At the moment I am about to embark on rehab. 

SUGAR rehab. 

To support a diabetic friend as well as level out any excess insulin in my own body, we are cutting down sugar dramatically– I’m talking 20 carbs a day for a few weeks. 

That actually would be doable easily diet wise if we both ate meat and eggs, but we don’t. 

So how do virtual vegans (we eat some cheese) do low carb to reset the body from sugar addiction? 

Well below are a list of foods and ideas to get you going. Whether you are trying to loose weight, cut sugar, or are a diabetic in need of getting your diet in order to help your body heal, know you aren’t going it alone! 

First get this: You have taste buds in your INTESTINES that ANY sweet flavor (I’m talking even stevia and agave) cause the intestines to produce insulin. If you are serious about taking a break from sugar, then that includes all tastes that are sweet for this reason. Also, I know eating small meals through out the day is helpful in weight loss land, but in sugar land every time you eat is a chance for your body to produce more insulin! Sticking to three square meals a day if you can is best for diabetics. All of this info is coming from a relatively new program where diet and simple supplements alone are being used to reverse Type 2 diabetes! It’s called THE DIABETES SOLUTION from Barton publishing, and I’m trying it with a client of mine! Wanna do it with us and get daily recipes? 

Email: Kitchenkoachla@gmail.com 

Breakfast: 

Flax Muffins With Melted Coconut Oil 

Crustless Silken Tofu & Broccoli Quiche 

Delicious Tofu Scrambled Eggs 

Lunch: 

Gazpacho W/ Avocado 

Almond "Tuna" Salad

Sesame Garlic Kale Salads 

Creamy Tomato & Kale Soup 

Broccoli Fennel Soup 

Snacks: 

Almond Hummus & Crudite 

Easy Homemade Flax Crackers (no dehydrator needed!) 

Dinners: 

Spinach and Paneer Soup 

Boiled Artichokes with Chipotle Veganese Dip

Almond Tahini Steamed Tofu & Veggie Bowl 

Tofu Mushroom Burgers  

Roasted Tomatoes & Broccoli w/ Chive Cauliflower Whip 

Make It Easy By Making It Ahead. 

What is luck? Where preparation meets opportunity! 

The more you prepare for your coming day, week, or month, especially when it concerns your eating habits then really you’re making your own health success luck! 

My favorite things to make ahead for the week are: 

– Salad dressings (i.e. marinade- hot food dressing- prepared salad dressing) 

– Pesto (i.e. add to mayo- add to roasted veggies – add lemon for salad dressing) 

– Hummus (You can sub almonds for chickpeas- delicious!) 

– Ready to go salad greens (like kale or chard you buy fresh) 

All of these items take about 30 minutes or less to make on a Sunday afternoon, so stock your fridge with items that will make preparing healthy meals and snacks a cinch through out your week. 

Below is my current favorite dressing that has been used this week as a sauce for steamed tofu and vegetables as well as a dressing for Broccoli Slaw. 

Creamy Asian Dressing 

yield: 1/2 cup dressing (you’re gonna want to do double or triple for the week) 

2 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos, Soy Sauce, tamari, or ume plum vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil-cold pressed organic if possible
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons grated ginger
2 tsp raw sesame tahini
Celtic sea salt to taste

Instructions:  Wisk all dressing ingredients together in a measuring cup, or shake in a closed jar. 

Om Eating Challenge!

If you take a look at the article titled ‘You are HOW you Eat’ this article is a follow up challenge to you to! It’s the "OM Eating Challenge" as you chew, mentally repeat om with each bite. Try it for a meal and see how you feel! The energy you eat your food in goes right into your system via your food, so use the powerful energy of om as you chew for a seriously nourishing meal.



Don’t like om? Try MA 😉 (short for mother).

Did you know that whatever energetic or emotional state you’re in when you’re eating gets translated and ingested with the food you eat– which means that specific energy gets stored into all your cells! So, if you’re angry or rushed when you eat then that energy GROWS more roots in your being via your food!

Prevent the deepening of internal negative energies by practicing the act of dropping your mind, which allows you to be in a calm state when you cook and eat your food. You can drop your mind by focusing on your facial expression, the palm of your hand, or by being aware of each bite you take or vegetable you cut. Your mind ‘drops’ when your mind goes silent: no thoughts AND even better when there’s no thoughts and no vibrations inside stirring between your throat and your stomach. If you feel vibrations inside just put your attention on them until they settle or go away entirely.



This practice is ESSENTIAL  to do throughout your day for breaking up internal energy patterns that constantly try and take us out of awareness. So whether you’re at a stop light, taking a bite of your lunch, or feeling unpleasant emotions inside remember to drop your mind and settle those emotions and vibrations with your attention for ultimate control of your health and consciousness!

I used to work at a premiere sushi restaurant in LA and got completely spoiled with my afterwork doggie bags. That time was also in the days when I still ate fish. Alas, those days are gone and as a vegan I still do LOVE the flavors associated with sushi. So, how do I get my sushi fix with out my dear restaurant days? 

DECONSTRUCTED  SUSHI BOWL

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS: 

 A BIG Bowl 🙂

1 cup sweet brown or black rice*

2 cups water

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 bunches radishes

¼ cup sake

1 tablespoon soy sauce or ume plum vinegar (alkaline and salty!)

1 tablespoon mirin (or seasoned rice vinegar) 

Toppings (any or all of the following) 

Avocado wedges

Cucumbers slices

Carrots, julienned 

Green onions, sliced

Jicama, julienned

Zuchinni, julienned 

pickled onions

marinated mushrooms 

Sunflower Sprouts

Seared or Marinated Tofu/Tempeh  

Sesame seeds (or blend called GOMASIO)

Nori (or seaweed snack from trader joes!) 

Pickled Ginger

Siracha Sauce

Seared or cooked fish of your choosing  

DIRECTIONS 

1) Before starting, rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear.

2) Combine the rice with the 2 cups of water. Bring rice to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook for cook time on package  (20-45 minutes)  Remove pot from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain any excess water. 

3) In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, vinegar, and salt. Pour over the still-warm rice and stir until rice is coated. Cover and set aside until ready to use. I like putting it in the fridge ‚¬Â¦) 

4) Rinse and cut the radishes in half lengthwise then cutting each half into ¼” thick slices. Heat the sake, soy sauce, and mirin in a large skillet. Once warm, add the sliced radishes and cook, stirring occasionally until radishes are tender but still have a bit of crispness left. If you don’t want to cook the radishes, you can also marinate them for a half hour instead. 

5) Assemble the sushi bowls by dividing the rice in half and topping each bowl with radishes and an assortment of toppings. Serve with extra soy sauce or ume plum vinegar. 

SALAD MAKEOVER!

It’s really hot. I mean really, really hot outside, and consequently INSIDE. So, what’s a gal in a heatwave to do? 

Eat cooling foods like our forever versatile friend SALAD of course! 

I know many people easily fall into salad ruts where salads slowly start to lack variety, nutrient density, or enthusiasm. 

Here are a few tips to keep you and your cooling salads lively during these hot months: 

– Use a combination of oils: namely add flax oil, nut oils (hazelnut is my favorite), or avocado oil to your already delicious olive or sesame oil dressings. This gives your salad a secret boost of omegas and flavor 🙂 

– Keep whole grains cooked and on hand in your fridge: Have quinoa, lentils, millet, barley, brown rice, jasmine rice, black rice, faro, or whole wheat israeli cous cous in a container ready to be sprinkled atop your salads for bulk, fiber, and extra protein. (I like a combo of lentils + basmati rice). If you’re not into whole grains then pop on top some drained canned beans like garbanzos or black beans. 

– Add some serious crunch:  Have on hand slivered almonds, walnuts, hemp seeds, cut up seaweed snack, pepitas, or sunflower seeds for some satisfying texture, minerals, healthy fat, and serious protein. 

– Experiment with vinegars: Foodies everywhere are creating amazing vinegars, but some of my standby favorites are Trader Joes Orange Muskat Vinegar,  Seasoned Rice Vinegar, Ume Plum Vinegar (it’s salty and alkaline!!) Sherry Vinegar, and Balsamic vinegar (after you bring it to a boil in a saucepan).  

– Diversify your leafy greens: Don’t just eat kale, bibb, romaine, etc. Purchase mixed bags of greens or make your own mix. Maybe pair a sweeter green with a more spicy one (like spinach + arugula). Try and have at least two different types of greens in your salad for optimum nutrient density and flavor. 

– It’s OK to have Jarred Salad Ingredients: Think marinated artichoke, fire-roasted pepper strips, greek olives, or the exotic jackfruit. All are jarred delights that won’t go bad in a week, and they add depth of flavor and nutrition to your salads. 

– Make your own dressings: Dressings made from scratch taste better and fresher, plus they have way more nutrient density than those ancient plastic bottles sitting on your grocery store shelf. I like to make dressings ahead of time in my blender and keep them in my fridge for the week. Here are some of my favorite combos to get you started: 

fresh garlic + lemon + salt + olive oil + nutritional yeast (or parmesan cheese) 

fresh garlic + fresh ginger + tamari + apple cider vinegar + olive (or sesame) oil, 

tahini + lemon + green onions + flax oil + salt + pepper + sherry vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) 

balsamic vinegar + lemon + agave syrup + olive oil + salt 

Now, are you STILL in a salad rut? I hope not 😉 

It’s really starting to feel like summer time in Los Angeles (even if it’s snowing in my hometown in Ohio), and while we don’t have a sweet tea tradition here, we can start a new tradition: Hibiscus Tea. It’s been sipped across the world and across centuries for a myriad of health benefits. Most recently (I’m talking in the past five years) a few landmark studies have come out about the benefits of hibiscus tea on dramatically lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure.  Enjoy this tart and slightly sweet version of Hibiscus tea for the summer and for your heart health! 

Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Tea)

Makes 2 1/2 Quarts

Ingredients:

2 quarts water (8 cups.)
1 c. dried hibiscus flowers (found in the mexican spices aisle) 
1/2 cinnamon stick
4 tbs. honey
2 c. apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
a few thin slices of fresh ginger (opt.)

Directions:
1. Put 4 cups of the water, 4 tbs. honey, cinnamon stick, and ginger slices in a medium saucepan. Heat until boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in the dried hibiscus flowers.

2. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain into a pitcher and discard the used hibiscus flowers, ginger, and cinnamon. This makes a concentrate. (At this point you can store ahead the concentrate until ready to make the drink.)

3. Add remaining 4 cups of water and 2 cups of apple juice to the concentrate, and chill. Serve over ice with a slice of orange or lime. For a festive hibiscus punch you can add ice and chilled soda water for a bubbly version along with a little lime juice. 

I am so honored to be a part of Lissa’s team of spreading ancient wisdom for our modern life!