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Food, Health, Nutrition & Wellness, Nutrition & Beauty

Avocado BLT Wraps

Raw Vegan Avocado BLT Wraps are over the top YUM! Shown here using a Collard Wrap.

Avocado BLT Wraps are so over the top delish it’s insane! We’re talking when I served them to my friend she couldn’t believe it wasn’t actual, real bacon inside! Loaded with strips of meaty, thick-cut ‘bacon’ brimming with smoky-sweet-salty deliciousness tucked alongside fresh, juicy heirloom tomato, buttery avocado, crisp green lettuce and a thick creamy hemp mayo – these Avocado BLT’s are built to please!

Avocado BLT Wrap shown here wrapped in Raw Nori Wrap – Jim’s fav!

While the best part about these dreamy Avocado BLT wraps is definitely their amazing flavor, these high-vibe living food wraps also deliver potent immune-boosting, beauty enhancing power to make our cells sing and our energy soar! Here are just a few of the fabulous gifts your body, mind and spirit will be receiving from this decadent Raw Vegan BLT Wrap…

Shiitakes: Widely referred to as “medicinal mushrooms”, shiitake mushrooms are able to enhance immune function bi-directionally, giving it a boost when needed, and cutting back on its activity when needed. Shiitake mushrooms provide what researchers refer to as “anti-cancer immunity” and are able to help macrophage cells achieve an activated profile so they can do a better job clearing potentially cancerous cells by suppressing their production and multiplication due to a compound in Shitake called lentinan. They’re rich in B vitamins—an excellent of pantothenic acid, a very good source of vitamin B2, and a good source of vitamin B6, niacin, choline, and folate. Shiitake are high in concentrated minerals, an excellent source of selenium and copper and a very good source of zinc. Shiitake mushrooms are also rich in highly absorbable iron which is useful in the body for improving oxygen circulation, production of blood in the bone marrow as well as healthy bones and gums.

Avocado: Rich in healthy monounsaturated fats. Provides close to 20 essential nutrients such as potassium (1 avocado has twice the potassium of a banana) which helps balance your vitally important potassium/sodium ratio.

Tomato: Excellent source of antioxidants such as lycopene, a carotenoid pigment which has recently been found to have an important connection to bone health. Tomato extracts have been shown to help prevent unwanted clumping together of platelet cells in the blood, a factor especially important in lowering risk of heart disease like atherosclerosis. High in Vitamin C (33% RDA per serving) & Biotin (24% per serving).

Nori: The seaweed that wraps sushi and our BLT Wraps! Nori is very rich in protein containing between 1-2 grams of protein per 2 gram serving making it the world’s richest source comparable in density to spirulina, chlorella and soybeans. Nori is high in fiber, comprised of approximately 33% fiber. It’s also high in iron, with 100 grams containing 88% of our daily value. Nori improves bone health as 100 grams of nori contains 28% of our RDI of calcium and 85% of our RDI of magnesium. Sea vegetables such as Nori are the plant world’s premier source of iodine which is crucial to thyroid health and a multitude of bodily functions. 100 grams of nori contains approximately 6 mg of iodine or, otherwise stated, one sushi roll wrapped in nori contains 92 mcg of iodine which is almost the full RDI. Nori also contains 288% of our vitamin A, 60% RDI of thiamine, 194% of riboflavin, 78% RDI of niacin and 475% RDI of folate.

And that’s just the tip of the ice-berg baby! There will be multitudes more AMAZING miracles happening to your beautiful self as you devour these divine Avocado BLT wraps!

I love using either Nori or subbing Collard Greens for an equally delicious wrap. Collards are remarkably mild in flavor, perfectly sturdy and when all slathered up in to LIVE for thick, creamy hemp-cashew mayo and stuffed with Avocado BLT fixings… mmm mmm it’s a party for our tastebuds!

Recipe for Raw Vegan Avocado BLT Wraps

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

Raw Vegan Bacon

3 cups sliced shitake mushrooms, stems removed (or sub 2 large portobello mushrooms, sliced)
2 1/2 Tbsp raw coconut aminos
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp smoked paprika (technically not raw so if you’re a purist skip)
3 drops liquid stevia, a touch of maple syrup, or your fav sweetener to taste

Hemp Mayo

1C hemp seed
3 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar (or sub fresh lemon juice)
10 cashews
2 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup filtered water (more or less depending on how thick you like it)
3/4 tsp onion powder or more to taste
sea salt to taste

Raw Vegan BLT Wraps

8 Raw Nori Wraps (or 4 Large Collard Leaves)
2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced into long strips (not too thin not too thick we just want it to be easy to roll up)
2 avocados, sliced into long strips, or mashed w tines of a fork
green leaf lettuce
vegan bacon
hemp mayo

Method

Raw Vegan Bacon

Whisk together coconut aminos, sesame oil, sea salt, smoked paprika, and stevia. Taste to adjust seasonings.
Dump all your sliced shitakes or portobellos into a large ziplock along with the marinade. Massage carefully so as not to break the mushrooms. Marinade for 20 minutes flipping once.
Place mushrooms on a teflex sheet in your dehydrator on 145F for 1 hour, turning down to 115F for 2 more hours or longer til reach desired texture – the portobellos will take longer as they’re thicker. I personally like the ‘bacon’ a little meatier and moister as it has that thick center cut texture that way.

Hemp Mayo

Place all the ingredients in the Vitamix and blend til thick and creamy. If you want more of a cream cheese texture, which will be less drippy in the wraps, start with less water. Conversely, use more water for a mayo texture. As always taste to adjust seasonings to your preference.

BLT Wraps

Slather rough side of each Nori sheet with a Tbsp of Hemp Mayo. If using mashed avocado rather than strips, spread the avo on first, then top with the mayo. (Alternatively use 4 collard leaves de-stemmed and halved for rolling OR for burrito fashion: remove only thickest bottom part of stem, leaving collard leaf whole to be wrapped burrito style & cut diagonally into halves after stuffing/rolling.)
Place one green leaf lettuce leaf on each wrap.
Arrange a few tomato strips, avocado strips (unless using mashed avo) & shiitake (or portobello) bacon on each wrap.
Roll up tightly into a cone shape (Temaki-style), securing with a bit of water along one edge of nori. Or, role evenly into a cylinder and feel free to slice into sushi-sized bites. (If using halved collard leaves, roll & secure with a pretty party toothpick. If using whole collard leaves, roll like a burrito, folding top and bottom edges in first then rolling up left to right and cutting in half on a diagonal which will keep everything secured- use party pics if necessary.)
Serve any remaining Hemp Mayo on the side for dipping.

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite “traditional” recipe you’d like upgraded into a beautiful Raw Vegan version? Share below for a chance to have me recreate it for you!

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Much Love,

Juliane

Thank you for visiting 🙂

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Health, Nutrition & Wellness, Nutrition & Beauty

Get your Antioxidants for Free by Earthing!

Earthing, also known as Grounding, eases inflammation.

There's a reason we're drawn to walking barefoot on the beach, plunging our hands into damp soil gardening, or simply falling asleep on the grass… it's why yoga is practiced with bare feet and Qi Gong is practiced outdoors… and it all has to do with a concept called Earthing, or, grounding.

The Benefits of Earthing

Essentially, if you're too busy to read through the forthcoming explanation, go outside and stand barefoot or lie down in your grass for ten minutes and you'll notice you feel much, much better! In fact, scientific research shows innumerable benefits from Earthing including:

Normalization of cortisol rhythm and melatonin secretion (aka increased daytime energy and ability to sleep at night)
Incredibly powerful antioxidant effect
Reduction in blood viscosity
Improved circulation
Reduction in stress
Balancing of nervous system
Lowered cortisol
Reduced pain & chronic inflammation (thereby allowing our bodies to heal faster)
Reduced Anxiety
Increased energy
And more… all with no side effects (though in certain cases medications for thyroid/blood thinning/pain etc. may need to be reduced/eliminated as a result, therefore consult with your doctor prior to implementing an Earthing program)

