Garden Of Life Identifies Likely Source Of Salmonella Contamination Of RAW Meal Products

Garden of Life LLC expands recall

On January 29th, 2016 Garden of Life issued a voluntary recall of certain RAW meal Organic Shake and Meal Chocolate, Original, Vanilla, and Vanilla Chai products because of the potential of being contaminated with Salmonella. 

On February 12th, they identified the likely source of the contamination to be from Organic Mooring Leaf powder from a supplier used only in RAW meal. They just started using this material in September. Their recall includes any lot of RAW Meal manufactured with this source of Moringa. (Moringa oleifera is a tree native to South Asia. It's leaves have been used medicinally for thousands of years).

The recalled lot numbers are as follows.

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Chai 10 CNT Tray, Lot # 47183200, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Half Size, Lot # 47198400, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Half Size, lot # 47198500, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Full Size, lot # 47198600, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Half Size, lot # 47198700, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Full Size, lot # 47200100, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate 10 CNT Tray, lot # 47200200, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Chai Half Size, lot # 47202000, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Chai Half Size, lot # 47215400, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Full Size, lot # 47215800, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Full Size, lot # 47222300, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Half Size, lot # 47225700, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Full Size, lot # 47243600, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Full Size, lot # 47248900, expiration 8/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Full Size, lot # 47200000, expiration 8/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Full Size, lot # 47202100, expiration 8/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Chai Full Size, lot # 47215600, expiration 8/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Half Size, lot # 47243000, expiration 8/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Full Size, lot # 47198800, expiration 9/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Full Size, lot # 47214600, expiration 9/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal 10 CNT Tray, lot # 47214800, expiration 9/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Chai Full Size, lot # 47215500, expiration 9/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Chai Full Size, lot #47215501, expiration 9/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Full Size, lot # 47216100, expiration 9/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Full Size, lot # 47225500, expiration 9/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Full Size, lot # 47225900, expiration 9/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Full Size, lot # 47249200, expiration 9/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Chai 10 CNT Tray, lot # 47183201, expiration9/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Full Size, lot # 47198601, expiration 9/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Chai Half Size, lot # 47206000, expiration 9/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Full Size, lot # 47225600, expiration 9/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Half Size, lot # 47225800, expiration 9/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Half Size, lot # 47226200, expiration 9/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Half Size, lot # 47226400, expiration 9/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Full Size, lot # 47236000, expiration 9/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla 10 CNT Tray, lot # 47248000, expiration 9/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Full Size, lot # 47248901, expiration 9/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Full Size, lot # 47253900, expiration 9/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Half Size lot # 47257401, expiration 9/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Full Size, lot # 47226000, expiration 10/1/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Full Size, lot # 47216200, expiration 10/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Full Size, lot # 47225601, expiration 10/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Full Size, lot # 47226100, expiration 10/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Half Size, lot # 47226201, expiration 10/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Chai Full Size, lot # 47226300, expiration 10/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Full Size, lot # 47246500, expiration 10/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Chai Full Size, lot # 47247600, expiration 10/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Half Size, lot # 47247800, expiration 10/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Full Size, lot # 47225602, expiration 11/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Full Size, lot # 47246501, expiration 11/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Chai Full Size, lot # 47247601, expiration 11/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Full Size, lot # 47247700, expiration 11/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Half Size, lot # 47247801, expiration 11/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Half Size, lot # 47247900, expiration 11/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Half Size, lot # 47257001, expiration 11/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Half Size, lot # 47269900, expiration 11/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Half Size, lot # 47273200, expiration 11/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla 10 CNT Tray, lot # 47275400, expiration 11/30/2017

RAW Organic Meal Chocolate Full Size, lot # 47256902, expiration 12/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Full Size, lot # 47257100, expiration 12/31/2017

RAW Organic Meal Vanilla Half Size, lot # 47287600, expiration 12/31/2017


For more information and an explanation about events that have occurred and how the company is handling this, visit the Garden of Life Website. 

