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FOOD
Love in Food : Conscious Food Prep Matters
  • Posted By Jamila Starwater
  • on April 6,2014
This is a Birthday Cake Jai Gopal made for me one year.

Food made with love tastes better and is better for you. I feel like this is the most obvious yet least acknowledged fact. We know it is true but we don’t know how it actually works, so it gets overlooked. “Love is the secret ingredient” is an anecdote we might see written in swirly letters on a new age cereal box or as a cute addition to a recipe write up. The irony is that it is so true. It is an open secret. We aren’t taught about this in a serious way and I feel like this is our loss. The intention with which food is prepared is just as important as where it comes from and what it is made of.  Let’s explore why this is.

Quantum theory states that the act of observation affects the observed. I’m thinking of that as I try to find the best way to describe the relationship between the cook and the food. Obviously the cook is transforming the food by chopping, mixing, heating etc. but food contains more than its physical components- the vitamins, minerals, protein etc. The subtle energy we call prana that is running through every living thing is also something that is ideally in our food. I say ‘ideally’ because often prana is not in food anymore. Overly processed packaged foods don’t have prana. It is the prana in food that nourishes all of our other energy bodies (11 bodies total!) . Fresh foods in general have more prana than cooked, canned and processed foods. But the energy of the cook can add prana to ANY food by the consciousness that is given to the food preparation.

A cooks energy field as a whole has a tremendous influence on the pranic energy contained in the food they prepare. A human can have an aura that reaches 9 feet in every direction. So the food that is being handled by the cook is IN THEIR AURIC FIELD.  The cook can add love to the food simply by thinking loving thoughts while preparing a dish. One can also use a mantra and chant it silently or out loud while preparing the food. Playing mantras in the kitchen also works. Practicing mindfulness by being aware of the breath and all the sensations while cooking can make the whole experience of food prep a meditation. If we enjoy the process of cooking chances are we are adding love without even realizing it! It isn’t complicated. Just the intention to add love works.

This subject makes me think about the awareness that restaurant workers bring to their jobs – and how , if you pay attention, you can taste and feel it! The fact is that many people that work in restaurants are underpaid and under-appreciated and that has a definite impact on the food they make. The vibe of a restaurant is just as important to me as the “fresh, local, organic” ingredients. I would rather eat something made with average ingredients prepared with devotion and love than something made with exceptional ingredients but prepared with anger and indifference. If you search your memory banks I am betting you can come up with an example or two of both scenarios!

So, moral of the story! Put love in the food you eat and prepare for others! Get intentional about it and see what happens. My guess is that you will enjoy it more and feel healthier after you eat it. It’s easy, free, powerful and delicious!

My next post on this subject is going to be about the power of “blessing” food before you eat it. Another simple practice that can transform food and your relationship to it.

 


FOOD
The Amrit: My Mom’s Vegetarian Restaurant
  • Posted By Jamila Starwater
  • on February 17,2014

anne tazewell amrit restaurantAnne Eichelberger serving lunch at the Amrit, 1976

My mom, Anne Eichelberger Tazewell, opened the first vegetarian restaurant in Norfolk ,Virginia in 1976 with 3 friends when she was 21 years old. She is an amazing cook and I had always heard about these times when I was growing up – the story was a foundational legend of our family. Anne’s first experience working in a natural foods kitchen was at The Golden Temple Conscious Cookery in Washington DC. She also did kundalini yoga at the 3HO ashram there! She never talked about kundalini yoga while I was growing up but I think it is so cool that she did it before I was even born. Another interesting thread is in the very name she chose for the restaurant–  the word amrit has a deep meaning within the kundalini / Sikh path as well.

I am so excited to feature an interview I did with her about the experience of running a vegetarian natural foods cafe in 1970’s Virginia. One of my dreams is to follow in her footsteps and open a conscious vegetarian restaurant some day. This is the first in a series of interviews I am doing with all kinds of inspirational people I know and want to know. For so many reasons, my mom’s story of the Amrit is the most fitting way I can think of to kick things off.

amrit restaurant article

Article from the Virginia Pilot – Click to image to enlarge

 Can you tell me what you remember about your first job working at the Golden Temple restaurant in Washington DC? What year was it and what did you do there? How did you get the job?

It wasn’t a job, I actually was a volunteer in the restaurant’s  kitchen. I am thinking it must have been the summer of 11th, maybe 12th grade so 1971 or 2.  I found out about the Golden Temple restaurant from the kundalini yoga classes I was taking nearby.  The restaurant was on Connecticut Ave, near Dupont Circle. The yoga classes were in a house near Dupont that was an ashram.

Are there any dishes you remember specifically from the Golden Temple? 

What I remember is the lemon tahini salad dressing. The Golden Temple  is where I learned how to make this dressing, which went on to be one of the most popular items at my own restaurant, the Amrit. The other delicious thing I remember are the the lassi drinks- lemon juice, yogurt and honey smoothies. We called them Krishna shakes at the Amrit. Maybe that’s what they called them at the Golden Temple.

When did you decide you wanted to open your own natural foods restaurant? Can you tell us a bit about your inspiration for the name ?

I decided that I wanted to open a natural foods restaurant when my boyfriend Bill and I were  in CA for at a month long retreat with Swami Muktananda at Humboldt State University. The idea struck me sitting at the small cafe at Muktananda’s ashram in Oakland. The ashram’s cafe  was called the Amrit, ‘nectar of the Gods’. That’s where the inspiration for the name of our restaurant came from. This was the summer of 1975

amrit employees

The Amrit crew – from left to right, Vernon Herbert, my mom Anne Tazewell, Molly, Janice Herbert, Suzie Meredith Boykin and Bill Boykin

How long did you plan it and how much money did you have to invest? 

Friends of Bill’s from NYC- Janice and Vernon- were married by Baba at the retreat. They wanted to join us in starting the restaurant so after the retreat we went our respective ways for a few months. Then in  Spring 1976 we had opened the Amrit in Norfolk, VA, in a old building that had sat vacant for a few years. For decades the brick building on the corner of Princess Anne Rd and Colley Ave  had been Master’s Drug Store, the place where your grandfather and father went for ice cream cones.  Your grandfather lived right next door to Master’s when he was growing up and your Dad went to the soda fountain after his piano lessons. Of course I didn’t know any of that at the time.

Each of the 4 partners invested $2,500. We split the rent for the building with the Norfolk Food Coop who had renovated 1/2 the space, moving out of the basement of a nearby house to join us.

How long did it take to turn a profit?

Not sure what you mean by profit. We did not take out any loans to open the business and lived very simply. For a time your dad and I actually lived upstairs at the restaurant in what must have been originally a store room. The ” profit” is what we paid ourselves and as I recall it could vary from week to week. Some months it was pretty slim.

amrit article

 Article from the Virginia Pilot – Click to image to enlarge

What was the most challenging things about running the Amrit?

Personnel problems! Vernon ended up giving his partnership ( 1/4 share) to Stew, a recovering alcoholic, who had started with us as a dishwasher. This was OK until Stew fell off the wagon and I would get to the restaurant in the morning to prep for lunch and Stew would be passed out on the floor. The other vivid but troubling memory was another homeless guy (we offered free meals to homeless folks) – an older man who looked just like Baba’s guru – Nityananda. Sometimes we had ” Nityananda” do dishes for us and one day I walked in  him to find him drinking  the salad dressing from the gallon container in the kitchen that we stored in in. 

What were the best parts about the experience?

The best part was meeting your dad. The Amrit had a policy of giving free food to musicians. He, as you know, is a musician and offered us an upright piano that we put in the dining area for different musicians to play in exchange for a free meal and tips. The rest is, as they say, history. I also loved bringing a few friends in after a late night out dancing and raiding the kitchen for left overs. We also had a few great parties at the restaurant with the Winged Heart band, the group your dad was playing in with your “Uncles” Steve Pague and Quint Lange. The Amrit was the the hub of a community. I met my closest, lifelong friends at the Amrit. One was Gazelle, Quint’s then girlfriend, your Godmother,  the midwife that delivered you and also married you.amrit after hours

(left to right, click image to enlarge) Amrit ‘after hours’ – Anne and my dad’s cousin Tom Gardner // Amrit musician Woody Allen,  employee Brian Rayner, and partner Bill Boykin 

Do you have any specific memories of what it was like to introduce people to natural, vegetarian foods in the early 70s !?

I loved our customers, especially people that I didn’t expect would know about or like natural foods. Customers like Navy men, office secretaries, auctioneers and attorneys. All different kinds of people were interested and curious about what we were doing at the Amrit.

