Legumes, beans if you like, are carbohydrate and protein combined and full of dietary fibre. Some people may find them hard to digest due to a lack of the enzymes that break down bean trisaccharides into simple sugars. They are also famous for producing gas! But that can be reduced, even eliminated, with a few simple tricks. 'Why bother?' you might ask. Well, they're bursting with other goodies (see our food values chart page) and in some parts of the world are an important staple, particularly where there's little or no meat in the diet. Traditional Chinese medicine maintains they strengthen kidney-adrenal function. Veggies and vegans use them in all sorts of dishes, such as soups, stews, casseroles, rissoles, patés and stuffings. Many are suitable for sprouting too. There are loads of different beans available in bio and health shops, but the most common ones are red kidney, chick pea, split pea, black beans, white beans, azuki, mung and, of course, red, green and brown lentils. PREPARING LEGUMES: Soak for five to eight hours, then rinse before bringing to the the boil in unsalted water. Remove any foam that comes to the top when they reach boiling point. Allow to simmer uncovered for approx 20 minutes, then continue cooking covered until tender. Seasoning with cumin, fennel seeds, ginger or bay leaves can help reduce gas. Don't add salt until the beans are tender. Add a tablespoon of cider or red wine vinegar in the final minutes of cooking. they are now ready to use in your chosen recipe. TWO OTHER POINTS: Pressure cooking reduces gas. If you've forgotten to put them to soak, cover the beans with water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for an hour before changing the water and continuing cooking. If you're not used to beans, start with lentils then progress through azuki or black beans. I don't advise going all out for a bean feast, yet!
You'll find plenty of good legume recipes in vegetarian and vegan cookbooks - but I can particularly recommend Rose Elliot's The Bean Book.
Melt butter, sugar and golden syrup over a low heat, stirring constantly, add ginger and allow to bubble.
Remove from heat and add other ingredients.Mix well.
Divide and flatten by hand and place on a well greased baking sheet.Bake for approximately 10 minutes until light golden brown.
For those who tasted these yummy biscuits at Rosemary's venue and Hazel's art workshop - I (Sue) used sunflower seeds and chopped apricots.
Tuesday 28 September 2010
QUICK AND EASY BREAD
This no yeast, no knead (so no rise) loaf is small and dense but not heavy.It is moist and full of flavour and lasts well.
240gspelt flour
45gsmall oatflakes
1·5 tspbaking powder
1 tspsalt
1 tbsppoppy or sunflower seeds
2 tbspground flaxseed
1·5 tbspsugar
150mlmilk
3 tbspsunflower or rapeseed oil
Poppy or sunflower seeds to decorate
Pre-heat oven to 350˚ F(180˚C) and line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.Whisk milk and oil and add slowly to dry ingredients, combining well.Shape and lay in small loaf tin.Press down into the corners and flatten the top with knuckles.Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake for 50-55 minutes or until browned on top and cooked through (test with a clean knife or skewer to check).Leave to cool in the tin for about 10 mins.Turn out onto wire rack.
VARIATION: For more rise, add 2 tbsp water and get a runny mix which you can pour into the tin. I made some rolls tonight with this mix and they worked out well.
Monday 20 September 2010
THE GREATNESS OF GRAINS
Whilst white flour and rice can be useful, the goodness has mostly been stripped out - carbs without nutritional value - whereas whole grains are full of important goodies and help stabilise blood sugars. Not really sure how to use them? Here are a few to get you started:(CT = cooking time)
BROWN RICE - popular with those who don't mind the extra cooking time, although our Basmati cooks in about twenty minutes. Brown rice contains lots of fibre, vitamin E, manganese, magnesium, selenium and the amino acid tryptophan. Use instead of white rice in stews, curries, casseroles etc. (CT 40-50 mins)
SPELT - an ancient wheat grain high in protein and more nutritional than ordinary whole wheat. It contains manganese, magnesium and copper and the energy-boosting B vitamins, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. Use in bread or pasta.
OATS - nothing as warming as porridge. High in protein as well as fibre, oats can help lower cholesterol and even stabilise blood sugars. They come in lots of forms but it's better to choose the least refined and get all the goodness. You can use oat flour instead of wheat flour for cakemaking by the way. Oats contain magnesium, manganese, selenium and tryptophan.
