Orange Zinger Juice

By: Esther Vasa

This juice has a rich orange color based on the ingredients used. I called it as "Orange Zinger Juice" as it has a nice tang to it from the orange and lime. I thought it has a distinctive flavor from star fruit as well. This makes a thoroughly refreshing summer drink. Try it!

Orange Zinger Juice

Ingredients:

Orange - 1 or a cup of cantaloupe pieces

Apples - 2

Star Fruit - 1

Carrots - 3

Cucumber - 1

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Juice of one Lime

Preparation:

Juice all the above ingredients except lime. Add the juice of one lime and enjoy this refreshing drink right away. Makes about 32-35 ounces of juice. If you like, you may add a few ice cubes into each glass of juice.

The Health Benefits of Using an Ozonator

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

With many thanks to Drs. Weil and Egersdorfer.

Ozonator

Ozone is made from oxygen, which makes up water, air, earth and is at all levels a part of life. As we need oxygen to breathe and live, oxygen is more a part of our life than anything. Remember, oxygen is in water we need to live, and water comprises 85% of our body. We are walking ozonators. Ozone can be applied to clean the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, or kill the viruses that harm us. It is also being applied to many industrial applications.

What is Ozone?

When most people think of ozone, they picture the layer high in the earth’s outer atmosphere that protects us from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, but this bluish gas, which sometimes can be detected as a fresh smell after a thunderstorm, is actually a valuable tool with a variety of down to earth uses.

Ozone gas (03) is a naturally occurring tri-atomic form of oxygen (02) that is formed as sunlight passes through the atmosphere or when streaks through the air. It can be generated artificially by passing high voltage electricity through oxygenated air (corona discharge), causing oxygen to break apart and recombine in the tri-atomic form. Because oxygen naturally seeks its normal state, ozone is an unstable, highly reactive form of the gas. Ozone is effective as a disinfectant at relatively low concentrations and does not leave toxic by products similar to those related to chlorination.

Some quick ozone facts:

Ozone is “active oxygen” – an ozone molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms.

Ozone is healthy and environmentally safe.

Ozone is created in nature from oxygen in the air by ultraviolet rays of the sun or by the corona or electrical discharge during a lightning storm.

The Ozone layer in the atmosphere protects the earth from deadly radiation and there is a small amount of ozone in the air we breathe.

Ozone has a clean, fresh scent often noticed after a rainstorm.

As an oxidizer, ozone is 500 times as powerful as chlorine and 3,000 times as fast at killing bacteria and other microbes.

Ozone is a powerful oxidiser and oxidises hydrogen sulphides, iron, manganese and most chlorinated hydrocarbons and eliminates soaps and oils.

Ozone is a natural purifier and destroys bacteria, viruses, cysts, yeasts, moulds and mildew and fungus.

Ozone is a by product of oxygen, it does not leave any chemical taste or smell, it will not cause any personal discomfort or irritation.

Ozone is the alternative water purifier to traditional chemicals such as chlorine and bromine and keeps the water fresh, clean and sparkling clear

Ozone is not a carcinogen (like the chlorine and chloramines formed in your spa with chlorine use) and will not irritate, dry out or leave a chemical film on your skin; or damage and discolour your hair

The first commercial use of ozone was in a municipal water system in 1906. Ozone is now used by a wide variety of industries worldwide, including wastewater plants, water parks, zoos, aquariums, food manufacturing and water bottling as well as commercial and residential swimming pools and spa pools.

OZONE USES

Industry

The largest use of ozone is in the preparation of pharmaceuticals, synthetic lubricants, and many other commercially useful organic compounds, where it is used to sever carbon-carbon bonds. It can also be used for bleaching substances and for killing microorganisms in air and water sources. Many municipal drinking water systems kill bacteria with ozone instead of the more common chlorine. Ozone has a very high oxidation potential. Ozone does not form organochlorine compounds, nor does it remain in the water after treatment. Where electrical power is abundant, ozone is a cost-effective method of treating water, since it is produced on demand and does not require transportation and storage of hazardous chemicals. Once it has decayed, it leaves no taste or odor in drinking water. Low levels of ozone are of disinfectant use in residential homes, having substantial effect on airborne pathogens.

Industrially, ozone is used to:

• Disinfect laundry in hospitals, food factories, care homes etc;

• Disinfect water in place of chlorine;

• Purify the air in smokers rooms in the hotel industry;

• Deodorize air and objects, such as after a fire. This process is extensively used in fabric restoration;

• Kill bacteria on food or on contact surfaces;

• Sanitize swimming pools and spas;

• Kill insects in stored grain;

• Scrub yeast and mold spores from the air in food processing plants;

• Wash fresh fruits and vegetables to kill yeast, mold and bacteria;

• Chemically attack contaminants in water (iron, arsenic, hydrogen sulfide, nitrites, and complex organics lumped together as “colour”);

• Provide an aid to flocculation (agglomeration of molecules, which aids in filtration, where the iron and arsenic are removed); Manufacture chemical compounds via chemical synthesis;

• Clean and bleach fabrics (the former use is utilized in fabric restoration; the latter use is patented);

• Assist in processing plastics to allow adhesion of inks;

• Age rubber samples to determine the useful life of a batch of rubber;

• Eradicate water borne parasites such as Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium in surface water treatment plants.

