Garlicy Kale and Pistacio Pasta

This is absolutely delicious!
Its high in protein and has bursts of salty and garlicy flavor. yumm

What you will need:
3 cloves garlic
1 T butter, 1 T olive oil
Ground pepper
1 bunch kale chopped small, or as liberally as you like.
Quina Pasta cooked, 6 minutes, still al dente
Hand full of salted shelled pistacios
A nice shredded parm or asiago for topping

How To For the Kale:

Start butter, oil andd garlic in sautee pan on low, cook garlic until lightly browned.
Add Kale, toss, continue to cook on low and steam/sautee kale until tender.
Add pepper to your liking.
Next add shelled pistacio's, heat up, and then toss in cooked quinoa pasta.

Plate and sprinkle cheese on top.

Ginger Cake with lots o' Fruit

Cakes can be so bad for you, and they can actually be good for you too. We are so accustomed to cooking with bad and processed ingredients, that we forget that it can be changed with just a few adjustments and just a few changes of mind. Added my twist to this recipe. yummmmmm

Ginger Cake with lots o' Fruit 

What you will need:

Cake

1 3/4 cups unbleached flour

1 cup spelt flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

4 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 cup warm water

2 T maple syrup

½ cup peach puree

¾ cup molasses

1 egg replacer, about a half a banana or 1/4 cup applesauce 

Pre-heat oven to 325F. Grease and flour a shallow 9” cake pan.

Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Peach Filling

1 pound fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced

¼ cup honey

1/4 cup water

½ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground ginger

For peach filling:

Combine peaches, honey, water, cloves and ginger in a pot over medium to low heat.

Cook about 10 minutes, or until liquid is reduced, stirring occasionally.

Slice cooled cake in half and spread the filling between the layers and on top. 

Interesting article about Food Waste from NPR

Eliza Barclay from NPR investigates issues of food waste and restaurants in America. Its an interesting little bit on how restaurants are becoming aware of their impact on the environment, some a least.

Check it out-

For Restaurants, Food Waste Is Seen As Low Priority

I don't even like Macaroni and Cheese, this twist makes it irresistable!

Bechamel and Carmelized cheddar Mac N Cheez with a side of kale chips.

I learned this style of cooking macaroni and cheese while working at Zingerman's Roadhouse. My recipe is not the same, it is a richer version and somehow......just so happens to taste better......Sorry chef Alex :o!

The main thing that makes this dish so delicious is the bechamel cream sauce as the base. You will look up a lot of recipes for the perfect combination, only to find out that in my opinion it really depends on your taste preference to reveal what is right for you. Either way, I discovered this to be right for me, and its fantastic!


What you need:
Bechamel Cream Sauce [recipe below]
1 box Penne Pasta
1 package sharp white cheddar, I use a Tillamook cheddar.  
Kale chips

Kale chips:
turn oven on to 375, toss whole leaf kale in olive oil, bake until crispy, sprinkle a little sea salt on top.

Bechamel Cream Sauce: 
2 cups organic heavy whipping cream
2 cups water
4 T unsalted organic butter
1 T organic white unbleached flour
1/2 chopped small white onion
1 clove garlic minced
Black peppercorn grinder

melt the butter
add flour and stir until fully mixed in
slowly add cream and water, add garlic and onions, do a few twists of peppercorn, simmer up to 15 minutes, stirring frequently

Pasta:
Use a nice penne pasta, organic preferably

Cheese:
A sharp white cheddar is ideal, I use a whole package of Tillamook to a whole box of pasta.

How to cook it:
First I will say I am no recipe follower, I try new things and add my own flare. so here it goes, trying the straight and narrow.

Use 1 cup prepared bechamel, 1 cup prepared pasta, and 2 T cheese.

Heat up a saute pan over medium heat, add a splash of oil, and add bechamel cream sauce to the pan. let heat up and then add cheddar, let sink to the bottom and sit for a few, then start stirring to melt the cheddar all the way, some of the cheddar may carmalize and brown on the bottom of the pan. If you can make this happen even better. Carmelized cheddar tastes amazing. Once cheddar is fully melted, add the pasta, heat up and toss, and serve with a side of kale chips, or screw it and throw the kale chips in the mac n cheez, even better!