WILD RICE - great if you can get it. It's high in protein and has a lovely nutty taste and is much lower in calories than white rice and high in fibre too. Ideally go for the black, unblended (with white rice) type. Can be used in all the same dishes as white rice. (CT 50-60 mins)
QUINOA - delicious and full of goodies - a complete protein, it's also high in B-vitamins and fibre as well as iron and magnesium. It reduces the risk of heart problems, helps protect against free radicals and is said to ease the pain of migraine sufferers. (CT 15-20 mins)
BULGUR RICE - derived from bulgur wheat and a top-class health food. It contains lignans and ferulic acid which help ward off nitrosamines which are linked to cancer. It's particularly high in fibre and loaded with minerals such as iron, zinc, manganese, selenium, phosphorus and magnesium. (CT - just pour boiling water over it and watch it swell! Takes about 20 mins. You can cook it in boiling water too)
PEARL BARLEY - chokka with fibre. The unrefined variety contains lots of potassium along with every other mineral you can think of (well almost). Use in soups, stews, pilaf etc. (CT 15-20 mins)
MILLET - is a highly nutritious grain. It contains more iron than other grains and is a good source of zinc, calcium, manganese and B vitamins. It is gluten free. Great as an accompaniment to stews and curries. (Soak overnight for quicker CT - 5-10 mins, or instant CT approx 20 mins)
There are quite a few other interesting grains and versions of the above, but it would take several pages to cover them. Suffice to say whole grains should form an important part of our diet as they contain so much goodness - carbs, protein, vitamins and minerals - and interestingly prepared, they taste great. I always add salt or bouillon powder to the cooking water. Grains cooked with neither can come out really bland and flat.
Wednesday 8 September 2010
WOT A HATEFUL COLOUR!
APOLOGIES TO ALL OUR READERS FOR THE LURID BLUE THAT HAS TAKEN OVER OUR TITLES. I'M TRYING TO FIND A WAY OF CHANGING IT, BUT HAVEN'T YET SUCCEEDED. TO MAKE UP FOR IT, I'LL PUT A FEW MORE PICS IN OUR RIGHT HAND COLUMN. IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO GO BACK TO OUR USUAL BLACK, PLEASE DROP US AN E-MAIL - THANKS SO MUCH.
This is something we've often wondered about. It's a long piece, sorry about that (I don't have the capability to page-break), however, it is interesting stuff.
So, make a cuppa, settle into a comfy chair and spend 5 minutes finding out why it's better to buy a canvas shopping bag or a basket and re-use all those other bags it's hard to avoid.
It’s an age old question, when it comes time to check out when grocery shopping: paper bag or plastic bag? It seems like it should be an easy choice, but there’s an incredible number of details and inputs hidden in each bag. From durability and reusability to life cycle costs, there’s a lot more to each bag than meet the eye. Let’s take a look behind the bags.
Where do brown paper bags come from?
Paper comes from trees — lots and lots of trees. The logging industry, influenced by companies like Weyerhaeuser and Kimberly-Clark, is huge, and the process to get that paper bag to the grocery store is long, sordid and exacts a heavy toll on the planet. First, the trees are found, marked and felled in a process that all too often involves clear-cutting, resulting in massive habitat destruction and long-term ecological damage.
Mega-machinery comes in to remove the logs from what used to be forest, either by logging trucks or even helicopters in more remote areas. This machinery requires fossil fuel to operate and roads to drive on, and, when done unsustainably, logging even a small area has a large impact on the entire ecological chain in surrounding areas.
Once the trees are collected, they must dry at least three years before they can be used. More machinery is used to strip the bark, which is then chipped into one-inch squares and cooked under tremendous heat and pressure. This wood stew is then “digested,” with a chemical mixture of limestone and acid, and after several hours of cooking, what was once wood becomes pulp. It takes approximately three tons of wood chips to make one ton of pulp.
The pulp is then washed and bleached; both stages require thousands of gallons of clean water. Coloring is added to more water, and is then combined in a ratio of 1 part pulp to 400 parts water, to make paper. The pulp/water mixture is dumped into a web of bronze wires, and the water showers through, leaving the pulp, which, in turn, is rolled into paper.
Whew! And that’s just to make the paper; don’t forget about the energy inputs — chemical, electrical, and fossil fuel-based — used to transport the raw material, turn the paper into a bag and then transport the finished paper bag all over the world.
Where do paper shopping bags go when you’re done with them?
When you’re done using paper shopping bags, for shopping or other household reuses, a couple of things can happen. If minimally-inked (or printed with soy or other veggie-based inks) they can be composted; otherwise, they can be recycled in most mixed-paper recycling schemes, or they can be thrown away (which is not something we recommend).
If you compost them, the bags break down and go from paper to a rich soil nutrient over a period of a couple of months; if you throw them away, they’ll eventually break down of the period of many, many years (and without the handy benefits that compost can provide). If you choose to recycle paper bags, then things get a little tricky.
The paper must first be re-pulped, which usually requires a chemical process involving compounds like hydrogen peroxide, sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide, which bleach and separate the pulp fibers. The fibers are then cleaned and screened to be sure they’re free of anything that would contaminate the paper-making process, and are then washed to remove any leftover ink before being pressed and rolled into paper, as before.
How are plastic bags made?
Unlike paper bags, plastic bags are typically made from oil, a non-renewable resource. Plastics are a by-product of the oil-refining process, accounting for about four percent of oil production around the globe. The biggest energy input is from the plastic bag creation process is electricity, which, in this country, comes from coal-burning power plants at least half of the time; the process requires enough juice to heat the oil up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit, where it can be separated into its various components and molded into polymers. Plastic bags most often come from one of the five types of polymers — polyethylene — in its low-density form (LDPE), which is also known as #4 plastic.
