Food as Medicine

At our May meeting, Dr. Patrick Neustatter, MD, led an informative talk about how food acts as a natural medicine. We had a lively discussion of how the medical community in our country is just now becoming more aware of the value of whole foods and a healthy diet, versus the over-medicated world of the pharmaceutical industry.

Of course, the lively conversation had to be halted as we chowed down on our friends' latest culinary creations. Pictured first is Nancy's dish - yes, that is the name I'm giving it, as Nancy just throws things together and ultimately comes up with the most beautiful, flavorful dishes you can imagine. This one featured barley, white beans, chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes and olives!
Susan went on to challenge her (was this a vegan Iron Chef competition or what?) with these amazing Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfait Cups and White Chocolate Strawberry Tofu Fluff Cups. Can you tell by the picture that these were amazing? No recipe, either!






Vegan Twinkies were cute as a button...get the recipe here!













and White Chocolate Blondie Bites (vegan, too!) rounded out the dessert table this time around.











Of course, people were pretty full from these main course dishes already! A beautiful gluten-free Bean Salad was refreshing and gorgeous...










Fresh green beans are a pleasure this time of year!


















Who can turn down potato salad? Yum!













And a spicy Curried Chickpea Dish was another big seller...
















But of course, no meal is complete without a salad, especially this one featuring greens all from a member's own garden!












And, for those looking for a healthy dessert, this Fruit Salad was picked dry by the end of the meal!

Thanks again, everyone, for a great meal and fantastic discussion! Join us one last time before our summer break, as Laura Shepard, Horticultural Director of Downtown Greens, shares her wisdom on organic gardening - Saturday, June 6th, 11:30-1:00pm, same place - the UUFF on Route 3, across from Meadow Farms. See you there! Oh, and if you've joined our wiki, you can sign up to carpool to some upcoming Vegetarian Festivals and events!