Getting to the Fat of the Matter

Paula Youmell, RN Holistic RN, Natural Health Educator, Author

Getting To The Fat Of The Matter: Learning about Fat, Protein, & Carbohydrates

Fats, Proteins, & Carbohydrates: macro-nutrients in the food we eat.

Micronutrients are nutrients needed in trace amounts compared to fat, protein, & carbohydrates.

Micronutrients are the vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, phyto-nutrients, enzymes, and various other natural chemical constituents in food that we have not discovered and labeled yet.

Fat breaks down into fatty acids and glycerol.

Proteins break down into amino acids.

Carbohydrates are eventually broken down into glucose. (Do not by-pass the eating of complex carbohydrates, chewing this food well, digesting, and creating your own glucose by instead eating common table sugar.  It is just not the same in regards to your health, energy, and longevity!)

What is considered healthy has changed over the years of eating, marketing food and food products, and living on this planet. My best advice is: 1.

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Always eat whole foods: real vs. factory made products Local and seasonal foods are best for nutrient density Organically grown and raised Animal food from animals living naturally, eating the foods nature intended them to eat Figure out what works best for you to maintain optimal energy levels, vibrant lifelong health, and your best body weight and body composition (lean body mass vs. adipose tissue)

There will always be experts telling you to eat Paleo, use the Adkins’s Diet, Try South Beach Diet… There are so many eating recommendations that are various compilations of percentages of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. The beauty of the human body is that its needs change with the rhythm of the seasons of the year (even over the course of your day, week, month…).

When you listen to your body, it will tell you what it needs. 100% whole foods keep our body cells nourished.

I encourage you to do some exploring on both sides of the fat issue: “is fat good for us or bad for us?” In doing this research, I also encourage you to always come back to common sense: What did our ancestors eat? Were they freaked out by animal fat and after a hunt chopped out all fat and got rid of it immediately to prevent ill health effects? Or did our ancestors use everything a hunted animal offered up with its body?

When making meals, in a gentle way – no obsessing needed – plan and cook from a space of whole food sources of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Pay attention to what makes you feel more satiated and will keep your hunger satisfied longer between meals. Paying gentle attention will help you create a space of eating to live not living to eat. We are a culture who negatively obsesses about food as opposed to indulging in real food, cooking & eating with passion, and moving on to something else.

Saturated Fat Information from Dr. Mercola: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/22/7-reasons-to-eat-more-saturatedfat.aspx Fat Benefits: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/24/cbs-sings-praises-of-fat.aspx Butter OK? http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/why-butter-is-better/

Mindful Eating to Nourish YOU

These are simple suggestions. Play around with them keeping your protein and vegetable intake up, keeping the grain carbohydrates low, especially flour grain products. Some people do especially well completely removing wheat, of any kind, from their diets.

Some people do even better completely removing all grains from their diets: breads, crackers, cereal, pasta, noodles, sub rolls, pita bread, bagels, cakes, pies, cookies, donuts‌ anything made from flour, whole grain flour or not.

Flour is a processed grain. The work of chewing it up has been done for you by the grain grinder. Because it is already “pre-chewed� the carbohydrates are readily available to enter your blood stream. This spikes blood sugar and insulin levels. End result is craving more easily digested carbohydrates, sugary foods. The blood sugar / insulin spikes become a roller coaster ride that leads to weight gain.

Pay attention to what you are eating each meal, from a space of loving kindness, not obsessiveness. If you have a sprouted grain tortilla for breakfast, do not have any more grain / flour products that day. If you know you are making whole grain pasta for dinner (and eating a small portion) leave the grain products alone for breakfast and lunch. You will feel much happier about your food choices when they are not being influenced by crazy, spiking blood sugar and insulin levels. You can make choices from a space of clear thinking and loving kindness and not impulsiveness because your blood sugar has bottomed out and you need to eat NOW! If you are keeping grains completely out of your diet: remove the sprouted grain tortillas / cereal, whole grains, and rice options from these suggestions. Add in extra seasonal veggies.

