Summer 2010 ~ Vol. I, Issue 2
ating
W
ell in Kansas City
Celebrating Whole, Seasonal, Organic and Local Eating
Features Articles: The 12 Super Foods Wild Cooking from Your Yard
Feature Recipe: Veal Ravioli with SautĂŠed Forest Blend Mushrooms
Restaurant Review: The Mixx
Plus: Recipes from Local Chefs and Food News
Breakfast Bagel with Yard Greens and Edible Flowers
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ ~ Summer 2010
Get The Most Out Of Summer At The Mixx! Fresh Ingredients •Seasonal Weekly Specials •Al Fresco Dining •Refreshing Aguas Frescas •The Mixx’s Famous Vodka Lemonades •
TWO KANSAS CITY LOCATIONS Vegetarian & Gluten-Free
EVOLVING Kansas City’s Exclusive Resource for Enlightenment
"I want to thank you for publishing EVOLVING. I really love it and now grab an extra copy (I get mine at Unity Temple on the Plaza) to mail to a good friend in Columbia, Missouri. Thank you so much for creating EVOLVING. It is such an awesome magazine and great resource. I make sure all my friends on the spiritual journey get a copy of it." ~Rachel Penn
The June issue focuses on Alternative Healing. Read it online or find a location near you at:
Plaza Colonnade 4855 Main Street Kansas City, MO 64112 816816-756756-2300
Power & Light District 1347 Main Street Kansas City, MO 64105 816816-283283-0300
www.mixxingitup.com
www.evolvingmagazine.com
Find us on Facebook EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 2 ~ Summer 2010
What’s Cooking—Local Food News
14
4
Community News, Events and Farmers Markets
Eating Live, Becoming Whole 8
by Kat Bowie
Food: A Path of Awakening 9
by Natalie George
Healing Foods 10
by Jane Van Benthuson
Let Food Be Thy Medicine 11
by Tracie Walker
Features
12
12 14
Become a “Super Foodie” Wild Cooking from Your Yard
Into the Kitchen 16
Recipes from Local Chefs
Restaurant Profile
16
9
On the Cover
13 E ating W ell in Kansas City www.eatingwellkc.com Publisher Jill Dutton 913-944-1298
Advertising Chrissy Speer 816-349-4653
jill@eatingwellkc.com
chrissy@eatingwellkc.com
Editorial Assistant Judy Kirkpatrick
Contributors Badseed, Kat Bowie, Natalie George, Tim Johnson, Jane Van Benthuson, Tracie Walker
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY©2010. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed in the articles are not necessarily those of the publisher. No portion of the publication may be reproduced without written permission.
The Mixx
8
From the Publisher...
D
ear Friends, Foodies and Hungry People, Like a large majority of the population, I have sometimes been addicted to processed, chemicallyaltered foods. I believe the first step to breaking this addiction is awareness of where our foods come from and the resulting consequences. It’s absurd, but I formerly rationalized this addiction by thinking, “Well it’s a serving size, right?” And, even more ridiculous, “They wouldn’t serve something bad for me or my children, would they?” Awareness, though, of the devastating effects of fast foods, processed
Elizabeth Cutting shot the cover photo to accompany her delightful feature article: “Wild Cooking from Your Yard”.
foods and huge portion sizes, brings hope and a realization that there can be a similar craving for real, wholesome foods, as well. It’s amazing how good I feel when I eat fresh, organic, local produce. This year marks my first participation in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. The excitement I feel each week as I stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables, grown organically and just picked, is palpable. It nourishes every aspect of my being to eat such well-tended food. Even though there is increased awareness in the benefits of eating nutrient-dense, pesticide-free food, there is still the need for education. As long as the largest part of our population lives in ignorance of the dangers of factory-processed foods,
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 3 ~ Summer 2010
plastic liners in cans and empty calories, the more health risks and threats abound. To help educate, I asked some of Kansas City’s locavores to recommend books for the beginner. What should someone just learning about sustainable living read (or watch)? My education started when I read Death by Supermarket by Nancy Deville. No longer could I justify my addiction. There are many wonderful suggestions from local experts to help you increase awareness, as well. I hope this summer brings renewed excitement about healthy living and Eating Well in Kansas City.
Jill Dutton
What’s Cooking—Local Food News EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY asked Local Foodies Which Books and Movies They Recommend Bethany Klug, D.O. 913-642-1900 www.bethanyklug.com www.thedoctorcooks.com One of my favorite books to recommend to beginners is Kelly Hayford's If It's Not Food Don't Eat It. She details her personal story of discovery that the bulk of her health problems were reversed when she stopped eating health sapping "psuedo-foods" and followed a whole foods diet. She outlines three phases of transition. Phase I is junk foods. Phase II is healthier versions of the same thing, as may be found in health food store aisles. Phase III is a whole foods, unrefined diet, as found from shopping the perimeter of the store. Recipes included. The next two books are older and close to my heart as they were essential to recovering my own health. Food and Healing by AnneMarie Colbin is a bit academic for some of my patients, but it changed my life. She details the problems with the most common ways of eating or "diets" then she outlines a balanced and simple way of eating according to the Chinese Five Phases. I eat this way to this day. It's just ingrained in me. She also discusses food energetics, food as medicine with food remedies and fasting. Another step-by-step almost workbook is the Self Healing Cookbook: a Macrobiotic Primer for Healing Body and Mind and Moods with Whole Natural Foods by Kris-
tina Turner. The title speaks for itself. It's such a sweet and nurturing little book The movie Supersize Me is always an entertaining place to start. The film Food, Inc. and the books Fast Food Nation and the Omnivores Dillemma give a picture of the systemic problems with food in the US and their relationship to declining health in the US. I always send people to the KC food Circle's Local Directory of Organic and Free Range Food Producers: www.kcfoodcircle.org/docs/ KCFC-Directory.pdf Tracie Walker Simply Raw Lifestyle, LLC www.simplyrawlifestyle.com I recently came across a documentary called Eating that is really great. Some of my favorite books include: • The Food Revolution • Diet for a New America • The China Study Dave Lawrence Kansas City Food Circle KCFoodCircle@GMail.Com www.KCFoodCircle.Org www.facebook.com/ webminion.kcfoodcircle MOVIES: • DIRT! • Food Fight! • Food, Inc. • Fresh! • The True Cost of Food (animated) • The Meatrix (a series of animated short films) • The Future of Food • The World According to Monsanto • King Corn • Crude Kat Bowie, Psy.D. Columnist for EATING WELL IN KC Co-Owner of The Struan Center www.thestruancenter.com 816-960-4525 drkatbowie@att.net
I have several special books to which I refer many times as I am teaching and writing. Each of these books are suggested readings for my students. They are as follows: There is a Cure for Diabetes by Gabriel Cousens, M.D. Whether or not a person has diabetes, I highly recommend this book. It is a great resource for understanding the functions of the body and the body's need for nutrition. It is packed with wisdom and backed by empirical studies to give one a knowledgeable resource backed by scientific study and personal applications of the information. Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens, M.D. helps a person to understand their person nutritional needs and helps clear up much of the dietary myths out there in "Propaganda Land". Spiritual Nutrition by Gabriel Cousens, M.D. This book explores the importance of nutrition as one views oneself as a spiritual being. The China Study by T. Colin Campbell/ This is a great "whistleblowing" book on the great propaganda machine of the USDA and other entities which are selfserving at the expense of every human (and animal) on the planet. It exposes from the inside the deliberate distortions of empirical research and data to manipulate the public for personal corporate greed. Written by a man raised on a dairy farm and who was a researcher for the government. It has weight and truth. It’s a mustread for my students. Diet for a New America by John Robbins. John Robbins, heir to Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire, turned his back on the family fortune and doctrines as he discovered the truth about the harrowing conditions under which milk, meat, and eggs are produced. This is an eye-opening book that is not presented in a "preachy" sermon, but instead with compassion and truth.
