Saturday, March 12, 2016

Salmon of Grace and Ginger

My favorite salmon recipe! I've been trying for decades to find or create one this good. Credit goes to Grace McGran.
                         If you just want the recipe, scroll a bit. I'm not going to BS for too long.

But keep reading if you're curious about how I finally found THE best salmon recipe that will be my go-to choice for entertaining as well as dinner for two and relieving my angst about what to do with boxes of fish, mostly salmon, from PK's Alaskan fishing trips.

It's all about Grace. She lives in Canada. One reason I like (ha ha) Facebook is that it was the conduit for reuniting us a few years back. We had a 90-minute phone conversation last week. She and I met on the Oregon coast in the 1970s at roughly the same time that I met PK. It was a time of great change and upheaval. In our own ways, both Grace and I made choices during the few months we were neighbors that have reverberated through the decades. Think about it young people, when you reach a crossroads, what you do matters forever. 

Grace (she was then called Diane) and I made an instant connection back in the day. She lived next door. She was a gardener, a pie maker, and a cook. Oh, and she sang just like Joni Mitchell. No kidding. She was also a beauty, inside and out. 

I remember her making us a stir fry Asian dinner, during which I learned basic tricks such as; don't saute the veggies all at the same time. Duh. But I didn't know. 

We had fishermen friends and what seemed like an endless supply of salmon. I watched her tuck salmon parts into holes where she planted corn seeds. She made things grow and rejoiced in the results. I am trying to remember that we ever had a salmon meal together. Salmon excess was just so common in those days. I was fresh from North Dakota. I fed a lot of cooked salmon to our dog.

During our chat last week, however,  I asked for her favorite salmon recipe. 
She said something dismissive like, "Oh, it's just so simple. I don't have anything special." But then she provided general directions. Like me, she often wings it when cooking, using what's on hand and making recipe changes at her whim. Only a few things were mentioned as ideal for success: a cast-iron pan, fresh diced ginger, lemon juice or some other acidic ingredient, sesame oil, and maple syrup. Got it. Did it. (twice, to make sure.)

Salmon of Grace and Ginger, recipe
Perfect for two. 

INGREDIENTS
  • skin-on salmon fillet, about a pound
  • knob of fresh ginger, minced (I tried grating it but it was too fine)
  • salt and pepper 
  • avocado oil, or other high-heat oil, enough to coat the pan
  • butter to taste, optional
  • sesame salad dressing,  1/3 cup to 1/2 cup (recipe follows)
  • scant maple syrup (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Use a cast iron pan or another heavy-duty pan. Mince a thumb or two of ginger. (I grated it my first try, and that didn't work as well as mincing.) Apply salt and pepper and chopped ginger to the skinless side of a skin-on salmon filet, about one pound. I understand from Grace, that this recipe can be baked after the initial skinless-side-down frying operation. 

NOTE: If you double or triple the recipe and do not own a huge cast-iron pan, you'll need to pre heat the oven to 375, fry your salmon in two or three batches, and bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes following the frying step, checking halfway for doneness.

Heat the pan to medium-high and add avocado or other oil. When oil is sizzling, carefully place the fillet skinless side in the hot oil and fry for about four minutes. Use a wide spatula to turn the fillet to the skin side down. Cover and cook for about five minutes. Check for doneness after four minutes. Add butter to the top, if desired, and poke holes for butter to soak into the fish. Remove the fillet to a plate at the point of the desired doneness. I like it moist in the thickest area, barely done.  

To the pan, add the salad dressing and reduce for a few minutes. It doesn't take much time with salad dressing, which is more than half oil. 

You may adapt the dressing and/or use purchased Asian types. But you may want to try the recipe provided because it is delicious! I should call it Laurie's Glory Sesame Dressing as it was provided by that longtime friend about 20 years ago and is my favorite dressing and marinade, and now, salmon glaze.  See bottom of the post, following photos.

I've fried the skinless side of the fillet, turned it over and cooked it skin side down,  and fork-tested for doneness. In the meantime, I've applied a little butter to the top, as everything is better with butter. Correct?

I used this gourmet salt in place of regular salt the
second time I made this recipe. It cost a lot of $$ and
I couldn't tell the difference. Either way, tastes great.

The peeled ginger was how much I used to cover a
one-pound salmon fillet.

After salt, pepper, and ginger are applied, it's OK to let it sit for 10 minutes.

Avocado oil is a healthy oil which withstands high-heat frying. 