Remember to change your veggies with the seasons, eat what grows or can be stored in that season. Fall and winter? Make the lunch and dinner salads with cabbage and grated root veggies.

Many people thrive; their health symptoms clear up, when they remove gluten (wheat, rye, and barley) from their dietary foods. (Oats, unless certified gluten-free, have been contaminated with gluten in the handling process. Oats are harvested and processed on the same equipment that wheat is processed on.

Serving sizes: Many factors play a part here: gender, height and natural body size (small or large boned and muscles?), activity level, natural metabolism, etc.

Generally speaking men of the same size and body frame as women need a bit more food than the same sized female. Male bodies have a higher percentage of muscle tissue / mass. Muscle is a more metabolically active tissue and therefore burns more calories. Yes females, build your muscle mass and you will burn more calories as well.

A 6 foot 2 inch woman with large bone and muscle structure is going to need more food than a 6 foot 2 inch woman with long, lean, willowy bones and muscles. A five foot woman will need less food than a five foot 8 inch woman. This is common sense. Be realistic about your body size, bone and muscle structure, and eat accordingly. If you are a petite woman, do not try and eat the food a 6 foot 4 inch construction working male would need. Treat yourself with loving kindness. Over eating for your body size and frame is a form of self abuse. Learn to love yourself and nourish yourself with whole foods in the right amount for you to maintain a healthy weight for your personal body. It is all about loving yourself.

Activity level: again, common sense. If you have a very physically active life, on the job and in your free time, you will need more nourishing whole foods than someone who lives a sedentary lifestyle. I, of course, do not recommend sedentary lifestyles.

Metabolism: Some people’s metabolism is like a humming bird; burn, burn, burn all day long.

Other people’s metabolism is a slow, steady release. You intuitively, innately know how your body functions.

If you burn, burn, burn, you need more food. If you slow release, you know you need to eat less than the “burners.” Put food on your plate and in your mouth with consciousness around this.

Serving sizes: These are based on average. If you are on the upper side of the gender, natural body size, activity level, and natural metabolic activity; you will need larger serving sizes.

If you are petite, lower activity, slower metabolic type; you need smaller serving sizes.

Take responsibility for your health and well-being. If you do not, no one else will. Your body is home to your divine soul, take good care of that home. Make choices from a space of wellness, loving kindness, and conscious thought around what you actually need to fuel and nourish your body for the day. Be honest with yourself. This is the ultimate kindness towards self, selfhonesty around healing choices. You are “hugging” yourself daily with nourishing food choices.

Fruits: 1 cup, the size of a medium apple for fresh fruits. Frozen fruits ½ cup thawed out. Dried fruits eat in extreme moderation, they are a concentrated source of sugar that will elevate blood sugar and insulin levels quickly.

Vegetables: 1 cup of sweeter vegetables (squash, carrots, beets, etc.), dark green veggies as much as you want.

Nuts & seeds: a handful of raw nuts and seeds, if nut butter go for 2 Tbsp., more if you need the healthy protein and fat to keep you grounded and your blood sugar stable, and if your body size and activity level warrants more food.

Beans: 1/3 to ½ cup, listen to your body (this is the key to all eating, healing…listen to your beautiful body). If you need more to fill up and keep yourself grounded until your next meal, eat more.

Meat: basically the size of a deck of cards, more or less for your personal needs. Males need more protein, generally speaking. Remember, most cultures eat cut up pieces of meat as part of their vegetable dishes, not huge slabs of meat per person.

Dairy: If you tolerated dairy, keep it simple and smaller servings. Truthfully speaking 3-4 large glasses of milk (USDA promoted) are not required for human health. With that said, high quality dairy & dairy products are great meal enhancers.

Eggs: 1-2 eggs depending on your body size and gender. Find the best eggs you can, the more free range they are: roaming about finding their own natural food, the egg will be much better quality and higher in nutrition, lower in cholesterol. I throw raw eggs into smoothies. I know my farmer and how they raise their birds, so I am not in any way concerned about food poisoning.

