Blikki Magazine ~ August / September 2013 No. 5

Blikki

Blog + Wiki = Blikki ~ The Magazine for Compassionate Living

19 GREAT AUTUMN RECIPESp. 34 Create a Pollinator Paradise p.20

The Amazing Benefits of Honey p.42 Exclusive Interview with Wes Crain of Navitas Naturals p.40

June / July 2013 Price: FREE www.Blikki.com

Easy to Download Recipes p. 23

Fall Issue August / September 2013

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Contents Feature Articles: 10 16 18 20 34 36 40 43

Gluten-Free Flat Breads Honey - Nectar of the Gods How to Become an Eco-Citizen Get a Buzz-Worthy Garden Soups, Salads, and Such . . .

Guess Who’s Coming to Breakfast?

Interview with Wes Crain of Navitas Naturals Easy Sprouts in 3 days

[ [ In Every Issue

Editor’s Note 8 Nutrition Q&A 14 Quick Bites! 44 Soul Food 45

©2013 Blikki.com, All Rights Reserved. Blikki® is the registered trademark of Blikki.com. All other marks are either trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. No portion of this magazine may be reprinted, copied or distributed in print or on-line without prior written consent.

The statements and products featured in this publication and/or on this site may not have been evaluated by the US Food & Drug Administration. The statements and products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The articles written are from the author’s viewpoint and or opinion and may not necessarily reflect he opinions or views of Blikki, its owner, publisher, or editors. Articles are copyright of the author and used with permission.

Contributors

Jill Hillhouse BPHE, CNP

is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner whose practice is based on her philosophy that each individual is metabolically unique. She seeks to identify the root cause of peoples’ health concerns and to educate and inspire them to be an active partner in their own health.

Heather Poire is

the genius creator, recipe developer and photographer behind her blog Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes.

Heather’s passion is sharing her recipes with the world to show how tasty and amazing vegan food can be.

Heather’s recipes and photography have been published in VegNews, Take Stock and Chickpea magazines.

Emma Seppala, Ph.D is the

Erin Bosdet is a

Heidi Bjarnason

Certified Holistic Nutritionist (CHN), a vegan chef and a mom.

She is passionate about nutrition, photography and raising her son.

Her Simply Dish pages were created to inspire you and to share nutritious and delicious plant based recipes with you and your family.

is a mom of three cooking and baking healthy meals and snacks with whole grains and lots of seasonal(and mostly local) fruits and veggies, and blogging at FoodDoodles.

Juliet Blankespore is the director and primary instructor at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. She cultivates a diverse herb garden and apothecary. Juliet also shares her plant obsession through her herbal articles and botanical photography in her Blog Castanea, and she is a columns in Plant Healer Magazine and the Journal of the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy.

Amy Atherton is

Genevieve is

Associate Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University where she studied the impact of meditation on happiness, social connection, and compassion.

Emma’s research has been cited in numerous television and news outlets including ABC News and The New York Times.

the author of the blog Foods for the Soul. She graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Chemistry, and she put her degree to use by developing healthy recipes in her home kitchen. Although she spends most of her day baking , Amy still finds time for running, yoga, and eating lots of dark chocolate.

a grad student from Canada and creator of the blog Vanilla and Spice, devoted to healthy vegetarian and vegan recipes. She finds inspiration from seasonal produce, farmers’ markets, and travels to various countries around the world.

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Erin Wysocarski

is an amateur home cook and founder of Olives for Dinner, a vegan blog created in 2011. Erin cooks and styles her vegan creations while her husband, Jeff, photographs the end result. Since then, their work has appeared in bonappetit.com, The Huffington Post, thekitchn. com, SF Weekly and VegNews.

Kristy Sayer is

passionate about healthy living and uses her blog, Southern In-Law, to share her healthy, allergy friendly recipes as well as her life in Sydney Australia with her Southern Gentleman Jesse. The blog covers everything from food to weddings to fashion to travel and just about everything in between.

Mikaela Shafer

runs her healthy living blog MamaMouseSays in Ogden, Utah.

When not blogging up a storm she can be found hiking the beautiful mountain trails just a few blocks from her house, baking with her family and buying hideous and wacky treasures at the local thrift store.

Annalissa Kapp is a certified holistic nutritionist, recipe developer, and the woman behind Annaliisa’s Organic Kitchen.

In her practice she offers guided online nutritional workshops on how to safely and effectively detoxify, lose weight, boost your mood, and increase energy with whole foods.

She is also a natural food chef and a wellness coach for people around the globe.

Marie Haldane

Lauren Glucina is

Shira McDermott

Sonnet Lauberth

is the “Cautious Vegetarian” and lives in Vancouver.

She loves to create, cook and blog about vegetarian food.

She has worked for many years in the health care field and is currently completing a Master’s degree in community development with a focus on innovative ways to help people improve their health.

is a food lover, who believes eating well should be accessible to all, and that eating healthfully shouldn’t be overly expensive or complicated.

By using seasonal, plant-based ingredients, her aim is to inspire everyone to cook and eat well.

a Raw Chef, Health Coach and Herbalist-in-the-making in Sydney, Australia.

A passionate raw foodie, she shares recipes, health and wellness tips and inspiration on her blog, Ascension Kitchen.

is a certified holistic health coach, food educator, blogger, and writer with a passion for helping people lead fuller, healthier, and happier lives.

Lisa Viger is a

vegan artist, author, photographer, gardener, and food blogger. She loves all beings with whom she shares this beautiful planet, and enjoys showing others that a vegan lifestyle can be economical, fun, and delicious, too.

Raw on $10 shows how to go raw without going broke.

Sarah Kieffer

spends much of her time bak­ing, tak­ing pho­tographs, and lis­ten­ing to Ella Fitzger­ald. She shares her recipes and mus­ings at The Vanilla Bean Blog.

Kieran Gruber

is a foodie who is passionate about healthy living. He created his blog Health Is Happiness as a place to share his whole food plant-based recipes with the world.

He is currently studying to become a holistic nutritionist in order to help others live healthier and happier lives.

Amie Valpone,

HHC, AADP is a Manhattan based Personal Chef, Culinary Nutritionist, Professional Recipe Developer, Food Photographer and Writer specializing in simple glutenand dairy-free recipes. Amie’s has appeared on Martha Stewart, Fox News Health, The Huffington Post, The Food Network, PBS and many others.

Angela Liddon

began her journey to create awesome vegan food by focusing on creating healthy and delicious plantbased meals that would win over her husband. March of this year, she released her first cookbook “Oh She Glows” -- the Kindle edition is set to release this December.s

Erica Kerwien is

a kitchen chemist and founder of Comfy Belly (www. comfybelly.com).

Comfy Belly is a valuable resource for healthy recipes that are gluten-free, grain-free, dairyfree, sugar-free and other lifestyles.

If you find our e-zine useful, click here to tip us a few dollars to show your love.

Thank you for your support.

