bakingstone's Profile

I discovered recently that some of the commercial brands of "100% wholewheat bread" available to us in Ontario contain potato starch as well as dehydrated potato. This is how they make their bread so fluffy and soft - but the downside for the consumer is that it has a high glycemic index and less nutritional value.

I suspect splitting up the two kinds of potato allows them to show them lower down in the ingredient list, so that the vast majority of consumers are easily fooled into thinking they are eating real 100% wholegrain bread. Technically, of course, all the grain is wholegrain, even though that's not the whole story.

I just use a saucepan. Put in room temperature eggs. Cover with water and bring gently to a boil. Turn heat off and leave to stand, covered, for 10 minutes (5 minutes for soft eggs).

The only problem with my eggs is that if they are too fresh, they don't peel easily.

I'm curious as to how well the quantities in your grocery cart would have stacked up against the same $100 shopping list purchased at an average grocery store, especially if you aimed for similar quality (organic, unsulfered, low/no salt, etc).

I went through all sorts of different methods myself, including BKF, vinegar, boiling with dish soap and elbow grease. Finally, the easiest method of all, which is baking soda with just enough water to make a dryish paste. It works so much better than anything else I've ever tried.

I met a Rwandan lady not too long ago who was talking about sukuma wiki & told me where she comes from, it's made with sweet potato leaves. I was intrigued because I had always assumed they were poisonous, and also because there are many plants that are eaten in their entirety in Africa, while we tend to eat only one part & throw away the rest.

We never eat packaged convenience foods, so that's one use I certainly don't have for my microwave. However, I love it for baking - like this flourless chocolate cake, which I've made so many times I don't consult the recipe anymore:

1 can chickpeas (kidney beans or black beans can be substituted too)
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

In food processor, blend chickpeas, sugar, eggs and oil until smooth and foamy. Mix in cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Microwave in a silicone bundt form for 11 minutes at 70% and then another 1-2 minutes at full power. The cake is ready when it comes away slightly from the sides.

We started an egg collective a year ago, and I wouldn't dream of going back to purchasing store-bought eggs. Our pastured eggs taste better, look better, and they come from happy, healthy hens that aren't dispatched at 18 months, like commercial ones are. Here in Ontario, it's a dirty little secret that the eggs in the stores come from chickens that are raised 100% indoors. That means they can never peck at the bugs in the ground like ours do, and they never ever see the sun.

I've made this recipe for red cabbage and ricotta salata with thyme scented grains several times, usually without the accompanying grains, and it's a keeper: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/warm-short-grain-brown-rice-with-red-cabbage-and-ricotta-salata

To my knowledge all the hoopla about chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery drink is based on just one study of 9 athletes, in a paper that was paid for in part by the Dairy and Nutrition Council. You can read it here: http://oakbrooksc.com/docs/stager_chocmilk_study.pdf.

The study looks at the interactions of the sugars and proteins in the milk vs. the sugars in energy drinks like gatorade, and not at all at the possible beneficial compounds in cocoa.

In my very firm opinion, anybody who drinks chocolate milk in the belief that its benefits are based on scientifically proven facts, has been taken for a ride.

My local cheese store gives them away free. You just have to ask for them and hope nobody else has done the same thing before you!