Facets of Our Lives

I hope to be back to my recipes for next week's post, but I wanted to take a moment to talk about home gardening, especially in regards to some recent items in the news, namely, the continuing controversy over Monsanto and related companies with respect to genetically-engineered foods. In a nutshell, industrial food interests have continually and successfully lobbied the USFDA and governments in other countries to avoid having to identify which foods have been genetically-engineered, denying consumers any choice in the matter. Foods are modified primarily to make them resistant to pests, but it doesn't end there. Some seeds are modified with a so-called "terminator" gene, which results in the adult plant not producing viable seeds to be replanted, forcing the farmer to repurchase new seeds for a new harvest. However, there is now evidence that some genetic modifications result in damage to benign species. The collapse of honeybee populations has been investigated fo...

Happy Labor Day Weekend! I figure since I have slowed down on my posting, I will go ahead and work this Labor Day and give you some recipes. "Americans love their mayo," a friend said to me when we were discussing baguette sandwiches I had enjoyed in Paris. The French do not use mayonnaise, but rather butter or margarine. Interestingly, I saw a program on the Food Network this weekend describing sandwiches that have both . The Dutch (and the Flemish of Belgium) use mayo with their famous french fries, and purchasing patat or frites , you select which fritesaus you'd prefer -- from a specific type of sweet mayo, to a peanut sauce, to a curry mayonnaise, to other local, delicious and diverse options. Ok, so why am I discussing this? Well, I visited my mother last week, and thanks to changes in her diet, she has little use for mayonnaise at the moment. To add further to her disinterest in the product, she purchased a low-fat or non-fat version of mayonnaise, which ...

One of the reasons I try to cook for myself and my family from scratch comes from something I noted recently when shopping for groceries. In an effort to buy mass-produced items labeled as fat-free or low-fat, sugar-free or otherwise reduced in calories, reduced or salt-free, etc., I spent significantly more money than if I had purchased the regular version of things. This is not only tragic, but insulting to consumers. It's no wonder we have the problem with obesity and overall health that we do in the US. So my solution was to buy the raw ingredients. As my cardiologist told me, "if God didn't make it, you shouldn't eat it." Now this is not without its problems, either. Before the economy fell apart, I admit I didn't pay much attention -- I would just buy what I wanted when I wanted it. If I felt like making a particular type of vegetable that cost US$5 a pound, I didn't bat an eye. But the solution is not only simple, it can be beneficial. This ...

Part of the way I have tried to adjust my diet is adding significantly more vegetables. They are a great source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and texture, and some of the recipes can be heavenly. I recently made a Moroccan dish called a tagine, which was comprised completely of vegetables and fruits - parsnips, turnips, onion, carrots, apricots and prunes, plus a collection of spices. A tagine is the name of the cooking vessel, but also the name of the dish - although in my case, I prepared it using a slow cooker. At 131 calories per serving, it makes a filling, satisfying, low-calorie side dish, as well as a small meal in its own right, if you so choose. I like the recipe as written , but my mother has asked me to make it without the cayenne pepper. It takes a little time, so I told her I would make it without it the next time, but if I didn't like it, I would go back to making it the regular way - cuz it's for me . :-P Generally speaking, though, the challenge for me has ...