How does plastic bag recycling work?
Like paper, plastic can be recycled, but it isn’t simple or easy. Recycling involves essentially re-melting the bags and re-casting the plastic, though, according to the U.S. EPA, manufacturing new plastic from recycled plastic requires two-thirds of the energy used in virgin plastic manufacturing. But, as any chef who has ever tried to re-heat a Hollondaise sauce will tell you, the quality isn’t quite as good the second time around; the polymer chains often separate break (thanks to reader MaryBeth for noting the difference between “separate” and “break” — the former implies that the chains can come back together, which they can’t), leading to a lower-quality product.
What does that mean to you? Basically, plastic is often downcycled — that is, the material loses viability and/or value in the process of recycling — into less functional forms, making it hard to make new plastic bags out of old plastic bags.
What about biodegradable plastic bags?
Biodegradable plastic is a mixed bag (pun intended) as well; while biopolymers like polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and Polylactide (PLA) are completely biodegradable in compost (and very, very, very slowly — if at all — in a landfill) and are not made from petroleum products, they are often derived from our food sources.
The primary feedstock for bioplastics today is corn, which is rife with agro-political conflict and often grown and harvested unsustainably; because of these reasons, and because it competes with food supply, it is not likely to be a long-term solution in the plastics world.
Plus, some bags marked “biodegradable” are not actually so — they’re recycled plastic mixed with cornstarch. The cornstarch biodegrades and the plastic breaks down into tiny little pieces but does not actually “biodegrade,” leaving a yucky polymer mess (if in small pieces). The only way to avoid this? Look for 100 percent plant-based polymers, like the two mentioned above.
So, while it’s good to have the alternative (and to recognize the innovation it represents), bioplastics aren’t quite ready to save us from the paper or plastic debate.
Paper or plastic: A look at the facts and numbers
Further insight into the implications of using and recycling each kind of bag can be gained from looking at overall energy, emissions, and other life cycle-related costs of production and recycling. According to a life cycle analysis by Franklin Associates, Ltd, [pdf] plastic bags create fewer airborne emissions and require less energy during the life cycle of both types of bags per 10,000 equivalent uses — plastic creates 9.1 cubic pounds of solid waste vs. 45.8 cubic pounds for paper; plastic creates 17.9 pounds of atmospheric emissions vs. 64.2 pounds for paper; plastic creates 1.8 pounds of waterborne waste vs. 31.2 pounds for paper.
Paper bags can hold more stuff per bag — anywhere from 50 percent to 400 percent more, depending on how they’re packed, since they hold more volume and are sturdier. The numbers here assume that each paper bag holds 50 percent more than each plastic bag, meaning that it takes one and half plastic bags to equal a paper bag — it’s not a one-to-one comparison, even though plastic still comes out ahead.
It’s important to note that all of the above numbers assume that none of the bags are recycled, which adds a lot of negative impacts for both the paper and plastic bags; the numbers decrease in size (and the relative impacts decrease) as more bags are recycled. Interestingly, the numbers for paper bag recycling get better faster — the more that are recycled, the lower their overall environmental impact — but, because plastic bags use much less to begin with, they still ends up creating less solid and waterborne waste and airborne emissions.
Paper and plastic bags’ required energy inputs
From the same analysis, we learn that plastic also has lower energy requirements — these numbers are expressed in millions of British thermal units (Btus) per 10,000 bags, again at 1.5 plastic bags for every one paper bag. Plastic bags require 9.7 million Btus, vs. 16.3 for paper bags at zero percent recycling; even at 100 percent recycling rates, plastic bags still require less — 7.0 to paper’s 9.1. What does that mean to me and you? Plastic bags just take less energy to create, which is significant because so much of our energy comes from dirty sources like coal and petroleum.
The best way to go? A reusable bag, not a plastic bag. Anya Hindmarch’s wildly popular “I am Not a Plastic Bag” tote is helping give the reusable bag some sex appeal.
Paper bags or plastic bags: the conclusion
Both paper and plastic bags require lots and lots of resources and energy, and proper recycling requires due diligence from both consumer and municipal waste collector or private recycling company, so there are a lot of variables that can lead to low recycling rates.
Ultimately, neither paper nor plastic bags are the best choice; we think choosing reusable canvas bags instead is the way to go. From an energy standpoint, according to this Australian study, canvas bags are 14 times better than plastic bags and 39 times better than paper bags, assuming that canvas bags get a good workout and are used 500 times during their life cycle. Happy shopping!
Article sourced from Treehugger - a worthwhile eco site.
