Supplements Needed

I was happy to receive this report from the UK nutrition group I belong to because I have been fighting the ignorance of the cancer industry for a long time over this issue.

I'd bet it would be a lot better to give chemo patients vitamins than the chips and candy handed out at a Spokane regional cancer center; one that refused to respond to my inquiry about their practice.

Remember that just this past week the government reiterated what it has said several times over the past fifty years that cancer and nutrition are connected.

"NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS SAFE & BENEFICIAL FOR PATIENTS UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY & RADIATION THERAPY" Charles Simone et al.

For nearly a decade oncologists have been telling patients undergoing chemo or radiation therapy that they should not take antioxidants & other nutritional supplements because they interfere with treatment. However, a 2-part article published in the most recent issues of 'Alternative Therapies', should lay this this myth to rest.

Oncologist Charles B. Simone, MD & colleages searched Medline & CancerLit & found 280 peer-reviewed studies on the concurrent use of chemo and/or radiation & dietary supplements. These include 50 human studies involving 8,251 patients.
They found that nutritonal supplements did not interfere with conventional cancer treatments & actually enhanced the killing effects of chemo & radiotherapy. In 47 of the human studies, supplements were also found to protect normal tissues & reduce the often serious side-effects of chemo & radiation. In 15 human studes 3,738 patients had increased survival - a finding that is rare in cancer outcome. There is no downside to taking supplements while undergoing chemo but there is a tremendous upside.

'Alternative Therapies Journal'

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Fraud Follies

Five hundred fifteen million dollars can go a long way in providing needed health care in many places throughout the world.

Instead B-MS is paying this money as a fine for what we have know the drug companies do to enlist doctors to prescribe their drugs.

One of the most egregious acts by this firm is the increased prices charged to government health programs, especially the Senior Drug plan. The rip-off Senior drug plan is was and always will be a gravy train for Big Pharma, unless the Congress gets some chutzpah and reverses the law.

"The integrity of our health care system rests on physicians being able to make decisions based on the best interests of their patients," said acting Attorney General Peter Keisler.

Yes integrity is a key component of compassionate and competent health care. If doctors really are going to be allowed to make decisions based on patient need then Big Pharma needs to step aside, along with the insurers, and let medicine be managed by doctors.

Bristol-Myers pays 515 mln dlrs to end fraud, kickback probe
Fri Sep 28, 3:28 PM ET

Bristol-Myers Squibb will pay 515 million dollars to settle a probe into illegal kickbacks to doctors and fraudulent pricing of its drugs to government health programs, officials said Friday.

The Justice Department said the US pharmaceutical giant and its Apothecon subsidiary agreed to the payments to settle the civil allegations on drug marketing and pricing practices.

Bristol-Myers said the settlement covers the previously disclosed investigations that began several years ago. The company had agreed in principle to a settlement in December and to implement a five-year "corporate integrity agreement."

Government investigators alleged that Bristol-Myers from 2000 through mid-2003 paid "illegal remuneration to physicians and other health care providers to induce them to purchase BMS drugs," the Justice Department statement said.

The money was in the form of "consulting fees and expenses" to physicians and other health care providers as well as "travel to luxurious resorts."

From 1994 through 2001, according to investigators, Apothecon paid "illegal remuneration such as stocking allowances, price protection payments, market share payments, and free goods in order to induce its retail pharmacy and wholesaler customers to purchase its products."

In both cases, the government alleged that the company caused the submission of inflated and fraudulent claims to the federal health care programs.

"The integrity of our health care system rests on physicians being able to make decisions based on the best interests of their patients," said acting Attorney General Peter Keisler.

"This settlement reflects the Justice Department's strong commitment to holding drug companies accountable for devising and implementing fraudulent marketing and pricing schemes that undermine that decision-making process at the expense of federal health care programs for the poor and the elderly."

Bristol-Myers said in a separate statement it "is pleased to have resolved these matters from the past and is proud of its commitment to conduct business with the highest standards of integrity in its mission to extend and enhance human life."

Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse.

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Nutrition Does Matter

It is always much more than you are what you eat and this is probably why I believe very strongly in two nutritional programs.

One is a system based on at least 80 years of scientific research. It helps you find out which one of twelve types you are and how to plan your eating to best support your individual biochemistry. This system relates strongly to the way in which you autonomic nervous system functions.

When I first began studying this system I learned that there are really no pure vegetarians. I learned also that the culture closest to veganism are the Hindu people.
For someone coming from another culture whose food roots are based in meat or other type foods, it actually takes eight generations to change your physiology to benefit from another food plan.

The second food plan I use is one that is also based on decades of scientific nutrition research. This approach is one that was proven to rebalance your biochemistry.

These plans are significant because so many diseases, like cancer and diabetes, are effected by how you eat.

Another way your health is effected is eating a diet that over the long term promotes sever nutritional deficiencies. I defer to this issue because I stumbled on a recent report on Nightline, looking at the Hallelujah Diet.

I looked at this diet somewhere about ten years ago and took the time then to consider its risks and benefits. This diet isn't much different that that in the Froehm plan used, although I understand in an altered way now, at Health Quarters, a place similar to Hallelujah Acres.

Initially, and in the short term a cleansing diet is beneficial for all of us because of pollution and the amount of junque food most Americans eat.

If you followed this food plan for about six weeks you would be lighter and probably a little bit healthier. Even period short use of this approach is helpful. But then you can accomplish the same benefits by fasting one day a week combined with some other natural health plans that are not so drastic.

If you'd like to know more about this, here are some directions -

1. For the simple food plan to help rebalance biochemistry, send $3.00 for a copy that can be emailed to you in a pdf file. Email us here for specifics - dr_cw_gayle (at) yahoo (dot) com.

2. If you are more curious and want to determine your metabolic food plan send $35 and we will send you the book of questions. Once you've completed the questions you'll have information that gives you percentage amounts of food types fit for you.

3. If you would like some research on why Hallelujah Diet is unhealthy read more here.It is much more than the lack of B12 that is a problem for vegetarians and especially vegans.

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FDA: “They’re passive, they’re reactive, and they often side with industry over public health,”

Now with a bigger handout from Congress, along with the lessening of your right of access to vitamins and natural supplements, the FDA tells you it is doing more for public safety.

I don't expect their bureaucratic culture to change even the slightest. All of what they will be doing is collecting more money from the Pharma Cartel to faster track hazardous drugs to market, enriching the coffers of the pharmaceutical companies so they can further their desired favors from members of congress.

September 28, 2007
Report Assails F.D.A. Oversight of Clinical Trials
By GARDINER HARRIS
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 — The Food and Drug Administration does very little to ensure the safety of the millions of people who participate in clinical trials, a federal investigator has found.

In a report due to be released Friday, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, Daniel R. Levinson, said federal health officials did not know how many clinical trials were being conducted, audited fewer than 1 percent of the testing sites and, on the rare occasions when inspectors did appear, generally showed up long after the tests had been completed.

The F.D.A. has 200 inspectors, some of whom audit clinical trials part time, to police an estimated 350,000 testing sites. Even when those inspectors found serious problems in human trials, top drug officials in Washington downgraded their findings 68 percent of the time, the report found. Among the remaining cases, the agency almost never followed up with inspections to determine whether the corrective actions that the agency demanded had occurred, the report found.

“In many ways, rats and mice get greater protection as research subjects in the United States than do humans,” said Arthur L. Caplan, chairman of the department of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Animal research centers have to register with the federal government, keep track of subject numbers, have unannounced spot inspections and address problems speedily or risk closing, none of which is true in human research, Mr. Caplan said.

Because no one collects the data systematically, there is no way to tell how safe the nation’s clinical research is or ever has been.

The drug agency oversees just the safety of trials by companies seeking approval to sell drugs or devices. Using an entirely different set of rules, the Office for Human Research Protections oversees trials financed by the federal government.

