Pressured Cooked Chicken Soup

3 lbs of chicken thighs

5-6 cups of bone broth or water

2 medium sized carrots or 1.5 cups of it, chopped

2 celery sticks or 2 cups of it, chopped

1/4 cup onions, chopped*

1/4lb or 1 cup of green beans, chopped

3 crushed and peeled cloves of garlic*

2 bay leaves

boquet garni

A bush of parsley

3 t of sea salt

apple cider vinegar (ACV) or lemon juice 

1. Salt the chicken and place on pan in low medium heat.  Braised Chicken until skin is golden.  
2. Add bone broth or water until chicken is covered in it. Then add bay leaves, bouquet garni, parsley, and garlic. 
3. Pressure cook chicken at high for about 8-10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and allow to cool so that you can remove the cover.
4. After removing the cover, remove meat from pot to cool down.  Remove bouquet garni and parsley or sieve it out.  
5. Add the carrots, green beans, onions to liquid soup.
6. Pull chicken apart and add back to the liquid in the pot.
7. Recover the pressure cooker.
8. Cook the mixture at medium heat at low pressure for another 1 minutes .  Allow to cool if you like vegetables with a soft texture or immediately cool the pressure cooker by pouring water on your pressure cooker or use the pressure release valve on your instant pot - depending on the type of pressure cooker you use, and uncover ASAP for crunchy vegetables.  
9. I like to add lemon juice or ACV to each serving size of this dish. Normally I use a 1/2 lemon or a teaspoon of ACV for each serving of 4 ounces of meat in each soup. 

This dish will make about 6 serving sizes as a main course. 

*If you are on a low FODMAP diet, take this ingredient out of the recipe or remove it after cooking.  You can used infused olive oil with garlic or onion for flavoring as well.  

What Matters Is Not What I Do, But The Quality & Joy It Brings To My Life

I am grateful that I reconnected with my deep desire to move with more joy this week. After the past several years of being off biologics (strong drugs I took to manage my autoimmune symptoms) it was hard moving easily and without pain. I felt all of the heights of an overworked immune system on my body. I don't recommend this professionally.

I personally did this approach, because I wanted to figure out what was working and not working while I tried an elimination diet and changed my lifestyle. At the same time, exercising for fun and strength slowly got placed on the back burner as I figured out how to work the healing practices into my life and control the fires I felt in my body.

I am now seeing a coach for help in  reorganizing my priorities as I have more space in my life and feeling a lot better. I realized that the joy of movement - a major reason why I like to help people move and practice pilates, was missing in my life. I may not be at the same level of fitness and strength as I was in the past, but moving with more joy - at whatever pace it is - will bring so much more light in my life. We all could benefit from coaches, even coaches like me - so we can be as real and whole with ourselves.

Moving forward, I plan to share more movement exercises on my blog and IG, no matter how basic they are. The lesson I learned here is what matters is not what I do, but the quality and joy it brings to my life.

Beef Heart With Easy Greens

Ingredients

1 tbsp sliced green onions

2 tbsp of wakame

1.5 tbsp of duck fat,  tallow, or whatever one you prefer.  

1/2 lb of sliced beef heart

Dash of sea salt

Allow fat to melt evenly over medium sized saucepan

Place the slices on saucepan for 1-2 minutes on each side.  Beef heart steak is pretty lean, so full attention while cooking them is need, since this type of meat cooks fast. 

Remove the steaks from the pan.  

Add the green onions to the leftover fat juice; sautéing them for less than 10 seconds.  Turn the heat off and pour the green onions over the steak.  

Add the wakame to the dish, which will slowly absorb the juices and expand. If you would like them less crunchy, add them to the green onions when you add them to the pan.  

Pureed Sweet Potatoes

Pureed Sweet Potatoes

Serves 8-9 people

3-4 Cleaned Sweet Potatoes (you can use other potatoes, like Yukon, here too)

4-5 tbsp Coconut Oil (duck fat works here too)  

1/4 tsp of Sea Salt

1. Set-up the pressure Cooker as a steamer.  If you don't have a steamer or pressure cooker, boil the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes.  

2. Place 3-4 medium sized sweet potatoes in the pressure cooker (I prefer Hannah or Japanese Sweet Potatoes).  

3. Steam at high pressure for about 20 minutes.

4. Turn off pressure cooker.

5. Let the pressure cooker cooker cool off.  

6. Remove lid and peel off the skin of the sweet potatoes. If potatoes are too hot, run them through cold water or place them to the side and allow them to cool for another 10 minutes.  Then peel the skin off the sweet potatoes.

7. In a saucepan, place coconut oil and allow it to melt to a liquid.  Turn off the heat.

8. Place peeled potatoes in the saucepan.  

9. Use potato masher to cream coconut oil with potatoes.  

10. Once the mixture feels and looks like a purée, add sea salt to taste.  

Do you know what the food labels on your olive oil mean?

Since I have been getting questions on using olive oil, I thought I would post an article I wrote in a newsletter to my clients from three years ago. I didn't publicly post it, so now making up for it!

Do you know what the food labels on your olive oil mean?

Did you know that there is a difference between "cold processed" and "cold pressed" olive oil. I didn't. Not until I started asking questions, did I learn how such different food labels relate to the nutrition, as well as,  the flavor and texture of olive oil.

As a well read foodie, I knew that not all food labels are highly regulated by the FDA, so I wanted to use a source with a reputation for transparency and quality.  Because I live in the Bay Area, I knew that there was a wealth of olive growers that I could interview at my fingertips. My curiosity lead me to McEvoy Ranch.

Since 4th of July is coming up soon, I wanted to share with you on what I learned about olive oil from McEvoy Ranch.  I hope their answers to my questions will provide you with some interesting foodie talk at your next BBQ and a new olive oil inspired dish to share, as well!

I noticed that some olive oil companies used the word "cold processed" and some use "cold pressed."  What is the difference between them? And are there any measurable differences in taste and health benefits between them?

According to Tom Mueller author of Extra Virginity, “Cold pressed is an outdated production term, now used for marketing purposes and largely devoid of meaning.”

Many “olive oils” that are on grocery store shelves are sadly rancid olive oil or not even olive oil at all. When selecting an olive oil the more information available to you the better. Harvest date (when the olives were harvested for oil extraction) Orchard location (where the olives were grown) and olive varieties (the types of olives used in the oil) are all basic pieces of information that the oil producer should be happy to share with the consumer.

Cold processed olive oil is the most common modern method for extracting oil from the olive using as little friction or heat as possible. McEvoy Ranch uses a cold process to extract the oil from the olive fruit.

It is possible for either process of oil to be certified extra virgin, however, neither process guarantees the quality of the oil.

Which certifications should customers look for olive oil?

We recommend seeking out oils with an extra virgin seal.  California oils will have the COOC (California Olive Oil Council) seal and European oils will have the IOC (international olive council) seal, as well as an organic certification. McEvoy Ranch is certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers who uphold some of the most rigorous organic standards in the country. McEvoy Ranch is also certified extra virgin by the COOC. The COOC upholds the highest certification process for extra virgin olive oil in the world. Any certifications will be printed on the packaging of the oil.

This blog post helps explain the extra virgin certification process.
 

If someone would like to purchase olive oils from another country, what should they look for?

The community of California olive oil producers has grown immensely over the last 20 years and there are many producers of quality olive oil. I recommend checking out the California Olive Oil Councils website  for a full list of certified extra virgin producers.  

If you are looking for an international oil, the IOC seal of extra virginity is a great thing to look for. And again the more information that the olive producer is willing to share the better, such as orchard location, harvest date, varieties and extraction method are all good information to have.
 

Do you have a simple food recipe recommendation for olive oil lovers?

One of our favorite recipes using olive oil is by Chef Gerald Gass find the recipe here. Make the recipe versatile by substituting triticale with quinoa or orzo.

For other produce focused olive oil recipes check our blog. 

