Coconut Oil for Hair and Body

This stuff is just awesome. You can use it on your body in so many ways. Some of my favorites are hair shine, lip and body balm, and sugar scrubs.

To add shine to your hair just melt a little coconut oil between your palms and run your hands through your hair. I do this as my very last step after I have styled my hair. For a deep treatment a few times per month add coconut oil to damp or dry hair. I prefer damp hair as it seems to help the coconut oil spread more easily. Again, warm the coconut oil between your palms and distribute through your hair. Use enough to coat your hair with a thin layer. Then cover with a shower cap or wrap your hair in a towel. You want to leave the coconut oil in for at least 30 minutes, but can go as long as overnight if you want. Then simply wash your hair well to get the oil out. It really does condition and add shine to your hair.

To use it as a lip and body balm I put a couple tablespoons into a small container and put the closed container in a warm water bath to soften the coconut oil. Then I add just a couple of drops of essential oil and mix it in. Peppermint, lemon, and sweet orange are good ones to use for this. Then it hardens back up and can be used to sooth chapped lips and dry skin.

I love coconut oil in sugar scrubs. Sugar is great in a scrub because salt can sting any sores or cuts you have. Blend slightly warmed coconut oil with sugar. Add a drop of food coloring and a drop of essential oil to add a pretty tint and yummy smell. I have also used dried herbs in addition to the essential oil with great results. I have used dried rosemary, eucalyptus, and lavender and was very happy with them. A coconut oil scrub is thick and luxurious. It leaves your body very soft and is just fun to use as the coconut oil melts in your hands. Last year I mixed up a big batch of sugar and salt scrubs in two different scents and put them in cute jars for holiday gifts.

Rustic Turnip Soup

Last weekend I picked up some root vegetables and decided to use them in a turnip soup that I could eat during the week.  As the weather cools off more and more, I get in the mood for warm soup.  Turnips can be bitter so the carrots and parsnip bring some balance. This soup is earthy, filling, and really hits the spot.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp margarine ( I like Earth Balance)
1 clove garlic
3 turnips
1 parsnip
2 carrots
2 leeks
2 potatoes
pinch of rubbed thyme
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup plain unsweetened soy milk
6 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt the margarine in a deep soup pot.  Mince the clove of garlic and add it to the pot.  Clean, peel and chop all the veggies into bite size pieces.  Add the veggies to the pot to heat for about 5 minutes.  Add the thyme and nutmeg and give it a stir.  Next add the vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Once the veggies are soft add the soy milk and use a potato masher to smash some of the veggies right in the pot.  This will give your soup a rustic feel, with the smashed veggies thickening the broth and some chunks still left for texture.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

For 8 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 352 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 151 Calories from Fat 46

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5.1g 8%

Saturated Fat 0.8g 4%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 666mg 28%

Total Carbohydrates 20.7g 7%

Dietary Fiber 3.7g 15%

Sugars 6.4g

Protein 5.6g

Vitamin A 61% • Vitamin C 45% Calcium 5% • Iron 8%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Dehydrated Crab Apples

My neighbor has a beautiful crab apple tree that was covered with apples earlier this fall.  Not wanting them to fall on his lawn, he was happy to share.  Not wanting them to go to waste, I googled how to make crab-apple jelly and gave it a shot.  Several jars of jelly later, and there were still tons of crab apples.  So I decided to try dehydrating them.

Looking back, I am not sure it was worth the effort.... it takes a lot to prep these little fruits.  On the other hand, the results are very pretty and they have a yummy sweet-tart taste.

Ingredients:
Crab apples
3 cups water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp agave or maple syrup

Directions:
Gather the crabapples (I went for the best looking and largest ones to get the most "meat" on them).  Wash them in water and then cut off both the flower and stem ends.  At this point slice them into rounds and use a toothpick to push out the seeds.

Combine about 3 cups of water with lemon juice and sweetener.  Add sliced crabapples to soak.  This prevents browning and adds another dimension of flavor to the apples.  I soaked them for 10 - 15 minutes.

Layer the apples on the dehydrator trays and dry according to dehydrator directions.

Chai Quinoa Porridge

My love affair with quinoa continues…..

Last summer I gave up coffee. I had been doing a lot more yoga, meditation, and overall just trying to relax and pay more attention to my well-being. It occurred to me that I was working pretty hard to slow my heart rate down and mellow out and coffee was working against those goals. As I cut back on coffee, I missed the ritual of a warm drink in the morning and started drinking chai tea (you can get decaf). I love chai's complex flavors and have tried several kinds. Now I occasionally have some coffee, and often have a cup of chai. They are both great flavors and I decided to use the chai flavor profile with my favorite breakfast - quinoa.

