Items Needed:

* ½ cup Quinoa

* ½ cups of water

* 1/8^th tsp of salt

Preparation:

*Bring the Quinoa and water to a boil. Add in salt and stir frequently until desired consistency.

Health Benefits:  Quinoa is a wonderful source of protein containing all 8 essential amino acids. It is also a great source of calcium, Vitamin B and fiber helping to regulate the digestive tract.

Enjoy: You will love how simple it is to make this dish and knowing you are eating something that benefits your health .

Items Needed:

* 2 avocadoes

* 1 whole lemon

* 1 small garlic, minced

* ½ a jalapeno pepper, minced

* 5- 6 stalks of cilantro

          * salt to taste if needed

Preparation:

*Cut the 2 avocadoes with a knife down its long axis. Twist open each of the 2 halves and using a cleaver gently ‘cut’ with affirm stroke into the seeded half to pull the seed out. Use a spoon to scoop out the avocado into a bowl. Squeeze in the juice of a whole lemon and add the minced garlic and jalapeno. Mix in the cilantro and add salt to taste.

Health Benefits:  Avocadoes are a great source of potassium and Vitamin E. Avocadoes are high in oleic acid which can seek out precancerous cells and destroy them without harming your healthy cells.

Enjoy:  You will love this refreshing and healthy snack that goes great with baked tortilla chips.

Items Needed:

* Left over brown rice

* one cup of broth

* any greens e.g. spinach and scallions is an excellent asian congee.

 * Sprinkle with your favorite salt substitute such as gomasio (seaweed, parsley and sesame seeds with sea salt) or salt free herb seasonings.

Preparation:

*Cook the brown rice in the broth over medium heat. Add in the greens of your choice and then sprinkle with a salt substitute to taste.

Health Benefits:  Brown rice is an excellent source of magnesium, iron, selenium, manganese, and the vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6.

Enjoy:  Just adding a few ingredients to your brown rice will make a delightful meal in minutes.

1 Large Eggplant – sliced ¼” lengthwise.  Sprinkle with salt and let sit in colander.

In 10 minutes, rinse off salt and pat dry

2 Zucchini – sliced lengthwise

2-3 Potatoes Red or Yukon – sliced with skin on

1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 Large Onion chopped fine

3 Cloves Garlic minced

1 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 tsp. Cinnamon – ground

1 tsp. Ground Allspice

1 Tbs. Dried Oregano

Salt – 1-2 tsp.

Pepper to taste

Cook/sweat onions in oil until light brown.  Then add garlic.  Saute 1 minute.  Add can of tomato and spices.  Let simmer.

While sauce is simmering:

            Line casserole dish – spread oil.

            1^st layer – potato

            Then add tomato sauce (1/3)

            Then layer eggplant

            Then add tomato sauce (1/3)

            Then layer zucchini and add rest of sauce

Bake 375 degrees for 1-1/2 hours.

15 minutes before is done – make Vegan Bechamel:

           1 Tbs, white flour to be cooked in 1 Tbs. olive oil until slightly brown

            Then whisk in 1 cup unsweetened soy milk.

Layer on top of Moussaka and bake additional ½ hour.

Serve on plate with plenty of fresh chopped parsley.

 ENJOY!

Regular household supplies such as cleaning agents contain Ethanol SD/Alcohol (a highly flammable fluid that acts as a sanitizer), Isopropyl Alcohol, Carbon Dioxide, and the allergen Benzalkonium Chloride. The health cost of these commercial, chemical-based products can be high regarding long term health concerns for the family and cause environmental pollution due to their manufacture and disposal. For example, 1 in 3 people suffer from allergies, asthma, sinusitis or bronchitis (US National Center for Health Statistics, March 2010). Treatment for these conditions should begin with reducing synthetic chemicals in the home environment. Below, I have provided a safe alternative formula from the book “Gorgeously Green” by Sophie Uliano to help you stay chemical-free and still keep your home smelling great.

Ingredients:

~ 32 oz. Plastic spray bottle

~ 2   c. water

~ ½  c. distilled white vinegar

~ 1   tsp. pure castile soap

~ ¾  tsp. hydrogen peroxide

~ 20 drops tea tree oil

~ 20 drops lavender or lemon grass essential oil

Resources: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_in_lysol

   http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm

World’s Healthiest Foods (WHFoods.com)

• now direct evidence about garbanzo beans and appetite! Participants in a recent study reported more satisfaction with their diet when garbanzo beans were included, and they consumed fewer processed food snacks during test weeks in the study when garbanzo beans were consumed. They also consumed less food overall when the diet was supplemented with garbanzo beans.
• Garbanzo beans (like most legumes) have long been valued for their fiber content. Two cups provide the entire Daily Value! But the research news on garbanzos and fiber has recently taken us one step further by suggesting that the fiber benefits of garbanzo beans may go beyond the fiber benefits of other foods. In a recent study, two groups of participants received about 28 grams of fiber per day. But the two groups were very different in terms of their food sources for fiber. One group received dietary fiber primarily from garbanzo beans. The other group obtained dietary fiber from entirely different sources. The garbanzo bean group had better blood fat regulation, including lower levels of LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides.
• In some parts of the world (for example, parts of India), garbanzo beans are eaten daily in large amounts and on a year-round basis. But a recent study has shown that we can obtain health benefits from garbanzo beans even when we eat much smaller amounts over a much shorter period of time. In this study, it took only one week of garbanzo bean consumption to improve participants’ control of blood sugar and insulin secretion. Equally important, only one-third cup of the beans per day was needed to provide these blood-sugar related health benefits.
• Garbanzos are a food you definitely want to keep on your “digestive support” list – especially if you are focusing on the colon. Between 65-75% of the fiber found in garbanzo beans is insoluble fiber, and this type of fiber remains undigested all the way down to the final segment of your large intestine (colon). Recent studies have shown that garbanzo bean fiber can be metabolized by bacteria in the colon to produce relatively large amounts of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including acetic, propionic, and butyric acid. These SCFAs provide fuel to the cells that line your intestinal wall. By supporting the energy needs of our intestinal cells, the SCFAs made from garbanzo fibers can help lower your risk of colon problems, including your risk of colon cancer.
• Most garbanzo beans found in the grocery (especially canned garbanzos) are cream-colored and relatively round. This type of garbanzo bean is called the “kabuli-type.” Worldwide, there’s a far more common type of garbanzo bean called the “desi-type.” This second type of garbanzo bean is about half the size of cream-colored type we’re accustomed to seeing in the grocery, and it’s more irregular in shape. The color is also different – varying from light tan to black. Researchers have recently determined that many of the antioxidants present in garbanzo beans are especially concentrated in the outer seed coat that gives the beans their distinctive color. Darker-colored “desi-type” garbanzo beans appear to have thicker seed coats and greater concentrations of antioxidants than the larger and more regularly shaped cream-colored garbanzos that are regularly found at salad bars and in canned products. Of course, it is important to remember that antioxidants can be found in both types of garbanzo beans and you’ll get great health benefits from both types. But if you have previously shied away from darker-colored or irregularly-shaped garbanzo beans, we want to encourage you to reconsider and to enjoy all types of garbanzo beans, including the darker-colored and irregularly-shaped ones.

WHFoods Recommendations

Many public health organizations – including the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society – recommend legumes as a key food group for preventing disease and optimizing health. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends 3 cups of legumes per week (based on a daily intake of approximately 2,000 calories). Because 1 serving of legumes was defined as 1/2 cup (cooked), the Dietary Guidelines for Americans come very close to this as they recommend of 1/2 cup of cooked legumes on a daily basis. Based on our own research review, we believe that 3 cups of legumes per week is a very reasonable goal for support of good health. However, we also believe that optimal health benefits from legumes may require consumption of legumes in greater amounts. This recommendation for greater amounts is based upon studies in which legumes have been consumed at least 4 days per week and in amounts falling into a 1-2 cup range per day. These studies suggest a higher optimal health benefit level than the 2005 Dietary Guidelines: instead of 3 cups of weekly legumes, 4-8 cups would become the goal range. Remember that any amount of legumes is going to make a helpful addition to your diet. And whatever weekly level of legumes you decide to target, we definitely recommend inclusion of garbanzo beans among your legume choices.

Health Benefits

Garbanzo Beans provide numerous health benefits including:

• Digestive tract support
• Unique supply of antioxidants
• Heart health promotion
• Better regulation of blood sugar
• Increased chances for satiety
• Decreased caloric intake

For more details on garbanzo beans’ health benefits, see this section of our garbanzo beans write-up.

Nutritional Profile

Both the seed coat (outer layer) and cotyledon (large main inner portion) of garbanzo beans contain a wealth of phytonutrients. The outer seed coat can be concentrated in flavonoids, including quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin. The interior of the beans is typically rich in ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and vanillic acid. All of these phytonutrients function as antioxidants, and many also function as anti-inflammatory nutrients. Garbanzo beans are an excellent source of sulfite-detoxifying molybdenum and energy-producing manganese. They are also a very good source of heart-healthy folate and a good source of muscle-building protein, digestive-supportive dietary fiber, antioxidant-promoting copper, and energy-producing phosphorus and iron. The fiber in garbanzo beanss is mostly insoluble, and it has been shown to undergo conversion into short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the large intestine and provide support for our digestive tract in that way.

For more on this nutrient-rich legume, including references related to this Latest News, see our write-up on garbanzo beans.

 Ingredient:

1 packet Mori-Nu soft tofu (available at most produce stores)

2 Tbs chopped onions

2 Tbs chopped green bell pepper

1 tsp oil (non-allergic) for cooking

Salt and pepper of choice

¼ tsp tumeric powder or sweet curry powder (Penzey’s Spices on Manchester road in Maplewood carry the best)

 Method:

Heat the oil in a six inch sauté pan. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add tumeric, peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Add whole packet of tofu to the skillet. Using your spoon break up the tofu and combine it with the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.

You may wrap tofu in a corn tortilla or eat by itself and enjoy a piece of fruit to meet the need for carbohydrates.

An old Midwest favorite, that is easy to prepare and delicious.

 Ingredient:

3 large potatoes, scrubbed well, eyes removed and diced with skin on.

½ diced bell pepper of each color-red, yellow, orange and green

1 onion diced

½ tsp celery salt

1/8 tsp cayenne, paprika, black pepper, pink peppercorn (unrelated to B/W pepper)

¼ tsp crushed thyme or thyme powder

2- 3 Tbs. oil (non-allergic) for cooking

 Method:

Heat the oil in a nonstick frying pan. Add potatoes and cover the saucepan with a lid for 7 minutes. Then open the lid, add onions and bell peppers, and seasoning. Cook without lid till you have slightly crisp potatoes. Check seasoning and enjoy.

This is low in protein, so you may need to snack on nuts in a few hours.

Ingredients:

2 sweet potato or yams

Salt – 1 tsp.

Oil (non-allergic)

Seasoning in your rotation plan e.g. cumin powder, cinnamon powder, cayenne, garlic, celery salt etc.

 Method:

Wash, peel and slice sweet potatoes into finger thick medallions.  Heat 2 tsp. of oil in a non- stick sauce pan. Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer. Season it with salt and other seasoning of choice.  Let it cook for 7 minutes and then flip them. Season again. When done, a spatula should easily be able to slice the medallion. It is now ready to eat.

Combine this with fruit and coffee to complete the breakfast. It is a low protein breakfast. Try eating 2-3 brazil nuts or 4-5 walnuts to make up for the lack of protein.

This dish takes half hour to prepare. If you are rushed in the morning, you might try this on the weekend. It blends sour, spicy heat and sweet together and is a must try.

 Ingredients:

1 cup of medium sized tapioca pearl

1 large or 2 small Red potato diced small

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 Tbs. Oil

½ inch grated ginger

1 medium green hot chili, seeded and grated

Salt-1 tsp

Sugar ½ tsp

1 tsp lemon juice

2 Tbs chopped cilantro

½ cup peanuts or other coarsely chopped nuts (peanut is the top choice) that is not on your allergy list. Nuts provide protein.

 Method:

Soak tapioca pearls in double the amount of tepid warm water for 20 to 30 minutes. Then fully drain and spread out thinly on layers of kitchen paper towels till the water is absorbed.

In a sauté pan, heat oil. When hot add cumin seeds. When they turn a dark brown then add the diced potato. Stir well and cover with a lid for 5 minutes. Then add grated ginger, chili, sugar and salt. Continue to cook till the potato is just cooked. Now stir in the tapioca pearls. You have to continue to stir constantly as the pearls tend to form a gelatinous mass. When the tapioca is translucent, it is cooked. Mix in nuts, cilantro and lemon juice. Serve warm.