Menu of the Month

August 2004

Karen's Kitchen got really healthy starting the year I discovered the Zone Diet. That's when I opened my Kitchen and my heart to you, and that is when I made a total commitment to GOOD HEALTH--physical, mental and spiritual.

But "good health info" is always being added to the world, so I hope that my own method of teaching is viewed as a door to discovery, with all of us getting smarter along the way.

If you have ever been sick, or if you have come here because you are sick, then you know that good health is NOT something you get overnight, anymore than poor health is something that happens overnight (aside from catastrophic accidental events). Maybe you are here just to lose weight, but even that condition was not something that you woke up with one morning.

Good Health is a CHOICE. EVERY choice we make is a step TOWARDS good health, or a step away from it.Since we are mostly takling food here...There are plenty of foods out there that we have become accustomed to that make us THINK that because we are having to give them up in order to have GOOD HEALTH, we are now, by their lack, somehow being being DEPRIVED.

Time to REFRAME OUR THINKING: Have you ever stopped to think that perhaps the makers of the processed foods, the artificial flavors and colors, the artificial stimulants, the artificial sweeteners are in unwitting cahoots to DEPRIVE YOU of GOOD HEALTH??? Oh sure, they will never STATE that this is their goal. Their goal is to MAKE MONEY. But they are MAKING MONEY BY CONVINCING YOU TO BUY AND CONSUME THEIR PRODUCTS. And buying and consuming those products is done at the cost of YOUR GOOD HEALTH. Not only are you having to PAY for their products, but you are having to PAY by the pain and suffering poor health brings, and by the money that you spend on cures for all those diseases that you have opened the door to by consuming products that undermine good health.

So let me ask you again...when I ask you to give up artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, artificial colors, hydrogenated fats, over-consumption of sugar and white flours and white rice, over-processed foods stripped of their God-given natural nutrients...just what is it that I am DEPRIVING YOU OF???

This month, let's talk about ENZYMES, WHOLE FOODS, and getting as much RAW STUFF in you that we possibly can. I want to derpive you of EMPTY CALORIES, HEALTH ROBBING ARTIFICIAL JUNK THAT WE ARE LIED ABOUT IN ORDER TO GET US TO CALL IT "FOOD," and THE VERY REASONS WE NEED MEDICINE TO CURE ALL THE AILMENTS THAT POOR NUTRITIONAL CHOICES HAVE BROUGHT US.

Aren't I a big deprivational meanie?

Because I support the Zone Diet, this menu is going to be an affront to Raw Food Purists. It includes Dairy. It includes Soy. It includes meat (even though I myself am a vegetarian). My goal it to bring you to approximately 70% of your daily diet consisting of raw foods in order to increase your daily intake of natural foods and the enxymes and nutrition they bring. I will state clearly here: I have come to see the Zone Diet as the most healing diet to date, but I do not think that it is the end-all diet any longer. The original diet was fruits, nuts, grains, vegetables and legumes. The more you get away from processed foods that strip micronutrients from foods, and get closer to the natural foods with the correct balance of micronutrients that are ESSENTIAL for proper digestion and nutrient assimiliation, the more you will be able to pull away from eating as much "obvious" protein such as meat and dairy. Our bodies NEED PROTEIN, especially when we have been sick, to build and rebuild lost muscles and fortify our organs. Proteins are made up of amino acids, and a vast array of amino acids are found in fruits, nuts, grains and vegetables that a healthy adult does not need as much of.Most people visiting my website are NOT HEALTHY. Take care to get enough protein until you are. Then the Zone ratios of protein to carbs WILL DECREASE. As you become more familiar with Raw Nutrition, it is easier to make that transition away from cooked foods. It doesn't take long for your body to find itself repulsed by overcooked, overprocessed foods and turning its nose up at them. One solid Raw Meal can do it for you once you see the rich possibilities of Raw Nutrition!

Breakfast: It's ALIVE! It's ALIVE! Fruit Salad

Your body starts out with a bank of naturally occuring enzymes. As you eat fruits and vegetables raw, the enzymes contained in them help with digestion and assimilation of the nutrients in the foods we eat.

