Recipe; Healthy Stir -Ins

Found this on one of my subscribe lists, but it does not give credit to where the poster found it. So, if you know and there is a link, let me know...thanks.

STEALTH HEALTH: PANTRY STIR-INS

You don't have to choke down alfalfa sprouts or knock back jiggers of carrot
juice to get your nutrients. These eight foods taste good (think cocoa, not
quinoa), and they're good for you. Here's how to stir, sprinkle, slide, or
otherwise sneak a little preventive medicine into the things you eat every
day.

1. WALNUTS

WHY: Nuts are like nutrition pellets: They're rich in protein, low in
artery-clogging saturated fat, and high in the phytonutrients that may
protect you from cancer. Walnuts, in particular, have more antioxidants and
omega-3 fatty acids than any other nut�plus fiber and magnesium, which
regulate insulin and glucose levels and help prevent diabetes.

HOW: A little goes a long way. Just one serving�14 walnut halves (a half
cup)�has more antioxidants than two glasses of red wine. Food editor Sandra
Gluck has these suggestions: Stir chopped walnuts into low-fat ice cream,
yogurt, or soups. Use walnuts instead of pine nuts in pesto. Or substitute
them for croutons in salads.

2. POWDERED MILK

WHY: Nonfat powdered milk makes foods taste creamier and more decadent, and
it's full of calcium and muscle-building protein. Adequate calcium
levels�1,200 milligrams a day�are linked to good bone health, colon cancer
prevention, and even weight loss, says Jana Klauer, M.D., author of How the
Rich Get Thin (St. Martin's Press; 2006).

HOW: Nonfat dry milk is best in creamy foods, such as smoothies and yogurt,
and in warm dishes, like hot cereals and soups. Start with a tablespoon, and
add more to taste (dry milk is slightly sweet, so be judicious when spooning
it into savory dishes). To enhance the flavor of macaroni and cheese, mix it
with the cheese sauce before combining it with noodles.

3. COCOA

WHY: Cocoa, chocolate's key ingredient, makes sweet and savory dishes taste
both rich and complex. And natural cocoa is filled with flavonols, which
have been shown to lower "bad" cholesterol, promote circulation, and
neutralize cancer-causing free radicals. Check labels: The more cocoa a
product contains, the more flavonols it has.

HOW: Pure unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate have the most
flavonols; milk chocolate and chocolate syrup have the least. Stir a
teaspoon of natural cocoa powder into your afternoon coffee to give it a
mocha flavor. Sprinkle a spoonful of cocoa into a banana or peanut butter
smoothie. Add a teaspoon or two to chili, hearty soups, or stews.

4. GINGER

WHY: This root eases nausea as well as muscle and joint pain. In clinical
studies, about two teaspoons of fresh ginger relieved chronic inflammation
when taken daily. It may protect against Alzheimer's disease and minimize
cold symptoms. The juice and powder forms also have benefits.

HOW: Stir minced fresh ginger into stews and soups. Throw freshly grated
ginger (no need to peel) and some of its juice into barbecue sauces. Add
dried ginger to muffin, cake, and cookie batters. Mix chopped crystallized
ginger into mashed sweet potatoes, yogurt, or cottage cheese.

5. ALMONDS

WHY: Almonds are chock-full of protein and fiber, which help lower
cholesterol levels. Plus, they pack calcium, iron, and vitamin E as well as
vitamin B (biotin), which aids metabolism and strengthens hair and nails.
Perhaps most important, almonds have arginine, an essential amino acid
that's been shown to benefit the heart.

HOW: At 164 calories per ounce (about 23 almonds), you don't need to eat a
lot to benefit. A serving is just enough to coat your palm. Nutritionist
Lisa Hark, coauthor of The Whole Grain Diet Miracle (DK Publishing; 2006),
suggests substituting almond butter for peanut butter. Or try sprinkling
sliced almonds over salads, pasta, soups, yogurt, and cereal.

6. PUMPKIN

WHY: Pumpkin offers both alpha and beta-carotene, natural antiinflammatory
agents that are good for long-term heart health and for vision, says Steven
Pratt, M.D., coauthor of Super Foods Health-Style (William Morrow; 2006).
It's also low in calories and high in iron and antioxidants, including
vitamins C and E.

HOW: A cup of canned pumpkin pur�e has only 83 calories, but it packs seven
grams of fiber (avoid pumpkin-pie filling, which has added sugar). Toss a
few tablespoons of pumpkin pure� with pasta. Stir the puree into vegetable
soups to add flavor and smoothness. Or spread pumpkin butter (similar to
jam) on toast.

7. FLAXSEED

WHY: Flaxseed gives many foods a delicious, nutty flavor. The seeds are high
in fiber and are the best plant source for omega-3 fatty acids, which
protect against heart disease and hypertension. They also contain lignins,
which balance estrogen levels and may protect against breast cancer.

HOW: Crush the seeds in a grinder; otherwise, they will pass through your
body undigested. And be sure to store them in an airtight container in your
refrigerator so they won't spoil. Mix ground flaxseed into oatmeal, cereal,
yogurt, or a smoothie. Or spoon it into hearty pasta dishes.

8. BEANS

WHY: Legumes of all kinds are loaded with protein as well as
cholesterol-lowering fiber. They also have lots of folate, which is
important in protecting against birth defects and is so essential both
before pregnancy and during the first few weeks of it, says dietitian
Marilyn Tanner, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

HOW: Red beans are richest in antioxidants, but pick a bean you love and
work it into your diet. A half-cup of most beans satisfies about a quarter
of the recommended dietary allowance for folate (400 micrograms). A few
suggestions: Add drained and rinsed canned beans to salads and soups. Or
throw cooked lentils into pasta sauces

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Recipe; Mediterranean Chicken Salad (outdoor grilling)

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad

SALAD:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimed
White wine marinade (recipe to follow)
1 lb. small red potatoes
1/2 lb. slender green beans, trimmed
vegetable oil cooking spray
12 to 14 cherry tomatoes, halved or left whole, depending on size
2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon, for garnish

VINIAGRETTE:
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tsp. chopped shallots
2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
four to six 12-inch metal skewers

WHITE WINE MARINADE:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup tarragon white wine vinegar
1 TBSP chopped fresh tarragon or chervil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Whisk together all the marinade ingredients in a glass or ceramic bowl until blended. Adjust seasonings. Use according to the recipe, or cover and refrigerate for as long as two days.

1. Place the chicken in a single layer in a shallow glass or ceramic dish and pour the marinade over it, turning a few times to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and as long as 6 hours.
2. Put the potatoes in a saucepan and add cold water to cover by several inches. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes just until fork tender. Drain and cool. Do not overcook.
3. Blanch the green beans in boiling water to cover for about 1 minute. Drain and cool.
4. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill. Lightly spray the grill rack with vegetable cooking spray. The coals should be moderately hot.
5. To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, shallots, mustard, and tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. Lift the chicken from the marinade. Discard the marinade. Grill the chicken for 12 to 16 minutes, turning several times, until cooked through. Slice into thin strips.
7. Thread the potatoes on metal skewers and grill for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Cut into halves or quarters, depending on their size. Transfer to a bowl and toss with about 5 TBSP of vinaigrette.
8. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, toss the green beans with 3 or 4 TBSP of vinaigrette. In another bowl, toss the cherry tomatoes with 3 or 4 TBSP of vinaigrette.
9. Assemble the salad by spreading the green beans on a platter. Top the beans with the potatoes and then the chicken. Arrange the tomatoes around the chicken and sprinkle the salad with tarragon. Drizzle a little vinaigrette over the salad and serve.

Recipe Source: "Prime Time/The Lobel's Guide to Great Grilled Meat" by Evan, Leon, Stanley, and Mark Lobel.