Whole grains: ¼ to ½ cup. Less is best if you have blood sugar & insulin concerns, load up on low starch, non-sweet veggies instead: spinach, kale, collards, salad greens, broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus in the spring and summer. Brussels sprouts, squash, root veggies & cabbage for fall & winter.

Whole grain breads, bagels, wraps, etc.: generally 1 slice, ½ bagel, 1 wrap. Remember to read labels carefully and select whole grain flour products that are 100% whole grain and lacking crap food stuff ingredients: refined flours, cheap vegetable oils, sugars, artificial anything....

If you find you have health issues to heal: weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc., make an effort to keep your grain consumption very minimal every day and also choose only 100% whole grains. Keeping sugars out of your diet will balance cellular metabolism and your body weight.

White flour quickly becomes ‘sugar’ in your system upsetting cellular metabolism. Refined sugars do the same. Whole foods support healthy cellular metabolism, balancing your body weight and healing every cell.

Whole food treats: these are homemade treats you make with 100% whole food ingredients.

Remember, they are still treats. Enjoy small portions and count them as part of your daily food intake, they are not calorie free, but are whole food and packed with nutrition for the occasional treat.

What a plate might look like: 1.

A large portion of low starch veggies with nuts, seeds, beans or pieces of meat with a serving of whole grains OR a starchy vegetable. Make a salad to go with it from seasonal veggies: greens and veggies in late spring, summer and fall, cabbage and raw, grated root veggies in late fall, winter and early spring.

2.

½ to 1 cup of plain yogurt with lots of nuts and seeds and fruit. Add vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom... for extra staying power add a tbsp. or two of a nut butter to the yogurt before adding crunchy nuts, seeds and fruit. You can add a serving of whole grain millet, oats, granola, etc. if you eat grains. Remember to keep grain consumption low or “no” for the rest of the day’s meals.

3.

A whole grain bread serving with veggies, meat & cheese. Or make the sandwich or wrap with beans and cheese. Be inventive, try new things! Spice it up with curry, cinnamon, ginger, Asian spices, Mexican spices......

*Make your favorite meals using the “whole food” principles. This keeps your favorite foods in your life but creates them with 100% natural and whole food ingredients. Eat the portions that YOU need to sustain yourself at a level of wellness and your best natural weight.

Eat the amount of food you need to sustain a healthy weight and healthy body. If you are male, you probably need more calories and protein than most females. If you are really active, you may need a bit more. If you do not work like a lumberjack, do not eat like a lumberjack. It is really that simple. Excess body weight most often comes on over years of eating just a little more than your body actually needs. Learn what your body needs to maintain a healthy weight and live that lifestyle. Be good to you, it pays off in health benefits.

There is no one plan or habit of eating that works for everyone. You have to discover what works for you: amounts of foods, how many times to eat in a day, and the proportion of fat / protein /carbohydrates that keeps your body humming along like the well-tuned organism that nature designed.

The way I learned to cook with imagination, based upon what I can pull out of the vegetable bins on any given occasion is this: I learned how to cook vegetarian meals with many different vegetarian and ethnic cook books. This helped me to become a creative, seasonal veggie creator and eater.

I literally read cook books, still do, like a good novel. Learning new, fun, and inspiring ways to cook vegetables, trying new vegetables, makes cooking meals simple and fun. Add good solid protein and fat choices and you have a meal. Enjoy grains; add that in as well, being mindful of the amounts you are consuming being what you need to nourish your body with love. This is a mindful behavior, not an obsessive relationship with food amounts.

I also find doing simple things for meals: cut up veggie sticks, grated/raw veggies slaws, any simple raw preparation makes for quick and easy vegetable additions to meals and your general daily fare.

I very rarely shop with actual meals in mind and what I need to purchase to prepare that specific meal. I buy the best local and seasonal produce and work with it when I get it home. I add it to soups, stir fries, stews, etc. and incorporate meats, beans, nuts, and seeds and sometimes whole grains in many, many ways.

