Low Calorie Vegan And Gluten Free Zucchini And Turnip Soup With Fresh Ginger - Perfect For Weight Loss!

Zucchini turnip soup has less than 50 calories per cup!

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Turnips
Have you ever eaten a turnip? They're a delicious root vegetable which when peeled looks a lot like a potato but with fewer calories and carbohydrates. Turnips have a slightly bitter taste and add a wonderful and interesting flavor to soups. You can also mash them up like potatoes or roast them with a little olive oil and salt. 

Turnips are a great source of fiber, vitamin C and manganese and are also a good source of vitamin B6, folate, calcium, potassium and copper.

Peeled turnips look like potatoes.
Potatoes have 116 calories per cup and 28 g of carbohydrates.
Turnips have only 36 calories and 8 g of carbohydrates!

Great Soup for Weight Loss!
This soup uses up lots of  that garden zucchini. It's quick and easy to make with a few simple ingredients  and blends up into a delicious, low calorie, low fat soup. Eating a 45 calorie cup of this soup before a meal will definitely curb your appetite. Or make a whole meal of it with a 2-cup serving and a mixed green salad.

Zucchini and Turnip Soup 
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 8 cups]

8 cups diced zucchini
4 cups peeled and diced turnips
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 cups water
1 large Rapunzel vegan vegetable bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste if needed
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the zucchini, turnips, garlic, ginger, water, bouillon cube and bay leaf in a large pot. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, partially covered, until the vegetables are soft. 

After vegetables soften, remove bay leaf and blend.

Remove the bay leaf and place the soup in a blender and blend until smooth. If you don't have a high-speed blender, make sure you mince the ginger very small.

Place in a blender.

Blend until smooth.

Adjust for salt (remember many bouillon cubes already contain a lot of salt) and add freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with additional freshly ground black pepper if desired.

Per cup: 45 calories, 0.5 g fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.6 g protein, 8.6 g carbohydrates, 2.1 g dietary fiber and 309 mg sodium.

Before You Reach For The Iceberg Lettuce - Select The Best Greens For Your Salad!

 Iceberg lettuce is crisp and delicious but not a nutritional star.

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Salad Greens
When I was a kid, we ate a salad with every meal. It was always the same - iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, vinegar and oil. There really wasn't much choice of salad greens in the super market back then. Today, of course, you can walk down an entire isle of salad green options - besides iceberg you may find romaine, butter lettuce, red leaf, green leaf, arugula, spinach and so on. And many are offered both organically or conventionally grown! So how are we to choose?

Taste preference is always a major factor. Arugula or rocket, has a slightly bittier or peppery taste. Lettuce has a more subtle flavor and often takes on the flavor of the salad dressing. Salad greens are also selected for their distinct textures. Romaine is crunchy while butter lettuce (also known as Boston or bibb lettuce), red leaf and green leaf have a more delicate texture. Salad greens also vary in their nutritional content.

Nutritional Comparison of Salad Greens
All salad greens are very low in calories (less than 10 calories per ounce), and have no saturated fat or cholesterol. They are also extremely low in sodium. Although they may not seem to be contain high amounts of vitamins and minerals, on a per calorie basis, they are very nutrient dense.  Here's how these salad greens differ in several beneficial nutrients:

Vitamin A
This fat-soluble, antioxidant vitamin is important for vision, growth and development, healthy skin and a strong immune system. If you have night blindness, dry skin or just want to boost up your immunity and want a salad green with the highest amount of vitamin A, your best choice would be romaine or spinach - just two ounces would provide your entire daily requirement. Red and green leaf lettuces are also a very good choice. Iceberg on the other hand only provides 3% of your daily requirement per ounce.

