Elana's Stuffed Peppers

6-8 sweet bell peppers (green, orange, red or yellow)
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chiles
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
½ cup onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. In a medium sized bowl mix diced chiles with turkey, cilantro, onion, cumin, chili powder and salt
2. Cut the tops off of the peppers and set aside
3. Place peppers in an 11 by 7 inch baking dish
4. Stuff the peppers with the turkey mixture; place tops on peppers to close
5. Bake at 350° for 1 hour
6. Serve

This recipe has been taken from Elana's Pantry, a recipe blog by Elana Amsterdam.

Karina's Beef and Mushroom Rice Bake with Cranberries

Here's a cozy autumn casserole recipe with crumbled beef (or turkey), mushrooms, black olives and tart cranberries. Vegetarians can change out the meat with cooked black beans or white kidney beans.

To make:

First - put two cups of long grain brown or basmati rice on to cook.

Meanwhile, you'll need:

2 lbs organic grass-fed ground beef or turkey
1 onion, peeled, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green or yellow bell pepper, cored, sliced
2 c. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
Italian dried herbs, to taste- basil, oregano, thyme, fennel, rosemary
A dash of nutmeg
A dash of any hot spice you like - red pepper, paprika, cumin, etc.
1 14 oz. can fire roasted crushed tomatoes (I used Muir Glen) - use two cans if you like a wetter casserole
A goodly splash of balsamic vinegar
3/4 c. whole cranberries (frozen, thawed are fine)
1/2 c. chopped kalamata black olives
2 tbsp rinsed capers
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
A splash of good extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a large - and I mean large - lasagna style baking dish. Mine is 10x15 inches.

Heat a large skillet and brown the ground beef; pour off the fat; set aside.

In a large skillet cook the onions, garlic, peppers and mushrooms until they begin to soften - about 5 minutes. Season generously with Italian dried herbs. Add spices to taste. Spoon the cooked rice into the bottom of the baking dish. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to moisten, and fluff the rice a bit. Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Add the crumbled beef and top with the vegetable mixture. Add goat cheese or feta if you like. I drizzle a good tasting extra virgin olive oil all over the top because I like to kick it up.

Cover loosely with foil and bake for an hour until the center is piping hot. Note - if you have made this ahead of time and chilled it, it will take longer to bake - plan on an additional 20 to 30 minutes.

This recipe makes six generous servings - or eight or so modest servings if paired with other dishes.

This recipe has been taken from Karina Allrich's gluten free recipe blog. http://www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

Elana's Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

This recipe is sweetened with yacon syrup -- this low glycemic sweetener is derived from the yacon plant. Yacon is high in fructooligosacharides (FOS), a form of fructose which is lower in sugar in other and is in fact, a pre-biotic.

Begin with the pudding, as it will need a chance to cool.

Pudding Ingredients:

1 14 oz can of coconut milk (not lite)

1 pinch celtic sea salt

2 tbsp arrowroot powder

5 tbsp agave nectar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 c. dark chocolate chips(73% cacao)

1. In a saucepan, heat coconut milk and salt over medium heat

2. Sift the arrowroot powder into the pot, then whisk vigorously by hand or with a hand blender for 2 minutes

3. whisk in agave and vanilla

4. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes; add chocolate, stirring vigorously until melted

5. Chill for half an hour, until cool

Crust ingredients:

1 1/2 c. peanuts, roasted

1/4 tsp celtic sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp grapeseed oil

2 tbsp yacon syrup

1. Grind the peanuts in a food processor for a fine meal (make a crunchy meal for a crunchier crust)

2. Pulse in the salt and baking soda

3. Pulse in the grapeseed oil and yacon syrup and continue pulsing until the dough is formed

4. Remove dough from food processor and press into a 9 inch tart pan

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown

6. Cool, then fill shell with chocolate pudding

7. Serve

This recipe has been taken from Elana's Pantry, a recipe blog by Elana Amsterdam.

Five Powerful Reasons to Eat Slower

Can the act of eating slower change your life? Maybe so.

The Slow Food Movement grew out of Italy, some two decades ago, to counter the encroaching fast food movement. But it is not just about slow-cooked, healthy food -- it's an entire lifestyle.

Eating slower has several benefits that, overall, may pave the way to a more fulfilling existence.

What can you gain from slowing down at mealtime?

- Lose weight. Eating slowly gives your body the time it needs to register that it's full, which curbs overeating.

- Gastronomic pleasure. You have to eat -- why not make it an enjoyable experience?

- Improved digestion. Digestion starts in the mouth, so the more you chew, the less work your stomach needs to do.

- Reduced stress! No time to defrag and meditate? Let mealtime be your moment of mindful being.

- Connect with people around you.

