Carrot and Beet Salad

1 pound carrots, chopped
1/4 cup currants or raisins, diced
1/8 cup toasted pine nuts
2 scallions, chopped
Olive oil
1–2 medium-size beets, chopped
1 navel orange, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons mint or basil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Sea salt

You may chop your veggies however you choose—with a food processor, a turbo blender, or a good old-fashioned knife. (I chose to put the carrots and beets in a food processor and chop the scallions by hand.) Then mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Allow mixture to sit for a few hours in the fridge so that the vegetables can absorb the flavors. This recipe makes a ton of salad, so I recommend first quartering or halfing the recipe if it's for just you and a few friends. As you can see by the picture, it's a very bright and cheery dish, and the perfect combo of colors to add pizzazz to any plate.

Homemade Vegan Hot Chocolate

I just found this recipe and thought I would share. If you search for 'homemade vegan hot chocolate' on the internet there are a lot of recipes out there. Enjoy!

1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup raw sugar
2 tbsp agave nectar
2 cups coconut, soy, rice, or almond milk
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Fried Zucchini

4 zucchini, cut in thin rounds
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. sea salt
coconut oil

Stir wheat flour, paprika, and sea salt together. Dip wet zucchini slices in mixture to coat well. Fry in coconut oil until browned on both sides. Optionally, drizzle with your favorite dressing.

(Zucchini shown in picture was from a humongous zucchini!)

A Light and Refreshing Dinner

I'm on a roll! A light dinner I ate last night that consisted of:

Spinach
Apples
Plums
Almond 'Cheddar Style' Cheese
Squeeze of lemon
Dash Pepper

Chocolate Balls Dessert

1 cup raw almond butter
1 cup raw tahini
1/2 cup flax seeds, freshly ground (optional)
1/2 cup agave
1/2 cup raw chocolate powder
1/8 tsp. sea salt

Mix all together in a bowl, roll into balls, and chill. Optionally roll into chopped nuts or shredded coconut. Send to school/work in a baggie or wrapped in saran wrap.

My Favorite Breakfast Ever!

This morning my mother-in-law sauteed zucchini, butternut squash, and tomatoes. She also added steamed collard greens and topped it off with a dash of pepper for a yummy veggie dish! I also ate slices of avocado and ezekiel sprouted grain english muffins topped with non-dairy butter and almond butter. I have to say that surprisingly, this is my favorite breakfast dish ever!

It's Fall Time, and I am Blind

A few years ago I heard a story about a blind man sitting on a street corner begging for money. He had a cardboard sign propped up next to him that said, "I am blind." People rushed by him on their way to work, oblivious and blind themselves. Then a man approached. He took the blind man's sign and added some words to it, and pretty soon the blind man could only hear the clank of the coins being placed in his can. After a few minutes, the blind man asked the next person to drop money in, "What does my sign say?" The woman answered, "It's springtime, and I am blind."

Yesterday I met a blind lady at the train station. I didn't know she was blind until she stood up when the train whistle sounded and started walking straight toward the drop-off of the tracks. I yelled, "Wait! Stop!" Then we both laughed. We talked the entire hour-long trip: I'd look at her and then look out the window at the gorgeous snow-topped mountains and clear blue sky that I knew she couldn't see. I helped her buy her ticket when we had to transfer trains. How does a blind person know the difference between a $1 bill and a $5 bill unless there's someone there to tell them?

I kept asking her questions, and she kept answering. We both could feel the warm sun even though it was 50 degrees outside. She told me how she still does face painting—she showed me pictures on her camera and it's amazing what she can still do—and how she's looking for a new line of work now that she can't see the computer. She's a weather person—a meteorologist. She just started losing her sight two months ago, and she's a single mom of six kids, her youngest being 11 years old.

What an inspiring woman. My world meant more to me after I left her side. It's fall time, and I can see.

Namaste Cookie Mix

I've tried my share of gluten-free mixes (all have actually been gifts from loved ones!), and to be honest, the majority of them I wouldn't buy nor have bought again. Too heavy. Made in a factory with milk, soy, and tree nuts. Too lumpy and texturey. Too incompatible with my taste buds. But alas I found a cookie mix that I would actually buy again. My guess is that the rest of you gluten-free gurus are leaps and bounds ahead of me, so please share your secrets and favorite foods with me.

Namaste Foods Cookie Mix
Pros:
-Made in a dedicated facility free of gluten, wheat, soy, corn, potato, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, and casein. Whoo-hoo! I'm in.
-Made in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Who doesn't want to support good ole Coeur d'Alene?
-Includes evaporated cane juice as the sugary goodness. (To be honest, this cookie mix ignited my sugar cravings again, which I guess should be a con, but I'm going to call it a pro, because I've actually missed them.)
-Absolutely amazing topped with Purely Decadent Mint Chip frozen dessert, especially when you slightly underbake the cookie!

Cons:
-The final product doesn't hold together very well, so I guess that's the way the gluten-free cookie crumbles. Anyone know of a cookie mix that holds together pretty well? I did buy some xanthum gum, which I may add to my spare cookie mix, which is silently waiting on my pantry shelf.
-It was difficult to slide the spatula under the baked cookie and remove it in one piece. The dough thins out so much while baking that the cookies become large and flat and breakable. (So maybe these two cons are one and the same?)

My long-standing recommendation to you is to make all your food from scratch, but it's nice to have an emergency backup just in case. I say give these a try if you're looking for something sweet and gluten-free when in a time crunch. If your local grocery store doesn't carry Namaste Foods, ask for them by name and you should see them on the store shelves in no time.

Namaste ("The spirit within me honors and respects the spirit within you.")

Word to the Wise

Many religions of the world have various health codes they follow, ranging from fasting to abstaining from certain meats to not eating meat entirely. If you're interested, I suggest studying up on these practices to see if there are any you'd like to adopt.

I happen to follow one of these health codes. It's called the Word of Wisdom. Maybe some of you have heard of it. It came about because back in 1833, the prophet Joseph Smith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a.k.a., the LDS Church or the Mormons) was confronted by his wife about the mess the men were making in their meetings, covering the bare floor with their chewing tobacco. Joseph took it to heart and then took it to the Lord. The answer came as the will of God for the "temporal salvation of all saints in the last days." The term saints means "followers of Christ" or "people who are striving to be better."

In the Word of Wisdom, the Lord begins by explaining that in our day "conspiring men" would be more concerned about the buck than the health of society. I always connected this warning with the producers of tobacco and alcohol, but the more I study about the food manufacturers today, I am not afraid to include them as well.

Now, many of you may be familiar with the parts of this health code that focus on what we should stay away from, but when's the last time you reread it, looking for the council about what to eat? When I first started my diet change about 7 months ago, I read and reread this revelation. It was like I was reading it for the first time because it is so rich in . . . what? WISDOM! Considering I believe it came from God, the Creator of all things on the earth and in the heavens, wouldn't He have some light to shed on what He'd have us eat to be the healthiest we can be?

My sister-in-law texted me tonight (which is why this is on my mind), saying, "Just read D&C 89 and was thinking about how diligently you have lived the Word of Wisdom, and as a result you are truly receiving ALL the promised blessings. It's very inspiring, and I love you, my dear!"

To be honest, it leaves me in awe as I look back on how far I've come with my health—I've been witnessing miracles as my rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is slowly fading away. For the past 3 weeks my finger joints have not hurt at all. Not at all! This morning my left hand was stiff and stayed a little stiff all day, but I think it had to do with the 20-degree-drop in temperature. Do you realize the extent of what this means? For the last six months I haven't been able to use my fingers to push buttons on the microwave, turn on my car blinker, itch my skin if I had a layer of clothing on, massage tight muscles in my neck (or someone else's), cut my food, pick something (like a piece of paper or a hair) up off a flat surface, open round doorknobs, rub my nose, snap, clap, or flip on a light switch. I literally am experiencing natural healing in a way doctors and people with RA would never believe.

So what does the Word of Wisdom say we should eat?

-Wholesome herbs.
-Every herb and every fruit in their season—What? Really? I thought that was just the current trend to eat food in season.
-Meat sparingly (in winter, cold, or famine).
-All grains.
-All fruits above and under the ground—So I'm interpreting "fruits" to mean both fruits and vegetables here since it's referring to food that grows both above and beneath ground.

And what are the promised blessings?
-We will have health in our navel and marrow in our bones.
-We will find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge—I can attest to this one!!
-We shall run and not be weary and walk and not faint.
-The destroying angel shall pass us by.

Give it a try. It never hurts to eat more of the good of the earth. You've seen me experimenting with eating more greens and whole foods for the past 7 months now, so you have my guarantee that it can only make you healthier.

Kitchen Art

A palette of fresh beet juice.

Coconut Curry Sauce

This is one of my favorite recipes, and I make it at least once a month, dividing it into three different containers for at least 9 separate meals. I can't get enough of it and have to refrain from eating the whole recipe straight through. There's a teensy kick from the spices, but nothing to take note of, so if you'd like to add more curry, be my guest. Please cater this recipe to your preferences and make it your favorite too.

3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons curry
3 tablespoons kuzu
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 can coconut milk (approximately 13.5 ounces)
Sea salt to taste

Optional:
Cauliflower, sliced
Broccoli, sliced
Zucchini, chopped
Carrots, sliced
Sweet potato, chopped
Any other yummy veggie or green you're in the mood for

Heat oil in medium sauce pan or large frying pan. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add spices and cook for 1 minute. Add kuzu (natural thickener) and stir, breaking up the kuzu chunks with wooden spoon. Pour vegetable broth into mixture and then add cilantro and coconut milk. Stir and then let simmer about 20 minutes. Freeze however much you'd like.

Add vegetables to curry and simmer until vegetables are soft. Serve over brown or wild rice.

Veggie Burgers

I first made these veggie burgers on 4th of July. While everyone else was chowing down on their flame-broiled hamburgers, I was devouring my own form of culinary delight topped with lettuce, tomato, and avocado. I literally crave these now, and typical eaters, meaning normal people, love them too. (I'm okay admitting I'm abnormal.) I like to freeze half of this recipe for easy, ready-to-go dinners after a long day when I'm too tired to cook.

2 cups raw sunflower seeds
2 cups cooked brown rice, cooled
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 egg, optional*

Put sunflower seeds in turbo blender. Blend into oblivion. Remove sunflower seed powder and put in a large bowl. Put brown rice in blender and blend. It'll get sticky and globby, so be prepared to put the mixture down and keep blending until the rice is blended. Remove rice and add to the large bowl. Put carrots in blender and blend away. Once carrots are completely shredded, add to the large bowl.

Add all other ingredients to large bowl. Knead the mixture together as if you're kneading bread. Really get in there to get an even mix of ingredients. Place however much you want to freeze into an air-tight container and put in freezer.

Place a large frying pan on the stove and add coconut oil. Heat at low temperature. Start forming patties with the mixture and place them in frying pan. Add more coconut oil if you see it's not enough for the amount of patties you're cooking in the frying pan. Flip patties as you see them start to golden on the bottom.

*Add a raw egg if the mixture isn't holding together very well, usually if the rice is drier. If you do choose to add an egg to the mixture, knead it well and cook thoroughly on the stove.

The Heredity of Illness

Here's a question for all you bright minds out there: how much of an influence do our families have on the illnesses we get? Some may say, "Well, a huge influence because many illnesses are hereditary." Are personality traits hereditary too then? And how much of an influence do those traits have on our health? And how do those personality traits interact with our environment to then lead to loss of health?

This is what I'm studying right now, and I feel like I just opened a can of worms I never knew existed. Health always seemed so cut and dry. But it's not.

For the past three weeks I've been going deep into who I am and who I learned to be from my parents and grandparents, and pinpointing what traits and habits are keepers and which ones are reeking havoc in my life (e.g., not being able to stand up for myself, eating canned food, being too accommodating, not making time for myself/my health). If you think you didn't learn that from someone, you're wrong. (And I'd really love to have someone counter this or vouch for it as well. Please share your insights.) Who would've thought that since my dad always has to be the last one at the party to help vacuum and take the trash out (even if it wasn't his party!!) that I'd be the same way? One of my brothers admitted he's that way now too. Curses. It's a fight to get myself to leave a party without feeling guilty that I didn't help clean up. All I hear in me head is, "You stay until the work is done."

I bet you'll be surprised at what you unravel as you think about how your personality type handles stress, your everyday decisions, and your environment, and how you learned much of that from the people you were raised by—either by adopting their ways or doing the opposite.

