The movie Forks Over Knives opens with an  introduction to our narrator, a Red Bull slurpin, Coke guzzlin, meat gobblin Sloppy Joe as he’s on his way to meet some doctors with a different take on health and wellness. He gets a physical and those results spur him to find better health by transitioning to a plant-based diet instead of a daily cocktail of medications. He takes things one step further, embarking on an odyssey to explore the connection between diet and health. He interviews such nutrition researchers as T. Colin Campbell and Caldwell Esselstyn and discusses their and other study findings that clearly demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt the direct link between eating primarily a whole-foods, plant-based diet and maintaining good health.

The encouraging news delivered by Forks Over Knives is that the damage done to the body by consumption of animal products can be reversed through changes in the diet alone. Esselstyn has successfully treated over 250 patients with heart disease using almost an exclusively whole foods, plant-based diet. Sit with that for a minute and let it really sink in.

When I was first out of college, I used to book appointments and type operation notes for a group of cardiothoracic surgeons at the Deaconess Hospital (now Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center), a member of the Harvard Medical School. Every weekday, the team of three heart surgeons performed 1-3 bypass surgeries where they took a saw, cut open the sternum (breastbone), opened the rib cage, sliced open the patients leg and replaced blocked veins near the patient’s heart with healthier veins from their leg.

Having typed the details of the procedure over and over, I cannot fathom why anyone can consider that the “normal” way to handle this problem, and a vegan diet the “extreme” solution. I love that Forks over Knives points this out, as other doctors like Dean Ornish have been for years. I hope this film helps people consider these “extremes” before they end up reading those books after emergency bypass surgery.

Another inconsistency that has bothered me since I began exploring nutrition is the “Milk — it does a body good” ad campaign. Every kid asked will tell you that milk gives you calcium for your teeth and bones. But actually, scientific data shows that countries with the highest rates of dairy consumption also experience the HIGHEST rates of osteoporosis!  What??? I wish the movie had explained why this is (Kris Carr does a fantastic job explaining this in her new book Crazy Sexy Diet if you’d like to know more) but I am so happy to find someone actually pointing out this discrepancy and get people thinking!

All in all, I’d highly recommend taking a gander at Forks Over Knives — especially if you have Netflix! And if you or a loved one suffers from a disease of diet — heart disease, diabetes, cancer — this movie just might be the inspiration you need to make that leap to really doing a body good! The movie follows a few people as they too eliminate chronic illness via diet, with discussions of the changes they experience before and after. It covers a little bit of everything concerning the effect of diet on our bodies and the effect of our food system on the earth.

If nothing else, it will get you thinking and hopefully help you make some shift in your diet that will benefit you and the world around you!

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Basil is fairly easy to grow especially in the garden. It will also do well as a potted plant. Since it likes humidity and lots of sunshine, it is easier to grow in the summer than indoors in the colder months but it can be done and is quite worth the efffort. If you pinch back the plant, it will bush out a bit creating more and longer growth. Use the leaves as they are picked. Keep those stems! When mincing up basil for use in sauces or making pesto, use those stems.

Oooooo, speaking of pesto, what a treat it is to have in the summer! It is so fresh and makes you feel incredibly alive. I swear I get a jolt of energy when I eat the stuff. It is so easy to make and I recommend making a lot, I mean a hge batch so you can store the goodness away for the middle of winter as well.

Pesto!

2 cups basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 medium sized cloves of garlic
salt to taste

Put all the ingredients in the food processor and pulse until well blended.

Now, the great thing about making pesto is it lends itself to a lot of variation. Instead of pine nuts, you can use walnuts or a comination of the two. I like to use a bit less oil while making the pesto when I am going to be storing it. To do this, make the pesto minus a little oil. Fill an ice cube tray wwith eh pesto. Then, here is the little trick, top the pesto cubes with a little more oil. That helps seal in the color and it will brown less. Once the cubes are frozen, pop them out and store in the freezer in a container until you are ready to use it. The otehr reason I like to use less oil is so I have more flexibility withe the cubes. In winter, it is lovely to pull out a pesto cube, add some coconut milk and serve over veggies.

Let’s not rush things though. After all, it is still summer and we have plenty of sunny basil picking days ahead of us. Pesto is a great way to dress up a plate of veggies or add some fresh basil to your homemade salad dressing. A perfect appetizer or main meal for two is summer pizza. Using your favorite raw bread or cracker recipe, make one large or a couple smaller rounds and dehydrate. My new favorite is a cheezy cracker recipe. It is made with cashew and sunflower seeds as the base. Added in are tomatoes and red pepper. It is the loveliest orange color and really tastes like cheezy crackers. It compliments the color of the pesto superbly. Top your pizza with pesto and fresh sliced tomatoes. Rigth now there are a lot of great Heirloom tomatoes available in your garden or at local farmers markets and stands. The pizza takes only five minutes to make if you have preparred pizza flats stored away and is filling, full flavored and a divine treat!

People can’t make well-informed choices if they don’t have information! This film goes a long way to elucidating the connection between disease and diet.

Definitely worth a watch! I’m not sure how long   you can watch it free online, so take a gander while you can!

We have been listening to Little House in the Big Woods, and at one point they made snow candy with molasses and sugar. That reminded me about maple candy, and today we had oodles of freshly fallen snow to work with!

I haven’t done this before, so I googled and read several methods to get the idea, and then did this:

Poured no small amount of maple syrup into a small saucepan. I did maybe a cup? First lesson. If you plan on eating it all in one sitting, consider less than a cup. That’s a LOT of sugar to eat. Unless you have 6 foot tall mountains of snow to scale, enabling you to burn it all off…

Brought syrup to a boil over medium high heat. Boiled for 6-7 minutes stirring almost constantly. You can do the whole candy thermometer directions if you have one, but I tend to keep food made with snow simple. Ok, I admit it. I don’t have a candy thermometer.

When the syrup was boiling, it was all foamy, but that settled town once it wasn’t on the burner.

After 6-7 minutes, we took the pot off the heat, grabbed a roasting dish and filled it with snow. We did not, but in the future I would first grease the dish to help any candy that gets stuck to the sides come loose. I would also pack down the snow. We left it light ‘fluffy, just as it fell.

So i took the slightly cooled syrup and poured it over the snow.

It hardened immediately, tho was hot enough to melt through our light fluffy snow

I had some hungry shovelers/fort builders who were looking for some more energy just as the syrup hit the snow.

Taste testers heartily agree that maple candy is delish, if it a bit sticky. Helpful tips from them: take small bites and keep it movin’ so it doesn’t stick to your teeth.

Crunch on that!

I plan a day to make lots of goodies. We are quite a mixed bunch in this house. My husband eats whatever I make at home and thoroughly enjoys the variety and surprise of what might adorn the table. My 10 year old has unique tastes that always surprise me and I can never seem to know if he will love it or hate it. he loves spicy and things that frankly, are notso pleasing to me such as sardines! My six year old is in the pickier phase of food choices and says, "I don’t like it" before even trying it. He loves mashed potatoes and noodles with marinara sauce and don’t mess with changin’ it up! On the flip side, same said six year old loves raw mediterranean dolmas, kale salad, kale chips with lots of nutritional yeast on them and salad. Go figure! Then there is me. I have horrible self control when I bring junk food in the house or sweets. So, I have a plan!!

I have days of mass food prep for raw foods so when I feel not much like making raw foods for me and still cook for the family, I don’t have to. Here is what I do. Figure out what I am in the mood for and peruse my recipes and cupboards. Next, I lay out all those recipes and start the process. I start soaking anything that needs it and look over what order I need to make things in. If anything is for the dehydrator, I make sure I have enough going in that will fill it. Moore bang for your buck doing it this way. This is all done in the afternoon or early evening.

Fast forward to the next day. Everything is soaked and the recipes are out and I am in the kitchen ready to rumble. The recipes I am making today are Mediterranean dolmas out of Ani Phio’s book that are just fantastic. I make them all at once calling in Gatlin, the six year old to do the rolling. When I first started making these, he didn’t like them. After the I don’t know how many times later, and having participated in making them several times, he started to try them again and now loves them. Having them all rolled, I keep them in the fridge and it is quick to grab one for a snack, send with hubby to work or pack up and bring for us for lunch.

Next in the line up is the classic Cashew Mayo. Everyone in the house loves this dip and it is quick, easy and filling to serve for lunch with cut up veggies, smear on a romaine leaf topped with tomato and any other toppings around like shredded carrot, eggplant bacon or some seaweed. It is a perfect appetizer for hungry bellies while dinner cooks or a good pack and go when heading out for a playdate.

One of my favorites and more on the heartier side are some burgers. The base is walnuts and they have a little spice from a jalapeno thrown in. These will go in the dehydrator and then can be a substantial lunch or accompany an evening meal. The kids aren’t fans but Dan and I are.

A new recipe to me are rosemary flax crackers from a recipe put out by Carmella at the Sunny Raw Kitchen. Those will help to fill the dehydrator trays and be the crunchy item on the menu for the week. I may get ambitious and make some Walnut Hemp crackers but time will determine that.

Rounding it all out are Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. I got the recipe from Renegade Health but am going to make some changes and switch out the peanut butter for almond butter. The whole family loves these! They stay in the freezer and are perfect when we have a hankerin’ for chocolate.

