The Ingredients in Raw Meals - Carob Powder

Carob (from Wikipedia)

Carob Tree

Carob pods (top, unripe; bottom, ripe)

Traditional uses

Carob was eaten in Ancient Egypt. It was also a common sweetener and was used in the hieroglyph for "sweet" (nedjem). Dried carob fruit is traditionally eaten on the Jewish holiday of Tu Bishvat. Carob juice drinks are traditionally drunk during the Islamic month of Ramadan.

Carob pods were an important source of sugar before sugarcane and sugar beets became widely available.^{[citation needed]}

Modern uses

Carob, dried or roasted and having a slightly sweet taste, in powder or chip form, is used as an ingredient in cakes and cookies. Carob is sometimes used as a substitute for chocolate. The seeds, also known as locust beans, are used as animal feed. They are also the source of locust bean gum, a thickening agent used in numerous processed foods. In Egypt, carobs are consumed as a snack. Crushed pods are used to make a refreshing drink. Compotes and liqueurs are made from carob in Turkey, Malta, Portugal, Spain and Sicily. Carob has proven effective in relieving diarrhea in infants.^[9]

Carob has also been used as a non-toxic alternative to chocolate in dog treats as the theobromine in chocolate is toxic to most dogs.^[10]

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The Ingredients in Raw Meals - Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A large red cayenne

Heat: Hot (SR: 30,000-50,000)

Cayenne crushed red pepper flakes

The Cayenne, or Guinea pepper, or Bird pepper^[1] is a red, hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes and for medicinal purposes. Named for the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, it is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum related to bell peppers, jalapeños, and others. The Capsicum genus is in the nightshade family (Solanaceae).

The fruits are generally dried and ground, or pulped and baked into cakes, which are then ground and sifted to make the powdered spice known as cayenne pepper.

Cayenne is used in cooking spicy hot dishes, as a powder or in its whole form (such as in Sichuan cuisine) or in a thin, vinegar-based sauce. It is generally rated at 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville Units. It is also used as a herbal supplement, and was mentioned by Nicholas Culpeper in his book Complete Herbal.^[1]

Etymology

Cayenne pepper is considered to be misnomer by the American Spice Trade Association, which prefers the more generic term red pepper. Generally speaking any of a number of peppers are called cayenne.

Cultivation

Most cultivated varieties of Cayenne Capsicum annuum can be grown in a variety of locations and need approximately 100 days to mature. Peppers prefer warm, moist, nutrient-rich soil in a warm climate. The plants grow to about 2–4 feet of height and should be spaced three feet apart.^[2]

Chilis are mostly perennial in sub-tropical and tropical regions however they are usually grown as annuals in northern climates. They can be overwintered if protected from frost and require some pruning.^[3]

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The Ingredients in Raw Meals - Goji (Dried Wolfberries)

Dried wolfberries
(From Wikipedia)

Wolfberries are almost never found in their fresh form outside of their production regions, and are usually sold in open boxes and small packages in dried form. The amount of desiccation varies in wolfberries: some are soft and somewhat tacky in the manner of raisins, while others may be very hard.

Culinary

As a food, dried wolfberries are traditionally cooked before consumption. Dried wolfberries are often added to rice congee, as well as used in Chinese tonic soups, in combination with chicken or pork, vegetables, and other herbs such as wild yam, Astragalus membranaceus, Codonopsis pilosula, and licorice root. The berries are also boiled as an herbal tea, often along with chrysanthemum flowers and/or red jujubes, or with tea, particularly pu-erh tea,^{[citation needed]} and packaged teas are also available.

Various wines containing wolfberries (called gǒuqǐ jiǔ; 枸杞酒) are also produced,^[24][25] including some that are a blend of grape wine and wolfberries.

At least one Chinese company also produces wolfberry beer, and New Belgium Brewery makes their seasonal Springboard ale with wolfberries used as flavoring. Since the early 21st century, an instant coffee product containing wolfberry extract has been produced in China.

