Christmas Breakfast

What could I eat on Christmas morning so I can keep up my energy to visit three families and say Merry Christmas ten thousand times? The answer: The traditional Californian breakfast, minus the avocado, because we forgot the avocados when we went out of town, plus a bell pepper and pecans. It works, because grapefruits and pecans are gloriously Texan Christmas food gifts and are always on hand, and I never say no to a cucumber. Bell pepper is wonderfully boatish and keeps the pecans from any funny business on those very, very flat hotel plates. 

The light from the hotel window, which looked out on an outlandishly empty city, illuminates the food and makes it seem like the energy from the sun is soaking into the food to give energy to us . . . I think the solstice inspired all that. 

Did I mention that this breakfast takes 5 minutes to make? Peel the cucumber, slice cucumber, peel grapefruit, cut and seed bell pepper - edible! Do bring a cucumber peeler on travels, though, if you intend to peel cucumbers in a hotel. Knives might work for potatoes, but they compromise too much deliciousness on a cucumber. 

Merry Christmas!  

Maya's Specialty: Boca Salad

This salad is simple and delicious. I wish its creator were at home so I could eat it right now. I also wish Boca Burgers lived longer in our house. That is to say - they're always consumed with remarkable rapidity. Usually going into this lovely recipe. 

Ingredients - Feeds One:
1 Boca Burger (Original Vegan)
1 handful of spinach
1 tomato
1 slice of onion 
1 dash of Italian seasoning
Plenty of Flax oil 
Himalayan Fire Salt, to taste  


The Boca Burger will probably be frozen. Bake it on 350 to thaw and cook it. It should take about ten minutes, but that will vary.


While the burger is cooking, prepare the salad: Lay a circle of spinach and tomatoes with the center empty and ready for the burger. When the burger is cooked, place in the middle of the salad, top with onion, oil, Italian seasoning, and salt.  


Partake with pleasure.

Pasta!

This is a "pinches and handfuls" recipe because I made it so long ago - and I didn't stop to write down exactly what went in here because the combined aromas of Italian herbs were making me so, so hungry I had to eat! (I am craving this dish right now as I type this.) Why? Well.......

Pasta Ingredients:
Spaghetti Squash

Sauce ingredients: 
10 Tomatoes
1 Onion
8 garlic cloves
1 bunch Basil
1 Tbs. Dried Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. Salt 
1/2 cup Olive Oil (when sauce is off heat) 
Almonds, pine nuts, pecans, hemp seeds, to garnish.

To cook the squash: 
Cut in half and place inside-down in glass baking dish in about one inch of water. Cook on 350 degrees for about 1 hour, or until squash is soft. When cooked, scoop out the insides with a spoon or a fork - it should be stringy and light like pasta. 

To cook the sauce:
Remember to absolutely treat the amounts as guidelines. I like really garlicky sauce, so I add more garlic. You might prefer more of a "tomato basil" flavor. Put more tomatoes in if you like, or less. Use a wooden spoon and taste frequently, tossing in a bit more of this and that. Follow your taste buds. They will guide you.

Actual instructions to cook the pasta sauce:
Saute the garlic and the onion with water (not oil). Add chopped tomatoes. Cook on medium heat or less until hot. Add seasonings. Remove from heat and add olive oil. Increase salt to taste. (Increase anything to taste.) 
You can blend the sauce or leave it chunky. For a heartier sauce, add chopped almonds, pecans, pine nuts, or seeds like hemp and sunflower. 

Combine cooked spaghetti squash and sauce and toss. Enjoy!  

Cream of Asparagus Soup

This soup is so delicious, I can't stand it. I make double batches. I make triple batches. I double my double batches. (Well, maybe not yet.) 

I have always loved asparagus. I remember picking it in the garden - picking it every other day because it grew so fast. I like it grilled, I like it bright green and crunchy. But it's love when it's in this soup. 

Recall the remark that "cream of" carries a sort of taste bud thrill. For me, I am thrilled by the fact that there is asparagus in this soup as well as almond milk. Unfortunately, I now have to relive this soup's glory a few days after its golden era - now, when there are no left-overs. Indeed, there were no left-overs that first day. There were no left-overs of that one meal. The pot was scraped clean, actually. 

