1/2 Vegetable Breakfast: Brussels Sprouts

Vegetables with breakfast seems to be really challenging for a lot of people. I think that has more to do with our own mindsets about what foods belong in what meals. Don't let yourself be limited - a little side salad with frittata or some shredded veggies in your omelet or tofu scramble can increase the flavor, fiber and nutrition of the most important meal of the day. This morning I added a side of Brussels sprouts to my usual egg on toast and they were delicious!

Here's another way you can try these much-maligned, but extremely nutritious greens. I've always liked Brussels sprouts, but I'll probably always make them this way from now on, because they are so much better and even some die-hard haters have been converted. The main change: shred the sprouts.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts

• 2 cups of Brussels Sprouts - trimmed and sliced or shredded using the slicing blade of food processor
• 1 leek or large shallot - cleaned and sliced
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

After prepping the vegetables, heat the oil in a wok or saute pan, add leek or shallot and saute, stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. Add Brussels sprouts and continue stirring for about a minute. Reduce heat and cover - continue cooking over low-medium heat for another 5-10 minutes until sprouts are softened. Add salt and pepper to taste. So simple, so delicious. I've seen several recipes for Brussels sprouts prepared this way - some included other add-ins like crumbled bacon or poppy seeds - feel free to play with the flavors. My rule for vegetables: keep trying them - you may not like them today or prepared one way, but you don't want to miss out on them prepared a different way!

Your Plate Should Be 1/2 Vegetables

Every one of my patients has probably seen this image. I draw it on their treatment plan to remind them to focus on eating vegetables. It's very gratifying to see this image mirrored on the Harvard School of Public Health website. HSPH recently rolled out guidelines for what they are calling "the new nutrition." Their recommendations are based on reviews of the scientific evidence and are a compelling validation of the dietary advise naturopathic physicians have been espousing for years. Look for Harvard Medical School Healthy Eating: A guide to the new nutrition by Teresa Fung for the complete list of recommendations.

When I draw it on their treatment plans, my patients' responses range from incredulous to outright denial. So I decided to share a few examples of how I accomplish this at home. In the coming year, I'll be adding photographs of actual meals that I make and eat to show you how I incorporate 1/2 vegetables into my diet. This photo shows a quick and easy lunch we prepared this week that meets the 1/2 vegetable rule.

Lunch consisted of:

• I Can't Believe it's Just Cabbage Salad
• Fresh cucumber and small tomato with balsamic vinegar
• Apple
• Chicken salad on toast

Take away the chicken salad on toast and the rest of the meal is raw, vegan/vegetarian, gluten free and represents 4 different types of fruits and vegetables and approximately 3-4 servings. You could substitute a small serving of any combination of beans and rice or add a bean burger patty on toast to keep it vegetarian. Are you eating 1/2 vegetables? Want to share some of your ideas or meals? Add them to the comment section below!

Bieler Broth Recipe

I mentioned Bieler Broth in my last post so I wanted to share the recipe with you all. Dr. Henry Bieler recommended this broth for many conditions to restore acid-alkaline balance and sodium-potassium balance. It's a good soup for when you aren't feeling well. Another good option for preventing and treating illness is this garlic soup.

Bieler Broth
1 lbs. zucchini, trimmed
1 lb. string beans, ends removed
2 sticks celery
2 bunches parsley, stems removed
filtered water, enough to cover

Place parsley in water and boil or steam vegetables for 30 minutes or until tender. You can eat as is or blend into a creamy soup. You may optionally add sea salt or fresh garlic to the blend.

Thanks for visiting us this weekend!

Hello and thanks to everybody who stopped by our table Friday night at the Tualatin Farmers Market and/or Friday or Saturday at the Sherwood Robin Hood Festival. It was fun to get out in the community this weekend. I'm impressed and excited with the Tualatin Farmers Market and can't wait to come again and demo some more easy healthy recipes.

For those of you interested in the Spinach Lime Cooler recipe which wasn't printed out - here it is. Please note that amounts are approximate and blending times may vary based on blender.

Spinach Lime Cooler

1/4 lime (with skin if using a VitaMix or other high powered blender, peeled if not)

2 slices pineapple (skinned and cored)

1/2 orange (peeled)

1/4-1/2 cup white grapes

2-3 cups loosely packed spinach

2 cups ice

Blend all ingredients until desired consistency reached. A couple notes: I generally don't recommend any fruit juices as the fiber has been removed, so I've substituted grapes for what was originally grape juice. This should add some sweetness without providing such a large amount of sugar.

I also spoke with a few people about raw desserts. We tasted the raw strawberry rhubarb "surprise" this weekend, which was really pie, but serving it in tiny cups makes it look more like a crisp. The beauty of raw desserts is that you can call it whatever you want and it's still delicious and generally more healthful than other conventional desserts. If you like sweets or enjoy preparing desserts and treats for your family and friends, consider trying your hand with raw desserts. YouTube and Google are great places to find demos and recipes for raw desserts but if you prefer to have a book handy to refer to, these are two of my favorites:

Raw For Dessert by Jennifer Cornbleet or Ani's Raw Food Desserts by Ani Phyo. Both of these authors also have beginning raw food books full of recipes with easy directions and familiar ingredients. If you have questions about how to incorporate raw foods into your lifestyle, make an appointment with me (Dr. Bijana Devo) at the clinic or stop by and talk to me at the Farmers Market.

If you are interested in the other recipes we featured at this weeks farmers market, feel free to stop into the clinic at 8555 SW Tualatin Road. Have a great week and we'll see you next Friday!

No Soda, Now What?

If your new year's resolution is related to health or losing weight, chances are you're trying to eat better, but what about drinking better? Standard soda pops are very high in sugar and low in nutrients and are no where on my list of what a healthy diet consists of, but if you're a soda-drinker, it can be hard to kick the habit. If cold turkey isn't your style, consider utilizing these transitional beverages while you cut back:

• Instead of conventional cola, try Zevia sodas. Made with stevia, they are lower in calories, but just as tasty.
• Instead of ginger ale, add 1-3 tsp of New Chapter Ginger Honey Syrup to soda or mineral water. The natural ginger will give you a boost of energy while the honey has beneficial effects for your immune system.
• Instead of root beer or cream soda, add 10-15 drops of Root Beer or Vanilla Cream flavored concentrated stevia to soda or mineral water for a delicious calorie free drink.

While "natural" soda may be a better option from the point of view of the type of sugar in them (usually cane sugar instead of corn syrup), they are still high in sugar and empty calories. Keep this jingle in mind when you're thinking your drink:

Drinks with flavor
are fine to savor,
but for your thirst,
drink water first.

Another Great Garlic Recipe

My partner has a collection, a rather large collection, of shot glasses. He's not really that big on drinking shots, but just picks them up when he travels. We also have a refrigerator covered in magnets from places near and far. Now he's moving on to masks and objects d'art for our house. With all that going on, I have to be careful what I bring home from my travels. One of my favorite things to collect while traveling are recipes. The following recipe is adapted from the Parsley Garlic Relish from the Stinking Rose Restaurant in San Francisco. I've made it for years and enjoy it on crusty bread, with any meat dish, with pasta or even by the spoonful. Bon appetite!

Parsley-Garlic Dip

Parsley 2 Bunches - for variety, try 1 bunch flat and 1 bunch curled
Cilantro 1 Bunch
Garlic 4-10 cloves to taste - start on the low end and work your way up
Olive oil - 2 Tbsp-1/2 cup - start with less, taste and adjust upwards - the amount of oil will also vary based on how you want to use the dip.
White vinegar - about 2 Tbsp
Rice vinegar - about 1 Tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp+ to taste
Pepper - 1 tsp+ to taste
Brown sugar (optional) - 2 tsp

Finely chop or food process greens and garlic. Mix all ingredients well. Serve at room temperature with meat, on crackers, mixed with beans dishes or pasta.