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Recipe; Tomato Zucchini Frittata

TOMATO ZUCCHINI "FRITTATA"

Tofu replaces eggs in this interpretation of a frittata, the classic Italian flat omelet. Vary the filling ingredients according to personal preference: cooked asparagus or mushrooms are good choices.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small Vidalia or other sweet yellow onion, minced
1 small zucchini, shredded and well drained
1 firm ripe tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound firm tofu, well drained
1 tablespoon arrowroot dissolved in
2 tablespoons water
1/8 teaspoon turmeric

Heat the oil in a large skillet pan over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato and basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook uncovered until liquid evaporates. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a lightly oiled shallow round baking dish and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375?. In a food processor or blender combine the tofu, arrowroot mixture, turmeric, and salt and pepper to taste. Puree until smooth and add to the vegetables in the baking dish and stir to combine. Bake until the tofu is set and the top is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. To serve, cut into wedges. Serves 4.

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Project; Re-use jeans/denim to make assorted quilts

More jean/denim quilt ideas. I really must begin saving jeans for the denim and make these projects.

Link for article and some how to instructions at Backwoods Home Magazine.



and





and



and




and




Also, same magazine website - Backwoods Home Magazine, an article that explains how to sew a baby quilt in two days. Sounds like something even I might learn to do since I haven't yet begun the self-teaching of learning to make a quilt.




And another quick make it fast project for woolen mittens using old sweater.

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Inconvenient Truths, Washington State and Willapa Bay

[Editor's note] Kathleen Sayce is Shorebank resident scientist in Ilwaco. Her column in the Chinook Observer explains the scientific underpinnings of our area. She has started with basic geology. An excerpt is found after the end of my article.
Arthur Ruger

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The Tide is Out - Photo from Wa Dept of Ecology

Willapa Bay is not a Grand Canyon-type visual but the view is very much our typical Pacific Northwest coast. A week ago we watched our newest Netflix DVD, Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth. I can see why it got an Academy Award Nomination. I decided to ask Google some "Inconvenient-Truth"-related questions specifically about Willapa Bay - a sweet body of water that surrounds my house on three sides.

Some describe Willapa Bay and like locations as "estuarian," where landlubbing freshwater blends into seagoing salt water.

Esturian locations are most frequently habitated by small cities and towns, dairies, and farmlands that are all visible on the landward side of Highway 101 to anyone driving up and down the Washington and Oregon Coasts.

Oh, and we've got lots of elk herds too.
Photo is mine

Then there are those mudflats with their promise of shellfish riches hidden in shallow waters.

Add to that the lusting passion of property exploiters anxious to turn a dime with venture capital.

A member of the Raymond city council recently told us that the council met a developer who expressed that he is willing to spend whatever it takes to gain title to waterfront properties that - according to him - constitute the last available waterfront development properties on the entire western coastline of the United States.

We know our coastline as a repeated blending of bluffs, headlands, beaches, sand spits and dunes where lots of flora, fauna as well as water and land creatures have dwelt for thousands of years.

Except for the more popular small but expensive stretches of commercial holiday and vacation beaches, our coastline is not even moderately developed. There are lots of parks and acreage owned by Native American reservations - with or without trademark casinos.

Goose Point oyster beds - Photo Wa Dept of Ecology

The actual village of Bay Center is separated from the rest of the peninsula by a small bridge visible in the first picture above. Global Warming will bring the sea level above that narrow channel and dunes over which the bridge spans.

My home town will ultimately and literally be an island.

Low coastlines near major river-mouths are vulnerable to heavy weather damage, particularly flooding, mud slides and cave ins consequential to powerful rain and winds. If global warning stirs up hotter and meaner hurricanes and typhoons elsewhere, we are seeing meaner winds, heavier rains, greater floodings coupled with more and more disappearing coastlines.

Click on Google "Light House Digest, Willapa Station" and you'll see a series of pictures of an entire lighthouse that at one time stood at the center of a hill overlooking the ocean and the bay at Tokeland.

Tokeland as the seagull flies is less than 5 miles from Goose Point/Bay Center but almost 40 to get there by automobile.

The light station progressively moved further and further toward the water at the edge of the hill as corrosion depleted the soil. Eventually the station was hanging over the edge so precariously that engineers had to destroy it with explosive charges for safety reasons.

