Chopped Salad and Sardines

My lunch often consists of a large chopped salad and some canned sardines that have been rinsed with water and splashed with lemon juice (so no one at work can smell the sardines)! I love chopped fresh veggies, and I often prepare enough for a few days and store it in the refrigerator at work. Especially in the summer – but anytime of the year as well – I enjoy this healthy and low-carbohydrate lunch!

For more information on what I put into one of my favorite chopped salads and why I chose these veggies, see the short video/podcast that I did with my sister – who was kind enough to agree to participate without any notice at all. In fact, as soon as I called her on her cell phone to ask if she would work with me on this, she pulled over in her car and we did this video/podcast with her on her cell phone and me on my regular speakerphone.  So this video/podcast is totally unrehearsed, and yet I think it came out really well! I’m still amazed!

Since we did this podcast, I have come up with another idea I want to share with you. If you do not like sardines that much, you can get used to eating this very healthy fish, gradually. For example, you could bake a mild fish like Dover sole; let it cool; and then mix it in with the sardines. Over time, you can add more sardines and less sole. I made this half-half mixture and added LOTS of chopped fresh dill, and it was great!

Kitchen tips on how to do some of the things mentioned in the video:

Zest lemons or limes (and freeze the fresh juice in small quantities for use later)

One way to cut a ripe avocado into chunks and another way to cut a ripe avocado into chunks

Note: Wash the avocado before you cut into it!

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Roasted Tomato and Roasted Garlic Soup

Roasted Tomato and Roasted Garlic Soup

I went to the farmer’s market and came home with about 20 pounds of tomatoes – all seconds. What a delight to have so many beautiful tomatoes of all sizes, colors, and stripes! And what fun to take the afternoon to turn these beauties into a delicious soup!

With just a few simple and healthy ingredients, this wonderful and healthy soup is easy to make. It just takes time.

To find out more about how tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and oregano help to prevent cancer, see these earlier posts:

• Tomatoes
• Garlic
• Thyme and oregano

Ingredients

about 20 pounds fresh tomatoes

Extra virgin olive oil

12 Monamifood Smooth and Mild Garlic Flavor Cubes

Fresh thyme

Fresh oregano

Freshly ground black pepper and a little salt, to taste

A few extras, if desired:

• A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• A few tender tips of fresh thyme
• A squeeze of fresh lemon – very nice, especially in cold soup!

Directions

Prepare the tomatoes for cooking:

• Large size tomatoes – Using a sharp serrated edge knife (cooking gear recommendation at end of this post), remove the spoiled sections of each tomato. Cut each tomato in half (through the widest midpoint; not thru the stem). Separate the large tomato halves that feel soft from those that feel hard.

• Small and medium size tomatoes – Using a sharp serrated edge knife, remove the spoiled sections from each tomato.  This will result in odd shaped pieces. That’s perfectly OK.

Take two, full-size baking sheet pans (with lips on all 4 sides) and line each one with a silicone baking mat, such as such as a Silpat mat. (See cooking gear recommendation at end of this post.) If you do not have a silicone baking mat, that’s OK, you can use parchment paper or just use  a silicone pastry brush and brush the baking sheet with olive oil before you place the tomatoes on it.

As your oven and the number of baking pans you have permits, fill each silicone lined baking pan with either:

• Large and hard tomato halves, face down

• Large and soft tomato halves face up

• Small and medium size tomatoes so that as much of the cut sides of tomatoes are exposed as possible

Notes:

• When tomatoes are placed cut side down, they roast AND steam at the same time, which helps large and hard tomatoes cook faster. When placed face up, the tomatoes just roast, which probably gives a slightly better flavor, but I decided to opt for faster cooking which also takes less energy.
• If you need to reuse the same pan to roast a second batch of tomatoes, be sure to wipe the surface of the baking sheet and the silicone mat with a paper towel to remove the burnt, or soon-to-burnt, bits that will end up tarnishing the taste of the soup.

Generously grease all of the exposed surfaces of the tomatoes with olive oil. (I just poured about a tablespoon of olive oil — per baking sheet — into the palm of my hand and rubbed the exposed surfaces.)

Start preheating the oven to 450 degrees F.  (Note: No need to waste energy waiting for the oven to preheat; just pop your baking sheets into the oven as soon as they’re ready to go.)

• Place the baking pan with the large tomato halves on the top rung of the oven.
• Place the baking pan with the small and medium tomatoes on the shelf that’s two rungs below the top rung.

Here is the timing that worked for me:

• Hard tomato halves, face down on the top rung of the oven — about 60 minutes or until they looked like this:

• Soft tomato halves, face up on the top rung of the oven — about 40 minutes or until they looked like this:

• Small and medium size pieces of tomatoes when cooked at the same time as the large tomatoes — about 40 minutes, but they were on the third rung of the oven, underneath a pan with the large tomatoes.

When the roasted tomatoes have cooled down enough to handle, use your fingers to slip off the peels; discard the peels. As needed, use a sharp serrated edge knife to cut off the hard stem ends and cut the large tomato halves into a few smaller pieces. Discard the stem ends.

Place the cooked, peeled, and stem end-removed tomatoes into a large non-aluminum pot. (Aluminum reacts with tomatoes.)  Pour the juices from the baking pans into the pot.

Here’s what my 20 pounds of tomatoes cooked down to!

Using an immersion blender (cooking gear recommendation at end of this post) chop/blend the tomato pieces so that you get a smooth yet chunky mixture. Heat the mixture over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until steam starts to rise from the pot. During this time, stir the pot occasionally with a sturdy silicone spatula and scrape the bottom of the pot so as to prevent burning. When the steam starts to rise from the pot, turn off the heat. (Cooking briefly helps preserve the fresh taste of this soup.)

Add 12 Roasted Garlic Flavor Cubes (mine were made in a silicone mini-muffin pan and were only ½ inch high) to the pot and then stir to dissolve and mix the roasted garlic into the soup.  Using a pair of sharp kitchen shears, cut the fresh herbs finely and let them fall directly into the soup. Stir to mix.

Note: I don’t think you have to measure the herbs, just use as much as you like. This photo will give you an idea of how much I used:

Fresh tender thyme and oregano on saucers

I did not cook the soup any more at this point. I just cover the pot and let the herbs meld into the soup for about 15 minutes.

Soups on! (Thanks to Ricky Dahne for the beautiful bowl)

• To serve hot, heat and serve as is or mixed with a little fresh squeezed lemon juice. with a little olive oil drizzled over each serving and a few tender tips of fresh thyme for garnish.

• To serve cold, refrigerate the soup in small glass bowls (so it can cool down quickly) and then, if you like, mix in some fresh squeezed lemon juice. Serve garnished with olive oil and fresh thyme, if desired.
• This soup freezes well.

Cooking gear

Note: I do not have a relationship with any of the companies whose products I mention on this blog. I simply want you to know about my favorite cooking and food related products are so that you can have a more successful cooking experience.

• My favorite serrated edge knife that’s great for tomatoes and other soft fruits and veggies with skins is Ergo Chef’s “Knuckle Sandwich 5 ½ inch utility knife – ‘Draggon Dagger’ with Fork on Tip”.  I had a hard time overcoming the look of this knife, but it works so well…that I forget what it looks like! Some of you may even like its looks! If you decide to buy it, talk with the folks on the phone first; they’re very helpful. Have them explain to you how to hold the knife. Grasping a knife the right way, makes a  big difference.
• Silicone baking mat, such as such as a Silpat mat.
• Immersion blender: Phillips 4 Speed Hand-Held Blender . Only the metal parts of this immersion blender touch the food.

A few other notes….

