Sprouted Bean Experiment Concluded!

The other day I started some beans sprouting and this is what happened:


4 days ago I soaked a cup of white beans for 24 hrs. Then I put them in a jar with a draining lid and set them up to sprout. Three days and many rinsings later they were starting to show little tails!



















I rinsed them one last time and then cooked them in broth until they were soft and all the liquid was gone. I had to keep adding water. It was just like cooking regular beans, no different.

My conclusion about sprouted beans? I will continue to do it. They were delicious. I appreciate that when germinated they are much easier to digest. They take just as long to cook and I didn't really taste any difference. I think from now on I will soak for one day and germinate for one day, shortening it from a four to a two day process. We have beans about twice a week, with a two day soak I won't have to have multiple jars germinating just to keep us in beans. My kitchen isn't that big and I don't feel like branching out right now. Master bathroom with the skylight, I'm talking to you.

Last night's dinner was delicious. I made whole wheat tortillas, I made a wonderful salsa from tomato, onion, corn, garlic and lime juice.
















I cooked up some brown and wild rice, steamed about 2 cups of spinach leaves in broth with minced onion and made cashew sour cream.

Burrito night.














Roll your own :)



Today for lunch I sauteed some collard greens and minced onion in a 1/2 cup juice from the salsa. When the collard is thoroughly wilted and the onions are translucent I added a tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder and stirred it in until all dissolved. I added another 1/4 cup of water and let it simmer until the liquid was almost gone.

I served it over wild and brown rice with a scoop of "refried" sprouted beans.














When I say "refried" I mean re-heated with a little bit of water.


Today's smoothie was different.
2 Banana
1 big handful dried mint
1/4 cup Dried Kelp
3 tbs flax seed
Plenty of water














MMM-mm-Minty! It smelled just like summer time. I brought a bunch from the old house and planted it here. I sure hope it grows big. I'd like to plant more around the house but I need this bush to grow so I can make more bushes.

Cantaloupe Seed Milk Smoothie

This super easy, ONE ingredient smoothie recipe is one of my all time favorites.
Next time you get a cantaloupe, save the seeds, strings and any little pieces of the meat you have left over.















Store the seeds, etc in an airtight container in the fridge. Sometime in the next few days put the seeds, strings and flesh of the cantaloupe into a blender add a cup or two of water (depending on how thick you want it) and blend until smooth and frothy.















Strain, decant and enjoy.















Groovy Cantaloupe Nutrition Facts

Serving size 1/2 cup, diced (78g)
Amounts Per Serving % Daily Value
Calories 25
Calories from Fat 0
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 10mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 6g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 50%
Vitamin C 50%
Calcium 0%
Iron 0%

Groovy Cantaloupe Warning

I used to not like cantaloupe because I got a stomach ache every time I ate it. Now I know that cantaloupe must be eaten alone. Because it digests so quickly that any other food in the stomach with cantaloupe will cause fermentation of the stomach contents which means, gas, pain, bloating etc. Now when I get a big, ripe aromatic and juicy cantaloupe I mono-feast on the meat one day, save the seed and mono-feast on a creamy seed milk smoothie a couple days later.

I drink this smoothie on an empty stomach and don't eat anything for 4 hours after I finish it. If I combine this with any other foods I get some harsh intestinal difficulties. You might not, I'm just saying. The rule of thumb for me with melon is "Eat it alone or leave it alone".

Stay Groovy.

The Fruity Trinity 3,2,1 Smoothie

Today's Smoothie!

















3 very ripe bananas
2 granny smith apples, chopped
1 orange (juice and pulp only)
1 head of celery
1 clove garlic
2 tbs flaxseed
2 tbs Renewme!
2 cups or more of water

Put it all in the blender and blend well.

This is a very creamy smoothie that utilizes the fruity trinity of banana, apple, orange. On the sweet side with just a hint of garlic.

I'm eating more raw garlic these days to try and help boost my immunity. The man had the flu or some kind of stomach bug but I will remain healthy.

So mote, it be.
:)

Raw Blended Sun Dried Tomato Soup

Garlic & Sun Dried Tomato Soup

About 3 cups of your favorite leafy green. I used collard and ruby chard.
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
2 tbs onion
1 clove garlic
5-6 sundried tomatoes (not the in oil kind, the dry kind. if you don't have a high speed blender, soak them first)
2 tbs flax seeds (grind them if you don't have a hi-speed blender)
Water to blend

Blend until smooth and a little bit warm.

