Dairy-Free Cornbread w/ Brussels Sprout Medley Roasted Tomato Garlic Sauce

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Nutritious & Organ-Pleasing

Ingredients

Dairy-Free Cornbread

• 1 cup Cornmeal 
• 1 cup Corn
• 1 cup  Unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tbs Baking powder
• 3/4 tsp Sea salt
• 1/4 cup Agave
• 1 cup Almond milk
• 1/4 cup melted Coconut oil
• 2 tbs ground Flax seed mixed with 6 tbs water (as egg substitute)

Brussels Sprouts with  Roasted Tomato Garlic Sauce

• 2 cups Brussels sprouts (cut in half)
• 2 medium Tomatoes (sliced)
• 1 cup baby Carrots (cut in half)
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 1 Red pepper (sliced)
• 1 large Onion (sliced)
• 1 tbs Olive oil
• Sea salt (optional)

Directions

Brussels Sprout Roasted Tomato Garlic Sauce

Put sliced tomatoes on baking sheet pan in oven for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic to a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside. Heat olive oil in pan and add chopped onions, red pepper and carrots. Cook for 10 minutes.

Dairy-Free Cornbread

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch-square baking sheet with olive oil

Combine flour, cornmeal,baking powder and sea salt. Add flax eggs, agave, almond milk, corn and coconut oil (add slowly as you stir ingredients). Mix just until smooth. Pour into baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle come out clean.

Some Nutritional Benefits

The almond milk in the cornbread insures bone, muscle, skin, eye, blood and heart health.

Brussels sprouts help the body produce energy from the food we eat. They nourish the heart and digestive system. They are also used as a detox, and in repairing damaged cells (to prevent swelling or cancer). The fibers help relieve constipation.

Tomatoes support the immune system and can help restore/maintain kidney health. 

Carrots are a good detox. They help cleanse the liver and colon. 

Tomatoes and carrots boost eye, teeth, bone, skin, blood, heart and cell health. 

 

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Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie

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A boost of nutrition in one drink

I made this smoothie this morning. It offers up a good dose of your daily nutritional needs! Start your day or vitalize your body anytime later with this drink. Black bodies have an affinity to the tropical pineapple as well as the nuts and seed content. 

Ingredients

• Strawberries
• Pineapple
• Almonds
• Pecans
• Peanuts
• Walnuts
• Hemp Seeds
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Orange Juice
• Almond Milk

Directions

Place ingredients in a blender or other smoothie maker and whip to your preferred consistency. More nuts and seeds with smaller quantities of orange juice and almond milk make it creamier and thicker. 

Some Health Benefits

Strawberries in our diet help build resistance against infections, inflammation and cancerous cells. They strengthen the immune system in general, and supports brain and heart health. Strawberries also enrich the blood and helps control blood clots. They help in cell growth and in healing cuts and wounds Strawberries' nutrients support bone and tooth health. The fruit is useful in countering high blood pressure, gout and arthritis.

The Pineapple strengthens the immune system and helps clean our bodies as a natural detox. The fruit is eaten to counter swelling, vitamin C deficiencies, arthritis and indigestion (constipation). It helps break down proteins, sugars and starch. It is therefore useful in weight loss. Pineapples also support eye, skin, bones, the heart and blood vessel health. 

Pumpkin Seeds, which are also helpful in resolving weight issues, help restore balance to blood sugar levels, making it useful against diabetes. They also supports prostate health. The seeds contain serotonin which is known to help in inducing sleep. So, it is useful against insomnia. Pumpkin seeds also offer dietary fiber necessary for digestion and absorption; and magnesium which is necessary for energy production.

Hemp seeds are a vital source of dietary fiber, Omega-3 and Omega-6, and magnesium. They are also rich in proteins. They support blood, skin, organ and immune system health. Also, hemp seeds are useful as a detox.

The Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie's Orange Juice content supports skin and tissue health, and helps the body resist cancerous cells. The smoothie's mixed Nuts content add to insuring heart, bone, blood sugar, brain, nervous system, digestive system and immune system health.

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Red Beans & Curry Brown Rice

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Easy-to-make and nutrient rich

I enjoyed putting this homemade dish together. It was surprisingly easy to make!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Red beans
• 2 large Tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 large Onions (chopped)
• 2 Garlic cloves (diced)
• 1 Green pepper (chopped)
• 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 tsp Basil
• 1 tbs Olive Oil
• 2 cups Brown rice
• 1 tsp Curry powder
• Sea salt (optional)

Preparation

Cook brown rice with curry powder. Set aside when done.

