Farm to Table Dinner Event

End of Summer is on the horizon.  We try to celebrate the season in every way possible before the cold and snow hits the streets.

Campo Di Bella farm and winery hosted a wonderful vegetarian dinner event last night. We had the joy of attending it.  

What a fantastic way to support local farming community and artisans. 

29 guests, 7 courses, and a lot of joy…

Every course was light refreshing and made us taste the summer sunshine!

Zucchini tart or art?? 😍  

Get out there and celebrate the summer!!!

Day trip to Sundara Spa – Dells, WI

Took a friend for a belated birthday celebration to Sundara Spa. Was a rather positive experience and here is the synopsis — if and when you find yourself in WI its a place you can go.

Grounds of the spa are peaceful and there are 37 rooms I believe for overnight guests. We had a great day trip with Express Spa services and access to full facility.

The quiet room is a bit tired looking, could use an update but comfy, cozy overlooking the outdoor pool. Yes! even at 48 deg weather it is open. The outside floor is heated, pool is heated and there is hot tub next to it too. Now this is an impressive feature – makes me want to come back when it snows.
Express Spa package is perfect for a day trip. The practitioners are so good that 35 min are well done. Normally 35 min are never enough for me; barely get relaxing in 30 min. We had massage, facial, and pedi. They use fully vegan organic nail polish, and all of their treatment products are organic.
While spa services were great and reasonably priced – the food was meh!! Had lunch in between services and lounging; neither dish had much flavor. Later when chatting with other guests we learned people drive elsewhere to eat. We now know why 😉 They can improve this, and we recalled how amazing the food at Kohler Spa and Red Door Spa is. So this was a tiny let down.

In any case… if you find yourself in WI and want a mid-level Spa experience Sundara will do great! Look at this… who can complain about huddling around an outdoor fire, cozy and brisk at the same time.

Cooking Class 1: Let’s make Samosa!

When was the last time you took a cooking class?? Think my last cooking class was learning how to make truffles and other chocolates two years ago. So when my friend Jennifer saw the cooking class and asked if I would go – answer was a huge YES!

On our blog We write a lot about always learning and surprising yourself. So we believe in grabbing these opportunities. Listen – we don’t think we have to be good at it either. You don’t have to be half a chef to take a class.

Love eating the Samosa but never tried making them. Chef Huma S. showed us how to make them from scratch and two other dishes too. She was a great teacher, very easy going which made the class relaxing. Enjoyed her stories and cooking style; gadget free, almost all a single pot dish, … if you could only smell the cooking food mmmm

Class took 3 hours and yes we ate everything we made at the end. Delicious dinner with new people we met at the class…

Working on vegan potato stuffed samosa:

Chef Huma made these other dishes:

I was trying to make the Samosa too perfect, she said just pinch it shut and don’t worry so much. It will be delicious. I made quite a few of them and she was frying them on the side. We ate the Samosa with the raita sauce she made. They were the best ones I have had ;))

Can’t wait to make these myself these dishes during fall and winter.

🌟 Chef Huma’s website is whitejasmine.com where she shares the recipes and sells her own spice mixes on the website.

If the title did not give it away already… We are doing another class to learn making something sweet – it will be surprise!!

Beat Colon Cancer

It sounds not happy blogging about any cancer but as well it’s happy to know if we act early we can beat this cancer by changing our lifestyle and to make good healthy choices so for your overall health enjoy our blog!

Colon cancer characterized by a malignant tumor appearing in the inner lining of the colon. It often appears after a long prolonged diet of processed meats, few vegetables and highly processed junk food.

As breast cancer widely associated with women, colon cancer mainly associated with men above the age 50. However even women are susceptible to colon cancer. Lately an increasing number of expecting young mothers diagnosed with colon cancer.

Don’t be afraid like all cancers, colon cancer is not genetic, before you put yourself to a fatalist attitude, here are some simple habits for your lifestyle that you can avoid or completely prevent colon cancer.

Here comes good news who could think it’s just that easy :)))

Eat more fruits-less meat for healthy colon and to lower chances of colon cancer.

Include more salads.

Choose vegetarian meals instead of junk food.

Include more garlic to fight against cancer use small amount of finely chopped garlic in any suitable dish lightly sauted garlic in olive oil is great condiment to many dishes.

Regular intake vitamin B, found in natural green leafed vegetables and peanuts can help avoid colon cancer by half.

