Dehydrated cauliflower popcorn

Part of summertime fun is seeing lots of blockbuster movies, having friends over for a swim and then relaxing in front of the television for a comedy or action packed flick.  Well, I don’t know about you, but when we were little my mother would pop fresh popcorn, place it in a huge bowl in the middle of the room, and we would lay on the floor and munch away with friends and family while we were enjoying our show. Little has changed in my house since I was a kid, and the summertime fun still looks much the same, but with a raw twist:  Now I make Cauliflower popcorn, and we are all the better for it.

Promise me that  you aren’t still making microwave popcorn…   It’s not that I’m passing judgment, I mean,  I used to buy the large cases of microwave popcorn from my discount warehouse store, and pop a few bags in a week.  I mean, how convenient was that, a minute and 30 seconds away from munchy fun.

However…

Microwaving anything, even water (especially water) is an extremely toxic and overall damaging process to your body, mind and the world.  But microwave popcorn takes the danger to an even more serious degree.  The chemical coating used in microwave popcorn bags is so toxic, as it breaks down when heated, it turns into a substance called perfluorooctanoic (PFOA),  a major carcinogen.  The butter flavoring that we all love, even causes more damage. The fake butter flavor is actually an FDA approved chemical called diacetyl that causes debilitating respiratory disease, affectionately known as “popcorn workers lungs”.  The medical name for this condition is “bronchiolitis obliterans”, suffered by those who work in the factory which packages microwave popcorn.  Although since discovering the butter flavored disease, many companies have discontinued  the product.  But, many have not.  So if you want to make popcorn, air pop it or jostle it over a hot kettle and enjoy it the old fashioned way.

If you want to try something new and RAW, adding great health benefits as well as a cheesy delight, try making cauliflower popcorn.  I promise you won’t be dissapointed.

Live cauliflower popcorn

Chipotle Cheese Popcorn

I always make a few batches at a time, as they are gobbled up so fast.

Ingredients

• 1 heads of cauliflower, broken into 1 “ florets
• 1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/4  cup walnuts, or sunflower seeds
• 1/4  cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Place cauliflower florets into a large ziplock bag and coat with olive oil. In food processor, blender or nut and spice grinder, add nuts or seeds, nutritional yeast and sea salt and process until finely ground. Pour over florets and close top.  Shake bag until cauliflower is well coated. Cauliflower may be eaten RAW, or place on dehydrator rack on a grid and paraflexx sheet.

Dehydrate at 110 degrees for 2 hours or moist, 6 hours for slightly crunchy, and 10 hours plus for harder consistency. If fully dehydrated, it will have a week shelf life!

Are you stressed?

I had a reflexology session a couple days ago, and the therapist said that my adrenals were taxed. He said, “you are stressed”, as if I should feel some great big change in my life that I am aware of.  Nope, nothing, life is as usual. I searched deep into my being to find the source of stress, but I felt pretty normal. He pointed out how hard I have been working, and again, I thought, life as usual.  I shrugged my shoulders with an attitude of dismissal, I mean, if I were stressed, wouldn’t I know it?   The therapist then suggested I take Adaptogenic herbs to help my adrenals. Well, I sell such herbs, why have I not been taking them? I quickly re-introduced them into my daily routine, and proceed to research why I feel more grounded today then I did a few days ago.

What does stress look like?

If I am walking around in a constant state of stress, how do I recognize it, and how do I know to deal with it?  The feelings of irritability, anxiety, and impatience are all signs of stress that can cause distinct behavioral patterns in people. Stress can be caused by environmental or mental assaults, chemical toxins, lack of sleep, poor diet, or a mere survival technique that is embedded in our DNA.

Our bodies are at a constant state of readiness, this is due to our ancestry of once being regularly attacked by wild animals or hostile people. Although we have since evolved, our bodies still respond to threats by secreting hormones that change our physiology and enhance our ability to run and defend ourselves. This is called a “flight or fight” response that causes intense stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal glands. Signs of such responses are high blood pressure, increase in blood sugar levels, increased heart rate, and slowed digestive secretions. Cortisol is released and our lymphatic system swells to protect our organs from the poisons streaming in our body. At this point, illness and disease are eminent.

The calming of the nerves, can be as simple as adding adaptogenic herbs to our diets to reduce the impacts of stress on the body mind and spirit.

Adaptogenic herbs:

The term adaptogen is used by herbalists to refer to natural herb product that is proposed to increase the body’s resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue.

The concept of adaptogens dates back thousands of years to ancient India and China, but modern study did not begin until the late 1940s. In 1947, Nikolai Lazarev defined an adaptogen as an agent that allows the body to counter adverse physical, chemical, or biological stressors by raising nonspecific resistance toward such stress, allowing the organism to “adapt” to the stressful circumstances.

