Canteloupe Melon Seed Horchata

Cantaloupe seed horchata or horchata de semillas de melón, is a very simple, easy to make, deliciously refreshing summer drink. Cantaloupes are in season! Get one, eat it and do not discard the seeds. Instead, use them to make horchata. 

There are many versions of horchata. This one uses water and seeds of cantaloupe melon. You can also make it with seeds of any melon, pumpkin or butternut. For a creamier version use almond milk, and add any kind of spice you like. For the summer version I used Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract and a pinch of cinnamon.

Ingredients:

• seeds and seed membranes of 1 cantaloupe
• 1 quart (about 1 liter) purified water
• 1/2 tsp raw vanilla extract
• pinch ground organic cinnamon (optional)
  
• a drop of liquid stevia
  

Method:

• Toss seeds into a bowl of you blender, add half of the water and blend until the seeds are crushed.
• Pour the mixture into a jar or another large vessel through a sieve or a nut milk bag and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
• Return the crushed seeds into a blender, add the remaining water and cinnamon, and blend again. Sieve off the mixture again, and toss the crushed seeds into a compost bin. 
• Add the vanilla and a drop of stevia to the horchata, and stir well.
• Pour out the horchata into chilled tumblers, add ice cubes if you want to, and enjoy in good company!

Tip: To sweeten your horchata you can also use raw honey, agave syrup, or softened Medjool dates, but do not over do it. Keep in mind that sweet drinks are not the greatest thirst quenchers. Add freshly pressed lemon juice for an even more refreshing taste.

In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique

Dominique Allmon©2022

 

Super Healthy Green Smoothie with Broccoli Sprouts

This is a very simple recipe with an incredible health benefits. However, if you are used to very sweet, fruity concoctions, this one is not for you. 

To make this smoothie I used freshly sprouted organic broccoli sprouts which contain large amounts of sulfur containing glucosinates. Glucosinate glucoraphaninin sprouts  is transformed into sulforaphane by the enzyme myrosinase when the sprouts are being chewed or chopped during food preparation. It must be mentioned that broccoli sprouts contain the highest amount of glucoraphaninin of all cruciferous vegetables, and therefore, the highest amount of the disease fighting sulforaphane.  

Sulforaphane may have an anti-cancer properties by inhibiting the pro-carcinogenic enzymes in various cancers including breast cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, colon cancer, skin cancer, and the lung cancer. Moreover, sulforaphane may help improve cardiovascular health, brain health, bone structure, and the respiratory function. It might help control the H. pylori infection, and help detoxify the body.

Ingredients: 

• 1 fairly ripe avocado 
• 1 very ripe banana
• 2 cups broccoli sprouts
• 2 cups fresh coconut milk
• 1/2 cup supergreens ( I use Primal Force Super Greens - affiliate link) 
• tiny pinch Celtic sea salt 
• 1 Tbsp cold pressed hemp oil
• 2-3 ice cubes (optional)

 

Method: 

• Place all ingredients in the bowl of you blender and whiz until smooth and creamy. 
• Pour smoothie into tall glasses, garnish with fresh broccoli sprouts, and enjoy in good company!

Tip: This smoothie can easily be transformed into a delicious raw soup if you replace banana with zucchini. If you can, make your own coconut milk. I use coconut water and meat of "old" coconut. Also, grow your own broccoli sprouts. It is a rather easy process that takes less than a week, and you will always have a large supply of this marvelous disease fighting food. Sprouts can be frozen for later use so do not worry if you have a bumper harvest. 

To make the sprouts use clean, sterilized sprouting jars with a special lid. Add 2-3 Tbsp organic broccoli seeds, pour two caps of purified water and leave the seeds to soak overnight. In the morning, pour out the water without opening the lid. Pour purified water in, swirl the jar and pour out the water. Repeat. Put the jar to rest and repeat the action in the evening. You may want to cover the jar to allow the seeds to germinate in the dark for the next two days. Continue rinsing the seeds/sprouts twice a day for altogether 4-5 days. Bot all seeds will germinate so you might want to remove them at the end of the germination process using a clean spoon. 

In radiant health - passionately raw - Dominique

Dominique Allmon©2022

*Information in this article is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or cure a disease.

The Jerk And The Green - Two Caribbean Condiments

Grilling season, garden parties, picnics... Summer is such a great time for socializing around delicious, well seasoned food. 

This summer I decided to explore the Caribbean cuisine and stumbled upon these two raw seasonings that can easily be used in both, raw and cooked, vegan and non-vegan dishes.  They are easy to make and store well in the fridge.

The Jerk

Ingredients:

• 2-5 hot peppers (habanero, ghost chili, Carolina reaper, or Trinidad scorpion) 
• 1 small red onion
• 3 scallions
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 inch fresh ginger root
• 1/2 inch fresh turmeric root
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
• 1 bunch fresh thyme, leaves only (about 1/3 cup)
• 2 twigs of fresh rosemary, leaves only
• 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 
  
• freshly pressed juice of 1 lime, use more if necessary
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/3 tsp ground nutmeg
• pinch Celtic sea salt
• 2 Tbsp blackstrap molasses

 

 

Method: 

• Prepare chili peppers for blending by removing stems, seeds and seed membranes. 
  
• Toss all solid ingredients into a blender and pulse blend. Add all liquid ingredients and blend again. Add spices and molasses, and blend until smooth. Adjust the taste to your personal liking.
• Pour the sauce into a sterilized jar, close tight and store in the fridge. It stores well for at least two weeks. 

The Green Seasoning

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
• 1 bunch fresh thyme (leaves only)
• 1 bunch spring onions
• 4 jalapeño peppers
• 2 sweet peppers (optional)
  
• 2 heads of garlic
• juice of 1 lime, add more if necessary
  

 

Method:

• Prepare jalapeño peppers for blending by removing stems, seeds and seed membranes.
  
• Clean and roughly chop all the other ingredients. Toss everything into a bawl of a food processor and pulse blend until well combined, creamy but slightly chunky.
  
• Transfer the green mass into a sterilized jar, close tight and place in the fridge. Stores well for at least two weeks. 

These two hot raw condiments are quite versatile. They can be used to marinade fresh ingredients for dehydrating, if you love raw food, or for grilling and stewing, if you prefer your food cooked. You can use them to spice your dips, salad dressings and soups, raw or cooked. They can be mixed together to enhance the taste, and also make a very nice hostess gifts.

The jerk is incredibly spicy and complex. If you cannot tolerate the heat, use only just a little bit of the hot chili or add a sweet pepper to mitigate the heat. My first one was so hot I could only use it in tiny doses. 

 

I did not add any sweetener, but used blackstrap molasses to only slightly sweeten the sauce and add a nice color. Unlike sugar, molasses contains useful nutrients: Vitamin B6, manganese, magnesium, potassium, iron, chromium, and selenium. With a glycemic index of 55, it helps stabilize blood sugar. It isn't as sweet as agave syrup, but definitively much better for you. 

 

I hope you will try these exotic recipes and learn to incorporate them into your own dishes. Whatever you do, enjoy it in good company!

In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique

Dominique Allmon©2022