Without further ado, here is the recipe:

Ingredients for the Cream of Asparagus Soup (Serves 4):

4 Tbs. vegetable broth

1/3 yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch of organic asparagus, chopped

3 1/2 cups vegetable broth, organic (I use Whole Foods brand or Central Market brand)

6 oz. almond milk, homemade

2 tsps. RealSalt

1 1/2 tsps. dill weed

1/2 tsp. lemon peel, grated

2 Tbs. lemon juice (fresh) 

In soup pot, heat on medium. Add onion, garlic, and asparagus and saute in small amount of veggie broth for 3 or 4 minutes. until veggies are tender. Add the rest of the veggie broth and warm for 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in almond milk and seasonings. Warm for 5 more minutes. Serve warm.

I like to blend it, but if the vegetables are very finely chopped, that would be delicious, too. I sometimes put a little more lemon juice in, to give it a tangier flavor. 

**Recipe adapted by me from The pH Miracle for Weight Loss, by Robert O. Young, PhD and Shelley Redford Young

 

Almond Milk

Have you noticed that recipes that include “cream of” tend to be more mouthwatering? Whenever I give eaters an option such as, “Vegetable soup or cream of broccoli soup” they choose the latter, even though the vegetable soup may very well have broccoli in it. Also, soups with cream as an ingredient are just better, somehow. So here is the basic almond milk, if you haven’t got one down already. You can put more or less water, according to how thick or thin you want it. You’ll need this recipe for the soups ahead, because they’ll have milk for creaminess and pure taste bud pleasure.

(Recipe makes about 1 quart.)

Ingredients:

1 cup organic almonds (soaked in refrigerator in pure water for 12 hours, rinsed)

3 cups pure water

That’s it!

First, you soak the almonds in pure water for 12 hours or until plump and sweet. Even if you have little time, try to soak the almonds a few minutes. They’ll absorb the water and be activated (sort of put in sprouting mode) in a very short time. I soak in the fridge because the summer heat tends to make my soaking seeds, nuts, and grains spoil.

This is what the almonds will look like soaking:

In a blender, blend until smooth (blend about a minute - or more, depending on your blender) the almonds and the 3 cups pure water. It should end up white and fluffy.

Strain the almond milk through a nylon bag (some people use stockings). Try to get as much liquid out as possible.

The finished product should have two parts:

               

The almond milk in the mason jar and the meal in the bowl. The meal can be used in all sorts of ways. I’ve heard it used in dips, with flavoring like a hummus, even. But I put it in my dog’s blended food to make it heartier. I have found that it spoils quickly when left outside the refrigerator - that’s why I transferred its immediate use to the dogs.

Here is your finished product:

Now we are ready to make my favorite soup; the Cream of Asparagus soup.

Of course, you can always drink the almond milk which is infinitely better than the store-bought kind. It’s really completely different. It is sweet and fresh. I mean, you just milked it yourself. Chilled almond milk . . . oh! Divine.  

Swiss Chard Lentil Soup

Swiss Chard Lentil Soup

When I made this soup, everyone at the dinner table agreed that it tasted like it had cheese and artichokes, which it doesn't, but somehow the combination of flavors gives that illusion. We all love it. Sometimes I make people guess what I put in these blended soups. This one was really fun because they'd never tasted anything like it, or anything quite as delicious. 

Here is the recipe:

Serves 4-6

2 cups brown lentils, soaked overnight in water (in refrigerator to avoid spoiling) 

6 cups water

1 bunch Swiss chard, red or green

2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 bunch cilantro

1 lemon, juiced, or 2 Tbs. to taste

2 tsps. RealSalt 

1/3 cup olive oil

Soak lentils overnight. In a soup pot, bring rinsed lentils and the water to a boil. Wash and chop Swiss chard into bite-size pieces. When lentils boil, add chard to top, reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. In a small skillet, steam crushed garlic in a small amount of water. Wash and chop cilantro. Add to garlic and steam until wilted. Add to soup along with lemon juice. Simmer 5 more minutes, add salt to taste. Serve, topping each bowl with 1 or 2 Tbs. olive oil to taste (or signature as above). 

