Corn Fritters with Cucumber Raita

CornFritters with Cool Cucumber Raita

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) -

Recipe developed by Chef Wendell Fowler-Eat Right, Now!

Corn Fritters Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil for frying (No Crisco or lard please)
1/3 cup whole grain flour
2 tbs. ground flax seeds
1/4 tsp. Non-Aluminum baking powder
1 tsp. ea. sea salt & black pepper
1 pkg. Stevia powder (1 tsp) sugar or 1 tsp. real Maple Syrup
1/3 egg, lightly beaten (Egg Beaters are good, too) 1 egg white would also work.
2 tsp. organic 2% milk or plain soy milk
1 tsp. Smart Balance, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen whole kernel corn ( No cans please)
Corn Fritters Directions:
Heat oil in a heavy pot or deep fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, flax, salt and sugar.
Beat together egg, milk, and melted ?butter?; stir into whole wheat flour mixture.
Mix in the corn kernels and green onions.
Drop fritter batter by spoonfuls into the hot oil, and fry until golden. Drain on paper towels.
Raita Ingredients:
2 cups plain organic yogurt (Stony Field Farms is widely available)
1 tsp. cumin seed
1 tsp. turmeric powder
Chopped cilantro
Minced green onions
Sea salt and black pepper
Pinch of sea salt
Raita Directions:
Simply place everything in a bowl and mix.

Your Body is Your Buddy,

Chef Wendell

Bubble and Squeek: Healthy, Economical Food

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH TV)

Recipe developed by:

Chef Wendell Fowler

Eat Right, Now!

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/living/recipes/Chef_Wendell_Cabbage_and_Potatoes

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped cabbage
8 baby red potatoes with skin
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbs. ground flax seed
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbs. olive oil for frying

Directions:
Wash the potatoes thoroughly. Boil Baby Red or Yukon potatoes till fork tender. If they are full size potatoes, cut them up for quicker cooking time. It takes less energy.
Mash them, but not all the way. Chunks are good.
Mix the cabbage, onions, flax and seasonings into the lightly smashed potatoes; mix well.
Over medium high heat, put oil in a sauté pan. When it gets warm add tablespoons of the mixture to the pan and shape them into pancake size patties. Flatten it with your spatula.
When the pancake is golden brown on one side flip it over and continue till nice and brown. If you need to turn down the fire, that's cool. Slower is better.
Serving suggestions: - Top with plain organic yogurt instead of gravy or sour cream. - Top with chopped green onions.
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Don't Have a Cow!

Cut Your Grocery Bill, Not Nutrition

Out of sheer financial necessity, perhaps the time has arrived to consider a vegetarian diet for your loving household. At least once a week.

Hooray! Vegetarianism is becoming more and more popular and has been constantly growing. One in 4 teenagers is a vegetarian and it's freaking out their carnivorous parents. I have been a vegetarian for about 22 years, and I have no idea how people can afford to buy meat, as opposed to vegetables, fruit and grain. Plus I spend no money at the doctor. The average family of 4 annually spends approximately $5,000 on beef, chicken, pork, fish and duck for the dinner table. Another easy way to reduce your grocery bill is to stop buying pre-packaged convenient foods and cut down on meat consumption; a definite money saver in tough times.

The average price per pound of beef, in October 2007, was $4.15 per pound;
The average price per pound for pork was $2.93.
Three servings of fruits and vegetables a day cost $.84.

Most of the staples of a vegetarian diet are not expensive. In fact, the majority of the world's people eat a mostly vegetarian diet made up of inexpensive commodities such as beans, rice, vegetables and corn. But it must be practiced correctly, especially when the parents are life-long carnivores. One must carefully monitor the intake of B-Complex vitamins and eat a wide variety of plant foods: beans, nuts, seeds, dark leafy greens and cabbage, tofu, orange-fleshed fruits, lots of fresh, not canned vegetables, and whole grains. Having fresh, healthy home-cooked meals is easier than you think. 20 vegetarians can live off the land required by one meat eater. Here is an economical yet satisfying side dish for your next meal. Cruciferous cabbage and onion help prevent cancer.

Flax seed is loaded with fiber and Omega 3 essential fatty acids, the onions offer cancer protection, and low-calorie potatoes have fiber in their skin as well as vitamin B-6, C and copper. Potatoes without the butter and sour cream have a protective activity against cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems and certain cancers. French fries with sugary ketchup or HFCS do not count, sorry.

Eat From Nature,

Chef Wendell

Natural Food and Semantics

There is No Truth in Advertising

If you think that All-Natural Hot Dogs are really ‘natural’, show me the Wiener Bush, we’ll contact Dave Letterman and make millions.

It’s common knowledge that there is little truth left in the food industry. Just about any ingredients or processes can be claimed as the subjective term, “all-natural.” There is a boiling tempest of scrutiny over dubious claims made by major food conglomerates relating to such food and beverage assertions.

Recent investigations exposed that popular family restaurant chains are serving up insanely noxious foods in the name of health. This irresponsible action grandly contributes to the growing epidemics of obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Where’d we go wrong? We swallowed their spurious claims. Truth is no longer the American currency.

