Divine HealthIn pursuit of healthy living.

To date my posts have been about serious issues so today I want to mix it up with my new favorite recipe. It’s perfect for a weekend dinner and I suggest enlisting the help of a loved one, it makes the cooking more fun. :) I love this recipe because it is really easy and made from scratch. How often do you hear those terms together in one pizza recipe? I had never cooked with polenta and was worried I might dis-like it but both the hubby and I found it to be quite tasty!

Crust:

1 ½ cups coarse cornmeal

1 tsp. salt

1 ½ cups cold water

2 cups boiling water

Dash of olive oil

Filling:

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 cup thinly sliced bell pepper

1 large zucchini, thinly sliced

5-6 medium cloves garlic, sliced

2 tsp. dried basil or 2 Tbs. minced fresh basil

½ tsp. oregano

Fresh black pepper

¼ pound mozzarella cheese, grated

2 small or 1 medium ripe tomato, sliced

1) Combine cornmeal, salt and cold water in a small bowl. Have the boiling water on the stove in a saucepan and add the cornmeal mixture, whisking. Cook about 10 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently. It will get very thick. Remove from heat and let cool until handle-able.

2) Spread the mixture on a baking stone if you have one. Otherwise, oil a 10” pie pan. Use a spatula and wet hands to form it into a smooth, thick crust over the bottom (and sides) of the pan. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.

3) Preheat oven to 375®F. Brush the surface of the polenta with olive oil and bake for 45 minutes.

4) While the crust bakes, heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in a medium sized skillet. Add the onion and sauté for 5 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to soften. Add bell pepper and zucchini and sauté until everything is tender. Stir in the garlic and herbs and sauté just a few minutes more.

5) Remove the polenta crust and turn the oven up to broil. Sprinkle half the cheese onto the bottom of the baked crust, then add the tomato slices. Spread the sautéed mixture over the tomatoes and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Broil until brown (about 5 minutes) and serve hot.

This recipe has been adapted from Moosewood’s “Polenta Pie”. You can add mushrooms, eggplant or any other veggie you like. The original didn’t call for letting the polenta rest but I believe it helps solidify the crust and it will break less if you do this. In a time crunch you could put it straight into the oven and it will turn out good. I didn’t have that much mozzarella so I mixed it with a little cheddar and it was very tasty, the flavors went well with the veggies.

If you try this recipe please let me know if you enjoyed it.

I’ve heard that saying many times and I have even found myself saying it more than once. Today, I say it with a heavy heart and motivation to take action.

In 2006, I went on a boat tour in Waianae, Oahu with a couple of friends to see the local spinner dolphins. The particular tour we chose did not allow people get in the water with the dolphins because they are eco friendly and don’t believe humans should intrude on the space of these animals. Sailing along next to a pod of dolphins was enough to feed my soul and I didn’t feel the need to be in the water with them. It was really fun watching them jump and swim along and they truly looked happy. While we were out there, we did see a few other tours letting people get into the water.  In all honestly, it seemed pointless because the dolphins would just swim in a different direction anyway.

Spinner Dolphin in Waianae, Oahu

In 2007, my husband and I took a trip to Tulum, Riviera Maya, Mexico. We heard XelHa was a natural aquarium and Eco Park that would be a fun place to visit. We talked to our hotel concierge and she told us all about the Dolphin Experience and we were instantly sold. This time I did have the urge to be in the water with the dolphins. Upon arrival, we were given a quick safety briefing about what to do and not to do while in the water with the dolphins. Before we knew it, we were standing on a step 3 feet deep in the water with dolphins all around us. It was quite magical and overwhelming at the same time. They were peaceful, mindful and seemed to enjoy our touch. It felt like the experience of a lifetime that one wished would never end. The last part of our time with the dolphins was the highlight.  When instructed, I swam to the middle of the tank and stretched my legs out behind with my arms in front and before I knew it two dolphins came from behind and pushed me up by my feet out of the water for about 20 feet. It was exhilarating and probably the most incredible feeling I’ve ever had in water or with animals. I had a true understanding why dolphin trainers love their job because swimming and interacting with these animals is incredible. You get a sense for how intelligent they are.

Enjoying time with a dolphin at XelHa

Two dolphins pushed me by my feet up and out of the water!

In 2009, I read an article about Pro Surfer Dave Rastovich, actress Hayden Panettiere  and a few others paddling on their surfboards into a cove in Taiji, Japan in an effort to stop the inhumane killing of dolphins. It was really interesting and I looked forward to learning more about this.

