Food Fetish: Spirulina

Gong Hey Fa Choy!

In this New Year of the Rabbit, it is forecast that we shall indulge in many comforts. But not because we'll have more at our disposal, rather because we will truly appreciate what we already have. This lunar year will allow us to slow our pace, leisurely enjoy family, friends, and food.

Hmmmm. Is this a calm before the storm of 2012's year of the Dragon and Mayan Apocalypse? Who can say. Either way, it's best to enjoy this luxurious reprieve while it lasts.

How do you successfully make that switch from a roaring and boisterous year of the Tiger to a contemplative and serene state of mind where less is more? It's time to look at that list of 'must haves' and decide if everything on there is worth the pain in the ass to acquire. You might decide to remove a few of the material items, and instead consider adding your own vibrant health to that list.

Improving ones exercise and diet routines are obvious paths to good health. But there are other little gems out there that wait like little faery helpers, ready to boost our vitality into the stratosphere: Superfoods! Rather than spending hundreds on vitamin and mineral supplements, capitalize on the bounty of high quality Superfoods. Get your nutrients from your food like Planet Earth intended for you.

"Superfood" is an admittedly vague term, but the way I use it here refers to unprocessed foods which have an exceptional nutrient profile, containing high amount of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants.

This month's Superfood Star is Spirulina . Never heard of it before? Don't be fooled. This is no spiral shaped pasta, to be eaten with cream and other naughty sauces. This is a nutrient-dense blue green algae and a power-house of nutritional goodness. I'll forgive you if you stop reading this in order to sprint to the health food store to pick some up.

Our conversation today is with Mishku. With a back ground in Anthropology and Environmental Studies, and a Vegan Chef herself, Mishku has a strong interest in food security. Take note: she is not interested in feeding the poor, she is interested in nourishing them. A huge fan of Spirulina, she is convinced that this deceptively humble blue green algae can help nourish the world if given the chance. Shauna Eve interviews her in this expose, where the naked truth about health and food politics takes center stage.

We had the good fortune of snagging photographer Zipporah Lomax on her way through Vancouver. This San Francisco native and exceptional talent was just back on the continent after a year in India. Her fresh eyes have the uncanny ability of capturing an air of intimacy and a touch of magic.


SE: Why Spirulina?

M: Spirulina is the epitome of clean, fresh, vibrant food. It is so chock full of nutrients, other more humbly put together foods say "Dang Spirulina! You make us look bad!". And I do not underestimate the psychological effects of knowing this. I supplement my diet with this Superfood every morning by adding it to my shake, juice, or chilled tea (heat destroys spirulina's potency). I have the good fortune of living in a region where I can easily procure it, so what good reason would I have not to do so?

SE: You seem to draw a pretty clear connection between good health and diet.

M: Absolutely. It seems strange to me that this is still up for debate. Henry Rollins once said that we are all born as Ferraris, but we end up treating ourselves like beaters with crappy food and other unhealthy lifestyle choices. How is it that he could capsulize the concept so aptly in that one metaphore, yet doctors are still scratching their heads in fascination at the escalating rates of heart disease and cancer?

Vibrant health is not as mysterious as we make it out to be, but we're all waiting for Oprah to verify our facts for us. Or worse yet, for pharmaceutical companies to concoct a fix-it-all drug that promises salvation from responsibility.

I don't make much money, so my retirement plan is my own healthy body. If you can't afford to have someone change your diapers, make sure you keep fit and clean so you can change your own. HA! No, but really, I believe in taking control of having the second half of your life be just as enjoyable as the first.

SE: What about people who can't afford good quality food?


M: That is an interesting question. If you live in Canada and smoke, drink, indulge in 'retail therapy' or drive a car, you probably qualify as someone who has enough disposable income to afford high quality food. I can't imagine being able to afford driving a car everyday, and some people who drive everyday can't imagine being able to afford organic food. It's a question of values and priorities. If you don't prioritize your health, you risk falling into poor shape. The choice is yours.

There are a lot of people for whom this is not the case. It embarrasses me that in a country so full of bounty, we have people who suffer from malnutrition, either through ignorance or poverty.

Our Food Bank system is a great concept, but often falls short of helping nourish people. What do we donate to food banks every Christmas like clock work? All the crappy processed food at the back of our cupboards that we would never feed ourselves or our families. Kraft Dinner is not food, Chef Boyardi is not food. The people on the receiving end of this help deserve high quality food, not processed and flavoured filler.

If through our tax dollars we can afford to help people when they are sick, we can certainly afford to help people prevent sickness in the first place, no?

SE: What options do we have to deal with this?

M: I had the amazing opportunity to prepare meals and snacks for Vancouver's Downtown East Side Neighbourhood House. I prepared high protein plant based meals. "Cheap and cheerful" food bursting with colours and nutrients. People loved it. People in all segments of society crave clean fresh food, and community. Sharing meals in itself is a therapeutic activity. That's what the Neighbourhood House provides. It was an honour to be a part of it. The world needs more places like that.


