Food

Food – No Dirt Required

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Throughout the world there are seasons when fresh greens from the garden or market may not be available. Most of us in North America depend on fresh produce that is transported across half a continent. Though we may garden in the summer, winter stops all but the most dedicated, or most southern, gardeners. But there is one way to get a little homegrown veggie goodness in a matter of days: sprouts! The crisp, curly, sometimes leafy tendrils are a cinch to grow on the kitchen counter.

Home sprouting can supply delicious fresh food, without the environmental drawbacks of the Mega-farm produced fresh produce, and at a fraction of the cost. Sprouting at home takes only a few seconds a day and can produce a good part of your daily requirements of the nutrients you need from fresh produce. The hassles are minor, the costs are low, and the freshness is wonderful. If you can supply a jar, some screen or netting, and rinse the sprouts twice a day, you can grow delicious organic sprouts in four to six days.

Sprouts are very inexpensive (even when organic), always fresh (they grow until you chew them) and have the potential to help solve hunger and malnutrition problems in our communities and in developing countries, because they are so rich in nutrients, affordable, and easy to transport before sprouting. Sprouts are precious in winter, when the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables is declining as their price increases. In addition to providing the greatest amount of nutrients, sprouts deliver them in a form that is easily digested and assimilated.

Many seeds can be sprouted, but some sprouts cannot be eaten raw. The most commonly sprouted seeds include:

  • Pulses (pea family):alfalfa, fenugreek, mung bean, lentil, pea, chickpea, soybean
  • Cereals: wheat, maize (corn), rice, barley, rye, kamut and then quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat (these last three are used as cereal even if botanically they are not)
  • Oilseeds: sesame, sunflower, almond, hazelnut, linseed
  • Vegetables and herbs:broccoli, carrot, spinach, cabbage, celery, fennel, onion, parsley, radish, turnip, leek, watercress, mustard, rocket (arugula), lemon grass, lettuce, clover, mizuna (Japanese mustard), milk thistle

Sprouting 1–2–3

What you’ll need:

  • organic sprout seeds or beans
  • 1–quart canning jar
  • cheesecloth or screen
  • rubber band
  • water

Place seeds or beans in bottom of jar, filling no more than one-quarter full. Cover with water, and let stand five hours or overnight, depending on type of seed.

Drain water from seeds or beans and rinse. Cover top of jar with cheesecloth or screen secured with a rubber band. Set in a warm spot that gets indirect sunlight.

Pour cool water through the cheesecloth or screen to rinse seeds or beans twice a day. Drain off excess water through cheesecloth—the seeds or beans will begin to sprout in three to five days. Once they’ve sprouted, store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Recipe – Mixed Berry Smoothie

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2 frozen bananas

4-5 strawberries

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

1 Tbsp. maple syrup or sugar

1-2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds

½ cup frozen spinach (Optional)

1-2 cups ice (depending on desired thickness)

(If using frozen berries, use soy, almond or rice milk instead of ice)

Toss all ingredients together into a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.

Food – Benefits of Fiber

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Have you noticed lately that there’s been more and more in the news about the importance of fiber in our diets? It seems like everywhere I look there are new high fiber foods (processed junk foods) that are hitting the grocer’s shelves or being touted on television ads as being good for you and your waistline simply because they are full of fiber. Yes, fiber is good for you and serves lots of purposes—especially if it comes naturally in whole, unprocessed foods.

Eating fiber-rich foods aids in digestion and the absorption of nutrients, and helps you to feel fuller longer after a meal (which can help curb overeating and weight gain). Eating the right amount of fiber has been shown to have a wide range of health benefits. Foods that are high in fiber can help in the treatment of constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis (the inflammation of pouches in the digestive tract) and irritable bowel syndrome. Dietary fiber may also help lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.

Do you think that you eat enough fiber? Does the thought of fiber-rich foods conjure up thoughts of oatmeal and sawdust-dry bread? Well, I guess that’s one way you could increase the fiber content, but I like the idea of eating whole foods a whole lot better. Whole foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains are loaded with fiber, while dairy and meat have virtually no fiber at all. So if you want to increase the amount of fiber in your diet, try the following ideas:

  1. Eat at least 2 cups of fruits and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables each day. Fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber include:
  • Beans (cooked) such as:
    • navy (1/2 cup = 9.5 grams)
    • kidney (1/2 cup = 8.2 grams)
    • pinto (1/2 cup = 7.7 grams)
    • black (1/2 cup = 7.5 grams)
    • lima (1/2 cup = 6.6 grams)
    • white (1/2 cup = 6.3 grams)
    • great northern (1/2 cup = 6.2 grams)
  • Artichokes (1 artichoke = 6.5 grams)
  • Sweet potatoes (1 medium sweet potato = 4.8 grams)
  • Pears (1 small pear = 4.4 grams)
  • Green peas (1/2 cup = 4.4 grams)
  • Berries such as raspberries (1/2 cup = 4.0 grams) and blackberries (1/2 cup = 3.8 grams)
  • Prunes (1/2 cup = 3.8 grams)
  • Figs and dates (1/4 cup = 3.6 grams)
  • Spinach (1/2 cup = 3.5 grams)
  • Apples (1 medium apple = 3.3 grams)
  • Oranges (1 medium orange = 3.1 grams)
  1. Replace refined white bread with whole-grain breads and cereals. Eat brown rice instead of white rice. Eat more of the following foods:
  • Bran muffins
  • Oatmeal
  • Bran or multiple-grain cereals, cooked or dry
  • Brown rice
  • Popcorn
  • 100% whole-wheat bread
  1. Aim for 5 grams of fiber per serving
  • Add 1/4 cup of wheat bran (miller’s bran) to foods such as cooked cereal, applesauce or meat loaf
  • Eat beans each week

Be sure to drink more fluids when you increase the amount of fiber you eat. Liquids help your body digest fiber. Drink 8 glasses of water each day.

Food for Life – Will Power

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“The power of the will! The tempted one needs to understand the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man,—the power of decision, of choice. Everything depends upon the right action of the will. Desires for goodness and purity are right, so far as they go; but if we stop here, they avail nothing. Many will go down to ruin while hoping and desiring to overcome their evil propensities. They do not yield the will to God. They do not choose to serve Him.

“God has given us the power of choice; it is ours to exercise. We can not change our hearts, we can not control our thoughts, our impulses, our affections. We can not make ourselves pure, fit for God’s service. But we can choose to serve God, we can give Him our will; then He will work in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus our whole nature will be brought under the control of Christ.

“Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in the life. By yielding up the will to Christ we ally ourselves with divine power. We receive strength from above to hold us steadfast. A pure and noble life, a life of victory over appetite and lust, is possible to everyone who will unite his weak, wavering human will to the omnipotent, unwavering will of God.

“Those who are struggling against the power of appetite should be instructed in the principles of healthful living. They should be shown that violation of the laws of health, by creating diseased conditions and unnatural cravings, lays the foundation for the liquor habit. Only by living in obedience to the principles of health can they hope to be freed from the unnatural stimulants. While they depend upon divine strength to break the bonds of appetite, they are to co-operate with God by obedience to His laws, both moral and physical.” Ministry of Healing, 176, 177.

“The power of the will is not valued as it should be. Let the will be kept awake and rightly directed, and it will impart energy to the whole being, and will be a wonderful aid in the maintenance of health. It is a power also in dealing with disease. Exercised in the right direction, it would control the imagination, and be a potent means of resisting and overcoming disease of both mind and body. By the exercise of the will power in placing themselves in right relation to life, patients can do much to co-operate with the physician’s efforts for their recovery. There are thousands who can recover health if they will. The Lord does not want them to be sick. He desires them to be well and happy, and they should make up their minds to be well. Often invalids can resist disease simply by refusing to yield to ailments and settle down in a state of inactivity. Rising above their aches and pains, let them engage in useful employment suited to their strength. By such employment and the free use of air and sunlight, many an emaciated invalid might recover health and strength.” Counsels on Health, 94.

“If Christians will keep the body in subjection, and bring all their appetites and passions under the control of enlightened conscience, feeling it a duty that they owe to God and to their neighbors to obey the laws which govern health and life, they will have the blessing of physical and mental vigor. They will have moral power to engage in the warfare against Satan; and in the name of Him who conquered appetite in their behalf, they may be more than conquerors on their own account. This warfare is open to all who will engage in it.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 65.

“The will is the governing power in the nature of man, bringing all the other faculties under its sway. The will is not the taste or the inclination, but it is the deciding power, which works in the children of men unto obedience to God, or unto disobedience.” Child Guidance, 209.

August Recipe:

Blueberry Ice Cream

2 cups Water

1 cup Cashews

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 Bananas

1 cup Crust pineapple

1 cup Date pieces

1/2 tsp. Sea salt

Whiz until thoroughly blended, then add:

1 Box Frozen Blueberries.

Continue blending until smooth. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. When ready to serve, place cubes in Champion Juicer with Solid plate in place. Enjoy delicious, smooth, and healthful ice cream!

