Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and The... (113 page)

Mary Jo's Spinach
Serves 6

2 bunches fresh spinach

3 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, peeled and mashed

1 tablespoon
crispy pine nuts

1 tablespoon sun dried tomato flakes (See
Sources
), optional

Steam spinach as described above. Melt butter with garlic, pine nuts and optional tomato flakes. Pour over spinach and mix slightly.

Spinach is the queen of the dark green leafy vegetables, the least bitter and most tender. The first record we have of spinach occurs in the year 647, when the king of Nepal sent a gift of spinach to the emperor of China. It was introduced into England in the middle of the 1500's.

Spinach is exceptionally high in carotenoids and vitamin C. It contains calcium and iron but scientists now believe that the form of iron, contained in spinach is one that is not easily absorbed. Spinach also contains oxalic acid that can prevent calcium absorption. Oxalic acid is neutralized during cooking; so while cooked spinach can be eaten regularly, spinach salads should be eaten only on occasion.

Both the chlorophyll and carotenoids found so abundantly in spinach are potent cancer blockers. Japanese studies also indicate that spinach lowers blood cholesterol in laboratory animals. New research indicates that spinach is effective in preventing macular degeneration of the eye, possibly due to high amounts of glutathione in spinach.

Spinach is now available at almost any time of the year. Many times you can buy it prewashed in sealed plastic bags. Do take advantage of the wonderful things that the modern age has made available to one and all and eat spinach regularly. SWF

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms
Serves 8

1 cup cooked
spinach

8 large mushrooms

1 bunch green onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

sea salt and pepper

Chop cooked spinach, place in a strainer and press out liquid. Meanwhile, wash mushrooms and remove stems. Chop stems finely and saute with onions in butter and olive oil until tender. Add the spinach and cook another minute or so, mixing well, until all moisture is evaporated. Add nutmeg and season to taste. Fill the hollow of each mushroom with a spoonful of stuffing and place in a buttered glass pan. They may be prepared in advance to this point. To cook, add ¼ inch water to the pan, place in a 350-degree oven and bake for about 20 minutes. This is a delicious and elegant accompaniment to beef.

Despite proof to the contrary, many doctors still cling to the germ theory of disease and to the necessity of drugs to combat germs. They point out that smallpox, diphtheria, typhoid fever and pneumonia have been conquered. That is true; no one can quarrel with them on that score. But such major chronic disorders as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, nephrosis and hepatitis have increased eightfold. Scientific medicine, while suppressing deadly infectious diseases by the use of modern drugs, antibiotics and immunizations, has not been able to reduce the killing power of another equally frightening set of diseases.

Instead of blindly following Pasteur (as so many medical men have done) I asked myself: Is invasion of the tissues from without—by bacteria and viruses—the only way by which human tissues are injured? Can disease come from other means? Shouldn't man's constitutional and environmental conditions also be considered? Hasn't the time come to expand our notions of illness and treatment beyond Pasteur's bacterial infection theory? Can it be possible that germs are merely a concomitant of disease, present in all of us but able to multiply in a sick individual because of disturbed function?

In seeking answers to these questions, I left Pasteur and his tiny organisms and went off on another road. . .. I came to the conclusion that germs do not initiate a diseased state of the body but appear later after a person becomes ill. Henry Bieler, MD
Food Is Your Best Medicine

Spinach Timbales
Serves 6

2 large bunches spinach

4 tablespoons butter, softened

4 tablespoons
piima cream
or
creme fraiche

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 medium onion, very finely chopped

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

sea salt and pepper

Steam spinach as described in basic recipe (
spinach
). Squeeze liquid out thoroughly and place in food processor. Pulse a few times until well chopped. Combine with other ingredients and season to taste. Pour into six conical timbale molds that have been well buttered or oiled. Place in a pan of hot water and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Loosen timbales with a knife and turn them onto a warmed platter or individual plates.

There's probably no vegetable with a higher betacarotene content than the sweet potato. This is the betacarotene that protects us against cancer, colds, infections and other diseases. The carotene content of sweet potatoes actually increases as the vegetable is stored throughout the winter. But remember that our bodies can only convert carotene to vitamin A in the presence of bile salts. That's why it's so important to eat sweet potatoes with butter, egg yolks or cream. These fats stimulate the secretion of bile and help the body to convert carotenes to all-important vitamin A. These wonderful fats also make sweet potatoes taste delicious.

The sweet potato is a good source of iron, potassium, niacin and vitamin C. It contains fiber and is very rich in vitamin B
₆
, a vitamin that is highly protective against heart disease. Last but not least, the sweet potato is rich in magnesium, another nutrient that protects against heart disease. SWF

SWEET POTATOES

Prick whole sweet potatoes in a few places with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1½ hours or until soft. Cut open and mash the flesh with butter and salt.

Sweet Potato Dollars
Serves 4

3-4 sweet potatoes

3 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

Peel potatoes and slice crosswise at ¼-inch intervals into "dollars." Brush two cookie sheets with mixture of butter and olive oil. Arrange the dollars in one layer and brush with the remaining butter and oil. Season lightly with sea salt. Bake about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

It is very wise, when one eats grilled fish or meats, to eat them with whole grains or vegetables, as these provide natural antidotes to carcinogenic substances formed during grilling. Claude Aubert
Dis-Moi Comment Tu Cuisines

Sweet Potato Puree
Serves 6

4 large sweet potatoes

grated rind of two lemons

juice of two lemons

½ cup butter, softened

2 egg yolks

½ teaspoon sea salt

Tart lemon peel is a great foil for the sweetness of sweet potatoes. Boil potatoes in water until tender. Hold potatoes with a pot holder and peel potatoes while they are still hot. Place them in the bowl, mash and mix with butter, lemon rind, lemon juice, egg yolks and sea salt. Transfer mixture to a buttered ovenproof casserole and bake in a 350-degree oven for about ½ hour.

Sweet Potato Pancakes
Serves 4-6

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and grated

1 large potato, unpeeled, washed and grated

2 tablespoons whey
Whey and Cream Cheese
or lemon juice

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 medium onion, minced

1 small carrot, grated

3 eggs, lightly beaten

4 tablespoons spelt or unbleached white flour

pinch of nutmeg

sea salt and pepper

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Soak grated potato in water plus whey or lemon juice and salt for several hours or overnight. Drain and squeeze dry in a tea towel. Mix eggs with flour and nutmeg and season to taste. Stir in grated vegetables. Use a
¹
/
₃
-cup measure to scoop out batter. Saute until golden on both sides in butter and olive oil.

Variation:

Add
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
to batter. Omit nutmeg.