Kefir

Kefir fermenting next to sprouts and
sourdough - my kitchen is full of life!

At the end of last year, I read a book called Cultured Food for Health by Donna Schwenk. She described how kefir, kombucha and cultured vegetables had healed her family's allergies, digestive problems, immune problems etc. by creating a healthy bacterial environment in their bodies.

I'm a firm believer in food as medicine, and I like growing things, so I ordered some kefir grains from her and embarked on a journey of fermentation.

Kefir is similar to yogurt but has far more beneficial bacteria per tablespoon than yogurt does. It also has beneficial yeasts that scavenge bad yeasts. Both the good bacteria and good yeasts colonize your intestines, creating the optimal environment for absorption of nutrients from the food you eat.

The kefir you get at the store is probably runny and sour. The kefir I make at home is rich and creamy with a tang (sometimes more tang than others - making kefir is an art, not a science). I think because kefir is a living food, the long storage and transportation times required to get it to market make it deteriorate a little, leading to the sour taste. (Think of the difference between a supermarket tomato and a homegrown tomato.)

Some people say the good bacteria in store-bought kefir has all died because it's pasteurized. I don't know. I do know that the kefir I make is a living food, and takes care and tending. In return it gives us a lovely yogurt that has replaced the St. Benoit yogurt in Larry's lunch box. And kefir cheese is simple to make into a fabulous healthy appetizer that amazed Tracie when she visited last week.

Tomorrow, I'll take you step by step through how I make our kefir.

Cinnamon Tea

This has been a challenging winter - the weather is cold and wet, then hot, then wet again. My Canadian body, which is used to 6 months of ice, finds it's stressful to try to keep up.

As preventative medicine, on those damp chilly days when it feels like a virus might be floating around, I brew up a cup of cinnamon tea and snuggle under a blanket with a good book.

Cinnamon has been shown to have antibacterial and antiviral qualities. It's also a restorative, used for centuries in Chinese medicine to get the blood moving and restore strength to a body depleted by illness or stress.

It's also a sedative and mood booster. After a couple of cups of cinnamon tea and a good nap, the whole world looks brighter.

I usually drink it without sweetener, but a little raw honey, added once the tea has cooled a little so as not to destroy the beneficial enzymes, helps soothe the throat. I have teaspoons made from organic bamboo (from bambuhome.com). Unlike metal spoons, they stay cool while stirring the honey into the tea.

Of course, you don't have to be under the weather to drink a cup of this delicious tea.

(Organic cinnamon sticks are becoming more commonly available. If your local health food store doesn't have them, you can order them online at Mountain Rose Herbs. Buy raw honey at your local farmers market.)

Cinnamon Tea
2 2-inch organic cinnamon sticks (4 inches total)
1 tsp honey or to taste

Bring 2 cups cold water to boiling in a small saucepan. Add the cinnamon sticks, cover, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Your house will smell great.

Strain the tea into 2 mugs (or save half in the saucepan and reheat it when you're ready for a second cup). Sweeten to taste with honey.

Makes 2 cups

(I let the cinnamon sticks dry on a rack in the kitchen and use them for a couple more pots of tea before throwing them in the compost.)

Sprouts!

Watercress, alfalfa, and a sandwich mix
from Botanical Interests.

There is nothing like a handful of fresh alfalfa sprouts on a veggie pâté sandwich, or the crunch of mung bean sprouts in a stir-fry.

For years, however, I deprived myself of sprouts because the ones from the store tended to be slimy, or taste a little off. Or I was scared off by stories of bacteria and mold in the sprouts.

Then I saw this three-tiered seed sprouter for sale on the Mountain Rose Herbs website and thought I'd give it a try. (The fact the product is manufactured just outside Montreal probably helped my decision!)

Since then we have been enjoying fresh sprouts on our salads, in our sandwiches (marmite and radish sprouts on sourdough rye bread - a real treat!), and added as a quick crunch to dinner.

I'd experimented in the past with sprouting in jars - washing the seeds with water, letting them drain, repeating the next day, but the seeds would clump together and get moldy. Plus there was something unappetizing about a clump of sprouts in the bottom of a canning jar.

With this sprouter, my little seed garden is spread out on trays, the stems and leaves pressing upward, sometimes even lifting the lid of the sprouter if I don't eat them quickly enough. Harvesting is easy - I remove the lid and grasp a handful. They make a healthy snack eaten straight from the sprouter: crisp and fresh, and a little zingy in the case of radish, watercress or broccoli.

I try to rotate through the trays, seeding one a day so I get a staggered harvest. And while the instructions call for watering every 4 days, I've found that in cooler weather the enclosed humidity is enough after the initial watering. In hot weather the sprouts need to be stored in the fridge after 4 days.

Because you're harvesting the sprout in its first few days, you don't need to add fertilizers - all the nutrients the seed needs to grow are within it. It's actually quite a miraculous thing to watch. And it only takes up 8" of counter space.

Sprouts are also highly nutritious. They are high in enzymes which aid in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, so they help you get more benefit from whatever you're eating them with. They have chlorophyll, which helps alkalinize the body. They contain protein, vitamins and minerals galore.

Just make sure to get organic sprouting seeds - so you know you are not eating gmos. They're readily available at health food stores and some garden centers.

It's a fun adventure to embark on. And with sprouts on hand, there's always something good to eat.

Rutabagas in Garlic Butter

Flora Bella has the most beautiful rutabagas I've ever seen.They're small — about 3 inches long and an inch or so across — and come with their beautiful green leaves attached. When I saw them the other day, I snagged a bunch, and came home pondering what to do with them.

I love rutabagas for their flavor, but they are also a good source of minerals like calcium and magnesium, fiber, B vitamins (especially B6 — good for the nervous system) and beta-carotene. Of course, all vegetables are full of nutrients. The key is to eat a variety of them to get a good selection of the diverse nutrients we need to keep our bodies running smoothly. I recommend rutabagas as part of that diversity.

My favorite rutabaga recipe is Bashed Neeps, but I make that with large tough rutabagas. These seemed much too tender for that treatment.

While I pondered, I combined the rutabaga greens with some mustard greens for an excellent dish of sautéed greens. Rutabaga greens are soft and vaguely cabbage-y, I found.

Then inspiration struck with the rutabagas. I peeled them and chopped the one large one in half so they were roughly the same size. Then I cooked them in a pot of boiling water until they were tender, about 15 minutes. I drained them and set them aside until the last minute before I was serving dinner.

Then I melted some butter in a pan, mashed a peeled clove of garlic with a little salt on my chopping board and added it to the butter. When the garlic released its aroma, I added the rutabagas, stirred to make sure they were all buttery, and let them cook gently until they were warmed through.

I served them as a side dish with a meal of baked squash, sautéed greens and homemade veggie burgers. Larry said they were the best rutabagas ever, wonderfully tender and buttery.

I hope Flora Bella has more of these beauties next week, so I can serve up another batch of these delicious and healthy roots.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

It's been warm in southern California, but it's still winter, which is brassica season. I remember a Montreal winter where I ate broccoli until it was coming out of my ears - but that's another story.

I have recovered from broccoli overdose, and now look forward to adding it to our dinner table. Broccoli, along with the other brassicas, are essential for colon and breast health. Eat them regularly.

This salad makes it easy, because not only does it contain both broccoli and cauliflower, but it lasts well for a few days in the fridge, making it possible to eat a lot of in a week.

We first ate it as a crunchy side with a dinner of chili and rice, and then as a simple salad with the next few meals.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried crushed chiles
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red onion, halved and slivered
6 cups broccoli florets
6 cups cauliflower florets

Warm oil and chilies in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until the oil begins to bubble around the edges, about 1 minute. Pour into large bowl and cool to lukewarm. Then whisk in the vinegar and garlic. Stir in the onion and let sit at least one hour, tossing occasionally.

Steam the broccoli and cauliflower until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Drain well and add to the large bowl of dressing. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4-6

Lentil Salad with Apples

Lentils are a great way to quickly add protein to a meal. They cook in about 20 minutes, much faster than other dried legumes, but still have a great nutrition profile. They help lower cholesterol, balance blood sugar and strengthen the heart. They also contain lots of fiber which promotes digestive health.

The other day I turned some green lentils into this simple salad that I took to work along with some lettuce and an apple for an easy lunchbag meal.

Cooking the lentils with the carrots and apples made them a little sweet, which the lemon balanced out nicely. All together a good winter lunch.

Lentil Salad with Apples

1 1/2 cups green lentils

2 carrots, cut in 1/4 inch dice

2 fuji apples, cored and cut in 1/4 inch dice

zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

Sort the lentils, wash them, and add them to a medium pot with 6 cups of boiling water. Add the carrots and apples and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the cooked, drained lentils and stir well. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Serve on a bed of lettuce.

