Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Make Your Own

There are many products on the market that are pre-made for our convenience and budget, but not for our health. These foods generally contain preservatives, food colorings, added salt and sugars, low quality ingredients and many other miscellaneous additives in order to make them tasty and inexpensive. Most of these pre-made foods are actually quite easy to prepare, and all it takes is little bit of time, intiative, and knowledge. So, let me educate you on some common pre-made foods that are incredibly ease to make and will leave your body, tastebuds, and wallet happy. Store bought salad dressing is a common item that I see at many friends and families homes. Have you ever stopped to look at the ingredients label in one of these? One commercial raspberry hazelnut vinaigrette had the following ingredients in it: water, raspberry juice, soybean and olive oil, sugar, corn syrup, vinegar, salt, hazelnuts, onion powder, xanthum gum, sodium benzoate, sorbic acid, calcium disodium EDTA, propylene glycol alginate, citric acid, caramel powder, natural flavor, red #40 and blue #1. Do you really want to be eating this stuff when you can make your own at home with all natural ingredients? There are many recipes available on the Internet but one recipe for this dressing is as simple as mixing olive oil, a vinegar, and raspberry jam. Salad dressing is silly simple to make. The Italians simply dress a salad with a good quality extra virgin olive oil and sea salt, and I must say that it is divine. Basically salad dressing is made with olive oil, a vinegar, maybe Dijon mustard or lemon juice, spices, and a pinch of sugar. Why ingest chemicals to save a few minutes? Another item I see in a lot of pantries is pre-made trail mix which contains added sugar and salt, food coloring, artificial flavors, and even added oils. Save your body and make your own by purchasing the ingredients separately, from bulk bins at the grocery store, and mixing them together. It takes a couple more minutes, but you can make a big batch and it will keep for a while. Try mixing nuts, dried fruits, seeds, and high quality chocolate chips for the sweet tooth. Simple and healthy. I could blog for days on make your own pre-made foods, but that is another project. There are many recipes available on line for easy to make foods such as hummus, pesto, salsa, spaghetti sauce, pizza, hot cocoa, granola, frosting, and cake just to name a few. I hope to one day have a searchable database on this subject when I get my website up and running. Until then, feel free to email any questions you have regarding recipes for pre-made foods and I will be happy to help.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Red Pepper and Walnut Pate

Here is a delicious raw food pate that is super easy to make and wonderful served with raw crackers, cut up veggies, fresh bread, or on a sandwich. It has a beautiful color and would make a nice addition to any summer evening gathering. Enjoy!

2 cups walnuts
1 red bell pepper
2 stalks celery
2 Tablespoons red onion or green onions
salt and lemon juice to taste

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until it is a pate like consitency. Taste and adjust salt and lemon to your liking. Serve as is or chill and serve later.