pickling cucumbers.

When making pickling brine, opt for pickling salt over standard table salt. The iodine found in table salt will darken your pickles and the anticaking agents can cause your brine to appear cloudy. Using cider and malt vinegars can also darken light-colored vegetables. You can avoid this by using commercial white vinegar with less than 5% acidity. If you prefer your pickles sour, use vinegar with 7% acidity.

Once you have gathered all the necessary ingredients you can begin the pickling process. Stainless steel bowls and pots are best suited for these recipes. You want avoid containers and utensils with copper, iron, zinc, or brass because they may react with the salt and acidic vinegar.

Use our easy-to-follow guide below to ensure you don’t land yourself in a pickling pickle. Don’t forget to send a jar to Peter; he did do all the picking, after all.

how to pickle anything like a pro

Infographic and Article courtesy of Fix.com

Craving Carrots

It’s a beautiful colorful fall here and I’m happily celebrating root vegetable season! I always love how the Earth provides what we need in each season exactly as we need it.

Root vegetables are more energy dense than most vegetables that are ripe in summer. This extra energy provides the nutrients and extra calories we need for the winter months. (This was especially true back in the days before our modern conveniences.)

These roots bring us closer to the Earth and ground our energy, reminding us to turn inward and slow down along with the natural cycle of the planet, the nature of this season, and the months to come. While most root vegetables are available year round, the season in which they have the very best flavor and highest nutrient density is the late summer and fall.

Examples of root vegetables include carrots, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, parsnips, and beets. Root vegetables are delicious and can fulfill the natural sweetness you might be seeking this time of year.

Carrots

Carrots are a familiar root vegetable that is popular with both adults and children. This familiarity makes it an easy vegetable to add to a variety of dishes and a good vegetable to experiment with by trying new recipes.

Carrots are a great source of Vitamins A, K, C, Potassium, B6, Thiamin, and Niacin. They also offer a variety of carotenoids, which are amazing antioxidant phytonutrients.

When choosing carrots in the grocery store or farmers market, select firm, crisp vegetables that are bright in color. The depth of the orange in a carrot is directly related to the carotenoid nutrients found.

Store carrots in your refrigerator for up to two weeks in an airtight container or plastic bag.

Do not wash prior to storage and store them away from apples, pears, and potatoes to extend their shelf life.

When preparing your carrots for any recipe, consider scrubbing them rather than peeling. The outside skin will have protective qualities, though it will be slightly more bitter than the sweet inside.

How to Cook Carrots

I love to eat carrots raw and plain. They are filled with a crispy sweetness that satisfies most of my sweet and crunchy cravings. There are, however, a wonderful variety of recipes that include carrots or feature them as the main ingredient.

One easy and flavorful way to try carrots is in a salad mixed with other vegetables such as this easy recipe.

Carrot & Zucchini Salad

  • 6 medium carrots, thoroughly scrubbed and ends removed
  • 2 medium zucchini, peeled and ends discarded
  • ½ cup of scallions
  • ¼ cup cilantro
  • ¼ cup parsley
  • Approximately 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, or avocado oil
  • Juice from 1 lemon

Grate carrots and zucchini. Finely chop herbs. Toss all ingredients together and then toss with oil and lemon juice.

Serve and enjoy!

Cooked Carrots

The best, most nutrient-preserving cooking method is a light steaming for no longer than five minutes. The steam will tenderize the carrots a bit, but leave most nutrients intact. For added flavor, toss your freshly steamed carrots with a few tablespoons of feta and dill.

You can also add your carrots to any soup or stew or toss with olive oil and roast at 425°F with other roots until tender, typically about 40 minutes.

You can see many reasons to increase carrots in your diet! These are healthy and great for adding sweetness to your plate in a fun and colorful way!

The Health Benefits of Kale

Kale is a nutritionally packed leafy vegetable that contains incredible healing and rejuvenating properties. Kale is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, chlorophyll, amino acids, vitamins A, C, E, K, B-complex and minerals such as iron, magnesium, copper, and potassium.

Kale is an anti-cancer powerhouse and contains phytochemicals such as glucosinolates that help protect the body from breast, colon, prostate, ovarian, and bladder cancer. These glucosinolates are also known to detox the body on genetic level and have the ability to literally transform your body and health. Kale also contains an exceptionally high amount of antioxidants such as carotenoids and flavonoids which are essential for protecting the body from degenerative diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, prostatitis, osteoporosis, and neurological disorders.

Kale contains an organic sulfur which has potent antibiotic, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties that work to boost to the immune system and provide significant benefits for chronic inflammation and oxidative stress seen in conditions such as fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic sinusitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, COPD, and irritable bowel disease. Kale also contains isothiocyanates which have been shown to help protect the stomach from H. Pylori bacteria.

Kale is part of the Brassica vegetable family which is known to mildly stimulate the liver and other tissues and organs out of stagnancy. Purple kale is a mild, sweeter variety of kale that is a delicious and beautiful addition to any meal. Purple kale is excellent to add to your green juice, wraps, salad, or steamed vegetables.

Try this simple recipe for a Healthy Kale Salad:

  • 1 cucumber, cubed
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 bunch scallions, chopped
  • 1/2 bunch purple kale, finely chopped
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • 1-2 oranges, squeezed over salad

Mix all together in a bowl, eat, and enjoy