Rosh Hashanah - Starting Early

In Israel, you can feel the New Year coming. Evenings are finally cooling down. Calendars are in the mail. Stores are displaying local wines and honey.

At the green-grocer, peaches and nectarines are being replaced by fresh figs and dates, apples and pears. Green beans and leeks are here. My son just brought home his kibbutz’s gift of organic pomegranates, spices and dates.

Families are making plans. Not for vacations, but for meals. Who’s eating where? When you have married children, it’s an issue. Grandmothers, aunts, cousins all need to be consulted. And it always works out. With nearly a month of holidays, there are plenty of meals to share.

This year we’ve invited a delightful young couple from Oregon who just made aliyah. Annie is a medical student in the Columbia-Ben Gurion program. Her husband Shimron is a chef. As a former Oregonian, I’m familiar with some of the chefs he worked with back home – top notch restaurateurs known for their innovative use of fresh local ingredients.

You can imagine how excited I was when Shimron offered to help us cook for the holidays. I’m looking forward to my first time in the kitchen with a real professional.

We haven’t yet decided on a menu, but it’s not too early to think about dessert. On Rosh Hashanah, my mother’s honey cake is a given. It can be baked several weeks in advance, wrapped well and kept in the freezer. Since honey is a natural preservative, you can even leave this cake at room temperature for a week or two, providing it is carefully wrapped.

Mom’s Honey Cake (Parve)

2 cups honey
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup strong hot coffee (brewed or instant)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar

Generously spray a large bundt pan or two 9 × 5” (23 x 13 cm) loaf pans with baking
spray.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 Centigrade)

Heat the honey in a very large pan until it begins to bubble slightly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda. The mixture will bubble and foam up to the top of the pan. Stir in the coffee and set the mixture aside to cool.

Whisk together the flour and spices and set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the eggs until creamy. Add the sugar, a little at a time, until the mixture is thick and pale. Add the cooled honey and the flour mixture alternately to the eggs, a little at a time, mixing on low speed to combine. Pour the mixture into the baking pan(s) and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the pan. The cake should start to come away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out dry when ready.

Cool the cake(s) on a wire rack.

Serves 12 to 16

Get Yourself a Professional!

Israelis are big on alternative medicine. Our major health care providers offer alternative treatments such as acupuncture, shiatsu, biofeedback, Chinese medicine and homeopathy.

So I wasn’t surprised to read that 14% of Israelis seek nutrition and diet advice from alternative practitioners. The good news is that 76% go to registered dietitians. 7% talk with their physicians and the remaining 3% seek “others”.

I worry about some of the alternative practitioners and the “others”. Many of them have little or no formal training in nutrition science.

How many times have I heard health-food store clerks casually recommend food supplements?

What about a nutrition evaluation based on looking into your eyes? Or diet recommendations made on the basis of your blood type or your personality?

If only it were so easy!

Fortunately, plenty of qualified people are available to advise you on questions of diet and health.

In the U.S., you can seek out an RD – a registered dietitian. The American Dietetic Association awards this credential to those of us who have passed an exam after finishing academic coursework and an internship. To maintain registration, you’ve got to keep up professionally with continuing education.

In Israel, the Health Ministry – משרד הבריאות sets standards for practicing dietetics. We also have Atid – עטיד, an organization that promotes education for nutrition professionals.

If you’re really serious about getting good nutrition advice, see a professional.

Raw or Cooked?

Last night I spoke about my book at the O-U Center in Jerusalem. It was a lovely group of people, including old friends and new faces.

Here is one of the questions I was asked:

"Is it better to eat vegetables raw or cooked?"

We know it’s good to eat lots of vegetables, but is one way of preparing them better than another? How can you best preserve their nutrients?

First of all, vegetables have to taste good. Otherwise you wouldn’t want to eat them at all. That may mean adding herbs, salt, olive oil or salad dressing to perk up your vegetables. Full-fat salad dressing and avocado added to vegetable salad actually increases the absorption of many nutrients in salads. Add nuts and seeds for a similar effect.

Raw foods are not necessarily better than cooked. Cooking breaks down the thick cell walls of plants, making their nutrients more "accessible". For instance, cooked tomatoes (as in sauce) have a much higher content of the antioxidant lycopene than fresh tomatoes.

Every preparation method has its pros and cons.

Raw carrots are high in polyphenols but low in carotenoids. Boil them and you lose most of the polyphenols while increasing the carotenoids.

Broccoli retains most of its vitamin C when microwaved or pressure cooked. Steam or boil it and you’ll lose more of the vitamin.

When carrots, zucchini and broccoli were tested, they retained more of their nutrients when boiled, compared to steamed, fried or raw.

