You may be saying to yourself, "Preserved green tomatoes, really?" Yes, really! They are delicious!
I can remember eating green tomatoes since I was a kid. Slap these suckers on a fresh piece of Panna Victoria (Italian bread) and you've got yourself a real Italian apristomaco(appetizer/starter).
My Nonna passed this recipe on to my mother and my mother to me. I now share this old family recipe with all of you. It's easy, economical (you use the tomatoes that haven't ripened over the summer), rewarding and delicious! Buon appetito!
What you'll need:
Green Tomatoes
Celery stalks
Carrots
Peeled garlic cloves (one in each jar)
Fresh Oregano
Sea Salt (enough to coat tomatoes)
White Vinegar
Vegetable Oil
Large bowl
Sharp knife
Vegetable peeler
Mason Jars
Your supplies
Pick, wash and dry green tomatoes
Slice tomatoes
Generously coat tomatoes in sea salt and soak in white wine vinegar for 4 hours.
Pick and wash celery (these beauties are from my garden)
Chop celery
Chop carrots and toss with celery
After tomatoes have soaked for 4 hours; drain and squeeze the remaining liquid from tomatoes. Toss with chopped celery and carrots.
Tightly pack tomato and vegetable mixture into sterilized mason jars. Fill with vegetable oil, add a peeled garlic clove and top with fresh oregano.
Seal jars tightly and either 1) Keep in refrigerator for up to 12 months. 2) Keep in dark cool place (cantina) for up to 2 months. 3) Boil jars for 20 minutes and store in cantina for years!
It would be an understatement to say I was ecstatic when ShaSha himself e-mailed me to let me know a package of ShaSha Bread Co. products were on there way to me for review. I have been a fan of ShaSha Bread Co. for years, particularly of their Original Ginger Snaps. Sha Sha uses only the finest ingredients in their products. Whole grains such as Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Spelt, Barley, Amaranth, Millet and Oat. Legumes such as Lentils, Mung Beans and Adzuki Beans. Seeds such as Sunflower seeds, Poppy Seeds, Flax Seeds and Pumpkin Seeds.
Talk about filling up the delivery box and reducing packing material and fuel. Well done!
If you haven't tried ShaSha Bread Company's Snap Cookies you have been missing out! I feel absolutely no guilt when I feed these cookies to my family, particularly my 19 month-old son. They are made with high quality ingredients, no junk and are delicious! They have been a lifesaver many times when dealing with a fussy toddler out in public. Ginger Snaps to the rescue! Keep a stash in the diaper bag. Trust me!
Bio-buds products are made with sprouted grains, legumes and pods that
are dehydrated at the peak of their enzyme levels and nutrient value,
and packaged with no additives or preservatives. Not only are they packed with goodness they cook in half the time! A busy mother's dream!
Nutritional benefits of Legumes:
1)Legumes are a water-soluble fiber which form gels that provide beneficial
effects including:
* Slow stomach emptying which contributes to fullness and decreased appetite.
* This delayed stomach emptying slows the absorption of carbohydrates which
reduces after-meal blood sugar spikes (this helps regulate blood sugar
especially those who have diabetes)
* Binds to fatty acids
* Lowers LDL (bad)cholesterol
2)Legumes are a complex carbohydrates (a.k.a.good
carbs), which take longer for the body to digest keeping you fuller longer.
Because of its complex chain form, your digestive enzymes have to work much
harder to access the bonds to break the chain into individual sugars for
absorption through the intestines. Because of that, the digestion of complex
carbohydrates takes longer. The slow absorption of sugars provides you with a
steady supply of energy and limits the amount of sugar converted into fat and
stored.
3) Legumes are a great
alternative to animal-based proteins and they sure measure up to a beef steak. A
50 g piece of beef steak provides 14.5 g of protein while 1 cup of red kidney
beans provides 15.3 g of protein minus the saturated fat from the steak. Not
bad for this magical fruit!
4) Legumes provide 3.6 - 5.2 mg of iron per 1 cup. When iron is low, red blood cells can't carry enough oxygen to the body's tissues, causing fatigue.
Quickie dinner for my son - Organic Sprouted Brown Rice, sauteed tofu and steamed spinach.
