The Honorable Elijah Muhammad asks a critical question in How to Eat to Live II: “Think over it -- that their food scientists teach how to rob food of its value and then put it in pills and in liquid forms to commercialize on. How then, can you eat to live with what he leaves you to eat -- foods robbed of their natural vitamins?”
Herbs and Spices have been used for thousands of years in both medicinal and culinary practices worldwide. In modern times, in the culinary field we have thought of spice as a component to merely flavor our food. Since these spices are used with flavor in mind, the powdered, the processed form and isolated flavor profiles of these herbs and spices are more commonly used (due to their convenience). Commercialization and an ever-increasing disconnect from food sources have moved us even further away from the consumption of fresh flavors. The juice infused meal plan is a shift towards utilizing nutrient dense fresh herbs, root vegetables and whole seeds in the fresh form, not only as a the superior means to flavor our food, but to serve as a source for essential micronutrients and volatile essential oils that contain healthy fats, amino acids, trace minerals and phytonutrients.
The Juice infused meal plan can be summarized with 5 types of meals or the 5 “S”
1. Salads, In my food journey over the decades we thought of salad as an integral component of a healthy meal plan, thus a healthy salad dressing was essential. I would canvass grocers store isles reading labels in search for a tasty salad dressing that was free of msg, seed oils, high fructose corn syrup (just to name a few of the salad sabatogers) as I discovered that these processed ingredients were not in alignment with my health goals. When given a shot at grocery retail, I thought what it would look like to serve salad and so I developed the Juice-infused Vinaigrette, a combination of fresh citrus, fresh juiced herbs and olive oil and/avocado oil. - 2. Soup -a liquid based food that is made with a savory broth or stock. Soup is one our oldest recorded foods. I consider soup to be a staple meal for my family- Navy bean soup. Navy Bean Curry Soup is simmered with a curry reduction sauce of fresh juiced turmeric and the “holy trinity “ making a healthy, flavorful and satiating family meal. In recent trends, bone broth has made a huge come back perhaps due to the high demand for collagen and other essential vitamins and minerals. I like to stack my broths with sauted fresh juice root vegetables and herbs such as turmeric, cilantro, parsley and ginger and seeds such as cumin, black or white cardamon, coriander, fennel. It’s important to saute fresh juiced herbs with the holy trinity herbs as it releases the flavonoids and fuses the flavors and essential oils throughout the broth. If one family member is under the weather, we are making broths and using the broth for ramen or noodle soups or with navy beans. Broths can also serve as a nourishing liquid to enjoy while fasting.
- 3. Stir-fry or saute - Although one can stir-fry or saute veggies, rice, potatoes and meat without a sauce base, for the purpose to infuse your meals with fresh juice and whole seeds, its necessary to first produce a curry or reduction sauce. Prepping a sauce base produces amazing flavors and phytonutrients for your stir-fry.
- 4. Smoothies and squeezed juice- Fresh juice drink consumption dates back thousands of years. There are a plethora of smoothie recipes and smoothie bars out there, but the Juicemasters brand of smoothies are incomparable: blended fresh frozen fruit with nutrient dense herbs and superfoods and our signature fresh juice blends. With only 1 in 10 Americans consuming the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, Juicemasters smoothies can be an excellent way to increase fresh fruits and veggies for entire families. I used the term squeezed vs the convenience of the common pasteurized juice we find in the supermarket, because fresh squeezed juice is loaded with phytonutrients and digestive enzymes that aid in digestion. Also, in our Juicemasters fasting programs we rely on squeezes to provide some comfort and energy during fasting (over 24 without solid food) . I’ve also noticed that when it comes to root veggies such as turmeric and ginger, squeezing is the most effective method to release the essential oils and flavanoids, making them more potent and making the flavors even bolder.
- 5. Sauce -Although sauce is thought of as a flavor condiment in western culture, but for the purpose of our s theme and to emphasize the significance of this technique of cooking In juice-infused meal prep and as a common thread in indigenous cooking all over the world - we call it sauce. In Indian cooking it is referred to as curry (which also means sauce), but you will find this culinary technique in countless other indigenous cultures across Asia, Africa and the Americas. Juice-infused sauces are made through a processed called reduction, cooking and simmering a combination of bold and intense flavonoids to form a new and distinct synergistic flavor that is rich in natural glutamates. This sauce can serve as the base to flavor and excite rice, vegetables, legumes and meat. The right combination of herbs and seeds can produce delicious umami in your food and reduce the craving off commercially made glutamates that drive us to less than healthy and impulsive food choices. Simmering the sauce is the simplest method for reducing the sauce. Set the curry to simmer at a lower temperature for a longer period of time, this thickens the sauce and as a bonus also intensifies the flavor. The longer you leave your sauce to simmer, it intensifies the synergy of the flavor. I use the reduction technique to prep broths for soups and stir-fry.
As a juice bar chef for nearly 2 decades, in a quest for improved health and wellness, I’ve served and bought garlic juice, turmeric shots and even onion juice, etc, which for most part is harsh on our palates and could even cause adverse physical reactions . These age old juice-infused cooking techniques make it possible to integrate these nutrient dense herbs, root vegetables and whole seeds into meals for an entire family.