Natural Gourmet Center

National Gluten-Free Day

msarill — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 02:58:13 +0000

National Gluten-Free Day msarill Wed, 06/12/2019 - 22:58 January 11, 2016

Sunday, January 13, is Nation Gluten-Free Day, although some sources state it’s the second Monday in January. Whichever day you celebrate it, here’s what you should know about the food holiday.

A protein found in grains like wheat, barley, rye, and triticale, gluten helps give breads, cakes, and pastas their form and the texture we love. Gluten can also be found in a number of foods including soy sauce, seasoning blends, salad dressings, chicken broth, and vodka.

If you’re avoiding gluten, read your labels carefully. It can also trigger an autoimmune response in people with celiac disease, about 1 in 133 Americans, or 3 million people. Gluten damages the villi in the small intestine, reducing the body’s ability to absorb nutrients into the blood stream. This can lead to malnourishment and a variety of other illnesses and diseases. Celiac disease is a genetic disorder that can lie dormant until it’s triggered by a stressful event. Because of the range of symptoms associated with celiac disease, it can be difficult to diagnose. Testing for celiac disease includes an antibody blood test, a genetic test, and a biopsy of the small intestine. 18 million people—six times the number of people with celiac disease—have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. This is still being researched, with studies indicating it may be sensitivity to something else in grains or even FODMAPs. If you suspect you have a gluten sensitivity, consult with your doctor.

This post was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center.

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New Concepts in Diet: The Old Traditions

msarill — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 02:49:46 +0000

New Concepts in Diet: The Old Traditions msarill Wed, 06/12/2019 - 22:49 NGI Founder Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D. discusses the importance of using the food traditions of our ancestors in our diets today. December 13, 1994

By Natural Gourmet Center

In honor of NGI's final days at 48 W. 21st Street, we’ve dug into our archives to find some of our favorite articles written by Natural Gourmet Institute founder, Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D. This series celebrates her teachings on food, science and nutrition, which are now more prominent than ever in the better food movement. Dr. Colbin was a true visionary: inquisitive, intuitive, relentless, progressive and thoughtful. In the late 1970s, she recovered important facts about food that humanity seemed to have misplaced – namely, that what we eat directly impacts our well-being, our communities and our planet.

The article below was written by Dr. Colbin for Free Spirit Magazine in the April-May 1998 issue.

For more than 30 years I have been teaching that we should eat according to the wise traditions of our ancestors. Much of my work is based on a book I read in 1967 called "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration," by Dr. Weston Price. Dr. Price, a dentist, traveled the world during the 1930s, studying the diets of eleven different population groups, and observing the condition of each group’s teeth. In all cases, he found that the populations who lived on their native diets had fine teeth, well-developed dental arches, and easy childbirth. Those who had adopted the refined food of Western civilization (sugar, white flour, canned vegetables, jams and pastries) had a steep rise in dental problems, crowded teeth, malformed jaws and difficulty with childbirth. Dr. Price’s findings have been continuously kept in print by his Price-Pottenger Foundation. The work of Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, PhD., is firmly based on Dr. Price’s material.

I first encountered Fallon and Enig’s studies in an article in Health Freedom News in September 1995, called “Soy Products for Dairy Products? Not so fast…” This article sent shock wave through our school and we spent a lot of time discussing it. In essence, what Fallon and Enwig say is that soybeans, along with other grains and beans, are high in enzyme inhibitors which “block the action of trypsin and other enzymes needed for protein digestion. These inhibitors can produce gastric distress, reduced protein digestion, and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake. The soybean also contains hemagglutinin, a clot-promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together. Trypsin inhibitors and hemagglutinin have been rightly labeled growth depressant substances.” Second-generation Japanese in America grow taller than their native ancestors and that may be, Fallon and Enig contend, because of the reduced phyttate content of the American diet. “Asian children,” they write, “who do not get enough meat and fish to counteract the effects of high phytate diet frequently suffer rickets, stunting, and other growth problems.” These two researchers go on to state that “soybeans are high in phytic acid or phytate.” This organic acid, present in all seeds and grains, blocks the uptake of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and especially zinc. The trypsin inhibitors and the phytates are deactivated with soaking and fermentation, but not as much with cooking or precipitating. For both reasons, then tofu and soy milk are not such good food choices, as they both are high in trypsin inhibitors and phytates. The best soy foods, therefore, are naturally fermented soy sauce or shoyu, miso, tempeh and natto.

