RECIPES, HINTS AND SO MUCH MORE!

This is a page you will refer to again and again. It will teach you many things in addition to, how to become a smart shopper, how to save money in the supermarket and how to cut the fat and cholesterol.

FACTS ABOUT FAT AND OILS


You can't turn on the T.V. or pick up a book or newspaper without reading
about the No. 1 enemy, fat. Fat apparently is responsible for all of mankind's ills. Unfortunately, most of us don't realize that the body cannot function without fat as long as it is the right kind of fat. Fats are an essential part of the body. They protect the cell walls and help the body in oxygen production while they transport energy production.*
There are two kinds of fat, saturated and unsaturated. The simple way to remember the difference is this: Saturated fat most of the time comes from things that walk, and unsaturated fat comes from things that grow.
Cutting the saturated fat in your diet and using the right unsaturated fat can put you on the right track to good health. A good oil is the finest source of unsaturated fat.
Not all oils are good oils. Many contain a great deal of saturated fat; others have their good properties destroyed in processing. Oils must be produced at a cold temperature. The only oil that actually qualifies is cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. Most other oils are produced under high temperatures. The heat changes the good properties of the oils to a poison to the body called trans-fatty acids. Trans-fatty acids block the body's absorption of good fat. When any kind of oil is turned into a solid form, such as solid shortening or margarine, it becomes hydrogenated. Hydrogenated oil is a proven carcenogen (cancer causing agent) and a trans-fatty acid.
It's obvious that olive oil cannot be used for everything, I sure wouldn't like it in any baked product! The next best oil to use is canola oil since it is the lowest in saturated fats compared to other oils.

* John Finnegan from his book, "The Facts About Oils." John Finnegan, author, researcher and naturopathic practitioner, is the author of 10 books presenting his work in the holistic health sciences.

FACTS ABOUT BEEF

Beef is America's favorite meat and it doesn't have to be the bad guy. Many cuts of beef are low in fat and can be used in a low-fat diet, providing you control your portions.
The cuts of beef that contain the least amount of fat and cholesterol are: flank steak, eye round, top round, bottom round sirloin and chuck. The other delicious cuts such as rib roast, and steaks such as: rib, Delmonico,
porterhouse, T-bone, strip, etc., are high in fat and should be eaten sparingly. These are special occasion meats.
Let's go shopping and head straight for the meat counter, since that's where most of your money goes. Of course you need ground beef. You can make the least expensive meals with ground beef, or can you? Ground beef is about $1.70 a pound. You want better for your family so you buy ground chuck at over $2 a pound. Better, why? Ground chuck can have up to 30 percent fat content. That's allowable. After browning the meat you see your money wasted as you pour off the fat. How much has that meat cost you now? To put it in basic terms; if a recipe calls for one pound of ground beef you would actually need to buy over a quarter pound more to end up with one pound of cooked meat. Where's the savings?
Many of you are buying those fantastic buys; ground beef at only 98 cents a pound. Stop! Check the label. I did and found in one supermarket an astonishing 56 percent fat. Not only are you loading your diet with fat and putting on the pounds, you're pouring half your money down the drain.
Ground round or sirloin is leaner, but look at the price. Over $3 a pound and it still can contain up to 15 percent fat.
Now is the time to start getting smart. Check the newspaper ads and see who has beef on sale. My favorite cut of meat, hands down, is bottom round roast. You can do more with this cut than any other. Many times it's on sale for under $2 a pound. Wait for a sale. Look at what you can do with a bottom round roast:
•Make the best and leanest pot roast ever.
•Make a delicious tender roast beef. (Check the deli. What cut of beef do they use for their cooked roast
beef?)
•Ask the butcher to make it into cubed steaks. (Cubed steaks are usually about $3 a pound.)
•Cut it up for stew beef.
•Have the leanest, best-tasting ground beef money can buy.

Butchers in any market are the nicest and most accommodating people in the store. Pick a lean bottom round roast and tell him what you want. For ground beef ask him to put it through the grinder twice.

IF YOU WANT:

•Low-fat--grind as is.
•Very low-fat--trim most of the fat.
•Virtually fat-free--trim all the fat.

Do you want it portioned out? They will package and weigh it for you. Ask them to package the trimmed fat separately. This way you know the fat has been trimmed. If you feel guilty doing that, tell them it's for the dog or the neighbor's dog.
Now you're becoming a smart shopper. After cooking you will end up with just about what you started with; good, lean fresh ground beef. In most casserole dishes you can now use less meat that you usually would, since there is no waste.
Pay attention to the fact that meats that are already sliced or cut up usually cost much more. You must have rib steaks once in a while? Buy a rib roast and have it cut into steaks.
Isn't it amazing how much more the steaks cost than the roast? The steaks had to come from somewhere. Remember, if you have the butcher cut up the roast you have selected, the price stays the same.
Become a smart shopper! Find every way possible to get more for less.