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 7

Editor’s Note

august september I

was saying to my friend Waddie recently that I’ve been eating a natural, organic diet for a long, long time. And I really committed to eating cleanly when I was diagnosed with tummy troubles several years ago. The specialists I was seeing at the time couldn’t help me to resolve my digestive issues, so I decided to be my own diagnostician. That’s when I discovered that there was a definite connection between the food I was eating and my overall health.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I learned there was another threat to our food supply -- GMOs. What are GMOs (or Genetically Modified Organisms) and why should we be concerned? A GMO is an organism that has been genetically modified to include the DNA of micro-organisms such as bacteria, yeast, insects, plants, fish or mammals, and these organisms are being added to our food supply.

Although there is no definitive answer to the dangers GMOs pose to our overall heath, my research indicates that GMOs can negatively affect our health by causing issues with reproduction, accelerated aging, gastrointestinal issues, organ damage, immune system problems, and issues regulating cholesterol and insulin levels.

So what can you do to avoid eating GMOs? First, always eat only certified organic foods. Second, you can choose foods and products that are Non-GMO Project Verified. To read more about GMOs, see our article “Why You Should Care About GMOs” .

Bon Appetit!

Hippie Diva 8 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

Gluten-Free Flat Breads

From Around The World

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Rosemary and Thyme Flaxbread Makes about 20 triangles • 1 c flax meal • 1 cup walnuts, soaked • 3 cups chopped zucchini • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 2 tablespoons yeast • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped • 1 clove garlic, minced • 1 tablespoon maple syrup • ½ teaspoon flakey sea salt • ½ cup water 1. Process all ingredients except the flax meal and the water, in a food processor, till well combined 2. Transfer to a large bowl, fold through the flax meal and water 3. Mix well till you have a nice dough 4. Spread 1/3 inch thick over dehydrator teflex sheets 5. Dehydrate at 115˚F for 6 hours 6. Remove tray and score into triangles like the image above 7. Dehydrate for a further 10 hours.

Lauren Glucina Ascension Kitchen

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his raw rosemary and thyme flax bread is simple to make, and gives you a goddess body. It flattens out the stomach, and protects from Breast Cancer. The humble flaxseed has been used as a food source for over 5,000 years!

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Chickpea Flat Bread • 2.5 cups chick-pea flour (also called gram or garbanzo flour) • 3.5 cups fresh cold water • 1 tsp salt & black pepper, or to taste • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil In a large mixing bowl, pour in the flour. Add the water gradually as you whisk the flour to keep any lumps from forming. Once all the water has been added, mix until completely smooth and add salt and pepper as desired (just not too much salt and this recipe doesn’t need much).

Let the mixture stand on the counter for 3 hours or so. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Gently skim off any froth that forms on the surface of the mixture with a slotted spoon. Prepare a large rimmed cookie sheet by pouring the olive oil onto the bottom (if you can, do not be shy or skimpy here with the olive oil, it is wonderful in this recipe).

Celebrating simple whole foods in their freshest state is what Shira McDermott’s blog is all about, as well as enjoying everything in moderation and with gratitude.

Shira McDermott In Pursuit of More 12 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

Once the oven is hot, pour in the batter, making a layer about (1/4) inch deep. Careful, this is going to move a lot when you pick it up! Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until golden.

Remove from the oven when done and let cool a little before cutting & serving.

d Downloeas Recip

Ethiopian Injera

by DK Chef in You

Starter Ingredients:

Injera recipe

• 3/4 cup water, room temp. (70 degrees) • 1/2 cup teff flour • A pinch active yeast (about 1/8 tsp) Making the Starter

• 1/4 cup teff starter • 1-3/4 cups water, at room temperature • 1-3/4 cups teff flour • 1/4 tsp salt Step 1 - Mix together starter and water, stir to dissolve.

Step 2 - Add the teff flour and mix until the batter is smooth. It will have the consistency of thin pancake batter.

Step 3 - Cover batter and let stand for 5 to 6 hours at room temperature.

Step 4 - Add the salt and stir to dissolve.

Step 5 - Heat a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat (you’ll also need a tight-fitting lid). Lightly greese the skillet with a thin layer of vegetable oil. Pour about 1/2 cup (for a 10-inch skillet) or 3/4 cup (for a 12-inch skillet) of batter in the center of the skillet.

Step 6 - Tilt and swirl the skillet immediately to coat evenly.

Step 7 - Let the bread cook for about 1 minute, just until holes start to form on the surface.

Step 8 - Cover the skillet with the lid to steam the Injera.

Step 9 - Cook for about 3 minutes, just until the edges pull away from the sides and the top is set.

Day 1: Combine ingredients for the starter in a bowl.

Step 1 - Loosely cover the starter with the lid/cloth and ferment for two days. You should see some rising in about four hours. Let sit for 2 days.

Day 3: Step 2 - Stir the starter. At this point, the starter will have a very yeasty and grassy smell. You will also notice small bubbles on the surface.

Step 3 - Feed the starter 1/3 cup teff flour and 1/2 cup water and loosely cover with the lid. Let sit for 2 days.

Day 5: Starter should have separated into distinct layers. Stir starter, it should be slightly fizzy and have a very strong grassy aroma. Feed with 1/3 cup teff flour and 1/2 cup water. Loosely cover and allow to sit alone for at least 4 hours before using to make Injera.

{Click here for see full recipe details}

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 13

Nutrition

Q&A

Q: I’m new to eating a plant based diet, and I want to cut down on simple carbohydrates (white breads, potato chips, white rice).

Are there other vegetables that are considered carbohydrates?

Elizabeth, Texas

Q: Ifamily. want to create balanced vegetarian and vegan meals for my I know there’s a traditional food pyramid, is there one

with Jill Hillhouse BPHE, CNP

for a plant based diet?

Lee, New Mexico

have grouped these two questions together because the A: Imacronutrients in our diet (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) exist in relationship to one another, not in a vacuum.

Given the current reductionist state of much of our nutrition information it is easy to think of just protein (last issue) or just fats or just a certain vitamin as beneficial but the truth is that nutrients work synergistically in our bodies. With that in mind, let’s look at carbohydrates by themselves first and then see where they fit into the whole food pyramid concept.

The idea of simple and complex carbohydrates has been around for a long time but the actual biochemistry of these two is much different than the popular definition.

For example, the white bread, potato chips and white rice mentioned as simple carbohydrates in the first question are actually all complex carbohydrates because they are composed of starch (polysaccharides) while table sugar (sucrose) and the sugar in fruit (fructose) are both simple carbohydrates. Regardless of the type, the digestive system tries to break all carbohydrates down into individual glucose molecules which then become our blood sugar from which the body can get its energy. Fiber is the exception because the body can’t break it down so it passes through undigested but does offer its own health benefits in the intestine.

