Jackie’s Vegetable and Fruit of the Month Club- November

Pumpkin

The bright orange color of pumpkin is a telltale sign that it is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. Pumpkin is also a good source of vitamins C, K, and E, and lots of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and iron with 6 grams of carbohydrate and 3.5 grams of fiber in one cup. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta-carotene performs many important functions in overall health. Current research indicates that a diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and offers protection against heart disease. Beta-carotene offers protection against other diseases as well as some degenerative aspects of aging. Beta-carotene also helps prevent night blindness, lowers the risk of macular degeneration, and other eye problems, heals skin disorders, enhances immunity, protects against toxins and cancer formations, colds, flu, and infections. It is an antioxidant and protector of the cells while slowing the aging process. Increased consumption of fruits (cantaloupe and apricots) and vegetables (greens, carrots and squashes) high in beta-carotene are associated with a lower risk of cancer. It is also important in the formation of bones and teeth. No vitamin overdose can occur with natural beta-carotene and the antioxidant effect is thought to only occur in its natural form.

The most popular use of pumpkins is for decoration as jack-o-lanterns. When selecting a pumpkin for recipes, the best selection is a “pie pumpkin” or “sweet pumpkin.” These are smaller than the large jack-o-lantern pumpkins and the flesh is sweeter and less watery.  Look for a pumpkin with 1 to 2 inches of stem left. If the stem is cut down too low the pumpkin will decay quickly or may be decaying at the time of purchase. Avoid pumpkins with blemishes and soft spots and since pumpkin keeps for 6 months whole, it can almost be a year-round addition to our diets. Buy now and keep for later.

To prepare the pumpkin, start by removing the stem with a sharp knife and cut in half, scoop out the seeds and scrape away all of the stringy mass. I cut the pumpkin into wedges to peel off the hard skin and cut into pieces. Once it is cut open it must be refrigerated and used in a couple of days.

Pumpkin seeds offer a nutritious, sweet, somewhat soft and chewy snack or food additive. Some pumpkin seeds have hulls, while others do not. Like most gourds, they contain the best flavor when in season during the fall months. These flat, greenish seeds can be found at grocery stores; they come packaged or loose in bins. When purchasing seeds, check for moisture or insect evidence. Smell them if possible to check for freshness. They should not smell musty. Stored in airtight containers and refrigerated, they will keep for several months, but they may lose their best nutritional value after one to two months.

Pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas, are loaded with minerals, have an anti-inflammatory effect, and may even help protect against prostate cancer and osteoporosis. A quarter cup has about 5 grams of carbohydrates and 1.5 grams of fiber. Pumpkin seeds are a nutritious snack, and contain less than 200 calories. This amount also provides 15 to 50 percent of several important nutrients including protein, zinc, iron, magnesium, manganese and beneficial Omega 3 fatty acids and amino acids.

To prepare pumpkin seeds, remove them from the gourd and pick off excess pulp. Allow the seeds to dry out overnight on an absorbent material. After drying, remove the hulls and you may eat them alone as a snack or add them to salads. Pumpkin seeds are not a high allergen food and should be safe for most people.

Historically, Native Americans used pumpkin seeds as both a food and for medicinal purposes. Their primary use as a parasite remedy is well documented in Native American history. This became so well documented that during the late 1800s to early 1900s, the United States pharmacopoeia listed pumpkin seeds as an official medicine for the treatment of parasites. Native Americans also used the seeds for kidney problems. In the late 1800s, herbal doctors used pumpkin seeds regularly to treat urinary and gastric illness, and as a parasite remedy. Worldwide, pumpkin seeds have been used as both a food and common medicine to cure tapeworms in both India and Mexico.

Medical resources regularly list medicinal uses for pumpkin seeds, such as to promote prostate health in men and as a bone density and arthritis aide. Additionally, medical sources often list medicinal purposes for the seed such as parasite remedy, mild diuretic and laxative, stomach cancer deterrent and as a pulmonary ailment and irritable bladder aide. Current studies in Asia, Africa and Russia continue to research their benefits in the treatment of parasites, depression and kidney stones.

Each day we drink 16 ounces of vegetable juice with a lot of kale, collards, spinach, and carrots and in season, pumpkin, all of which are high in beta-carotene. These are some of my favorite pumpkin recipes.

Pumpkin Pie

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 8

1 avocado, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup raw honey
4 dates soaked in 1 cup filtered water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup raw macadamias soaked 8 hours and drained
4 cups raw pumpkin, peeled and seeded
1 teaspoon psyllium
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, washed, soaked for 8 hours, drained and dehydrated for 6-8 hours
1 Honey Nut and Date Pie Crust (see recipe)

1. Place macadamias, and water from dates into blender and blend until smooth.
2. Add avocado, honey, vanilla, dates, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, Add pumpkin and blend until very smooth.
3. Add psyllium and blend well.  Let this mixture sit for 1-2 minutes and blend well again.
4. Pour into piecrust and top with 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds.

Honey, Nut and Date Pie Crust

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout raw Food

Serves 8

1 cup almonds, soaked for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated for 12 hours
1 cup pecans, soaked for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated for 12 hours
1 cup walnuts, soaked for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated for 12 hours
1 cup medjool dates, pits removed
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
¼ cup of raw honey

1. Place almonds in processor and process until mixture resembles flour.
2. Add salt and vanilla to the almonds and process well.
3. Place pecans, walnuts, and dates in food processor and process.
4. Add honey to the nut and date mixture and process just until mixed well.
5. Press mixture into 8 –10 inch glass pie pan.

Crust may be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen

Pumpkin Bread

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

3 cups almonds, soaked for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated for 12 hours
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla powder
3 cups medjool dates, pits removed
1 small “pumpkin pie” pumpkin peeled, seeds removed and finely chopped until it looks mashed
1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Zest of 2 oranges
¼ cup raw honey
1 cup walnuts, soaked for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated for 12 hours and coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups raisins
1 cup ground flax seeds

Glaze

¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon orange juice

1. Place dehydrated almonds in a food processor and process until nuts are ground to flour.
2. Add salt and vanilla, pulse food processor and move this mixture to a bowl.
3. Place dates, pumpkin pulp, cinnamon powder, nutmeg, orange zest and honey processing until mixture is smooth.
4. Add pumpkin mixture to almond mixture in the bowl mixing well by hand.
5. Add chopped walnuts, flax seeds and raisins to the mixture mixing well by hand.
6. Let this sit for 15 minutes.
7. Form the mixture into small loafs and place on dehydrator mesh sheet.
8. Dehydrate for 12 hours, brush with glaze and dehydrate 12 more hours.

Shelf Life: 1 week refrigerated if it lasts that long. It may also be frozen for one month.

Spicy Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds

Created by Jackie Graff

6 cups pumpkin seeds, soaked for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated for 12 hours
6 cups sunflower seeds, soaked for 12 hours, drained, and dehydrated for 12 hours
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons onion powder
3 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (add more if you like it real spicy)
1 tablespoon sea salt
¼ cups flax seeds ground

1. Place seeds in a bowl.
2. Mix olive oil, water, salt and spices.
3. Mix in flax seeds into spice mixture and immediately stir into seeds, mixing well using hands. Divide into 4 trays.
4. Spread mix on teflex dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for 12 hours and letting seeds cool before packaging.

Note: Other nuts or seeds can be substituted.

Kids Pumpkin Treats

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Yield:  24-36 cookies

1 cup pecans, soaked for 12 hours, drained and dehydrated for 12 hours
1 cup walnuts, soaked for 12 hours, drained and dehydrated for 12 hours
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups medjool dates, pitted
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup finely grated pumpkin
½ cup pumpkin seeds , soaked for 12 hours, drained and dehydrated for 12 hours

1. Place all ingredients except pumpkin and pumpkin seeds in a food processor and process well.
2. Remove small amounts cookie dough, approximately one inch round.
3. Bring the kids into the kitchen and let them help with the rest.
4. Roll dough into a ball and roll into finely grated pumpkin, covering until the ball is orange.
5. Decorate the  “pumpkin” with pumpkin seeds – press one on top for the stem, two for eyes and one for the mouth and two for ears. Great treats during pumpkin season.

Vanilla Powder

By Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

5 vanilla beans
½ cup buckwheat grouts

1.   Place vanilla beans buckwheat in blender or seed grinder and grind to powder.
2.   Place in an airtight container and store in refrigerator.

Feeding Finnley III

After returning home from each of our trips, we have Finnley over to spend the night and how she changes in just a week or two! She is eighteen months now and has a mouthful of teeth and chews her food quite well.   She is talking or singing all the time unless she is “reading” a book. She has a large vocabulary along with a long string of what we call

“ Finnley speaking in tongues”. What a happy, smart child who is a joy to us!

I have had so many requests for more ideas feeding children. I have to make it clear that Finnley does not eat completely raw but she eats a lot of raw foods and her mother has been open to trying different things. I approach feeding Finnley as a grandmother who eats a raw food diet feeding a granddaughter whose parents eat a healthy but cooked diet. I think it is best not to have issues over food choices and be an example for new healthy foods that she will eat. As a grandparent be an inspiration and don’t be judgmental!

So what is she eating now…during the summer she ate a lot of blueberries but they are out of season now, as a mater of fact the last month they were available she would not eat them, maybe they did not taste as good since they were out of season. Finnley is so bright because she ate so many blueberries, a brain food.

