Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts with Herbs

In this beautiful dish of sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts, two herbs were teamed together to bring out a delightful experience your taste buds will love! Rosemary and fresh basil are always favorites for many of my dishes and I especially love it in this one. The natural sweetness of the potatoes blends nicely with the brussels sprouts.

Did you know sweet potatoes are very good for keeping your skin clear, smooth and young looking?  The orange color in the potatoes comes from beta-carotene, an antioxidant that converts to vitamin A in your body and switches on DNA that is responsible for producing new skin cells and getting rid of old ones.  That is an idea I love and we can all use smooth and clear skin. Brussels sprouts, believe it or not, have unique health benefits when it comes to your DNA as well.  A recent study showed improved stability of DNA inside our white blood cells after daily consumption of brussels sprouts. The repair and protection of our DNA plays a critical role in preventing cancer and slowing aging. Also, our bodies detox system needs ample amounts of sulfur to work effectively and brussels sprouts are rich in sulfur containing nutrients. Eating these two foods 3-4 times or more weekly helps to improve your immune function, provide you with an abundance of rich nutrients, protects your DNA and helps your body to detox more effectively.

I hope you love sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts as much as I do and will choose to add them to your diet, if you don't already.  There are a few different ways to make this dish.  You can steam the vegetables slightly and then mix with some olive oil, herbs, sea salt and pepper. Then bake for a short time at 350 degrees. The other method is to peel and chop the sweet potatoes, mix with brussels sprouts, olive oil, herbs, sea salt and pepper and bake for 1 hour at 350. Both methods work great.

Many diseases and health problems start with nutritional deficiencies. To avoid these deficiencies, fill up on foods rich in vitamins and minerals (like sweet potatoes & brussels sprouts) every day and limit or eliminate foods that have no benefit to your health.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts with Herbs
Printable Recipe
Serves 4

2 Sweet Potatoes (peeled and chopped)
1 pound fresh or frozen brussels sprouts
1/4 - 1/2  cup fresh basil (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1-2  tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Peel sweet potatoes and chop into cubes.  Mix with brussels sprouts, basil, rosemary, olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Place in 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour.  Do not overcook.  As soon as the sweet potatoes are tender, remove from oven.  ENJOY good health!!

Kimchi Fried Rice

Many of you have purchased a Perfect Pickler and created your own easy Kimchi in just 4 days.  Below is a delicious Kimchi Fried Rice recipe that I think you are going to absolutely love!  With sesame oil, onions, brown rice, sea salt & Kimchi, it is so delicious!  For those of you who haven't discovered the Perfect Pickler yet, click here to see my post and how to make Kimchi.  I hope you will give it a try and let me know how it turns out.  This is a great recipe to use your kimchi and enjoy a traditional korean dish.  With two Korean brothers, I will definitely be making this for them.

 Kimchi Fried Rice – Kimchi Bokumbap)

Serves 4

Printable Recipe

1 - 2 TBS toasted sesame oil

1 ½ cups finely chopped onion

Pinch of coarse salt

2 cups kimchi (the older the better), coarsely chopped

¼ cup kimchi brine

4 cups day-old cooked rice at room temperature.

Garnish with sliced scallion or chives & sesame seeds

Directions:

Sauté the onion with salt in the oil for a few minutes to soften.  Add the kimchi and juice and cook another minute.  Add the rice and mix well, cook about 5 minutes.  Serve garnished with sliced scallions & sesame seeds.

ByJean-Georges Vongerichten, the Kimchi Chronicles

Perfect Brown Rice

Printable Recipe

 

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 tsp olive oil or coconut oil

2 cups filtered water

Fix brown rice by cooking in olive oil or coconut oil until lightly browned.  Quickly pour 2 cups water all at once and put on lid.  Bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 40 minutes until all water is absorbed.

