THRIVE

I am so grateful for your beautiful thoughts, energy and  prayers as I ventured back to MD Anderson for my first check-up. 

To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t a fraction as nervous as I originally thought I might be. 

In fact, I found it necessary to relieve my family’s anxiety by texting them from the scanning area… “I feel like I’m in school excitedly waiting for the prof to tell me I got a phat A on the test.” 

A few minutes later, that's pretty much what happened.

I gratefully credit so much of this profound peace to the life-altering experience at the raw living food detox/cleanse oasis of the Optimum Health Institute in Austin, TX. 

I have always believed in, heard about and even closely researched the body’s ability to heal via approaches that work WITH the body and rather than ON it or AGAINST it. 

Unfortunately at my time of diagnosis, information (and especially stats) was limited.  

It’s completely invigorating to meet these holistic folks face to face… to hear their stories one-on-one… to get to know, to trust, and to grow to love them over a period of a week.

Several of the week’s guests were there with a purely proactive health approach. 

Most were quickly healing from a range of health opportunities… food addictions, alcohol addictions, substance abuse, sex abuse, serious artery blockage, toxic lifestyles, severe allergies, autoimmune disorders, gastro-intestinal issues, high cholesterol, diabetes, skin rashes, etc.  

And to my exhilaration, a small handful were there naturally and beautifully KICKING CANCER’S mother-freaking ASS.

One woman's story from my small session of five is particularly fascinating to me.  Her name is Peg Harvey- Sweeney. 

Here she is… pictured next to me at the far right (on my left), standing in the dining room at OHI.

In a nutshell, here is Peg’s story that she has kindly allowed for me to share:

About two years ago, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. 

She endured the conventional hell of surgery and radiation, which beat the disease into submission. 

Then last May 2010, the cancer aggressively returned with golf-ball stage 4 tumors in both lungs, too close to her heart for surgical intervention.... and innumerable tiny tumors.

She beared the doctor’s words “There is nothing we can do for you.. go home and live joyfully in the time you have left.”

She told me she and her husband went home, closed the blinds, crawled into bed, cried and held each other for days.

Finally, she was motivated to get out of bed and take a trip to the farmer’s market.  Here a man (selling the miraculous wheatgrass) told her “If I had an escalated health condition, I would get myself to OHI.”

She had never heard of OHI, but had nothing to lose… she was a guest within days.

Peg devoured everything taught to her during the three-week stay.  She then continued the program at home for another four weeks. 

At seven weeks, she went back to her doctor to x-ray the tumors.

The scans revealed the largest tumor was completely GONE, and the second largest was a third of its size. 

Her doctor’s response: " I don’t know what you’re doing… but keep it up." 

Sadly, when she started to explain, the doctor turned and left the room stating he did not want to know anymore.

But that didn't slow down Peg.  At this point, her body was RELISHING in health and vitality.. her spiritual and mental self was THRIVING. 

After 19 weeks of following the OHI program to the “T”, Pegs cancer was COMPLETELY GONE.

My favorite thing Peg said was “When you understand the relationship between mind, body and spirit, you can get out of your own way and allow healing to occur.”

Gorgeous Peg... oh so very ALIVE and GLOWING!!

Peg nurtured, inspired, and absolutely energized ME just as I know she will continue to do with thousands of people.

As if this isn’t enough, I learn Peg’s story, as miraculous as it is… is not an anomaly. 

In fact there have been dozens, if not hundreds of people, over the past decades who have utilized OHI and other raw food institutes to learn how to reverse their breast, prostate, lung, ovarian, thyroid cancer etc. etc. naturally via the protocol.

In fact, in the group picture above, my friend Alisha (third from left, wearing a purple jacket…) was fighting uterine cancer as we spoke, and WINNING.

So why on Earth is the life-saving protocol from this place not more prevalent??? 

Yes, there are many reasons.  One reason is that like OHI, many of these institutions are non-profit church based organizations. Therefore, any form of advertising is illegal.

Guests are referred purely upon word of mouth.


So let's pass the word people!!  


I urge you to share, share, share... 

I was fortunate to hear about OHI via a friend's facebook status... I am forever indebted, JP Lapeyre and Elise Jones.

I look forward to sharing more raw food/ detox details with you in upcoming posts.

But for now, here is a small taste of the phenomenal tasting living, healing foods served at OHI.

  

And finally one of my favorite quote-ables found on the kitchen counter at OHI:

Food is truly more than something that tastes good, gives us comfort, entertainment, or social connection. 

