One of my litmus tests for how healthy a vegan's diet truly is, is to listen to how they describe what they eat. If they focus on telling me what they DON'T eat, and have a limited list of what they DO eat, I start to consider that what we're describing is an eating disorder, not a vegan eater.

Here's a challenge to encourage you to be more vegan and less disordered. It comes from the blog http://www.lunchboxbunch.com/., and it's a list of 100 vegan foods. I've been instructed to italicize foods I'd never try, and bold face foods I have eaten. And to encourage you to share the challenge on your own blogs.

I'm a pretty adventurous eater so there are no italics. I did better than I thought I would, actually, since I am not 100% vegan myself. I now have some great items to add to my own list!

Have fun!
1. Molasses

2. Cactus/Nopales
3. Scrambled Tofu
4. Grilled Portobella Caps
5. Fresh Ground Horseradish
6. Sweet Potato Biscuits
7. Arepa
8. Vegan Cole Slaw
9. Ginger Carrot Soup
10. Fiddlehead Ferns
11. Roasted Elephant Garlic
12. Umeboshi
13. Almond Butter Toast
14. Aloe Vera
15. H and H Bagel NYC
16. Slow Roasted Butternut Squash
17. White truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Freshly ground wasabi
20. Coconut Milk Ice Cream (not store bought)
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Orchard-fresh pressed apple cider
23. Organic California Mango (in season Sept-Oct only)
24. Quinoa
25. Papaya Smoothie
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet (habanero) pepper (just a bite!…hot!
27. Goji Berry Tea
28. Fennel
29. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie
30. Radishes and Vegan Buttery Spread
31. Starfruit
32. Oven fresh Sourdough bread
33. Sangria made with premium fruit and juices
34. Sauerkraut
35. Acai Smoothie
36. Blue Foot Mushrooms
37. Vegan Cupcake from Babycakes nyc
38. Sweet Potatoes and Tempeh combo
39. Falafel
40. Spelt Crust Pizza
41. Salt and Pepper Oyster Mushrooms
42. Jicama Slaw
43. Pumpkin Edamame Ginger Dumplings
44. Hemp Milk
45. Rose Champagne
46. Fuyu
47. Raw Avocado-Coconut Soup
48. Tofu Pesto Sandwich
49. Apple-Lemon-Ginger-Cayenne fresh-pressed juice…with Extra Ginger
50. Grilled Seitan
51. Prickly pear
52. Fresh Pressed Almond Milk
53. Concord Grapes off the vine
54. Ramps
55. Coconut Water fresh from a young coconut
56. Organic Arugula
57. Vidalia Onion
58. Sampler of organic produce from Diamond Organics
59. Honeycrisp Apple
60. Poi
61. Vegan Campfire-toasted Smores
62. Grape seed Oil
63. Farm fresh-picked Peach
64. Freshly-made pita bread with freshly-made hummus
65. Chestnut Snack Packs
66. Fresh Guava
67. Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
68. Raw Mallomar from One Lucky Duck, NYC
69. Fried plantains
70. Mache
71. Golden Beets
72. Barrel-Fresh Pickles
73. Liquid Smoke
74. Meyer Lemon
75. Veggie Paella
76. Vegan Lasagna (raw optional)
77. Kombucha
78. Homemade Soy Milk
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Lychee Bellini
81. Tempeh Bacon
82. Sprouted Grain Bread
83. Lemon Pepper Tempeh
84. Vanilla Bean
85. Watercress
86. Carrot you pulled out of the ground yourself
87. Vegan In-Season Fruit Pie
88. Flowers
89. Corn Chowder
90. High Quality Vegan Raw Chocolate
91. Yellow fuzz-free Kiwi
92. White Flesh Grapefruit
93. harissa
94. Coconut Oil
95. Jackfruit
96. Homemade Risotto
97. Spirulina
98. Seedless 'Pixie' Tangerine
99. Gourmet Sorbet, not store bought
100. Fresh Plucked English Peas

I've been getting a lot of questions about juicing lately, so it's clearly a popular trend right now. I love the fact that juicing gets more vegetables into people who normally wouldn't get them. However, there are some important things to know about juicing if your intent is to use it for a healthier diet.

1. Juice contains calories! Ounce for ounce, juice and soda are similar calorie-wise. 8 ounces of either is about 120 calories. Some of the sweeter juices are even more calorically dense. Don't get caught up in the false assumption that because it's juice, it's lower in calories, or that unlimited quantities are permissible.

2. When you juice your vegetables, you remove the fiber. In researching this blog post, I learned that many juicer companies actually sell this point, claiming that without the fiber, the nutrients that are left are more easily absorbed. The fiber itself is an important nutrient! Especially if you're someone who has trouble regulating energy or blood glucose levels. If you're counting on your juice as your source of all of your vegetables, you could be cutting yourself short on fiber.

3. If carrots are what you're juicing, be aware that you can overdose on vitamin A. I've seen this actually happen, it's not just a myth. If the pads of your hands and feet start to get an orange-ish tinge, and you've recently fallen in love with juicing carrots, you might want to think about the connection. Be sure to vary your juice ingredients.

4. Spinach, another common vegetable to juice, eaten in high quantities, is high in oxalates. This compound can prevent the absorption of iron, calcium, and magnesium. It can also promote the development of kidney stones. Oxalates leach out of spinach when it is cooked, but if you're using the juicer for convenience, this extra step may not be useful. Other foods high in oxalates, in case you're using them in your juicer, include rhubarb, beets and sorrel.

5. Juice contains little to no protein. You may find that when you switch to a juice-heavy diet, your craving for sweets increases. What I recommend to people who ask about juicing, is to make a smaller amount of juice and blend it in with milk, yogurt, or protein powder. I actually like to use 1 cup of plain yogurt, a ripe banana, one other piece of a different fruit, plus a handful of veggies and some ground flaxseed. I always vary the fruit and the vegetable to be sure I don't overload on any one food. And I keep the fiber and protein in my breakfast.