Young wolfberry shoots and leaves are also grown commercially as a leaf vegetable

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The Ingredients in Raw Meals - Legume

Legume

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Varieties of soybean seeds, a popular legume

Pea pods

A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or a fruit of these specific plants. A legume fruit is a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces (opens along a seam) on two sides. A common name for this type of fruit is a "pod", although pod is also applied to a few other fruit types, such as vanilla. Well-known legumes include alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, and peanuts.

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The Ingredients in Raw Meals - Pumpkin Seeds (Pepita)

Pepita

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpkin_seeds

(Redirected from Pumpkin seeds)

For the ship formerly named Pepita, see Maria Asumpta.

Roasted and salted pepitas

A pepita (from Spanish pepita de calabaza, "little seed of squash") is an edible seed of a pumpkin or othercultivar of squash (genus Cucurbita), typically rather flat and asymmetrically oval, and light green in color inside a white hull. The word can refer either to the hulled kernel or unhulled whole seed, and most commonly refers to the roasted end product. The pressed oil of the roasted seeds of a specific pumpkin variety is also used in Central and Eastern European cuisine.

They are a popular ingredient in Mexican cooking and are also roasted and served as a snack.^[1] They are often simply called pumpkin seeds in English, and (marinated and roasted) are an autumn seasonal favorite in the rural United States, as well as a commercially produced and distributed packaged snack, likesunflower seeds, available year-round. Pepitas are known by their Spanish name (usually shortened), and typically salted and sometimes spiced after roasting (and today also available as a packaged product), inMexico and other Latin American countries, and the American Southwest. In these parts of the world, they have been eaten since at least the time of the Aztecs^{[citation needed]} and probably much earlier, since squash was one of the three earliest plant domesticates in the Western Hemisphere, along with maize (corn) and common beans (collectively the Native American agricultural "Three Sisters", originating in Mexico).

As an ingredient in mole dishes, they are known in Spanish as pipian. These seeds can be found in speciality and Mexican food stores.

Lightly roasted, salted, unhulled pumpkin seeds are popular in Greece with the descriptive Italian name, passatempo ("pastime").

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The Ingredients in Raw Meals - Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seed

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower_seed

Left: dehulled kernel. Right: Whole seed with hull

Botanically speaking, a sunflower seed is more properly referred to as an achene. When dehulled, the edible remainder is called the sunflower kernel.

For commercial purposes, sunflower seeds are usually classified by the pattern on their husks. If the husk is solid black, the seeds are called black oil sunflower seeds. The crops may be referred to as oilseed sunflower crops. These seeds are usually pressed into sunflower oil. Additionally, these seeds are usually considered the seed of choice for bird feeders.^[1]

If the husks are striped, the seeds are called striped sunflower seeds or "stripers." Due to their lower oil content, the crops are called non-oilseed sunflower crops. Striped sunflower seeds are primarily used for food; as a result, they may also be called confectionery sunflower seeds.

There is also a sunflower seed that is whitish in hue, which has no current commercial use. Most commonly, sunflower seeds are black with white stripes or plain black.

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The Ingredients in Raw Meals - Dulse

Organic Dulse

Dulse Flakes

Dulse

( Source - http://www.ripeorganics.com.au/wholefoods-glossary/sea-vegetables/dulse)

Dulse has traditional backgrounds in Europe, especially Scottish and Irish cooking. It is considered a ‘strong’ flavoured sea vegetable, compared to others. Organic dulse can be bought either whole or as flakes, which are quite easy to sprinkle into different dishes.

Some old Scottish cook books praise dulse to the extent that it is eaten by itself, toasted or pan fried. It may have a strong flavour but it doesn’t seem to have the thickness that some sea vegetables have, this is why it is commonly sold as flakes.

Dulse sold as flakes does not need to be soaked and can be added straight to any meal (where a salty flavour would complement, like mashed potatoes). Whole dulse is better soaked, drained of water, and sliced before adding to your dish.

