Thai Quinoa Salad

By: Heather Jaramillo-Casillas

Ingredients:

Cooked Quinoa - 1.5 cups

Thai Quinoa Salad

Peanut Butter - 1/4th cup

Honey - 1 tbsp

Freshly Grated Ginger - 2tsp

GF soy sauce - 3 tbsp (optional)

Red Wine Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Sesame Oil - 1 tsp

Olive Oil - 1 tsp

Extra water depending on the desired consistency (optional)

Roasted Cashew Nuts - 1/4th cup (for crunchiness)

Carrot, Cabbage, Onion, Red Bell Peppers and vegetables of your choice

Recipe:

1. Microwave peanut butter and honey for 20 seconds and stir till creamy.
2. Then, add in freshly grated ginger, soy sauce (if using), red wine vinegar, sesame oil and olive oil and mix until creamy.
3. Add water if the sauce is too thick for your liking.
4. At this time, add in cooked quinoa, the prepared sauce (from above), vegetables and nuts you prefer.

Courtesy: Pinterest

Quinoa salad

By: Charlene Lee Wyskida

Ingredients:

Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa (cooled) (1 cup uncooked/2cups water, bring to boil, simmer 20 min)

1 can corn (rinsed and drained)

1 can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

1 cucumber (chopped)

1 red onion - optional (chopped)

1 box grape tomatoes (halved)

Handful of cranraisins

Equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil (I used 1/4th cup each)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Juice of one lemon

Preparation:

You can omit or add any veggies (grated carrots, sweet pepper, broccoli etc.,) that you choose. I find this to be a very refreshing salad on its own but its great to put a scoop on a bed of lettuce to make a fast salad for lunch! I sometimes add chicken to the salad or a sliced hard boiled egg for a full meal.

Kale and Quinoa Salad

By: Denise Dowdy

Ingredients:

Kale and Quinoa Salad

• organic quinoa (cook it with double the amount of water)
• kale (chopped) (couple of handfulls)
• shredded carrot (couple of handfulls)
• celery (one stick)
• sun-dried tomatoes (one handfull)
• red onion (a couple of thin slices - chopped up)
• raisins (I soaked them in hot water to get them soft) (one handful)
• pumpkin seeds (a few handfulls)
• balsamic vinegar (to taste)
• sesame seeds (a couple of handfuls)
• cucumber - 1 small
• pepper (green/red/yellow). (I used one red pepper)

Dressing:

• apple cider vinegar (to taste)
• water (about 1/2 cup)
• olive oil (to taste)
• tahini (to taste)
• sesame oil (I didn't have any, and it still tastes good)
• nutritional yeast (a couple of teaspoons at a time, to taste)
• turmeric (a couple of teaspoons at a time, to taste)
• ground cumin (a couple of teaspoons at a time, to taste)
• salt - pinch
• black pepper - pinch

Try it to your taste - enjoy!

Colorful Raw Spaghetti

By: Esther Vasa

You need a spiralizer for this recipe. It was not only appealing to the eye, it was real delicious. I didn't like the dulse in this but my 13-year old son loved it.

Ingredients:

Colorful Raw Spaghetti

For Raw Spaghetti

Zucchini - 1

Carrot - 1

Dried Porcini - 1 cup (or any mushrooms)

Water - 1/2 cup (to rehydrate dried porcini if you are using)

Chopped Cilantro - 1/2 cup

Dulse Strips (optional) - 1/2 cup

For Sauce

Tomatoes - 2

Garlic Cloves - 1 (or as much as you like)

Sun-Dried Tomato - 1

Organic Dates - 2

Himalayan Salt to taste

Black Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Rehydrate porcini in the water for about 20 minutes. Drain the water and set aside the drained water so you can use it for the sauce.
2. Run zucchini and carrot through a spiralizer. Mix up cilantro, rehydrated porcini and chopped dulse strips if you are using.
3. Add cilantro to the raw spaghetti. Set this aside.
4. For sauce, just blend all the ingredients for the sauce using the drained water from step 1.
5. Mix well and enjoy immediately.

