Tasty Vegan 3-Bean Salad

Ingredients
1 cup chopped green beans (stems removed)
1 can chickpeas.
1 can red kidney beans (ditto above), or 1.5 cups cooked
1 orange bell pepper (finely chopped)
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1/3 cup packed fresh parsley (finely chopped)
3 green onions, finely chopped
salt & pepper, to taste

7-8 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1.5 lemons)
1.50 tblsp extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
1 tblsp apple cider vinegar
1 tblsp pure maple syrup
1 tblsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt

Method
1.Add several cups of water into a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil. Add chopped green beans and blanch for 2-3 minutes in boiling water.
2. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place into a large bowl. Drain and rinse chickpeas and kidney beans and place into a large bowl along with the green beans, bell pepper, optional jalapeno, parsley, and green onion. Mix.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until combined. Adjust to taste if needed.
4. Pour on dressing over salad and mix well. Best if you place in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the mix of flavours to develop.
5. Season with salt and pepper and adjust dressing to taste. Salad will taste even better the next day. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days

Source: http://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/food/recipes/2012/0827/3256-tasty-vegan-three-bean-salad/

Skin Essentials

As the saying goes, “beauty comes from within”. Just as your face can betray your emotions, your skin can betray your inner health. Poor skin condition is often the body’s method of communicating that deeper internal problems may exist. Dry flaky skin may indicate that you don’t have enough oils in your diet or are not drinking enough water. Spotty skin may indicate that the liver is under pressure. So to achieve beautiful skin we have to treat from the inside out!

Proper nourishment for the skin is vital. Junk foods need to be curtailed. Wholesome nutrient rich foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and seeds are important. Skin boosting nutrients include essential fatty acids, Vitamin A, B vitamins, Zinc, Selenium and Vitamin E. Zinc is a particularly potent antioxidant for the skin but it also helps with wound healing and laying down collagen. Zinc deficiency has been shown to exacerbate eczema and acne conditions so supplementing with Zinc would be recommended in such cases. Vitamin A, often taken as Beta Carotene supports healthy skin renewal, provides antioxidant protection against UV rays and regulates skin pigmentation.

Incorporate some flax seed oil into the diet and drinking about 1½ litres of water per day should make a significant difference. Skin gets thirsty too! You may also benefit from taking some Silica, which provides the skin with the building blocks it needs to repair damage and renew skin cells. Silica needs to be taken for several months to achieve firm and smooth skin.

The Digestive system and skin tend to be very closely connected. If you tend to suffer from sluggish bowels on a regular basis, it may well be affecting the condition of your skin. If wastes are not eliminated efficiently, they accumulate within the bloodstream and are re-cycled in the liver. If you feel that your liver is a bit sluggish and overloaded, you may benefit from taking a combination of Milk Thistle and Dandelion which will gently aid the elimination of toxins from the liver and help to regenerate liver cells.

Are you our next Inspirational Surya Brasil Hair Colourist?

We are looking for creative people who colour their hair at home. We would like to offer 5 innovative colorists a chance to win 2 Surya Brasil Henna Powders/Creams of their choice to create their own unique colour. All you have to do is

-Like Our Page

-Tell us why we should pick you

-We would love to see the photos of your hair colour afterwards but that’s optional!

 All Surya Brasil Henna Hair Colouring products (creams and powders)

-can be used up to one year after opening

-can be blended together and reused afterwards (just remember the ratio of the different colours you used so you can recreate your own unique colour over and over again!)

Create your own shade of colour

To match your own shade blend the appropriate Surya Brasil cream/powder colours and strand test to determine the correct ratio. Save your own recipe and use to refresh or touch up your new growth. Don’t be afraid to share your colour tip with your friends!

Important: Always do a patch and strand test before use

Click here to view the colour chart of all the Surya Brasil Henna Hair Colours

http://www.yourtonic.com/surya-henna-hair-dye

Other Benefits of Surya Brasil Henna Hair Colouring

– is a natural hair colouring and hair treatment product with vegetable extracts

– does not contains PPD, Ammonia, parabens or SLS .

– does not contain resorcinol, peroxide or heavy metals

– is Hypoallergenic and Dermatologically Tested

For tips on best use of Surya Brasil Henna Hair Colour products or information on the Surya Brasil range of hair and beauty cosmetic products please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@yourtonic.com or telephone UK 087 02403318/EU+353 (01) 2833777

Stuffed sweet potatoes with scrambled eggs, maple sausage, cherry tomatoes and avocado!

INGREDIENTS

 

• 4 sweet potatoes
• 3 large eggs, scrambled
• 3 maple sausage links
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place potatoes onto a baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 1 hour, or until tender; let cool enough to handle.
• Cut each potato in half horizontally, then carefully scoop out the centre of the potato, reserving for another use, leaving about 1/2-inch of potato on the skin.
• In a medium skillet, add sausage links and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
• Add eggs, crumbled sausage, cherry tomatoes and cheese to each potato skin. Place into oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
• Serve immediately, topped with avocados.

Source: http://damndelicious.net

Asparagus & Goats Cheese Tartlet ….. From Chef Kevin Dundon

Asparagus & Goats Cheese Tartlet

Serves 4

Served warm or cold these are sure to please, replace the asparagus with some red onion marmalade for another flavoursome variation.

