Turnip Rice

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

Ingredients:
3 - 5 turnips, peeled
¼ C Almonds, Brazil- or Macadamia nuts
1 t olive oil
2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ t Himalayan salt

Method:
Place all the in a food processor and blend until a rice-lke consistency is reached.
You can make variations of this recipe by using parsnips, white sweet potatoes or celeriac root.

Enjoy! ♥

Purslane and Health Benefits

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

Soft, succulent Purslane or "Pusley" has more omega-3 fatty acids than some of fish oils. If you are a vegetarian and want to avoid all forms of animal products, then here is the answer! Go for this healthy dark green leafy vegetable and soon you will forget fish!

Botanically, this herbaceous leafy vegetable belongs to the family of Portulacaceae and scientifically known as Portulaca oleracea.

Other common names for this green vegetable are pusley, pigweed or verdolaga.

Health benefits of Purslane:

This wonderful green leafy vegetable is very low in calories (just 16 kcal/100g) and fats; but is rich in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Fresh leaves contain surprisingly more Omega-3 fatty acids (α-linolenic acid) than any other leafy vegetable plant. 100 grams of fresh purslane leaves provides about 350 mg of α-linolenic acid. Research studies shows that consumption of foods rich in ω-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and also help prevent development of ADHD, autism, and other developmental differences in children.

It is an excellent source of Vitamin A, (1320 IU/100 g, provides 44% of RDA) one of the highest among green leafy vegetables. Vitamin A is a known powerful natural antioxidant and is essential for vision. This vitamin is also required to maintain healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin A known to help to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.

Purslane is also a rich source of vitamin C, and some B-complex vitamins like riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine and carotenoids, as well as dietary minerals, such as iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium and manganese.

Also present in purslane are two types of betalain alkaloid pigments, the reddish beta-cyanins and the yellow beta-xanthins. Both of these pigment types are potent anti-oxidants and have been found to have anti-mutagenic properties in laboratory studies. [Proc. West. Pharmacol. Soc. 45: 101-103 (2002)]

Preparation and serving methods:

The stems and flower buds are also edible. Trim the tough stems near roots using sharp knife. Cook under low temperature for shorter period in order to preserve majority of nutrients. Although antioxidant properties are significantly decreased on frying and boiling; minerals, carotenes and flavonoids may remain intact with steam cooking.

Here are some serving tips:

Fresh, raw leaves can be used as salad and as vegetable juice.

It has also being used in soup and curry preparations in many mouth watering purslane recipes in South Indian states.

"Creamed" Leek and Spinach Fusilli

By: Tessa Rushton

Ingredients:
3/4 pound(s) brown rice Fusilli
1 1/2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
1 large leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1 cup(s) heavy “cream” (I use almond milk & add cashew “cheese” to thicken it to desired consistency)
4 cup(s) packed baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup(s) lightly packed basil leaves, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the fusilli until al dente, then drain.
• Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the leek and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 10 minutes. 
• Add the cream and simmer over moderate heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
• Add the cooked fusilli to the skillet and toss over moderately low heat until coated with the leek sauce, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the chopped basil, and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the fusilli into bowls and serve.

Serves: 4

Total Time: 20 minutes

PS: To make this RAW, you may “cook” the sauce in your Vita-Mix blender & use zucchini spaghetti in place of Fusilli.

Richard's Egg-Free Pasta

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

Ingredients:
2 cups tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup warm water

Preparation:

• In a large bowl, mix flour and salt. Add warm water and stir to make a stiff dough. Increase water if dough seems too dry.
• Pat the dough into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes. Cover. Let dough rest for 20 minutes.
• Roll out dough using rolling pin or pasta machine. Work with a 1/4 of the dough at one time. Keep the rest covered, to prevent from drying out. Roll by hand to 1/16 of an inch thick. By machine, stop at the third to last setting.
• Cut pasta into desired shapes.
• Cook fresh noodles in boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes.

Serves 4.

