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Winter Squash Pancakes

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    Winter Squash Pancakes

    Vegan, GF, Refined Sugar free
    Happily serves 4

    ALL ORGANIC INGREDIENTS
    PANCAKES
    1 cup Cooked and smashed winter squash
    1/3 cup cashew cream or vegan cream cheese
    2 large eggs (or flax egg)
    1/2 cup coconut yogurt
    3/4 teaspoon sea salt
    A dash black pepper
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1 cup all-purpose GF flour
    coconut oil for frying pan

    TO FINISH:
    Crispy Sage Brown Butter:
    2 to 3 tablespoons butter
    A pinch or two of salt
    A few fresh sage leaves

    In a large bowl, whisk squash, yogurt, eggs, cheese, salt, pepper and baking powder until smooth.
    Add flour and stir until just combined. Batter will be thick.

    Heat skillet medium-low to medium.  Coat the bottom with coconut oil, and spoon in pancake batter,  flatten the pancake slightly.
    Cook until golden brown underneath, flip and cook until golden brown.
    Lower your heat, if it’s cooking too fast. If you’re worried pancakes have not cooked in the center, you can finish them for 10 minutes in a 250 degrees oven.

    To finish, wipe out frying pan and add butter (or you can use coconut oil), a Dash of salt and sage leaves, heating over medium heat. The sage leaves will crisp and the butter will brown in a minute or two so keep a close watch on it. Pour leaves and butter over pancakes

    To roast squash: For butternut or kabocha, roast it face-down on an a baking sheet sprinkled with coarse salt at 375 for 40 to 50 minutes, until tender.

    Why Should I Eat Organic? Reasons Why You Should Eat Organic…

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      Importance of Organic Foods

      Organic Foods – Nutrient Density

      Simply stated, nutrient density means how many nutrients you get from a food, given the number of calories it contains. Nutrient density is a simple way to connect nutrients with calories.

      – World’s Healthiest Foods

      What’s In Organic Foods?

      Higher Nutrient Content

      More Vitamins & Minerals per Calorie

      More Essential Fatty Acids & Amino Acids per Calorie

      More Antioxidants per Calorie

      What’s Not in Organic Foods?

      *Acetylcholine Esterase Inhibitors

      Acetylcholine

      Acetylcholine is the body’s most predominant neurotransmitter.

      Essential for Memory Recall & Quick Thinking

      Nutrient Density: Organic Legumes, Vegetables, Fruits

      Acetylcholine Esterase

      Acetylcholine Esterase is the enzyme that clears the neurosynaptic junction allowing for the next impulse to come.

      This is an especially important cycle for inhaling/exhaling during respiration and the contractions and relaxations of the heart muscle.

      ◦Thus Pesticides have an adverse effect upon the Lungs & Heart.

      List of Banned Chemicals

      http://scorecard.goodguide.com/chemical-groups/one-list.tcl?short_list_name=brpest

      Consequently, “The nutritive value of crops and their ability to handle pests and diseases is diminished.” The bottom line, Kittredge says, is, “across the board, our foodstuffs are less nutritious than they were. It’s well documented. Between 1940 and 2009, in a basic salad, USDA records show a 55-70 percent decrease in mineral levels.” – Remineralize the Earth

      We identified 191 matched pairs with valid comparisons of antioxidant, vitamin and mineral levels. Of these, 119 organic samples within the matched pairs had higher nutrient levels, or 62% of the total matched pairs.

      ◦State of Science Review: Nutritional Superiority of Organic Foods – Charles Benbrook, Xin Zhao, Jaime Yáñez, Neal Davies and Preston Andrews- www.orgain-center.org 53 pages

      Quinoa Brittle

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        Quinoa Brittle

        Vegan, Gluten free, Refined Sugar Free
        Happily Serves 10

        ALL ORGANIC INGREDIENTS 

        3/4 Cup Tricolor uncooked quinoa

        3/4 cup Pecans

        2 TBSP Coconut sugar

        1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie or allspice

        2 TBSP Coconut oil

        1/4 cup Blackstrap Molasses

        1/4 cinnamon

        Pinch of Himalayan sea salt

        Stevia, if you desire it sweeter

         

        Preheat oven to 325.

        Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (Cover all edges)

        Combine quinoa, pecans, coconut sugar, salt, and cinnamon/spices in a bowl and set aside.

        Over low to medium heat, add the coconut oil and black strap molasses (and optional Stevia). Stir until there is no visible separation.  Pour over the dry ingredients, combine and coat evenly,  spread on a parchment lined baking sheet with a metal spoon.

        Try to get it as even as possible or the edges will burn in the center won’t crisp up.

        Bake for 15 minutes and turn the pan around to ensure even baking and Browning. Back 5 to 10 minutes more and watch carefully so it does not burn. The edges will get crisp and caramelized, and the color will be uniformly deep golden brown in color.

        Let it cool completely before breaking it into serving pieces.   You can store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for a week, or in the freezer for up to one month.

        How to Reduce Anxiety – Herbs for Anxiety Reduction – Reduce Anxiety with Herbs

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          Herbs for Anxiety

          Not looking to use Conventional Drugs to help ease Anxiety?  Try some of these herbs.