If you make those simple adjustments, the possibilities and combinations are endless. Enjoy!

I am so grateful I went to the educational meeting yesterday I almost didn't attend! For the majority of my career, the health benefits of vinegar is something that hasn't been taken seriously by colleagues in my profession. But when I saw the presenter for this topic was respected Arizona State University nutrition researcher Carol Johnston, I figured it was worth going to hear what she had to say.

Turns out, Dr. Johnston, a few years ago, while working on another project, quite by accident, found an obscure research article reporting that vinegar may be helpful in reducing insulin resistance. She decided to pick up on where the study left off, and what she has learned with her work has a lot of pertinence to PCOS.

One of the goals of better insulin function is to reduce a reading known as"postprandial blood glucose"…that is, the blood glucose reading you see after eating a meal. This reading can be important, because high numbers have been associated with heart disease as well as excessive baby weight gain in pregnancy (macrosomia). For those of you who experience the phenomenon of being hungry after eating a meal, part of the reason may be a high postprandial blood glucose.

Dr. Johnston's first study used nondiabetic subjects who were divided into two groups: insulin resistant and non-insulin resistant. None of these individuals were taking diabetes medications. If they were in the test group, they were asked to drink 20 grams of apple cider vinegar, wait 2 minutes, and then eat a (pretty high glycemic) test meal of a white bagel, butter, and orange juice. Both groups tried the vinegar and no vinegar protocols. Blood glucose 30 and 60 minutes later was measured.

They found that when vinegar was consumed before a meal, postprandial blood glucose was significantly reduced. Dr. Johnston proposes that vinegar actually may have activity similar to that of Precose or metformin. While she used apple cider vinegar in her studies, she shared that any vinegar will have the same effect. So whatever your preference, rice, balsamic, wine, or raspberry…get creative in the kitchen!

She also clarified that the difference between the action of cinnamon and vinegar is that cinnamon reduces fasting glucose and vinegar reduces postprandial glucose. So you can use both if you wish, they're not going to replace each others' benefit…they may actually complement each other.

It's important if you choose to try this, and you're on medication, to share this with your physician. The results may significantly affect the dose of medication you need. I can pretty much bet most physicians aren't informed about this, and since I was skeptical until yesterday myself, I'm providing all of the references used to write this article for anyone to download and share. The journals in which they were published are respected ones.

A really important caveat: you can overdo this advice. Large amounts of vinegar over time can cause low grade metabolic acidosis (Dr. Johnston studied this too, knowing the mentality of dieters and people desperate to get off of meds.), which is associated with osteoporosis. This acidosis can be prevented by making sure your diet has a good amount of high-potassium foods. Since those are notably fruits and vegetables, the obvious practical way to use this information is to eat a nice salad with each meal, topped with a vinaigrette dressing. Dr. Johnston recommends a ratio of 2 parts vinegar, 1 part oil, the reverse of what is traditionally used.

Keep in mind too, if you're planning to go to the health food store and buy the vinegar pills…they aren't going to work. Dr. Johnston did three separate studies with them (because she was so surprised they didn't work and she was so convinced they would), and did not get the same results the original vinegar produced.

We had the opportunity to try a new product by Bragg's, a line of vinegar beverages. inCYST intern Sarah Jones and I tried the apple-cinnamon and the concord grape-acai flavors. Both of us felt the drink was a little much to consume as packaged, but they would be fun to use in vinaigrettes, marinades, etc., in the kitchen. I'm going to try some recipes this weekend.

Keep in mind too, that any favorite foods made with vinegar will also be beneficial! Pickles, sauerkraut, Korean kimchi, there are many cultural favorites that can make this fun! Think of ways vinegar can be added to your own marinades and flip the oil to vinegar ratio.

If you're really adventurous, or just want a fun party gag, try these pickle pops we sampled yesterday! Sarah was not so keen on them but I'm German and found it pretty tasty. When I looked this up for you all,, I discovered there is even a jalapeno flavor. That's pushing it even for me, but hey, there's something for everyone.: )

Check back with us too if you're actually measuring your blood glucose after meals and let us know if this was helpful!

The cost of diabetes medications can exceed $6,000 per year, per person. And one of every 8 federal health care dollars, ($79.7 billion annually), is spent on diabetes care. Imagine what we could do to our personal budgets, not to mention that nagging national debt, if we all just walked into Costco and invested in an industrial-sized bottle of vinegar…

Ebihara K, Nakajima A. Effect of acetic acid and vinegar on blood glucose and insulin responses to orally administered sucrose and starch Agric Biol Chem 52: 1311-1312, 1988.

Johnston CS, Kim CM, Buller AJ. Vinegar improves insulin sensitivity to a high-carbohydrate meal in subjects with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2004: Jan 27(1); 281-2.

White AM, Johnston CS. Vinegar ingestion at bedtime moderates waking glucose concentrations in adults with well-controlled type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2007 Nov;30(11):2814-5.
Johnston CS, White AM, Kent SM. A preliminary evaluation of the safety and tolerance of medicinally ingested vinegar in individuals with type 2 diabetes. J Med Food. 2008 Mar;11(1):179-83.

Johnston CS, White AM, Kent SM. Preliminary evidence that regular vinegar ingestion favorably influences hemoglobin A1c values in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2009 May;84(2):e15-7.
Johnston CS, Steplewska I, Long CA, Harris LN, Ryals RH. Examination of the antiglycemic properties of vinegar in healthy adults. Ann Nutr Metab. 2010;56(1):74-9.

