Day one after the fast...

Greetings Sports fans,
All is well and I am happily and slowly making the transition back into the world of solid foods. Today I want to talk to you about chocolate chip cookies. Vegan chocolate chip cookies. (Had you going there for a minute... didn't I)

Not Your Typical Chocolate Chip Cookies

Woo-hoo!! Another healthier cookie recipe! It's easy to make these vegan- just use vegan chocolate chips and you're there! Personally I would use spelt wheat pastry flour and agave nectar instead of sugar. This recipe came to me from Taste For Life magazine.

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

6 servings, 12 cookies, 46 minutes, 30 minutes prep

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Combine the oil, bananas, sugar, salt and cardamom in a medium saucepan.
3. Heat over low heat for about 2 minutes, whisking to blend everything.
4. Sift together the flours and baking soda into a large bowl.
5. Mix in the banana mixture until well combined.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
7. Drop onto a parchement lined or lightly oiled baking sheet.
8. Bake for 14-16 minutes, until they look slightly underdone (like other chocolate chips cookies, they will firm up after they are cooling).
9. Let rest on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

39...1

Well Sports fans... one more day of fasting... Today I am going to give you a recipe I found for an amazing dessert... that is good and good for you... and it is a vegan cheesecake... enjoy...

This rich, dairy-free, no-bake cheesecake is flavored with agave nectar, a raw sweetener derived from the agave plant. Agave nectar is sweeter than honey with a milder, more floral taste—ideal for desserts or drinks.

DIRECTIONS

1. Place macadamia nuts in large bowl, and cover with cold water. Place cashews in separate bowl, and cover with cold water. Soak nuts 4 hours, then rinse, drain, and set aside.
2. Pulse macadamia nuts and dates in food processor to a sticky crumb-like consistency. Sprinkle dried coconut on bottom of 8-inch pie pan. Press macadamia nut mixture onto coconut to make crust.
3. Place cashews, coconut oil, lime juice, agave nectar, and 6 Tbs. water in bowl of food processor. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into food processor bowl, and purée until smooth. Pour mixture onto crust, and freeze 1 to 2 hours, or until firm. Remove from freezer, slice while frozen, and transfer to serving platter. Defrost in fridge 1 hour, or on countertop 30 minutes; top with berries; and serve.

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ingredient list

Serves 12

• 2 cups macadamia nuts
• 1 1/2 cups cashews
• 1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates
• 1/4 cup dried coconut
• 6 Tbs. coconut oil, melted (gently warmed)
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup raw agave nectar
• 1/2 sun-dried vanilla bean
• 3 cups mixed berries, such as blueberries and raspberries

Nutritional Information

Per SERVING:

Calories	359
Protein	5g
Total Fat	28.5g
Saturated Fat	9.5g
Carbs	24g
Choelsterol	0mg
Sodium	7mg
Fiber	4g
Sugar	14g

37...3

Greetings Sports fans,

As I am approaching the end of this years fast and the beginning of a new year and a celebration of freedom, I feel a calmness beyond expression, very different from other years at the end of the fast, something that is assuring and full of joy...

I am going to give you a version of a comfort food today... the all- American (Vegan) Chicken Pot Pie. This version is made with Seitan, but you can substitute your favorite vegan chicken strips... Enjoy... All the best...always...

Yoel

Vegan Chicken Pot Pie

There is nothing more warming than a homemade Vegan Chicken Pot Pie. This is one of the all time favorite comfort foods after Vegan Macaroni & Cheese.

Ingredients
3 yellow onions, diced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Organic Pastry Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Unbleached White Flour
4 cups Imagine Vegetable Stock
1/4 teaspoon Hawaiian Sea Salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, crushed
1/2 cup Silk Soy Milk Creamer, Plain
2 cups cooked sliced mushrooms, white or crimini
1 package frozen pearl onions
1 package frozen petite peas
4 cups precooked diced organic potatoes, Yukon or Russet
2 cups precooked diced organic carrots
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
12 whole springs of fresh Italian Parsley for decoration
1 package Chicken Seitan, shredded
prepared a basic pie crust or purchase a frozen vegan pie crust or vegan puff pastry... my favorite is Aussie Bakery Puff Pastry.

Tools
heavy bottomed sauté pan
insulated cookie sheet
rolling pin for crust top
potato peeler
cutting board
knifes
measuring cups
measuring spoons
garlic press
kitchen shears
steamer sauté pan with lid
one large Pyrex dish or one large and two small (individual oven proof dishes will work well too)

Preparation
Preheat Oven
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F if using the vegan puff pastry by Aussie Bakery... if using tradition pie crust, preheat the oven to 375 degress F. Puff pastry needs a HOTTER OVEN.

Cut and Measure Ingredients
Cut and measure all the vegetables and ingredients required for this recipe.

