Boost the Nutrition in Your Water

After weaning, water is the only beverage humans require.  Why not give the water you drink a huge boost of nutrition without adding any calories?

By adding two simple ingredients, you can create what Michael Greger, MD describes as possibly the highest antioxidant drink in the world.

To 8 cups of filtered water, add 4 hibiscus tea bags (any tea that contains hibiscus as the first ingredient) and the juice of 1 lemon.  Cold steep overnight in your refrigerator and enjoy all day long.  If you prefer a sweeter taste, add 3 tablespoons of erythritol (which can be found at most health food stores).  For an exciting variation, blend 1 cup on high with a bunch of fresh mint leaves.

Nicer Krispie Squares  

From Dreena Burton's Plant-Powered Kitchen

Makes 16 squares.

0.5 cup macadamia nut butter (cashew butter works as well)

0.5 cup brown rice syrup

3 tablespoons unrefined sugar (can reduce or omit, to taste)

0.25 teaspoon sea salt

0.25 teaspoon agar powder (gelatin substitute available at health food stores)

1-1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 cups natural brown rice crisp cereal (available in most health food stores)

Line an 8"x8" pan with parchment paper.  In a large saucepan on low-medium heat, combine macadamia nut butter, brown rice syrup, sugar, salt, agar powder, and vanilla.  Stir continually as mixture heats until agar powder is fully dissolved (reduce heat if mixture starts bubbling).  Remove from heat and stir in cereal, making sure to fully incorporate with nut butter mixture.  Transfer mixture to pan and press evenly (use an edge of parchment paper to press without sticking).  Refrigerate to cool completely, then cut into squares.

On January 16, Uma Purighalla, MD and I held a free workshop at St. Clair Hospital.  We were amazed when 200 people asked to attend.

It was very heartwarming to see so many people interested in learning more about a plant-based lifestyle.  We wish we could have accommodated everyone.

So that everyone would have the opportunity to access the information presented at the workshop, we taped it and put it up on YouTube.  You can find it at the following link.  It is the first video (in the upper left hand corner):

Demystifying the Plant-Based Plate

We are in the process of planning a second in the series and will send out the details as soon as they are finalized.

Vitamix is the gold standard in high performance blending machines.  I have never heard of anyone who has perfected a plant-based lifestyle that uses anything else.  I purchased the Vitamix 5200 Super-Healthy Lifestyle model as well as the Live Fresh Recipes cookbook.  It truly has enabled me  to take my healthy lifestyle to the next level.  Here are just some of the ways my Vitamix has changed my life:

• I am able to make whole food juices that do not discard the nutritious pulp.
• I can make my own fresh nut milk without any unnecessary ingredients and more cost effectively than buying cartons of it at the store.
• I can make and cook soup right in my Vitamix.
• I can chop vegetables and shred cabbage faster than I could by hand.  By running my Vitamix just a little longer, I can make delicious chopped salads.
• I make my own hummus and nut butters so that I can control the ingredients.
• I can use the dry grains container and prepare bread dough ready to pop in the oven.
• I whip up sorbets and non-dairy ice creams that my family can enjoy any time of the day, and if you've ever purchased non-dairy ice cream, you know how expensive it is.
• I couldn't ask for an easier clean-up afterward.  Just a few drops of dish liquid in half a container of warm water blended for about 30 seconds is all that it takes to clean.  Just rinse and air dry and you're ready to use it again!