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June / July 2013Price: FREEwww.Blikki.com

19 GREAT AUTUMN RECIPES

The Amazing Benefits of Honey p.42

Easy to Download

Recipesp. 23

Create a Pollinator Paradise p.20

Exclusive Interview with Wes Crain of Navitas Naturals p.40

p. 34

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Contents

In Every Issue

Editor’s Note 8Nutrition Q&A 14Quick Bites! 44Soul Food 45[ [

Feature Articles:Gluten-Free Flat BreadsHoney - Nectar of the GodsHow to Become an Eco-CitizenGet a Buzz-Worthy GardenSoups, Salads, and Such . . . Guess Who’s Coming to Breakfast?Interview with Wes Crain of Navitas NaturalsEasy Sprouts in 3 days

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©2013 Blikki.com, All Rights Reserved. Blikki® is the registered trademark of Blikki.com. All other marks are either trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. No portion of this magazine may be reprinted, copied or distributed in print or on-line without prior written consent. The statements and products featured in this publication and/or on this site may not have been evaluated by the US Food & Drug Administration. The state-ments and products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The articles written are from the author’s viewpoint and or opinion and may not necessarily reflect he opinions or views of Blikki, its owner, publisher, or editors. Articles are copyright of the author and used with permission.

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Fall IssueAugust / September 2013

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Heidi Bjarnason is a mom of three cooking and baking healthy meals and snacks with whole grains and lots of seasonal(and mostly local) fruits and veggies, and blogging at FoodDoodles.

Juliet Blankespore is the director and primary instructor at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. She cultivates a diverse herb garden and apothecary. Juliet also shares her plant obsession through her herbal articles and botanical photog-raphy in her Blog Castanea, and she is a columns in Plant Healer Magazine and the Journal of the National Asso-ciation for Holistic Aromatherapy.

Kristy Sayer is passionate about healthy living and uses her blog, Southern In-Law, to share her healthy, allergy friendly recipes as well as her life in Sydney Australia with her Southern Gentle-man Jesse. The blog covers everything from food to wed-dings to fashion to travel and just about everything in between.

Contributors

Erin Wysocarski is an amateur home cook and founder of Olives for Dinner, a vegan blog created in 2011. Erin cooks and styles her vegan creations while her husband, Jeff, photographs the end result. Since then, their work has appeared in bonappetit.com, The Huffington Post, thekitchn.com, SF Weekly and VegNews.

Mikaela Shafer runs her healthy living blog MamaMouseSays in Ogden, Utah. When not blogging up a storm she can be found hiking the beautiful mountain trails just a few blocks from her house, baking with her family and buying hideous and wacky treasures at the local thrift store.

Amy Atherton is the author of the blog Foods for the Soul. She graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Chemistry, and she put her degree to use by developing healthy recipes in her home kitchen. Although she spends most of her day baking , Amy still finds time for running, yoga, and eating lots of dark chocolate.

Annalissa Kapp is a certified holistic nutritionist, recipe developer, and the woman behind Annaliisa’s Organic Kitchen. In her practice she offers guided online nutritional workshops on how to safely and effectively detoxify, lose weight, boost your mood, and increase energy with whole foods. She is also a natural food chef and a wellness coach for people around the globe.

Heather Poire is the genius creator, recipe developer and photographer behind her blog Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes. Heather’s passion is sharing her recipes with the world to show how tasty and amazing vegan food can be. Heather’s recipes and photography have been published in VegNews, Take Stock and Chickpea magazines.

Genevieve is a grad student from Canada and creator of the blog Vanilla and Spice, devoted to healthy vegetarian and vegan recipes. She finds inspiration from seasonal produce, farmers’ markets, and travels to various countries around the world.

Jill Hillhouse BPHE, CNP is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner whose practice is based on her philosophy that each individual is metabolically unique. She seeks to identify the root cause of peoples’ health concerns and to educate and inspire them to be an active partner in their own health.

Erin Bosdet is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist (CHN), a vegan chef and a mom. She is passionate about nutrition, photography and raising her son. Her Simply Dish pages were created to inspire you and to share nutritious and delicious plant based recipes with you and your family.

Emma Seppala, Ph.D is the Associate Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University where she studied the impact of meditation on happiness, social connection, and compassion. Emma’s research has been cited in numerous television and news outlets including ABC News and The New York Times.

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Lisa Viger is a vegan artist, author, photographer, gardener, and food blogger. She loves all beings with whom she shares this beautiful planet, and enjoys showing others that a vegan lifestyle can be economical, fun, and delicious, too. Raw on $10 shows how to go raw with-out going broke.

Marie Haldane is the “Cautious Vegetarian” and lives in Vancouver. She loves to create, cook and blog about vegetarian food. She has worked for many years in the health care field and is currently com-pleting a Master’s degree in commu-nity development with a focus on innovative ways to help people improve their health.

Lauren Glucina is a Raw Chef, Health Coach and Herbal-ist-in-the-making in Sydney, Australia. A passionate raw foodie, she shares recipes, health and wellness tips and inspiration on her blog, Ascension Kitchen.

Kieran Gruber is a foodie who is passionate about healthy living. He created his blog Health Is Happiness as a place to share his whole food plant-based recipes with the world. He is currently studying to become a holistic nutrition-ist in order to help others live healthier and happier lives.

Sonnet Lauberth is a certified holistic health coach, food educator, blogger, and writer with a passion for helping people lead fuller, healthier, and happier lives.

Amie Valpone, HHC, AADP is a Manhattan based Personal Chef, Culinary Nutritionist, Professional Recipe Developer, Food Photographer and Writer specializing in simple gluten- and dairy-free recipes. Amie’s has appeared on Martha Stewart, Fox News Health, The Huffington Post, The Food Network, PBS and many others.

Angela Liddon began her journey to create awesome vegan food by focusing on creating healthy and delicious plant-based meals that would win over her husband. March of this year, she released her first cookbook “Oh She Glows” -- the Kindle edition is set to release this December.s

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Erica Kerwien is a kitchen chemist and founder of Comfy Belly (www.comfybelly.com). Comfy Belly is a valuable resource for healthy recipes that are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and other lifestyles.

Sarah Kieffer spends much of her time bak ing, tak ing pho tographs, and lis ten ing to Ella Fitzger ald. She shares her recipes and mus ings at The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Shira McDermott is a food lover, who believes eating well should be accessible to all, and that eating healthfully shouldn’t be overly expensive or complicated. By using seasonal, plant-based ingredients, her aim is to inspire everyone to cook and eat well.

Editor’s Note

I was saying to my friend Waddie recently that I’ve been eating a natural, organic diet for a long, long time. And I really committed to eating cleanly when I was diagnosed with tummy troubles several years ago. The specialists I was seeing at the time couldn’t help me to resolve my digestive issues, so I decided to be my own diagnostician. That’s when I discovered that there was a definite connection between the food I was eating and my overall health.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I learned there was another threat to our food supply -- GMOs. What are GMOs (or Genetically Modified Organisms) and why should we be concerned? A GMO is an organism that has been genetically modified to include the DNA of micro-organisms such as bacteria, yeast, insects, plants, fish or mammals, and these organisms are being added to our food supply. Although there is no definitive answer to the dangers GMOs pose to our overall heath, my research indicates that GMOs can negatively affect our health by causing issues with reproduction, accelerated aging, gastrointestinal issues, organ damage, immune system problems, and issues regulating cholesterol and insulin levels.

