healthy cooking tips

IF YOU EAT IT YOU BECOME IT!

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:00:04 GMT

Food Additives To Avoid

1. Sodium Nitrate (also called Sodium Nitrite)
This is a preservative, coloring, and flavoring commonly added to bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, smoked fish, and corned beef. Studies have linked eating it to various types of cancer.

2. BHA and BHT

Butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydrozyttoluene are used to preserve common household foods. They are found in cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, and vegetable oils. They are oxidants, which form potentially cancer-causing reactive compounds in your body.

3. Propyl Gallate

Another preservative, often used in conjunction with BHA and BHT. It is sometimes found in meat products, chicken soup base, and chewing gum. Animals studies have suggested that it could be linked to cancer.

4. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

MSG is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and restaurant food. It can cause headaches and nausea, and animal studies link it to damaged nerve cells in the brains of infant mice.

5. Trans Fats

Trans fats are proven to cause heart disease. Restaurant food, especially fast food chains, often serve foods laden with trans fats.

6. Aspartame

Aspartame, also known by the brand names Nutrasweet and Equal, is a sweetener found in so-called diet foods such as low-calorie desserts, gelatins, drink mixes, and soft drinks. It may cause cancer or neurological problems, such as dizziness or hallucinations.

7. Acesulfame-K

This is a relatively new artificial sweetener found in baked goods, chewing gum, and gelatin desserts. There is a general concern that testing on this product has been scant, and some studies show the additive may cause cancer in rats.

8. Food Colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6

Five food colorings still on the market are linked with cancer in animal testing. Blue 1 and 2, found in beverages, candy, baked goods and pet food, have been linked to cancer in mice. Red 3, used to dye cherries, fruit cocktail, candy, and baked goods, has been shown to cause thyroid tumors in rats. Green 3, added to candy and beverages, has been linked to bladder cancer. The widely used yellow 6, added to beverages, sausage, gelatin, baked goods, and candy, has been linked to tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney.

9. Olestra

Olestra, a synthetic fat found in some potato chip brands, can cause severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and gas. Olestra also inhibits healthy vitamin absorption from fat-soluble carotenoids that are found in fruits and vegetables.

10. Potassium Bromate

Potassium bromate is used as an additive to increase volume in some white flour, breads, and rolls. It is known to cause cancer in animals, and even small amounts in bread can create a risk for humans.

11. White Sugar

Watch out for foods with added sugars, such as baked goods, cereals, crackers, sauces and many other processed foods. It is unsafe for your health, and promotes bad nutrition.

12. Sodium Chloride

A dash of sodium chloride, more commonly known as salt, can bring flavor to your meal. But too much salt can be dangerous for your health, leading to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!

MY WHAT?

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:54:26 GMT

Your Brain

Your brain is a three pound control center of your mind and body requiring about 20% of the blood pumping out of your heart with each and every beat. For optimal and long-term power, your brain requires a continuous stream of nutrition and oxygen. Research on how the brain endures the damaging effects of everyday life shows that attention to nutrition can increase your chances against deterioration of your brain at any age.

Brain cells communicate with your other cells and keep mental activities in never-ending motion. These very busy cells consume up to five times more energy and need at least five times more blood sugar than any other part of your body. Keeping blood vessels clear of impediments improves brain function. The same kinds of nutrients that can boost cardiovascular health and keep blood flowing properly also aid your brain's nourishment.

Among the nutrients your brain craves are mixes of fatty acids that are incorporated into your brain cells' membranes. These delicate membranes are crucial for communication among neurons, nerve cells in your brain. By the time you mature, your brain contains a complicated web consisting of about 100 billion neurons linked by trillions of connections.

Within this complex system, about one-fourth of your brain's weight is fat, called lipids. Lipids serve many important roles, which include insulating nerve fibers and acting as building blocks of cell membranes surrounding neurons.

The most important fats you need to consume to increase cognitive processes are
omega-3 fatty acids. These are best obtained by eating fish, nuts, seeds, and flax and hemp oils.

Fats that should be avoided are trans fatty acids, found in many refined, processed and fried foods. These actually have detrimental effects on your brain. Hydrogenated oils added to many cakes, cookies, boxed cereals, breads, peanut butter, margarine, microwavable meals, all chips, and about half of all refined foods sold in containers are slow poisons. These possess physical characteristics that, when incorporated in cell membranes, radically alter their performance.

One hour after eating a fatty meal, blood cells begin to stick together. Within six hours the "clumping" is so severe that blood flow actually stops in small blood vessels. In addition, eating fatty foods decreases the bloods oxygen supply by 20%. The electrical communications between cells can be hindered. The flow of the bioelectrical current crucial to proper neuron function can be altered. Membranes can stiffen making them less flexible and potentially slowing your mental abilities as the harmful fats interfere with the normal flow of molecules in and out of brain cells.

Kids that eat too many of the fatty treats sold in supermarkets like candy bars, pastries, etc, may consequently suffer learning difficulties.

Your brain does require a steady, large supply of blood sugar. These are easily supplied by eating whole grain foods like brown rice, whole wheat and oats. B vitamins are also a good bet. In fact, they are called the mental health vitamin. But, metabolizing excess sugar depletes B vitamins in your body and at times there's not enough left over to produce great mental and emotional chemistry. B vitamins are found in lean meats, whole grain foods, dried beans and peas, sunflower seeds and nuts, green leafy vegetables, cheese, yogurt and tofu.

Your brain's large concentration of fat makes it vulnerable to destructive free radicals. To protect brain cells, the body produces an amino acid called glutathione, which helps defuse the destructive force and help salvage oxidized vitamin C so it can continue to act as an antioxidant.

Natural chemicals called polyphenols can aid in the protection of lipids in brain cell membranes. Rich sources of polyphenols include red wine, green tea, and soy.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!™

YOUR BRAIN ON LIFE

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:40:42 GMT

Mind and Spirit

We are citizens of the "information age" and, in so being, have a tendency toward mental hyperactivity. Excessive thought, worry and ultimately stress become commonplace. This, too, affects our health.

Calming the mind and spirit are important parts of restoring health. And, conversely, restoring health calms the mind and spirit. Avoiding foods and habits that scatter the mind (rich foods, refined sugar, alcohol, coffee, eating too late and too large of meals) and a simple diet with perhaps occasional light fasting goes a long way toward building inner peace.

Denatured, devitalized, deficient foods may very well create denatured, devitalized, deficient lives. Depression, isolation, insecurities, fears, intense anxiety… Life depleting food intake becomes brain chemistry influencing thinking and emotion. Foods can drive emotions and passionate desire, emotional heat, and even social disarray.

Nutritional science now understands that the amino acid tyrosine, which is abundantly supplied in protein-rich diets, produces in the brain the chemical dopamine. Dopamine causes enhanced activity and aggression. Excesses of spices, refined sugar treats, meats, and poor quality fats ultimately lead to nervousness, agitation, and depletion.

Complex carbohydrates and dairy products promote brain chemistry rich in tryptophan, seratonin and melatonin. When these substances are abundant in the body they promote calmness, deep sleep, strong immunity and a relaxed, focused mind. Emotions, body and intellect are harmonized.

A great many people in the so-called "advanced" civilizations of the world suffer from stagnation and degeneration of the mind and body. These problems can manifest themselves in dark obsessions and dull, warped personality traits.

Our emotions can take the shape of desires and cravings. Nervous systems, hearts and minds degenerate as well as the body.

