The chefs in the busy kitchen at OHI Austin are dishing it out – in new delicious, creative palate-pleasing ways. On May 31, 2015, OHI Austin introduced a 21-day menu that serves up different delectable dishes every day for three straight weeks. The new selections guarantee guests will never have the same lunch or dinner twice during the entire 21-day healing program.
Stuffed peppers with curry crackers, eggless egg salad, zucchini pad Thai, falafel and exotically spiced seed cheeses, among other selections, have already received rave reviews during early taste tests. Every new dish complies with OHI’s strict nutritional guidelines, and is created from live, raw, organic vegan foods.
For nearly 18 months, we sliced, diced, fermented, dehydrated and juiced. We experimented with tastes, textures and presentation, realizing that each new dish also had to be a feast for the eyes. Of course everything was strictly monitored and analyzed to make sure it adhered to our nutritional mandates and contained no fat, vinegar, salt or oil.
The other goal was to keep “changing it up” for guests opting to do the entire three-week healing program in one visit. That meant creating 21 completely different days of satisfying and delicious lunches and dinners, without repeating any the entire time.
For a new guest at OHI, the first meal after they arrive on Sunday night can be the toughest. Everyone who is accustomed to feasting on heavily processed ‘convenience’ foods, animal fats and high concentrations of sugar is in for an immediate and drastic change. Detoxifying the body is one of the core pillars of OHI’s healing lifestyle program, so every meal serves up raw, organic, live unprocessed produce, with an emphasis on fresh vegetables and wheatgrass juice.
While the body quickly begins to respond in a positive way by releasing toxins, the mind and emotions can have a rough time processing such a complete departure from old, unhealthy eating habits.
To help make the transition from the Standard American Diet to OHI’s nourishing fare, Chef Amber Santa Cruz said the new 21-day menu ensures guests’ initial dining experience after they arrive is familiar and comforting – hearty guacamole with fresh raw vegetables and dehydrated crackers. It helps satisfy while introducing the healthy new way guests will be dining for their entire stay.
Here is the recipe for Stuffed Bell Peppers with Hurry Curry Crackers:
Hurry Curry Crackers – Yield: 3 trays
3 cups yam pulp
1 cup sesame pulp
1 cup flax seeds
½ tsp. curry
½ tsp. cumin
1 garlic clove
½ onion
¼ tsp. dried basil
Combine sesame pulp, curry, cumin, basil, onion and garlic in Vitamix canister and blend until smooth. Transfer to large mixing bowl and add soaked flax seeds and yam pulp. Mix well. Spread onto dehydrator sheets into ¼ inch layer and score into triangles. Dehydrate for two days, turning after first day.
For the stuffed bell pepper, mix diced raw organic vegetables with garlic ginger seed cheese and garnished with dehydrated seeds.
Come taste the delicious difference – daily! – for three weeks in a row at the OHI Austin mission in Austin, Texas. Our caring team can help you achieve your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual goals for optimal health. Visit our website at www.optimumhealth.org , and call us at (800) 993-4325 to make your reservation.