Wake-Up Carrot Juice

Refreshing way to start the day!

Paired with the sweetness of apple and pear, carrots come alive and so will you. Ginger gives this juice its added zing so you can get up and go!

3 carrots
1 pear
1 apple
1 piece ginger (thumb size)
mint leaves

Place all ingredients in a juicer and extract juices into a pitcher. Stir and pour into glasses. Top off with mint leaves. Serves 2

Apple Butter Pulled-Pork

I wanted something easy to make the day before a summer barbecue, but don’t like to using processed BBQ sauce.

Lisa, my recipe-trading friend from “forever,” suggested this slow cooked pulled pork recipe using apple butter. For a bit more sweet you can add some apricot preserves but try and find fruit butters and preserves with low or no added refined sugar. The apple butter I used here was organic and the pork “butt” was farm raised. But pork tenderloins work just as well.

3 lbs pork butt or pork tenderloins
1 1/2 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves minced garlic
2 cups apple butter
2 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples
salt & pepper to taste

Put all ingredients, except apple butter and apples, in a slow cooker for 8 to 10 hours. After two hours add the apple butter. Add the apple slices for the last hour of cooking. When fully cooked, pork should pull apart very easily and will have absorbed the liquids.

Serves 4 to 6 as sandwiches or over “dirty” brown rice. Can be made one day in advance, reheated and served. If not using a slow cooker, cover and bake at 300 degrees.

Vali’s No-Sugar Chocolate Shake

If you love chocolate, try this healthy smoothie that’s more like a milk shake without the dairy or the sugar!

8 oz hemp seed milk or almond milk
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
frozen banana (peel banana first before freezing!)
Optional:  Tablespoon bee pollen

Good Start Rice (or Quinoa) Pudding Breakfast

Great way to make leftover grains disappear. Guests love my breakfast pudding as a yummy, healthy start to the day!

Use quinoa for extra protein. I love almond milk for a creamy non-dairy treat!

2 cups cooked basmati rice or quinoa
1/2 cup milk or rice, soy, or almond milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup plus extra maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins or blueberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Toasted unsweetened coconut

Cook your grain of choice, rice or quinoa, according to package directions - I usually use leftovers from the night before. In a medium skillet on medium heat, add grain and toss with milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until much of the milk is absorbed. Add maple syrup, walnuts, raisins or berries. Toss to heat until liquid is fully absorbed being careful not to scorch. Remove from heat and add in vanilla.

Place in individual bowls. Drizzle with additional maple syrup if desired and sprinkle with toasted coconut. I add extra fruit on top, such as raspberries, peaches, pitted cherries, and serve in a pool of warm milk. Serves two.

Grilled Summer Veggie Sandwich

What to do with all the good stuff overflowing in your summer garden?

How about an open faced sandie with grilled veggies and hummus? You got it. Yum!!

Grilled zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant at room temp.
Roasted red or green peppers (optional)
Basil leaves
Hummus
Whole grain or sprouted grain bread

Quantities are not listed because you are the architect of this sandwich loaded with green, yellow, purple, red and green goodies.

Start with a lightly toasted slice of bread (I like Ezekial sprouted grain breads) and spread with a nice layer of hummus  (try my Olive-Basil Hummus). Next, place individual basil leaves to cover. Top off with grilled and roasted veggies and you have an open faced delicious summer garden treat!

Mango Madness Smoothie

Dr. Kurt Strecker recommends this sweet and satisfying smoothie with protein!

No dairy here and loaded with good things for you.  A great way to start the day!

1 small banana
1 cup frozen mango pieces
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup light coconut milk
pinch of fresh ground ginger
1/2 cup water
1 packet “Dr. Strecker’s Shake It Up!” (or a whey or rice protein powder)

Blend until smooth and ENJOY!

Dr. Strecker on Bloom Talk Radio: Smarter Food

Blueberry Tart from Terry Walters

A summer tart with an easy almond meal crust.

Good-bye wheat, refined sugar and butter and welcome in summer’s berry bounty with this great recipe from Terry Walter’s upcoming cookbook.

CRUST

2 cups almond meal
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
Pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon almond extract

FILLING

1 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons
arrowroot powder
1⁄2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1⁄4 teaspoon almond extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of sea salt
2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil 9-inch tart pan.

