Tea for the Holidays? Are you a tea snob?

Ever observe a restaurant patron bearing their esoteric tea bags requesting a pot of hot water, “…and it better be hot, Bub!” 

Tea’s my cup of Joe, diet cola, and red wine; my ‘longevi-tea.’  I  am thankful for my tenderly brewed tea leaf friends, for if I am too cold, tea warms me; if I’m too heated, it cools me down; if I’m depressed, it cheers me, and when excited, it mellows my harsh. Charles Dickens wrote, “My dear, if you could give me a cup of tea to clear my muddle of a head, I should better understand your affairs.”  Tea touches our souls-- a stand-up celebration of simplicity.  

As a youthful food server, tea drinkers were pain in the tea bag since maintaining a civilized cup-o-tea required more responsiveness than decanting a cup of Java. Tea bags need refreshing, the pot of water kept hot and frequently refilled; “Waiter, where’s the lemon? Would you please warm the tea cup first with hot water?”  Servers instantly roll their eyes at the ‘needy nerdy tea snob'.  Tea gets a bad rap, despite its uber health mojo.

Japanese studies urge eight to ten cups of green tea per day to positively affect cholesterol levels and generally reduce risk for cardiovascular disease whether you smoke, drink, or are weighty.  The connection; green and some black tea contain the same nutrients and antioxidants in red wine and cocoa that undo the effects of a fatty diet and smoking.

Purdue’s School of Consumer and Family Sciences say drinking more than four cups of green tea a day provide enough active compounds to speed-bump cancer cell growth; prevention in a teacup.

Our family dentist noticed our cavities frequency declined, so when I read  black or green tea, hot or cold, aid digestion, are antibacterial, and contain anti-aging properties, we had our explanation. Once a day, I slush the green tea around my mouth, as I would a mouthwash, becoming a bacterial mass-murderer. The Dental Clinics of North America explain the ideal anti-plaque agents in tea can eliminate disease-causing bacteria, reduce plaque and gingivitis. Natural Health Magazine reports Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) contains Catechins which destroy bacterial bugs, yes bugs that cause bad breath. Those bugs turn sugar into a sticky colony of living bacteria, sugars, proteins, and cavity-causing acid when it comes in contact with sugary or starchy foods.

Malty, smoky, full bodied aromatic Green tea comes from the leaves of the tea tree, Camellia Sinensis.  For centuries, woodsy green tea has been produced from leaves laborers handled gently and heated soon after harvesting, as opposed to black tea leaves which are vigorously rolled to make them release a particular enzyme, then left to sit for a few hours, during which time the enzymes interact with oxygen causing the leaves to develop a heartier flavor and a darker hue. Please shun tea from China.

Holidays are perfect for sipping green tea to undo the annual sugar-glazed Holiday dietary carnage. Next time you attend a holiday buffet, ceremoniously brew your favorite then savor civilization’s second most popular beverage second place to water. Join me this holiday season, and become a tea snob.  Invite your ‘nerdy’ friends over to share a freshly brewed pot of tea graced with raw, local honey. As you’ve deduced, a wee bit of tea is good for thee, accompanied by a little sympathy. Preparing tea is the ceremony of pouring all one's attention into the predefined, patient method. The process isn’t about drinking tea as much as it’s aesthetics of preparing a bowl of tea from the love from one's heart. 

Recipe for Blissful Holidays

1 cup unconditional love
½ cup joy
2 dollops of compassion and acceptance
2 tbs. white light
2 tsp. belly laughter
2 tears of joy
30 minutes of peaceful meditation

• Remove ego and mix gently.
• Serve abundantly to all you greet

Pea-nuty Asian Noodles with Coconut Milk

Mouthfuls of explosive flavor wait in the highly nutritious Asian pasta dish that brims with protein and colorful fresh vegetables. Another veggie-licious way to enjoy increasing your consumption of health-restoring vegetable. You’re doing great!

Serves 4

12 oz Buckwheat Udon Noodles, or Barillo Plus spaghetti (or however much you think you need!
1/2 green/red/yellow pepper, julienned
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 cabbage (Napa or red. Depends on your preference)
1/2 onion, julienned
1/2 c organic peanut butter (Meijer carries a nice one)
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tbs. sesame oil
2tbs. ground flax or Chia seed for FIBER
2 tbs. cider vinegar
2 tbs. Raw coconut oil
¼ cup coconut milk (Shake the cans contents vigorously before opening)
1 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. pepper flakes
2 tbs. sesame seeds (toasted if you have time)
1 scallion, chopped
2 tbs. chopped peanuts

1. Set a large pot of water on to boil Add salt followed by the spaghetti; cook al dente according to package instructions.
2. Slice (julienne) all the vegetables. (Note: you can really put in any veg you like. It all works!)
3. Whisk together the peanut butter, soy, sesame oil, and vinegar. Taste it! You might want to add more of one ingredient depending on your personal preference.
4.  Heat the oil in a medium pan to medium heat. Add vegetables, then salt and hot pepper.
5. Drain the pasta, reserving one cup of the cooking liquid. Add the vegetables and sauce to the pasta. Combine all the ingredients and add some of the reserved water if the sauce is too thick.
7. Plate the dish and sprinkle with the chopped dry roasted peanuts and scallion.

www.chefwendell.com

Oatmeal with Apple Cider, Walnuts, Flax, and Berries

2 Portions
The best darned Oatmeal you’ll ever eat!!!
Our friends at the FDA say Oatmeal may reduce cholesterol in the human body. By using fresh apple cider and not water, the flavor of the oatmeal is ethereal, the blueberries are powerful antioxidants and the cranberries help prevent bladder infections.  Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins (PACs) that can prevent the adhesion of certain bacteria, including E. coli, associated with urinary tract infections to the urinary tract wall.  The anti-adhesion properties of cranberry may also inhibit the bacteria associated with gum disease and stomach ulcers. 
http://www.cranberryinstitute.org/healthresearch.htm.

