Veg'n Chili - Cooking for Camping Series

veg'n chili

Cooking...???
So far most of this blog has been concentrated on raw living foods.
Sometimes though, it's just nice to cook some favorites.
Although some of my favorites aren't raw or living foods, I still think they qualify under the nutritious category :)
I love to cook big batches and freeze for ease when I go camping!! yippee!
One of my favorites is veg'n chili.  This recipe can be made vegan or lacto-vegetarian.
Use ALL organic ingredients when possible.

=I use a large crockpot-slow cooker and, of the two settings on my crockpot, I set on high.
=Then I put directly into the crockpot the following:
~2 cans black beans all contents, which means including the water the beans are in, and a small amount of can rinse water*
* can rinse water means that, after emptying the contents of the can, I add a small amount of water and swoosh this around to try and pick up any remaining can contents
~1 can spicy tomatoes** all contents, which means including juice, and small amount of can rinse water
** my favorite spicy tomatoes to use is Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes with medium green chilies
~2 cups spaghetti sauce***
*** my favorite spaghetti sauce is 365 Organic brand pasta sauce classic
~1 can corn all contents, which means including the water the corn is in (prefer 2 cups fresh or frozen corn)

=Add spices to the crockpot blend and stir as follows:
~2 Tb chili powder (somewhat heaped)


jalapeno finely chopped

~1 Tb cumin powder (somewhat heaped)
~¼ tsp cayenne pepper powder
~1/8 tsp chipotle  chili pepper powder

=Chop and add directly to the crockpot blend the following:
~6 ounces portabella mushrooms, stem removed, chopped
~1/3 cup finely chopped mild/sweet onion
 ~1 beautiful red pepper**** (~ 1 cup) chopped

chopped red pepper

**** of note, only red peppers are ripe peppers, eat ripe :)
~1 and ¾ cup chopped carrot
~3 cups chopped zucchini
~1 cup chopped celery
~2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and finely chopped (3 if not using spicy tomatoes).

=If you would like to add cheese, I recommend the following organic valley cheeses.
These cheeses do not contain animal rennet.
~4 ounces of raw mild cheddar self-shredded
~4 ounces of mozzarella self-shredded

=It takes me about an hour and a quarter to chop and add all the veggies and grate the cheese.  This volume of ingredients fills my large crockpot up to the brim.

=Once that is complete, sit back and let the crockpot crock for another 1 hour, stirring every so often to get the flavors well mixed.
=Turn off crock-pot and let cool.

If you're going to freeze for later, divvy contents into storage containers for freezing.

Camping tip: When I go camping, I put the frozen food containers directly into coolers.  They thaw during the trip and I simply reheat at the campsite.  For the veg'n chili, I usually serve over rice.  I actually bring my rice cooker with me camping.  We camp at sites with electric.  I plug the rice cooker in and away we go.  Serve reheated (re-delicious'd) veg'n chili over rice.  Wa La! 

Omega 8006 Juicer made a cracking noise....

One day, a couple months or so ago, my nice expensive (but well worth the price) Omega 8006 Juicer made a sickening cracking noise...
I was afraid to take apart the juicing parts to see what I might find broken...
Luckily! Nothing had broken!  However, the auger looked like it had been stripped a bit on the hard plastic part (not the metal part that attaches to the machine turning mechanisms).  Still workable though!
I decided that I did not want my nice Omega Juicer breaking anytime soon and that I should be more careful how I used it... 
I had been putting the first round of vegetable pulp back into the juicer to be juiced a second time...
While at Hippocrates Health Institute in the wheatgrass juice bar, I had heard someone say that they put the pulp back into their juicer to get more juice out (and save money obviously...).
This seemed like a good idea to me...  So, when I returned home and started juicing, I also started putting vegetable pulp back into the juicer for what I thought would be the utmost in efficiency of juicing vegetables!
However, after the machine bogged down and made the sickening cracking noise...  I have since stopped putting vegetable pulp into the juicer for further juicing.  I figure it's not worth breaking the machine for a little extra juice from the pulp.
Since I stopped juicing vegetable pulp, my machine has been happily juicing away.  I'm also more careful about how much and size of vegetable junks I put into the machine.
The other thing the day of the sickening cracking noise made me realize was that, if I broke one of the parts, I wouldn't be able to juice until new parts arrived.  Never mind the cost if I broke the machine itself (beyond the exterior juicing parts)! 
That day I decided it would be a good idea to have a second set of parts....
Two plus months later, I finally ordered them!
I looked on www.amazon.com to see if I could find the parts for less than direct ordering from Omega but, I didn't find them.  I admit, I didn't look too far beyond that.  I decided to order directly through http://www.omegajuicers.com/
I ordered the following:

Item	Sku	Qty	Subtotal
Drum Clear (8003/8004/8005/8006)	PDRM82	1	$24.00
Plunger (8003/8004/8005/8006)	PPLUNG835	1	$6.00
Auger Black (8004/8006)	PSCREW846	1	$60.00
Cleaning Brush Masticating Juicers	PBRUSH8235	4	$16.00
Drum Cap Black (8006)	PDRUMCAP86	1	$12.00
Juicing Screen (8003/8004/8005/8006)	PSCRN835P	1	$26.00
Straining Sieve (8003/8004/8005/8006)	PSIEVE8235	1	$9.00
Juice Bowl (8004/8006)	PBWLP846J	1	$8.00
Subtotal			$161.00
Shipping & Handling			$5.95
Grand Total (Excl.Tax)			$166.95
Tax			$9.66
Grand Total (Incl.Tax)			$176.61

Omega 8006 parts - pulp bowl, juice bowl, straining sieve, plunger,
hopper, juicing screen, auger, drum cap, cleaning brush, drum

Obviously, the parts add up.  You don't necessarily need to get all of the above for a second set.  In my humble opinion, the most important items for a second set are the drum, auger, juicing screen, and maybe an extra straining sieve.  I also ordered a handful of the cleaning brushes since these do start to fizzle out when washing the juicer parts every day.
Perhaps ordering a second set may seem like a silly financial thing to do... after all, any part can be ordered for overnight delivery.
However, the other fantastic thing about having a second set of juicer parts is.....
I discovered, at least for me, that I don't have time to wash the juicer parts in the morning when I'm running around trying to get out the door; and then, when I get home, I don't feel like washing them before making a second round of juice for the afternoon.  This means that I normally don't end up doing the second round of juice, which is recommended by Hippocrates HI. 
I'm hoping that having a clean second set of juicing parts ready to go will help me follow through with afternoon juicing!!!!
In the scheme of things, the above cost is miniscule compared to doctor's bills.

Electromagnetic Radiation

One of the many things I learned at the Hippocrates Health Institute, besides going about eating living foods, is to be aware of radiation.
Different types of radiation are all around us.  We probably expose ourselves most frequently to electromagnetic radiation, which comes from our computers, TVs, phones, wireless routers, refrigerators, and even our alarm clocks!
One way to protect against these is to throw out all electronic devices! LOL :)
I know, not possible.
Another way is by using a device that somehow neutralizes these electromagnetic waves...
One such device is produced by Gia Wellness.
These devices are not cheap.
And, it's really difficult for many of us to believe and trust in things that we simply cannot see for ourselves.  But, there are devices that can detect electromagnetic radiation so, make no mistake about it, it's there, even if you can't see it!
The debate as to whether or not electromagnetic radiation impacts our health continues...
Some say yes, most definitely.  Others say no....
I have a hard time believing that all these electronic devices around us are not doing us harm.
While at Hippocrates, I did buy a 6-pack of the universal guards.  I put one on my laptop, one on my significant other's laptop, two on the TV, and two on the wireless router.  They last 3 years.
I wish I had gotten protectors for the cell phones too.  Since I don't have one on the cell phone, this is a big reason I try not to talk on the cell phone for too long.  Even with the protectors, it's still probably best to limit the amount of time you hold a cell phone anywhere next to your body.

Maybe I'm just gullible... 
But, I feel better having these protectors on the computers and wireless router that we use so much. 
I have also made it a point to unplug the wireless router when not in use.  There's no reason to have those waves going through your body all night long while you're sleeping.  I wish I could do something about the neighbor's wireless that I know makes it over to our house.  Oh well, at least we're taking steps with what we have control over. 

Raw Vegan Hippo-style Eggless Egg Salad - Take 2....

I made another attempt at Hippocrates-style eggless egg salad yesterday...
I think I'm getting closer....
I had done some searching online for a raw vegan eggless egg salad recipes and found that a lot of recipes use cashews.  However, Hippocrates doesn't use cashews so I'm experimenting with other things...
The recipe I created yesterday is as follows:

Step 1:  Into a mason jar I put the following:
- one cup of sunflower seeds, which HAD NOT yet been soaked nor dehydrated
- 1/2 cup of pine nuts, which HAD previously been soaked and dehydrated
- 1/2 cup of almonds, which HAD previously been soaked and dehydrated
- sufficient distilled water to cover the seeds and nuts

Step 2: Let the seeds and nuts soak for about 2 hours

Raw Vegan Eggless Egg Salad

Step 3: Drain and rinse the soaked seeds and nuts and put into food processor

Step 4: Put the following additional ingredients into food processor with seeds and nuts
- One Tablespoon of deliciously infused Tuscan Herb Olive Oil (organic cold pressed).  Use whatever olive oil you like to use
- One teaspoon of kelp powder.  I use kelp powder to keep salt low.  Feel free to use Braggs Aminos or whatever you like.
- One teaspoon of mustard powder
- One teaspoon of turmeric
- A couple small dashes of ground coriander seed
- A couple small dashes of cayenne powder (if you like a little spice)
- One cup of cauliflower florets (I only used florets, not stem).

Step 5: Process until desired texture.

If I was serving this "as is," I would also stir in some chopped celery to the processed mixture.  I was serving this with chopped celery burrito-style so I didn't pre-mix any celery.

Next round I will probably add some garlic powder or fresh garlic clove and perhaps a tablespoon of sweet onion.

Whether or not this tastes like egg salad...  this recipe is tasty "as is" presented above.

I should also add that that recipe as presented above makes a few cups of eggless egg salad.  So, you may wish to adjust the amounts if you don't want as much or you need more...

Albino Sunflower Sprout!

albino sunflower sprout!

Although the past couple weeks have been less than perfect with respect to eating under the Hippocrates method...
The sprouting continues! 
And yesterday... I found the coolest thing !  An...

ALBINO SUNFLOWER SPROUT!

I wish I had found it before I cut it because it would have been neat to watch this thing grow!

If you're sprouting, keep your eyes out for nature surprises!

Other sprouting ideas

calendar for tracking sprouting

All this sprouting can get pretty busy and crazy!
Once multiple sets of trays are going, it's difficult to keep track of when what was planted and when covers need to be removed.
So, I put up a new calendar in the sprout area and started noting when things were done and when things need to be done.  I just love this "faerie homes" calendar.  So fitting.
Since I need to be starting sprouts more often than just once a week on the weekends...  I've decided to start splitting things up a little bit so that the work is spread out.  I'm also trying to reduce the amount of time sprouting tasks take in the mornings before I head out of the house.  As it is I'm up at 5:30 a.m. and out the door at 6:45.  The more soil trays I have to water in the morning the earlier I may have to rise... 
Spending this much time at home in the mornings is also a definite "life change" since attending Hippocrates!  I use to get up and be out the door in maybe 15-20 minutes, stopping at dunkin donuts or Starbucks for breakfast...  bad habits!!!  Now I wake up, drink water and take some supplements (which will only be short-term), make and drink wheatgrass juice, shower & lymph massage combo, water sprouts and do any other sprout task in cue, make green drink and finish making/packing lunch.  Head out the door with green drink in hand for the long drive...  but, I digress from sprouting!!!

