Monthly Archives: July 2009

Peas-y Peas And Celery

by legumes, recipes, vegetables, vegetarian,
A recent trip to the farmer's market introduced me to a new pea I had never tasted before, purple hull peas. Related to black eyed peas, they are both cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) which are very common in the Southern part of the United States.  They are sometimes also called field peas.
 
I was familiar with black eyed peas but had only ever eaten them after they had been dried and needed rehydration.   These were fresh and I wasn't quite sure what to do with them.  
 
After browsing cook books and the internet and finally decided to use them in a family favorite, peas and celery.  Turns out they fit right in and made this tasty dish even better.  The fresh purple hull peas were absolutely amazing.  They were creamy and tasty; now our new family favorite is.
 

purple peas celery

Peas-y Peas and Celery

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 T. vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 C. vegetable broth
  • 1 C. fresh purple hull peas
  • 1 C. green peas
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 t. butter

Instructions
 

  • Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion begins to soften
  • Add broth and vegetables and bring to a low boil
  • Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until beans are just tender
  • Drain liquid, toss vegetables with butter, salt and pepper

I'm sure you'll like them too.  So much that I'm sharing this recipe from the farmer's market for their summer succotash.  As the farmer points out, if you can't get purple hull peas you can always substitute fresh baby lima beans, fresh cranberry beans, or fresh black-eyed peas.

 

Cure For Colic?

by health, probiotics

In a recent study by the The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston researchers said they believe they may know what causes colic in babies.  Anyone who has experienced a colicky baby will tell you that it is very difficult and upsetting, for both the baby and the parent.  Colic is usually defined as severe, persistent crying for no apparent reason.  Apparently as many as 15% of all newborns suffer from this condition.


Babies in the study were both breast-fed and bottle-fed which seems to indicate that the previously held assumption that breast-fed babies were less likely to suffer from colic is untrue.  The suspected culprit at this point is a bacteria called Klebsiella.    Another interesting fact is that according to J. Marc Rhodes, the lead investigator, “During our study, we also found that the babies that didn’t have colic had more types of bacteria in their intestines. The presence of more bacteria may indicate that specific bacterial species (phylotypes) are beneficial to humans,”  Plans are underway for an adult study to look at probiotics.

While further study is needed it does seem reasonable to assume (as many holistic practitioners do) that simply taking one type of probiotic, the most common being acidophilus, does not adequately serve the function of our gut.  If you eat yogurt, kefir or other fermented foods you may want to consider those products that have more than one strain of beneficial bacteria.

photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crying_baby.jpg

Mesquite Flour

by baking, gluten free, legumes, protein, questions, sweeteners

My friend Misty asked me “What do you know about mesquite flour?”  Mesquite (genus Prosopis) is a deciduous, leguminous tree that grows quite well in Texas and Mexico and has a range that goes as far north as Kansas and westward to southern California.  Most people use the wood to create a flavorful smoke that imparts a fabulous taste to barbequed meats.  But mesquite also has another purpose.


I had heard of people using mesquite flour before I moved to Texas, a high protein legume that was high in fiber and originally part of the Native American diet for Southwestern tribes.

Researching it further I have discovered that it apparently also has a good profile for calcium, manganese, iron, zinc, and is high in the amino acid lysine.  Because of it's high soluble fiber content and low glycemic index, in spite of a reported sweet flavor, mesquite flour is believed to be a good choice for diabetics.  

Mesquite flour was traditionally consumed by Pima Indians.  With the advent of a modern diet many of them have developed diabetes; this seems to be attributed to their decline in consumption of mesquite flour.  According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition “the slow digestion and absorption of starch in traditional foods was a factor that helped protect susceptible populations from developing diabetes.”  These traditional foods included corn, lima beans, white and yellow teparies, mesquite, and acorns.  Another study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology highlighted an ethnobotanical study in Israel which researched plants used for the treatment of diabetes; one of the plants included was mesquite.

