Whenever my butcher in San Francisco, Oliver's Butchery has tongue, I buy it. He sources grass-fed and pastured raised meat and his cuts are amazing! He had a tongue drought for a couple weeks, but finally, last week I was able to grab one. As I've mentioned before, I love tongue and grew up eating it often. Lately, I've been enjoying using it in stews because of the rich yet delicate flavor the meat.
Another food that I grew up eating is Plov. Plov, also know as Pilaf in the US, is a rice dish with spices and vegetables native to Central and Eastern Asia. At my home, Plov was a version of the traditional Uzbek dish made with basmati rice, lamb, raisins, apricots, carrots, and onions and spiced with cumin seeds and barberries. My mom would often make a large pot of Plov and we would enjoy it for the whole week. A couple of years ago, the hubby's grad school roommate, who is from Uzbekistan, taught me how to make the real traditional stuff, omitting the sweet dried fruits my mother always added. After his tutorial, I made a pot of Plov for months.
Since becoming grain free several months ago I've been craving Plov, so I decided to make a stew with a similar flavor profile. You can't make a traditional Plov without cumin seeds. Cumin seeds help stimulate the secretion of pancreatic enzymes which help with nutrient absorption and also help the stimulate the liver to flush out toxins. Cumin seeds are rich in iron and are believed to help alleviate symptoms of the common cold. They add a great spicy zing to the stew. Additionally, because I didn't have barberries, I used Sumac to flavor the dish. Sumac has a wonderful tangy sweet & sour flavor and has anti fungal and antimicrobial properties.
Uzbek Plov Style Tongue Stew
Ingredients
1 Grass-Fed Beef Tongue
2 tbsp ghee/coconut oil/tallow/duck fat
2 Onions
4 Carrots (I used purple carrots from my CSA)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp Spice House Powered Sumac
1 tbsp Bright Earth Foods Himalayan Salt
1/2 cup sprouted lentils
1 bunch of kale
Process
1. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in dutch oven and add 2 onions (sliced)
2. Add 1/2 tbsp salt and cumin seed, saute for 8 minutes
3. Shred 4 carrots and add to pot
4. Add Sumac and stew for another 5 minutes
5. Add tongue to pot
6. Add 4 cups of water and lentils
7. Bring to boil
8. Let boil for for 5 minutes and then bring down to simmer on low heat
9. Cook overnight or for 8-10 hours (longer is your tongue is more than 1 lb)
10. Once tongue is cooked, remove from pot and peel off skin and cube
It's a bit hard to focus on writing about healthy eating, health living, and nutrition today. Hurricane Sandy has had my complete attention all day. Most of my family is in the eye of the storm, scattered through out Brooklyn & Staten Island in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. As I'm writing, I haven't talked to my grandparents since 5pm PST, when I found out that they had lost power and their cell phone reception was spotty. Luckily, they should be fine since their house is located in an inland area of Staten Island. Others are not as lucky.
As I watch from my cushy couch 3,000 miles away, I hate that I can not be there to help not only my loved ones, but others who are lost without electricity. Reports of hospitals on fire and failing backup generators have me in a solemn mood as I imagine the many families that will be effected by this vicious storm. Also, I think about no matter how as much we try to control our surroundings, our food, and ourselves, we will never be in control of mother nature. She will always have us under her thumb.
In the spirit of nourishing ourselves in light of mother nature's destruction, I want to share 5 real food recipes you can enjoy without electricity. If you don't have these ingredients at home, I suggest stocking up because you never know when mother nature will strike and you will be stranded at home for a few days. Mini Real Food Emergency Shopping List Wild Planet Sardines
Chia Seeds
Bottled Water (preferably in glass, but I think plastic is okay for emergencies)
Nuts (sprouted and dehydrated)
Seeds (Hemp, Sunflower)
Goji Berries Artisana Nut Butters Fig Food Co. Organic Pureed Pumpkin
Coconut Oil
Coconut Butter
GoGo Rice Cooked Quinoa
Spices SeaSnax Raw Unroasted Seaweed
5 Real Food Meals For When You're Stuck Without Electricity
No Electricity Chia Porridge
Ingredients:
3 tbsp Chia Seeds
1/2 cup & 1 tbsp of water
1 tbsp Goji Berries
1 tbsp Hemp Seeds
1/2 tbsp raisins (optional)
1. Mix all ingredients and let stand for 10 minutes
2. Enjoy!
I'm finally almost done fighting a nasty cold which had me down for the count for 3 weeks. Unfortunately, I actually wasn't able to be down because of my business work schedule. The cold migrated south and turned into a respiratory infection and then progressed to a sinus infection and finally settled in my ears to have a party there.
I was determined to fight the infection off without using antibiotics. I enlisted the help of my acupuncturist, Vincent Kan. After my first session with Vincent, I felt significantly better, but I still had a pretty rotten cough. I stopped by a local Co-op, Other Avenues, and there I stumbled upon Serious Cough Soother from Wishgarden Herbs. I'm a true believer in the power of herbs. Last year, we were able to find alternative treatment for my daughter's adenoid/tonsil using Kan Herbs formulas. I'm always on the lookout for new herbs to add to my medicine cabinet.
