1-2-3 Gremolata
Gremolata is an Italian chopped garlic, herb and citrus blend that can be used to add zest and flavor to any number of dishes, but especially vegetables, including roasted potatoes, zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, broccoli, butternut squash, asparagus, brussels sprouts, and more. Read more 
Where does your $1 to March of Dimes go?
The March of Dimes is one of the most well-known charities in this country with a mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality by enhancing the availability and quality of healthcare and prevention services for women and babies with specific programs (to see which programs are funded in your state, check with the local chapter). Few people can resist contributing to an organization that “helps moms and babies in your community” but before making a charitable donation to the March of Dimes, it is important to understand where your dollars are going. Read more
“Ingredients”
If food ingredient labels make your eyes glaze over, we hope that this book will open them instead.
Steve Ettlinger and Dwight Eschliman (of Twinkie, Deconstructed and 37 or So Ingredients fame) came together to create a book –Ingredients: A Visual Exploration of 75 Additives & 25 Food Products – that is both appealing to the eye and the brain. Noting that “almost everyone eats processed foods,” the authors set the reader at ease by pointing out the word “processed” needs to be considered with care because we often forget that processed food also includes the freezing, cooking, baking, drying, and pickling of food – processes that get a bad rep when additives (especially those with complicated hard-to-pronounce names) are added. Read more
Nākd Bars
Nākd Bars are handy snack-sized bars (30 grams or just over an ounce) made of natural ingredients – primarily fruits and nuts that are gluten, wheat and dairy free, with no added sugars or hidden extras. With a soft, chewy texture, these simple but tasty bars are the perfect snack between meals. Read more
Medical School and Nutrition Education
Doctors…..cannot be expected to properly treat patients or guide the prevention of cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome if they are not trained to identify and modify the contributing lifestyle factors. ~Kathaleen Briggs Early, Kelly M Adams, and Martin Kohlmeier
Recently, my friend (a doctor) told me her son graduated from University of Virginia’s medical school and had no more than a few hours of nutrition education throughout the four-year program. Although I heard that medical students are rarely required to take a course on nutrition, I didn’t know the specifics which led me to do some research which revealed the following information: Read more
Date Almond Cake
Pan de Dátil Almendrado is Spanish for “Date Almond Cake” – a freshly pressed “cake” handmade in Valencia, Spain with two ingredients: dates and Marcona almonds. The two contrasting flavors and textures of sweet, chewy dates and rich, crunchy almonds makes for a simple and delicious dessert that is both sweet and savory, and completely different from what Americans think as traditional “cake.” Read more
Pereg Gourmet Grain Blends
The most challenging part of adding grains to a diet is learning how to enhance the flavor with herbs, spices, vegetables and dried fruits. Pereg Gourmet takes the guesswork out by combining grains (farro and couscous) with just the right amount of all natural ingredients so that all you have to do is add water. In 15-20 minutes, a perfectly spiced side dish is ready to enjoy. Read more
“Purity”
Secrets were power. Money was power. Being needed was power. Power, power, power: how could the world be organized around the struggle for a thing so lonely and oppressive in the having of it?
In Jonathan Franzen’s newest novel Purity, the author introduces the reader to Purity (“Pip”) Tyler, a 23-year old recent college graduate with $130,000 in student loan debt living in a squatter’s house in Oakland, California. Distancing herself from the mother who raised her in the Santa Cruz mountains, trying to find her biological father, and employed in a dead-end job, Pip is all but disillusioned about the world and the impact she will make on it. When offered an internship to work for the Sunlight Project – an organization that prides itself on leaking government secrets – in Bolivia, Pip takes a leap of faith, quits her job, packs up, and moves to South America. Read more
Thoughts on Living Vegan
Veganism often leaves people perplexed (as in “How do you get your protein?”) or thinking how strange that animal products (i.e. milk, eggs, ice cream, yogurt, cheese, steaks, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts, pork chops, and the like) are not a part of my diet. To these people, I want to say “I understand” because I, too used to think vegans (and I used to pronounce the word “veg-ans” with a soft “g”) were extremists, outliers, and generally don’t fit in with the rest of the world. The truth is they don’t but it’s not because vegans are weird but because vegans have chosen to acknowledge, confront, and reject the horrific cruelty involved in putting animal products on a breakfast, lunch, and dinner plate, or in a bowl or glass. Read more
Le Pain des Fleurs Crispbread
Just the words “Le Pain des Fleurs” make me think of the South of France where rolling fields of lavender and flowers always seem to be in bloom. Meaning “the bread of flowers,” Le Pain des Fleurs are organic, gluten-free, low sodium, low-fat, dairy, egg, wheat, and soy-free crisp breads that are crunchy, wholesome, and delicious as is or topped with tapenade, jam, chopped vegetables, cheese, hummus, tabbouleh, or your favorite spread. In a few words: France’s answer to Melba Toast. Read more
Paddock Post 