Frozen Grapes

The relentless heat of the mighty sun has been beating down on New York over the past week. It's hard to walk two feet from my doorstep without being hit by the incessant drips from the air conditioners that hover above. I love the sunshine, but I don't care for the extreme humidity that accompanies it. The sky is heavy and longs to be filled with billowing clouds to provide relief from the sweltering heat. My body is desperately craving a cool breeze but does not find comfort within the bone chilling conditions of my refrigerated apartment. It’s a constant battle; the moment I turn down my AC, the stifling heat consumes every inch of my remaining cool air. I am feeling stuck within this temperature controlled limbo, while striving to maintain the right balance.

One thing I am certain of is my sudden desire for cold foods. Cravings appear of the blue at times, but I like to think of them differently. A craving may be a hint from your body that you are in need of something. For example, a craving may be telling you that you may be in need of a cool down or a warm up. Or maybe the craving is actually a need for foods promoting proper digestion, or a masked result of dehydration. Sometimes the craving you are having can be harder to breakdown than others. For instance, craving cold foods when the body temperature has been drastically raised would indicate the body is trying to maintain a balance. The cold food will literally reduce the temperature within your body. Seasonal cravings are very common. During spring months many crave detoxifying foods, such as leafy greens or citrus fruits. In the fall, it is typical to crave grounding foods, such as root vegetables and nuts. In the winter months it is common to crave warming foods such as oils and fats. Aside from seasonal cravings, it is important to look further into unusual cravings. Consider what your body may really be asking for.

Flavor is a good place to start; then look further into texture and consistency desires. Here are a few common examples; a craving for bitter food may be a longing for nutritious food.

Bitter foods enhance digestion; therefore, the body may be calling for a nutritious food to cut through fat and stagnant energy within the body. The first bitter flavor many turn to is coffee and dark beer. Instead, try eating dark leafy greens such as kale and collard greens. I know, easier said than done right? Just keep in mind that your body will most likely be thanking you later.

A craving for moist food or liquid may be the result of excessive intake of salty foods or dry, baked products.

A craving for creamy flavors may also be a result of eating a lot of bread or crackers. When eaten in excess dry foods create a blockage in energy and can easily make us feel stuck. This state of imbalance may cause a craving for creamy, comforting foods. Try eating a porridge made from whole grains rather than reaching for heavy creams.

A desire for crunchy snacks such as pretzels or chips may be an indication you are simply not chewing enough. The act of chewing enhances digestion.  When you find yourself longing for that extra crunch your body may be telling you there is a slight imbalance within your digestion. Once you begin to look deeper into your cravings, it may put you more in touch with your body.

Lately, all I’ve been wanting is ice cream. But I decided to find a healthier alternative. My stars aligned and I found a friend of mine snacking on frozen grapes. I had never heard of eating frozen grapes alone. I am familiar with using frozen fresh fruit in smoothies, but I had never considered eating the frozen fruit alone. The moment I took my first bite my whole world of summer snacks changed. 

The inside of the grape is filled with a wonderful, sorbet-like consistency. The grape becomes sweeter when frozen. The skin of the grape creates a perfect “snap” sensation and suddenly your teeth sink into the grape’s velvety center. And as if this snack couldn't get any better, it's a good choice for your well-being. Grapes contain great antioxidants and their skin is especially nutritious as it contains flavonoids, as well as resveratrol, which helps maintain a healthy heart. 

To make this super simple snack all you need is fresh grapes and a freezer. Red grapes and champagne grapes behave the best while freezing. The green grapes tend to lack the wonderful sorbet-like consistency when frozen. Make sure the grapes have been rinsed. After you clean the grapes, just lay them on a tray in the freezer for about 2 hours. 

Carrot Soup for the Soul

I began to smell the fresh berries wafting through the air a few blocks away from the market. The summer sunshine has this wonderful way of extracting the most fragrant aromas from the produce. Today was an unusually humid day. One of those days where you can just feel the sky longing to be filled with heavy rain clouds to give the sunshine a break. I was taking a walk to pick up a few things up for dinner from the Greenmarket in Union Square. To my surprise, I found the carrots particularly engaging today even though my senses were all consumed by the aroma of fresh summery herbs and berries with every step I took. Boasting their luminous scent-free glory, the carrots definitely ended up being the most alluring prospect of all of the produce at the market. Not that there's anything wrong with eating carrots, they are a wonderful vegetable-- full of antioxidant compounds as well as a notable source of vitamin A carotenes (carotenes are great for the immune system). Needless to say, carrots have an inherent sweet burst of flavor when cooked which certainly makes up for their lack of aroma in the raw form. Oh, and have I mentioned that my shocking attraction to carrots is also the result of my tragic love affair with carrot ginger soup.....

