Homemade Sauerkraut
Author avisha Categories Food & Nutrition, Recipes Posted on 0 Comments

Homemade Sauerkraut

The humble cabbage, a member of the cruciferous family, offers many health benefits. It is high in vitamins A and C and provides a rich source of phytonutrient antioxidants. In addition, it has anti-inflammatory properties, and in some studies has been shown to exhibit anti-cancer properties. But when you ferment this already nutritious food, you turn it in to a Super food. The fermenting process turns cabbage into what we call Sauerkraut and in this process breaks down the cabbage in to a more digestible form making its nutrients much more bioavailable to us.   Sauerkraut is also loaded with a host of beneficial bacteria aiding in our gut health. Store bought Sauerkraut is often pasteurized and therefore does not provide the beneficial bacteria so important to us. For best results use a fresh cabbage. This should provide you with plenty of fluid and ensure great success to the fermenting process. A little arm work is needed too!

Ingredients:

Homemade Sauerkraut jar•1 large head cabbage (save 2 leaves)
•2 peeled carrots
•1 TBSP Sea Salt

1.Chop cabbage
2.Add carrot
3.Sprinkle with salt

With hands tamp down until fluid is released and covers vegetables.
Put in Mason jar.
Place saved cabbage leaves on top.
Cover tightly.
Leave in jar for about 2 weeks

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My New Toy!

I have a new toy!  Some of you messaged me about making the zucchini noodles. In that post I used a hand held device which broke apart into 3 pieces. After doing a bit of research this is my new spiralizer. It’s a great tool to have for many things including zucchini noodles. In this picture I spiralized jicama for jicama fries.

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Mushroom Burgers

Mushroom burgers are a great alternative to a traditional meat burger and are a vegetarian delight!  Often one of my recommendations to meat eaters is to try and have one meatless dinner a week. Mushroom burgers are a really great option for such a night. Add to it your choice of side vegetables and voila a delicious meal to satisfy everyone! Among their many health benefits, mushrooms are a source of B vitamins as well as being a rare food source of Vitamin D. Of note, it is important that you eat organic mushrooms. As mushrooms gain their nutrition from metabolizing non-living organic matter, it is important to eat organically grown mushrooms to avoid the possibility of consuming harmful contaminants that may be absorbed.

Ingredients:

2 TBSP Olive Oil
8 Cups chopped organic mushrooms
1 small onion chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 cup organic bread crumbs
2 organic eggs
Salt & Pepper

Saute onion and garlic until soft
Add mushrooms and cook until juice has evaporated
Let cool then combine with rest of ingredient
Form in to patties and grill until heated through. I served these on Sourdough bread.

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Bioflavia and Honey

On our recent Winery Tour in Niagara Falls, Ontario, I just had to make a stop at Southbrook Vineyards. Southbrook Vineyards is a biodynamic, organic vineyard producing outstanding wines and ice wines. And while I do admit that I am a sucker for a great glass of wine, this stop was not only for the vino. Southbrook Vineyards also produces a wonderful product called Bioflavia. Bioflavia is organic red wine grape skin powder loaded with antioxidants. I use it in smoothies and in my Komucha. Southbrook Vineyards also sells honey produced from onsite hives. It is not only delicious but is also antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. So there you have it. One stop shopping in my very favourite type of store!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Beyond Its Taste

In simple terms, Epigenetics is the study of how our environment affects our gene expression.  As studies progress, the once held belief that we are at the mercy of our gene pool, is slowly changing.  This should in turn then affect how we look at cancer prevention and perhaps treatment.

Although more research is needed to determine a direct causal link between diet and cancer, there are numerous studies showing the positive association between the two. Furthermore as researchers continue to uncover the associations between diet and disease, it is becoming increasingly clear that the greatest benefits come from whole foods and not the isolated component nutrients.

I recently watched a short video by Bruce Lipton in which he spoke of a research project headed by Vaucheret and Chapeau demonstrating that “plant small RNAs acquired orally through food intake directly influence gene expression in animals after migration through the plasma and delivery to specific organs.”  Lipton continues by saying that “microRNA molecules in the food we eat are picked up by our digestive system and transferred to our own cells and regulates our own genetics…we alter our own genetic read out by the food we eat.”  So in essence, what we eat can either turn on our health genes or turn on our disease genes.

The science behind this is complicated but the message is simple.  As we continue to understand how our body’s immune system works in preventing and fighting disease and how diet and lifestyle choices can support it, what we choose to eat and how we choose to live our lives becomes of utmost importance in both preventing and fighting cancer.

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