Some thoughts...

So to start off with I wrote a large entry and it seems that blogger has erased it completely which is pretty frustrating to say the least.

Mandi has been asking me to write more on here about my explorations with food. There are a few things I have come to fully understand lately that I would like to share.

It is so very important to use the very best ingredients you can afford when cooking. There is a huge difference in the flavors when you use quality fresh produce, meats, and other ingredients. However not all fresh foods are made alike. I guess modern packaging and advertising makes people feel like their foods are the freshest possible. The reality is that most fresh ingredients are really not all that fresh. Most have to travel thousands of miles to reach your grocery store self. By the time they do arrive essentials oils and nutrients have already started to dwindle. On a side note don't forget to wash your veggies well you have no idea whats on them. Left over pesticides, salmonella, and other problems plague your choices.

Have you ever had someone say that their tomatoes or other ingredients just do not taste as good as they once did? I have on many occasions and simply the food we eat today is not the same as it was a generation ago. I will not get into every detail as to why this has happened but you can say that in the pursuit of maximizing yield, improving efficiency, and increasing profit margins we see less quality for more of our hard earned dollars. So is all hope lost? No, there is hope even in the small towns. There are many coops that people can join like Bountiful Baskets that strive to provide fresh to your door produce and products. Stores like Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, and others are a good source of organic produce and quality meats. Farmers markets are around you just have to look for them. Even Wal-Mart can provide you with quality ingredients if you know what to look for. Do not be afraid to smell your cilantro or other ingredients when possible. Your nose will tell you when something is not fresh. Look for crisp, full colored produce. Do not buy anything that looks like it shouldn't. I was at a local store the other day and all of their cilantro was wilted and browning. I found it amazing that people were still buying it when it was clearly not fresh. I took a bunch of the cilantro to customer service to let them see the quality. The next day the entire shelf had been cleared and replaced with fresh crisp greens and herbs. Now thats a quality store. If the place you are shopping is not willing to do this don't shop there unless you absolutely have to. Do not settle for a mediocre grocery shopping experience.

Picking out seafood is such a big thing for me. I am a Florida boy and grew up with access to some of the freshest fish anywhere. So I know what good seafood should smell and taste like. Frozen seafood is not all bad and certain things have to be flash frozen asap when they are caught like soft shell crab since they are so delicate. If you use frozen seafood test a little on the stove before you serve it. If it does not taste fresh its not! Take it back to the store for a refund. When standing at the seafood counter don't be fooled by fresh shrimp or other fish they have on display. If it says previously frozen don't get it. They just thawed the product, put it in the display window, and now it has a higher price. With fish like Salmon you want wild caught not farm raised. Farm raised anything when it comes to fish is no good. This is why I don't cook catfish, tilapia etc. Other seafood should also be fresh. Do not be afraid to ask the person behind the counter if you can smell your seafood. Don't sell yourself short with seafood, spend the extra money, cook it up right, and forgo that heavy dinner at the local chained restaurant.

Now onto poultry and meats. I will just touch upon a few things with these guys. I have found that Wal-mart meat and chicken products are for the most part terrible quality. I use local meat shops selections instead or if a higher quality market in the area has a decent prices on their products. So many people worry about money when it comes to their food. Stop paying for that awesome high car payment and lavishly gigantic rent. Downsize and invest in yourself. If you take care of your body it will take care of you and it starts with quality foods and ingredients. So look for quality meats that have no saline injections or other enhancements. Try to buy antibiotic free and non-genetically modified foods. When a chicken breast seems bigger than one that you find in a rotisserie chicken then you should rethink your purchase. Many companies still use chickens that have been genetically modified to grow bigger and faster. Beef is not all the same either. Most beef you find is grain fed (which means corn fed in most cases). Grain fed beef is much lower in nutritional value than grass fed. Not to mention that grain fed cows have a much higher e coli 0157 count. If you can afford grass fed beefs higher price get it. If not then limit your consumption of grain fed beef. Some would argue you cannot taste the difference but I think they do not have a clue on quality foods anyways. I have not forgotten the other white meat pork. All I have to say about this meat choice is eat it sparingly. Most of it is very high in cholesterol, fat, and saturated fats. Just look for quality cuts and strive to find the leanest possible.

Use any product or ingredient within its serving reccomendations. You would be surprised how often we over eat even with "healthier" foods. Pay attention to serving sizes and follow them.