That was more than 65 years ago - before we knew what we were doing by spewing crap into the atmosphere.

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So what does Al Gore's message mean to Bay Center coastal creatures like me?

Well, it means immediate and more frequent storms bringing bigger waves, greater road damage from blown-down trees and more soft spot collapses on the roads, bluffs and coastlines.

Photo is mine

Science types used to talk about El Nino raising the sea level for months at a time as well as temporarily altering wind and wave directions - all just periodic events that would eventually revert. Now, perhaps with or without any solitary influence of El Nino, it looks like we might be in for higher sea levels coupled with weather fluctuations that prompt permanent changes in weather,

topography and human thinking.

Now we move from somewhat domestic trivial concerns about not installing fragile decorative landscaping to the idea perhaps of elevating existing homes onto stilts, reworking roofs, knocking down old dying houses and replacing them perhaps with brick and concrete.Our shallow water seafood farmers may find themselves engaged permanently in a need to manage a probable cyclical expansion of Spartina as well as the increasingly frequent episodes of pollution's impact on coastal ecology and economy.

Mechanical treatment of Spartina meadow,Willap Bay, 2003 Photo Wa DNR

Experts predict climate warming in the future to likely raise global sea levels from 4 to 35 inches in the 21st century, as opposed to the 4 to 8 inch rise of the 20th century.

Regional differences in ocean circulation and heat content may result in a larger sea-level rise on the Pacific than the Atlantic coast of North America.

Then there is the idea that although we can't feel it, the earth moves under our feet. It's called uplift or subsidence (sinking) of the land surface itself.

The major uplifting terrains in the Northwest are at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca which rises one tenth of an inch per year.

The other is some 40 miles south of Bay Center at the mouth of the Columbia River. The earth rises there only slightly more than half an inch yearly.

That means that low-lying settlements and harbors will be at an ever-increasing risks, especially as risk is exacerbated by increasingly larger storms.

That of course means more and more loss of coastline to erosion and directional changes of sediment flows that restructure the shape of the coast line. Similar problems are consequences impacted by fluctuation in ocean stream's directional flow.

When meaner winter storms and heavier rains soak into the soil we'll suffer more and more land and mud slides and flooding with resulting troubles on bluffs, beach fronts as well as farms and homes along rivers.

Oh, and temperature and other changes also mean that other growing things not normally found this far north on the Pacific Coast could drift this way, stake out a claim on life and begin homesteading where they ain't wanted; crowding out what is wanted.

... Or worse, crowding out and contaminating our natural harvestable friends out here in our shallow waters.

Ever heard of the European Green Crab? Look it up.

European green crabs in their natural habitat are smaller than those in invaded habitat - Jeff Goddard University of California, Santa Barbara DOI. USGS. Western Ecological Research Center.

Now it is true that warmer summers might mean longer tourist seasons. Hell, if the water warms up enough we'll have a North Pacific Waikiki Beach, complete with big surf and big surfers, right? Tourism might bloom, but for those heritage and culture-based dwellers who've been here for generations - who haven't necessarily

been interested in tourist trapping - folks may have to start trapping them there tourists anyway just to survive. Closer to reality, if it warms up enough, canneries might move on, leaving cannery-supported family incomes stranded.

Expensive homes drive up prices - great!

But expensive homes don't bring family shopping centers. No Target Stores or JC Penny - more like Lord and Taylor.

If the cannery job is lost, even if your house is paid for, who will pay those new higher property taxes?

So much for staying on the old homestead where families have laughed and wept for generations.

What to do in anticipation?

Well, I have to go to work right now, so the rest of my story will have to be next time.

... Later

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[Excerpt] from the Chinook Observer:

2/21/2007
Peninsula Rocks & Roots: Pliocene Epoch: Ice, erosion and uplift shaped modern mountains and river valleys

By KATHLEEN SAYCE

Two million years ago to 15,000 years ago

Basic Concept:

The Pleistocene Epoch began with major glaciation around 2 Ma (millions of years ago). Uplift of mountain ranges continued during the ice age, but with glaciation, increased erosion by ice and water began to rapidly carve new landscapes out of hard rock. Both montane and continental ice formed in the Pacific Northwest. The Cascade, Olympic and Coast Ranges had montane glaciers, as did Vancouver Island.

