eat to evolve!

Sweet Winter Kale with Garlic & Mushrooms

2012-01-29T15:17:00.004-05:00

If, like me, you are lucky enough to live in an area with a winter's farmers market, I hope you are taking advantage of the hardy and delectable winter greens offered there. A little frost may chill our bones, but it sweetens and tenderizes kale, spinach and bok choi like nobody's business.

I gleefully purchased a one pound bag of just-harvested kale at our local winter market this weekend, took it home and, a few hours later, got to work. Well, not really. Steam-frying kale isn't a whole lot of trouble. The idea is to use just a little oil at the start, to get the flavors jumping, and then add cold water to the pot so that most of the cooking is done by steam. (Cooking with water, via steaming or boiling, as in soups and stews, has several advantages. It adds fewer fat calories to the final dish, preserves vitamins and minerals, and creates less damage to macronutrient components—i.e. sugars, fatty acids and proteins—than frying or baking/dry heat methods.) I prefer coconut oil, a healthful, tasty and heat-stable cooking oil, but olive will do just as well.

This Kale with Garlic and Mushrooms dish takes only minutes to prepare, and boy is it delicious. Yes, I ate the whole bowl. Followed by a decadent dessert of freshly-popped organic popcorn topped with flaxseed oil, nutritional yeast and Old Bay seasoning. Enjoyed both while laughing my head off to the final episodes of Flight of the Conchords, Season One. Dinner and a movie: an unbeatable duo. In the comfort of your own home? Twice as nice.

Sweet Winter Kale with Garlic and Mushrooms

6 stalks kale, washed and roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
6 baby bella mushrooms, sliced thick
1/4 chili pepper, minced or crumbled (optional)
1 teaspoon oil, olive or coconut
tamari or nama shoyu to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
a splash of cold water

Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan, over medium-high heat. Add garlic and quickly stir for about 30 seconds, to avoid burning. Add kale and stir for one minute, while the oil coats all the leaves. Add mushrooms, sprinkle with tamari and add the chili pepper, if using. Stir again to combine well, and then add a generous splash of cold water, enough to get some steam happening. Cover the pot to keep the steam in, and reduce heat to low. Steam for two minutes, then stir. Cover pot again and allow kale to continue steaming until it turns bright green and begins to wilt, about three minutes, a little longer if necessary. Transfer to serving bowl and enjoy.

"Practically Raw" Bean & Guacamole Tostadas

2012-01-21T17:32:00.014-05:00

It is deep winter now, iced January, hard earth muffled in snowy white. Winter purifies and wipes clean the slate as we turn inwards, gather ourselves in warm places and think upon lessons of the turning year gone by. The resolutions we may make at New Year's time are simply a recognition of some lacking in our lives. With this awareness, may we know ourselves more deeply, and vow to be more True.

The only falseness in this world is generated by people. Nature is Truth. When it comes to food, this is apparent, for what is food? Real food is honest, natural, a gift from the earth. Fake food is made by Man.

Learning to discern truth from falseness is an ongoing process that may be sharpened in the compression of short dark days. But choosing clean food, nourishing and fresh—whether uncooked/raw, or warm and comforting—makes sense in any season for those of us desiring health, vitality and authenticity. To be a Real Human, feed your body clean and simple, speak no lies, and strive each day to live as fully as possible in the open-heart vibration of Love.

Tonight, I dine on gifts from the earth. Won't you join me?

The following Practically Raw recipe includes a man-made food product of very high quality: Food for Life "Ezekiel" brand sprouted grain tortillas. I eat few grains, always whole or sprouted, usually just once or twice a week at most. See my article on the Eat to Evolve! philosophy to understand why I recommend including only whole grains in your diet, and only in moderation, rather than as the foundation of your daily meals.

Practically Raw Bean & Guacamole Tostadas

A tostada is basically an open-face sandwich using corn or sprouted grain tortillas in place of bread, and served with plenty of salad on top. (I've blogged about tostadas before - see here.) For me, the tostada is a lovely comfort food. It brings life force into the body, along with luscious warmth and savor.

For each person: Wash four lettuce leaves and tear into small pieces. Toss with one half teaspoon of flaxseed or MCT oil, 2 teaspoons of white balsamic vinegar, a light sprinkle of sea salt and a turn of fresh ground black pepper. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, add one smashed and minced clove of garlic. Into this, mash one small avocado with a little sea salt or Herbamare, and the fresh juice of one half an organic lemon. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper if you crave heat. This is your instant guacamole!

Lay 2 sprouted grain tortillas on a baking sheet and top with about one quarter cup of beans (canned organic black beans or homemade "refritos" work well), and a generous sprinkle of grated raw goat cheddar. Bake in a warm oven until the cheese begins to melt. (Vegans may omit the cheese, of course.)

Transfer tostadas to a plate and top each with equal portions of tossed salad and guacamole. If you have fresh cilantro or parsley on hand, chop up a handful and garnish on top. Serve with salsa if desired. Simple pleasure, honest food, tasty meal!

Cleansing on the Job: Raw Food, Brown Bag Lunch

2011-11-08T06:32:00.006-05:00

If you're interested in stretching your hard-earned dollars a little further, try bringing your lunch to work! "Brown bagging" is a tried-and-true way to conserve your financial resources on the job, not to mention your number one insurance policy for staying on track with your cleansing diet-lifestyle.

If you care about what you put into your body, preparing your own food always gives you the maximum control. No need to worry if those salad greens are organic, or if your salad dressing is made with high quality oil. You made it yourself!

You can step up the fun factor by using food storage and carrying containers that make you smile. Every day feels like a picnic when I bring my lunch to work in a willow basket. Here's what I'm looking forward to enjoying today. The green juice is for morning. I'll probably drink it around 10:00, when I start feeling hungry, and then have my lunch a little after noon.

1 pint Ginger Green Juice (celery, cucumber, romaine, kale, apple, lemon ginger)

Avocado Salad with mesclun greens, drizzled with lemon juice and MCT oil

Rainy Day Crackers (made fresh yesterday!)

Raw Tahini & Garlic Red Pepper Miso medley (for crackers)

baby carrots, to nibble on later

Tell me, dear readers, what are you bringing to work for your lunch today?

xo Diana

Pesto-Veggie Wraps with Vegan Hemp Seed Pesto

2011-07-19T07:29:00.000-04:00

I’m so excited to be sharing a CSA share this year with my good neighbor Emily! Every Tuesday after work, I drive to the Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland and pick up a big green cardboard box pre-packed with beautiful, fresh-picked vegetables. Emily and I decided on a Deluxe Share which means we also get fruit, from a neighboring farm. The first week, our fruit consisted of two quarts of the sweetest organic strawberries we’d ever tasted. The next it was currants, then blackberries. Today we are getting gooseberries!

Even though I am splitting this CSA share, it's still a challenge to eat everything up in time for the next installment of bounty. So on Monday nights, it's time to make room for the incoming haul. For instance, say I was left with a generous portion of salad greens, radicchio and basil. Sounds like the perfect ingredients with which to make Pesto Veggie Wraps! If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, try this. Trust me, you'll be glad you did!

First, put together a nice raw salad with torn red leaf lettuce and radicchio, diced cucumber and dill.

Next, whip up a single-serving portion of Vegan Hemp Seed Pesto with the basil, garlic, olive oil and hemp seeds, plus some Himalayan pink salt (my favorite!). Spread the pesto inside of two cabbage leaves, layer on heaps of salad and add a generous squirt of fresh lemon juice. From there, it's just a matter of rolling… and voila!

In the absence of pesto fixings, I’d consider making Miso-Tahini Veggie Wraps or Salsa-Avocado Veggie Wraps or Honey-Almond Butter Veggie Wraps. The sweet, supple outer leaves of a freshly picked cabbage lend themselves to all manner of fillings.

One of my favorite things about this meal is the no-fork-required aspect. I absolutely LOVE salads, but let's face it, they can be tedious to plow through! Wrapping it up makes salad fun and easy to eat. Not to mention a mouthwatering delight. Enjoy!

Vegan Hemp Seed Pesto

Makes one serving

1 cup basil leaves, washed
1 small clove of garlic, minced
1.5 to 2 Tbs hemp seeds
1 to 2 Tbs olive oil
up to ¼ tsp sea salt, or to taste

In a food processor fitted with the S-blade, add basil, garlic, hemp seeds and sea salt and pulse until basil is finely chopped. Drizzle in olive oil while the processor is running. I use only enough oil to get the pesto to hold together and form a paste, stopping frequently and using a rubber spatula to bring everything down into the base. Taste and adjust seasonings. This would be good with a little crushed red pepper in it, too. Or some sundried tomatoes. Or a squeeze of lime juice. Or…!

Banana-Sunflower Buckwheat Cakes

2011-07-03T13:25:00.009-04:00

I've been concocting this recipe in my mind for a while now and am so happy to share it with you today, because it really came out a winner!

My primary goal, truth be told, was to find the perfect vehicle for the fresh, local maple syrup I bought at the coop in May. This vehicle had to be spongy for good sopping-up effect, and whole grain-oriented without being too heavy or floury. The challenge was on!

My secondary goal was to create a new recipe using the raw buckwheat groats of which I had purchased so many pounds in a bulk buy, several months back. "So many groats, so little tummy..." I originally got those groats to make my scrumptious Rainy Day Crackers, and I still do -- don't get me wrong...but a girl likes to mix things up a little sometimes. Am I right, girls?

The name "buckwheat" is somewhat misleading because buckwheat is not a relative of wheat of all. This means that buckwheat is 100% gluten free -- great news for people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.

And although generally considered a grain due to its high starch content and culinary uses, buckwheat is really a kind of fruit seed! The buckwheat fruit, which looks a bit like a Japanese lantern, grows on a vine-like plant that is related to rhubarb and sorrel. So buckwheat is very unlike all the common cereal grains -- think millet, quinoa, wheat and rice -- which are the seeds of various grasses.

More good news is that buckwheat is generally considered alkaline in the body, usually ranked on par with quinoa and amaranth. And because of its dual grain-seed nature, buckwheat combines as either a starch or as a nut/seed in any give meal, making it quite versatile. You can read more about buckwheat here, in the online version of Mrs. Grieve's Modern Herbal (a wonderful resource for herbalists and the herb-curious).

If you've never tried buckwheat, you're in for a surprise, as it offers a distinctly chewy yet slippery texture, due to a high content of soluble fiber. This makes buckwheat terrific for supporting healthy bowels, detox and cholesterol balance.

Many traditional buckwheat dishes, such as kasha varniskes, make use of roasted buckwheat. Roasting brings out a rich nutty flavor, but it is not a required step. Raw, hulled buckwheat groats, pictured here, can be prepared quite simply by soaking for fifteen to thirty minutes in fresh water. After such a soak, followed by a thorough rinse to remove sticky saponins, the groats may be sprouted for a day or two OR eaten immediately!

What could be easier?

For this recipe, I used a cup of soaked groats as the foundation of a pancake batter, which I made in the food processor simply by adding in one whole banana (for texture and sweetness) and some boxed rice milk (I used the Rice Dream brand, original flavor). Of course I used a little salt, coconut oil and vanilla to round out the batter. And I threw in some whole raw sunflower seeds at the end, for a nice crunchy touch. The batter was ladled onto a hot skillet coated with melted coconut oil, and all proceeded in the same manner as when making typical flour-based griddle cakes, right up to serving them with real maple syrup, naturally.

Of course, if I had wanted to make 100% raw pancakes, I easily could have done so by ladling the batter onto Teflex sheets and dehydrating the cakes for four to six hours per side. In other words, advance planning and patience would have been required. I'll save that good idea for another day! Today, tradition and eagerness won out, while happy taste buds rejoiced. Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Banana-Sunflower Sprouted Buckwheat Cakes

Makes about nine cakes, enough to satisfy two people, namely me and my son, Zack, who gave two syrupy thumbs up to this recipe ♥

1 cup raw buckwheat groats
1 ripe organic banana
1/2 cup rice milk (could use almond, coconut or oat milk)
1 teaspoon coconut oil
nice pinch of Himalayan pink salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

Place buckwheat in a large bowl and cover with fresh water. Stir and allow to soak for at least fifteen minutes or up to one hour. (Do this while talking on the phone with your friend Catherine, if desired.) Drain and rinse well. Add soaked groats to the food processor and process with the S-blade until fairly smooth. Add all remaining ingredients except sunflower seeds and process just enough to have a nice, smooth batter. When done, pulse in the sunflower seeds or stir in by hand so they remain largely intact.

Use a 1/4 cup measure to drop batter a hot skillet, preferably cast iron, that has been greased with coconut oil. When bubbles form around the upper edges and cakes are brown on the bottom, flip and cook side two, as you do with regular pancakes. Add more coconut oil as you make more cakes, to keep them from sticking. Divide griddle cakes between two plates and eat with maple syrup, or raw honey or jam if you prefer.

Kale Around the Clock—Raw Fusion Style

2011-05-29T12:42:00.022-04:00

Freshly harvested, tender spring kale has arrived in Western Massachusetts and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Kale is truly a superstar vegetable. It’s packed with nutrition, tastes great, comes in several colorful varieties and is incredibly versatile in the kitchen.

Kale is a member of the illustrious, cancer-fighting Brassica family and, like its cousins broccoli and daikon radish, has been researched extensively in recent years. Studies suggest that kale may help suppress tumor growth, promote detoxification at the genetic DNA level and support healthy cholesterol levels. Kale is packed with antioxidant flavonoids that fight inflammation and is notably high in lutein, a yellow carotenoid pigment required for healthy vision. It is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K, a good source of manganese, calcium and other bone-building minerals and, best of all... it’s GREEN!

Green foods are beneficial for many reasons, including their exalted status of being the premier alkalizing foods on the planet. Alkaline nutrition is important because the pH of human blood must remain within a very tight, alkaline pH range (between 7.35 and 7.45) and the world we live in has become increasingly acidic, making it tough for the body to maintain. Processed foods, meats, sugars, white flour and most grains (i.e. the modern diet) along with chronic stress (i.e. the modern lifestyle) all promote acidity and threaten our alkaline balance. Ongoing low grade acidic conditions in the body are implicated in a Pandora’s box of health problems from bone loss and premature aging to arthritis, heart disease, cancer...you name it.

Promoting alkalinity is becoming increasingly recognized as critical to healthy physical and metabolic function, so the more alkalizing green vegetables you can eat, the better. Of course, salads and steamed greens are a great place to start. But why stop there? Some leafy greens like KALE are so versatile, they allow you to enjoy greens at every meal—even dessert!

To show you how, I’ll share three delicious and innovative recipes that I’ve adapted from Raw Fusion Recipes by LindaJoy Rose, PhD. LindaJoy is a leader in the field of hypnotherapy and an enthusiastic raw food educator. Her wonderful little recipe book, now in its second printing, is the companion volume to Raw Fusion, an introductory guide to incorporating raw/living foods into a healthy diet. (Visit rawfusionliving.com to order the books or learn more.)

And now…let’s have some fun with Kale Around the Clock!

morning...

Pineapple-Grapefruit Green Smoothie

To bathe your cells in alkalinity on a regular basis, I suggest starting each day with a tall glass of delicious green juice. (My revitalizing Ginger Green Juice is a favorite.) If you don’t have a juicer or simply find yourself in the mood for a more substantial meal, a blended green smoothie—which, unlike juice, retains the fiber of the fruits and veggies it contains—is a fine alternative. Experiment with different fresh leafy greens or green herbs—spinach, kale, parsley, dill—they’re all good. Cilantro really makes the flavors pop in this Pineapple-Grapefruit Green Smoothie. Enjoy for breakfast or lunch.

½ red grapefruit, peeled and pitted
1 cup chopped pineapple
½ lemon, peeled and pitted
4 leaves of kale, chopped
1 cup cilantro, leaves and stems
4 slices fresh ginger root
½ cup water or cooled lemon balm tea

Rough chop all ingredients, add to blender and blend on high until well combined. Add additional liquid or ice to reach desired temperature and consistency. Makes one pint.

Recipe inspired by Green Fairy’s Lemonade in Raw Fusion Recipes by LindaJoy Rose.

afternoon...

Lunar Kale Chips

When I was a kid, people used to say the moon was made of green cheese. These days, everyone knows the moon is made of rocks and dust, but we can still make our own green cheese using sprouted pumpkin seeds and seasonings. The classic approach to making pumpkin seed paté is tweaked here to create a savory Lunar Sauce for these out-of-this-world kale chips.

1 bunch Red Russian kale, or other flat leaf variety
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked 4 hours, drained and rinsed
1 lemon’s juice
½ cup water
1 clove garlic
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp chipotle chili powder
¾ tsp Himalayan pink salt
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast

Rinse kale leaves well and remove stems. Save stems for juice and set leaves aside. To make sauce, put pumpkin seeds, lemon juice, water, and all seasonings except nutritional yeast into blender and blend on medium to high speed until well combined. Pour sauce into a large bowl, add a little more water to the blender and blend quickly to loosen the remaining sauce, then add this to what’s already in the bowl. Stir in the nutritional yeast by hand. Taste and adjust salt or seasonings if desired. Coat each kale leaf on both sides with the Lunar Sauce. Arrange leaves on dehydrator trays lined with Teflex sheets. Avoid overlapping leaves to permit air circulation. (My bunch of kale contained twelve leaves and I needed four trays to lay them all out.) Use up all the sauce—you should have just enough.

Dehydrate kale chips for one hour at 145 degrees, then reduce temperature to just under 110 degrees and continue dehydrating for about four hours. At this point, gently flip chips off of the Teflex and onto the mesh trays, dry sides down. Dehydrate another two to four hours or until desired crispiness is reached. Keeping them slightly moist and flexible is a fun option and keeps the kale a bit more lively, since a plant’s vitality is primarily contained in its water-containing portions.

If you don’t have a dehydrator, you could try making Lunar Kale Chips in a very low-temperature oven, perhaps with the door left slightly open. If using this method, use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and keep an eye on the chips as they dry – they might be crisp within 20 to 30 minutes.

Recipe inspired by Cheezy Chili Chips in Raw Fusion Recipes by LindaJoy Rose.

evening...

Kale Fudge Torte

I was planning on making Kale Brownies with this adapted recipe, but I overdid it on the food processing and things got pretty sticky fast! Luckily, my mistake yielded outstanding results, and a Torte was born. There are two whole cups of chopped kale in this recipe but you really can’t taste them at all, as confirmed by my Sunday Yoga test group. (Maybe once you know it’s there you THINK you can taste the kale, but nobody guessed the secret ingredient.) In fact, this torte may be the most decadent way ever to “sneak” greens into the diet. Consider it a stealth health strategy for people like the mom I met last week at the Greenfield farmer’s market, whose son refuses to eat green veggies. Mom, your secret is safe with me!

1½ cup walnuts or pecans
½ teaspoon sea salt
10 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
2 cups chopped kale leaves, loosely packed (stems removed!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup raw cacao powder, plus 1 teaspoon
1 Tbs coconut butter (not coconut oil)
1 or 2 Tbs maple syrup

In a food processor, pulse nuts and sea salt until finely ground. Add remaining ingredients and process until dough comes together. You may add a tablespoon or two of water to facilitate things if necessary—the dough will be extremely thick.

Place dough on a piece of parchment paper laid flat on the counter and press into a square or round shape, one inch tall. The dough is VERY sticky so moisten your hands with water or use a second piece of parchment paper on top of the dough to help you press and shape the torte. When shaped, wrap in parchment paper and chill until firm, about one hour or longer. Before serving, sprinkle top with additional teaspoon of raw cacao powder by sifting through a fine mesh strainer, such as a tea strainer. (To sift, hold strainer over the torte and “stir” the cacao powder with a spoon or chopstick to sift the cacao onto the surface of the torte, covering the entire surface with fine powder.)

Store Kale Fudge Torte in the fridge and consume within three days—the raw, living kale in the recipe leads to a short shelf life. If you can’t or don’t want to finish the torte in only three days, I suggest freezing individual sized pieces, each tightly wrapped in parchment paper and sealed within a freezer bag. Then, when you feel like a treat, just take out a packet and let it warm up on the counter. Yum!

Recipe inspired by Family Favorite Flourless Chocolate Cake in Raw Fusion Recipes by LindaJoy Rose. Many thanks to LJ for sending me the books and for being so patient while I prepared this post! ♥

Lemon Cream Pie (in a glass!)

2011-04-08T09:57:00.014-04:00

Spring! Here it comes lightly, on blue jay wings and purple crocus petals. And look what's popping up in my garden. Could that be a rare variety of... Green Smoothie?!

Well, I confess that was a staged photo. But what fun I'm having, and hopefully, you are too as warmer weather finally, finally makes a tentative but unmistakable appearance here in New England.

On the menu today, a fruit-free, sugar-free green smoothie. This is a rare variety indeed, as typically, I always put fruit in my smoothies. But I'm experimenting with eating less fruit, so this is a departure for me. And I am pleased to report the results are most satisfactory.

So, how do you sweeten up a smoothie without fruit? There are a few options: agave, raw honey and maple syrup are obvious choices. All are low glycemic but still contain sugar calories as fructose, which can feed yeast and lead to bloating. If I wanted fructose, I'd use fruit. So that leaves me with stevia, lo huan go and the happy members of the polyol family. I went with the latter, using a relatively new-to-market sweetener you may not have yet heard of: organic erythitol.

Organic erythritol is a naturally-occurring compound that, in this case, is derived from organic sugar cane juice. Erythritol has a spotless safety profile, contains zero calories and has zero impact on blood sugar levels, making it zero glycemic. Best of all, it's delicious, without any of the weird bitterness or licorice aftertaste that plague some healthy sweeteners I know.

As a polyol or sugar alcohol, erythritol belongs to the same family as xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol, etc. The unique advantage erythritol has over it's cousin polyols is that erythritol does not cause any digestive upset (gas, bloating, diarrhea). That's because unlike all other polyols, erythritol is absorbed by the small intestine. However, once absorbed, it doesn't do much of anything in the body. In my booklet Natural and Healthy Sweeteners, I liken erythritol to a polite tourist, absorbed by the villi, taking in the anatomical sights as it travels through circulation and then leaving the body as it entered, without changing a thing.

Erythritol is sold in a white crystalline form and is half as sweet as table sugar. The organic brand I use is called Zero, by Wholesome Sweeteners. Whole Foods carries it in 12-pounce packages for $13.99, a bit steep, so I special ordered a case from my local coop and have it available at Community Superfoods for a couple dollars less. Still pricey, I know, but worth it for someone like me who really—I'm sorry—can't stand the taste of stevia, and wants to enjoy a neutral, low glycemic, safe and healthy sweetener in my tea.

Or smoothies, as the case may be. Turns out, I don't even miss the fruit in this delicious Lemon Cream Pie smoothie which is smooth and sweet, refreshing and nourishing all at the same time. High-protein hemp and chia seeds make it creamy and rich with omega-3s. Fresh lemon and green veggies give it an alkaline charge, helping to neutralize acidity in the body. Optional ginger offers anti-inflammatory benefits and vanilla powder plus erythritol make it sweet as pie.

Lemon Cream Pie - a Sugar-Free Green Smoothie

3 Tbs hemp seeds
1 Tbs chia seeds
1 cup water
1 lemon, peeled and pitted, or 2-3 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla powder
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 handful baby spinach
1-2 Tbs organic erythritol
a few slices of fresh ginger root (optional)
4 ice cubes (optional)

Add hemp seeds, chia seeds and water to blender while preparing remaining ingredients, allowing seeds to soak and soften. Put everything in the blender, including optional ginger and ice if you want a colder, frothier smoothie. Blend on high speed about one minute, until fully blended.

Substitutions & Variations:
If you don't have vanilla powder, substitute vanilla extract.
For Banana Cream Pie smoothie: add banana, reduce erythritol.
For Chocolate Cream Pie smoothie: add 2 Tbs raw cacao powder, omit lemon.

Lemons and greens in juices & smoothies help alkalinize the body.

Homemade Cilantro Hummus—In a Jiffy

2011-04-05T06:49:00.009-04:00

Making school lunches has been part of my morning routine for, let's see, at least a dozen years now...so I've got it down to a science. An imperfect science at best. Actually, I should say it's more of an art. If not a downright scramble.

Okay, let me rephrase. Better yet, an example. Take this morning, for instance. Sprouted grain bread for assembling obligatory sandwich, check. Loaf in the freezer, however. Solution: pry off two frozen, stuck-together slices and lay on counter top to thaw.

Step two: decide what kind of sandwich to make. Today's options begin with raw almond butter and jam. But my son is starting tennis season and cutting down on sugars to get in shape, so he'd prefer a protein lunch. Option two...um, let's see what I've got here. If only I hadn't finished that container of hummus on Saturday....

Hummus! I can make that myself! It's like a revelation, which is funny, because I am old enough to remember a time when people always made their own hummus. It simply wasn't available in stores before Hot Mama's & Co. came to town.

And besides, hummus is super easy to make. All you need is a food processor (I'm not old enough to remember mashing the stuff by hand, thank you), chick peas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice (from fresh lemons or pre-squeezed). Today, I had it all, plus cilantro!

So there I am at 6:30 in the morning, whipping up hummus. I hope Zack likes it since, I confess, I only took a few small "I haven't even had my tea yet" tastes, although the smell is terrific. By the time the hummus was made, the bread was thawed enough to separate into two slices. Spread one with hummus, the other with Garlic Red Pepper Miso, fill with fresh alfalfa sprouts, snuggle into a baggie and we have one tasty sandwich to go. Add to lunch box along with fresh fruit, organic yogurt, Rice Milk and a chocolate protein bar for pre-practice snack and there's school lunch... in plenty of time to catch the bus.

Now, about that tea...!

Homemade Hummus with Fresh Cilantro

1 can (15 oz) chick peas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tahini, raw or roasted
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2-4 Tablespoons
1 clove garlic, minced
salt or Herbamare to taste
small bunch of fresh cilantro stems, minced, (about 1/4 cup)
water as needed to facilitate processing

Add chick peas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic to food processor and pulse till well blended. Add water or additional lemon juice as needed to smooth the processing or hummus will be too dry, especially if using raw tahini (which is less oily than roasted tahini). Add salt or Herbamare (that's what I used - delicious!), pulse again and taste. When satisfied with salt level, add the chopped cilantro stems and pulse them in gently, so they retain their individuality. You could also use cilantro leaves, but since they are prized more greatly as a garnish and in salads, I found this was a good use for the stems. The humble stems still taste wholly cilantro-y and I always add them into soups, beans, etc, saving the leaves for topping.

Practically Raw Sprouted Corn Tostadas

2011-03-24T13:46:00.012-04:00

Here's something very delicious to make for lunch that whips up in a jiffy and features a brand NEW! product I tried for the first time today: organic Sprouted Corn Tortillas from the Food For Life Baking Company (makers of Ezekiel bread, sprouted grain bagels, sprouted whole wheat tortillas, etc.)

Sprouted grain products are valued for many reasons. Grains are seeds and when they are sprouted, their nutritional value often goes up. The sprouting process initiates the breakdown of protein and carbohydrate compounds in the grains, releasing bound amino acid and sugar components and freeing up nutrients. In this sense, sprouted grains are essentially "pre-digested," to a degree. Another benefit of sprouting is that natural anti-nutrients in grains, such as phytates and protease enzyme inhibitors, are also broken down and degraded in the sprouting process. Finally, sprouting makes grains more alkaline, helping them to favor a preferential pH balance in the body.

All soaked and sprouted grains, as well as sprouted beans and seeds, will offer the above benefits. Sprouting, however, does not remove gluten, a gluey protein that is found in wheat, spelt, rye, and barley. Gluten sensitivity is a rising problem around the world with an estimated 30-40% of people affected. Any food which is made from wheat or any gluten-containing grain, even healthy sprouted Ezekiel bread, still contains gluten.

Corn, on the other hand, is a gluten-free grain. Some people are allergic to corn, but gluten intolerance is not linked to corn allergies, so having a sensitivity to one does not implicate the other. Corn is an ancient New World grain that was sacred to American Indian tribes. Although modern corn has been abused in many ways by agribusiness and industrial development, corn itself is still a high value food, especially when it is organic corn grown in nutrient-rich soils and free of genetically modified organisms.

Delicious Food for Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas are made with only four ingredients: organic sprouted corn, filtered water, sea salt and lime. According to the company, after the corn is sprouted it is ground and mixed with the other ingredients to form a masa, or traditional thick dough, which is then rolled and flattened into characteristic tortilla shapes. The tortillas are baked at low temperatures (250 degrees) before packaging. Each tortilla provides 60 calories of whole grain carbohydrate energy and only 1 gram of fat, plus a little calcium and iron. The flavor and texture is naturally corn-sweet, wholesome, chewy and far moister than some gluten-free tortillas I've tried that crumble when folded.

I forsee this product becoming a new staple in my kitchen and am pleased to be sharing it with you today. I looking forward to creating sprouted corn tostadas with avocadoes and cilantro, with black beans, with tofu-miso paté... but for today, let us begin with hummus, the humble and widely available Middle Eastern sesame-chick pea spread. I used Hot Mama's original flavor hummus in this recipe, but any brand or flavor, including your own homemade raw or cooked hummus, would surely be tasty and satisfying.

Practically Raw Sprouted Corn Tostadas
with Hummus, Salsa & Sprouts

2 sprouted corn tortillas
1/4 cup hummus, your pick of flavor
1 cup alfalfa or red clover sprouts
2 teaspoons salsa
2 black olives

Warm tortillas briefly in the toaster or on the surface of a hot, cast-iron skillet for about 30 seconds to gently soften. Transfer to plate and divide hummus evenly between the two tortillas, spreading out almost to the edges. Top each tostada with half the sprouts, half the salsa and one black olive. To eat, spread the salsa across the center line and fold the tostada in half, like a soft taco. Then, bite in. Yum!

Note: I purchased my sprouted corn tortillas at Green Fields Market in Greenfield, MA and did not receive any product or compensation from Food for Life Baking Company prior to posting this blog. However, Food for Life is welcome to send me free samples and coupons anytime, as I adore their products!

Creamy Green Pea Soup with Dill

2011-02-07T14:31:00.016-05:00

"There is nothing so innocent, so confiding in its expression, as the small green face of the freshly shelled spring pea." —William Wallace Irwin, Garrulous Gourmet

The author of the above quote was a man after my own heart. How do I love peas? Let me count the ways.

1) darling little spherical shape
2) cheerful, bright green color
3) cute and sustainable natural packaging (they nestle together in tidy rows like vegetable pearls, snugly tucked into tenderly crisp pods)
4) vines have adorable curly tendrils
5) plant is both delicate and strong: tenaciously clings and boldly climbs
6) softly patterned leaves of graceful round shape are very pretty
7) great raw texture: fresh, firm and crunchy
8) great cooked texture: soft and firmly squishy
9) delicious! (Yes best of all, I love how peas taste! So sweet!)

Sadly, not everyone has experienced the pleasure of eating fresh shell peas. The fairly recent invention of the scrumptious, edible pod Sugar Snap pea has led to a decline in the availability of English (shell) peas, which is a shame since scraping peas off the pod with your teeth and munching down on the resulting mouthful of roly-poly sugary greenness is one of the all time great summertime joys.

Did someone say summer? Sigh. Writing from the dead of winter could be why I've recently found myself craving the bright, fresh lively taste of peas. So when I saw a recipe for fresh pea soup on the delightful raw food blog Raw on $10 a Day or Less, I was inspired.

My version of this Practically Raw soup uses fresh dill, a kiss of lemon juice and frozen, thawed organic baby peas. Frozen peas, like most if not all frozen vegetables, are blanched in boiling water prior to being flash frozen. Blanching yields a "practically raw" pea that is neither cooked nor raw. You can read more about how peas are frozen here.

Dillis a nutritious and medicinal culinary herb whose fresh pungent flavor superbly complements the sweetness of green peas. Flavorful, alkalinizing green herbs are our natural healers, so I always have at least one bunch in my refrigerator at all times, alternating between dill, cilantro and parsley. Creamy avocado lends a rich, velvety smoothness to this quick-to-prepare potage.

Creamy Green Pea Soup with Dill

2 cups baby peas
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 small avocado
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill leaves, and their stems, also chopped
1 or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (1/2 lemon's worth)
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
a few grinds of black pepper

If using frozen peas, allow to thaw completely at room temperature; then drain in a colander or strainer. Set aside 1/2 cup of peas and about 2 Tablespoons of chopped dill leaves. Add everything else to blender and blend until creamy smooth. Use hotter water for a warmer soup. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Divide soup into two bowls and top with reserved peas and chopped dill. (Note: Soup may be gently heated further on stovetop to desired temperature before serving; I like it just medium warm, as it comes out of the blender.)

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life!

2011-02-01T10:47:00.006-05:00

Today is February first, a new month, which means NOW is the perfect time to RENEW your commitments and make a FRESH start towards reaching your health and life goals!

In the spirit of new beginnings, I'd like to share some wise words from the wonderful Laurel Elizabeth Keyes, an inspiring 20th century author and spiritual teacher. Among her many accomplishments, Keyes discovered the sound healing technique of Toning and founded a religious order based on the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi. I often recommend her classic book What's Eating You? to my nutritional counseling clients who struggle with issues of emotional eating. (To order the book or learn more, click here.)

The power of positive thinking is a concept whose implications run deep. The truth is that our experience of life is totally dependent on our thoughts. The stories we tell ourselves day in and day out—about events, other people and ourselves—create our reality and may even influence the shape of our DNA and expression of our genes. As vipassana meditation teacher S. N. Goenka says, "Mind matters most."

What stories do you tell yourself over and over? Are you narrating yourself a book-on-tape that makes you want to laugh or cry? Remember, if you don't like the way the story is turning out, you can always change the tape! Imagine if everyone started telling only good, encouraging and loving thoughts to themselves. How might this change the world?

"We recognize that we do not live in a world common to all. Each of us lives in a private world which we have created with our convictions, opinions, reactions, values, memories and aspirations. We can not change the “outside” world but we can change our private worlds.

"Living is a moment by moment process. We live one moment at a time, NOW. We have the power to choose how we shall live this one moment. As we decide the quality to give this moment, (hope or despair—love or hate—optimism or gloom) we make a pattern for the next moment, and all of our future! When we realize this we feel masters of our lives instead of slaves to circumstances. When we choose to live each one moment with the Ideal, the future can become ideal.

"As we change ourselves by our attitudes, we may inspire others to do so and if everyone changes himself, we shall have that longed-for peace which all seek."

—Laurel Elizabeth Keyes, Order of Fransisters and Franbrothers

May you be your own cheering squad, support team and number one fan! Remember: everything you need is in you now, and you have the power to change your life, your health, your eating and exercise habits, whatever you know could be better and more satisfying in your life. It sounds corny but it's true: believe in yourself, focus on your successes, aim for "progress not perfection," and positive changes are bound to follow!

In light and joy, Diana

Develop Your Instrument

2011-01-22T11:04:00.009-05:00

You know how sometimes you hear a phrase, even an offhand comment, and it gets you thinking? This happened to me yesterday when I was attending an introductory talk for aspiring theater majors (and their parents) at Boston University.

The speaker was encouraging the students, if they were lucky enough to be accepted into the program, to take advantage of all the multiple opportunities available at BU to develop their instrument. He went on to list opportunities ranging from vocal lessons to weight training, from Zumba to Zen meditation and more.

I was enthralled by this concept of “your instrument". Because what he meant was yourself, all of you: body, mind, feelings, spirit.

The drummer has a drum, the guitarist a guitar, the trumpeter a horn. These are instruments, as we know them. More subtly and personally, the vocalist has the voice, the dancer, limbs and muscles, to flex and strengthen. But an actor uses his or her whole person and psyche—physical body and vocal expression, intellect, emotions, experience and feelings—to portray a character. An actor’s entire being is his or her instrument.

And not just actors, I think.

Are we not all our own instruments, playing the song of our sweet life, brief and precious? And if so, how in tune are we? How well cared for, exquisitely fed, freshly oiled or strung, moved and exercised, touched and loved, aligned with Spirit? What do we do every day to develop our instrument? Or to weaken it? And as a result, what kind of music do we share with the world?

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace…

So begins the famous poem attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. This idea of being an instrument is not new. Nor will it ever grow old.

Where there is hatred let me sow love...
Where there is doubt, faith...
Where there is darkness, light...

…grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Something must die for you to live. Give thanks to the apple, the carrot, the cow. Life feeding life is the message of Eat to Evolve. And whatever it is that makes you radiate and shine, give it to yourself right now! Nurture your instrument, love your body, feed your soul... and the whole world will shine a little brighter, for you, and for us all.

Practically Raw Baked Potato Salad

2011-01-15T13:08:00.005-05:00

Are you planning on baking potatoes any time soon? If so, cook a few extras and use them to make this Practically Raw Potato Salad.

Practically Raw is my fun little way of saying two things: 1) containing a high percentage of raw food, and 2) a raw or raw-based recipe that is simple and practical to prepare. (Stay tuned for my Eat to Evolve Practically Raw Recipes E-Book coming this year!!)

This Practically Raw recipe relies on a pre-baked organic potato. I happened to have an organic baked Yukon Gold potato on hand, but feel free to use any organic baked potato you like (such as red, or even blue or purple potato, if you want to get fancy). I suggest you stay away from Russet and Idaho varieties as a rule, as they are a) too dry and b) too starchy for optimum carb healthyness. Red, blue and gold potatoes are more nutritious, moist and delicious!

Aside from the potato, everything else in the recipe (except the mustard) is raw and/or alive. For instance, instead of mayonnaise, I use mashed avocado and lemon juice, a brilliant idea I gleaned from a fellow Detox Community member over at detoxtheworld.com (that's Natalia Rose's awesome website, fyi). Avocado combines as a starch so its a perfect addition to potato salad. Just mash avocado with lemon juice and add miso and mustard for a tasty, creamy dressing.

Next, add a few handfulls of colorful veggies to the avocado mayonnaise. It's a rainbow for your tummy.

Finally, stir in the diced baked potato. Note: it was easy to peel the skin off the baked potato so I did, but you could leave it on if you prefer.

Here is the recipe I used in its entirety. Feel free to improvise with whatever raw veggies you happen to have on hand... to make this baked potato salad even more practically raw! :)

Practically Raw Baked Potato Salad

1 good sized organic baked potato, sliced and diced
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 ripe avocado
1/4 to 1/2 red bell pepper, minced
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped (a big handful, basically)
1/4 red onion, minced
1 teaspoon miso
1 teaspoon mustard (i used whole grain but dijon would be good, too)

Directions
Mash the avocado with lemon juice, then stir in mustard and miso. Mix this with the red pepper, red onion and cilantro, saving a little minced pepper or cilantro for garnish. Add chopped potato and gently stir everything together. Garnish and enjoy! Serves one as a stand alone meal, two as a side with green salad.

Blizzard Plate Special Salad with Parsley-Macadamia Nut-Pumpkin Seed Paté & Sprouted Seed Crackers

2010-12-27T13:10:00.008-05:00

The first snowstorm of the season is blowing outside, windy, white and cold. When it comes to lunch, this means only one thing: a hearty salad plate.

My salads always start with a big, fluffy bed of greens. In this case, I used a blend of 50% chopped romaine, my favorite winter lettuce, and 50% baby mesclun greens. Chopped avocado, tomato and red (Bermuda) onion are added next, with a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice on top for the brightest and simplest of dressings.

On the side, you'll see a scoop of my delicious Parsley-Macadamia Nut-Pumpkin Seed Paté (recipe to follow) surrounded by two flavors of Sprouted Seed Crackers. I made these in the dehydrator with a dough formed from soaked and sprouted buckwheat, flax and sunflower seeds that I ground and combined with assorted seasonings. The exact recipe is top secret, but you can come close with my Rainy Day Crackers.

Even though it is cold outside, our bodies still crave fresh living foods. Use good strong greens, warming onions or garlic, and a topping of healthy fats and proteins (in this case from avocados and nuts/seeds... but you could also consider black beans or chickpeas, kalamata olives, sardines, etc) to make nourishing winter salads that both satisfy and appeal. Bon appetit!

Parsley-Macadamia Nut-Pumpkin Seed Paté

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked 2-4 hours and drained
1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 lemon's juice (about 1/4 cup)
3 Tbs cold-pressed raw olive oil
1 tsp raw coconut oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (about 3 stalks)
black pepper to taste
about 1/4 cup water, more or less as needed

Directions
In a food processor, process pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts and sea salt into a fine meal. Add lemon juice and oils and begin processing again, drizzling in water until the mass gets rolling. Continue processing for a few minutes, stopping as needed to spatula down the sides, and allow it to keep going until very creamy. At that point, add fresh black pepper and chopped parsley and pulse process for about half a minute or until well blended. Store paté in a covered glass jar or container in the refrigerator. Makes 2 cups (one pint) and keeps for up to a week. Or, divide into portions and freeze what you won't use in a week. This paté freezes really well by keeping its consistency after thawing, making it quite handy to grab and bring to a raw food pot luck in a pinch. (True story.)

♥

Ginger Beet Borscht

2010-12-15T13:17:00.009-05:00

Mmmm good: spicy ginger & sweet beets united as one!

Isn't it true that as the temperature outside gets colder and colder (a measly 2 degrees here this morning)... warm, comforting soups become more and more appealing? And what could be more appealing than an easy to prepare, thick and creamy blended soup?

Lately, I've been whipping up all manner of delicious bisques, purees and potages simply by combining leftover cooked veggies with either their own saved cooking liquid or some vegetable broth, and adding additional raw veggies and/or seasonings as inspiration moves me.

This tasty borscht is made with leftover roasted beets. I'll often roast a few days worth of beets at a time to eat with avocado or goat cheese salads and other meals throughout the week. Blending up roasted beets into a smooth, warming soup is something I hadn't tried before, and I was most pleased with the results.

The irresistibly sweet, succulent beet is a light yet hearty root vegetable, rich in health-promoting betaine, a red pigment that helps boost liver detox and support heart health.

Fresh ginger, a premier inflammation buster, is a perfect flavor complement to the beet and makes this soup extra warming and satisfying. Raw garlic adds some zing while boosting the immune system with cancer fighting allicins.

Tender baby spinach, brimming with green life force, is high in bone-building calcium and blood-building iron.

Seitenbacher's vegetable broth powder is one of my favorite instant flavorizers—love it!

To make Ginger Beet Borscht, just pop all of the above in your blender and go! Feel free to add water or broth as needed to achieve desired consistency. I started with one cup of water and increased to about two and a half cups before finding the right balance of liquid to thickness.

Total yield: about 4 cups or 2 large bowls of sweet, ruby deep nourishment!

Ginger Beet Borscht

Ingredients
3 medium roasted beets
1 cup packed fresh, raw baby spinach
1 clove garlic
1 chunk of ginger, a little smaller than your thumb
1-2 cups of warm vegetable broth or warm water (if using water, add 1 teaspoon powdered veggie broth, or to taste)

garnish:
freshly ground black pepper
hemp seeds or crumbled, savory Kale Krisps

Directions
To roast beets, scrub well and remove tops and tails. Put a little olive oil in your palm and take each beet into your hand, one at a time, to lightly coat with oil. Put beets into a cast iron frying pan or pyrex baking dish and cover loosely with foil, or wrap each beet individually in foil. Roast at 400 degrees for about 2 hours until fork tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool. At this point, you may pop the inner beet out of the skin or keep the skin on if you prefer. The earthy taste of beet skins is a bit too strong for some palates, but skins may be eaten with no ill effects if they appeal.

To make soup, put roasted beets, garlic, ginger, spinach and water or broth into your high speed blender and blend until smooth. The soup will be warm at this point, but if desired, warm further to about 100 degrees on stove top. As long as the temperature remains below 118 degrees, the enzyme and life force activity of raw ingredients will remain intact.

Divide into bowls and top with freshly ground black pepper plus a sprinkle of hemp seeds (photo above) or crumbled Kale Krisps (photo below). Kale Krisps are a scrumptious dehydrated raw kale treat. Purchase at Whole Foods (or, if you are a local reader, from me, for less! Community Superfoods price: just $6.50 per 3 ounce package!)

Mini-Cleanse Takes Off & Holiday Success Tips

2010-12-03T09:28:00.012-05:00

Oh, the power of a great idea.

I just completed a post-Thanksgiving Three Day Mini-Cleanse modeled on the one I created last January. Looks like I'm not alone! Google the term "3-Day Mini-Cleanse" and you'll see more than 300,000 hits come up! Not surprisingly, many of them are linked to holiday indulgence recovery.

People all over the world are craving the high energy, clear mind and lean body that results from embracing a natural foods, cleansing diet-lifestyle. And though the principles of cellular cleansing are meant to be followed all the time for peak benefits, it's common to fall off the wagon on occasion. The mini-cleanse gets you back on track.

For deeper and more serious work, consider a 21-day or one-month detox. If you'd like support with this, I offer affordable detox and transformational health coaching packages to telephone and in-person clients. This service offers the personalized program and expert, individualized attention that can help you thrive.

Ongoing support, whether short or long term, is the secret to success for many people. Others just need a boost of inspiration from time to time. In this spirit, here are some tips for making it through the next month without derailing your diet-lifestyle commitments. May you be well and joyful. ♥ Diana

Five Tips for a Successful, Cleanse-Friendly Holiday Season

1. Be Prepared. Having a food plan is your best defense against getting stuck in a situation where there is no recourse to good choices. The holiday season, with all its extra social occasions and workplace obligations calls for extra planning. Allow five minutes each night to think about tomorrow's schedule and plan your food for the day. If you know you will be attending a party where choices will be limited, for instance, plan to eat a salad first and bring along your own go-to snacks. (Baby carrots, raw almonds, fruit or dark chocolate all pack well and are fun to share!) Anytime advance prep is required, don't wait till you are rushing out the door in the morning to start washing lettuce. And never leave the house hungry. Be sure to have your breakfast juice, fruit or smoothie first — or bring it with you. Making a few days worth of juices or smoothies at once and tucking them in the freezer makes it easy to grab and go. A full fruit bowl on the kitchen table will help to remind you to bring a juicy snack.

2. Relax Before Eating. Many of us eat in response to stress, to ease tension. Chewing itself has been shown to stimulate the release of serotonin, so there's a biolchemical drive behind this behavior. But stress hunger is in your head, not your belly. If you find yourself opening the refrigerator door or reaching for a snack you know you don't need, pause and check in with yourself first. Take a few deep breaths and ask the question: Do I really want to go down this road? Often, you'll realize the answer is "No way!" And if the answer is yes, choose a crunchy low-cal juicy vegetable or fruit option. When mealtime arrives, take another moment to tune into your body’s signals about what and how much to eat before putting food on your plate. Then, put the right amount for you in this moment, no seconds needed. Enjoy each bite consciously. LOOK at the food on your fork or spoon before putting it in your mouth, CHEW well, TASTE the delicious flavors and BE HAPPY!

3. Stay Hydrated. I've always envied those people who love drinking water, since I am not one of them. I know it's good for me, but those liter bottles are just intimidating! I do love tea, though, and small glasses of water go down easy. So every hour or two, I aim to have one or the other, keeping my beloved black tea intake down to one or two cups a day. Coffee drinkers, take extra heed. (Caffeine increases stress and anxiety—who needs that?)

4. Keep Moving. Exercise dials down stress and normalizes hunger patterns. You don't need to join a gym to benefit from exercise. Bundle up and take an invigorating walk in the brisk December air. Guaranteed, you'll come back in with a fresh new perspective on your day. Or put on your running shoes and spend 20-30 minutes bouncing to your favorite music on your rebounder. In addition to cardio benefits, you'll sweat out toxins and boost your mood with a rush of feel-good endorphins brought on by both music and heart-pumping movement.

5. Stay True to Your Self. Most of us were raised to "be nice" and accept gifts graciously, whether we want them or not. So when the gift is food that we don't want to put in our body, many of us freeze and suffer the consequences. Now that we are adults, it's time to be nice to ourselves by learning how to kindly say "no, thank you" to unwanted gifts. What you choose eat and drink is not a topic for others to challenge or take personal offense to. So whether it's candy, cake, pasta or sugary beverages on offer (or anything else that's off your program), don't worry about hurting your friend, family member, office mate or host's feelings. Remember your why and be true to yourself. (To make this simpler, see Tip One, Be Prepared!)

Autumn Empress Salad with Currried Hemp Seed Dressing

2010-11-25T08:32:00.006-05:00

It’s been more than a month since I posted my last blog from the beaches of Florida...and suddenly, its twenty degrees outside and Thanksgiving Day! How did that happen? And what better occasion to share a delicious harvest recipe featuring a cornucopial favorite: winter squash.

But first, a brief explanation for my absence. No—I didn’t run away with a pod of dolphins (sigh). I’ve been home in Western Massachusetts, witnessing the emergence of bare branches and absorbing, activating and working with Reiki, the healing energy system transmitted and taught to me in Florida last month by Reiki master, psychic healer and author Diane Stein. After intensive practice and further attunement, I am pleased to begin offering Reiki healings and energy balancing as an adjunct to nutritional counseling for my clients.

Of course during these many weeks of inner transformation, I have still been eating and preparing food! I’ve had a lot of new "raw materials" to work with as well, lol, brought to market by the wonderful organic farmers of the Pioneer Valley. I’m astounded at the variety of never-before-seen fruits and vegetables our farmers introduce to the locally-grown table each year… new and unusual shapes and colors of peppers, heirloom tomatoes, baby potatoes, squashes, apples, pears and more. Amazing!

My latest vegetable crush is on Orange Sunshine kabocha. This hefty baby is the red/orange-skinned version of my beloved "buttercup" squash, formerly the sweetest, most velvety winter squash I had tasted. That is to say, before my new squash crush changed things forever.

Orange Sunshine’s bumpy, scarlet-tinged outer skin hides richly hued, orange-gold flesh within. When baked at 400 degrees, cut side down in a pan of water, the flesh of this beauty becomes soft, smooth and sugary enough to give garnet yams a run for their money. Eaten raw, it is surprisingly crisp, juicy and, yes, super sweet! Who knew?

The raw winter squash raw-velation came to me while preparing my first Orange Sunshine for the oven. Once I started crunching on thin slivers of fresh squash and realized how DELICIOUS it was in its natural state, I couldn’t bring myself to bake the whole thing! Setting some hunks aside, snugly wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge, I came up with this recipe the following day.

Combining gorgeous Orange Sunshine kabocha with royal Purple Cabbage creates a magnificent color combination, a visual feast fit for a queen. In my Autumn Empress Salad, this imperial vegetable duo is topped with an exotic savory dressing, spiced with curry and rich in protein and healthy omega-3 fatty acids from golden hemp and thickening chia seeds. For a hotter version, double the curry powder and add cayenne pepper to taste.

Enjoy Autumn Empress Salad as a main meal or simple side. For a regal presentation, spoon into pale green butter lettuce boats and imagine them as crunchy royal barges, floating straight down your plate in the direction of your happy mouth and belly. ☺

Autumn Empress Salad with Curried Hemp Seed Dressing

Salad Ingredients
1½ - 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1½ - 2 cups grated Orange Sunshine kabocha squash

Dressing Ingredients
¼ cup hemp seeds
1 Tbs white chia seeds
½ lemon, peeled and pitted
1 lime’s juice
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp each curry powder, turmeric powder
1 tsp raw honey or agave, or 3 drops liquid stevia extract
1 cup cold water

Serving Suggestion Ingredients
2 butter lettuce leaves per person
4 slices honeycrisp apple per plate

Directions
Shred or finely chop purple cabbage leaves after removing the thick inner stem. Grate kabocha squash in hunks, by first cutting off a slice and removing any seeds clinging to the center, then cutting a wedge that will grate easily. Hold the skin side of the squash towards your palm and grate only the inner flesh. The remaining strip of skin may be eaten by you, composted or given to the dog. (My dog is crazy for squash!) Place shredded cabbage and grated squash in a large bowl and toss gently to combine.

