Monthly Archives: December 2008

Ratatouille

by Miracrockpot, recipes, tomatoespolenta, ratatouille, recipe

Not the movie, the food. Even though we are slated to have a high of 75 F today it's a great day to make ratatouille. In part because I have a lot of running around to do and my crock pot makes it very easy to get dinner on the table in spite of that. The other reason is that eggplants were particularly beautiful at the grocery store yesterday so I bought one. Glossy, firm, no wrinkles, that's the way to pick a good eggplant.

Eggplants are related to the nightshade family (along with potatoes, tomatoes, and sweet peppers, so those who are sensitive to nightshades should avoid them) and are actually fruits because their seeds are on the inside. They have many wonderful health benefits including a fair amount of fiber (if eaten with the skin), lots of potassium and vitamin B1, also known as thiamin.

To be honest, in our house making ratatouille is an inexact science. The base ingredients are: eggplant, onion, tomatoes, sweet peppers, garlic, olive oil, pitted olives, basil, salt, pepper, and parsley.

How much of which ingredient depends on what we have available. I know that's not really helpful so here are the proportions I used today.

Ratatouille

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Ingredients

1 medium size eggplant diced
1 medium onion diced
2 zucchini cut into 1/2" rounds
2 peppers (one red one green) chopped medium
2 large tomatoes diced
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried parsley
salt and pepper

Instructions

Layer it all in the crockpot
Pour a 14.5 ounce can of diced organic tomatoes over the batch
Let it cook on low for 7-9 hours until it is done

Notes

I plan to serve this ladled over freshly made polenta with a generous shaving of fresh parmesan on top for a delicious, filling meal.

Polenta

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Ingredients

1 C. fresh ground cornmeal
1 t. salt
3 C. water

Instructions

Bring water and salt to a boil
Reduce water to a simmer
Very slowly add cornmeal (this is important to avoid lumps)
Cook approximately 20 minutes until mixture thickens
Remove from heat and pour into a pie plate (for triangles) or a cake pan (for squares)
Let polenta set for 10-15 minutes
Cut and serve
Enjoy and be well.

What’s The Next Superfruit?

by Mirahealth, super foods

According to an article I recently read, the baobab is the next superfruit. I imagine this means it should be hitting the shores of the USA any day now. No doubt to be found in a wide variety of items at the grocery store.

Health benefits of baobab

Apparently the fruit has extraordinarily high levels of vitamin C, nearly six times that of an orange. It is also reported to be high in calcium, potassium, and both soluble and insoluble fibers. The fruit is also anti-inflammatory and antipyretic (fever reducing).

In addition to all of the wonderful benefits of the fruit, many other parts of the tree are usable. These include the seeds, fibers, and leaves. These other products are apparently sometimes used in cosmetics and folk-medicines. Once they come to the United States they will no doubt find their way into every imaginable product.

What's wrong with superfoods?

While I am always happy to find foods that have great nutritional benefit or plants that have beneficial value, I confess to being underwhelmed at the thought of another “super” food. From açaí to goji berries to mangosteen and more, every new discovery brings a touted superfood. These are delivered to us at an enormous premium and pushed into our everyday consciousness via massive marketing campaigns to try to convince us to buy a product, any product, that has this newest discovery in it (sometimes in the most minimal quantities). In addition to the push by producers to include the newest, latest, greatest thing, by consuming, and often over-consuming, whatever this newest product is. Sometimes to the detriment of those who produce it.

One prime example of this trend is what has happened/is happening in Peru with the rise in popularity of quinoa. Farmers, feeling pressure to produce, are depleting the soil that would otherwise have an opportunity to lay fallow and recover. They are also switching not using the natural llama fertilizer as they reduce their herds to allow them to grow more quinoa. In the long run this quite possibly may lead to a reliance on chemical fertilizers which is not the best option for the soil or the plants.

Consider local superfoods

While it's interesting, and tasty, to have the availability of superfoods from other parts of the planet, don't lose your awareness of what is available around you. Before you rush off and buy the latest baobab concoction, think more about what you eat on a regular basis. Blueberries, sweet potatoes, avocados, liver, and pumpkin seeds are among just a few of the wonderful and delicious superfood that are available in the United States. If you live outside of the US consider looking for those nutrient dense foods that are available closer to home.

Improving daily nutrition is better for long-term health than jumping on the latest-and-greatest bandwagon. Spending your food dollars for overall health, such as fresh, local, organic food is better than spending a large sum for a small quantity of any food, no matter how super it purports to be. Remember to eat well from the abundance that surrounds you.