Pre-cook Potatoes
Russet potatoes need to be peeled before dicing, but Yukon Gold's can keep their skins.

Boil the diced potatoes until al dente done, drain and set aside.

Remember, these vegetables will be cooked in the oven for an hour later.

Steam Carrots
Steam diced carrots until al dente, almost done, drain and set aside.

Sauté Onions & Mushrooms
Sauté the diced onions and sliced mushrooms in two tablespoons of the olive oil until golden brown.

When the onions and mushrooms are a golden brown, remove them from the pan and place in a side dish.

Create the Chicken Pot Pie White Sauce Base
In the same pan the onions were sautéed, add the olive oil, flours, sea salt, and pepper.

Over medium heat, stir the contents until it bubbles and turns golden brown.

Add the vegetable stock slowly and whisk vigorously to eliminate any lumps.

Whisk in the Plain Silk Soymilk Creamer and turn off the heat.

Add the Vegetables and Chicken Seitan
In a larger pan, add the white sauce base, all the vegetables, Italian parsley, and seitan chicken.

Fold the ingredients together and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if desired.

Baking Dish and Crust
Spray the serving dishes with a non-stick oil spray.

Pour the vegetable sauce into the dishes.

Roll out the prepared dough crust and lay over the top of each Vegan Chicken Pot Pie.

This Crust is a vegan store bought puff pastry: Aussie BakeryPuff Pastry


Aussie Bakery Vegan Puff Pastry

Poke a few holes in the dough top and press the edges onto the casserole dishes.

Bake
Place the assembled casseroles onto an insulated cookie sheet covered with parchment paper to make clean up easier.

The Vegan Chicken Pot Pies will bubble over slightly, so be prepared with a parchment liner or silicone liner on the cookie sheet.

Bake the dough crusted Vegan Chicken Pot Pies for approximately 30 minutes in the pre-heated 400 F. degree oven. When the crust is golden brown and the contents are bubbling, it is DONE!

Presentation
Scoop out a portion for each person and add a sprig of Italian flat leaf parsley. This is a crowd pleaser and nothing will be left. If you don't want to deal with the crust, this tastes great just like a stew! Add a whole wheat roll or a piece of barley bread and dinner is ready!!!

36...4

Greetings Sportsfans,

Here we are at 4 days to go. And my mind is turning to ways to make.... Lasagna!!! Here is a recipe you might like. I will be tweaking mine with a tofu "ricotta" (tofu,fresh basil,oregano,olive oil,agave nectar, a little salt, and after Passover, nutitional yeast...)

This recipe eliminates the messy, time-consuming process of preboiling the noodles—use any whole-wheat, brown rice, or regular lasagna noodles right out of the box. They’ll cook in the sauce.

DIRECTIONS

1. To make Filling: Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and garlic in oil 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden. Add spinach, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until wilted. Transfer spinach mixture to bowl of food processor. Add tofu, cream cheese, basil, and nutritional yeast, and purée until mixture is thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

2. Spread one-quarter of Speedy Red Sauce recipe on bottom of 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Cover with one-third of noodles (4 or 5 noodles), then half of Filling, and ladle on another one-quarter of sauce. Repeat layer of noodles and remaining Filling. Spread sausage evenly over top, and top with one-quarter of sauce. Finish with final layer of noodles and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

3. Cover lasagna with foil, and bake 30 minutes, or until bubbling hot. Uncover, and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, or until noodles are tender and topping is melted. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!!!

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ingredient list

Serves 8

Filling

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped (2 cups)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
• 1 10-oz. bag fresh baby spinach
• 2 12-oz. pkgs. firm tofu, drained
• 1 8-oz. pkg. vegan cream cheese
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast

LASAGNA

• 5 ½ cups Speedy Red Sauce
  
• 12 uncooked whole-wheat lasagna noodles
  
• 12 oz. vegan Italian sausage links, cut into thin rounds, or soy sausage crumbles, broken apart
  
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella flavor rice or soy cheese (3 oz.)

35...5....36...4 Things I am thinking about as I get to the end of the fast...

What am I thinking about? How I can better live, and help my brothers and sisters to live better...

With that in mind, there is a recipe I have not yet tried, but definitely will in about two weeks, that I want to share with you.

Yummy Mock Chicken Salad

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 can chickpeas
1 green pepper (diced)
1/2 onion (diced)
about 1/2 cup Nayonaise or Ranch dressing
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pour the beans in a medium bowl and mash with a potato masher until chunky. Toss in green pepper, onion, dressing and seasoning and stir. You can also substitute celery for the green pepper, I just prefer green pepper.

You can serve it by itself, in a wrap, or on a sandwich with a big fat slice of tomato. Delicious! I have served this to plenty of meat eaters and they love it!