Fallon and Enig point out that traditionally, the Japanese consume tofu with a mineral-rich fish broth (or miso soup, from my experience), which helps counter their negative effects, since animal proteins reduce the mineral-blocking effects of the phytates. While many people are allergic to milk, allergies to soy products are nearly as common. Turning to imitation dairy products made from soy (soy milk, soy cheese, soy yogurt) may therefore not be such a good idea, both because of phytates and because of their allergenic potential. Fallon and Enig are co-authors, with Patricia Connolly, of a book that should be next to Price’s in any well-stocked health library: "Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politcally-Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats."

In a nutshell, there are some basic concepts in this book. Nourishing traditional foods include those that our ancestors ate: fresh organically raised meats, fowl, eggs; organ meats such as liver and kidneys from healthy animals; seafood from deep sea waters; fish eggs; fermented soy and milk products; raw, cultured butter and cream from healthy cows; extra virgin olive oil, small amounts of flax, coconut, and other unrefined tropical oils. Fats from healthy, organically raised animals are prized for their essential fatty acid and fat-soluble vitamin content; many studies show that in traditional natural food diets, animal fats are associated with a lower rate of heart disease. To inactivate the phytates, whole grain products and beans should be soaked for eight hours in acidulated water before cooking. They recommend adding two tablespoons of whey to each cup of soaking water, but I found that one tablespoon raw balsamic vinegar or umeboshi vinegar also works. Nuts should be soaked the same way or dried in a very low oven rather than consumed raw or toasted. Naturally fermented vegetables such as pickles and sauerkraut are recommended as regular side dishes to aid in the digestion of grains, beans and protein.

I believe there are a lot of valuable ideas in Fallon and Enig’s work. Even if you are vegan, the practice of soaking, fermenting grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and vegetables, and cooking with vegetable stocks, can only increase digestibility and nutritional content of your meals. I found that adding a piece of kombu to the stock or a tablespoon of agar to the soup, adds valuable minerals without the need for animal products. Try some of these techniques, and see for yourself. Soaked and dried walnuts are an unexpected treat!

This post was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center.

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Vegetarian Sides for Your Thanksgiving Table

msarill — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 02:47:09 +0000

Vegetarian Sides for Your Thanksgiving Table msarill Wed, 06/12/2019 - 22:47 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/thanksgiving%20sides%20header.jpg.webp?itok=wkoB6gcA November 8, 2015

By Natural Gourmet Center

With Thanksgiving around the corner, many of us are planning menus, making grocery lists and starting to buy some staples.

As with many of our holidays, Thanksgiving is about family and friends, and of course food. When we spend time with loved ones in an intimate setting, it reminds us of the importance of community while enjoying food that nourishes our bodies. We’ve rounded up our favorite vegetarian side dishes to share with your loved ones this Thanksgiving holiday.

Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower and Mushroom Sautee with Fresh Herbs: Brighten your favorite seasonal veggies with fresh oregano and parsley.
Sweet and Sour Green Beans: Give this classic dish a flavorful, fun twist with agave syrup and white wine vinegar.
Herbed Sourdough Stuffing with Mushrooms and Chestnuts: Many stuffing recipes are not vegetarian-friendly. Try this vegan version with two types of mushrooms, fresh herbs, and roasted chestnuts to give it a savory depth of flavor.
Yam Casserole: Skip the mashed potatoes and make this warming, sweet and savory dish.
Celery Tarragon: With just a few ingredients, transform celery into a delicious, umami-rich masterpiece.
Leek Pie: This dish takes some time and patience, but your vegetarian guests will be thanking you once they take a bite.
Watercress and Radish Salad: Bring this lighter dish to your Thanksgiving table to balance out the heavier dishes.