Privately financed noncommercial trials have no federal oversight.

“It’s crazy that we have all these different sets of rules,” said Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, chairman of the bioethics department at the National Institutes of Health.

“It would facilitate things a lot if we had one agency overseeing things.”

Dr. Janet Woodcock, chief medical officer at the drug agency, acknowledged that it needs to put more “teeth” in its enforcement. “We are working to address these problems very aggressively,” Dr. Woodcock said.

The case of Audine Graybill demonstrates the flaws in the system. According to the F.D.A., in the spring of 2005, she decided to try an experimental drug to treat mania associated with bipolar disorder. The consent form that she signed on May 29 stated that she could change her mind at any point in the study.

She checked into High Pointe Healthcare in Oklahoma City, a psychiatric center owned by a psychiatrist, Dr. David Linden. On June 3, Ms. Graybill changed her mind and asked to leave.

Dr. Linden refused to let her go.

On June 6, she was given the experimental medicine. Ms. Graybill’s lawyer, Anthony Sykes, obtained a writ of habeas corpus for her to appear in court and took the writ to the hospital, where the staff refused to honor it and said it would not give it to Dr. Linden, Mr. Sykes said.

Mr. Sykes tracked Dr. Linden to another office and had him served with the writ, Mr. Sykes said. Within hours, Dr. Linden’s lawyer called Mr. Sykes and said Ms. Graybill was free to go. Mr. Sykes took her home on June 7.

Ms. Graybill could not be reached.

More than nine months later, an F.D.A. inspector appeared at Dr. Linden’s research center and uncovered myriad other problems.

The agency sent its warning letter more than two years after Ms. Graybill’s experience.

Last November, the Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision suspended Dr. Linden’s license for three months because he had sex with two patients and gave them genital herpes infections, according to board records. Dr. Linden, who also owns a psychiatric center in Las Vegas, did not return repeated telephone messages.

Dr. Linden has conducted clinical trials for most major pharmaceutical companies and continues to do research, according to his Web site.

The F.D.A. disqualified investigators from conducting further clinical trials 26 times from 2000 to 2005 and disqualified their data just twice even though the agency found serious problems at trial sites 348 times in that period, the inspector general found.

While some of the report’s findings surprised ethicists, its conclusion that the agency’s oversight of clinical trials is disorganized and underfinanced has long been known and is, in many ways, identical to criticisms leveled at other agency functions, including its oversight of imported food, foreign drug manufacturers, animal food and the safety of older medicines.

In each case, the size and complexity of the tasks facing the agency have grown enormously as the number of inspectors for those tasks has generally declined.

An inspector general’s report in 2000 criticized the oversight of clinical trials and noted that the inspections mostly focused on whether study information was accurate and not on whether human subjects were protected. That is still true.

In the present report, the inspector general recommended that the agency create a registry of all continuing clinical trials, an idea signed into law by President Bush on Thursday.

The report also recommended that the agency create a complete registry of research ethics boards, create a single comprehensive database to track its research inspections and obtain greater authority to regulate research assistants.

Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, said the agency “needs to implement these recommendations to meet its duty.”

Representative Rosa DeLauro, Democrat of Connecticut, said it needed more money and guts.

“They’re passive, they’re reactive, and they often side with industry over public health,” Ms. DeLauro said.

The agency’s reserve is apparent in some of its warning letters.

On May 24, 2005, an inspector, Barbara Breithaupt, went to the office of Dr. Frank A. Wingrove of Ames, Iowa, and for weeks asked to see records of his study of an experimental topical treatment for periodontal disease. Dr. Wingrove refused. Dr. Wingrove did not return telephone messages seeking comment.

More than two years later, the agency sent Dr. Wingrove a warning letter. The inspector general’s report suggests that if Dr. Wingrove promised to reform, the agency was unlikely to show up again to see whether he had followed through.

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Millions to Lilly and others in the Big Pharma Cartel, Death to Thousands

It will be interesting to learn at some point what the FDA will do now to seriously consider the hazards of the SSRI drug class.

One of the problems with this class of drugs is the fluoride compounds that serve as the chemical base of the drug.

This issue caries over to many other pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics and osteoporosis drugs as examples.

Of course I hope for more serious Black Box warnings or banning of these drugs. They have caused countless damage to those using them and innocent bystanders, as well as creating other diseases caused by side effects: diabetes is only one.

In the mean time I'll keep education about how nutrition and other natural approaches can be safer and more effective in the mental health arena.

Depression and Anxiety Special Report from Johns Hopkins Health Alerts
Antidepressant Warnings

Is the cure worse than the disease? Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Dr. Karen L. Swartz discusses the risks and benefits of SSRIs.

Call it the pill paradox: Some 20 years ago, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) burst onto the scene, lauded for their ability to treat depression. Today, however, some studies have linked SSRIs to an increased incidence of suicidal thoughts and behavior, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in the midst of an extensive review of drug safety data. This has led to what’s being called a “crisis of confidence” in antidepressants, with many people wondering whether antidepressants, especially SSRIs, are safe to take.

The controversy began with concern over the use of SSRIs in children and adolescents, with studies indicating an increased risk of suicide. For adults, the issue heated up recently, when researchers reported an increased risk of suicidal behavior during the first month of treatment with SSRIs. The study presented data on nearly 160,000 people treated in Britain with one of four antidepressants, two of which were the SSRIs fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Paxil). The others were the tricyclic antidepressants amitriptyline (Elavil) and dothiepin (Dothep).

While the risk of suicidal behavior did not differ from drug to drug, the researchers found, it was elevated during the first month of antidepressant treatment and highest during the first nine days of treatment. It is important to note, however, that other studies have not found such a link. For instance, in another study in 2006, researchers analyzed drug safety data from that country’s regulatory agency. They found no evidence that SSRIs increase the risk of suicide. And a Swedish study found no link between SSRIs and an increased risk of suicide in either children or adults over a nine-year period. Moreover in the United States the suicide rate has actually declined since a peak in the late 1980s -- a drop that coincides with the introduction of SSRIs.

FDA Warnings on SSRIs

Because of the importance of this issue, the FDA is moving ahead with a safety review of antidepressant medications in adults, with the results expected later this year. In the interim, the FDA issued a public health advisory in July 2006 directed at adults. According to the advisory, adults who are being treated with antidepressants should be watched closely for worsening of depression and for increased suicidal thoughts or behavior. The FDA added that this increased surveillance might be especially necessary when a person goes on antidepressant medications for the first time or when doses are changed.

Where does all this leave us? It is essential to remember that serious depression poses a significant risk to a person’s life. The vast majority of people who commit suicide have major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder that is not being treated at all. Overall, SSRIs have a good safety profile, with fewer side effects than other antidepressants, which is why they are widely used. And beyond that, it is essential to remember that the real threat lies with the disease itself. If you are struggling with depression, get treatment. Untreated bipolar disorder and major depression kill people every year; their threat to your health is significant and should never be ignored or glossed over.

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It's the Great Light Pumpkin Bread, Charlie Brown!

New York Septembers are a tease. Football season’s commenced, the leaves are turning ever-so-slightly, and officially it’s autumn, but the summery temperatures and lingering humidity don’t want to jump the train to Miami yet. It leaves us panting in anxious anticipation, mostly for less-sweaty subway stations, but also for warmer, hardier foods like chili, roasted root vegetables, and pumpkin bread.

While pumpkin-flavored anything catches my fancy, pumpkin bread is a special breed. It has all the benefits of cake (moist, chewy, filling) with none of the drawbacks (sugary over-sweetness, cheap raspberry filling, misspelled “congradulashuns” wishes). Paired with a cup of hazelnut coffee (breakfast), a cold banana (lunch) or a tablespoon of marshmallow fluff (snack time!), each slice is an October aficionado’s dream food. If The Boyfriend would let me, I’d replace the counters with it, and bite off hunks all autumn long. (Please, Honey?)

