Recipes of the day

Many people love my cooking (not bragging...really). This was not always true though. There was a time when I made bad food often. Jamie used to be a prep chef in Santa Cruz and has taught me a lot about sauces, and things. I have got many recipes from my mother over the years, and am pretty comfortable with the kitchen these days. So in light of the recent diet changes I will share with you a few of my favorite old recipes first. They are in spirit with or new updated diet, so they are still on the good food list. Also I have added a couple new things and an experimental salad dressing. We have both got our poop tested (sorry before reading recipes...but it is necessary) to find out what we are lacking or overabundant in flora wise, yeast wise and parasite wise. It also tells you how well yo are digesting things. So for me I have a bit of yeast overgrowth and I am deficient in bifidus. Otherwise I am pretty good. Jamie had a similar result. So we are trying to be conscious about eating for a yeast free diet, and alkaline foods. So, some things like orange juice, vinegar, sugar, wheat, dairy, meats, certain nuts and seeds are out. So you may need to adapt accordingly. One thing my doctor said is that a lot of people like to take flora supplements thinking they are helping their gut. But if you don't get a test done to find out what you have or don't then you can actually damage your flora balance by adding to much of one that inhibits growth of others, etc. So best to get tested.

Asian Cabbage Salad
This is Jamie's favorite, we literally can polish off a whole large salad bowl in one meal.

1/2 head of red cabbage thinly sliced
1/2 head green cabbage thinly sliced
1 cucumber thinly cut into rounds and then 1/4's
1-2 carrots cut into rounds and then 1/2's
1 large bell pepper (I like a red one for the color variety)
1/2 bunch of cilantro minced
1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts
1 small orange juiced
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup asian dressing (I get annie's asian dressing)

Put all ingredients in large bowl except peanuts. Drizzle over it the sesame oil, orange juice, dressing and vinegar. I don't put peanuts on until last because they will get soggy, if you think you will have left overs then just put them on when you dish up. 

Linda G's Coconut Milk Tapioca
this recipe was gleaned form a neighbor and I had to add amounts because she gave me the general recipe and I had to experiment a bit to get it right.

2 c. water

6-8 Tbsp. small Tapioca pearls
3 Tbsp. sugar or agave
tiny pinch of salt
3/4 c. coconut milk

1 tsp. vanilla

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil, and add the tapioca pearls. Turn the heat down to medium-low and allow the tapioca to simmer for 17 minutes. Periodically stir with a whisk or fork to prevent the balls from sticking to one another. Take it off the flame when tapioca pearls are still slightly white in the center.In a seperate bowl, whisk the sugar, salt, and coconut milk. At the end of 17 minutes, whisk the coconut mixture into the tapioca. Once it has returned to a simmer, allow it to continue cooking for 5 more minutes. Add vanilla. Stir and chill.

Eggless Caesar Salad Dressing with Meyer Lemon
(Serves 2 – 4) This was an experiment, and you can not use the yeast flakes if you have a yeast issue....It is really good, and you wont know the difference if you like caesar dressing with eggs and anchovies.

• 1 tablespoon eggless Mayo
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 Meyer lemon, juiced
• 1 big pinch of brewers yeast
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4- 1/2 cup olive oil
• Pepper to taste

Asia's Raw Kale Salad

Two bundles of dino kale

1/2 lemon juiced

handful of sea palm seaweed. cut up a bit

tamari to taste

olive oil or flax oil

Cut kale up very finely. Put in bowl with seaweed, add lemon juice, splash of tamari, drizzle oil over let sit for an hour stirring every once in a while. The idea is to let it soak up the juices and oils enough that the kale gets a smidge soft. This is really yummy as a side dish or a green energy boost for lunch. High iron, calcium and yum. One variation is to chop almonds and add them to the top as a garnish.

Our Breakfast

Poach or fry 2 eggs each person in one pan, then saute the greens in one pan or do it in the same pan one after the other, the greens literally take 2 minutes...so if you are lazy then use 1 pan, saves dishes.

Chop one head of dino kale

chop 1/2 an onion

1-2 cloves of garlic

Olive oil

Chop ingredients up while eggs are frying/poaching. Saute garlic and onions for a minute on high heat if using a cast iron pan, otherwise on low. Throw in freshly washed, chopped kale. The moisture helps to saute them quicker. Add a pinch of salt and or garlic salt. If you are doing a yeast free diet thats it. If you want a bit of an addition that is our favorite, but we are limiting vinegar due to the yeast factor, then add some balsamic vinegar and let greens saute for another minute to cook off vinegar and it goes to a reduction style taste....to die for! We like our kale to bit a smidge crunchy in the stalks when done, so you choose...less cooked the better for you. A variation is to add veggies like bell pepper, mushrooms or zuchinni when in season. We eat this quite often and have for years. We are still doing eggs here and there so this is not daily right now.

Green Smoothie Breakfast

This is best in a vitamixer, if you don't have one and are using a regular blender use the ice function and leave it on for about 2-3 minutes until the kale and ice are blended well.

4-6 spears of kale (your choice, I like dino kale)

1 banana

6-10 ice cubes

1 stalk of celery

pinneaple juice, or the like (I am a tropical girl, so I tend to go that direction)

1/2 cup frozen mango or strawberry, or your fav. fruit

flax meal to taste (usually 1/2 to 3/4 scoop- 1 tbsp)

probiotic powder (we use bifidus)

Jamies additions- shredded coconut and almonds

other additions- 1 apple cut into 1/4's, brocolli, beet 1/4'd, other favorite vegies like lettuce, herbs like parsley or chickweed or cleavers, even ginger if you like that.  

We blend it up until smooth, with a vitamixer this is easy, in a blender you may be choking down chunks. Make the investment if you can. 

Ok thats enough for today.....enjoy!