Diet Basics

2012
Health &
Wellness
Directory
T h e S a n ta f e n e w M e x i c a n • w w w. s a n ta f e n e w m e x i c a n . c o m
Lois ellen Frank
A Northern New Mexico farm grows heirloom varieties of corn, beans, squash and chiles.
Back to diet basics
Native cultures stress smart choices, homegrown foods for healthy diets
By Emily Dr abanski
For many pueblo people, staying in touch with their
agricultural roots is not only healthy — it’s essential to
their well-being.
“If you want to get healthy you have to go to the corn,” said two-time
Grammy winner Robert Mirabal. “Farming gives you a connection to
your own wellness. Growing corn is central to our religion.”
The Taos Pueblo native finds farming holistic in that it contributes
to his physical, emotional and spiritual health. “The spirit of
agriculture is connected with our ancestors,” Mirabal said. “Our
religion and our dances are about bringing the rain for the corn,
growing the corn and harvesting it. It is at the heart of what it means
to be a pueblo person.
“Farming teaches you whether you succeed or fail. It forces you
to look (metaphorically) at your daily life, too,” he added. “How do
you nurture what is important to you? How do you save for the bad
years when the crops might fail?”
Farming also helps Mirabal stay in shape. “I don’t call it a workout,
but it’s how I keep fit,” he said. “I need to get out in the sun. And I
run to go operate the head gates. Weeding also takes a lot of physical
energy and patience.”
Mirabal primarily grows traditional white and blue corn at Tiwa
Farms in Taos Pueblo. He enjoys experimenting to see what corn
seeds will work the best. He’s traded with other pueblo people and
has tried out corn he received through trade with indigenous people
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Photos courtesy of Norma Naranjo
Norma Naranjo and her husband, Hutch, grow corn on their farm at Santa Clara Pueblo.
in Peru.
“Different crops grow better in different
locations,” he said. “In Taos, we’re known for
our blue and white corn. I will often trade
corn with people in other pueblos to get red
beans and chile. Really, my interest is in
growing corn, but I also crave red beans.”
Mirabal also protects original seed to the
best of his ability. “I stay away from all GMO
seeds,” he said, “so that they don’t crosspollinate with heirloom seeds.”
In an effort to get more pueblo people
farming last year, Mirabal teamed with
Nelson Zink — a Taos town resident and cofounder, with Mirabal, of Tiwa Farms — to
plow about 40 fields with a restored tractor.
“But I would say that only 10 percent got a
good crop.”
Last year’s drought made farming more
difficult, but Mirabal sees the challenge as
an opportunity to learn. “The hard years
teach you to become more crafty. And with
experience and practice, you’ll get a better
crop.”
Mirabal and Zink also co-wrote Believe in
the Corn, which offers tips on growing corn
along with information on its significance to
pueblo people.
In Po’Pay Speaks, his one-man show about
the leader of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680,
Mirabal summarizes the centrality of corn to
pueblo life: “Without corn there is no song.
Without song there is no dance. Without
dance there is no rain. Without rain there is
no corn. If corn dies, we die.”
Growing fresh foods
Norma Naranjo and her husband Eugene
“Hutch” Naranjo have farmed together
for about 25 years. They do most of
their farming at Santa Clara Pueblo, her
husband’s homeland, Naranjo said, but they
also have an extensive garden at their Ohkay
Owingeh home.
“My husband and I mainly grow the
corn for chicos and blue corn on the farm,”
Naranjo said, “but at home, we grow our
own chile, tomatoes, squash and cucumbers.
A lot of pueblo people buy our chicos (small
dried corn kernels) for feast-day meals. We’re
known for that.”
The couple take their blue-corn crop to
be ground at a mill at Santa Ana Pueblo to
make blue-corn flour.
“I like growing food because I know
it’s clean and natural,” Norma said. “Most
pueblo people don’t get licenses to be organic
farmers. But most pueblo farmers grow
everything without chemicals.
“We’re ranchers, too. We butcher our own
(grain-fed) cattle and boil (the meat) for our
stews.”
Hutch Naranjo builds hornos — the
beehive-shaped adobe ovens so visible on
pueblos in Northern New Mexico — and
Norma caters and offers classes in horno
baking and preparing traditional feast-day
foods. On her website, www.thefeasting
place.com, she writes: “Food is much more
than just eating. Food is a necessity that
brings families together. Back when most
people raised their own food and had the
time to cook, we were healthier people,
physically, mentally and spiritually.”