Start by frying, for a few minutes,  the skinless gingered, salted and peppered side
 at medium high heat in a cast-iron pan. Take care not to burn the ginger.
Flip it over (carefully) to fry the skin-side down. Cover and cook 4-5 minutes.
Test for doneness after 4 minutes or less. 

Pour about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of salad dressing into the hot pan and reduce for a few minutes, stirring to capture the browned bits at the bottom.  Then pour the reduction onto the cooked salmon and serve ASAP.  Heavenly!

Laurie's Glory Sesame Dressing, recipe

INGREDIENTS
  • 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup sesame oil
  • 1/3 cup good quality soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar (or balsamic), or fresh lemon juice
  • 1 T Dijon mustard
  • 2 T maple syrup, honey or balsamic glaze (my fave)


Use a food processor.
Process the garlic until finely minced. Add the other ingredients and whirr until emulsified. The mustard helps with emulsifying, I'm told. This dressing keeps in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Loving Death Valley, part 2


PK hiking on a loop trail out of the Zabriskie Point overlook. 
PK and I passed through Death Valley in the spring of 2015 en route to explorations of the red and gold glories in the American Southwest. That was our third visit to Death Valley, and we stayed only one night, thinking, somehow, that we'd "seen it." It wasn't true, of course, but still, we doubted we'd be back anytime soon.

Then the "super bloom" occurred, and due to an upheaval (Cancer Club) in our travel plans to Ecuador, we found ourselves instead on a consolation trip along the central California coast, within striking distance of the bloom. Of course, we couldn't resist.
We were not disappointed!  More super bloom photos.
Aside from flower extravaganzas, we rediscovered Death Valley's ever-present wonders. Rocks. Craters. Dunes. Canyons. Mysteries. PK indulged my photo mania by getting up and out of camp around sunrise, and going out again in the late afternoon, to catch the best light. We hiked for hours, stopping often to soak in the colors and forms and wrap our minds around how natural beauty grabs the heart and makes the soul sing. After that lyrical (ha!) phrase, I will lay off the descriptions and get to the photos, sans flowers. Death Valley don't need no stinkin' flowers to blow your mind. (But don't miss them if you can possibly get there before the rare bloom ends.)
You don't need to hike to enjoy Death Valley, but many gorgeous areas are accessed by easy to moderate trails. We saw hikers of all shapes, sizes, and ages in canyons and washes. (We wondered how some of them were going to make it! Black clothing? Flip flops? No water?) We both use hiking poles, wear sturdy boots or hiking shoes, carry water and snacks, bring a map and binoculars, and I always have my camera. Above, someone else is using it to take our photo at Dante's View. 
Dropping into Death Valley from the west through the Panamint Mountains, and I mean "dropping." Highway 190 goes from Lone Pine, CA, elevation 3,727 ft, at the foot of Mt. Whitney, to Death Valley, parts of which are more than 200 feet below sea level. The 70-mile drive previews what awaits. Right away, you know it's gonna be good down there.  
Death Valley in the early morning from atop Dante's View 5,000 feet above the valley floor.
Sunset at the Mesquite Dunes. Photo was taken from the road as we attempted to reach another destination while the amazing light prevailed. Since "amazing light" lasts maybe 10 minutes, probably less, ours was a futile pursuit. But at least I got this photo, and the one below. People walking around out there give it scale, and the scale is HUGE, as Bernie Sanders would say.
More Mesquite Dunes.
A favorite image from 2015 when we discovered Ubehebe Crater and the Little Hebe Crater Trail.

I'm skipping captions for most of the photos below. Unless otherwise noted, they were made at Golden Canyon, Zabriskie Point, Twenty Mule Team Canyon, or from along the road in the Badwater Basin, where we hung out a lot because of all the flowers. All these are roughly in the same area. Death Valley has MUCH more to offer.  

    






PK trudging up a steep trail in the Red Cathedral region of the Golden Canyon trail






If you go .... a few tips.
  • Wear light-colored clothing to help stay cool.
  • Wear a hat, wide brims are good.
  • Carry a light pack to keep your hands free. Many trails require a bit of scrambling.
  • Hiking poles are helpful.
  • Camping? Only one campground takes reservations. To score a good spot elsewhere, arrive early in the day, preferably not on a weekend. We saw lots of tents pitched on rocky parking lots in overflow camping areas. 
  • Talk to other tourists for ideas about where to go, what to see, especially if you're there for the super bloom. 
  • Get up early. Midday is too hot and too bright for maximum enjoyment, especially for photography. 
  • Check maps carefully and also the park-provided information. Many loop trails are easier starting in one direction rather than the other.
  • Forget about your cell phone. It won't work in 99.9 percent of the park. 
  • If you plan to get off the beaten path, be careful. A park ranger told us back country travelers should plan on changing at least one flat tire because of sharp rocks. We made a couple-mile foray onto a dirt and rock road before we turned around, shaken and stirred by washboard surface.  Eight-ply tires are recommended.
If you've never been to Death Valley, and want to do it justice, plan on spending at least 3-5 days. 


Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Chasing the Super Bloom - Death Valley 2016

During our recent swing through Death Valley, it occurred me to that the national park may be misnamed. Valley of Light? Drama Valley? Valley of Vibrant Earth and Sky? Even when it isn't busting out major primary colors, as it is now, Death Valley is life affirming. Its eerie stark beauty is like no other, and the sunrise and sunset-saturated colors of the rocks and mountains, dunes and salt flats, canyons and washes, will persist long after the fantastic but ephemeral super bloom fades. But right now, and perhaps for the next couple months, Death Valley is putting on a rare show. 
Il
Hordes descended upon Death Valley the weekend we visited - February 26-28 - as breathless reports of a super bloom continued. I was concerned, that since the bloom had been in progress for a few weeks, it would be on the wane by the time we dropped in. And when we first entered the park, from the west, we searched in vain for spots of color. It wasn't until we reached the Badwater area at sea level and below,  that splashes of yellow appeared, and then well past the official Badwater tourist zone, that flowers were thick and lush, providing the spectacular effect I'd anticipated.  It was a joy to see.


Earlier areas looked more like this, attracting just as many flower lovers and photographers. I loved being among them, rushing forth to capture whatever caught my eye. It reminded me of the excitement bears and bison elicit in Yellowstone. I'd like to think I'm above succumbing to group think about random roadside rarities, but I'm not. I can leap out of cars with the best of the them, camera at the ready.
Last yellow-tinged photo leaving Death Valley en route to Beatty to the east. 







Sparse  vegetarian, but, in contrast to the usual barren rocks, a highly decorated Death Valley scene.
The notch-leaf phacelia sets off the yellow of desert gold.

Desert Five-spot, our prize sighting. Globe-shaped flowers and roundish leaves. We saw a half dozen, mostly stand alone.
Lesser Mojave. We saw few of these, and only in a 
a nameless wash on Mormon Point. (A wash that led to a
winding slot canyon marked with a cairn by hikers we met
in the parking lot. Otherwise, we would not have known.)

PK walking amidst hip-high Desert Gold, which were thick in the south end of the park.

Desert Ghost. 
Desert Gold blooms are the most numerous, but the understory is full of purple and white flowers.

We spotted this bloom at Dante's View high above the valley floor. The vast majority of color was at or below sea level As the season progresses, the bloom is expected to move up, so late-arriving wildflower aficionados will not be disappointed they didn't get in on the ground floor, so to speak.
Death Valley from Dante's View, 5,476 feet above sea level. Even without flowers, it is awe-inspiring.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Road food, simple, delicious no-cook low-carb breakfasts

Breakfast-on-the-road real time, in the camper van. That's my favorite flaxseed and ground almond cereal with fresh blueberries and raspberries and a handful of freeze-dried strawberries topped by a generous splash of hemp milk. PK chose the flax granola atop plain yogurt with berries. Recipes below. 
We're on the road for a couple weeks, traveling Highway 1 along California's spectacular coast,  and then perhaps heading to Death Valley to witness a predicted "super bloom".  It's so great to be back to ordinary life after my (our) involuntary descent into cancer hell.  I am grateful that the fearful episode appears to be closed, at least for now. Who knows what will happen tomorrow?

Our current  trip is a consolation prize for having had  to cancel an adventure to Ecuador due to my joining the Cancer Club in late December. 

You may know how it is when an ugly unexpected crisis prompts a  life reset. What's really important, and what can I let slide?  Do I really want to cook breakfasts on the road? Or even at home, except for special occasions? I decided before this little excursion that I prefer no-muss, no fuss, and turned to two tried and true on-the-move options. The breakfast treats featured here  are make-ahead treats that, consumed with berries, are delicious, and meet my new standards: they have health-promoting and cancer-defeating properties. Not at all like the corn flakes or cocoa puffs or bran pellets or other slurried-and-extruded-in-the factory breakfast shapes with added chemicals and vitamins that most of us gobbled in childhood.
  •  
    Flax granola has been a favorite in ours house for at least a decade.  It's not low calorie but is definitely low-carb, and it tastes fabulous.  It isn't the kind of granola you pour into a bowl and eat like cereal. It's more like a topping for yogurt and fruit, and is also great atop a substantial smoothie. Not bad as a snack, either. 

Flax Granola - (sans oatmeal)
Adapted from Dana Carpender’s Every Calorie Counts cookbook 

This granola is high in fiber, protein, and healthy fat, but low in carbs. It is great with fruit and yogurt, sprinkled atop cottage cheese, or eaten alone as a crunchy snack. It has scads of ingredients, which require about 15 minutes to prep and assemble. Baking takes a couple hours. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Ingredients
2 cups ground flax seed meal 
1/2 cup oat bran
3/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder
1/2 c Splenda or other sweetener (I skip this)
1/2 cup sesame seeds
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp, cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted 
1/3 cup real maple syrup (or sugar-free pancake syrup for lower-cal, lower-carb.) 
1/4 cup water
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, roasted (or not. Doesn’t seem to matter.)
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup dried cranberries (add last, do not bake), Optional (dried cranberries add carbs)

Preheat oven to 250 Fahrenheit

Here's the first 10 or 11 (if using Splenda) ingredients baked into a crunchy
sheet to break into pieces and bake again with nuts and seeds, in the bowl.
Instructions
  • In large bowl combine flax meal, oat bran, protein powder, Splenda, if using, sesame seeds, coconut, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well.
  • Melt the coconut oil and stir together with the syrup and water. Pour this mixture over the stuff in the mixing bowl and combine until it’s evenly dampened.
  • Spray a jelly roll pan with cooking spray or melted coconut oil, and turn the flax mixture into it. Press it into an even layer. Bake for an hour at 250 degrees F.
  • Pull from oven, and after loosening with a spatula, break the mixture into bite-sized clumps. Then stir the nuts and seeds with the clumps. Return the whole thing to the oven  for another 60 minutes, stirring once or twice, It should be lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool. Store in a tightly lidded container in a cool place.
Flax and Almond Hot Cereal
From Dana Carpender's 500 Low-Carb Recipes 
Did you once love cooked oatmeal and cinnamon? Try this. It actually tastes better, and contains lots of protein and healthy fat. 

Ingredients
1 cup ground flaxseeds 
1 cup ground almonds (I use my Cuisinart. Any food processor will do. It's noisy but effective.)
1/2 cup oat bran
1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1/2 cup vanilla flavored whey protein powder (this adds a touch of sweetness as well as protein)
2 tsp cinnamon

Flaxseed meal is readily available for purchase. Ground almonds? Not so much, although almond flour seems ubiquitous. I grind whole almonds coarsely then roast at a low temperature (275) until fragrant and starting to get a tan, about 20 minutes. 

I usually double the recipe to save time later. The mix stays fresh refrigerated.

I LOVE this stuff.
Here it is, in all its simple glory: flaxseed meal, oat and wheat brans, whey protein powder, and, in the food processor, ground almonds ready to be roasted.
Directions
After grinding and roasting the almonds, mix all ingredients and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

To prepare -  see if you can handle this work load: 
Boil a cup of water, add as needed to 1/3 to 3/4 cup dry cereal mix. Wait a couple minutes to see if you want to add more hot water. Add your liquid of choice -  cream, almond, coconut or other "milks"  and berries sweetened, perhaps, with stevia, maple syrup or honey. 

NOTE:  Start your day on the road (or at home) with the simple breakfasts above, but think also about preparing easy camping (or everyday) dinners in advance. A post coming soon about what we carry in our tiny freezer that translates into quick and easy on-the-move dinners. And also! Something good from an e-ffing box!

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Back from cancer's brink - 10 lessons learned

Number Five on the lessons-learned list: food is the best medicine.  But it can also be poison. I knew this, but the lesson was reinforced in recent weeks. Above are ingredients for a delicious spring avocado, nectarine salad. 

Lesson 1-  We suffer in common

Having cancer—or any deadly disease—sucks energy and spirit and casts doubt on the secret belief that you're special; you're not going to get a killer diseases. You're going to be fine forever. You're not going to die. Of course, you know you'll die. But death is an abstraction. Even as you age, dying seems, somehow, distant.