As with the protein information in my last column, I really try to avoid one-size-fits-all recommendations because they don’t work. The Institute of Medicine recommends between 45-65% of an adult’s calories come from carbohydrates while the World Health Organization sets a goal of 55-75% of total energy from carbohydrates. A more healthful way of looking at carbohydrate consumption is to consider the glycemic index of the food. This helps us classify carbohydrates based on how quickly they raise our blood sugar compared to glucose. So the white rice, chips and white bread are all high glycemic and act like sugar in the body, even though they are complex carbohydrates. Ideally we want to eat the lower glycemic carbohydrates (less than 55 on the GI scale) because quick and strong increases in blood sugar brought on by high glycemic foods are irrefutably linked to diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

What we often forget is that all our vegetables are also carbohydrates and this is really where we should be concentrating our efforts. When it comes to food pyramids, there is a vegetarian one but the inherent problem of one-size-fits-all still exists within that structure. Optimal percentages of carbo-

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hydrates in the diet will vary based on a number of things including age, activity level, health status and insulin sensitivity. Have a look at the chart and try to get most of your carbohydrates from the low glycemic end of the spectrum and let’s load up on non-starchy vegetables! For a more complete glycemic index list please visit www.mendosa.com. {B}

Source Qty Carbs

Glycemic Index

Vegetables broccoli (cooked) carrots (cooked) potato (boiled)

1 cup 11 grams 1 cup 13 grams 1 cup

10 39 78

Fruit apple bananas orange juice

1 med 1 med 1 cup

25 grams 27 grams 25 grams

36 51 52

Legumes red lentils chick peas kidney beans

1 cup 1 cup 1 cup

40 grams 32 grams 37 grams

32 28 24

Dairy skim milk soy milk ice cream

1 cup 1 cup 1 cup

17 grams 8 grams 46 grams

37 34 51

Grains Corn Flakes whole wheat bread rolled oats (cooked) brown rice (cooked) white rice (cooked)

1 cup 1 slice 1 cup 1 cup 1 cup

25 grams 22 grams 64 grams 46 grams 53 grams

81 74 55 68 73

Nuts and Seeds Nuts and seeds don’t contain enough carbohydrates to be measured for their glycemic index and in fact will lower the glycemic index of foods eaten with them.

Do you have a nutrition question? Send your questions to: Nutrition@blikki.com

Honey - Nectar of the Gods RENA STERNFELD

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hether it’s called “liquid gold” or “nectar of the Gods”, honey is one of the original “super foods”. Cave paintings found in Valencia, Spain show honey hunters collecting honey from a wild bee hive 8000 years ago. And the Old Testament mentions honey as a symbol of plentitude — “The Land Flowing with Milk and Honey” is how the Old Testament describes the Promised Land.

Honey is produced through the process of regurgitation which turns the nectar the bees collect into a food source for the next generation of bees.

It is kept in chambers in the honeycomb of the hive. The Beekeeping process encourages over production of honey and the excess can be taken from the colony without disturbing the hive.

Click here to shop Beeraw to purchase the honey above

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Collected from the honeycomb in the hive, the honey is removed and filtered. It is classified by its floral source and by the processing and packaging. Most commercial honey is blended – a mixture of two or three kinds of honey from different sources.

Honey contains monosaccharaides, fructose and glucose, and has about the same sweetness as granulated sugar. Most microorganisms do not grow in honey so it can be kept at room temperature without the need for refrigeration. Honey has been used throughout the years for long term storage and preservation. Objects, found immersed in honey (without humidity), have been preserved for centuries.

Did you know that honey has also been used to treat ailments – especially Manuka honey which is used for its anti-bacterial properties. Even though Manuka honey has the reputation of being super anti-bacterial and helpful in cases of skin burns and different types of chronic wounds, there isn’t enough scientific data to support that claim. Caution: if you do use any type of honey to dress a wound, be sure to use only honey that has been processed to be used specifically as a wound dressing.

THE GLOSSARY Polyfloral honey, also known as wildflower honey, has different flowers as the source.

Monofloral honey is made mainly from nectar of a single species and differs in color and flavor according to the source.

Although called Monofloral, there is always some other kind

of nectar involved because of the Whipped honey - Also called inability to contain the bees to spun honey, creamed honey, one area. Most American honey or candied honey (in the UK is made from nectar of clover, it is called set honey) has been orange blossom, blueberry, spun to prevent it from crystalsage and buckwheat. European lizing. The honey is smooth and honey is also made from spreadable. thyme, thistle, heather, dandelion, sunflower Comb honey – Honey and honeysuckle.

Did you know that is still in the comb.

The honey combs are that honey’s Crystallized honey, also anti-bacterial removed from the hive called granulated honey, and cut to pieces. properties has crystallized over is useful in time. It can be returned Manuka honey – Comes treating to liquid by stirring from bees who feasted on while the container is the Manuka trees (also ailments? heated (typically in hot known as Tea Trees) water). which grow in New Zealand and Southeast Pasteurized honey - Just as with Australia. It is dark in color and milk, honey is heated to destroy has a distinctive earthy flavor. yeast cells and delay the appearance of crystallization. ExcesSTORING HONEY: sive heat is known to cause the honey to deteriorate and darken Honey should not be preserved in color. It also affects the taste in metal containers because the and fragrance. acids in the honey may promote oxidation. Traditionally it was Raw honey - Raw honey hasn’t stored in clay or wood pots. If been pasteurized and is as close storing in wood the honey may to natural as possible. It may change its taste a little. Heating contain some pollen and partiit to body temperature causes cles of wax from the comb. In the honey to lose about 200 what seems like a paradox,w components. Heating it to 104° F this honey is best for preventing destroys invertase, an important and treating hay fever and other enzyme that gives this liquid allergies because of the small gold most of its benefits. amounts of pollen it contains which lets the body get used THE BUZZ to it and build the antibodies to fight off allergens. So if you • Honey is an energy booster, suffer from seasonal allergies, • An immune system buster, a teaspoon of local honey may • An anti-bacterial agent. actually help prevent allergy • And lastly, who hasn’t attacks. enjoyed a warm cup of tea during cold and flu season to Strained honey help soothe a sore, irritated Means the honey has throat? been passed through a strainer, without So the next time you’re enjoying pasteurization. your cuppa, try adding a little honey. Not only will it add a Filtered honey little brightness to your drink, Has been filtered to but you may help boost your remove impurities and immune system in the process! only heated slightly. {B} This kind of honey is very clear and doesn’t crystallize quickly. www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 17

How To Become an Eco-Citizen

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he terms ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘green’ appear almost everywhere these days. So much so that it makes you stop and wonder. If so many things are eco-friendly, shouldn’t we all be much better off by now?

No, the terms have become a marketing slogan playing on the fact that most of us want to help preserve our plant.

We just have to be a little bit smarter.

What does it mean to be ecologically smart? It means using goods and services that help conserve resources. It means using resources that have minimal impact on the environment at both ends - when they are manufactured and when they are disposed of. It means trying to minimize contributions to air, water and land pollution.

Being an eco-citizen means thinking about what we put in the soil when we use pesticides and herbicides.

Thinking about what we put in our mouths and what kind of cleaners and soaps we use which end up in unexpected places and impact the eco-system.

But we are not only obligated to preserve the earth.

We are morally obligated to preserve the people who populate it. To ensure that what we buy here was not produced by sweat shops and underage labor in poor and developing countries. To make sure that the jewelry we buy does not include a ‘blood diamond’ that might have cost someone his life.

• It means using sustainable materials that can be replenished without depleting our natural resources and without disturbing the eco system. It is the capacity to endure through renewal, maintenance, and sustenance as opposed to durability and resistance to change. “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” That is how the United Nations called the concept in 1987. Not everything that is called eco-friendly is sustainable but everything that is sustainable is eco-friendly.

• Being an eco-citizen means we look at the materials we build with, the chemicals we use to insulate, and at the plumbing we install and decide that even though it might cost a little bit more right now, it will help save the environment and save money

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By Rena Sternfeld down the line. Living an eco-lifestyle is not that difficult. A good guide can be found on the EPA site, which talks about energy efficiency, water efficiency, building materials, waste and toxins reduction, and indoor air quality.

• It means paying attention to the products we use around the house. Environmental Working Group has a guide for environmentally safe cleaners.

• It means looking at the labels of the clothes we buy to see if they are made from natural fibers, recycled materials and without forced labor. It means knowing where child labor still exists and avoiding buying the brand that uses it to increase profits. Eco fashion has become very popular, and there are websites, such as Eco Fashion World, that tell you which brands sell clothes that follow those guidelines.

• Being an eco-citizen means that when you buy jewelry, you make sure it is eco-jewelry; conflict free diamonds, free traded precious stones, and recycled gold to decrease the global demand for new ore. It takes 20 tons of ore to produce enough gold for one single ring. There are some sites that specialize in eco-jewelry like Brilliant Earth or Green Oro. You can find more information on a site called Green Karat.

• It means knowing what is in the beauty products you buy and learning what different chemicals can do when they come in touch with your hair, skin and ground water. Read a National Geographic article here, and additional information can also be found at SafeCosmetics.org A good source of additional information is the United States Environmental Protection Agency, which has a comprehensive site talking about green living and sustainability.

Being an eco-citizen means being educated about what happens around the world socially, politically and economically, and making decisions based on facts, not labels. In the end, making sound eco choices really boils down to asking yourself three simple questions before each purchase -- Who made it? How was it made? And finally, what is it made from? {B}

Get a Buzz-Worthy Garden

by Debbie Roos

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Most pollinators – approximately 200,000 species – are beneficial insects such as bees, flies, beetles, wasps, and butterflies. A small percentage of pollinators are vertebrates such as hummingbirds. Honey bees and native bees (bumble bees, carpenter bees, sweat bees, mining bees, mason bees, etc.) are critical to our food supply and are responsible for pollinating about one-third of the foods we enjoy.

Bees and other pollinators are also essential components of the habitats and ecosystems that many wild animals rely on for food and shelter. As natural areas are cleared for development, pollinator habitat is destroyed or fragmented, resulting in the loss of foraging and nesting sites. This can lead to a decline in pollinator populations.

One big way you can help pollinators is by planting forage habitat that provides nectar and pollen. Your main goal is to have plants flowering throughout the growing season, from early spring-late fall, with overlapping bloom periods.

Choose flowers with a diversity of bloom color, size, and shape to attract the greatest diversity of pollinators. Some pollinators have short tongues and can only feed from small, open flowers with easily accessible nectar. Other pollinators have long tongues and prefer more complex blooms.

Emphasize native plants to provide the most benefits to the greatest number of pollinators.

Some examples of native plants that will make your pollinators very happy from spring to fall: wild indigo, spiderwort, and beard tongue (spring); butterfly weed, mountain mint, Joe-pye weed, coneflower, anise hyssop, blanketflower, and St. John’s wort (summer); goldenrod, aster, spotted horsemint, and obedient plant (fall). Herbs such as lavender, thyme, oregano, calamint, basil, catmint, and rosemary also provide great resources for bees.

This article was originally published at the National Extension Master Gardener blog.

Photo courtsey Debbie Roos

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 21

Converting Measurements Because our readers are all over the world, you may need a conversion table before you prepare our recipes. Below is a great link and a conversion table from their page to get you started: Converting Recipes to Metric Measures (visit The Metric Kitchen web site for full details).

Liquids (and Herbs and Spices)

Weight

Liquids can be converted to liters or milliliters with the following table. Small volumes (less than about 1 fluid ounce or 2 tablespoons) of ingredients such as salt, herbs, spices, baking powder, etc. should also be converted with this table.

Do not use this table to convert other non-liquid ingredients.

Weights can be converted with the following table. Note that the ounces referred to in this table are not the same as fluid ounces.

To download any of our recipes, click the Download Recipe button. d Downloae p Re ci

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 23

Soups, Salads , and Such . . .

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s summertime produce fades away and the fall produce begins to arrive at the market, the overlap of the seasons presents us with a plethora of wonderful choices. Enjoy the transition of the seasons by experimenting with these mouthwatering soup, salad and sandwich recipes.

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more flavour from it that way) and add it to the pot along with the lime leaves. Stir well. Check for salt.

1. Sweet Potato Coconut Soup Courtesy: The Cautious Vegetarian 4 Servings Ingredients: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp (15 ml) ginger, grated 3 cups (720 ml) vegetable broth 1 14 oz (400 ml) can coconut milk (I used light) 2 Tbsp (30 ml) Thai red curry paste 1 Tbsp (15 ml) honey 1 small stalk lemongrass 6 kafir lime leaves Salt to taste 2 lbs (900 g) sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 1/2 cup (120 ml) sweetened shredded coconut

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. When hot add the onion. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for an additional minute.

Add the broth, coconut milk, red curry paste and the honey. Smash the lemon-grass stalk with the back of your knife (you will get 26 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

Add the sweet potato cubes. Increase the heat to medium high and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard the lemon-grass and lime leave.

While the soup cooks, toast the coconut.

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C).

Place the coconut onto a small baking tray. Bake until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

Blend the soup with an immersion blender. Place into serving bowls and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

2. Miso and Bean Soup Courtesy: Annalissa’s Organic Kitchen Ingredients: • 2 cups vegetable stock • ½ yellow onion • 1 tsp coconut oil • ½ cup cannellini beans, cooked • 1 small carrot • ½ cup red cabbage • 1 cup broccoli • 1 garlic clove • 1 tsp fresh ginger root, grated • 2 wakame strips (or arame seaweed)

• 2 Tbsp miso paste • Pinch of cayenne pepper How to make: In a medium soup pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Slice onion into thin strips and add to pot. Saute for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mince garlic and ginger root. Cut carrot into thin slices and broccoli into bite sized pieces.

Add garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper into pot and stir for 30 seconds.

Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Break the wakame strips into 3. Add in carrot, broccoli and wakame seaweed, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in beans and allow to heat through. Remove from heat and mix in miso paste.

You don’t want to heat up miso too much as it kills the beneficial bacteria.

3. Apple Avocado Soup Courtesy: Raw on $10 a Day Ingredients: • • • • • • •

1 avocado, chopped 2 medium apples, peel & chop 1 tablespoon chopped onion handful arugula leaves 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups water, for blending minced onion

• salt and pepper to taste • red pepper flakes

Set aside a few arugula leaves for garnish.

In a blender, combine the avocado, apples, chopped onion, arugula leaves, olive oil, and water, and puree until very smooth.

simmering soup, and stir until the cheese melts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top soup with avocado, and squeeze lime juice over soup to taste.

Salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with a few chopped arugula leaves, some finely minced onion, and red pepper flakes.

6. French Onion Soup Courtesy: Olives for Dinner

5. Raw Cucumber Wasabi Soup Courtesy: For the Love of Food Blog Serves 2

4. Sopa De Maiz {Mexican Corn Soup} Courtesy: The Vanilla Bean Blog • 3 1/2 cups corn kernels, plus 1 cup, fresh or frozen • 1 cup chicken broth • 4 tablespoons butter • 2 cups whole milk or half and half [I like 1 cup of each] 1 teaspoon ground cumin • 1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed • 1 [14 ounce] can of green chilies • 3 dashes [more or less to taste] Tabasco sauce • 1 teaspoon pepper • 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese • salt and pepper, to taste • 1 avocado, diced • 1 lime

In a blender or food processor, puree 3 1/2 cups corn and chicken broth until smooth. Melt the butter in a stockpot. Add the corn puree and simmer over low heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the milk, cumin, and garlic. Heat to boiling, reduce heat and stir in green chilies, Tabasco sauce, and pepper. Add shredded cheese and remaining 1 cup of corn to the

• • • • • • • •

2 cucumbers 1 avocado, skinned and pitted 1 cup water 2 green onions 1 teaspoon dill 1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder 1/4 cup cilantro freshly-ground sea salt and black pepper to taste

Add the cucumbers, avocado, water, and green onions to your blender. (You might have to chop these items ahead of time depending on the strength of your blender and blades.) Blend thoroughly, adding a little more water if necessary. Add the dill, wasabi powder, cilantro, and sea salt to taste. Blend thoroughly until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until serving and top with a little black pepper if desired.

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Ingredients • 3 large Vidalia onions • 5 TB Earth Balance • salt • 1 TB flour • 1/2 cup sherry • 4 cups homemade vegetable stock with one Not-Beef bouillon cube added OR mushroom stock • 5 springs of fresh thyme, tied with baker’s twine • 2 bay leaves Method Start by slicing the ends off of the onions and peeling them. Slice them vertically in half, then slice each half thinly into half-moon shapes. In a large dutch oven, melt the Earth Balance over medium-low heat. Add in the onion and sprinkle with some salt. Cover and let them sweat for 45 minutes.

Uncover, stir and sprinkle with a little more salt. Allow to reduce and caramelize for 45 minutes to an hour more, stirring no more than two or three times, to allow the color to deepen.

Sprinkle the onion with flour and stir well for about a minute. Add in the sherry to deglaze the pot, then stir to combine. Allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes more, then remove about 1/2 cup of the onions and place to the side.

Return to the soup, and then throw in the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.

Slowly pour in either the vegetable stock along with the Not-beef bouillon cube or the mushroom stock.

Simmer for about 10-15 minutes more. www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 27

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sprinkle with citrus herb salt & pistachios, top each plate with the remaining micro greens.

Pour chia seed dressing over squash mixture; gently toss to combine.

Carefully break apart pieces of Bibb lettuce and place into serving dishes.

Portion teff mixture on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Can be made and plated up to 1 day ahead.

Notes: Servings: 18 • Serving Size: ½ cup • Calories: 102 g • Fat: 2.2 g • Protein: 3.6 g • Carb: 18.1 g • Fiber: 2.4 g • Sugar: 0.2 g • Sodium: 53.9 mg

1. Charred Rainbow Beet & Pistachio Salad

Courtesy: Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes serves 2 as an appetizer ~ easily doubled You will need: 2 small bunches rainbow beets, trimmed & washed- larger beets cut in half (about 8 small-medium beets) Canola oil for beets Basil lemon olive oil* 2 cups loosely packed basil- I used purple & regular basil scant 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 juice of lemon pinch of kosher salt 1 tbsp chopped Pistachios 1 cup of Micro Greens Citrus Herb Salt - optional

2. Chia Teff Salad with Lemon Scallion Dressing

Courtesy: The Healthy Apple Recipe type: Appetizer Prep time: 10 mins Total time: 10 mins Serves: 4 Gluten-Free and Vegan Ingredients:

Dressing

Remove beets from grill, keep covered and allow to cool until beets can easily be handled. Peel skin off the beets & discard the skins. Quarter or half the roasted beets, set aside.

To make the basil olive oil, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined.

In a large bowl, combine squash, teff, spinach, scallions and onion.

On two small plates: drizzle a bit of the basil olive oil on the bottom of each plate. Place a small amount of micro greens on each plate, arrange half of the beets on each plate,

Courtesy: Vanilla and Spice Makes 1 large serving or 2 smaller servings.

1 large yellow summer squash , cut into ½ inch pieces 2 cups cooked teff (gluten-free grain) 1 cup steamed spinach 2 scallions, thinly sliced ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. white balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp. lemon zest 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp. ground chia seeds 1 large head Bibb lettuce ½ tsp. sea salt ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper Fresh cilantro, for garnish, if desired

Assembly: Scrub & trim beets, toss with about 1 - 2 teaspoons of canola oil until lightly coated. Place beets on a rimmed baking sheet, cover with foil and roast on the grill for about 30-45 minutes until beets are a little charred and soft (grill thermostat should be between 350-400°, if roasting in the oven roast at 350°)

3. Corn, Avocado & Blueberry Kale Salad

1/2 a ripe avocado (you’ll use the

other half in the salad) 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint Juice of half a lime 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar 1/2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp agave nectar or sweetener 1-2 tbsp water Herbamare (or salt) and pepper 1 small shallot, minced Salad ~2.5 cups shredded kale 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds 1 cob sweet corn (raw or cooked) 1/2 cup blueberries 1/2 a ripe avocado, diced ~10 small mint leaves, thinly sliced

Instructions:

In a separate small bowl, whisk lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, olive oil, chia seeds, sea salt and pepper.

d Downloeas Recip

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 29

To make the dressing, place the first six ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. Add enough water so that you can puree the ingredients until smooth (it should still be thick). Season to taste with herbamare and ground pepper. Stir in the minced shallot. Set aside.

To make the salad, place the shredded kale in a large bowl. Add about half of the dressing and massage it into the kale with your hands.

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat for a few minutes, until they are fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from pan and add to the kale. Slice the kernels off the corn and add them to the bowl, along with the blueberries, avocado, and sliced mint. Add the rest of the dressing and stir until is everything is mixed well. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

1 pear, pitted and cubed handful of strawberries, roughly chopped To serve: mint leaves and chia seeds Instructions To make the dressing add all ingredients to a small jar and shake well until combined.

Add all your fruits and mint leaves to a bowl, add dressing and toss to coat.

Sprinkle with chia seeds.

6. Roasted Pumpkin & Feta Couscous Salad Courtesy: Southern in Law serves 4-6

5. Peach and Kale Salad with Maple Miso Vinaigrette Courtesy: Raw Mazing Photo: Susan Powers Makes 2 large salads or 4 medium salads.

