In the Beginning…

Yesterday I stepped into #6 110 Newbury Street, Danvers, MA, for the first time as a tenant, and it felt a bit like the beginning of an epic journey – like the Odyssey, or Star Wars. There’s a sense of the unknown; of pride and anticipation.

I promised to detail this journey, so I took several photographs yesterday to document the beginning.

There is a bay of windows and a counter to sit at along the front entrance. This is an area where people will be able to sit with laptops and hop on our WiFi, or just people watch through the windows.

There’s a nice long walk to the counter toward the back, with his and hers separate washrooms. A nice feature! Although, interestingly, the current décor in the men’s room seems more befitting a ladies’ room. No matter.

We learned of a pipe burst just after signing the lease, which is why there is a section cut away along the entire bottom edge of the drywall. Lots of work to do… But very much looking forward to it!

The countertop/cabinets left by the previous tenants will be moved to the back room for work space and storage. They actually left quite a few useful things… And some not-so-useful things too, like the used fly paper. Needless to say, there will be quite a transformation taking place over the next several weeks.

Near the back counter, the space opens up quite a lot, making room for all sorts of possibilities. Then there is a large back room with plenty of space for a three-bay sink, dishwasher, storage, dehydrators, etc. And, there’s even a small back office. It’s such a workable space, with endless options, we are so excited to get in and get to work!

More to come…

I was asked for the coconut chips recipe. It’s VERY simple:

Coconut Chips
Young Thai Coconut Meat
Lemon juice
Salt
Cayenne

Mix together until “chipped” coconut meat is well coated. Dehydrate until crispy.

Enjoy!

Augusta

Nuts for Coconuts!

Last night Denise and I held a free seminar at Amoskeag Chiropractic in Manchester, NH, completely dedicated to the coconut, or specifically, the young Thai coconut. Coconuts are the seed of the coconut palm tree, and provide meat, water and oil.

As promised, step-by-step instructions on how to easily open young Thai coconuts:

1. On a solid, steady surface, place the coconut firmly with the point straight up. Get a firm grip, with fingers out of the way. Using a hefty meat cleaver, take several strikes on four sides in such a way that you form approximately a 2 X 2 square around the pointed tip.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Once you’ve cleaved through the husk, use the pointed corner of the cleaver to crack through one of the corners of your square. Notice the cut square around the top point of the coconut in the second photo below.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Then use the cleaver to pry up the “lid” until you can get your fingers in there to pry it the rest of the way, careful not to spill any of the coconut water inside.

 

 

 

 

 

4. Check the color of the meat to make sure you have a “good”, fresh coconut, and not one that has turned. A good coconut will have VERY white meat. A turned coconut will have meat that is discolored, sort of a light lavender or mauve. See the comparison in the first photo below. If you have a good one, pour the water out through a strainer and then scrape the meat out with a spoon.

 

 

 

 

 

That’s it! This is a tried and true method. I’ve tried others, and this is by far the easiest one I’ve come across. Even Denise, who was TERRIFIED to open a coconut, found this method to be very easy. She was opening coconuts like a pro last Monday night in preparation for the seminar. A whole case of them!

Coconut Oil 
-  Pressed from the meat, removing the fiber.

-  Over 90% saturated fat. There are two kinds of saturated fats – long chain triglycerides (associated with “bad” cholesterol) and medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s), which is the one found in coconut oil. Within moments of being consumed, MCTs are converted by the liver to energy, and are not stored in fat cells. Protects against heart disease, stroke and hardening of the arteries.

-  Easily assimilated, provides energy, does not clog arteries, can be used for cooking at high temperatures without becoming toxic like other healthy oils (i.e. olive).

-  Excellent as an anti-bacterial skin moisturizer, lubricant and hair conditioner (helps in the re-growth of damaged hair). And highly effective at preventing tooth and gum decay with daily oil pulling (will write about oil pulling in a future post!).

-  Very effective in reducing excess weight through healthy function of the thyroid and enzyme systems, and increasing metabolism by removing stress on the pancreas, thereby burning out more energy (stored fat). People living in tropical coastal areas, who consume coconut oil daily, are normally not fat, overweight or obese.

Coconut Water
-  Packed with the same electrolytic balance as our blood, it is the original sports drink. The fluid of life. During the Pacific War it was used on both sides in the conflict to administer emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers.

-  Best consumed fresh – once exposed to air, rapidly loses organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, and begins to ferment. Most bottled varieties are pasteurized.

