Chickpea/Channa Salad aka The Meat Beater Salad

 

This salad is perfect for someone who is trying to wean off of meat – especially fish! The combination of arugula, chick peas, lime and red onion gives it a flavour that reminds me of canned tuna. Adding the sweet potato makes a great flavour combination for the salad, and when you add the quinoa it reduces the potency of the tuna-ish flavour but allows you to become quite full.

I don't eat any type of animal, and truly although many Rastafari eat fish today, I advise against it because the sea is heavily polluted, and like any other type of flesh, fish carry worms which then inhabit the hueman body.

To make the Meat Beater Salad you will need:

3 tomatoes cubed

1 big cucumber cubed

1 handful (6-7) arugula/rocket leaves shredded

3-4 pakchoi leaves or 1 small head shredded

1-2 big leaves kale shredded

1 stalk celery finely chopped

1 pimento finely chopped

1 small piece of red onion finely chopped

½ cup chickpeas 

Toppings:

Sprinkle pumpkin seeds  and grated coconut

Sweet n Sour Dressing:

Drizzles of Agave nectar (or honey if you wish)

Half lime freshly squeezed

Couple dashes of seasoning salt or pink salt

Add ingredients directly onto salad and mix into salad

Other options to make a heavier meal out of this a salad: ½ cup cooked quinoa or 1 small sweet potato.

I eat this salad regularly, a few times a week, Not because I crave fish, as I haven't had it in ten years, but because it is just to full of flavour and contains basic ingredients that I always have at home. It's my go-to salad! It is safe for the womb and wont induce cramps as well.  I really love it and I hope you all will too!

 Here is a variation with Roland's Three Continent Blend of rice and quinoa:

Plain version without grains or sweet potato:

Basic Womb Salad and Avocado Basil Dressing

This salad is perfect for cleansing the womb and preparing for your monthly cycle. It is good to eat during and after the cycle to replenish and strengthen the womb.

You will need:

1  beet, grated or spiralized (beetles)
3-4 tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, diced
1-2 leaves kale, shredded
3 leaves lettuce, shredded by hand
3 leaves pakchoy, shredded
¼ cup purple cabbage
3 okras, diced into circles
1 pimento, diced
1 bunch parsley, shredded
4 leaves chive, diced
1 bunch of basil, shredded by hand
1 handful dandelion greens if possible.
1 cup or handful sprouts or micro greens

Not pictured here sprinkle with a handful of pumpkin seeds which have vital nutrients for the womb


Make sure to wash your veggies carefully with vinegar or which ever method you choose. See post here on cleaning veggies properly. Chop everything and combine in your big salad bowl. Dress with any of your favourite dressings!


As a bonus I include my Avocado Basil Dressing:


1/4 avocado
1 big bunch sweet basil
2 stalks of chive
1 stalk parsley – just the leaves (optional)
4 leaves mint (optional)
Pink salt to taste
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Half a lemon/lime


You can also add celery instead of parsley, and add 1 tbs olive oil if you don’t have the lemon/lime.
Blend it all up and enjoy!

Raw Sweet Plantain Dressing

Don't throw away your plantains that are over ripe! When the skin turns black it is actually a fully ripened plantain that can be eaten raw just like you would eat a banana!

I owe this dressing to my sis Tuff Like Iron who was the first to share with us sistrens in Trinidad, the idea that we can actually eat a plantain raw.

I made this recipe based on the suggestion and am so happy to share with you all.

You will need:

1  ripe or 70% black skinned plantain

2 stalks chive

1 red or green pimento

1 tbs coconut or olive oil

1 tsp juice of 1 lemon/lime ( this can be optional)

1 pinch of pink salt

1 dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Add a slice of avocado and a few basil leaves in the summer to add more flavour and healthy fats!

Blend everything together, It will become a thick creamy live dressing. 

Serve it up room temperature on a salad, or spread over a fresh salad-hummus wrap. 

I personally love love love this sauce on my chickpea or black bean veggie burgers/patties/fritters or any type of baked patty. 

