I turned the Big 40 on March 20th.   Some experiences and friendships and made room for new experiences and friendships to enter and grow in my life.

It's like when you have a healthy tree that just has too many limbs... once some old overgrown limbs are trimmed... the tree can grow to it's full potential.

That was hard for me because I don't like to let go.  Who does?  One thing I was holding onto was being a Vegetarian.  I loved the lifestyle.  And boy being a Raw Food, Vegan Chef.... Sexy!!!  So much attention was given to me.  People asked, "How do you cook meat?  How do you feel?  How do I do that?"  So many questions.

I felt so vitruous  so good.  Going to all the super cool Vegan and veggie restaruants with my super cool vegan, yoga doing, all natural fiber wearing, organic food buying friends.  Wow.

Underneath it all... my body was crying out in pain.  Joints were starting to hurt starting with my hip years ago.  I blamed it on a crazy dance teacher doing some archaic stretch on me without my permission when I was stretching out before class.  But that injury should have healed 7 years later right?

Recently it was my knee, same side as the hip.... interesting.  

And my mind.  When I was cooking at the vegan cafe ...sometimes it seemed like my head would explode.  I had an ongoing headache even though I was eating spirulina millet, drinking tons of filtered water, coconut water, eating tempeh and tofu, green leafy veggies and lots of brown rice and seaweed.   I was rail thin that summer and angry all the time and I had a really hard time sleeping.

So... now I'm cooking in a rehab residence in Harlem.  Animal proteins are what these guys and gals are used to and they need because of all the medications they are on in order to keep them in their right minds.

I was vegetarian and was so excited to introduce them to a different way of eating.  

The job kicked my ass. 

I started school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and the first thing they taught us was the concept of Bioindividuality.   One person's pancea is another's poision. We learned to listen to truly listen to our bodies instead of our minds to figure out what we need to eat.  The week before my birthday a woman named Sally Fallon from the Weston Price organization was our guest teacher.

What she said made such sense to me that after 13 years of vegetarianism... I went home after class and made myself an organic grass fed hamburger.   

And it was good. 

I slept like a baby that night.  Since then I've been integrating eating animal proteins into my diet along with green leafy veggies and fruit and I feel spectacular.  I feel grounded and am so much better equiped to deal with stress and all the drama that goes with working in the enviornment I work in.

At class...we've had instruction on Aruvedic eating, the Blood Type diet and so much more.   

It feels good to know I can eat whatever my body tells me it needs and when I do... I eat mindfully and well.  And I feel full without over eating and my sugar cravings are almost gone!

As a chef it's so nice to be back in the meat business.  I don't have to do 16 things to tofu or tempeh to make it taste like chicken or beef.  I can just cook chicken or beef!  What a concept.

But if I need to do cook for a vegetarian or vegan who wants something that tastes like meat but isn't ... I got the skills baby :)

 So for those of you who like Here's a great Steak recipe for you to savor.

J9

STEAK SALAD

This recipe serves:
4

Preparation time : 20 minutes Cooking time : 15 minutes

Ingredients
For the balsamic vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, salt to taste, freshly ground black pepper

For the grilled steak: 2 top sirloin steaks, about 8 ounces each

For the green salad: 8 mixed greens, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces, 2 cups cherry tomatoes, rinsed, 1 green bell pepper stemmed, seeded and diced, 1/2 cup thinly sliced Vidalia onion, 4 small crusty rolls

Instructions For the balsamic vinaigrette:

1. Place the shallots and vinegar in a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Continue whisking and slowly add the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (This can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

For the grilled steak:

1. Preheat the grill to medium-high.
2. Season the steaks with salt and pepper.
3. Grill the steaks on both sides until it is cooked through, about 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board to rest. (The steak can be grilled in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)

For the green salad:

1. Slice the steaks into strips and place them in a mixing bowl. Add the tomatoes, bell pepper and onion slices and half of the balsamic vinaigrette.
2. Place the romaine lettuce in a separate salad bowl and toss it with the remaining vinaigrette. Arrange the steak, tomato, bell pepper and onion mixture on top. Serve with a roll.


Nutrition Facts
Serving Size about 3 ounces of cooked steak with 2 cups of salad

Amount Per Serving: Calories 283, Protein 29, Total Carbohydrate 19, Dietary Fiber 3 Soluble Fiber 1 , Insoluble Fiber 2, Sugar 4,Total Fat 11, Saturated Fat 3