Broccoli Salad with Creamy Basil Dressing (Kid Approved!)

2 cups chopped raw broccoli florets

1 medium tomato chopped

1 green onion, sliced

Dressing

1 tbl mild vinegar (I used raw coconut)

1/4 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup unsweetened soymik

1/2 cup water

1 tbl granulated onion

1 tbl nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

2 tbl ground sun dried tomatoes

2 tbl chopped fresh basil

few dashes tabasco

fresh ground pepper

Combine broccoli, tomatoes, and green onion in bowl. Add dressing ingredients to blender (except basil) and blend until smooth. Pour dressing over vegetables. Divide into 2 servings and serve over fresh greens.

NOTE: I briefly heated this for my daughter in the microwave. Also, she had some low fat seitan sausage and raw fresh corn mixed into hers.

Nutrition:

Calories: 180

Fat: 8 g

Protein: 10 g

Carbohydrate: 22 g

Fiber: 4 g

Lutein and zeaxanthin: 174 mcg

Folate: 72 mcg

Vitamin C: 79 mg

I whipped up some pink frosting for another batch of black bean brownies. I have a special place in my heart for anything peanut butter and chocolate. How about peanut PINK frosting?? Of course, I want to make it pink without some weird pink chemical addition.

Pink Peanut Frosting (makes about 1 cup)
1/2 cup peanuts, blanched (important for the color to be right), roasted, unsalted
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (or fat free dairy milk)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbl arrowroot
1/4 cup packed pitted dates
1 small peeled beet, chopped

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth and you feel no grit when you rub it between your fingers. Gradually add chopped beet 1 tablespoon at a time until you get a bright pink colored frosting. Chill until firm. Before spreading, whip it up again til you get a thick spreadable frosting.

Nutrition Facts per 1/4 cup (when made with unsweetened soymilk):
Calories: 156 kcal
Fat: 9 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 0 g
Sodium: 19 mg
Carbohydrate: 15 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 5 g

Good source (at least 10% Daily Value) for Niacin, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Manganese.

But most importantly the beets are where it is at! They are a good for betaine, betalains, betacyanin, betanin, folate, iron, and fiber. The kind of fiber that the body uses to detoxify from:

• toxins,
• hormones,
• carcinogens, and
• excess cholesterol!

How about a frozen orange cream drink reminiscent of an Orange Julius and an apple taco?

When I was a kid, I used to love to get an Orange Julius smoothie drink thing at the mall. Of course, these drinks included m mostly unhealthful ingredients like processed sweeteners, bad fats, and artificial colors and flavors. So here’s a novel idea; why not make it with real food?

I had recently stuck a snack bag with orange slices in the freezer. These were the inspiration to try this recipe:

All Natural Orange Julius

1 orange, peeled, separated into sections (seedless), frozen

1/2 cup soy or almond milk (I used unsweetened soy milk)

2 dates

1/2 tsp vanilla

Place dates and soy milk in the blender and blend until dates are completely processed. Add remaining ingredients and blend to desired consistency. Makes about 1 cup or 1 serving

Calories: 199, Fat: 2 g, Saturated fat: 0 g, Carbohydrate: 41 g, Protein: 6 g, Fiber: 7 g, Calcium: 230 mg, Vitamin C: 98 mg

Sweet, chocolaty goodness from….beans??!!  Brownies that fight aging, lower cholesterol, and love you back? What could be better for Valentine’s Day? 

Could you really make something good out of beans, fruit, nuts and a little flour? I saw this recipe and had to try my own version. I liked how they are sweetened with dates, which add fiber, minerals and antioxidants (to name a few benefits).

But how does it taste?? I decided to make a version of this and add an icing. My daughter needs all sweet things in pink or purple. I added a cherry almond nut butter icing (which turned out purple). Dense, rich, sweet and chocolately. We love these and need to keep more on hand (besides for just Valentine’s Day).

Black Bean Brownies with Cherry Almond Icing

(makes 12 servings)

½ cup dark cocoa powder

2 t. vanilla

1 t. baking soda

1 (15 oz.) can of salt-free black beans (drain liquid)

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

2 small, very ripe bananas

1 1/2 – 2 cups pitted dates (I used about 18 medjool dates)

¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Icing

1/3 cup light coconut milk

1/3 cup chopped raw cashews

1/2 cup dates (about 5)

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup frozen dark sweet cherries, thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add two ingredients at a time except walnuts to a food processor or blender. Turn it on and then gradually add each additional ingredient (except walnuts) until blended. Turn off the machine, remove the blade, and stir in the nuts. Spread into a 13” x 9” pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool.

For icing:

Blend all ingredients to get thick icing consistency. Pour over cool brownies. Refrigerate to thicken icing (using less liquid would also help). We sprinkled on some sliced almonds.  Saige loved this lip cookie cutter so we had lip shaped brownies.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 209

Fat: 8 g

Omega 3 fatty acids: 1 g

Cholesterol: 0 g

Saturated fat: 2 g

Carbohydrate: 31 g

Fiber: 7 g

Protein: 6 g

Thanks to the nuts and beans, these brownie lips are a great source of minerals, B vitamins, phytochemicals, antioxidants, fiber and protein.

A person’s exposure to various foods from infancy on will have an influence on the choice and preference of foods. This exposure can vary from the foods provided by our parents to the snack at daycare, the pictures of foods we see on television and other media, the smell of the fry grease from fast food restaurants as we drive down the road and the offerings in the break room at the office.

Studies suggest that one’s desire to consume foods results from visual exposure to those foods. So for example, a person will consume more food and more calories at a buffet where all the foods are visible than from a restaurant with a menu. Another study shows that a person will eat a certain amount of candy when it is sitting in a jar on their desk, less of it if it is in their desk drawer, and even less if it is across the room in a drawer.

In the interest of consuming more raw vegetables, perhaps we need to increase our visual exposure to them. What is the first thing you see when you open the door of your refrigerator? Do you have fresh fruit sitting on your counter top or packaged processed food? Is the bag of chips or container of nuts in easy visual distance along your walkway through the kitchen? What would happen if fresh produce replaced these higher calorie (and often lower nutrient) foods? You would eat more of them!

Of course, some produce holds up better at room temperature than others. Fruit is better on the counter than vegetables. While consuming more fruit is a good thing, more servings of vegetables is an even better goal. Pictured is the door to my refrigerator. One of the first things you see is the cauliflower, sugar snap peas, red pepper, baby carrots, and celery on the door. These will need to be eaten in a few days. The fresher the better. But even older produce is better compared with the bag of chips or the box of cookies.