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The Most Loving Diet

2/10/2020

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, ads about love, flowers, and chocolate are everywhere.

Tradition has us buying heart-shaped candies, making heart-shaped cakes, and planning a special dinner out with that special someone. And although it might give us warm feelings to give and receive such gifts, I would like to suggest that real love would ask us to make food choices that actually support life rather than harming life.

When I prepare food for people, I want this food to support their best health and longest life. I also want it to look delightful and taste delicious. Fortunately, there is no conflict here. The foods that support our life and health the best are whole, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and small amounts of nuts and seed. These foods are not only loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that support our best health -- they’re also the most colorful and flavorful foods made by nature. Preparing these foods for my friends, family, and students is truly an act of love.

It turns out that a plant-based diet is also the most loving for our planet and all who share this planet with us. It’s quite obvious that when we don’t eat animals or animal secretions like eggs and dairy products, it is much better for the animals who also want to live their lives fully.

A plant-based diet is also the most loving for the soil, the water, the forests, and the air. Cutting forests for animal agriculture has caused desertification around the globe. Soil erosion , water pollution, and air pollution also result from the massive industrial factory farms that are the norm now.

I think we all recognize the need for more love in the world. The choices each of us make every day can make our world more healthy and peaceful or cause more disease, suffering and destruction. There are so many things we cannot control in life — but we CAN control the foods we buy, eat, and give to others. It’s amazing how powerful our food choices are.

Valentine’s Day is all about love. So if you haven’t already made this choice, I invite you this Valentine’s Day to choose the most loving diet there is: A whole-foods, plant-based diet.

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December 1st, 2019

12/1/2019

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Let's Keep it Simple

Modern life is complex. It’s fast. It’s changing rapidly. It’s stressful. Right?

But beneath it all, our most important choices can be simple.

1. Eat real food, the kind that grows in the ground.
2. Be kind.

Real food LOOKS like real food! It looks like fruit. Like vegetables. Like beans. Like grains, nuts and seeds.

Most of the products that come in a box or bag and have labels with long lists of ingredients aren’t “real food.” And trying to decipher the meaning of the labels is complex and confusing. It’s supposed to confuse us — so we won’t actually understand what sort of non-food, non-nutritive, and unhealthy things are inside that package.

So making the simple choice to eat real food makes life so much easier — and so much healthier. And eating real food is one of the most important ways to be kinder — to the planet, to the animals, to ourselves and our families.

Kindness

Kindness sounds so simplistic! Like I’m talking to a 5 year old. Don’t I know that life is hard and we have to fight our way through the world?

Actually, I believe Mr. Rogers had it right. Sometimes life IS hard. And it’s especially when it’s hard that we need to remember to be kind — to ourselves and to others.

So as we head into what is often our busiest and most complex time of the year — the holiday season — I suggest we all try to keep it simple. Eat real food — and be kind.

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Layers of Love

2/13/2018

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Ahhhhh . . . February . . . the month of Love.

And what could be more loving than living a vegan lifestyle?

Eating a vegan diet of unprocessed plant foods is probably the most loving act we can choose.

As I contemplated this topic, I kept finding more and more layers of love that we experience, and that we share, by choosing a healthy vegan diet.

First, a healthy vegan diet is the MOST LOVING thing we can do for ourselves. We create physical health and avoid most of the heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, inflammation in our joints, digestive issues, and dementia that destroy the quality of life for most people eating the Standard American Diet. And if that was ALL we accomplished with a healthy vegan diet, that would be enough.

But there’s so much more!

Eating this way is the most loving thing we can do for our family and friends. Now, this may cause a bit of head scratching, as I know many people think they are causing an inconvenience to others by eating differently.

However, if you have ever had a family member or close friend suffer, and possibly die, from cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, or the other common lifestyle diseases, you know that YOU ALSO suffer with them! My father died of cancer when I was 15, leaving my young widowed mother and three teenage children.

Taking care of ourselves is never a selfish act. Our lack of self-care always ends up affecting others as well.

Now let’s spread the love a little further.

Preparing and sharing healthy meals with our family is also an act of love. Of course, we don’t want to browbeat them into eating this way, but by making delicious food that entices them to eat healthfully, you are saving them a lot of unnecessary health problems as well.

I have to make a special note about feeding our kids.

We, as a nation, have done a terrible disservice to our children by feeding them in such a way that they are now experiencing increasing obesity and health problems such as Type 2 diabetes that used to only occur in adults. Adults have a responsibility to do our best to keep our children safe, and to teach them what they need to know to have rewarding, successful lives. And for some reason, we have ignored the importance of healthy food in our care of our children.

