Health Cafe Journey

Besides making juice and smoothies to eat my partially raw food diet, I make lots of raw salads. These are not your lettuce salads. I'm talking raw cut-up vegetables that most people would not think of eating raw. But why not raw? This salad is inspired by one I had with cooked yams. But yams are so yummy raw and they provide a crunch, which I love. So here you go—add another raw veggie salad to your salad recipe file. Raw Yam Salad with Sweet Corn & Black Beans from Chris Pedersen yield 6 servings category Salad cuisine Raw, Vegan ingredients 2 medium yams, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces 1 ear sweet corn, removed from cob OR 3/4 C thawed sweet corn 1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed and drained 1 red pepper, diced 2 green onions, sliced thin 1/2 C chopped cilantro 2 firm avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped 2 limes, juiced salt & pepper to taste directions 1. Add yams, corn, black beans, peppers, onions, and cilantro to large bowl. Stir together. 2. Add avocados and...

Many of you know I'm a children's author and today I'm pleased to announce my latest book, Ethan Blecher Braves a Bully , is officially launched. Volume 1 of this new series with Ethan Blecher navigates the struggles every child might encounter in elementary school. Parents and teachers will appreciate that it's a fun read for kids, but not irreverent. Our "every child" hero finds himself the focus of a bully in his new school. His parents decide to send him to spring camp hoping he will make some friends, but the outlook turns terrifying when his nemesis shows up. Find out if Ethan's fearful attitude and shy nature get the best of him or will he muster some courage and stand up to the bully? The sensitive issue of bullying is a timely subject in our culture today. It is a huge problem by the time kids enter middle school . Too many young children have tragically taken their own lives because they were being bullied at that tender age. Emotional trauma rea...

My green beans are producing enough for a meal every day. Unfortunately those lengthy legumes are hard to spot amongst like-colored foliage. Plus foraging through the greenery, my arms get a bit chafed from the leaves. Lots of veggies have nasty little prickles on them that can scratch and poke at you. The best part of those green delights? ... the plants were completely volunteer this year. That's the bonus of composting and then working the lovely completed soil into the garden in early spring. Green beans  are rich in carotenoids and antioxidants plus silicon, an important mineral for bone health. Add to that a healthy dose of vitamins C, K, A, manganese, folate, fiber, vitamin B6, molybdenum, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B2, iron and vitamin B1. Green beans even provide protein and omega-3 essential oil. Store fresh green beans unwashed in a plastic bag in the crisper. They will keep for a week. They freeze well while retaining valuable nutrients for up to six months. If you o...

Why should I be concerned about foods that make my body acidic? Does that mean I shouldn't eat oranges or lemons? What's this acid vs alkaline thing all about anyway? It's likely the last time you heard the word pH was in high school chemistry and it set your head spinning. You've probably never heard that your body's pH level is important for good health. So let me try to make the subject clear for you. You want your body to be alkaline.  A neutral pH is 7.5 (neither acidic nor alkaline). Anything below that is acidic and not good for your body. The foods you eat contribute to your body being either acidic or alkaline. Your body strives to be alkaline.  Your body seeks to be alkaline by drawing on alkaline-forming minerals. Where does your body get these alkaline-forming minerals?... Your bones! Calcium is leached from your bones to balance the acidic environment, attempting to become more alkaline. Not a good scenario—can you say osteoporosis? An acidic body is su...

Tip: It's summer time. July 4th festivities. Time for grilling veggies. I found a great recipe in The Costco Connection for vegetable seasoning—perfect for any cooked veggies whether roasting in the toaster oven or grilling on the BBQ. Vegetable Seasoning 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp dried tarragon 1 tsp dried chives 1 tsp dried marjoram 1 tsp dried parsley 1/2 tsp dried rosemary 1/2 tsp dried thyme Makes 2 Tbsp, enough to season 8 servings of vegetables. Make a larger batch and store it in a used, clean spice jar to have on hand for the next time.