Raw Beet Sashimi

Aloha Everyone,

Today was a beautiful day. I got to create this beautiful dish with beets. There are things that I do miss that I used to eat, flavors, not animals, so making plant based versions of those favorites is always exciting..especially when the flavor is on point. Hope you enjoy this recipe. I had a woman in my class tell me tonight that I was responsible for her now loving  beets. Cheeehooooo

               Raw Beet Sashimi

🌱3 medium beets, sliced thin using a mandolin 

🌱Lemon zest of 1 lemon

🌱Juice of 1 lemon

🌱1 tablespoon of grated ginger 

🌱3 tablespoons tamari 

🌱3 tablespoons sesame oil

🌱1-2 tablespoons agave

🌱3 tablespoons Life Foods Furikake

🌱1/4 cup diced green onions

Place all ingredients into a bowl and throughly coats beets. They soften as they marinate. Let marinate for 1 hour in fridge. Garnish with green onions. Serve and enjoy with loved ones.

Love in the form of: Double Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

Hi and Happy Day. Hope this day brings joy and yummy healthy food. So most who know me, know that baking has never been my gift. I admire bakers so much, but the mastery of precise measurements and science has not been my style of cooking, ever. But I love to make treats for my loves and so I am making a concerted effort to improve this. So far I have had great success in making breads, banana chocolate chip muffins and cinnamon rolls. But cakes...oh cakes have always been the thorn in my side. On Saturday I attempted to make a double decker for my friends daughters birthday party. It was a complete and utter disaster that ended with me buying a cake to bring #sadface. But I was determined to try again on Sunday, which happened to be my husband and I's anniversary of 11 years of being in love. He suggested that we have a small spontaneous dinner party ( so unlike him- but made me happy because I love gatherings). So anyway, I decided I was going to try again, this time making a chocolate cake and I was going to make some chocolate covered strawberries to go with it. Then I had the idea of combing the two ideas and making a chocolate covered strawberry- chocolate cake. Well it was huge hit! The beauty of this decadence is that although it looks crazy sweet, it's actually quite subtle and the fresh fruit pairs perfectly with moist cake and melted vegan chocolate chips. This cake is organic and vegan- my favorite combination. Hope you enjoy!

•  1 1/2 cups coconut milk 
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar- combine in bowl with coconut milk- let sit 5 minutes to acitvate 
•  1 1/2 tablespoons egg replacer with 1/4 cup water- in separate bowl
•  2/3 cup coconut oil- melted 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• Dry-separate bowl- Sift togther- I use a colander to sift 
• 2 cups organic all purpose unbleached flour 
• 1 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar 
• 1 cup cacao powder 
• 2 teaspoons baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
•  1 to 1 1/2 packages of vegan chocolate chips- double boiled to melt 
•  2-3 cups fresh berries or fruit of choice- sliced- 

1.  Heat oven to 350*
2.  Grease and flour a 9x13 pan 
3. Combine all wet ingredients, once coconut milk and Apple Cider Vinegar has activated. 
4. Sift in dry ingredients into wet.
5.  Use hand held mixer to mix until no lumps are present.
6.  Pour into baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool- at least 30minutes 
7. While cake is baking melt chocolate chips.   
8. Once cake cooled, carefully turn upside down on flat platter- I used a cutting board.
9. Top with fruit. Using a spatula, evenly sprinkle chocolate sauce all over and coat sides as well. 
10. Place in fridge until chocolate hardens. Serve to loved ones and Fulljoy! 

 I love you all and pray that today is filled with love, joy and laughter.

