Happy Holidays!

Denny and I would like to thank our families, friends and all of life's challenges.

We would also like to thank those of your for your continued support of us and SHI. It is through you that we are able to continue the growth of sharing and advancing health.

We wish you health, happiness and prosperity in the coming year!

In the photo, Denny and I are getting into the holiday spirit. Ichi is probably dreaming of white anchovies (or sardines and sweet potatoes, his favorite food). 

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday I would like to take the time to mention just a few simple things that I am thankful for and to acknowledge all the things that have touched my life and helped me to be the person I am.

1. I am thankful for good parents who have always loved and supported me, who have taught me good manners and have encouraged me to always try to do my best. 
2. I am thankful for my husband whose love and passion inspires me. Your dream is big and I am happy to share it with you. 
3. I am thankful to all of my friends and family members who also have shown me great love, patience and kindness. I appreciate your loyalty and the many ways you have helped me through many endeavors. 
4. I am thankful to all of my teachers who have shared their knowledge and the openness for creative thinking. 
5. I am thankful for my kitty, Ichi who brings me great joy. 
6. I am thankful for good health and the ability to teach and help others. 
7. I am thankful for each and everyone who supports a higher dream of living in a peaceful, sustainable world and the work they do to help make this possible.

In appreciation to all of my readers here is a recipe for a holiday dessert. I hope you all have a great holiday and enjoy some good food with your family and friends.

Pumpkin Custard
Ingredients:
3.75 cups of cooked pumpkin (2 15 oz. cans)
1-½ cups of water
1 1/2 to 2 cups of brown rice syrup (depending on the sweetness of the pumpkin)
1/4 cup of maple syrup
9 – 10 teaspoons of agar-agar (kanten flakes) Hint, if you are using more liquid in this dessert, than you will need to use more of the agar.

Optional ingredients: cinnamon, nutmeg
and of course my Grandmother’s secret ingredient, a splash of good whiskey!

Preparation:
Mix the cooked pumpkin and water together and place in a pot.
Begin to gently heat the mixture.
Add the kanten flakes and gently cook until the flakes are completely dissolved.
Add the rice and maple syrup and stir to blend thoroughly with the pumpkin.
Season with your favorite combination of spice and of course, remember to add the whiskey!

Serving ideas:
Place the cooked pumpkin in a nice dish and garnish with chopped toasted pecans or walnuts. And/or almond cream.
Use as a topping for a couscous or teff cake.
Use as a pie filling with a prepared crust.

Delicious and gluten free!

Please come join me for a Holiday Cooking Class and learn how to prepare delicious, colorful vegan specialties. For more information please contact The Strengthening Health Institute.

Trick or Treat 2, Kitty Litter

Stop the Monsanto Boogie Men and vote YES to label foods as non-GMO. GMO’s are a serious threat that touches many aspects of our lives. While there is an increased awareness of GMO’s, we are still far too unclear about whether or not many foods contain GMO’s. For example:

Denny and I recently welcomed the cutest little kitty, Ichi, into our home. So, what do I feed him? I researched natural ways of feeding cats, and came up with some useful information. Cats are carnivorous, and it is better to feed them a diet that is lower in carbohydrates. I decided against buying cat food that has refined grains in it because I want him to remain sleek and stealth. However, what about protein? Many cat foods have squid, chickens livers, and other creatures in it. When was the last-time you saw a cat jump into the ocean and fish out a squid? More importantly, what are the chickens who eventually end up as cat food eating? Are they being fed GMO-free grains? My answer to this dilemma is to feed Ichi wild fish, along with sharing some of my organic grain, bean and vegetable dishes with him.

I have had the same issue with finding good-quality cat litter. There is a natural kitty litter that is made up of only corn kernels, and does not include dust. However, when I called up the company to see if the corn kernels used are GMO-free, they were not able to give me a straight answer. This is why it is so important for there to be specific labels to inform consumers of whether or not a food contains GMO’s. It is important to know the quality of the products we buy for our selves and our families, as well as for our pets. My friends out there, please shop consciously and do your research before going to the store.

He's Purrrrrfect!

