Beet Ginger Kvass for a Splash of Color and a Spark of Health!

Aloha Everyone, I thought I'd share with you my personal recipe for beet kvass. Traditionally beet kvass is made with beets, water and sea salt, but I like to add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and some fresh Hawaiian ginger to spice things up!

I first learned about making my own beet kvass in Sally Fallon's excellent cook book, Nourishing Traditions—one of my personal favorites. According to the information in the book, and my own personal experience, beet kvass is an excellent digestive aid and powerful, yet gentle detoxifier. If you ever need help "getting things moving" then try beet kvass! For me it works like a charm and tastes great. Beet kvass also alkalizes the blood and helps to purify the liver and kidneys.

So here is my simple recipe for you to try at home. You can use quart-sized mason jars or recycled tomato sauce jars. Hint: to get the smell out of reused jars simply wash and fill with hot water and a couple drops of essential oil such as peppermint, clove or lavender and let sit overnight.

Make sure to use all organic ingredients as the pesticides on conventional produce can stop the fermentation process. Also make sure to use a quality sea salt that is not bleached such as Eden, Real Salt or Himalayan. The fermentation will not work without the proper salt!

Beet Ginger Kvass
Makes 2 quarts
1-3 beets (depending on size) finely chopped
2 fingers of ginger (to taste) finely chopped
juice of 2 fresh limes
clean water
1 teaspoon sea salt

Put chopped beets and ginger into clean quart-sized jars. Beets should fill at least one fourth of the jar. Next add lime juice and sea salt, divided evenly between the jars. Fill each jar with water leaving a half inch of space at the top. Seal jars and place in a dark cupboard for five to seven days. Transfer to fridge and leave for about two weeks or longer. The longer you let the kvass ferment, the more bubbly and less sweet it will become. This indicates probiotic content and it is a really good sign. A sour smell is natural, but if there is a moldy smell then through out and start over.

Sticks and Stones

This column was first published in The Garden Island's award-winning suicide awareness issue of May 2010.

I was baffled and at a loss for words. How could somebody so attractive with so much potential feel so worthless?

“I’m nothing,” he said between sobs, “I’m worse then nothing.”

His pain and hurt was contagious, I began to cry too. How on earth could I make him see that his poor view of himself was unfounded and false? How could I convince him of his worth and value as an individual?

I later learned that this man’s father had played a major role in his poor self-image. He had used hurtful words to manipulate and torment his son when he was angry and very rarely did he speak any kind words to him.

In my personal experience, there are few sayings more untrue than this: “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”

Words are very important. They help us to actively communicate our thoughts and feelings and understand others’ thoughts and feelings toward us. Hurtful words from someone important in our lives can cause emotional wounds that never go away.

Even now, it hurts when I recall harsh words from my father, no matter how far in the past they were spoken. Thankfully those rare words spoken in anger were always reinforced with positive words and profuse apologies later.

I know that my parents love me, because they told me over and over again. They reached out and made an effort to show me by their actions and verbal encouragement. They never gave up on me — even at the lowest points of my adolescent angst when I was quite unruly and harbored a me-against-the-world attitude coupled with suicidal thoughts and destructive tendencies.

Without the positive influence and support of my family I think I would’ve been completely lost. Case in point: No matter what your son or daughter says or how they act, your words matter to them. Make sure to apologize when harsh words are spoken — whether the apology is accepted or not. Always reassure them of their worth and talents. Listen to them. Above all, know that words do matter; they have the power to hurt or heal. Use your words wisely.

Ulu Chocolate Cake: Recipe Experiment

Painting in background and ulu cake by Shastin

Living here in Hawai‘i, we find some very interesting fruits. Breadfruit or ulu, as it is also known, is a very unique one indeed. You can usually find the round green ulu at the local farmers market. Recipes most often call for a hard, young breadfruit but for my recipe here we will need one that is ripe and soft.

This recipe came out of a happy accident and some experimentation. I had originally planned to use a green ulu a try out another recipe, but I waited too long and it got soft. Frugal girl that I am, I refused to waste it so I cut it open and tasted the soft flesh. I noticed it was naturally sweet but a little bitter. I then just went with my adventurous spirit and began to add some fresh ripe apple bananas, honey, carob and cacao powders and other stuff. I noticed that the batter was very elastic and almost cake-like so I decided to throw it in the oven to see what would come of it.