Oatmeal is good for reducing cholesterol, but not the Quaker species.  Quaker is too processed just like white rice.  This dish with the berries and nuts supplies you with Omega 3 Essential fatty acids and powerful antioxidant protection.  They slow down the aging process, reduce cavities, ulcers and the granddaddy of them all...cancer.

Ingredients:Steel cut oats—follow the package instructions (No Uncle Ben’s Please!)
Fresh apple cider not sugary apple juice instead of water or milk
1/2 cup  cranberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 tsp. cinnamon
REAL maple syrup to sweeten
1 tsp. of wheat germ or ground flax seeds for fiber   
Pinch of sea salt
1 wood spoon

   In a sauté pan, place the fresh cranberries and frozen or fresh blueberries in the bottom of the pan.

• Next add about 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, cinnamon and simmer over LOW heat till you hear the first POP! of a cranberry.

• Add the oats and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the oats  absorb the delicious apple flavor and are cooked.  Gravity happens and the porridge can scorch easily.

• Add a pinch of salt.

• When desired consistency is achieved, pull it off the fire and serve topped with walnut pieces.  Irresistible flavor and a bonanza of nutrition.

 

Harvesting Garden and Soul

With summer fading, the solstice passed, our warm earth begins to cool. Our days get shortened while shiny plump crows caw over painted harvests and compost-crusted gardeners and family farmers dance, sing, and reap in joyful celebration.The third sphere from the sun freely yields what grows on its bountiful surface. The ultimate recompense of human bumblebees seeding, growing and reaping food, herbs, and flowers from Earth’s gardens is to express; to create then harvest beauty and nourishment with inspiration drawn from the altruistic well of Nature’s soul.

The plant world lives not in isolation but in sacrosanct interdependence's with our shared earthly milieu. Just as skin, bone, and brain form the whole of human, carbon-based organisms, edible plants are upstanding, indispensable human compatriots; equal members connected by our commononenessThere’s no form of food consumption more quixotic, satisfying and soul-stirring than eating what’s recently harvested from a small garden plot or neighboring family farm. Not much fossil fuel gets burned when plucking and reaping zucchini or sweet cherry tomatoes few steps or blocks from the kitchen counter top. Green families feeding their clan from a sequestered vegetable plot squeeze pennies by doing so.

Diligent gardeners acquire gigantic freezers together with an eagerness to resuscitate the ancient mysteries of canning.Growing and raising food and supporting local farmers is an excellent way to obtain the freshest, most nutritious energy-packed produce, often at reasonable prices. Wisdom decrees learning to store, temperature control, and preserve perishable plant foods. The American family throws away $500 of food annually due to poor product management. Plant foods need a little help from their green friends.Like garlands of pearls, flower buds blossom, expressing joy by putting forth their delicate,aromatic petals.

When a flower is respectfully picked for aesthetic delight, the Earth has a sense of well-being, for the Earth cheerfully shares its prosperity. For example, when the corn is reaped in the autumn or when animals graze on the plant growth, fostering Earth has a sensation of well-being such as that felt by the cow when its calf suckles milk. A home filled with nature’s abundance has extraordinary energy; a delicious vibration of love and respect. Food is sacred;our supper tables are an altar of gratitude to the Great Spirit.

Late Summer Watermelon and Feta Salad

Watermelon is not only delicious, but nutritious too. For example, Watermelon has lycopene, which can help reduce the risk of several cancers. The juicy orb also contains tons of potassium,vitamin A, vitamin c, protein, folate, selenium and zinc.

The combination of watermelon and feta cheese is a Greek favorite in summer. It's eaten as a snack or a light meal. This variation includes paper-thin slices of red onion, and a touch of balsamic vinegar to turn this fabulous taste combination into a late summer salad.

3/4 - 1 cup of cold watermelon, cubed

1/4 cup of feta cheese, crumbled or cubed

1/4 medium red onion, cut in paper-thin slices

1/4 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar or balsamic vinaigrette

Preparation:

·        Place the watermelon in a bowl, top with most of the onions, then the feta cheese. Place remaining onions on top. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, and serve.

·        Do not mix or it will break up and turn ugly.

·        This recipe can be made in individual servings or multiplied and served in a large salad bowl.

Chilled Corn Bisque with Curry Oil

On a hot day you don’t want to turn on the stove top.  Instead, prepare this refreshing chilled corn soup. Keep yourself and the kitchen cool as a lake breeze with this simple-to-prepare, refreshing, cold soup.

Early settlers may have perished if the Native Americans hadn't turned them on to corn.  Settlers learned to grow it by planting kernels in small holes fertilized with small fish. Wise Native Americans celebrated corn’s health mojo.

A one cup serving of sweet yellow corn contains:

·        356 IU vitamin A

·        A significant source of dietary fiber

·        108 mcg of beta-carotene

·         Lutein and zeaxanthin, powerful antioxidants that prevent eye diseases.

·        Cooked corn contains a fraction of these vitamins.

Did you know?

·        The average ear of corn has 800 kernels,

·         Arranged in 16 rows

·        With one piece of silk for each kernel.

·        One bushel contains about 27,000 kernels.

·        Each tassel releases 5 million grains of pollen.  

Raw Corn Bisque with Curry Oil 

            Ingredients 

·        3 Cups Sweet Corn kernels

·        1 Cup almond milk

·        Sea salt or kosher Salt  

Garnish  

·        ½ Cup Sweet Corn Kernels

·        Julienne zucchini

·        Curry Infused Olive Oil * /

·         *Warm, but not boil ¾ Cups Olive Oil in saucepan and add 3 tbs. of Curry or to Taste. Whisk well.