Benefits
of Whole Grains:
Whole grains are excellent foods which are rich in complex
carbohydrates, protein, fiber and essential nutrients. Here are some of the
many benefits of whole grains.
1)Weight Loss
– Whole grains are Complex Carbohydrates; Complex Carbohydrates keep you
satisfied for a longer period of time than simple carbohydrates thus making you
eat less. Complex Carbohydrates also don’t have the same insulin effect as
simple carbs do. Simple carbs release excess insulin which your body stores as
fat.
2)Beautiful skin and beautiful mood–
Whole grains are high in B Vitamins. B Vitamins are known to help kick
depression and give you glowing skin.
3)Elimination –
Whole grains contain a large amount of fiber. Your body needs fiber to move
waste out of the intestines and into the toilet where it belongs.
4) Basic bodily functions improve - Whole grains help your body metabolize protein, release energy from muscles, protects your cells, keeps your bowel movements regular, provides heart health and helps relax your nervous system.
The word 'Sourdough' is a misnomer since 'sour' refers to the
'mother' or starter used to ferment the dough, not meant necessarily
imply a sharp or vinegary taste. These is a symbiotic relationship
between cultures of bacteria (lactobacilli) and airborne fungi (wild
yeast); simply put, one element in the relationship provides something
that the other element needs. Sourdough starter is basically made from
water and grain flour, which create the environment and necessary food
for these micro organisms to perform their magic. The longer
fermentation time of sourdough baking breaks the protein down into amino
acids, However, Baker’s yeast stimulates the leavening process
artificially and does not allow the time it takes for the bacteria and
natural yeast interaction that are beneficial to occur. Thus the
sufficient valuable lactic acid and acetic acid are missing from the
final bread product.
The sourdough method with natural bacteria can activity boost
lactic levels, greatly contributing to nutrition profile, moisture and
flavour. Since the sourdough method acts as a natural preservative,
chemicals such as calcium phosphate and others are not used. Our natural
bacterial cultures originating from the Nile River and some from
Ontario provide the "mother" for our commercial yeast-free breads.
Tip:
For Optimum product life and freshness, store between 18°C - 21°C. For prolonged storage double bag and freeze.
Ingredients:
Organic Whole Spelt Flour, Filtered Water,
Organic Sourdough Bacterial Culture, Organic Sprouted Spelt, Pure Sea
Salt.
Organic Spelt Bread with homemade Guacamole
A BIG thank-you to Sha Sha and his team for awarding 1 lucky My Wholesome Home follower a loaded box of all the goodies reviewed above. What a HUGE prize!
To Enter
Become aMy Wholesome Home blog follower and visit ShaSha Co. and leave a comment here about your favorite product or something you
learned about the product and/or company.
Extra Entries (leave a separate comment for each one):
* Blog about this contest
* Subscribe to my updates
* Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect
* Follow @mywholesomehome on Twitter and tweet this giveaway, leaving a
link to your tweet in the comments. You can tweet once per day (leave a comment
each day). You can copy and paste my tweet if you'd like: Win a @shashaBreadCo Gift Pack at @mywholesomehomehttp://goo.gl/b/NFjd#giveaway *Follow @shashaBreadCo on Twitter *Like me on Facebook * Read one of my blog entries and leave a comment *Facebook mention this giveaway (include link to my blog)
If
you posted on your blog, Twitter or Facebook page (one entry each per
day) be sure to include it in your post so I can check it out and also
so I can return the follow.
Canada and US Postal addresses only.
You must do the first entry in order to enter.
You will have until Saturday October 16th, 2010. at 11:59pm EST to enter.
The winner will be chosen via random number generator (www.random.org) the next day and notified
by email. I'll also post the winners on my blog in the comments below. If I don't hear back from
the winner within 72 hours, I'll pick another.
Good luck!
To learn more about ShaSha Bread Co. visit their website.
When I first started Holistic Nutrition College the very
first book we studied was Staying Healthy with Nutrition By Elson M.Haas, M.D. The
text is easy to read with the Holistic Nutrition philosophy clearly written in
its pages. Natural, Alive, Good quality.
