More "Adult" Carob-Quinoa Chews

I made a more traditional version of this recipe earlier, substituting carob for cocoa and quinoa puffs for millet puffs. The recipe I took this from is called Cocoa Millet Chews, from Health by Chocolate by Victoria Laine, which contains a number of more healthy recipes that are made from chocolate. I mean more adult, in the sense of, I think these would be less likely to be eaten by young children; the adult ingredients are pistachios, cocoa nibs and currants. Thinking about it now, I could even have added some Frangelico to it, to make it even more “adult”. Otherwise, they still taste good, a chewy, crunchy bite; the cashew butter is tasty too. They were well received at work.

More “Adult” Carob-Quinoa Chews
adapted from a recipe from Health by Chocolate by Victoria Laine
1 cup cashew butter (almond or other nut butter)
1 cup honey (pure maple syrup or brown rice syrup)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup carob powder (cocoa powder)
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
1/4 cup cocoa nibs
1/4 cup dried currants
1 to 1-1/2 cups puffed quinoa cereal (millet)

Heat cashew butter and honey on medium heat or double boiler, stirring constantly, until mixture just begins to bubble (about 2-3 minutes).

Take off heat and stir in vanilla.

Mix in sifted carob powder and puffed cereal. Add nuts and cocoa nibs and mix well. Cool several minutes.

Mold into balls. Cool on counter or in refrigerator until firm.

St. Francis Herb Farm Mineral Matrix Pure Dehydrated Goat Whey

Having tried their Goat Milk Protein Powder, I also was able to try some of their dehydrated goat whey. Whey is a by-product of the cheese-making process, essentially the liquid portion of the milk. The healthfulness of it, is that it has a high concentration of various minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium), and is alkaline-based (to offset the acid-ness of your body). It is also rich in electrolytes. This is not as good tasting as the goat milk powder, but not bad.

St. Francis Herb Farm Go Pro Matrix Goat Milk Protein Powder

My sister gave me this trial sachet of St. Francis Herb Farm's Go Pro Matrix goat milk protein powder. Goat milk has more health benefits that cow's milk, it has short chain fats and proteins, similar to human mother's milk, as opposed to the long chain fats and proteins of cow's milk (which is likely why many people experience issues with digesting cow's milk). The protein content of this protein powder is 15 g per 2 level tablespoons of powder. It has a pleasant vanilla taste, and blends easily in smoothies, or added to hot or cold breakfast cereal (what I did with this). It's likely much more expensive than the more available cow's milk protein powders, but I've seen it available for sale in a number of health stores near me.

Lotte Xylitol Gum - Original

I've seen chocolate and candy by the Korean company Lotte for sale in various Chinese supermarkets, but never their Xylitol gum (which has been around since 1997, but likely mostly in Asia). I picked this up from a Korean supermarket. Their packaging is all in Korean, but what I can make of it, it has 60% xylitol content. Xylitol has been shown to promote dental health, one of the reasons I've recently switched to this kind of gum (another being to avoid chemical sweeteners, which seem to be in all gums these days). This is a bag of gum, less convenient than the small plastic tub, but probably less packaging. It was about $5.

What does Original flavour Lotte Xylitol Gum taste like? From their Website, they also have Lime and Mint, Mint, and Blueberry Mint flavours, available in Asia; these could be interesting. This one tastes of mint, though not a very strong mint.

Santevia Gravity Water System

The good deal that we had got at the Apple Market's Health Fair in September was something for which we had been looking for a while; it filled a need that we had, to be able to drink water that was better for you, and certainly better than drinking water straight from the tap.

Their eight stage Water process is as follows: ceramic pre-filter, which removes rust and sediments, and inhibits bacteria, germs and parsites; activated carbon and charcoal, which removes chlorine, Trihalomethanes (THMs), organic chemicals, odour, colour and particulates; silica sand, which neutralizes acidic components creating optimal pH balance; zeolite granules, which inhibit bacteria, removes heavy metals (such as lead and mercury) and removes detergents, agricultural chemicals and other toxins; mineral infusion, which helps oxygenate the water and adjust to mild alkaline; bio ceramic, which breaks water molecules into very minute fractions to greatly improve absorption and increase the oxygen content of the water; mineral stone post filter, which continually releases easily absorbed ionized minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc and other trace minerals); magnetic tap, the magnet activates the water molecules and reorganizes them into simpler structures to aid absorption.

