Cooking For Friends

Neal Barnard, M.D. is the author of 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart. He answered a readers question in Issue 1, 2012 of Pet’s Animal Times, and it really struck me. I’m putting a excerpt of his comments here:

The effect of hormone-replacement therapy have on the female body and the world. Commonly prescribed (HRT) drugs Premarin and Prempro (Premarin combined with a progesterone derivative) have been shown to increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer, heart disease, strokes and potentially fatal blood clots. Women ‘Health Initiative showed that women taking these estrogen supplements have a 26 to 30 percent higher breast cancer risk and a 29 percent higher risk of heart disease compared with other women.

Premarin increases one’s risk of uterine cancer unless it’s taken with progesterone, but adding progesterone to Premarin does not counteract the higher risk of breast cancer. It;s a double-edged sword, really. And hormone supplements can also  contribute to high blood pressure, gallstones, vaginal bleeding , nausea, weight gain, breast tenderness, skin discolorations headaches and depression.

Here’s something else that’s hard to swallow: Both Premarin and Prempro contain horse urine. In fact the name “Premarin” is derived from “pregnant mares’ urine” Mares used to produce these hormones are repeatedly impregnated and confined to stalls while their urine is collected in rubber bags.  Their foals are considered unwanted byproducts and are often sold at auction for slaughter .

There are SAFE, natural ways to alleviate menopause symptoms which include osteoporosis, hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Exercise regularly and eat a low-fat vegan meals. Osteoporosis is not generally caused by inadequate calcium intake but rather rapid calcium loss. Sodium and animal protein tend to leech calcium from the bones.

Broken bones-and hot flashes -are much less common in Asia, and this is likely because women in Asia traditionally consume much less meat and fat than women on typical American diets.  Eating plenty of vegetables and fruits, cutting salt intake limiting caffeine consumption, not smoking and getting adequate sunlight for vitamin D can help keep you strong and healthy more than any medication can. Eating a plant-based diet may help prevent hot flashes too. Some suspect that soy foods and the herbs red clover and black cohosh might also help  with hot flashes.  To combat vaginal dryness and irritation, , try vitamin E oil and other over-the-counter lubricants.

For more detailed information,  PCRM.org

Looking for a great meal to do in the park or in your backyard? I found a vegan barbecue meal that sounds so wonderful at the Healthy Vegan  Kitchen.

Visit the Veg Kitchen whenever you need a versatile menu for your next vegan picnic or outdoor meal!

You should stretch and do some breathing exercises before cooking. Just like everything you do in life you always should prepare your mind and body before beginning. Stretching and breathing exercises help you to focus, and stand on your feet for a longer time.

Reach for the sky. When you reach for the sky what you are really doing is stretching your arms up and out.

Then bend down as though you are picking up star dust that fell to on your kitchen floor.

Always bend and stretch from your top of your legs, not from your back. By doing it this way you get a better stretch for your body.

Quick tip on breathing: before you cook inhale, breathe deep and feel your breath going through your whole body, then let your breath out. Do this a couple of times. This also helps you focus, loosen you up and again, help you to stand for a longer time to make your meals. Do these exercises especially when you are feeling tired but haven’t finished making your wonderful food.

Stretching and breathing it helps you to finish what you started.

Wilted Romaine and Red Onions

Ingredients:

1 head romaine, medium

½ cup mushrooms, sliced

6 tablespoons of olive oil

1 red onion, large, thin crescents

1cup toasted croutons

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

Prepare mushrooms by brushing them lightly with a wet paper towel to clean them (washing them will take away some of the flavor) Slice them thin. Prepare romaine by tearing them in half.

Heat 5 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet.  Add mushrooms and sauté over medium heat for about one minute.  Add onions and sauté with the mushrooms (and toss them lightly) for another minute. Add lettuce and sauté until just wilted. Add croutons and toss everything together, then quickly remove from heat. Put in a salad bowl.

Put 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet and beat together red wine vinegar and anchovy paste, heating lightly, and immediately pour over romaine mixture, add sea salt to taste, toss and serve.

Try to get an organic or natural anchovy paste. The anchovy paste will add a salty taste so you may not need salt at all!

When you make your own soup , you have control over what goes into your soup. You can see that you don’t need salt in this fabulous soup recipe that I found at 101cookbooks.com. When you have fresh herbs it adds its own great favor for you can enjoy, especially since herbs often are much healthier than any artificial flavoring you find in store bought soups.

“How spicy you make this broth is up to you. I like it with a bit of a kick, but nothing that overwhelms. I’ve found that using two de-seeded peppers, and two peppers with the seeds and veins intact give me the level of heat and flavor I like. As far as prepping the lemongrass is concerned, chop off all but 4-5 inches closest to each stem. Then peel off the outer leaves – you’re trying to get at the tender center of each stalk. Mince and use that. If made with coconut oil or olive oil, this easily becomes vegan”.

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coconut oil, clarified butter, or olive oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 small serrano chile peppers, thinly sliced (see head notes)

3 lemongrass stalks, minced (see head notes!)
a 1 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled then grated
8 green onions, trimmed, thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 cup / 60 ml freshly squeezed lime juice & a bit of zest

6 – 7 cups / 1.5 liters / 1.5 quarts good-tasting vegetable broth

12 ounces / 340 g tofu, cut into tiny cubes
OR
6 oz tofu cubes + 6 oz yuba skins, cut into thin strips

kernels from 2 ears of corn

4 handfuls of torn spinach, stems trimmed

a small handful of each of the following: fresh mint, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, all chopped just before serving and combined in a small bowl

Use a mortar and pestle, or alternately, a spice grinder to crush the coriander and cumin seeds a bit. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat, stir in the crushed spices, and toast until fragrant, barely 30 seconds. Stir in the shallots, garlic, serrano chiles, lemongrass, ginger, green onions, and turmeric. Stir well, then add the lime juice and zest. Cook until the shallots are soft and translucent – under 5 minutes. Stir in 6 cups / 1.5l of the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for a few minutes, then taste for seasoning. Depending on how salty your broth is, you might need to add a little salt or substantially more. At this point, If the broth is too strong for your liking, you might add a bit of water, or maybe it needs a bit more lime juice. Just keep tweaking until it tastes good to you. It’s the base of your soup, so you want it to taste great on its own.

Pour the liquids through a strainer into a bowl, pressing on the solids to get all the broth out. Discard the solids, and return the strained broth to the pot. Bring it back to a simmer then stir in the tofu and the corn. Let them heat through. Just before serving, stir in the spinach, then sprinkle each serving with a big pinch of the herb mixture.

Serves 4.