Szechwan Stir fry

This is so good I couldn't stop eating the carrots soaked in all that juice. I use all organic produce and other ingredients unless they are not available.

Szechwan Stir fry

1/4 cup sunflower or peanut oil
1-2  Heads broccoli (cut off all of the flower heads and save the stalk for soup stock)
2     Red bell peppers (seeded and chopped)
2 med. or 1 really large onion (cut into big cubes)
2-3 carrots (sliced into med thin slices)
1 lb fresh green beans (trimmed)
1 cup tamari
1/4 cup fresh ginger (sliced or shredded)
1/2 cup fresh garlic (crushed) 
1cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1/2 TB chili flakes
3/4 cup coconut or brown sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup white wine vinegar

Method

Prepare all of the vegetables. Heat your wok or pan add the sunflower or peanut oil. Toss in the veggies except for the green beans and stir fry until onions are soft. Add all of the rest of the sauce ingredients and cover. Let simmer until vegetables are barely tender then add beans. Continue to simmer until vegetables are tender but not over cooked. This whole process takes only about 10 minutes. Serve over rice.



 
 

 

Great Delivery Service

I just have to tell you about my friends website. Her name is Jody and she is one of the most caring and giving people that I know. She rescues goats and basicly lives her life for this. Her website address which is a vegan restaurant delivery service is http://vegandeliciousdelivered.com.
She basicly hooks up with really great vegan restaurants across the country and gets them to send you food. Its a fun gift idea to send to a college kid or other great person in your life that might happen to be vegan.
I used to do all of the cakes for her (for quite a few years actually) but I no longer have the time.
Any way check her out if you are so inclined.
Happy Day!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Oreo Pie [Vegan]

This is one of those new fangled versions of the old grossly unhealthy pies that we have all made and love.Recipe link is below.

It has become increasingly popular to substitute coconut oil for heavy creams or tofu in a vegan version of these really sinful desserts. The cool thing about it is that it works. Now you might say why is this a healthier version. Well that is because more than ninety percent of coconut oil consists of saturated fats
(Don’t panic! It’s not as bad as it sounds, read to the rest of this and your opinion will change) along with traces of a few unsaturated fatty acids, such as monounsaturated fatty acids and
polyunsaturated fatty acids. This goes for virgin coconut oil as well.

 Below is a list of the components that make up coconut oil:

• Saturated fatty acids: Most of them are medium
  chain triglycerides, which are supposed to assimilate well in the body’s
  systems. Lauric acid is the chief contributor, representing more than
  forty percent of the total, followed by capric acid, caprylic acid,
  myristic acid and palmitic.
• Polyunsaturated fatty acids: Linoleic acid.
• Monounsaturated fatty acids: Oleic acid.
• Poly-phenols: Coconut contains Gallic acid, which
  is also known as phenolic acid. These polyphenols are responsible for
  the fragrance and the taste of coconut oil and Virgin Coconut Oil is
  rich in these polyphenols.
• Certain derivatives of fatty acid like betaines, ethanolamide,
  ethoxylates, fatty esters, fatty polysorbates, monoglycerides and polyol
  esters.
• Fatty chlorides, fatty alcohol sulphate and fatty alcohol ether sulphate, all of which are derivatives of fatty alcohols.
• Vitamin E, vitamin K and minerals such as iron.

 The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress
relief, cholesterol level maintenance, weight loss, boosted immune
system, proper digestion and regulated metabolism. It also provides
relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure,
diabetes, HIV, and cancer, while helping to improve dental quality and
bone strength. These benefits of oil can be attributed to the presence
of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and their respective
properties, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal,
antibacterial and soothing qualities.


I could have given you one of my dessert recipes here (and I will in a later post) but I wanted you to connect with this new site that I get newsletters from daily. It is a great way to get updates on treatment of animals as well as some very good vegan recipes. 

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Oreo Pie [Vegan]: Meet your new favorite no-bake pie. Seriously, it couldn't be easier to make, and it's so delicious!

Menopause

Well I am here and I can tell you there is a good reason that they call this the dreaded time in a woman's life. Each day is a new experience sometimes good and sometimes its an exercise patience like you've never seen before. I love my husband more now than I have ever loved him and its mostly because he's adorably cute but really its because he hangs in there with me each and every day. Sometimes I wonder what keeps him here. Its certainly not my incredible charm :)  Cause thats gone bye bye...........
I would love to hear from any of you ladies out there in woman-hood land about your experiences and how you are coping. I have found some help through the use of Adrenal Support. Its not the ordinary remedy that we hear about but its working for me and I want you to at least know about it.

So our ovaries secreat less hormones as we get older we all know that. But what most of us do not know is that during this time our adrenal glands become overtaxed; this is because they are compensating for the loss of estrogen and progesterone. So by supporting our adrenals we put less stress on them and they can do a better job at what they normally do. This results in reduced stress, less hot flashes and reduced fatigue with increased endurance.

I have been using them for quite a few months now and took one month off. That was a mistake, everything came back. I went back on them and wow I couldn't believe the difference. So if you are curious go into your local health food store or vitamin shop where they are educated and ask them about an adrenal support. The one I use is by Emerald Laboratories its an enzymated food based brand that is assimilated by the body much more effectively.
Let me know if you try this method and have success like I have.

Who is Cherry Pie Lady?

If you love to cook really good food but can't run to the store every time you want to make something then this might be the place for you. I believe that every kitchen should have a pantry stocked with the basics so that you can be prepared to make dinner or whatever else you might get in the mood to prepare.

This is a place where I plan to share fabulous recipes; much of the knowledge I have acquired throughout my life along with my life experiences. I have been cooking since I was 10. For many years I have been studying and learning about food, nutrition and cooking. It is this knowledge that I want to pass on to you here.

As I transition into this new phase of life; grandmother and post-menopausal woman moving into retirement age I am finding the true me connecting with who I have been all along but never fully understood. Born in Florida, I have lived all over the Eastern US and now in the Pacific North West.I am your not so typical crazy, menopausal nana who is madly in love with bargain hunting, my husband, my grand babies, cooking, baking and gardening. I tag myself as “hippie-gypsy” and am a true Cancer through and through. I wear many different professional hats as a Chef, Cooking Instructor, Nutritional Therapist and the Culinary Director at Sundance Natural Foods in Eugene, Oregon.

So please! give the recipes I share a try and let me know your favorites! Try some of the things I share with you about gardening and a holistic lifestyle. Feel free to comment on anything you see or read.  I also brag and boast about my family so followers beware! You just may see me post about my grandsons and daughter of whom I couldn’t be more proud.