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Posted by: Matthew
This month Matthew and 105degrees are featured in Whole Life Magazine.
View the Article.
Posted by: Matthew
Happy New Year to everyone! We hope 2010 brings wonderful things for all of you.
As you can see we’ve decided to redesign Matthew Kenney Lifestyle, and in doing so, added some new features and improved usability all around. Among the changes, we have organized our articles by Topic, integrated an Archive system, and provided RSS and Twitter Feeds. We have also sought to enhance your reading experience by building an stronger Tagging system, Article Search Engine and added a Related Article Function. At the base of each article, you’ll notice additional writings that you may also find useful.
One of our more exciting additions is the incorporation of Video Capability, which will better allow us to share some of the day to day experiences involved in developing and operating our company. Our work leads us to many interesting places, and our continued expansion into new areas of sustainable lifestyle provides us with the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and interesting professionals involved in the field of culinary arts.
In the coming days, we will begin to share our new articles, recipes and photos, including many from recent trips to Singapore and Peru, and an update on our expansion into new products.
As always, we continue to stand behind our commitment to provide original and compelling content that we hope you will find enjoyable and inspiring.
Thank you for visiting our site.
MKL
Posted by: Matthew
A couple of weeks ago, I drafted an article about the connection, or lack thereof, which we have to our immediate environment. Its suggestion was for us to get more involved in the procurement of our food, grow a garden when we have the space, forage when we have the opportunity, and become more in sync, overall, with nature and the seasons. As I was about to edit it, I realized that the topic has already been fully covered in the past few months, especially given the new project of Michelle Obama, the organic garden at the White House. It seemed redundant to even bother. As is usually the case for me during exercise, another subject presented itself while I was on an afternoon run a few days ago.
With a few warm early Spring afternoons, the snow finally started melting away, especially on the edges of fields and roads. Unfortunately, the first of Spring in Maine is not always as attractive as one might imagine – it’s actually a bit dark and damp, but part of the seasonal transition, so it does have its own beauty. An unfortunate fact is the subject of what may be hiding under that beautiful snow when it does leave us and it is quite revealing in many ways. While I’ve always noticed a lot of litter, there seemed to be more than ever this year, and I decided to take a few images from a stretch of road less than 1/2 mile long. Perhaps not surprisingly, the debris comes from some of our (least) favorite sources. Let me offer a hint – I didn’t find any Kombucha bottles next to the highway. There seems to be a direct correlation to how we treat our bodies and how we treat our planet. This is unfortunate, as fast food continues to grow in some markets, and its negative impact, which begins at the production stage, has certainly secured its status by going full circle.
Posted by: Matthew
As we become more focused on understanding health and weight related issues, the media’s role in providing information on these subjects has increased to a large degree. Nearly every health or fitness driven magazine and website publishes regular columns devoted to a variety of topics, ranging from diet, to medication, exercise and nutrition. The speed at which these vehicles produce information, along with a journalist’s commitment, or lack thereof, to fact finding, research and objectivity, often create situations where the truth is stretched or simply ignored entirely. A recent article on a widely read site, www.health.com, provided a striking example of just how loose the editorial standards can be. The article, written by Julie Upton, a registered dietitian and prolific health writer, was titled six diet trends you should never try. From my own experience with the often misleading information found on these sites, I rarely follow them. However, due to Ms. Upton’s inclusion of the raw food diet in the list of those to avoid, I felt compelled read her column. It was an interesting read, if only for a further education as to how far a journalist can manipulate or misstate facts for the purposes of completing an article and likely a deadline.
Ms. Upton’s resume is extensive and she certainly possesses the skills and resources to properly research her stories and to deliver a balanced, factual and objective viewpoint. It would be hard to question that alone but based on this particular article, the commitment to do so may be lacking, and editorial oversight certainly is. Interesting, the most notable quote on Ms. Upton’s website is as follows:
“My favorite part of being a writer is coming up with a story idea that no one else thought of or unearthing some lesser-known research that’s never been reported on. The challenge in nutrition writing is to take credible, scientific information that’s not new, but making it newsworthy.”
Being one who supports creativity in all its forms, I can hardly argue with that lofty goal however, when it results in manipulation of facts to support a story that is ill conceived to begin with, I have a hard time agreeing with that approach.
In all fairness, and in the spirit of “journalistic integrity”, I did attempt to contact both Ms. Upton and her publisher, in the hopes that one or both would respond to a few questions and offer rebuttals to my assessment of the article. Neither party responded, so I have let the facts of the article speak for itself.
Raw Food Diet
Eating raw is based on trying to get the majority of your calories from unprocessed and uncooked foods. Rawists believe that eating foods above 116° – 118° F will destroy enzymes that provide many health benefits. While most dietitians would agree that eating lots of minimally processed fruits, vegetables, and grains is best, we also understand that processing actually boosts the bioavailability of several key nutrients, primarily the phytonutrients, and inactivates some of the unhealthy compounds.
The raw food diet is rich in all plant-based foods including fruits and vegetables; nuts and seeds; and sprouted seeds, grains, and beans. Don’t get me wrong; these ingredients are great and you can make plenty of meals (here are five delicious ones) using these guidelines. But following this type of diet to a T requires a lot of complicated food preparation creating pine nut and yeast “cheese,” for example that makes it impractical for most working women.
I have had plenty of experience with raw foods because I live in Marin County, Calif., where Roxanne Klein, the coauthor of Raw, started Roxanne’s Fine Cuisine, a line of pricey prepared raw food creations available at our Whole Foods and other high-end supermarkets. I’ve tried several of the items but have found them to be extremely expensive and not very tasty certainly nothing I could follow for more than a day or two at most.
As a “flexitarian” and part-time vegan, I know that eating lower on the food chain can help promote weight loss, but I also know that caloric content is not related to the heated treatment of food. Skip the raw food diet, and eat more healthful whole foods cooked or raw to help whittle your waist, not your wallet.
The article prompted a rally from a number of raw food fans, including me. There is no question that most of her points could be valid under certain circumstances, but in general, they are far from factual.
Raw food, like any food, can be complicated to prepare. It can also be extraordinarily simple in fact, the easiest of any foods. Ms. Upton seems to confuse restaurant and cookbook quality, gourmet raw food, with what the general population would prepare at home on a daily basis. It was a point that was very poorly made the same could be said of any style of food, save packaged and processed foods, which, incidentally, she has also endorsed in various articles she has written in the past.
Most troubling, from a point of integrity, is what she has chosen to base as her “experience” with raw food. Said experience was based on the fact that she lives in an area where one brand of raw food is sold in its packaged form at high end supermarkets. If she was truly familiar, she would realize that packaged foods are the least prominent aspect of what makes raw food truly remarkable. In my letter, I pointed out that basing her opinion of raw food on a packaged product would be like judging a master chef based on a line of canned soups borrowing his or her name, and sold at a local deli. The statement is equal to suggesting that French Cuisine is not fresh, based on the purchase of a frozen meal.
Ms. Upton, a self described part-time vegan (whatever that may be), seems to have her priorities in line with her quoted mission whether those priorities are of benefit to her readers or not is another story.
Posted by: Matthew
Serves 4
Spring Rolls, so named because they are typically eaten during Chinese Festivals in the Spring, are normally filled with crispy vegetables and sometimes cabbage or mushrooms. They are not always vegetarian, but quite often are. The wrapper in this recipe makes use of one of my favorite techniques and embraces, rather than overpowers, the filling.
INGREDIENTS
Wrappers
- 2 Cups flax meal
- 2 Cups yellow squash
- 1 Cup chopped Thai coconut meat
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice
- 4 Cups water
- 1/4 Cup agave
- 1 Tsp. sea salt
- 1 Tsp. ground coriander
- 1 Tsp. ground cumin
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
Filling
- 1 Cup julienned carrots
- 1/4 Cup sliced scallions
- 1 Cup shredded napa cabbage
- 1 1/2 Cups dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked 1 hour and dehydrated for 2 hours
- 1/2 Tsp. sea salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 1/4 Cup olive oil
Tofu
- 1 Cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
- 1/2 Cup fresh young Thai coconut meat
- 1/2 Cup raw carrageenan
- 1/4 Cup water
- 1/4 Tsp. sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder
- 1/4 Tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/4 Cup cilantro
Chile Sauce
- 3/4 Tsp. chipotle chile powder
- 2 Cups cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
- 1/4 Tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 Cup nama shoyu
- 1/4 Cup plus 1 Tbs. water
- Sweet Tamarind Sauce
- 1 Cup dried tamarind paste
- 1/2 Cup raw agave
- 3 Tbs. lime juice
- 1/4 Cup coconut water
- 2 Tbs. water
- 1/2 Tsp. salt
- Garnish Cilantro leaves
METHOD
Wrappers
Blend all ingredients except scallions in a Vita-Mix until smooth; stir in scallions. Spread thinly into 6-7 inch rounds on dehydrator teflex sheets. Dehydrate 5-6 hours until very dry but very pliable.
Filling
Fold all ingredients together.
Tofu
Line the bottom and sides of a small pan or square container with plastic wrap. Blend all ingredients except cilantro in Vita-Mix until completely smooth; stir in cilantro. Pour into lined pan (tofu should be about 1 1/2 inches thick): cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 2 hours until firm. Remove tofu from container by lifting plastic wrap out of pan and gently transferring to a cutting board. Cut tofu into 2-inch squares with a butter knife.
Chile Sauce
Blend all ingredients in a Vita-Mix until smooth.
Sweet Tamarind Fondue
Blend all ingredients well in Vita-Mix. Strain though a chinois.
ASSEMBLY
Fold the chile sauce into spring roll filling, add tofu and adjust seasoning. Place a large tablespoon of filling on each spring roll wrapper and spread it out in a row. Fold wrappers tightly. To serve, cut each wrapper on a bias lengthwise, lean one against the other, and garnish with Sweet Tamarind Fondue and cilantro leaves.
