CATHY'S CORNER
Carob& Cathy's Corner- Sprouts"In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness, saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, . . . and his meat was locusts and wild honey." Matthew 3:1-4 The locust (Ceratonia siliqua) is the fruit of the carob tree, and accepted in the East as the food on which John the Baptist fed; thus it is known as St. John's bread. The carob tree is a sturdy evergreen, growing to fifty feet in height. In the early spring it produces many large clusters of tiny pea-shaped blossoms. Rich brown fruits follow in the form of large thick pods 8" long containing 5-15 seeds which are discarded. Chocolate has been satisfying the sweet tooth of America for many years. However, as it grows naturally, it is highly unpalatable, bitter and unpleasant, and requires additives including large amounts of sugar, milk or cream to transform it into the tantalizing product on your grocer's shelf, having at least 50% of its calories in saturated fat which causes heart trouble. Chocolate contains theobromine (a harmful alkaloid causing abnormal gland growth, headaches, sleepless-ness, depression, upset stomach, itching, and flushing of the skin), and tannin (thought to cause cancer of the digestive tract), and may contain high amounts of caffeine and theophylline. These poisons must be flushed out of the system by the kidneys and liver. Children who drink cocoa are more likely to have bedwetting problems. Chocolate has recently been incriminated in prostrate enlargement in men. Harvesting of the cacao beans occurs in tropical countries where sanitation levels fall far below those in the US. Workers cut pods from the cacao tree and beans are piled in the farmer's yard and allowed to ferment for 3 to 8 days. This process is essential to developing the flavor. During this process, children and adults walk over the piles; insects, rodents, small animals and other living things make their nests in the piles, and any type of contamination may occur during this primary processing stage of chocolate. The U. S. Department of Health publishes a booklet entitled "The Food Defect Action Levels" and lists specifications of "current levels for natural or unavoidable defects in food" for chocolate in the form of "insect, rodent, and other natural contaminants" allowed by the FDA. Tolerance levels for chocolate and chocolate liquor used in the manufacture of such products as Hershey's chocolate, are up to 120 insect fragments per cup (8 oz) or 2 rodent hairs per cup. That means the Hershey's chocolate bar you eat may contain one rodent hair and 16 insect parts, and yet carry the FDA's blessing. For chocolate powder or pressed cakes used for baking, there must be no more than 75 insect parts in 3 tablespoons of powder. Up to 4% of the cacao beans may be infested by insects. Rat droppings or other animal excreta must not exceed 10 milligrams per pound! At a meeting of the Society for Clinical Ecology, a member related this experience. In an endeavor to track down the source of allergenic substances, he visited a South American country to study the cacao bean. He began at the sight where it was grown and traced it all the way through the manufacturing process. At one point he went down to the docks where the beans stood on open wharves awaiting shipment. On opening one of the crates he found it alive with cockroaches. He estimates that one-fourth of chocolate consists of dead, ground-up, melted-down cockroaches, and that is one of the factors that makes it such a common allergen. Carob powder from the locust pod is a healthful chocolate substitute. Gram for gram, carob contains three times the calcium that milk does. It is high in phosphorus and potassium, and contains Vitamin A, B1 (thiamine), B3 (niacin), and iron. Carob is rich in protein and high in natural carbohydrates. It is 60% lower in calories than chocolate, and is high in minerals, low in fat, and produces no known allergic reactions. Carob contains no caffeine or other stimulants, and requires no fermentation. Best of all, no insect fragments! Carob chips are also readily available at most health food stores but may contain added sugar and/or tropical oil, so beware! If you're like the rest of us, from time to time your sweet tooth declares "feed me!" and you will be happy to learn there are some delicious alternatives. Goody BarIn small bowl in microwave, melt ½ cup carob chips until smooth. Stir in a spoonful chunky peanut butter. Pour onto a sheet of plastic wrap and spread into candy bar shape. You can add a few almonds. (It's delicious, but don't eat it all yet!) Freeze and enjoy!
Warm in saucepan until well blended ¼ C. water ½ C. peanut butter ½ C. dates 2 Tbs. honey 1 tsp. vanilla Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl ½ C. carob powder ½ C. sesame seeds ½ C. sunflower seeds 1 C. coconut Add warm ingredients. After well mixed, press onto a flat tray. Top with coconut.
Freeze,
slice & enjoy. Simply Divine BrowniesWhiz in blender: 1 C. water ¼ C. oil 3/4 C. honey 1 tsp. salt ½ C. carob powder 1 C. flour Optional: stir in (do not blend) ½ C. chopped nuts.
