Eden Kitchen: Kale and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:
1 head kale, shredded
1 cup tomato, chopped
1 avocado
2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
celtic sea salt, to taste
½ teaspoon cayenne

Preparation:
In mixing bowl, toss all ingredients together. Mush everything together (with hands) to created marinated/wilted effect on kale. This makes it much tastier and easier to digest.

FastGirls Feature Food: Jicama

The root vegetable Jicama (pronounced “HEE-ka-ma”) has a flavor similar to that of water chestnut. Jicama is rich n beta-carotene, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, iron and potassium.

Select jicama that is firm and heavy for its size. Overly large or shriveled jicama is likely to be woody and tough. Jicama can be stored whole and unwrapped in the refrigerator for several weeks but storing it in plastic accelerates mold growth. Once it is cut it is best to use within a day or two. It can be used in salads or peeled, sliced and served with dips. In Latin America it is common to serve jicama with a squeeze of lemon or lime and a dash of salt. Jicama can be juiced, grated into salador grated to the size of rice grains and used as a rice replacement.

To peel jicama, cut in half and use the edge of a regular spoon to ply under the skin which will peel right off (figure I). Jicama has a papery-thin skin, and using a spoon will prevent you from tearing it. When the jicama is peeled, place it in a little lemon juice and water to maintain the color, texture and taste. It will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days until you're ready to use it. (You can apply the same technique to gingerroot.)

Eden Kitchen: Jicama Sticks (raw recipe)

After this, you'll never miss french fries again!

Jicama Sticks

Yield: 2 servings

1 jicama, peeled and cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional: not a raw product)

1 teaspoon chili powder (*see quick recipe below) or a chili powder of your chioce

1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

Combine all ingredients, toss well, serve.


*Chili Powder Recipe

2 tablespoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Use as needed. Store in a cool dry place.

FastGirls Feature Food: Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris cicla) is salty, cooling and alkaline in nature. This green is a good source of calcium, beta-carotene. vitamin C, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and iron. It is a digestive aid and beneficial for people suffering from a cold. When selecting, look for brightly colored, firm leaves.

Note: Swiss chard contains oxalic acid, which can inhibit the absorbtion of calcium and iron, and so should be consumed only in moderation, especially if cooked.

If anyone has any suggestions on great ways to prepare Swiss chard, please share.

Happy Eating!

Gaining Peace Through the Food We Eat

While fasting is a practice we undertake in order to spring clean our bodies, spirits and minds, much of that hard fought work can unfortunately be undone if we are not mindful of what we take into the body on the days we are eating. Failing to be mindful of what we put into our bodies also makes the fast day more difficult as the body must begin again its attempts to rid the body of too much sugar, stimulants and waste associated with eating “dead”, processed or otherwise unhealthy food. This makes the period of withdrawal that many of us experience during the fast even more difficult to deal with.

According to Queen Afua, author of the book Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind and Spirit, there is another serious side affect to eating what she calls “a violent, toxic diet.”

She writes, “Food is our fuel. What and how we eat determines the effectiveness of our lives. There are natural food alternatives, so we don’t have to feel deprived. We can simply make better choices."

Here are some of the symptoms, according to Queen Afua, of eating a violent, toxic diet:

· Women verbally abusive to men
· Men physically abusive to women
· Stressed out parents unable to talk to children, using blows instead
· Gossiping
· Inability to let go of resentment, depression and worry
· Abusive, animalistic, or uncontrollable sexuality


In looking at my fasting/eating experience I can attest to a significant difference in my relationships and interactions with people. Since beginning fasting/mindful eating practice, it is easier to see how what I put into my body affects my thinking, feelings and behavior.

Here is a great Eden Kitchen recipe you can try. It’s inexpensive, easy to prepare and easy to take to work.

Garden Vegetable Soup

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks, white part only (from approximately 3 medium leeks)
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
Kosher salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds (approximately 2 medium)
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
2 cups fresh green beans, broken or cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
4 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup packed, chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice


Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the leeks, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sweat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, and green beans and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the tomatoes, corn kernels, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add the parsley and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with kosher salt. Serve immediately.

*You can always substitute these vegetable for whatever is in your refrigerator. Enjoy!

Gratitude: A Beautiful Diversion

This might be one of the biggest challenges early on for many of us who still have the job of shopping and preparing or buying meals for our loved ones. It is also an amazing opportunity to be with desire and wanting - so near that you could actually taste it - yet refrain. It is a critical part of the practice that teaches unparalleled discipline.

What we focus on expands.

Because this is true, I realized quite quickly that I would need to set my intention and stay focused in a particular direction in order to get through the meal preparation and serving without breakingmy fast. For me, this meant occupying my thoughts with gratitude. While I chopped, sauted, poured and whisked, I kept my thoughts on how grateful I was to be able to provide a healthy meal for my family. I was grateful for my ability to cook and that my heart is so willing to do it. I was grateful that I could make a choice to abstain from eating because so many people don't have that opportunity; they do not eat because they cannot eat. On my fast day I also take my family's mealtime as an opportunity to thank God for my mother and all of the skills she passed on to me that I can now pass on to my children. I stay focused on how grateful I am that she taught me the importance of being able to feed my husband and the value of that act in my endeavor to keep him healthy and happy.

For me, taking this approach has made the unavoidable job of cooking while fasting, a kind of meditation and a grateful prayer. For those of us who have no other option, gratitude is a beautiful diversion.