Add all dressing ingredients to a high speed blender and blend on high until creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Spoon into butter lettuce leaves if desired and garnish plates with crisp, sweet apple slices. Apples combine well with this beautiful raw salad, provided no starches, cooked veggies or animal proteins are eaten at the same meal.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!
With grateful ♥, Diana

Hot Dates

2010-10-09T11:53:00.011-04:00

When it comes to candy, I have just two words in my vocabulary: “chocolate” and “dates.” I’ve written many times before about dark chocolate, my go-to dessert of choice (beloved in part for the fact that it combines equally well with a starch or a protein meal). And I’ve blogged often about raw cacao, one of my favorite ingredients for making decadent power smoothies and delectable raw desserts. (Click here and here for recipes.)

But as much as I love cacao, I have to admit I’m a fool for fresh dates – often sold as Medjool dates. You know, the big, soft sticky kind that simply ooze sweet lusciousness from every moist fiber in their plump little bodies? Those ones.

So, imagine a place where these exact soft, chewy dates fall from the trees in such abundance that they litter the sidewalks, causing a nuisance for shopkeepers and passersby.

That place exists, and it is Treasure Island. I know this because I’m here for a weekend Reiki intensive that started last night. I’ve never been to this side of Florida before and I’m in love with the deep gulf coast beach. Think acres of clean, silky white sand. Tiny pink seashells the size of your fingerprint. Warm calm waters skimmed at sunrise by glider-winged pelicans, scanning for breakfast. Graceful dolphins swimming parallel to the shoreline, curved backs slicing through the sea like glossy dark serpents. And that was just this morning.

But I digress. I was talking about dates.

Besides being delicious dates are a rich source of nutrition. Dates are very high in minerals. A quarter cup of these succulent jewels supplies eight percent of your daily potassium needs and six percent of manganese requirements, along with zinc and copper, iron, selenium, calcium and magnesium.

Dates are also an excellent source of fiber. They are very low in moisture compared to most other fruits, but although dates seem like a dried fruit, they actually are not! I now know this firsthand, having found and tasted several freshly fallen, “dried” dates this morning on my stroll through town.

You could say that as a tropical fruit, dates are naturally dehydrated by the sun. Being native to hot and desert-like environments has influenced the evolution of dates and caused them to contain high levels of antioxidant polyphenols. In dates, olives and other plant foods, polyphenols protect fruits and seeds from turning bad before they ripen to maturity. Plant polyphenols also act as antioxidants in humans. Date polyphenols have been shown to inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, making them a good choice for heart and blood vessel health. [Hughes JS, Ganthavorn C. Role of Antioxidants in Asian Vegetables and California Dates. Acta Hort. (ISHS) 837:59-64]

Better yet, polyphenols aren't just good for your ticker. In fact, these free radical-quenching compounds help to fight inflammation and slow the aging process throughout the body. And according to the USDA and the California Date Commission, dates are higher in antioxidant polyphenols than any of the most commonly consumed fruits and veggies. Who knew?

Clearly, dates are one of the healthiest natural sweets in the world. So skip the Snickers and enjoy a few Medjool dates as a between meal pick-me-up! Or, eat some dates for dessert. They make an ideal finish to the new standby healthy comfort meal (made famous by Natalia Rose), avocado salad and baked sweet potatoes... or any well-combined starch-based or nut-based meal.

Personally, I love to eat dates with bananas and organic yogurt, or with nuts. Dates are especially tasty when paired with whole raw almonds or walnuts. You may also stuff them with raw almond butter or dip in sesame tahini. Either of these dreamy treats will digest best if eaten after a salad or along with some raw veggies like celery, carrots or romaine lettuce to help escort the dense fruit-nut combo through your body.

Of course, if you live around Treasure Island you can always just take a walk outside your door, do some wild food gathering and make a breakfast out of freshly dropped dates, plain and simple. Back home this time of year, it's leaves that are dropping from trees ablaze with the warm colors of fall foliage but here in Florida, it’s date season and the picking is fine.

Vanilla Hemp-Milk Shake with Goji Berries

2010-08-30T11:06:00.012-04:00

August ends tomorrow, and back to school season will be upon us. But for now, a week of ninety degree weather is keeping the summer love alive. Here’s a refreshing meal-in-a-glass, perfect for breakfast on these last hot days of summer.

This shake is packed with protein and healthy essential fatty acids from fresh hemp seeds, and gets an added cell-saving antioxidant boost from high ORAC goji berries.

The Oxygen Radical Absorbence Capacity, or ORAC scale measures the antioxidant potential of different foods. Goji berries are one of the highest ORAC fruits, surpassed only by black raspberries and acai. Raw cacao tops them all – but that would be a different shake! Goji berries also contain all eight essential amino acids, making them a complete protein in a cherry-plum tasting package.

In this raw vegan version of the old childhood favorite, the Strawberry Milkshake, hemp seeds make the milk and goji berries stand in for strawberries.

Goji berries are a first-class thickening agent, so lots of water and ice are required, making this shake terrifically hydrating as well as delicious. Powdered vanilla bean provides a deep flavor experience but vanilla extract would also do. Tip: I always peel, bag and freeze my too-ripe bananas so I’m sure to have a stash of frozen bananas on hand.

Vanilla Hemp-Milk Shake with Goji Berries

Ingredients
4 Tablespoons goji berries
1 ½ cups filtered water
1/3 cup hemp seeds
2 frozen organic bananas
¼ teaspoon vanilla powder
4 ice cubes

Directions
Place goji berries, water and hemp seeds in blender container and allow to soak for five minutes or so while you gather the other ingredients. Blend well to make your goji hemp milk, then add bananas, vanilla powder and ice and blend again till nice and frothy.

The Rose Cleanse - Days 6 + 7 - and Carob-Maca Swirl Banana Soft Serve

2010-08-24T16:33:00.009-04:00

My cleanse ended on Sunday, pretty much the way it started: juice all day, and a light, well-combined dinner.

In this case, dinner was a fresh beet slaw and field greens salad followed by organic buckwheat soba noodles tossed with raw marinated portabello mushrooms. Followed by...dessert.

OK, I know. I should have waited until Monday to make frozen banana soft serve. But since when was I a stickler for food rules? And besides, I just completed a seven day cleanse. I earned it.

Enter the trusty Omega 8005 juicer. All washed up from earlier-in-the-day's Pure Veg Green Juice (cucumber-celery-lemon-kale), the Omega was primed and ready to handle a frozen banana with The Blank. (The Blank is a mesh-free attachment that comes with single gear juicers to produce nut butter or soft serve from the end where, normally, pulp is ejected.)

And so, I present to you my Carob-Maca Swirl Frozen Banana Soft Serve. With Blueberries! Ahhh, bliss.

Carob-Maca Swirl Banana Soft Serve

1 large frozen banana
1 scant teaspoon maca powder
1 heaping teaspoon raw carob powder
1-2 handfuls fresh blueberries (optional)

Break the banana into four pieces. With the juicer off and the blank installed, put one piece of banana in the feed tube, followed by one third the maca and carob. Repeat, turning the juicer on when the feed tube is filled and finishing with banana. Run everything through to make soft serve. Mash-stir with fork to combine and swirl, then mix in fresh blueberries or other fruit if desired.

NOTE: If you don't have a single gear juicer [Omega 8005, 8006 or Champion style], you can make frozen banana soft serve in a blender. Be prepared to turn it on and off frequently, however, as you will need press the ingredients down with a wooden spoon between whizzes until it all catches and swirls together.

The Rose Cleanse - Days 4 & 5: Carrot Cake Juice

2010-08-20T19:49:00.007-04:00

Yesterday and today counted as days four and five of my 7-day Rose Cleanse. I call this period the hunker-down phase of a detox, smack dab in the middle. I am noticing that my body feels more energetic in the morning and slower in the afternoons, especially as hunger builds and dinner beckons. That wholesome cleansing dinner makes it possible to detoxify and still be active - went for a one-hour bike ride yesterday and a two-hour walk today. It's great to get my blood and sweat flowing, releasing toxins through my skin. Well worth the need to rest later on and take some quiet time before dinner. Quiet time is what cleansing is all about.

Speaking of dinner, by Day Four I felt ready for a nice protein meal. So yesterday, I purchased two wild salmon steaks - two meals' worth - and pan sautéed them in olive oil with a sprinkle of Himalayan crystal salt and a healthy grind of fresh ground black pepper. Last night's salmon was eaten warm, today's was cold, but both were served with a large green salad topped with chopped heirloom tomatoes, oil-cured black olives, sliced red onion, diced red pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar and Herbamare herbal salt. Spanish Manchego raw sheep cheese and sungold tomatoes rounded out last night's meal, while tonight I indulged in dessert: a dish of fresh blueberries dusted with raw cacao nibs, bee pollen and a drizzle of maple syrup (bending the Cleanse guidelines just a tad). Two meals fit for a queen, indeed.

In addition to permitting me to exercise, having a tasty dinner to look forward to makes juicing all day a sane proposition and satisfies the little rebel in me who doesn't like to be held down, even when the boundaries I've set are my own idea.

I'm also noticing some emotional cleansing going on - tears and feelings close to the surface as I let go of old clutter in my heart as well as my cells. This is detox: a physical and emotional overhaul. Bring it on.

If you are tempted to try The Rose Cleanse but feel like making all your own juice is a big commitment, consider purchasing at least some of your juices ready made. We have a juice bar/café nearby and yesterday morning I did just this, stopping in at The Siren Cafe on Main Street in Greenfield. The Siren is a fairly new, honestly hip establishment run by a friendly crew of bodacious women. In the raw department, The Siren serves fabulous salads, juices, smoothies and tasty fruit-nut energy bars, along with more standard, high quality café fare (fair trade tea and coffee drinks, baked goods, breakfast bagels and piled high sandwich creations).

Incredibly, The Siren allows you to build your own three-item, 16-ounce juice for only $3.25. Yes, you read that correctly. Three-twenty five! What a deal! That's practically less than it costs to make the juice yourself. It's not organic, but well worth the tradeoff for the occasional treat value.

For my three items, I chose carrot, celery and apple. And because The Siren is a café with a customize-your-coffee station, I had access to cinnamon. I added a generous sprinkle to my glass, stirred with a straw and WOW! My juice tasted just like carrot cake!

Naturally after I got home, I had to try making my own Carrot Cake Juice. It was delicious! I made more again today: 2 pints worth! This stuff is terrific. And so simple. Filling, even. Who needs cream cheese frosting when you can drink dessert for breakfast?

Carrot Cake Juice
Makes two pints.

9 ribs celery
9 medium-large carrots
2 Royal Gala apples
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

Juice the celery, carrots and apples. Alternate apples with the veggies to facilitate juicing. Pour into one quart jar with the cinnamon and shake well to blend (or use a blending wand or whiz in the blender if you don't mind cleaning another appliance). Heavenly!

The Rose Cleanse - Day 3

2010-08-19T11:48:00.005-04:00

I learned something today about doing The Rose Cleanse: BE PREPARED!

I wasn't. OK, I did have two juices leftover from Day 2 to get me through the morning, twelve ounces of Green and eight of Red. But the morning included a big 3-hour hike and photo shoot through the woods at Amethyst Brook, and by the time I got home, I was hungrrry! If there had been a juice waiting for me in the fridge (or someplace to buy one between Amherst and Montague) that would have taken care of things. But there wasn't. If only Juice Bars were as ubiquitous as coffee shops...

But alas, they are not. So, I got home and couldn't wait for juice. Instead, I made a smoothie, which is way faster - at least with my beloved juicer, which is a gentle, slow, single gear model.

I kept the smoothie light: one young coconut, water and meat, half a pint of blueberries and a few leaves of kale, plus a little lemon juice, cinnamon and ice. I'm a whiz at opening a young coconut so the drink was ready in no time. Phew! Hunger emergency abated.

I learned something else today. Blueberries can really thicken up a smoothie! By the second glass, my drink was glop! Even with some water added I ended up eating it with a spoon, like pudding. (Mental note: interesting dessert potential there...)

Anyway, the smoothie did the trick and I was able to continue through to dinner: Steamed Kelp Noodles and the last of my Rainbow Salad with a little Thai hot sauce for kick. Wonder what's on tomorrow's menu...?

The Rose Cleanse - Day 2

2010-08-17T15:34:00.012-04:00

It's a hot summer day and I'm deep into day two of The Rose Cleanse here. All going well. I got some nice beets at the coop to make my rooty juice today, which ended up being a sweet beet-carrot-ginger-lemon-apple-celery-cuke combo. My green juice was the same as yesterday. So far, I've consumed about 32 ounces of fresh juice.

It's late afternoon and I find myself feeling both a little tired and...a little empty! I was thinking earlier how easy it is to turn empty into full. There's really no harm in sitting with emptiness once in a while. Nothing bad will happen to you if you don't eat the second you experience hunger.

I sure am looking forward to dinner at six, though! Tonight's menu includes a leafy green salad, baked buttercup squash and more of the tasty dish I made for last night's potluck dinner, pictured above and below. I had planned on making Cheezy Cauliflower, but since the farm stand did not have any cauliflower, I changed course and purchased some beautiful organic broccoli instead, which I used to create a nice Rainbow Salad with Creamy Lemon-Hempseed Dressing.

To make this salad, start with a nice big bunch, say, a pound and a half of fresh green broccoli, chopped small and drizzled with lemon juice, tamari, olive oil and a sprinkle of Himalayan crystal salt. Toss and let that marinate while you dice one large or two small sweet red bell peppers and thinly slice a nice big (is there any other kind?) white daikon radish after quartering it lengthwise. Throw in some halved sungold cherry tomatoes and mix all your colorful veggies together. Then... pour on a cup of Creamy Lemon-Hempseed Dressing, which is basically Kristen Suzanne's Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce with extra lemon juice, one or two tablespoons of clear agave nectar and a handful of fresh chopped oregano added. Sprinkle with cayenne if desired, stir well and eat. Very yummy!

If you still haven't tried making Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce for some reason, maybe this video of Kristen Suzanne making her signature dish will inspire you:

Doesn't that look good?!

Meanwhile back at the potluck last night, I was glad to find some raw baby carrots to munch on, along with basil pesto and raw peanuts to complement my crunchy Rainbow Salad. I also enjoyed a few cooked veggies from an amazing, spicy Chinese dish made by our multitalented host, Cai Silver. Cai is an incredible painter, artist and chef who operates the C.X. Silver Gallery in Brattleboro with her husband Adam. The potluck was held at the gallery, which showcases Cai's oil paintings plus features a variety of Asian and Tibetan arts. All this meant we guests were treated to some luscious visuals and a private tour on top of all the good food and company. What a delight!

When I got home, I still felt a little hungry so I ate a few blueberries and baby peaches. Technically one wouldn't put fruit on top of cooked veggies, but since most of my dinner was in the raw veggie or seed/nut category, the fruit settled fine. And it made me feel happy. Which is what really matters, don't you agree?

My potluck experience shows that it is possible to "have a life" and cleanse at the same time. I might not plan a detox during a week that I had a wedding to go to, mind you! But for everyday outings, The Rose Cleanse program is super doable.

The Rose Cleanse

2010-08-16T12:54:00.007-04:00

Today is Day One of a seven-day cleanse I've decided to do in honor of summer's final quarter. The program is called The Rose Cleanse – developed by one of my favorite nutritionists, Natalia Rose. Natalia is the author of the popular books The Raw Food Detox Diet and Detox For Women among others, and her website detoxtheworld.com is not to be missed by anyone interested in cellular cleansing and high life force living.

The Rose Cleanse is quite simple. You enjoy between two and four 16-ounce fresh raw vegetable juices during the day, and then feast on a well-combined, cleansing meal of raw vegetable salad PLUS unlimited steamed or lightly sauteed low-starch veggies (if desired) AND your choice of a starch-based entree (baked sweet potato with organic butter and sea salt, winter squash, roasted red potatoes, avocado) or a protein-based entree (raw goat cheese, fish, free-range eggs or raw sprouted seed cheese or nut paté).

The Rose Cleanse is similar to doing seven days of the final day of my Maine Detox, which I wrote about last April. Feel free to check those posts for some tasty juice recipes if you are interested in trying The Rose Cleanse for yourself.

Speaking of juice, the picture above may look to you like three bottles of kombucha but, in fact, it is my juice intake for the day–less the glass of green juice I already drank. (I've got a nice stash of glass kombucha bottles saved from the research phase of my soon-to-be published Kombucha booklet, so why not put them to good use?!)

When juice fasting, I like to prepare all my daily juice at once, in the morning, to make life manageable. I prefer storing juice in glass rather than plastic, and make a point to fill jars or bottles almost to the brim to minimize contact between the juice and the air, reducing the opportunity for oxidation to take place. Kept cold in this way, I find that fresh-pressed juice stays lively for 12-24 hours.

The green juice is a cucumber-celery-lemon-comfrey-green apple-jalapeno combo and the orange juice is a cucumber-carrot-ginger-lemon-fuji apple combo.

Altogether, I'll be ingesting about 48 ounces of juice today, followed by a dinner of my choice. I'm going to a potluck so we'll see what I can rustle up. And what am I bringing to the potluck, you wonder? Cheezy Cauliflower Delight, of course, made with marinated raw cauliflower, red bell pepper and the ever-popular Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce, highlighted in my last post!

Tomorrow, I'll be posting again with an update, so stay tuned...!

Chilled Cream of Corn and Cucumber Bisque with Fresh Thyme

2010-08-13T13:26:00.013-04:00

No one can say we didn't get a real summer this year. Unlike last year's Summer That Never Was (one of the wettest on record), the summer of 2010 has been hot, hot, hot! And sunny, sunny, sunny! I'm all about heat and sun, but I admit the urge to spend time in the kitchen prepping food is strongly diminished by uncomfortable levels of humidity.

Once again, thank goodness for blenders! In this weather, the Vita-Mix has to be my top used kitchen tool. Not only can it whip up a colorful and refreshing smoothie - also known as "breakfast of champions" - in record time, it's unbeatable for creating quick and easy raw blended soups that really hit the spot when you're hungry and hot.

Here’s a delicious, sun-golden summertime soup that makes a perfect light lunch or a sweet prelude to dinner on even the steamiest of days.

The recipe owes its ultra-creamy taste and texture to a special addition: Kristen Suzanne’s Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce, one of my favorite all-time delicacies. (link below) I happened to have some left over from a previous meal, (cheezy spiralized zucchini & summer squash noodles). Here, it supplies a savory cream base to a sweet chilled soup. Juicy cucumber provides the liquid and fresh thyme adds unexpected depth with a peppery bite. I hope you like it!

Chilled Cream of Corn and Cucumber Bisque with Fresh Thyme
Makes two appetizer bowls or one meal-sized bowl of soup.

Ingredients
1-2 large organic cucumbers, peeled and diced - yielding 2 1/2 cups
1 ear organic sweet corn, kernels removed
½ cup Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce (click here for recipe)
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

Directions
Add cucumbers, Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce and corn kernels to a high speed blender and puree on high speed. Add thyme and repeat briefly. Transfer soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with cayenne, if desired. Bon appetit!

Sacred Maple Mounds

2010-07-31T09:54:00.010-04:00

It all started with a hankering for something sweet. Then, the loose talk on Facebook about coconut haystacks started up. That directed my mission: to create a natural, high raw and improved version of the old familiar Mounds Bar experience. You know what I mean? That thing that happens inside your mouth after you’ve given your bite of Mounds a few good chews and all the flavors and textures start to meld together on your tongue for a fleeting moment of crunchy-chewy-smooth-chocolatey-coconutty bliss... before you have to start swallowing?!

Well, working off of Matt Amsden’s Carob Coconut Haystacks recipe (from his Rawvolution cookbook) I got what I was looking for. Mounds…but better. WAY better.

The chocolate in my Sacred Maple Mounds is provided in the form of raw cacao powder. The sweetener is pure maple syrup. The main ingredient is organic shredded coconut, macaroon cut. (I get mine from Ultimate Superfoods - sold conveniently at my Community Superfoods discount store!) And the secret ingredient is…. Coconut Butter. Not coconut oil (which sometimes mistakenly is referred to as coconut butter) but REAL, stone ground, raw coconut butter, made from hunks of whole mature coconut. (If you’re not sure what coconut butter is compared to coconut oil, think of the difference between almond butter vs almond oil. Almond butter has all the bits of the original nut, just ground into a paste; almond oil is simply the fatty oil, extracted out. Same thing with coconut, except that coconut oil, rich in healthy saturated fats, is solid at room temperature, like dairy butter.)

My Maple Mounds are Sacred because I make them with Sacred Foods Coconut Butter, an awesome product you can read more about here. Raw, organic, stone ground Sacred Coconut Butter is one of my favorite food indulgences – it’s seriously SO yummy you can’t believe it! And more good news is this: as a nutrient dense whole food, a little Sacred Coconut Butter goes a long way. In other words, yes, I’ll enjoy a teaspoon of this tasty treat plain, on the spoon, as a snack or dessert, but I never feel drawn to eat spoonfull after spoonfull, if you catch my drift ;-).

As for feeling drawn to eat Sacred Maple Mound after mound…well, that’s why we make them bite-sized. Enjoy!

Sacred Maple Mounds

1 ½ cups organic raw shredded coconut, macaroon cut
¼ cup raw cacao powder
1/3 cup Sacred Coconut Butter, softened
¼ cup real maple syrup
pinch Himalayan crystal salt

Ideally in an electric mixing bowl (but use a fork in a pinch!), combine shredded coconut, cacao powder and salt. Add Sacred Coconut Butter and beat on low until well combined - no chunks. Add maple syrup and blend in.

Using clean hands, make tablespoon sized balls and press into your palms to form mounded discs. Place each Mound directly on mesh dehydrator tray. Dry at 105 degrees for six hours and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

If you don’t have a dehydrator, enjoy Sacred Maple Mounds wet. Simply freeze or chill molded mounds and eat cold. “Wet” Maple Mounds – a slightly cruder, fudgier and still one hundred percent delectable – version of the elegant dried Sacred Maple Mound must be stored in your fridge or freezer.

Birthday Poem

2010-07-20T07:50:00.003-04:00

it's my birthday! i like to give presents on my birthday.
a poem i love, to share with YOU...in honor of everything.
(i found it printed inside a divine chocolate wrapper!)
the photo was taken near my house, flowers in the water.
blessings forever, diana ❤

Alice

Know you, winds that blow your course
Down the verdant valleys,
That somewhere you must, perforce,
Kiss the brow of Alice?
When her gentle face you find,
Kiss it softly, naughty wind.

Roses waving fair and sweet
Thro’ the garden alleys,
Grow into a glory meet
For the eye of Alice;
Let the wind your offering bear
Of sweet perfume, faint and rare.

Lily holding crystal dew
In your pure white chalice,
Nature kind hath fastened you
Like the soul of Alice;
It of purest white is wrought,
Filled with gems of crystal thought.

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Carlahteez Fitness

2010-07-16T18:24:00.010-04:00

No time to exercise? One question. Have you been in your CAR lately?!

Many people don't realize that every car comes standardly equipped with a permanent piece of exercise equipment. It's called your steering wheel.

Once I realized I had a piece of exercise equipment in my car, I developed the Carlahteez Fitness System. It's quite simple really. I just took some of the principles of Pilates (isometrics, holding an engaged muscle position for toning) and figured out a way to do them in my car, using the resistance of my hands placed in different positions on the steering wheel.

The two basic Carlahteez moves are The PULL, and The PUSH. Both of these can ONLY be practiced on straight stretches of road. DO NOT attempt Carlahteez moves while driving on curvy streets. You may, however, do Carlahteez in traffic. Being stuck in traffic is, in fact, the perfect opportunity to practice Carlahteez.

My favorite move is the Nines & Threes. The Nines & Threes is a great move for toning the upper arms. (Ladies, are you with me?)

To execute the Nines & Threes, place your hands on the steering wheel at the 9:00 and 3:00 position, like the woman in the photo, EXCEPT be SURE to grasp the steering wheel firmly (you are driving, after all!). Now, pull your hands away from each other (while maintaining a firm grasp on the steering wheel) and HOLD for ten seconds, while inhaling deeply.

Next, PUSH you hands towards each other (while still maintaining a firm grasp on the steering wheel) and HOLD for ten seconds, exhaling slowly. Repeat five times to begin, and work up to more reps as you advance.

Another fun move is the Twelves & Sixes. The Twelves & Sixes alternately works your biceps and triceps muscles...from the comfort of your car!
To do this move, place your left hand on the steering wheel at the 12:00 position (or slightly left of 12) and your right hand at the 6:00 position (or slightly right of 6), fingers wrapped around the steering wheel, palms facing in.

PUSH your hands towards each other while maintaining a firm grasp on the steering wheel and HOLD the position for ten seconds, while inhaling deeply.

Next, PULL your hands AWAY from each other, continuing to maintain a firm grasp on the wheel, and HOLD the position for ten seconds while exhaling. Repeat five times, then switch the position of your hands, with the Right hand at the 12:00 position (or slightly to the right of 12) and the left hand at the 6:00 position (or slightly to the left of 6), and repeat the series. Do five sets to begin, and work up to more as you advance.

I know we all spend TOO MUCH TIME SITTING in our modern lifestyle. I'm sitting here at the computer, writing this blog after all. And where I live, driving is pretty much a requirement of life. Driving to the store, driving to school and driving to visit friends is par for the course. It was a wonderful moment when I realized that driving doesn't have to be a bust for my body. I hope you like this idea and share it with your friends! Happy toning!

NOTE: While practicing Carlahteez, ALWAYS pay attention to the road! Only practice when the coast is clear...

Life of the Party: Raw d'Oeuvres!