The recipe was a success and produced a very moist, gluten-free, egg-free chocolate cake which I brought to a beach party where is was promptly devoured! That's when I realized I had something worth writing down so I made several more attempts to recreate and record the recipe with exact measurements. Here is the final version for you to try out at home. As always, I recommend buying all your ingredients organic and local. Much aloha, enjoy!

Ulu Chocolate Cake
Serves 20-30
1 small – medium ulu, ripe and soft
4 ripe apple bananas
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 cup raw honey
1 tablespoon virgin, unrefined coconut oil
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1 1/2 cups raw carob powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger)

Preheat oven to 340 degrees fahrenheit. In large bowl, mash up breadfruit, bananas, honey, molasses, vanilla and coconut oil. Mix until well blended. In separate bowl, mix cacao, carob, salt, baking soda and spices. Add dry mixture to wet and stir together until well blended. Grease an 8"x8" glass pan with coconut oil and "flour" it with a little carob powder. Dump ingredients into pan and bake for about an hour. Allow to cool. Serve and enjoy ;-)

365 Days of Drawing

 Hello Everyone, well for 2012 I have resolved to draw or paint everyday for all 365 days of the year or until the world ends, whichever comes first! I will be posting my favorite pieces from each week as I go.
I will be posting all future updates on my new web blog, shastingrace.com, so please sign up for updates there.

I will be using this novelgroove blog for pretty much the same random stuff: organic recipes, sustainable living techniques, random musings and such...

Here are my two favorite sketches from this week. The first from 1.10.12 is a collage, watercolor and graphite piece from my imagination. The second from 1.13.12 is a still life watercolor. Enjoy.

Gluten-free Snickerdoodles!

Happy Holidays everyone! Well it is that time of year when we are tempted beyond belief to go against our better judgment and indulge in sweets and goodies of all kinds—many of which are not gluten free. For many this means suffering through a host of unwanted side effects! Symptoms from gluten intolerance can range from upset stomach, indigestion, hives and for some the symptoms can be much more serious.


It is no fun to suffer though the holidays and so I set out to adapt one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes, the snickerdoodle, from gluten-rich to gluten-free! I noticed that the key to a nice soft cookie is in the baking. Make sure your oven is fully heated before putting the the cookies in and make sure they are taken out on time (after about 10 minutes). As always please be sure to use all organic ingredients. Happy Holidays, Peace and Love.

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles
(makes about 24 cookies)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick, softened)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups oat flour (or gluten-free flour of choice)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger (optional)
1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
For topping:
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl mix together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla and blend together. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together separately and then add all ingredients together and mix. Form cookies into small balls and place on baking sheet. Top each cookie with sugar, cinnamon mixture and bake for 10 minutes. Cool and serve!

Feminine Creative Force

I used the Golden Section, and Sacred Arch as grids to create this illustration. Thanks to my beautiful friend, Lisa for modeling for me!

Purple Sweet Potaoes

Aloha everyone,
In honor of Thanksgiving I would like to share with you my simple and delicious sweet potato recipe. This recipe uses Okinawa purple sweet potatoes, ginger, cinnamon and coconut milk to give it a sweet and creamy consistency—perfect for Thanksgiving, or anytime. For those of you living on the mainland check your local health food store, or fresh produce market and ask if they have Okinawa Sweet Potatoes. I'm sure someplace carries them cause they are soooo delicious! To make it easier, try making the potatoes a day or two beforehand and then just heat them up in the oven right before you serve Thanksgiving dinner. Wishing you all many blessings to be thankful for!

Purple Sweet Potatoes
Serves: 4–6
Ingredients:
3 large Okinawa sweet potatoes
1 can organic coconut milk
1-3 teaspoons ginger powder
1-3 teaspoons cinnamon powder
1-3 tablespoons coconut oil (optional)
Wash potatoes, poke several times with fork and place on cookie sheet. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 50 minutes until well done and soft when poked. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. When cool enough to handle remove skins and place in large mixing bowl. Add can of coconut milk, spices and coconut oil and stir. Mash with fork as you go until potatoes are smooth. Serve an enjoy.