• If you would love to make this soup — or another healthy soup like this one — but you just do not have the time…you can buy great freshly made, seasonal, salt-free, soups (made with as many organic or pesticide free foods as possible) from 100 Bowls of Soup which are carried at the Organic Butcher of McLean in McLean, Virginia. Also, when the farmer’s markets in Northern Virginia are open, you may find Katharine Mardirosian, the mom who started 100 Bowls of Soup, offering tastes of her delicious high-quality soups at the markets, including the one in Reston, VA.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Mulberry Dressing for Salad

It’s mulberry season in my little corner of our world. Mulberries – like grapes and red wine – contain resveratrol, a polyphenol that “…can also slow the three stages of cancer development—initiation, promotion, and progression—by blocking the action of NF-kappa B.” [page 119-120, Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, David, Anticancer, A New Way of Life, 2009 edition]

My mulberries were not very sweet or juicy, so I make them into a salad dressing — which turned out great.

Mulberry Dressing for Salad

Ingredients

1 cup fresh, ripe, black mulberries (thoroughly washed and drained)

juice of ½ orange

1 tablepoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until nicely pureed.

Pour over mixed fruit or lettuce greens.

Freeze the dressing for later

 

freezing the salad dressing to use it later

 

With five cups of mulberries, I ended up with far more salad dressing than we could use at one time…so I poured the dressing into the muffin cups of my silicone muffin pan, placed the filled muffin pan in the freezer, and then I popped the frozen salad dressing mini muffins into a plastic bag for the freezer. Now I have mulberry salad dressing to defrost and use anytime!

Freeze the mulberries for later

• Wash the mulberries and let them drain
• Lay the mulberries out in one layer on a cookie sheet (or in pie pans)
• Place the sheet/pans in the freezer
• When the berries are frozen place them into plastic bags for the freezer.

A word of caution

Regarding red wine, a source of resveratrol — just like mulberries, Dr. Servan-Scheiber warns: “Because resveratrol also acts as an antiangiogenic, like thalidomide it can interfere with fetal development. This is one more reason to avoid alcohol (even red wine) during pregnancy.”[Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, David, Anticancer, A New Way of Life, 2009 Edition]

And…in general, always remember to consume a wide variety of healthy foods — not a lot of any one food.

More information

This is the article from the Journal of Nutrition where I learned that mulberries contain resveratrol.

Here’s a video with some good how-to suggestions for harvesting mulberries.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Yummy and Healthy Hot – or Iced – Cocoa Drink

Hot cocoa (hot chocolate) — whether from a restaurant, a coffee shop, or a mix — is typically loaded with sugar. This Yummy and Healthy Hot Cocoa contains much less sugar — just enough to taste a little sweet. As with any food that contains sugar, it’s best to consume it at the end of a meal — not between meals. This is because when eaten at the end of a meal, a food that contains sugar will raise your blood sugar less than when eaten between meals. And since blood sugar control is important to preventing cancer, it makes sense to finish off a meal with a cup of this delicious hot chocolate, rather than between meals.

Ingredients for both hot and iced cocoa

1 heaping tablespoon cocoa (not Dutch processed cocoa)

• Why Cocoa? How does cocoa help your body prevent cancer? Which cocoa is the best kind? How can you be sure to get all the benefits from the cocoa you consume?

3 tablespoons boiling filtered water

¾ cup almond milk — vanilla (not plain)

• Almond milk can be found in the refrigerated section, next to the regular dairy milk, or in aisle with the shelf-stable milk.

• One cup of Blue Diamond Vanilla Almond Breeze (almond milk) contains 15 grams of sugar. A cup of skim milk contains 12 grams of sugar. The difference, 4 grams, is equal to the amount of sugar in one teaspoon of sugar.

1/8 teaspoon pure (not imitation) almond extract and a drop of pure vanilla extract

• The extract should contain only water, alcohol, and natural almond oil.  I like the almond extract that I bought at Penzeys Spices.

• Alternatively, there are alcohol-free extracts, for example, Frontier’s Alcohol Free Almond Flavor, that contains only glycerine, water, and natural bitter almond oil. I found this product at Whole Foods. It works just as well as the almond extract with alcohol in it.

Directions for hot cocoa

Place the cocoa into a large cup or mug.

Add the boiling water.

To blend the cocoa into the water, stir vigorously with a very small whisk; a chopstick works, too. If you have a milk frother , use that instead.

When fully mixed, add the almond milk, almond extract, and vanilla extract; heat in the microwave until hot. Stir with a spoon.

Directions for iced cocoa – delicious iced chocolate almond milk drink

Place the cocoa into a tall glass.

Add the boiling water.

To blend the cocoa into the water, stir vigorously with a very small whisk; a chopstick works, too. If you have a milk frother , use that instead.

When fully mixed, add the almond milk, almond extract, and vanilla extract; mix well.

Add the ice cubes and let your iced cocoa chill for a few minutes before drinking.

Deeeeelicious!

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Check It Out! – Dr. Servan-Scheiber’s New Website

As you may know from reading the blog entry, About Monamifood and Leni Reed Nazare, I am a big fan (and not just a Facebook fan) of David Servan-Schreiber, the author of the book, Anti-Cancer.  In fact, in almost every Monamifood post, I quote his book! Now Dr. Servan-Schreiber has a new website — http://www.Anticancerbook.com — and a new Facebook page. I just spent an hour or so on the website and signed up to be a Facebook fan.

Check it out!

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

SPINACH AND ONION CRUSTLESS QUICHES

After creating the recipes for Egg White Puffs and for Carmelized Onions and Roasted Spinach, it suddenly dawned on me that I could combine the two recipes and make Spinach and Onion Egg Puffs – now fondly known as Spinach and Onion Crustless Quiches.  Wow! They turned out great and my family and I have been enjoying them for breakfast, lunch, light dinners, and snacks ever since!

SPINACH AND ONION CRUSTLESS QUICHES ( aka SPINACH AND ONION EGG PUFFS)

Makes 6 crustless quiches (each one the size of a muffin)

If you would like to see a video showing how this recipe is made, just click on this link for the YouTube video that I made with the help of my friend Ludo Van Vooren, who served as my director and film editor, and my husband, Charles Nazare, who cheered me on. Also a big thanks to my friends Shelley and Fred and cousin David who looked this video over and told me it was good enough to share. I had my doubts, but I’ve swallowed my pride and learned to live with the fact that I don’t look as young as I used to when I made my other videos…and I’m out of practice, besides. But making this video was fun, so I plan to do more of them for this blog in the future. I hope you enjoy viewing the video.

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil (for greasing the inside of each muffin cup)
• 6 tablespoons caramelized onions, prepared according to the post, Monamifood Caramelized Onions & Roasted Spinach
• 6 tablespoons roasted spinach, prepared according to the post, Monamifood Caramelized Onions & Roasted Spinach
• About 1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  
• Aleppo pepper or any mild red pepper, such as paprika (not the hot variety). The purpose of the red pepper is to give the quiche a nice warm color.
• fresh thyme leaves (or dried thyme leaves or dried oregano – or a mixture of these), to taste
• 1, 16-ounce container of liquid egg whites
• 1 tablespoon shredded or grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Equipment Prep Step

• If you are going to cook these quiches in a microwave oven, you will need a 100% food-grade silicone muffin pan (for regular, not mini size muffins).
• Unfortunately, in a microwave oven, the food in a muffin pan does not cook evenly. (The food closer to the walls of the oven cooks faster than the food farther from the walls of the oven.)  So using a pair of kitchen shears, I cut my silicone muffin pan into 6 muffin cups as you see below. Now I can arrange the muffin cups in a circle for even cooking.
  

My silcone muffin pan after surgery to separate the muffin cups

Directions (Microwave cooking)

Note: Oven cooking directions are given below the microwave cooking directions.

• Using a pastry brush and olive oil, lightly grease the inside of each silicone muffin cup with olive. (You may not need to grease these muffin cups. If you find that your little quiches slide out of their cups without greasing the muffin cups, that’s great; just skip this step.)