Organic Dulse

The Ingredients in Raw Meals - Cumin

Cumin Etymology

(Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumin)

The English "cumin" derives from the French "cumin", which was borrowed indirectly from Arabic "كمون"Kammūn via Spanish comino during the Arab rule in Spain in the 15th century. The spice is native to Arabic-speaking Syria where cumin thrives in its hot and arid lands. Cumin seeds have been found in some ancient Syrian archeological sites. The word found its way from Syria to neighbouring Turkey and nearby Greece most likely before it found its way to Spain. Like many other Arabic words in the English language, cumin was acquired by Western Europe via Spain rather than the Grecian route. Some suggest that the word is derived from the Latin cuminum and Greek κύμινον. The Greek term itself has been borrowed from Arabic. Forms of this word are attested in several ancient Semitic languages, including kamūnu inAkkadian.^[2] The ultimate source is believed to be the Sumerian word gamun.^[3]

A folk etymology connects the word with the Persian city Kerman where, the story goes, most of ancient Persia's cumin was produced. For the Persians the expression "carrying cumin to Kerman" has the same meaning as the English language phrase "carrying coals to Newcastle". Kerman, locally called "Kermun", would have become "Kumun" and finally "cumin" in the European languages.

In Northern India and Nepal, cumin is known as jeera (Devanagari जीरा) or jira, while in Iran and Pakistan it is known as zeera (Persian زيره); in Southern India it is called Jeerige ( ಜೀರಿಗೆ in ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)) or jeeragam or seeragam (Tamil (ஜீரகம்/சீரகம்)) or jilakarra (Telugu); in Sri Lanka it is known as duru, the white variety being suduru and the large variety, maduru; in Iran and Central Asia, cumin is known as zireh; inTurkey, cumin is known as kimyon; in northwestern China, cumin is known as ziran (孜然). In Arabic, it is known as al-kamuwn (الكمون). Cumin is called kemun in Ethiopian, and is one of the ingredients in the spice mix berbere.

[edit]Description

Cumin is the dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum, a member of the parsley family. The cumin plant grows to 30-50 cm (1-2 ft) tall and is harvested by hand.

Cumin seeds resemble caraway seeds, being oblong in shape, longitudinally ridged, and yellow-brown in colour, like other members of the Umbelliferae family such as caraway, parsley and dill.

Dry, whole cumin fruit (or seed)

Whole cumin seeds and ground cumin

Commercially packaged whole and ground cumin seeds

Close up of dried cumin seeds

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The Ingredients in Raw Meals - Tempeh

Tempeh

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh)

Food portal

Fresh tempeh at the market, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Tempeh, or tempe in Javanese, is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeansinto a cake form. It is especially popular on the island of Java, where it is a staple source of protein. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber and vitamins compared to tofu, as well as firmer textureand stronger flavor. Tofu, by contrast, is said to be more versatile in dishes. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine; some consider it to be a meat analogue. Even long before Westerners found and realized its rich nutritional value, tempeh was referred to as “Javanese meat.”

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The Ingredients in Raw Meals - Açaí Palm

Açaí Palm

As a dietary supplement

(Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Açaí_Palm)

Recently, the açaí "berry" has been touted and marketed as a highly beneficial dietary supplement. Companies sell açaí berry products in the form of tablets, juice, smoothies, instant drink powders, and whole fruit.

Serving of açaí pulp

Marketers of these products make claims that açaí provides increased energy levels, improvedsexual performance, improved digestion, detoxification, high fiber content, high antioxidantcontent, improved skin appearance, improved heart health, improved sleep, and reduction of cholesterol levels. More dubious claims include reversal of diabetes and other chronic illnesses, as well as expanding size of the penis and increasing men's sexual virility and sexual attractiveness to women.^[1][2] Açaí is most commonly marketed as a weight loss product.

As of March 2009, there are no controlled studies backing up any of these claims. According to ABC News correspondent Susan Donaldson, these products have not been evaluated (in the US) by the FDA, and their efficacy is questionable.^[3] In late 2008, lawyers for The Oprah Winfrey Show began investigating alleged statements from supplement manufacturers who suggested that frequent Oprah guest Dr. Mehmet Ozhad recommended their product or açai in general for weight loss.

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