NewHarvestNutrition.com

Thank you for coming out today and celebrating the Mushroom!  We had a great time talking food and talking nutrition.  I hope you all enjoyed the information and the munchies!

I have to tell you all, however, that I forgot one of the most important ingredients for the Sesame Shiitake relish–raw honey!  I normally add 1-2 tsp. to the sauce before adding the mushrooms–it makes the dish to die for!  I felt so terrible that I forgot it, especially after I came home, sampled my own relish in the fridge, and mmmed and oooed over it.  So please, try the recipe WITH THE HONEY and enjoy every single bite.

Sesame Shiitake Relish in Romaine Hearts

1 lb. Shiitake mushrooms, minced

3 T. Tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)

1 T. Mirin (rice cooking wine)

1 1 /2 T. Toasted Sesame Oil

1/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1-2 tsp. raw honey

1 T. toasted sesame seeds

1 bunch scallions (green onions) sliced thin at an angle

1/8 tsp. Sriracha sauce or red pepper flakes

3 heads Romaine lettuce hearts, cut into sections

1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

Mince mushrooms and set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together tamari, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, mirin, honey, sesame seeds, scallions, garlic and ginger.  Toss mushrooms in sauce and toss all together.  Allow to sit 10 minutes, then serve in prepared Romaine hearts.

No Pest Pesto in Fresh Crimini Caps

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch cilantro

2 cups loosely packed basil

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 cup olive oil

1/2 small lemon squeezed (maybe less if very juicy)

1/4 tsp. fresh cracked pepper

20 crimini caps

wedge of Pecorino romano (grated) for garnish

Blend together in food processor the parsley, cilantro, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Add lemon to assist with processing.  Once all is blended well, begin to slowly add the olive oil as the processor whizzes.  Allow pesto to sit for a few minutes while you prepare the mushroom caps.

Gently remove the stem from the mushroom cap and scoop out a little bit of the flesh so there’s enough room for pesto to settle.

Add a heaping teaspoon of pesto to each cap.  Garnish with fresh grated pecorino romano.  Enjoy!

Please e-mail me with any questions regarding the recipes or any information that I shared during the demonstration at the festival.  allison@newharvestnutrition.com

Again, thank you all for coming and remember to EAT WELL and ENJOY!! –Allison

Many of our health problems can be attributed to poor digestive function.  Fortunately, digestive dysfunction can be simple to repair.  It takes some dietary tweaking, finding the right balance of digestive enzymes, and learning how to reduce stress–in its many forms.

If you’re suffering from heartburn, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal bloating and/or pain or just feel like you could be getting more from your food, you may benefit from a nutritional evaluation to assess your individual nutritional and digestive needs.  I can offer to individuals in the Olympia area, online/Skype and on the phone an opportunity to identify stressors that are hindering your optimal health, correct some of these digestive weaknesses, outline a simple, 3-day detox to ease the burden on your digestion, and provide a list of foods that will benefit your overall health and a list of foods that should be avoided for your optimal health.

For more information, contact Allison Hamza at allison@newharvestnutrition.com or call today for a COMPLIMENTARY NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT!  360-970-1526

We, as a community who cares about our personal health and the health of the Earth, have come to understand the necessity of eating food that has been grown as close to our own backyards as possible.  We know that eating locally consumes fewer costly resources, stimulates the local economy and usually provides us with more nutrient dense foods harvested at appropriate times.  But now it’s time to take that commitment to preservation/conservation to another level.   Learn about plants that grow wild in your area, provide food and medicine without manufacture, packaging or price tags, and seem to thrive no matter our  misuse of the land or pluck ing them from our flower beds.  The dandelions, plantains and red clovers of our perfectly preened gardens are too often unjustly discarded without a thought as to how they may benefit the trowel-toting  soil usurper.