This recipe comes from Words to Eat By, hands down, one of the best food blogs out there (featuring, of course, THE CUTEST BABY EVER). A Weight Watchers veteran, Debbie modified the original three-cups-of-vegetable-oil recipe to include six egg whites, a 20-oz can of pumpkin and only ½ cup of Wesson. It’s not very sweet, but that’s not the point. Instead, it’s the warmest-flavored, moist-est, most soothing bread I’ve ever had. It’s Norah Jones in loaf form.

Please note that pecans, the nuts of the gods (hee), are fatty and prohibitively expensive in my ‘hood, so I cut them out. If neither factor matters to you, go ahead and slug ‘em back in, and add a cup of Craisins for good measure.

(P.S. I forgot to upload my pumpkin bread picture, so this lovely University of Arizona photo is a placeholder 'til then.)

Low-Fat Pumpkin Bread
Makes 2 loaves – 12 slices each
Adapted from Words to Eat By.

Butter or cooking spray, for greasing pans
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
6 egg whites
20 oz pumpkin puree (not pie mix)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
2/3 cup water

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 9x5 loaf pans with cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves together.

3) In a separate large mixing bowl (or using a stand mixer), cream oil and sugars. Pour in egg whites, pumpkin puree, and vanilla and mix. "Add to pumpkin mixture alternately with water, mixing well after each addition."

4) Pour mix into loaf pans and bake for around 60 to 75 minutes (55-65 minutes if you're doing one at a time), switching pan placement in the oven about halfway through. Loaves are fully baked when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
181 calories, 5 g fat, $0.24

Calculations
Cooking Spray: negligible fat and calories, $0.09
1 cup sugar: 774 calories, 0 g fat, $0.29
1 cup dark brown sugar: 688 calories, 0 g fat, $0.38
½ cup vegetable oil: 990 calories, 112 g fat, $0.34
6 egg whites: 103 calories, 0.3 g fat, $1.54
20 oz pumpkin: 193 calories, 1.6 g fat, $1.89
1 t. vanilla: 12 calories, 0 g fat, $0.13
3 ½ cups flour: 1593 calories, 4.3 g fat, $0.20
2 t. baking soda: negligible fat and calories, $0.04
1 t. baking powder: negligible fat and calories, $0.03
2 t. salt: negligible fat and calories, $0.03
1 t. nutmeg: negligible fat and calories, $0.12
1 t. allspice: negligible fat and calories, $0.71
1 t. cinnamon: negligible fat and calories, $0.03
½ t. cloves: negligible fat and calories, $0.05
2/3 cup water: negligible fat and calories, free
TOTAL: 4353 calories, 118.2 g fat, $5.87
PER SERVING (TOTAL/24): 181 calories, 5 g fat, $0.24

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Posted in: Breads,Vegetarian

Misdiagosis and No Diagnosis All Too Common

I've mentioned recently that a doctor I know told me that "...today there is no diagnosis. Everything is based on labs".

To a great extent this is very true, and it is something I have been confronted with by clients for many years.

Recently I had a phone call from a client who was extremely short of breath, what we refer to as SOB. Probably the most common cause of SOB is congestive heart failure or some type of serious cardiovascular event.

I could tell by speaking with this person it was not allergy, yet this is where my effort to get her to go to the doctor led.

In this person's case the student PA at her clinic (for low income and those with little or no insurance) gave her somethings for allergy.

It was later on, because of her co-workers that she went to the ER where it was determined she had congestive heart failure.

I reviewed all the lab work from the ER and found that neither the clinic or the ER had ordered a CBC with diff, lipid or chemistry panel. The only lab tests were for some of the common cardiovascular indicators. When I finally had all the lab work, using the biochemistry related method I use to determine deficiencies, it was fairly clear what the risks were.

So it is not just the lab work, but it is the best analysis of the lab work that counts too.

With an echocardiogram it was determined that her heart valve was quite damaged.

Still her clinic was doing little to get her a referral to a cardiologist. When this finally came about the doctor was verbally demeaning to this client because she was using natural therapies.

Mind you this arrogant doctor was working in a Western Washington medical group that advertises on its web site that the patient comes first and their wishes are paramount.

As yet, her clinic - the one who is prescribing her diuretic and ACE inhibitor - also did not want to respond to her obvious reaction to a drug they prescribed and has not provided follow-up care as is required since they are prescribing medications.

As it says in our banner, our goal is, and has been for decades, to give more tools to both patients and health care providers to get to the real cause and work collaboratively as a team for the best interest of patient care.

I guess I may be a step or two ahead of CNN, but at least they are trying.

Wish more in health care did too.

By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN

Empowered Patient is a regular feature from CNN Medical News correspondent Elizabeth Cohen that helps put you in the driver's seat when it comes to health care.

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The celebrity was John Ritter.

Actor John Ritter died in September 2003 from an aortic dissection, a commonly misdiagnosed condition.

The actor died in 2003 of an aortic dissection -- a tearing of the major artery that comes out of the heart. His widow later settled a wrongful death lawsuit against a California hospital, alleging his condition had been misdiagnosed "at least twice."

Experts who study malpractice cases and autopsy reports say certain diseases are misdiagnosed over and over again. It's worth knowing what they are so you won't be a victim.

1. Aortic dissection: Sometimes aortic dissections are easy to diagnose -- a patient feels a distinct tearing sensation in his or her chest. But other times they're pretty easy to miss because the symptoms could point to other diseases, says Dr. Robert Bonow, past president of the American Heart Association. "Sometimes it feels like heartburn," he says.

2. Cancer: In a Harvard study of malpractice claims in the U.S., cancer was far and away the most misdiagnosed illness, primarily breast and colorectal. Study authors attributed this to doctors failing to stick to cancer screening guidelines.

3. Clogged arteries: Sometimes doctors tell patients they're short of breath because they're out of shape, when it's actually coronary artery disease, says Bonow, who's also the chief of cardiology at Northwestern Medical School.

4. Heart attack: Sound strange? How could a doctor miss a heart attack? Bonow says the big and obvious attack -- the one where someone clutches his or her chest and falls to the floor, the one Bonow calls "the Hollywood heart attack" -- isn't always so clear. Sometimes the only signs of a heart attack are a sense of fullness in the chest, nausea and a general sense of not feeling well.

5. Infection: In the Harvard study, infection followed cancer as the most misdiagnosed condition.

So how can you keep yourself from becoming a victim of misdiagnosis?

1. Ask for more tests - Has your illness been misdiagnosed? - Actually, Nancy Keelan says, demand more tests. For more than three years, Keelan says, she complained to her gynecologist about irregular, heavy bleeding, and for three years he told her she was entering menopause and not to worry. Keelan says it turned out she had both advanced endometrial and ovarian cancer. "I believe he missed my diagnosis five times," says Keelan, who was 46 when she got her correct diagnosis.

Keelan, a registered nurse, now speaks to women's groups, telling them not to let more than three weeks go by if they're having new, strange symptoms. She says if the doctor tells you it's no big deal, you can frame your request this way: Tell your doctor you know it might be nothing, but would it do any harm to have a simple test? She says a simple ultrasound, would have caught her cancer much earlier.

2. Ask, "What else could my illness be?" - Let's say you've been experiencing shortness of breath when you exercise, and your doctor tells you you're just out of shape. You can ask your doctor if it could possibly be something more dangerous. Dr. Mark Graber, chief of medicine at the Veteran's Administration in Northpoint, New York, says the single most common cause of misdiagnosis is a doctor's failure to consider other possibilities after an initial diagnosis is reached. "It's called premature closing -- the minute they come up with a diagnosis, they don't think about a better solution," he says.