Raw Spaghetti with Avocado Sauce

By: Esther Vasa

Inspired by Shannon Assion, I made raw spaghetti with avocado sauce. Not only was it delectable, it just was more than enough for my lunch. It is packed with nutrition and is MS friendly. You would need a spiralizer for this recipe. I use Paderno World Cuisine Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable.

Ingredients:

Raw Spaghetti with Avocado Sauce

Zucchini - 1

Medium-sized Avocado - 1

Hemp oil or Extra Virgin Olive oil

Sun-dried Tomato - 1

Garlic Cloves - 3

Herbs of your choice (rosemary or thyme work best)

Pinch of Himalayan salt

Water - 1/4th cup

Sunflower Seeds - 1 tbsp

Raisins - 1 tbsp

Preparation:

• Run zucchini through a spiralizer. Set the raw spaghetti aside.
• Blend the rest of the ingredients except sunflower seeds and raisins to make avocado sauce.
• Combine zucchini and avocado sauce thoroughly and top it off with sunflower seeds and raisins.
• Alternately, you can add any other leafy greens or vegetables you like.
• Enjoy!

Itsy-Bitsy Salad

By: Esther Vasa

This is one salad which your children also will enjoy. I called it "Itsy-Bitsy Salad" as all the ingredients are chopped up into tiny bits. If you don't have the patience to chop up the vegetables, run select vegetables like broccoli in your food processor. It is all worth the effort. This time around, I bought fresh turmeric root. This root has mega anti-inflammatory properties.

Ingredients:

Itsy-Bitsy Salad

Broccoli - 2 Heads

Celery Stalk - 1

Cucumber - 1

Onion - 1

Avocado - 1

Garlic Cloves - 2

Grated Turmeric Root - 1 tsp

Apple - 1
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mock Mayo - 4 tbsp (or as much as you prefer)

Method:
Chop all the vegetables finely and assemble in a salad bowl. Serve cold and enjoy!

Comfortably Serves: 3

ABC: Anti-oxidant Broccoli Caramel

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

Broccoli's impressive nutritional profile (think of folate, vitamins C and A, fiber, phytochemicals) puts it high on the list of foods to eat more of, an inviting task when you toss it with crunchy pine nuts, soft, sweet onions and tangy balsamic vinegar.

Anti-oxidant Broccoli Caramel

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons pine nuts, or chopped slivered almonds

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion, (about 1 medium)

¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt, or to taste

4 cups broccoli florets

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Cayenne pepper to taste

Method:

• Toast pine nuts (or almonds) in a medium dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
• Add oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add onion and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, adjusting heat as necessary, until soft and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, steam broccoli until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the nuts, onion, vinegar and pepper; toss to coat. Serve immediately.
• Enjoy! ♥

Healing Meal: Special Beet Salad

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

Special Beet Salad

Ingredients:

8 small beets

7 ml organic extra virgin olive oil

10 ml raw, organic honey

1,25 ml Himalayan Salt

75 ml shelled walnuts

75 ml black olives

6 oz baby spinach leaves

Mock mayo or mock cream cheese (optional)

Peeled baby tomatoes (optional)

Dressing:

45 ml nut oil

30 ml grapeseed oil

20 ml organic lemon juice

Himalayan salt

Cumin seeds (optional)

Preparation:

• Cut stem off about ½ inch from the top of the beet and wash well, but leave skin on to lock in flavour.
• Coat beets in a small amount of olive oil and honey and place in a shallow baking pan. Put into the oven at 350ºF/ 180ºC. Every 15 minutes give them a stir to coat while roasting for 45 minutes.
• To check if they are done, insert the tip of a sharp knife into the beet. Remove while still a little crisp in the center. Peel off the skin or if they were organically grown, leave the skin on for maximum nutrition. Quarter each beet and set aside.
• To make the dressing, whisk together the oils until well blended. Slowly whisk in the lemon juice, add a pinch of Himalayan salt and taste for seasoning. Adjust if necessary.
• Divide the baby spinach between 2 or three salad plates. Mound a serving of beets in the center of each plate and scatter the olives and walnuts on top. You can also add a splash of mock mayo or mock cream cheese if you want to. Whisk the dressing a final time and drizzle about 2 tablespoons over each salad. Top with cumin seeds.
• Enjoy!

