We know how tempting store-bought creamy salad dressings can be but this vegan option helps to decrease inflammation and prevent illness! So, we hope you enjoy this savory vegan recipe which is a cinch to make and is super satiating!
Ingredients:
1. Juice of 1 Lemon
2. 1/2 cup water
3. 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
4. 1 – 2 bunches of cilantro
5. 1 cup of raw cashews
***Use organic when possible!
*** Makes approx. 1 1/2 cups.
Preparation:
1. Pour juice of 1 lemon into Vitamix or high speed blender and add the water
2. Wash cilantro and place into Vitamix w/ all other ingredients
3. Blend on HIGH until creamy
4. Drizzle over your favorite green leaves such as a combo of Romaine lettuce and spinach with sliced red pepper!
***This is a rich dressing so use it sparingly. Store the remainder in the fridge.
FOOD COMBINING TIP:
Nuts don’t combine favorably with fats (avocado/coconut), starches or proteins, so this works well as a lunchtime salad alone or can be followed by cooked non-starchy vegetables.
Variations:
1. Add a large chunk of fresh ginger or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the blender for some spice!
2. Add a splash of Hawthorne Valley Hot Pepper Sauce to the blender for some spike!
3. Add a dash of cumin powder once served for an exotic twist and a dash of color!
1-2 Nori Sheets 1 T Coconut Butter 1 Tomato Spinach & Arugala (variations below) Cumin Powder Sea Salt Black Pepper
Ingredients
Preparation:
1. Place Nori Sheet on cutting board.
2. Spread 1 T or so of coconut butter on Nori with a non-serrated knife. Coconut butter spreads easiest at room temp or will soften & melt as you spread it gently across the Nori sheet.
Spread Coconut Butter evenly to edges of Nori
3. Sprinkle cumin or herb of your choice on the coconut butter. Try chill powder or oregano or garlic/onion powder as variations.
Sprinkle cumin powder next
4. Place spinach and arugula on top of coconut butter.
5. Place cut tomato on top of spinach.
You may wish to sprinkle sea salt and black pepper on top here
6. Roll Nori gently but tightly.
You may need a bib for this one!
You’re ready to eat!
Variations:
Check out our YouTube video for reminders about healthy options for spreads and more!
1. Cilantro w/ avocado (instead of coconut butter) and a sprinkle chili powder. 2. Kale w/ cucumber and dill & nutritional yeast. 3. Olive tapenade (instead of coconut butter) shaved fennel w/ sun-dried tomato and fresh oregano. 4. Romaine lettuce w/ red, yellow, or orange peppers, and fresh rosemary or rosemary powder.
– 1 lg clove garlic (or few sprinkles of garlic powder)
– 1/4 bunch fresh dill (washed and dried gently in paper towel or salad spinner)
Two Creamy Vegan Options:
1. Add 3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil OR
2. 1/2 avocado to blender w/ other wet ingredients.
Directions:
1. Slice zucchini into 1/2 inch sections.
2. Wash and spin the spinach in salad spinner (or buy bagged, pre-washed spinach)
3. Place both in Vitamix with juice of 1 lemon and all other ingredients.
4. Blend until smooth.
Serving Suggestion:
Drizzle over a fresh bed of romaine lettuce. You may wish to sprinkle some chopped celery to the top of your salad for some added flavor contrast to the dressing.
Thinking of skipping the turkey this year? Whether you’re a veteran at going fowl-free or a newbie attempting your first vegetarian Thanksgiving menu, we have fresh ideas to take the stuffing and the stuffiness out of this traditional holiday.
1. Our own healthy “Vegetarian Thanksgiving Tips” video!
2. A tasty Vegetarian Thanksgiving recipe.
3. Our suggestion for an adventurous Vegan Thanksgiving out!
These ideas will tantalize your taste buds and leave you feeling great instead of asleep on the sofa!
Thanksgiving is synonymous with overindulgence. We tend to overeat so many different food groups, which leaves our digestive tracts working and struggling well into the next day. Take a look at this short video where we show you a few small but healthier food choices that can make a big digestive difference.
Going to your Auntie’s house, a potluck or just looking for a new dish to add to your table? We invite you to try this delicious and easy Vegetarian Thanksgiving Quinoa Casserole Recipe. Be sure to make enough for everyone because it will be popular even with the biggest turkey fanatics.
Thanksgiving Quinoa Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
• 1 parsnip
• 2 carrots
• 1 red pepper
• 1 container fresh brussel sprouts (9 oz)
• 1 bunch rosemary
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder OR 2 cloves crushed garlic
6. Place 4 c water in saucepan w/ 4 tsp Broth and whole rosemary leaves
7. Bring water to a boil.
8. Immediately add quinoa and stir once gently.
9. Leave the pot uncovered until the water boils again.
10. Reduce heat and cover, allowing to simmer for 15 min, or until all water is absorbed.
11. You will know the quinoa is cooked when the seeds become transparent and the spiral germ is separated.
12. Once vegetables are done baking, remove from oven.
13. Add the quinoa to vegetables in casserole dish and mix gently until blended thoroughly.
And, now, it’s ready to eat!
Finished Quinoa Casserole/Photo: J. Rockwood
OIL TIP: If you prefer to cook without oil, as we suggest, add the oil (to taste) to the finished casserole when you mix the Quinoa and vegetables together or when it is on your plate. It adds a delicious flavor and keeps the dish moist. Raw oil is healthier for our blood as it metabolizes easier than cooked oil. In some cases, cooking oils renders them carcinogenic.
