Recipe Articles

Natural Vegetable Dye

September 3, 2015 by Eve | Last Modified: August 21, 2020

Most store bought food coloring contains toxic ingredients such as FD&C Yellow 5, FD&C Red 40, and Propylene glycol. Instead of feeding our bodies these harmful chemicals, you can make your own homemade safe and natural food coloring that can be used to dye eggs, create art on plates, and more!

To begin choose your vegetable of choice; I used beets, sweet potatoes, and kale. Using a mandolin or knife thinly slice the veggies and dehydrate until almost crispy. Then place in a blender until a fine powder is created.

Note: If you don’t own a dehydrator you can purchase already dehyrated vegetables in most natural grocery stores.

At this stage you can use the edible vegetable powder to add color to dishes. The powder is mostly flavorless, but creates a visually pleasing look.

Create homemade vegetable food coloring by adding water to the powders and then straining through cheese cloth or a find mesh strainer. Some particles will be left in the solution, but I think they add a colorful dimension.

Using a spoon dab some of the vegetable dye onto white plates for an artistic look!

Use can also “paint” the entire plate using a silicone basting brush. Allow the thin layer of vegetable dye to dry at room temperature. You will then have an edible, colorful plate to present your food upon!

This natural vegetable food coloring can also be used to dye eggs. However, instead of using water to create the dye, use vinegar as it will help the color to soak in. The eggs will turn a soft pastel color, perfect for Easter time!

The possibilities of color combinations are endless and you can also use fruits such as blueberries, pomegranate, plums, and cranberries to create the dyes.

Have fun playing with your food!

What to do with Oversized Zucchini

August 29, 2015 by Eve | Last Modified: August 29, 2015

Have you ever walked into your garden and found a zucchini that is HUGE… you know the one that is a 2 feet long and weighs 10 lbs. Extra large zucchini tend to be seedy and tough, but don’t throw them away just yet. Here are 5 ways to use those oversized zucchini.

1. Make Zucchini Noodles using a mandolin or spiralizer. If you don’t have one of these specialty tools, you can also use a peeler and turn them into zucchini ribbons. The outside skin and immediate outer layers are the best part of the gargantuan vegetable. To make the “noodles” slice each side of the zucchini until you reach the seeds, which you will discard or move onto #2 below. Throw the “noodles” into a pan with olive oil, garlic, and salt. Cook for approximately 5 minutes. Top with thinly sliced basil. Bon Appetite!

2. Carve out the seeds to make Baked Zucchini Seeds. This will require patience and time, but the end result is worth the effort. Spoon out the seeds, place them in a colander to remove as much of the fiber as possible, and then pat dry. Spray the seeds with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. They are a great crunchy, nutty snack!

3. Zucchini Bread is a great option for these oversized vegetables. I love this zucchini bread recipe from Liz at Love Grows Wild. Make sure to grate only the outside, non-seed layers of the zucchini and then squeeze out all of the water. If you have excess zucchini shreds, you can freeze them for future use.

4. Bake some Stuffed Zucchini Boats using this recipe from Lori at Recipe Girl. Your large zucchini will easily be able to feed 4-6 people, just be sure to cut accordingly. Once you have scraped out the seedy inside to make your boat, use the remnants in suggestion #5 below.

5. If none of the above options sound appetizing you can always cut it up and Compost it! You could also use it as a club, help your kids turn it into a car, or feed it to the pigs.

I hope you have fun tackling that mammoth-sized zucchini. Let me know how you end up using yours in the comments below.

How to Freeze Bananas

August 22, 2015 by Eve | Last Modified: August 29, 2015

Frozen bananas make the best smoothies, ice cream, and chocolate dipped snacks! If you ever have some over ripe-bananas sitting on the counter, freeze them instead of throwing them away. Follow these simple steps and you will have frozen bananas within a few hours.

How to Freeze Bananas in 5 easy steps…

Peel the bananas.
Cut them into 1 inch slices.
Place them on a piece of thick tin foil.**
Place in freeze for several hours.
Once they are mostly frozen transfer to a plastic bag for storage up to 3 months.

**By placing the bananas on foil, it makes them really easy to remove and transfer to a zip-loc bag because the foil is so flexible. I rip off a large piece of foil, fold it over 3-4 times to make it thicker and then create 4 side walls. The foil can be stored in the freezer or wash it and store in the cupboard for future use.

View my Chocolate, banana, and maca smoothie recipe for the perfect mid-day energy booster.

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Garlic + Stomach

August 22, 2015 by Eve | Last Modified: August 29, 2015

Have you ever experienced a stomach ache after eating garlic? I took a cooking class in Rome and I learned an interesting fact from my Italian instructor. He informed us that if you eat the middle green part of garlic that it will make your stomach gurgle and feel unpleasant. So now every time I cook garlic, I always remove the middle sprouting part.

To remove the green sprouting part, cut the garlic in half lengthwise and then peel out the middle. The end result should look like this…

What are your thoughts on sprouting garlic?

BroccoLeaf Recipes

June 23, 2015 by Eve | Last Modified: August 11, 2015

A few months ago I wrote a post about BroccoLeaf, a revitalized organic super food by Foxy Produce. And I am so excited that I just found it in the grocery store! After purchasing it, I immediately went home to put it to the taste test. The results…

It is EXTREMELY bitter. The most bitter leafy green that I have ever tasted… but I knew that it was good for me so I proceeded to try to take away some of the bitterness.