3. Don't assume no news is good news - Another source of misdiagnosis: Lab results get lost or forgotten. A study by Dr. Tejal Gandhi at Harvard Medical School found that up to 33 percent of physicians did not always notify patients about abnormal test results. "No news is not good news," says Dr. Saul Weingart, vice president for patient safety at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. "It might be that the report fell down behind someone's desk."

4. Assume your doctors don't talk to one another - Our experts said doctors often don't share information about test results. One piece of advice: Use that conference call function on your cell phone. Make phone appointments with your doctors at the same time, and then conference them all together.

5. Be wary when your doctors work in shifts - The title of Gandhi's 2005 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine says it all: "Fumbled Handoffs: One Dropped Ball after Another." In it, she describes how a hospital patient's tuberculosis was misdiagnosed partly because test results weren't passed on when doctors changed shifts.

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Raw Almond Requiem

I know this is an important story and we covered it earlier this year; now the insanity is in place.

I was wondering during some time I could not get this update posted if this isn't related to cancer, since raw almonds are a very good food - in quite small amounts - to help you keep from getting cancer and helping you if you develop it.

One really never knows what sinister concepts exist in bureaucratic schemes.

The same false logic exicts with Big Ag farming and much of the fruits and vegetables we know are grown in the California Valley. The new replacement for methyl bromide in strawberry, tomato and other vegetable crops is MEL or methyl iodide.

MEL is classed as a carcinogen, and as such could be in violation of certain government regulations that prohibit carcinogenic substances to be utilized in products consumed by humans. California seems to have the only outspoken agricultural agency on this so far because MEL is banned in CA simply because it is a carcinogen.

The pundits tell us that we can expect that MEL won't be absorbed into these foods as it is applied only to the soil.

I don't know about you but from all I have ever learned, what is in the soil becomes absorbed into what grows there. I guess they have a new theory for this now, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of it.

And as the march of genetically modified foods continues along the road to your supermarket, you'll be getting moldy almonds and cancerous crops added to the mix.

Rich Johansen 9-27-7

THE MANDATORY PASTEURIZATION OF ALMONDS AS OF SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2007 -- WHAT'S NEXT ??

It's your right to know!

Please pass this information on to as many people as you can. Informed citizens can make the difference. There are still some raw almonds in stores and warehouses - stock up!

Did you know that . . .On August 27, 2007 the FDA enacted a new law mandating that all almonds grown and commercially marketed in the U.S. must be pasteurized beginning on September 1, 2007. This means that there will no longer be access to purchasing raw almonds from stores. Every almond sold commercially from here on out will be pasteurized.This is because of two salmonella outbreaks traced to almonds ­ one in 2001 and one in 2004. It makes you wonder how many cases of salmonella have been traced to chicken and meat?

This arbitrary ruling is contrary to the better judgment of members of the Almond Board and is being opposed by most almond growers.Five pasteurization facilities have been built throughout California and the USDA has already begun implementing this program.As of September 1, all almond growers are required to comply with the mandatory pasteurization and truck their almonds to these plants and back to the packing facilities ­ at their own expense. At what cost is this to the grower, the consumer, and the taxpayers?

The pasteurization technique being used for organic almonds is steam. The steam process could leave nuts damp and create mold, which could easily lead to cases of anaphylactic shock.These almonds will still be labeled "raw," even though they will be heat pasteurized and will no longer be raw. Consumers will be deceived and not know what they are truly getting.

Truly raw almonds, with their enzymes intact, are a living, nutrition-packed food. Raw almonds that have been soaked and sprouted are nutritionally superior food to heated almonds, and are more easily assimilated in the digestive process. Heating almonds over 112 degrees destroys their enzymes, and greatly diminishes their nutritional value. Heating also leads to rancidity of nuts.

Almonds shipped into the U.S. from other countries are exempted from mandatory pasteurization. With all the recent news about food from China, it poses the question of why other countries are being exempted from the strict standards U.S. growers are being required to adhere to.

Almonds grown in the U.S. and shipped out of the U.S. to other countries also do not have to be pasteurized!

Is this just the beginning? What are they planning next for mandatory pasteurization? Will it be walnuts, pecans, or what ??? Who knows, maybe spinach will be next. Maybe this is the beginning of the end of "fresh" food. We may not even have access to fresh salad greens anymore !! Even if we loose raw almonds, we must stop the process before we loose more!

Should our government be controlling our choice of food?

Refer to these web sites for more information:

www.cornucopia.org, www.rense.com, www.livingtreecommunity.com, www.rawnuts.com.

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CHG Favorites of the Week

Bargains of the Week
Cooking.com: Wusthof 60% off
Crate & Barrel: Scoops 50% off.
Papa John’s: Free ‘za online.
Restaurants.com: 60% off gift certs.

Blog of the Week
Smitten Kitchen
Apparently, if your name is Deb and you have a food blog, you automatically rule. Armed with mouth-watering photography, giggle-inducing wordsmithery, and a neat logo, Smitten Kitchen is, as Martha Stewart deems it, “a very cute website.” If you have any doubts after Miss M’s ringing endorsement, take a look at this blondie recipe or peruse bon mots like: “I almost offered to marry the guy giving it out just for the recipe but I was torn because I already have a kick-ass kugel recipe and… oh right. I’m also already married.”

Cookbook of the Week
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
I’m obsessed with Ina’s soothing culinary style, so it shames me to say that I don’t actually own any of her cookbooks. Instead, I frequently, deviously steal into Rachel’s stash. (Really, it’s the same relationship a newly-pubescent 13-year-old has with his dad’s porn collection, except at the end I have brownies.) Anywayzies, BC’s debut cookbook focuses on high-end food made from fresh, quality ingredients that you can usually buy cheaply. Several recipes don’t give a flying you-know-what about calories, but tiny adjustments can fix those minor issues.

Organization of the Week
The USO
Last Thursday, we mentioned a singular woman doing a whole lot of good (Jeannette Cram with Treat the Troops). This time, it’s the big one: the USO. The 66-year-old nonprofit isn’t part of the government, doesn’t receive their funding, and thus, needs volunteer time and donations. If you’d specifically like to send a care package, the aptly named Operation Care Package is the way to go. Check out their FAQ for more info, or just peruse the site, which is simple, intuitive, and way informative.

Quote of the Week
“I like baked potatoes. I don't have a microwave oven, and it takes forever to bake a potato in a conventional oven. Sometimes I'll just throw one in there, even if I don't want one, because by the time it's done, who knows?” – Mitch Hedberg

Tip of the Week
Want fajita tortillas to stay flexible? Instead of microwaving, stick a splatter screen over a sauté pan full of cooking meat and vegetables. Place the tortilla on top and steam for one minute. Then flip. Voila!

Untried Cheap, Healthy Recipe of the Week
Low-fat Lassi with a Hint of Rose from Happy Burp
I’m a bit fixated with lassis this week. My friend K used to make really good ones, and I’ve been looking for a low-fat alternative. This looks to fit the bill quite nicely.

Video of the Week (Food Division)
Squeeze – “Pulling Mussels from a Shell”
Sweet early-‘80s pop from a criminally underrated group.

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Posted in: Links

Hillary's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf

September 26, 2007

Hillary and Bill Clinton show muscle as cover boy Bill gets a negative story dumped

Tim Reid in Washington

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign forced a magazine to drop a negative story about her by threatening to cut off the publication’s access to the former President Bill Clinton, it emerged yesterday.

The ruthless response to GQ magazine, and its decision to bow to the ultimatum, reflects the enormous leverage Mr Clinton brings to his wife’s White House bid at a time when her quest for the Democratic nomination appears more formidable than ever.

The magazine, which is due to have Mr Clinton on its cover for its December issue, was told that the former President would no longer cooperate unless it pulled an article it was about to publish detailing infighting and tensions within Mrs Clinton’s campaign.

