One of the downsides to winter is that you cant make a decent crisp. The types of apples available are not right and just forget about fresh peaches because they will be too dear. A canned crisp fruit is all you are left with. While we can still use Big Oil to ferry supplies from one part of the globe to the next you can make a winter crisp using oranges from California or Florida.
Orange/Apricot Crisp
Oil an 8x8 pan and preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl mix together:
Fruit mixture
8 Navel oranges with skins and pith cut then sliced. (reserve 2 T zest)
2C thinly sliced dried apricots
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C chopped candied ginger
Topping mixture
1C light flour
1/2C sugar
1/2 t salt
6 T butter
1/2 t vanilla
Rub vanilla and butter into flour mixture until crumbly then sprinkle on top of fruit. Bake for 30-40 minutes and cool for 10.
Adaptations. Although I would never consider my place a test kitchen, there are sometimes a lot of things going on here. We made this and I got pretty good reviews for it so will make it again. There are a couple of things I will change about it next time around. I thought the orange zest was bitter so I would decrease it or leave it out completely. A better idea would be to reserve a bit of the juice and sprinkle it on top of the flour mixture. Also, the candied ginger is a bit hot for some people. Leave it out completely and replace with dried cranberries or just shave a little fresh ginger into the fruit mixture since orange and ginger are such good companion flavors.
So give this a try and let me know what you think.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Protein requirements
Proteins are composed of amino acids. There are, however, eight amino acids that we cannot manufacture on our own and the body must take them in as food. These are called essential amino acids. The amount that humans need on a daily basis or recommended daily allowances (RDA) is mysterious. Apparently the reason that we believe our requirements are so high is that they were originally determined by feeding rats and deciding which combinations produced the healthiest subjects. The problem with this model is that rat babies need 10 times the amount of protein as human babies.
It is obvious that we need to stop allowing laboratories to decide on or produce our foods. We are amazing organic works of art and should not rely on science to make decisions for our bodies.
Here are some protein guidelines for us to follow in our quest to ensure that we keep protein in our diet.
These figures are from USDA and are in a per serving amount;
Beef- 20.2%
Almonds-18.6%
Garbanzo Beans-20.5%
Lentils-24.7%
Soybeans-34.1%
Lamb-16.8%
Swiss Cheese-27.5%
Sunflower seeds-24.0%
Powdered Cow's Milk-26.4%
Powdered Soy Milk-41.8%
So you can see that animal products are not always the highest source of protein. Additionally, the plant sources are also lower in fat and cholesterol. USDA standards are 44 grams for a woman and 56 grams for a man. Taking into account that the above mentioned rat standard is above what we need, the adult male standard can be met with 3 ounces of peanuts, a bowl of split pea soup, 2 slices of whole grain toast and a 10 ounce glass of soymilk. Some people could consume this much food in one meal.
This is considerably above the actual requirement for most people and a person eating according to the Standard American Diet gets twice the amount of protein necessary even by conservative government standards. In a later post I will catalog the dangers of consuming too much protein.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
How to choose Peace.
I can't think of one person who would choose a life of war and conflict. History has given us multiple examples of war hawks and captains of industry who have built empires on warfare. However, they weren't on the ground fighting or making a conscious effort to live a life on the front lines in the absence of peace.
Choosing peace would seem a larger part of our human nature than the thirst for war. It is more involved and detailed then simply saying 'war is bad', or killing is wrong. Choosing peace is a much bigger commitment than refraining from actually taking a gun and shooting a human. Our moral barometers make us cringe at the concept of killing each other in cold blood. So it becomes easy to choose to not kill people.
That also makes it less heroic. Of course we aren't going to kill each other for no reason. Why would we even discuss that option among rational beings. To choose peace, a life of peace, is not merely the absence of warfare. It is a conscious choice to live a life free of bloodshed.
Think of the ways in which we benefit from war. Would you actually remove the dead bodies from a home in order to move into the newly vacated premises? Are you the type of person to roll a dead man over and take money from his pockets? The house is no longer needed, and the dead man wont be spending that money.
