The best junk food ever!

Please keep an open mind. This sounds disgusting... but I assure you, it is perfection. Basically, when it comes to junk food you've got salty or sweet to choose from. I say, "Why choose?". Popcorn kinda bugs me. It gets stuck in my teeth and it's loud and sort of more work than it's worth. Unless it's made this way:

I'm not a Crazy Person Popcorn

A large bowl of popcorn

1/2 cup of melted chocolate chips

1 tablespoon of cajun spice

2 tablespoons of nooch (nutritional yeast)

Mix all of the ingredients together. Yes, seriously. It will be messy and un-freak-ing believably delicious. Nooch in popcorn is perfection. Chocolate is, well, chocolate. Cajun spice gives you a nice kick-in-the-pants flavor-wise. Basically, you have everything you could possibly ever crave in one wonderful bowl of wonderfulness. Trust me. I'm not crazy!!!

Miso Seedy Roll

After learning about how crazy wonderful seeds are, I realized I needed to eat more. Like, a lot more. One of the things I love about sushi restaurants is seeing all of the creative and interesting rolls the chefs make. This recipe is not nearly as interesting as those. I needed to figure out how to add more raw seeds into my diet and this is easy peasy.

Miso broth- 2 tablespoons of miso into 2 cups of boiled water, stirred, not shaken

OR just 2 cups of plain old water

1 cup of raw unsalted sunflower seeds

1 cup of raw unsalted punk'in seeds

2 tablespoons of your favorite sauce, salad dressing, whatev's. (optional)

Nori seaweed

Soak the seeds in broth or water for over night. The next day, drain em and throw them into the blender with your favorite sauce (if using). You've got a seedy pate on your hands now. Get out the Nori and make a inch thick, inch high pile of the seed pate all along the bottom of your Nori. Roll it up, like a monster cigar. When you reach the end of the seaweed, wet all along the edge with water and press the wet seaweed against the roll. Leave it for a minute or two and then chop up into cute little sushi rolls.

Shy can eat about 3 of pieces of these rolls. Be impressed. There are CRAZY filling. Luckily I have a little one who adores seaweed so that helps.

Sunflower seeds have a reputation for lowering blood pressure, being indecently full of vitamin E, and increases serotonin levels in the noggin. Not too shabby. Pumpkin seeds are also freakishly good for you. Nori has protein, magnesium, iodine, and vitamins. Basically, you can't go wrong with this recipe. Unless you hate seeds and seaweed...

Watermelon Mint Juice

Watermelon is code for heaven, in my book. Sweet, juicy, full of antioxidants, hydrating power, free-radical fighters, and Viagara-like effects. What more can you ask from a fruit? This beverage is inspired by a drink that is served in a vegan chain restaurant called Native Foods. They use agave syrup, but if you get a super duper perfect watermelon, you would have to be crazy to add sweetner!

Watermelon Mint Juice

Flesh of a watermelon (blender full)

1-2 leaves of mint (depending on how feisty you are feeling)

Water (to taste, it's nice for thinning it out-optional)

Coconut sugar (to taste-optional)

Blend the watermelon and mint leaves. Pour into container and add optional ingredients if adding at all. Use other mint leaves for garnish if you are entertaining or just wanna be sassy.

If you have a monster of a blender (like my beloved Blendtec), you can freeze watermelon flesh first, then blend for a CRAZY refreshing drink. Adding boba can be a blast too for a chewy treat.

Glorious Steamed Spinach

Spinach is a staple in my house. It's a wonderfully passive yet nutrious ingredient in Green Smoothies, makes for an easy base in a basic salad, and this recipe is another reason why we always have spinach in the house. This recipe is inspired by a dish at the "Curious Palate" in Venice. Everyone in the house eats this right up!

Spinach (I do about 5 monster handfuls)

Almonds (Around 1 handful)

Garlic (4 de-shelled)

Oil (a little splash-optional)

salt (a pinch-optional)

I can't find my steamer so I've been putting a metal colander into a pan, and steaming the veggies that way. It works, so there you have it. Place a couple inches of water into a pan, put your steamer or colander into the pan and turn the heat onto a medium temperature. Throw in the spinach, garlic and almonds (you can chop those up if you want... I don't... every eater fends for themselves in this house!). You may need to wait to add all of the spinach until the spinach you have added wilts a bit. After the spinach is a bright dark green, remove ingredients and place them into a mixing bowl and add the oil and salt and mix it all up. You may need to drain your spinach first if it's crazy soaked. The garlic adds a subtle flavor and the almonds add a subtle texture. It's a delicate, yummy, nutritious side dish that is way more delicious than it has any business being.