Those All-American, All-Natural weenies are preserved with succulent sodium nitrite, a powerful carcinogen. The American Association for Cancer Research reveal there is a 67% increased risk of ‘all-natural’ pancreatic cancer in people who consume large quantities of hot dogs.

Could semantics be their stratagem? Semantics can be described as concepts subject to fuzzy interpretation; a component of the American business model since the invention of TV. Television was, after all, invented to sell Tide Laundry Soap. The slime from the video that oozes across your living room floor is often neither clear nor honest. Imagine that? The TV, print and cable news companies take the money, run the promotions regardless of their truthfulness. We could really use their help, alas money talks.

Is Tyson All Natural Chicken all natural since it contains 15% salt water and seaweed extract? That’s seven times the amount found in untouched organic and free range varieties. Is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) natural as the corn associations are screaming? The Centers for Science in the Public Interest says that ‘high fructose corn syrup just does not exist in nature”. CSPI’s director also said, “That’s no excuse for this deceptive advertising campaign.” I agree, don’t you? The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said products containing high fructose corn syrup cannot be considered 'natural' and should not be labelled as such. Snapple is being sued over labelling their own misleading, semantic claims that it is ‘all-natural., when in reality it contains HFCS and ‘natural flavors’. FDA does not define the term 'natural', and it has therefore been left open to different interpretations. Ugh-oh!

HFCS isn’t natural for one simple reality; its chemical bonds are broken, rearranged and devitalized in the manufacturing process. Every time man attempts to improve on the generosity of the universal bounty, we take a step backwards.

It’s the process that's unnatural, not the source. When wacky industrial fat cats chemically alter creation’s bounty into alien forms that don’t exist anywhere in God’s nature, it is no longer natural, dear readers; regardless of what the food manufacturers allege. Our cells do not recognize these foods as useful. Our holy temple only comprehends the language of God’s un-tainted creations.

In the past I’ve often cringed at the statement, ‘Question Authority,” however now it seems more germane than ever.

Chef Wendell

Fiber Recipe

Black Bean & Vegetable Burritos
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/living/recipes/Chef_Wendell_Black_Bean_and_Vegetable_Burritos

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Recipe developed by Chef Wendell Fowler Eat Right, Now!

Sneaking in Fiber: Colon Pow!


This holiday keep those uninvited pounds at bay by increasing your dietary fiber.
Stave off the annual 10 pound weight gain by incorporating more fiber into your dishes. Fibrous complex carbs, the indigestible parts of plant foods, are a vital part of a healthy, lean, long-term diet. Look at fiber as the Roto Rooter of your digestive system; Got to keep those pipes clean. The less time food spends in your colon, the more time it has to do harm and begin to decay. Ugly but true. The average person carries around at least 10-15 memorable meals in their gut. The reason is not enough fiber to urge the food forward towards its escape route. The average American gets just 12-15 grams of fiber a day--far below the recommended 25-30 grams "Good carbs" are complex carbohydrates like whole grains, nuts, beans, and seeds that are composed of complex sugar molecules that require more time and energy to digest into the simple sugars your body needs for fuel. Bad carbs are white rice, Quaker Instant Oatmeal, and refined grains.


Fiber protects you from:
Heart disease
Cancer
Digestive problems
High LDL cholesterol
Helps with weight control
Regulates blood sugar


How to sneak extra fiber into your diet:
Try Kashi Brand whole grain, unsweetened cereal every day for breakfast.
Sprinkle ground flax seed or wheat germ on all your food
Eat two apples with peanut butter every day. Apples are a good source of pectin and soluble fiber which keeps us feeling full and they digest slowly.
Make a yogurt mix with 1 tbs. ground flax seeds and 5 large, chopped strawberries for 12.2 grams of fiber--almost half your daily allowance!
Cut up carrots, cauliflower and broccoli florets and dip into low-fat ranch dressing.
Keep a bag of fibrous nuts in your car and office for the munchies.
Switch to whole grain crackers or Black Bean Chips.
Add a quarter cup of kidney beans or chickpeas to your next salad or soup.
Make sure that the first ingredient in whole grain products has the word "whole" on the ingredient list.
Try grains like amaranth, quinoa, bulgur, millet or wheat berries. Nothing refined.


Black Bean & Vegetable Burritos
Yields: 6 servings Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
1 sweet onion
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 red bell pepper
2 cups sliced mushrooms
½ tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. chili powder
dash of sea salt
1 15-ounce can Organic black beans or 1½ cups
4 large wheat flour tortillas
½ cup chopped cilantro
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the oil in a high-sided skillet.
Sauté the onions until soft and just slightly golden, 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the black beans with a little of their liquid and heat through.
Heat the tortillas in a paper bag in the microwave about 1 minute. Lay the warm tortillas on the counter and divide the filling among them and scatter cilantro on top.
Roll, turning in the sides, into a neat package.
Lay in a baking dish covered lightly with aluminum foil and warm through in the oven, 10 minutes (20 to 30 minutes if they have been made earlier and chilled).
Top with warm enchiladas sauce for a tasty treat.


Per serving:
Calories: 231, Total Fat: 5 g, Fiber: 9 g



Chef Wendell