Pick of the Week: BROCCOLI

BROCCOLI to the RESCUE! Broccoli is great this time of year, not just because its in season, but because its loaded with vitamins that help you stay healthy and ward off the cold. It provides a great source of viamins C, Potassium, Calcium, folic acid, fiber, indole-3-carbinol (prevents hormone-related cancers) and betacarotene.

When cooking broccoli, it is very important not to overcook it, the texture gets mushy and unpleasant. Keeping it slightly crisp (you can tell by tasting it or watching the color- most greens turn a bright fresh looking green when they are cooked enough but not too much), it is really tasty and a bit of crisp can be really lovely.

Great added into stir fry's, steamed and topped with a bit of cheese, or in a curry; here is a great recipe for curry, great on these chilly nights.

1 small onion, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 small red bell pepper, cubed
1 cup halved mushrooms
3 cups broccoli
1 cup thinly sliced carrots or whole sugar snap peas

***Coconut-Curry Sauce***
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar or cider vinegar
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in
1 1/2 teaspoon cold water


Directions:

Separately blanch the broccoli and carrots (or sugar snap peas)until tender-crisp in plain boiling water. Drain and rush under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again.

Combine the Coconut-Curry Sauce ingredients. Taste and adjust the sugar to your liking.

Heat a wok or wide skillet over high heat until hot. Add the canola oil, swirl to glaze the pan. Then add the onions and bell pepper. Stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and stir until hot, a few minutes more.

Add the blanched vegetables and toss to mix.

Stir the sauce and add it to the pan. Bring it to a simmer, tossing to combine. Stir the cornstarch mixture to recombine and add it to the pan. Stir until the sauce turns glossy, about 10 seconds (a bit longer if you are doubling the sauce).

Add the sesame oil and toss to mix.

This recipe from CDKitchen for PF Chang`s Coconut Curry Vegetables serves/makes 2
(http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/525/PF_Changs_Coconut_Curry_Vegetables45478.shtml)


for more on broccoli see: http://healthfood-guide.com/HealthBenefitsOfBroccoli.aspx

Pick of the Week: BRUSSELS SPROUTS

BRUSSELS SPROUTS! I just love them, and saw them growing in the ground for the first time this week. This city kid hit the country for some quality time up at a farm outside of Albany. As you can see in the picture above the sprouts grow off a stalk almost forming a bumpy trunk that explodes into foliage at the top. I love them roasted best! Just clean them, slice them in half or quarters (if they are on the big side), toss in some bacon for extra umph, mix in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on a pan at 375-400 for about 30 minutes. I like them slightly burt and crispy.

Brussels sprouts are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, folacin, potassium, calcium, fiber and when eaten with grains provide a great source of protein.

find out more at:http://home.howstuffworks.com/brussels-sprouts3.htm

Wall Mart: Moving in the Right Direction

Just read some promising news in the New York Times! Wall Mart is making steps to support local, small farms! While I would like to see them abolish, if not limit, the use of genetically modified seeds and produce as well as raise their quality standard by including more organic foods... this is a promising, if not long overdue, step in the right direction. They are raising the requirements for farms producing their meat, not allowing for more rainforest depletion.

They have shown their power to change systems- with the success of their packaging design "eco-ver" (eco friendly make over). Whether this is consumer motivated, publicity driven or economically inspired, I am thrilled to see change in such a large corporation.

Better late then never, so big cheers for Wall Mart- but you're not perfect yet so, keep going!

a must see: FOOD MATTERS

I just happened to be flipping through netflix online looking for something to watch this rainy evening and happened upon FOOD MATTERS, an incredibly well put together documentary that rivals some of my favorite food and health documentaries like Food Inc. and Supersize Me. While I am still marinading on what I just watched... I am already excited about the wealth of easy to do's the movie provided to live a more healthy lifestyle.

1) DRINK WATER WHEN YOU WAKE UP, around a litre or two, to flush the toxins out of our bodies. What an easy thing to do, and honestly I don't do it. But you can believe I will tomorrow am- and every morning after that.

2) MAKE SURE EACH MEAL IS AT LEAST 50% RAW FOODS. Heat actually damages food and alters our bodies response to it.

3) TAKE VITAMINS. I wasn't actually a believer until seeing this film, but I am going to my local health food store tomorrow to purchase some. I don't feel confident that I am getting all the nutrients I need just through my food consumption, most americans aren't. Too many is better then too few.

Unfortunately, I took so many notes that my mind is a bit of a jumble... Many hugely interesting points of discussion arose- like HOW WE HEAL OUR BODIES? what do pills actually do? do they "fix" things or just make us less aware of them? why don't we heal our bodies with nutrients and food instead of pills- and furthermore, why isn't nutrition a REQUIRED part of getting a medical degree. Isn't it widely understood that diet is a, if not the, major contributing factor to health??

GO SEE THE MOVIE, it came out in 2008, and is on demand for those of you who have netflix, otherwise look for it. I feel like I am about to start a new lifestyle direction that will effect the rest of my life.

Pick of the Week SPINACH

Popeye the sailor famously promotes spinach to children, purporting that it makes him strong and able. Spinach is actually one of the most nutrient-dense foods around while having very few calories. A great source of vitamin K, A, magnesium, fiber, calcium, protein and antioxidants. With its abounding vitamins its no wonder that its great for cardiovascular health, helps fend off cancer and can help protect the body from aging.

So raw or steamed, enjoy spinach by the bundle!

For more information and my source read up at http://www.livestrong.com/article/2700-facts-health-benefits-spinach/

READING: Vogue "Force of nature" by Ginny Graves

I picked up a copy of Vogue at the airport recently and was thrilled to discover an article about Dr. Daphne Miller. Miller is a San Francisco based doctor who is/has been researching the health properties of diet and how food can be medicine. She has published a book entitle The Jungle Effect and is working on a second. MIller is part of the so called "food as medicine movement." Upon reading the article I am very much looking forward to picking up a copy and learning more!

Great tips from the article include:
feeling congested and under the weather?
try mushroom and ginger soup- ginger decongests while mushrooms are great for your immune system.

depressed?
try a diet with more omega-3 rich foods.

Worried about breast cancer?
include more sea weed in your diet, like the Okinawan's who have a long life expectancy and a lower rate of breast cancer.