Posts

+ Bonus Recipes for Mint Chip Ice Cream & Pudding

Perfect for St. Patty's Day - & every other day of the year!

 

Mintchip
 

Rich. Creamy. St. Patty's Day decadence…

That won't weigh us down the next day!  In fact, this jar of deliciousness is an ultimate uplift to our body, mind & spirit.  Breakfast, lunch, snack or dessert, Mint Chocolate Chip Supreme is so yummy we'll be making it long after St. Patty's Day's gone.  

While our tastebuds revel in crazy deliciousness we'll feel even more amazing knowing this sweet treat is brimming with …

 

  • The power of Chlorophyll (!) … which aids in gastrointestinal problems, promotes formation of hemoglobin and red blood cells, treats bad breath, detoxifies toxins that cause cancer, benefits the assimilation of calcium while balancing other trace minerals to rebuild, replace, and exchange with new tissue, fights infections and possesses bacteriostic properties that kill harmful bacteria and antiseptic properties that kill germs by strengthening the tissues.
  • Easily assimilated plant protein from avocado which contains all the amino acids set for our metabolism to assemble into complete proteins. This takes a load off our pancreas from wasting cancer cell fighting proteolytic enzymes for breaking down meat proteins.
  • Natural vitamin E, avocado's powerful antioxidant that helps prevent cancer. Synthetic vitamin E can be toxic.
  • Avocado's ability to help the liver manufacture glutathione, considered the master antioxidant by health experts. Glutathione refreshes & recycles spent antioxidants from other sources.
  • Master mineral magnesium, involved with over 300 metabolic processes & abundant in avocado. Two masters in one tasty shake! Not bad.
  • Lutein, vitamin E and monounsaturated oleic fatty acid (which improves heart health & lowers blood pressure) all provided by, you guessed it, the avocado!
  • Brain function improvement. Did you know avocados are a close 2nd to blueberries for promoting brain health, according to Dr. Steven Pratt, author of Superfoods Rx: Fourteen Foods Proven to Change Your Life?
  • Health-promoting flavonoids and poly-phenolics, such as lutein, zeaxanthin, beta and alpha carotenes, from the banana, which act as free radical-gobbling antioxidants.
  • High vitamin C content, most known for its infection-fighting properties, again from our friend banana.
  • 467 mg of potassium from the banana, important for controlling our heart rate and blood pressure.
  • Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) from the banana, providing around 28% of what is needed daily to help prevent anemia and coronary artery disease.
  • Fiber in abundance from the avocado, chia & banana helps keep our digestive system regulated.
  • Magnesium in the banana helps strengthen our bones and protects our heart.
  • An adequate amount of copper from that one banana to keep up the production of red blood cells.
  • And then there's the Chia Seed (Read here to see some of it's amazing bennies)!

Recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothies (Serves 2)

*Bonus Recipes for Mint Chip Ice-Cream & Pudding at end! 

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 ripe avocado (or sub a Tbsp coconut oil)
  • 1/2 reeeeeaaally ripe frozen banana
  • 2 Tbsp mint flavored liquid chlorophyll (chlorophyll has great detoxification power & should be implemented gradually. Feel free to substitute peppermint extract or a handful of mint.)
  • 2 Tbsp cacao powder (or carob powder)
  • vanilla powder to taste (or vanilla extract)
  • a touch of sea salt to taste 
  • stevia or your favorite sweetener to taste
  • 2 Tbsp white chia seeds (I don't recommend using black chia seed in this as it can have a stronger thickening action that's a bit too viscous for this application.  However, if it's what you've got on hand try starting with just 1-2 tsp.  The black chia does vary in it's properties from brand to brand so perhaps yours will work fine. I recommend Chia Seed from The Chia Co.)
  • 4 cups fresh nut milk (more or less depending on your thickness preference. Filtered water works surprisingly well too. Feel free to add a few ice-cubes in place of some of the liquid on warmer days for even thicker shake consistency)
  • Cacao Nibs, reserved for garnishing (optional)

 Method:

  1. Nothing to it!  Throw everything except the cacao nibs into a Vitamix and blend. Garnish with the cacao nibs and enjoy 🙂  

*Feel free to pump it up with a handful of greens &/or your favorite green powder (or even some maca) like I do.  Sometimes I'll sub additional chia seed if I'm out of avocado and it's just as creamy and delish.

