Brining Meat
People often ask me why my meat tastes so good. The reasons are threefold:
1. I am of Italian decent
2. I know a secret about meat that I will share in #3
3. I always brine my meat
What is brining your meat? I would explain but this video does a better job than I could no matter how hard I try…
Rouxbe Online Cooking School & Video Recipes
Basic Vinaigrettes How To Video
Great video for you kitchen newbies. I eat a salad a day, and almost always mix my own vinaigrette.
Rouxbe Online Cooking School & Video Recipes
Another Reason to Avoid Corn
“What gave you spotty liver? Whisky, drugs?”
“No, Corn”
A study published in December 2009 in the International Journal of Biological Sciences found that three varieties of Monsanto genetically-modified corn caused damage to the liver, kidneys, and other organs of rats. One of the corn varieties was designed to tolerate broad-spectrum herbicides, (so-called ‘Roundup-ready’ corn), while the other two contain bacteria-derived proteins that have insecticide properties. The study made use of Monsanto’s own raw data. Quoting from the study’s ‘Conclusions’ section: ‘Our analysis highlights that the kidneys and liver as particularly important on which to focus such research as there was a clear negative impact on the function of these organs in rats consuming GM maize varieties for just 90 days.’
Sauerkraut Recipe
Lena Sanchez’s Sauerkraut recipe is the one I often go by, check it out at http://chetday.com/sauerkrautrecipe.htm
Recipe: Ginger Tea
It is important to stay hydrated throughout the day. I recommend drinking green tea. However the caffeine later in day can keep you awake, not to mention it can get a little boring. ginger tea is one of my favorites, caffeine free and all the super greatness of ginger.
Here tea-addict Kevin Rose shows you how to prepare ginger tea…
HOWTO: Make Ginger Tea from Kevin Rose on Vimeo.
What Organic Foods are Worth the Money
Spent all your dough at the shaker club and now you don’t have enough money for organic food? Of the foods I recommend eating in my book JUST DO THIS, some you gotta get organic, and others you can let slide. Of the foods I recommend eating that are too tainted to eat plain commercial are:
Strawberries
Bell peppers (green and red)
Spinach (tied with number 2)
Cantaloupe (grown in Mexico)
Celery
Apples
Green beans
Grapes
Cucumbers
And the 12 Least Tainted Foods
Onions
Avocado
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Kiwi
Banana
Cabbage
Broccoli
Papaya
Mmmm, Meat on a Stick! Sherried Chicken Kabobs
Here is a great marinade for chicken that always gets people asking what I put in it.
What you will need:
Marinade:
.25 cups soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp sweet sherry
.25 cups vegetable oil
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
black pepper
Kabobs:
about 1 pound (or 6 breasts) of boneless skinless chicken cut in cubes
dozen mushrooms
dozen persl onions
dozen cherry tomatoes
(you can use any grilled veggie here, bell peppers, zucchini, and squash work great)
and some parsley not only to garnish but to EAT too…
Put marinade in a bowl, mix, add chicken and veggies, thread onto bamboo skewers and grill for 15-20 minutes turning them frequently. Enjoy!
Recommendation: Pangea Organics Products
After reading a few articles about body lotions increasing the risk of skin care, I have been on the lookout for a completely natural skin products. So this past Christmas, my sister gave me a gift pack from Pangea Organics and boy do I love this stuff! The Egyptian Basil & Mint body wash lathers like the super-artificial chemical laden brothers you find in your regular drug store. Its smell is stimulating and awakening as advertised. Also included was their Chilean Red Clover w/ Geranium & Grapefruit Body Lotion. Moisturizes without leaving your body super oily, or oily at all for that matter. Call me metrosexual if you want, but its confirmed that girls love the smell of this stuff too. If you are an Old Spice guy, work on a tug-boat, or think American Pie is a good song to make out to, you may want to skip this product.
The company looks solid and I can’t wait to try their other products. By no way am I affiliated with them, just passing along some good info. Check them out at http://www.pangeaorganics.com/ or buy online from GreenFinds.