And don’t store your vegetables and fruits for very long. They lose nutrients over time in the refrigerator and the freezer.

What’s the best strategy?

Eat a wide variety of vegetables.

Include vegetables and fruit in every meal.

Vary your cooking methods.

Thank You!

To everyone who has helped with the success of my new book, a big Thank You!

Five months after Food for the Soul was published, we're now re-printing.

The new second edition has a handy chart for converting U.S. measures and oven temperatures into metric measurements. If any of you would like a PDF copy of the conversion chart, please send me an email and I'll send it to you.

תודה רבה תודה רבה תודה רבה תודה רבה תודה רבה

Community Supported Agriculture

In Oregon and Wisconsin, we bought most of our vegetables and fruits from local farms, with a program called community supported agriculture (CSA).

Here’s what CSA is all about:

You sign an agreement with a local farmer to purchase a set share of the farmer’s crops. The farmer provides a list of the crops that he or she plans to harvest and the approximate amount you can expect to get each week during the growing season.

Every week, you pick up your produce at a designated time and location. Sometimes farmers invite their members to visit the farm for special events or just to see what’s going on.

With pre-paid annual subscriptions, the farmer is assured of financial support and customers. In case of agricultural disasters (flooding, drought, disease and insects, for example), the farmer’s risk is shared with the members.

The idea is to supply fresh local (and often organic) produce at reasonable prices. No middle-men, no store overhead, no long-distance shipping. Just fresh-picked vegetables and fruit delivered directly from the farmer to the consumer.

I’ve always valued the supportive relationship between the producer and the consumer – a partnership between the farmer and the community that benefits both.

We really enjoyed belonging to CSA farms. There was only one problem. Farm events were always held on Shabbat. My kids could never pick pumpkins, go on hayrides or see where their vegetables were grown.

An organization called Hazon is changing that. They started the first Jewish network of CSA farms in the U.S., called “Tuv Ha’Aretz”


http://www.hazon.org/go.php?q=/food/CSA/aboutTuvHa


CSA is alive and well in Israel as well. “Or-Gani” http://www.or-gani.org.il/ (English website) is an organic farm serving northern and central Israeli communities.

If you’re looking for a way to eat fresh, seasonal produce and support local agriculture at the same time, CSA may just be for you. Check it out this summer!

Homegrown in Israel

Unlike the U.S., most vegetables and fruits don’t travel long distances to get to our tables here in Israel. (There are exceptions, of course. I’ve see off-season New Zealand kiwi, Washington State pears, and other produce brought in during a drought or Shmittah year.)

That’s because we’re fortunate to grow most of what we eat right here.

And we have quite a choice as to where we purchase our home-grown produce:

Large supermarkets
Smaller neighborhood markets (makolet)
Neighborhood green-grocers (yarkan)
Outdoor markets (shuk)
Subscription farms, such as community supported agriculture (CSA)

Farmer’s markets “U.S. and European-style” are just starting to catch on here. Israel’s first farmer’s market was recently launched in Tel Aviv. It takes place on Friday mornings during the summer months by the new pier. I’m sure that once the idea takes off, more cities will follow with markets of their own.

Organic produce has moved quickly into the mainstream here. Although there are growing pains – regulatory issues that will no doubt be resolved with time, organic vegetables are available in many supermarkets. This week, our neighborhood supermarket had organic tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, potatoes and onions.

Most of the vegetables and fruits our family eats come from Teva Habsor, an organic “subscription” farm that delivers throughout Israel. http://http//www.teva-habsor.co.il/ (Hebrew only website)

Every Sunday I get their order form via email. I choose what I want (minimum order 100 shekels, delivery 15 shekels) and email my order back to them later that week. On Thursday afternoon, a box or two of seasonal vegetables and fruit is delivered to our front door.

How much easier could it get!

I’m used to planning meals around what’s in season. I’ve also learned to be flexible.

Earlier this summer we had weeks of wonderfully tender Swiss chard. And then, with no warning, it was off the list. Those savory chard tarts, salads and pasta dishes will just have to wait until next year. But not to worry – deliciously sweet butternut squash came into season just when chard went out. After a month of luscious melons, mangoes are now in.

With the end of summer and beginning of fall, we'll soon be enjoying a new round of crops. Apple pie anyone?

Farmer’s markets

You’ve heard it over and over again – for optimum health, eat more fruits and vegetables. And it's true! So now, when fresh summer produce is abundant, it's a wonderful time to start.

Much of the produce sold in U.S. supermarkets is grown in developing countries, where sanitation is often less than ideal. Unfortunately, the FDA doesn’t have sufficient resources for inspecting most of what is brought in. Numerous wide-spread outbreaks of food-borne illness are a sad reminder of this.