The measure of the water is always in how it tastes, and this one too suffers from what I can only describe as the Filter Taste, reminiscent of a number of other healthy filters that I have tried. Still, it’s better tasting than the chlorinated/fluoridated tap water. Our system or water is one of those who suffer from the green algae buildup, which affects some people’s systems, but doesn’t, apparently affect the taste or healthiness of the water (though, after I do clean it, it tastes “cleaner”).

Overall, I’m more than happy with this system, my beautiful Bride likes it very much, and the filter seems to work much longer than the Brita ones. I see they have now ones with silver, which is another way of reducing the harmful things in the water. There is also a version which sits on top of water coolers.

Carob-Quinoa Chews

I got this recipe out of a new chocolate cookbook, called "Health by Chocolate" by Victoria Laine, a take on Death by Chocolate, which implies that these recipes are good for you, rather than "Death". There is lots of evidence to indicate that Chocolate is good for you, has ingredients within that are healthy and healthful, I don't need another reason to eat it. The Death by Chocolate is not really Eat this and Die, but perhaps it might be "I love this so much I can die happy" or "this dessert is to die for". The recipes in this cookbook choose more healthy ingredients, substitutions for those high-fat, high-caloric ingredients, things like dates, nut butters, avocado and whole grains. This particular recipe turned out great, though I would say that the next time I make it, I would only add 1-1/2 cups of the puffed cereal, there was lots left over after fashioning the balls; no problem, I enjoyed the nutty-sweet puffed cereal as part of my breakfast. You can use cocoa powder for the chocolate, I used carob powder. Carob powder is similar to cocoa, though it has a milder taste. My daughter likes them too, she first tried them at my Sister's, she made them for a party.

Carob-Quinoa Chews
adapted from a recipe from Health by Chocolate by Victoria Laine
1 cup cashew butter (almond or other nut butter)
1 cup honey (pure maple syrup or brown rice syrup)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup carob powder (cocoa powder)
2-1/2 to 3 cups puffed quinoa cereal (millet)

Heat cashew butter and honey on medium heat or double boiler, stirring constantly, until mixture just begins to bubble (about 2-3 minutes).

Take off heat and stir in vanilla.

Mix in sifted carob powder and puffed cereal. Cool several minutes.

Mold into balls. Cool on counter or in refrigerator until firm.

Rosehip Juice

I've had rosehip as a tea, as a Vitamin C, as a jelly, eaten it raw, but never have I had rosehip juice. Rosehips are the fruit of wild roses, and are high in Vitamin C; they have other health benefits, including benefiting circulation of blood, kidney, stomach and ulcers. This juice from Azerbaijan is 100% rosehip juice, with no added sugar and not from concentrate. It tastes quite interesting, a little "medicinal" in flavour. I don't know that I could drink it other than as a health benefit.

Fairy's Tonic Kombucha - Digestif

I enjoy kombucha for its flavour mostly (kind of a bubbly not-sour vinegar which reminds me of elderflower wine), and as a health benefit second (lots of benefits, see some of my other kombucha postings), so I was pleased to find a local source for kombucha tea (local meaning made and sold in Toronto - though I hear that it just might be sold soon in Mississauga, that would be great).

I am talking about Fairy's Tonic made in Toronto by a lady named Zoey (whose mother, I read, is Ruth of Ruth's Hemp Foods) and sold in various health food stores in and around Toronto (see her website for a listing of stores, but I bought it at Essence of Life in Kensington Market).

The one I got was the one labelled Digestif with a green label (there are two others - Yellow/Uplift and Red/Revive; the three varieties are a light version, a more concentrated one and a ginger flavour, but I don't know which is which - okay, this isn't the ginger one) which is a straight kombucha made from black tea (ie. with no added flavours or ingredients). It comes in a 500 mL bottle (which I later read is for four servings - here I had drunk half of it in one serving already!). The couple I bought cost $6 each, though you can get it cheaper directly from her ($70 for a case of 12x500 mL, but if you buy it in gallon jugs, it's $38; check the website for current prices).

Normally, I don't care for black tea, and the Wonder Drink ones that I had tried before, and enjoyed, were all made with green tea. But, this one didn't taste of black tea, or what I don't like in black tea, and was quite good and refreshing, probably the best kombucha I had tasted so far. I know Wonder Drink is pasteurized, though I don't know if Fairy's Tonic is (other than her website saying Live and the bottle saying Live Brew; meaning live fermenting organisms).

One of the things I am interested in, is making my own kombucha, and I found out that Zoey sells a homebrewing kit that includes a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) from her own line as well as a 40-minute hands-on workshop to explain the brewing stages (contact Zoey for one-on-one and group prices).