One ounce of Romaine lettuce is only 5 calories and provides:

2439 IU vitamin A
7 mg vitamin C
29 mcg vitamin K
38 mcg folate
9 mg calcium

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is also an antioxidant and supports a healthy immune system, teeth and gum health and the formation of collagen (that's what keeps our skin from sagging ladies!). It also enhances the absorption of iron. If you bruise easily or have other signs of capillary weakness, once again romaine and spinach are the best choices for their vitamin C content - two ounces provides about one quarter of your daily requirement. Since vitamin C is very heat sensitive, eating a big raw salad is a good way to get it. Make sure and include a sliced, raw, red bell pepper - one of the best sources of this vitamin (1 cup of sliced red bell pepper provides twice your daily requirement!)  

Butter lettuce is only 4 calories per ounce and provides:

927 IU vitamin A
only 1 mg vitamin C
29 mcg vitamin K
20 mcg folate
10 mg calcium

Vitamin K
Although most people aren't deficient in this important vitamin, some people are - like those suffering from Crohn's or other diseases that effect absorption in the digestive tract or those taking certain drugs that interfere with it. This fat-soluble vitamin is essential for the regulation of blood clotting and is also very important for bone health. Spinach has a high concentration of vitamin K (135 mcg/ounce), 1 ounce providing more than the daily requirement for a man (120 mcg/day) or a woman (90 mcg/day). Those of you on warfarin (Coumadin), a blood-thinning medication, may want to avoid foods this high in vitamin K. If that's the case, the other lettuces are better choices than spinach.

One ounce of Red Leaf lettuce has only 5 calories and provides:
2098 IU vitamin A
only 1 mg vitamin C
39 mcg vitamin K
10 mcg folate
9 mg calcium
Although red leaf lettuce, with its deep colors, looks more nutritious, green leaf lettuce is higher in vitamins C & K, folate, calcium and potassium. 
One ounce of Green Leaf lettuce has only 5 calories and provides:
2073 IU vitamin A
5 mg vitamin C
49 mcg vitamin K
11 mcg folate
10 mg calcium

Folate
Folate plays a key role in amino acid metabolism and DNA synthesis. It is essential during pregnancy in preventing neural tube defects. If it's folate that you are after, spinach is a good choice with each ounce providing 14% of the daily requirement with romaine coming in a close second (one ounce providing 10%). 

It's important to note that folate can mask vitamin B12 deficiency so raw food vegans, who eat lots of high folate foods and little or no B12-rich foods, can be B12 deficient for a dangerously long time without noticing it.

Arugula, or Rocket,  is 7 calories per ounce and provides:

664 IU vitamin A
4 mg vitamin C
30 mcg vitamin K
27 mcg folate
45 mg calcium

Calcium
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body. It is important for bone and tooth development as well as muscle contraction and nerve transmission. Although salad greens aren't a huge source of calcium, the salad green with the most calcium is arugula. A 4 ounce arugula salad provides 180 mg of calcium. More important, it's an alkaline food which doesn't draw calcium from the body like dairy sources which are acidic and cause the body to draw calcium from your bones for neutralization.
Although spinach is fairy high in calcium, it is also high in oxalates which reduce the absorption and retention of this critical mineral. To reduce the oxalic content, it's best to eat spinach cooked.

Spinach is 6 calories per ounce and provides:
2625 IU vitamin A
8 mg vitamin C
135 mcg vitamin K
54 mcg folate
28 mg calcium

So How Does Iceberg Lettuce Stack Up?
This old favorite isn't completely devoid of all nutrients - it's just not nearly as high as others. 
It contains only 1/17th the vitamin A as romaine, 1/8th the vitamin C as spinach, 1/14th the vitamin K as green leaf lettuce, and 1/11th the calcium as arugula .

Iceberg lettuce is 4 calories per ounce and provides only:
141 IU vitamin A
1 mg vitamin C
7 mcg vitamin K
8 mcg folate
5 mg calcium

How they rank
Of course their ranking depends on the nutrient you are the most deficient in - but overall, for a raw salad, romaine and arugula are the best nutritionally.
Red and green leaf are next in line followed by butter leaf.
Although spinach is an excellent source of many key vitamins and minerals, it's better prepared cooked to lessened the effect of calcium robbing oxalates.
As you may have guessed, iceberg comes in dead last. 

