Jan 26
Image by Jana Bouc
Time to put on your beret and your best gallic pout. Okay, ready? Let’s talk about breakfast, or le petit dejéuner as the French call it, literally translated as the little lunch. Thinking of the first meal of the day as my little lunch changes the menu completely. All at once a new array of savory offerings are on the table. Gone are all those swoggy Read more
Mar 6
Image by Leslie Kuenne
The grumpy adolescent boy looked at the kale and quinoa on his plate and then stared me down with indignant brown eyes. Mum, you’re going to have to choose between your cute little vegetables and me. I’m a growing teenage boy and I NEED MEAT.
My own offspring was reading me the Riot Act. Never mind that I had been preaching the gospel of less meat, more lentils, less meat, more greens, less meat, more carrots, kohlrabi and cabbage. Possibly because of all my preaching (he is a teenager after all) this progeny was begging for a steak, a hamburger, meatballs, OMG, Mum, SOMETHING with meat in it! Since this is a kid who will happily munch on fennel, endive and sushi, I figured he wasn’t being finicky. I put it down to a growth spurt and gave him some beef. Read more
Oct 20
Cooked quinoa
Quinoa is often referred to as a grain, but in fact, it is a seed. Some compare it to couscous, but I think it is lighter and more flavorful. Favored by the Incas, quinoa cooks up quickly, is high in protein and delicious. Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) has recently made the leap from the health food store to the grocery store with good reason. Vegetarians love it because of the protein content; I love it because it is yummy and cooks in about 10 minutes.
Oct 8
Earlier this fall I broke my ankle and was confined to an armchair. Not being a sit-patiently-with-your-leg-in-acast kind of girl, I spent some time researching which foods would help me heal fastest. Nutrition books were stacked high, search engines whirred away. Leafy greens, check; wide variety of fruits and vegetables, check; almonds and other nuts, check; oily fish, check. Sauerkraut. Uhhh, sauerkraut, really? Honestly, I almost kicked the wall with my good foot in vexation. Now, I suspect that some of you share my ambivalence toward sauerkraut. Read more
Sep 12
Why is everyone so hepped on whole grains these days and what is a whole grain, anyway? The WHOLE GRAIN refers to a grain which still has its bran and germ intact. In the days before sensible dentistry, many people wanted softer, smushier food; removing the bran and germ created just that. In addition, the bran and germ spoil more easily, so removing them extended the shelf life of the grain: food manufacturers were ecstatic! Finally, the denuded products were easier to digest — producing less of that embarrassing gas. Sounds great, doesn’t it — mushy white food that lasts forever and can pass through your body without any work by your digestive tract! Neat!
You may have guessed by now that most of the essential nutrients and fiber in a grain are located in the very bran and germ that are removed in the refining process. Working on the presumption that you are eating in order to nourish your body, dining on refined grains such as white flour, white rice, white pasta and pearl barley is akin to sending in the artillery without any ammunition — pointless.
I can already hear you folks in the back saying, Read more
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