Food as Medicine - Garlic

Hey there everybody! We have heard and read a lot about medicinal herbs and how they’re useful for our health. So here’s a little piece about garlic as one of the best essential herbs that you can grow at your home. It is one of the most commonly used herbs in recipes to enrich it with a delicious flavor and taste as well but the herb works stupendously for certain health care aspects.

Known by a range of names globally, garlic is believed to be native to Siberia but had a global widespread about 5000 years ago. However, it had been essential in medical practices since ancient times. The words of the well-known ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, also widely known as the Father of Western Medicine claimed ~ “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food”. He had incorporated the practice of prescribing garlic as a medicine to those in need which almost tells us that it has always been crucial to medicine and health.

Benefits...

Food As Medicine – Basil

Today we are going to be talking about basil. This is just growing like crazy in the garden right now and I've been making vegan pesto and freezing it to enjoy in those winter months so I figured this would be a great topic to cover since home gardening seems to be very popular this year.

Most people don't think of herbs as being very nutritionally dense, but they are packed with nutrients! Adding them daily when you cook can very beneficial to your health. Learn some of the benefits below.

Basil is loaded with goodness and contains:

• Vitamin K

• Manganese

• Copper

• Vitamin A

• Vitamin C

• Calcium

• Folate

• Iron

• Omega 3 fats

• Magnesium

Benefits for your health:

• The flavonoids in basil provide protection on a cellular level against radiation and oxygen-based damage.

• Basil provides protection from unwanted bacterial growth.

• Basil is an anti-inflammatory that can provide healing benefits for people with inflammatory health problems.

• ...

Most people don't realize that zucchini is surprisingly healthy and packed with nutrients. If you've ever grown zucchini in a garden you known it can be extremely abundant, so I do believe we take it for granted.

Zucchini is a member of the gourd family that originated from Central America and is now enjoyed all over the world. It has zero fat and is high in fiber and water content.

Zucchini is loaded with goodness and is high in:

• Fiber
• Water
• Vitamin B6
• Riboflavin
• Folate
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin K
• Potassium
• Manganese

Some of the benefits you can experience are:

1. Improved Digestion - Because zucchini is high in water and fiber content it can significantly improve digestion and constipation.
2. Slows Down Aging - Zucchini is rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients which can help reduce toxins in the body and protect you against free radicals and inflammation.
3. Helps Balance Blood Sugar Levels- Because of your increased fiber intake when eating zucchini it can help balance your...

The Ultimate Guide To Eating A Plant-Based Diet

 In this guide, I will go through the steps needed to successfully start eating a plant-based diet. I hope you enjoy and congrats to you for doing something healthy and positive for yourself and the planet!

-What does Plant-Based Diet mean?

 Removing all animal foods from your diet

Eating plant-based means removing all animal food products from your diet. This can be quite challenging once you learn some of the strange things that have dairy and some seemingly random animal-based ingredients in them. It's all about reading labels and learning what some of those ingredients are. Of course, it's a lot easier if you're eating mostly whole foods.

 Eating whole foods

 A lot of you might have been drawn to a plant-based diet for health reasons. The key to improving your health with a plant-based diet is eating whole foods. I'll talk more about what whole foods are later in this guide. Just keep in...

I love how something so small can be so powerful and beneficial!

What is flaxseed? 

Flaxseed also is known as linseed, are the seeds that come from the flax plant. 

Most all of the flax plant is used. The flax fibers are used to make linens and rope and the seeds are used for food and also to make linseed oil used in woodworking.

Flax has been grown and cultivated for over 30,000 years, so it has been around for a while and the benefits for your health are amazing.

The whole flaxseed is not able to be fully digested so if you want to get all the wonderful benefits of this tiny powerhouse you have to eat it ground.

You can also buy it ground but it does spoil a whole lot quicker this way. I store mine in the fridge for this reason.

Flax is loaded with nutrition goodness and contains:

• Omega 3's - Well known as a healthy fat with heart-healthy effects.
• Lignans - These contain both plant estrogen and antioxidants to help with hormonal balance.
• Fiber - Supportive for digestive...