• If you can, remove the glass “go round” inside your microwave oven and place it on your kitchen counter. (If you can’t remove the glass “go round” from your microwave, then just use a large round microwaveable platter.) Arrange the 6  individual greased silicone muffin cups in a circle on the glass “go round” or round platter. Try to make sure that each of the cups is about the same distance from the outer edge of the glass “go round” or platter.
• Put 1 tablespoon of caramelized red onions inside each of the muffin cups.
• Put 1 tablespoon of roasted spinach inside each of the muffin cups.
• Sprinkle a scant ¼ teaspoon of ground turmeric into each of the muffin cups.
• Sprinkle a little freshly ground black pepper into each of the muffin cups.
• Sprinkle a little Aleppo pepper into each of the muffin cups.
• Add as much fresh thyme as you like to each of the muffin cups
  
• Shake the container of egg whites (as it says on the carton). Pour the liquid egg whites into the partially filled muffin cups, filling each cup almost up to the top. You will use – or almost use – the entire container of egg whites.
• Using a small spoon, gently mix the contents of each muffin cup to distribute the veggies more evenly.
• Place the “go round” or platter with the filled muffin cups into the microwave oven.
  
• Cook on high for 3– 4 minutes or until outer half of each of the mini quiches is starting to look slightly cooked (not so runny).
  
• Carefully rotate the each muffin cup 180 degrees so that the inner edge becomes the outer edge.
• Cook on high for another 2-3 minutes or until there is no more liquid remaining on the top of each quiche. In the final minute or so as they cook, you see them puff up high above the top edges of the muffin cups and then drop back down when they’re done. It’s dramatic and fun to watch!
• If desired, top each little quiche with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, and heat for another 10-15 seconds to melt the cheese.

• When the muffin cups are cool enough to handle comfortably, remove them from the oven.

One muffin cup with a Spinach and Onion Crustless Quiche inside

• Invert each muffin cup and the little quiche should slide right out. When you turn the quiches  right side up they look beautiful — and, I think you will agree, taste GREAT!

Directions (Oven cooking)

• To cook these mini quiches in a regular (not microwave) oven, follow the directions given above, but bake at 350 degree F — either in a silicone muffin pan or in regular metal muffin pan. I made three little quiches in my toaster oven (using cut-up silicone muffin cups) and they were ready after baking for about 20 minutes. It should take around that long to cook these in a metal muffin pan, too.
  

Notes

• After posting this recipe (and that was after making it at least 25 times), I discovered that adding fresh thyme made the little quiches even more delicious. And, since thyme is an anti-cancer food in its own right, (as explained in my earlier post, Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Thyme), go ahead and add plenty of thyme. Just buy (or grow) fresh thyme, wash it, dry it, and store it in your freezer. Storing in your freezer will make it easy to remove the leaves from the stems (as explained in the Roasted Grape Tomatoes post) and it will still taste fresh.
• If you are out of fresh thyme, no problem. Use dried thyme or dried oregano leaves. Oregano and thyme (as well as rosemary, basil, and mint) are members of the terpene family and have anti-cancer properties.
• These Crustless Quiches do not freeze well. But you can store them in your refrigerator for a few days.
• By using a silicone mini muffin pan (cut up into individual cups), you can make mini quiches. (And, if you don’t want to cut up all your silicone bakeware, use the pan as is and take out the cooked mini quiches and return the pan to the microwave to cook the rest.) I served these mini quiches at a party not long ago and they disappeared!
• I learned the hard way that if I follow the manufacturer’s direction that came with my silicone muffin pan: “do not place in the dishwasher,” then the muffin cups remain non-stick and I do not need to to grease the muffin cups.
  +++++++++++++++++++++++

And here’s another Crustless Mini Quiche recipe from Monamifood: Updated Crustless Mini Quiches. The newer version does not require silicone muffin pans. And it is easier to make. However, it does not include turmeric. I now use turmeric (including fresh turmeric) in a lot of other foods I cook, so I don’t mind not having some for breakfast.

Enjoy and be healthy,

~Leni

ONIONS & SPINACH: Caramelized Onions and Roasted Spinach

Why onions?

Onions are a member of the alliaceous family (along with garlic, leeks, shallots and chives).  “The sulfur compounds of this family…reduce the carcinogenic effects of nitrosamines and N-nitroso compounds, which are created in overgrilled meat and during tobacco combustion. They promote apoptosis (cell death) in colon, breast, lung, and prostate cancer, as well as in leukemia.” (David Servan-Schreiber, Anti-Cancer, page 123).

