Hemp Seeds - Nutritional & Delicious

My new favorite seed: hemp. 

I love the delicious, nutty, almost sweet crunch of hemp seeds.  I've been putting them in everything since my sis mentioned them as a way to boost my protein intake.  Thanks Dawn. 

I get excited when I learn about ways to eat healthier.  Besides being high in protein and fiber, I learned that hemp seeds are special because they contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy life.  There are other seeds (such as flax seeds) that contain all the essential amino acids, however no others have them in such an easily digestible form. 

There are many health benefits to ingesting fatty acids in a the ratio carried only by hemp seeds, such as lowering the risk of some diseases including certain types of cancers.  Other benefits include: decrease in the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, mood improvement in bipolar disorders and optimized development in infants.  Also, I'm super excited to read that Hemp oil has been shown to relieve the symptoms of eczema, which my son has been battling for eight years.  The essential fatty acids in it act as an internal moisturiser for the skin, they can help combat the dryness and cracking of eczema and calm inflammation.  I'm almost willing to do anything to bring relief to his skin.  This is definitely worth the try. 

 

Other Info about Hemp:

• Best used for cold or warm dishes where the temperature is kept below the boiling point (212° F).
• Seeds can be lightly toasted or baked in bread and pastry dough.
• Recommended amount of hemp oil is 1 tbsp per day.
• No, you won't get high or fail a drug test.  (Check out: Hemp and Marijuana: Myths & Realities   http://www.naihc.org/WestArticle.html)

Nutritional Contents:

Essential Fatty Acids

Proteins

Fiber

Calcium

Iron

Antioxidants

Chlorophyll

Phosphorus

Magnesium

Zinc

Copper

Manganese

Vitamin E

Vegan Rice Salad - Two Versions

I love rice salad.  Usually I just cook some brown rice, mix in nutritional yeast and add whatever veggies, nuts and seeds I have in the house.  Then I toss it with my favorite italian dressing.  Yum.  Super easy. Today I made a special spicy version for my hubby.  I mixed his rice with this bang-bang sauce.  I used to make this dish with cold shredded chicken, back in my meat-eating days.

Bang-Bang Sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp finely chopped scallions
1 tsp red chili oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp white sesame seeds
2 tbsp peanut butter, creamed with a little sesame oil

Mix together all the ingredients until thoroughly combined.  



His: Bang-Bang Rice Salad



Mine:  Rice Salad with Italian Dressing



I used these ingredients today:

Brown rice, nutritional yeast, green peppers, cucumbers, green onions, shredded carrots, chopped cabbage, pine nuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, bang-bang sauce/italian dressing. 

Lovin' It Easy Vegan Pizza

Pizza night at our house brings squeals of delight.  Ethan just declared, "There is no one, I mean no one in the whole world who doesn't like pizza.  It's made to order, just the way you like it."  I changed up an old (pre-vegan) recipe we liked and now use whole wheat flour, non-dairy cheese (if any), and organic ingredients.  I use four mini pizza pans so we can each top them the way we like best.  The kids like to add organic soy sausage and a little bit of Veggie Shreds in lieu of cheese.  Jess and I just pile on any veggies we have. 
After they are cooked I sprinkle on chia seeds and nutritional yeast.  Enjoy.

Pizza Crust:
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp oil
2 1/2 cups wheat flour
1 tsp. each of rosemary, garlic powder, oregano, basil

Dissolve the yeast in water.  Add the rest of the ingredients in and mix.

Dump onto floured surface.

Knead into a smooth dough.

Roll out and press down onto a greased pizza pan. 

Sauce:
6 oz. can of tomato paste
8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. paprika

Stir together all ingredients and smooth on top of crust.

Add toppings. 

Bake at 450 degrees F for around 12-15 minutes.