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 4 ~ Summer 2010
Judy Kirkpatrick Editorial Assistant for EATING WELL IN KC and EVOLVING BOOKS: Alkalize or Die by Theodore A Baroody Patient Heal Thyself and The Maker's Diet by Jordan S. Rubin Your Body's Many Cries for Water: Don't treat thirst with medications by F. Batmanghelidj WEBSITES: • ewg.org (environmental working group) • safecosmetics.com • newgreennaturals.com • mercola.com Jill Dutton Publisher of EATING WELL IN KC and EVOLVING jill@eatingwellkc.com The most important, eyeopening book I’ve read is Death by Supermarket: The Fattening, Dumbing Down, and Poisoning of America by Nancy Deville. I also enjoyed The Denim Diet: 16 Simple Habits to Get Into Your Dream Pair of Jeans by Kami Gray, which is much more than a diet book. Another recent read that teaches sustainable living is Twelve by Twelve by William Powers.
What’s Cooking—Local Food News Garmache.com Provides Foodies with Recipes, Recommendations and Events Seeded in Kansas City, March of 2010 by Danny Peters, JC Gregg and Patrick Baxter, Garmache.com is a continually nurtured Web site providing fellow foodies with recipes, restaurant recommendations and opportunities for learning with events—including local growers, educators and chef at home. Promoting a lifestyle of good food and taste, Garmache.com also strives to support those local growers who provide us with the best organic and tastefully-raised products.
In response to supporting this local grower community, Garmache.com will debut an interactive documentary about the local food scene in Kansas City come Fall, 2010. Interviews and commentary with growers, chefs, restaurateurs, food critics and others involved with sustaining local agriculture will tell the story of how our food supply will have to return to the holistic ways of farming else pay higher prices than just our grocery bill. Visit www.garmache.com
Kudos... We were recently in KC at one of our favorite restaurants, the Blue Bird Bistro, and picked up a copy of your newspaper. Congratulations! It is fabulous and we are so very thankful that someone is putting together a resource like
this. Prior to reading your newspaper, we were only aware of a few restaurants that serve organic food and/or grass fed beef as well as bison. We are looking forward to future issues; keep up the great work and hats off to
you for this wonderful endeavor. Scott and Sheila Miller Glendale, AZ
A Meaty Farmers Market Kicks off in Johnson County Leawood’s One Nineteen Hosts A Summer Artisanal Food And Flower Market; Includes Unique Offerings Uncommon To Traditional Farmers Markets As farmers markets abundantly dot the metro map this summer, Leawood’s One Nineteen is bringing a new twist to the typical market format as it announces the One Nineteen Green Market: An Artisan Food and Flower Market, every Wednesday from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m., May 5 through October 27. In a partnership with Door to Door Organics, a door-to-door organic grocery service, the One Nineteen Green Market will offer guests an opportunity to fill their shopping bags with goods not commonly found at traditional farmers markets. A sampling of the unique fare includes: Organic pasta sauces Heirloom and gourmet vegetables
Pasture-raised, natural chicken, beef and pork Baked goods from locally grown, organic wheat Homemade jams, salsa and ketchup Fresh artisanal cheeses Free-range organic eggs Assorted herbs Perennial plants and flowers Fresh cut flowers Woody ornamentals (cherry branches, forsythia, quince, pussy willow) The One Nineteen Green Market is comprised of all regional vendors and farmers and will have a shaded, open market layout within the One Nineteen shopping center at 119th and Roe. Some of the local vendors and farmers featured each week are My Neighbor Steve, Heritage Acres Farm, Laughing Rooster Farm, JJR Family Farm, Stoney Crest Urban Gardens,
Simply Raw Lifestyle LLC
and Zokahana Flowers. In addition to the mainstay vendors and farmers, the One Nineteen Green Market will rotate specially featured vendors on a weekly basis. Market shoppers can visit www.onenineteenshopping.com for complete details on each week’s market listing as it becomes available. One Nineteen merchants will also partake in the weekly market. Soho 119 The Restaurant will offer a cooking demonstration in conjunction with the market each Wednesday using products available at the market. The cooking demonstrations will run from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. on the walk in front of Soho 119 The Restaurant. The cooking demonstrations are free and open to the public. NoRTH will feature drink specials of its signature mixology cocktails using fresh fruits and vegetables every Wednesday. The drink specials will be available all day.
E ating W ell in Kansas City www.eatingwellkc.com
Tracie Walker *Certified Raw Food Chef & Teacher *Personalized Counseling & Meal Planning *Weekly Classes *Catering & Meal Delivery Phone: (816) 210-8318 Fax: (913) 766-0224 tracie.walker@hotmail.com www.simplyrawlifestyle.com
Published quarterly and distributed free throughout the greater Kansas City area. Contact Chrissy Speer for advertising information:
Hess Ranch All Natural Beef All natural, grass fed, lean, tender, healthy, locally grown angus beef. Call to reserve your custom cut and hand wrapped quarter or side.
816-349-4653 chrissy@eatingwellkc.com
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 5 ~ Summer 2010
660-679-0041
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 6 ~ Summer 2010
What’s Cooking—Local Food News Kansas City Community Farmers Markets BADSEED Funky Friday Night Farmers Market www.badseedfarm.com Fridays, 4:00-9:00pm May 7th, 2010 thru February 25th, 2011. Every Friday night (except holidays)1909 McGee, Kansas City, Missouri 64108
Independence Farmers Market The Independence Farmers' Market is held Saturdays (May through October) 7 am until 1 pm, and Wednesdays, (June 8th through October 8th), 7 am until 1 pm. Located at Truman Road between Main & Liberty.
Brookside Farmers Market farmerscommunitymarket.com Saturdays, 8:00-1:00 6321 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64113
Liberty Farmers Market Opening Wednesdays in May at Crowley's Furniture, at the Intersection of Highways 152 and 291. Also on Saturdays at the Liberty Square, downtown Liberty—from 7 am to 12 pm.
City Market www.thecitymarket.org Saturday 6:30 am - 3:30 pm, and Sunday 9am - 4pm. 20 East 5th Street, Kansas City, MO Downtown Overland Park Farmers Market Saturday starting at 6:30 am and Wednesday starting at 7:30am. 7315 W. 79th Street, Overland Park, KS Farmers Community Market at Brookside www.FarmersCommunityMar ket.com Located at the Border Star Montessori School 63rd and Wornall Road, Kansas City, Missouri. Look for the White Tents. Saturdays, 8 am to 1 pm, April 17 – October 23 KC Organics & Natural Market at Minor Park & Park Place Just East of Holmes on Red Bridge Road Saturdays, 8 am—12:30 pm, May 1st—October 16th
Olathe Farmers Market www.olatheks.org Saturdays, April 25th through October 10th, at 7am and Wednesdays JuneSeptember, 3pm-sellout. One Nineteen Green Market: An Artisan Food and Flower Market, One Nineteen shopping center at 119th and Roe. every Wednesday from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m., May 5 through October 27. Parkville Farmers Market The Parkville Farmers' Market is located just South of the railroad tracks at English Landing Park in Historic downtown Parkville. Open from April to October Wednesday, 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 6:00 a.m.