Love,
Mama T

Glysophate and Your Health

Are you RoundUp Ready? Monsanto seems to think so. RoundUp aka Glysophate is the pesticide that was created specifically for GMO crops so that they would be resistant to any harm when sprayed but all the weeds attacking plant would be killed. Perhaps you've seen it at Costco, Kmart, Walmart stacked high ready to be sold by the dozens, and believe me it sells like crazy. Because it has been dubbed as "harmless", everyone sprays it. Probably, even your next door neighbor sprays it. I know that it is sprayed all over in large sums at Kapiolani Park and parks and recs around Oahu. I once saw someone spraying in Kapiolani Park and asked what it was,I was told it was RoundUp and it was sprayed throughout the park. This week I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a Professor at MIT speak on her findings that Glysophate is actually the cause of an alarming number of illnesses that we are seeing on the rise today. First of all, Glysophate has immunity to any studies that would prove a link to it causing any harm to people and the environment. Many years ago when it was first introduced commercially the test limits were set very low that determined Glysophate harmless. The truth is that they have now raised the allowable limits so high because crops now require so much more due to super weeds and super bugs, but still claim it is safe with out testing the effects of higher usage- because the status of "safe", at low limits, made it "untouchable". Dr. Seneff uses computer science to map out the parallel exponential growth of Glysophate and Autisim and other diseases. http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/ Above is a link to Dr. Seneff's site and studies. Dr. Seneff says always eat organic. She has many testimonies of people who were sick and switched to 100% organic and healed themselves. I hadn't realized that all wheat- unless organic, is sprayed with Glysophate when harvested in order to be less resiny when processed. It makes for a cleaner process. Many people who are jumping on the bandwagon for Gluten Free diets could actually be having a reaction to the Glysophate which attacks the gut killing all the good microbes and bacteria. I learned that bloody noses are one of the symptoms of Glysophate poisoning. This is alarming to me because my daughter began getting them when she started Kindergarten. She had never had them before and then would get them frequently. Oahu Park and Recs are sprayed,her school is attached to a park. After lengthy conversations with Dr. Seneff, I asked how can we begin to heal? I want to be a part of that process. She said, Glysophate causes a Sulphide deficiency. We can start eating more cabbage and fermented foods. But most importantly she stresses eating organic. She said I should read "Cows Save the Planet: And Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth" By Judith Schwartz. I am inspired so much by what I learned from Dr. Seneff. Although I am very conscious about what I eat, I know I can do better. I want to be 100% organic. I slip sometime when I justify that it is NonGMO Project verified or vegan, but most importantly it should be organic. Dr. Seneff said when she is home she is 100%, but when she travels it is hard. Here in Hawaii this can be very easy if we make connections with organic farmers, make our own food and grow our own food. The bottom line is these Chemical Cartels will keep selling their product as long as people keep buying it. Please stop buying it, urge your neighbor to stop...urge your local stores that sell it to stop. If the demand disappears so will Glysophate. We are not RoundUp Ready and neither is our planet. All this toxic, chemical dumping pollutes our soil, water, air, animals and us. Enough already, it's time to heal. Please join me in this healing. Organic is the way to a sustainable future for our planet, and future generations. If we all start choosing organic with our buying power then the scales will tip and the increased demand will lower the prices and drive out the chemicals. Let's do it! The time is now. I love you all. #GoOrganic

Bone Health

Aloha All. I pray you are having a beautiful day.

This week I was blessed to go to a bone health lecture with dr. Howayeck a podiatrist from Cali. It's was so informative and he also gave ultrasound bone density tests for the participants. Here are some of the amazing facts that I learned:

Not surprising the highest ranking things that are bad for you are in order of severity:


1. Caffeine- he said soda is the absolute worst thing you can consume.
2. Alcohol
3. Sodium - bleached table salt.
4. Meat - very acidic
5. Sugar

Basically anything that causes acid in your body links to all degenerative diseases and is not surprising that it is related to bone health too.

Now the things that promote good bone health.

1. Calcium- All green leafy vegetables- Collards are #1 vegetable with highest calcium, highest fruit are prunes. You can also get calcium from liquid bentonite. This is what they give the Astronauts. Sesame seeds are profoundly high in calcium so eat up that tahini dressing!
2. Exercise that causes foot to pavement contact. Swimming not good for bone health but good for muscles. Dancing and walking are excellent.
3. Getting enough vitamin D. The sun won't do this because we need to get it directly perpendicular to our skin for absorption. You can get it through Chlorella. He recccommends Sun Chlorella
supplement daily.

We want our bones to be strong and carry us through a happy healthy life. We have power and control  to nourish them so that they are firm and not brittle. Plant based "livet" will promote healthy bones to optimum strength. Choose wisely what you put in your body. Alkalize and disease cannot thrive.

