Good Morning Cake With A Bite. Great for your heart and keeping everything flowing
Background: This has to have a background. Who in their right mind would put all of these ingredients together. No comment.

I normally eat a handful of walnuts a day to be sure that I have enough Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic polyunsaturated fatty acid) thought to be important in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, depression, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis, reduction of inflammation, and excessive blood clotting among others http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=84 Since other well known sources are either off my list since I am a vegetarian, or take more preparation, I have settled on walnuts. Other sources are flaxseeds, salmon, soybeans, halibut, hemp seeds, some leafy greens and the rest which are under 15% of the daily recommended amount. And I was out of walnuts – or so I thought. Had been out for 3 days. In my research, ran across mention of a number of spices which inhibited production of clotting factors in a dose-dependent manner  http://www.naturalnews.com/026454_blood_spices_garlic.html And the list included cloves (29-fold more potent than aspirin in inhibiting ararachidonic acid induced human platelet aggregation), hot or cayenne peppers, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, garlic, apple in decreasing order of effectiveness in this area (the active ingredient for each of the spices above in order are: – eugenol, capsaicin, curcumin, innamaldehyde, piperine, allyl sulphide, and quercetin. I quote: Quercetin is found in many common foods including apple, tea, onion, nuts, berries, cauliflower and cabbage.  http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/quercetin.php caper, lovage, apples, tea, onions especially red and many other foods http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercetin. Check out http://www.ctds.info/natthinners.html. Also see Comparative List of Acid and Alkaline Forming Foods at http://www.ctds.info/chart.html

Ingredients
ground clove 1/4 tsp
cinnamon 2 tsp
sweet basil 1 tsp
ginger 1/2 tsp
curcumin 2 tsp
black pepper 1/2 tsp
cayenne pepper mix (with coriander and garlic) 1 tbsp
garlic 2 cloves
6 walnuts (suddenly ran across them in the freezer)
6 almonds
1 egg
1 tbsp honey
blueberry jam on top with butter

Processing: Add a small amount of water to the above and a small amount of flour. Keep adding water and flour until you get the right consistency (pours but not too fast). Of course, the less liquid, the faster the cake “bakes”. In that regard, we will not talk about the other side of the cake pictured here. The final decision on the cake? Actually quite good. Now, I just have to be sure that I don’t cut myself. I am not a person with a medical degree of any sort but I am sure that there is not enough anti-clotting factors in this cake to overwhelm the natural control mechanisms of the body. On the other hand, think I’ll stay in today.

Apple Blueberry Salad.
The blueberries I strained out of blueberry jam with the strainer. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have. Apple washed well but with skin left on for the vitamins, minerals which are only or mainly in the skin. Dressing was poured on one by one – coriander, sweet basil, za’atar (thyme, sumac, sesame seeds), honey, and olive oil. By the way, this salad sort of provides some balance to my breakfast cake by providing vitamin K in the lettuce and olive oil which has a blood clotting effect on the system. http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=234#answer

Beet Soup and Cayenne On Whole Wheat.

I am an intuitive eater. If I am thinking beets and cayenne, I eat them. I do not often let my normal eating habits overrule. Actually, as you can guess, I do not have normal eating habits. If I don’t know how to fix something, I find out or use my intuition. You may think that this is irresponsible, disorganized, and a long list of other negatives, but I trust that my body knows what it needs. It plans to live to 100 if I don’t get in the way. The ingredients: 1 Beet, 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves cooked until beets done. There are a number of spices which go well in a beet soup. My preference is to let everyone take a cup of soup and add their own. I added cinnamon and honey. One think I would have done differently is to dice the beets. Had one heck of a time getting them out of the cup. The cayenne pepper mix (Middle Eastern style with garlic and coriander) is covered liberally with grated or crumbled (this was scraped with a sharp knife from a block of frozen sheep cheese) cow, goat, sheep cheese – your choice, and za’atar with its thyme and sesame seeds. Besides helping to lower LDL cholesterol which causes plaque to build up in my arteries, I have just helped my liver produce antioxidants, reduced possible inflammation in my joints,  reduced the possibility of cancer in my lower intestinal tract, and if I was pregnant (I’m not, but if I was, that would be a first), its folate would help in the development of the spinal cord of the embryo. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49

And the cayenne pepper? Great for the heart and circulatory system, reduction of pain, and helps in the digestive system. In fact, if you are having or are in danger of heart problems, cayenne can be a life saver. http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/cayenne.htm If you are interested in your health, read this. If you have not read it, you are doing yourself a great disservice.

Broccoli and Couscous
I do not know how I survived all these years without Couscous (semolina wheat in a special preparation) (I use the instant kind. Contains gluten). For one thing, as I said, it is instant – add the same amount of boiling water as you have couscous and you’re finished with the main underpinnings of a meal. No cooking of spaghetti, potatoes, rice just in order to have something under whatever else you are eating. And if you are eating it alone and not under something else, butter, salt and pepper make it a great side dish or a meal in itself.

And Now the Creamed Broccoli. Put the broccoli into boiling water for about 2 minutes. Do not really cook them. Pour out the water and pour about 2/3rds cup of milk into the pan. Add 1 tsp of flour and stir, adding more flour or milk as necessary to make a smooth free covering sauce. Add cheese – as much as you like, or have if its not as much as you want, add 1 tsp of sweet  basil. If you want to be really healthy, add about 1 tsp of turmeric (see the virtues of turmeric (curcumin) in other parts of the blog). Once on the plate, add sweet paprika.

 Poached Egg on Couscous. The end of the supplies and the beginning of a great day.
Poached? Would never make it for myself. But this is the other half of what I make for Cat about 3 times a month. She doesn’t like it either but it is said to do wonders for her fur. I don’t think she agrees but then…  So this was the last egg, on top of the last of the couscous, with the tail end of the cayenne pepper mix and cheese. To make it even tastier, a pad of butter, salt and pepper. For the full rundown on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couscous and there are thousands of recipes out there.

Spices and Their Medical Potential

Very worth taking a look at.
A sort of shorthand description of the medical potential of a number of different spices. http://www.medspice.com/content/view/34/38/  For instance Oregano and its medical effects on cancer, cardiovascular disease, blood lipids, and anti-inflammatory effects. Also http://medspice.com/content/view/13/47/ which gives the cardio protective properties of some key spices, and spice equivalents of some key prescription drugs.
 

Spaghetti and Carrot Salad Lunch. Cayenne pepper and tomato paste sauce. Grated cheese. Carrot salad in olive oil with sweet basil, black pepper, and thyme (in the form of za’atar with sesame seeds, and sumac). This last was particularly important because the carrot next to the one I used was moldy. And thyme is a great antifungal, antibacterial, antimicrobial spice. We underrate carrots. Yeh, see in the dark stuff, but they are great for A (over 600% of daily recommended value in one cup). Great for night vision, and I quote “help provide protection against macular degeneration and the development of senile cataracts, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.” http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=21 But, the most interesting concept related in the link above is the possibility that if you are a smoker or are constantly in the vicinity of second hand smoke, the vitamin A may restore the A reduced by smoke and may help prevent emphysema and hopefully a longer healthier life. Carrots may also be great for the skin. According to one source, applied to a blemish or uneven shaded area of the skin reduces the blemish http://ezinearticles.com/?Benefits-Of-Carrot-Juice&id=807641es.
 

LENTILS. I know. Who likes them? This will change your mind. Plus, I added something after the shot which made it much more photographable and eatable but couldn’t go through the setup again, so use your imagination, and besides, I was hungry.
Lentils, diced onion, 4 garlic cloves, shiitake mushrooms and the sauce: Tomato paste, 1 tsp of cayenne pepper sauce, ketchup. Additional spices: Coriander, turmeric, oregano, sweet basil. The extras mentioned above were extra ketchup on top of the mound, and salsa for the pan fried chips. If you are not healthy before this, you will be after.
 

Important Rules If You Are Cooking For Yourself, Or For Anyone Else
This is the beginning of a list of important rules, and rule number one is:
1. Always leave something behind. There is an animal which when it takes something, always leaves something in its place. Very smart. You may be very upset with what was taken, but you are somewhat mollified by the fact that something was exchanged for it even if you can’t use it, don’t like it, etc.  while this is not quite the same thing, it does provide some material for expanding the next meal. Even if you have the supermarket next door, or the raw materials right outside your doorway, you will always be glad that you left something. 
2. Never let convention get in the way. If your mouth says it will work, then it will – or at least it’s worth a try.
 

 This is the result of rule number one.
Lentil and Shiitake soup with a side of chili slices. The soup was the left over from the lentil dish before. By the way, be sure to cut the shiitake into bit size pieces. Very chewy and gives the sense of something significant to eat. Also, when making the soup, do not put the water in the pan first. Add it to your soup stock so that you do not end up with the essence of bouillon unless you have 100 mouths to feed. This is very think soup, with toasted whole wheat in olive oil and a mixture of salsa and a small amount of cayenne pepper sauce, topped with cheese – also left over by design. This was really the last of the cheese. Tomorrow I have to start being creative again.

 This is the second result of rule number one combined with rule number two.

Lentil Pancake with Salsa. Added more cayenne pepper sauce, turmeric, oregano and flour to make a pancake batter which was then fried. The salsa was the little bit left over which had been saved. The cake was so good I was looking for another. Followed by a cookie which my niece sent me for my doesn’t-matter-the-number birthday. My mouth was definitely in on that decision. As for the birthday, I have reached the age where it just doesn’t matter unless you’re going for a Guinness record.
 

Aug 24 walked some and had pain in the chest (something I sometimes get when walking for a while) In this case, it was much worse (I had to bend over several times to relieve it somewhat), and it lasted afterwards also to some degree. Finally decided that it was heart and probably not liver as I had thought before. However, since I was still on the liver thing, I bought beets, ginger powder, and a red hot chili peppers mix. Had run across a video of a recipe for liver support: cilantro, miso, ginger root, kelp, cayenne pepper, lemon but could not find the other ingredients. The video: http://vodpod.com/watch/1825277-herbs-alternative-medicine-liver-cleansing-diet-recipes When I asked for cayenne peppers at the small market here, they were very helpful. When asked what I wanted it for, I said for the heart, and the young girl pointed to one of the items and said “This is why the Yemenites live so long.” So cooked the beets with garlic and ginger, and as a side dish, put the hot pepper mix (Shog) on bread (ate two slices) with Kashkaval cheese. Woke up next morning feeling that it was  easier to move without pain than during the previous three weeks.

Walnut-Raisin Oatmeal with Honey and Cayenne Pepper Relish
To continue the healing process, breakfast consisted of: Two cups of water drunk half an hour before. That’s right, it is stage one of breakfast and believe it or not, the most important part. For the oatmeal, added one tbsp of Brewer’s yeast to the water as it was boiling before adding the almost instant oatmeal (cinnamon can also be added). Walnuts, honey, and raisins rounded out the dish with a slab of butter added on top before the shoot. Meanwhile, the Shog was layered on a slice of French 7 grain bread together with Kashkaval cheese. Breakfast was followed with 1 cup of water and a cup of coffee. The makeup of the Shog, which is defined as a spice, flavor, condiment, relish, sauce, is a sharp paste with the major ingredients: sharp red pepper, coriander, garlic. This one was produced by Beaton Yohai Spices in Israel.
 
 

 
Mushroom Salad
The major question here is “Why use Thyme or, in this case, Za’atar?” Thyme is one of the best antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial spices which is eatable by man. Known by man probably since the Garden, it has protected him throughout the ages and added many years to his life, and therefore many more souls to come in (or back in depending on your belief system). There are other substances out there which will do the trick but I personally would not touch any of them. When you put thyme together with sesame seeds and sumac, you have za’atar, a true winner which not only safeguards you, adding to the general health of the system, but can sharpen all of your faculties among other things.
 

I made sure that it was used with this salad which was made with lettuce whose leaves were starting to wilt, whose companion leaves were starting to grow their own fungus, and the tips of some of the leaves I used were starting to develop their own clearly definable borders. Trimmed them and washed well with tap water – the chlorine does most of the job of protection for you, but not all – and I had the makings of an eatable salad. For its psychological benefits (impossible to taste once the dressing is on), crumpled up a slice of Swiss cheese on top before adding the mushrooms. Then washed and sliced the mushroom.

But, just because you are going to use thyme does not mean that eating a toadstool is now a possibility. Unrecognized mushrooms can kill you regardless of what you put on them, how you cook them, or what other great medicinal foods you add to the mix. Unless you are an absolute expert, buy at a reputable market where the fact that you stay alive means a constant paycheck for the owner and employees. Read my mushroom warning at the beginning of this blog many, many months ago. The one pictured here is one of the more eatable ones – champignon, but there are a number out there, each with their own flavor and medicinal qualities. The mushroom, unlike the lettuce, should be fresh. If in doubt, toss, either before (preferable) or after (not advised). The dressing is the important part. It contains cayenne pepper mash, my own addition of coriander, salt, sweet basil, olive oil, sweet chili sauce, honey, and of course za’atar. It is beneficial to make this preparation separately since once on the salad it’s difficult to rinse off.