V-Day - Benefits of Roses - Raw Chocolate Rose Cheesecake

O Valentines Day. It has so many meanings for each individual. Regardless if you celebrate or not you can take advantage of the post V-Day rose sales and not just to spruce up your place. 

Roses are another everyday plant that we just pass by. (Remember our talk about dandelion?) So what can you do with roses? Make rosewater! Here's why:

• Improves depression and anxiety (aroma therapy).
• Soothes capillaries.
• Improves circulation.
• Heals sunburn, bug bites, and rashes.
• Curbs skin and bladder infections.
• Helps removing dirt, makeup and oil from the skin (toner).
• Helps in maintaining the pH balance of the skin, and provides calming effect on acne and eczema.
• Adds shine to hair (spray on), can be used as a conditioner, helps controlling dandruff.
• Promotes hair growth.
• Aides digestive issues.
• Remedy for diarrhea and ulcers.
• Soothes inflamed sore throats (gargle).
• Relieves tooth ache.
• Strengthen teeth and provide relief against gum pains. Helps with bad breath.
• Used to clear eye infections.
• Relieves PMS symptoms, menopausal symptoms and gently balances hormones.
• Relives menstrual cramps and improves mood swings.

How to incorporate rosewater into your diet? 

Raw Chocolate Rose Cheesecake

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Crust

• 1¼  cup almonds ½ cup hemp seed 
• 2 ounces cacao powder
• 4 ounces date paste
• 2 tbsp liquid vanilla    
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 

*nut free crust here

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor (only ½ the date paste) and process. It will start to rise up the sides push it down until everything is well combined.
2. Add the 2^nd half of the date paste and process.
3. It should be a mixture that can hold together with gentle pressure and be broken apart with a clean break.
4. Distribute crust evenly on the bottom of lightly oiled pan (using coconut oil).

o        Put a little coconut oil on your clean hands to get the crust in the pan. I found this keeps the crust from sticking to your hands – a very frustrating experience.

      5.   Refrigerate until filling is ready.

Filling

• 3 cups soaked sunflower seeds
• 2 cups sunflower milk (or any other dairy, nut, and soy free milk)
• ½ cup good quality sweetener (agave if you want it to be truly raw, maple syrup or brown rice syrup work as well)
• ¼ cup vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 tbsp lemon juice 
• 1tsp finely shredded beets (for the pink color)
• 1tsp food grade rose water (more or less to taste)
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 3 tbsp sunflower lecithin

For swirling

• 1 ounce cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients for filling except for coconut oil and lecithin.
2. Blend well until smooth and creamy. 3-5 minutes.
3. Stop blending and add the lecithin and melted coconut oil then blend until smooth.
4. If you don’t want to swirl add the cocoa powder to this mixture and blend well.
5. Add mixture to pan and freeze for 1-3 hours or until middle of cheesecake is firm to the touch.
6. If you DO want to swirl. Remove 1 ½ cups of the mixture and set aside.
7. Put the original mixture in the pan.
8. Take 1 ½ cups of reserved filling and add cocoa powder, vanilla, and sweetener.
9. From here you can swirl or layer depending on what you want to go for.
10. When you are done swirling and/or layering freeze for 1-3 hours or until middle of cheesecake is firm to the touch.

What a delicious way to make you and your loved ones a priority this Valentines day!

Other unique - eco friendly - vegan Valentines Day ideas from one of my favorite longevity gurus! 

Dandelion - Not just a Pesky Weed! Pesto Recipe

Apparently when I was a child I would sit out in the yard and eat dandelions. This may seem weird but apparently my little baby brain knew what was up. As an adult, I've been incorporating dandelions into my diet in various ways: salads, juices, teas and pesto.

Here's why:

• Contains 112% of the daily recommended value of vitamin A & four times more vitamin A than lettuce.
• Higher in beta-carotene than carrots.
• The iron and calcium content is greater than spinach.
• 32 percent daily value of vitamin C per cup of leaves.
• Contains vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, C, E, P, and D, biotin, inositol, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc, and many other trace elements and enzymes.
• Contains the antioxidant lutein, which is good for healthy vision.
• Rich in inulin, this is a prebiotic, which actually feeds and encourages the growth of the beneficial bacteria in the gut as well as balancing blood sugar and diabetes.
• The flowers contain lecithin, this helps the liver to break down fats and improves brain function.
• The milky sap found in the leaves and flower stems have been used to remove warts, corns, callouses and other stubborn skin maladies.
• Cleanses the blood and liver, and increases bile production.
• Reduces serum cholesterol and uric acid levels.
• Improves functioning of the kidneys, pancreas, spleen and stomach.
• Relieves menopausal symptoms.
• Useful for abscesses, anemia, boils, breast tumors, cirrhosis of the liver, constipation, fluid retention, hepatitis, jaundice, and rehumastism.
• Believed to help prevent age spots and breast cancer.  
• Cleanses the skin and eliminates acne.  

 Dandelion Pesto

• 1 handful dandelion
• 1 handful basil
• 1/2 tbsp miso
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 1 cup of nuts (pine, hazelnuts, walnuts, and/or hemp seed - I like to switch it up for this blog I did mostly hazelnuts and a bit of pine)
• 1/4 cup olive oil (if you want to reduce oil split this with water)
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp vegan parm (1/2 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup nutritional yeast and a pinch of sea salt - process all together until finally ground up)

Fun additions

• Kelp granuals
• Crushed red pepper

Directions

• Put everything in a food processor and run until smooth.
• If you want it a bit thinner add water until desired consistency is reached. 
• To eat this raw use as a dip for veggies or put over kelp noodles. Also fantastic with rice.  

Kelp Noodles

Wild and Basmati Rice

 This takes all of 5 minutes! What an easy way to make yourself a priority.

Facts from Tera Warner and Prescription for Nutritional Healing
 

I learned CPR – Foods to Help Prevent Heart Disease

I took a CPR course this weekend; in order to get certified as a personal trainer it is a requirement. Honestly it just seems like a really great thing to know. The course was like $50 and lasted 2.5 hours; I went with my sister - we made a day of it!

Heart health is a touchy subject for me. My mother and sister have heart issues they were born with and it is believed my grandmother died (before I was born) due to a heart complication; they didn’t have the technology at the time to figure out exactly what she died from. Luckily with more ways to monitor these things and the knowledge we have about food and our health, even those who are born with conditions or are thought to be predisposed due to their genes can take preventative measures. Since my sister and mom both practice healthy plant based diets they are off meds and in good shape! 

This may or may not come as a shock to you but a healthy plant based diet can not only prevent heart disease but also reverse it according to Dr. Esselstyn, among many other doctors, based on a 20 year nutritional study. I feel the need to repeat that - PREVENT AND REVERSE heart disease.“The 17 patients in the study had 49 cardiac events in the years leading up to the study, and had undergone aggressive treatment procedures. Several had multiple bypass operations. After beginning the eating plan, there were no more cardiac events in the group within a 12-year period.” NO MORE CARDIAC EVENTS after starting the plant based eating plan. This is a no brainer.

According to the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine: Every day, nearly 2,600 Americans die of some type of cardiovascular disease, an average of one death every 34 seconds, and 7.1 million Americans have had a heart attack during their lifetimes – and this can all be prevented with a healthy plant based diet.

On to the heart healthy food! 

Rosemary Roasted Carrots and Beets

• 5 small beets

• 3 carrots

• Juice of one half a lemon

• 1 tablespoon rosemary

• 1 tablespoon maple sugar

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Cut vegetables to bite sized pieces. Mix all ingredients and roast in the oven for 30 min at 400 degrees. The veggies should pierce easily with a fork when finished.  (If you don’t want to use oil use water instead! Just monitor the dish to make sure the water doesn’t evaporate burning your pan.)

Beets protect against heart disease because they are rich in betaine which has the ability to reduce homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is the toxic amino acid that increases risk of cardiovascular disease. Carrots are rich in carotenoids, which are powerful antioxidants that can combat free radicals that cause heart disease.

Make yourself and your heart a priority! 

Beating the Cold Season and Carrot Ginger Breakfast Cookies

Everyone is sick. It’s all over the news, facebook, and getting in the way of our daily routines. There are some really easy ways to prevent it and kick it quickly before it puts you out.

