Hi,
I’m Shiree Segerstrom. I’m an interior designer and wellness devotee and I have
been diagnosed with six different degenerative bone conditions. I’m also the author
of Pain Free Decorating: Creating Nurturing Spaces for Women with Arthritis. I
help women with arthritis create beautiful, nurturing, highly functional homes
that inspire them to take better care of themselves every day, where self care
begins…at HOME!
Photo Food and Wine, Con Poulos
I last talked to you about why you need big raw salads and I promised to share a few of my favorite salad combinations with you today. These are combinations that you can take to any party and know they will be gone before the evening is done. But please don’t save them for parties my friend. You need these. Every dang day.
Since
these are raw salads you don’t need exact measurements. Use whatever amounts
you prefer with the exception of dressing.
Dressing
For all my dressings I use half of a small to medium lemon or lime to 3 tablespoons organic, cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil. I also use a generous amount of pink Himalayan salt but you can use sea salt too. Just don’t use ordinary table salt. To taste delicious salads require generous seasoning (as in salt, thank you Marcella Hazan) and you can’t be generous with table salt because of the toxic anti-caking ingredients.
Dressing
For all my dressings I use half of a small to medium lemon or lime to 3 tablespoons organic, cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil. I also use a generous amount of pink Himalayan salt but you can use sea salt too. Just don’t use ordinary table salt. To taste delicious salads require generous seasoning (as in salt, thank you Marcella Hazan) and you can’t be generous with table salt because of the toxic anti-caking ingredients.
My
mouth is watering just thinking of this first salad…
Strawberry
Lime Jalapeno
This
is my creation. You will die and go to heaven, it’s that good. I especially
love it in the summer but here in sunny California where I live we have
strawberries year round. Don’t hate me. Or maybe you have strawberries year
round where you live too, in which case do enjoy this often.
Romaine
lettuce
Plenty
of fresh strawberries
Cilantro
Yellow
bell pepper (used in moderation this nightshade veggie won’t give you much
trouble).
Avocado
Dressing
See
note above for quantities and how to choose a good olive oil.
Lime
juice
Generous
dollop or two of local organic honey
Olive
oil
Finely
diced jalapeno seeds removed
Pink
salt
Kale
Cesar with Pine Nuts
Another
salad that disappears at parties. Yes, kale! It’s that good. This one came from Caroline Vassar, when I stayed with her for a few days summer before last.
Caveat:
This salad has an ingredient that is a not vegan, nor is it part of the
Arthritis Diet.
Lacinto
kale stems removed, leaves massaged.
Pine
nuts
Parmesan
cheese, organic (inflammatory. Use in moderation.
Yes, that’s it. And it is perfect. Croutons would in fact ruin it.
Dressing
Lemon
juice
A
little fresh garlic
Olive
oil
Pink
salt
Unbelievable
Mediterranean Salad
Romaine
or spinach or combo of both
Kalamata
olives, pitted
Tomatoes
in moderation (nightshades are inflammatory)
Red
onion
Garbanzo
beans, rinsed well
Pure
goat’s milk feta made without rennet (do not use cow’s milk feta, it’s loaded
with chemicals and highly inflammatory)
Artichoke
hearts packed in water, rinsed
Dressing
Lemon
juice
Olive
oil
Dried basil, thyme and a little oregano (even better if you have fresh Greek oregano)
Dried basil, thyme and a little oregano (even better if you have fresh Greek oregano)
Pink
salt
Summer
Vegetarian Ceviche
I
got this combination from Food and Wine magazine which I
can no longer find. Fortunately the recipe came up online immediately when I
queried Summer Vegetable “Ceviche”.
Thank
you David Frenkiel and Luise Vendahl for creating this spectacular vegan, dish.
Fresh
corn off the cob
Heirloom
cherry tomatoes
Lima
beans (I prefer cannellini)
Nectarines
Cilantro
Cucumbers
Orange
bell pepper (I use red)
Dressing
Lime
Juice and lime zest (zest adds a lot of flavor to this recipe)
Olive
oil
Pink
salt
Jalapeno
diced fine
Chinese
Salad
Napa
or savoy cabbage
Freshly
cooked brown rice pasta, cooled to room temp (leftover brown rice pasta doesn’t reheat well)
Red
bell pepper, diced
Cashews
(use raw and soak them overnight to make them easier to digest)
Cilantro
Cucumber
Optional:
orange slices
Dressing
Rice
wine vinegar
Olive
oil plus a little sesame
oil (use sparingly, it’s strong)
Garlic
Fresh
ginger
Pink
salt
Red
hot chili pepper flakes
Tiny
bit of local organic honey
Now
that you are armed with some great tasting salads you’ll want to know when to
eat them. At breakfast? Nope. At dinner? Nope.
That leaves lunch and that’s the best time to eat your big raw salad. It will stick with you till dinner because you’re
going to eat a lot of it. And best of all, you will never be tired at 3:00 in
the afternoon again.
Here’s
why. Digestion takes up a huge part of our energy. In fact, if you are sick, or
if any animal is sick for that matter, you want to fast so the body has all its
energy directed towards healing itself. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t
need calories when you’re sick. Watch your pet when they’re sick. They refuse
food. They know instinctively that the body of a living creature has its own
healing mechanism. And now you know that about fasting. So why do you feel
logged down after a huge meal of turkey and stuffing or pancakes and sausage?
Because you have just overtaxed your stomach and all your energy is going
towards digesting it. The body needs fast exit foods. Raw vegetables and fruits
are the quickest exiting foods. Cooked meats and starches are slow exiting
meaning they stay in the stomach the longest and that’s not what you want.
My day job is creating beautiful, inspiring homes to support you
through this illness but I’m also passionate about food and wellness.
That’s why I wrote Pain Free Decorating: Creating Nurturing Spaces for Women with Arthritis, to help you create a home that inspires you to take better care of yourself every day, where self care begins… at home. Click here for a sample chapter.
Live beautifully. Eat beautifully, Shiree’
