FAT, The Good the Bad and the Amazing!

        I often hear of people in search of low fat options because they think the term "low fat" is synonymous with healthy. I have to exercise much self control to keep myself from cringing because nothing could be further from the truth, and the people who are trying to be healthy and fit are shooting themselves in the foot.

  The truth is that our brains are over 60% fat.

           The myelin sheath is a crucial part of brain function, and it is 85% fat. It serves as the conductor on our nerve cells that carries nerve impulses quickly and efficiently through our brain. As the myelin deteriorates you see things like Alzheimer's and dementia begin to develop. The autopsy on Albert Einstein's brain revealed an above average amount of myelination and many people attribute his genius to this anomaly. Fat is crucial for our brain, but not just any fat. Fish oil from clean sources that has not been compromised by heat processing is liquid gold. Not only does it contain EPA and DHA, which are critical to brain function, but it is also incredibly anti inflammatory are critical for comfortable joint movement.

 These critical fats are also plentiful in the eggs of free range chickens. I say free range chickens as opposed to factory caged chickens because factory chickens don't have access to the insects which are loaded with good stuff, and because us finicky Americans are not keen on eating insects (myself included) A good farm fresh, free range egg is the next best option!

        Fish oil, which is amazing when handled correctly, can easily become rancid and  unhealthy when it is high heat processed because those precious elements are not heat stable. This is what brings me to the bad fats. Many of our cooking oils have been through such rigorous processing that they are rancid and oxidized by the time the end up on the shelf at the grocery store. These compromised vegetable (corn, soybean, canola) oils are inflammatory and loaded with free radicals that cause cell damage in our bodies and they are steeped in omega 6 and very low in omega 3. Our bodies function best with an even balance of omega 3 and 6. This healthy balance is struck in those free range eggs and fish oil I spoke about earlier.
   

    Hydrogenated oils, found in non dairy creamer, cool whip, and margarine are oils that have been treated with hydrogen at high heats (Sometimes up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit). The process allows the otherwise liquid oil to stay solid at room temperature and the resulting product resembles plastic much more closely than it does oil. Its the most lethal fat that I know of and shows a strong correlation with occurrence cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's,  and heart problems. The correlation is attributed to the fact that the plastic nature of hydrogenated oils. Once it is absorbed into your cell inhibits the cell permeability, crucial for communication, assimilation of nutrients, and elimination of waste. In essence, your cells become plastic.
       In the next blog we will discuss healthy cooking oils and their application in the kitchen.
       

Sips and Dips

We welcomed a group of 24 ladies and one gentleman to our store last evening to host our first monthly Van Gogh and Merlot painting session! Pictures are soon to follow, but we wanted to post a few of our featured recipes here for those who couldn't join us last night! We hope you find our fare filling and fanciful to make for your own upcoming soirees.

Mediterranean Hummus

• 1 can white beans (or cannellini beans), rinsed and drained
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 2 Tb Tahini
• 1 Tb EVOO (we recommend garlic or lemon!)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 Tb STM Dukka Seasoning
• 1/4 tsp salt

Blend beans, garlic, Tahini, olive oil and lemon juice in a food processor until desired consistency is achieved. Fold in the Dukka seasoning and salt. Refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours. Serve cold with pita chips, fresh veggies, or your favorite crackers.





New Orleans Pumpkin Dip

• 12 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 c cooked or canned pumpkin
• 4 Tbs STM New Orleans Blackening Spice
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 c green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 c red bell pepper, diced
• 1 round loaf Italian or whole wheat bread or a small pumpkin

In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, pumpkin, New Orleans Blackening Spice, and crushed red pepper flakes until smooth. Stir in the green and red bell pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Hollow out round loaf of bread (bread can be used for bread crumbs or for dipping) or small pumpkin. Spoon dip into the center and serve with vegetables, chips or crackers. Enjoy, and happy hump day!

Caramel Corn and a Visit from the NNBA!

Yesterday we welcomed a tour from the Northwest Nursery Buyers Association! The group hailed from all parts of the Pacific Northwest, and stopped in to have lunch in the nursery and sample a selection of goodies, including our homemade Balsamic Caramel Corn and our fruity July wine of the month, Mamamango! They were friendly and excited to be here in Spokane, and the STM wishes them well on their journeys home!

Even our young visitors had a great time!

And although their lunches were good, they left raving about our cherry balsamic caramel corn, and we thought we would share this easy, caramely goodness with you!

Balsamic Caramel Corn

2 bags plain or lightly salted popcorn, roughly 5 c popped popcorn
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c butter
1/3 - 1/2 c STM Balsamic Vinegar (we recommend cherry or blueberry!)
Pinch of Salt
1 - 2 Tb STM Rosemary or Thyme (optional, for an earthy taste)
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter with the sugar and salt, stirring occasionally. When the sugar begins to dissolve and the edges become bubbly, add the balsamic and optional rosemary. Allow the caramel to cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in baking soda until foamy. Pour the caramel over the popped kernels, coating as evenly as possible. Spread onto rimmed baking sheets and bake for 1 hour. Stir the corn every 15 minutes to ensure an even distribution of caramel. Let cool and break apart if needed.

Gluten Freedom!

       It used to be that if you had a food intolerance the realm of food possibilities would just get smaller and smaller. However, with the increase in food intolerance nationwide we have created enough demand to call forth a supply! Enter: Gluten free beer!                                      

                                                     
        If you are gluten free and have been dreaming about an ice cold beer to accompany the July heat, the solution is here at STM. We carry a variety of gluten free beers and we are constantly bringing in new varieties.We currently carry St. Peter's Pilsner style Sorgham Beer TM, Bard's Sorghum Malt beer, and New Planet's Pale ale. Gluten free beers have a flavor all their own, and as the niche develops, the beer diversifies more and more. So whether you like it straight up and ice cold, or with a splash of Clamato and an asparagus spear, stop dreaming about it and come taste it!  

Artisanal Salts

Artisanal salts are available and laboriously made from many regions of the world, each with their own unique influences, crafting styles, and substance from their terrain.

While industrial salts are near pure to their sodium-chloride (the primary mineral we seek for salinity and taste enhancement), artisanal salts, often hand-made and created in traditional methods beyond centuries of age can be around 85% sodium-chloride and lower, with care taken to preserve fluctuating trace minerals along with magnesium and potassium salts, irreplaceable factors for the health and fullness of a product that dates back before even the origin of humans' ability to provide and consume meat products. Salt is not an unhealthy substance itself, and even has a long-standing grounding in medicines along with its culinary vitality. Iodine added into salt is not a process that supplements lost iodine, an essential mineral that is lacking in both refined white salts and artisan, solar or fire evaporated salts. The addition of iodine intended to repair a larger lacking in common diets that can lead to severe disorders and malnutrition is an otherwise generalized solution. Iodine can be and was formerly added to many other food products, such as milk, and, according to Mark Bitterman in Salted, is actually less viable in salt because of its reactivity and volatility, making iodized salt an inconsistent method for providing this nutrient, batches and brands varying threefold in their useful iodine, while reduction of salt in the diet, itself, is not a correlated method for placating health problems that arise from improper nutrition.

Artisanal salt often has higher moisture contents, cullings from the forming or receding terrains that link us to the bio-available minerals of the sea, and are not subject to the over-refinement, purity-stripping, and even mechanical, diesel pollution of widespread, industrial salts that are intended to reduce a product to its bare minimum, highest yield. Artisan salts, in their natural and environmental delicacy, vary on a chemical level in structure, size, color and content. The time, care, and focus required to create these "crown jewels of great food" are represented in our buzz of taste at the sense of these essential digestive electrolytes.

There are many styles and regions of artisanal salts available, quality ingredients that should not be underestimated.And from Salted by Mark Bitterman, "Using all-natural salts is fun, easy, and satisfying on many levels."

