Hooked on a Feeling

It's now been about two and half years into this health conscious trek and things are going pretty well. I've managed to keep my weight in a normal, healthy BMI range (for me, is 144lbs-174lbs) for the past year, staying anywhere between 160-170lbs.  For my height (5'11''), that's really good. Especially since I've been exercising for fewer minutes than I have in my entire life, but with higher intensity.  (HIIT or Peak 8 training, as it is known.)

Nevertheless, this process has had its ups and downs. During Lent this year I felt absolutely fantastic, as I was on practically a 90-100% raw, plant-based diet.  After Easter, however, I introduced some vegan and cooked food, and started to feel fatigued and run down. I don't blame the cooked food entirely since I'd also experienced high raw days and still felt off.  I decided to look into the common deficiencies of raw foodists and vegans, and Vitamin B12 ranked high.  So I ate some (fried!) seafood and more meat on occasion throughout the summer, and that seemed to help. But then I started to get a little achey in the joints. Coupled with diminished exercise, family stress and not getting what my body really needed, I was feeling frumpy and worried that I'd lost that great feeling of vitality I'd grown to love just a few months prior.  I decided the diet needed a clean up and to look into Vitamin B12 supplements.

It's been about a month on the Vitamin B12 supplements and I'm feeling really good. After about two weeks I completed a seven day water and juice fast, and was able to manage it well. Now that I'm back on a high raw and vegan diet AND exercising more consistently, I've got that awesome feeling back, especially after an interval workout. I joke with my husband that my skin "feels like it's breathing"when I get off the treadmill; cool and radiating, like I've got icy hot on it. The truth is, with all the greens and superfoods like spirulina and chlorella we're eating, my skin IS getting more oxygen. So I'm not off base there.

Kevin Gianni of Renegade Health speaks to these issues of feeling like crap even if you're eating healthy. Take a look at his suggestions in getting bloodwork if this means you. As I've told many friends who have tried the raw and vegan diets with or without immediate success, "Do what feels right for your body! Go slow! Or maybe not yet!"  There are wonderful books that will back up the science behind eating a certain way, but if you don't feel good that way for extended periods of time, then it's probably not right for you.  Or right for you right now.

I never ended up going to the doctor since my energy bounced back, but I am curious what proficiencies or deficiences my bloodwork would show. Perhaps that will be a future post.

But this is the reason Charissa and I named our blog "Get Dense." The irony behind improving health, in general, seems obvious, right?  Eat better and exercise. Duh, yeah?! But there's always room for individual, unique situations--and one ought NEVER feel guilty about it if it doesn't match a particular dietary lifestyle. That's why God gives us doctors, nutritionists, naturopaths, personal trainers, and the ability to read, etc., ...to help us. While these services are never a guarantee to feeling better and healthy, it's just nice to know that people care for our bodies and minds, that we can take steps in the right directions, and all the while God is attending His mercy to our souls through these vocations. Because, let's face it, even when we suffer, are sick and in pain, and die, this is a sign to our neighbor of the sin and evil in this world, which God uses to point us straight to the ultimate remedy and cure, the cross.

Everyone, to one degree or another, is hooked on the feeling of wanting to be healthy and feel great. Who could blame us? Yet the only real guarantee in this life and hereafter is God promising and providing means for our spiritual health of salvation, forgiveness and eternal life daily in Jesus through Word and Sacrament.

The rest is just gravy.

Wait. Not gravy . . .smoothie.  :) 

Lemon Honey Cheesecake

You all just as well surrender. SURRENDER!

Life is preeeetty darn good over here in the nutrient dense corner. 

Ya know, with all the suffering and deprivation and stuff . . .pffft.

Yes, folks, this Lemon Honey Cheesecake looks as good as it tastes. 

Strike that. 

It tastes even better than it looks . . .and the finished product/presentation is quite lovely, you must admit. I mean, for an amateur like me.

C'mon, your salivary glands are piqued and running just looking at those limes, imagining the sour citrus and sweet honey creaminess of the filling.  

They should be. This dessert's 'Da Bomb!'  Just a little last summer sweet 'hurrah' before Fall kicks into high gear.

Oh, and guess what's on top? 

Sweetened. Frozen. Mango. 

I'll give you a minute to pick up the pieces of your craniums, as I'm sure many minds have just now been blown.

. . .

Okay, you ready to hear how this RAW recipe goes? 

Prep:

Know when you're gonna wanna serve this. Unless you go the vegan route (using non raw nuts, soaked for just an hour) which you can prepare in a couple of hours, you will need at least 1 day in advance to get the ingredients ready.

The night before: 

1. Soak 3 cups raw cashews in water overnight.

2. Peel and slice 3 ripened mangoes. Place in freezer bag. Put in freezer overnight.

3. Make 2 cups Irish Moss Gel (Or, if you don't have Irish Moss, just soak 3.5 cups of cashews)

The Day Of:

Make crust:

2 cups almonds (or macadamia nuts)

1 cup pitted dates

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 TBS Honey

Food process nuts for about a minute until it becomes a course meal texture. Add rest of ingredients and  process till the mixture becomes sticky. Add a tsp water if not sticky, then process.

Take crust mixture out and mold onto 9 inch springform pan. (See picture above) Set in freezer.

The Filling: 

3 cups of soaked and drained cashews
4 peeled lemons
1.5 cup raw honey (or agave nectar)
1x tsp vanilla essence

2 cups Irish moss gel

Place all ingredients in blender for at least 1 minute and until creamy smooth.

Spoon mixture out and onto the crust. Spread it across to the edges of the springform pan nice a flat and put in freezer to set. (At least 30 minutes before adding topping)

Okay, now the topping!

Take the frozen mangoes out of the freezer and place in blender.

You can add stevia or some honey to kick it up a notch. Or not, if the mangoes are naturally sweet and ripe.

Blend till creamy smooth.

Ladle out onto the top of the set cheesecake filling. Put back in the freezer for about an hour then serve.

Be sure cheesecake is not frozen, but nicely set so you can cut slices. 

Like so . . .

. . .and like so. 

Oh! Add a little lemon or lime zest to the topping, if you like, with a citrus fruit decor of your choice. It will be sure to tantalize the eyes and make your guests think you're a gourmet chef. Look out, Gordon Ramsey.

This cheesecake will serve up to 8-10. 

This recipe was inspired by Alison Andrew's version on her site.

Avocado Reubens

Okay, you can laugh at me. 

Wait, I haven't told you for what yet. 

So these first two pictures are of the first sandwich I made, and the last two are of the second. 

Can you tell the difference?

The second one's a little sturdier, toastier and, perhaps, more photogenic. 

A photogenic sandwich. Wow. That's what our blog posts have come to. 

But you know what I mean, right? 

Okay, NOW you can laugh . . .

Here's the recipe for this absolutely delicious lunch that serves 2.

Ingredients

4 slices good quality rye bread

Thousand Island Dressing (see recipe below)

1 firm avocado, halved, pitted, removed from skin and thinly sliced

Sea salt and ground pepper

1/2 cup sauerkraut

1 firm tomato, thinly sliced and patted dry with paper towel

Directions

Lightly toast bread and spread all slices with dressing. Place sauerkraut on bottom slices. Distribute avocado slices evenly on top of sauerkraut. Season avocado with salt and pepper. Top avocado with tomato and bread. Cut sandwich diagonally and serve with extra dressing on the side.

Thousand Island Dressing 

1 cup vegan mayo

1/2 cup ketchup

3/4 cup dill pickles diced

Pepper

1/4 cup pickle juice

(Mix all ingredients in a container. Serve.)

Recipe credit: Roberto Martin, "Vegan Cooking for Carnivores." 2012

Frozen C.B.A. Dessert

Hello!

Don't mind if you do, right?

C.B.A. (or at least C.B.) is a staple in our house. See Son below.

