Now we suddenly find ourselves, across the globe, together in our isolation as we hide out from the latest enemy - the pandemic. Nothing in my lifetime has caused such a devastating upheaval as this — cancer didn’t even come close. At least cancer treatment had a finite ending and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t die. Afterwards, I thought rehabilitation and recovery would be my biggest obstacle to returning back to my “normal” life in a timely manner. But not long after I finished cancer treatments, my “normal” life was turned upside down, along with most everyone else’s.

There are so many good things about these raw vegan summer rolls, I just don’t know where to begin! Riceberry is a whole grain rice with a purplish color and it can be found in Thailand. I found these riceberry rice papers so I had to try them out, even though I’ve never successfully rolled a summer roll in rice paper. It’s a little tricky but my rolling got a little better with practice. Notice the beautiful mauve color of the rice paper. But ordinary white rice paper will work just fine too.

Rendang is a curry popular in Indonesia and Malaysia and contains lots of immune-boosting favorites like garlic, ginger, shallot, turmeric lemongrass and kaffir lime. Although it’s popular to use beef in rendang, my version is vegan and uses kabocha instead. It is anti-inflammatory, alkaline and an excellent anti-cancer dish.

KEFIR HACK: Probiotics are most effective when consumed as food —rather than in pill form. Coconut water kefir is my favorite probiotic drink and it’s easy to make here in the tropics or at home. Raw organic coconut water kefir can be prohibitively expensive when purchased at a top grade natural foods market but this hack is cheap and can be done while traveling. The probiotics that emerge with fermentation make kefir excellent for gut problems and for boosting immunity, something we all need more of during this Coronavirus scare!

I am in Ubud, Bali, on a mission to cleanse after going through chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer. In order to do a deep cleanse I am fasting, combined with juicing and a mostly raw vegan diet.

The more I looked at pictures of food while fasting, the more I could taste elements of each dish. I tried to replay any taste and texture memories of dishes I’d tried, and made a great effort imagine any dishes I saw online that I hadn’t had yet. I felt myself getting excited by this food porn journey during my fast.

Red cabbage is the new kale! Raw, it’s a gorgeous color, crunchy, slightly peppery. When cooked it becomes sweeter and hearty. It is nutrient-rich, has anti-inflammatory properties, and helps promote healthy gut and bones.

I was given a bag of organic persimmons by a friend, who’d picked them on her family’s property. I experimented with a recipe to come up with a grain-free sugar-free persimmon bread that would be a good fit in my anti-inflammatory anti-cancer diet. It was so delicious I asked for more fruit and baked them as holiday gifts. This persimmon bread recipe is moist and has a good tooth. Most people who tried it didn’t even know it wasn’t made with wheat flour or sugar.

Persimmons are in season in Southern California in Fall. This bread works well as a dessert , snack or as a breakfast treat. Be sure the persimmons are ripe and organic.