For more than a centruy, ozone has been used in Europe for purifying drinking water and is currently used in the United States for purifying bottled water and decontaminating cooling towers. The city of Los Angeles currently uses ozone to purify its water supply.

Ozone is a reagent in many organic reactions in the laboratory and in industry. Ozonolysis is the cleavage of an alkene to carbonyl compounds.

Many hospitals in the U.S. and around the world use large ozone generators to decontaminate operating rooms between surgeries. The rooms are cleaned and then sealed airtight before being filled with ozone which effectively kills or neutralizes all remaining bacteria.

Ozone is used as an alternative to chlorine or chlorine dioxide in the bleaching of wood pulp. It is often used in conjunction with oxygen and hydrogen peroxide to eliminate the need for chlorine-containing compounds in the manufacture of high-quality, white paper.

Ozone can be used to detoxify cyanide wastes (for example from gold and silver mining) by oxidizing cyanide to cyanate and eventually to carbon dioxide.

Aquazone has also manufactured customised high output ozone generators for the use disinfecting the inside of wine barrels ready to be filled.

Consumers

Devices generating high levels of ozone, some of which use ionization, are used to sanitize and deodorize uninhabited buildings, rooms, ductwork, woodsheds, boats and other vehicles.

Air purifyers emit low levels of ozone. This kind of air purifier imitates nature’s way of purifying the air without filters and to sanitize both it and household surfaces.

Ozonated water is used to launder clothes and to sanitise food, drinking water, and surfaces in the home.

Ozone can be used to remove pestide residues from fruits and vegetables.

Ozone is used in home swimming pools and spa pools to kill bacteria in the water and to reduce the amount of chlorine or bromine required by reactivating them to their free state. Aquazone ozone generators produce ozone by method of corona discharge and is injected into the water.

Ozone is also widely used in treatment of water in aquariums and fish ponds. Its use can minimize bacterial growth, control parasites, and eliminate transmission of some diseases. There are many dissolved organics that can discolor your water, ozone will oxidize these and produce water that is crystal clear.

To summarize the list, the following are categories of contaminants that can all be treated with ozone:

• Bacteria—all known

• Fungi and yeast—all known

• Protozoa (including parasites and amoebae)—all known.

• Its effectiveness against Cryptosporidium has some limitations, yet is still the most effective of all known sanitation agents for this organism.

In general, ozone is used commercially to:

• Disinfect water before it is bottled

• Kill bacteria, yeast and protozoa on food-contact surfaces such as fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts, legumes, and all animal meats

• Kill yeast and mold spores that float in the air in food processing plants

• Chemically attack (oxidize) impurities in water such as iron, arsenic, hydrogen sulfide, nitrites and organic clumps

• Oxidize and degrade many organic pollutants including pesticides, herbicides and other persistent environmental chemicals as explained below.

In order to disinfect organisms, ozone must come in physical contact with them. But it only takes ozone a few seconds of contact time to destroy pathogens. In fact, no pathogen can survive 1.5 milligrams of ozone per liter for 5 minutes at normal drinking water pH and temperatures.

Consider how many uses ozone has on fruits and vegetables. It is ideal for cleaning and sanitizing fresh produce directly plus it can be sprayed on all the equipment and surfaces where foods are packaged or processed. It can then be sprayed on walls and floors of storage areas and active processing areas to kill and remove bacteria or other organic matter. And because ozone has such a short half-life it does not build up on surfaces the way detergents can if they are not removed by proper rinsing. Ozone air is even used to blow dry food products to eliminate cross-contamination in the air, and ozone refrigeration is used to eliminate mold build-up.

Another important consideration is the preservation of fresh produce. Studies of fruits and vegetables indicate that cooling fruits and vegetables as soon as possible after harvest is a critical factor to extending product shelf life. So by adding ozone to the chilled air and water applied to fruits or vegetables after harvest, both decontamination and cooling can occur in one step.

Fortunately, ozone does not appear to injure vegetable and fruit tissues during contact with them. Several fresh-cut processors now equipped with ozone currently have preliminary results indicating that bacterial counts are lower as compared to chlorinated systems. Produce such as shredded lettuce exhibits a longer shelf life with less browning when washed with ozone than when chlorine is used, and has a noticeably better flavor.

Ozone is also ideal for cleaning and sanitizing beef, pork, poultry, seafood and other fish directly, as well as all the equipment and surfaces where they are packaged or processed. Vacuum packaging, using ozone gas is then used to ensure decontamination into the package.

Some additional benefits of ozone in the food preparation industry are that it:

• Extends the shelf life of food products

• Is much safer for employees than any conventional chemicals

• Eliminates all chemical usage and is chemical-free, without the chemical by-products of chlorination

• Eliminates the use of hot water and conventional sanitizer

• Is generated on site, thus eliminating the transporting, storing and handling of otherwise hazardous materials

• Is very inexpensive to produce once a generator is in use

• Permits recycling of wastewater

Chipotle Purple Potato Soup

By: Esther Vasa
The purple spud's striking pigment is its nutritional crown and glory, courtesy of the antioxidant powerhouse anthocyanin, which is responsible for the purple and blue colors of fruits and vegetables. This flavonoid has been shown in studies to possess anti-cancer and heart-protective effects, as well as benefits such as boosting the immune system and protecting against age-related memory loss. Purple potatoes reduce inflammation that can lead to bad moods. Their skin is also packed with iodine, which helps stabilize thyroid hormone levels, thus warding off mood swings.

