Sweeten Your Summer and Your Health

Try these recipes for healthy peach smoothies, strawberry sauce and marinated tofu by Johanna Emerson and Oleta Emerson, head chef at Mountain View Conference's Wellness Camp.

Peach Smoothies

1-3 cups organic almond milk (we use the Kirkland kind from Costco)
3-4 cups frozen peaches
2-3 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
5-6 Tablespoons maple syrup (May use more or less to taste depending on level of sweetness desired).

--Whiz all in a heavy duty blender

--Best served fresh, but still delicious when placed in refrigerator over night

--This recipe can be thickened to serve over pancakes, waffles, or as a dip for muffins.

*Please note for thicker smoothies use less almond milk or more frozen peaches.
**For more powerful flavor add a little more orange juice concentrate.

Marinated Tofu

This marinated Tofu is a year around favorite for Shish kebabs, mixed with vegetables over rice, as slabs in sandwiches or wraps, or as a standalone dish on a bright summer day.

2-4 cubes of extra firm tofu
4 tablespoons of liquid amino’s
3 -4 tablespoons of lemon juice (I use 3 1/4)
1 - 2 tablespoon of maple syrup (or more if desired) ( I use 2 TBSP)
Three cloves of garlic, minced or 1/2 TBSP dried garlic or to taste (I use 3/4 TBSP dried).
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger, or a half a tablespoon dried ginger (I used dried)
5 tablespoons of water

1) After rinsing tofu
2) Cut tofu into cubes for stir fry dishes or slabs for sandwiches. Note always cut into slabs for pressing first before cutting into cubes.
3) Press tofu slabs between two towels with a cast iron skillet on top times 15 minutes
to extract excess fluid out of the tofu…to enable the tofu to absorb the marinade better.
4) While tofu is under the pressing process
Combine all marinade ingredients into a small bowl and mix thoroughly.
5) Marinate the tofu by placing the tofu in a shallow dish (9x13 works) and pour the marinade over the tofu.
6) Leave the marinating tofu covered in the fridge to marinate for about an hour.
7) Bake the marinated tofu at 400° in the oven.
8) Check tofu every 20 minutes and flip as needed.
9) Cook the tofu until brown be careful not to burn it.
10) Can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days or frozen for a later stir fry dish. Note freezing does change the texture.

Strawberry Sauce

2-3 cups frozen strawberries
1/2 cup orange juice or pineapple juice or apple juice.
Dried sweetened pineapple as needed

--Blend very well in a heavy duty blender
--To thicken add more dried pineapple, less orange juice, or more frozen strawberries

This taste delicious as a topping for pancakes, waffels, chia pudding, or on top of peanut butter toast/muffins/etc.

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Sweeten Your Summer and Your Health

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