Just in time for summer, Sally Miller’s newest publication Sally’s in the Kitchen takes us through a year of recipes (including a bonus “Fifth Season”) and encourages the use of locally grown fruits and vegetables.  Also included are a variety of sweet treats, ways to utilize the freezer for cook-ahead meals, and some of Sally’s childhood memories growing up.

Raised in Iowa where both corn and hogs grow abundantly, Sally switched from her previous diet, high in meat and dairy products, to a more plant-based diet as an alternative to using chemotherapy or radiation for her ovarian cancer treatment 13 years ago.  Joining the Central Jersey Vegetarian Group a year later, she became co-chair of the Restaurant Group, which visited New Jersey restaurants of diverse nature and inspired her personal cooking habits.  These she shared through her wellness retreat just south of Flemington with cooking classes and retreats during the early 2000′s.

The 210-page 81/2″ x 11″ spiral-bound cookbook will entice the reader to think about food in a new way.  The book is divided up into seasons, starting with summer, when the local produce begins to appear in abundance.  Many of the recipes are large enough to have now but also have some to freeze for later, making it very helpful for the working parent, the work-at-home single person, as well as large families.

FRUIT DRINK

For each drink use 1 ripe banana, some kind of berry (about 1/2 a cup), and 1 other fruit.

Peel banana and break into 4 or 5 pieces.  Set aside for ease in adding later.  Put berries such as strawberries, blueberries, or grapes into pitcher or other suitable container.  Cut up and add other fruit, preferably with skin on if the skin is thin (like peach, apple, kiwi).  Barely cover with orange juice or other fruit juice.  Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.  Add banana pieces and blend again.  Pour and drink.

Super good, and nutritious.  Great for breakfast supplemented with toast and almond butter.

During high allergy season or during the winter when the house is closed up with pets, use 1 clementine, 1 slice or 4 big chunks of fresh pineapple, blueberries, 1 banana, orange juice or pineapple juice.

The clementine and pineapple both supply quercetin, which is a natural anti-histamine that stops the formation of histamine on a cellular level.

People with allergies generally have too acidic a system, and would do well to increase both raw vegetables and raw fruits.

This along with Garden Salad (page 21) are two of the most important recipes in this book.  Add a daily fruit drink and a garden salad to your diet and you will change your acidity to a healthier number; all your illnesses will lesson, your wellness will increase.

Sally’s bottom line is: “If you feel good about your food when you are eating it, and you’re still feeling good in an hour or two, and still feeling good the next morning, and still feeling good the next week, and still feeling good the next year, then your food is probably serving you well, whatever it is.”

Sally has inspired me to rethink the foods I’m eating on a daily basis.  Her cookbook is full of easy to follow recipes, incredible bits of information and tips for food shopping, and honest advice about food.

Visit www.sallymiller.com.
To purchase Sally’s in the Kitchen on Amazon.

Photo Credit © Robert Lerich | Dreamstime.com

Tags: cancer, cookbook, cooking, food, health, healthy, nutrition, Recipes