Lunar New Year 2016
This year, the Lunar New Year will begin on Monday, February 8. It is the biggest event of the year for Chinese people and Chinese emigrants throughout the world. Although there are various styles of celebrating the Lunar New Year, the spirit behind these celebrations is the same. The beginning of the New Year marks a time for a fresh start, so people try to clean up everything completely and tie up loose ends before the end of the previous year. On New Year’s Day, people wear new clothes. This day people also pay their respects to their ancestors, so it is a family reunion day rather than a day for dining out and partying. Families go to temples to pray for deceased family members and offer them special Near Year foods.
The symbolic color of the Lunar New Year is red. Streets and houses are decorated with red ornaments bearing the characters for happiness, prosperity, peace, and spring, among others. Chinese communities literally turn red. Kids receive money from relatives in red envelopes known as hong bao.
Lunar New Year parades attract many spectators, not only those of Chinese descent, but also people outside the Chinese community. The lion dance (not a dragon dance) is the main performance of the parade. The traditional dance is based on a Chinese myth about people successfully driving away monsters. The dance has evolved as the Chinese diaspora has spread throughout the world. There are two main versions: the northern lion dance and the southern lion dance, and the latter is seen more often in the world because more Chinese immigrants are from the southern regions of China.
Firecrackers also enhance the excitement of the parade. You may think firecrackers for the Lunar New Year are too noisy and perhaps scary, but these are meant to drive away evil spirits, so they should be scary! Many people are willing to endure that noise once a year in hopes of staying away from misfortune the rest of the year.
The Lunar New Year celebration culminates with the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar calendar, which is the first full moon of that lunisolar year. During the event, countless lanterns are hung, decorating temples and streets at night. There are several legends associated with the festival, but the lanterns are almost always red, the color of good fortune.
Lunar New Year cuisine also differs from place to place, although there are some significant similarities. People in most regions eat something wrapped and stuffed (dumplings, spring rolls, banana leaf–or bamboo skin–wrapped sticky rice), something long (noodles), and money-like fruits (tangerines and oranges). Fillings, toppings, and sizes vary depending on the culture, but all foods symbolize good things like abundance, longevity, and prosperity. Whole fish is also symbolic main dish in most Lunar New Year celebrations.
Japanese people celebrate the first day of the New Year as well, but in a very different way. Called Setsubun, the celebration is accompanied by a special ritual of throwing beans to clean away all the evil of the former year in the lunar calendar and drive away disease-bringing evil spirits from the year to come. Roasted soybeans are thrown either out the door or at a member of the family wearing an oni (demon or ogre) mask. The throwers chant “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (“Get out, demons! Come on I, good luck.”)
Japanese people also customarily eat soybeans – one for each year of one’s life (if you are 25 years old, you eat 25 beans) – to usher in good luck. In some areas, people eat one bean for each year of one’s life, plus one more for good luck for the year to come (if you are 25, you eat 26 beans). Also, there are some regions where people bite into futomaki (big sushi rolls) without cutting them at all. They believe that your wish will come true if you bite into an uncut futomaki known as an echo-maki. The “roll” symbolizes “rolling good luck in,” and to bite the “uncut” roll represents not cutting this good fortune.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2016 All Rights Reserved
Paleo Diet
The Paleo Diet (short for Paleolithic) is fashioned around the eating habits and available foods of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. These ancestors had to nourish themselves with the meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fats available to them in nature. With the benefit of large supermarkets, it’s easy today to mimic these foods in wider variety. Specific recommendations for eating Paleo will vary; however, the main ideas are the same: Reduce the risk of debilitating diseases and optimize health by eating whole, fresh, unprocessed foods and avoid foods that were not available prior to the advent of modern agriculture.
Research studies looking at the Paleo Diet have noted that eating a Paleo Diet for a short term improved the glucose control and lipid profiles in people with type 2 diabetes, compared to eating a diet containing low-fat dairy, moderate salt intake, whole grains, and legumes. Additional research indicates similar results may be possible in people without type 2 diabetes as well. The Paleo diet may result in higher levels of satiety (fullness) throughout the day when compared with a low-fat, low-calorie diet.
Paleo Do’s
Eat plenty of non-starchy vegetables and fruits.
Make fresh meat, poultry, fish, and seafood your primary sources calories.
Avoid highly processed meats that contain preservatives, artificial flavors, and sugar, such as some sausages, bacon, deli meats, and smoked fish products.
Consume nuts and seeds.
Use coconut oil, grass-fed butter, olive oil, avocado oil, nut and seed oils, and animal fats, such as goose fat or duck fat, for cooking and eating.
Balance the intake of acid-producing foods (meats, fish, salt, and cheese) with base-producing foods (fruits and vegetables) for optimal health.
Use sea salt to season foods, but try to decrease sodium intake in general.
Paleo Don’ts
Consume highly processed packaged foods.
Get heavy handed with the salt shaker.
Eat grains of any kinds. Quinoa, bulgur, rice, wheat, bread, pasta, etc., are all out.
Consume sugar (including honey and maple syrup), sweets, candy, or desserts.
Use artificial sweeteners, such as monk fruit extract, stevia, NutraSweet or Equal (aspartame), Splenda (sucralose), or sugar alcohols, such as xylitol, sorbitol, or maltitol.
Eat legumes, beans, peas, lentils, or soy, or foods make from soybeans.
Use canola or soybean oils or consume hydrogenated oils (trans fats).
Consume dairy, with the exception of fermented dairy or raw milk cheese on occasion.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2016 All Rights Reserved
How To Eat More Protein On A Meat-Free Diet
If you’re new to a meat-free diet or you struggle with ways to get the protein you need here are some important tips that may help you. It really isn’t as hard as you might think.
Snack on protein rich munchies and skip the carbs. Eat roasted chickpeas, edamame, roasted peanuts, or raw nuts. Keep away from heavily salted nuts.
If you’re looking for a frozen treat then purée coconut milk, almond butter, cashew butter, honey, and cocoa powder. Freeze in an ice cream maker for a protein rich frozen treat.
Make an easy cream sauce by whisking cashew butter with vegetable stock, garlic, and minced parsley. Toss with cooked pasta.
Crumble tempeh (fermented soybean protein) into pasta sauce or soups, or wherever you might use hamburger meat.
Purée cooked black beans and add to brownies. For blondies or light colored muffins or cakes, use cooked, puréed chickpeas.
Sprout sunflower seeds and add them to salads. Just soak raw seeds overnight in water to cover. Drain and let sprout for 24 to 48 hours.
Add ground flaxseeds to muffins, waffles, breads, or cookies for a protein boast and added omega 3 fats.
Make a protein packed pudding. Purée silken tofu with cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla extract.
Use hemp or rice protein powder instead of flour to make waffles, pancakes, and baked goods. Instead of eggs, use flax as a binder.
Lentils are awesome! Eat lentils more often. They are fast cooking and easy to use. Add to soups, toss in salads, and stir in cooked rice.
Spread sandwiches and wraps with hummus instead of mayonnaise. I do this all the time. Purée hummus with roasted red peppers or chipotle peppers for an added zing.
If you can tolerate gluten, seitan (wheat protein) is a great substitute for sliced deli meat. Use it in wraps or sandwiches for an easy lunch.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen
