Veggie Might Roasted Asparagus and Chickpeas – Not So Risky Business

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian.

Hee! It’s April 8, and I swear I’m still a vegetarian. Now that we’re back to reality, let’s get right to the vegetables.

As Kris pointed out on Monday, it’s springtime for asparagus (and baseball). There is nothing else I want to eat right now (or watch on TV). Luckily, both are easily had.

Normally, I don’t mess much with asparagus. It’s so delicate and flavorful, I just give it a quick blanch or steam and leave it at that. This week, though, I had people over for supper, and I wanted to try something new…with them sitting in the living room waiting to be fed.

Remembering this great post on roasting broccoli over at Feast, ReadyMade’s new food blog, I envisioned serving a salad with roasted asparagus and chickpeas. Of course, sometimes what I picture in my mind doesn’t always translate to the plate.

My meal plan wasn’t that risky. Roasting is kind of foolproof: hot oven + oiled up veggies × 15–20 minutes = time to eat. The X factor was the cup and a half of cooked chickpeas I tossed onto the baking sheet with the asparagus at the last second. Who knew what would happen?!

I whipped up a green salad and a grapefruit/ginger vinaigrette based on this dressing (I skipped the zest and used a whole grapefruit, saving beaucoup time), while the oven worked its magic.

With the ding of the oven timer, everything was ready, and it all came together brilliantly. Including prep, the whole meal took about 40 minutes to prepare, making for a perfect weeknight dinner or quick weekend lunch.

The asparagus was perfectly cooked and the chickpeas were just a touch caramelized and almost chewy—a success. Combined with the salad and garlic toast, we had the ideal, light, spring meal. The asparagus/chickpea combo would also make a terrific side dish.

Both my Charming Dinner Guest and C from Beantown were delighted with the results of my hardly-what-you’d-call labor, and so was I. The salad on the plate was precisely the salad from my vision.

I think we can all learn a lesson from my little tale: risk + asparagus = reward.

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If you dig this recipe, you may dig:

• Steamed Asparagus
• Chlorophyll and Awesomeness Salad (Arugula and Asparagus)
• Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Brown Butter

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Roasted Asparagus and Chickpeas
Yields 4–5 servings

1 1/2 lbs asparagus, snapped into pieces
1 1/2 cups (or 15 oz can) chickpeas, dried and soaked
2 tbsp olive oil
2 generous pinches sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

1) Preheat oven to 400°.

2) Wash asparagus and break of woody ends from spears. Then break spears into evenly sized pieces.

3) In a large bowl, toss asparagus and chickpeas with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

4) Spread evenly on a baking sheet and place on the center rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Stir, flip, toss, etc. the vegetables and put back in the oven for another 5–10 minutes or until the asparagus is tender but not mushy and the chickpeas have started to caramelize.

5) Serve as a side dish or over salad greens with a light, springy dressing.

6) Bask in the praise you will receive.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, and Price per Serving
Serves 4: 168.3 calories, 6.9g fat, 6.8g fiber, $0.71
Serves 5: 134.7 calories, 5.5g fat, 5.4g fiber, $0.57

Calculations
1 1/2 lbs asparagus: 90 calories, .5g fat, 9g fiber, $2.50
1 1/2 cups chickpeas: 403 calories, 6g fat, 18g fiber, $.21
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil: 180 calories, 21g fat 0g fiber, $.12
sea salt: negligible calories, fat, fiber, $.02
black pepper: negligible calories, fat, fiber, $.02
TOTALS: 673 calories, 27.5g fat, 27g fiber, $2.87
PER SERVING (TOTALS/4): 168.3 calories, 6.9g fat, 6.8g fiber, $0.71
PER SERVING (TOTALS/5): 134.7 calories, 5.5g fat, 5.4g fiber, $0.57

Brioche Bouclettes

Brioche is one of our favourite bread, everyone at home love to enjoy brioche for their breakfast with strawberry jam or simply with nutella. This time when i planned to make some brioche, i want to make them different from the usual one. I simply googled and finally i landed to a french blog, seriously i got hooked to this brioche bouclettes here,i love this curled brioche and prepared them last weekend for our sundays brunch.

This brioche turned out simply fabulous, as this brioche goes for a syrup with butter,sugar and honey you dont even need any spread to while having them. Even though mine is not pectly rolled as like the original recipe,tastewise they were simply pect. Next time if you want to make some brioche,do give a try friends. Am damn sure that everyone at home will truly enjoy this addictive brioche.Do check Champa, Srivalli, Sumana Deepak,Veena,Jayasri and Preeti Deo wat they baked for the 10th day of bake-a-thon.

