Read Those Labels

 One of the worst crimes you can commit in a vegan household is buying a product with animal products in it.That happened to me recently and I was left with a large uneaten pot of soup. I should have read the label but didn't .It does pay to read every aspect of the product you're buying

What should you look for if you are cooking for any kind of diet? Everything that's on that diet and everything that's not. Don't take it for granted that a meatless product is just that. Soups usually have a beef or chicken stock in their base. Check . A soup like Alessi's porcini mushroom soup may seem vegan enough but it has dehydrated chicken added to it. To be honest most of their soup mixes are vegan , with the emphasis more on beans and tomatoes. It can fool you especially if you regularly buy their products.If you're in this situation, the best bet is to stick with well known vegan brands like Morningstar Farms and Gardein. They are famed for their fake meats and instant dinners. Gardein keeps adding different products to their line. They now have soups made with soy meats and vegan stock. It's easy to open up a can of their  chicken noodle or gumbo. Another aspect is in the cookie aisle. Many like Tates' or Walkers use real butter in their cookies and shortbread.  The best bet again is scouring the labels. Some companies like Nabisco have had vegan cookies for years. There are no and never have been animal products in Oreos and Lorna Doones.

Allergies play another important part in label reading. US manufacturers have to explicitly put on their labels that their baked goods are gluten free. Yet there's a caveat. They're not required to test their products to label cookies or crackers without it. The labels are still pretty much spelled out. Yet what about those products from a grocery store's bakery? Some , like Stop & Shop will put a gluten free labels on their cakes, cookies and cupcakes. The best bet is don't buy if you're still doubtful. Buy the already established brands that you know are safe to eat.Other allergies like egg ones are a bit trickier. Many products , especially cookies and cakes are made with eggs. Labels have to be read carefully, especially if the sufferer has problems with stomach cramps, vomiting and /or breathing. Research the product on line before buying. See what the ingredients are and even write to the company. Most will gladly tell you the percentage of eggs along with the other ingredients used. The same goes for those with soy and fermentation allergies. Many are allergic to soy sauce and a pre made Asian meal may have some in it. The same goes for frozen dinners that feature a balsamic vinegar glaze. Find out how much is in the dinner.

It's important that you read the labels , whether on line or in the store. Don't assume. It could lead to food not being eaten or people becoming sick.

After The Cleanse

There is a lot of hype regarding cleanses. People swear by them. They live by them. Yet most times they're just quackery. If you want that healthy body, then eat healthy. I know I have to do this.

For me the gallbladder cleanse was the biggest hoax on the Internet. I followed My Cultured Palate's remedy for eliminating gallstones to the letter. It simply did not work even after I drank the vile liquid that is Epsom salts  twice. This was at six and eight PM and I thought this is going well. At ten I had to drink the mix of half a cup of extra virgin olive oil and half a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice.I drank that with no worries. After all I use the vinaigrette in my salads all the time and had to resist the urge to salt and pepper it. At about eleven PM all hell broke loose.  A mechanical sounding swoosh indicated a quick run to the bathroom. This went on for five hours, until four in the morning. I was sure there would be tons of gallstones. Nothing. Each time. There was one  - only the size of a pinhead about eight hours later . That was it. Some black things came out of me and I'm figuring it was poo that was lodged in there for a while. As for a regular flush , it was good. Yet I still have gallstones. I still have a dull ache and burping after I eat.

I have now resorted to this gallbladder cleanse tonic from Complete Natural Products. since I don't want my gallbladder removed.It should come in a few days and I'm relying on it to eliminate them. The tonic is made from such ingredients that promote gallbladder health. There is organic artichokes along with Chanca Piedra - stone breaker from the Amazon. There's also milk thistle , lemon and apple cider along with turmeric, all ingredients I've used in the past. Honey, lime and peppermint are some of the other important components in in along with Valerian and red cabbage. There also have to be some dietary changes on my part.  Processed foods are way off the table. That means no frozen pizzas which are full of chemicals and preservatives and processed baked goods. Good bye Tuxedos, those tasty Oreo lookalikes from Acme. Those became my best friend during the lock down. Also off the table are the Tate chocolate chip cookies. Luckily I can recreate these using all natural ingredients and the most important whole wheat flour.  Cold cuts are gone or will be a rare occasion treat. Bacon, shrimp and even avocados are now taboo. The last is rich in fat and not good. I don't know what I'll do as a replacement for guacamole. Maybe salsa.