So, there you have it. Lots of choices for me this week that are nice and varried and qwill keep me smiling!

So, go soak your nuts!!

I do love kale and have one recipe in particular that is my favorite kale salad recipe ever. This recipe is a well known one to any friends or family I know. I passed the recipe on to all that asked and I know they have said it is asked for in their families and circles of friends as well.

Hold on though, wait a minute, can it be true? Oh, sweet Rainbow Kale it is!! I have a new favorite that I just can’t get enough of. The first time I made it, I measured everything and was very pleased with the salad. Next time around I didn’t even need to measure because it is such a simple and quick salad to throw together. That is a high scorer in my book as well!

The recipe comes out of The 30 Minute Vegan cookbookby Mark Reinfeld and Jenifer Murray. Hats off to them both on a great book. It is true to it’s name and if a recipe requires more time for things like soaking ahead of time, it is clearly marked. It is not a raw book, but a lot of the recipes are live food recipes and marked right at the top as such. Also, in the variations sections directly under some of the recipes is a way to make the recipe a raw version. I love this!!

Rainbow Kale Salad
serves 4

6 cups lightly packed kale, stems removed
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup diced yellow pepper
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup thinly sliced red cabbage

Dressing
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 tsp pure maple syrup (not raw)
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne

cut or tear the kale into bite sized pieces.
mix all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Pour dressing over the salad and massage with your hands into the salad making sure it is evenly distributed.
Serve immediately or chill 10 minutes before serving.

One thing I love about this recipe is simply the name. Especially for a healthy way to approaching food preparation and getting kids involved. We are trying to accomplish a rainbow. So, you can really play with your food and ingredients here and substitute all sorts of rainbow colors in this salad.

I will be honest and the salad never gets the chill time in this house. It goes into the big bowl to serve and gobbled up soon afterward. If any is leftover, it will last a day or two in the fridge.

This is a lip smackin’ sweet and light kale salad that is easy to make even at the last minute and adds beautiful color to your day. Enjoy!

What is called sorrel in the West Indies is a variety of hibiscus, also known as “Jamaica flowers.” Hibiscus tea contains a number of antioxidants, and has also been associated with a boosted immune system, lower blood pressure, lowered cholesterol, and a lower incidence of heart disease and cancer.

As if that weren’t enough, as noted on the Mountain Rose Herbs Hibiscus info page (also the source of the lovely pic — thanks MRH!): “Scientific studies with lab animals find that it stops the conversion of carbs in food to body fat. It fights appetite and encourages weight loss not by increasing energy expenditure but by encouraging the “wasting” of carbohydrates.”

Lastly, hibiscus petals are rich in Vitamin C, making it the perfect drink for cold and flu season! Keep some in the fridge and heat it up as needed, or serve as iced tea if you’re feeling feverish.

Sorrel C Tea

• 2 liters water
• 8 ounces dried sorrel
• 1/4 cup fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 4 whole cloves

1. Put all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Strain out a cup or two at this point for some hot tea, or set it aside to cool and move to the refrigerator. After a day in the refrigerator, strain out the flowers and spices. You can heat it back up for a more intensely flavored tea, add it as is to smoothies, or pour it into ice-cube trays for use in the future as either tea or smoothie components.
3. You can also make a lovely punch by adding your favorite sweetener (hibiscus tea is on the tart end of the spectrum) and some floating orange, lemon and lime slices. Perfect for a mid-winter celebration or a summer picnic!
4. Play around with the spices — add dried orange or lemon peel, allspice, or mace or whatever else you feel might complement the flavors.

So where can you possibly get your hands on some dried hibiscus flowers? Easy peasy! Through our affiliate, Mountain Rose Herbs. You can also try your local carribean market if you’re lucky to live near one. However I would encourage you to purchase organic flower petals since you can’t rinse them easily. I think we’ve purchased these at Trader Joe’s before, but I’m not positive.

Bottoms up!

My New Year’s Resolution? To start posting yummy stuff again! So without further ado:

Today we took a break from the recent round of partying and heavy holiday food for a delightful excursion into Hartford. Fire-n-Spice is a vegan restaurant on Sisson Avenue just before it hits Farmington, a hop, skip n jump from exit 46 off I84. In other words, super easy access. Don’t judge this lovely gem from the outside — it appears to be just one storefront among many, but the inside is painted a warm yellow with African wall hangings and a welcoming vibe. The owners follow a Rastafarian way of life, and this flowers beautifully in their menu.

