Monday, February 21, 2011

Jambalaya Brown Polish

I was in Lost River, WV this past weekend for sometime off from the city, I always cook in the cabin for my friends and this week was not the exception; and I did not have to many ingredients to cook the last day. I decided to make a Jambalaya with Kielbasa, we were going to grill, but it was cold and windy,I think it was a good idea, my friends love it... I think.


You will need:

Polish Kielbasa about 1.25 lbs, or other spicy smoked sausage, sliced 1/4" thick
1 chicken breast diced
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 cup of diced tomato, canned
1 large green (or any color you have) bell pepper, diced
1 small white onions, diced
2 cups brown rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup of water
4 spoons of olive oil

 

What to do with all this:

In a heavy pot add the olive oil. Add the sliced sausage and cook, chicken and onions, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the paprika, cumin, cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Saute the spices for 1 minute, and then add the tomatoes. Cook stirring for a few minutes to let some of the liquid from the tomatoes evaporate. Add the green bell pepper; cook, stirring for 5 minutes.

Stir in the rice and mix well. Add the stock, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and check the rice. It should be just tender; if it is still too firm cook longer. Taste for seasoning, and adjust if needed.

Have some beer or white wine, if you want you can add shrimp 5 minutes before is done, in my case I did not have seafood because I was in the middle of West Virginia, I added canned corn; if you like it do it.

Enjoy and send me an email if you have any questions.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Food for your colon

Having a healthy colon is the key to long term health and finding good colon healthy recipes is one way to help keep your body healthy. While it might be difficult to actually locate recipes that are labeled to be healthy for the colon, you can learn to recognize them by the ingredients that they contain- namely fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, a healthy recipe will contain little or no white flour and white sugar. Perhaps the best recipe for colon health, however is to include lots of fruits and vegetables in your meals as described below.

The large intestine or colon is where the results of the entire digestive process gather up to leave the body. Due to poor eating habits, most people have an unhealthy colon resulting in constipation. If your colon is not in tip top shape, food can get trapped in the lining and start to rot. It can also become hardened in there and can even be trapped in your colon for years!

Of course, food plays a big role in the health of your colon. There are many arguments for the pros and cons of a vegan diet, however when it comes to colon health, a vegetarian way of eating has many benefits.

Vegetables and fruits are very colon friendly and can be processed or digested quite easily by the body. They contain a variety of vitamins and minerals as well as enzymes and fiber- all things that are essential to good health. Fiber, in particular, is good for your colon health as it adds bulk which helps to pass the food along the digestive tract.

One simple and easy breakfast recipe could be a fruit salad with oatmeal (not the packaged or instant stuff). Natural fruit juice can be quite healthy too although it does not have fiber and drinking a lot of water will help with the digestive process.

Always try to include a salad for lunch with lots of dark leafy greens. Stay away from the iceburg and try to include romaine lettuce and spinach as these have more vitamins. Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and kale are great additions to any salad. Don't forget the olives and artichokes for a little zest. Instead of bottled dressing which is probably loaded with sugar, try olive oil and vinegar- you might even mix in some fresh herbs and create your own salad dressing recipe!

For snacks, stay away from anything that comes in a package and go for raw nuts, fruit, veggies or even a nice fruit smoothie- made with real fresh fruit, of course! If you need something crunchy try spreading all natural peanut butter on celery (this can also help to satisfy any cravings for sweets). Try cutting down on the red meat and eating fresh fish along with a salad and perhaps some steamed broccoli, zucchini and carrots. If you need something more substantial try adding brown rice, corn on the cob or potatoes.

Just like with any other aspect of your health, eating nutritious healthy foods is a sure fire way to keep your colon, and your whole body, in good health.

The Colon Cancer Alliance will be celebrating the Dress in Blue Day on March 04, all over the United States, check this link: http://www.ccalliance.org/dressinblueday/index.html