I have no set agenda in the kitchen, just good local, seasonal food cooked up fresh for each day. Please ask me anything. I want to help you make the best choices you can and have the most fun in the kitchen creating simple whole food meals.

With each of the below meal suggestions, make your portion sizes fit your needs: gender, body size, activity level, metabolic type… start listening to your body and discovering who you are and what you need to thrive in a healthy and healing relationship with you! (Yes, I totally suggest yoga or another mind-body-spirit type of exercise to cultivate this self-awareness within you. Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, Qi Gong, Meditation… find a good teacher who lives the health and healing principles of their practice and learn from them, learn about you!)

Book suggestions for creating mindfulness around food and life and learning to love your body and you: These are all books by Geneen Roth. Find one that the title speaks to you and go from there. She has an amazing way with words around food and loving yourself. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_7?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&fieldkeywords=geneen%20roth&sprefix=geneen+%2Caps%2C287 Geneen Roth on Youtube: She is an amazing motivational speaker around food, self-love, anorexia and bulimia (she suffered for years and has the funniest stories to tell from a space of loving herself) http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=geneen+roth&sm=1

Follow the meal suggestions in the chart in the way that works for you. If you avoid gluten, dairy, grains altogether… make the necessary changes to the meal ideas that make the meal work for you.

breakfast

lunch

dinner

eggs and veggies: kale, collards, Large salad with mixed dark salad Swiss chard, red peppers, anything greens, carrot, peppers, tomatoes, goes! celery, etc. Add protein: meat, fish, cheese, eggs, beans, raw nuts and http://www.paulayoumellrn.com/sear seeds to salad. ch?q=breakfast Use fall winter veggies in those seasons.

meat, chicken, fish with veggies

milk and yogurt shake with berries (chew well!)

sprouted grain tortilla sandwich with turkey, provolone & veggies (yes this is a grain product but sprouted grains release carbohydrates slowly, no blood sugar or insulin spikes)

Protein and veggies like above suggestion AND throw in a whole grain like: brown or wild rice, quinoa, millet, or amaranth from time to time (keeping all grains as low priority until blood sugar and insulin is under control)

sprouted grain cereal (contains wheat) with milk or yogurt, throw in some berries or seasonal fruit or sprouted grain bread toasted with pasture raised butter & nut butter, be generous with the nut butter for protein & fat. Enjoy with seasonal fruit. Need extra protein & fat? Add in a soft boiled egg.

Seasonal veggie salad with added beans, lentils, split peas, raw nuts and seeds to satisfy your bodies needs for fat and protein

Split pea or lentil dahl and stir fries, lots of fresh, seasonal veggies

Or

Split pea and ham soup with a root veggie and cabbage slaw – great fall and winter meal

Try a veggie stir fry for breakfast!

Add in healthy protein and fat choices the YOU like.

Sprouted grain tortilla with beans and cheese, extra veggies on the side, with seasonal salad

Many cultures eat similar foods for breakfast lunch & dinner: vegetables and protein sources.

Or

or the “ice cream alternative” with apple slices or seasonal fruit

Talk to elders in your community, they ate the same things for breakfast lunch and dinner: seasonal produce and protein/fat choices.

Beet and feta cheese omelet, seasonal berry omelet, seasonal veggie omelet.

Seasonal produce and nuts / seeds, meat or cheese.

Eat that salad with some animal protein: meat, fish, cheese, yogurt, eggs

Make a meat and cheese tortilla with the side of veggies and seasonal salad

Try all kinds of root veggie sticks dipped in hummus, nut butters, soft cheeses, black bean dip (use your imagination!)

or squash, tofu or beans coupled with nuts and seeds for good protein-fat combination

Or

Butternut squash lasagna. Cut thin strips of the squash, length wise, to resemble and use like lasagna noodles.

Add the meat, cheese, and sauce you would to pasta based lasagna

Root Veggie scallops (like scalloped potatoes) Beet and chickpeas are good scalloped and sprinkle with feta cheese Try rutabaga and ham….or tofu and root veggies! OR Roast small chucks of fall & winter root veggies, sprinkle with grated cheese. Serve with root veggie slaw and whatever extra protein & fat you might need to satisfy your body’s needs.