Sautéed Lacinato Kale

I always snap up lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur kale or cavolo nero or Tuscan kale, when I see it at the Hollywood Farmers Market.

It's a sturdy kale that lasts well in the fridge, and cooks into a side of greens with texture and a little chewiness.

I served this dish at Canadian Thanksgiving. It goes well with grain dishes (or stirred into cooked brown rice), and with baked squash - any time you want an easy green side dish.

Of course, it's also extremely healthy. Kale is a member of the cabbage family which offers protection against many cancers. It's also full of antioxidants, and is known for its anti-inflammatory and pro-cardiovascular benefits. Cooking it in a little oil helps break down the cell walls so our bodies can better absorb the nutrients.

Plus, it's really simple to wash, chop and cook.

Sautéed Lacinato Kale
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 bunch lacinato kale

Warm the olive oil in a skillet. Chop the onion and cook it until it's tender.

Wash the kale and chop off the bottom of the stems. Chop the leaves down the center, then stack them and cut across in rough 1 inch strips.

Stir the kale into the onion and let it cook down a little, stirring occasionally.

Now you have two options. At Thanksgiving, I was making it a couple of hours ahead and reheating it, so I scooped it from the skillet when it was softer but not fully cooked, put it in a covered casserole dish and left it at room temperature. About 15 minutes before we wanted to eat, I put it in the toaster oven at 350°F.

If you're going to eat it sooner, let it cook, covered, in the skillet until it's the texture you like. If it browns on the bottom a little, that adds to the flavor. If it's ready before you are, turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, until you're ready to eat it. Reheat quickly and serve.

Serves 2-3

Creative Cooking

Someone asked me the other day why I used green cabbage instead of red in my spicy coleslaw.

Red cabbage is often considered healthier than green because of the additional protective phytonutrients in the red pigment. However, each variety of cabbage - red, green and Savoy - contains a different combination of health-promoting nutrients, so a variety of cabbages in the diet is a good thing. Diversity is the key to health.

That's the highfalutin' reason I made my coleslaw from green cabbage.

The real reason is that the farmer I bought my fresh organic cabbage from at the Hollywood Farmers Market only had green cabbage for sale. I choose to support local organic farmers, and that means eating what they grow, not necessarily what I planned to cook.

For example, last week I planned to make ratatouille. Sunday morning at the market I picked up organic red peppers and tomatoes, and went on the hunt for eggplants. There were none. For weeks I've been buying eggplants, but now they had disappeared.

I considered going to Whole Foods for an organic eggplant, but I prefer to put my grocery dollars in the hands of the people who grow my produce.

So I turned to Plan B. Instead of ratatouille this week, we're eating stir-fries with the red peppers. I'm making a chili sauce with the tomatoes. Last night I used the zucchini in this kamut pilaf.

And maybe next week the eggplant will have returned and I can make a ratatouille.

This kamut dish is an easy one to put together on a warm summer evening. Cook the kamut ahead and let it cool to room temperature. Then 20 minutes before you want to eat, finish the cooking quickly in a skillet. It has a slightly Asian flavor. Add more tamari if you are used to saltier food. Look for organic rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil at your local health food store. They're a great addition to the pantry.

Kamut with Zucchini
3/4 cup kamut
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp minced ginger root
2 cloves garlic
1 1/4 lb zucchini
2 tbsp mirin (or dry sherry)
1 tbsp tamari (soy sauce)
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Cook the kamut in plenty of boiling water until tender, 30-40 minutes. It's cooked when it's lost its crunch but still has texture - like al dente pasta. Drain and set aside.

Warm the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook a couple of minutes until fragrant.

Chop the zucchini in roughly 1/4 inch dice. Add to the skillet and cook about 5 minutes until it is tender.

Add the mirin, tamari and kamut and cook until warmed through. Stir in the rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil.

Serves 3-4

Spicy Coleslaw

Coleslaw is a great dish to have in the fridge. It pairs well with grains, beans, casseroles, marinated tofu - it even goes well on a green salad in a pinch.

And it's very healthy. Cabbage is one of the healthiest foods we can eat, especially for the colon. It's full of good kinds of fiber and anti-cancer nutrients.

The other day I made this creamy spicy coleslaw to liven up some leftover black beans and rice. We ate it the next day with leftover tofu, and I was impressed at how it had become even more spicy with rest.