Drink a lot of water. Especially 1-2 cups warm water early in the morning to stimulate healthy bowel movement.

Enjoy specialized yoga poses to promote blood circulation to the bowels to keep them youthful and healthy.

30-45 min. a brisk daily walk to keep you fit and toned.

Lower sodium intake cause higher sodium intake higher risk of cancer.

Don’t smoke.

Stay away from alcohol it’s not just good for your colon but also for your liver and overall health.

Once a day or once in two days take non vegetarian foods. Choose leaner meats rather than fattier ones fattier meats more risk for colon cancer risk.

Remember the healthy or bad choices you make today will affect your health & medical bills tomorrow!

Vegan Reddish bean & Avocado

    

Last week I realized for very long time I didn’t use my dried beans and that wasn’t good because always when I was thinking to make them but the long time to prepare them causes easily to giving up without even thinking further. One day while I was thinking how to solve this dried bean problem a great idea light up immediately to rescue! Yessss, Soaking! boiling! and freezing! dried beans.

While soaking the reddish beans to save energy and time I diced to soak all of the dried beans, chickpeas and green lentils I didn’t boil the chickpeas and green lentils ( but if you like you can) just drain them well and freeze them but I boiled the reddish beans and beans they are  super short-cut to your meal after long working/tired day. Just de-freeze how much you need and boil them with little water and salt about 5-10 min.

Enjoy  it over your salad, in mazza or main dishes.

Let’s start up to something quicker&healthier!

1 medium organic onion thinly sliced

1 cup cooked organic reddish beans

1 small organic avocado

1-2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp sumac

1 tbs pomegranate sour or lemon juice

2 tbs of finely diced organic parsley (optional)

Soak reddish beans in 4-5 cups boiled water over night

Rinse them well

Cook them 30-40 min. or more or less until you can taste to mash them with back of spoon on a plate easily this shows they are done.

Drain them if there is excess water.

Add half tsp of salt and mix the beans.

Mix half tsp of salt and sumac with diced onions.

Mix onions, beans and parsley add pomegranate sour and olive oil.

Put it into one side of serving plate.

With help of spoon remove the skin of avocado and cut into chunks.

Put it beside the beans.

Enjoy this delicious healthy dish over special dried bread called baqisma or tacos or favorite choice of your bread.

Nuts about anything COCONUT!

Ok, finally I decided to write about my obsession with anything coconut. Have always really liked coconut, but about few years ago got more serious as I learned more about the healthy benefits of coconut.

Coconut is another miracle of nature that is yummy and smells amazing. So many uses for this amazing nut – hard not to love it.

Coconut Juice and Flesh
Best way to experience this is to have fresh coconuts. I will never forget the coconuts in Thailand. Last year, during our trip to Thailand coconut juice became our official drink. We were delighted to also discover we could scrape and eat the flesh. Coconut juice is more hydrating than water.

Coconut Flakes
Coconut flakes come in various shapes and sizes. Most common use is in baking. I love the large hefty flakes that I can crunch and taste the coconut flavor. I use them in the mornings: little yogurt, blueberries, and coconut flakes!

Coconut Butter
Warning – if you read beyond this section we will not be responsible for your coconut addiction.

Coconut butter is great for cooking, baking, or just as a spread on a piece of good bread. BUT mixing couple spoonfuls mixed with dark cocoa powder makes the best impromptu desert!!

Coconut Oil
Yes, you can cook with it. BUT even more importantly you can use it for your skin and hair. I am close to ditching my body lotion altogether and completely switch over to coconut oil. It is important to emphasize you should use organic cold pressed virgin coconut oil. If your hair is too fine you may not want to use it besides as a mask to nourish the hair. But if you are sporting a bushy lush head of hair – your hair will love you for using coconut oil.

Btw – if you live in a cold climate the coconut oil will naturally solidify, that does not mean it is bad. This is normal, it will easily turn liquid with a bit of warmth.

How do you enjoy your coconut ??

Cauliflower Pasta

 
  

I opened the refrigerator and see I have cauliflower that I bought last week so I start to think what can I create today?? Different, delicious, easy, simple, healthy. Okay I find it! Cauliflower pasta with garlic yogurt mmmm…. sounds good healthy smart

Let’s create

1 cup pasta

1-1/2 cups cauliflower cut into small pieces

1 cup greek yogurt

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pressed garlic

On top (optional but yummy)

1 tsp hot pepper flakes

1 tsp olive oil

Cook the pasta with water and salt as it says on it’s own package.

