Skinny Bitch_ Ultimate Everyday Cookbook - Kim Barnouin [32]
Cilantro (Coriander) A fine ingredient for Mexican, Asian, and Caribbean dishes, including rice, pasta, vegetables, salsa, taco fillings, guacamole, black beans and corn salad, and lentils. Best when purchased fresh. When possible, buy whole coriander seeds instead of ground powder since the latter loses its flavor quickly. Coriander seeds can be easily ground with a mortar and pestle.
Dill Pairs well with Russian, German, and Greek dishes ; adds a sweet flavor to such vegetables as beets, carrots, cucumers, green beans, tomatoes, and potatoes. Like most, use fresh dillweed over the dried form for best results.
Tarragon Delicious in traditional French cuisine, tarragon boosts salad dressings and such earthy foods as green beans, fava beans, artichokes, asparagus, tomatoes, peas, and carrots. When dried, the oils dissipate. Fresh tarragon has a more intense flavor and should be used sparingly.
Saffron The priciest spice in the world, saffron is an exotic pairing for such tangy fruits as cranberries and grapefruit and such vegetables as mushrooms and peas. Purchase saffron threads for best results. The powdered spice loses its flavor quickly. Threads also stay fresh longer.
Black Pepper The world’s most popular spice, pepper seems to complement every recipe under the sun. Available in whole, crushed, or ground powder form. To ensure best flavor, purchase whole peppercorns and grind them in a mill just before adding to a dish. Fresh ground pepper has a more lively flavor.
THE GOOD-FAT DIET
Disease-Fighting Fats and Where to Get Them
Ever since the day you first tried on that bikini in the department store, you were convinced that fat was the enemy. Evil. Relentless. Nobody really had to persuade you. The visual of your body in that size 6 bikini, under those über-flattering fluorescent bulbs in a three-way mirror did the trick. Granted, the bubbly sales associate that continued to bring you variations of polka dots and zebra prints didn’t soften the blow either. Bitter? No, never.
The problem here is we were lied to. If that sounds harsh, then call it an “accidental omission.” Whatever helps you sleep at night.
Not all fats are bad for you. In fact, as you are hopefully well aware of at this stage in your life, some fats are [deep breath] good for you! Gasp. Eek.
There are a whole range of healthy fats that are actually essential to good health. While your body is superb at making its own fat and storing it in your tummy, thighs, and buttocks, there are a slew of “good” fatty acids that your body cannot produce. These building blocks of fat are essential to your overall health and have been proven to fight such diseases as diabetes, depression, dementia, cancer, joint and muscle pain, and heart disease.
These “good guys” in the fat family—monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats—come in many forms. Monounsaturated shows off her good genes in olive oil—one of nature’s richest sources of monounsaturated fat—canola oil, nuts, peanut oil, and avocados. Polyunsaturated gets its time to shine through its two main types of fats, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Walnuts, walnut oil, flaxseed, and flaxseed oil are good sources of omega-3s. Omega-6s flourish in corn, sunflower, safflower oil, and soybean oil. Together, a healthy diet of both can help you live a long and healthy life. Here are some of the disease-fighting benefits “good” fats carry:
CONTROL BLOOD SUGAR: Research shows that monounsaturated fats help safeguard you against Type-2 diabetes, by controlling blood sugar and levels of triglycerides (the fat your body stores).
REDUCE RISK OF BREAST CANCER: These healthy fats may also reduce the activity of a gene that triggers an aggressive form of breast cancer, and moreover,