·        Shut of heat.

·        Let set overnight then strain through cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer. 

To Make Corn Soup:

 In a high speed blender or food processor combine the corn and water and puree until smooth.

 Pass through a fine mesh sieve and season to taste with salt and pepper.

If you wish, do not strain and leave in the fibrous pulp. It’s not going to kill you.

Portion then garnish with julienne zucchini, kernels of corn, and then drizzle with curry infused olive oil. 

Sweet, Beautiful Corn

Dad loved Sunday family drives in the country even though his rambunctious three sons whined and fidgeted in the back seat of our ’55 Pontiac. As we cruised, between cow-counting, we were mesmerized by unending fields of corn. Like windshield wipers in a downpour, in unison, our heads whipped back and forth as our young eyes, at 50 MPH, struggled to fix on each linear row.

Corn is native to the Americas; grown by Native Americans thousands of years before Columbus arrived to the New World. Current World Archeology reports new evidence the earliest domestication of corn was in Mexico 8,700 years ago. Domesticated maize reached Panama by 5,600 BC and northern South America by 4,000 BC. Over millennia, Native Americans transformed maize through special cultivation methods. Maize, developed from a wild grass (Teosinte), originally grew in southern Mexico 7,000 years ago. The ancestral kernels of Teosinte looked different from modern corn. The kernels were small and not fused together.

Early settlers may have perished if the Red Skins hadn't turned them on to corn.  Settlers learned to grow it by planting kernels in small holes fertilized with small fish. Wise Native Americans celebrated corn’s health mojo.  A one cup serving of sweet yellow corn contains 356 IU vitamin A and 108 mcg of beta-carotene along with lutein and zeaxanthin, powerful antioxidants to help combat harmful free radical activity and prevent various degenerative diseases.

The average ear of corn has 800 kernels, arranged in 16 rows with one piece of silk for each kernel. One bushel contains about 27,000 kernels. Each tassel on a corn plant releases as many as 5 million grains of pollen. In the 1930s, before machinery was available, a family farmer could harvest 100 bushels of corn by hand in a nine-hour day.

Corn’s an ingredient in more than 3,000 grocery products.  Pick up a can of cat or dog (carnivores) food and read the first ingredient; corn, used as filler to increase corporate profits. Poor critters. The real bummer; almost all grocery corn today is GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) which has not been adequately analyzed by the USDA for future environmental and socio-health and economic impacts of grafting God’s sacred design. We are the unwitting experiment. The problem of GMO crops birthed an angry tsunami following the U.S. Supreme Court's ill-fated decision in 1980 to allow corporations to patent life.  God's word cautions against adulterating seed, or defiling produce.  Deuteronomy 22:9-11 asserts fields should not be sown with diverse seeds. Man in infantile false hubris shouldn’t bully the hand of our perfect Creator.

Raw and fresh, popped, grilled, or boiled, just eat it. Sorry, Corn Dogs don’t count. But first educate yourself on real foods, and then seek community sources and Farmer’s Markets close to home with a grower who has a faithful moral obedience towards our magnanimous Creator’s directives. Just Say ‘NO’ to unholy GMO’s.  About 80% of grocery produce is GMO. When a German court ordered Monsanto to make public a controversial rat study in 2005, the data upheld claims by prominent scientists who said animals fed GMO corn developed extensive negative health effects in the blood, kidneys and liver and humans eating the corn might be at risk.

The Universe is the author of life and it’s all His—it’s His corn and His wine, His wool and His flax. Though we’re permitted to use them, the ownership remains His and should be used for His service, not Big Ag.

Karma is impending for GMO Jerkonians for forsaking and not obeying His word. Sermon over, so someone please offer up an Amen and pass the garlic- basil butter.

No-Mayo Summer Potato Salad

From WISH TV 7-2-11

“Let’s return to the joyous act of cooking from scratch!”

Potato salad asphyxiated in mayonnaise is a red, white, and blue American tradition that causes the pounds to pile up. Plus if you’ve ever read the ingredients labels on aging  grocery store pre-made potato salad, you know inside there’s a stew of harmful preservatives, otherwise it couldn’t stay fresh on the shelf for weeks till you purchase it.  Your friends and family deserve better than that. Try this mayonnaise-free version and the gang will sing your praises

16 Baby Yukon gold potatoes-Don’t forget to wash your spuds! Coarse salt, for boiling water
1 large tomato chopped, save juices
1 cup chopped green onions
4 cloves of minced raw garlic-not powdered
1 cup chopped fresh basil, a couple of handfuls
1/4 cup chopped parsley, a couple of handfuls
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, eyeball the amount
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt and black pepper

*Cut up potatoes to the size you want leaving on the skins.

*Boil about 6-8 minutes depending on the size--just until fork tender: keep them warm

*Add all the ingredients to the warm potatoes. Toss to allow the vinegar to absorb into the potatoes.

*Add oil and gently stir the potatoes taste, and serve.

