Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today

Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training

I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/aicr_butternut.html

Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Salsa Verde - Makes 8 servings.

* 1 package (16 oz.) diced peeled butternut squash, or 1 1/4 lb. squash, seeded, peeled and diced
* Canola oil spray
* 1 can (15.5 oz.) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
* 3/4 cup (3 oz.) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese, divided
* 8 large (about 7-inch) corn tortillas
* 1 jar (16 oz.) salsa verde
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

Place squash in medium saucepan. Add 1 cup water. Cover pot tightly, and place over medium-high heat. Cook until squash is tender but not mushy, 12-15 minutes, depending on size of cubes. Drain squash, and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Select a baking dish just large enough to hold the eight tortillas, folded over and slightly overlapping, so that they fit snuggly in the dish. (You may want to “test” and see if the baking dish is the proper size by arranging unfilled, folded tortillas in it, as they would be once filled and ready to bake.) using the canola oil spray, lightly coat the interior of the baking dish and set aside.

Place beans in mixing bowl. Using fork, partially mash beans. Add squash and blend, leaving mixture coarsely mashed, with some beans still whole. Mix in 1/2 cup of the cheese. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper.

Coat a tortilla on both sides with cooking spray. Lay it on a plate. Spoon 3/4 cup of filling on one half of the tortilla. Fold tortilla in half over filling. Set it at one end of the baking dish. Repeat, placing filled tortillas so they overlap, filling baking dish tightly. Pour puréed sauce over assembled enchiladas. Sprinkle remaining cheese over sauce. Cover pan with foil.

Bake enchiladas about 30 minutes, until they are heated through and tortillas are soft. Uncover and serve garnished with cilantro, accompanied by cooked brown rice, if desired.

Per serving: 180 calories, 2 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 33 g. carbohydrate, 8 g. protein, 7 g. dietary fiber, 479 g. sodium.

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/aicr_quiche.html

The Edible Incredible Egg

BY FROM THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH

Eggs have been fighting an uphill battle for years against their image as cholesterol bombs. But in recent years, several studies have shown that egg consumption does not necessarily raise blood cholesterol or increase risk of heart disease.

Current heart-related nutrition recommendations still encourage limiting eggs to no more than four a week, especially the yolk, which contains the cholesterol. However, the cholesterol-raising saturated fat content of whole eggs is not particularly high.

Health experts think it is more important to limit foods high in saturated fat (fatty meats and dairy products) and trans-fatty acids (found in certain semi-hard oils, fried foods and commercial goods like pastries, chips and crackers). If your cholesterol level is healthy and you want to increase your consumption of eggs, have your cholesterol checked after a few months to make sure it’s still at a healthy level.

Egg whites are an excellent source of protein and riboflavin. Egg yolks contain all of the fat in an egg and are a good source of protein, iron, vitamins A and D, choline and phosphorus.

Phosphorus is an important mineral, along with calcium, for the structure of bones and teeth, and is necessary for the many chemical reactions needed to produce energy for our bodies. Most of the phosphorus in our diets comes from dairy products, whole grains, meat, poultry, fish and eggs.

It’s National Egg Month, so celebrate with this spinach and red pepper quiche. Just hold the sausage and bacon.

Spinach and Red Pepper Crustless Quiche - Makes 4 servings.

* Canola oil spray
* 2 large eggs
* 2 large egg whites
* 1 1/2 cup reduced-fat (2 %) milk
* 1 pkg. (10 oz,) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 1/2 cup cup finely chopped green tops of scallions
* Pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
* 1/2 cup finely grated 1% Swiss or Jarlsberg cheese, lightly packed
* 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and roasted, or half of a 7-oz. jar roasted peppers, drained and cut into narrow strips.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish with the cooking spray.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites and milk. Add spinach, scallions, salt and pepper. Stir to combine well and pour into baking dish.

Arrange cheese to cover spinach mixture. Lay roasted pepper over cheese in one layer, pressing down gently so some of the egg mixture flows up over the cheese.

Bake until quiche is set, the top lightly puffed and the bottom browned, about 30-40 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edges. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

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AICR offers a Nutrition Hotline (1-800-843-8114) Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, a free service that allows you to ask a registered dietitian questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research is the only major cancer charity focusing exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. The Institute provides a range of education programs that help millions of Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S. The Institute has provided more than $65 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR’s Web address is www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.

____________________________________

ARTICLE POSTED MAY 17, 2004

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/dth_burger.html

Ten Tips to Building a Better Burger
By: Deborah Taylor-Hough

Summer’s almost here and if you’re anything like me, you’ve already made that annual trip to the store to refill the propane tank on your backyard grill.

One thing I often hear from guests is that my barbequed burgers actually taste good ... rather than just being hard and dry as hockey pucks like so many of those traditional family reunion barbequed hamburgers we’ve all endured from time to time.

In honor of the hallowed summertime tradition of outdoor cooking, here are some of my favorite tips for finding your way to Hamburger Heaven in your own backyard.

1) Don’t build your burger from low fat meat. Get a package of ground beef with an 80/20 or even a 70/30 ratio of meat to fat. The fat keeps it moist and flavorful and drains off during the cooking process so the calorie count ultimately isn’t much higher than the lower fat varieties ... but the flavor is so much better. Be aware, thought, that the higher the fat content in your meat, the more the patty will shrink while cooking. So plan accordingly.

2) For additional flavor, try mixing ground beef with other ground meats like pork, sausage or lamb. A good ratio is two parts beef to one part other meat. Also, if you use ground turkey to save money, keep in mind that turkey is probably one of the least stable burger materials you can find, so mix it 50/50 with ground beef to keep those burgers in one piece on the grill.

3) When forming burgers, mix the ingredients together gently, handle your burger patties as little as possible, and don’t fully compress the meat ... remember, you’re not making meatloaf or meatballs. If you form the raw beef into patties with wet hands, the grease won’t stick to your skin nearly as much.

4) If you like adding extra things to your ground beef before making patties, make sure to keep the pieces small. Large chunks of onion or garlic make the patty unstable and more apt to fall apart while cooking. Be sure to finely chop or grate all added veggies.

5) Some particularly tasty additions to the burger mix are: freshly ground pepper, minced garlic, finely chopped onion, Worcestershire sauce, grated carrot, crushed vinegar & salt potato chips, or soy sauce. I’ve discovered that burger purists tend to insist on top-of-the-line ground beef (Sirloin) with nothing added but salt and pepper (after grilling). Honestly, I love a good, pure burger ... but sometimes it’s fun to add the extras for variety. Also, if you add steak sauce or applesauce to your burger patties, try mixing in some dry bread crumbs, quick-cooking oats, or beaten eggs to help stabilize the burgers.

6) Cook over a medium flame rather than a high one. You want to cook the patties just slow enough to cook all the way through. You don’t want them charred on the outside and a raw mess on the inside.

7) Don’t press down on the cooking burger patties with your spatula or flip the burger using tongs that squeeze the burger. You’ll just be squeezing out all the delicious juiciness and leaving behind a much dryer and tougher finished product. Make an indentation with your thumb in the center of each burger before cooking to help keep them flat without squishing them under the spatula.

8) Never — I repeat, “Never!” — poke your cooking burger patties with a fork or other pointy object. It’s a guaranteed trip to Hockey Puck Hamburger Land when all those delicious juices pour out through that hole.

9) The less you move the burgers around on the grill, the better looking the grill marks. Ideally, you only want to turn the burger once, but be sure to focus on safety and full cooking more than making the prettiest burgers on the block. You’ll hear mixed messages from burger aficionados about what temperature to cook the burgers and how often to flip them, but I tend to not worry about the perfect grill marks and have found that frequent flipping tends to keep the juices in the burger a bit better.

10) Let the burgers rest for a minute or two before serving to give a chance for the juices to settle. Serving too soon may cause the burgers to dry out. Rather than melting cheese onto the burgers during the grilling process, I like to set the cheese slices on top of the finished burgers while they’re “resting.” The cheese melts without dripping off the burger onto the grill. When the cheese is done melting, the burgers are done resting and ready to serve.

Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

—Deborah Taylor-Hough is the author of the bestselling Frozen Assets series, Frugal Living For Dummies(R), Mix-and-Match Recipes, and A Simple Choice: A Practical Guide for Saving Your Time, Money and Sanity. Debi’s also edits the Simple Times, Solo Parents, and Bright-Kids e-zines. http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/aicr_polenta.html

Must Ethentic Be Authentic

BY DANA JACOBI FOR THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH

I used to be an ethnic food snob. Before making a recipe, I would travel clear across town to get ingredients imported from the country where the dish originated. Any amount of preparation was acceptable. I stirred polenta as patiently as an Italian “nonna,” tolerant of how it splattered all over the stove. I gently simmered oxtails to make rich broth for Vietnamese pho, and I even ground dried soybeans to make tofu from scratch. What finally cured me was a food experience that was memorable, but not in a positive way.

African cooking has always attracted me. I once persuaded the mother of an Ethiopian acquaintance to spend an entire day teaching me to make “injera,” the big, limp sheets of bread that serve as much as a plate as a national staple, plus several intensely-spiced stews and “niter kibbe,” the spiced clarified butter essential to many Ethiopian dishes.

Exploring food stores where African immigrants shopped, I discovered millet imported from West Africa. Familiar with millet that is light yellow and looks like bird-seed, I was startled to see this kind had round, quinoa-size grains the color of gravel, in an assortment of blue and greenish grays. When I followed the shopkeeper’s instructions for boiling millet, my apartment smelled like fish was cooking. I will never know if the final, mush-soft result was authentic, but it tasted oddly earthy and strange to my palate.

This cured me of achieving the most authentic dishes. Now I use ethnic ingredients more casually. One I rely on is the cooked polenta sold in a plastic tube (like sausage, but shelved unrefrigerated), an especially easy way to enjoy a whole grain. I layer thin slices with cheese and tomato sauce to make lasagne almost instantly, or sauté inch-thick slices in a skillet until golden brown, then top them with garlic-sautéed spinach and grated pecorino. Going fusion, I sometimes cook up tomatoes and bell peppers, then crumble in the polenta. Broken up, it resembles scrambled eggs and makes a complete dish perfect for breakfast or dinner.

Scrambled Polenta - Makes 4 cups or 4 servings.

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 medium plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One tube (16-18 oz.) prepared polenta, cut in 1/2” slices
1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
1/2 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese, about 2 oz.
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the green pepper, tomatoes and jalapeno, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are bright green, 2 minutes. Mix in the garlic, cumin and oregano. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the tomatoes start to soften, 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

A few slices at a time, crumble the polenta into the pan in chunks. Cook, stirring, until the polenta is heated through. Off the heat, mix in the scallions, cheese and lime juice. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired. Divide the polenta among 4 plates.

Garnish with the cilantro, and serve.

Per serving: 174 calories, 5 g. total fat (5 g. saturated fat), 26 g. carbohydrate, 7 g. protein, 4 g. dietary fiber, 630 mg. sodium.

AUTHOR:
The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the cancer charity that fosters research on diet and cancer and educates the public about the results. It has contributed more than $82 million for innovative research conducted at universities, hospitals and research centers across the country. AICR also provides a wide range of educational programs to help millions of Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk. Its award-winning New American Plate program is presented in brochures, seminars and on its Web site, http://www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.
RECIPE POSTED APRIL 09, 2007

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/foodtips.html

Food Tips

One way to keep mushrooms longer is to put them in a brown paper bag and store in the refrigerator.

Use up those stale buns! Make some garlic bread....just butter and sprinkle garlic powder on them. Brown in the oven.

Store your recipes easily by putting them in a photo album, its great for those hand written or clipped recipes. Can wipe off!

Scale fish easily by scaling them in a pan of water. Less mess.

Use disposable gloves while kneading dough. It does not stick to the gloves and cleanup is a breeze.

Put one stick of chewing gum with the outside wrapper removed into an opened box of flour or oatmeal to keep it free of bugs.

Thriftiest use of leftover tea, coffee and soda: make ice cubes to put in cool drinks without watering them down.

Simplest way to soften rock-hard brown sugar: Put a piece of cut apple or bread in the canister and wait a day or so.

Most popular way to keep from snacking as you cook: sip water or chew gum.

Easiest technique for removing fat from soup: Refrigerate the soup until the fat rises to the top and solidifies. Then lift it off with a spatula.

While cooking strong-smelling vegetables, such as cabbage, sauerkraut, or cauliflower, lay a layer of celery leaves on top of the vegetables to prevent odors. Or, add a tablespoon of vinegar to the water to help cut the odor.

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/computersnacks.html

Low-Mess, High-Energy Snacks for Computer Users

(ARA) - Thousands of students across the country are studying for careers in many different professions, but almost all involve spending time at a PC. To quench the hunger that often develops after spending hours in front of a computer screen, many students find the library vending machines to be a convenient option. Although these high-calorie, low-nutrient foods satisfy your immediate hunger, they do little to increase energy levels and brainpower the rest of your body is craving.

To address this snacking situation, Chef-Instructors from The Art Institutes were put to the PC-friendly test and asked to develop low-mess, high-energy foods for snacking at computers. “Students of Multi-Media & Web Design, Media Arts & Animation and Graphic Design spend many long and hungry hours at the computer. We asked some of our chefs to help develop foods that would not only be easy to eat and have a low-mess factor, but also supply enough energy to avoid the sluggishness that comes from too much junk food,” says Jeffrey Durosko, spokesperson for The Art Institutes.

Chef Instructor Christine Geyer of The Art Institute of Los Angeles Culinary Arts Program offers recipes that satisfy sweet tooths, but also creations that “don’t leave residue on fingers, such as salt, seasonings on trail mixes or pretzel mixes,” says Geyer. Raspberry Cooler, Citrus Delight and Top Banana are yogurt-based snacks in a glass. Made with fresh fruit, juice and flavored yogurts, these high-energy drinks are perfect for computers “as long as you put it in a cup with a lid and use a straw,” Geyer cautions.

Chef Instructor Chris DeJohn of The Art Institute of Colorado’s Culinary Arts Program says, “Dim sum works well, as does simple cheese and fruit skewers. Just cube your favorite cheeses (hard cheeses work best) with favorite fruits that don’t drip like strawberries, grapes or pineapple,” explains DeJohn. Other PC-friendly food DeJohn likes are wrap sandwiches or spicy tuna and egg omelet sushi for those interested in a more ambitious snack for nibbling at the computer.

For Chef-Instructor Peter Babcock of The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, the best computer snacks are the simplest. “I like fresh apples, grapes or bananas for high energy with low mess. Dried fruits like cherries, cranberries or apricots are also great because they’re tasty and leave no sticky residue on your hands,” he says. For himself, Babcock purchases specialty hard candies he keeps in his pockets, passing them around to other faculty and students. Other PC-acceptable snacks he likes are carrots and cucumber slices, even childhood favorites such as celery with peanut butter.

In addition to fruits and vegetable snacks, Chef Babcock likes to prepare a flavorful chicken broth with fresh vegetables on a Sunday, cutting up extra vegetables for snacks during the week and using the chicken for chicken salad sandwiches to eat during lunch breaks - although not at the computer. “Chicken broth from a thermos is a nutritious, low-mess snack, as well as a great comfort food,” says Chef Babcock.

High Energy Foods

Recipes from Chef Instructor Christine Geyer of The Art Institute of Los Angeles
Raspberry Cooler

1 cup raspberry yogurt
½ cup canned pineapple juice
¼ cup canned cream of coconut
3 ice cubes

In a blender, puree yogurt, juice and cream of coconut with ice cubes.
Citrus Delight

1 cup lemon yogurt
¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 fresh peach, sliced, or 1 large canned peach
3 ice cubes

Recipes from Chef Instructor Chris DeJohn of The Art Institute of Colorado

Spicy Tuna and Egg Omelet Sushi Rolls with Tabiko

This is a traditional Sushi Maki preparation from Japan serving 10 with three slices each. Most of Japanese ingredients are available in the ethnic or international sections of your local supermarket or at Asian specialty markets.

Ingredients:

6 ea. sheets of Nori seaweed
1 lb. Koko rose rice or other traditional sticky rice
½ lb. Tuna - Sushi grade albacore or yellow fin (Ask for this at the fish counter)
2 eggs - beaten
2 oz wasabi (Japanese green horseradish)
2 tablespoons water
6 oz. Tabiko caviar
4 oz. soy sauce
2 oz. hot chili sauce
1 ea. avocado
1 ea. English cucumber
4 oz. rice vinegar
2 oz. sugar
1 qt. and 2 cups water
2 oz. pickled ginger
1 pinch of kosher salt

Tools:
1 7-inch non-stick omelet pan
1 Sushi mat (Can be obtained from a specialty cook’s store)
1 French knife or Chinese cleaver
1 2 qt. sauce pot w/ cover or an electric rice cooker

The first step: Rinse the rice under cold, running water until the water draining becomes clear. Mix the 1 quart and 2 cups of water with the sugar and rice vinegar. Bring to a boil in the saucepot. Add the rice, stir and cover. Cook on low heat for 20-30 minutes or until water is absorbed. Cool and reserve for later.

The second step: Chop the tuna finely and add the hot chili paste and a pinch of kosher salt. Reserve until later.

The third step: Heat the omelet pan and add the beaten eggs. Cook the omelet over low heat so the egg remains yellow and does not brown. Cool and reserve for later.

The fourth step: Mix the wasabi with the 2 tablespoons of water and make a paste. Cover and reserve for later.

The fifth step: Peel and seed the cucumber and cut into long strips about 1/4” wide and 10” long. Cut the avocado in half and remove the seed. With a large spoon, scoop out the flesh in one piece and slice into strips. Reserve for later.

Assembling the sushi rolls: Place the seaweed square 10” x 10” (should come this size) on the sushi mat with the shiny side down. Mound 4 oz. of cooked rice down the center of the seaweed in a horizontal line across the entire square. Gently spread the rice forward and backward to cover the entire sheet of seaweed as evenly as possible. Place some strips of sliced cucumber on top of the rice in a horizontal line across the entire square. Place some avocado on top of the rice, next to the cucumbers in a horizontal line across the entire square. (Leave about 1/2” of space between the cucumbers and avocado. In the space between the avocado and cucumber, spoon some of the tuna mix in a horizontal line across the entire sheet of seaweed.

Slice the omelet into strips and place next to the tuna mix in a similar fashion.

