Why So Gluten Free?

Gluten-free Raspberry Vanilla Cake

If you've spent any time around the Moon, you've probably noticed the trend of gluten-free baked goods coming out of the kitchen. The Harvest Moon Crew has two motives for doing this:

~The first motive is because they love customers, including those who have celiac disease which causes a severely adverse reaction if the person eats gluten. I've come across a number of people who have this problem, and it always makes me thankful for my ability to, unlike them, eat quite liberally. I mean, doesn't it just break your heart when you see a child eyeing a brownie and then his parents tell him, "No no dear. I know that looks good, but it will hurt you if you eat it."? Because some- well, most- things have gluten, there are people who can't enjoy what the rest of us take for granted.

Gluten-free Raspberry Chocolate Cake

~The second reason why they continuously churn out gluten free products is because of a growing awareness of gluten intolerance in the general public and not just those with celiac disease. There's a trend of people researching gluten-free living and starting to question if that may be the solution to many of their present health problems. Research on the topic of whether gluten is harmful or helpful seems to vary. I'm not sure who to trust on this topic and therefore leave it to your discretion and research. But I will say that the popular consensus both professional and lay health-nuts give is that a gluten-free life is a happy life.

So there you have it. Go out and tell your gluten-free friends (either by choice or requirement) that there is a place that is baking up a storm of appetizing, edible, gluten-free stuff to stuff yourself with! And that place is called The Coolest Place on the Planet (a.k.a. Harvest Moon).

~The Harvest Crier~

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

Our sprouting chia at the Garden Herb Shop

All of us remember when Chia Pets were the rave. It's yet another reason why we wag our heads in shame at the 90s, that awkward decade of, um, interesting tastes and fashions. But there is a little bit of sunshine peaking out of a relic from that dark age. Do you remember Chia Pets? They're still around you know. In fact, there's actually a Barack Obama Chia Pet available on eBay!

That shimmer of sunlight is found in the sprouts coming out of your Mr. T Chia Pet ( pity the fool who actually got one of those as a gag-gift). It turns out, dear readers, that chia sprouts and chia seeds are actually really good for you! Chia recently went through a sort of renaissance of its own where people started realizing that it's more than cheesy 90s decor!

Its benefits include, but are not limited to:
~ Rich in protein,
~ Excellent substitute for eggs in baking (And all the vegans rejoiced!),
~ Assists in weight loss,
~ Fibrous,
~ Great for boosts of energy before and after workouts (and all the athletes rejoiced!),
~ Said to be the richest source of Omega-3 fatty acids, and water soluble dietary fiber (supplements that we commonly add to our diets for their health benefits),
~ Rich in calcium

So there you go, the chia is now redeemed. It's an excellent plant to start growing on your kitchen counter or window sill, seeing how you can throw it in practically everything! Don't worry, you can grow it in a simple flower pot. It's still chia even if it's not sprouting out of a Homer Simpson head! Nutrition tends to come in simple packages now doesn't it?

Oh, and it's a superfood. So there.

~The Harvest Crier~

Sources:
Andrew Weil M.D.
Yahoo Voices
Huffpost
Washingtonian

Miso Happy!

The Garden Herb Shop tends to transform from a shop to a school in the blink of an eye. Just today, not too long after I stepped out of the blustering outdoor weather, I was handed a book and recommended (ordered) to write a post on the wonders of miso (mee-so). So how could I say no to that? I mean, it's miso!

Are you saying to yourself, "Miso confused"? Are you insisting, "Permiso, can you tell me more about the miso?" Well fear not. Click any of the misos in this post and you'll find yourself in a swamp of miso-info. I'll just give you a light sampling of the information available out there, most of it taken from the book I was handed: The Way of Chinese Herbs, by Michael Tierra.

