REWARD: My eternal gratitude and some happy people licking their lips.   :)

Ok, seriously. I'm at a loss and need some help.

My friend Beth is leaving for a month long trip around India and is having a little potluck shindig on Saturday evening so we can all wish her safe travels before she leaves. Normally I'm pretty good at bringing along a winning dish or dessert to these types of events but this time I have no clue. My creative cooking juices just aren't flowing and I want to do something new. So, I'm putting it out there to gather some ideas.

Here are a few "rules."

1. It has to be from scratch. (Sorry, picking up hummus and chips on the way there just 'aint my style. No judgement to those who do).
2. It has to be dairy free. (Read my post "Ditching Dairy" to find out why)
3. It has to be vegetarian. (For my non meat-eating friends.) 
4. It has to be healthy, of course! (As if vegetarian and dairy free aren't already healthy enough :)
5. It shouldn't take more than an hour to make from start to finish. 

Don't leave me high and dry here! Leave your recipe idea or link to a favorite recipe in the comment box below.

Thanks!

I just heard about this film and wanted to share it with you. Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days is an independent documentary film that chronicles six Americans with 'incurable' diabetes switching their diet and getting off insulin. All within 30 days! Take 5 minutes to watch the video - you will be amazed. Now, I don't claim to be a raw foods expert - but if going on a raw diet can cure someone of diabetes that is pretty awesome . I look forward to checking this film out later this month here in Oakland.

Dani and I do eat some of our fruits and veggies raw but I've never eaten an ONLY raw food diet. For people who are in generally good health I believe moderation is key; eat some raw veggies and some cooked.  Dani takes carrot sticks to work everyday for a midday snack which is a great way to stave off an afternoon craving and get some of those nutritious raw veggies in your diet. We eat steamed or grilled veggies for dinner a few times a week and of course have salad with pretty much every dinner.

When you do cook  your veggies it's HOW you cook them that I think is really important.

How I Steam Veggies: Cut your veggies into equal sizes and place them in a steamer basket with water. Bring the water to a boil and steam for only a few minutes. The colors should pop and they should retain some bite. Broccoli should become bright green, carrots bright orange. Once your vegetables start to look dark and lose color you've cooked the living daylights out of them AND all the important nutrients. Think "cooked broccoli in the school cafeteria".....yuck! To serve sprinkle a little lemon juice and a pinch of salt on top.  If you make too much you can always throw your leftovers into a delicious vegetable soup later.

Unsure about choosing the perfect produce? Check out Home Hacks vegetable selection guide.

Here are a few delicious vegetable recipes to try:
Steamed Broccoli With Miso-Sesame Sauce from Body and Soul Magazine
Steamed Vegetable Ribbons from EatingWell Magazine
Eight Ways to Perk Up Steamed Vegetables from thekitchn.com


If you are interested in hosting screening of Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days go here.

I eat dairy every day (well, used to). Yogurt of all kinds, cereal as a midday snack, butter and honey on my toast and of course oatmeal for breakfast. But, I've decided to go on dairy detox for the next 3 months and I'm a little nervous about it.

Why would I do such a thing?

Well, I've been reading more and more that wheat and dairy can exacerbate acne. It's something I've been battling for years and years and as I get older (yikes!) I'm noticing a lot of changes in my skin. I've seen many dermatologists all of who give me the same thing (put this stuff on your face that bleaches all your clothes, take these antibiotics, have a nice day). The last dermatologist I saw pretty much gave up after 3 months and wanted to put me on Accutane. That was the last straw. If you haven't heard about Accutane you can read about it here. In a nutshell....the warning signs on the packaging basically tell you that you that by taking this medication you could go totally crazy, birth 3 headed alien babies and maybe need a liver transplant later in life. Ok, so that's not exactly true. But, the warnings are really extreme and it's not something I'm prepared to put in my body. I know there must be another way.

I was recently talking with my friend Gia who is an esthetician and owner of Gia Spa in Pacifica, CA. She confirmed what I had been reading and told me to either take out dairy or wheat for 3 months. Because it would be pretty much impossible for me to cut out wheat I chose the dairy first (and am praying that this is the solution!). So, I decided to stop postponing and to start immediately.

I'm on day two and going strong (so far :) I went to Farmer Joe's and Trader Joe's to stock up on a variety of soy and goat milk yogurt and of course to pick up soy milk. Today I made my sandwich with goat cheese instead of cheddar.

If you have any information or help you can give me about going dairy free I'd love to hear it. I need all the help I can get!

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Despite my great love of radishes I often forget about them. I see them in the produce section all the time but end up passing them by for one reason or another. I'm going to start giving the poor radish a bit more attention.

Because we're in California and you can pretty much grow vegetables all year round (something I really had to wrap my head around coming from the east coast) I planted a few of them in the fall. My thumb is only "light green" at the moment and I'm learning to be a patient gardener so I pretty much just threw some seed in my garden beds and hoped for the best. Well, you can imagine my surprise when I finally saw some red peeking out from the moist dirt. I had grown radishes!

Now, they are quite small but they do pack a nice spicy punch. It is fun to go outside, pull out a few and have them for a little afternoon snack. They are juicy, crunchy and can really satisfy you. Plus, they are a great source of important nutrients with as much potassium as bananas. They are also an excellent source of vitamin C, folate and a good source of magnesium.

I remember snacking on radishes as a kid all the time. Sometimes we had them sliced on a piece of buttered bread and a sprinkle of salt on top - aka "radish sandwich". Most of the time though we just at them raw and snacked on them like chips.

If you are looking for a great low calorie snack give radishes a try. Take them to work for an afternoon snack, add a few slices to your salad or make a radish sandwich. No peeling, chopping or grating necessary. Just wash and eat. And, if you get a few spicy ones at first don't despair! There are about  5 varieties usually available in grocery stores such as red globe (the "typical" red radish), white icicle radishes (which look like carrots and are a bit milder) and Asian radishes such as daikon. Plus, there are over 150 varieties you can grow yourself.

CHOOSING RADISHES
Your radishes should be hard with a fairly unblemished surface. Avoid soft or spongy radishes. If the leaves are attached they should be crisp and green. If you purchase radishes in a bag be sure to check for mold.

STORING RADISHES
Like with many root veggies trim the greens off your radishes right away. Leaving the greens on will quickly cause your radishes (or carrots) to get limp and rubbery because the leaves are still pulling nutrients from the vegetable. Most varieties will keep up to two weeks in the fridge but there should be no need to keep them that long. Eat them!
So, the next time you're in the produce section give that bunch of red radishes a second look. Your taste buds will thank you.

Do you have any other ways to eat radishes or recipes that you put them in?