Raw Food Thanksgiving: A New Tradition Did you know that during Thanksgiving it was customary in a Pilgrim household for the adults to sit down to eat and have the children serve them? Isn’t it sad how some holiday traditions have disappeared? Well, if you can’t get the kids to wait on you, or if you’re thinking of forgoing the cooking altogether this year, why not start a new tradition by celebrating with a sexy, gourmet raw food Thanksgiving feast at Pure Food and Wine. Sarma & her staff are sure to knock the socks off of the most ardent turkey-loving traditionalists. If your plans are already set in stone, we recommend grabbing some goodies-to-go from One Lucky Duck! Read More »
Continuing with the momentum of Fabulous February, Author and Nutritionist Natalia Rose shares her perspective and professional knowledge about the impact of dairy on human health. We hope this is of great value to you as you experiment with eating less or no dairy at all this month! (Hmmm, maybe you’ll even continue right on into March…) We look forward to your feedback. Thank you, Natalia, for your generous contribution and profound insights.
We hope you find this inspiring,
Joyce Rockwood & Cyndie Suarez
Co-Founders
Q: Joyce & Cyndie – What is the impact of dairy on human health?
A: Natalia:
“From my perspective as a health practitioner and active participant in this lifestyle, I believe the human digestive system was not designed to metabolize the milk of another species. We are only equipped to process our own mother’s milk. All other animal milk leaves an acid ash and mucusy bi-products in the body (it also triggers the formation of sticky mucoid matter as a self defense tool to protect the blood from foreign substance contamination). This makes for a mucus double-whammy!
Also there’s the matter of casein, the part of the protein molecule in milk that directs the size of bone growth. In cows, this casein is 300 times larger than human milk casein. The large size of these molecules makes them indigestible. Therefore they get stored in the body, often accumulating in the joints, becoming a harbinger of arthritis. These facts are further indication to me that milk is not designed for our consumption.
With the understandings about the nature of cow’s milk in mind, I believe it is possible to find a happy medium if you want to have dairy in your diet or you are seeking a gradual transition. In my experience and observation with numerous clients, I find raw milk is always far easier to digest than modern pasteurized milk products. It is less of an affront to the body, and thereby encourages less mucoid matter to form. Raw milk is also far less acidic than pasteurized. Because it has it’s live enzymes in tact, it won’t have such a hard time leaving the body – it comes with it’s own digestive aid. I do believe that all mainstream dairy should be avoided at all costs due to the hormones and antibiotics they contain.
Raw goat and sheep milk products are even less harmful than their bovine counterpart and, in my experience, can certainly be enjoyed as part of a very high caliber diet.
In short, other animal’s milk is not pure human food, but if the hierarchy of dairy is understood and respected, it can be fun, tasty and harmless to include as part of a highly alkaline, raw vegetable-based diet with lots of juicing and sufficient bowel cleansing.”
We are excited to present the first post for the LYT blog. For those of you who are new to us, LYT stands for Love Your Transformation and is pronounced “Light.” We chose this name because we all seek ways to feel lighter in body, mind, and spirit. The holistic therapies and lifestyle options we offer at LYT all support our mission, which is to foster a lightness of being through greater awareness in our choices. We believe good health is a choice, and we are dedicated to guiding you through your own transformation. Welcome to our BLOG!
Last week we were overjoyed to see appearances on Oprah by author Michael Pollan, and actress/author Alicia Silverstone. If you have not seen the film Food, Inc., or read The Kind Diet, please do so! Mr. Pollan’s worldly cause & effect overview on commercial farming will help you re-evaluate the components of your next meal, and how your choices directly affect your body as well as the rest of humanity. Ms. Silverstone’s honest description about how her overall health was directly affected by eating more (vegan) whole foods will inspire you to consider options that make you feel and look phenomenal. (She rid herself of asthma, constipation, bloating, & a poor complexion).
You can see excerpts from their appearances on Oprah by clicking on the YouTube links below. We are deeply inspired by the profundity of their views on the vegan diet, which are in alignment and harmony with the philosophy at LYT. We are compelled to continue spreading the good word.
Join us on a journey and let’s make this a Fabulous February free of: (brace yourselves) DAIRY.
Q. What’s that you say? How can I live without my cheeeeezzzz?
A. One day at a time, and we will offer suggestions to help you with cravings.
Q. How will my body build calcium?
A. From all of the wonderful leafy greens and fresh veggie juices that you will have more room for in your body.
Embrace the challenge New York! We live in a city filled with beautiful, interesting, savvy, edgy, and unique people that need a lot of life force energy to keep up with this fast paced culture. Explore what 28 days DAIRY-FREE feels like in YOUR body.
Q. What do you have to loose?
A. Mucous. Fat. Acidity. Puffiness. Inflamed Sinuses. Bloating. Constipation.
Q. Need we say more?
A. Yes! Troubled Skin. Achy Joints. Weakened Immune System. Cellulite.
Dudes, if the girls can do it, so can you. This is a journey for all humans!
LYT will continue to Tweet and blog suggestions throughout the Fabulous month of February in support of YOUR journey with us. We will be looking for all of those gorgeous, mucusless faces passing us in the street. We suggest having fun and sharing this with your favorite group of co-workers, family, and/or friends. The process is more fun when a group shares a mission together. It is easier when the person next to you is not slopping up a goopy mess of cheese. Community is about support and love. Let’s generously support one another in VIBRANT LIVING!
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