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My camera is on the fritz, so that’s the truncated part.

The END of the line
That was very good, even if I do say so myself. Nothing left to eat. Literally. This is for those times when you just haven’t gotten out for 40 days and nights, the check from whoever hasn’t arrived, the cat is eating but you have decided not to join her type of thing. So, there was spaghetti and the last of a bag of frozen peas, and, and… this packet of dry salad dressing with almonds, seeds, bread crumbs and spices (covered with dust because I figured I would never use it). So I start the spaghetti cooking, put in the peas and am about to open the dressing packet when I read right there on the label “for cooking or baking”. Well, if the manufacturer tells you to cook it, even though it is something you would never consider cooking, he must know something you don’t. So cook, or put in a lot of “anti” spices, or both.  Spices which are anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-rust (no scrap that one) include cinnamon, turmeric (cumin), oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, cloves (see http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Spices.html for a complete listing). I went the ‘both’ route, and since I had turmeric and oregano, didn’t stint on either. The moral of the story is, always stock up on things which you figure you will never ever use. You just never know.  And the end result?  DELICIOUS

Quinoa Sweet Potato Health Dish
If you have never eaten quinoa before, take a look at the vitamin and mineral content below. You just do not know what you’re missing. Together with sweet potato, onion, and garlic, it’s a health dish come true. Cook half a cup of quinoa (rinsed) in a cup of water which is brought to a boil while preparing and adding the following: Onions, handful of cut up sweet potato, a small amount of garlic, 4 cherry tomatoes. Once boiling, reduced the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes (or less) until all of the water is absorbed. Add sea salt and a little seasoning (oregano, basil) with a small amount of butter for a creamy flavor, and a touch of soy sauce (real soy sauce only – fermented such as Kikkoman). 

QUINOA: One of the staples of Mayan cooking. Low Fat, Protein(16), Thiamin(13), Riboflavin(12), Niacin(4),Vitamin B6(11), Folate(19), Calcium(3), Iron(15), Magnesium(30), Phosphorus(28), Potassium(9), Zinc(13), Copper(18), Manganese(58), Selenium(7). Legend: () represents percentage of daily value in a serving.

I CAN’T GO ON WITHOUT COFFEE
And I was out. So, I said to myself (do that a lot these days), there must be something here that will fill in. And sure enough there was. A spoonful of blueberry jam, or whatever you have like honey, strawberry jam to give it body (it all drops to the bottom anyway, like a rock). Then I added 1 heaping tsp. of cinnamon, and a bit of ginger for an extra slight zing, milk and boiling water. Really did it. Although, as soon as I get some coffee, this will only be a sweet memory.

Just had a delicious breakfast
No wonder it was good – acidic wheat flour pancake with fake maple syrup (lots of sugar), coffee, milk and yes, sugar. Tried to balance it out from the alkaline side of the chart: Half a banana, and some raisins, but since it was an extra large pancake, finished balancing with a tsp. of baking soda (soda bicarbonate) in a glass of water. Ruined the aftertaste, but at least I gave my system a fighting chance. Detailed Listing of Acid Alkaline Forming Foods http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

Pickled Pitta Sandwich
Best thing in the world. Well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but.. close. Pita with mayonnaise, large homemade salt water pickle (sliced), tomato, lettuce, hummus in that order. You will want it every day. And I, for that matter, will keep making it for lunch every day until the pickles run out and then go into withdrawal mode.

If you are one of the 5 people left in the world
who has never had hummus, you definitely don’t know what you are missing. The dish is fried eggplant bits, peas, thin sliced broccoli, yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic dumped into a skillet with hot olive oil with basil, oregano, sea salt, cayenne pepper (sauce or ground) added. The hummus can be mixed in at the end of the fry process or served on the side (but keep it close in order to counteract the effect of the cayenne pepper).  Fantastic taste.  An aside: For the side effects of broccoli, see ‘Solving THE Problem’ way below, or add some ginger. The garlic in the mix may also help in this regard.

Waiting on the photos – but I couldn’t wait any longer.

The reason I don’t like squash is because it is usually boiled. But I really enjoyed this squash. With a little bit of olive oil, butter, onion and garlic, the problem is solved. No water. And that’s hummus and tahina (ground sesame seeds). And of course the salad with a single cherry tomato. A potassium dish, if I ever saw one, for keeping the old ticker young. No salt in this one. Had a moment of reflection this a.m. (that’s what I call a pressure in my chest). Never had it before. And I decided that I needed to give it some encouragement. That’s what I call being sure to get one of the factors in there that keeps it ticking – potassium. But you want to be careful not to over do on the potassium.  Too much of a good thing has the opposite effect. This is particularly true if you have any kidney problems. We normally get enough potassium in a normal diet. You can check out the food stuffs which give it here http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=90 And sometimes a little bit of a nudge is needed to keep everything smooth. However, in terms of too much potassium, unless there is significant kidney problems, the kidney “is said to be able to unload 26,000 mg of potassium in a day if necessary” WHEN BLOOD POTASSIUM is too HIGH (Hyperkalemia), http://charles_w.tripod.com/blood.html A very readable article on the known causes, and some home remedies of high potassium buildup. Given the amounts of potassium for the following items: 
2 cups romaine lettuce 325mg, 1 cup winter squash 896mg, 1 cup tomato 400mg, cup onion 251mg, 100g garbonzo (chick peas) 291mg, the potassium in this dish would be about 1,700mg. I figure it’s absolutely safe, but then I really do not know. So don’t quote me. Sources whfoodss.com http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=90 wikipedia.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickpea

Cure all breakfast
Unless you are addicted to corn flakes or cocoa puffs, this is the answer to breakfast. Raisin-walnut-nutmeg-cinnamon-ginger-banana-oatmeal with milk and sugar (stevia preferred). The title says it all. Bring the ingredients, except the oatmeal and banana, to a boil in half a cupful of water (or whatever you are using to serve). Add the almost instant oatmeal until you get the consistency you want and cook on low flame for two minutes adding more water when necessary. Add banana slices, milk and sugar after pouring into whatever. 
Came across this article http://www.naturalnewstoday.com/2009/12/herbal-mix-may-reverse-tobacco-damage.html “claims that after using a herbal mix made with ginger, scent leaf, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper he feels a lot better, and has stopped smoking. “The persistent cough has gone. As you can see I no longer have dry cough. I use to feel a sharp pain by my lungs, and that has also gone. Most importantly, I have stopped smoking”. If you want to add clove and black pepper to the above, you are on your own.

Snatching victory from the jaws of utter defeat. The egg… well, as you can see. Ran out of oil. This meal is at least 70%+ alkaline which is what is important to keep most of the untoward conditions the body can get itself into at bay. Come to think of it, most of the alternative treatments for cancer and a number of other conditions are heavily on the alkaline side. Natural Food Sources of Glyconutrients
http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/glyconutrients-food-sources.html

Check out – The National Institutes of Health in the Fall of 2001 awarded The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, CA a $34 million grant to understand how cells and the immune system use these sugars.

One of the best descriptions for the layman that I have found so far.
Glyconutrients – Can I get them in my food?  http://www.articlealley.com/article_71153_23.html
Lists the types of glyconutrients(sugars) and the foods which provide them.

I had a question when I woke up this morning. How did the Eskimos live so success.fully for so many centuries without all he green stuff we normally think of as one of the most important parts of our diet. The first thing I ran across in my search was this “For three billion years Marine Phytoplankton has supported virtually all living creatures in the Ocean. It contains  a unique combination of life sustaining nutrients including; Omega 3 essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA), protein, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals and trace elements” http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/plankton.htm 
- Basic article on glyconutrients and phytoplankton  http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/glyconutrients.htm

Three things. Now that I’ve said that, I have to come up with three things. In this case, you think that it might be difficult. What can one say about toasted in butter challa (special white bread), with fried eggplant and onions on melted kashkaval cheese with milk and flour, with a side of home made beet soup?
Well… here goes.

1. You are going to need a glass of water and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) after this. Will ease any acidic build up, heart burn, and will change the Rh level to alkaline which is very good for the general health of the system. In fact, this link Baking Soda (Bicarbonate) & Maple Syrup Cancer Treatment
might be worth taking a look at in terms of cancer.

Or this study published by the national health service of the U.K.
Baking soda for kidney patients http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/07July/Pages/Bakingsodaforkidneypatients.aspx which details a study in which “The researchers conclude that supplementation with oral bicarbonate in patients with chronic kidney disease and low plasma bicarbonate (metabolic acidosis) slows the rate of decline in kidney function and lowers the chances of developing end-stage renal disease. OK? They say that this cheap, simple strategy also improves the nutritional status of patients and has the potential to translate into significant economic and quality of life gains, as well as clinical benefits”
Medical: Relative to injection of sodium bicarbonate:
 Baking soda for kidney patients http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/07July/Pages/Bakingsodaforkidneypatients.aspx
 Treatment of increased lactic acid in emedicine.
One negative reportage to consider: Two common heart treatments found harmful – injecting sodium bicarbonate, prescribing flecainidehttp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0815/is_n124_v14/ai_7946645/?tag=content;col1 

2. This dish is on the acidic side, and not 70% alkaline which is the best for you. Bicarbonate of soda is indicated.
   bread – acidic
   butter – acidic
   cheese – acidic
   milk – acidic
   white flour – acidic
   onions – alkaline
   eggplant – alkaline
A list of Acid / Alkaline Forming Foods  http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm
 
3. Which all led to the need to do in depth research on a topic and the way to effectively do it to get authoritative sources, information.
 Uses sodium bicarbonate as a research topic http://www.virtuowl.com/bicarb-lab/index.html
and then, just a page on the uses of soda bicarbonate in the home
http://www.virtuowl.com/home/bicarb-uses.htm

For two but that didn’t stop me
This and sunshine will keep me going long past the 3 score and 10, plus it will keep my weight down. The raisins add immensely to the enjoyment of this dish.
 Aside from the pancake itself with the fake syrup, this is probably one of the best cardiovascular protective breakfasts you can have. Of course the one free range egg helps with it added nutrients and a free and satisfied(most important), normal chicken.
Nuts are very good against weight gain for one thing but aside from that are very good in the protection of the cardiovascular system. The following gives an indication only of the some of the benefits. This is not exhaustive nor particularly accurate. To get to the depth and get accurate figures according to the literature, see http://whfoods.com (the numbers in () are the minimum daily value for the particular amounts specified in the link. These amounts are not necessarily represented by the servings seen – some over, some under).
almonds manganese(45), E (44) magnesium (24) tryptophan (21) copper (20)
  reduce risk heart disease, antioxidant (particularly when eaten with skins [not like here],
walnuts omega-3(90) Anti-Inflammatory and Cardiovascular health, reduce blood clotting, reduces inflammation,  manganese(40) 
sunflower seeds E(90), B1(54) manganese (35), magnesium(31) copper (31) tryuptophan(31) selenium(31) phosphorus(26 B5(25)
   Anti-Inflammatory, Cardiovascular health, calming of nerves, reduce heart attack, health of bones, magnesium helps general health of muscles, nerves cramping, tension, soreness, fatigue
raisins bone health due to boron “boron provides protection against osteoporosis and reproduces many of the positive effects of estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women” http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=33
  check out article regarding non organic raisins and the possibility of added sulfites and pesticide residues.

Another rendition of the previous dish but with the eggplant slices fried in a separate part of the pan, bell pepper, onions, and garlic with soy sauce and instant mushroom soup topping. Soy should be fermented and Kikkoman soy sauce is put through a 6 months fermentation process before marketed which is not true of several other soy sauce products on the market.

Once in a lifetime but should be every day. Whatever is wrong with you, wouldn’t be. Started out boiling and half way through, the water was dumped and olive oil added with cooking continuing for another 5 minutes. Until eggplant is cooked, but not until everything is cooked because the less cooked, the better. Peas, eggplant, garlic, bell pepper, 2 tsp basil, 2 tsp oregano, small amount of cayenne pepper sauce, sea salt, walnuts, cashews. Soy sauce goes great on this, as does my favorite sweet chili sauce, but soy sauce is preferable. In case you missed my mention of soy sauce previously, this is fermented soy (Kikkoman) with all of the health attributes of fermentation of a soy product. In fact, all soy should be eaten only if it is fermented: Fermented tofu, fermented soy burgers, miso, tempeh. There have been many articles on the negative aspects of un-fermented soy products (unfortunately un-fermented is what you will find in most supermarkets today). If you are starting, or are on, a vegetarian, or vegan diet, take the extra time, and yes, extra cost, to get fermented soy products. One link to the facts on unfermented soy: The Truth About Unfermented Soy and Its Harmful Effects
http://www.naturalnews.com/022630.html or another source:

“Some of the most detrimental [aspects of unfermented soy] are potent trypsin inhibitors which block the action of enzymes needed for protein digestion. Soybeans also contain hemagglutinin, which causes red blood cells to lump together. Soybeans are also high in phytates, an organic acids which blocks the uptake of calcium, magnesium, iron, and especially zinc and contributes to widespread mineral deficiencies.” It is stated that only fermentation reduces phytate content. Further, “Vegetarians – especially vegetarian children – who eat tofu and drink soy milk as substitutes for meat and dairy products are at very high risk of loss of bone mass and severe mineral deficiencies.” http://www.zenzibar.com/Articles/issoysafe.asp

Goes on part already at top of last publication. A case in point. Delicious. Of course, with chili sauce everything is delicious to me. But I wasn’t about to throw out all of those vitamins and minerals slightly blackened or not.

If you don’t have it, make it – MY OWN SALSA
Have been eyeing the salsa jar (empty) for some time now, but each time I go to the super, I can’t find a replacement. This morning was salsa day somewhere inside me. This is the result. One thing to remember: Beauty is nice, but it’s the quality, the range and depth of what is offered and, in this case, the taste, that counts. This rates a 1000.
My Salsa: Cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, olive oil, basil, oregano, turmeric, black pepper, sea salt, cayenne pepper sauce (very little), water (very little). This will cure you of untold deficiencies throughout your system. Just give your body a gift, get it down there, and let it happily do its thing.
The failed cheese sauce (it did not pour, hence the drop pattern): Milk, two cheeses: Kashkaval and normal yellow, very small amount of flour, turmeric powder (very, very little), black pepper to help the system absorb the turmeric, sea salt. Base: Two eggs. Just shake in a used jar. Much easier than beating it in with a fork in a bowl, unless the lid is not tightly closed.

 Outside My Window – If you are still stuck in a snow drift, your time will come.

morgan 2010 

Cooking is the greatest experimental situation we have and it should be used frequently. If your life is boring, you are not doing enough innovative cooking. The great thing here is that most of our failures are still eatable, and most of the time do not set fire to or blow up the kitchen. The worst that can happen is extra charcoal for the body which helps in cleaning, but only to a limited degree. Plus, and this is the most important, it takes longer to cook.
Experiment 1023. Number pulled out of the air. Amazing what the air holds. But, to the present dish. (Waiting on photo) White/red already prepared rice on 1 egg with yellow cheese and chili sauce. Actually not much more to say about it except it tasted great. SCORE: (on a 0 to 1000 scale): 999
Chocolate syrup would have pushed it up there.

 
On Hold For CAT

Perfect rice pancake with sunflower seeds (health-in-a-shell) Very high in E and B1 plus other things you’ll have trouble easily finding elsewhere.
CAT came in from outside meowing and asking to be fed just as I was starting to eat this. Very hard to put it down, but she comes first. Some morning she gets up earlier than I do and goes to meet friends, defend the territory, answer the wake up call, and scout the parameter, or whatever cats do. Just an aside: She is very territorial. Sometimes, she is gone for a long time and I think that she is out somewhere in the larger neighborhood. But when I go down, there she is somewhere on the property – her 1/10th of an acre. I asked a girl who feeds the neighborhood cats if she had seen and perhaps been feeding her, but she said that since I had pointed Attackit out, she hadn’t seen her or fed her. Back to breakfast. Attackit(aka CAT) waits very patiently while I fix it, goes and sniffs when I put it down, comes over to me purring, gets petted, goes back to the bowl, hesitates, turns around and comes back for a final pet before racing back to the bowl – as I myself head back to the pancake. Who is better trained?  The white rice/red rice combination pancake with flour, 2 eggs, and sunflower seeds. I find it hard to cook rice. Can never wait for it to finish. So the rice in this dish was given to me by my daughter. It’s perfect – and because of that, I put it as a combination into a lot of different things. But in pancakes? Great.

 Red Onion Sandwich
If you feel like crying and don’t know why, and want a reason, this is it. Onion with bread straight up is the purist, and the best taste. But, this is for those of us who don’t love purity for it’s own sake to that degree – at least when it come to eating onion. Be sure to put mayonnaise on both slices. Undue exaggeration aside, there is nothing worse than having a slice of bread with nothing on it. Besides the mayonnaise (on both slices), there is tomato, oregano and sea salt. The unsliced loaf of bread was picked up unwrapped at the super, after being who knows where, so I run the crust part through the flames just to be sure. Don’t want all of my protection to come only from the liberal amount of oregano and thyme (both anti-microbial, anti-fungal) which I put on things. And the corn chips? Thankfully they’re finished.

Onion-Soup With Mushroom-Soup Topping and Melted Cheese
Says it all. Now the details. The onion soup with real onions was made from scratch but given as a gift so I can’t say anything about it. Topped off with thick instant mushroom soup, and cheese melted with milk and a small amount of flour. Chips as a prop only – definitely not eatable, but everything eatable I could have used here had already been eaten.

 The Alkaline-Acidic Dichotomy
I’ve mentioned this before, but because I believe it is important, here goes again. For true health and preventative action against many of the dis-eases known, our diet should be about 70% alkaline. The problem being that most of the good things we consume are on the acidic side of the chart – grains, meats, eggs, sugars, etc. All taken from the alkaline side of the chart except for the mayonnaise (eggs – but very little of that). Apple, banana, almonds, raisins, and a small amount of olive oil (depends on which chart you consult), and cinnamon. I couldn’t find the ginger or that would have gone on also. The Alkaline Diet Chart, or Various Other Charts
A side note: Two of my sisters are on a vegan fast for religious reasons. From what they are eating, they are going to be healthier than I.