It's so creamy and garlicy and delicious. The dried tomatoes have a wonderful rich flavor.

I drank the whole thing for lunch but it would easily serve 4 as a soup at your next raw vegan dinner party!

I drank a green smoothie for breakfast

but I didn't take a photo.

I did get the new drive socket for the Vita-mix . I put it on (all by myself, thank you) and the machine works again, success!

Smoothie was 2 big collard leaves, 2 banana, a scoop of raw cranberry sauce (I will post that recipe later) 2 tbs flaxseed and 2 tbs Renewme! blended with water.

I split it with the man. He gets the small half :)

Today's Green Smoothie

Red lettuce and some kale (2 hands full total)
2 bananas
4oz raw cranberries
2 tbs flaxseed
RenewMe!
Water

Blend.














Kitteh



















I've still been drinking green smoothies, just not blogging about them. I need to get in the habit of posting the daily smoothie photos. I think it's a good exercise.
I like to have one every day. It makes me feel grounded. Like, no matter what else happens all day, at least I had my smoothie!

We got a Vita-Mix!

Here it is blending my morning smoothie.














Celery, romaine, flax seeds, garlic, Renewme and Ruth's hemp/maca/e3live.

The man bought this beautiful piece at a restaurants yard sale.














I swear, everything I own is second hand. I think I was conceived in a used car. Just kidding, mom.

This gently used commercial model with the logo of whatever they were selling on the front cost an amazingly low $50. It has a timer but it doesn't have speed control.

I think we are going to be together for a long time.
















This is the computer room. It's a mess now but it's a good size room and I think it could be fixed up nice with a little effort.

















This is the satellite dish that brings me to you and vice versa.
















And last but not least, dinner last night:














Baked hash browns, mixed cooked veges and a raw rainbow chard salad.

I love watermelon and curry

No, not together. Not this time, at least!



Easy Vindaloo!















Potato, onion, red bell pepper, spinach, zucchini and mushrooms in a sauce made with curry powder, peanut butter and a pinch of salt.

Steam the veges until tender and then mix the peanut butter with hot water and curry powder and mix the two together and stir over med heat for a few minutes.

Shown served over steamed rice and quinoa on top of a collard leaf.



This morning's smoothie was














1/2 an 8lb watermelon
in the blender and blend until smooth

I only remove the thickest part of the skin and blend the rind up in there too.

Saturday and Watermelon Smoothie Recipe!

We went to the county fair Saturday.












That's me on the YoYo


Watermelon Smoothie

Half a watermelon blended until smooth!

Watermelon DAY TWO! Smoothie!

Watermelon smoothie

3 cups watermelon
2 tbs Ruth's maca/hemp/e3live

Blend and drink!

nummers.



Dinner last night
Stuffed cabbage!














I know, not very summery but we need to go shopping and the only vegetable I had in the house was a cabbage. I used rice and quinoa for the stuffing. I also used apples because we have them.

Stuffing this time is:
1 cup broth
1/2 cup rice
2 tbs black quinoa
Steam the rice and quinoa like normal, cool and add

1 cup ground seitan
1/2 onion
2 cl garlic
1 sm apple, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
salt to taste
Mix the cooked grains with the raw ingredients and then:

Roll about a 1/4 cup stuffing in each steamed leaf and baked the rolls in a sauce made with
3 ripe tomatoes
1 cup chopped watermelon
1/2 onion
2 cl garlic
salt to taste

Bake 400F for 1 hour or more. Let it stand about 1/2 hour before serving.

Vegan Bruschetta and Yeast Bread Recipe

This morning's smoothie was




2 bananas
2 golden delicious apples
a handful of fresh mint
2 tbs ground flaxseed
Water and blend.










I baked a loaf of bread yesterday

















Put in a big bowl and mix together:
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp each sugar and salt

Mix together in a separate bowl
1 tbs active dry yeast
1 cup warm water or vege broth
stir until the yeast is dissolved and then add
1 tbs olive oil

Pour liquid into the flour mixture and stir until a dough forms.
Put on a floured board and knead about 5 minutes until it's a smooth ball.
Place in a greased bowl, cover with a towel. Leave at room temp until the ball doubles in size, about 45 minutes, more or less.

Knead the dough for about 2 minutes on a floured board.
Place in a greased loaf pan, run a knife along the top to make a split and put chunks of vegan butter all along the split
Bake at 350F for 1 hour
Cool and slice and then make this out of it for lunch the next day:
















Bruschetta.
















Toast two slices of bread then spread marinara sauce on the bread. Add tomato slices, onion slices and more sauce on top. Broil for a few minutes, until the sauce on top starts to bubble.
Sprinkle with vegan parm and fresh ground pepper and serve with a green salad and sauerkraut
Yum.

Refreshing Summer Drink Raw Vegan Melissa Lemonade

I love the melissa that grows in the back yard. There is so much of it, it's so lush and green, it draws so many honeybees and wasps! The name Melissa is derived from a Greek word meaning bee, owing to the abundance of nectar in the flowers which attracts bees.

But seriously I do like it. It makes the yard smell like lemons. I pick a handful of it and toss it in a green salad or put some in my smoothie or make lemonade out of it like I did today.

1 handful melissa leaves
juice and pulp of one lemon
4 ice cubes, or more
5-7 dates
16 oz water
Blend and strain. Serve over ice.

Saturday

Green Smoothie


Banana, coconut milk, ground flax, juice of one orange, Renewme! 20oz water and blend












Juice





Carrot, beet, celery, ginger, lemon







I'm sorry, the cat hair is not optional :)

Tabouleh






Steamed quinoa, tomato, fresh mint, lemon juice and a touch of salt

Green Mint Smoothie :: Wild Edibles

Mint, melissa, lettuce and ruby chard all picked this morning from the garden and the yard.


Blended with about 5 dates, 2 tbs oats (makes it really creamy), 2 tbs lemon juice and two frozen cubes of wheat grass juice.









Ahh, mint. So refreshing.

Banana Beet Deep Purple Smoothie

mmm beets! The man doesn't like beets very much. I think it's a stigma, but whatever. I try to sneek beets in when I can and this is a good way.
Also see:

Beet Meat Burgers

Beet Tortilla

Beet Juice













1/2 cup strawberries from breakfast that the boy wouldn't eat yesterday
2 ripe bananas
2 cups lettuce and ruby chard leaves from the garden woot!
about a 1/2 cup of beet
e3live and RenewMe!
Juice of one orange
20oz water and blend.
YUUUMMM!!
Seriously, it was too sweet for me! I put a little lemon juice in mine, wow!

It looked black in the blender but it came out a wonderful purple.
















So in conclusion, eat more beets. The roots can be eaten raw, steamed, fermented, marinated, baked (like a potato!) or juiced and the greens can be used like any other greens in salad, juice, steamed like spinach or chopped up in a nutloaf. I love this plant.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about beets medicinal properties:


The roots and leaves of the beet have been used in folk medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments. Modern research is investigating in further detail how beet extracts could be used to protect normal and diabetic livers, as well as their effects on elevated cholesterol in individuals with cancer, and other medical maladies.

The Romans used beetroot as a treatment for fevers and constipation, amongst other ailments. Apicius in De re coquinaria gives five recipes for soups to be given as a laxative, three of which feature the root of beet. Hippocrates advocated the use of beet leaves as binding for wounds.

Beet juice can help lower blood pressure. Research published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension showed drinking 500ml of beetroot juice led to a reduction in blood pressure within one hour. The reduction was more pronounced after three to four hours, and was measurable up to 24 hours after drinking the juice.

Since Roman times, beetroot juice has been considered an aphrodisiac. The juice is a rich source of boron, which plays an important role in the production of human sex hormones.[citation needed] Field Marshal Montgomery is reputed to have exhorted his troops to 'take favours in the beetroot fields', a euphemism for visiting prostitutes.

From the Middle Ages, beetroot was used as a treatment for a variety of conditions, especially illnesses relating to digestion and the blood. Platina recommended taking beetroot with garlic to nullify the effects of 'garlic-breath'.

Beetroot has been used as a treatment for cancer in Europe for several centuries. The pigment molecule betanin in the root of red beets is under investigation as the cause of the plant's purpoted protective effects. Hungarian oncologist Ferenczi recommended beetroot juice as an effective cancer treatment. Recent scientific research has shown that beetroot can inhibit tumour growth and has antioxidant properties that may even help prevent development of oncogenesis.

So, yeah! Eat more Beets!

Tuesday Morning Smoothie and Wild Edibles Discovery in the Back Yard

1 handful of red leaf lettuce woot!
1 leaf curly kale
1 RIPE banana
1 RIPE kiwi
5 RIPE strawberries
2 tbs gr flax
1 tbs each e3live, RenewMe!
20 oz water
blend







Did I tell you the dryer got fixed? I think I will use the lines anyway. Use the dryer for some stuff and put most of it on the line

That screened porch we have is the best thing ever. There are tons of bugs here because we are literally right on the lake. That little 10x14 screened in box off the side of the house is AWESOME! We can leave the door open to get breezes and to let the cat in and out without a swarm of various flying insects coming in. The cat can sit out there and watch the birds right close up and they are both safe. It's a great place to hang laundry and to a fabulous area to grow plants! No deer is gonna eat my 'maters, no how! I love my little garden room.

I strained my shoulder taking out my aggressions gardening. Maybe we should get a heavy bag... I found some kind of grape.































I cut the apple tree branches away from it so it can get more water and sunlight.














I see little tiny green grapes growing on it so I am very hopeful. This summer we should be having apples, cherries, plums, walnuts and now grapes growing wild in the yard. Oh, and nettles. I think our grocery bill should go down which is good, right?

Ok, I am gonna go rest my neck in bed for a while. It feels better than it did yesterday but not 100%. I hope to get some mat time in this evening if I'm feeling better. boo

Juice Feast Lunch Starring Cantaloupe!

I feel GREAT! Juice feasting is fun. I never feel deprived, on the contrary, I feel quite indulged. All the juice I want? hehe. I wouldn't want to do it every day, I do enjoy chewing, but I don't see where the deprivation is there.

I finished my celery cocktail and put about a half hour in on the mat. It's getting easier every day, I know I have gained a ton of flexibility since I started. I also did some upper body work with the dumb bells and the flexi-ball. my chest muscles and arms are hurting. Please, no more push-ups, please?
Then after laying on the floor for a while watching old sit coms, I looked at the clock and THOUGHT it was noon, so...

I made a cantaloupe milk smoothie for lunch.

Blending















Straining in a fine mesh strainer or use a cloth bag















I push it through with a bamboo paddle until there is nothing left but seed husks.
















Then Put it in a glass and drink it yum!















But wait! I thought it was noon! It's only 11am! Dang it. I wanted to wait until noon to have my cantaloupe lunch. Ok, so I...



Took all the plants out and watered them and then jumped on the trampoline for awhile. Wheew! what a work out that is!
















Hung up the wash













I like that I can hang the napkins folded and they are ready to go on the shelf when dry. Bam.

Made some cooked vegan leek and potato soup for the omni's dinner














Yeah, I will probably have some.

I saved about a cup of chopped raw leeks, celery and garlic from when I cut them all up so I could have some raw in my salad while everyone else eats soup. I will probably have a small bowl, but maybe not :)

It is made from
1 leek
2 celery hearts that I saved from juicing this morning
1 quart of broth made from juicing pulp (a great way not to waste. Make broth from vege juicing pulp. I have even used fruit pulp mixed with vege and it's delish)
2 potatoes diced nice and small
2 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
a wee bit of salt

I will cook it in the big soup pan on low all day but it's ready in an hour or so if you take the heat up to med. Stir occasionally.



Then I baked some bread for the boy













I made it in a pie pan for fun. The boy likes to eat the bread and I sneak zucchini in it like this

1 cup water
1 peeled and topped zucchini
2 tbs vinegar
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
in blender until smooth, set aside

2 cups flour
2 tsp aluminum free baking soda
1 tsp baking soda
whisk together until thoroughly mixed then add liquid and stir.

Pour in greased pan and bake at 350f for 1 hour.

Cool and serve, yum, you love vegetables, don't you? yes you do!
ahem
The boy is in trouble for acting up at school. There was an electronic communications incident and he is grounded from all computer, video games, television (unless we are watching), and I don't know what else. A salad and a bath every night, lol.


I watched the birdies in the bird feeders for a minute














It took them almost a week to find the feeders but now they are all over them, yay!








You can't see but they are orange headed finch type birdies.






And then it was noon and I started sipping my wonderful Cantaloupe Milk Smoothie and composing this entry. Now I am done with both and I think I will put my butt on the mat for a while longer.

Remember: Cantaloupe on an empty stomach and nothing for about 2 hours after or risk the wrath of your belly!