Food Quote of the Day....

If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him... the people who give you their food give you their heart.

– Cesar Chavez

FREE Introductory Coaching Sessions - Reduce The Harmful Sugar & Sodium in Your Daily Diet!

Are you ready to make some changes to your diet and reduce the amounts of harmful sugar and sodium you eat? Well you've come to the right place! I'm here to help you have more energy, create a health conscious lifestyle and loose a few pounds in the process! With a heart-centered approach, we will tackle your challenges together and beat the sugar & sodium blues!

These sessions are meant to partially assess your needs and advise you on the first steps to preparing your body for a more progressive program. Here you will touch on the three key steps to reducing refined sugars and sodium in your regular diet.

In this introductory phone call you will:

- Discover which sugars or sodium you want to stop eating.
- Learn how to implement alternatives to help you gradually step down to a low sugar diet.
- Acquire easy-to-prepare, healthy and tasty recipes using ingredients you're familiar with.
- Find out how to source good organic, "real" foods and curve your cravings for sugar & salt.
- Discover where harmful sugars and sodium are hiding in plain site and how to avoid them.

Time slots are available Tuesday through Thursday between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Please click the button below to explore my availability and choose a convenient time for us to get together on the phone.

In the meantime, browse through the Blog to find healthy recipes, vital information on the dangers of sugar and sodium, and special tips and tricks to help you on your way to feeling good from the inside out!

Schedule an Appointment

for an introductory session with me!

Smoothie Do's and Smoothie Don'ts!!!

This one is for all of my smoothie lovers out there!

I love a good smoothie as much as the next person. I've tried them all kinds of ways...with dairy and without, with vegetables and without, all fruit, no fruit, added grains, protein powder and a myriad of other ingredients just to make it interesting. Here, I wanted to highlight some of the do's and don'ts as I am reminded of the the ways we can actually add ingredients we "think" are healthy thereby introducing toxins to our bodies if we're not careful! So here's a list for you--and feel free to follow up with comments and questions as I am curious to know what your favorite combination is!

DO: Buy Fresh Organic Produce and wash, cut and freeze it yourself. Use sturdy freezer bags sealed with very little air or vacuum seal your bags if you have a sealer! It's cheaper and you can trust the freshness!

DON'T: Believe the hype about frozen fruits and vegetables. Well sourced organic produce is picked and frozen at the hight of its season and keeps well under optimal conditions. Find a reputable brand with integrity you can trust, ask your grocer for tips on this and stock the freezer with your favorite fruits and veggies for blending ease!

DO: Be careful when incorporating milk or yogurt and other dairy products--especially if you are at risk for diabetes and or hypertension. These often contain hidden sodium and sugars in the lactose and other additives, and can cause a reaction if you are dairy sensitive. Check out SO Coconut Milk Yogurt or other nut & seed milks (such as organic coconut milk, unsweetened coconut cream, cashew milk, almond milk or hemp seed milk) as alternatives in order to get the creamy texture you're seeking!

DON'T: Add any sugar to your smoothies (this includes honey, brown sugar and cane juice or syrups)! Seasonal fresh or frozen fruit (like pineapples), fresh squeezed citrus juices and fresh pressed carrot juice work well to impart enough natural sweetness without taking you over your limit for the day!

DO: Consider adding robust leafy greens and other veggies to your smoothies. Try Root veggies like carrots and beets as they are really sweet when at the height of their season! If you are a little reluctant because of the taste, fear not, sweetness can be added with fresh apples, pears, peaches and fresh pressed juices (NOT from concentrate); tangerines or pineapple juices work well--and remember to watch your portion sizes when having fruit juice. 4oz.'s or less should do just fine!

DON'T: Use soy or rice milk! Soy has been over produced making it one of those crops that just doesn't have the nutritional value we once thought. More on that here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/dangers-of-soy/  and here:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/18/soy-can-damage-your-health.aspx  
As for rice milk, it can contain traces of arsenic and often times has added sugar. More on that here:  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/rice-milk-dangers.html

DO: Try a smoothie recipe from Keena's Kitchen and feel energized throughout the day! See one of those tasty recipes below!

Recipe for a "YUMMY" Fruit & Veggie Breakfast Smoothie
*As always, source and use organic, local ingredients!