Not All Wine Is Vegan And Gluten FreeFind Out What's In Your WineTry Our 2012 Turtle Vines Pinot Noir

Our Turtle Vines Pinot Noir is raw, vegan, unfined, unfiltered, gluten free and made from certified organic grapes.

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What's in your Wine?
Even if you're not a vegan you may not relish the idea that the wine you are drinking was mixed with gelatin from pigs, cows, and fish bladders, egg whites, and other distasteful animal ingredients, during the winemaking process. And for those of you who are lactose or gluten intolerant, you may be concerned that milk protein and wheat gluten may also have been used. 

Why is this done?
Many wineries have a formula for making wine that produces a consistent product from year to year that is less dependent on the quality of the grapes they use. The commercial process that is used to create a clear and stable wine or to fix defects is calling "fining". 

Fining
Fining is the operation of adding one or more compounds to wine to bring it into balance and keep it there. Many of these compounds are from animals, gluten and other surprising materials. Although these compounds are filtered out of the wine before it is bottled and sold, there potentially could be some residue in the wine, albeit very minuscule amounts. Here's are some examples:
* Isinglass (fish bladder) is used to clarify wine.
* Gelatin (pork, cow and fish skin and bones) clarifies wine and removes excess tannins.
* Plant proteins (either green peas or hydrolyzed gluten) is used to clarify wine and remove excess tannins. Pea protein is appropriate for vegan wines.
* Egg albumin is used to clarify wine and remove astringencies in red wine.
* Potassium caseinate (milk protein) improves aromatic defects and treats oxidized wines.
* PVPP (plastic) is used to treat bitterness.
* Bentonite (clay) is used for rapid clarification and to treat protein-unstable wines.Bentonite is appropriate for vegan wines.

Is Fining Necessary?
Our Turtle Vines Pinot Noir is not fined or filtered. No animal products, plastic, or gluten is used in the production of our wine. It is simply not necessary.

To achieve clarity, we "rack" our wine. Racking is the process of letting the wine settle and then siphoning it into another vessel. This is done three times. Occasionally there is a bit of residue at the bottom of our bottles but that doesn't bother us - it's better than adding these odd and distasteful compounds listed above.

To balance our tannins, we "cold soak" our destemmed (and about 5% whole-cluster) grapes for five to ten days before fermentation to bring out the beneficial, water soluble skin tannins. 
We prevent excess tannins by ending fermentation and pressing the wine before the wine goes completely dry. This controls excess tannins from the grapes seeds by limiting how long they soak in the fermented wine.

Tannins can also seem out of balance if the acidity and alcohol levels are inappropriate. Acid levels are controlled by measuring and adding tartaric acid when necessary. Correct alcohol levels are controlled by picking the grapes when their target sugar content (and flavor) is achieved. With the proper acidity and alcohol levels, fining is not necessary to adjust tannins. 

All these methods of carefully balancing tannins prevents having to deal with astringencies and bitterness.

Cold soaking before fermentation 

Controlling aromatic defects is much easier to control when you grow and hand-pick your own grapes. At Turtle Vines we examine every grape cluster continually throughout the growing season, discarding any that have mold or mildew or that are not ripe enough to pick. Many large wineries machine-harvest their grapes allowing more bad grapes to end up in the fermentation tank. 

The Importance of Organic Grapes
When you go grocery shopping for grapes, many of you buy those that are organically grown. Every year table grapes are listed as one of the Environmental Working Groups "Dirty Dozen". Their 2014 audits showed that table grape samples has residue of at least 15 pesticides. But when you buy a bottle of wine, most people don't even think about whether or not the grapes used to make the wine are organic. Conventionally grown wine grapes can be treated with synthetic pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, and fertilizers. 

According to the California Department of Pesticides Regulation, 25 million pounds of pesticides were applied to conventionally-grown wine grapes in California in 2010. These wine grapes had far more pesticides than table grapes. According to the USDA Pesticide Data Program, there are up to 34 different kinds of pesticide residues found on conventionally-grown grapes! 