Sweet Potatoes: The Other Orange Vegetable

The sweet potato has been a part of my diet since childhood. Who doesn’t remember at least one Thanksgiving dinner with candied sweet potatoes (marshmallow topping optional!). Sweet potatoes are often given to babies as their first taste of solid food. These earthy beauties are universally appealing with their stunning color, luscious texture, and sweet taste.

When I first began studying macrobiotic cooking, I was shocked to discover that potatoes, America’s “perfect” food, where considered among the worst foods for health. Potatoes are stem tubers, so technically speaking we cannot even call them the “root of all evil".  All joking aside, they are one of most acidifying plant foods and for optimum health it is better not to include them as a regular or even semi-regular part of your diet. Being the young enthusiastic macrobiotic student I was, I took this information to heart and pretty much avoided all kinds of potatoes, white, orange, and even purple, for many years.

Missing the wonderful, comforting texture of potatoes, and a favorite veggie bar snack (the french fry), I decided to occasionally include sweet potatoes in my diet. Sweet potatoes are very relaxing, and sweet potato fries make a delicious (but rare!) treat. Fortunately, for all of us who like to indulge, they are classified as tuberous root vegetables and besides being delicious have a number of health benefits. 

I encourage you to enjoy “the other orange vegetable”, a less-dense alternative to the winter squash. 

Today I am going to share my recipe for candied sweet potatoes. While they don’t have marshmallow fluff on top, you are sure to appreciate them even more than the original, sugar-filled recipe. You will also feel great after eating them! 

Sweet, orange and delicious!

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes- Peeled and cut lengthwise into 2 inch thick slices
2 Tablespoons of Brown rice syrup
1 Tablespoon of Barley Malt
1 teaspoon of Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 inch of water to cover the bottom of the pot
A small pinch of Sea salt - 1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon

Preparation:
*Note: this works best using a wide, saucepan; ideally a cast iron pan with a lid.
Place Sweet potatoes in the pan with enough water to cover the bottom of the pot. Cover and bring to a boil.
Lower the flame and steam on low heat for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and drizzle a little olive oil over the sweet potatoes.
Add a pinch of salt, cover and continue to steam for 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl mix all of the sweet ingredients together.
Pour the sweet mixture overtop of the sweet potatoes and continue to
cook until they become tender.
As the potatoes cook the sauce will reduce forming a sweet glaze.

Dry It, You'll Like It!

The benefits of dried mushrooms - Shitake, Maitake, Porcini, Oyster and Chanterelles,
just to name a few.

I love a number of cultivated and wild mushrooms. I like them sautéed with vegetables, in soups, in pastas, on sandwiches, and, of course, risotto. In addition to being delicious, mushrooms offer us a wealth of health benefits and are an excellent non-fortified, plant source of Vitamin D.

While mushrooms are yummy when fresh, drying mushrooms lowers their acidity, increases their levels of Vitamin D, and intensifies their taste. Unfortunately, dried mushrooms can be quite costly. Purchasing them from a cheap source is not a good idea

because you do not know the method used in the drying process and often they are treated with chemicals which is not good for anyone. In order to reap the nutritional benefits of this food, the mushrooms need to be sun-dried. My solution for quality control and cost effectiveness is to do it yourself!

Here’s a simple way to create your own sun-dried mushrooms at home. Be sure to use the best

quality mushrooms you can find. Once dried, mushrooms will keep indefinite when stored in a jar in a cool, dry place.

      To Dry Your Own Mushrooms: 

Fresh Oyster mushrooms, check out the gills!

• Find a nice spot that gets a lot of direct sun. I did this on my back porch. 
• Use a dish with sides (so the mushrooms do not blow away!) 
• Line the dish with a bamboo sushi mat. The mat is more natural and it allows more air to help in the drying process and prevent spoilage. 
• Next, place the mushrooms on the mat with the gills facing up toward the sun. 
• Cover the mushrooms with a second sushi mat. The mat allows the sun to seep through the cracks and keeps the bugs, birds and debris out. Covering the mushrooms also also helps to prevent them from blowing away.
•  Leave the mushrooms in the sun for at least 6 hours. 