So when people ask me if I have any “kid friendly” recipes, I tell them that all the foods that are healthy for them, as parents, are healthy for their kids. And that’s what kids should be learning to eat as kids so that they learn to like them and know how to take care of their own health as adults. What is friendly about feeding kids foods that are making them fat and sick? Or that will guarantee that their arteries will be clogged and inflamed by their 40’s? Teaching our kids how to have long, healthy lives is truly an act of love!

After moving beyond ourselves, our family and friends, we see more layers of love.

The animals who share this planet with us deserve to live their own lives. There have been times and places where human survival depended upon eating animals, and there are probably some places where that is still true. However, that is definitely NOT the case for most humans now. So respecting the rights of other animals to live their own, natural lives is an act of love on our part.

Factory farms are the epitome of disregarding the needs of other beings. By choosing not to eat animals, we are choosing not to support an industry that causes terrible, unnecessary suffering to billions of other sentient beings.

Animal agriculture causes additional problems beyond animal suffering.

Animal agriculture causes more greenhouse gases than all forms of transportation, combined. It is polluting the air and ground water. The runoff of herbicides and pesticides flows into rivers and to our oceans, creating huge dead zones, where lack of oxygen doesn’t allow anything to live. Forests are cut down to grow feed crops for animals, removing the habitat where a great number of other animals and plants were living.

So choosing to eat a healthy vegan diet is an act of love for not only the animals we choose not to eat, but the other animals as well. It is an act of love for our air, water, soil, and ocean.

It is very easy to be depressed by all the problems in our world. There is so much suffering. So much fear. So much destruction. And it can feel so overwhelming that we just want to pull the covers over our head and try not to think about it.

But there is another way to handle it that is much more effective — and much more loving to ourselves.

By making the simple choice to eat only plants, we are having a positive influence on every one of these problems. We are not powerless. In fact, we are incredibly powerful! We, as consumers, are choosing which products and practices we want to have in this world. Every time we pay for meat, dairy products and eggs, we are supporting an industry that is causing great harm and suffering. But every time we choose to buy plants, ideally grown organically, we are supporting businesses and practices that collectively are making our world healthier, safer, and kinder.

We are seeing a real surge in veganism because of all these things. In fact, the number of people who self-identify as vegans has grown by 600% between 2014 and 2017! Dairy producers are beginning to produce plant milks. Meat producers are beginning to produce veggie burgers. Restaurants are increasingly offering vegan options. The shift is happening, and it is going to happen faster and faster as more of us adopt this way of life.

So in spite of the problems we still have in our world — in spite of our unbelievably bad health — things are changing. As we change our habits, we will experience greater health and improved quality of life. Our self-healing bodies can reverse the damage done by years of poor choices. And our self-healing earth can also begin to reverse the damage we have caused by our huge and damaging love-affair with meat, dairy, and eggs.

As we live a vegan lifestyle, our hearts will open again as we let ourselves feel the layers of love that ripple throughout our lives and the world.

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Treats for YOU and your DOG!

12/18/2017

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One of my favorite treats at this time of year is my Holiday Nog, which is MUCH healthier and tastier than regular Egg Nog — or vegan egg nog. And it’s so simple you can make it up fresh in just a couple of minutes.

I’ve shared a version of this with you in a previous blog post. But I have an even better and simpler version to share with you today. This recipe is found in my new cookbook: The Barefoot Gardener in the Kitchen Cookbook on p. 255.

Date Syrup is a healthy sweetener to replace sugar, agave nectar, or even maple syrup. Keep it in the fridge for up to about 10 days, or store it for longer in the freezer. You can cut this recipe in half, as well. But after you try this Holiday Nog recipe, you’ll probably want to keep some date syrup on hand so you can enjoy it frequently!

Doggy Treats

I get asked occasionally if I have a recipe for doggy treats. And good news — I do! So while you’re in the holiday mood, this is a great time to make some treats your dogs will love — and that will be good for them.

Peanut Butter Doggy Treats

1 1/4 cup water, warm
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2-3 cups whole wheat flour, as needed

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix warm water and peanut butter in a medium-sized bowl.
Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time.
When it gets too stiff to stir, turn the dough out onto a floured surface to knead.
Knead in as much flour as needed to make it smooth, but not super stiff.
Roll dough about 1/4 inch thick and cut into squares or use a cookie cutter.
Place pieces on a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Bake for about 20 minutes.

Treats should be crisp on the outside, but still a bit soft inside.
Store in a covered container for about a week, or freeze some of them for longer storage.

I wish you and your furry friends a wonderful holiday.
Enjoy your delicious and healthy treats!

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Vegan Pumpkin Pie

11/18/2017

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Pumpkin pie — autumn - THANKSGIVING!
YES!

But if we’re committed to eating only healthy plant-based foods, we could have a big problem.

What’s wrong with regular pumpkin pie? ? ?

Well, it has eggs, (not vegan.) It has lots of sugar, and the crust is loaded with butter, shortening or oil mixed with white flour, (not healthy.) That’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t belong in a healthy vegan diet!

But never fear . . . we can fix it. All of it! And still have a completely delicious dessert that says autumn and THANKSGIVING!

So how do we go about “veganizing” and “healthifying” the old, unhealthy, non-vegan version?

Getting rid of the eggs turns out to be super easy. Just leave them out and add a bit of Ener-G Egg Replacer, which is a mixture of plant starches to hold the pie together. It comes in a box and is a powder that you mix with water. This is ONLY for baking. (No— you can’t scramble it.)

Getting rid of the sugar is easy too. If you have been in my classes or have my cookbook, The Barefoot Gardener in the Kitchen Cookbook, you can guess what I’m going to say. I replace the sugar, which is highly refined empty calories, with dates, which are a very nutritious whole fruit loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

You can replace sugar with dates in almost all sweet recipes, as you’ll see throughout my cookbook.

But what about the crust? How can we replace all that fat? We certainly don’t want to ruin an otherwise healthy pie with a big gob of refined, processed fat that will not only add a huge load of empty calories. It also contributes to inflammation throughout our body, including the lining of our blood vessels, which contributes to high cholesterol and heart disease. Yikes!

There is a magical solution to the crust problem, which I learned from someone else. Now you’ll know it too, and can pass it on to others!

The solution is to add 1/2 cup of whole grain flour to the filling mixture, and the flour will sink to the bottom and make it’s own thin crust! So you don’t even have to make a crust at all! Now that’s magical, if you ask me!

You can use a gluten-free flour, such as brown rice flour (you can make your own by grinding brown rice in your VitaMix if you have one.) Or use whole wheat flour or other whole grain flour. Just don’t use white flour, because it’s also highly refined and is mostly empty calories.

When you cut the pie, you’ll see that each slice comes out nicely because the flour bakes a thin, skin-like crust. Amazing!

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it's great to know how to make a healthy, vegan pumpkin pie. Your body, and the chickens, will thank you! (And so will your dinner guests, because it tastes great!)

Follow the directions in the recipe below, and you’ll see how easy it is!

If you have purchased my cookbook, follow the recipe on p. 235. BUT make this change! Soak the dates in warm water for about 15 minutes, and then blend them with the soy milk before adding the rest of the ingredients.

The Dreamy Creamy Topping is on page 24.

And if you don’t have my cookbook yet, click here to get it! It’s chock-full of delicious, healthy plant-based recipes!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

This amazing pie makes its own “crust” so you can avoid the highest fat part of any pie. Plus, it is so simple and delicious that you’ll want to enjoy it frequently, not just for the holidays.

1 1/2 cups soy milk
10 Medjool dates, soaked, pits removed
1 Tbsp Ener-G egg replacer
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp organic cornstarch or arrowroot
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups pureed cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup brown rice flour (or whole grain flour of your choice)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

Soak the pitted dates in warm water for 15 minutes. Drain off water.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spray a 9-inch deep dish glass pie pan with cooking spray.
Put soy milk and dates in the blender and blend well.
Add the remaining ingredients and blend on high for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides a couple of times to make sure everything is thoroughly blended.
Pour into the pie pan and bake for about 60 minutes. The top and edges should be brown, but the edges should not be over-done. (Since this is a custardy pie, using the standard toothpick or knife test does not work; it will remain somewhat moist in the center, but it shouldn’t be uncooked.)
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the counter. For best results, refrigerate until chilled before eating.
Serve with my Dreamy Creamy Topping (below).

Notes:
You can use winter squash, sweet potatoes, or yams in place of the pumpkin. Do NOT substitute other egg substitutes, such as flax seeds. If you do, the pie will not thicken properly. (Guess how I know that!)

Dreamy Creamy Topping

This is perfect in place of whipped cream.

1 (12.3-oz.) box Mori-Nu silken tofu, firm or extra firm
1/4 cup raw cashews (optional)
3 Medjool dates, soaked, pits removed
1 tsp vanilla

Soak dates in water for 10–15 minutes.
Blend all ingredients thoroughly in a blender.
Chill and serve as you would whipped cream.

Notes:
You can leave out the cashews and it still makes a great topping, with less fat. The nuts just make it taste richer.

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Today is my 60th Anniversary!

7/4/2017

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It was 60 years ago today — July 4, 1957 — that my family and I arrived in Palmer, AK. in our old school bus, painted white. This was the “RV” that brought us over the long, long road from Louisiana.

There were six of us at the time. My parents, John and Lucille, and my 9 year old sister, Cynthia, my 8 year old brother, Morton, my little 5 year old brother, Charles, and me — 6 years old.

My mother, Lucille, and her 4 children.

This was a fun trip for the kids because we had the run of the bus to play in. We left the seats in the bus and had 3 beds on top of the seats. Boxes were stuck into the nooks and crannies under the seats. But this left little tunnels that made for great adventure under the seats.

