Live healthy and vibrant with delicious food...P.S. ya mamma.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Cancer and The Body's pH

Maintaing a healthy pH of 7.365 is integral for all healthy bodies. Particularly when someone is battling cancer or at high risk for cancer. An alkaline pH is required for all cells, tissues and organs to function optimally and specifically for a healthy immune system. When the body’s pH falls below 7.365 the body becomes very acidic(the condition is called acidosis) and creates an environment where disease can thrive, particularly cancer. When the pH of cancer cells goes above 7.5 it dies and if it goes above 8.0 it will die much much quicker.
So eating an alkaline diet rich in nutrient dense fruits, vegetables, leafy greens and sprouts is one of the best things you can do to prevent or battle(dare I say CURE) cancer. Our diet should always be 80% alkaline and 20% acidic to maintain a healthy pH of 7.365. If you look at our alkaline and acidic food chart you’ll notice that the highly alkaline foods are all of your greens and most of your fruits and vegetables. You’ll also notice that your very acidic foods are animal flesh, fats and oils, cooked starches, pharmaceuticals, alcohol, cooked grains, cooked beans and legumes(I specify cooked, because sprouted grains and beans are alkalizing to your body). Let’s examine a standard American meal of a cheeseburger and french fries; The bun is most likely processed and bleached grain flour: acidic. The bun is probably sprinkled with sesame or poppy seeds; acidic. Then there is both animal flesh and cheese made of cow’s milk; acidic. Finally this acid-bath of a meal is served with a side of starchy root vegetable fried in oil; SUPER ACID CITY . 
Now let’s examine a salad loaded with tons of delicious greens such as spinach, romaine lettuce, kale, chard, collard and dandelion greens; alkaline. On that salad may be a variety of healthy vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, peas, sprouts, pears, strawberries, apples and zuchinni; alkaline. Finally lets sprinkle this salad with some pumpkin seeds, almonds or sunflower seeds; alkaline. SUPER ALKALINE BLISS.
A great way to maintain a healthy pH and a balanced diet is to look at your plates of food like a pie chart. Creating meals to be 80% alkaline and 20% acidic for optimal pH balancing. Or for someone who is trying to rid their body of existing cancer cells, go super alkaline pushing your pH to 7.5 or above until all of the cancer cells are gone.
We have a good friend named Pat who cured herself of colon cancer by eating raw foods and drinking alkalizing greens smoothies. Check out the PowerHouse smoothie in our juicing vs. blending section. Or for those of you who like to stay away from all sugars including fruit, may enjoy the green smoothie invented by my friend Teresa who is a nurse of holistic medicine at Natures Garden Wellness Center.
 We call this one:
 “Teresa’s Veggie Drink”
2 large handfulls of dark leafy greens
6-12 sprigs of cilantro
½ an avocado
1 lemon peeled
1 roma tomato
1 slice of onion
1 clove of garlic
1 thumb sized chunk of ginger
a pinch of cayenne
2 cups of distilled water
Blend it all together and enjoy!
In addition to these foods being very alkalizing, detoxifying, and energizing they are all very high in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and enzymes when eaten raw. Even if you’re not battling cancer or at high risk for getting it, consuming an alkalizing diet is just a great idea for anyone who wants to feel they’re best, age gracefully and have a super immune system.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Easter Brunch Recipes- Raw vs Cooked Oatmeal

Fruit Filled Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients:
2 cups organic whole rolled oats
1 cup organic skim milk
2 cage free vegetarian eggs
1T Brown Sugar
1T Cinnamon
1/4 t Baking Powder
1/8t sea salt
1/2 cup organic blueberries
1/2 cup dried organic cranberries
1 organic apple (skinned and thinly sliced)
Directions:
Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl mix milk and eggs. Whip together until fully blended. Stir in the milk and egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Pour the mixture into an 8x8 baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or the top begins to brown. When fully cooked, cut into squares and serve with skim milk and any toppings that sound delicious!
Breakfast Potatoes
Ingredients:
3 organic Yukon Gold Potatoes
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 T Rosemary Leaves
1/2 t Sea Salt
1/2 t Garlic Powder
Directions:
Slice potatoes into 1 inch chunks. In a mixing bowl stir together potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, garlic powder and sea salt until potatoes are completely covered. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and place in the oven at 375 degrees. After 10 minutes in the oven, turn the potatoes and continue to bake for 10 more minutes. Once lightly browned remove from oven and serve.    
Raw Oatmeal and Fresh berries with Cashew Cream and Cinnamon Zuchinni Wafers
Raw Oatmeal
Ingredients:
2 Cups of oat groats soaked
1 apple, cored but with the skin on.
2 Tablespoons of your favorite Raw sweetener. I suggest Raw Honey or 4 soaked dates. Some people use maple syrup also even though it’s not raw.
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon raw coconut oil
½ cup of water
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a blender or high powered food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. This comes out to the consistency of cooked oatmeal, but way more nutrient packed since none of it’s enzymes and vitamins have been cooked out of it. Sooo delicious!
Fresh Berries with Raw Vanilla Cashew Cream
Ingredients:
For the fresh berries I suggest;
 Strawberries
 Blueberries
 black berries
 raspberries
Directions:
Combine them all in a bowl and display them beautifully. Cover them with raw cashew cream and devour.
Raw Vanilla Cashew Cream 
Ingredients:
1 Cup cashews, soaked 2 hours
2 Tablespoons raw honey(or your favorite raw sweetener)
1/4-1/2 cup purified water
1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
Directions:
Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.
Raw Cinnamon Zucchini Wafers
Ingredients:
2 Cups golden flax seeds, ground
1 Cup pecans, soaked 6-8 hours
1 ½ Cups raisins, soaked 4-6 hours
1 Cup Zuchini
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
Directions:
Grind the flax seeds in a coffee grinder or blender. 
Process the pecans to a meal in a food processor fitted with the S blade.
In a blender, process the raisins and zuchinni until smooth. Add some of the raisin soak water to blend. Combine the ground flax seed,s pecans, raisins, and zucchini in a mixing bowl, add the cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, cardamom and sea salt.
Spread the mixture ¼ inch thick onto teflex sheets or unbleached parchment paper and dehydrate at 105 degrees for 6-8 hours. They should be crispy and delicious when done.



Saturday, April 16, 2011

Pizza Recipes That Will Make You Smile

Amazing Fresh Veggie Pizza with a Little Kick

Usually when I make pizza for the family or friends, I go with the time saving option of buying pre-made crust and sauce, and then adding on our own veggies and shredded cheese to personalize it. If you’re looking to make pizza from scratch, my daughter and I love to use this recipe while making a big mess in the process!

Pizza Dough Recipe
  1. 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
  2. 1 cup warm water -110 degrees F
  3. 2 cups whole wheat flour
  4. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  5. 1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
  6. 2 teaspoons baking grade unbleached sugar
Pizza Sauce Recipe

  1      6-8 organic tomatoes (peeled and seeded) 
  2      2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  3      3 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
  4      2 tablespoons fresh oregano
  5      2 tablespoons fresh basil
  6      2 tablespoons natural applesauce (trust me)
Suggested Toppings

Sliced Red Pepper
Sliced Tomato
Red Onion (Caramelized)
Baby Spinach 
Fresh Mozzarella 
Shredded Smoked Gouda
Red Pepper Flakes
  
