As promised, here is the Fun-Doo recipe that we created as part of our 2011 Christmas celebratory feast!

Ingredients:

Caramel Sauce:

1 cup raw honey

½ cup raw coconut butter

½ cup coconut milk

¼ tsp salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon yacon syrup (optional)

½ cup tahini

pinch Himalayan sea salt

Optional (to make this into a chocolate caramel sauce):

1 tsp cocoa powder

Dipping Foods:

Coarsely chopped bananas, apples, and pears, plus clementine orange sections and whole strawberries.

Toppings:

Finely chopped nuts (for example, pecans, almonds, and/or hazelnuts), ground cocoa nibs, cinnamon, and black sesame seeds.

Directions:

1. Make caramel sauce by placing all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a fondue pot or medium bowl.
2. Serve fruit on a sectioned platter and arrange each topping in a separate bowl.
3. Arrange fruit and toppings around the fondue pot or bowl containing the dipping sauce.
4. Using a wooden or metal spear, pierce fruit and dip into the caramel sauce and then into the topping of your choice.

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Did you enjoy this recipe? Find more in my new book, Meals That Heal Inflammation!

Meals that Heal Inflammation was developed to help people who suffer from arthritis, asthma, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), skin conditions and other inflammation related disorders by showing them how to prepare delicious allergen-free meals that can assist the body's healing process.

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This Christmas, I have the great joy of hanging out with my nieces.  Cooking is the name of the game and I thought it would be an opportunity to expose them to some really healthy choices that will help buffer some of the rich treats everyone gets into.

I loved teaching the eldest how to hand slice coleslaw! She had never seen a purple cabbage before. Here is a snippet of our conversation while chopping:

A: Why is that cabbage purple Julie?

J: It is purple because of a special nutrient called Resveratrol that protects your heart. 

A: Wow. You sure know a lot about food auntie!

J: I love that every food has a different gift for our body. The broccoli protects your skin. See those carrots? They protect your eyes and those yams heal your lungs when you have a cold.

A: It is like the foods are superheros. The cabbage feels like rubber!

J: Maybe you could be a superhero. Let’s make you a cabbage mask and you could become Nutrient Girl - Spreading Nutrition to all the kids who need protection!

We spend a few minutes fitting her with a cool Cabbage Mask and then proceed to slicing the cabbage into perfect ribbons. I loved showing her how she could chop it finely with a safe knife. She watches me use a huge 10-inch chef knife and wishes she could try it. I say maybe when her age rolls into the double digits.

As we put the ribbons into a salad bowl and she races away to show off her mask to the rest of the family, I think of my friends in the nutrition field that are doing such incredible work for kids.

I look forward to them getting this great kit this Christmas:

“Today I Ate A Rainbow!™” is an interactive nutritional chart that makes eating fruits and vegetables fun for your children! Consisting of a colourful rainbow chart and bright cartoon magnets this tool will allow your children to easily track the fruits and vegetables they eat throughout the day. You can check out Kia Robertsonon twitter. http://twitter.com/#!/eatingarainbow

I also love the incredible book series, Human Body Detectives, which was created to inspire children to be proactive and confident in striving for their own optimal health.

Dr. Heather Manley’s kids LOVE being a part of Human Body Detectives and are passionate about sharing their love of healthy eating with other families. Dr Heather is also on Twitter:http://twitter.com/#!/drheathernd

Her wonderful kids recently cooked up some of my creations from Meals That Heal Inflammation on YouTube:

http://www.humanbodydetectives.com/blog/2011/12/a-kid-favorite-snack-julie-daniluks-stuffed-sailors/

Another Nutritional SuperHero is my friend Lulu Farnell. She and husband David created Real Food For Real Kids. Their awesome crew creates amazing natural food for 8000 kids a day in the Greater Toronto Area! Check them out: http://www.rfrk.com/catering/lunchclubs/

The thing that connects all these 3 ladies is their passion to share healing food with their kids!

Tonight we plan on making a chocolate fondue with a Chocolate superhero, ChocoSol, with LOTS of fresh fruit.

I will post the recipe tomorrow so stay tuned!

Question:

I'm a young female adult and a vegetarian. I've only been a vegetarian for a bit more than 2 years and having problems with maintaining my protein and iron levels. Are there easy snacks/foods I can make for on the go that will keep my diet in balance?

Answer:

I understand your trouble! Here is a excerpt from my book, Meals That Heal inflammation that answers your question succinctly. It is important for vegetarians to get enough protein in order to manage carbohydrate cravings and build lean muscle. If you are chronically tired, you may want to ensure you are getting enough iron and vitamin B12; both are hard to get on a vegetarian diet and are critical nutrients for energy production, blood formation, optimal health.