When used the right way, food can do so much more than we ever dreamed….

It can be appreciated as fuel… to nourish our body, mind and spirit… to protect the ONE vessel we have to experience this amazing world... to enable us to to HEAL, to FLOURISH, to THRIVE… and to max out the GIFT of this GLORIOUS life.

SOOOO much LOVE and Whole Lotta LIVING to YOU!!!

-Ang

*For more info on Peg's story, check out her video posted on this blog under the Video tab.

FIRST Check-up

We’re ready.

This is part of the deal…. part of life after a cancer diagnosis.

We’re ready to patiently sit in the exam room, post scans, and to wait for my doc to appear.

I am confident she will enter the room with a smile, followed by great news. 

My Mama, Tommy and I will let out a sigh of relief, hug, and head out to celebrate.

This is truly what I feel in my heart will happen.

But those butterflies… that freaking touch of nervousness… admittedly it’s here now just thinking about it. 

I’ve been surprised before. I’m not sure if that feeling ever completely goes away.

But to be entirely honest, I am finding that I have such deep gratitude for those damn butterflies… I’ve recognized those occasional flutters are my friend.

They are keeping me grounded, keeping me focused… helping me to live in the moment, to be deeply grateful for all the little things, ALL the incredible people in my life…

Helping me to greet each day as a BONUS… forcing me stay TRUE to who I am.

Tommy told me just what I needed to hear.  When I told him I was starting to feel a little trepidation about the check-up, he said something that immediately made me feel free as a bird. 

I explained to him that within my journey toward WELLNESS, that there is still so much to learn…. and the more I learn, the more I realize there is still much to learn… so much I WANT to learn, so much that I would LOVE to share with others that could impact their lives… and I hope that what we are doing is enough to keep the bastard away. 

I told him how important it is for him to know I am doing ALL I can, all that is within my influence, to BE here for him, and for Joanna.

He created a powerful vision in my mind, my new go-to vision whenever those butterflies try to make a presence. 

He started with a football analogy…. (what else would one expect from a coach?)

He started to tell me how easy it is for players to get their nerves up toward the end of a close game. He said a little nervousness is good because it can make us do better… but we won’t let it get to us because WE HAVEN’T LOST… we are still winning.

Thankfully, he turned it into a running analogy and spoke my language:

I’m running through the woods on a winding trail… tall green trees all around, and the sunlight thrusting through.  All the trees and curves ahead symbolize all I have left to learn about being “well”, and all that I am moving towards, one tree at a time. 

And somewhere behind, somewhere lurking in the dark forest FAR behind me, is the cancer.  It hasn’t caught me.  I haven’t lost.  Actually, I am winning.

We are AHEAD of the cancer. 

It hasn’t caught up with me, and it’s not going to.  With what we have learned, with what we have put into action, with all we feel in our hearts... that cancer is WAY back there, and continually getting further and further behind...

I truly feel this.  And when I merge this visualization into my reality, a sense of warmth and ease blankets my whole body.  

First check-up and results:  Wed. Nov 30^th, 3 PM.

Deepest of gratitude for YOU… and for your love, support, positive energy and prayers. 

Love,

Angela

*Butterfly photo by Jessica Stenklyft
*Jo and I photo by Corrine Smith 

PREVENTABLE

With hundreds of peer-reviewed journal articles on the topic, here is one that had to be shared:

The author, Dr. Aggarwal, is an oncologist and biochemist at MD Anderson whom I had the opportunity to meet this past summer.  The man is intelligent and progressive. He is seeking to work with the body’s innate intelligence to improve the methods we currently use to address cancer.
    
Dr. Aggarwal was conducting an Indian cooking seminar and spoke in detail about Indian food’s anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer qualities.   He revealed his compelling experience using large doses of the spice Turmeric (Curcumin) to shrink and destroy cancer cells both alone and in conjuction with chemotherapy.  

Check out this link for more info: (http://www.curcuminresearch.org/)

I also love this article because I find it very empowering.  If we know the root cause, than we know the cure!!!I

Here are a few of the Highlights:

·         90-95% of cancer’s are caused by environment and lifestyle

·         Only 5-10% of cancer’s can be attributed to genetic defects

·         Of the 5-10% caused by genetic defects, the gene still has to be triggered by environmental and lifestyle influences

Here is the Abstract:

My Conclusions:

·         We KNOW cancer requires certain inadequacies in our immune system

·         We KNOW cancer requires certain triggers in our environment

·         We all have thousands of cancer cells floating around in our bodies RIGHT NOW

·         Whose immune system is complete enought to stamp out these cancer cells before they become an invasive tumor??

