Natural Food

When holiday parties and gatherings fill your calendar, all the heavy dishes can leave you battling holiday weight gain. For a lighter twist on your traditional favorites, try serving up these tasty dishes. Trimmed Spinach Dip Try this lower fat version of your favorite spinach dip. By using nonfat yogurt instead of mayonnaise, and vegetables instead of chips, crackers or bread, you can reduce the …

The Tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa) goes in salsa or sauce by many names, including Mexican Green Tomato, Tomato Verde, Tomato de Bolsa, and Mexican Husk Tomato, and is the celebrity star of Mexican Salsa. Among the edible species of Physalis plants like Ground Cherry and Cape Gooseberry, they are enclosed in papery wrappings that look like Oriental lampshades. This dry, web-like parchment is easily peeled off …

Sweet Spots Expect to pay at least a dollar a pound more for natural and organic sugars. Here are the most common brands: Billington’s all-natural muscovados come from eco-friendly factories on the isle of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean. Wholesome Sweeteners, a subsidiary of Billington’s, sells organic milled golden cane and powdered sugars from Central America. India Tree sells Demerara, muscovado, and golden cane sugars …

The next time you’re craving a fatty fast food burger, give these salmon patties a whirl instead. The fat in salmon is largely in the form of heart-healthy omega-3s. Plus, salmon is a great source of folate, vitamin B12, niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin. But you won’t be thinking of how healthy salmon is when you eat it — you’ll be too busy savoring every bite …

I defy winter behind the tomato soup cans in my pantry. The sprouts hidden away in my kitchen are full of life even when cold weather brings my vegetable garden to a halt. Grown indoors, at room temperature, in the dark, sprouts grow no matter what winter brings. Sprouts, edible seedlings, are usually grown from grain, vegetable or legume seeds. The sprouts found in grocery …

Basil is an especially easy annual herb plant to grow. Look for seed to sow in the vegetable garden or perennial bed next spring. Although it does not reseed in my yard it’s worth the effort to purchase seed every year. There are oodles of varieties available. In a copy of Shepherd’s 2012 Garden Seed Catalog there are lettuce leaf, broadleaf, purple opal, anise, lemon, …

Today, the daily life of the Indians in the highlands of Peru and some other neighboring countries (such as North Chile, Bolivia, South Colombia and Ecuador) has remained very much the same through the centuries. “As far as traditional diet, the Inca heritage is still evident today”, says our friend. The highland Indians’ diet still consists largely of the nutritious combination of potatoes, beans, corn, …

We have all heard from the experts and doctors about the benefits of a vegetarian diet. These interviews are an opportunity to connect with vegetarians who could be our neighbors, our friends, our family and discover the underlying unity amongst the diverse range of human personalities. One of the pleasures of writing for a great website like planetveggie.com is getting out and talking with a …

Ingredients: 6 cucumbers ½ head cauliflower, steamed & chilled (½ cup pulp) ¼ cup diced yellow onions 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup unsweetened soy milk 1½ cups chopped tomatoes ¾ cups cooked black beans ½ cup escarole or kale ¼ cup chopped celery ¼ cup sliced carrots 2 tsp chopped fresh dill 2 tsp chopped fresh basil ½ tsp seasalt ½ tsp …

Sesame seeds contain a lot of fat, but no cholesterol. The aromatic oil of sesame is expressed and used in many Eastern dishes. Its essential fatty acids are beneficial because it helps solve the common problem of dry skin. Sesame oil is often added to food at the end of cooking. The scientific name Sesamum indicum, lets us know that sesame came from India. It …

I think some of us vegetarians have a crusading mentality. We want to enlighten everyone on the benefits of living a vegetarian lifestyle. It is an opportunity that we find simply irresistible. I have invited an assortment of people to my home for dinner just to try and influence their palates. There are, however, some things to keep in mind if you want to be …

If you are wondering whether eating rice is healthy not just for your body but for the environment too, don’t feel guilty. The production of rice enhances the environment if done properly. Each year, in the US, about 3 million acres of rice are produced. The cultivated fields supply valuable habitat for all types of animals ranging from reptiles to birds to mammals. The US …