7 Top Health Benefits of Maca Maca, a root that belongs to the radish family, is most commonly available in powder form. Grown in the mountains of Peru, it has been called “Peruvian ginseng.” Maca’s benefits have been long valued, and has recently been popularized as a supplement and food ingredient. There are no serious known side effects of maca, but like any other supplement it should not be taken in large amounts. Maca is good in smoothies, salads, drinks, cooked foods, and juices. Please be aware that other than the nutritional benefits provided by the vitamins and minerals, the other benefits are anecdotal, as maca has not been formally studied. A great resource that includes a lot of information on maca, as well as how to incorporate it into recipes, is Superfood Kitchen by Julie Morris. And if you’d like to compare various brands of maca, you can do so by exploring this page on Amazon.com 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. But be very cautious if you have a cancer related to hormones like testicular and ovarian, among others. 6.
All About Chiles Inspired by conversations on the Food52 Hotline, we're sharing tips and tricks that make navigating all of our kitchens easier and more fun. Today: Chile 101. How to cook with, identify, and enjoy (yes, enjoy) chiles. If there's one ingredient that yields polarizing opinions, it's the chile pepper: Some of us can't get enough of them, adding heaping scoops of chile powder and flakes to our meals, while others avoid the peppers at all cost. While as ubiquitous as salt, the ingredient is shrouded in mystery -- particularly for those who go out of their way to avoid it. So let's turn up our chile know-how, starting with their definition. How to buy and store fresh chiles: Fresh chiles, particularly popular variations like jalapeños and poblanos, can be found in the produce aisle of nearly any grocery store. How to cook with chiles: Once properly protected, it's time to get to work. Chiles lined up in order of heat. Varieties of chiles: Using whole chiles versus dried or powdered:
REAL honey nut bars It amazes me how many 'HONEY' nut bars sold at the supermarket and health food stores contain sugar. Flip over the wrapper and you'll most likely find processed sugar as one of the top ingredients listed. Don't get me wrong.... So here's my sweet, chewy recipe for my own version of REAL honey and nut bars. Saya's REAL honey nut bars Ingredients: 1/2 cup honey 1 cup granulated dry roasted peanuts* 1 1/2 cups granulated dry roasted almonds* 1 handful of dry roasted almond chunks (I just made rustic chunks by putting them in a ziplock bag and hitting them for half a minute with a wooden spoon - great chef skills) 1 heaped tablespoon of cinnamon pinch of salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract * I used a food processor for the granulated nuts. Instructions: Roughly tuck in baking paper into a square shallow dish leaving a generous amount of baking paper spilling over the side. In a saucepan over a low to medium heat, melt the honey, salt, vanilla extract and cinnamon together.
Detailed Listing of Acid / Alkaline Forming Foods The pH scale is from 0 - 14 Human blood pH should be slightly alkaline ( 7.35 - 7.45 ). Below or above this range means symptoms and disease. A pH of 7.0 is neutral. A pH below 7.0 is acidic. A pH above 7.0 is alkaline. An acidic pH can occur from, an acid forming diet, emotional stress, toxic overload, and/or immune reactions or any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients. An acidic balance will: decrease the body's ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decrease the energy production in the cells, decrease it's ability to repair damaged cells, decrease it's ability to detoxify heavy metals, make tumor cells thrive, and make it more susceptible to fatigue and illness. The reason acidosis is more common in our society is mostly due to the typical American diet, which is far too high in acid producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy, and far too low in alkaline producing foods like fresh vegetables. Shifting Your pH Toward Alkaline...
How To Make Whipped Feta I don’t even know what to saaaay. This whipped feta is single-handedly changing my life. And I mean, like reallyreallyreally changing my life, in ways that include consuming (very small) portions of vegetables along with it because it’s that good. Not like in the when-I was-12-I-stood-outside-of-Limited-Too-in-a-mint-and-navy-flannel-pleated-plaid-skirt-being-a-“model” type of way. That really didn’t take me… anywhere. Fortunately. For weeks I was inflated with the idea of whipped feta. You know where I actually think the thought came from? Enter whipped feta. As you can clearly see, I slathered it on toast. I attempted the recipe three different ways: with regular cream cheese, whipped cream cheese and Greek yogurt. Perhaps my favorite thing about this whole mess is that you can flavor it any way you like. Okay. Ingredients: 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled and at room temperature 3 ounces whipped cream cheese, at room temperature Directions: Whip it good.
10 Best Cupcake Recipes Cupcakes have taken on a life of their own over the last five years or so. Chic little shops have popped up everywhere, there are numerous TV shows based on the handheld confections, and the flavor combinations seem endless. Aside from one cupcake shop (Baked & Wired in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC), I have yet to be blown away by any cupcake from any of those chic little shops. Most times I find the cupcakes to be rather dry and the frosting just okay. And the prices? Holy insanity! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. What’s your favorite cupcake ??