·         Which environmental triggers will we continue to be exposed to which will allow the cells to proliferate??

Here is the article in its entirety:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515569/

AMPING up IMMUNITY

So, you ask… what kind of things am I doing to make sure cancer freaking HATES me???

Whether your goals are to evade the winter flu, keep cancer cells at bay, or just to seek out the gift of nourishing vitality, here are my top 10 FAVORITE things we can all do to Amp-Up our Immune Systems:

1)      Don’t eat crap.

For real, what we put in our bodies is more intimate than putting on our unders.  Our food literally BECOMES  a part of us.  This time of year, there is so much crap food, EVERYwhere… and I for one, am removing myself from the bodily injury.  We know refined sugar is a poison… and among other things it drastically reduces immune function for at least six hours after consumption.  And processed foods?  The nutrients get processed right OUT.  Just empty calories, with a few harmful additives and preservatives processed right IN.  I have found from my challenging experience, and in learning to deeply love myself, that NOTHING tastes as good as feeling good feels.  And after a lot of transition, I am grateful for taste buds that no longer lead me astray. 

2)      Do your D’s.

For years I have been that chick outside in the middle of the day… running the dog, soaking up the D.  Knowing that there are no significant dietary sources of Vitamin D in food, I’ve always loved getting at least a few hours a week via my daytime runs.  But what I didn’t realize is just how much Vit D we really need to support healthy immune function.  Afterall, for eons the human race has been OUTSIDE, not stuck in houses, cars and offices.  Even though I had been supplementing with Cod Liver Oil-D for several weeks, I got tested.  Between 50 and 100 ng/ml is healthy and optimal.  I was a 32!!!  Definitely deficient. 

You can bet I have amped that up a few notches.  I now take 20,000 IU’s of a quality D3 daily, far from any threshold of toxicity.  Once I reach the desired range, I will likely cut back to maintenance mode of 5-10,0000 IU’s daily.  If you are adverse to supplementing, at least get tested!!!  You, too, may shocked at what you find out.

3)      Hook up with a good Chiro.

Strong immunity begins at our foundation.  Like many, I used to be ultra-skeptical of “back-crackers.” But thankfully, I have since allowed for my heart and mind to open… and to understand how pivotal the nerve supply is in our overall health.  Truth is, it is not natural for human beings to be kinked over on cell phones, hunched at computers, squeezed into cars and airplanes… with sports injuries and life trauma that has altered our basic skeletal foundation.   When we hit the reset button on our nerve supply, allowing for our innate intelligence to flow, we send a flood of immune responses to all our tissues and organs.  You can’t argue the research, and you certainly can’t argue the life-changing results. 

4)      Love the Sleep.

I used to think I was “fine” running on 5 hours or so each night, as long as I caught up on the weekend.  That obviously caught up with me.  There is zero shame in getting a restful night sleep, and in allowing the body to fully repair itself.  I now make sleep a priority, shooting for 7 peaceful hours every night, and an occasional 20 minute cat-nap with my sweet Jo.   

5)      Wake-up and Drink-up.

One of my favorite new habits when I first pop out of bed: a huge glass of filtered water with lemon.  Our bodies worked hard all night to repair and remove toxins, so let’s do our body a favor and flush ‘em out.  Not only is the added lemon super refreshing, it starts the day right by creating an alkaline ash in our blood, contributing to an alkaline environment that cancer (and disease processes in general) totally despise.  

6)      Break the Sweat.

Seek out the endorphins… keep the immune system firing.  Enough said.

7)      Chill the Freak OUT.

In my search for inner Zen, I have fallen deeply in LOVE with deep breathing and yoga.  I have found it is also super important to do things we enjoy EVERY day, whatever that may be.  Life is short afterall, and if you don’t like it… change it!!!  Doing what we love helps relieve tension, and boosts physical and mental resilience.   

8)      Get the Greens.

Bokus of nutrients. Phytochemicals galore.  I look forward to my daily kale or collards via a dark chocolate or fruit smoothie… or deep-green spinach incorporated into my all-time favorite meal: a 20 ingredient salad.  A monthly tray of juiced wheatgrass keeps the chlorophyll reserves on high, and the toxins outa my blood.  Best part, I love the greens.  I crave the greens.  Our body knows what’s best if we allow it to tell us!

9)      Create a Rainbow.

