Curry Tahini Slaw

My husband does not like Indian Food or anything that even hints of Indian curry. This was almost a deal breaker, but I haven't yet given up hope. Since we've been together he's gone from a vegetable-weary, meat-itarian to a vegetable-loving, organic flexitarian (new favorite word). In the process he learned to love Thai curry..... so I think Indian food still stands a chance (fingers crossed). That being said, I have to plan my Indian and Nepali cooking to times when I'm dining solo. 

I've had a curry recipe on my mind for a few days now after getting the idea for it here. Since we still had some Cilantro Lime Quinoa Salad left over, I didn't have to feel bad about enjoying my Tahini Slaw while he starved in abandonment (we are waaaaay overdue for getting groceries, Cilantro Lime Quinoa Salad is ALL we had). This is a super easy recipe, comes together in minutes if you can get your hands on a food processor. 

My mom always told us: EAT YOUR COLORS!

Ingredients: 
2 carrots
1/2 head of purple cabbage
1 garlic clove
2-3 dates, chopped
1/3 cup hemp seeds

Dressing:

2 heaping tablespoons of tahini

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon curry

1/2 tablespoon agave or honey (optional)


Put 2 carrots (peeled), 1/2 small head of purple cabbage, and 1 garlic clove into your food processor until chopped. Careful not to make it too fine. I love the way the purple and orange look next to each other in the bowl. I grew up with my mom always telling us to "eat the colors of the rainbow" so something about brightly colored food brings out my sentimental side. Oh, moms. :)

Mix together ingredients for the dressing. I save empty jam jars for this purpose. Put everything in a jar, close the lid, and shake-what-yo-mama-gave-you until it's all mixed together. The tahini (sesame seed butter) takes an extra bit of shaking to get it blended. Pour dressing over the carrot/cabbage and mix it up. Add the dates and the hemp seeds. Dig in now, or chill in the fridge and dig in later (update: much better chilled). But while you're munching, let me tell you all the wonderful ways each bite is making your cells happy.....

The Milk Myth

boooo!

Thanks to some clever advertising, many people (mistakenly) believe that milk is the only and best source of calcium. Not true. In fact, dairy products can do more harm than good when it comes to calcium in our bones. Dairy is slightly acidic, but has even greater impact on the acidity of the blood stream. When our bodies absorb the lactic acid in milk, it affects the pH level of our blood by making it acidic too. Thankfully, our bodies know what to do to keep blood acidity at a safe level. But this is not without cost. If you keep drinking milk, and your body keeps having to balance the acidity levels, the result is loss of calcium in our bones.


Our bodies do the best they can to counter blood acidity by taking alkalinity (opposite of acidity, i.e. calcium) from our bones.... but that leaves our bones brittle (which is better than acidic blood. Acidic blood = death). What happens is people who think that milk "does a body good" are increasing their chances for osteoporosis, along with other issues that come from an acidic system. Truthfully, the  best source of calcium is from leafy greens, but sesame seeds really pack a wallop too (I just said pack a wallop... my grandpa would be so proud). Did you know that 100 grams of milk contains 118mg of calcium, but the same amount of sesame seeds contains 1160mg of calcium? Doesn't that make that bite of tahini slaw taste even better! And don't even get me going on how awesome hemp seeds are for you.... we'll have to save that for another post.


Here's a video that helps explain how alkaline and acidic foods can affect our health:

Happy Eating. Happy Easter!

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor (but my husband is), all opinions shared are my own based on my personal view of health and experiences. For specific questions regarding your diet and exercise, please consult your Wellness Chiropractor. 

This recipe was included in Gluten Free Wednesday, Meatless Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Real Food Weekly and Seasonal Sunday