Creamy Vegan And Gluten Free Polenta With Fresh Corn

Creamy polenta with kernels of fresh corn.

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Cornmeal  - Naturally Gluten Free
For those of you trying to limit your consumption of wheat, cornmeal is a great substitute. Since it's made from corn it's naturally gluten free. Polenta is basically boiled cornmeal which, when thickened, makes a great foundation for sauces, stews and sautéed vegetables. When it cools, it can be sliced and then grilled or sautéed. 

Fresh Corn 
Fresh corn is in season and is abundant in your local farmer's market and grocery stores. I love fresh, sweet corn and generally just eat it raw, right off the cob. I add fresh corn kernels to this polenta recipe at the very end to maintain its crunch and flavor. 

Here's a way to make creamy polenta without the dairy by using a non-dairy creamer and nutritional yeast. Enjoy!

Creamy Polenta with Corn
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

2 cups water
2 cups unsweetened soy or other non-diary milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon Earth Balance buttery spread
1/3 cup unflavored, gluten-free soy creamer
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn

Combine water, milk and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in the cornmeal, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring frequently, until it's smooth and without lumps, 2 minutes.

Slowly whisk in the polenta

Stir in the Earth Balance and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the polenta is thick and creamy, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add a little water if it gets too thick or dry.

Polenta will get very thick. Add water if needed

When the polenta is cooked, add the creamer, nutritional yeast and corn and stir until smooth. Cook several more minutes until the polenta reaches the desired consistency.

When cooked, add creamer, nutritional yeast and corn.

Cook until thick and creamy.

Serve immediately or cover and set aside until needed.

Per serving: 187 calories, 4.7 g fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 6.7 g protein, 30.1 g carbohydrates, 2.8 g dietary fiber and 449 mg sodium.

Good News! Trader Joe's Now Offers White Whole Wheat Flour - Here's How It Measures Up.

White Whole Wheat Flour at Trader Joe's.
Grown on the high plains of the Midwest and Colorado.

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Finally, More Choices!
For years I've been baking with King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour. This type of flour is milled from hard white spring wheat instead of traditional red wheat. The beauty of white whole wheat is that it is delicate like white flour (in fact you wouldn't know you're eating whole wheat!) AND it has the fiber and other nutritional benefits of whole grain. Unfortunately King Arthur is sometimes hard to find and is twice the price as conventional all-purpose flour.

A few weeks ago I noticed that Trader Joe's had their own brand of white whole wheat flour, "Baker Josef's",  so I picked one up to try. I'm excited to report that it bakes as well as King Arthur's. Here's how else it compares:

Price
A 5-pound bag of King Arthur's white whole wheat flour costs $4.95. If you buy King Arthur's organic white whole wheat flour, it costs $7.95. 
Trader Joe's Baker Josef's white whole wheat flour costs $2.99 for a 5-pound bag. Unfortunately, organic is not available.

Nutritional Content in 1 Cup of Flour
* White, all-purpose flour has 455 calories, 4 g of fat, 13 g of protein, 95 g of carbohydrates and only 3 g of dietary  fiber.

* King Arthur's white whole wheat flour has 400 calories, 2 g of fat, 12 g of protein, 72 g carbs and 12 g of dietary fiber.

* Baker Josef's white whole wheat flour has 440 calories, 2 g of fat, 16 g of protein, 92 g carbohydrates and a whopping 16 g of dietary fiber!

Bottom line, Baker Josef costs about the same as conventional all-purpose white flour and is 40% cheaper than King Arthur's white whole wheat.

Baker Josef has 23% more protein than all-purpose white flour and has 33% more protein than King Arthurs's white whole wheat.

Baker Josef has 433% more dietary fiber than all-purpose white flour and 33% more than King Arthur's. 

