Mango Avocado Salad With Lime Chia Seed Dressing

Transition Goal For Week Two: Eat One Raw Meal And All Raw Snacks
In week one, we replaced one meal a day with an all raw meal. This week, I’d like to add making all of our snacks raw. Substitute candy bars and potato chips with raw nuts, fruits, vegetable crudités with raw nut butters and raw smoothies. After a one month transition, we’ll do a 30 day ALL RAW cleanse.

Make this salad one of your raw meals of the day. This makes a great lunch and you can serve it with raw crackers (I’ll show you how to make those soon).

The most exciting thing about this recipe is the dressing. I love chia seeds. You will see them in a lot of my recipes. They are one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Yes, they are the same seeds that made those silly chia pets. But did you know that this high protein, high fiber food not only is an amazing source for our omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, they also have more than 5 times the calcium as milk!

I’ve always struggled with making healthy salad dressings but I’ve finally discovered a way to thicken the dressing without oil or, god forbid, corn starch. Chia seeds absorb about 10 times its weight in water. If you mix it with water or any liquid, it will form a gel. So if you just put a tiny amount in the salad dressing (I only use one teaspoon in this recipe), it thickens it and makes a beautiful dressing with delicate little seeds. I also use these seeds in crackers, puddings and anything else I can think of. You can find them in health food stores or buy them online. Check out more of my chia seed recipes.

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Mango Avocado Salad With Lime Chia Seed Dressing [serves 2]
1 medium head organic butter lettuce, torn in bite size pieces
1/2 medium avocado, sliced
1/2 medium mango, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup raw, organic cashews
1 teaspoon raw, chia seeds
2 tablespoons water
1 packed tablespoon of fresh, chopped, cilantro
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
A few shakes of black pepper

Early in the day, put 1 teaspoon of chia seeds into 2 tablespoons of water. Let sit for several hours until it forms a gel. Then combine this chia gel with the cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine the butter lettuce, mango, avocado and red onion. Dress the salad with the lime chia seed dressing. Serve on two large salad plates and garnish with cashews.

Per serving: 240.7 calories, 18.9 g fat, 2.9 g saturated fat, zero g cholesterol, 4.9 g protein, 19.1 g carbohydrates, and 5.6 g fiber.

Raw Food Diet—Is It Enough?

I promised everyone that I would post my research on whether or not you can really get all the nutrition you need from a raw food diet. After reviewing my first detailed posting, my daughter immediately slipped into a deep coma. She begged me to “lighten this up” or I would lose everyone’s interest. I told her she didn’t understand my raw food friends and how SERIOUS these guys are about health. They eat durian for goodness sake. They do liver cleanses. They blend green weeds into their smoothies. They sprout, dehydrate, blend and soak all to achieve phenomenal health. Surely they would read 113 pages of data on raw food nutrition. OK, maybe not. Perhaps she’s right. So I’d better summarize this important albeit mind-numbing information.

People need certain essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids to live. I took each one of these nutrients and evaluated whether or not it was even possible to get enough of them by eating a raw food vegan diet. I developed a scoring system and scored each nutrient. They were either, “adequate”, “moderate” or “inadequate”.

How do you score the adequacy of a nutrient you may ask? I looked at several things but the most important two were:

1. The number of commonly available raw foods “concentrated” in this nutrient, containing at least 1/6 the daily requirement per serving

2. The number of servings it takes to meet the RDA or AI.

And the answer is………

“Adequate” nutrients—An “adequate” nutrient is one:
• Where there are more than 10 commonly eaten raw foods available that contain 1/6 of the daily requirement
• Which can be obtained in four or less servings a day
The following is a list of “adequate” nutrients and the EASIEST to obtain from a raw food diet!
• Vitamins: A, C, K, B1 (thiamin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), and folic acid
• Minerals: Copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium
• ALL essential amino acids except methionine
• Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids

The good news is there are MANY nutrients that are plentiful in raw food vegan diets!

“Moderate” nutrients—A “moderate” nutrient is harder to get. You have to carefully plan your diet to make sure you eat the foods that contain these. A moderate nutrient is one:
• Where there are only 5 to 10 commonly eaten raw foods that contain 1/6 of the daily requirement
• Which may require up to 6 servings a day of these nutrient dense foods The following are “moderate” nutrients which are more difficult to obtain in a raw food diet:
• Vitamins: E and B2 (riboflavin)
• Minerals: Calcium, iodine, iron, sodium, and zinc • Amino acid: Methionine

“Not Adequate” nutrients—A nutrient that is “not adequate” is one:
• Where there are less than 5 commonly eaten raw foods that contain 1/6 of the daily requirement
• Which requires more than 6 servings a day of nutrient dense foods

These essential nutrients CANNOT be adequately obtained from a raw food vegan diet:
• Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

As I post raw recipes, I will point out the ones that help us get the more difficult, “moderate” nutrients. For example, the April 3rd recipe, “spicy not-tuna roll”, is a very good source of Vitamin E and iodine. But let’s talk a minute about Vitamins D and B12.

Vitamin D—Why it’s important and how to get it:
Vitamin D is important in calcium metabolism and is required for healthy bones and teeth. Lately, there’s been a lot of press linking this vitamin to fighting MS, heart disease, osteoporosis, depression and even the big C. Even doctors, who generally trash talk anything “holistic” are even ordering blood tests to monitor vitamin D levels and prescribing it when they show to be insufficient. The RDA is 400 IU’s but many are now recommending 1,000 per day. What’s a raw foodist to do???

Vitamin D is produced by the body when you are exposed to the UV rays of the sun. (OMG, the sun?? Aren’t we covering our bodies in SPF 15 or more to prevent cancer? Now they are saying vitamin D can protect us from cancer?) But even if we weren’t afraid of the sun, few of us have the luxury of laying naked on the beaches of Hawaii every day. But those of you who are lucky enough to live in sunny places should make a point of getting out for 15 to 30 minutes a day. If the sun isn’t getting your vitamin D stores high enough, you might consider taking a supplement, drinking a fortified juice or soymilk or adding a bit of seafood to your diet. A single teaspoon of cod liver oil gives you 450 IU, more than the current RDA. You can get over 500 IU from a dozen raw oysters (to me, quite a bit more appetizing than downing cod liver oil!).

