Acknowledgements and Notes

Acknowledgements:

This blog is based mainly on the work of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Colin Campbell, and others promoting nutrition from plant based, whole, unprocessed food, oil free, without added sugar, and with minimal salt.

For more, please see the books at the foot of this blog and the "Essy's Favorites and Videos" page as well as in other posts below. (Note: this is a PAGE and NOT a POST!)

Special thanks to Carol D'Anca who shares her deep nutritional knowledge and extraordinary culinary expertise to inspire me and so many others to see our daily meals as continuing sources of good health and joy.

And many thanks as well to Ariane Glazer whose knowledge of raw vegan foods is encyclopedic and exceeded only by her generosity of sharing information and good food! While some of her recipes use oil, they are valuable and easy to modify when needed.

This Blog is NOT intended to replace medical advice!
This blog is intended to give general information and food preparation ideas. For medical advice please consult your qualified health care practitioner.

Note on Navigating this Blog More Efficiently:

When using the links on these posts use the back arrows (<) to get back to your original spot rather than closing the window. That will save you a lot of time! If any of the links don't work please let me know using the "Keep in Touch" form.


Note on referenced books. You can find books by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Colin Campbell and Carol D'Anca at Amazon.com.

Sunday, February 4, 2018

Three Favorite Recipes

These recipes are delicious, versatile go-to favorites of mine!  
And all are plant based, whole food!  They're great for a party or potluck!  

 1.  It's NOT Chopped Liver.    
For this recipe, I am indebted to my friend, the late Daila Shefner, who found it many decades ago in American Heart Association cookbook.  I've made small changes to make it even more oil-free, made the "cosmetic" egg white optional, and added a few other options.   This is a forgiving recipe so feel free to make some of your own changes.  This goes so fast I usually double the recipe!

 "It's Not Chopped Liver!"

 1/2 cup dried lentils
1/2 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
1 large onion coarsely chopped
1 small clove garlic minced

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 

Optional: 1-2 chopped fresh jalapeño peppers (for extra heat)
Optional: 2 hard boiled egg whites (these are cosmetic, to resemble fat)
(Or chop in a bit of some tofu for some cosmetic effect)
Optional: 1 tsp. bullion powder or granules (instead of optional salt) 

Cook lentils in 2 cups of water until soft (about 20 minutes) and drain.
Water-sauté onions, garlic and (if using) jalapeños
Process with cooked lentils and chopped walnuts in food processor to desired consistency
Add sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
(best to leave it rather grainy to look like chopped liver)

Add sea salt (optional) and fresh ground black pepper to taste   

You can make this the day before serving.  
When ready to serve, press into bowl and turn onto a platter
(You could even decorate with strips of red sweet pepper, etc.)
Surround with crackers.   My favorite store-bought ones are Mary's Gone Crackers -- they come in many flavors, all whole grain and gluten free. 

Or make hearty sandwiches on rye bread with lettuce, sliced tomato, mustard and onion.  

 Made too much?  Freeze some for another day!

 2. Not Tuna Pâté from Raw Food Made Easy for One or Two People  by Jennifer Cornbleet.    (Find it at https://www.amazon.com/Food-Made-Easy-People-Revised/dp/1570672733.  This book is full of easy, delicious and healthful recipes!)
½ C soaked raw sunflower seeds   (we soak these  6-8 hours or so to start the germination process so they are living foods and more digestible)  Use about 1/3 C of seeds to get ½ C soaked. 

¼ C Soaked Raw almonds (soak 8-12 hours – start with about 2/3 of what you need)
2 tbsp water

1 ½ tbsp. minced celery ( I like a little more)

1 Tbsp minced onion

1 tbsp minced fresh parsley (I like a little more!)

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp salt (use a good salt like sea salt, Himalayan salt, etc.  

Put sunflower seeds, almonds and water in a food processor with S blade and process to a paste (it will be a little gritty).  Stop occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl with spatula.

Transfer to a small mixing bowl and stir in celery, onion, parsley, lemon juice and salt.
Mix well.   

Keeps 5 days in fridge in sealed container.

 Variation: for Not Salmon Pâté add ¼ C grated carrot to the processor with the sunflower seeds and almonds. 

Ideas: Replace Parsley with 1 tbsp of minced fresh (or 1 tsp dried) dill weed. 
Add a few pinches of dulse flakes for a “fishier” flavor.


Here's John Levin’s photo featuring this pâté along with romaine and thin slices of avocado to make delicious wraps, and Anne Levin’s homemade whole wheat bread to make delicious sandwiches with thinly sliced cucumber and tomatoes.  




3.  Carol D'Anca's Almond and Raw Cacao Truffles

These disappear quickly so make plenty!  Made with almond butter and raw cacao!  Healthful and easy to make.

Find the recipe online at 

https://www.foodnotmeds.com/vegan-almond-chocolate-truffles/

This is at Carol's outstanding website  https://www.foodnotmeds.com.  

 And check out Carol's book Real Food for Heathy People for more delicious, easy, heart healthy recipes at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  Here's the Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/Real-Food-Healthy-People-resource/dp/0692658769

 Little kids in your life will love helping with these!
I like wrapping them in little twists of parchment paper to bring to parties.
They keep well for a few days in the fridge, although they may harden.
Best served at room temperature.  
I haven't tried freezing them yet - there are never leftovers to freeze!   But one of these days I'll report on that too so watch this space!  Or leave a comment in the box at the sidebar!
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