The Benefit of Beans, Peas and Lentils

The word is out, beans are in! Legumes(beans, peas and lentils) are not only nutritious but delicious. Though beans have often been neglected in the Western diet, they have long since been an important part of traditional diets around the world. Many people in North America are discovering that beans are not only tasty, easy to prepare, economical but are good for you. Legumes are an important food source. They are an excellent source of protein, are low in fat, high in fiber, loaded with complex carbohydrates and have many essential micronutrients.

We do not know the exact relationship between diet and disease however it has b come accepted that healthy eating can improve our chances of preventing diseases such as heart disease, strokes and some forms of cancer. Substituting beans, peas and lentils for foods that are high in saturated fats and refined carbohydrates is likely to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Research is showing that plant protein helps protct the heart by lowering blood cholesterol levels in many people.

Beans are good for diabetics too because they contain complex carbohydrates and lots of fiber that helps keep blood sugar on an even keel. It is also a good way to add variety to gluten free diets.

New research suggests that muscle soreness after strenous and prolonged exercise can be reduced by eating foods that contain antioxidants which includes fruit, vegetables and beans. Red kidney beans, pinto and black beas are included in the US Dept of Agriculture's list of the 20 best "muscle-saving" foods.

The beans which our mothers used to make the occasional casserole or soup are not the same as today's beans. The new strains of beans are being grown with thinner skins which shorten the cooking times. Dried beans do NOT have to be soaked overnight - you can use the quick soak method. With the explosion of interest in bean cookery, there is much more rapid turnover in supermarket and bulk food stores, hence beans are fresher and have faster cooking times. The cooking times sugggested in many recipe books will produce "bean mush".

Canned beans make it easy for the busy cook to prepare a tasty meal quickly. (Just be sure to rinse them well before using).

There are now many delicious recipes for everything from appetizers, soups, salads, main and side dishes and none are hard on the pocket book.

Another great thing about beans is their flexibility - you don't have to follow a recipe slavishly but can use your available supplies and ingenuity. You can also use them as a meat extender in some of your favorite recipes.

As we continue to eat healthier by cutting fat and not flavor and by eating less meat, there is an increasing emphasis on legumes as an essentil part of today's diet. Two recent food pyramids, The Asian an Mediterranean both support this trend by r commending a daily serving of beans, peas and lentils.

Let the bean bonanza begin!

Trish Ross has been researching the world of beans for over 10 years and is the author of Easy Beans and More Easy Beans, two bestselling bean cookbooks. Visit her website at -click here

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How to Make Ordinary Meals Extraordinary With Herbs and Spices

Adding herbs to a favorite dinner recipe will turn ordinary meals into extraordinary ones. Using fresh herbs will add needed vitamins and nutrients to any health food recipe and diet. When you start cooking with herbs and spices, youll love the wonderful aromas created in your kitchen. Learning to use herbs will also make cooking more fun and have your dinner guests impressed. Family and friends will always look forward to having dinner at your home. Cooking gourmet style in your own home is possible when you use the right amount of seasoning with herbs and spices.

Some common and favorite herbs are basil, parsley, savory, thyme, rosemary, chervil, Tarragon, coriander, cumin, chili, caraway, dill, ginger, garlic, lemongrass and curry, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. These are just a few of the many herbs used to alter the flavor and aroma of foods. Other flavoring agents are vinegars, marinades and oils, fruit zests and juices such as orange, lemon & lime.

Fresh herbs are b coming more available in local food markets and dried herbs have been available forever it seems. Salt, pepper onions and garlic have been favorite flavor enhancers over the ages, but with the popularity of gourmet cooking a wider variety of herbs and spices are now b coming more widely used. Here are some of the common herb combinations used with foods:

Meat & Herbs: Use the following herbs with each type of meat...

Pork -Rosemary and Mint
Beef -Garlic, oregano and curry
Chicken -Thyme, Ginger, Curry
Lamb -Mint and Rosemary
Duck -Mint with orange
Turkey -Basil, Thyme and Savory

Fish & Herbs
Salmon, Trout, Tuna, Mahi-Mahi, etc

Most Fish -Dill, Lemongrass, Lemon & Lime juice

Vegetables & Herbs
Potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, beans, peas, asparagus, eggplant, beets, etc.

Herbs that are good with vegetables are; basil, parsley, thyme, coriander, cumin, and oregano

Fruit & Herbs
Apples, peaches, pears, melons, bananas, and berries

Herbs that work well with fruit are mint, ginger, lemongrass, and rosemary

Oils & Vinegars
Popular herbs that work well in oils and vinegars are thyme, oregano, coriander and rosemary

My all time favorite flavor enhancers along with herbs, are pressed garlic cloves and minced onions, course ground black pepper and a hint of salt. There are so many ways to alter the flavor and goodness of foods using herbs. Dont be afraid to experiment with herbs because it is so easy to add them to any dish.

