ecoPharmacist

Spaghetti Squash Tacos

I was staring into the pantry tonight, wondering what to make for dinner. There on the shelf sat two spaghetti squash. They were screaming my name! But I just was not in the mood for spaghetti. We had it a while on winter vacation in Sunriver. I wanted to uphold my traditional Taco Tuesdays…then it hit me! I am going to try a twist on my Mexican favorite…Spaghetti Squash Tacos!!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ tbsp chili powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp sea salt
• Sixteen 6-inch corn tortillas
• 1 can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 avocado, chopped
• chopped cilantro
• favorite salsa

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and spray pan with coconut oil cooking spray. You will then need to cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and roast the halves facedown on baking pan for 35-40 minutes or until flesh is soft. This method keeps the squash moist and I think cooks it faster.

2. Once the squash is cooked, remove it from oven and allow to cool 5-10minutes, you then scrape the flesh of the squash with a fork to loosen and separate the strands. The strands come out just like spaghetti! Add the strands of ‘noodles’ to a bowl and throw away the skins.

3. In a separate bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, coriander, and salt, whisk in lemon juice and pour over squash strands. Gently toss to mix seasonings throughout, taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. I think that depending on your palate, the seasonings will need to be adjusted. I have found that the lemon dilutes the spices too much on occasion.

4. Heat a dry skillet, or it you are a die hard Mexican food lover like me, a tortilla pan, over medium heat and warm tortillas one at a time until slightly blistered on each side, about 30-45 seconds per side. You can burn them quickly, so pay attention!

5. To create the tacos, transfer warmed tortillas to your plate and add a spoonful of black beans, a scoop of seasoned squash, a little dollop of Greek yogurt, finely chopped tomatoes and avocados. If you like other toppings on your tacos, go for it! Create them as you wish! I like to top mine with a cilantro, onion and lime juice mix. Oh and don’t forget your favorite salsa! Make it your own taco the way you like it! ENJOY!!

This was amazing and the kids enjoyed a change on the usual Taco Tuesday! Made for a new texture and was creative…fun in the kitchen!

Christmas Tree Holiday Salad

I am always searching for new, healthy dishes for the holidays. I look for unique, healthy and colorful. The colors add to the health benefits, and knowing that what you eat, is good for you inside and out, makes enjoying the dish that much easier! I am not sure what it is about pomegranate seeds that scream festive, but they just do to me! I stumbled across a recipe that is now on my list of must tries. The recipe and post come from vegan cookbook author Kathy Patalksy, and her website healthyhappylife.com.

Ms Patalksy explained on her blog that she accidentally created this beautiful salad, that just screams Christmas Festivities! Thank you Kathy for this beautiful, healthy salad and your recipe:

This Christmas Tree Holiday Salad will fill your holiday season table with cheer! And healthy-deliciousness too. Dive in. Twinkly lights not needed for this shiny-fabulous tree..

Shopping Tip. Make sure you buy organic, super fresh chard since it is your main ingredient! Look for perky green leaves with plenty of “bounce” in their movement. Wash and pat dry your chard leaves very well.

Nutrition Bonus! This salad is filled with healthy things. Those pomegranate seeds are loaded with antioxidants. The pecans are rich in healthy fats and minerals. The chard is loaded with vitamins and minerals – including even more free radical fighting antioxidants. The citrus is rich in vitamin C. The dried fruit and pretty much all of the ingredients are rich in fiber.

And in case you didn’t notice, this salad is DELICIOUS even though it has no oil added. The only fat comes built in from those crunchy raw pecans.

Christmas Tree Salad – aka Raw Chard Pecan Pom Salad
makes about 6-7 cups

1 bunch organic swiss chard (red or green will work) – rinsed well + sliced into thin ribbons
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds (about the amount from from 1 medium pomegranate)
3/4 cup frozen red globe grapes, sliced*
2 satsuma mandarin oranges, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1/4-1/2 cup chopped pecans, raw
2 Tbsp dried cranberries (or another dried fruit like dried golden raisins or even chopped dates!) – organic
1 small honeycrisp apple, organic – chopped

*tip: those frozen grapes help to keep the salad nice and cool for you and your holiday guests! I simply freeze the grapes, then right before I slice and toss with the salad, I run them under warm to hot water to quickly “thaw” the outside layer. This washes off any ice crystals too. It also seems to easily release lots of sweet grape flavor!

“dressing/seasonings”
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup, grade B
1/3 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp fine black pepper
1/8 tsp coriander
a pinch of cayenne (optional, but warms up things nicely)
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
a few pinches of satsuma orange zest

(feel free to use your own seasonings as desired as well – or use your own favorite dressing.)

star topper: 1 slice of toast (I used sprouted grain)

Other optional ingredients that would be fabulous: pear, avocado, dates, bell pepper, corn, grains like quinoa or brown rice, beans, tomatoes, diced roasted squash or sweet potato …… gosh, pretty much anything yummy would be beautiful in this salad!

