Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Getting Spring Fever? Relax With Salads.

Mexican Fun Salad: Herb Mix, Romaine lettuce, cucumber, black beans, avocado, sweet corn, salsa & tofu sour cream dressing

Want to beat Spring Fever but can't take time off of work for a vacay? Well, I have the next best thing... Give your mouth a fun party (a la Spring Break) and help your body relax, without even leaving your office! I have one word for you...


SALAD!


This might sound silly, but it really does work. After eating all that heavy, baked food from Winter - eating a light, cool refreshing salad will perk up your body, give you a feeling of freshness and help you relax from all of those tightening grains, baked flour products and oily foods you just ate for the past 5 months. 


Seriously, this really does work. I ate my first big salad a couple weeks ago and I suddenly felt so relaxed and happy!


Get Skinny Salad: Sweet Dried Daikon Salad with Shiitake Sesame Dressing

I have been experimenting with making interesting and colorful salads with a mix of all kinds of ingredients. Feel free to play around with these ingredients to make your own fun salad and enjoy lightening  up.


  • Romaine lettuce
  • mixed herb leafy greens
  • arugula
  • green or purple cabbage
  • cucumber
  • raw or blanched carrot
  • raw or blanched radishes / daikon
  • corn
  • dill
  • dried daikon cooked in sesame oil, soy sauce and apple juice
  • any kind of cooked seaweed
  • chickpeas / black beans / pinto beans
  • grilled / pan fried tofu
  • soy cheese
  • toasted sesame seeds / sunflower seeds / almonds / pecans

Dressings to experiment with:
  • Soy Sesame Ginger - soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, fresh ginger juice, apple cider vinegar
  • Basic Salad Dressing - olive oil, sea salt, apple cider vinegar (optional lemon juice, garlic powder)
  • Creamy Dressing - Vegenaise, sea salt, olive oil, vinegar
  • Make your own out of a combination of: sea salt, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, olive or sesame oil, fresh or powdered garlic, lemon juice, brown rice syrup, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, tofu, umeboshi vinegar


Enjoy feeling refreshed, relaxed and re-energized!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Affordable Healing Bodywork in NYC


If you are looking for an affordable massage in the NYC area then look no further. The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine not only offers affordable massages, but bodywork treatments that promote optimum well-being and deep healing on physical, emotional and energetic levels.

I just got a Shiatsu there today, and it was GREAT!!!

The reason why I like Shiatsu is because not only is it a great massage, but you are fully clothed and it helps to open up the energy flow in the body- which promotes great health. My massage helped me to feel more relaxed and helped me release tension I have been holding in my body in various places. Ahhh...

This place offers various types of massage such as Swedish, Shiatsu, Thai, Relfexology and Tui Na, as well as Acupuncture and Herbal Consultations. Everything is at discounted prices because the treatments are administered by interns who are overseen by licensed supervisors.

I think I will go back and get some Tui Na next time...

Check them out online:
Pacific College of Oriental Medicine Clinic

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Comforting Rice Pudding


There's something about rice pudding... the way it smells like vanilla and cinnamon, the creamy texture, the mildly sweet, light flavor. I think it is all of these qualities that make it a lovely dessert or snack anytime. I made myself rice pudding last week and decided to serve it with sliced fresh fruit. This recipe is a twist on the recipe from The Angelica Home Kitchen Cookbook. It is very easy to make and good for people who want something more mildly sweet or are not eating chocolate, nuts or flour products. If you want the sweetness to be even more mellow, substitute the maple syrup for brown rice syrup or try half of each. This dessert is vegan. Enjoy!!

Light and Lovely Rice Pudding

4 1/2 cups of water
3/4 cup maple syrup (or a mix of maple and brown rice syrup)
2 1/2 cups plain soy milk or other alternative milk 
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 vanilla bean pod
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/3 cup white Basmati rice

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place water, maple syrup/rice syrup, soy milk and salt into a large heavy saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil.
  3. Split the vanilla bean pod in half lengthwise and crape out the seeds with a spoon.
  4. Add the seeds, pod and cinnamon to the cooking liquid.
  5. Rinse the rice and add it to the pot once the liquid has come to a boil.
  6. Place on the middle rack in the oven and bake for to 2 hours. Check the pudding's texture. If it needs to cook longer add extra water/soy milk and let it cook for 30 more minutes or so.
  7. Remove the pot form the oven and discard the vanilla pod.
  8. Serve warm or cold.

This dessert can be garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon, sliced toasted almonds or fresh fruit - or all three!