All-purpose flour



I eat most of my fish fillets dusted in flour, then seared off until crispy: The flour browns nicely and creates just the barest hint of a crust on the fish.

I typically use regular all-purpose flour, and this is a great way to start -- but all you really need to do is switch up your flours to create vastly different texture and flavor profiles in an otherwise simple dish.
For example, use chickpea flour for Mediterranean or Indian fish or seafood dishes. It is a common flour used there, and will give you a deep brown, earthy and warm flavor. You can buy chickpea flour in most large supermarkets, in ethnic markets or online.

Frying Asian seafood? Use rice flour. It is lighter and will fry up crispier than most other flours. It is a must in my tempura batter.

Want a richer, more mouth-filling flavor? Use rye or barley flour. These are heavier-tasting flours good with oily fish such as herring, bluefish, jacks or mackerel. I will also use these flours sometimes when I am cooking in a cuisine that uses those flours, such as Scottish, German or Scandinavian.
Texture matters, too. Want something crunchy, but not so grainy as cornmeal? Use semolina flour or stone ground wheat flour. Both are wheat flours, just not as finely ground; semolina comes from a different type of wheat, too.

So next time you think about sauteing a piece of fish, give a moment to think about whether you want to jazz things up by using a specialty flour -- combine a different flour with a different cooking oil and you can be transported to a new cuisine just like that. Think about the difference between a piece of halibut dusted in regular flour and fried in corn oil versus that same halibut dredged in rice flour and fried in sesame oil? It'll be a whole different animal.

read more

Poison Apple: Organic Fruit and Soy Allergies



A couple of years ago, my daughter and I were enjoying an idyllic fall afternoon picking apples and peaches. I had chosen an orchard that promoted itself as "using organic methods" although it did not yet have organic certification. Feeling good about supporting my local farmer and eating natural food, we sang and chatted with friends while we picked.

Life was good until my daughter started complaining that she was itchy. By the time we got to the parking lot, she was covered in hives and her face was beginning to swell. I could not figure out what had caused this reaction, because she hadn't eaten anything.  She had been carrying around a peach that she had picked, rubbing its soft fuzz on her cheek, but nothing had gone in her mouth. Besides, she wasn't allergic to peaches, or apples.

The reaction remained a mystery until a year later, when I purchased a bottle of eco-friendly horticultural oil to control an infestation of scale on my lilacs. Horticultural oil, promoted as a natural alternative to insecticides, is most often a petroleum product, but new, "green" products are being made from plant oils, such as canola, sunflower, or soybean oil. The one I bought turned out to be soybean oil. Whoops.

Horticultural oils are often used on fruit trees, which can get infested with small insects or mildew that can damage fruit. The oil is sprayed all over the tree, soaking into the bark and coating any leaves, flowers, or fruit, to suffocate the small insects.  Soybean oil is also being used as a pruning agent for peaches.

That peach didn't come with a warning label that said "may contain soy."  In fact, I've never seen a fruit or vegetable with a warning label on it of any kind.
I have, however, started washing my fruit with soap.

As more and more uses are discovered for soy, it becomes more and more present in our environment and our lives.  Soy is the raw ingredient of many non-food products, from biodiesel, to soap, to teddy bear fluff.  If you or a loved one has a soy allergy, it is important to read product labels -- not just of food, but of lotions, shampoos, and, of course, any garden sprays you might be using in your yard.

read more

New york city The 7 best  restaurant for kids


It's vacation time, and the whole family is headed to New York City. Theater tickets? Check. Museum passes? Check. Restaurants? Hmmm. Sure, those theme-park-style "kid-friendly" restaurants entertain the kids -- but really, how many chicken fingers can you stomach when you're in one of the greatest restaurant towns in the world? (And how many families actually eat all their meals on butcher-block paper covered in crayons?)
New York City is filled with terrific restaurants that give the grown-ups a real night out but also welcome kids with creative options. You'll find that even New York's top restaurants are quite accommodating, especially if you eat on the early side and have well-behaved kids. And who knows? Exposing your children to more sophisticated food choices may even raise your kid's culinary I.Q. I know at least one seasoned 4-year-old whose favorite restaurant is Momofuku.
If you have an outlier in your group, find a place with outdoor seating to blunt any unforeseen accidents or meltdowns. Of course, if you're traveling with a group of toddlers, forget everything I just said and hit the early-bird special at the closest theme joint you can find.
Here are a few of my favorite places where grown-ups can eat out with their children in the Big Apple:

• Landmarc (179 W. Broadway, at Leonard St.; tel. 212/343-3883; http://www.landmarc-restaurant.com/). With an easy-going atmosphere, a well-priced wine list, and a creative kids' menu, this smart American bistro is one of the best family restaurants in the city. Kids' choices include standards like grilled cheese sandwich, fish sticks, burgers, and pigs in a blanket as well as petite filet mignon, buttery orrechiette, and green eggs and ham pesto.
• Odeon (145 W. Broadway, at Thomas St.; tel. 212/233-0507; http://www.theodeonrestaurant.com/). The 1980s happened here, but this joint has morphed into a neighborhood fixture that welcomes families with its unfailingly delicious, well-priced bistro food. No kids' menu, but there are state-of-the-art pommes frîtes.
• Sweetiepie (19 Greenwich Ave., between Christopher and 10th St.; tel. 212/337-3333; http://www.sweetiepierestaurant.com/). Don't let this spot's high-fructose décor turn you away. With padded pink banquettes, walls of mirrors, and a gilded birdcage in the window, Sweetiepie looks like an old-timey soda shop plumped up on estrogen. But wait: That's a real bar there, no? And it's actually quite comfy and nicely lit. The thoughtful menu offers something for everyone, from mac 'n' cheese and spaghetti and meatballs to terrific salads and a smart cocktail list.
• Morandi (211 Waverly Place, at Charles St.; tel. 212/627-7575; http://www.morandiny.com/). Lunch is the time to hit this sunny Italian trattoria, which sees a sprinkling of locals, actors, models, and European moguls relaxing with their families and having a good time. Kids of all ages are welcome here -- dogs, too (outside only, of course).
• Blue Smoke (116 E. 27th St., between Park and Lexington Ave.; tel 212/447-7733; http://www.bluesmoke.com/). This one's a no-brainer. Restaurateur Danny Meyer has some of the most kid-friendly restaurants in the city, including Shake Shack and Tabla, the latter with its family-style platters. This airy space has big, wide booths that are perfect for families. Yes, it has a kids' menu, and yes, barbecue is messy, gloppy finger food. But Blue Smoke also has elegant grown-up fare, such as an English pea and asparagus salad or seared sea scallops in a charred leek vinaigrette.
• Sarabeth's Central Park South (40 Central Park South; tel. 212/826-5959; http://www.sarabethscps.com/). A welcome break from the glut of Midtown themed restaurants, this serene spot is part of the Sarabeth's Kitchen empire, which started in 1981 as a bakery and jam shop on the Upper West Side. While you dine daintily on the Central Park Cobb salad (here with lobster, crabmeat, and shrimp), your kids can chow down on free-range-chicken potpie and the mini bacon-cheeseburgers. The outstanding breads and desserts (a generational common ground) will have everyone singing.
• Arthur Avenue, the Bronx. If you're visiting the Bronx Zoo or the New York Botanical Garden, don't miss a meal at the Little Italy of the Bronx, a stroll or a short cab ride away. You'll find a number of restaurants along Arthur Avenue serving family-style platters of delicious Southern Italian food and welcoming kids of all ages. At Dominick's (2335 Arthur Ave.; tel. 718-733-2807), order the kids some red-sauce spaghetti while you dine on impeccable baked clams and stuffed artichokes.

read more

Featured Drink Recipe

Brazilian Thyme Ingredients 2 wedge(s) Lemon 2 oz. VeeV Acai Spirit 1/2 oz. Orange Juice Thyme Instructions Muddle 2 lemon wedges, 1/2 orange and thyme in a mixing glass, add 2 oz. VeeV Acai Spirit and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake. Pour into a glass.

read more

Get kids to eat healthy

• Introduce new foods into your child’s repertoire by taking him or her shopping at the local farmer’s market. When kids meet the people who grow, raise, or make the food, they are generally more willing to taste samples, and are often pleasantly surprised at how good fresh fruits and vegetables—or even goat cheese—can be. Knowing how hard farmers work to produce food will also make kids think twice about tossing their half-finished or untouched lunches in the trash.

• Try suggesting, instead of insisting, that kids taste a new food. The biggest mistake adults make is telling a child interested in tasting a new food, “Oh, you won’t like that.” With juvenile obesity rates at a staggering high, children need all the encouragement they can get to expand their food choices to include the healthy options found at most markets.

• If you don’t have a farmer’s market in your area, or your market isn’t open year-round, it can be equally enlightening to take your child to a supermarket’s produce department, especially if it offers sustainably grown items as well as conventional ones.

• Provide shopping guidelines that involve compromise, such as, “You can have pudding, but let’s make it from scratch” so you can control what goes in it or “You can have baked potato chips, but not fried ones.” In this way, you can still encourage children to select their own lunches and snacks, but exert some control over the purchases.

read more

Drink tips

• Know your limits.
• Space Your Drinks—e.g. one per hour (two at the most). Know that all drinks are not created equal. For example, a Long Island Iced Tea may have as many as 3 to 7 shots of alcohol, which can take as long as 2 to 6 hours to metabolize.
• Don't drink on an empty stomach. You are more likely to get sick and less likely to be able to control yourself when you do drink on an empty stomach.
• Keep count of the amount of drinks you've drank.
• Don't drink and drive--Plan ahead for transportation; Use public transport or call a taxi!
• Stay with people you know and trust, but BEWARE, people's personalities are affected by alcohol use!
• Alcohol and sex don't mix! The mixture often leads to humiliation, regret, embarrassment, STD's, pregnancy and sexual assault!
• Never accept a drink from someone you don't know--You don't know what they could have put in it!
• Pregnant or think you might be? Alcohol goes straight from a mother's bloodstream to the unborn baby causing birth defects and other abnormalities.
• Please don't use alcohol to make yourself feel better when you are depressed--talk it out, go for a walk, listen to music--make some connections. Alcohol will not solve your problems--even if it helps you escape for a few hours. Look at all the people and resources around you--there must be someone you can tell your story to!
  
  
  
  
  
  

http://www.lmu.edu/Page25068.aspx

• Alcohol tips

• Never go drink on an empty stomach.
• You decide how much you drink, not your friends.
• Make it last longer.
• Don’t mix the drinks and always eat between them.
• Oily food – less alcohol absorption.
• When dizzy, take a break.
• When feeling sick, go throw up.

http://www.hacktheday.com/alcohol-drinking-tips/

• Drinking tips

• Careful what you combine! Pay attention to the warning labels on prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Combining alcohol and marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, speed or other drugs can be very dangerous, due to interaction effects.
• Make sure you eat!
• Purchase your alcohol in adavance:
• This way at least you will realize when you go over the top how the heck you got so plastered. You will also realize you are unable to drive, and that you probably shouldn’t take on any sort of responsibility.
• Watch out for your friends.http://healthy--body--tips.blogspot.com/2008/12/drinking-tips.html

http://www.lmu.edu/Page25068.aspx

• Beverage tips

• You may already know that a healthy lifestyle involves balancing many different elements - staying physically active, consuming a balanced diet, getting enough rest - and even keeping a positive attitude.
• All beverages contribute to hydration. But some also provide important nutrients that help keep your bones and teeth strong and play a role in keeping your heart healthy. Some beverages can help you perform your best. Others can help you feel energized or help you relax, while others provide pure enjoyment, satisfying your natural taste for sweetness -- with or without calories.

http://www.thebeverageinstitute.com/beverages_and_health/index.shtml

• Drinking water tips

 

• There are a variety of reasons to drink plenty of water each day. Adequate water intake prevents dehydration, cleans out the body, and promotes healing processes. Substituting water for beverages high in calories can also help control weight.
• Determine how much water you need.
• Measure your daily intake of water.
• Learn to acquire a taste for water.
• Carry water with you everywhere put it in a bottle or other container.
• Keep a glass or cup of water next to you whenever you'll be sitting down for a long time, such as when you're at your desk at work.
• Try wearing a digital watch that beeps at the beginning of each hour.
• Get a water purification system.
• Add lemons or limes to your water.
• Eat water rich foods, such as fruits like watermelon, which is 92% water by weight.
• Keep water cold if it tastes better for you.
• Climate can drastically change how much water you need.

http://www.wikihow.com/Drink-More-Water-Every-Day

• Food supplements/ complements

 

Food supplement is a complement, nutrition and not a substitute for food. Food supplements in general, including vitamins (eg vitamin C) and minerals, Botanical (eg herbs and plant products), and the substance or substances derived from natural sources (eg, milk whey and glucosamine). Supplements that can complement a healthy diet for improved health and increased life expectancy.We have been brought up to believe that eating healthy foods will provide us with all the vitamins and minerals that we need, and that this is sufficient to prevent illness. However, the therapeutic effects of supplementation for prevention of disease and slowing down of aging is supported by current research. - Supplements are not drugs.Drugs are chemicals that are used to cure a disease and ease the pain inflicted. Drugs are substances that work hard enough for the body and often have side effects.Therefore, the uses of drugs usually have a doctor's prescription. While most of the supplements work as nutritional supplements in addition to the food consumed daily. - Supplements are also a substance that helps optimize the body function and hormones.

read more

Food & drink

• Email Page
• Print Page

 Get your nutrition from a variety of sources. The wider the range of the foods you eat, the better your body can get the various nutrients and minerals that it requires to function properly. Sticking to a picky diet of the same foods over a long period of time can have negative consequences when it comes to your health.

- Whenever possible, include garlic as an ingredient in what you eat. Garlic is a veritable wonderfood, helping the body in a large number of ways. Garlic helps the immune system to function more properly, aids the thinning of the blood, and allows the body to produce hormones more readily.

- Keep your alcohol consumption to a minimum. In addition to increasing your risks of cancer  and other health problems, alcohol has a lot of calories and little to no nutritional value. In addition, when you drink alcohol, your body's store of B-vitamins is decreased.

- Eat small meals throughout the day. Those who are totally in condition with their body tend to eat small meals roughly around 6 times per day. This allows the body to have a steady flow of nutrients throughout the day, and it also helps the body to regulate insulin, allowing better metabolism of fat and greater chance of building muscle.

- When you can, eat organic foods. While there aren't millions of options available when it comes to organic foods, they are the only known types of foods that are beneficial to health. Many of the ingredients found in common store-bought manufactured foods have not been thoroughly researched over long periods of time, and by eating organic, you ensure that your body is getting what it needs with no damaging additives.

- Be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Getting a lot of water consumption helps the body to eliminate toxins more readily, which can help the body to operate in prime condition.

Of course, it takes more than a proper diet to find fitness in your life. However, following the above tips can be a great supplement  to a regular exercise routine. Your body is your responsibility - take the reins today!

Answer – Best Weight Loss Food

In today’s scenario, millions of people are frustrated with their fat problems. This is really very embarrassing fact in this modern world & everyone want to overcome from this problem. It is really difficult to loosing weights & getting desirable athletic figure, but there are some effective ways that really work. You can get very fast results by using these effective tricks & get results very quick. The weight loss foods are one of the best ways to overcome from this problem.

In the selection of weight loss foods, you have to aware about the calories & fibers that contains by particular foods. Protein is really an important ingredient for our body & you have to aware, while you selecting foods containing enough proteins with low to no fat. Tuna fish without oil, chicken breasts & lean red meats are the great recourses of proteins, which have negligible fat. Protein is really important in keeping you strong & developing your muscles. Vegetables & fruits are also served as a great weight loss diet. As we know most of the people in the society love fast food because, they can make instantly with very little efforts. These fast foods are really the great contributors for weight gain. All the fast foods have high fat, high sugar& high calories content. So try to avoid all these foods from your routine diet.

Water is really beneficial in reducing your weight. You have to drink more water as possible as in whole day, which can keep your digestion system healthy. You have to avoid salty foods because; it can retain water in your body. This really affects your whole digestion system. You have to avoid alcohol for the first two weeks, while you are taking weight loss foods. After that you can take a glass of wine, which is sufficient. The herbal teas like green tea & Oolong tea can help you in making your figure right.

You have to avoid using diet pills because, they are very bad for health & do not give the permanent solution for fat problems. Always try to use natural ways & natural foods to loose your weight because they are safe & healthy for our body.

read more

I Eat What I Feel

Have you ever felt the overwhelming need while sitting in front of the television screen in your favorite comfy clothes watching one more sitcom to get up and go to the kitchen in order to eat something more, although you have finished your dinner less than an hour ago? While many agree that the fridge hides a lot of delights that can ruin your appetite, today's consumers do not believe that chewing something before or after a well-served meal is a totally weird practice. Maybe the food quantity someone consumed was not enough to make him or her feel satisfied and full, even when no weight loss program is followed. Or maybe, one hates to throw away food and in an effort to find a good place to put that last piece of apple pie that was left untouched and should not be thrown out, he consumes it. But, why you select to eat the specific types of food that you do? For dieticians and social researchers the true cause of compulsive eating is your psychological state. People tend to eat what they feel. 

According to a research that was completed by a team headed by an American psychotherapist, Mrs. Synthia Power, who specializes in the area of "food and addiction," there is a very close relationship between our mood and the food we select to eat. Those extra quantities of chips and ice-cream you put on your lap while watching a film, show something about the way you feel at the moment. If you have never tried to understand why was it that you selected to consume those extra calories since you were not really hungry, researchers have tried to examine our eating habits in relation to our emotional state.

The results of the study showed that the largest percentage of people feeling angry will select to eat a steak, while someone suffering from depression will look for food that includes in its substances sugar and caffeine. A jealous character will eat whatever is offered by the host, or whatever they have stacked inside the fridge, even if they are not particularly fond of the taste palette they are going to try, which explains a lot of the rivalries and food fights that are observed between siblings when they are still kids.

Mrs. Power's research tested more than 500 people and this is considered to be the first serious attempt to examine the relationship between our dietary choices and the way we eat. As the British "Sunday Times" report, "People that have to express their anger often select food that is not easily decomposed like a beef steak. On the other hand, people that feel lonely and depressed select to consume carbohydrates." According to the sample examined, those dealing with a stressful and difficult period in their lives, like for example a divorce, are prone to eat soft types of sweets, like ice-creams, honey or marmalade, while those experiencing sexual frustration tend to select starchy food, like pasta, cake or biscuits. Moreover, if you want to see who is really suffering from stress, try to observe your friends next time you invite them over for dinner. You will be able to pinpoint the stressed one by watching who will grab the salt first at your dinner party.

read more

Contacting Us

If there are any questions regarding this  you may contact us using the information below.

http://foodand2drink.blogspot.com/
H-10,deepbhoomi,chandkheda
ahmedabad, gujrat 382424
india
kokilavalmik@gmail.com

read more

10 Teas That Heal

Drinking tea -- research shows it to be a healthy activity, because tea contains antioxidants that help fight cancer and even slow the aging process. Vitamin C, found in some teas, helps fight illnesses and colds. Some teas contain polyphones, which strengthen teeth by reducing plaque and also help aid digestion by increasing the flow of digestive juices in the stomach. 

Tea, in short, has many healing properties. Here are 10 natural healing tea therapies.

1. Black Tea

Black tea blends are the most popular in the Western world. After the leaves are picked, they go through full fermentation that makes the leaves darken to almost black. Black tea can be flowery, fruity, and spicy or even have a nutty taste. Black tea, known for lowering the risk of stroke, containsantioxidants, which help reduce clotting of the arteries. Black Tea varieties include: Black Tea, Rose Black Tea, English Breakfast Black Tea, and Earl Grey Black Tea.

2. Chamomile Tea

Considered a floral tea, Chamomile has a very aromatic, fruity flavor and is a member of the daisy family. This tea helps with toothaches, insomnia, and muscle cramps, plus it reduces the swelling of skin irritations.

3. Green Tea

Green tea with its huge nutritional benefits is the most popular tea in Asia. Varieties include: Jasmine Green Tea, Jasmine Dragon Pearl, Green Peony Tea and Roasted Japanese Green Tea. After green tea is picked, it is dried using hot air. The leaves are then pan fried, but not fermented, which helps preserve the high nutrient and vitamin content. Vitamin C in green tea helps boost the immune system and promotes overall good health. Fluoride, found naturally in green tea, strengthens bones and prevents dental decay.

4. Oolong Tea

Oolong tea, known for aiding indigestion and lowering cholesterol levels, is made from large, mature trees. The leaves are left to wither after being picked, which removes moisture. Semi-fermentation happens after the leaves are left in the shade. Oolong tea has a a full-bodied taste, a pleasant aftertaste, and a sweet fruity aroma. Some varieties are: Jasmine Oolong Tea, Ice Peak Oolong Tea, Hairy Crab Oolong Tea and WUYI Rock Tea.

5. Red Tea

Grown in Africa, Red Tea is rich in antioxidants. This kind of tea has been proven to help boost the immune system, and is also caffeine-free. Varieties of Red Tea include: Florida Orange Red Tea, Organic Cape Red Tea, Organic Green Red Tea and Organic Green Summer Red Tea.

6. Rosebud Tea

A floral tea, Rosebud tea is made using rosebuds from a rose bush. The tea has a very sweet, floral aroma and a light, sweet taste; it is often brewed with other types of tea. Essential oils in this tea help aid circulation.

7. White Tea

Made by using very young tea leaves that are still covered in down, white tea leaves are not fermented. Instead, they are steamed and dried in the sun. Because of the lack of fermentation, white tea contains a high concentration of chemical compounds, known to help fight cancer. The brewed tea has a silver-white appearance because of the downy leaves. It has a sweet aroma and fresh flavor. White tea varieties include: Silver Needle, White Peony, and Jasmine Silver Needle.

8. Paraguay Mate

Very popular in South America, Paraguay Mate is brewed with spices and sipped with a straw from a gourd. The tea is used to aid many health problems, including depression, digestion, and boosting energy levels.

9. Wild Holy Tea

Wild Holy Tea has a bitter taste. It is used for medicinal purposes: to detoxify the body, aid in blood circulation and improve digestion. With regular consumption, Wild Holy Tea has been shown to help control blood pressure and obesity.

10. Milk Tea

The most popular tea in India and Sri Lanka is an Indian black tea mixed with spices. It's called Milk tea because it is usually brewed with milk and spices, such as cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. Milk tea added with other types of tea, such as green tea, contributes to overall health.

read more