The sweet tangy flavour is the perfect match for a savoury dish!

Fulljoy,

Ila

DIY Nut Mylk

Nut Mylks are much better for the body than dairy or soy mylk. Homemade nut mylk is also much better for the body than store bought almond, rice or other type of nondairy mylk because those mylks contain unhealthy additives and wayyyy too much sugar.

24 ounces coconut mylk

2 cups almonds, cashews or 1 coconut – white meat extracted.
1 mason jar or glass bottle
blender
1 nut mylk bag or cheese cloth or you can use a clean bandana

Method:

For 12 hours, soak almonds/cashews in water, in a mason jar or bowl filled to the brim.

Throw off water and place almonds/cashews into a blender. Pop off the skin of almonds first.

Or extract coconut white meat and place in blender. To extract coconut meat easy, crack shell and allow to bake in oven for no more than 3-5 minutes or place in hot sun if you have the time. Use a knife to push out meat. Cut into small pieces.

If you have a big blender jar combine 4 cups of water and the nuts in the blender and blend well.

If using a Nutribullet blend in two parts: 2 cups of water with half the nuts or coconut meat at a time.

Pour some mixture into nut mylk bag and squeeze out mylk into a bowl, repeat this til blender is empty.

Strain the nut mylk a second time to remove any remaining nut pulp.

You can sweeten the mylk with powdered nutmeg, cinnamon, coconut sugar, or agave.

Store in a mason or other glass jar and consume within a few days.

Add to smoothies or to make cereal, to soak oats, or add to all your quinoa and lentils when cooking or to any vegan dishes that require milk. You can also just drink it with a dash of turmeric every morning as an overall body boost and parasite killer.

Make your own nut mylk bag with a light white cotton fabric, cut two pieces into a square, sew up three sides and voila!

Happy Mylking!

Ila

DIY Sprouting - Make your own sprouts tutorial

Sprouts are super healthy and rich in dietary fibre and protein! They are the healthiest form of greens to consume also because they do not need any fertilizer or pesticides to keep bugs away. They are totally organic and Ital.

Sprouts are essential to every raw-vegan or Ital livity to provide a wide variety of vitamins and minerals such as: vitamins C, A, and K, manganese, riboflavin, copper, protein, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.

Sprouts can be bought at the grocery but it is better to make your own at home because they have a short shelf-life and easily contract bacteria because they are moist. Using these super simple steps below you can make your own sprouts with any type of seeds/peas or beans.

You will need:

1/4 cup Green mung beans,  sunflower seeds or Lentils
1 large mason jar
1 square of white light cotton fabric
1 rubber band or elastic band


Method:

Day 1

1. Measure out the mung beans or lentils and wash them thoroughly.

2. Place them in the mason jar and fill with clean water. You can use a glass bowl if you wish.

3. Allow the jar to sit overnight as the seeds swell and germinate. 12 hours soaking time.

So start Day 1 at 7 pm and then at 7 am move on to next step, for example.
Or you can also start at 7 am and then move onto next step at 7 pm.

Day 2

4. In the morning, pour off the water using a strainer and rinse the beans/lentils. Shake off the excess water.

Place them back in the jar and using the small strainer, turn upside and drain off excess water. Cover with the cotton/cheese cloth fabric and secure with elastic. I take a knife and punch small holes in the fabric as well.

5. Set somewhere, where there is not much sunlight. A dark and cool place. A pantry may work, or on a shelf where the sun does not hit to strong. I just put mine on the kitchen counter away from the window.


6. Twelve hours later at night – again use the 7—7 time, remove the cover, fill with water and rinse the mung/lentil seeds again with strainer. Drain excess water again and place back in jar and cover with cloth. Place back in cool dark area.

Day 3
7. In the morning rinse and drain the seeds again, they should have long tails by now.

At this time I throw my seeds onto a plate and I remove the bad seeds or sprouts and all the outer seed skins that have come loose. That will help keep them fresh and not smell as these loose parts will start to break down.


If you wish to have more leaves then place sprouts back in the jar and cover til twelve hours later again. Set jar in the same spot.


