Food

Recipe – Lentil Burger

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2 cups sunflower seed, soaked 8–12 hours, sprouted 4 hours

4 Tablespoons chopped parsley

4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice or to taste

1 1/2 cups sprouted lentils

2 Tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos or 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

4 carrots, finely grated

1 small onion, cut in chunks

1 Tablespoon chicken-like seasoning

4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano

2–3 cloves garlic, chopped

In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients. Process until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and broken into very small bits. (Depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to process this recipe in batches.) Form the mixture into 1/2 to 1-inch thick patties. Dehydrate 8 to 12 hours or leave them in the sun or warm them in a very low oven (below 118 degrees Fahrenheit). Makes 9 to 10 patties. These burgers are great served between cabbage leaves, with bread and Vegenaise, or on a plate with warm mushroom gravy.

Food For Life – Sprouting and Health Pt II

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When it is time to harvest and use your sprouts, a little time and care will increase your eating pleasure. Adzuki, alfalfa, cabbage, clover, fenugreek, mung, and radish taste better with their hulls removed. The sprouts can be put into a sink filled halfway with cool water, then agitated gently with your fingers to remove the hulls, which will either fall to the bottom of the sink or begin to float. Push the floating hulls to one corner of the sink, and then gently remove the sprouts, being careful to not stir up the hulls on the bottom of the sink. The harvested sprouts can be transferred to a covered clean glass jar or placed in a sealable plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator. The sprouts will continue to grow slowly in the refrigerator until use.

Although this is an easy process, sometimes things can go wrong. The most common problem is spoilage. Contributing to spoilage may be one of the following factors: bad or cracked seeds, inconsistent rinsing—remember this removes the seeds’ waste, too much heat, and inadequate ventilation. So be sure to inspect your seeds for cracked seed, rinse on a regular basis, monitor the temperature and rinse more often if needed, and, lastly, use a fan to circulate the air. One other thing that can affect the enjoyment of your sprouts is poor texture or a bitter taste. This can be avoided by following the sprouting chart* carefully—do not over soak and do not grow the sprouts too long.

Sprouts can be used in salads; on bread; in bread recipes, dried breads, and crackers; blended to make spreads or juice; in loafs and dressings; in milks, cereals, and soups. Begin your sprouting journey and see where it takes you. Enjoy better health as you add sprouts into your diet.

*For a copy of the sprouting chart, e-mail your request to: historic@stepstolife.org, or refer to The Sprouting Book, by Ann Wigmore, Avery Publishing Group Inc., Wayne, New Jersey, 1986.

Recipe – Sunflower Almond Cereal

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Ingredients

Soak overnight:

2 Tbsp. raw almonds,

2 Tbsp. raw sunflower seeds

1 Tbsp. raw walnuts or pecans (optional)

½ cup fruit of your choice:

apple, banana, kiwifruit, berries, mango, peach, etc.

Process

Strain the first three ingredients and then add ½ cup of your favorite, chopped or sliced, fresh fruit. Add your favorite milk (almond, rice or soy) and enjoy!

OR, you can add all to a bowl of hot cereal!

Food – Kiwifruit

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I love kiwifruit. They are so delicious, and I discovered recently that the peelings are also nutritious. Though not yet courageous enough to eat the peelings because of their texture, I do put the whole fruit into my smoothies.

“A study conducted at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, evaluated the nutritional value of twenty-seven different fruits to determine, ounce for ounce, which provides the most nutrition. The results? Kiwifruit, with an index of 16, was found to be the most nutrient dense of all fruits. (Second place was papaya at 14, and third place was a tie between mango and orange, which both scored 11.) Kiwi has the highest level of vitamin C, almost twice that of an orange, and is also a decent source of magnesium. Two medium kiwifruits have almost 5 g of fiber. And kiwi—along with papaya and apricot—outranked bananas and oranges as the top low-sodium, high-potassium food!

