Help for Chronic Sensitive Skin

Get Negative for Sensitive Skin

Lovers of great art know that it is the negative space that is the key to a masterpiece. So it is that it is the ability to relax the key to healthy skin and overall health.

Sensitive skin resulting in skin redness can result in dehydrated skin, rosacea or acne. At Pure + simple (http://www.pureandsimple.ca/ ), we have had much success in improving these skin conditions with hydrating skin with a natural collagen serum and a protecting it with a natural moisturizer. For even better results, clients follow a Pitta diet (see http://our-metamorphosis.blogspot.com/2009/06/foods-for-pitta.html ) that cooled their bodies with a higher ratio of vegetables. A Raw food diet is great way to balance Pittas with cooling foods and a vegetable based diet.

Lately I have been challenged by some clients who had very sensitive, very dehydrated and acneic skin. These cases were not responding to the good skincare and since the clients were already eating a great diet similar to the Pitta diet, I empathized with their frustrations.

As I traveled from the Scientific Seminars in Chicago to the Cosmetic Ingredients Show in Munich, I kept these special clients in mind. But anti-aging was the buzz so there was no new information to help.

But serendipity occurred. I found a skincare and supplements line that touted the benefits of alkalizing to improve sensitive skin. I immediately bought the face cream, body lotion and the alkalizing supplement and tea. This serendipitous discovery spurred me to re-read “Alkalize or Die” by Dr Theodore A Baroody. You can buy the book at http://www.amazon.com/Alkalize-Die-Theodore-Baroody/dp/0961959533

My skin had suffered from acne, skin sensitivity and with all the healthy diets and skincare, I still live with dehydrated skin with hyper-pigmentation. Even when I followed a vegetarian diet, I found that my ph constantly tested acidic.

So perhaps alkalizing was the key to help these very sensitive and inflamed skin clients’ get healthier and get more beautiful skin.

I tested the products I bought and followed the alkalizing diet. I found I was feeling better and my Pre-menstrual Syndrome was less severe. Yes I know, it’s about time for menstrual periods to abandon me.

I contacted some of those clients and offered them a sample of the face cream and suggested they follow the diet.

These clients couldn’t understand why they were afflicted with problem skin when they were disciplined with their diet, lifestyle and exercise. If these clients find success then the stubborn skin problems are a warning of declining health due to their body’s acidic ph and diet is only a component.

Could the other part be an over disciplined stressed life. These clients did not give themselves timeout from stress. Stress creates acidic ph levels. This over acidity leads to allergic reactions like eczema, heat and dehydration skin redness inflammation. As it becomes more chronic it can lead to poor digestion, arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.

So how does one better help to alkalize one’s body? Meditation is that negative space that alkalizes our system to neutralize the acid that is the result of stress or negate ve emotions.

For those of us who find diet can only help so much, meditation is may help to successfully balance our body’s ph. Some of my clients are so driven that when I suggest meditation, they respond they already do Yoga. And they are not the referring to the most relaxing Yoga, Hatha Yoga but the more athletic ones of Moksha and Ashtanga.

Meditation is freedom from physical and mental effort. For you those of who need something to keep you focused in meditation try Chi Kung. For information on Chi Kung and classes go to http://www.shaolinwahnamcanada.com/classes.htm.


The general rules for an alkalizing diet are vegetable and fruits are highly alkaline while vegetable proteins are neutral and simple carbohydrates and meat are highly acidic. For more information go to http://www.sethigherstandards.com/energize-your-life-by-alkalizing-your-body/

Please let me know if this helped you fel and look better.

Skin Aging Stage 3 + 4 : Sagging Skin

How to Prevent and Remedy Redundant Skin

Keeping skin moist goes a long way in keeping your skin dewy and youthful. But if you are eating well and taking great care of your skin, you can still feel unhappy about the tone of your skin.

That’s when you have “Redundant Skin”. This sagging of the skin becomes visible anytime after our fortieth birthday. So how can we delay this “scary” sight coming to our mirrors?

