Autumn Vegetable Pasta with Sage and Walnuts.

In our modern industrial society we live a highly unnatural lifestyle.  From the vegetables sprayed with pesticides, GMO's, the house cleaning products, makeup, toothpaste, hairspray, cell phones, microwaves, etc....  It is know wonder so many of us get sick.  Did you know that many of these large pharmaceutical companies also own pesticide manufacturing companies as well?  And that the pesticide companies produce GMO's.  In Europe, it is the law that they have to put GMO on the label if it contains GMO, even for animal food.  I can not believe that this is not a constitutional right.  To have the right to know what we are feeding our children and ourselves.

That is why it is so important to eat mostly whole organic plant based foods.  The National Cancer Institute is pursuing over forty studies in the area of nutrition that involves enzymes, fiber, fat, micronutrients, vitamins, and phytochemicals.  Many pharmaceutical companies are merging nutrient manufactures into their corporate structures.  With that being said,  the American pharmaceutical industry rules the way medicine is allowed to be practiced.  If a therapeutic substance or method is unpatentable, without profits to be made from a synthesized drug, it is usually ignored or suppressed.  Another problem with the system is that most medical doctors have had extremely poor education in the nutritional sciences.  That is why they barely ever speak about diet and if they do they may misinform you about what and what not to eat.

Environmental polluters have been releasing into the air, soil and water, many new cancer causing agents.  This creates new ways to suppress people's immunity and inhibit the enzymes necessary to our life processes.  There are at least 50 stressors that exist and which contribute to acute or chronic physical, mental, and emotional deterioration.  Incorrect cancer treatments have been used for over 50 years to attack the tumors without correcting the underlying causes that stimulate their development.

How does cancer get started in our bodies?  It is through carcinogens and or some other contributing factors that continuously are bombarding our bodies until our cellular genes are broken, our body's ever-weakening enzymatic, hormonal or other defense system are broken and then the cancerous growth is switched on.  This can come from malnourishing synthetic unnatural foods.  But it can also come from smoking, drinking to much alcohol, industrial toxins, overhead power lines, food additives, dental amalgam fillings, chronic physical or mental stress, industrial toxins, and on and on.

So what is the best way to combat all of this?  By eating a plant based diet.  Eating a rich, colorful blend of fruits and vegetables daily will increase your odds on beating down those degenerative diseases that are overwhelming our medical establishments.  And that is why you must try my Autumn Vegetable Pasta with Sage and Walnuts.

Autumn Vegetable Pasta with Sage & Walnuts

by Jeff Harter

Prep Time: 1/2 hour

Cook Time: 1/2 hour

Keywords: saute appetizer entree vegan vegetarian Italian fall

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All of these vegetables are from our garden except the leeks. The pasta is organic whole wheat. And what makes this pasta so healthy and deep in flavor is the variety of ingredients.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• olive oil
• 1/4 cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 medium eggplant diced
• 1 red pepper diced
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 leek cleaned and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
• 20 sage leaves
• large pot of salted water
• fettuccine for 4

Instructions

• In a large saute pan over medium heat saute each individual vegetable about 5 minutes each then place in large bowl. Add more oil if needed. Then add walnuts and sage and saute about 5 minutes as well, then add to vegetables.
• Next, bring water to boil and add pasta and cook until Al dente. Do not rinse with water. Let strain but do not rinse. In the large pot where you cooked the pasta, rinse out and dry then add 4 tbsp olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add all vegetables from bowl and cook for 2-3 minutes then add pasta, salt and pepper and some cheese if your allowed. Divide the pasta between 4 warm plates and enjoy.

Braised Purple Carrots with onion, sweet potato, maple syrup and soy sauce

The population of the western world are the leaders in the consumption of meat and the leaders of cancer.  Countries with high per capita meat consumption were shown to have higher incidence of colon cancer than those with low consumption.  According to the most recent 2008 compilation of cancer statistics by the International Agency for Cancer Research through the GLOBOCAN Project, there were 12.7 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths worldwide. -->

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11352852?dopt=Abstract&holding=npg

 A recent review of epidemiologic studies of red meat and prostate cancer determined that 15 of 21 studies found over 30% increased risks associated with higher red meat intakes, six of which were statistically significant 

--> Kolonel, 2001)

 Diets high in red meat also tend to be low in vegetables and track with other unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, which may contribute to the observed associations 

Fruits and vegetables have long been studied for their role in cancer prevention because they contain numerous substances with potential anticarcinogenic activity, including folate, carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamins and limonene.  In most of these studies, subjects who consume diets high in certain fruits and vegetables have lower risk of some, but not all cancers.

Another interesting fact is that populations with greater exposure to ultraviolet light generally have lower risks of breast

--> Garland et al., 1990),  colon --> Garland and Garland, 1980 , and prostate cancer  --> [Hanchette and Schwartz, 1992).

Lycopene from food is relatively consistently related to an inverse risk of some cancers.  Lycopene, the most abundant carotenoid in the plasma in some populations, is not converted to vitamin A and thus may be entirely available for other functions, such as anti-oxidation and quencher of singlet oxygen and free radicals.  Lycopene can be found in tomatoes and tomato products, watermelon, and pink grapefruit.  In a recent review, 57 of 72 epidemiologic studies reported inverse asociations between tomato intake or blood lycopene level and the risk of specific cancers, with approximately half reporting at least 40% lower risks.  Evidence being strongest for cancers of the prostate, lung, and stomach.

Antioxidants may reduce the risk of cancer by neutralizing reactive oxygen species or free radicals that can damage DNA.  Vitamin C is the major water-soluble antioxidant, and vitamin E

is the major lipid-soluble membrane-localized antioxidant in humans.  Studies of dietary vitamin C support an inverse association, particularly for cancers of the stomach, mouth, esophagus, lung, pancreas, and uterine cervix.

--> (World Cancer Research Fund & American Institute for Cancer Research, 1997]

Vitamin E (tocopherol) may help prevent cancer by reducing free-radical damage to DNA and through effects on the immune system.  Fats and oils are the major sources of vitamin E and the amount and form varies by type of oil. 

--> (Institute of Medicine, 2000]

Selenium helps reduce cancer because of its anticarcinogenic role that it plays defending against oxidative stress.  The amount of selenium depends greatly on the selenium content of the soil where the plants are grown or the animals raised.

A large European study involving 10 countries found a 25% lower risk of colon cancer associated with higher fiber intakes compared to low intakes.(Bingham et al., 2003a)

I hope you get the point.  By eating a plant based diet and eating less red meat you will greatly decrease your odds of getting cancer or other diseases.

A little fusion

Purdy purple carrots

Chopped and ready to go in the oven

Delicious and ready to go

 

 

Warm Autumn Butternut Squash Soup with Apples, Mint and Basil

     A lot of my friends on Facebook are into health and well being.  One of my friends from Australia who lives here in Mallorca posted a very scary but true article (http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/bitter-pills-20121008-277yj.html)  about the power of Pharmaceutical Companies in Australia and how they have created laws that allow children to be taken away from their parents if they do not do exactly what the doctor tells them to do.  From antibiotic injections to chemotherapy and on and on.  Four in 1,000 children are taken away from there parents each year in certain parts of Australia for not listening to the doctor.
     I mostly just focus on the bad doings of the powerful lobbyists in the United States but this article just has me flabbergasted.  The rein of the Pharmaceutical lobbyists has stretched far and wide.  For doctors in Australia if you don't do as they say the police are just a phone call away.  It's not that bad in the states yet but it sure is a scary thought though.  The problem with the judicial system is that if a law gets past that says you must obey your doctors orders then you the patient, the love one or the parents must fight the system through the proper channels which most likely will involve a lawyer and mucho dinero.
     Hopefully that day will never come.  But then again I hoped the day would never come that GM foods would hit the market shelves.  Well they have hit the shelves and these foods are not marked.
Have you ever eaten a tomato that tastes a little fishy?  Do you know why?  It's because that tomato has been spliced with a fish cell for god knows why.  The FDA has approved these GMOs with no scientific studies on human consumption of GM foods.  Only time will tell.  Until then do your best to avoid eating GM foods.
     I also hope the day will never come that every 1 in 2 persons will get cancer but we are not that far off.  Right now it is every 1 in 3.  If you ask anyone if they know someone with cancer they will at least have one or 2 personal stories about cancer affecting someone in there lives.  Off the top of my head I can think of 5.  So much for "The War on Cancer".
     You must have your own war on cancer.  And the best way to wadge war on cancer is to not let the war get started or to not let the cancer get started.  And the best way to do that is to eat a mostly plant based diet.  And eat only food that you can identify.  For example, don't eat cheese puffs, what are they?  Or twinkies or pop tarts or captain crunch or skittles or, or, or.  You get the picture.
     Now what about meat.  You can identify a chicken leg, pork rib, steak but do you know what kind of life that animal lived and do you know what antibiotics or hormones it has been fed to make it stay alive in horrid circumstances.  Unfortunately, we believe mostly what we read.  Milk, it does a body good.  Bullshit.  If it did a body good then why does the milk association (lobbyists) have a $128 million a year budget.  And why can't they put this information on the milk cartons?  Because the FDA won't allow them because it has to be backed up by facts and they can not do it.
     The list goes on and on with lobbyist over here saying this is good for you.  And they get some smart scientist who will back it up and well if he says it it must be true.  And again bullshit.  But we are naive because if it is said by him then it must be true.  He wouldn't say that because he is getting payed huge sums of money to endorse these products would he?  Hell yeah he is. 
    And that is how the system works and the sooner you realize that and snap out of this desensitized monetarily controlled media manipulated world in which we live and just realize that eating right can save your life, now!
    Can I tell you a great way to get started today?  Well that would be to make this beautiful autumn soup.  Easy, healthy and al natural.

fall vegetables

chopped and ready

sweating

almost there

herbs, spices and liquids added

last minute prep

hot german friend

final touches added

Tati and me

Warm Autumn Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Mint

by Jeff Harter

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Keywords: blender appetizer soup/stew low-carb nut-free soy-free sugar-free vegan vegetarian Butternut Squash American Thai fall

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This lovely soup is the first fall soup I made this year because it is one of my favorites.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 carrots chopped
• 1/2 butternut squash peeled and chopped
• 1 leek white part only chopped
• 1 celery stick chopped
• 1 beet peeled and chopped
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 1 small potato
• 1 apple chopped
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp curry
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp oregano
• 4 cardamon seeds
• 4 cloves
• 1 can coconut milk
• 4 cans water/vegi stock
• juice of 1 lime
• 5 drops fish sauce
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• In a large deep pot heat oil over medium heat for several minutes then add onion, carrots and squash and cook for 10 minutes stirring frequently. Then add leek, celery, beet, garlic and ginger and cook another 10 minutes then add the remaining ingredients except coconut milk, water, lime juice and fish sauce and cook another 5 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour over medium low heat. Take out cardamon, cloves and bay leaf and in several batches blend ingredients until nice and smooth. Place back in pot and bring to boil. Remove from heat and cover until ready to serve. Serve with chopped sauteed apples and small mint leaves. I added a drizzle of walnut oil as well.

Adzuki Bean Burrito with Avocado and Pineapple

     Why is the cure rate for cancer only 3%?  Why do they not at least use a combination of alternative medicine and traditional treatments?  Why?  Because then there would be no profits like there are today.  Chemotherapy is a huge money maker.  Radiation is a huge money maker.  And then to use natural resources from mother nature that cost a fraction of the price would turn the medical industry and pharmaceutical  industry upside down.  They are to powerful to let this happen.
     But you can now investigate, study, research and locate alternative solutions online using the internet.  A friend of mine sent me this link yesterday;  http://www.cancertutor.com/  A fantastic site with loads of information.  They talk about the corrupt system. The FDA, the AMA, Pharma, the media, etc... all in the business for making money and not for curing cancer. But most importantly they speak about ways in curing cancer naturally. The site is packed with information about all kinds of natural cures for diseases.  A fantastic site that has many links as well.
    Today my recipe includes Azuki beans or aduki or adzuki which ever you prefer.  These beans are heavily consumed in Asia and date back to 4000BC,  Say What?  They are used in a lot of sweets and desserts.  But I am using them for a Mexican Adzuki Bean Burrito with Avocado and Pineapple.

Why it's good for you!
Adzuki Beans  Adzuki beans are a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc copper, manganese and B vitamins. As a high-potassium, low-sodium food they can help reduce blood pressure and act as a natural diuretic.  They are low in calories but high in nutrients.  When combined with grains, beans supply high quality protein, which provides a healthy alternative to meat or other animal protein.
      Like most beans, adzuki beans are rich in soluble fibre. This type of fibre provides bulk to the stool and binds to toxins and cholesterol aiding in their elimination from the body.  In Japan adzuki beans are known for their healing properties and are used to support kidney and bladder function.
Avocado  Avocados are loaded with monounsaturated fats.   They also have a high fiber content as well.  They are rich in Vitamins B, E and K and have a large amount of potassium.  The avocado is under research for its potential anticancer properties.
 Pineapple Mainly from its stem, pineapple contains a proteolytic enzyme, bromelain, which breaks down protein.  It also contains the B vitamins and vitamin C plus manganese.

fresh from the garden

with friend onion and carrot

soaked

Great colors

Great flavors

Hey!  Where did that Chihuahua come from?

Awww  You want my burrito don't you? 

Adzuki Bean Burrito with Avocado and Pineapple

by Jeff Harter

Prep Time: 1/2 hour

Cook Time: 2 hours

Keywords: low-carb low-sodium nut-free soy-free sugar-free vegan vegetarian adzuki beans

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Healthy and delicious burrito. !00% al natural. This could be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner any time of the year.

Ingredients (4 burritos)

Adzuki Beans

• 1 cup adzuki beans soaked over night
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 carrot chopped
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1green pepper chopped
• 1 eggplant chopped
• 1 garlic minced
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp spicy smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 quart cold water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Burrito

• 4Tortillas
• 2 avocado peeled and diced
• 1/4 pineapple peeled and diced
• green onion or chives minced
• parsley leaf or lettuce (optional)

Instructions

Beans

• Soak the beans overnight then strain.
• Place a large pot over medium flame and add olive oil.
• When hot add onion, carrot, peppers, eggplant and garlic.
• Saute for about 10 minutes then add cumin, chilli, turmeric, paprika, oregano and bay leaf and saute another 5 minutes then add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer and cook for 1 - 2 hours depending on beans. You might have to add more water but you want this nice and thick for the burritos. Add salt and pepper at very end.

Burrito

• Lay the tortillas on 4 plates.
• Put a big spoonful of beans on the center of each tortilla.
• Then avocado, pineapple, chives and whatever else you would like.
• Then roll up the tortilla to form a burrito and eat with both hands.

For more great recipes visit

Asian Onion and Lentil Soup with Seaweed and Shitake Mushrooms

     You are what you eat and you eat what you are.  For whatever reason we have gotten away from eating foods that are alive.  The more foods you eat that are alive the more you will be alive.  Easier said than done right.  It is easier said than done because in our busy society everyone just picks up a burger, a bag of chips, a pastry, sandwich, taco, whatever and away you go.  You fill up for gas and want a bite of something.  There ain't no apple, carrot, fresh smoothie lying there on the counter waiting for you to pick it up.  Hell no.  But you got your chips, ice cream, candy bar, coke and microwave burrito just sitting there looking pretty.  So you grab it and away you go.  And that is why America is so unhealthy.  Over 50% of Americans will have heart disease or cancer.  And I believe the reason for this is the American diet.
     Something the majority of people do not even consider about health is the pH factor.  Your body wants to be slightly more alkaline than neutral. Your body is always working to get rid of acidic waste.  Some foods actually contain acids or alkalis (soluble salts) and other foods create acidity or alkalinity in the body when combined with juices and digestive acids.  A diet rich in alkali-forming foods is a key to ongoing good health.  These foods help with detoxification of the body.
     A huge problem right now in the USA is that more and more women are being diagnosed with osteoporosis.  The doctors give them a calcium supplement and tell them to eat more dairy products.  The problem being that dairy is acid forming and the body tries to correct this by pulling salts from the bones in an attempt to alkalinize blood that has become chronically acid.  The bones start to dissolve because the blood is already acidic and then dairy, an acid-forming food is prescribed as a treatment.  And then for the calcium to be absorbed in the bones the body must have sufficient amounts of vitamin D but a test for vitamin D is usually not ordered.  The doctors need to find the source of the problem then fix it.  So for this case it would be to test for an acidity and the first response should be a life building procedure not a life threatening treatment.
     But hey I am just a cook who reads a lot, an awful lot.  And just about everything I tell you I get from the internet or from books.  So when you do become sick, read, read, read until you find your cause and your cure.  So when you visit your health care professional you have knowledge about your own illness.  And then you can decide if their cure coincides with yours.
     One of the best ways to eliminate illness is by eating healthy.  And this delicious Warm Asian Onion and Lentil Soup I made yesterday will pump your body full of minerals and vitamins to make it just that much harder for illness to occur.  This soup is a great autumn dish that will warm your body through and through.

Why it's good for you!
Onions  They contain chemicl compounds believed to have anti-inflammatory, anticholesterol, anticancer and antioxidant properties, such as quercetin. 
Lentils  They are high in protein. If mixed with rice becomes a complete protein.  They contain vitamin B1, iron and dietary fiber.  They have enzymes as well.
Kombu  It contains dietary fiber and a good source of iodine.  Iodine is an important mineral for the thyroid gland to function properly.
Wakame  Is a high source of calcium, iodine, thiamine, niacin and Omega-3 fatty acid.  It also has a compound called fucoxanthin which helps burn fatty tissue.
Shitake Mushrooms  Contain dietary fiber, protein, vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, D and iron.

Asian Onion and Lentil Soup with Seaweed and Shitake Mushrooms

by Jeff Harter

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 2 hours

Keywords: appetizer soup/stew gluten-free low-carb sugar-free vegan vegetarian kombu wakame onions shitake

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From our garden we have tons of onions that need attention. The onions are the real star of this dish. You slowly cook them for about 45 minutes until they are just starting to turn brown.

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 large onions, peeled, halved, sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 8 cups vegetable stock or water
• 1 cup lentils
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 nora pepper, cut in half(dried smoked pepper of any kind)
• a bit of dried spicy pepper (how hot do you want it)
• 8 dried shitake mushrooms
• 1 piece kombu
• 1/4 cup wakame
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp miso
• 1 tsp sesame seed oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Place a large sauce pan over medium heat add olive oil and heat for 2 minutes while slicing the onions. When oil is hot add the onions and cook over medium heat for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes when just starting to brown. Then add tomato paste and cook another 5 minutes stirring frequently. Then add vegi stock or water, lentils, bay leaf, nora (dried pepper), spicy pepper if using and bring to a boil and let simmer for about 1 hour or until lentils are soft. When lentils are soft then add the rest of the ingredients and stir well then let stand for 1/2 hour. Take out shitake mushrooms and slice and throw back in. Take out kombu and do the same thing or omit. Reheat slightly and serve. Can be served with freshly sliced green onions.

Vegan Papaya Smoothie

     When our bodies age we have a more difficult time fighting free radicals.  Especially now when the majority of us are taking some kind of prescription medication.  And not to mention all the toxins that are in our bodies due to the toxic environment in which we live today.  Whether it be from that coffee you had this morning or that glass of wine last night.  Or that burger and fries with a coke.  Or what about that nice clean starched shirt from the cleaners.  Toxins are everywhere we turn.  That waxed apple you ate on your way to work.  Unfortunately, that apple has been sprayed then waxed so all that washing you do won't take those pesticides away.
     But how do we fight those free radicals?  We fight them with antioxidants.  And where is the best place to get antioxidants?  From fresh fruits and vegetable.  Only one problem.  The majority of fruits and vegetable we by at the supermarket are from huge mega farmers that plant in soils that have been taxed for all there minerals and nutrients years ago.  That means that the vegetables we eat today only contain a small portion of those antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.  The meat and fish we eat today
do not eat what they should be eating.  Cows should be eating grass and then we would get sufficient omega-3 from them but they aren't, so we don't.  The farmed fish eat corn and whatever else and they also do not contain the important omega-3.  Instead when we eat these farmed animals we obtain omega-6 instead of omega-3
     So the most important step you can do to solve this dilemma is to grow your own fruits and vegetables and raise your own farm animals or buy organic and local if possible.  And eat as much as you can according to the seasons.
     Do you know that most Americans will experience some symptoms of chronic disease in their lifetime.  These are the diseases that cost so many so much suffering and money.  For these chronic aliments and there symptoms, modern medicine has little to offer.  Sure they will cut you open and repair it for now.  Sure they will offer you a little wonder drug that you take the rest of your life.  But when they do those things they will not talk about the long term effects that these remedies have on your health.
     They fix the problem ( for now) but they don't fix the why.  The body has the natural ability to repair and heal itself.  And when if can't then there is a problem.  So when the body can't do this then the cells are not functioning properly or the chemical reaction needed is not occurring or the body lacks ingredients for this process to occur.
     Over time our bodies accumulate toxins and allows our bodies to produce more free radicals.  Because of our toxic bodies and consuming fewer antioxidants it is know wonder more and more people are becoming ill.
     Another factor to consider is a the bodies alkaline level.  A healthy human body prefers to have a higher PH level than acidic lever.  A more acidic body in unhealthy and makes it easier to become ill. But a lot of things we put in our bodies makes our bodies more acidic.  For example; alcohol, coffee, meat, chicken, processed foods, etc...  Fresh fruits and vegetables on the other hand helps balance that out.
      One of the best ways to start the day and to make sure my body is getting a sufficient amount of antioxidants to fight off free radicals is by having a fresh homemade smoothie every morning for breakfast.  This morning I made a papaya smoothy with the papaya seed included.  The seeds are good for fighting off intestinal parasites.  Try it you'll like it.

Lemons from our tree

Papaya Smoothie

by Jeff Harter

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: blender beverage breakfast dessert snack

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Pump up your antioxidants with this outrageous smoothie. Papaya seed are good for cleaning out parasites in the intestines.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• Juice of 2 medium oranges
• 1 cup papaya peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp papaya seeds
• 1 sliced banana
• 1 sliced peach
• 1 carrot peeled and chopped
• 4 ice cubes

Instructions

• Throw it all in your blender and blend 2-3 minutes.
• Enjoy!