STRAWBERRY/ BANANA SOFT ICE CREAM WITH MANGO, BLUEBERRY, AND COCONUT TOPPING

This is like a smoothie with an soft serve ice cream texture.  It is super healthy and can be enjoyed as breakfast (ice cream for breakfast... yay!), as a snack, or as a guilt free dessert. It is really easy to make and does not require an ice cream machine. You will however need a high speed blender to break the frozen fruits into the texture of a smooth ice cream. 

I love eating fruit, They are full of nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. Plus they are naturally sweetened, thus a much better alternative to eating processed sugars. Despite being naturally sweet, they should be eaten in moderation. The trick is to eat a few servings daily, but make sure you are using a variety of them as they all offer different health benefits. 

Colors are your new best friends :)

STRAWBERRY/ BANANA SOFT ICE CREAM WITH MANGO, BLUEBERRY, AND COCONUT TOPPING



Ingredients:

For the soft ice cream:

1 cup of frozen strawberries
1 frozen banana, cut into large coins
1/3 cup of full fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon of coconut nectar

For the topping:

1/4 cup of blueberries
1/2 mango, pit and skin removed, cut into cubes
1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes


Preparation:

In a high speed blender, mix the soft ice cream ingredients together until smooth. You might need to scrape the sides of your blender once or twice. 
Put the soft ice cream  in a bowl, add the topping ingredients over it, and enjoy immediately!

This will make one serving

CURRIED SWEET POTATO AND RED LENTIL SOUP

The flavors in this soup are out of this world!  Like a little taste of India in a bowl. 
I've always wanted to visit India: indulge in some of the yoga retreats, visit temples, and enjoy some lovely spiced-up dishes. I would probably visit some jewelry manufacturers as well, since I studied gemology, and used to be a jeweler years ago. It is no wonder this country has piqued my interests.  The food is flavorful, and their jewelry is quite intricate. It would definitely be a great place to both stuff your face and buy a unique sparkly treasure.

Let's get back to the soup, as I can get carried away easily when talking about travels... The soup is a little bit on the thick side (almost like a stew) so it feels very filling.  I had a large bowl for dinner and was satisfied.  So if you don't feel like cooking a whole lot of food, this will be ideal.  :)
It would make a great lunch to keep you going on a busy day as well.  

CURRIED SWEET POTATO AND RED LENTIL SOUP

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, chopped very small
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped very small
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 3-4 sweet potatoes, skin removed and cut into 1/2-3/4 inch cubes (about 4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups of red lentils
• 6 cups of broth + 1 tomato blended together in a blender until smooth
• 1 tablespoon of curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder
• 2 tomatoes chopped
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk
• 3 cups of chopped spinach
• Sea salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, heat up the olive oil under medium heat.
2. Add the onions, ginger, and garlic and cook 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the all of the other ingredients except the coconut milk and the spinach, and bring to boil.
4. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender. 
5. Add the coconut milk and the spinach, and cook 2-3 minutes until the spinach is wilted. 

Serve warm

This will make 6 servings

PEANUT BUTTER, OATMEAL, AND CHOCOLATE CHIP PROTEIN COOKIES

Baking is not my strength.  Baking without any flour, eggs, dairy and processed sugars is even more challenging! I was determined to make some cookies that both tasted good and had a nice texture, without those traditional staples.  After 3 tries, I finally nailed it! They tasted great all the way, but the texture was either too mushy or too dense. We ate them regardless because they were still tasty, but I am now very proud to post these pretty healthy protein cookies.

If you want a really healthy version, I would replace the peanut butter with almond butter and/or the chocolate chips with pure cacao nibs. Those are two very reasonable substitutions. I have been craving chocolate throughout my pregnancy so I went with the chips as they are larger, and a bit more satisfying. The amount of chocolate I have gone through while bearing my child is pretty remarkable. It's not quite the unusual craving, like I hear that some pregnant women have.  It's just a really accentuated love of chocolate!

Anyway, I am on to my 5th cookie already... Somebody stop me!

