Gut issues? Try an Elimination Diet + Custom Healthy Eating Program

Do you have a rumbly, uncomfortable belly?

Does your skin itch or give you blemishes?

Do you experience gas, bloating, irregular stool frequency (more or less than once / twice daily)?

Do you have constipation or diarrhea occasionally?

Try an elimination diet.

"Elimination" comes from the Latin word meaning "beyond the threshold".

Move beyond the threshold of your semi-wellness.

Walk through the door of discovery, find the foods and eating habits that cause distress, and let them go, once and for all!

Try this guide to get started. If you would like,

I can tailor your Elimination Diet to your needs and goals.

Clean out your kitchen.

Remove processed, packaged items and those containing sugar in all forms. Let go of coffee and alcohol, too. Use this guide to alternative sweeteners to help you with cravings.

Go shopping.

Buy foods according to the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen Guide from the Environmental Working Group. Make sure to get plenty of gluten-free bulk grains, hormone / antibiotic free chicken, fish and eggs, and lots of vegetables. 

Start your elimination diet when you have a day or two off to be at home. Set aside time to cook and follow these meal plans and watch these videos to help you with prep.

I can help tailor shopping lists and meal plans to your needs.

Keep a journal.

Write your intention for your Elimination Diet. What do you plan to get out of this two-week period of cleansing? What you will do when cravings hit.?

Eliminate potential allergens.

Start by eliminating gluten, dairy, coffee, and sugar. When you move beyond the threshold of these foods, you will see how many more delicious new ingredients there are to try!

Substitute.

Instead of:

• gluten, try buckwheat, brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, teff, millet, and oats;

• sugar, try applesauce, dates, figs, and little bits of raw honey;

• coffee, try green tea or a coffee substitute like Dandy Blend;

• dairy, try almond or rice milk.

If you would like to do a more in-depth elimination diet, I can help you by customizing recipes, prep + meal plans to eliminate these common allergens as well: corn, peanuts, soy, eggs, chocolate, vinegar, yeast, low-quality fats + oils, fatty meat, beans.

Re-Introduction

Hello allergen! Nice to meet you again! Does my body like you? Let's see.

After the elimination phase, start re-introducing the foods that you excluded for 2 weeks. You will notice immediately that, when you challenge your body with offensive foods, it will react! 

Itchy eyes, digestive distress of any kind, shortness of breath, swelling, fatigue, and nausea are all signs of a food sensitivity.

Record it in your journal and try to avoid it from now on.

The elimination diet takes a little bit of planning and coordination, but it is simple to do and can make a huge difference in your health!

Defining a Healthy, Sustainable Food System

Happy New Year! 

This is a time of renewal.

I like to soak up the sunrise, appreciate the sunset, and spend dark nights in peaceful reflection. 

As part of my personal and professional goals for this year, I would like to hear more from you.

What is your definition of a healthy, sustainable food system?

Here is mine.

Health is a changing state of balance.

A healthy food system is a living network, non-hierarchical and springing from mutual agreements to cultivate health, diversity, equity, and economic balance.

Because everyone must eat to live, it must adapt to environmental, social, and political changes while stewarding the well-being of land, workers, production, and eaters. This food system is grounded in gastronomic traditions, small-scale farming practices, and the need to provide for future generations. Its respect for diversity of people, eco-systems, and choices ensures the best practices for cultivation and production in accordance with local need and capacity. Connected enough to sustain local bio-diversity, cultural identity, nourishment, and sense of purpose, this system provides equal access to whole, simple, contaminant-free ingredients.

When change occurs, the community-minded system, where everyone has a voice, can collaborate to make decisions based on the health of people and planet. 

Here is the definition created by 

Mother Earth News

.

1. Focus on community empowerment to grow food and seek out natural remedies to heal friends and family;

2. Promote research in the field of agro-ecology in order to influence congressional farm policy;

3. Sell publications and subscriptions to educate privileged members of the food system about gardening, natural health, and consumption.

These are the strategies they use to bring it about:

1. Research: They request donations to support non-profits such as the Union of Concerned Scientists, whose research and reports model sustainable farming practices. They promote farm policy by encouraging reader to write letters to congress on behalf of farmers, sound farming practices, and research.

2. Education: They inform readers about conferences to learn more about sustainable farming practices. This invitation comes with mention of the conferences’ corporate sponsors such as Clif Bar, Nutiva and Driscoll’s.

3. Access: They work to build community food security by inspiring readers to create the conditions in their lives for equitable food access in their communities through blog posts about personal stories.

What is your definition of a healthy, sustainable food system?

What do you need to participate in the regional food system, cook meals from scratch with whole ingredients, and include more fruit and vegetables in your diet?

Women in Food

March is Women's History Month, and I invite you to honor the role of women in food. How do you see this role in your life, family, and community?