Ingredients
Organic Purple Potatoes - 3

Chipotle Purple Potato Soup

Diced Chipotle Pepper - 1 or Chipotle Powder - 1/2 tsp
Green Peas - 1 cup (frozen or fresh; if frozen, thaw beforehand)
Diced Onion - 1
Diced Tomatoes - 2
Ginger and Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Sage Leaf - 1
Almond Milk or Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Water to cook the potatoes
Unsalted Vegetable Stock - 1 cup
Coconut oil or avocado oil - 1 tbsp
Himalayan Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Preparation:

• Clean and cut up the potatoes into half-inch thick circles.
• Cook the potatoes with sage leaf and himalayan salt in just enough water to cover the potato pieces. Check for cookedness by piercing with a knife or fork.
• Heat up oil in a thick heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add diced onions, chipotle pepper, ginger garlic paste, tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook until soft. Takes anywhere from 5-7 minutes.
• Add vegetable stock and bring it to a boil.
• Then, add the boiled purple potatoes with the water used for cooking potatoes. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• Let the above mixture to cool for 15-20 minutes. Next, blend in a power blender or a food processor. I don't like to make it into a smooth paste as I like some texture to my soup. 
• Transfer the blended mixture back into the stock pot along with coconut milk or almond milk. Add green peas and let it to simmer for a bit more. If you like your soup more watery, add a bit more water. Adjust salt and pepper and switch off the stove.
• Ladle into serving bowl and serve it however you prefer. It is a great comfort food. Enjoy!

Chili

By: Alexandra Anillo

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons organic cold-pressed olive oil

Chili
Picture by Esther Vasa

1 large organic yellow onion, diced

1 green organic bell pepper, diced

3 cloves organic garlic, minced

3 organic tomatoes, diced

2 organic jalapeños, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons organic chili powder

2 teaspoons organic cumin

½-1 teaspoon organic cayenne pepper

3 cups cooked or canned organic crushed tomatoes

2 cups organic vegetable broth (I use pacific organic veggie broth)

3 cups cooked or canned organic kidney beans

1 cups cooked or canned organic cannellini beans, (I use Eden organic)

1/2 - 1 cup cooked or canned organic black beans.

Organic salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions

In a 5- or 6-quart stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add in diced onion and bell pepper and sauté until the onions are transparent, about 7 minutes. Add in garlic, stir and then add in the tomatoes and jalapeños. Add in chili powder, cumin and cayenne. Cook for 3 minutes. Pour in crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth and all beans. Simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine.(I let this sit basically all day in the crock pot after I make it so that the flavors are absorbed). This could also be done in the morning before leaving your house for the day and throw in the crock pot on low for the whole day and then it will be ready when you're done with work. if you don't want to do that, you can just make it, but let it sit on the stove on low simmer for at leat 30 mins to an hour after you combine all the ingredients!

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve however you like your chili; topped with vegan cheese, diced onions, fresh cilantro, whatever is your personal favorite.

Lentils and Chards soup

By: Esther Vasa

Lentils are a fiber all star! Tend your body and heart garden by feeding it with lentils and good-eats while weeding the unwanted garbage from big-fat junk food. Lentils provide your body with slow burning complex carbohydrates. Pump up your body's iron stores with lentils.

Swiss Chards are full of nutritional goodness. They are related to the beet family, and come in a variety of colors. The leafy portion is usually a thick green, while the stalks can be white, bright yellow, or red. When you combine the chards from all three colors, you get what is called Rainbow Chards. They are very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol but a great source of Thiamin, Folate, Phosphorus and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Ingredients:

Lentils and Chards Soup

• Whole Lentils - 1 cup (soaked or sprouted)
• Bay Leaves - 2
• Fresh Rosemary leaves from a sprig or two
• Chopped Shallots - 1 cup
• A pinch of each powder - chilli, cumin, coriander and turmeric
• Diced Tomatoes - 1 cup
• Water - 6 cups
• Rainbow Chards - 3 cups (Leaves of green, yellow and red combined)
• Garlic Powder - 1 tsp
• Himalayan Salt to taste
• Dairy-Free Homemade Yogurt or coconut cream - a tsp in each serving bowl
• Grated Carrots - for garnishing (optional)

Preparation:

• Soak the lentils at least for four hours. Even better, sprout them.
• De-stalk the rainbow chards, prepare the leaves for the soup and set aside. You can use the stalks in stir fries or juice them.
• Combine lentils, water, bay leaves, rosemary leaves, shallots, tomatoes, spices (listed above tomatoes) and cook for 45 minutes to an hour in a stock pot. If you like your soup more watery, add an additional cup of water. If you use pressure cooker to cook, it takes roughly about 20 minutes for the lentils to get soft and tender. If you like lentils softer, cook further.
• When the lentils are well cooked, add salt, garlic powder and the rainbow chards. (Remember lentils take much longer to cook if you add salt before cooking them.) Cook for about a minute or so.
• Transfer the soup into serving bowls and top off with a dollop of dairy-free yogurt or coconut cream.  I used unsweetened coconut cream. For some added eye treat, garnish with grated carrots. 
• Enjoy with a side of salad or quinoa or brown/wild rice or GF crackers or GF bread.

