Something Different

                    So, I have been having some pretty bad luck with cooking lately. I'll admit it. A lot of what I've made for the last 2 weeks has been either disgusting or very mediocre. Whenever I make things too complicated, even just slightly, it never works out. I get excited about trying new things and start adding a bunch of ingredients. I try this and try that and end up with a meal that tastes, well, boring or way too funky. The flavors aren't allowed to stand on their own or combine with just 1 or 2 other flavors harmoniously, because it's far too busy and crowded. This creates an imbalance = unsatisfying meal. So, I think I learned my lesson: keep it simple. That's my style, and that's what works for me, so I better roll with it.
          I've also been thinking about my health lately. I have been very stressed for a while now and I'm trying to slow things down. My health has suffered and I feel undernourished. I truly believe that our diet and lifestyle need to be adaptable, we are each different and we each go through different stages and phases at different times in our life. In other words, our needs are individual and will change. So, what nourished you when you were 12, may not nourish you when you are 28 and what made you feel great yesterday, may not make you feel good today. I'm trying to become skilled at listening to my body and interpret what it is telling me. I'm seeing this principle at work in my own life. For example, a couple months ago...ish I felt like I needed greens, dark bitter greens like kale and swiss chard. I ate those and felt satisfied. Come summer, I felt attracted to the color red and kept thinking of radishes. So, I bought radishes, ate them and loved it! (I want to point out that I couldn't even remember the last time I had eaten a radish, or even if I had. Not a familiar food!). I also felt a very strong pull towards honey, blueberries and cashews. Again, I followed these feelings and enjoyed eating those foods, they made me feel good!
          For a while there I felt a need to eat more cleansing and plant based foods; fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, honey, water etc... I didn't buy meat for months. I started to feel a shift however and was a bit slow in responding to it, I kept eating according to how I was feeling before. I noticed the implications that had on my physical and emotional health, as well as on my success with cooking! I've been feeling undernourished and unsatisfied. I haven't really been enjoying my food, myself or my life much. I haven't been nourished on all levels by what I have been giving myself. Oh and I got a cold! My high stress has definitely contributed to all of this, in fact it could very well have caused it, or vice versa. At any rate, I came to the conclusion that, right now in my life, I need to eat joyfully and I need to eat building foods! I've been feeling attracted to things like dairy, pasta, red peppers, goat cheese, goat milk, eggs, carrots, chicken, fish, smoothies, berries, beans and vibrant more flavorful herbs and seasonings. So, today I went and bought these types of foods. I enjoyed it! I felt brighter, happier, stronger and more alive just from shopping for them. Tonight I made pasta with red in it, because that is one of the things I've felt drawn to. It was goood! I didn't take a picture because I was a little leary of it not working out, but it ended up tasting so good and satisfying to me. I will share the recipe with you and just let you use your imagination.
         I cooked up some durum wheat semolina linguine, and sauteed some sliced red pepper with sliced zucchini, and sliced green garlic in some water, olive oil, a few sprinkles of dried parsley and powdered dulse and sea salt at medium heat, at the same time. Olive oil can be heated at a low to moderate temperature without hydrogenating (as opposed to most other oils except coconut oil and butter) and adding some water gives you more cooking time because the heat will get the water first. I added chopped up swiss chard at the end, only sauteing until it was half wilted. I drained the pasta, poured the sauteed veggies on top with a little extra olive oil and then sprinkled some goat cheese feta on top! Deeeeeeeeeliscious! I ate a bit too much but I definitely felt builded! I felt an increase in energy and a sense of overall satisfaction and nourishment almost immediately. Yay for listening to your body! It knows what it needs! Of course, if it's telling you you need hordes of chocolate, ice cream, sugar and white bread you might want to re-think what it's really trying to tell you! I thought this was a valuable experience to share. Hopefully it gave you some insight.
       One of my textbooks for school: "Food and Healing", by Anne Marie Colbin, has a chart called "The Five Phases of Food", a theory in chinese medicine. It gives a breakdown of different seasons, elements, flavors, organs, food categories, moods etc... and their connection to each other. Here is an example, http://macrobiotics.co.uk/five.htm. It's part of the thinking behind the macrobiotic diet as well. When I saw this chart I was struck by how closely it matched up to my experience. I'm still going to listen to my body first, not a chart, but it was nice to be validated by one! Chinese medicine is some pretty amazing and intelligent stuff! Take a look at the chart, perhaps it could help you in making your food choices. Well, that's all for today folks. Cheers!

It's been awhile...

So, it's been awhile. I finished classes last week, which means that in 7 weeks I need to complete 14 case studies and study for my final exam. Wahoo! Being this close to the official title of "RHN (Registered Holistic Nutritionist)", feels surreal. So many decisions to make in so short a time. I can do it though, right? Tonight I would like to share some scrumptious meals I've created in the past several months. So, old stuff. Hopefully I can remember all the details of the recipes. You will notice that most of them have goat cheese in them. This was the beginning of my love affair with that particular food. We may make it permanent.

First we have "Sweet Quinoa Potatoes!" (You must say this the same way you would if you were exclaiming a curse word or phrase). This was a surprisingly delicious discovery.

                               1/2 cup quinoa

                               1/2 of 1 medium sweet potato

                               1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

                               4 tbsp coconut oil                           

                               1/2  clove of garlic                   

Slice half of a sweet potato width-wise. Combine 2 tbsp of coconut oil with 1 tbsp of cumin powder in a bowl and dip sweet potato slices in it. Place on greased baking sheet (use coconut oil again). Cook in oven for 15-20 min at 350. Flip over at the half-way point. Pour dry quinoa (quinoa soaked overnight cooks much faster) into pot and add double the amount in water - 1/2 cup to 1 cup water. Get it to a boil then turn down to medium-low heat. Once it starts to rise above the water and look less solid turn heat down to low. Once it seems to have soaked up most of the water and it looks cooked through, drain it. Mix in lemon juice, minced garlic,1 tbsp of coconut oil and 1/2 - 1 tbsp of cumin with quinoa. Serve with the sweet potatoes and enjoy! 

                                

Next we have a very vibrant, colorful and nutritious "Goat Cheese Salad". This recipe can be changed to use any variation of nuts, seeds and greens. The key ingredients are the goat cheese, beets, radicchio and dressing.

                          Bowl full of rinsed greens (chard, lettuce, beet

                          greens, radicchio)

                          3 handfuls of raw, hulled sunflower seeds

                          2 handfuls of whole, raw almonds

                          1/2 of a medium sized beet, sliced

                          A couple sprigs of  fresh rosemary

                          1/4 cup Lemon juice

                          1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

                          Goat cheese

Mix together all the ingredients, pour lemon juice and olive oil on top as dressing, sprinkle goat cheese on top and enjoy!

This one I am especially proud of. It was a complete kitchen experiment. I call it "Sweet Artichoke Stir-fry". I had it for breakfast.
                                      
                                      
                              1/2 sweet potato
                              4 asparagus stalks
                              4 Jerusalem artichokes
                              1/4 onion
                              2 handfuls of sprouts (your choice what kind)
                              1 -2 tbsp butter
                              1/2 - 1 tsp sea salt
                              Goat cheese


Lightly steam (until softened) sweet potato, and Jerusalem artichoke in a separate pot (water only needs to be an inch above the bottom of pot). Melt butter in frying pan. Add onions and sea salt. Add asparagus. Add sweet potato and artichoke. Add sprouts at very end. Leave 1-3 minutes between additions. Mix regularly throughout, so everything gets the butter and salt on it and the flavors really come through. Don't stir fry too long, should only take a few minutes. You want the asparagus to be softened but nut squishy. Sprinkle some goat cheese on top and enjoy.

This is a very simple recipe that can be changed up or added to very easily. The basis of it is some kind of base (bread, rice cake, cracker), a spread, some greens, and a topping. Since it is so variable, and I have done several versions of it, I won't give it a name. After all, what's in a name?

                                                                

                                          2 slices of whole grain bread

                                          Sunflower seeds

                                          1/4 small avocado

                                          1 1/2 - 2 tbsp Lemon juice

                                          1 clove garlic

                                          Spinach leaves

                                          Goat cheese

Make a sunflower seed pate. To do this blend sunflower seeds, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper and garlic (mince it first) together in a food processor or blender. It will turn into a thick spreadable mixture. Spread this on 2 slices of whole grain bread, top with spinach leaves and goat cheese. You could add sprouts or slices onions to this as well. Yum!