Remember, dietary fiber from whole grains can keep your regular and may lower your risk of colorectal cancer.  Fiber also lowers cholesterol and helps control your blood sugar levels. 

If there's a Trader Joe's near you, I suggest you give Baker Josef's white whole wheat flour a try, especially if you are still using white flour. If you use and enjoy King Arthur, it's still a great product and a great choice. Trader Joe's is just giving us another option.

King Arthur's is still a great product and a great choice!

Baking with White Whole Wheat
White whole wheat flour bakes like white flour. Start out by substituting it for 1/4 or 1/2  of your white flour but eventually I'm sure you'll use it for the entire recipe. It absorbs a bit more moisture than white flour so add a little more liquid to your recipes. All of my baked recipes on the blog (except for those that are wheat-free) assume the use of white whole wheat flour so there's no need to add additional liquid to these. 

White whole wheat flour can be used for bread, pizza dough, pancakes, muffins, breading, stuffing, biscuits, to thicken gravy or anywhere else white flour is used. I promise you, your kids won't even know you snuck in all this fiber and nutritional goodness into their diets!

Canned Enough Tomatoes? Now Make Some Lycopene-Rich Tomato Powder!

Lycopene-rich tomato powder has many uses.

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Something to do with Tomatoes Besides Canning
I love to can diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. I also enjoy freezing them. But this weekend I thought I'd try dehydrating tomatoes and then grinding them into a powder. Besides the powder taking a lot less space than jars, dehydrating and powdering allows you to store the tomatoes in their raw state.

A Tomato a Day?
Tomatoes are packed with the carotenoid lycopene. They also contain other healthy carotenoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene. Tomatoes also are rich in other powerful phytonutrients such as flavonols, glycosides and others.

Tomatoes have long been associated with heart health because they contain lots of antioxidants which reduce inflammation. They also can reduce total and LDL cholesterol as well as triglycerides. In addition to that, the phytonutrients in tomatoes can reduce the clumping together of blood platelets which often cause blockage. 

Besides being heart-healthy, tomatoes (and lycopene) have been recently connected to bone health. And the phytonutrient alpha-tomatine in tomatoes has been shown to lower the risk of prostate cancer in men too.

Tomato powder is a good way to add these powerful phytonutrients to your favorite recipes. Here's how to make it!

Making Tomato Powder
Start with fresh, ripe tomatoes that have been washed with the stem areas removed.
You can remove the seeds if you'd like to get a finer powder but I just slice them as is.

Slice the tomatoes and lay them out on dehydrator sheets.

Lay the tomato slices on non-stick dehydrator sheets.

Dehydrate at 115 degrees F. until dry, about 24 hours.

Turn over and dehydrate on the mesh sheet until tomato slices are absolutely dry, about another 6 hours.

This is what they look like after 24 hours of dehydrating.

Dehydrated tomato slices. 

To make tomato powder, place the dehydrated slices in a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtec. 

Blend until it becomes a smooth powder.

Place in a small spice jar and refrigerate until needed.

Place dehydrated slices in your blender.

Blend until the slices turn into powder.

Place in a small spice jar.

What to do with Tomato Powder
There are so many things you can do with tomato powder. Here are just a few:

* Season polenta, risotto or spanish rice
* Use it in soups and sauces
* Sprinkle on popcorn
* Blend into salad dressings
* Use it to thicken tomato sauce instead of tomato paste
* Flavor pizza dough or bread dough
* Blend into hummus or other dips

How do you use tomato powder? Let us know!

Blend 1 to 2 tablespoons of tomato powder into your favorite hummus recipe!

Want To Live To Be 100? Dan Buettner's "Blue Zones" Shares The Secrets Of Some Of The Longest Living People On Earth

How to live a long and productive life.

