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10 Aug Summer Lovin’…

This summer has been busy busy. In between a ton of work, some good family and friends time, and the search for sun (Dear Fog, I can’t miss you if you never leave San Francisco), here are a few of the things I’ve been loving….

1. Spiralizer

You may remember this little gadget from an earlier post this summer. My spiralizer is truly one of the most frivolous purchases (kitchen or otherwise) I’ve ever made… and I love it! Especially with a stack of zucchini waiting to be eaten. In fact, this may be my favorite way to eat zucchini, and I swear it’s less than 10 minutes from popping the zuke on the spiralizer to taking it out of the pan. Finish with a sprinkle of salt, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and parmesan cheese… maybe toss in a handful of prawns… so fresh and yummy.

2. Eatwell Farm Dried Lemon Salt

I’ve been sprinkling this on everything – zucchini spirals, tuna steaks, braised greens, heirloom tomato slices… endless opportunities to make food a little brighter and zestier. And, a little goes a loooong way, so no breaking the bank with this obsession.

3. Coconut popsicles

Refreshing and richly satisfying. I’m determined to start making my own using coconut milk, just as soon as I can find someone’s popsicle molds to borrow.

4. Stove roasted corn

I can’t believe it took me this long to stop boiling my corn! I’m already a light boiler – barely three minutes for me. But roasting corn on my stove has opened up a whole new world.

5. Arizmendi‘s Cowgirl Cookies

Arizmendi opened up on Valencia Street this year – if you don’t know Arizmendi, do yourself a favor and change that now. Look them up, get to the nearest location and feast on their deeelicious fresh baked goods: breads, scones, cookies, and pizza. So, how did it take me until this summer to find the Cowgirl Cookies, my fantasy cookie realized? Check it: oatmeal raisin with walnuts and chunks of chocolate, and some other secret ingredient that has me addicted. And, it’s Arizmendi, so you know the ingredients and the people working the mixers and ovens are quality. The perfect treat for a long walk through SF’s sun-belt neighborhoods.

You know, that cookie is so good, it deserves two pictures:

How could you possible resist?

Hope you’ve been enjoying fresh treats this summer. Burr… I feel fall coming on. Maybe I have time for just one more cookie.

11 Feb Smelly Pee is Sexy… Wait, What?

Love is in the air… and if you don’t know that Valentine’s Day is coming, you clearly stopped going outside and disconnected all electronic devices after January 2nd.

In honor of the season of love, I’ve been doing a little research on aphrodisiacs. (What? You mean not every nutritionist is looking into nature’s love potions? How else will we keep you entertained and excited to play with whole foods?) Well, maybe it’s more fair to write “alleged” aphrodisiac foods. Some are obvious, we’ve associated them with feeling sexy forever – artichokes, oysters, figs, champaign, etc.. But some were surprising, as were some foods I didn’t find on anyone’s list (how can salted caramel not be officially sexy???). Frankly? The whole mini-project has been a hoot. It’s also given me a cheap thrill when I find that I’m using something from the list in my breakfast, lunch or dinner. So, I thought it’d be fun to talk about just a few – a very, very small few – of the many, many foods that will supposedly fire up your engine. Maybe this will give you some inspiration as you make your Valentine’s plans.

Most Nonsensical

Asparagus. Yes, I suppose it’s phallic. But it also makes your pee smell, for some within 15 minutes of eating it. Not all of us can smell asparagus pee, but those of us who can (hand raised)… well, frankly, that knowledge undercuts the vegetable’s suggestive shape.

Avocado. Its breast-like, egg-like shape is supposed to provide some naughty inspiration. I would think the velvety, luscious fatty goodness would be the more titillating quality. (Suddenly I’m thinking of all the Super Bowl parties that probably demolished tubs of guacamole….) Just don’t expect to get hit on while wearing it as a mask for your stay at home spa day. Although, afterward your skin may take on the avo’s velvety, lusciousness….

Garlic. The spiciness is supposed to get you hot and bothered … if you can get over the overpowering breath it brings, too.

Most Hilarious

Turkey. The tryptophan in turkey is a feel good amino acid, which could help put you in the mood, or help you relax enough to feel in the mood. Just don’t over indulge, I mean, have you ever felt like getting it on after Thanksgiving dinner when you’re stuffed to the gills?

Blowfish. I suppose if you eat it and don’t die, you’re so relieved you immediately want to go get it on? Nothing like living life on the edge to put you in the mood?

Oats. Yep, nothing says sexy like a big bowl of oatmeal. Interestingly enough, also good for home spa facials. Maybe someone should investigate the cross over between aphrodisiac foods and home spa treatment foods….

Most Yes! I Was Looking For An Excuse to Eat That

Chocolate. There’s a reason why people like chocolate, turn to it when sad and crave it. To quote from Natural Aphrodisiac Foods: ”Pure chocolate contains anandamide which is a chemical that gives the consumer a natural psychoactive good feeling. Perhaps more importantly it contains phenylethylamine which is the love chemical that releases dopamine in the brain’s pleasure centres and this can peak during orgasm, in addition it induces excitable feelings and stimulates both attraction and euphoria.” So, there.

Oysters. Slimy grossness to some, little slurps of love to others, oysters have long been credited with ardor-boosting powers. Some claim it’s the high level of zinc (which supposedly increases sperm production and testosterone in both men and women – an important ingredient in sexual chemistry) and others credit the mollusk’s scent (which is allegedly reminiscent of female pheromones that excite male arousal). Whatever. They’re yummy, healthy and a good source of protein, and I say any excuse is a good excuse to indulge.

Red Wine. Antioxidants – blah, blah, blah. Red wine, like most alcohol, is warming and loosens inhibitions. Just remember there’s a difference between warming up a little and falling down drunk. One is sexy; one is really, really not. (Please drink responsibly.)

Here are some recipes I’ve been seeing online lately – with aphrodisiac foods listed and not listed above – that I’m excited to make this week:

Daily Garnish’s Healthy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip – artichokes are another nonsensical but happy for an excuse to eat them aphro.
Elana’s Pantry’s gluten-free, chocolate heavy Valentine’s Day Heart Cake Pops
The Tomato Tart’s Warm Squid Salad with Roasted Cauliflower and Potatoes has garlic and arugula – both spicy aphros – and squiggly squid have got to be as sexy as oysters, right?
Green Kitchen Stories’ Chocolate and Blackberry Cake – with avocado and chocolate in the mix… winner!

However and with whoever you’re celebrating love this weekend and next week – family, friends, lovers, partners, etc – enjoy the opportunity to recognize and be thankful for all of the wonderful people in your life who fill your heart with joy. I know I am.

What foods turn you on, make you feel luscious and alive?

27 Jan You Are How You Eat…

This recent post on the NPR health blog (“Psychoanalyst Calls for Eating with Culinary Mindfulness”) reminded me of one of the most important things I’ve learned: paying attention to what you eat doesn’t stop when you fill your plate.

How you eat what’s on that plate can have a pretty big impact on how you experience the meal and how you digest it. Here are three things I do to encourage myself and others to eat more mindfully.

1. Chew your food.

This one is simple (actually, it’s not that simple). Digestion starts in your mouth (actually, digestion starts with the nose and eyes as smelling food and seeing food stimulates our parasympathetic nervous system, which includes all of the receptors and hormonal reactions around digestion). The more you chew your food and break it down in your mouth, the more efficiently your stomach can do its job, which over simply put is to neutralize pathogens and reduce your meal to liquid so it can easily pass into and through the small intestine where nutrients are whisked away. When we swallow giant chunks of food, our stomach acid has much more to deal with and can’t do its job quite as well. Consequence: pathogens pass through and need to be taken care of by other organs who have enough to do and nutrients are less effectively assimilated.

So, chewing more, chewing our food close to a pulp is not just great for digestion. It also allows you to really taste your food. Taste buds in different parts of the mouth receive different flavors: bitter, sour, salty, sweet and umami (Japanese for savoriness). When we gulp food down in whole bites and don’t thoroughly chew our food, letting all five types of taste buds explore the bite, we don’t allow ourselves to fully taste our food’s complexities. Wine geeks aficionados can probably relate: it’s the difference between chugging a class and looking, swirling, smelling, sipping and letting the mouth explore the wine to find front, middle and back notes, etc. Chewing and really tasting can transform your experience of a meal. Beware: If you typically chomp once and swallow twice (to force the knot of food down your gullet), chewing your food can be a real chore and even make your jaw sore from the exercise.

2. Use chop sticks.

Another version of this is to put down your utensils between bites. I don’t know about you, but I’m a habitual shoveler. Always the first to start and first to finish a meal, usually in record time, my fork is a blur swinging from plate to mouth and back again. If I’m at all stressed or worked up about something, it’s even worse. In fact, plowing through a meal can add to my stress and sense of harriedness (yeah, not totally sure that’s a word, but you get what I mean).

It is soooo hard for me to eat slowly, but I know slowing down makes a huuuuuge difference in how well I digest my food (dribbles vs a deluge for my system to deal with – see “chewing” above), how much I enjoy the meal (I really get to taste and experience it when I don’t Hoover it up) and how much I eat (eating slowly gives my parasympathetic nervous system time to alert my brain that food is here, so calm down, and to recognize and signal when I’m truly satisfied).

When I’m really feeling stressed and speedy, I reach for chop sticks, which immediately slows down (and decreases the volume of) what I shovel into my face. I also have to focus on what I’m doing in order to grab or scoop a bite, so I pay more attention to the food than the computer in front of me or the papers on my desk. Because of the modest effort chop sticks require (for me), I also tend to wait longer before diving back in (if you’re a proficient chop stick wielder, this may not hold the same incentive, but you can make it. Choosing chops sticks could be a symbolic reminder to eat more slowly). All of this adds up to greater mindfulness. I am focused on what I’m doing, my attention less likely to split. I slow down and enjoy my experience more. I make a choice each time I take a bite – am I still hungry, do I want another bite, what exactly do I want next?

Putting my fork or spoon down between bites feels more contrived than the natural slowness chopsticks give me, but this also helps slow the train down. (You can apply the same one-bite-at-a-time spirit to other situations, such as that bag of chips. Try taking one at a time and completely eating it – chew, chew, chew – before reaching for another.)

3. When you eat, eat.

Make having a meal a complete activity and not part of multi-tasking (she writes, having just finished lunch at her desk while editing this post… oy). This is easier when you have someone to eat with; a meal is a great time to check in with friends and loved ones (how was your day?), to share the experience of the meal (how is your food?), to be completely present, to stay in the “rest and digest” parasympathetic mode and out of the “fight or flight” sympathetic nervous system mode.

Eating alone is a little different. It’s a lot harder to turn off your brain, to focus on this one thing instead of pairing the meal with another activity, such as catching up on emails or watching television. It’s hard but so worth it to simplify what our mind is focused on, to give your overactive, multi-tasking self a break.

I’m going out to dinner tonight. The restaurant will be jumping, wine will flow, there may even be some flirting. Paying attention to my food by savoring and extravagantly chewing each bite, sharing my experience of each course, putting down the chopsticks between bites and taking my time to eat the meal will all help me stay mindful during dinner and keep my parasympathetic nervous system engaged.

Bon Appetit.