JLO TWINS

UGALI

UGALI

Cornmeal Mush
Yield: 8 portions
One of the foods most frequently used in both East and West Africa is a mush or gruel made by pounding fresh corn and squeezing out the cornstarch. When it is cooked in boiling water to a gruel consistency and used as a breakfast cereal it is called Uji (Ogi, in West Africa). When it is cooked to a thicker consistency, so that it can easily be rolled into a ball, it is called Ugali (Agidi in West Africa).

As a substitute you can use cornmeal grits or buckwheat grits. Africans in our country use any fine white cereal such as Farina or Cream of Wheat. These cereals are surprisingly tasty when served with meat and poultry gravies. Stone- ground white cornmeal can be purchased in specialty food shops.

For added flavor, try cooking cornmeal grits, farina, or any cereal in chicken or beef stock instead of water. The cereals absorb the flavor of the stock and make an excellent accompaniment for meats. Rice and couscous, that wonderful semolina grain used so abundantly in North Africa, are delicious when prepared in this way. In Swahili any thick mush is called Ugali. There is a light Ugali made with cornmeal flour and there is a dark Ugali made with millet flour, and often groundnuts (peanuts) are ground in with the mush.

In a 2-quart saucepan:

Boil rapidly 1 quart WATER or CHICKEN BROTH.

Add: 1 tsp. SALT and

1 cup ANY FINE WHITE CEREAL.
Swirl the cereal into the boiling water and cook according to package directions to a thick heavy mush.

Keep warm over hot water (in a double boiler) until ready to serve.

Top 10 superfoods for spring

I’m the first to admit that the term “superfood” gets thrown around a lot in media and marketing, but that doesn’t mean we should turn our backs on the bursting-with-nourishment, lovely, potent, and delicious foods that fall under the moniker. Especially when these foods are known to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, and, while we’re at it, put you in a better mood.
Although some people have run rampant with the term and have made a mint by promoting the “miraculous! fountain-of-youth! death-defying!” benefits of superfoods, I hope that there won’t be a backlash against good, old-fashioned, super nutrient-exuberant food.
As I’ve said before, I’m a crusader for most edibles in their pure forms -- and the majority of them are superfoods in my book. There are few whole foods from the plant world that don’t have some health-boosting element to brag about -- so how to decide what to eat?
That’s why I like to think about (and eat) superfoods by season. Sure pumpkin is an A-plus superfood, but I like to save that for fall when it’s fresh and local, and look towards new fruit and tender green things this time of year. It’s a way to be connected to the planet’s cycle and decrease food miles, while giving your body a diversity of nutrients throughout the year to maximize its potential. And, to me at least, spring produce just tastes its amazing best in, yes, the spring! Funny how that works.

1. Artichokes
Studies have shown that artichokes contain a very high amount of antioxidants in the form of phytonutrients. A study undertaken by the USDA ranked artichokes as the number one fresh vegetable in antioxidant count. Among the most powerful phytonutrients are cynarin and silymarin, which have strong positive effects on the liver -- any coincidence that artichokes have been reputed to help in the cure of liver diseases, liver cancer, and to cure hangovers?
One large artichoke contains only 25 calories, no fat, 170 milligrams of potassium, and is a good source of vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and has 6 grams of dietary fiber -- 25 percent of the daily recommended amount.
How to prepare an artichoke? Read this.

2. Asparagus
According to the National Cancer Institute, asparagus is the food highest in glutathione, an important anti-carcinogen. It is also rich in two cancer-blocking vitamins (A and C) as well as the mineral selenium. These three nutrients have been singled out in several studies as fearsome cancer fighters.
A 5-ounce serving (only 20 calories) provides 60 percent of the recommended daily allowance for folacin which is necessary for blood cell formation, growth, and prevention of liver disease. Asparagus is also an excellent source of potassium, fiber, thiamin, vitamin B6, and is one of the richest sources of rutin, a compound which strengthens capillary walls.
Recipes:
• Asparagus, Spring Onion, and Mushroom Pasta
• Asparagus Spears With Black Pepper Pesto Vinaigrette
• Savory Orange Roasted Tofu and Asparagus