* Adjust salt and pepper to taste

*Garnish with a sprig of basil leaves

Parents are why Kids eat so Poorty

When your children become grown-ups, they will not willingly eat what they were not offered as youngsters. Studies show eight to fifteen exposures are needed to gain acceptance of new foods.
Recently I saw a 30-something Mom and her three-year-old shopping the produce section. Instinctively, the little child was attracted by artfully arranged, colorful mountains of nature’s generous nurturing harvest. Focused on quarts of blueberries, she tugged mom’s shorts, pointing in curiosity at the blue orbs.
“Mommy, I wanna see bwuberry’s” was the perfect opportunity to cultivate responsible eating habits that set the foundation for future mental and physical health. My heart sank as Mom gently pushed down her daughter’s pointing hand, discouraging her child’s inborn interest,
“Oh, honey, you wouldn’t like those, we have Pop Tarts at home.”
Another nutritionally illiterate parent projecting their silly fears of fresh produce upon impressionable minds.
Unless you live buried under a pile of ‘Poop’ Tarts, we can all agree science says eating more plant foods has seriously groovy health benefits. Reduce your family’s intake of animal foods. Eating super-sized quantities of dead animals is linked to chronic diseases colonizing your holy temple.
Add a variety of fresh taste, texture, excitement and color to your loving tribe’s food fare by encouraging everyone to experiment with new foods and new combinations. Aesthetically arranged fruit and vegetable trays, turkey breast with arugula on wheat wraps, and low-fat bean chips are several ways to add health to a celebration. Produce provides key vitamins and pleasantly surprising taste experiences.
Try fresh avocado and tomato on your turkey burger or sub, or assemble a pretty bowl of vanilla yogurt, garnish it with local fresh fruit and walnuts, then serve it over whole wheat pancakes with Maple syrup. What ever happened to popping popcorn from scratch?
Parents, you’re missing the opportunity to create a memory and share a legacy of togetherness. I remember my siblings and me standing at the stove, each excitedly taking his turn shaking the popcorn popper until the last kernel exploded before dousing the hot corn with gobs of butter and hunkering down in front of the TV to watch Ed Sullivan, with all of us nibbling out of the same wooden bowl together. Not Ed, just us. Do you remember doing things like that?
Revisit your childhood with your own children. Not only will you help them make new discoveries, but you’ll also increase their motivation by realizing that celebratory meals can be adventurous, fun, healing, and delicious. (Of course, replace the butter on the popcorn with olive oil or a non-trans fat margarine, please!)
Add power foods to the family menu such as organic PBJ sammies with organic peanut butter, grain bread. Consider no-sugar-added jams, bean dips, wraps with shredded veggies, reduced-fat cheese, sorbet, watermelon wedges, blueberries in low-fat sour cream, apples slices spread with peanut butter, white-meat turkey chili, and deviled eggs made with reduced-fat mayonnaise. Or how about hummus with whole wheat pita bread, homemade whole wheat mini-pizza, and brown rice cakes with Galaxy Soy cheese topped with salsa? Think smaller and kick the vending machine mentality. You’re smarter than that.
Instead of trying to win the family popularity contest, why not use the shopping experience and dinner table to lovingly educate and teach respect for the Great Creator’s gifts rather than reinforcing destructive behavior to themselves as well as our earth..
Tradition, thy name is stubbornness. It’s got to change someday— but it has to begin at home, where the heart is. Maybe before couples are allowed to procreate, they must first take and pass a nutritional literacy exam, be given a house plant and a dog.
If both are still thriving after 6 weeks, then they can birth children.

Farmer's Markets-God's Apothecary

Senior Life- God’s Private Garden
June 2011

“And God, not Monsanto said, let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God, not bioengineers, saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:11-12)

It’s an old fashion, newfangled concept: the freshest, seasonal local fruits and vegetables, raw honey, artisan cheese, wines, brews, breads, clean grass-fed meats, and bug-fed chickens straight from family farms to the kitchen. I adore going to farmers markets; lively social centers where I always run into smiling friends and bask in the warm glow of community. These outdoor markets keep me grounded to the earthy roots of nutrition where fresh food fare is vastly more significant to a senior’s health than the eventuality of a geriatric doctor.

Thirty years ago eating local was a radical notion, but times are a  ‘changin’.  Farmer’s Markets provide sanctuary from proliferating genetically modified grocery versions of Gods creations. Anyone who sees this biotech time bomb with spiritual eyes will recognize that genetically modified plants and animals are not about improving quality or providing healthful alternatives to the world. They’re playing God and polluting His creations. God’s law doesn’t sanction genetic alteration even though bioengineers proudly market altered organisms as something helpful to humans.  The author of all life is God who created every species to reproduce after its own kind. Thus, there’s no reason for man to modify DNA and cross transplant genes from one entity into another. In false hubris, man creates species God never intended to exist. Such alteration of species violates God’s natural order. Do I hear amen! 

Community Farmer’s Markets solve the growing problem of food access and the plight of family farmers. Farmer’s Markets remind us fresh wholesome food grown without contains maximum heavenly nutrition that sustains body and soul. As you know, to remain mentally and physically sturdy, our manufacturer expects us to eat balanced meals containing complex carbs, clean plant and animal protein, fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds, healthy fats, and an occasional goodie as a reward for being a good steward of His creation. Nevertheless, we’ve departed from the road of nutritional righteousness, settling for what’s set before us as long as it’s effortless, looks and tastes familiar.

Our grandparents didn’t eat from the golden arches,  smoked non-filter Camels, drank hard liquor, decanted clouds of heavy cream into their Folgers, ate globs of butter and bacon fat, and dinner was either chunks-o-beef, pork, chicken or fish. They did not however, use poisonous chemicals and growth hormones and sure, some of the crap they ate was gross, but our grandparents knew the importance of fresh balanced meals and taking care of themselves in a much less neurotic, self-interested way.  

What’s right is often forgotten by what is convenient. In a haze of suitability, Americans have resorted to buying Del Monte and Dole plastic fruit salad cups shipped from China. Oh, the agony of inconvenience!

Happily, Americans are transcending this mind-set and increasing their intake of fresh local produce and backing off on meat and taters three times a day, and whole grains are replacing potatoes. Folks are returning to the simple preindustrial revolution lifestyle of their forefathers; foraging for fresh food from local farms. If great-grandfather wouldn’t have recognized it as food, then it’s not fit for consumption. So don’t eat anything that comes in a box, tube, or bag.  

