Gardening in March

For those of you wanting to get started in the garden, here is a helpful site.

http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/  Sign up for the Orange Group and she will send you an e-mail each week telling you what to plant.

Here are a couple of sites to help you determine your Southeast Kansas average frost dates.

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/a/average_frost_dates
http://www.ksre.k-state.edu/wdl/old/freeze1.htm

Raw Food Meet Up

Each month, on the last Thursday,
Rachel Unruh hosts a Raw Food Meet Up. This is a raw food potluck full of fun.
The fellowship and sharing of new recipes is awesome.

The recipes from the last Meet Up can be found at www.zymelady.com  

Contact Rachel to be put on her e-mail list for the next Meet Up.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

Marinated Vegetable Salad
From Janie Higginson of the Wellness Center in Parsons

1 c. broccoli florets
1 c. cauliflower florets
1-15 oz can chickpeas, drained
1 can black olives, drained
frozen peas
carrots, cut into thin strips
two cups cherry tomatoes
chopped green onions

1/2 c. olive oil
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. xylitol (or sweetener of your choice)
1 1/2 t. chopped fresh basil
1/4 t. pepper

Combine vegetables
Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously. Add to vegetables, toss to coat. Makes approximately 10 servings.

Submitted by Megan

Chocolate Almonds

Chocolate Almonds

2 cups raw almonds
1 Tbl unrefined extra virgin coconut oil
1 Tbl raw agave
1 Tbl raw cacao
¼ tsp Himalayan Crystal Salt

Soak almonds for 8-12 hours.

Dehydrate 8-12 hours at 105

Mix oil, agave and cacao and salt. (May have to sit bowl in a sink of warm water to liquefy the oil)

Stir in the almonds.

Dehydrate until dry 14-18 hours

Creamy Cole Slaw

Julia’s Cole Slaw

Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish

1 1/3 cups Vegenaise, Almonaise (or mayonnaise)
3 tablespoons organic white wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons organic evaporated cane sugar or 1 ½ Tbl honey
1 Tbl prepared horseradish
dash salt

8 cups chopped cabbage (1 head)
1 cup shredded carrot

1. Combine all ingredients except the cabbage and carrots in a large bowl and blend until smooth with an electric mixer.

2. Add cabbage and carrots and toss well.

3. Cover and chill overnight in the refrigerator.

Greek Salad

Greek Salad/Coleslaw

Greek Dressing

Mix and shake:
½ c. olive oil
3/4 t. garlic powder or 1 clove minced garlic
3/4 t. oregano
3/4 t. basil
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. dijon mustard
1/4 t. dill
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 Tbl lemon juice

Greek Salad

Divide on plates:
Mixed greens

Top with:
Red onion
Roma tomatoes
Cucumbers
Black or Kalamata olives
Red/green bell pepper
Feta Cheese
Garlic croutons (optional)

Drizzle on Greek Dressing


Greek Coleslaw
Mix shredded green cabbage with dressing and chopped veggies

March Seasonal Fruits

Apples
Bananas
Clementines
Grapefruit
Kiwis
Kumquat
Lemons
Limes
Mangos
Orange, navel
Pineapple
Tangerine

Banana Coconut Pie

Banana Coconut Pie



Crust:
1 ½ cups soaked almonds (measure after soaking)
pinch of sea salt
1 ½ cups chopped dates
1 Tbl pure maple syrup

Blend in a food processor with the s-blade until if forms large clumps or a ball.

Sprinkle a 9inch pie plate with some dried coconut. Then press the mixture onto the bottom and form small edges.

Filling:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 30min-1 hour and drained
½ cup water
3 Tbl pure maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes/shreds

Put into VitaMix and blend until smooth. If using a regular blender, add the cashews, water, maple syrup and vanilla first and blend well. Slowly add the coconut and blend until smooth.

Pour into the shell and spread evenly.

I then refrigerate, putting the topping on right before I am ready to serve.

Topping:
4 bananas, sliced
3 Tbl dried unsweetened coconut flakes/shreds

Lay the bananas in circles, overlapping a little, on top of the cashew cream filling.

Sprinkle coconut on top and serve.

Notes: The bananas will start oxidizing quickly. The pie usually keeps its color about 4 hours in room temperature. I have also put the topping on and refrigerated it for an hour before serving or taking it to a potluck.

How to Sprout in a Jar

Start with a quart size jar and put 1 tablespoon of small seeds. (Azure Standard Sprouting Mix was handed out at the meeting. It includes alfalfa, clover, broccoli and radish).

Pour water to cover, they will expand. You will want to put some type of netting on the jar. (Use a sprouting lid, cut a screen or needlepoint plastic canvas and put it into a canning jar ring, use cheesecloth or tulle/fine netting and attach with a rubber band or use a new white knee high and secure on the top.

