HAPPY NEW YEAR friends, family and loved ones. What would New Years Eve be without CRAB QUICHE?

 

   Homemade.It was so yummy, we had seconds and now its all gone  

Christmas Dinner ..............a hearty Salmon Chowder

 

This is my version of a wonderfully delicious wild-caught sockeye Salmon Chowder with lots of chopped vegetables( who ever heard of including broccoli florets and a few 'sliced-in-half'  Brussels sprouts) along with the usual suspects: mirepoix, chicken broth, a few ripe tomatoes & roasted red peppers, garnished with fresh dill and served with warm sourdough bread.   Happy Holidays friends and loved ones.

There's nothing like freshly squeezed pomegranate juice

 

It's definitely a labor of love getting the seeds prepped, then juiced.....but well worth it indeed.   From the juice I will make pomegranate molasses, then with a tablespoon of the molasses I'll make Muhamara Dip, which my friends have been begging me for.   It's a special dip/treat for Christmas Eve

IT'S RATATOUILLE TIME!!

 

This is the quintessential summer dish of homegrown zucchini, yellow summer squash, tomatoes, red peppers, eggplant, thyme, and basil.   Totally vegan.   Baked!  

Making this dish is a labor of love....but it's so worth it.

My "indoor farmer" lifestyle......growing sprouts, lettuces and micro greens

 

I enjoy indoor growing.   (top: sunflower micro greens, bottom: buckwheat lettuce).    After harvesting, I give them a good rinse, then let them air-dry on a clean dishtowel, then store in the refrigerator.  I eat them in sandwiches, bowls, etc.

Amazing & Nutritious Vegan Curried Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup with a twist (fresh papaya seeds)

If you have a VitaMix, use the soup program to create this unusual sweet potato soup.

Here's my personal awesome and over the top delicious recipe:

Curried Sweet Potato, Ginger, and Papaya Seed soup

 

2 (5”-6” long and pump) sweet potatoes  

2 cups unsweetened/unsalted cashew milk

2 cups water

1/3 cup unsweetened plain coconut yogurt

2 tbls ginger juice – make it yourself--see below

3 tbls papaya seeds, fresh, blended finely with 1/3 cup water

1 leek (white part only), chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

½ tsp salt

1 tsp Madras Curry powder

Sprig thyme (optional garnish--or for those who want it super spicy, sliced jalapeno)

 

Method:

Scrub and steam sweet potatoes for 35 mins.  Allow to cool, then slip peels off.

 

Meanwhile, sauté leeks in 1 tsp EVOO until lite brown, then add garlic and stir for 1 minute.

Remove from heat.

 

Liquify fresh papaya seeds with 1/3 cup water in VitaMix on high. Likewise for the ginger: 

2 tbls chopped ginger to 1/2 cup water.)  

 

Add everything to 48 oz VitaMix container and blend on the 'soup' program:

 

Spicy and amazing!

 

 

Sanjay Gupta's tips to aging well - worth seeing, just click the link below

aging-advice-sanjay-gupta-lbb-cfc-contd-mb-lon-orig.cnn

and don't forget to imagine, in a positive light, exactly who you want to be and what it will look like.

EAT SPROUTED GRAINS, SEEDS, NUTS, etc., whenever possible

I don't usually post other people's articles however, below is a link to a post about consuming sprouted foods (which I eat regularly) from my favorite on-line market, (where I purchase 90% of my pantry staples at a reduced price - and they deliver direct to my front door in a few days.). I love Thrive Market!

why-you-should-be-eating-sprouted-foods

A nutritious Risotto - it's my healthy version

 

Is there anything better than the richness of Risotto!   I found a recipe in one of my cookbooks for Fennel Risotto and decided to try it not only with Fennel, but also with chopped Tuscan Kale.    Risotto is not difficult to make.....you simply need the correct ingredients (which include: high quality unsalted butter, chopped onion, minced garlic, dry white wine, warm broth, arborio and best quality Parmesan Reggiano)

Life Tools: How To Stop Playing Small | davidji