The Controversial Vitamin B12:
Vitamin B12 cannot be synthesized by plants or animals. It’s produced by bacteria, algae and fungi. The reason you find it in meat is because animals ingest these microorganisms. Plants contaminated with B12 producing bacteria can be a source, but that’s not likely in developed countries.

It was once thought, by the raw food community, that the bacteria in our intestines could produce enough B12 to maintain our health but that is no longer believed. Nor is it still believed that you can prevent deficiency from eating algae, miso, shitake mushrooms, spirulina, etc. It turns out that these foods contain vitamin B12 “analogs” which don’t count. (An analog is not biologically active and can actually block the absorption of vitamin B12). So famous raw foodists, like Gabriel Cousens, are now saying that EVERY vegan will eventually show B12 symptoms. Symptoms range from fatigue and confusion to serious issues like depression, psychosis, heart attack, and stroke.

The problem is you may not notice this until it’s too late! First of all, the body can store B12 for a number of years so that will delay symptoms. Also, folate can mask B12 deficiency and raw food is full of this B vitamin.

Bottom line, get your vitamin B12 from supplements or a teaspoon a day of Red Star nutritional yeast. Traditional sources of B12 are clams, organ meats, trout, and salmon.

Let’s sum it up……
A raw food vegan diet can be a very healthy and cleansing diet. Although it easily provides most vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids and all essential fatty acids, it will take careful planning to get enough vitamin E and B2, calcium, iodine, iron, sodium, zinc and the amino acid, methionine. A raw food diet cannot provide adequate vitamin B12 or vitamin D. So if you take care to get vitamin B12 and D through other sources mentioned above, we can work on the other nutrients through good planning and delicious recipes!

Spicy Not-Tuna Roll With Japanese Cucumber & Strawberry Salad

Spicy not-tuna roll.

Filling the nori with nut paste, cucumber and avocado.

Rolling with the bamboo sushi mat.

Japanese cucumber and strawberry salad.


Transition Goal For Week One: Eat One Raw Meal Per Day
Today I will introduce vegan sushi as another recipe in your raw food repertoire. You can serve this for lunch or dinner. Along with it is a pleasant Japanese cucumber and strawberry salad. You’ll need a food processor with an S blade to make the spicy nut pate and a bamboo sushi mat to roll the sushi.

Spicy Not-Tuna Roll [makes four 8 piece rolls]
3/4 cup raw organic sunflower seeds, soaked 6 hours or more
1 tablespoon Dulse flakes
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
½ medium red pepper, cut in pieces
½ teaspoon of salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon or more ground red chipotle powder, (depending on level of “heat” you desire)
1 medium avocado, sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into strips
2 green onions, white part only, thinly sliced
4 sheets of dried Nori
½ tablespoon raw sesame seeds
Nama shoyu soy sauce, for dipping

Rinse soaked sunflower seeds and place in a food processor with the Dulse flakes, lemon juice, red bell pepper, salt and chipotle powder. Process into a paste. You will have to stop occasionally and scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl. If it seems too thick, add a little more lemon juice. In a small mixing bowl, combine the paste with the green onion. Place a sheet of Nori on a bamboo sushi mat with the precut lines arranged vertically. Put 1/4 of the nut paste across the sheet of Nori about 1 inch from the bottom. Arrange 1/4 of the avocado slices and 1/4 of the cucumber strips across the nut paste. Using the sushi mat, roll from the bottom up. After the bottom edge is over the filling, squeeze it gently with the mat and then roll to the top. Wet the top of the Nori and complete the roll. The moisture will seal it. Cut the roll with a very sharp knife into 8 pieces. Sprinkle the cut pieces with sesame seeds. This recipe makes four 8 piece rolls. Serve with Nama shoyu, which is raw, unpasteurized, soy sauce.

Per 8 piece roll: 229 calories, 18.8 g fat, 1.9 g saturated fat, zero cholesterol, 7.2 g protein, 11.1g carbohydrates and 5.9 g of fiber.

Sunflower seeds are a very good source of Vitamin E and the Dulse and Nori provide iodine. These two vitamins are moderately difficult to obtain in an exclusive raw food diet.

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Japanese Cucumber & Strawberry Salad [makes 4 servings]
1 ½ medium cucumbers, peeled and very thinly sliced
6 large fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons rice vinegar or raw apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar or stevia to taste
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds

Dry the cucumber slices with a paper towel. Dissolve sugar and salt in vinegar in a bowl. Add cucumbers, strawberries and sesame seeds and combine. Serve immediately in 4 small bowls.

Per serving: 30.3 calories, 1 g fat, .3 g saturated fat, zero cholesterol, .5 g protein, 4 g carbohydrates and .3 g of fiber.

Enzymes—The Magic Behind The Raw Food Diet

Raw, living food is said to have many health benefits because of the living or “life force” within it. It is the living enzymes in the unaltered food that are said to be the cause of these benefits in that they assist the body in digestion. Ann Wigmore was an early proponent of eating raw and living foods after curing her own colon cancer with raw greens, seeds, and grains. After spending many years healing people with raw wheatgrass juice and other living foods, she believed that preserving one’s enzymes was the secret to good health. Wigmore founded the Hippocrates health institute whose philosophy is “founded on the belief that a pure enzyme-rich diet, complemented by positive thinking and non-invasive therapies, are essential elements on the path to optimum health”.

Dr. Edward Howell spent a lifetime researching the significance of the living enzymes in food and developed the “Food Enzyme Concept” which proposes that ingested enzymes result in significant digestion which reduces the amount of digestion required by the body. He also promotes the “Law of Adaptive Secretion” which claims that only the exact amount of digestive enzymes that are needed for a particular food, are produced by the body at the time of digestion. This is contrary to the belief, at that time, that an equal amount of all digestive enzymes are secreted by the body despite what food is ingested. This is known as the “Theory of Parallel Secretion.” The “Law of Adaptive Secretion,” according to Howell, is proof that living organisms try to conserve their enzymes or “living force” which he believes is limited and exhaustible.