4. Fruit Salad Spiced With Cardamom and Lemon Tahini Dressing

Courtesy: Tales of a Kitchen Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins Serves: 1-2 Ingredients For the dressing: 3 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 TBSP tahini 1 TBSP sweetener (raw honey, agave) seeds of 2 cardamom pods, ground For the salad: 1 orange, peeled and cubed 1 banana, sliced

is to massage the dressing into the leaves and break down the leaves a bit. This step is crucial.

4. Toss with peaches and pecans.

Salad: 1 large bunch kale 2 peaches, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped Vinaigrette: 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup Grade B 2 tablespoons olive oil (cold pressed) 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons light miso (white or yellow) Himalayan salt and pepper 1. Remove stems from kale and tear into bite-sized pieces. Place in large bowl.

2. Prepare vinaigrette by whisking all ingredients together in a small bowl.

3. Pour vinaigrette over kale and give it a really good massage. The idea here

30 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups Corn Couscous 1 cup boiling water (you can also use stock for extra flavour) 1/3 tsp garlic salt 1 1/2 cups pumpkin, diced and roasted ~1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 3 cups baby spinach 1 clove garlic, crushed Handful of raisins Instructions In a saucepan, cook your couscous with the water and garlic salt according to the package directions, fluffing with a fork as you go.

Once your couscous has cooked, pour it into a mixing bowl to cool off.

In the same pan, add your spinach and crushed garlic and cook over a medium heat until wilted, stirring constantly.

Once the spinach has wilted, remove from the heat and mix your spinach and roasted pumpkin through your couscous.

Place your mixing bowl into the fridge to chill.

Once the couscous has chilled, mix through your crumbled feta and raisins.

Serve cold or warm slightly.

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Add the onion and cook until they start to caramelize. Stir regularly.

Should take about 15 minutes.

Add the chili pepper, cumin, chipotle, cacao powder and salt. Stir to mix for about 30 seconds.

1. Grilled Cheese with Apple, Parsley, and Pecan Courtesy: The Bold Vegan Serves 1 Notes: Soy free if using soy free Earth Balance and soy free bread Gluten free if using gluten free bread Ingredients • 2 slices sprouted wheat bread • 1/4 cup jalapeno havarti wedge Daiya cheese (35g) • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped (4g) • 1 tablespoon pecans, chopped (15g) • 5 apple slices, cut into 1/8 inch slices • 2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread Method Spread half of the cheese on one piece of bread and the other half on the other piece of bread.

Heat the Earth Balance in a pan on medium – low heat.

Place the walnuts, parsley and apples on one side of bread and cover it with the other piece of bread.

Place sandwich in the pan and cook for 3 minutes with a lid over the pan.

Flip over and cook for an additional 3 minutes with the pan covered.

Remove from pan, cut diagonally and get ready to do a happy dance while you eat this sandwich!

2. Spicy Mushroom Taco’s Courtesy: Health is Happiness Serves 2 (approx 6 soft tacos) Mushroom filling • 3 tbsp coconut oil • 1 medium red onion, cut in half and then thinly sliced • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated • 6 king oyster mushrooms, sliced into thin strips 1-2 inches long • 8 decent sized shitake mushrooms, cut in halves or quarters • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt • 1 small dried red chili, chopped • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin • 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle • 1 teaspoon cacao powder • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar • 8-10 cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters (you can substitute a regular tomato if need be) • 1 large carrot, peeled and grated • 6-8 small corn tortillas, heated through in a pan

Add the mushrooms. Mix well so that they are all coated. Add another tablespoon of coconut oil when yo think it needs it. Sauté until the mushrooms are nice and brown.

About 10-15 minutes.

Add the chopped cherry tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes of so. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Assemble tacos Start with a warm tortilla laying flat. Spoon some guacamole into the middle or simply mash a quarter of an avocado.

Cover with a little grated carrot.

Then cover with some of the mushroom filling. Repeat.

Optional: Top with fresh salsa, or fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

Guacamole Recipe note: this makes more guacamole than you will need for the tacos so enjoy as a pre-meal snack • 2 avocados, pitted and peel removed • 1-2 tablespoons chopped cilantro • 1/8 cup finely chopped shallot • juice of 1/2 lime • salt and pepper to taste • optional: a few chopped cherry tomatoes To prepare the guacamole simply mash the avocados in a bowl with the other ingredients.

Heat a large frying pan to medium and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.

3. Crispy Baked Broccoli Sriracha Spring Rolls Courtesy: Food Doodles Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 25-30 rolls Ingredients • 1 tbsp oil • 4-5 cloves garlic, minced • 1-2” fresh ginger, finely grated • 1 kg precut broccoli slaw, or a mix of finely chopped broccoli stems, carrots and red cabbage • 1/2 C soy sauce(or less if using a dipping sauce) www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 33

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1½ tbsp cornstarch 1-3 tbsp Sriracha (to taste) 1 tbsp flour 1 tbsp water 1 pkg egg roll or spring roll wrappers

Instructions Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, sauté the garlic and ginger together for a minute.

Add the broccoli slaw and stir well, cooking for 4-5 minutes just until the slaw begins to soften – you don’t want to completely cook the filling as it will continue to cook as it cools and will cook again in the oven.

While the broccoli slaw is cooking, stir together the soy sauce, cornstarch and Sriracha until fully combined. Pour the sauce over the broccoli slaw and continue to cook while stirring until the sauce thickens and coats the vegetables. Turn off the heat and let the vegetable mixture sit and cool at least 20 minutes.

Before rolling, taste the mixture and add soy sauce and Sriracha as needed.

Stir together the flour and water to make a paste.

To roll the spring rolls take one wrapper, covering the rest and place it in front of you, diamond shaped. Dip your finger in the flour paste and put a spot of paste on all corners except the one closest to you. Place a large spoonful (almost ¼ cup) of the mixture in the 3rd of the wrapper closest to you. Starting from the bottom roll the wrapper up around the filling and pull tight. Close the sides, folding them so the edges will be straight and continue to roll up to the top. Place on a baking sheet seam side down and cover with a towel to keep the finished rolls from drying out.

The rolls can be frozen at this point and baked from frozen, just allow for a longer baking time.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

If desired (but not necessary!) spritz the spring rolls with oil from a misto or oil sprayer.

When ready place the spring rolls in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. The edges will darken before the rest of the roll, but continue to bake watching that the edges don’t burn. The rolls can be flipped in the middle if they are cooking unevenly. Rotate the baking sheet to ensure even browning as well. Remove from the oven when done, cool for 4-5 minutes and serve while still hot.

34 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

4. Vegan BLTT

(Barbeque, Lettuce, Tomato, Tofu)

Courtesy: Foods for the Soul Yield: 2 sandwiches Serving Size: 1 sandwich This recipe is easily doubled or halved. Serve with fresh fruit, chips, and a chocolate chip cookie!

Ingredients: • 5.6 oz (2 servings) extra-firm light tofu, cut into ¼” thick slices • 1 medium Roma tomato, cut into ¼” thick rounds • ¼ c shredded romaine, green leaf, or iceberg lettuce • 4 slices wheat bread • 2 tbsp barbeque sauce (without honey!)

