GRAIN-FREE SEED CRACKERS

I made these crackers for breakfast this morning. I was craving something crunchy, crispy and just

VEGAN MAYO - PLUS HOW TO RECIPE VIDEO

Whether you are vegan or NOT this mayo is the bomb dot com, yip I just said that. Thats not how I usually speak but I felt it was the best way to describe a recipe that is:

CAULIFLOWER SIDE SALAD

When you fetch your daughter from school and you ask how was your day and she replies boring. But then tells you she would have the boring day all over again just so she could eat her lunch again. Yes this is a true story, I promise. One that made me a proud mom and home cook. This dish was in her lunch box on the day in question.

SPROUTING 101

 

In the past I bought sprouts at the store/shop in the salad section and added them to my salads, randomly and when I felt like buying them. Since then I have tasted some really delicious take-out raw food dishes which seemed to contain A LOT of different  kinds of sprouts with all kinds of delicious patties and salads. While chatting my husband asked "why don't we sprout?" and from then on I was hooked on the idea....Why hadn't I considered it before?

I read advice online and started with 3 jars and some mesh/tuille fabric. I also drove my husband crazy because our drying-up rack for our dishes became the home for the jars of busy sprouting seeds thus causing chaos in the washing and drying of our dishes and trying to keep the kitchen clean.. (hehehe.) - causing chaos in the kitchen seems to be my special something.
So after several days of searching for a second drying rack - I wanted a fold away one, which is currently impossible to find in any stores where I live we went straight to the source and just bought a kind of expensive (but so worth it) sprouting rack. Its perfect and our sprouting journey continues full throttle.

WHY SPROUTS
The enzymes in sprouts is much higher than in other uncooked, raw foods because the sprouts are alive.

• The vitamin content in sprouts is higher - yay more vitamins!

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING

With the crazy busyness of studying plus work and family life I haven't been able to get to cook and photograph many things in the day time. Hence the lack of recipe posts -sorry. I think about it often and check in here and on facebook to say hi and answer comments etc...

I will be back - one day ;) kidding , Im still here just lurking in the background.
Studying is going well and Im getting close to the end, about 5 - 6 weeks and Im finished -Eeek!
I will be studying 2 other short courses after that but much less work load so life will ease up a little - yay!
I have LOVED studying, I never thought I would like it that much but now Im sad to finish. Life always has ways of flipping things on its head and surprising us.

DAIRY FREE POTATO-VEGGIE BAKE

Dairy-free Potato/ veggie bake on www.bettybake.co.za

One of my all-time favorite dishes to eat is a homemade potato bake creamy and rich and filled with flavour. No packet sauce, just home peeled and thinly sliced potatoes cooked with butter and cream and some friendly onion and mushroom in-between. I make it often and especially when I want comfort food. But when we decided to cut out as much dairy as possible I sadly knew I would have to say goodbye to my potato bake that I loved so much ... I mean it has butter and cream in it! Anyway after much fretting I decided to try my hand at making a dairy-free potato bake *Drum roll please* And it worked! YAY! We now eat this yummy dish with no remorse or regret. I love it so much I don't even miss my other creamy dish I used to make (deadly serious and no lies promise)

This is one of those recipes where the recipe is just a guide line and you can alter it to suit your tastes and whats in your fridge

INGREDIENTS
2 - 4 spring onions
garlic (optional)
200ml coconut milk (a small tin or half a big tin of coconut milk)
salt
fresh herbs (i use fresh thyme and oregano)
+/- 6 medium Potatoes
1 onion very thinly sliced (as thin as possible)
125g Mushrooms (optional)
half a smallish Butternut (optional)




METHOD
Take the spring onions, wash and thinly slice and place in a pestle and mortar, mash into a mooshy paste (it doesn't have to be perfect). Add garlic and salt and mash some more. Add chopped fresh herbs and once they are mashed in add half of your coconut milk
Peel your potatoes and slice thinly.
Oil the bottom of a medium to large oven dish (like one you would use for lasagne)
Arrange a layer of potatoes on the bottom top with scattered slices of onion and pour a little bit of the "sauce" made with coconut milk - blobs every here and there.
Arrange layers like this with a layer of mushrooms or butternut inbetween the potato layers (or leave them out)
When all the potato and vegetables are used up pour the "sauce" on top and top up the bake with a little more coconut milk if you feel like it needs it.
Sprinkle a thin layer of onion on top and salt
Bake in the oven at 180 degrees celcius for 45 min or until brown on top and a knife inserted in the dish is soft

 Serve

FORKS OVER KNIVES & WHOLEFOODS

Sorry is that MEAT on your plate?

 A few nights ago myself and the husband watched the documentary FORKS OVER KNIVES. Now it isn't the most gripping documentary ever BUT it has enough evidence and facts in there to make you think about what you are doing to yourself every day!

WE ALL EAT EVERYDAY - whether it be for necessity to stay alive or for pleasure because you love food or to express your feelings of joy or sadness. But that means everyday we are making decisions about how our bodies will be ... We can eat for health or for sickness! It really can be that simple.
Part of the documentary that really stuck with me is how they showed evidence that how the people  ate differently their bodies could turn cancer cells off or on just from their diet. And the same for the arteries around your heart. You can ensure your body is cholesterol free from making good food choices.

I know from my own personal lifestyle of food I have been making small changes over a long period of time. This hasn't been an over night decision but a month by month and even years that I have been slowly changing.
If you look at my recipe posts from when I started this blog and compare the recipes that I cook now you will see more healthy choices, less meat and less sugar. I am now 95% Vegetarian. PLEASE don't shout at me if you see a meat post on my blog. I have meat rarely and as a treat but it isn't the norm!

Now back to FORKS OVER KNIVES : The main evidence of the documentary which they did huge studies which you should really watch is meat is a NO GO and refined sugars and refined starches and also VERY BAD! Also no dairy and eggs and only a whole food diet is recommended. Now most of this is easy for me as I have been slowly changing my lifestyle over the years and have got to a point now that I have

•  lowered my sugar intake (barely have any refined sugars - only as a treat)

• eating less meat

• cutting out wheat and gluten (almost entirely - 1 treat maybe once a month!) 

• refusing to eat MSG, and bad additives like Aspartame etc..

• reading labels - no E numbers and bad additives etc...

• cutting out hormones (in meat, milk, cheese, yoghurt, eggs etc) no rBST in milk!

• refusing to use anything heated or cooked or frozen in plastic (plastic mimics estrogen in your body causing hormonal problems)

• Eating organic or if not available pesticide free (fruit, veg and salad)

 

 

I agree with the makers of FORKS OVER KNIVES eating a whole food diet is the way to go. I am not entirely sure if I'll be able to cut out all dairy and eggs. But I am going to lower my dairy intake and eggs too.

I have seen such a different in my body since giving up meat in November. I now only have it as a treat. I feel so well and healthy and barely miss it!

I urge you to try watch this movie - even if you change a little, it would be a step towards a healthier you in some way.

 
Its amazing how your love of food can change. I am so happy to carry on learning and being informed. I know somedays I want to pretend I am an ostrich and put my head in the sand and pretend that I do take aways and drive through but then I look at my health and I haven't regretted one decision. A few extra minutes cooking never killed anyone and I am happier for it!



 

*note: these are my own experiences and have nothing to do with FORKS OVER KNIVES - they don't even know I exist ;) but I am so much happier I watched it so I thought you should know about it too!