Remember Japan

Here's an easy Japanese recipe called Ocha-Zuke. It's a common snack in Japan. Enjoy this rice-dish with your family and remember the families in Japan that are suffering so much right now. Say a prayer together for them as you join together to eat.

Ocha-Zuke

Salmon fillet
1/4 Nori sheet
1 1/4 cups Japanese short grain rice, cooked
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp Sencha leaves (a kind of loose green tea)
1 tsp wasabi paste (from a tube or dry, mixed with water)
4 tsp shoyu (similar to soy sauce)
salt

1. Salt the salmon fillet and allow to sit for 30 minutes.

2. Wipe the salt off the salmon with paper towel and broil the fish for about five minutes, or until cooked through. Remove skin and bones, then flake the fish with a fork.

3. Cut the nori sheet into thin strips about an inch long.

4. Place equal amounts of rice in soup bowls or rice bowls. Place equal amounts of the salmon on top of the rice.

5. Put the green tea in a teapot and cover with hot water (barely boiling). Allow to steep 45 seconds to 1 minute. Strain the tea, the pour over the top of the rice and salmon. Add some nori and wasabi to the top of the rice, then trickle some shoyu on and serve.

From: The Complete Book of Japanese Cooking, the Traditions, Ingredients and Recipes

Breaking Food Addictions

This is a great time of year to start fresh with diet and nutrition. Ever heard of "Spring Cleaning?"

Food addictions can weigh the body down and cause a cycle of craving, feeding and more craving. Take time this season to discover what you crave, when you crave it and why. Try fasting that food during Lent or for a month and see how you feel at the end.

Here's a great article to help you on this journey: Are Food Addictions Real on the Native Remedies Blog.

 Sugar is a big one for Americans. This is an old book, but still so applicable. If sugar is your addiction, you may want to read Sugar Blues.

Tell us your story about food addiction in the comments.

Deliciously Balanced Glucose

Recently I was asked about Glucose and how to eat healthy with blood sugar levels in mind.

Here's a short simple definition from WiseGEEK:

Our body's primary source of energy takes the form of glucose. This type of sugar comes from digesting carbohydrates into a chemical that we can easily convert to energy. When glucose levels in the bloodstream aren't properly regulated, one can develop a serious condition, such as diabetes.
We get most of our glucose from digesting the sugar and starch in carbohydrates. Foods like rice, pasta, grain, potatoes, fruits, a few vegetables, and processed sweets qualify as carbohydrates. Our digestive system, breaks down the starch and sugar in these foods into glucose. This functional form of energy then gets absorbed through the small intestine into the bloodstream. There, a chemical known as insulin, excreted by the pancreas, meets the glucose. Together, they can enter cells in muscles and the brain, allowing glucose to power activities like lifting a book or remembering a phone number.

. . . At any step in the process, problems can arise in keeping the right amount of glucose circulating in the blood.

Excessively high glucose levels, called hyperglycemia, might be due to too much sugar or too little insulin. The opposite, extremely low glucose levels (hypoglycemia), can result from too little food or variable insulin excretion. A common disease related to irregular management of glucose is diabetes. . . 

Unbalanced levels of glucose can cause weight gain, fatigue, moodiness/depression, lack of focus. Unchecked for a long time, it can contribute to diabetes.

It's important to focus your diet (daily way of eating) on complex carbohydrates. These break down into sugar (glucose) more slowly in your body. Complex carbohydrates have more fiber, leave you feeling satisfied longer and increase levels of energy.

Complex carbohydrates can be found in foods such as whole wheat pasta, oatmeal and vegetables. Dried beans and lentils are a wonderful, inexpensive choice.

Lentil Soup

2 1/2 cups large green or brown lentils
about 13 1/2 cups water
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste

Bring lentils to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 45 minutes or until soft. (If using brown lentils they will take about 30 minutes longer and use about 1 1/4 cups more water).

In the meantime put olive oil and onions in a frying pan over medium heat until the onions are golden.

Take lentils off the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Put in a blender and liquidize. Return lentils to the pan, stir in the onions with oil, season with cinnamon or cumin (depending on the taste you want), salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick add some more water to get the right consistency.

Simmer for 10 minutes.

This soup goes well with a heavy brown, whole-grain bread.

Healthy Romance Food

Save a little money and avoid the Valentines Day crowds by making a romantic dinner at home. Besides at home you know all the ingredients that are in the food. Here's one of our favorite dinners that makes anyone feel pampered but doesn't take too much work. 