A Gluten-free Vegan

It's official. It has been confirmed that my tummy would be better off without gluten. I'm allergic to wheat, oats, rye, and spelt. At first I thought, "Hey, no biggie. I've been prepping for this. I've been avoiding gluten for months now." But then I was informed my tummy also doesn't like quinoa and millet, which are gluten-free and in my special Mary's Gone Crackers crackers. Dang. And I love cooking millet and quinoa together and eating them with black beens and zucchini. They'll have to be for another day.

And then I was told to stay away from soy as well. I took this a little harder because, well, soy has become a key player in my daily meals. But now I know why my stomach hasn't been so happy lately. Really what it comes down to is feeling the best that you can, and if eliminating these foods will help me, I'm all for trying. So I gave away my soy ice creams (vanilla and gingersnap) and my bag of frozen edamame, and crossed tofu, tempe, soy sauce, tamari, miso, and practically every processed food off my grocery list. Why does everything have soy in it? That's a good question. Anyone have any answers to that?

I went to a birthday party on Monday for my friend Josh, and Josh's grandma asked me, "Can you eat cranberries?" She looked at the ingredient list on the bag of Oceanspray cranberries, and instead of it reading just "cranberries," it read "cranberries, sugar, something else, and may contain milk, wheat, or soy." What? Aren't cranberries just cranberries? What else could be in those cranberries if the factory is worried about all their other food products contaminating each other?

Sushi Salad

I crave this salad and have made several different versions, adding or subtracting veggies, depending on what I have on hand. Be creative. Make your taste buds happy while eating healthy!

2 cups cooked brown rice*

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/2 cup cucumber, diced
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 carrot, shaved with a peeler
2 small scallions, minced

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger root, minced or grated

1–2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 cup cubed tofu

1 tablespoon olive oil

Wasabi to taste

Place rice in a bowl and drizzle with rice vinegar. Once it has cooled, add the veggies, ginger, sesame seeds, tofu, and olive oil. Serve with wasabi on the side.

*To make rice exceptional, coat with coconut oil before cooking. This way it doesn't clump and has a smoother texture. 

Tofu Scramble

As of two weeks ago I no longer eat soy—my stomach just can't digest it like it should—but I snapped some pictures of a few of my favorite recipes prior to making this diet change. I didn't want to keep these yummy dishes from you, so even though I won't be eating them exactly as the recipes call for, I still wanted to share them with you.

If you aren't into tofu, replace with garbanzo beans—my taste buds actually prefer it this way. I always double this recipe so that I have plenty of leftovers. Enjoy!

1–2 tablespoons coconut oil, or olive oil
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 tub firm tofu, or 2 cups garbanzo beans, soaked and cooked
 Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in a frying pan and add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until veggies are soft. Then add parsley and turmeric, and stir. Crumble tofu (or garbanzo beans) and add to pan. Stir some more. Continue to heat for about 5 minutes more, or until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Experiment Update: Irritable Bowel Syndrome

When I started this blog, my intention was to experiment with a new, healthier way of eating to see if it would cure me of a number of ailments. (Click here for the entry that started it all and a complete list of the illnesses I decided to declare war on.) The biggest change I have yet to see has to do with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I've had serious intestinal problems since I was fourteen years old, so for about fifteen years now, and went to doctor after doctor. Finally when I was twenty-two they labeled me with IBS, since they didn't know what else to call it. But as many of you know, that doesn't solve the problem. They just tell you to eat a lot of fiber and to get on antidepressants because you have a nervous stomach. Nope. Not buying it.

So on March 8th I paid my last visit to my gastroenterologist up at Huntsman Cancer Institute and stopped eating dairy—what I thought was "the impossible"—and I can say 100 percent that that was the best decision I could've ever made for my body. No more visits to the gastroenterologist, no more pain, and no more thought about my colon—he's a happy little guy now.

Over the past 7 years I've had 5 colonoscopies to remove precancerous polyps (adenoma) and regular-old polyps (hyperplastic). My next colonoscopy is scheduled for a year from now, so the next part of my experiment is to see if my colon will stop producing polyps because of my healthy eating. That's my plan. It'd be a miracle, but I believe in miracles, and I've already seen miracles happen since I've been reaching for green.

