Sunny Skies Fruit Tart

I still have a major sweet tooth since I made my  Blueberry Crumble.  It went very fast and I'm still craving sweets. Making a Fruit Tart is probably the easiest way to get more fruit in your diet. I arranged my fruit in a cute sunny type pattern ( or perhaps flower like, depends on how you look at it) . I think it's just so fun for summer.

The crust is basically the top from the blueberry crumble, just pressed into the pan and baked before adding filling. It's a simple, yet pretty and healthy dessert. I know most fruit tarts have a type of pastry filling, but I didn't want all that sugar, and if using cocoanut yogurt and maple syrup in place of honey, this could be vegan.So I did some research, and people use yogurt all the time. The recipe is below, remember to try to use organic is possible. 


Sunny Skies Fruit Tart 

* 1and 1/2 cup rolled oats
* 1/4 cup sliced almonds 
* 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 
* 1 egg 
* 1/2 cup Honey ( or less if you prefer, may also use maple syrup in place of honey) 
* 1 and 1/2 cup Organic Vanilla Yogurt ( you may use coconut yogurt or soy yogurt to make it vegan)
* Assorted Fresh Fruit ( I used Peaches, Strawberries and 
 Blueberries)


Directions : 
Combine oats, vanilla, almonds, egg, and honey in a large bowl. Mix till everything is well combined. Press into a prepared ( lightly greased) tart or pie pan. Bake the Crust at 350 for 15-25 minutes or until browned. 
Once the Crust is baked, allow to sit and fully cool. After the crust is cooled, fill the crust with the yogurt. You may swirl a bit of honey on the yogurt for extra sweetness. Next arrange fruit as desired on top. You may prepare a glaze ( basically heating apricot preserves till liquid and shiny, then brushing over the fruits) to brush over the fruit, or use another type of fruit preserve unless your serving this tart right away. 

Hope you enjoy this recipe :)  

Amazing Almond Recipes

Happy Monday! I know most of you are likely groaning like a zombie because it's the start of the work week. I'm one of those insane people who love Mondays because I'm not happy unless I have something to do. My brain simply runs with about a million different ideas each day. So anyway, I heard about the nice people of  nuts.com.

And got involved in their project, getting people talking about almonds.  However instead of one recipe, I have two! Though before the recipe part, I'm going to give some reasons why almonds are amazing.


Almond Nutrition Facts : 

*As a Master Herbalist , I often suggest diet changes along with herbal suggestions. Eating a handful of raw almonds daily is what I suggest for most cancer patients. Almonds are great for helping to kill cancer cells. 

 * Almonds contain Vitamin E and Vitamin B2, as well as copper, magnesium, phosporous and many other awesome nutrients. 

* Almonds can lower your LDL cholesterol and help reduce Heart Disease risk. 
* Almonds are full of Fiber, and wonderful for helping reduce Diabetes risk. 
*Almonds are wonderful for improving blood fats. 
* Eating Almonds can help you lose weight and lowers risk of gaining weight

So 6 awesome reason to buy a big bag of almonds and eat them daily :) I highly suggest it.  Now on to some great recipes ( once you have some almonds in your possession ).


Warm Vegetarian Curry Salad with Almonds. 
 

This is the most amazing salad ever ( ok I think most salads are the most amazing salad ever. Except in the case of stale , sitting out too long fast food salads. Gross. ) but it really is. It's warm and spicy and sweet. Juicy yet crisp. Warm, but cool and refreshing. All Served with warmed Lavash, because I couldn't find Naan at the store ( I have yet to make Naan ). But Lavash is an amazing bread, plus this was low carb.
Most of the veggies are fresh from my garden or the farmer's market. I think maybe 4 ( carrots, lettuce, squash, mushrooms) are store bought. So it's a super healthy salad, with yummy slivered almonds. Recipe is below, remember to try to use organics!


