It is picnic season!  Sandwiches are one of the easiest things to pack for picnics, or for lunch on busy days when you know you are going to need to grab something quickly to eat.  There is an art to sandwich making, and this recipe takes a new spin on some classic ingredients.  You can make this as an open faced sandwich with one piece of bread, or you can make a classic sandwich with two pieces of bread.

Picnic Hummus Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

1 or 2 pieces of whole grain bread (we used gluten free bread made out of sorghum flour and chia seeds)
2 Tbsp hummus
1 Tbsp tahini
roasted or grilled vegetables of your choice (we used asparagus, sweet potato, and red pepper)
2 Tbsp sauerkraut
handful fresh sprouts

Directions:
1. Toast the bread.
2. Spread hummus and tahini over the bread.
3. Place the roasted vegetable toppings over the hummus.
4. Top with sauerkraut and fresh sprouts.

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What about healthy breasts?

It is possible to enjoy an ice cream this summer, without sacrificing your breast health  However, we’re not talking about the stereotypical tub of ice cream that is loaded with artificial falvourings, refined sugar, and dairy.  With so much uncertainity around the level of hormones and antibiotics found in dairy, eating ice cream all summer long is probably not the best idea for your breast health.

The cells found in breasts are sensitive to hormonal changes in the body, so any consumption of synthetic hormones, such as xeno estrogens (found in the environment in such things as plastic products) can interfere with the proper balance of hormones in your body.  Non-organic dairy products tend to contain a wide variety of hormones, such as Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), which is used to increase the amount of milk that cows produce.  rBGH can cause excessive growth inside the human body too, which poses a risk for cancerous cells growing in breast tissue.

What kind of ice cream are you talking about?

So, if you have a deep love affair with ice cream, we are not trying to win you over with this alternative recipe (well, maybe, just a little).  Our philosophy is that you have to love the food that you are eating.  And if you are going to indulge in eating something that is not necesarilly the healthiest choice, such as normal ice cream, enjoy it as an ocassional treat and aboslutly love every moment of the experience.

However, for your every day enjoyment this summer, you can try out this delicious alternative, which is made without any dairy at all!  Plus, enjoy this recipe if you are gluten free, sugar free, or following a diet that requires you to eliminate many foods.

Banana Cream Chocolate and Chunky Almond Ice Cream

1 frozen banana (cut into pieces prior to freezing for ease)
1/3 cup alternative milk of your choice (almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk)
1/4 cup super dark chocolate chunks or chips (or use cacao nibs instead of in addition)
1 Tbsp chunky almond butter

*Feel free to use the banana and alternative milk as the base for any type of ice cream.  If you don’t like chocolate or almonds, you can mix in other ingredients to create a different flavour.  For example- you could do berries or peanut butter or fresh mint leaves.

Directions:
1. Use a high power blender (such as a Vitamix).  Blend together the banana and choice of milk until creamy and thick.
2. Remove from blender and stir in the chocolate pieces and almond butter.
3. Serve immediately!  If you want to freeze this for later, you will need to take out of the freezer about 20 minutes before eating in order to soften the ice cream.

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To eat fruit with my food or not? That is the question.

There are two camps of people- one group loves fruit in their salad, from fresh slivers of mandarin oranges to plump strawberries to crisp fall pear slices.  The second group likes to keep their salads savoury, distinctly separate from their fruit.

When it comes to food combining, there are a wide array of opinions and thoughts as to whether it is a good idea to eat fruit with your other foods.  The art of food combining is based on simple biological facts about the human body.  It takes a lot longer to digest protein than it does to digest simple sugars…the time difference between the two being several hours.  Some people, especially those with sensitive tummies, find that they experience indigestion and digestive woes when they eat certain types of foods together, but feel fine when they eat those foods separately.

It only takes 20 minutes for the body to break down fruit in the stomach and pass it along to the intestinal tract.  While, it can take several hours for a piece of protein to pass from the stomach to the intestines.  The problems can occur when a quickly digestible food gets stuck in the stomach.  If your stomach is full of a heavy meal and then you eat some fruit on top of it, that fruit could potentially be waiting in your stomach to get digested for a couple of hours.  Within this time period the fruit can start to ferment in the stomach, instead of being broken down and assimilated properly in the intestinal tract.  Fermentation in the stomach can cause pain, gas, and bloating.

So, is it ok to eat fruit in my salad?

1. If you are eating salad at the beginning of a meal, feel free to enjoy fruit in your salad.  Vegetables are also digested rather quickly (although not as rapidly as fruit), so you shouldn’t encounter any issues.  Allow yourself 10 minutes between courses, before you move onto the heavier portion of your meal.