Adaptogenic herbs demonstrate a nonspecific enhancement of the body’s ability to resist stress, by normalizing the over-stimulation that inhibits normal, or natural bodily functions. Adaptogenic herbs have a tonifying effect on such uphevels of stress related effects.

At the core of an adaptogen’s scope of actions is the ability to help the body cope more effectively with stress. Specifically, adaptogens recharge the adrenal glands, which are the body’s nominal mechanism for responding to stress and emotional changes. The adrenals, which cover the upper surface of each kidney, synthesize and store dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. These compounds are responsible for the changes that occur during the fight-or-flight reaction. The question is, if adaptogens normalize the body and enable energy to be used more productively when stressors are not physical threats, can they be used to enhance general health and performance? Several studies indicate they can.

The list of plants with Adaptogenic properties is large due to it’s broad definition (to name of few):

• Codonopsis is one of the most widely used Chinese tonic herbs. It is very mild yet it invigorates the spleen and lung function so that chi is replenished and it promotes the production of bodily fluids. It is also an excellent blood tonic and major immune system tonic
• Astragalus is said to tonify the blood and spleen and aid defensive chi. It is added in formulations to strengthen weak constitutions. It is used to enhance recovery following illness or prolonged stress and to boost vitality
• Licorice root is said to tonify the spleen and strengthen chi. Licorice is the only herb claimed to benefit 12 meridians.
• Ormalite opens the heart and nourishes the soul. It is a remarkable clay, straight from nature and is a secret to a calm state of well being. It contains a broad spectrum of macro minerals, trace minerals resulting in an overall balanced influence on the body
• Ashwaganda is often called Indian Ginseng, though unrelated, shares many of ginsengs properties. It is considered a tonic, an alterative, an astringent, a nervine and a sedative. It is an aid to soothe anxiety and psychological complaints
• Suma is relatively new to western medicine. Suma contains vitamins A, E, B1 and B12: 19 amino acids, including lysine, histidine, arginine, and glycine: along with small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and sodium
• Eleuthero Root, formerly known as Siberian Ginseng, it helps the body prevent “adrenal burnout”. It boosts concentration and focus along with immunity.
• Reishi Mushroom regulates the immunological responses, calms the mind and soothes nerves

Vitality Herbs and Clay is an exclusive product on my site that I am very proud to be carrying. I began taking the Adaptogen and Mushroom Blend herbal capsules the minute I arrived home from my reflexology appointment, and I am astounded at the balanced state of being that has overtaken me. I am able to cope with the demands of my life with calm and ease. Nothing has changed in my daily routine but the incorporation of these herbs.

Kids are usually hungry when they come home from school and they are searching for a “pick me up” before they dive into their homework or after school activity.  Fruit provides instant energy, hydration and fulfills the sweet tooth that most children have today.  Children don’t grab for a piece of fruit they have to peel or seed, but if it’s sliced, cored, peeled, and placed in a beautiful bowl on the kitchen counter, watch how fast it disappears!

Pineapple is a favorite year round fruit from the tropics. If cut and chilled, it will retain many of its nutrients for at least 6 days.

Ingredients

• A bunch of Bananas
• Popsicle sticks (Or Bamboo Chopsticks)

Directions

1. Peel and cut bananas in half.  Place popsicle stick up through center of the banana until secure, but enough room to hold the stick.
2. Holding stick, dip banana in chocolate sauce, using a twirling motion to coat the entire banana.
3. Place Buckwheaties on a flat plate and lay the chocolate-coated banana on the surface of cereal.  Roll gently across the plate, allowing Buckwheaties to coat completely.
4. Place on tray lined with wax paper and cover.
5. Place in freezer until solid.
6. Store in Airtight container in Freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Chocolate Sauce

• 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil

Directions

Set coconut oil jar in a warm bath to melt.  Place, cacao, agave and vanilla in small mixing bowl, add melted coconut oil and whisk together until smooth. Pour into a flat serving dish.  Extra sauce may be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups buckwheat, soaked and sprouted
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

In a metal or glass bowl, soak Buckwheat groats for 12 hours in pure water.  Drain and rinse in a fine mesh strainer.  Lay strainer on top of a fitted bowl for run off. Sprout buckwheat groats by rinsing under cool water 4-5 times a day until little tails develop. (appx 24-48 hours)  Rinse one last time, place in a clean bowl, season with maple syrup, agave, and sea salt.  Mix gently and lay evenly on paraflexx sheet in Excalibur dehydrator, and dehydrate for 12-24 hours at 110 degrees. Remove and store in airtight container.

*For a morning cereal, add Almond Milk and Berries.