FROM THE  kosherkooke©
City of Refuge Publications
7101 North Mesa #235               Volume 7  Issue 9
El Paso, Texas 79912
MENORAH LIGHTS BOOKS
September 2007

         

SPONSORED BY:  The International Institute for Health and Wellness, Inc, of Orem, Utah
An affiliated institution with Rio Verde University Graduate School

DRINK YOUR VEGGIES? By Karen Collins, R.D.
 
 
     Many of us have trouble meeting recommendations to make vegetables and fruits a major part of our diets. Is drinking more juice the solution? Research supports categorizing juice as a nutritious beverage, but juice cannot provide the full benefits that come from eating solid vegetables and fruits. Evidence continues to accumulate on the many ways that vegetables and fruits promote good health, reducing risk of major chronic disorders such as heart disease and cancer. Although for more than 20 years Americans have been told a mostly plant-based diet lowers cancer risk, American's consumption of produce has grown slowly.
     Surveys estimate that less than a quarter of American adults today meet the minimum recommendation of five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, much less the seven to 10 servings considered optimal. Some people may wonder whether drinking more juice to increase our servings of fruits and vegetables might be easier than changing the foods we select throughout the day. 
     Depending on the particular choice, juice can be a good source of important nutrients, including vitamin C, beta-carotene, me B vitamin folate and the mineral potassium. Juice also contains other antioxidants that protect the body. It's no surprise that when people who eat low amounts of fruit and vegetables add several servings of juice daily, the antioxidants in their body increase, reducing risk of heart disease, cancer and perhaps even age-related eye disease and dementia.
     However, studies show that most fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants in the skins and peels, which do not make it into juice. For example, one study reports that a whole orange contains up to five times more of one major antioxidant than a glass of orange juice. The antioxidant is found in the white pulp and membranes that separate the orange segments from each other.
     Mix it up — By eating a variety of vegetables and fruits, which will provide a full array of natural plant com- pounds, is key to reducing cancer risk. Cancer protection comes from far more than accumulating antioxidants.  When we eat berries, garlic and cruciferous and dark green vegetables, for example, we get compounds that lead to the self-destruction of cells that might develop into cancer.
     Solid fruits and vegetables also provide dietary fiber not found in juice. Bacteria in our colon break down soluble fiber, producing fatty acids that some studies suggest protects our colon against cancer-causing influences. Overall, studies have produced conflicting results on the significance of fiber for cancer prevention, but it is far too early to dismiss. Eating solid fruits and vegetables can also lower the risk of cancer and heart disease by helping you reach and maintain a healthy weight. Juice does not offer the same weight control benefits. Fruit juice is a more concentrated source of calories than solid fruits and vegetables. A one-half cup serving of most vegetables and fruit contains from 25 to 70 calories. Even a modest serving of most fruit juice (six ounces) contains 70 to 105 calories. (Tomato-based juices are the low-calorie exception.)
 

 

  

Kosher Kooking            vol. 1           Page 7


Sephardi Style Stuffed Tomatoes (Medyahs)
Background:
 
  6 portions as a main course; 12 portions as a side dish. This is a great dish - a little time consuming, but if you make extra you can get more than one meal out of it and just need to re-heat it in the microwave or oven briefly. **During the year you can substitute corn meal or coarse wheat flour for the Matzoh Meal.
 		  
 


 

 Ingredients:
 6 large tomatoes
Stuffing:
1/2 Ib ground beef
1/2 Ib ground lamb
2 medium onions finely diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 well beaten medium eggs
1 Tablespoon water
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
 
 
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped coriander
1 1/2 cups matzoh meal**
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Coating:
3 well beaten eggs
1/2 cup Matzoh meal with c
pinch of salt mixed in
Frying:
Parve margarine or olive oi
Baking:
1 /2 cup water		  

 
 


Cut the tomatoes in half, length-wise (from stem to toe). Scoop out the pulp and place this in a mixing bowl. Drain the pulp. Mix together all the ingredients in part A. Blend or grind together all the ingredients in part B and add to the meat mixture. Stuff this mixture into the tomato shells and dip each tomato into the well beaten eggs. Roll it in the Matzo Meal/salt mix and then fry meat side down for 1 minute and then in a baking dish with the 1/2 cup water added to it.

Bake at 400° Fahrenheit for 30 minutes

  
 
Note: see  our website at:  www.kosherkooking.com for all the latest news and views regarding the recipes enclosed in the series.  Or email us at: KosherKooking

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