Rhineland-Style Smoked Sausage and Lentil Stew

This recipe is brought to you by Shay, our receptionist and office manager.  She is always coming up with unique, healthy, and delicious recipes for our office to try.  This is a German dish that is a rich, hearty, one-pot meal that is perfect during the cold weather.  Lovage is an herb that is not commonly seen or used these days, but you can use fresh sage instead.

Ingredients

2 ½ c beef broth

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 ham hock (from a meat market such as Robert’s Specialty Meats on Sunset Dr in Waukesha)

1 lb dried black lentils (beluga) or green or brown lentils, rinsed

2 carrots, diced

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

2 leeks (white and light green parts only), washed well, and sliced

1 celeriac (1-2 lbs), peeled and diced

¾ lb boiling potatoes, peeled and diced

leaves from 1 small bunch parsley

2 bushy sprigs fresh lovage, chopped (or 2 sprigs fresh sage, whole)

1 ½ lb smoked polish kielbasa, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

In a large casserole dish or dutch oven, bring broth to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, covered, with the tomato paste and ham hock, whisking to dissolve paste.  Reduce heat to low, add lentils, carrots, onions, leeks, celeriac, and potatoes.  Add water to bring to desired consistency.  Cover and cook until tender, about 1 hour.

Remove the ham hock and dice any meat that remains on the bone.  Add to pot.  Add parsley, lovage or sage, and sausages.  Cook until sausages are heated through, about 10 min.  Sprinkle with vinegar, taste, and season with salt and pepper.  Add more vinegar to taste.

Spicy Lentil Tacos

Here's a twist on the traditional ground beef tacos.  Health benefits include lowering cholesterol,  maintaining blood sugar levels, high in B vitamins, high in iron, high in protein, and maintaining a healthy heart.  The first time I made this, my fiance' Kirby fell in love with it.  We actually prefer it over ground beef tacos.  I've been known to mix in a can of organic black beans for more variety, fiber, and flavor.  You can also make a big plate of nachos with this recipe!

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
-1 Tbsp butter (organic/local preferred) or extra virgin coconut oil
-1 cup diced onion
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 whole jalapeno, diced (optional)
-1 cup dried brown lentils
-1 package (2.25oz) taco seasoning, spicy if preferred (homemade taco seasoning recipe below)
-2 1/2 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
-Salt and pepper to taste
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce or cabbage
-1 cup chopped tomatoes
-1 avocado, sliced
-3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-salsa
-8 corn taco shells (hard or soft)

Taco seasoning recipe:
-2 Tbsp chili powder
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-2 tsp cumin
-1 1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp chipotle powder
-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
-1/4 tsp dried mexican oregano
-1/2 tsp paprika
-1 1/2 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp white pepper
-1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Heat butter or oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook onion, garlic, jalapeno, and 1/2 tsp of salt until soft and tender, about 2-4 minutes.  Add lentils and taco seasoning.  Cook until spices are fragrant and the lentils start to get dry, about 2 minutes.  Add broth; bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat.  Let simmer for 25-35 minutes.  Uncover and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until mixture thickens and lentils are tender (taste lentils to make sure they are cooked).  Spoon about 1/4 cup of the lentils into each taco shell and top with condiments of your choice (tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, avocado, lettuce/cabbage, taco sauce, etc.) and enjoy!

Organic or Non-organic...That is the question...

Organic fruits and vegetables are extremely nutritious and beneficial to your health, but they can be expensive and put a dent in your wallet.  I want to share with you a "cheat sheet" for shopping for organic produce.  I will provide you with information about which fruits and vegetables are essential to buy organic and which ones you can get away with buying the conventional versions.

