Eat Green for Life: SERGEI BOUTENKO shares How to Find Wild Edibles

WILD EDIBLES WALK WITH SERGEI BOUTENKO

Sergei Boutenko, world renowned authority on wild edible plants and son of internationally acclaimed author Victoria Boutenko, of Green Smoothie fame,  isleading a  Wild Edible Walk in Austin Texas on Monday May 30 at 5:45 PM CENTRAL time and we’re  filming it so even those far away can participate.

****DETAILS FOR WALKING WITH US IN AUSTIN****

DATE: Monday May 30
MEETING TIME: 5:45 pm for orientation; walk starts promptly at 6:00 pm
LOCATION:  Barton Springs Pool at Zilker Park, 2301 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78746
MAP: http://www.drritamarie.com/go/MapZilker
WHAT TO BRING: Comfortable walking shoes, paper and pen to take notes and a camera to take pictures.

Sergei has generously offered to lead this walk for only $10 so everyone can afford to attend.  With what you’ll save in grocery bills if you apply what Sergei teaches, you’ll pay f or this in just one trip to the market.

If you can afford to pay more and find this of value, I suggest giving Sergei a cash donation above and beyond this to help cover the cost of his gasoline and time driving to and from Dallas.

Go here to register in advance:
http://www.drritamarie.com/go/WildEdiblesWalkLive

If you’re not sure about your schedule, and find you are able to come at the last minute, please arrive early so we an handle registration for you.  It’s much easier if you register in advance if you can, and will ensure we start on time.

http://www.drritamarie.com/go/WildEdiblesWalkLive

See you soon.  Video signup is below.

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

P.S.  Can’t make it live?  Here’s where you can sign up to get the video.  It’s $10, just like the live walk.
http://www.drritamarie.com/go/WildEdiblesVideo

Video will be available within a week, once it’s edited and
uploaded.

Gluten Free Diet and Behavior Problems

I spend my days teaching people how to achieve vibrant health, reverse disease, balance their hormones, sharpen their minds  and raise healthy kids on a nutrient dense, whole, unprocessed fresh organic food…preferably gluten-free diet.  I’ve raised my kids on whole foods since birth and as a result they have experienced amazing health and strength.

You can imagine my shock and horror at the news I heard about my younger son,  soon to be 13 years old.

Over the last few weeks we’ve been getting calls and emails from several of his teachers about his behavior.  It seems that he’s been having trouble focusing and has been goofing around with a couple of buddies.  We’ve talked to him, tried to figure out if there’s something upsetting him, blamed puberty and hormones and suspected a gluten exposure.

Yesterday his teacher called again and I asked if she’d seen him eating anything he wasn’t supposed to have, like gluten, dairy or sugar.  She seemed surprised that we kept him away from those foods.  I was surprised that she was surprised because we’d met with the cafeteria and alerted those in charge of his dietary restrictions.

What a shock to get a call from him today saying that his teacher saw him with pizza on his cafeteria tray and told him to throw it away and call home!

In further investigating with the cafeteria, we were informed that he’s been buying chips, cookies and pizza  for over a month…in spite of the fact that we’d had them register his dietary restrictions in their computer program…and they have perfectly acceptable vegan alternatives…beans, brown rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, veggie burgers!

It’s frustrating and embarrassing!

The good news is the time frame during which he’ been eating pizza almost exactly lines up with the time frame for the behavior problems!  Even his older bother has been complaining about his behavior over the last month!

Before we put him on a  gluten free diet, Kevin was what I would call oppositional.  Very defiant.  Hard to get him to sit still and listen to what we needed him to do.  After removing gluten, he became noticeably calmer and more present – more mature.

So now he’s taking the stand “It’s my body.  I can do what I want.”  SO NOW what?

We told him when he’s out on his own and paying his own bills, that’s true, but our money goes towards good healthy foods not junk food pizza!  Plus we need to help him be successful at school and food is a big part of it!

Our older son, now 17, was always such a dream about food…still is…so we never even imagined we’d have a challenge with Kevin!

I guess he’s going to have to be a student in our June “Kids in the Kitchen Class” and meet other kids his age working on a whole foods diet.

I believe we are challenged with what we most need to learn.  Perhaps I am on the verge of breakthrough strategies for motivating kids to eat healthy food.

Sad part about this whole thing is I make the BEST pizza and all the kids I’ve fed it to love it!  Why not my kid?  Hopefully he’s satisfied his curiosity and when he gets back on his regular diet, he’ll notice such a profound difference he’ll be hooked!  A mom can only hope!

