Snow Day Hot Cocoa AND Luck 7 Benefits of Turmeric

This sweet, creamy, chocolaty drink is perfect for a snow day! Plus, this recipe will earn you 5-check marks from Dr Greger's How Not to Die! What a sweet way to get your daily dose of turmeric!

Snow Day Hot Cocoa

16 oz hot water
1.5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/4 c hemp seed
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
10 pitted dates
1/4'' fresh turmeric
pinch pepper
pinch cloves (one stalk)

Blend all ingredients until smooth, and enjoy!
I used "whole juice" button on my Blendtec (less than one minute).

Pepper helps the turmeric do it's job, and cloves add some bonus antioxidants! Dr Greger wants us to add extra spices whenever we can!

You can omit the last three ingredients if you want more of a basis hot chocolate, but I promise you can hardly taste them, and they add a huge nutritional punch!

Remember, how the bright colors of foods indicate their phytochemical content? The smells in foods, particularly in spices, also indicate phytochemical content. Turmeric is rich color and aroma, so it makes sense that it is A SUPER POWER FOOD!

Just a glance at nutritionfacts.org topics

Why TURMERIC? Go to this link for 35 brief nutritionfact.org videos, and here is preview list of video topics!

Lucky 7 Benefits of Turmeric

• #1 Anti-inflammatory proterties help with ulcerative colitis, lupus, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis
• #2 Alzheimer's treatment
• #3 Endothelial function, artery function
• #4 Help for Multiple Myeloma, colon, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer, reprogramming cancer cell death, carcinogen blocking, reducing radiation damage, and more!
• #5 DNA protection
• #6 Prediabetes protection
• #7 Speeding recovery from surgery

You can also get your daily turmeric from a Spicy Ginger Latte! Stay warm :)

5-Checkmark Spicy Ginger Latte

You can whip up this fabulous latte in a flash!

Then sit back and read some How Not to Die by Michael Greger.

Spicy Ginger Latte

2 c hot water (or up to 4 c)

1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

½ banana (optional)

2 pitted dates

¼ c hemp seed

¼ - ½” slice fresh turmeric (the recommended dose is ¼")

½” slice fresh ginger

½ Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Dash of black pepper – this will increase benefits of turmeric!

Blend all ingredients until smooth, and enjoy! (this is under a minute in my Blendtec)

Enjoy 2 full mugs of latte!

Spicy Ginger Latte happens to have no tea/caffeine, but you could easily use tea instead of water.

Fresh ginger and fresh turmeric are much milder in taste than their powder forms. Only use 1/4 tsp each of turmeric and an ginger if using powder.

Fresh turmeric can be found in some mainstream grocery stores! Here in Cleveland, OH, we can find it at Heinen’s. Otherwise, head to an Asian market to get a year-long supply, probably for only $2-3/lb. Remember, you just need a ¼ inch slice per day per Dr Greger. I think even at $10/lb, I got about 35 slices for $2.

Maybe it’s a project for another day, I encourage you to make your own pumpkin spice. Here's my recipe!

Coming soon! Terrific Turmeric, Spices Mixes Roundup, and so much more!

Spicy "Vodka" Pasta

Happy 2017!

This 5-ingredient, healthy, spicy, "Vodka" pasta is DELICIOUS and provides you with 5 check marks on Dr Greger's Daily Dozen*! I wanted to add flaxseed and white beans for 2 more, but my hubby, said not to change it. Don't tell him, but feel free to add those ingredients :)

Here's a fun link: Top 10 Videos on NutritionFacts.org! Fun fact: I am in the audience in the #1 video! How cool is that?! Can you spot me?

This is SO simple, HEALTHY, and addictingly, delicious! I once read somewhere that in the 70s Vodka Pasta was prepared table-side in a fancy New York City restaurant!

When my hubby and I met, HE was the COOK! This was the first dish he made for me, and we ate it countless times in the almost 2 years that we dated! He even made the night we were engaged! SMILE. Warm, fuzzy memories!

Originally, he made it with HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM, yikes! Over the years, we gradually converted the recipe from NOT healthy, to quite the opposite! It is exactly as DELICIOUS!

No cream, oil, vodka, or salt.

Healthy Spicy Vodka Pasta

Spicy Vodka Pasta
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
½ tsp crushed red pepper
3.5 c crushed tomatoes (28 oz can)
1 lb whole wheat pasta**
1/4 c cashews (or cashew butter)

1 c water or unsweetened plant milk

(to decrease fat content use 2 Tbsp cashews and 1/2 cup water) 

Heat a pan large enough to hold all ingredients. Sauté garlic and pepper in the hot pan with just a little bit of water, adding more when needed. Cook just until garlic turns golden but does not brown, 1 or 2 min. Add crushed tomatoes. Stir to blend, and simmer, uncovered, until sauce begins to thicken (at least 15 min, the longer the better). Meanwhile, cook and drain pasta, add pasta to sauce, and toss. Blend cashews or cashew butter with water (for nuts use high-power blender), then add this cream to pasta. Toss once more. Let rest for a few minutes so pasta can absorb sauce. Leftovers of this dish taste even better, if there are any!

*OK, so regarding Dr Greger's Daily Dozen Check marks, ALL ingredients help you make check marks (other vegetables, nuts, spices, whole grains, and beverages)! That's 5, and if you have a nice side of broccoli, and mix some flaxseed and white beans into your pasta, you can add 3 more!

**Click HERE for some great pasta alternatives!

COMMENTS: Do you remember the first meal you ever ate with your partner? On our first date, Mike introduced me to Indian food! I fell immediately in love with HIM, and Indian food! Isn't it exciting to discover a new food?