Here are some accounts of women in food history from historian Alice Ross.

It has been suggested that the division of food responsibility was a consequence of women's limited mobility, resulting from childbearing and extended periods of childcare. In any case, their familiarity with plants and their own identification with creating new life (the male role having been as yet unrecognized) were undoubtedly factors in their monumental innovation, the formation of the first organized agriculture (c. 8000 B.C.E.). Women often cooked grains and vegetables, singing songs about the food as they prepared it as a way to bind family and community as well as pass on food preparation methods to children.

Evidence of the high regard women earned is reflected cross culturally in the stories of universal origin even up to and including subsequent patriarchal systems. For example, in ancient Greco-Roman mythology, the story of Demeter (Ceres), the goddess of agriculture and fertility, and her daughter Persephone (Proserpina) acknowledge women's responsibility for developing agriculture, the origin of growing seasons, and the agrarian skills that they taught people. In distant Mexico people worshipped Ceres' counterpart, the pre-Aztec Great Corn Mother known as Chicomecoatl; variants of her story abound. She is Earth Goddess who teaches how to grow food from her body. Often her body was sacrificed, as she demanded, so that her children could grow food on it. This is a constant reminder to her descendants to treat the land as their Mother.

New Year, Healthy Eating

Would you like to reach your wellness goals in the new year?

Do you need help navigating the waters of food choices and fad diets?

With this step-by-step program, you will lose weight and learn healthy habits that last a lifetime.

A healthy diet is essential to achieving and maintaining well-being.

This simple program includes:

Recipes: Taste good health with delicious recipes that are easy to prepare and highlight food as medicine.

Updates: Receive customized advice based on your health assessment.

Tools: Gain tips to stay healthy and keep eating well for life.

Resources: Read articles written by food experts that relate to your wellness goals.

"Lisa's Healthy Eating Program gave me personalized content, including information on how to cook and eat better, reduce stress, breathe, and more! Her simple, weekly guide helped me implement changes at my pace and maintain the new way of being. Thank you!" Christie W.

Clean 15 & Dirty Dozen

Because we must eat to live, it is important to recognize that nourishment is a basic way to be well and prevent disease. Tools exist to help shoppers choose healthy, affordable food.  The Environmental Protection Agency has conducted extensive research proving that pesticides in our food and water have health and environmental risks. Consumption of certain pesticides is linked to cancer and neural toxicity.

To read more, click here

. 

In response to public concern, the Environmental Working Group started publishing a ‘Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce’ eight years ago.  Researchers update the list annually, analyzing pesticide testing data from the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration to determine which foods retain detectable pesticides after being washed or peeled.  

The guide targets commercially grown food, separating it into two categories. It lists the ‘dirty dozen’: fruits and vegetables that transfer pesticide residues to the human body. It also itemizes the ‘clean fifteen’: produce that does not store pesticides and can be purchased conventionally. This resource strives to help shoppers consume as many fruits and vegetables as possible in an affordable way. For details,

click this link

. 

The "Dirty Dozen Plus"

Buy these organically whenever possible.

1. Apples

2. Celery

3. Cherry tomatoes

4. Cucumbers

5. Grapes

6. Hot peppers

7. Imported nectarines

8. Peaches

9. Potatoes

10. Spinach

11. Strawberries

12. Sweet bell peppers

+ Kale and collard greens

+ Summer squash

Kale, collard greens, and summer squash were added to the "avoid" list because they were contaminated with organophosphates, pesticides that pose a particularly high risk to the children's IQ and brain development even at low doses, and organochlorines, pesticides linked to stunted growth in kids.

The "Clean 15"

These are ok to buy conventionally.

1. Asparagus

2. Avocados

3. Cabbage

4. Cantaloupe

5. Sweet corn

6. Eggplant

7. Grapefruit

8. Kiwi

9. Mangos

10. Mushrooms

11. Onions

12. Papayas

13. Pineapples

14. Frozen sweet peas

15. Sweet potatoes

Pesticide residues aside, there are other reasons it's important to support organic 100 percent of the time, if you can, including protecting farm workers and local waterways from toxic pesticides that don't typically wind up in our food.

Celebrate Workers and Local Food!

Happy International Workers Day! 

Migrant March May 2011

Demonstration in Dhaka

Today, it's more important than ever to recognize the challenges facing farmers and workers across the food system.

 

Farmers and farm workers, cooks, servers, cashiers, slaughterhouse workers, food factory workers, baristas, fast food employees, and many other groups are fighting for bettering working conditions, including fair wages and better prices for their crops, healthcare, gender equality, better safety conditions, and other basic human rights.Recognizing the challenges farmers and workers face--as well as the innovations they're developing--is critical for true food system sustainability.

You can start by eating more local food and asking your local farms to support their workers with fair wages.



