St Patricks Day Green Smoothie

It's St. Patrick's Day and I want something green. There is nothing like a green smoothie to help detox, get rid of bloat, and energize the body! Green smoothies are easy to digest, are nourishing and a cinch to make.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day in addition to wearing green, why not treat yourself to this delicious green detox!

I've said it before-
Raw greens are the best choice to help cleanse the body and help alkalize it : Two ingredients needed for weight loss and optimal health.

Using smoothies to cleanse  is like taking out the garbage. We accumulate toxins through what we eat , digest, and breath. Detoxing helps the body rid toxins and take a burden off the liver ( which is our body's filter; if the liver is clogged, it doesn't work efficiently.

I originally saw the recipe for this green detox smoothie  in the Nov 25 2013  issue of Woman' s World Magazine.  It was a great article about how to do a Smoothie Diet and take off 5 pounds in 3 days.

The article offered a variety of detoxes including a green detox smoothie, a red detox smoothie, a detox soup for dinner, and an almond milk smoothie for a snack. I followed their detox suggestions  for the suggested 3 days, and was pleased that I lost 4 and half pounds and didn't feel hungry.

The green detox was my favorite: It's perfect for a healthy St. Patrick's Day Celebration


Ingredients for Smoothie: 
1/2 large banana, sliced and frozen
2 fresh figs, sliced ( or you can substitute any other fruit like berries)
2 cups curly ( organic ) kale
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ( contains fiber and blood sugar regulators)
16 ounces of cold water

Directions:
Place all ingredients in your blender or Nutribullet ( I use the Nutribullet and love it)Blend and enjoy immediately.

There are lots of other ways to detox too-

Detox Soup is a great way to detox in the winter. I lost 5 pounds in 4 days 




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Lebanese Roasted Eggplant Salad

Roasted tangy eggplant salads, like this one, have been popular in Middle Eastern countries for centuries. I think they taste fabulous, are easy to make AND are really healthy too.

This  recipe is actually my cousin Elaine's recipe who is an experienced and authentic Middle Eastern cook. She invited us for brunch and served a number of memorable dishes. Although everything was very good, her tangy roasted eggplant was my favorite .

Mixed with lemon, garlic, and other herbs and spices, the eggplant salad was superb.

Extra note: Not only is this recipe naturally gluten free and vegan, all the ingredients are permissible for Passover. What a great appetizer or side this would make for the holiday!

Ingredients:
1 large plump purple eggplant, or 2 medium eggplants cut in half lengthwise
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup of  red, green and or yellow peppers, chopped very fine
1 clove of garlic, chopped very fine
1/4 cup of tomato, chopped very fine
1/4 cup of red onion, chopped very fine
salt to taste
1/4 cup of olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cover a cookie sheet with foil
Brush the flesh of the eggplant with olive oil
Place the two eggplant halves on the cookie sheet flesh side down.
Pierce the eggplant halves a few times with a fork and bake on 400 for about 25 minutes . Remove from oven, allow to cool. When able to handle, scoop out the flesh
Add lemon juice, salt, and oil . Using an immersion blender , mix slightly.
Add the chopped garlic, tomatoes, and peppers.

Serve with gluten free chips and other appetizers

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Good food is my passion. I am gluten intolerant, busy. and strive for a healthy balanced lifestyle. It has taken me many years to develop and discover easy healthy recipes that meet gluten free, vegetarian/vegan and real food standards. On my blog I share my journey, my struggles, my discoveries, and my new recipes. I hope you find ideas, resources, and recipes that will be helpful to you. Come Back soon.

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Lebanese Stuffed Onions

Lebanese Stuffed onions ( bassal mahshi)  is a family favorite that was actually my mother in law's recipe that she has been making and perfecting for many years. She serves it on holidays and special occasions, and it is absolutely delicious.

My mother in law's name is Toni ( short for Fortunae) and is called Nona by her 10 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Born to an Italian mother and  raised, and lived in Cairo for 45 years prior to coming to the US - she is a great Middle Eastern cook.

 Everyone is thrilled when she goes to the trouble to make these little stuffed gems. Her recipe is made using ground meat, spices and rice; my recipe is vegan, yet it boasts the same delicious Middle Eastern spices and the great flavors as my mother in law's recipe.

My recipe is easy to make, but I must warn you it is labor intensive. The onions are boiled first, peeled after cooking, and each layer of the onion is removed, stuffed, and rolled individually.

 I made this recipe today jointly with my sister in law Amy.  otherwise it takes a novice a long time to peel and roll. It's good to have a partner to work with. ( My mother in law is a an experienced pro and can knock off a batch rather quickly.)

The ingredients are simple, yet the spices are somewhat more exotic.

Like many of my mother in law's authentic Middle Eastern recipes, she uses a significant amount of  healthy ground yellow orange turmeric ( available in any supermarket in the spice isle or any Indian ethnic store at a much more reasonable price)

The Middle Eastern term for stuffed onions is bassal macshi -
Basal is the Arabic word for onions and Machshi means anything stuffed.