Making healthy choices and having fun
Jemez Pueblo is one of many that integrate
wellness education into its traditional
community. Anita Toya, a diabetes
community liaison for about 15 years, shares
her knowledge with tribal members in her
native language of Towa.
Toya enjoys her day job as much as she
does her after-hours work making pottery
nativity sets and storyteller figurines. She
understands that to teach people you need
to respect their traditions — and, most
importantly, “you have to make it fun.”
Toya attended a healthy cooking workshop
led by Lois Ellen Frank at the Indian Pueblo
Cultural Center in Albuquerque, and was
excited when the tribe could bring the
Native chef to the pueblo for a series of
There are two ways to turn corn into chicos. The first is to husk the ears and put them into an adobe horno oven to dry.
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classes last March.
“We met for six weeks, and we had a lot
of fun,” Toya said. “I don’t expect people to
become vegans, but we are showing people
how to cook with less oil and without dairy
products and meat. It’s important because
people are learning how to prevent insulin
resistance (that leads to type 2 diabetes) by
cutting down on fats. “I can talk about that
to the patients, but they really learn once you
can show them how to make the meals.”
Toya advocates healthier cooking methods
not only for diabetes, but also for prevention
of other serious illnesses.
Frank, who started Red Mesa Cuisine, a
Native American catering and food company,
said she loves bringing the cooking classes
to the pueblos. “Food and culture go hand
in hand. I work with foods that are familiar.
I don’t use recipes with tofu. I use corn
and beans. I know how serious diabetes is
for Native people and have my blood sugar
tested regularly.”
People generally think it’s expensive to
cook in a healthy way, Frank said, so she
teaches them that commercial, processed
foods often cost more than meals with simple
ingredients. For an inexpensive snack, for
instance, Frank recommends people get a
popcorn popper that uses hot air to pop the
kernels. “Then you can take a big bowl and
add spices or nutritional yeast.” She suggests
putting single servings in plastic sandwich
bags that are convenient to take to school.
Frank also shows participants how to read
labels.
“I pick up a 20-ounce size soda and ask
them to read the label and tell me how much
sugar and calories are in the bottle. They
always quickly respond with what they see
on the label. I tell them to look closer at the
label. It just lists what is in one serving and
that the 20-ounce soda actually has three
servings. That surprises most people. I also
show kids how to make their own tasty,
sugar-free sodas with club soda and fresh
fruit.”
She recommends creating portions to
fit into what she calls The Four Directions
Plate. The plate, divided into quarters,
includes vegetables, fruit, legumes and
grains.
Frank, a photographer and author who
recently completed her doctoral dissertation
at The University of New Mexico, has done
research on traditional foods, particularly
corn.
“The ancestral foods of corn, beans and
squash did not cause diabetes,” she said.
Health problems exploded with the addition
of unhealthy fats and processed foods. “The
U.S. government gave (Native peoples) Spam,
which is loaded with fat and sodium. It’s
time to reclaim an ancestral diet.”
As an educator, Frank often offers simple,
healthy substitutes for staple ingredients.
The Jemez Pueblo class made bread pudding
using whole-wheat bread instead of the
usual white bread. She also demonstrated
how to thicken sauces without meat by
using a blender. “People want the nonmeat
stew to have the consistency of stew, not
soup,” she said.
Promoting fitness
Teaching fitness is also part of pueblo
wellness initiatives. At Jemez Pueblo, Valerie
Pecos, a health-education specialist who
teaches kids from kindergarten to high school
about a variety of health topics, advocates
getting people moving.
“We do fitness testing in the schools twice
per year. And those students who fail the test
in the spring (usually because of obesity) are
brought in for a special summer program,”
Pecos said. Students go to nutrition classes,
but they also learn about fitness.
“We have about 30 kids, and we ride
bikes from 9 to 11 a.m. every day around the
pueblo. We ride about seven to 11 miles.”
After a few weeks, she lets other youngsters
join the bike ride. “We have some kids who
want to come back and ride with us.”
Pecos also encourages biking for adults.
She leads an adult bike club of about 15
members that pedal through the pueblo
after 5 p.m. in the spring, summer and fall.
When it gets dark earlier, several members
ride three times a week during the noon
hour. During the coldest months, they take a
break, and Pecos encourages folks to use the
pueblo’s fitness center.
“With some of the older adults, we had to
show them a little bit about bike riding, but
they find that it comes back quickly,” Pecos
said. “We also have fun runs and walks at
the pueblo. And it’s great to see grandparents
walking along with the grandchildren.”
❧❧❧
❧ Many pueblos offer health and wellness
programs. Contact the individual pueblo
governor’s offices for information.
❧ For more information about Tiwa Farms,
visit http://tiwafarms.blogspot.com/. For
more about Robert Mirabal, or to order a
copy of Believe in the Corn, go to
www.Mirabal.com.
❧ For more information about Norma
Naranjo’s catering company or cooking
classes, go to www.thefeastingplace.com.
❧ For information on catering or cooking
classes taught by Lois Ellen Frank and Diné
chef Walter Whitewater go to
www.redmesacuisine.com.
*To find locations and schedules
for farmers’ markets go to http://
farmersmarketsnm.org/Farmers_Markets/
Market_Locations.
The second way to make chicos is to boil the ears then dry them on a rack. Pueblo people buy the Naranjo’s dried corn for feast day meals. `We’re known
for that,’ Norma Naranjo said.
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Tasty
corn
recipes
the
healthy
way
Vegetable Posole Stew is served with Corn Tortillas prepared by Lois Ellen Frank.
Facing page, Bean and Spinach Tacos
“Without corn there is no song. Without song there is no dance.
Without dance there is no rain. Without rain there is no corn.
If corn dies, we die.”
Robert Mirabal, Po’Pay Speaks
Recipes and photos by Lois Ellen Fr ank
This recipe combines fresh, sautéed spinach greens
with cooked beans. It’s an easy-to-make combination
of ingredients for a healthy and nutritional meal. I use
organic spinach, which is now readily available, as well
as organic canned pinto beans, which I can pick up at
the grocery store when I don’t want to cook a whole pot
of fresh beans. I like to serve this dish with either corn
tortillas or gordita-size flour tortillas.
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Bean and Spinach Tacos
(Makes 6 tacos)
1 medium Roma tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, diced
9 ounces fresh or frozen spinach, coarsely chopped
1 cup cooked pinto beans
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 homemade or puchased tortillas
Heat a medium-size frying pan over medium-high heat until hot,
then add the tomatoes, onion and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes,
stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add the chopped spinach and
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cook for another 2 minutes, then add the cooked pinto beans, kosher
salt and black pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to
prevent burning.
Serve immediately in your favorite tortilla.
❧❧❧
Corn tortillas are available in all supermarkets today and are
certainly an option when making taco dishes, but I would really
encourage you to make your own homemade corn tortillas — even if
you only do it once.
I didn’t grow up making corn tortillas on a daily basis, so when I
started to make them from scratch it seemed a little foreign to me.
But once I realized how easy it was to do, how delicious the tortillas
were to eat and how much I enjoyed the process, I now make corn
tortillas all the time.
Both Alma Aguirre-Loya and Noe Cano had mothers that made
tortillas every day. Alma, who is from Northern Mexico, had either
corn or flour tortillas, while Noe only had corn. Alma continues to
make tortillas every day for her children, while Noe teaches tortillamaking at the Santa Fe School of Cooking.
This is how I was taught to make corn tortillas by both Alma and
Noe:
Homemade corn tortillas
Red and White Quinoa-Stuffed Chile Peppers with Heirloom Tomato Sauce
tortillas on top of each other to keep them warm inside the towel.
Serve warm with your favorite taco recipe.
Made from dried hominy corn — which can usually be found in
the Mexican section of the grocery store — vegetables, spices and
dried red chiles, this rustic stew is usually cooked in large quantities.
It’s traditionally served with a variety of condiments, and is especially
good with red-chile sauce, freshly roasted green chiles, chile pequin
(a small, spicy dried chile) and any of the Indian breads.
perfect for this stew. (White corn tends to puff the most.)
If you don’t want to use a slow cooker, here are the stove-top
directions: Soak the dried posole overnight in 1 quart of water. The
following day, drain and discard the water. Place the posole in a large
pot filled with the remaining 5 quarts of water. The water should
cover the posole by at least 3 inches; add a little more water if it does
not. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer,
uncovered, for about 1 1/2 hours until the kernels burst and are puffy
and tender when tasted. Add water during cooking, if needed. Drain
the posole, keeping the cooking water, and set aside. You should have
approximately 4 cups of water left after draining the posole.