Eating more local and seasonal foods can be easy, inexpensive and delicious!  

Here are 10 ways to eat more local food.  Thanks to Food Tank for this information.

Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. CSA members pay for a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly subscription, and get in return a box of vegetables and other locally-produced foods such as cheese, eggs, and breads or other food items. The CSA benefits farmers because they receive payment early in the season, and benefits consumers by giving them a box of fresh, local produce. You can search for local CSAs through Local Harvest’s website.

Plant your own garden. It doesn’t get more local than your own back yard! Michele Owens’ book Grow the Good Life offers advice to beginner and experienced gardeners alike.

Learn what is in season. Buying seasonal local produce ensures that you are supporting your area’s farmers, as well as providing your family with the freshest food possible. Organizations like Pennsylvania’s Buy Fresh Buy Local help consumers see what is seasonal in their state.

Shop the local farmers markets. One of the oldest forms of direct marketing for famers, local farmers markets are gatherings where local growers can sell their fresh produce and value-added products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set up a search engine for consumers to find information about their nearest markets.

Visit "Pick-Your-Own" farms. Pick-Your-Own Farms are farms that allow customers to come in and pick their own produce, sometimes for a small fee. Similarly, gleaning programs have been established where consumers volunteer their services to pick produce that would have otherwise been wasted and donate it to local food banks for distribution.

Research your restaurants. Farm-to-table cooking has become one of the hottest restaurant trends in recent years and, often, chefs will include the origin of their product on their menus. Organizations like Clean Plates have started compiling locavore restaurants into databases to make it easier and more enjoyable for consumers to eat healthily and sustainably in their local restaurants.

Check your food labels of origin. Country of Origin Labeling Regulations require retailers to label the places of origin of their seafood, meats, produce, and nuts.

Join a local food co-op. Food cooperatives are customer-and-worker-owned businesses where the customer pays a nominal annual fee and is, in turn, provided with high-quality, local food products.

Freeze, can and preserve. During the bountiful summers, abundant fruits and vegetables can be frozen, canned and preserved for fresh, local produce later in the year.

Buy Fair Trade. Search for Fair Trade certified products if local is not an option. Fair Trade USA uses a market-based approach to empower farmers to get a fair price for their work and harvest and contribute to their local economies.

For details, visit www.foodtank.org

Vegetable Literacy

Spring is coming, and so are the vegetables! Get excited for a wonderful new book, which hits the shelves TODAY, both in bookstores and online.

The book, which I am lucky enough to have contributed to, is written by Deborah Madison, who is a leading authority in vegetarian cooking and has published eleven cookbooks.

Click this link to learn more and purchase a copy.

Vegetable Literacy is a gorgeously photographed reference for cooking vegetables. It is organized according to twelve families from the edible plant kingdom and includes over 300 simple, delicious recipes. Try making the Kohlrabi Slaw with Frizzy Mustard Greens or Griddled Artichokes with Tarragon Mayonnaise. Learn from Madison's extensive knowledge of cooking, gardening and botany.

Cooking Lesson

I recently taught a cooking lesson as a wedding anniversary gift for a Vermont couple. They were willing and excited participants in the learning! 

Read the blog post about their experience: http://www.non-toxickids.net/2012/09/cooking-class-with-harmonized-cookery.html

Here is a snippet, written by Katy Furber for her blog, Non-Toxic Kids:

My husband looked at me the other day, while we were cooking dinner. He said, "I would really like to learn how to cook, I mean really cook."

I quietly took note. I thought, now that would be a win-win. 

See, I cook most of the meals in our house. I like to make a mess, not follow recipes, combine mostly whole foods, and just see what happens. Sometimes this works well. Many times it does not. I have never taken a cooking class, although I read a good bit about whole food cooking. 

Cooling Summer Soups

Save a quart of two of these soups in the freezer to enjoy this winter!

Zucchini Basil Soup

You will need:

2 pounds zucchini, trimmed and cut crosswise into thirds

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cups water, divided

1/3 cup packed basil leaves

1 teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop zucchini into chunks.

Add chopped zucchini and 1 teaspoon salt and saute, stirring occasionally for 10 more minutes.

Add 3 cups water, bring to a boil, and simmer, partially covered, about 30 minutes.

Purée soup with basil in 2 batches in a blender or with an immersion blender.

Garnish with fresh basil leaves and black pepper if desired. Serve with sourdough bread and goat cheese or toasted almonds to make a meal!

Cucumber Soup with Avocado Nutmeg Garnish

For the soup:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

4 cups peeled, seeded and thinly sliced cucumbers, divided

1 cup water

1 cup almond or rice milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon each: cumin and coriander

Pinch of cayenne pepper

For the garnish:

1 avocado, diced

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Add lemon juice, cucumber slices, water, milk, and spices.

Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the cucumbers are soft, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the garnish by mixing all ingredients together in a bowl.

Transfer the soup to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree it.

Serve the soup warm or refrigerate and serve it chilled. Just before serving, garnish with the avocado nutmeg delight! Enjoy with a fresh tomato and feta salad and corn tortillas or cornbread.

Baby Beet and Carrot Soup with Tahini Beet Green Garnish

For the soup:

4 Tablespoons olive oil

3 medium shallots, diced

4 medium-sized red beets, cut into 1 inch chunks

10 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

**If the new beets and carrots from your garden or market are smaller, just increase the quanties.

2 tbsp ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

6 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon salt

For the garnish:

1 cup baby beet greens, washed and minced

1 teaspoon lemon juice

pinch salt

1 Tablespoon tahini

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.

Add shallots and sauté for several minutes until translucent.

Add the carrots to the pot and cook for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the beets, ginger, garlic, and cook for another few minutes.

Add the stock and salt. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low boil and cover partially, cooking for about 1 hour, or until the carrots and beets are fork tender.

Meanwhile, mince the beet greens. Place them in a sauce pot with ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 5 minutes with the pot lid askew.

Drain liquid and toss greens with salt, lemon juice, and tahini.

Set aside.

Using an immersion blender or food processor, purée the contents of the pot.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with beet green mixture. Enjoy with sourdough bread, cooked rice, and tempeh or chicken. Delicious!

'Choose My Plate'

Thanks to Michelle Obama's work on healthy eating, the USDA has altered its food pyramid to a food plate. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/
This seems like a step in the right direction towards eating more whole, local, unprocessed foods.

Acid-Alkaline Balance

Millet 'Polenta'

Polenta is the Italian word for cornmeal porridge that, when stirred vigorously as it cooks, becomes creamy and sets once it cools. This recipe substitutes millet, an alkaline grain that balances the intestinal pH and is touted as diabetic-friendly because its abundance of B vitamins slows sugar absorption.

To prepare this dish, you will need millet, water, and salt.

Variations:

>>Stir in butter or vegetable oil (3 Tablespoons per cup of dry millet) as the dish cooks;

>>Sprinkle in coriander and thyme for a rich, subtle flavor (1 teaspoon each per cup of dry millet).

This recipe serves 2 people and keeps in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Directions:

Place ½ cup dry millet in a medium stock pot with 2 cups water.

Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Add 1 teaspoon salt.

Simmer, uncovered, until millet begins to thicken (about 20 minutes).

Stir occasionally and vigorously. Cooking can build arm strength! Use your muscles.

At this point, add butter, oil, and spices if you like.

Cook on low heat and keep stirring occasionally until millet reaches a porridge-like consistency.

If millet bubbles and splatters on the stovetop, cover it and cock the lid slightly so that steam can escape.

Pour thick millet into an 8x8 glass container or pie plate. Allow it to cool for about 15 minutes.

Slice and serve toasted, grilled, or as is.

You can add toppings such as: fresh tomatoes and cheese; pesto; grilled zucchini; artichoke spread; avocadoes and hummus; caramelized onions and swiss chard; kimchi.

Healing Properties

Millet: nutrient dense, hypo-allergenic, complex carbohydrate; offers a balance of B vitamins and magnesium to support digestion and balance blood sugar; useful in countering the mucus-forming effects of bread/cereal.

  

Quinoa Casserole with Spiced Roots

You will need:

        4 Tablespoons clarified butter

        2 Tablespoons lime or lemon juice
        2 Tablespoons Mediterranean blend (see above)

        3 turnips, chopped into cubes

        4 carrots, chopped into ½ inch rounds

        3 parsnips, chopped into ½ inch rounds

        1 bunch kale, collards, or chard chopped

        Salt to taste

        1 cup cooked quinoa

        1/3 cup walnuts or almonds

        2 eggs, beaten

Heat clarified butter in a large skillet. Add the spices, stir and sauté on low heat for 2 minutes.

Add chopped roots. Raise heat to high for 2 minutes.

Add lime or lemon juice, cover and reduce heat to low. Add spices. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Chop greens. Add to skillet. Add water if anything is sticking to the bottom.

Meanwhile, cook 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups water.                 

Add nuts towards the end of cooking.

Grease a casserole dish with sunflower oil.              

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

When roots are soft, place in the contents of the skillet bottom of the casserole dish.

Once quinoa and nuts are cooked, spread it on top of the vegetables.

Pour beaten eggs over quinoa.

Bake for 20 minutes. This is a delicious and filling potluck dish that serves 6 people and keeps in the refrigerator for 4 days.

Healing Properties

Dark, leafy greens (kale, collards): alkaline food rich in folic acid, calcium, and fiber.