FACTS ABOUT LAMB AND VEAL
LAMB:
Lamb is a high-fat meat. Baby lamb chops with those delicious little morsels of meat contain quite a lot of fat and cholesterol and should be eaten sparingly.
Leg of lamb, sliced, will give you chops at a much lower price. Although still high in fat, the leg is not as bad as the rib chops.

VEAL:
Veal is the lowest in fat and cholesterol of all red meats. The leg, which is where the cutlets are cut
from, is the lowest. Boneless and trimmed chops or veal blade steaks are also a good choice. Cuts such as veal shanks and breast of veal are both high in fat and cholesterol.

FACTS ABOUT PORK
Pork is considered the "other white meat" and has no more fat than lean beef. Remember, we're not talking ribs or sausage here; we're talking lean pork. Thefat content depends on the cuts you use and the way you prepare them.
Pork chops are almost always too expensive for the budget, especially when you're feeding a family. Look around at the roasts. Wait for a sale, then find a nice lean loin or rib end and have it sliced to your liking. Every chop won't have that curved bone (rib) or T-bone (loin); there may even be an extra bone, but the taste will be the same.
Boneless pork chops are the leanest and most expensive chops you can buy.
Watch the sales and purchase a whole boneless pork loin. Cut it up yourself or have the butcher cut it up into chops, double pork chops (to be
stuffed), and roasts. You can also make wonderful lean cutlets. The savings is considerable.
There is a cut of pork that is the sweetest, leanest and most economical and for some reason it is a well-kept secret. You all know about smoked or cured hams, but have you ever heard of or tried fresh ham? It is a ham that is neither smoked or cured and is just about always well under $2 a pound.
Fresh ham comes either whole or half. I always buy the shank half. Have it boned and tied and you have a most incredible pork roast. It comes with the skin (rind) on. Roasting it with the rind on will give you a high-fat, special occasion meal. Remove the rind along with the underlying fat and you have a lean, wonderful, inexpensive meat for roasts, stews, steaks and even cutlets at a fraction of the cost. Save the bone for special occasion spaghetti sauce.
Ham is a leg of pork that has been smoked or cured. Supermarkets carry smoked hams at well under $2 a pound. There is no need to spend twice that amount for specialty hams. Use my recipe and you'll have the best ham you've ever tasted.
If you want ham steaks, don't buy a ham steak--they charge you twice the price. Buy a larger cut of ham than you will need and ask the butcher to cut off some steaks. I prefer the shank half of the ham. Save the bone for split pea soup.

FACTS ABOUT POULTRY

When we refer to poultry we're usually talking about chicken or turkey.
Both chicken and turkey are the most economical and low-fat meats you can buy. The breast is the lowest in fat, but the entire bird, except for the wings, is considered a good low-fat food.
If you only buy chicken breast quarters, it will cost you. Buy a whole chicken when it's on sale. Cut it up or have the butcher cut it up and save the legs and thighs for stews, salads and casseroles. You can stretch your food dollar and no one will know the difference. The neck, back, gizzard and heart make excellent soup. Package, label and freeze for future use.
Boneless chicken breast is a must-have in the freezer for so many, many meals, but it can be costly. When a supermarket has boneless chicken breast on sale for a great price. Stock up.
Turkey is one of the least expensive meats you can buy, but because of its size, in many homes it's an occasional meal. Buying turkey parts like cutlets, breast, thighs, etc. is costly.
Pick a turkey, whatever size you choose and ask the butcher to saw it in half. Now you have two meals of fresh turkey and plenty of leftovers.
For turkey cutlets, let one half thaw just until you can slice off cutlets from the breast. When roasting simply cover this part with foil.
Ground turkey has become a very popular substitute for ground beef. Be forewarned; store-ground turkey has the same amount of fat as ground round; 13 to 15 percent.
This information came straight from the butcher's mouth in the supermarket. Very low-fat ground turkey is only available if you buy brand names where they state the fat content.
If you're real ambitious you can buy a grinder and grind your own turkey; otherwise many times the beef that you've had freshly ground is a lower-fat choice.
PREPARING CUTLETS

Prepare veal by scoring the meat with a sharp knife, placing it between two pieces of waxed paper and pounding with a mallet or any heavy utensil. Doing this will break up any tough fibers and help the cutlets to keep their shape while cooking. To prepare chicken cutlets, remove all traces of fat and nerve. Separate lobes. Now you
must "butterfly" the breast. Lay the breast on a cutting board and holding your hand on top, carefully cut the breast in half horizontally, cutting to, not through the other side. Slash the seam carefully with knife to get it to lie flat. Score and pound as directed for veal.

LOW FAT MAGIC

Usually after cutlets are breaded they are then fried in oil. For a low-fat alternative, place prepared cutlets on a cookie sheet that has been treated with cooking spray. Spray top of cutlets. Bake in a hot, 400-degree oven for 10 minutes, they will brown and cook just right.

MAKING GRAVY

Fat is not necessary to make a good healthy gravy. Years ago I remember being told, "Add enough flour to the pan drippings to absorb all the fat." We now know what we don't need is all that saturated fat.
Don't forego making gravy. Buying canned gravy is expensive and doesn't taste half as good as the real thing. You can make the best gravy ever if you have two items in your pantry at all times:

•Powdered bullion, both brown and golden, sold in little boxes. You'll find it just above the soups.
•Gravy Master, a coloring made especially for gravies.

