What To Do With All Those Cherry Tomatoes?Make Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato Salad With Cucumbers, Avocado And Jalapeño

A delicious and simple way to use those cherry tomatoes
and other garden veggies. Only 53 calories per serving!

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My Garden Overfloweth
While my garden zucchini has taken much of my attention, these cute and very prolific yellow pear cherry tomatoes are gathering steam. My cucumbers and jalapeños are also holding there own so what better way to use them all up than in this simple raw salad! 

Raw yellow tomatoes are low in calories and are an excellent source of Vitamin C, niacin, folate, potassium, copper and manganese.

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Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato Salad
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

2 cups halved yellow pear cherry tomatoes
2 cups peeled and diced cucumbers
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 small jalapeño, thinly sliced (seeds optional)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or more
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, red onion, and jalapeño in a bowl. Sprinkle with lime juice, salt, and pepper and toss gently until well coated.

Per serving: 53 calories, 4 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 29 mg omega-3 and 441 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 207 mg sodium.

How My Morning Smoothie Became A Chemistry Experiment

Just have fun when making a smoothie!

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Summer Smoothies
Now that it's warm, I generally start every morning with a raw smoothie. I rarely use a recipe and quite often they become a chemistry experiment. Yesterday's chemistry experiment was awful and today's was wonderful. But it's always fun to see what happens. I encourage you to do the same.

This morning I started out with kale. Besides it being a superfood, its volume in my garden is only surpassed by zucchini. So we eat some kale at just about every meal.

Next I added a heaping tablespoon of chia seeds that I soaked in Tempt's new Coconut Hempmilk. (A yummy new product .) This made it thick and full of omega-3.

A few stalks of celery made it in there so that I didn't feel too guilty about using so much fruit.

I sliced up a big pear because they have tons of fiber (6 grams per medium pear.)

And then there was that peach that needed to be eaten. A bit too ripe to bite into but still yummy enough for a smoothie.

Of course what would a smoothie be without frozen blueberries. Their colorful anthocyanins make the smoothie a more pleasant color. I'd much rather sip a thick purple drink than one that looks like it was scooped out of a pond. 

I added a few figs that I froze from my neighbors crop from last year because this year's crop is already coming in and I need to finish them up. Oh yes, I had to use that ripe banana. 

I finally stopped adding things because I ran out of room in the blender and there was only two of us here to drink it. I put in a few cups of cold water and blended until smooth and creamy. 

I finally ran out of room!

So you can see where I'm going with this. Smoothies are fun to experiment with. As long as you start with fresh or frozen organic fruit and veggies, you can't really go wrong. And if you do, try something else tomorrow!

Chimichurri Sauce With Fresh Cilantro, Parsley, And JalapeñoRaw Vegan And Gluten Free

Chimichurri makes a great topping!

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Fresh Herbs
There's nothing like fresh herbs to liven up a dish, especially when they are combined with jalapeño!  This quick and easy chimichurri sauce combines fresh cilantro and parsley, both bringing with them their unique health benefits. Cilantro is known for it's ability to rid the body of heavy metals, such as mercury. And parsley is a vitamin and mineral powerhouse packed with vitamins A, C, K and folate and important minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium and manganese.

Most chimichurri recipes have more oil. I've cut the oil with some veggie broth and used more fresh citrus and wine vinegar. For the oils I use omega-3 rich, cold-pressed hemp oil and a good quality, heart-healthy, extra virgin olive oil.

Although chimichurri sauce originated in Argentina as a topping for grilled meat, I like to use it on top of baked potatoes, pasta, beans, steamed veggies, salads, corn fritters, tacos, burritos, eggs, and just about anything that needs extra flavor and spice.

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Chimichurri Sauce
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 1 1/2 cups]
Best when made with a Food Processor such as a Cusinart

1 jalapeño, stem removed and quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 packed cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 packed cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable broth, room temperature
2 tablespoons cold-pressed hemp oil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

With the food processor running, throw the jalapeño and garlic down the shoot and processes until they are minced.