Soak fruit overnight in orange juice. Line a 7" cake tin with greaseproof paper leaving plenty around the sides to lift cake out later. Mix all dry ingredients except raisins in a large bowl. Half-puree the fruit with juice, raisins and vanilla essence in a food processor or blender. Add to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Transfer to the lined cake tin and press down with a large spoon or masher until well compacted. Cover with a round of greaseproof paper with a side plate topped with a heavy weight. Chill in the fridge for 7 - 8 hours. Ease the cake out of the tin by lifting the greaseproof carefully. Peel off the paper and decorate the cake with the flaked almonds. Serve as a cake or dessert with cream.
Only popped online to check out my emails this morning and found a link to this article. Naturally it is of great interest to us and our business, but we also believe it explains clearly, if somewhat lengthily, why we are wedded to organic.
The issue of feeding the world is perhaps, alongside global warming and expanding populations, the most important challenge we and future generations have to face. Of course, they are all linked. Like most people we just want to get on with our lives and not have to think about what looks like an increasingly bleak prospect for the future, but can we afford to? It's up to each of us to decide. What we do urge is that you read this article. What it has to say seriously affects not just our planet, but our health. Secondly, we ask that your forward it to your friends. We're in this together.
Here are the first couple of paras to get you started. (Click on 'this article' (in green above) to read the rest)
Organic can feed the world
by Maria Rodale
(September 2010) — You probably buy organic food because you believe it’s better for your health and the environment but you also may have heard criticism that “organic cannot feed the world.”
Biotech and chemical companies have spent billions of dollars trying to make us think that synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are necessary to feed a growing population. But science indicates otherwise.
There’s clear and conclusive scientific data showing organic agriculture is key not only to solving global hunger but also to curbing global warming, promoting public health, revitalizing farming communities, and restoring the environment.
Have just noticed the Apricot and Oat Square recipe (3 posts below this ) already appeared back in March, so am up-dating this latest one - as a variation. I think I prefer this (softer) version.
Both are great with cheeses, jam or honey or as a base for canapés.
SUNFLOWER AND SESAME
200g ground sunflower seeds · 25g sesame seeds · 1 tsp baking powder · 25g melted butter · 2-3 tbsps water or milk · 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
Pre-heat oven to 190˚C/375˚F. Combine seeds, baking powder and salt (if using) then mix in the melted butter thoroughly. Add water/milk gradually, stirring as you go, to achieve a sticky dough. Take small handfuls one at a time, squeeze together tightly, flatten on a board with the palm of your hand then cut into small rounds with a pastry cutter. Lift each one carefully onto a baking sheet covered with greaseproof paper. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until slightly browned and firm to the touch. Allow to cool a little on the tray before transferring to a wire rack.
You can use this mix as a base for savoury flans too.
High Fructose Corn Starch is used in just about all processed, packet foods, colas, baked goods, fruit-flavoured drinks and even some flavoured yoghurts! It's a lot cheaper than ordinary sugar and extends shelf life, but that's where the advantages end. It's well known that cancers thrive on glucose but recent studies at UCLA have shown that fructose too can cause a rapid increase in certain cancer cells. (HFCS is made by converting some of the glucose in corn to fructose) HFCS can also worsen diabetes, affect the immune system, increase weight (more than ordinary sugar) and even speed up the aging process. It's wise to be wary of artificial sweeteners in 'diet' foods too. Even though the vested interests may maintain they're safe, they should surely be obliged to PROVE they AREN'T dangerous.
If you buy processed foods and drink lots of colas you may be consuming unhealthy amounts of HFCS. Yet another reason to buy fresh food only.
P.S. ACCORDING TO THE LATEST FIGURES, ONE IN THREEOF AMERICAN CHILDREN BORN SINCE 2000 HAVE EARLY ONSET DIABETES (IN THE POORER CLASSES, THE FIGURE IS ONE IN TWO)!
To find out more, Google HFCS and check out some of the sites.
Despite strong competition for tasty nibbles, these easy-bake cakes were very popular at the Kingdom Végétale charity fair in Boulogne-sur-Gesse:
INGREDIENTS
100g softened butter 3 tbsp sunflower oil 175g soft brown sugar 225g plain flour 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 40g oatflakes 60g ground oatflakes 1/2 teaspoon salt 200g dried apricots stewed and pureed (drain off excess liquid into a jug before pulverising) grated rind of 1 lemonto sprinkle over the apricot layer(optional)
Pre-heat oven to 180˚C/350˚F.
Combine the butter and oil with the sugar then mix in the flour followed by the rest of the dry ingredients. Line a 20cm x 30cm shallow baking tin with greaseproof paper. Spread half the mixture evenly into the tin and flatten well. Spread the apricot puree on top then finish with the rest of the oat mix. Flatten really well.
Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until firm to the touch and slightly browned. Mark out into squares in the tin and leave to cool. Carefully remove from the tin, lay on a board and cut out the squares. Decorate with a little icing sugar.
Enjoy with a cuppa or pour some of the leftover apricot juice over the top of each square and finish with a blob of cream, or even custard, for a tasty desert.