Directions
  1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, olive oil, salt, sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Mix well until dough has formed. Cover and rise for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. 
  4. While dough is rising, heat 2T olive oil in a large sauce pan. As oil heats, place minced garlic and heat until garlic is warm but not browned. 
  5. In a food processor or blender, toss in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, and applesauce. Give it a whirl a few times until you’ve reached a lightly chunky texture. (Blend more if you’d like smoother sauce) 
  6. Pour the sauce into the heated sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and stir every now and then until sauce is reduced to a delicious texture. 
  7. Spoon the sauce onto the pre tossed dough, cover with veggies and cheese and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes.
(I recommend rotating the pie 180 degrees at the 10 minute mark for even baking.)   
Serve with a salad of mixed greens, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries with a dressing of one part extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.     
Raw Pizza
Ingredients For the Living Buckwheat Pizza Crust: 
2 Cups soaked and sprouted buckwheat
1/3 Cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
5 sun dried tomatoes, soaked or in oil
3/4 Cup chopped carrots
2/3 cup soaked flax seeds
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Organic Italian seasoning
Ingredients for the Raw Pizza Sauce:
3 cups of Chopped Tomatoes. I like to use roma tomatoes because they’re firmer and less juicy. They make the sauce a bit thicker.
3 dates
3 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup of fresh Basil(If you can’t find fresh basil, use ¼ cup dried basil)
1 teaspoon Organic Italian Seasoning.
¼ Cup Ground walnuts (optional)
Directions:
For the pizza crust. Soak the buckwheat groats for about 2 hours and then drain. You can leave them to sit on your counter in a colander or a strainer with a towel over them. They will begin to sprout within 6-8 hours. The minute you see the tiniest sprout coming out of them, place them in the fridgerator. It has been to my experience that if buckwheat is allowed to sprout for too long, it becomes a little bitter. In a high powered food processor blend the buckwheat, carrots, olive oil, garlic, sundried tomatoes, sea salt and Italian Seasoning. Mix in the flax seeds by hand until the mixture feels like bread dough. Spread the mixture ½ inch thick on teflex trays and place in a dehydrator for 6-8 hours at 105 degrees.
For the Pizza sauce:
Place all of the pizza sauce ingredients in a blender or high powered food processor and blend until it is the consistency of thick delicious pizza sauce. The ground walnuts will thicken it up a bit creating more of a paste.
Spread the pizza sauce on the top of the pizza crust and top with your favorite toppings. May I suggest:
Olives                                                             Tomatoes
Mushrooms                                                    Cucumbers
Red Peppers                                                    Fresh Herbs 
Banana peppers                                              Yellow Peppers
Zucchini                                                          Sun dried tomatos
Red Onion                                                       Pineapple
Sunflower Sprouts                                           Avocado
Alfalfa sprouts                                               Shredded cabbage
Broccoli Sprouts                                            Nutritional Yeast
Pine nuts                                                         Sweet potatoes 
This is the most delicious and energizing pizza you will ever eat. ENJOY!!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Stay Thirsty My Friends...The Importance of Staying Hydrated

-75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
-The thirst mechanism in the human body is often mistaken for hunger. 
-Even mild dehydration can slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.
-One glass of water stopped hunger pangs in 100% of dieters studied.
-Dehydration is the number one trigger of daytime fatigue.
-Research shows that 8-10 glasses of water a day can greatly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of those who suffer.
-Just a 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short term memory trouble and difficulty focusing on a computer screen or on a printed page.
-Drinking 5 glasses of water daily cuts the risk of colon cancer by 45%, breast cancer by 79% and bladder cancer by 50%.
-Every last cell and system in our bodies needs proper hydration to function at it’s maximum capacity.
*Taken from a University of Washington study. More information can be found at http://moveit4.org/nutrition/nutrition_sub/000009.php

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Raw and Cooked Green Baby Food

This one is for all of those super smart mothers or babysitters out there. As many of you know, COOKED and his wife have a beautiful baby daughter, Ella. So far she only likes to eat fruit, squash, carrots and sweet potatoes. We have tried sweet peas and green beans, but she turns her face and refuses to open her mouth. Any suggestions on other green veggies to try and how to prepare them?

