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Sunday, October 31, 2010

How To Make Raw Vegan Flax Seed Crackers - Free Raw Recipe

If you know about or have heard about raw foods you may have come across articles that talk about raw crackers - or more commonly - raw flax seed crackers. Raw crackers are generally standbys for raw foodists of which I am one. I've been making raw vegan or raw flax seed crackers for many years. I've tried dozens of recipes and come up with many of my own and many variations of those. The basic flax seed cracker recipe that most raw fooders start out on is easily prepared by vegans who are not raw fooders and anyone else who has access to a dehydrator.

It's hard to make raw flaxseed crackers without a dehydrator. People have tried to make them in low heat ovens but generally the heat is too hot for them and it doesn't really work.

Here is my basic recipe for Raw Vegan Flax Seed Crackers.

You'll need flax seeds either brown or golden but most raw fooders use brown flax seeds. They're cheaper and just as nutritious as golden although some dispute that and pure unfiltered water to start.

Here are two basic ways to start. Either with flax seeds ground up in a food processor or by soaking the flax seeds overnight. If you're going to soak the whole flax seeds you want to soak them for 5-8 hours or overnight.

Add the flax seeds to a mixing bowl and add about two teaspoons of sun-dried sea salt and slowly add about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of pure filtered water. You can add less or add more if it's too dry. You want to be able to spread the mixture easily. Now this is the basic way. Now you can add whatever spices you like. You can add 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, or 2-3 tablespoons of caraway seeds, 1-2 tablespoons of dried basil or coriander seeds.

You can just estimate on the seasonings but add enough. Now you can experiment and create your own cracker recipe. You can add a tomato or two or 3-4 dates or celery juice or carrot juice. If you add juices make sure to adjust the water so you don't have too much liquid. Or you can add about 4-5 stalks celery or so to the food processor when you're processing the flax seeds and water.

Spread your mixture out on teflex sheets or dehydrator trays with no holes. Cut into squares. Dehydrate them at about 95-100 degrees for about 12 hours and then turn over. Just place another tray on top and flip over. Then dehydrate for another 12 hours or so. Take a bite and you can tell if they're ready. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight jar. It's hard to ever over-dehydrate them. For a softer cracker check more often and shorten the dehydrating time.

Making flax seed crackers is really fun and easy. You can create so many versions. You'll find some that you love. Make sure to write down what you're adding so you can repeat it. You can serve flax seed crackers to non raw fooders too. Vegan and non-vegans alike love flax seed crackers.


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Friday, October 29, 2010

Iced Coffee: The Cold Brew Process

Iced coffee has probably been around more or less for as long as hot coffee has. The recipe varies from country to country. The Australians drink it as thick, milkshake- like beverage spiced with chicory that is brewed with milk, not water. One might think that ice coffee would only be popular in hotter parts of the world. But in Japan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, India, Europe, and even Canada, ice coffee enjoys a popular status that almost seems to run independent of climate. What's interesting to note is its particular appeal among the young. With the possible exception of Australia - where iced coffee has been the rage for over a hundred years - this cold beverage seems to be associated with a laid back, carefree lifestyle.

In the United States, the iced coffee craze started as recently as the mid eighties. Many coffee enthusiasts believe that the trend came from Italy, where a cracked or chipped-ice coffee drink called "granita" had been around since the fifties. The Granita is most likely the predecessor to Starbucks Frappuccino; the epitome of the commercialized iced coffee drink.

Yet for all its popularity, true coffee specialists insist that iced coffee is routinely prepared incorrectly. They contend that true iced coffee must be cold brewed. In the cold brewing process, coffee grounds are mixed with cold water and allowed to sit between 12 and 24 hours. The coffee is then filtered through like a typical brewing process. Coffee connoisseurs claim that this process yields a coffee that is lower in acidity and caffeine, with more bouquet and character. The lower acidity not only allows more flavor to come through, it is also easier on the digestion. Many cold brew enthusiasts have noted a markedly lower incidence of acid reflux; a classic symptom of too much hot coffee consumption. Perhaps the only disadvantage of cold brewing is that it's not an instant gratification process. Cold water takes much longer to absorb coffee grounds. Conventional hot brewing is much faster - minutes as opposed to hours - and you don't have to contend with a large, ungainly pitcher of soaking coffee grounds taking up space in your refrigerator overnight.

That said there are cold brew systems on the market today that make the process entirely painless. Over forty years ago, a chemical engineer named Todd Simpson had ordered some coffee at a cafe' in Guatemala. He received a small container of cold, concentrated coffee syrup accompanied by a glass of boiling water. This gave Simpson the idea to invent what came to be known as The Toddy. It quickly became the most popular American cold brewing system. It remains so to this day. The Toddy is essentially a filtration device that attaches itself to a mason-style jar. This dedicated cold brew system takes much of the mess out of the cold brew process. And remember, cold brewed coffee can be served hot as well!

While Americans still love their iced coffee, they may One of the most popular cold brew systems today is called the Toddy. still feel that hot water brewing is the only game in town. As cold brewing gains more publicity, keep a future eye out for a cold brewing coffee craze. It might be just around the corner.


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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Ultra Thin Professional Digital Kitchen Food and Nutrition Scale, in Elegant Stainless Steel

Ultra Thin Professional Digital Kitchen Food and Nutrition Scale, in Elegant Stainless SteelThe Ozeri Ultra Thin Digital Kitchen Scale is designed for the culinary perfectionist who desires superior accuracy in function and sleekness in form. Updated with the latest generation in sensor technology, it provides precise results in graduations of 1g or 0.1oz. The Ozeri Ultra Thin Digital Kitchen Scale is also less than half an inch in thickness. It is one of the lightest kitchen scales on the market and offers easy portability. It also boasts an elegant stainless steel surface. The Ozeri Ultra Thin Digital Kitchen Scale comes equipped with 2 Lithium removable batteries for long life. It also features oversized buttons that generate an audible click confirmation for the fast-paced cook, and an automatic Tare button that quickly calculates the net weight of your ingredients by subtracting the container weight, whether the container is a bowl, tray, plate or anything else. The Ozeri Ultra Thin Digital Kitchen Scale has a capacity range from a mere 0.1 ounces to 11 lbs. The scale also displays results in both the US and international metric systems (grams | ounces | pounds | kilograms). The large screen features a new bright LCD with an improved viewing angle for the on-the-move chef. The Ozeri Ultra Thin Digital Kitchen Scale also includes a 1 minute automatic turn-off that preserves battery life while giving you time to confirm each measurement (batteries included).

Price: $59.99


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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Interesting Facts about a Japanese Sushi

Sushi is one of the most popular Japanese foods. It is a complete dish with raw fish and rice as the primary ingredients. The distinctive quality of Japanese rice sticky when it is cooked makes it appropriate for sushi. Japanese sushi is said to bevinegar rice in most Japanese cuisine because the rice used in sushi are seasoned with sugar and vinegar.

This traditional Japanese dish often topped with other ingredients including fish, various meats, and vegetables is usually dipped in condiments like soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger before eating and it is eaten with chopsticks or by hand.

Health Benefits
Eating Japanese sushi could give health benefits. The two main ingredients namely raw fish and rice are great source of high protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals and importantly has low fat content. Such fat found in Japanese sushi is mostly unsaturated fat. An example is Omega-3, good for the heart.

There is no fat introduced in sushis preparation for it is served raw. The high levels of protein in Sushi are found in fillings. These are fish, tofu, seafood, egg, and many others. The vegetables used for sushi are rich source of minerals and vitamins. And the rice and the vegetables used are sources of carbohydrates.

