Bon Appetit!

This summer Ryan and I travelled to Belgium to visit his family & family friends and to do some sightseeing, but most of all, to eat. We stayed with our good friends Valerie and Marc who live just outside of Brussels. On the plane ride over I gave Ryan a crash course on useful French words and phrases like “hello,” “thank you,” and “where is the bathroom?” But when I peaked over at the vocabulary list he was generating, all he had written was “biere,” “saucisson,” “fromage,” and a list of fifty other things he planned to eat and drink on our European vacation.

Most of our itinerary revolved around finding waffle stands to hit up near Le Grand Place, locating the brasseries with the best beer selections, or finding a place where we could get our next Speculoos ice cream fix ([spek-yuh-lohs] – noun. A delicious, gingery, cinnamony, graham crackery-like cookie that can be found in ice creams and chocolates or ground up into a nutella-like paste to make other things taste more delicious). We also spent countless hours wandering the aisles of the Belgian grocery chain Delhaize picking out fresh breads, creamy cheeses, and Belgian chocolates & beer to “bring home to our friends.” 

  

Thankfully, Valerie and Marc appreciate food just as much as we do. Valerie owns and works at a deli in downtown Brussels where she makes delicious sandwiches with fresh ingredients. According to Valerie, we (Americans) don’t have any “real” bread, milk, cheese or chocolate in this country. I don’t want to be unpatriotic, but when I thought about it I realized that most of the brands I like best are actually European: Cote D’Or chocolate or any brand of Brie cheese I buy at the store, for example. And I have to admit that the sandwich Valerie made me was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had (much tastier than most of the deli sandwiches I've had over here): Spanish ham with mozzarella cheese, tomato slices, olive oil, and salt & pepper on a fresh baguette.

 Valerie and Marc also made us some delicious Belgian dinners during our stay: foie gras (goose liver), moules frites (mussels & fries), boudin blanc (white sausage made with breadcrumbs & cream), & lapin a la Gueuze (rabbit stewed in Gueuze beer). Most of our meals consisted of three or more courses starting with breads and salamis and inevitably ending with a cheese platter that I was always too full to eat, but accepted anyway. We were also given an endless supply of incredible French wines and Belgian beers (my favorites: Hoegaarden, Leffe Blonde, Moinette Blonde & Boon Kriek). Among one of the more decadent meals that Valerie and Marc prepared for us was foie gras stuffed ravioli in cream sauce topped with more foie gras … followed by a cheese platter.

The best cheese I've ever had!

Foie gras ravioli

  

Valerie’s philosophy on food is: “We have to enjoy every single meal because we really don’t know where we’ll be tomorrow.” Marc & Valerie certainly make sure to make every meal count. Almost every night of our visit they hosted a party of ten or more people for lunch and dinner. Their meals were drawn out for two or three hours so people could drink and visit between eating. And although Ryan and I couldn’t understand most of the conversations at the dinner table, there was something nice about not rushing through our meals. Many American families sit for about 15-20 minutes for a meal and this might be the only time they spend together throughout the day. But Marc and Valerie, and many Europeans, like to savor their food and use mealtimes to engage in good conversation. For them, eating is about socializing and enjoying life.

One of our first nights in Belgium Marc and Valerie prepared this recipe for us:

Moules, ail, crème et vin blanc (Mussels with garlic, cream and white wine)



Marc cooking mussels

 1L Mussels/person, some butter, onions, parsley, celery, white wine, garlic, cream, salt, pepper

Put the butter in a big pot, chop the onion and let them cook slowly. Chop the celery and add it to the onions. Add some salt and pepper. When the onions are transparent, add the mussels (you have to rinse them several time beforehand in cold water to avoid sand). Add a glass of white wine, garlic and parsley. Cover the pot and shake the mussels so that they all mix with the vegetables. It will take only a few minutes for the mussels to be cooked. The mussels are cooked when they have all opened. A few seconds before stopping the cooking add the cream.
You can serve the mussels directly in the pot with some French fries. The best part, when you have eaten all the mussels is to drink the “mussel soup.”
You can also mix some mayo and some mustard to dip the mussels.

Bon appétit!!
 

Valerie and me getting ready to eat!



The Healing Power of Food

Kundalini Yoga & Yogi Bhajan

My roommate Joanna practices Kundalini yoga, which is used to raise the energy of the soul. It is believed that there is a coil of energy that rests at the bottom of the human spine and that through breathing techniques such as pranayama, mantra, and physical exercises, it is possible to release and use this energy. Yogi Bhajan brought the practices of Kundalini yoga to the West, including the use of food to help support yogic practices and heal the human body. Joanna likes intense, spicy and pungent foods that energize her for practicing yoga. It’s not unusual for me to see her sneak spices into conventionally non-spicy foods (i.e. jalapeno pancakes).



Kundalini Energy Rising Through the Body



A Short History of Ayurveda

The use of food for healing purposes is a very old idea. The ancient Indian medical system known as Ayurveda was recorded as far back as 1000 B.C. It is closely connected to both Buddhism and Hinduism and is often used in conjunction with yoga and meditation. Ayurveda literally translates to “the science of life.” According to Angela Hope Murray in her book Discover Ayurveda, “health is defined as perfect balance between body, mind, spirit and the environment; ayurvedic techniques focus on achieving that balance.” Key principles of this system are that the patient is involved with his/her own well-being and there is an emphasis on preventing instead of treating illnesses. This can be done by determining which foods are the most beneficial for your body type.