Chai Quinoa Porridge

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/3 - 1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp maple syrup
generous pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1 cup non dairy milk
optional: chopped nuts or seeds

Directions:

Rinse the quinoa and put it in a pan with the two cups of water. Let it boil and then cover and lower to a simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes. When the quinoa is done, take it off the heat and fluff it. Put it in a serving bowl and add the raisins, vanilla, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger.

Serve warm in a bowl with some non dairy milk poured over the top. It is also great with some nuts or seeds sprinkled on top.

For 4 servings. Nutritional info from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 250 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 270 Calories from Fat 40

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4.4g 7%

Saturated Fat 0.5g 3%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 79mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 50.2g 17%

Dietary Fiber 4.0g 16%

Sugars 18.7g

Protein 8.4g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 6% • Iron 15%

Nutrition Grade C+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Shiitake Bacon

I followed the directions on this site and realized I have got to have these in my life!

I will definitely be making these again.....and often!

Shittake Mushroom Bacon

Ingredients:
6 oz of fresh shitake mushrooms
3 tbsp olive oilscant tsp of coarse sea salt


Directions:
Wash and stem the mushrooms. Then slice them into thin strips. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss with the salt. Bake at 350 and stir every 10 minutes. They take between 45-60 minutes and are done when many of them are crispy.

Easy Add-Ins for Healthy Hair

I am always looking for ways to make my hair healthier and shinier.

Baking soda is well known for its thousands of uses and here is one more. I simply add a tsp in my hand in the shower and then pour my shampoo right over it. It cleans your hair really well. I like to use it once a week to remove any buildup.

I do the same with the olive oil, but add it to my conditioner.

I like these easy add-ins, because I already have them around the house and they are inexpensive.

I keep both the olive oil and the baking soda in these little jars in the bathroom and use them once a week for some extra oomph for my hair.

Easy Add-Ins for Healthy Hair 

Green Juice with a Vitamix

Green juice is just the thing when I want a quick shot of goodness.

Green Juice with a Vitamin

I am lucky enough to have inherited a Vitamix from my Grandmother. I love that thing. It really is as amazing as it sounds. I make smoothies, sauces, dips, soups and now green juice. I do not, however, have a juicer so I improvised. I blended all the ingredients and then strained out the pulp to get the juice.

Ingredients:
1 cucumber, peeled
1 stalk of celery
2 carrots, peeled
1 green apple, cored
1/2 lemon with peel and pith removed
1/2 cup watermelon juice (I had this leftover from cutting a watermelon - any juice would work)
1 bunch of kale

Directions:
I started with the juice on the bottom of the blender and slowly added the remaining ingredients. Finally, I added the kale and blended until it was all incorporated.

Then I strained it in batches through a mesh sieve while using a spatula to press all the juice out.

This made 28 oz of green juice that I put in the fridge to drink over the next couple of days.

Calorie count would not analyze this for me, but according to what was in it I think it is about 100 calories per serving with four servings.

Finally, just because... I put the pulp on my face for a mask.... I figured why not :)

Vitamix Whole Wheat Berry Bread

About three years ago, my grandmother gave me her Vitamix when she downsized into a smaller apartment. It is one of the best gifts I have ever received. I love it and I use it all the time. In the cookbook that came with it was a recipe for whole wheat bread that started with whole wheat berries. I have been intrigued with this idea ever since. I finally tried it today, with only one minor adjustment, and it was really good. My adjustment was to leave out the optional lemon juice, as I did not want a sour tasting dough and I used natural brown sugar in place of honey.

This is very good toasted the next day. The little pockets and the texture kind of reminded me of an english muffin - in a good way. I felt really good about this bread as it started with whole wheat berry. I am now intrigued by the wheat berry and planning to try some other preparations of it.

Vitamin Whole Wheat Berry Bread 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 package yeast
1 tbsp vegan brown sugar
1 3/4 cups whole wheat berries
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Mix the warm water, yeast and brown sugar together in a measuring cup and let sit for 5 minutes to activate the yeast. It should foam and bubble up.

While the yeast is doing it's thing put the whole wheat berries and the tsp of salt into a Vitamix dry blade container, or a spice/coffee grinder and grind for one minute only so it doesn't heat the flour.

Let the flour cool and add the olive oil to the yeast and water mixture. The flour should have  a well from grinding and you want to pour the wet ingredients into that hole. To mix, turn your Vitamix on high for one second.

Let the dough rest a minute while you grease a loaf pan. Then, to knead the dough, use a spatula to scrape any dough from the sides. Then turn the Vitamix on and off quickly 5 times. Scrape the sides and repeat this cycle. Do this a few times (about 5) until the dough is a nice soft elastic consistency. Then turn it out into the loaf pan and let rise while your oven preheats to 350 degrees. Finally. bake the bread for 15-20 minutes. Let cool and enjoy.

Makes 12 slices. Nutritional info from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 46 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 81 Calories from Fat 12

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 1.4g 2%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 195mg 8%

Total Carbohydrates 14.9g 5%

Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2%

Sugars 0.8g

Protein 2.1g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% • Iron 5%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Strawberry Rhubarb Cream Cheese Bars

So I am on a rhubarb dessert bender.... is that wrong?

I was looking through an old Betty Crocker cookbook for inspiration, and decided to veganize these bars.

They are really good, with a chewy almost caramel-ish crust, a fruity cream cheese layer and then a crumbly cookie topping.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cream Cheese Bars

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tubs cream cheese 12 oz total (tofutti is by far the best I have tried)
1/4 cup garbanzo flour (sounds weird but it works)
1/4 cup soy milk
1/3 cup natural sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped fresh rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a square baking pan.

Beat the brown sugar and margarine together and then add the flour, oats, soda and salt. Mix it together with a wooden spoon. It will still be crumbly and thats okay.

Mix the garbanzo flour and the soy milk together (this is your egg replacer).

Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together and add the garbanzo - milk mixture. Then beat on high until it is well incorporated. Mix the rhubarb and berries into the cream cheese mixture.

Put half of the crust mixture on the bottom of the square pan and press. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the bottom crust and top with the remaining dough. Press it lightly and bake 20 minutes or until the center is set.

Let cool and cut into bars.

For 16 bars
Nutrition info from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 65 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 212 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 13.0g 20%

Saturated Fat 4.4g 22%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 214mg 9%

Total Carbohydrates 21.2g 7%

Dietary Fiber 1.0g 4%

Sugars 9.0g

Protein 2.8g

Vitamin A 5% • Vitamin C 5% Calcium 4% • Iron 6%

Nutrition Grade D

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Pasta with Sun-dried Tomato and Hemp Seed Sauce

The other day I was searching recipes to make kale chips and I came across this recipe from Eat the Rainbow where the author makes "Cheezy" Pizza Hemp Kale Chips. I loved the idea for the sauce and used it to make a pasta dish today. This blog had lots of great recipes and I can't wait to try more, plus she didn't mind me using her sauce as a base for this recipe. Awesome, right?

This sauce is amazing.... like life-changing. I want to put it on everything! I also want to blend hemp seeds with all kinds of other things and see what else I can do with them. They are packed with nutrition, high in protein, super healthy, and making me quite happy.

I was aware of the use of cashew cream in similar recipes, but my son is allergic to both peanuts and tree nuts so I have been on the hunt for a similar ingredient to give that luxurious flavor and mouth feel....and now I found it :)

I hope you love this as much as I do!

Pasta with Sun-dried Tomato and Hemp Seed Sauce

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (I drained mine and reserved 2 tbsp of the oil and added it back in)
1/2 cup shelled hemp seeds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
dash of cayenne pepper
2 tbsp black olives
16 oz dried pasta

Directions:

Boil salted water to cook the pasta and cook it according to the package directions. I opted for orzo pasta today, but this would work with any shape you have on hand.

While the pasta is cooking start to prepare the sauce. It is super easy. You just put all the other ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste for consistency and thin with water if needed. It should be a fairly thick sauce kind of like the consistency of hummus. When your pasta is al dente just drain it, toss it with the sauce and serve warm. Although, my husband and I both had some later right out of the fridge and it was good cold, too.

I served this dish with steamed broccoli and pan fried seitan for a very satisfying meal. Thank you to Eat the Rainbow for this awesome sauce....

For 8 servings
Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 106 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 280 Calories from Fat 96

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 10.6g 16%

Saturated Fat 1.3g 7%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 41mg 14%

Sodium 196mg 8%

Total Carbohydrates 35.3g 12%

Dietary Fiber 2.0g 8%

Protein 12.6g

Vitamin A 2% • Vitamin C 8% Calcium 2% • Iron 22%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Cinnamon Sugar Body Scrub

A couple weeks ago, I made Snickerdoodle cookies. They smell wonderful with the warm cinnamon and sugar coating they have.

After I made them, I had some extra cinnamon and sugar mixture. It could have easily gone on some toast, but this came to me instead.

I added some olive oil until it was the consistency I liked ... that's it. Easy peasy, right?

Cinnamon Sugar Body Scrub

To use, simply get about a teaspoonful of the scrub and massage it into your hands for a few minutes. Then wash with some soap. The olive oil leaves your hands soft and smooth and the cinnamon sugar leaves a yummy scent. After I used it I kept feeling my hands and inhaling the faint scent of cookies that lingered on my hands.

To top it off I added a couple star anise to the jar, because they smell good and I think they are so beautiful.

A quick and easy way to indulge yourself.