Entrance of Spring ~ Salad time!

The weather is quickly becoming perfect for summer salads here in the great state of Arizona, where already we are praying at the holy temple of the Swimming Pool with great abandon and pleasure, saluting the sun like some kind of long-lost warm friend. Mercury moves into direct motion today, helping to clarify our communication. What have we learned in the last three weeks? Have you been able to refine or clarify anything in your life? in your communication style? in your relationship with technology?

In honor of the arrival of spring this week, here is a description of a vegetarian bean salad:

-handful of black beans
-torn pieces of orange
-handful of seeds/nuts
-chopped jicama
-sliced kiwi
-handful of corn (organic, non-GMO)

I call this the "Handful" salad - it's just a handful of this and a handful of that, with a squeeze of orange juice and lime juice for dressing. If you are a seafood eater, you may wish to add shrimp.

Note: No pot was harmed to make this meal. It was completely un-cooked from it's inception. Someone else did the black bean cookin, so that doesn't count. Obviously.

The Sun enters Aries on March 20th, heralding the beginning of the Spring season.This is an excellent time for new beginnings and creative visualization. May this coming season bring great peace into your lives.
Namaste,
Jane

An Adventure into raw & healthy food: or, uncooking, as it may be

I am one of many people on the planet that has an interest in eating better. Many of my friends are undergoing a similar journey - eating gluten-free, juicing, adopting a raw foods diet, or going vegan. Their reasons are many: better health, concerns for animal welfare, neutralizing food sensitivities, or creating a clean and clear system. In my current path, I have experimented with all of the above, listening all the while for how my body responds. I gather my ideas from other bloggers, or from hearing friends talk about their experiments or favorite foods. I also get ideas from my local health food store newsletter.

Since May 2012, I have largely gone sugar-free. With rare exceptions (a homemade cupcake on my birthday, a cookie on Christmas), I have committed to living with out sugar in my diet. I have learned to root out the more obvious culprits: where I am now on the journey is rooting more subtle forms of sugar out of my diet, such as what may be found in salad dressings.

Here is a recent recipe, adapted from something shared by a friend. When I cook, or un-cook, my goal is to feel how the ingredients collectively sit in the body: is more energy available?

-steamed brown rice
-steamed kale, broccoli, spinach
-raw avocado, sliced
-green Goddess dressing
-handful of raw nuts

I am amazed at the simplicity in the organization of the foods. For people that struggle with food sensitivities, either known or subtle and hard-to-define, such a gathering of foods can mean the difference between stable energy in the body, or distracting the nervous system into other realms.