Eating For Your Future

As many of you know, I believe in the power of acupuncture. Some years ago now, I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful Chinese acupuncturist. He was trained as a medical doctor in China as well as an acupuncturist. He is now on staff at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas where he practices acupuncture. In short, he guided me to a much more healthy lifestyle and saved me from a rather major operation. Before I left, he insisted that I find a good acupuncturist in Chicago. It turned out to be a difficult task. I mentioned to my general practitioner that I was having a difficult time finding an acupuncturist that I liked. He asked me if he could recommend one to me. I almost fell off the table as many doctors are not so open to alternative medicine. I have now worked with the new acupuncturist on and off for just about 5 years.
With the diagnosis of the moles on my retinas and the potential for cancer, I marched back to her office. One of the perks of White Moon Healing Center is that the acupuncturist, Mary Helen Lee has a partner, Conan, who is an incredible herbalist and as it turns out, a fabulous cook. Conan writes for Epoch Times and includes recipes in his articles. He gave me a link to this article, so I decided to give one of the recipes a try. I was so happy that I did, as one bite and my mouth was so very happy!!!

Italian White Beans and Kale

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 shallot chopped
8 cloves of garlic sliced
1 bunch of kale chopped, discard ribs
8 to 10 sprigs of fresh thyme, stripped of leaves. Discard stems.
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup water
2 15oz cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
fresh ground black pepper to taste
½ teaspoon umeboshi plum vinegar (optional)

In a large covered pot, sauté onion, garlic, and shallot in oil until transparent. Turn heat to medium, and add water, salt, kale, bay, and thyme leaves. Cook covered until greens are soft, stirring occasionally. Turn down heat, add beans and pepper and cook another few minutes. Remove bay leaves and add umeboshi vinegar before serving.

*I did not add the Umeboshi plum vinegar as I didn't have any on hand. 

I had thought that 8 cloves of garlic would be overpowering, but not at all. As I said, one bite and my mouth was a very happy place!!! For those of you who are accustomed to having a meat dish at every meal may find it difficult to eat a vegan meal, so maybe give this a try for lunch. My husband and I had this for dinner a few nights ago and we both enjoyed it. I had a little leftover, so I had some for breakfast this morning and it was very satisfying. Maybe with the start of the new year, try substituting one regular meal with a dish like this. I think that in time, you might find yourself substituting a few more :)