Robin’s Raw Cuisine: Vegan Almond Spice Truffles

1 cup raw almonds

1 generous cup soft pitted dates

1/2 tsp. pure almond or vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 pinch of sea salt

1/2 cup finely shredded zucchini squash (small zucchini’s work best)

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, divided (Bob’s Red Mill brand is what I use)

 

• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the almonds in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process into fine meal.
• Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt and pulse the food processor several times to blend.
• Add dates, a few at a time, processing well after each addition. Add almond extract. At first the mixture will just look like meal, and then it will come together in a ball. If it doesn’t come together, add a few extra dates.
• Remove the dough from the food processor and mix in the shredded zucchini and a half a cup of the flaked coconut with your hands until well combined.
• Rub a little oil on your hands, then form the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the remaining half cup of coconut on a plate and roll each ball in the coconut to coat. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and freeze several hours until the balls are firm. Remove them from the freezer and serve thawed.

Note: You can store these treats in the freezer or refrigerator. They taste best when served cold, but not frozen.

Makes 25 truffles.

Per ball: 87 calories, 3.6 g fat (1.2 g saturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 13 g carbohydrate, 1.8  g fiber, 1.8 g protein

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If it’s disease, cool the heat with healing foods.

Inflammation can be a friend or a foe, depending upon whether it is acute or chronic. 

• Acute inflammation is a useful, short-lived defense and repair mechanism used by the body to heal damage from injury and infection.
• Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is long-term inflammation, and can lead to damaged tissues and impede the body’s ability to repair itself. 

Unchecked inflammation can lead to chronic, debilitating diseases (check the conditions below that apply to you )

• Arthritis
• Bursitis
• Asthma
• Psoriasis
• Prostatitis
• Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (Irritable Bowel, Crohns Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, etc.)
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Altzheimers Disease
• Parkinsons Disease
• Many other diseases 

The best foods and supplements to cool inflammation are: 

• Fish Oil -  the omega-3 fats in fish oil (EPA and DHA) are powerful anti-inflammatories. Recommended Dosage: EPA/DHA supplement of 1000-2000 mg/day or better yet, 4 ounces of wild-caught, cold water fish per day (salmon, mackerel, herring, blue fin tuna, and whitefish).

• Probiotics – are the good bacteria that line our gut and are critical to healthy immune system function. Two helpful probiotics are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. Recommended Dosage: 5-100 billion units/day from high quality fermented foods like: yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi or supplements.

• Curcumin – a component of the spice turmeric, curcumin provides the distinctive orange-yellow color and powerful anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric. Turmeric is one of the 20 spices in curry powder. Recommended Dosage: 1000-3000 mg/day of dried powdered turmeric spice or 600-1200 mg/day of curcumin in supplement form. 

• Green Tea -  ECGC (epigallocatechin and epicatechin gallate) and polyphenols in green tea provide anticancer and antioxidant effects. About 3 cups of green tea per day will provide 240-320 mg of polyphenols. 

• Ginger -  gingerols and shogoals in ginger can decrease both pain and swelling. Recommended Dosage: 30 mg/day ginger extract or 1000 mg/day dried powdered ginger. This would be equivalent to 1/3 ounce of fresh ginger root or about a 1″ slice each day.

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This spread is a great alternative to cheese. Try it on apple slices, celery, crackers, and more.

1 (15 ounce) can Great Northern beans

½ cup pimento pieces, drained

6 Tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes

3 Tbsp. lemon juice (usually the juice of about 1 lemon)

3 Tbsp. tahini (sesame butter)

½ tsp. onion granules

½ tsp. tumeric

½ tsp. yellow mustard (prepared)

½ tsp. sea salt

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

 

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until completely smooth. Transfer to a storage container with a tight fitting lid and chill thoroughly before serving. 

Preparation time: 5 minutes. Chill time: 3 hours minimum

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This article is brought to you courtesy of Jo Robinson of www.eatwild.com

Meat, eggs, and dairy products from pastured animals are ideal for your health. Compared with commercial products, they offer you more “good” fats, and fewer “bad” fats. They are richer in antioxidants; including vitamins E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. Furthermore, they do not contain traces of added hormones, antibiotics or other drugs.