Add olive oil and cauliflower stir for 1-2 min.

Add just little bit of boiling water and salt and cover the lid let boil 5-8 min until it gets soft but firm as pasta.

Combine cauliflower and pasta let them cool.

Combine yogurt and garlic take tablespoon fulls put on top of cauliflower pasta.

In small pot combine olive oil and hot pepper let them 1-2 min to heat then drizzle over the yogurt.

It looks mouth watering & Tastes fantastic!

Eggplant Mazza

This easy-tasty hors d’oeuvres  it’s vegan with simple ingredients you can serve it on top of toasted bread or with crispy sticks or crackers.

This recipe is for summer for your health use all veggies at their season please!

Okay let’s get started

1/2 cup organic eggplant (2 small eggplants or 1 big)

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp organic sea salt

1 tbs organic lemon juice

2-3 cloves organic garlic (optional but tasty)

Grill the eggplants on top of grill fire or in the oven

Before doing this please use knife  or use a fork just to make holes in eggplants this will help to stem escape and not exploding while you grill them.

After you grill them immediately remove them from oven and start to peel them for that you can hold them from their stalk if your fingers burning then just divide the eggplant lengthwise and remove the eggplants with spoon.

Immediately add the lemon juice this process will help them stay whiter and prevent them becoming brown.

After you peel them dice them finely or mash them and let them cool completely.

Put salt, and garlic.

Shape it.

Put some scallions or parsley on top drizzle with olive oil.

Vegan Warm Salad

This is great for winter!

If you will ask is this salad really served warm?? Yes it is, it’s different and especially for winter time it’s warming and always nice to try something unusual isn’t it this is the way to learn end explore more.

While you are recycling every part of the food you are creating delicious, healthy dish!

When I’m buying veggies as today I did I removed all unused and old leafs or sometimes peels of vegetables as well you can use all kind of veggies like carrot peels beet leafs etc… but please be sure they are not poisonous or harmful for your health today the salad made from winter veggies. 

And please don’t forget to soak the veggies 1 hour in vinegar water before you use them!

You can reduce or add more it depend on how much old and unused leafs and parts you have.

3 red cabbage leafs

2  cabbage leafs

roots and leafs of broccoli

roots and leafs of cauliflower

2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp of salt

2-3 cloves of garlic diced (optional)

1 lemon juice

1/2 cup of boiling water

Cut all of the vegetables as you like

I like to cut them into thin stripes

add olive oil if you will use garlic add it with olive oil

add the veggies

start to stir them for 2-3 minutes

add boiling water

cover with lid cook for 2-3 minutes more or if you like them softer cook them 5 to 6 min.

Add the salt stir

At the end when you serve your warm salad add the lemon juice and stir.

Enjoy winter beauty with winter veggies!

Traditional Organic Melon Seed Soup

This soup is amazing we need just 3 ingredients melon seeds, coarsely ground wheat and water that’s it! very easy to make at the same time very healthy I think this recipe is created when the people were short of food and using everything instead of throwing it away it is recycle recipe I love using every part of food not throwing it it’s very good habit to cultivate ( I usually collect the melon seeds by myself after cutting and eating the flesh of melon remove the seeds and wash them with help of a strainer then put them on plate and sun dry them) and especially buying and cooking small amount of food is better than buying and cooking a lot and then throw it to the garbage please buy and cook with awareness  don’t forget there is many people who can’t even find what you throw to the garbage!

Less is more and healthier, cheaper and better.

2 cups organic sun dried water melon seeds unsalted

2 cups coarsely ground wheat

1- 1/2  lt water

cinnamon, sugar, salt optional

Rinse the coarsely ground wheat

Add 1 lt water soak it 30 min.

Boil it 40 min or until cooked well and begin to get thick.

Roast the melon seeds for 10 min or less they shouldn’t change their color.

After 10 min. grind them very well they should be powdered.

Boil 1/2 lt. of water add half of the water on powdered melon seeds and stir until it’s very white

.

Take strainer over the well cooked coarsely ground wheat pour the melon seeds milk from strainer.

Repeat the same thing with remaining water.

drain it well.

Ready to sip!

You can add any flavor you like salt,sugar or sugar and cinnamon which I hearted!