3cups Bread flour or all purpose flour
1tbsp Active dry yeast
1/2cup Milk (luke warm)
3nos Egg yolks
1/4cup Sugar +1tsp Sugar
1tsp Salt
100grms Butter
Black poppy seeds (for topping)

For Syrup:
2tablespoon Butter (melted)
2tbsp Packed brown sugar
3tbsp Honey


Mix the yeast,a teaspoon of sugar and salt to the luke warm milk, keep aside until the yeast turns foamy.

Meanwhile take the flour,egg yolks,sugar in a large bowl, add gradually the foamy yeast and turn everything as a soft dough, now add the butter and knead everything for 10minutes.

Arrange the dough in a bowl covered with a towel,keep aside for atleast for 2hours until they double their volume.

Knead the dough again for few minutes, divide the dough as two equal balls.

Roll the dough as a large disc, with a round cookie cutter cut the rolled dough as small circles. Continue the process until the dough gets finished.

Take three small circles and arrange them side by side, roll them to form a curled rolls.

Check here to know how to roll the small circles

Arrange one by one in a greased round baking pan and keep again for half an hour until they double their volume.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Mix the melted butter,sugar and honey in a bowl, pour this syrup over the doubled dough.Sprinkle the black poppy seeds on the top.

Bake for 20-25minutes until the crust turns brown.

Let it cool completely and enjoy.

Perceived Stress May Predict Future Risk of Coronary Heart Disease

27% increased risk for newly diagnosed heart disease or death among those with high perceived stress

Are you stressed? Results of a new meta-analysis of six studies involving nearly 120,000 people indicate that the answer to that question may help predict one’s risk of incident coronary heart disease (CHD) or death from CHD. The study, led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, was published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

The six studies included in the analysis were large prospective observational cohort studies in which participants were asked about their perceived stress (e.g., “How stressed do you feel?” or “How often are you stressed?”). Respondents scored either high or low; researchers then followed them for an average of 14 years to compare the number of heart attacks and CHD deaths between the two groups. Results demonstrate that high perceived stress is associated with a 27% increased risk for incident CHD (defined as a new diagnosis or hospitalization) or CHD mortality.

“While it is generally accepted that stress is related to heart disease, this is the first meta-analytic review of the association of perceived stress and incident CHD,” said senior author Donald Edmondson, PhD, assistant professor of behavioral medicine at CUMC. “This is the most precise estimate of that relationship, and it gives credence to the widely held belief that general stress is related to heart health. In comparison with traditional cardiovascular risk factors, high stress provides a moderate increase in the risk of CHD – e.g., the equivalent of a 50 mg/dL increase in LDL cholesterol, a 2.7/1.4 mmHg increase in blood pressure or smoking five more cigarettes per day.”

“These findings are significant because they are applicable to nearly everyone,” said first author Safiya Richardson, MD, who collaborated with Dr. Edmondson on the paper while attending the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (she graduated in 2012 and is currently a resident at North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System in Manhasset, New York). “The key takeaway is that how people feel is important for their heart health, so anything they can do to reduce stress may improve their heart health in the future.”

Coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease, is a narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. It is caused by a buildup of plaque in the arteries, which can lead to hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis. CHD is the leading cause of death in the United States for men and women; more than 385,000 people die each year from CHD.

The researchers did further analysis to try to learn what might underlie the association between stress and CHD. They found that while gender was not a significant factor, age was. The people in the studies were between the ages of 43–74; among older people, the relationship between stress and CHD was stronger.

“While we do not know for certain why there appears to be an association between age and the effect of perceived stress on CHD, we think that stress may be compounding over time. For example, someone who reports high perceived stress at age 60 may also have felt high stress at ages 40 and 50, as well.” Dr. Edmondson also noted that older individuals tend to have worse CHD risk factors such as hypertension to begin with, and that stress may interact with those risk factors to produce CHD events.

“The next step is to conduct randomized trials to assess whether broad population-based measures to decrease stress are cost-effective. Further research should look at whether the stress that people report is about actual life circumstances (e.g., moving or caregiving), or about stable personality characteristics (e.g., type A vs. B), said Dr. Edmondson.

“We also need to ask why we found this association between stress and CHD, e.g., what biological components or mechanisms are involved, and what is the role of environment or lifestyle (e.g., diet, alcohol and drug use, exercise), and how best to moderate these factors to lower the risk of CHD,” said Dr. Richardson.

Misleading Nutrition Labels Lead to Weight Loss Failure

(Article first published as Are Nutrition Labels the Real Reason You Can’t Lose Weight? on Technorati.)

