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Expeller-Pressed Canola

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Expeller Pressed Canola

I was sent a bottle of Expeller-Pressed Canola from BetterBody Foods & Nutrition a while back to review on Get Cooking. As someone who is constantly looking for healthier things to feel her family, I was anxious to try this oil. I loved its byline, but the truth would be in the taste and in the performance.

I’m delighted to say, it exceeded all expectations. I truly can’t think of a single reason NOT to choose Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil in your own baking.

From the BetterBody Foods & Nutrition:

Our Expeller Pressed Canola Oil uses no chemicals during the extraction process, has ZERO trans fats, is GMO Free and isthe lowest in saturated fat of all oils. It is very high in “heart healthy” essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and Omega 6) and is a great source of Vitamin E.

Most brands of canola are extracted using hexane, a petroleum-based product, and are then refined using phosphoric acid and other additives. Our Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, much like virgin olive oil, is expeller pressed without the use of chemicals or solvents and is then refined using our proprietary steam filtration process. Our Expeller Pressed Canola Oil is lower in saturated fat than olive oil, is higher in Vitamin E, Omega 3 and Omega 6 than olive oil, and is also much more versatile in your kitchen (see “Uses Comparison” chart). It is so light and delicious that it can be used for salad dressings, dips, sautéing, baking and frying. You will definitely taste the difference.

Expeller Pressed Canola Comparison

As far as tasting the difference, you can count on it!

Why Aren’t You Eating Your Food in the Raw?

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The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book

The last book I wrote about, The Everything Mediterranean Diet Book, was one of two books I recently received to review on Get Cooking. The other is a book that has completely fascinated me, The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book (Everything Series). What’s more, it has opened up a whole new way of looking at food – something I wouldn’t have thought possible after this many years in the kitchen.

I would say how many years in the kitchen but who wants to get depressed on a Wednesday? We’ll save that for a Monday.

Increased energy. Clear, glowing skin. Decreased risk of cancer.  Reads like a self help guru’s dream come true. These are only a few of the benefits of a raw foods diet; some studies have even shown that this diet can actually slow down the aging process! Whether you’re looking to go completely raw or just incorporate some raw aspects into your diet, this book is your one-stop guide to a health lifestyle.

In The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book (Everything Series), you’ll find the information you’ll need to begin your love affair with raw foods. If you’re like me, you probably think of a raw food diet as consisting of apples, corn on the cob, and cauliflower – all piled on a plate that someone stands proudly behind and says, “Look! I made this just for you!”

A diet consisting of raw foods includes more foods, food combinations, and recipes than I ever imagined. Lots more than a plate with an apple, corn on the cob, and cauliflower not that there’s anything wrong with any of the three!).

In addition to detailed explanations of why this diet is so extraordinarily healthy, you’ll find the tools of the trade you’ll need if you’re really serious about taking up this type of eating (even if only incorporating raw foods into the food you regularly eat), and 300 recipes.

The recipes include:

  • Cherry Pomegranate Smoothie
  • Curry and Pumpkin Seed Crackers
  • Banana Vanilla Ice Cream with Blueberry Sauce
  • Raw Vegetable Lasagna
  • Pad Thai with Almond Sauce
  • Spicy Coleslaw with Cashew Mayonnaise
  • Fresh Vegetable Soup
  • Marinated Zucchini Strips
  • Cool Cucumber Salad Dressing
  • Peach Cream Crepes
  • Cinnamon Oatmeal
  • Tortillas
  • Zucchini Hummus
  • Garbanzo Bean Hummus
  • New Orleans Beans and Rice
  • Spinach Pie
  • And many, many more

I admit, although I’m intrigued with the recipes, the concept, and the healthy side effects of eating a raw food diet – I couldn’t even consider devoting myself to eating this way exclusively.  The great thing is, the authors completely understand that!  This book doesn’t try to convince you to take up a certain way of eating or try to convince you to leave behind your favorite foods.  It simply presents a colorful, fresh, and flavorful new option.  After all variety is the spice of life and, when it comes to such a healthy option – it isn’t just the spice of life, it’s the enhancement of life!

