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Conscious cooking
The act of cooking is important unto itself. You must bring your awareness to what you are doing because you are transferring your energy into the food; make sure it's good energy.
1. Thank your food - hold your hand over it and say thank you and/or imagine the energy of gratitude going from your hand to the food.
2. Do Reiki on the food - even if you are not a Reiki practitioner, intention is everything. Move your hands over the food in a continuous motion, one hand clockwise, the other counterclockwise.
3. Figure-8s - draw a figure-8 over your food once with the left hand. This takes out the bad energy. Then do the same with your right hand, which creates balance. I actually do a few figure-8s on both sides.
Sometimes I like to go off into a fantasy while I cook... my ideal self, in my ideal situation... I usually know what I'm wearing and who's there to see it, etc. It's a great opportunity to visualize something positive happening while infusing the food with these positive thoughts.
Here are some of my favorite low-fat, vegetarian recipes that are tasty and satisfying.
Morning smoothie
1 cup organic frozen blueberries
¼ cup pear juice
4 almonds
1 tbsp. golden flax seeds
1 tsp. maca powder
Dash of nutritional yeast
1 banana and banana rind (the rind has tons of anti-oxidants)
2 tbsp. plain protein powder (no sugar) or "greens"
Blend together. Add ice if you like but the frozen fruit will make it cool.
Egg white extravaganza
3 organic egg whites, (try organic Horizon brand)
1 oz. of organic mozzarella cheese
Dash of cayenne
Pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. parsley flakes
Olive oil spray or low-fat vegetable oil spread
Wisk eggs and spices together in a bowl over medium heat, spritz olive oil spray onto pan and add eggs. Scramble them or make them omelet style, whatever you prefer.
Lettuce and tomato sandwich
2 slices whole grain toast
4-5 lettuce leaves (I like the organic red leaf)
4 organic tomato slices
2 tsp. Spectrum Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise. (its vegan)
Extras: Add a hint of flax seed oil to the mayo; add sprouts and red onion for a zestier sandwich.
Deliciously filling hot dogs and sauerkraut
2 Smart Dog Vegetarian Hot Dogs
2 whole wheat hot dog buns, (I like Rudi's Organic Bakery)
2 cups of Sauerkraut
Organic yellow mustard, to taste (Whole Foods has one or substitute for your favorite mustard)
Pizza tray (with perforated bottom) or stone cooker
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Now the trick is in how you cook them. Buy a pizza tray because it has holes for double-sided grilling (if you have a real grill, even better). Place hot dogs in oven for at least ten minutes - experiment for yourself but they are best a bit over done/crispy. Next grill the buns on the tray until brown - usually 3 to 4 minutes. Once the dogs and bun are out of the oven, first put mustard on the bun, then some sauerkraut on the bottom, then the dog, more mustard and then more kraut... it's truly fantastic! Be sure to use a generous amount of sauerkraut, it's a great dish and even lower in calories if you use only one side of the bun per hot dog. Sometimes I even scoop out some of the bun, which actually makes a great place for filling with sauerkraut.
Quinoa magic
2 cups quinoa
3 cups water
1 cup veggie stock
2 chopped bunches of scallion
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8-10 finely chopped mushrooms
1 cup parsley (tear it, don't chop, and add at the last moment)
3 oz. shredded organic cheese (your favorite)
½ cup organic parmesan cheese, grated
Cayenne pepper, shaken liberally
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Celtic sea salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Eden sesame and Sea Shake, to taste
3 cups water
1 cup organic veggie stock
Wash the quinoa for at least a minute to get the husk off. Then boil the quinoa in water and veggie stock, stir only once, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Check it - you want it dry and fluffy. Then take all your chopped veggies and put them in a big frying pan with the oil and spices already in, sauté until veggies look done but not overdone. Once quinoa is done simply put it into the pan and mix altogether. Add the cheese and parsley last. I usually do all my chopping while the quinoa is cooking to cut down on time.
Organic spicy spinach pasta
1 box organic spinach pasta, thin style
3 tbsp. organic olive oil
4 cloves garlic
Crushed red pepper, liberal amounts
Fresh parsley, liberal amounts
Organic and/or freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste
Cook pasta until it's al dente. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate frying pan put in the olive oil and chopped garlic, crushed red pepper and sauté until garlic is slightly brown. Drain the pasta and put it into the pan. Toss the pasta in the pan until it is covered with in oil. Then add parmesan and parsley. Be sure to have no stems on the parsley and tear it into pieces, do not cut it. Stir for a minute or two and serve.
Organic spinach pasta and tomato sauce
1 box organic spinach pasta, thin style
1 box organic chopped spinach
1 jar organic tomato and Basil Sauce
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
Black pepper, to taste
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste
Cook pasta until it's al dente. Put the sauce into a big frying pan and add spinach, chopped garlic, pepper and let it simmer. My mom always made sauce the old fashioned Italian way and that's to let it simmer for hours to really get the favors to come out but if you don't have the time don't worry, it'll still be great. Serve pasta and scoop the sauce on. Add parmesan cheese once pasta is already on the plate. Enjoy.
Spinach pizza
2 Bolo whole wheat thin pizza crusts
13 boxes of spinach
1 bag low-moisture organic mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup organic parmesan cheese
Organic tomato and basil tomato sauce, (1/2 jar per pie)
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Crushed red pepper (to taste but I like to add 1/4 cup)
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Defrost spinach (I usually leave out overnight) and then squeeze water out. This process can take a bit of time so use it to daydream about something really fantastic and remember, your energy is transferring to the food, so center yourself in love and think only good thoughts. After squeezing out water, gently separate spinach with your fingers. You want to get the spinach as fluffy as possible. Then add the garlic, the mozzarella, parmesan and crushed pepper. Again, using your hands, combine it all, making sure the ingredients are mixed well together.
Put the tomato sauce on the pizza crust. I usually use almost the entire bottle for the two crusts. Make sure you spread some sauce onto and almost over the edge of the crust. Then, evenly distribute spinach mix onto pizza crust. Spread the mix right to the edge of the crust. Gently pat down the spinach once it has been evenly distributed so that it looks and feels solid. Put pizza onto pizza tray and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. You know for sure it's done when the spinach turns dark green or when the bottom of the crust is brown and crisp. Each pizza makes 8 slices.
To store, wrap each slice in tin foil or saran wrap. (Energy check your body to see which is best for you.) and put the wrapped slices into freezer storage bags. Write the date and a positive affirmation on the bag.
Meatless meatballs and gravy
1 pack Garden Burger Meatless Meatballs
1 pack Simply Organic Brown Gravy
Dash of crushed red pepper
Black pepper, to taste
Dash of garlic powder
* These meatballs are also great to put in tomato sauce for traditional spaghetti and meatballs
For gravy follow directions on packet but add ½ cup vegetable stock instead of water. Keep stirring slowly to ensure it thickens. Cook meatballs as directed or until crisp. I like to put them on a pizza tray so that they get cooked on both sides. Pour gravy into a small dipping bowl and put the bowl onto a bigger plate with the meatballs around it. I use toothpicks to dip the meatballs into the gravy.
If you're making this for a party, make 3 to 4 boxes and lots of gravy& it's always been a party pleaser for me.
Extras: Parsley in the gravy is a good one, especially if you're serving it at a party because parsley is an internal breath freshener.
Outrageously satisfying chocolate pudding
¼ cup raw coca beans
¼ cup organic almond butter
2 tbsp. maca powder
¼ cup agave
¼ cup organic chunky peanut butter (optional but highly suggested)
Grind the coca beans (add flax seed if you like as well) and then mix all the ingredients together. Taste and add more of what you love, I usually add more chocolate and agave. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Cristina's ice tea
2 bags Raspberry tea
2 bags Red Zinger tea
2 bags Lemon Zinger tea
2 bags Wild Berry tea
2 bags Tension Tamer Extra tea
2 qts. water, room temperature
*I use Celestial Seasonings Tea
Put tea bags and water into pitcher and leave in the refrigerator overnight. I suggest pulling out the tea bags by the second day because I've found the flavor goes a bit off if the tea bags are left sitting in the water.
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