Richard Kaloust is known for developing quality working relationships with his clientele; relationships based on respect, integrity, and trust. We go the extra mile for you!

3825 Henderson, Tampa, FL 33629

(813) 222-0002

Top Ten Richard Kaloust Odd Foods Author Worldstepper.

They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The same could be said about food: one man’s nightmare may just be another man’s delicacy. From cow’s tongue and pig’s snout to chicken’s feet, from fried worms and frog’s legs to sautéed snails, the list of weird stuff we eat is endless (and often quite tasty). If you’ve been indulging lately and need a reason to diet, take a read, you may just lose that appetite. Here is the list of the ten strangest foods from around the world.

Richard Kaloust 10. Fried – brain sandwiches

Long before the era of Mad-Cow Disease, a sandwich made from fried calves’ brain, thinly sliced on white bread was a common item on the menus in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The sandwich is still available in the Ohio River Valley, where the brains are now heavily battered and served on hamburger buns. In El Salvador and Mexico beef brains, lovingly called sesos in Spanish, are used in tacos and burritos. The brains have a mushy texture and very little flavor on their own so the addition of copious amounts of hot sauce definitely helps.

Richard Kaloust 9. Haggis

A traditional Scottish dish, haggis is made with the minced heart, liver and lung of a sheep mixed with onion, spices, oatmeal, salt and stock, and boiled in the sheep’s stomach for a few hours. Larousse Gastronomique, a popular encyclopedia of gastronomic delights, claims that haggis has “an excellent nutty texture and delicious savory flavor.” Haggis is available year-round in Scottish supermarkets and made with an artificial casing rather than a sheep’s stomach. In fact some are sold in cans to be heated in a microwave before eating. Similar dishes can be found in other European countries with goat, pork or beef used instead of sheep.

Richard Kaloust 8. Bugs

The practice of eating insects for food is called entomophagy and is fairly common in many parts of the world, with the exceptions of Europe and North America (though bugs are apparently a favorite with the television show “Fear Factor”). It is not uncommon to find vendors selling fried grasshoppers, crickets, scorpions, spiders and worms on the streets of Bangkok, Thailand. Insects are high in protein and apparently consist of important fatty acids and vitamins. In fact flour from drying and grinding up mealworm can be and is often used to make chocolate chip cookies. So next time you think there is a fly in your soup, it may actually just be part of the presentation.

Richard Kaloust 7. Rocky Mountain Oysters

What is so strange about oysters? Probably the fact that they’re not the kind you find at the bottom of the ocean, but rather a fancy name given to deep-fried testicles of a buffalo, bull or boar. Rocky Mountain oysters (also called Prairie Oysters) are well-known and regularly enjoyed, in certain parts of the United States and Canada, generally where cattle ranching is prevalent. The testicles are peeled, boiled, rolled in a flour mixture, and fried, then generally served with a nice cocktail sauce.

Richard Kaloust 6. Stuffed Camel

The recipe for a whole stuffed camel kind of reads like a bad joke, with ingredients that include one whole camel, one whole lamb and 20 whole chickens. The Guinness Book of World Records lists the recipe as the largest item on any menu in the world, conveniently leaving out any concrete examples of this dish actually being eaten. Legend has it that that a whole stuffed camel is a traditional Bedouin dish seemingly prepared like a Russian Stacking Doll, where a camel is stuffed with a whole lamb, the lamb stuffed with the chickens and the chickens stuffed with eggs and rice. The entire concoction is then barbecued until cooked and served. Fact or fiction, the shear amount of food created by this dish makes it deserving of a place on the list.

Richard Kaloust 5. Hakarl

Anthony Bourdain, known for eating some of the strangest foods in the world, claims that hakarl is the most disgusting thing he has ever eaten. Made by gutting a Greenland or Basking shark and then fermenting it for two to four months, hakarl is an Icelandic food that reeks with the smell of ammonia. It is available all year round in Icelandic stores and often served in cubes on toothpicks.