-  More nutritious than whole milk (less fat and NO cholesterol!), more healthy than orange juice (fewer calories from sugar, and effectively stabilizes blood sugar), better than processed baby milk (contains lauric acid, which is present in mother’s milk and strengthens the immune system and protect against viral, bacterial and fungal infections) and naturally sterile (water permeates through the filtering husk).

-  Contains more potassium at about 294mg than most sports and energy drinks at about 117mg. Contains less sodium at about 25mg, where sports drinks have around 41mg and energy drinks 200mg! Contains only 5mg of natural sugars where sports and energy drinks range from10-25mg of altered sugars. And it’s very high in chloride at 118mg, compared to sports drinks at about 39mg.

Coconut Meat and Butter 
-  Meat is pulled directly from the inside, and is unprocessed. Butter is coconut oil and solids processed together.

-  Young Thai coconut meat has less sugar and more protein than bananas, apples and oranges. High in minerals such as iron, zinc and phosphorus.

-  All components of the coconut are excellent replacements for dairy products, oils, household items, and more.

Too good to be true? Coconuts may be the ONE exception. Although, beware, most young Thai coconuts that come into the United States are dipped in formaldehyde. KNOW THE SUPPLIER, and only purchase from those you trust do not sell these toxic coconuts.

Also as promised, the recipe for dehydrated onion bread from Matt Amsden’s RAWvolution book, shared at a previous seminar…

Onion Bread
3 large yellow onions
3/4 c flax seed, ground in a high speed blender
3/4 c raw sunflower seeds, ground in a food processor
1/2 c Nama Shoyu or Braggs liquid aminos (I use less than 1/2 a cup)
1/2 c olive oil

In a food processor, but the onions with the slicing disc. Transfer the cut onions to a large mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and mix until thoroughly combined. Spread half the mixture evenly on a dehydrator tray pined with a Teflex sheet, and the remainder on a second tray. Dehydrate at 105F for 24 hours. Flip onion bread onto another tray pined with a screen (not a Teflex sheet), and gently peel the Teflex sheet off the bread. Return to the dehydrator for another 12 hours. Once dehydrated, cut into pieces using scissors or a large knife.

Enjoy!

Augusta

PS. Happy Birthday Lori!!!

Cleansing Comes Down to Timing

It’s the first of January. You wake up with a fresh-from-the-Holidays extra 5 pounds around your mid-section, and resolution-strength promise to yourself to swear off sugar, alcohol, wheat, dairy and caffeine. For at least a month.

The first few days go well. You’ve survived without sugar and caffeine by filling up on green smoothies and raw nuts. Then you stumble over some delectable home-baked morsel brought into the office by a well-meaning coworker, and one slip brings a lofty dietary plan crashing down to reality.

A week later, you try, again, to control your baser food instincts, growing more dictatorial with yourself with this attempt. You even consider the Master Cleanse* (lemon, maple syrup, cayenne) you’ve heard so much about, to really flush the fat cells out and toxins along with them. STOP.

*We do not advocate doing the Master Cleanse, as it can be very dangerous. Please seek out a licensed holistic nurse practitioner (like at Londonderry Whole Health), or try gentler cleansing and fasting techniques like those offered at Each Peach Café this spring.

Though the start of a new year may feel like the appropriate time to clean the ultimate house, A.K.A. your body, January is not the season for cleansing. Just like other living things, winter is the time for your body to rest – think the slumbering maple, bear and squirrel. Cleansing in winter is destined for failure.

Eastern medicine tells us fasts and cleanses are best undertaken in the spring, “when people have the sense that they’re coming out of the dark winter and into the light. They want to shed layers, literally and figuratively,” explains Marcy Balter, a board member at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. Once a raw-food diet purist, Balter extols the benefits of “warming” foods during cold winter months. Like the soup from our January 12th Winter’s Day post.

Fasting and cleansing makes your liver work overtime, which is extra taxing during colder months. The best way to give your liver and digestive tract a rest this time of year is simply to eliminate the biggest inflammation-causing offenders – coffee, beer, red meat, processed sugars, and bread – and calming foods.

Curries – cinnamon, turmeric, coriander and ginger warm the system and move clogging compounds like mucus out of the body.

Garlic – fights fungus, the yeast candida and inflammation.

Cacao Nibs – has four times the antioxidants of green tea and is the most magnesium-rich food known. Perfect addition to a smoothie for a serotonin and endorphin boost to lift winter blahs.

Lemons – increases body temperature and circulation to clear toxins. Hot water with fresh squeezed lemon is perfect first thing in the morning and before each meal.