How Earthing Works

Our bodies benefit tremendously from direct contact (walking, sitting or laying down, particularly when humid or wet) with the earth's negatively charged surface. During such Earthing activities as walking barefoot on the grass, the earth's surface supplies a never-ending source of ions which are conducted through our bare skin and absorbed by the trillions. As electrons travel from the feet throughout the body via its conductive systems, an antioxidant* effect occurs which helps to optimize the immune system. It is proposed that these free or mobile electrons from the earth neutralize the positively charged free radicals (free radicals being what antioxidants scavenge out of the body) which are the hallmark of chronic inflammation and root of most disease… thus illustrating how these free mobile electrons serve as natural antioxidants. Food based antioxidants from plants, fruits, vegetables and supplements such as astaxanthin also supply antioxidants, however, the regular supply of electrons from the earth are free! *Read the short explanation below on the relationship between antioxidants and free radicals for an even better understanding.

Why isn't Earthing More Well Known?

Why haven't you heard about Earthing til now? Funding drives what gets researched and since Earthing is free… need I say more? For example, Earthing has been proven repeatedly in solid scientific studies to have the same effect on our blood as aspirin, reducing clumping and thinning the blood, which is outstanding. Something totally free (Earthing) has the exact health benefit of aspirin but less risk. Yet, Bayer reports annual sales of over 1.1 Billion dollars per year.

Bottom line, often that which is not considered "mainstream" is deemed rubbish, yet before one falls for a belief in "scientific proof" or triple-blind studies as a means to "prove" validity or safety, consider how completely manipulated everything can be starting with who's funding the studies, research, resulting statistics and science.

How to practice Earthing

In modern times we've become quite separated from the earth. We spend most our time in insulated boxes, or travelling – once again in a box - from one to another. More recently we've transitioned from conductive leather or hide-soled shoes to thick, synthetic soled shoes incapable of transmitting Earth's free electrons. And, in just the last two decades we've been impacted by an unprecedented flood of electromagnetic waves, or, EMF pollution. Alas, don't fret! We need not live barefoot in caves in the middle of who-knows-where! Simply employ any of the following measures to bring our bodies back into a state of homeostasis, health and well being:

Standing/Walking barefoot on the beach
Standing/Walking barefoot on the grass
Standing/Walking barefoot on your concrete basement floor
Taking your shoes off for 10 minutes while golfing
Swimming in the ocean
Surfing
Ground by resting (shoeless) feet on steel studs while flying (offsetting EMF)
Walking in thin leather/hide soled shoes…
Or walking/running in Earthing Shoes such as these by Juil (love their styles & hope they create more vegan options) or these earthing shoes (love to try them too!)
Outdoor meditation has been used for thousands of years by advanced spiritual masters who understood the magnifying and synergistic effect of combining grounding with meditation.

Additionally, there are earthing products such as sheets, blankets and computer mats on the market which, admittedly, I do find rather intriguing. However, they're too pricy for me so I'll personally be spending as much time as possible in nature barefoot, meditating on the grass and eating an antioxidant-rich diet 🙂

* Antioxidants and Free radicals: "Antioxidants are intimately involved in the prevention of cellular damage – the common pathway for cancer, aging, and a variety of diseases. Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons which can be formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules. Once formed these highly reactive radicals can start a chain reaction, like dominoes. Their chief danger comes from the damage they can do when they react with important cellular components such as DNA, or the cell membrane. Cells may function poorly or die if this occurs. To prevent free radical damage the body has a defense system of antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules which can safely interact with free radicals and terminate the chain reaction before vital molecules are damaged. Although there are several enzyme systems within the body that scavenge free radicals, the principle micronutrient (vitamin) antioxidants are vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C…" as well as selenium, a trace metal. The body cannot manufacture these micronutrients so they must be supplied in the diet (or from earthing) 1. http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/antiox.html

Please do your own research and come to your own conclusions. Here are a few additional resources:

http://earthinginstitute.net/index.php/research
http://radianthealthtoday.com/GroundingReport.pdf
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/11/04/why-does-walking-barefoot-on-the-earth-make-you-feel-better.aspx

How familiar are you with Earthing? Do you/how do you practice it?