Hall Parking Lot. The market opens on the 1st Saturday in May and lasts until October (7am-4pm). The Farmer’s Market in Downtown Leawood in Barkley Square at Park Place. Wednesdays, 10 AM – 2 PM, May 12th – October 13th; 1-mile South of I-435 on Nall, enter on 117th (just North of AMC 20 theatre) 39th St. Community Market www.39thStreetMarket.com Wednesdays, 5 to 8 pm, May – Oct Troost Community Market www.TroostMarket.org Linwood Boulevard and Troost Avenue (S.E. Corner parking lot, across from Habitat Restore) Saturdays 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. June – September Troostwood Youth Garden 5142 Paseo, Kansas City, Missouri 64110 Friday nights, 5 – 8 PM and Saturdays, 8 am to 2 pm, May thru late October Zona Rosa The Zona Rosa Farmers Market is open every Tuesday, June 2nd through September 29th from 4 to 8 p.m. Located in the shady breezeway between Hot Topic and Victoria's Secret, off of 86th Street.
Shawnee Farmers Market The Shawnee Farmers market is located at 11110 Johnson Drive in the City EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 7 ~ Summer 2010
Dr. Kat Bowie
Clinical Psychologist Live and Whole Food Nutrition Consultant The Struan Center, LLC 4044 Central, KC, MO 816-960-4525 www.thestruancenter.com
Eating Live, Becoming Whole — by Kat Bowie Gently Adding Live and Whole Foods Into Your Life To start eating more live and whole foods, how about just adding some “normal” foods to your diet? Add a salad every day… you know, that green stuff that is hiding under the salad dressing?
Dr. Kat’s Gua-Katmole
O
kay, so last time we discussed a little bit about Live and Whole Foods, which is the new way of saying “raw vegan”. We discussed that raw foods were foods not heated over 118 degrees, and do not include meat, dairy or eggs. So what’s the deal with not heating anything above 118 degrees? The information out there is that heating foods above 118 degrees destroys the enzymes in the food. Why is that important? Because every single function of the body from the cells up depends upon enzymes. Enzymes break down, separate, categorize, and ship on down the line all the minerals, vitamins and nourishment that our cells need to do all the things cells do. (Don’t you just love serious doctor-talk?) So, in not heating our food over the 118 degree mark we give our bodies more to work with. You get more bang for the buck, so to speak, if you are eating raw vegan you actually need less food to get more true nourishment for your body. This means that you can eat less and get more pure food for the money. Conversely, you can also eat more and weigh less by eating raw foods. Huh?! Eat less, get more, eat more, weigh less? Sounds like car salesman double-talk… what?! Okay, so here’s how it works: by adding more raw food into your life, you actually increase the amount of nourishment that your body gets, therefore decreasing the cravings for junk foods. The body eats for nourishment, the mind eats for other reasons which have more to do with emotions, etc. If after eating a box of doughnuts you are still craving food, guess why? It is because your body is still hungry for nutrition. It is not hungry for sugary foods (That’s you, Puddin’ Head, not your cells!). It needs nourishment. On the other hand, if you are satisfying both your nutritional needs (through live and whole foods) and your emotional needs (through tasty live and whole foods) then you will be satisfied on all levels with less food, give your cells and your body all the nourishment their little membranes can handle and feed your emotional needs at the same time. Gee, isn’t that swell? So, okay, that sounds pretty good, I guess. But, I don’t know how to cook…I mean fix…I mean prepare raw food. What do I do to start this? Do I have to eat weird stuff like seaweed and sprouts?
To start eating more live and whole foods, how about just adding some “normal” foods to your diet? Add a salad everyday…you know that green stuff that is hiding under the salad dressing? Try undressing it a little…uh, sorry kids. Add just a little less salad dressing to start. Then maybe make a big bowl of guacamole. You can eat the guacamole with cucumber slices, bell pepper slices, fresh sugar snap peas, carrots, turnip slices or Salsa Flax Crackers. So, to start, here’s a tasty guacamole recipe…it’s raw…duh, guacamole is always raw, unless somebody does something evil to it! Kat Bowie, Psy.D. (www.drkatbowie.com) is a Clinical Psychologist specializing in the integration of the Body, Mind, Emotions and Spirit. She is currently studying with Dr. Gabriel Cousens on the subject of Spiritual Nutrition. Starting June 2010, Dr. Kat will be teaching several classes on Live and Whole Food Nutrition and preparation. Dr. Bowie and Dr. Raphael Smith are the owners of The Struan Center, LLC located at 4044 Central St. KCMO (www.thestruancenter.com). Dr. Bowie can be reached at 816.960.4525 or through email at drkatbowie@att.net.
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 8 ~ Summer 2010
4 organic Avocadoes (cut open, take out seed, scoop out into a bowl and mash with a fork, or if you really want to use your hands, it’s okay by me) 3 organic green onions (y’all call them Spring onions…that’s so cute. Chop them finely and use a large part of the green tops, too.) 1 clove of fresh organic garlic (chopped very finely) 1 small organic jalapeno pepper (chopped finely…go ahead put it in there! Gee whiz, it’s just a little warm…heck, add 2 if you wanna!) 10-12 organic cherry tomatoes (halved or quartered) ½ bunch organic cilantro (roughly chopped) 1 organic lime (juiced) Salt (Real Salt, Himalayan salt, Celtic salt–we’ll discuss salt later: These next 2 ingredients are not raw (gasp!) dash of garlic powder dash of Tabasco (Tabasco doesn’t have to be raw, it is holy and sacred) Mix all these wonderful ingredients with joy and love and then nourish your body, mind, emotions and soul by eating it with even more joy and love.
Food: A Path of Awakening — by Natalie George A Little Bit of Hunger, Part II
I
t’s been two months and, as promised, I’ve been allowing myself to feel a little bit of hunger. If you missed the last article or need a reminder, let me summarize. In my quest to lose 10 pounds, I realized that I rarely felt my stomach growl and I noticed that one of the reasons I avoided hunger was because it was somehow tied to a long ago broken heart. So in an effort to dismantle my connection between food and emotions, and to get in touch with my natural body signals, I experimented with hunger. How did I do? Well, I did not starve, but I did feel a healthy hunger in-between meals. I quickly found that waiting too long to eat breakfast did not feel right so I started my day off with a light breakfast and then if I felt hungry later in the morning, I ate. This is an improvement to my previous breakfast routine where I ate the same thing and same quantity regardless of my hunger levels. Lunch and my usual afternoon snack are where I experienced the most growth in my personal development with emotional eating. Since it was my habit to eat around noon and 3 p.m., I wanted to eat during those times, but if I wasn’t hungry, I waited until I was. I was uncomfortable with this waiting process. All sorts of interesting sensations arose. I felt anxious, uneasy and deprived from my desire to want something I couldn’t have. I even worried that somehow I would become shaky if I didn’t eat, yet I still wasn’t hungry. I quietly laughed for putting myself through such turmoil and drama. It was funny to me that I would be perfectly satisfied and happy one moment and then the clock would turn to 12 p.m. and suddenly I became aware of lunch and I wanted to eat, but I was not hungry. So I had to wait, and this was where my suffering began. This is also where the light bulb went off. I realized I had two choices. I could either eat to make the suffering go away or I could deal with what was causing the suffering— my relationship to desires and wants. Through many years of experience, I knew that eating would be a temporary fix and would ulti-
mately lead to more eating. It became clear that the most powerful way to address this suffering would be to address the root cause. So how did I do it? First, I took deep, slow breaths to bring me from my uncomfortable state to a calming state. Then, I got present to the thoughts and experiences I was having and simply observed them and allowed them to be. I didn’t make them wrong or wish they’d go away. I didn’t try to change them. I just watched them appear and disappear and kept the deep, slow breaths. I would tell myself, “It’s natural to want. It’s natural to desire,“ and I followed with, “What is it that you really want right now? What do you really desire?” Each time I asked, I got a different answer, but it was usually in the realm of “I want to be passionate, calm, happy, loved or successful”. So you see, my experiment with hunger led me to uncover and get in touch with my truth and with what really matters to me. What about the 10 pounds and what about my broken heart, you might be asking? Well, I lost a few lbs and in doing this experiment with eating I saw a correlation to my broken heart. As with food, I wanted something I couldn’t have. I also saw that I wanted to be wanted (again, another desire). When I asked the question of myself, “what is it that I really want in regards to my broken heart?” My heart answered, “I want to love and I want to be loved.” Who knew food experiments could be so life transforming?! Want to join me for the next food experiment? For details and to sign up, visit my website www.gratitudekc.com. Natalie George is a Fitness and Nutrition Visionary. She is a certified personal trainer, group exercise instructor and holistic nutrition consultant. She founded GratitudeKC and is in the midst of bringing Cafe Gratitude to Kansas City.