Today exists epidemics of cancer, tumors, heart disease, emotional and mental diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, and moral and spiritual degenerations.

Many of us are blindly addicted to pre-packaged, processed and very rich tasting foods, excessive and poor quality meats, intoxicants of one kind or another, overly sweet, spicy, salty and fatty foods, and actually have no sense of diet other than mindless desires. And, we wonder why so many of us are unable to sleep well or concentrate, why we're angry or resentful, depressed or despondent, sick and tired, and disillusioned with life or without hope.

Increasing numbers of children are diagnosed each year with attention deficit disorder (ADD). Adult attention deficit disorder (AADD) is being diagnosed with progressing rapidity. Melancholy, despair and other aspects of mental depression are now more common than ever. People today have ten times the depression rate of our parents and grandparents.

We will fail to survive if we continue this way.

Not only are deadly diseases and pollution proliferating but sperm counts in industrialized countries have dropped 50% on average and are predicted to be near zero within the next few generations! We could soon be extinct if our health and awareness aren't drastically changed.

If the results of our choices in life are intolerable - disease, pain, and mental disparity - we need only make better choices!

As your health improves you'll have fewer feelings of hopelessness and separation and gain a greater sense of belonging and unity. Stress melts away and you'll feel light, clear, easy, and content.

Foods that help depression are brown rice, cucumbers, apples, cabbage, fresh wheat germ, and apple cider vinegar. Including one in each meal is adequate.

The American medical and research communities have totally overlooked diet and nutrition as an impact on our health, including mental health. Six of the ten principles of death pertain directly to diet. Yet only some medical schools even offer a basic course in nutrition.

Doctors have a tendency to learn about nutrition within the narrow area of the illnesses they treat. Cardiologists can tell you plenty about fat and cholesterol. Rheumatologists know calcium and vitamin D. OB/GYN doctors know folic acid. Cancer specialists know about fiber and fat - not necessarily the fact that broccoli can prevent cancer because it contains sulforophane, which causes the liver to produce an enzyme that blocks carcinogenic activity (also present in cabbage and brussel sprouts). But few know any more about nutrition than the average person.

How often does your doctor ask you what you eat?

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!™

REBUILDING,MIND,BODY AND SOUL

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:17:22 GMT

How to Buy
Nutritional Foods

If you've been following along with the sequence of this site, there's only one more thing we need to discuss: How to successfully apply all this to your life.

The first step is to go grocery shopping keeping these things in mind:

-Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. That's rule number one.

-Rule number two is shop the perimeter of your food store. The fruits and vegetables (organic is best), nuts and seeds (in the shells only), dairy (skip the margarine), and meat (buy lean) departments.

-Only go down the aisles for destination items like brown rice, dried beans and peas.

-Don't go down the canned food or cereal aisles. Don't even think about frozen dinners!

-You probably won't be able to get unrefined oils at your local supermarket. You will probably have to get them at your health food store. Even if the canola oil on your grocery shelf says 100% pure, it is refined and rancid. And, by the way, just because a food item is at the health food store, it's not necessarily healthy.

-Read the labels. Look for "unrefined", skip anything that includes the words "hydrogenated", "partially hydrogenated", "enriched" or "fortified". Be careful not to be deceived.

- Learn more about wholesome products and how to identify them.

It's not going to be difficult to make wholesome meals. It's just a matter of getting used to a new way of doing things. Change is sometimes hard to do at first but if you stick with it, it will get easy. Eat simply. Feel the difference! Notice how your mind and body feel clearer, brighter, and stronger!

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!™

MY INSPIRATION

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:03:03 GMT

Health and Nutrition

At no time in history has there been as much concern over nutrition as at present. As scientific understanding of nutrition grows, restauranteurs are feeling the pressure. It is unquestionably the responsibility of chefs to provide their clientele with healthful, nutritious food.

Many chefs feel a responsibility not only to provide such foods, but also to help educate their customers about nutrition. They welcome the challenge to develop menus that offer good health as well as good taste. They may, for example, supplement their regular menus with “spa” menus or “healthy” menus offering special dishes low in fat, calories, and sodium.

Or they may include such dishes on their regular menus and highlight these items with asterisks or other symbols. On the other hand, many operators insist, “I’m running a restaurant, not a hospital.” Not a few restauranteurs have had the experience of investing time and money in developing nutritional menus that people claimed they wanted, only to have the menus fail because no one ordered them.

It is important for cooks to find some kind of balance. Restaurants are businesses and can be successful only if they offer people what they want. Preaching to customers about the dangers of eating the wrong foods is not a formula for success.

On the other hand, a responsible operator will work to prepare healthful, nutritious food that people will order because it is flavorful and enjoyable to eat in addition to being good for them.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live! ™

AS IT WAS, SO SHALL IT BE

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:30:34 GMT

Top Ten Reasons to Go Vegetarian

Gone are the days when vegetarians were served up a plate of iceberg lettuce and a dull-as-dishwater baked potato. With the growing variety of vegetarian faux-meats like bacon and sausages and an ever-expanding variety of vegetarian cookbooks and restaurants, vegetarianism has taken the world by storm.

With World Vegetarian Week here, without further ado, are the Top 10 reasons to give vegetarian eating a try, starting now!

1. Helping Animals Also Helps the Global Poor
While there is ample and justified moral indignation about the diversion of 100 million tons of grain for biofuels, more than seven times as much (760 million tons) is fed to farmed animals so that people can eat meat. Is the diversion of crops to our cars a moral issue? Yes, but it's about one-eighth the issue that meat-eating is. Care about global poverty? Try vegetarianism.

2. Eating Meat Supports Cruelty to Animals
The green pastures and idyllic barnyard scenes of years past are now distant memories. On today's factory farms, animals are crammed by the thousands into filthy windowless sheds, wire cages, gestation crates, and other confinement systems. These animals will never raise families, root in the soil, build nests, or do anything else that is natural and important to them. They won't even get to feel the warmth of the sun on their backs or breathe fresh air until the day they are loaded onto trucks bound for slaughter.

3. Eating Meat Is Bad for the Environment
A recent United Nations report entitled Livestock's Long Shadow concludes that eating meat is "one of the ... most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." In just one example, eating meat causes almost 40 percent more greenhouse-gas emissions than all the cars, trucks, and planes in the world combined. The report concludes that the meat industry "should be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity."

4. Avoid Bird Flu
The World Health Organization says that if the avian flu virus mutates, it could be caught simply by eating undercooked chicken flesh or eggs, eating food prepared on the same cutting board as infected meat or eggs, or even touching eggshells contaminated with the disease. Other problems with factory farming -- from foot-and-mouth to SARS -- can be avoided with a general shift to a vegetarian diet.

5. If You Wouldn't Eat a Dog, You Shouldn't Eat a Chicken
Several recent studies have shown that chickens are bright animals who are able to solve complex problems, demonstrate self-control, and worry about the future. Chickens are smarter than cats and dogs and even do some things that have not yet been seen in mammals other than primates. Dr. Chris Evans, who studies animal behavior and communication at Macquarie University in Australia, says, "As a trick at conferences, I sometimes list these attributes, without mentioning chickens and people think I'm talking about monkeys."