Wishgarden Herbs is a woman-owned, family run business in Boulder, Colorado that makes herbs tinctures, salves, oils, and teas. Their tinctures are made with gluten free alcohol, which is great for me! I wasn't familiar with them until I tried the tincture but I was immediately impressed with them. At the time that I took the Serious Cough Soother, I had become completely hoarse and I had a horrible dry cough that was extremely painful. I started taking two droppers full every couple of hours Sunday afternoon and by Monday morning my voice was back and my cough was significantly better.
I was so impressed with the herbs that I called Wishgarden and asked if they would be willing to send me some others to try and review. They were kind enough to oblige. The following are all the herbs I tried, their ingredients and my results:
Emotional Ally: Helps to center, ground and deal with stress. I took this after spending half a day stressing out because my mother, who left to Europe hadn't called when she landed. About 30 minutes after I took the herbs, I was much calmer and able to think straight. I didn't hear from my mother until about 3 hours after I took the herbs, but those three hours were much more manageable.
Digestive Ease: This is the best alternative to Pepto-Bismol! It's supposed to help with heartburn, indigestion, bloating, gas, motion sickness, and queasiness. I took it after a large meal and about 30 minutes after I took the herbs, I began to feel that my digestion was improving. I've been keeping this one in my purse just in case I need it, but since I've gone grain-free I don't have many gastrointestinal symptoms.
Genius Juice: Study & Creative Process aid that supports optimal neural messaging. I've been taking this one at night if I have a hard time concentrating on my blog posts. I've definitely felt a difference in my ability to concentrate when I take it vs. when I don't
Sleepy Nights: Sleep aid without Valerian or Kava root. We've been giving the kids' version of this to our daughter at bedtime and she's been sleeping significantly better. The first night we gave it to her, she slept through the night and she hasn't slept through the night in months. I'm not even kidding!
Wishgarden Herbs has an extensive collection of herbs and teas for pregnancy and for nursing that I wish I knew about when I needed them. Their website is also easy to navigate that allows you to find the herb you need for your particular ailment. Go check them out and grab some herbs for the winter season, based on my experience, I know you won't be disappointed.
Last Wednesday, I was supposed to attend a Chinese Medicine & Nutrition class at the American College of Tradition Chinese Medicine which unfortunately got cancelled due to low enrollment. Because hubby agreed to let me have the night off for the class, I decided to make the most of it, and grab a bite to eat. I was only a few blocks away from Source SF, a mostly vegan restaurant. I had heard about Source from the owner of the Gluten Free Store a few months ago when I popped in to shop there.
Owned by two brothers originally from New York, Source is located in the design district close to Zynga headquarters, the SF design center, and the Concourse Pavilion which is hosting next month's Green Festival. In town of disappearing vegan options with the closure of Alive! and Cafe Gratitude, Source gives vegans, paleos, and dairy & gluten free diners plenty of unique and delicious options. If you are craving pizza, burgers or a satisfying salad, they have you covered.
Funny enough, the owner Andrew and his brother grew up in a butcher shop, but you won't find any meat on their menu. Instead, they opt for consciously sourced whole foods served with positive intention. In fact, Source isn't just a restaurant, as it's website says, it's a multi-dimensional experience where sights, tastes, sounds all combine for a delicious dining experience.
There were so many interesting items on the menu, such as Living Green Goddess Salad, made with dino kale, carrot, sesame
seeds, red cabbage & green goddess dressing, and Green Curry Veggies with Eryngii "Scallops" made with trumpet mushroom, carrots, zucchini, shitake mushrooms, broccoli cauliflower, baby bok choy, in a green curry sauce. I couldn't decide what to order for a long time. Finally I settled on the Live Platter: hemp tabouli, marinated mushrooms, w/ green goddess salad, lettuce tacos & living chips.
Everything on my plate was incredible and if you've been reading my blog, I'm usually pretty critical of food I eat at restaurants. The lettuce tacos had a sweet and sour filling which was really unique. I couldn't figure out what it was made from. The marinated mushrooms were very flavorful as well. My favorite part of the platter was the hemp tabouli, which I liked so much that I tried to recreate it at home. Here's the recipe
Hemp Tabouli
Ingredients
1 cups of hulled hemp seeds
1 cup of finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (I used shredded blanched golden beets since I'm avoiding nightshades)
2 tbsp capers
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
sea salt to taste
Over the last week, my arthritic pain came back and I've been really trying to look into my diet for some clues as to what's brought it on. I thought long and hard and I've decided that most likely the issue is my allergy to dairy. After doing some research, I found that the alpha S1 casein protein has been shown to cause joint pain. Also, I noticed that the pain came back after I worked out rigorously at my first Crossfit class. Which made me think about lactic acid, which causes you to feel sore. Lactic acid build-up is why masseuses tell you to drink water after a massage. Lactic acid is also present in dairy products. I read an interesting article that mentioned that when you eat high levels of glucose, you tax the liver and it can't process all the lactic acid released as part of the glucose metabolism process. The acids in turn activate histamines which causes an inflammatory response.
