Yvette Sanker Riverol and her Environmental Group step up again!!!

I am once again featuring the good environmental work of the youths of Corozal. It is wonderful to know that the youths are being guided by a dedicated leader in keeping Corozal clean and beautiful!!!

Yesterday's Coastal Cleanup with Scouts of Belize and Oceana Belize was tiring but productive. To those who made an effort to go out to help in the clean up we are eternally grateful. Mayolita Santos, LeAnn Aldana, Karizia Sanchez, Jamil Nicholson, Samantha Moralez, Ryan Chi, Mery Moralez, Hector Loria, Gisellie Hernandez and  Team Coordinator Yvette Sanker Riverol, the help you rendered yesterday is much appreciated. Thank you! 

SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL CELEBRATIONS MONTH IN BELIZE

September 10 was National Day in Belize as Belizeans celebrated the Battle of St George's Caye.

This week there were activities held everyday, or night as Belize approached Independence Day on September 21st!

Today the Primary school children participated by having their Rally! They marched with the bright colours of the country...Blue, White and Red! Escuela Secundaria Mexico had their Patriotic Assembly today while the Corozal Community College had theirs yesterday. Celebrating these two days is something everyone in Belize looks forward to!

A Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms and Gruyere Cheese RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY

Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms and Gruyere Cheese

• 1 medium-sized spaghetti squash
• 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups of button mushrooms, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
• ½ cup Gruyere cheese, grated and shaved
• Salt and pepper to taste

This is how you make it:

1. Slice the spaghetti squash lengthwise in half. Scoop out the seeds. Place each half, flesh side down, on a microwaveable plate. Microwave for about 8-10 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
2. The squash will be very hot so let it cool for around 5 minutes before you start scraping out the flesh with a fork. You’ll notice immediately that the strands look just like spaghetti.
3. While the squash is cooking, add the olive oil and garlic to a large pan over high heat and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for about 6-7 minutes, or until dark and tender.
4. Lower the heat to medium and add the spaghetti squash to the pan of cooked mushrooms. Add the grated Gruyere and let it melt into the mixture.
5. Turn the heat off, spoon out into bowls, and add parsley and shaved Gruyere to top each dish.

A Cauliflower "Fried Rice" ON THE DIET RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY

Cauliflower "Fried Rice"
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 4 • Size: heaping 1 1/3 cups • Old Points: 2 pt • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 108 • Fat: 3 g • Carbs: 14 • Fiber: 6 • Protein: 9 g • Sugar: 1
Sodium: 868 mg • Cholesterol: 47 mg

• 1 medium head (about 24 oz) cauliflower, rinsed
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 egg whites
• 1 large egg
• pinch of salt
• cooking spray
• 1/2 small onion, diced fine
• 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 scallions, diced, whites and greens separated
• 3 tbsp soy sauce, or more to taste (Tamari for Gluten Free)

Directions:

Remove the core and let the cauliflower dry completely. Coarsely chop into florets, then place half of the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is small and has the texture of rice or couscous – don't over process or it will get mushy. Set aside and repeat with the remaining cauliflower.
Cauliflower "Fried Rice"
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 4 • Size: heaping 1 1/3 cups • Old Points: 2 pt • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 108 • Fat: 3 g • Carbs: 14 • Fiber: 6 • Protein: 9 g • Sugar: 1
Sodium: 868 mg • Cholesterol: 47 mg

• 1 medium head (about 24 oz) cauliflower, rinsed
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 egg whites
• 1 large egg
• pinch of salt
• cooking spray
• 1/2 small onion, diced fine
• 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 scallions, diced, whites and greens separated
• 3 tbsp soy sauce, or more to taste (Tamari for Gluten Free)

Directions:

Remove the core and let the cauliflower dry completely. Coarsely chop into florets, then place half of the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is small and has the texture of rice or couscous – don't over process or it will get mushy. Set aside and repeat with the remaining cauliflower.

A CAULIFLOWER FRIED RICE RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY

CAULIFLOWER FRIED RICE
Ingredients

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 2 Tbs toasted sesame oil
• 1 small white onion, diced
• ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 Tbs light soy sauce (to taste)
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 2 Tbs chopped green onions
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Chop the cauliflower into small florets and add them to a food processor. Pulse until the cauliflower starts to look like tiny grains of rice.
2. Cook your eggs until scrambled and then transfer to a separate dish.
3. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and peas to a large skillet or wok with sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Saute for about 5-6 minutes on medium heat, or until the carrots are soft and the onion is translucent.
4. Add the eggs and cauliflower to the veggies on the stove. Add the soy sauce.
5. Cook through until the cauliflower is warm and tender. Sprinkle with green onions to garnish.

If you’re like most of us, there’s nothing more satisfying than tucking into a warm bowl of cheesy pasta. Except for the guilt you feel afterwards for consuming all those carbs and calories.

A THAI PORK SKEWERS RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY

THAI PORK SKEWERS

• 4 lbs of pork loin, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces (think skewer meat size)
• 1 heaping Tbs natural peanut butter (almond butter also works)
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tb sriracha
• 1 ½ Tbs fish sauce
• 2 Tb sesame oil
• 5 Tb avocado oil
• ¼ cup Thai red chili sauce*
• Skewers soaked in water

You can use a jarred chili sauce, but be careful about the sugar content. To avoid that, I like to use this recipe from Jeanette’s Healthy Living instead.

*Homemade Thai Red Chili Sauce:

• 1 to 1½ cups fresh Thai chilies, stems trimmed off
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• ⅓ cup rice vinegar
• 1 Tbs organic sugar

1. Trim off the stems of the chilies. If you like very spicy sauce, keep the chilies intact. If you prefer a mild sauce, cut the chilies lengthwise and remove the seeds. I prefer a mix so I remove about half of the chilies’ seeds and keep the other chilies intact.
2. Place the chilies and the other ingredients in a food processor and process until the chilies are finely chopped.
3. Store the processed mixture in a glass container and cover with plastic wrap.

You can use this sauce immediately, or you can keep it on the counter top for about a week to intensify and develop flavors. You’ll want to refrigerate it after that.

Getting back to the pork…

1. Combine the marinade in a large bowl.
2. Add the cut pork to the marinade and cover. Let the pork and sauce marinate in the fridge for about 4-8 hours, or overnight.
3. When you’re ready to cook, preheat a grill or grill pan on high heat for 8-10 minutes or until super hot.
4. Skewer the pork chunks while you wait for the grill to warm up.
5. Place the pork skewers on the grill for 5 minutes. Flip the skewers over and continue to grill for another 3-5 minutes, depending on how thick your pork pieces are.

AN AVOCADO EGG SALAD RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY

AVOCADO EGG SALAD

• 6 eggs, hard boiled
• 1 ½ ripe avocados
• 1 ½ Tbs fresh lemon juice
• Salt, pepper, and a bit of paprika
• Lettuce (or kale)
• Cloud bread (if making a sandwich)

1. Hard boil your eggs, cool, and chop.
2. Mash the avocados and add them to the chopped eggs.
3. Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.

You can eat this straight out of the bowl you’re mixing it in (which I can’t help but doing), but if you’re making a sandwich with the cloud bread, line the top and bottom bread slices with lettuce to keep the bread from getting mushy and soggy from the egg salad. Spoon some egg salad on the lettuce and assemble into a yummy sandwich.