Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Fall is here, and the pumpkin season is in FULL swing.  Our harvest this year is huge.  Evidence of my claim?

Here you go.  A trunk full of squashes and pumpkins (all in the pumpkin family).  Great thing about pumpkins is that they can sit in a dark cool place for a long while, and then I eventually make them into pies!

Since we are here to find healthy food, it is quite possible to make a healthy pumpkin pie.  Just don't use cream or evaporated milk.  I use whole milk.  Cut your sugar as well in the recipe, which makes the difference between healthy and unhealthy.

Pumpkins are a decent source of fiber and beta carotene.  This will help your #2 (remembering going 3 times a day is normal! Fewer toxins in the body also means healthier organs).  And, the flavor of fresh pumpkin is deliciously fresh and healthy even on its own.  Pumpkin does have some natural sugar content.

Here's a photo of it mashed up.  Look at that AMAZING color.  Chock-full of beta carotene.

I found a really great recipe on www.pickyourown.org that I use as my base when making fresh pumpkin pie (not from a can).  My pumpkins end up in a beautiful pie, pictured here.

Fresh Pumpkin Pie Recipe from Scratch

Ingredients

• a pie pumpkin (see step 1; you can use different types of pumpkin or even a butternut squash)
• 1 cup sugar (see step 10 for alternatives) (metric: 200 grams) [Findfoodlove cuts by at least 50%]
• 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon (metric: 3.8 grams)
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves (metric: 2 grams)
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice (metric: 2 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (metric: 1.25 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional) (metric: 20 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional, I don't use any)
• 4 large eggs 
• 3 cups pumpkin glop (ok... "sieved, cooked pumpkin") (metric: 0.7 litre)
• 1.5 cans (12oz each) of evaporated milk [Findfoodlove uses whole milk, and I put in less than their 1.5 cans. I eyeball it, sorry no measurements]
  If you can't get canned evaporated milk, make your own from nonfat dried milk and make it twice as concentrated as the directions on the box call for! 
  If you can't get nonfat dried milk, just use milk.
  If you are lactose-intolerant, use lactose-free milk or soy milk.
  One visitor tried fresh whipping cream (unwhipped) and reported  the pie "turned out wonderful! "
  Another suggests using coconut milk, if you are allergic to dairy.

Note: if you do not have cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger, you can substitute 3 teaspoons of "pumpkin pie spice".  It's not exactly the same, but it will do.
Note: If you can't get evaporated milk, you can substitute nonfat dried milk - make it twice as concentrated as the directions on the box say to reconstitute it. It won't be the same as evaporated milk, but it ought to come close.

For directions and the original recipe: Pumpkin Pie recipe found on pickyourown.org

Peeling Garlic Like a Pro

I saw this on a fellow blogger's site: www.kitchenlore.com

It is too awesome to not share. Garlic stardom.


How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds from SAVEUR.com on Vimeo.

Warm Chicken Soup

It's a cold, rainy day in Chicago today.  I think it calls for some homemade chicken soup.  Totally healthy and good for getting over a cold or staying warm.  There are many chicken soup recipes out there, but mine is simple and it starts with Martha Stewart's chicken soup recipe.  I have added my modifications below to add more flavor.

Basic Chicken Soup

• 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), cut into pieces (including back)
• 8 cups water
• Coarse salt
• 3 medium onions, thinly sliced (4 cups)
• 2 celery stalks, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 6 medium carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• Tina's ingredient additions: 2 bay leaves, thyme, black pepper, a little oregano.  Whole chicken should be de-skined

Directions

1. Bring chicken, water, and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a large stockpot. Skim foam. Add onions, celery, and garlic. Reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
2. Remove breast, and set aside. Add carrots. Simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes.
3. Remove remaining chicken; discard back and wings. Let cool slightly. Remove meat from bones, and cut into bite-size pieces.
4. Stir in desired amount of chicken; reserve the rest for another use. Skim fat. Season with salt.

Source: Martha Stewart's Basic Chicken Soup
My past posts: Cold Remedy II How to Stay Warm

Cereal - The Sugar Story

I read an article this morning in the Wall Street Journal about how cereal manufacturers, like General Mills, are having a hard time reducing the sugar they put in their cereals.  Much of the discussion and impetus behind reducing sugar is in response to the child obesity epidemic.  They say that their cereals are hitting a sugar threshold, kids just won't eat it the second day if it has less sugar.  For illustration, here is a chart provided in the article of how much sugar is in one serving of their cereals.  Notice that some have been reduced. 

