I've got a new website!

Dear friends, after much work, I am pleased to announce my website for my health and nutrition counseling business - The Intuitive Cook is officially up! Please visit and let me know what you think.

Special thanks to my friends and associates who helped make this happen - especially my dear friend Benny Zadik for his help with coding the site and my photographer Jonathan Fickies.

Oh yes, and it's my birthday today. I'm 31!!

Inside Look: March Newsletter

Want to stay in touch with Rice of Life, but just aren't comfortable with the whole 'blog thing?' Good news! I have a solution: my monthly newsletter.

Each month I compile the top stories from Rice of Life and zap it to you inbox. I also write a short letter on whatever is top of mind. In my March newsletter (sent out today), I write about what I'm craving. Here's the full text:

Dear Reader,

It's the middle of March and I find myself craving two things: protein and Indian food.

As a health counselor, this observation is not just a passing thought, but a statement worthy of introspection. Our cravings come from our bodies, and when satisfied, keep us in balance.

Sometimes cravings stem from nutritional deficiencies. Sometimes from the seasons. Sometimes they are a little bit of both - like my craving for protein.

As few foods grow this time of year in New York, it is only natural for my body to crave earthy, dense foods, like protein. As a result, I've been finding myself craving lots of animal foods, dairy, beans, and legumes.

As for my craving for Indian food. Well, I'm Indian [huge surprise] - and this is my comfort food. The economy can continue to perform as it has, as long as I have my chana masala!

If you're interested in exploring your cravings for protein, I suggest attending my upcoming class "Expand your Protein Repertoire" on March 22 in Brooklyn, NY. Or call me at 917-804-9358 to setup a complimentary health consultation ($75 value).

And if you have any questions or thoughts, please send them over. I'd love to hear from you!

Sincerely,
Ameet

If you are interested in signing up: fill out my online form. You should receive an email shortly thereafter, confirming your subscription (sometimes appears in your spam folder). Oh yes, and I promise not to spam or sell your information to third parties. Pinky swear.

And I really do mean it when I say I want to hear from you. I love getting emails and comments from readers.

NYC free lectures: Bone health, Protein

If you are interested in learning more about holistic health and nutrition and live in New York City, here are two lectures you won't want to miss.

A holistic approach to bone health
with Dr. Anne Marie Colbin
Thursday, March 12
6:00 pm to 7:45 pm
The New York Public LibraryScience, Industry & Business Library
188 Madison Avenue @ 34th St
New York, NY
FREE

This lecture is in support of Anne Marie Colbin's upcoming book, The Whole Food Guide to Strong Bones: A Holistic Approach. She will be talking about foods that build and maintain strong, healthy bones (I have a feeling it's not milk!) Dr. Colbin is the founder of The Natural Gourmet Institute and a visiting teacher at my school, The Institute of Integrative Nutrition. RSVP required. More information.

Expand your protein repertoire
with Ameet Maturu, HHC
Sunday, March 22
12:00 - 1 :30 pm
Park Slope Food Co-op
782 Union Street, between 6th and 7th Ave
Brooklyn, NY
FREE

A discussion on protein, led by me! Discover if you display symptoms of protein deficiency and learn how your choices effect your thoughts and moods as well as our bodies. You'll also learn some new foods to prepare (from legumes to tempeh). Perfect for both omnivores and vegetarians. More information.

To blog or to cookbook? How about both.

I may soon be joining the industry I was suppose to destroy.

On Monday, I took part in a Cookbook Proposal Workshop hosted by MediaBistro in New York City. It was an opportunity to pitch and workshop an idea for a cookbook with Harriet Bell, a former VP at HarperCollins who has helped published some of my favorite authors including Deborah Madison.

I got some great feedback and learned about the industry from a certified 'player.' And while I'd like to stay silent on my idea for now, I think it's got a shot. True, times are tough in the industry, but they still need good ideas. And I'm pretty sure that you, dear reader, will love it!

There is something very appealing about seeing one's name in print and knowing that your book is being used in kitchens across America. I will still continue to find and try recipes over the Internet, as will I refer to Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone when I encounter a vegetable in my CSA share that I'm unfamiliar with. There will always be a place for cookbooks, just as there is for newspapers - hopefully for more than just a collector's item.

Now I must get centered and starting writing my proposal. I find it good to set deadlines for these kinds of things. So let's say by the end of February.

Other insightful tidbits from class -

• The proper style for writing recipes is to list ingredients in order in which they are used. Am I the only one who didn't know this?
  
• There are no intellectual property rights for recipes. Still it's probably good that you write your own.
  
• '1/2 cup chopped parsley' means something different than '1/2 cup parsley, chopped.' Can you tell the difference?
  

Special thanks to Heidi Swanson (101 Cookbooks), author of Super Natural Cooking, and Clotilde Dusoulier (Chocolate and Zucchini), author of Chocolate and Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen, for blazing a path for us food blogger-writers. I never thought it was possible until you did it!

Photo essay: My class at Whole Foods

This Wednesday, a group of amino acid-craving New Yorkers stormed the Bowery Whole Foods and shook me up for some information on protein. Fortunately, I was prepared.

We went over both vegetable and animal sources of protein. Here I am sharing some of my favorite products that can be found at Whole Foods, including tempeh.

Each participant received a sample of three protein-rich options from the Whole Foods salad bar - a quinoa salad with goji berries and cashew nuts, a marinated chickpea salad, and some edamame pods.

I think I am making a joke here - probably about people who eat too much chicken.

The class was really a lot of fun. I look forward to hosting some more in the future. If you know of any places in the New York area that are looking for someone to host a talk on food or health, please let me know! Or if you want to be on my mailing list for future classes, you may sign up here.

Special thanks to the editors of Time Out New York who featured my class in its New Years Feel Better 09 Issue.

Come see me at Whole Foods: Jan 7

Do you live in New York City? Are you looking to spice up your protein life?

If so, you'll want to come to my upcoming class From Legumes to Tempeh: Expanding your Protein Repertoire at the Whole Foods Bowery Culinary Center on January 7, 2009, from 7 to 8 pm.

It's a great opportunity to see my counseling chops in action, as we discuss everything ranging from "What is an adequate amount of protein?" to "Why me no like tofu?" I guarantee you'll go home with some new insights and possibilities, regardless of where you eat on the food chain.

And as a special offer to my blog readers, Whole Foods has offered to slash the already low price of the class. Save 20% off the registration fee ($8 instead of $10). Just go here to register for the class and enter LEGUMES in the promotion code box before checking out.

Hope to see you there!

New group class in Brooklyn

Attention frustrated New York home cooks:

I will be leading a fun, new group class in Brooklyn entitled "Get of your rut: Get into the kitchen" starting in late January. It will be upbeat and interactive with a focus on creative, health-supportive cooking.

For more information, please visit my website.