1 Cup Frozen Mango
1/2 Cup Frozen Strawberries
1/2 Cup Frozen Kale Greens
1/2 Cup Frozen Pineapple
1/2 Cup Frozen Green Apple
1/4 Cup Fresh Squeezed Tangerine Juice

1/2 Cup Fresh Pressed Carrot Juice

1/4 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Cream

1/2 Cup Ice (optional)

For the best consistency, make sure all your produce is frozen, and your other ingredients are ice-cold when you are ready to use them. Add all ingredients to a good sturdy blender with clean bowl and blades. Secure lid on the blender and pulse until mixture is semi-smooth. When semi-smooth, mix on high until creamy. Taste and adjust as needed adding more ice to thin it out and more coconut cream for a creamier texture.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the start of your day!

As always, we wish you good health, epicurean adventure and happy eating!

Eat, Learn, Live!

The Sweetness of Winter Veggies!

Hello to our Organic, Sustainable Community of Conscious Soul Food Lovers; Hope you're well!  :)

Today, we wanted to emphasize that we are NOW sourcing "Better Than Organic" (BTO) foods and taking a deeper look into what is "LOCALLY" available to us! ASK farmers at the farmers market about their growing processes and procedures! You'll be happy to find that a lot of them not only grow to "Certified Organic" standards, but better! A lot of farmers are realizing that the standard for organic status is not all it's cracked up to be; so they are doing all they can to source organic and open pollenated seed, and adhere to stricter policies using NO Pesticides, NO Herbicides and NO Synthetic Fertilizers!

Get to your nearest farmers market and take advantage of the seasonal Winter offerings that farmers have for us! We've already done so this week, and came up with a great recipe to highlight the sweetness of Winter veggies!

Oven Roasted Kale w/ Garlic and Cho-Cho


Ingredients

1 Large Bunch Organic Lacinato Kale
7 Large Cloves of Garlic (peeled & smashed)
1 Large Cho-Cho (or Chayote)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Lemon Oil
1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Directions

Pre-Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash Kale with cold water and drain until dry. Peel and core Cho-Cho, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes. In a seasoned cast iron pan, place Cho-Cho, Garlic, Olive Oil in the pan and toss with a sprinkling of Salt & Pepper. Place in oven and roast uncovered for about 6 minutes, tossing every two minutes until golden in color and some char occurs. Remove the pan from the oven until you're ready to add the Kale.

Cut the bottom (tough) ends off of the Kale stems and discard to compost. Cut Kale into 1 inch pieces and toss it into roasted Cho-Cho and Garlic mixture with Lemon Oil and another sprinkling of Salt & Pepper.

Roast for an additional 4-5 minutes. At the 3 minute mark, add the Balsamic Vinegar and toss well. Finish the last minute in the oven then remove and serve hot, or let cool and serve at room temperature. ***Extra: Add a few drops of fresh squeezed lemon juice and some zest to punch it up even further!

Enjoy, and drop us a line to tell us how it came out!!!!


Eat, Learn, Live!

5 Ways to Reduce Refined Sugars in Your Diet This Year....

Sugar. It's in almost everything on American supermarket shelves. It's used as a sweetener, a preservative, and often times we don't know why its used in some of the products available to us. What we do know is that, in its processed form, it has been linked to diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. So what do all of these terms mean when it comes to sugar, and why is it so bad for us? The answers to those questions can be found below; and the good news is...we can do something about it!

Sugar is the generalized name for a class of sweet-flavored substances used as food. They are carbohydrates and as this name implies, are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources.

Simple Sugars are carbohydrates that are quickly absorbed by the body to produce energy. They are also classified as "simple" because they contain only one or two units of sugar or saccharides. Also referred to as simple carbohydrates, these sugars are found naturally and as additives in a variety of foods that we consume daily. They show up on product labels as glucose/or dextrose, fructose and galactose. Simple sugars are present in both natural and processed foods. Natural foods that contain simple sugars include fruits, vegetables and milk products. The simple sugars found in these foods include fructose, galactose, lactose and maltose. These foods contain naturally occurring vitamins and minerals and are more nutritious than processed foods. Processed foods often have simple or refined sugars added to them to improve flavor or shelf life. Examples of processed sugar foods include candy, cakes, syrups, fruit juices, regular carbonated beverages, ready-to-eat cereals and various condiments. These foods are typically referred to as "empty calories" because they provide a lot of energy but very few nutrients such as essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and fatty acids. 

Refined Sugars are sugars that undergo a process known as sugar refining. During this process, the raw sugars are refined using chemicals to transform the starch that occurs naturally in corn, cane and beets. Each of these yield varied products, the most common of which is a sweet liquid called corn syrup, made of glucose. The corn syrup is further processed in order to boost its sweetness. An enzyme is added that changes some of the glucose into much-sweeter fructose. That's where the "high-fructose" in the name "high fructose corn syrup" (HFCS) comes from. 