So when a dread diagnosis arrives, the dreamy delusion that somehow, you'll be taken out in healthy old age by a lightning strike, or pass quietly as you sleep, dissolves. Or the belief that you'll be overcome by a sudden realization at 100 or so, that you don't want to live anymore, that you'll slide, smiling, into a garden strewn with rose petals with goldfinches feasting on your nearby chard, as they do, whether you're breathing or not.

Denial is powerful, but is eventually trumped by reality. My month-long episode with way-too-real melanoma, which was diagnosed as "invasive" and "metastatic", catapulted me into the Cancer Club.

Although I admit, I was in denial the whole time. A month isn't long enough to process that diagnosis. Processed or not, I had to deal with it immediately. Set up an appointment with a surgeon. Have a chest X-ray and blood tests.  Have surgery.

Then wait. Wait for biopsy results. From the time I learned I had melanoma until I accidentally got my biopsy results a few days early, I didn't know whether I'd be delivered from evil or macerated in cancer treatment machinery and spit out the other end in a cremation urn. It was a a month of living dangerously, but not in an adventurous way.

The biopsy results were in my favor. I don't need to fill a cremation urn quite yet. Whew.

But whilst thinking such thoughts, and sharing them here, I heard from cancer survivors, or those currently raging against it. I was humbled and touched by kindness, compassion, advice, wisdom, encouragement, and so on.

  •  A stranger sent me a link to the video that was shown at his wife's funeral; she'd died of melanoma.
  •  A woman with advanced breast cancer shared her travails as a single woman without resources or an advocate, and who believes she's at a serious disadvantage in getting the best care. 
  • Another breast cancer warrior is augmenting conventional treatments with healing foods, fungi, and herbs, and I have high hopes the combination will result in many more years for her.

So many stories. So much angst. So much ambivalence about the so-called blessings of living in the cancer danger zone. Some patients and survivors say they're grateful for their cancer "journey" because of all the good people they met along the way, and the life lessons learned.

Some things I'd rather learn by other means.

Lesson 2 - Suffering doesn't make us special; we can help one another

Note to self: Who are you to complain? So you had a helluva scare, but think of all the people who wage cancer "battles" for years and endure terrible treatments and don't even make it. And even if they do, there are continuing treatments and hair loss and pain and then the tests to see if the treatments worked and the waiting. Oh, the waiting.

During the worst of my month-long ordeal, I was an insignificant speck of fearfulness afloat in a sea of suffering, which can't really be quantified. Was mine worse than yours? It doesn't matter. People in crisis get self-centered, thinking they're alone, but they're not. Let's cast one another rope and hope, OK? And if there's somebody who's in no condition to reach out, let's make sure plenty of ropes are cast into his or her life. During a crisis, each act of compassion, caring and kindness matters. 

Lesson 3 - People who have had cancer never trust that it won't come back. 

Me included. Technically, my bout with melanoma ended when the after-surgery biopsy results came back benign. I just saw on Facebook a couple survivors rejoicing that their recent scans  are clean, as they have for at least 10 years. I'll be having dermatologist check ups every three months until—when? Once a member of the Cancer Club, always a member. A seed of vulnerability has been planted in my brain. It's not a seed whose growth I wish to fertilize. 

Lesson 4 - Life is short and time is passing too quickly to waste on holding grudges, being petty, picking fights, talking trash, or taking any person or any thing for granted. Be nice. Love. Figure out what you want to do or to be, and make it happen. It's never too late until.....

Lesson 5 - Luck cannot be overestimated.

I am deeply grateful for the little black spot under a toenail that a couple years ago propelled me to a dermatologist. It turned out to be nothing, but he found a basal cell carcinoma. When I returned to get the stitches removed from the biopsy, he suggested I see him in a year. That was how, that in December 2014, I made a dermatology appointment for December 2015.

The year flew. Then in early fall 2015, something on my lower right flank (lower side back) started itching. I couldn't see it, but looking with a mirror, I saw a tiny pinkish thing. Pinkish. Tiny.

Note: During scary Internet diving after melanoma horror entered my life, I discovered that itching, or pain, can be danger signs for melanoma, as can almost any change in an existing mole, or the appearance of a new one. 

But with my little pink spot, alarms did not ring.  images of typical melanomas.

If I'd waited, the harmless-looking but devious spot would have eventually drilled down far enough for melanoma cells to be whisked off to the nearest lymph nodes and then......

