Gluten-Free Millet Is Not Just for the Birds

By Margie King

You might be vaguely familiar with whole grain millet. It's easily confused with the great French realist painter, Jean Francois Millet, who had many grain themes in his masterpieces, including "The Gleaners," which you may remember from eighth grade art history class. This millet, however, is a small grain-like seed that is often the main ingredient in bird feed but, as you might expect, is not just for the birds.

Millet is an ancient grain originating in Northern Africa, some say, while others claim China. In any event, it is believed that millet was introduced into the United States in the late 1800's and was competitive with corn as a grain source for humans until it fell out of favor and was relegated to use primarily as livestock and bird feed.

Because it is gluten free, easily digested and rich in nutrients, millet is making a slow comeback in the American diet.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat which many people cannot digest, particularly those diagnosed with celiac disease. Symptoms of gluten intolerance may include diarrhea, flatulence, bloating and fatigue. Millet is a good alternative source of whole grains both for those with gluten intolerance and those wanting to increase fiber in their diet.

In addition to insoluble fiber, millet is a rich source of B vitamins, folate, magnesium and potassium, among other nutrients. Because it is so small, millet cooks fairly quickly compared to some other whole grains.

It can be prepared in many different ways including simply boiled like brown rice or cooked like a rice pilaf. It can also be served as a sweet, creamy morning porridge by simmering leftover millet with milk, diced apple or pear, and honey or maple syrup.

Try this quick and easy recipe for a millet pilaf.

Millet Pilaf Recipe

Place one cup of millet into a pan and toast over low heat until slightly brown. Don't overdo it.

Remove from the pan and sauté 3 cups of chopped vegetables (your choice of any colorful combination of onions, celery, carrots, bell peppers, etc.) in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for several minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add back the millet and 2 cups of vegetable stock. Cover and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

Fluff the millet with a fork. Serve and enjoy.

If you have leftovers, make a delicious salad using any rice, pasta or quinoa salad recipe.

Margie King is a certified holistic health coach, Wharton M.B.A. and former corporate attorney. Margie leads workshops on nutrition, conducts healthy cooking classes, and offers individual and group health and nutrition coaching to women and busy professionals.

For more information and to access her free webinars, check out Margie's website: http://www.NourishingMenopause.com

Read more of Margie's articles as the National Nutrition Examiner here: http://www.examiner.com/nutrition-in-national/margie-king

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Margie_King/359900

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Good recipe for an almond cheese

Vegan Nut Cheese

By Laurinda Erasmus  

These nut cheese recipes are extremely easy to do, with the advantage of having the same health benefits as dairy cheese with the added probiotics. They can be made to stay a soft, spreading-type or shaped into hard blocks which can be sliced. The most effective way of doing this is to use a dehydrator, but one can also leave the shapes uncovered in the refrigerator and after a day or so a rind will development on the outside.

Various types of nuts can be used (and interchanged), but for the most convincing results use nuts that will mimic the taste of dairy cheese. Use for instance peeled almonds for making feta-style; sweeter cashew nuts or earthy tasting walnuts for making swiss-style; a mix of pine-nuts and brazils for making parmesan or pecorino style nut cheese and macadamia nuts with its higher oil content for making hard cheddar types (add a pinch of curry and turmeric powders to your nut pulp). Seeds, such as sunflower with sesame, or pumpkin seeds on their own also make delicious nut cheeses. Dehydrate the shaped nut blocks or domes until just a rind forms (and the mixture is still semi-soft inside), or dry out further until almost crumbly, depending on the type you're making.

Start by soaking nuts in water. To make things interesting, use two different types of nuts to give a layer effect. Use ¾ cup of raw walnuts and a ¾ cup raw macadamia nuts and soak them separately overnight in two bowls in enough water to cover them.

The next day, drain the water off and rinse the nuts. Keeping them separate, place the nuts in a strong blender or food processor fitted with the steel S-blade. Add ¾ cup filtered water and ½ tsp probiotic powder (this would be for each batch of nuts). Blend until smooth and thick.

Pour the two thick mixtures into 2 muslin cloths or nut milk bags that sit in sieves over bowls to catch the water (whey). Twist the muslin cloths or nut milk bags to remove excess water.

Place a heavy object, like a clean river stone on each of the squeezed nut mixtures. Cover the two bowls with a tea cloth and place somewhere warm (but not in the sun) for 48 hours. In this time, good bacteria will ferment the nut cheese and at the end of 2 days the mixtures will have a faint sour smell.

Transfer the two nut mixtures to two mixing bowls. Add 1 - 2 tbsp of savoury yeast flakes and ½ tsp of salt to each bowl. Stir in any other flavourings of your choice, such as: chopped olives, fresh herbs, spices or even finely grated fresh vegetables, onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes or dried onion and garlic granules or chili flakes. Stir well.

Press the mixture into a container to make a nice shape and then tip it out. This is now ready to eat (a soft nut cheese) and can be sliced. You can also dehydrate the nut cheese for a few hours in order for the nut cheese to form a rind; alternatively if you don't have a dehydrator you can simply unmould the nut cheese onto a plate and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator. After two days the nut cheese would have formed a rind as well.

Keep for 10 days in the refrigerator.

Laurinda Erasmus is a vegan chef and author of a vegan recipe book, called Benessere well-being: vegan & sugar-free eating for a healthy life-style, by Quinoa Publishing. The book has over 520 recipes, each with a colour photograph, taken by the author herself. The book won a gold medal at the Living Now Book Awards in New York, USA. She is passionate about the vast possibilities of creating plant-based meals, the increased wellness and energy through plant nutrition and making a smaller impact on our precious ecosystem. Through her book and vegan classes, she shows healthy and fun ways of how to bring more plant-based meals into one's diet. She also travels extensively, always collecting new recipes and re-writing them as vegan dishes. She shares her tips for vegan travellers and with vegan travel recipes on her blogsite http://veganwellbeing.wordpress.com and her book can be viewed at http://www.veganwellbeing.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Laurinda_Erasmus/1125505

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Flaxseed oil is very healthy

The Benefits of Flaxseed Oil

By Anne Clarke  

You may be surprised about how healthful flaxseed oil really is! It seems almost like a panacea - flaxseed oil has been used to treat practically any and all ailments. If you are experiencing any of the problems listed below, you may want to consider taking flaxseed oil. Of course, talk with a doctor before taking flaxseed oil for an extended period of time - realize that there are possible side effects.

· Heart disease

· Sunburn

· Parkinson's disease

· Prostate problems

· Psoriasis

· Shingles

· Stroke

· Acne

· Back pain

· Crohn's disease

· Hair problems

· Fatigue

· Hemorrhoids

· High blood pressure

· Impotence

· Cataracts

· Cancer prevention

· Menopause

· Nail problems

· Multiple sclerosis

· High cholesterol

· Kidney damage prevention

· Diabetes

· Dry eyes

If you are not too keen on flaxseed oil, you can find powder-filled flaxseed capsules. Flaxseed is also used in many food products.

The positive effects and excellent benefits of flaxseed seem to be never-ending. But realize that the benefits of flaxseed oil are still being tested and proven - what seems to work for one person may not work for another. Also realize the potential of negative effects (of course, for many, the high chance of positive effects greatly outweighs the low chance of negative effects).

Again, as stated before, talk with your doctor about using flaxseed oil or other flaxseed products. Also, do not use flaxseed oil as a substitution for any doctor-prescribed medication unless a doctor directs you to do so!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, nutrition, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on flaxseed oil, please visit Flaxseed Oil [http://www.flaxseed-oil.net].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Anne_Clarke/33662

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