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Share This Recipe

Being the Southerner that I am, I will be adding either dill or sweet pickle cubes to this mix and I will be using Veganaise instead of Nayonnaise ...enjoy...

Day 32,33,and now 34...

Hi Sports fans,

Less than a week left and I want to talk to you about soup: Yes soup. Which is what I will be eating after the fast is over...

Butternut Squash is a wonderful vegetable and makes a great soup. I use this recipe and add a little curry and some Almond Milk and Earth Balance vegan butter for creaminess... Enjoy...

Butternut Soup

Very simple but also very tasty and nourishing! Nice on its own or with some rice or pasta popped on the top.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of sunflower oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped

2 pints/4 cups/1200ml of water approx

salt and pepper as desired

Fry the onion and garlic in the oil for a few minutes and then add the squash and stir well. Add water and bring to the boil - turn down to simmer and cook until the squash is tender (about 20 minutes). Alternatively, if making in advance you can slow cook by bringing to the boil and then turning off and leaving for at least an hour. Season and liquidise until smooth. A spicy and warming variation is created by adding a little curry or chilli powder during the onion frying.

Day 31 Nine more to go!!!

Nine days left. Yes. Euphoria set in at least two weeks ago. But now the ecstasy is flowering... Anyway, how could I talk about all these vegetables and fruits for juicing and not talk about the tomato...

Tomatoes, which are actually a fruit and not a vegetable, are loaded with all kinds of health benefits for the body. They are in fact, a highly versatile health product and due to their equally versatile preparation options, there’s really no reason to neglect the tomato as part of a healthy diet.

One of the most well known tomato eating benefit is its' Lycopene content. Lycopene is a vital anti-oxidant that helps in the fight against cancerous cell formation as well as other kinds of health complications and diseases.

Free radicals in the body can be flushed out with high levels of Lycopene, and the tomato is so amply loaded with this vital anti-oxidant that it actually derives its rich redness from the nutrient.

Lycopene is not a naturally produced element within the body and the human body requires sources of Lycopene in order to make use of this powerful anti-oxidant. While other fruits and vegetables do contain this necessary health ingredient, no other fruit or vegetable has the high concentration of Lycopene that the tomato takes pride in.

Studies involving the tomato have cropped up all over the world of medical science. There are more health benefits derived from eating a tomato than the scientific community is able to print, at least yet.

These studies have proven not only the benefits in preventing cancer, heart disease as well as high cholesterol are also in the tomato’s sights.

This is really exciting information. The health benefits of tomatoes are becoming more and more documented every day as we learn new uses of this amazing fruit.

Cancers such as prostate cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, and cancers of the stomach, mouth, pharynx, and esophagus have all been proven to be staved off by high levels of Lycopene.

Researchers introduced Lycopene into pre-existing cancer cell cultures and the Lycopene prevented the continued growth of these cultures. This is pretty powerful evidence that the health benefits of eating a tomato are really quite phenomenal.

It takes as little as 540 milliliters of liquid tomato product to get the full benefits of Lycopene. This means that a daily glass of tomato juice has the potential to keep a person healthy for life.

Tomatoes are equally as nutritious fresh as they are in other variable forms. When tomato products are heat processed the bioavailablity of the Lycopene actually increases rather than the anticipated decrease.

Even with all the plentiful research that has gone into the health benefits of tomatoes, there is still more research being conducted as the medical science community understands that we have not fully tapped into the potential presented by a tomato just yet.

So eat (or drink) your tomatoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All the best always,

Yoel

Day 30 Ten days left...

Greetings Sports fans,

With ten days left and the promise of a balmy 61 degrees in this weekends forecast, for some reason my thought turned to a number one summer treat even though we are still a few months away from the season: Watermelon. This is an amazing fruit packed with many nutrients.

Watermelon is not only delicious, but extremely healthy, as well.

In fact, most melons are rich in potassium, a nutrient that may help control blood pressure, regulate heart beat, and possibly prevent strokes. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines state that a potassium-rich diet helps keep salt from raising blood pressure and may also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and possibly age-related bone loss. The guidelines encourage adults to consume 4,700 milligrams per day (while keeping sodium to less than 2,300 milligrams per day, which is one teaspoon of salt).

Watermelon has lycopene, which can help reduce the risk of several cancers.

Melons are also abundant in vitamin C, one arm of the now-famous disease-fighting antioxidant trio. Another arm that's well represented is beta-carotene.

Researchers believe that beta-carotene and vitamin C are capable of preventing heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions. No matter which way you cut them, when it comes to nutrition, melons are number one.

Watermelon is a valuable source of lycopene, one of the carotenoidsthat have actually been studied in humans. Research indicates that lycopene is helpful in reducing the risk of prostate, breast, andendometrial cancers, as well as lung and colon cancer.

