For the past few months, I've been working on improving my family's diet. We've considerably cut down on bread and wheat products, integrated more true whole grains (like rice, millet and quinoa) and I am feeling better about the wheat we eat. However, after reading the Wheat Belly Cookbook this weekend, even this may not be enough.

My Juice Fast

I never thought I could do this, as I love food so much! The other night, my friend Robert suggested we do a 3-day juice cleanse together. I thought about my recent food choices, I've been eating less and less meat and dairy, trying to cut out (or not depend so much on wheat), so it made sense to do this now and give my 40+ year old body a break! I looked up all the things that might improve going on a liquid veggie diet: aside from weight loss, immunity boost, healthy skin, better sleep, loss of joint aches and pains, clearer eyesight... the list goes on and on. That all sounds perfect, so why not give it a try? I have my trusty juicer from my Hong Kong days, let's do it!

If you haven't read this New York Times article: The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food by Michael Moss, please do, for an extensive report and insights on how food conglomerates function. How food scientists research to find the "bliss" point to make a product addictive, the solution of adding MORE sugar, salt and fillers to all these processed foods to keep their appeal. Obesity, heart disease, is rife in Western society, and these companies have no morals when targeting their products to impoverished nations. 

“A voice in my head says, ‘These people need a lot of things, 

but they don’t need a Coke.’ I almost threw up.” 

–  Jeffrey Dunn, former Coca-Cola executive, had an epiphany 

whilst on a marketing trip to target impoverished areas of Brazil.

Note that due to globalization, statistics have shown that the introduction to Western fast foods has also increased obesity in non-Western countries – the "globesity epidemic". Of course, it's also attributed to lifestyle choices and the overall decline in physical activity, but food is our fuel and we've been taking it for granted.

We, as consumers, do have a choice. Time to stop reaching for the "convenient" packaged option and take control of your food choices. Stick to whole foods, go organic, go local, know where your food comes from, and most importantly, COOK! It's a step in the right direction to a healthier life. The more people can affirm this choice, the more hopeful it will be to putting an end to all the harm these food conglomerates have caused. 

School Lunch

Now that all the kids are back in school, what are they having for lunch? if your child gets lunch in school, there is always the concern of what kind of meal they are getting. Tune into Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution for the controversies he faces trying to get school kids a proper meal and educating parents on caring about what their kids eat. It's taken for granted that the get good meals, but at the end of the day, much of it is processed, whether is comes from school or the home. I remember one episode where the child brings a packed lunch from home with candy, chips and a juice box. Convenient, yes, but nutritious? 

Check out 9-year-old, "Veg"'s blog, Never Seconds. In the spring, she was forced to stop taking photos of her school lunches and posting them, but the ban caused an uproar from her supporters, and she's able to continue her plight! Her blog has expanded with posts of meals that kids around the world have sent to her. I love her rating for each meal (health-o-meter, number of mouthfuls, pieces of hair...). She also tries to replicate some of the food that her fans send in, very inspirational! 

Olympian Foods

Watching all the ads during the Olympics, it's ironic that fast food and soda conglomerates are portraying an image of health and fitness. Jamie Oliver is a great figure of influence in his campaign against obesity in children. In a Letter to the UK Times he wrote two days ago, he condones the use of influential athletes in promoting junk food. It's so great to have someone who can promote awareness and help make a difference. 

Perhaps an athlete may have an occasional soda, but McDonald's? Even my kids were dubious. An athlete maintains a strict, balanced and nutritious diet. Whole foods – proteins, fresh fruit and vegetables provide the necessary minerals and energy. Staying hydrated, but not with Coke/caffeine, is also essential. Check out these 5 Olympian diets.

London's amazing 2012 Olympic Food Vision includes :

• Fairtrade coffee, tea, sugar and bananas
• Local and seasonal ingredients
• Free-range chickens and eggs 
• Sustainable fish 

As role models for future generations of athletes, this is the message that should be sent out to the millions of viewers watching the events around the globe – promoting a strong, healthy and sustainable food future.

Earth Day, Every Day

The disastrous effect that we have had on our planet in the last century is too depressing to think about. There are so many issues: from the threat to animals, to cutting down forests, to that hole in the ozone layer, to chronic illnesses caused from processed foods, to landfills... It's going to take a long, long time before we can fix any damage done. It seems like so many people don't realize, or are slowly-gaining consciousness, that how we live – what we eat, where our food comes from and/or how a product is made, and what packaging its in – really does make a difference to the global ecological footprint. How much do you consume?

Food Resolutions

What are your goals for the new year? After all the holiday food, drinks and relaxing, a new year is a good time (excuse) to reflect and make changes. It doesn't need to be anything drastic, make it realistic. 