We all pick up food items in the grocery store and quickly glance at the nutrition label to see how many calories are in our favorite meal. Some make it down to the fine print to check out the carbs, sugar, fats and sodium. The problem is most people don’t make the connection between the misleading serving sizes listed.

Manufacturers know that their customers examine the required labels before they make a purchase, and do a good job to make you think you can eat more and consume fewer calories. Even the portion size on the nutrition label can influence whether you view the product as fattening. And we all know this has a direct impact on how much you eat and your ability to lose weight.

Label Size Influences Caloric Perception

It appears that people are easily misled when it comes to interpreting food labels, and will eat more of an item if they believe it is a small portion. Information from a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research showed that the way a manufacturer listed the portion size on the label influenced how much a consumer would be likely to eat.

Researchers provided consumers with different food items and determined how much people would eat based on the food label. Large portions were intentionally labeled as small, and participants ate more and felt less guilt in their choices. The study authors called this ‘guiltless gluttony’. Similarly, when the large serving was labeled correctly, people ate less and experienced a higher level of guilt if they overate.

Manufacturers Use Food Labeling as a Marketing Gimmick

Food manufacturers have been slowly altering the portion sizes on many food products to intentionally fool the consumer. The result is the expanding American waistline and the problem we know as the obesity epidemic. People want to make the right food choices by selecting lower calorie fare with less sodium and no hydrogenated fats. Food selection becomes much more difficult when manufacturers use their marketing tricks so we purchase products that are unhealthy and laden with excess calories.

Be Vigilant When Grocery Shopping

The key to winning the food labeling battle is to become an empowered consumer. Examine every label and scrutinize the serving size and calorie content. Do the math to determine the total calories in the serving that you will actually eat, not in the small serving size listed on the label. Most people will eat at least twice as much as listed for one serving, and feel the calories they consumed is the amount listed on the label for one serving. This type of miscalculation rapidly leads to weight gain and obesity.

Food manufacturers utilize focus groups to find ways to compel you to buy their products and eat more than you intend. Deceiving food label practices are just another way being used to drive sales and encourage over consumption. Read nutrition labels caully, determine the actual calories in a real serving and use that information to your health and weight advantage.

7 Facts about the disgusting public pool

7 Facts about the disgusting public pool - Swimming is actually healthy. But there are many disgusting facts about a public pool that makes the desire to swim so lost! What is it? Listen more, as reported by Medical Daily following.

Stool

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), swimmers contributed to the cause of feces in public pools as much as 0.14 grams after 15 minutes into the pond. Moreover, in the year 2010, one in eight public swimming pool so dirty and finally got the warning to be closed immediately.

Bacteria E. Coli

CDC also conducts research that proves that as many as 161 in Atlanta pool contains E. Coli - bacteria associated with feces. To minimize bacterial contamination, the CDC recommends that visitors pool bath with soap before swimming.

RWI

RWI is a recreational water illness is caused by germs spread by swallowing contaminated water. According to the CDC, cases of RWI has increased over the last 20 years. One of the common symptoms of RWI is diarrhea.

Cryptosporidium

Cryptosporidium or Crypto is a parasite that causes diarrhea. This parasite can live even in the pool that have been given chlorine. So in most pools were clean, you still risk of this parasitic infection.

Giardia

Just as Crypto, Giardia parasites that cause diarrhea are also included. Giardia was found in water, soil, and contaminated food. Giardia any longer lifetimes and quite resistant to chlorine. The bad news, Giardia can be spread through water in public pools, from animals to humans, and to fellow human beings.

Urine

One in five American adults claim to like to pee in the pool. Indeed disgusting, but the habit was clearly not healthy. Urine in the swimming pool chlorine weaken performance in killing germs. So that the risk of developing the disease swimmers.

Chlorine

Chlorine is used to kill bacteria in swimming pools. However, if the smell is so strong aroma, its not a good sign. Because high-quality chlorine should not spread the scent is too strong.

In order to maintain cleanliness and hygiene when in a public pool, you should shower with soap before and after swimming, do not pee in the pool, and do not swallow the pool water.

Home remedies for loose motions

"Loose motion" you may blame it on something you ate at the celebration dinner. Also known as Diarrhea, it is uncomfortable and unpleasant, but generally no big deal in otherwise healthy adults. It can be cured easily with the help of some easy and effective home remedies. 

If you are running to bathroom frequently because of uncontrollable bowel movements and passing loose watery stool with abdominal cramps and stomach pain followed by nausea or vomiting. This may be due to a bacterial and viral attack on your intestine as you may have consumed food or beverage contaminated with bacteria.