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Blue Zones
Want to live 100+ healthy and productive years? The Blue Zones, by Dan Buettner, gives you insight into how pockets of people around the world have done just that. The four Blue Zones described in the book have an unusually high concentration of centenarians (someone who reaches the age of 100 or older). Buettner visits these Blue Zones - Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California and Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, and interviews some of the longest living people on earth. The interviews uncover some secrets to living a long and productive life - some of which are useful and some that are not (I don't plan on walking 5 miles a day herding sheep any time soon). He and his team collect extensive data and then try to find a common thread to help us find the key to longevity. Here's some of what he learned:

Sardinia, Italy
The centenarians in this Italian city eat mostly a plant based diet consisting of fruits, garden vegetables, whole grain bread, beans, pecorino cheese made from grass-fed sheep, goats milk and a small amount of meat. They also enjoy a daily glass or two of a deep, red wine made from Cannonau grapes.
The Sardinian shepherds walk about 5 miles a day. 
With respect to relationships, the family is extremely important to Sardinians. Grandparents have a  key role  which gives them a sense of purpose. Friends also play a key role and men are found laughing together in the streets each afternoon displaying their sense of humor which is very typical in Sardinia.

Okinawa, Japan 
These Japanese centenarians also eat a plant-centric diet with lots of stir-fried vegetables, tofu, sweet potatoes and bitter melon. They occasionally eat small amounts of pork. They typically have a vegetable garden as well as a medicinal garden containing herbs such as mugwort, ginger and turmeric.
My favorite thing they do is they say "Hara hachi bu" before each meal. It means "Eat until you are 80 percent full." Most of us eat way past that point! (Doug and I started saying that before our meals.)
Besides the exercise Okinawans get from gardening, they also are avid walkers. Walking and gardening outdoors also exposes them to the sun which gives them a high concentration of vitamin D. Okinawans also sit on tatami mats on the floor rather than chairs and couches. The activity of getting up and down off of the floor many times a day contributes to the development of their lower body strength and balance. 
Friendships are key to these centenarians. They meet daily with their "moai", lifelong friends that provide their social network. They also have a keen sense of purpose and have a reason for waking up each morning. They live in the present and enjoy today's simple pleasures rather than dwell on past tragedies. 

Loma Linda, California
Loma Linda is home to 9,000 Seventh-day Adventists, a faith that endorses healthy living. In fact, much detailed nutritional data about health and longevity has come from studying this group of people.
Many Adventists are vegetarians although some eat meat in moderation. The Adventist centenarians tend to eat their biggest meals early in the day and a light meal for dinner. They enjoy lots of fruits, vegetables and nuts and drink lots of water.
They exercise regularly but focus on moderate, not extreme, exercises. They maintain a healthy body mass index throughout their lives.
Adventists tend to spend time with other Adventists who share their health goals - this makes it easier to maintain their good diet and exercise habits. It also gives them a strong sense of community.
Their weekly 24-hour Sabbath allows Adventists to get away from daily routines and focus on  family, friends, God and nature.
The Adventist Church provides many opportunities for members to volunteer throughout their lifetime. This gives many of their centenarians a strong sense of purpose.

Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
The Nicoya's diet is centered around beans and corn tortillas, tropical fresh fruit like sweet lemons, oranges and bananas. They eat a very light dinner and drink lots of hard water, rich in calcium. That, together with lots of sunshine, gives them strong bones and fewer bone fractures. They get their exercise from everyday chores.
These Centenarians live with their families and play an important role with their children and grand children. They have a strong sense of purpose and feel needed.
The Nicoyan centenarians also maintain a strong social network and enjoy their friends and neighbors with whom they visit frequently. 

Lessons Learned
What can we learn from this? Can we take some lessons from these healthy centenarians and apply it to ourselves? What do they have in common?

They all eat very natural diets and don't consume processed foods. All of them eat mostly plant-based diets, and those who eat meat do so in moderation. Actually, they eat most everything in moderation and maintain a consistent weight throughout their lives. But there are no magic foods and no big surprises in their diets. 

Ditto on exercise. They are all very active. No couch potatoes here. Many move in the natural course of living - herding sheep, walking to town, getting up from their tatami mats. Except for the folks in Loma Linda, most exercise is not done in the gym or on a treadmill.