1. Ginger – on top of being great for treating colds and flu it may reduce chances of some cancers, eases the stomach, boosts the immune system, reduces inflammation, helps with motion and morning sickness on top of some other great benefits. Make yourself a shot of lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper once or twice a day until your sickness is gone. I juiced the ginger by hand - if that’s not dedication I don’t know what is! (But you can always use your juicer or go to a juice bar)
2. Neti Pot – follow directions on the box. Do NOT use tap water. These are great for clearing out a stuffy nose without using harmful medications.
3. Warm Water with lemon.
4. No sugar! It greatly weakens the immune system when you need it to be strong. This includes orange juice: due to a similar chemical structure, the sugar in OJ actually competes with Vitamin C to enter cells. Therefore, the more sugar you ingest, the less Vitamin C is absorbed!  To get Vitamin C eat leafy greens especially kale it contains more Vitamin C than oranges anyway.
5. NO Dairy. In the course I took with T. Colin Campbell he talked about when you consume dairy it creates a net metabolic acidity in the body. In order to neutralize that acidity, your body draws salts such as calcium and phosphorus from your bones so it can return to its naturally alkaline state. The result is weakened bones and teeth – this also weakens your immune system. Dairy promotes the production of mucus and can make existing mucus thicker in your nose and sinuses, leaving you completely congested. It may also cause a runny nose or the ever annoying post nasal drip.

I do all of these things on a regular biases in addition to a well balanced plant based diet and I haven’t been sick in years. Making yourself a priority will help you dodge cold season all together. 

And for a fun way to get more ginger in your diet (although juicing it is preferable)... 

I tried out this fantastic breakfast cookie recipe the other day and fell in love with them. Once I realized they are basically a bowl of oatmeal in cookie form I felt even better about them. Then ate too many, then went hard on myself at the gym…

Anyway, they are a great winter breakfast addition, after your water with lemon of course! I made these then immediately regretted not using my new mini muffin tin. So I did what anyone else would do, made another batch.

1 cup gluten free flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon fine grain salt

1 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup chopped walnuts (omit to make it nut free – try adding sunflower seeds)

1 cup shredded carrots

½ cup maple syrup (at room temperature)

½ cup unrefined coconut oil warmed

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 egg replacer (1 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 3 tbsp of water and refrigerated for 15 minutes)

1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and oats. Then add the nuts and carrots. In a separate smaller bowl, use a whisk to combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, ginger and egg replacer.
3. Combine the two mixtures until well incorporated.
4. Drop onto prepared baking sheets, one level tablespoon at a time, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake in the top 1/3 of the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are golden on top and bottom.
5. Or use mini cupcake tins for mini muffins.

Garlic Mashed Parsnips and Cauliflower - Tips to Reach Your Resloutions

Happy New Year everyone! I can't believe how long it has been since I've posted, I semi-apologize for that. I went to PA to visit with my family over the holidays (which was perfectly filled with family/treats!) and upon returning I've been a little preoccupied with happiness to be on my computer. But I missed writing and sharing my knowledge so here I am.

Part of the glory of the new year is being given open permission to reinvent yourself, to make improvements in your life, and meet goals with the support of pretty much the entire world. If your goal has anything to do with health and nutrition please feel free to use this blog as a resource or even email me directly (plantbasedpaige@gmail.com). I am personally trying to eat more sea vegetables, learn more about super foods, and do more (or any) cardio - I already went hiking twice this week! I also want to read a new book every month and try something new every month.

I was inspired by my mother's amazing holiday feast of Shepherd’s Pie to make a mashed potato alternative. I was in the mood for some comfort food the other day but didn't want to compromise my good habits. Here is what I came up with:

over a bed of greens for good measure!

2 parsnips
1/4 head of cauliflower
1 clove garlic diced
1 small onion
salt and pepper to taste

• steam cauliflower and parsnips until very soft.
• sauté garlic and onion until soft - about 3 minutes.
• combine all ingredients in a bowl.
• using a potato masher or a hand blender mix until a mashed potato like consistency.
• garnish with chives.
• top with your favorite sauce. I used a "cheese" sauce from one of my favorite books, The Saucy Vegetarian.

