I've got a totally kick-ass breakfast to share with you. The kind of breakfast that you go to bed looking forward to, that despite the wholeness you feel after eating it, still leaves you alert and agile. Its so delicious, and yet, it came about because of a prescription from my doctor--a perfect example of how medicine inspires deliciousness. This breakfast is decadent, easy, and accidentally gluten free.

The nerd in me especially loves how each ingredient is an important player as a medicine.

Yogurt-- whole milk provides the volume and calories to chase away the hunger until lunchtime, and the live bacteria help support healthy gut flora. Also, of course, 60-year-old-Lorraine and her awesome bone density will thank the 30-year-old Lorraine of today for enjoying every calcium-laiden bite.

Pumpkin seeds, ground flax seeds, lemon flavored fish oil-- these three are a trio that my naturopathic doctor has instructed me to eat daily for two weeks of each month, followed by two weeks of a trio of sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and evening primrose oil. This is called "seed cycling" in the world of natural medicine, a protocol that capitalizes on the mimicry of human hormones that the natural oils in the seeds perform. The seeds are taken to help support normal female hormone cycling. I think of it like a swing: I'm on the swing and this fortnight's combination gently push me along in the right direction until it's time to switch and the other trio steps in to do its gentle work. By the way, the fish oil boasts loads of omega-3 fatty acids, which are deficient in most American diets, and the natural lemon flavor in the fish oil seriously takes this breakfast to the next level.

Probiotic Powder-- again, supporting healthy gut flora balance, which is essential for absorption of everything from macronutrients to vitamins, minerals and as-of-yet unknown required nutrients. This was also prescribed my my doctor, and it's not a weird addition at all, just mildly sweet and forgettable.

Jam, pumpkin butter, or fresh fruit-- of course, fresh fruit is the healthiest option, but when it's not around, I take this opportunity to enjoy gifted preserves from my mom. If I'm going to eat something sugary on my breakfast (and I am, dammit) I'm psyched when it tastes like summer and is in one of the many forms of my mother's love.

Cinnamon-- oh, cinnamon, freshly ground, you invade my dreams with your spicy sweetness. Let's keep dreaming through breakfast.

Almonds and walnuts-- Yes, of course, nuts are protein-packed and totally awesome, but these ones are extra special. My sister--ever fastidious about clean, whole foods--clued me into Mommypotamus' via Nourishing Traditions' method of soaking and dehydrating nuts, which leaves them way more awesome than your usual raw nuts. With most of the bitter undertones rinsed away, the delicate sweetness of the meat and subtle flavors of the oils are liberated, with an outrageously enjoyable crunch kicking off the whole party. The particular crunch is novel to me, so it's taken a few weeks to put it into words, but here it is, folks: it is a crunch that mimics the sound and feel of stepping on freshly fallen snow. What? Sign me up, every day.

Usually, I like to work with whole food, and real, healthy ingredients, leaving the decadence to the decadence experts. But, every now and then, a craving is too important, or the challenge just too enticing. My latest muse: gluten free vegan pastry crust.

While staying true to my inherited high standards for pastry crust, I've been working on a recipe that replaces both the animal product and gluten in a thing that's made of basically just butter and flour. It's almost a laughable contradiction in terms. Gluten free vegan pastry crust. Bah!

Luckily, alternative flours are now easy enough to come by, and coconut oil, with its lofty notes and room temp melting point is hardly a compromise in either flavor or texture. After a few variations, I've settled on this recipe, which is nutty, delicate and has even received a nod from the pie crust matriarch herself.

The crust made its most recent appearance this past Saturday night in the form of a sweet potato pie at a southern-themed potluck for our Mississippian friend's birthday. The pie is not vegan. Or healthy. But it is oh, so mid-century American, adapted from a tried and true casserole recipe from Jackson. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Vegan Pie Crust

2 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1/2 cup water
1 cup white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut oil

Soak the ground flax seeds in water for 1/2 to 4 hours--the longer the soak time, the better it will be at binding the dough. In a separate bowl, mix together the flours and salt, then cut the coconut oil into the flour mixture until the grains of oil are smaller than the tip of your pinky. Or, ditch the pastry cutter and pinch the chunks of oil between your thumb and index finger until there are no more big chunks left. Give the soaking flax seeds a stir and then toss them into the mix, working the crumbly mess into a dough. Divide the dough in half, and press each half into a pie plate and give 'em a little love to make them pretty.

Fill each pie shell with the sweet potato mixture and top with the walnut mixture. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 375 ºF.

I've been thinking about rituals lately. A very wise instructor of mine suggested that we as a population here in the US, don't have many rituals left in our daily lives anymore. She brought up ritual in the context of coffee addiction. Consider for a moment, your coffee ritual, if you are a coffee drinker. I always enjoy dressing my coffee, stirring it for a moment, smelling it and then taking that penetrating first sip. Some people conduct a more complex ritual involving grinding, boiling, percolating or pressing. Is it relaxing? Does it offer a sense of order to a busy morning? What other daily rituals do we still have?

Another enduring ritual that I can think of is reserved for smokers. There's something truly lovely about excusing oneself during a natural break in conversation to step outside into fresh air, and inhale deeply for a few minutes. It almost makes me envious of smokers.

Our instructor brought up ritual to caution us future doctors to be careful when we recommend smoking cessation or removing coffee consumption from our clients' lifestyles--we could inadvertently be removing something much more sacred to our client than just the substance. We can suggest, she pointed out, that our clients create new rituals with new, intentional meaning. Or maybe, at the right time, for the right person, tobacco leaf or coffee bean--two truly weary and abused herbs--can be replaced with another underappreciated, and eager herb or two.

This past growing season I received a CSA share from Winter Green Farm, a sweet biodynamic getup in our lovely Willamette valley. Every week I would pick up a pannier or two full of astoundingly delicious veggies and I would stress over the amount of time and effort it would take to fully honor how precious this food was.

Feeling too busy to cook isn't rare, I know. So I thought I'd share my one saving strategy that got me through harvest season: roasting. It's straightforward, kind of mindless, and after all the chopping is done, there's time to do other things like, the dishes, studying, saving the world--whatever it is that needs more attention than dinner.

The strategy is simple: get those suckers chopped and in a baking pan with oil and salt and roast them as soon as possible. The end result is sweet, flavorful, nutritious and seriously compact--makes it easy to get your veggie servings down the hatch. Roasted veggies are tasty by themselves or added to just about anything...tacos, eggs, soup, sushi, pizza. And because they last a week or more in the fridge it buys you some time to figure out what you might want to do with them.

I like to roast them at 425 ºF, stirring occasionally. Fruit like apples add a sweet tang; tomatoes just make things mushy; onions are almost a must.

Holla at me if you've got a sweet way to take care of your vegetables.