Breaking pre-industrial revolution tradition has proved catastrophic to the collective health of a great nation.  The backbone of America, the Family Farm has all but been destroyed by Big Food and ‘Monsatan’.  Let us all return to the ‘Farm-acy’ and dance till the music stops.

Food is Sacred

With summer peaking, the solstice passed, our warm earth begins to cool, days get shortened while shiny plump crows caw over painted harvests and compost crusted gardeners and family farmers dance, sing, and reap in joyful celebration. 

The third sphere from the sun freely yields what grows on its bountiful surface. The ultimate recompense of human bumblebees seeding, growing and reaping food, herbs, and flowers from Earth’s gardens is to express; to create then harvest beauty and nourishment with inspiration drawn from the altruistic well of Nature’s soul. The plant world lives not in isolation but in sacrosanct interdependence with our shared earthly milieu.  Just as skin, bone, and brain form the whole of human carbon based organisms, edible plants are upstanding, indispensable human compatriots; equal members connected by our common oneness.

There's no form of food consumption more quixotic, satisfying and soul-stirring than eating what’s been recently harvested from a small garden plot or neighboring family farm.  Not much fossil fuel gets burned when plucking and reaping zucchini or sweet cherry tomatoes a few steps or blocks from the kitchen counter top. Green families feeding their clan from their sequestered vegetable plot squeeze pennies doing so.  Diligent gardeners are acquiring gigantic freezers together with an eagerness to resuscitate the ancient mysteries of canning. 

Growing and raising food and supporting local farmer is an excellent way to obtain the freshest, most nutritious energy-packed produce, often at reasonable prices. Wisdom decrees learning to store, temperature control, and preserve perishable plant foods. The American family throws away $500 of food annually due to poor product management.  Plant foods need a little help from their green friends. 

Like garlands of pearls, flower buds blossom expressing joy by putting forth their delicate, aromatic petals.  When a flower is respectfully picked for aesthetic delight, the Earth has a sense of well-being, for the Earth cheerfully shares its prosperity. For example, when the corn is reaped in the autumn or when animals graze on the plant growth, fostering Earth has a sensation of well-being such as that felt by the cow when its calf suckles milk.

A home filled with natures abundance has extraordinary energy; a delicious vibration of love and respect. Food is sacred; our supper tables an altar of gratitude to the Great Spirit.

Cruciferous Veggies with 'NO-Cheese" Sauce

2 tbs. wheat free soy sauce
1 tbs. lemon juice
2 ½ tbs. raw cashew or sunflower butter
Dash of cayenne pepper
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp. potato starch
½ tsp. onion powder
Dash of garlic powder
1/3 cup almond milk

• Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and gently heat.
• Stir frequently to avoid lumps and burning.
• Add extra yeast or potato flour if too runny or almond milk if too thick.
• Once the ‘sauce’ is as thick as you like, it’s ready to serve over enchiladas, pasta, vegetables, and nachos or for a cheese base for a baked casserole.
• We suggest not cooking it too long, however. Heat kills!

Water: The Source of Life

Under a colander of stars, moonlit waters mirror heaven, revealing the intimacy between heaven and earth. Man is privileged to live on what planetary astrobiology considers one of the Cosmo’s rare, blue water planets. Nevertheless, man knows and cares more about the moon than he does the sanctity of our planet’s waters, the life blood of Earth.
Clearly man only sees what concerns him. Thoreau wrote instead of looking to the sky, look into the placid reflecting salubrious waters for signs and promises of the morrow, referring to water as earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.
When the Great Spirit christened earth, the first morning sun rose, nestled within a soft yellow and raspberry sky; the atmosphere, land, water, plants and microbes were pure. If not for H2O on earth 4.5 billion years ago, all life would simply not exist. It seems anomalous calling our beautiful planet ‘earth’, when it’s clearly an ocean star as man and earth’s surface are made up of 85 percent water.
Envisioning water as clean, humans shower, wash clothing and cars, and over-soak manicured ego lawns and gardens with fresh water, yet most earthlings rehydrate their most holy possession, the human temple, with rivers of frou-frou coffees, artificial fruit drinks, and fizzy colas. Assuredly, Earthlings wouldn’t ever shower in Diet Coke nor swim in a rippling stream of Mountain Dew. But then again, nothing surprises me anymore.
Of the thin veneer, very little of earth’s water is pristine. Earth’s water is increasingly unusable; befouled by man-made contaminants. Thoreau would be distressed, sobbing at the willy-nilly use of earth-poisoning herbicides to rid vanity lawns of highly nourishing dandelions, tiptoeing purslane, and constellations of flora and fauna.
Slow progress in protecting water’s integrity is not acceptable, as more than three million people die every year from avoidable water-related disease and more bodies of water such as the Gulf of Mexico are dying. If man rises to meet this challenge, he must altruistically foster respectful approaches that are people-centered and earth-friendly.
Complex life is uncommon in our enigmatic universe. Earth needs loving stewardship and prudent, conscious conservation for future generations to survive. Clean water should not be a luxury, but it could possibly become one. Water is constantly recycled, and we all live downstream from some power plant, manufacturing facility or industrial agriculture complex. But healthy families, communities, environments and economies rely on clean, safe water. To ensure our water resources for the future, we must protect them today. The tragedy in Fukushima illuminates society’s agony of inconvenience when potable water is scarce or tainted.
Remember we are merely guests here; caretakers. Dominion is subjective and abused.

