Vegetarian Means Vegan, Right?

Actually vegetarians tend to differ from what Vegans consider themselves to be. The exact reasons for why, evade me at the moment.

I eat plenty of vegetables but also enjoy eggs so I think this means I may be a vegetarian but I am not a vegan because eggs are not on their menu. I need to watch my calories and weight.

Veganism, if I may, seems to be more like a religion than just a healthy eating regime. I think the term is applied to not only eggs but even to wearing things that may have once been alive, like leather.

I have no feelings on this one way or another and think our life choices are just that, our life choices.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

6 Pantry Staples With Surprising Uses

By Matthew Kaplan

Every kitchen pantry is stocked full of items that do not go bad that we buy for those rare occasions when we need them in a recipe. For most people, the cupboards full of canned goods, non-perishable items and other food stuffs, and those food stuffs are mostly unused. Don't let your pantry go to waste. Pantry staples are tasty and cheap and don't deserve to stand idle in culinary purgatory. Pantry staples can have some unique cooking applications. Follow these tips to learn how to add interesting touches to your meals with everyday pantry staples.

Peanut Butter: In almost every cupboard sits a half-eaten jar of peanut butter. The pantry staple is rich, creamy and tasty, but most people only use peanut butter for sandwiches and occasionally dessert. The creamy richness of peanut butter is great in savory applications too. Add peanut butter to your next stir fry to give it a Thai-inspired flavor. Use peanut butter as the base to a peanut sauce, which goes perfectly with pasta and vegetables.

Soy Sauce: Almost every East Asian dish calls for soy sauce. Soy sauce adds a nutty, salty taste to any dish, but most people only cook with soy sauce when cooking an Asian-style dish. However, soy sauce is a versatile ingredient that can work well in many recipes. Experiment and use soy sauce instead of salt in your favorite recipes to add some depth to the dish. In particular, soy sauce tastes great in barbecue sauces.

Almonds: As with most other nuts, most people only get almonds to snack on or for a dessert recipe. Almonds can be ground up into almond flour, a protein-rich and gluten-free alternative to regular flour. You can also blend up almonds with water to create almond milk, a delicious beverage that is a fantastic alternative to regular milk.

Bisquick: Originally intended for biscuits, many people now use Bisquick as the base to make pancakes at home. Bisquick has a wide variety of uses outside of just pancakes and biscuits. Use Bisquick as part of the dry base ingredients for a host of desserts, from cakes and pies to muffins and tarts. It also works great in casseroles too.

Cashews: As is the case with almonds and other nuts, cashews have a wide array of uses, but most only use them in the occasional dessert. Besides being a delicious out-of-hand snack, cashews add a nice crunchiness to vegetable dishes like a stir fry, a pasta dish or a casserole. Additionally, you can blend cashews in a food processor to create cashew butter, a spread similar to peanut butter.

Cocoa Powder: This rich powder only gets used in most kitchens to add a bit of chocolate flavor to the occasional dessert. Do not let the chocolate flavor cocoa powder provides to go to waste. Use it as part of a homemade hot chocolate mix. Cocoa powder works particularly well in spicy applications, lending a sweet bitter note to a spicy recipe. Use cocoa powder to make an authentic Mexican mole sauce or add it to your favorite chili recipe.

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The Process Taken By Bread Machines To Bake Perfect Bread

By Chris Channing

Technology is great, considering that today we don't have to spend the long hours kneading and baking bread in order to get the taste of fresh bread. Instead we can use a machine that does all the hard work for us- but how exactly does the machine operate, and how easy is it to use?

Bread makers weren't around decades ago- so why start using them now rather than do it the "old fashioned" way? The answer is simple: you save a lot of time and effort by using a bread maker. The machine can control the mixing of ingredients, the rising, baking, and everything else necessary. The only effort you need to put in is to provide the right ingredients.

Kneading is the first step to baking a nice loaf of bread. This process is necessary to get the dough mixed up and ready to bake evenly. Kneading is actually done with the bread makers these days, through a smart process that is able to mix up the contents of ingredients you put in uniformly. Suddenly, baking bread is no longer a physical task so much of a task of letting the machine do it.

The bread maker will have another circuit that controls how long the bread will take to rise. The thermostat included in the bread maker will go up noticeably as the bread maker attempts to create the perfect atmosphere for bringing the bread to its full size. At this point the bread isn't cooked, so right after the rising process we go straight to the cooking process.

The temperature is again raised for the cooking process. This time you actually tell the bread maker how long you want the bread to bake, since it would be impossible for the machine to determine this. Look in your recipe book to see what baking times you need and program it in before going about the baking process. The machine should automatically quit at the timer, and pause itself as it allows the bread to finally cool in the end.