Holy Mojo. Fried green Tomato, pulled Chicken, and Bacon sandwich.

Ok This sandwich must be eaten as is. If you substitute you do it injustice! But do your thang!

Anyway, I have been opening my mind up to cooking with lard. I am a bacon-eater and although I like to make sure my piggy was happy before I eat it, very little can stop me from a chance to chow on some bacon. Sometimes I even gross myself out!!! But I love it.

So cooking with lard is a traditional form of cooking, its cost saving, and delicious, and nutritious in my opinion.

Here we go......

This recipe has 4 levels so I will separate them for convenience:
Chicken- 

marinate in vinegar, olive oil, pepper, old bay, spices, ect. Some fresh cilantro and lemon juice would be awesome as well.
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
-Then start the grill and grill on low until cooked through. Then pull/chop it up small, and finish with a dress in shredded cabot or vermont white cheddar.

Bacon-
cook the bacon and save the fat. don't burn the bacon otherwise you will denature the fat. eat a piece while you are cooking :)


Kale and onions-
A bunch of Kale
1/2 onion
-chop up the kale in small pieces, same with the onions. begin sauteing the onions and kale in the pan with a tablespoon of bacon fat until tender.

Green Tomatoes- 
I used 2 medium green tomatoes
Spices, peppers, garlic, use a mix
Hot sauce, like clancy's fancy or franks whatever pleases you
Some Olive Oil, and bacon fat for frying.
1 Egg
-Dress in oil, hot sauce, and spice mix to get the flavors going. Then add one egg, stir and coat, get the oil/bacon fact going, and begin to dress your tomaters in cornmeal. place in pan, let cook for a few on med/low and flip one over to see if its browned. If so, flip them all. and do the same again. place on a hearty napkin or paper bag when finished.

Now for the finished product, onion bun, grilled. Layer the chicken, bacon, greens, and fried green tomatoes. Top with franks and ranch dressing!!!!!!!

Holy yummmmmmmmnesssssssssss.

Seriously, this is a big, GENERAL, claim!!!! "Study: Eggs Are Nearly as Bad for Your Arteries as Cigarettes"

Published in the Atlantic Wire the following was done. Just remember the eggs you are consuming, research shows that free range chickens eating a normal diet have significantly lower cholesterol when compared with industrial eggs. This is an alarming article, and one that should not be carelessly thrown around. Eggs are good for you, in moderation, but they have to be happy chickens. I believe it is true that the factory-farmed chickens are more stressed, having poor diets, therefore deficient in the good stuff and have more of the bad stuff, including cholesterol.

Study: Eggs Are Nearly as Bad for Your Arteries as Cigarettes

By Brian Fung

inShare Aug 14 2012, 8:00 AM ET The cholesterol in delicious egg yolks accelerates atherosclerosis (the build-up of plaque in our arteries) almost as much as smoking.
anneh632/Flickr PROBLEM: Last year, the average American consumed 247 eggs -- over 40 percent more than the world per-capita average. Because egg yolks are high in cholesterol, eating whole eggs increases cholesterol, a known risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart attacks. Previous research also links CAD with cigarette smoke.

---

METHODOLOGY: Canadian researchers examined 1,231 patients at London's Health Sciences Centre's University Hospital. The average age of all the patients was 62. Ultrasound measurements of the carotid arteries established the presence and quantity of atherosclerotic plaque, and the scans were accompanied by lifestyle surveys. Smoking was measured in pack-years (number of packs per day multiplied by the number of years spent smoking). Egg yolk consumption was measured in egg yolk-years.
RESULTS: Aging was associated with a linear increase in arterial plaque after age 40, but smoking and egg consumption were each independently associated with an exponential increase in plaque. Egg consumption had two-thirds of the effect of smoking.
CONCLUSION: Egg yolks are almost as bad for your carotid arteries as smoking.
IMPLICATION: While the link between eggs and cholesterol -- and between cholesterol and heart disease -- is well established, this study sheds light on the extent of their potential harm if eaten routinely in large quantities. A single large egg contains more than 180 mg of cholesterol -- more than a third of a person's daily recommended intake. By this measure, a typical American breakfast alone, with two eggs (plus bacon!), would push well past that. Egg whites, meanwhile, remain excellent.
SOURCE: The full study, "Egg Yolk Consumption and Carotid Plaque," is published in the journal Atherosclerosis.

