By Jasmin Schellenberg–
HEALTHY SNACKS AND WHY
Bob’s Red Mill Herbed Gluten-Free Corn Polenta Triangles
Ingredients
2 cups freshly ground organic cornmeal (Bob’s Red Mill)
1 cup lime water
4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 cups chicken broth or water
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons pork lard or beef tallow for frying
Method
Soak cornmeal in lime water for about seven hours. Add vinegar, cover, and leave in a warm place at least 12 hours. Bring chicken stock or water and salt to a boil. Slowly add soaked cornmeal, stirring constantly with a whisk. Lower heat and continue stirring for another 15 to 30 minutes until liquid is reduced and polenta is so thick it comes away from the sides of the pan. Stir in additional ingredients and pour into a greased 9-inch by 13-inch Pyrex dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for about one hour.
Cut chilled polenta into triangles and sauté in lard. For a great snack you can also add cheese on to or mixed in and eat them cold or hot. Keeps well for 10 days in fridge.
NUTRIENT DENSE MEAL
Braised Beef Short Ribs (Serves 6-8)
Ingredients
5 pounds (3-inch thick cut) bone-in beef short ribs
1 bunch rosemary, chopped
1 bunch fresh thyme, chopped
1 bunch sage leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons Celtic Sea salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 (750-ml) dry red wine
olive oil, for searing ribs
1 yellow onion, medium dice
2 ribs celery, medium dice
2 carrots, peeled and medium dice
3 cloves garlic
4 quarts beef stock
3 bay leaves
Method
Rub the ribs with herbs, salt, and pepper. Place in a large ceramic or glass bowl and cover with wine. Marinate for 12 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove ribs from marinade, pour all the wine into a saucepan, and reduce by half. Heat a layer of tallow, lard, or olive oil in a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Sear ribs on all sides until well browned. Place browned ribs into a braising or deep roasting pan. Brown onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in the same cast iron pan, adding more fat/oil as needed. Scatter browned vegetables over the ribs. Add the reduced wine, stock, and bay leaves. Cover the pan with a lid or with parchment paper and foil and place in the oven for five hours. Transfer from the oven and allow the ribs to rest for one hour. Remove vegetables from the pan and set aside. While ribs are resting, strain sauce into a sauce pot and reduce for one hour. Pour hot sauce over ribs and vegetables and serve. (Serve ribs with bone in.)
MYTHS UNVEILED
Treat your family with healthy Christmas baking this season. Use butter and, whenever possible, choose organic ingredients.
Why Butter is Better
Vitamins: Butter is a rich source of easily absorbed vitamin A, needed for a wide range of functions from maintaining good vision to keeping the endocrine system in top shape. Butter also contains all other fat-soluble vitamins D, E, and K2, which are often lacking in the modern industrial diet.
Minerals: Butter is rich in important trace minerals, including manganese, chromium, zinc, copper, and selenium (a powerful antioxidant). Butter provides more selenium per gram than wheat germ or herring. Butter is also an excellent source of iodine.
Fatty Acid: Butter provides appreciable amounts of short and medium-chain fatty acids, which support immune function, boost metabolism, and have anti-microbial properties; that is, they fight against pathogenic microorganisms in the intestinal tract. Butter also provides the perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Arachidonic acid in butter is important for brain function, skin health, and prostaglandin balance.
CLA: When butter comes from cows eating green grass, it contains high levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a compound that gives excellent protection against cancer and also helps the body build muscle rather than store fat.
Glycospingolipids: These are a special category of fatty acids that protect against gastro-intestinal infections, especially in the very young and elderly. Children given reduced fat milks have higher rates of diarrhea than those who drink whole milk.
Cholesterol: Despite all of the misinformation you may have heard, cholesterol is needed to maintain intestinal health and for brain and nervous system development in the young.
Wulzen Factor: A hormone-like substance that prevents arthritis and joint stiffness, ensuring that calcium in the body is put into bones rather than the joints and other tissues. The Wulzen factor is present only in raw butter and cream; it is destroyed when pasteurized.
Find more about butter at www.westonaprice.org.
A WALK THROUGH YOUR PANTRY:
GET RID OF: Margarine, shortenings, and spreads. All highly processed, the high amount of trans-fats contributes to heart disease, cancer, bone problems, hormonal imbalance, skin diseases, infertility, difficulties in pregnancy, and problems with lactation. They are loaded with free radicals. Synthetic vitamins and numerous additives and preservatives are added—not good. See consequences above.
REPLACE WITH: Butter, organic if possible.
Brought to you by Jasmin Schellenberg
Inspired by and resourced from www.westonaprice.org. For “Nourishing our Children” newsletters of the past visit www.thegreengazette.ca.