12 Spears of Asparagus cut in half lengthways

400g/ bollies goat cheese

2 leeks, thinly sliced

20g butter

50ml cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
Pastry:
250 g flour
125 g butter

A pinch of salt

1 egg

Prepare the short crust pastry by sieving the flour into a bowl and adding the butter and salt.  Use your fingertips to combine the ingredients until resembles breadcrumbs.  Add in the egg and use a knife to mix, the pastry should come together into a ball in a bowl, add in the egg to or make readymade pastry.  Then blind bake in the oven for 12 min.  Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Chop the leeks in a medium sized pan, add the butter, let it melt and add the leeks.  Sauté 5 minutes on a medium heat, then add the cream and seasoning cook a further 2 – 3 min to reduce the cream.

In the meantime, place a large pot of hot water to boil with salt. Prepare a bowl of ice cold water on the side. When boiling place carefully the asparagus in the water, and boil, simmer for 2 -4 minutes depending on the size of the asparagus. Remove from the water with a spider or in a colander and place in the ice cold water. This will stop the cooking of the asparagus keeping them green and crunchy.

Fill the blind tart with the creamed leek then place the asparagus 4 – 5 on top, add the goat cheese on top.

Place the tartlet in the oven for 10 – 15 min to allow the cheese to melt and caramelise.

If desired, serve with fresh leaves.

Source: http://www.kevindundon.com

Feeling Tired / Stressed

Tired – Sleep Pattern 

Much of your sleep pattern is dependant on your adrenal glands – they act as your ‘body clock’ regulating how you feel when you wake and how well you switch off at night.

During stressful times, these glands are under pressure and as a result your body clock can be out of sync (think of how exhausted you feel when you are stressed, and how hard it is to wake up in the morning). To support these glands take a good B complex daily, and higher doses during periods of stress. Eventually, you should be able to rely on the quantities of the B vitamins available in a good quality multivitamin (ideally 50mg of all the B complex) to combat the effects of daily stress on the body. Licorice is also a useful herb in terms of Adrenal support.

Sleep is key for repair in the body – and essential for your health. Valerian has been used for a long time as it helps to get you into the deep sleep that is required for healing. A combination that also provides Avena Sativa (that’s oats to you and me) is even more beneficial as oats are great for relaxing the nervous system.

Tryptophan, an amino acid is a precursor of the sleep-inducing substances serotonin and melatonin. This means tryptophan is the raw material that the brain uses to build these relaxing neurotransmitters. Natural sources include poultry, milk and milky products, pumpkin seeds. Eating carbohydrates with tryptophan-containing foods makes this calming amino acid more available to the brain. Tryptophan is also available as a supplement.

Vegetarian Sandwich

Ingredients

• 3 slices granary bread
• 1 large handful watercress
• 1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
• small squeeze lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 dessertspoons reduced-fat humus
• 2 tomatoes, thickly sliced

Method

1. Toast the bread.
2. Mix the watercress, carrot, lemon juice and olive oil together.
3. In a small bowl spread the humus over each slice of toast.
4. Top 1 slice with the watercress and carrot salad, sandwich with another slice of toast and top with the tomato.
5. Lay the final slice of bread, humus side down, then press down and eat as is or cut the sandwich into quarters.

Source: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2555/vegetarian-club

Is Buriti the new Argan Oil?

Ingredient Focus Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil commonly known as Buriti Oil

 

A common fruit that maintains an important role in the Amazon native diet also yields precious beauty benefits. That fruit, known as buriti has the botanical name Mauritia flexuosa and is used in many of Surya Brasil’s hair and skin care products.  Common throughout most of the Amazon, the buriti palm tree can be found in the wetlands and swamp forests of the Amazon and Northern South America.

For the indigenous people of Amazonia, the plant is extremely important. The fruits are used in popular foods, and you can find them in every market throughout the entire Amazon basin. Because the fruit is naturally rich in oils, the drinks made from it taste creamy. Usually eaten raw, the buriti palm fruit is also made into jams, juices, liqueurs and desserts.

When ground and pressed, buriti fruit produces a golden-orange oil. The oil is rich in palmitic, linoleic and arachidic acids, and it is also an excellent source of tocopherols, which provide superior antioxidant activity. Additionally, the oil is a rich source of carotenoids, which are natural pre-cursors to vitamin A.

According to research conducted in various labs throughout South America, buriti oil is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and photo-protective. The antioxidant activity of buriti oil protects the lipid membranes, keeping cells healthy longer. The anti-inflammatory activity of the oil is beneficial in cases of rough or sensitive skin, redness, rashes, and irritation. And the photo-protective properties of the oil help skin and scalp cells to better withstand the potentially damaging UVA and UVB rays of the sun.

The fruits of buriti palm are gathered in Brazil between April and September. Women, whose job options in Amazonia are very limited, typically work with the fruit, stripping it from branches, soaking the fruit, and removing the scales by scraping. Buriti harvest means supplementary income for native communities, and a boom in the oil could be very good for native villages.

– partially taken from Chris Kilham “the medicine hunter” FoxNews.com article 11/2013