You can vary the spiciness by using more or less chiles. I used fish peppers, which look like serranos and are also very hot. The plants were very popular at the farmers' market this year, and I can see why because they grow into a pretty variegated bush of green and cream leaves. They're heirloom peppers originally used in fish stews in the Philadelphia area, hence the name. If you don't have fish peppers, use serranos or jalapeños. If you don't like heat, use a couple of tablespoons of bell pepper.

I added raw corn to the slaw. This is a luxury only available in corn season, and I recommend you take advantage of it. Raw corn adds a crisp sweetness to whatever you sprinkle it on. I don't think I'd munch a whole cob of raw corn, but a few kernels in a dish are great.

The base of the dressing is mayonnaise. I used to use Hellman's (Best Foods in the west), but now I'm an organic obsessive so I use whatever organic mayonnaise I can find, usually made with a base of organic canola oil. It's not mayonnaise, but it is a fine creamy addition to this spicy slaw.

I rarely sweeten my food, but in this slaw I used a spoonful of brown rice syrup in the dressing. This is a complex sweetener found in health food stores. Feel free to leave it out, but you might need to add more mayonnaise to smooth out the flavors.

The leftover dressing is excellent on green salads. Or you can make some more coleslaw. You can't go wrong with cabbage.

Spicy Coleslaw
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp brown rice syrup
1 ear corn
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 red pepper
2 fish peppers
2 scallions

Toast the cumin seed in a small heavy skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Remove from the heat.

Combine the mayo, garlic, cilantro, cumin, lime and brown rice syrup in a blender. Purée until smooth.

Husk the corn and place the cob vertically on a chopping board. With a large knife, cut carefully down the ear, separating the kernels from the cob, but leaving all the tough pieces of cob behind.

Put the corn kernels in a bowl with the cabbage. Seed, quarter and slice the red pepper and fish peppers and add to the bowl. Chop the scallions and add them too.

Pour half the dressing over the salad and stir well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate the remaining dressing separately.

Taste before serving and add salt, pepper and more lime juice to taste. Serve the extra dressing on the side.

Serves 4-6

Simple Spiced Spinach

Finley Farms had some great bloomsbury spinach on Sunday, so I bought some to make this spicy spinach dish. It's a great side with bean dishes, and once the spinach is washed it's quick to make.

Remember, cooking greens in a little oil breaks down the cellular fibers so the nutrients are more readily available to the body.

Simple Spiced Spinach
1/2 lb spinach
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

Wash the spinach and remove any tough stems.

Warm the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cumin seeds and let heat a minute until aromatic. Add the spinach, turn up the heat, and toss the spinach in the oil. Add the lemon zest and juice, toss some more, and cook the spinach until wilted. Grind some black pepper on top, season with salt to taste, and serve.

Serves 2

Spicy Greens

The other day I picked collard greens and the first jalapeño of the year from our garden, and combined them with the leaves of young beets and turnips from the Hollywood Farmers Market for a nutritious and yummy side dish.

Cooking greens breaks down some of the fiber in their cell walls so we can more easily absorb the bone-boosting nutrients. I suppose chewing would do the same thing, but who wants to chew as much as a cow or a rabbit? Twenty times seems to be my max, even though the theory is we should chew each mouthful 30 times minimum.

So I eat cooked greens a few times a week to give my bones the nutrients they need in a form that is easy for my body to absorb.

Here's what I did the other night:

Spicy Greens
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
8 cups greens, washed and torn in bite-sized pieces

In a large pot, combine 1 1/2 cups water, the jalapeño, garlic and olive oil. Bring to a boil, add the greens, stir well. Cover the pot and cook the greens until they are tender, usually about 7-8 minutes, depending on your greens. Lift the greens out with a slotted spoon if necessary. Any liquid left in the pan can be added to soup or the chef can drink it as an extra yummy boost of nutrition.

Serves 2-3

This Week's Granola

I think I ate commercial granola once, back in the 80s when there was something called Harvest Crunch which was supposed to be healthy but word was it was high fat and high calorie because of all the nuts and fruit.

As you can tell, it didn't impress me much. It tasted like sweet crunchy lumps. So I learned how to make my own. It's not difficult. Toast some grains and seeds and nuts, add some dried fruit, store in a jar.

