Raw Carrot Apple Cookies

This is another great way to use carrot pulp leftover from juicing. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can bake them in a low temperature oven. I did this for years before I had a dehydrator, but you must keep an eye on them. If they do actually bake, they will still be yummy, full of fiber and nutrition, just not raw. Still a healthy cookie you can feel good about snacking on or giving to the kids.

Raw Carrot Apple Cookies

carrot/apple pulp (leftover from juicing)

soaked ground buckwheat groats OR soaked rolled oats

ground flaxseed

sprinkle of stevia powder (very potent, a little goes a long way!) or a little honey

dash sea salt

ground almond meal

raw sesame seeds

raw sunflower seeds

chopped almonds

chopped dried fruit, your choice ( I used papaya and cherries)

about ¼ c. water with 1 ½ Tbsp, lemon juice

Soak grains in water (not too much) about 20 mins.. Add remaining ingredients; use your own judgment to make a moist dough. Mix thoroughly using a wooden spoon. Shape and press dough into cookie shapes on teflex or parchment paper sheets. Dehydrate until they resemble a moist cookie (4 – 6 hours) – not too long or they will be very tough. If necessary flip and dehydrate on the other side until done.

You can vary this recipe by substituting whatever ingredients you have on hand for the nuts and seeds (poppy seeds, pecans, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seed, coconut, etc.) and chopped dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, blueberries, currants, dates, etc.). Be creative – these cookies never come out the same twice!

China King Chinese Restaurant: 840 North Park Rd. Wyomissing, PA 19610 (Park Plaza)

China King is a small casual restaurant located in a little strip mall off N. Park Road. It is a great place to get delicious Chinese food fast. They offer several vegetarian dishes, including our favorite, General Tso’s “Chicken.” Food can be prepared with no MSG (you won’t miss it), brown rice is available on request, and any dish followed by (D) can be made as a low calorie, low cholesterol dish with absolutely no oil, salt or sugar — who says eating out will ruin your diet!

I consider China King to be an excellent value. The first time we ate in their tiny diningroom we ordered an entrée for each of us — big mistake! Two of us could barely finish one entrée, the servings were THAT BIG! Now we order one entrée and share it. That is plenty and with spring rolls and tea we leave completely satisfied with no boxes of leftovers to carry. Our total bill is usually around $12.00 for two people, a price that is hard to beat anywhere.

China King offers take out and delivery service ($10.00 minimum for delivery) if you’d rather eat at home or the office. Everyday they have a lunch buffet for only $5.45/ person which includes free water or soda, but I am sorry to say that there are no vegetarian entrees on the lunch buffet. (Maybe if enough people request it, they will change that!) Visa, MasterCard, and Diners Club cards are accepted, BYOB. Friendly, fast service, generous portions, low prices = highly recommend!

PHONE: 610-373-5851, 610-373-8805

FAX: 610-373-8803

Watermelon Sorbet

The inspiration for this recipe came from “The Vegan Scoop,” a dairy-free ice cream cookbook by Wheeler Del Torro. Eating vegan is always my goal, but I realize that simply because something is vegan doesn’t make it healthy. In fact many vegan recipes, especially those for desserts, contain so much fat and sugar that you might as well eat the real thing; if health is your concern there’s not much difference. So, I just had to tweek this recipe to make it a bit more acceptable.

This is a refreshing summer cooler. With all the added artificial ingredients found in most frozen treats it’s nice to find one that contains no added sugar, and has all the healthy lycopene found in watermelon naturally. (Lycopene is thought to reduce the risk of cancer). The sweet crisp taste will please both young and old alike, and of course, it’s low in calories. This one won’t weigh you down on a hot summer day 🙂

Ingredients:

6 – 8 cups diced seedless watermelon

1/4 cup Xylitol crystals

Zest of 1 lime, finely chopped or 1 – 2 tsp lime juice

pinch salt

1/4 tsp. Stevia powder

Method:

Using a food processor, puree watermelon into 4 cups. In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 cup watermelon puree, Xylitol, and lime to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Season with salt. Pour in remaining 3 cups watermelon puree, then add Stevia — whisk until evenly blended.

Pour entire mixture into a metal cake pan and freeze overnight.

The next day, allow frozen watermelon to thaw at room temperature for 5 – 15 minutes. Using a knife (if it’s too hard let it thaw a little longer), carefully break up puree into 2-inch pieces. Transfer to food processor in batches and pulse until smooth.

Store in plastic container in freezer for up to one week.

Yield: App. 1 quart

Potato-Leek Soup

This recipe is from “The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest,” by Mollie Katzen (an excellent cookbook).

The important thing to know here is how to clean a leek, because they grow like an onion and collect dirt in each layer. If you don’t clean them properly you will be eating a lot of dirt!

First of all, cut off and discard any of the tough, hard, or dry green ends of the leek that you don’t want to use. It’s okay to use the tender young green part near the bulb. Then trim off the root end and slice lengthwise all the way up the leek. You will wash one half at a time, gently folding back each layer to expose and rinse out any dirt you find. Drain, and you are ready to chop.

Ingredients:

3 medium sized potatoes

3 cups cleaned and chopped leeks

1 medium stalk celery, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

4 cups water

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup unsweetened soymilk

freshly ground black pepper

optional: snippets of fresh herbs
(thyme, marjoram, basil)

1) Scrub potatoes and cut them into chunks (I always peel them first) Place them in a soup pot or dutch oven with the leeks, celery, carrot, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and cool.

2) Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor. (I just use my immerseable stick blender and puree it in the pot while it’s still hot — what a time-saver!) Return the puree to the pot, and stir in the soymilk.

3) Add black pepper to taste, and adjust salt if necessary. Can be served hot or cold (hot is delicious), with a sprinkling of fresh herbs, if desired.

Creamy, low fat, wonderful!

Garlic Bread

GARLIC BREAD

Warm garlic bread goes great with Miracle Fat Burner Stew or any other stew or pasta. This is how I make a low-calorie garlic bread (you won’t miss the butter!)

Take one large garlic bulb(do not peel) and slice off the top one third (you want to expose the top of each clove). Wrap the entire bulb in aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 1/2 hour. When done each clove will be creamy and can be spread, just like butter, on a slice of warm wholegrain bread. Yum!