Cooking with Olive Oil... big no no.

Olive oil is wonderful. It's so full of fantastic fats and antioxidants. Unfortunately, when you heat it up, those delightful properties turn to free radicals. If you cook or bake with higher temperatures, use a more stable oil, like coconut or safflower. Olive oil is lovely for salad dressings and recipes that don't involve heat.

The best olive oil is organic and cold-pressed. Virgin oil may have more acid than extra virgin. Not that big of a deal.

The best regular oils is expeller pressed. Always try for organic since oils are so concentrated.

Here's an article about oils that is basic and helpful: http://www.lewisnaturalhealth.com/articles/general-articles/confused-about-cooking-oils-part-1

Punk'in seeds

I have been on a seed kick lately. My family is thanking me for it.

2 cups of pumpkin seeds, raw, unsalted (sunflower seeds)

2 tablespoons of melted Earth Balance butter (or a high-heat oil with salt)

1-2 teaspoons of your favorite sauce (hot sauce, tabasco, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, teriyaki sauce, Goddess Dressing, maple syrup, whatever!)

Turn on the oven to 250. Mix all the ingredients up. Lay the seeds on a baking pan. If they are shell-free, bake for about 15-20 minutes. If they have shells you want to leave them for longer, like an hour. Periodically check on them.

Sprinkle them on salads, stir fries, mashed potatoes, whatever you want. Eat em plain. If you made them sweet, put em on ice cream or breakfastnoa.

Pumpkin seeds have fiber, minerals, protein, vitamin e, and happy peaceful making neuro-chemicals. Not too shabby. Shy eats these by the fistful! Roasting the seeds takes away some of the health benefits so try not to roast for very long or eat them raw.

Site on the health benefits of pumpkin seeds: http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-pumpkin-seeds.html

Chocolate Milk... on crack

Need a "pick-me-up-this-instant-cuz-I'm-a-useless-puddle-on-the-floor"? Avoiding coffee? Want a frapuccino without the crapuccino? Lucky you... I've got the cure!

A tablespoon of cacao nibs (I grind them when I get them and store them in a container)

A splash of date syrup (see recipe)

8 ounces of your favorite milk (almond for me!)

2 ice cubes

Blend! Chug! Be alert! You can get crazy with this basic recipe. Add extra cacao if you are in a serious slump. Add a teensy bit of vanilla extract, maple extract or mint extract for some POW!. Throw in a banana and a teaspoon of almond butter. Maybe a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg is more your style. Heat it up (without the ice cubes) for a hot cocoa with a punch.

Cacao nibs have an OBSENE amount of antioxidants. They are full of magnesium, neurotransmitters that make you happy, and dieters swear by their "losing weight" power. If you don't do well with caffeine, you may want to hold off on these stimulating pieces of yum.

Site on the health benefits of cacao nibs: http://www.naturalnews.com/022610.html

Breakfastnoa!

Almost every morning I make breakfast quinoa for the babe and myself. Shy loves it and it is a protein extravaganza. A lovely way to start the day!

Breakfastnoa

2 1/2 cups of water

1 cup of quinoa

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1 tablespoon of chia seeds

1 teaspoon of ground cacao nibs

a handful of almonds (raw, unsalted)

a splash of date syrup (see date syrup recipe)

a splash of milk of your choice (I prefer almond milk)

Toss the water in the pan, turn on stove to a medium heat. Add the quinoa. Get the other ingredients ready. Chase the baby. Brush your teeth, whatever you need to do. Occasionally stir the quinoa. Lower heat if necessary. When the water is gone and the quinoa is fluffy, add a glob of coconut oil and chia seeds. Stir it all together, very well. I spoon Shy's out now and add a touch of milk to cool it. I add almonds, date syrup, ground cacao nibs, and Earth Balance vegan butter to mine and enjoy!