Eggs not your thing? Make the breakfast choices with: leftover meat from dinner; hummus: organic-sliced sandwich meat (Roasting your own naturally raised meat and slicing it yourself is a much more economical option.); and wild salmon (canned, wild salmon is a handy thing to have in the cupboards).

Eggs are your thing? Use them for any meal with plenty of seasonal fruit or veggies to liven them up. http://www.paulayoumellrn.com/blog/2013/10/26/build-a-better-breakfast In the summer, I use local berries, in season, and make an omelet. Melt cheese on ½ the omelet before adding berries. When cheese is melted, turn off the heat. Add berries to the top of cheese, quickly fold omelet and move to your plate. This prevents cooking the berries and leaves their high nutrient content (vitamin C is one important nutrients to preserve) intact for your cellular health.

Making Any Recipe a Whole Food Recipe

Recipes from any cookbook can be 'converted' into a whole food recipe: entrees, breads, desserts and treats, salads and dressings, sauces, soups, stews, and anything you enjoy eating.

The “trick” is easy: read the recipe and think about each individual ingredient in its whole food version. Just replace everything with whole foods.

Cooking fruits and veggies: most recipes recommend cooking times that overcook; cook just until they are softening. You want to keep some snappy crispness and color. Bright colors should still be bright; not look like you cooked to death.

Replace any refined flour with 100% whole grain flour. 1 cup flour = ¾ cup whole grain flour.

Eating gluten-free? Use only gluten-free whole grains to grind into flour at home or buy gluten free flours: buckwheat, oat (make certain it is certified gluten free), corn, quinoa, amaranth, teff, and millet to name a few. Always buy organically grown and non GMO grains and flours.

Replace refined sugar with Rapadura or sucanat sugar or maple syrup.

If the recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar immediately decrease it to 1 cup or less of Rapadura. I would use maybe 2/3 of a cup for a recipe that calls for 2 cups. This decreases the sweetness of the food, lowers the calories, and makes it healthier for your body.

If you are going to use Maple Syrup: for a recipe calling for 2 cups of sugar you would only use 1 cup of Maple Syrup to equal the 2 cups. The syrup is much sweeter. I then cut the amount to ½ cup of maple syrup to replace the original 2 cups of sugar the recipe calls for. This makes the recipe less sweet and better for you. You will get used to cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins, pies, etc. that are less sweet. When you do eat something that has the full recipe amount of sweetener in it, you will be overwhelmed by the hyper-sweetness of most treat foods.

For recipes you are not cooking raw, local honey is a good sweetener. Again 1 cup of honey is equal to 2 cups of white sugar. I would then cut the amount in half and use only ½ cup honey or less.

Replace fruits and veggies in recipes with fresh, locally and organically grown fruits and vegetables instead of frozen and canned.

Replace meat, eggs, and dairy with fresh, local, pasture raised equivalents.

Replace beans with organically grown beans you soak and cook yourself or canned organic beans in a pinch. We all need easy steps from time to time.

Replace nuts and seeds with organic, raw options. Except peanuts, always use roasted peanuts.

Use grass fed, plain yogurt from pasture raised animals instead of sour cream. I have yet to find a good quality sour cream. The plain yogurt from pasture raised animals will have a good fat/protein balance and healthy fats from being pasture raised. You could make your own sour cream with pasture raised heavy cream and cultures. Yogurt can be used to make all kinds of creamy salad dressings and sauces. My best advice is for you to look at the spice and ingredients on a commercial salad dressing label and replicate the flavor with yogurt, herbs and spices, and whole food ingredients thus avoiding the crap chemicals and artificial ingredients in commercial products.

Replace vegetable oils with: Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil for raw use in salad dressings, etc. or low heat cooking. Try unrefined sesame oil for stove top cooking, pasture raised butter in baking (get rid of Crisco and any hydrogenated vegetable oil products, they will kill you), oven roast veggies in a 50-50 olive oil and butter blend at 350 degrees or less (high heat burns oils).