So what can you do to avoid eating GMOs? First, always eat only certified organic foods. Second, you can choose foods and products that are Non-GMO Project Verified. To read more about GMOs, see our article “Why You Should Care About GMOs” .

Bon Appetit!

Hippie Diva

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8 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

http://indeelee.com

Gluten-Free Flat Breads From Around The World

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Makes about 20 triangles

• 1 c flax meal• 1 cup walnuts, soaked• 3 cups chopped zucchini• 2 tablespoons olive oil• 2 tablespoons yeast• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped• 1 clove garlic, minced• 1 tablespoon maple syrup• ½ teaspoon flakey sea salt• ½ cup water

1. Process all ingredients except the flax meal and the water, in a food processor, till well combined

2. Transfer to a large bowl, fold through the flax meal and water3. Mix well till you have a nice dough4. Spread 1/3 inch thick over dehydrator teflex sheets5. Dehydrate at 115˚F for 6 hours6. Remove tray and score into triangles like the image above7. Dehydrate for a further 10 hours.

Lauren GlucinaAscension Kitchen

This raw rosemary and thyme flax bread is simple

to make, and gives you a god-dess body. It flattens out the stomach, and protects from Breast Cancer. The humble flaxseed has been used as a food source for over 5,000 years!

Rosemary and Thyme Flaxbread

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 11

Chickpea Flat Bread

• 2.5 cups chick-pea flour (also called gram or garbanzo flour)

• 3.5 cups fresh cold water• 1 tsp salt & black pepper, or to

taste• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a large mixing bowl, pour in the flour. Add the water gradual-ly as you whisk the flour to keep any lumps from forming. Once all the water has been added, mix un-til completely smooth and add salt and pepper as desired (just not too much salt and this recipe doesn’t need much).

Let the mixture stand on the count-er for 3 hours or so. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Gently skim off any froth that forms on the surface of the mix-ture with a slotted spoon. Prepare a large rimmed cookie sheet by pour-ing the olive oil onto the bottom (if you can, do not be shy or skimpy here with the olive oil, it is wonder-ful in this recipe).

Once the oven is hot, pour in the batter, making a layer about (1/4) inch deep. Careful, this is going to move a lot when you pick it up! Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven when done and let cool a little before cutting & serving.

Shira McDermottIn Pursuit of More

Celebrating simple whole foods in their freshest state is what Shira McDermott’s blog is all about, as well as enjoying every-thing in moderation and with gratitude.

DownloadRecipes

12 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

by DKChef in You

Starter Ingredients:• 3/4 cup water, room temp. (70 degrees)• 1/2 cup teff flour• A pinch active yeast (about 1/8 tsp)

Making the Starter

Day 1:Combine ingredients for the starter in a bowl.Step 1 - Loosely cover the starter with the lid/cloth and ferment for two days. You should see some rising in about four hours. Let sit for 2 days.Day 3:Step 2 - Stir the starter. At this point, the starter will have a very yeasty and grassy smell. You will also notice small bubbles on the surface.Step 3 - Feed the starter 1/3 cup teff flour and 1/2 cup water and loosely cover with the lid. Let sit for 2 days.Day 5:Starter should have separated into distinct layers. Stir starter, it should be slightly fizzy and have a very strong grassy aroma. Feed with 1/3 cup teff flour and 1/2 cup water. Loosely cover and allow to sit alone for at least 4 hours before using to make Injera.

{Click here for see full recipe details}

Injera recipe • 1/4 cup teff starter• 1-3/4 cups water, at room temperature• 1-3/4 cups teff flour• 1/4 tsp salt

Step 1 - Mix together starter and water, stir to dissolve.Step 2 - Add the teff flour and mix until the batter is smooth. It will have the consistency of thin pancake batter.Step 3 - Cover batter and let stand for 5 to 6 hours at room temperature. Step 4 - Add the salt and stir to dissolve.Step 5 - Heat a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat (you’ll also need a tight-fitting lid). Lightly greese the skillet with a thin layer of vegetable oil. Pour about 1/2 cup (for a 10-inch skillet) or 3/4 cup (for a 12-inch skillet) of batter in the center of the skillet.Step 6 - Tilt and swirl the skillet immediately to coat evenly.Step 7 - Let the bread cook for about 1 minute, just until holes start to form on the surface.Step 8 - Cover the skillet with the lid to steam the Injera.Step 9 - Cook for about 3 minutes, just until the edges pull away from the sides and the top is set.

Ethiopian Injera

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QA&

with Jill Hillhouse BPHE, CNP

Nutrition

I’m new to eating a plant based diet, and I want to cut down on simple carbohydrates (white breads, potato chips, white rice). Are there other vegetables that are considered carbohydrates? Elizabeth, Texas

I want to create balanced vegetarian and vegan meals for my family. I know there’s a traditional food pyramid, is there one for a plant based diet? Lee, New Mexico

Q:

Q:

I have grouped these two questions together because the macronutrients in our diet (proteins, fats and carbohy-

drates) exist in relationship to one another, not in a vacuum. Given the current reductionist state of much of our nutrition information it is easy to think of just protein (last issue) or just fats or just a certain vitamin as beneficial but the truth is that nutrients work synergistically in our bodies. With that in mind, let’s look at carbohydrates by themselves first and then see where they fit into the whole food pyramid concept.

The idea of simple and complex carbohydrates has been around for a long time but the actual biochemistry of these two is much different than the popular definition. For example, the white bread, potato chips and white rice mentioned as simple carbohydrates in the first question are actually all complex carbohydrates because they are composed of starch (polysaccharides) while table sugar (sucrose) and the sugar in fruit (fructose) are both simple carbohydrates. Regardless of the type, the digestive system tries to break all carbohydrates down into individual glucose molecules which then become our blood sugar from which the body can get its energy. Fiber is the exception because the body can’t break it down so it passes through undigested but does offer its own health benefits in the intestine.

As with the protein information in my last column, I really try to avoid one-size-fits-all recommendations because they don’t work. The Institute of Medicine recommends between 45-65% of an adult’s calories come from carbohydrates while the World Health Organization sets a goal of 55-75% of total energy from carbohydrates. A more healthful way of looking at carbohydrate consumption is to consider the glycemic index of the food. This helps us classify carbohydrates based on how quickly they raise our blood sugar compared to glucose. So the white rice, chips and white bread are all high glycemic and act like sugar in the body, even though they are complex carbohydrates. Ideally we want to eat the lower glycemic carbohydrates (less than 55 on the GI scale) because quick and strong increases in blood sugar brought on by high glycemic foods are irrefutably linked to diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

What we often forget is that all our vegetables are also carbo-hydrates and this is really where we should be concentrating our efforts. When it comes to food pyramids, there is a vege-tarian one but the inherent problem of one-size-fits-all still exists within that structure. Optimal percentages of carbo-

hydrates in the diet will vary based on a number of things including age, activity level, health status and insulin sensi-tivity. Have a look at the chart and try to get most of your carbohydrates from the low glycemic end of the spectrum and let’s load up on non-starchy vegetables! For a more complete glycemic index list please visit www.mendosa.com. {B}

GlycemicSource Qty Carbs Index Vegetablesbroccoli (cooked) 1 cup 11 grams 10carrots (cooked) 1 cup 13 grams 39potato (boiled) 1 cup 78

Fruitapple 1 med 25 grams 36bananas 1 med 27 grams 51orange juice 1 cup 25 grams 52

Legumesred lentils 1 cup 40 grams 32chick peas 1 cup 32 grams 28kidney beans 1 cup 37 grams 24

Dairyskim milk 1 cup 17 grams 37soy milk 1 cup 8 grams 34ice cream 1 cup 46 grams 51

GrainsCorn Flakes 1 cup 25 grams 81whole wheat bread 1 slice 22 grams 74rolled oats (cooked) 1 cup 64 grams 55brown rice (cooked) 1 cup 46 grams 68white rice (cooked) 1 cup 53 grams 73

Nuts and SeedsNuts and seeds don’t contain enough carbohydrates to be measured for their glycemic index and in fact will lower the glycemic index of foods eaten with them.

A:

14 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

Do you have a nutrition question? Send your questions to: Nutrition@blikki.com

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Whether it’s called “liquid gold” or “nectar of the Gods”, honey is one of the original “super foods”. Cave paintings found in Valencia, Spain show honey hunters collecting honey from a wild bee hive 8000 years ago. And the Old Testa-ment mentions honey as a symbol of plentitude — “The Land Flowing with Milk and Honey” is how the Old Testa-ment describes the Promised Land.

Honey is produced through the process of regurgitation which turns the nectar the bees collect into a food source for the next generation of bees. It is kept in chambers in the honeycomb of the hive. The Beekeeping process encour-ages over production of honey and the excess can be taken from the colony without disturbing the hive.

Collected from the honey-comb in the hive, the honey is removed and filtered. It is classified by its floral source and by the processing and packaging. Most commercial honey is blended – a mixture of two or three kinds of honey from different sources.

Honey - Nectar of the GodsRENA STERNFELD

Click here to shop Beeraw to purchase the honey above

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Honey contains monosaccha-raides, fructose and glucose, and has about the same sweet-ness as granulated sugar. Most microorganisms do not grow in honey so it can be kept at room temperature without the need for refrigeration. Honey has been used throughout the years for long term storage and preservation. Objects, found immersed in honey (without humidity), have been preserved for centuries.

Did you know that honey has also been used to treat ailments – especially Manuka honey which is used for its anti-bac-terial properties. Even though Manuka honey has the repu-tation of being super anti-bac-terial and helpful in cases of skin burns and different types of chronic wounds, there isn’t enough scientific data to support that claim. Caution: if you do use any type of honey to dress a wound, be sure to use only honey that has been processed to be used specifically as a wound dressing.

THE GLOSSARY

Polyfloral honey, also known as wildflower honey, has different flowers as the source.

Monofloral honey is made mainly from nectar of a single species and differs in color and flavor according to the source. Although called Monofloral, there is always some other kind

of nectar involved because of the inability to contain the bees to one area. Most American honey is made from nectar of clover, orange blossom, blueberry, sage and buckwheat. European honey is also made from thyme, thistle, heather, dandelion, sunflower and honeysuckle.

Crystallized honey, also called granulated honey, has crystallized over time. It can be returned to liquid by stirring while the container is heated (typically in hot water).

Pasteurized honey - Just as with milk, honey is heated to destroy yeast cells and delay the appear-ance of crystallization. Exces-sive heat is known to cause the honey to deteriorate and darken in color. It also affects the taste and fragrance.

Raw honey - Raw honey hasn’t been pasteurized and is as close to natural as possible. It may contain some pollen and parti-cles of wax from the comb. In what seems like a paradox,w this honey is best for preventing and treating hay fever and other allergies because of the small amounts of pollen it contains which lets the body get used to it and build the antibodies to fight off allergens. So if you suffer from seasonal allergies, a teaspoon of local honey may actually help prevent allergy

attacks.

Strained honey - Means the honey has been passed through a strainer, without pasteurization.

Filtered honey - Has been filtered to remove impurities and only heated slightly. This kind of honey is very clear and doesn’t crystallize quickly.

Whipped honey - Also called spun honey, creamed honey, or candied honey (in the UK it is called set honey) has been spun to prevent it from crystal-lizing. The honey is smooth and

spreadable.

Comb honey – Honey that is still in the comb. The honey combs are removed from the hive and cut to pieces.

Manuka honey – Comes from bees who feasted on the Manuka trees (also known as Tea Trees) which grow in New

Zealand and Southeast Australia. It is dark in color and has a distinctive earthy flavor.

STORING HONEY:

Honey should not be preserved in metal containers because the acids in the honey may promote oxidation. Traditionally it was stored in clay or wood pots. If storing in wood the honey may change its taste a little. Heating it to body temperature causes the honey to lose about 200 components. Heating it to 104° F destroys invertase, an important enzyme that gives this liquid gold most of its benefits.

THE BUZZ

• Honey is an energy booster, • An immune system buster, • An anti-bacterial agent. • And lastly, who hasn’t

enjoyed a warm cup of tea during cold and flu season to help soothe a sore, irritated throat?

So the next time you’re enjoying your cuppa, try adding a little honey. Not only will it add a little brightness to your drink, but you may help boost your immune system in the process!

{B}

Did you know that honey’s

anti-bacterial properties is useful in

treating ailments?

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 17

The terms ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘green’ appear almost everywhere these days. So much so that it makes you stop and wonder. If so many things are

eco-friendly, shouldn’t we all be much better off by now? No, the terms have become a marketing slogan playing on the fact that most of us want to help preserve our plant.

We just have to be a little bit smarter.

What does it mean to be ecologically smart? It means using goods and services that help conserve resources. It means using resources that have minimal impact on the environment at both ends - when they are manufactured and when they are disposed of. It means trying to minimize contributions to air, water and land pollution.

Being an eco-citizen means thinking about what we put in the soil when we use pesticides and herbicides. Thinking about what we put in our mouths and what kind of cleaners and soaps we use which end up in unex-pected places and impact the eco-system.

But we are not only obligated to preserve the earth. We are morally obligated to preserve the people who populate it. To ensure that what we buy here was not produced by sweat shops and underage labor in poor and developing countries. To make sure that the jewelry we buy does not include a ‘blood diamond’ that might have cost someone his life.

• It means using sustainable materials that can be replenished without depleting our natural resources and without disturbing the eco system. It is the capacity to endure through renewal, maintenance, and sustenance as opposed to durability and resistance to change. “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future gener-ations to meet their own needs.” That is how the United Nations called the concept in 1987. Not everything that is called eco-friendly is sustainable but everything that is sustainable is eco-friendly.

