On March 11, I had the pleasure of meeting Pete Carcione, president of the Golden Gate Produce Terminal and owner of Carcione’s Fresh Produce, and experienced a wonderful visit and glimpse into the busy activities of the wholesale produce warehouses at the Golden Gate Produce Terminal.

Pete’s family has been in the produce business for over 90 years, starting with his grandfather who came to America as a teenager and opened a small produce store in San Francisco.  You may also remember Pete’s father Joe Carcione, who hosted snippets of advice and tips for fruits and vegetables on television in the 1980’s. Joe also wrote a newspaper column, published two books, and was syndicated on about 80 television stations nationwide for his television and radio spots.

The family legacy continues through Pete Carcione, whose wholesale produce business has been supplying fresh, high quality fruits and vegetables for 35 years to over 400 stores and restaurants throughout northern California.

Pete is currently in the process of re-publishing one of his father’s books,  The Greengrocer Cookbook which is currently out of print but appears to still be in popular demand,  and I am so honored that some of the recipes from my book The Deity Diet are going to be featured in the upcoming release of The Greengrocer Cookbook.

As I drove through the gates of the Golden Gate Produce Terminal, I was absolutely amazed at the size of it – multiple wholesale produce distributors in huge warehouses spread out over 17 acres and 200,000 square feet – filled with farm fresh produce of fruits and vegetables, literally from floor to ceiling, spread out into the street – boxes and boxes of delicious, colorful oranges, apples, Swiss chard, rhubarb, crates of beans, avocados, pineapples, and mangoes from local farms and countries as far away as France and Chile.

It was an art just dodging the forklifts beeping and moving about while they load the shipments on trucks destined for local grocery stores and restaurants. By 9:30 AM most of the activity had slowed down as trucks took off for their deliveries.

I tasted succulent, crunchy baby cucumbers, and sampled fragrant, juicy Mandarin oranges that were dripping with sweetness. I learned about the Name,  (pronounced “Nami”) a tuber which looks like an oversized potato but filled with antioxidants and vitamins, and how to pick the best mangoes (but that is another blog post).

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the produce terminal is not just for business customers but is open to the general public as well. It is located near the San Francisco International airport at  131 Terminal Ct, South San Francisco, CA.

So the next time you are out and about you may want to drop in – maybe you will be lucky enough to pick up a fresh box of sweet, juicy Mandarin oranges for a lot less than what you will pay at your local grocery chain.

Until next time, here’s to your abundant living!

Connie Umbenhower

In addition to wholesome carrots, apples and nuts, one serving of this salad contains nutrient rich Kale and Swiss Chard loaded with minerals and Vitamins A, C and K (one cup of Kale provides over 300% of Vitamin A and 80% of your Vitamin C daily needs, while Swiss Chard provides 374% of your Vitamin K daily needs).

Red, Yellow and Green Bell Peppers are high in antioxidants, phytochemicals and lycopene, and known to fight heart disease, stroke and cancer; while Cilantro is powerful cleansing agent, good for the digestion and full of antibacterial qualities.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Red Swiss Chard, chopped
• 2 cups Kale, chopped
• 2 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup red apple, chopped
• 1 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1 cup yellow pepper, chopped
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• ½ cup finely chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup slivered almonds (sprinkle over finished salad)

Directions

1. Wash vegetables and apples thoroughly, prepare and drain using a salad spinner so salad is nice and dry. Mix thoroughly in a large bowl.
2. Sprinkle slivered almonds over the top of the salad and serve with your favourite dressing.

Serves 6-8

• 1 lb black lentils
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can vegetable broth
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 2 medium tomatoes chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro, finely diced
• 1/2 large red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 slices fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• Salt 1 tsp (or to taste)

Directions

1. Add lentils and broth to 8 cups of cold water and bring to a boil.
2. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook lentils for another 10-12 minutes
3. While lentils are cooking, chop tomatoes, celery and carrots. Add to lentils.
4. Add garbanzo, black beans and all the spices, salt and pepper.
5. In saucepan, saute onions, garlic and ginger in oil. Add to cooking mixture, add chopped cilantro and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve with Pita bread or whole grain rolls.

