Quick and Simple Veggie Brunswick Stew

·         1 cup Chopped Carrots

·         1 cup of Chopped Potatoes

·         2-3 Tbs of No Salt Tomato Paste  ( I make my own tomato paste/sauce by blending Sundried Tomatoes  and Water)

·         1 can of brown lentils low sodium

·         1/2 bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and chopped (about 2.5 cups)

·         Half of an Onion /1 tbs of oil (optional)

·         A few cups of water

Seasonings/Spices

3-4 tsps of minced garlic

1 tsp Curry powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp Paprika

½ tsp Cajun pepper

Black Pepper Pinch or Two of salt

1-2 tbsps of honey or brown sugar

1-2 tbsp of worcestershire  or hoisin sauce (low sodium)

How to Make It

(Optional Step) To incorporate more flavor you can add this step however, it is optional. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a medium soup pot and sauté your chopped onions then add your spices and next your veggies and water.

Chop up your veggies and place in a pot add water to the pan until veggies are about covered. Blend your sundried tomatoes with water and  Worcestershire sauce to create a paste or tomato sauce add to pot. Add all your seasonings and spices and then put a top on and let boil/steam, then add brown lentils once veggies have cooked for a few more minutes. Add kale in last after you turn off the heat this will allow the kale to retain more nutrients and not fully cook.

Vegetable Curry (Quick and Easy)

Ingredients:

·         2 Tablespoons olive oil

·         1 large onion, finely diced

·         2 cloves of minced garlic (or 1 tbsp. of garlic powder)

Spices:

·         1/2 teaspoon fresh Ginger, finger grated

·         1 Tablespoon Curry powder

·         1/2 teaspoon. Garam Marsala (optional)

·         1 Tablespoon ground turmeric

·         1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper ( reduce if you like it milder)

·         1/2 cup vegetable broth

·         ½ cup coconut creamer or milk (add as needed)

·         ½ tsp of black pepper

·         ½ tsp of sea salt

·         ½ tsp of honey

·         Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Vegetables:

·       1 pound of mushrooms clean & chopped

·         1 tomato chopped

·         2 cups of spinach or kale

·         Indian Basmati/Lentil Rice for serving

Directions:

1.      In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and stir/cook, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the curry, turmeric, and cayenne; stir for 30 seconds.

2.      Add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook until the vegetables are slightly tender just a few minutes doesn’t take long.

3.      Add the broth, coconut milk, cinnamon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low or low and simmer for a few minutes.

4.      Add 2 heaping handfuls of spinach or kale and stir in cook for a 1 minute until the spinach turns bright green and take it right off the heat. Serve over rice. (for Indian basmati/lentil rice simply boil basmati rice and lentils in veggie stock or add a veggie broth cube when finish and garnish with parsley or oregano.)

Heatlhy Yellow Cake Sweetened with Honey

I  have been looking for a great cake recipe where I could use honey as a sweeter with minimal ingredients. I found it I got the original recipe from  http://grace.mbdblog.com, but tweeted it to my liking! Enjoy.

• 2 1/2 c. sifted Unbleached Flour
• 11/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1 1/4 c. Honey
• 1/2 c. Oil (butter might work better it will be richer.)
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 large Eggs
• 1 c. Almond or Coconut Milk 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil and flour cake pan(s).

Mix above ingredients on medium until incorporated. Mix on high for 2-3 minutes. Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake at 350 degrees F for:
6″ rounds – 30-35 minutes
8″ rounds – 30-35 minutes
9″ rounds – 25-30 minutes
13″ x 9″ x 2″ – 35-40 minutes
or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Frost when completely cool. If you are doing a layered cake, freeze the layers first for easier handling before frosting. As you can see above I just topped mine with truwhip cream and berries and it was like a strawberry shortcake so delish!!!!!

Change My Diet? No!!!!!

Are you scared to change your diet? Many times the mere mention of diet change can cause an uproar. Yet I have seen so many people suffer because of their diet myself included. You might be saying,don’t ask me to change my diet" I want to enjoy myself while I'm living and changing my diet will take all the joy out of eating, (which if you see my food posts you should know is not true!) or you might be saying I might die from my diet,but a least I'll die happy! But how can you truly enjoy food that in a few minutes, hours,days or years can cause your body to become sick, filled with disease and unable to

perform it's proper functions?