Richard Kaloust 4. Fugu

Fugu is the Japanese word for the poisonous puffer fish, filled with enough of the poison tetrodotoxin to be lethal. Only specially-trained chefs, who undergo two to three years of training and have passed an official test, can prepare the fish. Some chefs will choose to leave a minute amount of poison in the fish to cause a tingling sensation on the tongue and lips as fugu can be quite bland. Perhaps the fuss of fugu is more in surviving the experience than the actual taste of the deadly fish.

Richard Kaloust 3. Casu Marzu

Found in the city of Sardinia in Italy, casu marzu is a cheese that is home to live insect larvae. These larvae are deliberately added to the cheese to promote a level of fermentation that is close to decomposition, at which point the cheese’s fats are broken down. The tiny, translucent worms can jump up to half a foot if disturbed, which explains why some people prefer to brush off the insects before enjoying a spoonful of the pungent cheese.

Richard Kaloust 2. Sannakji

With sashimi and sushi readily available the world over, eating raw seafood is no longer considered a dining adventure. The Korean delicacy sannakji however, is something quite different, as the seafood isn’t quite dead. Live baby octopus are sliced up and seasoned with sesame oil. The tentacles are still squirming when this dish is served and, if not chewed carefully, the tiny suction cups can stick to the mouth and throat. This is not a dish for the fainthearted.

Richard Kaloust 1. Balut

Balut seems to be on every “strange food” list, usually at the top, and for good reason. Though no longer wriggling on the plate like the live octopus in Korea, the fertilized duck or chicken egg with a nearly-developed embryo that is boiled and eaten in the shell is easily one of the strangest foods in the world. Balut is very common in the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam and usually sold by street vendors. It is said balut tastes like egg and duck (or chicken), which is essentially what it is. It is surprising to many that a food that appears so bizarre—often the with the bird’s features clearly developed–can taste so banal. In the end, apparently everything does indeed, just taste like chicken. Rick Kaloust thought you would enjoy this article.

 Richard Kaloust about Wild Plants Author Diya Sood.

There are a number of reasons you might want to use wild plants as food.

Wild plants have some unique flavors that can be among your enjoyed favorites. Watercress with something sweet such as pancake syrup in a peanut butter sandwich is one I particularly enjoy. Dandelion greens pesto mixed with spaghetti sauce are another.

Since the taste of many wild edible plants is so different from the usual cultivated vegetables, you likely will at first not accept some of them as a delicious flavorful food. Just about any food flavor other than sweet, salty, starchy, and fat are, I suppose, acquired tastes. It takes time for your mind to recognize an unfamiliar flavor as a ‘tried and true’ favorite. Introduce a wild food into your diet by eating a small amount when you are most hungry. Repeatedly doing so can make the new food one that you especially enjoy.

The amount of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in wild food, according to many sources, is on the average greater in wild foods. Domesticated vegetables have been selectively bred for looks, production quantity, taste, length of storage and other qualities other than nutrition.

The fruits and vegetables sold in the supermarket have been chemically fertilized; exposed to herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and a variety of other chemicals; and they may have been genetically modified and/or irradiated. The safety of eating such produce is of concern to many people. Wild foods for the most part, avoid those concerns. If you do gather wild foods avoid taking them from along roadsides, lawns that have been treated with chemicals or any other areas that may have been treated.

There is the possibility that supermarket food can be contaminated with pathogens. Dozens of diseases can be spread by an infected person handling food anywhere from the time it is harvested until it is put into your grocery bag. Plants growing in the wild are untouched by human hands.

Wild plants can be prepared in many ways. Greens can be put through a food processor or blender to make pesto. Add just enough oil and/or water to let the mixture process well. The pesto can then be easily mixed with other ingredients such as peanut butter, tomato sauce, or syrup for flavoring. Some greens such as lambs quarters, chickweed and purslane can be used anyway spinach is prepared. Strong or bitter tasting greens can be boiled changing the water once or twice to reduce bitterness. This is sometimes done with dandelion leaves. Then other ingredients can be added for flavoring and texture.

Wild fruit can simply be mixed with nuts or seeds such as sunflower seeds or almonds.

Some plants such as cattail tuber shoots and burdock root can be boiled to increase tenderness or to reduce strong flavors and then simply eaten as is.

