Before I get to the hummus, however, I must share this special mylk…

Silky Pumpkin Seed Mylk

Pumpkin seeds have so many health benefits. They’re high in protein and minerals like zinc, magnesium and iron; reported to help lower cholestorol; anti-inflammatory; anti-parasitic, etc…Keeping this mylk on hand is an easy, delicious way to take advantage of these health benefits on a daily basis.

1 c styrian pumpkin seeds, soaked 3-4 hours and rinsed

3-4 c purified water (depending on desired thickness)

few pinches salt

1 tsp vanilla powder

sweetener to taste

few pinches cinnamom or pumpkin pie spice, optional

1 nut mylk bag

Blend rinsed pumpkin seeds with water in a high speed blender until smooth (when there’s no rattling sounds and the color looks uniform). Strain well through a nut mylk bag into a large container or bowl and reserve pulp for another use (see below). Return mylk to the blender after it’s been rinsed and add the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust sweetness, spice or salt if necessary. Try adding to chai tea, smoothies, or mix with chia to make chia porridge. Enjoy!

Now on to our next feature…

Pumpkin Seed Pesto Hummus

1/4 c tahini

1/2 c zucchini, peeled and chopped

3-4 T lemon juice (4 if you like it more lemony)

1 small clove garlic

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 T purified water

1/4 c chopped basil

2 T chopped parsley

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp salt

pepper to taste

3/4 c pumpkin seed pulp (reserved from making nut milk)

paprika for dusting, optional

Blend all ingredients except the pumpkin seed pulp in a high speed blender. Add as much of the pulp as you can to still be able to blend (you’ll need to use the plunger). Remove the hummus to a bowl and stir in the remaining pulp. Alternatively, you can process everything in a food processor, adding the pulp last. Serve as hummus dip, in marinated or dehydrated mushroom caps (top with Spirulina Crunchies), in marinated zucchini ribbons or in nori sheets with sprouts, cucumber and julienned carrot…

The options are endless Enjoy!

Jarrah Bee Pollen really does blow my mind!
It is one of the only bee pollens’ in the world that not only tastes good but makes you feel good on all levels too!
Any simple recipe is transformed with this magical pollen!
Try it and see
Enjoy!
S xxx

Getting Children to Eat

Young children seem to use what they eat as a means of exploring their independence from their parents. Whether or not they’ll eat said food is not simply about the taste of the food but how it appears on their plate, its texture, and who has introduced it to them, to name a few of the defenses you might hear. Try making food look FUN such as with:

Ants on a Log

Wild Jungle Peanut Butter
Hunza Raisins
Celery Sticks

Stuff your celery sticks with our delicious peanut butter and top with the tasty Hunza raisins.

Don’t forget to call them ‘Ants on a Log’ and get your children to make them with you for some added fun and feeling of ownership.

It’s Good for My Body

Try to help them understand they’re eating foods that are good for their body. My nephew, who is 5, asks his mom all the time, “Is this good for my body?” He has still made the choice to eat some of the foods that receive the answer, “No”, but he also likes to reach for those foods which get a big, “YES”. He likes knowing what components of the food make him grow big and strong. He understands he needs more Vitamin C rich foods when he feels ill and what a better way to persuade a child to eat broccoli than to tell him what a great source of Vitamin C it is?!

Did you know 1/2 cup of fresh, raw broccoli has 65% of your daily value of Vitamin C?  Check out more interesting nutrition facts here!

The Right Beginning

Children start with a healthy desire for food. Their cravings and desires begin as healthy indicators for what is most beneficial to their growing bodies. Rudolf Steiner, the famous philosopher of ‘spiritual science’, says “Children may be overfed with things that make them lose completely their healthy instinct for food, whereas by giving them the proper nourishment, the instinct can be preserved so that they always want what is wholesome for them under the circumstances.” Start young with foods closest to nature and you will raise children who is personally aware of the needs of his/her body.

Savory Green Italian Crackers

2 onions, shredded
4 cups sunflower seeds, soaked overnight
1 tbs. mineral-rich salt
3 tbs. nutritional flakes
1 bunch fresh basil or 1 tbs. dried
1 tbs. Chlorella Powder
1 bunch parsley
8 oz. Sundried Heirloom Tomatoes, soaked 30 minutes (save water)
2 3/4 cups tomato soak water
8 fresh rosemary twigs
1 bunch fresh spinach
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs miso
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup flax or Chia Seeds, ground

Place shredded onions in a very large mixing bowl.

Place half of the soaked sunflower seeds in a food processor and process until broken down. Add salt, nutritional flakes, basil and chlorella. Process again, adding tomato water as needed to facilitate smooth processing. Remove this mixture and add to the onions.

Without cleaning the processor add the remaining sunflowers seeds and process. Add parsley and rosemary, process adding tomato water as needed. Add spinach and process until smooth. Add this mixture to the mixing bowl.

Again, without cleaning the processor, add garlic, miso, lemon juice, olive oil and soaked tomatoes. Process, adding tomato water as needed, until smooth. Add this mixture to the mixing bowl. Also add the ground flax or chia.

Mix everything, using your hands works best, adding additional tomato water to facilitate blending. Once it is well mixed spread onto teflex sheets. I usually fill about 5 trays but you can make your crackers thinner or thicker depending on your preference. Dehydrate at 115 for 3 hours. Score each sheet of crackers to desired size/shape and transfer off of the teflex sheet and dehydrate for another 12 hours or until dry and crispy.

With this recipe I chose to use the pulp leftover from carrot juice as a substitute for hard-boiled eggs and made a cashew based dressing in place of mayonnaise. This would be great in a nori roll or served on bread or crackers. I ate it served with kale salad and quinoa. If I had any lacto-fermented cucumbers on hand I would have chopped some of those up and added those as well!

Curried Cashew Carrot Salad

1 cup Really Raw Cashews, soaked
pulp from 1.5 lbs. juiced carrots
1 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. dried wakame
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. tamari

Place everything in a food processor except for the carrot pulp and chopped celery. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place carrot pulp, celery and dressing into a bowl. Mix until well-combined.

Wild Jungle Peanut Slaw

Dressing:
1 container Wild Jungle Peanut Butter
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tbs. Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil
3 tbs. raw honey or other sweetener
2 tbs. nama shoyu, wheat-free tamari or miso
2 tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 inch chunk fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
zest from one orange
1 dried chipotle pepper soaked in 1/2 cup of water, remove seeds from soft pepper
1/2 tsp. mineral-rich salt

Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender. Blend on high until well-combined and creamy.

Assembly:
1 mango, peeled and sliced
1 bunch cilantro, minced
1 cucumber, seeds removed & sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 head green cabbage, finely chopped
Wild Jungle Peanuts for garnish

Add dressing and everything except Wild Jungle Peanuts to a bowl. Toss well to combine. Serve with a sprinkle of Wild Jungle Peanuts.

If you eat cooked food the dressing goes extremely well with baked sweet potatoes, but then what doesn’t?