What were your favorite dishes on the menu? 

I loved the Toastie and Eggplant Parmigiana. I also really loved the ice cream we sold. It was honey goats milk ice cream that we got in amazing flavors in 3 gallon tubs. Of course the Eichelberger (our veggie burger) was also a favorite. It was renamed  the Tazberger when we got married.

Do you have any advice for wannabe natural foods restauranteurs? Like me for example?!

Know your partners really well! Start simple, build a following and then expand as demand grows.

Also be a good manager- have a good team you trust and then delegate so that you don’t burn out.

I would love to talk with you about this further…  You and Jai Gopal would make excellent restaurant owners

YES! Great advice. Thanks so much Mom! 

amrit menuThe Amrit Menu handwritten by my mom – check out those prices!!

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FOOD
Bread Love
  • Posted By Jamila Starwater
  • on January 7,2014

bread is awesome

 

I feel like defending bread for a minute , or at least looking at the cons – and PROS , of the subject. Wheat and gluten has gotten a bad rap lately and I know there is a lot of truth to the hype. Maybe I am just an addict (I LOVE BREAD!) but I do think there is some legit reasons to question this anti-bread message being broadcasted so loudly everywhere right now.

I am in the discovery stages of this subject.. I am learning as much as I can and I invite your input !

This is what I’ve found so far:

Nay:

Wheat Belly : “After witnessing over 2,000 patients regain their health after giving up wheat, Davis reached the disturbing conclusion that wheat is the single largest contributor to the nationwide obesity epidemic — and its elimination is key to dramatic weight loss and optimal health. In Wheat Belly, Davis exposes the harmful effects of what is actually a product of genetic tinkering and agribusiness being sold to the American public as “wheat” — and provides readers with a user-friendly, step-by-step plan to navigate a new, wheat-free lifestyle.”

Dr Mark Hyman’s take: “This is not the wheat your great-grandmother used to bake her bread. It is FrankenWheat — a scientifically engineered food product developed in the last 50 years.”

Living with Phytic Acid : the Weston Price take on the subject. Kind of depressing.. but very solution oriented..

Yay:

Sourdough Bread and Health :  ONE OF THE BEST ARTICLES ON BREAD I’VE EVER READ. “Most of us do not know that before the 1950’s most bakeries ran 2 shifts of workers because the dough was fermented throughout the night with a long and slow natural fermentation process. The very first things corporate bakers did to increase profits was to introduce the fast loaf (3 hours from start to finish), effectively eliminating the need for this second shift of workers. This seemingly innocuous cost-cutting decision would prove to have an incredible impact on our health as have a host of commercial processes in the food and agricultural areas. ”

Top Ten Reasons to Eat Real Sourdough Bread : Really informative article listing why sourdough is good for you even if you are gluten intolerant.

Five Reasons to make Sourdough your only Bread : “Sourdough is a dough containing a Lactobacillus culture, usually in symbiotic combination with yeasts. However, the lactobacillus is much greater in proportion to the yeast.  In comparison with yeast-based breads, sourdough produces a distinctively tangy or sour taste, mainly because of the lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli.” 

I Don’t Taste Any Difference : A great article on why we need fresh local wheat

Phytic Acid Solutions : an interesting thread full of ideas

Phytic Acid – Friend or Foe : I didn’t read the whole thing but I like this. An intelligent biblical/science/historical/baker’s viewpoint on the matter.

Sourdough 101  : All about it and how to make it – Looks easy!

 

So, YAYAYAYAYAYYYYYYYYYYYYY. Also, sourdough is clearly where it’s at. I think I’m going to only eat sourdough from now on. Also we need to actively seek out ancient wheat varieties. I think this sounds way better than just banishing bread forever, don’t you?

Also if you are in the Los Angeles area and want to taste some REAL SOURDOUGH bread check out my friend Rose’s amazing bakery Red Bread ! They just opened last year in Culver City and sell on Wednesdays at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. I highly recommend..

Signed,

Bread Lover


FOOD
I heart Hemp Hearts + Vegan Milkshakes (recipe)
  • Posted By Jamila Starwater
  • on September 1,2013

cannabis sativa

A while back a friend suggested I try making milk with hemp seeds. Sounds weird right? I love milk and creamy foods and can’t drink straight cow milk due to a casein allergy, so we were talking about nut milk options. She was telling me how high in protein, iron and omega 3’s hemp is so I was curious..