Despite protests at the magazine, the article was duly sidelined, according to a respected US political website. In an e-mail statement to The Times, Jim Nelson, the Editor of GQ, said: “I don’t really get into the inner workings of the magazine, but I can tell you that, yes, we did kill a Hillary piece. We kill pieces all the time for a variety of reasons.” He refused to elaborate.

The move by the Clinton campaign provides a graphic example of the be-hind-the-scenes hardball tactics it employs in keeping the New York senator’s relentlessly disciplined presidential bid on track and on message, and the power that she and her husband have in shaping how her White House bid is perceived.

On Sunday Mrs Clinton pulled off the rare feat of appearing on all five Sunday-morning political talk shows, a privilege the networks are unlikely to afford her rivals. Her lead in the national Democratic polls over her nearest rival, Barack Obama, is so big – almost 20 per cent – that pundits are now asking not if she can win the nomination, but if she can be stopped.

President Bush also thinks that she will win the nomination, it emerged yesterday, and has even indicated in private that he believes she will succeed him. White House aides, on Mr Bush’s instructions, have been privately briefing her – and other Democrat candidates – about Iraq in case she wins the election next November. They have been urging her not to commit to an immediate withdrawal if she takes office in January 2009, because Mr Bush wants his successor – Democrat or Republican – to continue prosecuting the war after he leaves the Oval Office.

Although Mr Bush often says that he will not handicap elections, he told the author of a new biography about him that Mrs Clinton has “got a great national presence, and this is becoming a national primary”. In an off-the-record session with broadcast journalists just over a week ago, Mr Bush, according to those in the room, gave the impression that he thought she would win the presidency and that he had been thinking about how to turn Iraq over to her.

Mrs Clinton’s lead in national polls, and similarly big leads over Mr Obama in the early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina, means that the contest in the first nominating state of Iowa has become crucial.

With Mrs Clinton succeeding in making her nomination look almost inevitable, her rivals are expected to be more aggressive and critical in a Democratic debate tomorrow night in New Hampshire, aware that time is running out to derail her.

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They Shoot Horses Don't They? And Kill Your Daughters with Shots

I am sure that when you offered up your daughter as a guinea pig for the NIH and Merck no one told you there might be a risk of a serious side effects from this vaccine.

If you are a young woman taking this risk did any one tell you the vaccine is not designed for anyone who already is sexually active?

When do you ask questions and expect the answers that are your right, under the law?

You do have the right to refuse, in case you didn't know.

Or did they forget to tell you this as well?

Deaths Associated with HPV Vaccine Start Rolling In, Over 3500 Adverse Affects Reported

By John-Henry Westen

TORONTO, September 20, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As Canada, in large part due to aggressive behind the scenes lobbying, rolls out the not-comprehensively-tested Merck HPV vaccine for girls as young as nine, a look at developments on the vaccine south of the border should cause Canadians serious concern. In the United States a similar lobby campaign by the same company launched the mass HPV vaccination of girls beginning in June last year.

In just little over a year, the HPV vaccine has been associated with at least five deaths, not to mention thousands of reports of adverse effects, hundreds deemed serious, and many that required hospitalization.

Judicial Watch, a U.S. government watchdog, became concerned while noting large donations to key politicians originating from Merck. A freedom of information request from the group in May of this year discovered that during the period from June 8, 2006 - when the vaccines received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - to May 2007 there were 1,637 reports of adverse reactions to the HPV vaccine reported to the FDA.

Three deaths were related to the vaccine, including one of a 12-year-old. One physician's assistant reported that a female patient "died of a blood clot three hours after getting the Gardasil vaccine." Two other reports, on girls 12 and 19, reported deaths relating to heart problems and/or blood clotting.

As of May 11, 2007, the 1,637 adverse vaccination reactions reported to the FDA via the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) included 371 serious reactions. Of the 42 women who received the vaccine while pregnant, 18 experienced side effects ranging from spontaneous abortion to fetal abnormities.

Side effects published by Merck & Co. warn the public about potential pain, fever, nausea, dizziness and itching after receiving the vaccine. Indeed, 77% of the adverse reactions reported are typical side effects to vaccinations. But other more serious side effects reported include paralysis, Bells Palsy, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and seizures.

Judicial Watch informed LifeSiteNews.com that a subsequent request for information on adverse reactions to the HPV vaccine, covering the period from May 2007 to September 2007, found that an additional 1800 adverse reactions have been reported, including more deaths. Exactly how many more deaths occurred will be released in the coming days, Judicial Watch's Dee Grothe informed LifeSiteNews.com.

The LifeSiteNews.com report on the moneyed lobbying efforts of Merck in the U.S. was reported in February. (see http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/feb/07020204.html )

However the Canadian lobby effort by Merck's Canadian affiliate Merck Frosst Canada has been underway using powerful lobbyists with close connections to the politicians who have signed off on massive government funded vaccination programs.

The Toronto Star recently reported that Merck Frosst Canada Ltd hired public relations giant Hill & Knowlton to push the immunization strategies using some well-connected lobbyists: Ken Boessenkool, a former senior policy adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper; Bob Lopinski, formerly with Premier Dalton McGuinty's office; and Jason Grier, former chief of staff to Health Minister George Smitherman.

Harper's Conservative Government approved Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil in July and later announced a $300 million program to give the vaccine to girls from ages 9-13. That of course is only the beginning of what Merck likely hopes will be a much larger vaccination of all potentially sexually active women in Canada who are not already HPV infected. In August, McGuinty's Ontario Liberals, on the advice of his Health Minister George Smitherman, announced that all Grade 8 girls will have free access to Gardasil.

One of the major complaints by physicians is that the HPV vaccination program has been implemented before adequate testing has been completed. Long-term effects of the vaccine remain unknown. Many are asking why the seemingly reckless rush?

At least one answer to that question comes from the fact that Merck currently is the sole provider of an HPV vaccine with its Gardasil product. A competing HPV vaccine, Glaxo Smith Kline's Cervarix, is set to hit the market in January 2008. As more children are vaccinated with Gardasil, fewer will be able to later receive the necessary repeat boosters of a competing, incompatible vaccine. Merck is in a race to capture as much of the market as it can, consuming many millions of taxpayer dollars.

U.S. sales of Gardasil are expected to reach $1 billion in the first year of its availability.


Read Previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

The reports from the FDA Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System detailing the three previous deaths are available here:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007_docs/GardasilVAERSDeath...

The reports detailing all 1637 adverse effects are here:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007_docs/GardasilVAERSRepor...

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Treating Food-Borne Affluenza: 15 Tips to Curb Your Foodie Leanings

Millionaire Mommy Next Door describes Affluenza as an increase in materialism caused by having more money on hand, as well as various self-inflicted and societal pressures (a credit-happy culture, keeping up with the Joneses, etc.)

Back in the day, I had Affluenza, but good. My strain was special, though. It was food-borne.

See, when I first graduated from college, I made just over $20,000/year. In New York dollars, that puts me above Tiny Tim, but well below any of the Friends. I had three (dearly beloved) roommates, didn’t shop or travel, and ate whatever wasn’t A) rotten, B) over a dollar, or C) nailed down.

As my salary increased, so did the demands of my palette. Influenced by my hip, hip surroundings and burgeoning awareness of good food, I started buying finer meats and smooth, stinky cheeses I didn’t fully appreciate yet. I dined out frequently, developed an abiding passion for sushi, and thought nothing of asking for the Good Beer (Magic Hat). Newly stripped of my adolescent metabolism, I also gained enough weight to sink a small cruise liner. When my poundage spiraled out of control, I dieted (successfully), but spent a load of dough doing it, since that’s how I was now used to buying food.

After a few yo-yo years of high-priced, low-fat noshing, I started keeping a budget, the results of which left me gobsmacked: all my cash was being piped directly into my stomach. The food-borne Affluenza had reached a critical point, and in order to stop the flow, I had to take action. I had to buckle down, cowboy up - screw my courage to the sticking point.

