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10 Tips for a Healthy Holiday
2007-11-20 17:34:00
There's no way around eating good food during the holidays, and lots of it. But wouldn't it be nice if you and your guests actually felt good after the feast? And even the day after?Sign up for Alison's Natural Cooking eLetter - articles, recipes and inspiration once a month... FREE!RECIPES!Wild Rice, Cranberry and Apple StuffingHomemade Cranberry-Orange SauceBaby Pumpkins with Maple and CinnamonThanksgiving doesn't have to end with feeling stuffed, bloated or constipated. Here's some simple ways to keep it cleaner and feel good all weekend long:1. Go Light on the Appetizers - One year, my sister-in-law decided not to serve appetizers before our holiday feast. What a relief! Chips and dips, candied nuts, breads and cheeses can be filling and cause bloating before the real eating has even started. Try this: an hour or so before the meal, serve a brothy soup to help with hunger and excite the tastebuds.2. Skip the Rolls - You don't need them. With mashed potatoes, stuffing and y...
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How to Roast a Thanksgiving Turkey - VIDEO!
2007-11-09 14:26:00
This is my mom's way of roasting a turkey. She drapes a cheesecloth over the breast to help the basting juices soak in, keeping the breast nice and moist. To calculate the roasting time, use 18-20 minutes per pound as a guide. Remember to turn the oven down to 350 degrees as soon as the turkey goes into the oven.Print the recipes below!Roast ed Thanksgiving Turkey Video Pan Gravy and Garnish Video Get the Recipes!Roasted Thanksgiving TurkeyTurkey Pan Gravy (flour and arrowroot versions)Apple-Sage Garnishnatural cooking food and drink cooking healthy cooking natural foods recipe food blog food blogs chef blogs chef blog recipes Alison Anton food roasted turkey thanksgiving turkey pan gravy basting equipment roasted turkey video recipes turkey garnish roasting a turkey holiday cooking
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Trick or Treat? Fair Trade Halloween Chocolate!
2007-10-23 02:52:00
There’s a bittersweet tale behind chocolate. As much as we love to see our kids parading through the neighborhood for sweets, kids on the Ivory Coast of Africa (where 43 percent of the world’s cocoa is produced) are being sold into abusive child labor camps on the cocoa farms. Young kids are forced to work excruciatingly long hours with very little or no pay under extreme conditions.This is largely due to the insufficient income for cocoa farmers. The major chocolate companies (Hershey's, M&M/Mars and Nestle) still refuse to pay a fair trade price for chocolate. Why? Because Westerners are addicted to getting chocolate for cheap. Since we can get it at such a low cost and at an arm's reach, we assume chocolate is a dime a dozen. In all actuality, chocolate should be pricey; it is an arduous crop to produce, taking 400 pods of cocoa to yield just one pound of chocolate.The “fair trade” label is part of the solution. Buying fair trade is a commitment to pay a little more...
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How to Cook Winter Squash - Recipes!
2007-10-15 20:29:00
Winter Squash es keep us going through the cool autumn and winter months, offering good sources of complex carbohydrates and necessary minerals and vitamins. Since these are true winter vegetables, they taste best when they’ve been exposed to the cooler weather of autumn and winter.Sign up for Alison's Natural Cook ing eLetter - articles, recipes and inspiration once a month... FREE!The deep orange flesh of winter squash means they are loaded with beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A in the body. According to Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition, Vitamin A is known for immune support, enhanced eye site (especially night vision) and aiding the digestive tract, where 70-90 percent of our immune system is located.Reci pes :Sweet and Sour Mediterranean SquashServed as an appetizer in Italy, Mediterranean vinegars and white wine balance the sweetness of winter squash and currents...One Pot Meal!Butternut Quinoa Pilaf with Ginger-Almond SauceWarming and mildly spicy, this high-protei...
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Soups of the Season
2007-10-08 18:26:00
Whether they’re called potages, broths, chowders, gumbos or consommés, there’s something about a good pot of homemade soup that just plain feels good... Especially during the cool autumn months when people start to come indoors to warm up.Sign up for Alison's Natural Cooking eLetter - Articles, recipes and inspiration once a month - FREE!The best soups start with a good base. Most of the time, I use chicken stock because it noticeably enriches the undertones of the soup without dramatically altering the flavor. For most soups, the stock isn’t the target flavor. The function of the stock is the “behind the scenes” taste to enhance the soup's highlight: the beans, veggies, meats and spices.Making your own soup stock is the best way to go, since you're in control of the final flavor, spicing and saltiness. But don’t kick yourself if you don't have the time or energy to make your own. I find organic pre-made chicken stocks to be just as good. I do like to make my own ve...
