Just a few weeks ago I was strolling through the aisles of the Marin County farmers market. Suddenly, an invisible whisper tickled my ear. Like a child just out of eyeshot of the tree on Christmas dawn, I thrilled to their imminence.

A stretch of the neck brought me within earshot of Chris Zuckerman, who runs a produce booth at the market. I cooed at Chris sotto voce.

“They’re coming soon, aren’t they?”

Chris turned his head and smiled. “As a matter of fact, yes,” he said. Then he dropped the time bomb I needed so badly to hear:

“Next week.”

“Wow! Early this year! I’ll be here to greet them,” I confirmed, the transaction sealed.

So this week I went back to the market, and there they were, lined up, long and lean and dressed in green, looking like a chorus line of Martian Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, let’s give a round of applause for that most delicate, elegant, and luxurious of all spring vegetables, Ms. Asparagus, 2010.

Now I know that asparagus is daunting to some people. I remember when I was little thinking that they resembled tiny trees. A wise Italian cook gave me the inside skinny on preparing asparagus. She said it’s best to peel away the tough, stringy outer layer, exposing the sweet flesh beneath. When they’re finished roasting — and we’re not talking a lot of time here, maybe ten minutes - you’ll have a real treat. Roasted asparagus is so naturally sweet it’s like eating candy. You probably don’t believe me now, but try a piece as you take the asparagus out of the oven and you’ll be lucky if the rest of the stalks make it to the table. Just ask my informant Chris Z., the Asparagus King.

These long and skinny stalks are a surprisingly potent force in healthy eating.

Health Supportive Qualities:

I call asparagus the great spring cleaner. It’s a natural diuretic, encouraging the body to flush out toxins. Asparagus contains substantial amounts of aspartic acid, an amino acid that neutralizes excess amounts of ammonia that linger in our bodies and make us tired after a long winter. Asparagus is a good source of chlorophyll, iron, potassium, vitamin C and B vitamins, especially folic acid and the antioxidant glutathione, which can all lower the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Growing Season:

March through May:

The slender regal asparagus plant gets its name from the Greek word (Asparagos) for sprout or shoot, since it shoots straight up from the ground.

In the spring, an asparagus bed looks like a miniature tree farm. “The warmer the weather the faster they grow — as much as four inches a day, ” says Chris, who runs Zuckerman Farms.

Selection:

Asparagus breaks down rapidly after harvest, losing sugar and moisture. “Look at the butt,” says Chris Z., “If it’s shriveled and dry, you know it’s old.” The spears should be bright green from the tip to two inches above the bottom. The tips should be tight and compact.

Storage:

Refrigerate in a plastic bag. Store in the coolest part of your refrigerator. If you need to keep them for more than a day and they’re a little limp, rehydrate them by cutting the ends and standing them in an inch or so of water and refrigerate for an hour.

In The Kitchen:

The ends should be cut or broken off about two inches from the bottom before cooking. Asparagus can be roasted, steamed, sauteed or broiled. Whatever technique used, asparagus should be cooked briefly for maxium flavor and nutritional benefits. Here’s my favorite way to eat asparagus.

Bet You Can’t Eat Just One Roasted Asparagus:

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Spritz of lemon juice
Shaved Parmesan cheese or ground walnuts for garnish

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus. Peel the outer layer of the stalk beginning one inch below the tips, and place in a single layer on a large sheet pan.

Drizzle the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Roast about 10 minutes (less if the asparagus is thin), shaking the sheet pan to turn the asparagus once during roasting.

Transfer to a platter, spritz with a little lemon juice, and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese or crushed walnuts.

Serves 4

The ultimate healing recipe on Good Morning America Health.

Labels: Video

People move to California for many reasons. To be a movie star. Or the next Steve Jobs. Maybe even a world-renowned Napa winegrower. I came for the Meyer Lemons (ok, the Bay area farmer’s market helped. But it was really for the Meyers. No joke). Meyer lemons are grown here and don’t usually find their way out of the state. For a cook they are a precious jewel that animates any dish.

My love affair with lemons is more than skin deep. Lemons — and not just Meyer - are one of the most important allies I have when I cook, with the most health benefit of any fruit. Lucky for us!

The beautiful bright yellow fruit’s inner beauty lies in its mouth-puckering juice. The sour taste of a lemon’s acidic juice chemically catalyzes food; they’re actually nature’s flavor finders, powerfully drawing out hidden flavors the way a cut in a cactus’ flesh can pull moisture from a seemingly barren source. Lemons are the most common culinary acids I use to brighten flavors. Also, if you recall your ninth grade biology, disease often makes the body’s PH too acidic. Lemons, when broken down by the body, increase our alkaline or base PH, bringing us more into balance.