sunflower soaking and
wheatgrass and pea ready to be soaked on following days

SO... Sprouts need to be soaked, rinsed, and then planted if soil sprouts.  The rinsing/watering is suppose to be done three times per day...
To keep things in the morning minimal, I put the desired amount of seeds in a jar the night before.  Then the next morning all I need to do is fill with water.  That late afternoon or evening the seeds have soaked for at least 8 hours and it's time to start the rinsing phase, which lasts for about one day.  Following this timing, the seeds get planted the next night.
I've also decided to off-set and do only one type of seed per day.  I set some of the jars up ahead of time and use sticky notes to remind myself which mornings they need to be filled with water to start soaking.

Status of Wheatgrass...

wheatgrass with mold

So, I got a great first-time harvests of pea sprouts and sunflower sprouts this past weekend but, the wheatgrass...  well, it's still growing...  
I have been harvesting wheatgrass the last two days for morning wheatgrass juice.  I'm not going to get as much out of this 10x20 tray as I probably should be getting.  Hippocrates Health Institute (HHI) "sprouting Brian's" notes indicate a 10x20 tray should produce 20 ounces of wheatgrass juice.  I'm probably only going to get maybe 10 ounces.  One of the reasons is because I'm cutting the grass fairly high up from the soil, because... my wheatgrass has mold!   At least that's what I think it is.... Bummer!!!  In reading my notes from sprouting Brian's 'sprouting is easy' class at HHI, the notes indicate that 90 percent of the time, mold issues result from lack of air movement.  So luckily I live in Florida! where just about every room in every house has a ceiling fan! LOL!  I don't like having electrical things running all the time but, I'm going to see if running the ceiling fan on low works for minimizing and hopefully eliminating mold issues in the wheatgrass!!  To date, none of the sunflower or pea sprouts have had mold that I've noticed...  The wheatgrass gets pretty thick though.  "Sprouting Brian" noted that, the other 10 percent of the time, mold issues may be from too high temperature or too high humidity.  Brian indicated that sprouts like the temperature to be between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and for the humidity to be below 50 percent.  Since starting sprouting, the air-conditioner is set at 74.  Normally I would let the house get up to 80, so this is definitely a "life change" from before attending Hippocrates!  LOL!

second shoot

I am kind of wondering if I didn't water too much in the beginning and cause locally high humidity within the sprout tray...  Or, maybe because I was reusing rinse water from smaller leafy green sprouts to water the bigger sprouts there was, perhaps, contamination... 
For my next round of sprouts I'm "simply" using a 32 ounce "Professional Sprayer," triple volume high output adjustable nozzle (see photo).  I wish I could remember where I bought this... I bought it some time ago...  Maybe Target or Wal-Mart...  I'm not sure.  It's a great sprayer.  I fill it up (~32 ounces) and spray the small leafy sprouts in the Easy Sprouters (broccoli, clover, fenugreek, garlic) and then I spray the soils trays of sunflower, pea shoots, and wheatgrass.  Currently I have 4 soil trays of sprouts plus the older wheatgrass that is partially harvested.  Spraying all these sprouts, plus a little on the mung bean sprouts, uses up the 32 ounces.  I'm using a lot less water using the sprayer.  It remains to be seen if the water supply is sufficient to the sprouts.  I'm trying to use minimal water since I'm currently watering with distilled water purchased in one-gallon containers from grocery store.  Not exactly a cheap way to water...
I've continued to let the wheatgrass grow while I harvest this week because I haven't noticed but one blade that has had a second shoot (see photo).  According to "sprouting Brian," it's best to harvest as soon as the second shoot emerges, before the wheatgrass starts to get bitter.  I have to admit, the wheatgrass juice I've been juicing from my freshly cut wheatgrass has very little, if any, bitterness.  Quite smooth, in fact.