We're frequently advised to reduce salt in our diets but it has a myriad of other uses in the home. If we want to get away from those toxic cleaning fluids displayed in colourful containers in the supermarket - expensive as well as dangerous - let's not forget the virtues of simple salt. Here are a few useful tips: Pour salt and hot water down your sink to prevent grease from building up. Mix salt with soda water to clean and deodorize the inside of your fridge. Keep a bag next to your cooker to put out accidental fires; it forms an oxygen-excluding crust and extinguishes the flames. Never use water, particularly on grease fires. Add a dash of salt to fresh flower water - they will last longer. Repair small holes in plasterboard walls - mix 2 tablespoons salt with 2 tablespoons cornflour then add enough water to make a thick paste. Fill the holes and leave to dry. To ease bee stings, immediately dampen the area then apply a teaspoonful of salt to reduce the pain and swelling. For mosquito bites, a saltwater soak is good and you can also use a poultice of salt and olive oil And outside: To deter patio weeds, pour salt in between the cracks, sprinkle with water or let the rain do the rest. These are just a few. There's loads more info here onThe Salt Institute website.
As a correspondent for The French News, I was very sad when it folded at the end of 2008, a victim of the credit crunch. But now the team are back and this time they'll be producing a weekly. I was happy to be contacted again by the editor, Miranda Neame, and hope to be producing a variety of regular articles and reviews for the new paper. I'll be doing the occasional veggie recipe too. Miranda really likes the EnFamilleBio weblog and may, from time to time, be using material from this site. If anyone is interested in taking advantage of the introductory subscription special offer, please let me know and I will email a copy of the form to be completed and sent to The French Week offices in Castillonès. The special offer is from just €0.75 per issue (French addresses only) and lasts until august 30. It will, of course, also be available from certain newsagents. Sue p.s. I'm always pleased to hear about newsworthy items, so please drop me an email or call if you come across anything you think might be interesting. Thanks.
You're doing a barbecue and don't want to dish up a shop-bought veggie burger for those guests who don't eat meat. Well, there are several tasty alternatives you can rustle up in your own kitchen and they'll tempt the meat-eaters too, so make sure your veggie friends get in first. Here's one I really like:
By the way, the flat semi-circular things on the right are slices of giant puff-ball!
MILLET BURGER WITH CAULIFLOWER
As you will see this is an American recipe. Trying to find a truly comprehensive chart of cups to grams is well nigh impossible, so I take a teacup and use that throughout. It seems to work!
I cup millet, washed and soaked for 8-12 hours then drained 3 cups water 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2 cups small cauliflower florets 2 tablespoons melted butter 1 egg beaten (optional) 1 cup sesame seeds
Put millet, cauliflower, water and salt into a medicum saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed (approx 30 mins). Add melted butter and stir in well, use a masher if you prefer. Allow to cool. Add the egg, if using. Stir in thoroughly. Roll mixture into balls, flatten into burgers (you choose the size you want) and coat with sesame seeds. Lay carefully on a close mesh and barbecue, turning once. You may prefer to cook them in a frying pan with a little oil - less of a risk of them breaking up.
Serve with the usual sauces or relishes - pesto is great with these.
Nuts are high energy foods - they contain quality protein as well as carbohydrate and fats. I know most of us baulk at the mention of fats, but its fuel that we use up in our daily lives, it's only bad news if we eat too much of it and particularly if it's saturated. Nut fats are good because they're unmodified and help to regularise blood lipids and protect us from cardiovascular deterioration. The 'slow burn' of nut calories dampens hunger pangs and can help in weight loss in a natural diet and alongside exercise.
For veggies, vegans and fruitarians, nuts provide not only high quality protein, but the carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals that make up a healthy diet, and when eaten 'sensibly', there are no downsides to nuts.
Nearly all nuts, with the exception of coconut, contain Vitamins B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin) and B3 (Niacin). They are also high in the bioflavonoid resveratrol, which is found in red wine and thought to help prevent plaque forming in the arteries. Peanuts, in fact, have more resveratrol than grapes. And that's not the only reason they're stars among nuts; studies have shown that even small amounts of peanuts in the diet can achieve a healthy reduction in LDL 'bad' cholesterol.
Why else are PEANUTS so beneficial? They're particularly high in protein with 25g to a 100g serving. They're a great source of energy with 50g of fat (mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) and 16g of carbohydrates and they also contain niacin (Vit B3) and Vitamin E.
ALMONDS are an excellent food too. They 'burn' slowly in the body and help to normalise blood sugar levels. They contain around 20g of protein, 20g of carbohydrate and 52g of fats including omega 6 and omega 3, and are a good source of calcium, natural magnesium and niacin.
BRAZILSare noted for their omega 3 content (about 7% of the total 66g of fats). They contain around 14g of protein and 10g of carbohydrates per 100g serving and some calcium. They are also a good source of magnesium and particularly of selenium.
CASHEWSare high in carbohydrate - about 45g to 100g - high in magnesium (only slightly less than almonds) and have around 17g of protein. They are a great sustaining food.