Many question whether or not enzymes in food can survive the digestive tract. A significant study which answers this question was done by Prochaska and Piekutowski in 1994. This study shows that the living enzymes ingested in raw food survive digestion and work synergistically with those in the digestive tract. This work also confirms Howell’s belief that the presence of food enzymes reduces the amount that the body must produce thereby allowing the body to “preserve” its digestive enzymes. According to Howell, these food enzymes are destroyed if heated to a temperature of 118 degrees F for more than one half of an hour.

Howell explains that the stomach is compartmentalized into an upper part, where there is no peristaltic action and no excreted digestive enzymes, and a lower part, where hydrochloric acid and pepsin are secreted and protein digestion occurs. It is in the upper part of the stomach, the “food-enzyme stomach” where the pH is 5 to 6 and the food enzymes are actively digesting food along with the body’s own ptyalin and amylase from saliva. Cousens (2000), a modern proponent of the benefits of enzymes, feels that if more raw food were consumed, more digestion would occur in the upper “food- enzyme stomach” and the pancreas would be spared the effort of producing more digestive enzymes. Since these digestive enzymes also diminish significantly with age, raw food could contribute to digestive health and longevity.

So why is this important and how does it contribute to the magic of a raw food diet? I have read that digestion can take as high as 80% of the energy you produce. That sounds high to me but even if it were half that, it’s a great deal of energy that the body could be using for healing and rebuilding. I will attest to the fact that when I am 100% raw, I sleep less and have a boundless energy. I remember visiting my son and his wife made us a lovely sautéed spinach dish on rice for lunch. It was the first cooked food I had eaten in 30 days. After the meal, I slept for 3 hours as my body had not needed to produce digestive enzymes in a month!

Cousens, G. (2000). Conscious eating. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books and Essene Vision Books.

Howell, E. (1985). Enzyme nutrition; The food enzyme concept. New Jersey: Avery Publishing Group.

Prochaska, L. J. & Piekutowski, W.V. (1994). On the synergistic effects of enzymes in food with enzymes in the human body. A literature survey and analytical report. Medical Hypotheses, 42(6), 355-362.

Cleansing With A Raw Food Diet

Transition Goal For Week One: Eat One Raw Meal Per Day
Spring is here and Doug and I find ourselves cleaning out the garage and barn, cutting brush, weeding, trimming trees and getting our garden ready for summer vegetables. But the winter also puts a few pounds on our bodies and may gather toxins from the relative inactivity. So it’s also time to cleanse our bodies and get in shape for summer.

Many people choose this time to fast. I’ve never been able to do that since I have low blood sugar. For me, an easier way to successfully cleanse my body is by eating more raw food. I discovered the “Raw Food Diet” a few years ago when I was looking for a topic for my Ph.D. dissertation in holistic nutrition. I chose to study the nutritional adequacy of a raw food vegan diet and in doing so I discovered a cleansing and healthy way to eat. In the winter when it’s cold, I must admit, I crave more cooked foods. Even then, I try to eat at least 25% raw food. But now, with spring upon us, I’ll increase my raw food intake significantly. By summer, when fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant, I will typically be eating at least 75% raw food. I also find that going 100% raw for a short period of time, like 30 days, is a great way to “spring clean”, get some extra energy, lose a few pounds and get focused. In the next few weeks, I’ll show you how to gradually transition to a raw food diet. Then you can decide if you want to go totally raw for 30 days or a life time!


The Raw Food Revolution
There has been much interest in this diet. From simple juice bars to high-end Manhattan restaurants like Pure Food and Wine, raw food restaurants are appearing all over the world. On the internet, I found 129 restaurants in 29 different states that featured raw food menus and over 100 regularly held raw food potlucks being held across the United States.

Raw food retreats that combine seminars on nutrition and food preparation together with activities such as yoga and massage are being held in resort-like locations lasting from a few days to a week or more. More intense mind-body-spirit programs such as the three week program held at the Optimum Heath Institute in San Diego, California and Austin, Texas. Both include an organic, live, raw vegetarian diet as the cornerstone of their detoxification program. A similar program is offered in the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida.

There are many books on this subject. Amazon.com offers well over 100 titles on raw food from recipe books to those extolling the many benefits of a raw food diet. So there is sufficient interest in the benefits of raw food to support these commercial and grass root activities worldwide and the interest appears to be growing


Why The interest?
This growing interest stems from the belief that eating a predominately raw food diet will lead to remarkable health and that more benefits are achieved as the percentage of raw food is increased. One hundred percent consumption is considered, by some purists, to be optimal. Countless testimonials have been shared that describe personal experiences from rapid and effortless weight loss, improved well being to the curing of serious diseases. I met a number of people in the raw food community who were able to lower their blood pressure and cholesterol, lose significant weight, totally control their type 2 diabetes without medication, and improve their general health. With real life success stories like these, there is little wonder why people have adopted this food regimen in hopes of obtaining similar results.

On the surface, there would appear to be little downside to eating a wholesome and natural diet similar to what must have been consumed in prehistoric times before humans discovered fire. However, this nutritional lifestyle is highly restrictive and there has not been much data to determine the effects of a long term consumption of a raw food vegan diet. In fact, recent literature points to some serious health risks associated with this food regimen. It would be tragic if a person adopted this diet with the hopes of health improvement without understanding and compensating for any possible nutritional deficiencies. Throughout the next few months of postings, I will share the results of my research and show you how to make up for these deficiencies so that you can reap the benefits of a raw food diet while mitigating the risks.


What Is A Raw Food Diet?
A raw food diet is composed of food that has not been heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit or 48 degrees Centigrade. Some say this upper temperature should be as low as 105 degrees Fahrenheit but there is general consensus that at 118 degrees, the chemical nature of food changes and the living enzymes are denatured.

Foods allowed are raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and grains. Nuts and seeds are commonly pre-soaked or sprouted and used in nut and seed butters and cheeses as well as dehydrated crackers and granolas. Nut milks are the base ingredients in dishes such as smoothies, sauces, and raw desserts or are just consumed as a beverage. Grains and beans are also used in their soaked or sprouted form. Besides activating the live enzymes of the nuts, seeds, grains and beans, soaking and sprouting also inactivates much of their phytate content making them more digestible and their minerals more bioavailable. Grains are also used to make rejuvelac, a fermented, live beverage that promotes healthy intestinal flora. Although raw foodists are typically vegan, some eat raw dairy and even raw animal food.