Minced jalapeño and garlic

Place the cilantro, parsley, salt, pepper, and oregano into the processor and process until the herbs are chopped.

Combine the vinegar, lime or lemon juice, veggie broth, and oils. With the food processor running, pour the mixture slowly down the shoot into the chopped herbs until combined. Do not over process.

Place the sauce in a 2-cup container and serve.

Chimichurri makes a great topping for
Vegetarian Zucchini and Corn Pancakes.

Per 1 tablespoon serving: 28 calories, 3 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 182 mg omega-3 and 838 mg omega-6 fatty acid, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g carbohydrates, 0 g dietary fiber, and 50 mg sodium. 

And Here Come The Zucchini!Try This Delicious Raw Zucchini Salad

Baby zucchini are used in this chopped veggie salad.

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And Here They Come!
It's funny how excited I get when I harvest my first zucchini and how happy I am at the end of the summer when I pull the plants out for the season. To maintain my joy this year, I've made a promise to myself that I would harvest every zucchini while it is still relatively small. There are several advantages of doing this. First of all, the zucchini and its skin will be tender with few seeds. But most of all, it will keep me from being overwhelmed with the sheer amount of this prolific vegetable.

Female zucchini flowers

Do Your Zucchini Start to Fruit and then Wither?
As prolific as zucchini are, in the beginning of the season you may find that your plants begin to fruit only to wither. If you are having this issue, read last year's post on boy and girl zucchini flowers and how they need to develop before fertilization can take place.

Simple and Delicious Chopped Salad
Here's a simple chopped salad that uses tender baby zucchini. This raw vegan salad is gluten free and less than 100 calories per serving. It is suitable for weight loss and a raw food cleanse. And of course it is a delicious salad to serve anyone during the summer months when these wonderful fresh veggies are in season.

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Zucchini Salad
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[Makes six servings]

2 small zucchini, diced (2 cups)
1 red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
Kernels from 1 ear corn (1 cup)
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon cold-pressed hemp oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 avocado, diced

Place the zucchini, red bell pepper, corn, red onion, and cilantro in a medium-sized bowl.

Make the dressing in a 2-cup container by combining the lime juice, hemp oil, salt, and pepper. Mix until the salt dissolves. 

Mix the avocado into the dressing and toss gently until well coated. 

Mixing the avocado into the lime dressing
helps prevent it from turning brown.

Pour the dressing and avocado over the chopped salad. Toss gently until all the veggies are well coated and serve.

Per serving: 98 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 389 mg omega-3 and 1,887 mg omega-6 fatty acid, 2 g protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, and 205 mg sodium.

Update
Oops, we didn't get to this one in time. This guy was hiding under a big leaf!

Raw Spring Vegetable SoupLess Than 150 CaloriesLose Weight With A Raw Food Cleanse

Raw Spring Vegetable Soup - Vegan and Gluten Free!

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Eating for Spring Time
With warmer weather comes access to more fruits and vegetables, allowing us to lighten up our diet. In Spring, I try to eat at least half of my food raw. And to lose a few pounds, get more energy, and detox from a winter of way too much fun, I do a raw food cleanse. 

Today's recipe is a simple raw soup that blends garden peas and kale with a creamy avocado and is topped with shredded carrots. Fresh garlic, lemon juice and cayenne provide the main seasoning. 

Eating raw soups is the perfect way to lighten up your spring diet and they are suitable for a raw food cleanse.

There are numerous posts on how to optimize the amount of raw food you eat throughout the seasons and how to do a Raw Food Cleanse on this site. But If you would like a more comprehensive summary of this information and more than 150 tested and optimized recipes, download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen: Delicious and Easy Vegan Recipes and Seasonal Food Plan PLUS Raw Food Cleanse. It's only $9.99 and is available on Amazon and iTunes.

You Don't Need a Kindle or iPad to Read an eBook!
Some of you have written saying that you would like my ebook but don't have a Kindle or iPad. You can now download my eBook onto your computer with this free Kindle for PC reading AP. 