                                                                  

                                                                 

So, I discovered fiddle heads this spring. Fiddle heads seem to be a big deal out here in the maritimes, and they were in season, so I decided to try them. I searched some recipes online and combined a couple, and added an ingredient or two. This is what I came up with: "Fiddle Head Stir-fry".

                                                           

                        1-2 cups of fiddle heads

                        2 tbsp butter or coconut oil

                        1/4 cup walnuts

                        1/4 onion

                        1 clove of garlic

                        1/2 lemon (juice only)

                        1/2 tbsp honey

                        1 tsp paprika

                        Salt and pepper to taste

 Rinse fiddle heads and chop off browned ends. Chop onion. Mince garlic. Squeeze lemon juice. Melt butter or coconut oil in frying pan. Add fiddle heads, onion and garlic. Add lemon, honey and paprika. Add walnuts. Leave 1-3 minutes between additions. Walnuts only need approx. 20-30 seconds. Salt and pepper to taste. Mmmmmmmm! Way better than you might think. My roommate was shocked by how good it was. Just sayin'.

                                                              

                                                              

Waldegrave Farm http://farm.waldegrave.org/. Waldegrave farm is located in Tatamagouche, NS. I actually visited them back in April with some friends and was really impressed. They have some beautiful land and are passionate about what they do. They operate in a way that is environmentally friendly, sustainable, simple and clever. I never realized how spicy radishes were until I sampled these. They have a very fresh, spicy and zingy flavour. So, I incorporated them into a fresh summer salad which will be called "Radish Fiesta" because radishes make me think of fiesta's. Here goes:

                            2 or 3 radishes 

                            1/2 of 1 large yellow carrot

                            1/4 cup onion

                            2 or 3 handfuls of raw sunflower seeds

                            Bowlful of beet greens

                            1/2 lemon (juice)

                            1/4 cup olive oil

Slice all veggies. Toss into a bowl. Sprinkle on sunflower seeds. Pour oil and lemon juice on top. Mix. Time for a fiesta!

                                                         

             I went to see the documentary "Forks Over Knives" http://www.forksoverknives.com/ in theaters with some friends. It was a fabulous film all about the connection between diet and degenerative disease. I was most pleased that it was in theaters and therefore had the opportunity to be viewed by the masses. It was great to have the jist of what I've been learning in school be validated and explained so clearly and simply through scientific and clinical evidence. I encourage all to view it. It's already out on DVD!. Naturally, my friends felt very impacted and inspired and desirous to change their diets ASAP (that's how good it is). They also had alot of questions. So, I suggested that we gather some ingredients and make a healthy meal. We did just that and the result was me teaching them how to make a yummy and healthy, quinoa salad, including how to cook quinoa (funnily enough I managed to burn the bottom of the quinoa. Great teaching hey?!). A salad can be a full meal as you have already seen from some of my previous recipes. Add some protein or complex carbohydrate in the form of nuts and seeds, grains or meat and you have yourself a satisfying meal, believe it or not. The salad needed a tad bit more lemon, but tasted great. I think because we used endive, which is a very bitter green, it required more lemon than I've had to use with the greens I've been making meals with lately.

I bought this olive oil from a nun at the Greek Festival. How awesome is that? http://www.greekfest.org/

I thought this was pretty hilarious. I ate my extremely healthy salad in a bowl with pictures of extremely unhealthy desserts in it. Way to be.

      Bowlful of greens (we used endive, lettuce and swiss chard)

      3-5 radishes

      Several handfuls of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sliced almonds

      1/2 a whole cucumber

      1/2 yellow carrot

      1/2 onion

      1 cup quinoa

      Lemon juice

      Olive oil.

Cook the quinoa. 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water (like rice). Slice all the veggies, almonds and greens. Mix olive oil, lemon juice and dulse together in a small bowl. Add greens, then veggies, then nuts and seeds, then quinoa, then dressing. Enjoy your meal!

That's all for today folks! That took a lllloong time to write!