Top with a line of Tabiko caviar the same way. Take the end closest to you and fold over the center mixture. Compress down into a round cylinder. Tighten and roll, being careful not to roll the mat into the sushi! Cover and reserve in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Repeat these steps until all of your ingredients are gone. Should make about six sushi rolls.

Do not stack or wrap rolls together as they will stick to each other. To slice, trim the ends and discard. Wet the blade of the knife and cut the rolls into 1” to 1-1/2” pieces. Serve with wasabi mixture, pickled ginger, and soy sauce, the traditional condiments for sushi.

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Author:

The Art Institutes is a system of 20 schools is located nationwide, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The Art Institutes family of schools has provided career-oriented education programs for over 35 years with more than 100,000 graduates. Courtesy of ARA Content, e-mail: info@aracontent.com

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/chmeals.html

Meals in Minutes
by RACHEL PAXTON

No matter what your schedule, you’re going to end up preparing a meal on the run every now and again. I try to keep the ingredients for several quick and easy meals on hand so I’m not in a bind when I’m rushed for time and have to throw a quick meal together. Here are some of my family’s favorites:

Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I always keep several cans of Campbell’s condensed tomato soup and saltine crackers on hand. Just add a can of milk or water to one can of soup and you’re in business. My husband prefers his grilled cheese sandwiches prepared with butter in the skillet, but I often leave out the butter completely by first toasting the bread in the toaster oven, adding the sliced cheese, and then microwaving until the cheese melts.

Stir Fry

There are a number of generic frozen stir fries on the market now that are very reasonably priced. I have to pick through them to find a vegetable combination my family likes, but there really are many to choose from. You just add your choice of beef, chicken, pork, or shrimp, and it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare in the skillet. I add a little soy sauce for extra flavor.

Spaghetti

I always stock up on jars of spaghetti sauce when they’re on sale. I prefer to make my own, but when I’m pressed for time these jars of sauce come in really handy. My family of three only eats about half of the sauce at one time, so I freeze the leftover sauce (the cooked hamburger added), and the next time it just needs to be thawed out and added to the cooked spaghetti noodles. We used to throw away a lot of leftover garlic bread, but I found that especially when we’re not planning on having spaghetti ahead of time, toast with butter and garlic powder is a very acceptable substitute. We actually decided we liked the garlic toast better so I don’t even bother with the garlic bread anymore. Just add a salad and you have a complete meal.

Chicken Burgers

I often run across frozen breaded chicken patties on sale. These make a great quick meal, any time of the day. They can be eaten alone or on a hamburger bun. Just add mayonnaise, lettuce, and maybe a slice of tomato. We like to eat these with frozen french fries and maybe a jello salad.

Author:

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, gardening, organizing tips, home decorating, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/jc_30minmeals.html

Make Meals in 30 Minutes or Less
By Jill Cooper

I was having dinner at my son’s house the other night and my daughter-in-law had fixed “old fashioned” baked potatoes. You know, the kind you make in the oven and not the microwave. Boy, they were good. It seems that so many things taste better slow cooked in the oven.

We started talking about how much longer it took to cook them in the oven compared to the microwave. That started me thinking. Yes, it does take longer in actual cooking time but in some ways it is easier. When I bake potatoes in the oven, I get them ready and in the oven an hour before dinner and then just forget about them until dinner is ready. Then, all I have to do is set them on the table and dinner is served.

When I microwave them, I tend to start cleaning them and preparing them at the same time that I’m trying to make a salad and heat up the veggies. While I’m doing all of that, I have to remember to keep turning the potatoes and if I am cooking several, I have to put a few in the microwave and when they are done, pull them out and add more, all of this at the same time that I am trying to prepare the rest of the meal.

Why is it that, even though we have faster methods of cooking our meals, they seem to have become more frenzied and hurried than years ago? Then it dawned on me — With the introduction of the microwave and the idea that meals can be prepares in 30 minutes, most people do nothing to prepare or plan their meals until 30 minutes before they
are going to eat. So 30 minutes before dinner you find yourself trying to thaw something, cook it, and slap it on the table and at the same time talk and deal with tired, hungry, cranky kids. Let’s not forget how exhausted you are at this time of day, too.

We need to warm up our ovens and start using them again the way our grandmothers use to do. Here are some tips and ideas that prove that cooking meals in a conventional oven instead of a microwave can be just as quick and easy, not to mention how much more delicious they taste and smell.

I think we underestimate the power of coming home and smelling something yummy cooking. We automatically seem to relax, feeling that “all is well with the world”. I really think it can change the whole atmosphere of your home for the evening.

I am not living in a dream world. You can fix meals the way our grandmothers did. I hear some readers saying, “Our grandmothers weren’t ever as busy as we are and so they had time to fix large meals.” I can hear our grandmothers chuckling at that statement. My husband’s grandmother had to help on the farm from early in the morning until evening. She took care of a large home garden, canned, cleaned house every day, did laundry without a washer or dryer and still provided meals not only for her family, but up to 20 farm hands as well. She had to do it all without a refrigerator, microwave, or a grocery store and the nearest water was a mile away from her house.

My mother-in-law would go to work as early as 7 am and work until 9 pm 6 days a week, but she still managed to make three large meals each day. If you’re thinking, “That’s great if you want to spend all your spare time in the kitchen,” consider that they spent less time in the kitchen than we do with less of the conveniences and still managed to have well balanced delicious meals each day.

What was their secret? — They had never heard of 30 minute meals. Even if they had they would probably have laughed and wondered who would spend so much time on a meal? They knew that the key to a quick meal wasn’t how fast you could cook, but how organized you were. You can easily have a meal on the table in 15 minutes if you are organized and plan ahead.

No, this doesn’t mean you have to microwave or fry everything to have a quick meal. Slow cooking something in the oven not only makes things taste better but sometimes is quicker.

Our grandmothers’ secret to quick meals:

Keep your meals simple.

Be organized.

Decide what you are preparing the night or the morning before. Thaw anything you need the night or the morning before.

Prepare as much of the meal as you can during the slow time of your day and when you are most refreshed. (This is very important.) Slow cook meats in the oven or in a crock pot.

