Nourishing Spoon

On this rainy afternoon, I ended up downstairs at the new Fairway on 86th Street. My eyes landed on the freebie samples that they were offering - about to pass the table, I casually asked if the bars were gluten-free?  To my belly's delight, the response was in the affirmative!  "It's gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free," said Amotz, one of the Co-Founders of Sheffa Foods. WOW! C'est pour moi.  :) The snack bars are really quite a treat - I like their crispy, crunchy texture and they remind of the Indian snacks, but a much healthier version.  Amoz directed me to their "Zesty Snack Mix."  It was lunch time and I could have easily purchased everything I saw.  I did pick up the Zesty Snack Mix and am happily snacking on it while I type. It's really delish and a great new mix to serve to your guests this holiday season.  You could add chopped red onions, a tablespoon of chopped cilantro and some tamarind chutn...

Does God Speak to You? Does God speak to you? Sure God does. How often are you able to hear Him? After listening to a recent teleseminar on a related topic, my consciousness has shifted and I have become aware of how He speaks to me. Yes, I heard God, or should I say, God spoke to me -- one day on my way to Port Authority, when I was questioning myself, the bus stopped right in front of this bright blue sign:   Rethink Possible I truly believed the Universe/God was speaking to me. At the end of a long day, it was such an inspiration to see that sign. I later realized that it was AT&T's new logo, but I was happy in my heart - this sign had brought a smile to my face and lit it with joy. God is always guiding us and showing us that He is there for us. Little signs, little incidents. With an increased awareness tomorrow, let me know if you hear Him. On days when you are down or scratching you head for an answer, open your heart and connect with Him. Who knows what you ...

Two weeks ago, Organic Avenue opened a new store on Lexington Avenue (and 55th).  I have been so excited ever since I heard it was coming and couldn't wait for opening day!  It's a vegan diva's delight!  Raw, healthy deserts (is there such a thing, really?), freshly pressed juices, nut mlyks along with wholesome, tempting treats!  Their menu is called "the LOVE* menu" --  Live. Organic. Vegan. Experience.  As soon as I entered, I was greeted with a green juice sample - fresh with a nice hint of ginger.  Although the place is pricey, it's a welcoming healthy option and offers a different variety of fresh food than the regular eyesores in midtown, i.e., pizza, burgers, and deli's. I browsed through the store, checking out all future snack options, until I heard the Chia Seed Tapioca calling me. Hmm!  Couldn't decide between the Blueberry Chia Seed Tapioca and the Vanilla Chia Seed Tapioca.  Decisions...

Chopped Guacamole Ingredients:  1 avocado, 1/2  small tomato, 1 TBSP red onions,  2 TBSP cilantro,  1/2 garlic clove, 1/2 chili pepper  When you are stuck at home in the middle of a hurricane, tired of hearing the incessant chanting of   "Irene" on TV, and have an overstocked pantry and refrigerator (in anticipation of the hurricane), there's nothing like escaping into your kitchen to prepare your favorite comfort foods. Besides preparing dahl (lentil soup) with brown rice, I prepared some guacamole and peach salsa for snacking on with unsalted corn chips while we watched a Bollywood comedy. For the guacamole, I added 1 tsp of lemon juice and some black salt to the chopped ingredients above. If you like it hotter, add a whole pepper.  The garlic I used was fresh from the farm and quite potent so I used only half a clove. The chili pepper was from my garden (see blog below). Dr. Andrew Weil recently posted on th...

  Greetings!  Mary, Mary, quite contrary how does your garden grow?  Remember that nursery rhyme?  This has been the second year that I have had a Jardin de balcon . Anything French, makes it sounds so haute and sophisticated, gives it pizzaz. Although I think Patio Garden sounds, good, too. Well, this is the first year I decided to be brave enough to experiment with cucumbers.  Here are pics of my prized possessions.  I'm going to have a painfully hard time eating these beauties.  The cucumbers have been not as taxing as tomatoes.  Tomatoes need a lot of attention, a lot of water, and I mean lots of water!!  I used to water the tomato plant in the morning and evening during the hot summer last year and had to have a friend tomato-sit while I was away on vacation.  Apart for being great for cooling you down and helping lower blood pressure, cucumbers can be used for a quick touch up on your leather s...

When I woke up yesterday to water my plants in my little patio garden, I kept searching for baby pepper plants since I saw it had started to flower.  I kept looking up and down for a tiny baby pepper. To my astonishment and delight, there in the midst of the chives and parsley lay a full-size pepper!  Where did this come from?  I was totally taken, here I was hunting for some tiny little thing and all of sudden I was the proud parent of a real pepper. What a thrill!  I gave a shout of joy and surprise when I first saw it - I couldn't believe my eyes.  This is the first time I have grown a pepper.  Gardening is new to me - started a mini garden last year and was afraid to go on vacation in case the tomatoes would die. You can relate to that can't you?  Yes?  I get my gardening tips from my friends Lydia and Perla and also from Trina, of Silver Heights Farms, who is at the Union Square Farmers Market on Wednesdays. Gardening is...

Publish Post Favorite Fruits - That Wonderful Time in The Year Greetings! Summer is finally here.  Here's a piece from heaven - expressing gratitude for the most wonderful meal. I am so grateful at this very moment...I type while I munch on the sesame seeds from my cheung fun (rice noodles in center below).  Stopped for another bite...excuse me.  I feel the sweet taste of hosin sauce and enjoy the crunchiness of the seeds. The warm noodles are comforting my soul and I really feel in heaven.  In front of me is a bowl full of lychees and rambutan....yum... is not enough to describe the feeling.  On the other side, to my right, is an ice-cold glass of Chendol.  Didn't I say I was in heaven?  I wash down the sweet and sour taste of the hoisin sauce with another happy gulp of Chendol.  Today, I have resorted to comfort food, oh dear, I have given in to the 20% of the 80/20 rule!  That's when you are good 80% of the time, a...