Because mesquite is a legume I am assuming that it has a non-glutinous profile making it best suited for quick breads, cakes, and muffins or cookies rather than for a yeasted bread.  

Mesquite also has another use, the flowers are attractive to bees and I have heard that mesquite honey is quite flavorful.  You can purchase mesquite honey on the internet as well as mesquite flour. There are also recipes available that call for mesquite flour.  All in all it seems like it might be somewhat similar to another legume flour, carob, which I wrote about here and here. Both are sweet, high in fiber and provide a good protein content.

photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

Eggplant Corn Fritters With Chunky Tomato Red Pepper Coulis

by grains, recipes, tomatoes, vegetables, vegetarian, , ,

I am always experimenting in the kitchen. Recently I created a dinner that came together out of ingredients from the farmer's market that I had on hand.  Because this dish turned out so well I definitely plan to make it again; it's a great summertime meal full of flavor and freshness.

Although I used fresh ground flour to make my fritters you can still make this recipe if you don't have a mill by checking out my baking substitutions post.

Eggplant Corn Fritters

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Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • Grapeseed oil
  • 1/2 C. cornmeal
  • 2/3 C. Ezekiel flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/3 cup milk, plus more if needed


  • 1 egg
  • 1 eggplant, peeled and diced
  • 1 ear corn, kernels removed

Instructions
 

  • Cut eggplant into medium dice
  • Toss with 1 t. salt and let rest 20 minutes
  • Rinse eggplant
  • Combine dry ingredients
  • Beat together milk and egg
  • Add milk mixture to dry ingredients (adding more milk if needed to make a smooth batter)
  • Stir in the eggplant and the corn
  • Drop batter by ¼ C. measure into hot oil
  • Turn fritters once while cooking, fritters should be golden brown on both sides
  • Drain fritters on paper towels
  • Serve with chunky tomato red pepper coulis

Chunky Tomato Red Pepper Coulis

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Ingredients
  

  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, diced large
  • 1 t. minced fresh basil
  • 1 t. minced fresh oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Saute onion and garlic in a large saucepan until onion starts to soften
  • Add red pepper and saute 1-2 minutes
  • Add tomatoes and herbs, turn heat down to medium low and cook 10-12 minutes until vegetables are soft, tossing vegetables frequently
  • Add salt and pepper
  • Remove 2/3 of vegetables from the pan and put in a large bowl
  • Blend thoroughly with an immersion blender
  • Add reserved vegetables to blended vegetables
  • Serve over Eggplant Corn Fritters
    Enjoy!

Subscribing

by Uncategorized

Just a brief update as there seems to be a bit of confusion regarding subscribing to my column versus subscribing to this blog.

If you found this blog and want to subscribe there's a nifty little subscribe button over on the right there.  You can enter your email address and click subscribe.  You'll get an email asking you if you really want to subscribe.  Say yes and you'll get all of the articles as soon a I write them.  Saves having to remember to look up the blog or adding it to an enormously long blogroll.
I also write at Examiner.com.  My column there is the Houston Holistic Health Examiner but don't let the Houston part stop you from reading it.  I do put in some local stuff but there is plenty there that applies to holistic living and nutrition in general.
I've had a number of people point out that it is very confusing to have me cross-posting my columns to this blog.  I've been doing that because I write different stuff in both places but can understand how it gets overwhelming.  So in the future I will not be cross-posting.  All is not lost however, you can also sign up for the column but clicking on the “subscribe to email” link to the right of my picture.  This way when I write a column you'll get that too.  I think you'll like the information that you find there.
Thanks to all of those who sent in questions…I'm working on them and will post the answers here.  In the meantime, eat well, be well. 

What About The DASH Diet

by fats and oil, habits, health, questions

A recent question came in from Eden asking what I thought about the DASH diet.  DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.  Here is my reply:


I think the concept of the diet is certainly a good one; low sodium (most of us eat too much already) and lots of lean protein, fresh veggies and fruit, and including whole grains in the diet. This is the basis of a good dietary approach for all of us.  As a whole, however, I do not believe that DASH goes far enough.