Enjoy! ♥

Mock Mayo

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

Mock Mayo

Ingredients:
½ C almonds
½ C Brazil nuts
½ C water
½ t apple cider vinegar
3 t olive oil
3 pitted dates
1 t tamari (optional)
1 t lemon juice
1 clove garlic
¼ Himalayan rock salt

Preparation:
Place all the ingredients in a power blender and whiz.
To make 'sour cream': remove the apple cider vinegar, dates, garlic and tamari sauce.

Enjoy! ♥

Special Sweet Potato Salad

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

Ingredients:

•3 medium sized sweet potatoes, cubed;
•2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (For the Paleo- and Klinghardt people - otherwise, just leave the eggs);
•1 green apple, chopped with skin still on;

Ingredients for the dressing:
•4 tbsp olive oil;
•1 tbsp chives, chopped;
•4 tbsp mayonnaise (found on Esther's site);
•2 tbsp fresh lemon juice;
•1 tbsp Dijon or homemade mustard;
•Himalayan salt and Cayenne pepper to taste;

Procedure:
In a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the sweet potatoes cubes, fill with water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender (I prefer the steaming method).

To hard-boil the eggs, place them in a sauce pan covered with cold water. Bring to a boil over a high heat and then reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, drain the hot water and run some cold water over the eggs to rapidly stop them from cooking. After the eggs are cold enough to handle, you can peel them and chop them.
In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked potatoes, eggs and apple. Top with the dressing.

Serves: 4 - 6

Enjoy! ♥

Brassica Vegetables

By: Esther Vasa

Brassica Vegetables or Cruciferous Vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collard greens, kohlrabi, mustard greens, wasabi, watercress, tatsoi/bok choy, cabbages (napa, red and regular), arugula, turnip, broccoli rabe/rapini etc., are meant for their valuable nutrition.

These vegetables have cancer fighting phytonutrients called sulfuraphane and indoles. It is believed that these cut down your risk of cancer by half. Why not feast on a few of these veggies everyday? Sulfuraphane increases the body’s ability to detoxify carcinogenic substances (agents that cause cancer). Indoles suppress the growth of tumors and inhibit cancer cell metastasis (the movement of cancer cells from one part of the body to another).

Brassica Vegetables

Alkalising Beetroot and Turnip Ravioli

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

Ingredients:
beetroot
turnips
fake cream cheese
spinach, finely chopped
garlic white sauce
spring onions

Preparation:
Using a mandolin cut very thin rounds of beetroots and turnips. Salt the slices with Himalayan salt and allow them to 'sweat' for 10 minutes. Take your cream cheese and combine it with some finely chopped spinach. Take a beetroot or turnip round, put a dollop of cream cheese with spinach in the middle and close it over with another round. Dehydrate for 2 - 3 hours.

Make a batch of garlic white sauce in your power blender and leave it running until slightly warmed. Place the warmed garlic sauce in a bowl and serve the ravioli on top of the warm sauce garnished wih spring onions.

Enjoy! ♥

Garlic White Sauce

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

Ingredients:

200 ml Macadamia nuts

4 cloves of garlic

juice of 1 lemon

1 t Himalayan salt

3 t olive oil

250 ml water

Procedure:
Blend all the ingredients in a power blender and use with beetroot and turnip ravioli.

Enjoy! ♥

Acid-Alkaline Foods

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

Your acid-alkaline shopping list:

ALKALINE FOODS:
Almonds, artichokes, asparagus, avocados, beets, broccoli, buckwheat, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, flax seed, green beans, leafy greens, lentils, millet, olives, onions, potatoes, pumpkin seeds, quinoa.

SLIGHTLY ACIDIC FOODS:
Black beans, brazil nuts, cantaloupe, chickpeas, dates, hazelnuts, nectarines, plums, sunflower seeds, walnuts.

WEAKLY ACIDIC FOODS:
Berries, citrus fruits (grapefruit and lemon are the safest citrus to eat), whey, vinegar, tomatoes (their acidity lies mainly in the skin), honey.

ACIDIC FOODS:
Alcohol, chocolate, coffee, dairy, eggs, most fruit, peanuts, processed foods, refined vegetable oils, saturated fat, soft drinks, soy sauce, sugar, white flour