We’ve canceled his lunch account and he’ll be bringing his lunch again.  Kids his age hate that, yet it seems the only way.  He lost the privilege.

I’d love to hear stories from other moms  and am also open to advice!!!!  Teach the teacher!

Please comment below.

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

Raw Foods Recipes: Gluten Free Diet Christmas Dinner Menu

Having delicious raw food recipes that are 100% compatible with a gluten free diet makes for a delicious and satisfying Christmas dinner.  There’s no need to feel deprived.  I enjoyed Christmas dinner at the home of my dear friend and colleague Chef Karen Osborne.  Karen invited us to join her family, including her mother and brother for a fantastic Christmas meal.  She went all out.

Take a look at the video for photos.

Three of the recipes are included in this blog post.  The German Carob Cake recipe, made with 100% gluten-free, whole raw foods without any added oil or processed sweeteners  is available in our new book, “Dessert:  Making It Rich Without Oil” .  The book contains close to 50 recipes for equally as delicious and nutritious desserts.

The remainder of the recipes were those we taught during our “Healthy Holiday Feasts Class”  Healthy Holiday Feasts Class, taught in November.  You can download the recipe book and access the videos online at http://drritamarie.com/videoclasses/holidayfeasts2010-11. Use coupon code BLOGVIDEOS for a special discount.

These recipes are good every day of the year, and promote energy and mental clarity, rather than sluggishness as do your typical holiday meals.

Christmas Kale Salad

By Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

Ingredients

• 2 bunches dinosaur kale
• 1 small head red cabbage
• 1 small red or yellow onion
• ½ cup tahini
• Juice of 1 small  lemon (about 3-4 tablespoons)
• ¼ cup water
• 1 inch slice ginger
• ½ teaspoon kelp powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions 1.  Shred or finely slice the kale, onion and cabbage and place in a bowl. 2.  Blend tahini, lemon juice, water ginger, kelp and salt until creamy.  Adjust water to if the mixture is too thick. 3.  Pour dressing over vegetables and mix well to combine. 4.  Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Apple Ginger Pie

By Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

Crust

• ½  cup pecans
• ½  cup hazelnuts
• ½ cup shredded dried coconut
• ½ cup dates

1. Place all ingredients in food processor fitted with S Blade and run until it just starts to hold together and the nuts are chopped finely.
2. Press the crust mixture into a glass pie dish.

Filling

• 4 medium apples
• 1 inch slice ginger
• ½ cup almonds preferably soaked and drained or soaked and dehydrated.
• ½ cup shredded dried coconut
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup date paste
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Process the apples, ginger and almonds until coarsely chopped, by hand or in a food processor.
2. Stir in coconut, lemon juice, date paste and cinnamon.
3. Place filling in crust.  Decorate top as desired with apple slices, coconut or other fruits.

Waldorf Salad

By Chef  Karen Osborne

Ingredients

• 5-7 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 3  large apples , chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup  rough chopped walnuts, soaked & dehydrated
• 10 ounces arugula
• 2 cups coconut meat, young Thai
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 medjool dates
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic granules
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 4 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1/4  teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/32 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoons orange juice
• 1 cup pecans, soaked & dehydrated

Directions: Candied Pecans

1. Combine coconut sugar, cinnamon, salt, orange zest and orange juice in a bowl.
2. Stir and press with the back of a spoon until it becomes a thick paste.
3. Add more orange juice if necessary, but keep it thick.
4. Stir pecans into the mixture until coated.
5. Put pecans on a non stick sheet in the dehydrator at 105 degrees for 12 hours or longer until crispy.
6. Store these in an airtight glass jar in the freezer.

Dressing

1. Combine coconut meat, water, lemon juice, dates, salt, garlic and cayenne in a high speed blender until smooth being careful not to let it get warm.
2. Set aside as you prepare the salad

Salad

1. Combine celery, apples, raisins, and walnuts in a large bowl.  Stir in the dressing.
2. Serve the celery apple mix on a bed of arugula and top with candied pecans.

Gluten Free dairy Free Raw and Living Foods Pizza and Pasta

How can you make gluten free pizza taste good?  Especially raw?
As an Italian girl  from New York,   I grew up
on New York pizza and homemade pasta that my little Italian
grandmother made fresh a couple of times a week.  As a
result of my upbringing, I consider myself to be a pizza
connoisseur. When I became an adult and began to travel
around the country, I would try the pizza wherever I went
and usually ended up being disappointed.  After I met my
Chicago-born husband 30 years ago, we’d have this friendly
little debate back and forth about which pizza was
better…Chicago or New York.

