| It seems like every few months or so there is a new | | | | 1 teaspoon ground cumin |
| diet craze or miracle workout that comes around. | | | | ½ teaspoon red pepper flakessalt to taste |
| Sure, a lot of these may work for a little while, but they | | | | To prepare, just put everything in a fair-sized food |
| never lead to a sustainable lifestyle change. | | | | processor like the Hamilton Beach 500-watt 14-cup |
| How is it possible that our country just had a national | | | | food processor and puree until smooth. Start by just |
| debate about health care and yet so little of it | | | | adding a little bit of salt and then adding more as |
| centered around what we eat? Our diets are one of | | | | needed. Muhammara is fun to make when you sort of |
| the most essential parts of our overall health and | | | | season as you go, tasting your way to the finish line. |
| well-being. Eating right and exercising is preventative | | | | If you want a spicier dish, you can substitute the |
| medicine in its purest form. | | | | ground pepper flakes for a chopped up jalapeno |
| When you prepare your own meals it is much easier | | | | pepper. This dish is also best when you let it sit |
| to eat healthy because you can see exactly what you | | | | overnight to allow the flavors to blend. |
| are putting into your food. Does a recipe seem to call | | | | Kale Salad with Chipotle Avocado Dressing |
| for too much oil or cheese? Cut it down, substitute it | | | | This recipe requires no cooking so the kale itself |
| with something else, or consider making a different | | | | maintains all of its essential nutrients. By massaging in |
| meal. Here are a few healthy and delicious recipes | | | | the salt, however, the kale will wilt and take on a |
| that you can make with a food processor. | | | | cooked texture. The dressing for this is so delicious |
| Breakfast Fruit Smoothie | | | | you will be looking for all kinds of other places to use it! |
| Starting your day off with a delicious fruit smoothie is a | | | | This recipe feeds at least four people so invite over |
| great way to get around the habit of grabbing a | | | | some friends! |
| coffee and a donut on the way to work. You will also | | | | 4 heads of kale (again, this will look like a lot but it will |
| be amazed at how little prep time it takes. If you have | | | | wilt down a lot with the salt) |
| time to turn on the coffee pot, you have time to fix | | | | 1 tablespoon salt |
| yourself a delicious and healthy smoothie. | | | | 2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes |
| 1 banana | | | | 1 onion, chopped |
| ½ cup frozen (or fresh) mixed berries | | | | 1 cup hulled hemp seeds |
| ¼ cup frozen (or fresh) pineapple bits | | | | Dressing |
| ½ cup orange juice | | | | 3 avocados, peeled and with center removed |
| 2 heaping tablespoons low fat yogurt | | | | 2 chipotle peppers |
| Simply blend this all up in a blender like the Wolfgang | | | | ½ cup extra virgin olive oil |
| Puck Stainless Steel Immersion Blender and serve right | | | | 2 tablespoons agave nectar |
| away. The best thing about smoothies is how flexible | | | | ¼ cup lemon juice |
| and open to interpretation the recipes are. You can | | | | Start by removing the stems from the kale. Wash it |
| use a little papaya instead of the pineapple or use | | | | well and then tear it into bite-sized pieces. Put it in a |
| fresh squeezed oranges instead of the orange juice. | | | | bowl and begin to massage half the salt right into the |
| The only limit to what you can do is your imagination. | | | | kale. Massage until the kale starts to wilt and begins to |
| Muhammara | | | | have a cooked texture. If it is being stubborn you can |
| The Middle Eastern chickpea spread hummus is a | | | | use more salt, but the less you use the healthier the |
| staple of food processor cuisine. So much so that you | | | | meal. Just keep massaging! |
| might want to mix things up a bit every now and then. | | | | When it takes on a good texture you can mix in the |
| Muhammara is a tradional Syrian hot pepper dip that | | | | onions, tomatoes, and hemp seeds. |
| uses breadcrumbs and walnuts instead of chickpeas. | | | | Now it is time to make the dressing. All you do is dump |
| This recipe is a little bit less spicy than normal and it | | | | the dressing ingredients into a food processor like the |
| goes just as well with raw vegetables or pita bread as | | | | Black and Decker 10-cup 500-watt Food Processor |
| hummus does. | | | | and puree. If you are concerned with the amount of |
| 3 roasted red peppers (jarred or roasted on the stove | | | | fat from the olive oil you can use more lemon juice |
| top then pealed and seeded) | | | | and less EVOO. |
| 2/3 cup homemade breadcrumbs (mashed up oyster | | | | Remember that it isn't always what you cook, it is the |
| crackers works great) | | | | act of cooking itself that is important. When you go out |
| 1 cup walnuts, toasted | | | | to a restaurant you are only choosing what to pick off |
| 4 big cloves of garlic | | | | the menu. When you cook from scratch you are |
| 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice | | | | making literally dozens of food choices about what |
| 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil | | | | you are putting in your body. These choices will add up |
| 2 teaspoons agave nectar | | | | to a healthier and happier lifestyle. |