Now it’s 2010 and I finally watched The Cove which won an Oscar for best documentary. This film made me think if only I knew then…I wouldn’t have visited XelHa and certainly wouldn’t have swam with the dolphins. Even though it was an incredible experience, it deeply saddens me that I contributed to the nasty practice of dolphin captivity and killing. The film shows dolphin trainers selecting the ones they would like to purchase and they pay quite a bit, as much as $150,000 per dolphin. The rest of them are herded in to a small cove where they are slaughtered. The Japanese government allows this practice and defends it saying the dolphins do not suffer. You should watch the film and decide for yourself.  I’m pretty sure the sounds and images will convince you. If the inhumane act of killing these intelligent animals doesn’t bother you then let’s examine the health concern. The Japanese often sell the dolphin meat under the cover of other names such as tuna, whale and other fish. The interesting thing is that the general Japanese population is being fooled and they have no idea they are eating this mercury laden meat. The mercury levels in dolphin meat is believed to be at least ten times the levels considered safe. Some of the dolphin meat tested in the film had 5,000 times more mercury than is allowed under Japanese law! You can learn more about mercury poisoning in the book Diagnosis: Mercury. I don’t think anyone should be subject to eating this toxic meat.

The Cove brought me to tears and has inspired me to do more about this awful situation. “You are either an activist or an inactivist” was a statement in the film that resonated with me. I’ve heard several people refer to activists as radical, fanatical, extreme and many other connotations. What about being inactive though? Shouldn’t that be negative? If you say someone is inactive physically we know that their health will likely deteriorate or an inactive employee might get fired. Why then, is it okay to be inactive about things you care about? For me, it is not okay and I plan to take action and become more active in supporting the things I care about: animal welfare and food. Who’s with me?

Viva! is an international animal rights organization. I found this film on their website and wanted you to see the piglets running around and playing. I think it’s a great demonstration of the behavior I discussed in my previous post about Daisy. The film was based in the UK but it is a well known fact that similar practices and factory farms also exist in the US. If you watch to the end you might think twice about the pork you are buying at the local grocery store.

If this short film is not enough to turn you off of pork all together then maybe you’ll consider buying it from farmers who raise their pigs humanely and without antibiotics or corn based diets. You can visit the Eat Well Guide and put in search criteria to find stores, farmers markets and even restaurants and other options to buy local, sustainable, organic, grass finished meats as well as fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables.

I think I might try out some “fakin” or whatever they call fake bacon….and I’ll report back the results.

My awareness of eating animals started back in high school but probably not the way one might imagine. Every day in history class this cute boy and his friend would try to talk to me. One week when we had a test coming up they asked me if I wanted to form a “study group” with them and of course I did! The cute one was a cowboy of sorts and eventually I started dating him and learned about his 4-H  involvement which included training guide dogs and raising pigs.

My cowboy had befriended a man that owned a large ranch about 25 minutes northeast of where we lived; the city we lived in bordered a lot of farm and vacant land. This rancher used to have dairy cows and horses but had since retired. A few people paid him money to board their horses there but it was mostly empty. Since he was raising the pigs for 4H (essentially a good cause) the man let him use the space he needed for free. That spring and summer I would go help him feed the pigs and create mud pits for them to cool off in. The County Fair is the culminating event; he would bring the pigs there to be on display for a few days and show them. There are awards for showmanship (how well the person does handling the animal) and awards for the animal (body composition). The better your animal does the more money you will make per pound for the animal at auction. That’s the hard part; you have to auction off your animal. That year I didn’t really think about what was happening, especially when he got a $600+ check! That’s a lot of money for a 17 year old!

By the time the next year rolled around we were still dating when it came time to enroll for the 4H swine program and naturally I signed up because I loved hanging out at the ranch. We went to an auction and picked out the piglets we wanted. I picked the one I thought was the cutest without any regard for any of the other qualities I was supposed to consider. As soon as we got our pigs back to the ranch I named my pig Daisy. I had an immediate connection with Daisy and naming her probably only solidified that bond. Most of the time Daisy was more like a dog than a pig. Sure she liked to roll around in the mud and make funny noises but she liked to be scratched and even play fetch! I played with Daisy every single day for the four months that I raised her. When the time came to show her I realized I hadn’t taught her how to walk with me in accordance with the criteria we would be judged on. I didn’t do well showing her but she looked great and took 2^nd place for her part of the competition. I was going through the motions and not thinking about the big picture or what was actually going to happen to my little Daisy. We went to auction and I was excited to hear I would receive $475 ($226 net) for Miss Daisy. As we walked out of the auction ring I was directed to a ramp that led into a semi-truck…that’s when it all hit me. She was literally walking straight to her death. I cried, I looked like the biggest baby and everyone thought I was crazy. This is why we raise them, they said, to make money and feed people. Ohhhh no no no, not Daisy I thought. But what would I have done with her? Keep her and let her continue to grow to 5-600+ pounds? I knew there was no alternative; there was nothing I could do to change her fate at that point. I decided then and there that I was not going to eat pork for a very, very long time. I needed to know that there was NO possible way I was eating my beautiful Daisy.