“Another study in the Journal of Medicinal Food examined nine different fruits and fruit juices and reported that eight of them—including kiwi—exhibited significant ability to reduce oxidative stress (damage from free radicals) in human plasma. This ability of kiwi to protect against cellular damage was confirmed in yet another study in Carcinogenesis that was even more promising: In the carcinogenesis study, not only did the kiwifruit limit the amount of oxidative damage to DNA, but it also stimulated cellular repair of the damage that did occur! Even better, the effect of kiwifruit on DNA damage and repair was seen when it was simply added to a normal diet, and the effects were seen across a whole group of volunteers and in a very short time!

The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S., pages 122, 123.

If you like raw crunchies in the morning you will like the cereal recipe below.

 

Sunflower-Almond Cereal

Ingredients

Soak overnight:

2 Tbsp. raw almonds,

2 Tbsp. raw sunflower seeds

1 Tbsp. raw walnuts or pecans (optional)

½ cup fruit of your choice:

apple, banana, kiwifruit, berries, mango, peach, etc.

 

Process

Strain the first three ingredients and then add ½ cup of your favorite, chopped or sliced, fresh fruit. Add your favorite milk (almond, rice or soy) and enjoy!

OR, you can add all to a bowl of hot cereal!

Recipe – Nut Roast

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2 1/2 cups celery, chopped

3 medium onions, chopped

3 Tablespoons oil

3 Tablespoons water

3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

3/4 cup pecan or sunflower meal

3 cups dried bread cubes

3 cups soy milk or whizzed tomatoes

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons sweet basil

1/2 teaspoon sage

Sauté together the first four ingredients. Combine well all ingredients and place in oiled loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cover loaf while baking except for the last 20 minutes. Serve with gravy.

Food – Protein and the Vegan Diet

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Some Americans are obsessed with protein. Vegans—individuals who refrain from eating all animal products—are bombarded with questions about where they get their protein. Athletes used to eat thick steaks before competition because they thought it would improve their performance. Protein supplements are sold at health food stores. This concern about protein is misplaced. Although protein is certainly an essential nutrient which plays many key roles in the way our bodies function, we do not need huge quantities of it. In reality, we need small amounts of protein. The protein recommendation for vegans amounts to close to 10 percent of calories coming from protein. This contrasts with the protein intake of non-vegetarians, which is close to 14–18 percent of calories.

Being vegetarian does not mean your diet will be lacking in protein. Most plant foods contain protein, and in fact, it would be very difficult to design a vegetarian diet that is short on protein. In the United States, it appears that vegan diets are commonly lower in protein than standard American diets. Remember, though, with protein, more is not necessarily better. There do not appear to be health advantages to consuming a high protein diet. Diets that are high in protein may even increase the risk of osteoporosis and kidney disease. It is now thought that one of the benefits of a vegetarian diet is that it contains adequate but not excessive protein.

Proteins are made up of smaller units called amino acids. There are about 20 different amino acids, 8 of which must be present in the diet. These are the essential amino acids. Unlike animal proteins, plant proteins may not contain all the essential amino acids in the necessary proportions. However, a varied vegetarian diet means a mixture of proteins are consumed, the amino acids in one protein compensating for the deficiencies of another.

It is very easy for a vegan diet to meet the recommendations for protein. Nearly all vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds contain some, and often much, protein. Fruits, sugars, and fats do not provide much protein, so a diet based only on these foods would have a good chance of being too low in protein. Vegans eating varied diets containing vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds rarely have any difficulty getting enough protein as long as their diet contains enough energy (calories) to maintain weight.

Eating a variety of unrefined grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, and vegetables throughout the day, so that if one food is low in a particular essential amino acid another food will make up this deficit, is strongly recommended.

Recipe – Stir-Fried Rice Noodles

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2 Tablespoons minced garlic

6 oz package Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Grillers® Recipe Crumbles™ or TVP, soaked

14 oz package rice noodles,* soaked and cooled

1 lb bean sprouts or chopped cabbage

1 bottle vegetarian stir-fry sauce*

1/2 cup sweet chili sauce*

1 bunch scallions, chopped (optional)

Soak the rice noodles in water overnight or for two hours. Do not cook. Drain off the water when ready to fry. Heat small amount of cooking oil in a wok (Asian stir-fry pan), add minced garlic, and vegeburger crumbs, and fry for two minutes until garlic is slightly golden. Add the cold, drained noodles, sauces, and bean sprouts. Stir-fry for about 8 minutes or until noodles are soft. Once done, stir in scallions. (Serves 4–5 people.)

