Cold Season & Smoothies?!

Good Morning, Dearies! I hope you are all having a relaxing Saturday.

We are now officially in the first days of Fall, my lovelies, and I want to broach a very important and often overlooked health issue. An issue that will effect almost every single one of you this coming season either directly or indirectly. This subject is the health of your/the gut! Yeah, I know that sounds a bit weird, but it simply means the digestive system (smile).

Why does one need to worry about the health of the digestive system particularly in the Fall & Winter? Well, this is the time of year when we often get sick with either a virus or bacteria at least once if not twice. A visit to the doctor often involves a round of antibiotics if we have come down with something like strep throat, pneumonia, bronchitis, or the like. Sometimes, we even walk away with quite a strong dose of antibiotics when the M.D. is unsure of what ails us.

A round of antibiotics is often needed for certain ailments-no doubt. However, we must remember that antibiotics of any kind do not discriminate when they flow through our systems. They kill our stomach, intestinal, and even vaginal flora (natural & protective bacteria) just as quickly as they slaughter that streptococcus or other harmful bacteria that has invaded our system. The immediate results can be anything from a severely upset stomach to diarrhea and yeast infection. The long term effects are much worse. Indeed, I could write a book about them being that they range from obesity to malnutrition. I've decided that wouldn't be prudent on this lovely Saturday though...

Instead, I ask that you still include a nice treat of organic dairy or soy yogurt and the like with fresh fruit at least every other day, even though you may not be craving cold yogurt and fruit quite as much now that the heat is dying down. The probiotics from the yogurt will keep your gut healthy while the fruit provides a powerful dose of essential minerals and antioxidants like Vitamin C, which will ward off sickness to some extent anyway. Who knows? You might even be able to avoid antibiotics altogether this year!

Frozen Fruit Smoothie-2-3 Servings

1 Cup Organic Frozen Fruit (Preferably Fresh Frozen*)

1 Cup Organic Soy or Dairy Yogurt

Organic Dairy or Soy Milk to taste

1-2 Tbsp. Agave Syrup/Honey

Pinch of Cinnamon

Place the fruit and yogurt in a blender. Blend till smooth. Slowly add sweetener to your taste. Upon seeing the consistency, add milk in splashes till you reach your desired texture and consistency-some like it thick while others like to slurp through a straw! *Fresh frozen means fresh fruit placed in a plastic bag and thrown in the freezer the night before for smoothies!

Note: The mango smoothie shown here was made with fresh frozen fruit from the recipe above with an added tsp. of fresh ginger-it was amazing;)!

Other probiotic rich foods are tempeh, sauerkraut, and kombucha!

p.s. To my lovelies on the other side of the globe entering into summer, I wish you sunny days with many smoothies;-)!

The David K. Stack & Everyday Tings'

Hello Dearies!

I wanted to quickly share with you all a snack that has become a tradition in my family. My Dad, David K., has been making this 'stack' for himself and his family since I was a little witch. The 'David K. Stack' as we call it is a heavy, delicious and extremely satisfying snack, and is something that is always shared between at least two people. It's filling *wink*!

Filling in a good way though. Yes, this treat has carbs. However, if one uses 100% whole grain bread, unsweetened peanut butter, and just enough natural maple syrup and fruit to moisten this treat while sharing it with another person, it can be a wonderful nutrient-dense component of your diet. Indeed, I had half of this pictured stack with some hot green tea and couldn't eat a thing for the next 5 hours. I just couldn't!

That all being said, I debated as to whether I should even post such a snack or food. I mean, we all have our own standby foods that are less than fabulous in terms of ingredient content. Some are not very photogenic while others are so peculiar we might wonder if anyone else would even eat such a concoction!? Well, this is one of mine. It's simple, delicious, and possibly enticing?!? So, if you're ever in the house with little food on hand, The David K. Stack's ingredients are so typical that it or something like it can usually be thrown together saving you & others from temporary starvation (smile).

Oh, and I think you'll love it...?!

The David K. Stack Ingredients

3 Slices of 100% Whole Grain Bread (Toasted)

Unsweetened Peanut Butter*

Berries, Bananas, Kiwi, peaches, etc.

Maple Syrup

Pinch of cinnamon

*David K. uses the kind that is 100% ground peanuts from the farmer's market!

