A read that feeds - Holistic Health

Back in February, Judi England, holistic health blogger extraordinaire, gave me a book that she thought might interest me. That book is called, ?Feeding the Hungry Ghost: Life, Faith and What To Eat For Dinner? by, ?Ellen Kanner. I was intrigued. Little did I know I was in for a major dose of validation! I mean who wouldn?t? love reading something that affirms in print, before their very eyes everything they believe about food, eating and nourishment of the body and spirit. I did much of the reading on my CDTA commute to work.? As I frantically underlined, highlighted and circled,? I had to restrain myself from standing up on the bus and saying, ?folks,? can I have your attention for a minute ?.you really need to hear this!?

Ellen Kanner is the Meatless Monday blogger for the Huffington Post and she writes a syndicated? column called, Edgy Veggie that appears in several publications including, Bon Appetite and Eating Well. She is vegan, passionate and socially conscious. The book is peppered with stories from her life in which she brings to mind a favorite, quirky heroine. She is sweet, witty and adorable. She is also fiercely passionate, spiritual and environmentally conscious. Her gift is making it all seem fun and not too heavy. Rather than attempting to describe the book to you, I will share some excerpt?s that I just loved. These will give you a taste of the book and allow you to sample Ellen Kanner?s flavorful prose and yummy insights.

My appetite for what Ellen Kanner was dishing out began in the book?s introduction with the following:

?[As Americans] we watch food shows and follow celebrity chefs, but we don?t cook. Many of us don?t even know how to shop for food, let alone what to eat. All the books and articles about weight loss and feeling better are great as far as they go. But to me, that?s not far enough. Our relationship with food goes beyond a single meal or even a meal plan. Where food comes from, how it binds us to the planet and to each other, and how it makes us feel , matter more than what?s on the plate. The things we hunger for ? comfort, unconditional love, connection, meaning ? aren?t on the usual menu.?

?I think feeding that deeper hunger and serving the world start with what you serve for dinner. It means thinking beyond what?s on your plate. It means seeing food as something that strokes the soul as it stokes the body, food as connection to and communion with the earth and each other. That?s asking a lot of dinner. Get used to it. Asking a lot is what I do.? (love it!)

?The recipes in this book aren?t processed; they?re primal. Making and eating these dishes won?t make you see God, but they may return you to the ability to see and hear your own not insignificant spirit. And that alone could change the world.? (double love!)

?Voltaire said we must tend our own gardens. He meant it?s tough to change the world and it can get ugly and overwhelming out there, anyway. Be strategic, specific, use your energy to nurture your strengths. That, in turn makes your own world better. Voltaire was speaking in metaphor. While you?re tending your own metaphoric plot of ground, tend some real stuff. Grow some of what you eat. Voltaire never said our gardens have to be big. Just growing a pot of herbs on a sunny windowsill will yield enough to spark up some salads and make you part of the growing process, a coaxer and creator of life.?

There is so much more! Anecdotes about her childhood, teen angst and world travels that regale the reader with the ways in which food has influenced Kanner as a chef, writer, wife and friend. Like Ellen Kanner, I believe that nourishing ourselves with quality food, prepared with love and shared with others, would go a long way toward?healing the wounds of the ?world. Enjoy this?read with a cup of tea and a piece of seed cake (the first recipe she shares in the book).

Ellen Kanner?s SEED CAKE ? ?a moist cake of haunting fragrance and flavor?

1 cup unsweetened soy or hemp milk (I used almond)

2 T ground flaxseeds (also known as flax meal)

2 T ground chia seeds

2 t anise seeds

(1)+ 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 t baking soda

1 t aluminum-free baking powder

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

3/4 cup evaporated cane sugar (less processed than white)

1/3 cup hemp or flax oil ( I used grapeseed oil)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup raisans

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil an 8-inch round pan or a 9?5 inch loaf pan. In a small bowl, combine the milk, flaxseeds, chia seeds and anise seeds. Stir gently to combine and let sit while you assemble the other ingredients.

In a large bowl, stir together the evaporated can sugar, oil, applesauce, and lemon juice. Add to the flour mixture, along with the milk mixture, which thanks to the seeds will have thickened madly. Stir together, then fold in the raisins.

Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden and puffed, and a tester inserted into the center comes away crumb-free and clean. You can also give it a gentle poke with a finger; it should spring back when baked through.

Remove from oven and let cool. Wrapped well and refrigerated, the cake keeps for several days.

Serve as a dessert or anytime restorative with coffee or tea.

Sweet nourishment to you ? Meg Nigro Helligrass ? Certified Holistic Health Coach

yoursweetnourishment.com

sweetnourishment@yahoo.com

Source: http://blog.timesunion.com/holistichealth/a-read-that-feeds/11341/

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