Be sure of what it is that you are going to eat and be sure that it is edible. Consult a good reference book. If possible have someone who is familiar with a particular plant point it out to you. Most photographs are not of high enough quality to be relied upon to positively identify a wild plant.

Some edible plants have poisonous look-alikes. Some plants have edible parts and have poisonous parts. Some plant parts are edible only after being prepared in a particular way. It is common that a small quantity of a plant can be eaten without problems but if you eat too much your digestive system will protest forcefully.

There’s about 6 or 8 disaster scenarios that I can think of that seem likely to happen at some time. Most of them seem unlikely to happen in my lifetime. But you never know. Isn’t it prudent to be prepared, at least to some extent, in the event the normal food supply is interrupted? Examples of disasters that seem likely to happen are an asteroid hitting the earth, a massive nuclear war, a global epidemic, and the failure of one or two major crops such as corn and wheat due to a widespread disease or climate change.

The gathering of wild foods is interesting and enjoyable. Foraging for a favorite or new addition to your menu may take you through woods, through open fields and meadows and other places of beauty. It is a great way to get out into the natural world and enjoy its complexity and majesty. It adds to the perception that the world is a good place that is to be enjoyed. It is emotionally pleasing to find something that seems free and of exceptional value.

Making use of natural foods gives you greater awareness of the inter-relatedness of living things to each other and to the environment. That greater awareness helps us more appreciate the weather and climate, the abundance of nature, agriculture and the food supply, and the importance of protecting those things.

If you are interested in a few detailed recipes and a couple of other general preparation methods see www.bobcatswilderkitchen.com

For more information on wild edible plants and recipes see Foraging the Edible Wild community.webtv.net/Taimloyd/FORAGINGTHEEDIBLE

Richard Kaloust Herbal Teas Author: Whitewolf.

“They made a good deal of camomile tea, which they drunk freely to ward off colds, to soothe nerves, and as a general tonic. A large jug of this was alway prepared and stood ready for heating up after confinements. The horehound was used with honey in a preparation to be taken for sore throats and colds on the chest. Peppermint tea was made rather as a luxury than a medicine, it was brought out on special occasions and drunk from wine-glasses…” Flora Thompson – Lark Rise to Candleford.

Herbal infusions have been drunk throughout the centuries – both for their medicinal and culinary properties – after all, our common ol’ cuppa [the black tea which came over from the Far East] is just a herb infused in water. Herbal infusions can consist of just one herb, or can be blended with a number of different herbs to produce a range of tantalising tastes.
So you’ve tried the herb tea-bags from the supermarket….and weren’t that impressed…. try using loose dried herbs, preferably organic, or fresh herbs [you’ll need to double the quantity of herb used if using fresh] and discover a myriad of new herbal remedies and refreshing drinks.

How to make a Herbal Tea : To make your own delicious cup of herbal tea simply place a teaspoon of dried herb [or herbs if you’re using a blend of herbs] into a tea-pot, caffetiere, or suitable loose-tea holder and pour on freshly boiled water. Infuse covered for 5 mins or so [roots and tough herbs may need to infuse for longer], strain and serve. If you’re making herbal tea for more than one person, add more dried herb just as you would with loose tea or tea-bags. For medicinal brews you may need to double the amount of herb and leave to infuse for longer – generally at least 5 – 10 minutes.
There are number of ways you can sweeten your herbal tea – why not try honey or maple syrup instead of sugar; or a shot of apple juice; dried orange or lemon peel; a bruised clove [particularly effective when a cold or sore throat threatens - cloves are wonderfully antiseptic] or add a cinnamon or liquorice stick.

Not all herbs lend themselves to teas – Feverfew is so strong it is not suitable for infusions – whilst others, although suitable, should only be consumed in small quantities, such as Yarrow. Others, like Chamomile, can be safely consumed in quantities of 5 or 6 cups a day. Obviously poisonous herbs should be avoided completely, and your health condition and any medications you are on should be taken into account – Rosemary and Sage, for example, should not be taken by epileptics, persons suffering from high blood-pressure, or during pregnancy or breast-feeding; Valerian root should not be combined with sleep-inducing medicines; and Hops should be avoided by anyone suffering from depression. Always check up on any herb you’re thinking of using, if in doubt ask your doctor or health professional – and remember that even the safest herbs should, like most things in life, be taken in moderation.

Ready for that cuppa yet? Here’s a small selection of herbal teas to tempt you….

Balm or Lemon Balm Tea – A delicious, lemon scented tea, refreshing and calming, and a tonic for mind and body. Soothing for stomach upsets and spasms, especially those connected with emotional worries or stress. A cup of Balm tea can calm palpitations and is a soothing remedy for ‘butterflies’ and nerves. It is also a gentle herb suitable for children, where it can be used to calm anxious or excitable children and soothe headaches. Balm is also a useful remedy for chicken pox and shingles – not only as a tea but also as a wash to soothe irritated or inflamed skin.

Blackcurrant Tea – A refreshing tea which counters acidity and helps cleanse the system. Dried Blackcurrant leaves need to be soaked for an hour or so in cold water before making an infusion, they will also need to infuse for slightly longer than some herbs – at least 10 minutes, and you may prefer to use 2 teaspoons for one cup.

Calendula / Marigold Tea – The bright orange petals of the Marigold flower can be drunk as a tea to help remedy nettle rash and skin problems. It is also useful for remedying digestive infections and fungal problems such as thrush.

Catnip Tea – As long as your cats don’t get to this one before you… Catnip tea was apparently a favourite country tea long before the black tea [which is now the nation’s common cuppa] arrived from the Far East. A nerve-tonic, useful for keeping colds at bay, as well as ensuring a restful sleep. It is useful tea for soothing nervous headaces and is a good digestive aide, nerve relaxant, cold preventative, and hiccup remedy. Catnip is a gentle herb and makes a suitable drink for children and will help soothe feverish chills.

Chamomile Tea – Perhaps one of the most well known of the herbal teas – Chamomile is a wonderful boon to hay fever and asthma sufferers, being markedly anti-allergenic – leave to infuse covered and inhale the steam before drinking. It is also useful for calming stomach spasms, relieving morning sickness, easing indigestion, bloating and hiccups. A cup of Chamomile tea last thing at night can ensure a good night’s sleep. Another gentle herb Chamomile is useful for relaxing over-tired children and offers a gentle remedy for teething.

Dandelion Tea – The leaves and petals of the humble Dandelion make a diuretic tea for treating fluid retention and urinary infections. Unlike most diuretics, which leach potassium from the body, Dandelion is rich in potassium. It is also a valuable liver tonic.

Elderflower Tea – A delicious, cooling tea, and one of my first choices for warding off colds and ‘flu. Elderflower is also a popular folk remedy for hay fever sufferers and should be drunk a couple of months before and throughout the hay fever season – preferably sweetened with local honey. Particularly tasty blended with Raspberry Leaf.

Fennel Seed Tea – A spicy tea useful for relieving windy digestive systems. Fennel Seed tea was reputedly drunk (and the seeds eaten) by the Anglo-Saxons to dampen the appetite and ward off hunger-pangs, it is also a folk remedy for relieving the aches and pains of flu.Crush 1 teaspoon of seeds and infuse covered for 10 mins.

Hawthorn Tea – Good for headaches, poor circulation, and lapses of memory. Hawthorn was widely used in the past to bulk out more expensive teas – the following recipe for a popular country tea mix is taken from Barbara Griggs’ The GreenWitch : “2 parts of dried Hawthorn leaves to 1 part each of Sage and Balm; or equal parts of Hawthorn, Sage, Balm and Blackcurrant leaves”

Hops Tea – A sleepy brew most useful for insomnia relief. Hops are not recommended to be taken internally by anyone feeling low or suffering from depression.

Lavender Tea – If you’ve over indulged on the alcohol the night before, an infusion of Lavender flowers makes an ideal cuppa for calming the throbbing pain of a hangover. It also soothes the digestive system and assists the liver.

Limeflower Tea – A mild-flavoured, delicate tea widely drunk all over Europe and valuable as an anti-spasmodic and sedative to the nerves and digestive system. A soothing remedy for headaches, particularly those caused by nervous tension. Drink in the evening to relax, or after a meal as a digestif.

Nettle Tea – Nettles really are one of Nature’s little gems, they have so much to offer us and are full of vitamins and minerals. Nettle tea is a superb detoxifying, cleansing tonic for the whole body, and is particularly beneficial to the liver and kidneys, and can help sooth eczema and irritated or inflamed rashes and skin conditions. Nettles are anti-allergenic – try blending them with chamomile for a hay-fever remedy – and the anti-inflammatory and cleansing properties make it an ideal regular cuppa for sufferers of arthritis. Nettle tea is also a valuable remedy for anaemia caused by heavy menstrual bleeding.
Some people find Nettle tea rather bland in flavour, but nothing a dash of honey or lemon can’t solve, or try blending it with a more aromatic herb such as Lemon Balm.

Peppermint Tea – A refreshing cuppa which will soothe stomach cramps, spasms and bloating, calm nausea and headaches, and makes an excellent after dinner digestif. Maurice Messegue, a French herbalist, proclaims it is as “a balm for the entire digestive tract.” Peppermint tea works well as an iced drink, decorate with a sprig of fresh mint – or add a fresh Peppermint leaf to ice-cubes before freezing.
Peppermint tea should not be drunk too often – and should not to be given to children under the age of 5.

Raspberry Leaf Tea – Another personal favourite, raspberry leaf is a refreshing and soothing tea, which blends well with elderflower. Raspberry Leaf is commonly recommended during the last 8 – 10 weeks of pregnancy to strengthen the uterus muscles and encourage easy labour. For this reason it should not be drunk before the last 8 – 10 weeks of pregnancy (please seek advice from your midwife or healthcare practitioner). Raspberry Leaf can also be drunk to relieve diarrhoea.

Red Clover Tea – A mild and sweet-like-honey flavour tea which is high in calcium and has a demulcent quality making it useful for acid indigestion relief. Reputedly soothing for asthma and respiratory problems. Red Clover has an age-old reputation as a cancer preventing herb. (The flowers contain the anti-cancer compound genistein). Blends well with Raspberry Leaf.

Rosemary Tea – A light and clean tasting cuppa for getting you going in the morning. Rosemary is a great herb to refresh a lagging mind and keep your memory sharp, it also makes a pleasant migraine remedy.
Rosemary tea should not be drunk too often and is not suitable for epileptics. Do not use during pregnancy or if breast-feeding.

Sage Tea – Quite an aquired taste! Good for warding off colds and ‘flu, but if you can’t bring yourself to drink it a Sage infusion makes an excellent gargle for sore throats. Also useful for menopausal women suffering from night sweats and hot flushes.
Sage tea should not be drunk too often and not more than 3 cups a day. Sage is not suitable for epileptics and should not be used during pregnancy or if breast-feeding – Sage tea is a traditional folk remedy for labour and is also used to encourage the milk flow to dry-up after breast-feeding.

Thyme Tea – Makes a good tonic for exhaustion, and drunk as a cold tea can help relieve headaches. Thyme tea is also useful at relieving urinary infections and water retention and is a popular folk remedy for flu with muscle aches and pains. Good for chest problems and for treating asthma – for the wheeziness, and shortness of breath symptoms, Andrew Chevallier [Encylopedia of Medicinal] suggests an infusion of 15g thyme and 15g nettles to 750ml of water – which should be sipped throughout the day. Thyme tea can also provide relief for hay fever sufferers and is considered to helpful in maintaining vitality, particularly in old / third age.

Valerian Tea – [another favourite with the felines] – A natural sedative, and an excellent remedy for insomnia…but very pungent! I would suggest blending this herb with other relaxing [and pleasantly aromatic] herbs such as Passion Flower, Limeflower, Chamomile, or Lemon Balm, and a good teaspoon or two of honey! Valerian Tea is also good for relieving nervous irritability, tension headaches, and menopausal problems, or to relieve bronchial spasms and smoker’s cough.
Valerian should not be taken if already using sleep-inducing medication.

You may like to blend two or more herbs together – here are a few tried and tested favourites at Gaia’s Garden :

Lemon Balm & Chamomile – A refreshing and calming blend, and a tonic for mind and body. Soothing for stomach upsets and spasms, especially those connected with emotional worries and indigestion

Red Clover & Raspberry Leaf* – A soothing, pleasant tasting blend. [*Raspberry Leaf is commonly recommended during the last 8 - 10 weeks of pregnancy to strengthen the uterus muscles and encourage easy labour. For this reason it should not be drunk before the last 10 weeks of pregnancy]

Mintea – A refreshing and soothing blend of Peppermint and Catnip (rich in antioxidants). A soothing after-dinner cuppa which may help ease headaches (particularly those associated with digestive problems). Not for children under 5.

Nettle & Lemon Balm – Just the thing to throw of Winter’s shadow and bounce into Spring. A detoxifying, cleansing, tonic brew! The Lemon Balm is soothing on the stomach and uplifting for your emotions

• For further herbal information, or to purchase organic herbs, herbal tea blends and much more, please visit Gaia’s Garden : http://www.gaias-garden.co.uk/.

Richard Kaloust Breakfast Recipes By Mike Selvon.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is what fuels your body. It provides you the nutrition, calories and required carbohydrates that help your brain and body perform at their peak.

Most people are on the go from the moment they wake up until they stop for a mandatory and much needed lunch. Do not let time play a factor in whether or not you eat a healthy breakfast. There are breakfast recipes that are fast, can be made ahead of time and are easy to take with you.

Great pancake recipes are an absolute must in the kitchen. They are super easy to prepare and you can take them with you if you are in a hurry. You do not even have to make them that morning. If you have some free time over the weekend, you can make a big batch of pancakes and freeze them.

Simply reheat them in the microwave or the toaster and presto; you have a quick, hot breakfast ready to eat in minutes. Another great idea is to find scone recipes and prepare them. They also freeze well and can be reheated when needed.

Just because you do not have time to fix a huge breakfast does not mean that you have to go without food. Breakfast is more than just biscuit recipes. It can include scone recipes, roll recipes and sweet bread recipes. Whatever you feel like eating. The most important thing is that you are consuming the proper amount of food to fuel your body. For quick and easy breakfast recipes, visit “All Recipes”.

There are plenty of great breakfast recipes to chose from that are easily portable. There is one called Scotch eggs that may quickly become your favorite breakfast delight. It is simply a hard-boiled egg with a sausage patty wrapped around it.

The sausage/egg combination is then rolled in toasted bread crumbs and baked in a 350 degree oven until the sausage is done. It is that easy to have a nutritious meal to break your fast.

Richard Kaloust Ways to Grow By Tan KC.

It is important that you find ways to grow your wealth in an economy crisis and there are many ways that you can do this. However, you should be careful to diversify your investments if you are to be assured of great returns in both good and bad times.

To begin with, you may invest in bonds or bank deposits. Indeed, the kind of return that you expect from bank certificate deposits is quite predictable and fixed and this makes it a good area to invest in. Also, if you invest in treasury bonds and hold them till they are mature, then you can expect guaranteed returns from them.

Another way you can grow your wealth in an economy crisis is by investing in company stocks. However, with this type of investment, you should not expect immediate returns. As a matter of fact, the prices will be quite low during an economy crisis and this is the best time to buy. If you are to get good returns, you will have to sell these stocks when the stock market recovers and this may take quite a while.

In addition, you can visit financial market websites that offer good advice on different ways of investing. Such websites will offer you valuable information that can help you earn great profits by giving you signals on when it is best to buy or sell stocks. However, be careful not to invest too much in stocks as the risks involved are rather high.

You can also cash in on an economy crisis by reshuffling and realigning your portfolio. If you cannot do it yourself, you may hire portfolio management services to help you do this. The good thing is that many portfolio management companies are likely to reduce the cost of their services during an economy crisis, in order to improve their business.

You may also invest some of your money in metals like gold and silver. This is considered a good investment because such metals are likely to provide you with hedging against inflation. The fact is that when inflation is low, the cost of these metals is equally low and when inflation is high, the prices of such metals also soar. Therefore, if you invest in gold, then you are kind of insulated against inflation and this is just what you require during an economy crisis.

Richard Kaloust about Organic Author:  Doug G White.

This weeks theme:  Going organic on a budget.  In this tough economy I will explore ways to go organic and still have money left over. 