From Page 5: Reduced Risk of Cancer and Heart Disease

The following research bears out the benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables:

  • Researchers at Harvard Medical School tracked the health of more than 22,000 physicians.  The study found those who ate at least 2-1/2 servings of vegetables a day lowered their risk of heart disease by almost 25 percent.
  • At the University of California, Berkeley, researchers found that a high intake of fruits and vegetables also reduces the risk of cancer on average by 50 percent.
  • A recent study on diabetes at the University of North Carolina reported that a vegan diet rich in vegetables reduces diabetes indicators.
  • In Stockholm at a Swedish university hospital, researchers found that a vegan diet also increases immune protection against arthritis.

The following is one of the great smoothie recipes in the book.

Vanilla Almond Milk Smoothie Recipe (page 22)

2 cups Almond Milk
2 cups pear, chopped with peel on
1 cup banana, sliced
1/2 cup cherries, pitted and chopped
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 vanilla bean, or 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • Add the almond milk, pears,banana, cherries, and nutmeg to the blender.  Blend until smooth.
  • Cut the vanilla bean open.  Scoop out the inside pulp from the bean and add to blender.  Discard the vanilla bean pod.  Blend again to incorporate vanilla for another 20 seconds.

 

Learn more about The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book (Everything Series) by clicking the link or check your local bookstore.  Fascinating.  Positively fascinating.

Spinach Spread Recipe

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Spinach

I cook with and serve spinach quite a bit in my family. Personally, I’m wild about the flavor of spinach and love its versatility.  The fact that it’s so nutritious (loaded with vitamins A and C) is just icing on the cake.  In fact, I’m making creamed spinach for supper tonight.

Below is a Spinach Spread that’s excellent served with crackers, coarsely chopped vegetables, and/or pita wedges.

Spinach Spread Recipe

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp hot sauce
sprinkle of black pepper

After the spinach has thawed completely, drain well. Press the spinach between paper towels until its just barely moist. You want to get as much of the moisture out of the picture as possible!

Combine the spinach with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and let it chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours (at least 2).

Yield: 1 cup

The print shown at the top of the post is the Spinach Giclee Print. Gorgeous.

Zesty New Bella Sun Luci Tomato Products

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I recently had the delicious pleasure of reviewing some outstanding products from Bella Sun Luci. It was remarkable timing, actually, because I was in the deep stages of grieving for ripe tomatoes. As much as I love autumn and winter, I miss fresh produce badly!

When the box from Bella Sun Luci came, I tore right into it.  I happened to have a huge pot of homemade soup on the stove (beef, okra, tomato juice, carrots, potatoes, celery, corn, garbanzo beans, lima beans, asparagus…).  I’d tasted the soup about 30 minutes before the UPS man came and had determined that it needed a little pick-me-up.

As I took out the products, my eyes met the pick-me-up and off to the stove we went.  I added half the bag of Sun Dried Tomatoes with Zesty Peppers to the pot and stirred them in. Oh, the aroma!  I saved half the bag with omelets in mind for the next morning (they were amazing – the dried tomatoes and zesty peppers took them up to a whole new level.)

Later, when I served the soup for supper, my family (and I!) devoured several bowls.  The Sun Dried Tomatoes with Zesty Peppers gave the soup so much wonderful flavor – and it doesn’t get much easier than opening a bag and pouring contents into a pot.  Or an omelet.

The next product I was anxious to try was the amazing sounding Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce with Whole Pinenuts.  Of course the obvious (and Heavenly) option for this sauce would be toasted bread.  However, I had a pot of homemade soup on cooking for supper and planned to serve rolls – not Italian or French bread.

It was still a few hours until supper, however, and I desperately wanted to try out the pesto sauce with pinenuts – so I fashioned a little snack.  I knew my husband and daughters would be up for a little mid-afternoon snacking as well so  I took a block of cream cheese out of the refrigerator and placed it on a plate.  Then I “painted” the white block with the pesto sauce.  It looked just like a little brick!  My youngest daughter thought it looked more like a baby meatloaf, but I’m sticking with the brick.

I placed a variety of crackers on a platter and put the brick in the middle.  Delicious!!!  All Bella Sun Luci products are packed with 100 percent Pure Olive Oil, which makes the flavor really something special.  Olive Oil also “ups” the ante on the health front as well.  Tomatoes are already packed with healthy goodness in the form of Lycopene, and when you add Olive Oil to the guest list – you’re doing something that’s as wonderful for your health as it is your taste buds.

