My daughter Emily was really sick this weekend and she was asking for some chicken soup. I went to the grocery store and bought a can of progresso chicken soup. I opened up the can and put it in the pot and thought to myself "You can do better than this." While I was at the grocery store, I also bought a 4lb organic free range chicken because in the back of my mind I just knew the can of soup wasn't going to cut it. I make a lot of soup in the winter time but I haven't made chicken soup in awhile and I have to say it came out great.
1 3-4lb organic free range chicken
6 medium size red potatoes chopped into chunks
4 medium carrots cut in rings
3 stalks of celery
1 medium onion
chopped fresh parsley
freshly ground pepper
Throw the chicken in the large pot and fill with water about an inch above the chicken. Salt the water, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 3 hours.
Skim the top of the water and remove the foam that forms as the chicken is cooking. Remove the chicken from the pot and when it is cool enough break it up into pieces. To reduce the fat in the broth you can put the broth in a shallow pan to cool, then refrigerate until the fat rises to the top. You can leave it over night or a few hours should do it. Skim the fat off the top of the broth and return to a clean pot to reheat. Add the vegetables and cook for about 1 hour add the chicken pieces for the last 10 minutes. I have to say there wasn't that much fat to skim off the top of the broth after I refrigerated it. I guess this really was a free range chicken.
Garlic's wonderful properties
Garlic is one of the oldest cultivated crops and references to garlic are found in ancient sanskrit. A root vegetable in the onion family garlic is know for its wonderful flavoring in just about every cuisine. In addition to garlics culinary wonders it may have many health benefits from helping to ward off cancer to reducing your risk of heart disease. Many of the health benefits in garlic may be attributed to organosulfur compounds found in the bulb. In animal studies garlic and organsulfur compounds have been found to inhibit the development of chemical induced cancers of the Gastrointestinal tract. Studies have also showed that organosulfur compounds may induce apoptosis (programed cell death) of precancerous and cancerous cells. Garlic also has been found to help lower cholesterol and it has antimicrobial and antifungal properties as well. So include garlic in your cooking regularly.
Advance Glycation End Products
Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are implicated in aging, diabetes, heart disease and inflammation in the body. One way they form is when glucose in the blood combines with a protein. They are a byproduct of carbohydrate metabolism. My local paper has a column by Dr. James Dillard, MD last week about carbohydrates and it mentions AGEs. I hadn't thought about AGEs in a while but the truth is they are forming in my body all the time. Especially Christmas day. I wish I had read Dr. Dillards column before then. Maybe I would have gone a little easier on the desserts which was his intentions for his readers but I over did it and had a terrible headache by the end of the day. Another way AGEs form is cooking foods at high temperatures. Caramelization and browning gives food the flavor we all love but it forms them too. Your body can handle a certain amount of AGEs but Diabetics with blood glucose that is not well controlled or have hyperglycemia are especially susceptible to tissue damage from the accumulation of AGEs.
If you want to reduce you expose through food limit the amount of grilled, broiled, fried meats. Steam fish and seafood, simmer chicken in a sauce. Eat lots of of fruits or vegetables. Cooked or raw they are low in AGEs. Try a water saute next time you want to cook some onion or garlic instead of in oil.
Consume carbohydrates that are truly whole grains, like brown rice, quinoa, millet for example. Most cereals are not whole grains even the organic kind. Whole wheat bread is not a whole grain. Look for bread that is sprouted whole grain berries. Limit the amount of desserts to special occasions like New Years Eve my Mom's 80th birthday so I am having dessert.
If you want to reduce you expose through food limit the amount of grilled, broiled, fried meats. Steam fish and seafood, simmer chicken in a sauce. Eat lots of of fruits or vegetables. Cooked or raw they are low in AGEs. Try a water saute next time you want to cook some onion or garlic instead of in oil.
Consume carbohydrates that are truly whole grains, like brown rice, quinoa, millet for example. Most cereals are not whole grains even the organic kind. Whole wheat bread is not a whole grain. Look for bread that is sprouted whole grain berries. Limit the amount of desserts to special occasions like New Years Eve my Mom's 80th birthday so I am having dessert.
Vegetarian Chili
There is nothing better than Chili on a cold wintery day so this weekend I made some. Instead of sauteing the onions, garlic and other vegetables in olive oil like I usually do I decided to try something different and do a water saute. I think it came out just fine and I didn't get any complaints from my husband Kevin.
In a medium sauce pan combine veggies, spices and enough water to just cover
saute for about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and beans and bring to boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add a little extra water if needed.
