 I still have a ton of Swiss Chard in my garden despite the fact that we have had several hard frosts. I love the cold tolerant greens because you can enjoy them long into the winter weather. Last year I was brushing snow off the kale and eating it raw. Not for everyone, I know, but for me it was like getting a shot of summer in the dark, dreary winter days. Many greens get sweeter as it gets colder which is an added benefit.
This recipe features several Anti-Angiogenic Foods and is great at any meal. My parents raise chickens for their eggs and I have to say, this swiss chard saute is heavenly with some good organic scrambled eggs.
Ingredients:
1 Tbs olive oil, coconut oil, or butter (whatever you prefer)
1/2 large white onion, chopped
2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced
5-6 large leaves of Swiss chard, stripped and chopped (i.e removed the stems... but keep them)
5-6 Swiss chard stems,the ones you removed from the last step, chopped :)
2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Salt to taste (I love Herbamare a salt and seasoning blend available at natural food stores)
Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add olive oil, coconut oil or butter to the skillet. Add onions and garlic and saute for several minutes until translucent. Add chopped Swiss Chard stems, turmeric and black pepper. Reduce heat and allow to soften. This process takes several minutes. See picture below.
 Once the Swiss Chard stems are softened, add the chopped green leaves of the Swiss Chard. This part wilts very quickly when exposed to heat and is very similar to lettuce. I like my veggies a little crunchy so it's really up to personal preference how long you cook them during this step. If you like them very soft, you will need to keep them on longer.
For me, it only takes about 2-3 minutes.
After the greens have wilted to your liking, add salt to taste and enjoy!
Like I said, this recipe is great with scrambled eggs but would be equally delicious with brown rice even on it's own.
Enjoy!
-- Shelly
Serves Two
Ingredients:
4- Frozen Bananas, cut into chunks
1/2 cup-3/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
1-2 Tbs Almond Butter
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 Tbs Cacao Nibs
Directions:
Place bananas, 1/2 cup of almond milk, almond butter and cinnamon into a food processor. Process until creamy and smooth. You may need to add additional almond milk until desired consistency is reached. If you want it a little softer or if you want to enjoy it like a shake, you can add more almond milk.
Sprinkle with cacao nibs and serve immediately. This is something you want to eat fairly quickly after you make it. I wouldn't plan on refreezing it just because it doesn't hold up the best.
Tips from Shelly: As soon as your fresh banana's begin to freckle and are no longer desirable to eat fresh but are still relatively firm, peel them and place in a gallon size freezer bag and keep in the freezer. You can also sometimes purchase them on discount at your local markets. They make awesome ice"cream" and are a nutrient rich addition to smoothies.
The options for this recipe are endless once you have the main idea down. You can make Raspberry Cashew, Banana Peanut Butter, Blueberry Coconut and many other variation just by switching out the nut butter and leaving out the cinnamon, if desired.
Enjoy!
--Shelly
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” ― Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater's ManifestoFor most people the concept that food can be medicine is something completely foreign. Most people in America don't put much thought into the foods that they eat on a regular basis. We spend millions and millions of dollars each year searching for the magic bullet, the newest diet plan or pill that will make us thin, beautiful and ageless with minimal effort. The truth is that there is no magic bullet. Optimal health, at least in our modern world, takes effort. It comes from living a healthy lifestyle and preparing and eating fresh minimally processed whole foods. You have to put the time in. Food is more powerful than many of us realized. Over the past several months Amy and I have been learning a lot and teaching many classes at NuGenesis Farm in Delafield, WI (soon to be moving to Stone Bank, WI). NuGenesis Farm was started by a women named Kathy Bero who is a three time cancer survivor. It was during that battle that Kathy was introduced to the term Anti-angiogenesis. Angiogenesis, the proliferation of blood vessels, is necessary at three times in your life, during menstruation, pregnancy or during wound healing. When Angiogenesis is happening outside of those three life events it can prove to be quite dangerous. Angiogenesis is the process that turns a small, harmless single cancer cell into a large, life-threatening