Serves: 5-6

Kalabocha Squash Soup

By: Esther Vasa

Kalabocha Squash is Japanese pumpkin and it is also called Kabocha Squash. It has deep green skin and orange flesh. It is naturally sweet and feels and tastes like regular pumpkin. It has the same nutritional value as butternut squash or any winter squash. It is rich in antioxidants and helps fight inflammation.

Kalabocha Squash Soup
served with Sesame Blues

Ingredients:

Kalabocha Squash - 1

Crushed Fresh Garlic - 1 clove

Crushed Fresh Ginger - 1/2 tsp

Sweet Onion - 1 (diced)

Coconut milk - 1 cup (I used Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut milk. You could simply use almond milk, if you prefer)

Water - 3 cup

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Cayenne Pepper or Black Pepper to taste

Avocado Oil - 1 tbsp

Pink Himalayan Salt to taste

Kalabocha Squash
before cutting or baking

Fresh Cilantro or Parsley for garnish

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Wash the Kalabocha Squash thoroughly because we will be using the skin also for this soup. Believe me, the skin is so tasty when it is well cooked. Look at the picture to the right to see how the squash looks like.
• Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. You probably could clean and keep the seeds for later use but I discarded them.
• Put a cup of water in a glass baking tray and bake the two halves for about 30-40 minutes.
• Cube the baked halves and these cubes will be used to make soup. Right below you can see a picture of the baked and cubed squash ready to be made into a soup.
• Next, for the soup, you will need to heat up avocado oil in a heavy bottomed steel wok. Add diced onions, crushed ginger and garlic. Saute for about a minute or two.
• At this point add cubed squash, salt and spices and give it a stir.



Kalabocha Squash Baked and Cubed
ready to be made into soup

• Finally, add coconut milk and the rest of the water. Mix well and cover cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. By this time, you would start smelling the sweet aroma of the soup. 
• Test for cookedness, adjust salt and spices as needed. Garnish with cilantro or parsley leaves and serve it with any crackers. I enjoyed my soup with Sesame Blues from Garden of Eatin'.

Variations:

• You can make this soup with any squash you like.
• You could also use almond milk instead of coconut.

Antioxidant Powerhouse Smoothie

By: Esther Vasa

Dragonfruit highly benefits a person with diabetes (especially type 2). This is a mildly sweet fruit with little black seeds all over. The seeds are high in lipids. The fruit is rich in Vitamin C, fiber, calcium and phosphorus. Aronia is packed with antioxidants and is one of the superfruits in the world. If you have some place to grow your own, grow aronia. Blackberries are one of the top ten foods containing antioxidants. They are filled with polyphenols that help in the prevention of cancer and heart disease. They are also rich in anthocyanins, which give blackberries their deep purple color. Anthocyanins help in memory retention, fighting inflammation and in improving eyesight. I therefore called this smoothie as "Antioxidant Powerhouse Smoothie"!

Ingredients:

Dried Aronia Berries - 1/4th cup or 1/2 cup fresh aronia berries

Frozen Dragon Fruit - 1 (chopped and frozen)

Frozen Blackberries - 1/2 cup

Cold Cantaloupe - 2 cups

Preparation:

In a power blender, quickly blend cold cantaloupe. This is the medium for making your smoothie. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Variations:
1. You can easily transform this into a sorbet by using all frozen ingredients. For blending, you could use 1/2 cup of fresh coconut water.
2. You can make this into ice cream by using all frozen ingredients as well. For blending use cold coconut cream to get the required creaminess.
3. If you like your smoothie/sorbet/ice cream a bit sweeter, add five or six soaked dates or a frozen banana.

Tangy Bamboo Shoots with Rice & Peas

By: Esther Vasa

Bamboo Shoots can enhance the digestive action of the stomach. They are also beneficial in various types of stomach disorders. In Chinese medicine, bamboo shoots are extensively used to treat infections. The fresh juice of bamboo shoots can be used to kill intestinal worms. They are rich in nutrients and low in calories and fats. The shoots are also an excellent source of fiber. A single cup of bamboo shoots is enough to meet the body’s daily fiber requirement. They are also rich in potassium and hence excellent in boosting cardiovascular health. They help in maintaining blood pressure at right levels. They are rich in lignans that have anti-cancerous, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties. In addition, they have anti-inflammatory properties and good in antioxidants.

Ingredients:

Tangy Bamboo Shoots with Rice and Peas

For Bamboo Shoots:

Cleaned, boiled and chopped fresh bamboo shoot - 1 (instructions below)

Ground Fresh Ginger - 1 tsp

Crushed Garlic - 1 tsp

Chopped Red Onion - 1

Red Bell Pepper - 1 (de-seeded and diced)

Chives or Spring Onion - 1/4th cup (chopped)

Sesame seeds - 1 tsp

Grated Fresh Coconut - 1 tbsp

Extra Virgin Pure Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp

Himalayan Salt to taste

For Rice:

Basmati Brown Rice - 1 cup

Water - 1.5 cups

Fresh or Frozen Green Peas - 1/4th cup

Himalayan Salt to taste

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 tsp

For Sauce:

* Rice Vinegar - 2 tbsp 

* Red Wine Vinegar - 1 tsp

Yellow Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Juice of a lemon
Coconut Sugar - 1 tsp

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Cumin Powder - 1 big pinch

Chili Powder - 1 big pinch

Himalayan Salt to taste

* Skip all vinegars if you want to make your dish fully alkaline

Preparation:

Cleaning, Boiling and Preparing Bamboo Shoot:

Fresh Bamboo Shoot

Bamboo Shoot Ready to be Boiled

• The very first step is to wash up the bamboo shoot and cut the tough broad end. When you cut it, you can see the fresh white inside.
• Peel all the tough outer layers until you can peel no more.
• Heat up enough water to immerse the bamboo shoot.
• Put the bamboo shoot into the hot water and allow the shoot to boil for about 15-20 minutes or until the skewer can get right through the shoot.
• Allow the bamboo shoot to cool down in the water. Takes about 30-45 minutes to cool down.
• Drain the water and remove any thick outer layers that peel off easily.
• Then chop it into desired size. I liked mine to be cubed.

Cooking Rice:

• Wash the brown basmati rice.
• Cook rice in the water.
• Half way down, add the peas and salt.
• When rice is cooked, switch off the stove, puff it up and add the olive oil.
• Set cooked rice aside.

Making Sauce:

Whisk all the ingredients listed for the sauce and set aside.

Making Tangy Bamboo Shoots:

• Melt coconut oil in a thick, heavy bottomed steel pan.
• Add onions, ginger and garlic. Stir for a minute or two. DO NOT OVER COOK!
• Next, add the cleaned, boiled and chopped bamboo shoots along with bell pepper, chives and salt. Stir for 3-4 minutes.
• Then, add sesame seeds. Stir and then add the prepared sauce. Mix well till all the vegetables get coated with the sauce and switch off the stove.
• Serve the Tangy Bamboo Shoots over a bed of cooked Brown Rice and Peas. Top it off with freshly grated coconut.

Garden Salad with Yam Greens and Dulse

By: Esther Vasa

This is the very first time I tasted YAM GREENS. Will be surely using them regularly going forward. Be careful to pick greens that are edible as some potato greens aren't edible. To be on the safe side, get them from farmer's market or grocery stores. These greens are mostly found in Asian markets. It is popular in Africa too.

Yam Greens or Sweet potato greens are mildly flavored leaves and they look like pipal leaves, in my opinion. For the salad, you would need to tear each leaf in half, right along the midrib for them to be bite-sized. Make sure you remove the petioles or the little stems that extend from the leaf. The greens are a good source of vitamin K, vitamin A, and folate.

Ingredients:

For Salad

Yam Greens
Separated from Stems

Yam Greens - 1/2 bunch (see picture on the right) or you could use spinach if you can't get yam greens

Iceberg Lettuce or any lettuce - tear up the leaves (about 2 handfuls)

Carrot - 1

Dulse - Pick with five fingers and tear it into desired size

Pine nuts or crushed walnuts - 2 tbsp

Juice of half a lemon

For Balsamic Vinaigrette:

Balsamic Vinegar (white or regular) - 1/4th cup

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/4th cup

Juice of half a lemon

Garlic Clove - 1 (crushed) or 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Yellow Mustard - 1 tsp (optional)

Dried Basil - 1/2 tsp or you could use any herbs you prefer

Black Pepper to taste

Himalayan Salt to taste

Preparation:

Garden Salad with Yam Greens and Dulse

• Firstly, in a mixing bowl, whisk all the ingredients listed for Balsamic Vinaigrette.
• In a separate bowl, soak dulse in the juice of half a lemon for about 15-20 minutes. This soak process takes away the fishy smell if you can't take it.
• Next, we move onto putting together the salad. Separate the leaves from the stems of the Yam Greens bunch. You can see a picture of that right next to the ingredient list. Place the leaves in a salad bowl. You can use the stems for stir fries or simply juice them.
• Grate or spiralize the carrot. I ran it through the spiralizer. Add it to the yam greens in the salad bowl.
• Prepare the lettuce leaves and put them in the salad bowl.
• Add the soaked dulse strips to the salad bowl as well.
• Finally, pour the vinaigrette over the contents in the salad bowl. Mix thoroughly.
• Transfer into a serving platter and top it off with any nuts or seeds of your choice. Enjoy right away!

Creamy Glorious Green Smoothie

By: Esther Vasa

Ingredients:

Creamy Glorious Green Smoothie
topped with dried white mulberries

Avocado - 1/2
Spinach - two handfuls
Cashew or Pine Nuts or Hemp Seeds - 1/4th cup (I used pine nuts)
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
Organic Dates - 3
Mulberries - nearly 1/4th cup
Pinch of Himalayan Salt
Vanilla Powder or Cinnamon Powder - 1/4th tsp (I used vanilla powder)
Cold Water - 2.5 cups or more depending on the desired consistency

Preparation:

• Soak nuts or seeds you are using for an hour in 1/2 cup water. Keep it in refrigerator.
• Soak dates and mulberries together in another 1/2 cup of water for an hour and store in fridge also.
• When ready, blend all the ingredients in a power blender including the soaked water.
• Enjoy this cold and creamy glorious green smoothie!