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Milwaukee's Celebrity Chef Edition

We are honored to have two delicious recipes from two of Milwaukee’s most exciting chefs. This week’s recipes mark the kick off of our monthly Milwaukee Celebrity Chef Edition!! 
In RAW’s Corner: 
Caroline Carter
Chef Caroline is the co-author of "A Mother and Daughter Diary of Raw Food Recipes for Beginners", the creator of Caroline's Handmade Flax Seed Crackers and Granola, co-host of the Milwaukee Public Television series 'Cooking Raw', and a licensed and certified raw foods chef, instructor, and motivational speaker.   Chef Caroline has undergone extensive raw food training through internationally renowned raw food educational programs. 
In COOKED’s Corner:
Andrew Scheufele
For the last 3 years, Chef Andrew has been the creative power behind the latest dishes and weekly specials at Cafe Lulu, the cornerstone of the Bay View Area’s restaurant and nightlife scene.  LuLu is a funky bar and cafe serving unique hot sandwiches, fresh salads, and a daily soup along with a variety of imported & domestic beers & wines, local & national microbrews, and fun, seasonal specialty drinks. Andrew came up with this exotic recipe the day that David Carradine, legendary Kung Fu Master and actor passed away, thus the name, Kung Fu Tofu.
Raw Recipe 
A la Pesto Pasta……….showing me some love
Equipment:
Food processor
Garnishing machine (use a potato peeler if you do not have this equipment)
Ingredients:
  • 1/2  - 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 3 cups baby spinach leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • Pinch sea salt
  • 1 cup pine or walnuts
  • ¼ to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 zucchinis
 Instructions:
  1. To prepare the pesto, combine all the ingredients, except the zucchini, in a food processor and pulse a few times to blend.  Do not over process the mixture as it will become too oily.
  2. Chop the zucchini in half, widthwise, and place them in the garnishing machine to make the zucchini look like spaghetti.
  3. Top the zucchini with the pesto sauce and enjoy!
I eat my fair share of zucchini when they are in season, which is usually between May and July. The creamy flavor of zucchinis is enhanced when combined with the ingredients in this recipe. Zucchinis are filled with vitamins C and A, fiber, potassium, folate and magnesium.

Appetizers that are deliciously Healthy

Caroline Carter
Certified Raw Food Chef Extraordinaire
Healthy Foods Instructor / Consultant
414-324-5596
Cooked Recipe
Kung Fu Tofu
Requires a trip to your local asian grocery
Ingredients
1 bottle Sesame Oil
6 Garlic cloves
1 can Masaman Curry 4oz
2 can Coconut milk 13.5oz
1 gal Veggie stock
2 Limes
2-3 stalks Lemongrass
3 Lime Leaves
1 Tb Palm Sugar
2oz Thai basil
1 bunch Cilantro
1-2 packages extra firm Tofu 1#
Red Pepper Flakes
12 Button Mushrooms
2 bunches Scallions 

Directions
Smash garlic cloves with the side of a knife blade and peel. In a large stock pot heat 1 oz of sesame oil and add garlic cloves. Sautee for about 5 minutes (do not let the oil get too hot or it will burn). Remove and reserve garlic. Add curry to oil and cook until fragrant.
Add coconut milk and stock. Turn up stove to high heat, and juice limes, add to broth. Cut Lemon grass into fourths or fifths(or whatever will fit in your pot), smash open with the blunt side of a heavy knife, and add to broth. Add lime leaves and garlic.
Simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Add Cilantro and basil. Let steep for 5 minutes. Strain.
Press and drain tofu. Cut into cubes and sauté in sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Use as much or as few pepper flakes as you desire.
Slice mushrooms and scallions as thinly as possible.
To serve soup, ladle broth into bowls, add tofu, mushroom, and scallion.
Substitutions…
Regular basil can be used instead of thai.
1 tb maple syrup and 1 tb brown sugar, combined, can be used in place of palm sugar.
Any curry you desire can be used in place of masaman.
Andrew Scheufele- Head Chef
Cafe Lulu in Milwaukee- (Bay View Area)
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