Food – Page 43 – Irene Pastore Fitness.com

Off The Grid: Vegetable Spiralizer

January 16, 2013

No Power – No Worries – You can still eat healthy!

A manually powered kitchen tool that spiralizes vegetables. It comes with three blades. It’s easy to clean, and to store. Inexpensive. No batteries required, completely manual. Fun to use. Fast preparation.

If you’re in a power outage – no worries. You can still have fresh spaghetti, provided you have zucchini.

FAST NO COOK ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI
A Noodle Experience Without Grains

Aside from power outages, this clever kitchen tool comes in handy when you’re in a hurry. Just put a zucchini through the spiralizer. Within seconds you’ll have a large serving of fresh zucchini spaghetti.

Cover your zucchini pasta with your favorite sauce. Break open a jar of Rao’s, Trader Joe’s, or Whole Foods Four Cheese tomato sauce. Since the cheese is already in the sauce, you don’t have to grate parmesan, or romano onto your veggie pasta.

If you have time, you can add sautéed mushrooms, garlic or onions to this pasta dish. Zucchini is a bland vegetable, so don’t hesitate spicing things up with cayenne, black pepper, or chile pepper.

Zucchini pasta, is grain-free, so it’s good for anyone who wants to avoid grains.

SPIRALIZED RAW CARROTS
A Fun Way To Eat Your Veggies

If you don’t like eating raw carrot sticks, spiralize a carrot stick instead. A sprialized carrot is thin and crunchy. Drizzle your favorite dressing over the raw carrots. Experiment with other raw veggies, mix them together in a salad bowl, add dressing, and enjoy.

The spiralizer is not a toy. The blades are very sharp, so don’t let your children use it.

My Favorite Cheese Is Loaded With Salt

January 15, 2013

The cheese I’m referring to is Pecorino Romano, a sharp, dense, flaky-textured, aromatic Italian cheese, used for grating. If you’re on a salt-restricted diet, this cheese is not for you.

Another way to eat Pecorino Romano is to slice off pieces, and place it on a slice of crusty bread or fruit. Pears are an excellent complement to the salty cheese flavor.

Pecorino RomanoGreat for snacks on your next hiking trip. — *Pecorino Romano*
*Great for snacks on your next hiking trip.*

The name Romano refers to the ancient Romans, who began making this cheese 2000 years ago. Made from sheep’s milk, Pecorino Romano was a staple in the diet of the legionaries of the ancient Roman army.

Because of its high fat content, a little goes a long way. It’s also high in calcium, and that’s a good thing. Sharper than Parmesan, Pecorino Romano has also been described as hearty, bold, full-flavored, briny, and pungent.

Not to make it a daily habit because of its high fat content, but something of a treat. Good to take on backpacking trips because this cheese won’t spoil easily.

Trader Joe’s sells grated and solid Pecorino Romano, at very reasonable prices.

Cinnamon: Ancient Spice, Modern Medicine

January 3, 2013

Cinnamon is a warm, aromatic, spice. It was used in ancient Rome, Egypt, and China as a spice and a medicine, and was considered to be as valuable as gold.

Cinnamon bark is harvested from cinnamon trees, and sold in sticks or powder. The most common types of cinnamon are Ceylon, and Cassia. Ceylon is sweeter, lighter in color, and softer in texture.

Ceylon cinnamon sticks are easily ground in a coffee grinder. Cassia is less expensive, more common, and sold in supermarkets.

BUYING TIPS

Buy organic for fresher flavor.
Store cinnamon in a glass jar in the fridge. It will remain fresh for six months.
To save money, buy bulk from a local health food store, or food co-op.
To preserve flavor, buy Ceylon cinnamon sticks, and grind them in a coffee grinder, as needed.

HOW TO USE CINNAMON

Top your cappuccino, or latte with powdered cinnamon.
Make tea from cinnamon sticks.
Add cinnamon to granola cereal.
Stir hot cocoa with a cinnamon stick.
Sprinkle cinnamon over French Toast.
Add cinnamon to a smoothie.
Stir cinnamon into warm oatmeal cereal.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF CINNAMON

Anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral
Anti-clotting
Blood sugar control
Improves colon health
Reduces intestinal gas
High in anti-oxidants
Rich source of polyphenols
Anti-inflammatory
Antiseptic

More about cinnamon health benefits here.