2010-07-07T11:25:00.009-04:00

The Fourth of July came and went last weekend, fireworks and all. Yippee! Summer is officially here!

Summer is my favorite season, and July my favorite month. (Not just because it’s my birthday month.) For me, summer is like the weekend of the year and that makes July Saturday - the best day of the weekend. Saturday is like the filling of the weekend sandwich, as it were. (And everyone knows the filling is the best part - see Garlic Almond Cheeze recipe below, lol!) Arriving on the heels of a carefree Friday night and with a relaxing Sunday to look forward to, Saturday is the Freedom Day of the week. Based on my analogy, it's hardly a coincidence that Independence Day comes in July!

Here in New England, where cold grey days drive us inside for a good part of the year, summer is the season to be outdoors. That's why, when it comes to summer parties, cookouts rule! Or, in the case of a raw foodist, un-cookouts.

It so happens I went to a great cookout/potluck party just this past weekend, held in the lush garden-yard of my wonderful friend and colleague Dr. Emily Maiella, naturopathic physician at Montague Integrative Health.

The dish I brought to share was this platter of mini “raw d’oeuvres” – tasty little Garlic Cheeze & Crackers canapés. They were fun to assemble and even more fun to eat, with each delightful biteful simply bursting with flavor. Everyone loved these diminutive treats and I am happy to share the recipes with you here (as promised to my fellow party goers).

The Garlic Almond Cheeze Spread is really easy to make (even for Lazy Raw Foodists) and very versatile. Use it as a spread or as a dip. Or, thin with water to make a creamy salad dressing. Or, toss a spoonful or two with fresh mung bean sprouts (omg - I totally recommend this!). You may even want to place a nice dollop atop your favorite steamed veggie dish for some mouth-watering, nut-based protein power.

The Savory Flaxseed Crackers take a wee bit more time and advance planning than the cheeze because they are made slowly in a dehydrator. It's not a great deal of actual work for you, but you must allow about 24 hours of drying time, more or less depending on the ambient humidity and how crispy you want the end result to be. Flax crackers are a great source of inflammation-busting omega-3 fatty acids plus fiber and protein. And they taste great!

Here I am on my front porch, ready for the party:

And here are your recipes. Let me know how you enjoy them!

Garlic Almond Cheeze Spread

Ingredients
1 cup raw almonds, soaked 8 hours or overnight
2 Tablespoons raw coconut oil
1 to 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (1/2 lemon’s worth)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
½ to ¾ cup filtered water
1 handful cilantro, minced

Directions
Soak almonds and pop off the skins. Add peeled almonds to blender along with all other ingredients except cilantro. Use more or less water depending on the consistency you are going for. Blend until very smooth and creamy. Stir in cilantro by hand or pulse in blender to mix.

Savory Flaxseed Crackers

Ingredients
2 cups golden flaxseeds, ground
4 cups filtered water
2 cups carrot and/or beet pulp, leftover from juicing
1 cup roughly chopped red onion (1/4 of a large red onion)
2-4 cloves garlic
4 Tablespoons fresh oregano, minced (or 2 Tablespoons dried)
1 teaspoon dried onion granules or powder
2 teaspoons sea salt, any type
¼ cup nama shoyu or wheat free tamari or Bragg Liquid Aminos

Directions
Soak ground flaxseeds in 3 cups water for one hour or longer. Stir well while you are adding the water to the ground flaxseeds to minimize clumping, and, if possible, stir occasionally while soaking for the same reason.

Add carrot-beet pulp to the soaked ground flaxseeds and combine thoroughly. Blend remaining 1 cup water with onion, garlic, spices, salt and tamari. Stir this into the flax-carrot mix till well combined. Feel free to use a food processor, a Kitchen Aid mixer for this, or if you have a Champion or Omega 8005-style juicer, you can homogenize the dough using the blank. (I try to get away with just hand mixing to reduce clean-up!)

Divide dough onto four dehydrator trays lined with Teflex sheets. Wet your hands and spread out each mound of dough into a large square shape of cracker thickness. Dehydrate for 1 hour at 145 degrees, then reduce heat to 105 degrees and continue dehydrating for another 6 to 9 hours.

Flip crackers onto mesh sheet, dry side down, and peel off Teflex. Use a pizza cutter to score each sheet of dough into 16 squares, or any size shape you like. Dehydrate for another 6 hours and do a taste/crispness test. Continue drying up to 12 hours, or until desired crispness is attained. I average 10 hours drying time per side in this humid summer weather.

Raw Garlic Cheeze and Crackers Assembly

Cut each Savory Flaxseed Cracker into four mini squares. Put a little Garlic Almond Cheeze Spread on each mini cracker and top with a slice of cherry tomato. Easy!

I added four layers of canapés to my little Pyrex container, separating each layer with a trimmed sheet of waxed paper.

Agave Blues

2010-07-02T10:08:00.009-04:00

Still confused about agave? Don't worry - you're not alone!

Honestly, over the past year or so, "Tell me the truth: is agave good or bad, Diana?" is among the most frequently asked questions I've received as a nutritionist.

Turns out a lot of people in the raw food community got upset after they learned that agave, initially promoted as a 100% raw sweetener, actually wasn't raw.

No one likes being misled...or lied to intentionally. But just because agave isn't raw does not make it the devil. The truth is that raw agave juice would ferment in days, if not hours, so it needs to be processed to be used as a shelf-stable sweetener.

I describe how agave nectar is made and discuss its pros and cons in my booklet Natural and Healthy Sweeteners, which features an entire chapter on agave. To learn more about agave and other natural sweeteners, I really encourage you to read my book! Or you can read this article by raw food nutrition expert, David Wolfe: The Agave Blues. (David references my booklet in the article - exciting!)

In the meantime, here's the sweet low-down on agave:

Agave Pros: low glycemic, pure sweet taste, convenient to use, mixes easily into cold or hot liquids, may contain pre-biotic inulin

Agave Cons: moderate to highly processed, may not be "pure" (some brands spiked with corn syrup or other adulterants, including colors), higher in calories than sugar

Ideally, we wouldn't use ANY sweeteners, ever. Ideally, we'd be living in a tropical paradise: swimming in fresh water all day, soaking up the ozone layer-protected sunshine, sipping young coconut water on the sand and enjoying ripe juicy fruits when we were hungry. (mmmm...Calgon, take me away!)

Back in the real world (which has its Paradise moments, don't get me wrong!) most of us can use sweeteners in moderation and still be healthy. (Moderation means up to a couple of teaspoons of sweeteners per day; some days not at all.) Raw honey and maple syrup top my list. Stevia would be a strong contender if I liked the taste. (I'm just not a licorice person.) And yes, agave is on my shelf. It's great to have on hand and fits the bill perfectly for some recipes.

Personally, I only use and recommend Ultimate Superfoods Ojio brand Organic CLEAR agave because it is the most reliable, best quality, unadulterated (high inulin, moderate fructose, low glucose) organic agave product I have found. Now bottled in a beautiful GLASS jar instead of plastic.

You can buy Ojio Agave at my ✪community superfoods✪ store, at 15% off regular retail price. Open Wednesday nights from 5-7. See you there!

In sweet joy, Diana

Simply Green Juice

2010-06-28T11:21:00.008-04:00

This is my new favorite juice. Four green ingredients, fast to prep, incredibly refreshing, totally yummy & very little waste. (Celery and lettuce are mostly juice, apples are practically all juice and ditto for limes. So: just a small handful of pulp for the compost bin.) Simply Green has become my breakfast of choice this summer. And just look at that color! The color of life itself, growing right out of the garden...

Simply Green Juice

1 head organic romaine lettuce (the kind that comes in a 3-pack)
1/2 bunch organic celery (about 6 stalks)
1 small organic lime, peeled
1 granny smith apple (also organic, of course!)

That's it. Alternate feeding apple and lime through the juicer with feeding celery and romaine to facilitate the process. The fibers in the greens push through the juicy pulp of the apple and lime.

This recipe makes 16 to 24 ounces of juice. Cheers!

Native Diet Secrets

2010-06-21T20:04:00.006-04:00

Have you heard of the Tarahumara? A remote tribe of Mexican Indians, the Tarahurama are renowned for their skills in endurance running. These native people are known to consume high energy chia seeds as a dietary staple. Chia is an excellent source of omega-3 essential fats, protein and fiber. Chia also promotes satiety (reduces appetite) and fights dehydration due to its unique ability to bind with water in a gel-like matrix that is digested very slowly.

Like the Tarahumara, native people around the world make use of special foods to meet their needs for nourishment and health.

An article in the Spring edition of Publix GreenWise Market Magazine explores the findings of Daphne Miller, M.D., who travelled the world, in the spirit of Weston A. Price, to discover features of native diets. Her new book, The Jungle Effect (Harper Paperbacks, 2009) discusses some of the secrets uncovered in her global journeys.

The book sounds like a fascinating read. You can get a taste for it in this excerpt (below) from the GreenWise magazine article. I think it's so interesting to see what people around the world are eating, don't you?

5 Secrets of Native Diets
Publix GreenWise Market Magazine - Spring 2010

Imagine a community of Tarahumara Indians so deeply entrenched in the gorges of Copper Canyon, Mexico, that they’re virtually cut off from the modern world—a community where type 2 diabetes is an unusual occurrence. Now picture a tiny village in the rain forest of Cameroon, where colon disease is practically unheard of.

What do these exotic locales have in common? They’re places where remote, indigenous populations still follow diets that have been passed down through generations. Their inhabitants are far removed from the modern Western lifestyle—and some of the health problems that come with it.

Could it be their native foods, which have sustained indigenous populations for millennia, are deeply connected to their well-being? Daphne Miller, M.D. shares important insights gleaned from the dietary habits of native cultures with low rates of chronic disease.

1. Where: Copper Canyon, Mexico
What: Low rates of type 2 diabetes
Miller’s observations: The Tarahumara Indians eat a diet rich in carbs, but they’re unrefined, low-glycemic carbs. A number of traditional healing spices and plant foods, such as cactus, also have blood-sugar-lowering properties.
Local foods: The tres hermanas (three sisters) of corn, beans and squash, plus eggs, chicken, chiles, nuts, berries, greens, cactus, seeds, oranges, tomatoes, avocado and occasional wild game or fish

2. Where: Crete
What: High rates of good heart health
Miller’s observations: More than 50 years of research has shown the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. By the end of her sojourn, Miller concluded it’s not just one specific food that protects the heart—it’s the whole diet. The people of Crete also eat slowly, use small plates, indulge sparingly in rich foods and eat seasonally.
Local foods: Olive oil, greens, whole grains, grapes

3. Where: Cameroon, western Africa
What: Low rates of colon cancer
Miller’s observations: Fermented foods such as sour milk, relishes, pickled meats and fermented grains are staples of the diet. The fermented foods are rich sources of probiotics—live microorganisms similar to the beneficial bacteria that live in the healthy human gut.
Local foods: Tasty stews flavored with vegetables, legumes, grains, peanuts, spices, wild game meat (used sparingly)

4. Where: Iceland
What: Low rates of depression
Miller’s observations: It’s hard to believe that dark, frigid Iceland boasts very low rates of depression, but the locals eat a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which helps combat depression.
Local foods: Miller discovered to her surprise that Icelanders in general do not like vegetables, but they dine regularly on foods such as fish, wild berries and lamb fed on wild forage.

5. Where: Okinawa
What: Longevity; low rates of breast and prostate cancer
Miller’s observations: In addition to eating lots of colorful fruits and vegetables, the typical Okinawan drinks three cups of green tea a day.
Local foods: Yams, squash, cabbages, greens, papayas, melons, fish, sea vegetables, unrefined soy foods

Click here to read the full article.

Hemp n' Half Update - Grinding Tip

2010-06-14T10:03:00.009-04:00

This morning I made a fresh batch of hemp 'n half and, for the first time, tried pre-grinding the hemp seeds and chia seeds. (I used my beloved Cuisinart Nut and Spice Grinder for this purpose, but a regular coffee grinder would do.)

After just a quick buzz in the grinder, I added the ground seeds to my Vita Mix and proceeded as described in the last post.

WOW! The results are sooo creamy! Honestly, I have to say: maté latte never tasted better!

I plan to use pre-grinding method again – if not always, at least from time to time. Although Hemp 'n Half comes out fantastic without pre-grinding (which does add an extra step) the results might just be a little bit more ultimate in the smooth and rich department.

A votre sante! ♥ Diana

Diana's Amazing Hemp 'N Half

2010-06-07T15:45:00.016-04:00

For many years, and I mean many, I’ve experienced an off and on dilemma about what to put in my tea. Black tea, that is. A drink to which I have a longstanding allegiance.

I was introduced to tea as a child. My dad used to make me a tea drink he’d call “Concoction” – tea with lemon, honey and sugar. Very tasty. I later got hooked on sweet creamy milk tea (chai) during the ten months I lived in India in the 1980’s. In India, chai is practically a religion and I was a fervent worshipper. Once home, my conversion appeared official. What coffee is to many Americans, tea became to me. Sweet tea. With cream. For a while, it was practically my reason to get up in the morning.

Needless to say, I was thrilled when studies started coming out attesting to the health benefits of tea drinking. (For starters, it's high in antioxidant flavonoids that help support vascular health.) Even so, I'm not one to like being dependent on any substance, no matter how good it is for me. So I decided to take periodic black tea breaks – just to be sure it was me who was actually steering the ship, lol.

Today, I frequently switch up my AM beverages – at times partaking of various herbal teas, yerba maté, hot lemon water, etc. following my tall glass of pure water or lemon water. But most mornings, I enjoy a cup of black tea – either an organic bulk tea from the local tea shop or a high quality bagged tea such as Yorkshire Gold, a current favorite. Always with a spoonful of raw honey and, frequently, a "creamer."

The cream is the problem.

There just aren’t any excellent creams out there. Regular half-and-half tastes and feels pretty good in the mouth but it’s nasty stuff: ultra-pasteurized and oozing with growth hormones, antibiotics and all the other chemicals fed to conventional cows.

Organic half-and-half is a step up but it’s still ultra-pasteurized, i.e. not only dead but potentially harmful to blood vessels and brain cells due to heat-damaged protein and fat molecules.

Raw cow’s milk will do but doesn’t provide the creaminess I’m looking for, plus after a few days, my tummy just says “no” to raw milk.

As for Silk Soy Creamer, well that was an option when I still used processed soy products, thinking them a fabulous meat/dairy substitute. Hah! I now avoid “soy foods” like the plague… for a multitude of reasons, such as: phytates (block mineral absorption), enzyme inhibitors (impair digestion), phyto-estrogens (helpful in menopause and other certain cases, but otherwise problematic in excess; linked to cancer, reproductive issues, etc), GMO’s (artificial DNA sequences; effects unknown), etc. Not to mention my general tendency to avoid highly processed fake foods. (Note: the only soy I currently consume or recommend is traditionally fermented soy – miso, tempeh, tamari – and the occasional tofu or edamame.)

So, soy milk’s out. Rice milk is too thin. Almond milk curdles in tea. Oat milk kind of works, but it’s still a highly processed product made in a factory, the original oat stripped of all energetic wholeness. What’s a tea drinker to do?

Enter my new invention. Hemp ‘n Half.

I came up with this the other day on a whim, and it worked! Thick, smooth, tasty – you name it! And so… I am very excited to share this recipe with you.

What’s to love about Hemp ‘n Half:

1. Fabulous taste – light, creamy and delicious; very similar to dairy half-and-half.
2. Mixes well into hot drinks: tea, yerba maté, coffee, Pero, mineral mochaccino, etc.
3. Contains chia seed: the world’s richest known source of omega-3 fatty acids and an excellent source of protein, calcium and fiber.
4. Contains hemp seed: protein-rich balanced source of omega fatty acids, high in minerals and fiber.
5. Non-dairy, lactose free, gluten-free, hypo-allergenic, vegan.

Please be advised, this recipe owes it’s smooth consistency to tiny chia seed, an up and coming superfood for the 21st century. Without the chia, the cream would separate into particles in the tea.

You can read all about chia seed in my recent booklet, Chia Seed (Woodland Publishing, 2010).

Chia Seed describes the fascinating history of this ancient Aztec power food, provides a comprehensive nutritional profile, benefits and delicious recipes – from sweet nut milks to velvety soup, savory raw crackers and the Mexican lemonade drink, Chia Fresca. Find Chia Seed at health food stores, community superfoods and online. Click here to order from Amazon.

Now, I present to you, my amazing…

Hemp ‘n Half
You will be elated at how well this thick, seed-based cream blends into hot drinks and tastes surprisingly like dairy half and half.

¼ cup raw hemp seeds
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1 pinch sea salt
1 cup warm, filtered water

Add all ingredients to blender container. Allow seeds to soak for fifteen minutes. Blend on high for a few minutes until thoroughly homogenized. If desired, add optional one quarter teaspoon raw honey or agave nectar (I leave this out since I prefer to sweeten my tea separately). Store Hemp ‘n Half in a tightly closed glass jar in refrigerator. Keeps very nicely for 5-7 days.

Confession: as much as I love chai, an inviting cup of Mate Latte with Hemp 'n Half gives black tea a run for it's money!

Dill-icious Sweet Veggie Juice

2010-05-17T12:31:00.012-04:00

Fresh dill has to be one of the cleanest tasting herbs on the planet. I love its bright, sweet flavor and refreshing scent, its deep green color and the tickly texture of its soft feathery fronds brushing against my lips.

Dill is frequently paired with cucumbers, beets or potatoes, often along with vinegar (think pickles) or lemon. Creative chefs the world round add dill to yogurt dips and sauces and use it to enliven recipes featuring eggs (egg salad, omelettes) and fish, particularly cod, trout and salmon. (Kosher salt- and dill-infused gravlax, the delectable raw equivalent of smoked salmon, is one famous example.)

My father taught me to use dried dill in scrambled eggs and I've always adored it chopped fresh in salad dressings and on boiled new potatoes. But lately, I’ve been discovering a new way to enjoy dill, in JUICE! I came up with this idea almost by accident, when a beautiful bunch of dill purchased a few days earlier began calling for consumption from deep within my refrigerator. “Eat me! Eat me now,” the luscious stalks demanded.

Never one to turn my back on such a cry, I complied by feeding the entire bunch into the mouth of my trusty Omega 8005 juicer, along with some carrots, celery, fresh lemon and green apple. The result was dill-ightful, reminding me of the sunny fennel flavor I enjoyed during my Maine Detox without the licorice aftertaste.

Dill is an old herb in the Western tradition. The plant is native to the Mediterranean region, as well as southern Russia and parts of western Africa. Both leaf and seed have been long recognized for a variety of healing properties, with references appearing in ancient Egyptian and Greek writings as well as the Bible.

Most often in older texts, dill is considered cleansing and relaxing. The name “dill” is derived from the old Norse word dilla, meaning "to lull," evoking its traditional use as a soothing remedy for sleeplessness and tummy aches. Hippocrates used dill in a mouthwash recipe to provide antiseptic and breath freshening qualities. Dill seeds are regarded highly for helping to dispel intestinal gas. Recent research suggests that potent antioxidant phytochemicals in dill may help to fight ailments as diverse as hypoglycemia, thyroid imbalances and cancer.

Dill contains two primary types of active compounds. These are:

1) monoterpenes (aromatic volatile oils), notably carvone (also found in caraway and spearmint), limonene (also found in lemons), and anethofuran, and

2) flavonoids, including kaempferol and vicenin.

The monoterpenes in dill help support detoxification by inducing the enzyme glutathione S-transferase. They offer potent, cancer-fighting antioxidant potential by activating glutathione, the body’s most important endogenous (self-made) antioxidant. Monoterpenes also function as antibacterial and antifungal agents, helping to keep the body clean and free from microbial foreign invaders.

Flavonoids are generally regarded as heart-healthy antioxidant phytochemicals. Specific attributes are associated with particular flavonoids found in different plants. The flavone vicenin, present in dill, has been shown in studies to help protect cells from radiation damage. Kaempferol, a dill flavonol also present in spinach and broccoli, is suggested to help promote cancer cell apoptosis (programmed cell death) and, additionally, to help protect heart, spinal cord and brain health.

Interestingly, this latter benefit was suggested by the 17th century English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper who, centuries before the era of modern clinical research, wrote of dill that: “Mercury hath dominion of this plant, and therefore to be sure it strengthens the brain.”

Dill. Plate 8 from Culpeper's Complete Herbal with The British Florist 1812. Shrewsbury Museums Service. Image sy7060.

Nutritionally, dill is a good source of blood-building iron, collagen-building manganese and bone-building calcium. One tablespoon of dill weed provides about 50 milligrams of calcium!

When you purchase fresh dill, try to use it within three days. Store in the refrigerator as you would fresh flowers (stems trimmed and placed in a glass of filtered water) or wrap it snugly in a damp paper towel and tuck inside a plastic bag with the air gently pressed out.

I can honestly say that the longer I live, the more I love dill. In the words of raw food educator Dan McDonald, the Life Regenerator: “Dill is the bomb diggity.” I couldn’t agree more!

Dill-icious Sweet Veggie Juice

1 head celery
4-5 carrots
½ - 1 bunch dill weed, stems and fronds
1 lemon, peeled
1 large Granny Smith apple
1 or 2 kale leaves with stems (optional)

Wash and slice ingredients as needed, then feed through your juicer. Alternate apples and lemon with more fibrous celery, dill and carrots to facilitate juicing. I had some leftover kale stems which I used in this juice so I include optional kale in the recipe – I don’t think it is necessary but I can’t help feeling like “the more greens, the better” in general. Makes a tall 16 ounces of juice.

REFERENCES
Zheng GQ, Kenney PM, Lam LK. Anethofuran, carvone, and limonene: potential cancer chemopreventive agents from dill weed oil and caraway oil. Planta Med. 1992 Aug;58(4):338-41.

Panda S. The effect of Anethum graveolens L. (dill) on corticosteroid induced diabetes mellitus: involvement of thyroid hormones. Phytother Res. 2008 Dec;22(12):1695-7

Culpeper's Complete Online Herbal. This is a fantastic source for traditional herbal lore. Click here to access.

Click here to watch the entertaining Dan McDonald make his tasty Lemon-Dill Sesame Tahini Dip.

Raw Magic Greens

2010-05-10T16:42:00.010-04:00

There’s a magical way of preparing deep green leafy vegetables so that they look and taste “cooked” but are actually, secretly raw!

The nutritional advantages of this magical preparation method are great, as it is well known that cooking greens (and other veggies) causes a massive loss of vitamins and minerals.

On the other hand, cooked leafy veggies are comforting and, for many folks, easier to chew and digest due to the the softening of hard or tough cellulose fibers. Cooking also shrinks chlorophyll-rich greens, allowing you to eat more of them in one sitting. Now there's a way to get the best of both worlds.

Raw Magic Greens rely on the power of salt (natural sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, etc.) and acid (from lemon or lime juice) to break down cellulose walls (think softening) and release water (think shrinkage) from raw greens. The third required ingredient, a little high quality cold pressed oil – extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, sesame oil, etc. – allows the salt and lemon juice to coat every surface of the greens. As a result, you will find yourself able to polish off an ENTIRE bunch of, say, raw kale in one sitting with ease and relish! (No, I don’t mean the condiment relish, silly. I’m talking GUSTO, here.)

Depending on which deep green leafy vegetable you are using, one of two techniques may be used to make Raw Magic Greens. The first of these, gentle massaging, is recommended for kinky and broad-leafed greens like curly kale or Swiss chard. It was taught to me by my dear friend Marilyn, whose Massaged Kale recipe, as you will see below, is created by feel in more ways than one!

Yes, hands and fingers are involved with the massaging technique, so be sure to scrub your paws and claws scrupulously before you begin. (Some may wish to wear food-service grade “rubber” gloves for massaging. When cooking for others, as in a potluck dish, gloves are strongly advised – if only to engender trust in your fellow diners. But if it’s just you that’s eating, I’d say clean-palm essence trumps rubber any day.)

After making (and inhaling) a batch of Marilyn’s delicious Massaged Kale (pictured above), I decided to try a similar recipe with baby bok choi. Because this crisp Asian green is hard, long and smooth rather than supple, wide and crannied, massaging is not required and Technique Number Two–plenty of tossing and an hour or more of marinating time–can be employed. But the three magic ingredients: salt, acid and oil, are still basic to the process.

With either technique you’ll end up with a “side dish” that can fool even a 16-year old boy into believing he is eating especially tasty cooked greens. (I have proof of this.) Soft but still crunchy, sweet and salty, packed with natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes AND super quick and easy to prepare–Raw Magic Greens have it all! You MUST try.

Consider the following recipes as jumping off points that may be modified as your tastes, produce supply and seasoning ingredients inspire. Flaxseed oil may be substituted for olive oil to vary flavor and boost your omega-3 fatty acid intake. (Omega-3s fight depression, are good for your heart and help decrease all kinds of inflammation in the body.)

Massaged Kale

1 bunch kale
organic lemon juice – fresh or bottled
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt

Wash kale and remove overhanging stem from leaf. (Stem can be saved for juicing.) Slice kale crosswise into one-inch wide, horizontal strips and place in large bowl. Drizzle sliced kale with olive oil (up to three tablespoons, depending upon your desire for fat and the amount of kale). Sprinkle evenly with sea salt (a decent pinch-worth or two or three) and add lemon juice (about the same amount as you used olive oil). Then, with a very clean hand, begin massaging the oil-salt-lemon juice into the leaves. Use your fingers to get into the curly places, and use your entire hand to create a gentle squeezing action. This squeezing in particular will help the kale shrink down. Like magic, your bowlful of greens will become an extraordinarily much smaller pile of greens, perfect for one or two. Give a little taste and adjust salt or lemon if desired before serving.

Variations
After massaging kale, add any or all of the following and mix well:

fresh garlic, pressed or grated (1-2 cloves)
nutritional yeast (a generous sprinkle)
raw cashew butter (about 1 teaspoon. Smush into liquid that escaped from kale during massage, which you will find at bottom of bowl, and stir the resulting paste into greens. Creamy!)

Ginger-Sesame Bok Choi

4 baby bok choi
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 Tablespoon each extra virgin olive oil, untoasted sesame oil
2 pinches Himalayan pink salt
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 drops liquid stevia extract (I like SteviaClear brand)

Separate bok choi leaves from base; wash well and dry. (Often, bits of dirt cling to the lower stalks so be sure to rub these off under running water.) Chop bok choi horizontally into one-inch chunks and place in large bowl. Combine the oils, lime juice and stevia. Pour this mixture over the bok choi and toss with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle evenly with salt and toss thoroughly again for about a minute. Add ginger and crushed red pepper and toss some more. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Allow to marinate at room temperature, one hour or longer, while magic happens and flavors marry. Toss again if possible, once or twice, during this time. Refrigerate after a few hours if you haven’t eaten it yet. Keeps well for up to four days. ☺

Community Superfoods News: Ultimate Becomes Ojio!

2010-04-27T10:47:00.010-04:00

Wow! Community Superfoods is coming up on its eighth month in operation...and things are starting to get hopping. Store night is beginning to welcome more walk-in traffic, and having the chance to connect with my regular customers (you know who you are!) is surely one of the highlights of my week.

Community Superfoods is designed to provide my clients and community with the highest quality raw foods, superfoods and professional quality nutritional supplements I can find - at the best prices anywhere.

At the risk of tooting my own horn, I must admit that ten years in the nutritional supplement industry and a Master of Science degree in Human Nutrition have provided me with the knowledge needed to dig deep into labels, discard hype, examine the research and discern quality. My experience allows you to rest assured that if I carry something, it's going to be a premium product.

Of course, we all know that premium quality tends to go hand in hand with high prices. This is why I decided to create a store that offers top quality superfoods and supplements at reduced prices.

That's right: Communnity Superfoods offers ongoing discounts on everything. Most items are discounted by 15% or 20%, depending on their suggested retail price. I even offer "at cost" specials (no markup) on a few select items such as raw kelp noodles - a terrific pasta alternative.

Store night is Wednesday from 5 to 7 PM. I'm also open by appointment for those who are unable to make Wednesday evenings. Simply call or email me to set this up!

One of my favorite suppliers for organic raw foods and superfoods is Ultimate Superfoods. This California-based company offers excellent quality and competitive pricing, which I take down even further with my special discount structure.

I've just learned that Ultimate is transitioning into a new look and branding: Ojio. (Pronounced oh-gee-oh.) Their gorgeous new website provides fabulous product information - check it out here. Expect to see the new Ojio brand on my shelves in the next week or two. Here is a sneak peek of their raw cacao powder, with expanded nutrition information, and their clear agave nectar, now packaged in glass bottles:

Local readers, I hope to see you tomorrow night at Community Superfoods! First time visitors: find us next to the Book Mill at 432 Greenfield Road, Montague, MA - the location of my Montague Integrative Health nutritional counseling office.

Love and goji berries, Diana ♥

My Dr. Mercola Interview FREE download

2010-04-26T12:57:00.005-04:00

OK, no more teasing. Last month when I wrote about my interview with Dr. Joseph Mercola – published in the Winter issue of the Price Pottenger Journal of Health and Healing – without posting the article, many of you were left wanting more...

Well, I am happy to report the time has arrived. Now you can read the article in it's entirety by downloading it for FREE from my website. Just click on the title of this blog post and you will be redirected to the books & articles page of my nutritional counseling website, www.eat2evolve.com. Once there, simply scroll down to find the Conversation with Dr. Mercola interview in the articles column. Enjoy!

Praising patience, Diana :)

P.S. Now that the weather is really starting to warm up, I just can't get over how beautiful the trees are looking - all the bursting leaves and blossoms... lime greens and clean whites and deep pinks and purples.

Springtime is truly the most perfect time of year for dietary cleansing. As your body adjusts to the change of season and requires less of the dense and warming foods that to nourished you all winter, I strongly encourage you to clear out the sludge and free up your vital channels. Plenty of fresh air, pure water and juicy, life-force-rich foods are called for now. My Maine Detox, a modified juice fast, was a fabulous way to do some internal spring cleaning. The Ultimate Detox Diet, a less radical program, gets great results, too.

If you would like some guidance around Spring Cleaning on the inside, consider signing up with me for a 3-session Ultimate Detox nutritional counseling package and save $50 off the usual price!

All my sliding fee and package rates are designed to help you honor your commitment to health - whether your focus is reaching and maintaining your ideal weight, optimizing energy levels, boosting positive self-image or addressing other concerns. I'm currently filling May appointments and still have several slots open but they are filling up quickly! Call me at 413.205.6971 to learn more or schedule an appointment soon. ♥

Maine Detox Finale

2010-04-08T11:07:00.011-04:00

My last night in Maine was a beauty. At sunset, I took a walk around the tip of Ogunquit Beach. It was low tide, and I marveled at how the surface of the shallow water that skimmed the sandbar reflected the pastel colors of the sky in soothing tones of lilac, rose and pale blue.

After my walk, I took myself out to The Front Porch, an Ogunquit favorite, for a fabulous detox dinner: Field Greens with Sea Salted Radishes & Chevre, and Steamed PEI Mussels in a delightful broth flavored with Basil Pesto & Oven-Dried Tomatoes. (Of course I skipped the bread bowl, but did indulge in some wonderful red wine.) Walking home alone with the memory of dinner fresh on my tongue, adjectives such as succulent, savory, plump, sweet and tender played on mind as I thought to myself: I LOVE LIFE!

On Easter Sunday, I awoke to overcast skies that, although clear by noon, obscured sunrise over the horizon. The morning remained cheerful however, as it found the hotel lawn dotted with a hundred brightly colored plastic Easter eggs! A group of eager children, speaking excitedly in both English and French, gathered on the dining room porch, anticipating the nine-thirty hunt. Inside, synchronicity struck when I met Dixie, a friendly hotel staff member who confided in me that she was a raw foodist! (Synchronicities often occur when doing the Artist's Way program.) What serendipity to meet each other there, especially on my last day in Maine!

Back in my room prior to check-out, I made myself two juices for the day’s sustenance, a fresh quart of Ruby Burst Surprise using these ingredients: and two pints of a new Green Juice featuring red apples from the hotel’s continental breakfast and two cloves of raw garlic.

The taste of this second juice reminded me of the fall/winter season of 1979, when I was nineteen and ate an apple and a clove of fresh garlic every morning for breakfast. To this repast I attributed the fact that I never got sick that winter, despite living in less than hospitable conditions such as unheated attics and abandoned chicken shacks. Tasting the surprisingly satisfying combination of flavors once again, I reflected on how much my life has changed in the past thirty years. Surely, one could hardly find a more hospitable place to harbor one’s body and soul than The Beachmere Inn! Until I return to Maine, the sea-blessed memories I made on my Detox weekend there will serve to sustain. Looking back on it even just a few days later, it seems like a dream.

JUICE FOUR: Sweet Green Garlic

1 cucumber
1 head celery
3 collard green leaves
1 lime
½ lemon
2 red apples, peeled (b/c not organic)
one-inch chunk of ginger
2 cloves garlic

Feed all ingredients through the juicer, alternating the softer apples, cucumber and citrus with the more fibrous celery, ginger and leafy greens to facilitate transport. (This is only necessary if you are using a single or twin gear juicer like a Champion or Omega 8005. I don’t think it makes a difference with centrifugal juicers such as the Breville Juice Fountain or Omega Vert.)

farewell Ogunquit Beach! until we meet again...

Maine Detox Redox

2010-04-03T16:17:00.013-04:00

High tide again as I sit down to post a quick update on my Maine Detox and share another juice recipe.

Once more, a simply perfect day... beautiful blue sky, non-stop sun and brisk ocean breezes. From my window now, I'm watching row after row of evenly spaced, short white-capped waves rolling into shore, each separate but aligned in precision, like trained dolphins swimming in a chorus line. This cheerful display is a true heart opener.

Meanwhile, yesterday's surfer has been replaced by a paddle-boarder riding the swells beyond the breakers – a wet-suited fellow standing on a short wide surfboard, holding a long-handled black paddle used more for balance than for travel. Looks like fun.

In detox news, last night found me eating a bit of solid-ish food, beginning with fresh guacamole from the Village Food Market in town. This was followed by miso soup with a few slender stalks of steamed asparagus chopped in. (I had brought from home a jar of South River Barley Miso, along with fresh garlic cloves and a grater, cayenne pepper and nutritional yeast. Voila! Instant miso soup.) The asparagus also came from the market - they do a nice job there.

Before bed I drank a cup of Smooth Move tea to help boost elimination, a critical component of cleansing. (Remember: until waste leaves the body, a cleanse is only a potential cleanse!) I've also been taking 4 capsules daily of Comprehensive Cleanse, a product I formulated while working as the staff nutritionist and education administrator at Pioneer Nutritional Formulas. The product contains clinical levels of milk thistle plus meaningful amounts of several other traditional Western and Ayurvedic herbs, green foods and superfoods – all intended to help support the body's many channels of elimination (liver, lymph, kidney, etc). Comprehensive Cleanse contains no laxative herbs, however, hence the added boost from Smooth Move or Colon Cleanse, a gentle purgative I use and recommend.

This morning I drank a glass of water with MSM and fresh lemon juice before slipping out to catch sunrise at 6:15. Back inside my warm room, I enjoyed a mug of Barry's Irish black tea (my vice) with raw honey, and later, a tasty green juice made with pink grapefruit.

I'm feeling very clear and light today, thanks to the psycho-spiritual benefits of cleansing. For just as waste is eliminated from the body, so it may be removed from the mind. Reducing the amount of dense matter in the system via the physical cleansing process allows pure thoughts and life force energy to flow more freely throughout the entire human organism. This supports a certain mental liberation, opens up psychic channels to god/spirit and sets the stage for deeper spiritual growth if one is moved in that direction.

With this in mind, I've been strengthening my practice of Vipassana Meditation by sitting three times a day during my stay here. I’m also working the Artist's Way program through a 12-week workshop facilitated by the wonderful Robin Lane, - we’re now on week three. This means lots of writing and journaling, reading and reflection...

If only there were more time in twenty-four hours. The shadows grow long...this day will be ending soon. Sigh. I will be sorry to leave tomorrow. And I will be glad, holding the ocean near in spirit as I move forward into my life, returning to family and friends refreshed, renewed and grateful for this experience.

JUICE THREE: Grapefruit on the Green

1 bunch celery
3 leaves collard greens (or kale, etc.)
1 pink grapefruit, peeled & pitted
1 cucumber
generous squeeze of lime juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more)

Directions: Run celery, collards, grapefruit and cucumber through the juicer. (Tip: alternate feeding softer cuke and grapefruit with more fibrous celery ribs and collard leaves to help keep things moving.) Squeeze in lime juice at the end and add cayenne pepper to taste. Or, if you happen to have a green jalapeno on hand, juice that, too and leave out the cayenne. Either way, bon appetit!

Maine Detox

2010-04-02T16:38:00.014-04:00

Greetings from Ogunquit! I’ve taken myself to Maine for a cleansing, healing mini-retreat. It’s my first time here and, I have a feeling... not my last! ☺

I’m staying at the beautifully-maintained Beachmere Inn, a medium-sized, ideally situated hotel overlooking the cove-scalloped Maine Atlantic coast across a grassy lawn. At this writing, from my window I see high tide rolling in. A young surfer in a black wet-suit just caught a slow wave all the way into shore. Sweet.

I arrived last night in the dark, moon not yet risen, so I could only hear the ocean but not see it... until morning, when the golden sun finally came up over the water, shining a wide pillar of yellow light straight at me, from horizon to shoreline. That glorious sun is still beaming down, drying out the sodden earth flooded across New England by a long March deluge. Beneath the sun, a healthy wind has blown all day; it buffeted me cheerily along Ogunquit Beach earlier, where I enjoyed a two-hour walk yielding many tumble-rounded fragments of colorful Maine granite and a giant quahog shell I intend to use for burning sage. (Been needing one of those...and so it came to me.) Lovely.

The Maine Detox plan is simple: liquids, liquids, liquids all day long, and at night, the added option of heartier liquids (i.e. miso soup), avocado, low-starch veggies (raw or cooked) or lightly cooked seafood. (I don't plan on having seafood, but I am in Maine, after all, so it feels right to keep my options open.)

Daily detox liquids will consist primarily of water, tea and freshly pressed juices. Smoothies and blended soups would work, too. But I'm mostly focusing on juice, which is why I arrived with my trusty Omega 8005 juicer in tow, and a cooler full of organic vegetables and fruits to feed it. Basically, I’m doing a modified juice fast. Love the flexibility there, since I’m all about “tools not rules.” Rules have their place but ultimately, I choose freedom.

My cooler stash of juiceable organics includes 3 heads of celery, 2 bunches of collard greens, 3 cucumbers, 5 pounds of carrots, several beets, 3 Granny Smith apples, 2 grapefruits, a ginger root and some limes. If that’s not enough, there’s a very nice market in town where I can fill in items as needed (their produce is not organic, but it is conveniently located! Again, "tools not rules.")

Room 113 at the Beachmere looks out at the oldest building on the property, The Victorian, which you can see in the above photo taken first thing today from my patio. My room, situated in the newer Beachmere South wing, also boasts the cutest little kitchenette ever, perfect for setting up juice shop. So this morning, after writing in my dream journal, doing my Artist's Way morning pages (while happily surveying low tide, see above) and meditating for an hour, I got right to work preparing two delicious, jewel toned, living elixirs.

Making both juices together, one after the other, offered the advantage of only having to clean the juicer once. To me, this was a trade off well worth the slight loss of nutrients that occurs when fresh juice is stored in the fridge for a few hours in a tightly sealed container. A couple of glass Mason jars, brought along for this express purpose, do the trick at keeping oxidation to a minimum.

JUICE ONE: Imperial Emerald
1 head celery
1 bunch collard greens
1 Granny Smith Apple
½ cucumber
½ lime (peel and all)

JUICE TWO: Ruby Burst Surprise
8 carrots
2 ribs fennel (the surprise)
1 or 2 small beets
1 Granny Smith apple
½ lime (peel and all)
large chunk ginger root (the burst)

(This was incredible!)

I feel blessed to have the opportunity to take this time to myself, to cleanse, heal and explore the tranquil space of creative contemplation. And how about you? I’d love to hear about the last time you took yourself on a vacation. Where did you go and what did you do? Or where would you most like to go for a mini-retreat? Leave your comments below. Dream big or small – everything is possible, once you imagine…

Cheers!

Diana Interviews Dr. Mercola for PPNF

2010-03-26T06:36:00.010-04:00

I am pleased to announce that my interview with Dr. Joseph Mercola appears in the current journal of the Price Pottenger Nutrition Foundation (PPNF). The article is part of an ongoing series called Profiles in Nutritional Healing that I have been working on for PPNF. Previously for the series, I interviewed Annemarie Colbin, PhD – the brilliant author of some of my favorite books on nutrition and health including the classic Food and Healing.

Dr. Mercola was a fun interview subject. His telephone manner matched his online persona to a tee: highly focused and enthusiastic, intensely driven and brimming with facts and information. We spoke for more than one hour and covered a broad range of topics, mostly centered around Dr. Mercola's approach to diagnosis and treatment and his respect for the work of Dr. Weston A. Price, the heroic dentist who traveled the world in the early part of the 20th century documenting the effect of modern diets on the physical and dental health of traditionally-living peoples. The preservation of Dr. Price's archives and the dissemination of his work is the primary mission of PPNF.

Dr. Mercola is both a proponent of high raw food diets and an opponent of veganism – an unusual mix in the raw food world. Dr. Mercola's position reflects Dr. Price's finding that some form of animal food, consumed in large or minute quantity, was a must in the diets of ALL traditionally-living cultures Price examined. This was especially true at certain times of the life cycle, notably pregnancy and lactation, where special preparations of fish eggs or other delicacies were given to the mother-to-be.

Dr. Mercola's anti-vegan stance also reflects his dedication to Nutritional Typing, a diagnostic tool used to determine one's ideal diet. Nutritional Typing states that Protein Type individuals require significant amounts of animal flesh for health. (A Protein Type himself, Dr. Mercola is well-known for enjoying flesh foods all day long, from raw eggs at breakfast to uncooked beef at dinnertime!)

I have yet to form a firm opinion on the compelling theory and subjective method of Nutritional Typing, but I certainly concur that not all people thrive on the same diet. Certain individuals may very well require more protein or animal foods than others. At the same time, it is important to be aware that high protein diets may pose a danger for many people. Excess dietary protein has the potential to stress the kidneys, organs which are needed to eliminate nitrogenous waste (ammonia compounds) from the body. Nitrogenous waste is a natural byproduct of protein metabolism. Excessive protein in the diet may cause the kidneys to become overworked or become damaged. (Dr. Mercola did admit to me that he himself suffers kidney problems; these may or may not be related to his high protein intake.)

Flesh foods are rich in protein, but I feel it is a grave mistake to equate the need for protein with a need for flesh foods. Many plant foods are also excellent sources of protein – think lentils, alfalfa sprouts, spirulina, almonds, sunflower seeds...even spinach, which contains all the amino acids needed for life!

Beyond protein, there are various reasons to include some animal food in the diet (i.e. to provide a natural source of the essential vitamin B-12). This animal food may or may not involve the killing of the animal from which it comes, an important distinction.

I believe that human dietary evolution towards a vegetarian diet is necessary if we are to attain environmental preservation, peace on earth and the survival of our species. (Click here to read more about my views on Nutrition Evolution.) I don't suggest that everyone become a strict vegetarian this instant (I myself am not a strict veg), but I do encourage all of us to move towards ahimsa (harmlessness). To this end, vegetarianism or semi-vegetarianism is an attainable life goal that supports our conscious evolution towards higher states of being, harmony and health.

Therefore, I was very pleased to learn that despite his public penchant for carapaccio and steak tartare, the animal foods Dr. Mercola considers most harmonious and beneficial for humans are raw milk and raw eggs. Both of these are vegetarian (not vegan) sources of animal protein whose consumption does not involve swallowing the flesh of a once-living sentient being. I like that! (Note: Fertilized eggs, as pre-chicks, are a borderline case that may prove the exception to the eggs being vegetarian rule. Fertilized eggs will be labeled as such. All other eggs, including free-range organic and pastured eggs, are, basically, a hen's period, provided by chaste lady birds who do not mingle with roosters.)

Beyond food and nutrition, Dr. Mercola and I discussed cell phone radiation, vaccines, biophotons and the role of emotions as a support or roadblock to healing. All of these subjects and more appear in the article. To receive a copy, request the Winter 2009-2010 Price-Pottenger Journal of Health and Healing from PPNF. Better yet, consider joining PPNF to help support the work of this important organization and receive additional benefits, including the quarterly journal. Visit www.ppnf.org to learn more.

A downloadable pdf of my interview with Dr. Mercola will be posted on the Eat to Evolve™ website in the near future. Click on the link and scroll down to the "articles" section to find the interview. In the meantime, you may like to visit the page to access my previous PPNF Profiles in Nutritional Healing interview, A Conversation with Dr. Annemarie Colbin, as well as additional articles and writings.

The One You Feed

2010-03-02T16:35:00.012-05:00

Raise your hand if you eat only to satisfy your body's need for fuel. Hmm, I'm not seeing a lot of hands going up!

Yes, food is fuel. Remembering this is useful in helping to fortify your willpower when cravings strike. But it may not be enough.

The next time you find yourself mindlessly opening the refrigerator or cupboard door, looking for that perfect little something to fill the moment, I encourage you to pause and ask yourself this question: What am I really hungry for? And as you enjoy your treat, consider this question: Who am I feeding? Is it your body? Your emotions? Your soul?

All the parts of your complex and tender self need to be nourished, and each may hunger if left unfed. But the "food" that fills this hunger isn't always something you put in your mouth. Food, as such, comes in a multitude of guises.

Laughter is food. Movement is food - dancing, stretching, running. Meditation is food, as is stillness, and relaxation. Air is food, inhaled deeply into the lungs and released. Love is food, as is touch, and the warmth of friendship.

Similarly, thoughts are food, perhaps the most important food of all. Every action begins in the mind. Purify your thoughts and you are on your way to health and happiness. Mind matters most.

The following Native American proverb is one I like very much. Consider it food for thought. And may you be deeply nourished. ♥ Diana

The One You Feed

One moonlit evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My child, the battle is between two wolves.

“One is Low Wolf. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

“The other is High Wolf. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought quietly about the wolves and their battle. After a few moments, he asked the old man, "Grandfather, which wolf wins? Low Wolf or High Wolf?"

The wise Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Community Superfoods Open Thursday This Week!

2010-02-23T08:26:00.012-05:00

For all my dear local readers, please note there is a change to Community Superfoods' store hours for this week only. Store night this week will be on Thursday, February 25, from 5-7 PM, not Wednesday. I will not be at the store this Wednesday! I will be there Thursday! And next week, we'll be back to Wednesday nights as usual.

Now for the good news...

This week on store night (Thursday, as you may recall!), for the very first time ever, I will be taking pre-orders for an incredible new product that has just launched: organic, raw Stone Ground Coconut Butter from Sacred Foods. Many of you are familiar with Sacred Foods as the makers of the amazing Sacred Chocolate bars (now back in stock in many flavors at Community Superfoods - yay!)...

Well, Sacred Foods has done it again! Their new Stone Ground Coconut Butter is simply divine! Made from hunks of dried, mature coconut and stone ground over many days at low temperatures to produce a silky smooth, totally raw product, Stone Ground Coconut Butter is packed with flavor and nutrition.

In case you were wondering, coconut butter is very different than coconut oil. Coconut oil, which I also sell at the store, is pure fat, extracted from the coconut fruit. It's a wonderful fat, suitable for many uses, but it is not a whole food.

Stone Ground Coconut Butter is a whole food, made from whole dried coconut. It hence contains healthy coconut oil fats PLUS healthy coconut proteins, carbohydrates and fiber, along with an array of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Its nutritional profile compares to whole, dried (dessicated), unsweetened coconut as follows:

MACRONUTRIENTS in Stone Ground Coconut Butter are distributed as approximately 65% fats, 24% carbohydrates,16% fiber and 7% amino acid proteins. Most of the fats occur as healthy, cholesterol-free medium chain fatty acids - lauric, capric and caprylic acid - suggested to offer antibacterial and antiviral benefits. Coconut Butter's delightful, delicately sweet taste is provided by less than 8% total naturally-occurring sugars.

MICRONUTRIENTS in Stone Ground Coconut Butter are distributed primarily as minerals (notably calcium, potassium, iron and selenium). Traces of vitamins C, E and B-complex, notably folate and pantothenic acid, are also present.

Best of all, Stone Ground Coconut Butter tastes amazing!
It adds depth to smoothies, curries and soups, is the ultimate spread on warm toast or crackers, and of course, is great plain, right off the spoon! Or use Stone Ground Coconut Butter as a confectionery ingredient (to make candy, chocolate or icing), in dessert recipes (cookies, bars) and in grain or cereal dishes. For example, mash a spoonful of Stone Ground Coconut Butter together with cinnamon and raw honey or your favorite non-glycemic sweetener (stevia, mesquite or lucuma powder) to make a paste. Then add some raw sprouted buckwheat groats or warm steamed millet or quinoa and stir till all the grain is coated. Yummy!

If you are interested in trying Sacred Foods Stone Ground Coconut Butter, stop by Community Superfoods this Thursday, February 25, where my personal jar will be on hand for sampling! I will be taking pre-orders at that time - no product is currently stocked. CSF cost per 16-ounce jar is $10.99.

I am also taking preorders for the NEW! 50-pack of Raw Nori Sheets from Ultimate Superfoods. Raw, untoasted nori is very hard to find. I do have a few packages in stock, with a one-pack limit for store night customers. There is no limit on pre-orders, however, so do take advantage of the opportunity to stock up! CSF cost per 50-pack of Raw Nori Sheets is just $15.95. Great for making raw sushi, wrapping a hummus and sprouts sandwich (skip the bread!), creating a sliced avocado salad roll, tearing into miso soup, boosting flavor & nutrition of any chili, soup or stew or simply as a tasty snack food!

Yours in radiance, diana ♥

Love Yourself Pink Juice

2010-02-13T10:31:00.013-05:00

With great respect and love, I honor my heart: my inner teacher. Namaste.

I learned this simple prayer in my new weekly yoga class, Living Room Yoga with Lisa Enzer. At the beginning of each practice we repeat the prayer three times to help center us in the body and open our hearts to the benefits of our efforts.

I love saying these words at the start of yoga practice, and remembering them throughout the day. For truly, the heart is our inner teacher. With compassion and kindness it guides us, it speaks to us, it heals us - if only we will listen.

Love is far more than the romantic notion of fairy tale constructs as served up by culture and society. Love in its highest form is pure bliss energy, union with the divine, a state far beyond the realm of earthly passion!

To become fully realized human beings, we need to immerse ourselves in the energy of love and loving ourselves comes first. By loving ourselves, we become healthy and complete – in body, mind and spirit. Loving ourselves means to do no harm to self or others, to act always in our highest good. Loving ourselves allows us to become whole, and from this place of wholeness, to reach out to the world, to help others, to give service in a manner that will be truly meaningful and beneficial.

Sometimes, to love ourselves we must turn away from relationships or situations that fail to serve our health and happiness. This may be painful, for all parties involved. But if the motivation is pure, the outcome will be positive and healing to everyone. You cannot truly love another unless you love yourself.

One way to love yourself is to nourish your body with the freshest, healthiest living food in the world - starting with plenty of crisp, juicy fruits and vegetables. Eat them every way possible: whole, chopped in salads, blended in soups and smoothies and freshly pressed into juice. As a healing food, fresh raw vegetable juice is the supreme elixir of vitality.

