(November 8, 2013 NOTE: This blog post has been significantly updated since originally posted. You might want to also see these related blog posts: Holiday Baking- Does Your Choice of Flour Really Matter? Gluten-Free Update January 2012 Including Apps Gluten-Free Update Potpourri Gluten Free Update June 2012 November 2012 Potpourri: Gluten; Diabetes; 2013 Women’s Heart Health ) The holidays are exciting and everyone looks forward to them, although if you need to follow a special diet, it may be a bit disconcerting to think about how to handle a wide range of holiday situations. How do you deal with invitations to
Category: Thanksgiving
Good-for-you Qualities of Spices and Herbs
When it comes to spices & also herbs, potency is everything! As a rule, the higher the potency of the spice, the higher the price it can command in the marketplace among knowledgeable commodity buyers. Think of aromatherapy and how you can have an immediate change of mood when affected positively by soothing aromatherapy. Well, potency of spices can also provide an element of satisfaction with a much smaller ingestion of an actual food item–thus you get more bang for your calorie buck. Another way in which good-for-you qualities of spices & herbs can be measured might
Zucchini-Broccoli Soup
You’ll enjoy the fresh taste of this classic soup. You can adjust the amount of extra virgin olive oil & lemon juice to taste and don’t hesitate to add more broth if need be to reach a desired consistency (the water content of zucchini can vary quite a bit). I really do prefer freshly ground white pepper in this recipe.
Whole Food Focus Thanksgiving Preparations
Many people are considering the merits of a Whole Food focus basis for planning their upcoming Thanksgiving meal. Of course, the most important aspect of Thanksgiving is truly the opportunity give thanks for the blessings in our lives and to share that sentiment while being able to spend time with family and friends, so any food choices should enhance that overall experience. Memories of Thanksgivings past are connected to our emotional perceptions of those times, so there are sounds, sights, smells/aromas, tastes, textures that all contributed to the sensory perceptions we have locked in our memory banks of those special
Green Beans with Almonds and Rosemary
Sometimes called Green Beans Almondine, this is a classic vegetable side dish that has increased herb pungency and added punch to it with the inclusion of some fresh or dried rosemary sprigs. (Image of 1# of steamed green beans/haricots verts courtesy of webmaster ©2011).
Thanksgiving Menu Ideas
Our neighbors to the North in Canada already had their Thanksgiving celebration around the time of Columbus Day activities here in the USA. In the states, we’re now looking forward to celebrating our Thanksgiving time with family and friends this November. I don’t think it’s too soon to start planning ahead for that celebration. Read on for some suggestions if you want to get a head start on your planning for this year.
Savory Cheese Rolls
I use the Red Star Yeast Savory Cheese Rolls recipe. This is a batter dough method yeast roll recipe, so requires NO kneading! Once the dough has risen in the bowl, you beat it down, fill muffin cups, allow the dough to rise again, then simply bake it off. If for some reason you don’t like celery seed, but do like fennel seed, then you could probably add 1 tsp dried Herbs de Provence to this roll recipe in place of the celery seed if desired (and IF you aren’t making a bread stuffing recipe as well for the Thanksgiving Holiday–bread stuffing
Herb & Spice “Holiday Check-Up”
A blog reader sent in an email and asked, “How can I tell if I need to replace any herbs and spices before I start doing more cooking and baking during the holidays?” So I thought just in case anyone else would like to do an herb and spice “holiday check-up” of their collection, I’d offer some suggestions to help anyone do just that to make the most of any holiday cooking and baking efforts. Time to especially use your senses of sight, smell and taste!
Silky Smooth Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie or pumpkin custard is a classic ending to a holiday meal. The perceived textures of the pumpkin pie or custard as well as its perceived flavor profile can vary enormously from recipe to recipe. Several factors beyond whether the pie or pumpkin custard is served warm or cold will influence those sensory perceptions. The actual pumpkin source used, whether or not there is any grated carrot, etc. in the recipe, the ingredient choices creating the custard filling, as well as the specific spice choices made including the age and pungency of any ground spices used will all affect the
Fat Substitutions For Holiday Baking (pdf “Free Gift” download)
At our Facebook listing, there’s now a “Free Gift” option you can click on. It is located in the left hand column. Look for the grey box with a white “star” in it that says “Free Gift” and you’ll find it is waiting for you. The “Free Gift” is available to anyone who has chosen to press the “LIKE” button for the Sensory Nutrition page on Facebook.