Recipe – Brownies

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¼ cup canola oil (or soy butter)

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup raw sugar or date sugar

1 egg (or substitute)

3 Tbsp. milk (soy or nut)

½ tsp. sea salt

1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla

1 tsp. ground coriander, optional

½ cup carob powder

1 ½ tsp. Rumford baking powder (or 1 Tbsp. EnerG®)

2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cream first three ingredients until smooth. Add next six ingredients. Beat well. Sift baking powder and flour; stir flour and nuts into mixture. Spread batter in 9″ x 9″ pan coated with non-stick spray. Bake 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Adapted from: A Good Cook … by Rosalie Hurd, B.S. and Frank J. Hurd, D.C., M.D., College Press, Collegedale, Tennessee, 2008, 624.

Food – Veganized Desserts

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Like any other diet, a vegan diet can be complete and balanced or incomplete and unbalanced. Unfortunately, vegan eating is not a guarantee of good health. We still need to pay attention to our choices, watch our portion sizes, limit junk and processed foods, and ensure adequate intake of a few nutrients not easily available from vegan foods. How might desserts fit in a complete and balanced vegan diet?

It wasn’t so long ago that vegan desserts were viewed at best as an amusing oxymoron and at worst as some sort of gastronomic punishment. Perhaps you have not felt well after eating sweet, sugary desserts and even suffered from stomachaches or became moody and exhausted. It makes so much sense that food and your health would be related. Without dairy, eggs, and processed sugar in your diet, you can feel really good. By giving all the desserts you have loved a plant-based makeover, you can veganize desserts!

Perhaps you remember the dark days, when vegan sweets were dry and brown and tasteless. A few years ago, I would have recoiled at the thought of a vegan dessert—no butter, milk, or eggs? But sometime in the last few years, that began to change. The reasons include everything from a growing awareness of organic, healthy eating to the rising number of people diagnosed with food allergies every year (the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network estimates that some 12 million Americans have food allergies) to advances in vegan baking techniques and aesthetics.

Now everyone with a real sweet tooth, including those who are lactose or gluten intolerant, reducing cholesterol, or simply prefer healthy, natural ingredients without sacrificing taste, truly can have their cake and eat it, too. One thing remains constant—if you want to sell someone on vegan dessert, it has to be delicious.

Not only do vegan desserts taste good and, yes, sometimes even better than their dairy-filled counterparts, but you probably won’t even know that what you’re eating is vegan unless someone tells you. You simply need to create the vegan desserts by translating conventional, non-vegan recipes and shun popular dairy-free substitutes like egg replacers in favor of ingredients like bananas and sweet potatoes (both of which replicate the thick moisture of eggs).

Baking Without Eggs

Applesauce: Add 1/4 cup in place of one egg. Holds things together and adds moisture. But to help things rise, might need to add more baking powder (about 1/2 teaspoon).

Banana: Use 1/2 banana, mashed, for one egg in sweet baked goods. Also add about 1/2 teaspoon extra baking soda.

Tofu: Use about 1/4 cup mashed silken tofu for one egg. Also add 1/4–1/2 teaspoon extra baking powder.

Prune Puree: Puree your own, purchase pureed prunes, or even use baby food prunes. Use 1/4 cup prunes plus 1/2 teaspoon extra baking powder for one egg.

Baking Powder: Add an extra 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 2 Tablespoons extra liquid to replace one egg.

Flaxseed: Grind 3 Tablespoons flaxseed to a very fine powder. Add 1/2 cup water and blend until mixture becomes thick. Use to replace two or three eggs.

Powdered Egg Replacer: A boxed powder mix available in natural foods stores. Just blend with water to replace eggs in a recipe.

Recipe – Shepherdess Pie

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2 pounds potatoes

3 Tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 carrots, coarsely grated

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3 Tablespoons margarine

4 ounces mushrooms, chopped

2 14-ounce cans aduki beans

2-1/2 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon vegetable yeast extract

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs

dried bread crumbs or chopped nuts to sprinkle

Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender, then drain, reserving a little of the water to moisten them. Mash well, mixing in the olive oil and desired amount of salt until a smooth purée. Gently sauté the onion, pepper, carrots and garlic in the margarine for about 5 minutes, until they are soft. Stir in the mushrooms and drained beans and cook for another 2 minutes, then add the stock, yeast extract, bay leaves and Italian herbs. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and empty the vegetables into a shallow ovenproof dish. Spoon on potatoes in dollops and sprinkle with breadcrumbs or nuts. Broil until golden brown.

