Awesome Vegan Pesto For Glowing Skin

This recipe elicits murmurs of "Mmmms" and "Ahhhs" whenever I've served it. Not only is it supremely delicious, it has powerful ingredients that enhance beautiful skin and overall good health.

For optimum skin, a balanced acid-alkaline internal climate eliminates blemishes, rashes, and other signs of imbalance.  Disease breeds and thrives in a body that is either overly acidic or overly alkaline, so achieving equilibrium is not only desirable—it's absolutely essential.

With the body's natural pH at 7.365 (in blood), eating foods with higher pH levels helps bring the acid-alkaline levels into balance—particularly if you're overly acidic. Each of the ingredients in this recipe neutralize acidity to restore the body's pH to its ideal state.

Parsley (pH 9.0)
Herbs make a welcome component in any beauty regimen both inside and out as they assist in alkalizing the body. The two herbs used in this recipe are particularly beneficial.
Parsley contains vitamin C, manganese, calcium, and potassium. "The vitamin C in this herb speeds collagen production, and its other qualities can help regulate oil production, cleanse pores, and soothe tired eyes," said the WiseGEEK website.
Since these are the ALKALIZING MINERALS, parsley is a winner!

• Calcium: pH 12
• Cesium: pH 14
• Magnesium: pH 9
• Potassium: pH 14
• Sodium: pH 14

Basil (pH 9.0)
Basil neutralizes acne and blemishes of all kinds. It's anti-bacterial, anti-spasmodic, and anti-inflammatory, making it an ideal herb to incorporate into a diet to support good skin.

Lemon Juice (pH 2.0 but becomes alkaline in the body)
"Lemon provides a huge dose of the free radical fighting antioxidant vitamin C, which helps keep skin even-toned and wrinkle-free," said Dana Oliver, senior beauty editor at The Huffington Post, in this post. It also detoxifies the liver, allowing toxins to flush out of the system.

Pine Nuts (Neutral pH 7.0)
Rich in vitamin E and zinc, pine nuts protect skin from oxidative (cell) damage and support healthy skin and hair growth.

Garlic (pH 9.0)
Garlic's list of benefits could extend for miles! It contains Allicin, Sulphur, Zinc, and Calcium, compounds that promote multiple health benefits, beauty benefits, as well as carrying antibiotic and antifungal properties. Garlic provides a rich source of selenium, known to fight cancer and boost antioxidant power when combined with vitamin E.

Sea Salt
Salt meets the body's requirement for sodium, a mineral essential for the bioelectrical system to function effectively. However, most salts found in supermarkets are refined, processed, and heated. The best option is to use high quality sea salt like Celtic Sea Salt, RealSalt, or Himalayan Crystal sea salt. These natural salts leave essential minerals and trace elements intact.

Black Pepper
Often overlooked, black pepper aids digestion, acts as a diuretic, and some studies show it burns fat. It promotes healing in cuts due to its antibacterial properties. The freshest way to incorporate black pepper is to buy peppercorns and grind them.

Olive Oil
The base for this recipe is olive oil. Olive oil and other oils are not water soluble so their acidity cannot be measured in terms of pH. Oils that are cold-pressed or raw have a low acidity while lower quality oils will be more acidic.

Olive oil's numerous benefits have been extolled many times. Among other advantages, the high content of polyphenols (antioxidants), vitamins E and K, and fatty acids dose the body with skin and health loving properties.

Vegan Pesto Recipe

• 3 cups basil leaves, loosely packed
• 1 cup parsley leaves, loosely packed
• 2/3 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh garlic (4 - 6 cloves)
• 1 cup toasted pine nuts (or walnuts if you'd rather)
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 or 3 lemons)
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper or to taste
• 1 tsp salt or to taste

Blend all ingredients in a blender or Vitamix. I like to keep it a bit chunky and not too creamy by pulsing slowly and then one or two high speed mixes. Serve with crudités or as a companion to gluten-free pasta, fish, or salad. It's great layered over sliced tomatoes and avocados too.

Enjoy!
[Original recipe found on Savvy Vegetarian and slightly modified.]
Photo credits: draghicich/photos.com, Kaitlin Gruss/photos.com, manu10319/photos.com, Maksym Khytra/photos.com, YekoPhotoStudio/photos.com, joanna wnuk/photos.com, TatjanaBaibakova/photos.com, AndreyGorulko/photos.com, Svetl/photos.com

Related articles

• 4 Steps to Achieving Beautiful Skin (ediblefacial.com)
• Easy ways to boost your salad's nutritional value (nourishingisrael.wordpress.com)
• 3 Easy Meals That Make Your Skin Glow (beautyhigh.com)

Why Homemade Almond Milk Is Better For Your Health

There is something so totally healthy about making your own nut milks.  Think: fresh, non-denatured, and enzyme-rich when foods are not packaged and processed.  Plus I’ve been reading a lot about avoiding carrageenan, a seaweed that’s a commonly listed ingredient in boxed nut milks. (Dr. Andrew Weil writes about it here).

For a great article about the health benefits of various nuts, including weight loss and reducing stress and heart disease, read this Huffington Post article.

Source imported organic, non-irradiated, and non-fumigated almonds (please see the Natural News article to find out why).
That’s the hardest part!  Then, simply gather up the following

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw almonds
• water for soaking nuts
• 3-4 cups water for every 1 cup almonds
• 2 dates or 1-2 Tbs. maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
• A pinch of full-spectrum salt
• A blender
• A nut milk bag (You can buy the nut milk bag here. I highly recommend this one!)
• 1 large bowl

To start, soak the almonds in water for 6 hours or so. You can also do this in a hurry by skipping the soaking step, but soaking them results in better milk extraction.  It also releases enzymes from the almonds and makes them more digestible (that's true for soaking all nuts, seeds, and dry beans to initiate the sprouting process).

Simply place the almonds and the water in the blender, then blend into a nice milky liquid. Add water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Pour this liquid into the nut milk bag, which you should place in a large bowl. Now squeeze the nut milk bag over and over again until all the liquid is squeezed out. This is great exercise for your hands and fingers too, by the way. It’s a lot like milking a cow, actually…

Now you’ve got almond milk!  Refrigerate it and it’s good for a couple of days, but as with all things raw, it’s best to consume it sooner rather than later.

Here’s a Natural News video that shows this process in more detail.  I love that he recommends using the strained nut powder for cookies so that nothing gets wasted.




Photo Credits and Related Articles

1. The Unrefined Kitchen (Nice alternative recipe that is a bit sweeter here too!)
2. Mens Cosmo (For 16 amazing health benefits of almonds, click the link.)
3. Is Carrageenan Safe? (greenmedinfo.com)