Quinoa: nutrient-dense, hypo-allergenic, gluten-free complex carbohydrate; offers a balance of B vitamins and magnesium to support digestion and balance blood sugar; useful in countering the mucus-forming effects of bread/cereal.

Walnuts: rich in omega 3 essential fatty acids; gently laxative; cardio-protective; contain ellagic acid, which supports the immune system.

Mung beans with spinach and coconut milk

Soak 1 cup mung beans for 6-8 hours and cook on medium-high heat for 30 minutes. Rinse, drain, and place in a mixing bowl with:

1 Tablespoon mustard

2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon each cumin and coriander

1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

Toss with a spoon until beans are well-coated.

 

Peel and dice two large shallots.

Mince 1 inch fresh ginger root.

Place 2 Tablespoons coconut oil in a deep-bottomed skillet and sauté shallots and ginger for 5 minutes, or until shallots are translucent.

Add salt, ½ Tablespoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon turmeric.

Add the beans and their sauce.

Open a can of coconut milk, mix well, and add to skillet. Add 1 cup water.

Bring everything to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.

Wash and chop 1 large bunch spinach. Add to the skillet and cook until well wilted, about 5 minutes.

Healing Properties

Coconut: combines saturated fat with dietary fiber to protect nervous system and allow effective use of fat as energy.

Ginger: warming, anti-inflammatory, soothes stomach cramps, reduces flatulence. 

Mung beans: high in both soluble and insoluble fiber to ease transit time and clear arteries of unwanted build-up; rich in protein to maintain acid-alkaline balance in the system while nourishing muscles and providing slow, stready energy; high in folate, iron and magnesium, which are essential to healthy organ function and lymphatic circulation.

Blueberry bannock bread

Originally from Saskatchewan, this delicious blueberry bread features whole ingredients. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

In a food processor or spice/espresso bean grinder, pulse to a coarse meal:

    2 cups rolled oats

Place in a mixing bowl and mix together with:
    1 Tablespoon baking powder

    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon salt

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add:
    1 cup water, cow milk or almond milk
    1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

    4 Tablespoons cold butter or coconut oil

Whisk together, incorporate with dry ingredients until just barely mixed, and pour into greased pie plate or baking dish. The batter will be lumpy.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. 

Cut in pieces & serve! Keeps in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Healing Properties

Blueberries: strengthen them immunity and enhance overall health with power-packed antioxidants; support brain function and offer acid-alkaline balance in intestines.

Oats: high in fiber to lower cholesterol levels and reduce risk of heart disease; ease digestive stress and support healthy transit time; enhance immune response to infection and stabilize blood sugar.

Get Creative With One Ingredient

In my last post, I explored how sweet potatoes can become healthy desserts. This delicious vegetable, which is rich in beta carotene to promote healthy skin and keen eyesight, also offers a wide array of anti-oxidant plant compounds that ease digestion and reduce intestinal inflammation.

When you purchase a few pounds of sweet potatoes, try to prepare a few different dishes with them. This practice will reveal how versatile one vegetable can be when combined with various spices and other ingredients. Savor this rooting, warming food as winter's coldest full moon wanes its way into spring.

Sweet Potato Spread

Chop one large sweet potato into ¼ inch cubes.

Place in stock pot, cover with water, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil.

Boil for 10 minutes or until cubes are tender when poked with a fork.

Drain water and place boiled sweet potatoes in food processor

Add:

            ¼ cup olive oil

            ½ teaspoon each: cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, cardamom

            2 teaspoons salt

            You can also add 1 Tablespoon almond butter or ¼ cup fresh ground almonds if desired

Blend at highest speed for 2 minutes.

Serve and enjoy with oatmeal, on toast, or by itself as a snack.Garnish with chives if you like.

Sancocho de Habichuelas Rojas – Dominican Sweet and Sour Red Bean Stew

Soak 2 cups kidney beans in water overnight. Rinse, drain, and boil in 5 cups water until tender (about 35 minutes). You can also buy 1 can cooked kidney beans. I like Eden Organic salt-free brand.

While beans are cooking, prepare these vegetables:

            1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

            2 medium sweet potatoes, skin on, rinsed and cubed

            2 medium gold potatoes, skin on, rinsed and cubed

            3 cloves garlic, minced

            ½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Set aside.

Coat the bottom of a soup pot with 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I like olive or sunflower).

Add onion, reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

When onion is translucent, add sweet potatoes and potatoes. Increase heat to high and sear the vegetables for 5 minutes, until their surfaces turn golden.

Reduce heat to low and add:

            2 teaspoons salt

            1 Tablespoon each: dried thyme and coriander powder

            ½ Tablespoon dried oregano

            1 Tablespoon lemon or lime juice

            1 can crushed tomatoes (I like Muir Glen) or 3 large whole tomatoes (when in season)

            ½ cup water

Mix well and simmer for ½ hour. Add garlic and parsley, simmer for 5 more minutes, and enjoy! Keeps in fridge for 5 days.