One of the issues I have with it is the part about low fat.  Not that I don't think we need to consider lowering our fat intake (many of us could do with a lot less) but rather that we need to think about the types of fats and the ratio of fat that we ingest.  I do not consider margarine or other fake fats to be a good choice.  Using healthy fats, as I wrote about here, in moderation is a much better choice than using trans-fats.

Another concern is that the diet does not specifically mention how increased fiber content can lower both blood pressure and cholesterol.  A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition showed that “bean consumers had lower systolic blood pressure in comparison to non-consumers.”  Beans and other high fiber foods need to be a part of everyone's diet and are a beneficial part of reducing blood pressure.

Also there is the concern that although the DASH diet does promote exercise it does not exactly look at the stress levels or other holistic concerns.  Teaching people how to breathe or to engage in active relaxation techniques has been proven to help lower blood pressure.  Meditation, Qi Gong, Yoga, and other mindful exercise practices also have techniques to help lower blood pressure.

Lastly, DASH does not mention or strongly promote those foods that are specifically helpful for lowering blood pressure such as garlic, onions, hibiscus, and foods that are high in magnesium or potassium.  Nor does it caution against those foods that promote higher blood pressure which I wrote about here.

So overall I think that the DASH diet is a good place to start when it comes to lowering blood pressure but I think there are some other changes that can be added to the diet to improve it.

Be well.

Meat Marinade

by holidays, recipes

Happy Fourth of July!  A lot of people are going to be spending time outside today, enjoying the company of friends and family and gathered around the grill.  This link give you information about how to grill safely and healthily.

This is my favorite meat marinade recipe. It works equally well for beef or chicken.

Mira's Meat Marinade

1/3 C. olive oil
1/3 C. ketchup
1/4 C. rice wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic minced
2 T. tamari sauce
1 large sprig rosemary

stab meat with a fork before soaking in marinade
let marinate at least 6 hours before serving (in the fridge), turning as often as you remember
(I have left this as long as 24 hours and it is absolutely delicious)
pull the meat out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start the grill so it can come to room temperature
this will help the meat cook more evenly

Enjoy!

photo courtesy of www.flickr.com/photos/9229859@N02/

Cookies And A Question

by baking, gluten free, nuts, questions, recipes

My friend Helene recently shared a wonderful gluten-free cookie recipe with me. She said it was so fabulous that she was going to have to freeze the cookies, otherwise she was afraid she might eat them all. Frozen cookies have never stopped me, sometimes they are even better that way.


Helene's Coconut Almond Cookies:

1 c. coconut Flour
1 1/2 c. Almond Meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. honey
1 Tbsp Almond Extract

Mix the dough together in a cuisinart until a ball forms
Freeze dough for approximately 30 mins
Preheat oven to 350 deg F
Roll dough between two sheets of was paper
Cut cookies using a cookie or biscuit cutter
Bake for 7 mins, remove to wire rack to cool

While we were talking Helene also asked if there were any eggs in shortbread.
The answer is no. Shortbread is a particular type of cookie that has a 1-2-3 recipe. One part sweetener (usually sugar), two parts butter (or other shortening), three parts flour (although old-fashioned shortbread was and is made with oats) and then enhanced with flavorings and or spices. The “short” refers to the crumbly dough. Fat retards gluten so even if you used wheat flour, the high amount of fat would prevent the dough from forming long gluten strands.

Shortbread cookies are typically baked low and slow so they will be very light in color. They can be formed in long rectangles, also called fingers, large circles which are cut into triangles as soon as they are removed from the oven, or small round biscuits. Although most people think of them as Christmas cookies, shortbread can also be made savory (such as this Parmesan Shortbread from Epicurious).

picture courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shortbread_fingers.jpg