These Recipes are all about Brain Health

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... and filled with healthy probiotics...  

I have received several requests for this recipe as people are looking for plant-based alternatives to yogurt. I love the flavor, but I have to say, it is a bit of work. Here in Ecuador, I buy the coconut milk and coconut water from street vendors, so I can make the milk very thick and creamy. If you are in North America or Europe, it might be a bit more difficult to get the consistency you desire, but it's well worth the experimentation. And even if it doesn't turn out as thick as you would like initially, you can still use it in place of milk in recipes or over oatmeal or .. wherever. It is amazing! 

This recipe is included in the "Vegan Basics" section of "Don't Let the Memories Fade", which is now available in paperback and eBook. 

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You need a crock pot or Instant Pot for this recipe – and this is fussy and takes time and planning. This also works for soy milk, and I’m told it is thicker, although I do not eat much soy. 

Making this is a bit of a process because it usually takes a couple of batches to get it really thick. If you’re somewhere where coconut milk is mostly sold in cans, you can certainly use that. Or coconut cream is even better so that the yogurt will be thicker.

Ingredients:

· 4 cups coconut cream if possible (milk will do)

· 1 capsule of a good probiotic (the more strains the better) OR 1 container of plain coconut yogurt from the store to use as a starter

Directions:

Place the 4 cups of coconut milk in the crockpot and turn it on low. Let sit for 2.5 hours.

When the 2.5 hours are up, turn the crockpot off and let it sit for 2 hours.

When the 2 hours are up, take 1 cup of the warm milk or cream out of the crockpot and mix it with the starter OR empty the contents of the probiotic capsule into the cup and mix very well. If you’re using a starter yogurt, leave it out for a couple of hours so it is not cold when you mix it up with the warm milk from the crock pot. 

Put the mixture back in the crockpot and take the vessel out of the heating element, wrap in a heavy towel, and either put it in a cupboard or inside the oven (that is not turned on) for 8 to 10 hours. This is where the magic happens. 

I started off with 9 hours and it was a bit too much so I now only do it for 8 hours, but it kind of depends on how “sour” you like your yogurt to taste.

After the 8 or 9 or 10 hours – take it out of wherever you’ve let it sit and put the vessel in the fridge to cool. 

If you’re using probiotics it will take a few batches to get thicker yogurt. But from now on you don’t have to use the probiotics. You are going to save ½ cup of the yogurt you’ve made to use for your next batch. 

It will be runny at first. I use it for smoothies, but if you want to have it thicker, just strain it so that the heavier/thicker batch is separated from the runnier product. 

For the Vegan Tzatziki Sauce recipe in Don't Let the Memories Fade, you will want a thicker yogurt more like Greek yogurt, so you might just want to use a plain vegan yogurt from the store. 

Quick, easy, and incredibly delicious.

Make zucchini spirals, spaghetti squash, or quinoa or chia pasta and top with this delicious sauce. 

Serve with a green salad and you have the perfect meal for any night of the week. 

This sauce is great no matter what you put it on! Just have your veggies or pasta basically cooked when you start the sauce, as it is ready fast.

The “Alfredo” sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegan milk of  choice - I prefer almond
•  ⅔ cup fully mashed avocado (160g)
•  ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. salt, or more to taste
• 2 tsp. olive oil or vegan butter (This adds richness and helps the sauce adhere to pasta, but it can be omitted.)

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients together in a small saucepan, whisk until smooth. 

Heat until sauce thickens and begins to boil, then stir in the spiralized zucchini, spaghetti squash, or pasta and remove from the heat. 

Serve immediately, sprinkling with nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan.

This is one of the delicious vegan recipes included in "Don't Let the Memories Fade".

 Since I had a pet pig when I was a kid, I never really enjoyed bacon, although I admit I did eat it at times. Now I can’t bear to think of it, but I have to admit I enjoyed the salty crunch.  So I started looking for something to replace that taste and texture and tried banana peel "bacon" but we just don't have organic bananas around that often. 

A friend suggested I check out carrot bacon, so I went online to see what this was all about. The problem is that they all asked for liquid smoke, which I have never seen here in Ecuador. So I experimented without it. And I am pleased to say – win!