Seek out gorgeous fruit and veg in every color of the rainbow.  Pile em high in baskets and bowls right on your kitchen counter.  I have found the easy access and top-of-mind placement makes fruit and veg my EZ go-to foods...  and they never go bad when we know exactly how ripe and ready-to-eat they are. 

10)   Go Juice.

Drop the energy drinks and hi-caf bevs, pick up a juicer, and discover the raw energy that comes straight from nature.  Come up with juice combinations that rock your world… like my favorite juiced combo: fresh organic carrots juiced with a touch of orange (soooo good!!) 

Whole Lotta Living and GREAT HEALTH to you!!!

Love,

Angela

MIRACLE Grass

If you are looking for a miracle, this stuff may just save your life.

Take it from someone who has been there... someone who has watched their blood counts fall... someone who got slapped by the same heinous cytotoxic drugs week after week for six full months... someone whose docs said there was nothing that could be done.

Guess what.

Something can be done.

Something POWERFUL can be done.

And it's easy.

Wheatgrass.  FRESH. JUICED. WHEATGRASS.

Simply put, freshly juiced organic wheatgrass strips toxic heavy metals and poisons from the blood, allowing blood counts to quickly regenerate, and the body to properly heal... putting you back ahead of each and every chemotherapy treatment. 

Wheatgrass allows your own cells to recover while the chemo works to whither away the cancerous ones.

This is of dire importance as a delay in the chemo schedule (almost always because of low blood counts) could mean undue advantage for the cancer cells.

You have nothing to lose by giving it a try. 

Here is an excerpt from my online journal, written a week after my last chemo treatment. 

"More than any other single food, I HIGHLY recommend freshly juiced wheatgrass to ANYone traveling the gauntlet of chemo, and really to any person looking to disinfect, detoxify and heal the body from the many toxins we encounter in a given day.

I first had wheatgrass shots back in High School, and then later at airport juice bars when traveling for work week-in and week-out. 

I swore by the benefits…made me feel better than a shot of espresso..... and for a much longer period of time. 

Once chemo started, and my blood counts began to fall, I began digging for ways to feel better.

I knew I had to get some wheatgrass. 

I had trouble finding it freshly grown here in Galveston, so I decided to order the supplies and grow my own! 

It has proven to be one of the best decisions I have made in my fight to stay ahead of the damage…

Based on scientific studies, here are just ten of the innumerable benefits of wheatgrass:

1)      A one ounce shot of wheatgrass has the same nutritional value as 2.5 pounds of green garden veggies!!

2)      Wheatgrass juice is the best source of living chlorophyll available

3)      Chlorophyll neutralizes toxins

4)      Chlorophyll purifies the liver

5)      Chlorophyll improves blood sugar

6)      Chlorophyll washes drug deposits from the body

7)      Chlorophyll rebuilds the bloodstream

8)      Studies show red cell count was returned to normal within 5 days after the administration of chlorophyll, even in those subjects who were extremely anemic (low in red count)

9)      Wheatgrass reduces high blood pressure

10)   Wheatgrass improves digestion

And the list goes on…

And if this is not convincing enough to buy or cultivate your own whether going through chemo or not, take it from my blood panel report:

Before my final chemo treatment... after 15 consecutive poisonings... and when my blood counts were expected to be the lowest, the concentration of hemoglobin in my blood (the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen) was ABOVE the range of a normal, healthy, NON-chemo person…a 31.7 on a 27.0-31.0 scale!! 

This is with zero blood cell booster injections from the doc, which often have a slew of side effects like bone and muscle aches, headaches, allergic reactions, etc.

If this is not an objective testament to the power of wheatgrass, nutrition, exercise and LOVE, than I don’t know what is!

Furthermore, my platelet count was a 45.8 on a 35.1- 46.3 scale. 

My white count was a 4.9, nine tenths above the 4.0 minimum.  

My chemo was never delayed… 

I never contracted illness… 

For supplies on growing, juicing and enjoying your own wheatgrass, check out this link, www.wheatgrasskits.com...  Scroll down for 40 of the benefits, growing tips and medical references.

More of my best wishes to you for GREAT health and PROactive cancer ass-kicking!!"

No surprise Mother Nature can create the PERFECT recipe...

I am currently 8 months out of chemo.  I continue to cultivate and juice my own wheatgrass.  I probably will the rest of my life. 

In my journey toward wellness, juiced wheatgrass is the easiest, most economical, and most effective at-home detox method I have found. 

If you are located in Mobile, Virginia's Health Foods on Airport will provide fresh-juiced wheatgrass shots at the restaurant located at the back of the store. 

