It’s not that the quality of produce in the USA was bad, it’s just that Spain is a hop skip and a jump away and their tomatoes are amongst the best I have ever tasted.

The bananas, although from further afield have great flavour and cost 1/3 the price of those in the USA.

This anecdote article isn’t a contest between the two continents, it is merely an observation and something that I have concluded all along, The fresh fruit and veg in this neck of the woods has more flavour, costs loads less and seems to be better quality. That might be down to the fact that the distance from farmer to your supermarket or local greengrocers is shorter.

In reality, you can get good food anywhere, the hard point is the price at the till. In my experience you pay more in the USA overall for your fresh foods than you would in the UK. So I chuckle to myself when I occasionally hear Brits complain about the price of food. They would be laughed out of the supermarket in the US!

It is a difficult adjustment to make but I have a little anecdote that might help put things in perspective. After not being careful about how much salt we were consuming, we were both alarmed when we found out the high levels of our blood pressure. It was no longer something to be taken lightly.

By cutting out sodium as much as possible we have been able to lower our blood pressure by as many as twenty points. It has not been easy but with the help of out trusted spice rack we have overcome. Getting to know the true flavors of food by not dousing them with salt has been an eye opener and has awakened our desires to eat healthy fresh meals.

We have learnt to use fresh herbs and spices to bring out the true flavour of foods. Instead of tinned veggies and frozen vegetarian products we have started buying everything fresh and making a lot of my vegetarian fare from scratch.

It has been a learning experience but one that will probably add decades to our lives and fill those years with many more anecdotes.

Beans are high in soluble fiber, protein, complex carbohydrates and iron. The soluble fiber can help lower blood cholesterol, thereby being excellent for your heart. They are also touted as being a good cancer prevention dietary supplement.

So here’s a quick black bean salad recipe which will power up your immune system and strengthen your heart as well: -

Ingredients: -

2 cups of cooked and chilled black beans
2 stalks of celery sliced
1/2 cup of finely chopped red or yellow onion
3 cups of roughly chopped spinach
1 avocado sliced

For dressing: -

1/4 cup of lemon juice or to taste
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of honey
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of salt free all purpose seasoning

To prepare: -

Mix the black beans, celery, chopped onions in a bowl and toss with half of the dressing. Toss the spinach with the other half of the dressing. Place the black bean mixture on top of a bed of the spinach. Place slices of the avocado on top of the lot and voila!

Enjoy!

It interests me to see how people come up with weird and different blogging ideas. This one made a bigger than normal impression because I am always trying to find new ways to save money.

Having said all that, I recently came to the realization that food and good, fresh food in particular is more important that anything else one might purchase from day to day. My health was suffering at one point because of how much prepackaged foods I was eating. Spending those extra few dollars on fresh ingredients has been more than worth it.

So as much as I admire this person’s endeavor to save money by going on this year long sabbatical from more expensive foods, I fear for their health. We all go through times where we need to cut back but I sincerely hope that they don’t sacrifice their health in the attempt to save a few bucks.

Here are the ingredients: -

Spinach (flat or curly leaf – whichever you prefer)
Red Bell Pepper
Broccoli
Cherry Tomatoes
Avocado
Flax Seeds
Low fat/ Low sodium Onion Vinaigrette

Basically you just wash all the veggies thoroughly, especially the spinach. Chop the bell pepper and broccoli heads (remove stalks) roughly and place all three into a salad bowl. Add the cherry tomatoes and toss to evenly distribute the ingredients.

Place a good portion on a plate. Sprinkle with a nice tablespoon of flax seeds. Slice the avocado and place on top to decorate the salad. If you want to use the dressing then you should pour it sparingly over the salad before adding the avocado.

It’s tasty and quite filling for a salad. If you want to make it more of an evening meal then add some protein. I would suggest a small portion of lightly grilled tuna for our non-vegetarians and some chick peas for our vegetarian or vegan readers.

My other half was equally impressed with the food; especially after a delicious Sunday roast at Gordon Ramsay’s Devonshire Pub Restaurant in Chiswick, London. Faced with this challenge we gingerly entered a local pub for lunch the following day – not expecting much. I was surprised to see the “lowly” chip butty on the menu.

