Foodmall

An article elaborates on a couple of easy ways to go about holiday parties, cutting out a lot of stress from the minds of home cooks. The tips are a follows:

1. Go for a seasonal cocktail rather than opening a cellar full of wines not suiting the occasion.

2. Serve single-themed appetizers with variations rather than serving an assortment of stuffed tacos, cheese or finger foods.

3. Take the whole credit of jazzing-up a drink, rather than depending on the credibility of a bartender.

4. Arrange hors d’oeuvre platters in such a way that guests enjoy every variation of the appetizers served.

5. Be at ease while hosting the party.

Read More for Party Recipes

Food Fables investigation, by consumer group Which?, is reported to have branded the fast food ads by fast food giants like McDonald and Coco Pops as “underhand” tactics to lure small children to junk foods. The investigation claims that the fast food chains promote their junk foods to children by offering free branded downloads, online games, competitions, and links to TV ads and even via viral marketing. At the outset of the declaration of fast food chains to promote health foods through their ads, such an investigation taints the image of the fast food chains in front of the consumers, especially the parents.

Doubtless, that fast food chains have trapped the children in a world of fantasy and expectations, but the attempt to invade the most used space of the GenX kids creates a dubious picture of all the attempts done by the fast food chains to gain some mercy from nutritional advocates and consumer groups. Instead of trying to replace Trans Fats the fast food chains should find alternatives to spread the ‘functionality’ of their fast foods in ethical ways.

The string of E coli outbreaks has no doubt spread beyond the local growers and th food manufacturers and an article more or less blames it on the lack of an integrated food supply system. Facts provided claims that FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention come into the scene after the food is contaminated, but no set standard is laid for food safety within the food supply system.

Doubtless that FDA has not taken stringent measures to monitor safety from the origin of food to the distribution of the same until it eaches consumers, but there are reports of FDA’s warning to food manufacturers about their food items or their mode of production, susceptible to food contamination.

The FDA has not only warned the producers but also the consumers regarding food contamination. However the risk analysis in the form of precautionary measures have never been incorporated by the producers, but it s high time that the FDA converts the precautionary measures into legislation for inhibiting the expansion of the food contamination chain from spinach to lettuce and from tomatoes to chocolates.

Dr. Dianne Volker of the University of Sydney in Chippendale and Jade Ng of Goodman Fielder Commercian in North Ryde have revealed in a research published in the journal Nutrition and Dietetics that a diet of fish oils, B Vitamins and herbs can cure depression. Earlier studies show that Omega3 and Omega6 acids, are important to help in the communication of nerve cells, which is vital for proper mental health.

Though there are controversial studies regarding a diet rich in B Vitamins, yet
there are studies that assert that a regular dietary supply of B vitamins is necessary to ensure regular processing of proteins for brain, along with the conversion of glucose into fuel for maintaining the energy level in brain.

However, clinical studies need to take place to associate vitamin deficiency with eating disorder, thereby linking it with psychiatric illnesses. However, a diet rich with Omega3 fatty acids found in seafood, folic acid found in fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts is always functional for the body, irrespective of the numerous areas in which it can prove to be a traditional drug-free treatment.

Stuffed bell peppers in autumn with autumn veggies can beat any appetizer on the table. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

Green Bell Peppers (Seeded and Halved)
Minced Chicken
Chopped Red Bell Peppers
Mashed Potatoes
Boiled Peas
Grated Carrots
Shredded Cabbage
Chopped Mint Leaves
Chopped Green chilies
Black Pepper
Salt
Oil

Method

1. In a wok heat oil and fry the minced chicken until brown.

2. Stir-fry all the veggies along with seasonings, green chilies and mint leaves. Cook veggies until tender.

3. Combine chicken with veggies.

4. Stuff the chicken and vegetable mixture into the bell peppers.

5. Bake the stuffed bell peppers until theskin is brown.

Fresh from the garden winter bounty is always fun to mix with the foods eaten during celebration. An article in the Seattlepi lists out the various handy ingredients that you can pick from your garden to pep-up festive foods. The handy ingredients from the garden are as follows:

1. Lemon from the garden can be juiced and added as a marinade or for flavoring stir-fries.

2. Cranberries or gooseberries can jazz-up everything from pickles to salads, desserts to stuffing.

3. Vegetable garden gives you endless ways of stewing carrots, peas and green beans this winter.

4. Herbs like parsley, basil, coriander, mint, rosemary and thyme have endless flavoring and dressing uses.

5. Salad plants with apple and nuts can prove to be hearty with a bowl of soup.

6. Fresh corn off the cob with butter, salt and pepper can prove to be welcoming in snack-time.

Facts provided by the US researchers in the Journal of Food Biochemistry claims that the bioavailability of nutrients for a diabetic diet comes from a combination of soy yogurt and fruits, which is apparently rich with phenols and polyphenols.

Through the Soy Yogurt, the research claims to provide sweet snacking alternatives to the diabetes patients along with tapping the antioxidant capacities of the ingredients in soy yogurt to affect enzymes like ACE, alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase.

As per earlier studies ACE inhibitors work better than the antioxidants in controlling diabetes and hypertension, by inhibiting the activity of Angiotensin II. As the research targets cheap treatment of diabetes using traditional diet of soy yogurt, adding an edge of alternate snacking, it can be considered for diabetes and heart patients as a vital part of their diet.

The flexibility of soy yogurt allows the dairy manufacturers to think on the lines of merging real fruits with soy yogurt to lure a major section of American diners, who are sustaining themselves on restrictive diets, with hardly any option for healthy indulgence in the market.

Research led by Jorge Dubcovsky and his team from the University of California at Davis is reported to have resulted in the discovery of a gene in wild wheat, which the researchers claim would enhance the nutritional content of wheat. Facts provided by the research claims that the conventional breeding method used to incorporate the gene into the cultivated wheat varieties would boost the protein, zinc and iron value in the grain.

Doubtless that the added protein content to wheat aims at compensating for the lack of nutrients in the daily bread of more than 2 billion people, but the question remains that whether the wild wheat gene would pass positively through the palates of consumer and consumer groups, at the outset of whole grain and gluten-free products.

In addition to the gluten-free concerns are the concerns of texture and flavor, which has not passed consumer trials. Therefore, the acceptability of this newly bred wheat with nutritional claims has to come up to the food trends of health and flavor to mean anything to the consumers.

Via: Reuters

Labeling foods as ‘functional’ has no doubt become the most popular marketing stunt of food manufacturers and to keep a check on the fast pace profits of $90bn a year, from fake labels, FDA has been coming-up with equally popular but fragile attempts.

However, the latest in the row is reported to be one of the most stringent labeling measures taken up by the Standards Australia’s food standards board to single out organic from inorganic foods on the food labels. Clear warnings from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has spelled out action against misleading organic food labels based on the content, preparation, production method, origin or standard of a product.

However, there is a lot of propaganda in favor of organic and free-range foods, there is still a brouhaha concerning definitions and set standards of organic and free-range foods, which would make labeling restrictive in nature and educate consumers at the same time. Cracking misleading labels is not enough, converting the subjective words like ‘pure’ and ‘fresh’ into objective standards, is much more important for the benefit of the food industry and the consumers.

Minced meat cutlets with a steaming bowl of soup might sound weird, but is worth a try. In the following recipe I am going to share mince meat cutlets prepared by my mom.

Ingredients

Minced Lamb Meat
Mashed Potatoes
Chopped Green Chilies
Chopped Coriander Leaves
Chopped Mint Leaves
Chopped Onion
Chopped Ginger
Beaten egg yolk
Salt
Black Pepper
Oil

Method

1. Mix all the above ingredients well.

2. Shape them into cakes.

3. Shallow fry them in oil or bake until brown.