Our grapes at Turtle Vines Vineyards are certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers Association. It is not only important for our wine to be free of these toxins to protect you, but we did not want ourselves, our workers, our neighbors, or wildlife to be exposed or subjected to these harmful chemicals. 

We do not, however, make organic wine. The difference between organic wine and wine made from certified organic grapes is that organic wine does not allow for the addition of sulfur dioxide. Since sulfur dioxide prevents bacterial spoilage, very few wines are made organically as they have a short shelf life. We feel that the majority of benefits to the consumer are obtained by wine being vegan and made from certified organic grapes. 

Is Wine Raw?
During fermentation, temperatures rise but generally stay below 85 degrees so, from that standpoint, wine is considered raw. However, some winemakers add sugar during the winemaking process to achieve their target alcohol content (not to make the wine sweeter). Unless the sugar used was raw sugar, some would consider this wine not to be raw. 

This process of adding sugar to wine is called "chaptalization" and it is generally done in regions that have poor climate and produce grapes with low sugar content. This practice is illegal in Argentina, Australia, Austria, California, Italy, and South Africa. So you can be assured that wines from these regions were not made with sugar. Our California wines have plenty of sunshine and ample sugar content and don't need this added sugar.

Our 2012 Turtle Vines Pinor Noir is Now Available
If you are interested in purchasing our Pinot Noir, please go to our Turtle Vines Website.
Our wine is raw, vegan, unfined, unfiltered, gluten-free, and made with our hand-farmed organic grapes. 

The 2012 Pinot is about 80 percent Pommard and 20 percent 667 with a lower alcohol content of 13.0%. This produces a feminine style wine with a taste of ripened strawberry, currant, and cassis. It is a very versatile and food friendly wine which complements almost any dish from pasta to chocolate truffles!

If you mention Foods For Long Life, you will get additional 10% discount. Stock up for the holidays!

Mention Foods For Long Life and get an additional 10% off
our 2012 Turtle Vines Russian River Pinot Noir

It's Apple Season - Dehydrate Some Apple SlicesThey Make A Healthy Lunch Box Snack!

Dehydrated apple slices are easy to pack and eat.

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on Amazon and iTunes.

It's Apple Season
We picked our entire tree of Fuji apples and wanted to do something this year besides just making applesauce. (Check out my Sugar-Free Applesauce recipe.) So I pulled out my mandolin V-blade slicer (BIG MISTAKE) and started slicing and dehydrating apples.

Please Be Careful!!!
I'm usually very careful when I use sharp tools, like a vegetable slicer, but I was not using the guard for the first slice in order to get the apple to hold. Without realizing it, I sliced the bottom of my thumb - OUCH!!! I won't describe the rest, only to beg you never to use a mandolin without holding the vegetables and fruit with the guard. Better yet, throw out your mandolin and slice the apples with a knife.

If using a mandolin, ALWAYS hold the fruit and veggies
with the plastic guard.

Ouch!!!
I was scheduled for a manicure the next day
and could only have 9 nails polished.
Thankfully I still have a thumb!

Organic Apples
When making your own applesauce or dehydrated apple slices, always start with organic apples. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), apples top the list for containing the most pesticides. So if you don't have your own organically grown apple tree, make sure you purchase organic apples. 

Making Dehydrated Apple Slices
Wash and core the apples. No need to peel - Hooray!!

Place the apple slices on the non-stick sheets in your dehydrator (you can put them directly on the grating, but the grates get sticky and they are harder to wash than the non-stick sheets.

If you want "RAW" dehydrated apple slices, set the temp to 115 degrees F. Otherwise, set the temp at 135 degrees F. Dehydrate until the are dry and are no longer sticky (at least 12 hours.)

Turn the apple slices over and place directly on the grates. If you start out with the apples on the grates, you don't need to turn them.

