Today's recipe post - slow cooker recipes

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Monday's health links

Good morning, all!

1. Purdue researchers develop a "breast on a chip."  They hope it will help them test the use of nanoparticles to detect and target cancer cells within the breast's ducts. Past efforts to access the ducts through the nipple have had difficulty getting past the first third of the breast. The idea here is that nanoparticles with a magnetic core can float through the fluid in the ducts, pulled by a magnet, all the way to the back of the ducts where it is believed most breast cancer start.
2. The loss of an American fitness legend - Jack LaLanne dies at 96. Thanks, Jack!
3. Lowering the exercise standards for Canadians.  I get it - the new standards are minimums and the idea is to encourage people to do SOMETHING. But if you need any more evidence in favour of lots of vigorous, regular exercise than the long life of Jack LaLanne I don't know what it is.
4. Positive emotions linked to improved health and quality of life as one ages. Really?! This is news!?
5. And finally, a list of ten super foods that includes some I haven't seen highlighted before: walnut oil, quinoa, black beans, sweet potatoes, cabbage, oats, flax seeds, avocado, kale and strawberries. In praise of this, I'm highlighting recipes for each of these powerful little buggers over on my recipe blog today. Quick - go there now!

New recipe up as we begin our new plant-based diet

First up? My take on Mark Bittman's Simplest and Best Shrimp Dish over at my recipe site. The verdict? Simply delicious.

Be it resolved...

It is that time of year again - my pants are tight from too much turkey, beef and tarts and someone is going to ask me again if I have made any New Year resolutions... sigh.

Yes, this year, I resolve to lose weight. I would love to look cute in my clothes. I would love to look younger. I would love to be able to keep up better with my kids. But, mostly, I would love to not die. :-) Can I get an amen?

So after a bunch of reading, researching and ruminating, I have chosen The Pink Ribbon Diet as my guide book in this new endeavour. The Pink Ribbon Diet is the product of the work of research dietitian, Mary Flynn, PhD, RD, LDN, who set about exploring the link between diet and breast cancer. Turns out, she found that low-fat diets can increase the risk of cancer, but a plant-based one, similar to the Mediterranean diet, helps you shed pounds while gaining important nutrients beneficial to the fight against cancer.

To prepare this book, Flynn teamed with Nancy Verde Barr, a former culinary associate of Julia Child's.You can tell - there is a lot of passion in the recipe introductions and lots of sensible food wisdom. The book begins with a thorough explanation of the diet, the science behind it and stories from women who have tried it. The rest of the book is devoted to recipes, 150 of them, covering everything from breakfast foods, soups, sandwiches and salads through a range of main dishes, sides and desserts. The emphasis is on vegetables and healthy doses of olive oil for fat, with small portions of meats allowed. There are lots of notes on ways to customize or adapt recipes and they all look really, really doable.

As a bit of a foodie, I am often sceptical of diet books. The recipes often look boring and, well, uninspired. These ones are different. I actually want to try them. There are lots of fresh herbs used, you can use store-bought sauces for convenience and speed, and I can even see the occasional mention of cheese! Woo hoo! There are also a range of global influences and cooking methods, so you should find recipes that fit your own personal cooking styles.

The rumour has it, this is a diet you can live with, like, forever. I'm going to take it one day at a time. But I will report back here and in my recipe blog to share my results.

Good luck with your own resolutions! And now one last glass of eggnog before a workout session with our new Wii Just Dance game. Cheers!

Monday's health links

This morning, I had my port-a-cath removed. Many thanks to the lovely nurses and surgeon at Richmond Hospital. One more line has been cast-off as I ease back to the middle of the river.

Back to today's health links...

1. New options in breast reconstruction. By the way, I don't have a clue what I am going to do. Does anyone who has already gone through it have any advice? Let me know - I'd love to start a dialogue about it here.
2. Add this to the "You have to be frickin' kidding me" column - tumours grow their own blood supply. Apparently, the big bugger who had taken up residence in my left boob was playing twister with my blood vessels. My surgeon gasped (yes, gasped) when he saw it. Back to school for you, Buddy. Never gasp in front of the patient.
3. Gentlemen...how to lower your risk for prostate cancer. Not sure what role genetics plays, but my dad and my father-in-law both had prostate cancer* and now we have to protect their sons and grandsons from it. [*Great Uncle Carl had it too - but, Carl,  I'm pretty sure a shared love of gross toys isn't enough of a connection to raise their risk. :-) ]
4. Mo...vember - how successful will this campaign be? And are they doing any better job at raising awareness of prevention or is it still focused on early detection?
5. Purple sweet potato pie? Kansas State University comes up with a cancer-fighting pie. I may cry. Don't worry - they're happy tears.
6. Nova Scotia is proposing legislation that would prevent people under 19 from using tanning beds.
7. Canada's Food Guide recommends we eat two servings of fish a week. A seafood-rich diet has been linked to improvement of heart, brain and vision health and reduced risk of cancer and stroke. Yes, please, I want all of that. This may seem obvious to you, but I was happy to be reminded that canned fish and seafood represent an easy way to meet this challenge. Cloverleaf, one of Canada's main canned seafood companies is doing the reminding and providing some quick recipes. In addition to the traditional canned fish offerings, such as wild salmon and water-packed tuna, Cloverleaf also offers tuna pre-flavoured with a variety of chilies, herbs and other ingredients. I cannot speak to what they taste like, but I may be tempted to try some of those products with a few of these recipes, like 5-Minute Tuna Chili, Spicy Thai Chili Tuna with Noodles, and Mild Curry Coconut Soup. Also, I don't think I'll wait until next summer to make Salmon Cucumber Couscous.

