Benefits of Himalayan Salt

For about a year now, I have been replacing standard table salt with Himalayan salt. At the beginning, I found it a bit strong, but it turns out I really liked it. We all know in reality that we cannot live without salt; however we must use it in moderation and if we like it, why not use something that's beneficial to us.

First, we must understand there are enormous differences between today's table salt and Himalayan salt, Himalayan salt is the purest salt of all. Table salt is 97.5% sodium chloride and 2.5% chemicals such as moisture absorbents, and iodine. After these ingredients are mixed, then it's dried at over 1,200º Fahrenheit this excessive heat alters the natural chemical structure of the salt. Himalayan salt has been around for over 250 million years.

Below are a just few benefits Himalayan:

• Absorbs food particles through the intestinal tract.
• Regulates the water content throughout your body.
• Promotes a healthy pH in your cells.
• Supports respiratory health.
• Promotes bone strength
• Supports the libido
• Regulates sleep

Health problems developed by table salt:

• Arthritis
• Kidney and gall bladder stones
• High blood pressure
• Develops double chin

Go ahead give it a try, my favorite is the pink crystals Himalayan salt. Below are a couple of great options.

Susan Powers' Kale Chips Recipe

If you haven't been following/reading http://www.rawmazing.com a blog by Susan Powers, you're really missing out. Not only does she take amazing photography but she truly makes some wonderful recipes. I've made quite a few of them and they're absolutely delicious!

Today I'm featuring her Kale Chips Recipe, this is perfect for snacking:

For all versions: wash and spin dry kale. Remove the tough spine and tear into bite size pieces, keeping in mind that they will shrink in size as they dehydrate.

Version One:

• 3 T Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Sea Salt

Combine olive oil and sea salt in large bowl. Stir in kale and coat. Place on dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 115 for 4-6 hours or until crisp.

Version Two:

• 3 T Olive Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 1 tsp Thyme

With food processor running, drop garlic in. It will mince. Add oil and thyme. Place mixture in bowl and follow directions above.

Version Three:

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 C Cashews, soaked
• 1/4 C Nutritional Yeast*
• 1/3 C water
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Chipotle (spice)
• Pinch Sea Salt

With processor running, drop in garlic and mince. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Pour over kale chips in a bowl and massage until kale is coated. Dehydrate on screens at 115 for 4-6 hours or until crisp. *Nutritional yeast is not raw but used frequently in raw food recipes.

Try them and don't forget to visit http://www.rawmazing.com for more amazing recipes. You can also buy her books, which I highly recommend.

Sopa de Fideo by Maura Hernandez

It's been quite cold these past few days and all I've been craving is soup. My Mom used to make me sopa de fideo when I was little and I just loved it! I wanted to find a recipe using fresh tomatoes so I visited my friend's Maura's blog The Other Side of the Tortilla if you haven't been there, you must experience her Mexican cuisine, she's wonderful! Her sopa de fideo was delicious and easy to make and it was just what I needed last night.

Sopa de Fideo recipe:

• 6 medium tomatoes, roasted (I like to use vine-ripened or Roma tomatoes)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt
• 1 big slice of white onion
• 1 big clove of garlic
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup vermicelli noodles, broken into little pieces

Roast tomatoes in a shallow cazuela (or a ceramic or glass casserole dish) under low broiler heat on each side until both the top and the bottom have blackened a bit. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and transfer to a blender.
Puree the tomatoes. In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over a medium-high flame. Put one spoonful of tomato puree in the hot oil to make sure it is hot enough to fry the puree. When the oil is hot enough, pour the tomato puree slowly from the blender into the saucepan. Let the tomato puree fry for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring a few times once a minute; be careful, the puree may splatter.
Pour the fried puree back into the blender and add the salt, onion and garlic. Blend well so puree is completely smooth. Pour back into pan and add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then turn down to medium heat for 20-25 minutes until the liquid reduces a bit. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.

sopa (left), straining the puree in a sieve (right)

While the soup is cooling, break up the vermicelli noodles into small pieces until you have 1 cup of noodles. I like my soup heavy on the noodles, but you can use less than 1 cup if you prefer.
Once the soup has cooled a bit, using a mesh sieve over a deep bowl, pour liquid into sieve and strain the puree so the liquid flows through into the bowl. Use a spoon to press puree against the sides of the sieve to force the liquid out. When the puree is mostly dry and all that remains is a paste, scrape the outside of the sieve and add to the soup.

Pour the bowl back into a clean saucepan and heat over medium-high flame. Add the noodles. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat, cooking for 7-8 minutes or as directed on the vermicelli packaging. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. A thin skin may form over the top of the soup; use a spoon to remove it and discard.  Soup will thicken slightly with the addition of the noodles and upon cooling.

Ladle into bowls. Yields 4 servings. When reheating leftovers, add a few tablespoons of water per serving.

Thanks Maura, it was amazing!

The perfect lunch! Zucchini spread sandwich with spinach, tomato and avocado

I loved the  zucchini spread so much that I wanted to use it in a sandwich, instead of mayo or mustard I used the spread and it was wonderful for lunch. The following ingredients serve one:

4 Tsp of zucchini spread
1 Orowheat sandwich thin - Arnold Select Sandwich Thins Multi-Grain
1/2 tomato (sliced)
1 small avocado
2 cups of baby spinach

First, I mixed the avocado and spinach together, then I added the zucchini spread to the bread, then the spinach avocado mix and slices of tomato on top. Success! The hubby loved it just as much. You can also add sprouts, go ahead explore and make it your own.

Just in case you're wondering about the benefits of zucchini, you can read about them here: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=62

Zucchini Spread

It's a new year and I'm always finding ways to eat healthy, but yet creative. I found a recipe to make "Zucchini Humus" so I decided to make my own. Mine is more like a spread than a hummus.

This is so easy, all you will need is a food processor and you're ready to go.

Ingredients:
4 Zucchinis
1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of virgin olive oil
2 Garlic cloves
Pink Himalayan salt to taste
1 Tsp of cumin
1 Lemon (juice only)
1/2 Tsp of oregano

Cut the ends of the zucchinis, but don't peel. Most of the nutrients are in the skin, make sure you washed them very well. Put the zucchinis through the food processor using the shredding blade. Also add the garlic, once everything is shredded add the remaining ingredients and you're done! You can eat it on its own or on crackers.

Fresh Sweet Green Smoothie

I know it's too cold outside to think about having popsicles or ice cream this time of year. However, if you're craving something sweet and cold this is a great healthy smoothie recipe. You can either drink it or make into popsicles.

2 bananas

1 mango

4 frozen strawberries

1 handful of grapes

1 bunch of spinach leaves or kale to taste

About 1/2 glass of water

Mix all together and enjoy! 

Favorite green juice lemonade

Every morning I get up and make this powerful juice. I feel great and the most important thing is that I don't get sick, I haven't gotten sick in over a year. This recipe is my preventative, aside from all of the fantastic benefits Kale has to offer.

Ingredients
3-4 stalks of Kale
2 Gala apples
1 lemon

You can either make it in a juicer or a powerful blender like the Vitamix. You don't have to peel the lemons or the apples.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of Kale, you can read my post here:
http://livingraw8020.blogspot.com/2010/10/why-do-i-like-kale-so-much.html