Kisir -- Tabbouleh

Kisir, also known as tabouleh or bulgur salad, is a wonderfully delicious mix of green salad and bulgur wheat. I love making kisir whenever I need to carry a dish to a friend's house or potluck. This is a great recipe that's easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fine bulgur
• 1 onion
• 7-8 green onions
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 bunch parsley and dill
• 4-5 banana peppers
• 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp red pepper or 1 tsp pepper paste
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Sort and wash bulgur. Cover bulgur with 1-2 cups of boiled water and let absorb.
2. Clean and chop green onion, parsley, kill, tomatoes, and pepper into small pieces.
3. Chop the dry onion and mix it well with the red pepper. Mix it with the raised bulgur.
4. Add the salad to the bulgur, then add the olive oil and lemon juice and mix well.
5. Serve on a plate of fresh and crisp lettuce.

This recipe is translated from Bereketli Olsun by Gonul Candas.

Natural Shampoo

Last December I read some posts online about replacing your shampoo with a more natural combination of baking soda and vinegar. So I decided to give it a try.

I've been using baking soda and vinegar for several months now, and have to say I am extremely pleased with the results and will probably never go back to regular shampoo. I have very fine hair with natural curl, but most shampoos tend to weigh my hair down and make it straighter. Not so with the BS/V. I've got more curl than I ever remember having before, plus no split ends.

The BS/V is very easy to do. Most of the info I saw online said to make a paste in the palm of your hand with about a tablespoon of baking soda and water. But my hair's so long, that I just sprinkle the baking soda all over my scalp. Then, working with the pads of your fingers, scrub the baking soda into your scalp good. This not only loosens the dirt and oils, but stimulates the blood flow into your scalp.

After rinsing the baking soda out of your hair well, then spray or pour a combo of apple cider vinegar and water. Rinse immediately. The vinegar seems to act as a conditioner, and if I don't rinse it out immediately, my hair gets a bit limp.

That's it.

BS/V shampoo will not only be easier on your hair and scalp, but also your wallet and the environment.

Chocolate Bark

I discovered the idea for this recipe on The Coconut Diet's website a few months ago, and was thrilled that I didn't have to give up chocolate to go sugar free (and synthetic sweetener free as well). Since then, I've played with the original recipe a lot and figured out ways to make it even better.

I make a large batch of chocolate bark at the time and keep it in my freezer. One, this aides me in getting in the coconut oil daily that is recommended in Sally Fallon's Eat Fat, Lose Fat. Second, I always have my "safe" chocolate available when I have a chocolate attack.

The basic recipe is just the coconut oil, cocoa powder, and stevia. All the rest can be played with and varied depending on your particular favorite chocolate bar combo.

I added the cayenne in after I watched Chocolat with Johnny Depp. Now I wouldn't make it without the cayenne. Use enough to give it zing, but not enough to overpower the chocolate.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups virgin coconut oil
  
• 6 well-rounded tbsp cocoa powder, or freshly crushed cocoa nibs
  
• stevia to taste (about 1 1/2 tsp of the white, or a few shakes of the white stevia and 1 1/2 tsp of the green herbal stevia)
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (I've also played with alcohol free flavorings and found lemon and almond to be very good)
  
• 1/2 tsp cayenne

"Goodies" to sprinkle on bottom of pan, add any combo of these to taste:

• goji berries
  
• roasted or dried nuts, I particularly like pecans
  
• shredded, dried coconut
  
• cocoa nibs
  
• raisins
  
• whatever your heart desires

Directions:

Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes a metal cookie sheet (with sides) or a couple of glass large baking pans. I also line my cookie sheet with wax paper. You'll need to have a flat space reserved in your freezer so the chocolate will form level.

Warm the coconut oil gently to liquid form. Add in the cocoa powder, stevia, vanilla, and cayenne. Stir with a fork and blend well.

Sprinkle any of your goodies on the bottom of your cold pan, then pour the chocolate mixture over top and level off.

Put it in your freezer for at least 10 minutes. Then remove, pull the chocolate carefully off the wax paper, break it into snack-sized portions, put into a large plastic bag, and return to storage in the freezer.

Enjoy!