8. Perform the night time rinse and drain, then recover with cloth. Place back in cool dark area.

At this stage you can also choose to store the sprouts for use. They should be just starting to show leaves. See below for storage tips.

Day 4

9. Morning rinse and drain, further remove any bad bits. Cover jar and set back in cool dark spot.

10. Evening rinse and drain, replace covered jar to its location.

Day 5
11. Rinse and pat dry your sprouts, you can choose to eat them on this day or give them one more day of sprouting especially to get the green leaves.

12. Eat or store your sprouts!

To store I dab again with paper towel and use the large mason jar padded with paper towel. You can also use bpa free plastic. I place the lid on and put in the fridge.

It is best to consume within 3 days, so you can start a new batch of seeds as soon as the first is complete. Be sure to remove any condensation that occurs in your container from refrigeration to extend shelf-life of sprouts.

Happy sprouting!

Ila

Hummus Recipe

Hummus is the type of recipe that can be altered to your pantry stock or your tastes. I have provided two recipes, one basic, and one seasoned with are both quite delicious!

Basic Hummus Recipe

1.5 cups cooked channa peas (or 1 can)
1-1.5 tbs olive oil
1 lemon or lime, juice extracted (or 1 tbs apple cider vinegar)
1 clove garlic (optional)
1 tsp Sea or pink salt to taste
1/2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric or a fresh piece
½ tsp Italian seasoning, cayenne, ground ginger and paprika (optional)



Seasoned Hummus 


1.5 cups cooked channa peas (or 1 can)
1-1.5 tbs olive oil
1 lemon or lime, juice extracted
1 tsp Sea or pink salt to taste
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric or 1 small fresh piece
½ tsp ground ginger or 1 small fresh piece
½ tsp Italian seasoning, ground paprika  or cayenne
1 clove garlic (optional)
¼ onion
1 tbs nutritional yeast
1.5 tsp kelp or dulse seasoning

Method:

Soak the channa in boiling water twice, and overnight. Cook until tender. Or use 1 can of chickpeas.

Prepare all fresh seasoning such as onion, garlic, ginger or turmeric.

Blend all your ingredients together in a food processor to a smooth cream. Use a spoon in between to ensure it mixes well. Add a little water as needed to soften properly.

Serve as a salad dressing, or use as a veggie dip, garnish a quinoa burger or create a fresh rainbow salad wrap.

Raw Veggie Salad Wraps

Makes 4

4 homemade wraps or cheelas (or store bought wraps)

3 leaves of lettuce
4 leaves bokchoy/pakchoi
(any combination of green leafy vegetables is fine, or only one type)
A bunch of parsley
4-5 tomatoes
1 large cucumber
½ carrot
1 small beet
1 small piece of pumpkin
2 okras
½ zucchini
¼ red onion (optional)
¼ cup canned corn (optional)
2 pimento peppers
½ bell pepper
Slices of avocado
1 batch of hummus and/or babaganoush to make it more “Eastern style”


Choose any selection of toppings and dressings you desire!



Toppings:
Chia seeds
Sunflower seeds
Sesame seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Goji berries
Sweet basil or mint leaves chopped


Dressings:
Agave nectar
Cashew cheese
Avocado dressing
Tahini


Method:

Prepare your hummus and cashew cheeze.
Also prepare your wraps or purchase your favourite kind.

Wash and prepare the vegetables:

Chop the lettuce, bokchoy/pakchoi, parsley and dry off excess water.

Slice the tomatoes in half, remove the seeds and then slice thinly into half circles.

Finely dice onion.

Slice cucumber in circles or half circles, you can remove the seeds since they don’t digest, if desired.

Slice okra in circles.

Cut pimento in half and remove the seeds and slice . Do the same for bell pepper.

Peel and grate the beet, zucchini, pumpkin and carrot.

Neatly arrange every vegetable in a large platter.

Drain the can of corn.


To prepare:

Spread the wrap on a large flat dinner plate. Start with the hummus and spread it to the bottom of the circle. Next to that more towards the middle of the wrap place the cashew cheeze and spread (or put it as a topping over the veggies).

