you are what you eat~you have a choice in what you're made of

minted fruit

simply fresh fruit of choice and any quantity you have on hand for the number of people you want to serve

For example:

3 c sliced strawberries
1 c blueberries
1/2 c blackberries
3 sprigs of fresh mint-take the leaves off of the stems and finely slice the mint
tip:  stack the mint leaves into a pile and using kitchen scissors slice into thin slivers

toss the fruit gently with the mint and refrigerate, let flavors blend for a couple of hours

optional:  squeeze of a lemon, lime or orange or splash of sparkling anything

fun to serve in a martini glass or clear vessel of choice to showcase the beautiful fruit colors

created by Char

avocado salad boats

1/2 of an avocado de-skinned for each person, placed on an individual plate

in a large bowl add:

2 small tomatoes chopped into small pieces
1 bunch of green onions chopped into small pieces including most of the green stems
5-6 c arugula or desired greens

optional: add slivered almonds and anything else your heart desired to the salad bowl

tip:  use plastic gloves for tossing and placing the salad into the avocado boat

toss with your favorite homemade dressing~my fave is "simply dressing made easy" found on this blog

place a generous handful of salad on each avocado boat and serve

inspired by Anthony William's Salsa Avocado Boats on page 58 of Medical Medium Life Changing Foods book

gentle veggie soup

2 c parsnip (or burdock root if you are so lucky to find it) (rinse and clean parsnip well and skip peeling--the skin has many nutritional benefits and saves precious time)
2 c sliced carrots--keep the skin on!
2 c sliced mushrooms (I love shiitake or portobello)
2 c sliced celery
1 large leek sliced
1 bunch of green onions sliced
1 jalapeno sliced, seeds and all (optional, if you want to skip the heat)
2 bay leaves
1 bunch of thyme (rinse and throw stem and all in your pot)
1 bunch of parsley coarsely chops (cut the thick bottom area of the stems and chop the rest)
1-2 garlic cloves smashed gently with the side of a knife for easier peeling and pop it in the pot
1-2 inches of ginger, clean it well and with the skin on, chop it up and in the pot it goes

optional: lemongrass stalk, other fresh herbs you like and any other veggies on hand you might want to add

add enough filtered water to cover the veggies and cook until veggies are to desired tenderness

near the end of cooking, add 2 c of coarsely sliced bok choy or kale or spinach (only needs a couple minutes to cook--I like the slight crunch it can add to the soup)

salt and pepper to desired taste
garnish with a squeeze of lime or lemon or dollop of cashew sour cream sauce

inspired by Anthony William's Burdock Soup on page 234 of Medical Medium Life Changing Foods book

cashew sour cream sauce

1 c of raw cashews & 2 1/2 c filtered water

• soak for 2-4 hours
• rinse cashews well, toss the water cashews soaked in

puree in a blender or bullet with:

juice of 1 lime or lemon (more juice for a zestier flavor-zesting the skin of the fruit will also add a zestier zing)

1/2 tsp of kosher salt (basically salt to your desired taste)

add coconut water or filtered water to blend, add a little at a time so your sauce does not get over-liquified resulting in a runny sauce

the more you blend, the smoother the sauce 

refrigerate to store, the citrus acts as a preservative so shelf life is decent!

created by Char

Quinoa ("Keen-wa") Salad full of flayyy-vor

2 cups of sprouted quinoa (non-sprouted is fine, sprouted is "more better" for you)--rinse in fine mesh strainer
4 cups of filtered water (non filtered is fine, filtered is "more better"for you)

• bring water to a boil in a medium pan, add "keen-wa", stir once, bring back to a boil, turn down to simmer and cover, check in about 20 minutes---if needed, add more hot--hot water and if tasting firm, not too crunchy, fluff with a fork and place in a large bowl to begin salad prep

5 - 6 ears of corn-"decorn" the ears by slicing carefully with a searated knife after the corn has cooled **Char tip:  (nothing beats FRESH corn even in the winter--bring a large pot of water to a boil--husk and silk ((take the hair off the corn)), add to boiling water, let the corn come back to a boil, give the corn a turn to get all sides of the corn in boiling water, in 1 minute, remove the corn, drain & let cool)---in a pinch, use a bag of frozen corn that has been run under hot water & drained

1 bunch of green onions with majority of green tops, slivered

1 jalepeno, seeded unless you want the HEAT, chopped finely

1 bunch of cilantro, densely chopped

4 T of fresh tarragon, densely chopped ** Char tip:  (rinse and gently dry stalk and leaves--unless stalk of tarragon is thick--densely chop stalk and all---super amazing flavor--anise and all)

1 avocado, cut into small pieces** Char tip:  (slice slender strips with a paring knife before removing the skin-horizontally & vertically----carefully remove part of the skin on left or right side---slice through the middle of the avocado north to south and allow the piece to fall out, the bottom layer will release as you release the skin---it's life changing!!)

1 lemon, juiced

• add all the ingredients and gently toss to mix

Dressing:

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil**Char tip:  (first cold pressed "more better")

1 garlic clove, minced

2 T cider vinegar

1 T favorite mustard (I like Dijon)

1 tsp salt

• whisk until well blended

Add dressing small portion at a time to get desired wetness for the salad---may need to add more after it sits and melds the flavors!  

Add desired salt & pepper!!

Ok to serve immediately and even better if you can allow a few hours in the frig....retoss and add more dressing if needed.

ENJOY!!

variations:  add 1/4 c slivered or chopped fave nut, add 1/4 c dried cranberries, add 1 c arugula, add sliced grilled chicken.....honestly, anything goes!!  *experiment & have fun in the kitchen*

shared and created by Char

yellow split pea salad

• 1 Cup of yellow split-peas
• 2 Large tomatoes
• 2 Avocados
• 3 green onions or one medium white onion
• 1/2 cup of minced parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup of tahini
• 1/4 cup of yogurt or cashew cream (vegan style)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• A pinch of cumin, salt to taste, a pinch of paprika
• Optional:  Cabbage leaves to serve in
• Optional ingredients:  pine nuts or favorite nut, chopped celery

METHOD:

1. Soak the peas overnight  and cook the next day in a lot of water until done.
2. Dice the tomatoes and avocadoes and chop the green onions and parsley. Mash the garlic cloves in a mortar with a little salt.
3. In a small bowl, place the mashed garlic, tahini, yogurt, lemon juice and stir until smooth; add the olive oil and stir to combine well. Add the cumin and paprika and a dash of salt if needed and pour the dressing over the peas and veggies. Mix well and serve option to serve over cabbage leaves.