This amazing recipe was shared by one of our dear patients who took a class with Hip Cooks and it’s the perfect recipe for those who want a little bit of sweet and are avoiding wheat (like me). As usual, I’ve modified it a little bit because I don’t like much sugar in my baked goods.
 

 
Wash and scrub the oranges. In a pot, cover in enough water so that they are fully immersed. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour until they are completely soft. Once tangerines, Meiwa kumquats and blood oranges come into season in the winter, imagine how tasty this recipe must be. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour until completely soft. Allow this to cool and remove the seeds. Put in food processor and blend to a puree.
 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees; butter a 9 inch round baking tin, ideally a springform tin. Beat the eggs with the sugar until they are well mixed, then fold in the baking powder, ground almonds and oranges until evenly combined. Pour mixture into tin and bake for about an hour until firm to the touch. If the cake seems too moist, cook for a little longer.

Whole Paycheck/Foods has really gone over the top. The new Whole Paycheck/Foods Market just opened today on the Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena, just a few minutes North of our office off the 110 freeway. Brandon and I went today after work and this place really takes the cake. I heard someone say that it is the largest Whole Foods in the country and I’m not surprised. It’s truly a dizzying 76,770 square foot spectacle with underground parking, 2 levels of shopping and a few features I’ve never seen at any other Whole Foods including a roasted nut bar, chutney counter, wine and tapas bar with a lounge, custom flavored butter counter, croissant bar, an incredibly organized cheese section with more goat and sheep cheeses than I’ve seen at other locations, a chocolate bar, etc.
 
I must admit that I’m becoming less and less upset with Whole Foods. They’re really making a concerted effort to meet the demands of their consumers. There’s a lot more 100% grass-fed beef and local produce than I’ve noticed before. Although we’re still going to go to the Hollywood farmers market every week, it’s nice to have this local option within walking distance from where we live. This location is also very convenient to the Gold Line.
 
So for all of you patients who ask where to eat lunch in the area, where you can buy spelt bread and other specialty items that you can’t find anywhere else, here’s your answer!

If you’ve been told that you have intestinal dysbiosis, candidiasis or excessive amounts of yeast in your system, make some of this tasty pesto and eat a few tablespoons every day. It tastes great on top of steamed vegetables, poultry, etc. Do not cook this mixture!
 

At ECCM, we’re big fans of juicing. I know some of you are pretty good about getting your 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day but most of you aren’t. Juicing provides a highly concentrated form of vitamins and minerals that are easily absorbed and gives the gut a break from digesting solid food, which is extremely helpful for our overworked, inflammed digestive tracts. Here are some juicing pointers:
 

Brandon and I have a farmers market ritual. We haul our asses out of bed at 8 am on Sunday morning, no matter how late we’ve stayed up the night before. Then we drive to the Hollywood farmers market at Selma and Ivar (between Amoeba Music/the Arclight and the Pantages Theater) to get our weekly produce for food and juicing. It’s funny because if we somehow miss the farmers market, then I am completely uninspired to cook that week. Anyway, I have been asked multiple times about who I get my produce from at the market since I regularly interrogate the farmers about their farming practices. So here is my partial list… I’m still in summer mode so I can’t remember everything but I’ll add to this as the seasons change. Everyone’s organic (or close enough to it) on my list.
 

1. Burkart Farm - Amazing seasonal fruit. In the summer, great red flame grapes and autumn royale grapes, peaches, French plums, nectarines, blackberries. In the fall, my life revolves around Fuyu persimmons.

 

2. Tutti Frutti Farm - They’re my go-to farm for fennel, artichokes, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, beans, lacinto kale.

 

3. Lily’s Eggs - We always get their fertile eggs. These chickens get to run around the fields, have fun with roosters, eat bugs and grubs. In my opinion, these taste amazing in comparison to other organic eggs that you might find at Whole Paycheck Market or Trader Joe’s. I also get freshly killed organic chicken here but only if you arrive relatively early. Tomas sells out around 10 or 10:30 am and if I don’t arrive in time, I don’t make chicken that whole week. These chickens are so tasty and you don’t have to do anything to them to make them taste good. On Wednesdays he sells fresh duck.

 

4. Weiser Farm - When it’s in season, grab as much Bloomsdale spinach as you can! This is the best spinach in the world. It’s thick, juicy and sweet. Definitely not your ordinary crappy bagged Trader Joe’s spinach. Crosnes are really interesting. They remind me of Jerusalem artichokes but look like tiny long shells that you find at the beach. Sauteed with some garlic and butter, these are super. In the winter they have amazing cauliflower varieties like the romanesca as well as bright purple cauliflower heads. The purple cauliflower makes a visually stunning pureed soup. They also have a variety of heirloom carrots in a rainbow of colors and I especially like the flavor of their purple Nante carrots when juiced.

 

5. McGrath Farm - During certain times of the year, their strawberries are almost crack-laden. I have actually eaten an entire flat by myself in a few days. They are so fragrant and sweet. McGrath also has fantastic purple carrots, heirloom varieties of beets, shell beans, rapini and wild arugula.

 

6. Ha’s Apples - In the fall, they have several varieties of apples and I love the Gravenstein’s and Arkansas Black. They also make simple apple turnovers that are made without sugar! They’re really good. The only problem I have with them is that their pears are NOT organic. DARNIT!

 

7. Flora Bella Farm - James Birch is such a nice, friendly farmer who loves acupuncture. He has the best arugula ever but only if you like really bitter arugula. I buy his purple radishes, stinging nettles, collard greens and yellow plums. The fresh garbanzo beans are very intimidating but I’m sure I’ll buy them at some point in time.

 

8. The mushroom guys - This stand is not on the main strip where all of the produce is but it’s on the intersecting street where all of the prepared food stands are, right next to the transsexual woman on the corner. When chanterelle mushrooms are in season, it’s the only time of the year I make rice in the form of risotto. YUM!

 

9. Rocky Canyon farm - They boast the “farmer to you beef” and “farmer to you pork” signs. I’ve never tried their pork but they have many different cuts of grassfed beef to choose from.

 
If anyone has anything to add, let me know. This is my one stop shop. I don’t have to go to any other supermarket if I come here once a week.

I had a break (for once) one day this week and was able to come home and actually prepare dinner for that night. I had defrosted some Rocky Canyon grassfed short ribs the night before and knew that I wouldn’t want to cook when I got home at 9:30 pm. So this is what I did. I used some rice bran oil to brown my short ribs on a stainless steel skillet, which took about 10 minutes. I then transferred this to my crock pot where I also added some reheated fresh chicken stock I had made the night before, as well as whatever farmers market vegetables I had in my kitchen. At this time of year, this included Nante carrots from Weiser Farms, heirloom tomatoes from Tutti Frutti Farms, 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, 2 fresh bay leaves, fresh non-GMO organic corn from the Indian-looking guy at the Hollywood farmers market. I also threw in several dried porcini mushrooms. Set the slow cooker on low heat for 6 hours and ran out the door. This whole process literally took about 20 minutes. That night when we got home I took out the meat and veggies and put it in a bowl while I brought the stock to a boil, added 1 tablespoon of spelt flour (premixed with a little bit of room temperature water), and reduced this to a really tasty thick sauce. What a fantastic meal. The short ribs fell off the bone and were incredibly tender.

What a great way to start off the fall. Foods that are warming and nourishing are perfect for the fall and winter!