After five amazing, exciting, wonderful years of practice with the Flowing River Clinic community, I am embarking on a one year sabbatical to meditate, rejuvenate, and expand my knowledge of holistic medicine.

My sabbatical leave is Wednesday, May 16, 2012 – Friday, May 31, 2013.

Several excellent practitioner referrals are listed below.  The Flowing River website will continue to be live during my absence and any updates to my return date will be posted here.

I know that this is a big change for all of us and I hope my temporary absence will not cause you any inconvenience.  You have my deepest gratitude and heartfelt thanks for your understanding and well wishes.

I will miss you all and look forward to seeing you again in the summer of 2013!

Warmest Regards,

Connie Herrick, LAc, Dipl OM, Di Hom

Practitioner Referrals

If you enjoy coming to the Flowing River Clinic, Rhoda Climenhaga, LAc will continue to practice acupuncture and Chinese herbs here.  You can call her at 510.893.2929 or schedule your appointment online through www.flowingriver.com/scheduling.html or her website: www.rhodas-acupuncture.com/index.html.

For excellent chiropractic care, Adeline Wood, DC can be reached at 510.834.1117. Please call for directions and appointment times.

For traditional homeopathy or acupuncture, please call Sally Savitz, LAc, DHom at 510.655.9644. Her offices are located at 158 Santa Clara Avenue in Oakland.

Acupuncture can also be experienced in a community setting with sliding scale pricing.  If you are interested, please try the Sarana Community Acupuncture Clinic. Their location and contact information can be found on their website: www.saranacommunityacupuncture.com.

Long Bean Salad with Feta and Preserved Lemons

Courtesy of The Food Gal (www.Foodgal.com)

Serves 4 to 6

• 2 bunches Chinese long beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
• 2/3 of a preserved lemon
• 1 tablespoon each lemon thyme and lemon verbena leaves (optional)
• Handful of fresh, chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. In a large microwavable dish, place cut long beans with 1/4 cup water. Microwave the dish on high for about 3 minutes or until the beans are tender but still crisp. Drain beans and spread out on a large plate or cookie sheet to cool.
2. Rinse preserved lemon. Cut off about 2/3 of a lemon, scraping flesh from the rind. Finely chop the rind; save flesh for another purpose.
3. Remove the leaves from lemon thyme and lemon verbena stems, if using. Mince leaves.
4. In a large bowl, place minced preserved lemon rind, minced lemon thyme, lemon verbena, and chopped parsley. Add cooled long beans, along with olive oil. Toss until ingredients are incorporated. Add lemon juice and black pepper. Toss again. Finally, sprinkle crumbled feta over the top.

Long Bean Salad Recipe (PDF – includes instructions for making Preserved Lemons)

Almonds, walnuts, pecans. You often hear about their virtues. But sunflower seeds are rarely in the spotlight. That’s partly because there’s no seed-industry group that sponsors research and plugs sunflower seeds like the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation does for almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts.

That’s a shame, because sunflower seeds are at least as good as most nuts…and they’re cheaper. A quarter cup of sunflower seeds has 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein plus 25 to 75 percent of a day’s copper, vitamin E, selenium, and manganese and roughly 10 percent of a day’s zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6!

There’s only one catch: every quarter cup contains 180 calories. So buy them in the shell to slow down your snacking!

I love watermelon, but is it a good fruit for me to be eating?

Contrary to what most people think, watermelon is no lightweight in the nutrient department. At standard serving (about 2 cups) has 38% of a day’s vitamin C, 32% of a day’s vitamin A, and 7% of a day’s potassium for only 85 fat-free, salt-free calories. You won’t find 2 cups of many foods that go that easy on your waistline.

As an added bonus, watermelon is one of the ‘Clean 15,” the fruits and vegetable with the fewest pesticide residues, according to the Environmental Working Group. And when they’re in season, watermelons are often locally grown, which means they have a smaller carbon footprint than some other fruits.

So eat your watermelon and enjoy every juicy, sweet bite!!

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

This recipe is courtesy of Dr. Weil’s True Food Kitchen (www.drweil.com)

Serves 4 to 6

• 4 lemons, zested and juiced
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups evaporated cane sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder

1. Combine zest, juice and olive oil in a small bowl.
2. In the mixer combine eggs & salt. Mix on medium for 2 minutes. Slowly add the sugar and continue to mix until pale and thickened.
3. Turn mixer to low and slowly sift in the flour and baking powder, followed by the olive oil mixture. Do not over mix at this point; just incorporate the ingredients.
4. Pour this mixture into a cake pan or muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes for cupcakes and 35 minutes for large cakes. Poke with a toothpick to check for doneness.
5. Serve with Greek yogurt and fresh strawberries.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe (PDF)

All beans are good beans. They’re rich in protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. And they’re extremely inexpensive. Eden Organic has a line of no-salt-added beans that come in cans with liners that are free of BPA.

