Here we are at the end of April! And all that we can say is already??

Honestly, how does time pass so quickly we wonder? It seems to just race by.  

But stop the world for just one minute. We here at Wholly Macro are getting off for a few weeks!!

So this weeks menu, the April 25, 2012 Delivery Menu, is our last for the next two weeks. And we feel it is a very nice menu to leave you with.

The Split Pea Soup is super soothing, satisfying, and nutritious. Split peas are very good for the liver. They really calm, relax, and detoxify it, and if you recall from last weeks newsletter, the liver, when out of balance, can be one hot-tempered organ.  

When I was receiving chemotherapy (about 16 years ago), I had the most endearing experience with split peas. I had received a massive, near overdose of a new chemo drug, and had a bad reaction to it. My blood counts were very low, my throat was swollen and closing up, my hands and feet were numb, and the doctor was threatening to hospitalize me. At my insistence, he gave me a few days reprieve, telling me to go home, stay home, and not be in contact with anyone due to my lowered immune response. I had barely three days to turn the situation around, or risk hospitalization. I had no appetite, but I knew that the only way I could possibly regain my strength and even begin to recover was through the nourishment and nurturing of healthy food.

While not fully able to comprehend the huge hit that my liver had taken due to the near overdose of the chemo, and having no working taste buds to speak of, I nevertheless innately craved split peas. I asked Jaime to make a big pot of split pea soup. I could only eat a small amount at a time, (because my mouth and throat were so sore and swollen), but I sat at my kitchen table with a big bowlful of soup, and spooned a few bites into my body every several minutes.

I literally did that for two solid days, during every waking hour. And to this day, whenever a client laments to me that they just can't eat (due to their medications or condition), I tell them my story, and tell them: Yes they can. And suggest they start with a big bowl of split pea soup.

On the third day of my reprieve, I returned to the doctor to recheck my blood levels to determine if I was going to go directly to the hospital or back home. I already knew that I was better. I felt better. I was stronger. And the blood work confirmed it! I was permitted to return home!! It was a few days before Christmas 1996. I was ecstatic with gratitude.

I feel that the split peas, (along with the miso, sea vegetables, onions, et al) saved me. They will always have a special place in my heart (and liver)!

Next up: Vegetable Laced Polenta and Brown Rice Terrine. We are so sorry to suggest that you cook, but do feel that you simply must try pan-frying this dish. Have you ever tried fried polenta? It is such a classic and delicious way of eating it. Take a frying pan and lightly coat it with oil: We suggest sunflower or olive. Let it get hot, but not smoking. Then take a � inch slice of the polenta / rice, it should come out solid if you cut it while it is cold, like a slice of cake. You can sprinkle it with some dry corn meal to give it a nice crust, or not, before laying it flat in the pan to brown well on each side. Serve, and enjoy!

It will go especially well with the Scrambled Tofu. We suggest that you also fry or saute the  tofu before serving. You can use the same pan that you used for the polenta if you wish. Frying / sauteing the tofu will really liven it up and make it feel much more like it has been freshly scrambled. The heat contracts the tofu and makes it more chunky and chewy, like it is when freshly cooked.

And one of our all time favorite dishes is the Shepard's Pie. We love the contrast of colors in this dish, the gentle yellow of the millet "crust" against the deep rich red of the kidney beans. Beans are probably the only food from the plant kingdom that are both a protein source and a vegetable. A double whammy. We do love positive multi-tasking here at Wholly Macro!! Many traditionally based studies show that beans increase blood flow. And kidney beans in specific have a lively and expansive energetic quality that, in oriental medicinal lore, are especially good for the heart.

In a fun twist on nishime style root vegetables, we have chosen the Sicilian Root Vegetable Salad for this week's vegetable dish. Nishime is a cooking style that is designed to bring out the natural sweetness and tenderness of root vegetables. We have selected a few root vegetables that support the health of the pancreas, cooked them nishime style to render them fully tender, and encourage them to release their full sweetness, and combined them with some nice fresh accessory vegetables to provide additional nutrients, juiciness, and crunch.

 

To close out the week, and bid you sweet adieu, we are finishing with a Coconut Almond Couscous Cake. We read a study recently that says that coconut contains natural anti-fungal and antimicrobial properties, making the freshly dried coconut that this dessert contains a very friendly ally in the maintenance of a healthy gastro-intestinal system. We love that it helps to discourage bad bacteria from proliferating within. And what is more delicious than coconut??

Jaime loves to watch a show on the food channel called Bizarre Foods. He loves the motto of the show, which is: "If it looks good, eat it."  

We want to leave you with our own Wholly Macro motto, which is  

"If it's a plant, eat it."