Why spinach?

“…all the bright-colored fruits and vegetables (orange, red, yellow, green) contain vitamin A and lycopene, which have the proven capacity to inhibit growth of cells of several cancer lines, including brain gliomas.” (David Servan-Schreiber, Anti-Cancer, page 122).

CARAMELIZED ONIONS & ROASTED SPINACH

The process of slow roasting the onions and spinach cooks down the veggies so that each spoonful of cooked veggies is equal to about THREE spoonfuls of raw veggies! This means that you can sneak a lot of veggies into your meals by adding just a few tablespoons of these great roasted veggies!

Here are a few of the foods to which I often add caramelized onions or roasted spinach – or both:

• Hummus
• Rice
• Beans
• Quinoa
• Cottage cheese
• Egg whites (Just add this mixture to the recipe for Egg White Puffs)
• Soups (Just mix into almost any soup!)
• Pasta sauce

Also, the mixture of caramelized onions and roasted spinach makes a great side dish for chicken, fish, or grass-fed lean beef. For more flavor, just add any herb and spice combination that you like – even just a dusting of freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of salt!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds red (or yellow) onions, chopped
  • After posting this recipe calling for yellow onions, I tried it with red onions, and found that it was even better with red onions.
  • I didn’t specify organic onions. That’s because, of all vegetables and fruits, regular (non-organic) onions have the least pesticide residue, according to the Environmental Working Group.

• 2 pounds frozen chopped organic spinach
  • I specified organic spinach. That’s because regular (non-organic) spinach comes with a fair load of pesticides, according to the Environmental Working Group.
  • Whole Food’s 365-Brand frozen Organic Chopped Spinach is the frozen organic spinach that I use most often.
  • I don’t bother with fresh organic spinach for this recipe because the frozen version saves so much time.

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions (Note: Total baking time is 1 hour and 15 minutes.)

• Cut the onions into chunks. For example, if you have medium-size onions, cut them into quarters and then again in half, so that you have eight chunks.

• Place about 2 cups of the onion chunks into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Using the pulse function, pulse for 4-6 times, or until you have small, but not tiny pieces of onion, as you can see here:

just some of the chopped onions

• Empty the food processor and process the next two cups in the same manner; then repeat until all the onions have been chopped.

• Take a rimmed baking sheet and line it with aluminum foil, parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat (for example, a Silpat mat that covers the entire pan, size 11 5/8 X16 ½-inch mat made for 13 X 18-inch sheet pan; US half size.) Place the lined baking sheet inside another rimmed baking sheet. (This creates an air pocket and keeps the onions from burning.)

• Place the chopped onions on the lined baking sheet and drizzle half of the olive oil (¼ cup) over the onions. Mix the onions and olive oil to distribute the olive oil.

• Using your hands (if you don’t mind them smelling like onions) or a non-metal spatula, spread the onions out evenly over the entire pan; set aside.

• Take a third rimmed baking sheet and line it with aluminum foil or a silicone baking mat.

• Pour 2 pounds (2, 1-pound bags) of frozen chopped spinach onto the lined baking pan.  Drizzle the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil over the spinach and mix the spinach around to distribute the olive oil.

• Place the pan of spinach on the middle rung of the oven and the pan of onions on the lower rung of the oven.

onions and spinach going into the oven

• Turn on the oven and set the temperature for 400 degrees F.  Note: In this case, I don’t preheat the oven, because it would just waste energy.

• After 45 minutes, open the oven door –  WHILE TURNING YOUR FACE AWAY — so that you don’t get a blast of hot steam in your face. Take one pan out of the oven.

• Use two spatulas and mix the more cooked veggies (those on the sides of the pan) with the less cooked veggies (those in the center of the pan). Then pat the veggies down so that they evenly cover the entire pan. Put the pan back into the oven on the rack it came from.

• Remove the second pan of veggies from the oven. Use two spatulas and mix the more cooked veggies (those on the sides of the pan) with the less cooked veggies (those in the center of the pan). Then pat the veggies down so that they evenly cover the entire pan. Put the pan back into the oven on the rack it came from.

