Almonds for Lunch?

We hear over and over again that almonds are a great food with benefits for heart, brain, and overall health.
Read more about health benefits of almonds in my article on healthy foods.

I have also written that one ought to soak almonds and other nuts overnight to remove the enzyme inhibitors which are a natural part of most nuts.

Okay, so now what? What are we supposed to do with these soaked almonds? Well, here is a delicious recipe that will fill you up nicely and leave you full of energy. This is a good prospect for lunchtime since everyone knows that after your average satisfying lunch, one often just wants to sleep (hence the siesta in so many countries!)

1 cup raw organic almonds - soaked over night, then rinsed
1/8 cup raw organic pine nuts - also soaked over night
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt (Himalayan, Real Salt, or your preferred sea salt)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (more if desired)

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. You may have to open the processor and push the mixture back down to the bottom with your spatula. If necessary add a couple of table spoons of water at a time and try again until the mixture gets creamy.

The result will be much like hummus, but with greater health benefits. The monounsaturated fats and other plant fats in this recipe will feed your body, brain and cravings in the most delightful way.

Use as a dip with snap peas, baby carrots, celery, red bell peppers, and/or raw flax crisps or raw seed crackers (easy to find at health food stores). You can also spread it along the spine of a large collard leaf (cut off the stem at the bottom of the leaf. Add sprouts and roll tightly lengthwise.

With a salad on the side: voila, mes amis! You are eating a healthy raw food lunch!

The Importance of Soaking Nuts

Often in our attempts to “get healthy,” important details get lost in the shuffle.  When choosing nuts and seeds as a part of your healthy diet, remember that they must be raw to have the benefits you desire.  Rather than cooking them, you must soak them.

Nuts, seeds, legumes, grains all contain enzyme inhibitors which appear to be somewhat toxic. They inhibit the beneficial components of these foods as their natural way of preserving the nut, seed, grain, or legume until it has optimum growing circumstances.  I have collected information from a number of helpful websites which you can use as further resources.

“Raw nuts, seeds, and whole grains are widely recognized as healthy foods, but they’re not truly healthy unless you prepare them properly.”
from: http://naturalbias.com/a-hidden-danger-with-nuts-grains-and-seeds
“Phytic acid is a substance found in the bran of grains and the coating of nuts and seeds. It inhibits the absorption of important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc. And this doesn’t only apply to the minerals in the nuts, it also applies to the minerals in the foods you eat with the nuts.”

“Nuts and seeds naturally contain enzyme inhibitors. And by soaking them, you not only release the toxic enzyme inhibitors, but also increase the life and vitality contained within them! The purpose of these enzyme inhibitors is to protect the nut and/or seed until it has what it needs for growing (ex. sunlight, water, soil, etc.). Since the water that you soak your nuts in will contain the enzyme inhibitors, and is very acidic to the body, please be sure to rinse your nuts and seeds well after soaking and to discard the water.”
from: http://www.tinamarieblog.com/?p=61
“Walnuts, Brazil nuts, and pecans do not contain the large amount of enzyme inhibitors as other nuts, yet they do in fact have some. You can rinse and soak for a short while 3 - 4 hours to reduce the enzyme inhibitor but as I do not always soak my walnuts or pecans, and have not have bad stomach reactions, not soaking them for use raw or in recipes is fine too.”

“By soaking them, these enzyme inhibitors are removed and the beneficial enzymes we want from them are actually doubled….
The performance of every organ in our bodies is linked to enzyme activity. In essence, without enzymes, there would be no life. Period.”
from: http://www.sustainablyraw.com/blog/?p=8

For those of you ready for some serious sprouting, the site http://www.raw-food-living.com/soaking-nuts.html has a comprehnsive chart showing various seeds, grains, legumes, and their necessary soaking and sprouting durations.
http://www.raw-food-living.com/soaking-nuts.html

Vivacious Variety: Vegetables and More Vegetables

Here is a delicious and substantial salad you can have as a side dish to supplement meals, or as a snack when those late night munchies hit. Vegetables balance meals to the alkaline side and contribute vitamins, minerals, fiber. You will find you can use this basic recipe with all sorts of variations.

1 large or 2 small zucchini
1 red bell pepper
4 medium or 2 large kale leaves
1 green onion
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
juice of 1/2 lime
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Chop the vegetables in to large pieces (Chopping for a food processor should take only a moment - you just want to get the pieces to a manageable size. For example, cut the zucchini into 4 pieces, the bell pepper into 4-6 pieces.)
Put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse about 10 times - or until the veggies are of a uniform size.  I prefer chunky chunks, though some folks like closer to salsa sized bits.

Variation suggestions: Use snap peas, snow peas, green beans, celery, save your broccoli stems - peel them and add to the melange. Add parsley, watercress, or cilantro. Use fresh herbs: thyme, basil, dill or oregano.

Having a simple basic recipe that you can change up to keep variety in your meals helps stay healthy and stimulated.