Continental ice flowed around the island to north and south. Continental ice formed across northern North America. Lobes of continental ice flowed south into eastern Washington and Puget Sound and out the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Continental ice was 3,500 ft thick along the north edge of the Olympics, and surrounded that range on three sides, which was open to the ocean only on the west side. West of the Cascades, the path of the Chehalis River ran along the southern edge of the continental ice sheet.

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Project; Restyling t-shirts

t-shirt makeovers and I was so impressed I saved the photos, but not the link where I found the photos. I would give credit where it is due with link back, so if it's your t-shirt project let me know.


Refashioning t-shirts by refitting, remaking, stenciling, cutting, restyling seems to be the way to go and I regret, after having seen some of the projects online that I didn't save the links.




She has about 20 more of these kinds of tutorials in how to remake, refashion a tee-shirt or t-shirt surgery.
Visit the tutorials at Omystarts Craft


Prone to Hyperbole has instructions for how she turned a t-shirt into boy-style pajama bottoms

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Project; two pairs of too small pants to one pair of capris that fit

Pants too small, adapt them using an idea from Three Cat Night (link to follow her instructions). I'm not sure she is still blogging since the last entry in Dec 06, but I remember seeing this project at her blog before and I thought I might could try something like this. Well, now that many of my old pants don't fit my growing hips and waist, I gotta try something!



Two pair of too small pants to one pair of capris that fit

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Project; Four from one; dress and three bags from denim bib overalls

A new dress and three bags all from one pair of denim bib overalls - found at her blog - The Sporadic Packrat and she knows how to refashion something old into something new. She took the Wardrobe Refashion pledge, and I can't believe how creative people can be once they let their creative thoughts flow. Some one day I may take that Wardrobe Refashion pledge.



and



and



oh - and a dress too, all out of one pair of denim bib overalls!

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Award winning photo of injured Marine at his wedding

Courage comes in many forms; Award winning photo of wedding - returning injured Iraq Marine marries his high school sweetheart. Credit to the young woman for her own kind of courage, and credit to this amazing couple for finding a different kind of courage The photo is a hurting kind of photo in that it depicts horrendous injuries suffered by our young troops, yet the couple seem able to transcend and find their own hearts. Since yesterday was Valentine's Day, somehow it seems the right time to share this story.

I picked the below extract from a feeder and placing it here. I was undecided about using it in exact format since it pulls out the nature of the young Marine's injuries, and while that goes to the story, the couple's courage in facing this adversity is a more telling story, so I added some additional extracts.

Nina Berman won a prize in the 2007 World Press Photo contest for this heartbreaking photo of a badly wounded Iraqi war veteran and his childhood sweetheart on their wedding day.

Their story is here.

excerpts;

Ty was on his second tour of duty in Iraq and had been patrolling the streets in a truck with six marines around al-Qaim, an entry point for foreign fighters on the Syrian border. He had been there for five months, and the mission had become routine. “Mostly we just rode around and came back. The atmosphere was not particularly menacing. They weren’t shooting guns at us any more.”

Suddenly a suicide bomber blew himself up by his truck. “It felt like somebody just blasted me in the face really hard,” Ty recalls. “I was rolling around on the bed of a truck, yelling the whole time I was conscious. The guy next to me kept putting me out – I guess I kept relighting

"One arm was a stump and his remaining hand had only two fingers. Later, his big toe was grafted on in place of a thumb. One eye was blind and milky, as if melted, and his ears had been burnt away. The top of his skull had been removed and inserted by doctors into the fatty tissue inside his torso to keep it viable and moist for future use."

They were married in October, in their home town of Metamora, Illinois, a small farming community in the Midwest.

In Metamora, people know him well enough not to stare a lot, but he gets plenty of looks elsewhere. Mostly he shrugs it off. “I give people the benefit of the doubt. If you were me, I might look at you.” If they are particularly rude, he will turn and say: “So what were you going to ask me?”