We have control of our diet and exercise and certainly have the ability to mimic these healthy lifestyles in these two areas. But what about the other characteristics like family, community and sense of purpose?

I think the most enlightening trait that stands out to me is the strong sense of community among these centenarians. They are all part of a tight-knit community and have close friends whom they socialized with regularly. After all, they don't move around like many of us do. They live in the same town their entire lives. I can't name 3 people I went to high school with!
They also live near or with their families and have a key role in the family structure. They all live purposeful lives and have a reason to wake up each day. 

This is a bit disturbing since so many people today live apart from their families. Parents rarely get to live with their children in their old age and have to resort to assisted living facilities where their diet is institutionalized and they lose their life purpose. 
The lesson to be learned here is if you are not near family, create one. Get involved in a community of like-minded people and create relationships and friendships. Most of all, find a purpose for your life - one that you can articulate. One you can be passionate about.

Snooze Alert
Although there are some very interesting stories and lots of good information throughout this book, it is definitely not a page turner so you may only be able to read about 20 to 30 pages at a time before you get sleepy. But it certainly will inspire you to eat better, get off the couch and think about your relationships and life purpose. 

Crispy Raw Vegan And Gluten Free Zucchini Onion Crackers - High In Omega-3 Fatty Acid

Zucchini and onion crackers packed with omega-3.

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It's Zucchini Season
About this time each year I search for ways to use up my zucchini. This crispy cracker does the trick! Besides using 2 1/2 pounds of zucchini per batch, these delicious gluten-free crackers deliver 626 mg of omega-3 fatty acid per cracker! Here's how to make them.

Zucchini Onion Crackers
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 40 crackers]
Requires a Dehydrator & a tool to grind walnuts

2 1/2 pounds zucchini
1 small onion (6 ounce)
3/4 cups ground flaxseeds
1/2 cup ground English walnuts
2 tablespoons gluten free tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Grate the zucchini on a large grate. You should have about 7 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini.

Grate the zucchini using the medium grates.

Cut the onion in half or quarters and thinly slice. 

Slice the onion as thinly as possible.

Place the zucchini and onions in a large bowl.

If you are grinding your own flaxseeds, start with 1/2 cup of whole flaxseeds to yield the needed 3/4 cups of ground flaxseeds. 

Grind the walnuts in a Vitamix, food processor or coffee grinder (reserved for nuts and seeds). You will need 1/2 cup of walnut pieces to yield the needed 1/2 cup of ground walnuts.

Add the ground flaxseeds and walnuts to the bowl of zucchini and onion.
Add the soy sauce and lemon juice to the zucchini onion mixture. 
Mix thoroughly until well blended.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Divide the mixture between two 14" x 14" inch non-stick dehydrator sheets. 
Spread it out into 11" x 11" squares. The mixture will look thick but it will thin out significantly after dehydrating.

Spread mixture on to 2 dehydrator sheets.

Dehydrate for 24 hours at 115 degrees F. 

After dehydrating, the mixture will thin significantly.

After 24 hours, flip over onto mesh dehydrator sheets. Slowly peel off the non-stick dehydrator sheets.
Place back in the dehydrator for another 6 to 10 hours.

Peel off the non-stick dehydrator sheets slowly.

Place on a cutting board and cut into crackers with a pizza cutter or sharp knife.
Cut one side into 4 equal pieces and the other side into 5 equal pieces. Each sheet will yield 20 crackers.

Cut into desired cracker sizes.

If  the crackers are not crisp enough, place individual crackers on the mesh sheet and dehydrate until they reach the desired crispness. (If they still bend, they are not crisp enough).

Dehydrate until crisp.

Store in an air tight container and refrigerate.

Serve with soup, along with dips, or just enjoy as is!

Per cracker: 26.1 calories, 2 g fat, 0.2 g saturated fat, 625 mg omega-3 and 690 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber and 52.5 mg sodium.