Vegan Sugar-Free Thanksgiving Pies

All of these recipes are Vegan, Sugar-Free pies.  Healthy and tasty. Sugar is not good for us, for our immune systems.  Make it a healthy Thanksgiving!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe:

Pecan Pie 
 Pecan Pie Recipe:

]

Pumpkin PIe with Maple whipped Cram
Pumpkin with Maple Whipped Cream Recipe:

Garlic is a "broad spectrum" Antibiotic

Garlic has been proven in scientific tests to kill a wide variety of bacteria and viruses.   So we can call garlic a Broad Spectrum Antibioltic.  Best to use garlic to prevent getting sick.  Raw garlic cloves are the best, but all types garlic help.

By the way, here is electron microscope photo of the flu virus.  Wow, so complex and beautiful in a way and so awful when it attacks.  Creepy.

A Kinder Thanksgiving: Turkey-Free

I hate to think of all the turkeys about to be slaughtered.  But if we are "mindful" we do not turn our heads away from the truth of the suffering.  There are many alternatives to the "Turkey Thanksgiving meal".  Very tasty ones.

Roast Tofuturkey, how good does this look?

Baby turkey -- many babies are orphaned during the Thanksgiving killing.

Cold Remedy / Prevention: Lemon, Ginger, Garlic Tea

Ginger, garlic, lemon, and honey make a rich, powerful tea that boosts your immune system.  

Drink this "power tea" regularly to prevent colds, or drink as remedy when you have a cold.

Lemons - Lemons are high in vitamin C which help support the immune system. The juice's  anti-inflammatory qualities help soothe sore throats. 

Honey - Honey has antimicrobial properties honey not only soothes the throat but it can also kill certain bacteria that causes the infection. Unpasteurized honey is best because the pasteurizing process removes many of the health benefits.

Garlic - Garlic is a natural antibiotic  Numerous studies have proven  it to be a bacterial, fungal and virus killing machine.

Ginger -  Ginger is a tropical plant related to turmeric and cardamom, produces a pungent, sweet-tasting root.  Ginger promotes healthy sweating, where a potent germ-fighting agent (dermicin) produced in healthy sweat gets transported to the skin’s surface. This not only removes the toxins from inside the body, but protects it against invading microorganisms from the outside. 

Ingredients

3 cups water
3 -6 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 cup honey (unpasteurizrd is best)
1/2 cup fresh lemon slices 

1/4  cup sliced ginger root

Directions

Put water in a medium saucepan and add garlic & ginger.
Bring to a boil.
Turn off heat and add honey and lemon juice
Strain into cup
Refrigerate leftover beverage

 

 

Winter Immunity: Garlic

Garlic has been used medicinally around the world for thousands of years. 

During the bubonic plague in Europe which killed almost half of the population, grave diggers (and grave robbers) drank wine containing garlic cloves.  An ancient Egyptian papyrus recommends garlic in treating 22 ailments to include heart disease and stamina.  In 1858, Louis Pasteur observed garlic's antibacterial activity, and it was used as an antiseptic.  And yet garlic is so tasty!  How many dishes would be blander without lovely garlic.

Sopa de Ajo (Garlic Soup)

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
5 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
3 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Emeril's)
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (1-ounce) slices rustic bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

 

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender (do not brown). Stir in paprika. Add broth, 1 cup water, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet; broil 4 minutes or until golden, stirring once halfway through cooking. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
4. Place about 1/4 cup bread cubes in each of 8 ovenproof soup bowls. Break one egg into each bowl; ladle about 1/2 cup broth mixture into each bowl. Arrange bowls on a baking sheet; bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny. Sprinkle evenly with chopped parsley.

Source:  My Recipes

Stinging Nettles Soup recipe

Often overlooked as a roadside weed, this plant is a super-food. In the past this plant staved off starvation for Germans at the end of WWII.  Nettles boost the immune system and are an ancient treatment for arthritis

So full of minerals and vitamins. Just make sure you use gloves when you pick as the tiny needles prick. But when boiled or cooked, the needles recede and the plant tastes soewhat like spinach. 

Stinging Nettles Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 cups sliced onions
• 3 cups potatoes, cut into chunks
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 ounce nettles leaves
• Small bunch of chives, snipped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Heavy cream, to serve

 
Directions:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the sliced onions, cover and cook for about 5 minutes until just soft.
• Add the potatoes to the saucepan with the chicken stock, cover and cook for 25 minutes longer.

Wearing latex gloves, remove the nettles leaves from their stems. Rinse leaves under cold running water, dry on paper towels. Add to the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes longer.

Ladle the soup into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. (I just keep the soup in a pot and used an immersion blender, love ‘em.) Return to a clean saucepan and season well.

Stir in the chives and serve with a swirl of cream and a sprinkle of pepper.

 Source:  Cookography blog

Stinging Nettles book:  for more information on Nettles; history how to grow, medicinal uses, and more recipe, click below:

Root Vegetables: Kale, Parsnip, Potato soup

Winter root vegetables are hearty meals and boost the immune system. 


Beets, carrots, potatoes, ginger, turnips, radishes, the list goes on and on...

Parsnip:  the parsnip is closely related to the carrot. 

The parsnip is usually cooked but can also be eaten raw. It is high in vitamins and minerals, especially potassium. It also contains antioxidants and fiber. It can be cultivated in deep, stone-free soils.

Kale, Parsnip, Potato Soup
Cook time: 1 1/2--2 hrs (mostly inactive)
Serves 6 to 8

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 leek, diced (use all parts!)
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly (you can add more if you love garlic like me)
• 2 medium white potatoes, cut into chunks (I didn't remove the skin but feel free to)
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks
• 2 large carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 large parsnips, cut into chunks
• 4 cups (one box) of your favorite veggie broth (I use Pacific or Trader Joes)
• 4 additional cups of water + 2 bouillon cubes
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp curry seasoning
• 1 tbsp hot sauce of your choice
• 1 LARGE head of kale, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large soup pan (very large - as large as you can muster) over medium/low heat. Add in onion and leek and allow to soften up for about 5-10 minutes. 

Add garlic, potatoes, carrots and parsnips and saute for another 10 minutes or so (add in veggie broth to keep veggies from sticking/help to soften as necessary.

Dump in veggie broth and water and bring everything to a boil.

Add in bouillon cubes and spices, cover pot, reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer for anywhere from an hour to two hours depending on your time frame.

Ten minutes before the soup is ready, stir in your chopped kale and allow to reduce for the final ten minutes or so (you want it to be soft but not soggy).  Serve up a HUGE bowl (or two in my case) with freshly baked bread.
Source:  Evolve Vegan