If the mushrooms are not completely dried at the end of the day, bring them inside and leave on the counter overnight, then return to direct sun the next day. Depending on the thickness of your mushrooms, the drying process will take anywhere from one day to several days.

Fall Foods For Endurance and Flexibility

Now that labor day has come and gone autumn is upon us. We often think of the abundance of harvest vegetables available at the farmer’s market at this time of year. However, “fall abundance” can also include the many activities that we participate in such as: hiking, football, field hockey, lacrosse, cross country, rugby, soccer. Not to mention, of course, the abundance of dried leaves to be picked up in the yard!

One of my friends is a marathoner and triathlete. Since she is training for the Philadelphia Marathon in November, she asked me about foods that are good for endurance and flexibility. I decided to share my recommendations I gave her on the blog, given the abundance of physical activities and work that we do during this season.

Regardless of whether you are trying to keep up with your yard work, your children's’ activities, or you are training for a marathon yourself, including these foods in your diet will give you the endurance and flexibility you need to enjoy your fall season.


Susan’s dishes for Flexibility and Physical endurance:

Umm, the energy we get from of whole grains and vegetables!

• Vegetable fried rice 
• Beans cooked with sautéed vegetable
• Udon or Soba noodles with fried tofu and vegetables 
• Quick oil sautéed leafy greens, especially bok choy, collard greens, kale, broccoli and napa cabbage 
• Sautéed and simmered root vegetables (carrots and burdock or carrot, burdock and lotus root)
• Long steamed root and round vegetables (such as winter squash and cabbage)
• Quick steamed un-yeasted sourdough bread with nut or seed butter served with sauerkraut or pickles

PS: These dishes are tried and true as I have used them cooking for two of my male clients to enhance 

       boost their athletic performance.

Did you know that the food choices you make can help make balance with the season?

I’d like to say a big hello to all my friends. It has been a busy summer filled with rewards of work and play. Now that we are at the end of the summer, we begin to notice a subtle change in the weather as we welcome a little cooler temperatures. This just may be my favorite time of the year where we have nice warm days with comfortable slightly cooler nights. Perfect for a good night’s sleep.

All this being said, it is definitely time to make a few changes in your food choices in preparation for the cooler weather to come. We may find ourselves craving more sweets during this time of year. The weather, as it cools, has a contracting effect. A perfect example is apparent in nature as the leaves on the trees change color, dry up, and eventually fall to the ground. Our bodies also experience a similar contracting effect which often results in feeling more hungry, tired in the afternoon, and slightly more pressured. Eating a variety of good-quality sweets will help balance out this contracting process and make us feel more relaxed. When we align our food choices with the environment, it helps us to feel more comfortable and we are able to experience better health.

Here are some ideas of what to include in your diet during this transitional time and as the temperature continues to drop.

Chunky cabbage, onions and carrots, perfect for long steaming and stews!

• Start your day with a nice bowl of warm porridge. My  favorites this time of year are steel-cut oats with pure maple syrup, soft millet cooked with sweet vegetables or soft polenta with fresh sweet corn (GMO free of course).
• Start including some millet into your diet. Although millet is not so commonly known it works with all of the sweet vegetables and happens to be delicious with any meal. As an added bonus, the leftovers are easily incorporated into a puréed sweet vegetable soup, or formed into cakes and fried for a tasty entrée. 
• Emphasize sweet vegetables in your cooking such as onions, cabbage, sweet potatoes, leeks, and carrots. As the weather grows colder, winter squash comes into season which is both delicious and versatile.
• Regularly use cooking styles that enhance the sweet quality of your vegetables, such as long steaming, or sautéing and simmering. These cooking styles help bring out the natural sweet taste of the vegetables and offer longer lasting, more substantial energy which is important for the cooler weather to come.
• Finally, continue to enjoy seasonal fruit, but consider cooking it a few times a week. The rich flavor of poached peaches, baked apples, or even a fruit crunch are all perfect at this time of year and will satisfy almost any sweet craving.

Kabocha squash, onions and green cabbage, all sweet and delicious!