Superfood Power Bites

Pictured: 1/2 mixture with cocoa powder for a chocolatey punch, other half with spirulina for a green powerhouse option!

In need of a snack item that you can eat right away, that will give you the energy that you need and the nutrients it takes to make it until the next meal? Make these in numerous varieties so that you always have something on hand. Also, great for a healthy sweet-tooth option! 

Recipe:

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup hempseeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup regular OR gluten free oats 

2 teaspoons chlorella or spirulina

1/8 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup diced dry figs

1/4 cup goji berries (soaked in warm water 5-10 minutes and drained)

1/3 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup dried tart cherries

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4 cup shredded coconut

In food processor combine walnuts, oats, all seeds and nuts, green powder and salt. Pulse until nuts are ground coarsely. Add rest of ingredients and mix for 15-30 seconds. Stop to scrape off sides and pulse for another 30 seconds or so until you get a sticky dough. You do not want to over mix. Roll into 1 inch balls and freeze until ready to eat. Store in fridge for 3 weeks or freezer for 3 months. 

Variations:

If you want all nuts and no oats, replace oats with favorite nut.

If you love nut butter add 1/3 cup favorite nut butter like peanut, cashew almond etc. in replacement of dates. However, add 2-3 dates for sweetness. 

Omit the cocoa powder all together for a more earthy treat. 

Omit coconut if you do not like the taste.

If you don't have figs or do not like them, replace them with golden or red raisins. Same for dates. 

To make these even more powerful add 1-3 of these superfoods: 1 tablespoon acai powder, 1 teaspoon maca powder, 2 teaspoons ashwagandha powder, 1.5 tablespoons camu camu, maqui berry, pomegranate powder. 

Adding fiber and more protein: 1 tablespoon tasteless fiber powder and/or 2 tablespoons favorite protein powder

Ayurveda Note: Great snack for vata or pitta. Too heavy and sticky for Kapha. 

Grow Something Edible, Anything!

Our back yard with experimental pallet gardening. Hint: strawberry pallet garden was the most successful, or using it for creeping vines or flowers. Large vegetables did not have enough root space.

Grow Something Edible

You don't need to start planning an acre garden or tell your significant other you are going to dig up the entire back yard. How about starting slow with the few things that you like to eat on a regular basis at home. Maybe you decide you want lettuce, kale, collard greens or spinach. Maybe you like sugar snap peas or beets or cucumbers. Or maybe herbs are less intimidating and you start with some basil, thyme and/or oregano. Whatever it may be, plant something that is edible this summer, and then eat it! You will be amazed at the pride that you feel when you grow your own food. You will also learn to appreciate food in a whole different way.
For me, the biggest things about creating a garden is that I feel a deep connection with the earth, the sun, the rain, the wind....the universe. Each one of the elements effects the food that I am growing and I am thankful for each one in their own way. It also has allowed me to deepen the understanding of life in how there is a beginning, middle, end and back to a beginning that leads into another middle and another end, the circle of life. Seeds become a plant, become a fruit or vegetable, become food and scraps (food becomes part of me and scraps become compost, which becomes dirt) and I am fueled to become something even greater and the dirt is made so that I can plant and nourish my next round of food. The cycle keeps rolling on. And so does life. How we take care of ourselves directly effects our health and well being. By lovingly growing food for us and our family we harvest so much more than just food, we are able to serve up edible love. So go ahead, try it, it is not that complicated. I promise you will smile ear to ear next time you pick up that salad or eat that cucumber or strawberry that was grown by you! Plus, your grocery bill will thank you.

Need some inspiration once you have home grown lettuce, here is a recipe that a dear friend from Growing Places Indy gave me. It is my go to salad dressing. I also use it as a dip or a dressing for grain salad mixes:

6 TBL Olive oil
3 TBL Balsamic vinegar
1 TBL Honey or maple syrup
1 TBL Soy sauce
1 TBL Mustard
2 cloves crushed or chopped garlic
1-2 inch ginger shredded
Pinch of Cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

Throw all ingredients into a glass jar and shake until well combined. Pour desired amount over salad. Keeps in refrigerator up to 2 weeks....but I doubt it will last that long :)

Sweet Tip For The Day

Sometimes sweet cravings strike and you can not control the urge. So I have been playing around with simple, easy, good for you and fully flavorable treats.

