Cool Recipes
Flaxseed can be a wonderfully healthy addition to your diet in mid-life. Time to start using it over your cereal in the morning, and adding small amounts of it in baking. A fourth of a cup can be substituted for the flour required in just about anything. It is one of the highest natural sources of Omega 3, Alpha Linolenic Acid, a very important cancer fighter. Freeze the seeds, take small amounts out as needed, and grind them up to get the full antioxidant benefits. If you don't grind it, flaxseed simply passes through your system undigested sort of like a cheap calcium tablet you don't chew first. Hopefully, as you slowly learn to quit drinking real coffee, grinding flaxseed will be a new use for your old coffee grinder.
"Inside me is a thin woman crying to get out, but I can usually shut the b***h up with cookies."
GINGER SNAPS
But who can blame her?
Freshly ground flaxseed may prevent hot flashes. Women who mixed 2 tablespoons into cereal, yogurt, or juice twice daily for six weeks reported a 50 percent drop in their frequency and a 57 percent decrease in the intensity of their hot flash symptoms” Dr.Andrew Weil, Self-Healing Newletter, November 2007 The benefits of ginger aren’t too shabby either: fights inflammation, cramps, arthritis, hot flashes, and indigestion.
Combine about half the flour with the ingredients using medium speed on your electric mixer. Beat in remaining flour. Old way: shape into balls, roll in sugar, place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass dipped in flour. Personally, I think it’s worth the extra time to roll them out on parchment paper to get them truly "snappy" and crispy. New way: put the dough sit in the freezer for a short time, then roll sections of it out as thinly as possible with your pastry roller onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Cut the shapes as you would any sugar cookie recipe, reusing the margins for a second batch. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and bake 350 degrees very briefly (depending upon on thickness) Makes 5-6 doz.. Store thin snaps in the freezer and serve cold. Frozen dough or baked snaps will last in the freezer at least two months.
Memory Loss Muffins
These are sooo good.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In smaller bowl, blend pumpkin, butter and eggs. Stir all together lightly. Pour into muffin tins and bake 20 min. at 350 degrees.
Flashin' Flaxseed Breakfast Popovers
A simple, sensational Sunday morning treat. All you need is a heavy, well-seasoned, cast-iron skillet…easily found at yard sales, auctions, antique stores at great prices.
Per skillet:
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Melt butter in skillet. Beat eggs, add flour and mix, stir in milk. Pour into skillet and bake in heated oven for 15-20 minutes or until popover is golden brown. Serve immediately with fresh sliced organic strawberries. Adding blueberries and raspberries will also make it very "presentational". Sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Serve immediately in pie-shaped pieces. Serves 3-4.
*Why organic? Commercial strawberries are quite often sprayed with a fungicide called methyl bromide, a known carcinogen. This seeps down into the roots and is eventually taken up into the berry itself. No amount of washing will eliminate it. (See p. 142 of "Eating Well for Optimum Health" by Dr. Andrew Weil)
"HOT" COCOA WITH AN ATTITUDE
Curb your chocolate cravings, of course. But when you can't stand it any longer, here's one good, healthy way to treat yourself and get a better attitude. Dr. Andrew Weil's advice from his February, 2007, "Self Healing" Newsletter is to get your chocolate fix in a mug. He writes, "A mug of natural cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of a glass of red wine, two to three times more than green tea, and up to five times that of black tea." Use a good quality dark chocolate, with at least 70% cacao, and sweeten with local honey to help combat future summer allergies. An occasional cup of this elixir will also boost your serotonin (feel good) level.
Heat up soy milk in a saucepan with vanilla, stirring constantly. When sufficiently hot, add dark chocolate and honey. Wisk gently until thoroughly blended, sit back and savor all your blessings.
BRAINPOWER BLUEBERRY/POMEGRANATE SMOOTHIE
Current research suggests that ½ c. of blueberries daily can help reverse memory loss, while 1-3 ounces of pomegranate juice daily can lower you LDL (bad) cholesterol and help slow down cell oxidation. This is a good thing. Pomegranate juice is easily found in health food and grocery stores…even Walmart now carries it in the vitamin and supplement aisle. Note: always use greener bananas if you can. They are lower on the Glycemic Index than overly ripe ones i.e. they don't spike your insulin levels as much.