Eating healthy is the best way to cleanse the body. These flushes simply and truly do not work. I don't recommend ever doing them. Ever.

Rum Balls With Zing

One of the most classic holiday treats is the rum ball. This is a no brainer for seasoned home bakers - an experiment in fun for novices. Yet the original recipe can be fusty -  a throwback to holiday parties of mid 20th Century America. It's time to liven it up with exciting twists and flavors.

Melissa Clark did just this n her recipe for them in  yesterday's New York Times Food section. Her A Good Appetite  centers around the recipe, marrying another Christmas flavor, gingerbread. Hers was a happy accident, thanks to the scraps left over from a gingerbread house. She was left with weeks of nibbles and still had more remaining. As with any frugal home baker, she pulverized  the pieces.
,using the crumbs for both the balls and a few cheesecake crusts subbing them in for graham crackers. The first were a big hit.People like their heady, boozy buzz  and the gently spiced bites. This year she deiced to make them again, using packaged gingersnaps.along with pecans and amber rum. You can also use bourbon or brandy too, just to vary them.Ms.Clark also uses cocoa powder to give the rum balls an earthy mellowness along with freshly ground ginger, and freshly ground cardamon along with ground cardamon and more ginger. this time ground. Get rid of the usual corn syrup and put in maple for a warmer, deeper flavor. The cookies can be coated in either confectioner's sugar for a moist exterior or granulated sugar for a nice crunchy crust.

The recipe is simple and a no bake one. What brand of gingersnaps should you use? Ms Clark doesn't have any favorites. You could use Nabisco's new and improved recipe which features real ginger and molasses. For a buttery flavor then go to the cream of the crop - Tate's gingersnaps which have the lovely addition of butter flavor too. She does specify what kind of rum to use. The amber  variety has
 a mellower flavor than the white but she recommends using the one you like. It starts off with pulsing the cookie crumbs and pecans in a food processor until coarsely ground. Do not over process. The nuts have to have some texture. Alternately finely chop reserved nuts  and add them to the crumbs. In a separate bowl stir together 3/4 ths of a cup of confectioner's sugar , rum.maple syrup and the cocoa powder. Also add the spices. Stir in the crumb mixture, adding more ginger if you want more fire. Squeeze everything together in a mass. Roll the dough into one inch balls, finishing in a roll of either confectioner's or granulated sugar -your choice. Store them in an airtight container where they'll last up to two weeks (although they'll probably go in a day) Drizzle more rum onto the older ones to keep them moist.

Make these zingy balls to add to a cookie swap or end a holiday dinner. They're easy and fun. Bestof all they're delicious and boozy - the perfect Christmas bite?

Tates Cookies

Crisp cookies are always a treat . They have a satisfying bite and crackle along with a buttery crumb. If you can't there's always Tate's bake Shop. This famed Southampton, Long Island bakery is now sharing their treats in supermarkets around the New York Metro area.

Tates' Bakery was started in 1980 by Kathleen King was she was just eleven years old. She set up  card table at her parents' farmstead on the Southern fork of Long Island where she sold small batches of her signature chocolate chip cookies. Ten tears later the twenty-one year old Kathleen rented a space her mother had spotted and opened her first bakery. She named it Tate's after her dad and baked a slew of old-fashioned desserts from scratch. Tate's Bake Shop has been named the Hampton's Top bakery year after year.If you're lucky enough to visit the Hamptons , then stop at this bakery.It's a charming green clapboard house with paned bay windows and wrought iron tables and chairs in which to sit and enjoy Tate's products.it's right off the main road and near the town's  shopping area. Forget the fancy shops and twenty dollar tee shirts,  Go to Tates for a cupcake or brownie and coffee instead

Tates Cookies are phenomenal. Unfortunately I can only get their regular and gluten free chocolate chips and Ginger Zingers, a kind of ginger snaps. The chocolate chips are perfect, with a nice snap and crunch  and a crisp crumb. They taste exactly like the home made kind with a perfect taste marriage between butter and brown sugar.. The bakery has a wider variety and it is definitely a foodie destination. Ms. King and company bake such amazing cakes as old fashioned Red Velvet with cream cheese icing, chocolate with chocolate buttercream. Of course as with every bakery, there are magnificently iced cupcakes (see their website) in popular flavors as salted caramel and cookie dough along with their take on the Hostess cupcake called the Mostess. I wish that Tate's would mass produce their brownies and raspberry squares along with their chocolate and lemon tea loaves.

Tate's Chocolate Chips are a must try. These are the closest taste to homemade. Try them and see.