Soak overnight (or for 8-12 hours) In the morning you will drain off the water and pour a little more water in. Drain once again. Set at an angle to be sure it is well drained and let it set until you go to bed out of direct sunlight. Before you go to bed rinse and drain your sprouts.

You will want to rinse and drain your sprouts twice a day. A good routine is when you get up and once again before you go to bed.

In about 4-6 days (depending on the temperature in your house) you will see two small leaves appear. Put the jar closer to a window to “green” up during the day.

When ready, usually day 5 or 6 you will want to de-hull, dry well and refrigerate.  I use a salad spinner but a bowl works as well. I put my sprouts into the spinner and fill with water. The hulls will float to the top. Pour them off and drain the water. Spin-dry or use a paper towel to dry well. Put the sprouts into a glass jar or container with a small paper towel inside.

These will keep well over a week in your refrigerator.

Put them on your salad, in your veggie sandwiches or in your Green Smoothies.  Also you do want to "rotate" the different kinds of sprouts in your diet just as we "rotate" the greens in our smoothies.

The Sprout People have a great website with tons of information and supplies for sale. http://www.sproutpeople.com/

Honey Mustard Dressing

Adapted from Traci’s Transformational Kitchen Recipe Collection-Traci Sellers
½ cup almonaise
2 tsp vinegar (raw apple cider or red wine is good)
2 Tbl prepared mustard (brown, spicy, Dijon or yellow)
2 Tbl local honey
pinch of sea salt
pinch of fresh ground black pepper
Whisk together.


Another Great Honey Mustard Dressing
Mix equal parts of
Honey
Prepared Mustard (Dijon, yellow, spicy, etc)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Almonaise

Adapted from Fit for Life-Diamond

½ cup pre-soaked almonds (soak almonds overnight and measure in the morning)
½ cup water
¼ tsp of sea salt
¼ tsp of evaporated cane juice (optional)
1 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Drizzle slowly 1 cup light tasting olive oil (Try Bragg’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil or use a “light” olive oil although not the best choice)

All at once, put 3 Tbl fresh squeezed lemon juice into the blender. The mixture immediately thickens. “Pour” into a bowl. This will actually not pour but ”plop” into your bowl.

Ranch Dressing

1 cups cashews (soaked for 30 minutes and drained)
¾ cup water
2 Tbl fresh lemon juice
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
¼ heaping tsp sea salt

Blend well and mix in the following

1 tsp dried parsley
¼ tsp celery seed or dried dill

Balsamic Vinaigrette

½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbl Pure Maple Syrup
2 tsp dried basil (optional)
1 clove garlic, pressed
¼ tsp sea salt

Blend or shake!

Salad Dressing Basics

Making a great salad dressing is easy and fast to make. Start with a ratio of 2 parts fat and 1 part acid/sour. Add Seasonings, Salt and a Sweetener if desired. The ingredients can be put into a jar and shaken together or put into a blender and blended. Some suggestions for each category are below. Have fun!

Fats
Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
Cold pressed oils, sesame, hemp
Almonaise, avocado, raw tahini, nuts/seeds

Acid/Sours
Raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Raw red wine vinegar, raw coconut vinegar
Balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar
Lemon juice, lime juice
Orange juice, grapefruit juice

Salts
Sun dried sea salt
Himalayan salt
Nama shoyu
Miso, celery, dulse, kelp

Sweeteners
Honey
Raw agave nectar, 100% pure maple syrup
Sucanat, dried sugar cane
Dates, raisins, pear, apple, carrots, mango

Seasonings/Spicy
Herbs and spices-onion, garlic, ginger, pepper, cayenne, mustard, lovage, parsley, chives, thyme, oregano, basil, cilantro, tarragon, etc
Nutritional yeast flakes
Vegetable broth powder
Tomato powder or paste

Blended Salad

We started our meeting with a yummy blended salad.

Blended Salad
4 Roma Tomatoes
1 cucumber
½-1 lemon, juiced
3 stalks of celery
Romaine Lettuce
Baby Spinach
1 avocado

Blend and top with your favorite seasoning.

We had several choices on Tuesday night including Herbamare Original, Herbamare Italian, Herbamare Spicy, Himalayan Salt, Mixed Pepper and Sea Salt with Kelp/Dulse.

MARCH GOAL: Make your own Salad Dressing & Sprout your own Sprouts!

This month we are going to take an easy double step. Our goal is to start making our own Salad Dressings for all those wonderful salads we are eating every day. In addition we are going to grow a quart of sprouts every week to add some variety and powerhouse nutrition.