Health hazards
Since one chief ingredient of Japanese sushi is fish, it does not mean it is free of health hazards. Fish like tuna especially blue fin contains high levels of mercury. It poses some danger when these are consumed in significant amounts. For this reason, since January of 2008, only a number of New York City dining establishments serve tuna sushi with sufficiently high mercury content that a weekly reference dose is limited to 2 to 6 pieces. This will depend on the quantity of tuna in the sushi and the weight of the person.

Undercooked seafood and salty condiments
The Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a bacterium that grows in undercooked seafood. This can cause intestinal problem like diarrhea. Sushi also can be a mode of transmission of parasites and pathogens. So, it is important that sushi is properly prepared to avoid any problem.

Salty condiments like soy sauce are usually combined with sushi by the diner in whatever amount is desired. Such salty condiment can be dangerous to people with hypertension or renal disorders if overly taken.

Conveyor belt sushi restaurants
A well-known and inexpensive way of eating sushi is in restaurants with a conveyor belt sushi and sushi train. These unique restaurants are widely found in Japan and are becoming large in number abroad. The sushi in this restaurant is served on color coded plates. Each color denotes the cost of the sushi serving.

The sushi plates are placed on a moving strip or platform. Customers choose their desired plates as the belt or boat passes. They let the food pass if they do not like it, and the other customer could take it as it passes them. The customers bill is tallied by counting the number of plates of each color they have taken.

This unique way of serving food is also now being adapted in Japanese restaurants in other countries. It saves a lot of space and customers are able to get their orders fast.

Minimalist Japanese style
The traditional serving of sushi is inspired by simplistic and minimalist styles. The food is usually laid in basic symmetry, in wooden and monotone plates. However, small sushi restaurants do not use plates because the food is eaten directly off from the wooden counter.


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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Vitalicious VitaMuffin Mix, Deep Chocolate, 12.5-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 3)

Vitalicious VitaMuffin Mix, Deep Chocolate, 12.5-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 3)Home baking has never been easier or healthier. Now you can bake delicious VitaMuffins and VitaBrownies at home. Each VitaMuffin or VitaBrownie is just 100 Delicious, Vitamin-Fortified Calories.

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Low Fat Smoothie Recipes

Smoothies are becoming more popular as a great way to get your daily allocation of fruit and vegetables. It provides essential nutrients and vitamins to help boost your immune system and promote health. Best of all they are easy to make and taste great.

A smoothie is basically a blend of solid food such as fruit or vegetables with a liquid such as milk, juice or yoghurt. Different combinations can be blended together to get different tastes and consistencies. This means that you can create your own meal in a glass to suit you, recipes are great for experimenting.

So what is a typical smoothie recipe?

Unlike many recipes smoothie recipes are very forgiving, you can pretty much change them to suit your taste and needs. There are however a few tips that will save you money and make your smoothie taste great.

Strawberry smoothie recipe

1 Banana
A handful of strawberries
Low fat milk

Add the ingredients into your blender and blend until it has a smooth texture, pour into a glass and enjoy. You get better results when you use chopped up frozen strawberries and very ripe bananas. Green bananas tend to taste less like bananas so let them go brown or even better buy them cheaper at the supermarket because they have gone brown.

This makes a very low fat meal in a glass, it will keep you full for ages and the natural sugars are an easy to digest energy source. If you want to stay fuller for longer add a small amount of ground oats and some protein powder. You can get protein powder from most health shops.

Fresh fruits can sometimes be quite expensive. It is fine to use tinned or frozen fruit, freezing preserves the nutrients in many fruits and vegetables. Tinned pears and peaches can be used to bulk out your smoothie.

If you buy berries such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries then freezing them not only makes them last longer but stops them losing the vitamins they contain. Frozen fruit also tends to bring out the taste when used in a smoothie.

