Living Carrot Cake with Lemon Cashew Frosting

Carrot Cake
1 cup Soaked raw almonds
1 1/2 cup soaked raisins (save water)
1 cup pitted dates soaked and drained
6 cups carrot pulp (fiber remaining after juicing the carrot)
1-2 teaspoon cinnamon
zest of one lemon and one orange

Lemon cashew frosting
2 cups soaked cashews
1 cup soaked raisins
1 cup soaked dates
juice of one lemon

In a blender place almonds, raisins, dates and raisin water. Blend. Add to bowl and add pulp, zest and spices.
For Frosting,blend the cashews and their water with the dates and their water and lemon juice until smooth.
Line a 10-inch pie pan with plastic wrap and press the cake mixture into it.Turn out onto plate and remove plastic wrap. Spread frosting over. Do the second layer the same and spread the frosting over.
Delicious!
You find a healthier carrot cake recipe any better than this one. Try it if you don't believe me.

Successful Nutrition Workshop!

I recently finished a nutritional counseling workshop held at pure barre - La Jolla. I think the testimonial below best describes the success of the workshop.

"I am on the final week of your 5 week course and I have never felt better. My motivation to do the course was not to lose weight but rather to learn more about what foods are best for my body type and to learn how to feed my body the foods it needs. After 4 1/2 weeks of eating right for my body I have become a morning person ( I wake up before my alarm which is a amazing thing), I feel my moods are more consistent and upbeat so my relationships have prospered, my skin looks and feels better and I lost inches. I learned many things from your course but what I see to be one of the most valuable lessons is to learn to treat your body well and give your body th essential foods it needs. The physical results will inevitably follow but the importance of feeding your body what it needs is HUGE. Thank you Tamara." - Danielle Maloney

Cold Roasted Moroccan Spiced Salmon

New Recipe From My Client Annslie -
The recipe is from allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cold-Roasted-Moroccan-
Spiced-Salmon/Detail.aspx). As some of the reviews state, you don't need to put the fish in the refrigerator, it's good to eat after the 15 minute resting. We also didn't have any limes so I used a lemon, alot more than 1 TBSP and it didn't have an over-lemony taste. My
plate was served with a side of broccoli sprinkled with Celtic Salt:

Cold Roasted Moroccan Spiced Salmon

* 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
* 2 teaspoons white sugar
* 2 pounds (1-inch thick) boneless, skin-on center-cut salmon
fillets
* 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, cumin, salt, ginger,
mustard, nutmeg, cayenne, allspice, and sugar; set aside.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil, then spray with nonstick cooking
spray. Rinse the salmon with cold water and pat dry. Lightly sprinkle
the skin with the spice mix, then place the salmon skin-side down on
the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining spice mix evenly
over the salmon. Allow the salmon to come to room temperature, 30 to
40 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
4. Sprinkle the salmon with lime juice and roast in the oven for 12
minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand at room temperature for
15 minutes. The salmon will still be rare when removed from the oven,
but will continue to cook as it rests. After 15 minutes, wrap the fish
tightly with foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Choose flat, thick mushroom caps and buy a few extra to practice the slicing technique. If you are pressed for time you can use ¼ cup of prepared pesto instead of making it.

Preparation: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Makes: 4 burgers

Pesto:
1 clove garlic
1 cup packed baby arugula leaves
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup olive oil

Burgers:
8 large Portobello mushrooms
4 tbsp olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh pepper
4 ounces fresh or smoked mozzarella, cut into 4
4 large pieces roasted red pepper, wiped dry
1 cup packed baby arugula leaves

Method:
Make the pesto:

1. Fit a food processor with a metal blade.
2. With motor running, drop garlic through feed tube, process until finely minced. Remove lid; add baby arugula and ¼ tsp salt.
3. With processor running, stream in oil. Set aside

For the burger:
You need 2 mushroom caps for each burger.Remove and discard mushroom stems. For burger bottoms, slice off and discard about ½ inch of the rounded tops of 4 mushrooms to make them flat. Brush all mushrooms on both sides with oil, salt, and pepper.

For the burgers.

1. Grill mushrooms, covered, 4 minutes; turn quickly and grill 3 minutes more, just tender.
   Turn 4 mushrooms with cut tops, gill side up on the grill.
2. Top each with cheese and roasted pepper; place an uncut mushroom gill-side down on top. Cover grill and cook 1 minute more, until cheese begins to melt.
3. Place burgers on plates and stuff with arugula, lifting off mushroom tops and placing greens on top of cheese and peppers. Return tops.
4. Drizzle with pesto.
   enjoy.
   

Organics- How to buy the best

There is so much in the market about eating organics, but in these times is it really worthwhile to eat organics? Does eating organics really mean that we are eating healthy? Our organics really worth the premium price tags?

Well after a bit of poking around, and reading a few articles, I managed to compile a few intresting facts.

Understanding labels

100% organic

Such foods are organics down to their last crumbs, so they carry the USDA green and white "certified organics" seal. Most often these are whole foods-apples,oranges, grains or those with only one or two ingredients, like pasta.

Organic
At least 95 percent of the ingredients are organics. The rest comes from a list of allowable ingredients. These foods also caryy the USDA seal and are generally composed of mostly of whole-ingredients-canned soups or frozen foods.

"Made with organics ingredients"
At least 70 percent of the ingredients are organics. However,these foods, which may be any type of processed or packaged food,cannot carry the USDA seal.

Best produce to buy organics

The fruits and vegetables below are among those most likely to contain trace levels of pesticides, so consider buying organics when possible

Apples
Potatoes
Cherries
Bell peppers
Celery
Lettuce
Strawberries
Spinach
Peaches
Carrots
Nectarines


Skip organic and save money

These are the top five fruits and top five vegetables least likely to contain trace levels of pesticides, so fell free to buy conventional.






Pineapple
Eggplant
Asparagus
Onions
Broccoli
Mangoes
Bananas
Kiwifruit
Avocados
Cabbage

Ways to Save

Ramp up: If you want to work organics into your budget gradually, start with one or two key foods you eat frequently- like milk or eggs.

Shop the source: Go directly to a farm or a local farmer's market for the best deals on organic produce,milk, eggs, meats. Price there for organic goods are often cheaper than in supermarkets

Buy Private label: Supermarkets and specialty stores all offer their own private-label organic food lines. Because there is no middleman, you can save as much as 20 percent.


I found this site really helpfull with some more tips
cookinglight.com/features

So you see, figuring out the "O" in the organics is not that tricky after all.

Eat and be healthy.

book suggestion

This book seems to have a good logical approach on life... Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman