Dehydrated Kale chips

My friend Glenda told me about this ....

Rub Kale with Olive oil. Put in bowl and sprinkle brewers yeast, cayenne pepper, and kosher Celtic salt over and toss.

put in dehydrator over night. These are yummy! Shalom, Valerie

Lemon Treats - Raw & Vegan, Gluten Free

Lemon Treats
Makes about 18
Tart lemon, nutty walnuts and sesame seeds, rich coconut and smooth, sweet dates come together to make these delightfully tangy treats.

Ingredients
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes

Method
Place dates, walnuts, sesame seeds, lemon juice and zest in a food processor. Pulse and blend until completely mixed. The mixture will be slightly sticky. With dampened hands, roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls. Roll in coconut and chill until ready to serve.

Nutrition
Per serving (1 lemon treat/31g-wt.): 140 calories (100 from fat), 11g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 4g protein, 10g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 5mg sodium

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/846

Zucchini Ribbons with Raw Tomato Marinara

• Time to Make: 25 MIN
• SERVINGS: 4

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds tomatoes, diced
2 dry-packed or oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 soft Medjool date, pitted and minced
1 small garlic clove
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 teaspoon coarsley chopped flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 medium zucchini (1 3/4 pounds)

Directions
In a blender, combine the fresh tomatoes with the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, date, garlic, thyme and parsley and puree until smooth. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Using a mandoline, cut the zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices, then cut the slices lengthwise into 1/8-inch strips resembling spaghetti. Transfer the zucchini noodles to a bowl. Add the marinara sauce, toss to coat and serve immediately.

Make Ahead
The marinara can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Notes: One Serving 209 cal, 15 gm fat, 2.1 gm sat fat, 19 gm carb, 4.7 gm fiber.

EWG’S SHOPPER’S GUIDE TO PESTICIDES™

Click here for Purse size shopper's guide to produce and pesticides.

Gluten Free Almond Power Bars

Recipe from Whole Approach

Gluten Free Almond Power Bars

2 cups almonds (raw)
½ cup flax meal (flax seeds ground in a vita-mix)
½ cup shredded organic coconut (unsweetened and unsulfered)
½ cup unsalted creamy roasted almond butter
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ cup coconut oil
4 drops stevia
1 tablespoon yacon syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate 73% (optional)

Place almonds, flax meal, shredded coconut, almond butter and salt in a food processor

Pulse briefly, about 10 seconds

In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over very low heat
Remove coconut oil from stove, stir stevia, agave and vanilla into oil
Add coconut oil mixture to food processor and pulse until ingredients form a coarse paste

Press mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish

Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens
In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously

Spread melted chocolate over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate hardens

Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve
Makes 20 bars

Note that this recipe can be altered to use macadamia nuts and macadamia nut butter if you rotate nuts.

Raw Spinach Avocado Mini Quiche

I got this recipe from Whole Approach

"I made these for the Superbowl, and they were super easy and delicious."

Crust:
3 tbs ground flax seeds
3 tbs almond meal
1 tsp chia seeds
dash of salt ----> stir together
water ----> add just enough water for the meal to clump together

Filling:
1 handful finely chopped spinach (I chopped in Magic Bullet blender)
1/2 small/medium avocado ---> whip/blend together with spinach
dash of salt ----> add and stir to mix

Assembly:
Use a mini muffin tin (sprayed with nonstick olive oil cooking spray, to be safe.)
Use a spoon (/your fingers) to press a dollop of crust into each muffin tin, shaping it to the cavity. Make sure to compact it tightly, or the crust will crumble under the weight of the filling.
Top the crust with a small spoonful of filling. To remove each mini quiche, gently loosen around the edges with a spoon, then scoop underneath it and transfer to serving dish.

"These worked really well for me, and were a hearty and happy meal since I ate so many of them! -Maria"

Cucumber Salad

Janis's Cucumber Salad

The first potluck at Sharli's house, I just used cucumbers, sliced onions and tomatoes with the dressing below. Second potluck, I added more items as below.

3 cucumbers sliced in quarters
1 leaf of chopped purple cabbage
a few sprigs of chopped cilantro
1/2 red bell pepper - chopped
chopped green onions
pine nuts
4 small quartered tomatoes
1 red radish - chopped

Dressing:
1/3 cup Lite Marukan Rice Vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
2-6 cloves crushed garlic (to your taste)
1 tbsp. raw organic honey
dash of black pepper, dill weed
sea salt to your taste
sesame seeds - optional

This dressing recipe is more than you really need on this recipe, pour on veggies slowly as needed and toss salad. You can use this dressing recipe for any salads.

Yummy Yam Recipe

This is Carole's yummy Yam (sweet potato) recipe that we had at the potluck on March 6th. (She blended this in a VitaMixer). Thanks Carole for bringing your recipe to the potluck!

4 cups sweet potatoes (yams)
3/4 cup pecan (soaked)
1/2 cup dates (soaked)
1/2 - 1 cup water
1 tsp. cinnamon
Blend these ingredients together

Topping:
3/4 cup walnuts (soaked)
1/4 - 1/2 TBSP. raw honey
1/4 tsp. salt

The Raw Food Diet Transition

The Raw Food Diet Transition

Let’s say you are now sold to the benefits of eating more raw foods. How do you go about it to transition to a more raw diet?

Transition to a raw food diet can be difficult because you’ll have to make some radical changes to your diet, often after years of established habits.

The first thing you should do is be clear about what you want. Do you want to simply improve your diet? Do you want to transition to a 100% raw food diet? Do you want to transition to a 75% raw diet?

Be clear first so you’re not constantly focusing on food and forgetting about the other important aspects of your health and your life.

There’s also a lot of misconceptions and lies about the proper transition to a raw food diet. First of all, simply “adding” good foods to your diet (like fresh juices and smoothies) won’t have a big positive influence on your health unless you first work at *removing* the foods that are harming you the most.

In other words, it doesn’t matter if you just add good stuff to your diet. Your health will be directly influenced by the bad stuff you still consume.

Here are the items you should consider eliminating first:

- Coffee (the regular habit, not the occasional cup)
- Dairy products
- Fried foods
- Junk foods
- Flour products (bread, pastries, etc)

Once you’ve done that, you want to take big steps, one a time. You don’t want to try to improve a little bit everyday. Instead, make some radical changes in your diet, but not all at once. Here are some first steps:


First Meal to Change

The first meal you should change is your breakfast. The reason is that breakfast is the easiest meal to control. My recommendation: start green!

Start your day with a green smoothie. This will help alkalize your body and give you enough energy to get through lunch.

For more information and sample recipes, make sure to sign up for the free green smoothie mini-course at www.fredericpatenaude.com/greenforlife.html

Second Meal to Change

The second meal to change, surprisingly, is not lunch, but dinner. Why? Because it’s the hardest opponent. Lunch is easy. But dinner is difficult. However, it also is the change that can make the greatest impact in your overall health.

Why? Because if you eat a raw dinner, you’ll clear your system for the entire night, providing your body with better rest and increased energy.

So that’s why dinner should be your next target. Replace your dinner with the following:

- Start with a fruit entree or snack
- Make a raw food meal (including lots of greens and a light dressing)
- If desired, include some lightly steamed vegetables.

With this transition, your daily schedule could look like this:

Morning: Green smoothie, fruit

Lunch: Cooked meal

Snack: Fruit or smoothie

Dinner: Raw food meal, lightly steamed vegetables

The next step after that, if you want, is to tackle lunch! But once you’ve done the changes I talked about, you’re already doing 1000% better!

If you’d like to get a complete raw food menu planner with lots of suggestions on what to eat, I suggest that you check out what’s available in the Raw Vegan Mentor Club.