• Being an eco-citizen means we look at the materi-als we build with, the chemicals we use to insulate, and at the plumbing we install and decide that even though it might cost a little bit more right now, it will help save the environment and save money

down the line. Living an eco-lifestyle is not that difficult. A good guide can be found on the EPA site, which talks about energy efficiency, water efficiency, building materials, waste and toxins reduction, and indoor air quality.

• It means paying attention to the products we use around the house. Environmental Working Group has a guide for environmentally safe cleaners.

• It means looking at the labels of the clothes we buy to see if they are made from natural fibers, recycled materials and without forced labor. It means knowing where child labor still exists and avoiding buying the brand that uses it to increase profits. Eco fashion has become very popular, and there are websites, such as Eco Fashion World, that tell you which brands sell clothes that follow those guidelines.

• Being an eco-citizen means that when you buy jewelry, you make sure it is eco-jewelry; conflict free diamonds, free traded precious stones, and recycled gold to decrease the global demand for new ore. It takes 20 tons of ore to produce enough gold for one single ring. There are some sites that specialize in eco-jewelry like Brilliant Earth or Green Oro. You can find more information on a site called Green Karat.

• It means knowing what is in the beauty products you buy and learning what different chemicals can do when they come in touch with your hair, skin and ground water. Read a National Geographic article here, and additional information can also be found at SafeCosmetics.org

A good source of additional information is the United States Environmental Protection Agency, which has a comprehensive site talking about green living and sustainability.

Being an eco-citizen means being educated about what happens around the world socially, politically and economically, and making decisions based on facts, not labels. In the end, making sound eco choices really boils down to asking yourself three simple questions before each purchase -- Who made it? How was it made? And finally, what is it made from? {B}

How To Become an Eco-Citizen

By Rena Sternfeld

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Get a Buzz-Worthy Garden

by Debbie Roos

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Photo courtsey Debbie Roos

Most pollinators – approximately 200,000 species – are beneficial insects such as bees, flies, beetles, wasps, and butterflies. A small

percentage of pollinators are vertebrates such as humming-birds. Honey bees and native bees (bumble bees, carpenter

bees, sweat bees, mining bees, mason bees, etc.) are critical to our food supply and are responsible for pollinating

about one-third of the foods we enjoy.

Bees and other pollinators are also essential compo-nents of the habitats and ecosystems that many wild animals rely on for food and shelter. As natural areas are cleared for development, pollinator habitat is destroyed or fragmented, resulting in the loss of foraging and nesting sites. This can lead to a de-cline in pollinator populations.

One big way you can help pollinators is by planting forage habitat that provides nectar and pollen. Your main goal is to have plants flower-ing throughout the growing season, from early spring-late fall, with overlapping bloom periods.

Choose flowers with a diversity of bloom color, size, and shape to attract the greatest diversity of pollinators. Some pollinators have short tongues and can only feed from small, open flowers with easily accessible nectar. Other pollinators have long tongues and prefer more complex blooms. Emphasize native plants to provide the most bene-fits to the greatest number of pollinators.

Some examples of native plants that will make your pollinators very happy from spring to fall: wild indigo,

spiderwort, and beard tongue (spring); butterfly weed, mountain mint, Joe-pye weed, coneflower, anise hyssop,

blanketflower, and St. John’s wort (summer); goldenrod, aster, spotted horsemint, and obedient plant (fall). Herbs

such as lavender, thyme, oregano, calamint, basil, catmint, and rosemary also provide great resources for bees.

This article was originally published at the National Extension Master Gardener blog.

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 21

http://www.apollooliveoil.com

Because our readers are all over the world, you may need a conversion table before you prepare our recipes. Below is a great link and a conversion table from their page to get you started:

Converting Recipes to Metric Measures (visit The Metric Kitchen web site for full details).

Converting Measurements

Liquids (and Herbs and Spices)

Liquids can be converted to liters or milliliters with the following table. Small volumes (less than about 1 fluid ounce or 2 tablespoons) of ingredi-ents such as salt, herbs, spices, baking powder, etc. should also be converted with this table. Do not use this table to convert other non-liquid ingredients.

Weight

Weights can be converted with the following table. Note that the ounces referred to in this table are not the same as fluid ounces.

DownloadRecipe

To download any of our recipes, click the Download

Recipe button.

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 23

Soups, Salads, and Such . . .

As summertime produce fades away and the fall produce begins

to arrive at the market, the overlap of the seasons presents us with a plethora of wonderful choices. Enjoy the transition of the seasons by exper-imenting with these mouthwatering soup, salad and sandwich recipes.

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1. Sweet Potato Coconut SoupCourtesy: The Cautious Vegetarian

4 ServingsIngredients:

• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil• 1 medium onion, chopped• 2 cloves garlic, minced• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) ginger, grated• 3 cups (720 ml) vegetable

broth• 1 14 oz (400 ml) can coconut

milk (I used light)• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) Thai red curry

paste• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) honey• 1 small stalk lemongrass• 6 kafir lime leaves• Salt to taste• 2 lbs (900 g) sweet potatoes,

peeled and chopped• 1/2 cup (120 ml) sweetened

shredded coconut

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. When hot add the onion. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for an additional minute.

Add the broth, coconut milk, red curry paste and the honey. Smash the lemon-grass stalk with the back of your knife (you will get

more flavour from it that way) and add it to the pot along with the lime leaves. Stir well. Check for salt.

Add the sweet potato cubes. In-crease the heat to medium high and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the sweet potatoes are ten-der, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard the lemon-grass and lime leave.

While the soup cooks, toast the coconut.

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Place the coconut onto a small baking tray. Bake until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

Blend the soup with an immersion blender. Place into serving bowls and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

2. Miso and Bean SoupCourtesy: Annalissa’s Organic Kitchen

Ingredients:• 2 cups vegetable stock• ½ yellow onion• 1 tsp coconut oil• ½ cup cannellini beans, cooked• 1 small carrot• ½ cup red cabbage• 1 cup broccoli• 1 garlic clove• 1 tsp fresh ginger root, grated• 2 wakame strips (or arame

seaweed)

• 2 Tbsp miso paste• Pinch of cayenne pepper

How to make:

In a medium soup pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Slice onion into thin strips and add to pot. Sau-te for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mince garlic and ginger root. Cut carrot into thin slices and broccoli into bite sized pieces.

Add garlic, ginger and cayenne pep-per into pot and stir for 30 seconds. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Break the wakame strips into 3. Add in carrot, broccoli and wakame seaweed, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in beans and allow to heat through. Remove from heat and mix in miso paste. You don’t want to heat up miso too much as it kills the beneficial bacteria.

3. Apple Avocado SoupCourtesy: Raw on $10 a Day

Ingredients:• 1 avocado, chopped• 2 medium apples, peel & chop• 1 tablespoon chopped onion• handful arugula leaves • 2 tablespoons olive oil• 2 cups water, for blending• minced onion

• salt and pepper to taste• red pepper flakes

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Set aside a few arugula leaves for garnish.

In a blender, combine the avocado, apples, chopped onion, arugula leaves, olive oil, and water, and pu-ree until very smooth.

Salt and pepper to taste, and gar-nish with a few chopped arugula leaves, some finely minced onion, and red pepper flakes.

4. Sopa De Maiz {Mexican Corn Soup}Courtesy: The Vanilla Bean Blog

• 3 1/2 cups corn kernels, plus 1 cup, fresh or frozen

• 1 cup chicken broth• 4 tablespoons butter• 2 cups whole milk or half and half

[I like 1 cup of each] 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed

• 1 [14 ounce] can of green chilies• 3 dashes [more or less to taste]

Tabasco sauce• 1 teaspoon pepper• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack

cheese• salt and pepper, to taste• 1 avocado, diced• 1 lime

In a blender or food processor, puree 3 1/2 cups corn and chicken broth until smooth. Melt the butter in a stockpot. Add the corn puree and simmer over low heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the milk, cumin, and garlic. Heat to boiling, reduce heat and stir in

green chilies, Tabasco sauce, and pepper. Add shredded cheese and remaining 1 cup of corn to the

simmering soup, and stir until the cheese melts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top soup with avocado, and squeeze lime juice over soup to taste.

5. Raw Cucumber Wasabi SoupCourtesy: For the Love of Food BlogServes 2

• 2 cucumbers• 1 avocado, skinned and pitted• 1 cup water• 2 green onions• 1 teaspoon dill• 1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder• 1/4 cup cilantro• freshly-ground sea salt and

black pepper to taste

Add the cucumbers, avocado, water, and green onions to your blend-er. (You might have to chop these items ahead of time depending on the strength of your blender and blades.) Blend thoroughly, adding a little more water if necessary. Add the dill, wasabi powder, cilantro, and sea salt to taste. Blend thor-oughly until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until serving and top with a little black pepper if desired.

6. French Onion SoupCourtesy: Olives for DinnerIngredients

• 3 large Vidalia onions• 5 TB Earth Balance• salt• 1 TB flour• 1/2 cup sherry• 4 cups homemade vegetable

stock with one Not-Beef bouillon cube added OR mushroom stock

• 5 springs of fresh thyme, tied with baker’s twine

• 2 bay leaves

MethodStart by slicing the ends off of the onions and peeling them. Slice them vertically in half, then slice each half thinly into half-moon shapes. In a large dutch oven, melt the Earth Balance over medium-low heat. Add in the onion and sprinkle with some salt. Cover and let them sweat for 45 minutes.

Uncover, stir and sprinkle with a little more salt. Allow to reduce and caramelize for 45 minutes to an hour more, stirring no more than two or three times, to allow the color to deepen.

Sprinkle the onion with flour and stir well for about a minute. Add in the sherry to deglaze the pot, then stir to combine. Allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes more, then remove about 1/2 cup of the onions and place to the side.

Return to the soup, and then throw in the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Slowly pour in either the vegetable stock along with the Not-beef bouil-lon cube or the mushroom stock. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes more.

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1. Charred Rainbow Beet & Pistachio Salad

Courtesy: Sunday Morning Banana Pancakesserves 2 as an appetizer ~ easily doubled

You will need:

2 small bunches rainbow beets, trimmed & washed- larger beets cut in half (about 8 small-medium beets)

Canola oil for beets

Basil lemon olive oil*

2 cups loosely packed basil- I used purple & regular basilscant 1/4 cup olive oil1/2 juice of lemonpinch of kosher salt1 tbsp chopped Pistachios1 cup of Micro GreensCitrus Herb Salt - optional

Assembly: Scrub & trim beets, toss with about 1 - 2 teaspoons of canola oil until lightly coated. Place beets on a rimmed baking sheet, cover with foil and roast on the grill for about 30-45 minutes until beets are a little charred and soft (grill thermostat should be between 350-400°, if roasting in the oven roast at 350°)

Remove beets from grill, keep covered and allow to cool until beets can easily be handled. Peel skin off the beets & discard the skins. Quarter or half the roasted beets, set aside.

To make the basil olive oil, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined.

On two small plates: drizzle a bit of the basil olive oil on the bottom of each plate. Place a small amount of micro greens on each plate, arrange half of the beets on each plate,

sprinkle with citrus herb salt & pistachios, top each plate with the remaining micro greens.

Serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Can be made and plated up to 1 day ahead.

2. Chia Teff Salad with Lemon Scallion Dressing

Courtesy: The Healthy Apple

Recipe type: AppetizerPrep time: 10 minsTotal time: 10 minsServes: 4

Gluten-Free and VeganIngredients:1 large yellow summer squash , cut into ½ inch pieces2 cups cooked teff (gluten-free grain)1 cup steamed spinach2 scallions, thinly sliced½ medium red onion, thinly sliced3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice1 tsp. white balsamic vinegar1 Tbsp. lemon zest2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil2 tsp. ground chia seeds1 large head Bibb lettuce½ tsp. sea salt¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepperFresh cilantro, for garnish, if desired

Instructions:In a large bowl, combine squash, teff, spinach, scallions and onion.

In a separate small bowl, whisk lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, olive oil, chia seeds, sea salt and pepper.

Pour chia seed dressing over squash mixture; gently toss to combine.

Carefully break apart pieces of Bibb lettuce and place into serving dishes. Portion teff mixture on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Notes: Servings: 18 • Serving Size: ½ cup • Calories: 102 g • Fat: 2.2 g • Protein: 3.6 g • Carb: 18.1 g • Fiber: 2.4 g • Sugar: 0.2 g • Sodium: 53.9 mg

3. Corn, Avocado & Blueberry Kale Salad

Courtesy: Vanilla and SpiceMakes 1 large serving or 2 smaller servings.

Dressing1/2 a ripe avocado (you’ll use the other half in the salad)1 tbsp chopped fresh mintJuice of half a lime1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar1/2 tbsp olive oil1/2 tsp agave nectar or sweetener1-2 tbsp waterHerbamare (or salt) and pepper1 small shallot, minced

Salad~2.5 cups shredded kale2 tbsp pumpkin seeds1 cob sweet corn (raw or cooked)1/2 cup blueberries1/2 a ripe avocado, diced~10 small mint leaves, thinly sliced

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 29

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To make the dressing, place the first six ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. Add enough water so that you can puree the ingre-dients until smooth (it should still be thick). Season to taste with herba-mare and ground pepper. Stir in the minced shallot. Set aside.

To make the salad, place the shredded kale in a large bowl. Add about half of the dressing and massage it into the kale with your hands.

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat for a few minutes, until they are fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from pan and add to the kale. Slice the kernels off the corn and add them to the bowl, along with the blueberries, avocado, and sliced mint. Add the rest of the dressing and stir until is everything is mixed well. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

4. Fruit Salad Spiced With Cardamom and Lemon Tahini Dressing

Courtesy: Tales of a KitchenPrep time: 10 minsTotal time: 10 minsServes: 1-2

IngredientsFor the dressing:3 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice1 TBSP tahini1 TBSP sweetener (raw honey, agave)seeds of 2 cardamom pods, ground

For the salad:1 orange, peeled and cubed1 banana, sliced

1 pear, pitted and cubedhandful of strawberries, roughly chopped

To serve: mint leaves and chia seeds

InstructionsTo make the dressing add all ingredi-ents to a small jar and shake well until combined.Add all your fruits and mint leaves to a bowl, add dressing and toss to coat.