Pour
into 8" pan coated with PAM. Bake at 300 for 40 minutes (or until
knife inserted in center comes out clean). Tropical ChewiesCream together: ¼ C. margarine (or oil) ¼ C. orange juice concentrate ½ C. honey ½ tsp. vanilla Slowly add: ½ C. crushed pineapple (drained) 1 C. flour ½ tsp. salt ¾ C. oats ½ C. wheat germ ½ C. chopped nuts ½ C. unsweetened coconut ¾ C. carob chips (or raisins)
Bake
at 350 until brown. Cathy's Corner- Sprouts"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." John 12:24 "By the casting of the grain into the soil, Christ represents the sacrifice of Himself for our redemption. [John 12:24 quoted.] In accordance with the law of the vegetable kingdom, life will be the result of His death. "And all who would bring forth fruit as workers together with Christ, must first fall into the ground and die. The life must be cast into the furrow of the world's need. Self-love, self-interest, must perish. But the law of self-sacrifice is the law of self-preservation. The seed buried in the ground produced fruit, and in turn this is planted. Thus the harvest is multiplied..." COL 86 Is it any wonder that God used the seed to illustrate the new life in Christ? Seeds contain living elements that cause them to grow with the addition of water and elements found in the air. We can add good nutrition to our daily diet by adding sprouted seeds, such as alfalfa, parsley, radish, sunflower, sesame, rye, rice, corn, oats, millet, lentil, soy bean, pea, garbanzo and mung beans. For instance, alfalfa sprouts are the most nutritious of all sprouts. Research authorities tell us that alfalfa contains eight essential enzymes. No other single plant life in the vast vegetable kingdom contains so many health giving properties. When the little alfalfa seed is sprouted, chlorophyll begins to develop which aids in the formation of digestive enzymes. Alfalfa, containing the entire B complex, utilizes completely its own amino acids. Legumes (including peanuts) are hard to digest and assimilate for many people, due to a high concentration of protein and starch, and low moisture content. Sprouting transforms them into high quality nourishment. Seed sprouts are the most alive food we can eat. Often we struggle to ensure proper nutrition due to the devitalized and refined food products on the market today. But seeds, properly prepared, can play a great part in supplying important nourishment that many bodies are starving for today. Seeds, legumes, and grains are economical and can be sprouted year round in any part of world. Sprouts may be liquified in water, tomato juice, or nut milk in the blender to make a nutritious beverage, or added to casseroles, patties or gravy. Sprouts may be mixed in breads, using them whole or ground. Bean sprouts used as a main dish are very good with chow mein, burgers, or as cooked lentil or garbanzo sprouts. Sprouting reduces the cooking time (to about 30 minutes) for difficult to cook beans such as garbanzos and soy beans. An Easy Way to Sprout: Place seeds or grain in a glass jar and cover with water. Soak overnight; Next morning, pour out water, rinse seeds with fresh water & drain, using a screen or nylon netting over mouth of jar. After rinsing, leave jar tilted so it will drain. Roll jar to spread out seeds. Repeat process 2-3 times every day. When sprouts reach desired length (¼ to 2/3 inch for most; alfalfa up to 2 inches), place jar in sun (not hot, direct sun) to develop chlorophyll and other nutrients. Store in refrigerator, and enjoy! Garbanzo Loaf Mash with fork 5 or 6 cups cooked garbanzos Add ½ cup peanut butter 1 ½ cup bread crumbs 1 chopped onion 1 can chopped black olives Salt to taste ¼ cup sesame seeds Mix all ingredients together and top with sesame seeds. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. For tasty treat, thicken garbanzo juice for a yummy gravy! Sunflower Seed Dressing Blend until thoroughly smooth: 1 cup sunflower seeds 1½ cup water Add: 1 tsp salt 1 tsp chicken style seasoning 2 garlic cloves 1 tsp onion powder ¼ tsp dill cup lemon juice (to taste) Blend until very smooth. Add more sunflower seeds if not thick enough. Chill before serving. Enjoy! Mushroom Burgers 1 lb finely chopped mushrooms ½ cup ground sunflower seeds 1 cup cooked lentils 1½ cup fine ground oatmeal ½ cup tomato-vegetable juice ½ cup chopped celery 1 chopped onion 1 Tbs Egg Replacer 2 tsp Braggs Liquid Aminos 2 tsp carob powder Salt to taste Grind all ingredients in food processor; add mushrooms last & be careful not to puree. Let sit for 20 mins. Form patties; bake at 350 for 25 mins, turning once. |
