Mushrooms in More Ways than One

We love to put mushrooms in our chicken soup as well as make a cooked mushroom salad. So since I heard that mushrooms are good preventative medicine and have various health benefits; I wondered whether they lost the benefits by being cooked so I asked.

The following is the quick and informative response I received from The Food Revolution Network.

Hello Aimee,

Thank you for your question. Both cooked and raw mushrooms are beneficial to your body, and there are actually many surprising benefits to cookingmushrooms. Check out this article for more information on benefits of cooked mushrooms http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/cooking-mushroom-deplete-its-vitamin-content-7548.html

and here is an article with the benefits you gain from mushrooms cooked and raw http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-mushroom.html

 I hope this helps! 

All the best,

Sierra
Community Support Team 
The Food Revolution Network

http://foodrevolution.org

Matzo Musings

This past Pesach season I saw in the store gluten-free "matzo" squares - i.e. something that looks like matzo but isn't for the gluten free crowd who misses their matzo. Not approved for Seder use though. And I didn't try them so I have no idea what they taste like but they seem to be made of similar ingredients as many other Pesach products such as tapioca.

 There were also several matzo products labeled organic this year. I am not endorsing this officially but I did buy some especially after the holiday when they were cheaper. One person commented to me that matzo and matzo meal are already organic enough for her. Use at your discretion because not everything labeled organic actually is, and even if it is it's not necessarily 100%. Plus there are many products that don't get the organic certification for various reasons but they may be quality products from good sources. That information is from the Annemarie Skin Care list http://annmariegianni.com I am not endorsing their products officially as I have yet to try them but it seemed to be a good practical tip. 

Bone Broth Continued

This week we didn't make dafina however we had already defrosted half a pack of meat so my husband made a very lovely meat dish with that and some vegetables and left it on low overnight. We used to eat our Friday night chicken soup with a chicken breast in, sometimes on the bone, sometimes not. But since hearing about the benefits of "bone broth" and specifically dark meat, we now use a thigh/drumstick in the soup to hopefully reap said benefits. We also add mushrooms to it as well as a turnip or parsnip and carrots. Then we put tarragon, dill, turmeric and paprika as well as a bit of black pepper and a couple of bay leaves in it. We enjoy it with matzo balls or knaidlach - not from a mix, which sometimes contain MSG. But it's made easily from matzo meal. However that is optional especially for people avoiding wheat or gluten. 

Is your Mother’s Chulent a Superfood?

Ashkenazim call it Chulent, Morrocan Jews eat Dafina or Schena, Syrian Jews call it Chamin. It’s that delicious weekly Shabbat food that traditional Jews have been eating for thousands of years. It’s a mix of whole foods like beans, grains, meat and bones that cooks overnight from friday afternoon and eaten hot on Saturday for Shabbat lunch.

We add eggs to our Dafina, a soupy mix of potatoes, chickpeas and meat with bones. My wife has her own heavenly version... she adds turnips, sweet potatoes, turmeric and cayenne. Spicy and yummy!

Now hear this… nutritional experts are discovering the many health benefits of Bone broth. Some even sell it as a nutritional supplement in powder form. My naturopath makes his own organic Kosher bone broth and freezes batches for later use as soup stock. He tells me it does wonders for your gut flora.

Here are some of the incredible benefits of bone broth:

So, next time you want to throw away your Shabbat left-overs, think again.

Here’s an easy bone broth Chulent recipe:

http://www.levanacooks.com/recipe/cholent-and-all-variations/