Summary of Important Health Benefits of Grassfed Meats, Eggs and Dairy

Lower in Fat. There are a number of nutritional differences between the meat of pasture-raised and feedlot-raised animals. To begin with, meat from grass-fed cattle, sheep, and bison is lower in total fat. If the meat is very lean, it can have one third as much fat as a similar cut from a grain-fed animal. In fact, as you can see by the graph below, grass-fed beef can have the same amount of fat as skinless chicken breast, wild deer, or elk.[1] Research shows that lean beef actually lowers your “bad” LDL cholesterol levels.[2]

Lower in calories. Because meat from grass-fed animals is lower in fat than meat from grain-fed animals, it is also lower in calories. (Fat has 9 calories per gram, compared with only 4 calories for protein and carbohydrates. The greater the fat content, the greater the number of calories.) As an example, a 6-ounce steak from a grass-finished steer can have 100 fewer calories than a 6-ounce steak from a grain-fed steer. If you eat a typical amount of beef (66.5 pounds a year), switching to lean grassfed beef will save you 17,733 calories a year—without requiring any willpower or change in your eating habits. If everything else in your diet remains constant, you’ll lose about six pounds a year. If all Americans switched to grassfed meat, our national epidemic of obesity might diminish.

In the past few years, producers of grass-fed beef have been looking for ways to increase the amount of marbling in the meat so that consumers will have a more familiar product. But even these fatter cuts of grass-fed beef are lower in fat and calories than beef from grain-fed cattle.

Extra Omega-3s. Meat from grass-fed animals has two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from grain- fed animals. Omega-3s are called “good fats” because they play a vital role in every cell and system in your body. For example, of all the fats, they are the most heart-friendly. People who have ample amounts of omega-3s in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat. Remarkably, they are 50 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack.[3] Omega-3s are essential for your brain as well. People with a diet rich in omega-3s are less likely to suffer from depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder (hyperactivity), or Alzheimer’s disease.[4]

Another benefit of omega-3s is that they may reduce your risk of cancer. In animal studies, these essential fats have slowed the growth of a wide array of cancers and also kept them from spreading.[5] Although the human research is in its infancy, researchers have shown that omega-3s can slow or even reverse the extreme weight loss that accompanies advanced cancer and also hasten recovery from surgery.[6,7]

Omega-3s are most abundant in seafood and certain nuts and seeds such as flaxseeds and walnuts, but they are also found in animals raised on pasture. The reason is simple. Omega-3s are formed in the chloroplasts of green leaves and algae. Sixty percent of the fatty acids in grass are omega-3s. When cattle are taken off omega-3 rich grass and shipped to a feedlot to be fattened on omega-3 poor grain, they begin losing their store of this beneficial fat. Each day that an animal spends in the feedlot, its supply of omega-3s is diminished.[8]

When chickens are housed indoors and deprived of greens, their meat and eggs also become artificially low in omega-3s. Eggs from pastured hens can contain as much as 10 times more omega-3s than eggs from factory hens.[9]
It has been estimated that only 40 percent of Americans consume an adequate supply of omega-3 fatty acids. Twenty percent have blood levels so low that they cannot be detected.[10] Switching to the meat, milk, and dairy products of grass-fed animals is one way to restore this vital nutrient to your diet.

The CLA Bonus. Meat and dairy products from grass-fed ruminants are the richest known source of another type of good fat called “conjugated linoleic acid” or CLA. When ruminants are raised on fresh pasture alone, their products contain from three to five times more CLA than products from animals fed conventional diets.[11] (A steak from the most marbled grass-fed animals will have the most CLA ,as much of the CLA is stored in fat cells.)

CLA may be one of our most potent defenses against cancer. In laboratory animals, a very small percentage of CLA—a mere 0.1 percent of total calories—greatly reduced tumor growth. [12] There is new evidence that CLA may also reduce cancer risk in humans. In a Finnish study, women who had the highest levels of CLA in their diet, had a 60 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest levels. Switching from grain-fed to grassfed meat and dairy products places women in this lowest risk category.13 Researcher Tilak Dhiman from Utah State University estimates that you may be able to lower your risk of cancer simply by eating the following grassfed products each day: one glass of whole milk, one ounce of cheese, and one serving of meat. You would have to eat five times that amount of grain-fed meat and dairy products to get the same level of protection.

Vitamin E. In addition to being higher in omega-3s and CLA, meat from grassfed animals is also higher in vitamin E. The graph below shows vitamin E levels in meat from: 1) feedlot cattle, 2) feedlot cattle given high doses of synthetic vitamin E (1,000 IU per day), and 3) cattle raised on fresh pasture with no added supplements. The meat from the pastured cattle is four times higher in vitamin E than the meat from the feedlot cattle and, interestingly, almost twice as high as the meat from the feedlot cattle given vitamin E supplements. [14#] In humans, vitamin E is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. This potent antioxidant may also have anti-aging properties. Most Americans are deficient in vitamin E.