By making it myself, I can ensure that all the ingredients are organic, and that they really are food. I use differing amounts of sweetener depending on how I feel. This one, which we're eating this week, has brown sugar and honey in addition to the fruit. The sugar and honey keep the grains soft and sweet - if you are trying to convert your family from sugary cereals, this will help. I use raw honey even though I'm not sure it has any live enzymes left after being baked for half an hour.

This is healthy food, and it is very nutrient-dense. The nuts, grains and seeds provide protein, cholesterol-lowering fiber, immune-boosting beta glucan, antioxidants, heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and more. The dates provide slow-burning sugar, antioxidants, fiber, B vitamins and other vitamins and minerals.

Homemade granola is a great way to start the day. I eat mine with plain yogurt (unsweetened, made by St. Benoit Creamery from the milk of grass-fed Jersey cows in Sonoma County), brewers yeast (good source of B vitamins), ground flaxseeds (omega-3 fatty acids) and almond milk. Larry prefers his straight with milk. There's no bad way to eat granola.

Nutty Granola
4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup chopped pistachios
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange blossom honey
1/2 cup dried figs
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup deglet noor dates
1/2 cup dried pears
1/2 cup dried mangoes

In at large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, oil and honey. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 325°F for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's lightly golden.

Meanwhile, cut the dried fruit into bite-sized pieces. Stir it into the cooked oats. Let cool completely. Store in large glass jars at room temperature for up to a few weeks (but it won't last that long).

Black Bean and Corn Salad

Beans are one of the healthiest foods we can eat - full of fiber, protein, antioxidants, B vitamins, iron - plus they're inexpensive, and they travel well in the lunch box.

A bean salad and a green salad combine to make an excellent portable meal.

I make one or two bean salads a week for our lunches. The variety is infinite - beans never have to be boring. Here's the colorful salad we're eating this week.

Black beans cook quickly in boiling water - usually in under two hours without soaking. You want them to be tender, but not mushy. If you prefer to use canned beans, 3 to 4 14-oz cans will do.

I still have some of last year's poblanos in the freezer. (You can see how I froze them here.) If you are not so lucky, substitute a red or green pepper, or a jalapeño if you'd like a little heat. Or skip the pepper completely. Make sure you use organic celery - the non-organic kind is one of the most heavily pesticided vegetables. Fortunately, safe celery is becoming easier to find in the organic section of grocery stores. Also, pick up a couple of extra limes - it's nice to squeeze a little more lime juice over the salad before serving or packing in a lunch box.

Black Bean and Corn Salad
1 1/4 cups dried black beans (turtle beans)
10 oz packet frozen corn kernels (about 2 cups)
1 poblano, roasted and peeled, seeded
3 stalks celery
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup slivered red onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup olive oil

Pick over the beans, discarding any small stones or clumps of dirt. Wash them well, then cook them in plenty of boiling water, partially covered, until they are tender - 90-140 minutes depending on the beans. Drain and put in a large bowl.

Cook the corn in a small amount of boiling water until tender - 2-3 minutes. Chop the poblano and celery into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the beans along with the corn, grape tomatoes, and red onion.

Whisk the salt, cumin and lime juice together. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Dress the salad and let it sit at room temperature for half an hour for the flavors to meld.

Serve immediately, or refrigerate for a few days. Serves 6-8

Tofu Coconut Milk Stir-Fry

Sometimes I get a craving for tofu, so I stir some up with coconut milk, greens and red thai curry paste for a simple stew I serve over brown rice.

Coconut milk had a bad name for many years because it is high in saturated fat, but now scientists are finding that most of the fat in coconuts is actually good for us. The medium chain saturated fatty acids are rapidly metabolized into energy in the liver, and are thought to be more rapidly used by the body than other saturated fats, and therefore less likely to be stored as fat. More importantly, coconut milk contains lauric acid, which is converted in the body into an antiviral and antibacterial compound. It seems that consuming coconut milk may help protect the body from infections and viruses.

I like the simplicity with which coconut milk becomes a sauce that is yummy when poured over rice. Here's my standard recipe.

Tofu Coconut Milk Stir-Fry

1 tbsp oil

14 oz firm tofu, drained and diced in 1/2 inch cubes

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp minced ginger

1/2 cup chopped shallots

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp red thai curry paste

14 oz can coconut milk

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

4 large handfuls spinach, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces

Fry the tofu, garlic, ginger and shallots in the oil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned. They'll probably stick to the pan a little, but you can scrape the bottom more thoroughly once the coconut milk has been added.

