Prior to marriage, there was always a constant and steady flow of sentimental moments, tender embraces, romantic interludes, stolen glances and embarrassingly naive, yet genuine demonstrations of young, fresh love.

Then, a few years into our marriage, some unfamiliar and curiously inexplicable (well, at the time) mood infiltrated our home and our relationship.  Was it old age?  Possibly.  Was it kids?  Probably.  Were we sick of seeing each other’s faces?  Maybe.  Whatever it was, it negatively impacted our lives; a sentimental moment turned into a ‘practical’ debate about household to-dos and the tender embrace was now a painfully awkward clutch.

It dawned on my husband and I that a certain amount of ‘investment’ was required to sustain a healthy and happy relationship.  No longer could we continue to deplete our reservoir of young love.  It was time to take action and do something about the doldrums of a marriage we had created.

As part of my efforts to scale up the romantic gestures, I concentrated my efforts on the kitchen.  Once a week, I’d break out the fine china, dim the lights, spray on the perfume, tolerate the 5-inch heels and serve my man the biggest, juiciest, most succulent piece of filet mignon (or roast chicken, or t-bone or some other variation of animal protein) with a side of potatoes and maybe, just maybe, some non-starchy vegetable. What better way to demonstrate to my sweetheart the essence of everlasting love by offering him a home cooked meal fit for a macho, hunk of a man?

We would stuff ourselves to the point of no return – literally.  All the meat and potatoes we ate slowly digested in our stomachs, bloated us, and made us fall into a deep food-induced coma right on the couch.

Romantic, huh?

Approximately three years ago, my husband took a much needed physical exam.  The results of that exam still send shivers up our spines.  My husband’s health trajectory was something that of a train wreck.  Cholesterol?  Abnormally high.  Blood pressure?  Frightening.  Not only were my weekly romantic gestures aiding in the death of my husband, but they also were useless in spurring any new found passion and spark.

I love my husband, but I’ve discovered that I really love more than just the person he is; I am also passionate about his arteries.  Since the exam, I’ve made it my mission to showcase my love by making a couple of changes to my wining and dining menu (in addition to our everyday diet).  Without too much detail (we are still a work in progress), I’d say it has done wonders for our energy levels, our health and our relationship.  By serving meals like this robust, yet flavorful vegetarian enchilada, my husband and I feel less like sunbathing rhino and more like cheetahs on the Serengeti, at full speed (75 mph).

Make this version of the traditional Mexican enchilada for your loved one and I guarantee your partner (and his/her arteries) will love you for it.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 cup of brown rice

1 zucchini, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 onion, diced

1 garlic, minced

½ cup of corn

1 cup of black beans and/or kidney beans

1 tablespoon of canola oil

1 teaspoon of cumin

½ teaspoon of chili pepper flakes

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of pepper

10-12 small corn tortillas

Enchilada Sauce (you can buy, but I’d recommend making as some recipes, like this one, are quick/simple)

Cheese (optional – for the top)

Instructions:

In a large sauté pan, add the oil, cumin and chili pepper.  Fry for about 1-2 minutes on low heat or until the spices become fragrant.  Add the onions, carrot and garlic and cook until the onions become translucent.  Add the salt and pepper.  Then, add the zucchini, beans and corn and cook for 3-5 minutes.  Finally, add the rice and cook until all the ingredients are well combined.  Turn off the heat and set aside.

Warm the enchilada sauce and add about ½ – 1 cup (depending on how much the rice absorbs the sauce) to your rice mixture.  Coat the bottom of a baking dish (about 9×13) with some sauce.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Dip one corn tortilla into the warmed sauce and then scoop about 1/3 cup of the rice mixture into the tortilla.  Fold over three times to enclose the rice mixture and place into the baking dish, seam side down.  Do this to all of the corn tortillas.

Ladle over 2-3 cups of enchilada sauce and add cheese (optional).  Bakes for 15-20 minutes, or until the top of the enchiladas are lightly browned.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Enjoy!

Written by Barbara Jean Hicks and Illustrated by Sue Hendra

A super cute book about monsters who don’t like to eat broccocli…except, they find themselves fooled into eating them in the most delightful way!