I love my Excaliabur 5 tray dehydrator.

Continue to dehydrate the apple slices until they reach the desired texture. We like them crispy and leave them in the dehydrator for a day and a half. But if you like them pliable, you can take them out sooner. The time will vary with the thickness of the apples, the type of apples, the temperature of your dehydrator, and how crispy you want your slices.

When they reach the desired texture and dryness, shut off the dehydrator and let them cool.
Place them in a large freezer bag, seal and place in a dark, cool storage area. You can also refrigerate or freeze for longer storage times but I think out of site is out of mind. I tend to leave some on the counter and watch them disappear! They also make a nice gift for friends and neighbors.

A Great Snack
Did you ever pull out an apple in the middle of a meeting? I didn't think so. But these little jewels are easy and discrete to eat at work. And they make a great snack for the kids lunch boxes too!

But don't go overboard. It's a lot more filling to eat the entire apple than to eat a lot of dried fruit slices so just put "an apple's worth" of slices in the lunch box and enjoy!

Creamy Garden Cucumber Soup - Serve ChilledRaw Vegan, And Gluten Free

Raw almonds make this chilled cucumber soup creamy.

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Busy Week
Sorry it's taken me so long to post this month but we've been busy harvesting 3.7 tons of organic Pinot Noir grapes in our vineyard here in Sebastopol, California. Sudden hot weather caused the sugar in the grapes to quickly spike and we had to scramble to get the grapes harvested. The sugar level dictates the percent alcohol in the wine and since we like our Pinot to be around 14% alcohol or under, we pick our grapes when they are around 24% sugar (Brix) or less. 

Friends, family, and workers came to our rescue and we got it all done in three days. My brother and his wife happened to be visiting (thinking that they were here for a relaxing vacation) only to find themselves out in the field picking grapes. They enjoyed the experience and now have a story to tell back in Charleston, South Carolina.

Check out last year's post on how we make Pinot Noir.

My brother Peter, harvesting grapes.

My sister-in-law Dianne busy at work.

Back to Cucumber Soup
Before we roped Peter and Dianne into harvesting, we did some fun things. It was Sonoma Wine Country Weekend and we took them to a fabulous wine event at Fred MacMurry's Estate that featured 200 wineries and 60 local chefs. 

One of the chefs made a delicious chilled cucumber soup. Since it was creamy I assumed it was made with dairy. (I always have to ask since I'm allergic.) But to my surprise, the cucumbers were blended with almonds (my favorite source of vitamin E). I didn't get the recipe but I have attempted to recreate the dish, especially since my garden is packed with cucumbers right now. My version is a bit thicker and instead of drizzling olive oil over the soup, I use cold-pressed hemp oil since it has more omega-3. 

Cucumbers in my garden

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Creamy Garden Cucumber Soup
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes about 2 1/4 cups - 4 small servings]
Requires a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix 

3 cups diced, peeled cucumbers with large seeds removed
1/4 cups raw almonds, soaked over night
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill plus some for garnish
1 1/4 teaspoon cold-pressed hemp oil

To prepare the cucumbers, peel and quarter lengthwise. If you have large seeds, remove them. Dice and measure 3 cups and place them in a high-speed blender.

Add the soaked almonds, lemon peel, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and dill and blend until smooth. If it's too thick, add a tablespoon of water or non-dairy milk and blend until mixed. Chill until ready to serve. 

To serve, place the soup in 4 small teacups or bowls and drizzle 1/4 teaspoon of hemp or olive oil over each bowl. Take a demitasse spoon or a toothpick and stir the oil into the soup. Garnish with a small piece of dill and serve.

Per serving: 77 calories, 6 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 170 mg omega-3 and 1,749 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 3 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 293 mg sodium.

Raw Spring Vegetable SoupLess Than 150 CaloriesLose Weight With A Raw Food Cleanse

Raw Spring Vegetable Soup - Vegan and Gluten Free!