And no - Carrot breakfast strips do not taste like bacon. They taste like really yummy baked carrots. 

I'd love to hear what you think.

Ingredients:

· 3 or 4 carrots, depending on size. 

     (Here in Ecuador the carrots are short and fat, so I had to halve the slices to make them narrow like "bacon".)

· 2 tablespoons avocado oil

· 1 teaspoon garlic powder

· 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

· 1 teaspoon salt

* If you can get your  hands on liquid smoke or liquid amino acids, I am sure they would add that extra umami flavor that some people crave, but these were just fine, thank you!

Directions:

1. Rinse the carrots and slice lengthwise using a mandoline.  

2. Lay the carrot strips on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Preheat oven to 320°F.

3. Stir the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl and then brush carrot strips on both sides.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the carrot strips are wavy.

These taste really good with tofu scrambled with onions, spinach, and mushrooms. 

A kinder, gentler breakfast that is also good for your brain!

  This recipe was developed specifically with the idea to help boost the immune system, which is essential to a healthy brain. 

With zucchini, onions, garlic, mushrooms, quinoa, beans, and lots of spice, this covers nearly every requirement for a brain and immunity-boosting meal. 

And - all of the ingredients are EASILY available in Ecuador and any place I've ever lived. It's also incredibly easy to make, especially if you used canned black beans.

Easiest Brain Booster

Makes 4 generous servings

4 medium zucchini squash = I like two green and two yellow for color, but whatever you can find

2 medium ripe tomatoes

1 large or 2 small onions

3 to 4 cloves garlic

220 grams (8 oz) thinly sliced mushrooms - any kind will do and a mixture is even better

2 tbsp. Coconut oil for frying

Spices

4 tsps. Curry

2 tbsps. Turmeric

1 tsp. back pepper

2 tbsps. Ground ginger, or a good 1 inch piece of fresh ginger grated

1 tsp. paprika (I like Hungarian but whatever you have – add more to taste)

1 lemon, juiced

Quinoa and Beans

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup cooked black beans

1 to 1.5 tbsp. Olive oil for flavoring mixture

Salt to taste

Lemon pepper or regular pepper – whatever you have, to taste

If you’re using dried beans, obviously you will have had to soak and cook them ahead of time. If using canned beans, one can is sufficient – you will just be adding them to the quinoa once it is cooked.

Cook the quinoa. It takes around 20 minutes so if you’re a slow sous chef, cut up the veggies first. If you’re speedy, cut them up after you start the quinoa. It takes about 20 minutes.

Cut up all the veggies. I cut the zucchini lengthwise, then halve them again and slice the quarters into ½ inch pieces. Tomatoes - into 8 pieces each or so. Cut the onion into slivers to soak up the spices and oil. Crush garlic and ginger if you are using fresh ginger. Thin slice the mushrooms.

Put the coconut oil in your wok or similar pan, heat it just to warm then add the turmeric, curry, pepper, paprika (and ginger if you’re using dried). Stir up the spices with a wooden paddle or spoon until they are aromatic, then throw in the onions.

Cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes until the onions are just heading to soft. Then add the garlic and if using fresh ginger, add that now. Mix well and continue stirring to release all the aromatics. You want the onions to be semi-soft.

Now add the zucchini and continue stirring, until the zucchini is just bordering on tender. Add the tomatoes, stir a couple of times. Then add the mushrooms. Keep stirring and add salt to taste. Just before all the veggies are at your desired level of “doneness”, add the lemon juice, also to taste.

I add just enough to brighten up the dish and lift all the spices, but this is definitely a “to taste” thing.

I put any extra lemon juice in with the quinoa and black beans.

Now that the veggies are basically done, your quinoa should be ready. Add the beans to the quinoa along with the salt and pepper and olive oil. The remaining lemon juice can go in here if you like.

Mix well.

Serve the quinoa and rice on the bottom of flat soup-like bowls and cover with your veggies.

Served with a small green salad with purple onion, cucumber, lime and cilantro, you have a high protein, nutrient rich meal full of antioxidants and immune boosters

This is excerpted from my book, “Don’t Let the Memories Fade – a Holistic Approach to Preventin Dementia and Creating a Healthy, More Vibant Future”