Fully Loaded Deviled Eggs

I enjoy making the most out of my dishes to pass. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

8 yolks of local, free range, hard boiled eggs.
1 sundried tomato chopped small.
5 olives pitted and chopped up small.
1/2 small chopped small onion.
3 big scoops of sour cream.
1 T of mustard.
a squirt of lemon juice.
pepper, salt, and hot sauce if you want.

mix and put back in the egg white halves.

Enjoy!

Thoughts on the Atlantic article "Debating the Local Food Movement"

Desrochers approach is highly cynical and classic of a close-minded approach who sees progress in society  as occurring in a lineal way and not multi-lineal. I think it is unfortunate that thinkers like this, tend to be running the world.Perspectives like the following are what limits growth and are plainly wrong:

By Desrochers "You cannot have economic growth without urbanization. And you cannot have urbanization without long-distance trade,"

and by Food economist Gary Blumenthal, about localism "I equate it to fundamental Islam – this rejection of modernity."

These statements are limiting, narrow minded and hold little truth, they are rooted in fear, its apparent.

Regardless, it is an interesting article and in my mind, a sign that local food movements are beginning to scare big food and transnational corporations. Which is fine with me. These movements won't be going away anytime soon. And "backward" progression in agricultural ways, is the future of food. The future holds more sustainable food systems, that are more environmentally friendly, putting power of choice, health, and knowledge into the peoples hands and communities.

Meat Matters, more than just in your belly!

Some of us do not like to think, or don't think, about all of the agents involved in our food system. But its important to do that, and once you know, you can change. Thinking about how increased meat consumption effects your body but also your environment is important, it will help you make healthier choices that go beyond you and effect other people, the environment, and even animals in the world.

For example increased meat consumption increases prices of grains like corn used to feed livestock, but in turn increases research on corn to make corn more plentiful and adaptable, still increasing mono-crop production, reducing diversity in our farms and food systems, increasing pesticide use, therefore more need for research, just to increase animals for meat consumption, which increases pollution in our drinking water, and antibiotics in our water, having diverse and adverse effects on us all...........................and it goes on.

Its actually a beautiful thing in my mind rather than a dooms day thing, because we actually have the power to make changes, just by changing how and where we eat and get our food from. So tomorrow if you are gonna buy some meat to eat, try getting it from your local farmer or look for food that is fairly traded, and yes, even organic you skeptics, I say organic is better than not, even if it is a muddy water concept. Change one item at a time. See how it changes the way you think, know that you are supporting a healthier world for today, and for your children to come.

Check this discussion on IFPRI.INFO called "Meat Matters" about why meat matters and some of the research too back it up.

When Diet is Wrong, Medicine is of No Use; When Diet is Correct Medicine is of No Need.

This old Ayurvedic proverb got me thinking today. How is it that we have gotten so far from our food, that even our medicine has too. Synthetic medicine, synthetic food, it plagues us in ways we don't see or taste. We have allowed our purchasing power to guide this, in an unintentional yet intentional way. Its very unfortunate, for us, and for our food as well. But its no doomsday, we can recover, we can change. And when we decide to make that change to eating in more healthful ways, we can often see results immediately. I love that about our bodies, we have the capacity to be amazing healers right inside of us. We do not need to seek help from without, our bodies have evolved for thousands of years to assist us in healing our ailments, food as evolved much in the same way to benefit us in that process. Check out this amazing New York Times article on how we are learning about our bodies capacity to heal. Tending the Body’s Microbial Garden.


So celebrate your body and the food we have all around us. I am going to make a Wild Clover Salad today and enjoy the benefits of this common 'weed' that is crazy tasty and super good for you!

So Excited for Zucchini!!!!

The zucchini in my garden are flowering right now! I am trying to be patient, but I am so excited I need to try this recipe with my home-grown zucchini. I can't wait.