Lemon infused Pasta Salad with Herbs and Asparagus

By: Chiquita Chang

This light and lemony gluten-free vegan pasta salad recipe is easy to toss together- yet elegant enough to serve at your next party or picnic with family and friends.

Ingredients:

Lemon Infused GF Pasta

1 12-oz. box gluten-free brown rice penne

1 1-lb. bunch thin asparagus

Extra virgin olive oil, as needed

1 large lemon

1/2 cup Vegenaise

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram

Sea salt

Black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and stir in the brown rice penne. Cook until al dente- please do not over-cook.
• Wash the asparagus. Trim off tough ends. Grill in a grill pan (or on a hot grill) until the spears are tender-crisp- don't over-cook these babies. You want them smoky and slightly crisp. Remove them from the grill pan or grill and let them cool a bit. Slice them into bite-size lengths.
• When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain well and pour into a large bowl. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, toss lightly to coat. Squeeze lemon juice all over the pasta and toss gently. Add the Vegenaise, asparagus, and fresh chopped herbs. Season with sea salt and black pepper, to taste. Again, toss gently to combine.
• Serve immediately at room temperature when the flavors are fresh and vibrant.
  You may also cover and chill, but before serving, allow the pasta salad to come up to room temperature for best flavor.

Quinoa Salad with Berries and Watermelon

By: Chiquita Chang

Quinoa Salad with Berries

For Quinoa

Ingredients:

Make the quinoa in a rice cooker and you'll keep the kitchen the cool. This time I used Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking ratio of two cups uncooked quinoa with three cups water. It turned out fluffy and perfect, and made enough to create a generous quinoa salad.

Preparation:

2 cups uncooked quinoa

3 cups fresh water

Pinch of sea salt, to taste

Place the quinoa, water, and sea salt in a large to medium rice cooker, and cover. Cook until all the water is evaporated and the quinoa is tender. Scoop the cooked quinoa into a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Let it cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, prepare the fruit and baby greens

Ingredients:

1.5 cups fresh blueberries, washed, picked over

1.5 cups fresh strawberries, washed, sliced

1.5 cups diced watermelon

6 cups baby salad greens

A handful of fresh chopped herbs: cilantro, dill, parsley and mint

For the dressing:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Fresh squeezed lime juice from 1-2 limes

Cracked pepper, to taste

Preparation:

• When the quinoa has cooled, drizzle it with the extra virgin olive oil and toss well to coat, fluffing with a fork to separate the grains. Add the fresh squeezed lime juice and toss again. Season with cracked pepper, to taste. Taste test. Add more olive oil or lime as needed.
• Add the blueberries to the quinoa, and toss lightly.
• Distribute the baby greens on six plates. Add the quinoa and blueberries. Add the sliced strawberries and diced watermelon, and the fresh chopped herbs.

Cook time: Maybe 30 minutes

Black Bean Salsa

By: Monica Lewis Stampfel

• Black Beans provide special support for digestive tract health, and particularly our colon. It has been shown to be the perfect mix of substances for allowing bacteria in the colon to produce butyric acid. Cells lining the inside of the colon can use this butyric acid to fuel their many activities and keep the lower digestive tract functioning properly.
• The soaking of black beans in water has always found fairly widespread support in food science research as a way of improving overall black bean benefits. Soaking and draining the soaked water, helps get rid of some of the phytates and tannins that can lower nutrient availability. It also means reducing flatulence-related substances like raffinose and stachyose.
• We tend to think about brightly colored fruits and vegetables as our best source of phytonutrients, but recent research has recognized black beans as a strong contender in phytonutrient benefits. The seed coat of the black bean (the outermost part that we recognize as the bean's surface) is an outstanding source of three anthocyanin flavonoids: delphinidin, petunidin, and malvidin.  These three anthocyanins are primarily responsible for the rich black color that we see on the bean surface. These anthocyanins have anti-inflammatory properties.
• Kaempferol and quercetin are additional flavonoids provided by this legume.  Also contained in black beans are hydroxycinnamic acids including ferulic, sinapic, and chlorogenic acid, as well as numerous triterpenoids. All these have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
• These beans help regulate blood sugar and promote cardiovascular health.
  