Data from: Smith, G.C. “Dietary supplementation of vitamin E to cattle to improve shelf life and case life of beef for domestic and international markets.” Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1171
Summary References

1. Rule, D. C., K. S. Brought on, S. M. Shellito, and G. Maiorano. “Comparison of Muscle Fatty Acid Profiles and Cholesterol Concentrations of Bison, Beef Cattle, Elk, and Chicken.” J Anim Sci 80, no. 5 (2002): 1202-11.

2. Davidson, M. H., D. Hunninghake, et al. (1999). “Comparison of the effects of lean red meat vs lean white meat on serum lipid levels among free-living persons with hypercholesterolemia: a long-term, randomized clinical trial.” Arch Intern Med 159(12): 1331-8. The conclusion of this study: “… diets containing primarily lean red meat or lean white meat produced similar reductions in LDL cholesterol and elevations in HDL cholesterol, which were maintained throughout the 36 weeks of treatment.”

3. Siscovick, D. S., T. E. Raghunathan, et al. (1995). “Dietary Intake and Cell Membrane Levels of Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and the Risk of Primary Cardiac Arrest.” JAMA 274(17): 1363-1367.

4. Simopolous, A. P. and Jo Robinson (1999). The Omega Diet. New York, HarperCollins. My previous book, a collaboration with Dr. Artemis P. Simopoulos, devotes an entire chapter to the vital role that omega-3s play in brain function.

5. Rose, D. P., J. M. Connolly, et al. (1995). “Influence of Diets Containing Eicosapentaenoic or Docasahexaenoic Acid on Growth and Metastasis of Breast Cancer Cells in Nude Mice.” Journal of the National Cancer Institute 87(8): 587-92.

6. Tisdale, M. J. (1999). “Wasting in cancer.” J Nutr 129(1S Suppl): 243S-246S.

7. Tashiro, T., H. Yamamori, et al. (1998). “n-3 versus n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in critical illness.” Nutrition 14(6): 551-3.

8. Duckett, S. K., D. G. Wagner, et al. (1993). “Effects of time on feed on beef nutrient composition.” J Anim Sci 71(8): 2079-88.

9. Lopez-Bote, C. J., R.Sanz Arias, A.I. Rey, A. Castano, B. Isabel, J. Thos (1998). “Effect of free-range feeding on omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol content and oxidative stability of eggs.” Animal Feed Science and Technology 72: 33-40.

10. Dolecek, T. A. and G. Grandits (1991). “Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Mortality in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT).” World Rev Nutr Diet 66: 205-16.

11. Dhiman, T. R., G. R. Anand, et al. (1999). “Conjugated linoleic acid content of milk from cows fed different diets.” J Dairy Sci 82(10): 2146-56. Interestingly, when the pasture was machine-harvested and then fed to the animals as hay, the cows produced far less CLA than when they were grazing on that pasture, even though the hay was made from the very same grass. The fat that the animals use to produce CLA is oxidized during the wilting, drying process. For maximum CLA, animals need to be grazing living pasture.

12. Ip, C, J.A. Scimeca, et al. (1994) “Conjugated linoleic acid. A powerful anti-carcinogen from animal fat sources.” p. 1053. Cancer 74(3 suppl):1050-4.

13. Aro, A., S. Mannisto, I. Salminen, M. L. Ovaskainen, V. Kataja, and M. Uusitupa. “Inverse Association between Dietary and Serum Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women.” Nutr Cancer 38, no. 2 (2000): 151-7.

14. Smith, G.C. “Dietary supplementation of vitamin E to cattle to improve shelf life and case life of beef for domestic and international markets.” Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1171

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10 ounces ice cold water
1/2 large lemon, freshly squeezed
6-10 drops SweetLeaf brand Lemon Drop flavored liquid stevia drops
ice

Place 10 ounces of ice cold water in a tall glass. Squeeze or juice lemon and add along with 6-10 drops lemon flavored stevia to water. Stir until combined. Add ice and serve. Makes one glass of lemonade.

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1 pound Raw Almonds
3-4 Tablespoons Tamari Soy Sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
1 Tablespoons Dulse Flakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread almonds onto a large baking sheet. Place almonds in oven and roast for 7 - 10 minutes, or until almond skins are popping and almonds are fragrant.