Baking a good loaf of bread doesn't require that you buy the most expensive machine you can find. Instead, you need only to find a machine that is moderately priced and has good reviews among others. The price should be easily justified once you see how easy the baking process truly is. And once you start baking your own bread regularly, you can save money on food costs from that point forward.

Closing Comments

There are many types of bread makers available, as well as price tags to choose from. Check the Internet for retail stores that you can look at that will help you find a model that would do best for you, for a price you can afford, and a model that can feed your family with ease.

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Eight Things People with Dementia Should Avoid

By Esther Dacamay

Proper nutrition is the building block for which our bodies fight disease. Therefore, it only stands to reason that knowing what NOT to eat as well as how NOT to prepare your food is the first step in fighting the affects of Dementia. These eight steps can assist you in deciding what you should and shouldn't put in your mouth.

1) DON'T Drink Milk! - Dementia patients should eliminate all dairy milk from the diet and instead, consume milk made from goats, soy, rice or almonds.

2) No Beef - People with Dementia should eliminate red meat as well as all processed meats such as sausage and hot dogs. In their place, you can partake in plant based sources such as soy or alfalfa sprouts and fish. Fish like tuna, sardines, salmon and cod carry high quality Omega 3 Fatty Acids which are beneficial to the body.

3) Extra Crispy? - Although the extra crispy chicken from KFC might taste real good, its best to avoid all fast foods and fried foods altogether. They contain too many free-radical-forming agents because of the type of oil it is deep-fried in.

4) Happy Hour! - Reduce your consumption of alcohol. If you are a non-drinker or just a social drinker (only once or twice a month), there are studies that were conducted in France that showed that light alcohol consumption of red wine once or twice a day proved successful in lowering stress levels due to the noted antioxidant activity of the oligomeric proanthocyanidin substances found in the wine.

5) No Refined or Man Made Sugar - Eliminate sugar found commonly in donuts, cookies and cakes as well as sugar substitutes such as aspartame, NutraSweet, equal and saccharin.

6) No Red Vines! - If you're a fan of the bitter-tart taste of licorice, youre out of luck. This candy potentiates cortisol and compromises potassium intake, which can lead to hypokalemia.

7) Don't Worry, Be Happy! - Avoid stress at all times, for cortisol, as mentioned above, compromises potassium intake. Speaking of stress, dont place undue stress on the immune system by consuming alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, white sugar, processed foods and red meat.

8) No Aluminum! - Don't cook with any materials made from aluminum. That means no pots, pans or ladles made with aluminum. There has been significant speculation that an intake of aluminum from foods, antacids, cookware or antiperspirants may play a role in contracting Alzheimers disease, a cortical type of dementia.

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Fresh Lobster is a Healthy Treat for All

By Shannon Linnen

Finding a protein that's good for you and tastes great can be hard. Everyone wants to diet, but no one wants to give up on good taste to do it. Red meat has been out for years, and many are cutting meat from their diets all together. Some have turned to fish, but with mercury level's rising, that may not be safe, especially if you're trying to have children. So where is a dieter to turn for a healthy protein alternative? Fresh lobster is a great option.

Many of us have long believed that lobster is bad for you. It tastes so great, and feels so deliciously indulgent, that eating it must be cheating. In fact, this just isn't true. Lobster, at 90 calories per three and a half ounces, is actually better for you than other protein rich meats, like steak and even chicken. This means that including lobster in your diet is, unbelievably I know, a great way to get trim and stay healthy while doing it. Fresh lobster is a must add protein to your meals.

You may be thinking to yourself that lobster must be unhealthy, because that's what you've heard and thought for years, but it's simply not true. What is true is that most of the ways in which lobster has been prepared and enjoyed have been unhealthy, masking the fact that the fresh lobster meat itself is quite healthy. Of course, a creamy and rich lobster bisque isn't good for you, and dipping any meat in butter wouldn't make for a healthy meal, but on it's own, because it is steamed in preparation, lobster is better for you than other proteins.

Lobster is healthy for many reasons, but did you know that fresh lobster meat is a great source of omega three fatty acids. This is something you may have been hearing more about lately. Omega three's are naturally found in many types of shellfish and other fish. They are thought by doctors to help promote and improve your heart health, so much so that they're now being added to many other foods. Fresh lobster is a great way to get them naturally. It's also a great source of protein to keep your energy high.

How can you enjoy fresh lobster in a healthy way? Lobster makes a great addition to a salad, in chunks, it's rich taste is a wonderful way to use less dressing and add a kick to what you're eating. You can also try a few pieces on a slice of quality bread, like rye or pumpernickel, to mix the strong flavors. For dinner, try some whole wheat pasta dressed with a little oil and some lobster meat. It's sure to be an instant family favorite.

Want to spice up dinner tonight? Try some healthy fresh lobster? It's a great way to eat something that's good for you, and tastes delicious. So go enjoy!

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