I have to admit with all of my resent baking and experimenting, I've been eating a lot of unrefined sugar, significantly more than in the recent months.The hardest part is that I don't want to give it up! I love baking and I'm enjoying all the sweet treats. This whole pain thing sucks, but it's a work in progress and I am
determined to get to the bottom of it. I'm going to talk to my doctor
about testing for lactic acid levels in my blood to see if my hypothesis
is correct. Stay tuned.
Another downfall of mine is dried fruit. A prune is a whole plum. When was the last time you ate 10 whole plums? Well I can easily eat 10 prunes in a sitting without even thinking about it! All I can do is continue being mindful and trying to control my unrefined sugar intake and be proud that my refined sugar intake in minimal. But I'm only human and can only manage so much. I've been cooking nightly to make sure that I have enough food to take to work the following day.
Cooking has been wonderful creative outlet that has helped me deal with the anxiety I get when my pain returns. Last night, I was super creative! A couple of weeks ago, a local company, Whole Vine, sent me some flour to try. This isn't just any flour, it's Grapeskin Flour! Grapeskin flour is incredibly interesting for another of reasons:
1. It has a very high antioxidant content
2. It's a creative way to utilize skins and seeds left over from the wine making process
3. It has a delicious nutty, tart taste
I decided to try using the flour in a cracker recipe I've been experimenting with. I used the Cabernet Savingnon variety in the recipe. This flour is quite dark and made the cracker very dark, but made me feel like I was eating chocolate! The flavor is rich, nutty, and slightly tart. This recipe is Grain Free, Paleo Friendly & Vegan.
Grain Free Grapeskin (Wine) Crackers
Ingredients
1 cup Almond Flour
1/2 Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Whole VineCabernet Sauvignon Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tsp of Herbs de Provence
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of water
Process:
1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl using either a mixer or your hands
2. Once all ingredients are mixed well, split into 4 equal balls
3. Place a ball of dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out to be about 1/8mm using a rolling pin
4. Brush a little olive oil onto the dough and sprinkle with a tsp of herbs
5. Carefully place parchment paper onto a baking sheet
6. I cut out some circles before I baked the cracker using a bottle top. You can do that or break off pieces once baked
7. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes
8. Serve with Hemp Seed Tabbouleh (come back for the recipe tomorrow)
9. Enjoy!
And finally, the moment you've all been waiting for! Marilyn, you are the winner. Please email me your contact info and I will get the prize pack shipped to you!
I had a whirlwind weekend! I attended my first food blogger conference here in San Francisco. The conference was sponsored by Daily Buzz: Food and it was attended by bloggers from all of the US as well as many locals. It was so awesome to connect with other women who were also passionate about cooking and taking the time to document their love online. A few of my favorites were: Health, Love & Chocolate, Mrs. Schwartz's Kitchen, Serving Seconds and Life Tastes Like Food.
The conference started on Friday night. We gathered at the Sir Frances Drake Hotel downtown for a meet & greet reception. I got my badge and that made me feel quite official!
After the welcome reception, a bunch of us headed over to Luella for dinner. I've read positive things about the restaurant and was really looking forward to my meal. After looking at the menu, I was a bit worried that I wasn't going to be able to find something dairy & grain free to eat. When we sat down, I asked the waitress if she could recommend something because of my allergies. She then asked me if I'm okay with butter. I stared at her for a minute in shock. It amazes me when people who work in fine dining don't know that butter is a form of dairy. Anyway, I ordered Grilled Artichokes, Sauteed Brussels Sprouts, and a Salad. Unfortunately she came back 10 minutes later to let me know they were out of Artichokes (at 7pm) and asked me if I was good with Asparagus. I accepted the asparagus, but was pretty disappointed about the artichokes. Here's some photos from the dinner:
Overall the dinner was nothing special and I wasn't too impressed with the service. I doubt I will be going there again.
Saturday morning, we gathered for a scavenger hunt at the San Francisco
Ferry Building Farmer's Market. I met up with Gina from Health, Love & Chocolate & Krysten from Mrs. Schwartz's Kitchen and gave them
a local's tour of the market.
Delicious Rome Apples
Raw Apple Pie From Alive
Health Ceramics
California Walnuts
I was really disappointed to learn that Alive! (where I got my Raw Apple Pie) had closed their raw food restaurant on Lombard and had moved to just catering and their farmer's market booth on Saturdays. I've always loved their raw food.
Finally, Saturday evening we all attended a gala at the Academy of Sciences.
Jelly Fish!
Dragonfish
Dinner
With LifeTastesLikeFood, Serving Seconds, and Mrs. Schwartz's Kitchen
I had a blast networking and meeting all these amazing bloggers! Can't wait to do it again next year.
