Irene Virag

Irene Virag
Here's some news to warm up by. The National Garden Bureau has picked its Vegetable of the Year for 2006. Past winners include a whole stew of vegetables that are good for you. But this year's choice is literally red hot - or for that matter, as far as the color goes, orange, purple, brown, black, yellow or green.

What's between your tortillas?
The humble quesadilla is America's new grilled cheese sandwich -- and then some.

Oh, what a meal it would be
The end of December always gets us reminiscing about the year.

Japanese Daikon (Carrot) Salad

This simple salad combines root vegetables with a versatile sweet-and-sour dressing that can also be tossed with your favorite greens.

This slaw makes a nice picnic salad, and also works as a colorful base for grilled chicken or fish. Try adding a variety of vegetables, such as red peppers, zucchini, and cabbage.

Cuisine: Japanese
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Yield: 4 Servings
Source: EthnicGrocer

Ingredients

3 tablespoons Rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Mirin
2 teaspoons Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Sea salt
1 teaspoon Sesame oil
2 teaspoons Vegetable oil
2 Carrots, julienned (long, thin strips)
Salt, for sprinkling
2 Turnips, julienned (long, thin strips)
Parsley sprigs, for garnish

Directions:

1. Prepare dressing: pour vinegar and mirin into bowl and add sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves; add salt and oils; reserve.

2. Place carrots in bowl, sprinkle with salt; fill bowl with ice water ( full). Place turnips on top of the carrots.

3. Drain water from bowl; squeeze excess moisture from turnips.

4. Place carrots and turnips back in dry bowl and toss with dressing. Marinate at least 10 minutes.

5. Chill until served.

6. Garnish with parsley.

Interior decorating: Move it, use it

Interior decorating: Move it, use it
Atlanta Journal Constitution - Turning a room from humdrum to haute doesn't necessarily mean buying more furnishings. It might only require rearranging what you already own. That's the concept behind Decorating Makeovers & More, a Norcross firm owned by interior decorators Nancy

Longtime silent partner of salt, black pepper has a spicy history of
Fort Francis Times - Salt and pepper have been partners for so long that hardly anyone questions how they happened to form such a lasting relationship. The matchup began in the days when salting was the only way to preserve meat and fish. Pepper was added before eating

Sports Short

Sports Short
The women's cross country team finished 22nd out of 31 teams Saturday at the Razorback Cross Country Course at the University of Arkansas Chile Pepper Invitational.

Plot a course
Dr. Tim Ryan compares the world today to whitewater rafting, dangerous and unpredictable, yet "challenging and exciting," compared to the tranquil seas of previous decades, which were more akin to team crewing.

Eating Well May Explain Wine Drinkers' Better Health

Eating Well May Explain Wine Drinkers' Better Health
CNN - 20 hours ago... items of Danish shoppers and found that people who bought wine as their only form of alcohol also tended to buy fruits, vegetables, and low-fat meats and ...

Arepas (VENEZUELA)

10 servings

Ingredients

2 cups corn flour for arepas
1 teaspoon salt
cup grated white cheese
2 cups cool water (or more if needed)

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and white cheese. Stir in enough water to make a firm, slightly moist dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 10 pieces and form each piece into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Oil a griddle very lightly and warm it over medium heat. Cook the arepas on the griddle for about 5 minutes on each side, until a golden brown crust forms. Transfer the arepas to a baking sheet and bake 20 to 25 minutes, turning them several times as they bake. Serve immediately.
Serve with black beans.

Woman can help achieve the sweet smell of success

Woman can help achieve the sweet smell of success
Suffolk News-Herald, VA - Jan 17, 2006... They come in more than 90 scents, including Sweet Orange & Chili Pepper, Texas Cedarwood, Dark Chocolate Supreme and Blackberry Sage. ...

Greg Serrato Signs with Spirit Wind Records
Jazz-Quad, Belarus - 18 hours ago... Apache Indian, the heat of the Sun beating down on a rattle snake crawling across the hot desert sand and seasoned with the fire of a New Mexico chili pepper. ...

Palate-pleasing palettes: Unexpected tastes await diners at YAM
Billings Gazette, USA - 2 hours ago... but chocolate is a mainstay, and the selection includes exotic varieties from as far away as Brazil and flavored with such tastes as chili pepper and banana. ...

Dialing up the dairy helps burn more fat

Dialing up the dairy helps burn more fat
HappyNews.com, TX - 47 minutes ago... "Our data suggest that when you restrict calories slightly and increase calcium intake by increasing the number of low-fat dairy servings, the amount of fat ...

Dairy-rich diet may protect postmenopausal women from breast ...
Newstarget.com, Taiwan - 4 hours ago... The study found women who consumed two or more servings of low-fat dairy products per day had up to 20 per cent lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer ...

Your Secret Kitchen lets you play chef
Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD - 13 hours ago... Yes, they're very easy, which is great. They're also kind of bland in a bad way. And you have to specially request low-fat or low-sodium items. ...

10 Under $10

10 Under $10
One of the great things about Christmas and Hanukkah: all the gifts! One of the scary things about those and other holidays: all the bills that tend to accompany such acts of generosity.

Rice with Pigeon Peas (PUERTO RICO)

8 servings

Ingredients

1 pound fresh pigeon peas
8 cups water
very small amount of salt (optional)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 ounces Canadian bacon, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cubanel pepper, seeds removed and chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 cups long-grain white rice
6 stuffed green olives, diced
1 teaspoon capers
6 sprigs coliander, chopped
cup tomato sauce

1. Rinse and drain the pigeon peas. In a large saucepan, combine the peas and water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the salt (optional) and cook for 15 more minutes. Drain, reserving 3 cups of the liquid, and set aside until needed.

2. In a large, non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the vegetable oil. Add the Canadian bacon, onion, cubanel pepper, bell pepper, and tomato. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.

3. Stir rice into the bacon and vegetables. Stir in the green olives, capers, coliander, tomato sauce, and drained pigeon peas. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Stir in the 3 cups of reserved liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook until almost all the water has evaporated. Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan, and cook for 15 minutes. With a large wooden spoon, turn the rice and peas very carefully. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes.

Serve hot.

Note: You may substitute two 16-ounce cans of pigeon peas for the 1 pound fresh peas. Drain the canned peas and add enough water to their liquid to make 3 cups. Stir the canned peas into the rice for the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Time to cream the Seahawks

Time to cream the Seahawks
Charlotte Observer, NC - 1 hour agoCosmos, on College Street, is serving up chicken wings and pulled pork barbecue, but considering that it's Cosmos it probably won't be the typical greasy ...

A 50s revival: shake rattle 'n' Rolls-Royce

A 50s revival: shake rattle 'n' Rolls-Royce
Unison.ie, Ireland - 7 hours ago... It is the low-fat, high-energy manifesto for the Geldof Generation where every massage releases your own naturally produced endorphins, where every yoga ...

Test your nutrition IQ
News & Observer, NC - 9 hours agoYou can go low carb, low fat, low sugar or low protein, but the bottom line when it comes to weight control is this: Calories count. ...

Plantain Cereal (PANAMA)

4 servings

Ingredients

2 large, green plantain bananas
3 cups water
teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
skim milk

1. Peel the plantains and grate very coarsely with a hand grater or in a food processor.

2. In a medium saucepan, stir together the water, salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Stir in the grated plantain and any juice. Reduce heat and cook at a simmer until it is almost smooth, about 10 minutes, stirrring occasionally. To serve, divide among 4 bowls and pass skim milk separately.

Serve with orange juice and skim milk.

Fiesta time! Steal this crab empanadas recipe (MSNBC)

Fiesta time! Steal this crab empanadas recipe (MSNBC)
Liven up your dinner with help from chef Roberto Santiba ez of Rosa Mexicano in New York City and his Latin pastry specialty.

European salmon, sturgeon thrive in VN hatchery

European salmon, sturgeon thrive in VN hatchery
VietNamNet Bridge, Vietnam - 19 hours agoThe Ministry of Fisheries has approved a VND8.4bil (US$525,000) project to build a centre researching and producing salmon in Sa Pa District, northern Lao Cai ...

Dying fish had twice the sea lice
Vancouver Sun (subscription), Canada - 12 hours agoResearchers say the discovery that listless, dying young salmon had more than twice the sea lice of healthy ones provides more direct evidence than ever before ...