This type of diarrhea keeps you on the toilet for a couple of days but doesnt stick around long. Diarrhea is part of your bodys defense mechanism. It is an effective way for the body to get rid of those undesirable alien substance that may have entered your body. It is common digestive problem also known as loose motions. Here are some natural home remedies to treat it at home and relieve the symptoms fast.

Effective home remedies for Diarrhea.

1) Stay hydrated 
Staying hydrated is one of the most important things that you need to focus on while suffering from diarrhea. This is mainly because your body loses liquids and electrolytes minerals such as sodium and potassium that are critical in the running of your body which can cause dehydration. 

You can solve the problem easily by drinking plenty of fluids. Plain water lacks electrolytes, but its a good, gentle-on-the-tummy option that can help you replace some of the fluid that youve lost, so drink eight to twelve glasses of water daily. You can add a pinch of salt and a teaspoonful of sugar in each glass of water for better results. 

You can also drink green tea, fruit juices, vegetable juices and even sports drink. Also you must stay away from caffeine and alcohol. Whatever you choose to drink, keep it cool; it will be less irritating that way. Sip, dont guzzle; it will be easier on your insides if you take frequent sips of liquid instead of guzzling down a glass at a time.

2) Butter milk

It is one of the most effective remedies for loose motions/diarrhea. It helps overcome harful intestinal flora. The acid it contains also fights germs and bacteria. Take a glass of butter milk add a pinch of salt and drink 3-4 times a day for controlling diarrhea. Buttermilk is the residual milk left after the fat has been removed from curd by churning it.

3) Carrot Soup

Carrot soup is a very effective home remedy for loose motions/diarrhea. It contains water for sodium, potassium, phosphorous, calcium, sulphur and magnesium to fight dehydration. It also supplies pectin which coats the intestine to prevent inflammation. It also prevents the growth of harmful intestinal bacteria and prevent vomiting. This soup should be taken in small quantities every half an hour.     

4) Mint juice

Mint juice is very beneficial in treating loose diarrhea. A teaspoon of mint juice can be mixed with a teaspoon lime an honey each and can be taken thrice daily. It provides excellent results.

5) Bottle gourd

The juice of bottle gourd is valuable home remedy for treating loose motions. It provides relief from excessive thirst due to sever diarrhea. Add a pinch of salt in a  glass of plain juice and drink everyday.

6) Pomegranate Juice

Pomegranate juice is a very good home remedy for treating diarrhea If you feel weakness due to continues purging and profuse take about 50 ml of pomegranate juice to control diarrhea.  

7) Brown Rice
The high amount of starch and B vitamins present in brown rice can help a lot to reduce the amount of fluid lost, restore intestinal flora and make the stool less watery. This in turn will help to fasten up the healing process. 

Take 30 gm of powdered brown rice and mix with a glass of butter milk and drink 2 -3 times a day, it is an excellent home remedy for treating diarrhea.

8) Yogurt
Eating probiotic yogurt is another effective way to deal with the symptoms associated with diarrhea. ‘Live cultures’ present in yogurt are friendly bacteria that provide a layer of protection in the intestines and help to generate lactic acid to which can kill and flush out harmful bacterial toxins from your body. Eat probiotic yogurt several times a day. You can eat yogurt as it is or make a smoothie and then have it. 

However, health experts say that you should not begin to eat yogurt until the stomach calms down, as consumption of dairy products too early can worsen your condition. 

9) Psyllium seed husk 

This is also a brilliant home remedy for diarrhea. It is the seed of a plant. It should be taken with plenty of water or in yogurt. Psyllium reaches the intestinal tract and absorbs moisture, bulks up and calms the intestinal wall. Do not give it to babies or people who have difficulty swallowing certain things.

10) Blueberries 
Blueberries contain an element known as anthocyanosides, which have antibacterial as well as antioxidant properties. At the same time blueberries also contain high amount of soluble fiber pectin which can help a lot in dealing with the symptoms associated with diarrhea. 

The best option here is to chew dried blueberries several times a day. This will help to kill the germ causing diarrhea. Else you can make a cup of tea by boiling crushed dried blueberries in one cup of water for about ten minutes. Drink this tea several times a day. You can also make soup with dried blueberries to control your upset stomach.

11) Bananas
Consuming banana is also a good remedy to solve the problem loose motion. Pectin present in banana is a kind of soluble fiber that helps to absorb liquid in the intestines and thus solve the problem of watery stool. At the same time the high level of potassium present in banana helps to replace electrolytes that may be lost while suffering from diarrhea. 