Halloween is right around the corner and it's the first year when we may take my daughter trick-or-treating. Growing up, I looked forward to Halloween because I knew I would get a huge grocery bag full of sugar and chocolate and then I would spend two weeks gobbling it all up. I walked around daily in a sugar laden stupor and I even remember the sugar withdrawals I would go through. Often, soon after, I would get really sick with a the cold or a flu.
I've been reading Nancy Appleton's book: Lick the Sugar Habit, and in it she outlines "146 Reason Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health." In clinical studies, sugar has been shown to suppress the immune system by decreasing white blood cell's responsiveness to bacteria. The study found that the same reaction didn't occur when subjects were given starches. Empowered with all of this information, I've been thinking about how I can allow my daughter to enjoy this important American tradition, but also keep her from overloading herself and her immune system with sugar.
So, I came up with the idea of making my own candy using no added sugar, instead using naturally sweet starches such as coconut butter, raw carob powder and also coconut oil. I used Bright Earth Foods Vanilla Coconut Oil, which is naturally infused with whole vanilla bean and tastes delicious! Coconut butter is made from the pureed whole flesh of the coconut. Coconut butter is high in lauric acid, which is an antiviral, anti-fungal agent that helps defend again viruses and helps strengthen the immune system. Raw carob powder is made from the carob pod, which is part of the legume family. Carob is low in fat and high in calcium and is a great caffeine free substitute for chocolate. I also added turmeric and ginger to my candies to make them anti-inflammatory. They came out delicious and they've been kid approved.
Coconut Carob Monsters Ingredients
1/4 cup Coconut Butter
1/4 cup Bright Earth Foods Vanilla Coconut Oil
1/4 Raw Carob Powder
When I learned that I was allergic to wheat & dairy 8 years ago, I didn't feel like there were many resources to help me navigate the world of food allergies. There weren't many options at grocery stores and going out to eat always felt like an ordeal. Nowadays, I feel much more supported. Stores like Rainbow Grocery and Whole Foods are packed with options and now food allergies seem to be the latest craze amongst celebrities.
When I suspected I had food allergies, it was quite difficult for me to convince my doctor I needed to get tested. Even though after weeks of eating bread, my throat felt like it was closing up, she didn't believe that food allergies were the cause. My slight anaphylactic reaction was not serious, but there are many adults and children who have very severe allergic reaction. I would have severe breakouts, stomach cramps, and headaches. But my daughter has a pretty severe symptom, she violently throws up after she eats anything with egg yolks in it. At three years old, she knows to ask if something has eggs if she's offered food, in fact she's been asking since she was about 20 months old. At times, I feel sorry that she can't enjoy a birthday cake at a party or pizza.
When we were planning her birthday party last month, I was searching for music on Spotify and for a laugh searched for "gluten." What I found was Kyle Dine, Food Allergy Musician. I loved Kyle's music right away and I knew my daughter would love it too. Kyle mixes his own personal food allergy story with folky guitar riffs. With songs like "No Dairy Please" and "Gluten Free Blues," Kyle reminds kids (and big kids like me) with food allergies that they are not alone. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kyle and asking him some questions about his music a couple of weeks ago and I want to share it with you:
A Crafty Gourmet: Hi Kyle, I hear you are in the SF Bay Area this week. How are you liking it? Kyle Dine: It's great. It's my wife's first time and I've been here before, but we've had the chance to do some touristy stuff like going to Alcatraz and a SF Giants Game. A Crafty Gourmet: That sounds like a lot of fun! So I saw on your schedule that you're here for a couple of weeks. Do you come here to perform? Kyle Dine: I actually don't. It's the first time that I'm here for an extended time. I'm from Toronto, so it's pretty rare for me to cross the whole continent and do shows for this long. I'm doing a lot of assemblies at schools and education parents, teachers and administrators about food allergies and anaphylaxis . What I do is really random. I don't take myself too serious. I always
ask if it's people's first food allergy concert. But I feel like it's
such a great way to get messages to kids. It's a really cool way to get
this message out through music. I'm really lucky to do what I do.
A Crafty Gourmet: I definitely feel people are very proactive here when it comes to children and their health. How did you get into the business of writing songs about food allergies?
Kyle Dine: I was in so many rock and metal bands when I was in high school and then I went to work at a summer camp. There I became passionate about educating kids and just hanging out with them. And also because I've had food allergies since I was toddler. I never took them seriously until I had a near death experience at 21. After that I wanted to make sure I was helping others avoid have such a serious reaction. I knew I had a lot of knowledge to help others not be on that path. A Crafty Gourmet: So it sounds like you had a wake up call very early on that made you want to be healthy and take care of yourself.
Kyle Dine: Yes, it was so silly because I was just being stupid and not asking about ingredients because I was embarrassed in social situations. Since then, I haven't had a reaction.
A Crafty Gourmet: What are you allergic to?
Kyle Dine: Well let's see: peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, shellfish, and mustard.
A Crafty Gourmet: I also have a long list of food allergies and sensitivities. Are you finding that the last 5 years have been easier for in terms of living with food allergies? I feel like it's gotten easier in the US, how about Canada?