Ultimate flu-busting chicken soup also in low fat

Ultimate flu-busting chicken soup also in low fat
Fort Francis Times - If you re feeling under the weather this winter, before you head to your doctor s office, take a trip to your kitchen. When you feel the first signs of a winter-borne bug, a scratchy throat, a runny nose, an achy feeling, Women s Health

Last Holiday **
Globe and Mail - Last Holiday is a remake of a 1950 comedy written by novelist J.B. Priestley and starring Alec Guinness as a humble agricultural salesman, George Bird, who, upon learning that he is terminally ill, decides to have one last holiday at a resort. There

Mayor Attacks NYC's Unhealthy Habits
Newsday - NEW YORK -- When Mayor Michael Bloomberg sat down to lunch with children during a school visit a few years ago, he was disgusted by the soggy, greasy fries and other junk on their plates. He pushed for a revamp of school menus and by the start of the

Recipe Creator: Mix n Match Bean Dips (Berkeley Wellness)

Recipe Creator: Mix n Match Bean Dips (Berkeley Wellness)
Pick ingredients from each of the five categories and follow these basic instructions: Soak 1 cup of dried beans in water to cover (by 2 inches) for 8 hours. Drain and place in a saucepan with fresh water to cover by 2 inches.

Potatoes a la Huanca na (PERU)

6 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds white potatoes, washed
1 tablespoon olive oil
medium onion, sliced
tablespoon yellow chili
1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
2 ounces grated cheese
cup skim milk
1 head romaine lettuce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 black olives

1. In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender when pierced with a skewer. Drain and cool. Peel and slice into -inch rounds.

2. Prepare the sauce. In a medium non-stick skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and chili and cook until the onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Put the onion in a blender or food processor and add the cottage cheese, grated cheese, and skim milk. Puree until smooth.

3. To serve, arrange some lettuce leaves on each of 6 salad plates. Arrange some potato slices on top of the lettuce and spoon sauce over them. Sprinkle with chopped parsley; decorate each with an olive and serve.

Serve with grilled fish.

ON THE TOWN ... With Tatum Reed

ON THE TOWN ... With Tatum Reed
San Francisco Chronicle, USA - 21 hours ago... "For a group of friends or a family, the dinner time is a must, as the open barbecue pit provides plenty of meat and veg for everyone. ...

Hot for Teacher

Hot for Teacher
Village Voice, NY - Jan 12, 2006... A handful of smileys share space with a conspicuous red chile pepper, representing "hotness." Once logged in, visitors can rate professors on their pulchritude ...

General Stories

General Stories
WHAS 11 - Pixie Mat claims to pack a "llama-load" of antioxidants. The brand, started by two pals in Boulder which tells you a lot right there is based on South American yerba mat . In season: mushrooms Mushrooms are abundant and widely available

Dining Out
Riverside Press Enterprise - MARISCOS ENSENADA NO. 3 $-$$$, 4093 University Ave., Riverside, (951) 276-8966. The d cor is classic Ensenada, with bamboo window shades, seashells, seahorse-shaped mirrors and bright blue and white floors. Dishes include chili relleno, seven seas

Winter Squash Soup (PARAGUAY)

8 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup tomato puree
2 fresh, hot chilies, seeded and chopped
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed
5 cups low-sodium, chicken broth (remove fat)
pepper to taste
very small amount of salt (optional)
lime wedges

In a large, non-aluminum saucepan, warm the butter over medium heat. Stir in the onions, carrots, and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes and then cover the pan. Lower heat and cook for 3 or 4 more minutes, until the vegetables are very tender.

Stir in the tomato puree, chilies, butternut squash, and chicken broth. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Mash the squash pieces with a potato masher or the back of a spoon (the soup does not need to be completely smooth), season to taste (optional) and serve. Pass lime wedges to be squeezed into each bowl of soup.

Serve with corn bread.

Area chile farmers forced to mechanize

Area chile farmers forced to mechanize
El Paso Times - Chile farmers in the United States can't compete with foreign companies that pay their agricultural workers as little as $2 a day, El Paso and Southern New Mexico producers said. Sixty percent of all chile produced in the United States is grown in