Mushroom Curry Rice

Due to the fact that I have not yet bought a gas can for my stove top, I have recently been faced with the prospect of cooking things only IN the oven....  in answer to the question of "what is for dinner, and involves something other than salad or potato chips?", BEHOLD my glorious masterpiece of flavor.  Who could have imagined how easy it was to cook rice in the oven?!.....  

I love portobello mushrooms, and they are ever so delicious with root-vegetable accompaniment like potatoes and jerusalem artichokes (which bear no resemblance to regular artichokes, but actually taste similar when cooked).  A handful of added golden raisins is excitingly weird (in a tasty way).  Powdered madras curry and cloves make this a winter dish that will warm you up from inside out.  A very satisfying rice dish, which I serve smothered in Tehina and Amba sauce, naturally.

Mushroom Curry Rice

טעים החרה הזה.

3 med white potatoes, peeled and chopped roughly
2-3 med pieces jlem artichoke, peeled and chopped roughly
2 med portobello mushrooms, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup golden raisins

place all above ingredients into a large baking dish with a lid.

season with:
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp madras curry
1 tsp himalayan salt
2 tbsp Flaxseed oil
1 tbsp Braggs liquid aminos

I added 1 1/2 cups of rice and 3 3/4 cups of water.  I find that the 1:2.5 ratio of rice to water works best.  But perhaps you have experimented for yourself and come to other conclusions based on experience...

Cook at 165 celsius / 325 fahrenheit
For approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes.
I like slow~cooking things:}
enjoy!

best friends fo~eva

Crispy Celery Salad

This salad works great as a Tehina transportation element.

This combination of chopped veggies and mild dressing makes for a very serene salad.  Avocado and flaxseed oil give it body, with enough salt to enhance the subtle flavors of the light greens.  I like to mix the salad by hand after I add the Avocado, to distribute it properly.  As you may have noticed if you read my blog, I tend to put at least 2 cloves of raw garlic into every salad.  I'm a garlic fanatic, feel free to adjust to your taste.

Crispy Celery Salad

(serves 3~4)

4 celery stalks w/o leaves, chopped
2 cucumbers, chopped
1 inch of white cabbage head, chopped
1/3 head fennel, chopped
1 c. Radish sprouts, cut with kitchen shears
2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 med Avocado, cubed
2 tbsp flaxseed oil
1 tsp himalayan salt
juice of 1/2 lemon

mix and enjoy!

Green Garlic Pesto Salad

Unique and delicious, I ate this green, garlic-y salad for breakfast this morning, because I'm fighting a cold...  If you're not accustomed to raw garlic, use half a clove, minced, instead of 2.  Adding a small handful of sunny golden raisins (which contain vitamin C) to this salad will improve absorption of the iron in the kale. Vitamineral Green is a powdered greens supplement, one of the wonderfully potent products of HealthForce.  I love their supplements, but you can use any powdered greens or leave out that ingredient. Chlorophyll adds magnesium and dyes the salad a keen green color with thrilling results for the vegetable-deprived...  mmm.... garlic-y gooodness.

Green Garlic Pesto Salad, topped with golden raisins

Green Garlic Pesto Salad

(serves 1 ~ multiply as needed)

4 white mushrooms, diced
3 large leaves kale, chopped, sprinkle with some himalayan salt
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp pesto
1 tsp braggs
1 tsp Vitamineral green (or other powdered greens)
1/2 tsp Chlorophyll

Mix in dressing toppings and sprinkle with 1/4 c. golden raisins.

Yeah, that's right, I'm a shill for the man... Dr. Sheridan

Mushroom Salad

A salad in three parts:

Salad:

combine the following fresh vegetables in a large bowl:
1 cucumber, chopped
2 cups lettucey leaves (romaine or spinach are preferable), chopped
2 cups sunflower sprouts, chopped
1 inch slice from a purple cabbage head, chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
5~6 kalamata olives, cut small
Sprinkle with Himalayan salt and lemon juice

Dressing:

For dressing, I used Tehina. From a package. Which i bought at the supermarket here in Israel. So that was a shortcut. :}

Mushrooms:

Take some large mushrooms, which you hopefully bought at a grocery (as opposed to finding them in the woods of Siberia, because this will then become a whole other sort of salad experience), wash and place stem up in a pan suitable for baking.

Pour on some flaxseed oil, Braggs liquid aminos and Himalayan salt, (specific measurements are not given because it depends on the size of the mushroom), which will drip into the mushrooms corregated insides and keep it moist as it cooks for about 45 minutes at 325°.  Slice and add to the salad.

Mix salad, dressing and mushrooms and enjoy!

Creamy Mediterranean Quinoa

I've been making Quinoa for awhile, and have finally hit on what I declare to be a tasty Mediterranean version of my beloved grain.  I made enough to share. :)

Quinoa:

Chop:
1 medium-large Sweet Potato or Yam
1 small purple Onion
1 inch fresh Ginger
1 clove fresh Garlic
3 cups mixed red & white Quinoa
1/4 c. Date syrup (Silan), no sugar added
Himalayan salt
Turmeric
Cinnamon
Olive Oil

Heat large pot on med-high heat, add 1/2 c Olive oil.  Sautee Sweet Potato till tender, add purple Onion, Ginger and Garlic and sautee for several minutes.  Add Quinoa (and more Olive oil if it's dry), and brown it a bit, while adding several hearty dashes of Turmeric, Cinnamon, Salt and Date syrup.  Add appx. 4 1/2 to 5 cups of Water and stir.  Add more Olive oil if it seems necessary to you. x)  Heat to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the Quinoa has absorbed all the water.


Tehina:

Use 1 500mg jar of Organic Tehina

Add & Mix:
2 cloves garlic, minced
500ml water
1/2-1 cup fresh Lemon Juice
Himalayan salt
sprinkle Parsley for awesome presentation.


Salad:

Chop finely & Mix:
20 mini-Cucumbers or 3 large Cukes
3 cups of Baby Tomatoes in various colours, if available.
1 cup of fresh Parsley
1 whole skinny Chive
1 white Onion
1 clove Garlic
1/2-1 cup fresh Lemon juice
Himalayan salt

Afternoon Chill

Afternoon Chill-out Juice :D

4 med. cucumbers, peeled
1 med. apple in sections
8 large leaves of green lettuce, or 1 small head of green lettuce
1 inch of fresh ginger
2 sprigs of mint

Juice all ingredients. This juice must be drunk in the afternoon!! Jk, but that's the best time in my opinion. The greens & cuke & mint are nice and mellow, the ginger adds just a bit of zing, and the apple just a bit of sweetness. Perfect!

Flowers

This is hardly a recipe for salad.  I have sorely neglected this blog, and plan to remedy that in the near future. ;)  Instead, I just wanted to share a few ideas with you that may help you in your own journey to health.

I have had my share of struggles with depression.  It's definitely related to the Type 1 Diabetes, because it did intensify at age 15 while I was on a trip with my family and we all started to realize that there was something wrong with the way my body was functioning.  Why I got diabetes?  No clue.  Science is still working that one out.  In the mean time, I am still pursuing health and healing to the best of my abilities.  And something I have noticed is that 1.5 years ago, when I chose to start eating much healthier, it had a beneficial effect on my body, but the most profound effects were felt in my mind.  In other words: I've started to realize that treating depression with food is just as important as treating the other aspects of illness.  It seems like depression is actually a pretty physical thing.

Sugar seems to be an enemy to my mental health.  When I eat it, it does contribute to moodiness. Czech out this fun stuff:

"a study of 3,456 middle-aged civil servants, published in British Journal of Psychiatry found that those who had a diet which contained a lot of processed foods had a 58% increased risk for depression, whereas those whose diet could be described as containing more whole foods had a 26% reduced risk for depression."  http://www.foodforthebrain.org/content.asp?id_Content=1635

Interesting.  Tons of informations on that site.

Now, here are some more ideas that have helped me sidestep a few spirals of depression:

Going for a walk to touch and admire the leaves of green growing things has often cheered me and reminded me of the beauty inherent in life.  Green growing things grow up and out because they must, and the energy they embody is a comfort to me in my more scrambly times.

Yoga has been very beneficial to my life and well-being.  I feel so much better after a few rounds of sun salutations in the morning versus starting the day without stretching.  It's so lovely to get the blood moving in the morning, and feel the blissful after effects for hours.

Meditation.  I love the concept of the out-breath meditation, which I read about in one of Pema Chodron's books.  It's a very simple meditation - your mind may be wandering and engaging in verbosity during your in-breaths, but on the out-breath, try to send all of your attention to the simple act of breathing out.  Be in the moment as the air rushes out of your mouth.  This is a deceptively simple meditation technique that I have enjoyed for years.  It really does have a way of putting me back in the present moment, bringing more presence to my present.  Coming back to a state of centered mindfulness is very important for my mental health.

Bellydancing!  Is one of the greatest things ever in helping a woman to come into a very positive and loving relationship to her body.  You can't bellydance and swing your hips and NOT love your body.  I dare you to be depressed whilst bellydancing.  All that movement does marvelous things for the blood flow & functioning of your organs in the abdomen.

Accept your self, for the love of god.  No one else can do this except you.  And if you are not actively accepting your chubby, awkward, un-cooler aspects, you will not be attracting healthy relationships.  If it isn't present within you, how's it going to be present in the outer world?  I am learning delightful new lessons all about self acceptance lately.  Let's just say, that if you take a moment to declare to the universe that you are ready to embrace the challenge of self-acceptance, THINGS WILL HAPPEN.  And maybe sometimes it gets uglier before it gets prettier, but that's the point.  "Always a valley before a hill" sez that one fortune cookie that one time.  It was so true, and still is.  When you feel like you're in a pit, have patience with yourself, because it is not all shitty all of the time, and things are about to get way more awesome...

Love you!
Debs