I have a new favorite recipe that I thought you would like! If you use the anchovy paste, you'll get additional omega-3's; if you're vegan it's fine to use soy sauce. I use lite soy sauce to cut the sodium content. I have also cut the oil in half from the original recipe; feel free to add more if you need it. Just remember that it is the fat in the Caesar that can throw the calories out of whack.

Add chicken or salmon…or even canned tuna…for protein…and you've got a tasty, hormone-friendly meal!

Kale and Romaine Caesar Salad

Ingredients

- 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 T anchovy paste from a tube (or substitute soy sauce)
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 3 T olive oil
- 2 T + 2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 4-5 oz. romaine lettuce, thinly sliced, washed and dried
- 4-5 oz. dark green kale, washed, dried, and thinly sliced

Preparation

Blend the lemon juice, anchovy paste (or soy sauce), garlic, and Dijon in a food processor and pulse together a few times. Add the olive oil one tablespoon at a time, pulsing for a few seconds after each tablespoon is added. Stir in 2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan and season the dressing with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Put dressing in the fridge and chill until ready to use, or if you want to make the salad right away, chill it in the freezer for 10 minutes or so.
Thinly slice romaine lettuce and kale into 1/2 inch strips. Wash, then spin dry or dry with paper towels.

Place the kale strips in a salad bowl, and pour in salad dressing. Massage dressing into kale with your hands until the leaves change color. Add romaine and toss to coat with dressing. Add the remaining 2 T of freshly grated Parmesan to the salad and toss again. Serve right away.

I've been writing this blog long enough to know that as soon as I recommend a supplement, the post is circulated, reposted, retweeted, ad nauseum. If I talk about changing food choices, it sits there like a bump on a log.

I posted the information about myoinositol supplementation because I knew that many of you are having such a hard time with the side effects of metformin, that it might be helpful to try this compound as an adjunct.

In the process of researching the topic, however, I came to understand that part of the reason many of you have a problem with your myoinositol levels in the first place…is that your dietary choices may have backed you into a corner.

Myoinositol isn't new news, really. Back in 1980 a physician and a dietitian wrote a very nice review article and developed some recommendations for increasing dietary inositol that I'm going to summarize here. In a nutshell, it's a dietary intermediate that is found in high quantities in nerve cells. If your nerves are working harder than they were designed to, as is the case when you don't manage your stress, don't attend to good sleep hygiene, overexercise, and eat a poorly varied diet, there is a really good chance you're going to deplete your myoinositol levels more quickly than you can replete them. That is a consequence for ANYONE not taking good care of themselves, it's not a unique feature of PCOS.

For anyone struggling with medical issues related to hyperexcitable brains, including migraines, epilepsy, anxiety disorder, OCD, PTSD, bipolar disorder, etc., it's highly possible that your daily myoinositol needs are simply higher than average. Everything you see us write about on this blog, from omega-3's to antioxidants, is designed to reduce that hyperexcitability and make it easier for your brain to function as it should. It certainly is not going to hurt to take a supplement, and if you've been asking your brain to run on nutritional empty for a long time, or if you've been working hard to turn your PCOS around with good habits and just don't seem to be getting over the hump with it, supplementing may be a great tool to add to your already good habits.

There is some thought that people with insulin function problems may have alterations in myoinositol function, which could also increase the daily needed dose.

I must iterate, however, that a myoinositol supplement is NOT a substitute for a healthy diet. There is no such thing as a donut for breakfast, a Snickers for lunch, and a binge for dinner…cancelled out by a few pills in a bottle. So my guess is that those of you who are making good changes diet and stress management-wise in conjunction with the supplement are the most likely to achieve the benefit of the supplement. That is just how biochemistry works!

The study I recently quoted (focusing on neuropathy, not ovulation) used a myoinositol dose of 4 grams. The study I quote today found an effective response from a highest dose of 1,500 mg. It doesn't mean that these are the doses recommended for each particular diagnosis, or type of inositol, pill or food…it simply means those are the doses the reseachers decided to study.

However, since that is the dose reported in the ovulation study, and more of you reading this are interested in conception than nerve pain, I'll post the values of the highest myoinositol containing foods and let you figure out what your best food/supplement combination is to achieve that dose (4000 mg or 4 g daily).

I'm going to tell you, what I was thinking as I compiled this list was that if you're only concentrating on carb/protein/fat content, you're cutting out all your myoinositol sources. It looks like Mother Nature makes sure that when we eat carbohydrate as it appears in nature, that it comes packaged with a nutrient important for metabolizing it. It's when we refine that sugar and eat it out of context, as with sodas, candy, baked goods, etc…that we dig a hole for our nervous systems.

We just can't outsmart her, can we?

The complete list can be found at this link.

Myoinositol Containing Foods with more than 100 mg/serving
1/2 cup grapefruit juice 456 1/2 cup canned great northern beans 440 1/4 fresh cantelope 355 1 fresh orange 307 1 slice stone ground wheat bread 288 1/2 cup rutabaga 252 1/2 cup kidney beans 249 1/2 cup orange juice 245 1/2 cup canned oranges 240 1/2 cup canned peas 235 1/2 fresh grapefruit 199 1 fresh lime 194 1/2 cup canned blackberries 173 1/2 cup mandarin oranges 149 1/2 cup canned lima beans 146 1/2 cup kiwi fruit 136 1 cup split peas 128 2 T. creamy peanut butter 122 1 fresh nectarine 118 1/2 cup canned black-eyed peas 117 1/2 cup grapefruit sections, canned 117
Rex S. Clements, Jr., M.D. and Betty Darnell, M.S., RD. Myo-inositol content of common foods:
development of a high-myo-inositol diet. Am J Clin Nutr September 1980 vol. 33 no. 9, 1954-1967.

Someone on our Facebook page recently asked how you cook kale. And she asked at a perfect time, since we've been getting it almost weekly at Chow Locally, and I've been the one who's been curating recipes and techniques to keep our customers excited!

First of all, a bit about kale. It is actually a type of cabbage that never gets around to forming into a head. In this photo you see curly kale, which is one of the more popular kinds, what you often see used to make kale chips. It comes in a variety of colors and leaf shapes, all of which can be enjoyed!

Here are some of the great things kale can do for you.

1. It can lower your cholesterol.
2. It can lower your risk of cancer.
3. It is a great food for detoxification.
4. It is extremely high in antioxidants — over 45 have already been identified.
5. One cup cooked kale has 1328% of your RDA's for vitamin K, 354% for vitamin A, and 89% of vitamin C. And only 36 calories.

Now that is what I call nutrient dense!

For the longest time, I thought kale was just the pretty gray-green curly stuff you used to decorate party platters, but didn't really eat. Then antioxidants were discovered, and kale topped the charts, and people started deciding, maybe they should figure out how to eat it. It can be a bit of a challenge because it is bitter. Unless you are Kitty, who loves raw kale (this is white peacock kale here), it's best to know a few cooking techniques!

Here are some of the easiest ways to enjoy kale.

1. Juice it. There are a bazillion recipes for juicing kale on the Internet. I am linking you to just one here.

2. Massage it and eat it raw. Interestingly, kale's bitter flavor dials back a bit if you chop it, and massage it with some type of oil until the color pops green. Here is a great blog post with three massaged kale salad recipes, along with more ideas (colcannon, which is mashed potatoes and kale, is a recipe I sent to our customers with this week's box.)

3. Saute it. Super easy, as you can see in this recipe!

4. Make pesto with it. One week we got gorgeous purple peacock kale in our boxes, and it intimidated some of our customers. It's the same vegetable, just a different color, and to demonstrate, I made a purple pesto. You can make this exact same pesto with any kind of kale…curly, dinosaur, peacock, Toscano…because it's still kale!

5. Steam/wilt it. This is one of my all time favorite kale recipes, by Rachel Ray, steamed kale with portobello mushrooms. I often make this dinner!

6. Kale chips. This is all the rage right now. I'm giving you the recipe and I encourage you to try this with any sturdy greens you might have available — kohlrabi and beet have worked very well in my kitchen.
7. Braise it. Braising is a way to slow cook and infuse the flavor of a wine, vinegar, alcohol, broth, or other liquid. I just found this great salsa-braised kale recipe while surfing for this post…it is on my list to try!
I hope this gets you started! Let us know how you end up cooking yours!

Organic Beet Salad Ingredients:
One large Beet or 2 small
Walnuts-handful
fresh dill-2 -3 sprigs
1 lemon
Wash beets and scrub with brush over running water
Peel the beet and chop into small evenly cut cubes. Place in a steamer and boil for 7-10 minutes. Place beets in a bowl of ice water to cool. When cool remove and place in bowl. Add chopped walnuts,chopped dill and juice of one lemon, refrigerate until cold and eat when read

I'm going to send you to the Green Mountain at Fox Run blog for this post. It's awesome! It has wonderful detail about the nutritional value of maple syrup, and WHY it has the antioxidants it has…fascinating! Mother Nature really knows what she's doing. Bottom line, yes it's a carbohydrate, but in moderation it can be beneficial.

Here are some recipes from Green Mountain's kitchen--enjoy!

Apple Cider Dressing
Serves 16

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
4 tablespoons apple cider
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup maple syrup — b grade
2 tablespoons Calvados
1 pinch salt and pepper
- — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - -
Apple Salsa
Serves 8
------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 large Apples — diced
1 tablespoon red onion — diced
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon cilantro — minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
to taste salt and pepper

Honey-Dijon Dressing

Serves 8

¼ cup honey
¼ cup dijon mustard
¼ cup cider vinegar
3/8 cup canola oil
½ dash salt
½ dash pepper
½ teaspoon oregano

Whisk all ingredients together.

Replace the Dijon with Maple Syrup for Maple Dijon

Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Makes 1 ½ cups

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup canola oil

Blend vinegar, mustard, and maple syrup together.
Slowly add oil until incorporated.

Replace maple syrup with honey for honey-balsamic vinaigrette.

Another great marinade!

Raspberry Maple Poppy Seed Dressing

Makes 1 ½ cups

1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
½ tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

salt and pepper to taste
Mix it up and adjust seasonings.
Your slaw may never be the same.

Maple-Glazed Salmon

¼ cup Vermont Maple Syrup
1 tbs. lemon juice
2 tbs. light soy sauce
1 tsp. Dijon or stone-ground mustard
½ tsp. finely chopped gingerroot, if desired
1 ¼-pound salmon fillet
2 tbs. thinly sliced scallions

Method of Preparation

1. Mix all ingredients except salmon and scallions.

2. Cut salmon fillet into 4 serving pieces. Place fish in shallow glass or plastic dish. Drizzle marinade over fish reserving about ¼-cup marinade to serve over cooked fish. Refrigerate about 30 minutes.

3. Heat oven to 400© F. Remove fish from marinade; set aside marinade. Place fish in baking dish. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, basting occasionally with marinade, until fish flakes easily with fork.

4. To serve, drizzle reserved ¼-cup marinade over fish; top with scallions.

Variation:

Grilled Maple-Glazed Salmon: Instead of baking, place on grill rack, cover and grill fish 5 to 6 inches from medium coals 4 minutes. Turn fish; brush with marinade; cover and grill about 4 minutes longer or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with fork.
Red Beet Vinaigrette
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1/4 cup beet powder
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
black pepper — to taste
3/4 cup canola oil

Add beet powder, vinegar, & mustard to blender. Blend until all powder is incorporated into the vinegar. Add syrup & blacck pepper, blend again to mix. With blender running, slowly add canola oil.

Cauliflower Couscous

2 heads cauliflower, finely ground in a food processor
1/2 fresh cup lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon black pepper
pinch of sea salt
1 bunch fresh parsley, stems removed
1 bunch fresh mint, stems removed
1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed
1 13oz jar pitted Greek olives

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix thoroughly

Marinated Bok Choy Salad

5 heads baby bok choy
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Nama Shoyu
4 cloves garlic, peeled

Starting from the bottom of the plant, chop the bok choy stalks into half-inch pieces, leaving the leaves whole. In a blender, combine the olive oil, Nama Shoyu and garlic and blend thoroughly. Add to the bok choy, mix well and serve.

Pesto Sauce

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 fresh lemon juice
pinch sea salt
1 cup raw pine nuts
1 cup fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients, and blend until smooth.
(can add 3/4 cup Thai cocunut water if desired)
We served this last night over brown rice linguini pasta and it was delicious!!

I just tried all of these and they are so easy to prepare and absolutely yummy

Cucumber Watercress Soup
3 1/2 cups cucumber juice (4-6 cucumbers)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 bunch fresh watercress
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp sea salt

Using a juicer, juice the cucumbers. In a high speed blender, combine all of the ingredients and blend until smooth
*I added some fresh dill and parsley to this recipe and chose not to use salt, you can try either way

Bored with salmon, but still want to get your Omega 3's?

Prefer a mild-flavored, white fish?

Looking for a more sustainable option in your seafood?

Try Barramundi!

A native of the tropical waters of northern Australia, southeast Asia, and southern China, Barramundi is farmed in the U.S.

If you're worried about farmed fish, don't be. Not all farmed fish is bad. In fact, the Monterey Bay's Seafood Watch program rates U.S. farmed Barramundi a"Best Choice" because of our environmentally friendly farming practices.

Why eat it? Barramundi has 833 mg of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids per 5-oz serving and contains less than 150 calories! It's a great source of lean protein, is rich in vitamins and minerals, and is low in saturated fat. Because of U.S. farming practices, it's also free from contamination with PCBs, mercury or other contaminants.

How to buy it? You may find it called Silver Barramundi, Giant Perch, Palmer Perch, and Barra. Locally it can be found at Giant and Safeway.

How to make it? Barramundi has a sweet, mild flavor and light, flaky texture and is super easy to prepare. Below is a recipe and links to more!

Barramundi and Lemon Butter

4 Barramundi fillets

2 tsp. olive or canola oil

2 Tbsp. butter

1 clove garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. fresh or bottled lemon juice

5 leaves minced fresh basil (or 3/4 tsp. dry)

Salt to taste

Gently saute the garlic in butter for about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and basil. Add salt to taste. Remove from heat. Coat fillets with olive or canola oil. Pan fry one side on high heat for 3 minutes. Flip and cook other side 1-2 more minutes or until fish is cooked through. Transfer to serving dish. Spoon sauce over fillets.

Serving Suggestion: Serve on a bed of sauteed spinach or greens, and fresh tomato salsa.

Danielle Omar, MS, RD
The Food Confidence Expert

www.foodconfidence.com

The other night I had dinner with friends at a popular Scottsdale restaurant, Cowboy Ciao. We had a wonderful waiter who, without our verbalizing it, sensed that our appetites, though healthy, were not nearly as large as the portion sizes on our menu. He helped us order in ways that did not bring excessive food to the table. We would likely not have eaten them anyway, but it was really nice to not have to spend any of our concentration on ignoring food that was sitting there suggesting it should be eaten.

He helped us figure out portion sizes of both the salad and the entree that worked for three people. In this particular restaurant it worked because they offered half portions of entrees. So we ordered one half and one whole portion but had it served in one dish so we could serve ourselves family style. Of course, depending on the situation this won't always work, but I do encourage you to be assertive and let your server know what you need and engage them in problem solving. The smart ones will recognize that there's a better tip for them if they cooperate.

I learned from a friend who travels for a living that if the ingredient shows up somewhere on the menu, even if it's not in the item you want, it's in the kitchen and you can ask for a substitution. For example, once we were eating breakfast together and he noticed asparagus on a dinner dish. He asked if it could be added to his lobster omelet and there was not an issue.

Be assertive, ask about the possibilities. Don't assume the rules are dictated by the printed menu. If you frequent a restaurant that obliges you, you may actually give them reason to consider putting your own creation on the menu. In which case you've also made it easier for those coming along behind you!

This blog post, by the way, is also an excuse for sharing Cowboy's recipe for their famous chopped salad. I posted this photo on my Facebook page and it received so many likes it was clear it should have its own fan page! If you choose to make your own aioli, be sure to use canola mayonnaise.

For the dressing:
1/4 cup basil pesto
1/2 shallot, roughly chopped
1/2 cup aioli (see note)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the salad:
1/3 cup cooked Israeli couscous
2 ounces chopped arugula
1/3 cup diced roma tomatoes
1/3 cup diced smoked salmon
1 tablespoon crumbled Asiago cheese
1 tablespoon toasted pepitas
2 tablespoons dried black currants
2 tablespoons super-sweet dried corn

For the dressing, combine pesto, shallot and aioli in a food processor; blend thoroughly. With motor running, add buttermilk. Add pepper and lemon juice; blend to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

For the salad, arrange ingredients in separate rows on a large platter. Toss salad at the table, using about half of the batch of dressing. (Refrigerate remaining dressing up to three days.)

Makes 2 servings.

Note: Aioli is like garlicky mayonnaise. Look for it in gourmet food stores, or make your own by blending together 1 to 2 finely minced garlic cloves, 1/3 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup mayonnaise.

I am at PCOS week at Green Mountain at Fox Run Resort this week, and I am so enjoying meeting and working with the women participating in the program!

Tonight, Chef Jon and his lovely and enthusiastic Sous Chef Lisa gave a wonderful cooking demonstration about beans. I wanted to share a couple of the unique recipes they provided.

Spiced Bean Muffins--yes…muffins!
1 cup pinto beans, cooked
3/4 cup skim milk
1 egg
1/3 cup brown sugar--packeed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspooons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat muffin pans with vegetable spray.
In a food processor, blend the beans, eggs, milk, oil, and sugar.
In a spearate bowl combine all dry ingredients.
Whisk bean mixture into dry ingredients just until combined.
Portion with 2 ounce scoop and bake for 15-20 minutes or until done.

Greek Bean Cake--Jon said these cakes can be made ahead and frozen, to be pullled out of the freezer and quickly heated for an easy high protein snack. I loved that idea!

Makes about 4 cakes

2 cups garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 cup kidney beans, rinsed
3/4 cups red onion, chopped
1 cup tomato, chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup dried pita bread crumbs

Puree garbanzo beans.
Fold in remaining ingredients; try to keep cheese in whole pieces
Form cakes, bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Our next PCOS week will be in November (see sidebar at right for dates and link). It's a great way to give yourself a week of healthy PCOS living and to learn from great professionals like Jon and Lisa!

Source: Uploaded by user via Monika on Pinterest

I was asked by one of our readers (who happens to also be my dear cousin Susan), if there was anywhere on the Internet, a checklist for vegetarians to follow to be sure their diet is complete. Her pretty exhaustive research found nothing really practical for meal planning.

So in response to that, and knowing that a very high percentage of our own readers are vegetarian, I put something together. Please let us know if it needs refining or detail, so that we can make this as practical as it can possibly be.

There are five main things to attend to. All of them are important, but I ordered them in the way I look at them when planning a vegetarian meal for myself.

1. What is my protein source and how much of it do I need to truly give me enough protein?

Here are your goals based on the number of calories you eat. This will make 30% of your calories protein, which will help to fight insulin resistance.

1200 calories 90 grams
1300 calories 93 grams
1400 calories 95 grams
1500 calories 98 grams
1600 calories 100 grams
1700 calories 103 grams
1800 calories 105 grams
1900 calories 108 grams
2000 calories 110 grams

2. Where is my vitamin D coming from, and have I had enough? You will have to make a very conscious effort to get enough of this vitamin. With regard to whole foods, mushrooms are pretty much the only vitamin D-containing food. With regard to vegan milk alternatives, beware. Most are so low in protein, they are more accurately thought of as juices rather than milks. If you choose to drink them you will need to find other ways to meet criteria nu,ber one above. I blogged about
this in detail not too long ago.

3. Are my fats healthy? If your definition of vegan is primarily not eating meat, and you are eating a lot of packaged, processed, prepared, or baked food…be extra sure you are not inadvertently letting the pro-inflammatory fats sneak in. Remember, they tend to begin with the letters"s" and" c" — soybean, safflower, sunflower, sesame, corn, cottonseed. (Canola is the exception.). Vegans are often blindsided here with salad dressings, baked goods, cookies, and chops. Read your labels--as much as I love Whole Foods, their entire snack food aisle only has a handful of choices you can bring home if you follow this rule! Good fats include olive and organic canola.

4. Am I getting DHA and EPA (marine omega-3)? Yes, flax, green veggies, and other foods contain omega-3, but the conversion rate is not high. You will need to find a marine algae supplement to be sure your intake of these two essential fatty acids is adequate. InCYSTer Chris Marquette found one that is not genetically modified; look for it next time you shop.

5. Am I getting enough fruits and vegetables? Ideally, these should be the vast majority of what you eat. I am surprised at how many vegans I know who do not like vegetables! You should be aiming for 2-3 1/2 cup servings PER MEAL. Beware of juicing; it is a great way to get in large volumes of fruits and vegetables…BUT…the carbohydrate to protein ratio is not going to help reduce insulin resistance. Make a smoothie out of your juice with your favorite protein powder.

Of course, you can take supplements to make up many of these deficiencies…but if your solution in more than one of these categories is a supplement, I challenge you to consider why you do what you do. The true definition of a vegan is someone WHO MEETS THEIR DAILY NUTRITIONAL NEEDS without using animal-based food to make it happen. If all you have done is remove animals from your diet, you are simply a picky or misinformed eater.

Not long ago a woman with PCOS handed me a diet diary for analysis. She had eaten a burger without the bun and a sweetened ice tea for breakfast. Lunch didn't happen until 2 pm, and it was a brownie with ice cream. And finally, she recorded a bowl of cereal for dinner.

One of the things that jumped out at me was that there were no fruits or vegetables in her meal plan. When I asked her about it…she told me she was avoiding carbs!

Fruits have somehow gotten a bad rap because of their carbohydrate content. But they're not the culprit in an unhealthy diet. In fact, fruits are very high in antioxidants, which can help to repair the damage that life stress and the stress of having a chronic disease can create. In my opinion, you can't afford NOT to have fruit.

I chose oranges this week, because I live in Arizona and I have an orange tree off of my patio. It is the most wonderful treat to wake up, pick a few oranges, and have a glass of fresh squeezed juice. Or, when I need a break in the afternoon, to pick a fresh snack for myself. Nothing tastes better than fruit right from the source. I recently made a great salad vinaigrette using orange juice and olive oil as the base. Even with all these oranges, I'm not making a dent in my supply!

If your diet diary mimicks the one I described above, challenge yourself to try the following. Be sure to have a serving of fruit the size of a tennis ball at each meal, or the total equivalent of 3 servings that size of fruit in the course of a day. Challenge yourself to not eat any sources of refined sugar until you've met your daily quota of fruit. See if, when you focus on fruit, your appetite for other sugars diminishes. And in the process, if changing the kind of sugar you eat doesn't help stabilize your energy levels and help you to feel better.