Although refined sugars are believed by many to be the basic table sugar that we may add to coffee or tea, there are actually a number of different types of refined sugars. Look for them on labels hidden as glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltodextrin (a combination of maltose, glucose and other compounds), lactose, corn sweetener, malt syrup, rice syrup, saccharose, sorghum or sorghum syrup, treacle, syrup, xylose, dextrin and dextrose. 

Table sugar (or white granulated cane sugar) goes through, what is called a purification process. This envolves immersing the raw product in a concentrated syrup, crystalizing it, dissolving it in water, treating it with phosphoric acid and other chemicals, filtering it, removing it's color using activated carbon or ion-exchange resin, boiling, cooling, mixing with sugar crystals causing it to re-crystalize, spun, and finally, dried with hot air. That's a lot of processing for those little white granules; and it's a wonder we hadn't realized sooner how harmful they could be to our bodies.

Organic Low Glycemic Sugars are sugars that are not processed or less processed than their processed counterparts; they are organically grown and harvested, and have a low glycemic index. The glycemic index provides a measure of how quickly blood sugar levels rise after eating certain foods. Organic Low Glycemic Sugars sugars do not register in the body as fast as refined sugars and blood sugar levels seem to retain a sense of normality when having these in moderation accompanied by plenty of water, fruits and vegetables, and regular exercise--the same cannot be said of sugars that measure much higher on the scale, such as table sugar or HFCS. These produce a fast paced rise in blood sugar and can cause several problems in our cardiovascular and digestive systems when eaten often. (On average, Americans take in about 12 teaspoons of HFCS per day alone, not including the other harmful sugars such as sucrose, maltose and lactose; the American Heart Association suggests that women intake no more than 6 teaspoons and men no more than 9 teaspoons per day.)

Organic sugars classified as having a low glycemic index are: Agave Nectar, Raw Honey, Coconut Palm Sugar, Date Sugar, Organic Sugar, Evaporated Cane Juice (though be careful because it registers a bit higher than those preceding it in the list), and Black Strap Molasses (which registers the same as evaporated cane juice). Note that I have chosen to omit both Turbinado and Raw Sugars as I feel they are just a bit too high and are semi-processed; additionally, they should not be used at all if you are faced with issues around obesity, heart disease or diabetes. 

As you gradually move toward using less sugar, you may want to switch to sugars that will become easier to leave out should you make a progression to that point. The sugars listed here as organic, I believe, will be a bit easier to stop using when you are ready to make a more holistic change.

Now for the good stuff! There are a few ways you can reduce the amount of sugar you intake and by making slow, gentle changes to the processed sugars you are currently using an implementing a couple of key steps, you can see a change in your energy levels, your mood and even your weight!

5 Ways You To Reduce Refined Sugars in Your Diet This New Year

1.  Increase your intake of local, seasonal, and organic fruits and vegetables that curve your desire for sugar. Items high in fiber, such as: sweet potato, apple, broccoli, strawberry, carrot, papaya, cauliflower, starfruit, spinach, chick peas, blueberry, kale, raspberry, collards, pear, zucchini, fig and mango all give you a sense of fullness and register in your body as "sweet" without the ill effects sugar can bring--this will satisfy your desire for harmful sugars.

2.  Replace all of the refined sugar in the house with Organic Low Glycemic Sugar. Feel your way around the different sugars and see which is best for different types of uses. (Note: Agave Nectar is the most versatile and is readily available, raw honey is the most popular, though has a higher index.)

3. Cut out sweetened drinks like soda pop, juice, flavored waters and milks, as well as pre-sweetened teas and coffees. (Note: try this for one week and watch your weight decrease and your energy increase immediately.)

4.  Reduce the amount of sugar called for in recipes by half and substitute that sugar with an Organic Low Glycemic Sugar. (You will be surprised at how much sugar you have been using in your recipes when you taste how sweet your dishes come out. Note: Both Agave Nectar and Coconut Palm Sugar work well for baked goods.)

5.  Drink plenty of water each day. Water will help to flush and regulate your bodies systems and encourage optimal function of your internal organs. (Note: The suggested daily water intake is 2.7 liters for women and 3 liters for men.) Additionally, it will help if you regularly take organic supplements of vitamins D3 (1000 IU), B complex (100 mg), Fish Oil (800-1000 mg) and Bilberry Extract (80-160 mg).