Also, I had to stop spending so much damn money.

Desperate, I tried a few different strategies. I changed my outlook, attempted to conquer my fear of homecooking, learned how to buy groceries, and rethought restaurants. And while there’s definitely been some success addressing my leanings (see here), curing the Affluenza is an ongoing battle.

If you’re experiencing symptoms, please keep reading. These tricks helped (and continue to help) me, and they might come in handy for you, too.

FOR MINOR CASES

1. Limit your pop culture consumption. The boom in gourmet magazines, cooking blogs, celebrity chefs, and a certain vittles-based television network has given birth to a mini-nation of Foodies. To some extent, this rules, since folks are increasingly conscious about what they eat. But there’s also a dark side: it’s really easy to overspend when you’re trying to ape Julia Child. Without checking out completely (that would be ludicrous), try reducing your food media intake.

2. Ban yourself from Whole Foods. Sure, upscale supermarkets and corner stores tend to have fresher options than the regular ol’ Key Food around the corner, but that same Key Food will save you about a billion dollars over time. Think of it like you’re an alcoholic: avoiding tempting places is half the battle.

3. Cut back on luxuries. Instead, splurge on a few that will go a long way. Spending a little extra on high-quality condiments, herbs, and add-ons will sate discriminating taste buds without piling on too many calories. Stuff like real parmesan, a tiny bottle of truffle oil, or a bunch of thyme can work magic on a simple meal.

4. Wait to buy pricey foods. It works for electronic equipment, so why not a side of beef? Say you spot a particularly alluring filet mignon while you’re grocery shopping. First, run away. Then, go home and hang out a day or two. If you still want the meat after that, feel free to head on back.

5. Reconsider the restaurant. There’s nothing wrong with visiting eateries for good food, excellent service, and relaxing ambience, but when a caloric abyss like Chili’s becomes a thrice-weekly habit, there’s a problem. Thinking of a restaurant outing as a special experience rather than an accepted routine will help ease the budget blow. Check out this Simple Dollar article for more.

6. Go nuts on special occasions, only. Thanksgiving can’t be every Thursday. (I mean, it would be fantastic if it could, because I’d get to have my mom’s sweet potatoes every week, but…) Constant cash-and-calorie expenditures deplete savings faster than you can say “Lobster thermidor aux crevettes with a Mornay sauce garnished with truffle paté, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam.” Making one special side dish per night or experimenting with a traditionally less-expensive meal (like breakfast) might help ease the pain.

7. Cut back on chow-based social activities. Friendly meals make the world go ‘round, but it can’t hurt to slug a movie, softball game, or cornhole marathon in there every now and then. If that doesn’t sound feasible, next time you gang up, do it during the afternoon or late night – times when meals won’t necessarily be part of the equation.

FOR MAJOR CASES

8. Keep a record of all food expenditures. Write down everything you spend on grub, separating it into two categories: Groceries and Dining Out. At the end of the first 30 days, tally up the totals. If it’s reasonable, go back to tip #1. If it’s roughly equal to your rent, continue keeping records and then ...

9. Set a budget, stat. Using the envelope method or whatever else strikes your fancy, set aside a concrete fund for the month’s food. Though it’ll be difficult and it’s okay to make mistakes at first, try not to exceed that amount. Adjust as necessary, and continue tracking all your food payments in the meantime.

10. Seek out a simplified cookbook. Real Simple Food Made Easy, Everyday Food: Great Food Fast and Mark Bittman’s new tome are foodie-minded, health-conscious, and price-wary.

11. Start cooking at home. Now that you have a guide, set aside X nights a week to whip up dinner yourself, OR cook once on Sunday, and have food for the duration. Self-prepared meals conserve money and are generally healthier than restaurants.

12. Commence Operation Brown Bag. A home-packed lunch can be as scrumptious and filling as one you buy in local Japanese joint, and it’ll cost a fifth of the price (which, over a lifetime, can save up to $600,000). Odds are, it’ll be healthier for you, too, since you’re in control of the ingredients.

13. Research cost-cutting strategies. Shopping from the circular, collecting coupons, and signing up for club cards and discounts can be tough at first, but the more you implement new behaviors, the more intuitive they’ll get, and the more motivated you’ll be to seek out new ones. CouponMom, Money Saving Mom, and Chief Family Officer are three solid resources to launch a search.

14. Don’t totally deny yourself. A no-frills, no mercy diet is the surest way to failure, since you’ll recommence craving your … uh, cravings … in no time. Food is one of the great joys of life (also: baseball, The Office, bubble wrap), so don’t forget to indulge every so often.

15. Keep on keeping on. Even if you think you’ve got the Affluenza problem licked, there’s always the possibility it’ll come creeping back into your life. Constant vigilance can stave off the temptation. Keep recording your feasting costs, and don’t scrap that budget. It’ll become easier over time.

In the end, food-borne Affluenza is curable. Whether it’s a chronic illness or a passing bout, recognizing and addressing the symptoms means you’ve already won the most important battle. Happy eating.

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Posted in: Buying Food,Dining Out,Frugality

Tuesday Megalinks: Flimflam and Farmers Markets

Consumerist: 30 Code Words for Sugar
Xylose, how could you? I trusted you, and now I see our relationship was nothing but a fraud, a dupery, a shakedown. Well, I'm sick of the hocus-pocus. This hoodwinking's over. Get'cherself a new gal Friday.

Money and Values: Festival of Frugality #93
Go for hundreds of frugal tips from dozens of frugal bloggers, but stay for the super-neat pictures of cake.

New York Times: Happiness for $10 or Less
Promises, promises.

Serious Eats: Are Healthy and Delicious Mutually Exclusive?
Man, I hope not. Otherwise this blog is all for naught. (Naught, I say!) Great comment section below Ed Levine’s smart tips.

The Simple Dollar: Teaching Yourself to Cook at Home – 10 Tips from My Kitchen to Yours AND The One Hour Project – Do Some Basic Diet Hacking
Double the pleasure from a food-friendly finance blogger.

USDA: Farmers Market Search
Man, there are a million of these things.
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Posted in: Links

No One Escapes the Roast Chicken Inquisition: Roast Chicken with Grapes

So, I thought I’d start off the week with a question: when is a chicken done?

Most recipes call for clear juices and an inner temperature (taken at the thigh) of 160°F to 175°F, but the government mandates a scorching 180°F to ensure all lurking germs have been thoroughly incinerated. While that’s extreme, 160°F occurs to me as a breeding ground for intestinal anarchy, and I recently found that 175°F … well, it doesn’t work so well.

Highly praised in its comments section, Simply Recipes’ Roast Chicken with Grapes looked like a killer way to rid myself of about-to-go-bad fruit and poultry. So I stuffed the bird, laid it gently on a bed of onion and lemon (sexy, no?), and then roasted it to the assigned 175°F degrees. The dark meat came out moist and tasty, but the breast? Dry. Not summer-in-the-Sahara arid, but definitely markedly less juicy than any other part of the bird, even though it was essentially braising in wine. Granted, my fowl was a 6-1/2 pound leviathan, but size didn’t seem to matter with Daisy Martinez’s Pollo Asada, which came out perfectly at the prescribed 165°F. Strange.

Due to the dryness issue, I can’t wholeheartedly recommend the recipe. It’s definitely pretty good, with savory vino-tinged drippings, grapes that absorb the wine, and decent leftovers, but Marcella’s and Daisy’s roast chickens are tastier options for the money. B-.

(As always, to reduce fat and calorie intake, peel off the skin, choose meat from the breast, and consume in reasonable [4-6oz] portions. Since nutritional information is difficult to compute for roast chicken, only the price is calculated.)

Roast Chicken with Grapes
Makes 7 generous servings
Adapted from Simply Recipes.