Drinking Chocolate and Breakfast Spice

Santa Fe is a food destination, and its pioneers are constantly inventing delightful combinations based on traditional ingredients. While walking the sunny city streets, watching locust leaves turn golden and clouds roll off the snow-capped Sangre De Cristo mountains, I noticed a shop I have never visited before: Kakawa Chocolate House. 

Guadalupe Church in Santa Fe

Stepping inside was like walking through time into a colorful and richly scented landscape in Oaxaca, Mexico. Altars honoring ancestors covered the mantle above the adobe fire place; purple, turquoise and gold depictions of the Virgen de Guadalupe made from thin silver adorned the white stucco walls. Without a moment of hesitation, I stepped up to the counter and started sampling their chocolate "elixirs", from pre-Colombian blends to modern European ones. Needless to say, cacao's unique flavor transported me to a euphoric place. 


Drinking chocolate is simple to prepare as long as you have the correct ingredients. For a simple version, you will need 85 to 100% bitter dark chocolate and sweetner. These chocolatiers use agave nectar. You can choose maple syrup or honey if you prefer.


Drinking Chocolate:
On medium heat, melt 1 ounce of darkest chocolate in a small pot with 6 ounces of water.
Once chocolate is melted, whisk it briefly. Add 3 Tablespoons sweetener and a pinch of salt.

Altar at Kakawa

Kakawa crafts combinations such as: red chile and rose; damiana and cacao nibs; caramel and nutmeg.


I can't help but think that this incredible drink would combine well with the sweet and spicy flavors of Northern New Mexico. I am proven correct when I take local ingredients to bake a chile cornmeal muffin. I visit the farmers market, where bakers are making delicious breakfast treats while signing up visitors for cooking classes. I gather some simple staples: roasted green chiles, mesquite honey from the hills above Dixon, New Mexico, and cornmeal from the nearby town of Chimayo. When combined and transformed through the oven's alchemy, these foods create a delicious breakfast or snack. Try them with drinking chocolate to warm your soul on a chilly winter day.


Green Chile Cornmeal Muffins


Dry ingredients:
1 cup coarsely ground cornmeal
1 cup flour (rice, spelt, or whole wheat)
1 teaspoon each: baking powder and baking soda
pinch salt


Wet ingredients:
1/4 cup peeled, seeded and chopped green chiles (look for Hatch Green Chiles in a can if you cannot find fresh ones)
1/4 cup local honey
1 egg (or 2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds for a vegan version)
1/4 cup milk (almond, goat or cow milk)
1/2 cup oil (sunflower or olive oil)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Mix dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Make a well in the center, add the wet ingredients, and whisk them briefly.
Incorporate dry into wet and mix until just barely blended.


Pour into greased muffin tins or a loaf pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, or until edges are golden.
Enjoy!


Take a deep breath and savor the scent of your food before you taste it. Imagine how you can taste with your sense of sight and smell before you sample a dish with your tongue. This practice will help refine your palate to choose your own personal flavor combinations.

Pinto Beans, Chicos and Roasted Chiles

Fall in New Mexico offers a delicious harvest. In this arid climate, local people have been growing beans and corn for centuries. The abundant desert sun also allows chile peppers, sweet yellow, mild green, and spicy red, to grow bountifully. Every Saturday, vendors from the nineteen Northern New Mexican Pueblos come the the Santa Fe Farmers Market to sell their produce. 


I had the opportunity to talk with a farmer who had just threshed his crop of pinto beans, sweet corn, and chiles. As I sifted my fingers through the bushel basket of beans, he shared his wisdom about ways to cook the pintos so that they grow soft and digestible while maintaining their shape. 


Here is my interpretation of his recipe for cooked pinto beans:

Chiles with chicos (left) and pintos (right)

In a stockpot, place 1 cup of beans in 5 cups of boiling water; boil for 2–3 minutes, cover and set aside overnight. The next day, most of the indigestible sugars will have dissolved into the soaking water. Drain, and then rinse the beans thoroughly before cooking. Cook fresh beans for 30 minutes or dry beans for 50 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises to the top.


"We cook these beans with chicos", he told me, while opening a bag of smoked sweet corn for me to smell. The aroma, earthy and rich, tantalized my senses. I listened to his stories about the importance of preserving corn so that it lasts for the whole winter. First he described making chicos, sweet corn kernels smoked in their husks and dried in the sun. 