Ingredients:
4 large onions, cut according to the following directions ( see picture)

Filling: you could use any filling of your choice or use my vegan filling

My vegan Filling

1 cup uncooked rice, washed and drained well ( brown or white)

 2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped small

 1/2 cup chopped parsley

 1/4 cup of  cilantro , chopped fine 

 1/2 teaspoon of allspice

 1 teaspoon turmeric

 1/4 cup of raisins , soaked for at least 2 hours and then drained

 4 Tbsp olive oil

 salt and pepper to taste

 1/2 tsp of chopped garlic

  juice of one fresh lemon

Filling Directions: mix all ingredients well and use for the stuffing of the onions
Directions:

Cut raw onions as shown partially through ( do not cut in half)




Boil onions until soft




Separate onions into halves


Filling:
Combine all ingredients and mix well. .

Fill each onion half with small amount of filling ( this is a picture that I took when I used soy granuals- forgot to take the current filling picture)

Roll, sprinkle with turmeric for color

Place the stuffed onions one at a time in a circular motion in 2 qt saucepan to cook them.
Cover with 2 cups of vegetable broth . Cover and cook on low until the onions caramelize and the rice is soft.
To serve: remove onions from the pan and then place in a serving dish.

 Layer in a Pyrex to serve

My notes:
Turmeric is so good for you. Recent scientific studies have been documenting turmeric has medicinal qualities that are good for the brain. I found an article by Dr. Axe that goes into great detail about why turmeric is good to add to your diet and a simple turmeric drink that you can make.


These stuffed onions seem to be a hit with just about  any crowd.

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Good food is my passion. I am gluten intolerant, busy. and strive for a healthy balanced lifestyle. It has taken me many years to develop and discover easy healthy recipes that meet gluten free, vegetarian/vegan and real food standards. On my blog I share my journey, my struggles, my discoveries, and my new recipes. I hope you find ideas, resources, and recipes that will be helpful to you. Come Back soon.

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Layered Taco Appetizer- a Party Favorite

If you enjoy Nachos or Tacos, you will love this layered Mexican Salad that is my sister in law Amy's party go to !. She made it this year for her neighbor's Super bowl Party , and as usual there was not a morsel left over! It's kind of her signature dish, and I always look for it when ever she has a party!

It's easy to assemble, tastes fabulous, and is made from real food including fresh chopped tomatoes and scallions.!

 And I love that it simply requires assembling, not cooking.
If you have unexpected company drop by, you can whip this chopped salad  up in 15 minutes.

Make it as spicy or mild as you like- that part is based on individual taste. Personally, I like my food on the milder side, but feel free to give it the kick that you like!

You'll love the beautiful presentation, and that it meets vegetarian and gluten free standards!

It's a layered salad type appetizer,  so you will need to serve it with some sort of chip or raw veggie. I like raw carrot wedges which are sold in bags in most supermarkets.

**You will also need to use a spring form pan if you would like to remove it from the bowl!

Author: Judee Algazi
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time:  None
Special Tools Needed: spring form pan

Amy's original recipe card

Ingredients:   
1st layer:      1 vegetarian can of refried beans, drained
2nd layer:    1 eight ounce package of cream cheese and 1 eight ounce container of sour cream or plain Greek Yogurt mixed together well
3rd layer:    1 eight ounce container of taco sauce
4th layer:    2 tomatoes chopped, 2 scallions chopped and 1 small can mild chopped jalapeno peppers ( or less to taste)
5th Layer:   8 ounces of Shredded Cheese
                     

Directions:

Layer One

Layer 2

Layer 3 - taco sauce

Layer 4

Final Layer ( if you make in advance, add the cheese layer just before serving)



Directions:
Spread refried beans in a spring form pan. Next spread the cream cheese and sour cream ( or Greek Yogurt) mixture for the 2nd layer. For the 3rd layer spread a jar of taco sauce. For the 5th layer, spread the chopped tomatoes, scallions, and chopped jalapeno peppers ( mix together first) . For the 5th and final layers, sprinkle the 8 ounces of cheese over the top. Remove from the spring form pan before serving.



Like my recipes?  you can see all of them here: Recipes or to subscribe to my email, scroll to the top of the page right hand side and submit your email. Each time I post the recipe will be delivered to you.

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Let me know

If you are new to my blog and would like me to email you my recipes when I post them, please enter  scroll to the top of my blog and look for my subscribe box in the right top column of the blog. Type in your email, click and check your emails for a confirmation .  Don't miss a recipe - about one or two a week.  ( you can unsubscribe at any time)

Good food is my passion. I am gluten intolerant, busy. and strive for a healthy balanced lifestyle. It has taken me many years to develop and discover easy healthy recipes that meet gluten free, vegetarian/vegan and real food standards. On my blog I share my journey, my struggles, my discoveries, and my new recipes. I hope you find ideas, resources, and recipes that will be helpful to you. Come Back soon.

 
Look for my recipe on Super Sundays along with other blogger's
 soups and salad recipes

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