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Friday, December 11, 2009

Some Foods You Should NOT Be Eating

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-547963/

While reading this article (brought to my attention by my brother, Dan) this morning, I must say that I was surprised by some of the foods the experts choose to stay away from. For one- canned tomatoes! But it makes total sense when you read the article. The problem is the lined tin cans, which leach chemicals as a result of tomatoes high acidity. The good news? You can find tomatoes in glass cans, which do not need to be lined. *Tip of the day:* Anything that is acidic, should be bought in glass (i.e. ketchup, mayonnaise, vinegar, hot sauce- pretty much all you're condiments).

Another tip, only buy organic potatoes! Because they grow under the ground, they absorb all pesticides, fungicides, etc. sprayed above ground. And washing doesn't help. Yes, they are more expensive, but think about it. You are paying to NOT eat chemical. I'd say it's worth it.

What to do with organic potatoes:

Cheesy (but low-fat) Homefries


Ingredients:

4 medium sized organic potatoes, washed, unpeeled and diced in cubes)- tip! Leave the skins on! They contain many of the nutrients as well as added fiber!
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. rosemary (dried or fresh)
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 c. grated cheese- I like montery jack

The quick way to make homefries is to parbake (or bake ahead of time) the potatoes in the microwave first. Wash the potatoes and poke holes in them with a fork. Put in microwave on high for 7 minutes. In the meantime, dice onion, garlic and rosemary and heat in a large frying pan on low heat in olive oil (a cast iron skillet works great for getting the potatoes crispy). When the potatoes are finished, let them cool on a cutting board for a bit until you can handle them. Then dice into cubes and throw them in the pan (increase heat to medium). You may need to add more oil to the pan at this point if you feel it is too dry. Add generous amounts of salt & pepper. Toss around pan and let sit for 2 minutes before stirring. Continue cooking potatoes all the way through and until they begin to get brown around the edges. Just before ready to serve, top with cheese. Try them with hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot is good) or ketchup (in glass, of course!). Serves 4-5.

You can also make a mean scramble with these potatoes if you toss in some spicy sausage (you can find chicken sausage with chorizo or andouille spices- just make sure they do not have MSG), roasted red peppers, and beaten eggs. Delicious!

2 comments:

  1. Most contaminates fruits & veggies include (aka the dirty dozen): nectarines, cherries, peaches, pears, grapes, strawberries, apples, lettuce, potatoes, celery, spinach, bell peppers

    On the positive side, the least likely to contain pesticides are avocados, sweet corn, broccoli, asparagus, bananas, pineapples and mangos!

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  2. Thanks for the update, Colleen! Great advice. Anything with thin skin is easily contaminated. Buy those organic and you need not worry!!

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