Toasted sesame oil is nice for making stir fries and imparts a deep flavor. Coconut oil withstands high heat cooking and is recommended for the occasional deep frying in the kitchen (I am thinking whole grain donuts!). If you can get your hands on local, naturally raised pig fat to render your own lard, this is a fine fat to use in cooking or donut making.

Get rid of any recipe ingredient that is fake food. Fake food kills body cells and ultimately will kill you.

Recipes to Cook Up A Whole Food Feast In Your Kitchen!

First I want to recommend two incredible cook books for moving into the seasonal cooking habit.

The first is a book that may be hard to find, as it is an out of print issue, but I found it on Amazon.

1. Home Gardeners Month by Month Cookbook, Marjorie Page Blanchard, 1974 Storey Communication, ISBN 0-8826-013-6 2. From Asparagus to Zucchini A Guide to Cooking Farm Fresh Seasonal Produce, Madison Area CSA Coalition, www.jonesbooks.com, ISBN 0-9721217-8-1 I also recommend buying organic when you can; local and seasonal is best for your health and the planet's health. I realize peanut butter, pineapple, and coconut are not exactly local. This is when we take a deep breath and give thanks for the “other than local food.�

African Pineapple Peanut Stew This is quick, easy, and delicious!

-Chop a medium onion and a few cloves of garlic.

-Sauté in unrefined sesame oil just until starting to soften.

-Meanwhile, clean and fine chop 3-4 cups fresh kale (narrow little strips and yes, eat the stems.

The nutrients from the soil move up that stem to nourish the leaves; many nutrients are in those stems) -Put 1 can chopped or crushed pineapple into pan, add kale, cover and simmer on low for 5 minutes to soften kale -Stir in ½ to ¾ cup peanut butter, 1-2 tbsp. red hot sauce (optional if you like spicy) and ¼ cup fresh, chopped cilantro -mix well and serve over whole grains: brown rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth, wild rice, teff......

If there is not any kale in the garden or at the farmer's market....collards work well.

Add chick peas as a protein source or pieces of chicken if you like.....

Lentils Curried with Rhubarb & Sweet Potatoes

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1 cup dry orange lentils, (red French lentils) 1 very large sweet potato, peeled and sliced 1 tbsp. unrefined sesame oil 1 cup diced rhubarb 1 tbsp. dark maple syrup 1 tbsp. curry powder, mild to hot depending on your taste 1 tsp fresh ginger root, grated 1 tsp hot red chili powder ¼ cup shredded organic coconut (I would probably put ¼ cup just on mine.)

-Cover lentils with water in a deep pot. Bring to boil, reduce heat and add the sweet potato slices. Simmer until just soft, do not overcook. Remove from heat, drain, mash, and set aside.

Save drained water and sip. There are nutrients in that water. Or cool and use to water your garden or house plants.

-Heat sesame oil in skillet and sauté rhubarb until just tender.

-Stir in maple syrup and spices.

-Mix in the lentil potato mash.

-Cover and let cook on low for 15 minutes or so until hot.

-Serve over whole grains: brown rice, millet, quinoa, wild rice, amaranth, teff -Sprinkle coconut over the lentil mix, serve with a fruit type chutney or not, whatever you like.

Five Bean Salad

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½ -3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil ½ -3/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp. mustard 2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 ½ cups each: chick peas, black beans, kidney beans, yellow and green string beans 1 medium sized onion ½ cup or more chopped celery ½ cup or more chopped carrots 1 medium onion chopped any seasonal veggies you can get your hands on that sound yummy to add to this! ½ cup fresh parsley ½ cup fresh cilantro

Combine all veggie and bean ingredients in large bowl.

Blend the oil, vinegar, mustard & garlic well. Make extra dressing if you used a lot of veggies.

Pour over veggies.

Chill for 2 hours or more. Serve and enjoy. This is a great summer potluck dish: healthy, fresh, loaded with bean veggie protein, and you can showcase local, seasonal veggies and herbs!