If it takes THAT much sugar to make a cereal taste good, maybe there is something wrong with the cereal, and not the sugar??   

They go on to talk about how they use vitamins/fortified, fiber or whole grain to make the cereal "appear" more healthy.  But don't you think the bigger question is, why would you try to feed your child or yourself a tasteless, processed food that is gross in its raw state but palatable once you add tons of sugar and sodium to it?

Why not just feed your kids oatmeal with mix-ins or eggs?

[Just between you and me, maybe because General Mills doesn't sell plain oatmeal or eggs. haha]

The full article is below.


Past posting on how to make yummy oatmeal: Bring Back the Oatmeal!
Source and pictures source: WSJ: Success Is Only So Sweet in Remaking Cereals

Macaroons vs. the Mini Watermelon

Today is Random Picture Day at FindingFoodorLove.  It's a battle between partially eaten macaroons from my absolute favorite French bakery, Vanille in Chicago (my taste of Paris), and our organic, miniature watermelon from the garden.  No philosophical insight here, just total randomness.  I think the watermelon looks like it has some inherent advantage, don't you think?  Interesting that the colors of my macaroons (red velvet, passion fruit with a hint of coconut, and pistachio *so tantalizing*) are the same colors as my watermelon!  Guess I was thinking 'watermelon' when I was buying the macaroons or more probably, I subconsciously like this color combination.

The watermelon, by the way, was so incredibly awesome.  It was juicy, crisp, sweet, and personal (I consumed 1/2 of the entire thing since it was so small).  I have to admit, the thirst quenching watermelon got me eating it more and more, but left my macaroons half eaten.

Because Your Baby's Worth It

And your baby's baby, and your future generations to come.

If you have been following this blog for awhile, you know that I do not support GMO (genetically modified), pesticides, toxins, even Monsanto.  However, the more I learn, the more I am realizing that although those are definite problems, the everyday toxins that are around us are also a big issue.  And that issue, it sounds, is getting bigger. Not to mention, cancer, obesity, fertility problems are only increasing, not decreasing.

For women, especially pregnant women or women in their child-baring years, this is even more important because we carry the next generation.  There is no mother in this world who would want anything less, that her baby would have the best possible chance of growing up healthy.

[This is going to be a sobering post, so read on if you are ready for it.]  According to an article (sourced below), scientists are becoming increasingly worried that even extremely low levels of some environmental contaminants may have significant damaging effects on our bodies, especially fetuses.  And the problem is that some of the chemicals interfere with our hormonal systems (or endocrine systems) that control our weight, biorhythms, and our reproduction.

Synthetic hormones are used quite often when dealing with the doctor. Steroid shots, drugs to alleviate menopausal symptoms, birth control, etc.  Some taken every once in awhile, but others, not so once in awhile.

Add to that exposure, perhaps what one may have encountered this morning on a run.  Breathing in pesticide laden lawns (and remember, you can't see the pesticides), then going to Starbucks and drinking the plasticizers from the tea cup (I think I will be limiting this habit from now on), and getting exposed to the wide array of ingredients used to perfume the soap and enhance the performance of the shampoo and moisturizer.  And do this day after day, week after week.  These repeated activities don't stay at "low" level exposures in the long run.

Some laboratory studies in mice, and some human subjects, have found that low level endocrine-disrupting chemicals induce subtle changes in developing fetus, having a significant effect in adulthood.

The EPA and FDA are responsible for banning dangerous chemicals and for overseeing food and drug testing.  Scientists and clinicians are concerned their efforts have been lacking, and techniques and methods of analysis for toxicology testing have not kept up since they were developed in the 1950s.

But the scientists haven't been quiet.  Professional societies representing more than 40,000 scientists wrote a letter to the FDA and EPA offering their expertise.  I hope the government will listen and respond.  As an average US citizen who wants to live healthy and be disease free, I want to be supportive of such research and efforts.  My future babies are worth it.


Source: Toxins All Around Us by Patricia Hunt, Professor of Genetics at Washington State University