Hummus Delight

Hummus made with freshly grown sprouts is a healthy variation to the traditional recipe. “Sprouts are  one of the healthiest foods you can grow in your kitchen for pennies and only a few minutes of time,”  claims Dr. Susan Smith Jones. This hummus recipe notably skips tahini and lessens the fat content, although you can add tahini for richer taste if desired.

2 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas), fresh cooked or canned (reserve the liquid) or use freshly sprouted beans
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1–2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. minced red onion
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Cayenne pepper to taste
Fresh cracked pepper to taste

In a food processor, blend the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin with some of the reserved liquid. If you are using your own sprouted garbanzo beans for the recipes, add enough water to give it the best consistency for you. Add parsley and red onion and season with salt and pepper. Pulse briefly to mix. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Variations: For black-bean hummus, add 1/2 cup black beans to the recipe when blending. For roasted-red-pepper hummus, add 1/2 cup roasted red pepper to the recipe. For roasted-garlic hummus, add 3 tablespoons roasted garlic. For roasted-onion hummus, add 1⁄3 cup roasted onion and 1 tablespoon of fresh chives, minced. For dill-roasted-yellow-pepper hummus, add 3 tablespoons fresh minced dill and 1/2 cup roasted yellow pepper. For spicy hummus, add 1 jalapeno pepper, minced, and 1⁄8 tsp. cayenne. To any of the above recipes, add ¼–½ cup tahini, if you want a richer taste and don’t mind the extra fat or calories.z

Open-Face Hummus Red Clover Sandwich

Dr. Susan’s favorite sandwich can also be a raw-foods meal by using a raw cracker or toast and the raw hummus recipe above.

2 slices of whole grain bread or toast — you can also use a large-size cracker
Hummus Delight (recipe above)
Red clover sprouts
Tomato — sliced
Red onion — sliced

Spread the hummus on the toast or cracker, add onion, tomato, and Red Clover sprouts. The order doesn’t really matter except to spread on the hummus first. You can even drizzle it with some dressing, if you like. For a variation,  add some shredded carrot, strips of sweet bell peppers, or put all of the ingredients in a pocket of whole grain pita bread. Any way you build this sandwich, it will please your taste buds.

Serves 1-2

You’ll find a variety of recipes for hummus in Dr. Susan Smith Jones’ full color recipe book Recipes for Health Bliss: Using NatureFoods & Lifestyle Choices to Rejuvenate Your Body & Life

LISTEN: Sprouting Your Way to Vitality (Dr. Susan on Bloom Talk)

Butternut Squash, Spinach & Sage Pasta

I love pasta but have sworn off white flours. That’s why  I like to use spelt spaghetti or linguini for this recipe. I find rice pastas to be a bit gooey and whole wheat pastas to be…well, too whole wheat. Although not gluten free, spelt is an artesian grain I find easy to digest, healthy and as close in taste and texture to the pastas I grew up with.

This dish was inspired by a Whole Foods butternut ravioli recipe. I wanted more color (and garlic!) and less cheese and butter.  So I added fresh spinach bountiful in the spring, used olive oil and fresh garlic cloves, and traded cheese ravioli for spelt pasta. Yum!

2 cups butternut squash, cut in cubes
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, mInced
4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth
1 box (8 oz) spelt spaghetti or linguini
2 cups packed fresh spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a roasting pan, toss squash in 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped sage and salt and pepper to taste. Roast in oven approximately 25 minutes till tender.  Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Add remaining olive oil to large skillet with onions and garlic and saute on medium heat until onion is translucent. Add remainder of sage leaves and vegetable broth. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add drained spaghetti, butternut squash and spinach and quickly toss until spinach is wilted. Serve alone or with grated parmesan if desired.

Granola Parfait

In a parfait glass, alternately layer yogurt, sliced fruit, preserves and muesli or granola. Garnish with fresh mint.

Recipe submitted by Dr. Susan Smith Jones

LISTEN: Easy & Permanent Weight Loss
Dr. Susan Smith Jones on Bloom Talk

Roasted Garlic

Recipe and comments from Health Bliss: Using Nature Foods & Lifestyle Choices to Rejuvenate Your Body & Life authored by Dr. Susan Smith Jones:

This simple-to-make treat is delicious and nutritious. A couple of times each week, you can smell garlic roasting in my home. Slowly baked, it becomes mild and so soft that you can spread it on bread, toast or crackers like butter. Bake several heads at a time and keep them in the fridge, then warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds before using. I often squeeze all of the soft cloves from their skins and put them in a small bowl to use in a variety of dishes such as mashed potatoes, soups, salads, dips, spreads, sauces, and

marinades.

6 heads garlic
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. sea salt
nonstick cooking spray
water

Preheat oven to 300° F. Slice ½ inch off the top of each garlic head (not the root end). Rub off as much loose garlic skin as possible without separating the cloves. Lightly spray a small baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the skinned garlic heads, cut-side up, clustered together in the baking dish. Sprinkle the top of each head with a dash of salt and thyme. Add ¼–1⁄3 cup of purified water to the baking pan, surrounding the garlic. Cover and bake until the cloves are tender when pierced with a knife and beginning to pop out, about 60 – 90 minutes, depending on the size. If you turn up the

oven to a higher temperature, it roasts faster. Serve hot or cooled to room temperature. I sometimes serve a whole head of garlic to each of my guests. They can squeeze out the soft cloves from the skins to spread on baguette toast or any variety of whole-grain breads, instead of using butter or margarine.