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Roasting Bell Peppers VIDEO!
2007-10-02 04:20:00
You too can have the smell of fresh roasted peppers wafting through your own kitchen. Roasting peppers at home is easy, and takes less than ten minutes. They can be roasted on a gas stovetop flame, under a broiler or on a barbecue.Sign up for Alison's Natural Cooking eLetter - articles, recipes and inspiration once a month - FREE!WATCH THE VIDEO! How to Roast Peppers Here's the Instructions:Turn the heat source to high. Wash and dry the peppers.With a pair of tongs or long fork, place the whole peppers directly on or under the heat source and gently turn them until they are blackened and blistered. This takes several minutes on each side. Try to get all the nooks and crannies to blacken.Place the peppers in a bowl and cover for about 30 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. With your fingers, gently peel off the blackened skins. If they are hot peppers, use plastic gloves and be very careful not to get any of the pepper juices on your hands or in your eyes. Resist the temptation...
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A Pear Mon Frere?
2007-09-25 18:58:00
Alongside peanut butter on a spoon, poached pears were my favorite food growing up. I loved the melt-in-your-mouth texture and soft, sweet taste.Sign up for Alison's Natural Cooking eLetter - articles, recipes and inspiration - once a month... FREE!Pear s are fall fruits that are native to the Middle East, but in the west, are grown commercially in Washington, Oregon and California. France is also revered for its superior pear varieties.Pears are best picked when they are still firm. Unlike most tree fruits, they ripen off the tree and improve in both taste and texture. Choose pears that are firm, yet not hard, and ripen them at room temperature in a paper bag. They should be refrigerated when ripe and will keep only a couple days there-after.Recipes:Stilton Pear Salad with Candied Spiced PecansThe tangy snap of red wine vinegar, sweetness from fresh ripe pears, and the crunch of candied nuts makes this salad a feast for the harvest season...Poached Pears with Maple MousseTender coo...

Kid's Health - Tortillas, Wraps and Burritos
2007-09-19 02:32:00
You can stuff anything into a tortilla. Of course they make burritos, but you don't have to limit yourself to traditional Mexican ingredients. Chicken or tuna salad stuffed into neat little packages, for example, makes a healthy, high protein lunch when the kids get sick of the usual same old sandwich. You can even spread tortillas with nut butter and jelly.Sign up for Alison's Natural Cooking eLetter - articles, recipes and inspiration, once a month - FREE!If made with whole grains, tortillas give kids some added protein, fiber and B-vitamins to get them through their day of thinking hard and playing hard. If you can, try to get the brands that offer sprouted grains. Sprouted grains are easier to digest and the nutrients absorb better into the cells.Sprouted grain tortillas are generally a little stiffer than regular varieties, so it's recommended to heat them first before wrapping. Even regular tortillas taste better toasted. Just place them over the burner (gas or electric) an...
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The Caveman Diet
2007-09-11 18:40:00
The paleolithic diet, or "paleo" diet for short, is the original diet that humans consumed before the advent of agriculture. It's based on our old hunter and gatherer ways of eating that consisted of lean meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Everything else, like wheat, all other grains, flours, sugar, dairy products, beans, legumes and starchy tubers, are out.Sign up for Alison's Natural Cooking eLetter! Get articles, recipes and inspiration once a month - FREE!Why? The answer is simple: According to paleo experts and anthropologists, humans were really not designed to eat these foods in the first place. Since we've only been eating agricultural foods (wheat, grains, dairy, etc.) for some 10,000 years, paleo scientists agree that it just hasn't been long enough for our bodies to adapt. For the 2.5 million years before then, the hunter-gatherer diet was the diet we "grew up" on.Although some people seem to fare well with a modern diet of milk, wheat, sugar and grains, othe...
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Late Summer Salads, Video - Dicing a Tomato, Cucumber and Onion
2007-09-03 22:30:00
The end of summer doesn't mean the end of fresh salads. It just means adding an element of warmth and comfort to help transition into shorter days and cooler nights. Fresh baby greens are still at the farmers' market from September through October... Use 'em! But think about how you can give them a richer element now that the season is changing.Start with richer and thicker dressings. Nut butters work wonderfully. Almond butter, tahini and cashew butters make sweet, comforting sauces without any added cream or heaviness (see Carrot Salad with Tahini Dressing, below - the tahini can be substituted with your favorite nut butter).Roasted veggies also add a warming quality to fresh salads. Roasted peppers, summer and winter squashes, tomatoes and eggplant make colorful salad toppings, and add a touch of flair and fancy. Stay tuned for October's blog entry to learn how to roast bell peppers.Toasted nuts on any late summer or fall salad can also do the trick. They supply good fats to...