Luckily for us, we have guides leading the way back to the land.  Elise Krohn, an herbalist in Olympia, Washington, educates on  traditionally prepared foods harvested from uncultivated lands, plant identifications and herbal remedies.  Her guidance on getting into wild food commands reverence and appreciation for that which, for many years, the naturalized inhabitants of Western Washington have taken for granted.

The plants around us have the power to aid in our healing process–be it physical, mental or spiritual.  Not only may we harvest them for teas and salves, we may eat them at the peak of potency, in all their green glory, to nourish our organs and our soul.  I am inspired by Elise’s recipes for Sauteed Nettles and Elder Flower Fritters!  So go outside, love your dandelions instead of loathing them, and connect with a source of nourishment–in your own backyard.

**Please do not eat plants that have been sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, etc.  Always use proper identification when harvesting and working with wild plants.  The author does not assume any responsibility for the readers’ actions.

Eating seasonally is one of the best ways to ensure that you’re giving your body the appropriate nutrients for that time of year.  When it’s warm in the summer, foods like cucumbers and tomatoes cool the body down.  In the fall and winter months, it is important to incorporate the foods of the season to keep the body warm and dry from the inside out.  Paul Pitchford’s Healing with Whole Foods lists some of the warming foods:  parsnip, parsley, mustard greens, winter squash, sweet potato, kale, onion, leek, chive, garlic, scallion, cherry, citrus peel and date, peppers (esp. cayenne), oats, spelt, quinoa, sunflower seed, sesame seed, walnut, pinenut, chestnut, fennel, dill, anise, caraway, carob pod, cumin, sweet brown rice, ginger, cinnamon, basil, rosemary.  Butter is the only dairy product that creates warmth.  Anchovy, mussel, trout, chicken, beef and lamb are some of the common warming animal foods.

Warming foods help your body deal with the physiological effects of fear and insecurity.  Be sure during the colder months to become more act and keep your lower back, legs and lower abdomen warm.

Recipes for many of these warming foods can be found in my cookbook Getting into Food available on this website: www.newharvestnutrition.com

Eat well, enjoy and stay warm!!!

I love the smell of peaches, the look of peaches and the taste.  Always takes me back to Texas summers, driving through the hill country, scoping out the perfect Fredericksburg or Stonewall peach stand.  Here in Western Washington, we eagerly await the arrival of this sensual fruit from over the mountains in Eastern Washington.  Once they’re here, we scurry to gather them to dry them, freeze them, make preserves and enjoy many fresh, juicy bites.

I just polished off a perfectly ripe morsel from my 22# box that’s ready for processing.  I’m happy to report that my body is feeling cooler on this balmy day as the peach has a cooling thermal nature.  It also helps moisten the lungs and the intestines (You know how I love to moisten those intestines), and it relieves high blood pressure.  The peach kernel strengthens blood circulation while the leaf made into a tea destroys intestinal worms.

The most enjoyable benefit from fresh peaches, beside the taste, would have to be the fresh peach poultice for  your face.  Blend fresh peach, apply a poultice to your face, let dry, rinse and pat dry.  Spa treatments from my produce box.  Ahhhh.

Nutritional information from Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford.

The media, the supermarkets, our co-ops and bookstores are riding the gluten-free wave and THANK GOODNESS!  But not all gluten-free products are created equally.  It’s important to understand WHY to steer clear of gluten as well as know the ingredients replacing the gluten in your favorite bread and snack products.

There are different levels of sensitivity to gluten.  People suffering from Celiac Sprue, for example, absolutely cannot whatsoever eat foods containing gluten.  Others with hypersensitivities to gluten do best to avoid gluten in foods to prevent damage to their intestinal walls and manage inflammation.   The problem with gluten is that it causes the microvilli of the intestinal lining to lie flat, decreasing digestive absorption and leaving the intestinal walls defenseless against harmful bacteria and undigested food.  Conditions such as Leaky Gut syndrome and Colitis can develop leading to symptoms of digestive dysfunction such as abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, skin disorders, joint pain and more.

The gluten-awareness, if you will, has spawned an entire revooution of gluten-free food products.  But keep in mind that many of these products may be gluten-free but may not necessarily be good for you.

Choose products made from brown-rice flour, potato flour, sorghum flour, coconut meal and almond meal.  I find that garbanzo bean based flours can often irritate the intestines and often have an off taste.

My favorite products:

Pamela’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose baking flour

Bob’s Red Mill GF Pizza Crust

Pamela’s GF Bread Making Mix

Mama’s Almond or Coconut Flour Mix

More to come on the Effects of Gluten…

It’s that time of year.  It’s warm, you don’t really want to cook and the berries are ripening in full force.   One of my favorite recipes of all time is Ani Phyo’s  Raw Summer Berry Cobbler from her cookbook Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen.  We’re not heavily into sweets in our home, but we definitely enjoy the fruits of the season so this recipe is the perfect balance between nutritious and delicious.  It’s sweet and salty, gooey and crunchy, cold and refreshing.  It’s a treat that comes free of guilt and packed with nutrients.

If you don’t know much about raw foods, the most important thing to understand is that the foods are not heated beyond 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit to preserve all the enzymes that are found naturally in nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits.  Raw foods are highly nutritious and  fun to prepare; you’ll finish your meals feeling satiated and full of energy.

Our family eats a lot more raw foods in the summertime.  I’m a firm believer in eating food that is seasonally and climatically appropriate, meaning I think we should eat warm, savory butternut squash soup in the wintertime and keep our cuke-consumption to the summer months.  We enjoy the raw cobbler, sprouted seed crackers, cashew cheezes, and fresh raw salads.

I teach an Intro to Raw Foods class that features typical raw food prep techniques.  Watch the schedule for upcoming classes.  In the meantime, grab a copy of Ani’s book.  It is full of healthy living tips, simple raw food preparations and fabulous food photos.  One of my absolute favorite “cook”books.

Raw Summer Berry Cobbler by Ani Phyo Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen

(photo coming soon)

Pickled, sauteed or stewed in gumbo!  It’s got to be one of my favorite things to eat!  I grew up sneaking the pickled okra out of the refrigerator as soon as Dad brought it home from the grocery store.  My brother and I needed a jar just for ourselves!  Growing up in Central Texas, pickled okra was on every relish tray at every family gathering; it was sold at every roadside stand along with the freshest Fredericksburg peaches (which, by the way, beat the pants off any Washington or California peach, thank you very much); and it was the preferred summertime snack in the Imel household.  To this day, when I visit my father’s house in Texas, there’s a jar cracked open, perfectly chilled in the fridge.  Now I look for it on sale and buy up an armload!  Next summer, I’ll take a stab at growing my own up here in the Pacific Northwest, but if that doesn’t work, I’ll reach for San Angelo Texas’s Talk o’ Texas Pickled Okra to get my fix.

Well, as a child I ate okra because I loved the crunch and the garlic of the pickled kind, the gooey-ness and the flavor of the stewed kind and the absolute indulgent deliciousness of it rolled in cornmeal and fried.  As an adult, I’ve learned that okra is also appreciated in the nutritional world.  A colleague of mine and I were discussing the supplement industry and how people are becoming dependent on pills for their nutrients rather than food.  She said,  “Why do you need to buy a bottle of okra pepsin?  Just eat some okra for cryin’ out loud!”   Makes sense doesn’t it?  You can purchase it frozen and use it in your regular cooking.  Or enjoy it pickled as a snack or with your meals.

Supplements are made with standardized inulin from this tasty little vegetable and sold to help folks with sluggish digestion.  Okra is known to lubricate the intestines and keep things moving right along.

If you feel you’ve tried everything to deal with your constipation, consider these other intestine-lubricating foods in addition to okra:

spinach, banana, sesame seed/oil, honey, pear, prune, peach, apple, apricot, walnut, pine nut, almond, alfalfa sprouts, carrot, cauliflower, beet, whole fresh milk, seaweed

Pickled Okra:  Talk o’ Texas Hand Packed Crisp Okra Pickles  www.talkotexas.com    San Angelo, Texas

Our favorite morning beverage has become our salad drink.  In our Vita Mix blender, we blend 1 head of lettuce or approx. 3-4 cups leafy greens, 1/2 an apple or1/2 cup blueberries, 2 tsp. lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon of Rachel Jean’s powdered Green drink (Any powdered Green drink will do),  a couple of mint leaves, and enough water to cover all of that!  Pulverize and enjoy!  We drink it bit by bit, leaving a pitcher of the drink in the fridge.  If you’re not into the pulp, use a fine-mesh strainer to thin out your beverage.

This drink is a great way to start the day.  You’re getting lots of leafy greens in a form that’s already a bit broken down to enhance nutrient absorption, plus you’re getting lots of water to hydrate the body, especially the intestines.

Chlorophyll, the pigment that makes green vegetables green, helps to alkalize the body.  It’s important to keep your body at proper pH to prevent the growth of bacteria and parasites in the gut.  Items in the modern diet contribute extreme acidity, causes all sorts of health issues like yeast infections, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, acid reflux and more.  Coffee, soda, sugar, alcohol, cigarettes and many fruits are very acidic.  It’s important to limit these and incorporate plenty of green into your diet.  Remember, balance is key.

Try it for a week and see how you feel!  In the summer, it’s a great idea to grow your own lettuce so you’ll always have plenty of greens available!

Yesterday I began the process to make my raw crackers.  I soaked and sprouted my sunflower and pumpkin seeds and gathered all the necessary ingredients.

In the warmer weather, our diet tends to include lots more RAW foods!  Not just raw vegetables, but sprouted, living foods that have not been cooked.  We really enjoy these particular crackers: we eat them with guacamole, salsa, hummus–any kind of spread.  They’re inspired by Livin’ Spoonful’s Pesto Pumpkin Seed cracker–which we love, but we know that we can make them ourselves.  Our recipe isn’t exactly the same–we like our better–but we have to give credit where credit is due.

They’re filled with enzymes, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, are a low-glycemic snack, and as I said before, are totally scrumptious!

The process begins by soaking and sprouting the seeds.  This is about an eight hour process.  Fill two separate bowls with sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds respectively.  Cover them completely with purified water, cover with a plate and allow to soak for about 8 hours.  If you’re familiar with sprouting, remember that in 8 hours, you’re activating the enzymes, but not necessarily growing sprouts.  The seeds will be plump and have absorbed all the water.  Now they’re ready to go.  (Sometimes I use golden flax seeds, too, so you’ll want to soak these as well.)

The next step is to blend all the ingredients in the food processor.  I blend dates, basil, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, jalapeno, sun-dried tomatoes, sea salt, and I process until a paste is formed.  Then I add the seeds little by little, until everything is well-blended.

Now the mixture is all ready!  I spread it out onto dehydrator sheets (I use Teflex sheets) about 2-3mm thick, then I score the mixture into 3-inch squares (good cracker size).  The recipe below makes about two trays of crackers.  I dehydrate the crackers for about 13-14 hours at 105 degrees.  They’re done when they’re crispy.

It seems that I can’t quite stay on top of the cracker making before they’re gone–they’re too good!

1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds (sprouted)

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds (sprouted)

1/2 cup golden flax seeds (optional)

1/2 cup pitted dates

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 jalapeno, seeded

1 cup fresh basil

3 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup sundried tomato (use more if you really like tomato)

Process all ingredients together and spread on teflex dehydrator sheets.  Score into cracker shapes and dehydrate for 12-14 hours or until completely dry and crisp.  Store in airtight container!!  Great for hiking, taking to work, kids will love them.