This post was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center.

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The Science of Perfect Pie

msarill — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 02:29:21 +0000

The Science of Perfect Pie msarill Wed, 06/12/2019 - 22:29 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/pie%20header.jpg.webp?itok=XWSQJQFC September 6, 2016

By Natural Gourmet Center

Pie season is officially here. Whether you're a seasoned pie maker or learning to make pie for the first time, these tips from NGI alum Cheryl Perry, a professional baker and author of the cookbook "For the Love of Pie: Sweet and Savory Recipes," will help you improve your pie making game.

Starting with the foundation of pie, here are some tips for ensuring success in making the best crust.

For the crust:

Colder is better: Keep your crust ingredients cold. Cold inhibits gluten development, so cold butter, ice cold water, and even cold flour will help to ensure a tender and flaky pastry.
Avoid bleach: Use a high quality, unbleached all-purpose flour that is not enriched. Bleached flour is just that, bleached. Try to avoid this at all costs. Bleaching lowers gluten content, which makes it difficult to have a pie crust that holds together. The 11% gluten found in all-purpose flour yields the perfect tenderness in a crust.
A little acid goes a long way: Add a little acid to your dough. Whether it be fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, acid retards gluten development. One teaspoon will do the job, and it can replace some of the water you add.
The more pieces of butter, the better: Be sure to leave pea-sized pieces of butter. Butter is made up of 3 parts: milk solids, butter fat, and water. As the pea-sized pieces of butter melt, the water heats and creates steam, which lifts the pockets to create a flaky pastry.
Leavener is your friend: Add a leavener to your dough. Baking powder is a leavener (a substance that causes expansion of doughs and batters by the release of gases), so by adding a teaspoon to your crust, it will assist the butter in creating a flaky pastry. Baking powder is essential in vegan pastry dough where you don't have butter pockets creating steam.

Once you've created the perfect crust, you need the perfect filling. Here are tips for the most popular seasonal pies: apple and pumpkin.

For apple pie:

Water is not your friend: Apples, like most fruits, are mostly water. Water is the enemy of a fruit-filled pie because it make your pie mushy and your crusts soggy. To combat having a watery pie, mix apples with the other filling ingredients (sweetener, cinnamon, salt, etc.) for 30 minutes. This pulls a lot of moisture from the fruit. Strain the mixture and reduce the strained liquid in a saucepan by half. The liquid should have a caramel-like consistency.
Get zesty: Add lemon zest to fruit pies instead of lemon juice. Fruit loves lemon, and the bright flavors of lemon zest do a better job of enhancing fruit flavors without adding extra liquid. I like to think of lemon as the salt of the fruit world.
Balance sweetness with salt: That being said, you should still add a pinch of salt to all fruit pies.
Let your pie breathe: Cut steam vents. This will help liquids that are present evaporate into steam.
Thicken your filling: Add a starchy thickener and be sure you see the liquids bubbling before removing your pie from the oven. When adding a thickener, be it arrowroot powder, kuzu powder, or organic non-GMO cornstarch, it must be heated to a boil to activate. Otherwise, you will not only have a watery pie, but it will be chalky from the starch thickener.