Take one mashed ripe banana and add one teaspoon of tamarind pulp and a pinch of salt to it and mix it properly. Have this mixture twice daily to settle an upset digestive system. At the same time it is always a good idea to have one or two ripe banana for breakfast.

12) Chamomile
Chamomile is often used in the treatment of various intestinal disorders including diarrhea. The antispasmodic property along with high amount of tannins present in chamomile can give huge relief from the symptoms of diarrhea. 

To make chamomile tea, take one teaspoon of chamomile flowers and one teaspoon of peppermint leaves and put them in a cup of boiling water. Allow it to steep for about fifteen minutes. Have this herbal tea at least three times a day to fasten up the healing process. You can also make a cup of chamomile tea from packaged tea bags.  

13) Ginger
Ginger is simply good for your digestive system, it can be used to treat diarrhea. You can use dry ginger or fresh ginger to make a cup of ginger tea. When ginger tea is consumed two to three times a day, it eases the cramps and abdominal pain that sometimes accompany diarrhea. 

Another option is to take equal amount of ginger juice and lemon juice and crush some pepper into it. Consume this solution at least three times a day to get rid of diarrhea quickly.

14) Fenugreek Seeds
Due to high mucilage content present in fenugreek seeds it is also considered a useful natural cure for diarrhea. When you eat fenugreek seeds you will have bulkier stool and there will be significant improvement in the severity and discomfort of diarrhea. 

Take half a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds and grind it with little water. Drink this solution to get immediate result from the symptoms of diarrhea. 

15) Mint and cinnamon
Take 4 glass of water, add some mint leaves, a piece of cinnamon, 2 black cardamom and a table spoon of fennel seeds. Boil for 10-15 minutes, after that cool it and drain it. Take a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch or 2 of salt in a glass of boiled water and mix it. Drink this concoction thrice a day. It is very effective remedy for loose motion and nausea.

The above mentioned remedies will give you relief from various symptoms of diarrhea. However, in case if your condition doesnt improve, kindly consult your doctor immediately as it may due to any other illnes.

Sunlight may help ward off rheumatoid arthritis in women

Use of sunblock could lessen protective effects, suggest authors

[Exposure to ultraviolet-B and risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis among women in the Nurses Health Study Online First doi 10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-202302]

Regular exposure to sunlight—specifically ultraviolet B (UVB)—may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, indicates a large long term study published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

But the effect of UVB exposure was only evident among older women, possibly because younger women are more aware of the hazards of sunlight and so cover up with sun block, suggest the authors.

They base their findings on participants in two phases of the US Nurses Health Study (NHS), the first of which has tracked the health of more than 120,000 nurses since 1976, when they were aged between 30 and 55, until 2008.

The second (NHSII) has tracked the health of a further 115,500 nurses since 1989, when they were aged between 25 and 42, until 2009.

Rather than simply relying on geography to quantify likely levels of UVB exposure, the researchers used a more sensitive assessment, known as UV-B flux, which is a composite measure of UVB radiation, based on latitude, altitude, and cloud cover.

It is measured in R-B units: a count of 440 R-B units over 30 minutes, for example, is sufficient to produce slight redness in untanned white skin.

Exposure was then estimated according to the US state of residence, and ranged from an annual average of 93 in Alaska and Oregon to 196 in Hawaii and Arizona. Likely estimates of UV exposure at birth and by the age of 15 were also included.

Over the study period, 1314 women developed rheumatoid arthritis. Among nurses in the first NHS cohort, higher cumulative exposure to UVB was associated with a reduced risk of developing the disease.

Those with the highest levels of exposure were 21% less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those with the least, the analysis showed.

This backs up the findings of other studies, showing a link between geography and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis as well as other autoimmune conditions, including type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple sclerosis, say the authors.

But no such association for UV-B exposure was found among women in NHSII. These women were younger than those in the first NHS, and so might have been more savvy about the potential hazards of acquiring a tan, suggest the authors.

"Differences in sun protective behaviours (eg greater use of sun block in younger generations) may explain the disparate results," they explain.

They add that it is unclear at what stage of life the protective effect of UV-B occurs. Many of the study participants didnt move house between birth and their teens, and there was no difference in the results for these time points.

But they conclude: "Our study adds to the growing evidence that exposure to UV-B light is associated with decreased risk of rheumatoid arthritis. The mechanisms are not yet understood, but could be mediated by the cutaneous production of vitamin D and attenuated by use of sunscreen or sun avoidant behaviour."