Here are some more of the couple's wedding photos and
more photos of Iraqi vets from Berman here and here.

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Project; hanger covers using fabic scraps

Not sure I'd ever get around to doing a project to cover hangers, but you know, with scraps of fabric, it might be something I would consider doing for a few hangers - for those silky, fragile clothing items.



photo found at love forever.

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Project; diy Denim Organizer

Now here is something I can do with all those pockets I cut off of old pants. And I'm sure I have a pair of used denim jeans around here. The instructions are real simple, and even I can 'make this project'. See the instructions (such as they are) here

instructions given - (note, I in this is Homespun Heart I - not me I); And, this hanging organizer was born! I cut a leg off of a pair of jeans and cut down one side so that when I opened it flat it was a bigger piece of denim. That formed the backing and is why the backing is not perfectly straight as legs of jeans are tapered. Then I sewed pockets and made "pockets" to hold gloves and hats. Scarves are hanging on a hanger next to this.

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Project; diy - Countertop Greenhouse

Sweetie, oh Sweetie - can you make this for me? Hey, you know what, maybe I can make it for myself. Countertop Greenhouse. No, I couldn't make it like the tutorial explains, but I could adapt and make something that resembles it, perhaps, re-using materials and not necessarily buying new materials. But hey, for $20.00 to buy new materials, that's not too bad a price.

Link to tutorial - countertop greenhouse

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Is food actual real food any more? Diets, Vegetarian, Vegan, and is food even 'natural' food any more?

How courteous, a thank you from a 'new friend' - Lighter Footstep. I added as a link and Chris Baskind from Lighter Footstep took the time to comment at this blog and give a thank you for the link. I appreciate the net courtesy.

Well, so far this blog is shaping up to be predominantly recipes. I don't intend for it to remain as such, and will be getting around to 'rounding it out', otherwise it will default to another 'themed' blog and I already have too many of those. I don't want this one to default to food and recipes, but I do need a place to contain the food and recipes, and I like blogger's new label that permits categorizing the blog entries. Eventually, perhaps using the labels, I can transport the recipe collection into a more useable format. But for now, while Sweetie and I make the switch to a more healthy diet, not quite ready to be strictly vegetarian and not ready to go the whole distance as my daughter has done with vegan, we are making a purposefully more slow transition, leaving some white meat in our diet.

Thanks to RealAge, I do have a shopping list and I will post it. Essentially though, it is pretty much unlimited fruits and vegetables, and a focus on 'daily minerals and vitamins. I'm so looking forward to our trip to the city and a food co-op or health food store to do our food shopping. However, when I converted us to the Dr. Ornish diet some years back, it required completely altering the pantry and buying food products I never heard of or used before. So I had a well stocked pantry with the ingredients such as wheatberries, oat bran, wheat germ, whole grain flour, basamati rice, polenta and on and on. That was six years ago, and I still have many of those pantry items left over. I'm quite sure their shelf life was not intended to be six years.

Why do I still have, after six years? The Ornish diet lasted for us six months, and then Sweetie had an extreme gout attack, and I mean extreme. We mistakenly surmised that the change in diet had aggravated the underlying condition that brings on his gout attacks, and I gave up on the Ornish diet, feeling guilty for subjecting Sweetie to the pain he was experiencing with gout attack. As it turns out, he had been seeing a PA who had prescribed his medicie to prevent the gout attacks, but the regimen wasn't working for him. He saw a new Dr who had begun a practice in our small town region, who referred him out to a Specialist. Once the inflammation episode resolved itself (and it took many weeks to resolve), the new medicine regimen has been working out quite well for four years now. And, Sweetie seems to believe that he is in tune enough now with his predisposed gout condition to know what kinds of diet adjustments he can and cannot make, which accounts for why we want to transition slowly and watch for cause and effect.