Ginger and carrots are two of my most cherished ingredients’. The weather this past autumn was very erratic and I found myself drawn to the comfort of warm, homemade soup. The sultry combination of carrots and ginger, combined with aromatic spices lit my soul on fire, creating a marriage I could never grow tired of. The soup also happened to be incredibly healthy and very easy to re-heat on the stove for lunches or a quick snack. Aside from the brilliant benefits of carotenes, ginger provides a great deal of gastrointestinal relief and is a great anti-inflammatory. Ginger provides a fantastic warming effect, which is not only comforting, but also helps aid the body with a detoxification process. In addition, the soup boasts a fair amount of cumin, which is great for digestion and also provides a good source of trace minerals—including iron. At times, I would long for creaminess and occasionally opted for adding or garnishing my soup with yogurt, providing extra protein. I began having cravings for this soup and soon went from eating it a few times per week, to as often as possible.

A few of my friends commented that my skin was boasting a novel healthy glow. It was a great compliment, seeing as my skin had not seen sunshine in quite sometime. At the time, I didn't equate it with the carrots, in particular. I had also begun drinking carrot juice in the morning in an attempt to wean myself from espresso. I happened to really love the carrot juice. It was easy, delicious, and provided my system with great energy. I also happened to be eating my favorite soup as often as possible. I suppose I hadn’t realized the amount of carrots I was actually consuming until a girlfriend of mine asked me why I hadn’t tried lemon juice to remove the sunless tanner from hands. I became confused (mostly due to the fact that I do not use a sunless tanner) and looked down at my palms, which, to my surprise, were certainly a shade of orange. My palms, feet, face, well, my entire body, were in fact radiant—a radiant hue of orange. I had never imagined that, as a result of eating far too may carrots, I would indeed turn into a carrot myself!

As a result, it would take a few months of green juices, as well as an absolutely carrot-free lifestyle, to regain my previous orange free skin tone. That will have to be another story entirely.

So today, mid-July, I’ve found myself with an extraordinary yearning for that delicious carrot sensation I love. I confronted my internal discourse and came to the conclusion that I should listen to my body. In this case, my body was saying, “it was time for carrots.”

I stopped at the grocery market to pick up the necessary ingredients for carrot ginger soup. During my walk home, it began to rain. The humidity had broken and a cool breeze accompanied the rain. I couldn’t think of a better time to be enjoying my forever loved, soul warming soup.

Carrot Ginger Soup

Olive Oil or Clarified Butter 

1 Whole Vidalia Onion Sliced 

2-3 Pounds of Carrots

¾ Cup of Honey

Ginger Root Peeled and Chopped (Add more ginger for more spice)

4-5 Cups of good chicken stock

A few Teaspoons of Cumin to taste - toasted and finely ground

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Optional

2 Cups of Good Plain Goat’s Milk Yogurt (Cow’s milk yogurt or sheep’s milk will work just as well, the goat milk creates a creamier soup.)

If using whole cumin, first toast the seeds in the bottom of the pan until they become fragrant. When you begin to smell them, then take them from the heat and finely ground the seeds.

Heat oil or clarified butter in the bottom of large stockpot. Add sliced Vidalia onions and plenty of fresh chopped Ginger. Brown the onion and ginger for several minutes—just until they become a bit translucent. Add a bit of cumin now and then you can add more further on to taste. Add good free-range chicken stock and fill pot with sliced, organic carrots. Make sure carrots are submerged, by at least 1/2" of chicken broth in the pot. Bring pot to a boil, and turn to simmer and cover with a lid until carrots are tender. (You can also add sliced sweet potatoes for a heartier dish). 

Remove from heat and add honey. Using an immersion blender puree the contents of the pot. Add yogurt to the pot. Go slowly and add gradually tasting along the way to achieve your desired creaminess. If you do not have an immersion blender, transferring the contents of the pot to a regular blender or food processor would work out just fine. Add pepper to taste.

An Homage to Julia Child

“Never Apologize” is a phrase that has frequently been running through my head these days. Meryl Streep muttered that very line while playing Julia Child in the film Julie and Julia; her booming voice resonates through my thoughts every so often when I feel my mind being consumed with that very thing—my thoughts. I’ve become aware that sometimes (okay, often) I apologize too much. Maybe it’s a hangover from spending a bit too much time around my Italian side of the family, the side of the family whose guilt is ingrained into everyday life.  Although, I must say, if that time was not spent with my Italian family, I would have missed out on a lot of love (and some amazing recipes). I do love them; I just would prefer less of the guilt that comes hand in hand with a visit.

 I’ve come to find the mind is a very powerful object, able to manifest one’s entire destiny with a single thought. One’s very thoughts dictate moods and, as a result, outcomes of the day. Day to day you build your future, so whether you like it or not, you are creating your own destiny, at every moment.  I feel that apologizing for situations beyond your control, in the midst of creating your reality, should not be a part of it.

