HEALTH COACH: Forty Shades Greener

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Green Food

21st century Irish-themed healthy recipes

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DO YOU KNOW?
All About Chlorophyll
Grow Your Own Wheatgrass - Make Your Own Wheatgrass Juice Concentrate

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Hearty Irish Comfort Food
With Poetry and Stories

Sizzling Irish Spice Bag

The Spice Bag is a favourite late night street food in Ireland, after the pubs close, and is often sold from food trucks waiting outside. Loaded with fresh made fries and roast chicken, tossed with onions, peppers, garlic, and a savoury spice blend. Delicious and satisfying, eaten right there on the curb out of paper bags, with friends.

4-6 Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, peeled, and cut into 1/4 inch planks

6-8 mini, multi-coloured peppers, cleaned and roughly cut into big pieces

1 purple onion, cleaned and roughly cut into big pieces

2 free-from, humanely-raised chicken breasts, patted dry, cut into big pieces

olive oil

DIY Five spice blend

fresh-ground, naturally-harvested earth or sea salt

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl, coating lightly with oil and five spice blend. Bake in shallow baking dish, tossing multiple times throughout baking process, 60 minutes - until golden and crispy. Fun to eat from takeaway bags.

Five Spice Blend

1 T anise seeds

1 T fennel seeds

1 T chili flakes
1 T paprika

1 t fresh-cracked pepper

grind spices in a mortar with a pestle until finely incorporated

Peach salsa-stuffed

Avocado Truffles
with ancient grains and super seeds

click to expand

2 Avocados

Presidents Choice Blue Menu

Ancient grains and super seeds blend

Peach Salsa

micro-dice:

1 medium sized garden fresh tomato

1 peach

green onion

garlic

add:

fresh-squeezed lime juice

naturally harvested salt

hot sauce

Slice ripe avocados horizontally, remove seed. Using a small spoon, enlarge the seed hollow, and peel the avocados carefully. Roll avocado halves in seeds that have been put in a small bowl. Plate and add salsa. Recipe inspired by Golubka's Kitchen

Green Hummus

3 1/2 c of canned garbanzo beans (about 2 15 oz cans)
2 c of spinach, loosely packed
1 c of arugula, loosely packed
1/4 c of cilantro
1/4 c diced green onion
1 clove of garlic
1 c of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c of fresh lemon juice
Sea salt or kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

First, peel the skin off the garbanzo beans by squeezing the garbanzo bean between your fingers. Peeling the skin results in a smoother hummus. Combine the spinach, arugula, cilantro, green onion, and garlic in a food processor and blend. With the food processor on, stream the olive oil in and add the garbanzo beans. Season to taste and top with olive oil. Arrange a vegetable platter with anything that inspires you. Honestly Yum

Miso Broccoli & Quinoa Salad

3 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T white miso

2 T rice vinegar

2 c cooked quinoa

3 c steamed broccoli florets, roughly chopped

2 c baby arugula

1/4 c sunflower seeds

1/4 t salt

To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, miso, and rice vinegar. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, broccoli, arugula, and sunflower seeds. Add the dressing and the salt. Toss gently until combined. EA. Stewart from The Little Book of Thin by Lauren Slayton

Irish Nachos

The Candid Appetite

A Week Of Green Smoothies

Here is what you’ll need for a full week of green smoothies:

12 c spinach
4 c kale
5 stalks celery
3 oz avocado
5 bananas
3 oranges
2 apples
4 c frozen fruit

Water and ice

Green vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, electrolytes, and fibre. They are a wise choice for healthy bones, skin, nervous system, immune system, and digestive health. The BlendTec Blog

click to view chart at source

Donegal Oatcakes

1½ c stone-ground oatmeal
1½ c whole wheat flour,
+ more for dusting

3 T unsalted butter,
cubed and chilled

½ t sea salt

¾ c boiling water

Pulse oatmeal, flour, butter, and salt in a food processor until pea-size crumbles form. Add water; pulse until dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet. Press a sheet of parchment paper over dough and using a rolling pin, roll dough into a ½" thick square; cover with a kitchen towel and let sit 1 hour, to dry slightly.

Heat oven to 250°F. Using a 3" round cutter, cut out cakes; gather and reuse scraps. Transfer cakes to a baking sheet; bake, flipping once, until golden and slightly crisp, 1 hour and 15 minutes. The more slowly it cooks, the better the flavor will be. Let cool slightly; serve with butter and jam, if you like. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Saveur

Mushroom Barley Soup

2 T olive oil

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

4 c carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 sprigs fresh thyme

sea salt and black pepper

6 c vegetable broth

3/4 c pearl barley

1 T chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, carrots, garlic, thyme, and ¾ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the vegetable broth and barley. Simmer, partially covered, until the barley is tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Top with the chopped flat-leaf parsley before serving. Real Simple

Doolin, County Clare, Ireland

Moroccan Shepards Pie With Sweet Potato & Lentils

For the filling:

1 lb grass-fed ground lamb or beef (omit for vegan)

3 c cooked chickpeas (or 2 15 oz. cans drained) (optional for meat version)

1 T olive oil

1 white onion, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T grated fresh ginger root

1 t ea. salt, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder,

1 t honey (optional)

2 c chopped plum tomatoes (about ¾ 28 oz can, drained)

½ c stock (vegetable, chicken or beef) + salt to taste

½ c currants or raisins

½ bunch cilantro, stems removed, chopped

For the mash:

1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chucks

1 T olive oil

1 t ea. cumin, garlic powder, salt

2 T nut milk (more if needed)

For the filling:

Brown the ground meat in a large skillet over medium high heat. Remove meat from skillet and set aside. Add olive oil to the pan along with the onions, garlic, ginger, spices and salt and cook for 8-10 minutes until the onion is softened. Return the meat to the pan (if using) along with the honey, tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes more. Add chickpeas (if using), currants, and chopped cilantro, stir and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the mash:

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes or until tender.