6. Heart Disease: Our Number One Killer
Healthy vegetarian diets support a lifetime of good health and provide protection against numerous diseases, including the United States' three biggest killers: heart disease, cancer, and strokes. Drs. Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn -- two doctors with 100 percent success in preventing and reversing heart disease -- have used a vegan diet to accomplish it, as chronicled most recently in Dr. Esselstyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, which documents his 100 percent success rate for unclogging people's arteries and reversing heart disease.

7. Cancer: Our Number Two Killer
Dr. T. Colin Campbell is one of the world's foremost epidemiological scientists and the director of what The New York Times called "the most comprehensive large study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease." Dr. Campbell's best-selling book, The China Study, is a must-read for anyone who is concerned about cancer. To summarize it, Dr. Campbell states, "No chemical carcinogen is nearly so important in causing human cancer as animal protein."

8. Fitting Into That Itty-Bitty Bikini
Vegetarianism is also the ultimate weight-loss diet, since vegetarians are one-third as likely to be obese as meat-eaters are, and vegans are about one-tenth as likely to be obese. Of course, there are overweight vegans, just as there are skinny meat-eaters. But on average, vegans are 10 to 20 percent lighter than meat-eaters. A vegetarian diet is the only diet that has passed peer review and taken weight off and kept it off.

9. Global Peace
Leo Tolstoy claimed that "vegetarianism is the taproot of humanitarianism." His point? For people who wish to sow the seeds of peace, we should be eating as peaceful a diet as possible. Eating meat supports killing animals, for no reason other than humans' acquired taste for animals' flesh. Great humanitarians from Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi to Thich Nhat Hanh have argued that a vegetarian diet is the only diet for people who want to make the world a kinder place.

10. The Joy of Veggies
As the growing range of vegetarian cookbooks and restaurants shows, vegetarian foods rock. People report that when they adopt a vegetarian diet, their range of foods explodes from a center-of-the-plate meat item to a range of grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables that they didn't even know existed.

Sir Paul McCartney sums it all up, "If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That's the single most important thing you could do. It's staggering when you think about it. Vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, famine, cruelty."

So are you ready to give it a try?

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!™

HEALTHY CHOICES

Wed, 21 May 2008 15:00:33 GMT

Spinach Salad with Strawberries

This Spinach Salad may be prepared before the serving, but the dressing for this Spinach Salad with Strawberries may be prepared few hours before serving.

Take a large salad bowl and sprinkle sesame seeds of spinach in the bowl.Â Add some strawberries to the salad.Â After you have done this, combine the dressing ingredients provided below and shake well in a screw-top jar and chill.

This is a very simple Spinach Salad to prepare with Strawberries.Â After you have parepared the dressing pour chilled dressing over the mixture of spinach salad and strawberry in bowl and toss to distribute well.

The ingredients for Spinach Salad with Strawberries.

Take1/2 teaspoon Toasted sesame seeds
2-3 cus of fresh strawberries, hulled and halved if large
About 6 cups of Fresh Spinach torn leaves
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1.5 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon Onion powder
2 tablespoons of Red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dried dill weed
1/8 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon Dry mustard

Enjoy this Spinach Salad on your table.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!

HOW TO

Wed, 21 May 2008 14:44:58 GMT

Modifying a Recipe to be Healthier

The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasizes we need to reduce the amount of fat, sodium (salt) and added sugar we consume and increase our consumption of fiber. When buying food we can check the label, but when using a recipe we may need to make some changes by substituting ingredients or changing the cooking technique. Just like you substitute when you are out of a certain ingredient, you can make changes in a recipe so it is healthier.

This fact sheet provides you with ways to decrease the amount of fat, calories, sugar and salt (sodium) in your recipes. Ways to increase the fiber in your recipes is provided to help you make more nutritious food. Remember you can experiment with recipes and change ingredients. You may also be able to find other recipes that are similar to yours that have less fat, sugar, salt, and have more additions of nutritious ingredients. Have fun when you are cooking: Experiment!

Tips to decrease the total fat and lower calories

Instead of this:	Try using this:
Shortening, butter, margarine, or solid fat.	Use ¼ less liquid oil or solid fat called for in the recipe. If recipe calls for 1 cup use ¾ cup. If recipe uses ¼ cup shortening, use 3 Tablespoons oil. Use equal amounts of oil for melted shortening, margarine or butter.
Shortening, butter, or oil in baking	Use applesauce or prune puree for half of the butter, shortening or oil. May need to reduce baking time by 25%.
Instead of whole milk, half and half or evaporated milk	Use skim milk, Skim Plus™, 1% milk, evaporated skim milk, fat-free half and half , or plain soymilk with calcium.
Butter, shortening, margarine, or oil to prevent sticking. Fat to sauté or stir-fry.	When frying foods use cooking spray, water, broth or nonstick pans.
Full-fat cream cheese	Use low-fat or nonfat cream cheese, Neufchatel or low-fat cottage cheese pureed until smooth.
Full-fat sour cream Full-fat cottage cheese Full-fat Ricotta cheese	Use nonfat or reduced fat sour cream or fat-free plain yogurt. (Yogurt is not heat stable.) Use 2% or fat-free cottage cheese. Use part-skim ricotta.
Cream Whipping cream	Use evaporated skim milk Use nonfat whipped topping or cream (This is only nonfat if one serving size is used.)
Eggs	Use egg whites (usually 2 egg whites for every egg) or ¼ cup egg substitute.
Whole fat cheese	Use reduced fat cheese, but add it at the end of the baking time or use part skim mozzarella.
Frying in fat	Use cooking methods such as bake, boil, broil, grill, poach, roast, stir-fry, or microwave.
Regular mayonnaise or salad dressing	Use low fat, reduced or nonfat mayonnaise or salad dressing.
Canned fish	Use water-packed canned products or canned products packed in ‘lite’ syrup.
Fatter cuts of meatt—skin on	Leaner cuts of meat or ground meat, remove skin before cooking.

Tips to reduce sodium:

Instead of this:	Try using this:
Salt	Omit salt or reduce salt by ½ in most recipes (except in products with yeast). Cook foods without adding salt. Don’t put the salt shaker on the table.
Frozen or canned vegetables	Choose frozen vegetables without sauces or use no-salt-added canned goods. Rinsing canned vegetables will help reduce sodium.
Seasoning Salt or spice mixes with salt	Use salt-free seasonings and spice mixes. Use herbs, spices, lemon juice, or vinegar to flavor food instead of salt. Seasonings high in sodium include catsup, chili sauce, chili powder, bouillon cubes, barbecue sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and meat tenderizers.

Tips to reduce the amount of sugar:

Instead of this:	Try using this:
Sugar	Reducing sugar by ¼ to 1/3 in baked goods and desserts. If recipe calls for 1 cup, use 2/3 cup. Cinnamon, vanilla, and almond extract can be added to give impression of sweetness. (Do not remove all sugar in yeast breads as sugar provides food for the yeast.)
Sugar	Replacing sugar with amounts of sucralose (Splenda™), works well for most baked products. Add ½ teaspoon baking soda in addition to each cup of Splenda™ used. Baking time is usually shorter and product will have a smaller yield. Try using aspartame (NutraSweet™), saccharin, or acesulfame potassium in other products that are not baked. The sweet taste will vary with product combination or amounts of each sweetener used.
Fruit-flavored yogurt	Plain yogurt with fresh fruit slices or use light versions of yogurt.
Syrup	Pureed fruit, such as no sugar added applesauce, or sugar-free syrup
Sugar in canned or frozen fruits	Decrease or eliminate sugar when canning or freezing fruits or buy unsweetened frozen fruit or fruit canned in its own juice, water, or light syrup.

