Food – Peeled Apple?

I am amazed when I see people peel an apple before eating it. Some just do not like the texture or the taste of the peelings but that is where much of the nourishment is. Just remember that you are not getting all an apple has to offer by peeling off the skin. Here are some very powerful reasons to never remove the skin again.

“The skin packs most of the fiber. A medium apple with the skin contains 4.4 grams of fiber. Without the skin, you’re only getting 2.1 grams, not even enough to qualify it as a “good source of fiber” (the cutoff is 3 grams).

“The skin also packs most of the vitamins. That same medium apple with skin packs 8.4 milligrams of vitamin C and 98 international units (IU) of vitamin A. Ditch the skin and that falls to 6.4 milligrams of vitamin C and 61 IU of vitamin A.

“Apples can ease breathing problems — but only if you eat the skin. The compound responsible is called quercetin, and it’s found mostly in the peel. One study found that people who eat five or more apples each week have better lung function thanks to quercetin’s effects, Health.com reported.

“Quercetin also protects your memory. The antioxidant seems to fight off tissue damage in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative problems — at least in rats, according to a 2004 study.

“A skin-on apple a day keeps spare pounds away. The peel is also home to ursolic acid, an important compound in the obesity-fighting ability of apples. Ursolic acid seems to increase muscle and brown fat, which increases calorie burn, thereby lowering obesity risk, at least in mice, according to a 2012 study.” www.huffpost.com/entry/never-peel-apple_n_4791328

 

Delicious Raw Cereal

Ingredients

1 cup regular oats

1 cup water

½ cup raisins or other dried fruit

1 tasty grated apple (with peelings)

¼ cup raw almonds, slivered

3 Tbsp. honey

 

Process

Mix all together, adding water last. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir in the morning and eat! Berries, bananas, or other fruit in season can be added for extra flavor before eating. Enjoy!

Recipe – Almond Brown Rice Stuffing

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 Tbpn margarine

1/2 tsp. chicken style seasoning

1 medium tart red apple, cored and diced

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cups cooked brown rice

Cook almonds in margarine in large skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown. Add apple, onion, celery, chicken style seasoning, and thyme; continue to cook until vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir in rice; cook until thoroughly heated. Bake in tightly covered baking dish at 350 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Serves 6.

Food – Rice is Life

Remember when rice choices in most stores were pretty slim—brown or white, short grain or long? Today, bags of Arborio and boxes of basmati are offered alongside these basics, and jasmine rice is no longer relegated to Chinese take-out.

A grain belonging to the grass family, rice is life for billions of people. It is related to other grass plants such as wheat, oats and barley that produce grain for food and are known as cereals. Throughout history rice has been one of man’s most important foods. As a cereal grain, it is deeply embedded in the cultural heritage of the societies for more than half of the world’s population, especially in East and South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies. It is the most rapidly growing source of food in Africa, and is of significant importance to food security in an increasing number of low-income food-deficit countries.

Tolerant to desert, hot, humid, flooded, dry and cool conditions, rice will grow in saline, alkaline and acidic soils. It is the grain with the second-highest worldwide production, after maize (corn). About four-fifths of the world’s rice is produced by small-scale farmers and is consumed locally. Rice cultivation is the principal activity and source of income for about 100 million households in Asia and Africa.

Rice is the most important grain with regard to human nutrition and caloric intake, providing more than one-fifth of the calories consumed worldwide. A great source of complex carbohydrates, rice is healthful for what it does not contain. Rice has no fat, no cholesterol, and is gluten and sodium free. A good source of vitamins and minerals such as thiamine, niacin, iron, riboflavin, vitamin D, calcium, and fiber, rice also contains resistant starch, which is the starch that reaches the bowel undigested. This encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria, keeping the bowel healthy. It is also a fair source of protein, containing eight essential amino acids. Rice contains no additives or preservatives, making it an excellent inclusion in a healthy and balanced diet.

The increased selection of rice opens up a world of recipe possibilities. With the right rice, you don’t need a mile-long ingredients list to make dishes with international flair. Following is a quick guide to some of the choices you’ll find on boxes and bags of rice:

Arborio – This Italian short-grain rice is used for risotto because its high starch content makes it creamy and thick when cooked.

Basmati – Fragrant, fluffy, and light, this rice, grown in the Himalayan foothills, is standard in Indian recipes and pilafs.

Brown – Unlike white rice that is “polished” to remove the bran coating, nutty-flavored brown rice is a whole grain that’s high in fiber.

Jasmine – This long-grain Thai variety rice has a light, slightly floral flavor and aroma.

Sushi – This sweet, sticky short-grain rice is also great in desserts and risottos.

Beginning your meal with rice opens your plate up to better eating. That’s because rice attracts colorful vegetables, savory spices, and leaner protein entrees. Rice also leads to eating a wide variety of ethnic cuisines and, since everyone loves it, more family time at the dinner table.

RECIPE

Almond Brown Rice Stuffing

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 Tbpn margarine

1/2 tsp. chicken style seasoning

1 medium tart red apple, cored and diced

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cups cooked brown rice

Cook almonds in margarine in large skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown. Add apple, onion, celery, chicken style seasoning, and thyme; continue to cook until vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir in rice; cook until thoroughly heated. Bake in tightly covered baking dish at 350 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Serves 6.

Food – An Apple, A Rose

Did you know apples belong to the rose family? The Rosaceae (rose) family, a medium-sized family of flowering plants of approximately 300 known species, includes fruits, herbs, shrubs, and trees. From the Rosaceae come many edible fruits such as the apple, pear, peach, apricot, plum, cherry, strawberry, raspberry and almond; ornamental trees and shrubs comprise the rose, hawthorn and meadowsweet. Roses make rose hips, which are fruits similar to the apple.

Apples have been grown for several thousand years in Asia and Europe. The apple tree, thought to have originated in the nutrient-rich mountain ranges of Kazakhstan, is considered to be the earliest tree cultivated by humans.

“The long list of health benefits attributed to apples is due to the wealth of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and organic compounds that are found in them. These important nutritional elements include vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, and riboflavin, as well as minerals like potassium, copper, manganese, and magnesium. Apples are also very good sources of dietary fiber. … The real value of apples lies in its organic compounds. It is packed with phytonutrients and flavonoids like quercetin, epicatechin, phloridzin, and various other polyphenolic compounds.” https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-apple.html

Much of the phytonutrient and anthocyanin (the plant antioxidants that give apple skin its color) content is contained in the peel. Through studies there is growing evidence that these plant anthocyanins elevate our own antioxidant systems. Almost half of the apple’s vitamin C level is just under the skin, as well as containing 38% fiber, so to get the greatest amount of benefits, eat the apple with the peel. Try to consume organically grown apples, or scrub nonorganic apples gently with vegetable soap and water to help remove unwanted chemicals.

An important loss of nutrients usually occurs commercially when apples are processed into applesauce, and an even greater loss when they are processed into juice. But in processing whole apples in a home blender or juicer and consuming the resulting cloudy juice, very little if any nutrients are lost.

Regardless of where it first appeared, the apple has been cultivated since the dawn of history in all sorts of climates. Today, the apple is the most widely cultivated fruit, the most popular in terms of consumption, and perhaps the one with the most varieties.

There are over 8,000 varieties of apples grown around the world, 2,500 of which are grown in all states of the U.S. With various color shades of red, green and yellow, flavors ranging from tart to sweet—the shorter the growing season the tarter the fruit—and textures ranging from soft and creamy to firm and crisp, there’s an apple to fit every taste and recipe.

Though the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden is not identified, popular Christian tradition has held that it was an apple that Eve coaxed Adam to share with her. This origin is found in confusion between the Latin words mālum (an apple) and mălum (an evil), each of which is normally written malum. The larynx in the human throat is also called Adam’s apple because of a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit remaining in the throat of Adam.

Recipe
Raw Applesauce
4 apples, unpeeled, seeded and quartered ¼ tsp. cardamom
1 Tbsp. lemon or orange juice, freshly squeezed pinch of salt
¼ cup medjool dates, pitted, or 2 Tbsp. honey water or raw apple juice, if necessary to process
In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients; process until smooth or chunky consistency. Enjoy immediately, warm slightly or refrigerate.