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“Risotto”

Posted in Celiac Disease, Dairy Free, Food Sensitivities, Gluten Intolerance, Heart Healthy, High Fiber, Lactose Intolerant, Low Glycemic, Vegan, Whole Foods by Administrator
Jan 28 2012
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“Risotto”

 

If you’ve never eaten risotto (translation “rice dish”), think rich, creamy and savory.  Traditionally, risotto is prepared s l o w l y, lovingly, laboriously, with Arborio rice. 

 

But I wouldn’t be Chef Nancy if I didn’t put a twist on it.  In this case, a healthy and hurry up twist!  Traditional risotto is made with Arborio rice and almost constant attention for 30 minutes, minimum, while the liquid is added a bit at a time to coax the starch out, creating a creamy sauce.  I wanted to create the same creamy and savory result with a high fiber, quick cooking, whole grain and add other goodies to make this an ultra healthy dish. 

 

The fun thing about risotto is that you can switch up the additions to your hearts content.  Try some sweet red pepper to add color and flavor.  Use mushroom broth instead of vegetable; Miso instead of Parmesan cheese for safe vegan protein and a similar flavor.  Variations are limited only by your imagination!!

 

First I tried using brown rice instead of Arborio, to increase the fiber.  It took even longer to cook!  Then I tried buckwheat – not even rice at all – but cooked it using the risotto method, in nearly half the time.  Ta da!!

 

And I made a video for you, so you could see it done first hand.   I call it Risotto in 11 Minutes and you can view it below.  Find the recipe on page 50 of Chef Nancy’s Recipe for Health !

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Tagged as: Anti-inflammatory foods, Healing Foods, Plant based protein, Whole Foods

Quinoa

Posted in Cancer Fighting Diet, Celiac Disease, Food Allergies, Food Sensitivities, Gluten Intolerance, High Protein Diet, Super Foods, Vegan, Whole Foods by Administrator
Jan 19 2012
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Quinoa in the field

Pronounced 'keen-wa.

My culinary training taught me that quinoa is an ancient grain and the only grain that is a complete protein, all by itself. That means it has all the amino acids required to make up protein chain. Just like meat or eggs or fish. How cool is that? Protein, just like animal products have, without the inflammatory acid of animal products and with all the fiber that animal products lack.  AND it's gluten free.   

I LOVE QUINOA!!!!

 

So, what the heck do you do with it?  Everything!  

 

Well, no, you still need to eat a variety everyday, so as not to develop an intolerance from eating the same thing too often. 

 

What I meant was, quinoa lends itself to a really broad range of uses, kind of like Bubba Gump's shrimp!

 

One of the best things about it is that even though you can buy it processed into flour or rolled flakes, the overall goal is to eat as little processed food as you have to – quinoa is so small that it doesn't need to be ground into flour. It can be used in baking, patties, loaves, cookies, bars, salads, mashes, or just plain by itself, WHOLE. Did I mention I love quinoa!?  

 

And it comes in three colors – red, white and black – so you can either match it to what you're putting it in (in case you need to sneak it past someone ;-) or you can use a contrasting color to enhance the "curb appeal" of your dish!  

 

Here's a little demo I made, to show how easy it is to cook this stuff:

 How to prepare quinoa

  

Today I had it as a hot breakfast cereal, with some cinnamon and coconut sap crystals. You might like it as a side dish with dinner. Have you tried the Broccoli Quinoa Mash in my book (p.83)?

 

Post your comments and share your favorite way to enjoy QUINOA!

3 Comments »
Tagged as: Anti-inflammatory foods, Cancer Diet, Healing Foods, High Protein, Plant based protein, super food, Whole Foods

The Mighty Onion

Posted in Cancer Fighting Diet, Heart Healthy, Super Foods, Whole Foods by Administrator
Dec 18 2011
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 The mighty onion is a kitchen workhorse!   

 

As a member of the allium family (along with garlic and leeks), onions are a rich source of nutrients that benefit the cardio-vascular system.  Studies have shown their nutrient profile to lower blood cholesterol and triglycerides as well as protect the heart and blood vessels.  Additionally, the allium family has been credited with anti-cancer properties. 

 

As important as this is (especially considering their wide availability and low cost), I love the noble onion for the flavor profile it brings to the table!  Leave it raw and enjoy a powerful, spicy twist to your dish.  Sauté them in a small amount of olive oil or even broth, and taste the sweetness they bring.  Allow them to slowly caramelize over low heat with frequent movement (so they don't burn) and enhance the sweetness even further (think French Onion Soup).  YUMMMMM!

 

No matter what you are cooking, it is important that the pieces be very close in size.  Not only does this provide a uniform look , more importantly, it allows the food to cook at a uniform rate, so it's all done together, rather than small pieces burning while larger pieces get underway.  Make sense?  So here are some tips on getting a nice uniform dice to a whole (or half) onion: 

 

  1. Trim off the sprout end (that's the opposite of the root end).  DON'T trim the root end off!  
  2. Stand the onion on the newly trimmed end with root end up and slice the whole thing through from root down to cutting board.     
  3. Working with one half at a time, peel away the outer layers that are either skin or tougher.
  4. Lay one onion half flat on the cut side, root end away from you.
  5. Make lengthwise cuts from root to tip – the width varies according to the size of the dice you want.  Do not cut through the root – leave it in tact so that you could pick the whole thing up as one piece by the root.
  6. Turn the half 90 degrees and slice across the lengthwise cuts you just made (width of slices according to the size cuts you want).

 

VOILÀ!  A perfect dice!

 

Can't stop practicing? (the vision of Meryl Streep as Julia Child comes to mind) – portion them out by the cup or whole/half onion, then package them up in freezer safe containers, ready to grab when your next recipe calls for diced onion.

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Tagged as: Anti-inflammatory foods, Cancer Fighting Foods, Whole Foods

Pucker Up Baby!

Posted in Alkaline, Super Foods, Whole Foods by Administrator
Nov 18 2011
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Lemons Lemons

 

Lemons are a must in the kitchen!    

 

Use lemon juice to brighten the flavors in nearly any dish.

 

Use lemon juice to prevent browning of fruits such as apples and avocados.

 

Use lemon juice on salads and in dressing, instead of vinegar (especially if you have been told to avoid fermented foods for reasons of yeast overgrowth or Candida).

Use lemon juice to deodorize your hands from fish, garlic, etc.

 

Drink warm lemon water daily, to support your liver. Though lemons provide acidic flavoring, they are actually very alkaline (that’s a good thing)!

Use lemon juice as a solvent for gummy, sticky things.

When lemons are in season, squeeze the juice and freeze it in ice cube trays for a quick "juice of one lemon" fix.

Best way to extract the juice?  If you have a quantity, I recommend an electric citrus juicer.  Just one or two lemons?  Forget about fancy gadgets – cut the lemon in half, grab a fork, stick it n one half and squeeze!  Repeat until it's given all it will.  If you do this over a strainer, you won't have to go picking out seeds.

And don't forget that fabulous zest for a delightful lemony edge in a recipe – you'll notice the difference when you use the zest a recipe calls for, instead of substituting juice.   wink wink

Remember:  Harvest the zest before squeezing the juice!! 

 

Are lemons out of season, crazy expensive or just a nuisance for you? Look for Organic lemon juice, NOT from concentrate in the natural section of your grocery store. It’s a staple in my refrigerator!

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Tagged as: Anti-inflammatory foods, flavor enhancehers, Healing Foods, liver support, Whole Foods

Gone Fishin’

Posted in High Protein Diet, Organic, Whole Foods by Administrator
May 25 2011
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 As stated previously, I’m an advocate of eating less animal protein (see my Free Report to learn why), but of the animal protein I do eat, I choose that which is the least evolved, such as naturally raised, local eggs and wild caught fish.

 

Wild caught is important; it’s not just about sustainability, but even more so about health.  Farm raised fish are treated similarly to factory raised cattle and chickens – conditions are crowded, disease is likely and their feed is contaminated with high levels of PCB’s, dioxin and mercury.  Additionally, they are intentionally fattened to increase weight and therefore market price.  When you consider that contaminants accumulate in fat, farm raised fish offer double jeopardy.

 

Statistics indicate that farmed fish contain as much as 40 time more PCB’s than any other protein source, including dairy, beef, pork or poultry and 5-10 times more PCB’s as wild caught fish.

 

This because wild caught fish have less fat to store contaminants in and because their food is less contaminated than that utilized in farms.

 

Additionally, the beneficial omega 3 fatty acids for which fish are appreciated are better quality and more plentiful in wild caught fish.

 

So when you go to the market to buy fish, you could be doing yourself more harm than good to buy the more affordable farm raised options.  Yes, the wild caught is generally quite pricy, but considering it too has some natural contamination, the price helps to space consumption!

 

The next dilemma is determining whether or not it has been labeled “wild caught” with integrity.  Unfortunately, there is a reasonable amount of misrepresentation going on, according to the Environmental Working Group.  In my humble opinion, the EWG is a trustworthy source of information regarding levels of toxins in differing types of fish and articles on where to find the safest source.

 

If you are eating fish even once per week, it is advisable to investigate methods for removing the toxins from yourself, before they accumulate in your fatty tissue. There are many natural ways to remove toxins, some more laborious than others.  I like this one.

 

Love sushi?  ME TOO!!!  So I limit my indulgence to once or twice a month.  You can bet that the majority of sushi grade fish, is going to be farmed because “fat is where the flavor’s at”!

 

If you think “Organic” farmed fish is the answer, this article may change your mind.

 

Perhaps it’s time to turn the family vacation into a deep sea or Copper River fishing expedition and savor the souvenirs all year long from your freezer…..

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Tagged as: Essential Fatty Acids, Fish, Omega 3, Whole Foods

This is your brain on… Eggs!

Posted in Food Allergies, High Protein Diet, Super Foods by Administrator
May 17 2011
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 Eggs

 

 

I’m an advocate of eating less animal protein (see my Free Report to learn why), but of the animal protein I do eat, I choose that which is the least evolved, emphasizing naturally raised, local eggs and wild caught fish.

 

Consider these points about eggs:

 

·       They are available year round

·       They can be eaten alone or used as an ingredient

·       They are a kitchen workhorse, acting as volumizer, emulsifier and/or binder

·       They help prevent blood clots

·       They reduce serum cholesterol

·       They promote weight loss

·       They protect against cataracts and age related Macular Degeneration

·       They are a good source of Vitamin D, Iodine, B12 and other micronutrients.

 

How is this so?  Eggs YOLKS are the richest food source of choline, which is vital to brain health and messaging throughout the nervous system.

 

It is estimated that more than 90% of Americans are deficient in choline.  Both the choline and B12 in egg yolks convert damaging homocysteine into safe components, thereby improving cardiovascular health.

 

It is true that egg yolks are high in cholesterol, but more recent studies have revealed that eating 1-2 eggs, daily, coupled with a low fat diet, creates NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE in blood levels of cholesterol or risk of heart disease and (I think it bears repeating) can actually improve it!

 

And, as if these points aren’t enough, choline inhibits inflammation ~ yahooooo!!

 

If you’re like me and allergic to egg WHITES, you can eat your yolks alone – raw in a morning smoothie, swallow ‘em whole or scramble them with your favorite milk product (mine’s coconut milk).  It is also worth noting that if you are allergic to the whites, the protein associated with the allergy is often neutralized at high temperatures, such as those associated with baking.

 

If you’d like to learn more about the health benefits of eggs, I recommend the following link: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=92

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Tagged as: Anti-inflammatory foods, Eggs, Healing Foods, Whole Foods

What to Eat:

Posted in Cancer Fighting Diet, Whole Foods by Administrator
Mar 05 2010
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Whole foods grandma would recognize

 

From Michael Pollan’s Food Rules An Eater’s Manual 1

  1. Eat food.
  2. Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
  3. Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.
  4. Avoid food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup.
  5. Avoid foods that have some form of sugar (or sweetener) in the top three ingredients.

Sticking to these rules (and they are only the first five, from Pollan’s Food Rules1)  will go a looong way toward maintaining a healthy (and healing) diet for you and your loved ones!

1Pollan, Michael.  Food Rules, An Eater’s Manual.  Penguin Books, 2009.  5-13.

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Tagged as: Healing Foods, What to Eat, Whole Foods

‘Medical Food’

Posted in Cancer Fighting Diet, Liquid Nutrition by Administrator
Dec 17 2009
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EnsureIf you’ve read Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, per my recommendation or otherwise, you’ll know this about what is considered FOOD:

  1. Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
  2. Don’t eat anything incapable of rotting.
  3. Avoid "food products" that are
a.   Unfamiliar
b.   Unpronounceable
c.   Contain more than five ingredients or
d.   Contain high fructose corn syrup
 
I strongly support all of these statements by Mr. Pollan and would like to point out that many “Medical Foods” prescribed for gravely ill patients or those battling life threatening diseases don’t satisfy one of Mr. Pollan’s well researched criteria of what food is.
 
These so called Medical Foods will indeed provide calories, but these “non-foods” as Mr. Pollan would call them, are in large part responsible for our state of disease in the first place! 
 
Calories from Medical Food may keep us alive a little longer, but what is absolutely needed to heal and thrive is the complex nutrition that only WHOLE FOODS can provide.
 
If you or a loved one has been prescribed this type of liquid nutrition for medical reasons, please PLEASE, research your (whole food) options. Visit The Holistic Kitchen.com for ideas.  Send us questions. Read our post entitled Making the Most of a Smoothie.
 
Here’s to your health!
Chef Nancy

 

 

2 Comments »
Tagged as: Cancer Nutrition, Healing Foods, Healing Smoothies, Healthy Drinks, Liquid Nourishment, Liquid Nutrition, Whole Foods

Making the most of a smoothie

Posted in Cancer Fighting Diet by Administrator
Oct 22 2009
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 The great thing about liquid nutrition is that you can blend in all sorts of crazy nourishing things and still feel like you’re drinking a fun treat! If you pack a lot of nutrition in, a little bit can be very sustaining for one whose appetite is compromised. AND it allows you to take advantage of raw foods that are easily digested and available for the body to put to work, right away.