If you feel sassy, instead of almonds, try walnuts and dried cranberries. Or Shy's favorite, apples and a dash of cinnamon. Sometimes we don't have fresh apples so I'll add the freeze-dried kind. It works very well. Blueberries are also a big hit.

Quinoa health benefits site: http://bodyecology.com/articles/quinoa_benefits_guide.php

Chia seeds health benefits site: http://whatscookingamerica.net/CharlotteBradley/Chai-Seeds.htm

Date Sweetness Syrup

This is an uber-basic recipe for adding natural liquid sweetness into your lives. I think I may have been the only one to not know about it but just in case... here goes!

One part dates

one part water

a smidge of vanilla extract

soak those dates for a couple hours in the water. Add the vanilla. Blend the living daylights out of it. Keep in a jar in the fridge. Pour on everything! Pancakes. Oatmeal. Quinoa. Coffee. Whatev's! Keeps for a few weeks.

Dates are stuffed with vitamins and nutrients. Fiber galore. Tannins, iron, potassium, you name it. And they are wicked yummy. Mmmmm...

Stephen LOATHES dates. I had him dip his finger into this concoction and he had a grossed out face already but after tasting it went, "That's actually good! It's like dessert!". Yes it is...

I've been looking for a good liquidy sweetner after learning about how agave syrup is not very good for you. I was using Maple Syrup on most things but believe me... that adds up dolla bills wise so this is a cheaper, healthier alternative for me. Yay!

After you blend the dates, there will be a lot of froth. You can leave it to settle and shake it up into the liquid after a couple days or you can use it as a light, subtle frosting or a yummy froth for a warm beverage. Ok, you can also dip your finger into in and lick away.

Here's a site about the health benefits of dates: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/dates.html

Vampiro Juice

This recipe is based on a juice made in a local Mexican market. After some of the locals swore their lives on it's healing and restoring properties, I had to try it. I'm glad I did. Wow. I was exhausted and run down for a week and the day after having drank a gargantuan-sized version of this drink, I felt much, much, much better. Placebo? Who knows and who cares. Now I make it at home with organic veggies and lemons from our lemon tree.

Vampiro Juice

3-4 carrots

3-4 celery

1 beet

juice those bad boys!

2 oranges

1 lemon

squeeze those bad boys and add to the others. Mix and chug!

Warning, some people have a genetic situation that causes them to have red urine after eating beets. Don't worry if this happens. You aren't dying. I'm not talking from experience so yeah... anyways...

This smoothie is full of vitamin C, beta carotene, and if you haven't heard about all the wonderful blood effects of beets... get on it! Beets rock the house, basically.

I drink this juice around 3 times a week. I don't do more than that because beets have a powerful blood pressure lowering effect and my blood pressure is plenty low enough. In fact, I have been directed to eat more salt! I haven't added any to this recipe... yet.

Here's a site about the health benefits of beets: http://www.naturalnews.com/027884_beet_juice_blood.html

Green Smoothie for the babe!

I have had the darnedest time trying to get my lil 14 month old to eat raw greens. Finally it hit me! Green smoothie for baby! Duh! She gets one everyday and chugs it like it's going out of style. Now to work on her dad getting his greens...

Baby's smoothie

banana

a handful of spinach

4 ounces of H2o

2 cubes of ice

Blend! Fits perfectly into her Munchkin Sippy cup too!!

Here's a site about the health benefits of spinach; http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/11-health-benefits-of-spinach.html

Yummy Cashew Cheese

This recipe is inspired by the yummy, yummy cashew cheese plate at Cafe Flore in Silverlake. Tastes amazing on toasted bread with grapes and other yumminess.

Raw cashews (couple generous handfuls)

nooch/nutritional yeast (about 4 tablespoons)

salt (a pinch-optional)

garlic, garlic salt (a clove or a sprinkle-optional)

Place into a blender and pour in water until about an inch from the top of the cashew line. Blend until creamy. Spread on everything!!!

Cashews are full of wonderful minerals and nooch is full of B12 goodness. My daughter loses it over this stuff!

Here's a site about cashew goodness: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cashew_nut.html. Here's a site about Nooch goodness: http://www.justgoodenergy.com/2010/06/14/the-health-benefits-of-nutritional-yeast/

Warning! Addictive!