For pumpkin pie:

Let your filling sit overnight: Make the filling a day ahead. Letting your filling sit in the refrigerator overnight allows the spices you've added to the pumpkin filling to develop, creating a truly flavorful pie.
A little lemon zest does wonders: Add lemon zest to the filling as an unexpected way to enhance the flavors.
Bake until the outer edge sets: For a pumpkin pie with a smooth surface, free of any cracks or craters, bake the custard until the outer edge is just set and slightly puffed. The center of the pie should remain jiggly (but not liquidy). This might make a pie baker concerned that their filling will be under cooked, but my rule of thumb is 1 1/2-inches from the edge should be set (not jiggly) and the carry over from the set edge will finish cooking the remaining custard.
Get creative with your custard filling: Try adding something unusual to your custard, maybe a little spiced rum and coconut milk instead of whole milk.
Blend your own spices: Mix your own pumpkin spice mix instead of using a pre-made version. Not only will you be able to ensure the freshness of the spices, but you can control the balance of the different spices. For an extra-special touch, use freshly grated nutmeg and a touch of cardamom. Adding some Chinese 5-spice powder is an unusual, and delicious, twist.
Mix in other orange produce: Lastly, you can always mix 1/2 the pumpkin with baked pureed yam, butternut squash, or sweet potato for a deeper flavor.

There you have it. Now get baking!

This post was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center and see upcoming pie classes.

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How Well Are You Feeding Your Body?

msarill — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 02:21:50 +0000

How Well Are You Feeding Your Body? msarill Wed, 06/12/2019 - 22:21 September 1, 2018

By Natural Gourmet Center

Almost two years ago — after nearly 15 years of working in technology and telecommunications firms — I was offered a role at a cooking school. As I weighed the decision and discussed with friends, all of them responded the same way: why are you even debating this? This is perfect for you!

My friends knew how passionate I was about food and cooking, and I think they wondered why I took so long to recognize that a job in the food industry was my calling. I love every aspect of food: from the sensual experiences of touching, tasting, smelling, eating; to the cerebral experiences of studying, learning and experimenting; and of course, the contextual experiences of sharing, travel and culture. But my relationship with food, well, that’s complicated.

Rationally and theoretically, via personal study and through Natural Gourmet Institute’s Culinary Nutrition and Food Therapy certificate programs, which I was fortunate enough to take, I know what to eat to fuel my body and to meet my macronutrient and micronutrient needs. I know that the DASH diet (which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and not a fast-and-furious diet) can help me manage my blood pressure and what foods to eat to add more potassium to my diet (bananas, orange juice, and yogurt). However, when it comes to the practical applications of this, I’m not as successful as I’d like to be. [As a total aside, how many of you get frustrated when you're told to incorporate more of a specific vitamin, mineral, or essential nutrient to your diet, and when you ask how, they stare at you blankly and then suggest supplements?]

This came to light during a session I had with our Director of Nutrition Education, Celine Beitchman, who asked that I participate in a case study as she pursues an advanced degree in nutrition. Part of the exercise involved keeping a food journal, which I found very enlightening, for one eye-opening reason: it highlighted that I am very inconsistent in my eating habits. It's especially jarring since I've been writing about having a better relationship with food and making better food decisions as I explored the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population.

I work in a school that honors and adheres to Annemarie Colbin's Seven Principles of Food Selection, principles that my parents have practiced as well, although they hadn't codified it as Annemarie so wisely did. So why did I go off track? I lost mindfulness. I neglected self-care at the most basic level: to feed and nurture my body. I became too busy for myself.

“I Love Food Day” is on September 9, and I invite you all to take note of what you eat for a few days, no matter how mindful or healthful you may be. Then plug it into a nutrition calculator to see how you are doing. You can find a couple resources here. If you’re on track, that’s fantastic and you should give yourself a pat on the back. If you have areas of improvement, that’s also great because now you know and can take steps to ensure you’re getting all the macronutrients and micronutrients to be the healthiest you.

This is massively important to our health, and we need to accept that our nutritional needs are going to change as we get older and cycle through different stages of life, as we gradually accumulate bad habits, and as our food preferences change. It does mean investing time in yourself, and you are worth it. After all, how can you be productive, help others or even feel happy if you don't take care of yourself first? Knowledge is power. Then it's up to us to take actions to achieve positive results.

This story was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center.

