Curry Tofu Salad

When I was running errands one day stopping at Whole Foods to get a few things, I all of sudden became very hungry. I was so hungry that I thought I could not continue without putting some food into my stomach. Even at Whole Foods, there are limited things you can grab that are low in sugar and dairy free. I ended up getting a curry tofu salad and it was so delicious! I came home, study the label, wrote down the ingredients, googled curry tofu salad recipes, made a couple of batched of it, and came up with my version of curry tofu salad. The only issue I have with this dish is that I can't stop eating it! I think this recipe can also to turn into a wonderful curry chicken salad.



Tofu, 14oz, firm or extra firm, cut into 1/2" cubes

1 -2 tablespoon Olive oil, for pan frying or baking tofu

1/2 cup Green bell pepper, diced into 1/2" pieces

1/2 cup Red bell pepper, diced into 1/2" pieces

3/4 cup Carrots, shredded
2 Green onions, finely sliced

1 Tablespoon Cilantro, cut

1/3 cup Raisins

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Curry Dressing:

2 heaping tablespoons Nayonaise (vegan) or Mayo; I like Follow Your Heart Vegenaise

2 heaping tablespoons Mango Chutney

2 teaspoons curry powder

If you don't have Mango Chutney, use the following ingredients, it tastes pretty close. The first two times I made the dish, I didn't have Mango Chutney, and the end result was very good also.
2 heaping tablespoons Mayonaise or Mayo
2 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 clove Roasted garlic, minced
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar or agave

dash of salt & ground pepper

Cut Tofu into 1/2 inch cubes, pan fry until lightly golden. For firmer texture, use extra firm tofu and deep fry and cubes until lightly golden. You can also baked the tofu in a 375F oven on a lightly greased baking sheet for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Don't over cook the tofu; it can get dry. Mix the ingredients of the curry dressing in a small bowl and set aside. Combine tofu, bell peppers, green onions, carrots, cilantro, raisins, and almonds  in a large bowl. Top with the curry dressing and toss thoroughly. Chill for at least an hour. The raisins will sweeten up the dish; add salt & pepper to taste before serving.

Corn Muffin & Corn Bread

Kimberly loves corn bread. She was working on a school project and needed a good corn bread recipe. (Her project was to design, typeset, and whatever one needed to do to publishing a family cookbook.)  I have a lot of recipes for lot of things but apparently not corn bread. I loved the Napa Valley Pantry's World Best Corn Bread mix. It made a moist and slightly sweet corn bread with bits of corn. Yummy! My mouth watered just thinking about it. However, the "worlds best corn bread mix" was no longer available. Come to think of it, I have not make cornbread much ever since I ran out of Napa Valley Pantry's corn bread mix. All other corn bread recipes I tried in the past was just ok. After all, how can you compete with the "worlds best"?

My assignment from Kim was to try new cornbread recipes, so I tried two vegan corn bread recipes. One is from The Kind Diet by Alicia Sliverstone and the other one is from The Little House of Veggies http://littlehouseofveggies.blogspot.com/. The Kind Diet corn bread was better than most of the recipes I've tried but it was too sweet and too crumbly. It had potential; so I modify the recipe and ended up making four batches of corn bread in one week. After a lot of eating and surveying, I think I really like the end product. The corn bread recipe from the Little House of Veggies is also very good. I have a hard time deciding which one I like better so I've included both recipes.

Anyway, after all the trouble I went through, Kim said that she got a good recipe from her best friend's mom. Oh well, I guess at least I've found one good corn bread recipe and one good corn muffin recipe.

Whole Grain Corn Bread - base on the corn bread recipe from The Little House of Veggies with minor modifications.

Dry Ingredient:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour (white wheat)
1 tablespoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon xantham gum (optional, helps the cornbread bind together better)

Wet Ingredients:
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup soymilk, almond milk, or milk of choice
1/3 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a 8 inch square baking dish. Mix all of the dry ingredients together. Then add the wet to the dry. Pour into the baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.

Corn Bread or Muffin - loosely base on the corn bread recipe from The Kind Diet

Wet ingredients:
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 3/4 cup of rice milk
1/4 cup safflower oil

Dry ingredients:
1 1/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (or gluten free flour, see below)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
1/8 teaspoon of xanthan gum (it helps with binding)

Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the wet mixture. Mix till ingredients are well combined, do not over mix. The mixture is quite runny. For muffins, line the muffin tin with paper liner and evenly distribute the batter in the muffin tin; fill to about 2/3 full and bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the center pass the toothpick test (a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread or cake comes out clean). Makes about 18 muffins. For corn bread, pour the mix into a lightly grease a 8 inch square baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.

I made a batch of this corn bread with the gluten free flour below, and it was yummy. Loved it!

Gluten free flour recipe from The Art of Gluten Free Baking:

1 1/4 C (170 g) brown rice flour
1 1/4 C (205 g) white rice flour
1 C (120 g) tapioca flour
1 C (165 g) sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour or under the brand name, Mochiko)
2 scant tsp. xanthan gum

How much sugar?

This article is about added sugar in our diet. It's amazing how much sugar is added to prepared/processed foods.

While I was preparing to teach the physical health lesson, I learned that 1 teaspoon of white granulated sugar weight about 4 gram. An average person should consume no more than 8 teaspoons of added sugar (32 gram) base on a 2000 calories diet. A teenage girl aged between 11 to 14 should aim to eat no more than 45 grams of added sugar in one day (about 11 teaspoons base on 2200 calories diet). It sounds like a lot of sugar but not really; since a lot of the food are loaded with sugar. For example, a 3.3 oz DanActive yogurt has 17 grams of sugar; that's about 4.25 teaspoon, a  little more than half of your daily 8 teaspoons. How about Ben & Jerry Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough original ice cream? It has 24 grams of sugar in 1/2 cup serving size.

Here is a fun site where you can type in your favorite food and in a few clicks, you can read the nutrition labels. http://caloriecount.about.com/

The following table listed some common foods and their sugar content. Even salty foods contain some sugar.

	teaspoons of sugar (1 teaspoon = 4 grams sugar)
Breakfast Cheerios (1 cup) Multigrain Cheerios (1 cup) Honey Nut Cheerios (3/4 cup) Frosted Cheerios (3/4 cup) Apple cinnamon Cheerios (3/4 cup) Fruit Loops, 1 cup Yoplait low fat fruit-flavored yogurt, 4 oz. Pancake syrup, 1/4 cup	1/4 teaspoons, 1g/serving 1.5 teaspoons, 6g/serving 2.25 teaspoons, 9g/serving 3 teaspoons, 12g/serving 3.25 teaspoons, 13g/serving 3+ teaspoons, 12.5g/serving 4.5 teaspoons, 18g  8 teaspoons. 32g
Foods that sound healthy, but are loaded with sugar! Granola, 2/3 cup Dried cranberries, 1/4 cup Dried blueberries, 1/4 cup	4 teaspoons , 16g 7.75 teaspoons, 31g 6.5 teaspoon, 26g
Beverages Orange Juice/Apple Juice, 8 oz. Soda (Coke, Sprite, etc.), 20 oz. Snapple Lemon Iced Tea, 16 oz.	5.5 teaspoons 16 teaspoons 11.5 teaspoons
Snacks/Desserts Balance/Power Bar    Frozen Yogurt, 1 cup Restaurant Chocolate Cake, 1 slice McDonald's Vanilla Shake, 21 oz.	4.75 teaspoons 8.5 teaspoons 13 teaspoons 24 teaspoons
Movie Theatre Combo Twizzlers, movie size, 6 oz. Soda, movie Large, 44 oz.	17 teaspoons + 37 teaspoons
Misc. Foods Ketchup, Heinz, 2 TBS Ranch dressing, Kraft Foods, 2 TBS Italian dressing, 2TBS Raspberry Vinaigrette Fat Free Dressing, 2 TBS Barbecue Sauce, 2 TBS	2 teaspoons, 8g/serving 1/3 teaspoon, 1.2g/serving 1/4 teaspoon, 1g/serving 1.75 teaspoon, 7g/serving 1.85 teaspoon, 7.5g/serving

Sources:
How much sugar should we eat?

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/joybauernutrition/sugar-how-much-should-we-eat/ 

Good Sugar - Bad Sugar

Is there such a thing a good sugar verses bad sugar?

Fruits and most vegetables contain naturally occurring sugar. These naturally occurring sugars are the good sugar. These foods also contain important nutrients to our bodies. So eat fruits like apple, banana, blue berries, cantaloupe, oranges, mango, peaches, pineapples, and vegetables like carrots, tomato, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, cucumber, etc.

What about all other kind of sugar, the kind of sugar that we use for making cookies, cakes, treats, and sugar in soft drinks and juices? Here is a interesting and informative video about sugar: Sugar: the bitter truth by Robert H. Lustig, M.D. Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolic, University of California, San Francisco. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM&feature=player embedded

I watched this video and was pretty depressed about sugar consumption. However, I decided that I can't live without eating some sugar; it just mean that I have to choose the "healthier" sugar and use less of it in recipes and thus eat less of it. The sweeteners I like to use are maple syrup, agave, brown rice syrup, coconut palm sugar, malt sugar, and date sugar. Brown rice syrup I mainly use to sweeten non-dessert food; it is too "heavy". I use agave and maple syrup in recipes that calls for liquid like banana bread or pumpkin bread and use coconut palm sugar, malt sugar, or date sugar in cookies.