Sprinkle with chia seeds.

5. Peach and Kale Salad with Maple Miso Vinaigrette

Courtesy: Raw MazingPhoto: Susan Powers

Makes 2 large salads or 4 medium salads.

Salad:1 large bunch kale2 peaches, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces1 cup pecans, coarsely choppedVinaigrette:2 tablespoons Maple Syrup Grade B2 tablespoons olive oil (cold pressed)1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar2 teaspoons light miso (white or yellow)Himalayan salt and pepper1. Remove stems from kale and tear into bite-sized pieces. Place in large bowl. 2. Prepare vinaigrette by whisking all ingredients together in a small bowl.3. Pour vinaigrette over kale and give it a really good massage. The idea here

is to massage the dressing into the leaves and break down the leaves a bit. This step is crucial.4. Toss with peaches and pecans.

6. Roasted Pumpkin & Feta Couscous SaladCourtesy: Southern in Lawserves 4-6Ingredients1 1/2 cups Corn Couscous1 cup boiling water (you can also use stock for extra flavour)1/3 tsp garlic salt1 1/2 cups pumpkin, diced and roasted~1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese3 cups baby spinach1 clove garlic, crushedHandful of raisinsInstructionsIn a saucepan, cook your cous-cous with the water and garlic salt according to the package directions, fluffing with a fork as you go.Once your couscous has cooked, pour it into a mixing bowl to cool off.In the same pan, add your spinach and crushed garlic and cook over a medium heat until wilted, stirring constantly.Once the spinach has wilted, remove from the heat and mix your spinach and roasted pumpkin through your couscous.Place your mixing bowl into the fridge to chill.Once the couscous has chilled, mix through your crumbled feta and raisins.

Serve cold or warm slightly.

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1. Grilled Cheese with Apple, Parsley, and PecanCourtesy: The Bold VeganServes 1Notes:Soy free if using soy free Earth Balance and soy free breadGluten free if using gluten free bread

Ingredients

• 2 slices sprouted wheat bread• 1/4 cup jalapeno havarti wedge

Daiya cheese (35g)• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

(4g)• 1 tablespoon pecans, chopped

(15g)• 5 apple slices, cut into 1/8 inch

slices• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance but-

tery spread

Method

Spread half of the cheese on one piece of bread and the other half on the other piece of bread.

Heat the Earth Balance in a pan on medium – low heat.

Place the walnuts, parsley and ap-ples on one side of bread and cover it with the other piece of bread.

Place sandwich in the pan and cook for 3 minutes with a lid over the pan.

Flip over and cook for an additional 3 minutes with the pan covered.

Remove from pan, cut diagonally and get ready to do a happy dance while you eat this sandwich!

2. Spicy Mushroom Taco’sCourtesy: Health is HappinessServes 2 (approx 6 soft tacos)Mushroom filling• 3 tbsp coconut oil• 1 medium red onion, cut in half

and then thinly sliced• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or

grated• 6 king oyster mushrooms, sliced

into thin strips 1-2 inches long• 8 decent sized shitake mush-

rooms, cut in halves or quarters• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt• 1 small dried red chili, chopped• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin• 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle• 1 teaspoon cacao powder• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar• 8-10 cherry tomatoes, cut in

quarters (you can substitute a reg-ular tomato if need be)

• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated• 6-8 small corn tortillas, heated

through in a pan

Guacamole Recipenote: this makes more guacamole than you will need for the tacos so enjoy as a pre-meal snack

• 2 avocados, pitted and peel re-moved

• 1-2 tablespoons chopped cilantro• 1/8 cup finely chopped shallot• juice of 1/2 lime• salt and pepper to taste• optional: a few chopped cherry

tomatoes

To prepare the guacamole simply mash the avocados in a bowl with the other ingredients.

Heat a large frying pan to medium and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.

Add the onion and cook until they start to caramelize. Stir regularly. Should take about 15 minutes.

Add the chili pepper, cumin, chipot-le, cacao powder and salt. Stir to mix for about 30 seconds.

Add the mushrooms. Mix well so that they are all coated. Add anoth-er tablespoon of coconut oil when yo think it needs it. Sauté until the mushrooms are nice and brown. About 10-15 minutes.

Add the chopped cherry tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes of so. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Assemble tacos

Start with a warm tortilla laying flat. Spoon some guacamole into the middle or simply mash a quarter of an avocado.

Cover with a little grated carrot.

Then cover with some of the mush-room filling. Repeat.

Optional: Top with fresh salsa, or fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

3. Crispy Baked Broccoli Sriracha Spring RollsCourtesy: Food DoodlesPrep time: 30 minsCook time: 20 minsTotal time: 50 minsYield: 25-30 rolls

Ingredients• 1 tbsp oil• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced• 1-2” fresh ginger, finely grated• 1 kg precut broccoli slaw, or a mix

of finely chopped broccoli stems, carrots and red cabbage

• 1/2 C soy sauce(or less if using a dipping sauce)

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• 1½ tbsp cornstarch• 1-3 tbsp Sriracha (to taste)• 1 tbsp flour• 1 tbsp water• 1 pkg egg roll or spring roll wrappers

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, sauté the garlic and ginger together for a minute.

Add the broccoli slaw and stir well, cooking for 4-5 min-utes just until the slaw begins to soften – you don’t want to completely cook the filling as it will continue to cook as it cools and will cook again in the oven.

While the broccoli slaw is cooking, stir together the soy sauce, cornstarch and Sriracha until fully combined. Pour the sauce over the broccoli slaw and continue to cook while stirring until the sauce thickens and coats the veg-etables. Turn off the heat and let the vegetable mixture sit and cool at least 20 minutes.

Before rolling, taste the mixture and add soy sauce and Sriracha as needed.

Stir together the flour and water to make a paste.

To roll the spring rolls take one wrapper, covering the rest and place it in front of you, diamond shaped. Dip your finger in the flour paste and put a spot of paste on all corners except the one closest to you. Place a large spoonful (almost ¼ cup) of the mixture in the 3rd of the wrapper closest to you. Starting from the bottom roll the wrapper up around the filling and pull tight. Close the sides, folding them so the edges will be straight and con-tinue to roll up to the top. Place on a baking sheet seam side down and cover with a towel to keep the finished rolls from drying out.

The rolls can be frozen at this point and baked from fro-zen, just allow for a longer baking time.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

If desired (but not necessary!) spritz the spring rolls with oil from a misto or oil sprayer.

When ready place the spring rolls in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. The edges will darken before the rest of the roll, but continue to bake watching that the edges don’t burn. The rolls can be flipped in the middle if they are cooking unevenly. Rotate the baking sheet to ensure even browning as well. Remove from the oven when done, cool for 4-5 minutes and serve while still hot.

4. Vegan BLTT(Barbeque, Lettuce, Tomato, Tofu)

Courtesy: Foods for the SoulYield: 2 sandwichesServing Size: 1 sandwich

This recipe is easily doubled or halved. Serve with fresh fruit, chips, and a chocolate chip cookie!

