Healthy Lifestyle Blog

I love kale. I grew up loving kale. My mother used to make kale soup (not my favorite) and then she’d take the cooked kale and prepare it with garlic and eggs, and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I no longer eat eggs, but kale is still a staple.

It is easy to grow, and I have had kale winter over in southern Vermont for 3 years. Sadly last year the kale plants became infested with aphids and I had to pull them out. I now have some new plants growing and look forward to harvesting some for smoothies, salads and kale chips.

Curly Kale in the Garden

Kale likes cool weather, but I have never had a problem growing it in the northeast throughout the summer. I have even seen it growing as an ornamental (and I’m not referring to the plant that is in a tight head for that purpose), planted among flowers. The curly green leaves add much beauty to the beds, and then you can eat it!

I typically add some kale to my smoothies and soups. Here’s a recipe for a creamy kale salad. Because kale may be difficult to digest raw, it is best to massage it with salt and an acid (in this recipe I use lemon juice) until it “cooks.” The salt and acid break down the cellulose walls and make it more digestible.

Creamy Kale

1 large bunch of kale
1-2 tomatoes
1-2 lemons
2 ripe avocados
Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil (optional – drizzle in if too dry)
Optional: cayenne, scallions or onions

1. Strip kale off the stems, then cut or tear into small pieces (you may save the stems for juicing). Or, use a food processor for this, pulsing gently in small batches. Do not liquefy the kale.
2. Sprinkle with some salt and hand process, massaging the kale until it takes on a cooked appearance. It will greatly reduce in volume. The salt actually cooks the kale by breaking down the cell walls.
3. Squeeze one or two lemons onto the kale and massage again. The acid in the lemon juice will continue “cooking” the kale.
4. Cut the avocados in half and score in a criss-cross fashion. Scoop out with a spoon and mix it thoroughly with your hands, “smooshing” (a special culinary term) it well to create a creamy texture. (Kids love to do this!) For a chunkier salad, reserve half an avocado and toss in without smooshing.
5. Toss in the diced tomatoes, and the (optional) chopped scallions and cayenne.

Dark, leafy greens are among nature’s most beneficial foods. Kale is a great food if you’re looking to protect your health and enjoy a delicious food at the same time. The phytonutrients in cruciferous vegetables such as kale kelp detoxify cells, clearing free radicals and potential carcinogens, which may be why cruciferous vegetables appear to be able to lessen the occurrence of a wide variety of cancers and also provide significant cardiovascular benefits as well. Studies consistently show that diets high in cruciferous vegetables are associated with lower incidence of a variety of cancers, including lung, colon, bladder, breast and ovarian cancer.  Kale is also known for its carotenoids, which prevent damage to the eyes from excessive exposure to ultraviolet light, offering a protective effect against cataracts. Kale is an excellent source of traditional nutrients, as well, including vitamins A, C, B, and manganese and a good source of dietary fiber, calcium, copper, and potassium. The benefits go on… Kale is helpful for immune support, reducing inflammatory conditions such as asthma and arthritis, preventing colds and recurrent ear infections. Kale is also a very good source of calcium, important for bone health, and vitamin E, shown to slow the loss of mental function. The combination of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients makes kale a health superstar!

Nutrition information source: World’s Healthiest Foods

Summertime is the best time of the year for enjoying healthy locally grown produce. Here on Long Island there are increasing numbers of farmers markets, where you can find an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as other locally produced goods.

I love the Brattleboro Farmers Market where I can chat with local farmers, purchase freshly harvested veggies and fruits or plants to add to my garden, enjoy a delicious homemade lunch, browse the handcrafted items and maybe even buy a gift or two, enjoy some live music and watch the children in the sandbox. Whenever I am in Vermont, I make a point of spending some time at the Farmers Market. New farmers markets are cropping up all over the country. To find one near you just visit http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/.

Another option for enjoying the local harvest is to become a member of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). CSA members support local farms by prepaying for a share of the harvest, and in return they receive a weekly share of the harvest – vegetables, fruits, herbs, and/or flowers. It’s a great way to try new foods while supporting local farms, your health and the environment.