New Food Trends 2011

Re-awakened hungry Americans, motivated by a need to know more about the source of the food they feed their families are returning to their ancestral traditions. They’re hunting and foraging closer to home at community farmer’s markets and local sources for clean meats, artisan breads, mushrooms, local honey and cheeses, colorful, nurturing produce and frequenting more mom-and-pop-owned diners. Farm-friendly, organic, non-GMO, naturally occurring, scratch cooking and canning are becoming today’s dietetic mantra.
Health and convenience drive today’s food sales. People are returning to eating family dinners at home where they control the ingredients. They want less hassle, easy to prepare, ready-to-eat fresh ingredients.
Home food preservation and bulk cooking have rebirthed as earth-connected folks grow, preserve and enjoy harvesting their verdant gardens or community farmers market, not scientific laboratories. They do this to eliminate toxic sugar, salt, unnatural preservatives, MSG and food colorings. Other factors are the weak economy, frightening food recalls and an honest desire to improve health via fresh food, controlling its quality from the farm to the fork. Consumers are picking naturally healthy foods such as fruit, vegetables, salads, nuts, whole grains and pro-biotic yogurt. Fruit is now America’s second-favorite snack.
More are grazing, driving demand for healthier single-serving snacks in vending machines, nutrition and fibrous diet bars, smoothies and energy drinks. Alkaline waters such as Fiji, Smart Water, Kangen and Penta waters are “in.”
Felonious trans fats (hydrogenated) are finally “out” for their rock sold connection to acquiring heart disease. Demand for low calorie and light products will continue to grow. Also, watch for allergen-free claims on food labels. Next to low fat, whole grains were the most influential food label claim. Dairy products with cholesterol-lowering sterols and antioxidant-rich chocolate are making an appearance. As more people become aware of soy dangers, consumption is waning.
We’re all physicians who can heal the magnificent Holy Temple. Nearly two-thirds of shoppers embrace Hippocrates’s avowal, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” They doctor through diet to prevent and manage health disorders such as diabetes, obesity, Crohn’s, fibromyalgia, atherosclerosis, heart disease, cancer and more.
Want an occasional vegetarian meal? Mobile food applications are exploding and offer convenience beyond the name and address of a restaurant. You can score a menu, prices and a reservation. Everything you need to cook a healthy meal at home; recipe, shopping list and coupons are also at your fingertips.
Responsible chefs are entering school cafeterias not only to brighten up the menus but to entice kids to eat healthy foods. Kids and adults alike have comfort zones when it comes to food’s appearance and flavors. Breaking away from barriers and bad habits can be an exciting food adventure; one that wakes up your taste buds and improves your perception of living, nutritious foods from our creator.
These trends hold promise if the amoral food industry offers convenience without industrially trashing once healthy foods. Fads will come and go, and the government will continue to analyze health claims made by food manufacturers. The ageing of baby boomers is driving the food industry in a new direction, one that could have a significant impact on the future health of the population. And that can only be a good thing.
After all, food is about more than just nourishment, it’s also about culture, and weaving the threads that bind the tapestry of a thriving community.

Childrens Eating Rules for Good Health

Chef Wendell’s Ten Commandments of Healthy Eating for Parents

1.     Thou shalt not force, bribe or coerce thy child to eat.

2.     Thou shalt set a good example by eating at least five fruits and vegetables, three who grain products and three low-fat dairy servings per day.

3.     Thou shalt make mealtimes pleasant.

4.     Thou shalt encourage thy child to help in meal planning, preparation, and clean-up.

5.     Thou shalt back off when mealtime becomes a power struggle.

6.     Thou shalt accept the fact thy child is an individual and thus will dislike certain foods. (and there are many)

7.     Thou shalt accept food ‘binges’ as phases that will eventually pass.

8.     Thou shalt not give up on introducing thy child to new foods. Thou shalt realize it sometimes takes ten tries to get a child to accept a food.

9.     Thou shalt use this division of responsibility for eating: As the parent, thou art responsible for deciding when and what to serve. Thy child is responsible for deciding how much, if any, will be eaten.

10.   Thou shalt give thy child a food-based multi-vitamin / mineral supplement, not Flintstones, if he or she is a picky eater.

Fruit Salad from China...sigh!

     As I read the label, my eyes widened, the heart began to pound, and suddenly my brain liquefied into a slurry of bewilderment and disbelief! If there’s a microcosm of the nutritional complacency extinguishing America’s health equity, it was staring me square in the face; plastic, hermitically sealed, supposed-to-be-good-for-you ‘fresh’ opaque cups of fruit salad in the grocery produce section.
     We’ve descended onto the shadowy sea bed of laziness. Red, white and blue unhealthy Americans are either embarrassingly addicted to convenience or too lazy to lift a knife. So much that Americans are buying carb-heavy Del Monte and Dole fruit cups of fruit salad which were harvested, hopefully washed, peeled, chopped, mechanically packaged and shipped from, yep, China and Thailand who have dissimilar interpretations of sanitation and chemical usage.
     We squawked about the deadly Chinese melamine scare, their toxic pet food, tainted infant formula and fraudulent vitamins shipped to us, but in a hazy stupor of suitability Americans still robotically disregard food labels and, without caution, grab and snarf cups of pre-made fruit salad.
Fruit cheaply harvested 10,000 miles away then shipped for weeks on end aboard a boat is DOA. The idea of an alleged ‘fresh’ fruit salad being delivered from Asia should be upsetting to you. First, your temple doesn’t deserve old, dead food lacking nutrition and second, it stimulates the economy of a politically competitive country on the opposite side of God’s green earth. This cup-o-crapola has sailed the bonny seas for weeks, even months. What part of this is logical? Can’t we take time to make a fresh, colorful fruit salad brimming with the living nourishment the Universe provided or have we become comfortably numb to what is essential to steward the health of our holy temple?
     The best way to store fruit till you use it is with the heavenly wrapping left on, rinds and peelings intact. Once the protective peels or coverings of fruits are cut, the fruits begin to degrade and lose their healing energy. This nutrient loss doesn’t occur immediately because it takes up to five or six days to show any major vitamin loss as long as cut, unpeeled fruits are stowed in the refrigerator, not an undulating transport tanker. After weeks and months, it decomposes into lifeless calories and the protective vitamin C and carotenoids become useless bilge.
     To receive the most disease preventing mojo, pull out the cutting board and a chef’s knife, wash, cut, prepare and then tightly seal your beautiful fresh fruit salad the day of the purchase to insure you’re getting the truest flavors and health restoring nutrition. Savor the moment.
Once prepped, due to oxygen, nutrients begin to flee. After a day or two languishing in the fridge, they’re probably aesthetically unpleasing, especially bananas and strawberries, so prudently prep only as much as your gang eats at one sitting. Be sure you keep it stored in air-tight containers in your refrigerator overnight. If you add blueberries, and I hope you will, use them as the final garnish. As you mix the salad they break up leaving little dark blue, eye-offending bits.
      Having fresh cut fruits ready to eat in your refrigerator makes it easier to make healthy choices at snack attack time. Try a mix of oranges, strawberries, grapes, kiwi, strawberry, and pineapple. To prevent indigestion, melons should always be eaten alone.
Now really? Do you honestly want your loving family to eat fruit cups that say “Made in China or Thailand?” I didn’t think so. Then return to the joyous, blissful act of cooking from scratch and support your local community farmer’s markets and family farms.
Fruit salads from China … sigh. Gimme a break.

Bacon Worship: A bunch of bologna!

Meat and potato audiences get defensive when I present them the current science declaring bacon, yes, the quintessential all-American breakfast icon and sandwich condiment, is dreadful for the conservation of the health of the human temple. Well-meaning, yet naïve friends still jeer at my revulsion to pieces of preserved pork parts. You’d thought I’d run over Smokey, the family dog.

Seriously, it’s no joke, so please don’t kill the messenger. The dangers associated with cured meats aren’t pretty. The American Institute for Cancer Research says the lung cancer risk from processed meats is comparable to smoking ciggy butts. If you regularly eat cured meats, you’ll eventually end up needing to be cured yourself. Folks joke about and fiercely defend their misguided birthright to eat it till it oozes from every pore, but is it really ‘bacon love’ or greasy self-destructive denial for a fleeting moment of oral pleasure?

When informed of the dangers of eating smoked products, an intelligent, well dressed professional gentleman told me, “Well, you gotta die from something. So quit pooping in my punch bowl.” You need to wave the white flag and give up on this one, however, and simply love them with all your heart.

Curing meat as a method of preserving dates back more than hundreds of years and was used in almost every region of the world. Long before refrigeration could be used to keep meats free from the ill effects of unhealthy bacteria, the process of smoking or curing meat sufficed.

Unfortunately, as long as there have been cured meats, there have been health problems caused by this process. Ancillary epidemiologic studies show a higher diffusion of stomach and colon cancer in persons or communities eating frequently smoked meat or fish.

It’s no bologna: there’s no safe level of consumption, says The American Institute for Cancer Research. Unless you are fond of cancer, the study recommends avoiding all processed meats like bacon, ham, sausages, salami, jerky, lunch meats, prosciutto, and smoked salmon or lox.

Caveat Emptor my friends. Our friends at The American Institute for Cancer report the nitrates in smoked meats create adverse reactions for asthma and allergy sufferers, contribute to esophageal cancer, migraines, COPD, and stomach cancer. Oh boy.

Nitrates used to preserve color, meat fillers such as gluten, and preservative agents are potential cancer-causing agents. The un-holy, man-made chemicals in smoked animal parts contain lofty levels of tyamine that can trigger migraines and react dangerously with certain medications. Got hypertension? If you don’t and desire high blood pressure, cured meats are overloaded with sodium.

To further illustrate the insane proliferation of aberrant chemicals in our food supply, my jaw dropped with a thud recently reading a grocery store pre-made Sushi label listing carbon monoxide as a color-preservative: insane on any level. If you’ll excuse the pun, after reading it I was ‘exhausted’.

How could this be allowed to happen to a loyal, trusting, patriotic citizenry of the greatest country on earth? The love of money, extended shelf-life, aesthetics, and soulless corporate Fat Cats who brand us ‘’The Little People” and who are acceptable losses in their at-all-cost pursuit of the almighty dollar.

Americans don’t deliberately eat poorly, they just do; it’s all they know. Safeguard your loving family, since there’s no doubting the scientific validity. Anyone who disagrees is either working for the meat industry, hopelessly behind the times with their nutritional IQ, or has a death wish.

Be compassionate with yourself; your body is your buddy.

Quinoa Fritters with Sweet Potato and Avocado

One out of 100 unsuspecting Americans have Celiac Disease; a severe allergy to wheat gluten. Celiac disease can leave a person susceptible to many health problems. The American diet of dead, processed food contains way too much wheat gluten and corn.

This fibrous, gluten-free appetizer will please anyone with gluten & dairy allergies. No animal products are used, so our vegetarian viewers will be pleased.

