Raw Foods Heart Healthy “Cooking” Class

Both of my parents suffer from heart disease so February’s Heart Healthy class meant something really special to me. I choose the recipes carefully, with my parents in mind. I asked my self what would they want to eat and what could they make that was easy enough and tasty enough to integrate easily into their diet.

Many times people think healthy food can’t possibly taste good. Some even refer to it as rabbit food. They think that you can’t possibly have all of the health benefits of eating raw and have tasty food at the same time. I am here to show you how to have both flavor and health!

I teach these classes out of our Coda Health Kitchen, sponsored by and located in Dental Health Colorado, to educate people on how delicious and easy eating healthy really is. Our dentists have made it a point to support preventive oral health through healthy food alternatives and supporting these classes out of their dental offices.  Personally, I believe everyone should be eating raw foods at least 60% of the time. We know that an alkaline environment in your body and mouth do not support the overgrowth of bacteria associated with dental disease.  We also know that eating lots of fresh, raw, whole foods balances out your pH and makes you more alkaline. But more on pH another time. Or better yet, check out our pH page for more information.

After each Coda class, I go home with a huge smile on my face, thinking that perhaps I am making a difference in helping people become healthier.  It works like a domino effect; you will then go on and educate your friends and family with tips on eating healthy.

That simple fact makes my life worthwhile. I have always wanted to help people become healthier and happier. And teaching these classes helps achieve my goals

More on the raw foods heart healthy class…

I choose to make a kale salad, avocado soup and for dessert, a raw chocolate pudding. My dad is crazy about chocolate pudding and well, desserts in general. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in that aspect and it’s a good thing that I work in the dental industry with my high desires for sweets!

Kale salads are so much fun to make with an audience.  Kale is a strong, bitter green that can brave its way through winter. It

holds up well to being sautéed, baked and as a green in hearty stews. But its culinary properties don’t end there. Kale works great in lighter recipes too – it just needs to be treated properly. And that special treatment comes in the form of a massage.

While it might seem weird to massage your food, you’d be amazed at what a quick five-minute rubdown can do to transform this green from being bitter and tough to turning silky and sweet. After a little massage, kale becomes a great option for light green salads — the type you’ll want to be eating all summer long.

Massaging kale is easy to do. Take bunches of kale in both hands, rub them together and repeat. You’ll notice a visible change as you do this; the leaves will darken, shrink in size and become silky in texture.

If you want to know when your massaging hands have done their trick, take a bite. If it’s still bitter, it could use a little more. Another tenderizing option is to add olive oil and salt while massaging – you’ll have taken care of preparing and dressing the salad all at once. In our class, I massaged the homemade dressing into the salad.

The raw avocado soup was next. Did you know that the fat content of an avocado provides protection against heart diseases? Studies have shown that oleic acid improves cardiovascular health. Oleic acid is the primary fatty acid in avocados. Many people now take supplement in order to consume more omega-3 fatty acids to lower their risk of heart disease. Avocados are rich on omega-3, delivering 16- milligrams per cup of alpha-linoleic acid. So next time, make this delicious and light soup and skip the supplement.

Saving the best for last was my delicious, raw avocado pudding. We actually conducted a tasting with the staff prior to the class. I had everyone try my ‘homemade chocolate pudding’, leaving out that it was raw or that it was made with avocados. Not one person made a comment like “What is this made with?!” or “This doesn’t taste like pudding at all”. Instead I received the consensus that everyone loved it. I myself was amazed at how much it tasted like pudding.  Try it for your next friends gathering and see for yourself!

Enjoy these recipes!  Until the next class….Happy Spring!

Compliments of Bridget Hobart, Coda Health Representative

Recipes:

 Zesty Alkaline Kale Salad:

Salad:

8 cups (3 bunches) of either dino, Tuscan or Italian kale

2 cups (4 medium) finely diced chopped tomatoes (flesh scooped out)

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

2 tbsp raw hemp seeds

2 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp raw sunflower seeds

½ tsp finely minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

¼ tsp finely grated lemon zest

½ tsp red cayenne pepper (optional)

Dressing:

¼ cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 ½ tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar

¼ tsp fresh ginger juice (minced ginger and squeeze it)

½ tsp celtic sea salt

Remove the kale leaves from their stems, then wash and dry thoroughly.

Finely chop kale, and place in salad bowl.

Mix salad dressing ingredients together, pour over kale and massage in with your hands.

Add in the chopped tomatoes, mint, seeds, garlic and lemon zest, and toss.

Taste, and then season with salt to taste. Tweak other flavors too – you might want more lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, mint, etc.

Add in cayenne pepper if desired. May also serve with chopped avocado.

  Watercress and Baby Spinach Soup

4 avocados, halved

2 cups watercress

2 cups baby spinach

4 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp olive oil

2 teaspoon white miso

4 tbsp lemon juice

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 cups water or nut milk

Salt and pepper

Blend all ingredients except 1 avocado in a high-speed blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Dice 1 reserved avocado to garnish soup.

  Raw Chocolate Avocado Pudding

4 medium ripe avocados

2 cup (no pits) dates

9 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 cup water + 2/4 cup water

5 tablespoons honey or agave

2/4 teaspoon salt (or less)

Throw these raw chocolate avocado pudding ingredients into a high-speed blender. Start blending on slow and then crank up the blending speed to high.

Blend until “puddingy”. You may need to start and stop a few times to get in blended properly because of the dates.

You may need to add a tiny bit of extra water to facilitate blending. But only a TINY bit at a time or it’ll end up watering it down and changing the consistency.

Garnish with raspberries

Bridget Hobart

Coda Health Kitchen Consultant