To find the cause we have to go deeper than the epidermis and the dermis. It is a combination of the thinning of the subcutaneous skin layer and of bone loss.

As we pass our fortieth birthday we start to notice the thinning of our skin. This occurs as our skin is less resilient as the subcutaneous layers thin. Subcutaneous Layer is maintained by Human Growth Hormone (HGH). Sleep is the best way to keep or increase HGH levels. External HGH supplementation is not recommended because available sources have been found unsafe.

At about the same time we can start to see the shrinking of our wrist bone. Most of us don’t take much notice – after we have bought into the belief that “thinner is better”. But we do take notice when we see the “Redundant skin” on our faces cause by the same bone loss. From a young age, we all know to get enough calcium to prevent osteoporosis so why the visible bone loss? We need liquid Vitamin D supplementation to ensure the conversion of Calcium for bone + skin health.

So the prevention of skin aging begins in our youth include the following;
1. Protect skin from sun, cold and dryness
2. Eat to balance health
3. Sleep adequately
4. Take liquid Vitamin D

To remedy skin aging
1. Use a natural serum to plump up skin cells
2. Use a good natural moisturizer to slow down moisture loss
3. Take a maximum dose of liquid Vitamin D
4. If your sleep habit is short or broken, incorporate suitable remedies from napping to sleeping in.
5. Stop believing “thin is better” and eat you to balance your Ayurvedic type, your lifestyle and the weather
6. IPL and Microdermabrasion treatment to smooth and tighten skin
7. If you are still unhappy a face lift can be the only solution for extreme redundant skin.

Skin Aging : Stage 2

Preventing and Remedying Aging Skin

Why do we call anything that maintains youthfulness, “anti-aging”? We blame “aging” for what is the result of “not caring for ourselves”. Depending on the luck of our genetics and our attention to our personal care, we will notice changes in our skins appearance in our thirties and forties. Lines are deeper and more permanent. Pigmentation is more prominent and wide spread. Our skin appears duller and more uneven. Our pores are larger and there appears to be more bumps and moles. Now the problem is goes deeper than our epidermis to our dermis layer. The long-term lack of skin hydration is now causing more permanent and deeper damage.

Prevention is simple.

1. Keep skin hydrated.
2. Get enough rest,
3. Eat lots of vegetables and fruit.
4. Drink enough water.
5. Limit unprotected sun and extreme temperature exposure.
6. Take liquid Vitamin D to keep skin and bones healthier
7. Balance skin moisture and hydration level with proper skincare.

Hydrated skin keeps capillaries walls elastic and the dermis functioning optimally. When epidermal skin cells are dehydrated, they cannot perform well in protecting capillary walls which result in skin redness. Long term redness will result in darkening of the skin. When the epidermis does not protect the dermis, Collagen and Elastin production is downgraded causing skin to lose tone and more moisture and for skin cells to reproduce differently. Skin tags, moles, inverted pores and hyper pigmentation are results of wayward skin cell production.

So how can we fix this type of skin damage?

1. Start to practice better lifestyle and personal care by following the prevention suggestions above
2. Intense Pulse Light (IPL) can give dramatic improvements and advanced-aged skin-repair
3. Microdermabrasion and skin peels can improve skin appearance for those who need less dramatic improvements
4. I am currently researching the results of new safe treatments using Ultra-Sound and Radio Frequency

I am too Young to be Aging

I am too Young to be Aging

At fifty-four going on fifty-five in September, I look forward to the new experiences that will come to me as I grow older and wiser.

But I am still a client for healthy proactive “anti-aging” skincare as are my regular clients. So off I went to Chicago to listen to chemists introduce new ideas and new natural ingredients for better looking skin.

We all know that poor lifestyle and over exposure to the elements will accelerate the aging of our skin and our appearance. The speed and amount of damage as well as the ability of the skin to repair itself depends on our genetics and in Ayurvedic term our Doshas.