• 2 cups cooked quinoa-high protein and fiber

• 1 batch gluten-free, dry pancake mix-just follow instructions and omit egg

• 3 Tbs. ground flaxseed meal to replace egg-fiber and omega 3 EFA’S

• 1 cup mashed, steamed sweet potato with skin-antioxidant

• 1 Tbs. tomato paste-Lycopene

• 1 Tbs. wheat-free soy sauce

• 1 tsp. dried basil leaf

• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaf

• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin seed

• 1 tsp. ground coriander seed

• 1/2 tsp. paprika

• 1/2 tsp. raw garlic-cardiovascular health

• 4 Tbs. potato starch

• Sea salt & pepper to taste

1. Cut sweet potato into cubes and steam till fork tender; mash

2. Heat a non-stick frying pan on med. low

3. Blend all ingredients in a bowl or food processor

4. If you have time, chill the mixture for an hour or so before forming into patties, for a firmer patty.

5. Divide burger mix into 8 equal portions and form into 3 inch patties

6. Fry in a little oil on medium heat, 5 - 10 minutes each side, until browned and firm

• Note: Do not fiddle and flip your fritter till it’s brown on the down side or it will stick and break apart. Be patient; just like pancakes, wait for the bubbles to appear.

Garnish with:

In a food processer blend: 1 Avocado, 1 tbs. chopped onion, a squeeze of lemon, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1 tsp. cumin, and ½ tsp. cayenne powder.

Asian Noodles with Coconut Milk and Vegetables

Mouthfuls of explosive flavor wait in the highly nutritious Asian pasta dish that brims with protein and colorful fresh vegetables. Another veggie-licious way to enjoy and increase your intake of  health-restoring vegetables. You’re doing great.

Serves 4

12 oz Barillo Plus spaghetti (or however much you think you need!

1/2 green/red/yellow pepper, julienned

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 cabbage (Napa or red. Depends on your preference)

1/2 onion, julienned

1/2 c organic peanut butter (Meijer carries a nice one)

1/4 c soy sauce

2 tbs. sesame oil

2tbs. Ground flax or Chia seed for FIBER

2 tbs. cider vinegar

2 tbs. Raw coconut oil

¼ cup coconut milk (Shake the cans contents vigorously before opening)

1 tsp. Sea salt

½ tsp. Pepper flakes

2 tbs. sesame seeds (toasted if you have time)

1 scallion, chopped

2 tbs. chopped peanuts

1. Set a large pot of water on to boil Add salt followed by the spaghetti; cook al dente according to package instructions.

2. Slice (julienne) all the vegetables. (Note: you can really put in any veg you like. It all works!)

3. Whisk together the peanut butter, soy, sesame oil, and vinegar. Taste it! You might want to add more of one ingredient depending on your personal preference.

4. Heat the oil in a medium pan to medium heat. Add vegetables, hot peppers, then salt and hot pepper.

5. Drain the pasta, reserving one cup of the cooking liquid. Add the vegetables and sauce to the pasta. Combine all the ingredients and add some of the reserved water or more coconut milk if the sauce is too thick.

7. Plate the dish and sprinkle with the chopped dry roasted peanuts and scallion.

Protein

Patriotic American lemmings have been trained to eat the biggest, reddest, greasiest, bloodiest slab-o-meat no less than three times daily, “… if not, you’re a Commie!”

The Western Hemisphere is obsessed with protein; more is mistakenly perceived as better, macho; a symbol of prosperity, so “Don’t dis my meat, dude!” This concern is misplaced. Although protein is unquestionably essential in the way our temple functions, humans don’t innately require humongous amounts, yet they demand it. In reality, human omnivores need only small amounts. Only one calorie out of ten we take in needs to come from protein. The average American eats 50 percent more than they need. Why don’t we have more than two canine teeth?

Most Americans placidly picture happy cattle munching grass on undulating pastures, chickens pecking worms and bugs outside quaint red barns, and pigs gleefully gulping food at the trough. Unless locally grown by a true steward of God’s green earth, those days are toast. Today’s genetically altered, hormone seasoned chicken, pork, and beef come from factory farms. Factoryfarming.com is a web site everyone should visit as well as renting an enlightening movie “The Earthlings.”

Next to water, proteins are a major part of your temple. Proteins build and repair body tissues, create essential hormones, form enzymes and body chemicals, regulate body processes, provide energy, hormones, and antibodies that empower the temple to fight infection. Protein is a significant building block of muscles, bones, cartilage, blood and skin. The health mojos of protein are contingent upon its quality and authenticity. Are the proteins you supply your family high or inferior in quality; garbage in, garbage out?

There are distinctive animal proteins, each performing a unique function in the body. This broaches cleanliness, originality, purity. Where did it come from, a local gentle family farmer who fed them green grass, or a factory farm where they were fed other cows, corn, or processed with carbon monoxide and red dye, or a chicken farmer who allowed his poultry to eat delicious bugs and meandering worms as our creator planned?

Eating too much protein, as we’re constantly urged, especially with too little complex carbohydrates creates ketosis; when the temple metabolizes body fat for energy purposes instead of the usual glucose-from-carbohydrates. An Endocrinologist’s dream. This process leaves behind carbon particles called ketones which cause loss of appetite and loss of water weight. Eating too much protein with no exercise, however, will not increase strength but will definitely increase stress levels. According to Mayo when someone suffers from a high level of ketones in the blood, they’ll begin to suffer from both excessive thirst and more frequent, foul-smelling urination.

An easy way to calculate your daily protein requirement according to the USDA is to multiply 0.36 (grams) by your body weight. That translates to about 44 grams for a 120-pound woman and 54 grams for a 150-pound male. An ounce is 28.4 grams.

Need another reason to dial down your meat consumption? You may have a higher risk of cancer if you eat too much meat injected with growth hormones given to cattle to help them grow larger. These hormones remain in factory meat and upset hormone balance leading to an increased risk of breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. Hormone residues found in beef and milk are being blamed for bringing on early puberty in young girls. This risk can be reduced by only eating hormone-free, organic meats.

AARP studies report people who eat the largest quantities of red and processed meats are 20 percent more likely to die of cancer. Recently red meat’s been associated with increased risk of overall mortality.

Sigh…. Unholy cow!  Your body’s your buddy, my dear readers. Keep reminding yourself, less is more, less is more.