May 2009 Newsletter

Purell hand sanitizer is sold out across the country as the CDC has gone hog wild with their recommendations for handwashing. It seems to me that there are other smart things we can do to really make a difference besides just washing our hands. Here are 3 simple concepts from my Building Immunity course that I teach each fall.

Consider sleep a vital nutrient. Adequate sleep helps you to recharge and heal. It’s as important as veggies in my book!

Think of refined sugar as an anti-nutrient which pulls many important vitamins and minerals out of your system. Seriously consider cutting back or eliminating refined sugar consumption to help optimize your body’s resistance to disease.

Build immunity on the gut level: enjoy a daily bowl of homemade miso soup. Miso contains beneficial bacteria that support optimum gut function. It’s easy to make and can be created in endless variations.

As an active member of Slow Food USA, I encourage all of you to join. Slow Food is passionate about food that is Good, Clean and Fair
Good: It’s got to taste good! Pleasure is important!
Clean: food that is as good for the planet as it is for your body.
Fair a universal right, should be accessible to all, regardless of income, and produced by people who are treated with dignity and justly compensated for their labor.

On Sunday, May 2nd Slow Food Long Island and Health Corps are sponsoring a screening of Two Angry Moms @ the Bridgehampton NY School. along with a pot luck dinner. I’ll be there for a Q&A .

On Monday, May 4th, the Chef Association of Westchester and Lower Connecticut will be partnering with Slow Food Westchester at the Doral Arrowood for a Come Meet the Chefs event.

This summer, I will be embarking on a great adventure at the Ballibay Camp for the Arts.. The amazing opportunity came to me from friend and colleague Chef Ellen Thomas who I met in Berkeley when she was working with Renegade Lunch Lady, Ann Cooper. Ellen will be transforming the food at Ballibay Camps from processed typical camp food into health supportive food made from scratch from local sources. I’m thrilled to be working with her and Sous Chef Allison Wiener who trained at the Natural Gourmet School

Camp owner John Jannone is a professor at Brooklyn College and a dedictated foodie who is prepared to put his money where his mouth is by investing in food, veggie gardens and more. I’m thrilled to be working with these innovative thinkers and my youngest daughter is even more thrilled to be going to such a cool arts camp!

It’s not too late to consider this camp for your child this summer, spaces are still available. I can personally promise you that the food will be fabulous! Gluten free is an option too. To learn more about the camp, click here: Ballibay Camp Tell them Susan sent you!

I’ve been listening to a segment on National Public Radio entitled “How Low Can You Go?” It’s a family supper challenge, some of the nation’s best cooks have each agreed to come up with a budget-conscious meal for a family of four that’s healthy, easy and delicious. The hitch? The meal must cost less than $10 – and the cheaper the better.

This recipe by Chef Jose Andres, made my mouth water while listening! Click here to enjoy the story and get hungry yourself! Here’s his recipe:

Ingredients:
9 ounces dried garbanzos (chickpeas)
Pinch bicarbonate of soda
6 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
1/4 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces white sliced bread, with the crusts removed
2 tablespoons pimenton (Spanish sweet paprika)
1 pinch Spanish saffron
2 tablespoons Spanish sherry vinegar
1/2 pound spinach, washed and cleaned
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and white pepper to taste

Instruction:
The day before you cook, soak the chickpeas in cold water with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas.

In a big saucepan, combine the chickpeas with 2 1/2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for two hours, until the chickpeas are tender. Every 10 minutes or so, add 1/2 cup of cold water to slow down the simmering. By the end, the water should have reduced so it is barely covering the chickpeas. Turn off the heat and let sit.

In a small saute pan over medium to low heat, brown the garlic in 1/4 cup of the olive oil. When the garlic is browned, after about 3 minutes, remove from the pan and set aside. Add the bread and brown on both sides, about one minute each side. Remove the bread and set aside.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Add the pimenton and saffron to the saute pan, and the sherry vinegar immediately afterward to prevent the pimenton from burning.

In a mortar, smash the reserved garlic and the browned bread to make a very thick paste.

Bring the chickpeas back to a low boil and add the spinach. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pimenton mixture along with the garlic and bread paste, to create a thick, stewy sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

An article in the food blogCivil Eats, talks about the connection to giant factory farms and diseases such as MRSA and Swine Flu.

Clearly it’s time to re-think the way we grow our food and make the switch from giant industrial sources to more local, diverse and regional food producers. Eat Wild has a directory of local and regional pasture based farms. Local Harvest is another resource to help you find food nearby.

The bottom line? What you eat really does matter. We must consider the impact of our food choices not just in our own bodies but on a bigger scale: the whole wide world. Do you know where your food comes from? It’s time to shorten the connection between the farm and your fork!