Super Pretty Smoothie

I do love my Greenies. Greenies are smoothies that I make with either spirulina, E3Live, a green drink powder or a good handful of fresh spinach, kale, romaine or other dark leafy greens. Greenies give me a quick and long lasting energy boost, make me feel refreshed and focused. The only problem with them is they are very green. They actually taste good. They are made with other ingredients, which are banana and/or berries and hemp milk. But sometimes I just want a nice, creamy and pretty smoothie. So today I made exactly that and boy was it pretty and tasty. It was thick, smooth, raspberry filled and pink. Yum!

I still drank my greens, just on the side. I had a heaping spoon full of spirulina, shaken, not stirred (spirulina does not stir well, it gets lumpy) with a bit of water and juice. I also chewed on some lettuce after to protect my teeth from all those good but acidic fruit sugars.

My recipe for the smoothie was simple. I used my own homemade hemp milk, which I will also give the recipe for. I am putting in the effort to make my own hemp milk for a few reasons. Hemp milk is a bit pricey and contains thickeners and is sometimes very sweet. I have been buying almond milk and rice milk, which are okay but again most contain thickeners and/or sweeteners. I do use the unsweetened almond milk but I don't totally love it. I wanted a really nutrient rich and natural milk alternative. Also, one major thing is that I am feeling bad about all those tetra packs going in the garbage because they are not recyclable. Not here at least. Oh, yah one other thing is that almond and rice milk are produced far away and have to be shipped a long way to get to me. Hemp seeds are farmed in Canada and don't have to be shipped so far. Plus I can make a lot of hemp milk with a bucket of hemp seeds and I can store my milk in a glass bottle. I am waiting for my roomie to use up the rest of her organic milk so I can poach the glass bottle from her. Meanwhile I am using a large mason jar to store my mylk.

That's the story of the hemp milk and here is how you make it. Hemp Mylk 1 cup hemp seeds 6 cups water a pinch of Himalayan salt 1-2 tsp honey or sucanat (optional) 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Put hemp seeds and 2 cups of water in a blender and blend on high for 2-3 minutes. Then add water to 2 inches below the top of the blender plus salt and optional sweetener and vanilla. Blend for 1 more minute. Pour into jars and top up with remaining water.

You can also use dates, figs or raisins to sweeten the mylk. Just blend them in. Super Pretty Smoothie 1 cup hemp mylk (or other milk of choice) 1/2 a ripe banana 1 cup frozen raspberries (use fresh in the summer) Blend until smooth and frothy. Hemp makes this smoothie rich in protein and healthy fats. Have it for breakfast or a snack. Add 1 tbsp of ground flax to increase the fibre content and to fill you up for longer. Enjoy!

Tastes Like Kool-Aid But is Much Better

I was wondering around Granville Island Market in Vancouver looking for some cooking inspiration for recipes for my monthly recipe program. I found some interesting spices, exotic vegetables and some dried flowers. I was really intrigued by the dried flowers because of their vibrant red colour and large size. I have only made teas with more local flowers such as calendula and rose hips. These new found flowers seemed to resemble some of the properties of rose hips; mainly containing a lot of vitamin C. Further reading after I got home led me to learn that these flowers I found are also a mild diuretic and are good for people with high blood pressure, circulatory problems and digestive ailments.

The flowers are called Jamaica pronounced ha-MIKE-uh in Spanish or Hibiscus flowers. You can find them dried in speciality stores or google "jamaica hibiscus flower tea" for online shopping. They are beautiful. Here are the flowers after they came out of my tea.

The tea is easy to make, refreshing, tasty and good for you. It is sure to impress and is a must have at your next barbecue. The kids will like it too because it is fruity, tangy and sweet. Plus it it such a naturally vibrant colour; no chemicals here.

Here is the how to make iced tea:

1/2 cup dried Jamaica (Hibiscus) flowers

4 cups water

1/4 honey or agave nectar

3 cups cold water

1 lime, sliced for garnish

• In a large pot, bring to a boil, 4 cups of water and 1/2 cup Jamaica flowers. Turn off heat, cover and let steep for 10 minutes.
• Stir in honey or agave until dissolved and then stir in 3 cups cold water. Taste and add more water, honey or agave if desired.
• Place in the fridge for 2-6 hours.
• Strain out flowers, pour into glasses over ice and garnish with a slice of lime.

Enjoy on the deck or the beach!