Garbanzo beans stand out because they’re so versatile. Just drain, rinse, and toss a handful on your green salad. Dress them up with chopped scallions, olive oil, and lemon juice. Or coat with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fresh chopped garlic and serve as is or roast until they are crunchy.

You can also throw garbanzo beans into vegetable stews, curries, and soups; mix them with brown rice, whole wheat couscous, bulgur, or other whole grains; stir them into your chili; or add them to a pot of simmering greens.  They’re the easiest beans around!

I love my Starbucks Lattes! Which ones are the healthiest?

I would avoid the Chai and Green Tea Lattes entirely, since they are laden with sugar, which is going to guarantee a mood crash about 45 minutes after drinking it. The grande Tazo Chai Tea Latte also has 240 calories while the Tazo Green Tea Latte will set you back 350 calories.

A grande Latte made with vanilla soy milk has 170 calories, more than a latte made with nonfat milk (130 calories.) That’s because there is added sugar in soy milk. The soy milk is fortified to match the calcium in regular milk, but a grande soy latte’s 9 grams of protein are lower than a nonfat milk latte’s 13 grams.

Bottom line: treat yourself to a tall (not grande) nonfat latte once in a while. Don’t make it a daily habit!

Is granola a good way for me to get my daily fiber?

Back in the 1960′s, people made their own granola by baking a mix of ingredients like whole oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, raisin, oil, and honey. If you make your own, you can control the fat/sugar. Then yes, it’s a good way to get some daily fiber. But if you buy your granola over-the-counter, you need to read the label to see how much table sugar and or corn syrup is in it. Most brands deliver at least 200 calories per serving, and for many, a serving can be as little as a quarter or half cup of granola. A quarter cup is just 4 tablespoons!

My suggestion is to mix 2 tablespoons of granola into a bowl of your favorite organic, low sugar, whole grain flakes, puffs, or squares. Then you will feel like you’ve eaten a whole bowl of cereal instead of a couple bites of granola. My favorite brand of granola is Bear Naked – their “Fit” brand has about 4 grams of sugar per serving.

Amy’s gets a gold star just for developing their “Light In Sodium” line, which includes canned soups, chilis, and refried beans, as well as  frozen entrees, meals, bowls, pizzas, and pocket sandwiches. All come in at less than 400 milligrams of sodium.

My favorite: the nearly all organic Indian Mattar Paneer. This 320 calorie dish with curried peas, paneer cheese, chana masala (garbanzo beans and tomatoes), and white basmati rice has 390 mg of sodium. That’s half what you’d get in Amy’s regular Indian Mattar Paneer. But you’d never know it. Indian dishes may be easier to de-salt because of their spiced sauces, garlic, and onions.

Asparagus Risotto with Leeks

Courtesy of The Gluten Free Goddess (www.Foodily.com)

Serves 4

• A bundle of thin asparagus, about 16 to 20 spears
• 4 cups fresh hot water or very light broth
• 2-3 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 inches or so of a leek, diced fine
• 1 cup raw Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Sea salt, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Wash and slice the asparagus, cutting on the diagonal about 3 inches down from the tip. Pour a scant amount of water into a skillet and quickly blanch the asparagus. When it turns bright green, remove it from the pan, and rinse with very cold water to keep it from cooking longer. Set aside.
2. To make the risotto, heat the water or light broth in a separate sauce pan, and keep it warm. In a heavy medium saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium heat, and sauté the diced leek for a minute. Add the uncooked Arborio rice and stir well, until the rice is coated. Stir and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add the white wine and stir until most of the wine is cooked off.
3. Pour in 1 cup of the hot water or broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently for 7-8 minutes. When most of the liquid is absorbed, add the remaining cups of hot water or broth 1 cup at a time, stirring and simmering until each cup of liquid is absorbed before adding the next one.
4. (The whole process should take about 20-25 minutes; 22 minutes is a goal for al dente; if you cook risotto too long or with too much liquid it may become gummy.)
5. When the final cup of liquid is absorbed, gently add in the blanched asparagus, cover, and set aside for a few moments before serving. Risotto likes to rest a bit.
6. Warm up four serving bowls. Spoon the risotto into the bowls, and garnish with some fresh chopped Italian parsley.

Asparagus Risotto Recipe (PDF)