Economic, environmental and nutritional disadvantages also come to mind when fresh food travels thousands of miles to reach our tables.

For me, the biggest drawback to grocery store produce is taste. That’s why I’m a big fan of local, seasonal produce.

And what better place to find deliciously fresh fruits and vegetables than your local farmer's market?

If you've never visited a farmer’s market, now is a wonderful time to go. (I know, many of them take place on Shabbat. But larger cities often have mid-week markets as well.)

There’s a lot to be said about eating food purchased from a farmer’s market.

It's reassuring to know where your food comes from. You know that you’re eating freshly picked produce that traveled only a short distance. It may even be organically grown. You’re supporting regional agriculture and local farms. You can actually talk with the farmer! You get to taste more unusual produce that may never make it to the supermarket. Or maybe just regular produce – like tomatoes that taste like tomatoes and not wood.

The photos are of a small farmer’s market in California that we visited last May. We bought salad mix, tomatoes, tender green beans and a variety of fresh fruit at the market. On the way back to our children’s house we stopped at Trader Joe’s for (Israeli) feta cheese, walnuts (to add to the salad) and a kosher whole-grain baguette. That’s the kind of easy, nutritious and delicious dinner I could eat all summer!

Apples, Pears, Pomegranates and Exercise Parks

A few months ago,” beautification” began in earnest throughout Beer Sheva. In our neighborhood, large colorful fruit and vegetable-like objects popped up along the main streets. I can’t complain - anything to remind people about fruits and vegetables sounds good to me.

Everyone knows what “beautification” really means - municipal elections are coming up. Just look at the election posters. The only ones I’ve seen are for the newcomer in the mayoral race. The incumbent is visible with every pear and pomegranate gracing our city’s intersections.

But I’ll certainly give credit where credit is due. And this administration got at least one thing right. In at least two neighborhoods near here, they built exercise parks – grassy areas with a colorful set of exercise equipment. Perfect for stretching and strengthening. And a great way to get our children interested in fitness.

Which brings me to my point – the importance of exercise.

Make exercise a regular, “built-in” part of your life. And get your children moving at an early age. Choose an activity that you enjoy. Or look around for something new. Some of us (like me) need a routine of regularly scheduled classes. Others may choose to ride a bicycle or walk to work instead driving.

Good nutrition is vital, but it’s not the whole story.

Regular exercise is essential - for heart health, disease prevention, weight loss and maintenance, strong bones, balance and overall physical and mental well-being.

An Easy Fast

Tisha B'Av begins this Motzei Shabbat, the evening of August 9th.

To ensure an easy fast, drink plenty of water beforehand and avoid eating heavily salted foods. Eat a light meal before the fast and try to include complex carbohydrates, a moderate amount of protein and a small amount of fat.

Break the fast with water, juice or tea and a light meal.

Shabbat Shalom and an easy fast to all.

Quick and Easy, Japanese-Style

My husband and I love Japan. We’ve been there three times and can’t wait to go again. Even though we can’t eat most of the food there, we admire the Japanese diet and their way with food – seasonal, aesthetically pleasing and healthy.

Fish seems to play an important role in keeping the Japanese healthy. Japanese men have similar rates of cholesterol, blood pressure and type-2 diabetes as their American counterparts. But their incidence of heart disease is less than half that of Americans.

The answer may be artery-protective omega-3 fatty acids in fish. And fish consumption in Japan is among the highest in the world, averaging 3 ounces (85 grams) a day.

We recently heard from Japanese friends who described a quick and easy summer dinner that they enjoyed:

Grilled fish with grated radish
Boiled edadame (green soybeans)
Cold noodles with fresh ginger

Most of us wouldn’t consider this “quick and easy.” Frozen pizza is closer to our idea.
But with fish fillets, vegetables and noodles, you can prepare a healthy meal in no time, Japanese or Western-style.

I keep several varieties of frozen fish fillets on hand, as well as a package or two of frozen vegetables. My selection of pasta includes Italian egg noodles, whole-wheat penne, rice noodles, udon and soba – Japanese buckwheat noodles.

Bake, broil, grill or sauté the fish fillets and serve them with a squeeze of lemon or a lively salsa. If edadame doesn’t appeal to you, try frozen green beans, broccoli or peas.

And do try these cold soba noodles dressed in a light soy and sesame dressing – very popular in Japan during the hot humid summer months.

COLD SOBA NOODLES

1 package soba noodles (8.8 ounces/250 grams)
2-4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted white or black sesame seeds

Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water until they are cool. Toss with the remaining ingredients.

Serves 6