What are the signs of skin aging?

The first signs are surface and are mainly in the Epidermis. Not protecting skin from ambient moisture loss and living in desert like or extremely cold climates can cause fine lines, enlarged pores, and redness along with light hyper-pigmentation. Fine lines and redness can also occur temporarily as we dehydrate our bodies with blimps in our diet or stress levels. An overnighter for work or school or an evening of over consumption of alcohol and cigarettes will have similar results. Prescription drugs and antibiotics will cause dehydration during the course as well. These light and sometimes temporary signs of skin aging can appear as early as in our twenties.

This type of skin aging is easy to remedy as the causes are in the Epidermis, the top most layer of our skin.

Remedies

Remedies can be as simple as applying a serum before your moisturizer to having a good facial. Exfoliation can be very helpful in smoothing out the complexion. This can be a homecare product like an AHA gel or a jojoba scrub or be a spa treatment like a Microdermabrasion.

Since the capillaries are in the skin to carry away debris, cellular waste and toxins, using natural products can contribute to the longterm health of the skin and capillaries.

Choosing gentle exfoliants made from natural ingredients for home use would support skin repair without long term damage to skin cells and capillaries.

Avoiding aluminum when receiving Microdermabrasion will lessen exposure to controversial ingredients that are known to affect long term health.

For individual advice please feel free to contact me at jean@pureandsimple.ca or go to http://www.pureandsimple.ca/ for product and spa information

Innovative information and remedies for deeper wrinkles and pigmentation, chronic redness and redundant skin will be discussed next.

Foods for Vata

Foods for Vata

I am continuing with the requested recipes from the book party and accompanying it with information on how to balance your state of mind body and spirit with food.

Finally we are at Vata and not fast enough as Vatas are not used to being last.

These quixotic change agents get bored easily so they tend to act quickly. Their quick metabolism gives them the willowy silhouette so in fashion today but also gives them the disadvantage of lower stamina, inability to gain weight, premature aging.

Their strength is in the spiritual and conceptual. They adapt easily to change, take risks and embrace innovation. But in imbalance, they have the tendency to show signs of premature aging, to suffer from nervous disorders, to appear flaky, to seem forgetful and to be chatty.

If you are not a Vata but exhibit any of the above symptoms, you can be suffering from a Vata imbalance and can also follow the following advice to return to balance.

Things that can tip the scales to manifest these negative tendencies can be triggered by Vata Weather – cold, dry – eating Vata Foods –popcorn, ices, cabbage, dried meats, salads – or hanging out with Imbalanced Vatas – people who are overly frenetic, changeable, scattered or unstable.

The general rule is to eat nourishing and warm -- favouring flavours that are sweet, salty and sour and minimizing eating those that are spicy, bitter astringent.

The big no-nos are dry crispy (crackers, dry nuts), stimulating ( caffeine, white sugar), gassy (carbonated drinks, cabbage) and cold foods.

And the balancing foods can include red meat, dark meat of fowl, root vegetables, dairy (cheese), oils, and whole grains rice.

A sample daily menu can be;

Breakfast

1. Eggs with whole-wheat bread with a glass of milk
2. Smoothie with fruit and yogurt with herbal tea
3. Cooked whole grains with raw nuts and fresh or dried fruit
4. Melon (summer)
5. Whole grain bread with nut butters with Herbal tea with honey.

Lunch

This will be your main meal for the day

1. Salmon with vegetables and brown rice
2. Lamb with vegetables and sweet potato
3. Whole wheat pasta with meat sauce and vegetable
4. Dessert can range from crème brule to cheesecake or as per Snack suggestions

Snack

Vatas can graze. So snacking between meals is encouraged.

1. Whole grain Muffin sweetened without white sugar
2. Yogurt
3. Any pastries made with whole grains and without white sugar
4. Sweet fruits like melons, papaya, mangos
5. Soaked nuts and seeds

Dinner

Dinner is lighter but is highly nutritious. Vatas can also snack, of course choosing nutritious snacks --- or suggestions see the above snack section.

1. Vegetables with whole grain pasta without cheese or cream sauce
2. White fish with vegetables and brown rice
3. Legume and vegetable stews
4. Veggie burger with steamed vegetables or salad ( depends on season) – No fries

Vata Hors d’oeuvres ( from the book Party)

The criteria for these dishes are;
The food ingredients follow the Ayurvedic diet for Vatas
Use whole organic food ingredients
Minimal waste – edible containers
The dishes chosen can follow the “hundred Mile” whole foods diet, which is very suitable for Vatas
The ingredients in the recipes are easily substituted
I recommend modifying them to suit your taste


1. Wild Rice + Peanuts (if not Hundred Mile diet - you can add a small box of saffron
a. Steam 10 – 20 leaves of collards or any dark green leaf vegetable
i. Drain and carefully place leaves flat to cool
b. Cook 1 cup of herbs wild rice as per package instructions
i. When cooked – put aside
c. Cut up fresh herbs – choose from scallions, basil, sage, garlic greens, garlic, parsley
d. Put 3 cups of cauliflower clusters in a pot of boiling water
i. Lower temperature to simmer
ii. Put into food processor or blend to make creamy and let cool
iii. Take 2 cups of the creamed cauliflower (the left over cup is

1. saved for the fish) and add in the following;
   1. 1 table spoon tahini
   2. ¼ teaspoon sea salt
   3. handful of the cut fresh herbs
   4. if not following Hundred Mile Diet – you can add any of the following
   a. 2 tablespoons hoi sin sauce
   b. 1 tablespoon Tamari sauce
   c. Tablespoon of curry
   d. A box of saffron
   e. 1 teaspoon of turmeric
   f. 1 teaspoon of cumin
   g. ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg

e. Mix together the wild rice, 1 cup of Ontario peanuts with skin, fresh herbs and the cauliflower based sauce
f. Place the mixture on a collard leaf and fold leaves over to cover and then roll

2. Salmon trout on Belgian Endive
a. Baking the fish
i. Use the fresh herbs from the Wild Rice + Peanuts recipes
ii. Finely dice up onions, grate fresh ginger
iii. Olive oil a pan and sprinkle on the onions, sea salt and ginger
iv. Place filets of salmon trout on the pan skin on the bottom
v. Rub oil on the filets
vi. Sprinkle on the cut fresh herbs on the top side of the filets
vii. Put into oven 350 degrees for 10 minutes
b. The sauce
i. 1 cup of the creamed cauliflower
ii. 2 tablespoon of tartar sauce

• c. Mix the sauce with fish
  d. Cut up Belgian endive into leaves
  e. Place the fish mixture onto the firm part of the leaves

3. Pumpkin cheesecake

a. Go to http://www.joyofbaking.com/PumpkinCheesecake.html for the recipe
b. Replace white sugar with stevia or xylitol.
c. Replace brown sugar with Demerara sugar
d. Replace the ground ginger cookies with more graham cracker crumbs and 1 tablespoon of dry ginger
e.

Foods for Pitta

Foods to Balance Pitta

This is a continuation of the Ayurveda of eating your way to a balanced state of mind body and spirit.

This entry is about balancing Pittas.

These ambitious organizers’ strengths include high mental reasoning, leadership tendencies and competitiveness. In imbalance, they have the tendency to be intolerable, jealous, perfectionists and power hungry. Imbalance will create problems in the circulatory system, sensitivity, allergies and inflammation (both internal (circulatory system and organs) and external (skin). .

If you are not a Pitta but exhibit any of the above symptoms, you can be suffering from a Pitta imbalance and can also follow the same advice to balance.

Things that can tip the scales to manifest these negative tendencies can be triggered by Pitta Weather – hot, damp – eating Pitta Foods – stimulating (caffeine), acidic(vinegar), fat, sour (citrus), spicy(chili peppers), hot, salty – or hanging out with Imbalanced Pittas – overly ambitious, workaholic, extremely envious, status seeking, compulsive, demanding, angry

The general rule is to eat raw and cold foods. These can be adding salads to your meals or following a raw food diet. Learn to favour flavours that are bitter, sweet and astringent and avoid those that are spicy, salty and sour.

The big no-no's are coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, red meat, vinegar, citrus and hot foods.

And the balancing foods can include algae, white fishes, all raw vegetables, natural sweeteners and dairy. An ideal diet is raw food.

A sample daily menu can be;

Breakfast

Pittas have a healthy appetite but can be irritable if their eating schedule is disrupted or late. A natural route to Pitta imbalance is to ignore hunger to maintain work or any external schedules.

1. Cold whole grains cereal with any seeds with cold milk
2. Cooked whole grains with roasted sesame seeds and fresh or dried fruits
3. Fruit smoothies made without yogurt (acidic)
4. Almond Milk made with soak almonds then blending it with water and any natural sweetener
5. Herbal non-caffeinated tea with any natural sweetener. Make an ice tea from herbal teas instead of black tea.

Lunch

This will be your main meal for the day. Make sure lunch is not later than 2:00pm
1. Raw Fish Sushi with vegetables and brown rice
2. Whole wheat pasta with nuts or legumes and vegetable
3. Salads with nuts or legumes – replacing vinegar with lemon juice or use only oil.
4. Dessert is fresh fruit as per Snack suggestions
5. on really hot days – ice cream

Snack

It is best to eat according to a regular schedule. So extend your habit to organize to your daily meals and snacks

1. Sweet fruits – melons, papaya, mangos, bananas
2. Smoothies made with ice, sweet fruit and milk
3. Smoothies made with ice, sweet fruit and natural sweetners
4. No sour fruits like citrus
5. No yogurt

Dinner

Eat non-oily, fresh and raw. To prevent acidic stomach and poor digestion eat at a regular schedule.

1. Whole grain pasta with cream sauce, young low salt cheese, nuts or legumes and fresh vegetable. Do not eat tomato sauce (acidic)
2. White fish with vegetables and brown rice
3. Salad with raw protein – nuts (sliced almonds), seeds (roasted sesame seed), legumes (hummus, tofu soaked in spices)
4. Veggie burger with steamed vegetables or salad ( depends on season) – No fries

Pitta Hors d’euves ( from the book Party)

The criteria for these dishes are;

• The food ingredients follow the Ayurvedic diet for Pittas
• Use whole organic food ingredients
• Minimal waste – edible containers
• The dishes chosen are from raw food diet which is very suitable for Pittas
• Please modify to suit your tastes


1. Seaweed Beet Salad and lettuce (the container)

a. Seaweed ---- choose your favourite seaweeds

i. Soak them in separate bowls- for fifty rolls the total amount of dry seaweed should be about a cup ( a cup and a half if you want more seaweed to vegetable) of dry volume
ii. Arame is easy with not further preparation needed
iii. Kombu and Wakame and other broad leaf seaweed need to be cut into pieces
iv. Nori is more suitable as a the wrap so don’t soak it.

b. Roast Sesame Seeds ahead

i. Heat a iron frying pan
ii. Add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of oil
iii. Then add 500mg or raw sesame seeds
iv. Roast seeds with constant stirring for 1 minute
v. Put roasted seeds into a small bowl

c. Grate the following vegetables

i. 1-2 beets
ii. 3 carrots
iii. ½ onion

d. Sauce ----

i. Mix in one at a time the following---
1. ½ avocado,
2. 2 tablespoons tahini,
3. ¼ teaspoon ginger,
4. 1 tablespoon basil,
5. 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
6. 2 tablespoon Lime Juice

e. Mix the vegetables with the drained Seaweed
f. Prepare Lettuce – wash, dry then cut into uniform pieces for wrapping
g. Put the vegetable seaweed mixture into each piece of lettuce
h. Sprinkle with the roasted sesame
i. Wrap lettuce around the mixture
j. Or leave it open