Watermelon Blender Drink

I bought a really nice, bright red organic watermelon. I cut into it and had a couple of sweet, juicy slices. Grommit (the dog) had ignored the piece of watermelon that fell to the floor when I was cutting but after she saw me eating it she enjoyed some herself.

I thought a blender drink would be really nice and I had some sparkling mineral water in the fridge. I am going to give this one to you how I made it, which is how I make most of my recipes; without a recipe and without measuring. I start cooking or preparing a dish with an inspiration, which may be an ingredient or many, a photograph, a smell, or someone mentioning what they had for dinner the night before. Then I begin creating it. If I am trying to make a classic dish with my own twist I will find a recipe first to see if there are any key ingredients that make it up. Then I start playing with it, adding healthier ingredients, different grains or veggies and more flavour.

This time I was inspired by the tasty watermelon. My watermelon had seeds, just the way I like them as you can see from the photo below. That was my prize for counting the most seeds in my slice of watermelon at the fall fair (I was a kid). The button is sitting amongst my future crop of tomatoes.

After I sliced the watermelon I cut off the rind of 3 big slices and chopped the watermelon into a blender (including the seeds). Try to save all the juice and get it in the blender. The blender was about 3/4 full of watermelon chunks. I added 1 big spoon of local, unpasteurized, red clover honey. I also squeezed in half a lime. Then I blended it up until it was smooth and frothy. You may have to stop the blender a few times and give it a stir if it is not blending well. Don't add any water though because once it does get blended it will be very juicy.

Now find some pretty glasses and fill them half way with sparkling mineral water then top them up with the blended watermelon. You can add a sprig of fresh mint and some drops of red currant sauce. The key to adding perfect little drops of red current sauce is to use a teaspoon and put just a little sauce on it and then drop the sauce right above and very close to the drink. Patience and gentleness is needed so the drops float. If you don't have patience or don't want to make the sauce then just drink them as is.

Enjoy!

Red Currant Sauce

I remember picking currants and gooseberries as a kid. They were really tart and tangy but somehow I liked them. Kind of like a sour candy, you eat them till your tongue hurts. I found some fresh bright red ones at a store and after I bought them I thought it was funny that I had just paid for something that I used to pick in my back yard. My back yard picking has now changed to black berries; they're not ripe yet.

I have to admit the tart and astringent berries sat in my fridge for a bit. They seemed a little high maintenance and I wasn't really into having them raw. Finally I decided to cook them up with a bit of honey for a sweet tart taste.

I had about 3 cups of berries after I picked them all off the stems, which you don't have to do very meticulously because I ended up straining it. That was an after thought when I discovered that I didn't want the crunchy and still astringent seeds in my sauce.

I put the currants into a medium sauce pan and added 5 big spoonfuls of local honey. I heated the mixture on low/medium and let it simmer lightly for about 15 minutes. Then I mashed the whole thing with a fork and squished it through a very fine sieve. Try to get all the juice and pulp out of the mixture leaving behind the skins, seeds and stems. Scrape all the pulp off from underneath the sieve and stir up the sauce. Now taste it and add more honey if it is still to tart. Store it in the fridge for several days.

I just had some on yogurt, see above photo. I think it would be really yummy on coconut milk ice cream...

Tip #7 of 13 Tips to A Healthier Me

Eat Your Greens!

I know that you know that green veggies are good for you and that they are full of nutrients and fibre. They are high in calcium and magnesium to build strong bones and relax tight muscles. There are so many good health giving nutrients in those green veggies; they even have omega-3 fatty acids. But really do we need to know those details? I think what is more important than breaking a food down into parts is seeing food as a whole and what it brings to the body as a whole. Any unrefined, non-processed natural food is going to be good for you, unless of course you're allergic to it or it's poisonous.

What I like about greens is how they make me feel, how they taste, their texture and how they balance out my taste buds. Greens are great! I'm talking about veggies like broccoli, kale, chard, watercress, spinach, rapini, broccolini, rocket, brussel sprouts (love 'em), dandelion greens, escarole, bok choy, collard greens, arugula and more... These veggies make me feel full of energy, as well as feeling relaxed and balanced. I also feel like I have given my body something good. Greens are tasty too; they have a bitterness to them, sometimes light and sometimes strong. Greens even have a bit of sweetness, especially broccoli and broccolini, but also the more bitter greens. Greens are crunchy and fresh or soft when cooked, while still keeping their shape (unless boiled to mush, not recommended).