Sugars & Substitutes with their Glycemic Index

Artificial Sweeteners	N/A	Never a Healthy Sugar Alternative All artificial chemical sweeteners are toxic and can indirectly lead to weight gain, the very reason many people consume them. They should be avoided. In fact, given a choice between high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners, we recommend high fructose corn syrup by far (though it's essentially asking if you should consume poison or worse poison).
Stevia	0	Best Healthy Sugar Alternative Though it is 200-300 times sweeter than table sugar, stevia is not a sugar. Unlike other popular sweeteners, it has a glycemic index rating of less than 1 and therefore does not feed candida (yeast) or cause any of the numerous other problems associated with sugar consumption. Read more about stevia at Organic Lifestyle Magazine (OLM). Please note that Stevia and Truvia are not the same thing.
Xylitol	7	Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol sweetener found in the fibers of fruits and vegetables which can cause bloating, diarrhea, and flatulence with initial consumption. It's said to be safe for pregnant women, and is said to possibly treat ear infections, osteoposis, respiratory infections, candida, and is it even helps fight cavities. In fact, in Finland, virtually all chewing gum is sweetened with xylitol.
Agave Nectar	15-30	A sweet syrup made from the Blue Agave plant, Agave Nectar is obtained by the extraction and purification of "sap" from the agave plant, which is broken down by natural enzymes into the monosaccharides (simple sugars): mainly fructose (70-75%) and dextrose (20-26%). Read more about agave nectar at OLM.
Fructose	17	Though fructose has a low glycemic index rating, fructose consumption should be limited. Fructose is linked to heart disease as it raises triglycerides and cholesterol. It is devoid of nutrition.
Brown Rice Syrup	25	Though it is said to have a low glycemic index (25), it is not recommended for diabetics, since its sweetness comes from maltose, which is known to cause spikes in blood sugar.
Raw Honey	30	A Healthy Sugar Alternative in moderation With antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, carbohydrates, and phytonutrients, raw, unprocessed honey is considered a superfood by many alternative health care practitioners and a remedy for many health ailments. Choose your honey wisely. There is nothing beneficial about processed honey. Read more about honey at OLM.
Coconut Palm Sugar	35	Originally made from the sugary sap of the Palmyra palm , the date palm or sugar date palm (Phoenix sylvestris). It's also made from the sap of coconut palms. With a relatively low glycemic index, Cocnut palm sugar is the new rage among health nuts. It's often called "coconut nectar sugar" or "coconut sugar".
Apple Juice	40	Fresh apple juice is good for you, though we recommend eating fresh raw whole apples. Concentrated apple juice (sometimes used as a sweetener) is closer to refined sugar than fresh apple juice.
Barley Malt Syrup	42	Barley malt syrup is considered to be one of the healthiest sweeteners in the natural food industry. Barley malt is made by soaking and sprouting barley to make malt, then combining it with more barley and cooking this mixture until the starch is converted to sugar. The mash is then strained and cooked down to syrup or dried into powder.
Amasake	43	This is an ancient, Oriental whole grain sweetener made from cultured brown rice. It has a thick, pudding-like consistency. It's not easy to find in the U.S., but it is a great alternative to refined table sugar.
Sugar Cane Juice	43	Healthy Sugar Alternative in moderation Sugar cane juice has many nutrients and other beneficial properties and is said by some health practitioners to be almost as medicinal as raw honey.
Organic Sugar	47	Organic sugar comes from sugar cane grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides. It is usually darker than traditional white sugar because it contains some molasses. (It has not been processed to the degree white sugar is processed).
Maple Syrup	54	Maple syrup is made by boiling sap collected from natural growth maple trees during March & April. It is refined sap and is therefore processed.  It has a high glycemic index, and though it is much more nutritious then refined table sugar and high fructose corn syrup, there are better choices.
Evaporated Cane Juice	55	Evaporated cane juice is often considered unrefined sugar, but juicing is a refining process, and evaporating refines further. Though better than turbinado, cane juice (unevaporated) is a better choice as a sweetener.
Black Strap Molasses	55	White refined table sugar is sugar cane with all the nutrition taken out. Black strap molasses is all of that nutrition that was taken away. A quality organic (must be organic!) molasses provides iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc, and is alkalizing to the body.
Turbinado	65	Turbinado sugar is partially processed sugar, also called raw sugar. Raw Sugar
Raw sugar	65	Raw sugar is not actually raw sugar. It is processed, though not as refined as common white table sugar. Therefore, given a choice between raw and white, choose raw. There are many different variations of raw sugar with many different names depending on how refined it is.
Cola (and most other sodas)	70	Though cola has a lower GI ranking then some might expect, there are many other reasons to avoid cola, or any type of soda. There is nothing beneficial to the human body inside a can of soda (not to mention we should avoid drinking out of aluminum cans!).
Corn Syrup	75	Corn syrup has very little nutrition and should be avoided.
Refined, Pasteurized Honey	75	The nutrition is gone, and there is often high fructose corn syrup added to processed honey. Refined pasteurized honey is no better than white table sugar.
Refined Table Sugar	80	Conventionally grown, chemically processed, and striped of all beneficial properties, many health advocates believe that refined sugar is one of the two leading causes (high fructose corn syrup is the other) of nearly every health ailment known to man (or woman or child). Not only does it have a high GI ranking, but it also is extremely acidic to the body causing calcium and other mineral depletion from bones and organs (sugar is alkaline but has a very acidic effect on the body).
High Fructose Corn Syrup	87	Many health advocates believe that high fructose corn syrup and refined sugar are the two biggest contributors to health ailments in our society. High fructose corn syrup is a combination of sucrose and fructose.
Glucose (AKA Dextrose)	100	White bread was the benchmark, but for consistency glucose now holds the rating at 100.
Maltodextrin	150	Foods that have maltodextrin often say "Low Sugar" or "Complex Carbohydrate", but this sweetener should be avoided!

Sources:
Sugars & Substitutes with their Glycemic Index: 
http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/blog/healthy-sugar-alternatives.php

Healthy Eating

I am teaching a class on physical health to teen girls this weekend so I decided to put a few articles that I've gathered for my lesson on the blog under the label: Healthy Eating.

Here is the lesson's main idea on maintaining physical health:

• Eat a well balanced diet
• get proper exercise
• get proper rest

The lesson suggest that a well balanced diet consists of:

• Food for building bodies: meat, legumes, fish, poultry, eggs, milk
• Food for protecting against disease: fruits and vegetables
• Foos for energy: cereal grains and their prodicts such as breas, rice, or noodles

Here are some links to good information on Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits from 2006 Brigham Young University Women Conference archive.

• Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits - rules in a nutshell http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/archive/2006/sharing_stations/pdf/33a.pdf
• Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits - Q & A http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/archive/2006/sharing_stations/pdf/33b.pdf
• Ideas for Nutritions Snacks                     http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/archive/2006/sharing_stations/pdf/33c.pdf
• Veggie Time Saving Tips http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/archive/2006/sharing_stations/pdf/33d.pdf
• Health Benefits of Vegetables http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/archive/2006/sharing_stations/pdf/33e.pdf
• Recipes http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/archive/2006/sharing_stations/pdf/33f.pdf

My family's medial health history is pretty bad. Both my parents died of cancer. My father passed away from cancer in 1975; he was 49 years old and I was twelve. I am not sure what type of cancer he had since I have no access to the medical records in Taiwan. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in late 1999. After all the chemo, radiation, and harmon treatments, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer in January 2005 and passed away because of it in Sept 2006. My mother's two siblings, my aunt and my uncle, both died from cancer prior to my mother. I also lost my first husband Doug to cancer in 1992. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer at age 27 in 1990 and passed away when he was 29 in 1992. I think my "health quest" started after he passed away. I realized that I have no control if I get sick, when I get sick, or what I get sick from, but I can take care of my physical body in my everyday life: exercise, eat healthy, get proper rest, and avoid known harmful substances.

My philosophy on healthy eating is really pretty simple: eat food that is as close to it's natural state as possible and eat organic as much as possible. In order to be not too strict for my children's sake, I  mainly follow the six rules below.

• no hydrogenated oil
• no MSG
• no nitrate or nitride 
• no high fructose corn syrup
• no white sugar
• no white flour

These rules drives my kids creasy sometimes because they eliminated a lot of foods from the grocery stores. When Kaydn was six years old, his little friend came to visit and made a statement that still made me laugh to this day: "You guys must be poor because you don't even have fruit snacks!"
    
I thought for years that my kids will probably never recover from what they called "restricted" eating habit and will hate healthy foods for the rest of their lives. But as of right now, one child has survived it and is starting her own healthy eating habits. That's 33% success rate; not too bad for all of the complained we've heard for the past 15 years!