Food – Eat Your Vegetables

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In order to know what are the best foods, we must study God’s original plan for man’s diet. He who created man and who understands his needs appointed Adam his food. … Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator.” Child Guidance, 380. (Emphasis supplied.)

“Eat your vegetables” is an admonition most of us endured through childhood. No one needs to tell me that now! Vegetables are one of my favorite foods, because of their great taste, diversity, and healthful benefits.

Long overlooked and underrated, fruits and vegetables have attained new popularity. Gardeners, enjoying a bountiful harvest, look for new ways to use a surplus of zucchini, green beans, or tomatoes. Calorie and nutrition-conscious cooks, knowing that fresh produce is a rich natural source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, plan menus including lots of vegetables.

Improved growing methods have extended the seasons of many vegetables, expanding market variety and availability. More than ever before, fresh and flavorful vegetables are widely available, rushed from farm to market to reach consumers in peak condition.

Fresh vegetables add color and variety to every culinary occasion, from the simplest family meal to the most lavish dinner party. Let the available produce and the season be your guide. Select and enjoy the finest produce your market offers, and follow the seasonal harvest for best values and top quality. Interest in vegetables has made uncommon varieties more widely available. When you find an unfamiliar vegetable, like spaghetti squash or fennel, add it to your shopping basket. And rediscover some long-forgotten vegetables, like turnips, rutabagas and parsnips. You’ll quickly understand their enduring appeal.

New and unfamiliar kinds of produce challenge innovative cooks to experiment with seasonings and preparation techniques. As you expand your vegetable repertoire, you’ll discover lively new combinations and introduce your family and friends to a wide variety of tempting and unusual vegetable dishes.

Recipe – Banana Recipes: Green Goddess & Banana-Honey Tofu Ice Cream

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Green Goddess

3 large ripe kiwifruit

2 ripe bananas

½ cup plain soft tofu, drained

1 ½ cups water, chilled

1 cup seedless green grapes

½ cup vanilla soy milk

3 Tbsp. honey

In blender, combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Pour mixture into glasses and serve.

Banana-Honey Tofu Ice Cream

½ lb. firm tofu, drained

1 cup plain soy milk

¼ cup honey

3 ripe bananas

1 ½ Tbsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

In blender, puree all ingredients in 2 equal batches until very smooth. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve right away or transfer to airtight container and freeze up to 3 days.

Food – Bananas

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Inexpensive, easy to eat, and always available, bananas are such a common treat that cooks tend to overlook the sweet (and savory) possibilities the fruit has to offer. Bananas are not widely consumed in Western dishes outside of breakfast, snacks, or desserts, but in Thailand there is a dish that combines sticky rice, black beans, and bananas, and in the Philippines you can find banana ketchup. In Kenya, green bananas are used to make fries, and you can use green bananas like potatoes to make various starch dishes.

There are some strong health reasons to expand your banana repertoire. Bananas are a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and fiber. Bananas are also high in starches called prebiotics because they feed probiotics, the friendly bacteria that help keep your digestive system in balance. All these qualities add up to make this everyday fruit pretty exceptional after all.

Nutritional Profile

One medium banana contains: 105 calories, 27 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 32 mg magnesium, 422 mg potassium, 0.4 mg vitamin B6.

Mellow Yellow, Rosy Red, and Max-Flavor Minis

Branch out from everyday yellow (Cavendish) bananas and reach for a bunch of these:

  • Burro Bananas—Squat and chunky, their mild flavor and starchy texture make them ideal for savory dishes.
  • Red Bananas—Faintly sweet, these maroon-skinned fruits have a fragrant, firm pinkish flesh.
  • Baby Bananas—Fans extol these petite treats’ concentrated “true” banana flavor.

Choose the Best of the Bunch

Bananas continue to ripen once picked, so look for vibrantly colored fruit—green or yellow, depending on how soon you plan to eat it. Avoid buying bananas that have a grayish or dull hue; this means they’ve been refrigerated in transport, which stops the ripening process. Black or brown speckles, or “sugar spots,” are a sign of ripeness, whereas larger, black bruises indicate the fruit has been damaged.

Tip: Never throw away overripe bananas again! Instead, peel and freeze them whole in plastic bags before they turn black. Frozen bananas work great in smoothies and baked goods.