Think of it as heart healthy omega 3 in every jar!

Did you know that Sun dried tomatoes have 12 times the Lycopene than a raw tomato?  12 times!  Lycopene is a phytochemical and proven antioxidant that may reduce the risk of certain cancers and heart disease.

It just makes good sense to include as many healthy foods in your families diet as possible and excellent products like Bella Sun Luci make it easy and delicious.

The sun dried tomatoes are as wonderful in tossed salads and pasta salads as they are in soup, chili, and omelets.  They also make exceptional pizza toppings.

The Pesto Sauce is wonderful on paninis, hamburgers, Boca Burgers, and other sandwiches. It adds a great deal of flavor – to say nothing of the health benefits.

In tomorrow’s post, I’ll tell you about more Bella Sun Luci products (including one that fans of Italian Food will flip for!) as well as more ways to enjoy them.  I’ll also share a couple of recipes with you I know you’ll love.

Eating Healthy: My Top 10 Tools of the Trade

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Vanilla Rice Dreams

In the quest to eat healthier and, even more importantly, to feed my family healthier foods and drinks, I have stumbled upon one blinding fact:  If you don’t buy it, it won’t be eaten.  This fact, of course has a twin:  If you buy it, chances are good that it will be eaten.

Fancy that, potato chips left in Kroger stay in Kroger.  Soft drinks unpurchased will be unopened.

Cool!

Naturally, some “healthy” foods and drinks fall flat and my husband and daughters let me know they have no desire to ever see it again.  However, I’ve been delighted to find that 98 percent of the foods and drinks we’ve tried have become MUST HAVES in our house – and I never allow us to run out… or even low.

Below are my top 10 current healthy food/drink favorites.  Some are new to me while I’ve been enjoying others for some time now.

  1. Diet Arizona Green Tea with Ginseng. This is THE miracle worker drink – the drink that got me off of my diet soft drink obsession. I used to go through  a 2 liter of Diet Dr. Pepper daily.  I tried to switch to other drinks, but to no avail. I’d always go back to “the stuff.”  Then I happened upon Diet Arizona Green Tea with Ginseng and have that was that.  I think it’s outstanding.
  2. Vanilla Rice Dream Refrigerated Non-Dairy Beverage. How’s that for a mouthful?  I just call it the one way I  get my calcium.   Not only am I a little lactose-intolerant,  I’m honestly not too fond of the taste of milk.  I always wanted to up my calcium intake but didn’t know quite how to go about it… not with a smile on my taste buds, anyway.  Fortunately, Vanilla Rice Dreams doesn’t just make my taste buds smile, it makes them sing, dance, and break out in giggly fits of joy.  I love it on cereal as well as straight from the glass.  As a matter of fact, I’m enjoying every sip of a glass right now – as I do every evening.  It seems to make my sleep even sweeter.  Rice Dream is also available in Original, which is also fantastic.  Look for them both in the health food section of your favorite grocery store.  I just noticed on their website that they have non-dairy frozen desserts.  I haven’t, yet, had the pleasure.

    3. Nutri-Grain Apple Cinnamon Bars

  3. Nutri-Grain Apple Cinnamon Bars. Perfectly delicious!  I keep intending to try the other flavors, but this one is so remarkable that I can’t tear myself away.
  4. Butterball Turkey Bacon. I’ll admit, my husband isn’t sold on this one, yet.  However, my daughters (the two who aren’t vegetarians, that is) and I absolutely love Butterball’s turkey bacon.  I’ve tried different brands and Butterball is definitely the best.  Makes sense, right?
  5. Stonyfield Farms Organic Yogurt. You can taste the quality and commitment to excellence in each bite.  This stuff is creamy and dreamy.
  6. Stonyfield Farms Cream Top.  Use Stonyfield’s Cream Top in place of sour cream on bean burritos, potatoes, or anywhere else – no one will ever know the difference.  Stonyfield products are often found in the health food section of your grocery store.  Personally, I’ve never seen them grouped with the other yogurts.
  7. Sargento’s Reduced Fat Cheeses. Each time I take a bite of one of Sargento’s reduced fat cheeses I think, “Nuh-huh.  No way are you reduced.”  Then, I double-check the package, and return to my sandwich, panini, or folded cheese that creates its own little sandwich – sans bread.  I’ve used the shredded reduced fat varieties in salads, scrambled eggs, on pasta, pizza, and so on.  The slices?  I’d challenge you to name one thing I haven’t slapped them on.   The reduced fat Colby Jack is stupid good.  They even offer string cheese that has been reduced in fat.  (Although the taste will make you say, “Nuh-huh.“)
  8. Quaker Oatmeal Squares. I’m huge on cereal – especially now that Rice Dreams has entered my life.  For a great, eye-opening article on Choosing the Healthiest Breakfast Cereals, click the link.  I had to smile when I saw some of my favorites on the list.  Only problem is, where oh where are Coco Crispies?!
  9. Truvia. Nature’s perfect sweetener, and as always – nature knows what it’s doing.  If you’re wanting to pull yourself away from artificial sweeteners (and, come on, shouldn’t we all put as much distance between ourselves and artificial anything?) – give Truvia a try.  I love it muchly.
  10. Eggland’s Best Cage Free and Organic Eggs. As someone who loves making, serving, and eating breakfast food, I’m delighted with the taste and quality of these wonderful eggs.  As someone who loves animals so much it makes her head spin, I’m overjoyed that they’re Cage-Free.  From Eggland’s Best.com:Q. What does “cage free” mean?
    A. The hens selected to lay Eggland’s Best Cage Free eggs are not kept in cages and are free to roam. The hens are provided with sunlight, shade, shelter, an exercise area, fresh air, and are protected from predators.

    Q. What does Organic mean?
    A. Eggland’s Best Organic brown eggs come from cage free hens that are fed a certified organic version of the patented, all-natural, all-vegetarian Eggland’s Best hen feed.

I hope you’ll start experimenting with healthier foods in your own home.  I wholeheartedly recommend each of the above.  I would like to give an extra little push for Cage-Free eggs.  I promise you, once you start buying Eggland’s Best Organic and Cage-Free eggs, you won’t want any other eggs… ever.

Eggland's Best Organic Cage-Free Eggs

EDIT: I tried the Nutri-Grain Blueberry Cereal bar today.  It’s every bit as delicious as the apple cinnamon variety!  Truly, truly delicious.  It tastes like a little blueberry pie without the scads of calories. Next up? Strawberry!

EDIT #2: The list has grown to a Favorite Top 11 Healthy Foods and Drinks List.  Click the link to see the newest member!


Crab and Citrus Salad

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The following light and healthy salad recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks “Cooking Light: An Exciting Compilation of Light Recipes.” I actually found this unique cookbook on a bargain table of all places, in a bookstore in Pensacola, Florida about 4 years ago. I’ve used it regularly since and have never seen it anywhere else.

This is one of the recipes I promised in the last post – another “Pink Food!”

CRAB AND CITRUS SALAD

8 oz. crab meat (or imitation crab – it’s what I actually use)
2 oranges
2 lemons
2 limes
1 pink grapefruit
1 small head of iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
6 TBS heavy cream
1 TBS chili sauce
1 TBS brandy (I use flavoring)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
salt
2 TBS salad oil

1. Chop up the crab. You want bite-sized servings. Set aside.
2. Mix the the following together: yogurt, chili sauce, cream, brandy flavoring, cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt. Toss with the crabmeat.
3. Take a very thin strip of peel from each of the citrus fruits. Scrape off the bitter pith and discard. Cut each strip of peel into thin slivers. Put into boiling water and allow to boil for about 1 minute. Drain, refresh under cold water and set aside.
4. Peel each of the citrus fruits and cut into segments. Do this over a bowl, so you can reserve the delicious juices.
5. Add the salad oil to the juice in the bowl, and toss with the fruit segments. Shred the iceberg lettuce and arrange on plates. Put the crabmeat mixture on top of the lettuce.
6. Arrange citrus segments over and around crabmeat and sprinkle citrus peel over the top.

If you read the articles I told you about in the last post, you know how much your body’s going to love all of this citrus. This salad is as good for you as it is good. It’s also very, very, very beautiful. If you’re making food for a “Pink party,” you could of course either add a little more grapefruit or just make sure you place it all on top. 😉

I’m making this beautiful salad sometime this week – and I’ll put a picture in this post as soon as we take one. (I was planning to make it this weekend, but can’t find crabmeat in my local stores!)

VEGETARIAN ALTERNATIVE: Leaveth out the crab.

If We Are What We Eat, Why Do We Keep Eating Junk?!

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Broccoli! Sometimes we’re more like children than we are adults, aren’t we?  We know, full well, what foods we should be eating more of and what ones we should be eating less of – yet, off we go on our merry way to the nearest hamburger in a hurry joint.  What’s worse, when we get there we almost always make our sinister selection as large as possilbe and, yes, of course, we would very much like fries with that.

Maybe, just maybe, if we were to concentrate more on the Positive Foods and less on the Negative Foods – we’d fill up so much on the good stuff that we wouldn’t even want the bad.  Worth a try?  Worth a try.

The following are a few ideas for sneaking more of the highly recommended foods into your day.  If we fill up on what we SHOULD, it’ll leave very little room for what we SHOULDN’T.  Well, that’s the plan anyway.

Garlic
Garlic is known to be one of our heart’s favorite foods. Fortunately, it’s very simple to up our garlic intake. Garlic goes beautifully with just about every meat and bread you can think of. To get the most from garlic, we should eat several cloves a day, so we need to work it into our meals as often as possible.

In addition to serving garlic with meat dishes, minced garlic is heavenly when served over steamed green beans. If, like me, you’re trying to wean yourself off of bacon fat for seasoning (Yum….sorry, but yum), garlic makes a great substitution. I’ve also used slivered almonds (more on them later) on my green beans.

Crushed Garlic can be added to Salad Dressing or Mayo to create a Kicked Up Sandwich spread.

If you don’t get too crazy, garlic can also be addded favorably to Ranch Dressings for salads. It’s especially good if you add a little finely chopped basil with it.

Olive Oil
Since our heart also loves Olive Oil, it would be a great idea to keep a bottle or two on hand at all times. Even though you may think it sounds excessive, keeping regular olive oil AND Extra-virgin olive oil each in your pantry is a good idea. Why? Extra-virgin olive oil packs extra polyphenols (compounds that keep LDL cholesterol from sticking to artery walls) than the other varieties. But, since it costs several dollars more, I’m not that keen on cooking with it. I like to save it for drizzling over salads, pasta, breads, and steamed vegetables.

Almonds
Almonds are proven to lower LDL levels – they’re brillaint at it, actually. While all nuts are healthy and should be included in our daily diets, almonds have a bit of a heart-healthy edge – they have vitamin e and are also a good source of calcium. If you toast them in the oven, you’ll bring out more of their flavor, without lessening their nutritional benefits.

Carrots
A Harvard University study found that a half cup of dark yellow vegetables, like carrots, eaten daily cuts the risk of diabetes in women by 27 percent. They’re one of those foods that seemingly increase their nutritional value daily, so it would be ridiculous NOT to use them in our meals more. As an added bonus, they’re not nearly as costly as other vegetables. (I made a huge salad last night with a Ravioli meal that nearly required a small loan. Cauliflower and Broccoli should be ashamed of themselves.

Personally, I love carrots (and celery, for that matter) enough to eat them in the raw – them, not me. But, if you require a little more flavor, a buttermilk ranch dressing is always a delicious way to go. You can work a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil into your portions and get a one-two punch by drizzling it over steamed carrots. Finish it off by snipping a little thyme on top. Fresh herbs are also healthy – and add an aggreable flavor to everything. Rosemary and Thyme are perfect with everything known to man or woman.

Salmon
Salmon is one of the biggest of shots when it comes to omega-3 fatty acids. I can’t understand anyone NOT love, love, loving salmon – but if it’s not your favorite thing, experiment with different flavors. Add a little dill and lemon, and never forget the pepper.

In a Saving the Best for Last type of thang – see the following post on Self Help Daily. Of course, if (nudge, nudge) you’re really just not that into chocolate, don’t bother.