In so many ways the human body is a mystery. Its
complexity will keep scientists questioning the Whys and How’s for
centuries to come. One of my jobs as a Holistic Nutritionist is to empower my
clients to take ownership of their bodies and use their mysterious machines to its
fullest potential all while keeping the process as simple and enjoyable as
possible.
When first meeting with a client my goal is to clean up their
current dietary intake taking into account the Holistic Nutrition philosophy. Natural, Alive, Good quality.
For the past 5 years I have used Haas’ 10 Keys Components
of a Healthy Diet as a foundation for my Nutrition counseling. You could say these are my 10 Commandments.
1)Natural
foods – Choose foods which are in their natural state or closet to natural
state. The closer to nature our foods are the more nutrients, energy and
vitality they contain. Plant foods (fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes,
whole grains) should constitute 80-90% of your dietary intake. Animal proteins make
up no more than 10-15% of the diet and good fats 5-10%.
2)Seasonal
foods –Buying local ensures you are buying foods from the season which you are
currently in. Hass says, Eating
seasonally is important first for providing the right type of fuel to protect
us from the climate as our environment provides the best foods to support our
health and keep us in balance.When
international foods ride in trucks for a few days they lose some of their
nutritional quality and taste. You should also keep in mind that local produce
for instance is harvested at its peak whereas non-local is picked when it’s not
even fully ripe. This ensures the produce will not rot on its way to the
supermarket.
3)Fresh
foods– Means foods which are raw or as close to freshly picked as possible.
Most nutritious to least nutritious: Raw
(includes dehydrated), Steamed, Frozen, Dried, Canned.
4)Nutritious
foods– Choose foods that are dense in their nutrients (example: orange for its
Vitamin C) and go for more nutritious food (example: romaine lettuce over
iceberg lettuce)
5)Clean
foods– Choose Certified Organic when possible. The term organic simple means foods that have not been exposed to
pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones, fertilizers and other harmful
chemicals during their growing stages. More organic food in the diet means
fewer toxins in our soil, air and water and less toxic material entering the
body, therefore less work your body has to do to get rid of it and less damage
to your body. If organic is not possible wash food thoroughly with a natural
produce cleaner. My favourite: Nature Clean http://www.naturecleanliving.com/produce_wash
6)Tasty
and appealing foods– Taste comes from mineral content. The higher the mineral
content in the soil the better the food tastes. Make your food appealing by
thinking of your plate as a blank canvas and your food as the paint. Make
beautiful art with your food. For inspiration visit here:http://mywholesomehome.blogspot.com/p/in-kitchen.html
7)Variety
and rotation - A good rule of thumb is to buy brightly coloured fruits and
vegetables to ensure you are getting a variety of different vitamins and
minerals in your diet. (similar colours=similar nutrients). Make sure to rotateyour foods every day. Eating the same
foods day after day can result to food intolerance's. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-allergy/AN01109)
8)Food
combining –
Eat
fruit alone - Fruit contains simple sugars that require no
digestion therefore will stay in the stomach for a short period of time. If you
eat fruit directly after a meal, the
fruit sugar will stay in the stomach and ferment on top of the other type of food
you just finished eating. Eat fruits 30 minutes before a meal or 2 to 3 hours
after a meal.
Do not mix animal proteins (chicken, fish, red meat, pork) with
concentrated starches (pasta, rice, potatoes) at a meal
Eat animal
proteins with green leafy vegetables
Eat
plant proteins (legumes, soy) with any
vegetable
Eat
nuts and seeds alone
9)Moderation
– Smaller more frequent meals. Adopting a pattern of eating smaller, more
frequent meals provides a number of benefits to both your health and weight
loss goals. You're less likely to overeat, and you'll have a longer lasting
flow of energy to help keep you active and your mood balanced. Three main meals
plus two snacks daily is generally recommended.
10)Balance
– Find a diet that is realistic and complements your lifestyle that way it
becomes a part of your life and not just another ‘fad.’ Balance in nutrients
(macro and micro nutrients), food groups, flavours, colours and acid-alkaline,
prevents boredom and nutritional imbalances.
What are your 10 Key Components of a Healthy Diet?
Source- Staying Healthy with Nutrition Elson M.Haas, M.D.
