If you love reading academic research and the science behind what you eat, this is the section for you. Join us as we try to understand how our bodies, earth, and food work and the causes of disease.
In addition to storing grains long-term, I like to soak my grains. Here’s why. Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to try soaking grains in one recipe this week. You’re right: it’s controversial. But it can’t hurt. It is said that traditional cultures almost exclusively soaked or sprouted their grains before baking with […]
Want to know what to do with coconut oil? How to substitute one kind of fat for another? Wish you always knew what to do with your fats and how to adapt recipes to avoid the industrial fats that you’re just not into anymore? For more on how to cook traditional foods and use traditional
I’ve got a touch of obsessive-compulsive disorder at times. For example: as a child, every week during the 45-minute drive on the way back from dance class, I would consume a small order of McDonald’s French fries. (That’s not the OCD yet.) It took nearly the entire time because I’d eat them like this: a
Lazy French Fries in Beef Tallow or Coconut Oil Recipe Read More »
I’m all about the healthy baby steps! Let’s baby step our way into healthier fats by using lard and tallow. Learn the health benefits of tallow and lard and where to buy them. I used to spend a LOT of time cutting off every single little tiny bit of fat from every cut of meat I
Food for Thought: Lard and Tallow, Healthy Fats? Read More »
Ghee is one of those fats I had never heard of a year ago. Would you know ghee if you bumped into some on the street? Ghee, pronounced with a hard “g” like “go” and a long “e” like “see”, is also called clarified butter, and it’s pure butterfat with the milk solids, impurities and
I used to use Canola oil almost exclusively as my liquid fat for baking. The popular press said it was the healthy oil. I felt really good – you know that feeling? – when I used it in quick breads, etc. I would even brag about my “healthy food”. Hmph. Now there’s a whole bunch
Food for Thought: Canola Oil, a Unique Omega-3…Thumbs up or Thumbs Down??? Read More »
I can still picture standing in the kitchen my first summer in an apartment, talking on the phone with my mother. I called her a lot to ask how to do things! I just wanted the recipe for cream of potato soup, one of my favorites, and there she was explaining how to make a “roux”
My First Roux (and a Cream of Potato Soup Recipe) Read More »
Anyone want to disagree with me? Question my research? Please, do. Really. This may sound confrontational at first, but I truly appreciate and welcome those wiser than me helping me understand the science of nutrition and sharing other sources that I may not have discovered on my own. I’m not a researcher. I love reading
Food for Thought: Are Polyunsaturated Oils Healthy? Read More »
Ah, the French know their fats. When my husband worked with a Frenchman, he reminisced about this time of year in France: “Fall is the best time of year because the food is so wonderful: the fish are fatter, the cream is plentiful, and the vegetables being harvested are some of my favorites.” Yep, he
It’s time. Time to sign off of the fake butter revolution, and start putting real butter on your toast. And your mashed potatoes, vegetables, in your baked goods…and anywhere else you might use margarine or a “spread” that makes some health claim or another. This might be incredibly difficult for some of you, having grown up
Butter vs. Margarine vs. “Spreads”: How do They Stack Up? Read More »
I ran into a leek today at the supermarket. I’ve never bought a leek, or even looked one in the face before. The closest I’ve ever come is reading about them. They bring to mind a sensation of English literature, like if I was the little girl in The Secret Garden, I would eat leeks
Quick quiz: Where have you heard this phrase before? “…as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol…” If you ever catch a TV commercial for food or drugs – um, pretty much all of them that are low-fat or cholesterol related – you’ve heard the voiceover say this. Our culture is pretty
Food for Thought: The Evils (?) of Saturated Fats Read More »
Does the very word, “fat” make you squirm and think of exercise and cellulite? Today I’m practically begging you to release your fear of fat. Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to release your fear of fats. What’s Your Fat History? I was the kind of teenager who sopped the grease off her pizza with
Does it ever drive you nuts that candy companies will slap a “Fat Free!” label on their packages, tempting sorry dieters to indulge in a snack that is anything but “guilt free?” I can’t help the sarcastic smirk on my face when I see the words “Fat Free!” emblazoned across sugar-filled indulgences. What’s the deal
Huh? What’s kefir? And how do you pronounce it? If that’s you, I was right there with you a few months ago. I thought it was “keh-fur”, but you actually pronounce it “kuh-FEAR”, with the accent on the “fear”. No really – go back and say that in your head, don’t just skip the pronunciation
Have you ever felt ill after inhaling too much bleach? Do you feel that tickle in your throat when you clean with it? Do you wonder if it’s actually safe to clean with bleach, or wish there was a natural alternative? Bleach kills germs and mildew, whitens fabric and is a great all-around, frugal cleaner,
Pancakes are a staple breakfast when we go camping. This soaked whole grain version makes the fluffiest pancakes ever. Not to mention you can make a huge batch. Let your kids help prepare the batter at home and cook them while camping. The whole family can contribute. Then top them with real maple syrup or
Phew! I don’t like having mishaps and failures in the kitchen. So much time, so much capital and raw material invested in any new venture. I was pretty excited and nervous to try my hand at canning(link no longer available), and I was (mildly) devastated when the result was soft pickles. Lacto-fermentation had similar results,
Finally…Crunchy Pickles! (Lacto-Fermented and Canned) Read More »
I can’t tell you how much joy it brings my heart to find a quality company with actual, reasonable, high-quality customer service. It’s also great if they sell a quality product that I need at a price that beats the grocery store. Today I get to share good news with you about just such a
Well friends, we are on the last week of the Super Foods series! It’s been a good way to organize the ol’ blog for 15 weeks, but I’ll be glad to be finished at the same time. I have lots of other ideas to share with you! As with dinner and dessert, I’ve saved the
Food for Thought: Health Benefits of Cinnamon, Raw Honey, and Dark Chocolate Read More »