If you would not do these things it is largely because of your compassionate heart.
A compassionate heart is nothing to be ashamed of. We are all born with one. I walk down the street everyday knowing that the majority of people whose paths I cross would do me no harm due in part to their heart of compassion. Because of this I have no fear of them.
One way of putting a compassionate heart into action is a vegetarian diet. If we were to all adhere to Buddha's precept to do no harm then we would be holding ourselves to a code of conduct to help all of God's creatures understand that they have nothing to fear.
Buddha once said "I advise everyone to revert to a vegetarian diet early, because the spiritual soul of man and animal came from the same origin. If you can bear to kill and eat the animals, it is just like killing and eating our brothers and sisters."
Whether you live by the precepts of Buddha or the 10 Commandments, killing is killing. The dictionary defines kill as causing the death of a person or animal. I strongly believe in the compassionate heart of my brothers and sisters. I know that most people would never eat the meat of an animal that they had actively killed. It just takes a little more work to remove yourself from the cycle of death by deciding not to partake in what others have killed.
If you do this, if you remove yourself from the cycle of killing and death then you will feel your compassionate heart grow. You will become a person of peace, led by your firm belief in the sanctity of life. It will become obvious to others that you have chosen peace over war, life over death and love over violence.
Thich Naht Hahn in his book Creating True Peace illustrates that it is the nature of war to take what one wants even if it results in the death of others. A meat based diet requires that we wage mini wars every day. And the first victim of a war is always the one who perpetuates it.
I will choose peace for myself, my family, my community and the world.
Choosing peace would seem a larger part of our human nature than the thirst for war. It is more involved and detailed then simply saying 'war is bad', or killing is wrong. Choosing peace is a much bigger commitment than refraining from actually taking a gun and shooting a human. Our moral barometers make us cringe at the concept of killing each other in cold blood. So it becomes easy to choose to not kill people.
That also makes it less heroic. Of course we aren't going to kill each other for no reason. Why would we even discuss that option among rational beings. To choose peace, a life of peace, is not merely the absence of warfare. It is a conscious choice to live a life free of bloodshed.
Think of the ways in which we benefit from war. Would you actually remove the dead bodies from a home in order to move into the newly vacated premises? Are you the type of person to roll a dead man over and take money from his pockets? The house is no longer needed, and the dead man wont be spending that money.
If you would not do these things it is largely because of your compassionate heart.
A compassionate heart is nothing to be ashamed of. We are all born with one. I walk down the street everyday knowing that the majority of people whose paths I cross would do me no harm due in part to their heart of compassion. Because of this I have no fear of them.
One way of putting a compassionate heart into action is a vegetarian diet. If we were to all adhere to Buddha's precept to do no harm then we would be holding ourselves to a code of conduct to help all of God's creatures understand that they have nothing to fear.
Buddha once said "I advise everyone to revert to a vegetarian diet early, because the spiritual soul of man and animal came from the same origin. If you can bear to kill and eat the animals, it is just like killing and eating our brothers and sisters."
Whether you live by the precepts of Buddha or the 10 Commandments, killing is killing. The dictionary defines kill as causing the death of a person or animal. I strongly believe in the compassionate heart of my brothers and sisters. I know that most people would never eat the meat of an animal that they had actively killed. It just takes a little more work to remove yourself from the cycle of death by deciding not to partake in what others have killed.
If you do this, if you remove yourself from the cycle of killing and death then you will feel your compassionate heart grow. You will become a person of peace, led by your firm belief in the sanctity of life. It will become obvious to others that you have chosen peace over war, life over death and love over violence.
Thich Naht Hahn in his book Creating True Peace illustrates that it is the nature of war to take what one wants even if it results in the death of others. A meat based diet requires that we wage mini wars every day. And the first victim of a war is always the one who perpetuates it.
I will choose peace for myself, my family, my community and the world.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Artisan Bread
This recipe comes to us from Mother Earth News. It will make about 4 medium sized rounds and the dough will keep in the refrigerator for a week. It is actually better to let the dough stand overnight but I have formed and baked bread just after the three hour raising time.
