Happy New Year! Just in case you are still deciding on your New Year’s resolutions, I found a bunch of quick and easy ones in Esquire Magazine.

1. If you’re going to sit naked on a couch, put a towel down
2. In emails, use capital letters at the start of sentences, except when in a real hurry
3. Join a gym. (I’m not saying go. Just join.)
4. Chew your food two times more per mouthful
5. Forgive yourself sometimes

And a bonus resolution? Maybe drink a bit of green juice when you’re in the mood. Here’s a recipe to help you out.

I now use a Breville juicer which works well enough.

The reason I remove the yellow part of the lemon skin is that it can be very bitter when juiced. I leave the white part of the skin on as it full of healthy bioflavonoids. This tangy, refreshing juice is great with breakfast, as an afternoon pick-me-up, or any other time of day.

Here are some additional juice recipes to quench your thirst for good nutrition:

• Ginger Lime Mocktail
• Apple Cider Soda
• Green Lemonade

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I don’t drink alcohol, however, I absolutely love fun, girly drinks in fancy glasses.  Hence, this deliciously refreshing, non-alcoholic beverage that I am calling a Ginger Lime Mocktail.  I think you could also call this sparkling zesty drink liquid superfood.  The ginger is full of anti-oxidants, good for digestion and is also anti-viral and anti-fungal.  The lime juice is packed with Vitamin C and bioflavanoids.

Today was our first beautiful summer day, and the boys are out of school for summer vacation already; so to celebrate I’ve been drinking this yummy mocktail all day.

Here are some of my favorite mocktail recipes on Elana’s Pantry:

• Watermelon Aguas Frescas
• Orange Fizzie Cocktail
• DIY Sparkling Beverage
• Lemon Cooler

The winners of last weeks giveaway for the Cook It Allergy Free iPad/iPhone app are Donna C and Jessica Lopez!

Here are a few more refreshing cool drinks you might enjoy from some of my blogging friends:
-Sparkling Watermelonade from Silvana of Silvana’s Kitchen
-Homemade Tonic Water from Georgia of Georgia Pellegrini
-Apricot Spritzer from Lexie of Lexie’s Kitchen

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With March approaching, I’m starting to think about the possibility of a spring detox and one of my favorite healing roots –dandelion. Dandelion is a fantastic liver cleanser and spring is the perfect season for liver support.

According to Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, dandelion root has bitter, sweet and cooling properties, making it optimal for the pitta dosha.

Although I use various parts of the dandelion for healing, here, I’m focusing on the root which is a good blood purifying herb. The root is also a useful remedy for stomachaches, and in herbal medicine is said to be beneficial for hypoglycemia and high blood pressure.

How can you get these benefits? According to The Way of Herbs, “roasted dandelion root makes a pleasant beverage that can be consumed daily.  It combines well with “kukicha” tea, or chicory root.” I take my dandelion root with chicory which gives the beverage a deliciously bitter, coffee-like flavor. I also add cinnamon sticks to my Dandelion Root Coffee, because I love cinnamon and also consider it a “super” spice with extremely healing properties –though that’s a post for another time. Here’s a most delicious way to take healing dandelion root.

Dandelion Root CoffeeNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
4 cups water
2 tablespoons roasted dandelion root
2 tablespoons roasted chicory root
1 cinnamon stick

1. Place water, dandelion root, chicory root and cinnamon stick in a pot
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 5 minutes
3. Pour coffee through a small mesh strainer into cups and serve

Serves 2-4

I was taught 20 years ago during my Ayurvedic training that it is important when making tea with roots to boil for 2-3 minutes to release their healing properties.

And I cannot forget to mention the synchronistic dandelion incident that took place with my friend Kelly from celiacchicks.com.  When I was in New York City in fall 2009 to promote The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, I was feeling a little sloggy and craving my dandelion coffee.  At one of the signings (which Kelly so graciously arranged!) I grabbed myself a hot water; Kelly whipped out a bag of dandelion tea (from her purse, no less!) and proffered it upon me.  Hence began our discussion of our mutual love affair with the dandelion root.

My fascination with this amazing herb is also chronicled on my other website My Dandelion is a Flower.

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I hadn’t thought of making coconut milk from shredded coconut until I read Sarma Melngailis’ book Living Raw Food.  I cannot recommend this book highly enough.  Sarma has great recipes and tons of fabulous information for everyone –you don’t have to be raw to enjoy this book.

I also want to recommend Sarma’s products from her company One Lucky Duck.  I haven’t ever met Sarma (or spoken to anyone at her company, I place all of my orders online) however I think she’s really onto something.  I found out about her through my Mother-in-Law, who loves Sarma’s Manhattan restaurant Pure Food and Wine, though I have yet to eat there.

If you do order from One Lucky Duck, Sarma’s living food company, then you might like her Grawnola and her Cheese-y Quackers –those are my favorites and the boys love them too.

DIY Coconut MilkNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
4 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 drops stevia

1. Soak coconut in water for 1-2 hours (do not discard water)
2. In a vitamix, combine coconut, water, vanilla and stevia and process on highest speed
3. Strain liquid through a fine mesh paint strainer bag, discarding solids
4. Serve

Now, you might be wondering why we keep the soaking water in this recipe and not in my Almond Milk recipe.  Well, there’s a reason and it’s a good one.

When we soak the almonds, it is to release their phytic acid which is an enzyme inhibitor that can interfere with digestion.  That’s why some folks soak all of their nuts and nut products (I do not find it necessary to do so for myself and my family).  If you have questions or want more information on this, I would highly recommend looking up Sally Fallon and her book Nourishing Traditions, another one of my favorite cookbooks.

With this coconut milk, there is no need to discard the soaking water because, as far as I’ve been taught, coconuts do not contain enzyme inhibitors.  This recipe is a little messy to make,  however, I like it since it’s a heck of a lot easier than cracking open a fresh coconut and scooping out the “meat,” etc.  And, it helps me avoid canned coconut products.  I don’t like to eat food out of cans (see BPA), though that’s another story, or post perhaps.

This Thursday, at 8:45am I’ll be on Good Day Colorado demonstrating the (gluten free) Strawberry Shortcake recipe from my book, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.

One last note, Boulder’s own Dessert Diva from Boulder Weekly appeared on Daybreak on the Deuce to make my Gluten Free Almond Butter Brownies from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. Watch the video here!

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This Ayurvedic recipe for Ginger Licorice Tea is a life saver, or least a throat saver.

When it gets cold outside and our throats begin to get a bit scratchy, I put up a pot of ginger licorice tea. Sweet and spicy, the boys love it on a cold day. The last time they went up skiing, they asked me to put some in a thermos for them.

According to The Way of Herbs, by Michael Tierra, ginger is of great benefit to the stomach and may be taken alone or with other herbs to enhance its effectiveness. Licorice is good for adrenal insufficiency (although large doses will exacerbate high blood pressure) and is very soothing for lungs and digestion. We use it in our house to soothe a cold or sore throat. Or to calm down an upset tummy.

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