Banana-Cherry Bread

Bread has always been a divine essence around the world, spiced or sweetened, sour or garlicky, filled with fruits or vegetables. When you move to a new home, you bring in a loaf of bread and salt for a good luck and continued food. For thousandth of years bread has been worshiped as the "force of life"
Here is a recipe of a wonderful sweetened bread- Banana-Cherry Bread- filled with a lot of goodness of wholesome ingredients. In spite of the long list of ingredients it is easy to make. I organized the recipe on several Steps and made a lot of pictures.
= Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
== You need:
> Bread Pan the size of 24cm Long x 13,5cm Wide x 7cm Deep

 > 1 and 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour + 1Tbsp for dusting the bread pan
> Little bit of butter to cover the bread pan.
> 3/4 tsp of baking soda
> 2/3 cup of Palm(Coconut) sugar is the best. Can be substituted for brown sugar.
> 2 Bananas (ripe Bananas are the best)
> 1 cup of Walnuts and Almonds all together
> 1tsp of Vanilla extract or 1tsp of Vanilla powder
> 1.5 tsp of Cinnamon
> about 1 cup of frozen Cherries
> 1 large or 3 small Oranges or tangerines
> 2 Eggs
> 2/3 cup of Olive oil
> 3 bowls for mixing
I STEP
== Cover Bread Pan with butter and dust the pan with whole wheat flour (1Tbsp). Take out the excess whole wheat flour out of the bread pan. * If it is too complicated, use parchment paper instead of flour. Just cut to size and stick the paper to the covered butter bread pan.

 II STEP
***Do not use Mixer for this Recipe***
== Take large bowl and put inside-> the whole wheat flour and baking Soda.

 == Then add Cinnamon and whole bean Vanilla powder. Mix it well with a fork. Put aside.

 III STEP
== Take another bowl.

 == Take Oranges and cut them in half

== Squeeze juice out of the oranges into the empty bowl.

 == Take out of the bowl seeds from Oranges.

 == Take 2 ripe Bananas, peel, cut and add them into the Orange juice.

 == Mash Bananas, until it looks like this.

 == Ground Nuts. I use blender.

 == Put grounded Nuts into the mixture of the Orange juice and Bananas.

 == Mix well with the fork.

 == Take Cherries. If they are sweet large Cherries like I have, cut them in half. Tart(sour) Cherries can be used whole.

 == Put Cherries into the (Bananas+Orange juice+Nuts) mixture.

 == Mix well with the fork.

 == Add Coconut  sugar

 == Mix the mixture well with the fork. Put aside.

 IV STEP
== Take the 3d bowl.
== Beat 2 Eggs into the empty bowl

 == Mix them lightly with the fork

 == Add 2/3 cup of Olive oil

 == Mix Eggs with olive oil well with the fork

 **** Now we have 3 Bowls with 3 different mixtures

 1st Bowl=> Flour +Soda+Spices
2d Bowl=> Bananas+Orange juice+Nuts+Cherries+Sugar
3d Bowl=> Eggs+Olive oil
V STEP
== Add 3d Bowl mixture to the 2d Bowl mixture. Mix well with the fork.

 VI STEP
== Mix previous mixture from V STEP with the 1st Bowl(Flour+) mixture with the Table spoon.

 VII STEP
== Transfer the mixture into the baking Bread pan.

VIII STEP
== Place into the preheated oven (350F or 180C). Bake for 45-50 min.
== Banana-Cherry Bread is ready when the wooden stick goes out of the Bread easily and no raw dough on the stick left.

Let the Bread cool. Transfer to the serving dish.

  Bon Appetite:)

Picture of one of my beautiful garden Rose

Venegret. The great Russian Salad

Colorful, healthy, very tasty and a lot of flavor, Russian salad - Venegret.
                  You need: 

  = Beets, cooked (You know how to cook beets. Right? Just place them into the cold water, no salt,  bring them to boil and boil for around 30-40 min, depends on the size of beets. Beets are ready, when the fork goes into the beets easily)
= Potatoes, cooked with the skin on. (Red skin potatoes are the best)
= Cucumbers, pickled-about 1 cup or less (When you buy pickled cucumbers, look for ingredients, as cucumbers, water, salt, vinegar, spices, no artificial colors, flavors or any other preservatives)
= Sweet Peas- 1 can (Look for ingredients as well, as Peas and water only, no salt or sugar)
= Onions
= Sauerkraut - 3 cups
= Cilantro (Coriander, Kinza)
= Sunflower, Safflower, Flax oils to taste.( Organic. Proportion as 1:1:2) I do not suggest Olive oil thou, as it doesn't work well with Venegret.
= Large bowl to mix ingredients
=> Put Sweet Peas and Sauerkraut into the mixing bowl

=> Peel Beets and Potatoes

=> Cut Beets and potatoes on small cubes and add to the mixing bowl

=> Chop Onions and add to the bowl too.

=> Cut Pickled Cucumbers on little pieces and add to the bowl

 => Chop Cilantro and add to the mixture. Cilantro works well with Venegret.

=> Last thing, add Oils to taste. Mix the salad well and taste. If you feel it is not enough add a little bit of more Oils.