Ingredients: • 5.6 oz (2 servings) extra-firm light tofu, cut into ¼”

thick slices• 1 medium Roma tomato, cut into ¼” thick rounds• ¼ c shredded romaine, green leaf, or iceberg lettuce• 4 slices wheat bread• 2 tbsp barbeque sauce (without honey!)

Lay the tofu slices on top of two paper towels. Stack two paper towels on top, and press down firmly for 1-2 minutes to soak out the moisture. Lightly coat a large pan with nonstick cooking spray, and cook the tofu over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until starting to turn golden.

While the tofu cooks, toast the bread on medium-low until golden brown.

To prepare one sandwich, spread 1 tablespoon of barbe-que sauce on one slice of bread. Layer half of the tofu, half of the tomato slices, and half of the shredded lettuce on top. Place a second slice of toasted bread on top. Re-peat with the remaining ingredients.

34 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

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guess who’s comingto BReAKFAST

?

Erin Bosdet, Erica Kerwien, and Angela Liddon share recipes for making some of their favorite breakfastfare

36 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

You!

Melt a little bit of coconut oil in a pan on medium heat.

Add in:2 finely chopped green onions1 diced tomatoa generous pinch of chopped parsley or cilantroa dash of turmeric, salt and pepper

Tofu Scramble Wrap

Chocolate Buckwheat Donuts

Preparation:1. Combine wet ingredients and whisk until well-blended.2. Combine dry ingredients, blend well.3. Combine the wet with the dry ingredients and blend well. 4. Fill donut pan 3/4 of the way full for each donut.5. Bake for 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean6. Once cooled, dip and decorate, or just eat plain!

Erica Kerwien Comfy Belly

Erin BosdetSimply Dish

Ingredients: (makes 6 cupcakes or 12 mini-donuts)

• 1 cup of buckwheat flour (or other flour)

• 3 eggs• 1/4 teaspoon of salt• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda• 1 teaspoon of vanilla• 1/4 teaspoons of cinnamon (optional)• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder• 1 cup of honey (or other sweetener)• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (or

1/4 cup of oil)

Let these sizzle for two minutes and then add in one 175g package of organic firm tofu, crumbled.Heat through.Using two wraps of your choice, mash one third of an avocado in the center of each wrap. Divide the mixture in half, place it on top of the avocado and roll it up nice and snug.Serve with a few avocado slices on the side…

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 37

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Bananas Foster Baked Oatmeal

Angela LiddonOh She Glows

Directions:

1. Lightly grease a 5-6 cup casserole dish, and preheat oven to 350F.

2. Stir all of the ingredients together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside.

3. In a skillet, add coconut oil, maple syrup, and Kahlua. On medium high heat, whisk until combined. When the mix-ture starts to bubble, add the chopped bananas and stir well until coated . Sprinkle in cinnamon and sauté for about 5 minutes until the bananas soften. Remove skillet from heat and stir in vanilla.

4. Add the banana mixture to the oatmeal mixture and spoon it into casserole dish. Bake uncovered for about 40-45 minutes at 350F or until the top is golden middle will remain soft (you may think it’s undercooked, but it will firm up as it cools). Eat hot or cold. Once cooled, it can be sliced and served.

Ingredients:(Yield: 4 servings)

For the baked oatmeal:• 3/4 cup Gluten-Free rolled oats• 1/4 cup oat flour• 1 tsp cinnamon• 1/2 tsp baking powder• 1/2 cup walnut halves, chopped• 1 & 1/4 cup almond milk (or other milk)• Bananas Foster mixture from below• 1 small banana, sliced (for garnish)• pinch of fine grain sea salt and nutmeg

For the Bananas Foster:• 3 small firm ripe bananas, chopped• 1 tbsp coconut oil• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other sweetener)• 1-2 tbsp Kahlua (or rum)• sprinkle of cinnamon• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

38 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

http://www.attunefoods.com

40 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

Interview with Wes CrainPresident of Navitas Naturals

How did the concept of Navitas Naturals come about?Navitas Naturals was founded in 2003 by Zach Adelman, a long-time health food enthusi-ast. Almost a decade ago, Zach experienced the taste and health benefits of maca <http://www.navitasnaturals.com/products/maca.html> , a nutritious root vegetable that has been cher-ished by indigenous cultures in the highlands of Peru for thou-sands of years. After traveling there to experience the maca culture, he began importing or-ganic maca root powder as Navi-tas Naturals’ original product. Now, nine years after his adven-ture to the Andes Mountains, we’re one of the leading organic superfoods companies in North America and maca is still one of our best sellers. Zach’s success with maca encouraged him to search the planet for more func-tional foods that have long been used by cultures for nutritional and medicinal purposes. Navitas is the Latin word for en-ergy, and using this in the com-pany name demonstrates Zach’s desire to bring a diverse array of energizing foods to North America to invigorate the mod-ern ‘Western’ diet. Nutrient-rich whole foods are at their best when they’re organic agriculture and undergo a minimal amount of processing. That’s why all

Navitas products are certified organic and use methods like freeze-drying and low tempera-ture processing to ensure maxi-mum nutrition and flavor. Many of us (myself included) feel guilty because we struggle with what we *want* to eat versus what we *should* eat. One of the things I love about Navitas Natu-rals is that your products not only taste good, but are also an excel-lent source of nutrition. Is it ser-endipity or part of your mission that your superfoods are some of the best tasting foods ever?There’s no reason why healthier foods can’t taste wonderful. In-digenous cultures have grown and enjoyed the foods that we offer for a long time - in some cases thousands of years. So, there are many reasons that these foods have remained popular in their cultures, and an import-ant reason is flavor. We search around the globe and pick the best-tasting and most nutritious foods. Many of the superfoods your brand produces are foods that most of our readers have probably never heard of, like camu, golden-berries, lucuma, and maqui. You mention on your “About” page that you choose the “world’s most beneficial natural foods”. How do you decide what superfoods to produce?

We have high standards that must be met when we evaluate plants to include in our line. The primary criteria are that a food must have strong nutritional at-tributes, and we must be able to offer it in a raw form or as close to the original plant as possible. Flavor and ease of culinary use are important, too. Sustainability, reliable availability, transporta-tion efficiency and marketability are also factors that we consid-er carefully. The welfare of the land and the farmers is key, too, and that is one reason all of our products are certified organic. Your company’s mission is “to pro-vide premium organic function-al foods”. What are “functional foods”?Functional foods are whole foods that have a complex and nutrient-rich composition that provide well-being beyond what the body simply needs to survive. These foods are functional be-cause they contain compounds that enhance the potential for targeted health benefits. There are some functional foods on the market today that gain their function value from single nu-trients that have been isolated and/or extracted from a plant and then are simply mixed into another food to beef it up, but that is not what we do at Navitas Naturals. We use whole foods, and the nutrients they naturally

