CARE Recipe: Asparagus and Cucumber Salad with Jicama (Prebiotic-fiber rich side salad)
This salad tastes so incredibly fresh, and it will surprise you at how fast it is to make. It’s perfect to have ready to go for when you walk in the door and want to start nibbling. Full of volume, fiber, and nutrients – you won’t have to feel guilty for enjoying this (vs. chips). Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food (April 2009)
CARE Recipe: Tomato Cucumber Tabouli (Incredible fresh side to pair with grain and grilled protein)
This recipe is a simple variation of the Cauliflower Quinoa Tabouli recipe. I love four things about both these recipes: 1) remarkable amounts of nutrition and therapeutic properties, 2) the freshness, 3) the burst of flavors in every bite from mincing the veggies, and 4) that it’s a great failproof template to mix and match veggies and acids (like lemon juice and vinegar) to create endless varieties (which leads to #1 being on your plate more often!).
CARE Snack: Vegan Coconut Berry Popsicles (3 per snack serving!)
It’s summer. It’s hot. Anything cold sounds great. Anything sweet and cold sounds even better! So how about making popsicles that are loaded with antioxidants and fiber (and greens!), balanced to keep you satiated, and encourages you to eat more than one! Perfect for a long day in the yard or movie night instead instead of mindlessly snacking on candy! (This recipes is a simple take on the CARE Coconut Berry Smoothie.)
CARE Snack: Fresh Peaches and Pistachios
So simple, yet so perfect. Savor this snack in a place that allows you to see, feel, and smell summer. Pistachios are high in lutein needed for eye health (it’s what gives them their green color). Lutein is important when we are exposed to higher rates of oxidation in eye cells from exposure to the sun. Peaches are rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene (the orange coloring) and pectin, a prebiotic fiber (food for our good gut bacteria). So simple, yet so perfect.
CARE Snack: Mini Mozzarella Cherry Tomato Wraps (Caprese Salad)
These beautiful, calcium-rich bites are a great way to switch up your afternoon snack. They are also a FAST and BALANCED idea to serve as appetizers or with cocktails with friends. Show them how easy a therapeutic lifestyle really can be.
CARE Recipe: “Not-your-average” Egg Salad with Cherries
The surprise in this version of egg salad is that it is actually a source of calcium, iron, and bioactive compounds called monoterpenes and flavonoids. And maybe most surprising is that these come from the…dill! In addition to the nutrients already mentioned, dill’s anti-bacterial and cancer preventing properties are also being studied. To increase monounsaturated fat and reduce saturated fat, you could substitute the egg yolks (source of saturated fat) for diced avocado (rich monounsaturated fat source).
CARE Recipe: Creamy Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad (Great Brassica Side with Grilled Protein)
This salad is packed with cancer-protective brassica vegetables (also known as cruciferous vegetables). Brassica veggies, when eaten alongside grilled animal proteins, help provide some protection to cells against cancer-causing Heterocyclic Amines (HCA) (HCAs should still be minimized or avoided when possible). HCAs form when meats and animal proteins are heated at high temps that result in browning and charring (the “desired” crispiness of grilling).
CARE Recipe: Strawberry Basil Salad
Fruit and herbs together are some kind of heaven. Think of tomatoes and basil, the classic combination for a caprese salad. When in season, the sweet, herbal basil brings forth the slightly acidic taste of the tomato, so that the flavors of both components together are better than their individual parts. Basil pairs brilliantly with other sweet, lightly acidic fruits like blueberries, strawberries, plums, and peaches. You could easily swap out the strawberries in this recipe for any of them, or better yet, a mix.
CARE Recipe: Mexican Lime and Chile Glazed Asparagus (Prebiotic-Rich Tender Side)
We know spring is near when markets start stocking bundles of young, tender asparagus. Thin stalks cook faster, and are sweeter, milder, and don’t require peeling or trimming like thick stalks do. A simple rinse under cold water is all the prep they need. Some thin stalks will have woodier, tougher bottom ends that can be snapped off just like you’d do with thicker stalks, if preferred.
The False Self and Habits
The False Self's Role in Default Behavior Patterns A core teaching in contemplative practices is to become aware of the difference between the influence of our true, divinely-led self on the quality of our presence and actions compared to the influence of our false-self system. Our false-self system developed to satisfy our perceived need for [...]