2. Tofu and Sprouts in Nori

a. Tofu Marinated
i. Drain one pieces of firm organic tofu and put it in a strainer to release excess moisture from the block
ii. Cut into square strips
iii. Mix marinade in a bowl with
1. ¼ cup Olive Oil
2. 2 Tables spoons Lime Juice
3. 2 table spoons Soya Sauce
iv. Put the drained tofu in the marinade and strore for hours or overnight

b. Rinse sprouts
c. Cut the Nori sheets into widths similar the lengths of the Tofu Logs

d. Drain Tofu of Marinade
e. Put the Tofu Logs along one end of the Nori sheets
f. Put sprouts in the same direction
g. Roll the 2 ingredients
h. Put a weight to keep it from unraveling (I used a Kitchen knife across the rolls)
i. Serve right away when finished rolling





Macadamia Lime Mousse ( makes 48 mini cupcake size tarts)

The Shell (the container)

a. Mix the following ingredients into a measuring cup
a. ½ tablespoon Lime Zest
b. 4 tablespoons lime juice
c. 2 tablespoons Vanilla
d. 1 teaspoons Himalayan Salt
e. 3 tablespoons Xylitol
f. 4 tablespoons Agave
b. Turn on food processor and then slowly add
a. 4 cups of macadamia nuts (raw of course)
b. 2 cups of shredded coconut (make sure it is still moist)
c. Then as your mixing cup of ingredients
c. Put cupcake papers into your cup cake tins (use tins for small cupcakes)
d. Put a teaspoon into the paper holders and then put a pieces of the cupcake paper on top
e. Use a shape ( I used the handle end of wide handled ice cream scoop) and press the nut mixture
f. Continue until you have used up dough (2 tins of 24 cupcake )
g. Put the mixture in the freezer

The Filling -

a. Mix 5 Avocado in the food processor or blender
b. Add the following ingredients one at a time
a. ¼ cup lime zest
b. ½ cup Lime Juice
c. ¼ agave
d. 2 teaspoons vanilla
e. 2 tablespoons of Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil
f. ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
g. 4 tablespoons Xylitol (add more if you want it sweeter)

c. Chill the mixture in the freezer for ½ Hour

d. After 30 minutes take out both the shells and the filling
e. Put a teaspoon of filling in each shell
f. Put the tarts back into the freezer
g. When you are ready to serve take out the tins of tarts and put a berry of your choice on top of the filling

Kapha Hors d’oeuvres ( from the Book Party)

Kapha Hors d’oeuvres ( from the Book Party)

The criteria for these dishes are;

1. The food ingredients follow the Ayurvedic diet for Kaphas
2. Use whole organic food ingredients
3. Minimal waste – edible containers
4. The dishes chosen are of a vegan diet is very suitable for Kaphas
5. Attempt has been made to be economical with time and number of ingredients by repeating ingredients in two or more receipes
6. The ingredients in the recipes are easily substituted
7. Fee free to modify recipes to suit your taste


Artichoke with Tofu Dip (light high protein sauce)

Artichokes (the container) ---- Clean and cook 4 artichokes
i. Cut the stems
ii. Remove the outer leaves of the i

ii. Put in steamer or simmering water for 10-15 minutes
iv. Remove the artichokes and rinse with cold water
v. Remove outer leaves from the heart
vi. And arrange the leaves on a serving platter
vii. Save the hearts and the inner leaves to snack on later

Roast Sesame Seeds
i. Heat a iron frying pan
ii. Add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of oil
iii. Then add 500mg or raw sesame seeds
iv. Roast seeds with constant stirring for 1 minute
v. Put roasted seeds into a small bowl

