Vegan Chickpea Patties
Ingredients
1 cup of chickpeas soaked in water over night
1 fresh onion sliced
2 cloves garlic peeled and sliced
1 carrot peeled and cut to pieces
½ cup chopped fresh Cilantro
1/3 cup green peas
1 tablespoon chia seeds soaked in water (10-20 min)
2 tablespoons of ground oats
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste
Preparation
Drain the chickpeas peel them and add to blender with the fresh onion, garlic, carrots and fresh cilantro. Blend till you get a coarse mixture. Empty the contents of the blender to a bowl and add all the other ingredients (green peas, soaked chia seeds, ground oats, coriander, cumin, turmeric, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and mix. If the mixture is loose add more ground oats until you get a mixture you can form patties with. Make the patties with a uniform thickness of about 1 centimeter.
To cook the patties you can choose to either bake the patties in a preheated oven on a lightly greased baking tray for about 15 to 20 minutes or fry them in a non stick skillet with about 2 tablespoons oil for 6 patties. Heated oil well and fry until golden on each side and repeat till you have fried all patties.
Salsa ingredients
2 tomatoes
½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 -2 green spicy chili finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salsa Preparation
Peal and finely chop the tomatoes. Mash the garlic cloves to a paste. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and add the mashed garlic, chopped cilantro, lemon juice, olive oil and salt to taste. As for the chilli, adjust it to the spiciness of your preference.
Serving options
Use lettuce leaves instead of bread to make the burgers, serve along with the fresh salsa and a side dish of fresh salad.
Beetroot Soup
Ingredients
3 large beetroots, peeled and cut into half
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1/2 can of coconut milk (125gr)
pinch of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Parsley (optional)
Preparation
In a large pot first sauté the onion till golden, then add the garlic and ginger and cook stirring often.
Add the beetroots and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until they are tender. Once cooled use a blender to puree the ingredients.
Add the coconut milk salt and pepper.
If the consistency is to thick add some warm water to reach desired consistency. Garnish with parsley, if desired and serve.
Eat Healthy
Some of the things we need to consider are the quality of the air we breathe, the food we eat and what we drink. Mindful eating has the powerful potential to transform people’s relationship to food and eating, to improve overall health, body image, relationships and self-esteem. Mindful eating involves many components such as: Learning to make choices in beginning or ending a meal based on awareness of hunger and cues of overindulgence; Learning to identify personal triggers for mindless eating, such as emotions, social pressures, or certain foods;
Valuing quality over quantity of what you’re eating; Appreciating the sensual, as well as the nourishing, capacity of food; Feeling deep gratitude that may come from appreciating and experiencing food. The following segment is focused on some beneficial fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, oils we can eat to reinforce our body’s health. Very often, yoga is only partially understood as being limited to asanas (yoga poses). As such, its benefits are only perceived to be at the body level and we fail to realize the immense benefits yoga offers in uniting the body, mind and breath. When you are in harmony, the journey through life is calmer, happier and more fulfilling.
- All-round fitness
- Stress relief
- Inner peace
- Improved immunity
- Living with greater awareness
- Better relationships
- Increased energy
- Better flexibility & posture
- Better intuition
HERBS FOR HEALTH
Turmeric
It is interesting how some people are amazed to hear about the medicinal power of plants. Even though we know all the pharmaceutical drugs are made from the active ingredients of plants or these active ingredients are copied and manufactured in the laboratory (so they can be patented), we immediately turn to the pharmaceutical drugs when we have a certain health condition. It is only after they have failed to help us we turn to the so called alternative medicine which in actuality it is the real medicine.
Why?
• Maybe because we have been trained to think of their superiority from the direct and indirect information we are bombarded with constantly.
• Maybe our health condition is so severe that needs immediate attention. (Natural remedies, not all but most, have a slower effect.). if we were in touch with our bodies we would have been able to keep it aligned and balance (catching all the early symptoms) and never come to this position of having a disease out of control and be in a critical condition. an accident though is a different case which needs to be attended to immediately.
A symbol of prosperity and cleanliness.
I n India Turmeric is a very popular Herb used in the Indian cuisine, medicine but it is also considered very favorable and holy hence it is widely used in religious Hindu ceremonies. Before the wedding ceremony for example the bride hands and feet are covered with turmeric paste as it is considered to be purifying-cleansing. Actually it does help clear and calm any irritations of the skin, with the wedding stress the brides frequently suffer from the unexpected break out of the skin with acne like pimples appearing at un unwanted time. Turmeric is very good in calming down (reduces inflammation) the skin and drying out these pimples.
Medicinally, turmeric has been used for a variety of health conditions for over 4000 years (since c. 1900 BCE) (according to written records).
It helps digestion, fights intestinal parasites, protects the liver, helps prevent heart disease, stops bleeding just to name a few of its benefits.
Even now in India Turmeric is taken for almost all health ailments. It is a panacea for all diseases.
Personally I love drinking at least 1 cup of turmeric-ginger tea with a little honey when I feel a weakening of my digestive system. ITt helps with symptoms such as (stomach heat) excessive thirst, hunger, constipation e.t.c.
The curcumin found in Turmeric is believed to be the active ingredient responsible for all the beneficial anti inflammatory- antioxidant qualities of Turmeric.
Apart from the Ayrvedic use , turmeric is also a common antiseptic in Chinese medicine.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Ginger is a well known remedy for travel sickness, nausea and indigestion (general gastrointestinal problems). It also helps alleviate conditions such as colic, irritable bowel, loss of appetite, cold, flu, poor blood circulation, P.M.S, fevers, headaches, toothaches, coughs, bronchitis,.
Recently there is interest in its powerful anti-inflammatory attribute of Ginger herb as it can be used for joint inflammation problems (arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, tendonitis).
In Chinese medicine Ginger is widely used as a warming ingredient that helps boost the blood circulation, get rid of cold or wind cold symptoms externally and internally. It is frequently used with the treatment of Moxibustion when the cold symptoms are very strong. In this case a slice of ginger is put under the moxa cone and laid on the suffering body part before the moxa is lit.
Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
It is usually confused with Thyme and Marjoram. It is native to the Europe, Middle East and Mediterranean countries. In Greece it is cultivated widely and considered to be one of the best.
The wild oregano is found on rocky mountains and hills. The flowering tops are used for smelling oils. The oregano essential oil is very strong and should not be applied directly on the skin unless it is diluted in a base oil (care should be taken)
Medicinal properties: The herb is used in treating respiratory (cough, bronchitis, duspnea), gastrointestinal (colic, diarrhea) and urinary tract disorders, menstrual cramps and toothaches. In ancient Greece the medicinal value was known so it was frequently used externally for rheumatisms, swelling and muscle aches and pains. The tea of Oregano was drunk for colic.
Properties: Anti-parasite, antiviral, painkiller and tonic. Oregano is found to be 12 times stronger antioxidant than Orange.
Oregano contains: Antioxidants, iron, vitamin E, iron, calcium, omega fatty acids and tryptophan, Vitamin K
Origins: in ancient Greece it was believed to be an antidote for narcotic poisoning. It was also used for good luck and health when carried on ones person. If you grow oregano in your garden it was believed to ward off Evil.
It is said to have been given to cows and goats to produce sweet milk.
Modern day use: oregano is used in Geek, Caribbean, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Mexican cuisine. It is one of the most favorite seasoning for pizza. It combines well with tomato, garlic, thyme and parsley. If it is cooked for sometime it loses its smell and flavor as well as its beneficial properties thus it is best when put just before serving
The Moroccan Arabic word for wild Mediterranean oregano is Za’atar, again sometimes this name is also used for wild thyme. In Morocco, apart from local cuisine it is very popular as TEA, either mixed with green or black tea as a mint substitute. The Moroccans like their tea very sweet so the strong taste of the oregano is somewhat obscured.
The truth about DAIRY
There has been a lot of controversy concerning this topic among the people who have taken the time to think about why it is that we consume dairy products.
Those who have found sufficient reasons supporting the fact that we, as humans, are not preordained to be consuming another mammal’s milk, have taken it out from their daily diet. Others who are only worried about the antibiotics, growth hormones, blood and pus from the cow’s unavoidable mastitis, have turned to organic dairy.
Some of the most common drugs found in dairy cows are: (antibiotics) penicillin, sulfadimethoxine, gentamicin, tetracycline, ampicillin. Anti-inflamatory- analgesic (flunixin). Antibacterial (SupraSulfa III ® (Sulfamethazine Sustained Release Bolus), Tilmicosin( macrolide antibiotic, used in veterinary medicine for the treatment of bovine respiratory disease) + Bovine Growth Hormones e.t.c… e.t.c….
How sick are the cows that give us milk any way??
Remember that pregnant and lactating mothers are always advised to avoid taking medicine unless absolutely necessary and that with the strong supervision of the physician who keeps monitoring the child’s condition.
It seems to me that the majority of us are always looking for authoritative figures to tell us what we should and shouldn’t eat/drink.
-“Of course!! “I hear many saying!
– “We don’t know what is good for us, the doctors or the media need to do the research and tell us what is best for us!”
Even hearing these statements makes me wonder. How lazy have we become to let others decide what we should put in our mouth? We claim to be free but how free are we when we do what others tell us? This is our body, our wellbeing we are talking about. Who else knows better about what our body needs than our body itself? Even if we do not take the time to study-research about what is appropriate for human consumption we should at least take time to listen to our body.
A great percentage of the human population cannot even digest milk but what do we do? We take medicine that helps us digest what the body rejects. How sane is that?
Tips on learning how to connect with our body’s needs:
- Be quiet when eating
- Turn of the TV
- Put down the newspaper
- And just focus on what we are putting in our mouth.
Notice the taste, the temperature, how it feels when it goes down the digestive tract. Since we have been out of practice or we have actually never tasted our food it will take some time to retrain our selves but imagine the benefits!!
Now, whether one should or shouldn’t consume Dairy is an individual choice but as Jordan Maxwell likes to say “DO YOU HOME WORK”. Trust no one, do your own thinking!!