Ways to increase Fiber:

Instead of:	Try using this:
White rice, enriched grains	Whole grain, brown rice, wild rice, whole cornmeal (not degermed), whole barley, bulgur, kasha, quinoa, or whole wheat couscous.
All purpose flour	Substitute whole wheat flour for up to ½ of the flour. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups flour, try 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour. Use “white whole-wheat flour” or “whole wheat pastry flour” for total amount of all-purpose flour.
Pastas, crackers, cookies, cereals	Whole grain pastas, crackers, cookies, and cereals.
White bread	100% whole wheat bread and 100% whole grain bread.
Iceberg lettuce	Romaine lettuce, endive, and other leafy lettuces, or baby spinach.
Meat	Use more dried beans and peas. Add legumes and lentils to many different dishes: try adding lentils to your spaghetti sauce.
Peeled fruit and vegetables	Add extra fruits and vegetables, such as adding carrots to spaghetti sauce, leaving apple peels in apple crisp, zucchini bread, etc. Add extra fruits and vegetables to recipes and include the peel when appropriate.

* Use of brand name does not mean an endorsement of the product.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!

LUNCH or DINNER

Wed, 21 May 2008 14:27:45 GMT

Asian Chicken Salad with Snap Peas and Bok Choy

Ingredients

2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
5 fresh cilantro sprigs plus 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 whole green onion plus 2 green onions, chopped
1 8-ounce package sugar snap peas
3 baby bok choy, thinly sliced crosswise
1 English hothouse cucumber, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
1 red jalapeño chile, thinly sliced
1/4 cup ponzu*
2 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

Preparation

Fill medium skillet with salted water; bring to boil. Add chicken breasts, cilantro sprigs, and whole green onion; reduce heat to medium and poach chicken until just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate; cool. Add snap peas to same skillet; increase heat to high and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute.

Drain; rinse snap peas under cold water to cool. Discard whole green onion and cilantro sprigs. Coarsely shred chicken. Toss chicken, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, snap peas, and next 3 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk ponzu, vinegar, oil, and ginger in small bowl. Add dressing to salad; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!

HOW SWEET IT IS

Sun, 11 May 2008 16:40:35 GMT

Nutrasweet - the History of this Toxic Chemical and Its Promotion

In December of 1965, while James Schlatter, a chemist for G.D. Searle & Company, was working on an anti-ulcer drug candidate he accidentally discovered aspartame. He was recrystallizing aspartame from ethanol when the mixture spilled onto the outside of the flask he was using. Some of the powder landed on his fingers. Schlatter discovered the sweet taste of aspartame when he absent-mindedly licked his finger later. He realized that the sweet taste must have been the aspartame.

The first report of the discovery of the artificial sweetener was in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. It stated:

"We wish to report another accidental discovery of an organic compound with a profound sucrose (table sugar) like taste... Preliminary tasting showed this compound to have a potency of 100-200 times sucrose depending on concentration and on what other flavors are present and to be devoid of unpleasant aftertaste."

G.D. Searle has spent the last 40 years aggressively and recklessly promoting their accidental discovery with total disregard to the evidence they have gathered that show how dangerous and toxic this chemical is to human beings.

As early as 1984, studies were performed that clearly indicated the toxicity of Nutrasweet (aspartame) to living organisms. In 1984, the State of Arizona completed studies showing that aspartame in carbonated beverages can break down into free methanol (among other things) in 99°F temperatures. Compare this to human beings' average body temperature and we begin to see a problem.

On May 13, 1998, the University of Barcelona produced a study clearly showing that Aspartame was transformed into formaldehyde in the bodies of the living creatures, and that upon later examination the formaldehyde had spread throughout the vital organs of their bodies.

The chemical breakdown of Aspartame in the human body is as follows:

Methanol, from Aspartame, is released in the small intestine when it meets the enzyme chymotrypsin.

The methanol is then converted to formaldehyde. The formaldehyde is next converted to formic acid. Formic acid is toxic and is commonly used as an activator to strip epoxy and urethane coatings. Phenylalanine and aspartic acid (90% of Aspartame) are amino acids normally used in the synthesis of protoplasm when supplied by the foods eaten. When unaccompanied by other amino acids, they become neurotoxic.

The FDA has established at least 92 medical/health problems that have symptoms associated with Aspartame. These include abdominal pain, anxiety attacks, Arthritis, Asthma and asthmatic reactions, bloating, edema , blood sugar control problems, brain cancer, breathing difficulties, burning eyes or throat, burning urination, chest pains, chronic cough, chronic fatigue, confusion, death, depression, diarrhea, dizziness, excessive thirst or hunger, flushing of face, hair loss or thinning of hair, headaches/migraines, dizziness, hearing loss, heart palpitations, hives , hypertension, impotency and sexual problems, insomnia, irritability, joint pains, laryngitis, marked personality changes, memory loss, menstrual problems or changes, migraines and severe headaches, muscle spasms, nausea or vomiting, seizures and convulsions, slurring of speech, swallowing pain, tachycardia, tremors, tinnitus, vertigo, vision loss, and weight gain.

Aspartame disease mimics the symptoms and many times worsens the following diseases:

Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Lupus, Diabetes, Epilepsy, Alzheimer's Disease, birth defects, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lymphoma, Lyme Disease, and Attention Deficit Disorder.

These studies were destroyed and kept from the public and from health investigators.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!

mike and ike

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:27:41 GMT

'Secretive' Chemicals Being Hidden in Food Under 'Artificial Flavors' Label

You Thought MSG Was Bad? At least they admit that it's in there... well, mostly. Have you picked up a can of soup lately and noticed that the sodium levels are lower? Seen a label that said, "No MSG"? How about realizing that there is less sugar on the label of your favorite ice cream? Believe it or not, this is cause for concern.

This article has been especially hard to compose. "Why?", you may ask. There is simply not much information to be found on the subject. It has taken weeks of internet research to uncover the smidgeon of information that has been acquired.

A relatively young company, Senomyx, may be responsible for the sodium and sugar levels falling in your favorite grocery store item. How are they doing this without affecting the taste? The truth is, they may be putting chemicals into your food right now without you even realizing it and without telling you.

And guess what? They don't have to.

Senomyx has contracted with Kraft, Nestle, Coca Cola, Campbell Soup to put a chemical in foods that masks bitter flavors by turning off bitter flavor receptors on the tongue and enhancing salty and sweet flavors. This would allow the companies to tout claims such as "less sugar" or "lower sodium" by reducing the actual sugar and/or salt by approximately half, but the foods will retain the same level of sweetness or saltiness when they touch the tongue by fooling your brain.

All of the companies, although admitting the exclusive contracting rights, decline to identify which foods and beverages the chemical additives have been or will be added to.

These chemical compounds are not required to be listed separately on food labels. On the contrary, they will be lobbed under the umbrella of "artificial flavors" which is already found on most food labels.

The foods that seem to be most in jeopardy of an insurrection of these new chemicals: soups, juices (fruit and vegetable), ice cream, and sauces.

"We are helping companies clean up their labels," said Kent Snyder, chief executive of Senomyx.

Mark Zoller, Senomyx's chief scientist, says that his company has used the human genome sequence and identified hundreds of taste receptors. Senomyx's chemical compounds enhance those receptors to heighten the taste of salt or sugar. Under this premise, they go on to claim that their newly added chemicals are completely safe because they will be used in tiny quantities of less than one part per million whereas artificial sweeteners are used in 200-500 parts per million. This fact alone allows them to forgo the rigorous FDA approval process when introducing new food additives into the marketplace. Attaining the status of GRAS (generally recognized as safe) from the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association for their most advanced product that replaces MSG, took this fledgling company less than an 18 month time frame by introducing a safety study of rats conducted for 3 months.

Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Michael Jacobson, commended Senomyx's strides to reduce MSG, salt, and sugar but warned against introducing a new chemical additive into the food supply without strenuous testing. "A three-month study is completely inadequate," he said. "What you want is at least a two-year study on several species of animals."

After pouring a total of 30 million dollars into research and development, the companies that have invested into Senomyx's products have been secretive, to say the least, about their involvement within the company. Some, like Kraft, have declined to divulge any specifics regarding their relationship with Senomyx but instead stated that Kraft was committed "to reducing the sugar and salt levels in many products

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...grace is upon you so eat to live!

Eat Right Not Twice!

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:15:23 GMT

Top 10 Healthy Cooking Tips

Preserve the nutrients and colors in veggies. Cook them quickly by steaming or stir-frying.
Use herbs, vinegar, tomatoes, onions and/or fat-free or low-fat sauces or salad dressings for better health, especially if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
Use your time and your freezer wisely. When you cook once, make it last longer by preparing enough for several other meals. Freeze it and have a ready-made healthy treat for the next time you are simply too tired to bother.
A smoothie can cover a multitude of needs. Throw a banana (you can keep them in the freezer for weeks) into your blender along with frozen berries, kiwi or whatever fruit is around, some orange or other juice, some fat-free or low-fat yogurt and protein powder. You can get 4-5 servings of fruit in one glass of yummy shake. Try getting your loved one to sip on a smoothie. It’s easy, cool, refreshing and healthy.
Prepared seasonings can have high salt content and increase your risk for high blood pressure. Replace salt with herbs and spices or some of the salt-free seasoning mixes. Use lemon juice, citrus zest or hot chilies to add flavor.
Canned, processed and preserved vegetables often have very high sodium content. Look for “low-sodium” veggies or try the frozen varieties. Compare the sodium content on the Nutrition Facts label of similar products (for example, different brands of tomato sauce) and choose the products with less sodium.
Prepare muffins and quick breads with less saturated fat and fewer calories. Use three ripe, very well-mashed bananas, instead of 1/2 cup butter, lard, shortening or oil or substitute one cup of applesauce per one cup of these fats.
Choose whole grain for part of your ingredients instead of highly refined products. Use whole-wheat flour, oatmeal and whole cornmeal. Whole-wheat flour can be substituted for up to half of all-purpose flour. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, try 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour.
In baking, use plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt or fat-free or low-fat sour cream.
Another way to decrease the amount of fat and calories in your recipes is to use fat-free milk or 1% milk instead of whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk. For extra richness, try fat-free half-and-half or evaporated skim milk.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!

Corporate Punishment

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 19:11:15 GMT

Modern Supermarkets: Palaces of Poisons

We are what we eat, for better or for worse.

First, we go to a natural/organic food market and buy most of our food there. Organic is our first choice. Natural is the second choice.

"Organic" means that 95%+ of the ingredients are organic, excluding water and salt. "Natural" means at least 75% are organic.

What we can't find at a natural/organic food market, we buy at an upscale supermarket.

Most metropolitan areas have one or more upscale supermarkets. There are usually a number of downscale supermarkets, too, with Wal-Mart Supercenters usually the market share leader in the downscale segment.

When we discuss organic food with people, they always ask, "aren't organic foods too expensive?" Answer: not really. They're more expensive to buy, but you need less of them to feel satisfied. On a net basis, then, with organic foods, there is no real increase in your total food cost.

Many people asking the "too expensive" question cheerfully squander their food dollars on worthless, dangerous items like sodas, cold cereals, white bread, bottled water, junk meat, candy, baby food in jars, and bakery items - to name a few. People can save serious money by not buying these needless items, instead investing the savings into organic and natural foods, earning higher returns - better health and increased stamina.

Supermarkets today are sophisticated palaces of poisons. Their factory fresh "foods" come in cans and various kinds of packaging. They're loaded with excessive salt, sugar, toxic sugar substitutes, allergenic glutens, and questionable chemicals.

Sugar substitutes are particularly noxious.

* The most used is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It's in almost all packaged foods. It's used because corn is plentiful in the US, it's very cheap, sweet, and it significantly enhances people's appetites, thereby enhancing their waistlines, hips and chins and, at the same time, enhancing manufacturer profits.

* Aspartame (using brand names like Equal) is considered a leading toxin by professional toxicologists.

* Sucralose (Splenda is the big brand name) is a chlorocarbon, made by marrying chlorine and carbon molecules. Chlorine undermines the immune system.

So, avoid sugar substitutes, except for Xyitol and stevia.

What should you eat? Exercise guru, Jack La Lanne, on the "Larry King Show," answered that question recently, saying "If man made it, don't eat it." That says it all - very simply. We agree with Jack, age 93, and still able to work out strenuously for hours.

Not only is a supermarket a palace of poisons, it's also a perpetual P.T Barnum marketing circus. Barnum is famous for his quote, "there's a sucker born every minute."

Americans are vastly deceived when it comes to food.

They assume that the government (especially the FDA) would not allow manufacturers to make and market unsafe food. Wrong! Can you say, "campaign contributions for nice little boys and girls - senators and representatives - from agribusiness and huge food companies?"

I'm convinced that, similar to the cosmetics industry, the packaging of supermarket foods often costs the manufacturer more than the contents. The ambiance of today's upscale supermarkets is rather sad, if not bizarre. Examples:

1. Older people with poor teeth and poor posture shuffling along slowly, filling up baskets with soft foods (pudding, jello, white bread, cold cereal) to rot their remaining teeth even more and trash their brittle bones even faster.

2. Obese people waddling along laboriously and short of breath, pushing overflowing baskets of mostly snack junk food.

3. Small children lying on the floor screaming because Mom refuses to buy a worthless box of cold cereal, the package adorned by a monster or action hero.

4. Twenty-something women trying to stay slender, living on purchases of white wine and tasteless lettuce.

5. Working families and singles buying salt-laden, microwave boxed dinners for a fast meal.

6. My wife, Shirley, discovering an angel food cake with eight ingredients, including propylene glycol, a major ingredient in antifreeze.

Oh, well, it wouldn't freeze in the freezer, I guess, staying moist for 20 years perhaps. Thanks for small blessings.

7. And me, using a flimsy loaf of processed bread, standing in the isle and using the loaf as an accordion, squeezing it, and singing joyfully, pretending to be Lawrence Welk.

Upscale supermarkets offer more healthy foods than downscale supermarkets, which skillfully manipulate people with limited means, modest educations, and the pauper mindset with triple coupon "bargains" of huge bags of processed white flour, for example.

And, believe it or not, many poor inner city people have to buy their groceries at convenience stores, since no supermarket is nearby and they don't have autos. It's hard to be healthy consuming sodas and cupcakes for dinner.

Eat right, take nutritional supplements and vigorous exercise.