In a separate 6-quart pot, heat the vegetable broth or water over
medium to high heat.
Sauté the onion in a large skillet until translucent, approximately
2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini and yellow squash and
tomatoes, and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add the cooked posole,
red-chile pods, bay leaves, vegetable broth and azafrán (if using).
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the
oregano, thyme and salt, and continue cooking for an additional
5 minutes. Serve hot in large soup bowls with warm bread.
Vegetable Posole Stew
(Serves 6 to 8)
Tortillas de Maís
Corn Tortillas
(Makes 16 corn tortillas)
2 cups fresh corn masa flour
(or Maseca brand corn-masa flour)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups water
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the corn flour and water and
mix together until you have formed a dough. You can do this with a
spoon, but I always use my hands. After the corn flour and water is
completely mixed, use your hands to form balls just smaller than a
golf ball and set them aside.
Preheat a comal or cast-iron skillet untl it’s very hot.
Place one ball in the center of a tortilla press and press together to
make one corn tortilla. (I line the press with a plastic bag that I cut in
half, leaving a seam on one side. I can then place the masa ball inside
the plastic so that it doesn’t stick to the tortilla press.)
Remove the tortilla and place on the comal or skillet. Cook the first
side of the tortilla for 10 to 15 seconds, then turn over and cook for
approximately 30 to 40 seconds. Turn the tortilla over again and cook
until it puffs and the tortilla is done.
Place the cooked tortilla in a kitchen towel inside a basket or bowl
and prepare the next tortilla following the same steps. Stack the
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2 cups dried red, white or blue posole
6 quarts water
3 tablespoons vegetable broth or water
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 zucchini squash, cut into half-moon wedges
2 yellow squash, cut into half-moon wedges
4 tomatoes, diced
4 dried New Mexico red-chile pods, seeded,
stemmed and torn into 12 pieces
2 bay leaves
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water from cooked posole
1 teaspoon azafrán (Native American saffron, optional)
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried
Mexican oregano)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
My favorite way to cook posole is overnight in a crockpot set on low,
but you can use the stove-top method as well. I use a 5-quart slow
cooker, which I fill to the top with 1 pound of posole corn. First I
bring the dried posole corn and water to a boil in the slow cooker,
then I turn it down to low, go to sleep and wake up to my house filled
with the smell of cooked posole. The posole is tender and puffed and
❧❧❧
Red and White Quinoa-Stuffed
Chile Peppers with Heirloom
Tomato Sauce
(Serves 6 as a main course or 12 as an appetizer)
For the Quinoa Stuffed Chiles:
Olive oil cooking spray
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup shittake mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup yellow sweet corn, cut from the cob
1 cup cooked white quinoa
Posole is a rustic stew made from dried hominy corn, common
throughout the pueblos of New Mexico.
1 cup cooked red quinoa
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 roasted, peeled, seeded New Mexico green or poblano chiles
For the Fresh Tomato Purée:
6 garlic coves, minced
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 1/4 pounds heirloom tomatoes, coarsely chopped
To make the stuffed chiles: Roast, peel and seed the chiles, keeping
them whole for stuffing. Set aside.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet, lightly sprayed with olive oil, over
medium to high heat and sauté the onions about 4 minutes, until
translucent. Add the mushrooms and sauté for another 2 to 4
minutes. Add the garlic and the corn and sauté another 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat. Combine the sautéed mixture with the two
types of cooked quinoa, chipotle chile powder, salt and pepper.
Slice the chiles lengthwise, spread them open on a work surface,
and generously stuff each chile with the quinoa mixture. Place the
stuffed chiles, open-side down, on a lightly sprayed baking pan and
set aside.
To make the purée: Heat a saucepan over medium-low heat.
Add the onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add the garlic and sauté for
another minute. Add the tomatoes and cook another 15 minutes,
stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until the excess liquid
evaporates. The sauce will reduce and thicken. Add the basil and
cook 1 more minute. At this point you can pour the sauce through a
fine sieve to remove the skins or you can serve the sauce as it is (most
of the students in my cooking classes preferred this sauce in its more
rustic state). Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the baking pan with the
stuffed chiles in the oven and heat until hot, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve immediately with the warm tomato purée.
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