Variation 1: Instead of salt, drizzle some tamari or Bragg Liquid Aminos over the top of each head. It gives them a nice flavor and darker color. Or substitute other herbs such as oregano, rosemary, basil, dill, cilantro, chives, or cumin for the thyme.

Variation 2: Take 3–4 heads of garlic, separate all of the cloves, and peel away all of the skin. Discard any cloves that are very small. In a small saucepan, combine the garlic cloves with ½ cup Vegetable Broth. Bring to a high simmer, cover, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, and cook until the cloves are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Check periodically to make sure the broth hasn’t evaporated. If necessary, add some more. When cooked, the cloves are as soft as butter, easy to use, and will last 2–3 days in the refrigerator.

Garlic is a superfood that has been studied worldwide for its medicinal properties. It’s packed with antioxidants known to fend off cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and overall aging.

By Susan Smith Jones, PhD ©. Health Bliss: Using Nature Foods & Lifestyle Choices to Rejuvenate Your Body & Life published by Hay House Publishers and available at www.SusanSmithJones.com

LISTEN: Dr. Susan Smith Jones on Bloom Talk
Surefire Ways to Expand, Love, Intimacy & Romance

Super Foods for the Superbowl!

Oh so fresh salsa and snacky crunchy pumpkin seeds!

In the peak of summer when ingredients were coming off the vine, I taped a Bloom with Barb test pilot with Mary Ann Wasil Nilan, Founder of The Get in Touch Foundation.

What does this have to do with the Superbowl? Well, we went “bloomin’ in the kitchen” with healthy and yum snacks that are fresh, easy and delicious (and in the summer many ingredients can be found locally). PERFECT to please a crowd any time of year and for your Superbowl night of snacking!

Video: See these recipes prepared below in my Bloomin in the Kitchen segment.

7 Spice Sweet & Savory Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups raw unsalted pumpkin seeds (peppitas)
2 tablespoons agave nectar, maple syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon each: allspice, chili powder, cinnamon, ground corriander, cumin, nutmeg and sea salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup raisins, or dried and juice-sweetened cranberries or cherries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix agave, syrup or honey and spices in a bowl and set aside. Spread 1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake in oven for 20 minutes. Add seeds to the bowl and stir spices to coat. Return pumpkin seeds to the oven on the cookie sheet and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Break into clusters and toss with raisins, cranberries or cherries and remainder of the raw pumpkin seeds.

Garden Fresh Salsa

2 cups grape or plum tomatoes, chopped
1 tomatillo, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, minced
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon chill powder or more to taste
sea salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, toss all ingredients and serve with a variety of chips (blue tortilla, multi-grain and rice chips). Best if ingredients marinate before serving.

Dried Plum & Apple Green Smoothie

BLOOMIN In the KITCHEN: Arugula Apple Fennel Salad

A colorful salad with a refreshing twist!

My friend Liz makes a wonderful fennel salad with currants, red onions and granny smith’s. Looking for an exciting new salad to serve over the holidays, I borrowed her idea and switched juice sweetened cranberries for currants and added arugula for a burst of color and flavor.

I love the contrast of tart and sweet, the crunch of the fennel and apples and how “clean” the flavors blend. With a splash of lemon juice and olive oil, it’s loaded with everything I look for in a great dish: fresh, healthy, organic and yummy!

3 fennel bulbs ~ cut into julienne
4 granny smith apples ~ peeled, cored and sliced
2 cups arugula ~ torn into small pieces
1/2 cup juice sweetened cranberries
1 large red onion ~ sliced into thin rings
Vinegarette to taste: Juice of 1 lemon and approx. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (ratio: 1 part lemon juice to 2 parts olive oil)
Sea salt & pepper to taste

In a large bowl, toss all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 2 hours).

*Organic ingredients really “cleans” up this dish

Blog: Cleaning up Holiday Recipes

Not Your Usual Bowl of Oatmeal

Superfoods jazz up morning breakfast. You can even go gluten-free!

Since I’m not much of a microwave fan these days, even I had doubts if I could make a warm yummy breakfast in a flash. But I’m happy to report that in less than 4 minutes, I whipped up creamy oatmeal with gluten-free oats.

Laced with maple syrup from the farmer’s market, raw walnuts, fresh pomegranate seeds and topped off with a dollop of ghee (clarified butter skimmed of milk solids), this was one satisfying superfood breakfast on the go that is a far cry from the goop I ate as a kid.

1/3 cup oats (gluten free can be found in most natural food stores)
1 cup water, milk, rice or almond milk
1 Tbsp chopped walnuts (roasted or raw)
1 Tbsp pomegranate seeds
Pinch of salt

Combine oats, water or milk and salt in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until desired consistency or follow cooking instructions on the oatmeal box. Ladle into bowl and top with nuts, pomegranate seeds and syrup.

Serves 1

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.

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