You can also pick up sprouted wheatgrass from the produce section of Virginia's and Fresh Market, but you will need to juice it yourself.

I recommend a manual juicer as an electric juicer will cause the wheatgrass to oxidize, diminishing the nutritional value of the wheatgrass. 

Also be sure your manual juicer is stainless steel rather than plastic or aluminum, to avoid leaching chemicals into your wheatgrass shot.

Should you choose to cultivate your own, this is the kit I recommend: http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/wheatgrasskit.htm

Please reach out to me if you have questions or need ANY help at ALL in getting started.

Whole Lotta Love and LIVING to YOU,

-Angela

Food Framework #3: EZ Veg Wrap-Up

(continued from Recipe tab)

This is definitely one of my go-to hubby/ toddler approved mid-day or evening meals when I haven’t made time to plan.

First and foremost, if you haven't already, look-up and hit-up your local International Food Store!!! 

You will be blown AWAY at the variety of individual and bulk options, lack of preservatives, and GREAT prices... seriously a fraction of what Whole Foods or Fresh Market get away with charging.

And no doubt if I can find one here in Mobile, you will have options in the city/town where you live.

Once you find your local international market, pick up some Lavash bread.  It was an inexpensive, easy find in the freezer section of our international food store (only $2.95 for three 20" flatbreads.) 

My favorite brand is called Turlock Lavash, imported from Isreal, and is made of 100% stone ground whole wheat, water, yeast and salt.

All you gotta do is spread out the beautiful lavash and pile the inside with loads of whatever you prefer.






Stuffed and ready-to-wrap Mediterranean adaptation:  hummus, tabouli, sauteed mushrooms and tomatoes, squeeze of lemon and drizzle of balsamic vinegar; one stuffed, rolled, and cut-up 20" lavash will easily satisfy at least two people

   

This is another recipe that is open to interpretation and can be catered to your liking, hence the word “framework”.

Here are a few of our favorite things to stuff inside, in all sorts of combinations:

• fresh homemade hummus (or check your international market, ours makes a hummus that is unbelievable!)
• tabouli, eggplant dip, coleslaw, any favorite salad 
• any warm sauteed veg combo
• fresh veg of any kind: mixed greens, sprouts, avocado, sweet peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes, etc.
• sliced cucumber soaked in vinegar and fresh dill
• garbanzos, black beans, black eyed peas, green baby sweet peas etc.
• an organic egg (fried in ghee or coconut oil) on top is fantastic
• Daiya brand non-dairy cheese is my new favorite, and a great melty add
• nuts and seeds such as pumpkin, sesame and sunflower
• apple-cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil lemon and/or lime for dressing

Then just wrap it up and enjoy!

Other than the Mediterranean version (pictured above), here are a few other adaptations we love:

• Baja Mex: black beans with cumin, daiya non-dairy cheese, tomato, onion, cilantro, avocado, lime, chili peppers, fresh salsa

• Italian: tomatoes, artichoke hearts, fresh sweet yellow, red and orange peppers, sprouts, pesto, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil

• Greek: kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, mixed greens, whole-grain couscous with lentils, oregeno, olive oil, vinegar

• Indian: sauteed cauliflower, potato, tomato, onion and spices including fenugreek, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric and chili powder

I love this go-to plan as its also a great way to utilize odds and ends from the fridge.  You will love experimenting with amazing combinations.

Let me know you and your family's favorite whole-food plant-based combo, or what new one's you come up with!

Whole Lotta Living and LOVE to You and Yours,

Angela

ACTION

How can it be? 

How can 1 in every 8 women fall victim? 

What will that day feel like if your daughter, your sister, your best friend comes to you with the news “I have breast cancer”?

How will it feel if you find a lump in your own breast, and learn it’s not what you hoped.

Is this really a statistic we can just brush aside, go on with our lives, and think “I hope I'll never be that one”?

Guess what, I never thought in a MILLION years I would be that one.

How ignorant was I….

Or maybe just poorly educated.

For someone who had all the resources, all the motivation, all the interest in the world on the topic, I was poorly informed… and didn’t even know it.

As I popped daily birth control pills my doc told me were safe, slathered on my aluminum-laden Secret anti-perspirant like my peers, and consumed bokus of sometimes organic meat, cheese and dairy, I never thought in a million years I would be that ONE. 

