Purple Sweet Potatoes

The winter solstice for us is the beginning point of our year so this year our celebration included buying a 40 pound case of organic purple sweet potatoes. We spent the rainy day pressure cooking and bagging them for freezing. For those of you who might be interested in our process, we’ve posted a few pictures.

We like the flavor of these much better than the orange flesh varieties, and there's a big nutrition bonus in this variety, they are very high in cancer fighting antioxidants. Almost anytime you see this beautiful dark purple color in a vegetable or fruit such as beets, red cabbage, blueberries, concord grapes, goji berries, blackberries, etc., it means it’s loaded with antioxidants.

40 pound case of organic purple sweet potatoes.

Potatoes before washing: notice the produce code starts with the number 9 meaning these are organically grown.

After washing in a 10% salt water solution and scrubbing the skin with a brush, then rinsing afterward. Salt water removes any pesticide residue and kills other organic toxins like E. coli and salmonella.

We cut the potatoes in half, then quarters, then cube for pressure cooking.

Cubes ready to cook.

Into the pressure cooker with 1 cup of water, cook at high pressure for 6 minutes, quick pressure release.

Drain the potatoes retaining the wonderful tasting, antioxidant rich "pot liquor" to drink later. We let the potatoes cool in a pan, then spoon into freezer storage bags, about 2 cups per bag. We plan to eat one bag of these between us every two days.

Solstice project complete. Two months worth of purple sweet potato superfood bound for the freezer.

This is our reward: Gorgeous deep purple sweet potatoes with a drizzle of maple syrup, home made pumpkin pie spice, and pecan pieces sprinkled on top, yum!

Dijon-Roasted Purple Potatoes

These wonderful potatoes are oil free crispy baked jewels! You can substitute any kind of potato but the baking time may need to be adjusted.

Dijon-Roasted Purple Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 pounds purple potatoes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vegan Worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Wash the potatoes, halve them length-wise and cut each half into 4 or more long wedges like steak fries, soak wedges in cold water with about a teaspoon salt for 10-15 minutes, drain and rinse, then pat dry. In a bowl whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, vegan Worchestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes with the Dijon mixture, then evenly spread on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until browned and the tines of a fork easily go through the potatoes.

Kim & Mike's Homemade Ketchup

We went through several tries to develop this near perfect ketchup recipe which is much healthier for you than store bought because there's no added bulk sugar, plus it tastes really good. The sweetness comes from our own home made date syrup. 

Kim & Mike's Homemade Ketchup

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can of organic, diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. paprika
dash of black pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. date syrup (recipe below)
1 6 oz. can organic tomato paste

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to a small food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Keeps in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

Date Syrup

Ingredients:

1 cup (packed) pitted dates (we love Barhi or Medjool)
1 cup filtered water

Blend ingredients until smooth, store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator or freeze.

Super Muesli with Super Chocolate Oat Milk

Mike and I have developed a great filling, full of energy breakfast that we eat every day. This is the most anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, nutrient rich meal on the planet and it's not expensive to make. It’s from ingredients you can find in any grocery store and make at home ahead of time. We each eat 1/2 cup of the Muesli and about a cup of Oat Milk each day, and we also add ground flax or chia seeds or hemp seeds to the cereal before adding the milk for an extra omega-3 boost. We also top the muesli with 1 cup of fresh or thawed frozen berries. We use a combination of sweet cherries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and pomegranate ariels. Here are the recipes:

—————————————————

Super Homemade Muesli

8 cups dry rolled oats
1 oz. pecan pieces*
1 oz. walnut pieces*
4 oz. dried fruit such as raisins, goji berries, dates, currants or figs, cut into bite sized pieces if necessary

Put all ingredients into a large bowl or covered jar and stir or shake to mix thoroughly. May be stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container.

*Substitute any raw nut/seed you like for the walnuts and/or pecans.

—————————————————

Super Chocolate Oat Milk

1 cup dry quick cooking or rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup date syrup
3 cups filtered water

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Shake well before using.

Makes about 1 quart

Kim's Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise

This recipe is the closest we've gotten to store bought vegan mayo in taste and texture. The great part about this recipe is that there is no added oil. The cashews and tofu make a smooth, creamy consistency and the chia seeds or the xanthan gum makes it thicker.

Xanthan gum can be purchased at health food stores and many larger grocery stores these days. Bob's Red Mill and others manufacture it and it's usually available in the baking goods section or buy it at online Amazon.com.

This recipe makes about 1 pint of mayo.

Ingredients

1 12 ounce package soft silken tofu

1/2 cup raw cashews (about 2 ounces)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon granulated onion powder

1 Tbsp. chia seeds (or 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum), optional

1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Instructions

Drain water from tofu and place it and all other ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend at highest speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Seal tightly and keep refrigerated. Stir before each use.

SaveSave

Vegan Roasted Garlic Cashew Aioli

This is a great recipe to use as a mayonnaise substitute.  It's rich, creamy and has a wonderful tangy flavor that is a perfect addition to your favorite sandwich or as a dip for veggies with less water added, and it makes a tasty salad dressing with more water added.

We always have roasted garlic on hand for various recipes such as this one and it's easy to roast a lot at one time especially if you can buy bags of peeled garlic.  We buy peeled garlic cloves in a bag at Costco and roast a baking sheet full of them at once.  Here's how we do it: line a baking pan with parchment paper, spread garlic out in a single layer, seal the parchment paper over the top and along edges, roast in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 15 minutes or until garlic starts to turn brown and becomes soft. Roasted garlic keeps in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Using a high speed blender such as a Vitamix will make this even creamier but a regular blender or food processor will work well too, though you'll probably need to blend for longer.