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Eating for Spring Time
With warmer weather comes access to more fruits and vegetables, allowing us to lighten up our diet. In Spring, I try to eat at least half of my food raw. And to lose a few pounds, get more energy, and detox from a winter of way too much fun, I do a raw food cleanse. 

Today's recipe is a simple raw soup that blends garden peas and kale with a creamy avocado and is topped with shredded carrots. Fresh garlic, lemon juice and cayenne provide the main seasoning. 

Eating raw soups is the perfect way to lighten up your spring diet and they are suitable for a raw food cleanse.

There are numerous posts on how to optimize the amount of raw food you eat throughout the seasons and how to do a Raw Food Cleanse on this site. But If you would like a more comprehensive summary of this information and more than 150 tested and optimized recipes, download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen: Delicious and Easy Vegan Recipes and Seasonal Food Plan PLUS Raw Food Cleanse. It's only $9.99 and is available on Amazon and iTunes.

You Don't Need a Kindle or iPad to Read an eBook!
Some of you have written saying that you would like my ebook but don't have a Kindle or iPad. You can now download my eBook onto your computer with this free Kindle for PC reading AP. 

Enjoy today's recipe - it's becoming one of my favorite ways to enjoy my garden kale. And it's perfect for the warm weather and for your Raw Food Cleanse. Best of all, it's less than 150 calories per serving!


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Raw Spring Vegetable Soup 
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]
Requires a High Speed Blender

2 cups fresh peas, or frozen (thawed)
2 packed cups kale (cleaned with stems removed)
2 cups chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and seed removed
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 dashes cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded

Place all ingredients, except the carrot, in a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix or Blendtec. Blend until smooth. Adjust for salt and pepper if needed.

Pour into 4 bowls. Top with shredded carrot and serve.

Per serving: 145 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 121 mg omega-3 and 777 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber and 720 mg sodium.

Raw Kale And Orange Salad With Pumpkin Seeds Balance Your Winter Diet With Raw Food

 Kale salad - a great way to include raw food in your winter diet.
A single serving provides over 125% of your 
daily requirement of vitamin C.

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Don't Forget About Raw Food
When it's hot out, it's fairly simple to eat most of our food raw - raw salads, chilled soups - even raw crisps. And although we crave cooked foods when the temperature drops, like soups, roasted veggies, and baked breads, we should still consume a minimum of at least thirty percent of our food raw. Raw fruit or green salads can easily do the trick. 

For details on my Seasonally Raw Food Plan that explains the optimal balance of cooked to raw foods throughout the year, including recipes and menus, download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen - available on iTunes and Amazon. 

A Simple and Colorful Holiday Side Dish
This simple salad makes a lovely holiday side dish and it keeps really well. So if you are looking for something fresh and colorful for your Thanksgiving, Chanukah, or Christmas menu, this could be it! 


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Kale and Orange Salad with Pumpkin Seeds
Raw Vegan (Suitable for a Raw Food Cleanse)
[makes 6 servings]

For the dressing
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 teaspoons cold-pressed hemp or extra virgin olive oil (or combo)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

For the salad
4 packed cups stemmed, thinly sliced raw kale
2 oranges, peeled, seeds removed and chopped
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Make the dressing by combining the lemon juice, oil, and salt directly in a large salad bowl.

Place the kale in the bowl and mix until each leaf is well coated. Let the kale sit in the dressing  to allow it to tenderize, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the oranges, red onion, and pumpkin seeds. Toss well and serve.

Per serving (with hemp oil): 104 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 539 mg omega-3 and 3,039 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 381 mg sodium.

Per serving (with olive oil): 104 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 117 mg omega-3 and 1,554 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 381 mg sodium.

No Need To Gain Weight Over The Holidays! Download Health Begins In The Kitchen For Delicious Vegan And Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes At Special Holiday Pricing

Enjoy our holiday price of $9.99!