Keep your kitchen clean so you have an uncluttered work area. Here are some ideas on what to prepare. These aren’t elaborate gourmet meals. If you are too busy to cook dinner, then you are to busy to make gourmet dinners. Stick with the basics and keep it simple like our grandmothers did.

Roast: Place a roast in a crock pot or pan. Peel five potatoes and carrots and drop them in with it and turn on the oven. This takes five minutes. Clean and cut broccoli, celery and cucumbers for a salad — five minutes. At dinner time, chop lettuce and tomato for the salad, adding the already prepared veggies. Then put the meat and the fixings on a platter — five more minutes. Voila! Dinner in 15 minutes.

Stew: It takes me seven minutes to cube meat*, peel five potatoes, carrots and onions, toss it into a pot and to season it. At dinner time, I put bread or dinner rolls on the table — one to two minutes and I have dinner in nine minutes.

*Ask your butcher to cube or slice all your meat for you. They usually charge nothing or just a few cents per pound. It saves not only time in cutting but in clean up too.

Chicken: Toss a chicken in a pan or crock pot — two minutes. Clean potatoes to put in with chicken or to bake in the oven — three minutes. At dinner time, warm a veggie — two minutes. Slice some fruit — three minutes. Dinner in 10 minutes.

Lasagna: Put noodles in a pot to boil — one minute. Fry hamburger, get out cheese, tomato sauce and the rest of the fixings; mix sauce while noodles boil, 7-8 minutes. Layer everything — two minutes. Cover and put in the fridge for dinner the next day or that evening. Put the lasagna in the oven to heat while getting out of your work clothes, checking the mail, etc. Set the table and cut a salad — five minutes. Dinner is served; 15 minutes.

Beef stroganoff: Make your beef stroganoff in your crock pot. (If you don’t want to use a crock pot, this recipe usually takes very little time just stirring it up in a pan.) Dump everything but sour cream and noodles, into the crock pot — three minutes and simmer all day on low. Clean carrots, celery sticks and broccoli for a relish dish (five minutes) and put it in the fridge. At dinner time, boil egg noodles (5-7 minutes). While they are boiling, add sour cream to sauce and set the table. Total time: 15 minutes.

Chili: Mix everything in a pot the night before. Depending what you put in, it should take 5-10 minutes. Simmer throughout the next day.

Soup: Do the same as with the chili.

These are just general example of ways to fix meals easily and quickly. It isn’t really a matter of time as much as it is a matter of being organized and getting things done before you are too exhausted to think.

If you have meats thawed and the ingredients on hand, most things can be tossed together in about the same time as it takes to order and wait to get your food at a fast food place.

Also, remember when you have your oven going to try to cook more than one thing in it. For example, if you are going to be baking a casserole, bake a pan of brownies, muffins or baked apples at the same time.

_______________________________________

Author:

Jill Cooper raised two teenagers alone on $500 a month income after becoming disabled with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. She is the co-author of Dining On A Dime Cookbook. To read more of Jill’s articles and for free tips and recipes visit http://www.LivingOnADime.com

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/chcampout.html

Cook-Ahead Campouts
by RACHEL PAXTON

When you’re out in the woods spending some quality time with your family, the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time cooking and washing dishes. I’ve found that the best way to make the most of your campouts is to cook some of your food ahead of time, and to make the cooking you have to do as easy as possible.

Fish you can wrap in a double layer of aluminum foil and cook in the coals of your campfire. Potatoes and corn on the cob (still in the husks) can also be wrapped in foil and cooked in the coals. Spread the coals around your packets of foil as evenly as possible so the food will cook evenly. Corn will take 10-15 minutes to cook, and potatoes about a half hour. The fish doesn’t take long at all—15 minutes or less depending on the thickness of the fish. And, don’t forget the hotdogs! We always bring along some hotdogs or sausages to roast over the fire on a stick. Watermelon can be brought along and kept cold in a cool shallow creek.

The following recipes are great to prepare ahead and take with you. The chicken you can eat cold and the shredded roast beef you just warm up in a pan or in foil and serve over hamburger buns. The fruit salad keeps well for a couple of days in a cooler. Yum!

Oven-Fried Chicken

* 3 pound fryer chicken, cut up
* 1/4 cup shortening
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/2 cup flour
* Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash chicken and pat dry. Melt the butter and shortening together in the oven in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together flour, salt, and pepper. Coat chicken pieces in flour and arrange skin side down in the baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and cook for another 30 minutes.

Easy Roast Beef

* 6 lbs. rump or chuck roast
* 1 (14-oz.) bottle ketchup
* 3 onions
* 1 stalk celery
* 3 tbsp. BBQ sauce
* 3 tbsp. vinegar
* 2 tbsp. salt
* 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tsp. pepper
* 3 c. water

Cut onion and celery in large pieces. Dump all ingredients in large roast pan. Bake in oven about 6 hours at 300 degrees. Add more liquid if necessary. When beef if done it should pull apart and shred easily with a fork. (It seems like there is a lot of liquid, but when you pull apart the meat it absorbs most of it). Serve on fresh buns that won’t fall apart easily.

Fruit Salad

* 1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
* 1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1 cup cottage cheese (optional)
* 1 cup miniature marshmallows (optional)
* 1 cup coconut (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and refrigerate.

Author:

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/aicr_stirfry.html

“Something Different”
AN UNEXPECTED STIR-FRY
BY DANA JACOBI
FOR THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH

Once again, a week after the New Year, it is time to reckon with broken resolutions. Eating more healthfully has always appeared on my annual list of well-intended commitments. Last year, I had reasonable success with two ways to accomplish this, so I want to share them.

My first resolution was to eat more fresh fruit. When I made it, I put a bowl of apples on a table near the front door. Every day, on the way out, I took one and ate it on the way to where I was going. With this apple, plus the fruit I have at breakfast, in a smoothie or on cereal, and as a snack before bed, I was eating at least three servings of fruit a day. This lasted until sometime in February, a record for my keeping a New Year’s resolution. You may do even better. To your bowl of apples, you can add other seasonal fruits easy to eat on the move, like grapes, cherries and berries, already packed in a bag and ready to go.

The second resolution, to eat more vegetables, has been more successful. I found quick ways to include them in meals, relying on one-dish cooking, particularly stir-frys. This strategy has produced a permanent increase in my vegetable consumption. So have a few creative discoveries.