Off The Grid: Quick Holiday Cappuccino

December 12, 2012

Off The Grid means no electricity. If you really want to get down to basics, it means no batteries either. All the work is manual.

Traditional Cappuccino is an espresso coffee drink. Black coffee is poured into a cup, and then hot milk is added, and then another layer of hot milk foam is placed on the top. To enhance flavor, powdered cinnamon, chocolate chips, chocolate powder, or carob powder might be used to top the foamed milk.

Froth, or foam are the bubbles formed at the top of milk after processing.

Veering away from tradition, and for the sake of saving time, here are three ways to make your Quick Holiday Cappuccino.

THREE WAYS TO FROTH COLD MILK

Equipment: A glass jar with a snug lid. Hand powered shake method.

Pour milk into a glass jar, leaving space for bubbles to form. Shake vigorously for about one minute. Open lid, and spoon some of the foamed milk into coffee. If the milk foam isn’t sufficient, shake some more, or use a different type of milk.

Equipment: Hand-powered milk frother.

Purchase a hand-powered milk frother. Follow directions that come with your frother. There are various models, from low to high priced. Some are made from stainless steel, others from glass.

Equipment: Battery- powered milk frother.

Battery-powered frothers are off grid, but you’ll need to keep batteries on hand to use your frother.

MILK TYPES FOR FOAMING

Not all milk will foam. Some types of milk will foam, but won’t have much body. Experiment with your favorite milk, to see what you like.

Cold evaporated milk will produce foam, and body.
Cold rice, hemp, or almond milk will not foam well, or have body.
Cold skim milk will foam, but won’t have much body.
Cold heavy cream will foam, and have body.
Cold soy milk will foam, but won’t have much body.

SOY MILK CAPPUCCINO RECIPE

1 Cup unflavored soymilk
2 Teaspoons maple syrup, brown sugar or honey
2 Teaspoons grain beverage powder or unsweetened cocoa
powder
1/4 Teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch ground cinnamon
Optional garnish: Chocolate shavings, Cinnamon, Chocolate Powder, Carob Powder.

Directions

Heat soy milk in saucepan until just below boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Beat with egg beater until frothy. Garnish with chocolate shavings, cinnamon, chocolate powder, or carob powder.

The Doc Is In: Meat Free Meals Are Humane, Hearty and Healthy

December 9, 2012

The following article appeared in the Humane Society Guide To Meat-Free Meals, and was written by Doctor Michael Greger, Director of HSUS Public Health.

We don’t need to consume animals to be healthy – just the opposite. Nutriton experts worldwide advise us to increase our consumption of plant-based foods and to cut down on saturated animal fat and cholesterol, which are found exclusively in meat, eggs, and dairy products.

Meat-free diets are recommended by the American Heart Association, National Cancer Institute, World Health Organization, and U.S. dietary guidelines.

The health benefits are clear.

People who eat fewer animal products have lower rates of obesity,dementia, arthritis, high blood pressure, kidney disease, gallstones, hemorrhoids, constipation, diverticulosis, and appendicitis.
People who eat completely meatless diets are half as likely to become hospitalized or require medications, and they’re less likely to need emergency medical procedures.
Meat-free diets are even being used to reverse chronic diseases: opening clogged arteries, curing type 2 diabetes, and alleviated obesity.

Humane diets may also boost our longevity. The population with the longest life expectancy isn’t the Okinawa Japanese or the Mediterranean Sardinians, but California Adventist vegetarians, who live up to 10 years longer than the average American and enjoy lower rates of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain cancers.

Choosing animal-free foods is an easy, inexpensive way to shed unnecessary pounds, reduce cancer risk, and improve heart health. Join millions of Americans in discovering the joys and benefits of leaving animal products off your plate.

Off The Grid Vegetable Juicer

December 1, 2012

When Hurricane Sandy hit New York City, in late October 2012, a lot of us lost power. So I decided to start an Off The Grid category for anyone interested in learning more about household appliances that are either battery, or manually operated.

In addition, Off The Grid posts will help you find out where to buy these products, without too much searching. Continue reading “Off The Grid Vegetable Juicer”

Irene Pastore Fitness.com

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