Unexpectedly Serene

by Mirameditation, stress

My aunt was here visiting us, and we loved having her here. She used to live in the Houston area 35 years ago, so one day we wandered down to Houston to visit a couple of places. On the itinerary was The Rothko Chapel. The chapel was built as an interfaith chapel, and Mark Rothko was commissioned to create the artworks.

My first response when we entered the chapel was “huh?” Fourteen enormous canvases of black or purple which appear to be solid. Very strange. But when you take the time to sit and contemplate them, shadings of light and dark appear. The whole experience is very spiritual.

We all need to take the time to find serenity and calmness within ourselves and in those quiet moments of our life that present themselves. Part of living a healthy life is taking that time for meditation. It is serendipitous to find a space that so fully imbued with the energies that lead to that sort of contemplation.

I fully intend to go back and encourage you, if you are ever in the Houston area, to visit the chapel.

Be well.

Picking Produce

by Miraproduce, recipes

I was having a conversation about picking produce with my Aunt today. We talked about how difficult it is sometimes to get a good fruit or vegetable if you don't know what you are looking for.

Right now citrus is readily available and very inexpensive near me. We're consuming a lot of it, including making lemonade or limeade.

One way to tell if you are getting a good, juicy piece of citrus is to look at the skin. The smoother and less dimpled it is the juicier the fruit. You also want to look for unblemished fruit although discolorations in skin color are not necessarily blemishes. Oranges or lemons with green patches on the skin can still be ripe. You also want a firm fruit, not squishy (although be kind to other purchasers and don't squeeze too hard).

For grapefruits you want a thin-skinned fruit. Thicker skins will feel spongier and will yield less fruit.

For a delicious and easy dessert try the following:

broiled grapefruit

preheat your oven to broil

wash grapefruits and cut in half

put in a baking pan (I usually get four into an 8 x 8 pan)

sprinkle with sucanat

add a pinch of cinnamon if desired

broil for 3-5 minutes until sugar is melting into fruit

serve

And for the most delicious lemon/limeade try this:

juice of 4 limes (or 5 lemons)

mix with 1 C. evaporated cane juice crystals

stir well until crystals are dissolved

add 6 C. water

enjoy

This juice is wonderful, you know you've got a hit on your hands when your high school aged child and her friends ask for it rather than other beverage choices.

photo courtesy of freefoto.com

Letter To Obama

by Miragmo

As a Nutrition Educator, I, of course, watch food news very carefully. Along with many others I am waiting to hear who President-elect Obama will select for Secretary of Agriculture. A position that is critical to the health and nutrition of our country.

While I am certainly not so eloquent nor so well-known as Michael Pollan, I do feel our new President needs to know how all of his citizens feel about this and other important issues. I have written a letter, sent via the Change.gov website, and I encourage you to do the same.

My letter was short but states exactly how I feel:

“Dear President-elect Obama,

As a Nutrition Educator, I work very hard to help people make the choice for healthy eating. I am a firm believer that what we eat affects our health. I urge you to very carefully consider whom you choose for Secretary of Agriculture. PLEASE do not allow someone who believes in chemicals such as rBHG or GMO foods to make choices that affect our nation's health. America is currently engaged in the largest food experiment ever promoted. The American public does not have choice, they are not told which foods are modified. Recent research shows that this will lead to even more poor health and possible fertility failure for this country as well as insurmountable health care costs as we try to deal with this situation.

I urge you to choose someone who has the vision to support a healthy American population instead of continuing to line the pockets of corporations who only care about their bottom line profits.

Sincerely,

Mira G. Dessy “

If you haven't heard about Michael Pollan's wonderful letter (written before the election) you can see it here.

Knowing The Numbers

by Miragmo, labeling

“Consumers have the right to choose whether to eat genetically modified foods or not.”

Rockefeller Foundation Statement (cited in Kilman, 1999)

I agree with the thinking behind the above statement. We should have the right to choose. Unfortunately we do not because we don't know what foods are modified. Some foods are pretty good guesses. If it has corn, soy, or canola in it there is a better than average chance that it is genetically modified. Because our food products are not labeled the only way to avoid genetically modified organisms (GMO) is to buy organic. While that can get to be a very expensive proposition there is more and more evidence supporting the case for eating non-GMO foods, including these articles:

Latest GMO Research: Decreased Fertility, Immunological Alterations and Allergies

Monsanto tried to block Austrian research

Government Accountability Office finds unauthorized release of GM foods

Even fruits and vegetables are being genetically modified and that is one area where you can see what you are choosing to eat. The Price Look Up (PLU) stickers have numbers on them which indicate the following:

most product numbers are 4 digits indicating that the produce was conventionally grown

5 digits starting with a 9 means it is organic

5 digits starting with an 8 means it is GMO

According to the International Federation for Product Standards there is a PLU for everything although not everything is labeled, nor it is required to be labeled. This most likely explains why I have yet to see a 5 digit code starting with an 8.