What science class taught us, our ancestors knew instinctively. Call it folk medicine if you will, but my great grandfather, Pop, began each day with a cup of hot water and lemon juice. A tonic for the common cold and just about anything that ails you, the lemon is a powerhouse of that most infamous of antioxidants — Vitamin C — which boosts the immune system. It also contains limonene, a chemical shown to slow the growth of tumors. The list of health properties goes on and on. The antiseptic qualities of lemons help kill germs, and are a better choice than Listerine for killing germs in the mouth area, especially if you have a sore throat. The lemon is high in potassium, strengthening and energizing the heart, its hydrogen activates the sensory nervous system, and its calcium builds the lungs.

Did I miss something?

Oh yeah.

Lemons make great lemonade. Now, I'm going to harvest some Meyer's from my tree, and brew a batch and bring the promise of summer to the dog days of winter.

Yum!

My Pop’s Morning Brew

Ingredients: 8 ounces of hot water, juice of a lemon, 1/4 teaspoon Organic Grade B Maple Syrup. Drink upon rising.

During this time of year, I usually start to feel that ominous tickle. That scratchy, completely out of left field feeling in the back of the throat that signals impending yuck. It also starts a clock ticking, as I immediately whip my preventative arsenal of teas, elixirs, and potions, all in the hope that the damage will be minimal or maybe, if I’m lucky non-existent.

If it were a virus – and indeed it might be - I call this bad boy holidayitis, because it always seems to crop up this time of the year.

Why? Consider. Our adrenals are working overtime dealing with all manner of things, including work deadlines, friends, family, baking (that alone is enough stress to knock me out), shopping, and too many holiday festivities. We are walking Petri dishes in extremely close quarters. Throw in those hyper-active germ factories known as kids, and it’s no wonder our immune systems decide to go underground during the holiday season. This year, as a preventative measure, I had a pot of my immune boosting Magic Mineral Pot brewing on the stove at all times to stop holidayitis in its tracks. Click on this link for the recipe and nutritional wisdom.
http://www.rebeccakatz.com/recipes/magic_mineral_broth.html

Labels: Culinary RX

I like to think of the culinary pharmacy as a shop that’s open 24/7, with something in every aisle that can help you thrive. Here's a new video where I talk about the healing properties of food!

If there’s a safe haven in the vegetable kingdom, it’s sweet potatoes. In fact, I bet that if every kid’s introduction to veggies were a sweet potato, it would knock down parental stress over healthy eating by at least 50 percent. I mean, what’s not to love? Sweet taste, beautiful color, and fantastic nutrition, not to mention a creamy texture that allows you to introduce chopped greens in a nonthreatening manner. Here, I’ve added kale, which has some outstanding anticancer properties, and ginger, which aids digestion, for a little zip.  Watch this video to see how quickly this nutrient dense dish comes together.



Kale with Sweet Potatoes and Pecans

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 cup peeled and finely diced
sweet potato or garnet yam
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup Magic Mineral Broth
(page 54) or water
3 cups cleaned, stemmed, and
chopped dinosaur kale, in
bite-size pieces
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons ground pecans, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat, then add the ginger
and sauté for 30 seconds, just until aromatic. Add the sweet potato,
cinnamon, and broth and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the kale, salt,
and raisins and sauté until the kale is a darker shade of green and the
sweet potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup,
then do a FASS check and add another pinch of salt if desired.
Serve garnished with the ground pecans.

Variation: The ground pecans have the same texture as a sprinkling
of finely grated cheese. If you’d like something more crunchy,
place 1/4 cup of pecans on a baking sheet and toast at 350°F for 7 to
10 minutes, until aromatic and slightly browned. Chop coarsely before
sprinkling on this beautiful dish.

Prep Time: 15 minutes • Cook Time: 10 minutes
Storage: Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Per Serving: Calories: 160; Total Fat: 10.1 g (1.3 g saturated, 6.6 g monounsaturated);
Carbohydrates: 17 g; Protein: 3 g; Fiber: 3 g; Sodium: 200 mg

Culinary Rx 
Kale is like a twenty-four-hour pharmacy unto itself. It possesses a variety of phytochemicals that attack different cancers. In one large study, women who ate diets rich in kaempferol (found in kale and other green vegetables such as broccoli, leeks, and spinach) were 40 percent less likely to develop ovarian cancer. Kale has similar effects on the development of bladder and breast cancers. Kale is also rich in numerous antioxidants that promote immune system wellness.

Labels: Culinary RX