Buying Herbs
Herbs and spices can be expensive to buy at the fresh food section of the supermarkets. Even the dried varieties are expensive if bought in the small prepackaged bottles. The least expensive way to stock up on dried herbs is to look for places where they sell in smaller quantities such as at bulk food stores. This way you can get more variety of herbs for the least amount of expense and youll be ready for any recipe.

Growing Fresh Herbs
You may even want to think about growing your own herbs and spices at home. Having your own fresh supply of herbs at home is a healthy and less expensive alternative to buying them. Herbs are best grown in container pots and as long as they have good indirect sunlight they can produce an endless amount of fresh herbs. Growing potted herbs at home is fairly low maintenance as well. Once you start incorporating these herbs and spices in your favorite dinner recipes youll wonder how you ever cooked without them.

Deborah is a partner in Ipcor Publishing and Personal Logs com. Find more.netrmation about herbs and spices on her webpage -click here/easy-ways-to-lose-weight-sqp.htm">'101 Everyday Tips To Lose 10 Lbs' from her Get In Shape website.

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Tell Me All About Options For Wedding Cakes

It is time for the wedding; now for any traditional wedding its a black tuxedo for him, a white gown for her, a multi-layered cake to a commodate for the guests, and floral bouquets to tie it all together. For some brides, they seek for something more than the textbook wedding.

With minor adjustments, their special day could be more original than the usual wedding- plus be one that their guests would remember. One of the most popular ways to tweak weddings is with the cake. With wedding cakes, there are about as many different possibilities as there are brides. Isnt that really what makes a wedding special!

If you really want to push the envelope, why not try a cupcake wedding cake? This option provides a cake which is convenient, versatile, can differ in colors and flavors, and these days its not as difficult to find as it may sound. Although it is a new idea on the traditional need for cake, most bakers these days do offer wedding cake cupcakes as a creative and unexpected alternative.

If a wedding cake cupcake doesnt quite strike your fancy, then why not go for a wedding donut cake? This original cake is a group of doughnuts which are individually frosted and offer an assortment of flavors. Each doughnut is arranged in a festive manner- usually meant to resemble a cake. For a couple who wants something a little different from the traditional wedding cake can forgo the doughnut wedding cake. Not only is it good and original but some people also just prefer doughnuts to cake.

Another choice to spice up your wedding is to build the traditional cake around a water fountain. This romantic aspect of your special day will give people something to talk about for years to come. The trickling water sounds and the added light will give your wedding a feel and presentation unlike any other.

Something else to remember is that all cakes don't have to be white with buttercream frosting. Nearly any flavor is a possibility from white to yellow to chocolate, cheesecake to pumpkin, carrot to red velvet.

It is also just fine to use different flavors of cake for each layer of cake. Frosting can also be a different flavor besides the usual buttercream. You can have any flavor of frosting and any color too. Some brides like to choose a frosting color to match the bridesmaids dresses, to match the season and setting, or to compliment the color of the cake.

Choosing your cake is not always going to be a black or white decision. Although, light colors like ivory and white still hold the standard, with the help of a pastry chef nearly any color that you can imagine can be created. Picture a dark frosting with an abundance of wonderfully colored flowers or leaves scattered all around the cake. Color can add excitement, imagination, texture, and interest to the cake. The best thing is that the possibilities are practically endless.

So now youve discovered that for your wedding cake, you have options. You can play with the color, the flavor, what it is created by, and now you can also play with the shape. Typically, wedding cakes are round, stacked layers that get smaller towards the top to create a circular pyramid of cake.

Now just because this has been the standard for so long doesnt mean that you cant alter the tradition to fit your personal desires. Cakes can be constructed in any shape and can also be stacked at any angle.

Some cakes have staggered layers, like a brick pattern, some stack identical layers straight up, like a tower, and some cakes are made with layers that have been cut at an angle to give the appearance that the cake is about to topple over! Cakes can be made to resemble a beautifully wrapped present, an animal, a tree, flower, building, people, letters or any other combination of shapes and angles.

When the wedding day comes, the bride and groom should have a cake which is exactly what they want; whether it is a convenient cupcake cake, an unorthodox doughnut cake, or a combination of the right colors and shapes to create a cake which resembles them in every possible way by the help of an experienced pastry chef.

With the perfect cake on their perfect day, the oohs and ahhs will be pouring in by impressed guests and the wedding will be one not soon forgotten.

For more delicious.netrmation on -click here">cookie recipes cakes, brownies, as well as other articles on cooking, baking, and kitchen products.

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