References:

Newsletter 2013 from Insight from Rios Strength. Retrieved on 6/7/2016 from http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=6d692f8b24e1c0c82889e2479&id=868b219bcc

Chocolate Cake & Me

This picture is of me doing Parakeet — a pilates move based on control, balance, and some strength. You don’t have to be a super athlete to do it, but it sure looks cool during times when I am experiencing a flare and could barely walk. I wanted to share this picture because of what I wrote and to show you how I can move when I don’t have a flare. Living with an autoimmune conditions takes a lot of twist and turns. Why developing self-compassion and a support group has been so important for me as part of my healing journey.

I wrote an article on Medium yesterday and wanted to share what I wrote here.  

Being stiff sucks, but not as much as it did a couple of days ago — when I could barely walk.

Seating on my couch, I tried to retrace my steps to figure out why I was in so much pain and could barely see out of my left eye about two weeks ago. For those of you who haven’t figured out, I was experiencing a flare (when someone with an autoimmune conditions feels more of their symptoms).

“Why is this happening?” were questions asked by my friends, colleagues, doctors and even myself. This question was typically followed with another one, such as ‘“What did I do?” or “Was I stressed out about something?”’ For the latter, I would respond with a solid, ”Nope.” If anything, I was only feeling more stressed because of this damn flare! So what could have started it? What did I do that was different the past few weeks or days?

Okay, well there was something I did do differently. A couple of weeks ago, I ate a chocolate cake from a BBQ that I assumed was flourless. Apparently, it was not. The day I ate it, I started to notice something different about me, but I ignored it; thinking I was going to be just fine.

After several days, my body started showing signs of fierce retaliation with this ‘flourless’ cake. One of the first signs I knew something was up was when I started to experience a scratchy sensation in my left eye. This mild irritation slowly transformed into a bout of photophobia (when the eye becomes sensitive to light) — something was going terribly wrong.

This was definitely a case of uveitis (when part of the iris becomes inflamed). I haven’t had uveitis for at least 2.5 years— when I started the autoimmunepaleo protocol (a paleo based elimination diet and lifestyle). Before starting the diet elimination part of the autoimmunepaleo (AIP) , I took biologics (powerful anti-inflammatory drugs) to reduce my symptoms of uveitis and spondylitis.

Being drug-free and uveitis-free, since going AIP, I was in heaven for 2.5 years! I forgot that I could get flares like this serious one again. I also didn’t think by eating a piece of chocolate cake that I could go back to my same old self.

Now, I was back to filling my free time with doctor appointments, going to the pharmacy for steroids, and sitting indoors with a baseball cap and shades because natural light irritated my eye. All for eating a stupid yet delicious large piece of chocolate cake. Worth it? Kind of… but I don’t think to this negative degree on my health.

I just wanted to make it go away without the use of drugs. At the same time, I was also working with my feelings of shame. Leading a San Francisco autoimmunepaleo (AIP) support group, studying the impact of gluten on autoimmune conditions, and blogging about gluten-free recipes and wellness, how could I have made this type of mistake? I wanted to be a leader who knew better. But I guess I am not that perfect person. I am still learning to take care of myself and learning through my mistakes.

Fortunately, I have learned a lot since my last flare. Being a nutrition nerd and student at Bauman College for Holistic Nutrition, I figured out what I could do to calm my flare.

Once I targeted what initiated my current flare, I started an appropriate healing protocol for me. I started drinking bone broths, chewing more, drinking bitters and sour concoctions, meditating more, doing less, taking more naps, and taking both supplements and herbal antibiotics. After a week’s worth of appropriate self-care, I was back to walking and seeing normal again. During this time, I still took a steriod for my eye; respecting both western and eastern practices when used appropriately.

With flares like this one, I don’t take for granted my movement capability or get down on myself for not working harder to be part of some fitspo community on social media. As a movement instructor and healer, I simply want to walk and see. And to teach my clients and community how to move smarter, get stronger, and feel better. I lost my ego to looking like a super fit model for inspiration a long time ago. Plus, I have been there, done that. And learned that you can look fit, but not feel well too. Another topic, I can discuss in another article.

