Peace in the Pantry!

Achieving dietary soundness requires that we pause, reflect, and ask periodically if we have reduced our efforts to the simplest, most healthful, and most sustainable solutions. Simplicity is required to master a dietary lifestyle that promises to maximize vitality and longevity. Also, creating a pantry which sustains simplicity is foundational to your long-term success. Colleen and I want to share what has helped us most since 2000 when we first began making the transition to eating more fresh, living foods--the basis of a sound diet.

Fresh Produce - Minimally, you need to maintain a good supply and variety of fresh produce. Produce we maintain includes, but is not limited to the following: apples, arugula, asparagus, avocados, fresh basil, bell peppers (red, yellow, green), berries (blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, raspberries, and other seasonal berries ), Brussels Sprouts, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, fresh cilantro, cucumbers, kale, lemons, lettuces (Romaine, red, and green leaf), mushrooms, onions, parsley, seasonal fruits, sweet potatoes and yams, spinach, tomatoes, watercress, winter squash, and zucchini. We also enjoy keeping raw yogurt or kefir on hand. They provide vitamin B-12, calcium, protein, zinc, as well as other important nutrients that help to balance the intake of plant-based foods.

Grains and Legumes - In addition to fresh produce, we always keep a supply of dry beans such as adzuki beans, red beans, white or navy beans, black beans, lima beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans (any bean), lentils of all colors, split peas, couscous, oat groats, rolled oats, whole-grain pasta, whole wheat, rice (brown and white basmati), quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, millet, and fresh naturally leavened bread (homemade).

Raw Nuts and Seeds - We also love to keep some nuts and seeds on hand such as almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, chia seeds, coconut (shredded and dried), filberts, flax seed, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds, and walnuts. We like to keep these on hand to enhance various dishes, and they are also great emergency-preparedness, storage items. From just these basics we can easily create all the variety necessary to maintain a sound diet.

Animal-based Foods - Animals possess great intelligence and a soul. They have a God-given right to find and experience joy throughout their lives. They are not to be exploited, but are to serve man and to be served by man. We are to live in complete harmony with them; a predominantly plant-based dietary lifestyle enables man to live in harmony with animals, but is not initially an easy path for anyone who is addicted to flesh of animals. If you are such a person, as I was for many years, we recommend that as you move toward a plant-based diet, you limit your use of animal-based foods to a sparing use. For health purposes limit use also to grass-fed beef, wild fish, raw organic eggs from free-range chickens, unpasteurized, raw milk produced from free-ranging, grass-fed cows, sheep, or goats. It has been our experience, that as any person moves intelligently towards a more plant-based diet, they begin to recognize that the kinder we are to animals, the kinder we are to ourselves. Anit-aging research demonstrates that maximum vitality and longevity is achieved in part by meeting metabolic nutritional demands as efficiently as possible, while also imposing the fewest metabolic burdens upon our bodies. Nutritional needs are most efficiently met, while at the same time imposing the fewest burdens, through a plant-based diet. We live in happy harmony with nature as we limit the needless shedding of blood to extreme situations when no other adequate food sources are available. I am reminded of the happy animals that lived out their lives on our farm. For the most part, we served them, and they served us. Milk was freely given to us, even eagerly; in turn we maintained beautiful pastures and barns that were well-stocked with the best feed possible for our livestock. Truly, these animals found joy in their relationship with us and we with them.

Fermented Foods - For you extra milers, we recommend that you ferment any raw milk used and to convert it to kefir or yogurt. By doing so, the sugar in the milk that is problematic for many people, is pre-digested by friendly bacteria. We also use fermented miso, tempeh, olives, pickles, and pickled vegetables of all varieties. All garden vegetables that cannot be used before they spoil are easily converted to fermented vegetables that retain extremely high nutrient levels. We use the same traditional methods used to make sauerkraut to create a beautiful rainbow blend of fermented vegetables using carrots, cabbage, onion, zucchini, and so forth. It requires only 15 to 20 minutes to prepare a three-gallon bucket of veggies that are then fermented and made ready for consumption in as little as two weeks; moreover, they will store safely in a cool room all winter long.