Zenhabits.com

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

The modern lifestyle is built around speed, but, living the fast life may rob you of the good life. Once in a while, it's good to stop and ask yourself "Am I living my life fully, or am I just rushing through it?"

Incorporating the habit of eating slower can be the first step to a more relaxed, more fulfilling life - that moment each day when you "stop and smell the roses," if you will. Slowing down your eating will also help you better digest your food, as you will be chewing it more and mixing it with salivary digestive enzymes. Additionally, chewing helps stimulate intestinal digestive enzyme release.

People are slowly but surely beginning to recognize that certain "slow" times are a vital part of life - without them, you are missing some of the most important reasons for being alive. Once those moments are passed, you can't get them back at a later "more convenient time."

Eating slower also goes right along with the lifestyle of eating healthier food, rather than zipping through the nearest fast food joint. This combination of healthier selections, together with slowing down the whole eating process (and sharing time with others), can put you squarely on the right track toward a healthier body, mind and emotional state.

In addition to selecting as much fresh, locally grown organic foods as you can, following a diet that is custom made for your nutritional type will bring you optimal results.

When you eat just the right fuel that your body needs, your overall health will improve in many profound ways. You can expect to:

- optimize your weight
- improve your emotional well-being
- have increased energy throughout the day
- prevent chronic and degenerative diseases of all kinds
- Look and feel younger
- Avoid common illnesses, like colds and the flu
- Increase your mental focus
- Live years longer with a higher quality of life
- Feel satisfied and reduce or eliminate cravings

Dr. Mercola (www.mercola.com)

Cindalou's Asparagus and Red Pepper Omelet

2 eggs, scrambled
handful fresh asparagus*
slice raw red cabbage
2-3 slices fresh red bell pepper
slices jalapeno
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Seasonings:
sea salt and pepper
parsley

Add olive oil and asparagus to the pan and sautee lightly 1-2 minutes. Remove asparagus and add eggs to pan. Cook over low heat while scraping at the sides to cook the omlet. When eggs are done, add asparagus and raw cabbage and peppers. You may wish to add a dash of Bragg's aminos or serve with salsa, but I did not here. I actually used this omelet for a to-go lunch for work - eggs are a great lunch option which eliminate of the "same old lunch syndrome". I added shiritaki noodles to the lunch for a different texture to contrast the crunch veggies and eggs.

* I used some leftover garlic asparagus. You can just use raw asparagus also - it is fantastic!

This recipe has been taken from Cindy's healthy gluten free, dairy free, low carb natural recipes at cindalouskitchenblues.blogspot.com

Elana's Apple Crisp

2 c. blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c. grapeseed oil
1/4 c. agave nectar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
5 medium apples, peeled, sliced, then chopped in half width-wise

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg
2. In a smaller bowl, combine oil, agave and vanilla
3. Stir wet ingredients into dry
4. Place apples in a 2-3 quart glass baking dish
5. Crumble topping over the apples
6. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes on low rack
7. When apples are soft and their juices bubble, remove cover and bake 10 more minutes to brown crisp
8. Serve warm

Serves 6

Note: This recipe has been taken from Elana's Pantry, a recipe blog by Elana Amsterdam.

Karina's Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf

You can use either broth or water to cook this quinoa recipe. For a hearty, flavor-rich quinoa pilaf, use your favorite broth.

First:

Make your quinoa the easy way - using a rice cooker. You'll need roughly 2 1/2 - 3 cups cooked quinoa. As the quinoa cooks, gather and cut up your vegetables.

You'll need:

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small to medium yellow bell pepper, diced fine

1 small to medium green bell pepper, diced fine

2 c. sliced mushrooms

sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp Greek seasoning (mint, lemon, basil, oregano mix)

2 scallions (spring onions) sliced - white and light green sections

squeeze of fresh lemon juice

extra virgin olive oil, to taste

When the quinoa is almost done, heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, yellow and green pepper; and stir over medium heat until slightly softened. Add in the mushrooms. Season with sea salt, and ground pepper, to taste. Add the Greek seasoning. Stir and cook until the mushrooms are tender.

Scoop the cooked quinoa out of the rice cooker and add it to the mushroom-pepper mixture. Add in the sliced scallions. Stir to combine. Squeeze fresh lemon juice all over the quinoa and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Toss to coat the quinoa.

Taste test and add more salt or seasoning if it needs it.

Serve immediately; or allow it to cool, then cover and refrigerate it to eat as a salad.

Note on chilling this quinoa: Before serving this quinoa cold, taste test again and adjust seasonings; chilling often dulls the flavors in these kinds of salads. I usually allow quinoa salad a few minutes out of the fridge before serving; letting it come to room temperature helps the flavors. If making ahead as a salad, I'd use water instead of broth.

Serves 4.

This recipe has been taken from Karina Allrich's gluten free recipe blog. http://www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/