If Zoey is taking requests, I would like to see one similar to the Himalayan Wonder Drink and one with Elderflowers.

Apple Market Health and Wellness Fair

I've written about the Apple Market in Mississauga before; they have lots of fruits and vegetables, a meat section and so forth, but attached to them is a small health food store. I was surprised to learn that this health food store sponsors a yearly Health Fair, this being the 10th year in existence (why didn't I know about this before?!). The Fair has passed, being held on Saturday, September 12th (and I believe it's held the middle of September each year) from 11 am to 3 pm. The Fair takes over a section of the Apple Market where they normally sell plants, as well an area behind that where they put up a large tent. There were many Health vendors there, with lots of free samples and a discount of 15% on their products sold at the Apple Market. We enjoyed some free food, saw one deal that we couldn't pass up, and took home some samples and literature. It's not as elaborate or large as shows I've been to in Toronto, the booths for each vendor are fairly small and sometimes doubled up, but it is a good representation of the major Health product vendors in Canada (a large number of them are Canadian). We plan on going again next year.

Weil Goji Moji

Andrew Weil is a physician and author; he is a well known proponent of integrative medicine (using both mainstream and alternative medicine to achieve health). He also advocates a healthy lifestyle, including avoiding sugar, starch, refined carbohydrates, and trans-fat. To aid individuals in this endeavour, he offers for sale health products, including vitamins, minerals, herbs, foods, and health bars. He has collaborated with Nature's Path to make pure vegan fruit and nut bars, in five flavours. This one is called Goji Moji, and features cranberry and goji berry (a high antioxidant berry from Asia). This is a pure fruit and nut bar, so the ingredients are such, and all organic; dates, fig paste, cashews, dried sweetened cranberries (with sugar cane juice and sunflower oil), goji berries, orange peel, lemon juice concentrate and orange oil.

How did it taste? I found the orange peel taste (or perhaps it is the orange oil) to be very strong, and could not really individually distinguish the other ingredients (I do like goji berries, and cranberries, and dates and figs). I don't think that I enjoyed this bar, and doubt that I would try this again.

Homemade Mint Anise Xylitol Mouthwash

I had been looking for at least an alternative to commercial mouthwashes for a while, I didn't like how harsh most of them are, and really don't like the taste of a lot of them, I could stand the soft mint versions, but I recently read about a study that indicated that most commercial mouthwashes with high alcohol content, that is to say more than 25%, may increase your chance to get oral cancer. So there was the impetus that lead me down the road to try to make my own mouthwash. Couple this with my recent interest in the mouth-friendly sugar xylitol, and I knew that I would make my own xylitol mouthwash. What flavour to make, would be the next question. This recipe originally called for fresh rosemary leaves, but I don't really care for the taste of rosemary (add 1 teaspoon). This made a somewhat interesting mouthwash, a very soft mint coupled with the anise flavour. I think I might add 2 teaspoons of xylitol next time, for a little more sweetness. Also, the mouthwash went cloudy about the time I had consumed half of it, though it didn't affect the flavour (I have read that tincture of myrrh, a natural preservative, will protect against this (add 1 teaspoon). I'm still looking for my ultimate flavour, next time I might try lemon oil, but this will do in the meantime.

Homemade Mint Anise Xylitol Mouthwash
3 cups filtered water (distilled is best)
2 tsp fresh mint leaves
1 tsp anise seeds
1 tsp xylitol, to taste

Put the water along with the mint leaves and anise seeds into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Strain herb water through a paper coffee filter or cheesecloth into a glass jar or bottle. Add xylitol and stir to dissolve completely.

Dandelion and Mandarin Salad

This comes from a recipe book called 100 Top Foods for a Younger You. This is an unusual salad, the greens in it are dandelion rather than lettuce. Dandelion greens are good for your body, or so I've found out. They act as a diuretic and detoxifier, stimulate the gallbladder, improve your digestive system, is good for your liver and blood, could help you lose weight and control acne, is a rich source of beta carotene, and is a high source of Vitamin A. All in all, a good health source that can be found in most supermarkets these days. They don't taste too bitter, and the mandarin in this recipe help to offset that bitterness. Cider vinegar, if you choose that, is also a good choice for your health, an energizer and tonic. This is an interesting, healthful and tasty salad.

