Chef Ken’s Sunny Pate

½ lb. Sunflower seeds, raw
½ lb. Brazil nuts, raw  OMf
4 oz. Walnuts, raw
1 rib Celery, chopped
1 Red pepper, medium, chopped
1 Green onion, chopped
½  Garlic clove (optional)
2 T Nama shoyu
1 t Umeboshi plum paste
1 T Extra virgin olive oil
2 t  Miso, light, unpasteurized
Black pepper, freshly ground
Water, filtered or spring

Soak Brazil nuts overnight in filtered or spring water. Soak walnuts for 4 hours. Soak sunflower seeds 2 hours. Drain nuts and seeds. The nuts and seeds can be soaked the day before making the pate if needed for convenience. In a food processor, chop all ingredients except the nuts and seeds. After well chopped, add all nuts and seeds and continue to process until smooth. Add a bit of water as necessary to thin so that it can process well.

This month’s OM factor:

Brazil nuts

Brazil nuts are a strong source for a much sought after mineral: Selenium. Not only do the Brazil nuts have a distinctly sweet and mild flavor, they bring a number of great antioxidants to the table. Accumulated evidence has suggested a strong inverse correlation between selenium intake and cancer incidence. Selenium has been shown to induce DNA repair and synthesis in damaged cells, to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells, and to induce their apoptosis, the self-destruct sequence the body uses to eliminate worn out or abnormal cells. In addition, selenium is incorporated at the active site of many proteins, including glutathione peroxidase, One of the body's most powerful antioxidant enzymes which is used in the liver to detoxify a wide range of potentially harmful molecules. Brazil nuts are also a significant source of vitamin E, another important anti-oxidant known for helping to reduce incidences of cardiovascular disease.