Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and The... (122 page)

When you sit down to eat a meal it should be a time for pleasure and warmth, family and friends. Food should be enjoyed. Even more importantly, it should also be nourishment that meets all your body's needs. Nothing is more important for the good life than your food supply. In these times our food supply is plentiful, but it lacks quality nourishment.

Chickens and eggs are near the top of the list of staple foods for our modern society. Problem is, most of the eggs and chickens available today are a far cry from the high-quality natural nourishment they used to be—in fact, we consider today's mass-produced eggs and chickens such poor-quality food that we have not consumed a supermarket chicken or egg since we can't remember when. It is precisely because of mass production and chemicalized techniques that the chickens and eggs provided for mainstream America are not fit for human consumption.

Let's start with the egg. The egg from the chicken is considered to be the "most complete" protein source in a single food. In fact, the amino acid complex in eggs is so well proportioned that eggs are used as the reference point for judging the quality of protein in other foods. A good quality egg is particularly high in methionine, an amino acid largely missing from the source of the "staff of life"—grains. Good quality eggs are an excellent source of carotene and vitamin A, thiamin (vitamin B1) and niacin. Eggs are also one of the few viable sources of vitamin D. As for minerals, eggs are an outstanding source of "heme" iron, a most absorbable form, plus calcium and phosphorus and trace minerals. As the ads have stated so well—it's an "incredible, edible egg."

Eggs have been an important part of man's nutrition for a long, long time. Tom Valentine
Search for Health

PARMESAN CUSTARD

Serves 6

4 egg yolks

1½ cup whipping cream

1 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

pinch of cayenne pepper

Beat yolks. Stir in cream, cheese and cayenne. Pour into individual ramekins and place in a pan of hot water. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. This makes a hearty first course during the winter months.

EGGPLANT KIKU

Serves 4-8

2 large eggplants, about 2 pounds total, peeled and cut into ½-inch squares

about 1 tablespoon sea salt

2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced

about 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 eggs

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

juice of 1 lemon

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon saffron threads, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

Kiku is a Persian or Arabic dish that has many variations. It came to Spain during the Moorish invasions where it took the form of the Spanish tortilla or Spanish omelet, with potatoes as a filling.

Mix eggplant cubes with sea salt and leave in a colander to drain for about 1 hour. Rinse well and pat dry. Using a heavy skillet, saute in batches in olive oil until soft. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon and mash up with a potato masher. Saute the onions until golden and add to the eggplant. Beat eggs with salt, pepper, lemon juice and saffron. Stir in the eggplant and onions. Pour into a well-oiled 9-inch by 13-inch pyrex pan and bake about 30 minutes at 375 degrees or until top is browned. Cut into squares or diamonds and serve.

Patients with severe burns are often force-fed huge quantities of whole eggs and egg concentrates as a source of protein to rebuild large areas of lost skin. During this egg therapy, however, there is no significant increase in their serum cholesterol. In one study, volunteers fed 18 eggs per day actually showed reduced levels of cholesterol. Perhaps it is because when you are full of eggs you do not have room for sugar and junk foods—the real culprits in the cholesterol scenario. Eggs are one of the healthiest foods on the planet. They provide protein of the highest quality plus all known vitamins and minerals (except vitamin C). David W. Rowland
Health Naturally

Variation: Zucchini Kiku

Omit the eggplant and use
3 medium zucchini, cut into a julienne
, using the julienne slicer of your food processor. Salt and drain in a colander for ½ hour. Rinse and squeeze dry in a paper towel. Saute about 1 minute in olive oil. Proceed with recipe. You may wish to sprinkle the top of the kiku with 1
cup grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
.

Variation: Spinach Kiku

Omit eggplant and use
2 cups cooked chopped spinach, squeezed dry
mixed with
1 bunch chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon chopped dill
and
2 tablespoons chopped chives
. Mix with the sauteed onions and proceed with recipe. Omit saffron and use
½ teaspoon ground fenugreek
and
½ teaspoon ground cumin
.

The prestigious
New England Journal of Medicine
had a report on eggs and cholesterol. A group of New Guinea natives, whose diet is exceedingly low in cholesterol, were fed eggs to measure the cholesterol-raising effect of eggs. They figured the serum cholesterol levels would be blown off the charts. The eggs had no significant effect on the blood cholesterol.

Another study done by the American Cancer Society revealed that non-egg users had a higher death rate from heart attacks and strokes than egg users. This was a very large (and so convincing) study involving over 800,000 people. William Campbell Douglass, MD
The Milk Book

SPANISH OMELET

Serves 4

3 red potatoes, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced

about 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 eggs

½ teaspoon thyme

sea salt and pepper

Saute the potatoes in olive oil in a cast-iron skillet until golden. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Saute the onions. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with seasonings. Return potatoes to the pan, combine with onions, flatten to make an even layer and pour the egg mixture over the potatoes. Cook about 5 minutes over medium heat, lifting edges occasionally so uncooked top part can run under. Finish by placing under broiler for a minute or two. Cut into wedges and serve.

With all the publicity about eggs and cholesterol causing heart disease, the food industry quickly responded in making a preparation that looked and tasted like eggs. . .one such product was called EGG BEATERS. An experiment was conducted at the Burnsides Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, by Meena Kasmau Navidi and Fred A. Kummerow in which one group of lactating rats was fed exclusively on fresh shell eggs and another on EGG BEATERS. The rats on fresh shell eggs thrived, were perfectly healthy, and grew normally. Those on EGG BEATERS did not grow normally, were stunted, and all died long before reaching maturity. H. Leon Abrams
Vegetarianism: An Anthropological/Nutritional Evaluation

VEGETABLE FRITATA

Serves 4

1 cup broccoli flowerets, steamed until tender and broken into small pieces

1 red pepper, seeded and cut into a julienne

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 eggs

¹
/
₃
cup
piima cream
or
creme fraiche

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

pinch dried oregano

pinch dried rosemary

sea salt and pepper

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

In a cast-iron skillet, saute the pepper and onion in 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil until soft. Remove with a slotted spoon. Beat eggs with cream and seasonings. Stir in broccoli, peppers and onion. Melt the remaining butter and olive oil in the pan and pour in egg mixture. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until underside is golden. Sprinkle cheese on top and place under the broiler for a few minutes until the fritata puffs and browns. Cut into wedges and serve.

Variation: Leek Fritata

Omit broccoli, red pepper and onions and use
4 leeks, well rinsed, dried, sliced
and sauteed in butter and olive oil.

Variation: Zucchini Fritata

Omit broccoli, red pepper and onion and use
3 medium zucchini, cut into a julienne
, using the julienne slicer of a food processor. Salt and drain in a colander for ½ hour. Rinse and squeeze dry with a paper towel. Saute about 1 minute in butter and olive oil. Proceed with recipe.

Recently health authorities have repeatedly issued warnings about the potential health risk of eating raw or insufficiently cooked eggs. The argument is that
Salmonella
(a human pathogen and naturally occurring organism of the gastrointestinal tract of chickens) is showing up in eggs more frequently than ever before and is therefore causing more human infections. Such an explanation falls short of the real truth. Overuse or abuse of antibiotics is the real cause—a problem perpetuated even by those who pretend to provide a solution. . ..

The truth of the matter is that:—Salmonella organisms have
always
been in eggs. To reduce their numbers, egg producers now refrigerate their product as soon after collection as possible. . ..

—Not everyone who eats uncooked eggs gets a
Salmonella
infection, even when the eggs contain
Salmonella.

—The body has a series of natural mechanisms that readily resist
Salmonella
and other intestinal pathogens when properly supported, but which are suppressed by antibiotics.

—The facts that have been reported in recent years concerning how to kill
Salmonella
and other pathogens without antibiotics are credible. Doctors. . .tell us they have yet to encounter an organism that requires a prescription antibiotic to knock it out. In fact, prescription antibiotics tend to hinder the effectiveness of the natural mechanisms. Thus, unless the infection is potentially lethal, antibiotics are more of a hindrance than a help when the doctor is trying to manage the organism using natural means (such as adjusting the body pH upward, eliminating sweets and re-establishing the growth of friendly bacteria in the small intestine). Sam Queen, MA
Health Realities