Miraculous Mushrooms

Soooo, this morning after my smoothie I wanted breakfast food:-) I made flax- teff pancakes ( a recipe I posted in the past). And as a side these miraculous mushrooms- which are amazingly good and super easy to prepare. These mushrooms are a good side to anything and can be prepared in a variety of ways. I lightly sautéed them in a stainless steel skillet in this photo, but have marinated then baked them in the oven or wrapped in aluminum foil and put on the grill or on the campfire. When we go camping or to a friends barbecue I mix the marinade and marinate the mushrooms in a container ahead of time so that when we are ready to eat all I have to do is wrap in foil and heat. I included tips for each way of preparation below:-) and of course this is a simple recipe that you can get creative with.

I prefer crimini, portabella, shiitake, or oyster rather than white button mushrooms, so you will see crimini posted here.

I went out to our garden last week (yes in the cold winter) and picked sage, thyme, lavender and rosemary, I have been drying it in a clay pot, as you will see pictured below. I used the rosemary and sage in the recipe and I do believe that the herbs set the mushrooms off!!!

The photo below shows the finished sautéed mushrooms with a seasoning that I used this time from Trader Joes called South African Smoke. I liked the kick this seasoning had, it is the first time I have used it because I generally add the fresh herbs with the paprika and a small pinch of hickory powder. TJ's South African Smoke contains: Paprika flakes, sea salt, garlic, basil. Because this blend contains salt you can mix your own or just use sparingly and do not add additional sea salt.

Ingredients:
Mushrooms
1 Onion
Garlic (several cloves, and garlic powder)
Balsamic vinegar
Braggs Liquid Amino Acids
Olive oil
Fresh or dried herbs such as sage, rosemary, paprika, basil, black pepper, sea salt... If you want a more smoky flavor add a small pinch of hickory powder.
Water as needed

Procedure:
1. Chop and slice your onions and garlic.
2. Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil (unless you are grilling or baking then see below)
3. Mix together the Braggs, Balsamic, and Olive Oil in equal parts (approx. 2Tbs each). Add herbs and spices and mix well. I add the herbs generously, add to suit your tastes.
4. It depends on how you are eating your mushrooms to determine the next step:
A. If you are having a mushroom sandwich or steak with a portabella you can leave the mushroom whole and marinate then bake at 350 with the marinade, onions and garlic. I like to spoon the liquid on top of the mushrooms a couple times while baking.
B. If you are preparing on the grill or campfire then place mushrooms, onions and garlic in foil and cover with marinade then slowly heat to soften
C. If you are slicing your mushrooms then go ahead and slice, then add to onions and garlic in the sauté pan and cover with marinade.
5. If your mushrooms get very dry at any point sprinkle with water.
6. Enjoy!!!!

WHO DEY Juice!

Bashi was going to the Bengals game so our morning juice was inspired by our home team color--ORANGE!! Bring on the beta carotene and bring home a win Bengals!!

Who DEY Juice recipe:
Half a pineapple
2 sweet potatoes
4 carrots
Ginger root
2 oranges

Procedure:
Peel oranges and pineapple. Core pineapple. Cut carrots in half. Cut sweet potatoes in 1/4s. Cut or break off 1 inch of ginger. Add everything to juicer. Enjoy!!!

Pretty typical meal

Greens- a variety of Kales here- rolled up and sliced thin. Avocado.  Heirloom tomatoes from the garden.  A Young coconut to drink - I will use the pulp for something fabulous later.  The pinkish/purple puree is red cabbage pureed with seasonings and cashew I believe (Bashi made it while I was asleep).  I put all this on a plate and then top with Nutritional Yeast and ground Flax Seed.  and Voila!  Dinner is served and so delicious!

Sunburgers

I do not have a great photo of Sunburgers at this time; however I will find one and post it in the near future.  I would like to dedicate this post and photograph to an amazingly positive lady, Jaie Benson!  Jaie shares LOVE and KNOWLEDGE everyday!  I am truly thankful that I get to experience her positive light!  GIVE THANKS FOR JAIE!
Sunburger Recipe....
2-3 Cups of Raw Sunflower Seeds - Soaked overnight (in good water)
1 Cup Sundried Tomatoes- Soaked overnight
2 Carrots (chopped a bit before blending in food processor)
Onion- your preference- I use either 1/2 a sweet onion or a few green onions
Peppers- again your preference depending on how much spice you like- I use half of a bell pepper and one jalapeno (sans the seeds)
Fresh herbs- Use what you have/like- Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Chives, Rosemary
Dried Herbs- I really like Curry!
Braggs Liquid Aminos- about 1 Tablespoon

Other options- you can add some soaked almonds or pecans, also fresh tomatoes if you like

Puree all of the ingredients together in a food processor - because mine is pretty small I have to do this in several batches.

Form the mixture into patties.  Dehydrate in the dehydrator until you have reached the desired texture- I keep mine in for 8 or more hours- sometimes I leave them in so long they get a little crunchy but I do not mind. 
Sunburgers are great to snack on or top with avocado, sprouts, and tahini dressing.  Bashi breaks them up and calls them croutons on his salad. 
Recently I made a big batch for Bashi to take on his road trip to Colorado- when he came back they were all gone and he and Raffi passed on some great reviews from the friends they have out there.  I will be making a batch to take down to ATL this weekend so I will post a photo this week.  In the meantime- GIVE THANKS FOR THE RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE:)

If you're ever in Tampa....

I was blessed to spend the weekend in Tampa with my family for my Uncle Joe's wedding to my new Auntie Erica! All the fun and excitement called for some healthy eating so I could keep up with everything going on! I researched online prior to leaving my home kitchen to see what options were available in Tampa- Grass Root Organic Restaurant was a winner! I highly recommend this casual healthy restaurant with a wide variety of vegan, raw and living foods on the menu! Check out the website I put as the link to find out more:) http://www.thegrassrootlife.com/ I have to get back to working on lesson plans so I will love to add more details later!

Dessert

Dessert was Raw Pecan Pie:)

Wow! The Raw Onion Bread Made this- oh, and of course the avocado:)

Mm..m..m! This is my meal at Grass Roots Organic Cafe in Tampa this weekend. The wrap is raw onion bread- sooo incredible, hummus, avocado, and lots of romaine! The bread was chewy and so the amount of lettuce was perfect to balance the textures together! I also had a shot of wheat grass and alkaline water- dessert picture to come next. This meal had me going all day into late night. I was down in Tampa this weekend for my Uncle Joe's wedding! More pics to come!

We don't just grow sprouts and herbs; all of this is grown on a rooftop garden in the CITY.

Home Garden

A few of the things we grow at home are sprouts- pictured here you will see sweet pea, and a variety of peppers, here I have both sweet (Bell) and cayenne. These cayenne are drying- they are great for using dried or fresh. You may notice that my green pepper looks small compared to some you may see in the grocery store- these are grown without any chemicals- yes they are smaller but believe me we have PLENTY of peppers- super easy to grow and essential for optimum health.

TRUTH

I met my brand new god daughter, Elaina Ruth, This Thursday and Friday! I was also blessed to have spent quality time with my family:) and will be continuing to do so tomorrow at the reunion/downtown fireworks party. This coming week is teaching, the NFL grant tryout/celebration we will be doing at school, and the Walnut Hills Festival I will be participating in.

So you may be wondering where all this is going and how it relates to this blog- well it is to say that I AM BUSY!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are all busy and sometimes even allow this to be an excuse for not living LIFE to the fullest. It takes true CONSCIOUSNESS to live life to the fullest. So much death and corruption is out there in our faces day in and day out. We are oppressed by this money driven American Dream. Have you ever contemplated that? There are moments when I am so OVER it all. I strive to be good at what I am passionate about, I love my career, but I can barely get by with all the bills and taxes and insurance and gas and high price of foods and fees and deadlines- you know what I'm talking about. I soon remind myself that there is ONE thing I can have control over in this world and that is this TEMPLE, this MIND, this BODY, and loving this SPIRIT. When I have those stressful moments HE keeps me strong in faith and thankful for being full of LIFE. He created the fruits and the herbs and the leaves and the trees and the oxygen and so much more and he LIVES in each and every one of us. HE keeps us alive. So why would I want to put death in my body or drink to oblivion. You know at times I wish that it had not taken me so long to appreciLOVE LIFE. (APPRECILOVE not appreciate, LOVE not HATE)

I am very concerned about those that I LOVE and wish to say to them PLEASE make the DECISION to live LIFE Consciously! Take good care of your TEMPLE. And if you have a bad day or a weak moment- do not give up just keep on keepin on and GIVE THANKS for the relationship with NATURE. KNOW have an OVERSTANDING (not understanding, there is a difference)of where your foods come from. Plant a seed- grow some sprouts to start- its easy and ready to eat in 3 days.

SEEK KNOWLEDGE!!! Stretch your mind- OPEN YOUR HEART to let the truth in. Think outside of the box they try to place you in with all their questionnaires are you married? whats your race? how much do you make? Sometimes when I get to some of these questions and demands from people that don't even know me I feel like saying- It's none of your business! I remind myself that I am a child of God/Jah/Yahweh - THESE all mean the same but so many are frightened by the terms because our history has been hidden from them for so long.

Colleges, Universities and Schools are usually positive atmospheres, learning should be encouraged there and I hope it is and I hope the teaching is the TRUTH, THE FACTS. But sometimes it is not positive, it is not the TRUTH- what can we do- we can LEARN that we cannot always depend on another man to teach us the way- we need to SEEK THE TRUTH AND LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY to really know the truth. CONSCIOUS!

Take a good look at the TRUTH, please do not be fooled by someone with a piece of paper, a badge, a microphone, a video camera; have a true knowledge of self and JAH and take yourself out of the equation and take an OVERSTANDING look at the big picture of this LIFE. Seek lovingkindness and HEALTH. PRAYER WILL GET YOU THERE.

So I have gone along with all their rules and gotten my pieces of paper and plastic and keep up with all their requirements- but I WILL ALWAYS KNOW IN MY HEART THAT ONLY HE DESERVES to be PRAISED. MONEY/WEALTH, FAME, ACCEPTANCE FROM SOCIETY will NEVER come BEFORE HIM. GIVE THANKS AND PRAISE!

Bountiful

Giving Thanks for all of the peace, beauty, and nutrition that our rooftop garden offers:) Tomatoes, Chard, Kale, Peppers, Herbs and More! Bless up!

Bounty from the Garden

Here are a few photos of the bounty of our garden! Be on the lookout for the before and after shots later.

Cabbage

Self-Portrait in the Garden. I am eager to post some before and after pictures of our garden very soon. There is no better feeling than eating foods grown righteously in your own garden. We have an interesting garden space to work with~the rooftop! Our garden is made from all reused materials. We made all of the raised bed containers on our rooftop garden from skids, part of a cedar fence, and untreated repurposed wood! The best part is that most of it was free and not being used so we made good use of it! We collect rainwater and some water from in the house to keep the plants hydrated:) and there is a compost bin to recycle all the juicing pulp, cores, peels, stems, etc. The garden is my favorite place to be! We have a little lizard that has made it up to the rooftop and he seems quite contented as we are with him because he is cute and eats some insects that could potentially be pests to the garden (he doesn't eat the really beneficial insects such as; the praying mantis, butterflies, bumble bees, and more). While you spend time in the garden you can also be getting in sunlight minutes. It is important to spend time in the sun every day for Vitamin D and happiness! Container gardening is great when you have space issues:)

Covert Beach Campground

This is our campsite at Covert Beach Campground in MI it is on Lake Michigan and is one of the best camping spots EVER!  It's important to me to take time out daily to love our Mother Earth- I do this by sleeping outside, hiking through forests, canoeing down rivers and being a beach bum!  so BLESSED!

Young Coconut!

One of the best treats I indulge in on occasion is young coconut water. Mikey opens them up- he enjoys that- and we both love to drink the refreshing water that is inside! After we drink the water I use a melon baller (because it is sharp and rounded, the meat is not really going to be sphere shaped) to scrape the coconut meat out and use it in raw cookies or smoothies or raw curries and salads. Make sure that when you choose your young coconut there are not any brown or pink spots on the outside- the water inside should be clear- not pink. It was really hard not to smile while sipping for the pic because the water is soooo delicious and you can instantly feel the health benefits from this tropical treat. Young coconut water is naturally filtered through the coconut husk. It is one of the best sources of electrolytes one can find! It is great for the skin, the blood, the mind and the heart! Enjoy young coconut water as often as you can! There are so many benefits that I could not list them all; however if you're curious I suggest you google it because you may be surprised to see all of the benefits and uses. I want to reach more people and encourage them to live in a clean vessel; I am currently trying to figure out how! We are blessed with these amazing bodies that heal and work and play and rest and so much more- but what do you do to keep your body clean (inside and out) and working its best?! Be conscious, Be aware of what you are eating and drinking, what you are washing your clothes with, the soap you are using on your body, and so much more. It is sad what is happening in the big grocery stores, schools, doctors offices and in popular culture. People look at us who are concsiously choosing a healthy lifestyle and say things like "how can you do that to yourself?" or "Ewww, it's green!" when they see us drinking green smoothies. We are making the choice to be healthy and to question popular culture of what is healthy. What I am doing to myself is rewarding myself with God's goodness! I refuse to feel like crap by putting junk in my body! When God created the Earth he gave us everything we need to survive long healthy lives- how old was Moses? 500 something years? He did not live that long by drinking protein shakes, eating energy bars, pop tarts, lunchables, or McDonalds for goodness sake! He was eating whole foods! I could go on- but I have to run- I'll get back to this another time! Peace up, GIVING THANKS!

Milk n Cookies

So... I just made the best raw vegan chai tea and gingerspice cookies! The chai tea i made by putting almond milk, ginger root, honey, cinnamon, allspice, Naturally Nutty spread, and asian rub in the blender. I poured this over crushed ice...mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.. so good! I made the cookies in the food processor with a handful of raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds), I threw in a handful of pecans and a handful of almonds, a few tablespoons of peanut butter, two handfuls of raisins, and a handful of dried coconut. processed all the ingredients then packed them by hand into cookie shapes pressed into dried coconut. This is such a good treat and guilt free! If your a fan of gingersnaps, or spice cake or cinnamon- you will probably love these treats and they are so easy to prepare and get a lil warm in the processing; so you get the effect of a just baked soft chewy cookie but its totally raw- and deliciously healthy!

Today was great- we Got the car cleaned after our awesome vacation to Michigan! We were total beach bums hanging by the dunes and walking the shoreline:) we had the sand in the car to prove it too! But more importantly we spent quality time with friends and family. We had an especially fun time meeting Bashi's (Mike to some of you out there) sister Jill and Mother, Jackie at the Loving Cafe! The service was quite loving; especially the chef bringing us out some bonus raw soup to sample. We ordered a variety of food- Raw Summer rolls, Raw Pizza (omg!), Creamy Raw Avocado Soup, and two desserts; Raw Blueberry Pie, and Raw Cheesecake. The food was great- the company was Phenomenal!!!!!! We laughed and caught up on the latest happenings and just had fun:) Miss Jackie tried a lot of foods and said she would go back again! The always adventurous foodie, Jill, ordered the spring roll meal that came with some yummy rice and salad. We also had Kombucha and a Smoothie. Everyone shared and tried new things. Next thing the Loving Cafe needs is some of our artwork on the walls!

I have to agree Michigan is pretty phenomenal!

Raw Rice

So we are making our first attempt with raw rice! We got "extra wild" black rice and have it soaking. We will make a salad with sundried tomatoes, chick peas, onion, lemon juice, nama shoyu, and garlic. The chick peas will be sprouted and the rice soaked- not cooked! The foods will be at thier most nutritional state for this much anticipated salad suitable for the upcoming camping adventure. Everything is soaking now so I will repost when the salad is completed. I am really looking forward to the supposed chewy texture of the rice. Btw I also have lentils soaking again for sprouting and creating a curry lentil dish- ALL RAW and LIVING! living foods give life!

Happy Birthday Leonard! 65 and still young from eating the Ital foods. Give thanks for Leonard!

Lovely morning ... this is just a sneak peek!!