 There’s A Pizza Cutter For Every Tough Decision
Had looked at the avocado. Even felt it to see if it was ripe. But no, I wanted a pancake with butter and syrup. So the pancake was cooking (2 eggs), and I was waiting to turn it over, when I found myself cutting the avocado. So you see my solution. There is a solution to everything. This one helped along with the pizza cutter my sister had sent. Euphemistically speaking, there is a pizza cutter for every tough decision. Looking at it now, I can’t imagine eating these together. Would take a split personality…

I will not say what is inside this pita, or the totally nutrient free character of the corn chips. What is important here is the fact that the corn chips are on the plate, and some effort went into the arrangement of the pita halves. Just think of it. Two seconds more in arrangement and five in putting the chips on the plate, and you are almost forced to sit down and not eat at the sink. Very important for that relaxation, sense of luxury, and pampering of yourself (all of which is probably deserved). By the way, the only good part of this meal was the blueberry jam which I put on the leftover crusts of the pita. And yes, I ate that standing at the sink. I had already lived the good life.

 Chili Spinach
Defrosted my fridge. First time in 2 years. Had to get in there with an ice pick. And in the process, the frozen spinach… Well, now I don’t know what to do with all that spinach. Check out Eat spinach everyday for increased strength [no joke]  for everything that spinach does for you. This is about half a cup of frozen spinach with half a large onion, 2 cloves garlic, veggie burger, fried in olive oil, with oregano, thyme, sea salt, and chili sauce added at the end. This particular sauce reminded me that these bottles have labels. I hate to shop. I’m in the store a maximum of 6 minutes if I can help it. So I didn’t read the label HOT. Just saw the bottle with chili in it, and also didn’t read it before I put it on the spinach. You can imagine my surprise when I sat down to enjoy it. I did anyway. The form of it on the plate should have warned me.

  
It’s What’s Underneath (Tomato Sauced Noodles)
The reason this is being shown is not because of the noodles, instead of the spaghetti, or the store bought tomato spaghetti sauce, or even the kashkaval cheese, but to ask you how many times in your life have you had enough sauce on your spaghetti. If it is more than once, you are indeed fortunate. Luck probably had nothing to do with it. And this is why the dish is being shown. Always be sure that the spaghetti (noodles) are tasty enough to sit down and eat without the sauce, before you put the sauce on. This may mean mixing extra butter, extra spices, extra hummus, extra cream cheese, extra melted cheese, etc. into the spaghetti first. And mixing more sauce into the dish doesn’t count. If you make it eatable without the sauce first, whoever you are trying to impress, will be. Even if it’s just yourself.

Dump
Talked to the guy who sells me cat food. His flackjacket had large tears in it as though a gigantic cat had had a major disagreement with him. When I inquired, he said that he had bought it that way. That the fashion world and all the neighbors sort of dictate what is worn. I would have taken the disagreeing cat any day. Then I realized that even in fixing ourselves a meal, unseen by the rest of the world, we follow established patterns – what goes with what and how it is prepared, and even how we eat it. Was this dish a subconscious reaction? The dish just fell together. That’s butter beside the egg. Soy sauce on the burger under the tip of the kashkaval cheese, beside the hard boiled egg on top of noodles with spinach. At least, I had the dessert last. I’m not hopelessly lost to social convention.

True Non-stick Perfect Pancakes Every Time
This is really no different from the rest of the 1-2 egg, flour and water spheres I make except for the amount of cinnamon (2 tsp) mixed with powdered chocolate drink, walnuts, and blueberry jam. One of the things which is important here is the fact that the pancake never sticks – now that I have the secret for making a pancake in a regular frying pan. The olive oil must be just at the point of smoking (do not do this with non-stick pans. In fact, do not use non-stick pans). Turn down the heat and pour the batter. The walnuts can be evenly spaced using a measuring stick and extensive calculations (360 degrees divided by the number of walnuts available), or if you hate math, by placing one nut each at north, south, east and west, and adding another 4 somewhat in the middle between each. The walnuts are for the omega-3 which keeps your blood flowing smoothly. The cinnamon and lots of it for anti-clotting, and anti-microbial potential, and enhancement of brain functioning. I even remembered to take out the trash today (after eating the pancake). The blueberry jam is for the antioxidants and the possible reduction of certain types of cancer. In the dead of winter, blueberry jam is the closest I can come to blueberries. Source

 Frying Pan Cookies
Just pour the brown sugar into the mix. Do not mix. If it is too much, then you won’t eat as many cookies. If it’s too little, you also won’t. It’s a win/win situation. The danger is when the cookies are just right. Ingredients: Flour, sugar, vanilla, olive oil, sea salt and just enough water so that you can pick it up and make into a ball which is then placed on a floured board and pounded out with the heel of your hand until as thin as you can get it. Cut with a glass for large cookies or a tall small mouth jar for small cookies. Toast in butter in the pan on low flame with the cover on, until the one side is cooked, and then turned over. As soon as you turn it over, press cut up pieces of semi-sweet cooking chocolate into the done side, and add the walnuts. Cover. Keep checking, although burned cookies are safer. It’s good to have as many stops to overeating built into the baking as possible.

Signs of SPRING

STARTING today, a new section on dishes and comments which other people send to me. Basic criteria for acceptance? Have not worked that out yet, but it may have something to do with whether or not I would want to make it – even if I couldn’t.  The other criteria is vegetarian.  See OTHER PEOPLE section below (9 photos down, with the instructions for submission below that).

            _____________________________________________________

Today I fed the floor. Must not have been hungry. The food just sat there. I let it sit.  That’s what happens when you balance a plate on your knees while crossed and try to fork something that’s not in the middle.
There went my vitamin A, B6, C, E, G, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and selenium for the day from the banana Benefit from the Natural Health of Bananas, along with a huge amount of Vitamin C and the kiwi’s reported protection of DNA, provision of antioxidants, and my eyesight, to say nothing of my need for extra cardiovascular support on my heart whfoods.com (kiwi and banana not shown because I didn’t eat them).  I was set for the day on my Omega-3 (had eaten the walnuts), and saved the remaining cheese with my wrist. Never had chili sauce on the wrist before. I can assure you it is no tastier than it was on the plate. One thing for sure. The floor is now much cleaner. Got tired of watching it not being absorbed. to top

                                 Etruscan Wall Painting Cheese Omelet

to top

Fried eggplant and mushrooms with avocado (added just before dining). The only spices here are sea salt and ground cayenne pepper. Did not know what I was going to fix. Just started with the eggplant. Sometimes, life just hands us those out of the way and never considered surprises. The important thing, as with most things, is to just start.  totop
 

What this DOESN’T have, you don’t need (except for b12).
O.K. so that’s a slight exaggeration, but not by much. Wait until you see what’s there. Whole grain rice, noodles, onion, bell pepper, sweet potato, sweet chili sauce, ground cayenne pepper, and a lot of hummus (garbanzo beans). Should also have the following which I had in a salad just before this so did not double up: Sea salt, oregano, thyme, turmeric, and black pepper. Eat this in the sun, and you will live to 100. I plan on beating you by 10 years. Add some button or champignon mushrooms and sunflower seeds, and the only thing you are lacking on the quick-nutrient-coverage check  is B12.  Note: The quick-nutrient-coverage check is to fill out the form as though you are eating whatever is in the dish or the meal 4-6 times a day, with everything else being <1. Try it. You’ll be amazed at what you are missing big time, or whether you can beat me at my own game. Then take it again the right way. I was worried about my friend.  So I asked him to do the check. I heard nothing from him, and 6 months later he admitted that he took it, and his comment was ”they are already measuring me for a pine box“. to top

  
Healthy Toasted Open Cheese
Just an idea. Not really a recipe. Using stuff which I had left over. Always keep something back of whatever, for one of these. Afterwards, you should be out of at least one of the items. Possibly all of them depending on how serious you take the holding back process. I am now out of avocado. Though I was also out of banana but found another one. Toast the bread in butter (both sides) first. Cheese heated with a small amount of milk, and a very small amount of olive oil to keep it from bunching, and then poured onto the toasted bread. The base is store bought eggplant in tahina. And be sure to use a very mild onion. Otherwise, this might be healthy but it won’t be fun. to top

Potato Burger Mash With Avocado.
This was so good I am glad there wasn’t more. Would have eaten it all. The only real problem faced while fixing this was not eating all of the avocado before it was put on the potatoes. Potatoes boiled and then fried with 2 chopped up soy burger patties in a combination of olive oil and butter with 2 cloves of garlic. Lots of basil and oregano. to top

  Situation Resolved.
This was just waiting to happen. I did not create it. It created itself. All I did was facilitate. We forget that the universe is a constantly-in-motion, coherent whole which has its own reason for existance and its own way of carrying out the plan. It had to happen. I’m just glad that I was one of the facilitators and the main recipient at this juncture of this particular unfolding.  Nothing sweet and I had to have something. All I had was oatmeal, some 3% cream cheese, and some semi sweet cooking chocolate. Why not? Boiled a cup’s worth of water and oatmeal, melted the chocolate, added some sugar, and poured it into a bowl. Added some vanilla and a small amount of sugar to the cream cheese and put it on top. Absolutely delicious. to top

 

Two Egg Whatever (That’s 2 pieces of bread there each with it’s own egg.
If you are the cook (for most things), do not show this to your significant other. They’ll want it. This takes the getting-all-the-nutrients-in-at-breakfast to new heights. The small stuff: The trail mix came in handy again for the raisins and even some cocoanut. But if you do use trail mix, you’re going to get some chunch when not expecting it in the apple salad, so be forewarned unless there is no crunch in your mix. If the nuts are not roasted, I wash them. Found that the roasting takes some of the beneficial nutrients out of the almonds. But since the taste of roasted is so great, it’s sometimes a toss-up. Now to the hard part. How do you keep the egg from running under the bread and all over the pan? Do not pour from the cracked egg. Break the egg into a jar and then pour a small amount in the hole until cooked enough to pour the rest. Also, cook the two eggs separately, and then stack. I cannot emphasize enough the beneficial effects of spices and herbs on your meals. They are not just window dressing. Some of these spices have nutrients you will be hard pressed to find anywhere else, and add significantly to the nutritional value of any meal. to top

Spices PREVENT diseases
“Extensive medical research has found that nutrients in ginger, turmeric, rosemary, fenugreek, oregano, cloves and many other spices can help to prevent heart disease, alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes and other degenerative diseases.”  The author, Dr. Keith Scott has very interesting articles and videos on each of these. Also, see: The results of a major study on the antioxident values of a large number of foods, showing that spices and herbs have the greatest values far exceeding other categories of foods. Category 22 You can also see the abstract with a link to the pdf discussing the original findings.

More About Non-Stick
If you have teflon/other non-stick cooking ware, or stain and water resistant coatings for carpets and fabrics, please read this. I have mentioned this in relation to pet birds (it kills), but this article relates to its effects on humans.  

Falling Tower of Slaw With Eggplant.
Kept falling over. So, this is the best shot you’re going to get. The standup is one of the great things about fresh loaf bread. Added sweet chili sauce to the cheese and vegetarian dogs inside before layering the coleslaw. The tomato is an icon. And that’s bought eggplant-in-mayonnaise in the slaw.  There is something to be said about letting the professionals do it. Which means that they know what they’re doing, and their reputation rests on getting whatever knowledge they have across to the customer, which is an art all by itself. The slaw  contains yellow onion which, in this case, has no bite. to top

Eating an apple just does not do it for me. The mantra “An apple a day…” never got embedded in my subconscious. But this will do it every time. Thin sliced apple with lots of cinnamon and blueberry jam in a toasted in butter tortilla. If you can’t see this clearly, you need it. to top

Red Bell Pepper And Onions With Just Another Tortilla Cheesewich. See last post for previous wiches. Can’t get enough of these. So easy to make and with different cheeses each time, an endless variety of tastes. Oregano and thyme on the red bell pepper and onions. to top

Things I run across which I think are interesting:
Coconut Oil Provides a Solution to the Spread of MRSA http://www.naturalnews.com/028139_coconut_oil_MRSA.html

And now the OTHER PEOPLE SECTION to top
See below for rules and where to send

O.K., so the first one is my sister’s. But that is where the idea came from. She sent me a photo out of the blue which blew me away. I might just fly to California so she can make it for me.

Accompaning Text: 
MY PLATE – egg omelet with spinach/mushroom side.  Just whisk 2 eggs with a fork and cook over slow flame until the “bubbling” stops.  The eggs need to be cooked through; when almost done sprinkle a handful of grated cheese (whichever is my pleasure as I usually have about 5 cheeses in my fridge)  on top and it is ready to go.  I like to add the spinach into the omelet but my pan was small and I didn’t want to crowd it.  One can add diced tomatoes, a little chopped green chili pepper, scallions, whatever suits your mood – and taste buds!  Or as I always keep fresh salsa on hand, a large dollop of that with a spoonfull of sour cream also works well.  Was going to put the “wilted” spinach and mushroom combo INTO the omelet, but at the end just added grated Monterey cheese (Swiss would work well – or Pepper Jack).  Then folded the omelet onto a plate adding the spinach (cooked briefly in a fry pan with a scant amount of butter or olive oil until “wilted”) and mushrooms.  No bread needed with this plate.  A side of fresh fruit bowl finished out the meal.   (PS – And of course, a piece of chocolate about 1/2 hour after eating just to settle everything!!)  I only eat 2x a day – usually around 10 and then at 4.  That way I’m not going to bed with a full stomach…… Sonia Penny

 Directions for submission
_____________________
1. Submit recipe and comments to email: morgan@tsingle.info with the subject ‘recipe’ followed by your name.
2. Photographs must be in .jpeg or .jpg format and sent as an attachment to the email.
3. Dish must be your own
4. All entries subject to slight editing where necessary
5. My decision to accept or reject a dish is final.
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                             _________________________________________

AN EXTRA

Want to study a foreign language?
Some Unasked For Tips On Studying A Foreign Language
I have found the best way to study Spanish – finally after 2 years of trying every technique under the sun and still not getting it right. Now, I copy any Spanish text which has at least 10 words I either: Do not recognize, know how to spell, understand when said, or say. I open up 6 consecutive pages across the top of the browser: The first is a word definition page for unknown words or verbs I want to conjugate Wordreference  http://www.wordreference.com/definicion/. The next five are for virtually identical free translators: IMtranslator.net http://free-translator.imtranslator.net/,   Reverso http://www.reverso.net/text_translation.asp?lang=EN,  Google http://translate.google.com/#,  Microsoft http://www.microsofttranslator.com/Default.aspx, and online-languages http://www.online-languages.info/ Try the different engines by inputting the same text to translate and see which appears to be the most helpful, correct, etc. depending on the topic. Some translators are better at certain topics or ways of writing than others.  The major plus of IMtranslator is the speech facility in which the text is read aloud electronically although the selection allowed is relatively short.

Then what I do is type the language I am learning under the translated portion of the text and check to see whether or not what I have written is correct, until it is. It also helps to repeat out loud the language to be learned each time I check it. With the IMtranslator, be sure to check the reading speed. Although the speed variability is not great, you can start at a comfortable level and once you have heard it several times, increase the speed for any given text.

The key here is to select a short phrase (no more than about 40 words each time). Otherwise, you never seem to get off of the phrase, giving yourself relatively little positive feedback.

For word definitions, each gives its own dictionary, but the most complete at the present time is wordreference.com. But also, I have found that the listing of possible uses of a word by the Google translator is very good, and sufficient for any single word entry in the entry box. 

The fastest way I have found to get a human pronunciation of a single word, at the present time, is online-languages.info  http://www.online-languages.info. For some of the languages, the recording of the word pronounced continues to recycle until the mini voice box which appears is closed. Sometimes the box does not appear and must be found by clicking on the browser tab at the bottom of the screen in order to select it and close. to top

Apple, Blueberry, Cinnamon Tortilla with Honey (photo to come, but you really don’t need it)
The title says it all. And the fact that it doesn’t look so great on the outside (just picture it not looking so great), doesn’t detract from it’s true value and beauty inside, like so many of the lasting qualities of life which we sometimes only fully appreciate when they are gone. The tortilla was fried in a small amount of butter, and (the one thing which was not accomplished) folded while it was still hot IN the pan, hence it’s form. The blueberry is blueberry jam (well, there were actual blueberries at the top of the jar so at least they tried), and the apple simply thinly sliced and inlaid with cinnamon (lots) and honey. Together, the blueberries, apple, cinnamon and honey are antioxidant, cardioprotective, learning capacity enhancer, supportive of gastrointestinal health, protection against various forms of cancer, risk-of-asthma reducer, lung supportive, anti-bacterial-viral-fungal, provider of friendly bacteria (which is why it is best not to bake honey to get its full effect [extra aside here: Without friendly bacteria, the human body would probably not survive long after the first proverbial sundown]), immunity enhancer, anti-clogging (anti-clumping of blood platelets), blood sugar controller, promoter of colon health, and protection against heart disease - whichever of those terms will get you through the day, conceptually and, in this case, physically. This is an amazing package. Reference on supports: whfoods.com. 

More on helpful bacteria: It has been estimated that there are 10 times more bacteria (often mislabeled flora) in the human body than there are human cells. My take on it: Perhaps attraction is all about my flora liking yours. Applicable references: Human Flora – Wikipedia,   People Are Human-Bacteria Hybrid. Each one of us is actually an ecosystem Prof. Gerald Callahan, Talk of the Nation.

Sludge (photo to come).
I’ve said it before. I dislike soups. It takes so long and so many spoonfuls to get anything in. And all the while you are wondering what’s next on the menu. Solved the problem. Started out with enough water to fill a bowl of really thin soup. By the time I had finished putting in the half package of instant soup (any kind), bell pepper, onion, eggplant, garlic, small amount of soy sauce, ditto on sweet chili sauce, sea salt, oregano, thyme, ground cayenne pepper, turmeric, black pepper and boiled it awhile to be sure everything was partially cooked, I had tasty vegetable sludge which I put on whole wheat couscous liberally buttered. One spoonful of this is worth 10 of the regulars. Be sure to keep some sludge on the side to add to the couscous when you get half way down. By the way, this IS the menu.

I have been down for 5 days. Computer problems. It’s amazing how long the time is when you don’t have the computer. Start doing things that have been put off for far too long, and using things which you had forgotten even existed: Spanish dictionary: Printed. Began to get a taste of how I lived BTC. For one thing, I went to bed early. I’m really well rested.

The Fix
Pancake with one egg, banana, trail mix, cinnamon, sugar, and a ring of fake syrup around the outer edges. You really know you’re doing something when you are eating it, and then afterwards just sitting there and feeling the nutrients racing around filling nooks and crannies which have been crying for succor for going on too long now.

**

Cheese Tortilla
Have the cheese ready because this is fast. On low heat, brown the tortilla on one side in the pan with olive oil. Flip. Put  the cheese on one half only (left, right, top, bottom depends on how your arm works).  Fold. Turn the folded tortilla and let fry for a short time with cover on (less than 1/2 minute). Flip again and finish frying the first side. Has got to be one of my favorites. The hummus and lettuce mounds are extras.

Cake with strawberries and apple yogurt.  I had to have something sweet. You know the feeling. And I had these strawberries which I had bought only because they are supposed to be good for you – very high in vitamin C, antioxidant protection whfoods.com. The combining of the two problems into one solution sits before you. About the apple yogurt? Only put it on the piece you are going to eat, or you end up with mush. I could have put it onto a broader area. As usual, it’s burned – on the bottom. I went back to my computer thinking that I would get up in 3 minutes to check. I did not want to photograph the result. Would just be a jet black triangle on the page.  But, I did turn it over to finish cooking, on the side you see, by easing it onto a plate and flipping it. Actually, could not taste the burn. The ingredients include butter in the pan, flour, water, baking powder, vanilla, egg, sugar, all according to whim. I really must get a measuring cup. It was fantastic – I really like my own cooking. Even with the burn, this only took 12 minutes. 
 

 By the way, with this constant cooking and photo shoots, the only thing that keeps me in shape is my own personal exercise plan which I do laying flat on my back in bed. If I fall asleep, I just continue when I wake up. Really works. Have detailed it on the main site to this blog http://tsingle.info.

Number 4 in the Glop Series – Bell Pepper and Mushroom G.
This is a recipe for two, but I didn’t let that stop me. There are advantages to living alone. Not many, but this is one of them. Oh, there’s more in the pan, or there was.  Egg plant, bell pepper, and mushrooms (advise strongly against picking them yourself – not even if a relative or neighbor picked them), soy burger, turmeric, black pepper, sea salt, lots of thyme, and a small amount of sweet chili sauce. I don’t believe the saying that all experiments need refining. The refining agent here is the digestive tract. The basic success to this is the noodles – very few.

I’ve decided to go out of business. Just ate some of my daughter’s (Nati) egg  and cheese cream pie (פשטידה in Hebrew). Absolutely fantastic. I said to myself that I couldn’t hope to equal that. She assured me that my experimentation with food, equaled or surpassed anything she could do. Very nice of her to say that, but… Photographed what was left.

This was going to be another perfect pancake which I would just eat and be done with. Apparently not. This is a mocha yogurt, inside and on top, with nutmeg and cinnamon pancake. It will really clear out your sinuses and arteries. I put a little maple syrup (fake) on afterwards, or it can be put inside to cover one of our expectations. Most of our lives are based on expectations.  And a sweet pancake is one of them. But, that does not do for you what a yogurt pancake does. If you listed all of your expectations (see you in a year when you finish), you would find that part of the problems we encounter in life, besides trying to do the impossible (like listing them), is due to misplaced expectations. Change even one of them, and you change your life. The more crucial and central it is, the greater the change. However, watch what expectation you replace it with.

Grilled Cheese
I really should set up a grading system. That was a 5 on a 0-5 scale.  Too many levels and the labeling becomes a problem. For instance, saying that the dish was a partial, in-between, semi-good on a scale of 25 just doesn’t convey much. With a scale of 5, you have (5)Superb down to (1)Hanging-in-by-teeth to (0)trash. I was told by my sister that nobody had the ingredients in their larder that I do. Which is strange because I shop at the same super as everyone else. Which means that we all see a different store when we walk in. So I will use only generic terms for items, like cheese (even though this was great Bulgarian sheep cheese called Kashkaval), and bread (although this was a special loaf of bread only baked on Fridays which must be hand cut), mushrooms (champignons), sweet chili sauce, thyme, and sweet basil, fried in butter. Mushrooms pre-fried, also in butter because I am fresh out of olive oil which would have been preferable.

Hummus, Broc and Mushroom Salad (non-traditional)
Although, I don’t think there is a traditional version of this. The secret is to be sure that the mushrooms are kept touching the pan so that they brown before the broccoli is hopelessly burned or cooked out. If I were to list the benefits of this dish for your general health, everyone would eat it. And since there is not enough broccoli in the world… You can see my dilemma. So just enjoy the picture. Also, I am told that you should only cook this dish if you live alone. It seems that broccoli and hummus can be problematic together. But it was a great taste.

Off The Wall Breakfast
Decided to have oatmeal. But, the oatmeal just sitting there in the cup didn’t seem complete. Put in a lot of cinnamon and some honey. Felt the need for an egg. So there you have it. Cinnamon and honey with fried egg. Yep, your reaction just now was my reaction, but it tasted quite good and I am now feeling complete. So, if anyone tries this, please let me know. Need to know that I’m not the only one out there feeling this way.

Noodle Pie
This is just to jag your memory to the last time (perhaps long ago) when you had noodle pie or some form thereof. In this case it’s done in the frying pan, hence the egg is not included, if in fact it was ever in any of your previous experiences. Just boil the noodles, drain, dump back into the pan, add lots of cinnamon, a small amount of nutmeg, lots of sugar (sorry – I never measure), and stir. Let sit for an hour until cooled, or place in some cold place – like outside the door if it’s winter (covered or there may be nothing left when you check 15 minutes later), for 15 minutes until it has congealed. Cut and serve with whipped cream, maple syrup, or other favorite topping. And, don’t forget the walnuts if you have not had your omega-3 fix for the day. Read up on omega-3 if you have not done so already. It may literally change your life.

 
Coffee
They’re beginning to see it my way. Not that I had any opinion on it one way or another. I just always drank 8-10 cups of it a day. Well, that may be overdoing it but I’m 74 pushing 20 so I must be doing something right. Coffee Lowers Risk of Diabetes and Liver Fibrosis, Hepatitis and Prostate Cancer

Tip for the day 
If you are anything like the rest of us, the message in these two articles  is important:
1. Sugar May Be Bad But This Sweetener Is Far More Deadly Part 2 
2. Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup in Beverages and Processed Foods

Project In The Making
This was the most intense preparation I have done in terms of running back and forth from the stove to the sink. I deserved the result. They say that visual is half of the enjoyment of the meal, and taste has to be the other half with the nutrition hopefully tucked in a corner somewhere. A dish has to appear to fulfill one of our many needs, healthy being one of them, as well as deliver what it advertizes.
This dish started out as the vaguest of mental pictures comprised of 2 eggs on toast. In its evolution, there were 8 major decision points:
1. Egg first or toast?: Toast
2. On one side or both?: Both
3. Egg poured on top or separate?:  Separate with toast on top
4. Toast on top of undone egg or turn egg?: Undone and cover
5. Topping or plain with spices?: Tomatoes, onion, garlic, cayenne
6. Leave resulting anomalous tomato paste or not?: Added fresh tomatoes, onions
7. Melted Cheese on top?: Found none, so hummus heated in milk
8. Sweet chili sauce or just spices?: Sweet chili + sweet basil

                                                                                                    

 

 

 

 We’ll forget about breakfast. 
Well, o.k. here’s a photo of it. Gave me indigestion. The couscous / oatmeal / amaranth base was like a rock when I finally got around to eating it, and the whole thing was all positioned on the acidic side of the food chart. Took a 1/2 tsp of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and ate a small salad (as medicine mid-morning). It worked. My niece sent me a site which talks about the necessity of having an alkaline/acidic balance, which actually means about 70%+ alkaline intake. Otherwise, you are opening yourself up to all sorts of problems down the road, and depending on how long this is ignored, the end of the road may be nearer than you think. But, while attempting to get alkaline in, be sure to also get some acidics in there. They are  very important for all of the minerals, vitamins, etc. they have, but keep it less than all of the less tasty stuff on the alkaline side. My question is ‘If we are supposed to eat more of the alkaline, why was it made so untasty (for the most part, my being one with an affinity to the acidic side of the chart)? If you are not into this stuff, you’ll see what I mean when you look at the two charts here http://www.pureliquidgold.com/acid-alkaline-forming-foods.htm

The Umm Response
After the morning fiasco, this dish is quite alkaline. But, I have to admit that each portion on this plate got the ‘umm’ response which is not usual for alkaline. The avocado-grated raw bell pepper salad  got the response after I added a little mayonnaise (acidic :-)
Warning: Unless you are an expert at slicers, do not slice your carrots this way. You definitely want to keep all the fingers you have. The sauce on the boiled carrots and sweet potatoes is cinnamon, sugar, coconut oil, and honey. The noodles have butter, oregano, basil, pepper, and sea salt. The salad, as you see it in the photo, has soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, thyme, oregano, sea salt.

 How to forget how cold you are
This is good for a cold winter’s evening when the heat is off. This is due to the amount of cayenne pepper in there. Your mouth will be so hot, you’ll forget how cold you are. Also, a very good mixture of alkaline/acidic. Sweet potatoes, avocado, mixed with hummus and a cayenne really hot pepper mixture in a tortilla with sweet chili sauce on top. There are some noodles in there left over from lunch, but we’ll forget them. I don’t know that anyone has ever tried any of my dishes. My sisters are surprisingly silent on the subject. Oh well, I enjoyed them and I’m still here. 

 Couscous Supreme
I just realized today that I usually operate like a well oiled machine. Well, I do use a lot of olive oil in my cooking. But this morning it was a litany of missteps, errors, minor gaffs with the crowning blow being when I turned on my computer and the screen went black. After eating this breakfast, everything went back to normal. This is a powerful dish. Don’t know what I was lacking but this was apparently the antidote.
To list what went wrong: Burned the pan severely, dropped the fork on the floor, something which in all my years (that I can remember, and that’s about 1 year back) I have not done, decided to use the high protein grain amaranth as a base (although I only had 1/8th of a cup left), but picked it up at the wrong end pouring half of the remaining contents into the sink, overcooked the egg, couldn’t find the black pepper even though I picked it up each of 3 times to look at canister labels. And to start it all off, while still in bed, had this mosquito who wanted a part of me to warm her eggs or whatever it’s for (she will just have to wait until tonight). By the way, you do know that only the females bite.  The dish is pictured above. Overdone fried egg with couscous supreme. Slightly fried onion, red bell pepper, and avocado mixing into 6 minute couscous with the addition of butter, oregano, basil, soy sauce, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon and a small amount of brewer’s yeast for the Bs.

Nirvana
This is nirvana or as close as fried eggplant, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and avocado can get. Add the avocado only at the very end. Spices: Basil, oregano, sea salt, thyme, and topped with sweet chili sauce. I am showing the cutting board before the stuff hit the pan, principally to show the onion cutting which when turned on its side and sliced, produces a shower of small onion cubes without the tears. Also found out that the mosquito which had been biting me during the night, definitely did not like the taste of garlic. Free at last. And apparently, very little will do it.

Just Your Normal Breakfast – At Least For Me.
The green on the bread it not mold. Just decided to relocate the avocado. The walnuts are only part of a handful for the day if you are getting you Omega-3 this way. Very important to get Omega-3 in some way. Was going to eat the rest of the walnuts during the day, but since my life is total-deferred-gratification at the present time, decided that it would end with, at least, the walnuts. Ate the rest when I took the plate to the kitchen. Brown one side of the bread, turn over, insert egg, and cover. The cheese is kashkaval (almost colorless sheep cheese). Was going to put a bit of sweet chili sauce on but found that I did not have an inexhaustible supply.

Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide as Disinfectant
http://www.michaelandjudystouffer.com/judy/articles/vinegar.htm

 Salad with fried-in-olive-oil-tortilla, melted cheese, paprika, and a small amount of sea salt.

Made some more chips

A failed plate of two eggs
This was a failed plate of two eggs when it started. I was just going have breakfast and forget about photography. Then I decided to add the avocado, walnuts and soy sauce. And in the process, added banana slices, against my better judgment and internal reactions. You probably just felt them also when I mentioned the combination. So I ate the slices, and put the onions and peppers on to fry with all sorts of spices including cayenne sauce. Now it was worthy of its own place in history.

Soy Weiner Clusters with Cheese-Cayenne sauce-Honey Spread.

Covered For A Week
Wasn’t going to put this up or photograph it or anything – except eat it, of course. And then I put on the cinnamon (lot’s of it) and then the fake maple syrup, and on top of that, Ghirardelli cocoa mix, and smudged it all together. Looked at it and decided, at that point, to go the whole nine yards, and put on the walnuts and, on top, some extra Ghirardelli. There’s a regular one egg pancake under it all (water, flour, baking powder). By the way, did you ever wonder where the ‘whole nine yards’ came from? Probably not. But I’m going to tell you anyway. Or, as it turns out, not (since it is still unknown, but the possibilities are interesting). The best discussion (meaning the one I picked!!) of the possible origin of the term is The Phrase Finder “The Whole Nine Yards” http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-whole-nine-yards.html

Squash With Extra Protein
Actually, this is about the egg. The rest is underpinning (not bad for an afterthought). Fried squash (the thinner, the better), onion, and 2 garlic cloves (trying too keep the mosquito from biting me). Was free for two nights and then she hit. Either I had not been eating enough garlic, or after two night she became desperate. Never take a pregnant female for granted. I’m talking about mosquitoes, but I guess that this would apply across the board. Back to the squash. Once fried, add cheese, sea salt, sweet basil at least, And this time, a significant dose of soy sauce. I have just rediscovered fermented soy sauce. Actually, the brown color comes from the fermentation process. It’s a very unique taste and fits this dish perfectly. Look up Kikkoman.com
And the cinnamon? Fantastic stuff and my sister sent me two huge canisters of it – anti-clotting, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, improves use of blood sugar, enhances cognitive processing, and if you feel the onset of a cold, cinnamon in tea will help along with a little ginger. whfoods.com http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=68 From the amount I poured on, all I can say is  “I’m good for a week”.

The title of this is “Don’t Say I Never Feed You”
Eggplant towers, fried potatoes and carrots, with apple/walnut salad in turmeric/black pepper mayonnaise sauce. Very healthy. Just wash the eggplant, cut and place in a hot frying pan with olive oil. The potatoes, carrots, and 1 clove of garlic are placed beside it and covered on low flame. Turn periodically. The sauce is milk, yellow cheese, a very small amount of flour, sweet chili sauce. He/she will remember this one. Particularly if you keep reminding them.

IMPORTANT STUFF HERE

See material about vitamin B12, and about soy below.
Very Important

Couscous Rings
The insides have to be so good that you want to just stand there and eat it out of the pan. Forget about the rings.
I love couscous – It’s so fast, great as a base, tastes good all on its own with butter, salt and pepper, and in this case is full semolina wheat, which is coarsely ground durum wheat. Quite different from the wheat we normally use in everything. There are some great recipes on the web. All you do is boil water, turn off the flame, pour in the couscous until there is still about 1/2 inch water above it, and let it stand for 10 minutes or less. And it’s ready. As for the rest of the dish, and if you hate brussels sprouts – you are probably used to saying “But they’re so high in vitamin K and C and protect you against everything from head to toe”,  with the answer “I don’t care” coming back (http://whfoods.com) In this instance, you are going to forget that you never liked them. Boiled the peas, some bits of bell pepper rings left over from making the rings, and the BS along with the rings themselves. Threw in some walnuts here. The rings take forever, but done or not they are just as good. Also if too done, they fall apart on you, so watch it. I like crunch anyway. Very little patience for these things. Putting the rings aside, drain the rest and put back in some hot olive oil (or coconut oil) and start frying. Add butter, oregano, thyme, sea salt, cumin, turmeric, small amount of black pepper, cayenne pepper mix according on how much you want to get well, sesame seeds for all of the minerals (which I had already boiled with the water for the couscous, so didn’t add here), small amount of sweet  chili sauce, dash of soy sauce, and tasted. Wow! The cheese is any cheese you like (this was sliced yellow and kashkaval (hence the white color), melted in milk and a very, very small amount of flour until you get the thickness you want. They’ll think you are a master chef.

Fried Potatoes, Onions and Avocado
In olive oil, fry potatoes and onions until done. Add avocado chunks and stir in. Delicious just as is – no extras.

 Cooking is about intuition. And don’t let anyone tell you differently. This dish was all intuition, and it was great. I knew I wanted eggs
There are no rules for intuition. It comes from listening to the total universe which surrounds you, including every cell of your body and, who knows, all of the millions of microbes internally which help you survive, digest your food, protect you from invaders, etc. They have as great a stake in your survival as you do. If you took them all away, you would probably be gone in less than forty eight hours. So, part of all this is listening to their say in whatever is happening. Intuition also comes from above. This is what is referred to as being in harmony with the universe. You are listening. You may think that listening to your intuition has gotten you into trouble in the past. But it is also possible that, in fact, it was something else driving the decision process and not your intuition – your desire to be, to fit in, the fit the mold, to have, to be like…, to be liked, or some well meaning friend giving lousy advice, because he or she is not you.

And all of this has to do with cooking. I constantly hold the base products in mind while listening. And the result gave me indigestion because my intuition told me that after I had successfully created a dish I really enjoyed, I ate it all, even though I was telling myself that I shouldn’t.
 

The process was something like this.
Had the desire to cook breakfast but also knew that I had no oil or butter left. However, my body was saying it wanted eggs. So eggs it was but they would have to be poached. But what goes with poach? Couscous came to mind, and while I was cleaning the pan from last night, the left over oatmeal begged to be used. No, I’m not listening to oatmeal.  Just didn’t like the thought of throwing it away. Plus it has more soluble fiber called beta-glucan than other grains, which lowers total cholesterol significantly, and is therefore important in reducing buildup of plaque on blood vessel walls, thereby reducing or preventing the risk of diseases or problems with the heart (for all of the health benefits of oats and other whole grains, and they are significant, see oats at whfoods.com.  I felt I could use some of that. So poached the eggs, made the couscous and mixed in the oatmeal with sesame  and sunflower seeds because it seemed like a good thing to do. Adding walnuts seemed a bit over the top, so they were out. But now I had a problem. The couscous / oatmeal mass had no taste or at least not one which went with poached eggs on top. So I put the glop into the skillet with the scrapings (literally) of the foil which had held the butter and the literally last 10 drops of olive oil, which meant that everything stuck to the bottom of the pan. I could taste the couscous with salt and pepper, so added, tasted, more sea salt, then thyme, but I kept getting the nudge to put in basil, found it, tasted, and felt there should be nothing sweet in this dish, so added a slice of yellow cheese, and finally got the ‘umm‘ factor – the most important factor in cooking or doing anything for that matter. If you are not at some level saying ‘umm’, you are not doing it right. And the longer the ummmmm, the more successful you are. But, ‘umm’ has one caveat. It has to be spontaneous. And on top of the poached, kashkaval sheep cheese melted with a small amount of milk. Absolutely great, but I ate the whole thing. 
 

The mound
This dish covers up  the taste of unpolished rice and lentils which turn most people off of these two high proteins together. Which is one of the primary problems of most vegetarian protein dishes. I’m here to change all that. And this is an example. Besides the rice and lentils, are onions, peas, tomato paste, oregano, basil, cayenne sauce, sea salt, soy sauce and a slice of yellow cheese. It also has a cut up soy burger in there, but..

 THE PROBLEMS WITH SOY
I am starting to reduce my use of unfermented soy products. It is possible to get all of the protein needed from other non-meat, non-soy products and this site will start to concentrate on dishes high on protein. along with the occasional use of fermented soy which is very healthy. If you want to read up on the health hazards of non-fermented soy products as currently sold in most supermarkets and markets in the U.S. and elsewhere: The following really gives the rundown on the base of the problem of soy and the possible side effects:

• Soy Hazards  or The Whole Soy Story (excerpt) 
• Also, Hazards of Soy (Roster of articles on health effects of soy)

If it’s the last thing you do, eat this.
And maybe it will just save you. Nut/Seed Avocado Egg Fold.
And do not skimp on the avocado thinking you will only use a quarter of the avocado so as to save it for another meal. Use at least half for one person. Then, if it is your last meal, you will be able to look down and say to yourself “Wow, that was a great dish”.  The rest of the ingredients go like this. Flour and water and an egg or two. And now the tricky part for me. I had no oil, no butter, nothing to keep the egglet from sticking to the bottom of the pan. And there was no way that I was going to eat poached two days in a row. Show I went searching in all my cabinets. Came up with a jar of coconut oil which was at least 2 years old and probably older, solidified , sitting at the bottom of the jar. I looked at it. It looked at me. And we both agreed.  Success. Probably because I had just read that coconut oil was better than olive oil. Anyway, it was worth a try. I put almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds into the blender, or chopper or whatever. Added basil, oregano, turmeric, black pepper, ground cayenne pepper, sea salt, and turned it on. Came up with mush with some large chunks of almonds left. The walnuts had complied with the regimen but the almonds were holding out. Decided to go with the chunks. Sweet chili sauce on top. 

A note: Almonds are a source of nutrients far surpassing most other nuts. Very good for the heart among other benefits. For an in-depth look whfoods.com  However, in the U.S. it is illegal to sell unroasted, uncooked  or non-fumigated almonds. According to many quarters, this was due to pressures from certain groups, and reduces the nutrient value of almonds tremendously. See Almond growers sue USDA to halt mandatory fumigation of raw almonds

I know, I know. Another salad. But that’s hummus on top. If you have never tried hummus, do yourelf a favor and find it. It’s all over the place, and once you start looking for it, you’ll realize that it was right there all the time within arms reach.  Since this blog is not in any particular order (comes under the caption of ‘what can you tell about the blogger by looking at the blog?’), I thought that I would keep you informed as to how healthy, how alkaline, how full of everything promoting fluidity, supportivity (there is now), disease prevention my salads actually are. But, someone else is going to have to detail the benefits of this, because after eating it, I just want to take a nap. Iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, walnuts, sea salt, oregano, thyme, basil, ground cayenne pepper, and mayonnaise, with hummus (ground chick peas) on top.
 

 AND most importantly -

VITAMIN B12 – Absolutely crucial for your health
Whether or not you are vegetarian, you may not be getting enough of it. While the highest sources are animal-fish, it has been found that a large proportion of the meat-eating population is low in this essential vitamin.

I’m suddenly concerned about vitamin B12. If you are vegetarian, it’s a problem. Other than eat something which can look back at you, it is difficult to get it except through yogurt-low-fat (1 cup) 23% of Daily Value, Cow’s milk-2% (1 cup) 14% of DV,
Egg (1)  8% of DV. Lower and unreliable amounts of B12 can also be found in “sea plants (like kelp), algaes (like blue-green algae), yeasts (like brewer’s yeast), and fermented plant foods (like tempeh, miso, tofu)” http://whfoods.com. Some foods are fortified, so look at labels Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation UK.  Fruits and vegetables have none unless you don’t wash them (it’s created by bacteria in the soil). So, if you find your child eating dirt, there is probably a good reason. “Many vegan foods are supplemented with B12. Vitamin B12 is necessary for the synthesis of red blood cells, the maintenance of the nervous system, and growth and development in children. Deficiency can cause anemia. Vitamin B12 neuropathy, involving the degeneration of nerve fibres and irreversible neurological damage, can also occur.” Vegetarian Society U.K.  “Vitamin B12 may help in the prevention and/or treatment of the following health conditions: Alcoholism, Anemia (Pernicious), Arthritis (Rheumatoid), Asthma Bronchial), Atherosclerosis, Cancer, Celiac Disease, Crohn’s Disease,
Dermatitis (Seborrheic), Epstein-Barr Virus,
Fatigue, Leukemia, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Neuropathies/Neuromuscular degeneration”. http://whfoods.com

So if you are vegetarian or vegan, it is very important that you take B12 supplements (sublingual is recommended as the best type of supplement since it goes directly into your bloodstream and does not get destroyed by the stomach acids). All of the above reference sites have a chart of recommended daily doses depending on age and or maternal condition. The supplement I take for B12 has Folic Acid which is also very important to health.

Thought for the New Year: Where There Is The Will…

If you are dieting, don’t even look at the picture. Uh, too late.
For The Kid In All of Us.
Have you had your chocolate fix today? This is the morning of New Year’s Eve. I wanted to go out happy. Don’t know what the amounts were. Have to wing it like I did. But as long as there’s chocolate in there, does it really matter?
- water
- egg
- flour – One hint. If using 2 eggs, equal amounts of water and flour. Don’t have to tell you, measure the flour first. The reason becomes clear if you have already done it the opposite way. If only one egg, add a little more water.

- 1 tsp baking powder
- handful walnuts for Omega-3 – What is great about a handful is that it fits the size of the person.
- sesame seeds for all the minerals
-Ghirardelli Sweetened Cocoa Mix
-Hershey chocolates – I used 2 of the small bite size which were put in and submerged in the batter after the mixture had been poured into the skillet and cooked for 1/4 minute so as not to be against the pan and burn.
- Unsweetened cocoa mix – Just so as not to over-tox on sugar – The more dark chocolate you use, the better.
- And on top, dark chocolate (more bite sized) heated in milk (but not enough to throw the anti-oxidants in dark chocolate off), with a small amount of flour to thicken it.
And if I forgot to mention, dark chocolate is very good for your health – blood pressure, heart, hormonal balance, anti-oxidant, and it elevates your spirit. Health Benefits of Chocolate http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/p/chocolate.htm

Eggplant Noodles
Took a bite and didn’t even want to take the time to photograph it.
Less noodles than you think you will want. By the way, this is always a good rule. Remember that it is only a carrier and not the actual cargo.
1/3 eggplant chunked
1 medium onion
2 mushrooms sliced
Cook these separately from the noodles in some olive oil. Put the spices and brewer’s yeast for all B vitamins in 2 minutes before finished cooking, and not before.
2 tbsp brewer’s yeast
thyme
coriander
oregano
sea salt
soy sauce
Add the soy sauce after combining the noodles and vegetables. In this case, you want only a hint of soy sauce, not a statement. Also added a pad of butter for a richer taste.

This is a supper to write home about.
Eggplant Open
This came into my mind as a picture from I do not know where. Except for the avocado which was an afterthought.
-This is challa which is only baked on Thursday to be sold on Friday for Shabbat. Incredible bread. But any soft bread will do.
-1/2 Eggplant
-1/2 onion
-two thick slices of cheese (used kashkaval but depends on what you like) heated to melting on the bread in the covered skillet. Bread burns easily so have to watch it.
-2 avocado slices
-basil
-thyme
-oregano (did not have it so you don’t see it here)
-white sauce of milk, flour, instant mushroom soup powder, salt to taste)
-olive oil for frying everything

This Is The Answer.
And the Question?
What breakfast will you never forget?
What one dish will give you 90% of what you need for a whole day? Check it out.
What breakfast will cure you of more ailments than any other?
Oh, and what would goes great with sweet chili sauce        and cayenne pepper for breakfast?

This must not be eaten unless you have had 2 cups of water about 1/2-1 hour before eating it. For health, this should be a standard, first thing after you get up in the morning,  after your body has been deprived of liquid for 6 or more hours. But for this dish, it is mandatory.

1 slice of whole wheat bread
1 slice of white, bleached wheat, nutritionally totally useless light bread (that’s what I had)
2 eggs
crimini (button, champignon) mushrooms
2 tbsp milk or water (what you see did not have this)
handful walnuts crumbled
1/8 cup sesame seeds
1/8-1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 level tsp baking soda (not powder)
cinnamon
turmeric
black pepper
oregano
thyme
basil

Preparation: Mix all in a bowl and pour into hot skillet, and cover. Cooks very fast. Turn using the plate flip method. Add cayenne pepper flakes (your choice of amount)
and sweet chili sauce. Photograph – you will want documentation of this.

And afterwards, I had a delicious chocolate chip cookie sent to me by my niece. Well – it was the day before, the day before Christmas. And for them, any time is the right time.

Fruit Salad and Potato Dump
I do have more than one plate. I just never use them. If it doesn’t all fit on one plate, I either eat it in the kitchen over the sink, or I don’t eat it. The fruit is: Not quite ripe kiwi (I would suggest ripe), apple, and raisins in mayonnaise with lettuce plus roasted salted almonds for their protein. The dump is fried potato slices, bell pepper, sesame seeds (1/4 cup provides 70+ daily value of copper, 45% DV magnesium, and 35% DV for calcium plus iron, phosphorus and zinc whfoods.com http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=84), lots of turmeric, a little pepper (needed to help the body fully utilize the turmeric), thyme for its antibacterial, and antimicrobial, antifungal properties and taste, and basil. Salt to taste. Add 2 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce. Add a very  small amount of water if too dry. The turmeric alone will solve some of your problems according to a number of sources. 

An Additional Year of Life Topping.
Two Eggs, small amount of milk, 1 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder
with:
bell pepper
walnuts
sesame seeds
sunflower seeds
onion
sweet chili sauce or melted cheese to top it off.
Spices: Oregano, basil, ground cayenne, thyme, coriander, granulated garlic or the real thing, fried in olive oil (do not use anything else unless it’s flaxseed oil), and set aside while eggs are cooking.
Very important that you drink 1 or 2 glasses of water about 1/2 hour or more before this dish. Topped off with a slice of toast and real blueberry jam. My stomach was sort of out of sorts afterwards. Will test again and relay as to possible cause. Off hand, nothing comes immediately to mind.

Get skillet hot with olive oil, and turn down to low
wet the tortilla. Does not burn as fast, and is easier to roll
have the cheese ready
put the tortilla in to fry on one side until half done
turn over and put on cheese and cover
Keep checking and when cheese is more or less melted (you do not want the tortilla to burn), transfer to plate
Add cayenne sauce – you have to be the judge on how much you can take
add hummus and roll
boil bell pepper slices and tomatoes. When peppers are almost soft, put into skillet with olive oil and fry, adding the second cheese
Finish off the topping and add the basil.

Crown Potatoes and Eggplant
Absolutely. Took great will power to put half of it into the fridge for next time. Got to eat the last spoonful.
The potatoes are boiled and set aside.
The added ons are fried in olive oil and mixed with the potatoes. Cheese sauce of milk and two slices of yellow cheese with a tablespoon of mushroom soup powder is heated on the stove and poured.
The add-ons or ins:
Eggplant cut into small pieces with skin (I never take it off. Like the black on white patterning.), and red bell pepper, with the important thing here being the spices: Oregano, basil, ground cayenne, thyme, coriander, and all important curcumin in the turmeric, black pepper to increase uptake of curcumin by the body, cumin, sea salt.
Cayenne Noodles/Spaghetti
No. No tomato sauce. That’s cayenne pepper sauce, although there are 4 whole cherry tomatoes in there. Aside from the 4 crimini mushrooms (2 huge and 2 smaller), there are large chunks of my favorite cheese, about 12 hand grated roasted-almonds, butter, sea salt, oregano, basil, and of course the cayenne sauce (not enough). Either it really was too little, or I’m getting attuned to it, or I really needed it and my body was damping it down so I would give it more, or I’m just getting hardened in my old age. Great dish. 

And for dessert? My sister sent me enough chocolate (powder, dark, cooking, chocolate covered cherries, 50 bite sized chocolates of all different kinds, Ghirardelli cocoa powder, and more). There is enough there to feed all the elves in Santa’s workshop for the entire holiday season. Next year at this time I may be enjoying the last one, unless I find someone who is in need of a chocolate fix.

Mushroom, Squash, Avocado Delight
Fried the mushrooms, then boiled the squash (I use only one pan), then added them to the mushrooms and fried a bit longer. All of this in olive oil. When ready, added the avocado bits, mixed and served. No spices this time. Really great taste all by itself.

                                                Christmas Eve in Tel Aviv

A bug with a problem
Took a cabbage out of the bin and when I put it down on the cutting board, a baby roach ran out. Got about 7 inches from the cabbage, turned around and started back. Figured the cabbage was still the safest bet. I put my finger down blocking his way. He turned, once again  running and then stopped. He was in new territory. Not sure what to do. Sat there for about 4 seconds and then started to move. One direction did not seem to be promising, so tried a different tack. Since he had been in the cabbage, I put a piece down in front of him but not close enough to make him run. He paused, obviously thinking about this new development. Yes, it looked like where he had been but it had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I could almost hear the thought processes going on. Finally after a full 12 seconds (apparently not being one to rush into things), he went to it and climbed on. Something had told him it was safe. I started to carry  it to the bin where the cabbage had been. The cabbage was moving! Not part of the planned for contingencies. He was running this way and that. Finally hid under a part of the cabbage. Apparently, having weighed the options of jumping into thin air, running up my hand, continuing to run crazily back and fourth, this seems to have been the best decision. I put it in the bin hopefully with the roach on it although I could not see him. No, I am not being anthropomorphic. He was doing exactly what I would have done under similar circumstances. We have different apparati but the life force is the same.

This is not to be emulated. Auld Etruscan Wall. Effect obtained with two eggs shaken with turmeric and za’atar (which I will get to below). And you thought that mould was not good for you? Think of penicillin. Well, this is not mold, but the effect is great. The taste? I ate it but  recommend it only if you want to stay healthy. Those two spices – turmeric and za’atar - are two of the mainstays of health worldwide.

Turmeric. Unfortunately we do not use it that much in the West. But, ask yourself “why are baseball fans healthier than the rest of us?” They had all that mustard (with turmeric) on their dogs. Don’t quote me on that statistic. Turmeric is one of the major spices of the cuisine of India, and an honored part of Ayurvedic medicine. An anti-inflammatory, cancer preventative, liver cleanser and cardiovascular protector among other properties of curcumin the active ingredient of turmeric. Black pepper is known to increase the effective absorption of this spice by the body by a large amount. Talk about coincidences – or not, just as I was writing this message, my inbox noted the presence of a new email. It was Mercola talking about turmeric and why he travelled 15,000 miles to uncover the true scoop on this super spice. If you have 3 minutes, you really should read that article. O.K. five minutes, or longer if you listen to the video. But your lifespan and health will be significantly improved. It’s what would be called in the financial community, an excellent investment. Mercola on turmeric  

Others on turmeric: World’s Healthiest Foods,   Florahealth.com Encyclopedia on Turmeric,  Mothernature.com
  

The great spice mixture Za’atar. This is also not well known in the West although it is one of the most effective anti-microbial and anti-fungal spice out there. The base is thyme to which the above is attributed, but the sesame seeds and the sumac which are combined with thyme to produce Za’atar give it much added value as well as taste. Below, the whole thing.

Was not feeling too well. Went into the kitchen and remembered that I had the heel of a loaf of bread stashed somewhere. Had finished the loaf. Went to where I remembered seeing it and sure enough, there it was under the lettuce. Put it in the frying pan, turned on the flame, put in some oil, and started loading it. Kashkaval cheese, turmeric, za’atar, walnuts, almonds. Added black pepper and basil before eating. I am feeling better already. Perhaps it’s the wine that accompanied the above. Except I started to feel better before taking my first sip.

A work in progress.
Spaghetti with Breaded-Cheese-Spices-Tofu. 
Start the amount of spaghetti you want boiling.  Cut tofu smaller than is shown in the picture. Make a flour, water, 1 tsp corn starch pancake mix. Add a small touch of cayenne pepper sauce, 3 tsp sweet chutney sauce. Mix in the tofu chunks and when the olive oil is hot (almost smoking), turn down the flame and put the tofu in so that there is only one layer of tofu pieces. Separate them out. Keep turning to be sure all sides are toasted. When almost done, put a layer of bits of cheese, your choice (this was kashkaval sheep cheese) on top and cover to let them melt. When spaghetti is ready and drained, add a tsp of olive oil, or butter, and the following spices: Basil, turmeric, black pepper, basil. Be sure it tastes good alone. Pour on the Tofu and serve.

Cabbage and Tofu Deluxe.
Start egg or straight noodles boiling. They should be the kind that are ready in about 8 minutes. Put diced cabbage, onion, and if you do not have a dentist  appointment in the next 2 days, two cloves of garlic in a heated frying pan with a small amount of olive oil. Add very small cubes of tofu (remember that tofu has virtually no taste). While cooking, add carraway seeds, cayenne pepper, basil, oregano, black pepper, salt to taste, 1 tsp of soy sauce (I had run out of mine but definitely wanted it after not even thinking about it for about a month). When the noodles are ready, strain and rinse with cold water. Pour into the cabbage mix and stir well. Add a tsp of honey or date syrup. Add and stir in cubes of a cheese you like (the more the better).  

Carrot and Tofu Posh.
This dish covers so many bases it has trouble finding any additional. Two hundred years from now I will look back on this meal and swear that it was here that it all started.
Preparation: Small or thin: Carrots, tofu, onion. Fry the tofu and onions first until it has a head start. Add the carrots. After cooking for about 2 minutes with cover on, add raisins, sunflower seeds. This dish is not to be very well cooked. In fact quite raw except for the onions and tofu is the goal here. Add spices: Sweet basil, oregano, turmeric, black pepper, thyme, coriander, salt to taste. Mix. Cover for another 2 minutes or as long as you can stand it. Add half a shot of semi-sweet red wine, and your favorite cheese (this is kashkaval sheep). Grind (or whatever) cayenne pepper on top. Turn off heat and cover for one minute. Start your next 100 years.

This is a concept piece
Eggplant and Cutlet (soy based) Tower.
1 tortilla
6 slices eggplant
1 soy cutlet
3 slices sweet onion
5 cherry tomatoes
mayonnaise
spices up to you
side of kiwi
Procedure: Tortilla fried in very little olive oil until browned, and cut into quarters immediately after browning, with each piece mayonnaised on the under side of what will be the top, bottom and middle pieces. Eggplant thinly sliced and fried in olive oil, along with cutlet which is then sliced length wise. Tomatoes and onion sliced thin. Register building permit. Be sure your subcontractor knows exactly what to do, because he is going to have to make another one for himself. How you eat it is your problem. But it is delicious. 

Top of the Top Oatmeal Wise.
It was a dark and wintery morning…
Ingredients: oatmeal (almost instant in this case)
enough water to cook 
walnuts
almonds
raisins
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 apple (grated)
milk poured on when served
Major honey and cinnamon mixed in. What’s on top is only to show it’s in there.

Spinach Noodle Soup With Cheese or Hummus

Let me say this. You have not really had spinach until you have it with humus.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The only thing this lacks is the garlic but I give my dentist 3 days prior.
Now, the ingredients: Enough water to cover everything below
frozen or full leaf spinach
1/2 lrg onion
1/2 eggplant
noodles (short egg or plain)
your amounts of spices – turmeric, black pepper, basil, oregano, thyme or za’atar, coriander, ground cayenne pepper, salt to taste
favorite cheese (featured in photo) or glob of humus put on at the end.

Cook until the spinach and noodles are ready. As for the spices, I normally put on 2 tsp of each except for the cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt. I leave those to your discretion. If you have ANY health condition after this, other than excellent, leave a message. 

 
I’m planning to win the chef of the year (at least of the hour somewhere)  for effectively disguising the carraway seeds and for reducing the side effects of cabbage and cauliflower. One of the reasons I have not liked C and C that much is the necessity for some sort of remedy for the after effects. So the carraway sauce below solves that problem. But, you still end up with seeds stuck between your teeth.   Basic principle behind two stage meals. Make each stage capable of standing on its own tastewise. In adhering to this principle, I almost finished the cabbage and cauliflower, right there out of the pan, before even putting on the sauce. The reason for the principle is that the second stage never totally covers the first stage and you end up eating the bottom half as it stands – alone and usually without much flavor.

The Base
Smaller amounts than you think of cut up cauliflower and cabbage
1/4 bag of egg or straight noodles (of course it depends on the size of the bag and how big you are)
2 cloves garlic
Cook until noodles are ready. Strain through colander, put back in pan and add butter and salt to taste. Test this but do not eat it all.

Carraway Seed Sauce.
1 cup tofu in small chunks
1/2 onion (small chunks)
fry together in olive oil adding about 1 tbsp soy sauce
When onions are starting to be soft, add the carraway seeds.
Add the following spices: Thyme, oregano, sweet basil
Add 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper sauce unless you absolutely know what you are doing.
Keep stirring it until you have a sense that it’s done.
add 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
Add about 1/4 cup milk
Add flour and keep on low flame adding milk or flour until you get the thickness of the sauce you want.
Add salt to taste
Meld.

In the interests of gas reduction – an easy to survey list of spices and their uses.
The following are helpful against the problems encountered in the recipes above: Cardamom seed, carraway, cinnamon bark, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, ginger root dried, Hing or Asafoetida, lemon grass, marjoram, nutmeg, tarragon from  Four Winds Healing Center – Traditional & Unusual Uses for Spices

While I’m on the subject, the following is the best answer to a question about onions but also covers gas  – savvy vegetarian

While I was looking for other spices which effectively do the same thing as carraway seeds, ran across ginger. Wanted to give all the following but any paraphrasing would have come out somewhat the same, so I am going to do the unpardonable by just quoting it.
“Ginger is most commonly known for its effectiveness as a digestive aid. By increasing the production of digestive fluids and saliva, Ginger helps relieve indigestion, gas pains, diarrhea and stomach cramping. The primary known constituents of Ginger Root include gingerols, zingibain, bisabolenel, oleoresins, starch, essential oil (zingiberene, zingiberole, camphene, cineol, borneol), mucilage, and protein. Ginger root is also used to treat nausea related to both motion sickness and morning sickness. Ginger has been found to be even more effective than Dramamine® in curbing motion sickness, without causing drowsiness. Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties help relieve pain and reduce inflammation associated with arthritis, rheumatism and muscle spasms. Ginger’s therapeutic properties effectively stimulate circulation of the blood, removing toxins from the body, cleansing the bowels and kidneys, and nourishing the skin. Other uses for Ginger Root include the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems by loosening and expelling phlegm from the lungs. Ginger Root may also be used to help break fevers by warming the body and increasing perspiration”. The Epicentre’s encyclopedia of spices 

Solving THE Problem

(three days later)
The dish of the year above did not solve the problem. So guess I am not going to win any awards. I was lucky that I did not have to be in close quarters with anyone for the next day and a half. Just walks on the beach (alone), and in the apartment with Cat. She doesn’t seem to mind as long as I pet her once in a while, and feed her on time. I swear she wears a wrist watch, or paw or whatever.

So I was determined to get to the root of the problem. Cut the cabbage and cauliflower into smaller pieces and soaked them for 2 hours in cold water.  Spilled the water, replenished the pot and boiled them for another 15 minutes. Poured out the water, replacing it with new and continuing to cook while adding the following: Carraway, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, and also added turmeric, black pepper, basil, rosemary, and thyme for various medicinal properties. Threw in some onion, chunks of sheep cheese, small chunks of tofu, 2 cloves of garlic (if this recipe does not work, I’m really going to be unbearable), tbsp of sweet chili sauce (optional), salt to taste, chunk of butter. Ate half of it. Now I wait and see. IT DEFINITE WORKS!

Starting Right
Omelet Supreme. Take this to heart. The ingredients in this really do make a difference.

The internals:

Bell pepper – very high in vitamin C and A. general health, long, cardiovascular system, heart. Smokers should read this page on bell peppers due to its high vitamin A content. Also good for eyesight due to its vitamin C and beta-carotene. Bell pepper 

Mushrooms - crimini which includes button and champignon mushrooms are very high in selenium which is needed in the antioxidant system, helpful against certain cancers,  “decreasing asthma and arthritis symptoms and in the prevention of heart disease” mushrooms at whfoods, possess most of the B vitamins which are very hard to come by altogether, and high in copper among other known vitamins and minerals. In fact, mushrooms are incredible. BUT, do not pick your own. Can be very hazardous to your health because there are some look a likes out there that do not mix well with most living systems. Read mushroom warning at top.

Walnuts – high in omega-3. I had Deep Vein Thrombosis due to sitting at my computer too long without moving over a long period of time. Took Coumadin for many years with constant reoccurrences until I ran across walnuts which are very high in Omega-3. I went off Coumadin and have had no problems since for over 2 years now. Important for cardiovascular health, controlling high blood pressure, cognitive functioning, bone health and much more walnuts at whfoods.com

Onion – Very healthy for many areas including cardiovascular, lowering of blood sugar level increasing the amount of insulin available, gastrointestinal, bone, and protection against some cancers, as well as reducing inflammatory responses or congestion of certain illnesses See whfoods on onions

Preparation: Make the internals first, frying in a small amount of olive oil, but just enough to get them warm and mixed. Spices of your choosing, with all of their support functions,can be added here which I will not go into here, along with a very small amount of sweet chili sauce if desired. But do not cook for too long. Put aside and create the omelet with 2 eggs, rounded tsp of flour, 2-3 tsp milk, 1/4 tsp baking powder (optional). Use the plate-flip method described way below in “Special Brand Name Walnut Pancake”. Melted cheese with a small amount of milk on top. No, think I will reproduce it here to avoid all the trouble of search.

If you don’t know this. Than you should. 

Plate-flip Method of Flawless Pancake Turning
Instructions to turn full pan diameter pancakes. Once the top of the pancake is solidified and having looked, the first side is done, holding the pan in one hand, with a fork or spatula, slide the pancake onto a plate without turning it over. Then, still holding the pan at an angle, put the bottom of the plate against the lower part of the pan and flip the plate fast enough so that the pancake goes into the pan upside down. This takes practice, and if you do it correctly the first time, you are the next world class chef to be. That is just to prep you up, because next time it won’t happen that way. This takes practice and a steady hand. That’s it. Cook until you fork it in the middle with no residue.

Made lunch for myself. But in the end it was so jumbled up that I felt I could not describe it and do justice to the fantastic tastes embodied. Hence, I will just show it to you. If anyone really wants to know, anything, send a note through a comment and I may get back to you within say two months (that’s how often I check my comments file).

Honey Walnut Pizza Style Cookies.  Looked at some of the cookies for Christmas on the web and decided I did not want to visit any of the houses making those, being the cookie aficionado that I am. So made my own. After the shoot, ate one in honor of the guy who made it. Than another for the other side of his personality, whatever that is. Then I had to start making up new quarters, eighths sides. The upshot of it is -  I’m cookied out.
Preparation: NO measuring. Just dump and taste (or not). I never do. The main criteria is, will it be sweet enough, and the second one, will it roll up so it can be transferred to the hot pan?

Ingredients and method: Flour, water, honey, lots of cinnamon, 12 tsp baking powder (optional), walnuts, raisins, 1-2 tsp brewer’s yeast (optional), more flour, more flour as you mix it and it’s still too wet. Should be dry enough so that you can pick it up in a ball and put it on the board or counter to be rolled or smashed with your hand. Once on the board, roll or whatever, turning and repeating, with dry flour underneath, until it is about what you imagine the pan circumference is or a little less. Roll and transfer to a hot pan which has a thin layer of just-about-to-smoke olive oil. Unroll, hand kneed it out to full pan circumference, cover and ‘bake’ for a lot less time than you thought at first – cooks very fast. If in doubt, use the plate-flip method above to turn it over and see. You can always put it back in. Anyway, once one side is done, do the other.

Breakfast Strawberry/Seed/Nut Pan/Cake.
Strawberry is very difficult to cook for. In fact,you probably shouldn’t. But to make a short story even shorter, to get what strawberries have, and I have just too many, I decided to make a strawberry pancake but not just any pancake as you can see by the ingredients:
strawberries mashed and sugar added
flour made up of half instant oatmeal and half flour
sesame seeds
sunflower seeds
1 egg
cinnamon
baking powder  Let it sit half an hour to rise.
salt
walnuts, syrup and butter on top

How To Do A NUTRIENT ANALYSIS of Your Meal

This has definitely got you covered vitamin, mineral, enzymes and everything else we know about and still do not know about food.
This is the first time I have followed a recipe and it is my own. Picture wise, the first time around for this recipe was when my camera was without battery. I could have taken down one of the relics of a bygone camera era but did not want to go through the process I had gone through far too long in order to get the film developed. I think I was the only one bringing my stuff into the photo shop except for miniature camera users, and those wanting spreadsheet, blowups, etc. The shop owner lost a lot of business selling me digital. But than made up for it by asking if they could show my photos (not the food) on their flash screen in the window of the shop.

And The Second Time? No photo because I cannot decide which dish this represents. However, the nutrient analysis described below is still valid no matter what the dish. It will give you some means of measuring how healthy your meal(s) are.  

The Food Advisor Analysis

To find out how healthy your dish really is,  do the food advisor analysis in World’s Healthiest Foods http://whfoods.org/foodadvisor.php (or under the link for food advisor on the home page)
Click 4-6 times a day for items on your dish or meal, and less than 1 (<1) on foods not covered. On this one, the only things I’m missing are sunshine (I’ll eat it in direct sun), and B12 (which I take a pill for).
Note for redoing the analysis: If you want to try it again without some of the ingredients, or adding one you forgot, return to the questionnaire and unclick the “I have read and accept the terms of use” and the button will reset.

Pea Loft
This is so healthy that while I was eating it I was  planning my next 100 years.

Ingredients:
  olive oil for frying
  peas
  4-5 cherry tomatoes sliced
  3/4 cup cubed tofu
  1/4-1/2 diced onion
  1 heaping tsp of turmeric   (not in this particular dish but look google what it can do for you)
  2 tsp baker’s yeast for vitamin Bs (still should be taking B12 if you are not eating meat)
  2 tbsp sweet red wine (optional)
  sesame seeds
  walnuts really crushed
  heaping tsp or more of basil, oregano, coriander, thyme or za’atar
  sea salt

Flowering Broccoli Soup
When the days are turning cold, this is the next best thing to Love. Humm,  I’m making a lot of soup these days. The flowering part is important. It reminds of spring. My daughter is the master of soup making. And I had some of hers in the fridge, but the broccoli just could not be denied. After this, I’m vying for the title. This is probably the healthiest soup you will ever have. Just look at the ingredients and tell me you don’t just feel healthier. 
As much as you want of the following:
(by the way, I have enough soup to last until next month)

Do the acid test on this one. You’ll find that you’ve got everything covered except B12 and sunshine. Food analyzer in worlds healthiest foods http://whfoods.org/foodadvisor.php
On the questionnaire, for the ingredient contained in the soup, click
4-6 times a day, and for those not included, click less than 1 (<1) on foods not covered.
Where it has tempeh, check it because of the miso in this recipe.
Note: If you want to try it again without some of the ingredients, or adding one you forgot, return to the questionnaire and unclick the “I have read and accept the terms of use” and the “Submit for Analysis” button will reset.

But this is cheating (sort of). Do it for yourself for the foods you have eaten during a whole week to see what you are missing and what you really need in order to remain healthy. I thought I was doing great until I took the questionnaire the first time. I was shocked at the number of nutrients I was missing. Changed some of my eating habits and have done pretty well since.

Eggplant Tower
This is two large slices of eggplant fried together with sweet and white potato, onion slices with a mushroom soup and kashkaval cheese sauce. Don’t let the kashkaval stop you. Any cheese will do. Start frying the potatoes first for about 5-6 minutes and then place the other ingredients in the pan. Be watchful because you may have to take the eggplant before the potatoes – the white at least. Fried in olive oil. The egg plant should have at least one face down. The rest does not need to actually fry but cook. The sauce is made at the end with 1 packet of mushroom soup instant mix, cheese, 1 tsp of olive oil and whatever seasoning you want. This one has none for a change.

 What I eat when I don’t cook anything special. Actually, that’s how I do everything. The first thing my hand touches in the freezer. Everything here was in the freezer including the sweet potato bits from a previous meal. The important thing here are the toppings. Only butter and salt for the spinach – butter, cinnamon, honey and sunflower seeds for the sweet potatoes – mayonnaise, mustard, sweet basil and turmeric on the dog – real maple syrup on the walnuts. I will have to admit that I ate something before hand which had been in the freezer for a long time and I could not identify it until heated. It turned out to be very good couscous with sunflower seeds and something I had added to make it turn orange. Hope it wasn’t toxic mold! Will let you know - or not ::-}

          How to make a perfect pancake without measuring

Special Brand Walnut Pancake with Cinnamon(not shown). During the preparation process, I do not measure. So the process below is the world class pancake batter experimentation method. This of course assumes that you have never cooked before. And even if you have, there may be something else you can learn. Like how to get the best flowing batter no matter what type of flour you use, number of eggs used, or any other additions which might effect the pourability of the batter. Also, a sure fire method of turning full-pan width pancakes without destroying them. Put some water in a glass jar (jam type or other) with a tight sealable lid. Add water (about 1/8 cup. Add an egg. Add some flour (not much). At this stage, you can add 1/4 level teaspoon of baking powder, but it’s not necessary. Shake and if too runny, add more flour. Repeat this until the mixture is readily pourable but has substantial body (sludge stage). If it doesn’t want to move, add water. Repeat these processes until you get it to what you fell is good. The end result should spread out in the pan readily when you pour it in the center. If it spreads out too fast and splashes up against the sides of the pan, it’s too thin. If you think it will never get to the sides or stops part way, too thick. If you want to try this part out, do not heat the pan. Only after you are satisfied with the quality of your mix, empty the pan, clean it and heat it with some olive oil until it is just about to smoke. Turn the heat down, and pour, add crushed walnuts, cinnamon, and then cover. When top no longer runny, follow the next instructions below carefully.

Instructions to turn over full pan pancakes  Once the top of the pancake is solidified and, having looked, the first side is done, holding the pan in one hand, with a fork or spatula, slide the pancake onto a plate without turning it over. Then, still holding the pan at an angle, put the bottom of the plate against the lower part of the pan and flip the plate fast enough so that the pancake goes into the pan upside down. This takes practice, and if you do it correctly the first time, you are the next world class chef to be. That is just to prep you up, because next time it won’t happen that way. This takes practice and a steady hand. That’s it. Cook until you fork it in the middle and there is no residue. Add topping.

Eggplant, Tofu, Cherry Tomato With Kashkaval Cheese Sauce.

The eggplant and the tofu are virtually tasteless, and even if there were more tomatoes or even mushrooms (if available), they would not give it much of an additional flavor. But it looked good so as a base, it sells.  Now I have to go and find a better sauce, and improve my combination of spices.

The Same Ol Usual Pancake With Nuts and Fruit
Well, an apple, walnuts and almonds.

Salad with Fried Avocado Rings
Added mayonnaise after the shoot just so that you do not have any elusions that I am finally eating an oil and vinegar dressing salad. It’s there with 3 spices, salt, cayenne pepper but I needed the mayonnaise to cover up the taste of the parsley.

Yogurt filled pancake with Strawberries
Just what it says it is. The yogurt should be sweetened.

Simply Fried 

One of those dishes about which you can only look back and remember how good it tasted, because it’s not doing you much good in other ways. Fried potatoes, fried onion rings, garlic and hummus. I tried to find the good in this dish, and actually there is a lot, but from the standpoint of alkaline/acidic http://www.essense-of-life.com/moreinfo/foodcharts.htm Essense-of-Life alkaline/acidic charts, it’s borderline to acidic (although potatoes go either way depending on which chart you go by). This plate can  definitely be all right if the rest of your diet is mainly alkaline. But, with the white flour pancake this morning, I’m running on toxic, particularly when I add in the 2 coffees.  When I did my ‘no way to use a food chart’ test,  foodadvisor at whfoods. com, http://whfoods.com/foodadvisor.php I was only missing “90% vitamin d, 90% vitamin k, 90% omega 3 fatty acids, 90% vitamin b12, 90% vitamin e, 60% riboflavin b2, 60% calcium, 60% pantothenic acid, 60% niacin b3″. At least I sat for 15 minutes in the sun this morning for the “k”, and I eat walnuts for Omega-3, and take vitamin b12 pills and niacin (which if you are vegetarian, you should definitely take because your sources of niacin and zinc are relatively low). And as for my acidic meals? Well, one needs about 30% acidic in the diet anyway, so tonight it’s salad, cucumber, carrots, and half a grapefruit. I’m just glad I can look back on lunch and breakfast. 

The Alkalinizing Supper (except for the sheep cheese) to try to balance breakfast and lunch. Not shown, I also had an egg, and a sweet potato-squash soup made by my daughter. Will it balance out the day? Perhaps 50/50 but not alkaline 70/30 acidic as it should be. Well, I still have a late night snack.

A very interesting thing just happened. I was gong to throw out an egg carton and had already put it in the trash when something made me take it out and look at it to be sure there was nothing living on it. I protect roaches or anything alive, figuring they have as much right to life as I do. I looked at the box from all angles except one because I had only one hand free and it was holding the box. Nothing there, so I was going to put it back in the trash when I felt that I had to look at that one spot I had not seen. I freed the other hand and looked, and there was a baby roach in that one spot. I tried to get him off but he kept running all over the carton until finally I thought I saw him jump down to the oven I no longer use which at that point was about 3 inches away. But still, I decided I had to look again, and sure enough he had not jumped. Finally I put the side he was on against the grill and he gracefully got off. I had not seen him, or any roach, as a matter of fact, but I sensed that he was there, and in the one spot that I could not see. I now have a totally new understanding of our ability to sense the universe. You may think that’s quite a leap, but just think about it (aside from the fact that you think I’m crazy to care about a roach).

Tofu Supreme. One of the best dishes up here.
Believe me,  I’m not selling anything. You know how tofu has no taste. And yet it is high protein, fermented, alkaline and very good for you. So how do we work with something which has virtually no taste? Eat it with something which does, or coat it with something else. In this dish, I selected both. First, olive oil very hot in the pan and added the tofu cut into small bits. Be sure they are more or less dry. Cook until slightly brown on all sides and then add a small amount of chili sauce – your choice on mild to hot. At the same time and in the same pan, fry 3-5 slices of onion depending on size, sweet potato cubed or peeled with skin, and mushrooms. If you are cooking just for yourself, this can all be done in one pan. While doing this, soften up the red bell pepper rings in another pan by boiling. When any one of the entries in the first pan are cooked, get them out of there, and continue with the rest. While the main parts are still cooking, add turmeric, basil, oregano, sea salt, and coriander. Once everything in the frying pan is cooked, mix it all together and add some bits of soft cheese (this dish has kashkaval sheep cheese). Place the softened up bell pepper rinds in the cleaned and reheated frying pan with some olive oil, and dump in your mixture. Slice of cheese on top. Cover until cheese is melted. Very high alkaline dish except for the sheep cheese which is very low acidic, and the 1/8th cup of red wine I had with the plate. And dessert? Cottage cheese with a thick date syrup. If you have never tried it, you should. alkaline/acidic charts  http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

Sesame Seeded Flowering Broccoli With Onion and Tomato. About the flowering part? Means it’s at least 2 days after the shopping. Timing is not always perfect. About the stems? Cut off and discard the bottom 1 inch and cook along with the rest. Very good for fiber which we need, and with the sauce which I put on the “log” pile after the shoot, it was delicious. Do not fry too long. You definitely do not want that soft mushy feel unless you just came back from the dentist and the hour has not yet lapsed. The sauce? Definitely acidic but alkaline can get sort of boring. Just keep it in proportion (much lower) than the alkaline stuff. This dish definitely favors the alkaline. Sauce: Flour, milk, water, instant mushroom soup. Except for the water, it’s all acidic including the “instant” part of the mushroom soup. Enjoyed with a quarter cup of red wine. Yup. You guessed it. So, it’s 50/50 alkaline/acidic.

 Had lettuce leaves which I could either eat now or forget it. It’s amazing how time has a habit of forcing our hand – eating green is not necessarily a given. So, in the interests of balance and our good health, maybe we should always buy more lettuce, broccoli, etc. than we think we need and then we will really eat healthily just keeping ahead of throwing it all out and wasting our money. This was one of those times. Washed it all, cut it, added cucumber slices, walnuts, almonds, raisins, and then in a moment of sheer perversity poured on some trailmix just to get the crunch and the potpourri of dried fruit bits which are impossible to identify. Then 2 tbsp of mayonnaise, dash of olive oil, and significant amounts of cumin, basil, garlic powder, sea salt, coriander, thyme (or za’atar). Cubes of sheep cheese would have been great but I was out. Note to self: I don’t think I like the taste of a lot of cumin. Cumin http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=91 is great health-wise but, depending on the dish, in smaller amounts (stimulates enzymes needed for digestion, and a source of iron needed for the transport of oxygen, and a necessary part of the body’s production of energy and metabolic processes) It also has some very impressive healing properties http://www.hashmi.com/cumin_seeds.html One word of caution: The page advises pregnant women not to use a lot of cumin as it may lead to abortion. My tendency is to really dump spices on. The tortilla chip ring was made with, that’s right, a tortilla, fried in butter, and then sliced with a pizza cutter. Really enjoyed the salad. 

Another salad
Lettuce, sprouts, hummus, cherry tomato, kashkaval cheese, shelled sunflower seeds (forgotten and eaten afterwards). Just be sure that the lettuce is finished as an eatable salad before putting on all the extras. Olive oil, oregano, thyme, coriander, sea salt, and optional curcumin (turmeric) and cayenne pepper. Will leave you with the feeling that you have just had lunch. Few small salads can do that. This basically covers almost all of the vegetarian categories except for fruit and nuts.

Single Dish High Alkaline Meal For One
1/2 small potato with jacket (cubed)
1/2 small sweet potato with jacket (cubed)
1/2 medium onion diced
1/4 cauliflower (cubed)
1 clove garlic diced
1 carrot shaved with a peeler
30 +- small cubes of tofu
1/3 cup of diced kashkaval or other sheep/goat cheese
handful sunflower seeds
dash of red wine (preferable sweet)
Olive oil for frying
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp coriander
basil (optional)
sea salt to taste

Fry the cubed potato on low flame first since it takes the longest to cook. When it is almost ready, add the sweet potato and cook both covered, occasionally stirring. When the sweet potatoes are almost done, add everything else except the cheese, plus the wine. Cover and continue cooking on low flame stirring occasionally. When ready, which means everything is still hard and not soft except the 2 potatoes, add the cheese and cover for 1 more minute. Serve. If you must have a topping, sour cream sounds good but I have not tried it.

 The Greening of My Diet
Well, once again it is time to eat. And it is said that you should not have spinach more than 2 times a week. But my question is “Who even wants one time?”. But It fills in a lot of gaps in our diet. More than 100% of daily requirement in vitamin K, and over 300% in vitamin A, 80% manganese, and 60%+ folate not to mention the magnesium, iron, vitamin C, and then it goes down from there for 15+ other important vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Truly a miraculous vegetable. And it’s alkaline which means health for the body when it is in balance with the acidic which means at least 70% to acidic’s 30%. So yes, with a little butter and sea salt, which really brings out the taste, I fully enjoyed it. And 1 cup of it provides cancer and cardiovascular protection, bone upkeep, anti-inflammation protection, support of mental processes, eyesight protection against degeneration, and iron for the transport of oxygen throughout the body. But, after eating it, I push it to the back of my mind with the feeling “Well, that’s aken care of for a while”. If one of our favorite crunchy sugar coated breakfast cereals had what spinach has, we would all be healthy. And as for the brussels sprouts, don’t get me started. And then there is the salad which includes 1/2 apple, 1/2 banana, the part of an avocado which was ripe enough to eat, and only basil as a spice. With all the health in this plate, I figured I could risk not pouring on the spices as I usually do.

Okay, so it’s not James Beard or Betty Crocker perfect, but its the concept which counts – IN EVERYTHING (take the world for instance). Now, this plate. Don’t put cinnamon in the pancake batter. May cause it to stick to the pan (have to check this out again). Do not put the batter in after cooking another part of the dish without cleaning and new oil. Sticks to the pan. Which is all why this is the second pancake I cooked in 10 minutes. The first one? Well, I can use the pieces to put peanut butter and honey on for snacks over a three day period. And about the apple? For breakfast you do not want something sour. You probably had enough trouble getting out of bed. So use a red delicious or golden but stay away from the granny apples http://www.professorshouse.com/food-beverage/food/types-of-apples.aspx  Fry the apple thinly sliced in olive oil. Level tsp of baking powder in the pancake batter (I forgot it on the second time around), and add sunflower seeds and raisins if you have them. The walnuts are for Omega -3 primarily for the smooth flowing of the platelets, with real maple syrup. The final touch – cinnamon and sugar on the apples.

 STORY and I don’t know if you can tell, but this is stone cold. It isn’t supposed to be, but the battery needed recharging. I was hungry. Reminds me of Cat. She may want to go to the bowl immediately when I put it down, but she goes, sniffs it, turns around and comes over to me to be petted, or to thank me – haven’t figured out which one yet. But, if I pet her for too long, she puts her mouth on my hand as if to say “one more and I bite”, as she literally races back to the bowl. Back to the mound. Could only eat half of this, at least the couscous – I ate all of the topping. Which is point number one. This is only 1/2 cup of couscous prepared with double the amount of boiling water – one cup, which is poured over it and let sit for 10 minutes. Added some butter and sea salt, and a half tsp of cayenne pepper sauce. You have to taste this. Start small until you get the taste you want. Remember, tasting is an art, or you potentially end up with nothing left. As for the topping, you know how tofu tastes like nothing. Well, I’m going to fix tha. Very small cubes of tofu, and small cubes of onion. Be sure to cut the onion in half, cut a latticework across the top in both directions _|_|_|_|_ and then slice for instant cubes without the tears. One clove garlic, tsp basil, oregano, thyme, sea salt to taste, and once the onion is cooked (the tofu does not brown well), add your best cheese – in my case kashkaval sheep.

Truly feeds the ‘kid’ in you, and with all of the uug… alkaline stuff. If I get sick now, I’ll know someone poisoned me. And since I know of nobody who might want to do that, reaching 100 is definitely a possibility. Wild rice or at least natural (unpolished), sweet potato unpeeled, carrot (peeled), cooked together until the rice is done. Add raisins, cinnamon, and a sweetener (I used 1 tsp date syrup [alkaline]), salt (sea) to taste. Remember, you have to have something to balance out the coffee, the pastry, plus all of the junk food nibbled on, not to mention the cheese, soft drinks, and meats. Balance is the word. If you do not have it, you are an accident waiting to happen. Do a simple test. Ask yourself if you are eating right. Then listen. The first thing which comes back is correct, without all the rationalization. And if it’s “yes”, I may see you around when I reach one hundred.

The first part is normal me. The second part (after the title “I am a vegetarian”) is after I discovered the secret of alkaline/acidic and it’s importance for health. And the story of a guy who cured himself of cancer.

Rice Balls
The rice is leftovers from “Combo Protein Rice with Sweet Potato Roll” below. Add enough flour to the rice so that you can take a spoonful and roll it in your hands to form a ball which sticks together. If your hands are a little wet, it helps. Also, your hands should be clean since you are not cooking this, only browning the flour on the outside which is just enough to re-warm the rice inside. Roll in flour and fry in a pan with olive oil. Must stay on top of this one, constantly turning since they brown very quickly. Served with chutney or other favorite sauce. The salad in this case is just salad.

 Hummus Sauce Spaghetti
High protein sauce with plenty of health engendering spices. Make the sauce first, and taste it. If it doesn’t suit your taste, then you  don’t have a lot of spaghetti sitting around, and you can decide to cook something different. Sauce: half a cup of milk, three heaping tbsp hummus, coriander, basil, thyme, cayenne pepper,  sesame seeds, butter, heaping tsp brewer’s yeast,  dash of red wine, salt, pepper. Dump it all in the sauce pan and bring to a boil. Do not cook it. There is nothing to cook. Taste it. Mine was delicious. Almost sat down and ate it without waiting for the spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti and sieve it (one of my two utensils, the other being the pan of course, aside from my fork, cutting knife and spoon), put back into the pan and add a chuck of butter, or dash of olive oil, salt to taste, and mix. Pour over spaghetti. Paprika to highlight the gray.

Fake Raison Fruit Salad
Got the raisins from three slices of the special French Style Bread. So they are just for show, but I couldn’t have a fruit salad without them.

The rest is:
1/2 diced apple
1/2 cubed orange
1/2 sliced banana
8 cut roasted almonds
Mayonnaise
1 tsp honey
Cutting almonds is labor intensive. I used a knife, but a garlic press might have done the job better. And the cinnamon on top is more than decoration. Cinnamon is a great anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-clotting spice which also appears to enhance cognitive processing. You might try eating cinnamon toast before an exam.

Fried Sweet Potato, Soy Dogs and Salad.
I have been a vegetarian for 29 years but I can still taste the difference between the real thing and the soy. But these dogs could be either. Excellent. Depends on the manufacturer. Dinner with hotdogs? Not the height of fashion but with the right cook (not me) any dish can be high end. It depends on the method of preparation, the herbs and spices, the condiments and, of course, the wine. This is an anti-flu plate. It is high on A and C. The E was not included here but I was noshing on olives and almonds during the day. I still must buy the sunflower seeds. The sweet potato was shaved with the carrot peeler and fried in olive oil, with a small amount of brown sugar and cinnamon on top once on the plate. The salad combined 1/2 apple, lettuce, onion, tomatoes, carrot peels with oregano, basil, turmeric, thyme (za’atar), cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and mayonnaise. And 2 oz. of great wine (in a cup [1/4 cup]). Must buy myself a wine glass. Makes all the difference in atmosphere, even when I’m sitting at my compter. The small things really do count. They set the tone of life, and while the meaning is totally dependent on the observer, unique moments consciously created and appreciated do make a difference.

 The ultimate friedwich.
Didn’t want to cook. Just two slices of bread with something inside I told myself. The thought formed of smashed soy hotdog on a piece of bread, so I fried up one hotdog (two if you’re really hungry). Then a thin slice of onion came to mind, which I doubled and it ended up in the pan with the hotdog. Then cheese had to be added but “baking” the sandwich in the frying pan would not melt it. So, I decided to build the wich on the outside. Two pieces of French style bread with raisins laid out and covered with the now smashed hotdog and fried onions. Next, butter in the pan and a slice of yellow cheese placed in and almost immediately taken out and laid on top of the build. Sliced cherry tomatoes, oregano, basil, coriander, ground cayenne pepper, salt, and another heated up cheese slice topped with the second slice of bread and the works fried in butter cayenne pepper. Turning takes two hands. Covered until “done”. On the side, never much liked olives until I bought the deli style olives you see. Great evening sack.

Spaghetti and spinach with mushroom/soydog sauce
The spaghetti and spinach with onion is a no brainer. But the sauce is something else:
1 packet instant mushroom soup
tbsp butter
tsp olive oil
7 crushed pecans
1 soydog (cooked with the spaghetti) and cut into small pieces
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp powdered garlic
1 tsp powered cayenne pepper (put on top after the shoot)
salt to taste
sufficient water and milk to keep it flowing as you cook the sauce
Be sure to use low flame for this as you are combining it  to avoid clumping before you can add more milk or water.

Soydogs In Designer Rolls with Pea Salad
This is one tortilla to fit. Heated up the tortilla on both sides just so it could be rolled. Fried soydogs. Cut the tortilla, using the dogs to measure, and rolled. Fried in butter or olive oil. These can be turned only  one way or it unravels. The pea salad is fried peas and onion cooled, with 1 tsp each basil, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, coriander, brewers yeast(optional but very good for all the B vitamins). Salt and pepper to taste with cayenne pepper on top. Hummus with olive oil, olives on the side.

I’m a vegetarian BUT THOSE OF YOU WHO EAT MEAT should also read this, and the story of the guy who cured his own cancer. 

And I thought I was doing rather well on the alkaline-acidic balance of the body which should be about 75% alkaline to really be in excellent health. Anything below 70% is a recipe for trouble either now or in the future because cancer and other diseases grow best in an acidic environment. In fact most disease cannot exist in a highly alkaline environment. I saw this  chart which listed most of the alkaline and acidic foods, and I was shocked. There I was with most of the foods I eat on the acidic side of the chart. True, I am vegetarian, with meats being highly acidic, but I was also eating a lot of breads, potatoes, rice, sugar, beans, cheese, pasta, and coffee!. It’s not that you shouldn’t eat these things, but they should not out weight the alkaline foods. Here is an easy to read/use alkaline-acid chart called The Alkaline  Chart . Another site containing a number of different alkaline/acidic lists.  While there appears to be some disagreement between them on certain items, there is overall agreement. Apparently, some foods which are not acidic cause the body to become more acidic when ingested and therefore are considered to be on the acidic side.

And then I ran across the story of a guy who was diagnosed with Class IV aggressive prostate cancer that had spread to the bones. He, along with the medical community, thought that he was a goner. But he found this diet on the net and decided to set a goal of becoming 85% alkaline. Apparently he was heavily acidic which had put him where he was. For two weeks, he built up to taking 2-3 tsp of bicarbonate of soda together with 2-3 tsp of molasses along with a better diet. The high doses of baking soda and molasses made him feel sick at times, but when he went for the scheduled check, he had nothing – no cancer at all. It simply could not survive in such an alkaline environment. With the urging of friends, he finally put his story on the net at  My Dance With Cancer. His story is also written about on Naturalnews.com  Bicarbonate of Soda Used to Cure Stage Four Prostate Cancer

If you are wondering why there is so much death from cancer if it so easy to resolve, then read this  and you will know.

Ph STRIPS.   If you want to test your ph level, ph strips are available in drug stores, health food stores, etc. although I understand that some individuals cannot find them at the local pharmacy, so here is one place where it is available at Amazon.com and a lot of positive reviews of their product.  Also, here is a page which gives a very good description of how to do the tests, depending on the type you get.  And  a review of different brands of ph strips.

Below is the high alkaline dish which is sure to keep you in the black instead of the red body-wise. I decided that I was fooling around with my body by eating so many foods which increase the negative ph level and open the body up to a whole host of diseases, not the least of which is cancer. So this is the first step on the road to greater avoidance of all those things which tend to end life high on the hog, as it were, and fast. Of course, I can wait and turn to this at the last moment, but that is somewhat of a gamble which even the high rollers would not take if they really know what they are betting against. 

This is all cooked only slightly to reduce the number of micro-organisms which might otherwise prove a problem, but not enough to throw away much of the minerals and vitamins. I’m not ready for the raw yet. Chunked cauliflower, crimini mushrooms (button or champignon), red bell pepper, walnuts, and avocado, with turmeric. Fried in olive oil. Tried to dice the avocado in the skin, which is fine if you scoop it loose first with a spoon. But not the other way around (dice and then scoop). Yes, I did that, and it doesn’t work. And by the way, no salt, no pepper, no cheese, no creamy dairy sauces, no refined flour, no sugar, no peanuts, no butter – all things which are either acidic or whose processing is high on the moss, mildew, yeast, lichen, fungus (that’s the word) index. It helps to go through all of the synonyms and associated words until the right one is found. And yes, the mushroom is a fungus but not the kind which poses a problem for the body. In fact, this dish is high on: Vitamin C, antioxidants, phytonutrients which inhibit cancers, enzymes which trigger the release of bodily enzymes or help in the  detoxification of carcinogens, and other phytochemicals which reduce cell division and stimulates the demise of tumor cells, all of which are found in cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables – broccoli, kale, collard greens, cabbage, brussels sprouts, turnips, mustard seeds, radishes among others. Mushrooms: high in selenium, Bs, copper and phytonutrients which prevent the buildup of excessive estrogen which can promote certain cancers. I’ll leave the rest to your own searching unless you know already. Do I feel any better after this meal? No, except for feeling a little bit more virtuous, which is really not a bad feeling once you recognize that’s what it is. These things take time – at least a full day or two (the effects of, not the recognition) :-)

Breakfast to help your body against cancer and all sorts of other problems. This is a border line alkaline-acidic dish which avoids many of the more acidic foods normally eaten for breakfast. It works well with other more alkaline dishes throughout the day.
2 eggs very low acidic
raisins medium alkaline
basil  alkaline
cayenne pepper  alkaline
kaskaval (sheep) cheese very low acidic
mushrooms (crimini) low alkaline
no refined salt, no pepper, no high process cheese, no straight soy products (soydogs which I thought of cutting up and putting on top), no coffee (reserving my one cup a day for the coffee shop). Now, you may say, life without coffee is just not living. When I was drinking 12-15 cups a day, I would have agreed with you and even have been ready to demonstrate in the city square for it, but it takes a lot of highly alkaline foods to act as a counterbalance. So now, out of a sense of self survival (more important than coffee – but that’s an individual decision), I have my cup of poison (coffee, refined sugar, cow’s milk) once a day. Giving it up entirely would take a total universe of change. And the walnuts? Highly acidic, but they give the omega-3 needed to solve the deep vein thrombosis problem from sitting too long at my computer. Eat them now with raisins and a few almonds which evens out the score, and is a great combination.

Don’t Know What To Call This – so that’s its name.
Country style rye bread (slightly acid to neutral full rye flour, malt extract, oat fiber, gluten), with alkaline cucumber slices, fried button mushrooms on mashed avocado. Sea salt and cayenne pepper as condiments. Very high alkaline dish. I ate it with a salad but you’ve seen enough of those, with 1/8th cup red wine for all of its health qualities, and only one teaspoon of fat-and-additives-mayonnaise on the salad, along with 3 cherry tomatoes. This 70+/30 ratio of eating with alkaline high is not half bad. My body thinks it’s great. Now, to just get my mind in sync.

What To Do About A Diagnosis of Herpes
This is an answer to a post asking what to do after receiving a positive report for Herpes. Negative means you don’t have it. So, besides answering the post, I felt that so many people have this problem, that I would devote a page to it after doing some of my own research.

Original post from viewer:
“had recently herpes virus found in my blood. what I have to do??? I’m in panic…”

Hi,
I just saw your post about wondering what to do when just diagnosed. From what I understand, some estimate that close to 20% of the population is effected which would mean that at least 60 million people have it in the U.S. alone not to mention other countries, so you are not alone. According to all accounts, it is treatable and can be made dormant which makes it less infectious, and you can live a totally normal life.

One view is that herpes appears when the immune system is compromised or when a person is under stress. Below are a number of sites which suggest ways of improving the immune system specifically to prevent herpes from appearing through the avoidance of certain foods and the addition of other foods and herbs to your diet which will significantly help the condition.

Also, I ran across a site which appears to do what it says it can do. I have attached two independent reviews which agree. To check it out, I purchased it and after reading, tend to agree that this could be an answer if the instructions are followed. See under POSSIBLE CURE below.

                                                                   _______________
FORUMS
Be sure to see this truly excellent forum and information site
herpes-coldsores.com http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/

Another good forum you might want to look at is yoshi2me: http://www.yoshi2me.com/ It has many, many people on their message board who are telling their story, receiving information and help from others, and advice, all run by someone with herpes. It has a great deal of useful information which can be of help.

POSSIBLE METHODS OF TREATMENT
One of the ways of treating herpes is by eating a number of ordinary foods like diary products – cheese, yogurt and beets, apples, avocado, soybean, etc. which contain a high amount of an amino acid Lysine, and reducing but not avoiding some other foods such as chocolate, nuts, some fruits, etc. which contain high amounts of another amino acid Arginine. The appearance of herpes on the skin and its ability to infect cells is dramatically reduced. Lysine can also be taken as a supplement (usually in pill form), and it has been suggested that it is better to take the supplement and eat normally while avoiding only some of the high Arginine foods. The reason for this is that both enzymes are absolutely essential to bodily functions and growth, and to add Lysine as a supplement means that you do not have to give up many foods with Arginine. To see what Lysine and Arginine do for you, check below in the appendix section. Source:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/foods-to-avoid-with-cold-sores-for-permanent-relief.html Foods to Avoid With Cold Sores for Permanent Relief

A page on the Herpes-Coldsores.com forum which discusses Lysine is
http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/messageforum/showthread.php?t=4166 herpes-coldsores.com The most important post to read is the one by HC-Support near the bottom of the page.

An extremely good page on the Herpes-Coldsores.com forum describes other conditions which can be confused with herpes.
http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/conditions_confused_with_herpes.htm
But, it is important that you be tested to find out what you have, and not be treating something as herpes when it is not, particularly if it is also very infectious, or possibly non-transmittable to others. Be aware that some of the photos attached as links only (no photos on the page itself) are very graphic.
NATURAL AND HOME REMEDIES
I ran across this site which describes a number of Natural & Home Remedies for Herpes
http://www.healthassist.net/remedies/remedies-herpes.shtml 
Very good summary. Well worth taking a look at.

Natural Herbal Herpes Treatment? http://altnature.com/herpesnaturalcure.htm One herb may have the potential of being of benefit to herpes sufferers. The plant is Prunella Vulgaris otherwise named all-heal, heal all, woundwort, self heal. It is a weed found in many places worldwide, and in every State and Provence of the U.S. and Canada.  Can be obtained in supplement form. Be sure to get it only from a trusted pharmaceutical or natural food outlet. Video of prunella vulgaris growing wild in the backyard http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2746088924614350833&hl=en

OTHER VERY GOOD SOURCES OF INFORMATION
1. A page which looks at the whole immune system and suggests what will help build your body to resist and to relieve herpes. Very good article. http://www.best-herpes-treatments.com/boost-immune-system.html

2. Use of herbs to improve the immune system and reduce herpes
http://www.all4naturalhealth.com/antiviral-herbs.html

3. An article which discusses at length the benefits of dealing with herpes through the use of lemon balm, sage, and peppermint which are all available in oils and other forms at a naturalistic pharmacy. http://www.garynull.com/GNnewsitem.php?x=0812084

4. In terms of garlic which has been testified to by many as helping and even preventing herpes, this is a very good article to read.
http://www.best-herpes-treatments.com/garlic-health-benefts.html

5. Here is someone who has a very interesting story, and may be of help. I am giving the source only for your own information. It may in fact be valid. I do not know. http://www.mmshealthyforlife.com/

Tested Negative. Further on the above, I located a blog of a guy who did the MMS thing and finally tested negative for herpes over a significant period of time. http://hubpages.com/hub/Canada-Herpes-Blog 
And here is a comment left on his blog by someone:
“I think its great that you’ve continued posting updates on this blog, keeping it current, long after you finished with MMS. Not only did you persist with the difficult MMS protocol in order to achieve 15dropsx3, you documented it every step of the way and still post long after the fact! You’re the only MMS “guinea pig” like this that I can find and its is a valuable resource. Great job and thank you!”  This comment is found at the bottom of the page in that site with all the other comments. http://www.mmshealthyforlife.com/ 

POSSIBLE CURE?
There are a great many sites promising quick cures, treatments, etc.

Most Promising One
The one which seemed to be the most credible to me is Cold Sore Freedom In 3 Days (coldsorefreedomin3days) – How I safely cured my cold sores for life http://coldsorefreedomin3days.com/c/index.html?hop=dpaul
The presenter is quite young, so the ‘for life’ bit has not been tested. I have not tried it, although I read the book, but if you decide to do so and it’s rubbish, tell me. I can not refund your money but she says she will. Apparently it is a best seller. See the reviews below.

Review 1:  Better Life Product Reports. Independent review of coldsorefreedomin3days http://www.betterlifeproductreports.com/ 
At least for now, it is about the fourth review down on the page, after healthy lifestyle, fat burning, and earth4energy.
Review 2:
Also check out Ricky Lin’s review: http://www.articlealley.com/article_690134_22.html 

APPENDIX (not necessary to read. Gives details on the enzymes Lysine and Arginine):
Description of what Lysine and Arginine do for the body
LYSINE. “It is needed for growth and to help maintain nitrogen balance in the body. It also may help the body absorb and conserve calcium. Lysine also helps form collagen which makes up bone cartilage and connective tissues and aids in the production of antibodies, hormones and enzymes. Some studies have shown that lysine may be effective against herpes and is therefore often prescribed by doctors to people with cold sores or genital herpes.  Lysine at Diet and Fitness Today.com http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/lysine.php

ARGININE. “It promotes wound healing and regeneration of the liver. It also promotes the release of hormones including glucagon, insulin, and growth hormone. This effect of arginine on growth hormones has led body builders to experiment with this amino acid to assist muscle growth. Arginine also helps remove excess ammonia from the body, stimulates the immune function and may act as a natural blood thinner by reducing platelet aggregation and may help cholesterol level regulation. Arginine is also needed to increase protein synthesis, which can in turn increase cellular replication. Some studies have shown that men with low sperm counts experienced an increase in the number of sperm when supplemented with arginine. Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide, which the body uses to keep blood vessels dilated, allowing the heart to receive adequate oxygen. Researchers have begun to use arginine in people with angina and congestive heart failure.”  Arginine at Diet and Fitness Today.com http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/arginine.php

Major Food Sources of Lysine and Arginine
LYSINE at innvista.com gives an overall description of the enzyme, what it does for the body, foods with high ratio of lysine to Arginine, symptoms of deficiency.
http://www.innvista.com/health/nutrition/amino/lysine.htm
“…the major food sources containing a high lysine to arginine ration are: fish, chicken, beef, lamb, milk, cheese, beans, brewers yeast, and mung bean sprouts. Most fruits and vegetables also have a lysine ratio over arginine, with the exception of peas. Lysine is lacking in cereal proteins”
ARGININE at innvista.com gives an overall description of the enzyme, what it does for the body, foods high in Arginine, symptoms of deficiency.
http://www.innvista.com/health/nutrition/amino/arginine.htm
“Foods rich in arginine are: peanuts, peanut butter, cashew nuts, pecan nuts, walnuts, almonds, chocolate, coconut, cereal grains including white and whole wheat flour, dairy products, gelatin, meat, oats, soybeans, and edible seeds. It is also found in smaller amounts in peas, non-toasted cereals, garlic, and ginseng.”

Starting To Get A Cold/Flu/Allergy

Forward

My Cat On The Sofa. Decided to take a picture of Cat aka Attakit on the sofa. She decided she didn’t want it. You may be able to see the tip of her tail. Even when I called her, she continued towards the window (her escape route). Having a bad hair day or something. One morning, I fed her kibble, although sometimes I include some canned stuff). When she had finished, she came and meowed. I simply said “No, that’s it”. She turned around, went over to the bed and lay down. One day we will find that every creature has the same soul, just different physical limitations.

OR, the double whammy below with walnuts to improve blood flow, and date syrup which is highly alkaline. But the important things here are the sunflower seeds (multi-vitamin pills in natural form), and the spices listed below, which, by the way, are not included here (truth in advertising). Constantly improve on your product.

I had the beginnings of a cold or an allergy, and a lot of sneezing, so I cooked what you see. A piece of bread toasted with butter, and the spices thyme, oregano (actually this spice is very important here but I did not have it), cumin, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne piled on the slice (at least 1 tsp of each and more except for the cayenne), and then covered with tomato sauce  (vitamin C) and sunflower seeds (vitamin A). No one said you had to suffer from your medicine. Covered the pan and toasted it on low flame. Ate it with a little red wine (or grape juice) but not too much so as not to dilute the stomach acids working on it. If, in fact, it is an allergy and one of the causes is within that piece of toast, this is a forewarning and a disclaimer :-)

What The Outside World Is Saying

Defense Against Flu

When You look at the list, it becomes apparent very quickly that the amount of E we get from foods we normally eat just do not give us what we need. We have to start eating foods which we turn up our noses at in order to really get these particular vitamins. This is especially true for E. And yet E is crucial for our good health. Even C is not that easy to swallow. From the average diet, we really have to stuff it in to get 100% of daily need. Either we have to start eating foods that normally we do not want in quantities we do not want, or start taking supplements if not already being taken.

 

Now the Test

Now Some Healthy Recipes

Healthy Oatmeal Snack
2 tbsp cinnamon  and 2 tbsp date syrup mixed with oatmeal and boiled in water for 3 minutes. Served with milk as a cereal snack.

To My Readers: General Notice and Disclaimer:  All information and advice given on this blog are my own ideas on different topics mostly related to food. It is not medical advice or even advice from someone who knows how to cook. I cook for myself out of necessity. You must use your own common sense in following any of the suggestions, recipes, or advice. Basically, you are on your own, as I am. I therefore ask that you freely accept the responsibility for utilizing the information on this blog. Good luck and I hope you enjoy it. 

The management

 Waiting on photos – rest of new stuff is here

My first piece of advice: Get Aloe Vera in liquid form for drinking and/or in pill form. It has helped me out of many tight situations.  And my second: Get at least 10 minutes of direct sunshine (not through glass) 4-5 times a week.  End of health seminar

The breakfast you will never forget.
Guaranteed. Very high protein and very healthy.
2 slices French style bread (actually any bread will do)
1 egg
sesame seeds
basil
thyme
cayenne pepper
raisins
hummus

Fry egg in olive oil. When egg has been turned over and is done, put the two slices of bread in the pan with some butter on the fry side, or a little extra oil if dry. Put the egg on one of the slices, add basil, thyme, cayenne pepper, coriander (unfortunately, I was out), sesame seeds, raisins (in the bread but next time extra), hummus. Keep checking the other piece of bread to see if done. When it’s toasted, cover the egg with it and remove from pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy with 1/4 glass of grape juice (fermented or not), or lassi (sweet yogurt drink).

If you are down to nothing, and I mean nothing with very little money, I mean very little, what do you buy for nutrition, AND to make it eatable, AND so you think you are eating high on the hog (since I’m vegetarian, this is not an apt phrase).

This is sort of in order of importantce depending on resources. If addicted to coffee, that of course comes first. And the younger you are, the higher up the list the milk will probably be. Note: See notes at the bottom for several of the items. But eggs are first with the olive oil (the best oil for you of all the oils) if you are going to fry them. And anyone with a cat or dog understands the first item.

cat food
eggs
olive oil
flour
honey
sweet potatoes
onions
garlic
rice
bread
lettuce
tomatoes
peas
carrots
spaghetti
tomato paste
*fruit – blueberry, cranberry, blackberry, prune, strawberry, apple
broccoli
*artichokes
*russet potatoes
milk or powdered milk
tofu
hummus
lentils
*beans - black/kidney/pinto
peanut butter
mayonnaise
pineapple
juices: pomegranate/concord grape/blueberry/black cherry/cranberry
raisins
yogurt
instant oats
red wine
almonds
*pecans
walnuts
instant soup
yogurt
brewer’s yeast
oregano
cayenne pepper
coriander
thyme
cinnamon
basil
turmeric
mushrooms
cheese
coffee
coffee creamer
sugar
maple syrup
trailmix

 If you are vegetarian
The above will give you all of the nutrients plus protein except that if you are really following a vegetarian diet, than you are probably not getting enough of the following: Zinc, B12, niacin, and magnesium of which most people are not getting enough (see this link on quotes about magnesium to see how important it is) . I use brewer’s yeast for all the Bs except B12. Take supplements of zinc, niacin, b12 (I take them every other day), or be prepared to eat some really strange food and lots of it. As for the B vitamins, I put 2-3 tsp of brewer’s yeast in anything which will hide its flavor, at least once every 2 days.

 And The Most Important – Vitamin D
And perhaps the most important of all, and it’s free: Getting vitamin D – all it takes is 10 minutes of direct sunshine at least 4-5 times a week and not through glass.

On food items to buy: Of course, all of the other vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds, spices and herbs, dairy, sweeteners, and meats (if not vegetarian) can be substituted in.
 

Notes On A Number of Items In the Above List of Foods

On eggs – barn laid, organic, or free range if available (chickens have more freedom).  And remember, all eggs sold in the major markets are candled to check if the egg is non-inseminated – no baby chicks if this is important to you. For a very good guide on eggs, see helpwithcooking.com

On spices – you may think that spices are over the top extras. They are not. They are integral to being really healthy. To check out what each spice does, this page on whfoods.com gives one of the best (my opinion) rundowns.

*On Antioxidants
Antioxidants may be very beneficial in reducing the effects of flu. These are from the list of 20 of the highest antioxidant foods according to an USDA study
beans- black/kidney/pinto
fruit – blueberry, cranberry, blackberry, prune,
strawberry, apple
vegetables – artichokes, russet potatoes
nuts – pecans
Of course, there are other beans, fruit, vegetables, and nuts I have included which have high antioxidants. 
Among the top ten healthiest juices according to UCLA study: Pomegranate/Concord Grape/Blueberry/Black Cherry/Cranberry  CBS news

On hummus (humus) – garbanzo beans/chickpeas spread. Very high in protein and tastes fabulous. Be sure that it comes in a recyclable plastic container which is number 1, 2, 4, 5 only (see Plastic Containers below). For more on hummus, see Casspi of NBA and hummus  Note: Hummus elsewhere is very, very good.

On olive oil – for frying and salads. Do not settle for the other oils. Olive is the best for you health wise. Pick a good one. Worth the extra even if you have to give up something else.

On red wine- Very good for the heart and circulatory system, digestive system. For an indepth discussion of the benefits of red wine, as well as its benefits without the alcohol  Resveratrol Grape Juice: Safest Antioxidant Current status of research – Linus Pauling Institute states that while moderate alcohol has been associated with 20-30% reduction in coronary heart disease, the benefits of resveratrol found in grapes, red wine, purple grape juice, peanuts and some berries is not yet known.

On mushrooms – you may not have used mushrooms much in the past but they are very healthy for you whether or not you are a vegetarian. But be sure you buy them from a trusted store and do not pick them yourself – if you do, it could make you very sick, even if you think you know what you are doing. Some people have allergies to them (even to the non-poisonous varieties), but in general there are relatively few deaths from eating mushrooms (see below). So if you think that there is a possible poisoning, take samples of the mushroom, if you can get it, and go to the hospital for early care.

“There are thousands of varieties of mushrooms in North America, but only about 100 are poisonous and can be dangerous if eaten by humans. However, unless you are an expert at identifying mushrooms, it is difficult to tell a poisonous mushroom from one that is not poisonous. Children, particularly, are victims of mushroom poisoning.” From University of Virginia Health System. Instructions on what to do .

Some statistics on mushroom poisoning in U.S. 1989 AAPCC (American Association of Poison Control Centers) “…found that of 9,208 total cases of exposure, the species involved was identified in only 3.4%. Most patients (81%) were younger than 6 years. Only 0.2% of the patients had major toxic manifestations, and the mortality rate was extremely low (0.03%). All 3 deaths involved amatoxin-containing species such as Amanita phalloides. Ten years later, the 1998 AAPCC data showed…: 9,839 reported cases of exposure, with 69% involving children younger than 6 years. The species was identified in only 12% of cases, with only 1 death” source  The rate is higher in some other countries. A very interesting read is  An Overview of Mushroom Poisonings in North America. There is also a link to some interesting looking recipes, mushroom fairs, and lists of species displayed.

On Plastic Containers – Beware the chemicals in plastic containers. You will notice, there are no packaged foods/meals on my list. For one thing, nutritionally they are often a waste of money. Also, be aware that foods in plastic are generally not purchased due to the chemicals PVC, BPA, Styrene, and DEHA in many of the plastic containers, plastic linings of much canned goods, and food wraps. If you must use plastic containers, use those with a recycle mark of either 1, 2, 4, 5 and do not use 3, 6, or 7 unless the 7 is also marked as bio-based. I have found that on some containers you cannot see the recycle emblem in the plastic except from the inside of the container on the bottom after you have finished its contents. But usually it is on the outside of the bottom and can be seen unless there is a label of some sort over it. Do not microwave in plastic.   For general information:  Smart Plastics Guide – Healthier Food Uses of Plastics for Parents and Children. A good introductory article at mercola.com is More-Safe-Water-Bottles-that-Are-Actually-Dangerous.  For another source:  Green Living Community

On trailmix- Depending on the trailmix there could be nutrients in there you are not normally getting. For the very good type, it is sort of like multivitamins in eatable form although this is certainly an exaggeration.

On Brewer’s yeast – you may have to go to a health food store to get this but worth the trip. If you are not eating that much meat or are a vegetarian, it is very important for giving you the B vitamins you will normally not be getting in the foods you eat. 

DISHES CONTINUED

Combo Protein Rice With Sliced Sweet Potato Bun. Now I am really out of food. Must see if today is my day to go shopping. Hope it is or tomorrow will be bleak. No. I still have 1 cup of instant oats, the left over of this rice, miso paste, flour, olive oil, spices, nuts and seeds, peanut butter, chutney, lentils, coffee, powdered creamer, and brown sugar. Oh, and something left over in the freezer from months ago which I have not gotten around to looking at. And, since I still have  coffee and sunshine, maybe one more day.  But the rain keeps coming and I finally broke down and went to the store and got: Eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, peas, hummus, mayonnaise. Clearly, I have to go again – when the rain lets up.

The Rice contains:
3 tbsp high protein fermented soy miso
heaping tbsp tomato paste
chug of mild chutney
sunflower seeds
sesame seeds
tbsp olive oil
tsp oregano
tsp basil
tsp thyme
tsp garlic powder
tsp turmeric
tsp cayenne pepper sauce
brewer’s yeast
red wine to taste
small amount of salt and pepper to taste
Put it in water with the rice and let it boil on low flame until done adding water as needed. Or, you can cook the rice in the usual way and create a sauce in the frying pan with all the rest of the ingredients to add to the rice or use as a topping. Previous sweet potato pie sliced and served cold.
 

Spaghetti Salad. Really delicious.
Cooked the spaghetti, onions, garlic until spaghetti done. Strain it and cool it by 2-3 changes of cold water in the sauce pan straining each time. Add chopped up lettuce, sliced cherry tomatoes, 2 heaping tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp olive oil, heaping tsp each of basil, thyme, 2 dashes pepper, salt to taste, dash of red wine (optional), and top with at much cayenne pepper as your palette thinks it can stand. Licking the mixing bowl was better than the frosting bowls – well, not quite, but very good.

How Much Sunshine Do You Need? 

The link below is not only interesting for everyone but also very important for those of you whose wives/significant others/or if you yourself will be giving birth now or sometime in the future.  Below the article, be sure to read the comments which are the most important part of the information. It’s about premature births on the rise in the U.S. and the possible role of vitamin D.  Even if you are not expecting in one form or another, vitamin D is also of real importance for enhancing the immune system against the flu. I urge you to read it.  How Much Sunshine Does it Take to Make Enough Vitamin D Perhaps More Than You Think

STAR Cinnamon pancake with trailmix and sesame seeds. I’ve put a lot of pancakes up here, but this one beats them all. Made with half white flour and half whole wheat, tbsp baking powder, 3 tsp cinnamon, and the visible topping put on after cooking (trailmix and sesame seeds), covered with syrup (fake maple).

Sweet Potato Dish for those who love each other. Ingredients: Sweet potato, garlic, oregano, basil, coriander, thyme, cinnamon, sugar, 2 hot dogs (in this case soy), red wine and all fried in olive oil. The reason for the ‘ those who love…’ is because I put in 8 garlic cloves. Now you may think that is overdoing it. But if you look at the health benefits of garlic, you will probably want to put in more, but then there are other people out there who may not actually care how healthy you are as long as you stand no closer than 4 feet. If you are a hermit than you can be as healthy as you like, and your dog or cat won’t care (maybe because they love you). The amounts of the herbs and spices is an individual thing, but again, they have very important health properties which are often overlooked as we sprinkle only a teaspoon or less of an herb or spice on our food. Give yourself a break. Some of the greatest health additives are within arms reach and we spend most of our lives ignoring them (to our detriment). I literally just dump them on. Check them out at whfoods.com  But, before I end this entry, a word about sweet potatoes – They are particularly rich in antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory healing properties, and have been placed by some at the top of the vegetable nutrition list.

Egg Salad Sandmudge. I’ll come clean. This is the result of two fortuitous events. First, the fact that I really did not want to cook – happens quite often – and secondly, the fact that I heated the single person bread loaf and tried to slice it in half while still in the pan and hot. It sort of crumbled before my eyes as I tried not to burn my fingers, so ended up cutting it into small pieces. It all happened quite fast. Then, I dumped in the egg salad which had been prepared (mayonnaise, turmeric, and cayenne pepper), a good healthy glob of hummus with tahini, and two slices of cheese all the while continuing to cook until well mixed and the cheese melted. Really quite good. Will I do it again? Definitely, and with a good red wine to go with it.

Another way to get an apple into you, albeit over a couple of days. I have not perfected the procedure of making this pie yet (testified to by the time it took me to remove the burned cake stuck to the bottom of the pan). Would appreciate any input. Started with an individual flat bread loaf, an apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, trail mix (mainly for the raisins). Bread cut in half and sliced inside to form two pockets. Put into a pan with sugar water and brought to a boil and let steep to impregnate with sugar. A better way of doing this might be to merely fill the halves with the described cooked apple, and then paint the outsides of the slices with a heavy sugar water solution. Sliced apples boiled in a small amount of water with sugar, cinnamon, very little nutmeg and ginger until most of the liquid is evaporated at which point the bread halves are filled, and then “fried” until everything is well integrated. This is sort of labor intensive but better than attempting to “Bake” apple tarts from basic flour and water – especially in a frying pan.

Egg Salad Tortillas. It seems that I was down to one egg, and now I’ve none. The mayonnaise is also gone. And the last of the tortillas which had long been in the rear of the freezer forgotten. The last meal before having to go to the store if I want to continue. Fortunately, I do have some wine left. Slight fried the tortillas to unbend them – the cleft left when prying them apart. With tomatoes and all of the usual spices including red hot pepper. Also very good without wine. That is an untested statement.

Very Good Down On My Luck Rice. It’s raining outside, I don’t feel like going out, I’m down to my last couple of dollars for the month, and what you see here is what I have left in the cupboard or the fridge. Rice with 3 tbsp miso (soy paste for protein), two tbsp tomato paste, four cherry tomatoes halved, some wine (red sweet made in Russia. Amount up to you), and a lot of basil, turmeric, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, plus black pepper (dash), salt (very little), tbsp brewer’s yeast for the vitamin Bs. Oh, those seed things? Toasted and salted pumpkin seeds. Makes the meal last longer. Can’t think of anything while I’m chewing them so gives me a break. Eat them whole and then spit out whatever is left, if there is anything. Why eat them? Very good source of zinc against osteoporosis, anti-inflammatory against arthritis, good source of magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, iron, and copper, and third after pistachios and sunflower seeds in the amount of phytosterols which is a plant cholesterol (as opposed to animal cholesterol) and is good for the immune system, plus may be effective in reducing risk of certain cancers whfoods  Plus I just like the taste and the salt. Oh, and that’s the last of the hummus with olive oil and sweet paprika.

 Without Crow

There was a crow sitting on the railing, but the world is a constantly changing place. There is no image which is meaningless. Grab them while you can.

Really Light Pancake. If you want a healthy, puffed up pancake which tastes great, try half flour, half instant oatmeal with an egg. Hot pan just beginning to smoke, and turn down the flame (do not use non-stick, especially if you have birds. Sorry I keep mentioning this but it kills them. See elsewhere in this blog). O.K., back to the pancake.

For those of you who know how to cook, this is obvious, but the sticking-the-fork-in to see if it comes out clean actually does work. Be sure it is clean before sticking it in. I use my shirt. The trick of covering it and lifting the cover to see if there is still steam rising is an iffy procedure. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell between steam and the beginning of burn. Of course, if it’s burned you’re done, whether what you’re cooking is or not.

My advice is to get rid of it. I’m serious, if you think you eat or drank something which should not for any reason be inside you, see this page first  wikiHow on How To Induce Vomiting. Sometimes your body will do it for you, but not always, and you must do it for yourself. But either way, read the wiki. But first, if you are not doing it as an emergency procedure, take a look at this ca.answers.yahoo.com blog and what everyone is saying. And, as the first post says, if you do make yourself throw up (or your body is doing it for you), be sure to drink a lot of water because you are losing liquid which your body needs to keep going. On the other hand, if you listen to “they-suspended-my-account-again”, you’re on your own. But please do drink water. 

Shouldn’t Have
Then there are those other times, when you ate something which might have been a bit off biologically speaking. Either chuck it, or go with the culinary science of centuries. The link below is an extremely well done list of spices and herbs which are antimicrobial in nature,  which I felt I definitely needed after eating my last meal of leftovers. Judiciously decided not to photograph or otherwise document the dish.

I decided to go with the science. Note: The () around words indicates the strength of the antimicrobial action. A piece of french bread was used as a base for the antimicrobials, topped with a slice of onion (inhibitory), cheese (for body with no particular antimicrobial action), and so much cinnamon(strong), oregano(medium), thyme(medium), and coriander(medium) that the bread base was no longer visible – hence the absence of a photo. Oh, and the hotdogs which went with the leftovers were covered in mustard(strong), so I already had a good start. For documentation and for other spices and herbs which are antimicrobials, see ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS OF SPICES AND HERBS O. Peter Snyder, Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management; St. Paul, Minnesota

NOTE: If you do not see this entry, then it didn’t work.

IT WORKED!!

Peas and Dogs in TrailMix With Almonds. Fried in olive oil. Some of my meals remind me of my teenage years. Not that my mother ever cooked this way. But who knows, I may have eaten more peas back then if she had. Added in some brewer’s yeast for the B vitamins and some red wine for the resveratrol and, depending on the seriousness of your trail mix maker, you have a well rounded meal anybody could love. Well, almost anybody. The dogs are soy. Ate them with mustard. Had to get some turmeric in.

Instant Walnut/Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancake. Similar to Really-Light above but the difference is that this is really an OATMEAL pan cake. You only see part of this because I just wanted to make a pancake for myself and eat it without all the photos. But as I was enjoying it, thought that it was so good that I had to put it up. So the part you don’t see is really not there anymore. It’s in the vicinity is all I can say. One part flour (this is whole wheat) to two  parts oatmeal (or equal amounts) mixed with water to pourable consistency and fried in olive oil. Cinnamon is an integral part of the recipe, so you can put it in the batter or on top afterwards. At least 2 heaping teaspoons. With syrup, and walnuts for the Omega-3 plus all the other food value and health they give you.  The way to start the day happily.

 Hotdog Stew. As I was cooking it I decided that if it looked good, I’d put it up. Otherwise… The basic ingredients are soy dogs, green beans,  pecans, tomatoes, garlic. And the sauce is flour, cheese, water, coriander, cayenne pepper, za’atar, basil, salt, wine (the good stuff) topped with sesame seeds.

Tomato/Sunflower Breakfast – 2 eggs, sunflower seeds, tomato paste, cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic powder.

Mushroom Spaghetti. This is a two stage preparation. First, fried the mushrooms and garlic in olive oil and set aside. Made the spaghetti sauce of milk, instant mushroom soup powder, salt to taste. Cooked the spaghetti and when done, strained the water out letting some cold water flow over it to get rid of any starch left over. Returned the spaghetti to the pan and fried in olive oil with some butter until all water was evaporated, and added at least 2 tsp each of basil, oregano, and turmeric. Taste it because this has to taste great. Mine was not great, but it was good only when I added the oregano. See mushroom warnings top of page.

 Hummus with Tahini on Sprouts. The avocado was not ripe but I had to remind myself that it still had all the properties which make it a health benefit, and besides that, it did taste like an avocado. Olive oil on the outside portion of the sprouts, topped with cayenne pepper powder, and sunflower seeds.

Toasted-with-butter Bread with Sliced Soy Burgers,  Onions and Hummus Sauce. The sauce is flour and milk with a small amount of hummus mixed in. Salt to taste. Ground cayenne pepper for health, and sweet paprika for show plus sunflower seeds. Had more sauce which I poured on after the shoot. Could only eat one of them after downing the sprout salad above.

Grilled Dogs on Sprouts Sandwich. Butter toasted slices with mayonnaise and soy dogs with the microbe fighting spices oregano, coriander, basil, cayenne pepper powder, pepper, salt. Thyme or za’atar on the hummus with olive oil and sweet paprika. Should also include fried onions for that extra taste and health. This one did not have them but it’s model, which was eaten previously, did. See “Shouldn’t Have” above for details on antimicrobials.