Then, he detailed the way to make posole, corn soaked in lime water and ash. This process, known as nixtamalization, is essential for producing whole grain dishes such as posole and hominy as well as masa harina, the corn flour from which tortillas and tamales are made.
Soaking the corn keeps it from sprouting while in storage. In addition to preserving the grain as foodstuff, this process also affords several significant nutritional advantages over untreated maize products. It converts B vitamins into a form that the body can easily absorb. It also makes amino acids and calcium more readily available.


Both forms of alchemy allow the corn to last for many months while creating a flavorful and digestible variation on this starchy vegetable.


Even though you may not be able to find chicos outside of New Mexico, posole is more readily available. When you have a winter day to spend at home, try this recipe for Posole Stew. It will take about 6 hours to cook and the final flavor is well worth the wait.

1 pound prepared posole corn, well-rinsed         

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups water

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin
5 cups water, approximately

3-6 dried red chile pods, rinsed and crumbled
2 tablespoons salt                     

Place posole and 10 cups water in large stewing pot. Bring mixture to a boil at high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer posole for 5 hours. Add the remaining ngredients to posole and simmer for 1 hour. 

Whether cooking beans with chicos or posole, many New Mexicans add freshly roasted green and red chiles. Their spicy sweetness lends even more depth to these traditional foods. 


Beyond being staple foods of the pueblos in Northern New Mexico, beans and corn are both food and seed. Every time we save a kernel of corn or a bean, we create the possibility for another crop to grow next year. Beyond their capacity to nourish us with a balance of protein and carbohydrates, these delicious seeds also feed the soil with their bio-available abundance of nitrogen, phosphorous and calcium.


No wonder each pueblo offers gratitude for beans and corn in its traditional dances and speaks of their meaning in their creation stories. Make time to cook and savor the simple richness of these foods for yourself.

Roasted Chiles

Roasting Chiles

Mindful Cooking and Eating

When I am cooking, I try to breathe, sway back and forth, and feel the weight in my feet. It helps to simply whisper to myself, “I am cooking”. This reminder helps me notice what is happening and let go of thoughts about past and future.

I am conscious that making food requires energy: the meals I prepare absorb that energy and return it to those who eat them. In turn, I appreciate what’s on my plate much more when I am putting down my fork between bites, breathing, and savoring the flavors of a dish.

To put the techniques of mindful cooking and eating into practice, join me for a hands-on workshop series at the Ayurvedic Center.

Here are the details:

Mindful Cooking and Eating - Thursdays (Sept. 22nd, 29th & Oct. 6th)  

5:30 - 7:30 pm at the Ayurvedic Center of Vermont in Williston

$48 per class includes: hands-on cooking, health benefits of foods, shared meal, and discussion

Drop in or register for all classes by September 1st and pay $129

To pre-register contact 802-872-8898 or ayurvedavt@comcast.net

Mindful eating can help people to both maintain healthy eating habits and cultivate greater connection with sources of nourishment. When I am paying attention to what I eat and how I feel while I eat it, I am less likely to over-eat and more likely to purchase ingredients that were not sprayed with pesticides or processed with solvents.

Experiment with reading, either silently or out loud, of these contemplations on food before you eat.

**This food is the gift of the whole universe: the earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard, loving work.

**May I eat with mindfulness and gratitude.

**I accept this food so that I may nurture others, strengthen my community, and nourish the ideal of serving all beings.

adapted from savorthebook.com

Considering the Energy of Food

Food is life. As author Barbara Kingsolver writes in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, “all living takes dying”. She would know. Her book chronicles one year of her family’s life spent eating food raised either on their farm or within a 50 mile radius of it. From growing and preserving vegetables to raising and slaughtering poultry, the Kingsolvers did their best to re-connect with their sources of nourishment.

Vermonters may be familiar with this ‘localvore’ concept, which establishes community networks for growing and eating more local food. Both this movement and Transition Town, a grassroots effort to address climate change and provide alternatives to dwindling oil supplies, raise awareness about the need to shift the way we use energy. From the fossil fuel, wood, coal and natural gas that power our technology to the beans, grains, meats and vegetables that allow us to live, society needs resources in order to produce more of them.

Local chanterelle mushrooms

Yet, the current food manufacturing system consumes more than it produces. As Michael Pollan argues in his recent book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, large-scale food production has grown beyond its capacity to sustain itself. With so many options many are left feeling confused about what to eat. As Pollan explains, “what’s at stake in our eating choices is not only our own and our children’s health, but the health of the environment that sustains life on earth”.

By learning about the impact that our food choices have on the people and places which provide that nourishment, we may begin to notice how food access, or lack thereof, affects our communities and our health. Food Works is a Vermont organization that supports “local food systems by connecting area farmers to under-served populations”. Their ‘Farm to Table’ program delivers local produce to dozens of meal sites, including nursing homes, hospitals, and mental health programs, to serve those who are “nutritionally at risk”.

