Food for a saint: Mariam Nour's healing vegetarian foods have helped people ranging from Mother Teresa to the royal Saudi household - includes menus and recipes - Cover Story

Vegetarian Times, Sept, 1996 by Luise Light

"IN 1977, LEBANON was a killing field, Mariam Nour whispers. "Brother was killing brother in the streets, and everybody had guns." Nour shakes her head to clear the memories from her mind and returns to her laughing gaze. An hypnotic storyteller, Nour straightens her bright red apron, smoothes a stray gray lock back into her ponytail and moves rhythmically across the room to the television console in one corner. She stands in front of the set, gesturing to an invisible camera.

"In Beirut, I had my own TV show called The Woman's Revolution. It was very popular with men as well as women. I talked about healing foods and showed people how to make simple, low-fat vegetarian dishes. I told them they could take their health back into their hands by walking into the kitchen. Can you imagine macrobiotic Lebanese food?"

During a Mother's Day broadcast, Nour urged her viewers to put down their guns and celebrate the day with food instead of bullets. After that show, Nour received a telephone call from a nun begging her to cook healing foods for a sick sister. The nuns were living in Beirut's worst slum and eating donated food. They lived in poverty in order to never forget what it was like to be poor, they said. Nour brought food until the nun was well.

Mother Teresa founded the order that Nour helped. When the venerated woman heard about Nour's healing foods, she insisted on meeting her. "I cooked for her," says Nour. "When we finished our meal, she touched my forehead, and I saw a flash of light." Mother Teresa allowed Nour to interview her for a story in a local newspaper. When Nour asked her what it was like to be called a saint, she looked at her for a long time and said everyone is a saint and should discover the saint within.

When inspired to leave Beirut for the United States, Nour sought Mother Teresa's advice. How would she be able to serve God in the world's richest country? Nour asked. "Don't worry," Mother Teresa wrote her. "They need you in America. Many people live in big houses with only one or two people occupying them. Even their dogs and cats are lonely. They need your healing foods to realize that life is nothing without love and community."

Before leaving Beirut, Nour had a vision of a healing house where enemies could meet and learn to honor each other. But she didn't know how she would find the money to build such a place. After arriving in the United States, Nour visited a friend who worked as a nanny for the royal Saudi household in Washington, D.C. After cooking many vegan feasts for the royal family, a princess asked how she could repay Nour for the pleasure of the food. Nour told her about the vision of the house of healing.

Today, with financial support from the royal Saudi household, Nour divides her time among the three healing houses, one in Washington, D.C., one in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and one in Beirut, Lebanon, where she cooks and teaches her philosophy of healing foods--"To cook simple and tasty food is an art, but the highest art is to give health to yourself and others."

Nour's healing foods are loosely based on the macrobiotic diet developed in Asia to help prevent degenerative diseases. In the United States, the macrobiotic diet is a popular therapeutic approach for people recovering from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and other chronic health problems.

Macrobiotic meals are low in fat, high in vegetable protein and fiber, touted as alkalizing and nonmucous-forming and emphasize organic, whole, additive-free, fresh foods. Nour's diet is composed of roughly 50 percent whole grains and beans, 25 percent to 30 percent vegetables, 10 percent soy foods, 5 percent sea vegetables, nuts and seeds, 5 percent fruits and 5 percent cultured dairy foods such as yogurt and kefir. She also uses sea salt for its trace elements and cold-pressed oils for their nutrients and minimal refining.

Nour's menus combine macrobiotics with traditional Middle Eastern ingredients prized for their healing properties. According to Nour, after one week on her diet plan, most feel the difference.

Menu for a Saint

Lentil Sour Soup (recipe follows) Red and Green Tabbouleh (recipe follows) Root Vegetable Medley (recipe follows) Pickled Ginger Chapati (Indian flatbread) Green Tea Fresh Figs Dates

Menu for a Royal Table

Adzuki Bean Salad (recipe follows) Green Salad Garden of Eden Quinoa Pilaf (recipe follows) Sauteed Vegetables with Tempeh (recipe follows) Flatbreads and Crackers Peppermint Tea Almonds

Red and Green Tabbouleh

This traditional Lebanese salad is hearty enough to be enjoyed as a whole meal.

3 cups water 2 cups fine bulghur (see glossary,

p. 1 26) 2 cups diced tomatoes 2 cups finely chopped Italian parsley 1/2 cup chopped scallions 1/4 CUp chopped fresh mint 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 cup olive oil Salt to taste Freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 1/2 cups diced cucumber (optional)

BRING WATER to a boil. In large bowl, pour water over bulghur. Cover and allow to soak up moisture until tender and fluffy, about 45 minutes.