Then I learned about the connection between what I was
eating and how I was feeling, and decided to give up white
flour, sugar and dairy. My pizza eating days were over.
However, I was determined to find a substitute, so over the
years I experimented with pizza alternatives.  The store
bought whole grain crusts tasted like cardboard.  The dairy
free pizzas back then consisted of crust and sauce with no
attempt at “fake” cheese.

Finally, I discovered nut cheeses and created a delicious
cashew almond ricotta. At first I substituted the white
crust for a homemade whole grain kamut flour crust. It was
pretty good….but nothing like “real” pizza

From there I found the wonderful world of raw pizza.
However, the raw pizzas served at living food restaurants I
visited generally consisted of a piece of raw bread topped
with salad and sometimes tomato sauce. They were delicious,
but they just weren’t pizza to this girl who had grown up on
New York’s finest.

So I began to make my own raw pizza using sprouted kamut
berri es to make a yummy crust and added a rich, savory nut
cheese, a killer raw marinara and lots of veggie toppings.
It was delicious and rivaled any pizza I’d had as a kid.
Then something happened. In researching a paper on the
relationship between gluten and autism, I found research
papers linking many other diseases to gluten intolerance.
The more I researched, the more I lost my appetite for
gluten, so back in 2006 I gave it up completely. The results
were subtle yet very noticeable to me (more on that in
another article).

Over the years I’ve developed many pizza crust recipes.
Everyone who eats my pizza says it’s the closest to the real
thing they’ve ever tasted.  I also make amazing lasagna.
One of my students asked me to make one for her to take to
an event at her temple.  She shared it with people who
normally eat a s tandard American diet and she didn’t tell
them it was vegan, much less raw.  She served it warm right
out of the dehydrator and people were licking their plates.

Now, I’m ready to share my secret pizza and pasta recipes
with the world.  I’ve teamed up with Living Foods Chefs,
Karen Osborne and Pamela Weems to teach a class called
“Gluten Free, Dairy Free Pizza and Pasta: New Twists on Old
Favorites”. During the class we’ll make a variety of sauces
and cheeses, and show you how easy it is to make pizza,
lasagna, rawvioli, manicotti, fettuccini alfredo and more.
It’s a great opportunity to learn to make meals that will
delight even the pickiest of eaters.

We’ll do the class live in Austin, Texas and broadcast it
across the globe.  Here’s the link to sign up now:
http://drritamarie.com/videoclasses/pizza2010-10

The Pizza & Pasta class will be videotaped, and the videos
will be available online. We still have a few seats left in
the live class, which will be held close to downtown Austin.
As a special bonus, everyone who comes to the live class
gets access to the recordings.

Here are the details:

Live Webcast: Sunday October 17, 2 PM Central time
Live Location: Near downtown Austin (directions provided
after you register)
Videotape Recordings: Available to everyone who registers
(whether you attend live, attend online or watch recordings
later)

To sign up for either the live event, the live webcast or
the recordings, go to:

http://drritamarie.com/videoclasses/pizz a2010-10

Early bird tuition is still available for the class.  The
videos and live online broadcast are only $19.95 up until
the day of the class.

I look forward to sharing my mouthwatering recipes and all
the tips and tricks I’ve developed over the years. My
recipes, combined with Chef Karen’s specialties, will
delight your taste buds and make you a favorite at your next
family gathering.

Love, Health and Joy to you,

Dr. Ritamarie

http://drritamarie.com/videoclasses/pizza2010-10

Gluten-Free Raw Food – 5 Tips for Using Herbs and Spices to Enhance Flavor and Nutrition

The post I wrote earlier in the week about avoiding food ruts on a gluten free, dairy free raw foods diet really generated lots of interest. One of the strategies I offered for avoiding food ruts was  “Make friends with herbs and spices”.

This spawned a lot of questions and comments, so I thought I’d tell you more today.  When eating a diet that’s gluten free and predominantly raw foods, there’s a learning curve.  It’s easy to become bored with your food unless you know how to use gluten free raw foods in interesting ways, using the magic of herbs and spices.

I love working with herbs.  They are full of flavor, pack a strong nutritional punch and frequently have potent healing properties.  Whenever I’m making up a new raw food gluten free recipe, or modifying one o my old  favorites, I always look for ways to enhance the nutrition as well as the flavor.  Many of the herbs and spices that are found in most kitchen spice racks are nutritional gems as well as flavor enhancers.  Other nutritional gems can be added with little to no change in flavor and add nutritional punch to your gluten free and raw food recipes.