=> Replace Venegret to a serving bowl. Enjoy:)

Venegret can be kept in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

            Picture with words:

 "The Universe is nothing without the things that live in it, and everything that lives,eats." Jean Anthelme Brillant-Savarin                  
                                                                       

Herbal Tea

   Herbal tea is a simple way of healing and nourishing your body, mind and spirit. It is easy to prepare and very delicious. When herbs are infused into the water, they release all of their wonderful constituents and they are very easy absorbed in the body.
  Even though tea bags are convenient, loose bulk herbs have more flavor and healing properties.
Here is the recipe of my wonderful Herbal Tea with Holy Basil/Hibiscus/Lemongrass.

You need=>

                 = For 1L Thermos or a Teapot with a Strainer

       Take:
                    = Holy Basil - 5 teaspoon(tsp) flat.
                    = Hibiscus - 3 tsp flat
                    = Lemongrass - 2 tsp flat

To make a pleasant tea this measurement as "flat tsp" is important
**So, bring cold water to a boil. Add the quantities of herbs to the thermos. Pour hot water, cover the thermos and allow the herbs to steep for 10 to 15 minutes.

After steeping time, most of the herbs will be on the bottom of the thermos.

Strain the herbs from the liquid before serving.

  

                                   Enjoy:)
Picture with words

      "When a stream becomes a river, you don't think about how to stop it but about how to use it"
           Maurice Messegue- Herbal Healer

Honey and Lemon

Honey with Lemon

You need:

    = 8 Lemons (Mayers)
    = Honey-300 g (if you like more sour take less honey about 250g)
    = Blender

== Cut whole lemons on pieces 
        

 

== Put into Blender and add Honey on the top of Lemons

 

== Blend them together.

          

== Transfer the mixture into the very clean jar and refrigerate it.

                 

  
== The small portion you can transfer into the small container, because you can use it often with tea or just water.

== We have a goodness of Honey and Lemon inside of one jar.
   Picture with words

 "The destiny of nations depends on how they nourish themselves."
                                Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)
         

Water with Lemon

Say “Cheers” to your body in the morning with  Lemon Water.

Every morning we brush our teeth and wash our body. But what about our liver,  stomach, intestines and our digestive system as a whole.
   Lemon is the only citrus that in spite of being acidic, once digested, has an alkaline effect inside of the body and actually helps to ease stomach acidity and ulcers. Its alkalinity helps for arthritis, rheumatism and goat. Lemon Water cleanse and detoxify your liver.
    Lemon Water is the simplest and safest way to cleanse our body from the inside. Just squeeze the lemon into a glass of water and drink it first thing in the morning.
    **Know your Food as Medicine** 

 Lemon – Citrus Lemon (Rutaceae)
A small evergreen tree, first grown in Europe in the 2^nd centaury AD  and now cultivated worldwide. The tree has one of the important and versatile fruits  that is used as a Food and Medicine.  

    ==>Constituents  of Lemon
*Volatile (Essential) oil, limonene, alpha-terpinene,  alpha-,beta-pinene, citral
* Biolavonoids
* Vitamins, as A , B1,B2, B3 and certainly Vitamin C (40-50mg per 100g of Lemon fruit)
* Coumarins
* Mucilage

         Fruit of Lemon, its juicy part, contains 2 times more of Vitamin C than an orange
 

Pith (the soft tissue in Lemon) and Peel contain the Volatile (Essential) oil and the most of the Bioflavonoids.

==> The Honey with Lemon recipe is a great way to take the goodness of  the whole Lemon, as fruit and peel all together improve circulation and increase resistance to infection.

                      ** Lemon Actions**
What Nicholas Culpeper, physician, herbalist and astrologer writes in his “Culpeper’s Complete Herbal”  in 1653 

“ The lemons are solar…they are of good use to resist poison, venom, or infection…cleanses the kidneys of the stone and gravel; and kills warms in the body and expels them” And now, in the 21^st century, Culpeper’s knowledge of herbs and plants are valid and proven scientifically.
    Lemon is >>
> Antiseptic (destroys and prevents the development of microbes)
> Cleansing
> Antioxidant
> Antibacterial (stops and checks the growth of bacterias)
> Antirheumatic
> Reduces fever   

 For centuries in different cultures of the world Lemon is used as a valuable preventative medicine. Long time ago, before Vitamin C was identified, Lemon was used as a remedy for scurvy-Vitamin C deficiency disease.
  The whole fruit and pith in particularly is good for strengthening vein walls and weak capillaries.
  Lemon juice is good to fight colds, and flu, chest infections and sore throat.
>> Remedy for sore throat.  

    Take 50 ml of lemon juice and 50 ml of warm water. Mix and Gargle. The mixture has to be 1 to 1 (1:1). 1 part of lemon juice to 1 part of water.

>> Remedy for colds. 

    Mix 1 Tablespoon of fresh squeezed Lemon Juice into 2 Tablespoons of warm water, crush and add 1 clove of Garlic and a pinch of Cinnamon. Mix all together. Drink 3 times a day.

  Lemon juice in water is good as a general tonic to drink throughout the day.
After all, Lemon is the food that helps us be healthy and stay healthy.
:) So, do not forget to say" Cheers" to your body in the morning with Lemon Water. 

      Picture with words

   Wisdom does not belong to a single human being. We have to act wisely, but wisdom does not belong to anybody. It is the revelation of old proven ideas and we obtain it when generation after generation explores the laws of nature. - Hunbatz men, Maya