Showing posts with label sunshine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sunshine. Show all posts
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Sunshine Delicious Winter Recipes
I had reached the point of no return. Winter and I were through. I had enough, thank you very much, and was about to throw myself off the highest snow drift when my salvation arrived on the back of a UPS truck.Citrus from Florida. A case load. Sunshine in a box.
My mother sends one to each of us kids, every year, in the dead of winter. Shes been doing this since, well, since we all still lived under her roof. Thats the great thing about Moms – no matter your age, youll always be her child.
So, for the past week, Ive been in citrus heaven feasting on honeybells, temple oranges and ruby red grapefruit.
Honeybell oranges have a sweet honey flavor and a unique bell shape. Its mind boggling how much juice these possess.
Temple oranges are known as the Queen of the Crop. Peel one, let it melt in your mouth, and youll understand why she gets the honor of wearing the tiara.
Not a grapefruit lover? I bet youve never tried a plump Ruby Red. These seedless beauties are blushing red and dripping with sweetness.
Full of bioflavonoids and carotenoids which fight off cancer, fresh oranges and grapefruit also contain disease-fighting phytochemicals which help to combat heart disease. Whats not to love?
Here are two out-of-this-world, sunshine-delicious recipes I cant get enough of.
Purple Cabbage Saladfrom Elanas Pantry
½ head purple cabbage
1 orange, peeled and sliced into ½ inch segments
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
dash chili powder
Slice the cabbage as thinly as possible and place in a large bowl. Add the orange segments. Toss with olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice, then sprinkle with chili powder.
This gorgeous dish tastes even better the next day after the flavors have marinated and blended together.
Mixed Greens, Fennel & Orange Salad1 head leaf lettuce
1 head radicchio
2 heads Belgian endive, sliced
2 bulbs fennel, sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 oranges, peeled and segmented
1/4 C almond slivers
Dressing:
2 tsp fresh ginger root, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp orange zest
2 Tbsp orange juice
3 Tbsp ruby red grapefruit juice
1 tsp raw honey
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
The crisp, licorice-flavored fennel, sweet orange and onions balance the slightly bitter tastes of endive and radicchio. Drizzle on the dressing and, sweet mercy, the symphony of flavors!
Whats been your source of culinary sunshine this winter?
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Let The Sunshine In
Ive had low-grade, chronic depression for what feels like forever, probably since I entered puberty, actually. Years of therapy resulted in lots of insight and self-reflection, but produced no significant change in how I felt day-to-day. Same thing with alternative means of healing — reiki, acupuncture, neurolinguistic programming, craniosacral, polarity, homeopathy, naturopathy, etc. etc. You name it, Ive tried it, including seeing shamans on three different continents. And while I may have experienced temporary relief, alas, the underlying depression remained, like a dull ache.
Ive been transitioning to raw (85 - 90%) for four weeks now, and the emotional/mental change is significant. I feel like I just crawled out from underneath a huge rock and am being exposed to the sun, light, and air for the first time in decades. The clarity is astounding. Everything looks brighter, crisper. [Perhaps my vision is improving?] I can breathe. Whatever it was that weighed so heavy on my mind and heart seems to be lifting.
Heres the truth: when we eat whole, live foods, we feel more ALIVE. Let me rephrase that: when I eat whole, live food, I feel more alive. Toxic waste has been stirred up and released from my cells and, hopefully, expelled from my body one way or another. I find this fascinating...
Science has shown that emotion inside of the body is biochemical. If we cant vent it, we store it. The skin, being the largest organ in the human body, has the capacity to expel oodles and oodles of toxins. Guess where Ive been breaking out this past week? Pimples on my head and chest! Physical manifestation that my mind and heart are releasing garbage and cleaning house? Hmmmm.
Raw food: Natures answer to Prozac.
Ive been transitioning to raw (85 - 90%) for four weeks now, and the emotional/mental change is significant. I feel like I just crawled out from underneath a huge rock and am being exposed to the sun, light, and air for the first time in decades. The clarity is astounding. Everything looks brighter, crisper. [Perhaps my vision is improving?] I can breathe. Whatever it was that weighed so heavy on my mind and heart seems to be lifting.
Heres the truth: when we eat whole, live foods, we feel more ALIVE. Let me rephrase that: when I eat whole, live food, I feel more alive. Toxic waste has been stirred up and released from my cells and, hopefully, expelled from my body one way or another. I find this fascinating...
Science has shown that emotion inside of the body is biochemical. If we cant vent it, we store it. The skin, being the largest organ in the human body, has the capacity to expel oodles and oodles of toxins. Guess where Ive been breaking out this past week? Pimples on my head and chest! Physical manifestation that my mind and heart are releasing garbage and cleaning house? Hmmmm.
Raw food: Natures answer to Prozac.
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