Italian Bread Alternative: Pita

Italian Pickled Eggplsnt with Marinade

Pickled Veggies!

my Aunt sent us home with a care package - pickled veggies - Italian style - which uses vinegar to pickle and oil to jar!  This process makes a wonderful antipasto!

Here is a family that seems to be doing just that!

I will ask my Aunt for her processing instructions and post them here.

Better for You: Snack Ideas

reported by Yahoo, NY Times, Reuters Health, and many other news sources:

Plain Greek yogurt with fresh picked fruit, maple syrup, and/ or honey 

plain Greek yogurt for less sugar and a healthy dose of protein

fruit-and-nut bar
look for Dark Chocolate

nuts such as pistachios, almonds, and even the peanut - a legume

a hand full per day -

according to NYTimes nuts are: 

- rich sources of unsaturated fat

-  contain protein, fiber, plant sterols that can lower cholesterol

- micronutrients like copper and magnesium

- approx. 62 percent of the fat in nuts is monounsaturated, the kind that supports healthy levels of protective HDL cholesterol and does not raise blood levels of harmful LDL cholesterol.

- Nuts contain omega-3 fatty acids that can lower triglycerides and blood pressure, slow the buildup of arterial plaque and prevent abnormal heart rhythms. 

-Walnuts are especially rich sources of alpha-linolenic acid, some of which is converted to heart-protective omega-3 fatty acids.

-Most nuts, and especially almonds, are good sources of vitamin E, an antioxidant. 

-folic acid, selenium, magnesium and several phytochemicals are among the compounds in nuts that have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory or anticancer properties.

-Nuts also contain dietary fiber, about a quarter of which is the type that reduces cholesterol and improves blood sugar and weight control. 

-Peanuts and especially pistachios are rich in resveratrol, which is being investigated for possible anti-aging effects. Pistachios are also rich in arginine, which gives rise to nitric oxide.

steamed edamame 

a single-serve packet of edamame is only 90 calories

One cup of air-popped popcorn 

only 31 calories

A homemade smoothie 

A banana 

only 121 calories and zero grams of saturated fat.

One ounce of dark chocolate 

antioxidant/people who eat it a few times a week are thinner than those who don't
carrots and hummus 

dried plums /fruit
oats 

Oats also offer a surprisingly good amount of protein, plus slow-digesting fiber from whole grains.

roasted pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds contain good fats and protein. A one-third cup serving of roasted seeds is just 94 calories.

Training : Your Core ( Ab toning)

Ribollita: tuscan kale and savoy cabbage

This is one of my first products for the farmers market frozen foods for which I rec'd a grant in 2005.  The ideal go to meal from the freezer to the soup pot or microwave because it has so many nutrients!

The ingredients for this soup capitalizes on the fall harvest of vegetables including:
tomatoes
tuscan kale or lacinato
savoy cabbage
onion
garlic
celery
white or cannelloni beans - soak for 24 hours, cook, strain, and puree some of them for a thicker soup
Italian bread - I add this warm sliced bread at the "plating" stage with some rubbed garlic - Umh good
herbs - I am using sage and parsley

optional - I prefer to leave these out because the flavor of the tomato, bean, and kale is divine by itself
potatoes
carrots

Product Review: Local Shiitake Mushroom Farmer

I not grow veggies, care for animals, and try to preserve local foods in ready to eat meals - part of that is purchasing from other local farmers - This week I will pick up 5lbs of "fruit of the fungi" shiitake mushrooms.

From these, I will produce wood fired mushroom, goat cheese, and rosemary pesto Neopolitan style pizzas, mushroom soups, and stir fry of kale and mushroom.  All of these will be frozen as prototypes and as soon as the farm commerical kitchen is in place - we will provide lots more good meals for customers.

Shiitake mushrooms nutritional components include essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals, including iron and an antioxidant called selenium.

Lentinan, one of the main components of shiitakes has been found to be effective in suppressing cytochrome P450 1A, an inflammatory and carcinogenic enzyme and exhibit anticancer activities 

they have beneficial cholesterol-lowering and antiviral tendencies, strong anti-fungal properties and also helps decrease the proliferation of specific cancer cells. 

Selenium is a trace element found in soil and is required to maintain good health in trace amounts. In food, the mineral is found in Brazil nuts, poultry, seafood, and meats, while significant amounts are found in oats and brown rice.

A deficiency of selenium is rare but symptoms can include muscular weakness and fatigue.d a bad odor on your fingernails.

Selenium aids in many of the metabolic pathways and may help treat prostate cancer; ongoing research is exploring the relationship between low selenium levels and coronary heart disease.

Selenium also benefits the skin during healing following burn injuries. Shampoo with selenium may alleviate dandruff problems. For skin care, selenium’s antioxidant properties regenerate vitamins E and C, thereby decreasing the aging of skin.

Major benefits of selenium have been found to improve the immune system against bacterial and viral infections, against cancer cells and herpes virus, cold sores, and shingles. One of the major nutritional benefits of selenium is increasing the HDL cholesterol to LDL cholesterol for a healthy heart.