Try these with a gentle approach and listen to your body; trust that it is wise and knows what you need. Implement one of these points every two to three weeks--or even every month if you are a slow mover and it takes some time to get used to. Above all, don't be hard on yourself when implementing changes; take the time to reward yourself when you make progress (maybe a massage or a soak in the hot tub). And when you feel that you are not meeting your goals, breathe and relax, and remember that you have a chance to try it again the following day.


As always, we wish you good health, epicurean adventure, and happy eating!

Food Quote of The Day......

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." -- Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, from Pavarotti, My Own Story


Happy New Year from Keena's Kitchen Catering and Event Services!  When devoting your attention to eating, and shopping, this year....don't forget to SOURCE your foods!  Now more than ever it is important that we vote with our dollars to not only preserve and protect safer farming practices, but to help sustain our local community's economic health and well being.  So buy local, seasonal and whenever possible, "better than organic"!  Unsure about which organics are best for you and your family?  Ask your local farmer and begin developing relationships with them at your local markets!  

You have the power; Use it!

Something A Little Special for the Holiday Season - Pomegranate Pineapple Glazed Duck

Okay guys! I’ve been gone for a minute doing some “organic farming” research in Vancouver, BC, Canada. It was really a blast and you should be sure to check out our photos on Facebook, and look out for our newsletter with all the details of what we learned late December!

Keena’s Kitchen has been very busy this holiday season, yet we’ve been thinking a lot about how we could help you make your holiday season special this year! So, if you’re looking to cook something a little different as a main course this year, and you’re tired of the same old turkey--this is a MUST READ! 

I am a big fan of duck in all of its splendor and if you are too, this recipe is definitely for you! Don't forget to source an organic, sustainable duck for this preparation! There are many different breeds of duck; and each type yields very different products. In addition to the common White Pekin ducks, Muscovy, Moulard, and Mallard ducks are also marketed in the United States. The most popular breed in the United States is White Pekin or Long Island Style duck (not to be confused with Peking, which is a style of cooking duck). When you visit a restaurant or a grocery store, chances are it is White Pekin. To source an organically-raised, free range Pekin duck, visit Salmon (“I think I’m in love”) Creek Ranch. Note that the ranch really showcases their Muscovy ducks as these are very prized birds and extremely sought after by Chefs all over the world--but they do offer Pekin ducks as well.

Try Keena’s California Soul™ sweet and savory recipe to make one of these fantastic ducks for your next holiday meal!

Pomegranate Pineapple Glazed Duck

Glaze

1 Cup Raw Pomegranate Juice (no added sugar)

1/2 Cup Raw Pineapple Juice (no added sugar)

1 Cup Port Wine

1 Cinnamon Stick

2 Anise Stars

5 Whole Allspice Pellets

5 Whole Cloves

1 Lemon (zest completely peeled and flesh reserved)

1 Tblsp. Raw Agave Nectar (Light)

In a medium saucepan, mix all ingredients and heat on medium high until just boiling. Reduce heat to medium/medium low and simmer until mixture is reduced by a little more than half. Remove from heat and let cool--mixture will begin to thicken upon standing. Set aside for glazing duck. Mixture can be prepared the night before and refrigerated.

Roasted Duck (Glazed)

1 Large Organic Duck (about 5-7lbs.)

1/4 cup of Keena’s California Soul™ Smoked Ginger Spice Rub

1/8 cup of Grape Seed Oil

1 Medium Whole Bulb of Garlic (unpeeled and sliced in half so the garlic is exposed)

1 Large Cipollini Onion (unpeeled and sliced in half so the onion is exposed)

2 Large Sprigs of Rosemary (whole)

1 Tblsp. White Pepper Corns

The Flesh of the leftover lemon sliced in thin round slices

The Whole Spices (leftover from the glaze, strained and wrapped in cheese cloth; tied off with twine)

1 Cup of Filtered Water

Equipment

1 Deep Roasting Pan

1 Roasting Pan Rack

1 Piece of Aluminum Foil (to cover pan)

1 Piece of Aluminum Foil (to cover the breast of the bird)

Cheese Cloth

Twine

Prickly Duck Brush (for pricking the skin)