The really cool and unique thing about greens is they balance out a meal with that bitter flavour. Bitter balances out sweet and is the best way to stop those sweet cravings. If you start your meal with green veggies your taste buds will get that bitter flavour which stimulates digestive enzymes and balances out the sweet flavours that you have in your meal. The sweet flavours in a typical dinner include the carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, rice and other grains. Surprisingly meat is also a sweet flavour. Imagine if you have a meal of pasta with meat sauce and a slice of garlic bread, which all contain "sweet" flavours. You fill up as full as you can and then 30 minutes later you want desert. There are a few things going on here including, possibly Tip #3 of 13 Tips to Be A Healthier Me. But the big thing and the easiest thing to change is to add a green veggie; ideally at the start of the meal.

Here are some ways to get the greens into every meal, including breakfast.

1. Add a handful of spinach to a smoothie. Yes that's right, it is so tasty and I haven't had a complaint yet. Put some berries, half a banana, 1/2 a cup of apple or pear juice, 1tbsp of ground flax seeds and 2 tbsp of hemp seeds.
2. Lightly steam greens until they turn just bright green, not too long. Then drizzle on a bit of healthy oil (extra virgin olive or coconut oil , butter, flax, hemp...) and a pinch of Himalayan salt.
3. Add greens to a stir fry or pasta sauce right at the end.
4. Put a handful of spinach in the bottom of a bowl and put soup, stew or hot rice on top letting it warm and wilt the spinach.
5. Grate zucchini and use it in baking.
6. Add greens to your favourite wrap or sandwich.
7. Blend up greens into a salad dressing.

Enjoy!

Smoothie for a Hot Summer Day

I love smoothies right now. With all the fresh berries arriving with the hot days, a smoothie makes a nice breakfast or snack. Smoothies are good if you eat breakfast on the run because they are portable, quick, packed full of nutrition (if you make them right) and are easy to digest. If you eat in a hurry or when you are in motion you will not digest your food as well as when you eat while seated at a table relaxed. Any stress in the body, like being in a hurry, causes your digestion to slow down. While you work on giving yourself more time and a relaxed environment to eat, do eat meals that are simple and easy to digest. Smoothies are already blended for you, making things easier.

In order to have a complete meal in a smoothie you need to add some key ingredients. The carbs are easy to put in, those are your fruits. Fruit is a healthy carb in that it is filled with nutrients, fibre and natural sugar. Choose fruits that are lower in sugar such as berries, apples and pears. Bananas and other tropical fruits are fine too, just use them to compliment a less sweet fruit like blueberries. One tip about blueberries; use only 1/2 a cup per smoothie or your smoothie will get all thick and jelly like. Not in a good way either.

Next you need some sort of protein. I like plant base proteins myself because they have more than just protein; they also contain fibre, minerals and enzymes. Hemp is a great protein, brown rice protein is also a good choice. The most popular type of protein is whey, which comes from dairy. If you choose whey protein look for New Zealand based in order to avoid growth hormones. Whey does mix well but I recommend trying out a plant based protein for it's added value.

The next ingredient is fat, good fat that is. Flax, hemp or borage oil are all good choices. Add about 1 tbsp of oil to get your omega 3 brain food for the day.

Finally I like to add something green. Greens are important to balance out the sweetness of a smoothie. Too much sweet will leave you hungry for more. The slight bitterness of greens will balance out the sweet. Don't worry it won't make your smoothie taste weird or bitter, not at all. I promise. It will change the colour a bit though. Good greens are spirulina, chlorella, wheat grass juice or plain and simple a handful of spinach, kale or romaine lettuce. Yes, that's right, I am suggesting you put spinach in your smoothie. It's good, trust me.

Here is a recipe to get you started. Look for more smoothie ideas in the future and let me know your favourite blends.

Standard Smoothie Recipe

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup pear or apple juice
1/2 banana
1 cup berries/peach/pear/nectarine
1 scoop hemp protein
1 tsp Spirulina or 1 handful of spinach
1 tbsp EFA oil (I like Barlean's Flax the best)

Blend it all up and enjoy.

To make your smoothie even easier use Vega's Smoothie Infusion. It includes complete protein and greens all in one and it is vegan.

Bubbly Summer Drink- No Sugar Added!

This is a great refreshing summer drink. It is a good substitute for pop. It contains natural sugar and flavour plus some fruit. Enjoy!

Fill glasses to 1/3 full with pear juice. Top with carbonated spring water. Toss in a handful of frozen raspberries, 5 pieces of chopped mint and a slice of lime.

Easy refreshing and good for you.