Kamut and Quinoa Twisted Pair Pasta by Eden Foods

During the beginning phases of transitioning out of the standard American diet, one quickly thinks about those old comfort foods like pasta. What are you going to use instead? Yes it is true that we now mostly use spaghetti squash, as this is the best option for health. Though in reality sometimes you are low on your main meal veggies because tomorrow is food market day. So you look in your cupboard for dinner ideas... 

For people new to changing out their foods, transitioning is a process that takes time. As we move to conscious healthier food choices we will find new products that may or may not remain a part of our choices in the future. I have found it is good to have some organic processed foods on hand that take you safely to the next level, and keep you on track for better health overall. There are some organic processed foods that help create that comfort food feeling you are familiar with from old conditioning. What you need is the healthiest choice of that item, and I feel this pasta from Eden Foods fits the bill very well.

Most of the packaged options for gluten free pastas turn into cardboard mush. I have found an option made by Eden Foods brand that comes close to actual pasta. Though not gluten-free, it does use a wheat that is not the modern day wheat which wreaks havoc on peoples guts. This pasta uses 70% whole grain organic Kamut wheat which comes from an ancient grain called Korasan that is two times larger than the modern short grain. Kamut is not genetically modified, and the company which grows the Kamut wheat says if you see the trademarked word 'Kamut' used in a product that you can be sure it is not a GMO. Yea! Thank you! This pasta also has 30% Quinoa which is an ancient seed of the Incas that is gluten-free. So I think this packaged pasta is a pretty good option for making a pasta dish that is easy on the belly. People with wheat allergies seem to be able to handle eating Kamut, though people with Celiac disease cannot. Watch the Kamut company video below for info about this grain.

Eden Kamut Quinoa Twisted Pair is a versatile pasta that you can use to make hot or cold dishes. 

Simple Salmon Pasta Salad 

 Toss the Eden Twisted Pasta in with fresh tomatoes, cucumber, Romain leaves 

and wild Alaskan salmon. Drizzle with a ginger vinaigrette or stir in some pesto. Yummy.

Below you will find the recipe for my traditional vegetable pasta meal. All ingredients are organic. Just like the old days, cook the twisted pasta in boiling water 10 minutes. Don't over do it! Taste the pasta for soft firmness, and drain. I find the twisted shape holds your sauce very well. I load the sauce with zucchini, onions, peppers, artichokes and anything else that is around, and I also make those veggies the main focus of the dish. Remember, it is always about the plants and the salad!
 

Organic Vegetable Pasta Dish

1/2 - 1 box Kamut Quinoa Twisted Pair

1/2 purple onion

2 green peppers

1 garlic clove chopped

1 chopped zucchini

1 jar organic (Native Forest brand) artichokes in water

12 ounces or half bottle organic strained tomatoes (Bio Natural brand)

1/3 tsp coconut oil (I used Tropical Traditions Gold)

fresh basil chopped

oregano

Boil water (hopefully not filled with fluoride) and follow pasta directions. Rub coconut oil in stainless steel or enamel pan. Add all chopped veggies to saute, except the artichokes. Add spices. When vegetables have desired light saute, add artichokes and liquid from jar. Then add your tomato sauce. Cook a for a few minutes longer. Spoon over a small portion of Kamut Quinoa pasta. If you still eat cheese (I do not) grate some fresh Parmesan on top. Serve with a big fresh organic salad of course!

I would like to add that Eden Foods who is using the Kamut wheat for this product, is fighting the good fight against the genetically modified food industry. They have joined the campaign for transparent labeling of what is really in our food in the California Prop 37. I support companies who support labeling of GMO's in our food, and I will drop any product from my life if I find they are supporting the cover up of GMO's. I really dislike the sneaky way Big Ag and the USDA added this to our food supply years ago. Read my GMO page for more info on this important health topic that should be of concern to everyone. Feel free to share the graphic below to get the word out about your right to know. Also, the company whose artichokes I purchased called Native Forest gave money towards the GMO labeling campaign too! I am paying attention to who is on these lists. I dropped Lara bars from my snack list. My daughter is making her own homemade version anyway. Much better!

Every so often I make something with Eden Foods Kamut Quinoa Twisted Pair, and hubby loves these dishes because they do have the old comfort food feel. So when you are searching out what to substitute in for a pasta recipe, give this ancient grain and seed combo a try. Plus, it's good for making a delish dish for your visiting friends and family who are not organic, so they see you are not so crazy after all, (well maybe just a wee bit Twisted sista, but that's our little secret).

Changing Your Food In Order To Live Life Fully

One of the best reasons to decide you are going to improve the way you eat... is because you want to live your life to its fullest potential. You want to have fun! You want to experience all that you can! You choose health! You choose to be vibrant and loving! You choose a bright energetic body. You are starting to juice everyday!

Changing up your food choices, and adding more fruits and vegetables to your life helps you with these goals. My husband and I see doing this as an adventure! We find more "new" things to eat and enjoy every week. We are not depriving ourselves at all. We are improving and lightening the load on our bodies. We are perfection in our own way. We do the best we can on any given day. Juicing fresh organic juice helps rev up your life engines. Juicing helps clean out your toxins and gets your energy body opening up to be more loving. That makes everything in your life easier, don't you think?

I love the video above because these two raw food gurus talk about how food choices impact your entire life and interaction with other people. By the way, can you see the beautiful skin on these two people? Do you see the glow? That is something I always notice on people who are fully or mostly raw. (Which means no cooked foods) Now, I am not a strict raw foodist, but I am doing my best to work towards an 80% intake of raw organic foods each day. Some days are better than others, and that is the stuff of life. Remember everyday is a new opportunity to enjoy life, enjoy your fresh foods, and enjoy the people around you. Just do the best you can with moving forward on your healthy journey! Loving yourself enough to want to be the healthiest body you can is key. This way your loving spirit can come through and shine on everyone! Use the life force, and be Peace.

This video stars Dan The Man "The life Regenerator" and Fully Raw Kristina. Check out their websites which are full of helpful information for your new food adventure.

Healing Cancer World Summit 2012

Sorry I have not been posting lately, this is due to hubby and myself moving to a new cottage under some beautiful trees. Moving takes so much focus and energy to get through! Ugh! to this grueling moving and packing all our stuff process! I always think of George Carlin. This is actually the first time I have been on the computer in over two weeks. I needed to do something different than unpack boxes and dig out of the mess, for an hour or two. Anyway I was sent a few emails from different sources about this Cancer summit put together by Kevin Gianni, and wanted to share it with you. It will be held October 31st to November 4th, Nov 7 to Nov. 13 two hours each evening (8PM EST or 5PM Pacific Time) and is free to tune in to during that time. As always these events present a package where you can purchase the lectures if you wish.

Since I was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer I will be listening in to these informative lectures with interest. Some of my favorite Cancer advocates are involved. Having gone to the surgeon's office today (the one who performed my double lumpectomy on one breast), I can tell you I was seriously bombarded with the "you must get radiation" propaganda again. The industry pushes hard. And I had the least amount of Cancer you can get! To keep on top of all your options please visit my Cancer page for additional alternative information about Cancer prevention and personal attitudes. This is so you can make an informed decision about your body, and feel good about what you think is right for your condition. If you are interested in ideas that are not corporate standard operating procedure, (remember Cancer is big business) I would suggest you sign up for this free 5 day series of lectures. Just go here. Cheers, and drink your fresh organic vegetable juice!

Big Love Is A Super Veggie Juice!

This is a big glass of self love! Full of cancer fighting goodness! We are stepping up the juicing around the castle, and this tall glass of fresh juice is the 'Afternoon Special.' A fresh juice that was amazingly delicious, considering how much cruciferous vegetables I added to the mix. Normally a thyroid patient would not add so much of these veggies to fresh juice, but I have no choice now. I am going for kicking cancer's butt. Phooey on the doctors and their cancer talk. I am healthy, and I am staying healthy. So I have to change it up, juice more, and do some strong goiterogenic veggies in my juice. You can go to my "Cancer" page at the top of this blog, for a list of the helpful cancer fighting foods. 

Let's get to it! Drink up and feel the rush!

Big Love - Super Veggie Juice

1 handful of dandelion greens

1 small clump of flat leaf parsley

2 carrots

1 granny smith apple cored

1 red delicious apple cored

1 whole lemon

6 leaves of romain lettuce

1 big handful of lettuce greens

1 inch ginger peeled

4 long skinny broccoli stems with tops

1 tiny red beet with stems on top

1 round clump califlower

1 tsp barley grass powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp turmeric

Add the barley powder and spices after you make your juice. Stir and enjoy! The cool thing about adding the cinnamon is that you smell it every time you take a sip, and that last mouthful is like drinking an old red hot candy. Tip: When I am finished drinking my veggie juice, I sometimes drizzle water down around the inside edge of the glass to savor every little drop left on the side of the glass. I don't want to miss anything! And that goes for living a big love filled life too!

What's That? Cactus Pear, Celery, Jicama Juice

We like to mix it up within our big food adventure, and occasionally we try some exotic to us, fruits and vegetables. Living where we do, certainly no cactus plants grow outside in this part of the world! Since we have never seen cactus pears in the wild, we definitely said, "what's that?" when saw them in a food store last weekend. We immediately decided to give the strange looking fruits a try, not even knowing anything about their taste. That's the gosh darn freaky fun of it!

I needed to find out about these little critters, so I watched a few YouTube videos about cactus pears, and also watched a number of people harvesting the fruit in the desert themselves. Tricky business. Seems we are very lucky not to experience the thorns and nasty stickers that come from gathering these cactus pears in the wild! Be sure to hold them with paper towels while you cut them if yours still have any remnants of cactus thorns on them! Overall there was some disagreement about how to open the fruit. I decided to go with John Kohler of OK Raw's method. You can see John in the video at the bottom of this post creating a cactus cooler that he makes with coconut water.

I sliced off each end, and then ran my knife just at the depth of the skin lengthwise. The juice can stain, so be careful not to be wearing anything white or fancy. If your cactus pears still have thorns use gloves or some paper towels to do this maneuver to protect your hands. I then rolled the outer skin off the inside flesh.

Cactus pears grow off the tip edge of cactus plants. If you have seen cactus flowers then these would be in the same area of the plant. Most of the cactus pears I saw on videos had seeds in the center that you scooped out with a spoon. 

Ours had the seeds throughout the inside flesh (see photo below), and the seeds were hard as rocks. I took a taste of the pears, they were sweet, but oh those seeds... I decided to add the two cactus pears to a juice recipe. This way the macine can remove the seed problem. People do like to juice cactus pear for it's healthy benefits because it contains magnesium, vitamin C, and helps in reducing inflammation in the body. They are also supposed to be good for diabetics. You can read more about the nutritional benefits here and here.

I thought that I would add them to a celery-jicama based juice, since that is what I had on hand. That is the beauty of juicing, so many combo's are oh so good! Hubby was not going to be home till much later. I made a bigger batch of juice than I usually do, because I knew I would be drinking most of this myself right away. Best to drink your juice as fresh as possible.

Cactus Pear, Celery, Jicama Juice

2 cactus pears peeled / inside flesh only

8 stalks of celery

1/3 jicama peeled

1 peeled English cucumber 

1/2 inch of peeled ginger

2 granny smith apples

1 tsp of Cinnamon

Add all of the above ingrediants to the juice machine, and mix with spoon in pitcher. Pour into glass and stir with a crunchy celery swizzle stick. Enjoy! This batch made a quart of juice. I drank the pint container before I poured the rest into the quart, so maybe it was a bit more than a quart of juice. It looked so good I had to drink it! Yum!

If you are not drinking your fresh made juice till later, it is best to fill your mason jar to the very top to remove the air, and replace lid tightly, and refrigerate. The cactus pears made for a beautiful color of juice! Be brave and try new things! 

Enjoy John in the video below showing how to use cactus pears, and as always giving you the low down on juicing machines!

Consider Trying Bison Burgers

For those folks in transition that still enjoy eating meat, a healthier alternative to beef is Bison. Also known as American Buffalo, grass fed Bison is leaner, so the total fat, cholesterol and calories are lower than a beef burger. You can view a chart of the nutritional differences between meats here, where you can see Bison has higher iron and B-12 values than other meats, with the exception of salmon. When I was still eating meat earlier this summer, I found Bison to be quite tasty. It's true, although I did not plan on it, I have naturally transitioned into a vegan at this point. My hubby still eats some meat, and I like to allow everyone to change their food patterns at their own pace. That is why I am posting this alternative to the red meat you may usually may eat, as I like to support you no matter where you may be at this time with your own food choices.

For us there happens to be a Bison farm in operation not too far from where we live, as you can see in the photo below it's a really gorgeous farm to drive by. Unfortunately they never opened a store at this location. We would have to travel quite a distance to get to their other Bison farm, where they have a store set up to sell the Bison Meat. 

Since that is inconvenient, we purchased this pound of a different brand of ground bison meat at the natural food market. If you do not have a Bison farm nearby in your area, other options are that you may find Bison meat at natural markets, large farmers markets, Whole Foods, and online. 
 

Because Bison meat is leaner, you want to cook it lower and slower than beef. Take your time, no need to rush. I did not add anything to the burger meat below. I handled the meat lightly when making the patties, and then gave to Ben to grill.

For our burgers we added some fresh avocado, onion. lettuce, and heirloom tomato. Although I prefer no roll myself, the roll of choice was from Ezekial's frozen sprouted breads. Dinner was served with ears of fresh sustainably farmed non-GMO corn! Yum! I also made a relish of chopped raw corn kernels, onion, cucumbers and tomatoes from the CSA, drizzled with a light balsamic vinaigrette. A light and tasty weekend meal! Since working with Bison meat may be new to many people I found some helpful videos for you to view below.



The video above shows the basics of grilling and handling ground bison. The video below shows a slightly different version using a marinade in the ground Bison for extra moisture. I think you will see this is a very easy meat to work with on the grill or in the kitchen. Be brave and try new things. This makes food an adventure! Even if I'll be having a portobello mushroom burger myself. Just sayin'. Things changed for me.

 

Bison comes in all the other meat cuts you know such as steaks, roasts, and sausages. If you see Bison offered at your local restaurant, give it a try. It's a far better alternative to eating other meats, and I think you will really like the change of pace.

Looks like a cute family. Just so you know, Bison can run up to 40 miles per hour, so don't be climbing over the fence.