Week of January 27, 2008

Grow Your Own Sprouts

I love all kinds of sprouts, but it seems like when I decide I want to buy at my local grocery, they are slightly wilted and have seen better days. So I thought how hard could it be to grow my own?

As it turns out . . . it is really pretty simple.

All you need is a mason jar ( with the ring portion of the lid only) or any other jar and a rubber band, a piece of cheesecloth or other breathable fabric, and the seeds, beans, grains, or nuts you wish to sprout. Seeds used for sprouting can be found at some grocery stores or health food store, or from an online retailer. (just Google "sprouting seed retailers".

Some of the most popular plants to sprout include: Alfalfa, Broccoli, Mung Bean, Mustard Seed, Radish, Sunflower Seeds and Wheat.

Pour a thin layer your choice of sprout-able into the jar, and cover with several inches of warm water. Cover the mouth of the jar with the cheesecloth and screw the ring from the lid over the fabric. If you're using something other than a mason jar, use the rubber band to seal the cloth over the opening of the jar. Let the seeds soak overnight (or up to 24 hours for large beans, garbanzos, and nuts).

In the morning, turn the jar over the sink, letting all of the water drain off. Then fill the jar with fresh water and immediately re-strain, giving the jar a good shake to get as much water out as possible. Repeat the adding water/straining process each morning and evening for the next 4 to 6 days, or until the sprouts have reached the stage at which you'd like to eat them (generally 1/2 to 3 inches). Then rinse them one last time, shake out as much water as possible, and enjoy!

NOTE: If you start batches of sprouts in three-day intervals, you'll have a ready supply of nutrious sprouts always on hand.

Store the sprouts in their jar in the refrigerator, and bear in mind that sprouts perish rather quickly and need to be eaten within a week.

Week of January 20, 2008

Sugar Substitutes

So you want to lower your sugar intake. That's a good idea. But if you want to use a sugar substitute, which one should you choose.

There are several sugar substitutes on the market and the best one to use is really a personal preference. However, when cooking, we have found that some types of sweeteners work better in cooking than others.

Here are the ones that work best:

Week of January 13, 2008

How to Make Your Own Herbal Vinegars

Herbal vinegars can add extra flavor to your foods.

Use a cider or wine vinegar as a base. Bruise the freshly picked, cleaned herbs and lossely filla clean jar. Pour on warmed but nothot vinegar to fill the jar and cap with an acid-proof lid. Set in a sunny window and shake daily for 2 weeks. Test for flavor; if a stronger tast is required, strain the vinegar and repeat with fresh herbs. Store as it is or strain through cheesecloth and rebottle. Add a fresh sprig to the bottle for identification and visual appeal. Use in salad dressings, marinades, gravies and sauces.

Tarragon Vinegar
Follow the above instructions and add a sliced clove of garlic to the steeping tarragon and vinegar. Remove the garlic after one day and replace with 2 cloves for the remaining 2 weeks. Strain and bottle.

Blended Vinegars
Other nice savory flavors may be created using combinations of herbs.

Try the following:

• 1 part tarragon to 2 parts lemon balm
• 1 part basil to 2 parts salad burnett
• 1 part each of tarragon, basil, chives and 2 parts each of lemon thyme and salad burnet and 1 clove of garlic
• 1 part each crushed seed of anise, caraway, celery, coriander, cumin, dill, salad burnet and 1 clove garlic.

Week of January 6, 2008

Ways to Cut Back on Sodium

Want to shake the salt habit? Here are a few ways that may help you gradually decrease your usage.

• Cut back gradually, so that your taste buds have time to adjust to the change.
• Avoid high sodium flavor enhancers like garlic salt, celery salt, onion salt, MSG, etc. Enhance flavor with plain garlic powder, onion powder, etc.
• Do not add salt while you are cooking. Instead, use spices, herbs and citrus zests.
• High sodium foods don't always taste salty. So READ the labels. Avoid products with more than 15 percent daily value for sodium. (The % Daily Values give you a general idea of how one serving contributes nutritionally to a 2,000 calorie diet. Look on the right hand column of the Nutrition Facts label for the % Daily Value numbers.)
• Limit your intake of cheese and processed meats.
• Limit intake of condiments such as soy sauce, ketchup, mustard, salad dressings, pickles and olives.
• Choose low-salt or salt free crackers, chips and snack foods.
• Choose no-salt added or low sodium versions of canned soups and canned vegetables. Canned soups and broths are notoriously high in sodium.

You might want to try making your own broths / stock for soups and flavoring. Note the sodium levels below for homemade stock versus purchased broth. As you can see, there is not as much difference in the calories or fat, but a great difference in the sodium.

Based on quantities of 1 cup.

Here's how homemade and commercial stocks and broths compare nutritionally.

Complex flavor in fine Balsamic Vinegar comes from this long and exacting aging. A variety of woods are used including durmast, chestnut, ash, cherry and mulberry. Balsamic vinegar makers keep a secret art in the matching and blending of resinous aromatic wood staves. One taste of a truly fine Balsamic will make clear why it is worth all the effort. Balsamic Vinegar is truly in a class apart from other vinegars. Unlike the sharp tastes we usually associate with vinegar, the balsamics present a rich dark complex of sweetness and intrigue.

After having said all of this, let us return to the supermarket shelf where a full two-thirds of the brands are "imitation" balsamic vinegars that have nothing in common with the traditional balsamic vinegar. These are basically wine vinegar with added sugar and artificial flavors and colors.