We have played around and made it with various combinations of flour adjusting the fiber content. Feel free to add more flour if the dough feels too sticky. If you want to experiment with an herb bread add the herbs to the water and yeast so they stir into the dough and become well incorporated.
Recipe:
6-1/2 C flour
3-1/2 C warm water
1-1/2 T each of salt and yeast.
Proof the yeast in the warm water until both it and the salt are dissolved. Stir into the flour, work it into a dough and let rise for 3 hours in a warm place.
Form bread into a round and slash the top with a knife. Let rise another 20 min. while oven preheats to 350 degrees. We cook ours on a clay pizza stone but you can use a cookie sheet. Just preheat it with the oven and sprinkle with corn meal.The hot pan or stone is what makes the base of the bread nice and crusty. Bake for 35 min. and cool for 20 min. before cutting. Depending on your oven cooking temperatures you may need a few more minutes cooking time.
Cover remaining dough and store in fridge.
You can feed this to your loved ones knowing they are eating a whole food just like Grandma used to make; only four ingredients and you can actually pronounce all of the words. Enjoy.
We have played around and made it with various combinations of flour adjusting the fiber content. Feel free to add more flour if the dough feels too sticky. If you want to experiment with an herb bread add the herbs to the water and yeast so they stir into the dough and become well incorporated.
Recipe:
6-1/2 C flour
3-1/2 C warm water
1-1/2 T each of salt and yeast.
Proof the yeast in the warm water until both it and the salt are dissolved. Stir into the flour, work it into a dough and let rise for 3 hours in a warm place.
Form bread into a round and slash the top with a knife. Let rise another 20 min. while oven preheats to 350 degrees. We cook ours on a clay pizza stone but you can use a cookie sheet. Just preheat it with the oven and sprinkle with corn meal.The hot pan or stone is what makes the base of the bread nice and crusty. Bake for 35 min. and cool for 20 min. before cutting. Depending on your oven cooking temperatures you may need a few more minutes cooking time.
Cover remaining dough and store in fridge.
You can feed this to your loved ones knowing they are eating a whole food just like Grandma used to make; only four ingredients and you can actually pronounce all of the words. Enjoy.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
quinoa, the mother of grains
One of the concerns of new vegetarians is getting enough protein in our diet. It is my belief that we eat a lot more protein than is necessary. Also meat protein is extremely difficult for the body to assimilate; plant based proteins are more bio available and therefore one would need less. In the quest to find an acceptable form of a plant based protein allow me to recommend QUINOA!
Pronounced keen-wa, this is one of the ancient grains revered by the Incas. Compared to other grains and similar to amaranth quinoa has the highest protein content. It also has more calcium than milk and is higher in fat than other grains. These two properties alone make it the ideal grain to feed young vegetarians as well as pregnant or nursing vegetarians. Quinoa is an excellent source of iron, phosphorous, vitamin E and B vitamins. Since most people in the west rely on animal products for B vitamins the importance of quinoa in the vegetarian diet is obvious. New vegetarians crave concentrated and heavy foods, quinoa is nutrient rich enough to be a staple in their diet.
According to the book Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood, quinoa is a complete source of protein which contains all the essential amino acids, is a complex carbohydrate and a good source of fiber. It provides riboflavin, calcium, iron and potassium and is abundant in linolenic acid which is a fatty acid that benefits the immune system as well as the cardio vascular system.
Heres how easy it is to incorporate this grain into your diet: one part quinoa to two parts water brought to a boil and then simmered for 10 minutes. Thats it. A favorite quick supper in our house is to serve steamed vegetables over a bed of this delicious grain. It is the most nutritious fast food you can eat. By the time your quinoa is cooked, your veggies are tender and ready. Add a splash of sesame oil, a pinch of pepper and dinner is served.
Technically, quinoa isn't a grain but a seed. According to the properties of chinese medicine this makes it a yin tonic and very beneficial to our kidneys. Think of your kidneys as your seeds, or where your essence is stored. One of the problems with a diet that is rich in animal based protein is that it is left to the kidneys to filter out unnecessary or unusable protein.
If I haven't convinced you yet, try this recipe from the Quinoa 365 cookbook; it has become my personal Go To Chocolate Cake.
2/3 C quinoa cooked as stated above in 1-1/3 C water. Let stand then fluff with a fork and allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8 in pans.
In a blender combine 1/3 C milk, 4 large eggs and 1 t vanilla. Add 2 C quinoa, 3/4 C melted butter and continue to blend until smooth.
In a medium size bowl combine 1-1/2 C sugar, 1 C unsweetened cocoa powder, 1-1/2 t baking powder, 1/2 t baking soda and 1/2 t salt.
Mix together the blender and the bowl and pour into pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
This is a flourless cake suitable for those who can not tolerate gluten. The list of ingredients sounds fairly decadent but just close your eyes and think of all the nutrients packed into this dessert.
It is almost the perfect food.
Pronounced keen-wa, this is one of the ancient grains revered by the Incas. Compared to other grains and similar to amaranth quinoa has the highest protein content. It also has more calcium than milk and is higher in fat than other grains. These two properties alone make it the ideal grain to feed young vegetarians as well as pregnant or nursing vegetarians. Quinoa is an excellent source of iron, phosphorous, vitamin E and B vitamins. Since most people in the west rely on animal products for B vitamins the importance of quinoa in the vegetarian diet is obvious. New vegetarians crave concentrated and heavy foods, quinoa is nutrient rich enough to be a staple in their diet.
According to the book Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood, quinoa is a complete source of protein which contains all the essential amino acids, is a complex carbohydrate and a good source of fiber. It provides riboflavin, calcium, iron and potassium and is abundant in linolenic acid which is a fatty acid that benefits the immune system as well as the cardio vascular system.
Heres how easy it is to incorporate this grain into your diet: one part quinoa to two parts water brought to a boil and then simmered for 10 minutes. Thats it. A favorite quick supper in our house is to serve steamed vegetables over a bed of this delicious grain. It is the most nutritious fast food you can eat. By the time your quinoa is cooked, your veggies are tender and ready. Add a splash of sesame oil, a pinch of pepper and dinner is served.
Technically, quinoa isn't a grain but a seed. According to the properties of chinese medicine this makes it a yin tonic and very beneficial to our kidneys. Think of your kidneys as your seeds, or where your essence is stored. One of the problems with a diet that is rich in animal based protein is that it is left to the kidneys to filter out unnecessary or unusable protein.
If I haven't convinced you yet, try this recipe from the Quinoa 365 cookbook; it has become my personal Go To Chocolate Cake.
2/3 C quinoa cooked as stated above in 1-1/3 C water. Let stand then fluff with a fork and allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8 in pans.
In a blender combine 1/3 C milk, 4 large eggs and 1 t vanilla. Add 2 C quinoa, 3/4 C melted butter and continue to blend until smooth.
In a medium size bowl combine 1-1/2 C sugar, 1 C unsweetened cocoa powder, 1-1/2 t baking powder, 1/2 t baking soda and 1/2 t salt.
Mix together the blender and the bowl and pour into pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
This is a flourless cake suitable for those who can not tolerate gluten. The list of ingredients sounds fairly decadent but just close your eyes and think of all the nutrients packed into this dessert.
It is almost the perfect food.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Vegetarians in History....
Plato- the father of vegetarianism (428-347 BC)
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Susan B Anthony (1820-1906)
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Voltaire (1694-1778)
Mahatma Ghandi (1869-1948)
Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519)
Bob Marley (1945-1981)
Johnny Appleseed (1774-1845)
Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855)
Henry Ford (1863-1947)
Albert Einstein (1879-1965)
Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. Albert Einstein
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Susan B Anthony (1820-1906)
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Voltaire (1694-1778)
Mahatma Ghandi (1869-1948)
Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519)
Bob Marley (1945-1981)
Johnny Appleseed (1774-1845)
Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855)
Henry Ford (1863-1947)
Albert Einstein (1879-1965)
Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. Albert Einstein
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