Garlic is Not Just For Repelling Vampires

I just read a great article in the New York Times confirming what my grandfather told me 30 years ago that GARLIC will repel colds and flu's. I'd rather smell of GARLIC than have a long lasting flu infection. GARLIC'S component allicin plays a role in fighting bacterial and viral infections. The first recordings of GARLIC used medicinally dated back 5000 years in Southwest Siberia. Hipocrates (460 BCE) used garlic for a variety of infections and intestinal disorders. There are many other uses medicinally for GARLIC - lowering serum cholesterol and triglycerides (Arun Bordia, MD Cardiologist) assists the body in dissolving clots and reduces high blood pressure. Amazingly interferes with the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells (Lau MD, PhD - microbiologist).

Dosing the amazing bulb: one clove a day keeps the doctor away. Fresh, local and organic is always the best. Break one clove away from the bulb and crush it which releases the peel and activates the healing properties (the enzyme allinase comes in contact with alliin which converts to allicin which converts further to diallydisulphide the antibacterial sulfur fragrant compound). Then chop, dice or squeeze the whole herb. Add GARLIC to eggs in the morning, salads at lunch , soups at dinner it can be eaten any time of day. GARLIC comes in many usable forms, raw cloves, dried powder, oil extract, capsules, tincture, juice (1/2 teaspoon thinned with water up to three times daily (Lust) and syrups. Recipe for the H1N1 epidemic:

Dr. Ziment's Garlic Chicken Soup for Colds and Coughs
1 quart homemade chicken broth
1 garlic head (15 cloves) peeled
5 parsley sprigs, minced
6 cilantro sprigs, minced
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon minced fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
1 teaspoon curry powder
hot red pepper flakes to taste, sliced carrots, bay leaves (optional)
Place all ingredients in a pan without a lid. Bring to a boil, then simmer 30 minutes
Strain soup blend up the solids to a puree and return to the soup
Sever hot be sure to inhale the aroma during preparation (lung hydrotherapy)
just don't cough into and don't forget to wash your hands!

Office Closed for Holiday Weekend

True Health Medicine will be closed from Thursday September 3rd at 1pm until Tuesday September 9th at 9am for the Labor Day holiday weekend. Please feel free to leave us a message at 503-691-0901 and we'll get back to you next week.

I'm heading out camping for the holiday weekend and have been working hard all week to plan for a healthy movable feast for the long weekend. In addition to many fresh fruits and vegetables for snacks, I hit upon the idea of making and bringing a new snack favorite for a crunchy, salty treat for the weekend. If you haven't yet learned to love kale, consider these kale chips a different food altogether and try them! Before these (and a raw kale salad from Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet), I ate my kale because it was good for me - now I eat it because I love it!

Sundried Tomato Kale Chips
Amounts are approximate, adjust seasonings to taste.
Note: for best results, a dehydrator is needed.

1-2 bunches kale
1/2-1 cup sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup tahini
1-2 cup nut or rice milk or tomato soak water
1 Tbsp oregano
1-2 Tbsp basil
2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
(available in the bulk department at New Seasons, also delicious on toast or popcorn)

Soak sundried tomatoes in enough water to cover. While tomatoes are soaking, prepare kale. Rinse kale and cut out central vein. I have left this in before, but we usually ended up eating around it, so I cut it out now for easier eating. If the vein doesn't extend to the tip, you can also cut off the end of the kale (up to where the vein starts to get thick) as a separate chip. These "tip chips" are always my favorite. Usually after cutting out the vein, you're left with two halves. I cut these in half again for chips that are about 1/4 the size of the original leaf. You could also cut them smaller.

By the time you finish preparing the kale, the sundried tomatoes will have soaked long enough. Mix tomatoes, tahini, spices and 1/2 liquid (rice/nut milk or soak water) in blender until tomatoes are well blended. Pour mixture into bowl. You may add the remaining liquid now or as you go. Mix well.

