Pineapple (Digestive Aid) Drink

A wonderful combination of Pineapple, Ginger, Mint, and Lemon is a truly Digestive Aid to the body.

 Pineapple -> contains Bromelain, the enzyme that breaks up protein and aids digestion.
Ginger -> excellent remedy for many digestive complains, as nausea, colic, indigestion, morning and motion sickness.
Mint -> Increase the flow of digestive juices and bile, helps with irritated bowl.
Lemon -> Detoxify the liver, helps to easy stomach acidity, alkaline the body.
         You need:

= Pineapple  - 1
= Lemon - 1
= Ginger - a little piece
= Mint - fresh leaves
= Honey - 2 Table spoon (Optional. When Pineapple is not sweet enough.)
= Water
= Blender
= Pitcher - 2L
> Peel and cut Pineapple on pieces.

> Peel and cut Ginger on pieces

> Put into the Blender >> Pineapple + Ginger + Mint + fresh squeezed Lemon juice. If Pineapple is not sweet, add Honey as well.

> Add a good quality fresh Water to fill the Blender.

> Close and Blend. Start with a low speed, then gradually increase the speed of the Blender. Blend about 30 - 40 seconds.

(If your Blender does not have 2 liters capacity, you can add less water to fill you Blender. Blend well. Pour the mixture to the pitcher, then add more water and mix it by hand.)
> Pour to the Pitcher.

                    >>> Enjoy:)

Almonds/Walnuts Cookies - Gluten Free

Only 4 ingredients and spices are needed in this easy to make Almonds/Walnuts Gluten-Free Cookies recipe. Instead of a grain flour, I use Almonds. Walnuts are a good source of fat. For a binding and softness I use Eggs.
 You need:
= Almonds -> 1 Cup
= Walnuts -> 1 Cup
= Coconut (Palm) Sugar -> 3/4 Cup
= Eggs -> 5
= Cinnamon -> 1- 2 teaspoon
= Vanilla, whole bean powder -> 1 teaspoon (or 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla extract)
= Almond Extract -> 1/2 teaspoon

Preheat oven to 375F (190C)
> 1. Put Almonds into the Blender (Food processor can be used) and ground them into fine particles.

> 2. Then ground Walnuts
> 3. Mix grounded Almonds and Walnuts together in a mixing bowl.

> 4. Add spices, as Cinnamon, Whole bean Vanilla powder and Almond Extract. Mix.

> 5. Add Coconut sugar. Mix. Put aside.

Take another empty bowl.
> 6. Beat 5 Eggs.

> 7. Whisk them with a mixer

> 8. Then add dry (Nuts+spices) ingredients 1 Table spoon at a time. Do not stop mixing.

> 9. When you completely added dry ingredients. Mix additional 10 seconds.

> 10. Take 15x10 inches (38x25 cm) Baking pan and cover with parchment paper.

> 11. Pour the dough into the Baking pan and spread evenly.

> 12. Bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes.
> 13. When ready, let it cool a little.

>14. Cut on pieces when it is still warm. (I use Pizza cutter)

> 15. Replace to the serving dish.

Enjoy:) 

"Common cookies are simple pleasure, but the microcosm of all cookies is a summa of the baker's art"-Harold McGee.

Christmas Time - Mistletoe

"...the mistletoe, with its white berries, hung up, to the imminent peril of all the pretty housemaids...The mistletoe is still hung up in farm-houses and kitchens at Christmas; and the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked, the privilege ceases"- "Old Christmas from the Sketch Book of Washington Irving"(1886)

Mistletoe (Viscum, European Mistletoe, All-heal, Olma, Mistel) - Viscum album - Loranthaceae family
~ It is well-liked Christmas decoration in Europe and North America with a tradition longer than the Christmas tree. It brings good luck, vitality for the home and certainly for the couple who kisses under Mistletoe. It serves as protection against bad impact.
Throughout centuries, people observed the plant's behavior and found a lot of strange things about Mistletoe. It grows in the crown of trees, like apple, poplar, pear, firs and stone oak. It has narrow leathery green leaves, yellowish flowers and sticky round berries, that appears in November and December. All these strange things about Mistletoe created a lot of mystical and symbolic meaning. Mistletoe was considered a magical plant, the symbol of the winter solstice of the Celtic Druids, it was believed that Mistletoe brings fertility to a couple who wants to conceive a child.
~~ Today, we are not sure about its magical use, but the chemistry of Mistletoe is well-documented in scientific literature. What you might have not known is that Mistletoe is a parasitic evergreen shrub, that takes all nutrients from the host tree.
== Constituents:
= Lectins- heterodimeric glycoproteins
= Viscotoxins - polypeptides, consists of 46 amino acid residues with 3 disulphide bonds.
Lectins and Viscotoxins are considered to be the main active constituents.
= Flavonoids, as Chalcones, Flavones, Flavanones
= Alkaloids
= Acids, as Fatty acids, 80% of Oleic acid.
= Amines, as acetylcholine, choline, histamine
= Terpenoids, Phytosterols
= Lignans, Polysaccharides, Phenylpropanoids
== Actions:
Mistletoe has not only a long history of use as a magical plant, but also has a long history of use as a medicinal plant as well. Hippocrates and Pliny used Mistletoe for vertigo, epilepsy and tumors. St.Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179, healer, 12th century Benedictine abbess of the Rhineland) in the Medieval times advised it for chest ailments and goat.
->Parts to use: leaves, berries, twigs of European Mistletoe.
= Traditionally, Mistletoe has been used for high-blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, hypertensive headache, nervous tachycardia, hysteria, chorea, epilepsy. It has sedative properties, ease anxiety, improves concentration and helps with sleep.
= Modern use of Mistletoe preparations is centered on use as a treatment and as adjuvant treatment in cancer. In 1917, Rudolf Steiner was the first who introduced Mistletoe preparation as a specific anticancer drug. (In 1921 Steiner along with Dr. Ita Wegman and a team of pharmacists and physician founded a pharmaceutical company Weleda, that distributes natural health medicinal products worldwide). It is named "Iscador" which is a well known, with a large number of scientific data.
 **Mistletoe has a  very toxic nature, especially berries and unsuitable for self-medication. Must be taken only under professional medical supervision.
"Mistletoe at Christmas time! There are mot many plants that are so laden with virtues and so laden with symbolism"- Maurice Messegue
Have a happy Christmas time to all :)

Bread & Apple Pudding

In everyday life we do not realize how lucky we are to have literally Bread on a table. Do not throw away Bread leftovers. Revitalize. Make this delicious - Bread & Apple Pudding with your Bread leftovers.

You need:
> Baking Pan (Mine has a capacity of 6 cups of liquid)
> 1 Table Spoon of Butter, to grease Baking pan
> Whole Wheat Sour dough Bread Leftovers (2-3 days old bread). How much? Depends on the size of your baking pan and Bread leftovers. I just take the Baking pan and fill up with the Bread leftovers.
> 5 eggs (If you have smaller size of your Baking Pan and less Bread use 4 eggs)
> 1 cup of Coconut (Palm) sugar
> 1 Dessert Spoon or 2 Tea spoon of Cinnamon
> 1 Teaspoon of Whole Bean Vanilla Powder or 1/2 Tea Sp of Vanilla Extract
> 1 and a half cup of Whole Milk
> 1 large Apple (Granny Smith preferably)
> Less then 1 tea spoon of Tapioca flour or Starch (Potato or Corn)
Preheat an oven to 350F (180C)
=1. Grease the Baking Pan with Butter

= 2. Cut Bread on small cubes and place them into the baking pan

~ Custard ~
= 3. Beat 5 Eggs into a separate bowl. Mix with a mixer.

 = 4. Add Whole Bean Vanilla Powder (or Vanilla Extract) and Cinnamon

 = 5. Add 1 cup of Coconut (Palm) Sugar

 = 6. Mix well with a mixer.

 = 7. Add 1 and 1/2 cup of the Whole Milk. Mix
Custard holds everything in this Recipe.
= 8. Pour Custard over the bread cubes

 = 9. Let it stand for 20-30 minutes or more. Press and mix periodically to let Bread absorb the Custard (Milk+Eggs+Sugar+Spices) 

 = 10. Meanwhile. Take 1 large Apple

 = 11. Peel and cut on thin slices

 = 12. Sprinkle with a little bit of Tapioca flour and generously with Cinnamon.

= 13. Mix Apple with Cinnamon and Tapioca flour

= 14. Combine Apple with the Bread and Custard mixture right inside of the baking pan.

 = 15. Place on a middle rack in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes. Check the Pudding with a wooden stick. If it s not ready, cover with a foil ( do not let the foil touch the Pudding) and bake for additional 10 minutes.
Enjoy:)

Carrots Salad

Carrot. Everyone knows that fresh carrots are good for you. But do we eat them everyday or even occasionally? I think not a lot of people. Here is the Recipe  of Carrots Salad that is very easy and tasty, like 1,2,3 to make.

      You need:
Carrots- 1 cup
Garlic - 1 clove
Salt and Mayonnaise to  your taste.

Actually, there is no particular measurement for this salad. If you need more salad, take more carrots. If you like garlic, add more garlic.
**Just do not overwork with mayonnaise. Fresh carrots are used for this salad.  When you ground them, carrots release juice. When you combine with a lot of mayonnaise, the Carrot salad become too moist. Just start with 1 Table spoon of Mayonnaise, mix and taste.  Add 1/2 Tb spoon more, mix and taste.
       So, lets do it.
= 1. First, add 1 Table spoon of Mayonnaise to a Blender. Then put Carrots and Garlic into the Blender as well.

= 2. If you use handy grounder, use fine grinds for carrots and crush garlic by hands.

= 3. Ground Carrots + Garlic + Mayonnaise.

= 4. Place to the mixing bowl. Add salt, I use Herbamare salt (the great mixture of sea salt and organic herbs) and 1/2 Tb spoon of Mayonnaise. Mix. Taste.

= 5. Enjoy:)

If you go back to my posts,  Beets Salad works great together with Carrots Salad to add color to your table. Needless to say about taste and nutrients. Carrots and Beets are both considered as a restorative food and easy to digest.

Look. So beautiful, festive colors.
You can place Two salads into a plate with dividers.

You can make different shapes from Beets Salad and Carrots Salad. Just use your imagination and topic theme of your guests gathering.

Be healthy and happy:)