The amino acids in HAZELNUTS mean they are a source of high quality protein - 13g to every 100g. They contain 17g of carbohydrates per 100g and 62g fats and are a good source of calcium, second only to almonds.
The prep is done in a trice, then just let the oven do the rest.
Ingredients 75g each of raisins, sultanas and currants 1/2 pint earl grey tea (using a bag) 250g/9oz self-raising flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground nutmeg 200g/7oz soft light brown sugar 1 egg beaten
Soak the fruit overnight in the tea (leave the teabag in). Pre-heat the oven 180˚C/Gas 4. Drain fruit and add sifted flour, baking powder and spices. Mix in well. Add sugar and egg and mix in. Gradually add the juice from the soaked fruit (minus teabag!) until you get a nice gooey mix that will flop rather than pour into a 450g/1 lb loaf tin lined with greaseproof. Bake for approx one hour. Check the cake is cooked by putting a skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Leave to cool for ten minutes. Place an oval plate over the loaf-tin and reverse. Peel greaseproof off the cake and reverse onto a wire rack. Leave to cool.
The cake is delish on its own, with butter or, if a bit gooey, with a glob of cream. Leaf likes it like that. Enjoy!
We subscribe to 'The Ecologist' online - and very good it is too. Here is the link to a recent article - 'Big Food will do everything to stop you talking about this'.
Hooray for the brave Michael Kenner for making his documentary 'Food Inc'. We need people like him with the courage to penetrate the industrial food giants who are hell bent on hiding the truth about their horrendous production methods from the public. I mentioned Michael Pollan's exceptional and life-changing book 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' in my June 22 post; it seems this book did much to persuade Michael Kenner to make his documentaries. I am hugely heartened to hear that he says of his film '...It became one of the most successful documentaries of all time. The amount of press we got was really incredible. For a while we were the number one selling DVD on Amazon ahead of all the Hollywood movies.'
You can scroll down the Ecologist article to find links to other important food items.
Organic food is/isn't healthier. The debate will probably rattle on forever, depending on which side the so-called 'experts' are on and who's funding them. In other words who has which vested interests in declaring themselves to be pro or anti. Britain's FSA (Foods Standards Association) may conclude that organic is no more nutritious than conventionally-produced food but, as pointed out by the Soil Association and a whole host of organic farmers and eco-orgs, two facts are inescapable: 1) Organic doesn't use chemical pesticides and fertilizers - only the most ignorant would say plants doused in toxins are okay to eat. Some of these products are so toxic those who spray them have to wear protective clothing. Wow! 2) Plants don't just pop up happily any old where, they rely on a complex eco-system. Keen gardeners will tell us that a plant is only as good as the soil it grows in (with the odd exception, of course). So, if the insects, funghi, worms, microbes, bacteria, minerals etc have been driven out of the soil by pesticides, then the plant is going to be nutritionally depleted. Stands to reason.
For anyone interested in the processes our food goes through before it reaches our table, I recommend Michael Pollan's highly readable and fascinating book 'The Omnivore's Dilemma'. Here's the link. It is about the American food industry but a good deal of it is reflected by what's going on in Europe, which, in the case of industrial food, is graphically portrayed in Nicholas Geyrhalter's disturbing film 'Notre Pain Quotidien'.
350g/12oz self-raising flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder a handful of currants 75g/3oz butter (chopped into small pieces) 3 soupspoons sunflower oil 125g/4oz sugar 1 tablespoon golden syrup, slightly warmed 90ml/3fl oz milk (approx)
Pre-heat oven to 170˚C/325˚F. Sieve flour, salt and baking powder into large mixing bowl. Add butter and oil and combine using fingers until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the currants, then sugar and syrup and mix in well. Gradually stir in the milk to make a stiff, smooth dough. Roll out on a floured board to around 1/2''/1·5 cm thick and lay on a well-greased baking tray. Mark out squares on the surface but do not cut. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool on the tray and cut into squares when firm and only slightly warm. Sprinkle with icing sugar, cinnamon or chocolate powder.
When I buy vegetables I put them loose into my basket but have to have a plastic bag for spinach and paper bags for mushrooms, potatoes etc. I re-use them until they shred then the paper goes in the compost and the plastic in the non-recyclable bin. Every time I throw a plastic bag away I think of how long it's going to take to decompose and the damage it's going to do in the process. But the paper bag ain't so good either - they may rot down quickly but they take a helluva lot more energy to manufacture - four times as much, and create 70% more air pollutants and 50% more water pollutants! We eco-freaks are scuppered whichever way we turn. I don't know the figures for bio-degradable plastic bags, but presumably they should be the least damaging. Anyone know?
These are quick, easy to make, absolutely scrumptious and a great way of using up slightly stale peanuts left over from a drinks party.
All you need to make a couple dozen:
50g/2 oz each of softened butter, soft brown sugar and finely chopped salted peanuts 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice 75g/3 oz plain flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
Mix butter and sugar together then add the rest of the ingredients. Combine well to form a dough. Divide into twelve and roll each piece into a ball. Place on a greased baking tray with plenty of space between each one then slightly flatten the balls with a fork. Bake in pre-heated oven 180˚C/350˚F for approx 10 minutes. Leave to cool on the tray before transferring to a wire rack.
