Seems like I just can’t get enough kale!  Not only is this salad super yummy, but it is incredibly healthy and easy to make. This is a great raw choice for the warm months and a nice dish to bring for a potluck.

Ingredients:
-  1 bunch of kale
-  1 avocado
-  1 lemon, squeezed
-  1 teaspoon Sea Salt

Rinse the kale, remove the stems and chop. Combine the kale, lemon and sea salt in a bowl. Massage the kale with your hands for a few minutes - until the kale becomes tender. Chop up the avocado into small pieces and massage it into the greens.

Optional Add-ins:
− Grated root vegetables such as beet, carrot and daikon radish.
− Toasted sesame or sunflower seeds.
− Crumbled goat or feta cheese.
− Extra Virgin Olive Oil
− Quinoa

Spring is the perfect time to up your intake of greens. The grass is turning green, the trees are blossoming and green shoots are coming up all over. Nature is reminding us to eat our greens! Greens help cleanse and detoxify our bodies, increase our energy and make us feel more in tune with the season. Greens also have a high fiber and nutrient content - calcium, magnesium, iron, folic acid, as well as antioxidant vitamins A, B, C and E. (more…)

Here’s a super easy way to get more greens into your life!Great for breakfast or a super healthy snack. 5 minutes to make and will fill you up for 4-5 hours thanks to the addition of protein (protein powder, flax seed, and almonds). (more…)

Farmers Markets are overloaded with squash this time of year. Here is a simple but delicious recipe that can be served at a dinner party or as a simple meal at home. This naturally sweet vegetable is also a good antidote for sugar cravings.

Ingredients:
3 tblsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tblsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
Cayenne pepper to taste (careful!)
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
3 cups water
1 tart green apple, peeled, cored and chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large soup pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add onion and saute until golden brown. Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper; cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add squash, vegetable or chicken broth, water and apple. Bring liquid to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 25 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove from heat and cool 15-20 minutes.Puree mixture in a blender or food processor and transfer back into soup pot. Season with salt and pepper.

• Refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve.
• To serve, warm over low heat, stirring until hot.

Collard green wraps are my new favorite thing! Collard greens replace the tortilla and provide a healthier wrap option. It’s also a great way to get more greens into your diet. Get fresh collard greens from your local Farmer’s Market and fill them with your choice of fillings. You can put just about anything in the collard wrap and make them raw too.

My current favorite:

Take 1-2 raw collard leaves with the inside facing up and fill with:

- Hummus, brown rice or quinoa, grated carrot, 1/2 avocado, dash of toasted sesame oil and tamari. Yum!

Collard greens are packed with nutrition! 

Like other vegetables in the cabbage family, collard greens provide anticancer properties. They offer an excellent source of vitamins B6 and C, carotenes, chlorophyll, and manganese.  One cup of collard greens provides more than 70 percent of the RDA for vitamin C. Collard greens are also a very good source of fiber, and several minerals, including iron, copper, and calcium. They also offer a good source of vitamins B1, B2, and E.

I love having smoothies for breakfast in the summer! This chocolate smoothie is my favorite… cooling, nutritious and delicious. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 4 tblsp hemp protein powder
  
• 1 tblsp cacao powder
• 1 tblsp almonds
• 1 tblsp flax meal
• 2 tblsp hemp seeds
• Splash of vanilla
• Splash of raw agave
• 1 1/2 cup of water
• 4-5 ice cubes

BLEND!!!

Spring is the perfect time to up your intake of greens. The grass is turning green, the trees are blossoming and green shoots are coming up all over. Nature is reminding us to eat our greens! Greens help cleanse and detoxify our bodies, increase our energy and make us feel more in tune with the season. Greens also have a high fiber and nutrient content - calcium, magnesium, iron, folic acid, as well as antioxidant vitamins A, B, C and E. (more…)

I used to suffer from year-round allergies that were at their worst in the springtime. I was on a corticosteroid inhaler and took antihistamines for six months out of the year. I had frequent colds, sinus infections and headaches. I decided to get off the medications and fight the allergies the natural way. This is the protocol that I have followed for the last six years. I can’t promise that it will work for everyone, but I can say that I am now medication and allergy free. (more…)

I’ve recently discovered the grain Amaranth, which is high in protein, iron and calcium as well as wheat and gluten-free. It is a nice breakfast alternative to oatmeal. I put the same add-ins that I put in my oatmeal - making it even yummier and more nutritious! I find adding protein and good fats (Omega-3s) to my breakfast keeps me full longer and my energy nicely balanced. (more…)

I recently spent a week in Sedona visiting a friend. It is always good to get away on vacation, but I was especially happy to find myself catching up on important self-care - hiking, feeling my connection with nature, breathing the fresh clear mountain air and eating lots of healthy good food. It’s easy to forget how much I need these things!

I had a lot of yummy food inspiration while I was there. We made a trip to the Bliss Cafe almost every day. Their food is organic, vegan, mainly raw and made with love - absolutely delicious! Their raw sushi and nut cheeses were amazing and the raw cacao was to die for!

I’ve been particularly fascinated by nut cheeses since I’m always trying to balance my love of cheese with my need to eat less dairy (it makes me congested!). My first foray into the world of nut cheese was a delicious sunflower seed cheese that was a big hit at a recent girlie get-together (see recipe below).

Since there isn’t any raw cacao in my neighborhood, I’ve also been experimenting in my kitchen with making my own raw cacao treats. When I discover the best combination of flavors I am looking forward to spreading my newfound love of raw cacao around Boston. Oh yes, the taste tests are going well so far! Maybe a little too well…