If you are green fingered you can grow your own soft fruits and save a bit of money. Strawberries are really easy to grow and the plants will produce fruits year after year. If you are buying tinned fruit make sure you get tinned fruit in fruit juice rather than syrup. You should also wash any fresh fruit you buy, unfortunately the commercial growers spray a on of chemicals on fruits and vegetables that can make you ill. Buy organic if you can afford it.


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Monday, October 25, 2010

Wellness Canned Dog Food for Puppies, Just for Puppy Recipe (Pack of 12 12.5 Ounce Cans)

Wellness Canned Dog Food for Puppies, Just for Puppy Recipe (Pack of 12 12.5 Ounce Cans)
Created with exceptional palatability, Wellness Just for Puppy Canned Formula can be alternated or mixed with Wellness Just for Puppy Dry Formula create a special treat, offer a variety for your dog or supplement additional nutritional needs. Dogs that prefer canned food will benefit from all the real-food ingredients and thoughtfully chosen ingredients that are also found in our dry dog formulas.

Wellness Just for Puppy Canned Formula is nutritionally balanced with 100% whole fres

Price: $24.59


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Sunday, October 24, 2010

The Ultimate Home Brewers Recipe Book, 641 Home Brew Recipes

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Saturday, October 23, 2010

The Process of Egg Production and Distribution

Birds and eggs have existed since before Man and the first recorded history of domesticated wild fowl were found in East Indian history as early as 3200 BC. Records show domesticated hens throughout history but it has been believed that Columbus, on his second trip to the Americas in 1493, brought with him the ancestors of the chickens we see today. There are close to 200 breeds and varieties of chickens worldwide, but the most common laying hen is the Single Comb White Leghorn.

Over the centuries, the processes used for egg production and distribution have changed and improved drastically. The process is broken down into seven basic steps, with some of the steps containing more detailed work within them:

Laying: The hens need to have well balanced and nutritious meals in order to be good egg producers. Their diet plan is researched on a constant basis to ensure the best diet is given as much as possible. They have free access to fresh water and the food is distributed by computer controlled feeders. The more modern hen houses are computer controlled with the temperature, humidity, and ventilation systems all run by means of these computers. The lighting too is on a timed system since light seems to be what triggers the hens to lay the eggs. The highest and most common egg laying happens between 7 and 11 am. The cages are raised off the floor so that waste can drop out of the cage and to keep air flow open to the floor of the cage which prevents sores from forming on the hens' feet or bodies, as well as keeping various diseases at bay.

Collecting: In most instances, collection is performed by the eggs automatically dropping onto a conveyor belt, below the hens' cages. They travel along this belt to the washing station.

Washing: The eggs need to be cleaned and sanitized by washing them with a special cleaning solution and water that is more than 100 F or 38 C. Once washed, they are then rotated past 16 individual cameras, which inspect them for any remaining dirt spots. If spots are found, the egg returns back to the beginning of the process to be re-washed. Once the washing has been completed, the eggs are sent to be graded according to size, and weight.

Packing: Machines automatically place the eggs in separate sections; lining them up in accordance to the grade they have been given. To lessen the chance of breakage during shipping, the eggs are placed in foam or fiber cartons. The cartons are labeled appropriately and a "best before" date is printed on the carton as a guide for the consumer. Each carton is then packed into boxes for later shipping.

Cooling: The boxes of eggs are then placed in a climate controlled warehouse for storage until they are shipped out. The eggs are stored at 45 F or 7 C to maintain the egg quality. When they are ready for shipping, the boxes are loaded into refrigeration trucks to keep the temperature at the same level. Once shipped and in the stores, the grocer also maintains the temperature of the cartons by keeping them in a refrigerated unit until they are sold.

In Canada, there are approximately 1050 egg producers in operation, all following these procedures. In comparison, there are about 280 million producers in the United States and just one of them can produce as many eggs as all those found in Canada.

Eggs were once seen as a springtime food because of many of the older Easter traditions, but now they have become more versatile and a mainstay of most meal plans.


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