Start to build the vegetables on top of the hummus, starting with two handfuls of the greens and peppers, then follow with about 6 pieces each of the tomatoes and cucumber. Cover with the beet,pumpkin, zucchini and carrot and add the corn along the side of this mound.

Sprinkle on the toppings of nuts and seeds.

Lightly press everything down and pull up the bottom flap of the circle and enclose the mound of veggies. Basically, fold over the wrap onto the veggies and tuck in firmly, bringing in the sides. Then roll again and firmly close it. Avoid wet salad dressings as the will disintegrate the wrap.

Wraps are great Womb Friendly and weight loss meals, I full-joy them weekly. 

Blessed Love!

Ila

Cashew Cheeze Sauce and Spread

I like cashew cheeze (or sauce or dip or spread or paste depending on how you use it) because it is so versatile and such a great substitute for those cheese cravings and munchies. Nut cheeze is not quite guilt free because nuts are allergenic, fattening for some and can carry the risk of mold if they are not fresh (always store in glass jar in fridge and consume within a few days). And although nuts are not free for everyone to use because of allergies, this is a great recipe you simply must try if you can safely.

Use this recipe to create a vegan ranch salad dressing, a cheeze paste for bread or crackers, a dip for veggies, a base for pizza, a mac and cheeze sauce and for vegan eggless mayo in cold slaw or for sour cream in veggie wraps! Yes it is that versatile and it all depends on whether you use it warm for mac n cheeze, room temperature as a raw veggie dip or chilled to make a thicker paste for bread and crackers! It also goes well on veggie burgers and roasted potatoes. it also goes well in chickpeas to make a thick creamy sauce. I take mine out of the fridge for a short defrosting before use.

Now buying cashew nuts (unsalted and plain) is expensive so it may not be a weekly recipe, but certainly a monthly treat. Definitely use within 7 days. Always store in a sealed glass jar - glass jars are awesome for this recipe and all your homemade salad dressings. Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice are great additives to keep the longevity of this cheese.



Basic Cashew Dip/Sauce


This first recipe is a basic cashew cheeze sauce

 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked
1 tbs olive oil
½ tsp pink salt
3 tbsp water
Juice of 1 small lemon/lime or 3 caps apple cider vinegar


Method:

Always soak cashew in lots of water for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.

Place everything in a small blender cup of a Magic Bullet or Nutri-Bullet blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add a little more water at a time as the nuts might give trouble breaking down.

The less wet your mixture is, the more it can serve as a firm cheese when refrigerated.

Seasoned Cashew Cheese

Make mac and cheeze with this one!


1 cup raw cashew nuts (almonds or pine nuts can also be substituted)
1 clove garlic
½ red onion
1/4 bell pepper
1 pimento
1 scotch bonnet or chilli pepper or ½ tsp cayenne (optional spice)
3 chive or green onion tops (optional)
1 tbs lime/lemon juice or apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup water
1.5 tsp Pink/sea salt
1 pinch turmeric 

Method:
    
Soak cashews overnight or at least 4 hours.

Prepare fresh seasonings by removing skin and seeds.

Combine all ingredients in the blender and blend up until it is smooth.

You will have to stop and move it around with a spatula or spoon to get it going.

Add extra water slowly if too thick.

You can try refrigerating overnight before use for best flavour. Defrost before adding to noodles for making mac and cheese. I usually add it room temperature to my noodles.

Store in mason jar or clean reused jar.

Fulljoy and try it with everything!

Ila

Super Green Smoothie

A Smoothie that is good for clearing out the sinuses and ridding the body of mucus build up!

You will need:


1 green apple
1 kiwi
1 green pear
2 bananas (optional)
1/2 cup soursop
1 handful watercress greens
1 lettuce leaf
1 cup organic spinach
1.2 cup water or coconut water
1/2 thumb ginger

Blend altogether in your blender or NutriBullet!

Boost your body's ability to fight off infection with green smoothies everyday!

