A Better Way to Cook Pasta!

Its all about sharing information!
What is a better way to cook pasta than the traditional way which is to boil it in a stock pot? Boil it in a skillet. Best advice ~ Don't use a Teflon or Calphlon coated skillet. Use copper bottom stainless steel for better results. So, the next time you make pasta, instead of waiting for a huge pot of water to boil, get out your skillet. Add cold water to a large frying pan, add pasta. It will cook perfectly, quickly, and with just enough pasta water left in the pan for a sauce to go with your meal. Another good trick to tastier pasta in the skillet is not to use cold water but cold soup stock.

*note ~ when boiling your pasta in either a skillet or pot, lay a wooden spoon across the top and it won't boil over. 

Breaking Vegan and Eating What Your Body Likes

It’s not the first time Nigella Lawson has brought up the topic. In October 2015, she told the BBC journalists that the notion of “clean eating” implies “that any other form of eating is dirty or shameful.” Food shouldn’t be used as punishment for oneself, she explained, and one should enjoy food for being good instead of being “virtuous.”

Jordan Younger, author of "Breaking Vegan", revealed that her obsession with a strict vegan diet led her to develop orthorexia, an eating disorder disguised as an obsession with eating only “healthy” food. “During my recovery process, I learned that the ‘superhuman willpower’ I’d exercised for so long is a typical eating-disorder warning sign.”

 https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/nigella-lawson-clean-eating-disorder-diet-161106229.html

This blog has been about eating clean promoting clean food as in fresh foods. It is brainy to do that. It is also brainy to fuel your body with what it needs and likes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whether a traditionalist or not, there is nothing more wonderful than family and friends gathered around the table. For a twist on veggies with dip and two kinds in a combo you can mix as in present them together... just don't stir.

Eating Clean and Unclean Foods!

All too often we hear debates about what foods are good for us and which are not. There are even harsh discussions between people about eating meat or not and eating vegetables or not. In times of such difficult discussion, we should be reminded what Jesus had to say about such eating things.


Romans 14: 13-23 "Let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. as one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But, if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distress because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Do not destroy the word of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes some else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So, whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God for Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But, the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin".

Does that mean people who like to eat meat should stop? No! If they did, that would mean they doubt what the Lord has said "All food is clean". The doubt comes in when someone points a finger at them and tells us we are wrong to eat it, causing them to stumble in their faith. It is living in doubt of what the Lord says is the sin. The same applies for those who do not eat meat. Those who eat meat should not point to those who don't as it would cause them to stumble.

Buckwheat Groats ~ Good For You!

You have probably noticed that as of late, I have been using buckwheat groats inside of rice or even mixed in with rice. I was first introduced to buckwheat on the steppes of Eastern Europe where it is often cultivated. The fields are like a bride's bouquet when in bloom and afire when its the harvest.

Buckwheat is energizing and nutritious, buckwheat is available throughout the year and can be served as an alternative to rice or made into porridge. While many people think that buckwheat is a cereal grain, it is actually a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel making it a suitable substitute for grains for people who are sensitive to wheat or other grains that contain protein gluten. Buckwheat flowers are very fragrant and are attractive to bees that use them to produce a special, strongly flavored, dark honey.


Diets that contain buckwheat have been linked to lowered risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure. The Yi people of China consume a diet high in buckwheat (100 grams per day, about 3.5 ounces). When researchers tested blood lipids of 805 Yi Chinese, they found that buckwheat intake was associated with lower total serum cholesterol, lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL, the form linked to cardiovascular disease), and a high ratio of HDL (health-promoting cholesterol) to total cholesterol.

Buckwheat's beneficial effects are due in part to its rich supply of flavonoids, particularly rutin. Flavonoids are phytonutrients that protect against disease by extending the action of vitamin C and acting as antioxidants.

Buckwheat's lipid-lowering activity is largely due to rutin and other flavonoid compounds. These compounds help maintain blood flow, keep platelets from clotting excessively (platelets are compounds in blood that, when triggered, clump together, thus preventing excessive blood loss, and protect LDL from free radical oxidation into potentially harmful cholesterol oxides. All these actions help to protect against heart disease.




~ Source -  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=11

Gazpacho Anyone?

Gazpacho is simple. Just think salsa with zing and veggies. In fact, I recommend you start with your basic salsa blender recipe and then add some coarsely chopped veggies to top it off. What a great summer's end soup celebration or even drink.

Fresh Grated Zucchini

At this time of year, we should bring in and use, as urban brainy gourmets, the bounty from the backyard vegetable garden. Few cooks know that you can eat zucchini raw. One of the best dishes, I love to make and eat, is angel hair pasta topped with fresh grated 'raw' zucchini and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. What a wonderful taste experience. You can prepare fish as a side to this or as a base. And, the best part, in no time, you have a frugally lovely dinner!