SE: So with all your cheerleading for healthy living, do you have any vices?

M: Mmmmm, don't we all? I believe in balance, not abstinence. The trick is enjoying sinful indulgences as treats, not habits.

SE: Mishku, make me dinner will you?

M: Of course, darling.


Photos: Zipporah Lomax
Spirulina:E3
Claw foot tub: Care of Shauna Eve
Eye lashes: Shu Uemura, Holt Renfrew


Green Dream Smoothie

1 T Spirulina
handful of blackberries
1 banana
2 C hemp milk
1 t hemp butter
1/2 C chilled green tea

Blender it up. Serves two.



*Disclaimer: The spirulina species of blue-green algae contains the chemical phenylalanine. This might make phenylketonuria worse. Avoid Spirulina species blue-green algae products if you have phenylketonuria.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/923.html

New Year's Resolution: Eating In

When our hominid ancestors first put flame to food, it must have seemed like quite a magical endeavor. And just imagine the excitement when humans realized that not only could fire give us light, heat and degree of protection against wild animals, but that it could also transform the flavour and texture of our food!

A whole world of edibles opened up including many roots, tubers and leaves that are too tough to eat raw.

There remains a certain amount of mystique around this simple act of applying heat to food. An unfortunate by-product of this can be feelings of intimidation or simply an unwillingness to cook or experiment in the kitchen.

Don't let a few botched attempts at an extravagant recipe discourage you!

It's in your best interest to conquer these feelings of intimidation. Namely because home cooked eating is less expensive than eating out, and it's healthier. What of the convenience? Well, you do have to do your own dishes, however you can also eat in your underwear, while watching TV, with your favourite animal friend by your side. Sign me up!

Here are a few tips to help you enjoy your time in the kitchen:

Attitude:
Food is a conduit for love. Making a meal full of things your body needs is an act of love, as is making a meal for family or friends.

Feeding yourself and others can bring an intense sense of fulfillment when viewed in this light. Revel in it!

Proper tools:
Let's keep things simple shall we? You need a chef's knife and a steel to sharpen it with. These two things are the key to all going smoothly and efficiently. They are desert island type requirements.

Get a proper sized knife that fits comfortably in your hand. Let it be an extension of your arm. Ask the vendor how to hold the knife properly and how to use the steel to sharpen it.

All you really need now is a wooden cutting board and fresh ingredients!

Everything else is gravy. You can use hand me down pots and ancient spoons. Your food will still come out just as delicious. Once you get in the swing of things, you may decide to upgrade a few items. When you do, avoid Teflon and plastic.

My personal guilty pleasure is a small inexpensive rice cooker (under $20). You will never EVER burn your rice again. Turn it on and forget about it until you are ready to eat.


Atmosphere:
Cooking should not feel like a punishment. Create an atmosphere that is comfortable. Include anything that elevates your mood: music, company, lighting, snacks, refreshments. What works best for you?

Enjoy solitude when working? Kick everyone out of the kitchen and tell them it will be worth their while! Want company? Ask a friend to pull up a chair, or a cutting board.

Think about what puts you at ease and flow with it.

Personally I love when I have the kitchen to myself, great music I can sing along to, a huge mug of spiced rooibus tea (or glass of white wine if the evening is more festive), and of course a clean kitchen to start off in.

Hosting:
The food you choose to share does not have to be fancy or exotic. If things are taking a bit longer than planned or you are anxious about the way a recipe turned out, distract guests with snacks, yummy beverages, or booze. (Shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone I said this, but a tipsy guest loves almost anything you put in front of them). Keep dessert small and simple. It usually goes unnoticed by the majority of guests anyway.

If you're caught up in trying to show off how fabulous your hosting skills are, you've immediately set yourself up for a stressful evening. Comedienne Amy Sedaris says that when you have people over for a meal, you are basically saying "I like you!". Let that sentiment carry you through your preparations and don't get too bogged down in the details of the recipe or the display.

Food Preparation:
Recipes involve a bit of chemistry, a bit of love, and super fresh ingredients.
Remember, you are more than an observer in their execution. Most recipes are created on the bland side to suit most palates. Your creative hand is required! Add a little more spice, salt, sweet or sour. Be bold and your dish will mirror your confidence.

Feel restricted by recipes? Ditch your cookbooks, or just use the pretty pictures as inspiration. Don't worry, this is the one kind of book for which no one will judge you for only looking at the pictures.

Now the really fun part: how you are going to spend the money you save on take-out and tips?

Food Fetish: Eggplant

Beauty and mystery are everywhere you look. Sometimes all it takes is a subtle shift in perspective to turn the mundane into the sublime.