I'm not taken to trying diets or different diet du jour programs. I carefully read the Dr Ornish diet which makes claims of being able to reverse heart disease and then proceeds to show how that is done, how the body absorbs food and reacts and impact on heart. It made sense to me, still does and is a diet that is right in there with the healthy food diets. It does require a change in cooking habits though, and I'm pleased to have caused myself to get into the discipline of learning to cook less sugar, butter, salt, meat, fats.

I am not inclined to return to his diet or any other diet regimen at this time. Between the diet wars and claims, I'm more interested now in a tailored transition for our needs, our ages and our lifestyles. Many of the cooking techniques required by the Ornish diet have stayed with me, and I'm grateful for making myself go through that transition. It will be easier now as we transition again. However, with my daughter doing the full vegan thing, and gracefully, I might add, as she has not become an activist lecturing us on the ills of eating animal products, but it certainly has raised my awareness. I'd like to get to less animal products in our diet over time.

When I think of getting back to the land, I tend to think of farming, growing one's own food, having the functioning cow, chickens, a pig, etc. and being able to raise and butcher. Not to worry, it's only imagery as I doubt I'd have the heart to slaughter, butcher and dress out any animal. I point out my imagery though, to show that I tend to think in a different time era - before commercialized dairies, slaughterhouses, chicken farms, hybridized seeds, terminator seeds, patented seeds - Montsano, cloned seeds, and such like corporate giants taking over the food industry. I have no
wish to assist the corporations, and I also recognize that my singular efforts are but a drop in the bucket as the corporate food giants take over and assimilate us into buying and eating un-natural food. But I will get there eventually, and meanwhile, I applaud my daughter for already getting there and making the committment to not grow her children (another generation) into going along with popular food consumerism.

posted by Lietta Ruger

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Recipe; Curry Chicken

I did go back and look at Robert's Home Recipes, and found what I plan to cook tonight. I think I will link Robert's Home Recipes at this blog, because it looks like I may want to visit those recipes again. British and uses different measures than we use here, but I think I can wing it and adapt.

Both Sweetie and I like the tangy taste of curry recipes - Mediterranean style cooking, and I want to build healthy recipes indexing to include Thai and Mediterranean. It might be easier to have a Mediterranean category than to break it down to Lebanese, Greek, Iraq, etc. Yes, I did have the experience of having Iraqis cook their ethnic food for us, and it was beautiful to look at and most tasty to eat. I don't know if that was their top of the line recipes they prepared for us as guests or their normal range of recipes, but it was a wonderous culinary experience.

Easy Curry Chicken

300-400 grams chicken cut into chunks
1 large white onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
8 fl.oz (240ml) chicken stock
28 oz (796ml) can plum tomatoes, including juice
2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) curry powder (to taste)
1 cup (250ml) frozen peas
2 tbsp (30ml) fresh lemon juice
almond slivers
dried raisins

Sauté chicken in olive oil and add onions and garlic after a few minutes. Continue to cook on medium heat until onions are translucent and soft and chicken is reasonably well-cooked.

Add chicken stock, tomatoes, curry powder and stir well, breaking up the tomatoes. Simmer uncovered to thicken, stirring occasionally on low-medium heat for about 30 minutes.

Add peas and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, then add the raisins and almond slivers along with the lemon juice. Simmer an additional 5 minutes and serve.

Pineapple tidbits can be added to this recipe for a more West-Indian flavor, and dish can be garnished with fresh green coriander leaves.

Serve with steamed rice and roti flatbread

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More Granola - Granola Bar Recipes

img is from Robert's Home Recipes, and I will revisit that site as perhaps interesting to see what other recipes are there.

So, I tried a couple of the granola recipes yesterday. I did not like the bisquick recipe at all. I did like the basic recipe that permitted freedom to mix and match ingredients. It was great, and then I baked it a tad too long so it was more crunchy than I wanted it to be, but overall, I'll use the basic recipe often. It is not granola bars though, as you actually get a loose mixture of granola. That is fine, as can add to my yogurt and Sweetie can add to his morning cereal.

So today, I thought I'd look up granola bars to see if there is some ingredient that is more binding in holding the granola mixture together. We have the purchased commercial kinds of granola bars, and I've taken to enjoying having one in the early mornings with my coffee. So, I decided to make my own, and I'm into granola recipes at the moment.