We were beckoned over to the counter, quickly assessed as first-timers, and given the skinny on the food. Since all 3 tofu dishes (BBQ, jerk AND scrambled tofu) had just run out, we opted to share one plate and go back for another once they were back in action. All in all, we had many options to choose from for an entree — spanish rice, red beans n rice, or quinoa, steamed kale (I went back for more of this simple-but-tasty delight!), stir fried veggies, curry pot (potatoes simmered in coconut milk, turmeric, cumin, coriander, thyme, onion and cilantro), chole (Indian-style chick peas in a creamy curry masala sauce), red lentil dahl and ital stew. Keeping warm in a case off to the side were samosas, plantains and lentil, soy or ackee patties, and chillin’ in the dessert case were sweet potato pudding (jamaican style, crustless), cornbread pudding and a cranberry ginger cake (I think — by the time talk came around to dessert, I was stuffed and on information overload!).

Everything was delicious — the curry pot had me wondering why on earth I’ve never made potatoes like that before. Ditto all 3 tofu dishes — I tend to fry mine and add it to asian dishes. Yawn! All 3 were yummy, including tofu scrambles which I’ve seen in cookbooks but never been inclined to try before. What have I been waiting for? These were scrumptious! And the BBQ tofu has me longing for summer picnics. The chole was also delicious and different than any I’ve ever had — most seem to be tomato based, but this one wasn’t, and didn’t suffer one bit for lack of tomatoes. I’ve wanted to make chole at home but haven’t since tomato cans are lined with BPA (even Eden, whose bean cans aren’t). This dish gives me hope that I can find a recipe for chole that doesn’t contain tomatoes… an exciting prospect indeed for a family that loves this Indian chick pea dish!

The word Ital is derived from the English “vital”, and refers to making lifestyle choices that bring about or maintain optimum Livity (quoting from wiki: “the life energy Rastas generally believe lives within all of us…what is put into one’s body should enhance Livity rather than reduce it. Though there are different interpretations of ital regarding specific foods, the general principle is that food should be natural, or pure, and from the earth”).

Sign me up! Especially if it means I can eat more ital stew! I don’t think I’ve ever actually eaten okra before, but I’ve heard a lot of bad things about it. How it can be good if cooked properly, but that mostly it’s just slimy and icky and something to avoid. Or best eaten pickled. That sort of good press. Well, let me just say that my first bite of okra in the ital stew has me signed on as a fan! This stew was lovely, thick, creamy, sweet, warming, filling… the list goes on. Definitely something to go back for! Chock full of beans (three kinds!), sweet potatoes, dumplings and an array of spices, this option made it to both our plates!

After two plates of yummy goodness, we were too stuffed to try anything else. So let me report here that there is an array of food beyond what we had! Smoothies! Juices and wheat grass shots! Breakfast (including brunch on Sundays)! Salads, sandwiches, soups… well you can see for yourself by checking out their menu online — the brunt of it here with the smoothies, juices and drinks here.

Don’t miss out on all the raw food goodness, including everything from appetizers, salads to entrees and soups! They didn’t have the raw entrees ready to go today, so if you have your heart set on a raw meal, I’d ring them ahead of time and let them know you’re on your way with a hankerin’ for raw food. The options look interesting though, so definitely worth the call.

We like to eat out — heck, who doesn’t? But in the back of my mind, I always know that we are likely eating things we wouldn’t eat if we knew they were in the food. Oyster sauce and fish sauce at thai restaurants, milk and butter at indian restaurants, lard as the cooking grease and who knows what else at chinese food restaurants, etc. So it was a real treat to go to one of the few vegan restaurants I can think of in our area! We felt great, though full Full FULL afterwards!

I highly recommend this little gem, especially if you find yourself in the area. It’s but a stone’s throw from Real Art Ways, a great place to see a movie you aren’t likely to see elsewhere, as well as some thought-provoking art in the gallery.  They serve freshly-made popcorn with real butter, as well as beer and wine! They have some interesting daytime programming (1st and 3rd Monday Matinees) coming up that might be of interest, including South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition (1/3/11),  The Mystery of Picasso (1/17), West Side Story, Duck Soup, Grey Gardens, and Le Fleuve.

This weekend they’re showing the New York International Children’s Film Fest: Kidflix 2010 on Saturday, January 8 & Sunday, January 9, 11 AM. Recommended for ages 3-8. Curated for the youngest audiences, Kidflix is a selection of nine short films from around the world selected by the New York International Children’s Film Fest. We watched some of these online and even an old fuddy duddy 10-year-old enjoyed himself!

So make it a date — dinner and movie supporting local, independent business! I’ll bet that’s in keeping with your new year’s resolutions!

Best wishes for the year ahead!

How was everybody’s holidays? Were they filled with taste bursting raw stuffing topped with raw cranberry relish, lots of big green salads and some warm spiced almond milk to go with your raw holiday dessert or did it tip the scale on the side of lots of breads, cakes, candies, hams, oh my!

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