What are your thoughts on the subject?

All Love,

Juliane

Thank you for visiting 🙂

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Food, Style

Santiago Style + My Stay Healthy Travel Tips

Our hotel in Santiago, Chile. Image courtesy Ritz Carlton, Santiago

I was enjoying the first glimpses of Autumn just two weeks ago… It's true! While the USA, Europe et al begrudgingly hosted persistent wintery-mix at the end of March, South America- Santiago, Chile to be precise – was welcoming rainbows of fall foliage… and Jim and me! Visiting Santiago, Chile ranks right up there with my favorite travel experiences of all time, so of course I wanted to share a bit of the adventure with you!

Fall Foliage in front of a Santiago Home, forgive the quality of my iPhone shots please:-)

Although Jim and I were visiting on business, our endeavors involved lots of walking throughout the palm tree studded city and surrounding countryside providing ample opportunity to soak up the beauty of the Chilean geography, culture, people, food and wine.

Farmland near Santiago

Climate/Geography

Founded in 1541, Santiago is the beautiful and historically rich capital of Chile, located in the Central Valley, between the beaches of the Pacific Ocean and the slopes of the splendid Andean Mountain Range. Just South of Santiago lie the rich and beautiful vineyards of the Maipo Valley, one of the world's most esteemed wine producing regions. The country of Chile is incredibly long and narrow, stretching down the full western coast of South America's tail, a distance equivalent to the stretch between NYC and San Francisco! Due to Chile's varied terrain, the country experiences all climates, and in close proximity, making it ideal for skiers and beach lovers alike. Santiago's climate is very much like that of Los Angelos; mild year round and sunny all the time. It really was funny to see the leaves changing, boutiques displaying fall fashion, while back home we were preparing for the opposite season of Spring! Of course, the temperate climate of Santiago means sandals and layering are pretty much a go year-round, just like L.A.

Outdoor Patio of the highly acclaimed restaurant, Arola, in Santiago. Jim & I snuggled up under complimentary alpaca throws one evening to relive Sergi Arola's AMAZING puff pastry dessert we'd had just the night before! Image courtesy Ritz Carlton, Santiago.

Looking into the Eye of a Santiago Skyscraper

City/Culture

Santiago has a very European vibe. It's a clean, safe, walkable city, lined with elegant parks and winding side-streets. The architecture runs the gamut from 9th century neoclassical to art deco, neo-gothic, cutting edge modern styled glass skyscrapers and more. The landscape is shaped by the Mapacho River as well as the imposing Andes mountains, which can be seen glimmering in the distance from most points in the city. The city’s art collections are vast ranging from pre-Columbian to contemporary. Santiago is one of those wonderful cities filled with many unique neighborhoods where the more you look, the more you find; from cobblestone streets, to markets, boutiques, elegant restaurants, sidewalk cafes and discos. It's also very much a bar and pub city. Santiagans enjoy heading out to their favorite spot, perhaps to listen to some live guitar or jazz, which is exactly what we enjoyed one fine evening in the cozy lounge of our beautiful hotel. It was the best live jazz I've ever heard!

Late night festivities in the cozy lounge of our hotel.

People

Chileans are beautiful, warm, friendly and, as I noticed, quite romantic! I frequently saw couples sharing long kisses and sweet moments together 🙂 Santiagans dress with excellent style and tend to have great hair, the women usually wearing theirs in long, flowing styles. They speak a Chilean version of Spanish, and little to no English. I was inspired, for about a week, to take up Spanish when I returned home. Unfortunately for the purposes of this trip, I took French throughout school, and while it's similarties can come in handy as a Latin language, the rules of accentuation are totally different from Spanish and often threw me off.