Is Organic Worth It?

Been in the grocery store recently shopping for meats, eggs, fish milk etc? Noticed all the strange labeling; “Organic” or “Natural” on these items? So we all know these organic food stuffs cost significantly more than regular food, but why, what is the difference really and is it worth the extra cost?

The word natural is used for most fruits and veggies, and is mostly a marketing ploy to get you to buy their product, as all fruits and veggies are natural – unless its some newly developed processed food, it is natural. What you should be looking for is the food labeled “organic”.

So what does organic mean?

Organic food is food which has been grown without the use of pesticides, fertilizers or other chemicals. Buying organic food has two major benefits: Firstly you are preventing these potentially harmful chemicals from entering into the environment, so organic food is more environmentally friendly. Secondly, you do not induce these chemicals yourself, which is a lot healthier than “regular” foods. Since organic food tends to be a bit more expensive; if you are shopping on a budget then skip over the organic fruits and veggies which have peels that you remove before you eat them e.g. Bananas, Oranges etc… After all once you have removed the peel you remove the chemicals. Opt to at least buy organic foods such as apples where you actually consume the peel.

Remember to rinse the food thoroughly under water when you get home, regardless of whether it is organic or not.

Another label that you might come across is “No Hormones”, this is generally used on milk and meat products. Technically all such labels are completely wrong, as all animals produce hormones to function properly. What they really mean with this label is that no artificial hormones were given to the animal to grow faster and fatter or to produce more milk. Regardless of hormones or not, this meat and milk is perfectly safe for human consumption.

The last label that you might come across while shopping is found on meat and egg products. These will indicate whether the animal was caged or penned. This makes no difference to the nutritional value of the food but is more a question of animal rights. These products also generally cost more but are more of a humane decision.

So remember to read the labels carefully while grocery shopping, as being informed about what they mean can help you make the best choices for your diet.

Richard Kaloust Persian Recipes By Sunil Tanna.

The region that is today Iran has a very long history. Urban settelements have existed in the country since at least 4000 BCE, and of course most people have heard of the Persian empires. The country of Persia, officially changed its name to Iran in 1935 at the direction of then ruler, Reza Shah, but in 1953, Mohammad Reza Shah (the son of Reza Shah) announced that both names, “Iran” and “Persia”, were acceptable.

Persian cuisine is known for its subtle and delicate mixtures of spices. You will also find that Persian recipes use many interesting ingredients including apricots, artichokes, eggplant, lemon, lime, oranges, pistachios, spinach, saffron and tarragon.

All Persian meals are traditionally served with tea (”chai”). Tea is in fact drank throughout the day, as well as with breakfast, and before and after both lunch and dinner. You should also look out for the side dishes (”mokhalafat”), containing various accompaniments which are served with Persian meals, as they form an important part of the experience.

Additionally, rice is often eaten with Iranian meals. Although the rice may be prepared in a variety of different ways, the best known is “chelow”, in which rice is partially boiled, then drained and finally steamed. This results in a fluffy texture for the rice, with a golden crust at the bottom of the cooking pot.

Popular Persian main dishes include:

* Chelo Kabab – This is probably the most famous of Persian dishes. It is marinated lamb, cooked over a charcoal grill, and served with rice.

* Fesenjan – Fesenjan is a stew made from chicken or duck. It contains walnut and pomegranate, and has a sweet and sour flavor.

* Abgousht – This is vegetable and beef stew.

* Shirin Polo – Shirin Polo is traditionally eaten at Iranian weddings. It is rice with slivered almonds, orange peel and pistachio nuts.

Some mokhalafat side plates may accompany Iranian meals include:

* Naan – Persian unleavened flat bread.

* Panir – A type of cheese that is reminescent of feta.

* Khiyarshur – Pickles.

* Torshi – Relishes.

* Sabzi – Mixed herbs.

Richard Kaloust Spicy Shrimp Chowder By Natalie Schloesser.

Cooking is truly an experiment; what foods work with what spices, how much, the variables go on and on. For many, cooking without a recipe or even altering a recipe is a scary thing. They follow recipes exactly, worried that the cooking police might come find them if they don’t.

