General cooking tips

Our survival no longer depends on our knowledge of nature's cycles, but there is much to be gained from getting back this lost wisdom. Regardless of technology's advances, the fact remains that food in season is the best. Apples taste better when they haven't been flown half way around the world. And buying in season encourages local producers who, boosted by factors like the rise in farmers' markets, are building a more sustainable food industry.

Buy Local Food : Cultivate an awareness of how far your food travels. When Rich Pirog, Food Systems Program Leader for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, tracked the miles traveled for 16 types of produce, he found that locally sourced fruits and vegetables such as apples, lettuce and tomatoes traveled an average of 56 miles, compared to 1,494 miles — nearly 27 times farther — for the same fruits and vegetables delivered through conventional retail channels. Things get stickier with combination foods, strawberry yogurt for example. Pirog came up with 2,216 miles by adding up the distance traveled for the yogurt’s milk, sugar and strawberries. That figure could be slashed by 90 percent if you buy plain yogurt and stir in some locally grown honey and fruit.

One of the best elements of travelling is sampling local delicacies, so please don't order a burger and chips when you are in India - not only is the meat likely to be of a poor quality (sometimes so poor that it will make you sick), but you are turning down some of the most wonderful food in the world - and possibly offending your hosts.

Vegetable Barley Stew with Lentils Recipe

	Category	Stew Recipes
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Ingredients And Procedures

1 c Pearl barley

6 c Water

Light vegetable oil spray 1 c Chopped onion (1 medium)

1 1/2 c Scraped & chopped carrot

-(2 to 3 carrots) 1 c Dried lentils

1 Bay leaf

1/2 ts Grated fresh ginger

1 tb Dried basil

1 tb Dried thyme

1 tb Dried oregano

3 c V8 juice, low-sodium

1 c Chopped zucchini (1 small)

1 c Chopped red bell pepper

-(1 medium pepper) 1 tb Chopped jalapeno pepper

-(1 small pepper) 1 c Scraped & chopped celery

-(2 medium stalks) 1 c Chopped tomato (1 medium)

2 c Chopped mushrooms

6 Garlic cloves, peeled and

-minced 2 tb Soy sauce, reduced sodium

1/2 c Chopped fresh parsley

Combine the barley and 4 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat. Put a heavy stockpot over medium heat for about 1 minute. Spray it twice with the vegetable oil. Add the onion and carrots. Saute, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Stir in the lentils, bay leaf, ginger, dried herbs, and remaining 2 cups water. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add the V8 juice, zucchini, peppers, celery, and tomato to the pot. Cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Pour in the barley and its cooking liquid. Stir in the mushrooms, garlic, and soy sauce. Cook for 10 minutes more to thicken the stew. Garnish with the chopped parsley.

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<h1>Vegetable Barley Stew with Lentils</h1>
    <b>Ingredients And Procedures</b><p>
        <TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=3 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><P>1 c Pearl barley <P>6 c Water <P>Light vegetable oil spray 1 c Chopped onion (1 medium) <P>1 1/2 c Scraped & chopped carrot <P>-(2 to 3 carrots) 1 c Dried lentils <P>1 Bay leaf <P>1/2 ts Grated fresh ginger <P>1 tb Dried basil <P>1 tb Dried thyme <P>1 tb Dried oregano <P>3 c V8 juice, low-sodium <P>1 c Chopped zucchini (1 small) <P>1 c Chopped red bell pepper <P>-(1 medium pepper) 1 tb Chopped jalapeno pepper <P>-(1 small pepper) 1 c Scraped & chopped celery <P>-(2 medium stalks) 1 c Chopped tomato (1 medium) <P>2 c Chopped mushrooms <P>6 Garlic cloves, peeled and <P>-minced 2 tb Soy sauce, reduced sodium <P>1/2 c Chopped fresh parsley <P>Combine the barley and 4 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat. Put a heavy stockpot over medium heat for about 1 minute. Spray it twice with the vegetable oil. Add the onion and carrots. Saute, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Stir in the lentils, bay leaf, ginger, dried herbs, and remaining 2 cups water. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add the V8 juice, zucchini, peppers, celery, and tomato to the pot. Cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Pour in the barley and its cooking liquid. Stir in the mushrooms, garlic, and soy sauce. Cook for 10 minutes more to thicken the stew. Garnish with the chopped parsley. <BR><BR></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>     <p>
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