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Microfinancing in Oaxaca, Mexico, Aids Teotitlan Del Valle, Accepts Tourist Charitable Donations

Last year Maria was a pieceworker in Teotitlan del Valle earning 5 – 10 pesos for each simple apron she sewed from a roll of cotton print fabric supplied by her patron. Now she’s a businesswoman selling elaborately embroidered aprons to retailers in a nearby town marketplace. A couple of years ago Juanita, from the same Oaxacan town, was making almost nothing selling soda pop and gum out of a family-owned retail shop. Today she runs a profitable crafts outlet full of woolen rugs, purses and wall hangings, and her daughter’s hand-made jewelry. Both these woman have succeeded in business as a result of microfinancing through Fundacion en Via.

Fundacion En Via (“En Via”) is a non-profit microfinance organization responsible for several similar success stories since 2009. En Via relies on $ 50 contributions from tourists visiting the south central Mexico city of Oaxaca, in addition to donations of their time and expertise. To a more limited extent it’s funded by the generosity Mexicans.

The organization is based on two premises:

1) Native women In Oaxacan towns who have a trade, talent or aptitude, and the desire to succeed, should not be held back from realizing their potential for themselves and their families as a consequence of a lack of training and business knowledge – nor as a result of an average cost of borrowing of 70% per annum [interest rates in Mexico at times reach as high as 150%]. 2) Many visitors to Oaxaca, both tourists in the city for a week or two as well as those interested in spending longer periods of time in the region, look for worthy charitable causes to which they can contribute modest sums of money, and / or their time and expertise. This is particularly so when it includes an opportunity to meet the beneficiaries of their generosity and learn about their cultural traditions through touring their towns and being introduced to them and their families. Accordingly, by redirecting funds to the local community En Via is creating sustainable tourism.

Fundacion En Via: How It Works

Fundacion En Via is operated out of premises located at Instituto Cultural de Oaxaca. Carlos Hernandez Topete and Emily Berens co-founded the program in 2008, and got it underway the following year. There are only two paid employees; a full – time administrative co-ordinator and a managing-director. The program is otherwise run by volunteers who do one or more of drive, translate, assist with web design and related promotional matters for both the program and for the participating borrowers, liaise with recipients and donors, and give English and business classes to the women.

Each donor, mainly visitors to Oaxaca, pays $ 50 into the program. In exchange for making a $ 50 donation, each donor is encouraged to spend a day in the town in which the women reside, as part of a group excursion. The purpose of the trip is to learn a little about the community, and to meet some of the women and their families so as to gain a better understanding of both how the borrowed money is utilized and the resultant positive impact.

The women repay an initial loan of 1300 pesos in equal payments over the course of 10 weeks. Once a loan is repaid the borrower is entitled to a second and then subsequent loans, provided the need is for a legitimate business purpose supported by the program. The second loan is for 2000 pesos, the third for 3000 pesos. Further loans can be for 3000 pesos, 4000 pesos, or such other amount as En Va deems appropriate under all of the circumstances. Similarly, repayments schedules of these subsequent loans can vary depending on the amount and more general state of affairs. All loans are interest free.

The entirety of each initial donation is used to provide first loans to program participants. Upon repayment, a small portion of the repaid funds is used for operating costs and for further loans. Proceeds are therefore segregated into two parts; the operating portion, and a trust fund used to make interest-free loans to the women.

Loans are provided to only women. Statistics have shown than women are more likely than men to spend for their benefit of their families, and otherwise comply with the program’s rules.

Each recipient is a member of a group comprised of three borrowers. The group is made up of women who know and trust each other. People tend to work better with others with whom they are already acquainted. This concept works because the women can offer advice and support to one another, and call on one another in the event of having difficulty making a loan payment.

The En Via screening process is designed to maximize the likelihood that the women who participate in the program succeed in their business ventures and comply with repayment schedules (there have been only three defaults from a total of approximately 350 loans; in each case non-compliance has arisen from circumstances beyond the women’s control).

Women initially learn about En Via through word of mouth. Meetings are arranged to enable them to more fully understand the program’s workings. The women then attend a question and answer session with En Via administration. Once a consensus to proceed is reached, arrangements are put in place for the advancement of funds and repayment. There is ongoing support.

As a prerequisite for receiving a loan, each woman must agree to receive two groups of donors in the course of touring their town. Funds are thereafter advanced. In this way donors have the opportunity to meet with the women and their families in their homes and business environments. Since the program has concentrated on women in the rug weaving town of Teotitlan del Valle (it has recently expanded into Diaz Ordaz, a smaller village with fewer economic opportunities), and most loans are related to wool and weaving, tourists learn about the rug making process and are provided with buying opportunities in the course of the visit.

Touring Teotitlan del Valle with Fundacion En Via

After a 40 minute orientation session at the Instituto in downtown Oaxaca, a group of donors, including two Mexican women from Morelia, Michoacan, and three En Via workers, hop into a touring van and head to Teotitlan del Valle. The group first stop is at the town church alongside the marketplace, where one of the workers, Samantha, explains a little about the town, its people and their economic activities, education and the system of local government.