Water – lots of it. You can’t clean anything without sufficient amounts of water. The general rule is an ounce of water for every 2 pounds of body weight. Daily. It is difficult for me to drink cold water in the winter, so I leave my water out at room temperature or heat it up and add some lemon.

Still worried this won’t be enough to get you warm-weather-ready (shorts, tank tops and eeek, bikinis)? Each Peach Café is offering a variety of challenges (free), cleanses, and fasts this spring to help educate, motivate and provide support.

In the meantime, everyone is welcome to join me and Denise at Amoskeag Chiropractic this Wednesday, January 26 (weather permitting), for a FREE seminar all about the miraculous coconut. Learn why the coconut is so effective in supporting healthy thyroid function, enzyme systems like the pancreas, and removing excess weight!

In preparation, we opened a case of coconuts last night so everyone can try fresh coconut water (same electrolytic balance as our blood), and a delicious chocolate mousse made from the coconut meat and coconut oil.

Milk-Chocolate Mousse
2 C cashews, soaked 4 hours
1 C young Thai coconut meat (or avocado)
1/4 C raw cacao powder
2-1/2 t vanilla extract
1 pinch of sea salt
1/2 C agave nectar
1-3/4 C filtered water
1-1/2 C coconut oil, melted

In a high-speed blender, blend all ingredients except the coconut oil until completely smooth. With the blender running, slowly pour in the coconut oil. Continue to blend until oil is thoroughly incorporated. Transfer the mousse to a covered bowl and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to set. Yum!

Next post: step-by-step instructions on how to EASILY open young Thai coconuts. Yourself. At home. With photos.

Augusta

Craving Some Light

Not sure about all of you, but after several days of holiday dining my body is craving light, fresh foods like nobody’s business! Not that I haven’t enjoyed our family traditional fare like Great Grama Anderson’s chocolate peppermint crème cookies… Maybe a little too much, but not enough to start making resolutions about it. Especially with all of the snow and cold in the northeast this Christmas (currently still stranded in North Carolina with the cookies close at hand), it’s been a treat for my taste buds to succumb to the delights of this season.

Hendersonville, NC. 8 inches of snow Christmas day. Photo is of what is normally the road running by the pond. As you can see; no road.

That said! One of our raw food students described to me and Denise at our last seminar a deliciously fresh-sounding salad that would make my cells very happy right now. Quick, easy, and very tasty, here it is…

Snap Pea and Cucumber Salad
- 1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
- 2 small cucumbers unpeeled and thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Dressing
- 2 T fresh lemon juice
- 2T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- salt and pepper

Mix the dressing ingredients and toss veggies with dressing to coat.

This time of year is also about family for many of us, and this is certainly true for me. Traditionally, I travel home to Vermont to celebrate with my parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, and siblings. Over the years however, we’ve spread far and wide, and this year we are particularly scattered around the globe: Turkey, China, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, Sweden, Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Vermont. Although not quite the same, we connected by phone, email, instant message, and Skype. Gotta love Skype! Connecting with loved ones helps bring light to this dark time of year, and this year was no exception.

To all of you celebrating near of far from those you love, may you find some light in your heart as we turn the calendar on another year and the days begin to grow longer again.

Augusta

Holy HOT Batman!

Last night Denise and I presented the Raw Living Snacks Seminar at Amoskeag Chiropractic in Manchester, NH, to rave reviews (especially the Cheesy Kale Chips), with the exception that the first batch of Cauliflower Popcorn was a little too hot for about half the audience of 50 people. There’s good reason for this! The recipe calls for cayenne pepper, but instead of 1 t (teaspoon), the sheet of notes and recipes we handed out says T (tablespoon). Whoa! Here’s the correct recipe:

Cauliflower Popcorn
- 1 head cauliflower, florets only (can process in a food processor)
- Sea salt (to taste)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon (or less!) cayenne pepper*
- 1 tablespoon paprika*
- 1 teaspoon black pepper*

*OPTIONAL. Or, use Zesty Sea Shakes instead. Shake up the seasonings (all dry ingredients) in a zip lock bag. Add the processed cauliflower and shake until coated.

I think people were relieved when the second batch was nice and mild. Ending with the oh-so-popular Cheesy Kale Chips didn’t hurt either!

Another recipe note from last night is regarding the Zucchini Hummus. The recipe calls for 2 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt, but I find that’s a little too salty for me. I start with 1 1/2 teaspoons and then add more if needed.