Remove almonds from oven and immediately transfer to large bowl. Add soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos and dulse flakes to hot almonds. Toss almonds in soy mixture until moisture evaporates. Serve warm or cold. Makes 16-one ounce servings of almonds. One ounce = 24-28 almonds.

Each Serving Contains: Calories: 170; Total Fat: 15 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 0 g; Sodium: 250 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 7 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g;
Sugar: 2 g; Protein: 6 g.

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Burgers:
1 small clove garlic, minced
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can (15 oz) no-salt-added black beans, drained
¼ cup quick-cooking oats (not instant)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (made with canola, olive, or grapeseed oil)
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Avocado Salsa:
1 medium Haas avocado, peeled, pitted, and finely chopped
1 small tomato finely chopped
¼ red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or basil
Juice of one large lime
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

To make avocado salsa: In a large bowl, combine the avocado, tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, and pepper. Lightly toss. Let stand for 30 minutes.

To make the burgers: Coat a 12-inch nonstick skillet with nonstick olive oil cooking spray. Add garlic, onion and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove to blender bowl. Add beans, oats, mayo, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Process with on/off pulses until mixture is finely minced, but not a paste.

Remove black bean mixture from blender and shape into 8 patties, about 2 inches in diameter. Place on large plate covered with waxed paper. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Coat skillet with cooking spray. Arrange burgers in single layer in skillet. Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes on first side; turn over gently. Cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes on second side, or until browned. Remove from skillet and serve with avocado salsa. Makes 4 servings.

Each Serving (2 burgers and ½ avocado salsa mixture) Contains: Calories 450; Total Fat 20 g; Sat Fat 1.5 g; Trans Fat 0 g; Cholesterol 0 g; Sodium 425; Total Carb 53 g; Dietary Fiber 17 g; Sugars 5 g; Protein 16 g.

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1 ½ cups flaxseed meal (Barleans preferred brand)
¾ cup old-fashioned oats
¾ cup almond meal
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup almond Oil or coconut oil (melted)
¾ cup agave Syrup
Egg replacer* (3/4 cup boiling water + 3 tbsp. flax meal)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 dates, pitted and finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup cacao nibs (tiny pieces of unsweetened dark chocolate available at your local health food store)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring ¾ cup water to a boil. Combine boiling hot water and 3 tablespoons flax meal in a small bowl. Set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients: flaxseed meal, oats, almond meal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using a large spoon; mix dry ingredients together thoroughly. Add oil to dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in agave nectar. Add vanilla extract to cooled egg replacer mixture and stir. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in dates, walnuts, and cacoa nibs. Spoon mixture into lined muffin tins. Bake for 25-27 minutes. Recipe makes 12 muffins.

Each muffin contains:
Calories: 260
Total Fat: 18 grams
Saturated Fat: 2 grams
Trans Fat: 0 grams
Cholesterol: 15 mg
Sodium: 340 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 23 grams
Dietary Fiber: 6 grams
Sugar 12 grams
Protein: 8 grams

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Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
5-6 medium plum tomatoes, sliced into ¼ inch rounds
2 medium zucchini, sliced into ¼ inch rounds
2 medium yellow summer squash, sliced into ¼ inch rounds
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 7×11 inch baking dish with olive oil.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add onions, garlic and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until completely softened and cooked, but not browned. Stir in the basil and thyme. Spread on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Toss the sliced vegetables with the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the sliced zucchini, summer squash, and plum tomatoes in the baking dish on top of the cooked onion mixture.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the vegetables are softened, about 30-35 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Continue baking the vegetables uncovered until the cheese begins to brown, about 20 minutes or so. Makes approximately 6 generous servings.

Nutrients per Serving: Calories 150; Total Fat 12 grams; Sat Fat 2.5 grams; Carbs 8 grams; Fiber 2 grams; Sugar 4 grams; Protein 4 grams; Sodium 395.

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Ingredients:
4 (6-ounce) wild salmon fillets
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
8 lemon slices (about 2 lemons)
¼ cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
½ cup white wine
4 teaspoons capers

Instructions:
Brush top and bottom of salmon fillets with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place each piece of seasoned salmon on a piece of foil large enough to fold over and seal. Top each piece of salmon with 2 lemon slices, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of wine, and 1 teaspoon of capers. Wrap up salmon tightly in the foil packets.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Place the foil packets on the hot pan/grill and cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve in foil packets. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrients per Serving: Calories 400; Total Fat 25 grams; Sat Fat 3.5 grams; Carbs 5 grams; Dietary Fiber 1 gram; Sugar 1 gram; Protein 34 grams.

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