If you are transitioning to a mostly raw plant-based lifestyle, summer is a great time to do so. Enjoy your bigger meals early in the day, and save dinner for something light. I typically start my day with a bowl of fresh fruit or a delicious smoothie. For lunch I enjoy a huge salad dressed with freshly squeezed lemon. I often add some hemp or sunflower seeds, or some diced avocado, for a healthy fat. If I am hungry for dinner, it is usually something light.

I often hear from friends about how they can’t believe how much they ate at a holiday event. They complain about feeling sluggish, gaining weight and wonder how I survive the holidays.

Rather than survive, I would rather thrive! So  I have a few strategies that help me feel great throughout the season.

• Bring a delicious healthy dish to share. This way you know there will be at least one thing that you will eat and you can show others how delicious your healthy lifestyle is!
• Eat something whole and nutritious so that you won’t be hungry at the party.
• Focus on socializing and connecting with friends and family rather than eating.
• Decide ahead of time which foods you choose NOT to eat. As a vegan, it’s easy, since much of what you find on the buffet table typically contains some animal products. I don’t feel deprived, though, because I have already eaten something before leaving home, and I brought a dish that I love!
• Commit to only one dessert. Or, if you must, a small taste of two. Choose wisely!

When it comes to gift-giving, try to be mindful in your choices. Check out my previous post on Mindful Gift-Giving for ideas.

In honor of Interdependence Day, I prepared a green smoothie to represent the wonderful abundance our earth provides for us.

You may recall my Garden of Weedin’ from last summer. This year, I heavily mulched the garden, and I planted it on Memorial Day. When when I returned after a month (I live in NY and my garden is in VT) there were weeds, but it was certainly manageable.

One of the most abundant weeds that I found is commonly known as lemon clover. I remember a housemate who would pick it and eat it right from the garden, so rather than discard the mounds of lemon clover, I decided to make something with it. At first I thought I’d make a pesto, but as I worked in the hot sun, a frozen dessert seemed more appropriate. Here’s a video showing you what I did.

Lemon Clover Granita

lemon clover – remove roots – all other parts are edible
water – enough to blend
honey or other sweetener to taste

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed. Adjust for sweetness.
2. Strain the liquid through a fine strainer or nut milk bag.
3. Pour the strained liquid into a glass pan and place in the freezer.
4. After about an hour, run a fork through the mixture, loosening it from the edges. Repeat every hour until all the liquid is frozen.
5. Store in a sealed container in the freezer.

This is a favorite among raw newbies and raw foodies alike. I had the pleasure of serving samples of this recently and received rave reviews. It consists of thinly sliced zucchini filled with cashew cheese and topped with Marilyn’s Marinara Sauce and Basil Pesto.

Cashew “Ricotta” Cheese
(recipe adapted from Raw Food Real World. by Matthew Kenny & Sarma Melngailis)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked 2 hours or more
1 medium shallot, peeled and chopped
zest of one lemon
2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast
1/2 to 1 tsp. Himalayan or Celtic salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup water (depending on desired consistency)
2 Tbs. minced fresh parsley

Procedure:

1. Place all the ingredients EXCEPT the water and parsley in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until as smooth as possible.
2. Add water, small amounts at a time to achieve the desired consistency. If making lasagna, you will want a softer consistency so it is easier to spread.
3. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or lemon juice if desired.
4. Transfer to a medium bowl and fold in the minced parsley.

Stored in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator, cashew ricotta will keep for 3-5 days. Tastes best served at room temperature.

Zucchini Rollatini

Ingredients:

1/2 zucchini per serving
batch of cashew ricotta

Procedure:

1. Cut off both ends and peel the zucchini if desired (or if not organic).
2. Using a mandonile or a vegetable peeler, slice the zucchini lengthwise very thinly.
3. Lay three slices side by side, overlapping a little. Cut the overlapped strips in half. This will make two rollatini.
4. Place a spoonful of cashew ricotta across the sliced zucchini at the end closest to you. Roll the zucchini around the cheese. Repeat until you have three to five rollatini per serving.

Top with Marilyn’s Marinara Sauce and Basil Pesto.