Lay the tofu slices on top of two paper towels. Stack two paper towels on top, and press down firmly for 1-2 minutes to soak out the moisture. Lightly coat a large pan with nonstick cooking spray, and cook the tofu over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until starting to turn golden.

While the tofu cooks, toast the bread on medium-low until golden brown.

To prepare one sandwich, spread 1 tablespoon of barbeque sauce on one slice of bread. Layer half of the tofu, half of the tomato slices, and half of the shredded lettuce on top. Place a second slice of toasted bread on top. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

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GIVE 10%. GIVE 100%.

GIVE 110%.

GIVE AN HOUR. GIVE A SATURDAY. THINK OF WE BEFORE ME. REACH OUT A HAND TO ONE AND

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Want to make a difference? Help create opportunities for everyone in your community. United Way is creating real, lasting change where you live, by focusing on the building blocks of a better life– education, income and health. That’s what it means to Live United. For more, visit LIVEUNITED.ORG.

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 35

guess who’s coming to BReAKFAST

36 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

Erin Bosdet, Erica Kerwien, and Angela Liddon share recipes for making some of their favorite breakfast fare

?

You!

Tofu Scramble Wrap

Erin Bosdet Simply Dish Melt a little bit of coconut oil in a pan on medium heat.

Add in: 2 finely chopped green onions 1 diced tomato a generous pinch of chopped parsley or cilantro a dash of turmeric, salt and pepper

Let these sizzle for two minutes and then add in one 175g package of organic firm tofu, crumbled.

Heat through.

Using two wraps of your choice, mash one third of an avocado in the center of each wrap. Divide the mixture in half, place it on top of the avocado and roll it up nice and snug.

Serve with a few avocado slices on the side…

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Chocolate Buckwheat Donuts

Erica Kerwien Comfy Belly Ingredients: (makes 6 cupcakes or 12 mini-donuts) • 1 cup of buckwheat flour (or other flour) • 3 eggs • 1/4 teaspoon of salt • 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda • 1 teaspoon of vanilla • 1/4 teaspoons of cinnamon (optional) • 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder • 1 cup of honey (or other sweetener) • 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (or 1/4 cup of oil)

Preparation: 1. Combine wet ingredients and whisk until well-blended.

2. Combine dry ingredients, blend well.

3. Combine the wet with the dry ingredients and blend well.

4. Fill donut pan 3/4 of the way full for each donut.

5. Bake for 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean 6. Once cooled, dip and decorate, or just eat plain!

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 37

Bananas Foster Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients: (Yield: 4 servings) For the baked oatmeal: • 3/4 cup Gluten-Free rolled oats • 1/4 cup oat flour • 1 tsp cinnamon • 1/2 tsp baking powder • 1/2 cup walnut halves, chopped • 1 & 1/4 cup almond milk (or other milk) • Bananas Foster mixture from below • 1 small banana, sliced (for garnish) • pinch of fine grain sea salt and nutmeg For the Bananas Foster: • 3 small firm ripe bananas, chopped • 1 tbsp coconut oil • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other sweetener) • 1-2 tbsp Kahlua (or rum) • sprinkle of cinnamon • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract Directions: 1. Lightly grease a 5-6 cup casserole dish, and preheat oven to 350F. 2. Stir all of the ingredients together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside.

3. In a skillet, add coconut oil, maple syrup, and Kahlua. On medium high heat, whisk until combined. When the mixture starts to bubble, add the chopped bananas and stir well until coated . Sprinkle in cinnamon and sauté for about 5 minutes until the bananas soften. Remove skillet from heat and stir in vanilla.

4. Add the banana mixture to the oatmeal mixture and spoon it into casserole dish. Bake uncovered for about 4045 minutes at 350F or until the top is golden middle will remain soft (you may think it’s undercooked, but it will firm up as it cools). Eat hot or cold. Once cooled, it can be sliced and served.

Angela Liddon Oh She Glows

38 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

Interview with Wes Crain President of Navitas Naturals

40 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

How did the concept of Navitas Naturals come about?

Navitas Naturals was founded in 2003 by Zach Adelman, a long-time health food enthusiast. Almost a decade ago, Zach experienced the taste and health benefits of maca <http://www. navitasnaturals.com/products/ maca.html> , a nutritious root vegetable that has been cherished by indigenous cultures in the highlands of Peru for thousands of years. After traveling there to experience the maca culture, he began importing organic maca root powder as Navitas Naturals’ original product.

Now, nine years after his adventure to the Andes Mountains, we’re one of the leading organic superfoods companies in North America and maca is still one of our best sellers. Zach’s success with maca encouraged him to search the planet for more functional foods that have long been used by cultures for nutritional and medicinal purposes.

Navitas is the Latin word for energy, and using this in the company name demonstrates Zach’s desire to bring a diverse array of energizing foods to North America to invigorate the modern ‘Western’ diet. Nutrient-rich whole foods are at their best when they’re organic agriculture and undergo a minimal amount of processing. That’s why all

Navitas products are certified organic and use methods like freeze-drying and low temperature processing to ensure maximum nutrition and flavor.

Many of us (myself included) feel guilty because we struggle with what we *want* to eat versus what we *should* eat. One of the things I love about Navitas Naturals is that your products not only taste good, but are also an excellent source of nutrition. Is it serendipity or part of your mission that your superfoods are some of the best tasting foods ever?

There’s no reason why healthier foods can’t taste wonderful. Indigenous cultures have grown and enjoyed the foods that we offer for a long time - in some cases thousands of years. So, there are many reasons that these foods have remained popular in their cultures, and an important reason is flavor. We search around the globe and pick the best-tasting and most nutritious foods.

Many of the superfoods your brand produces are foods that most of our readers have probably never heard of, like camu, goldenberries, lucuma, and maqui. You mention on your “About” page that you choose the “world’s most beneficial natural foods”. How do you decide what superfoods to produce?

We have high standards that must be met when we evaluate plants to include in our line. The primary criteria are that a food must have strong nutritional attributes, and we must be able to offer it in a raw form or as close to the original plant as possible.

Flavor and ease of culinary use are important, too. Sustainability, reliable availability, transportation efficiency and marketability are also factors that we consider carefully. The welfare of the land and the farmers is key, too, and that is one reason all of our products are certified organic.

Your company’s mission is “to provide premium organic functional foods”. What are “functional foods”?

Functional foods are whole foods that have a complex and nutrient-rich composition that provide well-being beyond what the body simply needs to survive.

These foods are functional because they contain compounds that enhance the potential for targeted health benefits. There are some functional foods on the market today that gain their function value from single nutrients that have been isolated and/or extracted from a plant and then are simply mixed into another food to beef it up, but that is not what we do at Navitas Naturals. We use whole foods, and the nutrients they naturally www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 41

contain to provide functionality.

More and more people are getting back into the kitchen and culinary hobbies, and nutrient-dense functional foods are an easy way to ensure optimal nutrition, while still enjoying home-cooked meals.

supply chains.

When I told our Facebook readers that we had an interview with you, a few of them had questions for you:

digestible, and are one of the highest sources of complete protein of all plant-based foods. You may be surprised that many of the dried superfruits that we offer contain an abundance of protein, too: Goji (4g per serving), mulberries (3g) and goldenberries (3g).