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Eggplant In Season
2007-08-25 00:21:00
By Sarah KruseThe humble eggplant makes a cameo appearance as early as June at farmers markets in warmer climates, but officially takes center stage in late July and August throughout much of the U.S. after a long, hot growing season.Sign up for the Natural Cooking eLetter - once a month FREE!Technically a berry and belonging to the nightshade family, plants that grow at night, eggplants are native to tropical Asia. First cultivated in India, they spread to Africa and were then introduced into Europe by the Arabs in Catalonia in the 13th century. The first eggplants were the size and shape of eggs, providing its name. The large, pear-shaped purple eggplant may dominate supermarket shelves, but at farmers markets, youll find long slender purple Japanese and Chinese varieties as well as round, baseball-sized white, gold or lavender-striped ones.Get the eggplant recipes: Vegetarian MoussakaThe reward of this Greek casserole is bite after bite of tender roasted eggplant in a tomato-base...
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Kid's Health - Sneaking in the Good Stuff!
2007-08-17 20:17:00
What kid doesn't love pancakes? Waffles? Muffins? Organic moms love them too -- they know how easy it is to sneak in the good stuff without the kids even knowing.Sign up for Alison's Natural Cooking eLetter - once a month FREE!Whole grain flours can have a strong flavor and heaviness, but if added into foods with a mix of all-purpose flour, toasted wheat germ, or ground seeds, the flavors meld right in without a sneaking suspicion. The food actually tastes better, too. Baked goods that have only refined flours tend to leave us wanting -- there's no texture nor real taste.Try these as a start (and see the recipe for Whole Grain Fluffy Flapjacks!):Whole Wheat Pastry Flour -- Since it has less gluten than regular whole wheat flour, pastry flour makes for light and fluffy pancakes, waffles and muffins. Try a mix of whole wheat pastry and regular whole wheat for more texture; you might want to start with 3/4 pastry and 1/4 regular.Toasted Wheat Germ -- Adds a nutty, sweet flavor and i...
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Conscious Eating, Stress-Free Eating
2007-08-11 02:06:00
You wouldn't stare out the window daydreaming while enjoying a nice lunch with a friend, would you? Your guest would think you rude and remote. What about when eating alone? Most of us hardly consider the food in front of us as a friend that requires attention, presence and good conversation. Without the understanding of food as a friendship, eating just seems to be another bad habit. With it, we realize that we never truly dine alone.Sign up for Alison's Natural Cooking eLetter - articles, recipes, culinary inspiration - once a month FREE! Conscious eating, or being mindful of the food in front of us, is beneficial to the body, the mind and even the emotions. All three interrelate. Our actions affect the mind, and the mind affects our actions. When we eat on the run, in the car, with anxiety or while processing heavy emotions, the body goes into "survival mode". From a very basic animalistic nature, the body assumes a protective, defensive posture. Stress and anxiety kick the f...
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Quick and Easy Chicken Dinners - 3 Ways!
2007-08-04 18:25:00
Chicken is one of the most versatile and easy all-season foods to make. Grilled and sliced thin over salads, it makes a refreshing light summer meal. Roasted with roots, it's one of America's favorite comfort foods for the cold winter months. It can be browned, steamed, braised, sauteed, fried, roasted, broiled, pounded or even pureed.Sign up for Alison's Natural Cooking eLetter - once a month FREE! http://www.wholegourmet.comMy favorite way to prepare the darker cuts is by browning and braising them in rich sauces. This technique imparts a tender texture and allows the spices and seasonings to infuse into the meat. And it's so easy: 25 minutes and you're done!Watch the Video! Browned and Braised Chicken in White Wine and GarlicGet the Recipe:Browned and Braised Chicken in White Wine and GarlicI've never been a fan of dry breast meat. Problem solved: pound it! Pounded chicken has a tender, moist texture and delicate flavor. It cooks up in minutes, leaving only 10 minutes from ...
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Cherries and Cherry Recipes
2007-07-15 04:38:00
Is there anyone who doesn't know it's cherry season? Walking into the farmers' market last weekend, I saw a herd of people crowding around one small booth. "What are they selling?" As I approached, I saw the pretty white bags brimming over with bright, little, red fruits.Since cherries are too fragile and perishable to import, they are one of the few fruits that are truly "seasonal". The growing season for cherries is a short one as well - they're only really good from June through late July. This makes cherries an awfully nostalgic summertime fruit, and enthusiasm is always high.Cherry Reci pes :Cherry Coconut ClafoutiSpinach and Smoked Turkey Salad with Fresh CherriesSign up for Alison's Natural Cooking eletter!On a nutritional level, cherries, especially the sour varieties, are alkalizing in nature are known to reduce acids in the body. They have significant levels of vitamin C and the B vitamins, as well as minerals to help us get through these hot summer days. Their bright r...

