Seasonal Recipes for Health
In my personal life, I have been experiencing lots of changes that I have not written about on our blog. First, I am very happy to share that my honey and I are going to have our first baby in early fall. I have reached the halfway point, and am really excited. My happiness is tempered by a certain amount of not sadness excatly, but something closer to anxiety, because my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks ago. On Tuesday my Mom had surgery, and it went very, very, well. I am home with my parents (aren't they cute?) this week to help out around the house a bit, and to spend some time with them.
My parents are amamzing in many ways, but something I particularly admire is their dedication to eating and living well. Though they have both eaten healthfully for many years, they have really strengthened their efforts in order to do all they can to help my Mother heal herself. They are cutting out dairy almost entirely, and increasing their consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (chem-free and organic whenever possible). This is wonderful, and I want to support them both in any way that I can, as well as anyone else in a similar situation. As a pregnant lady, I love the way my family has been eating, because I know that it will help me grow a strong and healthy little baby. So, over the next weeks and months I would love to be able to share some of the recipes my Mom and I have been enjoying together. Tonight we had easy bean burritos with whole grain tortillas, with a really cool guacamole on the side. Here is the recipe; we really enjoyed it!
Low-Fat Guacamole with Peas
This recipe comes from The Cancer Survivor's Guide by Neal D. Barnard, MD and Jennifer K. Reilly, RD. Tonight we used the last of the peas my parents had frozen from last summer's crop, and they were delicious. Not too long before they'll be harvesting peas again!
1 ripe avocado
1 cup fresh or frozen peas, cooked and cooled
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Combine the avocado, peas, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the desired consisyency has been reached. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Serve immediately, or within a day to a day and a half.