Miso is essentially soybeans aged to flavor by being fermented with salt and sometimes other ingredients such as rice. It's beginnings are from China, where its predecessor (chiang) originated sometime during the Chou Dynasty (722-481 B.C.). The use of soybean became more popular during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) through the spread of Buddhism and the vegetarianism therein. Today, it is a staple of consumption in Japan.

Learning from my reading, miso is one of the most perfect foods, reason being because the fermented soybeans are rich in easily assimilated high-quality protein. It also aids  the assimilation of other foods and should therefore be eaten with something else (pretty easily understood, seeing how it's a paste. I'm not too  partial to eating straight paste myself). You can make sauces with it (add almond butter, a little bit of water, and ground sesame) as well as salad dressing, or even a base for your soup.

The consensus around here, due to its rich nutritional wonders, is to eat it with everything! Just make sure you look up how to cook or prepare it correctly so that your experience is a positive one in both taste and nourishment (it is not to be boiled, for example).

Because the salt is fermented, it has less of a negative effect on the individual as table salt does. This is peculiar for those of you who've had miso before, because you know that it has a pleasantly salty flavor to it (making it an excellent condiment). But that's one of the insistent beauties of this dish. Its pungency in positive flavor does not come at the loss of healthiness.

Give it a shot and you'll most certainly be squealing "Miso happy!" by the end. Unless you absolutely hate it.

~The Harvest Crier~

Hummus and History

There are two topics which rank the oldest to study about in human history: religion and food.

In regards to food, hummus is thought to be one of the oldest staples in man's history of consumption. About.com and Helium states that it dates back to Ancient Egypt. Other websites say that its origins are much older. While we may not know when exactly and where exactly it was first invented, we know that it's an old recipe tried and true.

The basic element of hummus is cooked and pureed chickpeas. Follow that up with one or more of these ingredients:

~lemon juice
~sesame paste (tahini)
~olive oil
~ garlic

From there you can blend all kinds of seasonings and spices. The list of combinations is as great as the maker's imagination. Try something crazy, like cinnamon with something else (cooked and pureed sweet potato? Freshly chopped apple?) You can look up a plethora of recipes online, or you can be bold and make your own. The point is to not limit yourself. Many people have thrown a recipe together while fighting against the cultural norm of food, but after doing so, their concoction was widely accepted because of its deliciousness. So don't be hurt if people don't accept your idea off the bat. People in general seem to be xenophobic in regards to their food. Give them time to warm up. :)

Unless you make something disgusting, like Lard & Raisin Hummus. That's just gross. Some hummus ideas are big no-nos. :(

Finally, did you know that hummus is the Arabic word and garbanzo the Spanish word for Chickpea? Fascinating, isn't it? It's the little things you learn that make you smart around the water cooler at work.

~The Harvest Crier~

Foodview: Italian Double Potato Soup

Spicy, but not too spicy. It definitely leaves a tang in your mouth!

The crisp crunch of roasted almonds scattered on top contrast well with the thickly creamed texture of the soup. The somewhat sweet taste from the yam coupled with the filling texture of the Idaho potato worked sensationally well to make a flavorful and filling dish.

The flavor is most potently tasted in the soup's  celery, onion, and fresh basil, the fresh basil giving a hint of Italian taste to the blend. The recipe calls for Italian Sausage, but we've held off on that for all you vegetarians out there. Looking at the ingredients on this post, the soup is vegan friendly as well. :)

It has a texture equivalent to curry, but undoubtedly tastes like a spicy potato soup. With an almond cream base, it's satisfyingly thick. With whole, fresh basil leaves put into the pot, it's very bold in flavor. If you're into spicy food, give this a shot. It may not be the hottest thing out there, but it'll make your forehead shed a tear or two.

It's my recommendation to get it with some bagel chips and hummus to finish the meal off with a cool taste in your mouth.

Words to describe this soup are: spicy, bold, thick, potato-ish, slightly sweet, and heart-warming. Oh yes, my friend, heart-warming. Especially on a cold and dreary day would I recommend this pot of potato-goodness :)

~The Harvest Crier~