Cooling treats: Sweet-Tangy Taboule and Mint-Cloud Pudding

Summer has officially arrived and with it a keen interest in cooling food. Here are two recipes, which offer just that:

Sweet-tangy Taboule

(serves 1-2)

juice of 1-2 medium lemons

1-2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground thyme

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup soaked (or sprouted) sunflower seeds (*see how below*)

1 medium apple

5-7 dandelion leaves (including stem) or 1-2 large handful(s) fresh parsley (including stem)

Handfuls are a funny thing since hand sizes vary. Play at will with these ingredients and measurements. That's half the fun!

Mix together the liquids, ground herbs, and salt. I like to put them in a medium-sized metal bowl (relative to my hand size) and swirl them with one hand.

Sprouting edible seeds is a wonderful way to reconnect with the Earth and if you want a tiny taste of gardening, this is your ticket. Here are instructions for sprouting:

Soak 1/2 cup sunflower seeds in at least twice that amount of filtered water overnight in a glass bowl or mason jar.

6 to 8 hours later, pour off water and feed it to your houseplants.

Rinse seeds well in cool water.

This makes a bit more than 1/2 cup germinated seeds. If you want to, can let these sit for the day and they will grow a tiny tail, officially transforming them to "sprouted seeds." This is not necessary for this recipe. Sprouting makes them a bit more nutritious.

Core and chop 1 medium apple. I enjoy the crisp tangy kind some days and the more sweet variety other days. You might check out your local farmer's market in season to see what tastes yummy to you.

Chop the dandelion or parsley. Chiffonade, then rough chop works nicely if doing so by hand. In processor, pulse this a few seconds until get bite size chunks (smaller with parsely).

Mix apple and sunflower seeds with the dressing. Add chopped greens and mix in.

This salad is quite refreshing, especially when served chilled.

Here's a light dessert, a variation on one concocted by live food teacher Gabriel Cousens called, "Mint Wizard Whip." I call this one:

Mint-Cloud Pudding

(serves 4)

1 cup coconut water or raisin soak water

1-2 tsp vanilla "flavor" (glycerin based if possible rather than alcohol "extract")

1/2 cup packed mint leaves

1 medium apple, cored, unpeeled

1 medium avocado

1-2 tsp coconut oil (Nutiva brand, for instance)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1-2 Tbsp amber agave nectar (or raw honey or maple syrup)

This recipe is a marvelous opportunity to appreciate worldwide convergence as the ingredients come from all over the world. In my experience, eating "healthy" on all scales is an ongoing exploration of questions like, "what do I mean by sustainable?" "by healthy?" etc. Cost and availability of ingredients are also factors.

Coconut water is a treat. That said, if you soak raisins in filtered water overnight, then strain and save the "soak water." This sweet water will do nicely and you can enjoy the plumped soft raisins in another dish.

There is ongoing discussion of what forms of liquid sweetener are "healthy" and "sustainable." Feel free to check out the dialogue.

Place all ingredients in a blender.

Blend on "smoothie" setting or until consistency is smooth

Adjust ingredients (esp. sweetener) until taste suits your fancy.

wild green smoothie

Let's get this party started! Here's a green smoothie that features apples, mangoes, and dandelion. Have fun playing with the ingredients and varying them to suit your taste.

Note on ingredients:

Eating organic and locally grown produce, when available, offers many benefits. It concretizes an intention to be intimate with the cycle of life while making decisions about our health. These decisions connect practical considerations for our own health with that of our families, communities, and planet.

That said, playing flexibly with these guidelines supports well-being. Do your best and trust your instincts as to what seems fresh, sustainable, and so forth. Your mindful intention in choosing ingredients matters as does your state of mind and body when eating. If you want some support in this process, you might enjoy the book and accompanying CD, Mindful Eating, by Jan Chozen Bays, M.D.

The greens offer a wealth of nutrition and the fruit and spices make it taste yummy while also providing health benefits. You might want to start with ratio of 60% fruit and 40% greens. This recipe holds to this principle.

Wild green smoothie:

(makes 1 quart)

handful or two of dandelion greens

1 or 2 large apple(s)

1 grapefruit or 2 lemons, peel removed.

1 inch slice peeled fresh ginger

handful frozen mango

2 cups filtered water

pinch ground cardamom

2 tablespoons ground golden flax seeds

If you're using a low-speed ("regular") blender, the consistency of this will not be as smooth as if using a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtec (the kind used at Starbucks and other such places). Either way, it's mighty tasty.

Depending on the capacity of your blender, you might need to make this smoothie in batches to make the full yield of one quart.

Add the water, ground flax seed, and spice to the blender.

If you can, grind the flax fresh as it retains more nutrition that way. A dedicated grinder for this, which can also be used to grind spices is recommended.

Wash and rinse the greens and apple (and peeled ginger).

Chop the greens into pieces 3-4 inches length (so easy to put in blender)

core the apple and slice (an apple slicer works great for this, very fast!)

Add the greens, then the fresh and frozen fruit, and the ginger.

Cover and blend for 30-40 seconds or until consistency is suitable for you to enjoy.

Note: If using a BlendTec (what I use), choose the "whole juice" button.

Makes one quart (perhaps more depending on selection of ingredients).

Drink 8 to 16 ounces to start and as much as one quart. Refrigerate what you do not drink. This smoothie will keep in the refrigerator for several days. For maximum nutritional value (especially, enzymes), drink within ten minutes of preparation.

Welcome to live food

Friends have been asking me to share recipes from my kitchen. Many regularly enjoy cookie-like yummies, "Judy's Live Treats," which are made from sprouted seeds, fruit, and a touch of spice. The flavors convey the sense of raw delight I experience in making these: Dark Delight, Golden Delight, Earthy Delight, and so forth.

To me, preparing and eating live foods activates my sense of well-being. I feel vibrancy throughout my body in relating to these foods. This natural inclination to celebrate aliveness is the driving pulse of Sensing Wonder.

My daily routine includes Green Smoothies (thanks to Victoria Boutenko and her book, Green For Life, which builds on the visionary work of Ann Wigmore). These smoothies are incredibly nutritious and remarkably delicious. I drink these every day and thus have been experimenting with flavors and textures.

I've also been enjoying new ways of preparing salads, desserts, and other enlivening foods.

In short, get ready for a fun time loving live foods!