Add the soy sauce and curry paste, mushing the paste against the sides of the pan to start breaking it down. Add the coconut milk, and stir everything together well. Let it simmer for a while with the lid off. Toss in the cherry tomatoes and baby spinach, and cook a couple more minutes.

Serve over brown rice.

Serves 3-4

Greens and Beans

The other night I harvested some collard greens from the garden and combined them with other greens and some white beans for a simple, nutritious dinner.

I used a combination of collards, spinach, and some radish leaves. Arugula would have been nice to add, or a little dandelion for some bite. Whatever greens are around can go in the pot.

I started by sautéing a slivered red onion (for color) and a chopped clove of garlic in a little olive oil. I washed and chopped the greens, adding them to the pot as I went, sprinkling with salt and pepper after each addition and stirring well, then covering the pot to keep the steam and nutrients in. I also added about a cup of white lima beans I had previously cooked. (You could use a can of white cannellini beans instead.) Any bean would do, but I like the contrast of white and green.

When everything was warmed through and the greens were soft and tender, I tasted it and added a little balsamic vinegar.

This meal combines protein, antioxidants, fiber, healthy fats, minerals - and best of all it tastes good.

Arugula and Millet

I forgot to take a picture until we had served
ourselves. But with a dish this good, it's hard
to fight off the eaters.

Millet is the one grain that is considered alkaline-forming in the body. All other grains - wheat, corn, rice - are considered acid-forming. Seeing that the body is mainly alkaline, it seems that eating alkaline is a good thing.

Unfortunately, millet is boring. If you buy mixed seed to feed the birds, millet is the grain that the chickadees toss over their shoulders. Budgies like it. But it's round and bland. What to do?

Well, I dress it up with arugula, specifically wild arugula - the peppery kind. Pepper perks up millet.

Of course, you can use other greens in this recipe, but make sure to use some with zest and personality like mustard greens.

Arugula and Millet
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 bunch wild arugula, stems and leaves
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup millet
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

Warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until lightly browned.

Wash the greens and chop coarsely. Add to the pot with 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, covered 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the millet in a cast iron frypan over medium-high heat until golden, about 5 minutes. It will pop slightly. Remove from heat and add to the greens along with 1 1/2 cups water and 1 tbsp tamari. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat, until the millet is tender and the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Serves 2-3

Heart-Healthy Soup

Tonight Larry and I will be eating leftovers.

Yes, I know it's Valentine's Day, and we should be eating a special, romantic meal. That was the plan. I had selected a tofu recipe which includes lemongrass from our beautiful garden. (Tofu is a great Valentine's Day food because it is good for the heart. I served it up a couple of years ago. You can read that story and a great tofu recipe here.)

Unfortunately, in re-reading the recipe I was going to cook tonight, I found that the tofu has to be pressed for 4 hours, then marinaded in the fridge overnight. Way too much work during the work week. So that recipe will be saved for the weekend, and tonight we will be eating soup.

But not just any soup. This soup, which we first ate earlier this week, is full of heart-friendly garlic. Garlic is well known for its ability to lower high blood pressure and tonify the cardiovascular system.  The split peas that form the bulk of the soup are full of soluble fiber which binds with cholesterol-containing bile and escorts it out of your body. They also help reduce the amount of plaque in your arteries.

The browned onion and garlic give the soup an intense flavor even without the use of vegetable stock.  The seasonings are inspired by a recipe in Ruta Kahate's book Quick-Fix Indian. The split peas make it a meal that sticks to the ribs - no crackers or biscuits required.

Split Pea Soup with Spinach
3/4 cup yellow split peas
4 oz spinach
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seed
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Rinse the split peas and put in a pot with 3 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the peas are tender but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes. Do not drain.

Stem and wash the spinach and slice it thin.

In a 2-quart saucepan, warm the oil and sauté the onion until it is browned. Stir in the turmeric and coriander. Add the spinach and toss to coat with oil. Pour in the dal and its cooking water, and one more cup cold water. Stir in salt, bring to a boil, and simmer about 5 minutes.

In a small frypan, warm the ghee or oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seed and cook, covered, until the seeds stop sputtering. Add the garlic and cook until browned. Add to the soup. Stir and serve.

Serves 4

Parsnip Potato Mash

Mashed potatoes are comfort food. Add parsnips and garlic and you've increased both the health benefits and the flavor.