Contact Jill Dutton (jill@eatingwellkc.com) or Chrissy Speer (chrissy@eatingwellkc.com) to be included in the Fall edition of EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY
PRODUCER OF ORGANIC AND NATURAL PRODUCTS FOR YOUR SOIL AND ANIMALS
Troque Farms Frank Kuhnert & Rennie Graves 31710 E Oakland School Rd., Buckner, Missouri 64016 Phn: 816816-650650-9307 // Alt: 816816-215215-9925 (cell) TroqueFarms@aol.com Pastured Free Range CHICKENS for meat and EGGS. Holiday TURKEYS, TURKEYS, DAIRY PRODUCTS. GrassGrass-fed BEEF, BEEF, PORK and Pastured LAMB. LAMB. We distribute Fertrell Organic Fertilizer
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 9 ~ Summer 2010
Healing Foods — by Jane Van Benthuson How I Learned About Healing Foods After the cancer was deemed inoperable I felt scared and hopeless. I didn't see it as the blessing that it was yet.
I
n August of 2007 I finally admitted to myself that I was very ill. I was tired all the time. I was eating and drinking way too much and having problems with my monthly cycle. I was a mess! I was 38 years old, mother of two, living in downtown Lees Summit, MO. I was working as a self employed house painter along with my husband and carried only major medical insurance. I knew that I needed to change my diet and had started trying to make some small changes by making what I thought were smarter choices. I quit smoking. At that point, I only smoked when I drank alcohol, but I drank too often. I stopped drinking coffee and tried to cut back on soda and alcohol. But I wasn't having much luck. I had been to the gynecologist several times and complained but all they ever wanted to do was put me on birth control pills. I started seeing an alternative health practitioner that several of my friends and family liked. He prescribed lots of supplements and when I asked him about my diet he said, “I don't discuss diet with my clients because none of them would come back”. I saw him a few more times before realizing he was not a healer but a man that wanted to sell me lots of supplements. By the time the holidays came around I was a stressed out mess. I was bleeding way too much with a never-ending period, and I was weak. I finally went to a walk-in clinic because my gynecologist couldn't get me in for a few weeks and was diagnosed with a large cervical polyp. I researched polyps and found out they are fairly common, rarely cancerous and easily removed as an out-patient. I made an appointment to get it removed with my gynecologist. He didn't like the way it looked and after a biopsy it was found to be cancerous. I was then sent to an oncologist who gave me the choice of radiation or hysterectomy. I chose the latter. I thought I had no choice but to do the surgery and hope for the best. In my family, as in many, this seemed normal. My grandmother, mother, mother-in-law and many friends had already had their hysterectomies. It was the norm. I was scheduled for St. Patricks Day 2008. I thought this seemed lucky to me. A lucky hysterectomy! I even bought and read an e-book called “The Happy Hysterectomy”. We went to the hospital as a family and after being under anesthesia and being scoped I was staged as 2b inoperable cervical cancer. No hysterectomy for me! I was told that chemo and radiation therapy were my only option now. I was sent home to wait for Chemo Carol to call. I never went back to that oncologist or ever heard from him again. Chemo Carol did call though to inform me that I didn't have the insurance to do the chemotherapy and radiation, at least not through that hospital. So, after finding some new friends and doing a lot of research, I took charge of my own health and healed myself. It took many drastic changes and lots of help and perseverance but it was totally worth it. It's been over two years now and I'm happier and healthier than ever and am glad I can share my story with you. In years past, I had tried to change my diet and had been vegetarian and even vegan hoping that these changes would help my weight and health issues. As a vegetarian I ate too many dairy products
and as a vegan I ate too much bread and pasta along with too much soy and processed foods. I continued to feel bad and gain weight. By the time I was diagnosed with cancer, I had been eating and drinking whatever I wanted and had been at the same weight for a few years—overweight! When diagnosed, my symptoms included: migraine headaches indigestion yellowing of eyes bad periods (too heavy, too long, spotting between) overweight at 188 lbs. (I was obese with a BMI of 32, I wore a women's size 18 pants. I'm 5'4”) restless legs insomnia knee pain fallen arches chronic urinary infections uterine fibroids thinning hair skin break outs low energy back pain (I thought I needed a breast reduction surgery) yeast infections toenail fungus depression anxiety large cervical polyp Now that sounds like a lot, but I worked every day and thought everyone was living with pain. On TV and when talking to others, everyone seems to always have some kind of pain going on. I really didn't know that it was possible to live without pain. I took painkillers, antacids, sleeping pills and other over the counter drugs almost daily. I also self -medicated with alcohol. After being deemed inoperable, I felt scared and hopeless. I didn't see it as the blessing that it was yet. But I began to after people started telling me about a woman in Lee’s Summit who had healed her breast cancer naturally. I had no idea that was even possible. I met with her husband and left feeling hopeful and with a new term to research “Healing Diet”. That day I cut out all meat, processed foods, caffeine, alcohol and started the Budwig Protocol (includes some dairy). I felt better every day! Within a couple of weeks I found the Hippocrates Institute through a friend and read everything I could about a raw vegan or living foods diet. I then cut out all dairy. I also researched Hallelujah Acres, Gerson Therapy, Fred Bisci, Jay Kordich and Kriss Carr with the Crazy Sexy Cancer network along with many others. All of these healing lifestyles or diets had slight differences but all of them had no animal products, no processed foods, no preservatives and no or very little grains. I read about people all over the world that have healed themselves of all kinds of illnesses by adopting a healing diet. I ended up meeting several right here in the Kansas City area over the past two years. This lifestyle seems radical but it's actually very
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 10 ~ Summer 2010
simple. The basic principle is to eat nutritious, raw, alkaline vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts, which are all easily digestible foods, while cutting out all the foods that take too much energy to digest and let your body heal. As time went on and I learned more, I did periods of juice fasting to further encourage my body to detoxify and heal quickly. I did colonics, enemas, body work, emotional work and about 100 other things too. But diet was the main and most important change. The main things I learned through this process: • Fresh raw greens are so important that they should be our primary food source. (I eat/ drink green juices, smoothies, soups and salads daily.) • The importance of probiotics through eating cultured or fermented foods. • Our body has the capacity to heal itself of almost all illnesses when fed properly. • Our higher power (God, Goddess, Mother Nature, The Universe, etc.) has provided everything we need to be healthy and happy. • Fasting can help speed up the healing process. • Your colon needs to be cleaned and stay clean to be healthy. I lost 90 pounds while detoxing in the first 8 months and then gained back a healthy 10 pounds bringing my weight up to 108 (my high school weight). I now wear a size 2. I never have a headache or any other symptom or pain (unless I work out too hard). My hair has thickened, my skin and eyes cleared, my cycle has normalized. My body released my cervical polyp. I have been found to be cancer free and I can't imagine eating any other way now. My husband Loran and youngest son Jace, who is 18, have also adopted this style of eating. We all eat and enjoy a plant-based high-raw vegan diet. I was a living example to them and they couldn't argue with the results. The healing power of food is amazing! When we step away from processed foods, the results are rapid, drastic and undeniable. I hope through this column to help you learn about the many healing foods that have helped me and can help you, too.
