Naturally, Nana's!

Interview November 10, 2010
with Mark Robinson, RGJ Desk Editor

I got a yummy “kale chips” snack last weekend at the Great Basin Food Co-op. It was made in Reno by Naturally, Nana’s so I contacted Linda Clark, the woman behind it, for an email interview — which includes a recipe for a chocolate banana shake!

MOSTLY DOGS: How long have you been making snacks professionally and what prompted you to give it a try?

LINDA CLARK: I have been a producer for the Co-Op for a little more than a year. Long story short: I once was ill (high blood pressure, fibryomalgia, acid reflux disease, arthritis, bone density loss, sleep depravation, depression and a new diagnosis of MS). I tried the raw food diet for 2 months, and 3 years later I am not ill anymore and have remained 95% raw.

I am trying to educate the community about this way of eating, “Living Food Nutrition,” so I teach classes for the Washoe County continuing ed program. My websitewww.naturalnana.com (although it’s still under construction) can give you more info. And I teach private demo/workshop/recipe classes all over town. I would love to open a business “Naturally, Nana’s Catering and Classes” but this town is not ready yet.

MOSTLY DOGS: What all snacks do you make for sale?

LINDA CLARK: I have made for the co-op: kale chips, donut holes, lemon blueberry scones, banana chips, chocolate filled candies, fudge, brownies, and fudgy pie so far.

MOSTLY DOGS: All of your snacks are vegan — is that by design or by accident?

LINDA CLARK: Vegan on purpose.

MOSTLY DOGS: The kale snack that I’ve had — and loved — has nutritional yeast in it. That’s a staple at my house and is used to make sauces more creamy and sprinkled on spaghetti and popcorn, among many other uses. But lots of people aren’t familiar with it. What drew you to incorporate nutritional yeast?

LINDA CLARK: A terrific food. An excellent source of protein (52%), containing essential amino acids. And it is gluten free. It is rich in vitamins, especially the B-complex, and an excellent source of folic acid, which is important for formation, growth, and reproduction of red blood cells. Try this:

2 oz ground flax seed
2 TBS nutritional yeast
1 TBS Braggs liquid aminos
2 TBS water
Mix together (adding water gradually) and once you have made a thick paste, spread that on a sprouted sunflower patty and turn that into a cheeseburger!!! Or just on a piece of celery is great also.

MOSTLY DOGS: Where does your kale come from?

LINDA CLARK: Whole Foods, Raley’s, Scholari’s — wherever I can find the organic curly kale (I like it best).

MOSTLY DOGS: Where all can people buy your snacks?

LINDA CLARK: You can order directly from me (contact info on all packages) or just see what is available at the co-op for right now. I also deliver a ” Living Food Lunch” to clients all over town every Wednesday. Might want to check that out. Email me for menu and ordering info:  lrevlin123@yahoo.com.

MOSTLY DOGS: I’ve recently started doing an online feature called Vegan Wednesday. In addition to other tidbits, I include a recipe. Do you have a vegan recipe — snack or otherwise — that you especially enjoy and would like to share?

LINDA CLARK: How about my favorite late night snack - Chocolate Chip Mint Ice Cream.

1 1/2 frozen banana (cut into pieces and flattened before frozen)
1/2 tbs agave nectar
1 heaping tsp of raw cacao powder
1 tsp non-alcohol vanilla (Trader Joe’s)
a dash of peppermint oil (itsy-bitsy)
a few tsp of cacao nibs

Whip this all up in a food processor until ‘Dairy Queen’ consistency (not too long, don’t want it to heat up, silly). And add pecans and raisins to this beautiful dish and feel the love without any guilt.

MOSTLY DOGS: That is awesome! We make a similar chocolate shake at our house. We often buy those 99-cent bags of single, older bananas at the grocery store, then cut them into coins and freeze them for later use in smoothies. Then we use organic chocolate syrup (usually Ah-Laska! brand) and organic chocolate chips from the co-op (these are the best chocolate chips I’ve had anywhere, bar none). We haven’t used vanilla before but I bet that would put the taste over the top. And we haven’t thought of putting in raisins and pecans. Great ideas!