Parsnips have a lot of soluble fiber (essential for blood sugar regulation among other things) and a variety of vitamins and minerals including potassium and folate. Garlic is a heart-healthy food. And potatoes have health benefits too. (See my healthy potato post here.)

But what I really like about this mash is the rich flavor it gets from the parsnips.

This is a light mash because it has no butter or milk. It is improved with a little sauce - I served it with a bean stew, and it was great.

If you like parsnips, give this recipe a try.

Parsnip Potato Mash
1 lb potatoes
1/2 lb parsnips
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil

Peel and chop potatoes and parsnips, put in a saucepan, and add cold water to cover. Add the salt, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn down to a simmer and cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm the garlic in the olive oil and set aside.

Scoop 1/2 cup liquid out of the potato pot and reserve. Drain the potatoes and mash with the garlic and oil. Add the reserved liquid as needed to give a good texture.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Serves 2-3

Cashew Coconut Kale

I like to cook greens a few times a week. They are full of minerals to strengthen our bones and nourish our nervous systems. Usually I either steam the greens or sauté them in a little oil with salt and chile flakes.

But the other day I tried this recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates, and found it to be really good. The picture is of the kale before I added the coconut-cashew mixture. Afterwards it was less photogenic, but really delicious. It's a little more work than just stir-frying the kale, but the flavor of the cashew-coconut sauce is worth it.

Cashew Coconut Kale
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, diced
2 tbsp oil
1/3 cup salted cashews
juice of 1/2 to 1 lime
1/2 cup coconut milk (freeze the rest of the can to use another day)
1 tsp curry powder
1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped

Sauté onion, garlic and jalapeño in oil about 10 minutes until onion is translucent.

Meanwhile, blender the cashews, lime juice and coconut milk until smooth. Start with the smaller amount of lime juice, and add more to taste.

Add the curry powder to the frying onions. Cook 1 minute. Add the kale, along with the water still clinging to its leaves. Add a sprinkle more water if it looks too dry. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed, 5-8 minutes until tender.

Stir in the cashew-coconut sauce. Stir to coat. Cook until it's warmed through and serve.

Serves 3-4

Black Bean and Orange Salad

I picked a couple of oranges off our tree to combine with black beans in this colorful salad. Grapefruit, corn and cherry tomatoes added to the festivity, and the zingy dressing of lemon and lime juice made it fun to eat.

As usual, I recommend adding some red onion (maybe a quarter cup) to add a little bite. I used an anaheim pepper, because that's what I had, but a red pepper would work too (although then a jalapeño to add some punch would be nice). One morning I added some diced avocado to the container I was taking to work - that was a nice addition.

Bean salads are very flexible. The key is to use lots of good flavors, and enough salt to help the flavors shine through.

Black Bean and Orange Salad
1 cup black beans, cooked (or 2 14-oz cans)
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 oranges
1 grapefruit
1 anaheim pepper
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice (from 2-3 limes)
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

If using dried beans, cook them in plenty of boiling water until they are tender but not mushy, about 2 hours depending on the age of your beans. Drain them and put in a large bowl. (This can be done ahead).

Add the corn and cherry tomatoes to the beans.

Slice the ends off the oranges and grapefruit and then slice down each side to remove the peel and pith. Then you have 2 choices of how to proceed.

For the very beautiful look, hold the orange over the bowl of beans, and cut from the outside to the center along one of the membranes. Then turn the knife so you're cutting the segment away from the membrane on the other side. Let the juice drip into the beans. Cut the segment in 2 or 3 pieces and add it to the beans too. Once you've segmented the whole orange this way, throw away the pith.

The second option leaves some of the pith on the segments. This is not as pretty, but it is healthier. The pith is where the bioflavanoids are, and we need those to enhance our immune systems. Once you've peeled the grapefruit as above, cut in half from top to bottom, and then cut each half in four wedges (as if you were cutting them into segments, but not worrying about cutting along the membranes). Then cut the pithy core off the wedge, and cut the remaining wedge into pieces and add them to the bowl. (This is way easier to do than to describe.)

Seed and dice the pepper and add it too, along with the cilantro.

Make a dressing by whisking together the lime and lemon juices, olive oil and salt. Add it to the beans and stir gently. Taste and add more salt or lime juice to taste.

Before serving, taste and season again. The beans absorb more flavor as they marinate in the dressing.

Serves 6