Jane Van Benthusen is a alternative cancer thriver. She, along with her husband and youngest son, teaches raw food classes, hosts a monthly potluck dinner in Lee's Summit, MO and offers alternative health support. You can learn more about her and her family at www.janevanbenthusen.com and www.greenstgoods.com.
Let Food Be Thy Medicine — by Tracie Walker Back to Our Roots
W
hat exactly does that mean…. to go back to our roots? For some it means going back to where you were born and raised or where you once lived. Or perhaps a lifestyle or personal habit you adopted, but over time lost sight of or gave up on. But for me and for the argument of this column, it means the way of eating. Yes, going back to our roots, literally. Back to the simple, natural way of eating… plant based foods, grown in nutrient-rich soil with the intention to nourish our bodies and provide us with all we need to function and sustain ourselves. Not only function and sustain ourselves, but lead a happy and healthy life that is free of sickness and disease. My favorite quote and personal philosophy is “Let food be thy medicine, let medicine be thy food.” by Hippocrates. What was true hundreds of years ago is still true today. Eating foods in their natural state allows our bodies to be filled with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and the natural life force they supply. They allow our bodies to heal themselves. Our human anatomy and physiology is a powerful force. If we treat it right, there is no limit to what we are capable of. We can reach a state of health physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually that we all ultimately strive for. All we need to do is step out of the way and stop poisoning ourselves with harmful foods, drugs and sedentary lifestyles, so our plantbased foods can be our medicine. I believe our society is finally starting to realize that we need to make some changes in our diet and start heading in a direction back to our roots! Take Whole Foods Market for example. As the world’s leader in natural and organic foods, they have realized our nation’s epidemic and have recently made a commitment to promote health and wellness by implementing a Healthy Eating program, Health Starts Here, which focuses on four pillars of health: plant-based, real foods that are low fat and nutrient dense. What a concept! The following statement is from an author, firefighter and 11-year professional tri-athlete who has
been living this lifestyle for years. He is the son of the famous heart disease doctor, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. “A whole food, nutrient-packed, plant-based diet, filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans—these are the life-changing foods that will make you look better, feel stronger and make you bulletproof to Western disease as well!" —Rip Esselstyn So what exactly is a wholefood, nutrient-packed, plant-based diet? Well, I’m glad you asked. It is a diet that is as real as it gets. A diet of fresh, natural foods that have not been highly processed, refined or have any added preservatives, sweeteners or coloring. It is food that is unaltered and free of all the harmful toxins found in most conventional “boxed” food items that we as a country eat far too much of on a daily basis. It is food that has so many health benefits I couldn’t begin to list them all. Plant-based foods are fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and beans. These are the live foods that fuel our body! This summer I want to challenge you to try a vegetable you’ve never had before, find a new vegetarian recipe with your favorite ingredients or eat an extra serving of fruit a day. You will be amazed at the endless variety there is out there AND at how great you feel. I challenge you to go…..back to your roots!
Family Owned Local Meats
*The content in this article is a direct opinion of Tracie Walker and not in any way associated or based on the feelings of Whole Foods Market.* Tracie Walker is a raw food vegan and has her own business educating clients and catering raw food. Tracie is the Healthy Eating Specialist at Whole Foods Market off of 119th st. in Overland Park, KS. She is working towards her Masters Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and also certificates in plant based nutrition. www.simplyrawlifestyle.com
209 S.E. Main Street Lee’s Summit, MO Open 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., Monday through Saturday
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 11 ~ Summer 2010
816816-600600-5570
Feature — by Jo Marie Scaglia Become a “Super Foodie” “Real Food” is something that grows from the Earth; wild salmon that swims freely, free-range chicken, grass-fed beef. Genetically modified food (GMO), fast food, and most products with a bar code are not “real food.” Diabetes, cancer and heart disease are on the rise, but society remains unsure of how to tackle this problem and live healthy. Society has the mindset that taking a “magic pill” is the solution. These “quick fixes” are not the answer. Eating for wellness, health, wholeness, and prevention is the solution. Getting back to the roots of “real food” will allow Americans to get healthy and stay healthy. Eating well is a prime contributor to living well. Studies suggest a healthy diet may reduce the risk of degenerative disease by 30 percent or more. It’s as simple as incorporating “real foods” into our daily diet. “Real Food” is something that grows from the Earth; wild salmon that swims freely, free-range chicken, grass-fed beef. Genetically modified food (GMO), fast food, and most products with a bar code are not “real food.” Think of our grandmothers in the kitchen making meals from scratch using whole, fresh ingredients. That is “real food.” My mom cooked every meal from scratch. I have memories of going
to the City Market in the summer. If Mom was rushed, she would drive her Ford Pinto Wagon through the aisles and the farmers would pass fresh fruits and vegetables to me and my brother through the back window. This was true curbside pickup, the old fashion way of food shopping. Growing up, I had a garden every summer. This was my original “organic garden.” I didn’t even know what “organic” meant at that time. I planted the seeds, watered and tended my garden every day. I would pick the vegetables and run into my mother’s kitchen to showcase my prized produce. This was “Real Food” in the purest form. Over the past 50 years, fast food has grown annually in popularity and the majority of foods found in grocery stores are pre-packaged, shelf-stable food that are full of chemicals, pesticides, hormones and genetic alterations. A “real food” diet will lead to a healthier population. Since opening The Mixx five years ago, I have learned, hands-on, how healthful food provides the foundation for living a healthy and good life. Lately, I
Tomatoes are a main component in the fight against prostate cancer.
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommends that we consume 25 grams of fiber daily, yet the average American consumes a mere 11 grams on any given day. have been studying about “Real Foods” called “Super Foods”. A “Super Food” is one that can aid in anti-inflammation and slow down the oxidation process that causes disease and rapid aging. Through my research, I have identified some foods that will contrib-
Blueberries are known as “brain food” with great ability to improve memory. EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 12 ~ Summer 2010
ute to healthy living. Incorporating these foods into your diet may reduce the risk of cancer, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis as well as many other diseases. These foods will lead to a healthier life.
Pumpkin is great to repair muscles after heavy exercise
Broccoli (Brussels Sprouts, Kale, Cauliflower, Swiss Chard, and Mustard Greens) is rich in Vitamin C and a great source for vegetarian iron. These greens come from the Brassica Family, considered true royalty when it comes to vegetables, and are major contributors in decreasing inflammation in the body. Spinach is high in plant derived Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamins C, E and B6. It’s great to ward off hypertension! Whole Grains (Brown Rice, Oats, Wheat, Barley, Buckwheat, Millet, Quinoa, Kumut, Wheat Germ, and Flax Seed) contain fiber that aids in reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Oatmeal is great to lower cholesterol. Oranges are high in vitamin C, folate, fiber, potassium, and pectin. Pectin will help stabilize blood sugar and lower glucose absorption. Oranges are one of the original “health foods.” Berries, whether fresh, frozen or dried, are great antioxidants. One to two cups of these super fruits is recommended daily. Blueberries are also known as the “brain food” with great ability to improve memory and keep your brain sharp. Orange Vegetables (Pumpkin, Carrots, Butternut Squash, and Sweet Potatoes) are chockfull of essential nutrients. One carrot a day may reduce the chance of lung cancer by as much as 50 percent. Pumpkin is great to repair muscles after heavy exercise. Turkey may lower the risk of heart disease and cancer. The zinc found in turkey will strengthen your immune system. Skinless chicken breasts are a good alternative. Yogurt is a great source for probiotics (good bacteria) that create a healthy digestive system and bolsters your immune system. Tea is full of flavonoids, which induce mechanisms that may kill cancer cells and slow tumor invasion in the body. Studies show that tea may also aid in weight loss and heart health. Tea has been linked to fighting gum disease and cavities as well. Beans are one of the most potent sources of fiber. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommends that we consume 25 grams of fiber daily, yet the average American consumes a mere 11 grams on any given day. Ancient cavemen were known to consume 50 to 100 grams of fiber daily. Incorporating beans in your diet may reduce your chances of heart diseases, cancer, obesity, and diabetes.