A notable quote for this dish: "The artichoke was a little overwhelming." 

As artichoke lovers, this soup was the best. 


*Recipe from The pH Miracle for Weight Loss, by Robert O. Young, PhD and Shelley Redford Young

Avocado and Coconut Mint Soup

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Avocado and Coconut Mint Soup

I made this soup warm, but I think it would be more refreshing cold. Many of the soups I'll post can be made raw. However, this soup was excellent warm. When I make warm soups I am sure not to heat any oils, and I just slightly steam the vegetables in yeast-free vegetable broth so the energy in them is not totally lost. 

Serves 6

3 Tbs or more vegetable broth

6 green onions, sliced

1 garlic clove

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

2-3 tsps. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

2/3 cup coconut milk

2/3 cup coconut cream

2 Tbs. fresh mint, chopped, or to taste

Pink mineral salt and black pepper to taste

2 avocados, sliced into cubes

1 cup spinach, minced

Mint sprigs for garnish

In a soup pot, heat small amount of vegetable broth with green onions and garlic. Simmer. Stir in the remaining ingredients, mix well. Add avocados and spinach last, warm - stirring gently. Serve, garnishing with mint sprigs. Blend to creamy texture. 

Or, if you'd like it raw, blend all ingredients without the cooking, and serve chilled, garnished with mint sprigs.

*Recipe from The pH Miracle, by Robert O. Young, PhD and Shelley Redford Young

Gazpacho

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Gazpacho

This is a chilled soup that is dear to my heart especially in the summer when it's so hot. And it is so easy to make! Just throw everything in the blender and you have a meal. You can make it spicy, or mild, just increase or decrease amount of jalapeno peppers and garlic cloves. 

To make the soup: 

3 large tomatoes

2 cucumbers

1 red bell pepper

1 small jalapeno pepper

1 quart pure water

3 Tbs. olive oil (or more)

2 lemons, juiced

1 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. Real Salt (or any raw pink salt with minerals)

4 garlic cloves, or to taste

Blend all this (in batches if necessary) and served chilled, garnished with green onions as shown, or with chopped tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, red peppers, and avocados. 

It serves 6-8 people, or a family of 4 with second helpings. 

*Recipe from The pH Miracle, by Robert O. Young, PhD, and Shelley Redford Young

Cucumber Sandwiches with Carrot Macadamia Nut Spread

Cucumber Sandwiches 

with Carrot Macadamia Nut Spread

Let's start with an appetizer, shall we? These crunchy, hydrating, tempting treats are crisp and cool for hot days, with a sweet side coming from the carrot-macadamia spread. 

Now that you are anticipating the deliciousness of these sandwiches, here's how I made them:

For the spread:

2 cups raw macadamias 

2-3 shredded organic carrots

Vanilla (alcohol-free) to taste, optional

Pure water, to thin 

In a food processor or Vitamix, blend the nuts and carrots, adding water gradually until desired consistency is reached. Add drops of vanilla, if you like. 

This makes more than two cups of spread. Use it as filling to slices of organic, peeled cucumbers to make the sandwiches as shown, or as filling to celery sticks, or as a dip to any vegetable. 

Now enjoy this charming, classic appetizer with a new twist!     


*Recipe for the spread from The pH Miracle, by Robert O. Young, and Shelley Redford Young

Introducing.....Alkaline Appetites!

Introducing Alkaline Appetites, the blog where the food is every bit as appetizing and delicious as it is pH balanced, organic, vegan, and often raw and gluten free. We're vegetarians to the very essence of the word; people who subsist on vegetables, alkaline fruits, nuts, grains, and all of it clean, healthy, and alkaline.  

So keep reading. I'll post recipes and photographs of the food so you can see exactly what it looks like. Judge for yourself if it looks appetizing, and then whip up some of it on your own and let your taste buds confirm it.

Thank you for reading Alkaline Appetites.