Enjoy today's recipe - it's becoming one of my favorite ways to enjoy my garden kale. And it's perfect for the warm weather and for your Raw Food Cleanse. Best of all, it's less than 150 calories per serving!


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Raw Spring Vegetable Soup 
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]
Requires a High Speed Blender

2 cups fresh peas, or frozen (thawed)
2 packed cups kale (cleaned with stems removed)
2 cups chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and seed removed
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 dashes cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded

Place all ingredients, except the carrot, in a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix or Blendtec. Blend until smooth. Adjust for salt and pepper if needed.

Pour into 4 bowls. Top with shredded carrot and serve.

Per serving: 145 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 121 mg omega-3 and 777 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber and 720 mg sodium.

Don't Throw Away Garden Broccoli LeavesThey Are Delicious And Nutritious!Here's What You Can Do With Them

The leaves of the broccoli plant are delicious to eat!

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available on Amazon and iTunes.

Who Knew?
When you buy broccoli in the store, it's mostly the crown and stalks with very few leaves. But when you grow broccoli in your garden, the plant is mostly leaves. The first few times I grew broccoli, I thought to myself, "this is a waste of garden space - all those leaves just to make a little broccoli crown!" Maybe I'm a little dense, but I never thought about actually eating the leaves (even though they look EXACTLY like collards!) It wasn't until my daughter-in-law Karina went out to her garden and brought in a bunch of broccoli leaves for dinner that I even considered using them.

Now I feel like the broccoli crown is incidental. After all, you have to wait a long time just to get those one or two crowns from a plant but we feast on the leaves every day. 

So Nutritious Too!
Broccoli leaves are very low in calories and are a very good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese. They also provide omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids in an optimal 3:1 ratio.

2 ounces of raw broccoli leaves are only 16 calories and provide:
180% of the daily value of vitamin A (8,960 IU)
86% of vitamin C (52 mg)
10% of folate (40 mcg)
72 mg omega-3 fatty acid

How to Prepare
You can use broccoli leaves in any recipe that calls for collard greens or kale but they take less time to cook than collards, especially if they are tender and fresh from your garden.

 Of course they are wonderful raw and can be used in any of my raw kale salad recipes such as Raw Kale and Orange Salad with Pumpkin Seeds or Garbanzo Bean and Raw Kale Salad with Lemon-Turmeric Dressing. The key is to thinly slice the broccoli leaves and then marinate and tenderize them in a few teaspoons each of freshly squeezed lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, and  a bit of salt.

Use broccoli leaves instead of kale in this
Raw Kale and Orange Salad

Broccoli leaves would be great instead of kale in
Garbanzo and Raw Kale Salad

Or whip them up in any raw soup recipe that calls for greens.

Throw a handful of broccoli leaves in raw soups

I've also been using broccoli leaves instead of kale to make my breakfast quinoa bowl.

Use broccoli leaves instead of kale in
this kale and quinoa bowl recipe.

You can also steam them with a pinch of salt and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice over them.

Steam for 5 minutes or until tender.

Or, sauté them in a little olive oil and fresh minced garlic. 

A fun thing to do to get the kids to eat more greens is to mix long strips of broccoli leaves with spaghetti. Here's what I do:

Remove the stem and lay the leaves over each other.
Roll them up tightly.

Slice the rolled leaves up very thin.

Cook your spaghetti pasta in a large pot of boiling water.
About 2 or 3 minutes before it's done, throw in the sliced leaves.

Rinse and serve with your favorite pasta sauce.

There are so many things you can do with these tasty and nutritious leaves. But whatever you do, don't throw them out!

Raw Beet And Kale Salad A Delicious Way To Detox!Vegan And Vegetarian Options

Raw beets and beet greens are mixed with raw kale
in this simple and delicious gluten-free salad.