*Ingredients may be available in the oriental section of your grocery market or at any larger Asian supermarket.

Food for Life – Laws of Health

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God has three expectations of us in regard to our health. First, He expects us to learn the laws of health. Just as the natural world around us is governed by laws, there are laws central to and within our very being that we need to learn in order to be healthy.

“God has placed it in our power to obtain a knowledge of the laws of health. He has made it a duty to preserve our physical powers in the best possible condition, that we may render to Him acceptable service. Those who refuse to improve the light and knowledge that have been mercifully placed within their reach are rejecting one of the means which God has granted them to promote spiritual as well as physical life. They are placing themselves where they will be exposed to the delusions of Satan.” Counsels on Health, 454.

In Hosea 4:6 we are told that not only are God’s people destroyed for lack of knowledge, but “because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.” God expects us to study the laws of our being and the laws of health.

Knowledge alone will not make us healthy. God also expects us to apply that knowledge in practice and obedience. “We have no right wantonly to violate a single principle of the laws of health.” Healthful Living, 18. “Our first duty, one which we owe to God, to ourselves, and to our fellowmen, is to obey the laws of God. These include the laws of health.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 12.

The Bible also makes it very clear that we are to glorify God through our bodies: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20. (See also 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17.) God’s second expectation of us is that we practice or obey the laws of health.

Third, God expects us to teach the laws of health. “No teacher of truth should feel that his education is completed till he has studied the laws of health, and knows the bearing of right practices on the spiritual life. He should be qualified to speak to the people intelligently in regard to these things, and to set them an example that will give force to his words.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, 59. We must educate people in right principles of health if we expect them to have perfect physical, mental, social, and spiritual health.

Recipe – Fruited Breakfast Quinoa

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1/2 cup rinsed quinoa

1-1/2 cups vanilla rice milk

2 Tablespoons raisins

1 cup chopped fresh or canned apricots

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

To thoroughly rinse quinoa, cover it with water in a mixing bowl, then rub it between the palms of your hands. Pour off the cloudy liquid through a strainer and then repeat the process two or three more times, until the rinse liquid remains clear.

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the rinsed and drained quinoa with rice milk. Bring to a slow simmer, then cover and cook for about 15 minutes until the quinoa is tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients; then transfer about 1-1/2 cups of the mixture to a blender; purée. Return puréed mixture to the pan and stir to mix. Serve warm or chilled. Makes about 3 cups.

Recipe from Foods That Fight Pain, by Neal Barnard, M.D. (Harmony Books, New York, 1998.)

Food For Life – Healthy Breakfast – The Best Way to Begin Your Day

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It might be the last thing on your morning to-do list, or it might not be on your list at all, but a healthy breakfast refuels your body and jump-starts your day. So do not overlook this important meal. Select healthy options that fit your taste and lifestyle, and put breakfast back into your morning.

Breakfast not only starts your day off right, but also lays the foundation for lifelong health benefits. People who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to:

  • Consume more vitamins and minerals and less fat and cholesterol,
  • Have better concentration and productivity throughout the morning,
  • Control their weight, and
  • Have lower cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease.

Breakfast is especially important for children and adolescents. According to the American Dietetic Association, children who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to have better concentration, problem-solving skills and eye-hand coordination. They may also be more alert, creative and less likely to miss days of school.

A healthy breakfast should consist of a variety of foods, for example, whole grains, low-fat protein sources, and fruit. This provides complex carbohydrates, protein, and a small amount of fat—a combination that delays hunger symptoms for hours.

Addressing the importance of breakfast, Ellen White gave the following counsel to one mother about her daughter: “Never let her go from home to school without her breakfast. Do not venture to give full scope to your inclinations in this matter. Place yourself entirely under the control of God, and He will help you to bring all your desires into harmony with His requirements.

“It is the custom and order of society to take a slight breakfast. But this is not the best way to treat the stomach. At breakfast time the stomach is in a better condition to take care of more food than at the second or third meal of the day. The habit of eating a sparing breakfast and a large dinner is wrong. Make your breakfast correspond more nearly to the heartiest meal of the day.” Child Guidance, 390.