Avocados offer innumerable nutritional benefits. Compared to other fruits and vegetables, the avocado is considered to have the most nutritional value of all. It's loaded with protein, fiber, folic acid, zinc, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin and other vitamins and nutrients. It's a serious super food. They're also high in fat, but it's the good kind of fat: the naturally occurring kind.
Don't let the fat in avocados deter you. The fat found in avocados is heart-healthy: it's monounsaturated and contains good (HDL) cholesterol. Avocados contain tons of coveted Omega 3 fatty acids that promote brain development, amongst a slew of other benefits, making it an excellent choice for a growing baby. Avocados are also very mild, making them the perfect introductory solid food.
It's a conundrum we've all faced: how can you tell if an avocado is ripe, If you want avocados that are ready to eat, look for ones that are dark green and have bumpy skin. Squeeze the avocado. It should feel firm with just a bit of give. A rock hard avocado isn't ripe; one that feels really soft is too ripe. Make sure you always have ripe avocados on hand by buying some ripe and some almost ripe. It's recommended that avocados are stored outside of the fridge unless they're already ripe.
Unless you're a huge fan of tofu, making raw soy milk tofu may not be worth the time and trouble. You can easily obtain your calcium and protein requirements from raw food sources, such as green leafy vegetables which are replete with calcium and vital minerals, or nuts and seeds, which are excellent sources of protein. Raw soy tofu, however, can be the perfect base for delectable raw chocolate mouse, raw food cheesecake, and other scrumptious raw, vegan desserts. Excessive consumption of raw soybean proteins has been shown to be toxic in animals such as chickens (chicks) and rats.
The Eden Foods website contains a fair and balanced look at soy and the various controversies surrounding it. Various websites report conflicting advice - eat raw soybeans, don't eat raw soybeans. According to Dr.William Harris, M.D., raw soybeans contain compounds that can cause digestive upset. Most websites recommend cooking soybeans. The decision to eat raw soy or raw tofu is up to you, but eat it sparingly if at all.
Asafoetida, or asadida, is made of dried up latex or gum derived from tap roots of a variety of ferula herb, which is commonly found in India and Middle East. The strong unpleasant pungent odor of this spice can be easily transferred to other foods and spices in your spice cabinet if you have incorrectly covered your asafoetida jar. In fact, they say, flavor of this spice is really pleasant and therefore contradicts its smell. The height of its offensive smell can be seen in the names given to it by different cultures.
Some people call it devil's sweat, while in some other countries it is known as devil's dung or devil's spice. Persians appreciate the smell of asafoetida, therefore it is stated as food or spice for gods. In India, it is an indispensable component of the 7 most essential spices viz. Since India and countries in the Indian subcontinent happen to be the largest consumers of this spice, I need to emphasize on cultural specific cooking practices with asafoetida from these regions.
Asafoetida usually comes in colors ranging from off white to a very fluorescent yellow. The stronger the unpleasant flavor, the better the imparted taste.- Due to the strong flavor, use just about 1/5th teaspoon of asafoetida powder for about 250 gm of vegetable or meat curry. It is suggested that one should heat the frying wok first.
Add the required quantity of cooking oil. Add the asafoetida only after the oil is heated for 30 seconds. Fried asafoetida is known to acquire a combined flavor of sauteed garlic and onion. It is therefore, not always necessary to use onion and garlic if you use asafoetida powder. Make sure to avoid over-frying or burning asafoetida after it is put in the wok.
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