Toast your bread. Schmear each slice with a bit of peanut butter. Stack the bread adding a little bit of maple syrup between each slice. Top with berries, a bit more maple syrup so that it moistens the sides, and pinch of cinnamon. Enjoy with your best mate! Coffee, hot tea, and cold milk are all super wonderful beverages for this snack.

p.s. I am visiting my parents this week. I will catch up to all my lovelies' posts as soon as I finish planting for my Mom's Fall/Winter garden;)!

Organic Eggs & Tasty Tings!

I haven't done a remedy or a health & wellness post for a while, Dearies. This was making me feel a bit guilty. So while I was making the snack below, my post topic seemed to almost jump out at me: Eggs!

Eggs are a staple of most homes (except for vegan lovely homes). Even vegetarians often prize them for their protein and B Vitamins, and most everyone knows that eggs are almost invaluable when it comes to great cakes, casseroles, and souffles. Breakfast often isn't the same without them for many elvin tribes, and I personally love them boiled and tossed through an organic salad.

We all have our almost daily uses for eggs, which is why it is so important to buy fresh, healthy eggs. You may think the eggs you buy are healthy. However, due to the quick and often careless farming methods of today, you may be wrong if you are buying conventional eggs. If you don't think so, consider an article by Eating Healthy Politics quotes multiple studies which show that in comparison to conventional eggs, organic and free range eggs have the following attributes:

*2/3 more Vitamin A
*4-6 times more Vitamin D
*3 times more Vitamin E
*7 times more Beta Carotene
*Double the amount of Omega 3 Fatty Acids
*Up to 70% more B12
*1/3 less cholesterol
*1/4 less saturated fat

The numbers here are typical and can be quite disturbing if you let yourself think about why conventional eggs have less nutrients, so I won't even go there! And I haven't touched on the fat soluble toxins that often plague conventional animal products. What I will expand on is that organic and free range eggs are so much more flavorful and delicious than their conventional counterparts. So by spending a little extra on this staple, you will notice a major difference in both health and taste!

This Algerian omelet is a snack I learned from one of my favorite Algerian chefs and family members. It is delicious to say the least, and, to me, is what mac and cheese is to some in the realm of comfort food!

Algerian Omelet

4 Organic Eggs

2-3 Tbsp. Milk

1 medium red/white potato (grated)

1-2 Garlic Cloves (chopped)

2 Tbsp. Green Pepper (optional)

1/4 Tsp Onion Powder

Salt & Pepper to taste

Olive Oil (for pan)

Harissa for garnish

Thoroughly spray an omelet pan with Pam and also drizzle about a tsp. of olive oil in the center-bring to medium low heat. While heating, whisk the eggs with the milk & add salt to your liking.

Sprinkle the grated potato with the onion powder. Place the potatoes in the pan and cook for about 5-6 minutes or until golden-be sure to stir intermittently. Toss in the garlic and allow to cook for at least 30 seconds. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes & garlic and allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes before turning. Turn and allow to cook another minute or so...

Serve hot with harissa, salsa, cilantro, peppers, cheese, etc!

Oh, and please check out both Denise at Quickies on the Dinner Table and Lazaro's Blogs. They are holding a contest! I have already figured out my submission (smile)...

Food Update: Surinam Cherries

This is a quick update on a food I found while walking with my mother this last week through the subtropical hollow. My mother has what seems to be endless energy, so long walks are natural to her. Plus, she doesn't live in a subtropical zone, so she loves to walk and see the palms, flowers, and fruit trees along with the brick roads and 1920's era homes.

On one of these walks, I picked a berry off of a plant that I could not identify as either a tree or a bush at first glance. I didn't eat it due to fears of falling over and going into paralysis along with other creative situations my mind came up with at the idea of eating poison berries. I did, however, run home and research the berry. It turns out that it is called a Surinam Cherry (Eugenia Uniflora) a.k.a Brazil or Cayenne Cherry and it is edible.

These berries are said by some to be native to tropical America while others claim they were probably brought from Goa to the Americas. Either way, they are considered an invasive species to my area, yet still quite nice to eat when fully ripe. The flavor is somewhat like a bell pepper with a hint of tomato, grass, and sugar. In fact, the less ripe berries are quite tart and grassy in flavor.

I made a jam with these fruits, which was quite nice on bread with goat cheese. I hope you will not pass this fruit up if you notice them in your hollow.

