Juicy Cindy

"When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out - because that's what's inside. When you are squeezed, what comes out is what is inside." 

-Wayne Dyer

My new best friend, the Breville Juicer JE98XL

Certainly, embracing vegetarianism and experimenting with vegan-ism has been a learning experience for me. Although I am not seeking to lose weight, my fiance is trying to lose a few lbs on a new eating plan. Just like most Americans, no one in our family is consuming enough fruits and vegetables daily. The juicer seems like a wonderful way to provide additional vitamins and minerals or "micro-nutrients" from fruits and veggies back into our diets. After watching the documentary "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead", which chronicles one mans journey through a 60 day juice fast and over 100 lbs. of weight lost, my fiance and I decided to invest in a juicer. 

"Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" (Movie Trailer)

We consulted a very trusted (and juicy) friend who is an experienced juicer to find out how the machine held up over time and what model she should recommend. There are many models of juicers and bullet-type blenders, so it can be confusing and pricey! We chose the Breville JE98XL. It has 2 speeds, is a manageable size for our small kitchen and it's also easy to take apart and put back together for cleaning. This model runs around $150 on amazon.com and is very highly rated among previous buyers.

We also bought a copy of The Juicing Bible by Pat Crocker. This book has been a wonderful resource! My favorite feature of this juicer's manual is the section that suggests foods/herbs according to ailment or health concern. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a change in their health through diet. Even if you aren't juicing, this would be a terrific addition to any chef's library! Today's juice was pressed from a blend of about 6 large carrots, a hunk of ginger root, 2 red delicious apples and a peeled organic lemon....and it was delicious!

BEANS in my Brownie??

That's right, folks...BLACK BEAN BROWNIES! And boy are they delicious!

My friend Catherine made these for a pot luck recently and stole the spotlight. She has two daughters with various and severe food allergies so this was a great recipe that worked for their diets and was still mouth-watering and delectable!

These brownies are chock full of protein thanks to the entire of can of black beans that are hiding inside this batch. What a great idea! The beans are almost undetectable, blending in perfectly to the fudgy, moist treats with a little extra nutrition!

Try the recipe here:

http://www.skinnytaste.com

Two thumbs up!!

Food is your medicine!

Let's talk about Ayurveda for a moment.... What is Ayurveda, anyway?

Ayurveda means “knowledge of life” and is the ancient study and science of digestion.  Ayurveda considers food to be your medicine. Everything that you put into your body, or digest, whether it is food, air, water, environment, or thought-- all of these things affect the wholeness of your being, or your health. Ayurveda accounts for your dosha (body type) when determining what types of foods and activities are best for you. 

In Ayurveda, the idea is that the easier it is to digest your food, the more energy you may have to heal your own body. Almost 60% of your energy goes to the digestion of your meals each day. Ayurveda recommends consuming foods and liquids that are easy to digest and refraining from putting a lot of toxins into the body like caffeine and nicotine which are difficult to process.What if you could use less energy processing food and eliminating toxins...leaving more energy for your body to use for healing? 

Makes sense to me!

Eat Taste Heal is the new cookbook I have just ordered that is bursting with Ayurveda recipes and information on how to heal yourself through your food. I am so excited to add this book to my culinary library and try out some new recipes! Don't worry I'll give you the scoop!

Until we meet again....happy eating!

Ain't nothin' but a GHEE thang...

GHEE!! 

I have only recently started using and making my own ghee. Ghee is really just a fancy name for clarified butter. It is infinitely better for you than butter or margarine because all of the impurities have been removed, such as saturated fat and milk solids. Ghee can help lubricate the connective tissues in your body, promoting flexibility, which makes it a favorite food of yogis worldwide. You can use it in place of cooking oil, butter or margarine and is even tasty as a spread on bagels and muffins. 

A few months ago I made my first batch of ghee on my stovetop at home. I was warned by a friend, "Don't buy ghee, it's too expensive and it's just so easy to make." So I looked up the recipe on Ayurveda Institute's webiste: (http://www.ayurveda.com/online_resource/ghee_recipe.htm) and started making my list of ingredients...one pound unsalted butter. After returning from the store with my unsalted butter, I realized that I didn't have any cheesecloth. Excited to even need an advanced-cooking type supply like cheesecloth, I hauled myself back to the grocery store to buy a package of that and an airtight, glass container with a lid.

Finally prepared, I got to work. Having no real idea of what I was doing, I tried to follow the recipe as closely as I could. It wasn't terribly difficult, but it was messy. The butter pops and splatters everywhere as the saturated fat rises to the top. This I wasn't prepared for at all. My daughter, aged 13, wandered into the kitchen at this point and exclaimed, "Are you doing a science experiment in here? What's all the bubbling for?" My suggestion is to use a deep pot, like a soup pot, so the splatters won't totally coat your entire kitchen floor and counter and stovetop surfaces. 

The final result was a big tub of ghee that lasted us over 2 months! It is shelf stable, but it is very important to only scoop ghee out of the container with a clean, dry utensil. If water or bacteria get into the ghee it can easily spoil. The health benefits of ghee are enormous and grow as it ages. 

So, I ran out of ghee yesterday making a batch of kitchari (an ayurvedic food, sort of like a rice soup), and my family is already clamoring for more! Who knew they would take to ghee so quickly? One of my tasks today is to make some more. I hope that my kitchen can withstand a thorough coating in clarified butter and a brisk cleaning afterwards.