Fresh juice can be made with any combination of veggies, plus apples or other fruit added for sweetness if desired. Usually I like to drink super-alkalizing Green Juice, but in honor of Valentine's Day, I've created a Pink Juice made with all the ingredients pictured below.

As you can see, my pink juice gets its tantalizing color from just a touch of ruby red beet along with a larger proportion of a few basic, inexpensive ingredients. Add more beets and you'll have red juice! Pink or red, this liquid sunshine will please your tender heart as well as your thirsty taste buds. May it help you to embrace the spirit of Valentine's Day and love yourself more deeply than ever, today and every day.

Love Yourself Pink Juice

1 bunch celery
5 good-sized carrots
2 small beets or equivalent
1 granny smith apple
1 lime, peeled and pitted

Put everything through your juicer and enjoy.
Makes about one pint (two cups) of gorgeous pink juice.

Warming Winter Smoothie

2010-02-03T06:22:00.019-05:00

Love raw food but hate being cold? The solution is simple: Don’t eat cold food!

Everything that goes into you, including the air you breathe, must be brought to body temperature in order to maintain homeostasis (balance). Consuming very cold food and drink pulls heat from your body, it’s true. (The same may be said for consuming very hot food, ironically.) For this reason, perhaps the most useful tip for staying practically raw in winter is this: eat your food at, or slightly above, room temperature.

In practice, this means: avoid eating food fresh from the fridge. Let your salad veggies warm up on the counter before you prepare them, and use lukewarm water to rinse and scrub. Gently heat soups to 110 degrees or so. Warm prepared dishes in the dehydrator if you are so inclined. And be sure to include warming spices like ginger and cayenne in your soups and smoothies. Finally, consume a little bit of fat (chia, hemp, coconut oil, avocado, nuts/seeds, raw goat cheese) with every meal to provide slow-burning fuel and stoke the digestive fire.
Here are some healthy raw food fats that I sell at my Community Superfoods store! I also have Hemp Seeds and Really Raw Cashews. (The store is open tonight and every Wednesday from 5-7 PM, or by appointment.)

Your body will always thrive on fresh, living food – all year long. Even when it is cold outside, the truth is that we live in warm houses – meaning it’s quite temperate indoors. The “I need cooked food to feel warm,” argument just doesn’t cut it! Incredibly, as long as your raw food isn’t chilled, it won’t make you feel the least bit cold!

In winter, freshly blended room temperature Green Smoothies are a breakfast staple in my household. The following recipe - inspired by my dear friend Cathy's famous Burmese Green Smoothie recipe - is sure to please on every level, starting with your palate! Featuring tart cranberries and pucker-sweet grapefruit to wake up your mouth, living sprouts and greens to alkalize and enliven, and fiery cayenne to warm your blood.

Those with blood sugar concerns or mild candida symptoms will be glad to see this Warming Winter Smoothie uses low-sugar fruits exclusively. (Severe candida requires nixing all fruits for a time.) The addition of high-fiber veggies and raw coconut oil take the glycemic index down another notch. Begin with all ingredients at room temperature (exception: frozen cranberries, if using. No whole cranberries on hand? Replace with one small peeled & pitted lemon or lime.)
Makes two pints.

Warming Winter Smoothie

1 pink grapefruit
1 Granny Smith apple
½ cup whole cranberries, fresh or frozen
4 stalks celery, chopped
half bunch cilantro, chopped
1 handful alfalfa sprouts
1 Tbs raw coconut oil
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ cup room temperature water

Prepare ingredients and add to blender. If your blender is not high-speed, chop celery into a small dice to facilitate break-down of long stringy fibers. Ditto for the cilantro.

You don’t need a high speed blender to make smoothies, but you do need to prep accordingly. For instance, in my pre-Vita-Mix days, I peeled apples for smoothies because the skin did not blend thoroughly. Now, I can skip this step. You know your blender – do what you need to get everything blended smoothly and enjoy!

You are Divine

2010-01-29T17:58:00.006-05:00

By any chance, have you been having a hard time, lately? Whether it's astrological forces, karma, earth changes or just plain old winter blues, many people around the planet seem to be struggling right now.

Every challenge, every test, every problem that we face is an opportunity for growth. No matter how harsh the circumstance nor bleak the outlook, there is always positive potential and the certainty of change. The gift of hope and the promise of faith that the highest good will manifest in your life are ever yours to accept and embrace.

The Light is shining for all of us. Working with the breath and remembering our Divine Essence helps us to ground and center, heal and transform. With love and prayers, I offer these words of affirmation. Blessed be, Diana <3

3-Day Mini-Cleanse: Day 3!

2010-01-23T16:31:00.008-05:00

Ah the joys of a 3-day mini-cleanse! On Day 1, motivation is super high. On Day 2, you only have one day left to go. And on Day 3, you're done!

I know many people who set out with the best intentions to do a week-long juice fast or a long detox program only to fall by the wayside when cravings strike. But THREE days? It's easily doable, because the end is always in sight!

Day 3 was actually a few days ago as I write this but I remember: Breakfast Juice was the leftover Pineapple-Apple-Collard-Celery juice from the day before. (Day old juice is not as alive as freshly-pressed juice, true. But it is still pretty darn clean and healthy - not to mention already made!) Lunch Smoothie was a basic Ultimate Green Smoothie, a la Teri Kerr's Ultimate Detox Diet's Breakfast Drink plus greens. Dinner was divine: A beautiful Sprout Salad with fresh lentil sprouts, two kinds of lettuce, grated carrots, black olives and cherry tomatoes, served alongside of Kelp Noodles warmed in Organic Marinara Sauce and topped with grated Raw Local Cheese.

This Kelp Noodle dish was the first (and only) non-raw food of the cleanse. My Community Superfoods store (where I sell kelp noodles at cost, btw) was open that night from 5-7, and I was very hungry and chilled when I got home. Convenience raw foods like kelp noodles come in quite handy in such situations, and I am not averse to eating cooked foods from time to time, especially in winter (hence my "HIGH raw foodist" moniker. Not to be confused with monocle, lol).

Anyway, the dish came out quite tasty. I sauteed some red onion and garlic in a little coconut oil first, then added the marinara and Italian herbs, simmered a few minutes, then added the kelp noodles, turned off the heat and stirred till coated. Transferred to two bowls and garnished generously with grated raw cheese. It was delish. Even Zack approved (much to his surprise - his dubious expectations for the kelp noodles pleasantly reversed upon tasting).

So that was it. The 3-Day Mini Cleanse had come to a close. Kudos to Zack for hanging in as long as he did, and I feel happily lighter and alert. This is good, since many deadlines and responsibilities have convened at once in my life, including two talks in two weeks, the first of which was today!

This morning, I gave a free talk and taste at Green Field's Market on Energizing Raw Breakfasts. I brought soaked almonds for everyone to peel (so easy!), freshly made Almond-Chia Milk, Sprouted Buckwheat Cereal with Cinnamon-Coconut Oil and assorted dried berries and superfoods for people to try. At the end of the talk, I made some refreshingly alive Ginger Green Juice in my Omega 5008 juicer - and of course, everyone loved it! Lots of fun.

My top recommendations for energy-boosting raw breakfasts are any one of the following options. Eat or drink as much as you need to feel satisfied but remember: the lighter the better for maximum energy to carry you to lunch. (FYI, I don't take grains in the morning, but the sprouted buckwheat makes a wonderful dessert, especially when stirred into a mix of raw cacao, coconut oil and stevia or sweetener of choice, as shown me by my raw friends Jude & Jontz Johnson!)

Raw Breakfast Suggestions (choose one)

Fresh Fruit as desired
Raw Vegetable Juice
Fruit or Green Smoothie
Bananas or Dried Fruit with raw nuts/seeds or raw nut butter
Nut Milks and Nut-Milk Based Smoothies
Sprouted Oatmeal or Buckwheat

If you'd like a copy of the recipe handout from the talk, please let me know!

In love and light, Diana

3-Day Mini Cleanse: Day 2

2010-01-19T22:17:00.010-05:00

My sixteen year old son, Zack, decided he wanted to join me on the 3-Day Mini Cleanse - I am so excited! He's doing a modified version that looks something like this:

Breakfast: Green Smoothie
Snack: Fresh Fruit and/or Superfood Fruits (Goji Berries, Golden Berries)
Lunch: Avocado & Veggies Sandwich on Sprouted Grain Bread. Raw Veggies.
Snack: More Raw Veggies or Fruit, as desired
Dinner: Large Raw Salad with choice of seed cheese, raw goat cheese, baked sweet potato, sprouted grain toast, flax crackers
After Dinner: water, herb tea, fruit if desired
All Day: plenty of water or herb tea

So basically, he's just having more food than me, plus the sprouted grain bread for school lunches (providing ease and normalcy). So far, he's doing great, despite reporting feeling more hungry than usual. (He is a teenage boy, after all, which is just one step removed from a bottomless pit when it comes to food.)

Here's the skinny on Day 2.

My green juice was extra yummy thanks to this fresh pineapple I happen to be working on. I cut fresh pineapple from the bottom up in big round slices, trim off the skin and store the remainder standing up on a plate in the fridge. I like to see its sturdy, cactus-like plume top descending towards the plate with each subsequent slice.

Pineapple Green Juice
one inch thick slice fresh pineapple, skin removed
one crisp red apple (honeycrisp, fuji, braeburn)
one bunch celery
one bunch collard greens
one lime, peeled

This recipe makes a quart of juice. In the photo, the jar is not full because I already drank one glass before I took the picture! Isn't the color completely gorgeous?
A few hours after the juice it was smoothie time. Today's smoothie was grapefruit-blueberry-banana-kale with acai, stevia, bee pollen, chia gel and maca. I made enough so that Zack could have his for breakfast and I could have mine at lunch. I stirred some cayenne into mine, also. Very filling.

Truth be told, I hardly get hungry at all on these mini-cleanses. I find the food so tasty and satisfying. It's so nice to simplify my intake...and not have to give up enjoyment, since I do love making and eating yummy food.

To that end, I got creative at dinner and made a Creamy Cabbage Salad using Pumpkin Seed Cheese, thinned down with a little water, for the dressing. This was served on a bed of red and green oak leaf lettuce. Zack proclaimed it tasted like chicken salad, which I guess is a good thing. I thought it was divine. Here's the basic recipe with some photos that I'm afraid, don't do the living colors justice.

Creamy Cabbage Salad with Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Cheese Dressing
1/2 green cabbage
1/8 red onion
1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
generous pinches of thyme, sage, celery seed
1/2 box cherry tomatoes
1 package white button mushrooms
1 clove garlic
teaspoon or so wheat-free tamari or nama shoyu
about one third cup pumpkin seed cheese (click here for recipe, but substitute cilantro for the parsley.)
water
small handful dulse seaweed

Juice lemon into a large bowl and add sea salt. Slice cabbage thinly, add to bowl and toss well. Mince red onion and add this to cabbage along with thyme, sage and celery seed. Stir well and allow to marinate for one to two hours, tossing occasionally.

Mince garlic and combine in a medium bowl with tamari. Slice mushrooms and add to garlic-tamari. Stir well and allow to marinate for fifteen minutes or longer.

When ready to assemble salad, add marinated mushrooms and cherry tomatoes to cabbage and toss. Combine pumpkin seed cheese with a little warm water and stir into a thick paste, the consistency of blue cheese dressing. Add this to the salad and toss well. Tear dulse into small pieces and mix in. Let salad sit a while so flavors can marry. Serve on a bed of fresh crisp greens.

So that is Day 2 of the 3-Day Mini Cleanse. Oh - I had dessert: 2 dates dipped in maybe 2 tablespoons of raw almond butter. (What a splurge!) Followed by a nice mug of medicinal herbal tea - an echinacea blend from Traditional Medicinals, one of my favorite packaged tea companies.

I'm feeling pretty energetic - had a great yoga class today with snow falling outside the studio window...tomorrow I plan on rebounding to help move any released matter through my lymphatic system for elimination. (Always remember, a cleanse requires that the waste leaves the body - otherwise it's just a potential cleanse!)

3-Day Mini Cleanse

2010-01-18T18:23:00.005-05:00

Here in Western Massachusetts, January is the coldest month of winter. Yes, we had one blissful, delicious forty degree day last week. Felt like Heaven. Otherwise, temperatures have not risen much above freezing since Christmas. All just to say there's been lots of bundling up and staying in going on. (Aside: gotta love those prepositions - am I right, people?!)

Anyway, as chilly weather drives us inside, this seems to me like the perfect time to "just say no" to the temptation of dense, heavy foods and lighten up my diet for a few days. So, today I began a 3-day mini-cleanse.

What is a mini-cleanse? Well, it's just a relaxed, short-term program that gives the digestive organs a break for most of the day. My plan looks something like this:

Upon Arising: 10 oz water with lemon and MSM (boosts detox by donating precious sulfur ions)
Breakfast: fresh pressed vegetable juice with apple or other fruit to sweeten
Snack: Herb tea (gotta have that warmth!) and water
Lunch: Green Smoothie of choice or another juice
Snack: herb tea or lemon-water with MSM
Dinner: Raw Salad with choice of: seed cheese, raw goat cheese or baked sweet potato
After Dinner: herb tea

Today, my mini-cleanse meals featured a superb carrot-beet-dandelion greens juice (thank you, Darien!) and an outrageously tasty red grapefruit-blueberry smoothie (thank you, Cathy!), both leftover from the weekend. (That was easy!)

Dinner will be a fresh sprout salad (homegrown lentil and alfalfa-clover sprouts plus locally grown sunflower greens) with red onion, raw feta cheese and organic black olives. Dressed with Jordan's famous lime-pink pepper dressing. I feel so nourished by my dear friends and family. Thank you all!

What's great about a mini-cleanse:
It's easy.
It gives your digestive organs a break.
It boosts detox.
It doesn't last too long! (Did I mention it's easy?)
It's delicious and satisfying.
At the end, you'll feel way better than when you started!

Sounds good to me. Will keep you posted on days 2 and 3!

In light and lightness,
Diana

Shilajit & Diana's Mineral Mochaccino

2010-01-07T13:36:00.004-05:00

It's a NEW YEAR - 2010. Wow. Coming to terms with this strange sci-fi fact (2010? Impossible: that's the future!), I can't think of a better reason to introduce you to something really, really OLD! I'm talking about ancient minerals. Earthen minerals. Life-born minerals, concentrated into the form of a highly revered, Ayurvedic power herb/superfood/supplement, Shilajit.

Shilajit comes to us from the sacred Himalayan mountains, 10,000 to 12,000 feet above sea level. The substance is said to contain all known minerals and trace minerals in bioavailable ionic form. Yes, you read that right: ALL known minerals. In our world of demineralized soil, demineralized food and acidic bodies, its outstanding mineral content alone gives Shilajit incredible potential for health.

The origins of Shilajit are fascinating. Two hundred million years ago, during the time of drifting tectonic plates, the Indian subcontinent collided with the landmass of Eurasia. This impact not only created the Himalayan mountains, it caused entire rain forests to crumple and become trapped between and below the two land masses. Buried under the massive, newly formed Himalayas and subjected to millions of tons of pressure, the lost rainforests–once teeming with plant and animal life forms–became transformed over time into the nutrient-rich substance we call Shilajit.

Shilajit escapes from it’s deep, dark abode during the hot Indian summer months, when in molten form, the ancient substance rises to the surface and literally oozes through cracks in the stone face of the Himalayan mountains. Appearing first as a thick, sticky goo, liquid Shilajit quickly dries and can be collected, powdered and purified for use as a human medicine and food supplement. Compressed over millions of years, composed of fully stabilized, broken down organic plant matter, traces of fossilized life forms, rock dust and stardust, Shilajit represents a uniquely energetically complete and balancing substance.

The minerals in Shilajit are carried by fulvic acid, a natural electrolyte also found in humus. Fulvic acid forms complexes with the elemental minerals in Shilajit and holds them in the ionic form that supports their bioavailability. As such, fulvic acid is considered the primary "active ingredient" in Shilajit. It can help restore and maintain critical electrical balance in cells and also offers antioxidant and detoxification support, as the ionic minerals it carries serve as cofactors for several vitamins and enzymes involved in free radical scavenging and detoxification.

Long famed in Ayurvedic medicine, Shilajit is best known as a superior mineralizer with adaptogenic (stress-balancing) and immuno-modulating qualities. The herb is said to support memory and cognition, boost detox and enzyme activity, and offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

That's all very interesting, you may be thinking, but how does it taste?! Well, in a word, earthy. Bitter. A cross between coffee and, well, soil.

O-Kay, you respond. So how do I consume this earthy powder and enjoy it? Easy! You use it sparingly, like any true superfood powder, in servings of one-half to one teaspoon at a time. You can take it straight: simply stir one serving into a cup of hot water for a coffee-like beverage. Or mix it up: blend Shilajit into smoothies or puddings, especially those containing raw cacao.

On that note, you may like to try my amazing Mineral Mochaccino! It’s basically a warm, sweet nutmilk beverage blended with raw cacao and Shilajit. (Reminder: chocolate + coffee = mocha.)

For a quick, simple version, simply combine one cup of warm almond milk with ½ to 1 teaspoon of Shilajit, 1 Tablespoon raw cacao powder and 1 teaspoon of raw honey or agave. That’s yummy, but if you have the time, I suggest the official, scrumdillyicious version below, made with freshly blended hemp and chia seed milk and soft dates for sweetness. It is SOOOO good, you won’t believe your tongue!

Diana’s Mineral Mochaccino
Makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup hemp seeds
2 Tablespoons chia seed
3 soft dates
2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons raw cacao powder
1-2 teaspoons Shilajit
½ teaspoon cinnamon
pinch Himalayan pink salt

DIRECTIONS
In a high speed blender, soak hemp seeds, chia seeds and dates in warm water for 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and blend well, until frothy. Continue blending until desired temperature is reached OR pour into saucepan, set on stove and heat gently to a comforting 100 degrees Farenheit.* Pour warm Mineral Mochaccino into two mugs and sprinkle with additional cinnamon. Then, sit back, sip and enjoy the New Year!

*Your Vitamix or other high speed blender will heat up raw blended foods. However, it does so rather “violently” as far as the food molecules are concerned, so many prefer to gently heat their raw foods in a more traditional way–on the stove or in a dehydrator.

A HOT RAW NOTE: Some age-old traditional dietary systems, notably Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine, assert that eating raw food is not appropriate in the winter. The presumed reason for this is that because raw food is cold, its digestion will draw warm energy from your body and make your body cold and weak in the process. However, there is a hole in this assertion. Namely, it is a false belief that raw food = cold food. My friends, raw food does not have to be eaten cold! In fact, technically, most raw foods can be heated to anywhere between 110 and 120 degrees (depending on the structure of the particular food - some can withstand even more heat) and still remain alive, with enzyme activity preserved. Therefore, in winter, please make your juices and salads with room temperature vegetables and fruits! Also, feel free to heat up raw soups, sauces, other foods and drinks to a temperature of, say, 100 degrees F, which is distinctly hot to the touch AND well below the 110-120 degree span that most raw foodists recognize as the killing zone for enzymes and life force in our food. In this way, you will promote warmth in your body AND continue to derive the wonderful physical and spiritual benefits of consuming natural, living foods.

Healthy Comfort Food

2009-12-28T09:54:00.006-05:00

Let's cut to the chase. The final weeks of the year can be a tough time for sugar addicts and emotional eaters. Really tough. All those foods that you work so hard to avoid all the other 50 weeks of the year are literally surrounding you! Dark-chocolate-covered almonds at the pharmacy. Cakes and cookies at work. Cheese platters and cracker assortments and sweet drinks galore - even in your own kitchen! (How did that happen?) It can be daunting; it can make you want to throw in the towel. As one client put it, "I don't want to do the diet. It feels like a punishment."

How did we create a world where eating fresh juicy salads, tangy fruit smoothies, creamy avocados, savory raw goat cheeses, sweet garnet yams and quality dark chocolate feels like a punishment?

Clearly, it's not about food, it's about feelings. Feelings are what emotional eating is all about.

To begin, we have EMOTIONAL TIES to certain foods, ties based on our childhood associations and past experiences with these foods and ties based on messages we receive from family, media and society about what these foods represent. "Denying" ourselves these foods cuts to the quick of our inner child. Ouch.

Second, we USE FOOD AS A DRUG, to cover up, numb and avoid our feelings. Eat this, forget your problems (you know the drill). Better yet, have a brand new problem to distract you (you choose: stomach ache, weight gain, despair, guilt, shame, etc.)

Emotional eating comes to a head during holidays because these ritualized moments and events bring up a lot of feelings. Hard feelings for many of us. Our hearts may feel practically ripped open as we are forced to confront personal loss, stressful family dynamics, workplace pressures, cultural expectations and social conditioning all at the same time. No wonder we want to stuff the world into oblivion!

Food doesn't really help, though. We all know this. So the trick is to learn how to negotiate our feelings, recognize our needs and find alternatives.

Blogs, books, counseling all can help. That's why I'm here, dedicating these pages to supporting you. And I am just one of many. When you feel like you are "failing" at following your program, there is a lot of support for you. You are not alone.

Always remember, YOU CAN DO IT! You can achieve your highest potential, you can have the healthy, sane, balanced relationship with food that you KNOW, in your heart of hearts, is your birthright! Your natural, radiant state of being is part of you RIGHT NOW!

Understanding what foods best serve the health of your body-mind-spirit is an important and necessary step in this process. In order to be healthy, you must base your diet upon the evolution-appropriate, fresh natural foods for which the human body was designed. That's just the bottom line, and you know what I'm talking about! It's not factory-generated chicken eggs, or protein bars, or 100-calorie packs of canola-fried tortilla chips or even low-fat ice cream that will help you lose weight and feel great! No matter how much the diet and food industries want you to believe otherwise, you KNOW what is real food, and that's the food you need to THRIVE.

One of my favorite nutritionists, Natalia Rose, addresses this issue in Part One of her newly released e-book, available to members of the Detox the World Community. The following quote made me lol; I share it with you here:

“My friends, no other species in history eats according to a clock or from a package, or chooses their food based on the numbers on a label or the persuasive powers of a commercial! Can you imagine a bunch of bunnies huddled around a TV screen determining what to eat after watching an ad for Mr. McGregor’s carrot chips–or buying into the olestra version? Yes, in our culture, we’d rather consume indigestible fats and have gas an diarrhea than go without our potato chips! Olestra is right up there with saccharine, margarine, and fat-free milk products–marketed as healthful to the addicted, hypnotized masses. This is your brain on social conditioning!”

(Natalia Rose, Emotional Eating SOS Part 1, page 20.)

Can't you just picture those crazy bunnies?!? It's funny because we all know they know better. And so do we.

Overcoming emotional eating involves exercising our intelligence and experience, breaking free of what the mainstream tells us is "good for us" and realizing that our bodies desire something different, something more TRUE and LIFE-GENERATING. Real food. That is the diet piece. It is not the only piece of the puzzle, but it is an important one.

There will always be situations that drive us to seek comfort outside of ourselves. As we progress on our path of wisdom and self-knowledge, we learn ways to cope with these situations that actually help to move through the feelings, even beyond the feelings so that we can solve the underlying problem! These ways do not harm us, they do not sabotage our efforts to be healthy, they allow us to be clear and to attain and maintain our ideal weight.

Of course naturally, in the meantime, we have to eat something! Sometimes, we have to eat a LOT of something. May that something really serve you. May it move through your body with a quickness, leaving little or no waste residue behind. You may need food to help you get through today, but choose wisely and it won't ruin your tomorrow.

My number one rule of thumb is this: you can't go wrong with vegetables. Vegetables are the best health food, the best diet food, the best alkalinizing food, the best food period for humans to eat. Choose your favorites, and when the need arises, eat piles of them. Steamed broccoli and cauliflower and summer squashes, baked roots and winter squashes, beets and parsnips and leafy greens. Serve them with spices, seasonings, butter or flaxseed oil, Himalayan pink salt (my favorite!), or even a sauce (mushroom-garlic-tomato sautée anyone?) Fill up on these foods when you need to EAT. Add salads, add avocado, or substitute raw goat cheese or fish for the starchy veggies. Eat well, and be well.

Here is a list of incredibly tasty comfort foods that help to hit the spot without derailing your best intentions. With deference to Food Combining guidelines, may you enjoy them with gusto!

MEALS

Baked Garnet Yams, served with flaxseed oil or organic butter and sea salt.

A bowlful of Baked Beets topped with pesto if you like, or raw goat cheese.

Organic Vegetable Soup, canned, loaded up with leftover veggies or chopped greens and curry paste

Practically Raw Miso Soup

SNACKS

Dulse seaweed, right out of the bag!

1 or 2 Bananas + 1-2 Tablespoons Raw Almond Butter.

3-4 Medjool dates + a big handful of raw cashews.

Raw carrots dipped in Ginger-Miso dressing.

Raw Goat Cheese, plain or stuffed into leaves (romaine, endive, raddichio).

One Avocado, sprinkled with Herbamare or Spike. Eat out of the shell, or wrap in a nori sheet.

WARM CREAMY DRINKS

Freshly blended or packaged Almond Milk with cinnamon. Sweeten if desired.

"Cereal Coffee" (Pero, Inka, Cafix) with agave or raw honey and Coconut Creamer. (A new product that, while processed, makes a decent alternative to pasteurized Half and Half.)

Nut/Seed-Based Green Smoothie

DESSERTS

Organic Dark Chocolate (70%+) or Sacred Chocolate or other Raw Chocolate Bar

Instant Fudge (1 teaspoon each: raw almond butter, raw cacao powder, agave or maple syrup)

Instant Halvah (equal parts raw tahini and raw honey)

Frozen Banana "Ice Cream" (use juicer Blank or a regular blender + patience!)

Frozen Berry Sorbet (just whir frozen berries in blender - quick and sweet!)

Raw Tostadas with Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce

2009-12-15T19:08:00.017-05:00

As much as I love preparing raw food and delving into recipe books for inspiration, it’s rare that I follow a recipe to the letter. But there’s always that rare exception to the rule, and I humbly offer one here.