The Three Doshas:

In Ayurveda there are three main doshas, or energies, that define what kind of physical makeup we have: Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Vata is a combination of air and ether. The nature of this energy is erratic, unable to retain mass and  dissipates energy.

Pitta is a combination of fire and water. The nature of this energy is intense with a tendency to dismiss control of both energy and mass.

Kapha is a combination of water and earth. The nature of this energy is laid back and retains mass easily with poor expression of energy.

According to Hope-Murray, all bodies are made up of a combination of these elements and require certain foods to help them balance their energies. What body type are you and what does it mean? Click here to take the quiz.

Food as Medicine

Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa also recognizes our “biochemical uniqueness” in his book Food as Medicine: How to Use Diet, Vitamins, Juices, and Herbs for a Healthier, Happier, and Longer Life. In this book, he includes specific recipes that can be used for every type of ailment imaginable. He suggests eating raisins for those who are trying to quit smoking, and mint tea and garlic juice to relieve a hangover. From allergies and acne to attention deficit disorder and chemotherapy, Khalsa has foods that will help ease the body through minor difficulties and major trauma. Yogi Bhajan used the same healing practices in the seventies when he opened up a drug treatment facility in Arizona that used food therapy and Kundalini yoga as a path to recovery. His center had a staggering 91% success rate.       

Joanna’s Favorite Recipes & Diets from Food as Medicine:

Jalapeno Milk

Exactly what it sounds like: blend two or three jalapenos with 8 ounces of milk for about 20 minutes. The milk and the blending help to take the spiciness down a notch. Jalapeno milk is used for staving off colds, since jalapenos are one of the highest natural sources of vitamin C.

The Melon Fast

The Melon fast is a detoxification and cleansing diet that goes as follows: Eat only cantaloupes for three days. The following three days, eat only watermelons, followed by three days of papayas, followed by three days of lukewarm lemon-honey water. On the last day, drink only water at room temperature. Then reverse the diet, starting with one day of lukewarm water. This diet offers a total cleanse. Cantaloupes have a mild laxative effect, watermelon cleanses the liver and kidneys, and papayas help the intestines and aid digestion. The lemon-honey water is used to rid the body of excess mucus. In theory this diet sounds like a great idea and I’m sure my body would feel amazing afterwards, but I can’t imagine myself being able to get through a whole day of my life without a few hearty helpings of carbohydrates and protein.

The Green Diet

For an entire week last year Joanna ate only green foods. I watched with interest as she sipped green tea and snacked endlessly on kale salads and cubes of honeydew melon, certain that she would run out of ideas and just abandon the diet altogether. But the green diet forced Joanna to get creative and she ended up inventing some unexpectedly delicious and completely satisfying recipes such as asparagus with pistachio-parsley pesto. The green diet is used to obtain balance in the body. It is detoxifying and is great for the liver.  

Yogi Tea

The first week that I was living with Joanna I remember being drawn out of my room by the sweet and spicy aroma of yogi tea. Leaning over the pot on the stovetop I peered in at the dregs that looked like a bunch of wet sticks and plants. But the smell was so enticing that I had to try a cup. Maybe it was the lesson that Joanna gave me on the properties of each of the ingredients, but I immediately felt cleansed and invigorated from this powerful drink. I’ve been a tea drinker for a while, but there is a big difference in flavor between the dry little teabags that sit on grocery store shelves for long periods of time, and tea brewed from fresh spices.  

Yogi tea is a version of chai tea made with black pepper, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, black tea and milk. You can also add a little bit of honey if you like. According to yoga therapy masters, the black pepper acts as a blood purifier, cardamom is good for the colon, cloves support the nervous system and cinnamon is good for the bones. Ginger is good for digestion, controlling inflammation or fighting colds or physical weakness. Milk aids in the easy assimilation of the spices and avoids irritation to the colon and stomach. The tea can be made without milk however, for a more detoxifying effect.

Recipe for Yogi Tea (for one 10-ounce cup)

4 whole black peppercorns

4 whole green cardamom pods

3 whole cloves

½ stick cinnamon

½ inch slice fresh gingerroot

Cover and let boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Then add:

½ cup milk

¼ teaspoon black tea

1 teaspoon of honey

Yogic Principles of Eating and Preparing Food

Prepare Food with Love

Both Dr. Khalsa and Joanna swear by this principle. “Haven’t you ever noticed that when your mom cooks for you it’s always better?” Joanna asked me. She claims that the energy you put into your food while making it effects how it tastes. Food is always better when made with love and positive intentions. Yogi Bhajan encouraged the use of mantras while cooking. Mantras hold the vibration of their meaning, and it’s a very good way to imbue food with positive healing energy for whoever is consuming it. Joanna likes to sing “Raj job takhat deean Guru Ram Dass” while cooking, using the chopping of vegetables as her percussion. Yogi Bhajan claimed that if you say this line 40 times while cooking, your dish will have healing powers.  

Acknowledge Where Your Food Comes From & Give Thanks

Before she begins a meal I always hear Joanna whisper “Satnam” and stare thoughtfully at her food, breathing it in. “Satnam is a prayer affirming the trueness in every person and everything,” she says. Before eating, Joanna likes to experience interconnectedness with her food. She thinks about where it came from, about the farmers that grew it, or the animals that contributed to it. This is a practice I’ve come to adopt myself. It’s not easy to slow down and remember to do this every time I eat, but I believe that recognizing the human labor and the effort that went into getting food from the farm to my plate is a small but important way to show my respect and appreciation.

Joanna Drinking Yogi Tea