• Let the pans of veggies bake for an additional 30 minutes.

• Turn off the oven and remove both pans from the oven. Use the non-metal spatulas to mix the veggies in each pan around and then spread them out so that they can cool.

• When cool, place the caramelized onions and roasted spinach in glass containers; refrigerate.

• Of course, if you like, you can also freeze both the caramelized onions and the roasted spinach in – you guessed it – silicone mini muffin pans to make “flavor cubes” for use later. . (For more on the technique of freezing in silicone mini muffin pans, see Monamifood Basil Pesto Flavor Cubes.)

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

BROWN RICE: Golden Rice

Why brown rice?

It’s a lot better for you than regular white rice! “…ordinary white rice should be avoided and replaced by brown or white basmati rice, for which the glycemic index is lower.” (David Servan-Schreiber, Anti Cancer, page 63)

This doesn’t mean you should eat LOTS of brown rice. As Dr. Servan-Schreiber says, “Above all it’s much better … to eat vegetables and legumes (beans, peas, lentils). Not only are their glycemic indexes low, but their potent phytochemicals fight cancer growth every inch of the way.” (David Servan-Schreiber, Anti Cancer, page 63)

GOLDEN RICE

In order to make brown rice rich in the “potent phytochemicals that fight cancer growth,” I now add turmeric and black pepper to every pot of rice I cook. And the result is a gorgeous golden rice!

For example, when we had friends over for dinner one night, I made two stir fry dishes – an Asian stir fry and Indian stir-fry (like a biriyani) — and both were made with Golden Rice, (but in the Asian stir-fry, I used less turmeric than in the Indian stir-fry).

Ingredients

Brown rice

• Previously on this page, I mentioned that I like to use a variety of brown rice called Sweet Brown Rice or Korean Sweet Brown Rice – available in the Asian supermarkets and by mail order. The word “sweet” in the name of this rice is misleading. It’s not sweet; it’s just sticky. It’s a short grain rice that clumps together when cooked so it has a very chewy texture. Well….now I’ve learned that sweet sticky rice has a higher glycemic index than the more common rice varieties. So now I use brown Basmati rice — for Indian foods — and regular brown rice for other foods.

Filtered water

Turmeric and freshly ground black pepper

• Turmeric and black pepper are a potent anti-cancer combo, as discussed in an earlier post, Turmeric and Black Pepper . In addition, new research indicates that turmeric and black pepper are especially effective against breast cancer (stem cells). For a summary of this new research, see Dr. Servan-Schreiber’s blog.

• How much turmeric and black pepper should you use when making rice? It’s up to you. Experiment; start with a little turmeric and add more next time until you get the proportion of turmeric to rice that works for you. But here’s a rough guide based on my experience:

1. For a light golden color and a slightly but not noticeably earthy taste, I add about a teaspoon of turmeric and a few grinds of fresh black pepper to two cups of raw brown rice.
2. When I want the earthy spicy flavor of turmeric and black pepper, I add about 1 tablespoon turmeric and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper to two cups of raw brown rice.

Note: I will measure carefully and report more exact proportions here soon.

Directions (rice cooker, my preferred way to cook rice)

• Rinse the rice under cold running water until it’s no longer cloudy (about 3 rinses).

• Place the rinsed rice into the bowl of the rice cooker. Add the water according to the directions for your particular kind of rice. Someone once told me that the water level should be about one knuckle above the rice and this works pretty well for me (I have small hands, though).

• Add turmeric and black pepper, according to your taste.

• Press the button for cooking and wait until it’s done. That’s it!

Directions (stove top)

• See the Purcell Mountain Farms for stove top (and rice cooker) directions for preparing many different varieties of brown rice.

Enjoy and be healthy,

~Leni

TOMATOES and THYME: Roasted Grape Tomatoes with Thyme

Why tomatoes and thyme?

Researchers have found that lycopene, found in tomatoes, helps fight cancer, as explained in my earlier post, Sun Dried Tomato Flavor Cubes. Also, terpenes found in thyme, help to fight cancer, as explained in my earlier post, Basil Pesto Flavor Cubes.

