Common Sense Cooking for Cancer

Are you a cancer fighter? Survivor?Or perhaps a caregiver? If so, I hope these recipes will be a helpful resource.  Nourish is my word for this year.  As a  three year breast cancer survivor, I want to reach out and help nourish others who are facing the battle.  Food is an important part of this journey.  Recently, I prepared a meal for 30 friends in my community’s Soul Survivors group.  This was my menu:

MENU

Amuse Bouche:

Wellness Warrior, A sip of strength for the day, fortified with spinach, kale and antioxidants.

Appetitzer:

A Date to Remember, A delicious bite of nutrition, with dietary fiber, tannin, Vitamin A and minerals. Recipe inspired by Chef Fabio.

Salad:

Savor the Salad, Romaine lettuce mixed with healthy tidbits of empowering ingredients.

Entrée:

Zucchini Cappellini d’Angelo Marinara, Spiral zucchini sautéed with olive oil and topped with fresh Marinara sauce.

Dessert:

Chocolate Chia Power Pudding, A mouthwatering dessert with Almond milk, dark chocolate and nutrient absorbing chia seeds.

 

Recipes:

Wellness Warrior:  In a blender, mix frozen berries, spinach, kale, slice of fresh ginger, and coconut water.  Cheers to a healthy start to a meal!

A Date to Remember: (this recipe was inspired by Chef Fabio’s recipe for Prosciutto wrapped dates).  Gently slice a date and stuff with a mozzarella pearl.  Roll the date in Himalayan salt and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 5-7 minutes or until cheese melted.

Savory Salad: Clean and Chop Romaine lettuce.  Add veggies and berries of your choice.  My favorites include: blueberries and raspberries, sweet peppers, sliced olives,  multi-color carrots, red onion, pressed garlic, and sunflower seeds.  Add Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar.  Salt and Pepper to taste. Toss and serve.

Zucchini Cappellini d’Angelo Marinara: This is a dish from my heart to your home.  It’s easy to make and a healthy addition to your journey.  Instead of pasta, you can actually make zucchini pasta with a spiral slicer.  1 1/2 small zucchini per serving.  For the Marinara Sauce, which I like to call Savor the Day sauce, use two diced tomatoes of your choice.  (If possible, try to use fresh tomatoes.  Always look for the lowest sodium content if you are using canned tomatoes).  In a sauté pan, sweat several cloves of garlic in olive oil.  Add tomatoes and simmer until tomatoes turn pink and tender.  Add a shot glass of white wine and a shot glass of red wine.  Salt and pepper to taste.  I recommend using Himalayan salt.   Simmer for a few more minutes and pour over a bed of zucchini pasta.

 

Chocolate Chia Power Pudding: Chia seeds make a great addition to your diet.  Chia seeds absorb essential nutrients.  Try making your own almond milk.  If not, you can use almond milk from the grocery store.  If you wish to make your own almond milk, here are the steps:

In a Ball jar, soak raw (unsalted) almonds in water (preferably spring water)  overnight in the refrigerator.  ( 1 cup almonds to 3 cups water).  The next day pour out water and fill Ball jar with the same ratio of fresh water and then put almonds and water into blender.  Pour blended mixture into a nut bag or through strainer to get rid of pulp.  Pour the skimmed liquid back into the blender and add 2  tablespoons of Madagascar vanilla, 2 tablespoons of  organic coconut palm sugar, and 2 tablespoons of  organic cacao.  Blend this mixture and pour into small containers.  Put 2 tablespoons of chia seeds into each small container and stir well several times before refrigerating.  Pudding should be ready within two hours.

Savor the day!

(A special thank you to:  Lynn Gentile for helping me prepare and design this meal, Chrissie Mena for hosting the event and Melissa Palmer for starting Soul Survivors.  An additional thank you to Wickstrom Ford for covering the cost of ingredients for the meal)..