1. Cook more! At LEAST three times a week.
2. Eat less processed food (including refined sugars). Try to make it from scratch.
3. Know what you are eating by reading the labels, don't take anything for granted.
4. Drink water, 8 cups a day!
5. Try Meatless Mondays.
6. Support your local shops and greenmarket.
7. Love your fruits and vegetables. Focus on seasonal foods.
8. Go for organic or grass-fed foods, especially meat and dairy.
9. Waste less, leftovers are good for a snack or meal anytime.
10. Try new recipes.

Not too hard, right? There are a few of these I need to work on. Some new recipes I want to try out are Tomato Soup (definitely not Campbell's!), homemade paté and chocolate mousse. After all, I need more for next year's "C (is for) Cooking" calendar! 

Thank you to all the people from over 17 countries throughout the globe who check into this website/blog. I've had over 5,800 page hits since I actually got it together to put the recipes online last year. 

These are your top five favorites: 

• Granola/Muesli Bars (flapjacks)
• New Year's Dumplings
• Mmm-m-m-mushrooms!
• Potluck Quick Fix
• Essential Cut Out Cookies (see variations)

See you in 2012!

C (is for) Cooking 2012 weekly planner

It's been a long time since I made my very first calendars in high school, ones with the scratch-on type and hand-drawn lines (it was before I knew that I would be a graphic designer, and definitely before computers were so accessible... a long, long time ago). Then, years later, when I had my own design firm in Hong Kong, as some of you may already know, I produced a corporate desk diary for the epic 1997 handover year. That was the first of many, filled with fun facts and figures, witty writing, beautiful photography and dynamic illustrations. We produced almost a decade of diaries for our clients to give to their customers. The diary, in pretty much the same design format is replicated to this day by the M Restaurant Group, who sell it in bookstores in China and Hong Kong. It's great to know that my idea still is lives on!

Since moving to New York, every year, I make calendars for gifts, yearly photo books for classrooms and such. So, I wanted to combine calendars with cooking and to share some of my favorite recipes on paper. There are over 80 recipes in this handy (5" x 8") book, some of your favorites from this website, like the New Year's Dumplings and Granola Bars are included as well as some fantastic ones I have been saving like my perfected Melt-in-your-mouth Two-bite Brownies and Ratatouille's Ratatouille. HERE'S THE FULL RECIPE LIST.

SELECT PREVIEW PAGES (17 OF 116)

C (is for) Cooking - HARDCOVER | C (is for) Cooking - SOFTCOVER

The 54-week planner includes national holidays of Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, UK and USA. It's pocket-sized, so an easy reference to your schedule as well as to food ideas all year round. Enjoy!

C (is for) Cooking 

a delicious 2012 weekly planner

GET YOUR COPY BY DECEMBER 24TH!! - THIS WEEK'S BLURB CUT-OFF DATES

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. 

Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. 

Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. 

And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. 

They somehow already know what you truly want to become. 

Everything else is secondary.

– Steve Jobs

(1955 - 2011)

In Case of (a Food) Emergency...

OK, we are waiting for Irene... we have been warned of wind, rain, flooding and power outages for up to 10 days! The supermarket was crazy yesterday with everyone stocking up on supplies. Here is a list of what I have on-hand, without going crazy on the processed foods. 

For immediate and long-term needs: 

• Fruit or vegetables that can be stored at room temperature for a long time, and can be eaten raw if necessary. i.e. Apples, Avocados (choose unripe ones), Carrots, Green beans, Melons (whole), Pineapples
• water (recommended to have enough for 1 gallon per person per day)
• Long-life milk 
• non-perishable ready-to-eat foods, such as canned/tinned beans and fish
• Dried fruit and nuts
• Dried beans that you can re-hydrate, as long as you have water
• Dried sheets of seaweed
• Dried meat, like pepperoni or salami sticks
• Crackers, breadsticks

A small gas burner or a camping stove, is handy to have if you have no other means to cook, stock up on:

• Quick cooking Chinese Noodles
• Couscous
• Frozen vegetables and any cooked meat (if there is a power outage, these will slowly defrost and can be consumed after a few days)

If possible, prepare some food in the "calm" before the storm, these can last the first few days. Cook whatever raw meat you have onhand, and either freeze it or keep it in the fridge for more immediate use. Cooked meat lasts about a week in the fridge. In case of power outage, store everything in ziplocs and in an airtight cooler with what ice/ice packs you have. 

• Ragu, and the pasta too
• Granola bars
• Roast Chicken
• Hard boil some eggs 
• Boil some potatoes

Actually many of these foods are good to have on-hand at any time, like if you know you will have a busy week, or need to bring stuff to eat while travelling. If there is an emergency, you can focus on matters at hand. If there is no state of emergency, then you can relax and marvel at the power of Mother Nature. Any way you look at it, it is better to be prepared.

Hidden Animal Ingredients

Did you know that so many common foods have animal-derived ingredients? Watching Episode 3 of the second season of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, there was a very memorable clip where he taught a group of high school kids about the ingredients of some of the colorful candy and cookie dough toppings the kids put on an ice cream sundae. Bugs and feathers, yuck! This clip was a definite eye-opener. Here are a few foods that you should probably know about, especially what is seemingly vegetarian, is in reality, not. Who on earth came up with the idea of adding these ingredients in the first place? 