Although the percentage of raw food consumed varies, typically at least 75% of food is consumed raw and many feel that 100% is the optimum way to achieve the most benefits. Seaweeds, algae, grasses, and herbs are also consumed. Unheated fats and oils made from foods such as olives, coconuts, sesame, and flax seeds, are the raw foodists’ source of healthy fats and essential fatty acids. Raw honey, dried fruit, dates, or date sugar, and the herb stevia are used as sweeteners as well as Sucanat, an organic product made from unrefined, dehydrated whole cane sugar.

Foods are allowed to be frozen but may not be chemically preserved. Most people who follow this diet prefer produce that is grown organically, without pesticides or chemical fertilizer.
The Reasoning behind a Raw Food Diet

The main reasoning behind a raw food diet is that food in its raw state contains all of its enzymes that would otherwise get destroyed during the cooking process when exposed to temperatures above 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The exogenous enzymes found in uncooked food can work together with endogenous enzymes produced by the body itself to more efficiently digest food. In addition to the benefits of enzyme activity, raw foods are thought to have higher nutrient value than cooked foods and can also carry microorganisms and bacteria that may introduce beneficial flora to the digestive tract. Also, the alkaline nature of this diet allows a more optimal pH balance for the body.


Claims And Advantages
With a pure, alkalizing food regimen rich in enzymes, nutrients, and beneficial flora, the body is relieved in its duties of detoxification, heavy digestion and the neutralization of acidic foods. With the resulting extra energy, the body can devote itself to healing and cleansing. The claims are remarkable and plentiful which is why the seriously ill and those searching for longevity are flocking to this nutritional lifestyle. From looking younger, feeling more energy and clarity, requiring less sleep, having a better disposition, and shedding extra weight to curing serious disorders like fibromyalgia, Candida, migraine headaches, cancer, diabetes, digestive disorders, hypoglycemia, arthritis, chronic fatigue, back pain, and depression, the claims are tempting enough to plunge into this food regimen without necessarily understanding if it could provide adequate nutrition. So it is important to understand how to avoid some of the pitfalls of this diet.

Start Transitioning To a Raw Food Diet Today!
In the next few months, I will review the important results from my research and dissertation, “The Long Term Nutritional Adequacy of a Raw Food Vegan Diet”. In the meantime, if you would like to start cleansing, and transitioning to this diet, substitute one cooked meal per day with one of all raw food. Breakfast is a good place to start. Have a raw smoothie with nut milk, fruit and greens (see Good Morning Kale posted on January 23, 2009) or try my 5 min breakfast salad posted February 20th. Here’s another morning breakfast salad:

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Pear And Papaya Salad [serves 2]
2 cups of diced Mexican papaya
1 diced pear
1 cup of seedless grapes, cut in half
¼ cup of raw pine nuts
½ cup of Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted “live” whole grain cereal*

Mix the fruit and pine nuts and top with Ezekiel sprouted cereal.

Per serving: 363.5 calories, 10 g fat, .75 g saturated fat, 8 g protein, 67.5 g carbohydrates, and 10.5 g of fiber. This salad is high in fiber, Vitamins A, C, K and folate.

* There is some debate about the temperature at which the Ezekiel cereals are baked and whether or not they are really “raw”. They do claim that their “exclusive slow baking techniques help preserve the living food”.

Can This Red Cabbage Recipe Prevent Alzheimer’s?

The Alzheimer’s association came out with a frightening report this week that you may have seen on the news. An astounding 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s or some form of dementia and a new case is diagnosed every 70 seconds. That’s almost one half million new cases per year! And although I read far more about how they are trying to discover a magic drug to cure this terrible disease, I don’t see enough research trying to prevent it or linking it with nutritional deficiencies. The fact that the majority of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients also suffer from other serious degenerative disorders like hypertension, coronary heart disease and diabetes (often linked to poor diets and lack of exercise), suggests to me that this one is too. So a lifestyle that includes exercise and a healthy diet is not only beneficial for your heart health and blood sugar but should also help mitigate the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Research shows that there is an increase in the accumulation of beta-amyloid protein in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s which could lead to cell death from free radicals. A study published in Food Science and Technology showed polyphenols in red cabbage, particularly its anthocyanins, can protect brain cells against this damage. Scientists Heo and Lee concluded that “additional consumption of vegetables such as red cabbages may be beneficial to increase chemopreventive effects in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s”. So yes, maybe my red cabbage recipe can help prevent Alzheimer’s.

I developed this recipe one year when we planted a dozen red cabbage seedlings. A few months later we had a dozen, enormous, ripe red cabbages. I cooked these cabbages in every way possible but my favorite recipe was clearly Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage and Apples. It was inspired by the Pennsylvania Red Cabbage in my Better Homes New Cook Book. I liked the idea of mixing red cabbage with apples and the contrast of the brown sugar and vinegar. However, it used bacon drippings (I don’t eat bacon and if I did, I certainly wouldn’t be cooking with the saturated fat that dripped off of it); it used a bit too much sugar and added caraway seeds. So I took the things I liked about it and made it healthier. I encourage you to do the same. When you have a recipe you like but it’s got too many unhealthy ingredients, focus on the spices and ingredients that make it tasty and reduce the excess fat, sugar and salt. It’s fun to experiment and you might end up with a real gem!

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Sweet And Sour Red Cabbage And Apples [serves 6]
1 medium head of red cabbage, cut in quarters, cored, and thinly sliced
3 apples, diced with skin
1/3 cup white or apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)
¼ teaspoon black pepper

In a large pot, combine thinly sliced cabbage, diced apples, vinegar, apple juice, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Once boiling, lower the heat, stir and cook covered for 15 minutes. Remove the cover and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until the liquid is evaporated, and the cabbage is the desired texture.

Per serving: 108 calories, .2 g of fat, zero grams saturated fat, zero mg cholesterol, 2 g protein, 27.3 g carbohydrate, and 5 g of fiber.

Fun With Spaghetti Squash

Baby artichoke sauce on spaghetti squash.

Pulling the spaghetti strands from the sides.

Simmering the baby artichokes.

"Double spaghetti".



I lied when I said butternut squash was my last fling with winter squash this year. I couldn’t resist a spaghetti squash at the grocery store and I always have so much fun preparing them. OK, you’re asking, how much fun can you have with spaghetti squash? But, if you’ve never made it, you will be delighted when you turn this football shaped, 3 pound squash into delicate strands of low calorie spaghetti. If you are trying to get your kids (or anyone else in your family) to eat more vegetables, try mixing a little spaghetti with spaghetti squash for what I call, “double spaghetti”.

Spaghetti squash can replace regular spaghetti in any recipe where you want to prepare a lighter dish that has fewer calories and gets you closer to your goal of 5 to 7 fruits and vegetables a day. One cup of spaghetti is 221 calories and 43 grams of carbohydrates. One cup of cooked spaghetti squash is only 42 calories and 10 grams of carbohydrates. So if you are trying to lose weight but still crave pasta, this can really do the trick!

I’ll be sharing my brother Peter's vegetarian baby artichoke sauce recipe but first, let’s cook up the squash.

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Steamed Spaghetti Squash
1 three pound spaghetti squash cut in half
Sea salt

Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds and sprinkle the insides with salt. Put them in a large pot and steam them in an inch or two of water. Some people bake them in the oven until the skin is soft but I worry that you can overcook them and not know until it’s too late. Overcooking causes the squash to be mushy and you don’t get the beautiful spaghetti strands that you are looking for. Steam for about 15 to 18 minutes or until a fork can gently pierce the inside of the squash. As soon as that happens, remove the squash halves from the pot immediately. Then, using a fork, gently pull the squash away from the sides. You’ll see little strands form. Continue to do this until all of the squash comes away from the skin. One large spaghetti squash can feed 4 people.

Per 1 ½ cup serving: 63 calories, zero grams of fat, zero mg of cholesterol, 1.5 g protein, 15 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fiber.

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Double Spaghetti [makes 4 servings]
¼ pound of whole wheat spaghetti
4 cups cooked spaghetti squash

Cook the spaghetti squash as stated above. Cook the whole wheat pasta according to directions. Toss together and serve with a sauce of your choice.

Per serving: 147 calories, zero grams of fat, zero mg of cholesterol, 4.5 g protein, 31 g of carbohydrates and 4.5 g of fiber.

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Pete’s Baby Artichoke Sauce [serves 4]
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 pound of baby artichokes, sliced vertically into 8 pieces
1 small onion or large shallot, cut in half and then in thin slices
The juice and zest of one lemon
½ cup of white wine (and another glass for the chef)
2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Water or broth, as needed

Clean the artichokes by removing several outer layers of leaves (don’t skimp – if you don’t remove enough of the outer leaves, as I found out, the artichokes will be tough). Leave the stem on and peel it with a potato peeler. Cut vertically into 8 pieces. Sauté the onion or shallot in the olive oil for a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Then add the artichokes, white wine, salt and pepper and simmer covered until soft (about 30 minutes – but all artichokes are different so test the leaves occasionally). Add ½ cup or more of water or broth when the sauce starts to get too thick. When the artichokes are soft, stir in the zest and juice of a lemon. Put over 4 servings of spaghetti squash or “double spaghetti”. Cover with fresh chopped parsley and parmesan cheese. For a better melding of the flavors, you can mix the spaghetti squash or “double spaghetti” into the sauce first and then serve but it isn’t as pretty a presentation.

Per serving of sauce: 128 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 4.5 g protein, 14.5 g carbohydrates and 8.3 g fiber.

Spicy Vegan Butternut Squash And Red Lentil Dahl With Cauliflower And Whole Grain Pasta

Mash dahl and squash with a potato masher to retain chunkiness.


A Last Fling with Winter Squash

It’s almost spring and soon it will become harder to find winter squash but before that happens, let’s have one more fling! Although summer squash is delicious and low in calories, it is mostly water and doesn’t pack the nutritional punch that winter squash does.

The deep orange flesh of a butternut squash is indicative of its high beta carotene content. The body converts beta carotene into vitamin A which is important for healthy vision, growth and development, healthy skin and proper immune function. People with night blindness, dry and scaly skin or who have more frequent infections are often deficient in vitamin A.

Butternut squash is also a very good source of potassium which is important for bone health and is critical in maintaining the proper functioning of the heart, nervous system and the regulation of blood pressure. A good amount of manganese is also found in this winter squash which supports amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism as well as bone health, blood sugar balance and energy production. Butternut squash is also high in fiber and vitamin C.

This spicy soup recipe makes a hearty vegetarian meal. I served it at a dinner party last night along with a salad and some mini corn muffins. Although most of the guests were not vegetarian, no one missed the meat. Its heartiness and high protein content comes from the red lentils and whole grain pasta shells. The squash, cauliflower, red lentils and whole grains also contribute to the 10 grams of heart healthy fiber per serving which also makes it a filling dish.

The “heat” or spicy flavor comes from an old favorite I learned about at the University of Texas – Rotel tomatoes. I recently rediscovered them in a nearby grocery store. I shunned them for many years because I associated them with their famous but extremely unhealthy Velveeta cheese “Queso Dip” recipe which packed 1,410 calories, 99 grams of fat, 64 grams of saturated fat and 8,020 mg of sodium. But I threw the baby out with the bath water when actually the Rotel tomatoes themselves have no fat and are low in calories with only 50 calories in an entire 10 ounce can. They also have an abundance of lycopene from the tomatoes which is said to help lower the risk of prostate cancer. Although Rotel tomatoes are high in sodium, you can use it to flavor your soup if you are careful not to add too much additional salt. If you can't find them, just use a can of diced tomatoes with a fresh jalapeno.

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Spicy Butternut Squash and Dahl
[makes 6 servings]
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups of vegetable broth 
4 ½ cups of diced butternut squash
1 cup of dahl (dried red lentils), rinsed well
1 can of Rotel tomatoes (or a 14.5 can of diced tomato and a jalapeno)
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
½ teaspoon of ground coriander ½ can of low fat coconut milk
½ head of cauliflower cut into small flowerets
1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon of salt (more or less to taste)
6 ounces (dry) of whole wheat shell pasta cooked according to directions


In a 5 1/2 quart Dutch oven, heat olive oil and sauté onions until soft (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook an additional minute or two. 
Add the broth, butternut squash, dahl, Rotel tomatoes, cumin and coriander and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  
After the soup cooks for 30 minutes and the dahl is soft, mash the squash and dahl in the pot with a potato masher (some might wish to puree but I like the resulting chunkiness of the soup and to be able to see the red streaks of the tomato). 
Stir in the coconut milk and the cauliflower flowerets and simmer for another 10 minutes or until they are just soft but not mushy. 
Add the fresh lime juice, add salt to taste. 
Right before serving, stir in the cooked pasta shells, and enjoy.

Per serving: 340 calories, 5.7 g fat, .3 g saturated fat, 13.6 g protein, 60.5 g carbohydrates and 10 g of fiber.

Artichokes, My Favorite Vegetable

No celebration of the vegetable would be complete without my favorite food, the artichoke. My mother would stuff them with a breadcrumb mixture and steam them until they almost fell apart. Eating them was a learned skill – one that is taught to Italian children at a young age. First you gently scrape each leaf between your teeth enjoying the artichoke leaf and filling together. When the leaves are finished, you lightly salt and eat the bottom after removing the “choke”. Then there is the game of trying to get others at the table to give you their stems and bottoms (the most coveted parts of the artichoke). Ah the childhood memories! Sometimes my mother would wrap one up in foil and put it in my lunch box. Children would point and stare as if they had never seen one in their lives. I guess I should have felt embarrassed but any feeling of shame was surpassed by my sheer enjoyment of eating my very favorite food.

Artichokes are very high in fiber and provide a healthy dose of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folate and manganese.

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Italian Stuffed Artichokes
4 medium artichokes
1 cup of plain bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 tablespoons parmesan cheese
4 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of black pepper

Holding the stem, cut the pointed top of the artichoke with a sharp knife. Then, with a pair of scissors, cut the tops of each of the remaining leaves by about ½ inch. Remove the bottom stem with a knife so that the artichoke can sit flat. Peel the stem and set aside. Wash the artichoke under cold water while slightly opening the leaves. Drain upside down while preparing the filling. In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, parsley, garlic powder, parmesan, salt and pepper. With a teaspoon, fill each leaf with a small amount of the mixture. Place 4 artichokes on a steamer in a large, deep soup pot with water coming up slightly above the bottom of the artichokes. Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil on each artichoke. Place the stem on top of each artichoke. Sprinkle a little salt over the stems and tops and steam for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until the leaves can be easily removed and the leaves are very tender. Add more hot water to the pot as the water level goes down.

Per serving: 233 calories, 7.5 g fat, 2.3 g saturated fat, 8.5 g protein, 33.5 g carbohydrates, and 11.3 g of fiber.

Vegan Lemon Tahini Encrusted Baked Cauliflower - An Elegant Presentation

The American Cancer Society recommends eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day to help prevent cancer. If you actually ate that many low calorie, phytochemical and antioxidant rich foods each day, you would also be going a long way to preventing other diseases as well, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. So why are so many people not able to reach these minimum levels even though they totally understand their importance?

One of the reasons, I believe, is that many people just don’t know what to do with them. My son and I had a long discussion about this on his last visit home. He was making this amazing mushroom bourguignon and I told him how incredibly proud of him I was that he could cook such a beautiful meal so effortlessly. Besides creating this incredible vegetarian dish, he appeared to be enjoying himself immensely. We then had this long talk on how many men and women, young and old, don’t really feel that they need to cook. Some even feel that it’s beneath them—that their successful careers have “liberated” them from this horrible chore. He told me that he really respected me for being able to have an important career and still care about cooking my family a healthy meal and teaching my children how to do the same. I have never been paid a greater complement.

I believe there are several factors in play right now that are encouraging people to return to the kitchen, or even find it for the first time. One, it’s a lot cheaper to eat at home. With the state of the economy and so many people out of work, this is a big motivation to cook. Two, it’s safer. I’ve heard of more cases of food poisoning this last year than in the last ten. I just saw a news clip showing an insurgence of rats in New York restaurants as their owners can no longer afford to exterminate. It will take a while to get that visual out of my head. Three, it’s healthier. You can control what and how much you prepare. You can select healthy, organic vegetables, hormone-free meat and dairy and leave out the excess fat and salt usually found in restaurant prepared dishes. Four, it can be fun. You can make it an event with everyone having something to do—chop, decorate the table, making a dessert. My friend Lisa and I still remember many nights of cooking together when we were neighbors—drinking a nice glass of wine while making our favorite chanterelle mushroom risotto. If you live alone, cook a meal for two or even four and enjoy leftovers during the week. Light a candle, pour a glass of sparkling water and enjoy yourself knowing that you are doing something wonderful for your body. It’s important to take the time to do this because it is too easy to fall into a pattern of just eating a bowl of cereal because you don’t want to cook for one. Eventually your health will suffer.

So I want to encourage you to not only cook but get committed to creating meals that will nourish and heal you. Put more and more vegetables on your plate. I will continue to present you with new, delicious and healthy ways to prepare them. In fact, I will dedicate March to “Celebrating the Vegetable”.

Here’s an elegant and unusual way to prepare cauliflower. Rich in the phytochemical, sulforaphane, this cruciferous vegetable has tumor fighting capabilities. It’s also high in dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic acid, Potassium and Manganese.

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Lemon-Tahini Encrusted Baked Cauliflower
1 medium or large head of cauliflower
2 tablespoons of tahini (I prefer raw, but roasted is fine too)
1/3 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of ½ a lemon, about ½ tablespoon
¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne (more or less to taste)
1 t of salt (or less depending on taste and dietary restrictions)
¼ cup of water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Keeping the cauliflower whole, remove the leaves and stem and wash under cold water. Steam whole for 22 minutes. While steaming the cauliflower, prepare a lemon-tahini paste with the remainder of the ingredients (you may have to add additional water or flour until you get a good consistency that will stick to the cauliflower). Carefully remove the cauliflower from the steamer and place it on a slightly oiled cookie sheet. Pour the lemon-tahini mixture over the cauliflower and with a butter knife, cover the top and sides as if you were icing a cake. Bake for 30 minutes, until the crust is firm. Cut into slices with a sharp knife.