Kyle Dine: Yes, definitely. Companies have sprung up all over the place. In Canada, Nestle for example, have completely moved to a peanut free manufacturing facility. Many schools are moving to being peanut free. The policies in schools are really helping push companies and increases awareness. In the US, too, it's on the up and up with Trader Joe's and Whole Foods having so many products.
A Crafty Gourmet: What is it that you enjoy most about your opportunity to share your message?
Kyle Dine: Kids are so genuine and all they want to do is help their friends. It's so amazing. They completely buy into wanting to know more and they love that they have this knowledge. They ask so many questions and that makes it worth it. Kids just gobble it up and its so encouraging. It gives me so much hope. It makes me really love what I do.
A Crafty Gourmet: So who's your musical influence? Who do you channel when you are on stage?
Kyle Dine: I pick and choose from many sources. I'm always inspired when I go to concerts. I love someone like Raffi and how he can handle a room full of kids is mesmerizing. My biggest influence musically are the Beatles, because their songs are so beautifully written.
A Crafty Gourmet: Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me. I'm hoping I'll get to see your show when you're here next year.
For more information please check out Kyle's website:
It's Indian summer in San Francisco and the weather is beautiful. It doesn't feel like fall at all and so I'm still craving summer salads. Thanks to my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box, I recently discovered the watermelon radish! It has to be one of the most beautiful vegetables out there. The skin is sea foam green and the inside is bright fuchsia. I decided to make a delicious salad with the radishes and I used one of my favorite dressings: Zukay Live Foods Sweet Onion Basil Dressing.
I love Zukay foods. They have a bunch of really great products. When they came onto the market in the San Francisco Bay Area several years ago, I was extremely excited because it was the first time a savory probiotic drink was available. I've tried their Beet Kvass, which is slightly sweet and tangy as well as their Super Gold Kvass, which is has a spicy kick. I had the pleasure to speak with Scott Grzybek, founder of Zukay, and was extremely by his love for what he does. He loves to drink the beet kvass after his hard workouts because it helps with recovery. Scott's on to something because recently I read about Olympic athletes drinking beet juice to help during their intense training. I enjoyed a bottle after my first Crossfit class last week. Zukay Live Foods dressing are also great. The Sweet Onion Basil Dressing is incredibly flavorful and added a delicious smokey flavor my salad.
Watermelon Radish Salad with Zukay Live Foods Sweet Onion Basil Dressing 1 large watermelon radish 4 springs of flat leaf parsley 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp Zukay Live Foods Sweet Onion Basil Dressing 1 tsp Celtic or Himalayan Salt 1 tbsp sunflower seeds Process: 1. Peel, spice or cube watermelon radish
2. Chop parsley 3. Mix oil, dressing, salt and sunflowers in a bowl 4. Toss in radish and parsley and mix well 5. Enjoy!
Over the course of the last few weeks, I've had the pleasure of sharing some of my learnings from the Institute for Integral Nutrition with a few of my friends looking to get healthy. One common theme is the struggle to know what to eat. Everyone echos the same sentiment: I grew up eating Lucky Charms and Low Fat Milk for breakfast and now I have no idea what I should be eating! Similarly, dinner has often been takeout of either Chinese food or pizza as parents (mostly moms) struggled to balance work and cooking for the family. I grew up in such a household myself. We often had Chinese take out growing up in Brooklyn. When we moved to San Francisco, my mother fell in love with the San Francisco cuisine and would often bring home Banh Mi sandwiches and Chinese Buns for dinner. But after a while, she learned how to make her own Chow Fun and Lo Mein and soon we were enjoying homemade Chinese take out, which my mom would make to last us a week.
The idea of cooking for the family or preparing a meal for yourself for the week is much more daunting than the task itself. If you have the right tools, you can prepare a meal in 15minutes in the morning, set it to cook on low for several hours, and by lunchtime or dinnertime have a delicious meal available to enjoy. The key is to find several recipes that are manageable and fun. I am a big fan of stews and one-pot meals. I truly feel that it's an easy way to ensure you cook once and eat several times. One of my favorite stews is Beef Bourguignon, but unfortunately it usually calls for milk, flour or tomatoes. So, I've developed a recipe that uses none of those ingredients and, to make it fun, I'm using beef hearts instead of stew meat. You can easily substitute beef stew meat instead.
