A Review for Daelicious! Recipes for vibrant living

Today I received an email with a lovely review of my book by Cara Nitz.  I'm so excited to hear that Cara found the book helpful and supportive to creating a healthy food lifestyle.  Click on the link below to read it. 

http://yourworldnatural.blogspot.com/2011/03/daelicious-cookbook-review.html

The Poached Egg – A Love Story

Foods have many types of textures and sometimes the texture of a food causes people to have difficulty eating it.  I am fortunate I don’t seem to have a problem with textures. Avocado, mussels, tofu-- bring them on. I love them all.  The one food that seemed to stop me in my tracks – poached eggs!  The runniness of the yolk just seemed too much for me so I would pass on them.  Several years ago one of my close friends, who happened to be my naturopathic and oriental medicine doctor, Dr. Joanne Wu, (practicing in Takoma Park, MD) recommended that I eat poached eggs to nourish my yin energy.  When she shared this with me, I thought, I’m not going to be able to eat runny eggs!  I put Dr. Wu’s suggestion out of my mind.  A year ago I worked as a waitress for a few months and we served poached eggs every weekend.  I decided take advantage of this environment to see if I could push my way past the poached egg situation.  The key for me was having the chefs prepare may favorite brunch specials with hard poached eggs on top.  Over time I got to be able to have soft poached eggs – not runny but semi-solid.  The final step in my transition was learning to make them at home.  Poached eggs are so fast and easy.  I serve them over vegetables and have a great combination of protein and veggies.  I shared my process with Dr. Wu and she is so proud of me for figuring out how to become comfortable eating my yin nourishing foods. 

Picture : poached egg over brown rice bread and sauteed zucchini and red bell peppers - One of my favorite breakfast options.

Our Heart Teaches By Example

For the last 7 years I have taught Anatomy and Physiology to nursing student as an adjunct professor.   Interestingly we are studying the chapter on the heart during heart health month.  I have been thinking about the exquisiteness of the heart as a muscle and as a metaphor of how to live our lives. The main function of the heart is to act as an engine or a pump that allows the rest of our body to perform it’s functions.  Our hearts are is the only muscle in our bodies that never rests - it is always working for our good to stay alive.  As an engine it pumps out 4-5 liters of blood to the entire body every minute (that’s two 2-liter sodas worth of blood every minute).  When we choose to exercise it can be five times that amount in one minute’s time.  Its ability to be flexible as the environment changes is amazing.  Our heart provides nourishment to itself first before supplying blood to any other part of the body.  It recognizes without self-care and nourishment it will not be able to keep all the other parts operational.  When our heart’s arteries become blocked it creates new ones to continue to feed the heart.  It has the live-saving ability to change and adapt to correct a dangerous situation.  It has an intricate communication system so that muscle cells can work as a collective to pump at the same time.  It understands the importance of collective work and communication to get a task accomplished with split-second accuracy. The heart regulates itself but can be influenced by positive outside factors from other body systems.  It takes new input to change direction for the good quickly.  The heart does all of this yet it is only the size of our human fist.

Why do I share all this about the heart?  I believe that heart health begin with awareness of how fantastic our heart muscle truly is and how it has so many qualities that we as humans find important.  I think if we can have an appreciation for what our heart does for us perhaps we will treat it better. Perhaps when we get a diagnosis of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or coronary artery disease we might really consider listening to our health practitioner’s advise about how to take better care of our hearts.  Perhaps we will eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains every day. Perhaps we will become willing to exercise 30 minutes 5 times per week.  Perhaps we will manage our stress to reduce extra burdens for our hearts.   Perhaps we will help to extend the life of our heart through changing our behaviors that cause damage to our hearts.  Perhaps with this new knowledge of how exquisite our heart is we can change the statistics that 1 in 2 women will die of heart disease. 

I believe our hearts have a lot to teach us about how to love ourselves better.  Are you willing to listen?

One of my Favorite Sweet Treat Spots in DC

Picture of Quince Fruit

One night a few weeks ago, I was dropping one of my girlfriends off after a dinner party when we approached one of my favorite “frozen” treat shops – Pitango Gelato!  I happened to see a coveted parking space in front of the store.  I saw it as a sign from the universe for me to share this treat with my friend.  I asked if she was up for a heavenly dessert made with high quality ingredients. She was all for it!   I know she, like me, appreciates dairy-free options and all the sorbets are dairy-free which is a bonus to the luscious flavors like hazelnut, mojito and spicy chocolate sorbet.   One of my favorite things about the shop is the customer service they provide as well.  The sorbet scoopers encourage you to try any and every flavor to pick your favorites.  We both got the quince, a pear-shaped fruit that tastes like a cross between an apple and a pear.  She loved the sorbet so much she even called to tell me how great it was the next day.

I have to be honest: Pitango gelatos and desserts are my favorite creamy, lovely, decadent treat!  The first time I ever tasted it was in Baltimore with one of my friends, Dr. Lisa Gengo, who was visiting from her practice in Connecticut.  We tried every flavor in the store and I picked chocolate and mojito and it was a wonderful culinary experience.  What is even better is that Pitango is committed to using organic and local, high quality ingredients.  I often recommend to patients to stop using dairy products to help improve certain conditions.  The dairy-free sorbets are a wonderful treat for them.  I also avoid dairy as much as possible so that is one of the first reasons I wanted to try their products.  I thought the gelato and sorbets were so good I called all my foodie friends and wanted to plan a trip back to Baltimore to get more of their frozen treats.  To my delight my friends told me there were stores in Washington DC and Virginia.  In the last 2 years I have brought all of my friends and co-workers to this wonderful shop and they all love it too. 

When I want a sweet treat I go to Pitango because if I’m going to have a something sweet it has to have high quality ingredients.

Live Vibrantly,

Dr. Dae

Naturopathic Medicine is moving Close to Licensure in MD and you can help!

The Maryland Association of Naturopathic Physician is requesting your support for licensure of naturopathic physicians in the upcoming Maryland legislative hearings:

On March 8^th and 9^th the Maryland House and Senate will hold hearings on granting licensure to naturopathic physicians. 

This licensure will provide:

·      Protection for the public.  Board-certified naturopaths who have attended accredited schools will be licensed; people who have a ‘degree’ from the internet or through the mail will not be licensed.

·      The ability for licensed naturopaths to order lab tests and imaging, and to conduct physical exams as needed.

·      A possible first step to insurance coverage for naturopathic care.

Please copy and letters below into a word document to let the state legislature know you support naturopathic licensure. 

·      The letter is more effective if you fill in your own story about naturopathic medicine.

·      Please sign & print your name, provide your city or town, and give the date.

·      BY MARCH 4^TH: please return the form to your favorite naturopathic physician OR you can fax it directly to: 410-773-9432. (This is the fax for Emily Telfair, ND, who is the vice president of the Maryland Association of Naturopathic Physicians.)

THANK YOU so much for your support!  

LETTER FOR MARYLAND STATE HOUSE


 

Health and Government Operations Committee

Hearing on HB 1100 - Health Occupations – State Board of Naturopathic Medicine

March 8, 2011

POSITION: SUPPORT HB 1100

Chairman Hammen and Members of the Committee:

I ask for your support in licensing naturopathic physicians in Maryland. While our state searches for solutions to prevent the growing rates of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, naturopathic physicians can meet the need for a cost-effective and patient-focused approach to health care. Using diet and lifestyle change as the basis of primary care, naturopathic physicians empower patients to restore health and prevent disease.

Naturopathic physicians are experts in the safe and appropriate use of natural-based therapies. As the popularity and use of supplements and herbal remedies grows, licensure for naturopathic physicians will ensure that citizens of Maryland will have access to qualified health-care practitioners to monitor for drug-herb interactions or safe dosages of nutritional supplements.

Licensure will also ensure that naturopathic doctors in Maryland will be able to practice within the full scope of their training offering me access to this cost-effective approach to primary health care.

I urge this committee to give HB 1100 a Favorable Report.

Sincerely,

________________________________________

Signature

________________________________________

Printed Name

City / Town: ___________________________

Date: ___________________________________

LETTER FOR MARYLAND STATE SENATE

Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee

Hearing on SB 560 - Health Occupations – State Board of Naturopathic Medicine

March 9, 2011

POSITION: SUPPORT SB 560

Chairman Carter Conway and Members of the Committee:

I ask for your support in licensing naturopathic physicians in Maryland. While our state searches for solutions to prevent the growing rates of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, naturopathic physicians can meet the need for a cost-effective and patient-focused approach to health care. Using diet and lifestyle change as the basis of primary care, naturopathic physicians empower patients to restore health and prevent disease.

Naturopathic physicians are experts in the safe and appropriate use of natural-based therapies. As the popularity and use of supplements and herbal remedies grows, licensure for naturopathic physicians will ensure that citizens of Maryland will have access to qualified health-care practitioners to monitor for drug-herb interactions or safe dosages of nutritional supplements.

Licensure will also ensure that naturopathic doctors in Maryland will be able to practice within the full scope of their training offering me access to this cost-effective approach to primary health care.

I urge this committee to give SB560 a Favorable Report.

Sincerely,

________________________________________

[Signature]

________________________________________

Printed Name

City / Town: ___________________________

Date: ___________________________________

 

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

I love to cook! One of my favorite inspirations for creating new recipes is making

food for and with my friends. It is one of the ways I show my love for them to

nourish them. Here is an example of how I create an recipe. I was having brunch

with a dear friend and he asked me if I had a recipe to make butternut squash soup.

I didn’t at the time but I had created an oven-roasted butternut squash recipe for

another friend of my a couple months before. A few days later I decided to make

soup to take to a friend’s house and used the roasted butternut squash recipe as

the base for a yummy creamy butternut soup recipe. I taste tested this recipe with

another dear friend and a fellow naturopathic doctor, Deirdre Orceyre, and it was a hit.  It is simple recipe and a nice complement to meal. Here it is. Enjoy!

Oh! By the way, I did send the recipe to my friend too. After all, he was the one that

got my juices simmering to create the soup in the first place! I hope it nourishes you

too.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

6 cups of  butternut squash peeled and diced ( approximately 1 butternut squash)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon of sea salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

4 cup of vegetable broth

½ teaspoon of maple syrup

½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon of coriander

½ teaspoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375.  Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl toss the squash, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper, nutmeg until well coated.  Place the squash on parchment paper and bake for 40-50 minutes until the squash is tender.  Put butternut squash in the blender along with the vegetable broth, maple syrup, cinnamon, coriander, ginger and lemon juice.  Puree for 2 minutes.   Pour the pureed soup into a soup pot and bring to a rolling boil.  Turn off heat and serve.

Food Facts on butternut squash:

The key healing quality for butternut squash and winter squash in general is its

antioxidant qualities. The beautiful orange color lets us know that there is plenty

of beta carotene, which is the pre-cursor to Vitamin A, which is important for cell

healing. There have been studies that show these squashes have anti-inflammatory,

insulin-regulating properties for diabetes as well.

Live Vibrantly,

Dr. Dae