Borscht Soup - Delicious and Vegan

Borscht Soup - Delicious AND Healthy

It is still off and on cold outside and a warm bowl of Borscht Soup would be a perfect way to welcome in a chilly Spring night. There are so many great things about this soup!

• Healthy
• Inexpensive
• Feeds you for days
• Vegan Friendly
• Delicious
• Great for Weightloss

A little history first . . .

There are a few opinions out there as to where this soup originated.  It can be traced to Ancient Rome, then in the 15th and 16th century to Russia and Ukraine.  

Health Benefits:

• Beets are off the charts healthy - the soup is based in beet stock and has chopped beets, as many as you like.  
• Cabbage is also a superfood and cancer fighter. The sinigrin in cabbage can be converted into allyl-isothiocyanate, or AITC. This isothiocyanate compound has shown cancer preventive properties with respect to bladder cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer.
• Garlic and onions are antimicrobials - great for cold and flu days!
• This soup is very low calorie and fills you up with nutrients.

There is no ONE way to do Borscht.  Classic Borscht  includes: beetroot, cabbage, potato, onion, carrot, tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and spices. We followed this recipe, due to her very detailed instructions (we also cubed our beets):

http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/vegetarian-borscht-recipe/

We also paired this with a sourdough baguette for dipping from Macrina Bakery http://www.macrinabakery.com/ here in Seattle. 

ENJOY!

Many Health benefits of Cherries!

The health benefits of cherries are as sweet as they taste! It is that time of the summer when Cherries are in season and abundant in the grocery stores and farmer's markets. I am not talking about the dyed red cherries in a jar, I am talking about Rainier, Bing, and Chelan Cherries of the Northwest. While living in the Northwest I would look forward to this time of the year when I could get my hands on the freshest cherries around! While consuming mass amounts of Rainier and Chelan Cherries I was unaware how healthy they are. I keep a big bowl of cleaned cherries in my refrigerator as long as this party lasts - through August :)

There are two categories of Cherries - sweet and tart, both packing health benefits. Cherries grown here in America are a great Super Fruit alternative to tropical berries we do not have great access too. Cherries are often overlooked for a sweet treat but they are much more than that, showing promise in weight loss, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and much more.

Cherries (both sweet and tart) contain a compound called anthocyanins, which is of growing interest to scientists because of its' anti-inflammatory effects on the body. A study at John Hopkin's University shows that anthocyanins can reduce painful inflammation in animal studies. Cherries were shown to reduce oxidative stress, which is a cause of autoimmune disease.

Cherries are being recognized as a "Super Fruit" based on recent research indicating they have powerful cancer fighting qualities. Tart cherries were studied and found to be beneficial in reducing the risk of colon cancer. In a study with mice prone to colon cancer it was found that adding cherries to their diet resulted in a reduction in colon tumors and sizes. The compound anthocyanins may inhibit mammary cancer in rats, reducing the risk of breast cancer.

Sweet Cherries (and of course tart ones) are a good fruit for people with diabetes because even sweet cherries are lower than other fruits on the glycemic chart at only 22. The compound anthocyanins may also help those with diabetes. "In early laboratory studies using animal pancreatic cells, the chemicals, called anthocyanins, increased insulin production by 50 percent, according to a peer-reviewed study scheduled to appear in the Jan. 5 issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry." - Science Daily. Some people have reported checking their blood sugar before eating cherries and found that it actually went down after eating cherries!

Cherries also contain:
-Antioxidants
-Vitamin C
-Vitamin A
-Bioflavonoids
-Ellagic acid
-Perillyl
-Melatonin
-Potassium


When I do not have access to fresh organic cherries I eat Raw Cherry Pie Larabars. You can also find dried cherries or organic cherry juice in the off season :) Enjoy!



References and Interesting Links
All About Northwest Cherries

Recent John's Hopkins Cherry Information

Cherry Growers of Australia

Ignite Weight Loss and Glowing Skin with a Sauna Detox!

Time to sweat! I have been using the sauna 3-5 times a week for the last 6 months and the health benefits are remarkable. My skin is radiant, my weight loss has accelerated, and my work out capacity has increased. Yes, it is possible to speed up weight loss by sweating and the sauna is the best place to do it. This is not about the water weight you lose during the session, it is about detoxing your body over time creating a great atmosphere to lose weight. During a sauna session one can lose up to 10 pounds of water weight but as soon as you drink water it comes right back - this is not about the water loss. The documentation on the health benefits of saunas is immense and goes far beyond weightloss. I encourage you to check out the links at the bottom of my post.

BLOOD PRESSURE
What happens in a good sweat out in the sauna is the awakening of all of your capillaries to dilation which actually lowers blood pressure - one might think it would raise blood pressure but that is not the case. Finnish people are known sauna users and they do not suffer from high blood pressure at the rate of westerners.