Dieting is big business - the majority of women will have tried it at least once, if not many times in their lives. If it worked that one time and they've remained slim ever since, brilliant, but most of us will admit that we lost weight on some diet or other but then we put it all back on again. It's a miserable business for us and a money-maker for those who invent the latest diet packages. The best way to get on top of the weight problem is to learn about healthy eating. If your BMI (Body Mass Index) is too high (check it here) then you'll need to shift kilos and that will involve cutting down on bulk and cutting out the obvious baddies - sweets, biscuits, processed foods in general for instance. Too many animal fats are not a good idea either for health or slimming. Avoiding alcohol during the dieting process is a big help. However, the emphasis should always be on balance if you're not to put strain on your body; but what is the ideal balance? Dr. Andrew Weil M.D., leading authority on healthy eating, natural healing and holistic as well as conventional medicine, recommends 50-60% carbohydrate, 30% fat, 10-20% protein. Click here to read about his wellness diet. The most comprehensive guide to nutrition that we've come across so far is Dr. Weil's Eating Well for Optimum Health (See here on Amazon - the reviews are worth checking out too) A word about all-protein diets: too much saturated fat can put excess strain on the liver and kidneys and cause problems in later life. Only the most healthy people can get away with a short period (such as a few days, max a week) on these diets but they're not a good idea. It's worth bearing in mind that meat products can take up to 3 days to pass through the alimentary tract. In some older people the intestinal transit time can be as much as 2 weeks! Imagine the state of the meat in your fridge or larder after that length of time - doesn't bear thinking about. The meat digestion process in particular consumes pancreatic enzymes which are vital in healing and requires bile acids which are carcinogenic in the human colon. We've all heard of people dying of cancer of the colon and, in older people particularly, diverticular disease is extremely common - tiny pockets in the colon which can trap food and become infected leading to diverticulitis which has to be treated very rapidly to prevent peritonitis (a potentially fatal burst into the peritoneum). Our colons are very delicate and we'd be wise to look after them. By the way cooked meat loses amino acid benefits and produces acidic metabolites such as uric acid which can be toxic - charcuterie is pretty dodgy too. A further note on the all-protein diet. The human brain consumes 18% of our energy and that energy comes only from carbohydrate in the form of glucose. The older we get, the more brain cells we lose and we all know what can happen to brains in later life, so perhaps it's a good idea to make sure those little grey cells are well-fed with the correct food. Luckily the Atkins diet is fast falling out of vogue. There's no question it works, but at what cost in later life? And then there's the added problem of not putting all that weight back on afterwards. If you have a lot of weight to lose, it's best to consult a reputable dietician - doctors aren't trained in nutrition so can only give some general advice. A good maintenance and detox routine, if you need to shift a couple of pounds following a bit of an eating/drinking binge, is to cut out alcohol, animal products and bread for a day or two. Finally a dieting tip - chewing thoroughly reduces the amount of work required in the digestion process and eating more slowly gives the stomach time to tell the head it's had enough and to please stop. BON CHANCE!
Early this morning Nestlé finally announced a break for the orang-utan- as well as Indonesian rainforests and peatlands - by committing to stop using products that come from rainforest destruction.
The new policy commits Nestlé to identify and exclude companies from its supply chain that own or manage 'high risk plantations or farms linked to deforestation'. This would apply to notorious forest destroyer Sinar Mas and have implications for Cargill, one of Nestlé's palm oil suppliers which purchases from Sinar Mas.
None of this could have happened without your fanstastic efforts.
Thank you for supporting the two-month long Kit Kat campaign! Thank you for e-mailing Nestlé, calling them, tweeting, changing your Facebook profile picture and much more!
Please take a moment to toot your own horn a bit:
Share this sweet success on Facebook, on Twitter, or any of your other social profiles! Thanks again!
If you've cleaned your teeth with it, used it to replace yeast in cake-making or added it to the water when boiling veg to speed up the cooking and prevent wind, you'll already be aware that bicarbonate of soda is versatile stuff. But did you know that bicarb, also known as baking soda, can brighten your white wash? 2 tablespoons should do the trick. You can sprinkle it round your sinks and hand basins and use like Vim or add a couple of tablespoons dissolved in water to a half-filled washing-up liquid bottle to make it go further. Bicarb's great as a degreaser too.If you get mouth ulcers, scoop a little of the soda onto your finger and put it directly on the spot. Calm stomach ache with 1-2 teaspoonfuls in a glass of water. I could go on but why not check out this site for loads more uses. Warning: Many people use bleach. Bleach is bad news, and not just for your fosse septique. See this site to find out why. And chlorine in swimming pools can make you, and particularly your children, more vulnerable to asthma attacks. I bought a season ticket to Lannemezan pool and was only able to use it a few times. I had an asthma attack that lasted almost two weeks. Check out this site for more info.