She adores bananas, her all time favorite. She likes apples and pears cut up and gobbles up my Cinnamon Applesauce and Apple Cobbler. Soaked raisins make a great snack! Vegetables are more challenging now. She will not touch the Green Pudding from a previous blog entry. She will eat cooked carrot slices sometimes and can chew some raw carrot. About the only thing green she will eat are peas. We get the organic frozen peas and simply thaw them out. Since she is trying to feed herself, peas are quite a challenge with a spoon. The last time she stayed with us, I made her some mashed potatoes using a little olive oil instead of butter, mixing the peas and finely chopped raw carrot in the potatoes, which she loved.  She also likes my dehydrated Vege-Burgers.

She still likes my Biscuits (see feeding Finnley II) and eats the whole grain oat cereal for breakfast along with fruit.  She would not drink anything but milk, no water or fruit juice, so I make sure she gets plenty of juicy fruit to eat, such as grapes and watermelon. This past weekend I asked Gideon (Saba) to open a coconut to see if she would like it… she will drink the coconut water and calls it Saba’s WaWa.

I also make cooked vegan whole grain cous cous, brown rice or whole-wheat pasta dish using humus, and black beans, peas and corn (all of course organic). To help her feed herself with a spoon, the humus holds it together and these items together provide a complete protein.

I hope these recipes along with others from previous Feeding Finnley Blogs will provide some ideas for vegan and raw foods that your children will eat.

Apple Cobbler

By Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

6 golden delicious apples, peeled and cored
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
5 medjool dates, pitted
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 cup raisins
2 tablespoons flaxseed, ground fine

1. Place 3 apples, salt, cinnamon, dates, and vanilla in food processor. Process until mixture is almost the consistency of applesauce.
2. Place mixture in a bowl.
3. Chop the 3 remaining apples into small pieces,
4. Mix all of the apples together and add raisins. The raisins will soak up the juice from the apples.
5. Stir in flaxseeds and mix well.
6. Let mixture sit at room temperature for 1 hour to soften the raisins.

Cinnamon Apple Sauce

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

4 apples peeled and cored
6 pitted medjool dates or more to taste
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground psyllium

1. Place apples in a blender with the dates, cinnamon and salt and blend well.
2. More dates may be added if a sweeter taste is desired.
3. Add psyllium blending well.
4. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes and blend again.

Shelf life: This keeps well in small jars in the freezer for a month, and will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. The cinnamon acts as a natural food preservative.

Vege-Burger

By Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

2 cups walnuts, soaked 4-6 hours and drained
2 cups sunflower seeds, soaked 4-6 hours and drained
1 onion
1 red pepper
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons cumin
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours, drained, and processed into paste
1-2 cups carrot pulp (If no juicer, use finely processed carrots. The slightly moist pulp from the champion works best. Drink the carrot juice!)

1. Place garlic in food processor and process well.
2. Add onion, red pepper, sea salt, cumin, and sun-dried tomato paste in food processor and process until almost smooth. Add sunflower seeds and walnuts processing well. This can also be processed in a 2 hp blender.
3. Add carrot pulp mixing well. Form into 1 ½ inch by ½ inch high burger shape patties and place on a teflex sheet covered dehydrator rack. Make larger patties if desired. The smaller ones work well for children to pick up and hold easily.
4. Place in dehydrator for 8 hours. Remove and turn over using another dehydrator rack, placing it on top and flipping patties over, removing teflex sheet.
5. Dehydrate for 8 hours more. The burgers should be soft in the middle and dry on the outside.

Note: These burgers may be frozen after dehydration.

Let me know if you have more suggestions for feeding babies or toddlers.

Peace and love,

Jackie Graff

April and May– Traveling to Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

The end of April we traveled to Elizabethtown Kentucky, a beautiful area surrounded by country towns and horse farms.  We spoke to a large group in various stages of improving their diet, demonstrating a Country Barbecue Dinner. They all raved about how delicious the food was. Our hosts were Anna Marie and Chester Flowers, who had previously attended one of our classes and Thea and Bud Guenther who opened their home to us. We spent the night in the driveway and in the morning we were able to have short meeting to learn more about their ministry of health to their church and community using their farm as a teaching tool with young children. It is great to see people who are well into retirement so actively working their farm and ministry. Activity, a healthy diet and having a purpose keep us all young.
We got back on the road and headed towards Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. We were blessed to have another showing of spring flowers that had just finished in Atlanta.  Hosted by Julie Wandling and her mother Gloria, we taught a wonderful group of young people who were in various stages of a raw food diet. We spoke about the fundamentals of Raw Food, demonstrated and served a Tex Mex Meal in the spirit of Cinco D’ Mayo. Julie is a long time Health Minister and author of Healthy 4 Him and Hallelujah Kids.  Julie has been responsible for motivating and improving the health of her community through classes, potlucks, and her line of food that she delivers and sells at markets. Cuyahoga Falls is a beautiful town on the Ohio River, which has seven falls. We were able to spend the night close to a stunning fountain depicting the falls and fell asleep to the sound of water falling.