1 roasting chicken, about 4 to 5 pounds
1 lemon, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, cut into eight wedges
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, and/or tarragon
1 cup of white wine
Olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Line roasting pan or large baking dish with a few slices of lemon and onion.

2) Massage chicken cavity with olive oil, then salt and pepper cavity to taste. Place grapes, a few onion wedges, a few herb sprigs, and half of the lemon slices into cavity. If there's still more space, top cavity off with more grapes.

3) Brush outside of chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place chicken breast side down in the roasting pan. (You can use a rack if preferred.)

4) Wedge herbs and and remaining slices of lemon between chicken wings and body. Add any remaining grapes, lemon, and herbs to pan, around chicken.

5) Roast chicken for around 20 minutes per pound, basting occasionally with pan juices and white wine. When breast meat hits 175°F on a meat thermometer, it's finished.

6) Serve with rice and grapes, spooning pan juices over everything.

Approximate Price Per Serving
$1.17

Calculations
1 roasting chicken, about 4 to 5 pounds: $5.13 (mine was 6.5 lbs – Kris)
1 lemon, sliced: $0.40
salt and pepper to taste: $0.04
1 onion, cut into eight wedges: $0.12
1 large bunch of seedless grapes: $0.60
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, and or tarragon: $0.30
1 cup of white wine: $1.44
Olive oil: $0.16
TOTAL: $8.19
PER SERVING (TOTAL/7): $1.17

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Posted in: Mains,Meat and Fish

Fennel, Fish, and Food-Shopping Forethought: Cod and Arrabiata Over Braised Fennel

(Today’s recipe is a guest post by the lovely and effervescent Rachel, a.k.a. the Cheap Healthy Gourmet, a.k.a. my ex-roommate/hetero life partner. Girl can cook like the dickens.)

Kris and I were roommates for nearly a decade. We whiled away many an evening brainstorming recipes, swooning over Batali, and perfecting Paula Deen impressions. (Don’t ask.) We even made an injury/insult-free Thanksgiving in a 13” x 17” oven—a testament to our enduring friendship.

Kris helped me embrace my love of the kitchen, and it’s since become a thrill to create delicious meals that adhere to CHGD’s standards. (The “D” is for “dairy/casein-free.” Cursed be the food allergies!). So, when I came across this gem, I knew I could make it fit CHGD criteria through two modifications:

1. Greenmarket Mark-down: Supermarket fennel’s pricey ‘round these parts, and I can often find better, cheaper, locally-grown goods.
2. Lance the Bass: FreshDirect quotes Chilean sea bass at (shield your eyes!) $25.99/lb. Plus, it seemed like an odd choice for the recipe, which asks one to slather fillets in arrabiata, a.k.a. spicy tomato sauce. Since this would overpower the delicate, buttery bass, it seemed wiser to use a less-expensive alternative that would be improved by a little heat. Enter low-fat, low-cost cod, with its moist, mild flesh and cooperative price tag.

Let’s also take a second to name check two of my favorite pantry items. Give it up for anchovy paste and Better Than Bouillon, both of which appear in this dish. The inexpensive anchovy paste beefs up flavor in soups, sauces, and dressings, adding depth without fat (or actual anchovy flavor. Ew). Then, if you’re out of from-scratch stock, please praise the mighty lord of non-homemade broths and give “Better Than Bouillon” a try.

And now, the drama. Here’s where I goofed: I had a full roster on grocery day, and was stuck with shopping at a store that rhymes with Schmol Schmoods, whose proteins and organics can be overpriced. With a little pre-planning, I could have bought the same fish for half the cost.

In “RTFR” news, I realized halfway through prep that I could have used pre-existing marinara for the arrabiata instead of buying new tomatoes. Say it with me: duh.

I overspent, but I reminded myself of a Kris mantra: Everyone makes mistakes. Live-in Gentleman and I ate mightily, and we’ll do better next time. In any case, we still read the recipe in the Paula Deen voice, knowing that our pronunciation of “oil” (a.k.a. oa-HULL) would have made Kris proud.

Cod and Arrabiata Over Braised Fennel
Makes two generous entrees or four appetizers
Adapted from Epicurious/Gourmet magazine (March 2003).

1 large fennel/anise bulb, fronds reserved and stalks discarded
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise, one half cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and the other half chopped
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/2 cup fat-free vegetable broth
1 scant teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 (4-5-oz) skinless cod fillets, bones removed
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Arrabiata:
1 scant teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes; to taste
1 (14-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, with hard parts and skin removed, hand-crushed, and juice reserved
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

OR

Approx. 1 heaping cup of marinara
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes; to taste
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1) If using, chop 2 tablespoons fennel fronds. Set aside. Cut the fennel bulbs into quarters lengthwise. Cut quarters into slices about 1/4-inch in thickness.

2) Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sliced fennel bulbs, sliced onion, and anchovy paste and cook about 1 minute, stirring the whole time. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in broth and cook covered (a.k.a. braise) for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Veggies should be tender at end.

3) Uncover, bring to a boil, and cook until liquid is gone, stirring occasionally. This should take 10 minutes or so. Pour mixture into a shallow glass or ceramic baking dish.

4) Preheat oven to 450°F.

5) While you're waiting for the fennel to cook, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a different nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and cook 3 or 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in tomatoes, reserved juice, and vinegar. Simmer until super thick, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6) Place fish on fennel mixture and sprinkle with a little salt. Using a large spoon, top fish with tomato sauce. Then: "Cover with a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake in middle of oven until fish is just cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes." If using, sprinkle with those chopped-up fennel fronds.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
261.7 calories, 6.3 g fat, $3.02

Calculations (Sans Dumbness):
1 large fennel bulb: 73 calories, 0.5 g fat, $1.00
2 (4-5-oz) cod: 189 calories, 1.5 g fat, $3.98
1 medium onion: 46 calories, 0.1 g fat, $0.30
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste: 1.3 calories, .1 g fat, $.06
1/2 cup fat-free vegetable broth, 10 calories, 0 g fat, $.08
Hot red pepper flakes: 0 calories, 0 g fat, $.01
1 cup marinara: 159 calories, 4.5 g fat, $.50
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar: 5 calories, 0 g fat, $0.02
1 tablespoon kosher salt = negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1 teaspoon fresh black pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1 scant teaspoon olive oil: 40 calories, 4.7 g fat $0.05
TOTAL: 523.3 calories, 12.6 g fat, $6.04
PER SERVING (TOTAL/2): 261.7 calories, 6.3 g fat, $3.02

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Posted in: Mains,Meat and Fish

CHG Favorites of the Week

Bargains of the Week
Amazon: $25 off a $49-or-more Con Agra foods order (Dealhack)
Linens N’ Things: 20% off order coupon (thru 12/31 - Bargainist)
Macy’s: $25 off $100 online purchase (thru 9/22 - Bargainist)

Blog of the Week
Words to Eat By
This is one of my absolute favorite food blogs in the whole world, and not just because it features THE CUTEST BABY EVER (family and friends’ children excepted, of course). A Brooklyn native, Debbie warmly and wittily recounts her adventures in lower-fat cooking and motherhood, as well as her lifelong struggles with weight. The writing is aces, the recipes are delectable (I’ve tried a few), and oh yeah - there’s that baby. If possible, check out her three-part series, “Fat Debbie,” “Hot Debbie,” and just regular ol' “Debbie.”

Cookbook of the Week
Lidia Bastianich’s Italian-American Table
If you’ve ever flipped past PBS, you’ve probably seen Lidia’s Italy – a modestly shot, drool-inducing series where Ms. Bastianich slices, kneads, and sautés her way through dozens of Istrian-slanted Italian dishes. This, Lidia’s second tome (I think?), is the guidebook that goes along with the show. Deeply personal and neatly laid-out, I’ll be working my way through it for the next several hundred years, even if it doesn’t pay any attention whatsoever to fat content. While several of the recipes are available on LidiasItaly.com (skip over the intro), the book itself provides lots of basic how-tos that aren’t included on the site. Amazon has it used from about $7.50.