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Pantry Top Five Recipe Edition: Rice Vinegar

msarill — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 02:21:49 +0000

Pantry Top Five Recipe Edition: Rice Vinegar msarill Wed, 06/12/2019 - 22:21 September 5, 2016

By Natural Gourmet Center

September acts as the new year for many with the relaxing summer ending and the pace beginning to pick up in our daily lives. This time of the year is the perfect time to start fresh and revamp your pantry.

Just swapping out a few ingredients in your pantry can make a positive impact on your health. Chef Elliott Prag has shared his top five pantry staples based on macrobiotics, an old Japanese tradition based on eating foods that promote balance. These are five quality ingredients that are delectable, shelf stable, and health-giving. We’ve covered recipes for gomasio, miso, umeboshi paste, and kuzu, and finally, we are rounding things up with a recipe for rice vinegar. Rice vinegar, which is common to Asian cuisine, is subtle and versatile. It is less acidic than many other varieties, which makes it an ideal option for dressings, sauces, and even desserts. Chef Elliott recommends making a sweetened cashew cream with a bit of rice vinegar thrown in for balance: it tastes like cream cheese frosting! When it comes to using rice vinegar at NGI, we prefer organic brown rice vinegar from a high-quality source and Japanese style with about 4% acidity.

This simple citrus salad is a staple for NGI Chef Instructor and Director of Nutrition Education, Celine Beitchman, who also suggests keeping rice vinegar in your pantry. The hint of brown rice vinegar gives it a delicious, delicate tang. Roughly chopping or pulsing the citrus in a food processor turns this stand-alone fruit salad into a relish for fish, tofu steaks, or grilled meat.

FENNEL-KISSED ZINGY ORANGE SALAD

Yield: 1.5 cups (two ¾ cup servings)

2 juicing oranges, peeled, cut into sections, pith and seeds removed.
1 clementine or mandarin orange, peeled, cut into sections, pith and seeds removed.
10 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped or torn
1 teaspoon organic brown rice vinegar
1/8^th teaspoon (1 pinch) fennel polle

Combine oranges, mint, and vinegar. Let sit 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with fennel pollen and serve as is as a parfait layered with Greek-style dairy or non-dairy yogurt, quark, or soured cream.

This post was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center.

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Umeboshi Paste

msarill — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 02:14:04 +0000

Umeboshi Paste msarill Wed, 06/12/2019 - 22:14 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Umeboshi-Paste-header.jpg.webp?itok=ZGR9f9tF Pantry Top Five Recipe November 17, 2018

By Natural Gourmet Center

One of the most frequent questions NGI chef instructors get is “What should I stock my pantry with?” Chef Elliott Prag shared his pantry staples on our blog where he went back to basics and thousands of years of Japanese tradition. One of the items on his list of staples is umeboshi paste, which is pureed pickled Japanese ume plums.

Highly alkaline, antibacterial, and effective in clearing lactic acid, umeboshi paste is known to support both digestion and immunity. It is commonly used for acid indigestion and reflux, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, and even a hangover. Beyond its nutritional benefits, umeboshi paste is commonly utilized for its culinary applications. Use it as an alternative to salt and vinegar, whisk it into olive oil for a simple salad dressing, or use it as a condiment for sushi rolls or other small bites.

As an umami flavor bomb with a rich and tangy taste, umeboshi paste can also provide a cheesy flavor in vegan dishes. When used in conjunction with miso, it can take any dish to the next level. This vegan pesto, which uses both umeboshi paste and miso to create a delicious umami flavor, is perfect for a pasta salad, topped on grilled vegetables, or as a condiment for your veggie burger!

Basil Pine Nut Pesto

5 ounces basil, stemmed
Pinch sea salt
½ cup pine nuts
1 garlic clove
2 teaspoons umeboshi paste
2 teaspoons chickpea miso
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Prepare an ice bath. In a 2 ½-quart pot, bring 2 cups of water to boil. Add basil and pinch of salt. Blanch basil 2-3 seconds. Shock basil in ice bath, drain, and squeeze out excess moisture. Set aside.
Combine and puree pine nuts, garlic, basil, umeboshi paste, and miso in food processor.
Through feed tube, add oil slowly and puree until well combined (20-30 seconds).
Use immediately or store, covered in the refrigerator up to one week or in the freezer for one month or more.

This post was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center.

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Q&A with NGI Alum Gabrielle Kennedy

msarill — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 23:16:02 +0000

Q&A with NGI Alum Gabrielle Kennedy msarill Wed, 06/12/2019 - 19:16 And A Special Recipe! April 12, 2016

By Natural Gourmet Center

Gabrielle Kennedy is a graduate of NGI's Chef’s Training Program. After completing her training at NGI, she dove into the restaurant world, working at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Mercer Kitchen in New York City, and The Ravens vegan restaurant in Mendocino, California. Gabrielle now works as a freelance caterer and private chef, and she recently completed four months of volunteer cooking on Africa Mercy, the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world. Read on to learn about her volunteer work and how attending NGI helped prepare her for this life-changing experience

What led you to enroll in the Chef’s Training Program at NGI? I grew up in Cape Cod and was always very in touch with nature and inspired by what nature could provide. I got into cooking in my late-20’s because I had an interest in nutrition and had been reading tons of books on how food heals people. I enrolled in the Chef’s Training Program because I knew I wanted to make this a career, and NGI was the perfect place to help me do that.

What inspired you to apply to work on Africa Mercy? I worked for six years as a freelance caterer and private chef, but I was looking for more. I wanted to use my skills to give back and really help heal people with food. Quickly after reviewing the programs at Mercy Ships, I knew I wanted to take the leap and apply. Mercy Ships increases access to healthcare throughout the world and every single worker on each hospital ship is a volunteer. It was a unique opportunity onboard the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, so I was thrilled when I was accepted to volunteer.

Tell us about your experience cooking on the ship. We were in Cameroon, Africa. There was a total of 12 of us in the kitchen, and we were cooking for 500 people a day, including the doctors, nurses, patients, and additional volunteers. You don’t need to be a professional chef to volunteer on Africa Mercy, but once the head chef found out that I had went through culinary training, he gave me a more advanced role. The kitchen was split into a hot side where I helped lead the preparation of hot dishes like rice and beans, and a cold side where vegetables were chopped and salads were tossed.

What was the most rewarding experience during your volunteer experience? Volunteers have the opportunity to visit the HOPE Center, which is an off-ship center that Mercy Ships provides for patients in between surgeries, physical therapy, or other follow up appointments on the ship. It is a place for these patients to sleep and eat, that way they don’t have the burden and expense of traveling home, which for many was very far. I loved interacting with the patients, so I tried to visit the center at least once a week. It was an amazing experience to play with the children and watch them heal and recover. It was enlightening to see patients with cleft palates, broken limbs, burns, etc., be transformed and participate in activities they never imagined they would be able to participate in like singing and dancing.

What was the most challenging part of your experience? Just wrapping my head around how much food we would have to prepare on a daily basis was challenging. It was the largest amount of food I had cooked in my life – think eight large hotel pans of cooked rice! I would have to use my intuition with flavor and do my best to keep things simple but delicious.

How did attending the Chef’s Training Program at NGI prepare you for an opportunity like this? NGI gave me the tools to cook in a professional kitchen, which really helped me during my experience on Africa Mercy. The food we were provided to cook with on the ship was local and excellent quality. NGI taught me that natural food often speaks for itself, and I was able to use the general cooking techniques I learned in the Chef’s Training Program to use the natural food we were provided to create delicious, health-supportive dishes.

What was your favorite recipe to make while volunteering on Africa Mercy? There was this African Black-Eyed Peas dish that I loved to make. It was a combination of tomatoes, onions, garlic, turmeric, and fresh black-eyed peas served over rice. It was such a comforting dish with nutritious benefits!

AFRICAN BLACK-EYED PEAS

1 pound dried black eyed peas
1/4 cup neutral oil
2 medium onions
1 habanero pepper (optional)
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger
1 tablespoon garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
6 fresh tomatoes, pureed
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 cup of water or stock
3 scallions chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash dry black-eyed peas. Add beans to a large pot covering with 4-5 inches of water. Cover and let sit for eight hours or overnight.
Drain the soaked beans, rinse, and place the beans in a pot or pressure cooker. Cook beans until tender. Drain the cooked beans and set aside.
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onions and habanero (if using) in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned onions from the bottom of the pot.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, paprika, and cumin. Cook while stirring for about 30 minutes.
Add water or stock to desired consistency. Continue to cook the sauce, stirring occasionally.
Add the cooked beans, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the scallions. Serve over rice or quinoa.

This post was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center.

Recipe Health-Supportive Culinary Arts Natural Gourmet Center Alumni

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Meet Ankur Parikh, M.D.

msarill — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 23:15:56 +0000

Meet Ankur Parikh, M.D. msarill Wed, 06/12/2019 - 19:15 The Natural Gourmet Institute's Former Guest Blogger August 10, 2018

By Natural Gourmet Center

Ankur Parikh, M.D. is an emergency room physician who has his earned a certificate in Food Therapy from NGI, has studied Ayurvedic science and learned advanced culinary techniques at the Basque Culinary Center. Ankur has had a passion for food since he was young. Ankur is a first-generation Gujarati American, and his family, like many others, revolved around the kitchen, the gas burners, the table and all of the space in between.

Here's how Ankur hopes to converge his passion for culinary creation with his passion for medicine.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I was born and have spent most of my life in New York City, currently living in Brooklyn. While time spent living and traveling abroad have challenged and changed me, I identify myself first as a New Yorker and second-generation Indian American, each of which contributes greatly to how I experience the world around me, wherever I am. These experiences have left an indelible impression, resulting in a desire to serve my local community and ultimately influencing my decision to go to medical school. A strong sense of home can do that: make you want to build upon that foundation with respect and gratitude. For me, medicine was a way to enact this feeling.

How did you become interested in cooking?

The kitchen was where the action was when I was a kid. I saw my mom running around mixing spices, making sauces, talking, tasting, singing, feeding guests from the neighborhood and abroad and sending them home satiated. These are the things I remember; the movement and coordination, the thrill in guests’ faces, and how when eating good food you can cycle through a conversation that is both light and heavy at the same time. I wanted a piece of that action, asked a lot of questions, and, over the years, started my own journey, cycling through classes at culinary schools around the world. I love the people in my life, the stories, culture, and history. To be a part of all that and use my hands? It just makes sense. I also like to eat, and that never hurts.

You are open about how your mom’s cooking inspired you. How do you use this inspiration in your own cooking?

I grew up in a matriarchal family. It’s always been my mom, my dad, my brother and me, but she’s always been our strength and the center of our family. That said, she grew up at a time and place that didn’t allow her some of the choices that progress today allowed for. She sacrificed career aspirations and was forced to bite her tongue at times when her voice could have made crucial positive change. But I really believe that one of our deepest mechanisms for resistance is creativity; and while she cooked for her family with love and nostalgia, she also created, modified, and improvised with intellect and resolve. She never stopped adapting her recipes, taking on new ideas and applying them to old ones. She wasn’t scared to change, learn, and move forwards and that courage is something that I bring not only to the kitchen, but to other aspects in my life. We’re always trying to find ways to respect our own history, both collectively and individually, while continuing to evolve, but it is certainly not easy. Having her behind me has certainly helped.

What triggered the correlation between food and health for you?

It just feels logical that what we take in has a strong effect on what we put out. Health typically feels like something inside us but really, it’s something we put out. We can’t wake up in the morning and determine our own blood pressure, hemoglobin saturation, blood glucose specifically, but if we are honest with ourselves, we are usually able to assess the energy we are putting out and how it feels compared to yesterday, last year, or even ten years ago. I think that output of energy is always going to reflect the input of what we’ve consumed, including visual stimuli, thoughts, the people we choose to surround ourselves with and, of course, at the most basic level, what we feed ourselves. It’s fascinating because it’s that simple, and once we recognize that, it becomes trial and error to figure out what makes you feel good and what makes people around you feel good. This exploration should be fun, and I get excited talking about it.

