A few days ago, we came across a beautiful website called Meatless Mondays (see our link to it under Blogs We Love). This non-profit organization’s goal is to reduce meat consumption by at least 15%. Quite a few celebrities such as Paul McCartney, Gwyneth Paltrow (check out her new website “goop” in our Blogs We Love link) and Alicia Silverstone, have joined this campaign so far. Having embraced a complete vegan lifestyle for about 12 years in the past, this campaign really spoke to our hearts. Although we are no longer vegan, we still overall try to eat mostly vegetarian. We rarely eat meat, and if we do, we take great care to only select meat from animals that have been treated humanely. Our recipes do include some dairy and eggs, but always from organic sources, and farms that still embrace the values of raising their animals ethically and humanely. In our own case, the healing from the damaging effects of gluten intolerance, has necessitated many changes. We learned to be open-minded about our food choices, but always  have and still feel strongly about organic foods, and especially the humane treatment of farm animals (and all animals for that matter).

Today’s health communities, with the best of intentions, are many times overly concerned with pushing their own ideologies, agendas, etc. rather than encouraging people to investigate new choices and incorporating them into their lives, little by little. The human animal has always taken its sweet time to embrace anything new. Just read your history books! The very small step of getting someone to replace white sugar with a healthy alternative, is a big deal. In today’s economic climate there is much misinformation about the supposed expense of organic foods versus non-organic. Just ask yourself, what is your health worth to you? We truly believe that nearly everyone wants to better themselves, but many are simply overwhelmed by the many choices being placed before them. In our own humble opinion, dogma has no place in health. We are all unique individuals and require unique approaches.

We encourage you to check out our Links page to read more on these topics. Let us know what you think, friendly input and open dialogue is always welcome.

You will need the following ingredients (enough for 3 people):

Carrot Pasta Sauce:

• 10 large carrots
• 1/2 onion
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 3 Tbsp. tomato sauce
• 2 tsp. coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp. Himalaya salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. Organic No Salt herb seasoning
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
• 1 packet Trader Joe’s Rice Sticks pasta
• A few fresh basil leaves for decoration.

Peel and finely chop one half onion. Finely mince the garlic cloves and chop the cilantro.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions (about 6-8 minutes).

In a large sauce pan, heat the coconut oil and add the onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat until golden brown. Then add the cilantro and blend well with the onions. Turn down heat and prepare the carrots by washing them and cutting them into smaller chunks. Add them to the food processor, and pulse several times until finely grated. Add the carrots to the cooked onion/garlic/cilantro mixture. Turn up the heat slightly, blend everything well,  and cook covered, at a reduced temperature, for about 10 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of water, if necessary. Now add the tomato sauce, salt, chili powder, herb seasoning and black pepper.  Stir and let simmer, at a low temperature, for another 3-5 minutes.

Serve over the prepared rice pasta, and top with some basil leaves. Add a side salad of your choice.

Enjoy!

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