Warm Vegetarian Curry Salad with Almonds 

For the Curry Veggies : 
* 1 Carrot, Chopped 
* 1 onion , chopped
* 1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped 
* 1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped
* 1 Yellow Bell Pepper , Chopped
* 1 Yellow Squash, Sliced ( can use zucchini) 
* 1 Cup Sliced Mushrooms ( Can be white button or portabella )
* 2 Tbsp Slivered Almonds
*  1 tsp Curry Powder 
* 1/2 tsp Chili Powder 
* 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger 
* 1/4 tsp Cumin 
* 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder ( or minced garlic ) 
* 1/2 Swonson's Flavor Boost Packet ( If you can find an organic brand  like this, wonderful , but if not, it's fine. )
* Salt and pepper to taste 
For The Curry Rice : 

* 1 Cup Brown Rice 
*  1 tsp Curry powder
* 1/4 tsp Cumin 
* 1/8 tsp ginger 
*1/4 Chili Powder 
* 1 tsp garlic powder 
* 1/2  Swonson's Flavor Boost Packet 
* Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Salad : 

* 2 Cups Romane Lettuce , Torn
*  1 Cucumber, Sliced
* 1 Cup Whole Kernal Corn, warmed
* 1-2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes , sliced.  
* Warm Lavash Bread, Sliced 
* Slivered Almonds
For the Dressing :  
 * 1 tsp Curry Powder
* 2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar 
* 1 tsp Honey 
* 1/2 tsp Olive Oil 
* 1/8 tsp Ground Ginger 
1/4 tsp Parsley 
Salt and Pepper to taste 

Directions : 
 Make rice as directed on package, however in the last few moments of simmering, add the seasonings and mix well. Cover and sit to the side once finished.  Next add all Curry veggies, almonds and seasonings, to a frying pan, saute' until carrots are mostly cooked through ( soft , yet still crunchy). Cover and sit to the side. Next Mix together all salad dressing ingredients. 
Now assemble the salad. Make a bed of lettuce  at the bottom of the bowl, then top with tomatoes, cucumber, corn, curried veggies, and curried rice, sprinkle slivered almonds on top and drizzle dressing over the salad and serve with warm lavash. You may also add fresh cilantro.  

It's great for lunch or Dinner :) 



Fairytale  Refined Sugar Free Blueberry Crumble 

This is such an amazing dessert! I came up with this after we bought a 5 pound box of blueberries!

 It's like heaven on earth. Now on to the lovely recipe! Remember to try to use Organic, or Non-GMO


Fairytale Refined Sugar Free Blueberry Crumble

* 2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Blueberries 
* 1 and 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats 
* 1/4 Cup Sliced Almonds 
* 1 Egg 
* 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract 
* 1/2 tsp Orange Extract 
* 3/4 Cup Honey 

Directions : 
 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together oats, almonds, egg, vanilla extract, orange extract, and 1/2 cup of honey ( reserve the rest). Mix well, until everything is sticky.  Next spray a pie plate with cooking spray. Add the 2 cups of blueberries. Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup honey over the blue berries. Spread the oat mixture on top of the blueberries.    

 
  Bake for 25 minutes or until crust is browned, and juices are bubbly. 

Enjoy with fresh whipped cream. :) 

I hope this has been a lovely and informative post, also I'm not being paid to mention nuts.com, I just really like their idea, and enjoy nuts.  

Gooey Refined Sugar Free Granola Bars ( or Globs )

Good Tuesday morning! Happy Holistlic Living has survived the terrible storms so far. I think we all need a sweet treat. It's also canning season so lots of us won't be have a proper lunch, so granola bars are perfect.

They look odd shaped I know. They're gooey and sticky, but so perfectly flavored. You can make them into globs, or better yet just eat them with a spoon, or make them in bar form. ( I was pressed for time and sucked at cutting bars...)
*remember to use organic if possible!

Gooey Refined Sugar Free Granola Bars 

1/2 Cup Rolled Oats 
1/3 Cup unsalted, shelled Peanuts ( may swap for another nut or seed) 
1/4 cup Honey ( or maple syrup)
1/4 Cup Peanutbutter  ( or other nut butter) 
1 Cup Dried Fruit ( I used dried cranberries ) 
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips ( optional) 

Directions : 

Mix all Ingredients together, except chocolate chips. Press mixture into a lined and greased baking sheet. Melt chocolate chips, and drizzle over granola bars. Cover and freeze for 2-3 hours or until hard. Cut into bars.  

* If you prefer "Globs" Simply shape the granola into little globs in the pan, continue as directed. 