3. Avocado
They’re rich, they’re buttery, they’re delicious, and they have about 30 grams of fat per fruit. Ouch. But that’s no reason not to love an avocado. Nutritionists have back-pedaled on their gentle warnings about avocados after finding that most of the fat in an avocado is monounsaturated -- the happy fat that actually lowers cholesterol levels. Yay! Let’s have an avocado party!
A study published in the Archives of Medical Research found that the 45 volunteers who ate avocados every day for a week experienced an average 17 percent drop in total blood cholesterol. As well, their levels of LDL (“bad fat”) and triglycerides, both associated with heart disease, went down. Their HDL (“good fat”) levels, which tend to lower the risk of heart disease, increased.
Avocados are rich in beta-sitosterol, a natural substance shown to significantly lower blood cholesterol levels. In a review article published in the December 1999 issue of the American Journal of Medicine, researchers pointed out that beta-sitosterol was shown to reduce cholesterol in 16 human studies.
Recipes:
• Chilled Zucchini and Avocado Soup
• Citrus Guacamole

4. Blueberries
Jam-packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids, blueberries are also high in potassium and vitamin C. Recent research has found that additional components of blueberries may play an important role in preventing and fighting cancer. The results of one study suggest a wide array of potential cancer fighting benefits related to wild blueberry consumption.
Blueberries also have anthocyanin pigments, which may have the ability to halt cancer in the critical stages of promotion and proliferation. A 2005 study published in the Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology indicated that, in isolated cells, the tannins found in blueberries are very active at lowering a protein that plays a role in the metastasis of cancer.
In addition to helping prevent and fight cancer, the compounds in blueberries are believed to help against Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, eye disease, and urinary tract infections. See? Super.
Recipes:
• Blueberry Creamy No-Bake Pie
• Berry Custard Cake

5. Fava Beans (aka Broad Beans)
Mmmm. Spring in a pod -- I adore fava beans, even if they are a little work. OK, a lot of work, but so worth it! Not only are the big, fat, creamy beans scrumptious, but fava beans are particularly high in fiber (85 percent of the RDV), and also high in iron (30 percent of a day’s requirement). They contain no cholesterol and are low in fat.
Fava beans are also noted to contain L-dopa, which is used as a drug for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, as with most whole grains, consumption of fava beans can help reduce risks associated with heart disease.
Recipes:
• Herbed Fava Bean Salad
• French Spring Soup

6. Fresh Figs
Fresh figs put the "va va voom" in fruit -- the tender but toothsome skin gives way to a soft and sticky center, dotted with delicately popping seeds, the perfumed and honeyed flesh -- you get the picture. In my humble opinion, figs are quite an experience. And beyond their drop-dead flavor is their profusion of life-boosting qualities.
Figs have the highest overall mineral content of all common fruits. With their standout source of potassium, figs may help to control blood pressure. Figs are high in calcium. And as fate would have it, their potassium may reduce the amount of calcium lost as a result of high-salt diets. Figs are also a good source of iron, vitamin B6, and the trace mineral manganese.
The fruit also has tremendous amounts of fiber, more than any other dried or fresh fruit. Insoluble fiber protects against colon and breast cancer -- soluble fiber helps lower blood cholesterol, and figs provide both. (Which also makes them a mild laxative, just so you know.) They also are a good source of flavonoids and polyphenols.
Recipes:
• Try figs quartered, stuffed with goat cheese, drizzled with honey, and topped with sea salt and black pepper.
• Fig and Kalamata Olive Tapenade

7. Leeks
Leeks look like cartoonishly big green onions, with a wonderfully sweet and subtle onion flavor. When braised or slowly sauteed, they melt into a sweet and creamy concoction that is hard not to love.
And they are workhorses in the health department as well. Like garlic, onions, scallions, chives and shallots -- all from the Allium family -- leeks can help the liver eliminate toxins and carcinogens. Leeks contain sulfur compounds that may protect against heart disease and some cancers, they can help the liver eliminate toxins and carcinogens.
Regular consumption of Allium vegetables (as little as two or more times a week -- although I could certainly eat them every meal) is associated with a reduced risk of prostate and colon cancer.
Recipes:
• Linguine With Leeks and Lemon
• Creamy Vegan Potato Leek Soup