Braised Beef & Mushrooms
from Eating Well, Feb. 2009 issue

2 Tbspn canola oil
1 Tbspn butter
4 cups finely diced onions
2 large cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
2 Tbspn tomato paste
2 Tbspn sweet paprika
2 tsp chopped fresh marjoram or 1 tsp dried
4 lbs beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 lbs cremini mushrooms, cut into 1/2-ince pieces
1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
8 large shiitake mushroom caps, cut into 1/2-ince pieces
2-3 tsp finely minced fresh tarragon or dill for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat oil and butter in a large heavy casserole or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, paprika and marjoram.
3. Season beef with 1/2 tsp salt and plenty of pepper. Add the beef and cremini mushrooms to the pot; gently stir to combine. Add broth and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid.
4. Transfer the pot to the oven and bake until the beef is very tender, 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Stir in shiitake mushrooms and continue baking, covered, for 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven, uncover and let stand, undisturbed for about 15 minutes.
5. Skim or blot any visible fat from the stew. Transfer the beef and mushrooms to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Return the pot to the stove and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until the sauce just coats a spoon. Stir the beef, mushrooms and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt into the sauce and heat through, about 1 minute. Serve garnished with tarragon (or dill) if desired.

You can serve this with a side salad of fresh spring greens or steamed kale or chard with diced tomatoes and garlic. Add some crusty bread or rice and you have a full meal to celebrate your love.


Of course you can't forget dessert on a special occasion like this. Here's a recipe I haven't tried yet, but I will try it this Valentine's Day. Just don't tell my husband, it's a surprise.

Molten Chocolate Cakes

from Saveur, Feb. 2011
Serves 6

2 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 Tbsp dark rum
3 Tbsp heavy cream
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
1/4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3 eggs
Confectioners' sugar

Place semisweet chocolate and rum in a small bowl; set aside. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer; pour over chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Slowly stir until smooth, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled. Divide chocolate mixture into 6 portions. Shape each portion into a ball; refrigerate until chilled.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of six 6-oz. ramekins with butter and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside on a baking sheet. Heat butter and bittersweet chocolate in a small saucepan over medium heat until just melted; remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until thick and pale, 3-4 minutes. Beat in melted chocolate mixture; add flour and mix until smooth. Divide half the batter between prepared ramekins and place a chilled chocolate ball in center of each; top with remaining batter and smooth tops. Bake until just set, 15 minutes. Let cool 2-3 minutes.

To serve, run a pairing knife around edge of ramekins and invert cakes onto 6 serving plates. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

It's a healthy things to spoil yourself and your loved ones once in a while, don't you think?

Squash Corn Muffins

It seems to be snowing all over the United States, except maybe for San Diego, CA where my parents and sister's family live.  :-)~   But baking can cheer up any home even while it helps the heater along. Here's a great, nutritious recipe for winter muffins. I like to add a little ground flax to add nutrition and fiber to anything I bake. Heat up the house and enjoy.

Sweet Squash Corn Muffins
1 1/2 cups Cornmeal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or barley flour
1 Tbsp non-aluminum baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp dulse flakes
2 cups winter squash or sweet potato puree
1/3 cup cold-pressed vegetable oil (I always use olive oil)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup water

Topping:
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil muffin tins or line with paper muffin cups. Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and dulse flakes together in a large bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together squash, oil, syrup and water, until smooth. Combine wet ingredients with dry mixture and mix with a minimum of strokes. Spoon into muffin cups. Decorate top of each muffin with pumpkin seeds. Bake 20-25 minutes. Top of muffin should crack slightly when done.

Prep. 30 minutes.
Makes 12 regular muffins.

Italian Sandwich

I recently had an Italian sandwich that I just have to share with you. You can play with it, change ingredients in and out. Try something totally new and then experiment with the results by testing it out on your friends. They'll love it.

Start with good Italian bread or rolls. My suggestion here is to use a crusty roll with Kalamata olives in it. Then spread fresh, soft cheese, preferably chêvre or fresh mozzarella. Add a layer of baby spinach, then sun dried tomatoes or sun dried tomato paste, and finally a couple of thin slices of prociutto.

I think you could easily go meatless by adding a few slices of cucumber and possibly some alfalfa sprouts, onions or other veggies.

This sandwich is delicious with a simple salad of mixed greens. Top the greens with red onions, Kalamata olives, diced tomatoes, feta cheese and balsamic vinegar.

Oils for Colds

My husband's been sick with a cold for a week now. It's surprising because he's rarely ever sick. Even when one of us catches something, which is also rare, he doesn't get it. But this time he got blasted. Being completely run down is most likely the culprit in his case.

I thought I'd give you some cold remedies we're using.

Eucalytus Oil - Rub a few drops on the chest, like mom used to do with Vicks. This will help break up the congestion in the chest and open up the nasal passages.

Teas - An abundance of liquid is the best thing to wash the germs away, but with teas (using the term to apply to herbs as well) you have the added benefits of healing plants. Here are a few kinds of teas that can help:
      +Lemon & Honey. Squeeze 3+ tablespoons lemon into a mug. Add the same amount of honey, or to taste. Both are excellent for colds and this tea FEELS so good on the throat.
      +Ginger tea. Great for colds, sinus and stomach.
      +Rooibos. A bark rather than a tea, but full of antioxidants. Vary it up by adding lemon and honey.

Steaming Tincture - Use one drop of each of the following oils in a hot bath or in a cold water vaporizer.
      +Thyme
      +Tea Tree
      +Eucalyptus
      +Lemon

Of course there are many other cold remedies using essential oils. Aromatherapy is a fascinating study. "The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy" is one of the resources I have on hand at home.