Gravy can be made with flour or cornstarch. I prefer flour for a meat or poultry gravy. I use cornstarch for sauces and Chinese dishes where I want a clear shiny sauce. Cornstarch has about twice the thickening power of flour, so less is needed.
Remove meat and any vegetables from the roasting pan. Add 1/2 cup or more of water to the pan and place over heat. Caution: Never place glass pans over direct heat. It is better to use a pan that can go from oven to stovetop.
Bring liquid in pan to a boil, scraping up all the browned pieces. Pour into a saucepan away from heat. Add about 1/2 cup more water. De-fat the liquid by adding several ice cubes. Be sure to add enough cubes--you don't want them to all melt before the liquid is cold. Let sit until all the fat has congealed and clung to the cubes. Remove remaining cubes and fat with a slotted spoon.
Fill a medium-size jar with a tight fitting cover half way with cold water. Add about 2 heaping tbsp. flour. Cover and shake well to blend.
Bring liquid in saucepan to a boil. Add more water if you think you will need more gravy. Using a strainer, slowly pour the flour mixture into the pan, stirring constantly. Do not add the flour mixture all at once but slowly bringing the liquid to a boil each time until desired thickness is achieved.
Taste. Need more flavor? Add a packet or two of brown bullion for beef gravy or golden bullion for chicken or pork gravy. Color pale? Add a little Gravy Master.
If you can, make more gravy than you will need. Regardless of what you may have been previously told, gravy can be frozen. To use, thaw, place in a covered saucepan, bring to high boil and whisk briskly. On regular stoves be sure to use a heat diffuser (thin metal star shape trivet). On glass-top stoves keep heat low and stir often; you can't use a heat diffuser.

ITALIAN DRESSING

This dressing has been in my family for years. It will keep in the refrigerator forever. It costs so much less to make a homemade dressing, not to mention the fact it is preservative-
free and good for you.
If you find extra virgin olive oil is too heavy for your taste buds, use half olive and half canola oil.
When it comes to red wine vinegar, be sure to read the labels. Beware of red wine flavored vinegar, it may cost a bit less than real red wine vinegar, but the flavor is not there. Check your
local supermarkets. Recently I bought a quart for under $2.
Balsamic vinegar is a wonderfully different-tasting vinegar. Using half red wine and half balsamic vinegar creates a delicious dressing. You are the chef, you've got the basic measurements and ingredients now take it from there and change it at will.

2 cups extra virgin olive oil or 1/2 olive and 1/2 canola
1/2 cup red wine vinegar or half red wine and half balsamic
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil (optional)
1 tbsp. dried parsley (optional)
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp. dry mustard (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting cover, shake to blend and refrigerate.

I would now like to make a chef out of you. Rather than preparing the dressing in advance, I want you to prepare it as you go; directly on the salad.
Come now, you can do it. You simply have to feel as you go. You'll never know unless you try!
When I "dress" a salad with feel, I omit the optional ingredients above and use dried minced garlic or garlic powder. Nothing is measured. You have to feel how much.
Use salad greens of all descriptions: romaine, arugula, dandelions, escarole, lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, onion,
celery, tomato; whatever you choose. Place in a bowl with cold water and add ice cubes. Let sit for about 10 minutes or until greens are crisp.
Drain well and blot excess moisture with paper towels. Now get ready to "feel".
Sprinkle salad with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic until you "feel" it's seasoned enough. Now lightly drizzle on the oils and very lightly drizzle on the vinegars. Remember, I said lightly; you can always add but you can't take away.
Thoroughly mix the salad with the greatest utensils ever; your hands. Taste a leaf. Are you amazing? I bet you are!

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

3 teaspoons=1 tablespoon
4 tablespoons=1/4 cup
8 tablespoons=1/2 cup
16 tablespoons=1 cup
1/3 cup X 3=1 cup
2 tablespoons=1 liquid ounce
1 cup=1/2 pint (8oz.)
2 cups=1 pint (16oz.)
4 cups=1 quart (32oz.)
4 quarts=1 gallon (128oz.)

FOOD EQUIVALENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

2 tablespoons butter=1 ounce
1/2 cup butter=1 stick
1 tablespoon cornstarch=2 tablespoons flour
1 square chocolate=1 ounce
3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa and 1/2 tablespoon butter=1 ounce
6 tablespoons cream cheese=1 3oz. package
1 cup cream cheese=1 8oz.
package
1 cup shredded hard cheese (Cheddar, Swiss)=4 oz.
Herbs-fresh; 1 tablespoon=1 teaspoon dried
1 cup sliced apples=1 large apple
1 cup grated carrots=1 large carrot
1 cup chopped celery=2 medium stalks (ribs)
1 cup diced green pepper=1 large pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion=1 medium onion
1 lb. elbow macaroni=3 ½ cups
1 lb. ziti or penne=5 cups

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