Millet is a family of crops that have been widely grown around the world for several thousand years. They can be grown in areas that are at risk of drought. India is the world's top producer of millet. Eight of the top ten countries in the world in terms of millet production are in Africa. China is the only other Asian country apart from India, in the top ten.
Millet provides 11% protein by weight, almost like wheat. Millet varieties are rich in niacin, B6, folic acid, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc.
Millet can be cooked and eaten like other grains. Millet flour is used to make flat bread. Millets contain no gluten and are not suitable for raised bread. Some varieties of millet are used as fodder for animals or as bird-feed. Alcoholic drinks are also brewed using Millet in some countries. Millet is an interesting grain to incorporate into your diet.
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Millet is Great and Gluten Free
Visionary School System Adopts Meatless Mondays
Baltimore City schools are going meatless on Mondays. The school system has around 80,000 students. As one would expect, the American Meat Institute (AMI) has criticised the Baltimore City Schools adoption of the 'Meatless Monday' campaign, a program done in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
I have come across so many people who assume that one needs to eat meat to get protein in their diet. This FUD (Fear - Uncertainty - Doubt) is spread by organizations that benefit from having everyone eat meat everyday and lapped up by people who have not been exposed to balanced literature on health and food. The food pyramid advanced by the government health organization has clearly dispelled the protein myth that meat is the only source of protein and incorporated a customizable plan for vegetarians via the MyPyramid.
AMI and other pro-meat organizations need to promote a balanced view and leave it to the people to make a choice. It is not like the`Baltimore school system went totally vegetarian. They still offer meat to the meat eaters four out of the five school days. I hope the Baltimore school system weathers any criticism thrown at them for offering the children a healthy alternative to meat. Kudos to them for taking this decision.
Puffed Rice Salad
This is a fusion dish that literally takes 15 minutes to make.
Puffed rice is called "pori" in Tamil and also "muri" or "moodi" in some parts of North India. The most popular dish made with puffed rice as a primary ingredient is the bhel puri. It is a popular Indian snack or "chaat" available in Indian restaurants. The typical bhel puri is extremely spicy and cannot be substituted for a meal. It is an appetizer. I have concoted a recipe that borrows its roots from bhel puri but deviates significantly to provide a healthier alternative that can easily be incorporated for a quick lunch or dinner.
Puffed rice is made by heating rice kernels under high pressure. It is essentially to rice what popcorn is to corn.
Ingredients
4 cups of puffed rice
1 cup of diced tomato
1/3 cup of diced onions
1 cup of chick peas (either from a can or already cooked)
1/3 cup of boiled peas
2 cups of diced boiled potatoes
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1/3 cup of chopped cilantro leaves (coriander leaves)
1 Tbl spoon seasame oil or mustard oil
1/2 spoon of turmeric powder
2 Tbl spoons of tamarind paste
1/3 spoon of paprika or red chilli powder (less or more as desired by your taste)
a tinge of salt (to taste)
a tinge of black pepper (to taste)
1 spoon of lime juice (or squeeze one fresh lime)
1 Tbl spoon peanuts
1/2 cup of sev or madras mixture (spicy)
Add all the ingredients into a large salad mixing bowl. Mix it really well with a ladle. Serves 2 people.
Curry in a Hurry
Once someone has determined / validated that I am of Indian ethnicity, I get this question. So, do you eat Curry? Depending on my mood of the day, my response has been varied. Some of the ones that are printable are shared below
1. "in a hurry"
2. "I also eat other food you know"
3. "What is curry?" asked very innocuously
4. "yes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner".
This question - "So, do you eat Curry?" has been rivaled by another one. "How do you pronounce your name?"
My response to that has also been varied.
1. "With a lot of difficulty"
2 "Alternate letters are silent"
3. "very very slowly"
just to name a few of my responses.
Curry is one of the most misunderstood words. Many people mistake curry to mean a powder, much like what masala is like. Curry comes from the Tamil word "kari" and literally means a side-dish that is eaten with rice. This "kari" could have gravy / sauce or sometimes it is dry. The spices that are used to cook this "kari" also vary widely depending on the specific vegetables used, one's palate, dry or with gravy, influence from a specific region of India, regional tastes etc.
Today, a standard "curry powder" is sold that has included several spices in the ingredients. This is basically the "masala powder" that is now being called curry, to market to the folks that are unaware of what curry really means. All words go through semantic changes, i.e. change in meaning over time. Curry has gone through a semantic change under our very noses!!
Eating is Risky Business
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nonprofit watchdog group, issued a warning on food items that it considered the riskiest. At the top of the list of 10 riskiest food items are leafy greens, eggs, and tuna.