PEANUT BUTTER, OATMEAL, AND CHOCOLATE CHIP PROTEIN COOKIES

Ingredients:

• 4 ripe bananas
• 2 cups peanut butter (unsweetened, natural, and smooth)
• 1/3 cup of vanilla flavor protein powder (I used garden of life)
• 1/4 cup of coconut nectar (or liquid sweetener of your choice)
• 1/4 cup of baking powder
• 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds, mixed with 3 tablespoons of water) 
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
• 3 cups of gluten free old fashioned oats
• 1 cup of chocolate chips (vegan, non dairy, and non-gmo)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. In a large mixing bowl, place the bananas, and mash them with a fork or a potato masher.
3. Add the peanut butter, the protein powder, the coconut nectar, the baking powder, the flax egg, and the salt. Mix well until smooth.
4. Add the old fashioned oats and chocolate chips.  Combine until a thick cookie dough is formed.
5. Roll about 2 tablespoons at the time of the cookie dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Leave about 1 inch of space in between each cookies.
6. Pat down on the cookie balls with the palm of your hands to give them their shape. They should be about 1/2 inch thick.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and let them cool at least 10 minutes.

Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container.

This will make about 30 cookies.

3 BEAN SALAD WITH LEMON CUMIN DRESSING

I played an event at the World Series Of Poker yesterday and brought this salad along with me to eat during one of the breaks.  The events at WSOP can be quite long as you play poker all day trying to eliminate opponents until only one, who becomes the champion, remains. Most of the events are about 3 days long but this particular one had a record breaking entry level, and will be extended to 4 days.  Usually you play about 10 levels a day, the levels are one hour long, and you get a break every 2 hours along with a dinner break later on in the day. So you can easily expect to be in the tournament area for a good 13 hours a day, if you do not get disqualified. 

I find that eating the right food is crucial to doing well in those tournaments, as you need to have all the nutrients in your body to give you the stamina to keep going.  I usually try to bring my own as I find that the food offerings at the Rio (where the WSOP is held) are far from optimal.  This salad fit the bill. Full of vitamins, lots of raw ingredients, nutrients, and light. I definitely felt energized afterwards! 

I did make day two of the event so I will be back in the poker room later on to compete for that first place prize.  The prize pool is over 5 million, So along with the gold bracelet (prestigious WSOP trophy) it will be a pretty good win for the last survivor!

3 BEAN SALAD WITH LEMON CUMIN DRESSING

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cooked red beans (about 1/3 cup dried)
• 1 cup of cooked black beans (about 1/3 cup dried)
• 1 cup of black eyed peas (about 1/3 cup dried)
• 1/3 cup of red onions, chopped small
• 1 red pepper, seeded and cubed
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1/2 cup of frozen corn, thawed (ideally organic to avoid GMO's)
• 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 1 avocado, pit and skin removed, sliced
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1 recipe of the creamy lemon dressing (click here: creamy lemon and cumin dressing )

Preparation

1. Cook the beans (click here for the technique on how to cook beans), drain, and let them cool.
2. In a large bowl, put all of the salad ingredients together. 
3. Add the dressing to your liking  (I used about 3/4 of the recipe), and mix well until all the ingredients are well coated.

Enjoy! 

This will make 4 servings

CREAMY LEMON AND CUMIN DRESSING

Since I could see this dressing with so many other salads, I gave it it's own blog.  It is so refreshing! The cumin flavor is very mild, so this is not a spicy dressing.  Rather it is tangy from the lemons, and also revitalizing. Quite perfect for the summer!

Using fresh squeezed lemon juice makes such a difference in the taste of dressing. It is really worth the effort. Plus lemons are so good for you! They are super alkaline and therefore balance the PH level of or body, they aid digestion, dental care, and weight loss. They act as blood purifiers ,they control high blood pressure,and they can also help purify the liver. That's just to name a few of the benefits!

Since this is all made in a blender, it only takes a few minutes to prepare, So let's say goodbye to store bought dressing. 

CREAMY LEMON AND CUMIN DRESSING


Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup of filtered water
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of chickpea miso (white soy miso would work too, but make sure to buy organic if using a soy miso to avoid GMO's)
• 1 tablespoon of Bragg liquid aminos
• 1 tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of raw sunflower seeds
• 2 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (if they are hard, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes to soften)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. In a high speed blender, put all of the ingredients together, and blend until very smooth.
2. Serve immediately or save in the refrigerator.

