Fat Tax

Alright guys, been a long time since a post. I read this article and thought it was very interesting and thought provoking. What do you guys think?

Coolest part is the link between the movie "Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs" and our current national health issues, and money issues. Very good commentary I think...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/05/ruiz.obesity.tax/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Veggible Molebake

Here's another yummy vegetarian casserole adapted from The Redwall Cookbook.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter, plus some for pan
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup heavy cream (we used evaporated skim milk instead)
3/4 cup vegetable stock or milk (we used vegetable stock)
2 egg yolks
salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz cauliflower florets, cooked
8 oz carrots, sliced and cooked
10 oz peas, cooked
2 large tomatoes, hulled and sliced (depending on size of pan)
1 cup (4 oz) grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400' F. Butter a casserole dish or 9-by-13 inch baking pan. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour in and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Gradually stir the cream and stock or milk into the mixture. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes.
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks well. Gradually whisk a few tablespoons of the hot mixture into the yolks, then whisk the yolks back into the saucepan. Heat, stirring, until the mixture begins to steam (do not let it boil). Take the pan off the heat and stir for another minute or two to cool. Season the sauce with salt and pepper
Spread the cauliflower in the bottom of the buttered baking dish. Layer in the carrots and then the peas. Pour the sauce over the casserole, then layer the tomato slices on the top. Season well with salt and pepper and sprinkle the grated cheese on top.
Bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Torn on the broiler and broil the casserole, watching carefully, until the cheese is browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

Vegetable Casserole a la Foremole

This recipe is adapted from The Redwall Cookbook by Brian Jacques. Robert and I fixed it last night and it was a yummy vegetarian dish. This was the first time I bought, cooked, or ate a turnip or leek, that I know of!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Butter for the casserole dish (non-stick spray likely fine as well)
4 large potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (about 32 baby carrots)
1-2 turnips or 1/2 a rutabaga, peeled and sliced (we used 2 small turnips but would use more next time)
4 leeks, cleaned and sliced (not the leaves)
1 cup vegetable stock (prefer organic in a box)
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup breadcrumbs, preferably whole wheat (we like Panko)
1 cup (4 oz) grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease large casserole with butter.
Arrange the vegetables in alternate layers in the dish, beginning and ending with potatoes.
Pour the stock over the vegetables and season with salt and pepper (and other herbs if desired).
Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
In a bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and cheese and sprinkle them on top of the casserole.
Return the dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the topping is crisp and starting to brown, 10-15 more minutes.

Dad Y's Chunky Gazpacho Soup

We have enjoyed this greatly during summer months as the seasonal local vegetables come in. It’s great as a main course or appetizer with other summer dishes. It is frequently a staple on Wolf Trap or other picnic events. This recipe was developed by combining the recipes from the Joy of Cooking and Betty Crocker Cookbooks.

Liquid Base:
1 Large Can/Bottle of V-8 Juice (64 oz) can use low sodium if you want.
3 T Olive Oil
¼ cup Red Wine
Worcestershire Sauce-to taste (4-6 T)
Tabasco-to taste (2-3 t)
2 beef bouillon cubes (not critical)

Vegetables:
4-5 Tomatoes-cut in small pieces
1-2 Lg Cucumber-peeled, sliced and cut slices in quarters
2-3 Lg peppers-cut in bit size pieces (Yellow, Green, and Red)
1 Large Onion (sweet-Vidalia)-cut in bit size pieces

Herbs (to taste):
Parsley
Sage
Tarragon
Garlic
Basil
Black Ground Pepper

Chop vegetables in small, bite size pieces

Pour liquid base in large cook pot, put on Low-medium heat;
Add Vegetables and Herbs, stir

Cook for approximately 10-20 minutes

Cool, and then chill before serving. Add croutons, fresh parsley and sour cream as garnish on top.

The nice thing about this soup of Spanish origin, is that it can be prepared in advance (actually gets better each day!), is a wonderful summer soup, can be adjusted to individual tastes by adding favored herbs or other ingredients. I emphasize the cooking of the broth as I believe this blends the ingredients-some recipes will skip this. Additionally,, you can put mixture in a blender for a smooth texture as some advise-we like the chunky style. Enjoy!

Buying from your own back yard

So its pretty common to hear of your local farmer's markets selling fruits and vegetables, but maybe not so common to get locally grown meat? Thats the subject of this recent cnn.com article on the emergence of CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture) of beginning to also offer locally "grown" meat from their farms.

As they say "Buying from a local CSA or just shopping at a local farm, you can see where it's coming from. You can talk to the farmers and figure out how the animals or the produce is raised."

We spend so much of our life eating, it would be nice to know for sure exactly where your food is coming from!

Take a look and see if you can find a CSA near you and we can maybe test it out for ourselves.

Nutrition Action Healthletter--Red Meat

I've caught of few issues of Nutrition Action over the past few years, and I've always found it to be incredibly informative and sometimes pretty witty (plus getting 10 issues for $10 makes it a no brainer). The cover story of the latest issue tracked a recent study of the health effects of red and processed meats. While this particulary story wasn't all that ground breaking, I'm always intrigued by the data that lies behind the claims. This study found that people who eat the most red and processed meats have higher rates of heart disease (no surprise), certain kinds of cancer, and even diabetes.

I've been pretty impressed with the organization that puts out the monthly newsletter. The Center for Science in the Public Interest seems to do a good job of reviewing the available research and being upfront with potential flaws or conflicts of interest. The video below outlines their goals and progress over the last 30+ years.



Nutrition Action is a great way to keep up with the latest scientific studies concerning health. At about 16 pages its a quick read and there aren't even any ads!

Misleading Names

I stopped by the grocery store the other day to pick up a few things for dinner. Typically I've been going to The Fresh Market in Raleigh as they seem to have a pretty good selection of unprocessed foods and organics. I got some fresh kielbasa from the meat counter, but was disappointed when I saw that MSG was one of the ingredients. Is that typical for sausage?? Of course I could only determine this after it had already been packaged for me. It just goes to show that the name of a store (or an individual product for that matter) doesn't guarantee anything. It's one more reason why I enjoy EarthFare so much back home--I don't have to think too much once I'm inside.