Posts for 'Vegetarians' Category

Sticking to vegetables for five days a week can significantly reduce the body’s amount of antibiotics and phthalates - a common chemical added to plastics - says a new research. To come up with the conclusion, researchers in Korea quizzed participants to stay at a Buddhist temple for five days, during which time they ate a vegetarian diet. The researchers analyzed urine samples before and after the stay, and found that levels of the chemicals dropped dramatically by the end of the experiment, reports Discovery News.

The boffins also measured the participants’ diets before the study and found that what they ate 48 hours prior to the study was related to the amount of the chemicals found in their urine. “A significant correlation was found between food consumption and the urinary levels of several antibiotics and phthalates,” they said. “Although the exposure to target compounds might be influenced by other behavioral patterns, these results suggest that even short-term changes in dietary behavior may significantly decrease inadvertent exposure to antibiotics and phthalates and hence may reduce oxidative stress levels.” they added. Their paper was published in the journal Environmental Research.

Fierte Inc. president Tatiana Tchoukanova wants caviar -- the vegetarian version she and her husband created -- to become as popular in Canada as it is in her native Russia.

"Have you ever seen a caviar vending machine?" Tchoukanova asked recently at her facility where Kelp Caviar is processed. "No? Well, they are all over Russia."

She and husband Ouran Tchoukanov, who together immigrated to Montreal from Kazakhstan in 1995, contend theirs is the only vegetarian version of caviar in Canada, and possibly the world. They have three flavours, are about to introduce a kosher version and have plans to export their products to Europe.

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Conflicting opinions about whether we were created to eat our food or if our health will be better if we give up meat, will probably never stop. However, the a German cancer research centre carried out the most exhaustive study on vegetarians that will certainly answer many questions, writes Treehugger.

The research encompassed 1904 vegetarians that were monitored throughout a period of 21 years.

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Some of our favorite soups are from the Mediterranean area since they are light, colorful and satisfying. This week we decided to work on White Bean Soup, a classic dish from Tuscany. White beans, when cooked properly, are sweet, creamy and earthy. Badly prepared, they are tough, mealy and bland.

In Tuscany, the beans of choice are cannelloni, which are fairly large and white. (In recipes in which beans are key, we don't use canned.) We set out with 1 pound of beans, which is enough for our usual 4 to 6 servings with leftovers.

The three most common ways to cook beans are to soak, quick soak or no soak. For our first test, we simmered a batch of each until tender and compared results. Any of these versions would make acceptable soup. We also wanted to test soaking the beans in salted water, which is a method we found in a recent Cooks Illustrated magazine piece (March & April 2008, Hearty Tuscan Bean Stew). Although unconventional, it produced especially smooth beans with pleasant flavor and tender skins.

We also wanted to test oven cooking versus stovetop. We wanted the beans to barely simmer in the oven, which put the temperature at about 275 degrees. The beans were tender in about 45 minutes. As we refined our beans, we found our best versions were made from an overnight soak in salted water followed by a slow, gentle simmer in the oven. In the end, we went with 2 tablespoons salt in 3 quarts cool water for our overnight soak. The beans should be left to soak for about 12 hours and can be left as long as 24 hours. Before adding them to the soup, they need to be drained and rinsed. With great beans, we were ready to finish our soup.

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This week I've been attempting to prepare myself for the daunting task of tasting more than 100 ciders at the Royal Bath & West Show, helping industry experts to single out one farmhouse cider that will go forward to the Supreme Champion Cider judging.

My ordeal - tasting starts at 9am sharp - will be over by the time you read this. I hope to emerge more of an expert on the minutiae of what makes a good farmhouse cider and expect to report that cooking with cider is a trend waiting to happen.

As someone brought up in Kent, surrounded by apple orchards, and with pig farming in the family, I have always associated pork with apples and cider. One simple idea is to serve chops or meaty pork sausages with cider-flavoured apple sauce finished with an indecently large knob of butter. I particularly like this with mashed potatoes and smooth, creamy Dijon mustard. It's a combination that everyone seems to love, and one which transcends seasons.

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Purists will be appalled by the idea of recipes for asparagus. Maybe it's the short season, or its high price, or simply its particular deliciousness, but asparagus inspires an almost cult-like reverence.

Even the fields where it is grown have an other-worldly quality. The green stems stand, regimentally straight, in the soil. No leaves, no sign of the plant beneath at all.

It looks as if the farmer has popped down to Tesco for a job lot of asparagus and stuck them, spear by spear, in the bare earth.

This year the season is briefer than usual. The traditional St George's Day start was put back by cold weather, but harvesting will stop, as ever, around June 21, when the rest of the spears are allowed to grow into 6ft-tall fronding ferns, photosynthesising and reinvigorating the roots, or "crowns", for next year's crop.

So tuck in while you can. The first few asparagus meals need no more than lots of melted unsalted butter and a scattering of sea salt crystals.
Eat them with your fingers, nibbling the tender tips, then sucking the buttery juices from the tough ends.

Then, as the price of the tight bunches drops, experiment. Toss the spears in a salad, grill them next to chicken or dip them in buttercup yellow hollandaise.

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INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package linguine pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
salt to taste
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine, and cook for 9 to 13 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and saute garlic about 1 minute. Mix in chicken broth, wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is reduced by about 1/2.
Mix shrimp, butter, parsley, and basil into the saucepan. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until shrimp is opaque. Stir in the cooked linguine, and continue cooking 2 minutes, until well coated.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 onion
1 1/2 pounds cooked, cubed chicken meat
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 large carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup fresh pea pods, halved
1/2 large green bell pepper, diced
6 cups cooked white rice
2 eggs
1/3 cup soy sauce 

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft, then add chicken and 2 tablespoons soy sauce and stir-fry for 5 to 6 minutes.
Stir in carrots, celery, red bell pepper, pea pods and green bell pepper and stir-fry another 5 minutes. Then add rice and stir thoroughly.
Finally, stir in scrambled eggs and 1/3 cup soy sauce, heat through and serve hot.

INGREDIENTS
1 large cucumbers - peeled, seeded, and diced
salt to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 dried red chile pepper
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped peanuts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon minced fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS
Mix together salt and cucumber, and allow to drain in a colander for ten minutes to release water. Pat dry, and place in a medium size bowl.
Melt butter in a small saucepan, and stir in cumin and chili pepper.
Add peanuts, lemon juice, sugar, and melted butter to cucumber, and stir together. Garnish with cilantro.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.