In addition, I am grateful for knowing what to do when I get my flares. I may not be perfect with every decision I make — especially if the decision has to do with ‘chocolate’ & ‘cake,’ but I can continue to work on putting myself together whenever I do fall apart.

I have shared this part of my life with you in hopes that you may find some self-compassion and light humor when you find yourself straying from your wellness rituals. Lastly, I wrote this piece to help you understand a small part of what some people with autoimmune conditions may experience.

Pulled Meat Of Your Dreams!

My all-time favorite pressure cooked meat is picnic from pork or lamb.  It is also my favorite meat to use for batch cooking. I typically cook between 2 - 5 lb. of shoulder meat at a time. 

The first version of this recipe was inspired by Nom Nom Paleo, who got me into to using an instant pot for the first time.  Her slow cooker recipe didn't quite cook the meat the way I desired (I think there was a mistake in the publication I read), so I tried pressure cooking the ingredients through her pressure cooking recipe. I found her pressure cooking recipe through an instant pot support group on Facebook. Yep, Facebook was a lifesaver in this case.  Anyhow, you can add bacon like Michelle, from Nom Nom Paleo, does if bacon makes you happy.  I am working on some sensitivities to glutamate, what gives the umami flavor in bacon (why I didn't add bacon to this recipe).

Ingredients

5 lbs of shoulder - my favorite is picnic.  

5 cloves of crushed garlic

2 tsp of turmeric powder

1-2 tsp of sea salt * 

1 cup of bone broth or filtered water

Directions

1. Slice pockets in the shoulder and place the pieces of crushed garlic in them.  
2. Place the in a meat in a pressure cooker (I use an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker)
3. Dash the sea salt over the meat
4. Add the bone broth.
5. Cover the pressure cooker
6. Cook all of the ingredients at high pressure for 90 minutes. 
7. When the pressure cooker has cooled off, open it.  Pull out the meat pieces onto a plate, allowing it to cool off before pulling it.  
8. Add the pulled meat back into the pressure cooker so that you can mix it with the leftover sauce.  
9. I save the excess meat and sauce in mason jars and put them in the freezer for future use.  
10. Enjoy!

*My favorite sea salt for this recipe is Murray's River Flake or Alaea Red Hawaiian Sea Salt. 

Where I Buy My Grass-Fed & Pastured Raised Meats In The Bay Area

Organic Pastured Raised Pulled Lamb Shoulder 

With the term grass-fed label now not being used as form of certification, I wanted to share with you some places I trust when I want to buy meat in the Bay Area. As always, getting  to know your farmer is best to stay current with their practices.  

Belcampo

Bi-Rite Market * +

Good Eggs +

Marina Meats*

Prather Ranch*

The Local Butcher Shop

Marin Sun Farms

True Grass Farms

Farmer's Markets  - google ones for your city and support your local farmer! Go early to have the most options.  

Other options that I haven't tried for myself, but maybe you may like to do:

Be part of CSA that offers meat.  One local CSA is called Soul Food Farm.  

Order a whole animal for yourself or with a group of folks.

Order online from US Wellness or 5280 Meats. 

*For special cuts, call in advance to make sure they have what you want.  

+Great place to buy seafood as well!

Eating Organic Foods On A Budget

What you put in my body matters.  What you eat - more specifically what you absorb and don't eliminate - has an impact on the structure and function of your cells, biochemistry, mood, to your wellbeing.  

In the short run, organic foods can initially cost more than conventional grown foods. In the long run, eating organic foods may provide you with more nutrition, such as antioxidants. Antioxidants can help you have more energy,  move more, recover faster, and feel better.  Conventional foods can carry pesticides that can hurt the function of your mitochondria (your cells' main source for energy), wreak havoc on your DNA, organs, and - ultimately - your health and wellbeing. 

I decided to create this list, due to feedback from folks who wanted ideas on how to save money when buying organic foods.

