Organic foods are becoming more and more popular each year. Long before humans became dominant, nature has found his own balance. Various crops such as rice, wheat, corn already in the earth, as well as insects that depend on them. When people think of it as a pest species and then attacked him with toxic chemicals. Toxic chemicals that eventually not only kill pests but also kill the various species are useful to humans, such as bee pollinators and pest-eating birds. Finally toxic chemicals intended for nuisance species are also harmful because it undermines the human body. But now has come at last to return to the awareness of nature.

Many countries began to return to organic farming. Even in countries like Indonesia to the organic agriculture has begun to develop. With awareness for organic foods are not only the consumers who become healthy but also farmers and the environment.

Organic Foods – What Is It?

Organic foods are grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food production is based on a system of farming that strives for balance with nature, using methods and materials designed with the environment in mind. Food grown without pesticides; grown without artificial fertilizers; grown in soil whose humus content is increased by the additions of organic matter, grown in soil whose mineral content is increased by the application of natural mineral fertilizers; has not been treated with preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, etc. And the important thing also, about the storage, do not forget about the storage especially for food processors and food manufacturers, they  must separate organic products from non-organic products and take steps to ensure that organic foods don’t come into contact with forbidden chemicals or substances.

What to Expect From Organic Foods?

Our body would be healthier if we always consume organic food.

Foods grown conventionally are treated with chemicals and pesticides to control weeds and pests, prevent plant disease and fertilize soil. These chemicals and toxic materials can remain on foods long after they are harvested and can pose health threats to you and your family. Conventionally produced foods are cheaper than organic foods. It is caused by organic foods tightly controlled to be free of chemicals, using natural compost instead of hormones or additives so it takes more time and money but finally produce quality products more healthy. Organic foods have been proven to not only taste better, but to also contain more of the food’s natural vitamins and minerals than foods harvested by modern farming methods.

Some people buy organic products because they are concerned about pesticides, antibiotics or other chemical residues in food. They prefer food produced naturally for the long-term health.

A Guide to Organic Foods is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

A crucial piece of equipment one needs to have in your raw food kitchen is a high speed food blender.  This allows you the opportunity to make various raw food recipes such as soups, fruit smoothies, green shakes along with nut milks and butters etc.  In fact you would find it very difficult to commit to leading a raw food lifestyle if you don’t have this crucial piece of equipment in your kitchen.

Those who choose to eat raw foods are looking to create very smooth soups and sauces from fibrous raw vegetables so that they absorb as many nutrients from them as possible.  They will need ways that allow them to break up seeds and nuts completely to allow them to be blended into nutritious shakes and milks with other foods.  In fact they are looking for a blender that is able to meet such exacting demands than normal kitchen equipment can.

Meeting the Demands In The Raw Food Kitchen

When it comes to blenders, raw fooders use theirs every day and will place them under a greater workload than would generally be expected in other households.  Along with being used more frequently, their blenders will be required to carry out tasks that are more heavy duty, for example they will use theirs for blending dry ingredients, frozen fruits and raw vegetables to create smoothies.  It is for this reason that many who have only recently taken up this form of lifestyle will find that their normal blender doesn’t provide the results they desire.  They also don’t work for very long and the blade may disintegrate or the motor blows whilst being used.

If you choose to replace like for like this is going to end up costing you considerably more over the long term as most conventional blenders when given to raw fooder’s life span is considerably shortened.  Therefore in order to achieve the desired results when it comes to raw food recipes and to get a return on your investment when it comes to blender it pays to carry out some detailed research to discover what your options are allowing you to choose much more wisely.

Entry Level Raw Food Blender That Packs Power

If you happen to be someone who may not stick to a raw food lifestyle or your budget is limited then you may not want to consider spend hundreds of pounds on a commercial grade blender.  Is it actually possible for one to start this type of lifestyle when your budget is limited and as a result puts blenders with raw food capabilities out of your reach?

Up until recently the answer to these questions would be no.  Most household blenders wouldn’t last very long when you wanted to follow such a regime and would need to be replaced often.  So over the long term it would cost you considerably more than if you were to by a more expensive model straight away.  However, L’Equip an American health brand has produced a new kind of blender which can produce good results and you won’t end up breaking the bank.

The L’Equip 428 Mill blender is a new kind of blender that’s jug configuration has been altered allow two blades to fit into the drive shaft.  In the jug is a clamp arrangement which incorporates a safety switch ensuring that power is correctly locked down prior to use.  As the name suggests this one can mill dry ingredients as well being more than capable of blending frozen or wet ingredients as you can simply swap the blades.

This certainly cannot achieve the same results of commercial grade blenders, yet the 18000 rpm blade speed is amazing for a blender that will only cost you £99.  As for the jug this looks like the design you find on a food processor and a traditional blender yet still manages to complete the functions admirably well of both these machines.  In a matter of 30 seconds I have seen it decimate dried chick peas and grind grain into flour.  Plus the results it provides making smoothies and nut milks is good and it’s not far off producing smooth raw soups like the larger models.  When it comes to the price, this is pretty much unbeatable and often leaves the conventional blenders found in households smoking after trying to carry out the kinds of tasks that the L’Equip 428 Mill blender copes with efficiently.

Premium Choices

When cost isn’t an issue you can think about going for a big hitting commercial grade blender instead costing anything from £350 or more.  What you need to consider is that this is going to be effectively replacing the cooker in your home anyway so the money you spend on yours doesn’t seem so high.

You can if you want go for the simple commercial grade blenders available but many choose the commercial models that have been repackaged for the home market.  They often come with simple instructions a useful guide and recipe book.  Within the raw food community there are two contenders in the premium market and both are made in the USA.  These are available through VitaMix and Blendtec also known as K-Tec.

But what is offered by VitaMix can leave one confused as this company seems to have a policy where they reskin or rebrand home use blender very frequently.  The one that is most often used by raw food enthusiasts is known often as TNC (Total Nutrition Centre), The VitaMix 5000, The VitaMix 5200, The VitaMix Turboblend and to further add to your confusion this is the same blender with the same motor is also available as part of their commercial range using various names and with various differences to them.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t have anything against VitaMix they are extremely competent powerful blenders suited to meeting the demands of a raw food kitchen.  Yet this is simply them marketing something as innovation.  In fact over the years there has been nothing new about this blender other the name change and new packaging.  It still has some old fashioned appear but there is a great chance of the protruding switches becoming gunged up when food spills over some time and they are difficult to clean behind.  The controls are simple and unsophisticated yet it works which is great but for me the way it is marketed is somewhat dishonest and for that reason I wouldn’t want one.

If I had to purchase a VitaMix then I would opt for the powerful VitaPrep 3.  The VitaPrep comes from the separate commercial arm of VitaMix and so isn’t plagued by the nonsense of sales and marketing as with the home side.  As it is more powerful the VitaPrep 3 doesn’t need to work as hard and so can last longer carrying out the same tasks, but it often retails for around £600.  So if you can afford to this blender is more than you will ever need and can last forever.

I must confess that I do love my gadgets and technology.  But there practical reasons why I would choose the Blendtec HP3A Total Blender over what VitaMix have to offer for the same price.  Blendtec offer real innovations when it comes to raw food blenders rather than providing a new name and box for it.  They have a waterproof touch pad panel the surface of which is easy to wipe clean should you spill anything on it.  Plus it looks far sleeker than the more dated ones from VitaMix.

However when it comes to innovation the motor is full of computerized technology.  Along with the normal pulse and variable speed functions the Blendtec Total has  further 20 separate pre programmed cycles that allow you to ramp the speed on this blender up and down in relation to the task required to be carried out.  So everything required for a healthy kitchen is covered by these programmed cycles yet if you need to it allows you to customize them to create your own cycles as well.

Not only does this remove the guesswork but this one button function means that you are able to do other tasks as the blender can think for itself rather than you having to vary the speed or twiddle with a smoothie stick as with the VitaMix.  Also when it comes to the jug the design used by BlendTec eliminates the need for the smoothie stick and a separate jug for using with dry ingredients.  You could expect to pay around £400 for this machine in the UK.

Today in the UK there is a great selection of raw food blenders as well as commercial models suited for a raw food lifestyle from www.ukjuicers.com.  In fact this is your one stop online shop for every piece of equipment that you need for your raw food kitchen such as spiralisers, blenders, juicers, wheatgrass juicers and supplies, sprouters, sprouting seeds plus much more including dehydrators.

Things you didn’t know about Raw Food Blenders is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

   There are a variety of different foods that these raw food restaurants in New York serve including things such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. The even offer a wide range of raw desserts as well. When a lot of people think of the fact of eating raw food they are worried about the taste but you may be surprised because it actually tastes quite good.

   All of these great restaurants use a variety of different tools to provide you with the best taste possible when it comes to raw food in New York. This includes such things as food processors, blenders, and even juicers among others. All of these tools provide you with some of the best tasting food around.

   Probably what throws a lot of people away from eating at these raw restaurants in New York is the fact that there are absolutely no stoves, ovens, or even microwaves that are used. This is done so that they will be able to preserve the live enzymes that are present within all the raw food. Theses enzymes actually begin to break down and lose their health benefits if they are cooked above 140 degrees.

   The trends of eating in raw food restaurants in New York have begun to rise in the past few years. Due to this fact there has been a wide variety of different culinary restaurant schools teaching chefs all about cooking with raw food. There are also famous chefs visiting these great restaurants in an effort how to cook these great foods.

   Out of all the great raw food restaurants that are located within New York probably one of the most popular would be the Pure Food and Wine restaurant. This fabulous restaurant opened in 2004 and they over some of the best eye catching raw foods in New York. Some of the other popular raw food restaurants in New York include Quintessence, and Bonobos.

   So as you can see raw food restaurants in New York are quickly growing in popularity. You should really consider giving one of these great restaurants a try today; you may be amazed at the fabulous flavors that you will encounter.

www.LocalRestaurantDirect.com

Raw Food Restaurants Found In New York is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

We have found that the food processing industry in Vietnam is highly fragmented but it will consolidate, with further opening of the market, and will provide more growth opportunities to foreign companies. The availability of processed and packaged foods will improve as modern food-retailing businesses expand their operations to meet rising demand from more affluent consumers. In order to exploit the opportunities, many processed food producers have already started focusing on making processed food for domestic sales instead of making food for export as previously. Meanwhile, distributors are now racing to conquer the market. 

Our findings also reveal that despite the fast growing domestic demand, the processed food industry in the country is still largely export-oriented and primarily dominated by seafood and agriculture food products. Seafood export is mainly dominated by shrimps but overseas demand for Tuna and Tra fish has also soared significantly in recent years. In future, we expect that Tuna and Tra fish together will account for majority of the seafood exports. In the agriculture segment, rice and coffee constitute the majority of exports. 

Our report answers all the critical questions such as who are the key players, what are the opportunity area and the barriers before the industry. In addition, the research provides information of the future industry trends on the basis of past market growth, present trends and possible impact of recession on the economy.

We have done forecast analysis on following processed food products: 

- Sea Food 
- Shrimp 
- Tuna 
- Tra Fish 
- Fruit & Vegetable 
- Rice 
- Tea 
- Coffee 
- Meat 
- Milk 

Key Players Discussed in the Report

This section provides business overview of key players in the processed food market of Vietnam, like Cafatex Corporation, Le Anh Seafoods, VISSAN and Vietnam Dairy Products JSC.

For FREE SAMPLE of this report visit: http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM201.htm

Check DISCOUNTED REPORTS on: http://www.rncos.com

Processed Food Market in Vietnam is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Here’s good news, a lot of researchers have claimed that certain comfort food when eaten in a right proportion would not make you fat. These foods carry some emotional significance and so comfort the person who eats it. When one is stressed or ill he often tends himself with certain food stuff, these foods invoke feeling of safety, security and nostalgia.  Just ask yourself “At the end of a long day, when I’m tired and stressed or sick in bed, what food would I like? The outcome is what comfort food is.

Mostly people choose to munch on unhealthy foodstuff like macaroni and cheese, chocolate cake, fried chicken, chocolate pudding. But there are also healthy and comforting comfort foods that can help your stressed nerve, here are two delicious and easy to cook comfort food recipe:

Fresh Tomato Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups water
4 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into pieces
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
6 whole cloves
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup medium or whipping cream
Preparation:

Melt the butter in a big saucepan. Add onions and toss to cover. Stir over medium heat until the onion is tender. Sprinkle on the flour and continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture foams. Stir in the water and bring to a boil. 

Measure out 3/4 cup of the tomato pieces and set aside. Add the remaining tomato pieces to the boiling mixture. Stir in brown sugar and cloves. Reduce heat and cook, uncovered, at the gentle bubble for 30 minutes. 

Transfer to a food processor and grind. Return to the saucepan and stir in the rest of tomato pieces. Blend in the salt, pepper, and cream. Place soup over medium heat and warm gently, but do not boil. 

Yield: 6 servings

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound medium baking potatoes, preferably russets, scrubbed
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound), halved
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 pound)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
One 12-ounce bottle beer, preferably an amber lager
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Preparation:

Keep a medium pot of salted water to boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, for about 40 minutes. Drain and cool. Slip the skins off and then press the potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt and the nutmeg and set aside. 

Season the chicken breasts and thighs with 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Swirl in the oil; then add the chicken breasts to brown them, about a minute all sides, turning them with tongs. Transfer the breasts to a platter and add the thighs to the pan. Brown them; about a minute per side, then transfer to the platter with the chicken breasts. Tent it with foil to keep warm. 

Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pan. Cook until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over the entire mixture; cook for 15 seconds, stirring constantly. 

Whip in the beer, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan; continue whipping until the mixture thickens, about a minute. Stir in the thyme and sage, then the stock and bay leaf. Let the sauce come to a simmer and then add the chicken breasts and thighs along with accumulated juices. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, gently stir the 1/3 cup flour and the cornstarch into the potatoes with a wooden spoon just until smooth. Do not beat. 

Discard the bay leaf from the stew. Scoop up scant 1/4 cups of the potato mixture and lay them on top of the stew. Cover and steam the dumplings for 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes; then serve. 

Yield: 4 servings

Do try the above recipes whenever you feel low, these are considered very effective comfort food as they take you back to your memory lane and help you feel better and gives you a soothing feeling. Comfort foods are used widely and are a very effective technique preferred by all. MUNCH TO SWEEP STRESS OFF..!

Comfortable comfort food is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Now, even if you feel that you’re personally beyond what you’ll learn about here, this information may well be perfect to pass on to a friend or family member who is struggling to comprehend just what you’ve been getting so excited about, or who may want to hear it from someone other than you! (Don’t worry, mine are like that too!). Either way, the information that follows is well worth a read as you may just get a little boost of much-needed inspiration.

1. Understand what all the fuss is about. The concept of eating raw food isn’t new by any means, but it has gained much greater popularity during recent times owing to its unquestionable benefits on health, energy and overall vitality, as well as its ability to basically make us look and feel a whole lot better than we’ve ever done before. As old as time itself, raw food was, of course, what we ate before fire was discovered (we must have done OK on it to get that far and more recently, thanks to the efforts of pioneering authors such as health researcher Leslie Kenton and others outside of the UK who bravely waved the flag for raw food in the 1980’s and beyond, we now find ourselves in an era where raw food is no longer seen as the domain of extreme health “fanatics” but instead merrily making its way into the mainstream media, celebrity diets, healing centers and retreats, increasing numbers of health and nutrition books, products and seminars, as well as featuring more significantly in supermarkets, health food stores and much more besides. And not a moment before time – because when you look at it up close and personal, it really does make a whole lot of sense…

2. So why raw? While I’m the first to admit that the word “raw” is hardly inspiring, if you can get beyond that and see that raw equals pure, fresh, vibrant, enzyme-rich, oxygen-rich, unadulterated, whole organic living nutrition then we’ll all be on the same page! But before we get to the whys exactly, and to prevent ourselves from falling into the common trap of seeing raw food as somehow “less than” cooked, let’s take a moment to look at what cooked food is, exactly.

Cooked food: Natural food which has been processed and/or heated to high temperatures where chemical changes have occurred and the food has changed from its original state to something which, depending on the severity of its treatment, can end up looking like a very pale shadow of its former self (think of spinach cooked and raw!). While cooked foods may most certainly tantalize the taste buds, this is largely because of their stimulant effects on the body which – in actual fact – doesn’t actually “understand” a lot of what it’s taken in as many of the chemicals within cooked foods are unnatural and therefore the body sees them as foreign bodies! Indeed, fascinating research in the 1930’s showed that when someone eats cooked food without having eaten some raw food first, the body sends the white blood cells (which fight toxins) to the digestive system in order to deal with the perceived “invader”. Interesting, don’t you think? And while yes, we can glean nutrition from this fractured, denatured “food”, every time we cook our food or buy something pre-prepared and cooked in a can, box or bag we lose up to 70% of the vitamins, some of the minerals, all of the enzymes, all of the oxygen, the important plant feel-good hormones and a high percentage of the water – all of which we need to reward us with truly vibrant health. So that’s cooked food! Doesn’t seem quite as attractive when we look at it that way does it?! Raw food by contrast is replete with everything that enabled it to sprout and grow in the first place – life force, enzymes, water, oxygen, hormones, vitamins and minerals and so much more besides. Untouched, untainted, raw food is quite literally honest food – what you see is what you get. No hidden ingredients, nothing messed around with, just pure delicious fresh live food that we are designed to eat – living food for living bodies. And the good news for you is this: when you start dabbling with more raw food, you don’t just understand this conceptually, you actually start to “get it” experientially as your whole body cheers, shifts up a gear and the concept of what real food and nutrition really is about takes on a whole new meaning.

3. What foods are raw? To give you a brief overview of what raw food means in real terms, here’s a list of the 20+ different raw food groups: Fresh fruits; Vegetables; Salad vegetables; Leafy green vegetables; Herbs and wild greens; Nuts; Dried fruits; Beans, pulses and legumes (sprouted); Grains (sprouted); Seeds; Sprouting seeds; Indoor greens; Vegetable seeds (sprouted); Edible flowers; Mushrooms; Sea vegetables; Algaes; Oils; Stimulants (e.g. chili, ginger, onion); Spices; Super foods; Flavorings and natural sweeteners (e.g. honey, stevia, carob). Rather more variety than perhaps you first thought? Rather than being limiting, I have found that 99 times out of 100 raw food expands a person’s culinary horizons – and if you pick up a good raw food recipe book such as Raw Food, Real World (one of my personal favorites), I promise you’ll be blown away at what can be achieved – “burgers”, pizzas, live milks, ice-cream, cakes, cookies, smoothies, soups, dips, dressings, lasagnas, wraps, crackers and so much more are possible when you know what you’re doing – now we’re talking, right?!

4. How to get started. A new but extremely common myth that I’m very keen to bust is that eating raw takes lots of time and energy to prepare. Wrong! I am quite possibly the busiest person I know, and one of the many reasons I choose to eat raw is because when done correctly it’s actually the fastest food on the planet. Getting started and keeping it doable is easy when you adopt the pure and simple approach: whole raw foods, prepared quickly, eaten simply and you must only eat the foods you love! This must always be fun, easy and delicious – that’s rule number one! Rather surprisingly to those new to raw food, the discovery process of what raw food is really all about is a never ending journey – the kind of journey that everyone I’ve ever met wished they had embarked upon sooner. So don’t wait to get ill, overweight or lethargic before you start tending to your body’s dietary needs (like I did) – start your journey to exciting and rewarding pastures new today! These first steps I’m about to outline are very straightforward but will make a massive difference – and even better, anyone can do this!

First, try your best to eat fresh fruit or a dairy-free smoothie for breakfast every day instead of your usual toast, cereal or coffee. Eat or drink as much as you want (of the raw stuff) but keep it clean. What you eat first sets you up for the day – so make sure you step out on high-energy, revitalizing foods rather than charred bread, lifeless sugar-coated grains or caffeine-laden hot drinks! For lunch and dinner, this is so easy. If you can make at least half of your plate consist of fresh living foods (salads, nuts, seeds, sprouted seeds, beans or any of the foods mentioned above in point 3 – but not all of them!!) then you’ll be doing fantastically well and will typically start to feel the difference within a matter of days (look forward to more energy, better sleep, clearer thinking and clearer skin). Improve your results even further by drinking as much pure water as possible, eat only when hungry and not beyond full, and keep the remainder of your food as whole and pure as possible (no e-numbers or hydrogenated fats and so forth) and you will feel the benefits all the more. Also, of the raw foods you do choose, make sure that most of them are fruits and vegetables as these are the most nutritious and the highest in water content. Handfuls of nuts just don’t work the same – they’re very dense and fatty, but in small amounts are very good for you. If you can put most or all of the above into practice then you’ll be amazed at the difference!

5. What you need and where to get it. Raw recipe books tend to focus on the more complicated dishes and therefore often fancy foods and equipment are utilized as part of the recipe creation – but don’t be put off, raw food prep doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive! While it’s by no means imperative that you own every kitchen gadget going, it really does help to own at the very least a tabletop blender, a cheap juicer and a basic food processor – all of which you could buy for under ?100 or even cheaper if you visit eBay; but if budget is an issue then a good sharp knife will take you a long way for free! However with the three items listed new and exciting vistas will open up to you, and if and when the time feels right to invest in something more durable and powerful then you’ll be amazed at what’s available in the health world right now. As for foods, I personally find that I can get most of what I need in the organic section at my local supermarket, and I also visit a local organic farm shop/farmer’s market for the really good stuff that no supermarket can compete with in price or quality. If I didn’t have a good supermarket then I’d opt for an organic box delivery service which can be wonderful. Most of my specialized items such as truly raw olives (most are pasteurized), nut “butters” (they’re made from just pure ground nuts but spread like butter), natural sweeteners and flavorings I buy mail order. But what I do need to emphasize if you haven’t cottoned on already is the importance of choosing organic – pesticides are never a healthy option, even if they are on raw food!

6. How to keep it interesting. When you’re new to raw food it’s easy to assume that salads, soups and smoothies is as good as it gets when you’re watching the clock. While it’s true that the more elaborate recipes often do take more time and energy, there are always short cuts and whipping up a delicious dressing, dip or even a nut “cheese” or veggie pate takes literally seconds and can totally transform a meal! When you’ve tasted a fabulous raw food pizza and raw ice-cream (no dairy, no white sugar), there really is no going back!

7. What about eating out? This is one of the most common questions asked – and the answer is – it’s completely up to you. You can choose to eat “normally”, to make healthier choices than usual or to ask for a juicy salad with all sorts of things thrown in, but above all, enjoy what you eat and feel at peace with it!

8. Does it have to be all or nothing? Not at all. Until very recent times very few people ate an exclusively raw food diet ongoing. In fact most people today still dabble for weeks, months or even years at a time until they feel inclined to “up the ante”! Also, nowadays people tend to talk in percentage terms – such as “I’m 80% raw” which basically means that they eat most of their food raw but not all of it, and they’re guessing that 80% is about right in terms of plate space/ meal make-up etc. – but it’s not really that important. What matters more is the quality of the food you choose – if 80% of someone’s diet consists of nuts, seeds and raw food snack bars then that’s never going to be a good thing (way too much fat!) whereas 80% worth of fresh fruits and vegetables is wonderful! What also matters is not just what you bring into your diet but what you leave out. It’s no good eating lots of fresh vibrant food if you “balance” it out with take-always and aspartame-ridden diet drinks! Much better to do 50/50 and make all of your foods good healthy choices, and then if you want to adjust the proportion of raw foods then you can do so at any time. All that said, the more raw food you eat, for most people at least (those with medical issues need to take professional advice), the better you will look and feel – and here’s why.

9. What you can expect. When you choose raw, as we have already seen, you choose “life”. Live food will nourish you at a deep level (deeper than any deep-pan pizza will ever reach!) and it will also start to work its magic on your body in a very short space of time. This magic sometimes doesn’t look so magical though! Because as the toxins and debris begin to leave your body as the raw food starts to cleanse your system, you may experience some detoxification symptoms such as diarrhea, rashes, pimples (spots), headaches, dizziness, coughing and mucous and other similar discomforts. This is usually nothing to worry about, but it may happen! If it does, keep drinking plenty of water and eat even more simply to speed the elimination process up if your circumstances permit it. But if you feel as if it’s all going a bit too fast for you then if you eat something cooked, especially something heavy like meat, potatoes or dairy, then you’ll slow it all down or even stop it completely. You can restart again more slowly or leave it for a few days or weeks and go again when the time feels right. On the flipside, the good news is that when this stuff comes out it means that your body is – of course – all the better for it and this will start to become apparent in your face, your body shape and body tone and your energy levels surprisingly quickly. And if you carry on the good work to any degree for more than a few weeks, then you’ll find it very hard to go back to your old ways because there’s really not a lot of fun to be had there. In fact most people find that very quickly cooked food starts to taste seriously bland and inferior to fresh and raw – especially if they’ve educated themselves in those delicious raw food recipes I keep alluding to!

10. Taking it further. As mentioned before, the raw food journey never ends, but it does get increasingly rewarding and exciting! Not only is there a whole new world of food and drink waiting for you (which is growing fast), but raw food tends to attract some pretty amazing people and takes you on an exciting adventure in terms of getting more in touch with your body and your whole self generally.

Wherever your interest in raw food takes you, what I can guarantee is that you’ll be very glad you took the time to investigate it, because you’ll be amazed at how your relationship with food and your body changes and you’ll be beyond fascinated at what you discover along the way.

How To Get Started With Raw Food When You Haven’t Got A Clue! is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

What You Need

With the help of easy-to-follow healthy recipes and some helpful kitchen equipment, you can prepare delicious and healthy meals for everybody in the family. It will also be helpful if you stock healthy foods in your cupboard and refrigerator for those emergency cooking moments and food preparations. Among these are:

•    Fruits (fresh, canned, or dried). With fruits around, it’s easy to make simple nutritious snacks like juices, smoothies, salads, pies, and many others. All you’ll need are simple equipment like blender and food processor to make things easier. And if you’re really press for time, you can simply eat them raw and fresh—they’re even healthier that way!

•    Vegetables, like fruits, are very healthy options. Most of them—like cabbage and asparagus—are also easy to prepare. All you need is to do some good cutting and then you can easily make salads and some crunchy snacks. And if you don’t like all the chopping and cutting and all that, you can get a food processor to do all the tasks for you. Some veggies also require simple roasting or grilling and then some spices for flavoring, and you’re done!

•    Eggs. The good thing with eggs is that you can prepare them easily without even the need for any other ingredient. Just boil them for a few minutes and they’re ready to eat! You can also use them for your sandwiches and salads together with vegetables, mayonnaise, and cheese.

•    Meat and fish. These typically take time to prepare and they require effort. But, if you have an hour, you can find healthy recipes that you can serve your family. And if you have a slow cooker or crock pot, that’s better! By preparing all your needed ingredients early in the morning and then plugging in the crock pot just before you leave home, you’ll surely have dinner ready when you and your family get home in the evening.

With all these, there’s no reason you shouldn’t eat healthy foods again. All you will need is to find healthy recipes to help you with your cooking. You can find cookbooks specializing in quick meals, as well as online sites with tips and suggestions to help you with food preparation. These recipes will show you the way to a healthier diet—no matter how busy you are!

Healthy Recipes And Easy-To-Prepare Foods is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

The mission at TraceGains (www.TraceGains.com) is to protect the brand of food and beverage clients by eliminating problems before product is shipped to the customer. The most sensible approach has three steps:

1.  Label throughout the Entire Food Supply Chain as the Starting Point.  Every raw food product leaving the farm gate, every intermediate food ingredient shipped from an ingredient processing plant, and every final food product shipped from the final food manufacturer, imported or domestic, must have bar codes depicting:

(a)       a unique identification number for each shipper

(b)       identification of the owner

(c)        product number identifying the contents of the carton

(d)       production lot number or other production identifier

One such labeling approach would be to combine the current UPC code with the lot number using the Global Standard 1 (GS1-128) labeling standard.  There are several labeling standards, though, and we are not predisposed to a specific standard. 

2.  Preserve Identity throughout the Entire Food Supply Chain as the Foundation for Safety and Rapid Action in the Event of a Problem.  All labeled products from the farm gate, through intermediate ingredient processing, to final manufacturing should be scanned upon receipt, and each incoming material should be tracked to the specific, final product.  In this way, each outgoing product from each production segment (whether a consumer-ready finished good or an intermediate) can be tied back to all the batches for each incoming ingredient.  Identity would be preserved across commingling, re-pack, re-work, and re-combination.  Additionally, any packaging material in direct contact with the food product would also be tracked as part of the record.  The result would be a Bill of Compliance for each production batch for each operation.  Given that the ingredients for many final food products pass through one or more intermediate processors, this allows authorized regulators to truly understand the source of all materials back to the first mile. 

To provide the necessary checks-and-balances to ensure such a system is not abused, each government use would be reviewed by a select committee of government-appointed members (1/3), industry-appointed members (1/3), and members mutually appointed by the first two groups (1/3).

TraceGains Inc.

www.tracegains.com

Marc Simony, Director of Marketing

traceability@tracegains.com

(303)682-9898

Sensible Food Supply Chain Protection Systems Outlined by TraceGains is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

First and foremost for the food to be natural, you must use organic grown fruits or vegetables. Natural baby products are the healthiest to use. If the ingredients aren’t organic, the purpose of making your baby’s food isn’t as powerful because you would be subjecting your baby to pesticides that may be used by inorganic farmers. The chemicals can have long term negative effects on the health of your baby. Organic produce is chemical free and better for you and your child. Even though you are using organic produce, be sure to wash the fruits or vegetables thoroughly to remove any dirt.

I would recommend buying fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season so that your baby can try different types of foods. However, if there is a certain food that your baby likes and it’s not in season, you can buy frozen organic produce. Frozen produce is just as good as fresh because of the freezing process that is used.

Once the produce is washed, boil or steam it to the consistency your baby is able to eat. For example, when your baby is just starting out on solid foods, the homemade baby food should be very mushy. So you can cook the produce longer than you normally would. If you are using frozen produce, follow the cooking instructions provided and allow additional cooking time to make sure it is soft enough for the consistency you want. Keep in mind that some fruits won’t need to be cooked such as bananas.

After the vegetables or fruits are cooked, you can now puree the ingredients. You can do a mixture of vegetables or fruits or even combine some fruits and vegetables. You can puree the ingredients in a blender, food processor, or by hand with a whisk. It will be easier to use either a blender or food processor and the baby food will come out smoother. If your baby has been eating solid foods for a while and you don’t need to the food to be so mushy, then blending by hand would be a good option.

Once you have prepared the homemade baby food, you can now store it in jars, ice cube trays, or Tupperware. Ice cube trays are ideal because of portion control. Usually one ice cube is a serving of food for a small baby. Freezing the food will make it last longer and will avoid bacteria. If you want to refrigerate the food, only keep it refrigerated for 2 to 3 days in glass jars or Tupperware. After a few days the food can spoil because there aren’t preservatives in it.

How to Make and Store Homemade Organic Baby Food is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

This guide is for prospective operators of food enterprises (food establishments, retail food stores, food warehouses, and food processors) desiring to open a food business in either their local city, county or state jurisdiction. This is a general overview and may not be all inclusive of the codes and ordinances in your locality.  It is good to note that though this document will more than likely cover most if not all requirements for starting a food business in your jurisdiction, it would be in your best interest to familiarize yourself with the codes and regulations of your local city, county and/or state. 

Operating Permits – Food Enterprises
A Food Establishment application can be obtained at your local city or county health department.  If you plan to manufacture foods and package for retail sale you may be required to obtain a food manufacturer’s license from your state regulatory agency.  If you plan to distribute your product outside of your state lines a federal license may also have to be obtained.  It is recommended that you submit a fully completed application and fees at least one month prior to your anticipated opening date.  This gives the local authority the needed lead time to process it and schedule any needed pre-opening inspections.  Again, make sure that you provide ALL information required on the application.  Incomplete applications may delay your approval.
Food permits are generally in effect for one year from the date of issue and are renewable each year thereafter when the appropriate fee is paid and as long as the establishment remains in compliance with applicable Health codes and regulations.
Home preparation of food for public consumption is prohibited. All food that is to be consumed by the public, whether free or for purchase must be prepared at a permitted establishment that is inspected by a federal, state, or local Health Authority.

Food Establishment Fee: Food establishment fees are variable depending on jurisdiction. Contact your local health authority to inquire about permitting fees.

NOTE: Larger establishments that have multiple food service operations on site may need to obtain a health permit for each operation.  A separate application and fees may need to be submitted for each operation.

Food Enterprise Pre-Opening Processes
When starting a Food Enterprise business you may be required to go through either or both A) a change of ownership inspection or B) a plan review process. Read through options A & B below to determine which best fits your situation. Contact your local health authority if you need help in making that determination.

A) Change of Ownership Inspection Process-

Before opening for business you may be required to go through a change of ownership inspection.  This inspection verifies your establishment complies with current regulations and that clearance to occupy the site has been granted by your city or county.  This inspection may incur a fee and the fee for this inspection will more than likely be required to be paid before the inspector conducts the inspection.   If applicable, a request for a Change of Ownership application should be available at the offices of your local city or county health authority.  Again, to expedite your request, a fully completed application must be submitted.  After submitting the application; call to schedule the inspection with your inspector.  If the establishment doesn’t comply with current regulations you will be required to bring it up to code before your operating permit is approved. Prospective business owners, if available, it would be in your best interest to request a change of ownership inspection before finalizing the sale. This gives the prospective business owner a heads up on any items that may be required for the establishment to be in compliance with local city or county codes. Under no circumstances may you begin operations without approval from the local city or county health authority.  Legal charges may be filed against you if you do.

B) Food Establishment Plan Review Process¬

A plan review will more than likely be required for any newly built business or in the event of an extensive remodel of an existing business.  NOTE: This will also more than likely require a completed application and fees be paid in order to initiate this process.

A Plan Review is required whenever a building is constructed or substantially remodeled to be a food enterprise, whenever a substantial change is made to an existing food facility or may be required if a plumbing permit, building permit, or other construction permit is required by the local city or county development offices. 
The Plan Review Application, including proposed menu, Fees, and 1 or more sets of building plans all may be required to be submitted as a package. Review all forms thoroughly to ensure accuracy of information provided. Incomplete or inaccurate applications could delay your plan review.  The Plan Review Application should be available at the offices of your local city or county Health Authority. Upon approval, the plans are stamped by the Health Authority and the person submitting the plans will be called to pick them up.
Submit building plans after the type of food operation and menu has been determined and after receiving Building approval from your local city or county development offices. The building plans should be drawn to scale with most plans drawn in a scale of ¼” = 1Ft. and detail the layout of the kitchen, dining area, restrooms, storage areas, break room, wait stations and bar. The plans are to include a materials list of specifications for all floors, walls, and ceilings. 
Certificate of Occupancy
All Food Enterprises will more than likely be required to have a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A CO is issued after the Building and Health Officials inspect the building and find no violations of the Building or Health Codes during new construction and/or a remodel. The CO will also state the use for which the building will be used. The CO Inspection is usually required prior to getting final health approval but in some cases not only may a preliminary CO inspection be required prior to receiving your final health approval but a secondary (final) CO inspection may be required by your building inspector before your Operating Permit is approved.  Inquire with your local health authority and building inspectors to see what process is required.  NOTE: Contact the building inspectors at least 7 days prior to the time you are ready to schedule your inspection.  This should insure that you get a timely response.
Permit Approval
Once you have completed the pre-opening processes and your Building and Health Inspectors have approved your operating permit, you may open for business. Under no circumstances may you begin operations without approval from both the Building and Health Inspectors. Legal charges may be filed against you if you do.
Other Approvals
Building Permits: Plans may need to be submitted for a Commercial Plan Review.  If required, contact your local Building or Development Services Office to schedule this review and to obtain a building permit.
Industrial Waste: If you are taking over a previous business and changing the type of operation, ensure the grease trap meets the requirements for your new operation.  For example, when a “sandwich shop” becomes a “fried chicken” location, the existing grease trap may need to be modified. Contact your local industrial waste inspector to ascertain if any changes need to be made to the existing system or to evaluate your engineered designs if your plans require the installation of an on-site septic system.  
Fire Inspections: Building Inspectors are concerned with grease-laden vapors and proper hood protection in food facilities. All cooking equipment must be installed under an approved hood system.  In addition, establishments in excess of 5,000 sq. ft. are required to provide a sprinkler system. Establishments with an occupancy load in excess of 50 people are required to provide fire alarms. Call your local building inspector, fire inspector or fire marshal to evaluate plans or to schedule a site inspection.

What to put in a plan Review

Include and Identify the following on your Building Plans
? Major pieces of equipment
Refrigerator/freezer units  
Vent-hood  
Ice machines/bins/dispensers
Steamers    
Microwaves  
Warming Drawers
Stoves    
Prep tables  
Ice Cream Dispenser
Ovens     
Dish Machines 
Beverage Station/dispenser
Grills     
Mixers   
Blender Station
Fryers     
Food Processors Salad/Food Buffets

? Sinks
Hand sinks (food prep areas • ware-washing area • restrooms)   Ware washing sinks Service Sink/Mop sink/curbed floor sink      Food Prep Sink
? Dumpster
? Grease Barrel
? Chemical Storage areas
? Mop drying area
? Employee area for belongings
? Dry food storage area
? Doors
? Mechanical ventilation in restrooms
? Outdoor food prep areas (bars/wait station/BBQ)
? Grease trap size and location
? Water Wells
? Underground and overhead sewer and waste lines
? On Site Sewage Facility

Health Code Plan Notes
1) Refrigeration All refrigerated units are to hold foods at or below 41°F.
2) Restrooms (two are normally required). If the establishment has only carry-out or seating for less than 20 people, and less than 10 employees, then only one employee restroom may be allowed. Two restrooms may be required if alcohol is served on the premises or more than 20 seats are provided.  Each restroom must have a hand sink with hot (at least 100°F) and cold water, mechanical air ventilation to the outside, and a solid, self-closing door. Restrooms may not open directly into a kitchen. The total number of restrooms for a Childcare facility is dependent on the “minimum standards” of the Texas. Dept. of Family and Protective Services (834-3195) as it relates to Childcare.
3) Sinks
A. Service Sink/Mop Sink/Curbed Floor sink: At least one of these must be available for mop washing and disposal of mop water in an approved waste water disposal system.  A drying rack is required for mops to air dry. This sink must be provided with a backflow preventer on any threaded hose bib to protect the water supply.  Note: the mop sink may be located in a different area of the building than the kitchen.
B. Hand washing sinks: Shall be located to allow convenient use by employees in food preparation, food dispensing, ware wash areas, and any wait station where ice is dispensed, bar area or in a walk-in where meat is cut or trimmed.  At least one hand sink will be required; additional, separate hand sinks may also be required. Small kitchens with food prep and ware washing in close proximity may be allowed to use one hand sink to serve both activities.  Other hand sinks must be associated with restrooms. Provide at least 12” tall splashguards if a hand sink is located near food prep, open food, ice, or clean food contact surfaces.  Otherwise, the hand sink must have at least 18” lateral separation from these. A sign or poster that notifies food employees to wash their hands shall be provided to all hand washing sinks and be clearly visible. A small, swinging door (as in a bar area) could separate a hand sink from a work area, otherwise no doors separating hand sink from work areas.
Each sink must be supplied with hot (100°F) and cold water, soap and disposable towels. Childcare facilities must have hot water in the diaper changing area and kitchen.  If plans do not provide sufficient hand sinks to meet the requirements of the establishment you will be asked to provide a revised plan with additional hand sinks.

C. Ware Wash Area:  A commercial dishwasher or 3 compartment sink is required in most cases. Dish machines must be able to effectively sanitize all equipment and utensils. They must dispense a chemical sanitizer or provide a final rinse of at least 180° F. (single, stationary rack machines are required to reach 165° in the sanitize cycle). Test strips are required. Above-the-counter dish machines are required to have Type II vent-hood.
Ware washing sinks shall be of sufficient size to immerse the largest piece of equipment. Cold and hot (100°F minimum) water under pressure delivered through a mixing valve shall be provided. Provide at least 2 integral drain boards or 1 integral drain board and a mobile dish cart. Drying racks or shelves will aid in adequately air drying all wares. Facilities with very limited ware washing and using disposable containers may request a variance to install a 2 compartment sink (example: convenience store). These sinks are required to have a drain board. The sinks must have an indirect connection to the sanitary sewer (at least a one inch air gap). This includes all food prep sinks and ware wash sinks.
4) Ceiling Construction: Ceilings over open food, ice, soda fountains, ware washing, restrooms and bars must meet construction criteria and be smooth, durable, nonabsorbent, and cleanable. Open rafters, trusses or grid work and exposed duct work, pipes or utility lines are usually prohibited with no open structure permitted.  If drop down acoustic tiles are used, they must be properly constructed.  These tiles are washable and have a smooth surface without pinholes. Painted dry wall or boards are generally acceptable.  
5) Walls/Floors: Must be constructed of approved materials. Cleanable water-based enamel paint is usually acceptable for most wall surfaces.  Areas that are subject to regular cleaning and splash may be covered with FRP, stainless, or galvanized metal.  Floor/wall junctures shall provide no greater than 1/32” gap.  Baseboards are required. Caulk wall/floor junctures to prevent the collection of food particles and water.  Masonry (brick/concrete) wall/floor junctures DO NOT require baseboards since a masonry juncture provides no gap. Raw brick and concrete in the kitchen area requires sealing.  The sand grout of all tiles needs to be sealed. Epoxy grout does not require sealing. VCT floor tiles require a coat of wax to seal out liquids.
6) Solid Waste: Dumpster and grease barrels shall rest on a machine laid asphalt or concrete pad. These containers must have tight fitting lids and drain plugs in place.  
7) Outdoor Cooking facilities: Barbeque pits or smokers shall be enclosed, and if screened in, at least a 1/16” mesh screen is required.  They shall rest on a concrete or asphalt pad. The meat may only be placed on the smoker; no food prep allowed in this enclosure. Any seasoning, cutting, etc. must take place inside the establishment.  Outdoor bars and wait stations will be approved on a case by case basis by your local health authority.  
Water and Sewage Systems: All private onsite sewage facilities and wells serving a new food enterprise, an extensively remodeled food enterprise, or a food enterprise coming under new ownership must meet current standards. These systems are required to be evaluated with respect to whether the system (a) meets current standards and (b) is adequate for the proposed use.

NOTE: A food service facility or Childcare facility using a well may be considered public water supply and subject to specific restrictions and regulations.  Consult your local health authority to inquire about any questions regarding the use of a private well.

9) Protecting the Water Supply: Threaded hose bibs are required to have a backflow prevention device attached. Spray hoses and fill hoses shall hang at least 1 inch above the maximum flood rim of a basin or the hoses shall be provided with an atmospheric vacuum breaker or backflow prevention device.
10) Indirect Connections: Jockey boxes, ice bins, ice machines and sinks (as identified above in # 3) must be provided with indirect connections to the sewer.  Floor sinks are required on new construction.
11) Lighting: Adequate amount of light shall be provided to all areas.  At least 20 foot candles is required where food is provided for customer self-service such as buffet and salad bars or where fresh produce or packaged foods are sold.  At least 50 food candles is required at surfaces where employees are working with food using utensils or knives, slicers, grinders, saws, or where employee safety is a factor.
12) Outer Openings: All windows, vents and exterior doors shall be tight fitting.  If needed, use weather stripping to provide a tight fit. All exterior doors shall have a self-closure. Screens on windows and doors shall be at least 1/16” mesh.  Roll up doors to be screened or the proposed food service area provided with physical doors to create a separate walled room. Exhaust fans must be screened, or if they are louvered, must automatically close when the fan is disengaged.
13) Food Contact Surfaces: Stainless steel, Formica, polished marble, Corian, machined stone, approved ceramics or plastics may be used for food contact surfaces.
14) Counters: All raw wood must be painted in areas that come in contact with food, liquid or food containers of any kind. Included is the underside of the bar above the ware wash and/or hand sink (and the splash area).
15) Toxic Materials: Specify an area where chemicals are to be stored.  A well-labeled, separate shelf or cabinet is best.
Food Manager Certification: The health codes of your State, County or City may require that one or more food managers of a permitted Food Enterprise to obtain a Food Manager Certificate.  A Food Manager Certificate is recognition that a person has received training in food sanitation.  Inquire with your local health authority to see if food manager certification is required and the necessary steps required to obtain proper certification.

Further information on our website at www foodcertified com in the blog section.

Starting a Food Business/Plan Review Prep is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

In order to control glucose in the bloodstream, diabetics should meet with a dietitian to have an individualized meal plan designed for you, based on your eating habits, activity, lifestyle and diabetes treatment goals. The aim of any food guide or plan is to maximize your nutritional intake, at the same time minimize the risk of progression to diabetes and development of heart disease.

Your daily food guide: Total 100%

1. Carbohydrates: 50-55% such as whole grain, cereals, fruits, vegetables, recommended those with high fiber.
2. Protein: 25-30% such as red meat, milk products, eggs, white chicken meat, soy and soy products, recommended those with less saturated fat. Since meat contains high levels of iron, eating more white meat should add iron supplement into a diabetic’s diet.
3. Fat: 20%-25%. Avoid using Saturated fat

a) Monounsaterate fat: such as olive oil, canola oil
b) Polyunsaterated fat: such as sunflower oil, flaxseed oil.

Here are some examples of diabetic recipes: (Sources from The Complete Canadian Diabetes Cookbook, Edited by Katherine E. Younker, Robert Rose Inc. 2005)

1.Shrimp and Snow Pea Tidbits

Ingredients:

* 16 snow peas
* 2 tsp vegetable oil (10 mL)
* 1 tsp crushed garlic (5 mL)
* 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (15 mL)
* 16 medium shrimp, peeled, de-veined, tail left on

Preparation:

1. Steam or microwave snow peas until barely tendercrisp. Rinse with cold water. Drain and set aside.
2. In nonstick skillet, heat oil, sauté garlic, parsley and shrimp just until shrimp turns pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Wrap each snow pea around shrimp, fasten with toothpick. Serve warm or cold.

Serves:
4 to 6 or makes 16 hors d’oeuvres

Tips
- Buy snow peas that are firm and crisp, and have no blemishes.
- Medium-sized scallops would also be delicious for this very sophisticated hors d’oeuvre.

Make Ahead

If serving cold, prepare and refrigerate early in day.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving

Calories 39
Carbohydrate 1 g
Fiber 0 g
Protein 4 g
Fat, total 2 g
Fat, saturated 0 g
Sodium 27 mg
Cholesterol 28 mg

Choices Per Serving – D2 Meat & Alternative

2. Salmon Swiss Cheese English Muffins

Ingredients:

* 1 can (71/2 oz/220 g) salmon, drained
* 1/4 cup light mayonnaise (50 mL)
* 2 tbsp chopped green onion (25 mL)
* 2 tbsp chopped red onion (25 mL)
* 2 tbsp diced celery (25 mL)
* 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill (25 mL) or 1 tsp dried dillweed (5 ml)
* 1 tsp dried dillweed (5 ml)
* 2 tsp lemon juice (10 mL)
* 4 English muffins, split in half and toasted
* 1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese (75 mL)

Preparation:

1. In food processor, combine salmon, mayonnaise, green and red onions, celery, dill and lemon juice. Using on/off motion, process just until chunky but not puréed.
2. Divide salmon mixture over muffins and spread evenly. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil just until cheese melts, approximately 2 minutes. To serve, slice each muffin into quarters.

Serves:
8 or makes 32 wedges

Preheat broiler

Tips

- Tuna packed in water is a great substitute for salmon.
- You can also use the mixture as a dip if you purée it until smooth.
- Serve 2 whole halves as a light lunch.

Make Ahead

Make and refrigerate salmon mixture up to a day before. Stir before spreading on muffins.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving

Calories 149
Carbohydrate 15 g
Fiber 0 g
Protein 8 g
Fat, total 7 g
Fat, saturated 2 g
Sodium 213 mg
Cholesterol 14 mg

Choices Per Serving

1 Carbohydrate
1 Meat & Alternative
1/2 Fat

3. Tropical Smoothie (Source from Abbott nutrition Canada)

Ingredients

1 250-mL can cold Glucerna, vanilla
125 mL (½ cup) crushed pineapple
1 medium orange, peeled and sectioned
5 mL (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
5 mL (1 teaspoon) orange extract
5 ice cubes
Optional: 1 mL (¼ teaspoon) nutmeg

Nutrition information will vary with product used.

Preparation

* Blend Glucerna, pineapple, orange, extracts, and ice on high until well-incorporated and smooth
* Pour into glass and sprinkle with nutmeg and serve

I hope that this information will help, if you want to read more of the above subject please visit: diabetes-foodsandrecipes.blogspot.com/

Kyle J. Norton
http://diabetics–nutritionandmealplanning.blogspot.com/
http://diabetes–foodsandrecipes.blogspot.com/

Diabetes – Food Guide & Recipes is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

COLORFUL CHICKEN RICE CASSEROLE

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup small-curd cottage cheese

1 pkg (3 oz) low-fat cream cheese, cubed

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

3 cups cooked brown rice

1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies

1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/2 to 3/4 cup crushed corn chips

2 cups shredded lettuce

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

In a blender or food processor, combine the soup, sour cream, cottage cheese, and cream cheese; cover and process until smooth.  Transfer to a large mixing bowl.  Stir in the chicken, rice, cheese, chilies, olives, and garlic salt.  Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Transfer mixture into prepared dish.  Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly, at 350 degrees.  Remove from oven and just before serving, sprinkle top with corn chips, lettuce and tomatoes in that order.

Yield 6 to 8 servings.

Note:  I adapted the above recipe from one I found in an old Taste of Home’s Quick Cooking magazine.

CHICKEN AND HAM CASSEROLE

1 pkg (6 oz) long grain and wild rice mix

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 cup cubed fully cooked ham

1 can (10 3/4 oz) low-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 can (12 oz) evaporated skim milk

1 cup shredded Colby or Cheddar cheese

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook rice mix according to package directions.  Transfer to a greased 2-quart baking dish.  Top with chicken and ham.  In a bowl, combine the soup, milk, cheese, and pepper; pour over chicken mixture.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Serves 6

Enjoy!

Two Diabetic Friendly Comfort Food Recipes: Economical and Tasty Chicken Casseroles is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

1.Have Oatmeal for Breakfast – A cup of cooked oatmeal has 4 grams of fiber per serving and the complex carbohydrates will keep your energy high till lunchtime.

2.Wrap it up – Mediterranean style wraps are all the rage. Chop or grate fiber rich vegetables and prepare them in a convenient wrap sandwich dressed with hummus or bean dip.

3.Relish a Relish! – Fiber rich foods needn’t be tasteless like cardboard! Enjoy savory appetizers or sauces on your vegetables or grains to improve their flavor.

4.The Whiz – Your blender or food processor can be a handy tool to improve your child’s fiber consumption too. Finely grind or blend your favorite veggies and hide them in soups and salads.

5.Substitute Spaghetti Squash – Replace those refined flour noodles with fiber rich spaghetti squash. Tastes great with tomato sauce, meatballs and a dash of parmesan cheese!

6.Toss a Salad – The old standby has gotten a facelift. Choose fibrous veggies to mix in, such as broccoli and grated summer squash. Replace iceberg lettuce with deep greens like cabbage.

7.Try Crispy Crudités – Chop up carrots, celery, green peppers and broccoli and dip into tasty low fat dips for a popular snack.

8.Sprinkle On! – Supplement companies are now offering handy shaker bottles of sprinkle fibers. These dissolve instantly, have no taste and are an easy way to add additional fiber to your dish! Sprinkle on cereal, salad and soups.

9.Go Organic – Jump on the green bandwagon and try organic produce. Support sustainable agriculture and in turn you will receive products known for greater flavor and quality than many grown conventionally.

10.Opt for Pulp – When choosing juices or using your juicer at home, add the pulp! The fiber full parts of the fruits and veggies will be lost if you toss it out.

11.Bread of Life – Whole grain breads are becoming increasingly more common at the grocer. Try 100% whole wheat, or be adventurous and add one with alternative grains such as spelt or millet.

12.Simple Supplements – Nowadays you can find supplemental fiber in powder, capsules, wafers and tablets. Look for organic sources with no added ingredients or fillers.

13.Try a Fiber Bar – There are plenty of snack bars on the market, but read the labels. Some can provide you up to half your daily recommended dose of fiber in one serving! Tasty, and nutritious.

14.Whole Grain Goodness – Grocers are currently stocking whole grain products, from pasta to crackers. Even the snack food industry is catching on. Look for the whole grain label and count those fiber grams!

15.Jumping Beans – A great side dish, beans are a great high fiber choice. Low in fat with no cholesterol, add them to soups, casseroles, and salads.

16.100% Scores an A+ in Health! – Look for the 100% whole grain or 100% whole wheat label. The statement Made with Whole Grains can be misleading, so be sure to check those nutrition facts stickers!

17.Skinny Dip – Low fat bean dips such as those made with garbanzos or white beans taste great and pack a fiber punch. Perfect with crackers or crudités.

18.Prepare a Pilaf – Although typically made with rice, you can use any whole grain to make a pilaf. Great choices are buckwheat, millet and cracked wheat.

19.Soup it Up – Soups are the perfect vehicle for pouring on the fiber. Stir in extra vegetables or whole grains to your favorite canned soups. Take blended squash or asparagus and make a creamy base for your next homemade chowder.

20.Brown Rice is Best – Processed white rice has had the nutrient dense outer bran removed. Try brown rice for a greater dose of fiber and a nuttier robust flavor for your next dish.

How To Get High Fiber Foods: 20 Simple Ways To Get Your Daily Dose is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

So the first food remedy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferers is pineapple.

Pineapple helps in digestion. Find a fresh ripe pineapple and eat it fresh. Make sure only ripe pineapples are eaten. Unripe pineapple has poison which can cause drastic purging. If fresh ripe pineapples are not available, you can resort to the canned ones. Cutting the pineapple is an art. Be generous in cutting the skin of the pineapple. You need to remove the crown, rind, eyes and core. A method to remove the eyes is to slice crosswise. You can only eat the flesh. Chilled fresh pineapple is not only refreshing but also delicious. As much as you may like pineapples, do not over eat pineapples either since excessive pineapple can cause fiber balls in the intestinal tract. Just like everything else, excessive consumption should be avoided. In right quantities, it is a healing food.

The acidity of the fresh pineapple can cause irritation of the tip of the tongue. A trick to reduce the acidity is to rub a little salt on the pineapple before eating or soak the flesh in water with a pinch of salt for a short while before eating. With canned pineapples, it is normally soak in syrup which diminishes taste and freshness.

Pineapple is diuretic and is a natural cleanser, removing toxins from the body. It is high in vitamin C and also contains a special enzyme, called bromelain, which helps the body’s digestive system and also able to reduce inflammation caused by arthritis, gout and sore throat. It also helps in the healing process of wounds after surgery or injury. It is believed that pineapple contains micro-nutrients which can protects against cancer and the micro-nutrients also break up blood clots and is beneficial to the heart. Pineapple juice is a natural intestinal worm killer as well.

Immediately after each meal, eat one slice of pineapple and it will help digestion – thus reducing burping, gas build up and stomach discomfort, all common symptoms of IBS. Taking a slice or two a day is fine for most IBS sufferers; just don’t eat the entire fruit by yourself everyday. If you are just trying, just take one slice and increase it later.

Another way to eat pineapple is to juice it by blending. If you are not milk intolerant, then adding some yogurt and blending them together in a food processor produces a lassi drink. This is an Indian traditional drink. Do not add any sugar especially if you are using canned pineapples. If you like you can add a little water or ice.

Food Remedies for Ibs – Pineapple is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

But this isn’t quite the same food that is eaten south of the border. The Conquest of Mexico early in the 16th century gave rise to one of the richest ever culinary mixes in history. Cortez and his followers came to the new world in search of gold. They found rather a great wealth of culinary specialties such as chocolate, peanuts, vanilla, beans, squash, avocados, coconuts, corn and tomatoes. In return turn the Spanish brought to the Americas products pork, beef, lamb, citrus fruits, garlic, cheese, milk, wheat, vinegar, spices and wine. The result was Mexican cuisine as we now have it, and explains why it is difficult to decide what is authentically Mexican and what is not. Basically it is the food of the poor – meat is there, but vegetables and maize flour predominate.

Roast Pepper Dip

1tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
1 head of garlic, peel intact
3 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded
½ teaspoon of ground cumin
4oz, 100 grams, cream cheese, room temperature
2 tbsp sour cream or crème fraiche
Salt & freshly ground pepper

You need to preheat the oven to 350 F., 180 C, Gas 4.

Separate the cloves of garlic, place then on a square of foil. Sprinkle with the oil and make up into a parcel. Cook this for about 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle squeeze the soft garlic into your food processor. Add all except the sour cream/crème fraiche and blend. Turn out into a bowl and fold in the sour cream. Place in a screw top jar. It will keep in the fridge for a few days.

Although meant as dip you can go totally non-Mexican and serve it on pasta or baked potatoes.

Crusty Bean Pie

For 6 helpings
1 large tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small green bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
4 oz, 80 ml salsa
1/4 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 unbaked 9 inch pie crusts
6 oz, 170 g shredded mature cheese – don’t use processed cheese as it turns to glue.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F ,165 degrees C, Gas 3

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Use this to saute the onion and chopped green pepper until soft. Stir in the beans, salsa, red bell pepper, chili powder and cayenne. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Spoon half of the mixture into one of the pie crusts and cover with half of the cheese. Repeat with remaining beans and cheese. Top with remaining crust. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

This is the kind of pie you can wrap in foil and take on a picnic. You could replace the black beans with whatever sort you have or even sweet corn.

I f you use one of those really stretchy cheeses you can hold a stretching contest i.e. how high can you pull up a forkful of pie before it breaks contact with the food still on the plate.

Sausage Wrap

Use whatever sausages you want.
8 flour tortillas,
200g/7oz guacamole
1 crisp lettuce, shredded
200g/7oz sour cream
200g/7oz salsa

Just cook your sausages. Place on each tortilla some lettuce and guacamole. Place sausage on top and then top this with salsa and sour cream. Roll up and place one end between your teeth. Bite!

Real Mexican Food as Eaten by Mexicans is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Egg Free French Toast Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
·    2-3 ripe bananas
·    3/4 cup soy milk
·    1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
·    1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)
·    1 teaspoon vanilla
·    bread, any kind is fine
·    butter or margarine
PREPARATION:
Blend bananas, soy milk, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in blender or food processor and pour mixture into pie plate or wide dish. Gently dip bread slices into the mix, coating both sides. Fry in butter or margarine in medium-hot skillet until golden brown. Serve with a bit of butter and syrup or powdered sugar and fruit preserves for a yummy treat around Christmas.

Eating should not be boring for people with food allergies. It takes a lot of creativity and resourcefulness so that a person with food allergies can eat the foods that they want using different food substitutes. It can be done but it just takes some beforehand time and preparation to make delicious treats that will not affect the person who is allergy prone. Additional allergy recipes may be found in Food Allergies: Causes and Alternative Recipes – Part 2.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.

Food Allergies Causes and Recipe Alternatives – Part 2 is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Don\’t let your new-found inspiration and energy get lost once you set foot in the kitchen because you\’ve run out of new and exciting raw food meal options. Try some of these fresh ideas to and some zing back to your mealtime and continue down the raw food path to improved health, energy and happiness.

Sunflower Seed Sour Cream

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup water

4 tbsp. lemon juice

1 garlic clove, pressed

3/4 tsp onion powder

3/4 tsp salt

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth. If consistency is too thick, you can simply add a bit more water. (Adding a bit more lemon juice will give it an added zing.) Garlic and onion powder can be increased for your taste preferences.

Portobello Sandwich

1 Portobello mushroom, sliced about 1/2 inch thick

1 cup vegetable broth

Dijon mustard

2 slices sprouted multi-grain bread

1 Holland Tomato, sliced

1/4 avocado, sliced

1/4 cup baby lettuce

Cook the sliced mushrooms in the vegetable broth until they are semi soft and cooked through. Place the desired amount of mustard on 1 slice of bread. Layer the tomato slices, mushrooms, avocado, and lettuce. Top with the mushrooms and the other slice of bread. Cut in half and enjoy! See some raw foods are barely cooked.

Raw Curry Cantaloupe Soup

1 cantaloupe

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Combine and blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve well chilled.

So hit your local farmer\’s markets, visit those roadside produce stands, or maybe even enjoy the fruits of your own hard labors and raid the garden and spice up the summer with some cool new twists on some of your favorite produce.

Recipes For Raw Food is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Yes, I know. That includes simmering as well. But I want to look at boiling, some of the different foods involved and the ways in which they are treated.

Boiling is really divided into two separate methods. One is to place the food in cold water and gradually heat it to boiling point, the other is to bring the water to the boil first before adding the food.

The first method might be used for potatoes, for example, and the second for green vegetables.

A variation on both methods is whether or not the food should be covered while cooking. Let’s deal with that right now. Green vegetables should never be covered while boiling – they will lose their color and turn an unattractive shade of gray.

Vegetables such as potatoes should be partially covered to preserve vitamins and reduce evaporation.

Remember that water will come to the boil much quicker if the pan is covered to start with, as will any other liquid.

Let’s take an example

Eggs. This may seem too simple, but the truth is you can tell more about a cook by the way they handle eggs and potatoes than just about anything else. I have lost count of the number of times a chef has tested my skills by asking me to boil potatoes or make a simple omelet.

So, how do we boil eggs?

One way is to bring a pan of water to the boil, put the eggs in and then time them for two, three or five minutes depending on the result you want. But there is a better method.

Put the eggs in cold, salted water and bring to the boil on fierce heat. The salt will not flavor the eggs. It’s there simply to make the water boil at a slightly higher temperature.

Turn off the heat and prepare your toast. The eggs will be ready when you are and can either be turned out on to the toast or served in their shells. Simple, huh?

Very. But there is one thing you have to have to make it work – fresh eggs!

If you’re one of the countless millions who don’t live right next to a chicken farm, then you’re just going to have to check your use-by date. If it’s any less than four weeks away, don’t buy the eggs!

I mean it. Eggs, like vegetables and fruit, need to be as fresh as you can get them.

Green vegetables

Broadly speaking, we’re talking about things like green beans, brussel sprouts, snow peas and so on. Not cabbage, which should never be boiled, and not some of the more delicate greens like spinach and buk choy.

Beans and sprouts are best cooked in uncovered, rapidly boiling salted water until they are just cooked – which means they are still firm and cut cleanly.

Drain them in a colander and then plunge them immediately into icy water. You can leave them there until you need them. This is the ‘magic’ step chefs use to keep greens truly green.

Yes, I know they’ll go cold. That’s not a problem. You see, by using this method you can prepare your green vegetables well ahead of time and not have to worry about them until just before you serve the meal.

When everything else is ready, have a pan of boiling water on the stove. Drop the greens in, count to ten and drain them. They’re ready to serve as is, or you can glaze them with melted butter, add nutmeg, pepper or toss them in a little balsamic.

Easy? You betcha. And a foolproof way of ensuring that the greens are ready at the same time as the rest of the meal.

About potatoes and rice

Wait a minute! What’s this? You cook potatoes and rice the same way? Yes! Well – almost. And it’s foolproof.

First potatoes. Which are the more difficult of the two to cook. You don’t think so? Wait and see.

Add your potatoes to cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook until a wooden skewer will pass easily through them without undue pressure. Drain into a colander.

Now put about an inch or so of water in the pan, balance the colander (with potatoes) on top of that, return to a low heat and cover. You can either use the saucepan lid or some silver foil. Personally I use a tea-towel (by far the best) but if you do that you need to make very sure that it goes nowhere near the heat – especially if you’re cooking with gas!

Now the point is this. The potatoes will keep beautifully in the gently steaming atmosphere while you get on with everything else. They will even improve in texture and be ready to serve whenever you need them.

Okay. What about the rice?

Easy. Bring plenty of salted water to the boil. Then add the rice – roughly one cup for every two people – stir once, bring back to the boil and cook for exactly 15 minutes.

You will have to reduce the heat slightly to prevent the mixture boiling over and you also need to partially cover the pot to reduce evaporation.

Now drain and follow exactly the same procedure as you did for the potatoes.

No panic, no undercooked grains, no expensive electric cooker. Just perfectly separated fluffy rice which is ready to be used when you need it.

Can you see what a powerful system this is? It means you can prepare your rice before you even begin to worry about your stir-fry or whatever else it is that you’re going to prepare.

Incidentally, don’t be afraid to add a little color to your rice by dropping some chopped up red or yellow bell pepper into the water about five minutes before you finish cooking it.

Or serve yellow rice by adding saffron or turmeric to the cooking water. Once you know this technique, the results are limited only by your imagination.

Pasta

Cooking pasta couldn’t be simpler. You boil it in salted water for however long it says on the packet. Then you drain it and it all sticks together in one inedible lump!

Well not any more. Here’s the solution (and it’s not adding oil during cooking)

Just before cooking ends, remove about half a cup of the cooking liquid and reserve it. Drain the pasta in a colander, return it to the pan in which it was cooked and add back in the reserved cooking liquid.

Stir it, and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. That’s it. Done. The oil and liquid will combine to give your pasta a smooth, creamy finish.

No more stuck together lumps. No more dried out bits. And you can add any sauce you like.

If you’re serving it plain and it seems a little sloppy, adding some grated parmesan or pecorino cheese will quickly solve that problem for you, as well as injecting some welcome flavor.

Boiled Beef

The expression ‘boiled beef’ probably arises from the fact that it’s easier to say than ’simmered beef’ – which is what it really is.

Salted, pickled and corned beef (or pork) amount to the same thing and are cooked by immersing in a bouillon (posh name for stock) which is kept just below boiling point. Cooking time varies with the size of the piece but it’s going to take at least an hour and more likely two or more.

The great thing is that it’s pretty hard to overcook it, so making it the center of your main dish saves hugely on stress. It’s also delicious. You can serve it to anyone with confidence.

Nobody that I know pickles their own meat these days. Buy it from your butcher or supermarket, allowing around six ounces of meat per person.

Trim the fat off. Unlike roasting you don’t need any fat to keep the meat moist. Put it in a pot only slightly larger than the joint, cover with water (no salt) and bring to the boil.

Then drain the meat and discard the water. Add fresh, some salt, a peeled onion into which you’ve stuck a couple of cloves, three or four carrots and a tablespoon of vinegar.

Bring this mix to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Give it about 20 minutes to the pound and serve it with your favorite mash and greens.

Oh yes, and don’t forget to reduce the liquor you cooked it in to make a moistener for the meat.

Easy caramel

If you boil condensed milk, in its tin, for around 45-50 minutes, it will turn to caramel which you can then use as a base for desserts. Just stick the tin in boiling water and wait. Of course you may have to add extra water from time to time to prevent drying out.

To easily get the caramel out after allowing it to cool down, open the tin at both ends and push it through with a wooden spoon or similar kitchen item.

Here’s a simple method of using it:

Crush some cookies into crumbs, either by putting them between sheets of cling-film and beating the living daylights out of them with a rolling pin, or in a food processor.

Mix the crumbs with melted butter and press this mix into the base of a spring-form cake tin.

then chill it in the fridge for around an hour.

Spread your caramel on top of the cookie base (warming it slightly will make this easier); pile sliced fruit on top of that (banana is perfect); then pile on whipped cream to which you have added some vanilla essence and a little fine sugar. Grate a little dark chocolate onto the finished tart.

Chill, remove the spring form case and serve from the base. Now is that easy or what? And you can make it the day before if you want.

Do you need a recipe for that? Of course you don’t. The way your version turns out is just the way it should be – and it will taste every bit as good as mine, if not better.

Parboiling

I’ve included this as a cooking method because it’s a useful way for the savvy cook to remove excess fat from various meats in order to get a crisp finish when barbecuing or grilling.

The sort of things I’m talking about are spare ribs, chicken wings, and even duck prior to roasting.

All you do is plunge whatever you’re cooking into boiling water (no salt needed) and leave it there to partially cook. You’ll see the fat floating to the surface as scum, which needs to be skimmed off.

If you are going to parboil you need to do it in good time, because you want the surface of the meat to dry out before you go on to the next step, which will be a marinade (to put back lost flavor) followed by your barbecue, the broiler or an oven.

The amount of time the meat needs to spend in the water depends on the thickness of the fat, but think in terms of around 15 minutes for most things.

Will nutrients be lost?

Yes, there’s no escaping that, but the trade-off is that you will have seriously reduced the fat content as well, which will in turn have reduced your cholesterol intake.

For most people, the second part far outweighs the first and of course the protein content will be more digestible – so you even get an added bonus.

Learn How To Boil Your Food is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Think cake will cure your crabbiness? Or baked goods will beat the blues? Probably not.

Whether you’re suffering from an irritable mood, a case of the blues, or even full-blown depression, you may benefit from incorporating certain foods into your diet while avoiding others. More information is available at www.pcos.insulitelabs.com/blog.

Studies have shown that food affects the chemical composition of the brain by altering the production or release of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that carry information from one cell to another. Neurotransmitters are the brain chemicals that motivate or sedate, focus or frustrate.

Similarly, blood sugar levels directly impact our moods. We feel good after we eat, because our blood sugar increases. However, when blood sugar levels sink, we get hungry and our mood takes a dive as well. Classic symptoms of low blood sugar are feeling impatient, irritable, angry and aggressive until we can eat again.

Despite the complexity of the relationship between food and the brain, following a few simple rules will help to provide your body with stable blood sugar and mood mellowing nutrients.

Five Tips to Avoid the Blues:

1. Eat fruit and vegetables that are high in fiber and low in sugar/starch. Fiber provides stable blood sugar and consistent energy by slowing the rate at which nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. Choose apples, blueberries, cantaloupe, carrots, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, dark green lettuce, and red bell peppers. Limit sugary food and alcohol since both are low in nutrients and cause rapid blood sugar swings.

2. Eat lean protein at each meal. Protein stabilizes blood sugar and provides the brain with the amino acids essential to feeling alert. Choose fish, lean beef, pork, chicken, turkey, eggs, cheese, nuts and legumes (beans and peas).

3. Drink water. Choosing water over sugar-laden soft drinks and fruit juices will keep you hydrated and stave off food cravings. Drink eight to ten glasses of clean water daily. Replace soda and fruit juice with herbal tea and sparkling water.

4. Consume “good” fats, like olive oil and those containing omega 3’s. Studies have shown that a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids may contribute to depression and mood swings. Restoring the body’s natural balance of omega-3s may help alleviate (and prevent) many types of depression, even for those who don’t respond to traditional antidepressants. Consuming healthy fats also reduces the release of leptins, hormones produced by fat cells that signal hunger, thereby reducing food cravings. Choose avocados, nuts, olives, olive oil, fish, grass-fed beef, nut butters, and omega-3 enriched eggs.

5. Avoid fast food and chain restaurants. These are stocked with highly processed, sugary foods containing “bad” fats that can wreak havoc on your blood sugar and mood. When you do eat out, try to make the healthiest choices available. Choose greens and proteins, a turkey burger wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun, lemon juice and olive oil over commercial sauces and dressings, a fruit plate instead of a sugary desert. Avoid white bread, potatoes, rice and pasta.

Sample mood-balancing menu from Insulite Laboratories:

(http://www.insulitelabs.com)

Breakfast: Bowl of sweetness. Mix together 1/3 cup of chopped mixed nuts (pecans, cashews, macadamia and almonds), 1 tbsp. melted butter, cinnamon, ginger, 1 cup blueberries (and/ or sliced strawberries), 1-2 tsp. cream.

Snack: California style. Half an avocado with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

Lunch: Lamb chop special. Grilled lamb chop, 2 cups shredded green or red cabbage, with olive oil and 1 tbsp. cider vinegar. (OR one bunch steamed kale with soy ginger sauce).

Snack: Mediterranean evening. Olive puree: 1 cup Kalamata olives, 2 tbsp. feta, and 2 tbsp. olive oil. Blend all ingredients in food processor. Serve with celery or cucumber slices.

Dinner: Super shrimp salad. Grilled shrimp on a romaine lettuce salad with bell peppers, avocados, cashews, and dressing.

Mood and Food: Five Tips to Avoid the Blues is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Followers of a raw diet cite numerous health benefits, including increased energy levels, improved appearance of skin, improved digestion, weight loss and reduced risk of heart disease, just to name a few. Proponents believe that enzymes are the life force of a food and that every food contains its own perfect mix. These enzymes help us digest foods completely, without relying on our body to produce its own cocktail of digestive enzymes.

There can be some side effects when you are first starting a raw foods diet. Some detoxification effects may be experienced as your body attempts to shed some toxicity. This may include occasional headaches, nausea sensations and mild depression. If these symptoms persist, you should seek the help of somebody who is experienced with detoxification symptoms.

Following a raw food diet means that you have to carefully plan your meals to make sure you don’t fall short of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. In some instances it might be appropriate to consider taking dietary supplements, especially when just starting out.  You’ll need to invest in some appliances so that you are able to prepare the food, if you don’t already have them available.  A durable juicer, a blender and a large food processor make raw food preparation a breeze. You may also want to look into purchasing large containers to soak sprouts, grains and beans, as well as for storage. A durable juice extractor for your fruits and vegetables

The smoothest way to begin a raw foods lifestyle is to slowly transition into it. Try starting off by eating approximately 70 to 80 percent raw foods in your diet. Have fruit and salads throughout the day and a cooked vegetable meal with a salad in the evening. This should help make the transition easier on your body and hopefully lessen side effects associated with detoxification. This is an emotional time as well, so you should allow yourself plenty of time to make the switch.  Journaling during the process can help. Before you know it, you’ll be feeling the positive effects of a healthy, detoxifying raw foods diet.

Superfoods: Raw Foods Diet is Beneficial to Your Health is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Today white sugar, white flour, dairy products, trans and saturated fats, refined cars and excess calories are on the “no-no” list … and with the holiday times it feels as if the cakes, cookies and candies will become obsolete. And we begin to feel deprived and panic stricken. After all, it is a long-time tradition.

One answer is to make some raw food desserts and take them to get-togethers and family meals. Use nuts, dried fruits, and avocadoes instead of white flour and white sugar. They have a lot of flavor, looks and are good for you. Oh yes … and they are easy to put together.  Jenny Cornbleet has a book out called “Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People”. In it there are desserts – cakes, cookies, fruit crisps, pies, tarts, puddings, mousses, shakes, and ice cream recipes all raw – for holidays and all meals.  Guess what?  They taste better than their sugar laden counterparts.

One recipe is for a “Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce” which calls for 1 ½ cups raw walnuts, dash of salt, 8 pitted medjool dates, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa or carob powder, ½ tsp vanilla extract, and 2 tsp water.  For the raspberry sauce you use 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (thaw and drain if frozen) with ¼ cup pitted medjooy dates, soaked for 30 minutes and drained.  Place the walnuts and salt in a food processor with the S blade and process until finely ground. Add dates, cocoa powder, and vanilla … process until mixture becomes sticky. Add water and process briefly.  Transfer to a serving plate and form a 5 inch round cake. Place the raspberries and dates in a blender and mix until smooth, pouring over the cake just before serving.

You do not have to give up all your comfort foods, just find a healthier recipe for it.  You will find the dessert to be much tastier.  But should you choose to nibble on a few old foods, do so in moderation, do not go overboard, and remember to wait and let your stomach digest properly before the next meal.

Raw Food: Christmas Food is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

When buying a dehydrator, some things to consider are the materials and construction used to manufacture the product, the size, heating elements, fans and guarantees. Make sure you have room for the dehydrator in the space you have planned for it.  Choose one that’s multi-purpose, with multiple trays and special trays for fruits and herbs. A side-mounted or horizontal fan is best when choosing a food dehydrator.

Here are some food dehydrators to consider. But do a little research to find just the right one for you!

Nesco American Harvest – A very inexpensive food dehydrator with five trays that don’t have to be rotated. Price is $40-$55.

Excalibur Dehydrator – Has over 12 square feet of drying space. Comes with 9 free sheets and has a horizontal fan for maximum drying efficiency. Fast drying times, no tray rotation needed and fast cleanup. Price approximately $200-$220.

L’Equip Dehydrators – Comes with special mesh for drying sheets, plus special sheets for making fruit leathers and fruit roll-ups. Has a compact design and good, uniform drying. Price is around $150.

TSM Commerical Dehydrator – When you’re really serious about drying foods! Comes with 12 racks, 1600 watts of power, dual 6” fans for strong air flow. Can dry 15-18 pounds of jerky. Priced at $650 and up.

And don’t forget a food slicer for all that fruit drying! The Chef’s Choice 645 food slicer has a powerful 130 watt geared condenser motor for smooth, quiet, fast operation. A large 7″ nonstick stainless steel slicer blade cuts fruit & vegetables. Micrometer control dial selects slices from deli-thin to 9/16″ thick.

Raw Food: Food Dehydrators is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Renegade Water Secrets with Joel Odhner, restaurant owner, chef, and raw food chef with clients from Delaware to New York.

Kevin: I want to go stay along the lines of busy people, busy people on the go. What are some of the tips for someone who is traveling a lot, what are some of the things that they can prepare to bring with them? What are some of the things they can prepare, say they are in a hotel room and they have nothing, what can you whip up right there that’ll be healthy?

Joel: Again, if we are talking about someone who’s really like completely raw a great traveling food is a cucumber, actually, believe it or not. It fits nicely in a carryon bag or even in your suitcase, if you know you’re going to be somewhere that doesn’t do well you can do that and actually roll these things up in collard greens. Like if you pre-made a couple of those burgers, like I said, the collard green is sort of hearty enough that it will last, within a day or so. It gets a little soggy after that. Then the other thing I would suggest just go down to the local restaurant and just ask them for — if you look on the menu you can see they probably have salad, they probably have peppers, they probably have different fruits and stuff. Just ask for it and just ask for the dressing on the side.

Kevin: Yeah.

Joel: And the other option is to like if you’re really on the go a lot and you want to pack lightly is get some green powder that you can mix with your water and just do like a water fast for the day. But filling it with some good greens, green powder and that will give you the nourishment you need and in some ways if you have a really busy schedule, you will actually get more energy because your body doesn’t have to worry about trying to digest.

Kevin: Now you’re traveling a lot. You’re in the car a lot. What do you bring with you? What’s the raw food prep chef bring with him?

Joel: Well, it’s funny you say that, you know. My kids tease me because in my car it has a revolving kitchen. I have everything. I have a juicer, a food processor, a blender and everything else. But I usually will load up with some juices. I tend to not eat while I’m driving. I’d rather not eat because sitting for a couple hours doesn’t sit real well. So I tend to just either drink water or generally, green juices, fresh green juices, if possible. One of my perks or luxuries of working for some of these people is I get to make — they also are getting, I’m making them juices. So I will often be able to make my own while I’m at work as I go onto the next client. To give you an idea, today I was at three clients, so I did three people in one day. And you know what? At the first I made a couple juices and carried it with me for the next couple. Now luckily, they were close by, but to give people an idea I made enough food for three families to eat for three to five days.

Kevin: Wow, that’s a lot of food.

Joel: So, you know, it’s a fair amount of food and yet it’s not. Once you start, another key is a lot of people tend to maybe not think about it. If you haven’t ever sort of used a commercial one, get a knife, like a chef’s knife, a good chef’s knife, not one of those straight little paring knives that you have to chop forever. That’s one of the things, why people have to take such a long time is they don’t have the correct knives. So get yourself a good eight inch chef’s knife. The other thing, in fact, on the DVD is, which it’s you the owner’s manual and there I show you how to use a knife. So if you’re people who are new to this or not quite sure, there’s a little section on that. Then the other thing is to get bowls that are actually big enough to mix things in. A lot of times people try to use a bowl that barely fits a head of kale in it and they wonder why they are struggling and it’s spilling everywhere. Get yourself tools that will make it easy on yourself to make the larger batches because now that you, I would suggest that if you are going to make, rather than make one kale salad for tonight, you’re going to make five for the next few days.

Kevin: Right.

Joel: So give yourself the right tools.

Kevin: Well, I’ll tell you, sometimes I use the wrong tools.

Joel: Okay.

Kevin: I’ve got a small bowl and I have this just like steak knife that we’ve had for years and I cut and it does take more time because every time everything spills over and I can’t cut enough. But I can imagine it would probably cut a good five minutes off of what I’m doing because I’m a mess.

Joel: Yeah, and if you really think about it, five minute times, three or four different things you’re making, that’s almost close to half an hour by the time you’re all said and done. And that can also make or break somebody’s time in the morning to make things. But I would suggest if people are going to make larger batches pick like Sunday and Wednesday or something like that, whatever is a good day or night for you to do that and just prep it that way. But it really is key. Having the right tools does make a big difference. It’s kind of like trying to fix a car with a pair of pliers. Well, no, it doesn’t really work. You need a couple different things.

Kevin: Do you suggest two nights a week to do some of the big prep stuff and then kind of filling it in?

Joel: Yeah, absolutely. If you took two days a week about three days apart you should only make good fifty percent of kind of what you are going to eat, if not more. What I call, sort of like the bases, you could make a couple soups, most soups are kind of quick and easy, but you could make some burger bases, you could make some hummus, you could make some pate, you could sort of like the longer standing kale salad and then have those as your sort of mainstays and then, so you chop up a quick fresh salad or whip up some romaine, whatever or you could dice up some fruit or whatever you want on the fly. But don’t have to make everything each and every day. I think that’s one of the reasons people get so frustrated with it. It really is. If you’re coming from the cooked world, it’s the same idea. Like I said, going back to my burger example you think about it in the world, if you say ground beef, you either make a burger, you can make a meatloaf, chili, whatever it is. It’s all the same base. You’re just adding different flavors to it because, well, I noticed in some of the other questions, as well, I get really bored. Add flavors. Eating raw isn’t about necessarily plain and simple. You can add some garlic, you can add some good sea salt, you can add some, fun herbs. And that definitely changes it up.

Kevin: What are some of your favorites?

Joel: I, personally, happen to be a garlic fan. I like chipotle peppers are really great. They’re a great accent to a lot of the dishes. Certainly, coming up soon, you’ve got the spring and summer coming along, so fresh basil, fresh cilantro and the fresh herbs are just, I mean it really does make or break it. In the wintertime, there’s little comfort, you are using the dried herbs. That’s fine but, using fresh basil, even often something simple like tomato, basil, onion, olives or something. Just toss that up and just throw it in and it’s great. Just use foods that you like. You don’t have to go crazy. If you don’t like something then don’t eat it. Don’t eat the same thing over and over again. That’s the thing I oftentimes hear. Well, what am I going to eat? Well, how many different kinds of fruits and vegetables are there? Many.

Kevin: Yeah. What’s a trick to finding really good, fresh produce? In your profession, I imagine it’s important to have fresh produce. What are some of the tips that you found that can help?

Joel: There’s a couple different options. Certainly, if you can tap into a Farmer’s Market, that’s great. A lot of times they’re coming up with the CSA of the community. Gardens that people are involved in that a good thing to do. And if there’s not that available, oftentimes a health food store may carry produce already. If you go to them, especially if you can get another family or two that is eating the same as you are, then go and order like a half a case of something at a time. You’ll get a better price and you’ll certainly get it fresh. And sometimes you ought to go to places where they may knock 10-percent on for a hassle fee or something like that, but by the time you are buying it by the case, it’s better than buying it by the individual bunch or each.

Kevin: Right.

Joel: Obviously, as a raw foodie, you are going to eat a larger number of fruits and vegetables. So it sort of pays off to get a case or a half-case of things. If you can split it with another family or two, then it really does make it a lot more economical. And for some of the real frugal people, there are some people who will go to the health food store and they’ll ask them for the fruits and vegetables that they can’t quite keep on their shelves, but they are really still great. They might have a little bruise or something on it, but they don’t want to sell them in their store, so you can also get a really great price on those. There are a lot of people who will do that and you can get some great stuff.

Raw Food Travel Secrets By Chef Joel Odhner is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Renegade Water Secrets with Phillip McClusky, who lost 200 lbs. and found health and happiness in a raw food lifestyle. He is the host of www.lovingraw.com.

Kevin: So you’re reading “Raw Family” you’re sitting on the couch and you decide to go raw, what were the first three days like, the first week? How did that all pan out for you?

Phillip: Well I had tried so many things before in the past and what had happened was some of them were so confusing. Some of them were you had to buy this plan and you had to buy this package in the store and you had to write down how many calories and you had to move cards from slot to slot and all these different little colors and programs and all these different things that all these diets came across. So I knew that none of those were successful and basically they were confusing and not something that I want to do every day. I didn’t really want to look at every single calorie or every single box I picked up. So when I switched to this raw lifestyle what I had decided was the only way that I was going to be consistent and be able to do this was if I kept it simple and I stayed on a very easy program.

So in the very beginning I didn’t even concentrate on exercise. And it’s not that I recommend that but for me that’s what worked. I knew that I had to get the food right. I had literally devoured raw food books. I was reading a book a day and was really excited about everything. But I noticed that every body had a different opinion on raw foods. So somebody would say, “You have to juice so much.” The next person would say, “Juicing’s no good you have to do smoothies.” The next person would say, “You have to have 50 percent of your diet superfood.” And then the next person would say, “You have to mono-meal or do natural hygiene.” I read all that and what I decided to do was take all the information in and then do what felt right for me.

So the first three days for me were quite simple. I had been used to eating large meals so I figured, “I’m going to continue to eat large meals and I’m just going to switch them to salads.” So in the morning I had fruit and for lunch and dinner I had giant salads. I always think of it like this, when you go to maybe an Italian restaurant or a family-style restaurant and you have six or eight people around the table and they bring out a big bowl of salad that’s for everybody at the table, that’s pretty much what I made for my lunch and for my dinner. I didn’t worry about quantity. Some people would say, “You can’t have more than three avocados a week.” Well I was having three avocados a day, or four avocados a day. Some people would say, “It’s a good idea not to have more than a handful of nuts a day.” Well I was having like ten handfuls of nuts a day. I was making these giant salads that were really fulfilling and kept me pretty much at the same par as far as quantity wise, the food that I was eating. I pretty much stuck with that the next three days. Little did I know that my body would intuitively make changes and that would decrease over time.

Kevin: What would decrease?

Phillip: The size, the amount of food that I was actually eating.

Kevin: Got you. Why don’t you talk a little bit about…there’s a bunch of things I want to speak about but since we’re on what you started off eating, let’s talk a little bit about how that transition over the last two years, maybe give us a snapshot of every six months up until now. So six months from there, then six months-

Phillip: Sure. Great question. So here I am making these big, giant meals and just enjoying it and loving it. The weight is literally just flying off of me. Even without exercise at the time the weight was just flying off of me, just from changing the way I was eating. And I was shocked. I mean, I remember the first time I stepped on the scale and I realized that I had lost like 45 or 50 pounds or something like that, I just couldn’t believe it. It was a great feeling.

Then over the course of maybe the next three or four months I had noticed something that I had never noticed before, I was eating this giant, massive salad and I noticed that about 25 percent of the salad was left over. And I thought to myself, “Well that’s strange. I’ve never not finished a meal before.” So what I had to do was reevaluate. And I said, “Well, I guess I’m getting fuller quicker.” So I would make my salad a little bit smaller. Then over the next couple of months again the same thing happened, I had a little bit of the salad left over, about 25 percent. So I was making it smaller and smaller until I finally started to notice that it was kind of shrinking down to a normal size. It was quite an interesting experience because I wasn’t needing as much mass, this large amount of food that I had been used to eating.

So then I wondered how I could change other things. I was having fun and I was experimenting and there was times that I did make some of the gourmet raw foods. I went out and got a Cuisinart food processor and dehydrator and blender and stuff like that. I would have fun making some of the raw dishes and the pizzas and stuff like that sometimes, but it wasn’t my normal fare. My normal fare was usually just fruit in the morning and this salad for lunch and dinner.

So after a while I started really getting into making green smoothies or green shakes and literally just putting in an entire head of maybe spinach or lettuce or whatever green, I would rotate my greens, in with a little bit of fruit and water. And I would make this giant half-gallon smoothie. I started drinking that in the morning instead of just eating the fruit. It was a good way for me to get in my greens and fiber and a large amount of water, being a half-gallon container. I noticed that would take me until about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Then I might eat a little bit and then I would have dinner later on.

Then I started to notice that would take me until 3 o’clock. I just wasn’t hungry until that point. Then 4 o’clock, and then 5 o’clock. Then one day I was just sitting down and I realized that I hadn’t been eating lunch anymore and that I was totally fine. My body felt energized and excited and I was losing weight and I was feeling great. Literally this half-gallon smoothie, which is a lot of liquid, that I was making in the morning was taking me right to dinner. So I had switched from a three-meal way of eating to this two-meal essentially within probably eight months to a year, maybe around the year mark. Then I would just have a very moderate salad for dinner.

I was really thinking about the dynamics of how everything had worked and how things had transpired and what had felt so good was I didn’t necessarily have to listen to anybody’s rules per say, I took in what everybody was talking about and if one day I felt like just juicing, I would juice. If the next day I felt like having smoothies, I would do that. If I was eating oranges and just felt like having citrus, I would do a mono-meal of oranges. So I kind of incorporated a little bit of what everybody was talking about. But more than anything I really began to start, for the first time in my life, intuitive eating and just eating what felt right for me. There might be a day when I had mangoes and they tasted fantastic and I’d have maybe four in a row because there was something inside there that my body was really desiring, but then a couple of weeks later I would go to eat the same mango and it might not be that tasty for me. So I just figured to myself that maybe my body already got out of it what it had needed. So intuitive eating became a really big part of the way I started to live. Some days I’d feel a little bit weighed down and I might just do juice that day. I was totally fine with it. And vice versa, some other days I might just feel like I want to be a little bit more grounded so I might do a little bit more as far as avocado and nuts and such.

But this process was a fairly gradual process until I got to the point that I am at today. Really just intuitive eating and just really listening to your body and breathing throughout the process and just kind of being present to what I was putting in my mouth was probably the greatest source of change for me and felt the best for my body.

So maybe after a year I started figuring out what would be the next option for me and things just kind of got lighter and lighter until maybe about a year and a half or a year and six, seven months. I decided to do a juice fast. Basically what that was was drinking just juice for 92 days. It was something totally new for me, I hadn’t done any kind of long-term fast for anytime that long. And I just felt that it was right, it was my time and I just jumped right in to it. I ended up extending it and I did it for 100 days. For 100 days I just had fruit and vegetable juice. So that had switched my diet drastically. But it was a new experience and I wanted to really experience what the human potential was and what my body could really do and how much resolve and determination I had to really stick with this thing. So I did it and just experienced such amazing changes in my life, which I’m sure we’ll talk about later. I experienced such amazing changes.

Then after the juice feast period I’m slowly transitioning, that ended maybe about three or four months ago, and I’m just slowly transitioning back into my old way of eating, having smoothies in the morning, having salads. I do a lot of high water content fruits and vegetables – cucumbers and celery and tomato and things like that. Lately I’ve moved away from the nuts so much and just kind of keep to some simple seeds, like chia or flax or sunflower seeds and some things like that. But I tend to do a lot of high water content. I usually have at least a head of some sort of green – lettuce, bok choy, swiss chard- per day. And I keep it simple. People ask me if I get bored and I’m just like, “Fresh fruits and vegetables is what my body craves.”

Starting a Raw Food Diet is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Food processing industry professionals from the region, the United States and around the world attend this Expo.  The event attracts a full range of industry professionals, from CEOs, plant managers, purchasing managers, production and quality assurance managers, to the mechanics on the production floor.  They come to attend sessions and to see and learn about the latest technology, systems and related information that can improve their operations. They also attend to gain valuable ideas and insights from first-hand contact with representatives from the world’s leading equipment and services producers.

The mission at TraceGains (www.TraceGains.com) is to protect the brand of food and beverage clients by eliminating problems before product is shipped to the customer.   If a problem does occur this unique solution can minimize the brand damage by using patented recall trace-back and track-forward technologies. A recall alert can be initiated within minutes, reducing potentially bad news to one news cycle, and saving customers millions of dollars in long-term brand rehabilitation costs. The Recall Detective analyzes critical risk factors, going beyond material movement tracking; the Recall Minimizer provides instant multiple scenarios for reduced brand damage.

Increase Profits

By correlating and analyzing previously disparate data sets in the value chain, only TraceGains makes it possible to connect upstream inputs, suppliers, and raw materials to downstream outcomes such product quality or customer satisfaction. Firms can coach or replace poorly performing suppliers and counteract profit-draining events within the enterprise, as well perpetuate positive practices internally and throughout the supply chain, to achieve complete profit optimization.

According to Gary Nowacki, CEO of TraceGains, “Stuff happens. No matter how well HACCP, GMP, GAP or other systems work. Our solution continuously monitors all critical supply chain risk points, both within and outside the four walls of an enterprise. The system alerts busy managers to high-risk potential problems on an exception basis, so they can take action on the most critical and preventable problems before they are received for processing or shipped to customers. We are proud to be attending the 2009 NW Food Manufacturing & Packaging Convention & Exposition.”

TraceGains, Inc. (www.tracegains.com) was founded in 1998 with a 100% focus on traceability. The company has a patented delivery system —14 patents granted and growing —and also is an Issuer of United States Department of Agriculture Process Verification Program (PVP) Label.

TraceGains Inc.

www.tracegains.com

Marc Simony, Director of Marketing

traceability@tracegains.com

(303)682-9898

Tracegains to Attend the Northwest Food Manufacturing & Packaging Convention and Exposition is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

The NW Food Manufacturing & Packaging Convention & Exposition will be held January 19 – 21, 2009 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon.   The Convention & Expo is held annually in Portland and attracts almost 4,000 food processing industry professionals from across the country.  In addition to featuring over 450 exhibitor booths, the event offers industry-relevant education sessions with information and interesting speakers to encourage a broad-based attendance by food processor company personnel.

Food processing industry professionals from the region, the United States and around the world attend this Expo.  The event attracts a full range of industry professionals, from CEOs, plant managers, purchasing managers, production and quality assurance managers, to the mechanics on the production floor.  They come to attend sessions and to see and learn about the latest technology, systems and related information that can improve their operations. They also attend to gain valuable ideas and insights from first-hand contact with representatives from the world’s leading equipment and services producers.

Increase Profits

By correlating and analyzing previously disparate data sets in the value chain, only TraceGains makes it possible to connect upstream inputs, suppliers, and raw materials to downstream outcomes such product quality or customer satisfaction. Firms can coach or replace poorly performing suppliers and counteract profit-draining events within the enterprise, as well perpetuate positive practices internally and throughout the supply chain, to achieve complete profit optimization.

According to Gary Nowacki, CEO of TraceGains, “Stuff happens. No matter how well HACCP, GMP, GAP or other systems work. Our solution continuously monitors all critical supply chain risk points, both within and outside the four walls of an enterprise. The system alerts busy managers to high-risk potential problems on an exception basis, so they can take action on the most critical and preventable problems before they are received for processing or shipped to customers. We are proud to be attending the 2009 NW Food Manufacturing & Packaging Convention & Exposition.”

TraceGains Inc.

www.tracegains.com

Marc Simony, Director of Marketing

traceability@tracegains.com

(303)682-9898

Northwest Food Manufacturing & Packaging Convention and Exposition to Include Tracegains is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

When buying a dehydrator, some things to consider are the materials and construction used to manufacture the product, the size, heating elements, fans and guarantees. Make sure you have room for the dehydrator in the space you have planned for it. Choose one that\’s multi-purpose, with multiple trays and special trays for fruits and herbs. A side-mounted or horizontal fan is best when choosing a food dehydrator.

Here are some food dehydrators to consider. But do a little research to find just the right one for you!

Nesco American Harvest – A very inexpensive food dehydrator with five trays that don\’t have to be rotated. Price is $40-$55.

Excalibur Dehydrator – Has over 12 square feet of drying space. Comes with 9 free sheets and has a horizontal fan for maximum drying efficiency. Fast drying times, no tray rotation needed and fast cleanup. Price approximately $200-$220.

L\’Equip Dehydrators – Comes with special mesh for drying sheets, plus special sheets for making fruit leathers and fruit roll-ups. Has a compact design and good, uniform drying. Price is around $150.

TSM Commerical Dehydrator – When you\’re really serious about drying foods! Comes with 12 racks, 1600 watts of power, dual 6\” fans for strong air flow. Can dry 15-18 pounds of jerky. Priced at $650 and up.

And don\’t forget a food slicer for all that fruit drying! The Chef\’s Choice 645 food slicer has a powerful 130 watt geared condenser motor for smooth, quiet, fast operation. A large 7\” nonstick stainless steel slicer blade cuts fruit & vegetables. Micrometer control dial selects slices from deli-thin to 9/16\” thick.

Getting A Food Dehydrator is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

TraceGains will showcase these critical technology solutions in Booth 318, at the Food Safety Summit, April 27 – 29, 2009 in Washington, D.C. The Food Safety Summit is the largest and most established food safety and defense exposition in North America. It features a full program of intensive educational seminars, workshops networking events and a large trade show exhibition.

Each year, the Summit provides food processors, retailers, food service, government, military and academic professionals a forum to learn from expert speakers and trainers. It is an opportunity to exchange ideas, find solutions to current job challenges and engage in networking opportunities.

The 2009 Summit takes place April 27th – 29th at the Washington DC Convention Center. It includes two and a half days of intensive education covering traditional concerns (E. coli, product tampering, employee training, microbiological testing) and rapidly emerging concerns (bioterrorism, traceability, lab automation, global regulatory trends).

By correlating and analyzing previously disparate data sets in the value chain, only TraceGains makes it possible to connect upstream inputs, suppliers, and raw materials to downstream outcomes such product quality or customer satisfaction. Firms can coach or replace poorly performing suppliers and counteract profit-draining events within the enterprise, as well perpetuate positive practices internally and throughout the supply chain, to achieve complete profit optimization.  At TraceGains this is achieved through the Profit Optimizer.

According to Gary Nowacki, CEO of TraceGains, “Stuff happens. No matter how well HACCP, GMP, GAP or other systems work. Our solution continuously monitors all critical supply chain risk points, both within and outside the four walls of an enterprise. The system alerts busy managers to high-risk potential problems on an exception basis, so they can take action on the most critical and preventable problems before they are received for processing or shipped to customers. We are proud to be attending the Food Safety Summit.”

TraceGains Inc.

www.tracegains.com

Marc Simony, Director of Marketing

traceability@tracegains.com

(303)682-9898

TraceGains Exhibits at Food Safety Summit is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

The mission at TraceGains (www.TraceGains.com) is to protect the brand of food and beverage clients by eliminating problems before product is shipped to the customer.   If a problem does occur this unique solution can minimize the brand damage by using patented recall trace-back and track-forward technologies. A recall alert can be initiated within minutes, reducing potentially bad news to one news cycle, and saving customers millions of dollars in long-term brand rehabilitation costs. The Recall Detective analyzes critical risk factors, going beyond material movement tracking; the Recall Minimizer provides instant multiple scenarios for reduced brand damage. 

Each year, the Summit provides food processors, retailers, food service, government, military and academic professionals a forum to learn from expert speakers and trainers. It is an opportunity to exchange ideas, find solutions to current job challenges and engage in networking opportunities.

The 2009 Summit takes place April 27th – 29th at the Washington DC Convention Center. It includes two and a half days of intensive education covering traditional concerns (E. coli, product tampering, employee training, microbiological testing) and rapidly emerging concerns (bioterrorism, traceability, lab automation, global regulatory trends).

By correlating and analyzing previously disparate data sets in the value chain, only TraceGains makes it possible to connect upstream inputs, suppliers, and raw materials to downstream outcomes such product quality or customer satisfaction. Firms can coach or replace poorly performing suppliers and counteract profit-draining events within the enterprise, as well perpetuate positive practices internally and throughout the supply chain, to achieve complete profit optimization.  At TraceGains this is achieved through the Profit Optimizer.

According to Gary Nowacki, CEO of TraceGains, “Stuff happens. No matter how well HACCP, GMP, GAP or other systems work. Our solution continuously monitors all critical supply chain risk points, both within and outside the four walls of an enterprise. The system alerts busy managers to high-risk potential problems on an exception basis, so they can take action on the most critical and preventable problems before they are received for processing or shipped to customers. We are proud to be attending the Food Safety Summit.”

TraceGains Inc.

www.tracegains.com

Marc Simony, Director of Marketing

traceability@tracegains.com

(303)682-9898

Food Safety Summit to Feature TraceGains at Booth 318 is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Many pet owners prepare their prêt food at home. By preparing your pet food at home you can save up to 80% and it’s easy; making pet food at home is probably a lot less time-consuming than you may have thought. With hundreds of websites offering free pet food recipes online, it’s now easier than ever to make your own pet food.

While preparing food for your pet does not need salt added to their diet as the natural salt in the food is enough for them. It’s a good idea to always add a grain, such as Kibble, wheat germ, cooked oatmeal or whole wheat bread to meat dinners. For dogs use 75% carbohydrate foods (grains and vegetables) to 25% meat; for cats use half carbohydrate foods to half meat.

You will find, once you begin making your own pet foods, that it is really relatively simple and you will save some money as well. Remember that all pet foods should be served at room temperature; don’t serve food cold from the refrigerator nor hot from the stove.

Homemade pet food should take a ridiculously small amount of your time. As a general guide meats should be raw and vegetables must be finely chopped in a food processor or by a hand grater.

When it comes time for feeding, it is important that you let your dogs and cats eat as much as they want at the time of feeding. Once their body becomes nutritionally satiated, they will cut their food intake, sometimes by half the amount, and go on a maintenance diet. Incidentally, you should know that cats should be fed three times a day, while an adult dog needs only one meal a day.

To get started, find a good book with pet food recipes and use it to start preparing simple meals. You can also get free recipes from many websites online. If preparing your own pet food is not an option for you visit the website below for some healthy pet food

Anna Josephs is a freelance journalist having experience of many years writing articles and news releases on various topics such as pet health, automobile and social issues. She also has great interest in poetry and paintings, hence she likes to write on these subjects as well. Currently writing for this website Pet Health. For more details please contact at annajosephs@gmail.com

Guide to make your pet food at home is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

How is carbon monoxide used in packaging meats?
The FDA approved the use of carbon monoxide for modified atmosphere packaging systems in the U.S. in 2004. This particular process replaces the oxygen in the meat package with carbon monoxide in order to extend the product’s shelf life from the normal 5 days to a dramatically increased 15 days. Low oxygen levels reduce spoilage.

For consumer appeal, the carbon monoxide is combined with myoglobin, a globular protein of 153 amino acids, to form carboxymyoglobin. This bright cherry red pigment is injected into most red meats, including pork. Not only does it enhance the meat’s color and freshness, but it also masks any discoloration from spoilage.

So where does that leave you, the consumer? Well, in the dark basically, as the FDA does not require that food processors indicate on the label their use of carbon monoxide in the product.

How can food poisoning be a factor?
Without the certainty of knowing how long the meat has been in circulation, carbon monoxide food poisoning becomes a potential health risk. In a petition to the FDA, Kalsec, a Michigan based food company stated, “The use of carbon monoxide deceives consumers and creates an unnecessary risk of food poisoning by enabling meat and ground beef to remain fresh-looking beyond the point at which typical color changes would indicate ageing or bacterial spoilage.”

Many countries such as Canada, Japan, Singapore, and the whole of the European Union have banned this particular packaging process as the risk of carbon monoxide food poisoning poses too great a threat. In extreme cases, ingesting the bacteria in spoiled food can be fatal for certain individuals. If this process is here to stay in the United States, then consumers should be made aware of which meats have undergone this method of packaging.

Types of carbon monoxide food poisoning
Carbon monoxide food poisoning is a health hazard not to be taken lightly. Below is a list of the most common bacterium and viral ailments that can be contracted through the ingestion of spoiled foods and meats:

Viruses: norwalk, rotavirus, hepatitis A

Bacteria: salmonellae, campylobacter, staphylococcus aureus, bacillus cereus, e-coli, traveler’s diarrhea, botulism, vibrio cholerae

Parasites: beaver fever, cryptosporidium

While negligent food handling, storage, and incorrect cooking procedures remain significant contributing causes of food poisoning, the fact that carbon monoxide is used in delaying the aged appearance of meat most probably changes how consumers handle it upon arriving home from the grocery store. Because the meat looks fresh, a person might choose not to freeze it, and opt to keep it in the fridge for a couple of days before cooking it. However, if the meat had already begun to spoil, and continues to spoil on the shelf in the fridge, it could become the cause of carbon monoxide food poisoning in your home. 

Carbon Monoxide Food Poisoning – What You Need to Know is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Read more on Reuters via Yahoo! Asia News

Mushroom mania
In everything from breakfast, lunch, dinner and even to snacks, mushrooms make for marvelous mouthfuls of flavour. ffe versatility of what you can create with this humble fungi is endless and you’re only as limited as your imagination to what you can blend, bake, chop, saute and serve.[...]

Read more on Sarnia Observer

Recipes: Corn on the Fourth of July (and ribs and shortcake, too)
Even though our own national holiday just passed, many of us will be celebrating this weekend, which offers a good opportunity to bring family and friends together, enjoy our national good fortune – and salute our American cousins.

Read more on The Globe and Mail

Recipes: Corn on the Fourth of July (and ribs and shortcake, too) is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Read more on Woodstock Sentinel-Review

Recipes from the Kids Camp
Lee News Service

Read more on Herald & Review

Dean Foods Completes Amendment and Extension of Senior Secured Credit Agreement
Dean Foods Company today announced the successful completion of an amendment and extension of its Senior Secured Credit Agreement, lengthening its maturity profile, reducing near-term amortizations, and providing the Company greater flexibility in its financial leverage ratio covenant.

Read more on PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance

Dean Foods Completes Amendment and Extension of Senior Secured Credit Agreement is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Read more on The Times Herald

The Fourth: Living high on the dog
Say it: hot dog! The humble frank or wiener also can be an expression of delight and enthusiasm.

Read more on Access Atlanta

Picnics are a great way to enjoy summer
Picnicking is a wonderful way to enjoy the great outdoors during summer in Northeast Ohio. Organize an elaborate picnic to enjoy at a lawn concert, or make it a simple one to be carried in a picnic basket or daypack as you hike to a spot on the beach or near a waterfall. Dozens of picnic venues await for your pleasure, especially in this most delightful season.

Read more on The News-Herald

Picnics are a great way to enjoy summer is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Read more on CBS News

Celebrity Chefs Promote Louisiana Seafood
“Top Chef” Judge Tom Colicchio Pledges to Serve Louisiana Seafood in His Restaurants Despite Oil Spill

Read more on CBS News

Celebrity Chefs Promote Louisiana Seafood
“Top Chef” Judge Tom Colicchio Pledges to Serve Louisiana Seafood in His Restaurants Despite Oil Spill

Read more on CBS News

Celebrity Chefs Promote Louisiana Seafood is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Read more on CBS News

Tasty, lean turkey burger has a secret ingredient
Burgers all around

Read more on Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Halibut Mousse With Cold Cucumber Sauce
Summer cuisine is contradictory: We expect light, cooling courses, but we also prefer time-saving dishes that are easily prepared. Yet summer favorites often require a labor of love, such as churning ice cream and slowly smoking meat. Halibut mousse is often used as a hot first course, followed by a light salad, then a tour de force entrée, such as roasted duck or scaloppine (recipes available …

Read more on The Kansas City Star

Halibut Mousse With Cold Cucumber Sauce is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Renegade Water Secrets with Joel Odhner, restaurant owner, chef, and raw food chef with clients from Delaware to New York.

Kevin: So let’s get onto today’s guest, Joel Odhner, is a raw food prep chef who has quite an interesting story which I’ll let you, I’ll actually let Joel explain his story. I’m not going to go into it. I think it’s great that he’s got the story that he does have and he’s made a massive transition and he provides raw and vegan meals to a bunch of private clients along the east coast. And when I asked Joel what his range was, I was actually kind of shocked because he drives all from…?

Joel: Delaware to New York.

Kevin: Delaware to New York. He’s got a huge range of clients and a lot of them are just really great people and what’s even better is he’s just now been recently been in Dr. Oz’s most recent DVD preparing food which is really cool. So without further ado, I want to welcome Joel Odhner to the call.

Joel: Well, thank you, Kevin, I appreciate it. Hello, folks, and I guess as Kevin said, I’ll give you a little quick history of where I came from, probably about eight or nine years ago, I was running a restaurant, a good old standard American diet restaurant. And I also decided that I would be doing more partying than working.

So what I did was I quit doing that because I realize that that was other than the best type of lifestyle. And right after I quit that I got introduced to raw foods. I actually went through a Victoria Boutenko talk and she ever talk about raw foods and it kind of really made a lot of sense to me and I said I’m going to do this. She, her last statement in her talk was to try it for two weeks.

So, as they say, I’m still trying it, eight going on nine years now. Trying raw foods in different ways and after I was just planning out to do it myself, I started a business called Raw Lifeline and we ship raw meals all over the country including Hawaii, too. We have a couple clients in Hawaii that would get food. And then I decided I really wanted it to be more personal and go more creative, so about a year or so ago, I moved into the private chef area and so now I have private clients from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. And what I do is I go to their homes and make them delicious raw vegan and vegetarian meals and lasts about, depending on how much they eat, you know, three to five days with the food and I really enjoying it. So that’s a little bit of background and I’m up for some questions.

Kevin: We’ve got a ton of them and there was a theme, my friend, that I think kind of echoes through every single one. And we’re going to start right with the big elephant in the room here. It’s how do I fit my busy schedule and how do I prepare raw foods with what I’m doing. That’s seems to be the bar-none question that we got the most of. So I think this will answer a lot of peoples’ questions. Right here, what are some tips, tricks and techniques that you use to really break through the time barrier?

Joel: Okay, well, one of the things that I want to say is that some of that is kind of a mental thing. People have it that it’s going to take long and there’s a lot of steps and what I’ve learned over the last seven or eight years is that there are some shortcuts of which I will talk to you about. But I remember one of the questions was just even about washing, when you’re getting your produce, whether it’s organic is ideal and if not, about washing it and a couple times people ask me about that. The quickest way is literally to just fill up your sink with water, put in a capsule of hydrogen peroxide. Soak your veggies in there for maybe three to five minutes. Wash them around, get all the dirt off and everything and then pull them out and let them dry off. And that shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. And my feeling and my experience is that you’re not going to get it much cleaner than that. If you really want to take it and scrub it and go for it that’s a choice you can make. I just don’t think that you’re going to get much more off, either. If you’re not using organic and you are only able to get non-organic, you’re only going to get the outside pesticides off anyway. Anything that it is in the produce, it isn’t going to come off no matter how hard you scrub it.

Kevin: Right.

Joel: So there’s that. And then, the other thing, another trick is, what I’ve learned is there’s a handful of items that you can make that will last three and four days. And when I say that, clearly, in raw foods optimally you want to make it and eat it. That’s the optimal solution, but we have lives. A lot of people are busy. They either have kids, they have jobs and all these different kinds of things and they don’t have two hours, three hours a day to be making an individual meal. And I’ll be honest with you. Even me, personally, I hate making food for one person. I mean it takes just as much time to make it for one as it does for eight if you really think about it.

Kevin: Right.

Joel: So some of the tricks are to make things in larger batches. And making food easy, so you can make like a burger base, which is kind of like a carrot and nut base which will last an easy three to five days. You could make a kale salad. That’s like one of my number one favorites, kale with basically, just lemon-lime and olive oil, salt and pepper. And you massage that in and if you’ve got two or three heads, chop it up, put it in your fridge. It will last literally three to five days. In fact, it’s actually better the second and third day. So if you make a large batch of that, grab a handful, you’re all set rather than having to slice and dice every single day.

Kevin: When you talk about the washing the vegetables, are you talking about when you buy them. Just bring them home and wash them and then dry them and store them?

Joel: Yeah, okay. Yeah, unless you’re going to make them right there and then, yeah, just bring them on back, just everything you have right out of the bag, wash them up and then store them in your fridge. And that is one less. It’s easier to do en mass than individually every time you’re going to make it.

Kevin: Got you. And you mention the burger base. I think a lot of people would be interested in what are the kind of things you put into a burger base and do you sprout, if you’re putting lentils or any sort of grain in?

Joel: Sure. No, I don’t use grains. The basic one I was thinking of is I take raw almonds put them in the food processor, chop them up as fine a consistency as you want, relatively fine. A couple carrots, do the same thing, grind them on up and then that’s what I consider sort of the base and then I will dice some peppers, celery, onion and then mix that in. And if you want to put in, like, maybe, some fresh parsley or something like that, that’s great. And that’s what I consider sort of a base. It’s pretty plain and the advantage to that is you can take that base, that you made the large batch of it and then tomorrow you take a handful and make a burger out of it and maybe you want to sprinkle a little bit of chili powder on it so you have like a chili flavor on it or the next day you could sprinkle a little Italian seasonings and fresh herbs and stuff a pepper with it or you could roll it up in a collard green or romaine leaf. If you’re not totally raw, you could roll it up in a in a tortilla, like a sprouted tortilla wrap. So there’s lots of different options or just take a handful and throw it on your kale salad or any other type of salad you’re having. So the nice part about it is you can literally change the flavors each day with that base. You’ve only had to make it once. Another great thing is to stuff a Portobello cap. You can put that with a little slice of tomato, a little slice of onion on it and you have a great, great burger. Ideally, if you do that do it in the morning, by the time it’s lunchtime, the moisture from your burger has sort of soaked into your portabello cap and it’s sort of like an open-faced bun.

Kevin: Oh, wow. Now you are making me hungry.

Raw Food Tips For Busy Families From Celebrated Raw Food Chef is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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Wolfgang Tillmans: the lightness of being
Wolfgang Tillmans shot to fame in the 1990s with his photographs of friends, everyday images and the club scene. Since then, his work has become more abstract. Liz Jobey meets the artist on the eve of his first solo show in Britain for seven years The artist Wolfgang Tillmans, who was born in Germany but has lived for most of the past 20 years in London, won the Turner prize in 2000. It was the …

Read more on Guardian Unlimited

AURES Unveils New Tilting Screen Version Of Its ELIOS Terminal
AURES Technologies, the manufacturer of POSLIGNE point-of-sale management and cashier counter solutions, unveiled a new tilting screen version of ELIOS – the most elegant slimline ‘all-in-one’ ePOS terminal of its generation.

Read more on Business Solutions

AURES Unveils New Tilting Screen Version Of Its ELIOS Terminal is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Of course iguanas need to adjust to the less tropical conditions, but in any case, you have to provide them with foods that are close to what they eat in the wild. Caring of green iguanas is very important if you want to ensure their longevity, and is becoming easier now that they are popular as household pets. There are many experts who can recommend what to feed them as well as any special vitamins and, also, foods to avoid.

Iguanas should follow a good diet, because their life span depends heavily on it. Even if you take care of their cage, make sure they have enough amount of warmth and light, you need to take specific care to provide the appropriate iguana food and water, because if the diet is poor in nutritional content, then it won’t be your best friend for long.

Vegetables are the basis of the iguana’s diet, because they are rich in calcium and minerals that are absolutely necessary for their diet. Vets seem to agree that although iguanas are capable of eating animal proteins and meats, they don’t actually need it. In fact studies prove that some animal proteins are hard to process, and iguanas cannot really deal with that effectively, due to their specific digestive system.

Iguanas need to digest their food well, so cutting their food in small pieces is always essential. There are some particular kinds of food that are to be avoided completely, not only because they block their digestion, but also because they are rich in some toxins which are seriously damaging for iguanas. Such foods are spinach and beets or kale. Ice burg lettuce, while it may seem like a good food for your iguana, has poor nutritional value and should be avoided. Leafy greens like dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens and even green beans are ideal. You can also add in some spaghetti squash, sweet potato and raspberries if you like.

Keeping the iguana’s cage moist is essential, as iguanas have problems when dehydrated. Vets suggest also spraying the cage and even their food, regularly, because this is the best way to give them the amount of water and moist it is needed for their development, and most importantly their breathing system.

Iguanas should be fed on a daily basis, twice or according to your vet’s suggestions. Remember that they don’t chew their food but swallow it so you should chop their food to the appropriate sizes – using a food processor can help with this task.

Iguana Food – What You Feed Your Pet is Critical to His Health is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Read more on The Algona Upper Des Moines

Fat: The secret ingredient to a tasty lean burger
When it comes to ground meat (or most any meats for that matter), it’s a simple equation: fat equals flavor and moisture. It would follow then that a low-fat burger should be dry and tasteless, right? Not necessarily.

Read more on Asheville Citizen-Times

Venezuela to nationalize U.S. firm’s oil rigs
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela will nationalize a fleet of oil rigs belonging to U.S. company Helmerich and Payne, the latest takeover in a push to socialism as President Hugo Chavez struggles with lower oil output and a recession.

Read more on Muzi

Venezuela to nationalize U.S. firm’s oil rigs is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

TraceGains will showcase these critical technology solutions in Booth 318, at the Food Safety Summit, April 27 – 29, 2009 in Washington, D.C. The Food Safety Summit is the largest and most established food safety and defense exposition in North America. It features a full program of intensive educational seminars, workshops networking events and a large trade show exhibition.

Each year, the Summit provides food processors, retailers, food service, government, military and academic professionals a forum to learn from expert speakers and trainers. It is an opportunity to exchange ideas, find solutions to current job challenges and engage in networking opportunities.

The 2009 Summit takes place April 27th – 29th at the Washington DC Convention Center. It includes two and a half days of intensive education covering traditional concerns (E. coli, product tampering, employee training, microbiological testing) and rapidly emerging concerns (bioterrorism, traceability, lab automation, global regulatory trends).

By correlating and analyzing previously disparate data sets in the value chain, only TraceGains makes it possible to connect upstream inputs, suppliers, and raw materials to downstream outcomes such product quality or customer satisfaction. Firms can coach or replace poorly performing suppliers and counteract profit-draining events within the enterprise, as well perpetuate positive practices internally and throughout the supply chain, to achieve complete profit optimization.  At TraceGains this is achieved through the Profit Optimizer.

 

Vendor Round Table panel discussion “What’s Wrong with our Tracking and Traceability System” at this year’s Food Safety Summit.  The Traceability session will be taking place on Tuesday, April 28th from 1:15 – 2:00 in Theatre B.  The Theatre is located toward the back of the hall near booth 826 &827.  Barbara Van Renterghem is the session’s moderator, and the panel will include Richard Ross is Director of Industry Relations for TraceGains, Inc.  According to Ross, “A new imperative has appeared.  Consumer trust of food safety is shaken.  Food businesses are realizing that traceability and supply-chain monitoring exposes an opportunity for additional profit.  Although the consumer has always had the power to influence the food industry, that influence is being heard loud and clear – safe, flavorful and affordable food – and the food businesses are listening intently.” 

 

 

 

 TraceGains Inc.

www.tracegains.com

Marc Simony, Director of Marketing

traceability@tracegains.com

(303)682-9898

 

 

TraceGains’ Richard Ross on Panel at Food Safety Summit April 28th is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

The pregnant mother will not be able to indulge anyway and there is forever a chance that if you do dish out alcohol some of the guests will indulge a little bit more than they should. For this reason, it is a good idea to leave alcoholic beverages out totally. Serving non alcoholic drinks is also a lot less expensive but, at the end of the day, the choice is decided by the host. Befitting beverage choices for a baby shower should include a mixture of fruit juices, an variety of soda, a robust fruit punch served in a punch bowl and coffee and tea. Also, since drinks will not spoil, they can of course be purchased well in advance of the occasion.

Now, while the guest of honor will quite justifiedly be the heart of attention for the bulk of the proceeding, she will need to step out of the limelight in short to make way for the baby shower cake. A simple cake decorated with baby supplements and piped with the word ‘congratulations’ will do the trick nicely but, if the budget permits, a more elaborate cake can be transformed into a genuinely eye-catching center piece for your baby shower table.

If you are planning to order a cake from your local bakery then they will probably need about a weeks notice for a reasonably uncomplicated cake, but something more flamboyant could take a lot longer and so this is one item that needs to be ordered well in advance. Of course you can invariably make your own personal baby shower cake, but this will reckon very much on how good you are at baking and your level of skill as a cake decorator. Whatever your choice in terms of drink, cake and the food remember that simple food and good presentation is often the key to a successful party.

Fresh fruit and cheese and cracker tray work wonders on a baby shower food table. Add in some pretzels, sweets and a few chips, such as mints, candies and cookies, and the baby shower food practically handles itself. Take care in the presentation to use some matching plates or colors to ensure the baby shower food table looks spectacular and it should be just perfect. Baby shower food preparation can be one of the greatest challenges for a hostesses to master. If a large budget is not available, there are some tremendous ways to pull off a brilliant spread without breaking the bank.

Baby shower food like tea sandwiches and scones are kind of old fashioned and girly, but the old ladies will love them and honestly virtually most other people will too. Use really thinly chopped white sandwich bread, pepperidge farm makes a thin sliced type that they sell in all the stores, numerous good fillings are cucumber with watercress mayo. Just thinly slice the stripped cakes and make watercress mayo in a food processor, 1 bunch watercress and 1/2 cup mayo mixed until smooth.  Spread 1 slice bread with watercress mayo and a small layer of cucumbers. Also like brie butter and thinly sliced ham or fig jam or thinly chopped radishes.
Your baby shower food is to set up a buffet style spread or place plates of starters around the room. Many shower organisers intentionally locate plates of food around the room to get individuals up and walking about. This often promotes everyone to circulate and mingle with people they are seeing for the first time. Whatever you decide, do not forget to loosen up and enjoy yourself at the shower. Bear in mind all the invitees are there to pass time with and show support to the soon to be mom (and dad). The food is just icing on the cake.

Baby Shower Food is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Read more on Sioux City Journal

Fruit tarts add panache with simple recipe
Like the classic French fresh fruit tarts you see in fancy pastry shops, this American berry tart has serious panache. But we want you to enjoy your July Fourth celebration, so we came up with a simpler approach.

Read more on The Springfield News-Leader

Marfrig Bond Rally Defies S&P on $1.3 Billion Purchase (Upate2)
Bond traders are giving Marfrig Alimentos SA a vote of confidence even as credit rating companies say they may downgrade Latin America’s second-largest beef producer following a $1.3 billion acquisition in the U.S.

Read more on BusinessWeek

Marfrig Bond Rally Defies S&P on $1.3 Billion Purchase (Upate2) is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

TraceGains will showcase these critical technology solutions in Booth 318, at the Food Safety Summit, April 27 – 29, 2009 in Washington, D.C. The Food Safety Summit is the largest and most established food safety and defense exposition in North America. It features a full program of intensive educational seminars, workshops networking events and a large trade show exhibition.

Each year, the Summit provides food processors, retailers, food service, government, military and academic professionals a forum to learn from expert speakers and trainers. It is an opportunity to exchange ideas, find solutions to current job challenges and engage in networking opportunities.

The 2009 Summit takes place April 27th – 29th at the Washington DC Convention Center. It includes two and a half days of intensive education covering traditional concerns (E. coli, product tampering, employee training, microbiological testing) and rapidly emerging concerns (bioterrorism, traceability, lab automation, global regulatory trends).

By correlating and analyzing previously disparate data sets in the value chain, only TraceGains makes it possible to connect upstream inputs, suppliers, and raw materials to downstream outcomes such product quality or customer satisfaction. Firms can coach or replace poorly performing suppliers and counteract profit-draining events within the enterprise, as well perpetuate positive practices internally and throughout the supply chain, to achieve complete profit optimization.  At TraceGains this is achieved through the Profit Optimizer.

The mission at TraceGains (www.TraceGains.com) is to protect the brand of food and beverage clients by eliminating problems before product is shipped to the customer.   If a problem does occur this unique solution can minimize the brand damage by using patented recall trace-back and track-forward technologies. A recall alert can be initiated within minutes, reducing potentially bad news to one news cycle, and saving customers millions of dollars in long-term brand rehabilitation costs. The Recall Detective analyzes critical risk factors, going beyond material movement tracking; the Recall Minimizer provides instant multiple scenarios for reduced brand damage. 

TraceGains Inc.

www.tracegains.com

Marc Simony, Director of Marketing

traceability@tracegains.com

(303)682-9898

Richard Ross of TraceGains Participates in Traceability Session at Food Safety Summit April 28th is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Read more on The Springfield News-Leader

Recipe Corner
This recipe comes from the Appetizers & Beverages section of the “Be Our Guest” cookbook published by the Fidelis Inter Se Club. For information call Jane Huddleston at 972-382-2697.

Read more on The Celina Record

Child’s play in the kitchen
Ann Oliver shares some ideas and recipes for deliciously simply winter family fare.

Read more on The Independent Weekly

Child’s play in the kitchen is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

The organic pet food helps in improving the skin conditions and allergies of your pet. This is because the organic food is manufactured using high quality grains and sources that are high in protein. Organic food also helps in increasing the immune system of your pet keeping away health problems like the skin infections. In addition, since the organic food is free of chemical substances, your pet is not affected by the health problems due to these chemicals.

The organic pet food is also low on fat and therefore, organic food does not create weight problems in your pet. It is studied that cats and dogs with greater weights are more likely to suffer from back problems, organic failure and hip dysphasia. Since, the organic food contains high nutrition per ounce of food your pet does not tend to over eat and gets satisfied with small amount of food does maintaining his body weight.

The organic pet food is conveniently available for dogs and cats. Though the organic food is expensive as compared to the non-organic pet food, they provide higher benefits to the pets. Organic dog treats are also available for the dogs, which are hypoallergenic and also free of wheat gluten. The advantage of organic pet food is that the organic food is easy for the pet to digest, as there are no chemicals added, which results in the absorption of all the healthy nutrients present in the food.

To cut down on the cost one can even make organic pet food at home. While preparing the organic food at home it is very essential to choose only the fresh ingredients including the poultry products like the beef, turkey, and chicken. It is advisable to use vegetables like the carrots as it contains beta-carotene, which is very useful for the pet.  It is also recommended that the meat be thoroughly cooked and blended together with the help of a food processor. The vegetables and the meat must be mixed and cooked together with the use of brown rice for the binding purpose. Thus, your organic homemade food is ready to be served to your pet.

The organic food made at home needs to be stored in an airtight container and should not be stored more than four to five days. Serving of the home made organic food should be done as earlier, practiced with the ordinary food. For example, if your dog is in a habit of eating one cup of dry food a day then the organic food must be served in the similar quantities. The home made organic pet food can be prepared once a week.

These are Some of the Benefits of Organic Pet Food is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Homemade dog food can be better than some commercial products. We don’t realize what’s in the food we give our pets. Always inspect the ingredients.

Commercial dog foods can contain preservatives, and are altered by chemical processes that can be unhealthy for dogs. They can also contain processed unknown animal products and fillers that do nothing to contribute to your pet’s health.

To avoid your dogs ingesting unknown dog food ingredients, make your own. Control not only the content, but the quality as well.

Reasons To Consider A Homemade Dog Food

- dog has allergies to food
- persistent skin problems
- gastrointestinal upsets including diarrhea or constipation
- competes in sporting events or working stock and needs strength for endurance
- control of quality and freshness
- nothing processed so food retains all the vitamins, antioxidants and enzymes

Observe your dog to see he is getting his required dog food nutrition.

- shiny coat, illustrious feel
- sparkling eyes
- alert, good energy and activity
- maintain weight without getting fat
- stool firm and consistent

An appropriately balanced dog food recipe contains roughly 40% meat, 30% starch and 30% vegetables.

1. Meat: Any type can be included. Organ meat, such as liver, is particularly healthy for dogs. Bones should be removed as they are a choking hazard. Cook the meat – uncooked meat can contain unhealthy bacteria and possibly parasites.

2. Starch: Most forms are okay – cooked pasta, potatoes, and rice are common choices for homemade dog food.

3. Vegetables: Most types can be used. Do not use onions as they can be toxic. Cook the vegetables – raw veggies can pose a choking hazard.

Recipe For Quick Adult Homemade Dog Food

This recipe will feed a 50 pound adult dog for one day. If your dog in smaller or larger then the 50 pounds, adjust the amount of ingredients. You can cook enough for many days, divide accordingly and freeze the rest. This food has No preservatives, so refrigerate the fresh food for 3 days maximum. The human vitamin supplement Theragran-M Advanced and calcium carbonate (example: Tums) can be found in any pharmacy.

- 5 oz. dark meat chicken or turkey beef or fish
- 2 1/8 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 tsp. corn oil
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 pills Theragran-M Advanced (crushed)
- 2100 milligrams calcium carbonate (crushed)

Directions:

1. Cook rice until done.
2. Bake your meat, poultry, or fish choice 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
3. Crush human vitamins and “Tums”.
4. Mix all ingredients.

Pay attention to your dog’s response to the new dog food recipes you use. There may be items they refuse to eat or have reactions to a particular food. Try something else in their place, such as substitute chicken for turkey or rice for potatoes. Be aware for changes in your dog’s behavior, especially things such as excessive scratching. This could indicate an allergy to one of the foods you are using.

Homemade dog food recipes generally cause fewer allergic reactions than commercial brands. Plus, by making dog food recipes at home, you can control the proportion of different ingredients. This can be very important to working and sporting breeds that may require more nutrients for their active lifestyles.

While in the kitchen, why not whip up some dog biscuits. Recipes can be found on the Internet, or try your library. Here is an easy dog biscuit recipe, use it for training or a treat. I have never met a dog who didn’t love his cheese!

Any Cheese Biscuits

- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, or any cheese in the fridge)… dogs Love any type of cheese!
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 3/4 cup milk, lowfat
- grated parmesan for topping (if you have it on hand)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all flours and cheese together in a food processor (or by hand, mix well).
3. Add softened butter and milk, mix well.
4. Roll out on a surface to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.
5. Cut into shapes, squares is fine.
6. Place on greased baking surface.
7. Bake for 15 to 29 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Cool and store in refrigerator.

Always check with your Veterinarian before making any changes to your dog’s diet. For any type of dog, homemade dog food is a good choice to ensure they live a long, happy, and healthy life.

Homemade Dog Food, Your Hunting Dog Will Love You is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Consumers Digest reported several years ago, “Few foods are so liberally laced with artificial flavors as pet foods” they also quoted sources that basically said that the only way they can get pets to eat the poor quality food is by adding phony flavors.

Would you choose artificial, poor quality for ingredients in your dog foods or would you rather choose dog foods that are all natural dog foods for your dog?

A carnivore’s system is designed to eat raw meat, one animal at a time. Your dog should digest its meal and be eliminated before any putrefaction begins. A dog’s digestive system is highly acidic, or at least it should be. Only raw meat stimulates a highly acidic system that is designed to kill unfriendly bacteria.

Ingredients in the Best All Natural Dog Foods

You will find the best all natural dog foods consist of approximately 75% organic, all natural raw meat. This can consist of beef, whole chicken or turkey wings, necks and backs as long as they are raw and fresh. When bones are old or cooked they become brittle and splinter.

The best all natural dog foods are also around 25% vegetables. This does not mean give your dog a whole, raw carrot. In the wild your dog would get these vegetable requirements from the predigested vegetables in the animal’s stomach and intestines. You can add organic vegetables to your all natural dog foods by grating them, chopping finely (like what you would find in a rabbit’s stomach) or run through a blender, food chopper or food processor.

In the wild a dog would get the water they needed from their prey, so the all natural dog foods you give your dog should be the consistency of a thick stew. The moisture content of dog foods also has an effect on maintaining healthy kidneys and bladder in your dog. Many pet owners report their dog cutting down on water consumption when being fed these types of all natural dog foods.

Most of the minerals must come in the form of supplementation today. Calcium is very important in the best all natural dog foods. Bone meal is not an acceptable source of calcium for your all natural dog foods because bones store toxins and heavy metals like lead or even mad cow disease. The other reason is the calcium to phosphorous ratio. Pets need a 2:1 ratio between calcium and phosphorus. That is, for every 2 parts of calcium in the food, there should be 1 part phosphorus. As an example, if the food contains 2 grams of calcium, the food should contain 1 gram of phosphorus. Meat is naturally low in calcium and high in phosphorus. Bone meal is not only a source of calcium, but bone meal is also a source of phosphorus, so using bone meal reverses the 2:1 ratio so that perhaps your dog’s body has a 1:3 ratio or 1 part calcium to 3 parts phosphorus. This imbalance could cause your dog health problems.

Finely ground raw egg shells are the best choice for calcium supplementation in the best all natural dog foods. They contain virtually no phosphorus and are extremely high in calcium plus they are affordable and lightweight. The best all natural dog foods will use approximately 1 tsp. finely ground raw egg shells or about 8 large eggs for every pound of meat. Raw eggs are an excellent source of meat and affordable.
Digestive enzyme supplementation are also a good ingredient in the best all natural dog foods. The four most commonly used enzymes in the best all natural dog foods are amylase that helps with the digestion of carbohydrates, protease which helps with the digestion of protein, lipase that helps with the digestion of fats and cellulase for the digestion of vegetables.

Nutritive herbs provide a blend of vital nutrients that are essential in the best all natural dog foods. Alfalfa which is an Arabic word meaning “mother of all foods, dandelion leaf, nettle, and kelp are ingredients in the best all natural dog foods. These herbs can be found in various green food powder supplements from health food stores.

The combination of these herbs in the best all natural dog foods provide such nutrients as biotin, bioflavanoids, calcium, magnesium, folic acid, iodine, iron, potassium, linolenic acid, niacin, potash, sulfur, zinc, vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E. These herbs also aid in the assimilation of protein, fats and carbohydrates plus are an excellent blood purifier. They also aid the body to help detoxify the liver, clean the colon and keep the thyroid working.

Using these simple guidelines you can choose which are the best all natural dog foods to buy or how to make the best all natural dog foods available so your dog can enjoy optimum health.

Use These Simple Guidelines to Choose the Best All Natural Dog Foods is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Meats need to be fed one animal at a time. In the wild your dog would not eat more than one kind of meat at once. The meat should be ground or served in chunks which are easier to eat. Larger pieces will cause your dog to hold them with their feet to rip the meat apart, which can get messy.

Do not feed any fat that has been cooked which can lead to problems with your dog’s pancreas. Remember in the wild your dog would only get the fat that was on the animal and eaten raw. Use the skin that comes on the meat of in the case of beef the fat riddled throughout the meat.

Meats that cause trichinosis should never be fed like pork, bear, seal, ground squirrels, etc. However specialty meats like moose, ox, venison or bison are very pure and nutrient dense and can be fed in smaller quantities occasionally. Soft boiled eggs are also a good protein source, feed shells and all.

Organ meats are also very nutrient dense so use organ meat sparingly in your homemade dog food recipe. Either feed organ meats a couple of times a week for the meat portion or feed small amounts daily. Brains, heart and eyes are very high in taurine which is an essential amino acid for a healthy dog.

Vegetables are also essential in the best all natural dog foods. Remember to shred vegetables in a blender or food processor, your dog was used to getting them predigested in the wild. Use 3 or four different kinds of vegetables, preferably different colors to receive a wide variety of nutrients. The darker the vegetable, the more nutritious it will be in your all natural dog foods homemade dog food recipe.

It is best to avoid vegetables from the nightshade family like eggplants, green peppers, potatoes, onions, chives, garlic and tomatoes. These vegetables are associated with arthritis problems. Spinach also has a high oxalic content which can lead to kidney stones.

The best ingredients for the best all natural dog foods in your homemade dog food recipe are free range or organic meat because of the amount of toxins in meat and organic vegetables or peel the skin or wash with a spray to remove pesticides. Organic is always the best choice for all natural dog foods. Warm purified water is also an essential element in the best homemade dog food recipe. If these ingredients are not available use what you have, because it will make better all natural dog foods than you can purchase. Do not make your homemade dog food recipe because you cannot get all organic, what you make will be much more nutritious than any all natural dog foods you can buy.

Mix the meat at about 75% with the vegetables about 25% of the homemade dog food recipe. Puppies need a little more meat to vegetables since they are growing. Mix enough warm water to make a stew consistency. Meat and vegetables should be raw with the vegetables shredded finely. If you see vegetables in your dogs stool they are not chopped fine enough.

Your dog will eat until he is full. A good rule of thumb is about a pound of all natural dog foods per fifty pounds of your dog’s body weight. Do not feed your dog again until he has eliminated the previous meal or this can cause digestive problems for your dog. Always introduce any change in your dog’s diet slowly, increasing the new food daily until you have switched your dog over to the new all natural dog foods.

Using these simple guidelines you can make your dog the best all natural dog foods from your own homemade dog food recipe so your dog can enjoy optimum health. Your dog will love you for it.

Best Ingredients For All Natural Dog Foods Using This Simple Homemade Dog Food Recipe is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Raw food restaurants hold increased in merde for the duration of the past 10 years, as more people seek healthier diets and lifestyles. Raw food restaurants serve no cooked foods. Instead, they serve an assortment of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains?including raw desserts, raw pizza, raw ?lasagna? and more. Surprisingly, raw food tastes good?and best of all, it’s good for you.

Currently there are 95 raw food restaurants worldwide?however, their total quantity also includes a handful of vegetarian restaurants the are partially raw (restaurants overly serve both cooked and raw food selections).

Raw Food Restaurant Food Preparation

Raw food restaurants use the majority of weapons to prepare food for customers: a food processor, a high-powered blender, juicers, and variable-temperature dehydrators, among others. Absolutely no microwaves, ovens, or stoves are used. This is executed to preserve the live enzymes presents in all raw food. Live enzymes are destroyed when food is cooked out of 114 degrees Fahrenheit.