Granola Bar Recipes:

Coffee Granola Bars Recipe

Ready in: 30-60 minutes

Serves/Makes: 2 dozen


Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Instant coffee powder
1/2 cup Melted butter or margarine
3 cups Rolled oats (quick or old fashioned)
1 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Wheat germ
1/2 cup Coconut flakes
1/2 cup Brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup Honey
1 Egg; beaten
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees; grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Stir the instant coffee into the melted butter. Combine the oats, raisins, wheat germ, coconut, brown sugar, honey, egg and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Add the butter mixture and mix well.

Press firmly into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cut into bars while still warm. Cool; remove from the pan.




Chewy Granola ars Recipe

Ready in: 30 minutes

Serves/Makes: 1 dozen

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs -- beaten
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup peanuts

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and press into 8x8x2-inch pan. Bake at 350F degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden. Cool in pan or rack. Cut into bars.




Blueberry Granola Bars Recipe

Ready in: 1-2 hrs

Serves/Makes: 18

Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9X9-inch square baking pan.

In a medium-size saucepan, combine honey, brown sugar, oil, and cinnamon, and bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 2 minutes; do not stir.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats and blueberries. Stir in honey mixture until thoroughly blended. Spread onto the prepared baking pan, gently pressing mixture flat. Bake until lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into 1-1/2 by 3 inch bars.



Gluten-Free Granola Bars Recipe

recipe is ready in 30-60 minutes

Serves/Makes: 16

Ingredients:
3 cups crushed corn flakes
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1/2 cup sesame seed
1/2 cup sunflower seed
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup margarine or butter
10 ounces marshmallows

Directions:

Mix together cornflakes, rice cereal, sesame seed, sunflower seed, raisin and coconut in a large bowl. Melt margarine and marshmallows together over low heat. Add to other ingredients and stir until coated. Pat into a 9 x 13-inch buttered pan. Allow to cool and cut into bars. Wrap each bar in wrap or sandwich bags.




--Granola Bars

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup melted butter
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/2 cups oatmeal
3/4 cup coconut
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine all ingredients thoroughly, spread onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for thirty minutes or so until golden brown.




Hiker Bars Recipe

Ready in: 30-60 minutes

Serves/Makes: 3 dozen

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Peanut butter, chunky
1/3 cup Butter
2 medium Bananas (mashed)
1/2 cup Molasses
1 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
4 Eggs
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Ginger
2/3 cup Flour, whole-wheat
1 1/3 cup Flour, white
4 cups Kellogg's Special K cereal (crushed)
1 teaspoon Baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
6 ounces Chocolate chips
1 cup Peanuts, salted (chopped)
8 ounces Dates, chopped (or fewer)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Then by hand: In a large bowl cream together peanut butter and butter. Mix in bananas, molasses, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.

Stir in the cereal. Sift together dry ingredients and mix into batter. Add chips, peanuts and dates. Pour batter into greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree F. oven for 35 to 45 minutes. Cut into bars.

This recipe for Hiker Bars serves/makes 3 dozen




Soft Granola Bars Recipe

Ready in: 30-60 minutes

Serves/Makes: 40

Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips, optional
1 cup chopped nuts or flaked coconut
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
***Honey Glaze***
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons margarine or butter

Directions:

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 15x10" jellyroll pan. Using a spoon, mix together brown sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in oats, flour, raisins if desired, nuts, cinnamon, cloves, soda and salt. Using a spatula, spread mixture into prepared pan, patting evenly with your hands. Bake until center is set but not firm, 17-22 minutes. Cool 15 minutes.

Prepare Honey Glaze. Drizzle glaze evenly over granola mixture. Let cool completely and cut into bars. Bars can be stored, tightly covered, up to 2 weeks, or wrap tightly and freeze up to 6 months.

For Honey Glaze: Heat honey and margarine in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until margarine is melted and mixture is heated through.

This recipe for Soft Granola Bars serves/makes 40


credit for these recipes to CD Kitchen

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