BLUEBERRY, ORANGE, AND GINGER CHIA SEED JAM

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I have been enjoying breakfast on my patio lately as the mornings in Las Vegas are just beautiful.  It is sunny but yet, not too hot. My dogs enjoy that time of the day too,  as they lay on the lounge chair and and soak up their vitamin D from the sun. 

Speaking of breakfast, I had these beautiful blueberries that I wanted to use and I was out of homemade jam, so I whipped up something different. This recipe is a variation of the strawberry and chia seed jam that I made a little while back. It just shows how, once you know a basic recipe, you can let your creativity take over, and experiment with infinite variations.  I added some orange zest, juice, and ginger in this one and the combo was absolutely delicious. 

If you don't eat toast too often, like myself, don't let it stop you from making this tasty jam. There are many other ways you can enjoy it! I used it as a topping for my oatmeal, yesterday, but it would also go great with ice cream, on top of fruits, or in a chia pudding. Since it takes no time to make, and is way better than store bought jams, you have no more excuses.  So let's get cooking!

BLUEBERRY, ORANGE, AND GINGER CHIA SEED JAM

Ingredients:

3 cups of blueberries
1/3 cup of agave nectar
1/4 cup of fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon of orange zest
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon of fresh ginger

3 tablespoons of chia seeds

Preparation:


Put all the ingredients except the chia seeds in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Mash the mixture with a potato masher, add the chia seeds, and continue cooking for 5 minutes until it has thickened
Remove from the heat, let it cool, and transfer to 2 small jam jars.
Keep refrigerated for up to two weeks, or save for later use in the freezer.

Enjoy!

This will make 2 small jars

"CHEEZY" BUCKWHEAT WITH VEGGIES

Since we get a multitude of nutrients from eating different colored fruits and veggies, I really make an effort to have a nice rainbow looking variety prevalent in my food. As you probably have noticed by now, my food tends to be colorful!  This recipe is no exception. Vibrant, tasty, and nutritious.

Buckwheat has so many things going for it, and I wonder why it is not more popular.  It can lower blood pressure and cholesterol.  It also contains all 8 amino acids to make it a complete protein, fiber, flavanoids, and that's just the tip of the iceberg...  

It is also so versatile; I have used it in raw recipes, sprouted it, and cooked it.  When cooked, it had this luscious, creamy texture and mild nutty taste, and it takes only 20 minutes to make. It can be used in any recipe that would require rice or quinoa, and it's a also a superfood!  So why is it not the new superstar food yet? Beats me!

If you've never tried buckwheat, please do yourself a favor and rush to the store to get yourself  some.  You will probably want to use it in so many dishes once you have experienced its taste and consider all the bonus health benefits.  

"CHEEZY" BUCKWHEAT WITH VEGGIES 

Ingredients:

For the "cheezy" sauce:

• 1 cup of sweet potato, skin removed, cut into small cubes (1/2 to 3/4 inch) 
• 1 cup of raw cashews
• 1 cup of filtered water
• 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons of Bragg liquid aminos
• 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

For the buckwheat and veggies:

• 1 cup of buckwheat
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 small to medium sized yellow squash (preferably organic to avoid GMO's), cut in half lengthwise, then sliced into 1/4 inch
• 1 orange pepper, seeded, chopped into small cubes
• 2 cups of broccoli florets
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

For the sauce:

1. Place the sweet potato on top of a steamer basket, and fill the bottom of the steamer with about 2 inches of water.  Cover, and steam for about 10 minutes.
2. Put all the ingredients, including the steamed potatoes into a blender, and blend until very smooth.

For the buckwheat and veggies:

1. Put the buckwheat and vegetable broth in a medium sized sauce pan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat, cover, and let it stand for five minutes.
3. Fluff with a fork before using.
4. In the meantime, in a large saute pan, heat up the olive oil under medium-high heat.
5. Add the onions, and saute for 4-5 minutes until they are translucent.
6. Add the yellow squash, the orange pepper, and the broccoli.  Saute for another 4-5 minutes until the squash is soft, and the broccoli turns bright green.
7. Add the cooked buckwheat and the sauce, mix well, and cook another 2-3 minutes until the sauce is heated through, and the veggies and buckwheat mixture are fully covered.
8. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
9. Serve warm

Enjoy!

This will make 4 servings