I’ve found that stir-fry and soy sauce need not be synonymous. Sometimes I use Mediterranean ingredients and seasonings, as in this week’s Italian stir-fry. Other times, I toss bite-size pieces of boneless chicken, canned black beans, chopped onion and garlic, corn and jalapeños into the wok, with a dollop of salsa at the end. After cleaning what was becoming a permanent oil-slick on the stove, I tried using a skillet, especially for stir-frys with non-Asian ingredients. As long as your stove can be turned up to super-hot, this produces a perfect stir-fry, with less mess than cooking in a wok.

Italian Stir-Fry - Makes 4 servings.

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut in 3/4-inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut in 1-inch pieces
1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise, cut in 3/4-inch slices
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 large (about 3/4 lb.) portobello mushrooms, stemmed, cut in 1 1/2-inch
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups cooked brown rice

Place a large skillet over high heat. Add oil, swirl to coat the pan and heat oil until very hot. Add chicken and stir-fry until it loses its pink color. With a slotted spoon, remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add red peppers, zucchini and garlic to the pan. Stir-fry until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms. Stir-fry until they release their liquid, about 2 minutes.

Return chicken to the pan. Add basil, oregano, red pepper and chicken broth. Stir-fry until chicken is opaque all the way through, about 4 minutes. Add cheese and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately over brown rice, including juices from the pan.

Per serving: 272 calories, 6 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 28 g. carbohydrate, 25 g. protein, 3 g. dietary fiber, 179 mg. sodium.

__________

“Something Different” is written for the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) by Dana Jacobi, author of The Joy of Soy, and recipe creator for AICR’s Stopping Cancer Before It Starts

AICR offers a Nutrition Hotline (1-800-843-8114) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday-Friday. This free service allows you to ask a registered dietitian questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR is the only major cancer charity focused exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. It provides a range of education programs that help Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S. It has provided more than $65 million for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR’s Web address is www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.

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ARTICLE POSTED JANUARY 6, 2003

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/ara-nuts.html

Go Nuts—New Research Shows It’s Good for You

(ARA) - If you’re among the many people who love to munch on nuts, but who gave them up because of health concerns, there’s good news this holiday season. Recent research shows that nuts, in moderation, are actually a boon to your heart. So when you see a bowl of nuts at holiday gatherings, go ahead and grab a small handful instead of the chips and dip.

“Nuts used to be something people felt guilty about eating because they’re high in fat,” says nutritionist Gigi Acker, MPH, RD, of NutritionInsights in Los Altos, Calif. “But not all fat is bad. Healthy monounsaturated fats, like those found in nuts, actually reduce the risk of heart attack.”

The recent Nurses Health Study found that nurses who ate nuts five times a week had less heart disease and on average were thinner compared with those who did not eat nuts. And a study published in the April 2002 Journal of Nutrition had people replace half the fat in their daily diets with almonds for six weeks. Researchers found that the almond eaters’ LDL (bad) cholesterol went down 6 percent, and HDL (good) cholesterol went up 6 percent. In addition, their triglycerides (blood fat) dropped 14 percent. These studies and others indicate it’s the combination in nuts of monounsaturated fats and protective plant compounds known as flavonoids that reduces the risk of heart disease.

In addition to their heart-healthy benefits, nuts make a great snack because they provide protein, fiber and fat. That combination makes them satisfying — they fill you up and have staying power, notes Acker. Mojo Bars, a new savory snack option, incorporate the advantages of nuts. Available in five different flavors, each bar contains a half ounce of nuts. “When the snack urge hits, Mojo Bars are a great choice,” says Acker.

She recommends enjoying an ounce of nuts (1/8 of a cup) every day. But, she cautions, you can’t simply add nuts to your daily diet. Instead, you should substitute nuts for less healthy fat from chips, cookies, crackers and cheese. In addition to simply eating them out of hand, there are many flavorful ways to include nuts in your diet. Here are some of Acker’s favorites:

Almonds

* Sprinkle toasted almonds over your low fat cereal in the morning or slice toasted almonds on a salad.

* Keep a Honey BBQ Almond Mojo Bar in your desk, backpack or car for a quick, healthy snack. This delicious, first-of-its-kind savory snack bar is convenient and tastes great.

Peanuts

* For a fresh twist on an old standby, try a peanut butter with fresh fruit sandwich.

* Add peanuts to Indian food like curried rice dishes.

* Drizzle peanut sauce over grilled chicken or tofu.

* Make your own trail mix — peanuts, raisins and chocolate chips.

Cashews

* Sprinkle a few cashews on chicken salad or in Chinese stir-fry dishes.

* Try cashew butter — use it as a bagel spread instead of cream cheese, which has no protein and lots of fat.

* Add an ounce of cashews to your granola.

Walnuts

* Top your salad with toasted walnuts and a little blue cheese.

* Bake cookies and breads with walnuts.

If you buy raw nuts, simply toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until you start smelling their wonderful aroma. Be sure to store them properly. “All nuts should be stored in the refrigerator so they stay fresh longer,” notes Acker.

So go ahead and make nuts a part of your healthy eating plan, along with fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. And don’t forget moderate amounts of exercise as part of that package as well.

For more information on Mojo Bars, visit www.clifmojo.com. You can find Mojo Bars in natural food stores, outdoor stores and selected grocery stores.

Mojo Bar is a savory natural snack bar made for people on the move. It’s for anyone who craves flavors found in snacks like potato chips, but wants a healthier alternative. Filled with whole nuts, pretzel pieces, and other tasty morsels, a Mojo Bar is perfect as an afternoon snack at the office or a satisfying munch while on a hike. Mojo Bar comes in five flavors: Honey Roasted Peanut, Mixed Nuts, Honey BBQ Almond, Curry Cashew and Spicy Salsa Peanut.

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Courtesy of ARA Content
____________________________________

ARTICLE POSTED JANUARY 6, 2003

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/aicr_spice.html

“Something Different”
More Spice Is Nice
BY DANA JACOBI
FOR THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH

No one is saying you must become vegetarian, but the health benefits of a mostly plant-based diet have become increasingly clear. If you are devoted to eating meat, adding more meatless meals, beyond pasta and pizza, can be challenging. But using a wide variety of herbs, spices and other seasonings will boost flavors, making this idea more enjoyable.