Banana Muffins

Instead of eating store-bought bread which most of the time contains added chemicals to give it shelf-life, and unhealthy wheat flour, you can try Ila's Banana Muffins!
Easy to make and extremely delicious, these breakfast muffins won't disappoint the family!

You will need:

3 very ripe large bananas (4-5 if they are small)
2 cups spelt flour (or other)
¼ cup coconut oil
1/3 cup agave nectar syrup or 1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)
1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp warm water)
A few walnuts crushed (optional)
Cupcake paper shells or holders (optional)
2 muffin tins



Method:

Prepare muffin tins with paper or oil the tins well and set aside.

Make the flax egg and set aside.

Sift flour as much as you can, then dump the grain left in the sieve into the bowl. Add baking soda, sugar, salt and mix.

Mash banana well til it becomes a thick cream, add essence.

Into flour pour agave (if using instead of coconut sugar), flax egg, oil, crushed walnuts and banana mixture.

Add 3 tbs of cocoa powder if you wish to make chocolate muffins.

Mix well til a sticky, thick dough forms.

Preheat oven to 120 degrees Celsius or the low setting

Use a spoon and fill each space well with dough.

Place on top shelf of oven and let bake for exactly 12 minutes. Test with a knife to see if it comes out clean. Give no more than 15 minutes total, but the lower the flame the longer they may take. Any longer and they will burn especially without the paper shells. Should be golden brown on top.

Remove from oven and let cool a bit, then remove from tins and allow to cool completely. Enjoy warm, a thick, chewy muffin with just the right amount of sweetness!

Store in an airtight container. They taste even better on the second day! You will be sure to consume within two days but they can last for three.

 The perfect breakfast muffin, chewy, moist and semi-sweet!

Happy baking!
Ila

Chick Pea and Veggie Stir-Fry

This stir fry can go with anything whether it be brown, wild or black rice, quinoa, millet or oven baked potatoes. I love putting some cashew cheese in this recipe as well, it adds a real pop of flavour!

You will need

! cup chick peas (precooked)
2 tomatoes
¼ eggplant
2 florets of cauliflower
3 florets of broccoli
1 or 2 leaves kale
¼ sweet pepper
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
2 pimento peppers
1 leaf shadon beni
4 chive leaves

Method:

Finely chop onion, garlic, pimento, chives and shadon beni.

Place in the frying or stir fry pan and set aside.

Chop kale, sweet pepper and cube tomatoes. Set aside them aside in a bowl.

Slice the eggplant in thin circles and then cut it into tiny squares doing it like a tictactoe board, about five lines going across and five lines going down. Add this to the frying pan.

Finely chop the cauliflower and broccoli as well.

Put some oil in the fry pan and heat up the fresh seasonings and the eggplant for about two minutes making sure they have cooked. Doing this with the eggplant gives it a great flavour.

Add the cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes and precooked channa to the pan and stir-fry for two minutes. Sprinkle the food with Braggs liquid aminos, ground turmeric, cumin, garlic, mustard, Italian seasoning. Then add the sweet pepper and kale and mix it all in. Turn off.

Serve with your side dish or eat as is!

Have a great dinner or lunch with this one!

Ila

Liz's Red Lentil Soup or Stew

Sista Liz Johnson has once again provided another wholesome and delicious recipe for InI to try!

Her red lentil soup was made for Ethiopian New Year on September 11th and she added to it a variety of dishes to make an Ethiopian meal for the family.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil (or coconut oil)
1 medium yellow or white onion (diced)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 potato (chopped into bite size pieces)
2 medium carrots (chopped)
3 oz. tomato paste
1 c red lentil (rinsed and sorted)
6 c water or vegetable broth (I use water and organic better than bouillon vegetable base)
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you prefer...I keep it light so my youth will eat it :-)
1/2 tsp salt

Cooking Instructions:

Cook garlic and onion in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. 

Add tomato paste and cook for 3-4 more minutes (the paste will start to caramelize and get a deep red color).

Add potatoes, carrots, lentils, spices (except salt) and water or broth.