Dandelion and Mandarin Salad
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 tsp lemon juice or cider vinegar
3/4 cup sliced scallions
about 2 cups dandelion leaves, cleaned, stems removed and sliced into small pieces
6 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1-1/2 cups mandarin segments, canned or fresh (or tangerine or clementine)
dandelion flowers (optional)
sprinkle cayenne pepper or paprika, to taste

Clean, then remove stems of dandelion leaves, and slice thinly. Slice scallions thinly. Slice hard-boiled eggs with slicer or a knife. If using canned mandarin, drain segments of syrup; otherwise, remove peel, pith and seeds from individual segments of mandarin.

Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice or cider vinegar to make a dressing. Add scallions and whisk again.

Arrange dandelion leaves on plate. Drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper or paprika. Arrange egg slices and mandarin segments on top of dandelion leaves.

Spry Fresh Fruit Xylitol Gum 100 Pack

I found a pack of 100 pieces of Spry xylitol gum at Essence of Life in Kensington Market. They also had Spry's Green Tea and Spearmint flavours. A far better deal than buying individual packs of 10 pieces, at $10 (I've seen the individual packs from $1.29 to about $2). Less convenient for carrying around, but for stashing in your desk drawer, it's great.

Kombucha Wonder Drink - Red Tea & Peach

This kombucha drink from Wonder Drink doesn't have a name like the others, though perhaps it should be Africa, as that is where the rooibos, or red tea, normally comes from. Rooibos, or redbush, is native to South Africa, and is produced in a similar fermentative manner as black tea (though there is a more expensive "green" version available). The taste is slightly sweet and slightly nutty, and has a reddish-brown colour when steeped. Rooibos tea has a high level of antioxidants, no caffeine (unlike black or green teas) and low tannin levels as compared to black or green tea. The other ingredient in this kombucha drink is peach, in juice concentrate and in essence form. This one is different too from the other three kombucha drinks that I have tried, Himilayan, Asian Pear Ginger and Orient, the others all use green oolong tea as the base.

Like kombucha, I think rooibos is an acquired taste, or a taste that suits some palates and not others. I would be more interested in a sour version, with roselle/hisbiscus, maybe, that would be red also. I didn't really taste much of the peach, it was a very underlying flavour. I like the kombucha flavour of this drink, but still far prefer the Himalayan.

Wonder Drink Kombucha - Orient

This, the third of the Kombucha flavours that I tried from Wonder Drink, is essentially their Original flavour, that is, it is kombucha made with Oolong green tea. Oolong is known to be an excellent green tea, with lots of the health benefits that come from green tea in general, so a good choice. The other two that I tried Himilayan and Asian Pear Ginger both also contain oolong tea, but, for whatever reason, the oolong plays second fiddle in those drinks, and is the predominant flavour in this kombucha drink. Oolong can be bitter, and this drink occasionally has a bitter taste to it. The kombucha part of it is still excellent, and I am still enjoying the experience of drinking it (though I would now really like to try some that hasn't been pasteurized, kombucha that is still a raw living food, much like raw milk), but I would say that I liked this the least of the three that I tried.

Still wonderful, though.

This drink I found at Whole Foods, which had it on sale for $2.50 per bottle (regularly $3).

A. Vogel Bambu Filter Organic

I am intrigued by this coffee substitute for a couple of reasons: my parents tried for a while a chicory-based product long ago, called Caf-Lib and the notion of it intrigued me at the time, though I was never a coffee drinker when young, it is only more recently that I have drunk coffee, and only 5 or 6 cups per week; and Bambu contains, along with chicory, figs and, more interestingly, acorns (which I have been long intrigued in as a food source - they contain large amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat, along with niacin and the minerals calcium, phosphorous and potassium). Chicory has some interesting properties, it aids digestion and the heart, and also may help you sleep (as opposed to coffee, which contains caffeine, which could hinder your sleep). Bambu, made from fruits and cereals (chicory, wheat, malted barley, figs and acorns), tastes likes coffee but is caffeine-free, is gentle on the stomach and heart and nerves, and is also suitable for children (though my young one won't taste that for a long while). You can make it in the same way that you make coffee, by pouring boiling water on it (use a teaspoon per cup of water).

The first thing I did when I opened the bag, was to smell, and I immediately thought, what is that smell?, but then it resolved itself to 'figs'. The packaging I have lists figs as the main ingredient, followed by rye, chicory and acorns (all roasted); as opposed to the website, which lists chicory as first, no rye, and wheat and malted barley. I like figs, so I don't mind that, certainly, but I don't know whether the recipe is different in Canada, or the website is wrong. Looking inside, I see that the ingredients are wet and crumbly, small bits. I put some inside my individual coffee filter and poured boiling water over it, essentially preparing it the same way I would prepare my coffee, I just didn't use as much Bambu to fill up the filter reservoir. This worked, except that it was weaker in the first few sips, and much stronger in the bottom of the cup. I then tried it by putting some in the bottom of a cup and pouring hot water over it. This worked better, in terms of taste, but there was the problem of the grounds at the bottom of the cup. I think that I will try it next, with a French press (which worked best, and tasted good; I added a little raw cocoa powder, too, for a chocolate mocha taste).