Earth Day (and every day)

April 22nd is Earth Day, although in my opinion, every day should be a conscious effort to keep in mind how much our actions affect the world we live in. 

Here are some key ways you can do this in the kitchen:

• Shop at your local farmer’s market;
• Grow a pot of mixed fresh herbs, you only ever need a few sprigs for a recipe;
• Eat foods in season, or modify recipes according to season;
• Try to buy some organic produce (see the "Dirty Dozen" list of foods high in pesticides);
• One-pot meals use less energy and will save on clean-up, too! (Beef Stew, More-than-Chicken Soup, Fried Rice...);
• Serve recommended 3-4oz protein portion size, so that each meal is balanced with vegetables, grains. Even having a vegetarian meal once a week is beneficial to your body and the earth;
• Use cool water to rinse vegetables—or use a large bowl to wash all the produce for your meal in one go. You could even re-use this water to rinse dishes before loading the dishwasher;
• Allow leftover food to cool completely before putting it into the refrigerator;
• Let the dishes in the dishwasher air dry, especially in the summer;
• Use dishtowels, cloth napkins, real plates and cutlery instead of paper and plastic products;
• Use eco-friendly cleansers and products for everyday tasks;
• Use water filters instead of buying bottled water. Refill your own BPA free bottles;
• ALWAYS carry around compact, reusable shopping bags, you know you'll need one!

For more earth-saving ideas, see 50 Ways to Help the Planet.

Earth Day history and information. Take action!

Hope & Peace for the people of Japan

Japanese have a legend that anyone who folds 1,000 paper cranes will have their wish come true.The origami crane has become a symbol of peace from the story of Sadako, a young girl who was exposed to radiation at Hiroshima. When she was twelve and dying of leukemia, she decided to fold one-thousand cranes according to the legend, in hope that she would live and that there would be peace in the world. She folded 644 cranes before she died in 1955. Her friends and family continued folding them in honor of Sadako. She was buried with 1,000 cranes and a statue was made in her memory. Year after year, people come to pay tribute to her with more origami cranes.Sadako's brother, Masahiro Sasaki, kept five of the cranes his sister folded. In 2007, he decided to disperse these across the continents as a symbol of peace. The North American one is on display at the Tribute WTC Visitor Center in New York in memory of the victims of 9/11. Last year, Mr. Sasaki came to New York in a dedication ceremony which my daughter and a few of her classmates were honored to attend.

Photo: A.Tannenbaum for the Tribeca Trib

Photos: A.Tannenbaum for the Tribeca Trib

Now it is time for the world to help the people and families  of Japan and give them hope and strength to help rebuild their country.

• Red Cross. The Red Cross has called up several groups of volunteers and has disaster relief stations in affected regions. You can help immediately by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10.
• The Salvation Army. You can text the word "JAPAN" or "QUAKE" to 80888 to make a $10 donation to support the Salvation Army's relief efforts.
• Global Giving. Donate to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. This project will disburse funds to organizations providing relief and emergency services to victims of the earthquake and tsunami. You can also Text JAPAN to 50555 to give $10.
• Save the Children's Emergency Fund. Save the Children is mobilizing its global resources to respond to the needs of children and families affected by the earthquake and its aftermath, and an international emergency team has been dispatched to assist staff in Japan.
• Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is sending teams to the Iwate and Miyagi prefectures in Japan. The teams will focus on the particular needs of more vulnerable populations, including elderly people and young children, as well as people suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.

ORIGAMI CRANE

1: Using a square piece of paper, 2: place with the pattern side down. 3: Fold on the diagonal into a large triangle. 4: Fold in half again into a smaller triangle. 5-7: On the corner where two acute-angled corners are laid on top of one another, lift the top one up, "open" it from the inside and flatten into a square. The right-angle corners should all meet. 8-10: Turn it over and do the same to the other acute-angled corner. 11-14: Next fold the four flaps in evenly to meet at the center, so it looks like a kite shape (two flaps on the top, flip over and two on the bottom). 15-17: Fold the top of the "kite" down to make a crease and open it all back to a square. 18-19: Using both hands, with all the four right-angled corners facing you, lift the top-most corner up and "open" and flatten into a skinny diamond shape. 20-22: Turn over and do the same to the other side. 23-27: Where the diamond has a gap in the middle, fold the four flaps in towards the center again, towards the gap, to make a skinnier kite-shape (two flaps on the top, flip over and two on the bottom). 28-32: Fold the one "leg" up and into itself, you need to open it up a little and basically make this and make this "inside-out". This is to make the neck and tail, so it needs to be in between the wings. Do the same for the other "leg". 33-34: Next, in the same way, aout 1/2" from the tip, do a reverse-fold on one side to make the head. 35: Gently pull the wings apart to open it up. 36: You can pull on the tail to make the crane flap its wings.