Due to the amount of pesticides that are used in commercial agriculture, the table below lists the produce that should always be purchased organically.  The reason for this is that the peeling or skins of these fruits and vegetables are usually eaten.  Regardless of how much you wash these fruits, there is a good chance that there are still pesticides within the fruit or vegetables themselves.  Based on the Environmental Working Group, the top 12 foods to buy organic include:

Grapes	Cherries	Nectarines	Strawberries
Potatoes	Spinach	Blueberries	Peaches
Kale/Collard greens	Bell peppers	Apples	Celery

The Environmental Working Group is a reliable source when trying to decide on what to buy organic. According to their latest 2010 pesticide review, the following 12 foods rank as the most pesticide-free produce, even when conventionally-grown, so you can save a few bucks by opting for the conventionally-grown version of these:

Onions	Pineapple	Asparagus	Eggplant
Avocados	Mango	Kiwi	Cantaloupe
Watermelon	Frozen sweet peas	Cabbage

For the whole list of produce, ranked from best to worst in terms of pesticide load, please go to:
http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php

Funny Stuff...Check it out

Lipitor Paradox

Caution: Sleeping on This 'Steals Your Energy' as You Sleep

Wool Bedding Wool Pillow & Comforter

Nice Shades

This is our dog Ari.  She is a brindle boxer with attitude and personality.  She too receives chiropractic care to stay functioning at her best.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Parody

The Corn Refiners Association released a series of commercials starting in 2008 suggesting that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a "natural" ingredient and that it is made from corn so it is safe and fine "in moderation".

Now I realize the video above is a little over the top, but it drives home the message that HFCS is NOT fine in moderation or at all.  The incidence of Type II diabetes since the introduction of HFCS has risen tremendously.  Think back 15-20 years ago, was Type II diabetes as prevalent as it is today?  The answer is NO.   When you think about Type II diabetes, an image of an elderly woman/man should pop into your head.  Now children are being diagnosed with the same exact disease.  How is a disease of "eventual wear and tear" of the pancreas being diagnosed in children that are 10 years of age or younger?  Something must be speeding up this process, but what?  High fructose corn syrup is a main contributor to this problem.  It is in almost everything from cereal, juice, ketchup and even some types of baby formula.  Be sure to read labels before buying anything that comes in a package to see if it contains high fructose corn syrup.

I would also like to mention that on September 14, 2010 the Corn Refiners Association applied for permission to substitute the words "high fructose corn syrup" for "corn sugar" on food labels.  Now why on earth would they want to do that?  It can't be from all of the bad media that the name "high fructose corn syrup" has been receiving and maybe wanting to slip it past YOU the consumer.

All in all, the best way to avoid all of this is to eat fresh, organic, natural foods that do not come in packages.

Health Care or Business Advertising?



The images shown above are pictures that I took when I was in a Walgreens store in Brookfield, WI.  The neon green circles that you see in all of the images are encircling signs that say, "Flu Shot Today."  In the seven isles that I went down, I counted 24 signs. That's not counting the isles I missed!

Is this health care or business advertising?  Think back 10-15 years ago.  Was there this many vaccine and flu shot commercials/signs/advertisements?  No.  This industry made well over $20 billion in 2009 alone!  From Kalorama Information Essential Insights on Medical Markets, "Walgreen’s, the nation’s largest drugstore chain, administered 2.5 million seasonal flu shots by the end of September, according to the company in other media outlets. Rite Aid, CVS, Kroger, Target Pharmacy and other chains also held flu clinics. Kalorama estimates that drug chains earned at least $200 million from direct fees, but also an estimated $250 million in indirect revenues in the form of purchases by customers who came to the store to obtain a shot and would not have visited otherwise." (http://www.kaloramainformation.com/Vaccines-Key-Players-2155319/)  The point I am making is that vaccines are HUGE business and the pharmaceutical companies depend on YOU to buy the product.

You would do research before you would buy a car, right?  Compare prices, gas mileage, safety, etc.  Why not do the same before you decide to put something potentially LETHAL directly into YOUR bloodstream.  All vaccines, including flu vaccines, have serious and even deadly side effects.  Every person should educate themselves before receiving any vaccine, or before you give your brand new baby any vaccines. The following are some resources to get you started.

• www.nvic.org/
• www.thinktwice.com
• www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm