RECIPE > Summer Oil-Free Vegan Pesto

 
Whether you are looking for a vegan pizza topping or a veggie dip, this new summery oil-free vegan pesto is one of the best we have encountered. Smooth, tasty and absolutely nutritious, this is a great recipe for any chef!

Quick and easy, this new summer oil-free vegan pesto incorporates some tantalizing ingredients that include organic sun dried tomatoes, walnuts, cashews and spinach as its base ingredients. The other flavorful ingredients include garlic, basil, lemon, arugula, cilantro and salt/pepper. The result is a marvellous take on a summer oil-free vegan pesto that can be eaten with just about anything!
 

 

Vegan Pesto Recipe > Sans Oil and Healthy!

Please share with your friends and family!

Servings: makes a jar, so 1-2 servings per batch
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

 

The Simple Ingredients for the Vegan Spinach Pesto Recipe

1 clove of garlic
2 tsp of ginger
2 handfuls of spinach (organic)
1 handful of arugula (organic)
2 handfuls of fresh basil (organic)
½ handful of cilantro (organic)
16 walnut halves (organic and unsalted)
8 cashews (organic and unsalted)
8 sun dried tomatoes (organic and medium sized)
6 tbsp of lemon juice (organic)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

 

 

Vegan Pesto Directions

Step 1: Get your food processor out and plug it in
Step 2: Dump all ingredients except for lemon juice, salt and pepper into food processor
Step 3: Blend until it is semi-smooth
Step 4: Slowly add the lemon juice and blend some more
Step 5: Add salt and/or pepper as per your taste
Step 6: Enjoy and share with your friends/family!

You can store this in a jar or container and it should last at least 5 to 7 days!
 
This recipe is adapted from a wonderful pesto from Vegenista.

Juice Booster Ingredients > Want to Elevate Your Smoothie or Juice Blend to the next level?

 
If you are looking for 5 new ingredients to add to your morning smoothie or juice, please read on! These five organic, natural and raw ingredients will pack your drink with lots of nutrition, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and trace elements that will keep you going through the day! If you missed SET 1 – JUICE BOOST INGREDIENTS, click here or our new SET 3 – SMOOTHIE BOOSTERS. Otherwise, here are 5 new nutritious ingredients that will give your juice a boost!

 

 

Juice Booster #6 > Just Add Spinach

An easy way to elevate the health benefits and nutritional value of your juice blend, spinach is one of nature’s best superfoods. A cup of spinach has nearly 20% of your daily dietary fiber requirements which will help in your digestive processes and lower your blood pressure. Recent studies also link spinach to fighting prostate and other cancer with its high levels of phytonutrients. Adding spinach as a juice booster also improves your vision, disease immunity, and brain function in addition to maintaining healthy bones and skin. Just adding spinach to your juice or smoothie will also fight inflammation. Spinach is also very high in antioxidants, which help in combating atherosclerosis as well as osteoporosis. You can find organic spinach at any local grocer or farmer’s market or you can easily grow your own. Spinach is one of our favorite juice boost ingredients!

 

 

Smoothie Boost Ingredient #7 > Just Add Hemp Seeds

One of our favourite juice boost ingredients at Just Add Good Stuff is hemp seeds. This is nature’s highest botanical source of essential fatty acids. Hemp Seed as a smoothie booster ingredient will aid as an anti-inflammatory agent, improving circulation and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. In addition, there are no known allergies to hemp seeds, so they are completely safe for people who are sensitive to lactose, sugar, gluten or nuts. In addition, food cravings are reduced and therefore, hemp seeds are often added into a weight loss program. A juice boost ingredient like hemp seeds will also help you increase focus and energy levels in addition to reducing stress. Hemp seeds are a superfood and there are several reasons for this. They contain high levels of protein (including 20 amino acids … and all 9 essential amino acids). In addition, the hemp seed juice booster also contains fatty acids, Vitamin E and lots of fiber. They are easy to digest and offer a rich source of natural phytonutrients, the disease protection that will aid in your immunity against diseases and infection. Just Add Hemp Seeds!

 

 

Juice Booster #8 > Just Add Maca

Derived from a herbaceous plant that is found on the high plateaus of the Ande’s Mountains in Peru, South America, the maca root vegetable has often been referred to as the ‘Peruvian Ginseng’ because of its many health benefits. Often coming in powder form, adding maca as a juice booster will give you lots of added nutrients and energy. A relative of the turnip and rash, the maca root smells a bit like butterscotch and adding maca to your morning smoothie or as a juice booster will help treat everything from chronic fatigue to anemia. Not only that, but maca in any form when consumed will reduce stress levels, anxiety, depression and help balance your mood. In addition, the maca juice booster can also contribute to clearing acne in a natural way in addition to promoting sexual function in both femals and males. Athletes use maca juice boosters to increase energy. WARNING > DO NOT add maca to your smoothie or juice booster if you are breast feeding or if you are pregnant.

 

 

Smoothie Booster Ingredient #9 > Just Add Lemon

Many of us forget that lemons help us balance our body’s pH levels. Although acidic in taste, once our body metabolizes lemon, they are alkaline which is the key to good health. Just add lemon into your daily smoothie or juice to boost your immune system as lemons are very high in Vitamin C and potassium. In addition, studies have shown that pectin fiber in lemons help curb food cravings and therefore have been an essential ingredient in many weight loss programs. As well, the smoothie booster ingredient also aids our gastrointestinal tract and keeps things moving in our digestive system. Another often overlooked property of lemons is that they hydrate our lymph system which prevents dehydration and adrenal fatigue. The lemon juice boost also decreases blemishes, acne and wrinkles, promoting healthier skin.

