Cooking classes- Veggies

Some benefits of vegetables with high nutritional values

• A 41% reduced risk of heart disease
• 22% lower risk of certain cancers
• Protection from macular degeneration and glaucoma
• Better teeth and bone structure
• Improved memory and brain function
• Stronger immune system – less colds, flu and infections

Only 14% of U.S. adults eat enough fruits, vegetables

By Lindsey Anderson, USA TODAY 9/29/2009

Only 14% of adults eat the recommended number of servings of fruit and vegetables a day, says a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 33% of adults meet the recommendation of two or more servings of fruits a day; 27% eat the recommended three or more servings of vegetables.

Washington, D.C., leads the nation in eating fruits and vegetables: 20.1% of adults report they meet both daily recommendations. Mississippi sits at the bottom with 8.8%.

Three of the top states are in New England, and three of the bottom states are in the Southeast. The disparity could be a result of the lack of farmers markets in the Southeast and policies that promote healthful foods in schools and communities, says Heidi Blanck, senior scientist for the CDC.

High school students fare worse than adults: 9.5% report they eat two or more fruits and three or more vegetables a day. About the same number of students (32%) as adults say they meet the fruit recommendation, but only 13% say they eat at least three servings of vegetables a day.

The Healthy People 2010 objective from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services aims to have 75% of the U.S. population meeting the daily fruit recommendations and 50% meeting the daily vegetable recommendations.

"At the current rate, the goal won't be met," Blanck says.

To raise the percentage of people meeting the goals, the CDC suggests grocery stores increase their stock of "high-quality" fruits and vegetables and encourages states to form food policy councils that evaluate the access to fresh produce.

It also suggests schools provide more fruits and vegetables in cafeterias and vending machines.

A few recipes that we made:

Hans’ Salad

Throw any of the following ingredients together, chopped into small pieces

Bok Choy

Pickled cucumbers

Onions

Collard greens

Roman lettuce

Tomatoes

Avocado

Rutabaga

Jicama

Carrots

Tomato, Avocado and Almond Salad by Shelly

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1-2 cups diced avocados

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup chopped celery

4 Tbls chopped green onion

4 Tbls chopped cilantro

2 Tbls fresh lemon juice

1 tsp agave

1 Tbls Nutritional yeast (optional)

Dash of cayenne (optional)

¼ tsp sea salt

Mix together and enjoy

And just a regular salad with Ranch dressing and a Tomato Basil vinaigrette dressing.

Tangy Potato Salad

This is a recipe that I created. It was my first that I ventured out on, and it turned out pretty well. I have gotten a lot of compliments on it. The great thing about it is that it has fermented sauerkraut in it. Fermented sauerkraut is very good for the digestive system because it is full of good bacteria that helps to break down the food and also protects the immune system. I hope you enjoy!

Tangy Potato Salad

Red potatoes

Sauerkraut (Homemade or Bubbies brand)

Pickles (I use Bubbies brand)

Olive oil

Dried minced onion, or fresh green onion

Sea Salt

Pepper

There are no measurements in this salad. Just wash as many potatoes as you want to get the salad the size you need. Cut up the potatoes into bit sized pieces. Boil them until tender. Drain and put into a mixing bowl. To the potatoes add some olive oil, diced pickles, onion and sauerkraut. At this time I also add in some of the sauerkraut and pickle brine, just to give it some more moisture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Tastes great chilled or warm.

Kitchen Experimenting

So, yesterday I think I was feeling a bit adventurous in the kitchen. I decided to try and improve on my hot chocolate a little bit and try to make it a little creamier. Here is the improved recipe that I came up with.

20 macadamia nuts
6 oz of hot water
1 Tbls cocoa powder
1 Tbls Agave

Put the 6 oz of hot water in the blender with the macadamia nuts. Blend until smooth. Pour nut milk into cup. Stir in Cocoa and Agave. Enjoy.

I also decided to try to make a healthy version on baked potato soup. I have lots of baked potatoes that were left over from the ward Christmas party so I am trying to be creative in my use for them. I used a few different recipes as guidelines and this is what I came up with.

Baked Potato Soup

5 cups water
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup celery
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
2 Tbls Olive oil
4 tsp vegetable bouillon
3 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbls Dry Parsley
7-8 medium sized baked potatoes
2 additional cups of water, almond or rice milk (I used water, but if you like it more creamy use milk)

Chop vegetables and add to a large pot. Add olive oil and saute until onions are transparent. Add 5 cups of water, salt, pepper and bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 min. Meanwhile chop 3-4 baked potatoes into large chunks and put into blender with additional water or milk. Blend until smooth. Chop the remaining potatoes into bit sized pieces and add to soup along with the parsley and potato puree . Simmer for 10 min.