The humble eggplant is filled with such mystery. The shade of a moonless midnight sky, with smooth shiny skin and earthy flavour. It's plumpness and name symbolic of fertility. When mixed with staple ingredients such as garlic, seasalt or miso, truly amazing things can happen.

Naturopathic Doctor Carmen Tanaka loves beautiful things. She also has a knack for uncovering the type of beauty that lays in wait for a worthy observer. For this shoot her refined aesthetic, along with her photographer husband Yoshinori Tanaka 's sharp eye, guided the way.

Carmen is newly graduated from The Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, and is about to have a baby. What better way to celebrate the New Year than to celebrate new beginnings? And life is definitely unfolding in beautiful ways for Dr.Tanaka right now.

Vibrant Fare is honoured to have the opportunity to capture this spectacular moment, and her fabulous glow.



VF: Training in Naturopathic Medicine must give you a very wide range of knowledge. What modalities do you plan on focusing on?

CT: I am of the mind that there is no separation between the emotional, the mental and the physical. You cannot treat one without the other. My practice will revolve around uncovering the mental and emotional causes of illness: an area often over looked in medicine.

When you're helping someone to heal, you have to start by looking at the basics: is the patient getting enough sleep/water/clean food? Simply correcting deficiencies in these areas will cure a large amount of ailments.

When these basic conditions for health are met and illness still persists, it's time to dig deeper. Lifestyle and emotional counseling are good tools for uncovering non-physical imbalances, and so will play a large part in my practice. I also find a combination of acupuncture, herbs, and homeopathy to be highly effective for rectifying those imbalances.

VF: You became pregnant in the last months of your schooling at Boucher, and are expecting any day now. That must have changed the course of your life immensely.

CT: Yes and no. It might be cliche to say this, but you are never fully prepared for the immensity of creating a life. But priorities naturally shift when you become pregnant, and everything suddenly becomes feasible.

While in school, I was in a very yang mentality: studying, working in the clinic, transforming into a doctor and career woman. Since becoming pregnant and graduating from school, I've settled into a yin state: calm, contemplative, inward facing. The timing turned out to be perfect as I can let all that I have learned at school settle within me, and I have the luxury of a chunk of time to envision the future I desire.

This personal experience will also translate beautifully into my professional life. Pregnant women are notoriously complex to treat. Most adult treatments are inappropriate for the growing fetus. Going through the experience of pregnancy myself will make the prospect of treating pregnant women less daunting.

VF: You are obviously very passionate about the Art of Medicine. What else gets you going?

CT: Food. Every aspect of it. From picking out the perfect ingredients, to preparing them, and especially the act of sitting down to share plates of food.

VF: Why did you choose eggplant?

CT: Having never had it as a child, eggplant seems very exotic to me, which I find appealing. I also love the colour and texture. For me it is a comfort food: soft and grounding, and such a great conduit for an array of spices. I love them in thai green curry, and my husband makes a delicious Japanese miso-eggplant dish that I adore, by itself or on a bowlful of Haiga rice.


Thai Green Curry featuring Eggplant and Bamboo Shoots

1 japanese eggplant, cut into thin half moons
1 fresh bamboo shoot, sliced into chunks
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1/2 cup peas
1 shallot
1/2 red onion diced
3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups veggie stock
1 can coconut milk
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 inch lemon grass stalk
1 T Thai Green Curry Paste
1 t grapeseed oil
1 pinch seasalt
1 inch fresh ginger, grated

In a saucepan heat oil and onions and shallots, with a pinch of salt.
Saute until translucent and add garlic, veggie stock, coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass.

In a small bowl, dissolve curry paste in hot water.
Add curry paste to pot and heat. Add eggplant and bamboo shoot, and simmer on med-low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Make sure eggplant has lost all of it's toughness and feels mushy. Stew longer if necessary.
Add red pepper and peas in the last few minutes of cooking.

Serve on short grain brown rice or brown jasmine rice, and garnish with fresh grated ginger.








Japanese Miso Eggplant



6 tablespoons shiro miso (white fermented soybean paste)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 1/2 tablespoons water
3 3/4 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus additional for brushing pan
6 Asian eggplants(about 8 inches), halved lengthwise
2 scallions, finely chopped

Preheat broiler.

Whisk together shiro miso, vinegar, water, honey, and ginger until honey is dissolved.

Brush a large shallow baking pan with oil and arrange eggplant, cut sides up, in pan. Brush tops with 2 tablespoons oil (total). Broil eggplant 4 to 6 inches from heat until it begins to turn pale golden and soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Brush generously with miso mixture and broil 2 minutes more. Brush eggplant with miso again and rotate pan 180 degrees (do not turn eggplant over), then continue to broil until eggplant is tender and glaze is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve sprinkled with scallions.


Photography: Yoshinori Tanaka

Special thanks to 'Nugget'