Here it goes!

Organic Proteins & Animal Fats

• Buy less commonly used parts of the animal (ex. picnic, butt, or brisket); slow cook or pressure cook them to soften their textures.
• Buy organ meat.  These types of meats tend to be more nutritious in micronutrients, particular liver, which is a great source for vitamin A, vitamin K2, magnesium, & iron.  
• Buy the whole animal or do a share with other folks (ex. gym, work, family or friends).  Some companies, like Marin Sun Farms, allows you to buy the whole animal. It ends up costing less than if you were to buy parts of the animal at the store or farmers markets. 
• Buy in bulk.
• Organic nonmeat sources for protein can be less expensive than organic meat sources.  Check out Weston A. Price Foundation on how to prepare nonmeat protein sources.  By doing the following, you will decrease the anti-nutrients (ex. phytates) and increase the nutrient availability of these nonmeat protein sources. If you have a weaker digestive track (ex. autoimmune condition), these added preparations may make it easier for you to digest grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds by reducing the amount of lectins that can wreak havoc on the digestive track lining. The following recommendations are discussed in more detail by the Weston A. Price Foundation:  
  • Soak legumes before cooking them (between 12 - 24 hours). 
  • Soak, sprout, or ferment grains before using them in preparations.
  • Soak and dehydrate or lightly toast nuts and seeds before eating them.

 

Organic Produce

• Check out farmers markets near closing time; produce may be discounted.
• Buy in bulk. Some stores (ex. Berkeley Bowl or Rainbow Co-Op) will charge you less if you bring in your own containers and bags when you buy in bulk. 
• Buy in season.  
• Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)!  There are now a ton of options the Bay Area, one being Full Belly Farm.  
• Buy produce in season and freeze your favorites for future use. My favorite fruits to freeze are berries.
• Use the whole fruit and vegetable (ex. eat the leaves of beets as a salad or sauté and roast the root part of the beet).
• Check out Imperfect Produce! They sell produce for 20% less and can deliver to your home.  
• If you want to know which conventional produce to definitely avoid and which conventional produce is cleaner, check out The Environmental Working Group Website for The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen.  

Cooking from scratch and limiting prepackaged consumption can also be another way to save money. If time is a determining factor, batch cooking (cooking in bulk and freezing parts of it for future use) can help make cooking from scratch less time consuming. I have posted plenty of recipes that you can batch cook on my website. Go check them out!

Additionally, a lot of us may be eating too much meat protein.  Grass-fed and organic meats definitely cost more than conventional raised meats.  Double check your proteins needs and determine if you can reduce your consumption. 

Lastly, chew your food! It is free way to increase the absorption of your nutrients! By chewing, you release chemicals in your stomach (ex. HCL), mouth (ex. amylase) to break-down macronutrients (fats, proteins, & carbohydrates), destroy foreign invaders, and more. Chewing even stimulates your 'relaxed' response, so think of it as a mini-massage or meditation session.  

Is there anything else I am missing?  Feel free to let me know!

As always, I am here to help and work as a nutritional coach.  I offer 15-minute free consults, if you have more questions.

References: 

Murray, M. Pizzorno, J. Pizzorno, Lara. (2012). The Encyclopedia Of Natural Medicine. New York, New York: Atria Books. 

Bauman College with Rosie Ueng as lecturer. (2015) NC103.2 Lecture - Nutritional Biochemistry Lecture 2 - How Cells Make Energy

Pressure Cooked Salmon

I truly believe that high quality ingredients don't need a lot of work to make a tasty meal.  This recipe is part of my standard diet, since it is so easy to make and taste delicious!  

Recipe will produce about 4 servings.

Ingredients

1 lb. of wild caught salmon

3 crushed garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon Sea salt

4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Use Citrus Dressing as a topping with parsley to your liking.  