Dole has gone so far as to implement a program in which they put a three digit code on their organic bananas which you can look up on the Dole website and see which farm the bananas were grown on and read a little about the farm.

Within the confines of our budget I make the best choices I can for my family and encourage you to do the same.

Baking Subtitutions

by Mirabaking, oats, recipes, substitutionsbaking, substitution

I love to bake; I've been baking for decades and have made a wide assortment of baked goods for family, friends, fundraisers, and more. As a baker, one thing you quickly learn is the need to be able to make substitutions if you don't have what you need on hand. This is a list of my favorite baking swaps. I encourage you to print this out and either keep it in a binder or tape it to the inside of your baking cupboard so you always have it handy.

Note: The chart below assumes ingredients are organic, whole fat, or best quality as needed.

Ingredient Substitutions

Ingredient	Amount	Substitution
Arrowroot Powder	1 Tbsp	1 Tbsp flour or cornstarch
Baking Powder	1 tsp	1/2 tsp cream of tartar + 1/4 tsp baking soda
Baking Soda	1/2 tsp	2 tsp baking powder
Brown Sugar	1 cup	Light - 1 cup sugar + 1 Tbsp molasses Dark - 1 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp molasses
Butter	1/2 cup	1/4 cup applesauce or Greek yogurt 1/3 cup + 2 tsp pumpkin puree
Buttermilk	1 cup	1 cup milk + 1 Tbsp vinegar (let sit 5 minutes)
Cream Cheese	8 oz	8 oz ricotta
Cream of Tartar	1/4 tsp	1/2 tsp lemon juice
Egg	1	1 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp hot water 2 Tbsp arrowroot + 3 Tbsp hot water 3 Tbsp aquafaba 1/4 cup applesauce or mashed banana or yogurt
Half and Half	1 cup	1 Tbsp melted butter + 1 cup milk
Honey	1 Tbsp	1 Tbsp maple syrup or molasses or golden syrup or silan (date syrup)
Lemon Juice	1 tsp	1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Mayonnaise	1 cup	1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Milk	1 cup	1 cup alternative milk 3/4 cup heavy cream + 1/4 cup water
Olive Oil	1 cup	1 cup avocado oil or coconut oil or melted butter

If you find yourself regularly making substitutions to recipes you use often I encourage you to write directly in the cookbook or on the recipe card so you always have the needed substitutions available.

Don't forget to also grab a copy of my free Kitchen Conversions handout!

Pancakes

by Mirabreakfast, oats, pancake, recipes

Mmmmmmm....nothing like a nice hot breakfast to start your day.

This morning we had a touch of frost on the lawn (unusual for Texas) which definitely calls for a hot breakfast. I had some buttermilk in the fridge and decided pancakes were the order of the day. Drizzled with maple syrup, an egg on the side, a clementine with it, this is one of my favorite breakfasts.

It's important to get a good start to the day. Some whole grain fiber, a little fat, a bit of protein, it keeps you going and helps keep your blood sugar stable all morning.

These pancakes are very fluffy, a combination of the oat flour and the buttermilk. By letting the batter rest for a few minutes the whole grains soften a bit and soak up some of that buttermilk to help make the pancakes fluffy and delicious.

I'll put up another post about substitutions for those who don't grind their own flour. And if you're questioning the use of coconut oil I'm here to tell you it's one of the healthiest oils you can use. A medium chain fatty acid full of good things like lauric acid and caprylic acid. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Buttermilk Oat Pancakes

Sometimes, nothing beats the simplicity of classic pancakes. These pancakes are a timeless favorite, Whether fluffy or thin, topped with maple syrup or fresh fruit.

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Ingredients

1/2 C. oat flour
1/2 C. brown rice flour
1 egg
1 1/2 T. melted coconut oil
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
1 T. sucanat

Instructions

Mix the dry ingredients together
Beat the egg
Add beaten egg and other liquid ingredients to the dry mixture
Let mixture sit for 5 minutes
Cook in pan lightly greased with coconut oil
Enjoy!