  (Reference: WHFoods)

Ingredients:

Black Bean Salsa
Picture by Esther Vasa

Canned or Home Cooked Black Beans- 2 cups

Peeled and Diced Cucumber - 1

Diced Shallot - 1

Diced Tomatoes - 2

Non-GMO corn (fresh or frozen) - 1/4th cup

Cilantro - few sprigs finely chopped

Ground Cumin - a big pinch

Black Pepper to taste

Himalayan Salt to taste

Walnut oil - 1 tbsp

Juice of one lime

Preparation:

• If you are planning to cook black beans, soak them overnight, rinse the next morning and cook until the beans are done but not too soft. While cooking you can add a bay leaf, cinnamon stick, salt and whole cloves for additional flavor. Drain the stock and use it for some other dishes. You need the cooked black beans without any stock for this recipe.
• Toss all the ingredients and serve cold with homemade crackers.

Fresh-n-Forkless Salad Skewers

By: Elna Botes van Schalkwyk

Salad Skewers

Ingredients:

Cubed crusty gluten free bread (± 3 cubes per skewer)

Red, yellow and green pepper - chopped into large pieces (if you can consume Nightshades)

Cherry tomatoes (peeled if possible)

4 Romaine leaves

Himalayan Salt and (cayenne) pepper

Fresh small onions

Steamed chicken or turkey cubes (optional)

Olive- or avocado oil

Balsamic or apple-cider vinegar

4 skewers (10 inch)

Directions:

• Soak skewers for 30 minutes
• Assemble skewers in an order where you'll have a piece of bread on each end, and one in the middle. Go for color when assembling.
• Brush each skewer on all sides with olive oil; sprinkle with Himalayan salt and pepper.
• Grill on a medium-high grill for 3 minutes on each side.
• Place each skewer on a romaine leaf and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Top with fake cream cheese if desired.
• Enjoy! ♥

A Quick Salad

By: Amrit Dugala

Just mix up the following ingredients -

Quick Salad

Spinach
Baby Lettuce
Capsicum Assorted
Tomatoes
Raisins
Roasted Chickpeas
Cashews
Lentil Sprouts
Mint
Basil
Lemon Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Et voilà!

Salad with Quinoa & Beans

By: Esther Vasa

QUINOA pronounced "keen-wah" is an ancient grain like seed that is rich in protein. It also is a good source of fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium and has essential lignans. It has a mild nutty taste. It has the potential to help lower cholesterol, maintain good cardiovascular health, good choice for people with diabetes and for those of us with MS. One important thing to note is that it helps control migraines. Following the inspiration of beany quinoa recipe from Swanson's website, I made this and simply loved it.

"Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is a type of seed of the goosewort plant, a relative of spinach and chard. Quinoa provides a complete protein, making it especially valuable for vegetarians. Quinoa contains all the essential amino acids, including lysine, which is critical for growing and repairing body tissues. One cup of quinoa has more protein than one egg and is high in magnesium, folate and riboflavin (B2). Quinoa is a prebiotic that feeds beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract and is a great source of insoluble fiber that promotes healthy elimination, helps maintain colon health and prevent the formation of gallstones. Your body can easily digest and access the vitamins and minerals and quinoa making this a most excellent addition to a healthy diet." -- Craig Stellpflug

Ingredients:

Salad with Quinoa & Beans

For Cooking Quinoa

Quinoa - 1 cup

Fresh Rosemary -1 sprig

Water -2 cups

Salt to taste

For Salad

Cooked Garbanzo Beans or any beans - 1 cup

Red Onion -1

Large Carrot - 1 (Grated)

Celery Stick - 1

Cucumber - 1 (Peeled and diced)

Tomato - 1

Jalapeno - 1/2 (de-seeded and finely chopped)

Cilantro

For Salad Dressing:

Juice one lime

Extra Virgin Olive oil - 3 tbsp

White Wine Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Clean quinoa thoroughly. Cook it with water, salt and rosemary. Fluff and set aside to cool down.
2. Prepare the vegetables for the salad listed under the "For Salad" section in the ingredients. Mix and set aside.
3. Whisk the ingredients listed for salad dressing. Mix the dressing into the salad prepared in step 2.
4. For the final step, thoroughly mix the quinoa and the salad and serve it as you like it.

Valerie's Salad

By: Valerie Mantz

Valerie's Salad

For the Salad:

Bokchoy - 1

Medium Broccoli - 1

Shreded red cabbage - 3/4th cup

Roasted Lavender Chicken (Check the recipe below)

Tossed with the dressing. Dressing ingredients are listed below as well.

For Dressing:

Shallot - 2 tbsp (browned)

Flax oil - 2 tbsp

Juice of half a lemon

White balsalmic vinegar - 2 tsp

Whisk together the ingredients listed above.

For Roasted Lavendar Chicken:

I get my chicken at Trader Joe's. Organic chicken for $2.69 a pound is a good deal. Take off the from the chicken. Marinade the chicken in olive oil, white balsamic, shallots, lemon juice, rosemary and lavendar. Yes lavendar! Roast as desired.

Greek Style Steamed Vegetables With Lemon-Oil Dressing [Horta Vrasta]

By: Jo Rosas

Horta Vrasta is an easy recipe to liven up many vegetables. I found this recipe in a little church cookbook called Food Fit for Gods: A Guide to Greek Cuisine.

I have updated the original recipe as I believe it is preferable, to steam the vegetables instead. The dressing remains the same as in the original old Greek recipe. This recipe can be used for any of the following ingredients.

Ingredients

Spinach

Yellow squash or zucchini

Asparagus

Endive

Green beans

Green peppers

Cabbage

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Kale

Chicory

Dandelion greens

Instructions

• Steam any of the above vegetables until tender.
• Season lightly, then serve with olive oil and the juice of a lemon.
• If you like, add fresh sliced onion rings.

[With thanks to Squidoo - by Frischy]

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!

Super-Healthy Avocado-Asparagus Salad

By: Esther Vasa

I called this a super-healthy salad because of all the following benefits from the ingredients used. Why not make it and see for yourself how wonderfully well your body appreciates this combination?

Avocado is a fruit that comes packed with a mine of health benefits. Helps in fighting inflammation, rich in antioxidants, prevents or fights cancer by providing oxidative stress on cancer cells, good for eyes due to the presence of lutein, helps lower blood pressure and prevent heart disease through its high concentration of Omega 3 fatty acids, B6 and folic acid. If this is not sufficient, the buttery texture of the fruit and its taste are simply superb. 

Asparagus is one of the recommended vegetables for re-myelination and detox. It is the topmost vegetable with vitamin K, an essential vitamin to help in bone repair. This is a must-eat for those who desire to prevent osteoporosis. Multiple Sclerosis fighters are prone to get osteoporosis as many of us use corticosteroids from time to time. Whether you use steroids or not, this vegetable has many useful and healthful nutrients that are needed by our bodies.

I recommend using 365 Organic Yellow Mustard for its anti-inflammatory properties from the ingredients used. I get it from Whole Foods. If you cannot get Yellow Mustard, you can make this at home by blending 1/4th cup of mustard seeds, 1/4th cup of apple cider vinegar, a tsp of turmeric, a big pinch of paprika or cayenne pepper, Himalayan salt to taste, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, juice of one lime or lemon and some water if needed for blending. You can store this in a glass jar for up to a week or two.

Parsley is a blood purifier and helps your kidneys, bladder and fights edema. I love pure parsley and beet juice. Helps in the liver detox as well. 

