Sunday, December 30, 2007

Butternut Chili - Spicy 'n Sweet

Gluten free chili recipe
Here's one of my favorite chili recipes, featuring cubes of 
butternut squash. Sweet and spicy. 


New Year's Day is almost upon us. Rather than wax nostalgic and dreamy about the bumpy (and enlightening) year I've had, I'd rather post a simple recipe I know you'll love. Making a pot of bean soup or chili to welcome in a freshly minted year is a tradition as old as the hills. From Italian Pasta Fagioli to homestyle southern Hoppin' John, beans somehow acquired the favorable reputation of attracting good luck.

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Thursday, December 27, 2007

Vegan Banana Bundt Cake


A tasty dairy-free gluten-free banana cake.

Vegan (egg-free) baking is a mega-challenge at high altitude. Throw gluten-free and dairy-free into the equation (not to mention, soy-free, Darling- I can't even rely on tofu yogurt!) and trust me, it can be a major pain in the proverbial butt. I've dumped two previous egg-free incarnations of this recipe lickety-split into the trash. Today, however, I tweaked again. And guess what? We have a winner.

So- this one's for all you lovely celiacs, gluten-free vegans, multi-allergic sweethearts and autism spectrum angels out there (neurodiversity rocks, after all).

Big banana kisses xoxo!

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Monday, December 24, 2007

Carrot, Beet and Gooseberries Juice/Healthy Drink

The Story of the Birth of Christ Jesus as found in the Holy Bible, in the book of Luke. Christmas story from the bible is check here.


There were two Santa's Villages in California - today they are both closed. One was near Los Angeles, at Skyforest, CA near Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernadino Mountains. Another Santa's Village was near San Francisco, at 6348 Los Gatos Highway, Santa Cruz, CA.

Photo copy from Net.

Carrot, Beets and Gooseberries Juice/Healthy Drink


Ingredients:

3 medium size carrots
1\2 medium size beet
8 gooseberries
2 tbsp natural honey
5-6 black Pepper
Salt to taste

Method:
Step1: Peel and cut the beet and carrrots. Cut the gooseberries into small pieces.

Step 2: Mix all this ingredients in to big mixer jar.

Step 3: Add honey, salt and black pepper in it.

Step 4: After that add glass water and grind for one minute so that all ingredients crush very well.

Step 5: When all material crush very well then add more 2 small glass water in top of the jar.

Step 6: Drain juice into another bowl with big hole drainer so that some of crush fiber of carrot and gooseberries also drain with it.

Step 7: Shake very well and pour into serving glass. If you are like than also add ice pieces.


Step 8: Drink it within 15 minutes is good for health if you put into freeze than its original taste is change after 1 hour.
Benefits of Beets:

1. A source of folate, fiber and potassium.
2. The greens are a rich source of potassium, calcium, iron, beta carotene, and vitamin C.
Low in calories.
3. Rich in phytochemicals such as anthocyanins and saponins, which may bind cholesterol in the digestive tract, lowering the risk for heart disease.

4. According to folklore, beets were belived to posses curative powers for headaches and other painful conditions. Even today some naturalist practitioners recommend beets to prevent cancer and bolster immunity; they also suggest using the juice of raw beets to speed convalescence. Although beets are reasonably nutritious food source, there is no scientific proof that they confer any special medicinal benefits.

5. A half-cup serving of cooked beets provides 45 micrograms of folate, about 11 percent of the adult Recommended Dietary Allowance. The tops, if eaten while young and green are more nutritious: 1-cup has 35 mg of vitamin C, almost 46 percent of what is advised for adult women; 720 RE of vitamin A; and 160 mg of calcium, 2.5 mg of iron and 1300 mg of potassium.


Drawbacks of Beet:

1. Turn urine and stools red, a harmless condition that nonetheless alarms people who mistake it for blood.
2. If prone to kidney stones or gout, avoid beet greens as they are high in oxalates. Oxalates can form small crystals and contribute to the development of kidney stones.

Benefits of Carrots:

1. An excellent source of beta carotene, the precursor of vitamin A.
2. A good source of dietary fiber and potassium.
3. Help prevent night blindness.
4. May help lower blood cholesterol levels and protect against cancer. A U.S. government study found that volunteers who ate about one cup of carrots a day had an average 11 percent reduction in their blood cholesterol levels after only 3 weeks. Lowered cholesterol levels in turn, decrease the risk of heart disease.
5. One cup of cooked carrots has 70 calories, 4 g of fiber and about 18 mg of beta carotene. This provides more than 100 percent of the recommended Dietary Allowance of vitamin A. Nutrients essential for healthy hair, skin, eyes bones, and mucous membranes. Vitamin A also helps prevents infections.

Drawback of Carrot:

1. Excessive intake can give skin a yellowish tinge.

Benefits and drawback of Gooseberries is check here:

1. They are high in fiber (about 4g in a cup of raw berries), Vitamin C (50 mg per fresh cup) and potassium (250 mg per cup). They are also rich in bioflavonoid- plant pigments that help prevent cancer and other diseases.

A event called” Food during Pregnancy Event” has been lunched by Easy Crafts of "An easy cooking blog" this month. The theme is related to all pregnant ladies.


My contribution to this event is healthy drink of carrot, beet and gooseberries and lots of information about it.

During Pregnanacy:

1. At no other time in a woman’s life is good nutrition more essential than during pregnancy. While the need for calories increases only about 15 percent, the requirements for some nutrients more than doubles and a woman needs to plan her diet carefully.

Consume Plenty Of :

1. Lean meat, poultry, fish, dried beans, lentils and eggs for protein and iron.
2. Milk and dairy products, canned sardines and salmon (with bones included) and other high-calcium foods.
3. Citrus fruits, dark green vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and fortified cereals for folate.

Limit:
1. High-fat foods.
2. Sugary desserts and candy.
3. Coffee and other caffeinated drinks.

Avoid:
1. Alcohol use and smoking.
2. All drugs unless prescribed by a doctor.


From:Foods Harm Foods Heal Book, Reader's Digest






glitter-graphics.com

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Cornbread Recipe with Green Chiles + Cinnamon



Tender moist gluten-free cornbread you can bake in a skillet or a cake pan.

One of the first recipe conversions I attempted in my brand spanking new gluten-free life (begun six short years ago, December 19th, 2001) was my tired-and-true favorite cornbread recipe. Lucky for me, it converted to gluten-free rather easily. As a tender, fragile newbie to life sans gluten it gave me hope. The will to live. After all, when your beloved world of cooking, baking- and eating- is flipped upside down, a modest success in the kitchen can perk up your day. Maybe even, your week.

So when I recently discovered I needed to give up dairy and eggs as well, I flipped through recipes once again and decided to reprise my skillet cornbread- this time as an egg-free vegan version. And wouldn't you know it?

It worked.

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Thursday, December 20, 2007

Chicken Tropicale

Festive and flavorful chicken and pineapple.

Any night's a party when you cook up this Caribbean-inspired chicken recipe. Tip: Using your slow cooker frees you up in the kitchen- not to mention utilizing your Crock Pot makes energy efficient sense year round.

Steve's been doing all the cooking of late. I know you know why, Babycakes. You're probably sick to death of hearing about it.

But do you also know how ridiculous it is to wield a sharp knife and balance on crutches and pass the balsamic vinegar in a kitchen built (obviously) for one person who (also obviously) never cooked? All the bumping-bums while making sure your left foot is touching the floor at precisely (doctor's orders) no more than 25% of your total body weight- which, truth be told, Dear Reader, has blossomed by six- er- seven and a half pounds since you've been lounging in bed every morning past 10 o'clock, eating cinnamon-laced wedges of grilled cornbread and deep bowls of crunchy maple buckwheat flakes as you cruise your e-mail?

That's right. I'm talkin' ridiculous.

So we've been eating a lot of familiar recipes and not experimenting much. Experimentation needs elbow room. And stamina. Both seem to be in rather short supply here. Which led me to remember this terrific recipe from before my no-chicken, no coconut days. It disappeared from the blog for awhile (don't ask!). So I thought it might be time to bring it back.


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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Bitter gourd with lentil

Ingredients:
100gm bittergourd,
100gm lentil (Tuver dal)
2-big size tomatoes
8-9 green chillies
3-tbsp oil
1-tbsp red chilli powder
1\2-tbsp turmeric powder
1-tbsp garam masala
1-tbsp mustard seeds
1-tbsp cumin seeds
1\2-tbsp asafoetida (hing)
3 tbsp lemon juice+2 tbsp sugar or jaggery(optional)
Salt to taste.

Method:
Step 1: Soak the Tuver dal for one hour.


Step 2: After that microwave for 4 minutes on high. So it’s become soft but not like smooth dal and Keep aside.Step 3: Peel and cut the bitter gourd into long slices. Remove the seeds.
Step 4: Soak into slated water for 1\2 hour so we reduce the bitterness.

Step 5: After that drain the extra water from the bitter gourd and put over the tissue paper.

Step 6: Cut the tomatoes into medium size pieces and keep aside.

Step 6: Heat the oil into a pan and add mustarded seeds, cumin seeds and hing.

Step 7: Add small green chilles and fry for one minute.

Step 8: After that add bitter gourd dry long slice in it.

Step 9: Cook into medium flame for 5 minutes and add turmeric powder.

Step 10: When bitter gourd slices become crispy then add red chilli powder and salt in it.
Step 11: After that add cook tuver dal in it and mix it. Cook into low flame for 3 minutes.

Step 12: Add chopped tomatoes and gram masala in it.

Step 13: Cook on medium flame until all tomato mix with curry very well.
Step 14: Turn off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.


Step 15: Serve with hot roti and ripe banana pieces.

Note: If you like then also add lemon juice and sugar for taste. Also you reduce the bitterness with lemon juice and sugar. Mix the lemon juice and sugar before the one minute of turn off the flame.



Love can bring a smile & a smile can take you another mile.:)




Sending the Bitter Gourd with lentils to Pooja from My Creative Ideas for her VOW: Bitter Gourd