Prior to this horrible experience I didn’t have a big desire for pork; I never really liked it that much. After selling Daisy I didn’t eat any pork at all for about 6 or 7 years. In the time since then I’ve only eaten bacon and not very often. I have a hard time not thinking about the dog like behaviors Daisy displayed when I do eat pork, it’s really not dissimilar to eating a dog in my mind, which I would never ever do, not even if you paid me a million dollars! When I watch movies about factory farms and animal abuse I am a hundred times more affected watching the pigs and cows than I am watching the turkeys and chickens. However, the older I get and as my awareness increases I find myself becoming more sensitive to the birds. 

After watching Food, Inc, King Corn and reading several of Michael Pollan’s books along with watching a film by Dr. Weil about eating well I am starting to see the benefits of excluding meat from my diet far outweigh the enjoyment of eating it. Notice I didn’t say the benefits of actually eating meat; that’s because I don’t believe there are any. I suppose one could argue that the protein, iron or maybe certain other nutrients are good for us but overall I think the bad stuff in meat cancels out anything good. Once again, I’ll keep it real and say it the way I think it is; I believe people eat meat and don’t want to give it up simply because they like it. The way it tastes in different dishes and all of the ways one can get creative cooking it. I understand that but I am going to find out if I can get the same enjoyment from cooking only fruits, veggies, grains, nuts and other earth and body friendly foods.  I’m not here to preach or tell you that you should give up meat, although I do think everyone could benefit from eating less of it and I will promote that. My purpose here is to take in information from different sources and put it to use in my life. I’ve encountered a few vegetarians that seem to have a chip on their shoulder and they act like they know it all and they are better than their carnivore friends. I sincerely hope that I never act like that, I only want to share the knowledge I am taking in.

In case you are wondering, the cowboy turned out to be a real jerk. The only thing I can thank him for is making me aware of eating animals.

Playing with Daisy on the ranch

Daisy and I at the County Fair

I love everything about food; cooking, smelling, looking at and especially eating it. Over the last two to three years I started getting serious about cooking. Every weekend I plan the upcoming week’s menu and go shopping for everything I’ll need. I try to find recipes that have fresh ingredients in common like parsley or cilantro so that I can use the entire bunch before it goes bad. I’ve been working on cooking “light” and trying to get healthier. I use whole wheat, whole grains, brown rice and try not to use too much processed food. Recently I’ve started learning more about factory farms (more on that to come) and corn*, oh that evil corn! I have been trying to change our weekly menu not to include these and other unhealthy items.

My awareness of eating animals began in high school and at times was more on a conscience level than others. I’ve seen a few PETA videos that really disturbed me. However, it was never enough to make me give up meat completely. I find it interesting how I watch those videos and it does make me want to give up meat for a short while but then I forget about it and move on with my life. I really don’t think I am alone in this thought process. I believe there are a lot of people out there who are affected by the things they see and hear when it comes to animal welfare but they still don’t feel inclined to make any changes. Is that because of the love of the taste and maybe even an addiction to the meat? Is it because we think eliminating meat and figuring out what’s for dinner would be too challenging? Maybe it’s the common misconception that we won’t get enough protein if we eliminate meat? I’m sure there are lots of reasons and I know mine are included in a few of the above. I have reduced my meat consumption over the last few years  as has my husband. I’m thankful for that because it would be challenging to have differing meal desires. I still feel like we could probably eat even less meat so I’m trying to figure out how to do that.

Part of my journey is giving up one thing at a time or doing trials on eliminating certain foods. I read on Go Veg  that they recommend pledging to go 30 days without meat. That time period is probably based on evidence that it would only take 30 days to change your life style and you wouldn’t go back to eating it again (that’s a total and complete assumption on my part). I decided that was too difficult and I am only going to do it for 7 days. I’ll be honest, I know this probably won’t have a life changing impact on me but it is a small step in the right direction. If I try it for 30 days I think I’ll probably fail, especially if I’m out to dinner or at a party. However, for 7 days it will be easier to remain strong and I know I can succeed. I may not feel a major impact on my body but I hope it’s enough to know whether eating meat makes me feel any different or not. It will also give me the opportunity to try some new recipes. I’ll post my successes and failures after the week is over. Until then, wish me luck.

*Corn is evil, you ask? I’m not talking about corn on the cob as you might imagine. I’m talking about what factories and food manufacturers DO with the corn they grow and how it gets into almost everything in an unhealthy manner. I’ll do a whole post on corn in the future. In the meantime if you want to read more right now I suggest reading about high fructose corn syrup here and be sure to read the comments below the article, there is a lot of great insight there.