If you're in the mood for Pudding: use 1 (or 2) whole room temp banana, 1/2 (to 1 whole) avocado, omit the chia, and scale the nutmilk waaaaaay back, adding just a touch of liquid to get the Vitamix moving- by using the tamper you may find you don't need any liquid at all.  

Mint Chip Ice-cream you ask?  Of course! Simply blend 2 frozen bananas, a little stevia, 1-2 Tbsp cacao & mint extract using the tamper to move things along in your high speed blender (Vitamix recommended).  Yummy!!  So many options 🙂

 

Are you Irish?  If so, Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!!

Do you have any plans for St. Patty's Day?

 

All Love,

~Juliane

 

Thank you for visiting!

 

Please Comment, Like, Subscribe & Share!

 & Cocao Crispies

IMG_4612
Maple Cinnamon Crispies & Strawberries awaiting creamy Almond Milk

Maple Cinnamon Crispies (and Cocoa Crispies), a recipe from the beautiful book, Raw Food Real World, by the equally beautiful Sarma Melngailis, falls into the addictive category for me. Not only are they delicious served in a bowl of creamy Almond milk (they remain nice & crispy in milk too!) but, since I find myself daydreaming of their crisp, sweet deliciousness, they're currently my favorite snack as well… a perfect nibble alongside a cup of tea. Fortunately, they're also quick and easy to make! 

Buckwheat isn't actually a grain, but rather, an edible fruit seed which is easy for the body to digest, unlike grains, which increase acidity in the body, upsetting its pH balance. An overly acidic body is a magnet for sickness, disease, cancer and aging. Eating more alkaline foods helps shift your body's pH and oxygenates your system, keeping your body healthy, functioning correctly and even preventing and combating cancer.

Maple Cinnamon Crispies (and Cocoa Crispies) is one of the first recipes I made using my Excalibur dehydrator, a raw foodist's tool for many recipes. The dehydrator achieves the ability to warm and "cook" ingredients in a processs which retains almost 100% of the nutritional content of the food as well as the alkalinity of fresh produce while simultaneously inhibiting the growth of microforms such as bacteria. If you don't have a dehydrator, you could substitute your oven on it's lowest setting, leaving the door slightly ajar (to achieve a temp. of 115 F). Be sure to purchase raw buckwheat groats for this recipe, not the toasted type called kashi.

Enjoy!

IMG_4613
Maple Cinnamon Buckwheat Crispies

Maple Cinnamon Buckwheat Crispies & Cocoa Crispies (Serves 4-6)

Recipe from the beautiful book: Raw Food Real World by Matthew Kenney & Sarma Melngailis

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups buckwheat groats, soaked for at least 1 hour (will yield about 3 1/2 cups)
  • 3/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 packets stevia
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt

Method:

  1. Rinse buckwheat groats to get rid of extra starchiness.
  2. Place groats in food processor along with remaining ingredients. Pulse until combined but not pureed, until it looks like soupy oatmeal.
  3. Divide between two Teflex-lined dehydrator trays, spreading to about 1/8" thick with an offset spatula. Dehydrate at 115 F for 8-12 hours until top is dry to touch & teflex peels away easily. (If using your oven on lowest setting with door propped to achieve consistent 115F, spread on a nonstick baking matt or secured nonstick foil so doesn't slip when spreading.)
  4. Set a second dehydrator tray lined with only mesh screen this time, over each partially dehydrated sheet of buckwheat crispies. Flip two trays over in order to then remove top tray & peel away teflex. Place flipped buckwheat back into dehydrator for an additional few hours until completely dry and crunchy.
  5. Break into pieces and store in airtight container. You may also store in fridge for maximum freshness for up to a few weeks.

Cocoa Crispies:  Replace the cinnamon with 2 heaping tablespoons of organic cocoa powder or carob powder.

 

You may also enjoy: Vibrant Pear & Fuji Salad with Pecans & Cheddar