Per serving: 113 calories, 4.9 g fat, less than 1 g of saturated fat, 5.3 g protein,
14.8 g carbohydrate and 5 g of fiber.

Warm Scallop And Asparagus Salad

Scallops are my husband’s favorite seafood and asparagus one of his favorite vegetables, so when I found them BOTH on sale last week, I jumped all over it.

Although scallops have some cholesterol, they are low in calories and fat and make a wonderful food when you are trying to lose weight. Although there have been warnings about mercury, the FDA considers scallops “low mercury” seafood and allows 2 servings or 12 ounces of this popular shell fish per week. Scallops are also a good source of protein and vitamin B12.

Asparagus, a mild diuretic, is also low in calories and is an excellent source of folic acid and vitamins A, C and K.

Here’s a light but very filling salad which is perfect as a main dinner course.

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Scallop And Asparagus Salad [makes 2 servings]
8 large scallops, about 10 oz.
8 large or 12 small asparagus spears
½ head of red leaf lettuce, cleaned and torn
½ medium red bell pepper cut into strips
¼ cup of red onion, thinly sliced
½ medium avocado, sliced
1 T of freshly squeezed lemon juice Zest of one lemon*
2 T of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large fresh white or crimini mushroom
¼ t of dried tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Clean the scallops VERY well by rinsing under a gentle stream of cold water making sure all of the sand is removed. Put the scallops in a bowl and gently mix with ½ T of olive oil, lemon zest, tarragon, and minced garlic. Set aside. Clean the asparagus very well and place in a shallow baking pan, 1 layer deep. Drizzle with ½ T of olive oil, salt and pepper and shake the pan back and forth until coated. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, gently shaking mid way through the cooking to make sure they don’t stick. When cooked, remove the pan from the oven and set aside.

Mix the lettuce, red bell pepper, red onion and mushroom. Make a dressing of the remaining 1T of olive oil, 1 T of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add to the salad and mix gently. Place the salad mixture in two large plates and garnish each of the plates with avocado slices.

In a no-stick skillet, on medium-high heat, cook the scallops 4 minutes per side. The oil in the marinade should be sufficient for cooking. While cooking, sprinkle lightly with salt and fresh ground pepper. Place 4 cooked scallops and half of the asparagus over each plate of salad. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 340 calories, 23.8 g of fat, 2.8 g saturated fat, 45 g cholesterol, 27.3 g protein, 16.3 g carbohydrate, and 3.8 g of fiber.

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*Put Zest Into Your Life!
Whenever you use an organic lemon, wash it well and zest it. I use a Microplane zester/grater for the job (as pictured). It’s one of the most useful kitchen gadgets I own and it’s only around $10 to $12. Dry whatever you don’t use of the lemon zest and save for use in soups and baked goods, or sprinkle generously on fish, poultry and vegetables. Research has shown that limonene, found in lemon peel, may decrease cancer risk. You can also do this with oranges or grapefruit.

5 Minutes To A Healthy Breakfast Salad

Mornings can be tough. You’re tired, in a hurry to get to work, trying to get the kids to school, and focused on the tasks of the day. Preparing a healthy breakfast is usually the last thing on your mind. Many people just grab a quick bowl of cereal or skip it all together. Others think a Starbuck’s cafe latte is enough to start the day or the Krispy Kremes brought in by a co-worker.

I know you are tired of hearing how important this much neglected meal of the day is. But you are being nagged for a reason; actually, for a number of reasons.

Breakfast is just what is says. It “breaks” the “fast”. You haven’t eaten in 12 hours. If you are like me, you are either eating or nibbling every few hours during the day and then morning comes around and you haven’t eaten since dinner time. If you skip breakfast, this time can stretch to 18 hours. This can have several affects on your body. Starving the body usually causes a slowing of the metabolism. Skipping breakfast can cause you to lack the energy and concentration you need to do your job, study or whatever else you do. It can also make you overly hungry for lunch causing you to overeat or make poor choices.

Here’s a very healthy, colorful and delicious breakfast that everyone in the family will enjoy. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and it provides about one third of your daily fiber needs.

You can assemble a healthy breakfast salad in many ways. I like to use one crisp fruit (like a pear or apple), a sweet, softer fruit (banana, peach, mango, papaya), berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries), raw nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans) and a topping (coconut or a healthy cereal like Ezekiel sprouted grain or Post grape-nuts). Use your imagination and select your favorite fruits and nuts, especially focusing on ones that are local, organic and in season. I even threw in an avocado this morning. Yumm!

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5 Minute Breakfast Salad [makes 2 servings]
1 large pear, diced
1 medium banana, vertically cut in half and sliced into half moons
1 cup of blueberries
¼ cup of chopped raw walnuts
2 T of unsweetened shredded coconut

Toss together gently and serve immediately.

Per serving: 293 calories, 12.8 g of fat, 3.9 g of saturated fat, 4.3 g of protein, 45.5 g carbohydrates, and 9 g of fiber.

Vitamin B6 A “New Drug”? Oh My!

Recently, the FDA declared pyridoxamine, a naturally occurring form of vitamin B6, “a new drug”. I find this incredibly troubling. Don’t you? The FDA was given “regulatory functions” as a result of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906 whose purpose was to protect the American people from dangerous drugs and food. Some of the important things they do include evaluating new drugs, medical devices, as well as additives to food and baby formulas. Their employees inspect food manufacturing facilities to ensure food safety. When I see harmful drugs, like Vioxx, get approved by the FDA and cause tens of thousands of heart attacks, I begin to think that these guys must be stretched pretty thin. Then when you see hundreds of people get sickened by peanut butter made in “inspected” facilities that knew there was salmonella in their product, it makes me feel that the FDA has really taken their eye off the ball! So with all of the critical issues facing food and drug safety today, why would the FDA spend OUR money on declaring vitamin B6 a “new drug”?