Zucchini Hummus
- 2 zucchini, peeled and chopped
- 3/4 cup raw tahini
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (more if needed)
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- dash of paprika (for garnish)

Blend all ingredients until  creamy. Serve with veggie sticks… Or onion bread, yum!

The third recipe we shared was for the Cheesy Kale Chips, which you can find in the post dated December 2, 2010. This is by far my favorite raw snack, Denise’s too, and it’s so HEALTHY! You literally can eat an entire batch in one sitting and feel great about it.

The truth is, we all love to snack. For many of us, it’s our downfall when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle… Especially through the holidays with parties and family gatherings galore. If you find a healthy, raw snack you love, chances are the people you love will love it too. Bring it with you to share! Make the transition into 2011 a smooth one without the needless holiday snacking guilt. Who has time for guilt anyway? I’d like my New Year’s resolution to be something like “take 15 minutes every day to sit quietly and contemplate”, instead of “lose the 5, 10, 15 pounds I’ve gained since last year.” I firmly believe resolutions should not be a chore (because they won’t last if they are), and should be something that adds quality to life in a way that’s enjoyable and maintainable.

Our next seminar is Wednesday, January 26th from 6:30-7:30 at Amoskeag Chiropractic, and is dedicated to the almighty COCONUT! I was talking with my mom the other day and she commented that she thinks coconut oil is over-touted as this great thing, like soy was in the 90’s, and that she’s not so sure it really is the cure-all that so many (including Dr. Mercola) claim it to be. The fundamental difference between coconut oil and other “healthy” items like soy, is that there are indigenous cultures who have for centuries, and still do now, use the coconut daily for all sorts of things. Soy, which primarily originates from Asian populations, was always used very sparingly. We’ve completely bastardized soy into products that truly are not healthy, and as a population consume far more soy than should ever be consumed. And let’s not forget: somewhere in the realm of 90% of all soy in the United States is GENETICALLY MODIFIED! Just saying. Denise and I will address all of this and more at the seminar in January. Contact Amoskeag Chiropractic to reserve your place, as seating is limited! 603-624-8000.

A special offer from Amoskeag Chiropractic, which they announced last night at the seminar, is that next Wednesday they are holding a Customer Appreciation day. this includes potential future customers as well! If you are not currently seeing a chiropractor, or think you might like to change practices, they are providing the initial exam (and films if needed) for FREE. They only have 10 spaces left on that day for initial examinations, so call them and schedule yours right away. Talk about the perfect gift to yourself (and your whole family!) for the holidays.

Augusta

A Date with Kale

Last night Denise hosted our monthly post-cleanse pot luck at her house, to which I brought the Free Range Chickenless salad from Alissa's latest book Raw Food for Everyone. It's delicious! And easy to make. And was a huge hit. At the pot luck, we also be prepared lots of cheesy kale chips! Of course, they weren’t done and ready to be munched on last night... but oh how delightful they'll be after a day or so of dehydrating.

The Kale Chip "Cheese"
- 1 C cashews (pre-soak for 4-5 hours)
- 1 1/2 lemons (juice from)
- 2 T water
- 2 T nutritional yeast (or more!)
- 1 T paprika
- 1/2 red pepper
- salt to taste

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth. Rub the "cheese" all over broken up kale leaves until coated. Dehydrate 24 hours or longer. I don't know how long they'll stay crunchy after they're removed from the dehydrator, because they've never lasted long enough to find out! So, so yummy. Kale chips going into the dehydrator pictured below:

An update on the progression of Each Peach Cafe smoothie bar... We are unable to come to an agreement about the terms for the space we like at the moment, so our negotiations continue and our search resumes! There is so much real estate available right now, I don't foresee any problem finding the right space AND the right offer. In the meantime, Lori and I have some fabulous things in the works to make our delicious, healthy smoothies available sooner than later... Stay tuned.

Free Range Chickenless Salad
- 1 small zucchini, coarsely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 C Quick Cheese (1/4 C macadamia nuts, 1/4 C cashews, 1 t nama shoyu or Braggs, 1 t lemon juice. Combine ingredients in food processor and add water as necessary)
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- 2 1/2 t Salad Seasoning (celery seeds, cumin seeds, dash of red pepper flakes)
- 1 shallot minced
- 10 to 12 grapes, halved
- 1 apple, cored and diced
- sea salt, pepper, paprika to taste

Whisk together the cheese, vinegar, salad seasoning, and other seasonings. Add zucchini, celery, shallot, grapes and apple, and toss to coat. Arrange with radicchio, romaine, or other leaf of your choice. Serve!

Enjoy!
Augusta