This went down really well at Rosemary's venue. It's a delicious bread that you can create from fruits, nuts and seeds of your own choice.
Preheat oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas 4 and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin.
Ingredients
230g/8 oz fine chopped dried fruit (such as apricots, dates, cranberries etc.) • 115g/4oz sultanas • 115g/4oz light brown sugar225g/8oz self-raising flour •5ml/1 tsp baking powder • 10ml/2 tsp mixed spice •75g/3oz chopped mixed nuts (such as hazels, almonds, walnuts etc.) • 75g/mixed seeds (such as millet, sunflower, sesame etc.) •2 beaten eggs •150ml/1/4 pint milk
Method
Combine dried fruit, sultanas and sugar in a large bowl.
Put flour, baking powder, spice, nuts and seeds in another large bowl and mix well.
Whisk the beaten eggs into the milk, pour onto the fruit and sugar and stir in.
Add the flour mixture and beat until well mixed.
Spoon into the loaf tin and smooth the surface.Bake for approx. I hour until the top is browned (not too much).Test the centre is cooked with a knife or skewer.Allow to cool for about 10 mins. then carefully liftthe loaf out of the tin, peel off the greaseproof and cool on a wire rack.
The loaf can be eaten warm or cold, plain or with butter, jam, honey or cheese.
Note:You can vary the fruits to suit.Why not try exotic ones such as mangoes or papaya, pineapple or cherries. Tip:I sometimes buy exotic trail mix and pick out the various fruits to use in recipes.
I have been using Body Shop products for years, in fact I was living in Brighton when Anita Roddick set up her first shop in 1976. She chose her location well, the Infinity Foods health food emporium was just around the corner - it is still going strong. The Body Shop was groundbreaking and caught on very quickly. Brighton, which has just elected Britain's first Green MP, has a sizeable 'alternative' eco-minded population against such practices as animal testing and for organic products and fair trade. When Roddick sold out to L'Oreal in 2007 my immediate thought was that they would abandon her principles and I would have to look around for another brand. However, when I checked out this Body Shop site, it seemed that L'Oreal is upholding the core values and I have given them the benefit of the doubt. If anyone knows any different, please post a comment. I now have six used pots to be returned for recycling, so at least I shall find out if that principle still stands.
We spotted this sign by the beach in St. Jean de Luz. It certainly makes you think and to wonder what the timings would be in landfill. Worse probably. We were particularly horrified by how many years disposable nappies take to degrade - seems the word disposable is somewhat sick in this context. Whatever happened to good old terry towelling, dare we ask? NO!
Nettles, urtica dioica, are actually extraordinary. They were christened 'The Heart of the World' by Rudolph Steiner (founder of anthroposophy - holistic healing) because of the healing energy they radiate to humans, animals and plants. If you suffer from arthritis, cold feet, gout, lumbago, sciatica or rheumatism, to name but a few, drinking nettle juice or tea can help alleviate the symptoms. And here's a surprising fact: nettle stings in the affected areas increase the flow of blood, produce a counter-irritation and reduce inflammation! Why not keep a couple of pots as houseplants to use in the winter. Nettle tea is also good for improving resistance to pollens, molds and environmental pollutants because they stabilize mast cell walls and stop the cycle of mucus membrane hyperactivity. You can eat nettles as well, in soups or as a substitute for spinach. Sprinkle the dried leaves on salads or use as a herb - they have a mineral rich, slightly bitter, slightly salty flavour. They're full of goodies, even surpassing spinach - protein, vitamins, masses of minerals and more. A word of warning, don't eat them raw as they can cause mouth and lip problems and aren't easily digested. Always use the tips of tender, young plants. Nettle tea is a great fertilizer in the garden and makes plants more bug resistant. Put them in your compost too, they speed up the breakdown process. Hang a bunch in your kitchen - flies can't stand them! Animals profit from eating nettles too - they are good for their health and chickens produce more eggs and cows more milk. Mind you, we haven't tried them out on our dogs yet! There are lots of websites extolling the virtues of urtica dioica and if you want to find out how to prepare them, just Google in 'how to make nettle .....' and bingo. Startling fact: selling certain nettle preparations for garden use is illegal in France. So guess which companies have been lobbying again!
Friends are coming round for tea and you haven't a cake or biscuit in the place, so try making these tasty munchies.
Ingredients:
2 egg whites
115g/4 oz icing sugar
115g/4 oz ground almonds
115g/4 oz desiccated coconut
few drops almond essence
75g/3oz sultanas or fine chopped glacé cherries
Pre-heat oven to 150˚C / 300˚F. Line baking sheet with greaseproof paper.
Whisk egg whites until stiff, fold in icing sugar and almonds. Add almond essence. Fold in coconut and sultanas/cherries.
Place heaped teaspoonfuls of mix onto the prepared sheet.Bake for 25 mins or until pale golden.Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack.