In life there are so many things we cannot control. But those things that we do, we must seize power and do our best, so we can feel our best. Dr. Howayeck has a book called Bone Health Made Easy, I highly recommend it. So here's to wishing a day and life full of health. Choose wisely what you decide to put in you, it has the power to heal or make you sick. You have a choice. Love you all, Mama

The Gift of Friendship

Aloha Beautiful Family,

I just felt like writing about the gift of true friends in life. Our special Angels that we are blessed to have in our lives.

These beautiful souls remain the same when we see them no matter how much time passes since the last time we saw them. When we are with them they lift us up and we can feel their love. They make us laugh and know how to comfort us when we are feeling down. They pray for us. They are true.

I feel so blessed to have many of these Angels in my life. True friends that I love with all my heart. They are gifts from Jah and I am certain we crossed paths because of him. I cherish them, and want always to give them the same love they show to me. So to you, all my Angel -True Friends, Thank you! Thank you for loving me. Some say, "No new friends", I say yes to new and old friends that are true and come with love...because I know you are a gift. I Love you, Mama T

Ackee in Hawaii

Yesterday I was blessed from a dear Bredrin with some fresh Ackee from a tree here in Hawaii. Although everyone from Jamaica knows what Ackee is, people from Hawaii may have only distantly heard of it, or not know about it at all.
Hidden on the UH campus, known to only a select few lies an infamous Ackee tree. Ackee is not cultivated or commercialized in the US because if picked or cooked improperly it is deadly.
When I would visit Jamaica, I learned quickly, you do not buy Ackee from anyone you do not know and trust because many people have died from it. In the photo above you can see the Ackee pods. There is a poison inside called Hypoglycin, it is released in toxicity when the pod is fully open. If you pick and harvest when pod is partially open and try to force it open then they will be deadly.

Once you have picked fully ripe Ackee, you must properly clean them as well, otherwise the posion remains and you will get sick. The black seed is easily removed and the inside (red-beige vein) must be completely removed and cleaned. Leave nothing inside and thoroughly wash.

Cleaned Ackee will look like this. Now you can bring your water to a boil and cook Ackee. I like to salt the water. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until Ackee is very soft, almost pudding like, but does not fall apart. In Jamaica their national dish is Ackee with Salt fish, cooked down with some onion, scallions, hot pepper, tomatoes and some thyme. But in this vegan kitchen we leave out the fish.

Many say Ackee looks and tastes like scrambled eggs. To me it just taste like Ackee. Very distinct and very delicious. I absolutely love it as one of my favorite foods.

I have not been able to find one market in Hawaii that sells Ackee =(, not one!!!

 So I am always making on-line orders or I am blessed by house guests from the mainland that know this is my favorite. Linstead Market is my favorite brand.

I hope you get and opportunity to taste Ackee. Just writing about it is making my mouth water! Unless you are in the Caribbean or Florida, or have a friend in JA who will bring you fresh Ackee, it is likely your best bet to taste is the can. Of course the can does not compare to the fresh, but still, it is delicious.

Would love to hear your story of trying Ackee and thoughts.

Have a beautiful day.

Love you all,
Mama T

Children Our Blessings

No matter how old my daughter gets (now 7), she has always makes me laugh with the way she thinks and what she says.
Lately she has been telling me she wants me to home-school her. She has said that she heard 3rd grade is so hard and she wants no part of it. I have been doing my best to tell her she will be just fine in 3rd grade.

So this morning she started her worry rant about 3rd grade again. She said, "Mom, I have to study all summer about eyeballs. I need to learn everything about them." I couldn't imagine why she was saying this. She told me that her friend in 3rd grade had to take an eyeball test and failed, and she cried and cried I still told her not to worry about it. Tears formed in her eyes as she told me what a loving kind girl her friend was, and that she would never lie to her. Then it dawned on me, "Honey, Jasmine probably cried because she didn't want to wear glasses. I'm pretty sure her 'Eye test', was to see if she needed glasses." Then immediately her expression changed, she got a big smile on her face and said, "Yea, MOM! She doesn't want to wear glasses! Oh I hope I fail mine next year". Then she asked me if she could wear her fake eye glasses to school. 

What a beautiful journey it is to be a mother. These little ones fill our lives with so much joy, making it so much more entertaining. I am so thankful for this blessing. Sending you all an abundance of love where ever you are.