Every May we devote a day to honor our mothers, for their love, nurturing, and care, and for all that they have sacrificed in raising us. But what about the non-human mothers who are forced to sacrifice their lives not for their young, but for our plates?

Most of the eggs and dairy we eat come from mothers who live in conditions that are far removed from the bucolic image of farm life we’ve come to believe. Unless you know the farmer, these sentient beings are likely treated inhumanely throughout their lives, and their products are contaminated with salmonella, or antibiotics, pus and hormones. Labels like cage free or free range are essentially meaningless, designed more for the buyer’s sense of well-being than for the animals.

Hens are natural nurturers – the “mother hen” protects her chicks and teaches them to scratch and find food. Yet in most egg producing operations, hens never get to enjoy the behaviors so natural to them, like nesting, perching, scratching, dust bathing and raising their young.

Cows also nurture their young and develop strong bonds. Yet in order to keep their milk flowing, they are subjected to continuous cycles of pregnancy and lactation, only to have their babies stolen from them at birth. Imagine the suffering both mother and child endure.

There ARE alternatives. Instead of dairy, there are many healthier non-dairy milks and cheeses made from nuts, rice or soy. Contrary to popular belief, cow’s milk does NOT build strong bones. Although it has calcium, it is not absorbed because it lacks the necessary magnesium. A far better source of calcium is dark leafy greens (that’s where cows get it from). Further, the casein in milk had been shown to contribute to tumor growth.

Instead of factory farmed eggs, find a local source where you can be sure that the chickens are raised humanely. There are many on Long Island.

This month, in honor of the mother hens and cows, consider refraining from eggs and dairy for a day, for a week, for a month… maybe even forever.

For more information and resources about eggs and dairy, contact Marilyn Chiarello: Marilyn@aTasteofLight.com

This  year in the Northeast, it seems that the tomatoes are abundant and exceptionally delicious. I learned from my neighbor, who is a farmer, that the drought we experienced contributed to the abundance of tomatoes – it seems that tomatoes like dry conditions.

My neighbor’s farm is one of the only farms left in Nassau County. Rottkamp’s Farm is a real gem. Although the farm is not an organic farm, I believe buying locally grown can be more important in some instances than buying organic, especially when you can enjoy produce picked the same day – the flavor is one benefit, but considering that most of the produce we purchase is picked anywhere from 5-7 days before it gets to the store, the nutritional value of fresh picked produce can’t be beat. Buying locally grown food also is much kinder on the environment. There is no need for all the energy that is used for packaging and transporting, and the diversity of crops typical of local small farms is much healthier for the environment for many reasons. And of course another benefit is that you are supporting the local economy.

One of the first things you see when you get to the farm is a field of corn, with rows of sunflowers growing in the distance. The corn is amazing. The first summer after I adopted a raw vegan lifestyle, I missed running down to the farm to get 4-5 ears of freshly picked sweet corn for dinner. It was not until later that year that I learned that I could eat the corn raw. And how delicious it is! I don’t know why anyone would eat it any other way, especially since I typically burned the roof of my mouth because I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into the fresh cooked corn.

The heirloom tomatoes are also amazing. This year’s crop was so abundant that my neighbor gave me a box of “seconds” because they were going to end up in the compost. I decided to make marinara sauce and gazpacho. In my quest to find a good gazpacho recipe, I came upon the one below, which I modified a bit to make it raw vegan.

There’s much much more at Rottkamp’s farm. Some of my favorites are their melons, particularly the watermelon (sweet and crisp), kale, basil (huge bunches with the roots intact), zucchini – both green and yellow, “cheese” peppers – very sweet, and an incredible variety of squash.

I’ll return with some ways to enjoy raw squash, but for now, here’s something you can do if you can get a few pounds of freshly picked tomatoes.

Andalusian Gazpacho
adapted from Epicurious.com

1-2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
2 Tbs. Sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon organic raw sugar or evaporated cane juice
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
2 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded and quartered
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Add the olive oil and blend again,
3. Optional – pass the soup through a sieve. This step is unnecessary if you are using a high-speed blender.

Transfer to a covered glass container and chill until cold – about 3 hours. Garnish with diced cucumber.

Note: This soup freezes well. I pour it into gallon zipper bags and lay it in the freezer. Thaw it out and then blend it again before serving.

It’s becoming fashionable to be green. More and more of us are becoming more aware of  ways to have less impact on the environment. We’re driving hybrid cars, using compact fluorescent bulbs, and recycling our garbage.

We don’t often think of the way we eat as a way of being “green,” yet our food choices can have a greater impact on the environment than any of the other actions we take. One way to green your diet is to eat greens!

Dark leafy green vegetables are among the healthiest foods on the planet, and some believe they should be designated as a separate food group because of their high concentration of nutrients. Sometimes called “nature’s scrub brush,” greens are an abundant source of insoluble fiber that acts like a sponge, gathering toxins from the colon and transporting them out of the body. Greens also alkalize the body, which helps prevent and reverse inflammation and disease.

Greens – Beyond Salad

For most of us, the only greens we eat on a regular basis are found in a tossed salad. Typically, these salads contain some kind of lettuce, baby greens and/or spinach. But there are many ways to enjoy your greens beyond salad.

One of the simplest ways of eating substantial amounts of greens is in a blended form. The benefit of blending greens is that they can be consumed raw, thus retaining all the nutrients and enzymes, and they are more digestible because the cellulose is broken down in the blending process.

My favorite way to get daily servings of greens is in a green smoothie. This is a delicious, nutritious way to start the day. Green smoothies typically consist of fruit, greens and a liquid. You may add other ingredients, but these are the basics.

When you are new to green smoothies, I suggest using small amounts of mildly flavored greens like romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, baby bok choy, mesclun mix, Swiss chard or collard greens. Try not to be put off by the color, especially if you add a red fruit, which will cause your green smoothie to turn brown! (Think about what happens when you mix red and green paint.) If you can’t get beyond the color, pour the smoothie into an opaque cup with a lid, and sip it with a straw. Actually this is a good way to introduce resistant children to this healthy alternative to sugar laden breakfast cereal.

Green Smoothie Smile
(to go with the green shirt and balloon!)

Here is one of an infinite number of ways to prepare a green smoothie.

Chef Marilyn’s Green Orange Julius

1 banana
1 orange – cut off peel, leaving some of the white pith
1/4 lemon, peel and seeds removed
1 – 2 medjool dates, pitted (optional)
1/2 – 1 cup water, depending on how thick you want your smoothie
small piece of ginger, peeled (optional)
large handful of coarsely chopped greens – if using kale or collards, strip the leaf off the stem

1. Place the ingredients in a blender.
   
2. Blend at the highest speed until smooth. You may add ice for extra thickness and to chill the smoothie.
3. Be sure to “chew” your smoothie – digestion begins in the mouth. Savor the flavor in your mouth for about 10 seconds before swallowing and allow the enzymes in your saliva to begin the digestive process.
   

This is just a basic recipe. You may vary the fruits based on what’s in season or personal preference. You may also add a tablespoon of ground flax seeds for a dose of omega 3s.

So green up your life with some greens!

MarilynChiarello, founder of A Taste of Light, is a certified raw vegan chef, educator and health coach. She offers a variety of services including health coaching, classes, dinner parties, consultations and presentations. For more information, visit aTasteofLight.com or contact her directly – Marilyn@aTasteofLight.com or 516-671-7037.

If you would like to receive more recipes and a monthly newsletter including articles about health and the environment, event updates and more, please submit your email address by clicking on the link in the sign-up box at the top of the right sidebar. For notification of blog updates only, you may subscribe directly or via RSS. You may unsubscribe at any time.

For me, the most difficult food to eliminate when I became vegan was cheese. Throughout many of the years I was vegetarian, I believed that dairy was OK because the cows weren’t killed for it, and that it was an excellent source of calcium. And i just LOVED cheese, and couldn’t imagine living without it. It was years later that I became aware of the suffering dairy cows endure as milk-producing commodities.

As children we are taught that contented cows graze all day and give us milk. Not really true.

• The milk they produce is taken (stolen is probably the more appropriate word) from them at a great cost to the cows.They are kept in a constant cycle of pregnancy through artificial insemination and lactation and never experience the joy of caring for their young. Imagine being constantly pregnant or lactating, and never having a chance to nurture your baby!
• Cows are typically fed a diet that is unnatural – they are meant to graze, that is, eat grass. Instead, most dairy cows are fed grain which wreaks havoc in the stomach, requiring the consistent use of antibiotics.

• Their udders are often infected and a source of much pain. The udder infection (mastitis) results in pus in the milk. The dairy industry has developed a system known as the “somatic cell count” to measure the amount of pus in the milk, and milk with a count of 200 million per liter is not considered safe for the human food supply. The national average is 332 million per liter. Got Milk?… Got Pus?
• The life expectancy of dairy cows is shortened by 80% – dairy cows are “spent” (no longer producing enough milk to be cost effective) and slaughtered after 4 years, while their natural life expectancy is 20 years or more.

But I digress… What about being addicted to cheese? All animal milk contains a protein called casein which breaks down during digestion to release a host of opiates called casomorphins. So when people say they are addicted to cheese, they actually ARE! It is believed that the opiates in milk produces a calming effect on the infant, ensuring bonding and continued nursing so the baby gets all the nutrients it needs.

So now that you realize that you’re actually addicted to cheese (or yogurt or ice cream or milk – you name it), and simply can’t give it up yet, what about just making sure that the milk is organic and comes from happy cows? OK, that’s a bit better than conventionally produced dairy, but there are four points that you should check into before believing the media produced images of contented cows raised on bucolic farms:

• Do the cows eat grass only, or are they fed organic feed (grain)? Cows are fed grain for weight gain, so they produce more milk, and/or because there isn’t enough space for grazing. Grain is unnatural and results in chronic digestive problems.
• What happens to the baby calves? Calves are usually taken from their mothers within a few days after their birth, an extremely traumatizing experience for both mother and newborn. The grief stricken mother cow calls for her calf for days. Heartbreaking. This is done so the calf doesn’t drink the milk that is its birthright.

• What is done with the male calves? Male animals don’t produce milk, so about half the calves born on dairy farms are sold to be crated and raised for veal, only to be slaughtered several months later.

• What happens when the cow’s milk production decreases? Most dairy cows are slaughtered at age 4, when production slows down. It is rare to find a diary farm that allows “spent” cows to live their life until they die naturally.

If you are still feeling OK with the unnatural consumption of a product that is meant to turn an 80-lb. calf into an 800-lb. cow (humans are the only mammals on earth that drink the milk of another species after being weaned), then consider the health implications. In The China Study, T. Colin Campbell discovered a clear correlation between the consumption of animal protein and incidences of the what he calls the “diseases of affluence” – cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. He also cites studies that show that increases in the consumption of casein result in increased tumor development.

So how do you break your addiction? I did it cold turkey. I realized that I had “arrived” when I was at an event where there was a buffet with a huge cheese platter decorated with strawberries. None of the other food on the buffet was vegan, not even the salad! so I parked myself besicde the cheese platter and ate strawberries! I actually wasn’t even tempted to have a taste of cheese. This was about 3 weeks after totally eliminating dairy from my diet.

For me it was most helpful to repeat to myself, “I don’t eat that.”  Somehow saying, “I DON”T eat ____” is much more empowering than saying “I can’t.” It indicates personal choice and has supported me every time I am bombarded with all the unhealthy choices that are found in the supermarket, deli or rest stops when traveling. Of course planning ahead helps. More about that in another post.

Marilyn Chiarello, founder of A Taste of Light, is a certified raw vegan chef,educator and health coach. She offers a variety of services including health coaching, classes, dinner parties, consultations and presentations. For more information,visit aTasteofLight.com or contact her directly – Marilyn@aTasteofLight.com or 516-671-7037.

If you would like to receive more recipes and a monthly newsletter including articles about health and the environment, event updates and more, please submit your email address in the sign-up box is at the top of the right sidebar. For notification of blog updates only, complete the second box. You may unsubscribe at any time.