in this RecipEmail:

• a note from Andrea
• a recipe for Grain-Free Lemony Biscuit Scones
• a bonus recipe for Lemony Low-Glycemic Smoothie
• lemon’s life lengthening legacy

September flew by in a flash and somehow here we are well into autumn. The transition is still happening around me. The weather has changed yet the leaves have not. Halloween decorations are cropping up on front porches and apple varieties are multiplying in barrels at my food co-op. And I’m still looking for a little bit sunshine in the form of a lemon.

I spent the last two weekends at health and nutrition conferences. One was focused on fighting cancer, the other on striving for longevity. It was amazing to me just how much the lemon, its juice, its flesh and its peel came up throughout both conferences.

Since two major factors in both cancer prevention and healthy continuity are managing blood sugar and quelling inflammation, I decided to focus this month’s recipEmail on two recipes that include ingredients to target both those goals. And since so many of you enjoyed the two week chronicle of my son Gilbert’s breakfasts on the Replenish PDX Facebook page last month, I’m going to stick with the morning meal theme.

(Speaking of sticking with it, don’t forget to grab your copy of my free ebook Stick With It! on theReplenish PDX home page.)

A healthy breakfast, within one hour of waking, is your best bet for maintaining balanced blood sugar throughout the day! Try one (or both) of these options and bring a little sunshine back into your morning.

Grain-Free Lemony Biscuit Scones

Whenever I can, I start my day with a green smoothie. Actually, a workout and a green smoothie. It’s what feels best to me on several levels. It’s as if I’m launching into the day with a big ‘check’ off my to-do list. That eight servings of fruits and vegetables that I’d like to be eating to stave off cancer and consume a hearty fill of disease fighting anti-oxidants?: ‘check!’ That said, sometimes I crave something that might feel closer to a carb. These easy grain-free scones hit the spot and deliver a great pack of protein that won’t spike my blood sugar and leave me hungry, crashing or craving a green tea latte by 10am.

serves approximately 3

dry ingredients:
1-1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup ground chia seeds
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt

wet ingredients:
1 flax “egg” (1 Tablespoon flax blended with 3 Tablespoons water)
2 Tablespoons yacon syrup, coconut nectar or pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of one lemon
1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, mix together dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients into the food processor along with the dry ingredients and pulse until combined.
3. Form into a ball of dough and place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. With slightly wet hands, press the dough into an even circle, about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Score the scone circle into 6 even wedges.
5. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cut through the scored wedges to separate. Place back in oven for 2 to 4 more minutes to allow the edges of the scones to harden slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool. . . slightly.

Serve warm from the oven with ghee!

Lemon Low-Glycemic Smoothie

It’s still 2011, the year to turn over a new leafy. And this leafy smoothie is packed with cancer-fighting power. In fact, it contains five of the Top 10 Foods to Aid Glycemic (blood sugar) Control. Those are: cinnamon, berries, parsley, flaxseed meal and LEMON!

ingredients:
2 cups water
2 cups wild blueberries
1 large handful parsley
zest of one lemon
squeeze of half a lemon
1 Tablespoon flax meal
1 knob of fresh ginger, about the size of a small adult thumbnail
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
20 drops liquid vanilla stevia
1/4 cup Brazil nuts
1 Tablespoon maca root powder (optional)
ice (optional)

preparation:
With a high speed blender like a Vitamix or BlendTec, throw all ingredients in and blend on high until creamy and smooth. This smoothie is on the more liquid side, so be sure to add ice if you’d like it a bit more slushy-like.

With a less powerful blender, be sure to chop the parsley and add ingredients and blend, one at a time, until all ingredients are liquified.

I like to drink my smoothies from a glass straw.

LEMON’S LIFE LENGTHENING LEGACY

Lemons are actually a superfood. We think of foods like goji berries and acai, but don’t forget about the lemon! There are some of you who are allergic or sensitive to all citrus. Please make sure lemons are your friend and not your foe before developing a lemon leniency.

When choosing a lemon, hold the fruit in your hand and determine its heaviness. You’ll get more juice out of a heavier lemon with a thinner skin. You can store lemons at room temperature for about two weeks, and in the fridge in a crisper for longer. If you want to make your own lemon juice to have on hand for quick meal prep, juice a large batch of lemons over the weekend and pour into mini ice cube trays. Freeze and store in a container in the freezer to have ready-to-go lemon juice. But truth be told, squeezing a fresh lemon takes about two seconds!

The Health Benefits of Lemons:

: : The phytochemical limonene, found in high concentration in the white, spongey inner parts of the lemon, is being used in clinical trials to dissolve gallstones. It’s also shown to have extremely potent anti-cancer potential.

: : Lemon is an antioxidant. It deactivates free-radical damage which can help in the prevention of heart attacks, stroke and cancer.

: : Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C, one of nature’s most important anti-oxidants and one of your immune systems best friends.

: : One large Japanese study on the health benefits of green tea showed that a squeeze of lemon in the tea helped the body to absorb 13% more of the tea’s antioxidant potential than tea consumed without the lemon!

: : Although lemons seem acidic in nature, they are actually alkaline in the body, helping to remove acid wastes. This is helpful for many health conditions including the mitigation of arthritis.

: : A few drops of lemon in warm water will help to prime the digestive system and support the gate-keeping activities of the liver. This makes lemons one of your top cleansing foods.

: : Lemon seems to have strong antibiotic effects and has been shown to have a significant role in protecting against specific bacteria-born illnesses.

: : A compound in lemons called limonoid has been shown to aid in the prevention of cancers in the mouth, skin, lung, breast and colon.

: : The Organic Factor: Lemons are on the Environmental Working Group’s list of fruits to buy organic. Even though these fruits have a skin, the skins of non-organic lemons are heavily sprayed with pesticides. If using the zest, be 100% sure that you’re working with an organic lemon.