DETOXIFICATION
Our bodies have a few ways to dispel toxins but the biggest vessel is the skin. The skin is the largest organ of the human body and the sauna is the best way to make that organ work for you! A sauna session actually puts you in fever mode which forces the body to dispel toxins through your pores, similar to what happens when you are sick. Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine wrote more than two thousand years ago "Give me the power to create a fever, and I shall cure any disease." During a fever the functioning of the immune system is stimulated, and the growth of bacteria and virus is forced to slow down. Fever is the body's defense against bacteria, microbes and consequent infection. It is believed that the sauna can also remove heavy metals from the body and this is more important than ever with all of the sources of mercury that surround us now (high fructose corn syrup). When you detoxify your body of all of the pollutants of everyday life you create a great environment for accelerated weight loss and good overall health.

CALORIE BURNING & CARDIO EFFECTS
A good 30 minute sauna session will burn between 300-500 calories similar to rowing for 30 minutes. Some may say "what about the cardio" - the sauna works your heart! Your heart rate increases in a 30 minute session similar to running or speed walking but without the stress on joints.

FAT DETOX
Some of us plateau with weight loss and will need the extra boost by detoxing those fat cells. Perhaps it is the build up of toxins in our fat that prevents further weight loss. Weight loss occurs because body fat becomes water-soluble at 43ºC and the body can sweat it out. Sweating removes fat stored (lipophilic) toxins. Often weight loss cannot be accomplished unless these toxins are first removed.

SKIN
The sauna stimulates a deep cleansing of the pores which results in clean, glowing, radiant skin. This keeps acne at bay as well as giving a more youthful appearance. Sweating is truely the best way to clean your pores. Cleansing does not come from the outside, it has to come from the inside pushing out!


HEALTH BENEFITS OF SAUNAS LINKS
In Depth article on the Health Benefits of Saunas
Sauna & Health: Sweat Bathing...
Sauna - Wikipedia (History and Tons of Info)

******Steam bathing in a hot tub or bathtub have similar health benefits because of the sweat level.
******Please check with your doctor before beginning a sauna program.
******If you don't have access to a sauna you can still get the benefits of sweating through a hot bath in your own bathroom. Grab a good book and sweat like crazy for 30 minutes.
******If you start feeling dizzy or light headed get out of the sauna.
******Start small with 10 minutes.
******Hydrate well before going in and upon coming out of the sauna.
******Do not drink alcohol before a sauna session.

Quinoa - Superfood packed with Health Benefits

         Quinoa (pronounced "keen wah") is truly one of the most spectacular grains on the planet. Most grains are good for you but Quinoa is a step above all and I am gradually turning to Qunioa as my main grain source. This grain was used by ancient Incas and was referred to as "the gold of the Incas". Quinoa has also been referred to as the "Grain of the Gods" and "Mother Grain".
         Quinoa is considered a complete protein which means that it includes all nine essential amino acids (including lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair). The World Health Organization has actually stated that the protein in Quinoa is as complete as the protein in milk! The protein content in Quinoa is 16% which is the highest of all grains - 2% more than wheat. In medical reports it has been found that women eating grains more than 6 times a week cut their heart problem and Quinoa is the best grain there is. Quinoa also packs in fiber, antioxidants, manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus.
         At first I was shy with quinoa but once you start using it you reaize how easy it is to use. I cooks up a lot like rice and you can turn it into a hot or cold dish. I have been substituting it for couscous in my favorite salad to make Fresh Easy Cous Cous Salad. I am also trying to eat mostly alkaline foods and Quinoa is up there on the alkalinity chart. You can find Quinoa in your bulk aisle and you can also get it boxed at Natural Markets or online. Don't be shy - cook it, eat it, and enjoy the health benefits!

Malt -O Meal all Jazzed up a Vegan comfort food!

If you want an easy, delicious, nutritious comfort food for vegans then Malt-O Meal is a great way to start or end the day! This is often thought of boring but it can be played around with in many delicious ways. Malt-O Meal or Cream of Wheat contains wheat farina. Wheat Farina is so good for you as it is a good source of Folic Acid, Calcium, and Iron. Folic Acid is a great heart protector and calcium and iron are a plus too. In just three dry tablespoons of wheat farina you get 60% Iron, 20% B6, 100% Folate (Folic Acid). It is satisfying and easy to make. In the picture is my jazzed up version. I replace water with chocolate soy milk or regular soy milk. In this case I used chocolate which colored the farina brown. Here are the ingrediants for the picture:
1 handful of raw pumpkin seeds
1 handful of coconut shreds
2 tbsp walnuts
2 drizzles of honey (there is a hot debate amongst vegans whether this is vegan or not- I have to eat it while in the healing phase of losing weight and getting back to normal. I do not think bees are harmed in the process)
2 cups cooked Malt-O Meal
1 good splash of soy milk
Notice no dairy milk or butter - still yummy farina but without the dairy!

The Mathematical Vegetable - the Romanesco

Look carefully at this beautiful vegetable...you will see patterns, spirals, and perhaps fractals. The Romanesco is not only beautiful and nutritious, it is also mathematically perfect. What you are looking at is Fibonacci's code. Fibonacci was a mathematician from the 1200's also know as Leonard Pisa. Fibonacci's code is rather simple but complex in that many things on earth and the universe contain it. Fibonacci's code goes like this - The first number of the sequence is 0, the second number is 1, and each subsequent number is equal to the sum of the previous two numbers of the sequence itself, yielding the sequence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc. (Wikipedia). It is perfect in itself and so is everything that contains it. Anything that is spiraled - look at a picture of the galaxy, a daisy, a pine cone, leaves, seeds, and many more. Something this perfect and beautiful was put here for us to consume. Compare this vegetable to the label on a bag of Doritos, Doritos were not put here for us to consume...nothing about them is perfect or good for you. The Romanesco is in the cauliflower family and extremely good for you. Cauliflower, as well as other cruciferous vegetables, such as brussel sprouts and cabbage, contain indole-3-carbinol, a substance that can affect the metabolism of estrogen in the body, and prevent breast and other female cancers. My suggestion is to just eat it raw and put Fibonacci's code and the rest of the galaxy in your stomach!

Not an Urban Legend - Celery is a negative calorie veggie!

          Nope, it is not an urban legend that celery is negative calorie veggie. A stalk of celery is about 6 calories and it takes more than 6 calories to burn that very stalk. I couldn't ask for more than a delicious vegetable that actually works well beyond nutrients and goes into burning calories. Celery also has nutritional values being high in vitamin K and containing active compounds called phthalides and coumarins. These are thought to lower cholesterol and be cancer fighting compounds.
          If you slab almond butter or sunflower butter on the stalk of celery you instantly lose that negative calorie action. I love to put sunflower butter on it and top it off with Zante Currants! The best thing to do is just wash a stalk and eat it!

Health Benefits of Cabbage - Powerful Vegetable

          Cabbage! This vegetable is often ignored and thought of as boring and smelly! I am here to suggest that this vegetable was meant to be consumed by all humans on every corner of the planet often! It grows in nearly all countries! It is time to give the cabbage family the respect it deserves! If you think I am going to talk about the faddish "cabbage soup diet" you may want to move along. For the last four months I have been including raw cabbage into my daily life. I get a red and green cabbage at the store and throughout the day I will cut some off of the head and simply eat it. Cabbage will keep in your fridge for a good amount of time and always remains crisp. Cabbage is also friendly on your wallet and found in abundance at the market during all seasons.

          I came across a couple of articles that blew my mind about cabbage! Cabbage contains super cancer fighters with the phytochemicals called Indoles. Indoles are what gives cabbage its' funky smell when you cook it. Indoles are great for women and the fight on breast cancer. Indoles can inhibit estrogen and estrogen is being found as a major culprit in breast cancer. I can actually inhibit new cancer growth. Researchers have found that men that eat more cabbage have lower rates of prostate cancer as well.

          Beyond being a cancer fighter cabbage is high in vitamins K, A, and C, and magnesium. Surprisingly cabbage is also a good fiber source and there are even little amounts of Omega-3 Fatty Acids!

          Need I say more? This vegetable must must must be eaten. It is low calorie and may keep you cancer free. Put this veggie in your mouth and eat it!

Sources:
Cabbage Gets high praise....
Health Benefits of Cabbage

Horses are Vegan Too!

This is a photo of a beautiful, strong, white horse near my house that I visit everyday in the summer and spring and feed various green herbs and plants. I have always loved the majestic nature and sheer power of horses. If you look at a horses teeth they look a lot like human teeth and behave very similarly. How is it possible that this beautiful, strong, lean, powerful animal is so strong when its' diet is plant based? This is often asked about veganism. Are vegans weak? Are horses weak? No and No! People often ask me in bewilderment how I get all of my "protein" or how I stay strong as if there is no possible way that a diet void of meat could possibly keep me alive. Bringing up a horse and their teeth often helps. Elephants are another great example - elephants manage to survive as strong, giant, residents of Africa on a plant based diet. There is just no argument that vegans cannot be strong because of the lack of meat and dairy. I have managed to actually build more muscle tone than I had when I was a meat eating athlete years ago. So, the next time someone argues that vegans are weak quickly refer them to the muscle mass of a Thoroughbred horse. If you are attending the Seattle VegFest at the end of March you will find a booth there of vegan body builders. If you are not in Seattle check out your local vegetarian sources for your vegetarian festival.
LINKS
Seattle VegFest 2009
Vegan Body Building

Brazil Nuts - great way for a vegan to get nutrients!

I always associated Brazil Nuts with filler for mixed nuts. Often they are picked out first because they are large and have a mild flavor. Until I really looked into them I had no idea how full of nutrients they are. As a vegan I rely on nuts as a good source of nutrients and protein. A handful of nuts can be as satisfying as a turkey sandwhich to me now. I consume Brazil nuts often but in small amounts. To get the full effect of the nutrients I get them raw when I can. Trader Joe's has a great price on a bag of raw Brazil Nuts if you are lucky enough to have a TJ's in town. What really keeps me eating them is the fact they are high in selenium which may help prevent breast cancer. I eat just 2-4 and that seems to be enough to get a good amount of the nutrients. There are a lot of studies that have been done on Brazil nuts and googling them you will find all you need to know about them.
From Nature News:
Brazil nuts are the best way to add selenium to your diet. A recent study at the University of Otago in New Zealand found that eating just two Brazil nuts a day is as effective in increasing selenium status and enhancing glutathione peroxidase activity as a recommended dosage of selenomethionine. Inclusion of this high-selenium food in the diet could avoid the need for fortification or supplements to improve selenium levels.

Lemons & Apple Cider Vinegar

Both lemons and apple cider vinegar are great for health but they also both make cheeks pucker...so I thought would group them together. I eat them both everday.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
HISTORY:
Vinegar is said to have been used for ailments for at least 10,000 years. The Babylonians first converted wine into vinegar in 5000 BCE using date palms, grapes, and figs, and believed vinegar had exceptional healing properties. Hippocrates is said to have used vinegar as an antibiotic.
INTERNAL BENEFITS:
* Rich in enzymes & potassium
* Support a healthy immune system
* Helps control weight
* Promotes digestion & ph Balance
* Helps soothe dry throats
* Helps remove body sludge toxins
EXTERNAL BENEFITS:
* Helps maintain healthy skin
* Helps promote youthful, healthy bodies
* Soothes irritated skin
* Relieves muscle pain from exercise
Source: Braggs website braggs.com
I have a tbsp. of apple cider vinegar everyday. I use Braggs "with the mother". ACV without the mother is not as good as with. Sometimes I just take a straight shot or I put it with water. It was hard at first but I eventually got used to it.
LEMONS
I use lemons for everything! If I spot a blemish I immediatly put lemon juice on it and it dries it up quickly. It acts as an antiseptic to the skin. I put it on my cheecks to bleach any discoloration. I also consume it - put it green tea, in water, anyway that I can get it. It shocked me how high it is in vitamin C. Lemons are also very high in potassium. I eat the rind sometimes because that is where the essential oil of the lemon resides. Becareful, it is bitter and make sure they are very very clean. When you are in a bad mood take the lemon rind and bend it in front of your nose and it is instant aromatherapy. Lemons are a daily part of my life - a true superfood!

Red Potatoes and Tempeh or Tofu

This is a good weekend dish when you have time to cook. This was originally thought up by my partner. He started with tofu in stead of tempeh - the tempeh is even better than the tofu! The top picture is with tofu and the picture at the bottom of the post is tempeh. Tempeh is one of my favorite ways to get protein and manganese as well as many other nutrients. This dish is a great protein and carb dish great before a day of hiking, biking, shopping, etc. I usually just need a piece of fruit for lunch if I have had this for breakfast. This is also an economical dish and goes a log way. I love to eat with heat so this is a hot dish. This dish is really easy to alter yourself based on your own tastes. The recipe will serve two adults and will satisfy hunger for hours :)

THINGS YOU WILL NEED
6-8 red potatos
1 package of Tempeh(garden vegetable or multigrain)
1 table spoon crush dried peppers
1 table spoon cayenne pepper
1 table spoon tumeric
sea salt and pepper to flavor
1 cookie sheet med. to lg. size
1 fying pan
grape seed oil or oil of your choice
hot sauce for garnish
half of a sweet onion

PREPERATION
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
potatos
-cube potatos (the size of suger cubes)and rinse and dry them well
-in a pan with a lid for shaking generously coat potatos with grape seed oil
-pour in cayenne and crushed peppers
-shake it all together to coat potatos
tempeh
-cube the raw tempeh about the same size as potatos
-put 1/4 inch grape seed oil in frying pan and slowly heat
onion
-dice onion

COOKING
-put potatos on ungreased cookie sheat and bake for 30-40 minutes depending on how crispy you want them
-put tempeh in frying pan and coat it with the oil
-sprinkle the tumeric and start gently stirring to coat the tempeh with the tumeric
-grind some sea salt and black pepper to taste.
-cook tempeh on low-med heat for 15 minutes turning tempeh every 5 minutes or so.
-add onions and cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve with hot sauce as a side.