PREPARING CRUST

Place almond meal in large mixing bowl. In small skillet over medium-low heat, whisk together maple syrup, coconut oil and salt until oil melts. Whisk in almond extract and remove from heat. Pour this mixture over the almond meal and fold to incorporate all ingredients. Transfer dough to tart pan and press to form crust. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and, using the back of a wooden spoon, gently press down any puffed areas of crust. Set crust on wire rack to cool.

PREPARING FILLING

In small bowl, whisk together 1⁄2 cup apple juice with arrowroot and set aside. In medium Dutch oven over medium heat, combine remaining 1⁄2 cup apple juice with maple syrup, lemon juice, almond extract, lemon zest and salt and bring to simmer. Add 1 cup blueberries and stir until berries start to pop and liquid turns red/blue. Reduce heat to low and whisking continuously, pour arrowroot-juice mixture into berry mixture. When liquid is thick, remove from heat and fold in remaining blueberries. Pour into crust, spread evenly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set.

Serves 8

Terry Walters on Bloom Talk Radio:
Eating Clean
Smarter Food

Terry’s Website

Terry’s White Bean Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Arugula

Great summer recipe loaded with veggies from Clean Food author Terry Walters

2 sweet onions, cut into wedges (Walla Walla or Vidalia)
1 fennel bulb, halved, cored and chopped
5 carrots, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
3 cups cooked great northern or navy beans
6 cups arugula leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In glass baking dish, combine garlic, onions, fennel and carrots. Drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat vegetables evenly. Toss with sea salt and plenty of pepper. Roast uncovered 20 minutes or until just tender. Remove from oven, fold in tomatoes and beans and return to oven to roast an additional 10 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.

Remove from oven, cover individual plates or large platter with fresh arugula, top with bean and vegetable mixture and serve.

Serves 4

Terry Walters on Bloom Talk Radio:
Eating Clean
Smarter Food

www.terryskitchen.net

Stuffed Artichokes with Olives and Pignoli Nuts

With a large artichoke, this can make a whole meal, especially in the summer.

Artichokes are one of my favorite foods! Pulling each leaf through my teeth to get to the “meat” is worth the effort when the heart of the artichoke is waiting at the end.

I forgo butter and use an olive oil and parmesan cheese mixture as a dunking bath before every bite. And in my kitchen where white flour is off limits, I stick to spelt, sprouted grains or gluten free breads that I grind in a food processor for a healthier bread crumb.

4 artichokes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more to drizzle
1 lemon
2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup mixed chopped fresh herbs or 1 teaspoon dry herbs of parsley, oregano & basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
8 - 10 pitted kalamata olives chopped
4 tablespoons pignoli nuts, toasted
sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Cut the top off of each artichoke, hollow out the center and remove the prickly tops off of each leaf. Also cut off the stem at the base so the artichokes sit flat. Rub the top and each leaf top with half of a lemon so the leaves don’t  brown. In a large bowl, mix the bread crumbs, almond meal, herbs, olives, pignoli nuts, garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stuff each artichoke center with the bread crumb mixture and in between the leaves.

Squeeze the juice out of the lemon into a large pot filled with 1 1/2 inches of water. Place the artichokes in the pot and drizzle extra olive oil on each top. Bring the water to a bowl. Cover the pot, lower heat and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until a knife is easily inserted into the center. Serve with a dunking mixture of extra virgin olive oil and freshly grated parmesan cheese in individual small bowls.

Note: Gluten free bread crumbs can be substituted for regular bread crumbs. I make my own by processing rice bread in a food processor. Another healthy bread crumb alternative (although not gluten free) is to process spelt bread or Ezekial cereal.

Olive-Basil Hummus

Not your run of the mill hummus and something to snack on anytime!

1 15 oz can organic garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
2 tablespoons Tahini (ground sesame butter)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more to drizzle
Juice of 1/2 small lemon
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin
8 kalamata olives (pitted)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Drain juice from chickpeas and reserve. Place ingredients except olives and basil in food processor. Process until smooth throughout. Add reserved chick pea liquid a little at a time if the mixture is too dry and chunky. Add olives and basil and pulse until desired consistency. Serve with healthy chips and extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top.

Barb’s Healthy Link Pics:
Olives
Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans
Basil
Cumin

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