T'is the Season to Cook
The holidays are upon us - Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Years. T'is the season to entertain our friends and families. I would guess that more cooking is done this time of year than any other. And with all this cooking, people do more eating as well.

No Need to Trash Your Diet
Millions of people gain weight during the holidays and many carry it around with them for a very long time, if not forever. But there's no need to trash your diet. 

A few years ago, a friend asked a simple question which I have pondered since. 

"Why do we serve the most unhealthy food to 

our friends and family when we entertain?"

Think about it. It's almost a reflex to think our guests want cheese and crackers, roasted and salted nuts, queso dip and chips and fattening desserts. Even I hesitate to serve people whole grain or gluten-free pasta instead of that made from semolina as they expect. 

But the good news is that you can serve delicious holiday favorites without trashing your diet and without compromising taste and enjoyment! 
Among the 160 healthy, vegan recipes in my ebook, Health Begins in the Kitchen, there are many holiday favorites that are delicious and guilt free.

Holiday Pricing!

To celebrate the holidays, I'm now offering this eBook for only $9.99 ($5.00 off of list price!) 

Buy it Now on iTunes!

Buy it Now on Amazon!

Buy it for someone you love for Hanukkah or Christmas!

Enjoy beautiful and delicious dishes like these and many, many, more:

Olive Tapenade

Waldorf Salad

Raw Beet Salad

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Gluten-Free Stuffing

Green Beans

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Gluten-Free Stuffed Pumpkin

Carrot Cake

Gluten-Free Ginger Cookies

Enjoy the Holidays without Gaining Weight!

Download Health Begins in the Kitchen: 

Delicious and Easy Vegan Recipes and Seasonal Food Plan

Now Only $9.99

Buy it Now on iTunes!

Buy it Now on Amazon!

Raw Vegan Hemp Powder Delivers Protein, Omega-3, And Fiber - Great For Smoothies!

Looking for protein, omega-3 and fiber? Try this!

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Hemp
For those who follow my blog, you already know that I LOVE hemp - read last year's post, Why hemp should be part of your diet.  Hemp seeds are one of the three Omega-3 Power Seeds (the other two being flax and chia seeds.) 

I recently discovered a new raw vegan product by Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods. It's called Hemp Pro Fiber. It 's not only a great source of high quality protein, but it also provides essential fatty acids as well as fiber - all critical nutrients in our diet.

Per Serving
Each quarter cup serving of Hemp Pro Fiber contains:
130 calories
11 grams protein
13 grams dietary fiber
14 grams carbohydrates
4 grams total fat / 0.5 grams saturated fat

Essential fatty acids:
   600 mg omega-3
   2100 mg omega-6
   300 mg omega-9

It also provides 35% of the daily requirement of iron.

Hemp is a Complete Protein 
Here is the Amino Acid Profile per serving:
Aspartic acid - 969 mg 
Threonine - 333 mg
Serine - 450 mg
Glutamic Acid - 1550 mg
Proline - 375 mg
Glycine - 414 mg
Alanine - 411 mg
Valine - 462 mg
Isoleucine - 381 mg
Leucine - 621 mg
Tyrosine - 315 mg
Phenylalanine - 447 mg
Lysine - 321 mg
Histidine - 228 mg
Arginine - 1180 mg
Cystine - 122 mg
Methionine - 201 mg

How to Use
My favorite way to use this powder is to stir it into my morning smoothie.
I also stir some into my oatmeal or bake it into banana bread and muffins.

Here's what I made with it this morning!

Hemp Smoothie with fruit and kale

Hemp Smoothie with Grapes, Kale, Orange, and Pear
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
Requires High Speed Blender
[makes 2 servings]

1 1/2 cups water or almond, hemp or other non-dairy milk 
1 pear, cored and cut into quarters
1 orange, peeled, seeds removed, and quartered
1 cup chopped kale, stems removed
1/4 cup Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro Fiber
1 cup frozen red grapes

Place all ingredients into a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and serve.