Basting Brush

Bamboo Skewers

Wash your organic duck with cool water removing any innards from the core and being sure to wash out the cavity of the bird. Next, pat the bird dry with paper towels until most of the moisture has been removed. Use the prickly brush to prick the duck skin all over--repeat this step several times until the duck is covered with pricks being careful not to tear the skin or go too deep into the meat. Then, on a clean dry surface, like a cutting board or shallow tin, rub the bird all over with the grape seed oil. Massage Keena’s California Soul™ Smoked Ginger Spice Rub all over the bird and inside the cavity. Be generous with the rub as the breast is thick and will not absorb it all. Cover the bird in the tin with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the bird from the refrigerator and let stand until it comes up to room temp making sure to pour out any moisture collected in the tin over night. This is a good time to bring your glaze up to room temp as well. Once the bird is room temperature, insert all of the aromatics in the duck’s cavity--lemon slices, rosemary sprigs, garlic bulb, onion bulb and the small sack of spices wrapped in cheesecloth and tied off with twine. Truss the legs of the bird and tuck the wings underneath it. Place the bird on the roasting rack inside of the roasting pan and add 1 cup of water to the pan without pouring it onto the duck. Wrap the pan in foil and put it in the oven for 3 hours--removing the duck every hour to prick the skin again (with bamboo skewers) and baste with the pan drippings. 

At the 3 hour mark, remove the duck from the oven and take away the Aluminum foil. Turn the oven up to 450 degrees. Remove the rack from the pan and drain out all of the excess liquid/fat in the bottom of the pan; reserve for use cooking potatoes, greens or any other accompaniment you may use (tip: use the innards when cooking your veggies as to honor the whole animal). 

With the basting brush, brush the glaze onto the duck all over the body being careful not to rub the brush into the skin too hard and remove the, now, crusted seasoning. Be generous with the glaze in this stage. Place the duck into the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes--brushing the glaze on every 8-10 minutes until the glaze has been completely used. After the 30 minutes is up, remove the roasting pan from the oven and let the bird rest for 10 minutes before plating and carving. Serve with your favorite veggies for a nice main course to your holiday meal!

Enjoy and let us know how it goes!

Eating The Sweetest Discovery: 5 Benefits of Buying Heirloom Produce

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my purchasing power and how I would use my dollars to send a message when it comes to organic, sustainable foods. It occurred to me that I had been overlooking the value in buying heirloom fruits and vegetables as a way to ensure that what I was eating was, in fact, organic. I know, so simple, right? Yet, I admit to buying them sparingly as a interesting addition to my dishes when they should be the featured star of the show!

My last trip to the market was filled with choices, as usual, and it dawned on me that the tradition of growing heirloom produce is one that may not have been so radically affected by the introduction of harsh chemical pesticides and genetic modification. That said, I am still learning that you need to source your produce no matter what variety they are, but the truth is that heirloom seed varities are open pollinated seed developed before 1940. This means that they have not had the nutrients bred out of them and that the introduction of genetically modified seed into our food stream in the 1980s was lost on them. Because these types of seeds are bred for their flavor and not their durability while being shipped they are more often than not from a local source. They are a viable source of nutrition and you might just be better off buying them if you are sensitive to pesticides and other impurities. Additionally, their seeds will produce fertile seeds that can be saved for subsequent growing seasons giving them an added bonus of "self-sustainability". 

As we roll out our campaign to preserve California's rare seed, we will be looking closely at the benefits of heirloom produce and how we can be a part of raising awareness around their place in the market and in home gardens, and what we can do to keep the tradition of growing them alive and untainted. What we know now about the benefits of heirloom fruits and vegetables are:

1. They are a rich source of vitamins and can provide up to 40% of our daily 

requirement of immune building nutrients.

2. They add tremendous flavor to your cooking yet are low in calories, sodium and sugar.

3. They are generally more gentle on the environment, because fewer industrial 

chemicals are typically needed to support their growth cycles.

4. They have maintained their biodiversity, and a more diverse plant base 

tends to better support wildlife.

5. When you buy heirloom produce, you buy "local"; heirloom produce does not ship 

well and so they are more likely to have come from a source nearby.

So if you're like me, then you'll want to start using heirloom vegetables as more than just a pretty item in the bowl--but as a main ingredient worthy of our response and of our efforts to maintain their presence in our gardens, in our markets and in our tummies!

To help you source some of the heirloom goodness in your local area, here is a list of a few resources so that you can find heirloom produce in your area:

http://www.theheirloomexpo.com/vendors/2012-vendors/

https://food-hub.org/home

https://www.goodeggs.com/

Soul Food Recipe - Facebook Contest Winner!!!!

