Grapefruit and Avacado Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 cup halved and very thinly sliced red onion
1 large lemon
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3 small red grapefruit
1 large avocado
1/3 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
4 large fresh basil leaves
8 boston lettuce leaves
Place onion in a small bowl of cold water and soak. set aside.
Finely grate 1 tsp zest and squeeze 2 tbsp of lemon juice in bowl. Whisk zest of lemon, juice, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Peel grapefruit with sharp knife, removing all peel and white pith. Working over a medium bowl, cut segments from the surrounding membrains and let them drop into the bowl. Squeeze the peels and membrains over the bowl to extract the juice before discarding them. Halve, peel and pit avocado. Cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices, then cut the slices in half. Gently stir the avocado and pomegranate seeds into mixture.
Finely slice basil and drain the onion; gently stir into the grapefruit mixture. Arrange lettuce leaves on 4 plates, top with grapefruit mixture and serve immediately.

Grapefruit

Citrus is naturally packed with water and fiber, which helps you feel full and satisfied. Grapefruit has the decided advantage of these benefits.
Research showed that people who ate a half of a fresh grapefruit daily while trying to lose weight, dropped an average of 3 1/2 pounds more than those who didn't add a daily grapefruit to their diet.

Planting a Sunflower Variety

This year I'm planting a variety of sunflowers around the whole perimeter of my vegetable garden. Not only will they look colorful and beautiful, they'll also attract many beneficial insects to my garden, such as butterflies and honeybees.
Listed below are the different sunflowers I'm going to grow.
Citrus
Evening Sun
Italian White
Lemonade Mix
Lemon Queen
Moonwalker
Chianti
Red Sun
Autumn Beauty
Russian Mammoth
Sunny Skies Mix
When they all appear in mid summer, I'll enjoy taking pics of these cheery blooms with their various splashes of color.

Avocado with Black Bean and Salsa

Here's a light, fresh and healthy recipe that also delivers an added fiber-protein boost from black beans.
1 avocado, pitted
Coarse salt
2 lime wedges
2 tbsp salsa
2 tbs black beans
Season avocado halves with salt and squeeze with lime. In bowl combine salsa and beans. Divide mixture between avocado halves.

 

Come forth into the light of things; let nature be your teacher.
William Wordsworth

The Greens

Green vegetables and fruits have great nutitional value when eaten on a regular basis.
Chlorophyll
Good sources;
Watercress, leeks, arugula, parsley.
Present vertually in every green plant food this may decrease the risk of liver cancer.
No need for dairy in this soup recipe. The Tahini gives this dish it's buttery flavor.
Ingredients;
1tbs olive oil
1 medium leek, chopped, pale and light green parts only
4 cups vegetable broth
1 bunch of broccoli, chopped
6 oz baby spinage
1/3 cup vegan Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp tahini
Salt and pepper to taste
4 sliced whole grain bread,
toasted
2 avocados,  sliced
1/4 cup radish sprouts
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add leek and cook until tender. Add stock, bring to a boil and add broccoli. Cook covered until bright green and tender.
Remove from heat. Stir in spinage, vegan parm cheese and tahini.
Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth.
Transfer back to pan, season with salt and pepper and heat until hot and ready to serve.
Toast bread and top with radish sprouts and sliced avocados. Season with salt and pepper, squeeze with lemon and drizzle with olive oil.

Lemon and Leek Linguine

This pasta dish has a nice lemony flavor and makes for a tasty light supper.
Ingredients;
8 oz whole-wheat linguine
2 lemons, plus lemon wedges for garnish
1 medium leek ( white and pale green parts only) finely sliced
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese ( I substituted the dairy cheese with soy Parmesan cheese to keep this dish vegan)
Cook pasta in a large pot following the directions. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid when you drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, finely grate 1 tbs lemon zest and squeeze 1/4 cup of juice from 2 lemons. Set juice aside.
Wash and pat leeks dry. Add the leek, lemon zest, 1/4 cup parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about six minutes.
Add pasta, 1cup of the reserved liquid, the reserved lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 cup parsley to the pan. Cook stirring constantly, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 1 min and 30 seconds.
Remove from heat.
Toss the pasta with either 1/2 cup of dairy Parmesan cheese, or vegan Parmesan cheese and toss with 2 tbs chives and serve with lemon wedges.