So I took her advice and OMG. Best seed ever award! Light and nutty flavor! Superfood nutrition! I have been adding them to my morning shakes and they are creamy, delicious and filling. I also like using the hemp hearts instead of a protein powder because its a whole food. I will say I tried making fresh hemp milk for my morning tea which did not turn out as well.  The flavor wasn’t quite right with the tea, but I am telling you it is awesome in a shake. I did some research so I could convince you about how excellent they are and this is what I found:

Shelled hemp seeds (the “heart “of the seed) are:

– one of the best balanced sources of Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids

–  extremely easy to digest and contain vitamins, chlorophyll, fiber, calcium and are rich in
folic acid.

– packed full of protein with 10 grams of plant-based protein per 30 gram serving size.

– they contain no phytic acid, the mineral-binding antinutrient common to most nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes. This is extremely rare for a seed. It means hemp seeds require no soaking to get rid of phytate. (source: go here for more info)

So get some! They have upleveled my smoothie experience … I highly recommend! Buy on amazon for the best deals as hemp seeds can be way pricey at the health food store.

Try this recipe— one of my all time favorites:

The BEST + Super Simple (vegan!) Chocolate Banana Milkshake 

*all amounts approx

1 ripe banana (the brown spots = sweeter + more nutrition)

1-2 heaping teaspoons raw cacao powder (use can use reg unsweetened cocoa but raw is the BEST, for a million nutritional reasons)

3 Tablespoons raw hemp hearts

1 cup ( approx) high quality water ( filtered , well or spring water)

add some ice cubes if you want

blend up real good.

taste it.

if your bananas were not that ripe then you may want to add 1-4 drops liquid stevia for added sweetness

Bask in the glow of the truly healthy and delicious beverage you just created..

Enjoy!


FOOD
Real Old Fashioned Probiotic Pickles
  • Posted By Jamila Starwater
  • on June 9,2013

home made pickles

A couple of years ago I started reading about people making home made raw pickles and sauerkraut. It seemed really delicious but it scared me so I put it off for a while. Then we got up our courage to try it and were completely blown away with the results. I became a probiotic pickle evangelist overnight! I was telling everyone about this revelation. It is actually EASY and exceptionally delicious. Also it is CHEAP! Have you priced out raw artisanal probiotic pickles at your local health food store lately? Crazy pricey. Which is ridiculous because at one time not long ago this was just a normal way to make pickles and not rare or expensive. I find it also interesting to note that almost every traditional culture has some kind of fermented vegetable pickles in their daily cuisine . Korean kimchi, Japanese tsukemono, European Sauerkraut etc.

home made vegetable pickles

Anyways! I’m here to inspire you to try it! You are going to want to find pickling cucumbers (it’s a particular kind, ask for them)  at your local farmers market. If you don’t have a farmers market (or garden!) then you really just want to get the freshest veggies you can find. I would recommend using carrots (get the “tops on” kind ) and onions or green beans to start. I have tried pickling a variety of veggies and it is so fun to experiment. I am going to link below to some sites that will be able to help you better than me as far as recipes and proportions go but I’d like to go over a few things I found to be extra important.

First of all – make sure your jars are SUPER clean. Break out the bleach and sanitize those mofos. You will read recipes that just call for water and salt.  My recommendation is to add a few capsules of your fav probiotic supplement to the mixture before you pour it into the jars. Just open the caps and sprinkle it in. You will be giving the good bacteria a head start with the probiotics. You can get extra fancy and pour the probiotic powder into a small bowl with slightly warm water and some sugar / honey (tiny bit) to wake the good guys up before you add that mixture to your larger brine. I almost never do that and it works out fine though. Make sure your water is super clean stuff too – ie. purified / distilled / spring water etc.  Chlorine and other nasties will fight the good bacteria we are looking to cultivate here. Lastly, be sure to use really good salt – real sea salt, pink Himalayan salt, etc .

Here are my go to blogs for fermentation inspiration!

http://nourishedkitchen.com/sour-pickles/

http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2013/03/13/fermented-dill-pickles-recipe-from-cultured

and the fermentation GURU Sandor Katz :

http://www.wildfermentation.com/making-sour-pickles-2/

HAVE FUN AND BE FEARLESS!!!!!!!!!! Happy pickling 🙂

dill pickles


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