My own little soap box...

One of the biggest concerns in America (because no where else will you see quite so many frivolous lawsuits) is having healthy food, being healthy, and maintaining a healthy weight.

The real facts about health are more muddied than the Mississippi river in flood season, and there are new "facts" that come up each day about foods... One day you'll be told that margarine should be eaten because it's better for you than butter... Suddenly you're told that it's not, because of trans-fats and other nasty items lurking in wait to suddenly destroy your body.

You're told one day not to eat beef, only to be told the next day that it's actually fairly healthy and you can have it, just as long as all the fat has been removed... And a few months later, beef is once again on the no-no list.

The question is, how did we get to where we are today? Why is it that, of all the nations, we have the most food available per capita, and yet we are filled with hatred and fear toward it? Why do we have one of the highest obesity rates in the world, with Diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, and stroke leading the way in death and disability each year?

100 years ago we had virtually no issues with any of these so-called "Western" diseases. And yet, over the last 100 years (actually, over the last 50 years where it's REALLY taken off), we have had doctors, advertisers, food scientists and other snake oil salesmen try and tell us what we *should* eat, how much, when, why, and how... We've been told that low-fat, low salt, low (or no) meat, high carb, low carb, no carb, high protein, low protein, massively pre-processed foods (or should I say FUD) is good for us, and we should eat it...

We've tried all the latest fad diets, health recommendations, food regimens, exercise and other abuses, all leading to an even higher rate of obesity and obesity-related issues - even if we aren't obese... We've spent the last 50 years brainwashing our children to eat whatever the news tells us, and supplementing it with fast food and quick snacks from the local Kwik-E-Mart (I'd get started on spelling, but that's a different rant altogether - along with Foto.).

I have no doctoral degree, and I don't even claim to understand what goes on inside a carrot when it's cooked versus when it's served raw. I don't know how the digestive tract breaks down foods, and I honestly could care less about whether the percentage of beta-carotene is higher or lower in one food or another. I have a different kind of suggestion from everyone else... It's a little radical, and it could potentially tick off your doctor or nutritionist - not to mention salesmen and fast-food restaurant companies all over the country, but just hear me out...

Try not eating so many overly-processed foods... I'm not saying cut them out completely. Why? Because while it IS possible to do it, it can be a difficult thing for us to do. But just try not eating as many... If what you're eating has a lot of ingredients that you can't pronounce, chances are, they're not found in nature... If they aren't found in nature, ask yourself if you really want to eat it...

I'm not saying that they're the worst things for you - but a lot of what we eat just doesn't need to be that overly processed. There's a reason why other countries who DON'T eat a lot of overly processed foods don't have the same issues with weight and weight-related diseases that the US does... They don't have the same level of processed foods that we do.

So, just throwing it out there to think about... I know, it's a radical idea. Perhaps, it's an idea whose time has come... Maybe the next time you decide to make Velveeta cheese dip, try doing it from scratch, with real cheese, rather than Velveeta - could make a difference - you never know.

Tasty Vegan Indian Curry

Before you say EWWW yuck, give it a chance. It's actually quite tasty, and if you don't want it to be Vegan, it's easy to add chicken or shrimp to it, too. This becomes a complete protein when served with rice.

Serves 8 hungry people (with the rice cooked below can serve up to 12)
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
4 potatoes, cleaned and cubed
1 tsp crushed red peppers
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 c water or veggie stock
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 celery heart, diced
1 Tbsp Turmeric
1 Tbsp ground Coriander seed
1-2 Tbsp green curry powder
2 cups garbanzo beans (chick peas), pre-cooked
3 carrots
2 cups chopped broccoli
3 cups green beans
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 c water or veggie stock
salt and pepper to taste

In a large non-stick pan, Heat olive oil on medium high heat
Place potatoes into pan and let fry about 6 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally
Add salt and crushed red chilis
Add water or veggie stock and stir
Add in garlic, celery and onion, and stir until combined
Cook about 4-5 minutes, stirring fairly constantly
Add Turmeric, Coriander and Curry powder, and combine completely
Add garbanzo beans, carrots, broccoli, green beans and red bell pepper
Stir to combine, and add the 1/2 c water or veggie stock
Let simmer about 15-20 minutes
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Serve with rice below

RICE

1 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 c rice
1/2 c slivered almonds, without skin
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups water or veggie stock

In a medium saucepot, heat olive oil on medium high heat
Add rice, slivered almonds and kosher salt
Stir to coat completely with olive oil and let toast until just lightly brown on the rice
Add enough water or veggie stock to cover by about 1"
Reduce heat to simmer and place lid on the pot
Let cook about 15 minutes, or until rice is done

Serve with the curry

Really good French Toast

First, I am not a huge fan of French Toast. I grew up with a mother who loved to cook very heavy breakfasts - while many people would love it, I did not - my stomach just can't handle dark whole wheat 28 grain bread dipped in egg at 6am before school...

In trying new ways to get my daughter (who is just barely 2) to try new things, I came across a brilliant way to make French Toast that she would eat. I kept in mind that she doesn't mind fruit, and doesn't mind toast if it's sweet - and she likes to have some texture, but not huge crunches (unless it's popcorn - and that's a different post).

So, since she wasn't eating the egg that I would make her in the morning, I figured I'd dip some bread into the egg, lightly sweeten the batter, and then see what we got... And we got a really tasty piece of breakfast...

2 slices of blueberry Streusel bread (or the fruit bread of your choice) FROZEN
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla creamer
1 tsp sugar

Break the egg into a flat-bottomed dish and whip the creamer and sugar in
Place the bread into the mix and let soak on both sides until completely wet
Preheat a 12" pan to medium heat
Place 1 Tbsp butter into the pan and let that melt
Place each of the pieces of bread into the pan and pour any additional batter over the top (shouldn't be more than 1-2 Tbsp at most
Turn over once it's just golden brown

Serve with a little bit of butter and, if you like, a light dusting of powdered sugar.