I like figs, and this tastes very much like figs, hot watery figs is the predominant taste, and it doesn't really taste anything like any coffee that I've had. I keep thinking that the chicory should be the first ingredient, like the website says, and then I could see how it would taste like coffee.

Kombucha Wonder Drink - Asian Pear Ginger

Still my favourite new drink.

This kombucha is spicier than the Himilayan one, certainly from the ginger juice. It also uses oolong tea, and adds Chinese pear flavouring (which I didn't really differentiate).

I would say that I liked this second best, but it is still a wonderful drink, and today I find that it gives me a little energy after drinking it (which I need, with a young and very active lady).

Kombucha Wonder Drink - Himalayan

This is my new favourite drink.

Kombucha is a mysterious drink. It is a sweetened fermented tea or tisane, using a Mother of mushroom, or mushroom, or SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast). Make it with black or green or white tea, add some flavour, like rosehip or ginger or lemon, brew it for a while, make it in the right way, and you get this carbonated different than anything you've tasted before wonder health drink. They first made it in old Russia, or perhaps in China, even Japan. Or, in the Himalayas.

The health part of it may come from various acids that are created; glucaronic or glucaric acid, a detoxifier; lactic acid, good for digestion and the blood; acetic acid, inhibit harmful bacteria; usnic acid, natural antibiotic; oxalic acid, for intercellular production of energy; malic acid, to help detoxify the liver; gluconic acid, effective against yeast infections; and butyric acid, protection against yeast infections.

Wonder Drink, from Portland, Oregon, makes a commercial version of kombucha, however, so I don't know the effects of the pasteurization of it, perhaps there are essential enzymes that are deactivated. Certainly, this drink must be made in the right way, even if not commercial; cleanliness is important, so they are being safe by pasteurizing.

The taste of Wonder Drink is, well, wonderful to me. I found myself trying to capture the last few drops in the glass, and again after a moment, when some of the carbonation coalesced into more liquid. If I were to describe the flavour and taste sensation of this drink, the best I can come up with is an elderberry champagne, Holundersekt, which I also find very delicious, and is a fermented drink, in the sun.

This one is their Himalayan Blend, a mix of oolong tea and lemon flavour, with cane sugar.

Other flavours in this line that I'm interested in, are Asian Pear Ginger, Jasmine Niagara Grape and Rooibos Red Peach.

Quite good.

Quite different.

A wonder.

Drink Purple

The idea of getting your daily requirement of antioxidants in a drink is intriguing, this drink takes the theme of Purple to do so. This contains a mixture of seven purple fruits which are good sources of antioxidants (what they call Super-Food Fruit Juices); acai, black cherry, pomegranate, black currant, purple plum, cranberry and blueberry (though, pomegranate and cranberry are more red). We found this in a Chinese supermarket for $1, though I have seen it on sale for $2 in health food stores. I find this drink to have one overwhelming flavour, and I think it is the black cherry, though I have as of yet to try acai (which I've now seen in many places, including other fruit juice blends); I find that I don't really like the flavour while drinking it, but I do like that it has lots of antioxidants, and I might try this again.

Black Radish

Black Spanish Radish, or Black Radish, is a quite interesting variety of winter-growing radish, like the Chinese daikon. Similar in size to a white turnip, black radishes are dull black or dark brown on the outside; inside they have a firm crisp white flesh that has a sharp taste.

The black radish has several health properties, not only is it a good source of minerals and vitamins, especially Vitamin C, making it a good combatant against winter colds and influenza, it is also a liver tonic, stimulating the production of bile and reducing the stones in the gallbladder, and a diuretic, promoting the elimination of toxins and stones through the kidneys. You can get this in herbal form, as a capsule, or, as we did, juice one black radish along with 6 carrots and 1/2 lemon and 1 small beetroot to make a good gallbladder cleanse. We were finally able to find some black radishes for sale at Highland Farms in Mississauga, I haven't seen them in other supermarkets, and, as I've read, black radishes are not grown by a large number of farmers, so it may be hard to find them.