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Cooking with Pomegranate Seeds: Orange Roughy with Pomegranate Seeds and Macadamia Nuts Recipe

October 23, 2012

Every fall I’m excited to see pomegranates in the grocery stores for this short window of time. I fell in love with pomegranates while living in Florence, Italy, in 1989, although I don’t remember the exact first time I tried some seeds. In the years since, I’ve been happy to see pomegranate come up as a Superfood, brimming with vitamins and antioxidents and hailed as helpful in the fights against heart disease and cancers.

I like to drink pomegranate juice and cook with pomegranate molasses, too, but if you can get past the seeding chore, raw pomegranate seeds add a delightful sweet-tart perkiness when sprinkled into salads, particularly when served with nuts and a soft chevre goat cheese or brie. Cooking with pomegranate seeds adds a whole ‘nother dimension to pomegranates.

Here’s a fun recipe for cooking with pomegranate seeds that I originally debuted in my newsletter:

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Orange Roughy with Pomegranate Seeds and Macadamia Nuts

Recent studies have shown that eating macadamia nuts can help lower cholesterol, and the good fats fill you up and keep you satiated. But I eat them because I love the decadent flavor!

Pomegranate seeds give a tartness that offsets the earthiness of the green chiles. The unexpected buttery richness of the macadamia nuts adds another layer of flavor, and their addictive crunch contrasts with the sweet and smooth bananas. Though the chard was a little brown and soggy-looking, it was delicious tasting. Probably Brussels sprouts would have held up better. Good substitutions for macadamia nuts might be pistachios or hazelnuts, and potatoes or plantains for the bananas.

1 Tbsp. coconut oil or other oil
1/2-3/4 lb. orange roughy or other fish fillets
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1 8 oz. can roasted and diced green chiles, or use a fresh chile
seeds from 3/4 pomegranate
2 bananas, sliced on the bias
Swiss chard, de-spined, chopped roughly
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced
sea salt and ground black pepper

– Preheat the oven to 450° F.
– Wipe the inside of a 2-quart cast iron Dutch oven and lid with coconut oil, reserving about 1/4 tsp.
– Place the fish filets in the pot.
– Close the Macadamia nuts into a ziptop baggie after squeezing out the air and smash the nuts with something heavy (a Dutch oven? a rolling pin?) until the nuts are in smaller pieces. Pour nuts into a small bowl and add the green chiles and pomegranate seeds. Mix together gently and spread half over the fish with the rest of the coconut oil.
– Layer the banana and zucchini slices on top of and around the fish. Spoon the rest of the nut and seed mixture over all. Top with the chard, filling the pot until it is full. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
– Cover and bake for about 45 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma wafts from the oven. Serve immediately.

Drought Drives Up Food Costs; How to Stretch Your Food Budget

October 22, 2012

As my friend Nonna Joann Bruso predicted, we are seeing rising food prices as the effects of this summer’s drought conditions sink into the food supply chain.

Restaurants are responding by shrinking portions or raising prices, but the home cook needs to get creative to stretch the food budget. Here are some tips for making your food dollars go further.

Cook at home.

A great way to combat rising restaurant prices is to cook at home more often. Here, of course, I have to do a shameless plug for my Glorious One-Pot Meals cookbook because it introduces a quick and easy technique that makes cooking at home convenient, healthy, and delicious. Check out some video cooking demonstrations to see just how simple cooking this way can be.

Eat vegetarian more often.

Let’s face it, the most expensive part of a home-cooked meal is usually the animal protein. There is already a movement to have “Meatless Mondays,” but you can easily choose to go meatless three or four days a week to cut costs. Who knows, you might even see some other side effects like increased energy and weight loss. Here’s a delicious meatless recipe to try: Farmhouse Pasta!

Stock your freezer.

By loading your freezer up with fresh vegetables while they are cheap and in-season, you can enjoy vegetables all winter long without paying higher prices. Did you miss the harvest window for preparing and freezing your own veggies? Commercially-prepared frozen vegetables may often be less expensive than fresh veggies in the winter. Just make sure that your frozen veggies don’t have any additional additives, and you’re good to go.

Joann Bruso has been devoting a lot of blog space to making your grocery dollars go further, and I suggest you check out her Baby Bites blog for more great tips, suggestions, and recipes for making it through this coming winter of high food prices.

Do you have any tips to share for stretching your food dollars and still eating well and healthfully? Share them in the Comments below!

Natural Remedy for Diarrhea

October 19, 2012

One of my naturopathic clients complained of a sudden bout of diarrhea that was making her very uncomfortable. When these kinds of occasional bouts of intestinal distress arise, I reach for the healing powers of coconut water and probiotics to help the gut calm down.

Tropical islanders have long known coconut water to be helpful in clearing a bit of dysentery from the occasional spoiled food or a food- or water-borne bacteria that your body wants to expel quickly and forcefully. Diarrhea is one way the body evacuates irritants, so it is important not to artificially stop the flow. Staying hydrated, keeping electrolytes balanced, and eating foods that are easy to digest will keep you more comfortable while your body does what it needs to do to keep you healthy.

Besides offering hydration and bio-absorbable electrolytes, coconut water contains other amino acids and nutrients that help to finish the expulsion and calm the gut. It’s like a special sauce that you’ll only get from the water inside a coconut. You used to have to visit a tropical local and whack off the top of the coconut with a machete in order to drink the sweet coconut water through a straw, but now you can find coconut water boxed or bottled in many grocery stores. I like the individual-serving-sized boxes because they are convenient to keep in the pantry for quick re-hydration after sweaty soccer games. For electrolyte replacement needs, coconut water beats the artificial colors and high sugar content of commercial sports drinks hands down.

Besides coconut water, I recommended that my client start on a probiotic and follow the B.R.A.T diet until she felt better.

The B.R.A.T. diet was designed of non-laxative solid foods to help recover from diarrhea, and it is a regimen my family has turned to many times during the periods of digestive distress due to colds or flu’s as well. B.R.A.T. stands for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. You can modify this as needed, such as gluten-free toast or brown rice, but do not add in apple juice, as it will only encourage the diarrhea to continue. I can always tell when the patient is recovering because they can’t stand to stay on the BRAT diet any longer!

While these tips may be helpful for easing the strain of chronic diarrhea, if your diarrhea is more than occasional it likely means something else is going on such as parasites and/or food sensitivities. Unfortunately, coconut water will not cure either of these conditions, but you are always welcome to contact me to look into other options for getting well.

The Non-GMO Project and GMO Labeling

October 18, 2012

The Environmental Working Group estimates that the average American now consumes more than his or her own body weight in Genetically Modified foods (GMOs) – 193 lbs. – every year. Since the EWG only took into account corn, soybean oil, and sugar beet consumption and there are many other GMO crops infiltrating our food supply, this is probably a low-ball estimate of how much exposure to GMOs we are actually getting as unwitting subjects in this massive biochemical experiment on the public health.

Because GMOs are not required to be labeled, much of the food you are eating regularly likely contains GMO ingredients like high fructose corn syrup or corn in any form. Since more than 88% of our corn is now GMO corn, we have to assume that most corn-based foods and additives are GMOs unless otherwise labeled.

Not only are GMO foods messing with our bodies and those of our future descendents, but they are wreaking havoc on the environment. According to the EWG’s report on GMOs: “The evidence of environmental harm of GE crops and associated pesticides is compelling. The planting of GE crops has increased overall pesticide use by more than 300 million pounds and has led to the proliferation of pesticide-resistant superweeds and superbugs.”

Right now, the Non-GMO Project is the only way short of organic that you can be sure that the food you are eating is not a genetically modified chemistry experiment with long-term effects on your body. The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit that offers the only third-party verification seal on products not using GMOs. Look for their seal on products at the grocery store to be sure you are keeping your family safe.

If you need any other reasons why it’s important to label GMO foods, watch “Genetic Roulette,” a compelling documentary about GMOs in America. Right now, GMO labeling is on the ballot in California, so if you live in California be sure to vote YES on Prop 37 and help labeling laws spread across the land to allow each of us to protect ourselves and opt out of the experiment.

Does Enameled Cast Iron Work Differently Than Seasoned Cast Iron?

October 16, 2012

Reader question: I recently purchased your book but have not received it yet. I have a cast iron Dutch oven without the enamel. Will I need to change your recipes to adapt to the Dutch oven that I have? ~ Sue, Waukesha, WI

Sue, the first response I always have to questions like this one is that, for the purpose of Glorious One-Pot Meals: “Cast iron is cast iron is cast iron.”

Humans have been using cast iron to fashion cooking utensils since the Iron Age because cast iron absorbs, distributes, and retains heat evenly. These properties make cast iron a top choice of many chefs when it comes to cookware.

The benefits to using an enameled cast iron Dutch oven is that it won’t rust, is often dishwasher-safe (check the brand), and is usually lighter weight than an unseasoned cast iron pot of the same size (the enamel coating enables the walls of the pot to be thinner while still retaining tensile strength). Enameled cast iron is also non-reactive to acidic foods and non-leaching, making it one of the safest materials to cook food in.

Seasoned cast iron Dutch ovens will work just fine for preparing Glorious One-Pot Meals as well, they just need different care. Seasoned cast iron pots should never be washed with soap, for example, and will rust if not dried properly and oiled for storage. If you purchase an unseasoned cast iron Dutch oven, you will need to season it yourself before using. You should be aware that un-enameled seasoned cast iron may leach iron into your food, especially when the iron is in contact with acidic foods such as lemons or tomatoes. This is not necessarily a bad thing as we can use some iron in our body for red blood cells and oxygen transport; too much iron may cause constipation, though.

So, the answer to your question is that the recipes in Glorious One-Pot Meals should work just fine in your un-enameled seasoned cast iron Dutch oven. Depending on the number of diners you plan to feed, you may choose to double or triple the recipes. Just be sure to check the chart in the front of the book to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Cooking with Pomegranate Seeds: Orange Roughy with Pomegranate Seeds and Macadamia Nuts Recipe

Drought Drives Up Food Costs; How to Stretch Your Food Budget

Cook at home.

Eat vegetarian more often.

Stock your freezer.

Natural Remedy for Diarrhea

The Non-GMO Project and GMO Labeling

Does Enameled Cast Iron Work Differently Than Seasoned Cast Iron?

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