The Farmers Market

Today I went to the farmers market. Here in Halifax we have 2: an old one and a new one. I prefer the old one because it is less busy, has more old-fashioned interest and appeal, and most of the things I need. However, the new one is right on the waterfront and has a ton of windows so you get a really good view of the water and George's Island. It's not uncommon to see a ship go sailing by as you are shopping. The new one is also much more popular and has more vendors. I like to go to both, which is what we did today. We started out at the old one. I went really slowly and took my time as usual (thankfully my company didn't mind at all). I talked to most of the vendors and had some really great conversations. I highly recommend making that connection when you go to the market, you hear some really interesting stories and meet some really interesting people doing really interesting things. It just makes the experience that much more...interesting. My first purchase of the day was some German wine... of the rhubarb kind (insert wink here). I've been thinking lately about eating more local and in season, so I decided to get this beautiful organically grown rhubarb. I'm going to experiment with it and try to find some new ways of using it. The only experience I have with it is pie! I asked the lady selling it what you can do with it and she gave me some information on places I can look. She also said that you can have it with honey or sugar and that her father would have it with cream for breakfast! Fancy that. Anyhow, I will be experimenting so stay tuned for that experience!


I found the rest of my produce, as well as my free range eggs, at one booth. Which was great! Most of it was organic and they seemed to have everything I was looking for. I loved the look of this organically grown cauliflower. Often when I buy organic cauliflower it's already a bit browned and not as flawless looking as  these ones were.



 I also never realized how very much like a brain cauliflower can look. Not until I took pictures of it.


I found fiddleheads! They are in season right now and grow in abundance here in the maritimes. I've been hearing good things about their taste lately so I'm going to experiment with them as well. Again, stay tuned!


 They remind me of musical notes!


I've been wanting to find REAL butter for a while now and today I was successful! There is a booth run by a mennonite family that sells gluten free breads and baked goods etc... as well as their own butter. I purchased the unsalted kind. The lady said that she uses a blender to mix it to a desirable consistency. I asked about the entire process of making butter, but instead of trying to remember what she said I will just post this link to a clearer explanation: http://www.guppyhow.com/how-to-make-real-butter. Here is my butter:



If I decide to buy a nice loaf of bread at the market I go either to this German bakery at the old market that sells sourdough, yeast free bread, Julian's at the new market or another german bakery at the new market. Today I bought spelt sourdough bread from the latter. I wanted a picture of the whole loaf but I didn't think to take it until after I had sliced it and stuck most of the slices in the freezer for later. Fresh bread has a tendency to go bad quite quickly so freezing extends its life.



I tried half of my friends vegetarian sausage from an ethnic booth. It was made from lentils, parsley and other plant ingredients, and quite good. I also sampled some amazing jelly's and dips as well as some Rawthentic chocolate. Rawthentic chocolate is a local company that sells chocolate goods made from raw cacao and other natural raw ingredients.Check out http://www.rawthenticchocolate.com/ for more details. My and my friend purchased a fudge bar each, there was a 2 for 1 deal going. She got creamy almond fudge and I got Coconutty. Sooooo divine. I found it to be very satisfying and rich. With those kinds of desserts and treats you don't eat as much because it's very filling. Plus, many of the ingredients are actually good for you! Yay!


I enjoyed a spelt flour morning glory muffin and a whole wheat cinnamon bun as well. Mmmm...I love the market. Here is a picture of my very healthy purchases at the market today.





I love the market. I love the atmosphere, the people, the food and the idea. It's a great place to get fresh, local, organic and quality food and to feel inspired by people's creativity. So, find out where your closest farmers market is and check it out! They need your support. I'm so thankful for lovely, european feeling days, good company and good food.

Garlic and lemon juice

When it comes to cooking i've discovered that there isn't much you can't do with garlic and lemon juice. If a dish needs a little kick of flavor to make it complete, one or both of these almost always does the trick. Today, I made a dressing using dried parsley, basil, oregano, olive oil, and of course, garlic and lemon juice for my salad. I enjoyed the intensely fresh yet warm flavor. I've made this particular dressing before and I always find that it provides enough flavor to make a salad taste gourmet but not so much that it takes over the natural flavors of the veggies. It has a way of enhancing all of the flavors it comes in contact with. I use both almost every day. So, when in doubt, think garlic and/or lemon juice! Here is the salad I made.
     Haddock Spinach Salad


Haddock
Carrots
Spinach
Leeks
Dressing: oliveoil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, tsp dried parsley, basil and oregano, grated garlic clove.