Makes about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS
1 heaped cup raw cashews
12 roasted garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/3 cup soft silken tofu
1/4-1/2 cup water, more/less as needed
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

DIRECTIONS
Blend cashews with roasted garlic, vinegar, juice, mustard and tofu until mixture begins to form a paste. Blend in water to achieve desired consistency. Blend in salt to taste. This will thicken somewhat as it spends time in the refrigerator.


For a fabulous variation add 1-2 teaspoons of chipotle powder or 1/2 teaspoon of canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, or to taste. Chipotle peppers are HOT so go easy on this unless you really like it spicy!

Our Experiences with Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Here's a discovery we made to help relieve Mike's lower back pain without medications or surgery:

If you or someone you know has serious lower back pain you may benefit from my experiences over the last 8 months. More and more studies are showing that long term inflammation may be the background cause of most of our major diseases and problems, my current experience has made me a believer.

This spring/summer I spent 5 months in the field holding a heavy camera in very difficult positions for long periods trying to photo tiny insects. My lower back took the toll and I developed chronic lower back pain. I tried everything I could find on the web from wearing a brace, to bed rest, to hot and/or cold packs, to focused exercises but nothing helped; my pain refused to heal and actually got worse. What's going on, I'm very healthy, BMI of 22, I eat a very strong and balanced vegan diet, exercise daily, and am generally fit and in good shape. I was stumped and decided to see a doctor.

Over the next 2 months I went to 4 different doctors, had X-rays, MRI's, was prescribed all sort of meds (some had such horrid side effects that I refused to take them), but never got any answers that made sense or helped the problem to heal. My pain remained chronic and got worse, I could hardly do anything but sit or lay down. Picking up just 5 pounds would cause sharp pain. The ONLY thing that helped was large doses anti-inflammatory drugs, mainly Ibuprofen, which can cause serious liver damage and I totally reject as a long term answer.

Next I decided to go see an orthopedic surgeon; he took one look at my X-ray and said I had DISH syndrome. He said it was a common syndrome that occurs in 15 to 25% of all species of mammal as they age (it's even found on skeletons of dinosaurs ). From a lifetime of use the ligaments that attach the muscles to the lower spine can become calcified and often become INFLAMED which causes the chronic pain. The surgeon said he also had the syndrome and had to take Ibuprofen several times a day to continue his practice and recommended I do the same.

Common sense told me there had to be a better way. Having studied nutrition for the last 2 years I knew most all conditions, syndromes, and diseases could be either prevented, reversed and eliminated, or at least diminished and controlled if you eat the correct balance of properly prepared whole plant foods. I'd eliminated my type 2 diabetes, stage 2 heart disease, arthritis, high blood PSI, and other problems by becoming a strict vegan 2 years ago so I knew the power of whole foods.

The DISH syndrome occurs naturally and can't be reversed, but the inflammation that causes the associated pain might be able to be eliminated by eating highly anti-inflammatory foods? Maybe I wasn't eating the proper balance of anti-inflammatory versus inflammatory foods?

It was worth a try so Kim and I did the research, developed a long list of best anti-inflammatory foods, and started working them into my diet. After about 6 days the chronic pain I'd had for the previous 8 months was all but gone, down about 95%! I can do most all the things I'd been unable to do and feel great! It was a remarkable turnaround.

The most important anti-inflammatory foods that I started including in my daily diet were large red onions, loads of roasted garlic and garlic powder, fresh ginger, cooked spinach, kale, and collards, cooked carrots, and baked sweet potato.

We buy bags of peeled garlic cloves at Costco, then roast them by pouring into a pan lined with enough parchment paper to hold the garlic in a single layer and still be able to seal the parchment paper over the top by folding the edges together. Roast in a 350 degree F oven until golden and soft, about 30-45 minutes, then store in a sealed container (we use mason jars) in the refrigerator, keeps for 2 weeks.  Add to savory dishes and dressings.

Here's a table of anti-inflammatory foods, the higher the number, the more anti-inflammatory the food.

Chili pepper, jalapeno, raw	1/4 cup	825
Garlic Powder	1/2 Tsp	468
Ginger root, raw	1 Tbsp	387
Onions, raw	1/2 cup	292
Ginger, ground	1/2 Tsp	248
Spinach, cooked	1/2 cup	224
Garlic, raw	1 Tbsp	215
Kale, raw	1 cup	213
Sweet potato, baked	1/2 cup	189
Mustard greens, cooked	1/2 cup	172
Pumpkin, canned	1/2 cup	168
Collards, cooked	1/2 cup	159
Beet greens, cooked	1/2 cup	136
Carrots, cooked	1/2 cup	130
Kale, cooked	1/2 cup	112
Carrots, raw	1/2 cup	98
Squash, butternut, baked	1/2 cup	91
Carrots, canned	1/2 cup	79
Spinach raw	1 cup	74
Lettuce, romaine	1 cup	69
Broccoli, cooked	1/2 cup	60
Avocado, fresh	1/2 cup	57
Pecans, raw	1/4 cup	46
Brussels sprouts, cooked	1/2 cup	40
Asparagus, cooked	1/2 cup	38
Asparagus, canned	1/2 cup	34
Edamame, frozen	1/2 cup	32
Broccoli, raw	1/2 cup	26
Flaxseed, ground	1/4 cup	26
Cabbage, green, cooked	1/2 cup	23
Asparagus, raw	1 cup	21
Cashews, raw	1/4 cup	20
Parsley, fresh	1 Tbsp	20
Kiwi, fresh	1/2 cup	17
Lemon juice, fresh	1/2 cup	17
Pistachios, dry-roasted	1/4 cup	16
Strawberries, fresh	1/2 cup	14
Cabbage, red, raw	1/2 cup	12
Chia seeds	1 ounce	10
Peanut butter, smooth	2 Tbsp	10