A few alternative protein sources to use instead of using beef or pork are buffalo, ground turkey, ground chicken, and plant based proteins like legumes and soy bean based products.

Well I am off to eat some Stir Fried Lemon Grass Chicken with home made Nuoc cham sauce.

Here are few photos of some things that were cooked recently. Yes the chickens have skewers coming out their behinds. I had to improvise since I did not have any cooking twine on hand.

Here is some food for thought:
According to the University of California website:

The vast majority of U.S. beef cattle eat grain or other high-calorie feed for several months at a feedlot before being processed. Eating such concentrated feed fattens the animals quickly and produces fat-marbled meat that is favored for its flavor and tenderness. Grass-fed cattle live out their lives on the range or pasture eating grass or hay. Their meat is leaner, less tender and contains the higher nutrient levels. It is also a product that can be marketed at a higher price, making grass-feeding a value-added process that can help cattle producers earn more money during difficult economic times.

"Grass-fed hamburger meat sells for about $1 more per pound. Steaks are sold at about double the normal price - about $7 more per pound than ordinary beef," said Glenn Nader, UC Cooperative Extension livestock and natural resources farm advisor in the Sutter-Yuba County office and the leader of the project.

However, because of the higher cost, the market is limited to a certain type of consumer. Grass-fed beef is preferred by people who have avoided meat because they believe grain could be more efficiently used to feed the world's poor, and those that feel purchasing grass-fed beef supports the preservation of open rangelands in rapidly urbanizing communities.

"These products sell in natural food stores that attract high-income, health-conscious consumers," Nader said. "We don't think grass-fed beef is a wave of the future. It represents a small niche market that we're trying to make available to ranchers."

UC Cooperative Extension and CSU, Chico, received a $14,000 grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation California Food and Fiber Future project to study and promote the health benefits of grass-fed beef. Two CSUC students, Amber Abbott and Margaret Basurto, conducted a literature review, in which research results that were reported in 55 articles, letters, Web sites and commentaries by scientists representing a wide variety of institutions were studied, collated and aggregated.

Their report concluded that ranchers who produce grass-fed cattle may rightfully claim the product is more healthful than conventionally produced meat.

The report says that three ounces of ground beef from cattle fed conventional diets contain about 41 micrograms of beta-carotene and a typical rib eye steak has 36 micrograms. In contrast, meat from cattle fattened predominately on ryegrass has almost double the beta-carotene, 87 micrograms in 3.5 ounces of ground beef and 64 micrograms in a steak.

Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body. While excessive amounts of vitamin A in supplement form can be toxic, the body will only convert as much vitamin A as it needs from beta-carotene. Vitamin A is a critical fat-soluble vitamin that is important for normal vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell division and cell differentiation. A three-ounce serving of grass-fed beef supplies 10 percent of the recommended dietary allowance of beta-carotene for women, compared to 5 percent from conventional beef.

The amount of natural vitamin E found in beef raised on a conventional diet is 3.7 micrograms per gram of meat. The amount of vitamin E per gram in beef raised on the grass-based diet is 9.3 micrograms, a nearly threefold improvement. A 3.5-ounce serving of grass-fed beef would yield 930 micrograms of vitamin E, about 7 percent of the daily dietary requirement.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin with powerful antioxidant activity. Antioxidants protect cells against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging byproducts of the body's metabolism that may contribute to chronic health problems such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Cattle's diet also significantly alters the fatty acid composition of their meat. Cattle fed primarily grass have 60 percent more omega-3 fatty acids and a more favorable omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and help prevent heart disease and arthritis. Omega-6 promotes inflammation, blood clotting and tumor growth. Because the two substances work together to promote good health, it is important to maintain a proper balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The essential fatty acids are also highly concentrated in the brain and appear to be particularly important for cognitive and behavioral function.

Raising cattle on grass boosts the beef's level of a conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a lesser-known but important group of polyunsaturated fatty acids found in beef, lamb and dairy products. Over the past two decades, numerous health benefits have been attributed to CLA in animals, including a reduction in cancer, heart disease, onset of diabetes and accumulation of body fat. To achieve these benefits, the average person should consume about 5 grams of CLA per day. A 3.5-ounce serving of grass-fed beef provides 1.23 grams of CLA, 25 percent of the daily requirement. The same amount of conventional beef provides less than 10 percent of the daily requirement.