Never me, as long as I continue my active lifestyle, my high spirits, my fantastic relationships, my supurb veggie-rich diet…

But sure enough, those hot cancerous lumps popped up so quick…. before I knew it I was inviting a plethora of cytotoxic chemicals to be injected right into my bloodstream, straight into my heart.

Look, all this to say….. what I was doing was obviously NOT working.

And with 1 in 8 women getting breast cancer in their lifetime, and numbers only increasing, what WE are collectively doing is obviously NOT working. 

Breast cancer appears to be so random and unavoidable, but it’s not. 

We know more than ever before about this disease…. we know Cancer requires certain conditions, certain inadequacies in our immune system, certain toxic exposures in order for it to occur.

Consequently, we have major control over our risks, and in prevention. 

If we sit back and say… “There was nothing I could do”…then we ARE victims. 

If we stand up, survey our risks, and change our behaviors… we are empowered, educated and STRONG beings that cancer can't touch. 

We are inundated with awareness… with afflicted aunts, sisters, mothers… with ribbons, charity races, and drugs.  It is freaking due time to turn that awareness into ACTION, in the form of EDUCATION, PREVENTION, and VITALITY.

Here are two broad areas where we can all take immediate action:

1)      Reduce the onslaught of TOXINS in our lives

• Chemicals in personal care products 
• Chemicals that are prescription/ OTC drugs
• Chemical cleaners
• Chemical fertilizers
• Chemicals in our food

2)      Amp up our IMMUNE SYSTEMS

• Be aware of refined sugar intake and reduce
• Embrace plants!
• Reduce acid by eating less meat and dairy
• Ensure nutrient and vitamin needs are met, esp Vit D!!
• Breathe, move and sweat!!!
• Understand the spinal columns relationship with immunity, and maximize the nerve supply accordingly

I can’t wait to expand on these ideas with you in upcoming posts. 

For now, here are two of my favorite links to help you get started.

1)    http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ (Thank you, Karrie McNaughton)  Understand the ingredients in your personal care items you are currently putting on you body, see toxicity ratings, and view non-toxic alternatives.

2)    www.maximizedliving.com (Thank you, Kelly Eubanks)... These guys are the docs of the future.  With a proactive focus on wellness, before disease can even take root, the multitude of resources here will provide you with loads of inspiration on how to take control of your own health and vitality.

For the love of our children, for the love of our families, for the love of OURSELVES.... let's up our game. 

Let THIS be the day we make the decision to really take responsibility for our own health.

CHEERS to this Whole Life! 

Much Love,
Angela

Painting (pictured above) by the talented Cory Smith

Fall Food that Warms the SOUL

AWESOME, it’s feeling like Fall! 

Snuggling on the couch with windows open, a crisp evening breeze running through, and a good football game on the tube is in order.  And with the peeps you love, of course… 

Oh, and a warm bowl of fabulous soup.

Check out this dinner idea to amp up the cozy Fallish feeling even more…

Braised Pumpkin with Coconut Milk

AKA “Canh Bi Ro Ham Dua”: Traditional Buddhist Vegetarian Dish

Adapted from The Food of Asia Cookbook

What you Need:
(serves 4)

• 2 whole pumpkins-  cut in half width-wise, bottom halves to serve as bowls, top halves peel and cut into 2 cups worth of cubes 
• sweet potatoes- 2 cups cubed
• mushrooms-1 cup any kind (portabella, shitake, whatever you like)
• 1 whole coconut- crack, drain and set aside coconut water, peel out fresh coconut for garnish, two remaining halves to serve as bowls
• coconut milk-1-2 cups
• cashews- 1 cup (more if you like)
• salt/ pepper to taste
• agave nectar to taste
• Fresh cilantro- garnish
• Fresh grated coconut- garnish 
• Chopped cashews- garnish

1) Place pumpkin, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, coconut water (or sub with coconut milk) in a deep saute pan (cast iron will give it great flavor!)  Bring to a boil and then lower to simmer until colors are vibrant.

2) Place in blender with coconut milk, and cashews.  Blend well.  Add salt, pepper and agave nectar to taste.

3) Serve in coconut and pumpkin bowls with fresh cilantro, coconut and chopped cashews as garnish.  

Serve with salad and whole grain bread.  And your choice beverage.

Full Meal Cost Per Serving= $2.86! 

Enjoy the cooking time, the time with your peeps, and the cost-savings of not ordering-in or eating-out.

And know that your feeding you and your loves whole-food, nutrient-packed calories in a fun, seasonal and memorable way!  Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Cheers to you, Cheers to Whole Living!

Much Love,

Angela