Herbs and Spices - The following herbs and spices help to accentuate many dishes and are easily used once you become accustomed to them: basil, bay leaves, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cilantro, cinnamon, coriander seed, cumin, dill weed, garlic powder, ginger, italian seasoning, Mrs. Dash Seasonings (original blend), mustard (ground), nutmeg, onion powder, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. We even keep fresh potted plants of many of these that add beauty and freshness in our home.

Sweeteners and Seasonings - There is a time and place to use some of the following sweeteners and other seasonings: pure maple syrup, mellow white miso, raw honey, salt (unrefined), sugar, and tamari or Braggs Liquid Aminos. From time to time you will see these items included in our menu ideas that we send out weekly.

Oils and Vinegars - Our children continue to enjoy an occasional Friday night French-fry fest. Whenever we use oil to cook with, such as this occasion, the oil of choice is coconut oil because of all cooking oils, it maintains its health properties best when subjected to heat. Contrary to popular opinion olive oil is best used uncooked; we use it from time to time to help emulsify a salad dressing. Used in such a manner very little is required to enable the dressing to more easily cling to a salad. We also enjoy using apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar within a variety of recipes.

Dried Fruits - We enjoy using each of the following dried fruits in many dressings and other recipes: apples, apricots, cherries, craisins, dates, figs, mangoes, papaya, peaches, pears, pineapple, prunes, and raisins. 

Frozen Fruits - In addition to dried fruits, each Fall we purchase the following frozen fruits in bulk: apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches, raspberries, and strawberries. We use these to make outstanding dressings, sorbets, and smoothies.

Miscellaneous - Our recipes also call for some of the following miscellaneous items: almond extract, capers, carob, cocoa powder, dijon mustard, nori sheets, oat groats, oats (rolled), olives (pitted kalamata), tahini, sun-dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, canned coconut milk, vanilla extract, and vegetable or chicken stock (broth).

This may seem like an overwhelming list initially. If so, remember that the basic recipes require just fresh produce, grains, legumes, and nuts and seeds. As you can, stock up on the other items mentioned, and they will enable you to more readily try new healthful recipes from week-to-week.

Simplicity Secret: I spent a couple of years in Italy and was amazed by the simplicity, richness, and diversity of their cuisine. Seasonal foods showed up within a variety of amazingly simple dishes--to offer rich diversity from week-to-week and month-to-month. A few basic sauces and dressings carried the diversity, according to whatever fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables happened to be available in their amazing open street markets.The same basic variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables came and went annually during the different seasons of the year. Italians simply substituted one fruit or vegetable for another within their basic recipes. We see the same thing within the Chinese cuisine. Basic dressings, sauces, dips, or stir-fry sauces are used successfully with various seasonal combinations of fruits and vegetables. As the classic movie Green Fried Tomatoes reminds us, "The Secret is in the Sauce." You cannot go wrong when you substitute like-for-like fruits and vegetables, based upon what is fresh and in season.

Let’s look at this week’s Live Granola dish as an example of how to apply this secret. It includes a healthful grain, fresh fruit, and yogurt as a topping. Any seasonal fruit or combinations of fruits work; if you prefer one grain over another, simply make the substitution--cooked or raw (quinoa, millet, amaranth, cracked wheat, spelt, buckwheat etc) . Instead of topping the live granola with raw yogurt, try enjoying it plain or top it with a whole-food fruited dressing. If you have an allergy to nuts, leave them out or add seeds that are not problematic to you. Again, the secret is to learn a simple pattern or recipe and then introduce variety within that recipe that enables it to always be enjoyable to you.

Simple Healthful Recipe + Like-for-Like Substitutions = Year-Round Enjoyment

Enjoy the helpful pantry hints above; work at stocking your pantry, cupboards, refrigerator, and long-term storage with the foods, seasonings, and so forth that you can use daily to maintain a simple and healthful diet. Commit yourself to simplicity and goodness and also the spirit of creativity and newness to become a part of your everyday dietary lifestyle.

To Living Young!

Jim and Colleen Simmons