But if you eat poorly, health insurance, hospitals, doctors, synthetic drugs, exercise and supplements are all useless. If you refuse to stop eating poorly, it's a good idea to pre-plan your funeral now. Only an undertaker can give you the help you'll need, if you will not eat right.

If you put garbage in a can, it becomes a garbage can. Don't put garbage in your temple, your body.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!

POISONS FOR LIFE

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:11:58 GMT

How Food Companies Fool Consumers with Food Coloring Ingredients Made From Petrochemicals

Have you ever wondered why companies use artificial colors? You might think it's because they want to make their food look good, but there's another reason -- a far deeper reason -- why companies use artificial colors to make their foods more appealing to consumers. Keep reading to learn what that is.

Why do foods with more vibrant, saturated colors look more appealing to consumers? Why does a bright-red apple look more appealing than a dull-red apple or a green apple? Why are foods sold to us in neon green, yellow and orange packages? The reason is that of the color of food speaks to humans' innate perceptions about the value of food items.

Humans are born with brains that are preprogrammed with the ability to learn language; or to recognize certain inherent dangers such as falling off a ledge. We also have all kinds of behaviors built in for survival. One of the survival strategies our ancestors developed was the ability to recognize foods containing usable energy or nutrition. They could walk through a field and instantly spot foods that contained potent, healing phytonutrients and calories that would give them usable energy, healthy brain function, boost immune function and boost overall survivability. The natural medicines found in food often appear in bright colors, and calorie-rich foods designed to appeal to primates (such as apples or berries) are also brightly colored. It is these colors that appeal to our built-in perceptions about the value of food. (Birds have a similar system and also tend to judge food by its color.)

Color is a reliable indicator of the healthful quality of foods. An apple that has red in its peel, for example, actually sends a message: "Hey, I'm here. I have some healing medicine in my skin." That's why humans are naturally attracted to more vibrant-looking apples. Berries, fruits, root vegetables and other foods broadcast similar messages through their own coloring.

Eating the rainbow diet
You may have heard of the rainbow diet, in which you eat foods of different colors. It is based on the idea that different foods carry different energies and provide different types of nutritional medicine. There is a real science to that, and an art as well. You can examine phytochemicals and their healing effects, and categorize them by color. There are foods that are purple, blue, green, yellow, red, orange, brown -- all the colors of the spectrum -- and each food has a different medicine. Our ancestors learned to recognize foods by their color, and they also learned that foods with more vibrant colors in their natural environment contain a lot more medicine.

For example, a red cabbage that is actually a dull grey doesn't look very appealing, but a purple cabbage with a saturated, bright-purple color looks fantastic. That's because we have an innate perception gauge telling us we should be attracted to these foods -- they are healthier for us, and the health quality is indicated by the saturation of the color.

This is what food-manufacturing companies are exploiting when they enhance colors artificially.

Food makers use harmful dyes to get you to buy
When you shop for oranges, you're looking for a bright, deeply colored orange. You don't want a yellowish orange, because that tells you it's not ripe; if it's not ripe, it hasn't developed all its medicine. (That's one reason why so much of the produce available in grocery stores lacks real nutrition these days -- it's all picked before it has a chance to ripen on the plant.)

Growers know about this color preference, so some of them -- in Florida for example -- hijack that instinctual process by dipping some of their oranges in a cancer-causing red dye that makes the peel look more orange. The FDA has banned that dye from use in foods, because it is a carcinogen, but they say it's okay to dip an orange in it, because people don't eat the peel. If a consumer is comparing two oranges -- one of them is yellow, and one of them is deep, rich orange -- most consumers are going to pick up the deeper, richer looking orange.

Food manufacturers use artificial colors because, when they make their foods more colorful, it turns on the light switch in our brains that says, "This is good stuff." We've been fooled; we've been drawn like a moth to a flame. If you took one nacho chip with flavors but no color and put it beside another nacho chip with the exact same flavors but lots of artificial colors to make it look more orange, and you asked people to pick which chip they think would taste better, almost everyone will choose the chip with the color. The color can actually fool your mind into thinking that these foods taste better.

Food colors are made from petroleum
Coal tar and petrochemicals are the sources of the artificial colors that go into our foods, and these artificial coloring ingredients are dangerous to our health. The human body was not designed to eat petrochemicals. You don't see people digging up petroleum and drinking it with a straw. That's not the kind of energy we're designed to run on. So why are we putting petrochemicals in our foods?

The food companies are doing it to sell a product and generate a profit, regardless of the health effects on consumers -- and the health effects have been worrisome. In fact, more than one artificial color has been banned and pulled off the market over the last several decades because it was ultimately found to cause cancer. The safety of those still allowed on the market is highly questionable.

Eventually, artificial colors used in the food supply will likely be outlawed because they contribute to all sorts of health problems, the most notable of which are the symptoms diagnosed as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a behavioral pattern often brought on by Yellow #2 food dye. Children are being fed these chemicals in such large quantities that they begin to have nervous system malfunctions that ultimately are misdiagnosed as ADHD, learning disabilities, or violent behavior.

If you want to reverse these so-called diseases in your children, one of the best things you can do is stop feeding them petrochemicals. That means you, as the parent, have to understand that your very instincts are being hijacked by food companies' use of artificial colors to sell their garbage products. It's automatic, it's innate and it's unconscious. You look at foods and you instantly evaluate them by their color. It's something that you can't stop doing because it's part of your perception hardware. Food companies know this and they exploit it to sell you unhealthy foods artificially colored to look nutritious.

How to defend yourself against dishonest food companies
So what's your defense against this? How can you take control over your own mind and make better decisions at the grocery store? You're taking the first step right now by reading this: you're educating yourself. All you have to do is take this information and apply it by reading ingredient labels. Look for artificial food coloring ingredients like Yellow #2, Red #5 or Blue Lake #40, and then avoid them. Don't buy those products. It's as simple as that. Instead, you look for natural food coloring ingredients. There are products colored with beet juice, a much healthier way to color food; annatto, a very healthy plant source; or turmeric, a fantastic herb with anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

With a little checking around, you will discover that all the cheap, low-grade, disease-promoting products in the grocery store tend to use these artificial colors. You will also find that the same snack chips, processed foods, boxed dinner meals, and junk food made by the biggest food companies also contain refined white flour, MSG and hydrogenated oils. It's really no surprise they mostly all contain an artificial color of one kind or another.

Also, you should watch out for artificial colors in fruit drinks and candy. There are loads of artificial colors in candy, which makes for a very bad combination -- especially for children. If you give kids a load of sugar and petrochemicals together in the same meal, their nervous systems go crazy. That's why you have kids climbing the walls after feeding them candy and sugary drinks with artificial colors.

Another repeat offender in this category is "sport drinks," which are loaded with petrochemical artificial colors that have no purpose other than to make the beverage visually appealing to consumers. There's no nutritional value whatsoever to using artificial colors, which means most sports drinks are a complete waste of money: they're just salt water with sugar and artificial colors added. If you want a real sports drink, you should juice some celery and cucumber, or just drink coconut water. That's real replenishment.

The confectionery industry relies heavily on artificial colors to make its foods -- like cake and icing -- look appealing as well. Icing is usually made of hydrogenated soybean oil, which is a nerve toxin, combined with refined sugars, which are dietary poisons that cause diabetes. The petrochemical-based artificial colors are used to top it off. If you really want to commit nutritional suicide, eat a lot of icing. Get yourself some iced doughnuts, cakes and pastries, and load up.

You'll notice artificial colors in foods like blueberry muffins or blueberry bagels, too. Read the ingredients on blueberry bagels at your local grocery store next time, and you'll find that there are really no blueberries but plenty of artificial blue and green colors to create the impression of little blueberry bits. They can't even put blueberries in their bagels. They have to trick you with artificial colors.

Do you know what liquid they're using to hold the color? Propylene glycol -- the same chemical you put into your RV when you want to winterize it. It is antifreeze. You're eating antifreeze and petrochemicals -- and that's just the blueberry part. We haven't even gotten to everything else, like refined sugars, chemical preservatives and refined bleached white flour, which has diabetes-causing contaminants. A blueberry bagel is no longer a blueberry bagel. When you really understand what's in the foods, it's mind blowing.

Artificial colors sometimes find their way into salmon before it even becomes food
Artificial colors turn up in a lot of interesting places. Many salmon farms are adding artificial color to their food to make the salmon flesh appear more red because that's what consumers will buy. They'll buy red or pink salmon over grey salmon any day of the week because their instincts tell them deeper, richer colors are healthier. Imitation crab meat has artificial colors added to make part of the meat look red -- but at least the label includes the word "artificial," so you can avoid it if you read labels.

The biggest form of dishonesty across the entire food industry is the use of artificial colors that influence you to buy and consume foods that actually harm your health (such as snack chips made with MSG). The food companies have figured out how to hack into your perception hardware. They send one message to your eyes, but they manufacture foods out of something entirely different. The bottom line is that foods, through the use of artificial colors, are sending an incongruent message: "I'm a healthy food." But the reality is, "I'm harmful junk food."

These companies employ tens of thousands of food scientists in the United States alone. They figure out how to make foods more palatable and less expensive by using the cheapest ingredients possible while prettying them up with artificial food colors made from petrochemicals.

Food coloring from insects
I have one more interesting tidbit I'd like to share with you. You may be familiar with a red color ingredient called carmine; it can be found in strawberry yogurt and a variety of other products. Carmine is sourced from a mash made by grinding up beetles grown in Peru and the Canary Islands. The mash is strained out to obtain a red liquid. That liquid, made from insects, is then shipped to the United States to food companies, where it is dumped into the yogurt to make it look like there are strawberries in there. Folks, it's not strawberry. It's insect juice. That's what's in your yogurt (and a lot of candy and children's foods as well).

Some people have a dangerous allergic reaction to this ingredient. They can go into anaphylactic shock, which puts them in a coma (or worse!). As this demonstrates, some of these color additives can be extremely dangerous, but you'll notice companies don't put this information on their labels. "Insect juice" is never listed on your yogurt. They merely list "carmine," and they leave it up to you to figure out what that means. Ninety-nine percent of people in this world have no idea what carmine really is, but now you do.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon so eat to live!

MY MY MY!

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:09:27 GMT

Potato-Crusted Fish Sandwich

Prep Time: 9 mins

Cook Time: 11 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

3/4 teaspoon lemon peel, grated fresh
1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
3 tablespoon mayonnaise, light, or reduced-fat coleslaw dressing
2 1/2 cup(s) cabbage, shredded
1/4 teaspoon pepper, black ground, divided
24 ounce(s) fish, cod, 4 (6-ounce) fillets (about 1-inch thick)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon mashed potatoes, flakes
1 tablespoon Greek seasoning, salt-free, (such as Cavender's)
1 1/2 tablespoon oil, olive
4 hamburger buns, whole wheat, reduced-calorie, (1.6-ounce) toasted

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl. Stir in cabbage and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; cover and chill.

3. Sprinkle both sides of fish evenly with salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Combine potato flakes and Greek seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge fish in potato flake mixture, pressing firmly to coat.

4. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 2 minutes. Turn fish over; place pan in oven. Bake at 425° for 8 to 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

5. Place about 1/4 cup cabbage mixture on bottom half of each bun; top each with fish and top half of bun. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich).

THE NEED IS HERE!

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:54:04 GMT

How to use natural organic food to make healthy recipes even healthier.

Why use a healthy recipe but use conventional ingredients? Use natural organic food to make every recipe healthier.

When we started out trying to change our diet, we came up pretty quickly with a general philosophy of healthy eating. Use the sorts of ingredients that human bodies are designed to eat...those that are natural and without artificial additions of any kind.

This left out most of the so called "healthy" ingredients used today, such as various butter substitutes and sugar substitutes. We didn't want to be part of an ongoing experiment to see which of those really were healthy and which would cause health problems down the road.

We also had the issue that, while Lisa was pregnant, we needed to avoid milk, eggs, and other allergens. We discovered that many recipes that call for eggs can either be used successfully without eggs, or can use egg substitutes that are simple and healthy.

Avoiding refined white sugar was a big issue for us, with a baby quickly growing up into a toddler. We came up with various natural sugar substitutes that could replace the use of refined white sugar in recipes.

Avoiding refined white flour was another biggie for us, so we came up with various flour substitutes to use in place of white flour. Not everything works well with these substitutes, but many recipes do.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!

Umm Umm Good!

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:48:29 GMT

Vegetable Lasagna

1 bunch of broccoli (small to medium heads)
4 large carrots
1 medium zucchini

1 pound of skim ricotta cheese
1 8 ounce package of skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan reggiano cheese

1 to 2 large jars of spaghetti sauce (basil or marinara works best)

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. parsley
1 tbsp. basil
2 tsp. oregano

package of lasagna noodles

An oven preheated to 350°
a 9x13 glass baking dish
large mixing bowl
food processor
slotted spoon
aluminum foil

Directions

Mince garlic and sauté it in a pan with the olive oil.

While the garlic sautés, use your food processor to finely chop the broccoli, carrots, and zucchini. When the garlic is tender, put the chopped vegetables into the pan with the garlic. Add the water, and sprinkle the nutmeg on the top. Steam covered.

While the vegetables cook, mix the ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses in the large mixing bowl. Add in the parsely, basil, and oregano to the cheese, and mix thoroughly.

Do not precook the lasagna noodles!

After the vegetables have cooked for about 10 to 15 minutes, scoop them out into the cheese mixture in the mixing bowl. Use a slotted spoon to avoid bringing excess moisture into the mix. If the vegetables seem to have much standing liquid, drain them first.

Mix thoroughly, combining the vegetables and garlic with the cheese.

In the bottom of the baking disk, pour a thin layer of spaghetti sauce. You're looking to coat the bottom, but to not have any depth to the sauce.

Lay lasagna noodles on top of the thin layer of sauce so you have the bottom of the pan completely covered in a single layer of noodles. With the long noodles we buy, that's three noodles.

Spoon out half of the cheese and vegetable mix on top of the noodles. Spread it out so it's evenly distributed.

Cover that layer with more sphagetti sauce, then add another layer of noodles. Spoon the rest of the cheese and vegetable mix on top of those noodles.

Cover that with more sauce, then a final layer of lasagna noodles. Put another thin layer of sauce on top of the noodles to keep them from getting hard and chewy when baking.

Your pan is probably pretty full at this point, but cover it all with foil and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Depending on how much spaghetti sauce you used, you may want to put the baking dish on a cookie sheet just in case you get some sauce boiling over. It may take a couple of times to hit upon the amount of spaghetti sauce that makes the vegetable lasagna turn out just the way you like.

At the end of 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.

Remove and allow the vegetable lasagna to cool before trying to cut pieces.

Feel free to adjust the proportions of broccoli and carrots. The amount of zucchini should stay small, unless you like your lasagna more soupy than solid, since the zucchini generates liquid.
Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!

BAKING FOR LIFE!

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:37:12 GMT

Gluten Free Muffins

Ingredients for Gluten Free Muffins

2/3 cup rice flour
2/3 cup oat flour
1/3 cup buckwheat flour

2/3 cup sucanat
1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 tsp. orange peel
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp vinegar
1 or 2 tbsp. ground flax seed

An oven preheated to 350°
a muffin pan
a large mixing bowl

Directions

Mix the ingredients well in the mixing bowl.

If your muffin pan isn't non-stick, coat the wells with olive oil or use paper baking cups in them. Fill each well about 3/4 full with batter.

Bake at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes, until firm to the touch. Adjust the time as needed once you see how the muffins turn out.

Eat warm, or let cool and then store in a sealed container for later enjoyment.

You should adjust the amounts of sugar and flax seed as needed, to get the best taste. You can also substitute nutmeg, clove, or allspice for the orange peel.

Use 1/4 cup of applesauce and 2 tbsp. olive oil in place of the 1/3 cup olive oil for a low-fat version of this recipe.

Barley flour can be substituted for the oat or buckwheat flours, too, if you find the taste of consistency isn't what you'd like.

High Altitude Baking Alert!

Baking at high altitudes requires a change in most recipes. If you have just moved to a high altitude (above 5,000 feet) or don't have experience baking at a high altitude, please see this page about high altitude baking for more information and advice. Note that this link opens in a new window.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!

PHAT OR FAT YOU CHOOSE

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:55:38 GMT

Obesity Is More Dangerous Than Terrorism

World governments focus too much on fighting terrorism while obesity and other "lifestyle diseases" are killing millions more people.

Overcoming deadly factors such as poor diet, smoking and a lack of exercise should take top priority in the fight against a growing epidemic of preventable chronic disease.

Global terrorism was a real threat but posed far less risk than obesity, diabetes and smoking-related illnesses.

Ever since September 11, we've been lurching from one crisis to the next, which has really frightened the public.

"While we've been focusing so much attention on that, we've had this silent epidemic of obesity that's killing millions of people around the world, and we're devoting very little attention to it and a negligible amount of money."

An estimated 388 million people will die from chronic disease worldwide over the next 10 years, according to World Health Organization.

Human costs is frightening when we consider that obesity could shorten the average lifespan of an entire generation, resulting in the first reversal in life expectancy since data collecting began in 1900.

Like terrorism, some passing health threats get major government attention and media coverage, while heart and lung disease, diabetes and cancer account for 60 percent of the world's deaths.

"It is true that new and re-emerging health threats such as SARS, avian flu, HIV/AIDS, terrorism, bioterrorism and climate change are dramatic and emotive.

"However, it is preventable chronic disease that will send health systems and economies to the wall."

We are calling on governments and big businesses to take action to avert millions of premature deaths due to chronic disease.

The way we live now is making us sick, it's making our planet sick and it's not sustainable,

Insufficient physical exercise is a risk factor in many chronic diseases and is estimated to cause 1.9 million deaths worldwide each year.

We need to build the physical activity back into our lives and it's not simply about bike paths, it's about developing an urban habitat that enables people to live healthy lives: ensuring that people can meet most of their daily needs within walking and cycling distance of where they live,

We also would like to see a reduction in sugar, fat and salt content in food, making fresh food affordable and available and increasing global efforts to stop people smoking.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips
Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 02:38:01 GMT

Cooking Tips For Vegetables

If you’re new to cooking, a few tricks of the trade can help make it easier and more fun. Even if you’re an experienced cook, you can always learn a few new tips. Here are some suggestions that might have you saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Stir-Frying Tips

Cut vegetables in same-size pieces so they’ll all take the same time to cook
Add vegetables that take the longest to cook first - dense vegetables such as broccoli and carrots, for example. Next, add softer vegetables such as peppers and onions. Add garlic last.

Microwave Tips

Cover vegetables to retain moisture and help them cook more quickly, but don’t seal tightly.
Stir vegetables, especially when reheating, to cook them evenly.

Aubergines

Peel aubergines with a sharp paring knife.
Aubergines turn brown quickly: if cutting ahead of time, rub slices with lemon to keep them from discolouring.
Salting and draining aubergines helps draw out moisture and remove bitterness and astringency. It also avoids too much oil absorption while cooking. Sprinkle aubergine slices or cubes with salt. After 30 minutes or more, rinse off salt and press between paper or lint-free cloth toweling to dry.

Beetroot

Scrub beetroot gently, but don’t peel before cooking. Skins will slip off easily after they’re cooked - just peel them while they’re still warm. Use paper toweling to avoid staining your hands.
Pierce beetroot and other root vegetables with a fork or skewer to check that they’re cooked.

Cabbage

Don’t overcook cabbage, which will result in a strong, sulfurous odor and mushy texture.
Red cabbage will turn a bluish-purple colour when cooked. The cabbage is red to begin with because it contains a high amount of acid. The acid cooks off along with the steam, leaving the cabbage alkaline – which produces a bluish-purple colour. Hard water, which is more alkaline, will cause more discolouration.

Cucumbers

Waxed cucumbers should be peeled. Unwaxed cucumbers may be peeled with a swivel peeler or left unpeeled.

Garlic

Garlic burns easily – add it only at the end of cooking and watch it closely.

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens – especially spinach – should be washed carefully to remove all dirt. Fill a large pot with water and fresh greens: swish the greens in the water to loosen the dirt, which then sinks to the bottom.
Wash leafy greens such as spinach or Swiss chard – but don’t dry them - and cook with no added water. Greens cook quickly. The water on the leaves is enough if they’re cooked over medium heat until the leaves are just “wilted”. Less water means more retained nutrients.

Potatoes

If potatoes aren’t organic, it’s best to peel them. Peeling potatoes is easiest with a swivel peeler.
Cut off any green spots before cooking.
Pierce potatoes (and other root vegetables) to let steam escape – otherwise they could explode in the oven or microwave.
When making mashed potatoes, be careful not to “overwork” them. Don’t overcook the potatoes or mash them in a food processor. This will result in a gluey, rather than fluffy, end product.
Keep mashed potatoes warm for up to half an hour by putting them in a covered heatproof bowl. Put the bowl in a pot of hot water on the stovetop with the burner set on low.
To keep more nutrients in “boiled” potatoes, boil them for about 15 minutes, then drain off the water and steam them until they’re done.

Squash

To bake winter squash don’t peel it first: cut it in half, remove the seeds by scraping with a spoon or an ice cream scoop, and place it cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet (so it won’t drip into your oven). Bake until it can be pierced with a fork. After baking, the flesh can be scooped out and mashed.
Small winter squashes - such as acorn - can be pierced in several places with a sharp knife and microwaved like a jacket (baked) potato.
Summer squash can be sliced (without peeling) and steamed or sautéed.

Swedes and Turnips

Swedes are best peeled with a swivel peeler, although it may take a few passes.
Turnips should be peeled.
Don’t overcook turnips, which will give them an undesirable flavour and texture.

Sweet Corn

Kosher salt is especially good for sprinkling on hot corn on the cob. Its larger crystals have more facets than conventional table salt and they stick to the corn better.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

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