Hamilton - Cook Grow Love: Recipes for the Body and Soul

Thanks

Thanks to my mom for teaching me to cook and eat healthy food. Thanks to my husband Mark without whom this book wouldnt have been possible. Thank you for being the computer genius that made my stories and recipes into a real book. Thank you too for accepting who I am and not asking me to change the stories that revealed my negative perceptions of our relationship. Thanks for not expecting me to engage in image management for your sake or mine because I think authenticity should be valued. When I read of others weaknesses but see what they accomplished, I feel empowered. I wanted to share my struggles and joys so people could see that failing doesnt mean giving up, it means adjusting. Thanks to my family who believed I could do anything when I felt I could accomplish nothing. Thanks to Daniel and Sarai whose birth inspired me to live long and well.

Thanks to Kimberly Jacoby, Matt, Jessica, James and all the other regulars and tourists who support me with their kind words, hugs and necessary dollars. My joy in cooking would be missing if I didnt hear your enthusiasm for each new creation. The book wouldnt be possible without my many note takers like Sandy Minter, Kristi Bell, Judith Dickey, Krystal Rivera, James Flores and others. Thanks to Jennifer Brower, Sarah Ramirez and the regulars at class who inspire us to create two new recipes a week and who are my staunch advocates.. Thanks to Kevin, Rachel C. and Rachel H., Warren, Ari, Kyal and James for your work in nourishing the customers. Thanks to Devorah Greenstein for editing my stories and retaining my voice.

Thanks to the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential that married their love of children with good health and inspired me to do the same. Thanks to Joe Cross for your personal appearances to support our work. Thanks to Jamie Oliver for teaching and creating a Big Rig to take the class on the road. Thanks to Sarah Reyes and the California Endowment for believing change is possible in Fresno. Thanks to many others like the makers of Food Inc., Norman Walker, Bernard Jenson, Max and Charlotte Gerson, Vandana Shiva, Drs. Campbell and Esselstyn, Deborah Koons Garcia, Taggart Siegel, and Dr. Mercola who have written articles, books and made movies about changing our food system. Your energy and contribution increased my knowledge about food and health.

ISBN: 978-0-9907647-1-7

Version 1.0 September, 2014

Recipe Notes

Gluten Free or Wheat Flour?

At our restaurant we try to make our food gluten free as much as possible. Im not gluten intolerant but with wheat being treated with roundup at pre-harvest and wheat being genetically modified, I dont suggest people buy non organic wheat. The industry claims wheat is not GMO but an Oregon farmer won a law suit against Monsanto because their GMO wheat was found in his field. You will see that our favorite flours are brown rice flour, tapioca flour/starch (tapioca root is grown and is commonly used in Brazil) and Scottish oats from Bobs Red Mill. It is quite easy to find these flours and keep them on hand. You can substitute these with 00 flour in the recipes. If you use whole wheat it will change it slightly but will be fine as well. Gluten free breads are best made in smaller shapes like muffins or wraps so they dont taste dry.

Kefir Water and Substitutes

We believe in using minimal oil so many recipes that need to be thinned down are done with Kefir Water. It is a fermented beverage you can make at home in two days. We give away the culture free at Organic Fresno and we have a video that teaches you to make it at along with other recipes. The health benefits of these germs of endearment shouldnt be minimized and its worth the effort required to make it. I rarely drink plain water, usually Kefir Water, Angel Juice or Kombucha so I gain the most probiotic benefit. If you prefer not to use Kefir Water, crack open Young Thai coconuts and use the water as a substitute for the kefir. Canned, unsweetened coconut water can be used as well. Lastly, you can use purified water but the sauce will spoil if unused in a couple of days. The kefir will ferment the sauce in time but it doesnt spoil quickly. We suggest replacing Kefir water for the water in the dressing recipes as well.

Adding Meat to Vegan Recipes

Many of the recipes are vegan. This will help you consume the maximum amount of fruits and vegetables. Customers are given the option of adding eggs, chicken or beef to any dish at our restaurant. You too can cook any of these proteins and top most dishes with the meat of your choice. You may substitute nuts with ground beef in wraps and stuffed veggie recipes. We believe nuts are a good source of protein and offer unique health benefits so we encourage you to give them a shot and see if your taste buds are satisfied. At the IAHP they suggested we go meatless one day a week and build up to eating meat just one day a week. It is best to eat eggs poached or boiled for health. Beef should be grass fed and chicken should be free range. Read the labels because organic beef doesnt necessarily mean it wasnt fed corn.

Substitutes for Almond Butter and Palm Sugar

We rarely use peanuts at our cooking class and use almonds instead. If you would like to use peanuts make sure they are organic and processed without palm oil to preserve the habitat of orangutans.

We often tell you to use Coconut Palm Sugar because its low glycemic but you may replace it with organic cane sugar.

Soaking Nuts and Seeds

If you soak your nuts for 4-8 hours or overnight it makes the nutrition available to your body easier. Seeds should be soaked for 2-4 hours. Soak in warm water. Double the water to the nuts or seeds. Always buy raw, unpasteurized nuts and seeds.

Cooking Dry Beans

To cook beans, we soak overnight or for 8 hours in very warm water. Rinse thoroughly and then cook in double or triple the water. Scoop the foam off the top as it forms clouds because that is where the remaining gas from the beans is.

Quick soak method is place beans in triple the water and bring water and beans to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover with lid and rest for 1 hour so gas can be expelled. Rinse, add clean water and then cook.

We freeze beans in quart size bags so we always have cooked beans on hand.

Freezing Pesto, Nut Cheeses and Sauce

We recommend freezing pesto, cheese, dressings and sauce in ice cube trays. Remove the cubes and freeze in larger Ziploc bags. The cubes defrost much faster and it is easy to remove just a few or a lot depending on how many people you are cooking for. We use the sauces on pasta and salads. Many customers make antipasto sandwiches topped with fresh lettuce etc.

Oil, Salt and Sugar

Use Olive and Avocado Oil sparingly in dressings. Never cook with it because it turns toxic at high heat. Use coconut oil, grass fed butter or animal fat to cook with. We use very sparingly. We use only pink himalayan sea salt. If the salt is white, its been processed no matter what the label says. Coconut Palm Sugar, Pure Maple Syrup and Raw Honey are our sweeteners of choice. Palm Sugar is low glycemic.

Passion Makes Ordinary Extraordinary

Extraordinary. Being an immigrant, I used to think this word meant you were ordinary to an extra large degree. When I understood the proper meaning of the word, I didnt feel that I knew very many extraordinary people. My sister-in-law, Jess, came to visit this past December with my brother and their kids. She told me that she meets extraordinary people all the time. Intrigued and disbelieving, I asked her to give me an example of someone shed met recently. Being forgetful, she enthusiastically started her story but having forgotten most of the details, we laughed together about the rather ordinary people she ended up telling me about.