Slow cook beans a day before in a slow cooker (do not drain water once beans are done).  Heat olive oil in pot. Add onions and peppers. Cook for 5 minutes. Add cooked beans with water, tomatoes, garlic, cayenne pepper, chili powder, bay leaf and basil. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Serve over curry brown rice.

You are going to love this healthy dish ... and it's even better the next day!

Some Known Nutritional Benefits*

"Rice & Beans" is, historically, a common healthy, easy-to-prepare dish among Black people worldwide. What's in it for us? First, the ingredients of the red beans gravy (the beans, tomatoes, spices and herbs):

Red beans is a well known rich source of protein and iron for muscle and blood health.

Tomatoes also increase bone health. Tomatoes also help prevent and fight against cancer, DNA damage, inflammation and degenerative diseases. 

Cayenne pepper helps blood circulation.

Garlic and onions are useful antibiotics. Both help fight infections. Garlic, obviously, is more potent.

Bay leaf is known to help fight infections, some ulcers, bleeding, arthritis, bronchitis, flu symptoms, some ulcers and urine retention. It does more: It stimulates appetite, digestion, absorption, elimination of the foods we eat. It helps improve blood iron content, blood pressure, heart health, brain cell and nervous system health.

Basil boosts the skin and hair health, digestive tract health, and immune system health, bones' connective tissue and harmful bacteria.

Brown rice is rich in fiber. Fiber counters constipation and helps absorb and eliminate what we eat. Brown rice's high magnesium content supports bone health and helps produce the energy our bodies derive from our meals. Brown rice's zinc helps prevent and fights cancerous cells, heal wounds and shore up the immune system. This whole grain's Vitamin B-6 secures nerve and blood cell health.

Curry combines well with brown rice not just for color and flavor, nutritionally, it also boosts the immune system. Another similarity is it counters cancer cells and inflammation. Curry also nourishes heart and brain cells.

Serve this recipe with a salad or dark green vegetables.

*PLEASE EXPLORE OTHER SOURCES TO ENRICH UNDERSTANDINGS OF NUTRIENTS

Honey Nut Muffin

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Protein-rich with vital minerals

I baked these muffins with almonds, pecans, walnuts, dried cranberries, honey, almond milk, grated coconut, Earth Balance vegan butter, egg-substitute (ground flaxseed*). I did it for the proteins and the minerals. 

*Ground Flaxseed as Egg Substitute

Ground flax seed

2-3 tablespoons of water mixed with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed gives you the equivalent of 1 egg.

Directions:
Mix ground flaxseed with water. Heat and stir until it resembles beaten eggs.

Let the mix cool, then use in your recipe.

Honey Nut Muffin

Some Nutritional Benefits

Those of us who experience allergic reactions with nuts may replace nuts with favorite cereal or add other preferred dried berries. However, nuts and seeds have generally been a staple in black people's diet. 

The mineral content of nuts sometimes overlap, while each is unique in what it offers. Almonds, pecans and walnuts have significant levels of iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, potassium, and selenium.

We will return to the nuts, but let's first look at flaxseed. Flaxseed, with its healthy fats, is known to help boost heart health. It balances blood pressure and blood sugar levels. This makes it useful against diabetes. Flaxseed also helps fight cancer. Its healthy fats make it useful in countering stroke.
  
Almonds support heart and blood sugar health. It enriches the blood, the bone and teeth. The nuts also boost brain health, the nervous system and the body's immune system. Almonds are a rich source of healthy cholesterol.

Pecans are good for fighting cancerous cells and infections. They also boost skin health.

Walnuts support brain, blood and immune system health. Walnuts are high in Omega-3 content. Combining it with almonds (and other nuts) rounds out its nutritional value.

Cranberries offer dietary fiber vital in heart health, digestion, absorption and elimination. It helps maintain balanced blood sugar levels and urinary tract health.

Honey in its pure form is not merely a natural sugar. It is a protein source and contains useful levels of iron, zinc, magnesium, manganese, potassium and copper.

If you do not have blood sugar imbalances (such as diabetes), you may add small portions of sweet fruit for extra sweetness. Love it!

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