Beef Heart Bourguignon
Ingredients
1.5-2lb Beef Heart (or stew meat)
5 small onions
3 large carrots
1 medium sized celery root
1.5 cups sprouted lentils
4 bay leaves
4 springs of thyme
1 tbsp Himalayan Salt
1 bottle of dry wine (I use the $1.99 Cabernet Savingnon from Whole Foods)
1 tbsp ghee/coconut oil/olive oil
Process:
1.Cube beef heart and clean outer skin of onions
2. Heat ghee/oil in dutch oven or large enameled pot
3. Chop carrots and cube celery root
4. Add whole onions into pan and let brown
5. Add heart, salt, bay leaves, thyme and saute for 10 minutes
6. Add carrots and celery root
7. Add wine
8. Bring to boil, let boil for 20 mins and lentils
A few months ago, when I did my 21-day detox cleanse, I really got into juicing. A few weeks prior to that, the hubby and I watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, a brilliant movie that showcased the amazing power of juicing fruits and vegetables. In that movie, Joe Cross, an Australian business man, goes on a 60-day juice cleanse and films his experience while traveling through the USA and spreading his message of health. What was powerful about the movie was the transformation that Joe goes through. Not only did he reverse many of his health problems, but he embraced a new lifestyle, with which now he has created a huge community. In creating this incredible community on Jointhereboot.com, Joe has introduced so many people to an opportunity to truly change their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Joe and I both share a passion for changing the world through people's relationship to food and in doing so helping them understand how that food affects them physically, mentally and emotionally. This is why I have enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and will soon be a certified Holistic Health Coach.
During my 3 week cleanse, I juiced almost daily. You can find many of my juice recipes in the RECIPES section of the blog. But because I was focused on cleansing, many of these juices are packed with plenty of greens, but not all of them are extremely delicious. Don't get me wrong, the juices are quite tasty, but the recipe I will share with you today is simply incredible.
I love pomegranates. Growing up, I ate them often and in large quantities when they were in season. Thinking about the process of peeling a pomegranate, digging out the seed, cracking it in my mouth, sucking the seed, and carefully chewing the pulp in fear of getting appendicitis, brings me back to when I was kid growing up in Brooklyn. Someone told me when I was young that you can't process the seed and if you swallow it, you'll get appendicitis. Spitting it out seemed like too much work so I'd chew it thoroughly and cross my fingers. I still have my appendix, so I'm pretty sure the fear tactic was just that and not based in facts. Nowadays, its even easier to enjoy the juice since there are so many pomegranate juices on the market, but after juicing the seeds myself, I now understand how many go into one bottle of POM juice. It's ALOT!
Native to Iran and Northern India, the pomegranate has been enjoyed my many cultures. It was first introduced to the US in 1769 by the Spanish. Many Persian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Greek dishes are made with pomegranate seeds or juice. In tradition Indian medicine, or Ayurveda, pomegranates have been used to treat a variety of ailments, including dysentery, diarrhea, heart problems, gingivitis, and hemorrhoids. The National Institutes of Health are researching the pomegranate's healing properties for diabetes, cancers, the common cold, infant traumatic brain injuries and atherosclerosis.
High in vitamin C and anti-oxidants, pomegranates are a great natural supplement to include in your daily regimen during the winter months. One way to do that is through juicing. While it does take some work to peel and seed the fruit, the effort is well worth it. The juice that is extracted is highly flavorful and deliciously tart. Because it is so tart, I decided to pair it with apples and carrots, two of my favorites for juicing. The result is a very flavorful, tart and sweet juice rich in vitamins and minerals.
Apple, Pomegranate & Carrot Tonic
Seeds of 3 small pomegranates
3 apples
6 carrots
Before I discovered Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions, I never knew that it was essential to soak your grains and nuts before you eat them. I've always enjoyed snacking on nuts, but I've found that after such a snack, I feel very heavy and my stomach hurts. It turns out that nuts must be soaked and germinated before you eat them because they contain enzyme inhibitors that hurt digestion. If you soak and dry nuts, they are easier to digest and you absorb the nutrients they provide much better. According to Sally Fallon, a traditional Aztec practice was to soak pumpkin seeds and sun-dry them and then eat them.
Ever since I've started soaking and dehydrating my nuts and seeds, I've found that I digest them much better. If you don't have the time or opportunity to soak and dehydrate your nuts, I have found that Whole Foods sells a Sprouted Almond in their bulk section. I tasted these nuts over the weekend and found that they flavor is incredible and the nuts taste much less heavy.
One of my favorite blogs, The Nourishing Gourmet, has a great post about soaking your nuts. She lists all the soaking and dehydrating times for all nuts and seeds based on Sally Fallon's guidelines in Nourishing Traditions. I'm also going to summarize her guidelines for you. I made some crispy hazelnuts this week and I've been enjoying snacking on them.
You will notice that all of these recipes call to to dehydrate at no more than 150 degrees. If you do not have a dehydrator, you can use an oven. My oven happens to have a dehydrate feature. While it is not energy efficient, you can use the lowest temperature setting on your oven, usually 180 or 200, and prop open the doors with a kitchen towel on each side.
Crispy Pecans
4 cups raw pecan halves
2 teaspoons sea salt
filtered water
Process:
1. Mix nuts, salt and water and leave in a dry place for 7 hours or overnight.
2. Drain in a collander
3. Spread pecans on a Silpat mat or on a stainless steel baking pan
4. Place in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12-24 hours
5. Turn nuts occassionly until dry and crispy
6. Store in a airtight container
Crispy Walnuts
4 cups raw walnuts
2 teaspoons sea salt
filtered water
Process:
1. Mix nuts, salt and water and leave in a dry place for 7 hours or overnight.
2. Drain in a collander
3. Spread pecans on a Silpat mat or on a stainless steel baking pan
4. Place in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12-24 hours
5. Turn nuts occassionly until dry and crispy
6. Store in a airtight container in the refridgerator. Walnuts tend to get rancid because they are high in linolenic acid.
Crispy Pepitas
4 cups raw, hulled pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp sea salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
filtered water
Process:
1. Mix seeds, salt and water and leave in a dry place for 7 hours or overnight.
2. Drain in a collander
3. Spread pecans on a Silpat mat or on a stainless steel baking pan
4. Place in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12-24 hours
5. Turn nuts occassionly until dry and crispy
6. Store in a airtight container
Crispy Hazelnuts
4 cups raw hazelnuts
1 tbsp sea salt
filtered water
Process:
1. Mix seeds, salt and water and leave in a dry place for 7 hours or overnight.
2. Drain in a collander
3. Spread pecans on a Silpat mat or on a stainless steel baking pan
4. Place in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12-24 hours
5. Turn nuts occassionly until dry and crispy
6. Store in a airtight container
If you would like skinless hazelnuts, Sally Fallon suggests baking raw hazelnuts at 300 degrees first until skin turns dark and begins to crack. Place the nuts in a kitchen towel, wrap tightly and rub and squeeze and the skins should come off. I haven't tried this though, so I can't speak to if it will work.
Crispy Almonds
4 cups raw almonds
1 tbsp sea salt
filtered water
Process:
1. Mix seeds, salt and water and leave in a dry place for 7 hours or overnight.
2. Drain in a collander
3. Spread pecans on a Silpat mat or on a stainless steel baking pan
4. Place in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12-24 hours
5. Turn nuts occassionly until dry and crispy
6. Store in a airtight container
I lived in communist USSR until I was 5 years old. Even at my young age, I still remember the long lines for food rations.When we came to the United States, the extreme abundance was overwhelming. Our fridge was consistently packed with cheap processed food, which, at the time, seemed so incredibly and miraculously affordable.
My new American diet consisted of sugary cereal and homogenized milk for breakfast, tater tots and breaded chicken patty sandwiches with corn syrup sweetened chocolate milk for my free school lunches, and for dinner we would celebrate our homeland with a more traditional dinner. My family also liked to shop at Costco, where we could stock up in one shopping trip and eat for the whole month. Almost every trip we made to Costco, we'd buy their muffin pack filled with 12 variety muffins. At 620 calories a piece and 32g of fat, these monster muffins were my favorite comfort dessert. My favorite was blueberry. I still can't believe how many of these I consumed as a child.
Nowadays, I steer clear of Costco unless I'm shopping for a birthday party and, every once in a while, I find some gems there like Wild Planet's Sardines and TruRoots Three Bean Trio. On a recent trip, I spotted those infamous blueberry muffins and decided to bake a much smaller and more healthy version as an homage.
My secret ingredient in my blueberry muffins is Tula's CocoYo. This is my new favorite "yogurt." I usually eat it with homemade raw buckwheat granola to reap the benefits of the 80 billion CFU live probiotics (a lot!) per 1/2 cup serving. For this recipe, I decide to use the delicious stuff to add moisture to my muffins. It's honestly the best alternative to dairy yogurt I've ever tasted. Tula's CocoYo is all natural and is made with just 5 ingredients:raw
young coconut meat, raw young coconut water, alcohol free vanilla, probiotic
cultures, and stevia. I guarantee that you will not find a more natural yogurt substitute. Tula's also has a line of Coco Kefir, which comes in the 3 flavors: Regular, Apple Cinnamon, and Citrus. The Coco Kefir, like the CocoYo, has a high volume of probiotics (15-25 CFU per 1/4 cup serving). I tried the regular flavor and really enjoyed its sweet and tangy flavor.
Crafty Grain Free Blueberry Muffins Ingredients 1 1/2 cup Blanched Almond Flour 1/2 Coconut Flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp aluminum free baking powder 1 tbsp Chia Seeds with 3 tbsp water 1/4 tsp Celtic or Himalayan Salt 1 cup Tula's CoCo Yo 1/4 cup coconut sugar 1 cup blueberries 2 tsp vanilla powder 1/3 cup melted ghee or coconut oil
Process:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees 2. Mix chia seeds and water and let stand for 10 minutes
3. Combine almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar and vanilla in one bowl 4. In another bowl, mix yogurt, oil/ghee, chia gel, and blueberries 5. Add wet ingredients into the bowl of dry. Using a mixer, mix until all ingredients are well blended 6. Scoop batter into lined muffin tin (makes 12 small, 10 medium muffins) 7. Bake for 22-25 minutes 8. Let stand in oven for another 5 minutes and then let cool on rack 9. Enjoy!
This week is turning out to be comfort food week. All of the recipes that I'm sharing this week remind me of my childhood and growing up. My mom has always loved to cook. Whenever a holiday, a birthday, or any special occasion would come, my mom would spend countless hours in the kitchen cooking up a spread made for a king. She became quite famous for her feasts. She'd make a variety of salads, side dishes, meats, and hors d'oeuvres. A staple was her chopped liver. Sometimes, she would serve it in a bowl and other times (before I found out I was allergic to wheat) she spread it inside Lavash bread and make little spirals with it.
My recipe differs slightly from hers because I use ghee instead of butter and I've added my own secret ingredient: a pickle! I'm also using Selina Naturally Smoked Celtic Salt for additional flavor. I really like this salt because of rich applewood smoke flavor it adds to dishes.
Chicken liver is very good for you:
1. It is high in Vitamin B12, which not only supports production of red blood cells but is also essential for proper brain and nervous system function. Symptoms of a B12 deficiency includes, mood changes such as depression, numbness of fingers and toes, and memory loss
2. It helps with fertility and helps prevent birth defects. Because chicken liver is high in folate. Folate, or folic acid, is another B Vitamin that is essential for the human body. A folic acid deficiency can cause behavioral issues, memory, and low birth weights in pregnant women.
3. It can helps thyroid function due to high levels of selenium
4. It can make you look younger. Chicken liver is high in B2 (Riboflavin) which is necessary for repairing tissues, specifically the skin. It also helps support the lining of your intestines.
5. Helps you handle stress better. Chicken liver is also high in pantothenic acid, which supports your adrenal glands, which are responsible for secreting stress hormones.
Chicken Liver Mousse
Ingredients
3/4-1 lb organic chicken livers (if it's not organic, you are eating every toxin the chicken ate, since toxins are processed in the liver)
1 large yellow onion
2 tbsp ghee
1/4 cup water
1/2 large dill pickle
1 tsp Selina Naturally Smoked Celtic Salt
1 tsp Selina Naturally Celtic Salt
Additional salt to taste
Process:
1. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in pan
2. Slice onion thinly and add to pan once ghee has melted
3. Saute onions on medium heat for 5-6 minutes until they begin to brown
4. Add liver
5. Saute liver until cooked (8-10 minutes)
6. Put onions, liver, pickle, salt, 1 tbsp ghee into a Vitamix Blender
7. Slowly add water
8. Blend until smooth
9. Add additional salt if you'd like
10. Transfer to a air tight container and eat within 3-4 days
Growing up, my mom made two soups that I enjoyed very much. The recipe for the first, Borscht, I've already shared with you. The second soup is called Solyanka, a thick, spicy and sour soup. Solyanka can be made with fish or veggies, but at our house, it was always made with meat - and lots of it. My mom would freeze old cured meats for months in preparation for making a large pot. This soup brings me back to my childhood, to a start of a new school year and shopping for new pens and pencils. It's my "macaroni and cheese."
Nowadays, we steer clear of cured meats because of the dangers of nitrates and nitrates, but luckily there are plenty of uncured options available. In addition to cured meats, the soup is usually made with tomatoes and my mom used to make it with ketchup. Similarly to cured meats, we generally don't eat nightshades at home, since the hubby gets heartburn and it aggravates my arthritic pain. So I've developed a real food, tomato free soup that decreases the meat and increases veggies. I have also added sauerkraut to the recipe. I just felt like it would greatly add to the tartness of the soup, while adding bulk.
I'm also making my soup with Bright Earth Foods Himalayan Sea Salt. I'm a huge fan of Bright Earth Foods. I discovered them at my local co-op in San Francisco Rainbow Grocery when I was looking at unrefined sweeteners. Their mission of bringing wellness through nutrition really resonates with me. But honestly, they sell some amazing stuff. I'm going to be writing more about them in the upcoming weeks, but in the meantime check out their site.
Solyanka
Ingredients
Broth
1 lb pastured/organic beef bones (knuckles, marrow)
1 lb either pastured/organic short ribs or shank cross cut or brisket
1 onion
4 bay leaves
14 pepper corns
Bunch of parsley
1 tbsp Bright Earth Foods Himalayan Sea Salt
Soup
2 cups sauerkraut (naturally fermented with just salt and spices)
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata Olives (make sure that they are made with just salt and come in glass jar to avoid BPA)
1/4 cup pitted green olives (make sure that they are made with just salt and come in glass jar to avoid BPA)
3 large dill pickles (naturally fermented with just salt)
16 oz uncured pastrami
2 beef franks (I used Fork in the Road)
1 large bunch of Swiss Chard (I prefer chard specifically vs. kale, I wouldn't recommend subbing with kale. You can also use Sorrel if it's in season)
Process:
1. Put all herbs and spices into a tea bag filter
2. Fill pot with about 6-7 quarts of filtered water and add onion, bones, meat, and salt
3. Bring to boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer for 24-36 hours
4. Let sit until cooled and fat hardens at the top. Skim fat with a slotted spoon
5. Once broth is cooked, remove meat from bones and discard then with the tea bag and onion
6. Set pot back on stove and heat
7. Cube beef franks, pastrami, and pickles and add to the pot
8. Slice olives and add to the pot (if they are small enough, you can just throw them whole)
9. Add sauerkraut to pot
10. Cut Swiss Chard in to small strips and add to pot