tumor. Anti-angiogenic foods are foods that have been proven to turn off this process, in essence, to stop the proliferation of blood vessels from feeding cancer. Cancer cannot grow without a source of nutrients. Not all foods have proven Anti-Angiogenic benefits... sorry junk food lovers. This list is a simplified version of NuGenesis' list of "Foods to Embrace." VegetablesArtichokes Asparagus Bok Choy Broccoli Butternut Squash Carrots Celery Collards Cucumber Fennel Green Beans Green or Yellow Squash Green, red & purple Peppers Kale Leeks Lima Beans Mushroom Peas Pumpkin Purple Cabbage Purple Cauliflower Purple Turnips Radish Red beets Red onions Red shallots Scallions Soy Beans (Edamame) Spring Mix Greens Sweet Potato/Yams Swiss chard Tomatoes Watercress FruitsApples
Black Currants Black Raspberry Blackberries Blueberries Cranberry Grapefruit Lemons Oranges Pineapple Red Grapes Red tart cherries Strawberries NutsAlmonds Hazelnuts Walnuts HerbsBasil Chives Fenugreek Garlic Ginger Green/purple sage Italian parsley Lavender Licorice Marjoram Mint Nutmeg Oregano Rosemary Thyme Turmeric w/pepper OtherDark Chocolate Grape Seed Oil Green Tea Olive Oil Red Wine Notice, all of these foods are PLANTS or derived from PLANTS! (There is a theme here.) Another benefit of these foods, there are no side effects.... except for a happy vibrant thriving body. You will see many of these foods in the recipes we post on this site. It's important that if you do start incorporating more of these foods into your diet that you try to eat these foods on a daily basis. For more information about Anti-Angiogenic Foods and/or NuGenesis Farm please visit: http://nugenesisfarm.org/--Shelly
It doesn't take people long to realize I am in the midst of a passionate love affair with Kale. Lacinato, Curly, Red Russian, Purple... it doesn't matter. I love it. It's great in smoothies, soups, stewed, sauteed and baked into kale chips. One of the most difficult ways to eat it is raw just because it can be quite tough. Kale offers substantial amounts of Vitamin A, K, C and various trace minerals. It's even high in calcium (mooove over milk)! Kale, the king of the dark leafy greens, has also made the list of the top 30 Anti-Angiogenic foods. Anti-Angiogenic foods are foods that have been proven to help cut off blood supply to cancer cells and tumors. In essence this foods contain cancer fighting properties.
This recipe is inspired by the Kale-abration Salad from NuGenesis Farms in Delafield, WI. My husband and I prefer the 2-3 cloves of garlic because it tastes a little spicy. If you don't absolutely love garlic, I would suggest just using one clove.
8 cups chopped kale
2-3 cloves of garlic finely minced
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/3 cup currant, raisins, dried cranberries or dried cherries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or other nut of choice
2 apples, chopped
Place kale, oil, honey, garlic and salt into a large bowl. With clean hands, massage everything together. After a few moments you will see and feel the kale turning softer and more tender. You can stop massaging whenever the kale reaches the texture you enjoy. The more you massage, the softer it gets. The softer it gets, easier it is to chew. When the desired texture is reached, add all other ingredients and toss gently.
Don't be afraid to add other vegetables. In the recipe above, I added some finely sliced purple cabbage. Jicama, shredded carrots, avocado, sliced onions or any other vegetable of your choosing would most likely be delicious, as well.
Enjoy!
--Shelly
My nephews are visiting this week and I wanted to make something that I could feel good about them snacking on. I made 18 muffins late last night and I think there are only 7 left. These muffins are good... really, really good and they are VEGAN!
Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup sucanat
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup pumpkin puree (applesauce would work too)
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
1 cup mashed banana (approximately 2 bananas)
1 cup vegan dark chocolate or carob chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line 18 muffin tin cups with paper liners. Prepare using the traditional muffin method. Mix all dry flour and baking soda into a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine all the wet ingredients. Make sure the muffin tins are lined and the oven is preheated. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together and mix until just combined. Fold in the chips and nuts. Immediately scoop into muffin tin and place into the oven.
Bake 25-30 minutes until tops are starting to turn golden and the muffins spring back when pressed lightly.
Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!
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