Whether you choose watermelons for their health benefits or simply for their good flavor, they can be an excellent snack, summer dish -- or gardening project.

Don't forget to grab several this summer!

All the best always,

Yoel

Day 29...11 more to go ...

Greetings sports fans... moving right along... 11 days to go. Tomorrow I will begin the countdown from 10...

This next week I will be drinking mostly coconut water. The coconut is possible one of the most-if not the most amazing druple/nuts that we consume. Every part of the coconut is useful to us. Read on to see its amazing benefits...

The English name coconut, first mentioned in English print in 1555, comes from Spanish and Portugese word coco, which means "monkey face." Spanish and Portugese explorers found a resemblance to a monkey's face in the three round indented markings or "eyes" found at the base of the coconut. On the Nicobar Islands of the Indian Ocean, whole coconuts were used as currency for the purchace of goods until the early part of the twentieth century.

Coconuts are the fruit of the coconut palm, botanically known as cocos nucifera, with nucifera meaning "nut-bearing." The fruit-bearing palms are native to Malaysia, Polynesia and southern Asia, and are now also prolific in South America, India, the Pacific Islands, Hawaii and Florida. The light, fibrous husk allowed it to easily drift on the oceans to other areas to propagate. In Sanskrit, the coconut palm is known as kalpa vriksha, meaning "tree which gives all that is necessary for living," since nearly all parts of the tree can be used in some manner or another. The coconut itself has many food uses, including milk, meat, sugar and oil as well as functioning as its own dish and cup. The husk was also burned for fuel by natives, but today a seed fibre called coir is taken from the husk and used to make brushes, mats, fishnets, and rope. A very potent fermented toddy or drink is also made from the coconut palm's sap. Coconut oil, a saturated fat made from dried coconut meat, is used for commercial frying and in candies and margarines, as well as in non-edible products such as soaps and cosmetics.

Although it takes up to a year for coconuts to mature, the trees bloom up to thirteen times a year, so fruit is constantly forming yielding a continuous harvest year-round. An average harvest from one tree runs about 60 coconuts, with some trees yielding three times that amount. The coconut's name is a bit of a misnomer, since it is botanically classified as a drupe and not a nut. It is the largest seed known.

If you've ever opened a fresh coconut, you will have seen the thin, opaque almost clear coconut juice or water which has a slight almond flavor. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the coconut milk. However, the water is consumed as a drink fresh from the coconut by many, and it can also be used in recipes.

Here is some information about Coconut Water:

"It's a natural isotonic beverage, with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It's the fluid of life, so to speak." In fact, during the Pacific War of 1941-45, both sides in the conflict regularly used coconut water - siphoned directly from the nut - to give emergency plasma trasfusions to wounded soldiers.

Most coconut water is still consumed fresh in tropical coastal areas - once exposed to air, the liquid rapidly loses most of its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, and begins to ferment.

• Coconut Water is More Nutritious than whole milk - Less fat and NO cholesterol!
• Coconut Water is More Healthy than Orange Juice - Much lower calories
• Coconut Water is Better than processed baby milk- It contains lauric acid, which is present in human mother's milk
• Coconut water is naturally sterile -- Water permeates though the filtering husk!
• Coconut water is a universal donor-- Its identical to human blook plasma
• Coconut Water is a Natural Isotonic Beverage - The same level we have in our blood.
• Coconut water has saved lives in 3rd world countries thru Coconut IV.

"Coconut water is the very stuff of Nature, biologically Pure, full of Natural Sugars, Salts, and Vitamins to ward off fatigue... and is the next wave of energy drinks BUT natural!", according to Mortin Satin, Chielf of the United Nation's Food & Agriculture Organization.

Coconut water contains more potassium (at about 294 mg) than most sports drinks (117 mg) and most energy drinks.

Coconut water has less sodium (25mg) where sports drinks have around 41mg and energy drinks have about 200 mg!

Coconut water has 5mg of Natural Sugars where sports and energy drinks range from 10-25mg of Altered Sugars.

Coconut water is very high in Chloride at 118mg, compared to sports drinks at about 39mg.

Data is based on a 100ml drink

So make certain whether you are fasting or not that you get some of the wonderful benefits of the amazing coconut.

If possible, try to get it inside the shell and not in a bottle or can... enjoy!!!!

All the best always,

Yoel

Day 28 completed 12 days left

Greetings Sports fans,

Day 28 is under my belt and I started this morning off by lifting some weights and stationery biking. Nothing really strenuous, but definitely worked up a sweat...

Just checking in tonight. Nothing that is really pressing I need to tell you tonight. Soon I will be sharing some great recipes with you. Until tomorrow...

All the best always,

Yoel