Sautéed Lotus Root & Chives Blossoms

By: Esther Vasa

Lotus Root

This is my first time ever to try lotus root although I have seen these many times back in India and in the Asian markets. Having laid my hands on this root, I purposed to make something out of this crunchy rhizome. After reading a bit and how it needs to be fresh to enjoy it in a raw salad, I decided to saute it with chives blossoms.

Lotus Root is one of low calorie root vegetables. The root is composed of several health benefiting phyto-nutrients, minerals and vitamins. The rhizome is a very good source of dietary fiber. The fiber, together with slow digesting complex carbohydrates in the root help reduce blood cholesterol, sugar, body weight and constipation conditions.

Lotus Root Peeled and Sliced

Lotus root is one of the excellent sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful water soluble anti-oxidant. It is required for the collagen synthesis in the body. Collagen is the main structural protein in the body required for maintaining the integrity of blood vessels, skin, organs, and bones. Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body protect from scurvy, develop resistance against viral infection, boosts immunity, hasten wound healing and remove cancer causing harmful free radicals from the body.

In addition, it contains moderate levels of some of valuable B-complex group of vitamins such as pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), folates, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and thiamin. Pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) acts as coenzyme in the neuro-chemical synthesis in the brain which influence mood. Adequate pyridoxine levels help control nervous irritability, headache, and tension. It also protects heart-attack risk by controlling harmful homocysteine levels in the blood.

Chopped Lotus Root
Soaked in Vinegar Water

Further, the root provides healthy amounts of some important minerals like copper, iron, zinc, magnesium, and manganese. Copper is a cofactor for many vital enzymes, including cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase (other minerals function as cofactors for this enzyme are manganese and zinc). Along with iron, it is also required in the production of red blood cells.

Crunchy sweet and delicate flavor of root lotus is due to its optimum balance in electrolyte levels. It composes very good sodium to potassium ratio at the value 1:4. While sodium gives sweet taste to the root, potassium acts to counter negative effects of sodium by regulating heart rate and blood pressure.

(Courtesy: Power Your Diet)

Ingredients:
Lotus Root - 1

Chives Flowers or Buds

Chives with Buds or Flowers - 12 (see the picture to the right)
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red Pepper Flakes - a pinch
Granulated Garlic Powder - 1 tsp
Extra Virgin Pure Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp
Himalayan Salt to taste
White Vinegar - 2 tbsp
Water - enough to soak the chopped lotus root
Extra Virgin Olive oil - 1 tsp
Juice of half a lemon

Preparation:

Sautéed Lotus Root & Chives Blossoms

1. Mix water and vinegar in a salad bowl and set aside.
2. Peel, slice and chop the lotus root. Soak in the water-vinegar mixture from the above step.
3. Cut the chives with buds into 1-2 inch pieces and set aside.
4. Heat up coconut oil in a steel wok.
5. Splutter mustard seeds. Then, add cumin seeds and stir for a few seconds.
6. Add the chopped chives from step 3. Stir for a minute.
7. Next, add the diced lotus root pieces and salt. Saute for 5-7 minutes on medium heat. Depending on your desired "cookedness", you may want to saute a little more longer.
8. Switch off the stove.
9. Pour the olive oil and lemon juice over the sauteed vegetables and stir well. Finally, garnish with garlic powder and red pepper flakes and serve it hot or cold with soup and brown rice. Yum!

pH Test Strips

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

The pH of your tissues and body fluids affects the state of your health or inner cleanliness or filth. The closer the pH is to 7.35 - 7.45, the higher you’re level of health and well being and your ability to resist states of disease and the onset of symptomologies.

For optimal health: Body temperature needs to be 98.6° F. Blood pressure needs to be 110/70 mmHg. Blood pH needs to be 7.365. And to make it all work urine and saliva pH needs to be 6.8 - 7.2. You probably own a thermometer and you get your blood pressure checked. But do you know your pH? If not — you should. See the connection between green and how you feel.

Tests show that most people are a bit acid in their pH, meaning lower than 7.0, but if your pH is too acid, the body begins to borrow minerals from bones and organs to neutralize the overacid state and remove those acids from the body. This would obviously affect overall health negatively if your minerals were being pulled back out to alkalize your fluids.

pH Test Strips

Learn how the SCIENCE of pH can help you:

S: Stop heartburn

C: Control blood sugar

I: Increase vitamin & mineral absorption

E: Easily manage weight

N: Naturally stop bone loss

C: Clear brain fog

E: Experience feeling better then you have in years

Litmus paper is a very good choice for being used as pH test strips: VÄXA's pH Test Strips have been the choice of many health care professionals and health stores for years for one simple reason, they provide accurate results. VÄXA's pH test strips are individual strips, rather than a roll, eliminating wasted litmus paper and making it easy to test your pH. Also, every box of our litmus paper / pH test strips come with two color matched pH scale charts so you can easily and accurately determine your body pH. VÄXA's Litmus Paper / pH test strips accurately test from 5.0 to 9.0.