I love making anything that involves turning cashews into something cheesy. I love this recipe because it's quick and easy to make and pretty good for you!

When I use this as a pasta sauce I like to mix in some broccoli. I chop the broccoli into small pieces and mix it all together. The picture is different because I was sharing my meal with someone who doesn't enjoy broccoli.  You can also add peas and some fresh herbs to make another tasty dish.

When making this recipe it's best to use raw organic cashews if you can. Soak them in water anywhere from 20 minutes as a minimum to overnight. If you don't have a highspeed blender definitely soak them overnight so your sauce is creamy.

I like to add a small amount of carrot to add a little sweetness and color. That is my preference but it's not completely necessary. The lemon can be very important because it helps make the sauce taste like cheese and not cashews. The nutritional yeast is also very important for the cheesy...

This has been one of my most favorite things to make recently because they're great to snack on and pretty versatile on how you can eat them.

It's best to make these with a food processor but I think you can manage if you have a coffee grinder for the oats and then you can mash the beans with a fork or blend together in a mixer.

Another great thing about these is the simple ingredients. If you already have a plant-based kitchen then you most likely have everything on this list. However, if your new to plant-based cooking then the nutritional yeast and the found flax might not be something you have laying around. These ingredients are not hard to find and if you're thinking about eating a plant-based diet then they will not go to waste.

Let's get started!

Prep time 15 Minutes

Cook time 35 min

Servings  - 4

Preheat oven to 350°

1 cup of oats, ground up in food processor or coffee grinder. Use gluten free oats if needed.

 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast

1 can of black beans,...

I use this recipe very often when I'm meal planning. You can double the recipe and freeze half this way you always have some home-cooked food on hand.

It's quick to prepare, inexpensive to make, delicious, and super healthy. What more can you ask for?

What you will need:

2 Tbsp. of Olive oil

2 Cups of diced onion, yellow

5 Cloves of garlic minced

1 Cup of finely diced carrots

1 Cup of finely chopped celery

1 Large red or green bell pepper diced

1 28 oz. Can of diced tomatoes

1 ½ Cups of veggie broth

5 tbsp. Tomato paste

1 15 oz. Can kidney beans drained

1 15 oz. Can of pinto or navy beans drained

Add more beans for your liking.

3 tbsp. Chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp Sea salt or to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste start small, ¼ tsp.

 What you need to do:

• In a large stock pan heat olive oil on medium to low heat. Add onion and garlic cook for 3 minutes. Add carrot, celery, and peppers and cook for 5-8 minutes.
• Add...

I can't think of a better time to cook up some soup. February is usually one of the coldest months so why not make some delicious soups to warm you up.

This first one was inspired by one of my Mom's old cookbooks. I decided to pick some recipes from the cookbook and make them vegan and healthy!

This hearty soup is healthy, satisfying, and totally delicious comfort food!

Let's get started!

What you will need

Prep time-25 min. Cook time-15 minutes Servings-8

Vegan-Gluten Free

2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Optional, can use water as a replacement)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large red onion, diced

2 celery ribs, chopped

4 Carrots, sliced

2 lbs of Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

1 15 oz can of great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 large head of broccoli cut into bite-size pieces.

6 cups of water or veggie broth

2 tbs or 1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup heaping of nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 cup of unsweetened plant-based milk. (I like cashew for its...

For the next couple of weeks, I'll be sharing with you some of my quick, easy, and delicious bowls.

We are going to be cooking once and eating all week!

This first bowl I created for a meal plan I'm making for someone who does not have a lot of time to cook but wants something healthy, nutritious, and super yummy. This checks off all those boxes!

We are roasting up some veggies and completing the bowl with some quinoa and fresh greens of your choice. The lemon tahini dressing pulls it all together in this protein-packed nutrient-dense bowl. This one is also pretty economical too!

Let's get started.

Servings 6 - Prep time - 15 minutes Roasting time - 40 minutes

What you will need

1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 carrots sliced thick

1 fennel bulb, stems removed cut into large pieces

1 red pepper, cut into large pieces

1 red onion, cut into large pieces

2 medium sweet potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tbs Avocado oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 heaping tsp garlic...