Portobello Mushrooms stuffed with Red and Green Peppers Quinoa and Aubergine

 

Hi Everyone,  

I haven't posted in a very long time, sorry about that.  

I've been more focussed on my garden and creating music videos.

But today I was inspired to create this recipe.

Here is my latest creation

 

 

 

6 portobello mushrooms (baked in the oven for 25 minutes)

1 cup cooked quinoa (soaked for 1 hour before cooking)

1 small red onion chopped

1 clove garlic chopped

1 jalapeno pepper chopped

half a red bell pepper chopped

half a green pepper chopped

1/4 cup grated carrots

1 cup aubergine sauteed in coconut oil or ghee

1/4 cup roughly ground hazelnuts

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon tamari or shoyu

Sautee the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, add the jalapeno then add the red and green bell peppers. Sautee for 5 minutes, add the grated carrots and ground hazelnuts. Then add in the sauteed aubergine.  Mix well then add the cooked quinoa and then the lemon juice and shoyu. Mix well and then fill the mushrooms with the mixture.  If you like cheese you can add some grated cheese to top it off.  Place in the oven for 15 minutes, then serve with a green salad or another vegetable dish of your choice.

Portobello mushrooms contain lots of nutrients, including phosphorus, potassium, selenium, choline and vitamin D.  They can help prevent cancer, are anti-inflammatory, and they are packed with essential nutrients and are also a good source of B vitamins (not B12 though). So eat lots of mushrooms, so many of them are really good for your health and very delicious too!

 

 

Butternut Squash with Cashew Gravy

 I haven't been inspired recently to create recipes or new music......strange, but since lock down I've felt very un-creative.  Anyway, we've been out of lock down for some time now and it seems my creativity is returning, thankfully.

I've been growing lots of food and have for the first time managed to grow what is called here aborbora and in English that means winter squash, so a big round squash that is called a muscadet and also butternut squash.  I'm so happy to have managed to grow them this year, as my attempts before didn't work.  This year I gave them rabbit poo and they seemed to like that a grew well for me.

So today, I woke up inspired to make an interesting squash recipe.  Hence the above title.  It's really easy and fast.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH CASHEW GRAVY

1 winter squash peeled and cubed

1 medium onion chopped

1 tablespoon ghee, butter or olive oil (I prefer ghee)

4 medium tomatoes chopped

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1 1/4 inch cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 cardamom pods

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (to your taste)

1 tablespoon ground cashew nuts

a little water

First put the squash in the oven to cook for about 20 minutes on 350 degrees.

While the squash is cooking prepare the cashew gravy.  Place ghee in pan and add the cinnamon, cumin seeds and cardamom pods, sautee for a minute or so.  Then add the chopped onion.  Sautee for about 5 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes, stir well and sautee for another 5 minutes.  Then add the turmeric, cumin, coriander and chili powder.  Cook for a couple of minutes, add a little water and add the cashew powder and mix well.

Remove the squash from oven.  Place in a bowl and cover with the cashew gravy.

Experiment with Medical Medium Protocol

Hi Everyone,  I thought I would tell you all about my experience trying out the Medical Medium diet. At the beginning of November I decided to quit eating wheat and dairy.  I managed two weeks and then an old friend from California visited me who had been doing the Medical Medium Protocol for about 4 years.  She told me she has healed herself from Lyme Disease with this protocol.  I knew what a journey she had been on seeking a cure for Lyme, so this really impressed me.  She is fully living the Medical Medium diet/lifestyle.  So I decided that while she was with me, I would eat how she was eating.

 The basic rules are, no wheat, no dairy, no eggs. 

There is also a protocol she was doing every morning.  We begin the day with 16oz lemon juice and warm water, then wait 30 minutes and drink 16oz celery juice, again wait 30 minutes and drink either the Heavy metal detox smoothie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ze2cUQck74
or the liver cleanse smoothie (recipe below)

This took a little while to get used to, especially the waiting part, and it's a lot of liquid.  However, I got into the habit of it and began to enjoy the whole thing.  I wasn't actually eating any food until lunch time.  Medical Medium is a big fan of potatoes, so you can really eat lots of them!  But not with butter!!  We were roasting french fries with a tiny bit of coconut oil and they turned out nicely.  You can also eat small amounts of pastured meat, he would prefer everyone was raw vegan, but he wants to make his info available to as many people as possible.  Many people around the world are experiencing great results with this diet.