Zucchini Fritters with Feta

 

1 lb zucchini, grated

1/2 tsp salt

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

6 small shiitake mushrooms, chopped 

2 eggs

1tbsp chopped fresh mint

150g feta, crumbled

5 tbsp homemade bread crumbs, I like to use a pepper bread or pepper crackers for this

freshly grated black pepper

salt

olive oil for frying

Put the grated zucchini in a colander, sprinkle with salt, mix and let stand for 20-30 minutes. Squeeze out any excess liquid, this makes them crispier in the end. You can however squeeze the water out right away and start the process, it just may not turn out as good, either way though its mouthwatering! 

 

In a medium bowl, combine the zucchini, mushroom, shallot, garlic, eggs, mint, feta and freshly toasted and crushed pepper bread. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Form patties to your liking, and put into the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer cooked patties on a paper towel to drain excess oil from them.

Eating for your Heart: The truth about Heart Disease from one professional to you

World Renown Heart Surgeon Speaks Out On What Really Causes Heart Disease

Well its chronic inflammation. What reduces inflammation? Eating fresh fruits and veggies [organic] EVERY SINGLE DAY, and actually having it make up the majority of your diet EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!!!! Its quick, its simple, its easy, and its more convenient then the microwave foods, and you reduce waste if you eat simple. In most countries where mass consumption is not part of the daily grind, they eat the same, complete, healthy meal every single day. Variety is good, but its more important just to get the basics, than replace them with the crap in the freezer isle or the dried processed wired microwavable foods where you just add water. What has the world come to. That is not food people!

Here is an excellent heart healthy meal:

Arugula Salad
2 cups Fresh picked Arugula, check out your local farmers market, or grow your own!
1 T Olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup peas, you can use beans also.
Sprinkle fresh grated Parmesan or feta or goat cheese.
Add fresh ground pepper.

mix together and enjoy!

Apple Crisp, its super easy

 

You can serve this over or with meats like pork, or frozen yogurt, or regular yogurt. You can also bake this if you just put the apples and applesauce in a baking pan with the granola on top. If you want to make a pie add something like a cornstarch substitute: for 1 tablespoon, use 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon potato flour or rice flour; 4 teaspoons quick-cooking tapioca; or 2 teaspoons arrowroot. Stay as far away from all of those corn products in everyday life. Having corn products every once in a while is ok, but its seriously way too much in our everyday diet. Consuming corn products that much can lead to a variety of health problems, both gastrointestinal as well as hormonal. In my mind, you are guilty until proven innocent. In the past corn was processed differently to release essential nutrients to make it an appropriate staple in the diet. Today that process does not happen, yet it is still a staple in America’s diet. Whether we get it from soda’s and other drinks [corn syrup], or in our cereal, or in our bread and other processed foods, it’s hard to avoid.  Who in the hell thought it was a good idea to create corn oil and corn syrup. It’s just not normal or natural, it did not exist a long time ago and when you eat corn does it taste oily? NO that’s because it’s not really a good food for oil. Walnuts are, olives are, peanuts, and coconuts are, not corn!

Anyway, please enjoy this, it takes only a few minutes and it’s a great dessert that is a total crowd pleaser.

1/4 cup, unfiltered apple cider, I like braggs.

4 large sweet and sour apples – there are some amazing MI heirlooms out there, just get a variety. Leave skins on (color = good, general rule of nutrition), cut in 4’s and then slice thin, 1 centimeter or so.

2-3 cups unsweetened applesauce, probably 2, maybe some of 3.

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and some turmeric if you want to add color and benefits, and some all spice too.

1 cup granola on top. I like Nature's Path flax or hemp plus, but those are usually high in sugar. Don’t like granola? Sprinkle and pan saute nuts, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, mixed in same spices as above but also add honey to the mix. Raw honey is best for you, has some essential trace nutrients we all need. Plus it’s a healing food.

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet or saucepan, add cider and apples over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until apples are almost tender, about 2-3 minutes.

Next stir in spices and applesauce and heat up for about a few minutes, stirring occasionally, letting the apple sauce thicken. Remove from heat and serve warm with granola or nuts or both on top.