CSPI rated the above food items based on the number of outbreaks associated with them since 1990 and also provided the number of recorded illnesses and other data. CSPI has been tracking data since 1990 from various sources including CDC - The Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Here is an excerpt from the report
LEAFY GREENS: 363 outbreaks involving 13,568 reported cases of illness
EGGS: 352 outbreaks involving 11,163 reported cases of illness
TUNA: 268 outbreaks involving 2341 reported cases of illness
OYSTERS: 132 outbreaks involving 3409 reported cases of illness
POTATOES: 108 outbreaks involving 3659 reported cases of illness
CHEESE: 83 outbreaks involving 2761 reported cases of illness
ICE CREAM: 74 outbreaks involving 2594 reported cases of illness
TOMATOES: 31 outbreaks involving 3292 reported cases of illness
SPROUTS: 31 outbreaks involving 2022 reported cases of illness
BERRIES: 25 outbreaks involving 3397 reported cases of illness
The full report is available from the CSPI website and is linked here
Luckily for vegetarians and vegans, half the items in the above list are non factors :-) It is vital to check the packaging of food items for expiry dates, open containers or bags, and proper refrigeration and temperature. Just because a report came out does not mean we have to stop eating salads! Eggs, Tuna, Oysters - No thanks!! Never have and never will :-)
Incidentally, all these food items are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Food Producers, Fisherman's Associations, and Milk Producers have criticized the report.
Let us go Nuts
If you are like me, then you would love to feast on peanuts, cashews, almonds and other nuts. Of course, I am talking about consumption in moderation and not an epicurean nut fest :-)
Botanical and culinary definitions of nuts vary widely. In this article, nuts are defined to mean any oily kernel or seed found within a shell and used in food. For example, peanut is a legume and not a true nut by botanical definition. We assume that peanut is a nut based on our culinary definition. It does have the word nut in it and I think that is sufficient :-)
Nuts generally have a high oil content and are a great source of nutrients and energy. A large number of seeds and kernels (nuts) are edible and used in cooking, eaten raw, sprouted, and roasted. Most of us probably eat raw nuts rarely, baring walnuts or pecans. Peanuts and cashews are popular roasted and usually contain additional oils and salt.
One interesting and really tasty way to eat peanuts is to eat it boiled. I always loved to eat peanuts this way growing up. Boil water and add the peanuts still in its shell to the boiling water. You can also add a pinch of salt to the boiling water. The unshelled peanuts are left to soak in the boiling water for some time and the peanuts actually get cooked. You can drain the water and allow the unshelled peanut to sit. It has an amazing taste that you do not get raw or roasted.
Some nuts are pressed for oil that can be used in cooking. Some common nuts that are consumed include almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachio, cashew, peanuts, pecans, soybeans, hazel nuts, sunflower seeds, and pine nuts.
Nuts contain linoleic and linolenic acids (fatty acids), which are critical for growth, physical development, mental development, healthy hair and skin, blood pressure control, immunological responses and blood clotting. Nuts are also an excellent natural source of vitamins E, F, and G (docopherol, an antioxidant). Nuts are rich in protein, folate, fiber, and essential minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium. According to the US Government nutrition website and My Pyramid, sunflower seeds, almonds, and hazelnuts are the richest sources of vitamin E in this food group.
Cashews and peanuts are used a lot in Indian, Thai and other Asian cuisines. Roughly 1% of the US population are thought to be allergic to some kind of nuts.
This article is based on research and reference to the USDA, MyPyramid, Nutrition.gov, Wikipedia and health.gov
The Vegetarian Pyramid
The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, an organization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was established in 1994 to improve the nutrition and well-being of Americans. One of the primary objectives of the Center is to advance and promote dietary guidance for all Americans.
In order to support its objectives, the Center (USDA) launched multiple products including the MyPyramid Food Guidance System in April 2005. This is supposed to replace the original Food Guide Pyramid that we have all been accustomed to seeing plastered everywhere and had been so out-dated. The MyPyramid Guidance System acknowledges that one size does not fit all. MyPyramid offers personalized eating plans and interactive tools to help one plan and assess ones food choices based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
I am happy to note that Vegetarians have been given acknowledgement as well as inclusion. They even have a "10 tips" for following a vegetarian diet. Here is the main link to MyPyramid. In a series of future articles, I will summarize, paraphrase and present in simple terms how vegetarians can adopt relevant guidelines from the MyPyramid system.
I am now "officially" a supporter by including their picture below :-) The things I do for the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion!!