I then began thinking about the role a mind can play within one’s relationship with food. While building a healthy relationship with food your mind is your most valuable instrument. I find that when your mind is in a place of happiness, acknowledging food as nourishment and energy— you flourish. On the contrary, if your mind is conveying food as instant gratification or a grand indulgence, initiating thoughts of “guilt” may be building a negative relationship with food, creating internal discord. Our society has been inundated with trend diets over the past few years, leading us into ideas of what is to be considered “healthy” and “unhealthy”. Some diets have even managed to exclude entire food groups from what is to be considered the ideal vision of “health”. I would like to take the guilt out of eating. When we stop thinking of food (which is our very source of energy), as the enemy, we can build and nourish a positive relationship with food. By using ingredients that your body will benefit and thrive from, such as fiber rich foods, antioxidant filled fruits and veggies, and whole lean protein, you may just find yourself with a bit more energy to support that wholesome mind. I find that substitutions can be made in recipes where the ingredients are lacking nutritious benefits for your body.

Meryl Streeps’s portrayal of Julia Child in Julie and Julia led my mind to thinking about the influence that Julia Child has provided in the kitchen for decades. She completely revolutionized the home chef in the 60’s by taking the fear out of cooking. Her confidence helped convey the inspiration women and men needed to reach outside of their comfort zone in the kitchen. They began trying new dishes and techniques previously only seen in restaurants and used in “professional” kitchens. Throughout her journey, she stayed true to herself and kept doing what she loved her own way. Most importantly, she never apologized in the midst of creation. Guilt was not something to be found within the kitchen of Julia Child.

(Photo Courtesy of LA Times)

After muddling through all of these thoughts, I have made a conscious decision to become more aware of my apologizing. I’ve also made a decision to keep my kitchen a guilt-free area while consuming, as well as creating. When I was growing up, my mom used to say, “ You can begin the day again at any time”. Keeping such a simple phrase in my mind proved to be reassuring, meaning that regardless of what was to occur, I could begin again because I was in control. I think that while creating in life, whether it is in the kitchen, or not, it is encouraging to know that if something does not go to plan, the world will not end.

New Beginnings

I distinctly remember being about five years old and sitting across from my Mom and my Uncle in Laguna Beach at Johnny Rockets.

I’ll never forget my fascination with the do-it-yourself jukebox and the straws that twisted their way out of the container. I have always enjoyed new experiences but this particular trip had a profound “California” influence on me. 

When it came time to order, I asked for French fries and a soft-serve vanilla ice cream.  My Mom looked at me as if I had two heads and asked if I was sure that’s all I would be wanting for lunch. I assured her with a very large smile that would be all. This was long before Johnny Rockets became the nationwide chain it is today.

As I learned early on in my childhood, a fresh burst of sunshine has always helped maintain my sanity.

When the waitress eventually brought out our lunch, I began dipping my French fries into the ice cream. To my surprise and theirs, it was a rather delicious combination. On our way out, my Mom noticed a few older teenage girls at the bar dipping their French fries into ice cream. It was at that moment that she realized where my “out of the ordinary” lunch choice may have come from.

That moment may well have marked my first explorative moment with food, albeit not the healthiest one.

From that moment on, I could always be found in the kitchen. It started with baking and graduated to cuisine, of all sorts. I was a foodie in the making.

As I grew older, I learned more about my Uncle; including the fact that he was HIV positive. Initially the doctors gave him one year to live after his live AIDS diagnosis, but he defied their odds and lived fifteen years longer than expected. He chose to eat of the earth, making a shift towards a Macrobiotic diet.

He discovered that with the profound healing power of the mind, along with the restorative effect of healthy foods he was able to reawaken the life within him.  I was already attuned to experimenting while cooking, but his experience motivated me to look further into having a more mindful approach to eating.

This began with organic food and the Macrobiotic diet. From there, I discovered the importance of eating seasonally. Eventually, my curious palate found its way into Ayurveda.

My friends and family became interested in my journey with food and healing, asking me to share a few recipes with them here and there. That’s when I began to notice more and more people’s habits and behaviors towards their food.

Some had learned behaviors from childhood that, along with the influence of the media on trend “diets” put a negative slant on their association with food. Food became the enemy; causing erratic eating patterns. When food becomes the enemy, we often forget the very essence of what food actually is; energy and nourishment.

So, I decided to share my ongoing journey with an audience beyond my friends and family in the hope that my journey would help and inspire others along theirs.

I have been debating with myself for days about the particular date I should begin blogging. I ultimately decided to fall somewhere in between the first of the month and Independence day. Today, July 3rd, will be the beginning. I hope you enjoy it.