          Licorice Root contains a natural hormone alternative to cortisone, which can help the body handle stressful situations, and can help to normalize blood sugar levels as well as your adrenal glands, providing you with the energy necessary to deal with the stressful situation at hand. Some claim licorice stimulates cranial and cerebrospinal fluid, thereby calming the mind.As a soothing tonic, drink it warm as in a tea.

          Kava Kava, an herb from the South Pacific, is a powerful muscle relaxer and analgesic. Kava Kava is also effective at treating depression and anxiety associated with menopause. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-herbs-that-reduce-stress-and-anxiety.html#ixzz3zjWfhIxL

          Valerian

          Some herbal supplements reduce anxiety without making you sleepy (such as L-theanine), while others are sedatives. Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is squarely in the second category. It is a sleep aid, for insomnia. It contains sedative compounds; the German government has approved it as a treatment for sleep problems.

          Valerian smells kind of nasty, so most people take it as a capsule or tincture, rather than a tea. If you want to try it, take it in the evening—not before you go to work! Valerian is often combined with other sedative herbs such as hops, chamomile, and lemon balm.

          Hops

          Yes, it’s in beer, but you won’t get the tranquilizing benefits of the bitter herb hops (Humulus lupulus)from a brew. The sedative compound in hops is a volatile oil, so you get it in extracts and tinctures—and as aromatherapy in hops pillows.

          “It’s very bitter, so you don’t see it in tea much, unless combined with chamomile or mint,” says Blumenthal. Hops is often used as a sedative, to promote sleep, often with another herb, valerian. Note: Don’t take sedative herbs if you are taking a prescription tranquilizer or sedative, and let your doctor know any supplements you are taking.

          Chamomile

          If you have a jittery moment, a cuppa chamomile tea might help calm you down. Some compounds in chamomile (Matricaria recutita) bind to the same brain receptors as drugs like Valium.

          You can also take it as a supplement, typically standardized to contain 1.2% apigenin (an active ingredient), along with dried chamomile flowers. In one study at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, in Philadelphia, patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) who took chamomile supplements for eight weeks had a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms compared to patients taking placebo.

          Passion Flower

          The University of Maryland Medical Center states that passionflower has shown in a few studies to work as well as some of the benzodiazepine medications that are usually prescribed for treating anxiety.

          A four-week double-blind study, for example, compared passionflower with oxazepam. Results showed oxazepam worked more quickly, but by the end of the study period, both treatments were shown to be equally effective. Bonus—side effects like daytime drowsiness were fewer with passionflower.

          A second study also showed that passionflower helped ease symptoms like anxiety, irritability, agitation, and depression in participants going through withdrawal from an opiate drug addiction.

          Dosage: Try one cup of passionflower tea three times daily, 45 drops of liquid extract daily, or about 90 mg/day.

          Lavendar

          A 2010 multi-center, a double-blind randomized study of lavender oil compared to anti-anxiety medication lorazepam found that both were effective against generalized and persistent anxiety. Bonus — lavender had no sedative side effects.

          “Since lavender oil showed no sedative effects,” researchers stated, it could be an effective and “well-tolerated alternative to benzodiazepines” to treat generalized anxiety. An earlier 2000 study found similar results.

          Dosage: Try about 80 mg/day of the supplement, or use the oil as an aromatherapy solution.

          Lemon Balm

          Though usually found in combination with other herbs, lemon balm also has anti-anxiety powers on its own.

          Research published in 2004, for instance, gave participants a single dose of lemon balm extract (300 mg or 600 mg) or a placebo, then measured their mood after one hour. The higher dose resulted in reduced stress and improved calmness and alertness. Even the lower dose helped participants do math problems more quickly.

          Dosage: Use in aromatherapy, try 300-500 mg of dried lemon balm three times daily, 60 drops daily, or 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of dried lemon balm herb in hot water for a tea four times daily.

          Ashwagandha

          A 2012 double-blind, placebo-controlled study gave participants either placebo or a capsule containing 300 mg of high-concentration full-spectrum ashwagandha extract, twice a day. The study lasted for 60 days. Those taking the ashwagandha showed significant improvements. Even the levels of the stress hormone cortisol were substantially reduced in those taking the extract. And there were no serious side effects.

          In an earlier 2000 study, ashwagandha had anxiety-relieving effects similar to those of lorazepam.

          Dosage: Typical dosage is 300 mg standardized to at least one to five percent withanolides, once or twice a day.

          L-Theanine

          This one isn’t really a herb — it’s a water-soluble amino acid,  but it’s gotten such good research behind it, we had to include it here. It’s found mainly in green tea and black tea and is also available as a supplement.

          Studies have found that it acts directly on the brain, helping to reduce stress and anxiety—without causing drowsiness.

          Research from 2008, for example, found that those participants taking 50 mg of L-theanine a day had a greater increase in alpha (relaxed brain waves) activity than those who took a placebo.

          An earlier 1998 study found that 200 mg a day leads to increased alpha brain waves and a relaxed, yet alert, a state of mind.

          A later 2011 study found that it was also associated with reduced anxiety, and was well tolerated and safe for participants.

          Dosage: A typical cup of black tea contains only about 25 mg of l-theanine and green tea only about 8 mg. While a cup of tea may be calming, if you want more potent effects, try a supplement, about 200 mg a day.