DON'T MESS WITH ME BASIL PESTO
Pesto can be used in cold meat sandwiches instead a salad dressing, over your favorite pasta, on pizza or Italian bread with some thinly sliced tomato. (Pillsbury Low-Fat Italian Bread in the tube is excellent, and easy to pull from your refrig. at the last minute).
Put first four ingredients in blender and chop, stopping to stir often. When well blended add remaining and mix thoroughly. Store for up to 7 days in an air tight, glass container. A little olive oil on top will prevent browning during storage. *Use top quality olive oil that is cold pressed and, if possible, contains the date of processing on the label. Unlike wine, it does not improve with age. Good, fresh, olive oil is clear and fairly odorless. If it smells like a linoleum floor, don't use it!
Sizzlin' Sister's Soybean Salad
A nutritionally complete meal!
"Edamame" is actually the soybean, a delicious green vegetable rich in calcium, iron, zinc, B vitamins, and isoflavones that can possibly reduce menopause symptoms. (See phytoestrogens on our "Hot" Tips page.) A half cup shelled edamame contains more protein than two large eggs. Throw them in all your fresh, green salads! Some grocery and health food stores sell them, or you can buy them at your local Japanese restaurant. Online, www.seapointfarms sells edamame in various forms. Depending on your zone, you can also grow them yourself. Seeds are available at several websites, example: www.evergreenseeds.com.
Wash and steam beets in basket for 20 minutes. Steam edamame about 5 minutes. Rinse and set aside on paper towel. Cut beets into wedges. Assemble remaining except basil and toss. Sprinkle basil and sliced eggs over all and serve with some hot Italian bread and olive oil, fresh garlic dip
Lighten Up! Lavender Pound Cake
Lavender has been clinically evaluated for its relaxing effects. Lavender candles, bath salts, body sprays etc. are good soothing choices in menopause. The lavender plant is a member of the mint family and the dried flowers can be used, sparingly, in almost any bread recipe. Here is one I have always liked. For more great lavender recipes, see the website:http://whatscookingamerica.net/Lavender
Preheat to 350 degrees. Beat first three at medium speed for about 5 minutes. Add egg and egg white very slowly. Mix next four dry ingredients and add alternately with yogurt to the sugar mixture. Stir in lavender. Pour into an 8 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Finish off with a glaze of 1/3 c. sifted powdered sugar, 1 t. water and ¼ t. vanilla extract or just do what you normally do with pound cake: a la mode, whipped cream, 10X sugar, plain, etc. Buy your dried lavender at a reputable health food store or research how to dry your own. Fresh lavender will not be as strong as dried. Please note: there is a difference between dried lavender and essential oil of lavender; the former can be ingested, the latter cannot. Do not use the essential oil of lavender in any recipe, but do put it in your bathtub and "simmer"
LIVE A LITTLE, PUMKIN SEED BRITTLE
I've been using this recipe for years and have devised a cooking formula (that works most of the time) for substituting organic, raw, pumpkin seeds instead of peanuts. Pumpkin seeds are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. If your local heath food store doesn't carry them, request that they do. For a snack, I like to toast them in a small pan with a drop of olive oil and tiny bit of salt. About two years ago I started experimenting with throwing raw pumpkin seeds into this Peanut Brittle recipe. Many batches had to be thrown out because the seeds were cooked too long, or not enough. So here's what seems to work the best in terms of microwave time and materials. You will need:
Stir together sugar and corn syrup in medium-sized, clear, Pyrex bowl. Cook on High for 5 minutes. Mixture will be bubbling. Remove carefully from micro and add seeds. Cook no more than 2 minutes. Remove again and add butter and vanilla. Stir quickly. Return to micro And cook for between 30 seconds and 2minutes ...checking for a light golden brown color. Remove from microwave, add baking soda, stir thoroughly and pour quickly onto the rubber cooking mat, spreading it evenly right to the edges. Cool for half hour. Break into pieces and store in parchment paper layers in air tight container. Note: Cook times will vary with each individual microwave, so experiment and find out what works for you.
"Information supplied by FLASHionables, Inc. is not intended, nor should it be construed, as a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your health care provider to make sure your complaints are menopause related and follow his or her advice before changing your dietary regimen."
