Crush Cakes Cafe March 4, 2009

I found a place where I can get free wireless internet, organic whole foods for breakfast or lunch, a fantastic latte, homemade lemonade, outrageously delicious cupcakes, groovy music, superb service, soups from scratch, organic salads, and even the takeout containers are made from recycled post-consumer waste. Think I’m making it up? Not at all – this place is for real, and very affordable too!

Check out Crush Cakes and Crush Cakes Cafe in downtown Santa Barbara at 1315 Anacapa:

http://crushcakes.com/CrushCafes/about.html

Super-Food Breakfast for People on the Super-Go March 4, 2009

So I have been on the look-out for an alternative to the proverbial bagel  for mornings when I need to eat on the go, and today I think I finally found it. I have been researching grains lately, and you’d be surprised to know how many are out there and how easily you can reduce your risk for cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and elevate your HDL for pennies per serving, and with little effort beyond making a pot of rice. (Well, maybe that is a lot of effort for you, so read on and I’ll make it worth the time).

I call it “Super-Cereal,” because the grains in the recipe provide a mind-blowing combination of anti-oxidants, amino acids, iron, protein, B vitamins, and phyto-nutrients. When you add nuts or dried fruits like dates, cranberry, blueberry, pumpkin seeds and walnuts – well now you are about to have a  healing bomb go off in your gut.

Here is the ingredient list:

1 c. Roasted Buckwheat (cooking ratio is 1:2 – grain to water)

1 c. Bulgur (cooking ratio is 1:2 – grain to water)

1 c. Quinoa (cooking ratio is 1:2 grain to water)

1 c. Couscous (cooking ratio is 1:1.5 – grain to water)

With each grain bring the water to a boil, then add the grain. Simmer until water is gone and grain is “soft.” I cooked them al dente because I knew I would be heating them up throughout the week, thus adding to the cooking time.

Additions – you can add anything you like and as much or little as you want. I added about a half a handful of the below:

Pecans

Walnuts

Pumpkin seeds

Dried Cranberries

Dried Blueberries

Dried Cherries

Dried Apricots

The benefits of cooking with whole grains -

1. You can cook all the grains the same night and split them into two batches – one sweet for breakfast, one savory for lunch and dinner

2. Because there are no animal products your grain mixes will last for up to a week in the fridge

3. The grain mixes freeze really well, so you can make  HUGE batch for a whole month – add the fruits when you thaw and heat

4. Because these grains come from the bulk bin you essentially get 10 boxes of packaged cereal for the price of one.

5. Also, since the grains come from the bulk bin you get MAJOR carbon points – no packaging, you can even bring your own container to fill from the bin – this makes you even more savvy than the average bulk bin shopper.

6. More carbon points – you are eating super low on the food chain which makes you a hero to both environmental and animal rights advocates.

7. Throw in some garlic, chard and carrots and you’re half way to life-long cancer prevention.

8. It tastes really really good.

9. You get all the fiber you need

10. The meal is lowfat and high nutrient

When You’re A Vegan You Can Eat Fried Tomoto Sandwiches!!! October 16, 2008

I’m not a vegan, but I would consider it seriously if I got to eat fried tomato sandwiches on a fresh baguette with mixed greens, roasted red peppers and olive tapenade…every day.

And since I am not a vegan I could add things like goat cheese or brie….

But I might consider being a vegan in any case after Oprah’s show yesterday on industrial farm animals.

http://www.oprah.com/community/thread/90800

EXCEPT! that I don’t have to because there are humane alternatives by shopping locally and choosing vendors carefully.

In the end though, cutting back on animal products makes sense. It’s good for my heath, it’s good for animals, it’s good for the environment.

YUM – fried tomoato sandwiches!

From Roots to Fruits August 14, 2008

Not sure where 2008 has gone so far, but several months ago we went from roots to fruits. As I write, my niece and I are sharing a mixed medley of blueberries, raspberries and boysenberries. The fruits of summer versus the roots of winter even share the same physical nuances. Carrots are hearty, crisp, non-bruising, and last for a week or two in the fridge.

Peaches and raspberries explode with the flavor of the summer sun and thunder storms; easily crushed, brightly colored but delicate like light searing through a thick of maple leaves. The coolness of early morning in July, captured at noon in a strawberry and a bowl of frozen grapes.

The COOLEST things I learned about fruits this summer:

That I can buy the whole flat of strawberries and not make myself silly about eating them all before they spoil.

That I can freeze grapes and use them as a juice replacement in smoothies.

Keep fresh summer fruits available all winter by freezing them raw. Unlike most vegetables you have to cook or blanch them before freezing. I put my washed and stemmed berries and peaches in yogurt containers and save them for winter smoothies. (I slice the peaches. On-line recipes say to blanch and skin them, but I don’t understand why that’s necessary. It might be an aesthetic thing? I have not found it to matter).

What I like best is that not only do I save piles of cash by freezing my own; I know where they came from, who grew them, and I know for sure they were grown organically and sustainably. Oh, and a lower carbon foot print when you factor the reduced transportation and packaging. If space is an issue in your freezer use zipper-freezer bags and lie them flat on top of each other.

I lOve My Day Job February 5, 2008

Love is really too strong of a word, but I will never, ever complain about my day job again.

This is an article about people who work in a pig slaughter house for a living. It is specifically about the people who work at the “head table.” Um, that would be where the brains are scraped out and then sold as food. Apparently there is a delicacy known in the south as pig brains and scrambled eggs.

Ew.

This article is why I only eat meat from my local farmers. The story realizes every single thing about the mass production of food and how simply wrong, wrong, wrong it is. It’s inhumane to the animals, and now it’s making the meat-packers sick as well.   

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/05pork.html?pagewanted=1&ref=health

Bon Appetit

Life Before Google January 31, 2008

Just a quick note because so much is going on – what with Miachal Pollan on a book tour, the New York Times reporting on the climate impact of eating meat, and Seventh Generation CEO Jerrffey Hollender’s excellent commenatry on the Clorox purchase of Burt’s Bees.
 I am catching up on all these current events and have found some exceptional new blogs. I still remember a time when I was buried in micro-film trying to get this kind of information. But now, POOF! If I can think of it, I can find it in seconds! I will list them below and add them to my blog log so you can reference them any time.

TreeHugger – International environmental reporting:

http://www.treehugger.com/

The Inspired Protagonist – Seventh Generation musings on corporate responsibility:

http://www.inspiredprotagonist.com/ 

GroovyGreen – Eco-living and news in the modern world:

http://www.groovygreen.com/groove/

Remember folks, why on earth would you bother to get a cake if you didn’t plan on eating it too.

Dinner In Ten Minutes – Seriously! January 25, 2008

Ok, so today I broke my own record with “throwing veggies together.” I hate to brag, but when I saw that I could get significant amounts of my daily requirements of Magnesium, potassium, vitamin A and calcium in less than ten minutes I really felt like I should write it down and share.

You see, I’ve been victim of those books – the 10 minute gourmet, vegetarian cuisine in 5 steps, easy-healthy-eating, you get my drift…

So here we are, mid-way into the second week of resolutions – ” I will not choose cooking over exercise, I will not eat instead of run, I promise I’ll go to yoga instead of the stove, I’ll cook only on Mondays”… See, this is what’s so hard for people like me. I LIKE cooking! I come home after a stressful day, and there is something about cooking that melts the day’s tensions away. When I slowly saute carrots in a garlic infused olive oil, and pair it with rosemary roasted pink potatoes, I can take it down a notch. I remember the weekend – meeting my local farmers and talking about what’s in season this week, how the cold snap affected the soil, and won’t it make the carrots fabulous this year…”

None the less, my 30’s are catching up with me. And because I sit in front of a computer most of the day instead of harvesting my own food, my goal this year is to eat as well as always, but still have that time after work to go to the gym. Once again, maybe I am inviting Santa to lunch, but I am ever hopeful. I love new year resolutions. I don’t get too down about about what I don’t accomplish each year, actually. I find it endlessly fascinating that I still have the tenacity to desire re-create myself and try again. I feel as though, even if I am 80, I will still learn how to play the fiddle and learn French. So I think it’s important to remind myself every year of what is still awake…what is still wanting.

A-ha though! The dinner revelation the inspired it all:

Sauteed Asparagus with Broccoli, Brown Rice*, garlic, cashews and Ginger

1 bunch of asparagus

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 handfuls of broccoli florets

1 tablespoon ginger

2-3 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)

1/2 cup halved cashews (optional)

 3 cups cooked brown rice* (The 10 minute dinner title means that the rice is cooked in advance)

In a frying pan saute the asparagus with the olive oil, garlic, and ginger until the asparagus begins to soften. Add the broccoli and cover the pan with a lid to steam the broccoli. Stir and steam until desired level of softness (5-10 minutes). Add soy sauce if desired. Stir in the rice for a fried rice effect, or warm up in a microwave and add later. Serves 3-4 people. Easy add-ins include onion, grated carrot and bell peppers (but you’ll be bumping up closer to 30 minutes with all the extra chopping).