Blessings, Angela

BOCA Burgers Admits It Uses Genetically Engineered Ingredients

"It's a fact that much of the high-quality soy grown in the U.S. has been genetically engineered, so the traditional BOCA line of soy-based products may contain ingredients derived from these crops."

BOCA's Frequently Asked Questions
BOCA Burgers is a popular so-called "natural" brand of veggie burgers owned by Kraft Foods. Companies like Kraft work hand-in-hand with Monsanto to lace common foods with GM (Genetically Modified) ingredients, with absolutely no labeling nor safety-testing required, and in many cases market these products as "natural." Kraft, North America's largest food company, has perfected the art of turning genetically engineered crops and animals raised in factory farms on GMO feed and injected with Monsanto's (now Elanco's) rBGH into "food."

While Kraft/BOCA claims to offer what they describe as "non-GMO" versions of its soy foods, these products are neither certified organic (organic prohibits GMOs) nor monitored by the Non-GMO Project, so it's impossible to verify BOCA's non-GMO claims. Likewise, Back to Nature, another so-called "natural" Kraft brand, claims that some of the corn and soy ingredients in their non-organic foods are "non-genetically engineered," but these claims are not verifiable either.

Tell Kraft you'll be boycotting BOCA Burgers, Back to Nature products, or any Kraft products that aren't certified as organic.

Sulfates

Sodium Laurel Sulfate

Sodium Laurel or (Lauryl) Sulfate (SLS) / Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES):

Detergents containing sulfates come by many different names: sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate, and sodium C14-16 olefin sulfate.

This harsh detergent is found in car washes, engine degreasers, and garage floor cleaners as well as in over 90% of the personal care products. It is used for its foaming action. It causes eye irritations, skin rashes and allergic reactions. SLS breaks down the skin’s moisture barrier and easily penetrates the skin allowing other chemicals to easily penetrate the skin as well. When combined with other chemicals, SLS can be transformed into “nitrosamines”, a potent class of carcinogens. The American Journal of Toxicology states that SLS stays in the body up to 5 days. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is frequently disguised in pseudo-natural personal care products as “comes from coconut”. It is believed to cause hair loss and scalp irritation similar to dandruff.

Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS)
It's cheap...It foams a lot...It thickens with salt.

Industrial Use
Harsh Floor Cleaners, Engine Degreasers, Car Wash Detergents, Laundry Detergents

Personal Care Products
Toothpaste, Shampoos, Body Gels, Bubble Baths, Facial Cleansers, Baby Wipes, Baby Shampoos & Bubble Baths

SLS can damage the immune system; causing separation of skin layers and inflammation of skin. -Journal of the American College of Toxicology; Vol. 2, No. 7, 1983

SLS penetrates into the skin and into the eyes, and is also held in the brain, heart and liver. A single drop stays in the brain and body for a few days - Doctor's worry: Is your baby safe? -By David L. Kern, New health and longevity

SLS denatures proteins of eye tissues - impairing eye development permanently. -Dr. Keith Green, PHD, D.Sc., Medical College of Georgia

SLS is a mutagen. It is capable of changing the information in genetic material found in cells. SLS has been used in studies to induce mutagen in bacteria. -Higuchi, Araya and Higuchi, school of medicine, Tohoku University: Sendai 980 Japan

SLS is a potent carcinogen when contaminated with a nitrosamines. -FDA Report 1978

Parabens

Parabans (Methylparaban, Propylparaban, Ethylparaban, Butylparaban, Isobutyl Paraban) These are synthetic preservatives used in most personal care products. Parabans have been found to have hormone-disrupting qualities, such as the ability to mimic estrogen. Currently, this is of major concern to researchers since parabans have been found in breast cancer tissue. Parabans penetrate the skin and appear in the blood.

Parabens are derived from petroleum; absorbed through the skin; may irritate skin; may be toxic if swallowed; potential mutagen; endocrine disrupter; may impair fertility. They have not been adequately tested and are not recommended for children; CIR is re-evaluating safety, previously considered safe as used.

Parabens are used to prevent the growth of microbes in cosmetic products and can be absorbed through the skin, blood and digestive system (i). They have been found in biopsies from breast tumors (ii) at concentrations similar to those found in consumer products (iii). Parabens are found in nearly all urine samples from U.S. adults of a variety of ethnic, socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds (iv).

Products That May Contain Parabens

Parabens are several distinct chemicals with similar a molecular structure. Four of these occur frequently in cosmetics: ethylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben. Methylparaben and propylparaben are the most common of these.

Parabens appear mostly in personal care products that contain significant amounts of water, such as shampoos, conditioners, lotions and facial and shower cleansers and scrubs. While concentration limits are recommended for each paraben, these recommendations do not account for the use of multiple parabens in a single product or for exposure to parabens from several products by a single individual.

Health Concerns

EWG's database, which compares cosmetic ingredients to over 50 international toxicity databases, indicates that parabens are linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity and skin irritation (v). Since parabens are used to kill bacteria in water-based solutions, they inherently have some toxicity to cells (vi).

A 2004 UK study detected traces of five parabens in the breast cancer tumors of 19 out of 20 women studied (vii). This small study does not prove a causal relationship between parabens and breast cancer, but it is important because it detected the presence of intact parabens – unaltered by the body’s metabolism – which is an indication of the chemicals' ability to penetrate skin and remain in breast tissue.

Of greatest concern is that parabens are known to disrupt hormone function, an effect that is linked to increased risk of breast cancer and reproductive toxicity. Parabens mimic estrogen by binding to estrogen receptors on cells. They also increase the expression of genes usually regulated by estradiol (a form of estrogen); these genes cause human breast tumor cells to grow and multiply in cellular studies (viii).

Cosmetic manufacturers, particularly those in the natural/organic sector, are seeking effective alternatives to prevent microbial growth in personal care products. Another solution is to sell products with a shorter shelf life. Companies are testing new product formulations and have created preservative-free products with a shelf life of six months to one full year. For the products most people use daily – their favorite lotion, face wash or shampoo – products are likely to be used up before they would expire.

i. Gray, J (2008). State of the Evidence: The Connection between Breast Cancer and the Environment. San Francisco, CA: The Breast Cancer Fund.

ii Daubre PD, Aljarrah A, Miller WR, Coldham NG, Sauer MJ, Pope GS (2004). Concentrations of parabens in human breast tumours. Journal of Applied Toxicology 24:5-13.

iii Rastogi SC, Schouten A, Dekruijf N, Weijland JW (1995). Contents of methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and benzylparaben in cosmetic products. Contact Dermatits 32: 28-30.

iv Ye X, Bishop AM, Reidy JA, Needham LL, Calafat AM (2006). Parabens as urinary biomarkers of exposure in humans. Environmental Health Perspectives114: 1843-1846.

vi Ishiwatari S, Suzuki T, Hitomi T, Yoshino T, Matsukuma S, Tsuji T. (2006). Effects of methyl paraben on skin keratinocytes. Journal of Applied Toxicology 27:1-9.

Handa O, Kokura S, Adachi S, Takagi T, Naito Y, Tanigawa T, Yoshida N, Yoshikawa T. (2006). Methylparaben potentiates UV-induced damage on skin keratinocytes. Toxicology. 227: 62-72.

vii Darbre PD, Aljarrah A, Miller WR, Coldham NG, Sauer MJ, Pope GS (2004). Concentrations of parabens in human breast tumors. Journal of Applied Toxicology 24:5-13.

viiii Byford JR, Shaw LE, Drew MGB, Pope GS, Sauer MJ, Darbre PD (2002). Oestrogenic activity of parabens in MCF7 human breast cancer cells. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 80:49-60.