Healthy Desserts, Raw Desserts
2007-07-02 04:46:00
Think "raw desserts". What pops into your mind? Heal thy ? Crunchy? Soggy? A sad alternative for someone on a diet? Raw desserts make the healthiest desserts on the planet, but they also make skeptics. Can desserts made without flours, fillers, sugar, or dairy products truly satisfy?Watch Alison's Raw Desserts video!Sign up for Alison's Natural Cooking eLetterSweet fruits are one of the top ingredients in raw desserts. Fresh and dried fruits are bursting with sucrose, glucose and fructose (nature's natural sugars) and many have just as much sweetness as refined tables sugar. Dates, for example, are a common ingredient for raw dessert crusts and fillings, and have a 75-85 percent sugar content.Now I don't normally advocate sugar, but we're talking about desserts here. Fact is that desserts are sweet. There is a difference between using whole fruits instead of table sugar, though -- it's in the fiber. For those who have experimented with the Atkin's diet, you'll remember that de...

Kitchen Knives - Knife Skills Videos
2007-06-13 01:44:00
Most home cooks claim satisfaction with their trusty collection of old kitchen knives, until one day they happen to pick up a high-quality, newly sharpened chef's knife... The clouds part and they suddenly see the light!Good kitchen knives are not just for professional chefs; anyone who spends any time in the kitchen should own at least one or two. With a good knife, the chore of cutting and chopping suddenly becomes an artful meditation.Knife Skills Videos Knife Safety - Gripping and SlicingDiagonal Cut and Julienne (matchstick)Brunoise (confetti cut)Dicing an Onion or TomatoTriangle Cut (roll cut)Chiffonade (rag cut)Medium DiceSign up for Alison's Natural Cooking eLetterChoosing the Right Knife For You Knives are made from a few basic substances and are manufactured in a variety of ways. The materials used, as well as how the knife was made, will ultimately determine how sharp the knife is, how long the blade will hold its edge, how sturdy it will be, and how much it will cost yo...
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Kid's Health - Hemp Milkshakes!
2007-06-07 17:41:00
with Meg HarpoolI recently questioned myself (as parents often do) while selecting a box of hemp milk from the shelf of my local health food store. Before I serve my children this so called “foundation food”, I felt the need to do a bit of research. Since both hemp and marijuana are cultivated from the cannabis sativa plant, are hemp seeds really a good choice for my kids?I found that hemp seeds are not only safe to consume, but that they are one of the plant kingdom's most concentrated, complete and balanced sources of all 8 Essential Amino Acids (complete protein) and Omega-3 and Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids (good fats). They also contain key nutrients, minerals and live enzymes - all beneficial for growing little bodies.After my investigation on this wonderful little seed, it was time to do the taste test. I mixed some hemp milk, frozen peaches, plain yogurt, and a splash of maple syrup in a blender and placed it in front of my girls. They both loved it. It is such a nice...
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Homemade Pizza - Pizza Crust Video
2007-05-31 17:53:00
When we think of pizza, most Americans think cheese and pepperoni. Of course there are many popular toppings that branch out from these staples, but in general, we tend not to stray too far from the occasional artichoke heart or sundried tomato.But think about it... pizza crust is just a simple flatbread. Flatbreads are a staple food all over the world and are eaten with all kinds of traditional ethnic foods, such as Indian curries, peppery African stews, Moroccan harissas, and even with a simple South American breakfast. For these folks, flatbreads are used in the same way that Westerners use forks. So why not make a pizza out of it?3-In-1 Homemade Pizza Crust RecipeSince the vast majority of Western kids have a positive association with pizza, "making a pizza out of it" is a fabulous way to introduce young children to new and exotic flavors. Not only will the pizza look appealing, the bread will act to soften strong, ethnic spices that may be foreign to the uninitiated palatte. Ch...
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Barbecue and Grill - Let the Grilling Begin!
2007-05-24 22:50:00
Memorial Day is the national kick off of the barbecue season. So now is the time to wheel it out, scrape it off and get it fired it up. The first round of the season is always a little clumsy, but you should get warmed up in no time!Although barbecued food did not originate in America, this convenient slow-cooking technique was utilized in the late 1800’s by cowboys during western cattle drives. The hungry men were fed the tough and stringy cuts of meat that often needed several hours of cooking to tenderize. Barbecuing was the perfect remedy - they not only had a low-temperature heat source for slow cooking, but could also do the cooking in the great wide open.And then came the invention of the charcoal briquette in 1920. Interestingly enough, Henry Ford and his cousin E.G. Kingsford are credited for popularizing this innovation. The bi-product of the wood scraps and sawdust from the Ford automobile factory was used to make the briquettes and soon they were put into commercial p...
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A Taste of Mother's Day
2007-05-12 18:31:00
Our palates inherit the tastes of our mothers - the foods, the flavorings and even the style and culture from which she comes. Although some of us proclaim that we will never be like our mothers, sometimes there's just no getting over those formative sensory imprints.A gourmet chef and cooking instructor with an Iowan upbringing and German descent, my mother has an eclectic culinary style that engages her mid-western roots but also gives highlights to the many diverse cultural customs from all over the world. Amidst her rearing of Crisco, Jell-o molds, hot dogs and potato salad, she also managed to adopt a sort-of European panache, exchanging Wesson with extra virgin olive oil, American cheese with aged Gruyere, and a can of beer with a glass of pinot noir.I am thankful that my taste buds are following in my mother's footsteps; I choose a variety of diverse foods and spices, experiment with new tastes and textures, and enjoy learning about the many culinary traditions from all ove...
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Healthy Kids - Give 'Em Choices
2007-05-09 01:26:00
“Would you like carrots, corn or beets for our vegetable tonight?”Having kids choose between 2-3 kinds of vegetables can help foster self-esteem by giving them a role to play in the preparation of their meals. This gives them a certain boundary ("we're definitely having vegetables") yet enables them to choose for themselves from what has been offered.Kids usually have a good intuitive sense of what their bodies want - forcing them to eat something they don't want can have a negative effect in the long run, defeating the purpose altogether. The ultimate goal should be to spark a positive association with healthy food at an early age; allowing kids to have a say in the matter can do the trick. Even a two year old can decide between carrots and beets!RECIPE:Glazed Butter Babies [print recipe]Yield: 6 kid-sized servingsThese sweet and tender bite-sized carrots have a glossy glaze that's sure to entice even the most finicky eaters.2 tablespoons ghee or butter1/2 pound baby carrots...
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Fava Beans In Season
2007-05-04 02:33:00
By Sarah WoodLike budding trees and chirping birds, fava beans announce the arrival of spring. The beans thrive in cool, damp spring weather, peaking before the summer heat sets in. Often a favorite crop among small growers, fava beans are more readily available at local farmers’ markets than grocery stores.While they may seem new to most Americans, fava beans reigned as the main crop for much of the Old World and continue to be a prominent ingredient in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. And for good reason: the beans are high in protein, fiber and calcium and low in calories. According to Chinese medicine, the beans improve blood circulation and water metabolism.The first harvest usually produces smaller pods, providing smaller beans and a more delicate, sweet taste than larger, more mature beans. The bright green beans, slightly bigger than lima beans, require a bit more effort to prepare as they are doubly protected (see instructions, next paragraph).Preparing favas for ...
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The Art of the Choke
2007-04-27 23:00:00
It's no wonder Marilyn Monroe won the first official title of California Artichoke Queen in 1949. Apparently, artichokes are considered an aphrodisiac, and in the 16th century women were even banned from eating these indulgent delicacies due to their sexual inference. I guess an artichoke a day won't keep the men away!Artichokes are one of the oldest foods known to humans. Its Italian and Sicilian origins date back to 371-287 B.C., and were brought over to America by French immigrants when they settled in the Louisiana Territory in the early 1800's. Later that century, artichokes were established in the Monterrey Bay area by the Spaniards. Today, nearly one hundred percent of the country's entire artichoke crop is cultivated in this mid-coastal region of California.The plant is an edible thistle - the part that we eat is actually the plant's flower bud. If allowed to flower, the blossoms of the artichoke measure up to seven inches in diameter and are a spectacular violet-blue. ...
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Community Supported Agriculture
2007-04-21 00:07:00
People these days want to know where their food comes from and how it is grown. Community Supported Agriculture (a mutual commitment between a farm and the community) provides a direct link between the production and consumption of food. It creates a relationship between people and the food we eat, and puts the farmers' face on food, so to speak.As a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) member, you can support local farms by investing in shares of the upcoming harvest and receive a weekly bounty of locally and sustainably grown, fresh, organic vegetables, herbs and fruit. This mutually supportive relationship helps create an economically stable farm operation in which members are assured the highest quality produce, often at below-retail prices. In return, farmers and growers are guaranteed a reliable market for a diverse selection of crops.CSA boxes are filled with many heirloom and specialty varieties that are not available at the supermarket. It is an opportunity for members to...
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