Early this week, we asked that you tell us "Which of your favorite Soul Food recipes you would like to see us post on Facebook"? A hearty "Thanks" to all who participated! After an overwhelming request for "something" made with sweet potato; We imagined you wanted a dessert dish, so we thought we would oblige you with this great recipe for an easy Sweet Potato Soufflé!  Who wouldn't like a light twist on a classic Southern favorite!  ....And the winner is....

Sweet Potato Soufflé

Equipment

Electric Mixer
Rubber Spatula
2 Mixing Bowls
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
6 Individual Ramekins, 3 1/2" diam. x 1 1/2" high

Ingredients

organic olive oil spray
3 tablespoons organic evaporated cane juice, divided
2 medium organic sweet potatoes (about 1 pound total)
1 tablespoon organic butter, softened
1/4 cup organic unbleached pastry flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 cup organic half-and-half
1 tablespoon grated organic lemon rind
1/3 cup fresh organic orange juice
2 1/2 tablespoons organic light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground organic pie spice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large organic egg yolks
5 large organic egg whites
1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1/4 cup organic powdered evaporated cane juice

Position oven rack to lowest setting, and remove the middle rack. Preheat oven to 425°.

Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel sweet potatoes. Using a knife, cut off any woody portions and ends. Rinse and cut into bite-size cubes. Select a large saucepan or Dutch oven that will be large enough to hold the sweet potatoes without crowding them. Fill the pot about half full (you will need just enough water to cover the sweet potatoes) and add a dash of salt. Bring to boiling. Add sweet potatoes. Cover the pan and cook sweet potatoes for 10 to 12 minutes or until just tender on the outside but resistant in the center when pierced with a knife. Drain potatoes in a colander and place them in a large mixing bowl. Add butter and mix with electric mixer on medium to medium high  speed until smooth.

When mixture is smooth and fluffy, begin adding the sifted flour and baking powder mixture a little bit at a time until the entire 1/4 cup and 1/4 teaspoon has been added. Add half and half, 1 tablespoon of evaporated cane juice, vanilla, lemon rind, orange juice, brown sugar, pie spice, kosher salt, and egg yolks (incorporating each yolk  one at a time, and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula between ingredients to make sure you are mixing well).

Place cream of tartar and egg whites in another large, dry, clean mixing bowl; beat at high speed until soft peaks form. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of evaporated cane juice one tablespoon at a time beating until stiff peaks form. Do not over beat. Gently fold one-fourth of egg white mixture into potato mixture until well blended; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture--careful not to deflate egg whites. SEE http://tinyurl.com/FOLDVIDEO .

Gently spoon mixture into, oil sprayed, prepared ramekins. Sharply tap dish 2 or 3 times on the counter to level. Place dish on a baking sheet; place baking sheet in a 425° oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 375° after closing the oven door (do not remove soufflé from oven). Bake 1 hour or until soufflé is puffy, golden, and set. Dust with organic powdered evaporated cane juice. Serve immediately.

Enjoy and let us know how it comes out!!!  Happy #organic eating!

Chef Ikeena~

Hibiscus Tea w/ Pink Grapefruit Infusion

Try this refreshing Hibiscus Tea recipe for your next party or gathering! It's sure to make your guests sing praises of your cheffing talents!

Hibiscus Tea w/ Pink Grapefruit Infusion

(Makes a 64 oz. Pitcher)

Tea:

2 Cups Dried Organic Hibiscus Flowers

64 oz. Filtered Water

1/2 Organic Pink Grapefruit (cut in thin wedges)

Simple Syrup:

1/2 Cup Organic Coconut Sugar

1/2 Cup Filtered Water

1/2 Organic Pink Grapefruit

1 Teaspoon Organic Pink Grapefruit Zest (cut very fine)

Instructions:

Heat 64 oz. of filtered water in a large pot until boiling. When water begins to boil, cut the fire off and add the dried organic hibiscus flowers. Stir with a wooden spoon and cover. Let the flowers steep until the mixture is completely cooled.

In another small sauce pan; add 1/2 cup organic coconut sugar and 1/2 cup filtered water along with the juice of 1/2 organic pink grapefruit and a teaspoon of its zest. Heat on medium until the sugar is completely dissolved stirring occasionally to make sure the zest and juice are fully incorporated. When sugar has dissolved (about 3-5 minutes), cut the fire off and let stand for 20 minutes or until cooled.

In a 64 oz. pitcher combine the strained tea mixture (making sure all of the flowers are removed) and the pink grapefruit simple syrup. Stir well and chill in the fridge for 3 hours. Flavors will become more intense after this step.

Serve over ice cubes in tall glasses with a thin wedge of pink grapefruit. Refreshing! ♥