Kristen Suzanne’s Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce is, in a word, Perfect! I made it for the first time today and, truth be told, I found myself really, really wishing that I could unscrew the bottom of my Vita Mix to get every last drop into my greedy little mouth. MMM-MMM-Amazing is all I can say.

This sauce tastes a lot like a Mexican Salsa con Queso. But instead of goopy, mucusy cow cheese, it’s made with clean-burning, highly digestible hemp seeds!

Hemp seeds are one of my favorite vegetarian food protein sources. Besides tasting incredibly creamy and sweet and nutty all at the same time, hemp seeds are a whole food offering an ideal balance of beneficial essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They also boast a complete, well-rounded amino acid profile, providing 25% protein by weight. Additionally, tasty hemp seeds are rich in fiber, contain plenty of critical minerals like zinc, iron, calcium and magnesium and are a good source of antioxidant vitamins A and E.

Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce is not only nutritious and delicious but versatile, offering a variety of serving possibilities. It makes a great dip with raw veggies or raw chips, is sure to be incredible on top of zucchini noodles (I intend to prove this very soon!) and makes a superior nacho sauce, natch.

Come lunchtime today, I was fortunate to have some homemade chia tortilla shells in the fridge, along with a nice variety of fresh, bitter winter salad greens picked at the CSA last week. I warmed the shells in the toaster, chopped the greens, whipped up the sauce and voila! These delectable Raw Tostadas were born.

I made them two ways: 1) sauce on top of the greens (pictured on the red plate), and 2) sauce under the greens, with Herbamare-kissed avocado slices on top (plated on blue). Both were divine, as you might imagine from the photos.
No dehydrated tortillas on hand? Consider a simple wrap-style tostada instead, using nori sheets, romaine lettuce or collard greens to encase the sauce plus greens or any veggies of your choice. It's all good.

Kristen Suzanne’s
Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce

Add the following ingredients to high speed blender and blend until creamy.

1/3 cup water
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 cup hemp seeds
2 ½ Tbs nutritional yeast flakes
1 Tbs chili powder
2 tsps tamari
½ tsp Himalayan crystal salt
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp turmeric powder

So easy! So tasty! Happy munching! And be sure to visit Kristin's blog for more yummy recipe ideas and high raw inspiration.

Remember Your Why

2009-12-05T09:33:00.004-05:00

In case you haven’t heard, temptation is coming to town... gelt and sleighbells in tow. Whether it’s the annual office party, friends stopping by with fruitcake, family get-togethers or just an innocent trip to the newly candy-loaded pharmacy, the holiday season is packed with sugary treats and opportunities to overeat at nearly every turn.

Many a normally level-headed, health-conscious person has found themselves challenged by the sweet temptations of seasonal festivities. This challenge is magnified for those dealing with disordered eating. If you’ve ever have a hard time sticking to your diet or exercise plan, or struggled over the long term to keep doing what you know you “should” be doing, here’s a little trick. Forget about the Should. Remember the Why.

Discipline is tricky–and not just during the holidays. I see it all year long in my work with emotional eaters and in myself and others, too. We set an intention, full of understanding and resolve, and perhaps we succeed for some time. But somehow, whether it be hours, days or weeks, our resolve eventually falters and we go back to our old ways. And there we are, back where we started, until we make another resolve and start again. Why is this so, and how can we learn to remain on course?

I believe that food addictions (and most likely other types of addictions) are often rooted in an attempt by the unconscious mind to help us forget our problems. Because the unconscious mind loves us and wants to make everything all better, the intent behind the idea that turns into the behavior that becomes the addiction is not malicious, simply misguided. Consider the thought, “Just have some ice cream and all your pain will go away.” This thought is a kind gesture, a well-intentioned suggestion intended to help quell our pain, boredom or discomfort. Ice cream tastes good, it feels good going down, it resides front and center in many happy childhood memories. Naturally, it follows that if you’re sad now, you can get happy if you eat some ice cream! Good idea, right?

Well, yes and no. It’s true that at first, as ICE CREAM overtakes our entire consciousness, our problems do seem to go away. We forget everything but the taste on our tongue, in our mouth and throat, the luxurious sensation of smooth, sweet flavor and cold creaminess. Then, sugar hits our bloodstream and our dopamine starts to surge, creating feelings of well being and bliss. So far, so good.

But at some point, this pleasure experience turns sour. Feelings of self-consciousness, guilt, shame or simply physical discomfort take the place of joy and abandon. Our taste buds get oversaturated and lose their sensitivity. Those final spoonfuls may feel like a disgusting chore. And after the ice cream is gone, we feel disheartened, overstuffed or depressed. “Why did I do that? I feel so full/fat/guilty/hopeless/like a loser.”

All of these sensations and thoughts–from first bite bliss to bloated despair–serve as a wonderful distraction from whatever painful thoughts or feelings we were unconsciously trying to avoid in the first place. But the problem is not solved at all. The addiction strategy, this well meaning attempt to take us out of our suffering, does not work. On the contrary, it just prolongs our original problems and even creates new ones.

Fortunately, we can teach our unconscious mind new ways to help us that don’t end up hurting us. We also can engage the unconscious mind in helping us embody the flip side of addictions and indulgences, i.e. healthy habits that take us to our goals.

One useful tool for staying on track with a healthy eating plan is to drop all our rules around food. The part of the unconscious mind that I call the Rebel Self has a strong aversion to rules. The Rebel Self has a motto around rules: “If you make them, I will break them!” The Rebel Self does NOT want to be told what she can and cannot do – she wants to make her own decisions. If you have a Rebel Self (and most of us do) rules are a set-up for failure. Once a rule is broken and you’ve “blown it,” resolve easily goes out the window and it can be weeks before you get back on track.

That’s why I put the focus on TOOLS not RULES. Fill your healthy diet and lifestyle toolbox with information and inspiration, and draw on it as needed. It’s good to have tricks up your sleeve (make your own healthy “ice cream” with frozen ripe bananas, take the stairs instead of the elevator, choose a distant parking spot, eat an apple before you go to the party so you won’t be starving when you get there, etc). Even more powerful are tools that support you at a deeper level, the level of the unconscious mind.

To access this level nutritionally, you must first learn what foods work best for your body and develop a realistic diet-lifestyle program that suits your schedule and your personal needs–be they biochemical, social or emotional. Realistic means sound and doable. A big part of my work as a nutritionist is helping people develop customized programs that they can actually follow! This is critical to your success. For instance, you may have a “crush on raw foods,” as one of my clients put it, but your body craves cooked food, too. Find a way to do both–there are lots of clean cooked foods out there! Embrace the concept of TRANSITION and keep moving ahead in the direction of health.

Once you understand the diet-lifestyle that suits you best, get really clear on Why you want to follow it. What is it that you want this particular dietary program, supplement regime or exercise routine help you to achieve?

Your “Why” can be many things. Perhaps you want this diet-lifestyle to help you to overcome a disease. Or to help clear up your skin. Do you want it to help you lose weight? Tone and firm your muscles? Increase your self confidence? Enjoy the way you look and feel? Provide more balanced alertness and energy throughout the day? Improve your digestion? Decrease aches and pains? Bring you closer to God? Understanding your “Why” is another way of understanding your aspirations and goals.

We all have more than one goal but ultimately, as my beautiful and disciplined friend Meredith says, when it comes to any undertaking the GOAL IS TO FEEL GOOD. We want to feel as good as we possible can, every day–feel good in our body, feel good in our mind, feel good about ourselves and our accomplishments. That’s what makes life a JOY! Feeling bad feels…well…bad! Who wants that? Nobody.

So get clear on your Why, on what it is that you really want out of your diet-lifestyle choices. Whatever it is, use your Why as an inspirational tool. Create a statement (or a series of statements) that highlights your Why. Articulate a few phrases that you can repeat to yourself throughout the day and write them down on a piece of paper, a post-it or a wallet-sized Why Card. For example, you might write on your card: “I want to feel great!” or, “I want to lose five pounds this month,” or “I want perfect digestion.”

Partner your WHY with AFFIRMATIONS that will help you target and change specific behaviors. Always phrase affirmations with positive words, because the unconscious mind does not understand negatives. For instance, if you are trying to reduce food intake at meals, instead of saying “I don’t take seconds at meals,” affirm that “I feel satisfied and happy with one serving of food at mealtimes.”

Remain clear on your Why and remember it throughout the day, using Affirmations to reinforce new behavior. Consider reading your Why Card when you wake up and at bedtime. Give it a glance before you head down to the lunchroom... or out the office party... or into the dining room for the traditional family feast. Be sure to remember your Why when it’s time to engage in the desired behavior to help train your unconscious mind in this new way of helping you meet your deep inner goals and needs. With practice, your WHY will become an integrated part of YOU.

Until that time and always, love yourself, forgive yourself, have faith in yourself. Find ways to address the discomfort in your life, the pain or unresolved issues that in the past led you to develop behaviors which only ended up hurting you more. And develop new habits that take you into the life you are meant to lead, the life of happiness, confidence, and health. The life you want. The life you deserve.

In radiance and joyful resolution, Diana

Being Peace

2009-11-30T15:31:00.003-05:00

What can we do to bring peace to the world? Be peace in our lives. Breathe peace, deeply. Eat peace: choose low on the food chain. Be like a sprout and reach for the light. Always be kind, and when you are not, correct yourself quickly. Apologize. Forgive. Love people, love animals, love the earth and stones. Grow a garden of peace. Grow a garden of peace in your heart.

Giving Thanks

2009-11-24T10:55:00.004-05:00

In two days it will be Thanksgiving. Time to gather with our family and loved ones, prepare a multitude of sumptuous dishes, gather at table to express our gratitude and feast. At least, that's how it's supposed to be. But is this really true for everyone?

Consider that Thanksgiving itself celebrates a meal held three hundred years ago in honor of the great kindness shown to the Pilgrims by the American Indians. That feast would have never taken place if the first inhabitants of this continent had not willingly shared their native wisdom and knowledge. Without that kindness, the Pilgrims could not have survived the challenging climate of this new land.

The Thanksgiving meal, with its centerpiece dishes of native American foods–cranberry sauce, roasted turkey, pumpkin pie–is intended to replicate that first feast, shared by people of two very different cultures so very long ago.

The kindness of the Indians, their generosity and willingness to coexist with a strangely-customed group of savage (to them) invaders, was not returned by the White Man. Instead, as we all know, Native American tribes across the continent were systematically decimated, relocated and relegated to live within small, tightly boundaried reservations. Therefore to me, at its root or at least in part, the Thanksgiving holiday symbolizes genocide and betrayal.

On the other hand, the idea of a holiday dedicated to the act of giving thanks has wonderful potential. Along with love and forgiveness, cultivating gratitude, or grace, is amongst the highest of human actions. To feel and express gratitude opens our hearts, improves our relationships and humbles us to acknowledge the gift of those people and things which give our life true meaning.

What am I grateful for? This is the question to ponder in the coming hours and days leading up to the Big Event of a holiday named in honor of the act and the art of Giving Thanks. No matter what hardships or joys we face at this time, whether we spend Thanksgiving alone or in a crowd, with family or friends, feasting or fasting, we all can take this opportunity to pause, reflect upon and recognize all that is deserving of our thanks and gratitude. And may we pray.

Life is a gift, rare and precious and oh so fleeting. May we use our time here on earth to generate positive energy and goodwill, to serve others. May our actions benefit the highest good of all beings... ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors and all those who remain unknown to us.

I feel so fortunate to have ease and comfort in my life, healthy children, a loving partner, work that fulfills me and benefits others, wonderful friends, adorable pets, woods to hike in, organic farms all around. For these things and many more, I am grateful.

May all my brothers and sisters around the world have a safe home, good food and water, meaningful work, supportive community. May suffering be lifted. May all the soldiers come home. May we learn to settle our differences in an atmosphere of respect and harmony. May peace reign supreme in the hearts of men.

Near and far, may all beings be happy, conscious, free and well-nourished, in every way.

With infinite gratitude and heartfelt hope for humanity,
Diana ♥

Open House! MIH One-Year Anniversary Celebration

2009-11-16T15:35:00.014-05:00

Many of you may know that I've been in private practice as a Clinical Nutritionist since 2002, but it's only been a year since I joined forces with three other holistic healthcare practitioners to form Montague Integrative Health. ("Only" a year or "already" a year, depending on how you look at it. And what a year it's been.)

My fellow highly skilled and experienced MIH clinicians are (shown below in the following order) Dr. Emily Maiella, licensed naturopathic physician; Nancy Paglia, massage therapist and yoga teacher; and Dr. Ellen Mitnowsky, chiropractor. Together, we offer compassionate and comprehensive natural healthcare to the Pioneer Valley community - from Montague to Greenfield, Turners Falls, Northampton, Amherst, Leverett, Shutesbury and beyond!

Last weekend, the MIH team hosted an Anniversary Open House in honor of our one-year group practice venture. MIH is located right next to the lovely Book Mill complex where a Gallery Walk and Diminutive Art Sale was in full swing the same day, so in addition to our invited guests we had the pleasure of meeting many curious, art-loving walk-ins who saw the balloons and came over to investigate.

This is the office I share with Dr. Maiella, transformed into Party Central. Note my Raw Pumpkin Pie (made this year with butternut squash) in the back left corner of the desk/buffet table.
About a hundred members of our community visited our 432 Greenfield Road location. Local, raw and healthy refreshments, ginger tea, dance music, a free raffle and the most perfectly splendid sunny day made the event complete!

Here are Nancy and Ellen in the kitchen, preparing Ellen's famous salad as sunlight streams in the window.

This is a glamour shot of Nancy's addmittedly decadent Apple Chunk Cake with Caramel Glaze from the Leverett Elementary School Cookbook (True confession: I LOVE this cake!)
We also served an assortment of raw cheeses from local dairies, along with olive tapenade and freshly baked spelt and multigrain breads from the nearby El Jardin bakery in Deerfield.
This is the Free Raffle table, where prizes included a free one-and-a-half hour massage, free nutritional and naturopathic consulations and a free chiropractic adjustment!
It was wonderful to see our dear friends and meet so many new people. We hope that some first-time visitors to the event will become familiar faces before long.

The Anniversary Open House was so much fun that plans are in the works for another MIH Open House in the Spring...to celebrate...well, Spring! May we all enjoy a healthy winter until then.

Love always, Diana

P.S. A silly moment between Dr. Emily Maiella and yours truly. Everyone has to have a little fun sometimes, right?

Home Sweet Home Green Smoothie

2009-11-05T09:40:00.007-05:00

In the moonlit wee hours of Tuesday morning, I arrived home from a wonderful two-week California adventure. The first week of my trip was spent visiting friends old and new; the second was spent in silent meditation at a retreat led by Venerable U Jagara, a Theravada Buddhist monk born in Canada, and lay teacher Shaila Catherine, founder of Insight Meditation South Bay.

The retreat was held at the Quaker Retreat Center in Ben Lomond, California, near Santa Cruz, in the heart of a redwood forest. In this quiet, lush enviroment, laced with winding trails and populated by deer, owl and other woodland creatures, I and a group of about twenty-five others practiced jhana meditation, a type of deep absorption samadhi (concentration with awareness) developed using Anapana meditation: focused, one-pointed awareness of the breath.

For those of you who think a week of silent meditation sounds like torture, it isn't! Entitled "Deep Calm and Clarity," the retreat offered the opportunity to slow down, stop the endless mental chatter and truly relax and clear the mind for insight (vipassana), which I consider one of the greatest joys in life. Not only that, but the food was incredible (!) – prepared by gourmet natural foods chef Tod Nysether of Simple Pleasures Catering.

In addition to Tod's elegant creations (from a full Indian buffet one afternoon to dishes such as Chickpea Panisse with Cashew Sauce, Wilted Spinach Salad, Polenta Gratin, chewy Fresh Ginger Gingerbread and Raw Mudslide Pie from the Sweet Gratitude cookbook) we also feasted on Nature's bounty every morning and evening with a colorful variety of fresh juicy fruits: persimmon, honeydew, cantaloupe, pineapple and sweet grapes. I had never tried persimmon before and became an instant fan of this deep orange tree fruit with shiny soft skin and firm creamy flesh, tasting like a cross between cantaloupe, papaya and pear. Delicious.

Accustomed to eating way more greens than offered on the retreat, I compensated by taking chlorella capsules every day and happily munching on as much salad and steamed greens as possible. I knew that green juices, green smoothies and green salads would be back in my daily life soon enough. And so they are, superfoods and all.

Today's smoothie, chock full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, is spicy, sweet and thick enough to stand a straw in.

Home Sweet Home Green Smoothie.

1 banana
1 cup red grapes
2 large handfuls baby spinach
1 jalapeno pepper
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
2 Tablespoons goji berries
1 Tablespoon raw cacao powder
1 teaspoon maca powder
1 teaspoon chlorella or spirulina powder
1 teaspoon freeze-dried acai powder
1 cup water
2 ice cubes

Add chia seeds, goji berries and water to blender and allow to soak while preparing and adding all additional ingredients. Blend and drink!

Garlic Mustard Greens and Marinated Cauliflower Salad

2009-10-19T09:20:00.012-04:00

As I write this, autumn is in full swing. We’re entering the far side of peak fall foliage, following a somewhat subdued but still beautiful color show. Nights are cold now (most days, too) and a hard frost or two has already had its way with my basil, among other tender things.

In other words, winter is coming. In my neck of the woods, this means spending more time indoors with the windows locked up tight, breathing heated, recirculated air that may be seeded with – uh-oh – other people’s germs.

It’s been proposed that sickness increases in colder months not due to an actual increase in the amount of environmental pathogens but simply because we can’t get away from them. Indoor activities are preferred, public transportation is more crowded, fresh air is reduced, less time is spent in the sun producing Vitamin D and, of course, sugar intake skyrockets during the Holidays. All of these factors lead to increased susceptibility to disease.

It’s almost impossible not to be alarmed as news reports about "swine flu deaths" abound. What those reports fail to mention is that the sad instances of reported deaths related to H1N1 – or any flu in this country – typically occur in children and people who are already quite ill to begin with. But in a culture where "sensationalism sells" strategies support a dollar-driven healthcare system, even those of us in the natural health field may need to work harder to listen to our own sound voice of good reason.

Shameless (and in my opinion, irresponsible) advertisements for free flu shots and free antibiotics are popping up at pharmacies all over town – on billboards, LED displays, flyers – you name it. Last month, Walgreen’s was even advertising seasonal flu shots on the very same red-lit flashing outdoor sign as discounted double 12-packs of Coke and Big Grab bags of Doritos on sale. Talk about guerilla marketing.

There is nothing free about pharmaceutical drugs. On one side, just follow the money trail; on the other, the toll these poisons take on individual health and stamina. Whether today or in the future, the pipers will be paid if you buy into that system without asking questions.

I’m not saying that no one should ever take an antibiotic, or even a flu shot. Drugs like these absolutely have their place in the medicinal arsenal. But I do believe that most of the time, most of us really, honestly don’t need them.

There are many safe, natural steps we can take to boost our immune resistance to disease. A few of them are listed here, in an article I wrote for a local paper on fighting the flu with natural immune support. If there had been room, I would have definitely included a few more preventive measures, including one of my all-time favorite anti-viral aids: GARLIC!

If you think about it, garlic’s reputation for repelling vampires may not be so far-fetched. Flu viruses are merely lifeless protein packets, programmed to inject their DNA into the cellular nuclei of another, living being in order to replicate themselves. There’s definitely something vampire-like about that mechanism. (Alien and creepy, too, if not evil.)

The good news is that legends aside, garlic is a potent, scientifically proven protector against viral infection.

I have been taking advantage of garlic’s miraculous abilities since the chilly fall and winter of my nineteenth year. Due to unexpected life circumstances, I lived those frigid months just this side of homeless, spending most nights in an abandoned chicken shack and, when that flooded out, an unheated farmhouse attic. Every morning I would wake up, clamber out of my trusty down sleeping bag, get dressed with a quickness and then ride my bike down to Atkins’ Farms, the local orchard, to select a large, fresh-picked Empire apple for breakfast. This I would eat with one good-sized clove of raw garlic – a tasty combo for those who haven’t tried it. It is to the garlic that I have always attributed the fact that despite the challenges of my living situation, I did not once get sick that year, not even a sniffle.

Fortunately today I live in a cozy house, complete with wood stove and all the fixings, and from here, continue to love raw garlic. Although I generally skip the apple routine, I do consume as much as possible, especially at this time of year. Fresh chopped garlic goes well in or on just about everything - from fresh salads, raw soups and green smoothies to roasted potatoes, lentil stews, steamed veggies and more.

This winter salad is packed with immune boosting raw garlic and alkalizing mustard greens. Mustard greens, with their peppery, pungent flavor, happen to be an excellent source of vitamins A, C, E and K. The first three of these are premium cell-protective antioxidants, and eating the greens raw (though softened in a marinade) keeps levels high. A few jewel-like goji berries tossed in provide a festive air, plus sweetness and added antioxidant benefits.
Garlic Mustard Greens and Marinated Cauliflower Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch mustard greens, washed and spun dry
1 head organic cauliflower, chopped into small florets
1 handful each dulse (chopped), goji berries, raisins
½ cup pine nuts

½ cup extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
2 lemons’ juice
1 Tablespoon maple syrup or raw honey
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons Dill
1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt or favorite sea salt, more to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, more to taste

DIRECTIONS
Combine fresh lemon juice, maple syrup or raw honey, garlic, dill, salt, and pepper and set aside. Finely chop the mustard greens and place in a large bowl. Pour olive oil over the greens and massage with your hands until every nook and cranny is coated. Add chopped cauliflower, chopped dulse, goji berries and raisins and stir to combine, either with your hands again, or a spoon. Add lemon juice mixture and mix well until greens, cauliflower and dried fruits are evenly coated with marinade.

Let the salad stand at room temperature for about three to four hours, stirring occasionally. I like to mix in pine nuts just before serving so they remain crispy, but you could add them earlier if you prefer. Store salad in fridge; keeps a few days…so tasty!

Crystal Healing + Schizandra & the Gates of Mu

2009-10-15T08:28:00.010-04:00

One of my favorite raw food educators is Laura Bruno, whose e-book The Lazy Raw Foodist is a pleasure to read and way at the top of my recommended reading list. Especially for those new to raw foods, the Lazy Raw Foodist really covers the gamut of everything you want and need to know about getting started. Those who are already well-versed in the raw foods diet-lifestyle will also love this book for its inspiring essays on topics such as "living with a non-raw partner" and dealing lovingly with cooked food cravings, not to mention all the scrumptious recipes that can be made in minutes.

Beyond raw foods, Laura Bruno is, among other things, a gifted medical intuitive and a fabulous creative writer whose new novel, Schizandra and the Gates of Mu, is Book One in a series I can't wait to devour. (No pressure, Laura, but please hurry up with Book Two!) Although I finished Book One weeks ago, Schizandra took me on a journey into the earth and spirit worlds from which I have yet to emerge.

The plot turns around the experiences of a newly orphaned 13-year old girl, Schizandra Ginger Parker, who has just moved to her grandmother's home in Sedona, Arizona. The story features a colorful cast of characters including a beautiful, cacao-addicted Lemurian Queen, twin maiden aunt reflexologists, portentious tarot cards, 2012 symbolism and an assortment of telepathic, information-charged crystals. It is in the pages of this book that I first learned of Lemurian Seed Crystals, a newly discovered type of quartz crystal from Brazil. These crystals are unique in that they are not found growing from a rock matrix like all other crystals - they are buried within the earth as separate entities, or individual "seeds." Psychically channeled communication has led experts to suggest that these unusual, transparent points were intentionally left for us to find by the inhabitants of an ancient Earth-based civilization, contemporary to or predating Atlantis: Lemuria, or Mu for short.

Lemurian Seed Crystals are believed to promote Oneness - between humans, sky beings, the spirit world and entities residing within Earth. They are thought to be the premier stone for opening the heart. Lemurian Seed Crystals are also said to help one connect with innocent, pure, authentic emotion and to support the development of intuitive abilities and perception.

I met my first Lemurian Seed Crystal yesterday, at InSpirit Common in Hadley, where I was hoping to find a travel yoga mat for my upcoming trip to California. Instead of a mat, I was gifted with two stones: a beautiful and powerful quartz point (I'd like to call it a singing quartz crystal: it's vibration is so strong) and a small, wire-wrapped Lemurian Seed Crystal, ready to be worn as a necklace. Unlike a normal quartz crystal, every other facet of the Lemurian is ridged with horizontal lines - supposedly etchings of downloaded information, embedded in the quartz by the Lemurians. Coolio! Here I am with mine. As a scientist, I can't help but be somewhat skeptical about things like Lemurians living inside the Earth - where's the proof? - but then again, why not? I know that life is far more than what it seems. Everything - including color - is energy, and as highly evolved mineral forms, crystals resonate with unique, specific vibratory rates, attuning to the human organism through the chakra centers and emotions. This is something I can feel. So, I look forward to seeing if and how my heart opens and my intuition deepens with the help of this brilliant mineral ally... thousands of years old, a visitor from another place & time. For now, it's just nice having it with me.

Love and light, Diana

Raw Chocolate Fudge Cookies

2009-09-24T09:15:00.013-04:00

Are you ever in the mood for something sweet - just a little bite - but there's nothing around to fit the bill? Here's a super-easy, gluten-free cookie recipe that whips up in minutes and really satisfies. Raw almond-based and maple sweetened with the richness of raw cacao, the nourishing green power of spirulina and a starry sky coating of creamy hemp seeds, Raw Chocolate Fudge Cookies are packed with flavor and nutrition: protein, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and all the multidimensional, heart-opening phytochemicals that make us love cacao.