The poor man had never met so many relatives. Nor had he been what I consider so fortunate as to taste so many kinds of authentic home-made curries!

One of the most memorable aspects of that birthday celebration was, of course, the food. This was one of those Indian occasions where a wide variety of cultural delicacies was served. My Uncle Hubert, who was quite talented at making outstanding curries, volunteered to be in charge of the dinner. Uncle Hubert immediately called three of his old army buddies to assist him, along with my nephew Oliver.

They all showed up early on the morning of November 11th, my daughter’s birthday, and set out creating a commotion, banging and clanging pots and pans and utensils and ingredients, as they put together a makeshift kitchen in my grandmother’s backyard.

All day long one delicious smell after another drifted in from the backyard, until the guests began arriving and we transferred the food from the huge pots on the wood fires into serving bowls inside.

Some of the recipes for the food Uncle Hubert and his friends made that day are included in this book: Cumin Chicken, Saffron Flavored Rice Pilaf, Slow-Cooked Marinated Beef (a specialty of my grandfather’s when he was alive), Northeastern Indian Dal, Mint, Tomato and Cucumber Salad, and Daikon Salad. The food was authentic, delicious, and memorable, made from my uncle’s own favorite recipes, adjusted to fit the occasion.

My grandmother performed the ancestor blessings for my daughter’s future – the blessings for good health, peace, joy, prosperity, and abundance. Our culture considers these essential to a child’s future. My Uncle Roosevelt, as the honored Grand Uncle, added his blessings as well. My daughter probably received more blessings that day than most people get in a lifetime.

To this day my husband and I treasure our memories of that visit. We have passed them on to our daughter so she knows all about her First Birthday Indian Feast.

In the culture of Northeastern India, a baby’s first birthday is cause for celebration. We prepare a big feast for relatives, friends, and neighbors, who all gather to wish the baby well.

When my daughter was about to turn a year old, however, I was living in the United States with my American husband. Not a single Indian relative was here, and his family was so scattered about, it would have been impractical to get everyone together in one place.

We were fairly young and didn’t have much money, but I wanted so badly to take my daughter home and show her off to my family that we did what any proud modern-day parents would do: we racked up our credit cards and took off for India, baby in tow. Here is a picture of the happy baby before our trip.

At that time, I had six younger brothers and sisters still living at home, plus my mother, grandmother (sadly, my grandfather had passed away), a multitude of aunts, uncles, and cousins, and tons of old friends and neighbors.

You can probably imagine what it was like to bring an eleven-month-old baby into this lot, where the youngest child was my brother, age seven, practically ancient in comparison to his new niece. My daughter was passed around from one person to another, kissed, doted on, fed all kinds of very un-baby-like treats that I pretended not to notice, and was thoroughly spoiled.

And, of course, there was the complicated business of planning The Birthday Feast, who to invite, what to serve, how much to cook, who would cook it; and “should-we-only-have-tea-or-have-tea-and-then-later-on-dinner,” what music to play, who will provide the blessing, and so on and so forth. You would think we were planning a wedding.

By the time my mother and grandmother were through, it was almost like a wedding, with over two hundred guests. Most people in India think nothing of this – the celebration is both a feast and a religious ceremony – but to my American husband it was all a little mind-boggling.

(to be continued tomorrow)

So here are 5 Tips that will hopefully help you save some money and/or time:

1. Get a FREE Turkey! Many grocery stores are currently offering free turkeys so check out the local one in your area. I myself just got a 14 lb bird after I spent $99 on groceries at Lucky’s.
2. Have a Potluck style Thanksgiving or Christmas. If you are having friends or family over, have them bring one or two items so you have less to do, or do the same if you are going to someone else’s place.  Martha Stewart’s side dishes look yummy  if you want to check out her website.
3. Incorporate anti-stress related  foods into your menu. In addition to turkey  which seems to definitely get everyone dozing off after their feast (LOL),  studies have shown that almonds help lower blood pressure and are also high in B vitamin components. Another stress relief power food is the Avocado so be sure to include them  in your salads as they are high in potassium which reduces your blood pressure as well.
4. Give it away - try to go without gifts this year and use the money to help someone else. You will make a difference to someone less fortunate. I was so proud of my daughter and her husband when I found out that they had used the money they had budgeted for gifts for each other and instead spent it on filling a number of shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.
5. Avoid the Black Friday Rush – If you do have gifts to purchase, avoid black Friday and try to shop the following Monday – there will still be awesome sales, as stores are really trying to get customers in. And you will avoid the insanity of packed stores the day after Thanksgiving. However if you absolutely must shop on Black Friday, here is a BlackFridayInfo.com link that may help you search ahead of time for what some stores are advertising on this day.

Here’s to Your Good Health and Abundance.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Connie

Bitter Melon, also known as Bitter Gourd with the English name of Momordica Charantia, is an amazing fruit-vegetable that appears to have very interesting properties for fighting diabetes, cancer and certain infections and fevers.  It is a green cucumber like food with a rough skin and is grown all over India (called Karela) and other Asian countries.  It can be found in most grocery stores in the United States.

Bitter melon does have a very bitter flavour so it is an acquired taste for most people. I certainly acquired this taste early in my childhood from my grandmother and I LOVE bitter melon! My grandmother would steam it, mush it up, then add lemon juice, chopped garlic, onions, salt and fresh diced hot chillies to it and our family would eat it as one of our side vegetables with rice and curry.

Bitter melon has been used to control blood sugar levels throughout the centuries and science appears to support this. This gourd like fruit contains bioactive properties and could be a powerful treatment for Type II Diabetes. One of it’s benefits is that it allows the body the ability to improve glucose tolerance.

Research indicates that bitter melon has four components (momordicosides Q, R, S, and T with karaviloside XI) which create increased activity of AMPK, which is directly beneficial to fighting diabetes and obesity.

Additionally bitter melon has certain components that appear (again, according to research) to have a potential for treatment against breast cancer , prostrate cancer, and possibly HIV related infections, however anti HIV properties are not conclusive and more research is needed. Some of its other herbal uses include treatments for digestive and skin diseases.

You can add bitter melon to your diet as either a steamed vegetable or juice this great little plant. For some people it is more palatable to eat it fried. It can also be taken as a bitter melon extract.

If you are taking medication for blood sugar levels, please check with your doctor before use. It is not recommended for people with liver problems and should not be used during pregnancy as it may stimulate the uterus. This information is for educational purposes only and for diagnosis or treatment of any medical problem, please consult your licensed health care practitioner.

]]> http://himalayanbootcamp.com/blog/2009/11/16/bitter-melon-diabetes-power-food/feed 0 http://himalayanbootcamp.com/blog/2009/11/06/low-calorie-butter-chicken-recipe http://himalayanbootcamp.com/blog/2009/11/06/low-calorie-butter-chicken-recipe#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:03:35 +0000 admin http://himalayanbootcamp.com/blog/?p=339

I have had so many people ask me for this recipe so I am going to post it here in my blog. This recipe creates 4 large servings but it can easily be made into 6 servings depending on how much you want to pile your plate with it.  Normally butter chicken has higher calories but this one is about 292 calories per serving and even less calorie content if split into 6 servings.

Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

• 1 lb skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1″ cubes
• salt – approx 1 tsp or to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• lime juice (1 lime)
• ½ large red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1″ piece fresh ginger, grated
• ½ cup non fat yogurt
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• Cilantro (1/4 cup for garnish)

Directions

• Mix the chicken, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and lime juice in a bowl, cover and set aside in refrigerator.
• Chop onions, garlic, ginger and cilantro and set aside.
• Mix the yogurt, garam masala, cumin, coriander and turmeric and add to the chicken, mixing thoroughly. (Optional: you can marinade for one hour in refrigerator).
• Heat oil in frying pan on medium high heat. Add onions and fry until golden brown. Add ginger and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes.
• Add the marinated chicken and fry until all the ingredients are nicely mixed together (about 5 mins). Add tomato paste and water and cook for another 5 minutes until mixture is bubbly. Lower heat, cover and cook until chicken is tender and gravy is thick.
• In another pan, melt butter and pour it over the chicken. Sprinkle brown sugar over curry mixing gently and top off with chopped cilantro. Serve with basmati rice or naan.

4 Large Servings (292 calories per serving)

Turmeric is a plant in the ginger family with an earthy, bitter flavor and a mustard-like smell. It is a root that is boiled, then dried, and finally ground into a yellow-orange powder to be used as a spice. Turmeric is the ingredient that gives curry dishes their yellow color.

On of the main components in Turmeric is Curcumin. This component has been found to have amazing healing properties. I have consolidated some highlights of Turmeric below from my upcoming book The Deity Diet. Stay tuned for the release date.

Turmeric as a healing spice has been found to do the following:
•    Produce bile that helps break down fats.
•    Detoxify the liver, and assist in blood circulation and purification.
•    Because of its antibacterial properties, used as an antiseptic for cuts and bruises.
•    Has anti-inflammatory properties and known to be effective as a pain reliever.
•    Assists in digestion and fights off intestinal parasites
•    Works as an anti-oxidant, and helps reduce cholesterol and fight arteriosclerosis.
•    Fluoride in turmeric is highly effective to strengthen teeth & prevent cavities.
•    Used as a beauty treatment by brides in India, known to enhance the complexion.
•    Turmeric’s distinct aroma and taste adds color to, & enhances the flavor of curries.
•    Turmeric is also used in eggs and in salads.

One of the significant benefits of turmeric is its potential for preventing Alzheimer’s disease. According to a UCLA study, India has one of the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s disease in the world. The incidence of Alzheimer’s among Indian adults aged seventy to seventy-nine is 4.4 times less than that of the United States. Research indicates that curcumin, the main component of turmeric, inhibits accumulation of destructive beta amyloids that form the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Further studies are being conducted.

The next time you cook with Turmeric, think about the positive impact you are contributing to the health and well being of your body.

To your Longevity and Abundant Living!

Connie

Other memories consist of  fabulous, noisy, chaotic family get togethers which included incredibly deliciously food while we all caught up on the latest and greatest news with siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, met new babies who we fawned over, and got re-acquainted with nieces and nephews who seemed to have turned into teenagers overnight. What amazingly great times we all had!

I really treasure those moments, they seem so brief now – some of those precious people have passed away (such as my grandparents and two uncles) while some live so far away it has become harder to have these reunions.

I would like to pose some questions to you, my dear readers. Do you have stories to tell or special memories you cherish? Would you be interested in sharing them? Do you have any favorite recipes associated with your wonderful memories? Would you like to share a special dish that your grandmother or favorite uncle used to make? I would love to hear from you.

All I ask is that the recipe has:

• A short story and/or background
• Is healthy
• Can be made in 30 minutes or less

I will select five submissions out of all the entries sent in between May 1st and May 30th and if yours is one of the five selected, I will publish your recipe and story in one of my upcoming blog posts.  Or I may choose to make the dish, videotape it and post the video in my blog.

I will additionally send you a complimentary autographed copy of my upcoming book The Deity Diet.  You can email your stories and recipes directly to me at connie@himalayanbootcamp.com.

I hope you will join me in recreating memories of those special moments. We all benefit when you share. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you do not want to submit any recipes or stories, but would like to post your suggestions, comments or feedback, please feel free to do so.

To Your Longevity and Abundant Living!

Connie