Ingredients:

Rightly Ripe Avocado - 1

Asparagus Spears - 4

Chives - 1/2 cup (chopped)

Parsley Sprigs - 4

Sunflower seeds - 1 tbsp or more (I use about 2 tbsp)

365 Organic Yellow Mustard - 2 tbsp

Preparation:

• Use a rightly ripe avocado always. If not, let it sit on your counter for a day or two until it is ripe. You would know when an avocado is ripe by touching it; it feels softer and yet not mushy; tough enough so that when you chop it, you have nice bite sized bits that stay intact. You notice that the skin will easily peel off for such an avocado and also the seed is easily separable.
• Cut avocado into cubes and place it in a salad mixing bowl.
• Chop the asparagus spears into one inch pieces and put them into the salad bowl as well.
• Dice your chives and place them in the salad bowl also.
• Separate the leaves from the parsley stems and place in the bowl as well. You can use the stems in a smoothie or juice them.
• Mix the salad along with the yellow mustard. 
• Top it off with sunflower seeds and enjoy right away.

Serves: About 2

Black-Eyed Peas and Asparagus Salad

By: Esther Vasa

Black-Eyed Peas are low in fat and high in quality protein. The soluble fiber in these peas helps reduce LDL cholesterol without compromising on HDL. The insoluble fiber helps in combating constipation, colon cancer, and other digestive tract related problems. The phytochemicals, lignans, flavonoids and phytosterols present in these beans may help in prevention of osteoporosis and reduce the risk of heart disease. Being a vegetarian, I find this as one great food source to get a rich supply of nutrients.

NOTE:

If you have problem with gas when you ingest beans or peas, due to the presence of indigestible carbohydrates, take it slowly and have them during the day or when you are sure to get some exercise.

Asparagus is an impressive source of folate. It also provides vitamin C, beta-carotene and vitamin E. Folate is vital to tissue growth and thus plays a role in the prevention of certain birth defects. Folate may also help prevent cancer of the cervix, and is one of the three B-vitamins that also helps in fighting heart disease!

Ingredients:

For Cooking Black-Eyed Peas

Dried Black-Eyed Peas - 1 cup

Water - 1 cup if you are going to pressure cook. You may need more if you are going to use a crockpot or a saucepan to cook black-eyed peas

Cumin Powder - 1/8th tsp

Bay Leaves - 2
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Himalayan Salt to taste

For Salad

Asparagus Sticks - 2 (finely diced)

Onion - 1 (finely diced)
Crushed Garlic - 1/2 tsp or sprinkle garlic powder generously like I did

Cilantro or Parsley - 1/4th cup (chopped finely)
Cayenne Pepper -  a pinch (optional) 

Fresh or Dried Grated Coconut - 1 tsp

Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice - 2 tsp

You can add any other vegetables you like.

Preparation:

• Soak black-eyed peas overnight in about 4 cups of pure water. If you like, you may sprout them. They sprout in about a day or two. They may take an additional time to sprout during winter months.
• Cook the black-eyed peas along with all the ingredients listed for boiling black-eyed peas. I pressure cooked them and it took about 15 minutes for me. They were nice and easily mashable by then. If you are cooking them using a crockpot or just any saucepan, make sure you test them for "cookedness" by mashing them.
• Mash the beans and transfer them into a mixing bowl.
• Add the ingredients listed for the salad.
• Mix well and enjoy this delicious treat!

Suggested Variations

• If you do not want to use black-eyed beans, you can simply use avocado or steamed cauliflower. Just make sure you mash up the cauliflower.
• Instead of black-eyed peas, you may use, No-Guilt Mashed Potatoes.

Mexican Nopal (Cactus) Salad

By: Reyna Garcia

Ingredients:
Cooked Cactus
Raw Carrots
Purple Onion
Tomato
Radishes
Cilantro
Lemon Juice
Himalayan Salt
Cayenne or Black Pepper

Preparation:

• For ways to cook Mexican Cactus check the information on eHow.
• Dice up all the vegetables and toss well to mix with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Enjoy!