The Linings of Cans

Hello all!
My friend Marina James-Galvin, who is an exceptional personal trainer as well as a nutritionist, sent me a link to a news story that I know you will find interesting. I have always purchased Eden brands because they have never used this lining. I'm sure there are other brands who don't either and if anyone knows of them, we would all love the brand names.
Here is is. In good health,
Patty
Here is the link; just cut and paste into your browser

http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=4993610&version=4&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

Russell's Asparagus

Hello everyone,
My son Russell who is 21 years old, is in college studying nutrition and is also a budding chef. For Olivia and David's party which I mentioned last post, Russell made a simple and elegant dish that everyone loved. He washed asparagus and lightly peeled the stems. He then very lightly oiled a baking sheet with olive oil, placed the asparagus in a single layer on the pan and put it in the middle of the oven about 8" from the preheated broiler. He broiled the asparagus for about 5-6 minutes, turning once. Next, Russell took them out and wrapped 3-4 pieces of asparagus with 2 slices of proscuitto. He then drizzled the bundles with a bit of olive oil and placed them back under the broiler for just a couple minutes. He took them out, placed them on a platter with some olives (use Kalamata olives if you can ) and sprinkled them with freshly ground pepper. Yum!!
They were a big hit.
For all you other parents out there, get your kids in the kitchen with you. They love to help out and learning to cook is an important life skill. Have fun...
In good health,
Patty

Wild Rice Salad

Hello everyone,
My daughter Olivia and her boyfriend David made this wonderful salad at a party they hosted for friends and family at my school the day before Thanksgiving (its handy having a cooking school in the family!). It was wonderful and would be great to serve for family and guests this holiday season or anytime for that matter. It is a beautiful dish as well.
I have the recipe posted on the web site. Be sure to try it. Let me give you one tip about cooking wild rice, which by the way is not a rice at all, but is a grass. I wash the wild rice and place it in a pot and add quite a bit of water. I let it come to a boil and then simmer for any where from 40-50 minutes. I taste it at about 35 minutes to see if its how I like it and when its done, I drain out the excess water. Piece of cake. Now, you can't do this will "real" rice, but this process is fine for wild rice. There is one other thing, being her mother's daughter Olivia naturally changed the recipe. She found it in an old Gourmet magazine article and left out the carrots as she thought they would add a sweetness she didn't want. She left out the yellow bell pepper as she couldn't find it, left out the tomatoes as they aren't in season, replaced the raisins with dried cranberries, and replaced the vegetable oil with olive oil, naturally. Whew! If you like you can go to Epicurious and look up the original recipe, but the one in my recipe section has Olivia and David's changes. By the way David and Olivia cook well together. They both have a natural ease in the kitchen (David's Mom is baker) and they are intuitive cooks.
Bon apetite!
Patty

Dr. Annemarie Colbin

Hello everyone!
One more incredible woman I would like to introduce you to; Dr. Annemarie Colbin. I have written about Annemarie before if you read my blog often. Annemarie started The Natural Gourmet Cooking School in New York 30 years ago when no one was putting natural and gourmet in the same sentence. She is the author of Food and Healing and The Book of Whole Meals. She is currently working on an updated version of Food and Our Bones. Be sure to pick up one of her books.
She has always been most gracious to me. I emailed her out of the blue a few years ago and she most kindly agreed to meet with me. Bascially I just wanted to meet her but she gladly gave me advice and encouragement. I think of Annemarie as a friend and am always so pleased to see her and have lunch while in New York. I also had the good fortune to attend one of her classes at The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and the Culinary Arts (its new name) and she is an excellent teacher. If you are ever in New York, be sure to attend one of her classes.
In good health,
Patty

Lorna Saas

Hi all!
I find that I am getting bolder as year's go by. If there is someone I respect and want to meet, I simply find out how to reach them, then generally I send an email and wait for a response. I have had one of Lorna Saas' cookbooks for many years and have suggested to many students to purchase it as an excellent reference for how to cook grains and beans. Well I found out that Lorna lived in the upper west side of New York where I was staying, so I emailed her to ask if we could meet. She not only said she would love to meet me as well, she invited me to her home. We had tea and chatted about many things. Lorna is a warm and lovely person and writes excellent cookbooks. Pick whichever one speaks to you; she has many and they are all great!
In good health,
Patty

New York and Anna Lappe

Hello everyone,
I had a great time in New York earlier this month visiting with old friends and meeting new friends. As always I enjoyed teaching the interns at The Clinton Foundation in Harlem.
I want to tell you about an amazing young woman, Anna Lappe (I wish I could figure out how to put the ' above the e on Lappe.) Anna is co-founder of the Small Planet Institue which "supports grass roots changemakers around the world addressing root causes of hunger and poverty." She is also the author of two very well received books. The first is Hope's Edge, coauthored with her mother Frances Moore Lappe, which chronicles social movements around the world. Her latest book is Grub, an expose (there is that ' above the e again; someone help me with this!) about the fake food lining our supermarket shelves and how to make reasonable changes to make our bodies and world healthier. It is full of wonderful recipes and even great music suggestions. Anna has co-authored this book with her friend Bryant Terry. It's a lively book and one which I'm sure you'll enjoy reading.
More to follow!
Patty