08 Mar 2016
by Vinny Grette
in food, health, Salads
Tags: ancho chilies, chili peppers, fish, meat, metabolism, seafood, shrimp, spice rub, spices

Spice up your good health
I like to post on Tuesdays but this Tuesday I had nothing… nothing except a wonderful spice rub I put together on the weekend. It smokes! But I promise you, it doesn’t burn. More
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03 Nov 2015
by Vinny Grette
in food, health, Main dishes, recipes
Tags: antioxidants, cancer, dairy, meat, meatballs, pork, red meat, turkey, WHO

Traditional cooking, with a healthier outlook
The WHO’s stand on meat
The World Health Organization (WHO) has just sent shock waves through the earth’s stratosphere. What they said was something that anybody who has been following nutrition news in the past few years already knew.
WHO news: Processed meats cause cancer. And red meats probably cause cancer.
But unless you are genetically predisposed to the disease, the increased risk according to most experts is relatively low. Nevertheless, it’s real. More
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24 Jun 2014
by Vinny Grette
in Appetizers, Breads, food, Snacks, stories
Tags: barbecue, cheese, children, easy recipes, foil, meat

Little Tommy Tucker sings for his supper, What shall we give him? Brown bread and butter. How shall he cut it without a knife? How shall he marry without a wife?
Isla was entertaining us for the 17th time one morning with her latest ditty, as I took my sharp, serrated blade from the rack and a round, seedy loaf of whole-grain bread from the cupboard. She stopped and raised her shoulders, palms out. “Hey, Vinny, why doesn’t Tommy have a knife?”
“I suspect the poor kid was on the streets,” I answered. “The poem was written… like 200 years ago. If you didn’t have a family to look after you then and you More
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27 May 2014
by Vinny Grette
in food, Main dishes, recipes
Tags: barbecue, chili peppers, meat, onions, pork

Pork with Sardinian fennel and mushroom risotto on the side
Now that you’re nicely warmed up with a pleasant cocktail and a savory appetizer, we’ll move right along to the star of the meal. Vinny rubs a large, lean pork tenderloin with a blend of dried ancho chili pepper and other spices. More
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01 May 2013
by Vinny Grette
in books, food, Main dishes, recipes, stories
Tags: family, French, gourmet, liquor, meat, mushrooms, oxtail, slow cooking, stew, traditions

Most times we settled for a turkey… but not always!
I owe my on-line existence to a mining engineer. Without Bill’s passion for food as well as rare minerals, I wouldn’t be blogging today. It was Bill who took his daughter Sharon, my alter-ego, under his formidable wing and taught her to cook.
Sundays would see Bill in his tiny, lemon-hued 1950s kitchen pouring over one of his many fish-splattered and chocolate-speckled cook books. Sharon was there, too, in her pleated skirt with her blouse hanging out, helping him find the canned pineapple bits, the dented More
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04 Mar 2013
by Vinny Grette
in food, health, Main dishes, recipes
Tags: balanced meals, beans, broccoli, chili, chili peppers, meat, protein, turkey

Use left overs from your holiday turkey for this recipe. Ground turkey works as well.
The ingredients
Turkey gets a little attitude in this dish, with black beans and lots of chili powder, garlic, onions and peppers. The spices give your metabolism a kick. That gets you burning calories faster.
Turkey offers lots of protein coupled with just a little fat. It’s an inexpensive source of iron, zinc, phosphorus, potassium and B vitamins. Turkey chili makes a perfect recipe for those on the 17-day diet.
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16 Oct 2012
by Vinny Grette
in food, health, Main dishes, recipes, stories
Tags: casseroles, children, leeks, meat, nutrition, potatoes, protein, trivia, vegetables, yaks

Recipe for eternal youth – Sherpa’s pie
In my last post I told you the tale of how a girl named Yackity came to live on a yak farm in Canada. Although she was far from her home in Tibet, it was a fine life. Yackity learned how to grow many kinds of food and make delicious and healthy meals. But there was one dish that her mother had made for her, which was always her favorite… Sherpa’s pie.
We can imagine the life-ever-lasting Tibetans of the mythical Shangri-La baking Yackity’s one-dish dinner for their pampered guests. Its healthful ingredients likely held the key to their long lives. More
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11 Oct 2012
by Vinny Grette
in food, health, science, stories
Tags: biology, children, farmers market, fats, local foods, meat, nutrition, protein, Tibet, traditions, yaks

Let me tell you the strange tale of how a Sherpa girl called Yackity ended up on a ranch far from home and got to the meat of the matter. More
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01 Aug 2012
by Vinny Grette
in Appetizers, food, health, recipes
Tags: children, escargots, fats, French, garlic, goat cheese, gourmet, herbs, meat, milk, minerals, nutrition, protein, snails, traditions, vitamins

Bon Appétit !
Escargot, if you don’t already know this, boys and girls, is French for snail. Many of the best restaurants offer escargots on their menus. They’re delicious!
I know one little girl who ordered escargots whenever she had a chance, which was most often when we were traveling in Quebec or France. She liked her snails with lots of garlic butter, washed down with chocolate milk. Servers shook their heads in wonder when she placed her order. More
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22 May 2012
by Vinny Grette
in food, Main dishes, recipes
Tags: asparagus, cheese, eggs, family, fats, food safety, goats, ground ivy, herbs, meat, milk, wild plants

What little lambs eat may not be so good for kids of the human variety. But one kind of ivy is a plant people have been eating for nearly ever. More
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27 Jan 2012
by Vinny Grette
in books, food, health, science
Tags: chemistry, fructose, grains, leafy vegetables, meat, Michael Pollan, processed foods, reviews, sugar, western diet

Reviewing Michael Pollan’s book “In Defense of Food”
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Michael Pollan has distilled much of the research into the Western diet over recent years into this simple formula. It’s that easy to eat well for better health. More
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16 Jan 2011
by Vinny Grette
in food, science
Tags: apples, chemistry, dates, fruit, leafy vegetables, meat, minerals, mood, nutrition, potatoes, vegetables

Roast turkey cheers us up for the holidays!
Which foods do you turn to when you need cheering up? Donuts, maybe? Better think again. More
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