C.B. stands for Chocolate Banana.

Adding the A is because we had extra avocados lying around. 

Yup. Avocado. There's the A.

But just look at this fresh treat. You'd never even know there was avocado in there.

And the taste? 

Very sweet, smooth and chocolatey.

A sure crowd pleaser.

So let's get to it, shall we?

Ingredients:

2 frozen bananas

1/2 avocado

1/4 cup cacao (or cocoa) powder

2 tsp stevia (or other sweetener)

1/4 cup almond milk (optional--no almond milk makes dessert stiffer for longer)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Pack all those ingredients into your high speed blender. 

Side view above.

Aerial view below.

Then BLEND, using a tamper to get all chunks smooth but not too loose. 

This batch may be too loose because of the almond milk. 

Since I have piping tools, I decided to get fancy and put the CBA in a piping bag and swirl it around in a cute dessert cup.  

But you don't have to. It certainly will taste the same right out of the blender and into your mouth. (In case bowls and cups and motivation are scarce.)

If you do happen to find motivation, toppings are always a nice way to dress up the dessert. Especially if you're having guests over. 

I chose chopped walnuts. Shredded coconut, cacao nibs, sprinkles . . .you name it and/or have it, do it.

Eat up before it turns into a milkshake.

Or don't. That's good, too. 

This recipe serves 2. 

Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are such a delightful treat around here. You can stuff the wrap with whatever your heart's desire. Then add a little dipping sauce and this can be an appetizer or main course. 

Rice wrappers are one of the most unique food inventions I've ever come across. These buggers will wrap and stick like glue with just the littlest bit of water.  

Odd, they say each package holds "approximately" 12 wrappers.
 I've never had one with less than 15!

I've found pie dishes with about a cup of water work best to soak the wrapper for about 5-10 seconds before stuffing it.

Place the damp wrapper on a cutting board or dry surface . . .

. . .and stuff it!

Since we try to eat lighter and raw as often as possible, I stuffed the rice wrappers today with whatever veggies I had in the fridge: avocado, green pepper, red onion, shredded carrots, celery, and cilantro.

Then you wrap it up like a burrito...the bottom part folds over the veggies, then bring up the sides and roll it away from you nice and secure. 

You'll see what I mean about how easy it is as it sticks together.

I had enough veggies for about 9 wraps 

(Hmmm, I spy only 7. Someone dove in early!).

Oh, wait, that was me. 

Then I made the dipping sauce.

Here's what I threw in the blender:

1 TBS lemon juice and lime juice

1 cup liquid aminos (or whatever kind of soy sauce you use)

1/2 cup water

2 cloves garlic

A small nob of ginger, peeled

1/2 cup cilantro

A squirt of sriracha, as desired

2 TBS organic peanut butter

I tell you what, this dipping sauce really highlighted the celery in the spring rolls for me. It was so savory, tangy and fresh. 

In the past I've added hemp seeds, almond butter (a little more filling) and cabbage. The sky's the limit. You can add meat and even fry these bad boys up.

This recipe took me all of about 20 minutes; to cut the veggies up, wrap 'em, and blend the sauce. 

Not bad.  

Yup, somebody had a bite or two too.  

Potato Latkes

Not only did I get a yummy dish, but an educational one. Did you know latkes date back to the Maccabees and are entrenched in Jewish history?  

Latke means "little oily thing."  They are a part of Hannakah cuisine which dates back to 171 BC. The Maccabees derived the affinity for eating things cooked in oil after winning the battle over the Syrian-Greeks. When they reclaimed and cleansed the Jewish Temple they rid it of the idols. Then, using a golden menorah,  they lit it inside the temple with a little purified olive oil. According to tradition, the oil lasted for eight days, a miracle, and which is exactly the time it took to press fresh oil. And thus, the commemoration continues to this day. 