Kathy Smith-Wilson recommends Nature’s Sunshine’s pH strips – another excellent and healthy choice! The test strips can be used to test urine and saliva pH. Saliva pH indicate the activity of your digestive enzymes which come from the liver and stomach. This pH should stay between 6.4-6.8 for optimal digestion. Urinary pH indicates how well your body is assimilating minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, etc. These minerals are acid buffers and the body uses them to moderate acid levels. When acid increases, the body becomes less likely to be able to excrete it all. Therefore, it will displace minerals in bones, teeth, etc. Urinary pH should be between 6.0-6.4 in the morning and 6.4-7.0 in the evening. A case of 100 test strips comes with a chart to measure against for the pH and also with the norms and suggestions for altering pH.

Follow these important rules when making your own home-made pH-strips:

- Use only distilled water when preparing the pH paper test strips.

- Use only acid-free "art" paper. There are a number of good inexpensive brands available.

- Obtain an earthenware plate or dish. Fill with the chosen concoction that has been prepared using distilled water.

- Immerse the paper into the dish carefully. Ensure that you wet the paper uniformly.

- Allow to dry. It must dry in a place that has no acidic, ammonia or other vapors that might affect the paper and its ability to work.

- Store paper that has been made in bottles, jars or cases.

- Select the concoction of choice from the following suggestions: Dahlia, Elderberry, Blue of Red Litmus Paper, Rose Petals, Rhubarb, Turmeric and Red Cabbage.

Recipe for the red cabbage strips:

You’ll need: Red Cabbage, Filter Paper or Coffee Filters, Blender - optional.

• Cut a red cabbage (or purple) into pieces such that it will fit into a blender. Chop the cabbage, adding the minimum amount of water needed to blend it (because you want the juice as concentrated as possible). If you don't have a blender, then use a vegetable grater or chop your cabbage using a knife.
• Soak the cabbage in a small volume of boiling water or else heat the cabbage using another method. You'll see the liquid boil or else steam rising from the cabbage
• Allow the cabbage to cool (about 10 minutes).
• Filter the liquid from the cabbage through a filter paper or coffee filter. It should be deeply colored.
• Soak a filter paper or coffee filter in this liquid. Allow it to dry. Cut the dry colored paper into test strips.
• Use a dropper or toothpick to apply a little liquid to a test strip. The color range for acids and bases will depend on the particular plant. If you like, you can construct a chart of pH and colors using liquids with a known pH so that you can then test unknowns. Examples of acids include hydrochloric acid (HCl), vinegar, and lemon juice. Examples of bases include sodium or potassium hydroxide (NaOH or KOH) and baking soda solution. Alkalies change the paper to green; acids to red.
• Another way to use your pH paper is as a color-change paper. You can draw on pH paper using a toothpick or cotton swab that has been dipped in an acid or base.
• Red cabbage contains a pigment molecule called flavin (an anthocyanin). This water-soluble pigment is also found in apple skin, plums, poppies, cornflowers, and grapes. Very acidic solutions will turn anthocyanin a red color. Neutral solutions result in a purplish color. Basic solutions appear in greenish-yellow. Therefore, it is possible to determine the pH of a solution based on the color it turns the anthocyanin pigments in red cabbage juice.

Red Cabbage pH Indicator Colors:

pH     2      4        6        8      10              12

Color Red Purple Violet Blue Blue-Green Greenish Yellow

Burdock Root Stir Fry

By: Esther Vasa

While I was on a short vacation in Portland, Maine, I found these awesome woody roots called Burdock Roots in a farmer's market there. I've always wanted to try these but never found them in grocery stores here in NYC or probably I have never looked for them seriously. Today, I woke up with a desire to try creating something with these roots. After peeling and slicing, I tasted the raw roots. They were a bit like parsnips and am pretty sure you can have them raw. But, for my first try, I figured I'd make a stir fry. I decided to mix in some carrot, ginger, onion and sage. I am totally impressed with the outcome.

Burdock Roots have found their place both in English and alternate medical fields. Like parsley, these roots have blood purifying properties in addition to their antioxidant, disease preventing, and health promoting properties. Burdock is a very good source of many non-starch polysaccharides that have a mild laxative effect. In addition, a polysaccharide called inulin acts as a prebiotic that helps reduce blood sugar level, weight and cholesterol in the blood. It is rich in the electrolyte potassium and low in sodium. It has some valuable minerals such as iron, manganese, magnesium and small amounts of zinc, calcium, selenium, and phosphorus. This root contains small quantities of many vital vitamins including folic acid, riboflavin, pyridoxine, niacin, vitamin-E, and vitamin-C that are essential for optimum health. Both vitamin C and E are powerful natural antioxidants that help body starve infections, cancerous tumors and help in fighting certain neurological disorders including Multiple Sclerosis.