Over the past 50 years, fast food has grown annually in popularity and the majority of foods found in grocery stores are pre-packaged, shelf-stable food that are full of chemicals, pesticides, hormones and genetic alterations. A “real food” diet will lead to a healthier population. Tomatoes are the main source of lycopene, a carotene linked to fighting cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and even male infertility. Tomatoes are also a main component in the fight against prostate cancer. Nuts are a great source of good fats packed with Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, protein, Vitamin E, potassium, and B6. Nuts are great for good heart health and for reducing the risk of hypertension. Nut butters are great additions to your morning oatmeal or to spread over a slice of whole grain toast. Eating one ounce of nuts, five times a week, may reduce your chance of a heart attack by as much as 50 percent. It is time to become a “Super Foodie” for a better, healthier you. Incorporating just a few of these “Super Foods” into your diet will make a great impact in your health. With the influx of farmers markets, spring is the perfect time to explore all these great “Super Foods.” Happy eating!
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 13 ~ Summer 2010
Jo Marie Scaglia founded The Mixx in 2005 after a lifetime of love for cooking and restaurants. Having spent 10 years in San Francisco as a high-end caterer, where she quickly became recognized as one of the best in the business, Jo Marie moved back to Kansas City and quickly recognized the area’s void for a much needed option of healthy, delicious and fast-casual cuisine. The Mixx was Jo Marie’s solution. Every dish on The Mixx’s menu is an original creation of Jo Marie. The Mixx has locations at 4855 Main Street in the Plaza Colonnade and 1347 Main Street in the Kansas City Power & Light District.
Feature — Article and Photos by Elizabeth Cutting Wild Cooking from Your Yard The first time I ventured out to pluck a salad from my yard, I found myself grateful to have the grocery store as back up. It took quite a while to collect a worthy amount leaf by leaf. “To you the earth yields her fruit, And you shall not want if you but Know how to fill your hands.” ~ Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
W
hen I look at a perfectly manicured allgrass lawn, I think about how much more useful it is to have a wild salad yard. Like learning to appreciate brown rice over white, fresh green beans over canned, and recyclable over disposable, one can come to recognize and utilize many valuable plants that grow in most organically tended—or blessedly neglected—yards. Granted, the first time I ventured out to pluck a salad from my yard, I found myself grateful to have the grocery store as back up. It took quite a while to collect a worthy amount leaf by leaf. Even by pre-terrorism prices, buying a bunch of clean greens sounded cheaper by the square foot. But the intrigue of wild abundance had taken hold. It is quite satisfying to enjoy the value and variety that grows just outside the door. Dandelions lead the way in easy recognition, abundant availability and overall usefulness. They are widely eaten throughout much of Europe, but still fought here as evil weeds. For all the effort to get rid of them, a great alternative is to enjoy each one, from flower to leaf to root. They are full of vitamins and minerals and good for the liver. The flowers can be used in salads, wine or jelly. The leaves, less bitter in the early spring, are often used in salads, but can be added like spinach in many dishes like quiche. The roots can be cooked like carrots (albeit little tiny white carrots) or roasted for a coffee substitute (probably not a threat to Starbucks favorite flavor). Violet leaves and flowers are edible, too. Another very cooling plant, often found in yards is Plantain. Foraging has a learning curve. It’s important to be totally sure what is edible and what is not. Wild black raspberries, found in the woods and open fields, have leaves that come in clusters of three … as does poison ivy. Once recognized, they are very easy to distinguish, but an important distinction it is! The official way to identify plants is with their flowers. Some pictures in the books and field guides are clearer than others. Double check with someone who knows for sure. Also, avoid eating out of a lawn treated with chemicals or pesticides, or ones immediately near busy roadways.
Breakfast Bagel with Wild Greens and Edible Flowers Edible flowers are an amazing way to add color and interest to all sorts of meals. In the springtime, when the first flowers bloom just as the snow melts, garnish a salad with violets, dandelion petals and redbuds (from redbud trees). A few weeks later, the white flowers of the black locust tree boom. Older cookbooks suggest to fry them in fritters. A fresher use is to simply top a salad. The sweet-smelling flowers taste much like they smell, and add a crisp sweet crunch. The shoots, bulbs, buds and flowers of daylilies are edible, as are the flowers of any herbs, such as basil, oregano, chives and dill. Others edible flowers include nasturtiums, impatiens, pansy, rose, sunflower, violet and johnny jump-ups. Below are recipes that incorporate edible flowers and wild greens—a way to add a bit of closeto-home wildness, leaf by leaf and petal by petal.
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 14 ~ Summer 2010
Breakfast Bagel with Yard Greens and Edible Flowers 1 whole grain bagel 2 oz. cream cheese 2 eggs 2 whole slices of red onion 1 avocado, cut to ¼ inch slices Yard greens: i.e. dandelion leaves, violet leaves, plantain Edible flowers: i.e. chive blossoms and impatiens Slice bagel in half and toast to golden. Fry, poach or scramble egg to your preference. Spread 1 oz softened cream cheese on each bagel half. Top each with one circle of onion, half the avocado slices and one egg. Garnish with wild greens and edible flowers. Season to taste.
Raspberry Buttermilk Honey Ice Cream without Ice Cream Machine
RESOURCES Books:
¾ cup buttermilk ¼ cup wild black raspberries (or other berries from market) 2 T. honey 2 drops almond extract ½ t vanilla extract 1 quart size zip lock bag 1 gallon size zip lock bag ¼ cup salt 4 cups crushed ice Kitchen towel Mix buttermilk, berries, honey and extracts together and place in quart size plastic bag, leaving as little air as possible, making sure it is very securely closed. Put the quart size bag with the ice cream mixture in the larger gallon size bag. Add the salt and ice to the gallon size bag. Wrap all this in a kitchen towel and swish for a while. Soon you will have soft serve ice cream! Take the quart size bag out of the larger bag and rinse quickly in cold water to remove salt. Can cut a corner from the ice cream bag and pipe to serve. Wild Greens Salad with Nasturtium and Orange Vinaigrette 1 orange ½ shallot or 1 wild onion-minced ½ cup light olive oil or sesame oil 2 T. raspberry vinegar Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper Greens from yard or market Nasturtiums or other edible flowers Zest the orange. Juice ½ of the orange. Add oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss with greens. Top with flowers.
Sautéed Daylily Buds 2 cups daylily buds 1 T olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced Seasoned sea salt 1 daylily flower for garnish Gently heat olive oil in medium size skillet. Add garlic and heat until golden. Add daylily buds and sauté for several minutes, to desired doneness. Finish with seasoned sea salt. Garnish with a full daylily flower. Can also add raw or cooked slices of the daylily petals from the fresh flowers. Lemon Lavender Whole Wheat Honey Cookies
Gardon, Anne. 1994. The Wild Food Gourmet: Fresh and savory food from nature. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books (US), Inc. Gieskopf, Susan. 1979. Putting it up With Honey:
A natural foods canning and preserving cookbook. Ashland, OR: Quicksilver Productions Gibbons, Euell. 1962. Stalking the Wild Asparagus. Chambersburg, PA: Alan C. Hood & Company, Inc. Hitchcock, Susan Tyler. 1995. Gather Ye Wild Things: A Forager’s Year. Charlottesville: The University of Virginia Press
Nasturtium
Lee, Deborah. 1989. Exploring Nature’s Uncultivated Garden. Austell, GA: Havelin Communications, Inc. Weed, Susun S. 1989. Healing Wise. Woodstock, NY: Ash Tree Publishing Peterson, Allen Lee. 1977. Edible Wild Plants. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company Phillips, Jan. 1995. Wild Edibles of Missouri. The Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri Tatum, Billy Joe. 1976. Billy Joe Tatum’s Wild Foods Cookbook and Field Guide. New York,
Wild Black Raspberries
NY: Workman Publishing Company, Inc. Websites: http://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/ EdibleFlowersMain.htm http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/ 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour ½ t vanilla Zest of 1 lemon 1 T lemon juice 2 T organic lavender flowers (or to taste) Cream together honey and butter. Add whole wheat flour. Add remaining ingredients. Spoon in walnut size portions onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten a little with a fork. Bake for about 10 minutes or until no longer shiny and beginning to brown on the bottom.
Plantain and Dandelion
Elizabeth Cutting is a writer, astrologer and seminar producer. She can be contacted at 816-532-4727 or eacutting@aol.com.
1 cup butter 1 cup honey
Wild Garlic EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 15 ~ Summer 2010
Into the Kitchen — with Badseed Rustic Sicilian “Summer-Time” Pizza Made with 95% local ingredients. The Sicilian in me cannot resist the pungent flavors of the "old-world". Lucky for this "locavore", I am able to grow most of the fabulous varieties of vegetables and herbs that frequent my favorite sicilian dishes. The following recipe is a variation on the rustic pizzas I encountered in southern Sicily with a healthful twist featuring a whole wheat crust. Enjoy on a hot August evening after the sun sets with a generous glass of good red table wine. 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (makes enough crust for two mid-size pizzas) INGREDIENTS 1 package (2-1/4 teaspoons) dry active yeast 1/4 cup warm water (100° to 115°) 1 tablespoon local honey 3-3/4 cups whole wheat flour (from Heartland Mill) 1 cup cool water 1 tablespoon olive oil Pinch salt Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the honey and let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and make an indentation in the center for the wet ingredients. Add the olive oil and salt to the cool water in the measuring cup and mix. Pour the olive oil mixture, then the yeast mixture into the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until a sticky ball begins to form. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead vigorously for 8 - 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Cover with a moist towel. Place in a relatively warm, draft-free spot and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough and knead again on a lightly floured surface for 3 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions (or desired amounts) and roll them into tight balls. Place on a tray, cover with a damp towel and let rest for several hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator. An ideal way to bake a thin crust pizza is on a pizza stone. If you have one, place it in the oven and preheat to 475° F. To form the crusts, roll or stretch each ball of dough into a 12-14 inch circle. Place on a
pizza peel (a wooden board with a handle used to slide the pizza onto the hot stone) one at a time. If you do not have a pizza stone, you can get a similar effect by using a baking sheet that is preheated in the same manner. Toppings and Sauce This is the fun part. Use whatever you have in the garden or derive inspiration from the following. I am not including measurements and detailed directions at this point because pizza making should be fun and relaxed and vary with the moment.... *Slather on a home-made sauce of heirloom tomatoes, pepperoncini, basil, oregano, and thyme simmered to perfection with a touch of brown sugar and cinnamon. *Add roasted garlic and caramelized tropea onions (a sweet, Italian red onion with a glorious elongated shape), or go crazy with thick slices of pan-fried (orgasmic) eggplant that will be appearing at your local farmers market come late July. EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 16 ~ Summer 2010
*Top off with grated Taum Sauk Cheese from Goatsbeard Farm (a nutty aged goat cheese excellent for Italian inspired dishes). Slide the pizza onto the stone and bake until nicely browned. About 12 minutes. Repeat for the remaining pizza.
**Top with edible nasturtium flowers and purple ruffles basil!!
BADSEED
An Urban-Organic Farm & Market Celebrating Local Food, Culture, & Community 1909 McGee*KCMO*64108 www.badseedfarm.com
Into the Kitchen — with Café Tempo
Into the Kitchen — with Whole Foods Market
Veal Ravioli with Sautéed Vegetables
Grilled Tomatoes and Romaine
60 piece Veal Ravioli (Sysco brand) 3 c Dried Forest Blend Mushrooms (Shiitake, Porcini, Oyster, Bolete, Wood Ear and Sliced Shiitake) 1 c Green Onions, sliced into 2inch strips 1 c Red Bell Peppers, small diced 1 c Green Bell Peppers, small diced 2 c Yellow Squash, thinly sliced rounds 3 T Chicken Flavor Base 1 tsp Parsley, chopped 1 tsp Oregano, dried 6 c Water
mer. Add dried mushrooms. Simmer for 5 minutes until mushrooms are soft. Add parsley, oregano, bell peppers, and yellow squash to broth. Simmer for 2 minutes. Place 8 pieces of veal ravioli in pasta plate, pour in 8 ounces of herbed chicken broth. Serve.
Cook ravioli in slated boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and submerge in ice water. Drain and set aside. In a saucepan, boil water and add chicken flavor base. Turn down heat and let sim-
At the Johnson County Community College
Portion Size: 8 to 10 ounces (approx. 8 pieces of Ravioli) Yield: 6 portions Café Tempo Executive Chef Tim Johnson
Open to the Public To make reservations for parties of six or more, call (913) 469-8500, ext. 4990.
Make this beautiful salad when summer tomatoes are at their peak of flavor. Ingredients 4 long, thick slices crusty country bread 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 large clove garlic, split 3 hearts of romaine, halved lengthwise 4 large red tomatoes 4 medium yellow tomatoes 2 small red onions, halved 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Chopped fresh oregano Method Prepare a grill for mediumhigh heat cooking. Brush bread with 1 teaspoon of the oil and grill until nicely marked, about 1 minute per side. Rub bread slices on both sides with garlic; discard clove. Set bread aside. Place romaine, tomatoes and onions on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and rub until vegetables are coated all over. Grill, turning vegetables frequently with tongs; cook lettuce until outer leaves are just browned and softened, 4 to 5 minutes, and tomatoes and onions until softened and slightly charred, 7 to
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 17 ~ Summer 2010
8 minutes. Transfer vegetables back to the baking sheet as they are done. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, salt, pepper and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Thinly slice romaine, place on a large platter and drizzle with half the vinaigrette. Very coarsely chop tomatoes and onions, place in a large bowl and toss with remaining vinaigrette. Pile tomato mixture over lettuce and sprinkle with oregano. Cut bread into large chunks and arrange around edges of platter. Serves 8 Nutrition Per serving (about 13oz/375gwt.): 170 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 340mg sodium, 24g total carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 10g sugar), 6g protein
For more delicious recipes, visit WholeFoodsMarket.com.
Into the Kitchen — with Bo Ling’s Recipes from Richard Ng Shitake Mushrooms with Greens ½ pound Shitake mushrooms ½ pounds baby bok choy 3 cloves garlic 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon sugar a little stock or water vegetable oil 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 teaspoons sesame seed oil Blanche the bok choy and arrange on the bottom of serving dish. Then stir -fry the ginger and garlic in a little bit of vegetable oil. Add the mushrooms, stock and soy sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes. Thicken sauce with cornstarch, then add sesame seed oil. Place atop the bok choy. Delicious!
Bo Lings Long Life Noodle Soup Ingredients: Rice Noodles- 4-6 ounces, dry; soak in cool water Stock One whole chicken! Remove all skin, and chop up breast meat. Rinse the rest of chicken . Boil 4 quarts of water. When boiling, add chicken, bring water to boil. Keep on high heat for 5 minutes, remove top layer of oil. Reduce heat and let stock simmer for one hour. Do not stir stock, it will get cloudy. One clove garlic, peel, chop Chicken breast meat, cut into strips 3 oz. medium shrimp, peel and de-vein 2 oz. fresh spinach, soak in cold water, drain, then chop into smaller pieces. 2 eggs pan-fried, set aside 1 table spoon cooking oil 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil 2 tablespoons soy sauce pinch of salt and white pepper To cook noodles: Boil 3 qt. of water, when boiling, remove rice noodles from cold water, add to hot
water, boil for three minutes, drain, rinse with cold water and set aside. In sauce pan or wok, heat to smoking, add cooking oil, garlic, chicken meat, stir. When meat turns white, add shrimp, and stir until just turn pink. Add 5 cups of stock, seasoning, and spinach. Turn off heat. In 2 large bowls, put rice noodles on bottom, ladle soup just finished, top with fried egg. Serve 2.
1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon cooking oil Heat water in steamer until boiling, put fish on plate, set inside steamer and cover. Steam for 8 minutes in high heat. Remove from steamer, discard any liquid and move fish onto clean serving plate. Place fresh ginger and green onions on fish. Heat stock, soy sauce and sugar, spoon over fish. Finally, heat oil and top the ginger and scallions.
Ginger and Scallion Steamed Salmon You will need: 6 ounces fresh salmon filet 1 ounce. fresh ginger, peel, slice and cut into thin strips 3 stalks fresh green onions (scallions) use white part, cut into long thin strips 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons stock/water EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 18 ~ Summer 2010
Bo Ling’s
City Market Zona Rosa Overland Park www.bolings.com
Restaurant Profile — by Aaron Lerner Simply Delicious Walk in to either of The Mixx's two locations and you won't find anything that looks like it comes from a factory or laboratory. With Jo Marie Scaglia’s special touches, there isn’t a lack of innovation, either.
B
ehind every splendid combination there is a story. For every ingredient selected there is reason. With every dish that gets plated, a small work of art gets delivered. Perhaps these are just a few reasons why The Mixx, and its creator/owner, Jo Marie Scaglia, have quietly, yet consistently reigned supreme in the ever-increasing, ultra -competitive industry of fresh, healthy eating. In a city that has historically been known for its stockyards, strip steaks and barbecue brilliance, how is it exactly that The Mixx—a contemporary, quick-casual, gourmet soup, salad and sandwich restaurant with a heavy west-coast influence—could have stolen the spotlight away from anything smoked, to anything but, becoming the only local concept to be named to Fast Casual magazine's Top 100 Movers & Shakers list—two years in a row? "Simplicity," Scaglia says, which ironically seemed too simple an answer considering the level of success and staying power that The Mixx has shown. Anyone who has ever eaten at either of The Mixx's two locations surely would see that its success runs much deeper than Scaglia's artful approach to "simplicity" alone. Her never-ending attention to detail, for example, is obvious and impressive, and I have yet to meet another restaurateur who matches Scaglia's level of sincerity when it comes to her customers. It is her unprecedented sincerity, in fact, that allowed me the unique opportunity of getting to taste, discover
The Mixx gives guests the opportunity to customize salads and sandwiches to their distinct tastes.
and learn about various ingredients that, to me, were new, worldly, and best yet, medicinal. Yes, medicinal. Because Scaglia knows I have psoriasis, a common skin disorder and auto-immune disease that triggers an inflammatory response, she has found ways to incorporate natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich foods into various offerings that were designed specifically with me—and others like me (with similar conditions)—in mind. These healing foods are not only delicious and beautiful, but they are helpful, healing, and have caused me to feel great, knowing that I have done something so healthy for my body. These, it would seem, are much better explanations as to why The Mixx would have jumped a whopping 45 positions on the Movers & Shakers list, going from number 97 in 2008, to number 52 in 2009. Arguably one of Kansas City's very best restaurants overall, don't be surprised if The Mixx were to leap another 45 spots in 2010, landing itself in the Top 10 of the country's best concept restaurants altogether. It would be well-deserved. Jo Marie Scaglia seems to be as much an artist as she is chef. She never received formal culinary training, and ultimately, that may have added to her success more than it has hindered it. She is, without doubt, one of the most talented people I've met when it comes to the craft of natural foods, and she has found a way to parlay the only art form with an ability to appeal to all of our known senses—including sight, sound, taste, touch and smell— and leave even the most boring and bland eaters with an indelible mark of appreciation for the food she serves. Perhaps it's no coincidence that Scaglia's roots stem from Italy, a country much less enamored with drivethrus and fast-lanes than is the United States, making it fitting for people who dine at The Mixx to do so with a fuller knowledge of all that is involved in bringing food out of the earth and to the table. This is important to Scaglia, as is evidenced by her familiarity with customers, knowing nearly all by name, and for many, even their personal likes and dislikes. Of course, these things are seen as basic—or should I say "simple", to Scaglia when it comes to delivering what truly is a full food experience. Walk in to either of The Mixx's two locations—on the Plaza, or downtown in the Power & Light District— and you won't find anything that looks like it comes from a factory or laboratory. You will not find anything that is lacking of innovation either. In fact, it's Scaglia's innovative ability that allows her to turn "simple" into "spectacular". To put this is some perspective, take the delectable dinner Scaglia put together for me on a recent evening at The Mixx on the Plaza: To start, a crisp lettuce wedge was drizzled with a blend of olive oil, mustard, vinegar and blue cheese, then sprinkled with slivers of lightly-candied almonds and EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 19 ~ Summer 2010
Scaglia's innovative ability allows her to turn "simple" into "spectacular". dried cranberries. Next to that was a beautifully roasted halibut steak, moist and thinly glazed with garlic and balsamic, accompanied by the most visually-appealing, lightly-browned Brussels sprouts I have ever seen. A colorful plate of crostini—those little Italian toasts— topped with mascarpone and fresh berries, finished a meal that was "simply" spectacular. For what appeared to be such a sophisticated meal, it came together in a surprisingly short time, making it seem easy, yet creative, and absolutely satisfying. It brought pleasure to me, as well as to its maker, which is exactly, as Scaglia put it, "what she goes for every time." Scaglia has developed literally hundreds of recipes since opening the doors to The Mixx in 2005, many of which were designed with various occasions, people, seasons and even emotions in mind. And while many of these items may or may not ever make it on a menu that is already loaded with food brilliance, her mission remains the same: To bring delicious, natural, fresh, organic food to Kansas City, while creating dishes that have as much to do with lifestyle as they do taste. With a focus on flavor, quality of ingredients and presentation, the emphasis remains on simplicity. The results, they speak for themselves. Aaron Lerner, Performance Enhancement Specialist, National Academy of Sports Medicine. alerner@trainsmartkc.com; 816.309.7047 www.TRAINSmartKC.com
EATING WELL IN KANSAS CITY ~ 20 ~ Summer 2010