River Otters, Tabouleh and Easter Cooking

A river otter swam with a piece of dried grass in its mouth the other day. It seems they are busy building homes for their young. I caught a picture of one of them, and will post it here.

The cattails were cut down in big swaths a couple of years ago, and with the heavy snows of winter this year, and more filling of the lake, there are not many areas for the nesting of blackbirds. Hopefully as the cattails come up from beneath the lake in green shoots, along with lily pads, etc., there will be a more welcome habitat for nesting in a few weeks. There was a skiff of snow and ice here last night, so spring is still in process.

Someone I know needs to drink water and tea and a protein drink before taking a walk. Business has come before self care again, which is a habit waiting to be broken. I have a fridge full of good leftovers from the Easter weekend. Ham was 99 cents a pound for a Cooks brand butt portion that will add that rich flavor to beans and soups and scrambled eggs in the future. I made a new salad which I will share below. It's from a book on balancing pH, with some changes of my own.

I'll have to also add the Applesauce Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Muffins were very good, but being out of applesauce, I pureed some canned pears and these really turned out to be delicious. They are sweeter and lighter than the applesauce version. Eating one muffin is like eating 1/2 a bowl of oatmeal. I once left out the 1/2 c. of brown sugar in the recipe, and they were still fine. I like these with butter and real unadulterated blackberry honey. See recipe on my other blog at: www.leangreencafe.blogspot.com

I'll share the greenbean/tomato/garlic/olive salad I love so much, soon.

My blogs will be like me: an eclectic and genuine mixture of the full menu of life.

Tabouleh
2 c. cooked quinoa (Can use couscous if you'd like. Quinoa was great, also. I cooked 1 c. of this grain in 2 c. of boiling water, reduced to lowest heat and covered, for 20 min., like cooking rice.
Use 2 c. of this cooked grain. Cool a bit after cooking
Add: 1 c. chopped tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes
1 bunch finely chopped parsley
Chopped chives or green onions to your liking for color and flavor
1 can of olives-size of can depends on how much you love them, sliced or whole
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Juice of 1 lime (recipe called for juice of 3 lemons. Too much acidity for me, though lemons turn alkalaine in the body, so they're good to add to the water you drink.)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
Sprinkle with Cayenne Pepper.
Refrigerate and enjoy! Some recipes use bulgar wheat and mint leaves, w/ dried parsley. *Experiment with wholesome foods that steer away from bleached flour products, white rice and potatoes for lower acid and blood sugar spiking.

Vernonia Treasures

Today I share a great chipotle hummus recipe and another Vernonia Treasure:
The Blue House Cafe
I shared this on my www.leangreencafe.blogspot.com blog this morning, and didn't want anyone to miss out on the information on both blogs.

**Be sure to read the post "Review of Medical Doctors' Treatments...on www.leangreencafe@blogspot.com as I share various natural cancer healing options from 4-5 Medical Doctors, for those who need this information. There are 6 or 7 resources including Optimal Health insurance and maintenance tips in the beginning of the post.

No liability assumed in sharing research or personal accounts. Read disclaimer at end of above-mentioned post. Thank you.

Here's a hummus recipe you might like to try. I also made a Jalapeno and Lime hummus and my first pita bread with 1 c. whole wheat flour to 2 c. white.
I saw a recipe for a pineapple, curry coconut hummus that begs my attention.
Hummus can be made with black beans, w/ no tahini (sesame seed paste) or substituting peanut, almond or cashew butter for the tahini. There are so many variations.
Serve it with warm pita squares, and crudite' -veggies for a lunch, snack or small meal.

Veggies etc to use: Olives, radishes, jicama, raw green beans (very alkalinizing!), carrots, celery, raw red, orange, green or yellow peppers, zucchini or cucumber slices, etc.

Mediterranean Food is some of the healthiest for you.
In my small town of Vernonia, Oregon, The little Blue House Cafe, with Armenian owners make the best chicken gyros with pomegranate sauce, or beef and lamb gyros w/ Tzatziki sauce. (Made with Greek yogurt.)

Chickpeas or Garbanzo beans are high in protein, molybdenum and magnesium, etc.
1 cup provides 15 grams of the 50 daily grams of protein recommended.

(Since protein makes up 90% of our immune system, I use at least one serving of soy protein a day, for insurance. 60 studies show soy builds bone mass better than just calcium alone.) A quick cocoa or vanilla soy drink, (made with rice milk for me) or my favorite berry smoothie keeps my blood sugar level and gives me boundless energy. Carbs and caffeine spike the blood sugar and crash us into lethargic lizards with headaches, shakes, and a diuretic effect, flushing away that precious calcium. The only soy I recommend (for safety) is Shaklee's. (Non-GMO, water-processed on low heat to remove the anti-thyroid substance of soy, 50% calcium added to neutralize soy's acidic qualities.) Say NO to ACIDOSIS. It is deadly.
Click on Gabi's picture at upper right of www.leangreencafe.blogspot.com
This month w/ 50 PV of product, the $19.95 one-time Member Fee (15% off all products) is FREE.
Call 503-429-0240 to take advantage of this offer.

Chipotle Hummus
(Variation from internet recipe)
2 (15.5 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup tahini (sesame-seed paste) or peanut, almond or cashew butter.
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice or lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
(I freeze individual peppers on a cookie tray and put in a freezer bag to avoid wasting the rest of the can, thinking I will use them again later…)
2 cloves garlic-I use much more per individual taste. Garlic is an anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-bacterial agent. Also known to bring blood pressure down and thins blood.
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
I broiled a red pepper and peeled it=less money.
6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt- (I use sea salt.)
ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Place the garbanzo beans, water, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, chipotle pepper, garlic, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor; blend until smooth. Add the red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Pulse the mixture until the ingredients are coarsely chopped into the hummus base. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and chill until ready to serve. Can drizzle olive oil on top and garnish with cilantro and tomatoes or roasted red pepper.