ROASTED GRAPE TOMATOES with THYME

I had just finished baking a few batches of biscotti and the oven was still hot. So I thought: What can I cook now while the oven is still hot? With two pints of beautiful grape tomatoes on hand, I decided to bake the tomatoes so as to have a great side dish to go with the fish we are having for dinner. (By the way, Lady Moon Farms Organic Grape Tomatoes are currently on sale at my Whole Foods store – and maybe at a Whole Foods near you – for only $1.99 per pint, and that’s half their usual price.)

Ingredients

2 pints grape or small cherry tomatoes (organic, if possible)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salt to taste, if desired

1 – 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (leaves), to taste

It can be tedious to strip thyme leaves off of their stems, so here’s a time saving tip I just discovered for making this process quick and easy (and, contrary to what I had stated earlier, I just found that this works whether the thyme has woody or soft stems!)

• Wash the fresh thyme and spin dry it
• Place the spun-dry thyme into a quart-size plastic bag for the freezer and freeze.
• When the thyme has frozen, remove the bag with the thyme from the freezer, and without opening the bag, grab onto the sprigs of thyme and rub them vigorously against each other. Very soon (or in no time at all), almost all of the leaves of thyme will fall off the stems and end up in the bottom of the freezer bag!
• Now when you need a teaspoon of fresh thyme, just spoon it out of the freezer bag!
• Note: To be kind to the environment and save yourself some more time, re-use the plastic bag — without washing it. When you’ve used up all the thyme leaves and only the stems remain in the bag, toss out the stems, but keep the bag, as is, in the freezer. Then just add more clean fresh thyme and repeat!

Directions

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the grape tomatoes onto the baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes and mix them around with your hands so that all the tomatoes are lightly coated with olive oil. Add freshly ground black pepper and salt, if desired, to taste.

Place the pan with the tomatoes into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes; stir the tomatoes around gently. Bake for about 10 more minutes, or until the tomato skins start to shrivel and a few of the tomatoes burst.

Caution: When you open the oven door, you may get hit with hot steam. So keep your face away until the steam dissipates!

Remove the pan from oven and place the tomatoes and the juices from the tomatoes, if any, into a container for serving or storing in the refrigerator.  Scatter the thyme over the tomatoes; mix gently.

Serve and enjoy:

• With Egg White Puffs or Sauted Herbs for Breakfast (one more herb won’t hurt!).
• As a side dish with baked or sauted fish, chicken, or tofu.
• As a topping for a slice of whole grain garlic toast!

Enjoy and be healthy,

~Leni

Note to Readers: FROZEN BERRIES for green tea

Dear Reader,

I just want to let you know that I have found another great way to cool the temperature of boiling water quickly so as to make the perfect cup of delicious green tea:

Green Tea with Frozen Berries

• Place about 2 tablespoons (more or less, depending on the size of your cup/mug) of  frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc.) into your empty cup. Pour boiling water over the berries. Check the temperature. Add your tea bag when the temperature is right, etc.

Using frozen berries to instantly cool the boiling water saves time AND adds flavor to your green tea! And then when your tea is all gone, you have some delicious berries to eat! This is my favorite way to drink green tea these days.

And…if you like citrus flavor in your green tea, as mentioned in the post,  Monamifood Zesty Citrus Flavor Cube, you can cool the boiling water with a Citrus Flavor Cube too. Or just add frozen berries plus some grated organic citrus peel to get a wonderful berry/orange (berry/tangerine or berry/lemon) drink!

The suggestions for cooling the boiling water by adding frozen berries or Zesty Citrus Flavor Cubes, have now been added to the post, Green Tea (Part II), under the heading, “How to cool the boiling water quickly.”

And to learn everything you ever wanted to know about green tea  – why it’s good for you, where to buy it, how to make a great cup of green tea, and more, see Monamifood Green Tea (Part I) and Green Tea (Part II).

I hope you enjoy these time-saving and flavorful ways to make a great cup of green tea!

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni