An old friend avoids vegetables at all costs and he has even become a bit infamous for it, so I was shocked and delighted when he ate not one, but two bowls of this soup! Butternut is my favorite winter squash, not only is it bursting with fiber, vitamins and antioxidants but it always had a really nice and silky consistency. Continue Reading →
German Basil Quinoa Salad
Technically there is nothing German about this salad besides the mustard, but my friend and I invented and lived off of it when we were there together. It was basically designed around creating a nutritious and palatable way to eat large amounts of basil. Unfortunately basil plants never last long around me Continue Reading →
Coco Cacao Buried Cherries
These are very rich and fill the need for any holiday fudge nostalgia. The chocolate part is pretty satisfying on its own and makes about twice the yield without the cherries. Continue Reading →
Bolivian Tomato Quinoa Soup
Quinoa was originally consumed by the natives of the Andes several thousand years ago. Although the high elevation of the region made for harsh living conditions, quinoa flourished and provided an integral part of the people’s diet. They called it la chisiya mama, “the mother grain”. It is still a superior source of carbohydrates and protein for people today as it is full of fiber and vitamins but generally very easy to digest when rinsed well and thoroughly cooked. Continue Reading →
Cacao Pillows
These are incredibly soft and decadently rich. They are about as close as you can get to homemade chocolate without bringing out the cacao butter. The softer and fresher the dates the better the end result will be, they can always be soaked in water for 20-30 minutes if they are too dry. Continue Reading →
Piña Colada Smoothie
Smoothies are great not just because they are fast and delicious, but also because they are easy to digest. Generally, most people do not chew their food enough so their digestive system has to work harder to break down the pieces of food, this takes away energy that could be devoted to something else. Because well blended food is easier to digest, it also means that the nutrients are easier for our bodies to absorb- making for a great après workout refuel. Continue Reading →
Cacao Nutty Bear Droppings
These are rather unattractive… but that is advantageous because they probably will not disappear too quickly if you live with other people. Their look definitely does not betray how tasty they are. You can use basically any nuts, seeds or dried fruit, although this time I just used dates so that the cacao would have center stage. Continue Reading →
Parfait with Orange Apricot Granola
Granola meets the Middle East through the main ingredients here with cinnamon (a natural food preserver and effective blood sugar stabilizer), tahini (a sesame paste with good levels of copper, manganese and the desirable fatty acid omega-3) and dried apricots (little powerhouses of iron, vitamins a and c and fiber). Parfaits are a really good way to use up little bits of whatever ingredients you have laying around to make a nice looking dish. Continue Reading →
Cacao Mountain Granola Bars
Sometimes I just want to put chocolate on everything. These bars contain four different chocolatey elements, without imposters like white chocolate or diluted milk chocolate (no offense to them). There is raw cacao, roasted cacao, cacao nibs and raw carob. Dark chocolate has been making its way onto several healthy food lists because of the antioxidants and nutrients naturally present in cacao like magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc. Continue Reading →
Ayurvedic Khichari
Ayurveda is translated as the science of life and originated in India several thousand years ago, making it the oldest form of healthcare we know of. Ayurvedic medicine takes a very holistic view and classifies people, body and mind, according to the three doshas (or energies). The patient is prescribed different foods and spices customized according to their dosha constitution. The idea is to heal any imbalances and cure or prevent ailments that people are particularly susceptible to. Continue Reading →