Directions: Simply prep all your ingredients and toss them with the dressing/spices in a large bowl. Toss and mix very well since this will help to distribute the flavors and infuse the chard with flavor. You can serve right away or chill in the fridge for up to 12 hours in advance before serving. Any longer and your chard will begin to get a bit soft. Serve raw and chilled. Top it! For the “star” tree topper, simply toast any slice of bread and using either your knife (free-hand) or a star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out a toast star to top the tree salad.

Again, thank you Kathy for making this amazing salad! Maybe it will become a favorite for many to come!

Article, recipe and photograph from Kathy Patalksy and healthyhappylife.com

Pasta With Green Olive Pesto

Pasta With Green Olive Pesto

This delicious recipe is vegan and very healthy! Perfect for back to school energy. It’s also really easy and did I already say delicious?

Ingredients:

1 pound of spaghetti

2 cloves of garlic (peeled)

1/4 cup (3 ounces) Niçoise or other green olives (pitted)

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup pitted kalamata or other black olives (chopped)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. Cook the spaghetti al dente, according to the package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water and drain.
2. Meanwhile, add the garlic, green olives, parsley, and basil to a food processor. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and process until fully incorporated.
3. In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the olive pesto for 2 minutes.
4. Add the spaghetti, reserved pasta water, black olives, and salt and cook until the water is absorbed and the spaghetti is heated through.
5. Enjoy!

I hope you will love this delicious dinner as much as me!

Today’s Kids Corner was written by: Kaila, 12

Raw Easter Brownie Bites

Raw Easter Brownie Bites

(Makes 6-8 Brownie Bites)

Ingredients:

2/3 Cup Medjool Dates

1/2 Cup Walnuts (or you can use raw cashew halves or almonds)

2 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Sea salt

Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined and dough can be formed into bars or rolled into small balls. If you roll into balls or bites, you can then roll them into the unsweetened shredded coconut for extra flavor.

These healthy, easy and delicious, raw brownie bites are a hit with people of all ages. Kid tested and approved over and over! Happy Easter! Enjoy!

Creamy Raw Chocolate Pie

Creamy raw chocolate pie. When you hear that does it make you wonder how good could that be? Well let me assure you this is an amazingly delicious dessert that you will crave! A friend shared this dessert over the Christmas break, and I have been craving it ever since. There are so many wonderful characteristics of this pie! Besides the delicious taste, the creamy chocolate mousse, it’s healthy, gluten free, raw, vegan, just simple chocolate deliciousness! I would never have thought that an avocado, yes an avocado, could be turned into this heavenly treat!

Creamy Raw Chocolate Pie

Coconut Crust:

2 C shredded unsweetened coconut

1/4 C honey

1 T coconut oil

pinch of sea salt

Chocolate Mousse:

2 avocados, peeled and seed removed

1/2 C honey

1/2 C cocoa powder

1 T vanilla

2 T coconut oil

1 can coconut milk, chilled in the fridge

Fudge Sauce:

1/4 C Grade A maple syrup

2 T cocoa powder

In a food processor, combine crust ingredients and pulse until a dough begins to form. Press the crust in to a parchment lined springform pan.

Clean the food processor bowl and place back on the base. Now place all the ingredients for the mousse into the food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.

Scoop the solid coconut cream off the top of the can, leaving the watery liquid in the can, it is not needed. Whip the solid cream on high until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.

Carefully fold the chocolate mousse and coconut whipped cream together, leaving the mixture swirled. Scrape the filling onto the crust.

For the fudge sauce, mix together the maple syrup and cocoa powder until smooth. You can place the mixture into a squeeze bottle for easy drizzling.  Once drizzled on the pie, you can lightly drag a knife across to make swirls.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours.

Raw Vegan Hummus Tacos

Raw Vegan Hummus Tacos…my new favorite lunch! I was recently introduced to the art of sprouting, and it is easy, and oh so delicious! I eat the sprouts straight out of the jar, with just a spoon. However, they are very versatile. Below you will find an easy, raw, vegan, hummus taco that uses the sprouts in an amazing way too.

Just in case you needed a reason to try the recipe, besides the fact that these tacos are delicious… According to the RawFoodLife.com; “A raw food diet is not just good for you – it’s also good science! You don’t have to take our word for it, have ‘faith’ or trust the latest nutrition guru. Science now proves that cooking not only destroys nutrition and enzymes but chemically changes foods from the substances needed for health into acid-forming toxins, free-radicals and poisons that destroy our health!”

Dig into this raw food recipe and know you are doing good for your body.

Raw Vegan Hummus Tacos

1 head living bib lettuce

hummus

1 lemon

crushed garlic

cumin

chili powder

your favorite sprouts

Not a technical recipe. Make as many as you want, no measuring by me. You peel off the amount of lettuce leaves you are preparing to eat, and wash and dry them. Add a couple spoonfuls of hummus, spreading it down the middle of the lettuce, like you would the alternative taco meat. Squeeze fresh lemon on hummus, sprinkle crushed garlic, chili powder, and cumin on hummus. Top with sprouts and enjoy!

These are amazing, and they taste like a regular meat taco, but even better! These were kid tested and approved as well! Try it for lunch or dinner. You’ll love them!