Directions

Place all of the ingredients, with the exception of Citrus Dressing and parsley,  in a pressure cooker at high for 15 minutes to fully cook it. If you would like rarer version, you can cook the salmon for 10 minutes.  My preference is a 10-minute timing.  After the cooking time, remove the salmon from the pressure cooker after it has cooled enough for it to be safe for removal.  Place the salmon on a plate and enjoy it with your citrus dressing and parsley.  The combination of flavors, nutrition, and easy to follow steps will have you repeating this recipe quite often. 

Citrus Dressing

Citrus Dressing

1 cup of olive oil

1/2 tsp of sea salt or to taste

2 freshly squeezed lemons

1/2 clove of crushed garlic (if you wait 10 minutes, you will enjoy the peak activation  of allicin in garlic)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium size bowl or mason jar. You can store your leftovers in the refrigerator.  When you plan to use dressing again, allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 10-15 minutes, since olive oil will harden in the refrigerator.  

Play with the ratios. Everybody's taste buds are different, so feel free to add more or less of each ingredient.  

Easy Beet Salad

Premixed Beet Salad

After studying how to support liver health, I thought to myself that I must share my favorite easy beet salad.  I love the combination of roasted beets, oregano, and citrus dressing!  

Ingredients

1 cup of chopped roasted beets - my favorite are golden beets!

1 teaspoon of oregano

1/8 cup of citrus dressing

Instructions

Mix all of these ingredients together in a medium-size mixing bowl.

Serve and enjoy immediately!

Liver Support Shot

After writing an article about how to support your liver function, I wanted to include some recipes related to liver support.  One of my favorite recipes  for liver support is a shot that includes ginger, turmeric, lemon juice, licorice, and lemon peels.  

For folks who have an autoimmune condition and are TH2 dominant, you may want to remove turmeric from the ingredients.  For more information about why, please click here.  

Personally, I like to have at least 2 shots of this drink before meals.  Now give it a try! And remember to let me know what you think!

Ingredients

2.5 cups filtered water for the fresh ginger version; 2 cups for the ginger tea bag version

2 tbsp peeled (optional) and cubed ginger or 4 ginger tea bags

1 tablespoon turmeric powder or fresh turmeric

4 lemon peels from a full lemon

1 freshly squeezed lemon (optional)

2 licorice tea bags (optional)

Directions

Boil or pressure cook the freshly sliced ginger for a full 30 minutes.  Turn off the heat.

If you are using ginger tea bags, add the ginger tea bags after the water has come to a boil. Allow the ginger tea bags to sit for 8-10 minutes with the rest of the ingredients (turmeric and licorice)}.

If you are using a pressure cooker, use fresh ginger or dried loosed ginger.   Add the turmeric at this time too.  

Add the  licorice tea bags when it is near the time (around 5 minutes)  to serve.

Pour the mixture into 4 shot glasses. Add the lemon peels.  Wait for the liquid to cool to your drinking preference.

Zesty By Nature

Membrillo Without Added Sugars!

Ingredients

1/2 lemon juice

1/8 cup of collagen*

1/8 cup of agar agar

1/2 cup peeled apples (pink ladies are my favorite for this recipe)

zest from 4-5 kumquats (optional)

1/4 cup zest from Meyer lemons (regular lemons are fine, but I prefer the sweeter taste of meyer lemons)

*If you want a sweeter recipe, replace the collagen with agar; equal parts.  You can also use the leftover apple juice; just add more agar accordingly.

Directions

1. Pressure cook the peeled apples at high for 20 minutes. If possible, use a steamer to separate apples from liquid, so that the apples don’t absorb more liquid than necessary. Remove them from the heat.
2. Pour juice in one container; place steamed apples in another. 
3. In a saucepan, add the lemon juice. Turn on the heat and allow the liquid to come to almost a boil.
4. Add the collagen and agar to the saucepan; slowly to avoid making clumps. This part should take around 4-5 minutes.
5. Once the entire amount of collagen peptides and agar has melted into the mixture, turn off the heat.
6. Sieve the mixture to remove any clumps of collagen into another saucepan or mixing bowl.
7. Add the pressured cooked apples to the mixture. 
8. Taste try the mixture. If it is not sweet enough, you can add the leftover apple juice you placed in the container from step 1 until it suits you. 
9. Add the zest from kumquats and lemons.  
10. Place the mixture into a mason jar. Allow to cool overnight.   

 

Background

I hate baking, because I hate measuring things and don’t like how most gluten-free baked goods taste. For my mindful dinner I wanted to offer a dessert as the fourth course, so I decided to work on synergizing the creamy textures from agar agar and gelatin with the sweet and sour flavors of citrus fruits.  My first version worked well with folks who ate paleo, but folks who were use to eating added sugars thought it tasted strange. After a couple of iterations, I ended up with this current recipe.  I normally serve this dish with my version of greek style coconut yogurt - what I now call 'coconut crush'.   

Nutrients

Lemon: vitamin C, A, B1, P, potassium, magnesium, & folic acid, flavonids, phyotochemical (ex. limonene; lemon peels have high amounts of oxalates it is recommended that people with a history ofcalcium-oxalate kidney stonesshould limit their intake of them.  Zest contains essential oils (ex. limonene, citral, citronellal, alphaterpineol, linalyl, geranyl acetate).  

Apple: vitamin C, fiber (ex. pectin), potassium; when raw they contain measureable amounts of phytonutrients (ellagic acid, chlorogenic) & flavonoids (ex. quercetin). 

Kumquat: vitamin C, calcium, potassium, vitamin A

Collagen peptides: glycine, may be beneficial for people with conditions affecting connective tissues and the skin.  

Agar agar: used on a daily basis, appears to help obese people lose weight

References

Murray, M. Pizzorno, J. Pizzorno, L. (2005). The Encyclopedia Of Healing Foods. New York, New York:  Atria Books. 

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version. (2009) Find a Vitamin Or Supplement.  Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-80-agar.aspx?activeingredientid=80&

My Favorite Chicken Recipe!

With Thanksgiving coming around, I want to  admit to you that I don't like eating Turkey.  Because I prefer the taste and texture of chicken and duck over this large bird, I wanted to share with you a recipe for roasting chicken with duck flavors - just in case you can convince your dinner party to eat something different this year.  

Ingredients: 

Whole chicken

1/4 tablespoon of Sea Salt

2 tablespoons of duck fat (you can use ghee or lard if you don't like the flavor of duck)

Herbs and Citrus of your choice

Directions:

For starters, please make sure you have a roasting pan that fits your chicken. If not, go buy one or improvise something else.  If you do not have a roasting pan, a baking sheet is fine. With a baking sheet, the bottom side of the chicken will be absorbing the delicious drippings so it won't be as crispy on this side. The taste of this bird will still be delicious.

If you bought a frozen chicken, please allow it to defrost the day before you plan to roast it.

The day before or a couple of hours before you plan to roast your chicken, rub it with about a 1/2 tablespoon of sea salt. No worries if you don’t have the time. The taste will still be great! You can stuff your chicken with herbs and citrus fruit at this time too.  

Stuff your chicken as much as possible. The stuffing will shrink inside as the juices drip off to the bottom of the pan.  

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  

Place the chicken for 5-10 min in the oven. Take it out, when you are ready to baste it with duck fat.  

After the first baste, you can repeat this part every 15-20 minute. 

Flip your entire chicken before your 3rd baste.

Roast it for a total of 60 minutes (Please make sure your chicken is fully cooked. If it needs more time, go for it!)

Basting your chicken with duck fat will help keep the chicken from drying out and getting burnt. It will also have a more savory taste to it.

After your chicken is fully cooked, you can increase its crispy texture by broiling it.  Before broiling it, move your roasting pan, so that your chicken is directly under or over broiler. Different ovens have different set-ups, so just work what you got.  Broil it for 5-10 minutes, depending on how crispy you want it.  

You can use the leftover drippings for gravy or use it to make mashed potatoes or cauliflower. 

C'est la fin!

Please let me know how this recipe went for you!

If you have leftovers, stuff it into a roasted winter squash.