8. Oregano and Other Fresh Herbs
I love fresh oregano, especially if salty Mediterranean flavors -- capers, olives, roasted peppers -- are involved. Yum. And superfood-y too!
When researchers at the University of Oslo, Norway, analyzed 1,113 foods to identify those foods richest in total antioxidants, of the 50 foods highest in antioxidants, 13 were herbs and spices. One study found that oregano had 42 times more antioxidants than apples.
You might find that parsley is an excellent source of beta carotene, the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin (essential for preventing macular degeneration), vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K.
Or try cilantro. In research studies, cilantro's remarkable components have shown the potential to help promote detoxification, reduce high blood sugar and lower levels of cholesterol.
Recipes:
• Chard and Feta Tart With Oregano
• Parsley and Walnut Pesto
• Cilantro Tabouli

9. Spinach
Spinach, good old spinach. Spinach is an excellent source of folate -- the B vitamin that helps to prevent birth defects, heart disease, dementia, and colon cancer (the third most common cause of cancer in women). People who eat at least one serving of greens, including spinach, each week are 20 percent less likely to develop colon cancer, according to Italian research.
Another compound in spinach, lutein, fights against macular degeneration, which causes age-related vision loss -- in fact, including at least two servings of spinach a week in your diet halves the odds of macular degeneration (a leading cause of blindness), according to the the National Eye Institute. Eating cooked spinach more than twice a week cuts the need for cataract eye surgery in men by half, according to new Harvard University research.
And in a large-scale Harvard study, spinach singled out as most protective against stroke! Finally, because of it’s high in vitamin K, spinach also helps build stronger bones -- lowering the risk of hip fracture from osteoporosis as much as 30 percent, suggests a joint Harvard-Tufts study. Popeye was on to something.
Recipes:
• Spinach Soup With Rosemary Croutons
• Coconut Creamed Spinach

10. Strawberries
A serving of eight medium strawberries provides 140 percent of the daily recommended allowance of vitamin C, 12 percent of our RDA for fiber, 6 percent of our RDA for folate, 210 mg of potassium, and is also high in vitamins K, B2, B5 and B6, copper, magnesium, and omega-fatty acids. In addition, strawberries contain anthocyanin, which has been used for studies in preventing initiation of cancers. Strawberries contain a unique phenolic group, ellagotannins, which are effective in preventing initiation of esophageal cancer.
With more antioxidant punch than most other fruits, berries in general strengthen tissue defenses against oxidation and inflammation, which are underlying factors in most age-related diseases. For example, substances in blueberries help with short-term memory loss associated with aging. All berries help lower risk for breast, oral, and colon cancers in women. With a wealth of phytochemicals like ellagic acid, adding strawberries to the diet lowers tumor risk by up to 58 percent.
Recipes:
• Spinach and Strawberry Salad
• Strawberry Rhubarb Bread Pudding (or a vegan version)
• Simple Strawberry Cream Freeze

High BMI? What it means for your child, and what you can do about it

In an exclusive post published on Shine today, First Lady Michelle Obama offers some advice, drawn from her own experience, about the Affordable Care Act and how parents can get the most out of visits to the pediatrician. One of her suggestions: Learn about your child's BMI.

The First Lady was surprised to learn that her daughters' BMI numbers were "creeping upwards." "I didn’t really know what BMI was," she writes. "And I certainly didn’t know that even a small increase in BMI can have serious consequences for a child’s health. But as Dr. Susan J. Woolford explains, despite the medical jargon, BMI (Body Mass Index) is actually a very easy way to answer a very difficult question: Is my child overweight?

"We're concerned about obesity because of the complications of obesity," Woolford says. "Increased risk for developing problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, liver disease—all the things that can happen as a result of having a high BMI."

The medical director of the Pediatric Comprehensive Weight Management Center at the University of Michigan, Woolford says that it's not practical to directly measure each and every child's body fat. "So the BMI is a good way of getting a sense of that, because we compare weight to height and it gives us a sense of whether a person's weight is too much for their height."