Baked Beans Great for potlucks also; Good source of bean plant protein, fiber, and nutrients.

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½ cup chopped onion 2-3 tbsp. local dark maple syrup 1 tbsp. mustard 4 cups navy beans (soak the night before and cook your own or buy canned, organic beans) 1 can organic tomato paste ½ cup water 2 tsp cinnamon (Ceylon cinnamon is true cinnamon) 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped optional: chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, chopped finely, maybe 1 tbsp or so, test for heat optional: bacon or ham from pasture raised pigs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Combine everything in a large bowl and mix well Butter 8x10 baking pan Add bean mix and bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbly warm

Easy Spring Asparagus Great with spring peas too; shelled or edible shell peas.

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As much local organic asparagus as needed to feed everyone (or peas) olive oil dressing red peppers, roasted perhaps

Lay the asparagus in a large enough stainless fry pan or pot, put in just enough water to steam and steam very gently, just to start softening, do not overcook. Asparagus should be bright green, not dull camouflage green.

Drain the steam water in a mug and sip; nutrients here. Always sip veggie steam water or save for soup stock.

Put asparagus into a shallow glass cake pan and drizzle well with olive oil dressing.

Dress liberally with strips of roasted red peppers, chill, and enjoy.

Olive Oil Dressing I make this in a quart canning jar and keep on hand for seasonal veggie salads year round.

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1 ½ cups cold pressed olive oil 1 ½ cups raw apple cider vinegar 1-2 tbsp dark maple syrup or local raw honey 2 tbsp mustard fresh finely chopped garlic and onion

Spice flavor mix options: 1. Mrs. Dash original spice in liberal amounts or a mix of the following herbs: powdered rosemary and thyme, dried parsley, oregano, and basil 2. In the summertime I use fresh herbs from my garden and blend it into a green liquid in my vita-mix blender 3. In the fall and winter I sometimes use these spices to make a dressing for winter cabbage and root veggie slaws: cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla extract.

4. Other times I mix just curry powder into the oil and vinegar to make a yummy curry flavored dressing; onion and garlic are optional additions to your taste preferences.

Tourlou

Greek Veggie Mix Mix, This dish can make a lot of veggies, change amounts to your needs.

Preheat oven to 350

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5-6 zucchini 3-4 medium potatoes, heritage preferably, not hybrid white potatoes 2 large eggplants 1 quart canned tomatoes or lots of fresh tomatoes chopped up 3-4 cloves garlic, you will crush in the veggies before cooking and can add more fresh just before serving.

1 large onion cut into big chunks 2-3 bay leaves ½ cup cold pressed olive oil dash of nutmeg and thyme

Cut up everything and throw into a large, or two large, baking pans. Mix everything very well.

Pour ½ – 1 cup water over each pan Bake for 1 hour, set timer for every 20 minutes. Open oven and mix veggies adding more water as needed to keep from drying out. Mixture will be creamy & heavenly when finished Serve with chick peas or chicken and 100% whole grain pita bread (even better is Food For Life’s Sprouted grain tortillas –- cut in quarters and toast to crispy perfection and use to scoop up the tourlou and chickpeas

I have used many other veggies with this, always in the base of tomatoes and eggplants: green beans, yellow squash, delicata squash, winter squash (butter cup & butter nut – just gently peel.

Truthfully, I do not even peel them. The skin softens nicely when cooking, your choice!)

Warm Spring/Early Summer Spinach Salad with Arugula

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1 lb spinach, large bunch, washed 2 cups arugula leaves 4 tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil ¾ lb mushrooms sliced 4 scallions sliced 4 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar 2 tsp raw local honey or dark maple syrup 1/3 cup walnuts, pine nuts, almonds 1/3 cup feta cheese from pasture raised goats or sheep

Arrange greens in salad bowl.

Heat olive oil gently and sauté mushrooms until softened. Sautee a little longer with scallions added.

Add vinegar & honey and just gently heat to warm.