You’ve hosted several pop-up dinners for different causes. What have these experiences been like for you?

To begin, it’s not easy. Organization, repetition, and precision never are easy for me, so I have a ton of respect for those who can practice it every day. As far as collaborating with causes goes, it has been a dream to help raise awareness for organizations that, usually without any glory (or significant individual monetary gain) whatsoever, commit to the small niche that they serve. As I mentioned before, the ability to flow in and out of light and heavy conversation has always been part of my experience with food, both in preparation and consumption. My pop-up dinners provide that forum to have those light and heavy conversations around the complicated societal questions and problem we face. For me, it’s more than just the dinner; it’s using food as the connector that draws us together to have these conversations, combining action with urgency. Though I can’t say I’m raising millions of dollars for anyone, it’s what could be called “Prasad,” a kind of offering to my community.

What are your goals in growing as a cook and physician?

I think it’s always nice and natural to bring worlds together. More and more, I am striving to converge my passion as a chef and for culinary creation with my passion for medicine, and there are a multitude of options to do so these days. But to me, growing has always been less about uncovering absolute answers and more about discovery, about asking questions and understanding that the answers are difficult to find.

This post was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center.

Natural Gourmet Center Food as Medicine Interview

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Pantry Top Five Recipe Edition: Kuzu

msarill — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 23:15:51 +0000

Pantry Top Five Recipe Edition: Kuzu msarill Wed, 06/12/2019 - 19:15 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/kuzu%20header.jpg.webp?itok=6F9QCQ45 Chef Elliott Prag shared his pantry staples on the Natural Gourmet Institute blog, where he went back to basics and thousands of years of Japanese tradition. One of the items on that list is the Japanese culinary root starch, kuzu. May 29, 2018

By Natural Gourmet Center

Kuzu, known in America as kudzu root, has been prized for its medicinal properties in Japan for thousands of years. Ground kuzu is very similar to corn starch, but with incredible healing properties.

Here are five ways to benefit from adding kuzu to your diet:

Digestion: Kuzu is commonly used in macrobiotics for an upset stomach and acid indigestion, as it strengthens and soothes the intestinal lining.
Calming anxiety: Stressed or anxious? Kuzu can help calm the nerves. Doctors who practice Eastern Medicine recommend it for its stress-reducing properties.
Sleeplessness: Since kuzu has calming properties, it can also be used for insomnia or night terrors. For a quick remedy for sleeplessness, Chef Elliott suggests dissolving 1 tablespoon of kuzu in 1 cup apple juice and heating that over a low flame until it thickens.
Fevers/colds: Kuzu contains sterols and isoflavones (puerarin, daidzin, and daidzein); and puerarin has been proven to have strong antioxidant properties, much more than say vitamin E. making it an ideal remedy for helping strengthen the immune system.
Hangover: Kuzu is highly alkalizing, so if you’ve overdone it one night, drink some kuzu tea the next morning to help relieve symptoms.

Mango Ginger Kuzu Drink

By Chef-Instructor Ann Ziata

Great for tension headaches, helps relax the nervous system and can treat insomnia.

1 cup mango juice
2 1/2 tablespoons kuzu
Pinch ground ginger (or ginger juice)

In small pot, combine mango and kuzu.* Stir to combine well.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook until mixture thickens.
Serve hot or cold.

Note: Kuzu has a chalky consistency. Always dissolve it in a small amount of cold fluid before adding it to the simmering liquid.

This post was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center.

Resources:

Ingredient Exploration Recipe Plant-Based

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Recipe steps

Step 1 - In small pot, combine mango and kuzu. Stir to combine well;

Step 2 - Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook until mixture thickens;

Step 3 - Serve hot or cold;