Think of countries where little or no meat is used most of the time. In the Mediterranean, fresh and dried herbs are a natural part of everyday cooking, enlivening dishes from French onion soup seasoned with thyme to Moroccan vegetable tagines spiced with cumin and cinnamon. In Latin America, cumin, cilantro and epazote, a wild oregano, are as much mainstays as chile peppers. Indians, of course, use a wide array of spices and herbal seasonings, like curry leaf to enrich meatless curries or to dal, a legume dish eaten every day. Southeast Asian cooking is perfumed with cilantro, lemongrass and galangal, a knobby, more aromatic relative of ginger.

Through eating in ethnic restaurants and travelling broadly, Americans have become more aware of how much seasonings can enrich a meal, and we keep a well-stocked spice rack. However, we tend to use only some of its contents regularly. Here are ideas to make you comfortable using more spices and herbs, in ways that make meatless dishes exceptional.

First, remember the pepper. Its flowery, complex flavors enhance nearly every dish. Once it is ground, pepper loses much of its stimulating complexity, providing mainly heat. This makes it worthwhile to invest in a peppermill and a jar of black peppercorns. If this is not practical, look for a jar of whole pepper with a grinder built into the cap, a handy option now sold at many supermarkets.

Second, try new combinations, as in this Spanish-style chickpea stew, with spicy - not hot - flavor, intensified by ground fennel, coriander and a touch of cocoa. It also contains noodles toasted in the oven until golden brown, adding an earthy flavor.

Mediterranean Chickpea Stew with Toasted Noodles - Makes 8 servings.

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Spanish onion, chopped
1 celery rib, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground fennel
1 large bay leaf
1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes
1/4 lb. fideos or angel hair egg pasta
1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
6 cups chopped fresh Swiss chard leaves (about 1 1/2 bunches), or 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Over medium-high heat, heat the oil in a large pot that can be used stove-top and in the oven. Sauté the onion and celery until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, cocoa, coriander, fennel and bay leaf. Add tomatoes with their liquid.

Add 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until celery is tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, on a non-stick baking sheet, break up pasta into 2-inch pieces. Spread evenly in pan. Bake 4 to 5 minutes, just until golden brown, watching carefully to avoid burning.

Mix toasted noodles, chickpeas and greens into the stew. Cook until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

Ladle into shallow, wide bowls, and serve.

Per serving: 143 calories, 3g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 25 g. carbohydrate, 5 g. protein, 4 g. dietary fiber, 368 mg. sodium.

__________

“Something Different” is written for the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) by Dana Jacobi, author of The Joy of Soy, and recipe creator for AICR’s Stopping Cancer Before It Starts

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ARTICLE POSTED JANUARY 24, 2003

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/aicr_beets.html

Beet, Potato and Green Salad - Makes total of 4 cups or X servings.

* 3 medium red beets
* 6 small new potatoes (about 1/2 lbs.)
* 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
* 1 Tbsp. whole grain mustard
* 1 Tbsp. canola oil
* Salt, to taste
* Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* 1 cup frozen green beans, defrosted
* 1/4 cup finely snipped dill

Cut tops off beets, leaving one inch of stems above tops of beets. Place beets in a deep saucepan and cover them to a depth of 2 inches with cold water. Cook over high heat. When water boils, reduce heat, boiling gently until beets are easily pierced in the center with a thin knife, about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, put potatoes in medium pot and cover with an inch of cold water. Cook until potatoes are done, as tested with the beets, about 15 minutes. Drain each vegetable when done and transfer to a plate until cool enough to handle.

Pull skin from beets, then potatoes. Cut beets into 1-inch cubes. Cut potatoes into 8 pieces. Combine them in a bowl. Set aside until beet and potatoes are completely cooled. Place beans in a small bowl.

For the dressing, whisk together vinegar and mustard in a small bowl, then add and whisk in the oil, salt and pepper. Spoon 1 tablespoon dressing over beans and toss to coat. Add dill to remaining dressing, mixing well. Add dressing to beets and potatoes and toss to evenly distribute. Heap dressed beets and potatoes on a serving plate. Arrange the beans over them. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 110 calories, 4 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 19 g. carbohydrate, 3 g. protein, 3 g. dietary fiber, 95 mg. sodium.

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/aicr_jerkedveggie.html

Jerked Veggie Burgers - Makes 8 servings.

* 2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 1 small seeded green bell pepper diced
* 1/2 cup finely-chopped scallion, both white and green parts
* 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
* 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
* 1/4 tsp. dried allspice or cloves
* 1/4 tsp. dried nutmeg
* 2 slices toasted whole-wheat bread, in 1” pieces (1/2 cup crumbs)
* 1 can (15-oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 cup cooked rice, preferably brown
* 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce, or to taste
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* 1 egg, optional

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the onion, pepper, scallions, garlic and ginger until very soft, about 5 minutes, but do not let them color. Add the spices.

Reduce the bread to crumbs using a food processor. Add the beans, cooked vegetables, rice, hot sauce and the egg white. Pulse until the mixture is just coarsely chopped. Do not over-process or the burgers will be mushy.

Transfer the mixture to a large plate or wide bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 8 burger patties.

Heat half a tablespoon of the remaining canola oil over medium heat in the skillet. Brown 4 burger patties on one side for 2-3 minutes or until browned. Carefully flip and brown another 2-3 minutes. Place the cooked burgers on a plate. Cover with foil to keep hot. Add the remaining half tablespoon canola oil to the skillet and brown the remaining burger patties as above.

Serve the burgers on a toasted whole-grain bun with some lettuce, a tomato slice and usual toppings such as mustard, ketchup and relish.

Per serving: 144 calories, 5 g. total fat (<1 g. saturated fat), 20 g. carbohydrate, 6 g. protein, 5 g. dietary fiber, 250 mg. sodium.