I was doing this for 2 months and then I went to visit a friend in the Algarve in the south of Portugal.  I decided that I was just going to eat whatever when I was there, and that's what I did.  As usual, I didn't notice any difference transitioning back to "normal" eating.  One thing that happened when I was in the Algarve was that a friend I went to see down there told me that I was so thin that she would think I was really sick if she didn't know me.  So I weighed myself recently and found out that I'm 8 1/2 stone (UK) 119 lbs (US) and 54 kilos (EU).  This is very underweight for me.  For some reason it's very hard for me to keep weight on in Portugal.  But this is way too thin and unhealthy for me.  So fast forward to today.........I just ate a ham sandwich on crusty rye and wheat bread with loads of butter!  I need to put on weight and I'm going to eat and eat and eat for a while, so that I have some meat on my bones.  Can't wait to make potatoes au gratin this weekend.

I will continue with the smoothies and celery juice as I really enjoy them.  I reverted back to apple cider vinegar and warm water in the mornings as the restless leg problems I had. returned without apple cider vinegar.

Liver Detox Smoothie

for 2 people

2 bananas
2 cups frozen blackberries or wild blueberries
1/2  red dragon fruit or 2 tablespoons of dragon fruit (pitaya) powder

Blend and drink! 

Lemon Avocado Sweet Potato Vegan Cake

This recipe was inspired by this https://paleoglutenfree.com/recipes/best-paleo-avocado-chocolate-cake/.  I'm not going to pretend I invented this, as I didn't, but I've made my own version with lemon and it tastes amazing.  My husband even liked it, even knowing there was no butter or flour in the cake!!

So here is my recipe

for the cake

1 large sweet potato ground in food processor (raw)
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds  mixed with 1/2 cup water wait for 10 minutes before using, it needs to be the same consistency as eggs (never buy it ground, its rancid, grind it yourself)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 heaped tablespoons of sugar (coconut preferred)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut oil
pinch of salt
grated rind of 1 lemon

Frosting

1 cup steamed orange sweet potato
1/2 avocado
juice of 1 lemon
7 medjool dates

Oil a cake pan with coconut oil and place a teaspoon of coconut flour in the cake tin and swish it around to cover all the oil.  Blitz the sweet potato in the food processor until fine.  Place in the blender.  Add the ground flax seeds (eggs) coconut flour, sugar,baking soda/powder, coconut oil, salt and most of the lemon rind (save a little for garnish).  Blend until smooth.  Once its all smooth, pour it into the pan and cook on 350 for about 20 minutes.
When its fully cooked it will crack a little on top.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Frosting
To make the frosting steam 1 cup of orange sweet potatoes.  Then add into the food processor with 1/2 avocado and dates and lemon juice.  Blend for a while, until its very smooth.  Once the cake is cooled, put the icing on with a butter knife or spatula.  Garnish with remaining lemon zest and eat it!!

Sweet Potatoes are very nourishing and are a good source of vitamin A through beta carotene, they are also high in magnesium, phosphorus and calcium, they are also a great source of potassium and fiber.

FAVA BEANS WITH CUCUMBER BROWN RICE AND RED PEPPER

Hi Everyone,  Here is another simple fava recipe for those of you who love favas like I do.  This one is different from the last one as it has brown rice mixed into it as well as dressing.  Here in Portugal we have been having gorgeous summer weather (even tho it's still spring).  So many things in the garden are just going crazy!  I love to work in my garden and I especially love being able to eat from the garden.  As we are meant to! So here is the recipe.

Dressing

3 T toasted sesame oil

2 T brown rice vinegar

2 T tamari or shoyu

2 cloves garlic

1/2 t grated ginger

1/2 t honey

Place this dressing a medium size bowl  and mix in all the ingredients below.