Juicing – A great product to juice, but to hide the bitterness you will need to use a few apples to balance the bitter/sweet taste.
Chips – I made a batch of kale and broccoleaf chips in the oven. I was not able to tell the difference between the two, so that is a plus.
Sautéed – I threw together the BroccoLeaf, a little butter, salt, pepper, garlic seasoning and the result was amazing! The bitter taste disappeared and I was left with a very pleasant side dish.

Overall, I will definitely be purchasing BroccoLeaf again, but you won’t find me eating it like a salad. Even though some of the nutrients might die off from the high heat sauté cooking, the end taste was worth it. If you come over for dinner you might find this new super food on your plate!

Fed Up Movie

June 15, 2015 by Eve | Last Modified: August 22, 2015

Have you seen the new movie “Fed Up”? It spotlights America’s obsession with sugar and lack of exercise, due to the lies the government has led us to believe. The movie poster highlights the words, “Congress says Pizza is a Vegetable”. Sadly, some people believe that is true. America needs to learn that tomato paste is NOT a vegetable and French Fries do NOT count as a daily serving of fruits & veggies.

If you need motivation to start eating healthier and working out, then this movie is a good start. View the Fed Up movie trailer here: http://fedupmovie.com/#/page/home. What you are your thoughts on this movie?

Why I decided to give up Meat

October 8, 2014 by Eve | Last Modified: August 11, 2015

I have been a meat-eater ever since I was a child, but that all changed earlier this year when I signed up for a 6 month long “professional plant-based certification cooking class”. I had no idea that it meant vegan cooking. And so my journey began! The class taught me how to prepare healthy meatless meals. I found that I didn’t really miss eating meat as long as the meal was hearty and filling.

The class also opened my eyes to the health benefits of eating a plant-based diet and how it reduced my carbon footprint. My tipping point for giving up meat is the fact that my husband and I have been struggling with unexplained infertility for the last two years. I don’t want to sit around and wait for something to change, I am stepping up to the plate and trying something new. Will it make a difference? I don’t know, but it can’t hurt either.

Benefits of being vegetarian…

Eat more Fruits and Vegetables – According to the USDA half of what you eat should be fruits and veggies. However, most Americans are eating more meat than produce. By eliminating meat, you allow more room for fruits and veggies.

Lose Weight – In an Oxford University study of approximately 38,000 Americans, researchers found that meat-eaters tended to have the highest body mass index (BMI) for their age and vegans the lowest, with vegetarians in the middle. The most likely reason is that vegetarian meals tend to be richer in antioxidants and fiber, which keeps your regular and helps to lose weight.

Live Longer – You can add approximately 13 years to your life and be healthier in your latter years if you stay on a vegetarian diet, according to Michael F. Roizen, MD, author of The RealAge Diet. ”People who consume saturated, four-legged fat have a shorter life span and more disability at the end of their lives. Animal products clog your arteries, zap your energy and slow down your immune system.”

Reduce Hormone Intake – Ranchers inject beef cows with hormones to make them grow 20% faster and dairy cows to make them produce 15% more milk. The FDA says that these hormones do not affect us, but it still concerns me that I am ingesting these unnatural hormones.

Feel Better – After 2 weeks of eating a vegetarian diet my husband told me that he felt better than he had in years. And I have to agree. I tend to have more energy and feel motivated for the day.

Save Money – Meat is expensive compared to grains and legumes.

Less likely to get Cancer – The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) determined that there is convincing scientific evidence that red meat increased cancer risk and that processed meat, saturated/animal fat, and heavily cooked meat were also convincing of increased risk of cancer.1

Eat more Humanly – Millions of animals are subject to confinement, overcrowding, and disfigurement only to face an equally cruel demise in the slaughterhouse (which, by the way is no picnic for its human workers). In the words of Paul McCartney, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we’d all be vegetarian.”

Reduce my carbon footprint – According to the FAO, 18% of global emission result from livestock. Cutting out beef, pork, and poultry can cut your footprint in half! Reducing your carbon footprint will help reduce global warming and will help the environment.

I have decided to not become full fledge vegan due to the lack of certain nutrients such as calcium, iron, and vitamin B12. Also, I have found that my friends, family, and restaurants can create vegetarian meals, but vegan is beyond their comfort zone. To ensure that I receive enough protein and omega-3’s in my diet, I have decided to eat wild-caught fish. Which, I guess makes me a pescatarian!

Update as of August 2015: Since writing this post I have decided to incorporate white meat back into my diet, but only a very small portion size. Giving up such a huge food source for 6 months, was a challenge, but well worth it. I learned that I can have self-control and that meat does not have to be the staple ingredient at the dinner table.

1. World Cancer Research Fund. Food, nutrition, physical activity, and the prevention of cancer: A global perspective. American Institute of Cancer Research. Washington, DC:2007.

Incentives for eating Fruits & Vegetables

October 7, 2014 by Eve | Last Modified: October 7, 2014

Incentives can be a powerful tool to achieve a desired end result. Would you eat more fruits & vegetables if you knew you would earn a prize? The government is currently funding a $31 million grant program to find out that exact question… can incentives increase the fruits and vegetables consumption of low-income consumers?

In 2012 the USDA, performed a similar study in which they allowed SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) households to receive 30 cents on every SNAP dollar spent on specific fruits and vegetables. The cost savings incentive increased consumption of these specific fruits and vegetables of about one quarter of a cup per day.

In the United Kingdom, researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh, Essex, and Bath gave elementary students a star for every time they choose a portion of fruits or vegetables at lunch time or if they brought it from home. After a student earned 4 stars they would earn a prize such as a highlighter pen. Once the incentive program was removed from the school, the majority of the children continued to eat more fruits and vegetables.

If you are struggling to eat your veggies, maybe an incentive is what you need to get motivated!