The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy for Pediatrics recommend that pediatricians start screening children around age 2. Because boys and girls have different amounts of body fat, and because the amount of fat on a healthy kid changes as they age, there are different charts for evaluating BMI results based on age and gender. According to the CDC, if a child's BMI falls in the 85th to 94th percentile for his or her age and weight—meaning that the child's BMI is higher than 85 to 94 percent of other children in the same age and weight categories—the child is considered overweight. Anything in the 95th percentile or above is considered obese. A healthy BMI is one that's between the 5th and 84th percentiles; less than 5th percentile means that the child is underweight.

Some states have asked school districts to measure students' BMIs, causing an uproar among parents who are concerned that the focus on weight could lead to eating disorders or other problems for kids with body-image issues. (If you have recent height and weight measurements for your child or teenager, you can figure out his or her BMI using this calculator.)

Body Mass Index doesn't directly measure body fat—it's a screening tool, not a diagnostic tool, Woolford points out. And BMI isn't always accurate; since muscle weighs more than fat, most athletes, even as children, may be considered overweight or even obese when looking at their BMI numbers alone. "But for the majority of Americans, that's not what we find," Woolford points out. "For the vast majority of Americans, when weight is too high for height it's because we're dealing with adiposity," or an overabundance of fatty tissue.

If a parent learns, as the Obamas did, that their child's BMI is getting too high, the best thing to do is to speak with the child's primary care physician to determine how at-risk the child is for obesity and obesity-related complications. If the parent and pediatrician decide that there is something to be concerned about, there are plenty of simple ways parents can address the problem.

"One of the most important things that can be done is to model a healthy lifestyle for the chid," says Woolford. "I don't think it works terribly well to just identify that this child has a problem and identify changes we'll make in the child's diet alone or their exercise habits alone. It's much more successful if the entire family makes the changes, and if the parents model healthy lifestyle practices."

Those practices should include increasing exercise, decreasing sedentary activities like watching TV and playing video games, and changing eating habits.

P.K. Newby, a nutrition scientist who is an associate professor and research scientist in the Department of Pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Department of Epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health says that cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages like sodas and juice-like drinks is a good place to start. "It's really a source of empty calories and sugars," she points out. Water is a better alternative, she suggests.

Parents should also be careful about portion sizes, something that's easier to do at home than in a restaurant or cafeteria. "If you're eating a lot outside of the home where you're not as able to control the portion sizes, that's going to lead to excess caloric intake," she says.

Newby, who has done extensive research into dietary patterns, plant-based diets, and obesity, says, "The more plant-based the diet is, the better, for kids as well as the environment."

"Having plant foods and whole foods being the center of the plate, rather than the meat, is really the best way to go here," Newby says. "That means vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and minimally processed foods." Whole foods (think fruits and vegetables) have a greater nutritional benefit than foods that have been highly refined. "Whole foods are higher in fiber, higher in water, lower in total fat, and lower in calories," she explains. "Shifting your plate toward those types of foods will help kids and adults maintain healthy weight."

Snack time is an excellent time to offer fruits and vegetables as opposed to typical snack foods, which tend to be highly processed. "Another good piece of advice, I think, is to not keep your high-sugar, high-fat, processed snacks in the house," she says. "Keep them as treats, otherwise they may be too tempting."

RAMA DEE ALbUm Z OUT GeT YouR COPY

Chicken recipe

The chicken breasts in this recipe are pounded to even out the thickness. This will allow the chicken to cook more evenly. The raisins in the curry-flavored stuffing give it a bit of sweetness. The stuffed chicken breast is served with a dollop of orange-flavored yogurt sauce, which adds an overall mild flavor and moistness to this entree.
Top ideas for dinner tonight:
• 30-minute (or less) spring dinners
• Quick and easy chicken dishes
• Garden-fresh entrée salads
ingredients
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon margarine
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 tablespoon water
• 4 small (12 ounces total) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 teaspoons orange marmalade
directions
1. In a small saucepan cook carrot, green onion, and curry powder in margarine until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and stir in bread crumbs, raisins, and water.
2. Place one chicken breast half, boned side up, between two pieces of clear plastic wrap. Working from the center to the edges, pound lightly with a meat mallet to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining chicken. Sprinkle chicken pieces lightly with salt.
3. Place one-fourth of the stuffing mixture on one half of each chicken breast. Fold the other half of the chicken breast over the filling. Secure with a wooden toothpick. Place chicken in an 8x8x2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika.
4. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.
5. Meanwhile, combine yogurt and marmalade. To serve, dollop about 1 tablespoon yogurt mixture atop each piece of chicken. Makes 4 servings.
6. Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare chicken as above but do not bake. Cover and chill up to 4 hours. To serve, bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Serve as above.

Secrete of Coca cola formula

One of the most closely guarded trade secrets in the history of commerce may be a secret no more: the radio show "This American Life" thinks it has found the exact recipe for the world's most popular soft drink in a 1979 newspaper article.
According to the show's host, Ira Glass, the drink's secret flavoring component, which was created by pharmacist John Pemberton in 1886, is something called "Merchandise 7X." The show's staff recently stumbled across the February 8, 1979 edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which published an article on page 28 about a leather-bound notebook that once belonged to Pemberton's best friend, another pharmacist in the Atlanta area named R. R. Evans. The notebook contained a number of pharmacological recipes--but the main entry, for students of commercial history, was what's believed to be the exact recipe for the soft drink: all of the ingredients listed with the exact amounts needed to whip up a batch.
The Journal-Constitution piece also featured a photo of the page in Evans' notebook detailing Coke recipe--essentially revealing the recipe to the world. But since 1979 well antedated the explosion of digital media, the photograph of the recipe didn't travel far beyond the Atlanta area.
Coke's recipe is one of the most closely guarded secrets in American commerce, steeped in cloak-and-dagger lore. After businessman Asa Griggs Candler bought out Pemberton--who also conjured up cough medicines and blood purifiers, among other things--in 1887 for $2,300, the exact recipe for 7X was placed in the vault in an Atlanta bank. It's been reported that only two company employees are privy to its ingredients and how they're mixed at any given time--and that those two aren't allowed to travel together out of fear that a traveling accident might take both of their lives.
According to company historian Mark Pendergrast, Candler was so paranoid about the recipe leaking out of his proprietary control that he would go through the company mail himself to prevent any employees from seeing invoices that might tip off its ingredients.
"It's this carefully passed-on secret ritual," Pendergrast told Glass, "and the formula is kept in a bank vault at Sun Trust, which used to be the Georgia Trust Company."
After Pendergrast reviewed the recipe in the 1979 newspaper photo, he concluded that it could well be the real deal: "I think that it certainly is a version of the formula," he said, adding, "It's very similar to a formula that I found" in one of John Pemberton's notebooks when he was doing research for the book. Coke, for its part, denies that the security of its secret formula has been breached. "Many third parties, including 'This American Life,' have tried to crack our secret formula," company spokeswoman Kerry Tressler said. "Try as they might, they've been unsuccessful." Coke's archive director Philip Mooney told "This American Life" that the recipe may well have been a "precursor" to the prized formula, but probably wasn't the version that "went to market."
So what's the secret to making Coke? Well, here's what was written in the notebook:
The recipe:
Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP
Citric acid: 3 oz
Caffeine: 1 oz
Sugar: 30 (unclear quantity)
Water: 2.5 gal
Lime juice: 2 pints, 1 quart
Vanilla: 1 oz
Caramel: 1.5 oz or more for color
The secret 7X flavor (use 2 oz of flavor to 5 gals syrup):
Alcohol: 8 oz
Orange oil: 20 drops
Lemon oil: 30 drops
Nutmeg oil: 10 drops
Coriander: 5 drops
Neroli: 10 drops
Cinnamon: 10 drops
Pemberton had reportedly hit upon the formula for Coke in an attempt to overcome the addiction to morphine he contracted after the Civil War, so it's perhaps not surprising that, in addition to alcohol, the drink originally contained Coca leaves laced with cocaine. After Atlanta passed a local prohibition ordinance in the 1890s, the company took the booze out of the formula, and the company has used cocaine-free coca leaves since 1904.
When the beverage debuted in Atlanta-area pharmacies owned by friends of Pemberton, marketers pronounced it "a shot in the arm"-- while Pemberton himself hailed it as a cure for cure pain, impotence and headaches. In our more enlightened age, of course, we know that Coke "adds life"--together with a dollop or two of neroli and nutmeg oil.
CORRECTION: This post originally called "This American Life" "NPR's 'This American Life'." However, while the show does air on NPR, it is produced by Chicago Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International.