Note: I've received quite a few compliments about this blog post. It was written and published without a single edit by Sarah Jones. Sarah is currently a nutrition student and Arizona State University and has been interning with me over this academic year. The attention to detail you see here is just how Sarah does things. I'm very lucky to have her, and glad she has shared such a timely topic in such a wonderful post. Thanks, Sarah!

You may have noticed that vitamin D has been a hot topic in the media lately and, at this point, it is likely that we as consumers are becoming overwhelmed by all the media hype. Recent studies have suggested that in prehistoric times, in addition to normal skeletal development, humans probably used vitamin D as a natural form of sunscreen. Before majoring in Dietetics, my basic knowledge of the role vitamin D played in the body is that it somehow worked with calcium to promote healthy bones. As it turns out, I had no idea how complex the relationship actually was between vitamin D and the human body! Let’s take a further look at vitamin D. Most of us may know vitamin D as the “sunshine vitamin.” We get it from the sun, right? Sure, but how? When ultraviolet light from the sun shines on a cholesterol compound in our skin, it is transformed into a vitamin D “precursor” (compounds that can be converted into active vitamins that the body can use) and is absorbed directly into the blood. The liver and kidneys finish converting the precursor to the active form of vitamin D. There are two major forms of vitamin D; these are vitamin D₂ (ergocalciferol), which is present in plants, and vitamin D₃ (cholecalciferol), which is present in the skin of animals. Vitamin D was discovered in 1920 and was originally classified as a vitamin. However, it has since been revealed that vitamin D is actually a hormone (steroid) since it can be synthesized by the body when exposed to sunlight. Essentially, the major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus in our bodies, which aids in the absorption of calcium and helps to form and maintain strong bones. Vitamin D₃ is the most active form of the vitamin, which is what you will see in most supplements. Obtaining vitamin D from sunlight presents no risk of vitamin D toxicity because the body is able to regulate the vitamin D precursor – see what I mean about complex! But, as we know, getting too much sun puts us at risk for skin cancer. Since moving to Arizona, I have started wearing sunscreen everyday to decrease my risk of skin cancer, but sunscreen can reduce or prevent the synthesis of vitamin D. And, because vitamin D is one of the most toxic of all the vitamins, taking supplements can put us at risk for toxicity. Now you may be thinking, I wear sunscreen, I am concerned about supplementing without first consulting my doctor, and I live in an area that does not get much sunlight during this time of year, what foods can I eat that have vitamin D in them? As far as foods are concerned, dietary vitamin D is provided primarily by foods of animal origin, especially liver, beef and eggs (mainly the yolk). You can also find vitamin D in dairy products such as milk, cheese and butter. Lastly, vitamin D is in some saltwater fish, including tuna, salmon, herring and sardines. Because few foods naturally have substantial vitamin D content, i n the United States there are pre-selected foods, such as milk, cheese, margarine and yogurt as well as some orange juice, bread, and cereals that have been fortified with vitamin D. If you are a vegetarian, you likely will not be obtaining vitamin D by eating liver, beef or fish, but you may still be eating eggs and dairy products. I mentioned yogurt as a source of vitamin D, but after a trip to the grocery store and looking at no less than ten brands of yogurt, I was stumped! I was hard pressed to find yogurts that have been fortified with vitamin D. However, it was not a complete loss, as I eventually spotted one (which also happens to be one of my favorite brands). Stonyfield Organic Yogurt has fortified most of their yogurt products with vitamin D₃. Here is a list from their labels of the “percent of daily values based on a 2,000 calorie diet”: Organic Fat Free Smooth and Creamy 6 oz (all flavors): 20% of D₃ Organic Fat Free Fruit on the Bottom 6 oz (all flavors): 15% of D₃ Organic Low Fat Smooth and Creamy 6 oz (all flavors): 20% of D₃ Organic Low Fat Fruit on the Bottom 6 oz (all flavors): 15% of D₃ Their soy and Greek yogurt’s do not have vitamin D, but they also make six and ten ounce organic smoothies that contain vitamin D. Additionally, they have two other products that are worth mentioning: “B-Healthy and B-Well.” B-Healthy includes omega-3 fatty acids, as well as three of the B vitamins ( B₃ or Niacin, B₅ or Panthothenic Acid and B12). B-Well contains vitamin B₆, probiotic cultures and vitamin D. According to their website, if you live in the Phoenix area, Stonyfield Organic Yogurt can be found at: Bashas’, AJ’s Fine Foods and Sprouts Farmers Market.

References

Breakfast:
Whole wheat english muffin with 1 oz of mozarella cheese, part skim, and 1/2 to 1 oz of lean deli ham to make a breakfast sandwich.
4-6 oz Calcium fortified orange juice
Lunch:
2 oz deli turkey with 1 slice of provolone cheese, lettuce leaf, sliced tomato, with a tablespoon, (or less) of smart balance omega plus mayonnaise on a whole wheat tortilla to make a wrap. To drink, unsweetened iced tea with lemon.
Dinner:
Boneless, skinless chicken thigh baked/roasted with seasonings. Baked Potato, small with Omega plus smart balance margarine, and broccoli, prepared in the microwave and omega plus smart balance margarine, added for seasoning with pepper. To drink, water or a glass of wine
Snack: Sun chips

Excerpt from: Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Dummies ®, Wiley Publishing, Nov. 2011

Meri, Meri, Meri…you've got me trained like a Pavlov's dog…every time I see an email from you entitled"recipe"…I'm salivating before I even open it!

Photo by http://www.lovjoyphotographer.com/

Chicken Stew with Chick Peas and Plum Tomatoes
Prep time: 12 min Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken thighs
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 (14.5oz) can chickpeas, drained
1 large can (28oz) plum tomatoes
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
¼ cup red lentils
½ cup long grain rice
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

1 In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Add the onion, celery, spices, and chickpeas and cook for 3 minutes to heat spices.

2 Pour in the tomatoes and chicken stock and then add in the lentils and rice. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

3 Stir in the lemon juice and divide stew into 6 bowls. Garnish each bowl with 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro and serve. Per serving: Calories 346 (From Fat 82); Fat 9g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 38mg; Sodium 721mg; Carbohydrate 47g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 22g.

In my part of the world, winter is citrus time. The trees in my neighborhood are loaded down with grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, limes, and lemons…to the point where people give them away because they simply cannot use them all.

Family and friends have filled an entire shelf of my refrigerator with lemons, which of all of the above, is the hardest to use in large quantities.

So I started Googling to see what I could do with lemon juice. Turns out, it is really great for skin! It is especially helpful for acne scars and helping to fade discolored skin. It's high in glycolic acid, which is a key ingredient in many facial peel products.

I've simply been putting the lemon juice on my skin for about an hour in the morning…a few times, after reading more, I've even gone to sleep with it still on my face. You'll feel a tingle at first, and it's best to keep it away from your eyes.

I've been doing this for about two weeks and am noticing a healthier glow to my skin and even a little bit of reduction of fine lines. I'm not promising miracles, and I don't think it's going to completely erase the marks of time, but I do feel it's doing something invigorating on several different levels.

For those of you whose PCOS has affected your skin's appearance, it's another inexpensive and simple tool for you to have to help you feel and look better.

For those of you who love green tea, you may wish to expand on your experiences with matcha. This version of tea is made by covering tea bushes before harvest, which causes them to turn a darker green. The biochemistry of this change gives matcha a sweeter flavor than traditional green tea.

This form of green tea is a super power house; gram for gram, it ranks higher in antioxidants than many of the foods consistently on health writers'"top ten supefoods" lists. In fact, researchers recently reported that the ECGC content of matcha can be up to 137 times higher than commercial green tea!

These leaves are then ground into a super-fine powder, which can be used in baking and cooking. If you've ever had green tea ice cream or a green tea smoothie, it is likely matcha that provided the flavor. I think it adds a beautiful color to whatever it is used in.

Most recipes on the Internet using matcha seem to be oriented toward sweets. However, if you look, there are some really interesting options in other categories. I've posted some of the most interesting below, along with links to the websites where I found theme so that you can be inspired in your own kitchen.

If you can't find match locally, consider visiting my friend Kerstin Wingert's online store. That is where I've found it and she is very popular in Phoenix because of her attention to quality in her products.

A storage note: Once opened, matcha does oxidize quickly so be sure to have a plan for using it, or share with friends and have fun tasting each others' creations!

One of the many smoothie recipes I found

Matcha Mango Smoothies

1 1/4 cups mango chunks
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk or low-fat milk
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon matcha tea powder
1/2 cup ice cubes
Honey or agave syrup (optional)

Add mango, soymilk, yogurt and matcha tea powder to blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. Add ice cubes; cover and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness. Add honey or agave syrup if needed; cover and blend to combine. Pour into 2 glasses.

Makes 2 servings (1 1/4 cups each)

Tip: Adding too much matcha tea can result in a bitter flavor. Start with a small amount of matcha and adjust according to taste.

Here is the most interesting one I found. It is on my list to try!

Green Tea Fish Stew

5 Tbls. Olive oil
1 Clove garlic; peeled
4 medium Potatoes; peeled and diced
1 lb. Flounder, cod or red snapper fillets cut in chunks
2 bottles clam juice
2 cups water
16 ozs. diced or pureed tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Crushed red pepper or to taste
3 Tbls. Chopped parsley
1 tsp. Matcha green tea powder

Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add garlic; sauté until well browned. Discard garlic. Add potatoes to Dutch oven, cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. Add fish, stock, tomatoes, wine, Matcha, bay leaf, salt, crushed red pepper, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until fish and potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf. Serve sprinkled with parsley. Serves 4

http://www.islandteashop.com/recipes/green-tea/poultry-fish-meat.php

You could probably cut the sugar in this one. Be sure to use dark, high quality chocolate. A great holiday treat!

Matcha Almonds
1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
8 ounces unblanched almonds
2 teaspoons butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon matcha (powdered green tea) or more to taste

Preparation

1.Combine the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a saucepan and slowly heat to boiling, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook sugar syrup until it reaches 240 degrees, or to soft-ball stage. Add almonds and stir to coat. Add the butter and remove from the heat. Stir until the almonds are glazed with syrup. Cook over medium-low heat until little liquid is left in the pan.

2.Add the chocolate and heat until it melts and almonds are completely coated. Set aside to cool.

3.When almonds are cool, dust from on high with the matcha to coat evenly.

YIELD About 3/4 pound

http://events.nytimes.com/recipes/11700/2003/01/19/Matcha-Almonds/recipe.html

And just for a little fun, here is matcha martini recipe! Isn't this the most Christmasy looking beverage! The photo shows a strawberry garnish, the recipe suggests mint and cinnamon, but for this holiday in particular, garnished with a candy cane it would be so pretty!

Matcha Zentini

* 1 tsp ZenMatcha powder
* 1 ounce Godiva White Chocolate liquer
* 1 ounce vanilla vodka
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Shake well over ice and pour.

Garnish with a mint leaf and cinnamon (can substitute cream and clear white chocolate liquer for Godiva liqueur)

http://zenmatchatea.com/matcha/tea/recipes/matcha-martini-recipes

Weiss, David J; Anderton, Christopher R (2003-09-05). Determination of catchins in matcha green ttea by micellar electrokinetic chromatography. Journal of Chromatography 1011 (1-2): 173–180.