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Beets Aid Detoxification
If you are looking for a spring cleanse, adding raw beets to your diet is the way to go. The body rids itself of toxins in a two-step process - Phase I detoxification and Phase II detoxification. Beets contain betalain pigments which support our body's Phase II detoxification operation. In this process, toxins are hooked up to other molecules, neutralized, and excreted from the body. Betalains lose their potency when cooked for long periods of time so they are most effective when eaten raw, steamed for 15 minutes or less, or roasted for less than one hour. Beets are also known to purify the blood.

Other Benefits of Beets
The phytonutrients in beets also reduce inflammation by inhibiting the activity of COX-1 and COX-2 inflammation-triggering enzymes. Beets also provide strong anti-oxidant support, especially for eyes health and nerve tissue.

1 cup of raw beets is only 58.5 calories and provides:
4 g dietary fiber
2 g protein
13 g carbohydrates
34% daily requirement (DV) of folate
22% DV of manganese
13% DV of potassium
11% DV of vitamin C

Don't Forget the Greens
Beet greens are very delicious and can be used like Swiss chard or spinach. They are particularly rich in carotenoids, like beta-carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin, critical for eye health.

Kale Also Aids Detoxification
Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from glucosinolates in kale help our body detox at the cellular level supporting both Phase I and Phase II detoxification. Phase II detoxification also requires sulfur and kale is extremely rich in sulfur compounds. 

Together, beets and kale can play a powerful role in protecting our bodies from environmental toxins.

Beets and kale are a detoxifying combination!

Inspired by Chef Esteban's Kitchen
Chef Esteban, from the Vineyards Inn in Kenwood, California, makes a kale salad that inspired me to make this dish. His version is vegetarian, with cooked egg white chopped so fine over the dish that I thought it was grated cheese. In my vegan version of the dish, I omit the egg but add the pressed garlic and a touch of creamy mayo and vinegar to achieve the flavor of his recipe. I'll also present a vegetarian version too which includes the hardboiled, pasture-raised egg.

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Raw Beet and Kale Salad
Mostly Raw, Gluten Free, Vegan or Vegetarian Options

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil or hemp oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 pound raw kale, stems removed and thinly sliced (4 cups) 
Beet greens from 2 medium beets, stems removed and thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 clove pressed garlic, or more 
1 tablespoon Vegenaise or mayonnaise
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 hard-boiled pasture-raised egg  (optional)
2 medium beets, peeled and grated (2 cups)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

In a large bowl, mix the lemon juice, oil, and salt until well combined.

Add the kale and beet greens and mix well until they are completely coated with the dressing. (I like to massage the lemon and oil into the greens with my hands.) Set aside and let marinate for 15 minutes. This will tenderize the greens.

Marinate the kale and beet greens in lemon, oil and salt.

In a cup or small bowl, mix the garlic, mayonnaise, and vinegar. If you are making the vegetarian version, mash the cooked egg yolk into the dressing. If too thick, add a teaspoon of water, or more as needed. Set aside.

Add the grated beets to the marinated greens. Add the creamy dressing and black pepper and toss well. 

If making the vegetarian version, top with finely chopped egg white and serve.

Inspired by Chef Esteban's Kale Salad at the Vineyards Inn.

Per serving (vegan version using olive oil and without egg): 74 calories, 3 g total fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 95 mg omega-3 and 237 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 444 mg sodium.

Per serving (vegetarian version using olive oil and including egg): 87 calories, 4 g total fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 101 mg omega-3 and 336 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 35 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 454 mg sodium.

Pomelo And Avocado Salad, Raw & Gluten Free What's That Giant Yellow Thing In The Produce Department?

Pomelo is a bit sweeter than grapefruit - delicious with avocado!

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The Giant Pomelo
For years I would walk past this giant yellow citrus in the grocery store, not really knowing what it was or what to do with it. But curiosity eventually overcame my reluctance and I brought one home. 

Pomelo, or citrus maxima, is native to Southeast Asia and tastes like a mild and sweeter grapefruit. It's dwarfs the size and price of a grapefruit. I paid $3.99 for a single organic pomelo in Whole Foods but it yielded over a pound of cleaned sections that are packed with vitamin C.

A pomelo (right) next to a very large grapefruit.