Low-dose Exposures

Two decades of research indicate that very low-dose exposures to toxic chemicals can have profound health effects. This counters the long-held belief that “the dose makes the poison” – a rationale that underlies much chemical regulation, including the use of various chemicals in cosmetics (i). The inaccurate assumption that very small amounts of toxic chemicals are safe allows for the continued use of toxic chemicals in personal care products (ii).

There are at least three key problems with this assumption. First, this assumes that low doses are truly safe, which may not be the case. Research on laboratory animals, cell cultures and wildlife suggests that in some cases low-dose exposures may have more profound effects than higher exposures (iii). Second, this assumption of safety at low doses overlooks the fact that many of the toxic chemicals that appear in cosmetics and personal care products tend to show up in several products an average person uses daily, and that many of these chemicals show up in other consumer products as well (iv). As a result, what seem like small exposures add up to larger doses.

Finally, a long-standing approach to chemical regulation looks at chemicals one at a time. However, daily life exposes individuals to a multitude of various ingredients. For instance, an Environmental Working Group report shows that women use 12 cosmetic products with 168 unique ingredients each day and men use 6 products with an average of 85 ingredients (v). These ingredients, in combination with exposures from other consumer products and pollutants in the air and water, add up to a phenomenal array of combined exposures, in effect adding up to hundreds of exposures every day (vi).

Research indicates that, in many cases, these exposures add up and work in combination to affect health in ways that may be more profound than single exposures. Taking in multiple chemicals can have an additive effect, whereby multiple small exposures add up to a lot (2+3=5), or a synergistic effect, whereby multiple exposures increase the toxic effects of one another (2+3=10) (vii). For instance, several studies have found that combinations of various chemicals with estrogenic properties may have additive (viii) or synergistic effects (ix).

In addition, the timing of exposure may moderate the effects of low doses, so that low doses at certain points in development – prenatally, during puberty, etc. – may have stronger or qualitatively different effects on health (x).

More Information

For more information about how small doses of chemicals impact our long-term health, visit The Endocrine Disruption Exchange.

i Gray, J (2008). State of the Evidence: The Connection between Breast Cancer and the Environment. San Francisco, CA: Breast Cancer Fund.

ii Environmental Working Group (2004). Exposures Add Up – Survey Results. Available online http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/research/exposures/php. Accessed August 19, 2008.

iii Gray, J (2008). State of the Evidence: The Connection between Breast Cancer and the Environment. San Francisco, CA: Breast Cancer Fund.

iv Environmental Working Group (2004). Exposures Add Up – Survey Results. Available online http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/research/exposures/php. Accessed August 19, 2008.

v Environmental Working Group (2004). Exposures Add Up – Survey Results. Available online http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/research/exposures/php. Accessed August 19, 2008.

vi Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2003). Second National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Available online at http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/. Accessed August 19, 2008.

vii Gray, J (2008). State of the Evidence: The Connection between Breast Cancer and the Environment. San Francisco, CA: Breast Cancer Fund.

viii Ramamoorthy K, Wang F, Chen IC, Safe S, Norris JD, McDonnell DP, Gaido KW, Bocchinfuso WP, Korach KS (1997). Potency of combined estrogenic pesticides. Science 275: 405-6.

Foster WG, Younglai EV, Boutross- Tadross O, Hughes CL, Wade MG (2004). Mammary gland morphology in Sprague-Dawley rats following treatment with an organochlorine mixture in utero and neonatal genistein. Toxicological Sciences 77: 91-100.

ix Xie L, Thrippleton K, Irwin MA, Siemering GS, Mekebri A, Crane D, Berry K, Schlenk D (2005). Evaluation of estrogenic activities of aquatic herbicides and surfactants using a rainbow trout vitellogenin assay. Toxicological Sciences 77: 91-100.

Kortenkamp A (2006). Breast cancer, oestrogens and environmental pollutants: a re-evaluation from a mixture perspective. International Journal of Andrology 29: 193-198.

x Gray, J (2008). State of the Evidence: The Connection between Breast Cancer and the Environment. San Francisco, CA: Breast Cancer Fund.