Cuisine

The food and wine of Chile are amazing! The rugged mountains, pristine sea and fertile vineyards of the country permeate all aspects of its cuisine – not to mention the many cultural impacts neighboring countries, its native tribes and the Peruvian, Spanish and various other European influences have had. Given the vast Pacific coast of Chile, it's a small wonder that Chile's cuisine is heavily based on the fruits of the sea. Almost everywhere, you can find fresh seafood. The predominant dishes often feature grilled octopus, ceviches, clams, mussels, sea urchins, Chilean sea bass and abalone. Yes, I happily partook in all of the above 🙂

Tapas from Arola (Image courtesy Ritz Carlton, Santiago)

Menus are often categorized by: Mountains and Sea rather than the ubiquitous Land and Sea. Meat dishes tend to be Spanish-based with local modifications including Empanadas, meat pies in clay pots, and Chilean stews. Patagonian lamb, Argentinian beef, chicken and pork are commonly incorporated.

In addition to the fabulous Chilean food served at the cocktail parties, events and dinners we attended, we loved the sidewalk cafes complimented by gorgeous weather and the ambiance of serenades from strolling musicians! We had several favorite restuarants including the renowned Arola, of the famous Spanish chef, Sergi Arola. Arola is on par with any of the finest NYC restaurants we've ever dined – no surprise since Chef Sergi Arola has studied under the likes of Jose Andres in addition to participating in the first elBulli laboratory, no less! We all agreed the hand-made Puff Pastry Rolls (filled with caramel, raspberry pastry with custard apple and orange ice cream) were beyond amazing. So much so that Jim and I had to stop back the very next day to enjoy them again on the patio with chamomile tea before bed 🙂 Yes, I took a hiatis from my no-sugar ways- I never say never- especially worthwhile when said product has been thoroughly respected and prepared by one of the world’s top culinary talents.

The famous Spanish Chef, Sergi Arola, of Santiago's famous restaurant Arola.

Wine

Carmenere Red Wine, from the signature grape of Chile similar to Argentinian Malbec, was our libation of choice during most the entire trip. We couldn't bring ourselves to order anything else, it was that special. Carménère is a medium body wine with a deep red color and aromas of red fruits, spices and berries. Best to drink while it's young, the tannins are gentler and softer than those in Cabernet Sauvignon. And yes, you guessed it, the Central Valley of Chile is the world's largest area planted with Carmenere grapes.

My beautiful friend, Jane, and me!

Staying Healthy While Traveling

So after all the flying, wining, dining etc. what do I do to stay healthy and feeling great while traveling? Glad you asked:) This should so be it's own post so for now I'll just highlite some major points. First, 15 hours of flying equals major radiation, dehydration, germy airplane air, bad food and general energy zapping. During flight I get as much rest as I can and:

Drink as much water as possible avoiding all the dehydrating bevvies: coffee, tea, soda etc.
I bring my own airplane snax including:
My favorite sprouted granola: this stuff is actually green it's that unbelievably healthy- but the taste is majorly fab- like addictive! It contains all sorts of amazing things such as buckwheat, dandelion greens & sea vegetables like Spirulina.
Chlorella Tablets: Enough easy to chew tablets for our entire stay: Sea vegetables increase the body’s capacity for detoxification and also help strengthen the body’s resistance to electromagnetic fields from the flight. Sea Vegetables contain the entire spectrum of trace minerals, which are critical for efficient detoxification.
Fresh fruit including a banana and ripe avocado– just use a serated plastic knife to cut around the circumfrance of the avocado and spoon it out for an antioxidant rich, healthifying, beautifying, filling meal!
Green Tea packets: (I stow extras in my suitcase) contain polyphenols to protect DNA from damage inflicted from radiation and harmful chemicals.
Instant High Quality Miso Soup packets: (Again, I stow extras) a fermented soy product protective against radiation (used to treat radiation sickness), helps improve resistance to EMF exposure, neutralizes some effects of pollution, provides beneficial bacteria to the colon.