2. Avoid eating fruit in the middle of your meal, if you are eating a heavier protein or fat (fats also take a longer time to digest).

3. As with anything, this is a personal process and different for everyone.  Not everyone has challenges with food combining.  Listen to your body to determine if you feel fine eating fruit with your salad or meals.

4. There are exceptions – Some fruits contain naturally occurring digestive enzymes, which help you digest other food.  Papaya, pineapple and mango are all known for their digestive supportive properties.  The recipe below is a delicious way to enjoy arugula, because the sweetness of the mango balances the bitterness of the greens.  Plus, arugula is also great for enhancing digestion.

Mango Arugula Salad

2-3 cups arugula
1/2 mango, cut in cubes

Dressing:
handful walnuts or pecans
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey or maple syrup
pinch sea salt

Directions:

1. In a food processor blend together the dressing ingredients.
2. Cut the mango and place on top of arugula.
3. Drizzle the dressing on top.

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Lemon Rosemary Salmon

1 or 2 filets of salmon
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp lemon rind, grated or chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped finely
1 tsp honey
2 tsp olive oil
pinch sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Mix together the garlic, lemon, rosemary, honey, olive oil, and sea salt.
3. Spread the mixture on top of the salmon on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10-12  minutes, or until cooked through.

Caraway Cabbage Slaw

2 cups purple cabbage, chopped finely
2 cups green cabbage, chopped finely
1 apple, sliced in thin strips
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 lemon, juiced
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp sea salt

Directions:
1. Chop the cabbage and apple.
2. Mix together the lemon and olive oil.
3. Toss together the cabbage and apple with the dressing, sea salt, and caraway seeds.  Let sit for 20 minutes before eating, to soften and absorb the seasoning.

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Looking for some new breakfast ideas?  We get tired of the same old thing over and over again.  We love yogurt, but when we are dealing with congestion, inflammation and seasonal allergies, staying away from the dairy is usually helpful.  And when you are on an alkaline diet and trying to eat more foods that reduce risk of cancer, staying away from dairy is also helpful.  In an attempt to make a creamy yogurt alternative we stumbled upon this creation:

Green Breakfast Pudding

1/2 banana (cut in chunks and frozen is best)

1/2 avocado
1/3 cup dairy free milk (such as almond milk, rice milk, or coconut milk)
handful of kale or spinach (optional)

Topping Options:
walnuts or other nuts
dried coconut
berries
granola
cacao nibs
hempseeds or other seeds

Directions:
1. Blend the banana, avocado, dairy free milk, and greens in a blender until creamy and smooth.  Using a Vitamix or other high power blender is highly recommended for this.
2. Pour into a bowl and top with ingredients of your choice.

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Sorrel is a beautiful, not so popular, leafy green with a unique lemony sour taste. Traditionally sorrel has been steeped as a tea in herbal medicine, however it can also be enjoyed as a food, especially in the spring.

Sorrel is rich in tannins, which helps to dry up mucous and reduce congestion.  It is rich in antioxidants, which support the immune system and help to keep you healthy.  Interestingly, sorrel has even been used to help prevent cancer.  Essiac tea, developed by the Ojibwa Indians of Canada, is used to prevent cancer and is composed of four different herbs- sorrel being one of them.  This particular tea was used in a study published by the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in 2006, and showed significant antioxidant capacity.

Roasted Turnips and Sorrel Salad

2 cups sorrel leaves
2 turnips
2 carrots
1 cup leek, chopped
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp high heat cooking oil (such as ghee/clarified butter)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp maple syrup
sea salt to taste

sunflower seeds

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.  Chop the turnips and carrots into small cubes.
2. Toss together the turnips, carrots, leeks, sea salt, dried parsley, and high heat cooking oil.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until starting to crisp.
3. Mix together the dressing ingredients.
4. Let the roasted vegetables cool for a few minutes.
5. Toss together the roasted vegetables and sorrel.  Top with some sunflower seeds.

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Quinoa, Herbs & Goji Berry Super Salad

1 cup adzuki beans or small red beans, cooked
1 cup quinoa, cooked
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/8 cup dill or mint, chopped
2 carrots, grated
1 green onions, chopped finely
1/3 cup cashews
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds  or sunflower seeds
1/4 cup goji berries

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp honey
1 small clove garlic, minced

Directions:
1. Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix together the dressing ingredients.
3. Toss everything together.

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