Here are some of our favorites. Look for more later this week!
Hot apple cider * Serve with a cinnamon stick, or make with mulling spices (often available from the bulk spice section of your health food store).
Hot cocoa * Make it with a non-dairy milk (rice, soy, almond, oat, coconut). Or make it easy and heat up some chocolate Almond Breeze. It’s a member favorite.
Soy eggnog * Soy Dream and Silk both make good eggnogs. Brandy or rum optional.
Pumpkin smoothie * Make it with soy eggnog for extra richness; serve warm or cold.
Mulled wine * Gently heat your favorite red wine with mulling spices.
Coffee chai * Over medium-low heat, simmer 4 cups rice or soy milk, 1 Tablespoon instant decaf coffee, 1/8 cup Sucanat®, 3 cinnamon sticks, 6 cardamom pods, 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice. Turn off the heat and let steep for 20-30 minutes. Strain through a clean sieve. Serve hot or cold, with cinnamon stick stirrers. Serves 4.
We were excited to find organic cauliflower at our store last week for almost half the price of commercial cauliflower. We stocked up and served it several ways throughout the week. This Indian-spiced dish was one of our favorites. It’s really pretty served on a platter, too.
The recipe calls for ground cumin seeds. You can purchase ground cumin, or grind the seeds yourself in a spice (aka coffee) grinder. Just keep the grinder reserved for seeds and spices (no coffee beans!). Clean it out by whizzing a slice of fresh bread, torn into several pieces.
If you don’t like spicy-hot food, reduce the red pepper flakes by half.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Peppers Green * Serves 4
4 Tablespoons freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or use tamari or low-sodium soy sauce)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 organic cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored and separated into florets
1 large organic red bell pepper, halved, seeded, and sliced into 1-inch strips
1 large organic yellow bell pepper, halved, seeded, and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/2 cup fresh organic cilantro leaves
Preheat the oven to 450F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, Bragg’s, salt, ground cumin, coriander, and red pepper flakes.
Add the cauliflower florets and bell pepper strips, and toss well.
In a large baking dish, spread out the vegetables and roast for 45 minutes, or until well browned, stirring every 15 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish, garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, and serve.
Be generous this holiday season. There are people hurting all over the world, and in our own communities. Whatever your favorite cause, wherever you want to help, do your part. Give what you can.
If you want to check out a charitable organization, check their website, and also look at Charity Navigator to verify that they’re spending contributions wisely. There’s also other good information about making charitable contributions on that site.
Most of us are already in full holiday mode – attending parties and entertaining, going to concerts and school events, baking and cooking, shopping and wrapping, decorating, mailing… and it goes on.
If you don’t have a plan for the next three weeks – from today right on through New Year’s Day – then sit down and make one today. Use your family calendar as the starting point. Include all the tasks you need to get done, and your deadline for them. Remember to get to the post office or package shipping place at least a week before you want things to arrive. Get your online shopping finished in the next few days. Get going on that baking, especially if you’re giving baked goods as gifts.
The key to happy holidays is organization and planning.
The fragrances of the holidays are our favorites – cinnamon, evergreens, vanilla, bayberry.
Avoid all the fragrance sprays and plug in things. They add more chemicals to the air than scent. Not good. Instead try one of the suggestions below – or share your own ideas.
Use reed diffusers to add a light scent to your home. You can change the oil for different seasons. When you want a punch of scent, turn the reeds upside down in the bottle.
Candles are decorative as well as just smelling good. We like soy candles with plain wicks because they don’t add extra toxins to the air. Be sure to keep candles on a non-flammable surface. Stay in the same room as burning candles, and extinguish them before you go to bed or leave the house.
Potpourri is also decorative – many of the seasonal blends have pinecones and berries and evergreen branches in them. Don’t use potpourri if you have young children or pets who might want to eat it. Find one of those crystal bowls you got for a wedding gift, or inherited from a relative, and use it for potpourri.
What else do you use to scent your home for the holidays?
Buy some free weights – 2, 3 and 5 pounds, or 3, 5 and 8 pounds to start. Then start weight training.
Don’t know what exercises to do? Pick up a fitness magazine and look for a beginner routine.
Weight training prevents bone loss, improves balance, boosts metabolism and tones your body. Just 30 minutes a day of weight training cuts your risk of cardiovascular disease by over 20 percent.
Holidays bring out the traditional recipes. Plan ahead for healthier versions of your family’s favorites. Here’s something that brings back all kinds of memories of grandma’s table.
To make soft bread crumbs, just tear up a few slices of whole-grain bread and whiz them in a food processor or blender. If you make extra, they store well in the freezer for the next time you need them.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Scalloped Corn Yellow * Serves 4-6
1 Tablespoon light olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, finely diced
2 medium firm ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 Tablespoons unbleached white flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika
A few grains cayenne pepper
1 cup rice milk
3 cups cooked fresh corn kernels (from 3 to 4 ears), or thawed frozen kernels
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon non-hydrogenated margarine, melted
1 cup soft whole grain bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until it is golden. Add the bell pepper and tomatoes and continue to sauté just until they soften. Meanwhile, pat the corn kernels dry between a few layers of paper towels.
Sprinkle in the flour, paprika, and cayenne, stirring them in until well blended. Pour the rice milk in slowly, stirring continuously. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the corn and simmer for another minute or so. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture into an oiled shallow oblong baking pan. Quickly toss the melted margarine with the bread crumbs until evenly coated and distribute the crumbs over the corn mixture. Bake for 25 minutes or until the crumbs begin to turn crusty. Serve at once.
The 60 Minutes segment on Memory is expected to air Sunday, December 19 on CBS. Marilu is one of only a handful of people in the world with a very specific memory. Find out what she’s doing to help researchers learn more about how memory works. 60 Minutes airs at 7 PM/6 PM central, but it follows a football game, so if you’re setting your DVR, make sure it goes long – maybe an extra hour!)
Marilu will be judging the Miss America contest on Saturday, January 15, 2011 on ABC. The contest starts several days before that, so Marilu will be busy in Las Vegas with all the preliminary events. Other judges will be Joy Behar (comedian/talk show host, The View), Tony Dovolani (ballroom dancer, Dancing with the Stars), Dr. Debbie Turner Bell (former Miss America/veterinarian), Marc Cherry (creator/executive producer, Desperate Housewives), Taryn Rose (orthopedic surgeon/shoe designer), and Mark Wills (country music artist). Read the press release.
Marilu is the guest on Fran Drescher’s new “Tawk” Show today. The show is airing on local FOX stations in six major markets – New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Minneapolis, and Orlando. Check your local listings for the air time. Don’t miss it!