Upon arrival

Our first day in Santiago started with long hot showers, followed by the most amazing massage at the beautiful hotel spa (see the pool area in the pic below). Jim and I were majorly impressed by our masseuse, Natalie, and we discovered in talking with others, she's in fact really well known! If you’re ever in the area, be sure to book a massage with her. It's one of the best ways to detox after a lengthy airline flight. We took advantage of a good sweat in the sauna after – yet another excellent detoxification tool. Following the spa, we enjoyed a much needed, lengthy nap to recoup our energy before heading out to dinner and beginning our fabulous Santiago adventure!

The pool area of the Ritz Carlton, Santiago Spa. (Image courtesy Ritz Carlton, Santiago)

Staying Healthy During our Stay

While I practice and enjoy being Vegan, I feel the whole process should be fun so I approach it with an open mind. So, rather than holding myself to rigid standards, I am fairly comfortable compromising now and then, especially if I'm in a totally different culture or eating at a phenomenal restaurant. That said, I adhered to fruit for breakfast and salads as often as they were available. At catered cocktail events with beautiful appetizers floating by, I decided to indulge. At a tapas restaurant one evening, again, I indulged in some things I don't normally eat, as they were small bites. It didn't throw my system off because I stuck to very small portions of the foods I normally don't eat. This worked wonderfully as I was able to try everything I wanted without doing a complete 180. And, for the first time ever travelling, I have to confess, I experienced absolutely zero digestive difficulties! This is a major accomplishment as it's always been a challenge anytime I've travelled in the past. Neither did I gain any weight- probably another first 🙂 My energy was definitely down upon my return, which of course 15 hours of travel impacts. However, I really felt the few measures I took, below, gave me the most energy, health and fun experience possible:

Avoiding coffee: I've always overindulged in coffee in the past when travelling. Since I no longer drink it at home, it was easy to maintain the habit- and crucial, since caffeine is dehydrating, acidifying to the body and messes up sleep.
Drinking tons of water.
Lots of herb tea.
Tried to get as much rest as possible.
Eating fresh fruit for breakfast every day. Although I was able to have a couple bites of croissant or omelette- never too much though.
Having salads for or with lunches/dinners daily
Brought digestive enzymes to take prior to meals which might contain products I normally don't eat – admittadly I pretty much always forgot to take them tho!
Again, when indulging in gluten containing products, desserts, meats, dairy I'd only have a very small amount, and this seemed to work great.

Next time, I’ll probably make a few tweaks. While my system was fine if I limited myself to small tastes of the things I normally avoid. I did notice, the more I gave in, the more comfortable I became making less than ideal choices. Also, I noticed my cravings for the foods I'm allergic too (dairy, gluten, sugar) had returned somewhat when I arrived home. The awareness I gained from this trip's experiences helps me understand how to approach travel situations in the future. Yes, I want to experience the country and culture – yet, taking care of my body and soul is my first priority, always, so that I can be present and healthy in all my interactions in the world.

Until next time my friends!

Love,

XOXO

Juliane

What types of tricks do you have for staying healthy and sane during your travels?

The treasure house within you contains everything and you are free to use it. You don't need to seek outside.
- Zen Master Dazhu

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Food

Better Green Tea Boost

Are any of you green tea guzzlers like me?

The good news is that green tea is delicious and full of antioxidants. The not so hot news is our bodies can't actually absorb most of the antioxidants… unless that is, you add a squeeze of lemon to your pot of tea! Vitamin C dramatically increases the amount of catechins available for the body to absorb (from 20% to 80%).

As an added bonus, I've discovered the lemon juice actually bleaches the tea. (I add the lemon plus a few drops of liquid stevia to the loose tea at the bottom of a french press before pouring in the hot water.) Far less staining of your pearly whites!

Tag Archive for: antioxidants

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