When choosing vegetarian options, mix grains or nuts or seeds with legumes to ensure you get a complete variety of amino acids.
Legumes include beans, peas and lentils. There are many choices like navy, black, pinto and kidney beans as well as the lesser-known, but equally delicious and nutritious, fava and cranberry beans. In the pea family are split peas, lentils, chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and black-eyed peas. Legumes are often low in the amino acids tryptophan and methionine, so try to pair them with grains or seeds for a complete protein source.

Grains include buckwheat, quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, millet, teff and amaranth. Many grains are low in the amino acid lysine, except amaranth, which boasts 1 g of lysine per 100 g. Pair grains with legumes to complete the protein.

Nuts and Seeds can also be low in lysine. Almonds, cashews, pecans and walnuts can be added as a quick topper or added to a bean or legume recipe to complete the protein. Seeds include sunflower, chia, flax, hemp, sesame and pepitas (pumpkin seeds).

Try adding Spirulina to shakes or using vegetarian protein power that agrees with you.

Great vegetarian sources of iron include:

• Lentils, cooked 1 cup (250 mL) 6.6 mg
• Spinach, cooked 1 cup (250 mL) 6.4 mg
• Quinoa, cooked 1 cup (250 mL) 6.3 mg
• Tempeh 1 cup (250 mL) 4.8 mg
• Lima beans, cooked1 cup (250 mL) 4.4 mg
• Swiss chard, cooked 1 cup (250 mL) 4.0 mg
• Blackstrap molasses 1 tbsp (15 mL) 4.0 mg

Roasted Chickpeas

Toss a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with a bit of olive oil, salt, and a combination of spices (try Curry or Cajun seasoning). Bake in a single layer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes, or until light brown and crispy.

Christmas music is blasting at the mall, the city streets are twinkling with string upon string of colourful lights and last week my husband even went as far as serenading me with “Chestnuts roasting on a open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose,” and it got me thinking, “I have never tried to roast chestnuts. How hard could it be?”

I’ve always loved buying these enticing nuts from the markets and street vendors, but who knew that making them at home is so incredibly easy? Having now done it, I implore you to try it this holiday season to wow your friends and family. And, while I recommend enjoying a few hot chestnuts out of the oven, I have created a nutrition-packed pâté that is ideal for holiday gatherings.

Chestnuts are one of the few nuts that grow well in Canada and so I was able to find fresh ones at my local farmers’ market, but you can get them in many supermarket produce sections.

Five health benefits of delicious chestnuts:

1. Chestnuts are on the front lines when it comes to fighting cancer. Chestnuts contain powerful tannins called proanthocyinadins, which have been shown to reduce the multiplication of cancer cells, and decrease the level of metastasis into surrounding organs. 

2. Chestnuts are the only nut that contains vitamin C! Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that is necessary for the elimination of disease-causing free radicals. Smokers are especially prone to vitamin C deficiency because of the free radical damage to their lung tissue.

3. Chestnuts are an excellent source of potassium. Adequate potassium levels are required by the kidneys to maintain a healthy blood pressure and prevent hypertension. So skip the sodium filled salted peanuts and take a crack at a chestnut as a healthy alternative.

4. Chestnuts are a great choice during pregnancy. Chestnuts contain high levels of folate that is necessary in pregnancy to ensure a healthy brain and nervous system of the developing fetus. Folate also has the ability to prevent certain types of congenital anaemia for proper oxygen transport to the tissues. 

5. Choose chestnuts as a low-calorie snack to maintain a healthy weight. Chestnuts contain about 50 percent less fat than peanuts or almonds. Since fat has the highest caloric content per gram, this makes chestnuts an ideal low-calorie alternative to many other snacks! 

Chestnut pâte

The nutmeg and allspice make a perfect holiday addition to the creamy texture of the chestnuts. This pate works as an immune boost as well as increasing the cheer factor of any party.

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 mL) chestnuts, roasted and peeled
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup (250 mL) onions, chopped finely
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil, divided
1/4 cup (60 mL) water
2 tbsp (30 mL) apple cider vinegar
½ tsp (2.5 mL) nutmeg
½ tsp (2.5 mL) allspice

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F (210 C).
2. Make a crosscut across the round side of each chestnut to keep them from exploding, and arrange them along with a bulb of garlic either on the oven rack or on a cookie sheet.
3. Roast until the skins have pulled back from the cuts and the nutmeats have softened (exactly how long will depend upon the chestnuts, about 20 minutes for small, 25 minutes for large.)
4. Remove the nuts from the oven, make a mound of them in an old towel, wrap them up, and squeeze them hard to release the skin. Allow to cool until you can peel them.
5. Peel the garlic cloves out of the skins and sauté with the onions over medium-high heat until lightly caramelized.
6. Sprinkle with nutmeg and allspice and cook for 1 minute.
7. Crumble chestnuts into the pan mixture. Add the olive oil, vinegar and water and cook for 4 minutes or until the chestnuts are moist.
8. Allow to cool, then pour ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth.

