Z's Kitchen

Avoid Products Made With Peanut Butter (Salmonella Outbreak)

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 22:37:31 +0000

Salmonella Recall Related to Peanuts

On Saturday, January 16, the U.S. FDA advised consumers to avoid products made with peanut butter. At this time, the scope of the salmonella outbreak is unknown. However, it has sickened over 450 people in 43 states as of yesterday. Ninety people have been hospitalized and six people have died.

The peanut butter sold in jars at your local store is likely okay. At this time, the source appears to be coming from peanut butter and peanut paste that is produced by Peanut Corp. of America and sold directly to manufacturers for the making of their products. Manufacturers that may be affected include Kellogg’s Keebler products, Hy-Vee’s bakeries, Perry’s Ice Cream and probably many others. At this time, the FDA is still investigating and urges consumers to avoid eating peanut butter containing products until further information is available.

For more information:
* FDA Updates (http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html)
* NPR Article
* Kellog’s Recall Press Release (1/16/2009)
* Peanut Corporation of America Press Release (1/16/2009)
* FAQ for Consumers

Z’s Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:00:39 +0000

This is a dish that I throw together quite often. I don’t have exact amounts for most of it because it just depends on what looks good to me at the time or how much is in the fridge. This is a very flexible recipe, so just add ingredients to suit your taste.

1 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
vegetable broth
creole or Cajun seasoning, optional

1 can of beans (black or kidney beans work well)
1 cucumber
1/4 chopped cilantro, sometimes more
1/2 bunch green onions
3-4 Roma tomatoes
jalapeno, optional

3-4 T lime juice
chili powder
ground cumin
garlic
salt and pepper
vinegar
chipotle powder, optional

1. Toast quinoa seeds over medium heat for a few minutes. The quinoa is ready after it starts popping and looks lightly toasted. Stir continuously, so it doesn’t burn. Rinse VERY well. Quinoa can be bitter if it is not rinsed well enough.

2. Cook the quinoa according to package directions. I use a rice cooker for this and use 1 1/2 c dry quinoa with 2 cups of water or vegetable broth. Usually I add some creole or cajun seasoning to the liquid as well.

3. When the quinoa is done, transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Add in:

- beans, rinsed and drained
- chopped cucumbers (I leave the peeling on.)
- minced cilantro
- chopped green onions (I cut the whole bunch at once with some scissors.)
- chopped jalapeno, if using

4. Toss well to mix everything. Add in the seasonings:

- lime juice
- cumin
- a light amount of garlic
- chili powder
- a drizzle of vinegar (I use rice vinegar)
- chipotle powder, if using

5. Toss well. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking. Lastly, gently stir in the chopped tomatoes.

6. Chill and serve.

Note: This is also good with couscous or rice, so if you don’t have quinoa, try it with one of those instead. When I take this to potlucks, I leave out the chipotle and jalapeno so they won’t be too spicy. This recipe fills my 2-quart casserole dish and probably serves 8-10 people.

Lychee Dressing (or use as a fruit dip)

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:27:20 +0000

I love lychees, but rarely get them fresh. They aren’t readily available here and many people aren’t familiar with this tasty Asian fruit. When I spotted a can of them while browsing the aisles of a local Asian store, I was thrilled. My track record with canned fruits hasn’t been all that great, so I only bought a single can. Now I wish I’d filled my basket with this treat! I ate a few of them plain and then turned the rest of them into this mildly sweet, delicious dressing.

Lychee Dressing

1 20-ounce can of lychees, drained (reserve the liquid)
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 to 1/2 cup cashews or pine nuts
1/4 cup lychee juice (or the liquid reserved from your can)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt - optional
1 tsp finely minced ginger
1/2 cup tofu (I used the Firm water packed type)

Blend all ingredients until smooth. If the dressing is too thin, add a few more nuts. If it’s too thick, add some additional lychee juice.

This was great on a bed of romaine topped with garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds, orange slices and craisins. The Little One preferred to use it as a fruit dip for her banana which was a great combination also. I think I would thicken the dressing a bit more if it had been intended to be a fruit dip - which it certainly will when we get some more lychees!

Eat For Health - Dr. Fuhrman Video

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:53:09 +0000

Under the favorite authors section of the blog, there is a link to Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s site. I have his Eat To Live book and it really changed the way my family thought about food and health. Now there is a set of two books called Eat For Health available as well. This newer books help you ease into a healthier way of eating by doing it in four stages. Here’s a video from Dr. Fuhrman:

If you would like to order the books or learn more about them, here is a link to the set.
Eat For Health (2 book set)

a 2-book set by Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Basic Reduced Fat Hummus

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:51:53 +0000

I love hummus, but have avoided it in restaurants because of the amount of olive oil used. While it’s true that olive oil is considered a “good fat”, I still don’t want excessive fat in my diet. When I made hummus at home, although it tasted great, I never got the same smooth consistency that the restaurants offered. Now, I am getting that extra smooth hummus by using beans cooked from scratch and making the hummus in the Vitamix instead of in my food processor. I cook the beans longer than the suggested time, so they are softer than I might otherwise want for most recipes.

This makes a great dip for carrots, celery, cucumber sticks, pita wedges or tortilla chips. It’s also great spread on a pita or other sandwich. One of my favorites is toasted whole wheat bread spread with hummus and topped with cucumbers, tomatoes and some sprouts or a thin slice of avocado. Here’s my basic hummus recipe, but the ingredients are very flexible, so try whatever variations sound good.

Basic Reduced Fat Hummus

15 ounce can of garbanzo beans
OR 280 grams of garbanzo beans cooked from dried beans
2 T tahini
4 T lemon juice
1 T minced garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt, optional
1/4 tsp pepper

Blend all ingredients until smooth. This should keep well in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days, but ours doesn’t usually last that long.