Today I’d like to share 5 tips for “Making friends with herbs and spices” that have become my favorite ways to fortify my foods nutritionally as well as make them taste superb.

1-      Use granulated sea vegetables to enhance the mineral content and give your dishes a salty flavor.  On the culinary end, the sea vegetable powders can give a dish a “fishy” flavor, which goes well with a “mock tuna” or “mock salmon” pate.  All sea vegetables are high in iodine, which supports thyroid and estrogen metabolism, and iodine is very deficient in our soils.  Besides, there are so many iodine antagonists in our environment, it’s important to have a consistent dietary source.  Of course, like most good things, be careful of doing too much.  I usually recommend 1-2 ounces of dry sea vegetables per week.  If you have low thyroid function, take closer to 2 ounces.  If you have an overactive thyroid, it’s best to keep the quantities lower.   I love using powdered or granulated kelp because Japanese studies a few years ago found active T3 and T4, thyroid hormones, in a species of kelp called laminaria digitata.

2-      Use  anti-inflammatory herbs like ginger and turmeric to spice up your dishes. These are herbs that are especially good at reducing inflammation and including them in your foods creates interesting flavors as well.    I add both to my green smoothies, soups, salad dressings and marinades.  One of my favorite ways to include ginger and turmeric is in a Thai soup I make called Pad Thai.  In fact, we’ll be teaching a pad Thai recipe in our upcoming class “Thai Food Goes Raw:  Sugar, Dairy and Gluten Free Recipes for Vibrant Health”.   It’s live in Austin Texas, broadcast over the web and available afterward as an online video.

3-      Indulge in the taste of Italy. The flavors that give Italian food its distinctive have strong antiviral and immune supportive qualities.  Most notable for their immune support are garlic, thyme and oregano.  Rosemary and basil stand up pretty well in this category as well.  Of course fresh herbs are always best, and growing these is not that hard.   Still, the most convenient way to use Italian herbs is to purchase an Italian Seasoning blend and sprinkle generously in a variety of dishes.  Among my favorites are the sauce I put on raw versions of pizza and pasta.  In October our class of the month is  “Gluten Free, Dairy Free Pizza and Pasta: New Twists on Old Favorites” where we’ll teach the secrets to making the most amazing pizza, lasagna, rawvioli and more delicious and nutritious Italian favorites using all raw and living foods and lots of greens.

4-      Fortify your food with bone building herbs horsetail, nettles and alfalfa.  These herbs are neutral in flavor and pack big nutrition for bones, hair and nails.  I like to create seasoning blends that include these along with more savory herbs like curry, Mexican seasonings or other ethnic blends.

5-      Use aromatic herbs detoxification boosters like dill and caraway seeds.  I love adding dill to creamy nut dips.  In our bread class, we showed how to make omega 3 boosting butter, and dill was one of the ingredients that gave it that buttery mouth feel.  Caraway makes any bread taste like rye, even if there’s no rye in it.  We could have added caraway seeds any of the breads we taught in our “Amazing gluten free bread” class last month and made them taste very rye bread like.  The videos of the class are now available at http://www.drritamarie.com/videoclasses/breadmaking2010-08

I love it when culinary arts meet nutritional science in a marriage that brings out the best in both.  The more you experiment with herbs and spices and learn about their nutritional and medicinal value, the more adept you’ll become at making your own wonderful recipes, and you’ll wonder how you ever could have been bored.

We created our Living Food Prep series of classes to remove the hum-drum-ness from your food prep, arm you with skills that you can use to create beautiful and delicious dishes your family will love and assist you in building the healthiest body possible.

Our class schedule for the remainder of 2010 is posted at  http://www.drritamarie.com/videoclasses/live-events

All classes are held live in Austin Texas, broadcast over the web and available afterwards as online video, beautifully organized by recipe so you can watch one recipe at a time in any order.

We’re running an introductory special now where you can sign up for the series, either live or online, and save lots of $$.  The online class bundle is transferable, so if you sign up and can’t make one or more classes, you can give your space to a friend or family member.

When you sign up for the online/video bundle you get 4 classes for the price of 3.

Bottom line in making foods for yourself or your family is that you need to enjoy the process—of preparing it and eating it.  The best way to do that is to learn as many new techniques as you can, familiarize yourself with a wider variety of foods and become friends with herbs and spices.

Health, Love and Joy to you!

Dr. Ritamarie

P.S.  The early bird discounts are still in effect and there are still a few seats left for the live class, so check out our fall schedule here:

http://www.drritamarie.com/videoclasses/live-events