Reader question: Hello. I use your method quite often. I have a question about pork. When I cooked pork tenderloin in a covered Dutch over, by itself with some oil, onions, and seasoning, I cooked it at 325 degrees. Using the Infusion Cooking method and multiple ingredients, should I use the standard 450 degrees? Thanks. – Elaine, Maryland
Hi Elaine,
I’m thrilled to hear you’re enjoying Glorious One-Pot Meals! The answer to your question is Yes. Every recipe I do uses the same infusion cooking method at 450 degrees F. This enables everything in the pot (protein, carbs, and veggies) to cook all together in the same pot at the same time for the same amount of time. Pork tenderloin works great in this method, I promise. Try my Honey and Spice Pork recipe — to die for!
“The average American eats about 20 pounds dry weight of additives each
YEAR. This is ten times the amount used 40 years ago. Those who eat a lot of
packaged, processed, or take-out foods may eat twice the average amount or
more. Children in particular have a very high intake because many of the
manufactured foods that appeal to them are rich in additives.”
Jonathan Brostoff M.D. and Linda Gamlin (Author),
“Food Allergies and Food Intolerance:
The Complete Guide to Their Identification and Treatment,” p. 414.
Recently, I was interviewed by eHealth Radio about how food sensitivities relate to chronic health problems. I loved the opportunity to discuss the immunologic and inflammatory effects of food sensitivities, and how they can manifest in the body.
As lovely as it is to take a family vacation in a beautiful and restful spot, and as grateful as I feel for the opportunity to do just that, eating restaurant food day-in and day-out was taking its toll on all of us. Even my husband, whose iron gut is legendarily impervious to long-term assaults of the high sodium, saturated fats, and heavy breading like that served in standard and even high-end restaurant fare, remarked how good it felt to be home and eating our own food.
It’s funny to me because I forget how much lighter our household eats than many others; it just feels normal. Between Glorious One-Pot Meals, grilling, and the various whole-food based ingredients I whip together for us to enjoy nightly, we skip a lot of that heaviness of typical American food without even missing it.
Baby artichokes fried in sesame oil with shallots and thyme
Not to mention the fresh produce I select, which may run the gamut from organic bananas, pears, and apples, to kiwis, Swiss chard, crimini mushrooms, and shallots.
This week a container of fresh baby artichokes caught my fancy. While I reserved some to put into a GOPM later, the rest I fried up in a mixture of sesame and safflower oils together with a chopped shallot. When the artichokes were nicely crisped, I tossed them with sea salt, freshly toasted sesame seeds, and thyme dug out from underneath the snow in my garden.
Yes, it’s a fried vegetable, but it’s light-years lighter than the corn-on-the-cob floating in 3″ of butter featured on the buffet one night, or the equally buttery French-cut green beans. Even the “grilled fish” had been painted with a buttery sauce. Did it taste good? Absolutely. The job of a good restaurant is to make food taste good, even if that involves lots of fat, salt, sugar, and who knows what else.
Did I feel good eating that way for a week? Not so much.
Yum. Baby artichokes are such a treat! In the immortal words of Judy Garland: There’s no place like home!
Although we are not a “gluten-free” household per se, we are a “wheat-free” household, and as such are always looking for delicious alternatives to favorite wheat products. We’ve tried a number of wheat-free/gluten-free frozen pizza crusts in our quest to keep the joys of eating pizza in our lives. So far, this one has become a favorite.
With just two ingredients, potatoes and rice, Nature’s Hilights Brown Rice Pizza Crust is allergy-friendly for a lot of people, not just the gluten-intolerant, but those avoiding yeast, dairy, eggs, corn, and tapioca, too.
Find this pizza crust in the frozen pizza section of your natural foods store. Be sure to follow the instructions for preparing the crust exactly as written to get the best crust with the right ratio of chewiness to crunchiness. It should be thawed (about 10 min.), then painted with olive oil (or another oil you can tolerate) and baked for a few minutes before being topped.
We top ours with some jarred organic marinara sauce or pesto, shredded mozzarella and monterey jack cheese (we use goat cheese because we tolerate it better than cow’s milk products), and sliced mushrooms. Slide it back into the oven for 8-10 minutes and voila! A delicious pizza made with ingredients my family can digest and enjoy!
Since one of my goals in life is to help my 8-year old heal from multiple food sensitivities, I’m always trying new ways to recreate his favorite foods with ingredients that are safe for him. This is what I do with my food sensitivity and nutritional consulting clients, too – help them design customized menus using foods that we know won’t cause them to have an inflammatory reaction. I don’t believe you have to feel deprived even if your digestion is less than perfect!
If you’re interested in looking at food sensitivities to solve your chronic distress, now is a great time! Through Dec. 23, get $100 off of testing 150 common foods and additives. Included is overnight FedEx shipments of blood and results, 4-6 hours of personalized dietary counseling, and custom-designed menus and recipes.
Use coupon code: SIGNETHOLIDAY at checkout, and be sure to select the large shipping option if you cannot pick up the collection kit in northeast Denver.
*Your blood must be drawn by December 29, 2010, to take advantage of this offer!*