And so, I offer you my Spicy Shrimp Chowder recipe. You will notice the ingredients are in two categories – what you can alter and what you can’t. (Please notice which list is longer and that even the necessary ingredients have options.) What I have offered you is a choice, a sort of “experiment with a guide”. I have it listed the way I make it (although I often think my husband sneaks in more red pepper when I’m not looking) but please feel free to add or subtract, increase or decrease amounts, or whatever else you want to please your palate. For some altering hints, I’ve added a list below the recipe instructions. Enjoy!

Necessary ingredients

2- 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups eight vegetable or tomato juice

1 cup white wine or water

½ cup rice

Other ingredients

2 cups celery, chopped

1 green or red bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp ground red pepper

1 pound pre-cooked, tail off shrimp

Spray 5-6 quart crock pot with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients except shrimp and rice in slow cooker, cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Stir in fish and rice. Cover and cook on high an additional 45 minutes.

Hints for alteration

- For soupier chowder, add an additional 1 cup juice and/or ½ cup wine.

- Make with any firm fish such as tuna steak, halibut, or haddock cut into 1 inch cubes.

- Increase or decrease celery, bell peppers, and onion according to your tastes.

- For a spicier chowder, increase garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and/or ground red pepper. You could also add some hot sauce if desired.

School Lunches from Richard Kaloust By Cyndi Roberts.

It seems that school starts earlier every year. So it’s time to start thinking about what to put in those school lunches every morning.

My children always wanted to bring their own lunches because they didn’t really like what was offered in the school lunchroom. But it was sometimes a little difficult to make their lunches nutritious and tasty and also to put a little variety in their lunchboxes without spending a small fortune.

If we let ourselves, we can spend a “lot” on individual servings, lunchables, and treats for lunches. Here are a few ideas to help you meet the “Frugal Lunchbox Challenge”.

Go to the Dollar Store and buy a few of those individual serving-size storage containers. These are very inexpensive and they are worth every penny.

You can use them for any number of things–like making your own fruit cups and pudding cups.

And they can also be used to hold dip for carrot or celery sticks or fill with peanut butter and pack a zipper bag of pretzels for dipping.

Also at the Dollar Store or discount store, you can pick up one or two of the small “blue ice” cold packs. They will help keep lunchbox items cold and safe. Sandwiches such as egg salad or tuna salad need to have a cold pack. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, on the other hand, can be packed without one.

Those zipper bags we all love come into their own when packing lunches! They can hold vegetable sticks, popcorn, crackers, homemade cookies, etc.

Muffins hold up well in a zipper-top bag, as do slices of banana nut bread, or most any other quick bread.

When the weather turns cool, a small thermos will come in handy for homemade soup or chili. I see lots of these for sale at garage and yard sales, sometimes for as little as 25 cents.

A thermos is also handy to hold whatever drink your child likes to take.

Try to put some fun in the lunchbox: keep a stash of small, inexpensive toys, cut sandwich bread into cool shapes with cookie cutters, write little notes to your child, cut out funny cartoons. Children love surprises.

A good routine to get into is while you are cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, put leftovers in the storage containers, or make sandwiches and place in the fridge in a designated area for lunch items. Get your kids to help–the more they are involved, the better!

Put napkins, etc. in lunch boxes or bags and place them where all anyone has to do in the morning is fill with the prepared items. Now you can all be out the door in minutes!

Here are a few recipes that will help get you started this school year:

Apple Surprise

1 apple
Raisins
Peanut butter

Cut apple in half. Carefully, cut out the core of the apple. Spread peanut butter where the core used to be and over surface of apple. Sprinkle raisins over the peanut butter.

Trail Mix

2 cups granola cereal
1 cup peanuts
1 cup dried apple bits
1 1/2 cups yogurt-covered raisins
2/3 cup chopped dates
1 cup dried banana bits

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

A small serving of this goes a long way!

Peanut Butter Balls

1/2 c. peanut butter
2 1/2 tbsp. nonfat dry milk
2 tbsp. raisins
2 tbsp. honey
1/4 c. coconut
Sesame seeds

Mix all ingredients and form into balls. Roll in sesame seeds.

This is a good recipe for the kids to help with– they love to roll the dough into balls.