Bright Balsamic Vinaigrette

Straight balsamic vinaigrette, made with just balsamic vinegar and virgin olive oil produces a vinaigrette that may be a bit heavy for your tastes. So here is a solution.

Ingredients
1 Tbs. dry mustard
Dash of granulated garlic
1/4tsp. each of salt and pepper
1 1/2 oz. rice wine vinegar
1/2 oz. red wine vinegar
2 oz. balsamic vinegar
4 oz. pure olive oil


Directions
Combine all ingredients.

Makes about 1 cup.
From Bob's Chef's Services Blog

Naturopathic Medicine?

Naturopathic medicine is based on the belief that the human body has an innate healing ability. Naturopathic doctors teach their patients to use diet, exercise, lifestyle changes and natural therapies to enhance their bodies’ ability to ward off and combat disease. They view the patient as a complex, interrelated system (a whole person), not as a clogged artery or a tumor. Naturopathic physicians craft comprehensive treatment plans that blend the best of modern medical science and traditional natural medical approaches to not only treat disease, but to also restore health.

Naturopathic physicians base their practice on 6 timeless principles founded on medical tradition and scientific evidence.

Let nature heal. Our bodies have such a powerful, innate instinct for self-healing. By finding and removing the barriers to this self-healing—such as poor diet or unhealthy habits—naturopathic physicians can nurture this process.

Identify and treat causes. Naturopathic physicians understand that symptoms will only return unless the root illness is addressed. Rather than cover up symptoms, they seek to find and treat the cause of these symptoms.

First, do no harm. Naturopathic physicians follow three precepts to ensure their patients’ safety:
Use low-risk procedures and healing compounds—such as dietary supplements, herbal extracts and homeopathy—with few or no side effects.
When possible, do not suppress symptoms, which are the body’s efforts to self-heal.
Customize each diagnosis and treatment plan to fit each patient. We all heal in different ways and the naturopathic physician respects our differences.

Educate patients. Naturopathic medicine believes that doctors must be educators, as well as physicians. That’s why naturopathic physicians teach their patients how to eat, exercise, relax and nurture themselves physically and emotionally. They also encourage self-responsibility and work closely with each patient.

Treat the whole person. We each have a unique physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, sexual and spiritual makeup. The naturopathic physician knows that all these factors affect our health. That’s why he or she includes them in a carefully tailored treatment strategy.

Prevent illness. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" has never been truer. Proactive medicine saves money, pain, misery and lives. That’s why naturopathic physicians evaluate risk factors, heredity and vulnerability to disease. By getting treatment for greater wellness, we’re less likely to need treatment for future illness.

Mahatma Gandhi Quotes

"Don't listen to friends when the Friend inside you says 'Do this'."

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, Conquer him with love.”

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed”

"Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow."

“The Roots of Violence: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice, Politics without principles”

Red Pepper Hummus

Here is a tasty and easy to make hummus that you can serve with toasted pita bread or as a dip or spread with almost anything.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup tahini
1 Tbs. lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1/ 1/2 tsp.)
1 cup or jar roasted red peppers, drained
4 sprigs fresh basil
1/ 1/2 - 2 tsp. dried Italian herbs
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 hot sauce
1/4 extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Place all ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until smooth.  Makes 3 cups.

From Whole Foods Market Cookbook
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Shopping Misconceptions

It’s “natural” so it must be a good choice…wrong!
If a product is natural it simply means it wasn’t made from any artificial ingredients, which is certainly desirable, but don’t forget that white flour, sugar, and even high-fructose corn syrup are all derived from “natural” ingredients and they are also all highly refined.

Organic packaged food is better than conventional…okay, mostly true.
The problem is though that since the product is organic people sometimes just assume it’s also “healthy.” But there’s an awful lot of what is called “organic junk food” out there that’s still highly processed (like organic cookies, organic ice cream sandwiches, and organic candy) so no matter what the package says you still have to read – and scrutinize – the ingredient label.

The bread that’s being made in the grocery store bakery is “fresh”…wrong (in most cases)!
Most stores have a bustling bakery where workers appear to be pulling “fresh” baked bread out of their ovens. While it’s true they’re baking the bread right there in the store oftentimes they didn’t actually make the dough themselves, which means it’s full of preservatives and other unnecessary additives like dough conditioners (just read the ingredients and you’ll see).

Some people say, “Well, isn’t cheese a ‘processed’ food?”…right (sort of).
We have to draw the line somewhere so why not define highly processed food as products containing  more than 5 ingredients. But – just for the record – no matter how many ingredients are on the list, if a product is made with anything refined (like “wheat” that’s not whole) or if it’s deep-fried in refined oil then we definitely consider it to be highly processed as well. That means bags of 3-ingredient deep-fried potato chips are out (sorry!).

Mutli-grain crackers are better than crackers made from white flour…wrong!
“Mutli-grain” is a misleading buzzword because unless those grains are actually “whole grain” the product is really no better than those made from refined grains (like white flour).

Following the latest food trend (that’s oftentimes led by the food industry) is the way to go…wrong!
If something feels like an up and coming food “trend” try to avoid it and stick to traditional diets that people have survived on for centuries, which certainly didn’t include “boosting your omega-3’s” with a box of enriched pasta.

This cereal box says it will lower my cholesterol so maybe I should give it a shot…wrong!
Do not believe – and in fact don’t even read – misleading health claims on the front of food packages.

Bottom Line
Thoroughly read the food labels and ingredients and trust your own conclusions.

Source: 100 Days of Real Food

Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Feta Bruschetta

Need a quick and easy side dish for a meal.

Ingredients

6-8 cherry or plum tomatoes cut in half
2 thick slices of whole grain bread
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ tbsp chopped tarragon
Cracked pepper
EV Olive Oil

Directions
Lightly pre-cook the tomatoes in the oven or frying pan with in a little olive oil until they start to collapse. Combine tomatoes, feta and tarragon in a bowl. Add pepper and olive oil to taste.

Brush the bread with olive oil and brown one side in a frying pan and flip. Spoon ingredients on top of browned side of bread. Cook until underside is brown and serve warm.

Options
There is plenty of room here for personal preferences. You can change up any of the ingredients or add other ingredients like black olives or sweet onions to suit your tastes. Or you may want to toast the bread in a toaster and then add the ingredients.

1-2 Servings.
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