 

 Bring to a boil; cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

 After the lentils are well cooked, stir in the salt. 

 I also sometimes add greens at this point and let them wilt for a few minutes before serving. I top soup bowls with hemp seeds too.

Thank you Liz for this delicious recipe!

Remember to send you Ital recipes to share with the RasTafari Community at italpeople@gmail.com!

Blessed Health and Strength

Ila

Spelt Pancakes

My spelt pancake recipe provides a perfect heavy breakfast to send everyone in the family off to work and school!

Spelt is not gluten-free but its gluten content is less. It is also a wholegrain and not genetically modified. It has about 20% more protein that wheat and is chock-full of amino acids. These pancakes are denser than the usual fluffy pancakes especially if you use the flax meal instead of the baking powder. I have given more than one version which work for me! the second option creates a fluffier pancake.
You can also use gluten-free organic whole wheat flour if necessary. you can get the aluminum free baking powder from Bob's Red Mill, as well as the spelt flour.


Option 1

1 heaping cup spelt flour (or gluten free whole wheat flour) don’t level off
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp. flax meal + 3 tbsp. warm water
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ tbs coconut sugar
1 cup + 1tbs milk
1 tsp lime/lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tbsp. coconut oil

Agave nectar or maple syrup for topping

Method:

Make flax egg and set aside

Sieve flour a little, dumping in the rest of the grain from the sieve. Add sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix dry ingredients

Add milk and lime juice or apple cider vinegar together. If you don’t have enough milk, mix water with it. Sometimes I use coconut powder and water to make the milk.

Add oil and flax egg to that.

Combine wet and dry ingredients slowly with not too much mixing, using a whisk. It should be wet and run easily, but still be thick. Add a little warm water at a time to make it wetter. Let it rest for at least five minutes or seven minutes to get a fluffier pancake.

Cook on a low-medium heat. Flip when the top of the pancake is covered in circles and the softness has adopted a firmer appearance. The bottom side that just cooked should be brown. Allow to cook for at least another minute until that side is brown too.

Taste best when served immediately. Cover with agave or your choice of sweetener.

Option 2

1 cup spelt flour (or gluten free whole wheat flour) don’t level off
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. flax meal
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 tbs coconut sugar
1 cup milk + 5 tbs warm to hot water
1 tsp lime/lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp coconut oil
agave nectar or maple syrup for topping


Method:
Sieve flour a little, dumping in the rest of the grain from the sieve. Add sugar, salt, baking powder and flax meal. Mix dry ingredients.

Add milk, water and lime juice or apple cider vinegar together.

Add oil to flour then combine wet and dry ingredients slowly with not too much mixing, using a whisk. It should be wet and run easily, but still be thick. Add a little warm water at a time to make it wetter. Let it rest for at least five minutes or seven minutes to get a fluffier pancake.

Cook on a low-medium heat. Flip when the top of the pancake is covered in circles and the softness has adopted a firmer appearance. The bottom side that just cooked should be brown. Allow to cook for at least another minute until that side is brown too.


Makes 5-6 pancakes if you use a 1/3 cup measure to dip out the pancake batter into the pan, You can make them big or mini sized, It's all up to you! Remember to use a small touch of oil to fry and as you put in the batter, Move around the fry pan to make the pancakes flat and spread.

Make your own pancakes and avoid the unhealthy additives in store bought pancakes and pancake mixes! Bob Red Mill's has a pancake mix which I have never checked but the ingredients are probably a lot better than other brands.

Ital Life Ital Health to you!

Ila

Moringa Melon

This Smoothie has a slight tangy taste which is very refreshing when it is cold. you wont taste the greens in it! Pre- chill the pawpaw and cantaloupe.

You will need:

¼ - half a cantaloupe

¼ pawpaw

1 banana

½-1 green apple, skin peeled

1 branch moringa, leaves stripped 

1 pakchoi leaf

½ thumb ginger, peeled

½ cup coconut water

juice of 1 lime

Put everything in your Nutribullet or other blender and full joy chilled!

Happy Juicing!

Ila