Parsnips are a root vegetable and are sweet in taste when cooked. They are very soothing, aide in digestion (by bringing more blood in to the abdominal region), aide in elimination, promote warmth and sustain normal heart activity.  Since potatoes have little nutritional value and contain irritants including mildly toxic alkaloids, parsnips are a fantastic alternative.

Cauliflower is 24% protein contain high amounts of vitamin c and potassium. When cooked properly they can help curb a sweet tooth!

When I was training tour teams I would always talk about opportunity. Each young person we got to talk to was an opportunity to make a difference, to end suffering and improve lives. I like the idea of the new year as an opportunity for everyone to set goals or resolutions and  have the support to accomplish them.

Use your support system. I am teaming up with another trainer and we have agreed to hold each other accountable for our resolutions; we are checking in and working together to get what we want. I highly encourage you to make yourself a priority this year and find someone to check in with; a friend, counselor, nutrition coach, trainer, life coach, family member, any one that can support you in becoming the best version of you.

Healthy Holiday Treats – Rice Crispy Treats (vegan and gluten free)

Just like everyone else I was in a treat making mode over the last week. I was testing new recipes, making  thank you cheesecakes, creating warm winter meals to show my affection and making healthy gift boxes for the people in my life.

With so many treats I was able to create different versions of Healthy Holiday Treats and a second blog! Lucky you.

This one has: Mini Cheesecake - Raw Red Velvet Cookies - Rice Crispy Treats - Raw Brownies

Rice Crispy Treats

• 1 cup brown rice syrup
• 2/3 cup almond butter
• Dash of vanilla
• Dash of salt
• Dash of cinnamon 
• 3 Cups gluten free brown rice cereal

Directions

•  Over medium heat warm brown rice syrup, almond butter, vanilla, salt and cinnamon until mixture is smooth and bubbling a little.
• Remove from heat and combine with brown rice cereal.
• Pour into an oiled pan (I use coconut oil), flatten and let cool.

 These take literally 5 min to prepare and are stupidly good. They remind me of elementary school when you would bring in treats on your birthday. I made traditional rice crispy treats and accidentally melted a spatula into the marshmallow - o how far I have come. :) 

Healthy Holiday Meals - Black-eyed Pea Croquettes with Maple Dijon Sauce

The other day I posted a blog with a recipe for Roasted Kabocha Squash with Sage and Rosemary that was part of a very special dinner. As promised here is the recipe for the other side dish!

These are my go to when I want to make something to knock someone’s socks off but might not have all that much time. This dish has it all, warm, crunchy, a little savory and a little sweet plus they are remarkably easy to prepare.

Also, let's not kid ourselves here they just sound fancy!

You will need

·        1 cup black-eye peas (soaked over night)

·        ¼ teaspoon sea salt

·        ½ tbsp tamari

·        ½ teaspoon cumin

·        ½ teaspoon turmeric

·        Oil for frying (coconut, safflower, or toasted sesame seed)

·        Handful chopped fresh parsley 

Directions

·        Combine all the ingredients in a food processor.

·        Blend until you get fine shreds of bean – don’t blend into a pulp.

·        The mixture should be slightly wet and hold together.

·        Make small palm sized croquettes.

·        Heat oil in a pan and fry about 4 minutes on each side. 

Dipping sauce

·        ¼ cup barley malt or maple syrup to make it gluten free

·        ½ - 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions

·        Heat barley or maple syrup and mustard over low heat until it bubbles.

·        Pour over croquettes.

·        Serve hot. 

**The maple syrup is a little thin so I thickened it up using kuzu. To do this take ½ teaspoon kuzu diluted in a little bit of water. Add to bubbling maple – Dijon sauce bring to a low boil string constantly until well mixed and simmer 2 minutes. This will make it think and easier to digest!

 Add a healthy holiday dessert to the end of this meal and everyone will be impressed!

As we are in the holiday season I hope you are still finding ways to make yourself a priority. We can get really caught up in making others happy and gift giving, which is wonderful, but don't forget about yourself!