Thank you to Allrecipes.com for this wonderful way to jazz up the sweetness of the fall bounty.
Here is my all-time favorite thing to do with a worthy pumpkin. This is the memorable recipe you’ve been waiting for to make for your Thanksgiving guests, fall weekend guests, beloved kids home on break, book group, or your family just because. Believe me, it makes an impression! Thanks go to Molly Katzen, noted author of Moosewood Cookbook, who first introduced me to the idea of cooking inside a pumpkin many, many years ago. Continue reading
Have you ever thought about why we might call potatoes “organic,” oats “old-fashioned,” cereal “whole-grain,” flour “whole-wheat,” or strawberries “pesticide-free”? What about “wild salmon,” “free-range chicken,” “pastured lamb,” and “hormone-free milk”? Our food supply has undergone any number of unprecedented changes in the past 100 years, and one of them is the words we use to describe that food. Basically since words that once meant food staples now refer to corresponding inventions of the 20th century, we’ve had to come up with new ones to describe the things those words once meant. Continue reading
Let’s take another look at an important subject:
Have you ever heard anyone say that all you need to do to eat a more nutritious diet is to get rid of the white flour and sugar? That seems pretty radical to most people. What’s the point? What’s wrong with white flour and sugar? And what would such a change accomplish?
Love, love lentils! They’re beautiful (and cheap) bought in bulk and stored in glass jars in the cabinet. They cook fast, compared to all the other beans, and you never need to soak them. The red ones cook quickest of all, so don’t be afraid to make this if you’ve got just one-half hour to get soup on the table. I’ve shared some of Mark Bittman’s recipes in the past. This one’s from his Kitchen Express–quick and easy. If you already pulverized some cilantro (or basil) a few weeks ago, and stuck it in the freezer for safekeeping, pull it out now — this is the recipe to use it on! I guessed at the quantities as it is written as a narrative. Continue reading
Several times a month or more, a friend thrusts their latest cholesterol results in front of me and asks for an explanation. “What do you think of these results?” “Are they okay?” “My doctor said the HDL is too low.” “Why are my triglycerides so high?” “What should the LDL be?” “Why is the total cholesterol number high if all the individual numbers are good?” This week I’m talking about what your cholesterol results mean, and how to make them better.
First, let’s discuss how the total cholesterol is computed. Simple. Add the LDL to the HDL, and then add one-fifth of the triglycerides. That’s your answer. So if the LDL is 100, HDL is 50, and triglycerides (TG) are 100, the total cholesterol number will be the sum of 100 (LDL) + 50 (HDL) + 100/5 (TG) = 100 + 50 + 20 = 170. Very good. Here’s a second example: If the LDL is 150, HDL is 50, and triglycerides are 500, the total cholesterol will be the sum of 150 (LDL) + 50 (HDL) + 500/5 (TG) = 150 + 50 + 100, or 300. Not good. You want your total cholesterol below 200 or so, unless the HDL is high, in which case the total may be higher than 200, but that’s good. High HDL levels are beneficial; they lower your risk of coronary artery disease. Continue reading