This pomelo weighed 2.5 pounds before cleaning.

How to Clean
I like to use everything I can on a pomelo so first I zest some of the skin. I use the zest in salad dressings and when baking muffins.

I use my microplane zester to grate the pomelo.

After getting enough zest, I use a potato peeler to remove some peel to use to flavor my water.

Pomelo peel adds a delicious flavor to drinking water.

To peel the pomelo, slice the top and bottom (enough to reach the top of the fruit.) Score the sides and peel off the thick skin. 

As you can see, the skin is quite thick.

Tear apart the sections and peel off the membrane to expose the flesh of the pomelo. The membrane is quite tough and thick and not pleasant to eat.

Removing the membrane takes a little patience
 but the effort is well worth it.

1 cup of pomelo sections provides:

72.2 calories
 0.1 g total fat
1.4 g protein
18.3 g carbohydrates
193% of the daily requirements of vitamin C

You can eat as is or toss in a fruit or green salad. I think it also screams "Italian Ice." I'll have to try that!

Like grapefruit, pomelo pairs beautifully with avocado. Here's a salad I made with that in mind.

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Pomelo and Avocado Salad 
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]

For the dressing
1 clove pressed or finely minced garlic
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated pomelo zest
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cold pressed hemp oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

For the salad
4 large handfuls of mixed organic greens
1 cup cleaned pomelo sections
1 peeled and sliced avocado
1/4 cup raw English walnut pieces

Make the dressing by mixing all dressing ingredients thoroughly. Set aside.

Toss the greens in a large bowl with enough dressing to coat, reserving some for the pomelo and avocado. Place in 4 individual salad bowls.

Place the pomelo and avocado in the large bowl and gently toss with a small amount of dressing to coat. Place one forth of the pomelo and avocado in each salad bowl spreading them evenly over the greens.

Top each salad with 1 tablespoon of walnut pieces and serve.

Per serving of salad: 135 calories, 10 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 701 mg omega-3 and 3360 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber, and 23 mg sodium.

Per tablespoon of dressing: 51 calories, 5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 422 mg omega-3 and 1867 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 g protein, 1 g carbohydrates, 0 g dietary fiber, and 117 mg sodium.

Raw Kale And Orange Salad With Pumpkin Seeds Balance Your Winter Diet With Raw Food

 Kale salad - a great way to include raw food in your winter diet.
A single serving provides over 125% of your 
daily requirement of vitamin C.

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Don't Forget About Raw Food
When it's hot out, it's fairly simple to eat most of our food raw - raw salads, chilled soups - even raw crisps. And although we crave cooked foods when the temperature drops, like soups, roasted veggies, and baked breads, we should still consume a minimum of at least thirty percent of our food raw. Raw fruit or green salads can easily do the trick. 

For details on my Seasonally Raw Food Plan that explains the optimal balance of cooked to raw foods throughout the year, including recipes and menus, download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen - available on iTunes and Amazon. 

A Simple and Colorful Holiday Side Dish
This simple salad makes a lovely holiday side dish and it keeps really well. So if you are looking for something fresh and colorful for your Thanksgiving, Chanukah, or Christmas menu, this could be it! 


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Kale and Orange Salad with Pumpkin Seeds
Raw Vegan (Suitable for a Raw Food Cleanse)
[makes 6 servings]

For the dressing
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 teaspoons cold-pressed hemp or extra virgin olive oil (or combo)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

For the salad
4 packed cups stemmed, thinly sliced raw kale
2 oranges, peeled, seeds removed and chopped
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Make the dressing by combining the lemon juice, oil, and salt directly in a large salad bowl.

Place the kale in the bowl and mix until each leaf is well coated. Let the kale sit in the dressing  to allow it to tenderize, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the oranges, red onion, and pumpkin seeds. Toss well and serve.

Per serving (with hemp oil): 104 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 539 mg omega-3 and 3,039 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 381 mg sodium.

Per serving (with olive oil): 104 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 117 mg omega-3 and 1,554 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 381 mg sodium.