 
The trick is in the equipment, from the blender to the glass you serve it in.
 
I love the Vita Mix blender. It will completely puree whole foods to smooth as silk, without having to remove the skin or fibrous parts. You get everything nature intended using a Vita Mix blender.
 
For example, place a cup of water and 1/4 cup of almonds in a Vita Mix and in about a minute, you have your own homemade almond milk. Now add one half of a washed, organic apple (remove stem and quarter it first, but definitely use the core). Blend it up! Let’s get some green protein in there – how about a generous handful of organic, washed baby spinach.  Toss in a teaspoon of bee pollen or royal jelly for a protein boost that offers B-12 too.
 
“But wait, that’s not all!” Don’t forget a heaping scoop of your favorite Micro Algae blend (I like the Green Vibrance powder from Vibrant Health – it is loaded with micro algae, probiotics, and enzymes, to name a few, and all from whole foods).
 
And then, some Omega 3 fatty acids: 1 tablespoon of whole flax seeds. Need to add some weight to your skeleton? Add ½ an avocado and/or a tablespoon of organic coconut butter or cold pressed virgin coconut oil. A note about these last three alternatives: The avocado will add creaminess and may increase the thickness of the drink, so you may need to add more water. The coconut butter or oil may harden if chilled from ice cubes or frozen fruit, but the Vita Mix action will warm it.)
 
Okay, so now we have to make it TASTE GOOD and get some colorful items for a balance of nutrients and antioxidants. I happen to prefer raspberries, myself, but you can put your favorite colorful berries in – fresh or frozen (just be sure they are organic). The berries will add some sweetness, but you may want more. You can try a 1-2 drops of liquid Stevia (a tiny bit goes a loooong way!) or a squirt of organic raw Agave nectar.
 
Once you have perfected your blend, transfer it to a beautiful glass and viola! A frothy treat that is meal in a glass.
 
Have fun experimenting with the fruits and vegetables you use. Mix them up (ha!) so you are getting a wide array of all the vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. Think of trying to achieve a rainbow of nutrition throughout your day.
 
Happy blending!
Chef Nancy

 

 

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Tagged as: Cancer Diet, Cancer Fighting Foods, Cancer Nutrition, Healing Smoothies, Healthy Drinks, Liquid Nourishment, Liquid Nutrition, Whole Foods

Cancer Diet and Fruit

Posted in Cancer Fighting Diet by Administrator
Sep 29 2009
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Often times, cancer patients are told by their physicians to be careful how much fruit they consume, due to its sugar content and potential to spike the glucose, resulting in higher levels of insulin growth factor hormones.

According to Jennifer Murray, "Eating a low GL-diet does not mean giving up good-for-you foods such as fruits and vegetables".

Those who wish to control their blood sugar may believe (since fruits and vegetables are typically rich in complex carbohydrates), that produce is off limits. "This isn’t the case at all" states Murray. "In fact, fruits and vegetables should be consumed daily not only because they are high in fiber, but also because fruits and vegetables provide many of the vitamins and nutrients that the body needs. Many fruits and vegetables have been shown to have very little impact on blood sugar levels because of their low Glycemic Load (GL) value."

Murray further reports:

"Even though many fruits have a moderate to high GL count due to their high sugar content, it’s unlikely that one would eat enough to spike blood sugar levels the way even small amounts of processed carbs will. There are many fruits that are very low in GL and have little impact on blood sugar."

"A low-GL value is considered 10 or less, and one 4-ounce serving of the following fruits all have a GL value of less than 10":

  • Fresh apricots
  • Avocado
  • Blackberries
  • Cantaloupe
  • Fresh cherries
  • Grapefruit
  • Grapes
  • Honeydew
  • Kiwi
  • Lemon
  • Mandarins
  • Nectarines
  • Oranges
  • Raspberries
  • Fresh watermelon

Benefits of a Low-Glycemic Load Diet

It’s not only those who suffer with diabetes that need to keep their blood sugar levels in check. More and more research is finding that the benefits of controlled blood sugar apply even to those who do not have diabetes and are otherwise healthy individuals. According to Dr. Mabel Blades, author of The Glycemic Load Counter, benefits of a low-GL diet include:

  • Stable blood sugar levels
  • Easier weight management and weight loss
  • Increased energy
  • Decreased risk of insulin resistance
  • Improved memory
  • Improved digestion
  • Lowered cholesterol

Read more: http://food-facts.suite101.com/article.cfm/low_glycemic_load_fruits_and_vegetables#ixzz0SYA48vW7

 

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Tagged as: Cancer Diet, Cancer Fighting Foods, Cancer Nutrition, Whole Foods
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