* For a really gooey treat, bake the granola, and drizzle the chocolate. It's like an amazing cake. Enjoy :)    

Out and About : In the Garden

Happy July! I'm exhausted, my little sister turned 21 Tuesday, ( June 30th) and we partied hard. Not in the usual sense for a 21st ( she doesn't drink.) it was a lovely party with some great friends, and water balloons. Cause' it's summer. So anyway we're tired from running around like we're 10. As the title states above, I feel like since it's summer time, I'll go out and about and take photos of interesting herbs, flowers and veggies, oh and of course just awesome nature pics.

Like this pretty flower! Of course I plan on telling you all about the veggies and herbs :) the flowers are just eye candy.


Fruit and Veggies: 

This is my adorable watermelon growing fast. :) Watermelon is an excellent source of nutrition. Watermelon flushes the kidneys and has anti-cancer properties.

This is a Lipstick Pepper Plant, it's growing it's best, I can't wait for it to start blooming! Lipstick Peppers are long, red sweet peppers! Full of vitamins and amazing for your body.  You can buy seed here : http://www.rareseeds.com/lipstick/

Forgive some of the mess, It's cabbage harvesting time ( we cut a new head every few days). But in this picture there is cabbage and green beans and in the far left is a butternut squash plant. Cabbage is known for being anti-cancer and full of Probiotics ( when made into Sauerkraut). Green beans are amazing for the skin, and are very low calorie. 1 cup of green beans = 31 calories!  Butternut squash is low calorie, full of vitamin A and other essential vitamins, it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant support.

Here is our Corn and Tomatoes ( we grow lots and lots of tomatoes). Non-GMO Corn is the best kind, it's full of antioxidants, antioxidant phytonutrients such at beta-carotene and can even help normalize blood sugar. Tomatoes are amazing, they make great sauces, salsa, are amazing to eat on their own and perfect on sandwiches, not to mention such rich creamy soup. However they're full of awesome vitamins such as vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, B3 and B1. Just to name a few!

If your not from the south, you might not recognize this plant. This my dear friends is Okra. It's amazing, I love it fried and I love it in soups. It's full of vitamins and only 33 calories per cup!

This is our adorable Cucumber Patch! Cucumbers are known for detoxing. In spas the reason they put the cucumbers over your eyes is because cucumbers draw toxins out of the skin. Imagine what power they have when you actually eat them. Cucumbers main vitamin is vitamin K, and they're full of  Flavonoids, Lignans, and Triterpenes. Basically cucumbers have Antioxidant , Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Cancer properties. 

Lastly this is our beloved Apple tree! We make lots of apple jelly and apple butter once the apples are ripe. Apples are all fiber and vitamin C, they're packed with amazing Polyphenols. Apples have Cardiovascular benefits, Blood Sugar regulation benefits, Anti-Asthma and Anti-Cancer benefits. So an apple a day really can keep the doctor away! 

Here's a full list of all fruits and veggies we grow : 

Corn
Beans
Cabbage
Broccoli 
Onions
Lettuce 
Tomatoes
Peppers
Okra
Cucumbers
Watermelon
Grapes
Strawberries
Apples
Raspberries
Sweet Potatoes 


Medicinal Herbs: 

This is Peppermint. Peppermint is excellent for heart burn, and upset stomach. It's also wonderful for cold and flu. It's also a nice insect repellent. 

  
Aloe Vera, the gel is great for sunburn, burns, bites and stings. Aloe vera is also a laxative if ingested. 

Great Burdock, a wonderful Liver tonic herb, the root is consumed in many Asian dishes.  

Rosemary is amazing for culinary use but also memory loss, gas, and headache.  

St. John's Wort : Often used as a mild anti-depressant. Also great for bruises and cuts. 

Chicory is used much like Dandelion as in it is a nice liver/kidney tonic and a diuretic. 

Sage is basically a cure all. Sage is amazing for head aches, cooling fevers, and purifying the blood. 

Basil : Although an amazing culinary herb, Basil is a great medicinal herb for Sore throat, Cough, Fever, Kidney Stones... Ect. 

This is a young Chamomile plant, but once it flowers, it will be used for tea. Chamomile tea is amazing for sleep issues, anxiety, and skin issues. 

This is Comfrey, it's used mostly for healing broken bones, cuts and sprains. 



Flowers: ( Just some eye candy )

Hope you've enjoyed this post :)