When a factory produces our food and ships it to the supermarket for us, we forget where it came from and how to use the strength of our bodies to raise it, cook it, and savor it. The more food we buy, the more money we must earn in order to purchase it. How can you divest yourself from this cycle?

Try these ways to reduce energy consumption when acquiring food.

Plant a garden. Visit Nofavt.org to find farmers or community gardens with public plots.

Source local food through Vermontagriculture. com. Find farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms and purchase or trade work for local produce, grains, meats, cheeses, and more.

Help your neighbors! Meet those whose gardens grow abundantly and work with them in exchange for vegetables.

Preserve food. See the previous post on this blog for easy recipes to preserve greens.

Get involved. Volunteer with the Foodbank’s Gleaning Program and collect excess farm produce for donation to those who could not otherwise access it.

Berry Season Is Here!

The new moon is here, welcoming the first harvest, the chilly nights that herald fall, and an opportunity to plant a second round of beets, kale, and carrots for the autumn harvest.

Remember that this is berry season! Berries are rich in antioxidants, which neutralize free radical damage to human cells and tissues, thereby helping to prevent cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer. The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry recently published a study demonstrating that a serving of blueberries offers 38% more cardio-protective antioxidants than a glass of red wine.

If you would like to pick some blueberries to freeze or jam for the winter, now is the time to visit your local pick-your-own berry operation. Owl's Head Blueberry Farm in Richmond, Vermont, boasts live music once a week for pickers. Families and friends scrutinize bushes for the ripest berries while listening to live performances, from bluegrass banjo and harmonica to Irish bagpipes and flute.

Adam's Berrry Farm in Burlington,Vermont is part of a 24-member farm collective, The Intervale Food Hub, which cultivates once-abandoned land near the Winooski River and offers shares of fruit, vegetables, meat and eggs for purchase from May through October. Berries nourish damaged land: in partnership with a compost operation that creates fertile dirt with the help of chickens, Adam's Berry Farm has been able to restore soil nutrients at the Intervale so that crops can flourish.

In fact, the Deerfield Valley in southern Vermont hosts an entire festival in honor of these delectable treats.  I am honored to announce that my food article on this very subject just got published in a fine dining journal online.

Here is the link:
http://www.finedininglovers.com/contents/articles/blueberries_in_vermont.aspx

I encourage you to try some of the recipes I added to the article, which include:
>>Grilled salmon with wild rice and blueberry compote
>>Easy (and sugar-free) blueberry jam
>>Blueberry Maple Crumble
 

Enjoy!

Apples and Spring in Northern Italy

While we here in Vermont are just noticing tiny hints of flowers like pansies, daffodils, spring beauties and trout lily leaves, my homeland of the Dolomites is in full bloom! There are cultivations of delicious apples, which line the hillsides above vineyards. They have the best view of the mountains!
I miss Italy.
Apples are a wonderful refreshing and cleansing food for Spring. They rejuvenate the lymphatic system, gently cleanse the intestines, and clear the palate to enjoy the fresh flavors of Spring. Our food coop still has local apples from this past season! Try Spartan and Empire.
Here are two ways to enjoy them:
>>fresh as a snack with tahini (roasted sesame seed butter) or cheese;
>>as an after-dinner dessert, cut in half, cored, and baked face down in a glass baking dish at #75 degrees for 20 minutes.

An offering

Let cooking become the creative practice

that lends harmony to your day.

Allow its fragrance to engage your hands, warm your heart,

and fill your being with the nourishment that binds us together

and reminds us of our inter-dependence with the earth.

Harmonized Cookery -

inspired cuisine meets vibrant well-being

Passion for the Language of Food

Growing up in Italy taught me that, by honoring food traditions, we restore meaning in our lives and remain connected to the earth that feeds us. This childhood teaching was reinforced by living in Bali, where I learned that everything is alive.

Even though life's form changes through the alchemy of activities such as cooking, its essential vitality persists. By working as a whole foods cooking teacher, I encourage myself and my community to connect with sources of nourishment and feel more vital during everyday experience. I trust that food is alive. When we work with it, we speak our life stories, which often become a teaching for others.

I notice that, when people gather to cook food, shared experiences inspire greater depth. When someone inspires, he or she literally 'breathes in', affirming the life force that constantly re-establishes harmony between self and environment. This balance allows us to be in the world with enthusiasm. This word traces its etymology to the Greek word theos, 'spirit'.

I raise awareness of nourishment's many forms through a culinary discovery process, which demonstrates how the language of food affects our lives. When we recognize ourselves in the context of what we eat, we gain a greater capacity to adapt to a situation and thrive. By appreciating our roots and embracing them through preparing and savoring creative meals, we breathe, speak our experience, and remember the life force that connects all beings.

On Bali, daily offerings to the spirits are sculpted from foods such as rice, meat, and fruit.