The day I created (you might say channeled) this recipe, I made a tiny batch, using my handy dandy Cuisinart Spice & Nut Grinder to grind up a couple handfuls of raw almonds. I'm crazy about that little Mill but raw foodists take note: friction = heat, so be sure to use cold or frozen almonds and even chill the stainless cup before grinding. (Interesting science fact: when you grind flax or chia seeds in this convenient device, the warming effect is not noticeable. My sweetheart Darien says that's because the heat produced from grinding is relative to the size of the original object. Chia and flax seeds, being much smaller than almonds, require far less energy, i.e. heat, to break down.)

Anyway, the old Mill method yielded a small batch of cookies, which was fine for starters but now I was hooked. So the next day (ahem) I made a second batch, this time using more of everything and grinding the almonds in my juicer! Yes, my Omega 8005 juicer has a "blank" attachment that enables perfect (and heat-free) grinding. (The 8003 or 8006 models, as well as Champion juicers also have this attachment.) What I ended up with was almond meal or, what you could call, fresh almond flour. Cool!

The recipe below is given both in measurements and in parts, in case you just want to make a small batch using tablespoons (like I did the first time). The teeny batch approach also ensures that you don't eat too many cookies at once, for anyone out there who might have that problem (ahem again).

If for any reason you'd like to sub raw almond butter for the almond meal in this recipe (Lazy Raw Foodists take note) I'd suggest using only half the maple syrup for starters and adding more from there, to avoid the dough becoming too wet. Raw honey or agave could also be subbed for the maple syrup. If anyone tries these variations, please let me know if results are to your satisfaction. Happy nibbling! XO Diana

Raw Chocolate Fudge Cookies

1 cup (4 parts) freshly ground almond meal (from about 2/3 cups whole raw almonds)
1/2 cup (2 parts) raw cacao powder, sifted to remove lumps
1/4 cup (1 part) spirulina powder
1/2 cup (2 parts) maple syrup
1/4 cup (1 part) hemp seeds or more, as needed for coating

Combine freshly ground almond meal, sifted raw cacao and spirulina. Add maple syrup and stir till well combined. As you like, mix by hand or use the food processor or your Omega 8005 juicer, if you have one, fitted with the blank. (As long as it's already out, why not?)

Pour hemp seeds into a dish or plate. Working with a teaspoon of dough at a time, roll into small balls and press into hemp seeds on top, bottom and sides, to create a thoroughly hemp-encrusted flat cookie about one and a half inches in diameter. Chill to firm and store in the refrigerator, where cool temps along with antioxidants in cacao and spirulina will help keep the liberated almond oils fresh.

Community Superfoods Open Tonight!

2009-09-23T10:06:00.005-04:00

Have you heard about Community Superfoods? It's my new, full-service buying group and retail store, welcoming pre-orders and stocking a small inventory. Community Superfoods is only open once a week and tonight's the night!

Community Superfood's doors are open wide just once a week, on Wednesday nights from 4:30 to 7:00 PM, at Montague Integrative Health (432 Greenfield Road, next to the Book Mill). I hope you can stop by.

Store night is a fun opportunity to meet up with your friends and neighbors, taste product samples and enjoy yummy treats that I make like fresh herbal teas and raw goodies. Tonight I'll be serving some sweet, miniature Raw Chocolate Fudge Cookies made with freshly ground almond flour, maple syrup and a trio of raw superfoods: cacao, spirulina and hempseeds. DELICIOUS! (Stay tuned for recipe and pics.)

To learn more about Community Superfoods, click here.

Yours in the Joy & Balancing Light of Fall Equinox,
Diana

Drink Your Greens

2009-09-11T15:10:00.013-04:00

Many of you know that drinking green juices and green smoothies is one of the tastiest, easiest and most satisfying ways to help get optimum amounts of mineral-rich, alkalizing LIVING greens into your daily diet.

The word LIVING is capitalized in the previous paragraph (and this one, come to think of it) for an important reason. We need to consume life to generate life. If we consume only lifeless food, we must give up our own life force to turn something dead into something that can support vitality. Of the foodstuffs we consume, only raw living foods provide life force -- as living cells, active enzymes and stored solar energy -- direct to our body.

A new book, Catching Fire, argues that one reason humans started cooking food was to cut down on chewing time (thereby adding more productive tool-inventing, brain-developing hours to the day). Even if this were true, we must admit that just because our ancestral cave-men and -women, in all their primal wisdom (and I mean that), started a trend a million or so years ago doesn’t make that trend the best choice for health.

Yes, chewing pounds of leaves daily can be tedious work. And the hard cell walls of certain plants do inhibit nutrient absorption in some cases. Nevertheless, cooking all of our veggies down to a limp squish is NOT the only alternative! Scientifically, it is well known that cooking leafy greens and other plant foods diminishes or destroys many of their health-giving properties -- from their precious, living vibrational energy force to their proteins, vitamins, delicate phytonutrients and so on.

There must be a solution to the "must I eat these mounds of leafy greens again, Ma?" problem. Enter the BLENDER. Blenders make short work of kale, spinach, chard, parsley and any fresh leafy green you can name. Blending greens yields a product wherein no chewing is required to break down fibers. (It's still a good idea to "chew" your smoothies, to commence digestive action via salivary enzymes.) And JUICERS take the process a step further by removing all fiber from the final product without damaging nutrients or enzymes and enabling almost direct absorption into body cells. Who knows – if cavemen had access to these modern kitchen tools, perhaps they never would have invented cooking in the first place!

I love drinking vegetable juices (what Kristen Suzanne vampirously, and with a wink, calls “plant blood”) for the pure hit of liquid solar energy they provide. And smoothies offer the convenience of a delicious and satisfying meal in a glass – especially filling when they include a handful of goji berries, chia seeds or other whole food soluble fiber source.

Smoothies also provide an ideal vehicle with which to indulge your inner alchemist, as you may add any number of nourishing superfoods and medicinal botanicals to your potion -- think golden berries, green foods, maca, MSM, raw cacao, bee pollen, milk thistle, pau dArco, Reishi mushrooms, and on… and on….

If you are interested in learning more about Green Smoothies, do consider reading Victoria Boutenko’s Green for Life, the book which started it all. For rationale and ideas on juicing, anything by Norman Walker or Natalia Rose’s excellent Raw Food Life Force Energy are sure to inform, inspire and delight.

Very Green Super Chocolate
Hemp Seed Smoothie

1 banana
1 soft pitted date
4 leaves kale
10 raw almonds (small handful)
2 teaspoons hemp seeds*
1 teaspoon chia seeds*
1 Tablespoon raw cacao powder*
1 level teaspoon spirulina powder*
1 scant teaspoon MSM powder (3 grams)*
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or more, to taste
½ teaspoon cinnamon or more, to taste
1 cup leftover herb tea or water
2-4 ice cubes

Add everything to the blender and blend on high speed till well combined. Pour into a glass and drink. Will thicken up as it sits so be sure to add enough liquid at the beginning.

*These items available at a significant savings to clients and local readers by pre-order and in person at my new discount superfood store, Community Superfoods!

Living in the Raw - Wednesday

2009-09-09T21:23:00.006-04:00

My new store, Community Superfoods, opened today for the first time, from 4:30-7:00. It will be open just once a week, operating both as a storefront and a full-service discount raw food and superfood buying club for my clients, friends and local community. Thank you to the folks who came tonight, tasted Sacred Chocolate and purchased items! It was a pleasure to serve you!

Opening the store threw my schedule off a bit, as did my two-hour marathon cavity replacement and tooth rebuild at the dentist this morning. Typically I do not eat a big snack of raw halvah at 4:00 in the afternoon - but knowing that dinner would be late...it just happened! Very yummy as a once in a while treat, and quite filling, hence the light supper at 8 PM. (Shhh! Don't tell Paul Nison.)

Here's what my raw repast resembled today:

BREAKFAST
water, herb tea
6 ounces Carrot-Celery-Apple Juice

SNACK
one perfect peach, post dentist

LUNCH
Kelp Noodles (one package) gently warmed together with last night's Creamy Corn-Zucchini-Dill soup leftovers, to make noodles in creamy sauce. Garnished with nutritional yeast and a dash of tamari.
Dried Yacon slices

SNACK
Instant Chocolate Halvah with Goji Berries

Directions: Mix a few spoonfuls of raw tahini with raw cacao, unhulled raw sesame seeds and raw honey or maple syrup until thick and creamy. Add goji berries, stir and prepare for blast off. :-) I ate this in reverie with a spoon, but it would be quite nice to shape the halvah into little balls or bars and roll them in sesame seeds.

DINNER
Green Salad with Grated Carrots, Pink Beets, chopped Tomatoes and Guacamole
Lemon-Dijon-Flaxseed Vinaigrette

EXERCISE
AM 20 minute dog & cat walk
PM crunches, squats and push ups

Living in the Raw

2009-09-08T20:35:00.009-04:00

On August 17th I started a little raw food experiment, upping my raw food intake from high raw to very high raw. Very very very high.

For those who don't know, the "raw food diet" is defined as a diet that contains eighty percent or more raw food. Not necessarily exclusively raw, just 80%. This will come as a relief to many people who are drawn to raw food nutrition but hesitate to give up all cooked food, the option of going out to dinner with friends, etc.

There's a significant degree of confusion or, in some cases, competition in some circles around the whole issue of "how raw" a person is. For many people, there are times or situations when one wants or needs to commit to being strictly 100% raw. Karen Knowler, the UK's exuberant Raw Food Coach, calls this "going through the eye of the needle." I respect people who choose this path, for however long. I've walked on it myself and there's a lot to be said for adhering to that kind of discipline while remaining soft in one's heart.

The current experiment going on here is a step down from 100% rigidity, although exceptions are pretty much limited to things like miso and other condiments (prepared mustard, curry paste, organic soup broth powder) plus some restaurant-friendly items like goat cheese* or olives that make it possible for me to be relaxed when going out to eat with "normal" people. (This happened today.)

Speaking of normal people, many do wonder what on earth a raw fooder actually eats, anyway? Is it just a lot of salad and fruit? Isn't that boring?! I thought I'd answer that question by sharing a few days of my raw food diet-lifestyle, just to show how varied it is, and how delicious!

Let's start with today, Tuesday. FYI, the tostada shells at dinner are a version of a Wild Rice Flatbread from Living Cuisine, Renée Loux-Underkoffler's magnificent un-cookbook. I made these with red rice instead of wild rice and they are fantastic. The soup was gently warmed to 100 degrees, just steaming, to preserve life force & enzymes intact.

BREAKFAST
water. herb tea. Green Juice (celery, kale, carrot, apple, lemon, ginger)

LUNCH
Greek Salad (From Panera restaurant. Feta cheese and olives not raw.)
Apple

SNACK
Sacred Chocolate (69% dark chocolate; 1/3 bar)
2 Seckle pears (from my tree - delicious!)
tea with raw honey

DINNER
big slice of Manchego raw sheep cheese (appetizer)
Raw Blended Soup (Cream of Sweet Corn and Zucchini Dill)
Guacamole Tostadas (Cilantro-Lime Guacamole, Purple Cherokee Tomatoes, Butter Lettuce, Manitok Wild Rice Flatbread)

EXERCISE
AM - 20 minutes rebounding, yoga
PM - 20 minute dog and cat walk (Bonnie, the one-year old kitten accompanied Stella and I. Her brother Clyde stayed home this time.)

* Note: raw fooders are often vegan, but not always. I admire and aspire to an animal-free diet but as a Protein Type O, do well at this point with some goat cheese and even sushi in my raw diet.

Cream of Sweet Corn, Dill & Zucchini Soup

2009-08-30T17:41:00.013-04:00

The August 2009 raw blended soup extravaganza continues with this knock-out recipe -- an elegant, pale jade soup of smooth, thick consistency sprinkled with freshly chopped dill. Makes two bowls. Pairs delightfully with crispy Rainy Day Crackers.

Cream of Sweet Corn & Zucchini Soup with Fresh Dill

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon chia seed
2/3 cup water
1 ear sweet corn
1 med. zucchini (same size as corn cob)
1/2 avocado
1 lemon's juice
1/3 cup fresh chopped dill
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon miso
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
Put water and chia seeds in blender to soak while you cut sweet corn kernels off cob and prepare other ingredients. Add everything to blender except about two teaspoons of fresh dill, for garnishing bowls. Blend and taste, add more lemon, salt, pepper or water if desired. Warm soup in a small saucepan on medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until temperature reaches 100 degrees. Pour into two bowls and garnish with one teaspoon reserved dill each. Bon appetit!

The Joys of Being a High Raw Pescatarian and Paradise Found Thai Red Curry, Tomato & Mushroom Bisque

2009-08-25T07:27:00.019-04:00

I like to describe my diet as High Raw Pescatarian, a term I humbly admit I coined myself. The term "pescatarian" is defined as "vegetarian plus fish," with vegetarian meaning plant foods, dairy foods & eggs but no corpses (mammal, insect, fish or bird).

In short, being High Raw Pescatarian means I eat primarily Raw Plant Foods and some Cooked Plant Foods plus a few Raw (and sometimes Cooked) Animal Foods. The main animal foods I enjoy are raw cheeses made with goat or sheep milk. (I feel so fortunate to live in the Pioneer Valley where local dairies like Hillman Farm, Blue Ledge Farm, Consider Bardwell Farm and Vermont Shepherd are creating the most delicious gourmet artisinal goat and sheep cheeses on the planet.) In addition to raw goat and sheep cheese, from time to time I may also partake of fresh sushi, cooked seafood and free-range/organic eggs.

These are the basic ingredients of the High Raw Pescatarian diet. And then there are the "extras," also known as the spice of life–from Himalayan Pink Salt to freshly ground black pepper and beyond. Some of these extras are raw and some are not but for me, all are essential. I know anything is possible... but what natural food chef would choose to be without miso (a living, probiotic-rich fermented food)? Not to mention countless other tasty condiments such as Dijon mustard, curry paste, organic powdered soup broth and Spike, Gayelord Hauser's famed vegetable salt blend that’s been around for decades. (Hauser, nutritionist to Hollywood screen stars of the 1930's and '40's, was one of the first Health Nuts of the modern era.) These treasures are part of my stealth flavor arsenal and, when called upon to serve, add marvelous complexity to the taste of my otherwise simple food.

The pleasure of pure, natural tastes and the excitement of complex flavorings coexist joyfully on my path of progress towards a clean-celled body humming with life force energy. Sometimes, all I crave is the creamy sweetness of plain, unadorned avocado, eaten right out of the shell, like a melon. Other times, I must take my mouth for a ride by sprinkling the avocado halves with Spike or Herbamare before digging in with my spoon. Truly, I find that a little pinch of condimental surprise makes the raw journey so much fun that my kitchen almonst feels like an adventure playground!

Well, last night when I entered the playground, inspiration struck. It all started with a package of organic white button mushrooms. I had planned to serve these pillowy orbs thickly sliced on a bed of watercress and mixed greens, dressed perhaps with a lemon-basil vinaigrette. That would have been good. But I’ve been experimenting a lot with making raw blended soups for supper, and suppertime it was. The mushroom salad was not to be.

Often when making raw blended vegetable soups, I’ll add about a quarter cup of raw cashews for creaminess. However, depending on how much density I’m in the mood for or what else I am having with respect to food combining, I may not want to use nuts. Other thickening options include avocado, chia seeds and chia gel (my upcoming book on this fabulous superfood supplies plenty of chia details and recipes–stay tuned for updates on the release date).

Finding myself fresh out of chia gel, it was to my trusty avocado I turned last night when concocting (no doubt with the assistance of divine forces) the thick, nut-free curried tomato and mushroom bisque you’ll find below. I must share it with you. You must try it. You will thank me. I promise.

Paradise Found Thai Red Curry, Tomato & Mushroom Bisque

This soup is indescribably delicious. Just one spoonful will send your taste buds into paroxysms of euphoria. I’m not kidding. Prepare to be transfixed. Warning: If you generally prefer sitting down to eat, get settled at table before tasting or you may never make it! I finished my bowl standing up, it was that good.

Makes 2 Bowls

1 8-ounce package white mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes (or roughly chopped fresh tomato)
½ cup roughly chopped red onion
½ avocado
¼ cup minced cilantro, set aside
1 Tablespoon lemon juice or lime juice
1 Tablespoon raw coconut oil
1 teaspoon minced ginger or galangal root
1 teaspoon red curry paste (I use Mae Ploy brand)
1 Tablespoon nama shoyu or wheat free tamari
1 Tablespoon fish sauce (optional; replace with 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast or 1 teaspoon Marmite if vegetarian)
1 cup warm water (<118˚ F)
chopped fresh basil or cilantro leaves, for garnish

Set aside 2 large mushrooms, minced cilantro and garnish. Add everything else to blender and blend until smooth. Finely chop reserved mushrooms and stir into bisque, along with minced cilantro. If desired, warm gently to about 105˚ on stovetop, using a thermometer and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon till desired temperature reached. Pour bisque into two bowls, garnish with a sprinkle of chopped basil or cilantro and serve.

Chili-Lime Chia Tortilla Chips & The Daylight Diet

2009-08-22T12:52:00.017-04:00

Last Wednesday evening I had the pleasure of attending a fun event hosted by Amar Fuller, a local live food educator in the tradition of Hippocrates Health Institute. The event included a vegan and raw food potluck followed by a captivating lecture by “raw food authority” Paul Nison, who is currently on tour promoting his new book, The Daylight Diet.

For the potluck, I made these very tasty Summer Delight Raw Canapés: Chili-Lime Chia Tortilla Chips topped with Garlic Scape Pumpkin Seed Cheese, organic cherry tomatoes and fresh garden chives. (See Chia Tortilla recipe below; find Seed Cheese recipe by clicking here.)

Paul Nison is considered one of the leaders in the modern raw food movement and attended the third Raw Food Summit in Florida last May along with such raw luminaries as Viktoras Kulvinskas, Dr. Gabriel Cousens and others.

His new book, The Daylight Diet, builds on the theory that the human body thrives best when several hours are allowed to pass between the last meal of the day and bedtime. Because solar rays are so energizing to the human organism, many people agree that we should not consume large quantities of food after dark–despite the fact that this practice is common in Europe and throughout the so-called civilized world. Paul's book takes to heart Grandma’s advice "never go to sleep on a heavy stomach,” and lends it scientific credence.

The Daylight Diet explains why the sunshine hours are optimal for consuming and digesting food while the dark hours–from sundown to sunup–should be reserved for resting the digestive system. This is the only way to enable necessary cleansing and healing to take place. “If we were meant to eat at night,” Paul says, “we would be able to see in the dark!” This is a good point, supported by the fact that the only naturally-living animals who eat at night are nocturnal species – owls, mountain lions, etc. Before the invention of artificial lighting (from the firepit onward) there simply was no way for our ancestors to locate food in the dark, save for moonlight.

The moon exerts a powerful pull on all the fluids of the earth, beginning but not ending with ocean tides. The human body, with a sixty percent water content, is highly subject to lunar gravitational influences. In particular, the moon affects our watery lymphatic system–that complex network of vessels and nodes that carries wastes away from body cells and tissues and processes toxins for recycling or elimination. We rely on the lymphatic system to cleanse and purify our bodies; without it we literally would drown in our own waste, similarly to a well-populated city without a sewage system. Not eating at night or, better yet, going to bed on an empty stomach decreases digestive energy demands during sleep and promotes lymphatic receptivity to lunar influences. The importance of adequate and restful sleep to supporting good health cannot be overemphasized; cellular detoxification and tissue repair during sleep is one important reason why.

To reduce the load on the digestive organs, Paul is adamantly opposed to snacking and suggests eating only two (possibly three) times per day, at the third and ninth solar hour. To determine at what manmade time these solar hours occur, we are advised to divide the number of clock hours between sunrise and sunset by twelve, creating twelve units of however many minutes each, and then add three or nine of these units to sunrise clock time. A Farmer’s Almanac or daily newspaper will tell you when sunrise and sunset fall on any given day. It’s a slightly complicated formula and probably takes some getting used to if you plan to follow it religiously.

Between meals, one may enjoy water, water with lemon juice, herbal tea sweetened with stevia or freshly pressed and strained vegetable juice. Straining removes the pulp from the juice so that the body does not need to activate the digestive organs for processing. Peppermint oil is recommended to suppress appetite if needed.

The sweeping aim of The Daylight Diet, one could say, is twofold: to support proper sleep and to decrease the load on the digestive system. This latter concept is one with which all natural health teachers agree, from Hippocrates himself to Biblical times and the present day. Harvey Diamond of Fit for Life fame, for instance, is a strong promoter of proper meal timing and daylight eating.

But while temperance in eating and drinking is a universal health principle, it is one which, for many, is easier said than done, for reasons both biochemical and emotional, personal and social.

Overeating, unfortunately, is promoted and encouraged by the American processed food, fast food and snack food industries (powerful lobbies ultimately operated by a few gargantuan players, as explained in the brilliant film Food, Inc.). The results of such excess are evident all around us - from ever-expanding portion sizes and waistlines to astronomical rates of diabetes, heart disease and a myriad of related health problems.

Unlike horses, cows and sheep, people just aren’t designed to graze all day long. The results of adopting ruminant eating habits haven’t been pretty for anyone–except, perhaps, those food industrialists who profit from the misery they inflict. The good news, according to The Daylight Diet, is that overeating can be minimized simply by cutting out nighttime eating.

Paul Nison was a highly entertaining speaker, and it was a pleasure to have his lovely wife Andrea and baby girl Noa Raquel in attendance at the talk. In addition to his discourse on The Daylight Diet, Paul also treated us to a little anti-raw cacao propaganda. Paul seems to be on a bit of a mission to discredit the potential health benefits of cacao, a stance which I daresay is granting him a degree of infamy. He amusingly but not-so-jokingly even refers to the bitter bean as “crack-ow.” Nison has some compelling anecdotal evidence published on his website www.paulnison.com to back up his claims but as someone who enjoys consuming raw cacao with respect and moderation, I must disagree with his assertion that cacao is “one of the most highly addictive and dangerous substances on the planet.” I certainly do appreciate, however, the way in which Paul Nison’s extreme views on cacao serve to balance out those of, say, raw food activists Shazzie and David Wolfe, who seemingly live on the brown stuff (and whose adrenal systems may suffer in the long run). Balance, in my opinion, is always a good thing, whether in politics or the body.

Cacao is definitely a stimulating food, make no mistake. I just don’t think that abstaining absolutely from all stimulant foods across the board is a necessary step for most health seekers, especially for those in the early stages and especially when we are talking about nutritious, natural foods that also happen to be stimulants. Being able to enjoy a little antioxidant-rich, mineral-rich and, let's not forget, delicious raw chocolate here and there helps to make the raw food diet (defined as 80% or more raw foods) highly pleasurable and easier to maintain. The same goes for green tea and yerba maté. With everything you are leaving out of your diet (bread and pastries, coffee, processed starches, etc.) what is the real harm in having a few squares of dark chocolate or a bit of raw cacao fudge from time to time? Health experts around the world agree it is the sugar and milk in regular chocolate that are detrimental, not the cacao itself. As long as moderation is practiced overall, a tablespoon of raw cacao powder in your green smoothie will make you very happy, trust me!

That said, let us now move us away from sweets and into the savory category. This next recipe is one I developed for my upcoming booklet on amazing chia seeds. (You will want to read this book – chia seeds are the kind of omega-3 superstars that even Paul Nison would love!) These dehydrated chips are a real treat for anyone who loves spicy corn chips as much as I do but wants a healthier raw version. Enjoy, preferably during daylight hours as part of a starch-based or nut/seed-based meal. ☺

Chili-Lime Chia Tortilla Chips

Ingredients

1 cup chia seeds, ground (about 1¼ cups pre-ground chia meal)
4 cups water, filtered or spring
1½ cups coarse corn meal (polenta style grind)
1 cup raw corn kernels (ideally from 2 ears fresh corn but frozen okay :)
½ large onion
4 large cloves garlic
2 jalapeño peppers (or 2 tablespoons dried chili flakes)
2 Tablespoons chili powder (chipotle is nice)
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon sea salt
1/3 cup lime juice (from 1 large or 2 small limes)
1 cup minced fresh cilantro, leaf and stem

Directions

Put ground chia in a large bowl or mixing bowl and add water, whisking constantly to minimize clumping. Allow to soak at least 15 minutes while you prepare other ingredients. (Substitute flax seeds if chia not available.)

Remove corn kernels from cobs. Roughly chop onion, garlic and jalapenos and add to food processor with corn kernels. Pulse chop till minced. Add minced veggies to soaked chia, along with remaining ingredients. Stir or mix well until you have a nice, consistent dough. (An electric mixer does a good job here.)

Divide dough evenly onto 5 dehydrator trays lined with Teflex sheets. Use damp hands to flatten and spread dough into circles of about twelve inches in diameter. If you like extra spicy chips, sprinkle tops with additional chili powder or cayenne. Dry tortillas at 110 degrees for 6 hours. Flip onto mesh trays, peel off Teflex and return to dehydrator for another 6 hours or until tortillas are dry and crisp. Break into chip sized pieces and store in airtight container, refrigerated if temperature outside is warm or humid. Will keep for several weeks.

New World Cleanse Revisited

2009-07-25T15:09:00.004-04:00

Dearest Readers,

Your response to my New World Cleanse post has been phenomenal. So many people have emailed me with loving, kind sympathy for my mother, and to express an interest in trying the cleanse.

Thank you so much for all your outpourings of caring. You truly have touched my heart. And as for the cleanse, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Did you do it for one or two weeks? Was it easy or hard? Did you enjoy the drink? Did you feel better at the end than at the beginning?

Please leave your comments here so others may read and benefit. It's wonderful to support each other into better health together. It may sound corny, but change is the only constant. I just had my 49th birthday–the first without a mother. It's such a great absence, this hole in my life. And I am not alone; it is a loss that most of us must face. So I move forward, through and ahead, sometimes stuck, sometimes free. My birthday intention is to keep growing in understanding, to honor my mother's memory and to spend this year in preparation to meet 50 next summer in joyful and abundant health. Whatever your age, do join me!

Light blessings,
Diana