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/healthycooking.html

Ten Healthful Cooking Habits
BY JOANN PROPHET, MS, RD
AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH

Good nutrition is not just a matter of selecting the “right” foods to eat. It is also important to prepare these foods in ways that will maintain their nutritional benefits. Careful decisions about cooking techniques can have a profound effect on the nutrient content of the foods we prepare. These cooking strategies and ingredient substitution ideas can help retain and, in some cases, improve, the nutritional value of your most popular dishes. They can also help you meet the American Institute for Cancer Research’s recommendations for lower cancer risk and better overall health:

1. Cut the salt in half in your favorite recipes. Most of the time this will not produce a noticeable taste change. Consider replacing part of the salt with an herb or spice, flavored vinegar, citrus juice or peel. Garlic or onion power (not garlic or onion salt) work well in meats, soups, and sauces. Make your own mix of garlic, onion, paprika, and parsley flakes.

2. Use veggie spray or non-stick pans for grilling or stir-frying.

3. Choose methods of cooking that will retain flavor, color, and nutrients. Steam instead of boiling vegetables. Avoid cooking at high temperatures (except for quick stir-frying) and long cooking times. Both extended heat and liquid can destroy or leach out valuable nutrients.

4. Add vegetables whenever possible to ensure your five-a-day intake. Experiment with more veggie variety in salads, try new vegetable mixes, include some shredded vegetables in casseroles, and add different vegetables to soups and stews. Use chopped red or yellow peppers to “pep” up the flavor. Try vegetable salsas and fruit chutneys as accompaniments to meat or poultry in place of heavy gravies or sauces.

5. Try some lower-in-fat substitutes such as low fat cheese, salad dressing and evaporated skim milk. Try low cholesterol egg products. Use two egg whites instead of one whole egg to significantly reduce the fat and cholesterol content of some baked goods.

6. When you use oil, select olive or canola oil. Drain off visible fat while cooking, blot pan-fried foods on paper towels to absorb extra grease, and allow soups to chill before reheating and serving so that the fat can be skimmed off the top.

7. Choose roasting, poaching or stir frying as frequent cooking methods. Keep open-flame grilling of meats to a minimum as this practice produces cancer-promoting compounds. Avoid eating charred food. Microwave cooking is a healthful way to cook vegetables because the short cooking time reduces nutrient losses and usually no added water or fat is needed.

8. Reduce the fat in home baked goodies by substituting applesauce, pureed prunes, mashed bananas, or yogurt for up to half of the shortening. It works! Obviously prune puree would discolor a yellow cake but does well for chocolate cake and brownies. The end result is moist and fat content is reduced.

9. Substitute some whole grain products for all-purpose flour in your cooking. Try whole wheat flour, oatmeal or flax in bread and muffins, or add some bran or wheat germ to your meatloaf. Try using some soy flour in biscuits and breads.

10. Try more fruit desserts (fresh, stewed, and cobblers) instead of cakes and cookies. Choose frozen yogurt, sherbet and sorbet instead of ice cream. Serve cake with fruit sauce instead of frosting or whipped cream.

Using sensible cooking methods, less fat, and adding more vegetables, fruits and whole grains to recipes are guaranteed winning techniques to set a better nutritional table. These steps can also help lower risk for chronic diseases such as cancer. To receive free brochures with more healthful cooking tips and recipes, contact the American Institute for Cancer Research at 1-800-843-8114 or visit their website at www.aicr.org.

AICR offers a Nutrition Hotline (1-800-843-8114) Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. This free service allows you to ask a registered dietitian questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR is the only major cancer charity focused exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. It provides a wide range of education programs that help millions of Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S. It has provided more than $60 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR ‘s Web address is www.aicr.org.

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/supersalads.html

Super Summer Salads - Straight From The Pantry
BY THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH

When the sun is scorching, your energy is zapped and your family is famished, a quick and easy meal-in-a-salad is as close as your pantry shelf. Even if your stock of fresh produce is low, you can create scrumptious and hearty salads with canned beans and vegetables. Laced with whatever fresh vegetables and herbs are on hand, bean salads will gratify your family’s appetite and supply them with solid nutrition and health-protective substances.

Beans are an important part of a diet that lowers the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Although some canned beans are high in sodium, some of it can be washed off with a cold-water rinse, which will also help reduce the degree of flatulence some people experience with this low-fat food.

The great variety of beans, including pinto, navy, red kidney, black and garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas), make it easy to mix and match for an endless variety of salads. And the fact that many types of beans are canned makes this type of salad especially easy. You can use precooked beans in most recipes that call for dried beans and vice versa. One and one-fourth cups of dried beans equals 3 cups of cooked beans. The average-sized can of beans contains about one and two-thirds of a cup of beans.
Make a quick salad by combining a can each of green beans, red beans and garbanzo beans. Mix in a small amount of chopped onion and one-half teaspoon each of crushed dried basil, oregano and thyme. Dress with oil and vinegar or a reduced-fat dressing and chill for two hours before serving. Enhance green salads with garbanzo beans for extra protein, or purée the beans for a healthful dip to serve with raw vegetables as an appetizer or snack.
Canned or frozen vegetables make excellent additions to a bean salad. Combine chickpeas with canned hearts of palm or artichoke hearts and canned or frozen corn kernels. Toss in finely chopped bell pepper, garlic and minced fresh cilantro or basil leaves. Season with olive oil and red or balsamic vinegar, and add salt and pepper to taste.
The following bean salad makes a perfect picnic or patio entrée. Corn may be substituted for one of the bean varieties, if desired. Serve it with whole-grain bread and fruit for dessert.

Three-Bean Salad with Tangy Coriander-Chili Dressing

* 1 can (about 15 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 can (about 15 oz.) garbanzo beans (chick peas), rinsed and drained
* 1 can (about 15 oz.) black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 can (about 15 oz.) corn, rinsed and drained (optional, in place of 1 can beans)
* 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
* 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
* 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
* 1/2 Tbsp. chili pepper flakes, or to taste
* 3 Tbsp. crushed dried cilantro (coriander leaves)
* Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Mix beans and corn in large bowl and set aside.
In blender, place juice, oil, garlic, chili flakes and cilantro (coriander). Purée until smooth and well blended. Adjust seasonings if needed, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Toss beans with dressing.

Cover and chill, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 hours or overnight.

Makes 4 1-cup servings.

Per serving: 344 calories, 9 g. fat (1 g. saturated fat), 49 g. carbohydrate, 17 g. protein, 17 g. dietary fiber, about 600 mg. sodium.

Nutrition Hotline...

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