Ingredients:

Burdock Roots - 3

Large Carrot - 1

Sweet Onion - 1

Ginger Root - 1 inch piece or more if you like

Chopped Sage - 1 tsp

Paprika - a big pinch

Himalayan Salt or Celtic Sea Salt to taste

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 2 tbsp

Water - enough to soak peeled burdock roots

Preparation:

1. Peel and grate ginger. Make sure you get about 2 tbsp of grated ginger approximately.
2. Add water in a bowl. Mix in salt and a tablespoon of grated ginger and set aside.
3. Peel burdock roots and make julienne cuts. Soak them in the water, salt and ginger mixture prepared in step 2.
4. Slice the carrots into julienne cuts as well.
5. Quarter onions and cut them into 1/4th moon slices and set aside.
6. Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a steel pan and let the heat be at medium.
7. Just when the oil is warm enough, add onions and a pinch of salt. Saute them for 2 minutes. Remove the sauteed onions and set aside.
8. In the same steel wok, add the other tablespoon of oil and allow it it warm up a bit.
9. Then, add the julienned burdock roots. Saute for about 5-7 minutes.
10. Next, add julienned carrots and stir for about 2 minutes. Mix in salt and paprika and stir for another minute or two.
11. Add in the sauteed onions from step 7 and mix well.
12. Finally, transfer the contents into a serving bowl and garnish with sage and the other tablespoon of grated ginger.
    

Ways to enjoy:

You can enjoy this as a side dish. Or you could make a sandwich or a wrap using this stir fry.

Vegan Cinnamon-Carob Chip Cookies

By: Esther Vasa
These cookies are meant for occasional snacking. My son likes goodies like these every now and then and I try to make it as healthy as possible.

Ingredients:
Non-GMO Organic Yellow Corn Meal or Almond Meal - 2 cups (For this recipe I used yellow corn meal. Almond meal will be equally good, in my opinion.)
Chia seeds - 1/4th cup
Carob Chips - 3/4th cup

Ripe Bananas - 3
Dates - 12 or more depending on how sweet you like
Almond Butter - 1/2 cup
Cinnamon Powder - 1 tsp
Vanilla Powder - 1 tsp
Baking Powder - 1tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Extra Light Olive Oil - 1/4th cup (for its high smoke point. You will need a bit more for greasing the baking tray)
Water - about 1.5 cups
Himalayan Salt - a pinch with three fingers

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven at 350F.
2. Soak chia seeds in a cup of water for about half an hour.
3. Soak dates in half a cup of water for an hour.
4. Mix all the dry ingredients (viz., almond meal or corn meal, carob chips, cinnamon powder, vanilla powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt) and set aside.
5. Blend bananas, soaked dates, soaked chia seed gel, almond butter and oil. If needed add a little more water while blending.
6. Put the blended mixture over the dry ingredient mixture and mix with a tablespoon or a thick spatula. If you find the cookie dough too tough add a little more water or if you find it loose add some more chia seeds or almond meal. If you like it sweeter, add a bit of coconut sugar. 
7. Grease a glass baking tray with olive oil. 
8. Scoop out the cookie dough one tablespoon at a time and fill up your baking tray leaving ample space  (about an inch) in between raw cookie scoops.
9. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes.
10. Allow the cookies to cool down and enjoy with your tea!
11. Makes about 30-40 cookies. 

Quinoa-Tabouleh

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

Quinoa:

1 cup quinoa – well rinsed
2 cups water
½ tsp Himalayan salt
1 tbsp olive oil

• Cook up the quinoa first. 
• Simmer it for about 15 minutes. 
• It should be cooked and soft. 
• Set aside and let it cool down.

Vegetables:
½ cup chopped onions
1 cup peeled and chopped cherry-tomatoes
1 cup grated baby marrows

Salad dressing:
½ cup almond milk
Zest of one lemon
1 tbsp whole grain mustard (gf)
½ tbsp sweetener of your choice
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
Himalayan salt and cayenne pepper

• Mix the veggies with the quinoa.
• Mix all the ingredients for the salad dressing – add to the quinoa and veggies.
• Mix well and add Himalayan salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
• Put in refrigerator for approximately 1 hour before serving.

Enjoy! ♥

Natural Remedies Reference

By: Eleanor Suarez

Vegan Sesame-Corn Crackers

By: Esther Vasa

I love snacking on Sesame Blues once in a while. This recipe is an inspiration from that snacking. Making it at home is cheaper and you can have it for a whole week. This way not only you but also all your family members can snack on these gluten-free casein-free crackers.

Ingredients:

Non-GMO Masa Harina - 2 cups

Sesame Seeds - 1/2 cup

Paprika - 1/2 tsp

Himalayan Salt to taste

Water - 2 cups

Extra Virgin Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F.
2. Using your hand mix up all the ingredients except the olive oil. Saran wrap it and let it sit on the counter for 1/2 hour.
3. Brush the olive oil on a baking tray.
4. Using the palm of your hand, spread the mixed dough from step 2 evenly on the baking tray. Make it as thin as possible so your crackers would be nice and crunchy. 
5. Run the pizza cutter to mark diamond shapes or any other desired shape for your crackers.
6. Bake at 300F for about 20 minutes.
7. Then, pull out the tray and turn the crackers and bake for another 10 minutes.
8. Depending on the thickness of your crackers, the time taken to bake may vary.
9. Switch off the oven and allow the crackers to cool.
10. Serve with any sauce you like. Enjoy!

Variations:

You can try with any herbs and spices you like. Some spices you could try are onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, ginger powder, dried basil, dried parsley, rosemary, mint, thyme, oregano and sage. I tried a few of these combinations and was always amazed at the resulting taste and flavor!