Ingredient of the week - Turmeric

Turmeric, the bright yellow spice adding zip to Indian curries and the bright yellow colour to ball park mustard, may be one of your new best friends.  

Why would I use it?

Well, what ails you? Turmeric is currently being used to treat a range of conditions and diseases: indigestion, ulcerative colitis, osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis, diabetes, kidney stones, infections, liver problems, blood clots, irregular menstruation, inflammation, gallstones, wounds, and eczema.  But it has received more media exposure in recent years as evidence grows that this cousin of ginger may be a powerful weapon for three other health concerns. It contains natural agents that may block the formation of the substance responsible for the plaques that, over time, obstruct cerebral function in Alzheimer's disease. Turmeric also has anti-inflammatory properties and curcumin, the main active ingredient, has been shown to reduce the symptoms of arthritis. Studies have also found that turmeric may help with prevention and/or treatment of breast, prostate, esophogeal, oral, skin, and colon cancers. If we focus for a moment on breast cancer, research conducted at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston in 2005 suggested that curcumin may help prevent its spread. Researchers were sufficiently impressed to suggest that it might be worthwhile for women at a high risk of breast cancer due to a family history to take curcumin.

How do I use it?

1) As a supplement
You can take turmeric much as you would any herbal supplement. According to the Livestrong website, the University of Maryland Medical Center says that a standard medicinal dosage of turmeric for adults is 1.5 to 3 grams of cut turmeric root per day, 1 to 3 grams per day of the dried, powdered root, 400 to 600 milligrams of standardized powder in capsule form up to three times per day, 30 to 90 drops of fluid extract per day, or 15 to 30 drops of turmeric tincture up to four times per day. There is no recommended dosage for children, though it is believed they may safely consume small amounts of the herb. If you are considering adding turmeric to your daily supplements, please discuss it with your health care provider.

2) As a tea
Dr. Weil believes that one of the best ways to get the benefits of turmeric is to follow the example set in Okinawa, the island nation with the world's longest average lifespan - cold turmeric tea.

• Bring four cups of water to a boil.
• Add one teaspoon of ground turmeric and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
• Strain the tea through a fine sieve into a cup, add honey and/or lemon to taste.

He suggests adding a teaspoon of ginger along with the turmeric. You can also substitute fresh turmeric at a rate of one inch of fresh root for every teaspoon of dry.
 
3) As a cooking ingredient

One of the easiest ways to give turmeric a try is to simply begin adding it to your diet. Dr. Andrew Weil says that because turmeric's anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects are seen at doses well below "pharmaceutical strength", you could begin by simply adding the spice to your foods.You may be most familiar with turmeric as one of the spices making up Indian curry. But there are certainly other ways to incorporate it into daily cooking. On Saturday I purchased fresh turmeric in its root form at the South China Seas Trading Company at Granville Island and I am itching to get started. So I am in search of recipes!

So far, I am most excited about these ones:
Alice Water's Spicy Cauliflower Soup from Jane Spice

Bobby Flay's Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric and Ginger from the Food Network 

James Oseland's Indonesian Chicken Soup with Noodles and Aromatics from Wednesday's Chef 

Tomato Soup with Lentils from Delicious Days 
Casbah Wings from Food 52

As I try out these recipes, I will post the results on my other website - the river and the sea recipes. And if you have any recipes you would like to share, please send them along! Help me help others fight cancer! If I try them out, I'll post my experience and pictures there as well.

If you are coming up with your own recipes, one point you should remember from the Livestrong website is that turmeric is fat-soluble so it is best absorbed when taken with some form of fat. So, if you want to toss some with cauliflower before roasting it, add some olive oil as well. 

Warnings

High dosages or long-term use of turmeric may cause indigestion, stomach upset or ulcers. If you have gallstones, obstructed bile passages, gastrointestinal disorders or diabetes, or are undergoing chemotherapy, only take turmeric supplements after discussing it with your health care provider because it may worsen these conditions or cause adverse affects in some cases. Women who are pregnant or nursing may eat foods containing turmeric, but should not take supplements. 

Find out more

For more information on turmeric, there are informative articles on Livestrong and on Dr. Andrew Weil's website:  Three Reasons to Eat Turmeric and Turmeric for Breast Cancer Prevention

Cool diversion

Haul out that crockpot and head to A Year of Slowcooking. I first found it when researching yogurt makers. I eat a lot of yogurt, as does my family. Well, via Stephanie's website, I found out how to make it myself without investing in another piece of kitchen equipment. Click here to find out how and then take a tour of her site to find lots of yummy ways to shorten your time in the kitchen.