From Elizabeth: “Do our bodies get used to superfoods so that superfoods One of the things our readers sup- won't have the same impact on our port are companies that practice bodies over time?”

From Kathy: “Do you partner with Fair Trade. Since you source prodchefs so that we can learn how to use ucts from exotic places around the It’s very important to eat a diverse your superfoods?” world, how are you supporting the diet. I recently read a report that Helping people make the best culiif fed the same foods over and communities that you work with? over the human digestive system nary use of superfoods is a key part The sustainability and overall well- becomes sluggish – it likes to be of our mission and that is why we ness factor of each product is very ‘surprised’ by different foods. Also, partner with some of the leading important to us, that is why we different foods, even superfoods, plant-based chefs including Julie start with 100% of our product contain a wide variety of micro- Morris, Matthew Kenney, Kristen line being organic. We believe this nutrients that are often unique or Suzanne, Judith Wignal and many is better for traditional agriculture rare to that food. We recommend more! and for the future of farms, the land a well-balanced diet and a diverse And lastly, I know that your site and consumers. We work closely diet. shares a plethora of recipes, but with our suppliers to support their would you share one of your favorlocal communities and help devel- From Shelly: “I’m a vegetarian. ites? op better business models and val- Which of your superfoods are high in I am a really big fan of smoothies, ue-added manufacturing/process- protein?” ing at a local level. We have helped Hemp and chia are among the very and my favorite is the Blueberry finance and build processing plants best plant-based sources of pro- Oat Smoothie. and donated to local education, tein. Hemp seeds are my favorite. Thank you very much for taking the and we monitor our suppliers for They are naturally a fantastic pro- time to do this interview Wes! fair trade practices. We work with tein source: they contain all of the 3rd party certifiers to help oversee essential amino acids, are highly You’re very welcome. {B}

42 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

Easy Sprouts In 3 Days

M

y friend Kristin recently reminded me how much I love sprouts when she showed me a video. It’s been almost a year since I have sprouted anything so I got right to work making my 4 favorite sprouts - quinoa, chick pea, lentil, and mung bean.

Sprouts are so yummy and easy to make at home and the best part is all the health benefits they have.

In only 3 days you can have fresh and yummy sprouts without worrying about what got sprayed on them to keep them fresh at the grocery store. These sprouts take just 3 days and only a bit longer if you want them to be bigger. All you need are a few items you probably already have, some grains, seeds or beans, and some water.

What you need: • mason jars • cheese cloth, thin cloth or mesh • rubber band or jar lid band • bowls or dish rack • grains, seeds or legumes How to make it • put a few tablespoons (no more than 1/4 c) of your seed/grain/legume in a mason jar • put cheese cloth or mesh on top • secure with jar band or rubber band • rinse grains once then fill with water • let soak overnight up to 8 hours • drain water • rinse and drain • rinse and drain a few times a day until your sprouts are as long as you want it • in 3 days you should have nice sprouts!

• store in the fridge and use within a few days

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“Mama Mouse”, Mikaela Shafer, runs her healthy living blog MamaMouseSays in Ogden, Utah. When not blogging up a storm she can be found hiking the beautiful mountain trails just a few blocks from her house, baking with her family and buying hideous and wacky treasures at the local thrift store.

Mikaela Shafer Mama Mouse

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 43

Quick Bites (super fast vegan recipes ) Hibiscus Mint Herbal Iced Tea with Key Lime Ice Cubes Makes one gallon Bring two quarts of water to a boil and add: • 1 Tablespoon of Hibiscus • 1/2 Tablespoon of Lemon balm • 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Verbena • 1 Tablespoons Peppermint Cover and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain, and add ice to bring the volume up to one gallon.

Slice and section fresh Keylime’s and freeze in ice cubes.

Combine and enjoy on a hot Summer’s day!

Juliet Blankespoor Chestnut Herbs 44 - Aug/Sept | 2013 | www.blikki.com

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Soul Food

Why Empathy Is So Good For Us

by Emma Seppala ave you noticed that in a crisis some people are more likely H to help while others may be reluctant do so? You may be surprised to know that Scientists believe that (except in extreme cases, such as psychopathy), we are wired for empathy. Empathy makes us happier, healthier and may even lengthen our lives! Compassion-inducing activities, such as the practice of compassionate meditation, have also been linked to a decrease in cellular aging.

Living a compassionate life is so deeply beneficial to our health and well-being that researchers believe it is fundamental to human nature. Dacher Keltner at the University of California Berkeley, believes that at our core, we have a “compassionate instinct.” In other words, compassion is our natural and autonomic response.

We may think of ourselves as independent (especially if we’re from Western cultures), but we’re physiologically wired to connect. For example, when we see someone trip and fall, we flinch because we sense their pain. This process is called “resonance.” Whenever we empathize with others, parts of our brain - our “mirror neurons” – help us to internally mirror the other person’s feelings. So when someone smiles at us, it literally activates the smile muscles in our own face (and a frown activates our frown muscles). Have you ever seen a friend or relative walk in the room with a troubled expression? Before you’ve even had the chance to exchange words, you can sense that something is terribly wrong. In his research, James Gross of Stanford University found that even when someone is hiding their anger, we can subconsciously tell that they are upset (our heart rate actually increases). Our wiring for empathy is so strong that, just by observing someone else, the “pain matrix” in our brain is activated. In other words if someone else hurts, we instinctively hurt too.

So why don’t we always react with empathy? Maybe it’s because we are living in a time that encourages stress: “Tax season!” Rise

in cortisol. “Traffic jam!” Rise in heart rate. “My boss is calling.”

Palms start to sweat. Stress is all too commonplace in today’s culture. The consequence? Self-focus. Evolutionarily, self-focus was adaptive. When we were in high-stress situations (think: running from a lion), self-preservation was a necessary tool. However, today when we are under chronic stress, we can also become chronically self-focused, which lowers our ability to connect. Here’s an example -- Think of a day when you have a lot to do so you start to experience high levels of stress. It is likely that you will start to develop “tunnel vision” as you focus on your goals. As a bi-product you are so immersed in your own world that your best friend could walk by and you may not notice! In a classic study, students of the Yale Divinity School were told to rush somewhere to give a talk on the Good Samaritan of all things. If they were told they were late, they wouldn’t stop to help someone strategically sprawled on the floor in their path and in obvious need of help. When the participants were told to take their time, they were more likely to help.

Here’s the good news: while stress can encourage self-focus, happiness and positive emotions encourage a broader perspective and empathy. Have you noticed that on days when you are feeling great, you are more likely to notice someone who needs help? A great way to increase empathy is to engage in acts of compassion and kindness. When we focus on helping others, our self-focus naturally diminishes. While I’m not suggesting that you focus solely on the happiness of others at the expense of your own well-being, slowing down and including moments of empathy can significantly improve your well-being and enrich your life in meaningful ways.

To quote Albert Einstein: “Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” {B}

www.blikki.com | 2013 | Aug/Sept - 45