Makes 6-8 servings.

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Did you enjoy this recipe? Find more in my new book, Meals That Heal Inflammation!

Meals that Heal Inflammation was developed to help people who suffer from arthritis, asthma, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), skin conditions and other inflammation related disorders by showing them how to prepare delicious allergen-free meals that can assist the body's healing process.

===========================================================================

I am very excited to have my first book signing today at The Big Carrot in Toronto. I really want this book be an inspiration to all those who seek a path to healing using food as their medicine. The Big Carrot has been my nutritional home for over 18 years, and I have grown in so many ways because of their support. It warms my heart that so many people at the Carrot have participated in the creation of Meals That Heal Inflammation.

I have a long list of dedications at the back of the book but I wanted to acknowledge the people connected to The Big Carrot here today!

Did you know that I met my husband, Alan Smith, through a Big Carrot special event. I was flipping hemp pancakes and he was serving organic coffee at the Planet in Focus film festival. Over the 7 year journey to create Meals That Heal Inflammation, he has run countless shopping trips to The Big Carrot to pick up special ingredients for my latest culinary creation. He was by my side throughout the entire process and sacrificed innumerable hours printing the earlier version of the book that we self-published.

As I mention in the acknowledgements in the book, this project was really supported by an incredible community of like-minded, passionate, and extraordinary people. The Carrot’s book manager Aldi Llogori helped write the bean cooking chart; Evis Lasku helped to crunch the numbers on several recipes; Megan MacMillan, Dr. Suzanna Ivanovics,and Kate Kent assisted with research; and my friends Cathy Hayashi and Jake Rubin contributed recipes.

Daiva, the pioneer who started The Big Carrot, has been a huge cheerleader in my efforts to bring this book to market. I am so grateful to my friends Heather Barclay, Carol Roche, James Munro, Sarah Dobec, Lynne Garrett, Francis Ashwagandha, Jane Humphries, Mary Catharine Pittas, Maureen Fitzpatrick, Patrick Conner, Loralyn Sardella, Asa Copithorne, Kassa Da Breo, Charles Thompson, Mari Rossi, Paula Gougeon, Jani Fankhauser, Morgan Yew, Anthony Addario, and John Robertson who have supported and inspired me in so many ways over the years, including testing and tasting recipes. The multi-talented, ultra cool DJ and singing sensation Darren Dumas made time in his insane schedule to flex his graphic design skills and create an illustration for MTHI.

My editor and researcher Daniela Rambaldini took the book to a whole new level. I remember when I had self published my first edition 3 and half years ago. Daniela worked in the health and beauty department at the time. I had no idea I was working along side a genius until she said, “I have my masters in biology and I would love to help ground truth your book. Have you considered creating a reference for every food fact in your book? I think it would set it apart from so many healing cookbooks!” She has been on board ever since and has become one of dearest friends in the world.

Elena Radic became the copy editor shortly after. She also worked in the beauty department and was just graduating from the University of Toronto and was hungry to get some experience copyediting. She has such a wonderful way of making each sentence elegant and we miss her very much. She is now working for Oxford Press!

To my sister Lynn Daniluk, who has helped out at many Big Carrot Trade shows over the years and who has contributed hundreds of hours to this book. She was the very first person to attempt editing the chicken scratch from my recipe note pad in my kitchen. I remember she gave me a little blue floral-print book about 15 years ago and said, “Here are some of my favourite recipes. I left lots of room for you to create your own!” How could she know that it would inspire me to start writing down my creations. I owe her so much!

My brother Shambutata (Steven), is a very talented yoga instructor who tasted every recipe along the journey when we lived together. He would teach me a yoga class and then I would cook him breakfast. I know this loving nourishment has enabled me to juggle writing the book and working at the Carrot for all those years!

I will never forget my dear friend Martin Robertson coming to meet me at The Big Carrot Juice Bar each week. We would go over concepts and debate recipes. He was the source of my will to carry on during the challenging times. I wonder if I ever would have pursued getting it published if he had not been there to give me a gentle, yet firm, push!

To my parents, who deeply influenced the life path I chose. Without my mother and grandmother’s pioneering efforts in the realm of nutrition and healing with whole foods, I may have stuck with my original life plan and continued with my studies in theatre to become an actor. Instead, I was blessed with a profound appreciation and understanding of how vital it is for growing children to be fed whole, nutritious foods and to be protected from the inflammatory damage caused by food allergies. This is the path that eventually led me to The Big Carrot in the first place. Thank you mom, dad, and grandma!