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 730

Fat: 30g (only 6g if you skip the cashews. Though cashews have a lot of micronutrients and the “good” fats)

Carbohydrates: 133g

Protein: 29 g

Fiber: 8.5 g

Sodium: 839 mg (without soy sauce – that # is too depressing. The rice itslef has 700 mg)

Calcium: 267 mg

Iron: 10 mg

Vitamin A: 1,550 iu

Vitamin C: 540 mg

Potassium: 1,725 mg

Interspirituality January 21, 2008

Interspirituality. Hmmmm. Big word. Doesn’t show up on spell-check. Incredibly ambiguous if you do a Google search on it. And yet…and yet is sounds like something enormous. Sounds like something the world might need. Spirituality, and the prefix of “inter”…Latin for “between, or among,” we might be on to something here; and in Santa Barbara we certainly are.

The term “Intersprituality” was first coined by Wayne Teasdale, and while I won’t digress here on the teachings of Brother Teasdale, what I will note is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi that has much in common with what Teasdale was getting at:

“When you go to the heart of your own religion, you go to the heart of all others too.”

This was certainly my experience on my retreat at La Casa de Maria, where I was given the gift of being introduced to the interspiritual community in Santa Barbara. When I showed up at the Spiritual Path’s retreat, I really didn’t know what to expect, nor did I understand fully what drove me there. But what followed was a weekend of celebration, meditation, and calls to action. The objective of the retreat was to bring environmental advocacy groups into dialog with the spiritual leaders from various religious traditions and members from the community to explore the ways in which can work together.

Ed Bastian, founder of Spiritual Paths, lead the retreat. Speakers included Reverend Cynthia Bourgeault, Ph.D, Shaikh Kabir Helminski, Shaikha Camille Helminski, Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Ph.D, and Pravrajika Vrajaprana – faculty from Spiritual Paths. Representatives from environmental groups included Sharyn Main from the Community Environmental Council, Dr. Michael McGinnis, an Environmental Studies professor at UCSB, Don Four Arrows Jacobs; professor of Educational Leadership at the Fielding Graduate University, and Michael Potts from the Rocky Mountain Institute.

I was turned on to something that’s time has come, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. It was one of the most beautiful, remarkable things to not only explore the traditions of all these great faiths, but also see how much we have in common. At the core of all religions is a spiritual essence that unites, and never divides. The sacred contract we have to each other as humans and this planet that sustains us is universal. To understand this, and teach this is truly what can change the world. Namaste and Godspeed to Spiritual Paths – you’ve got great work ahead of you.

Life is Not A Dress Rehersal January 19, 2008

I will live the dream

Born from ideas of the heart.

I will walk the passionate path

With truth and fortitude.

I am creating my world.

My designs create my life.

May 08 be great for you and your loved ones!

Namaste,

Sacred Harvest

New Year’s Smoothie January 10, 2008

A-Ha! No need for Sacred Harvest readers to spend any money on the latest trends in juicing and supper-smoothie books! I feel like a walking multi-vitamin after coming up with this week’s recipe. Here are the ingredients:

New Year’s Smoothie:

          In the Juicer:

Juice 8 medium size carrots

Ginger (about the size of your thumb)

          In the Blender:

2 cups ginger carrot juice

1 cup cranberries

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

3 cups rainbow chard

4 oz plain yogurt

Water – if necessary to help it puree. Agave syrup if the unsweetened taste is too tart. You can also add your juice of choice or purchase carrot juice, though that will add variables to the below nutritional content.

Don’t be daunted by the two-step process of juicing before blending. You can always make a big batch of carrot ginger juice and store it in mason jars in the freezer. Just take it out the night before to thaw it for your morning smoothie. You can also add beets to the juicing mix. If you are taking any EFA oil mixes they blend nicely into the smoothie. Also, the thought of chard in a smoothie may seem counter-intuitive, but the greens actually take on a sweet-grass taste when pureed raw, (much like wheat grass). Spinach and chard also work as substitutes.

This is truly a meal on the go, as you can see by the below nutritional content. So if you are looking for a healthy way to cleanse after the holidays this smoothie will give your gut a rest while optimizing nutritional intake. Juicing bypasses the digestive process so it’s great way to maximize nutrient absorption if you’re fighting a winter cold, or if you just want to give your digestive system a break after all of the rich holiday foods. Plus, for less than 600 calories while meeting almost the entire daily requirement of so many macro-nutrients, you can’t go wrong by giving this a try.

New Year’s Smoothie Nutrient Content

Calories: 545

Carbohydrates: 100 g

Protein: 18.5 g

Fat: 4 g

Fiber: 13.5 mg

Sodium: 382 mg

Calcium: 428 mg

Iron: 36.5 mg

Vitamin A: 18,000 iu

Vitamin C: 95 mg

Potassium: 2,600 mg

Magnesium: 540 mg

B-Vitamins – Trace Amounts