Sauce ----Cook ahead - the Cauliflower as per below
i. Clean and cook half a cauliflower in 1/2 inch of boiling water (with a pinch of Himalayan salt) in a pot. Turn heat to low to simmer the cauliflower
ii. When Cauliflower is tender –
1. Mix 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour in a ½ cup of cold water . When tapioca is completely dissolved in the water; add it to pot and stir into mixture.
iii. Blend the cooked cauliflower mixture
iv. Let the mixture cool to room temperature
v. Divide mixture into 2 bowls. One for this sauce and one for the Tofu and Dark Greens Sauce
vi. Then blend in ½ raw onion
vii. Crush the saffron (a small box), then add it to the mixture
viii. Mix in the following ingredient into blender--- ½ Silken tofu, ½ avocado, 2 tablespoons tahini, ¼ teaspoon ginger, 1 tablespoon basil, ½ tablespoon rosemary, ¼ teaspoon coriander
ix. Put a teaspoon of mixture onto each artichoke leaf
x. Sprinkle with the roasted sesame


Dark Greens with Tofu in Cauliflower Avocado
i. Drain firm organic tofu and put it in a strainer to release excess moisture from the block
ii. Cook any dark green or mixture of dark greens from Rapini (Italian Broccoli) to Guylan (Chinese Broccoli) to regular broccoli, Kale or collards.
iii. Drain and let cool
iv. Take the bowl of blended Cauliflower ---
1. See cooked Cauliflower from recipe for Artichoke with Tofu Dip
v. In the bowl with cooked blended cauliflower blend in the following---
1. 1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil,
2. pinch of Black Pepper to taste,
3. 2 teaspoons Soya Sauce
vi. Blend in any of the following ingredients you prefer---
1. ½ avocado,
2. ½ Raw Onion,
3. 2-3 Scallions,
4. a Clove or two of Raw Garlic,
5. Tahini, any Spices you favour
vii. Cut the block of tofu into small cubes
viii. Cut the greens to small pieces
ix. Mix the greens with the tofu
x. Mix in the sauce until the tofu and greens are lightly coated.
xi. Put mixture aside for flavours to blend

The Shell

i. Defrost Phyllo Pastry
ii. Put a cut to size piece of Phyllo Pastry to a cupcake tin that is the size you want for the finished hors d’oeuvres
iii. Pop into oven for 5 minutes to brown and crisp up
iv. Let shells cool
v. Remove the shell from the tin
vi. Fill shells with the Tofu Greens mixture



Mini Apple Cranberry Strudel
Prepare filling ahead
i. Put the following items into separate small bowls
1. Cranberries - ¼ cup for 2 apples
2. Maple Sugar if you prefer a sweeter strudel
3. Sunflower Seeds ¼ cup per apple (you can roast them for more flavour- follow instructions for roasting sesame seeds in the recipe for Artichoke and tofu dip above
4. if you have a favourite ingredient you would like in your apple strudel – put that into another bowl
ii. Prepare Apples (granny smith or any tarte apple) for filling
1. Peel ½ an apple for each mini roll
2. Cut apple slices
3. In a bowl mix raw apple slices with 1/8 teaspoon of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger and ½ lemon Juice for each apple
The Shell
i. Defrost Phyllo Pastry
ii. Remove 1 sheet of pastry and put it on a clean surface
iii. Brush Olive Oil onto the pastry evenly
iv. Apply another sheet of pastry onto the oiled sheet
v. Again brush Olive Oil onto the pastry evenly

Start Rolling
i. On the prepare 2 layers of Phyllo Pastry apply the following items:
1. A row of Apples slices mixture across one end of the pastry
2. Sprinkle the cranberries across
3. Then a light sprinkle of the seeds
4. Lastly sprinkle --Maple sugar and or preferred item
ii. Tightly roll the strudel
iii. Put the mini roll onto a oiled cookie sheet
iv. Brush the top of the roll with butter or olive oil
v. Sprinkle seeds or maple sugar if you like
vi. Repeat the process until all your rolls are done