The next step is to get the tomato mixture onto the kale leaves and there are many ways to accomplish this. You can pour many leave into the mixture and mix with a spoon or clean hands or you can put the leaves in one at a time. In any event, you will likely be removing the kale from the mixture and squeezing off excess dressing with your hands. You want the kale to be covered with the dressing on both surfaces without using it all up on a couple of leaves. After dehydrating, the flavor is more concentrated, so it doesn't take much dressing per leaf. As you get to the bottom of the dressing bowl, you may need to add more liquid, even water, to thin and extend the dressing. Use a spatula to scrap down the sides of the bowl, too. I have not found that "marinating" for any length of time is necessary - just cover the leaves by whatever method you prefer and then lay the leaves out on a dehydrator tray.

Depending on your dehydrator, it may take more or less time for the chips to be ready. It takes mine about 4 hours until they are mostly dry. If I'm eating them pretty soon, I may even leave them slightly moist (still dry and crispy, but not completely dried out). If you don't have a dehydrator, you can also try baking these in a low oven. I would set the oven as low as it will go and either leave it slightly open or pulse the oven on and off to keep the temperature low as it doesn't take much heat for these to dry.

These are my favorite, but you can also make them with any other dressing you can think of. I've even made them with apple cider vinegar and salt and they were delicious! There's no limit - enjoy!

Shepard's Pie (Vegetarian Option)

I signed up for a farm share through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program this summer and have been getting a bag of farm fresh produce every week throughout the summer. It's been a challenge keeping up with everything, so I've been trying to come up with ideas for how to use a lot of the veggies all at once. This Shepard's Pie helped me use up a lot of the farm produce and so, get a lot of vegetables into one meal!

I tend to think of Shepard's Pie as a fall or winter meal, because it is so hardy, but the fresh herbs and beans kept it light and fresh tasting. Enjoy!

Shepard's Pie
Top Layer: Mashed Potatoes
I've gotten pretty creative with my mashed potato recipes - starting with adding onions and garlic, I've gone all the way to adding basil and balsamic vinegar. For this dish, I used what was at hand and was pleased with the results, but make the mashed potatoes your favorite way!

4 red potatoes
1 leek, thoroughly cleaned and chopped
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
handful fresh basil
milk or soy milk - used to blend to preferred consistency

Chop and boil red potatoes, leaving skins on. Drain and set aside. Saute leek in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Mix potatoes, leeks and milk - use electric mixer and more milk for smooth consistency or hand-masher and less milk for a thicker texture. Mix in chopped basil and salt and pepper to taste.

Middle Layer: Veggie Medley
Any veggies will do for the middle layer - in the past, I've used a bag of frozen mixed veggies with corn, green beans and peas. For this summer version, I used fresh green beans, yellow wax beans, carrot and yellow summer squash. Wash and trim green beans, wax beans, carrot and squash. Slice carrot and squash into coin shapes and cut green and wax beans into 1 inch pieces. Steam together.

Bottom Layer: Meat Layer
1/2 pound ground Buffalo or organic grass fed beef
OR
1-2 cups of vegetarian grounds
OR
2 vegetarian burger patties (I used 2 Amy's original burger patties, warmed up and then broken into pieces)

2-4 Tbsp chopped or minced onion (optional)
2-4 Tbsp chopped peppers - use mildly spicy peppers for a great flavor (I used the small wrinkled Italian variety - they are mildly spicy, but very flavorful and it made the meat(less) layer a big hit!)
1 cup chopped cherry/grape tomatoes

Lightly saute onions and peppers, add meat or vegetarian crumbles/patties. Cook until done, add chopped tomatoes, turn off heat and put a lid on for 5 minutes or until ready to assemble. This will lightly cook the tomatoes and help blend the flavors.

Assembly: It couldn't get any easier than pouring each layer into a casserole dish in order. Individual ramekins would also be a great way to serve this dish. Everything is already cooked fully, so it doesn't really need to bake, but you can either keep it warm in a low oven or let it bake a little to crisp the top. We ate this one night as is (with a little salt and pepper to taste) and added a little cheddar cheese on top the next - both ways were delicious. Enjoy!

Great Summer Salad Recipe

In these days of over 100 degree temperatures, turning on the oven or even the stove does not seem like a good idea. To keep cool, I've been eating fresh fruit for breakfast and packing simple salads for lunch. Just a little cutting and I'm ready to go. These are some of the simplest and most satisfying meals and are highly nutritious without being heavy. It's essential when it's too hot to eat much that what we put into our bodies provides us with the fuel and nutrients we need. Try this simple bean salad or make yourself a green salad with your other favorite vegetables to keep yourself cool.

Simple Bean Salad
1 can organic garbanzo beans
1 can organic dark red kidney beans
1-2 organic cucumbers
1 pint organic cherry or grape tomatoes
2-3 tbsp mild rice vinegar
1-2 tbsp your choice of fresh herbs, minced (optional) - I like mint, parsley, chives or cilantro for a fresh taste!
1-2 tbsp your choice of seeds (optional) - My favorite are small seeds like white or black sesame or hemp seeds.

Drain and rinse both types of beans. With the skin on, chop the cucumber into small pieces. In this salad, I don't find the skin to be problematic, but if you hate the skin, try peeling only 1/2 the cucumber and leaving the skin on 1/2 to keep some of the valuable nutrients in the skin. Cut tomatoes in halves. Add beans, tomatoes and cucumber to large mixing bowl. Add rice vinegar, optional herbs and seeds and mix. Enjoy!

A few other tips for dealing with heat:

• Drink plenty of water, but remember to drink some fluids with electrolytes as well. Small amounts of Emergen-C, Vitamin Water, Gatoraid or similar products can help keep your electrolytes balanced if you are sweating a lot in the heat.

• While keeping cool, remember not to over-air condition your home, car or office. Adapting from ambient temperatures in the 60's to the 100's can be difficult for your body to adjust to.

• Be cautious with air conditioning if you tend towards sinus infections. A/C can dry out your sinuses and cause an increase in symptoms.
  

• Additionally, try not have fans blowing on the back of your neck, especially while you are sleeping. Many acupuncture points on the back of your neck are known as "wind points" and intense wind exposure at these points can lead to symptoms of common cold.

Homemade Nut Butter

In the midst of all of the recalls of peanut, peanut paste and peanut butter containing products (click here for a full list of recalled items and destroy or return all listed items), a friend of mine made some home made nut butter. I’m a great fan of from-scratch cooking, but don’t always have the time to make everything I’d like. This nut butter, however, from Nourishing Traditions, was so easy and delicious that I may never buy prepared nut butter again!

First, soak 2 cups of nuts. Soaking nuts makes them easier to digest and changes their flavor in an interesting way. Soaked nuts can also be used to make pates and smoothies. I soaked 1 c. almonds and 1 c. cashews overnight. Drain and rinse.

Second, roast or dry the nuts. I don’t like the idea of “cooking” nuts because of the effects on the oils contained in them, but you can slow roast them in a low oven for 10-12 hours or put them in a dehydrator to minimize the oxidation. After the drying, the nuts are a delicious snack – if you don’t make the nut butter right away, you’ll be surprised how quickly these nuts disappear as a quick snack.

Third, grind the nuts to a coarse or fine powder depending on your preference for a chunky or smooth nut butter. If you want chunky, I recommend that you grind ½ finely and ½ more coarsely. You can grind the nuts in a coffee grinder, food processor or dry blender. After grinding, combine in food processor with approx 1/3 c. coconut oil, ¼ tsp. sea salt and 1-2 Tbsp. honey. Process until well blended. Store covered in a cool, dry cupboard – enjoy at room temperature in sandwiches, on apples, as a dessert topping or by itself.

Coconut oil is also a great oil for cooking, even at higher temperatures due to its saturated nature. I have used it for stir fries, Indian food, single veggies and especially in baking (just make sure to get it to liquid form before adding!). It gives a slightly sweet flavor to the food and carries spice well. As with any fat or oil, don’t overdo it.