Now for those of you not familiar with this English delicacy, have a ganders below: -

Yes that is a bread roll stuffed chockers with British chips and lashings of butter. Simply heavenly delicious.

So if you’ve got a few calories to spare, well actually several thousand calories to spare then have a go. Just remember that the more butter the better and the more chips the better. And no margarine allowed!

Take a cup of sweet cherry tomatoes. Make sure that they are fresh and firm. Place in a medium sized bowl. Add one small (or half of a larger one) roughly chopped white or yellow onion. These onions are milder than the red onion and won’t over power the tomatoes but you can substitute red if you really prefer. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you when you are using so much onion.

Next add a touch of extra virgin olive oil and about half a teaspoon of mixed Italian seasonings. You can also toss in a pinch of black pepper to give it that extra kick. If you are feeling really adventurous then try including some blue cheese or even mozzarella to wake up those taste buds even further.

Delicious!

I know that a lot of people, including my other half, find them bitter and un-appetizing but for me you just have to cook them the right way to truly appreciate their appeal. I like to sauté them in butter with a touch of water in the bottom of a saucepan – nothing else.
For some this may be a little too plain but in my view it allows the true essence of the brussel sprout to shine through. I also try not to over cook it and usually like to have them slightly al dente.

I recently came across another method of cooking this vegetable. One tosses the raw vegetable in a casserole dish with some olive oil, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Place the ovenproof dish in center of the oven at about 350 degrees for thirty-five to forty-five minutes. The brussels come out lovely and succulent with a gorgeous color and delicious flavor.

You can also try this method with a lot of other hearty root vegetables, like squash, parsnips and swedes. Just remember that you may have to adjust the cooking time but the result should be the same – a great tasting, scrumptious treat.

Being a vegetarian has been difficult, especially when I first moved to America. There used to be hardly any restaurants that catered to us and those that did had very limited selections. Nowadays more places offer vegetarian options but I’ve found that the range of available menu choices is still very short.

Luckily for me, my other half loves to cook just as much or perhaps, even more so than I do. Just the other day I managed to coerce him into eating a tofu sesame ginger stir-fry. Later that same week he made a Chinese rice stir-fry with tofu and mixed veggies. It was delicious!

I have never been a vegetarian that tries to force my views onto anyone else. My partner loves his meat. I believe that it is an individual choice. It can take a lot of commitment and you will be challenged when it comes to finding food to eat at restaurants but I believe that it’s a healthier way of life. Many doctors believe that eating a meat-free diet or one that is low in red meat can contribute to a life free from certain serious illnesses.

Am I happy with my choice? Yes it has been worth it and I am convinced that I am healthier as a result. Would I ever go back to eating meat? I doubt it. I was never a big meat-eater to begin with and I don’t enjoy the taste as much.

I’m sure that we will revisit this topic in the future because it is broad and has a lot of intriguing facts. In the meantime let me know what you think of vegetarianism and would you ever be inclined to step over into the “dark side” of food choices.

Based on this experience, we have created a simple sauce that’s as easy as one, two, three. Here are the basic ingredients: -

3 garlic cloves
2 table spoons Extra Virgin olive oil
2 sprigs of thyme
4 cherry tomatoes
1 pinch of salt or to taste
1 pinch black pepper or to taste
1 pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning – or you can use a combination of
other fresh Italian herbs such as parsley, oregano, basil, marjoram
1 tin Hunts Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Finely chop the garlic and cherry tomatoes. Heat the olive oil over a moderate high heat in a deep skillet or wide mouthed saucepan.
Add the garlic and sauté gently – do not allow the garlic to burn. Add the tomatoes and the thyme after removing the tiny leaves from their stems. Continue mixing with a wooden spoon.
Add the fresh tomatoes, tinned tomatoes and mix thoroughly. Allow to heat through for a few minutes before adding the other seasonings, salt, pepper, sugar and Italian herbs.
Taste finished product and add more seasoning until you are satisfied.

Now this recipe can be modified to your specifications. You can add cheeses to it, cream, vegetables or whatever your preference. It’s quick easy and tastes delicious. Yum!