 

 

Juice Booster #10 > Just Add Seaweed

Seaweed has been around for centuries and it serves as an ideal choice for any morning juice blend or smoothie if you are looking for more Vitamin A and C as well as magnesium, iodine and calcium. Seaweed doesn’t contain any fat, and a serving only contains 5 to 10 calories, making it a great choice for vegetarians and vegans. The juice booster seaweed includes edible species like Red Dulse, Black Hijiki and Green Kumba, and all are equally nutritious and tasty additions to your smoothie or juice booster. Some of the health benefits of seaweed include aiding your digestive system and lowering your high blood pressure. As well, recent studies have shown that adding seaweed into your diet may have anti-cancer properties. So instead of just having seaweed as part of your sushi roll, try seaweed as a juice booster!

 

Just Add Good Stuff recommends adding some or all of the above juice boost ingredients into your daily smoothie or juice. Please consult with a health professional to make sure you are not allergic to any of these juice boosters. The 5 juice boost ingredients recommended in this article are: spinach, hemp seeds, maca, lemons and seaweeds.

INFOGRAM > 8 Fresh Produce Picks to Lower & Balance Your Blood Pressure

Ever wonder how you can balance or even lower your blood pressure through fresh produce?

 
According to this health infogram, these are the 8 FRESH PRODUCE picks for BETTER BLOOD PRESSURE.

Beets, leafy greens, and other vegetables high in nitrates may help lower blood pressure naturally.  And how is this done?  Vegetables that are high in nitrates relax our blood vessels and improve circulation.  The result: a more balanced blood pressure.

So if you are looking to lower your blood pressure, try eating more of these nitrate rich heart-healthy picks.  Wherever possible, try to eat these vegetables in its organic raw state or as ‘raw as possible’.

 

1. BEETS are well known for their blood pressure benefits

A new study published in the American Heart Association’s Hypertension journal concludes that drinking a small amount of fresh, raw beet juice not only lowers high blood pressure quickly and effectively but could also be a natural approach to reducing future cardiovascular problems. The research was conducted by scientists at London’s Queen Mary University on red beets, called beetroot in Britain. Beets have drawn attention from nutritional scientists in recent years because of their health benefits. Specifically, beets have been found to be rich in betaine, a nutrient which reduces the blood concentration of homocycsteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease and stroke.

 

2. SPINACH will lower your blood pressure quickly

A green leafy delight, spinach is low in calories, high in fiber, and packed with heart-healthy nutrients like potassium, folate, and magnesium — key ingredients for lowering and maintaining blood pressure levels. An easy way to eat more of this great green? Try mixing fresh spinach leaves into salads or adding them to sandwiches.

 

3. CELERY is a surprising blood pressure balancer too!

Three active ingredients in celery promote healthy blood pressure: 3-n-butylphthalide, or NBP; apigenin, a plant-based antioxidant; and omega-6 fatty acids, an essential fatty acid. In his book “How to Prevent and Treat Diabetes with Natural Medicine,” Dr. Michael Murray, a naturopathic doctor, writes that NBP behaves like a calcium channel blocker, dilating arteries and relaxing blood vessels. Apigenin protects your body against cellular damage, decreases inflammation in your arteries and prevents blood clots. Omega-6 fatty acids, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, may help protect your body against hypertension, or high blood pressure.

 

4. SWISS CHARD … what, never heard of it!

Eating foods with plenty of vitamin E, such as Swiss Chard (which has one of the highest concentrations of Vitamin E in any vegetable) might also reduce the chances of developing coronary artery disease, which can lead to a heart attack or heart failure. Other heart-healthy perks found in chard include vitamin B6 and potassium — which may reduce the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, respectively. Keeping your cholesterol low by eating good sources of fiber such as chard may lower heart-disease risk even more.

 

5. RADISH is more than just a salad topping!

High in nitrites and many other trace minerals, radishes are beginning to get more notice when it comes to balancing our blood pressure and lowering cholesterol.  Many studies are now underway as to additional benefits of radishes when it comes to our circulatory system.  In other words, keep eating them!

 

6. KALE helps balance our blood pressure

The high fiber content of kale lowers our cholesterol by binding with bile acids that the liver produces from cholesterol for digesting fat. Because many of these bile acids are coupled with fiber, the liver is charged with producing more bile acid to digest fat, and therefore requires more cholesterol to so, ultimately lowering the amount of cholesterol within our bodies.  This in turn helps regulate our blood pressure and in some cases, even lower it.

 

7. LETTUCE helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol

Eating vegetables daily with a high dietary nitrate content, such as green leafy vegetables (all type of lettuce), will help in lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure by as much as 10%.

 

8. ARUGULA and blood pressure benefitsd

Arugula has a perfect amount of Vitamin K which has many benefits including bone health and healthy blood clotting. Research has also shown that getting more Vitamin K may reduce the risk of heart disease. It’s also a good source of calcium, magnesium, and potassium to help control blood pressure and preserve bone health. Plus, it’s a decent source of iron to build healthy red blood cells.

 

This awesome everyday HEALTH INFOGRAM is from our friends at the Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture (Nathan Bryan Ph.D).