When we eat foods that are cooked or steamed at temperatures higher than 105°, the enzymes in those foods are destroyed, and many of the nutrients are lost or destroyed in the cooking process, requiring you to use the enzymes in your body. As you get older, your body produces fewer and fewer enzymes, and so you begin to draw on an "account" that is not being replenished. The result is poor digestion, poor nutrient absorption and eventually poor health.

The solution? Eat more raw foods!

Make Ahead Fruit Salad

By making a fruit salad ahead of time, you have a ready-to-grab meal that is delicious and exotic. My kids, who never know that they are "Zoning," just LOVE to be able to open the fridge for this snack or meal when they get home.

• 3 medium green apples, cut into 1/2" cubes (don't try to be too accurate...)
• 3 medium oranges, cut into 1/2" cubes (impossible to get accurate...)
• 1-1/2 cups raspberries (frozen, no sugar, are fine and still alive)
• 1-1/2 cups blueberries (frozen, no sugar)
• 1 cup green seedless grapes

Combine all ingredients for a LIVE-ly 12 carb block salad. I will also increase the carbs by 2 adding a Tbsp. of brown sugar to the salad. Just kicks it up a tiny bit in flavor without compromising good nutrition. Brown sugar, especially raw Turbinado sugar, has added nutrients and minerals and flavors that satisfy. A LITTLE sugar is okay!

Ricotta Pecan Cream

Here is your 3 blocks of protein in a delightful feels-like-a-party way:

• 3/4 cup Ricotta cheese (you can get it in fat free-I like Precious Brand)
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla nut extract (see my Watkins Flavorings)
• 3 drops liquid stevia (order in Karen's Kitchen Shop)
• 12 pecan halves, crumbled

Blend all ingredients by hand in bowl. Serve topped with 3 carb blocks of fruit salad

Lunch: The Perfect BLEND

Not all soups need cooking! Here are a Chef's 3 of my favorite Gazpacho Recipes!

Traditional Gazpacho

This is a traditional chilled Spanish soup ideal for a summer lunch or starter. For excellent flavoured soup ensure that all the ingredients are in the best possible condition.

• 1 green pepper, seeded
• 1 red pepper, seeded
• 1 medium cucumber, seeded
• 1 fresh red chilli, seeded
• 450 g/ 1 Lb. ripe tomatoes
• 900 ml/1 pints passata or tomato juice
• 30 ml tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• salt and pepper

1. Reserve a small piece of red and green pepper, cucumber and onion. Finely chop and set aside for the garnish.
2. Process all the remaining ingrediants into a blender until smooth.
3. Adjust the seasoning and chill. Serve sprinkled with the reserved chopped peppers, cucumber and onion.
4. Makes two 3 carb block portions. Serve with Egg Salad below.

Gazpacho with Avocado Cream Sauce

• 1 pounds medium tomatoes, shallow X cut in skin on side opposite stem
• 3 cups low-salt chicken broth (or Vege-broth of McKay's Chicken Seasoning)
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

• 2 medium Haas avocados (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded, diced
• 2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, deveined, minced
• 2 tablespoons (about) cold water

1. Cut tomatoes in half horizontally; squeeze out seeds and juice. Place tomatoes in processor. Using on/off turns, chop to coarse puree. Transfer puree to strainer; let drain 30 minutes, stirring often.
2. Combine tomato puree, chicken broth, onion, 1/3 cup lime juice, garlic, parsley, chives, and cilantro in large bowl. Season gazpacho with salt and pepper. Chill 2 hours or up to 1 day.
3. Blend avocados, chiles, 2 tablespoons water, and 1/3 cup lime juice in processor until smooth. Season with salt; add more water to thin if desired.
4. Ladle gazpacho into bowls. Top with avocado puree.

Makes three 3 carb and fat block servings (higher in fat, but it's all GOOD fat). Serve with 3 ounces grilled chicken breast or vegetarian chicken grilled with olive oil, lemon juice and oregano.

Gazpacho Salad

This gazpacho has a chunkier texture than most (almost like a salsa). To chop the vegetables in a processor, cut them into quarters and process in batches, using on/off turns.