It’s not a secret that the FDA would like to see more nutritional supplements regulated and the drug companies would like these relatively inexpensive substances all be declared drugs. There’s a lot more profit in prescription drugs and the drug companies may feel that they are losing out to what’s become a multi-billion dollar nutritional supplements industry. A week doesn’t go by that you don’t see an article trying to discredit the benefits of vitamins. Just this week, the New York Times wrote a piece, “Vitamin Pills: A False Hope”? What’s troubling is that this war between the holistic community and the traditional medical community has cause tremendous confusion, not to mention distrust. I must admit, when I see an article like this, my first response is, “what drug company paid for this study”? But then I read it trying my best to extract the truth.

Many of the vitamin studies are difficult to decipher. If you track multivitamin users, as they did with the 161,000 older women in the Women’s Health Initiative study depicted in the New York Times article, you aren’t really sure what they took. All multivitamins are not created equal. Some are synthetic with incredibly high doses of isolated nutrients and some, more recently developed supplements, are based on organic whole foods which contain smaller doses of more naturally occurring forms of these vitamins and minerals. One wouldn’t expect the results from these different multivitamins to be the same.

So with all of this confusion, what’s the best thing to do? Like everything else, become your own nutritionist. Become informed. Find out what you need and if you are getting it. Ask your doctor for a blood test to measure your level of vitamins and minerals. I was recently surprised when my naturopath told me that my blood test indicated that I was low in vitamin D. She recommended I immediately increase my vitamin D3 supplementation. Without a blood test, you are shooting in the dark. Many vegans are deficient in vitamins D and B12, since there is no source of these vitamins in the plant kingdom, and unfortunately don’t realize it until they become seriously deficient. Whether or not you can correct your deficiencies with wholesome food or supplements, it’s always good to get the proper data.

So how does this new FDA approval affect you? The RDA (Recommended Daily Requirement) for vitamin B6 is 1.3 mg for adult men and women. It increases to 1.7 mg for men and 1.5 mg for women over the age of 51. Although this vitamin is found in many different foods, it is not very highly concentrated in any of them. Some of it is also lost in the cooking process so many people may need to supplement in order to get sufficient amounts. Vitamin B6 plays a key role in amino acid metabolism, as well as maintaining proper balance of sodium and potassium which allows the proper functioning of the nervous and muscular system. It also supports red blood cell metabolism. Deficiency symptoms include water retention (B6 is often found in water pills used to reduce bloating), anemia, nervousness, depression, skin inflammation, confusion and convulsions. Here are some good food sources for this important vitamin:

Food: Amount, % RDA
Wild Atlantic Salmon: 4 oz cooked, 92%
Banana: ½ cup, 64%
Chicken Breast: 4 oz broiled, 62%
California Avocado: ½ cup, 51%
Crude Rice Bran: 2T, 46%
Garbanzo Bean: ½ cup, 42%
Baked Potato: 1 medium, 38%
Cheerios: 1 cup, 38%
Pistachio Nut: 1 ounce, 34%
Sweet Red Pepper: 1 cup raw, 33%
Fig: 4 large, 31%
Yam: 1 cup cooked, 23%

If the drug companies actually do go after companies making nutritional supplements containing pyridoxamine, you will either have to go to a doctor for a prescription in order to acquire this vitamin, or make sure you eat foods like those mentioned above. Hopefully it will not get to the point that our local pharmacies start dispensing bananas, but you never know!

Chocolates Without Guilt – Tropical, Chocolate Truffles

Sometimes research presents us with facts we don’t want to hear but every now and then we receive a gift. Like, finding out that chocolate is actually good for us! Anyone who has ever eaten chocolate is familiar with its ability to “lift our moods”. There is also evidence that chocolate can lower high blood pressure. In addition, the flavonoids (polyphenols) in chocolate are very powerful antioxidants which can counteract harmful free radicals. The good news just keeps coming! But before we go buy a bag of snickers bars, you need to know a few factoids:

• Data showed only dark chocolate was effective in lowering blood pressure

• Studies indicate milk may prevent the antioxidant absorption from chocolate so here’s another vote for dark over milk or white chocolate

• Flavonoids are weakened when cacao is processed

• Many chocolate treats are very high in saturated fat and calories so they should be eaten in moderation no matter how good they are for you

I have a recipe that can give you all the benefits of chocolate but none of the guilt. This RAW VEGAN CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE recipe has no milk, very little saturated fat, ZERO cholesterol and no unnecessary processing of the cacao. It makes a perfect Valentine gift and is VERY AFFORDABLE and easy to make. Compared to a Godiva truffle, our recipe has 75% of the calories, 60% of the fat, only 20% of the saturated fat and twice the fiber at a fraction of the cost.

I have served these guiltless chocolate treats to dozens of people of all ages and food preferences, who gobbled them down and pleaded for the recipe. With all the goodness of these precious morsels, I haven’t been able to remove the calories so if you are trying to lose weight, you will have to restrain yourself to several a day.

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Tropical Chocolate Truffles, With Mango And Coconut [makes 28 truffles]
1 ½ cups of raw walnuts
12 pitted Medjool dates
1/3 cup of raw cacao
1/3 cup of finely chopped, dried mango*
3 T of raw, unsweetened, shredded coconut (optional)

*Mango can be replaced with other dried fruit, like dried apricots or cherries

Cut dates in half, remove and discard the pits, and set dates aside. Take ¼ cup of walnuts, chop and set aside. Put remaining 1 ¼ cups of walnuts in a food processor with an S blade and process until fine. (In an 11 cup food processor, this will take about 20 seconds). Add the pitted dates and blend until the nuts and dates stick together, around 45 seconds. Add cacao and salt and blend until the mixture is smooth (another 20 seconds). Times may vary depending on the size of the dates and the food processor. Put the mixture into a bowl and, by hand, mix in the chopped mango and chopped walnuts until they are evenly distributed throughout. From this mixture, make about 28 round truffles by shaping and gently rolling them in your hands. After each one is made, roll immediately in shredded coconut. Refrigerate truffles for several hours before serving. They will last for a week in the refrigerator; however, they usually disappear long before that!

Each truffle has 81 calories, 4.6 g of fat, .8 g of saturated fat, NO cholesterol, 1.3 g of protein, 10.7 g of carbohydrate and 1.8 g of fiber.