Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and The... (143 page)

Using a heavy, cast-iron skillet, fry tortillas one at a time on both sides in olive oil or lard until crisp. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in oven. May be broken into "chips."

For years the B vitamins, vitamin E and octocosonal—as well as desiccated liver—have been spotlighted for their contributions to greater endurance in exercises and athletic games. And they deserve the spotlight. However, there's still another helpful nutrient for endurance that, until now, has escaped attention: magnesium. Two experiments at the University of California at Davis reveal that a magnesium deficiency lessens the ability to endure long periods of exercising

Foods richest in this mineral are blackstrap molasses, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, almonds, soybeans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, soy lecithin, hazelnuts, pecans, oats, walnuts, brown rice, chard, spinach, barley, salmon, corn, avocados and bananas.

Roughly 50 percent of magnesium in foods is absorbed.

It is well to remember that magnesium and calcium are removed from soft water, a good reason to drink bottled water with a high-mineral content. James F. Scheer
Health Freedom News

ROUND CROUTONS

Makes about 1 dozen

½ loaf good quality commercial or homemade sourdough whole grain baguette

6 tablespoons melted butter

Slice loaf at ¼ inch intervals. Using a cookie cutter, cut a round from each slice. (Save crusts for making bread crumbs.) Brush with butter. Bake at 250 degrees about 1 hour, until crisp.

Recent, preliminary evidence. . .suggests that partially rancid fats, rather than animal fat per se, may be one of the real villains responsible for atherosclerosis. Sources of stale fats include products such as bread, crackers, pastries and commercial cereals made from stored, processed flour. Granville Knight
Introduction to Nutrition and Physical Degeneration

TRIANGLE CROUTONS

Makes 1 dozen

6 slices sprouted or sourdough whole grain sandwich bread

6 tablespoons melted butter

Trim crusts off bread (save for making bread crumbs) and cut slices in half on the diagonal to form two triangles. Brush with melted butter and bake at 250 degrees for about 1 hour until crisp.

SALAD CROUTONS

Makes about 2 cups

3 slices sprouted or sourdough whole grain sandwich bread

6 tablespoons melted butter

1 clove garlic, mashed (optional)

1 teaspoon fine herbs (optional)

¼ teaspoon paprika (optional)

Trim crusts off bread. (Save for making bread crumbs.) Mix optional garlic, herbs and paprika with melted butter. Brush on both sides of bread. Bake at 250 degrees for about 1 hour, turning once, until toasts are crisp. Allow to cool slightly and cut into small cubes.

PITA CHIPS

Makes 48

6 whole wheat pita breads

½ cup butter, melted

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

grated rind of 1 lemon (optional)

1 mashed garlic clove (optional)

Cut pita breads across center into quarters. Open up and place pieces, inside part up, on cookie sheets. Mix remaining ingredients and brush on pita pieces. Place under broiler for a few minutes until lightly browned, or bake in a 250-degree oven for several hours until crisp.

POPCORN

Makes 8 cups

¼ cup popcorn

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

¼-½ cup melted butter or coconut oil (See
Sources
), or a mixture

Popcorn is a nutritious snack enjoyed by young and old; but remember that it is prepared without the all important soaking or fermenting process, so don't overdo. Note: An electric popcorn popper is a good investment that makes popcorn-making fun and easy for children.

Place olive oil and corn in a large, heavy skillet. Cover tightly and cook over a medium flame, shaking constantly until popping starts. Lower heat slightly and cook, shaking, until popping dies away. (If using a popper, place olive oil and corn in the popper and proceed according to instructions.) Transfer popcorn to a large bowl. Dribble on melted butter or coconut oil or the mixture and shake on sea salt. Mix well and serve.

Variation: Cheese Popcorn

Add
¼-½ cup finely powdered Parmesan cheese
to melted butter or coconut oil, or the mixtue.

Variation: Sweet Popcorn

Add
½ cup maple syrup
to melted butter or coconut oil, or the mixture. Omit salt.

There are still those diehards who insist that a candy bar or a couple teaspoons of sugar in the tea will charge you up with more energy than anything else. Well, 'tain't so!

That's the word from Robert E. Thayer, Ph.D., psychologist at California State University, Long Beach, who ought to know because he conducted an experiment comparing energy generated from a candy-bar fix with ten minutes of brisk walking.

His finding? That rushing to the vending machine on a ten-minute break gives you a greater boost for sagging energy than a chocolate bar.

Thayer's test, involving 18 students over 12 days, compared energy levels from the exercise and from the candy bar without the exercise. Invariably the students felt greater energy at intervals of 20 minutes, one hour and two hours from the exercise than from the candy.

The energy boost from the candy bar lasted little more than 20 minutes and dropped off fast within two hours. Tension and stress usually mounted after the candy and decreased after the ten-minute walk.

So the next time you're tempted to reach for a sweet to beat fatigue, don't. Instead, go take a hike! James F. Scheer
Health Freedom News

CELERY WITH NUT BUTTER

Serves 4

several large stalks celery

½ cup nut butter made from cashews or peanuts (
peanut butter
)

¼ cup
dried sweetened coconut meat
or commercial unsweetened coconut meat

Wash celery well and cut into 3-inch lengths. Fill hollow with nut butter and sprinkle with coconut meat.

APPLE SLICES

Serves 4

2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices

juice of 2 oranges

Dip each slice of apple in the orange juice and arrange on a serving plate. The orange juice keeps the slices from turning brown and combines well with the flavor of apple.

Patricia Hardman, Ph.D., Director of Woodland Hall Academy, a school for children with hyperactivity and learning disabilities in Maitland, Florida, says, "We can change a child's behavior dramatically by lowering his or her intake of sugar. If a child comes to school extremely depressed or complains that nothing is going right, or if he flies off the handle and can't be controlled, we ask him what he's been eating. It's almost always the case that the night before he had ice cream or soda or some other food with a lot of sugar."

"We had one child who was tested for his I.Q. and scored 140. Three days later he was tested and scored 100! It turned out that grandma had come for a visit and, that morning, had made the child pancakes for breakfast. Of course, they were smothered in store-bought sugary syrup. We waited another three days without sugar and tested him again. Sure enough, he scored 140. There's no doubt about it. Sugar makes children poor learners. At Woodland Hall, sugar is eliminated from the diet of every child." Gaynelle D'Arco
Health Freedom News

CAROB-BANANA DELIGHTS

Serves 8

4 bananas

toothpicks

1 cup warm
carob sauce

½ cup finely chopped
crispy pecans

Slice bananas and stick a toothpick in each. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper, place slices on it and freeze. Remove from freezer. Holding toothpick, dip each slice in carob sauce and then into the nuts. Place again on waxed paper, cover and freeze again.

PIZZA

Makes 2 10-inch pizzas

1 recipe
yoghurt dough

2 cups
chunky tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs

3 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Roll out yoghurt dough and line two 10-inch, French-style tart pans. Prick well with a fork and partially bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, process tomato sauce in food processor until smooth. Stir in Italian herbs. Spread tomato sauce thinly on pizzas and top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about ½ hour until crust fully cooks and cheese is melted.

Variations:

Add any of the following toppings to basic pizza:

sliced green peppers

sliced onion

anchovy pieces

cooked
turkey sausage

cooked
lamb sausage

broccoli pieces

fresh tomato slices

sauteed mushrooms