Organization of the Week
Treat the Troops
Jeanette Cram has baked over 640,000 cookies for soldiers overseas. Whether or not you agree with the war, this is a very, very cool thing, and she’d love some assistance in defraying the postage cost. Contact information is included on her site, but if you’d like to send your own care package, browse her tips section for good ideas.

Quote of the Week
"Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only food - frequently there must be a beverage." - Woody Allen

Tip of the Week
Instead of hulling strawberries with a pairing knife, push a drinking straw from the bottom up through the top. The leafy, stemmy part will pop right off.

Untried Cheap, Healthy Recipe of the Week
Mark Bittman’s Tomato Paella from The Wednesday Chef
Man, if all food photography looked half as good as this, my monitor would have a hole gnawed right through it. This blog is a pretty sweet in general.

Video of the Week (Food Division)
“Cold Beverage” – G. Love and Special Sauce
G. Love’s second best song (behind “My Baby’s Got Sauce”) is a funky, funky treatise on the glory of extra ice. Dig it.
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Posted in: Links

Chop ‘Til You Drop: The Ultimate Guide to Slicing, Carving, and Cutting Your Food into Tiny, Affordable Pieces

It may seem daunting, but one of the easiest and thriftiest ways to make meals taste better is to cleave, dice, and mangle your own ingredients. There are two reasons for this:

1. Lots of foods lose flavor and vitamins the second they’re sliced open. As a general rule, the less meat and produce are handled, the better they’ll taste on the table, and the better they’ll act in recipes.


2. Pre-cut fruit, veggies, and meat can run FIVE TIMES the cost of simply buying the food whole. Case in point: at FreshDirect.com, jumbo carrots go for $0.79/lb, while 16 ounces of baby carrots and celery sticks cost a whopping $4.99. That’s nuts.

Now that you’re convinced that hacking your own comestibles is the way to go (you are, right?), let’s get to chopping.

First, a smattering of rules:

• Chop safely. Knives are sharp bastards by definition (thus the expression “sharp as a cliché”), and it’s stunningly easy to slice through a major organ if you lose your grip. Chopping slowly, paying attention, and/or watching this video might save a finger.
  
  
• Chop with a sharp knife. A dull one forces you to put more oomph into the motion, increasing the chance of injury. Honing and sharpening tools can help maintain a knife’s razor-edged glow, as seen here.
  
  
• Chop with the right knife. Using a pairing knife on a pumpkin might take awhile, and a chef’s knife applied to an apple peel could do some serious damage. This video, from About.com, is a good guide for matching knives to their correct targets. Hormel has a nice text-n-picture rundown, too.
  
  
• Chop after you shop. You’ll save buckets of time and energy down the line if you hew your food as soon as you get home. Certain fruits and vegetables (apples, pears, etc.) won’t hold up, but others (cantaloupe, pineapples, etc.) will stay edible for ages in the fridge or freezer.
  
  
• Chop uniformly. This is only if you intend to cook with it, but cutting food into similar-sized pieces will help them roast, bake, or boil equally.
  
  
• Chop smart. Besides Big Green, the all-purpose emerald hoodie I bought senior year of high-school, a $90 knife skills class was the best investment I ever made. I buzz through food about three times faster now, and don’t fear losing a hand half as much. Check nearby cooking schools to see if they offer one-off lessons.

Next, we move on to a few chopping terms that always come in handy.

• Chiffonade
  “Thin strips or shreds of vegetables (classically, sorrel and lettuce)” - The New Food Lover's Companion via Food.com
  Instructions
  Video (click on "chiffonade")
  
  
• Chop
  “To chop means to cut foods into pieces. This is a larger cut than dice or mince and generally does not need to be uniform.” – Food.com
  Instructions
  Video
  
  
• Dice
  “To cut food into tiny (about 1/8- to 1/4-inch) cubes.” - The New Food Lover's Companion via Food.com
  Instructions
  Video
  
  
• Julienne
  “Foods that have been cut into thin, matchstick strips.” - The New Food Lover's Companion via Food.com
  Instructions
  Video
  
  
• Mince
  Smaller than a dice, it’s just about the tiniest cut you can manage.
  Instructions (garlic example)
  Video (click on “mince”)

Finally, it’s on to specific foods. Whether you’re hacking at a pomegranate, potato, or pork roast, these videos and instructions should provide some guidance for your first time. Remember, though: be careful. I take no responsibility for injuries other than my own. (Which are numerous and ouchy.)

FRUITS

• Apples & Pears: Instructions (scroll way down), Video (click on “peeling and coring apples”)
  
  
• Citrus (lemons, limes, oranges, etc.): Instructions, Video (click on “segment citrus”)
  
  
• Coconuts: Instructions, Video, Video 2
  
  
• Kiwi: Instructions, Video
  
  
• Mangoes: Instructions, Video
  
  
• Melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, etc.): Video
  
  
• Papaya: Instructions, Video
  
  
• Pineapples: Instructions, Video
  
  
• Pomegranates: Instructions, Video
  
  
• Stone Fruits (plums, peaches, nectarines): Instructions, Video (peach peeling)
  
  
• Watermelons: Instructions, Instructions 2, Video
  
  

VEGETABLES

• Artichokes: Instructions, Video (click on “clean artichokes”)
  
  
• Avocadoes: Instructions, Video
  
  
• Bell Peppers: Instructions, Video
  
  
• Broccoli and Cauliflower: Instructions, Video
  
  
• Butternut Squash: Instructions (other winter squash included), Video
  
  
• Carrots: Instructions
  
  
• Chile Peppers: Instructions, Instructions 2
  DO NOT CHOP HOT PEPPERS BARE-HANDED. TRUST ME ON THIS.
  
  
• Corn: Instructions, Video (click on “cut kernels off corn”)
  
  
• Cucumbers: Instructions, Video (click on “seed”)
  
  
• Garlic: Instructions, Video (click on “peel, puree garlic”)
  
  
• Ginger: Instructions, Video
  
  
• Herbs: Instructions, Video
  
  
• Leeks: Instructions, Video (click on “cleaning leeks”)
  
  
• Lettuce & Leafy Greens: Instructions, Instructions 2
  
  
• Mushrooms: Instructions, Video (click on “cleaning mushrooms”)
  
  
• Olives: Instructions, Video
  
  
• Onions: Instructions, Instructions 2, Video
  
  
• Potatoes: Instructions
  
  
• Pumpkin: Video
  
  
• Tomatoes: Instructions, Video 1 (click on “peel tomatoes”), Video 2 (seeding and dicing)
  
  

MEATS

• Beef: Instructions (Roast), Video (London BroilFlank Steak)
  
  
• Chicken (Whole): Instructions, Instructions 2, Video, Video 2, Video 3 (butterflying - click on “butterfly a chicken”)
  
  
• Fish (Whole): Instructions, Video
  
  
• Lamb: Instructions (all cuts), Video (Leg)
  
  
• Lobster: Instructions, Video (click on “shell lobster”)
  
  
• Pork: Instructions (Ham), Instructions 2 (Roasts), Video (Scroll down to “carving a ham”)
  
  
• Shellfish: Instructions (Mussels), Instructions 2 (Clams), Instructions 3 (Oysters), Video (click on “open shellfish”)
  
  
• Shrimp: Instructions, Video (click on “clean shrimp”)
  
  
• Turkey: Instructions, Video (click on “carve a turkey”)

That’s all, folks. Please let me know if a link is dead, or if you have any other suggestions. I welcome them with open arms, which are finally healing from that bout with a butternut squash.

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Posted in: Cooking,Frugality