Here are the main changes I've made to my eating habits during the past 6 months:

-No dairy. (I now drink almond milk, eat coconut oil instead of butter, and use hummus instead of mayo.)
-No table sugar. (I've replaced this with raw honey, stevia, and agave.)
-No white flour. (In July this evolved into using gluten-free flour, which as of last week evolved into no flour at all. More to come on this.)
-No processed foods or preservatives.
-No meat, except fish and eggs. (I now load up on beans and lentils. Until last week I ate a lot of quinoa and soy, but not anymore. More to come on this.)
-Leafy greens.
-Plant-based protein.
-Fresh fruits and veggies.
-Whole grains.

To be completely honest, making these food changes has been the hardest thing I've ever done. It's not for the weak at heart. But I want to move without pain and regain my life back more than I want a plate of Oreos and a glass of milk. It all comes down to what we really want out of life and what we're willing to do to get it. (I can see my cute mom doing a cheer right now, literally. Cheerleaders never die.) If you're on the fence, maybe start by making one small change in your eating habits and then making another. I promise that if you're consistent, you will see a difference and it will be worth it. My experiment is working!

Tip #1: How not to smell like throw up.

This morning I woke up to find mush. Moosh. Garbanzo bean mush. Yuck. I was planning to soak the beans for 48 hours (changing the water every 12 hours), but somehow I lost track of the days and let them soak double that. Whoops. So I picked through the mush and pulled the skin off most of the beans, and now have them in the pressure cooker. Almost time to make hummus. Except I smell disgusting now. I've washed my hands over and over again, but I smell like throw up. Garbanzo beans don't have the most pleasant smell, so to avoid smelling like throw up, don't over soak your garbanzo beans.

Please pass the green!

Last weekend I joined a fellow at his work party. The buffet wasn't as expansive as we expected, so when I got to the end of the line, all I had on my plate was a pile of lettuce and three slices of tomato . . . until I noticed the cheese platter garnish. Kale. KALE! I eat kale. So I carefully tugged at one of the leafs with the metals tongs, trying to be inconspicuous and searching for a way to not leave a bald spot in the decor. As I was taking my second piece of kale, I glanced up directly into the eyes of a little girl, probably 8 or 9 years old. I smiled at her over the buffet table. She froze, expressionless. I laughed, and she grinned and looked down. My guess is she was thinking, "People eat that stuff?" I hope she tried it, just to see for herself. So now you know not to overlook the garnish.

Spinach and Edamame Soup

When it comes to recipes and easy gourmet dishes, the Dinner at Your Door authors—Alex, Andy, and Diana—know what's up. One of my all-time faves is their Spinach and Edamame Soup. Since making it over the last couple months, I've altered it slightly to meet my new vegan diet (e.g., opting for vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and replacing butter with coconut oil), but I actually can't hardly tell a difference in flavor! To read more about these three amazing women and their book Dinner at Your Door: Tips and Recipes for Starting a Neighborhood Cooking Co-op, click here.

Spinach and Edamame Soup
(serves 6)

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 organic carrots
6 cups vegetable broth
20 ounces fresh spinach, large stems removed
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup coconut oil, room temperature
1/2 cup flour
12 ounces shelled, frozen edamame, thawed
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Throw onion in turbo blender or food processor, and chop. Then saute onion until translucent. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute.

2. Throw carrots in turbo blender or food processor long enough to chop. (You'll end up pureeing the carrots later, so not worries about the carrots' chopped appearance are at this point.) Then add carrots and broth to pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until carrots are tender.

3. Add spinach to broth and cook until spinach is just wilted. Remove soup from heat to cool. Pour soup into turbo blender in several batches and blend. I usually have a pitcher on the side into which I can pour the pureed soup. Once the entire pot of soup is blended to your satisfaction, pour back into pot and set heat to medium.

4. Combine nutmeg, coconut oil, and flour in a small bowl to make a paste. If your coconut oil isn't quite room temperature, let the mixture sit in the sunlight for a few minutes to make it easier to stir. Then whisk this paste into the reheated soup and cook for 5 minutes.

5. Add edamame to the soup and simmer until barely tender and still bright green. Stir in lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

I promise you will love this soup! Thanks for dinner (and lunch . . . and sometimes breakfast) Dinner at Your Door!