Cuyahoga Falls
The next day was a long day of traveling toward Pittsburgh. We stopped at Raccoon Creek State park about 30 miles west of Pittsburg to spend a couple of days. Raccoon Creek State Park has been in development since the 1930’s. It is one of the largest and most beautiful state parks in Pennsylvania. Facilities at the park are a mix, with recreational areas, and large tracts of undeveloped land. The 7,572-acre park features a beautiful 101-acre Raccoon Lake, and a 314 acre Wildflower Reserve which contains one of the most unique stands of wildflowers with over 500 species of flowering plants along the 5 miles of trails. We were lucky that this was one of the peak wildflower blooming times, April through May, and August through early September. Unfortunately we forgot our camera with us on our hike.
The next time we come here I would like to spend more time and visit the remains of the former Frankfort Mineral Springs Health Resort built in the early1800’s where wealthy guests from all over the U.S. and Europe would spend their summers drinking the mineral waters that were reputed to have a healing effect on a variety of ailments. The earliest recorded history of the Frankfort Mineral Springs begins in the 1772 when there were seven different pure springs flowing over the grotto, containing 15 different minerals thought to have medicinal qualities. Today you can still visit the spring’s U-shaped grotto and enjoy walking the trails surrounding the site of the former hotel and resort area.

The next day we drove into Pittsburgh, which was quite a surprise to me, as we emerged from a tunnel with the Ohio River, with the city in front of us, reaching high on each side, it was a site to behold. We had 5 days of classes and after Gideon’s excellent driving the RV all over this beautiful city, through tunnels and up and down steep, narrow streets, and over many high bridges I felt like I had been on a roller coaster ride. Pittsburgh is a modern, beautiful, and fun city. It has been rated the most livable city in the US twice. It has world-class universities, museums, parks, and arts and is among America’s oldest cities, now celebrating its 250th year. I have a beautiful memory of Pittsburgh etched in my mind.

Our first event was at the East End Food Co-op and Café on Meade Street, which was a most impressive complex. East End Food Co-op is Pittsburgh’s only member-owned natural and organic food market, serving the community since 1977. This market is well stocked with very fresh organic produce. We had a great turnout for our Tex Mex demonstration and talk. This is a unique, large co-op that shares space with a theater. We taught our class on stage. Pittsburgh is lucky to have such a great place. We were hosted by Grace Klein who was so helpful along with the staff in facilitating our talk and demonstration of a Tex Mex dinner enjoyed by a large group.  After this we spent another night in Raccoon Creek State Park and on our day off, enjoyed some hiking before heading back to Pittsburgh.

We had another class at the home of Yona Denby speaking about the benefits of a raw food diet and demonstrating an Oriental Meal. After the class we went to the Jewish Community Center for the Israeli Independence Day Celebration. It was great to see some of the folk dancing and songs of Israel.

Our next class was at the home of Rabi Yoseph Silverman, where we spoke about the benefits of a raw food diet and demonstrated a Barbecue Meal. Having a full class of people new to the concept of a raw food diet, we could sense their skepticism during our talk and then observe the surprise and delight for the great taste of our amazing Apple Pie, Barbecue Sauce and Nibs (like ribs), Deviled Tomatoes (like deviled eggs), Marinated Herbs and Greens, and Brunswick Stew. They all said that they would be eating more raw food. When we were setting up the recipes we were assisted by Fraydi Silverman, Rabi Silverman’s wife, to inspect the greens and herbs to remove any small bugs, which would render them not kosher and as expected, none were found. They have a kosher kitchen with separate dishes, utensils, sinks, ovens, and counters to keep meat apart from dairy, a Jewish law and tradition from the Torah.

Our next class was a two day Raw Food Awakening at the home of Grace Klein where we taught over 50 recipes to a great group of people. This class can be compared to going on a raw food cruise.   Everyone loved the food and would like us to come back.

Slide Show, courtesy of Grace Klein, Pittsburgh

We drove home through the rolling hills and beautiful countryside of West Virginia (passing many ski resorts), Virginia and North Carolina spending the night at rest stops. We were home for Mother’s Day and Ashley’s Graduation.

For Memorial Day we took the kids to Cloudland Canyon State Park and all 7 of us slept in the RV. It was a practice run for longer trips and we had a ball. This place is beautiful with many challenging trails, falls and a great campground. Finnley had a great time running around and was entertained for hours picking up sticks…she’s a real outdoor girl! The kids ate mostly raw and the great fire they built was only for our comfort and enjoyment and not for cooking!

Finnley Collecting Sticks

Cloudland State Park, GA