• 4 cups tomato juice
• 1 red onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 cucumber, halved, peeled, seeded, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 tomatoes, seeded, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
  
• 1/4 cup Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped seeded jalapeño chile
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
  
• 3/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Cover and chill until cold, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Creamy Egg Salad

• 12 hard boiled egg whites
• 4 oz. Fat Free or Low Fat Cream Cheese
• 1/8 cup mayonaise (oh please use the good tasting stuff...)

Chop the eggwhites and set aside. Blend the cream cheese and mayo until smooth. Fold in egg whites. Serve dolloped on top of Gazpacho Soup.

Make six single protein blocks.

NOTE: I am doing this according to Zoning Principles. But here is the rub--several tests were perfomed on eggs. You may know that a complete protein is a food that contains all 8 essential amino acids. Eggs are the gold standard for a complete protein, one by which all other proteins are measured. But when they tested egg WHITES, the protein came back "incomplete" and also was not as bioavailable without the egg yolk as it was when the egg yolk was included.

This was a quandary for me in many ways. I'm a "Lacto Ovo Vegetarian," which means I eat Milk products and Eggs. I'm getting away from eating as much milk products (drinking milk swells my sinsuses and makes me snore...) so eggs have been an integral part of my diet.

Egg yolks have arachadonic acid in them, and Zoning tells us that arachadonic acid is THE main building block for bad eicosanoids. So what are we going to do???

Dump the yolks, reduce the number of eggs, and occassionaly I personally will have a yolk or two every so often. I eat so Zonefully the rest of the time, that's MY CHOICE.

Snack: Fruit and Jerky

Not every apple is a Grade A Gala. Some of them come in little tiny sizes which are perfect single block serving apples. They are about 2" across and when you spit out the stem, you have only eaten a 75 gram apple. They usually come in bags in bulk at a reduced price, so that is a bonus as well. Oranges are the same way, tiny 75 gram oranges or tangerines. They come in their own wrapper! With a piece of jerky (and check out the VEGETARIAN JERKY in Karen's Kitchen Shop now!), a few nuts like 6 peanuts is an IDEAL mid-afternoon single block snack!

Dinner: Salad Nicoise (nee-SWAH!)

Named after Nicoise Olives, this is a wonderful fresh salad with only a few cooked veggies. But some veggies NEED a light cooking in order to release their nutrients--veggies like green beans, broccoli and cauliflower. That is why it is SO IMPORTANT to eat other live, sprouted and whole foods whenever you can. Oh yes, and olives come to you RAW so enjoy the full healthy benefits of delicious, monounsaturated rich olives!

• 3/4 lb green beans (preferably haricots verts), trimmed
  
• 1 1/2 lb small (1- to 2-inch) potatoes (preferably Yukon Gold)
  
• 1 1/2 lb (1-inch-thick) tuna steaks
  
• Vegetable oil for brushing
  
• 1/4 cup drained bottled capers (1 1/2 oz)
  
• 3/4 lb Boston lettuce (2 heads), leaves separated and large ones torn into pieces
• 1 pt cherry or grape tomatoes
  
• 2/3 cup Niçoise or other small brine-cured black olives
  
• 4 hard-boiled large eggs, quartered
  
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley and/or basil

 

Make dressing:
Whisk together vinegar, shallot, mustard, and garlic paste in a small bowl or blender until combined well, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Whisk in thyme, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Make salad:
Cook beans in a 4- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Add potatoes to boiling water and simmer, uncovered, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes, then drain in a colander. Halve potatoes while still warm (peel if desired) and toss with 2 tablespoons dressing in a bowl, then cool.

Makes 12 single carb block servings. Serve with grilled or canned tuna for your protein.

Snack: Fruit and Cheese

Yes, just one fruit choice, one cheese choice and one nut choice is the BEST choice for a simple, non-cooked snack OR meal. What can make this more fun is to find some of the various cheeses that are out there and make it a point to find the lower fat ones (like Alpine Lace Lowfat Swiss) and try more varieties to see what suits your pallet. No one eats enough fresh fruits and veggies, so end up your day with that apple to keep the doctor away. Nuts for your fats or olives if you can't stop with just a few nuts (I'm okay with anything but cashews or macadamias). One ounce of cheese, one serving of fruit, one serving of nuts and TA-DAH!