File Power: Delicious, Cajun Style!

File (pronounced FEE-lay) is a key flavor in the Cajun/Creole profile.  There is a distinctive earthy quality to its favor, and it acts as a natural thickener. There is no true substitute for File powder, and many beloved Cajun recipes require it.  Here are two of our favorites!

Jambalaya:
2 Tb STM Garlic EVOO
1 diced Onion
1-2 diced Bell Peppers
3 ribs diced Celery
3 minced Garlic cloves
1 lb sliced Andouille sausage
1lb diced Chicken, Smoked Ham, or Shrimp
16 oz (1lb) diced Tomatoes
1 tb STM Baton Rouge Creole Spice
1 tb STM New Orleans Blackening Spice
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Hot Sauce, to taste
1 tsp STM File powder
1 1/2 c Rice
2 1/2 c Chicken stock
In a large, deep skillet heat the EVOO over medium.  Saute the onion, garlic, celery and bell peppers for about 10 minutes.  Add the sausage and meat or shrimp, and cook until done (5 minutes).   Stir in the rice, tomatoes with their juice, the hot sauce, worcestershire sauce and spices.  Cook for a minute or two, stirring to coat the rice.  Add the stock and bring to a simmer.  Cook until the rice is done.  Serve with a crusty french loaf or cornbread and greens.

Etouffe (A-too-fay)
  This amazing seafood dish is very adaptable.  Shrimp, catfish, and the amazing Crawfish (Crayfish/Craw-daddies/Mud bugs) are all fantastic in this dish. 
1/2 c Butter or Rosemary/Basil EVOO
1/4 c Flour
1 c diced Onion
1 c diced Bell Pepper
1/2 c diced Celery
2-3 minced Garlic cloves
2 tsp STM Herbs des Paris
1 tb STM Baton Rouge Creole or New Orleans Blackening Spice
1 c White wine
8 oz Tomato sauce
8 oz Clam juice
1/2 c Water or Chicken stock
1 Tb Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce to taste,
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 1/2 lb Shrimp, Crawfish tail meat, or Catfish
1 tsp STM File powder
4-6 c hot, cooked rice
  Heat the butter/oil in a large pot.  Whisk in the flour and cook over med-low until golden, about 20 minutes.  While the roux is cooking, saute the aromatics (onion, garlic, bell peppers and celery).  When they are transparent and begin to brown on the edges, add them to the finished roux.  Stir in the spices and liquids (white wine, tomato sauce, clam juice, worcestershire sauce and stock). Be sure to stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan to distribute the roux.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, until thickened.  Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce.  Stir in the shrimp and file, cook until done (5-7 minutes).  Serve with the hot rice and some garden fresh greens! Yum!

Celebrate Mom with a Hibiscus Margarita!

These super simple, deliciously refreshing cocktails are fit for a Queen, or a Queen Mum!

Hibiscus Margaritas:  makes 1 (one) Margarita
3 oz silver Tequila (or Rum, Gin, etc)
1/2 a Lime, juiced
2 oz Spiced Hibiscus Simple Syrup
  Combine the ingredients and serve over ice.  Yummers.

Spiced Hibiscus Simple Syrup:
2 c Water
2 c Sugar
2 STM Star Anise pods
2 STM Cinnamon Sticks
4 STM Cloves (whole)
1 tsp grated or minced Ginger
1 oz STM Hibiscus tea
  Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Stir until sugar dissolves.  Cook at a gentle simmer for 20 minutes, until a syrup is formed.  Strain into a clean jar and cool to room temp.  Makes about 1 -1 1/2 cups syrup.
   Alternatively, combine 1/2 tsp ground Star Anise, 1/2 tsp ground Korintje Cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground Clove, and 1/2 tsp powdered Ginger with 4 oz STM Hibiscus Balsamic and 1 tb honey.  This will make 2 drinks.