Cook haddock in pan on stove top with water. Break spinach leaves into smaller peices and place in bowl.
Slice carrot and leeks thinly. Separate leeks. Prepare dressing. Cut haddock into small peices. Add veggies then haddock to salad and pour dressing on top. Yum!

And so it begins...

                    My name is Amberle (Am-bur-lee). I am an almost-graduated student of natural nutrition, and a soon-to-be holistic nutritionist. I love everything about food, especially nutritious food, the taste, the smell, the look, the feel, where it came from, how it was grown or raised, the atmosphere of where I get it from and of course what you can do with it. There are few things I enjoy more than a solid hour or three in the kitchen making delicious and beautiful food. I love:

* The joy of discovering a new kind of food to eat or a new combination that significantly broadens your meal options.
*I love finding the perfect loaf of bread at the market.
*I love wearing my apron (it's really cute).
*I love breathing in the smell of fresh herbs or freshly baked muffins.
*I love playing italian or french music while cooking.
*I love picking my food just before I eat it.
*I love being able to say," It's delicious aaand healthy".



            I've had quite the journey with food over the last few years. My diet has undergone ALOT of changes, and along the way I've learned many, many things that have really improved my cooking and eating experience. I know that there are alot of people out there who want to eat well but don't feel like they know what to make, or who have recently been told they need to eat gluten free, wheat free and/or dairy free and now feel like they have nothing to eat. There are health practitioners looking for a good resource to give their clients healthy recipe ideas and there are also those people who, like me, enjoy cooking  and know how to make healthy delicious food but want to know more and who gain inspiration from other people's recipes and ideas. This blog is for you all. I will update as often as possible, sometimes every day or every few days sometimes every week or every 2 weeks. I will post recipes, ideas, pictures and my musings on food related topics. My desire is to share my food experience with you and help you feel inspired to get in that kitchen, or get to that market, or get in that garden. I want to inspire you to be healthy and savor every bite of it.



So, with no further ado, here are some dishes I've created complete with how-to's and pictures! Once for each meal of the day; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bon appetit!


Breakfast

  Apple Almond Breakfast Porridge

1 apple
Cinnamon
Almonds
Quinoa
Goat or amond milk
Maple syrup
*Raisins


Cook quinoa in boiling water. Approx. 2 cups  of water per 1 cup quinoa. Start at high heat, switch to medium heat when it's bubbling. Cook until most of water is soaked and quinoa is softened. Chop up apple and a handful of almonds. Pour approx. 1/2 cup of milk into a bowl. Add cooked quinoa, apple and almond chunks. Pour about 1 1/2 - 2 tbso of maple syrup, and cinnamon on top and mix with spoon. Mmmmm.....



 Lunch


   Sprouted Kamut bread with avocado, beet slices and goat cheese.

Two slices of sprouted bread (I will include a recipe for sprouted bread later)
1 avocado
Thin slices of red beet

Goat cheese

*Slice open avocado and scoop out flesh with butterknife, spread on bread like you would nut butter or jam

*Place thin slices of red beet on top of avocado

*Sprinkle goat cheese on top (Work a bit with your fingertips to get it to separate and sprinkle more)

Tada! Lunch!

Dinner 

  I call this Sweet Potato Soup


*Cook a piece or more (adapt to numbers) of boneless, skinless chicken breast
*Simultaneously chop up as many sweet potatoes, carrots, turnip, zucchini, onion, celery, fresh rosemary, fresh basil and parsley as you want
*Steamed the veggies in a big pot with some water and a cube or two of veggie bouillon, adding the herbs after 3 minutes or so.
*Chop cooked chicken into cubes
* Once the veggies are sufficently tender combine all the ingredients as well as a little sea salt and powdered dulse ( a dark purple coloured sea vegetable rich in vitamins and minerals that you can purchase in salt-shaker type form) into a food processor and processed it until it is a thick creamy consistency.
*Dip some whole grain bread in it, add some goat cheese into the mixture, and/or sprinkle some fresh parsley or cilantro on top.
*Serve and enjoy!