Flank Steak Recipe
When I was a kid, I used to pop open the container in the fridge where my mom had some flank steak marinating. the smell of garlic and ginger and soy sauce would make my mouth water. I love to make this flank steak recipe at some point in the week not only because it is very tasty, but flank steak is one of the leanest cuts of beef you can buy. I usually get about one and half pounds, grill it up, and eat the left overs throughout my week. This goes great with a flat leaf parsley salad, the only salad I know that can live un-wilted in the refrigerator for days
What you will need:
2-4 tablespoons ginger (i use at least 4 as I *love* ginger)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons red chili flakes
juice from one lemon or lime
1 tablespoon brown sugar
5 tablespoons soy sauce (i use low sodium) or tamari
.25 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1-1.5 lb. flank steak
for a little variation, you can use my mother’s recipe:
.5 cup olive oil
.5 tamari
.25 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp dried oregano
5 cloves garlic
2 tbsp onion
4 tbsp fresh ginger
tablespoon paprika
Mix all ingredients in a zip-loc bag, shake, refrigerate for a couple hours. Grill for about 10-14 minutes turning once. This is one steak that should be served medium rare, or ‘pink in the middle’.
Important: Flank steak should be served sliced against the grain. My father was a butcher and my mom a master chef, this is one dish I know.
Cheap, Fast, Simple Cleanse for the New Year
I like to start the new year out right with a clean system. If you have seen those cleansing formulas advertised on TV, this is similar, however there isn’t too much you need to buy to start it. The first time i did a cleanse, I felt like a teenager in the morning, full of energy. Wasn’t sure if it was the nutrients being absorbed more, the heavy metals removed from my system, or the placebo effect, but I felt great. You see, lurking inside your innards are some nasty toxins, parasites, heavy metals, pollution, and undigestible processed foods. They linger inside you, hampering absorption of vital nutrients, robbing you of energy, clogging up your system and slowing it down. There are many types of cleanses one can do, I subscribe to the philosophy that you need to clean out your lower GI FIRST, before you flush any other part of the system out such as your kidneys or liver. The GI is the fastest cleanse you can do, and its the first part I tackle when i start my cleanse. The cleanse I do is one that I have made up after doing several other types of cleanses and taking what I liked or found most effective and used them. As with any dietary or health guidelines, please consult your heath care practitioner before beginning any diet or procedure like this.
Stuff you will need:
Bowel Blow-out Formula:
▪ 64 ounces of prune juice
▪ herbal laxative like Senna leaf tea or Dr Christopher’s Lower Bowel Formula
▪ 1-2 gallons distilled water
▪ olive oil if you need some lubrication (only if you are super stopped up, take a few teaspoons with prune juice)
Master Cleanse Formula:
▪ about 6 fresh lemons
▪ real maple syrup (preferably from Vermont, around Burlington region is the best!)
▪ cayenne pepper
▪ distilled water
Here is my procedure:
First thing in the morning is I go for a brisk jog/walk, enough to just break a sweat and get my blood flowing. When I return home, I start my cleanse. It’s important to do this somewhere like your home where you can run to the toilet OFTEN.
Start by drinking at least 16 ounces of prune juice. Along with the prune juice I take some herbal bowel cleaner, I use Dr Christopher’s Lower Bowel Formula. After 30 minutes, drink 8 ounces of distilled water. You will start to hear your insides make sounds like a Walrus puking. Wait thirty minutes and drink 8 ounces of the prune juice. 30 minutes later, 8 ounces of water. Do this prune juice then water thing until the 64 ounces is gone. This lasts roughly 4 hours… as the day goes on, I sip on some Master Cleansing solution. this is made by combining 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice with 2 tablespoons maple syrup (not the fake stuff) 1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you can handle the heat) with 8 ounces of distilled water
As the day progresses, I sip on the Master Cleanse solution and think of positive things in my life. You should feel relaxed, calm, and content. That night at bed time, have some real yogurt (unsweetened). In the morning, I drink some kefir, an entire bottle, for lunch I have some yogurt, some apples and bananas and maybe some nuts. Follow the Muculess Diet (http://www.herballegacy.com/Mucusless_Diet.html) if you have trouble understanding what you should or shouldn’t eat as you ease your body into eating real food again.