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 41

contain to provide functionality. More and more people are getting back into the kitchen and culinary hobbies, and nutrient-dense func-tional foods are an easy way to en-sure optimal nutrition, while still enjoying home-cooked meals.One of the things our readers sup-port are companies that practice Fair Trade. Since you source prod-ucts from exotic places around the world, how are you supporting the communities that you work with?The sustainability and overall well-ness factor of each product is very important to us, that is why we start with 100% of our product line being organic. We believe this is better for traditional agriculture and for the future of farms, the land and consumers. We work closely with our suppliers to support their local communities and help devel-op better business models and val-ue-added manufacturing/process-ing at a local level. We have helped finance and build processing plants and donated to local education, and we monitor our suppliers for fair trade practices. We work with 3rd party certifiers to help oversee

supply chains. When I told our Facebook read-ers that we had an interview with you, a few of them had questions for you:From Elizabeth: “Do our bodies get used to superfoods so that superfoods won't have the same impact on our bodies over time?”It’s very important to eat a diverse diet. I recently read a report that if fed the same foods over and over the human digestive system becomes sluggish – it likes to be ‘surprised’ by different foods. Also, different foods, even superfoods, contain a wide variety of micro-nutrients that are often unique or rare to that food. We recommend a well-balanced diet and a diverse diet. From Shelly: “I’m a vegetarian. Which of your superfoods are high in protein?”Hemp and chia are among the very best plant-based sources of pro-tein. Hemp seeds are my favorite. They are naturally a fantastic pro-tein source: they contain all of the essential amino acids, are highly

digestible, and are one of the high-est sources of complete protein of all plant-based foods. You may be surprised that many of the dried superfruits that we offer contain an abundance of protein, too: Goji (4g per serving), mulberries (3g) and goldenberries (3g).From Kathy: “Do you partner with chefs so that we can learn how to use your superfoods?”Helping people make the best culi-nary use of superfoods is a key part of our mission and that is why we partner with some of the leading plant-based chefs including Julie Morris, Matthew Kenney, Kristen Suzanne, Judith Wignal and many more! And lastly, I know that your site shares a plethora of recipes, but would you share one of your favor-ites?I am a really big fan of smoothies, and my favorite is the Blueberry Oat Smoothie. Thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview Wes!You’re very welcome. {B}

42 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

Easy Sprouts In 3 Days

My friend Kristin recently reminded me how much I love sprouts when she showed me a

video. It’s been almost a year since I have sprouted anything so I got right to work making my 4 favorite sprouts - quinoa, chick pea, lentil, and mung bean. Sprouts are so yummy and easy to make at home and the best part is all the health benefits they have.

In only 3 days you can have fresh and yummy sprouts without worrying about what got sprayed on them to keep them fresh at the grocery store. These sprouts take just 3 days and only a bit longer if you want them to be bigger. All you need are a few items you probably already have, some grains, seeds or beans, and some water.

What you need:

• mason jars• cheese cloth, thin cloth or mesh• rubber band or jar lid band• bowls or dish rack• grains, seeds or legumes

How to make it

• put a few tablespoons (no more than 1/4 c) of your seed/grain/legume in a mason jar

• put cheese cloth or mesh on top• secure with jar band or rubber band• rinse grains once then fill with water• let soak overnight up to 8 hours• drain water• rinse and drain• rinse and drain a few times a day until your sprouts

are as long as you want it• in 3 days you should have nice sprouts!• store in the fridge and use within a few days

Mikaela ShaferMama Mouse

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“Mama Mouse”, Mikaela Shafer, runs her healthy living blog MamaMouseSays in Ogden, Utah. When not blogging up a storm she can be found hiking the beautiful mountain trails just a few blocks from her house, baking with her family and buying hideous and wacky treasures at the local thrift store.

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Makes one gallonBring two quarts of water to a boil and add:

• 1 Tablespoon of Hibiscus• 1/2 Tablespoon of Lemon balm• 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Verbena• 1 Tablespoons Peppermint

Cover and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain, and add ice to bring the volume up to one gallon.Slice and section fresh Keylime’s and freeze in ice cubes.Combine and enjoy on a hot Summer’s day!

Hibiscus Mint Herbal Iced Tea with Key Lime Ice Cubes

Quick Bites (super fast vegan recipes )

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Juliet Blankespoor Chestnut Herbs

44 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

in cortisol. “Traffic jam!” Rise in heart rate. “My boss is calling.” Palms start to sweat. Stress is all too commonplace in today’s cul-ture. The consequence? Self-focus. Evolutionarily, self-focus was adaptive. When we were in high-stress situations (think: running from a lion), self-preservation was a necessary tool. However, to-day when we are under chronic stress, we can also become chron-ically self-focused, which lowers our ability to connect. Here’s an example -- Think of a day when you have a lot to do so you start to experience high levels of stress. It is likely that you will start to de-velop “tunnel vision” as you focus on your goals. As a bi-product you are so immersed in your own world that your best friend could walk by and you may not notice! In a classic study, students of the Yale Divinity School were told to rush somewhere to give a talk on the Good Samaritan of all things. If they were told they were late, they wouldn’t stop to help someone strategically sprawled on the floor in their path and in obvious need of help. When the partici-pants were told to take their time, they were more likely to help.

Here’s the good news: while stress can encourage self-focus, happiness and positive emotions encourage a broader perspective and empathy. Have you noticed that on days when you are feeling great, you are more likely to notice someone who needs help? A great way to increase empathy is to engage in acts of compassion and kindness. When we focus on helping others, our self-focus naturally diminishes. While I’m not suggesting that you focus solely on the happiness of others at the expense of your own well-being, slowing down and including moments of empathy can significantly improve your well-being and enrich your life in meaningful ways.

To quote Albert Einstein: “Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” {B}

Why Empathy Is So Good For Usby Emma Seppala

H ave you noticed that in a crisis some people are more likely to help while others may be reluctant do so? You may

be surprised to know that Scientists believe that (except in extreme cases, such as psychopathy), we are wired for empathy. Empathy makes us happier, healthier and may even lengthen our lives! Com-passion-inducing activities, such as the practice of compassionate meditation, have also been linked to a decrease in cellular aging.

Living a compassionate life is so deeply beneficial to our health and well-being that researchers believe it is fundamental to human nature. Dacher Keltner at the University of California Berkeley, be-lieves that at our core, we have a “compassionate instinct.” In other words, compassion is our natural and autonomic response.

We may think of ourselves as independent (especially if we’re from Western cultures), but we’re physiologically wired to connect. For example, when we see someone trip and fall, we flinch because we sense their pain. This process is called “resonance.” Whenever we empathize with others, parts of our brain - our “mirror neurons” – help us to internally mirror the other person’s feelings. So when someone smiles at us, it literally activates the smile muscles in our own face (and a frown activates our frown muscles). Have you ever seen a friend or relative walk in the room with a troubled expres-sion? Before you’ve even had the chance to exchange words, you can sense that something is terribly wrong. In his research, James Gross of Stanford University found that even when someone is hid-ing their anger, we can subconsciously tell that they are upset (our heart rate actually increases). Our wiring for empathy is so strong that, just by observing someone else, the “pain matrix” in our brain is activated. In other words if someone else hurts, we instinctively hurt too.

So why don’t we always react with empathy? Maybe it’s because we are living in a time that encourages stress: “Tax season!” Rise

Soul Food

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