Drain well and add the olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, salt and milk. With a hand blender (or potato masher), blend until they reach a creamy consistency.

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill a 13 in x 9 in casserole dish with the filling and spread the mash on top. Bake for 40 minutes until the topping is beginning to brown. Garnish with extra chopped cilantro, if desired. Our Four Forks

Melon With Lime, Feta, and Mint Salad

1 medium melon (or 1 small watermelon), a bit smaller than your head

1/4 small red onion, sliced very thinly

8-12 large mint leaves, slivered, + some small ones for garnish

juice of 1 large or 2 small limes, to taste

1 T super-good olive oil

flaky salt (such as Malden) and black pepper

3/4 c Goat feta cheese, in large crumbles

Cut the melon in half from the stem end and scoop out and discard the seeds. Slice each half lengthwise into eighths. Use a paring knife to slice the flesh from the skin, and cut the slices into bite-sized chunks. In a large bowl, combine the melon, onion, and mint, tossing gently to combine. Drizzle over the olive oil, lime juice, flaky salt and pepper, toss to combine, and taste for balance and seasoning. Scatter the feta over the top, and serve immediately, garnished with small mint leaves. The Bojon Gourmet

Matcha Frappé

Green layer

1/3 c plant milk of choice

1/2 T green matcha powder

1/2 vanilla bean, scraped

tiny pinch of high quality salt

1 heaping T raw honey (maple syrup / coconut sugar for vegans)

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1.5 cup ice cubes, slightly crushed by hand or by using pulse on a blender

Add all ingredients listed above except the ice cubes to a blender and blend until completely smooth without any matcha lumps. Using an immersion blender works great too.

Milk Layer

1 cup coconut milk

Divide the green milk in the two glasses, add the slightly crushed ice, pour over the coconut milk and sprinkle some additional matcha powder and freshly grated nutmeg on top. Earthsprout

DO YOU KNOW?

Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants that makes it possible for the plant to absorb energy from light, through the process of photosynthesis.

Chlorophyll is the blood of plants, with a molecular structure similar to the haemoglobin molecule in human blood.

Chlorophyll fights free radicals, is anti-bacterial, reduces inflammation, is anti-carcinogenic, improves oxygen supply (the brain uses 20% of the body's oxygen supply), and alleviates bad breath and body odor caused by bacteria. It also helps to detoxify the body, which can manifest in skin disorders and damage. Chlorophyll is beneficial for immune system, digestive, and respiratory health, and for the treatment of arthritis, gastric ulcers, liver detox, bowel health, addiction recovery, and for the prevention of kidney stones.

When you eat leafy greens and sea vegetables, you are consuming chlorophyll naturally. Chlorophyll helps acid-alkaline pH balance, replenishes red blood cells, and increases bone and dental health. Chlorophyll contains all 22 of the essential amino acids and is a complete protein, effective in reversing protein deficiency anaemia.

Wheatgrass is one of the richest natural sources of vitamins A, D, E and K, and the complete B complex. Wheatgrass is also a natural source of Laetrile (Vitamin B-17). Wheatgrass is the richest source of chlorophyll in all the plant kingdom. Wheatgrass is a live enzyme superfood.

You can grow your own wheatgrass and make your own wheatgrass juice concentrate.

Soak 500g of wheatgrass seeds in water for 8 hours. Prepare a 20 x 10 x 2 inch seed tray: add 1 1/2 inches of compost potting mix.

Rinse and drain the seeds thoroughly. Spread the seeds evenly over the compost mix. Cover the seeds with a light layer of soil. Your compost mix should be moist but not sitting in excess water. Keep the soil moist - the tray should be watered every day. You can cover the tray with a damp cloth to enhance favourable growing conditions.

After 3 days the wheatgrass should be a couple of inches in height. You can then remove the cover and place the tray in partial - indirect sunlight. The sunlight will enable the sprout to produce chlorophyll which will quickly transform the yellow wheatgrass sprouts to a vivid green colour.

You should harvest when the wheatgrass is about 7-8 inches in height. To harvest your wheatgrass, simply trim with a pair of scissors or a chef's knife. Happy Juicer

Wheatgrass Juice Concentrate: Blend fresh cut wheatgrass with water. Strain. Store in the refrigerator 1-2 days. Use fresh or pour into ice cube trays and freeze. I use the wheatgrass juice ice cubes in drinking water and even in my cat's drinking water occasionally; especially in the off seasons when there is no access to fresh grass outdoors.

Liquid chlorophyll concentrate can be added to water, juice, green tea, and for smoothies. It can be blended with fresh cucumber and mint. Make a refreshing green tea smoothie with almond milk, matcha green tea powder, avocado, chlorophyll, vanilla, and cardamon. Drinking wheatgrass juice is like drinking liquid sunshine.

HEALTH COACH

SUPERFOOD