1 small onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
2 celery stalks chopped
2 portobello mushroom chopped
2 carrots
1/2 green pepper chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped
1/2 tsp chili or if you like it hotter 1 Tbsp
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or 1/2 tsp
1 tsp oregano
1-8oz can organic tomato sauce
1- 15oz can of organic red kidney beans or 2 cups cooked
1- 15oz can of organic garbanzo beans or 2 cups cooked
1 -15oz can of organic diced tomatoes
In a medium sauce pan combine veggies, spices and enough water to just cover
saute for about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and beans and bring to boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add a little extra water if needed.
1 small onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
2 celery stalks chopped
2 portobello mushroom chopped
2 carrots
1/2 green pepper chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped
1/2 tsp chili or if you like it hotter 1 Tbsp
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or 1/2 tsp
1 tsp oregano
1-8oz can organic tomato sauce
1- 15oz can of organic red kidney beans or 2 cups cooked
1- 15oz can of organic garbanzo beans or 2 cups cooked
1 -15oz can of organic diced tomatoes
Quinoa with Red Sauce and Vegetables
I just love Quinoa (Keen wah) and my husband Kevin does too. We eat it often. Tonight we had it with red sauce instead of pasta. Quinoa is an ancient grain from Andes and is becoming more popular in North America. Not just because it tastes so good but also because it is one of the higher protein grains. It reminds me of couscous in shape and color but the grain is a bit larger.
When we eat protein our body breaks them down into amino acids. We need 20 amino acids, 9 of which are essential. Essential means we have to get these proteins from food and our body makes the rest of them most of the time.
Quinoa is packed full of protein containing 10 amino acids and 8 of them are essential.
Protein is needed not just for our muscles but for every cell in our body. Many people think they need to eat lots of protein or take in extra protein through supplements or protein shakes to build muscles. However, this is a misconception. To build our muscles they need physical activity plus good nutrition, not just protein. If we take in more protein than our bodies need we just eliminate it and this can make the kidneys work harder than they need too. Protein needs for most healthy people is 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you weighed 140 lbs you would need 51 grams of protein per day.
1 cup uncooked quinoa has 22 grams of protein.
1/3 cup is one serving of a carbohydrate and about 80 calories
Rinse the Quinoa in a strainer to remove the coating of saponins.
Boil 1 1/4 cup water and add 1 cup Quinoa. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.
In a sauce pan
2Tbsp Olive Oil
1 small onion
garlic cloves as many as you like
2 to 3 Portobello mushrooms sliced in long strips
1 Red Pepper sliced
1 Green Pepper sliced
Toss with your favorite red sauce.
I like to add Nutritional Yeast Flakes on top in place of grated cheese for a little extra B12.
Quinoa comes in red and black but white is the most common.
It makes a great breakfast alternative too. Just add some fruit and honey or maple syrup.
When we eat protein our body breaks them down into amino acids. We need 20 amino acids, 9 of which are essential. Essential means we have to get these proteins from food and our body makes the rest of them most of the time.
Quinoa is packed full of protein containing 10 amino acids and 8 of them are essential.
Protein is needed not just for our muscles but for every cell in our body. Many people think they need to eat lots of protein or take in extra protein through supplements or protein shakes to build muscles. However, this is a misconception. To build our muscles they need physical activity plus good nutrition, not just protein. If we take in more protein than our bodies need we just eliminate it and this can make the kidneys work harder than they need too. Protein needs for most healthy people is 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you weighed 140 lbs you would need 51 grams of protein per day.
1 cup uncooked quinoa has 22 grams of protein.
1/3 cup is one serving of a carbohydrate and about 80 calories
Rinse the Quinoa in a strainer to remove the coating of saponins.
Boil 1 1/4 cup water and add 1 cup Quinoa. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.
In a sauce pan
2Tbsp Olive Oil
1 small onion
garlic cloves as many as you like
2 to 3 Portobello mushrooms sliced in long strips
1 Red Pepper sliced
1 Green Pepper sliced
Toss with your favorite red sauce.
I like to add Nutritional Yeast Flakes on top in place of grated cheese for a little extra B12.
Quinoa comes in red and black but white is the most common.
It makes a great breakfast alternative too. Just add some fruit and honey or maple syrup.
Here is a Wonderful Website I want to share!
www.nutritioneducationthroughthegarden.blogspot.com
I first came across the OldWays website doing a project on Morocco and "The Mediterranean Diet" for my nutrition classes. The website is a great resource of information.
I first came across the OldWays website doing a project on Morocco and "The Mediterranean Diet" for my nutrition classes. The website is a great resource of information.
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