Heart Surgeon Makes Shocking Confession On The Real Cause Of Heart Disease I stumbled upon an article yesterday that I want to share with everyone. It was written by Dr. Dwight Lundell, a heart surgeon with 25 years of experience performing over 5,000 open-heart surgeries. What he revealed is sure to generate negative feedback to say the least from the mainstream medical community. But I’ve got to commend the man for speaking out on what he believes to be a major mistake. Think about it, what has the public been advised to do to offset the risk of heart disease? Everything has been focused on reducing fat in the diet, especially “bad” saturated fat, along with consuming more whole grains and “healthy” carbohydrates. Dietary fat has been tagged as the evil culprit behind the ills of high cholesterol and arteriosclerosis. Chances are if you’ve been identified to be at risk for or having heart disease, the recommendation has been to follow a low-fat diet, eat more whole grains, and take cholesterol lowering medications. There’s just one problem…it’s NOT working!
Turn Scallion Greens and Tomato Skins From Trash to Delicious Powdered Treasure [Photographs: Vicky Wasik] Every time I cook from a recipe that calls for just part of a vegetable, I feel like crap—I don't have a compost bin, which means all those scallion greens or tomato skins wind up going straight into the trash. What else can you really do with 'em? What if I told you that there's actually a great use for these cast-off ingredients, and that it's simple, fast, fun, and delicious? Of course, the idea of transforming vegetable scraps into something that tastes good and lasts in your pantry is nothing new. I took some cues from a post we ran a while back about drying herbs in the microwave to preserve flavor and even color. Tomato Powder If you're wondering why on earth you'd ever have a pile of tomato skins in the first place, take a quick gander at the step-by-step process and one of our favorite uses for skinless tomatoes: refreshing, smooth-textured coulis. I've found that the best flavor comes from ripe, flavorful tomatoes—no surprises there. Scallion Powder
Easy Dehydrator Recipes - a Plethora of Ideas | Raw Glow Blog Most people don’t realize how easy dehydrator recipes can be. Easy dehydrator recipes can be as simple as slicing fruits and vegetables and preserving them for later. If you haven’t used your dehydrator in awhile, here are some easy recipe ideas to make sure you are getting the maximum benefit out of your dehydrator. All of these recipes were made in the Excalibur Dehydrator, but any dehydrator will do. 1. Most people know that they can dehydrate tomatoes, but most people don’t realize how delicious dehydrated red bell peppers can be. Directions: De-seed bell peppers by removing the stem and seeds. 2. Most people know you can dehydrate apples, but did you know you can also dehydrate other fall fruit such as thinly sliced persimmons and pears? Directions: De-seed persimmons and pears and slice them into rounds about half an inch thick. 3. Did you know that you can dehydrate a bunch of yummy vegetables to make your own natural salt free seasoning? 4. 5. Dehydrated Young Coconut Recipe
Top Tips For Reducing Inflammation In The Body Most health experts now agree that inflammation is the root cause behind most all chronic illnesses and disease. While there are a variety of causes for chronic inflammation in the body, the outcome is always the same. Over time and left unchecked it leads to premature aging and diminished health. Quite frequently when individuals set out to lose weight the last thing they’re thinking about is inflammation. The focus is all on calories and exercise. In my experience as a fitness coach and weight loss consultant, inflammation is without question one of the most overlooked hidden obstacles that keep people stuck in a plateau. In today’s post we’ll look at inflammation in more detail and I’ll provide you with my top tips on how to reduce it. More after the jump… Inflammation 101 Alright, let’s start with the basics. That “something” could be a chronic infection, virus, injury, excessive toxins like alcohol and nicotine, or an overgrowth of bacteria for example. - all processed and refined foods
The 3 Kinds of Caramelized Onions Every Home Cook Should Know When caramelizing onions, there is a right color for the right job—you just have to learn how far to take ’em. No matter if you’re using yellow, white, or sweet onions, be sure to use a large, wide pot or skillet: This will help the water evaporate so the slices caramelize instead of steam. Cook them in a neutral oil like grapeseed (butter will burn) over medium-low heat, season with salt, and stir occasionally. If done properly (read: slowly), you shouldn’t need to add any water. But if you notice some sticking or premature browning, add a splash or two of water. Oh, and remember: This is not a quick process. Blonde Ideal for French soup, these cappuccino-colored onions should still have a bit of bite.Use them in: Petit Trois’s French Onion Soup Golden Brown Go a stretch longer to get them a little more, well, caramel-colored; great for onion jam.Use them in: Scrambled Eggs with Caramelized Onions and Chèvre Put those onions to work in the cheesiest French onion soup ever:
Hummus This is how I make hummus. Authentic hummus: love it, but that’s not exactly what I’m talking about here. This is the Lindsay-making-hummus-at-home-in-less-than-30-minutes hummus variety. Which actually is my favorite variety, because spending 30 minutes making something that lasts for lots of lunches is a time steal. Know this. Unless you have some sort of amazing blender that can whoosh anything, everything, one hundred percent smooth and creamy – does that even exist? There’s not a nice way to say it. You’re going to start a chickpea peeling party, but then it’s going to be sort of boring and you’re going to feel crabby at me. The texture is so much better when you peel the skins off. I mean, look at that silky smoothness. Now, I think you should eat that silky smoothness. Super Easy Homemade Hummus Author: Pinch of Yum Prep time: Total time: Serves: 10-12 Ingredients 2 cans chickpeas 1 clove garlic 2-3 tablespoons olive oil up to ½ cup water ½ teaspoon salt Instructions Notes