Feel Good Guru

Attempting to create authentic Indian food is right up there with hang gliding and ice climbing as one of those things people fear. I can understand being afraid of dangling from a nylon kite above the tree line, or hanging from an ice pick in a frozen waterfall, but making Indian cuisine ought not scare a soul.

There are no rules in Indian cuisine. Each home in India has its own secret masala or spice mix, passed down from grandmother to mother to daughter, and each region has its own flavour. I called this “exotic lentils & coconut” because it’s not authentic Indian dal. It’s authentic Toronto in winter lentils over rice with an Indian flare minus the heavy cream and butter. Don’t be afraid! It’s easy-shmeasy. (more…)

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You’re concerned about what you put in your body, you buy organic produce, you carefully read the labels at the grocery store and you shop at local farmers’ markets to support your health and sustainable enterprise. But what about what you put on your body? Do you give your creams and cosmetics the same consideration as your food? You do now!

Sigrid Natural Skin Care is simply the better body butter for conscious consumers and a product that once you try it, you’ll want to be sure you’re hooked up with a lifetime supply. (more…)

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=Heart-Warming Coolness! Cold February nights in Toronto call for more than another log on the fire and a snuggle on the couch with hot cocoa and another episode of whatever. Cold February nights in Toronto call for a huge dose of foolish joy to jolt you out of the rabbit hole of hibernation and depression. I’d say even a little insanity is necessary to match the derangement you’ve been feeling at the thought of another eight weeks of winter. And Toronto the Fabulous has the perfect prescription for your family and friends on suicide watch: WinterCity Festival! Worth a trip out of hibernation just to see Pi-Leau by Close Act of The Netherlands transforming Nathan Phillips Square into an underwater fantasy where the sea level is rising and all creatures struggle for life and love… (more…)

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This is a recipe worth doing on a winter day. I just finished a big bowl for lunch and I want for nothing. There’s some sweetness from butternut squash and yams, a full load of high quality protein from the adzuki beans and a little quinoa, and a big blast of vitamins from some chard and kale thrown in at the last minute.

Adzukis are used a lot in Japan. You can get them in bulk at your health food store. They’re high in soluble fibre, low in fat, high in protein, low in sodium, high in minerals, low on the glycemic index, they support the kidneys and blood, they contain protease inhibitors, which “frustrate” the development of nasty cancer cells…basically, this little red bean is a food I’d consider to be “super”. (more…)

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I love this man. He’s a passionate speaker, columnist for the NYTimes, best-selling author of the popular “How to Cook Everything” books, including “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian”, and the recent “Food Matters - a guide to conscious eating”. He’s also an advocate of an “incrementalist” philosophy.

He preaches to Americans that they’re killing themselves and the planet with the way they eat. “Too much meat. Too much junk food. Too big a footprint.” He’s not a vegetarian, but he recommends a “vegan til 6″ diet, which, I think, is brilliant. It’s a message that doesn’t feel restrictive and punishing, rather, a positive challenge that’s easy for the masses to swallow… (more…)

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Found a great website today called xtranormal which allows you to create your own movie using their templates. How fun is that?

The choices are limited to simple characters and movements, and the dialogue is read by the digital bots, so not a whole lot of inflection yet, but you can see the massive potential coming at us. We are so living in the future!

I signed up and within half an hour had my first “movie”. That’s totally groovin’ with the woowoo! (more…)

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Dark chocolate has been shown in studies to help prevent heart disease and some cancers, and is known to enhance moods by boosting the brain chemical serotonin, much in the way that modern anti-depressant drugs work.

Ancient Aztec Indians believed that eating the fruit from the cacao tree brought wisdom and power. The legend, still alive today, if you ask any chocolate lover, was that cacao seeds had been brought from Paradise.

Revered the world over for its sweet taste and creamy texture, chocolate is also considered by many to be an aphrodisiac – and a perfect dessert or gift for loved ones on Valentine’s Day or a birthday or as a delicious accompaniment to any special occasion feast. (more…)

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My friend Dawn, who beat lymphoma with diet and meditation, swears by garlic. She crushes at least a clove of raw garlic on her food daily and recommends everyone do the same for optimum health. No argument from me. I happen to love love love garlic, and have sworn by its medicinal benefits for years.

There happen to be a few people around here coughing and wheezing with winter colds and flus, so today I pulled out the garlic, kale and chard and made a medicinal brew. It’s de-freakin-lish, so I’m posting the recipe for you to gobble up too. Serve it with a citrus & dandelion green salad. Never has medicine tasted so good! (more…)

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The Dragons’ Den is the absolute best show on TV these days. While in L.A., we PVR the Canadian series and watch a bunch of episodes in a row on return to Toronto. For those who don’t know, on The Dragons’ Den, would-be entrepreneurs pitch their ideas or product to a panel of savvy business people and potential investors. Most often, they’re “slayed” by the dragons as having insane valuation or a ridiculous idea, but occasionally a gem is discovered…

The best product I’ve seen this season is EcoTraction, a volcanic mineral developed by a couple of dudes from Ottawa that acts as a totally green, environmentally-friendly slip-free surface outside on icy February days, replacing environmentally toxic and lethal-to-pets road salt. (more…)

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It’s a frigid February day, the kind of day you wouldn’t mind having an extra little layer of fat cells between your bones and the wind. It’s the kind of day you want to eat soup and sit by a fire.

This soup won’t fatten you, but it will warm you to the bone. It’s a hearty earthbound lentil soup with a lemony note that elevates it to sing-songy brightness.

A handful or two of fresh baby spinach at the end ties it all together and a slice of organic pumpernickel with spicy hummus completes the meal. Throw a log on the fire and enjoy!

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