I got lucky. The main luck being that I kept my routine check-up with the dermatologist.

Lesson 6 - You can make your own luck with prevention. If you don't, you're an idiot.

I know this because I'm an idiot. I KNOW that preventive screenings are imperative; I wrote about them for years during my copywriting career, which included healthcare clients.

But I have not been religious about getting my chest units squeezed or my rear end reamed.

I got lucky with the early melanoma diagnosis, but also with a first-time colonoscopy about 10 years ago, during which a precancerous lesion was removed. I'm an idiot right now because I'm overdue for a colonoscopy and also a mammogram. But I'm on it! Appointments have been made.

Part of the apprehension about screenings is that "something" will be found. I know because of my own illogical fears. But my gratitude about having melanoma diagnosed before it spread is deep, and I'm committed to being a grown up. I will have screenings from now on, and schedule them in advance so I can't escape. How about you?

Is this what happens when you turn 70? No. This is what happens when you're born. Routine medical care, according to requirements of age, is a privilege and, we hope, a right.

Lesson 7 - Your primary care relationship can be your lifeline.

When I was in serious anguish about biopsy results following surgery, I happened to stop by the small local clinic, where I'd decided to sign on as a patient. When facing a killer illness, you need a medical insider in your corner, someone with access to your test results and who will go to bat for you to get the best specialists or whatever you need. Someone you know and trust. Someone who gives a damn. As if to underscore this idea, here's what happened when I went to the clinic. Also during that visit, I met my future primary care provider.

Lesson 8 - You need an advocate.

A friend who advocated for her husband during nearly five years of his cancer-fighting marathon described herself as a bulldog. She was not letting go of whatever control a patient, or a patient's  advocate, can have. When you're dealing with a complex disease that's trying to kill you, you must have some degree of trust in the medical world, but don't forfeit your patient rights, your right to know what' going on. Insist on being informed ASAP after test results are available. Every medical office has a patient bill of rights. Hold em to it. YOU are the boss of your health information.

Lesson 9 - Food can help prevent cancer and other diseases, and also cure them. 

I took a crash course in the food/cancer topic during the past month, and my interest is keen and ongoing. Dr. Mike credits food, fungi, acupuncture, exercise and other alternative approaches to defeating his stage 4 esophageal cancer. He also had surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments.

I also learned that there's a vast network of people who embrace food and natural remedies to prevent and  treat disease, cancer included. A terrible tension exists between them and some in the medical establishment; But there are also cross-overs from the world of modern medicine into natural healing. It's fascinating, intense, and food for thought.

Case in point:  A 15-minute TED talk by a cancer researcher that Dr. Mike recommends. Spoiler: Studies have shown that "super foods" have as much or more capacity to shrink tumors than does chemotherapy. Check out the graphs in the following. Do you have 15 minutes?

Can We Eat to Starve Cancer - TED talk by William Li, 

William Li presents a new way to think about treating cancer and other diseases: anti-angiogenesis, preventing the growth of blood vessels that feed a tumor. The crucial first (and best) step: Eating cancer-fighting foods that cut off the supply lines and beat cancer at its own game.

Cancer researcher
William Li heads the Angiogenesis Foundation, a nonprofit that is re-conceptualizing global disease fighting. Full bio
What's the big-time take-away?

Lesson 10- Don't eat crap food. 

Turn away from refined carbs - sugar, especially refined grains, bread, pasta, processed foods. Eat whole foods, and heed the 11th commandment: get your five to seven servings of fruits and veggies every single day. Here's a list of top cancer-fighting, cancer-prevention foods. But I think Dr. Li's list is better. Gotta watch the TED talk. 

My daily uptake of antioxidants has spiked, and I'm also dosing with turmeric and local mushrooms cooked into a tincture by the owner of the local herb shop.  He has an entire wall filled with his New Moon extracts. (Note to self: write a post about this, and the elderly mushroom guru. And Mike Amaranthus, who credits fungi and cancer-fighting foods with the fact he's alive and healthy, loving every day.) 


I'm going to quit for now. A month in cancer-limbo-hell slammed me, but I'm coming out of the fear-induced fog with gratitude and renewed commitment to healthy eating and making my own luck.


Don't forget to watch this 15-minute TED talk. Do it!!! Please.


Earlier Cancer Club Posts
Welcome to the Cancer Club - learning the terrible truth
Beautifully Benign! But how about more timely results?