I’m sure the trip was more grueling for my parents! So they were relieved to have finally arrived in Alaska.

Fresh clean Alaskan water.

Arriving on July 4th, my mother was determined to find a store where we could buy watermelon. “You can’t have the 4th of July without watermelon!” I imagine Palmer was the first town they found with much of a grocery store after crossing the border from Canada into Alaska.

People always ask what brought us to Alaska. The military? Some other job?

No — it was actually my mother’s idea. One evening while my dad was at work, she saw a program on TV showcasing the beauty of the Matanuska Valley. When my dad got home, she told him, “Let’s move to Alaska! I don’t want my kids to grow up not seeing snow.” Two months later, we were on the road. And about 6 weeks later, we rolled into Palmer, looking for watermelon!

We definitely got to see snow!

I’ve lived in Alaska most of the past 60 years, with a few years in northern New York, 4 years in North Carolina, and a year in California. Every place I’ve lived has had it’s own kind of beauty, but when I came back to visit my mother in 1991, I knew I wanted to live here again. So I did what my parents had done in 1957 — packed up my things and moved to Alaska. But of course, for me, it wasn’t like moving to a completely unknown place with 4 kids under 10!

I’ve shared some photos of the garden by the lake where I now live. My parents bought this property in 1961. We came here to swim and have picnics on the large raft we built. But there was no house until my mother decided to have one built in 1986.

She had the amazing foresight to include an apartment “for the gardener” in the house. As it turns out, I moved into the apartment in 1995 when she began having symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. So I was able to care for her until she moved into the next world in 2011.

Charlie joined me when we married in 1997 and we have now moved upstairs into the main house, even though we continue to be “the gardeners.” We now share the apartment with visitors from around the world who find us on AirBNB.com. In fact, it was one of our guests who brought this 60th anniversary to my attention 2 days ago when we were chatting about how long I’d lived in Alaska.

So if you’d like to enjoy a night or weekend in our vegan B&B, walk barefoot in the gardens, and paddle around the lake, we would welcome you at Lakeside Gardens.
I hope your 4th of July was complete with watermelon today!

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It's Rhubarb Time!

6/16/2017

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As you can see — I have a LOT of rhubarb.

If you have some rhubarb in your yard, you know how amazingly fast it grows. Around the first of May, all we see are little red nubs sticking out of the ground. And in about a month, it’s at least 2 feet tall.

Everyone who visits in the summer asks, “What do you do with ALL THAT RHUBARB?!”

Well, first of all, I love looking at it — I think it’s beautiful! So I have no intention of harvesting all of it.

I also love the tangy taste of it -- so I definitely want to eat some of it.

But there is a problem with rhubarb. It’s so sour you can’t really eat it without sweetening it. I used to make rhubarb pie,rhubarb jam, rhubarb sauce, and rhubarb crisp — all with TONS of sugar to make it tangy rather than downright sour.

However, as I’ve improved my diet over the years, I’ve become more and more reluctant to consume the empty calories of processed sugar.

But hold on — it's not hopeless! We just need to use a naturally sweet, whole-food sweetener to avoid the empty calories of processed sugar.

So once again — dates to the rescue!

It has taken a bit of experimenting, but I’ve come up with some pretty tasty recipes. The easiest of all is rhubarb “jam” with only 2 ingredients, or 3 if you count the water.

Rhubarb "Jam"
(Yield: about 2 cups)

2 cups rhubarb stalks, cut into about 1/2” pieces
1/4 cup water
1 cup dates or date pieces (10 Medjool)

Instructions:

Soak dates in water, just to cover, for about 10 minutes
Simmer rhubarb in water for a few minutes. It will begin to fall apart and make rhubarb sauce.
Drain dates and put in blender or food processor with rhubarb sauce
Process until as smooth as you like.

Enjoy this “jam” on toast, or add more water to make it a sweet/tangy topping for pancakes or waffles.

I recommend storing this ”jam” in small jars and keeping some in the freezer until ready to use. It will keep in the frig for about a week.

Note: Rhubarb leaves cannot be eaten, unfortunately. They are very high in oxalic acid and contain some other compounds which make the leaves toxic to eat. But touching the leaves doesn’t hurt you, and it is safe to compost the leaves.

I’ll include some other recipes for rhubarb in my upcoming cookbook, which we hope to have out in the fall.

Let me know in the comments below if you’ve discovered some other healthy ways to eat rhubarb — without using processed sugar. (Click the "Comments" text below to leave a comment.)

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The Most Loving Diet

December 1st, 2019

Let's Keep it Simple

Kindness

Layers of Love

Treats for YOU and your DOG!

Doggy Treats

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Today is my 60th Anniversary!

It's Rhubarb Time!

Our Medical Nightmare

Don’t Wait for Your Doctor!

Our Most Overlooked Gift

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