Rawfood101 - DVD Review & Recipe

If you are new to raw foods or confused about what steps to take,  Raw Food 101 is an awesome DVD to get you started. Tanya Alexseeva, Better Raw, lives in London and I absolutely love all that she is doing to help people live healthier lives.  Her 2 1/2 hour DVD is a complete beginners guide to raw food. The DVD is all in chapters so it is extremely easy to follow and go back and forth between the different subjects. I love being able to actually watch the recipes being created.  She starts off with the equipment she uses on a daily basis in her raw kitchen. She then goes on to green smoothies, nut milk and calcium, superfoods, the staples in her kitchen, sprouting, fermenting, dehydrating, sauces & flavors, five minute meals & desserts.  I received permission from Tanya to create one of her recipes from the DVD and I picked her delicious 'Curry in a Hurry' main dish meal. Oh my goodness this was so good with flavor plus!  My daughter dropped by and absolutely loved it too.  The cauliflower has all the properties to help build up your immune system and cleanse your body. It also has a lot of spices to help warm you up and satisfy. The recipe makes four large servings and is good for several days in the refrigerator. I highly recommend Tanya's DVD, even if you are not a beginner to raw foods.  Her recipes are excellent, nutritious and I just love her fun loving personality.  I know you will too.

In Tanya’s class (RawFood101) you will learn all the basics, such as:

◈Which equipment is necessary and which is just for fun

◈What superfoods are all about

◈ The difference between smoothies and juices

◈Why dairy is not the answer to calcium

◈Why fermenting is so important

◈What on earth a dehydrator is and what you can create in it

◈Secrets to staying raw in winter time

◈Guidelines on sprouting at home

◈Practical tips and tricks to creating easy meals and snacks in under five minutes

◈How desserts can very much be a part of your diet

◈Hear truly inspiring success stories

◈Recipes include green smoothies, nut milks, hummus, granola, crackers, sauerkraut, cheese, spaghetti bolognaise, curry, sushi, chocolate, ice cream and more!

Raw Curry in a Hurry

Printable Recipe

Serves 4

1/2 head of cauliflower (trimmed  & roughly chopped)

2 carrots (roughly chopped)

1 cup cashews (soaked until soft)

1/2 avocado

1/4 onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 inch ginger

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes 

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tomatoes

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp + water

Garnish with cilantro.

Place cauliflower & carrots in food processor.  Process by pulsing until it looks about the size of rice and set aside.

Place remaining ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  Add more water if needed until desired consistency.  

Place cauliflower/carrot mixture on plate and pour on sauce.  Garnish with cilantro and ENJOY!

You can follow Tanya on Facebook

Raw Jicama Chili Fries

I absolutely love these delicious Jicama Chili Fries. Jicama (pronounced \ˈhē-kə-mə\ is a a pale brown turnip with a crisp sweet taste. It is the tuberous root of a tropical American vine (Pachyrhizus erosus) of the legume family that is eaten raw or cooked.  The Jicama originated in Mexico. You can find jicamas in most stores. I only used one jicama to produce this big bowl of fries!  Jicama health benefits are numerous! It is low in calories and an excellent source of fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, and vitamins C and E. In fact, 1 cup of jicama contains nearly 6 grams of fiber. Jicama helps keep your cholesterol levels under control and may help protect against heart disease. Eating jicama also helps boost your immune system, promote healthy bones, and protect you against colds and flu - all great reasons for enjoying jicama.  You will love these!

Raw Jicama Chili Fries
Printable Recipe

1 large jicama
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp. sea salt

1.)  Peel and slice jicama into french fry shapes.  Coat well with 1 tsp. olive oil.  Add chili powder, nutritional yeast and salt.  Mix well and serve.

Tender Green Bean with Mushroom & Lemon peel

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
I created this beautiful and delicious green bean dish tonight for dinner and served it with the Chick'n Salad Sandwich (Post Below).  The fresh, tender green beans were sooo....good. You have to give this one a try.  You could serve this at any holiday meal as well.

Tender Green Bean with Mushroom & Lemon Peel                                          
(Printable Recipe)

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Saute:
1 Portebello Mushroom, diced

2 tab. yellow onion diced

1/4 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. olive oil

salt &  pepper


Steam:
1 lb. fresh tender green beans
1/4 cup water

Sauce:
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tab. Vegenaise

1/8 tsp. dried dill

Rind of 1 lemon (use lemon zester to make long thin slices)

Cook mushroom, onions and oregano in olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Cook until mushrooms look soft and turn color. Remove from pan.


Add 1/4 cup water to pan you cooked mushroom in. Add green beans and simmer with lid on until water has disappeared. Remove green beans and put in bowl.


Mix sauce well and stir into green beans. Add mushroom mixture.
Add rind of lemon to green beans and mix. Enjoy.