Surinam Jam
2 Cups Surinam Cherries (deseeded)
1/2-3/4 Cups Sugar
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

Hold each cherry over a measuring cup and squeeze the seed(s) out of the fruit. Do this until you have the desired amount of cherries.

In a pan, place the cherries, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a high simmer and stir. Lower the heat and allow to simmer on low heat stirring intermittently. Do this until you get a jam like consistency (this took me about 30 minutes). If you are canning, place hot in sterilized jar and cover properly. Otherwise, enjoy with bread, cheese, etc...

Semolina & Rosewater Biscotti

I have been making a lot of biscotti lately. This is because I love it, and, after seeing Chef Dennis' recipe over at More Than A Mount Full, I realized biscotti isn't fattening. I mean, it's certainly not health food, Dearies, but I always felt bad after having one due to thoughts of butter or margarine being whipped into these crunchy biscuits that I adore dipping into a hot or cold beverage.

Nope, no butter! In fact, Chef Dennis' recipe only calls for 2 Tbsp. of oil, which I cut down to one and subbed in a tbsp. of honey. I also used a bit of semolina in mine, so I had to adjust the flour amount. I've made this recipe twice as well as Dennis' exact recipe twice, and they are both delicious. It's really a matter of personal taste as to how you make your biscotti. I've even noticed recipes that only use organic whole wheat flour, but I can't attest to how those turn out and taste. Till I can, here is a delicious version or you can use the Chef's recipe!

1 1/4 Cups A.P. Flour
1/2 Cup Semolina Flour
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/8 Tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Oil
1 Tbsp. Honey
2 Organic Eggs
2/3 Cup Sugar
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla
3/4 Tsp. Rosewater
Almonds, nuts, dried fruit of your choice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (sprayed with Pam).

In a bowl, thoroughly combine the flours, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whip the eggs, sugar, oil, honey and extracts. Slowly sift the dry ingredients into the wet. This will create a sticky mass-place this on the parchment paper. Smooth with some extra flour to create a rectangle (about 3-4 inches by 10-11). Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Slice with a serrated knife and lay out the pieces on the baking sheet. Return to the oven for 10 minutes to toast at 350.

Enjoy with morning coffee or cold milk, my lovelies!

Witchy chocolate drizzling spoon optional but nice (smile)...

*Be sure to wrap tightly in foil and also with a good plastic wrap-biscotti goes stale easily!

Coconut & Papaya Granola

This is a recipe I came up with that was inspired by my Cauldron Boy. He has a problem that many people have while at work, which is eating the junk food that is so readily available at the office. His major vice is the salty pretzels. Being that he suffers from high blood pressure, these little snacks made with bleached wheat flour and doused with salt are the last thing he needs on his daily plate (though he does love pretzels)!

So, at his request, I made some crunchy granola in hopes that this high fiber, crunchy & sweet snack would keep him away from the pretzels.

After the week went by, he proudly declared that he didn't eat one single pretzel while at work. This is a a major success in my book, as I believe that Cauldron Boy suffers from gorge instinct. His royal sweetness also stated that this Coconut, Papaya & Almond Granola

is the best granola he's ever had. I loved it too, so I hope you will try it-it's easy!

Here is the recipe:

2 Cups Organic Oats

1/2 Cup Almonds-chopped or slivered

1/2 Cup Flaked Coconut

1/2 Cup Dried Papaya Pieces

1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds

1 Tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1/4 Cup Brown or White Sugar

1/4 Cup Honey*

3 Tbsp. Oil

2 Tbsp. Peanut Butter

Preheat oven to 320 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper.

In a bowl, toss the oats, sugar, cinnamon and salt thoroughly. Then add the coconut, papaya, almonds, and sunflower seeds and mix. Now, add the honey and oil-mix very thoroughly. Last, add the peanut butter and use your hands to scrunch the granola and peanut butter together to ensure even coating.

Pour the granola onto the prepared pan and bake for 10 min at 320. After 10 minutes, stir the granola a bit and raise the temp to 325. Bake for another 8 min and then stir again. From this point, bake for another 3-5 min and then remove from the oven. Let cool before eating.

Sweet papaya goodness!

Enjoy with milk/soy milk or eat dry!

*To my vegan lovelies, just sub maple or agave syrup for the honey.