Written by Puck, Illustrated by Violet Lemay

A bright and cheery book that teaches the letters of the alphabet and gastronomical terms to burgeoning foodies

One of the more fascinating results is rooted in a 20+ year study conducted by Dr. Campbell on lab rats.  Briefly, the study took two groups of rats and fed the first group with 20% animal protein and the second group, only 5% animal protein.  Both sets of rats were given enough Aflatoxin (a fungus, mold that is highly carcinogenic) to get cancers.  Long story short, every single rat fed the 20% protein had liver cancer or precursor lesions and not a single rat in the 5% group had cancer or lesions.

In a separate study, the results are even more astonishing.  When the team decreased the animal protein of the 20% rats to less than 10%, Dr. Campbell found that the cancer lesions on the liver decreased in size and number.  In a nutshell, the results of this study suggest that cancer can be jump started, restarted, slowed and even halted by adjusting the level of protein intake.

Somehow, I found myself discussing both studies a couple of times in the past few weeks – mind you, I never once rudely interjected my stories of these studies or interrupted someone just to spew some analytical details about lab rat study results.  Instead, I diplomatically and gently relayed these stories to welcomed audiences and within a relevant context – but it didn’t take long before the welcome wore off.

What has amazed me the most about people’s response is not so much the unwillingness to seriously consider the implications of Dr. Campbell’s results, but rather two other elements of the response:  1) the outright defensiveness and/or need to explain the necessity for all things animal protein in their lives and 2) how quickly many audience members hastily write Dr. Campbell off as a quack, a farce or some kind of a ‘pretend doctor of real science’.

Sometimes, I end up feeling attacked – “Well, do you eat meat?  Are you vegetarian?  Do your kids drink milk?  Are you growing cancer cells in your body?”

Yes, my family and I eat meat and drink milk.  But I want to change our diet – a diet that is already relatively low in animal protein, but that still has major repercussions on our environment, our wallets and potentially, our health.  The implications offered by Dr. Campbell’s studies are controversial given the state of our beef and dairy lobbying prowess on capital hill, but they are anything less than astonishing, intriguing and incredibly convincing. Whether or not we become vegans is an entirely separate question (I highly doubt it); however, I do think it is possible to decrease our animal protein intake to something less than 5% over the course of the next few years – I’m calling this the 5% Diet.

For many, this might seem like an extreme interpretation of Dr. Campbell’s data, but for my family and our needs, its definitely plausible.  Will all of this change in lifestyle and diet be worth it all in the end?  Only time will tell, but I can’t wait for time.  I have to make a decision about how we are going to eat our way through life based on the information offered up now.  Personally, if there is a small chance that changing our diet can prevent rapid and unnecessary deterioration and emotional heartache, I’d argue that the change is worth it.

Besides, I doubt my family will miss the level of meat and dairy we currently consume or that we will go hungry anytime soon – there are so many scrumptious non-animal based foods and variations on those foods that we haven’t tried yet.

The 5% diet.  Ch-ch-check it out.  As a bonus for considering this diet, I’ve included a recipe for my version of Dal, a delicious, creamy lentil and kidney bean dish served up with some brown rice and bread.

Patty’s Pretend Dal

1 cup of brown or black lentils, soaked and fully cooked

1/3 cup of kidney beans, soaked and fully cooked

½ cup of tomato puree

1 tomato, diced

1 onion, diced

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 garlic, minced

½ inch of ginger, grated

1 green chili, finely diced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili

½ teaspoon fenugreek

½ teaspoon garam masala

2-3 cups of water (more if necessary)

salt

¼ – ½ cup of half and half (optional, if you dare)

Directions:

In a large pot over medium to low heat, add the oil and then, the onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, green chili, cumin, chili, fenugreek, 1 teaspoon of salt and garam masala.  Stir frequently until the tomatoes and onions begin to cook down, about 10-15 minutes.

Once the onion and tomatoes have cooked down, add the beans, tomato puree and about 2 cups of water (the water should cover the beans by about 2 inches).  Bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 20-30 minutes, check the dal for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.  Serve with rice or naan and a little bit of yogurt to manage the heat, if you want.

Aliki manages to illustrate the incredible goings-on of a quiet garden through the eyes of a child.  The illustrations are attractive to both children and adults.  Book also includes instructions for making a garden.

Written and Illustrated by Aliki

Written by Laurel Snyder  and Illustrated by David Goldin

A pig desperately wants to participate in Shabbat dinner.  In order to do so, he tries to become kosher.

Editors’ Note

Welcome to Zomppa 2.0!

Time really flies when you’re having fun. It is almost December, Thanksgiving has just passed in the United States and winter is already settling in some parts of the world. For the past several months, the folks at Zomppa have been very busy and have worked passionately to bring you (our most favorite readers in the universe) a new, improved, interactive multimedia platform to make your Zomppa visits more resourceful, manageable and meaningful!

Whether you are a longtime reader (thank you!) or a new one (welcome!), we have tried and tested different iterations over the last couple years and thanks to your constructive feedback, the generosity of our donors, and the support of old and new friends, Zomppa offers you a vastly unique, steam-lined online experience.

But who are we, really?

We are an integrated food advocacy platform seeking to transform food’s relationships with people through awareness, dialogue, and education. We are committed to the reality that everything is interconnected. We encourage people from all walks of life to consider and embrace this interconnectedness – to understand that that choices we make at the grocery store or at the restaurant greatly impact the lives of small farmers, affect the water and soil, and influence food security polices discussed on an international scale.

As we say on our newly refined FAQ page (please visit to find out more about origins and our philosophy), we believe that:

• The current food system is broken and unless each of us do something about it, our species and our planet are in serious trouble
• Good recipes not only taste good, but also promote the sustainability of culture, a fair food system, and the Earth

We are fortunate to have a staff of writers and contributors from around the world who are committed to sharing their perspectives and experiences to raise awareness that the following not only lead to tastier and happier eating occasions, but also promote health, the economy, environmental stewardship, fair and responsible labor, and vibrant communities:

• Eat locally, organically, and seasonally as best we can
• Learn to cook and minimize overly processed foods
• Keep everything in moderation
• Shop and consume consciously and mindfully
• Celebrate and share culture and tradition
• Care.
• Care not only about yourself.

Some of you may also be a bit surprised that we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit and so we will soon redirect our zomppa.com website to our zomppa.org website. We’ll keep you posted on this transition.

In addition to our international food magazine, we have also been developing and testing and refining a curriculum for children. Known as the Zomppabus, we hope to get children excited to learn about healthy eating through global exploration – from a mobile, interactive experience. Over the next several months, you will see our online classroom grow and expand…so stay tuned…..

As always, we are constantly learning, refining, and improving, and welcome your feedback. A couple key updates include:

1. A clearer schedule for feature articles and other tidbits and challenges:

• Explore Mondays: culture, travel, traditions, children, family
• Sustainable Tuesdays: home cooking, conscious shopping
• Frank Wednesdays: identification of Frank Food versus Frankenstein Food
• Political Thursdays: food politics, safety, and health
• Fight Fridays: food advocates and advocacy around the world

2.  A rotating photo gallery, displaying material contributed by our staff, but also material contributed by you! Our readers!

3.  An online Book Corner, reads we recommend for children and adults.

4.  An online Recipe Vault so you can quickly find and download your favorite Zomppa recipes.

5.  Clearer navigation of our monthly and weekly columns, such as the ever-popular Melissa@Market, Food Fighters, Frank Food, Class Acts, and Sweet Beat.

Was this enough to whet your appetite?!  We certainly hope so!

We still have a couple of more surprises in store for you, so please stay turned. Also, please bear with us as we continue to work out our kinks!!  As always, we thank you for your readership and support and look forward to many more years of innovation to put food back into the central role of our lives.

Eat well.

The Editors

Written by Jean Reidy and Illustrated by Geneviève Leloup

A rhythmic story about a little boy who rejects anything put in front of him until he finally finds the one thing he loves to eat.  Delicious

Written and Illustrated by Amy Sanger

A gorgeous little board book good for tiny fingers in book-turning training.  Sanger uses rhymes to teach children about the amazing culinary world of Chinese Dim Sum.

Her Majesty Queen Ranian Al Abdullah, the Queen of Jordan, is the author of this touching story about acknowledging our differences, appreciating those qualities/factors that make us different and fortifying lasting friendships.

The added bonus is two varying sandwiches are at the center of all these life-long lessons!

Can anyone say….GORGEOUS??!!!

Queen of Jordan, Wikipedia