Are potatoes the only thing we can fry up to be latke-like? According to Ms. Glazer:

In fact, nowhere does it say that you can't forgo the potatoes altogether and make your latkes out of zucchini, beets, carrots or other vegetables. Because when all is said and done, it is not the potato per se that should take center stage on Hanukkah. What facilitated the Miracle of the Oil was not the pancake but the little olive, whose oil played an integral part in various ceremonies in the Temple, including anointing royal personages. Indeed, the word "Messiah" is derived from the Hebrew word Mashiach -- "anointed one." 

Fascinating. 

Finally, Glazer rounds off the history lesson with the health knowledge of the ages: 

"In biblical times, pure olive oil also enjoyed widespread use as a remedy for wounds, sores, chills and aching throats, ears and muscles. Long before we knew that it contained healthful monounsaturated oils and helped lower cholesterol, olive oil softened the cracked hands of the shepherd and the shoemaker, protected the tender skin of babes and relieved the tired traveler -- and, no doubt, the Maccabees as well."  (Glazer, "The Little Pancake with a Big History." Los Angeles Times, 2008)

Now that you know all this, there's no need to feel guilty about eating fried anything anymore, right?  

Well . . . let's just say that a little oil, as the Maccabees realized, goes a long way. Enjoy. 

Vegan Potato Latkes

 Ingredients

4 large unpeeled russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, and grated.

1/2 large white onion, grated

1/4 cup organic, unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

High-heat oil such as safflower or grapeseed oil (OR OLIVE OIL), as needed.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the grated potatoes, onion, flour, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.  Toss the mixture gently with your hands until all the ingredients are well incorporated. 

Heat a large nonstick saute pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of oil into it. 

While the oil is heating, shape about a 1/4 cup of the potato mixture into a small disk. Carefully place the potato cake into the pan and fry until crispy on the one side.  Work in batches and fry as many cakes as you can per batch without crowding the pan. 

Gently press down on each cake while it is cooking.  Flip the latkes only when one side of each is sufficiently crisp and dark brown, about 5 minutes.  

When the latkes are done, season them again with salt and pepper and place them on a paper towel-lines baking sheet to drain excess oil.  

Top with any number of things: Sour Cream, Applesauce, diced tomatoes, etc.  

Recipe courtesy of Roberto Martin, Vegan Cooking for Carnivores, p. 54

Just a side note: I only used 2 medium sized red potatoes, and made my latkes a lot bigger than what the recipe called for. It was fine for the three of us, whereas the recipes states it will yield 30 latkes. 

That's a latta latkes!

Mac N' Cheese

Hold on to your bonnets, bloggers, as Get Dense will be rapid firing some fantastic recipes out to you in the next couple of days. Some of these delectables are variations of vegan, raw and gluten free, but ALL of them are DEEE-licious. Here's a teaser:

Now here's a mac n' cheese I wouldn't hesitate to serve to a variety of foodies, as it looks gourmet and the sauce is oh-so-savory and luscious. It's also gluten-free and vegan. (Though, not nut-free so beware.)  Unless someone told me they were allergic to any of these ingredients, I wouldn't even tell them what was in it. (I'm learning the "don't ask, don't tell unless I gotta" policy in the cuisine departamento.) People will like, if not love it. It also helps that it took me all of about 15 minutes to prepare.  

Without further adieu . . .

Vegan Mac N' Cheese

The ingredients: (Serves 3)

1 1/2 cups dry shell or elbow pasta, cooked until al dente according to the package directions. I used a brown rice elbow pasta which was gluten free.  Also, I salted and put olive oil in as directions allowed, as this (the broth) is another ingredient for the recipe anyway.

5 ounces vegan cheddar cheese, grated. I picked mine up already shredded at the health food store . . .BUT I learned that some of the larger grocers that have health food sections carry this stuff even cheaper!  At least that's the way it is around here. 

1 cup cashew cream (See below on how to make.)

1 cup broth from cooked pasta, or vegetable broth (Not pictured.)

Salt and pepper. I use Sea Salt. Or Celtic sea salt. Or Himalayan sea salt. And just run of the mill (ha, get the pun?) pepper.  



A word about the cashew cream . . .
Okay, so most vegans or raw foodies will buy their nuts raw and in bulk so they can soak them as needed.  Well, nuts can get pretty expensive, and since this is a vegan recipe anyway, I opted for the Aldi's brand cashews, which are roasted and sea salted. See below. $10 for this, which will go a long way. (Unless my husband and son don't stop eating them from the container!!!)

Anyway, I really wanted to make the cashew cream since many recipes call for it. Plus, as you will see, an option in this recipe is to heat the cashews anyway (which many know is a raw food NO-NO. Gasp!). But sure if it doesn't taste great either way. Maybe one day when we're rich, we'll get us some reeeeal raw nuts. In the meantime, here goes somethin':

Cashew Cream Recipe

2 cups raw organic cashews (pfft, or not raw)

2 1/2 cups water

Soak the cashews in water overnight or bring the cashew and 4 cups of water to a simmer.  Remove the pan from the heat and allow the cashews to soak 1 hour. Drains and rinse cashews. 

So here's what I did. I just soaked the cashews overnight. By morning, much of the salt had come off. I drained and rinsed them.

Next, place cashews into the jar of a blender and add 2 1/2 cups of water. Blend until completely smooth, stopping a few times to scrape down the sides of the jar with a spatula.  It should be the consistency of heavy cream.  It can be refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for 2 months. Makes 5 cups.

Okay, got that? Super easy...throw soaked cashews into blender with water and waa-la, cashew cream.

Back to the Mac n' Cheese . . .

Now, throw all the above ingredients together in a saucepan (except salt and pepper) and stir with a wooden spoon until the cheese has melted and the ingredients are well incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

And there you have it. My family absolutely loved it.

One thing I would do in the future is, if I made this as a main course, I'd double the recipe to serve 3-4. But as a side for three people it worked well.  

Recipe (with my own tweaks) courtesy of Roberto Martin, Vegan Cooking for Carnivores, pp. 154, 206

Inflammation Question

Hi Charissa,
Remember me from XXXX? Connie! I have a question for you. Could you tell me in your opinion which fruits, veggies, etc. would be best used for juicing/blending, having two drinks a day to alleviate inflammation/arthritis symptoms? I am new to this and am creating many veggie/juice blends but want to get optimal results and make sure I am doing it right. Thanks for any help you may be able to give me. 

*´¨)
¸´ ¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨''Connie

Hi Connie!

I absolutely remember you.  Good for you for juicing/blending and thank you for contactung me.  sorry I am just getting to this now.  I could not tell you what the best combination of foods would be, but I could tell you what I use and what other foods have been suggested.  

Lately my smoothies have consisted of kale, 1 1/2 bananas, a clementine, an apple, Spirulina, Oh and sometime blueberries.  Spirulina in an algae.  Sounds gross, but since using that and adding chlorella to my diet, has given me so much energy and any body pains I had before went away.  I admit this past summer I have not kept up as much because my blender broke and man I feel it big time.  

Having fruits and veggies with antioxidants,high in vitamin B6,and Have a good source of vitamin E are recommended.  You can't go wrong with greens.  I can't say enough good things about kale, spinach, collard greens.  I also recommend beets.  But if you are juicing a couple times a day and your body was not typically getting all these nutrients, regardless of any fruit or veggie combination, your body will automatically feel better.  I do suggest changing it up a bit though.  Your body can get used to the same veggies and fruit.  try to stay in season with fruits and veggies and switching out certain greens, so your body is constantly receiving different forms of nutrients.  They say  having a diet of fruits and veggies with lots of different colors can help.  Here is a site that I found, that i hope helps you as well.  It talks specifically about what you are asking.  

I hope this was helpful.  Let me know how everything goes.  Good luck with your juicing and I hope you find the best combination of fruits and veggies that will be both tasty and a relief for your joints.  I'm sure you will find many other benefits as well. 

Best wishes,

Charissa