Maybe you're already sick on multiple meds, but medicine does not fix the problem it only masks it, and many times delays the inevitable. If medicine was the answer why if you skip taking your meds do you get back sick again?Medicine has it’s purposes but to restore health takes a diet change. The truth is we are what we eat. “Unhealthy diet contributes to approximately 678,000 deaths each year in the U.S., due to nutrition- and obesity-related diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.” (CD&P)

In response to the phrase if I die I’ll die happy; death from your diet can can be sudden which is a scary thought,but oftentimes it can be painful and slow as your bodily functions break down one by one, my grandmother had to have her feet cut off from diabetes and had a slow painful death,no one deserves to die that way. It’s my hope that I can encourage others to take their health seriously, like I did over 7 years ago.There is hope you can eat healthy and enjoy your food with the added bonus of knowing that you;re putting in good stuff so you'll feel good and get good results in return.(It’s not just how you look on the outside, years ago I was nearly 100 pounds,but I was not healthy,it’s about the destruction on the inside that is long-lasting.) Food isn;t the only factor age,genes etc matter too,but food plays a HUGE part because if you put garbage in garbage will come out, but if you put goodness in goodness will come out. It's not too late to make a change.

 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14

Food links with health articles

https://cspinet.org/eating-healthy/...

http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/...

http://www.justlabelit.org/chemical...

Blender Pancakes (Gluten Free & Vegan)

Basic recipe

1 heaping cup of quick oats

1 ripe banana

1 cup of almond milk or coconut milk

(optional additives)

1 tbsp. of sugar or honey

1 tsp of vanilla protein powder or vanilla extract

1/2 of allspice or just cinnamon

Cook like normal pancakes until you see bubbles forming on the rims of the cake and flip. Got this idea from a vegan you tuber and they have been turning out great! All they require is a blender, measuring cup, and pan you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry. No eggs, oil, gluten or dairy required. Their allergy sensitive, low fat and best of all they don’t break the bank!

Enjoy!

3 Ingredient Salted Peanut Butter Candies

Ingredients

3/4 cup of all natural unsweetened creamy peanut butter
1 cup of organic powdered sugar
1 cup or more  of dark chocolate chips
sea salt (optional)
sheet pan lined with wax paper


Melt the chocolate chips and set aside. Mix the peanut butter and powdered sugar together until combined. Roll the peanut butter mixture into balls or flatten them into ovals whatever shape desired. They may flatten a bit when their set in the freezer. Dip the peanut butter candies in the chocolate mixture with two forks or spoons and place each candy on a pan lined with wax paper. After dipping the peanut butter candies sprinkle with sea salt (optional) and set them in the freezer 10-15  minutes then enjoy. Put the extras  in a air tight conditioner and store in the freezer.

Fudgy Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies

INGREDIENTS:

1 can of BLACK BEANS

1 cup of Chickpea Flour

2 oz OF BAKING CHOCOLATE

1 cup DAIRY FREE CHOCOLATE CHIPS (half to blend, half to mix 
in/top with)

2 tbsp MAPLE SYRUP

1/4 cup VEGAN BUTTER

½ -2/3 cup of SUGAR

2 EGGS 

2 tbsp COCOA POWDER

pinch of SALT

1 TBSP OF GROUND COFFEE

splash of VANILLA EXTRACT

METHOD:

1. Prepare your ingredients.Melt chocolate and butter, puree black beans.Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease an 8×8 pan.  In a large mixing bowl, mix/blend together eggs, sugar, coffee and vanilla extract until smooth. Add beans, chocolate/butter and gradually all remaining ingredients,add half of the chocolate chips to the batter and stir, until it resembles a thick brownie batter, very slowly add a little milk of choice (or water) if it's too thick until the desired texture is reached. Smooth evenly into the prepared pan, then sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips on the top . Bake 25-30 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool for at about 10 minutes. After a day, leftovers should be stored in the fridge for freshness. Enjoy!!!