Raw Food Gourmet Chefs

The raw food trend has picked up steam in the most recent months, spawning ?gourmet raw food chefs? and raw food cooking schools. Even classic chefs are visiting raw food restaurants to find a cuisine that offers unforeseen diversity, flavor and texture.

Popular Raw Food Restaurants

Some of the a good deal more well-known raw food restaurants include Juliano’s Raw in Santa Monica, California. Juliano’s Raw was one of the first raw food restaurants to open its doors. Other well-known raw food restaurants include Pure Food & Wine in New York City, and Café Gratitude in San Francisco, California.

Raw Food Restaurants Worldwide – Exploring Raw Food Restaurants for Taste & Nutrition is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

What Type of Food is Served?

New York raw food restaurants work on the behalf of an assortment of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains?including raw desserts, raw pizza, raw ?lasagna,? and more. Surprisingly, raw food tastes great?and best of all, it’s good for you. Raw food restaurants use several tools to prepare food for customers: a food processor, a high-powered blender, juicers, and variable-temperature dehydrators, among others.

Absolutely no microwaves, ovens, or stoves are used. This is finished to preserve the live enzymes presents in all raw food. Live enzymes are eradicated when food is cooked beyond 114 degrees Fahrenheit.

Raw Food Chefs & Cooking Schools

The raw food proclivity has gathered steam in recent months, spawning ?gourmet raw food chefs? and raw food cooking schools. Classic chefs are visiting New York raw food restaurants to discover a cuisine the current offers unforeseen diversity, flavor and texture.

Popular New York Raw Food Restaurants

One of the most popular New York raw food restaurants is Pure Food & Wine, which opened in June 2004 and serves eye-catching dishes in an upscale setting. Other well-known New York raw food restaurants input Quintessence, Blue Green, and Bonobos.

New York Raw Food Restaurants is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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Vivian Norris de Montaigu: Sadness and Seafood: New Orleans Recounts the Loss
My friend Jim Gabour sent me a Blackberry thumbed update last week from Pensacola — where those on the lookout for the arrival of the oil on those pristine beaches weren’t talking.

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Chinese businessmen to pay visit to Maine
A delegation of Chinese businessmen is coming to Maine to explore opportunities with the state’s lobster, blueberry and aquaculture industries.

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Chinese businessmen to pay visit to Maine is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Raw food cafes have increased in number for the duration of the out of 10 years, as more people seek healthier diets and lifestyles. Raw food cafes serve no cooked foods. Instead, they serve an assortment of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains?including raw desserts, raw pizza, raw ?lasagna? and more. Surprisingly, raw food tastes good?and best of all, it’s good for you. Currently there are 95 raw food cafes & restaurants worldwide?however, that number in addition includes a handful of vegetarian cafes the present are partially raw (restaurants that serve both cooked and raw food selections).

Raw Food Cafe Food Preparation

Raw food cafes use several tools to prepare food for customers: a food processor, a high-powered blender, juicers, and variable-temperature dehydrators, among others. Absolutely no microwaves, ovens, or stoves are used. This is wound up to preserve the live enzymes presents in all raw food. Live enzymes are demolilshed when food is cooked beyond 114 rates Fahrenheit.

Popular Raw Food Cafes & Raw Food Chefs

The raw food trend has picked up steam in current months, spawning ?gourmet raw food chefs? and raw food cooking schools. Even classic chefs are visiting raw food restaurants to discover a cuisine overly offers unexpected diversity, flavor and texture. Some of the funny things well-known raw food cafes include Café Gratitude in San Francisco, which serves tasty raw food and strives to encourage abundant thinking and gratitude. Other legendary raw food cafes affix Tree of Life Café in Arizona, Café La Vie in Santa Cruz, Go Raw Café in Las Vegas, and Karyn’s Fresh Corner Café in Chicago.

Raw Food Cafes – Experience Healthy Delicious Food at Raw Food Cafes is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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Supporters walk for alleged torture victim
About 40 people strode the streets of Regina Saturday afternoon in a show of support for a Winnipeg man recovering in hospital from alleged torture.

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Phaneuf to be named new Leafs captain
The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to unveil Dion Phaneuf as the 17th captain in club history on Monday.

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Phaneuf to be named new Leafs captain is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Homemade dog food can be better than some commercial products. We don’t realize what’s in the food we give our pets. Always inspect the ingredients.

Commercial dog foods can contain preservatives, and are altered by chemical processes that can be unhealthy for dogs. They can also contain processed unknown animal products and fillers that do nothing to contribute to your pet’s health.

To avoid your dogs ingesting unknown dog food ingredients, make your own. Control not only the content, but the quality as well.

Reasons To Consider A Homemade Dog Food

Homemade dog food, your hunting dog will love you

* dog has allergies to food
* persistent skin problems
* gastrointestinal upsets including diarrhea or constipation
* competes in sporting events or working stock and needs strength for endurance
* control of quality and freshness
* nothing processed so food retains all the vitamins, antioxidants and enzymes

Observe your dog to see he is getting his required dog food nutrition.

* shiny coat, illustrious feel
* sparkling eyes
* alert, good energy and activity
* maintain weight without getting fat
* stool firm and consistent

An appropriately balanced dog food recipe contains roughly 40% meat, 30% starch and 30% vegetables.

1. Meat: Any type can be included. Organ meat, such as liver, is particularly healthy for dogs. Bones should be removed as they are a choking hazard. Cook the meat – uncooked meat can contain unhealthy bacteria and possibly parasites.

2. Starch: Most forms are okay – cooked pasta, potatoes, and rice are common choices for homemade dog food.

3. Vegetables: Most types can be used. Do not use onions as they can be toxic. Cook the vegetables – raw veggies can pose a choking hazard.

Recipe For Quick Adult Homemade Dog Food

This recipe will feed a 50 pound adult dog for one day. If your dog in smaller or larger then the 50 pounds, adjust the amount of ingredients. You can cook enough for many days, divide accordingly and freeze the rest. This food has No preservatives, so refrigerate the fresh food for 3 days maximum. The human vitamin supplement Theragran-M Advanced and calcium carbonate (example: Tums) can be found in any pharmacy. Always consult with your veterinarian.

* 5 oz. dark meat chicken or turkey beef or fish
* 2 1/8 cups cooked brown rice
* 1 tsp. corn oil
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 2 pills Theragran-M Advanced (crushed)
* 2100 milligrams calcium carbonate (crushed)

Directions:

1. Cook rice until done.
2. Bake your meat, poultry, or fish choice 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
3. Crush human vitamins and “Tums”.
4. Mix all ingredients.

Pay attention to your dog’s response to the new dog food recipes you use. There may be items they refuse to eat or have reactions to a particular food. Try something else in their place, such as substitute chicken for turkey or rice for potatoes. Be aware for changes in your dog’s behavior, especially things such as excessive scratching. This could indicate an allergy to one of the foods you are using.

Homemade dog food recipes generally cause fewer allergic reactions than commercial brands. Plus, by making dog food recipes at home, you can control the proportion of different ingredients. This can be very important to working and sporting breeds that may require more nutrients for their active lifestyles.

While in the kitchen, why not whip up some dog biscuits. Recipes can be found on the Internet, or try your library. Here is an easy dog biscuit recipe, use it for training or a treat. I have never met a dog who didn’t love his cheese!
Any Cheese Biscuits

* 1 cup all purpose flour
* 1 cup whole wheat flour
* 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, or any cheese in the fridge)… dogs Love any type of cheese!
* 2 tbsp. butter
* 3/4 cup milk, lowfat
* grated Parmesan for topping (if you have it on hand)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all flours and cheese together in a food processor (or by hand, mix well).
3. Add softened butter and milk, mix well.
4. Roll out on a surface to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.
5. Cut into shapes, squares is fine.
6. Place on greased baking surface.
7. Bake for 15 to 29 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Cool and store in refrigerator.

Always check with your Veterinarian before making any changes to your dog’s diet. For any type of dog, homemade dog food is a good choice to ensure they live a long, happy, and healthy life.

Homemade Dog Food is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Invest in a dehydrator and make your own chips,crackers,cookies,dehydrated nuts, etc.A good idea would be to copy down the ingredients of packaged raw food snacks and make your own version of them at home.It can be more fun this way and you can make enough for some friends too.

Additional Book Options : You can organize a book exchange with some other health-conscious friends. Or you can buy those books you know you want for your personal collection from an online bookstore.Buy your supplements online and preferably in bulk, if possible.If you don’t need or want that much product, create co-ops with your friends, buy in bulk, and split the shipping.Make your own beauty products out of the foods you now have in your kitchen.

Make and Exchange Food with friends in order to try out new recipes and Save on Money and Time : Either make raw food recipes in big batches and share among friends, or organize your own potluck and invite some friends. To make it easy on them, you can give them some easy recipes to choose from or direct them to one of the many raw food recipe websites online.

Buy Used Kitchen Equipment : Check online, at local health food stores on the notice board, or ask your friends and family if they have a food processor, blender, or juicer they don’t use that you could borrow.

Always search several websites online for the best possible price before buying online (especially supplements). It’s usually the same product online versus at a raw food restaurant or health food store.Make your own Rejuvelac and/or Kombucha if you can. Do a search online for ingredients and instructions. It’s very easy and economical to do. It could save you money on Probiotic supplements as well.Sprout your own sprouts. Each tray of sprouts will only cost you about .20-.30 cents each and $4-5 dollars at the store.

Shop where the Organic Food is most Affordable First : Buy whatever good organic food is available at the farmers market or smaller produce stores before going to the big chain natural food store. Then figure out your menu or recipe ideas for the week, based on what you have to work with in your fridge.

Buy all your spices and nuts, seeds, grain, and dried fruit in the bulk section of your big chain natural food store. Because you’re not paying for the packaging, it’s a lot less expensive.If available, buy mint, basil, rosemary and other fresh herbs in the bulk section of the natural foods grocery store for substantial savings.

Raw Food Lifestyle-twenty-two Ways to Save Money is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

You also need take the guests into consideration before starting out with your recipes.

Party food planning is not an easy part of the party planning…but just like anything else, you just need to have a guide to help you through. So here are some great helpful tips for the food planning aspect of your party…

Remember the cardinal rule: for every person, you need a pound of food for snacks and one and a half pounds for the actual meal…

…for the appetizers, prepare at least five for each guest. Use the one and a half pounds per guest rule for the dips and the fondue.

For the beverages, remember that the quantity of the drinks will vary depending on the number of guests…

…consider how long the party will be and remember to equip your party with the following: ice, napkins and enough cups so the guests won’t have to stick with their dirty ones all the time. For kids I recommend writing their names on them.

Basic recipe conversion: a liter is equivalent to 4 and 1/4 cups, 3 teaspoons equate to a tablespoon and a pint means two cups.

Start as early as possible…Plan six weeks before the actual date of the party. Know what type of party it is, the recipes needed and other purchases you need to make.

Buy non-perishable items first for practical reasons.

Invest in kitchen equipment and other food processors, if you have the means…

…get mixers, blenders, food processors and choppers. Guaranteed you will never have regrets once you buy these time-saving devices.

Rent glassware, cutlery, china and linen if needed, for a larger more formal party affair…remember that in a party, it is not just about the food. Fancy can really spice up the atmosphere, so if you do not have china available, borrow from friends or rent.

When food planning know what food your guests will like…

…be sensitive to your guests’ needs and wants. It is important if you find out if any of them has food allergies.

Party food planning is half science, half art. It needs a lot of skills, precision, creativity and fun! Everything pays off when your guests have nothing but praises for your food and your party.

Party Food Planning Tips is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Business Excellence Reveals Profitability in Food Traceability is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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High on the hog: Summer is prime time for pork
I really didn’t need proof that people around the metro-east eat more pork during the summer than the rest of the year.

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5 Southern Marinades for the Grill
For this chef, five is the magic number: five sauces with five or fewer ingredients that take less than five minutes Vinegar – Olive oil – Garlic – Grilling – Cook

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5 Southern Marinades for the Grill is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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The science of sports ingredients
Sports nutrition is a very competitive market: Datamonitor, which classifies sports nutrition as sports drinks and energy bars, places the European market at US$2.8bn (€2.3bn) in 2008, with a forecast to reach $3.6bn (€2.95bn) by 2013.

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Eat Well – Grilled summer herb and olive focaccias
By Jim Romanoff Associated Press Want to transform pizza from greasy to healthy? You can start by leaving off the cheese.

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Eat Well – Grilled summer herb and olive focaccias is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

It is a wise move to make your own dog food considering all the advantages you might get by adapting to a more personalized and healthy pet chow. It may not be easy to begin with since your pet is already accustomed to her preferred chow mix. But offering the new health food in small amounts to begin with, then steadily increasing the portions will do the job. Your dog will be munching on her healthy new potions in a short time and with much delight.

Putting your affectionate dog on a healthy diet plan is really straightforward – all it really needs is desire and some basic cookery skills. With all those home made dog food recipes for animals with healthy ingredients, you’ll never run out of new meals that your pooch can really drool over. All you need to do now is come up with a diet plan for your dog in agreement with the vet.

One of the more usual recipes for home made dog food combines vegetables, grains, and meat into one appetizing meal. One such meal specifically from home made dog food recipes calls for such natural ingredients: 10 oz lobster or shrimp, 1 boiled potato, 1 cup raw liver, 2 lbs hamburger, 1/4 cup blueberries, 2 cups of rolled oats, 1/4 cup wheat germ, 1/2 cup brown rice, a tad of cinnamon and 1/4 cup of brewers yeast.

Combine shrimp or lobster, beef, and boiled potato and situate all in a food processor. Squash the blueberries into a mushy fruit paste. Bring together all the ingredients and turn over until a ball shape is established. This is supposed to be offered fresh and raw.

Another one of these delicious, yet scrumptious recipes for home made dog food is a entirely natural pet food which comprises of the following ingredients: 1/2 bunch parsley (chopped), 6 zucchini (grated), 3-4 bunches of broccoli (stems grated and flowerettes chopped), 2 lbs carrots (grated), 6 cups barley, 2 cups brown rice, and 8 cups oats.

This delight is easy to make. Using 2 eight quart stock pots prepare the oats whilst in a further pot brown rice and barley. Then set aside to cool ideally over night. Chop the vegetables and puree by using a food processor. Blend all the food ingredients and shape into several balls. Now freeze for later use. This home made dog treat recipe will have your pooch pleading for more and forgetting about dry flavourless dog food in a second.

Once you make your own dog food from steps like these hold in mind that when you’re applying natural ingredients, the food will spoil easily so you should simple make enough to last a couple of days – depending on the life of all the ingredients.

All-natural ingredients in pet food are extremely beneficial to provide your dogs with the necessary vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that she requires. As soon as you make your own dog food you are in control of your pet’s diet, so you’re sure that your dog is attaining all that she demands.

Make your Own Dog Food With Only All Natural Ingredients is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Recently Georgia legislators, and other states are slated to follow, are taking reactionary and draconian legislative measures. After Georgia-made peanut products were named as the culprit in a nationwide salmonella outbreak, state lawmakers have moved quickly on a bill to make Georgia the first state to require food makers to swiftly alert state inspectors if their internal tests show their products are tainted.  The proposed food safety regulations would require the food processors to report the results within 24 hours.  Never mind false positives, bad testing data, damaged brand protection from erroneous media reporting, and other nefarious outcomes.  Federal officials, food scientists, legal experts and industry groups cannot point to another state with similar requirements and will cause many food manufacturers to vacate the state, causing significant job losses at a time when such a results can least be afforded.

 

 

The most sensible approach has three steps:

 

Label throughout the Entire Food Supply Chain as the Starting Point.  Every raw food product leaving the farm gate, every intermediate food ingredient shipped from an ingredient processing plant, and every final food product shipped from the final food manufacturer, imported or domestic, must have bar codes depicting:

(a)       a unique identification number for each shipper

(b)       identification of the owner

(c)        product number identifying the contents of the carton

(d)       production lot number or other production identifier

 

Initially, the labeling can be at the individual case or master case level (whichever is most appropriate), but labeling quickly should move in the next five years to individual items inside the case as appropriate.  We don’t think each apple, for example, should have this information, but if the carton contains wrapped, tinned or otherwise packaged food products, each separately wrapped consumer-ready food item should be labeled.   The label containing the above bar-coded information should also be human readable and interoperable throughout the supply chain:  from growers and first-mile producers all the way to the receiving dock of the retailer who provides the finished product to the consumer.  Retailers, though, would not be required to tie a specific sale to a specific consumer. 

 

One such labeling approach would be to combine the current UPC code with the lot number using the Global Standard 1 (GS1-128) labeling standard.  There are several labeling standards, though, and we are not predisposed to a specific standard. 

 

Preserve Identity throughout the Entire Food Supply Chain as the Foundation for Safety and Rapid Action in the Event of a Problem.  All labeled products from the farm gate, through intermediate ingredient processing, to final manufacturing should be scanned upon receipt, and each incoming material should be tracked to the specific, final product.  In this way, each outgoing product from each production segment (whether a consumer-ready finished good or an intermediate) can be tied back to all the batches for each incoming ingredient.  Identity would be preserved across commingling, re-pack, re-work, and re-combination.  Additionally, any packaging material in direct contact with the food product would also be tracked as part of the record.  The result would be a Bill of Compliance for each production batch for each operation.  Given that the ingredients for many final food products pass through one or more intermediate processors, this allows authorized regulators to truly understand the source of all materials back to the first mile. 

 

Create a Private Industry Data Repository for the Entire Food Supply Chain while Enabling Rapid Investigation, Root Cause Analysis, and Tracing to the Source of the Problem.  The data gathered would not immediately be sent to a central, government-controlled database.  Rather, each company in the supply chain would be free to choose a “data trustee” who will hold information on the food company’s behalf, and make only appropriate information available to investigators in the event of a food safety problem when investigators request that information.  A large corporation might elect to become their own “data trustee” if they were able to become certified as a “data trustee”.  Until requested, no corporate production information would flow from the “data trustee” to populate the government database.   Each “data trustee” can be queried electronically by government investigators for information relating to a specific entity in the supply chain.  When queried, the “data trustee” would respond with only the minimal information required to proceed with the food investigation.  Other information which may be sensitive to the food company would be not shared with the government.  This data sharing approach not only preserves data confidentiality for the food companies, but it simplifies the task of assembling the necessary information for investigations by government.   To provide the necessary checks-and-balances to ensure such a system is not abused, each government use would be reviewed by a select committee of government-appointed members (1/3), industry-appointed members (1/3), and members mutually appointed by the first two groups (1/3).

 

 

 

TraceGains Inc.

www.tracegains.com

Marc Simony, Director of Marketing

traceability@tracegains.com

(303)682-9898

 

TraceGains’ Spells out Sensible Food Supply Chain Solutions is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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NEW ORLEANS–Contemporary Southern cooking is getting a taste of something fresh–respect.

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Shop like Celebrity Chefs at Downtown Santa Monica Farmers’ Market. Easy Summer Recipes Incorporate Fresh Ingredients …
For the best in local farm to table produce, acclaimed chefs from all over the Los Angeles area schedule Wednesday and Saturday mornings for a trip to the oldest and most respected certified farmers’ market in California: the Downtown Santa Monica Farmers’ Market, which features 75 farmers and takes up more than 4 city blocks.

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Shop like Celebrity Chefs at Downtown Santa Monica Farmers’ Market. Easy Summer Recipes Incorporate Fresh Ingredients … is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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Sprint Packs HTC EVOTM 4G with Features to Give Businesses a Competitive Edge
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—-HTC EVOTM 4G, available exclusively from Sprint beginning June 4, comes packed with the potential to transform the way today’s companies do business. Stream video real-time, send and receive mega files that would have previously gnarled networks, and conduct a presentation online that would have glitched or dropped on other networks.

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PRODUCT PROFILE
The Dublin shares market fell this morning in line with bourses across Europe with energy stocks the main losers as BP fell after the U.S. government opened a criminal probe into its massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Soup can be cool and soothing in warm weather
The perfect bowl of soup makes a satisfying meal that’s filling, yet low in calories and high in nutrition. But in the heat of summer, most people give it a pass. This recipe, however, for chilled zucchini and green bean soup with a pesto swirl could change your mind about soup in summer. Sautéed zucchini and sweet onions are simmered with two kinds of beans, then puréed into a soup that’s …

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Soup can be cool and soothing in warm weather is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

The Healthiest Year of Your Life with Nomi Shannon, raw gourmet, author and raw food educator.

Nomi: People get really tired, really fast of salads. I do, but you can take the same things that you put into a salad and throw it in the blender and do it up, it’s amazing what the addition of a tomato or slice of mango or something can do to a concoction like that and you can make yourself some really delicious things really fast.

Kevin: What kind of blender do you use?

Nomi: There are only two great blenders, in my humble opinion, Kevin. One is the K-tech which is the one I do recommend for several reasons. The other is the Vita-mix. They’re both fabulous blenders. I prefer the K-tech. The main reason is it’s a whole horsepower stronger but there’s a few others.

The difference between one of these blenders and a Hamilton Beach or whatever is the difference between a Pinto and a Rolls Royce. They’ re both cars but need I say more? In my book, for example, I assumed everybody would have a regular blender. They’re not inexpensive. I would say to make this dish,grate the carrot, grate the parsnip, then put it in the blender. Well, one of these blenders, you throw the darn thing in whole. I throw two frozen, rock hard bananas, whole and 45 seconds later I’m eating whatever it is.

You can do with one of these blenders things you could never do any other way. I will take a couple of apples and cut them up and throw them in the blender with some cinnamon, I have to baby the blender a little because there’s no liquid in there, and I can turn it into applesauce in a minute or two, because people think applesauce? Raw applesauce? No, it’s completely easy and possible if you have the right equipment.

Kevin: It’s great for kids, too. I think the price comparison, you can tell me if I’m wrong or not, is if you break two or three $100 blenders, you can eventually, you kind of go for the bigger one.

Nomi: Well, I personally have taken two, probably $30 to $50 blenders, smoking,outside to finish their smoking process in the air where I tried to make a pate or something in it. They couldn’t handle it. I do understand Kevin that there are plenty of people interested in this kind of food that are never going to be able to spend $400 on a blender. I appreciate that and that’s why in my DVDs I use a regular blender. One or two hints about that, if you have an old Oster blender or you can get your hands on one and that would be like at garage sales, 40 or 50 year old blenders grab it, because they have the most amazing motor. Now, they don’t compare with the Vita-mix or the K-tech. But they’re still nice and strong. My first few years I was raw I had an old Oster.

Kevin: I think that people sometimes just think that the only thing you can make in a blender is a frozen drink or a yoghurt smoothie and you mentioned applesauce and then you just talked about pates. How versatile is a blender for making things?

Nomi: There’s a big crossover in equipment. When I make a pate I use a food processor because a blender needs a lot of liquid. The pate I like best, it’s in my book, called the Sunflower Pate, and it’s 3 cups of sprouted sunflower seeds and lemon juice, because that’s a good preservative and some tahini and then some onion and scallion and different spices. I use it in the food processor. The secret to blending is it needs liquid. Food processing is for things that are drier. The food processor could never work with as much liquid as a blender would. It would leak all over the place.

Kevin: What about Salidako. Can you explain what that is, for people who don’t know?

Nomi: It’s an odd name, it’s also called a spiral slicer and some people call it a spiralizer. Another name is garnishing machine. I finally just said, listen, I’m confusing everyone because every time the company changed the name, I changed the name. And it’s called the Salidako. It’s now made in China. It’s just a simple plastic gizmo, but what it does is really amazing. Here’s what is does that’s wonderful. It will take a vegetable, and the most commonly used vegetable is a zucchini. You put a three-inch piece of zucchini in this little thing and you turn the handle and what you get is pasta-shaped zucchini. It has this fascinating way of shredding it and you get long, long strands. I’ve had three and four feet long strands, where I’ve had to cut them in the bowl, of angel hair sized pasta made out of zucchini or carrot or beet or sweet potato or parsnip. It won’t work with anything soft. Just turn like a tomato to mush, most cucumbers to mush. It has to be a good firm vegetable and this has revolutionized sort of the palate of raw people. You just never have to eat a salad. You can sit your kids down and they can eat this spaghetti and it’s tossed in a pesto sauce, which I’m sure as you know is garlic and olive oil and lots and lots of basil and pine nuts, just no cheese and it doesn’t taste any different, and then top it off with a raw marinara and suddenly it smells like and it looks like and it tastes like Italian spaghetti. The only difference is, it’s not hot. This has, literally this little gadget has revolutionized, because you’ve got to have ways of doing food fast that’s tasty.

There’s another one I’ve just learned about from Germany and it’s called a Spiralo. If you do like a parsnip, beet, carrot, and turn it into this little skinny pasta — I’ve done this at shows and little kids have walked by and I’ve got it on the table next to the machine to show what it does, and these little three year olds will grab it and eat it. The mother or the grandmother will go, “I can’t believe it, he won’t eat any vegetables!” Something about cutting that vegetable into facets, let’s say, really brings out the sweetness like no grating or slicing ever could.

Kevin: Not only does it bring out the sweetness, I think, but it’s just so much easier to eat. You look at a carrot and you’re like, oh, a carrot. I got to chew this thing forever and when it’s in that small kind of form, you can eat it and you just keep eating it and eating it and eating it.

Nomi: When I started with raw food, I actually had a Champion juicer at the time, but it was in storage. When I started with 100% actually all I had was an everyday blender, a good sharp knife and a grater and I didn’t have any other equipment for at least for the first 6 months. So I do like to say to people when people say, “I don’t have the money to go out and buy all that stuff.” And you really don’t have to, but on the other hand, I have to say, that having some of these gadgets, the Salidako I mean is $24.95, really the ability to change these foods, their shapes, their size, pureeing or taking and turning into this little strand what suddenly is delicate and tender instead of chomping down on some hard. I would never eat a parsnip the way you might take a carrot and chew on it the way you would a carrot. I just wouldn’t, but it’s so delicious when you turn it into the pasta. It’s insane. It’s like a whole other thing.

Kevin: You talked about some of the quick things you can do, like the applesauce. What are some other real quick ideas that someone can do to maybe make a meal like in 5 minutes and go?

Nomi: Let’s not forget that almost any raw fresh raw fruit and vegetable can be eaten as it is. If you start out with a bowl on your counter filled with apples, oranges, bananas, whatever you can find seasonally, grapes papaya, mango whatever and then in your fridge you have different kinds of greens, like broccoli, cauliflower and all that there’s nothing wrong with going and sitting down and eating three apples and two bananas and a mango. I mean literally. I very often eat a red pepper like you would an apple. I found some that are so delicious and I just literally just wash the thing off and bite it and even if I get some of the seeds they’re not hot or anything like they can be. We’re so removed from going into the back yard and plucking fruit from the tree or a walnut from the tree that we literally forget, especially the younger generation, that food doesn’t really come in a box.

I’ve got a gadget called the Toss ‘n Chop. It’s such a clever gadget. You just throw everything that you want for your salad into the bowl and your dressing ingredients, everything, goes in a bowl but no cutting, no cutting board, no knife, no chopping, nothing. Then you just go at it with this thing, sort of a cross between a scissors and a tossing implement.

The other thing is, and I’m sure you already know this, is there’s just a huge craze going on with something called green smoothies, which I actually did mention in my book, suggesting you could put your sprouts and things, sneak them in smoothies. Would you like my green smoothie recipe which is my current passion and crave?

Kevin: Sure.

Nomi: Okay. I put a cup of either orange of tangerine juice in the blender and that’s taking about four tangerines at the moment. Personally I put about 8 cups of greens in, I wouldn’t start with that many because it might taste bitter to you at first. So, if there are any supplements that I’m taking, and I’m usually taking some supplements, put that in. Then if I can get my hands on papaya and I put that in. Yesterday I put a little bit of mango in instead, or a handful of blueberries and then I top it off with two frozen bananas. I like it, because I like my smoothies to be thick and cold. It gives me about 24 oz of smoothie. It’s fabulous. I have it at least once a day, every day. I vary out. You don’t want to eat the same thing every day, no matter how good you think it is for you, because you need variety.

Kitchen Equipment And Gadgets For Your Raw Food Kitchen is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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Cooking with Myra: Cooking class results in good recipes
By Myra Starkey

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Dave Murphy: Farmers Look for Justice in the Poultry Industry
Poultry farmers face daily fear, uncertainty and intimidation from the companies they contract with. This type of intimidation is a clear sign of how powerful and arrogant these companies have grown.

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Dave Murphy: Farmers Look for Justice in the Poultry Industry is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Has kneading the dough for making chapaties has been a task for you? Worry no more! Now Bajaj has come up with Bajaj FX 10 Food Factory which will assist you to make whatever you feel like. You name it and you have it on this food processor; whether it be whipping, grinding, mincing, grating, chopping, slicing, whatever. This device from the house of Bajaj is very compact and it comes with a number of jars, disks and blades. Let?s find out more about this device.

Key Features

Bajaj FX 10 Food Factory is a device which will help you a lot while doing kitchen work. It will cut short your time spend in the kitchen by about half. The processor comes with different kinds of blades like Dry Grinding blade, Wet Grinding blade, Chutney blade, Whipping blade and Mincing or Grating blade for different usage. Universal blade is also present over here. It is a blade which does all kind of grinding, blending and mixing. Just within few seconds you can make juices or make chutney with the help of this food processor.

The Food Processor consumes 600 watts of power, which is very economical on the energy consumption. It will not increase your electricity bill. The device works with the power supply of 240V single phase. This means you don?t need any extra electrical power to use this food processor.

Design

Bajaj FX 10 Food Factory is designed for comfort. It has a small unit which will take very less space in your kitchen. It comes with different jars, discs and blades for different purposes. The jars are made up of Stainless Steel. This gives them rust free longer life.

Accessories

There are three different jars provided with the Bajaj FX 10 Food Factory. These jars are namely the Liquidizer or Blender Jar, Chutney Jar and Grinding Jar. With the liquidizer jar you can prepare fruit juices within seconds. With the chutney jar you can make different kinds of chutneys in very less time. Grinding jar is for different kinds of grinding.

For the Foodies

Imagine about the things that you can make with the help of Bajaj FX 10 Food Factory. It?s an old saying that the way to a man?s heart is through his stomach. Now prepare the whole three course meal with the assistance of this wonderful and easy to use device. If your loved ones demand for some hot bhajiyas during the raining season then just put the vegetables in the processor and leave the work on it. While you are frying the bhajiyas, you can also make chutney to go with it. Just re-explore your culinary skills with Bajaj FX 10 Food Factory.

Conclusion

Bajaj FX 10 Food Factory is one of the best things that can happen to you for your kitchen.

Bajaj Fx 10 Food Factory is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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Saskatchewan’s prince of the pulse crops
In the heart of Canada’s bread basket, Murad Al-Katib hopes to build a global food powerhouse based on lentils and other legume staples of emerging markets

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Treats can be found at farmers markets
If Coast home and professional chefs are not hitting the farmers’ markets, then they are missing out on some great food.

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Treats can be found at farmers markets is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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Bake restaurant-quality crab, scallop cakes in your own kitchen
Just about every seafood restaurant has their secret recipe for crab cakes. A popular menu item that not only is a good seller, but is also relatively easy to prepare. As popular as they might be, guests are always looking for something different to try.  read more »

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Shu Mai-Style Burgers
A burger made of ground pork shoulder and shrimp.

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Shu Mai-Style Burgers is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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Save money, cut calories by packing lunches
Brown-bagging at lunch time just a few days a week can save more than a thousand dollars a year, while cutting calories.

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It’s not too late to put together a party menu
Brian Robertson, executive resort chef for the San Luis Hotel, shares three easy recipes you can serve up on New Year’s Eve.

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It’s not too late to put together a party menu is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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Game for anything: Her husband brings home the venison for special dish
Venison has been “the other red meat” on Mary Matie’s dinner table for 40 years.

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These cookbooks will inspire you to crank up the oven
Summer doesn’t often inspire us to crank up the oven. But some dishes can make it worth enduring the heat.

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These cookbooks will inspire you to crank up the oven is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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Meaty burger created by Texas chef Tim Love was 5 months in the making
It took Tim Love more than five months to create his seriously seasoned Love Burger. Luckily, you’ll be able to pull it off in under an hour.

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Infrared grills growing in popularity
Infrared grills, until recently a niche item reserved for the top end of the home grilling market, now are making their way into many backyards.

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Infrared grills growing in popularity is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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Abercrombie, Central European Media, MEMC; U.S. Equity Movers
May 26 (Bloomberg) — Shares of the following companies are having unusual moves in U.S. trading. Stock symbols are in parentheses, and prices are as of 10 a.m. in New York unless noted otherwise.

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Pork-Fennel Burger
A burger made of meat ground at home with some fat, lots of seasonings.

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Pork-Fennel Burger is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

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The Truth About Our Food
Emily Brooks is like a college chemistry professor, if that professor was a nutritionall charged, health-conscious chef. She’s like the chef at your favorite restaurant, if that chef was a savvy business consultant, enabling social entrepreneurs in the field of local and sustainable agriculture.

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Meaty burger created by Texas chef Tim Love was 5 months in the making
It took Tim Love more than five months to create his seriously seasoned Love Burger. Luckily, you’ll be able to pull it off in under an hour.

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Meaty burger created by Texas chef Tim Love was 5 months in the making is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

If you are a purist, there is nothing better than a hand powered food mill. You will be over the dish the entire time and give it that extra loving touch that can make a huge difference. You have no choice but to be there and make sure that it is done right because you have to power the food mill in order for it to work.

In all honesty, certain things should only be made with a hand powered food mill. If you walk away from them they will get overbeaten and will lose some of their flavors. This is a great way to make up your own sauces or even preserves if you have the time. The food will taste better and you will save a ton of money.

An electric food mill has its place in the kitchen as well. There are certain things that you can use this for that don’t matter how long it runs for. This will enable you to be able to tend to other things and just check back from time to time to see how it is going. This is a convenience that is great to have when a watchful eye is not needed.

If you want to have all of your bases covered, you can have a manual and an electric one. If you want to play it safe, you are always better off getting a manual one so you are covered on the dishes that have to be watched over. Modern convenience breeds laziness in the kitchen and if you get into the habit of using an electric one all the time, you may just start to ignore the ones that need that little extra touch of care to turn out perfect.

Foley Food Mill – Choosing Between an Electric Food Mill and a Hand Powered Food Mill is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

Oster blenders are known for its quality and durability. It has millions of loyal users and followers because their products last for years. It is an excellent appliance for food preparation. They have produced so many models already but we mention here a few.

You can get the Oster Contemporary Classic Beehive Blender at $75. It has two speed settings to better control precision in grinding. The classic Beehive is resistant to scratch with a jar that can be cleaned in a dishwasher. It can serve up to five cups and has a stainless steel ice-crushing blade.

Oster also takes pride in another product, the Oster 14 Speed Blender with Food Processor. It has a first-rate mincing and chopping performance from its chopper blade or the reversible disc blade. This type of blender is convenient to use that can fill five cups. It has a scratch resistant and dishwasher-safe glass jar. The food processor has a three-cup capacity. You can pour in liquids as you use it with its food pusher and cover. This fine blender with food processor can also be put away conveniently with its cord storage. You can purchase this for only $46.38.

Oster offers another product, the Oster 14 Speed Blender minus the food processor. This costs $47.37. Having the same capacity and quality, this model includes a five-cup scratch resistant and dishwasher-safe glass jar. It also has a stainless steel ice crusher. It is designed with 14 possible speed options and brushed with chrome to look good on top of your counter. It also has cord storage so you can neatly put it away.

Cuisinart Blenders is another leading brand that equates to quality. Its PowerBlend 600 Blender features a 500-watt motor. It has a large capacity with a 56 oz glass blender jar where you can also pour in liquids through its clear 2 oz measure pour lid. Use its 7-speed touchpad controls to adjust its blending performance. You can pulse, stir, chop, mix, pureé, liquefy and crush ice with it. Simply pack it away without the tangle of cords with its brilliant push-in cord storage. Buy this product for $59.95 with a limited 3-year warranty.

Food processors and blenders are good together with the Cuisinart SmartPower Duet blender/food processor. Its large capacity of 40 oz glass blender jar can prepare ice and frozen drinks for several people. The work bowl can handle a volume of 3 cups. This model is so easy to use with its electronic touchpad and 7-speed controls that has separate buttons for ice crushing and food processing. You can pulse, too, at any speed rate. The stainless steel chopping blade, reversible slicing/shredding disc and any removable parts are scratch resistant and dishwasher-safe. At $99.95, it comes with an Instruction and recipe book. Enjoy Cuisinart’s 3-year warranty.

For quality and style, Cuisinart presents the SmartPower Premier 600-Watt Blender. You can buy this for $99.95 and enjoy its durability and flair from the cast metal and stainless case that has an embossed Cuisinart logo. Its special feature is the count-up timer that helps you keep up with the time indicated in recipes. The powerful 600-watt motor can crush ice with no hassle and can handle the roughest blending jobs with ease. You can serve your recipe to as many people as you want with its 50 oz glass jar capacity.

This particular model also features the Cuisinart easy-to-use push-button controls and an easy push-on cover with a removable measured pour lid. Enjoy Cuisinart’s 3-year warranty service and explore new food ideas with the instruction/recipe book that comes with it.

Food and Drinks Made Easy with Oster and Cuisinart Blenders is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

When you look back in time, cooking really changed about 20 years ago when food processors started to become very popular. All of a sudden people weren’t chopping onions anymore, they were just throwing them in to the food processor. No more dicing peppers or crushing garlic because we had machines to do everything now.

Well there comes a time when you need to get back to cooking the old fashioned way and when you do, there is nothing better than a food mill. These were food processors before there were food processors, however, they don’t destroy food they way a processor will. They merely blend the flavors together and make things the way they are supposed to be made.

When you buy your food mill, you are best to try and get good stainless steel food mills that can be put right into the dishwasher. This will ensure that it gets cleaned properly and little presents are not left behind from a previous meal. Products like the Foley Food Mill and the Mouli Food Mill are both great machines that are reasonably priced and of a very high quality.

When you want to use a kitchen appliance that won’t murder the food, but will create very unique flavors and give you an old fashioned flavor, a food mill is the only way to go. Your sauces will be better as the flavors get released instead of getting crushed to death. Try it once and you will never let it leave your kitchen.

A food mill is a very good way to add a home cooking touch to any meal. By taking the food processor out of the equation you are preparing food like they have for years and allowing the true flavors to come out. Using a Baby Food Mill instead of processed food for your newborn child can be very useful.

Finding the Best Foley Food Mill For Your Kitchen is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

When you first start looking at the different brands and models (and there are literally 100s) there is a tendency to start adding features that you must have. And when you do that, the price goes up and so does the size and cleaning chores. In the beginning you don’t mind the cleaning since you are entering a whole new world of cooking.

But as time goes on, and the newness and adventurous spirit fade, the reality of cleaning that monster for a small chore becomes a real drag. Many recipes call for items that need to be cut, diced, sliced, or whatever. The problem is I can hand chop pretty fast and there’s little if any clean up. When you have to drag out a 15 lb appliance that you need to hand wash 3-4 parts that are a challenge, it’s much faster to chop it by hand.

And no, I don’t use the dishwasher for either of my food processors. I also never put my cast iron pots and pans in the dishwasher. Blame it on my Grandmother who talk me how to cook. Some items are not meant for a dishwasher due to the nature of the beast, end of story.

So I was at one of the popular kitchen and home stores and saw a little mini food processor that would do 80% of the most common processor tasks. It was only $30 (not like my big bad boy at $225) and what attracted me the most is it broke down in 2 seconds and looked easy and quick to clean. No choice, I needed that mini food processor.

As it turns out it was a good decision for a couple of reasons. When I’m preparing a big meal for lots of folks and making things like bread or rolls from scratch, the big boy comes in real handy and is worth the time to clean. When I’m doing a quick small meal my mini is great since it’s fast and easy to clean.

Another thing I learned fairly quickly is the blades on any size food processor are sharp. Not just kind of sharp, I mean if you look at it to long it will cut you sharp. Great care should always be used when handling any cutting blade. Whether you are cleaning out the contents into a bowl or washing, keep your eye on the blade and never forget how quickly they will cut you.

I leave my mini food processor out on the counter for quick access. I use it almost everyday for some small chore. When a blender is too much, and I just need to chop a few vegetables it’s faster than the knife and cutting board. Every salad I make now has vegetables, breadcrumbs are always available, and chives are in everything. Cheese is quickly grated or cheese sauces are quick to make and kick up any vegetable dish a notch.

Creating a quick mix of your own variety of granola is only limited by items on hand. You will be amazed at how many uses you can find for your food processor when it’s out and ready to go. Fresh vegetables are used more and rarely go bad since you didn’t want to take the time to add them to a dish of any kind.

If you have your own herb and spice garden, you can spice up any meal with fresher flavor. The difference in creating your own spices from fresh raw herbs and spices is amazing and adds a unique touch to any meal. And don’t forget the snazzy deserts that you can make with a food processor. We keep dark unsweetened chocolate in the fridge for toppings for ice cream and other deserts.

So if you have a big monster food processor that you rarely use, you might want to consider getting a mini model that you can keep handy and is easy to clean. Keep the big guy for big meals that require the heavy-duty capabilities but get the small one for everyday cooking.

Food Processing Adventures is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

To suit these modern trends, it’s important to find appliances that fit both your decor and lifestyle. And this is a task that can seem overwhelming on a visit to a showroom with hundreds of makes and models.

The basics

Every kitchen has the following essential cooking appliances: a stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, and oven.

Refrigerators come in one of three configurations. The traditional top-mounted fridge, that has the refrigerator in the bottom, is the most common. This type offers a wide range of models to choose from. Bottom-mounted refrigerators are those where the refrigerator is on top. In this model you can put food at the eye level, which is an advantage for people who use fresh ingredients to cook. The third type is the side-by-side model. This too allows you to put food at eye-level. However here the interiors are sometimes narrower. The choice of the model and the fridge size will depend on a person’s lifestyle. For example, for people who cook food with fresh ingredients will have different refrigeration needs as opposed to someone who uses mostly frozen food. Add-on features like frost-free, water dispenser, ice maker and built-in television are also available.

When it comes to dishwashers, convenience features like a delay timer and energy-saving features, such as economy cycle or half-load capacity should be considered. Dishwashing drawers, which provide an option to be used in one- or two-drawer configurations, are a good choice for smaller kitchens and are often used as secondary dishwashers.

Kitchen Appliances have become the basic need of modern kitchens. Most kitchens today include more than one cooking appliance, such as ovens, cook tops and various other ranges. Ovens that are used today are often more than just the basic. Those offering multitask options like, combining traditional cooking with convection, or those which use circulated air to speed the cooking time or general speed cooking, which makes use of the halogen lights to reduce cook times.

Induction cooktops, that are an alternative to gas and electric, have developed a broader demand in recent years. In this method, electricity flows through a coil to produce a magnetic field under a ceramic cooktop. When an iron or magnetic stainless pan is placed on the ceramic surface, the pan, instead of the cooktop, heats up. Thus keeping the place where we have to hold still cool. These ranges, which are usually gas or electric, also come in duel-fuel models, i.e. they offer induction cooking in addition to gas. Some of these ovens are also useful as microwaves.

Kitchen Appliance-refrigerator, Microwave Oven, Food Processors, Water Purifiers, Mixer & Juicer, Refrigerator & More is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

1. At the minimum, obtain a mini-food processor for slicing onions and little piles of vegetables.

2. It can make pie dough very quickly, as it cuts in refrigerated butter without any problem and the plastic blade helps ensure that the crust will be flaky.

3. Of course you’ll have to remove the peels, but you’ll have chopped apples to make a pie in no time.

4. Your preferred fresh fruit and sugar can be pureed in a processor and then put in an ice cream maker to create a delicious sorbet.

5. For the big ballgame, guacamole is a fan favorite that whips up in a jiffy using a food processor.

6. Right now, hummus is a top choice for health-conscious snackers. With the food processor, the chickpeas are mashed quickly and the other ingredients can be blended in.

7. Make your own peanut butter with fresh roasted peanuts and avoid unhealthy added sugars and hydrogenated fats.

8. That holds true for almond or any nut butter that you are thinking about trying.

9. Using a food processor, it is quick and simple to mix the ingredients for your favorite cookies. Then all you have to do is bake them.

10. Kneads pizza dough.

11. Slicing the pizza toppings you prefer – like pepperoni and olives – can be done in a jiffy.

12. Crumble graham crackers for a pie crust in seconds with your processor.

13. Create salsa when you cut up a combination of green onions, cilantro and spices, then put in tomatoes and pulse for several seconds so you still have some tomato pieces.

14. Easily makes chicken liver pate for its fans. Frankly, I’ll skip it myself.

15. I prefer salmon spread created with flaked salmon and cream cheese mixed with a smidgen of horseradish.

16. Make easy chutneys, from mango or sweet apple to spicy Indian-style.

17. For carrot cake fans, you can grate the carrots, chop the nuts and blend the delicious cream cheese frosting.

18. Frozen fruit and one tablespoon of honey can be pureed to create a fast and tasty sauce for cheesecake or various desserts.

19. Make a tantalizing chocolate sauce with bits of chopped semi-sweet chocolate, 1/2 cup of super-fine sugar and 2/3 cup of boiling water, blended.

20. Last of all, you can whip up infant food using the freshest grocery items.

When you own a food processor, you won’t require a library of recipe books. Since you are looking at this, you have a connection to the Internet and are able to get complete recipes for these foods and a lot more by just keying in the words “food processor recipes.”  Your new food processor will be something you use and enjoy.

20 Reasons Why A Food Processor Can Make Your Life Simpler is a post from: Cuisinart Mini Food Processor

When searching for food and food processors information online, I happened to find some tips – 6 of them, in fact.

I hope that you find them useful…as it’s taken our researchers some time to find them all!

Nevertheless, it’s worth the effort – especially where food is concerned, as there is a lot of great stuff out there on the Internet.

Tip #1

Food processors and mixers have evolved considerably in the past