The perfect combination:
walnut half
1/2 of date
1 piece of dark, organic chocolate
Stack, eat and savor. It tastes amazingly like a cookie/smoore!!!!!

Hint: Make 2 so you use up a whole date and share it or eat both pieces. This is a treat that when indulged in in moderation, should have no guilt attached. These three ingredients are full of great omega 3 oils,  antioxidants, potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium.

Go Nuts.....

Nuts are very grounding, nourishing and heavy. They are loaded with good oils and fats for our body and can be a perfect snack and are great for making nut butters. Vata and Pitta Dosha favor nuts in the diet because of the grounding effect that nuts have on the body. Kapha dosha types should avoid almost all nuts and seeds because these people need lighter foods in order to keep their body and minds clear and mobile.
Remember, nuts with fruit or vegetables is not recommended because the rate of digestion is different for the 2 food groups and create toxic build up.

So, if you are a vata or pitta person and want an idea on how to eat your nuts, here is a quick recipe I mixed up...in about 5 minutes flat.

2/3 cup almonds

1/3 cup shelled pistachios

1/3 cup roasted cashews

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1-3 tablespoons raw honey (depending on sweetness desired)

Mix in Vitamix or food processor and spread on anything you desire!

Garden Pesto Quiche

Not just any old quiche!

Want a flavorful, vegetarian (meat lovers can mix in chorizo, bacon or prosciutto if they would like), gluten free, nutritious breakfast, lunch or dinner that packs a flavorful punch? Here you go.
I imagined this one day while driving home and once I got into my kitchen, this is what I came up with.
I really love all the fresh flavors. In Ayurveda it is said that if you have the 6 tastes in each meal: Sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent, than you will be the most satisfied and less likely to crave between meals. You will also have a more nutritious and healthy meal.  This recipe has all but sour, although you could make up a cilantro-lime and mint chutney and you would be all set!

Recipe

Crust:

1 1/4 cup mixed amaranth flour, coconut flour and almond flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

A few dashes of red pepper flakes, dried oregano, fennel seeds, salt & pepper

1 egg

Warm water

For the crust: preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients into a bowl. Add egg and stir. Add just enough warm water to make dough sticky enough to pat out. Pour dough in pan and press into the bottom and up sides. Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes just to give it a head start. Pull crust from oven. OPTION: smear a layer of pesto on the crust before you pour in beet mix.

Filling:

3-4 beets shredded

3-5 carrots shredded

1-2 leeks sliced thinly

3-4 tablespoons of coconut flour

1 egg

Salt & pepper to taste

1 cup shredded parmesan or white cheddar or Romano or make a blend of whatever you already have in your fridge.

For the filling: Mix all the ingredients BUT the cheese. This mix should not be soupy, but somewhat sticky, like you could make a pancake out of it.

Assemble: Pour the shredded mixture into the crust. Top with shredded cheese. Then in a separate bowl mix 4 tablespoons of milk and 4 eggs together and pour over the vegetable mix. NOTE: Ayurveda says that dairy and eggs create toxins in the body when mixed together in the same meal. But I know it is a hard taste combination to break. So be a wear and maybe skip the cheese on your eggs occasionally. As a replacement for the cheese in this quiche try sprinkling some nutritional yeast flakes over the vegetables instead. Or go without. It will still taste fantastic.  

Bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes or until the eggs get puffy and are cooked all the way through. Pull from the oven, top with shredded swiss chard or kale and bake for about 3-5 more minutes until chard/kale is wilted. Eat warm and enjoy!

This takes about 30 -45 minutes of prep time.