Tuesday, June 29, 2010

True Food Kitchen

Dr. Andrew Weil's Food Pyramid

True Food Kitchen is a lively restaurant located in Phoenix, Arizona and is jointly created by Fox Restaurant Concepts and Dr. Andrew Weil. They offer a variety of healthy vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options and they are also flexible with substituting ingredients for people with other food sensitivities. They offer organic, local and seasonal produce and wild and hormone-free animal foods.



Much of their menu items have meat, dairy or spices and I have been eating mostly vegan lately, so I got creative. I prefer simple and lightly seasoned dishes, so I ordered my own version of the Teriyaki Brown Rice Bowl: Brown rice, tofu and vegetables with fresh avocado slices on top and no Teriyaki sauce. Their prices are a bit on the higher side, so this outing might be a once in a while splurge.

Check them out:
True Food Kitchen

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Healthy Eats at Pita Jungle


Looking for a healthy and veg friendly restaurant in Arizona? Well, look no further, because Pita Jungle is all over this state! With 12 locations in Arizona, they make healthy eating convenient, fun and affordable.

I went with my family to grab a bite to eat and ordered the falafel and a large hummus plate to share. Of course, nothing compares to living in Israel and getting the real deal from the where it all originated, but the food was quite good and my family enjoyed the food and ambiance.

One of my favorite things about this restaurant is the Happy Hour and Reverse Happy Hour during the weekdays. Everything on their special menus during these times is REALLY affordable, as in $2 - $3 per plate. I can fill up and schmooze with friends and only spend $6!

Pita Jungle Website


Thursday, June 24, 2010

So Fresh & So Clean Hair


For minty fresh tingly scalp and clean soft hair try Organic Excellence Wild Mint Shampoo. This shampoo smells deliciously minty, lathers well and is all natural, so I feel good about using it- for my health and for the environment! It also helps to cool you off in the shower while we are heading into the hot summer months. It is definitely my new favorite.

Ingredients: Purified Water, Olive Oil (and) Coconut Oil (and) Potassium Lactate, Vegetable Glycerin, Peppermint Oil*, Fennel Extract*, Hops Extract, Balm Mint Extract, Olive Leaf Extract*, Ginger Extract*, Mistletoe Extract*, Allantonin (Comfrey Root), Citric Acid, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Lemon Grass Oil*, Burdock Root Extract*, Sage Extract*, Rosemary Extract*, Grape Seed Extract*. *Certified Organic Herb

Organic Excellence Shampoo

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Healing with Food: Sweet Vegetable Drink

Sweet vegetable drink is a warm, relaxing and mildly sweet drink that is used as a food remedy to offset the negative effects of foods like chicken, eggs and cheese. According to macrobiotics, consuming these foods over the long term can negatively effect the body and cause disease such as hypoglycemia (chronic low blood sugar), which is a condition that affects about 75% of modern society.

This drink has been known to help conditions such as AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, various cancers, diabetes, hypoglycemia, rheumatoid arthritis, mental disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and many other conditions.

Sweet vegetable drink is very good for softening and relaxing tightness in the body and muscles from heavy animal food consumption. It also helps to relax the pancreas and stabilize blood sugar levels, as well as satisfy sweet cravings.

I just made this drink for myself and when I drank it I felt immediately relaxed and good. It definitely made my pancreas happy AND satisfied my sweet cravings :)

A small cup of sweet vegetable drink can be taken everyday, especially in mid to late afternoon.

* Finely chop equal parts of onions, carrots, cabbage and sweet winter squash.

* Boil 3-4 times the amount of water as all of the vegetables combined.
* Add the chopped vegetables to the water and boil uncovered for 3 minutes.
* Turn down flame to low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
* Strain the vegetables from the broth (you can re-use them in soup if you want).
* Drink the broth while hot or at room temperature.


This drink can last for two days in you refrigerator. Daikon radish and lotus root can be substituted for carrots and squash.

For more information about food remedies and healing with natural foods, check out the book "The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health" by Michio Kushi and Alex Jack. You can find this book in the "Books I Love" section on my blog.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

New Tokyo Food Market for Japanese Foods


If you are looking for some great Japanese foods for making sushi, udon noodles and seaweed salads AND you live in Arizona, then look no further. New Tokyo Food Market is a cute little Japanese food store with a nice variety of traditional Japanese foods, as well as non food items like beautiful Japanese dishes, kitchen supplies, magazines and even Japanese movies to rent. They also have a very friendly staff to answer questions you might have about a product or preparing Japanese foods. I have been shopping at this store since I was a kid and love going in to see the new products they have.

 

Some things I buy from New Tokyo are:

* organic frozen natto
* organic tofu
* organic udon noodles
* Non-GMO miso
* good quality teas
* dried donko shiitake mushrooms
* good quality seaweeds like wakame, hijiki and kombu
* fresh Japanese vegetables like burdock root and lotus root
* specialty items for making traditional Japanese foods

New Tokyo Food Market
3435 W Northern Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85051
#602-841-0255

Call for store hours.




Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Let's Sport & Play in Comfort

This cute and super comfortable sports bra wicks away moisture and provides support, all while supporting awesome values like helping the environment and promoting fair trade. This sports bra also lasts for a very long time, so you will get good use out of it. I have two of these, and wear them all the time for hiking, jogging and being active.

Patagonia clothing company is dedicated to promoting fair labor and environmental protection, is a member of 1% For the Planet and uses organic, natural and recycled fabrics. Check them out to find out more and to see more of their clothing and sports gear collection:

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/home

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/product/patagonia-womens-active-mesh-bra?slc=en_US&sct=US&p=32103-0-867-155

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Lotus Moon for Lovely Locks

This hair pomade is awesome and I use it every day to give my hair texture and light hold. It works especially great with short hair to give it a piecey look and to smooth flyaways. You only have to use a little bit, so it lasts forever. I also love the all natural ingredients. I bought mine from AllNaturalCosmetics.com

Ingredients:
Ricinus communis (Palm Christi) Oil, Apis mellifera (Beeswax), Copernicia prunifera (Carnauba) Wax, Palm Stearic Acid, Euphorbia anisyphilitica (Candelilla) Wax, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Limnanthes alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Oleoresin, Azadirachta indica (Neem) Oil.

Savory Hummus Hors D'oeuvres

This is a nice recipe my cooking classmate Nicole and I created with the help of Chef Hideki Kawai for our graduation from healing cooking school. It was a big hit and everyone loved the simple but flavorful hummus. Enjoy!

Hummus with Tiny Toast and Endives Hors D'oeuvres

2 cups chickpeas
1 stamp sized pieces of kombu
Fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
Tablespoon ume vinegar
1 finely grated raw yellow onion
Garlic powder or fresh garlic

15 leaves endives
15 triangle sliced pieces of whole wheat sourdough bread
Olive oil
Ume vinegar
Salt
2 red peppers
1/2 bunch parley, finely chopped

Hummus:
1. Pressure cook the chickpeas with the kombu for about an hour (fill water to 1/2 inch above beans in the pressure cooker).
2. Let pressure come down and put in the olive oil and ume vinegar. Simmer beans for 10 minutes and then let them sit to cool off.
3. Grate raw onion and juice the lemon.
4. When chickpeas have cooled, put them into a food processor with a small amount of the cooking liquid and add the onion and some lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
5. Taste the mixture and add more lemon juice or ume vinegar if needed and sprinkle in garlic powder or chopped raw garlic.
6. Blend again thoroughly. Taste again and adjust flavor to your taste.
7. Chill in refrigerator.

Toast:
1. Slice each slice of bread diagonally across twice, creating 4 triangle pieces.
2. Heat up a cast iron skillet.
3. Dip each slice of bread lightly on both sides in a plate of olive oil.
4. Place in skillet.
5. Once one side gets browned and a bit crunchy, flip and brown other side.

Endives:
1. Wash each endive leaf and dry.

Red Peppers:
1. Wash and thinly slice red pepper into pieces about 1 inch long.
2. Put some olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.
3. Sautee peppers with some salt.
4. Turn to medium low heat.
5. After they have cooked for a while (about 10-15 minutes), add ume vinegar to give a nice flavor.
6. Taste to make sure you like it.

Assemble:
1. Put endives or toasts on a plate.
2. Put chilled hummus in a pastry bag and squeeze hummus on toast or endive.
3. Top with red peppers.
4. Sprinkle chopped parsley on top.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

The Cove


Academy Award winner for Best Feature Documentary in 2009, The Cove is a movie that involves activists, filmmakers and divers as they work to uncover hidden eco-crimes involving dolphins off of the coast of Japan. These dolphins are captured and held in captivity or killed and served to people, although their meat contains toxic levels of heavy metals.

Watch the Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KRD8e20fBo

Cove PSA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k62kc07m1Dc

Learn more and take action:
http://www.thecovemovie.com/home.htm

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Positively Praiseworthy: Pangea Organics


I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Pangea Organics bar and hand soaps, which I happen to have in my bathroom right now. They smell amazing, produce a generous lather, and leave my skin feeling soft and clean.

Pangea Organics believes in "integrity – of product, performance, practices, people, planet and purpose." They source their ingredients through organic and fair trade practices and ensure their products are cruelty-free and hand crafted in small batches. They have also won many awards for being a socially and environmentally responsible business and awards for various skin care products.

For 25% off of body lotion and body wash until June 30th, 2010: http://www.pangeaorganics.com/browse/Body_Lotion

Check out the Pangea Organics website:
www.pangeaorganics.com

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Soy? Delicious!


For a frozen treat that's delicious and healthy, try the nondairy "ice cream" Soy Delicious. They have a variety of awesome fruit sweetened flavors that are sure to satisfy your craving for trendy summer fro-yo, but without the guilt (from corn syrup, artificial sweeteners or dairy).

Check out their website for more info and an ingredients list:
http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/its_soy_delicious.html