Pour over greens & toss well Sprinkle with nuts and cheese Serve & enjoy

** If local strawberries are available, slice fresh ones and add to salad after tossing

Cole Slaw – Root Veggie Slaw Great with fresh summer cabbage, green or purple & is a wonderful raw salad to enjoy all winter with stored cabbage and root veggies. (Add grated beets, rutabaga, parsnips, etc. in winter)

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8 cups finely chopped, shredded cabbage ¼ -1/2 cup shredded carrot 2 tbsp local raw honey or dark maple syrup ½ tsp unrefined sea salt 1/8 tsp pepper ¼ cup pasture raised milk ½ cup mayonnaise (recipe to follow to make your own olive oil mayo) ¼ cup pasture raised buttermilk 1 ½ tbsp raw apple cider vinegar 2 ½ tbsp lemon juice Combine all "wet" ingredients, salt & pepper in a bowl. Beat until smooth Add veggies and blend well, cover tightly & refrigerate until eating time

Homemade Olive Oil Mayo Use as you would commercial mayonnaise

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1 tsp dry mustard 1 tsp salt 2 egg yolks 1 TBSP boiling water 1 cup olive oil, preferably organic, virgin & cold pressed 1 TBSP lemon juice 1 TBSP raw, local, apple cider vinegar

1.

2.

3.

4.

blend salt & dry mustard in bowl whip egg yolks and blend in the above dry ingredients whip while gradually adding the boiling H2O add olive oil 1 TBSP at a time beating gently & constantly until ½ cup is used. Now slowly drizzle the other ½ cup of olive oil while continuing to blend 5. add lemon juice gradually & mix well 6. add vinegar last while still mixing Refrigerate and use in 2 weeks or so.

Indian Sweet Potato Curry Pancakes

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1 large sweet potato, wash well and coarsely grate ½ cup whole grain flour (spelt, kamut, oat, teff, millet, corn meal, etc.)

1 ½ tsp dark maple syrup 1 tsp baking powder dash cayenne 2 tsp curry powder, mild to hot your choice, add more if you like more curry flavor 1 tsp ground cumin ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt fresh ground pepper 3 large eggs, pasture raised, beat well ¼ cup whole pasture raised milk unrefined sesame oil for frying or butter / ghee

Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl Beat eggs in separate bowl, add milk & mix. Add to dry ingredients & mix well Add grated potatoes and mix well; should be moist, not runny. If batter is too wet add little bits of whole grain flour at a time. If too dry/stiff add bits of milk slowly.

Heat 2-3 tbsp. oil in large fry pan. Drop heaping tbsp of batter and flatten with spatula. Make 4 in pan at a time. Cook on medium heat until golden on each side.

Place cooked pancake on plate with towel or paper towel to absorb extra oil and keep warm. I often warm the oven to 170 F to place pancakes in warm oven until all are cooked.

Serve warm sprinkled with cinnamon, dollop of apple sauce and / or a dollop of plain unsweetened yogurt. The yogurt can be "spiced" up by adding vanilla extract and cinnamon/ginger to taste.

Serve with a chick pea dish, chicken, lentils, &/or brown rice

Roasted Rutabaga Salad

Great for fresh and

winter stored rutabagas

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3 large rutabagas 2 tbsp pasture raised butter or unrefined sesame oil (I mix then sometimes!) ¼ cup apple cider 2 tbsp dark maple syrup pinch of nutmeg unrefined sea salt 1 lemon 1 cup fresh parsley, ¼ cup dried in the winter if no fresh 2 cups greens (use what you have in the winter, summer is easier when trying to stay local) Optional: sprinkle with goat cheese, pine nuts, walnuts, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, etc.

Wash & cut rutabaga into large cubes.

Steam for about 8 minutes to soften Toss steamed chunks with butter, juice, maple syrup and nutmeg Pour onto a baking sheet with sides so liquid is contained Bake until browned, about 15 minutes, stir once to brown evenly.

Serve over greens. Yummy with beans, meat dishes, fish, etc.

Copyright © Paula Youmell, RN, Wise Woman Nurse

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