1/2 kg favas peeled, blanched for 2 minutes and shelled

2 cups cooked brown rice

1/3 cucumber sliced and cut into quarters

1/2  red pepper cut into small pieces

2 T coriander chopped for garnish

Serve cold and enjoy on a warm spring or summer day for lunch or dinner, as a side dish or a main.

Red peppers are very high in vitamin C, B6, K1 and potassium, they also contains vitamin A, vitamin E and folate.  They are so delicious and full of vitamins and minerals.

FAVA BEAN AND RED PEPPER SALAD

Hi Everyone,  Spring is truly sprung here in Portugal.  I am already eating nespera (loquats) and also I just harvested my first fava beans.  They taste amazing.  Here is a new recipe I created with my first of the year.  They are SO delicious and nourishing.  I just ate rather a lot with some gorgeous roasted potatoes.  And my husband liked it too!  So without further ado........

FAVA BEAN AND RED PEPPER SALAD

1 kilo fresh fava beans to shell, blanch and peel

1 red bell pepper

1/2 a cucumber sliced then quartered, semi peeled

10 or more slices of daikon radish julienned

2 cloves garlic crushed and chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon grain mustard

chopped coriander to your taste

Shell then blanch the favas by making a large pot of boiling water and dropping in the shelled beans.  cook for 1.5 minutes.  Drain and place into an ice water bath.  This way they will remain a lovely bright green colour.  Drain again and peel.  Add the fava beans to all the other ingredients up until the garlic.  Place garlic in small bowl with both vinegars, then add the mustard and stir, then add the olive oil and whisk.  Place this onto the veggies and beans.  Mix well and serve with some roasted herbed potatoes.

Fava beans are wonderful for our health.  They contain many vitamins and minerals including a high level of protein and fiber.  They are high in potassium, calcium, manganese and folate.

Sugar free Courgette/Zuchinni Bread

Hey Everyone,  I have decided that after being sick for ten days and not eating anything for five days that I need to quit sugar.  What I noticed after not eating for five days was that I could put rings on my fingers that I couldn't wear for at least a year because the joints in my fingers were slightly swollen, but after not eating for 5 days I could get them on and off really easily.  This showed me that sugar was creating inflammation in my body,  which most of us probably already know, however, having first hand experience was very interesting and inspiring.
I have decided to create some sugar free breads (that would normally use lots of sugar).  I had read that using apple sauce was a good substitute for sugar.    So I made some apple sauce and went for it!  So I have to say that I was very pleased with the result.  So here is my recipe for sugar free courgette bread.

3/4 cup (175ml) oil (I used olive oil but you can use melted butter also)

1 cup (250 grams) apple sauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup, honey or brown rice syrup

2 eggs

1 large courgette/zuchinni grated

1 1/2 cups walnuts chopped

3 cups wholewheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Set the oven to 160C or 325 degrees, oil two loaf pans and set aside.  Place the oil, apple sauce, maple syrup in food processor and blend.  Add the eggs, blend again then add the courgette and walnuts , blend again briefly, then mix the flour and baking soda and powder together in a separate bowl, then add to the mixture in the food processor and pulse a few times.  When its all well combined place half the mixture in oiled loaf pan and the other half in another oiled loaf pan.  Cook for about 30 minutes.  It may take longer.  Mine took 30 minutes, but my oven seems to cook things faster than most.  So yours might take a little longer.  Enjoy!!!  I was very happy with how it turned out and really didn't miss the sweetness as it was a little sweet and that worked just fine for me and my man.....he loved it!!

Here are some of the nutrients contained in zuchinni/courgettes. Zuchinni/courgette is rich in minerals and vitamins.  It is very high in potassium and phosphorus.  It also contains good amounts of magnesium (which many people are deficient in).  Courgette/zuchinni also contain plenty of calcium, vitamin C and fiber and the vitamins B6, A, E and K, sodium, zinc and iron.  So you can see its quite a powerhouse of nutrients and also tasted great.