“We always need volunteers to work with us, although naturally our donors are the financial backbone of the program,” Samantha stresses as we walk to our first workshop. “We offer English lessons; and a few months ago we began giving business classes to those interested,” she continues. “As long as visitors will be in Oaxaca for at least a month they can volunteer to come out to the town twice a week to teach English; and if they plan to be in the city for at least three months we can train them to accompany donors into the town, translate, and assist the project in other ways including helping with business and marketing suggestions. Our ability to offer and build on our programs depends on our volunteers. “

Rosa the Rug Weaver

We enter the combined home and workshop of Rosa and her family. Rosa demonstrates how she cards and spins wool. Family members are milling about, going about their daily activities including dying yarn using natural substances. Rosa explains the use of pomegranate, pecan, the medicinal herb known as pericn, and of course cochineal, the minute insect which when dried and ground into a powder yields tones of red, pink, orange and purple.

Rosa used the proceeds of her first loan to buy raw wool and cochineal, one of the most expensive products used for creating colors. She’s receiving our group so she’ll be eligible for a second loan, this one so she can buy a sturdy dolly. With the dolly she’ll be able to take her rugs to and from the town handicraft market without imposing on family members. By making just one trip to the market in the morning she’ll save time and be able to set up her stall much quicker, reducing the likelihood of losing that first sale of the day.

Clara The Ham & Cheese Market Vendor

While walking to our next stop Samantha explains that loans are not just for the rug business:

“We gave a first loan, 1300 pesos, to a woman named Clara, in the meat and produce market so she could increase her inventory of cheese. That helped her to improve sales. She then received the 2000 peso loan so she could buy a meat slicer. Almost everyone wants their ham sliced. So now she sells both meat and cheese at her stall. Clara used the 3000 peso loan to buy a fridge. Until she got the fridge she was buying meat and cheese every day or two, and each time she was paying a delivery charge. Now she’s eliminated that expense, so her profit has increased. She’s now operating at an optimum level.”

How Juanita Began, Before Having Her Own Storefront

Before Juanita began running her handicrafts store she would sell the odd rug out of her sister-in-law’s shop next door. She didn’t have capital to buy wool to open up a business of her own. After her third loan she had purchased enough wool and woven enough rugs to switch from selling pop and gum to begin filling her own rug store. Juanita is now on her sixth loan, and with each additional loan has been able to better stock her shop including having a broader diversity of product. Juanita is one of the graduates of the six week business course offered by En Via. Juanita’s daughter obtained her own loan through En Via, enabling her to buy tools and materials to make jewelry.

Maria The Apron Maker

We then learn how Maria went from sewing someone else’s material into aprons for 5 – 10 pesos, to earning a 40 – 45 peso profit from wholesaling her own fully embroidered aprons. Maria had a sewing machine, but never enough money to buy material, so she was restricted to doing piecework. With the proceeds of her first loan she bought material so she could make her own aprons. She would then send them out for embroidering by someone who had a specialty sewing machine, get them back, and then wholesale them. With her second loan Maria wants to buy the more sophisticated machine so she’ll be able to do all of the work in-house, and thus further increase her profit.

Gloria Aspires To Having Her Own Retail Rug Business

Gloria’s story is somewhat similar. Her patron used to give her spun, dyed yarn. She would make rugs and receive a modest sum for each finished product. She had the skill set, and the loom, but not the materials. With the proceeds of her first loan she bought wool and dyes. She was then able to make rugs on her own, and sell them to the large outlets near the highway which retail to tourists arriving on buses for weaving and dying demonstrations. She sells small rugs to these casas grandes for 200 pesos if she’s lucky, and they double or triple. But she earns more this way than doing piecework. And with her next loan she’ll buy more material, then additional equipment, and hopefully within a year she’ll have enough stock on hand to be able to find her own means of retailing.

Our Tour Concludes with Lunch – And Another Success Story

We stop at a restaurant for lunch on our way out of town, our eighth and final visit. I point to about 20 stacked up beer cases. “Do you think they’re full or empties,” I ask. “I’m not sure,” Samantha replies, “but it’s because of our second loan that the restaurant now carries beer.”

The third loan to the quaint, spacious eatery was used to construct a new laminated metal roof. The old one was badly rusted and water would seep through during rainy season. Part of the restaurant could not be used year round. The restaurant is now able to easily accommodate groups, like ours from En Via; a shiny new roof to shade us from the sun, and just as importantly a cold one to go along with our tacos, tlayudas, soups and salads.

Why Participate in Fundacion En Via

The assistance which En Via provides to townspeople is not otherwise available to them. The individuals selected to participate are streetwise enough to recognize that borrowing at exorbitant rates of interest, illegal in many Western countries, is imprudent. Many are initially leery of the program, but those who apply and are accepted eventually come to realize the value of the opportunity they have been given. Juana was one of the first loan recipients, some three years ago:

“When Carlos [the program co-founder] first approached me, I didn’t believe it, and I had my doubts. But look at what Fundacion En Via has done for me and my family.”

Juana’s gratitude is echoed in the warmth and welcoming nature of each and every loan recipient visited. On the tour there’s been no hard sell of anything. The women recognize that En Via is giving them a new lease on life, and that’s more than enough for them. When was the last time any of us has received such heartfelt and instant appreciation for giving so little?

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Here Is a Sampling of a Raw Food Diet Menu

When you are ready to put together a menu for a raw food diet you will find all you need to it is right at your fingertips. That’s right; the internet is your proverbial oyster. There are endless cookbooks and recipes at your disposal on the internet to pore over and make it just right. You will find you can comprise quite an array of dishes to fill a complete menu.

Menu planning for a Raw Food Dinner Party

Are you ready for the challenge? Put on paper some ideas and recipes for a raw food diet dinner party for your special guests. You will need to consider the tastes and textures of the raw foods you choose to make your menu a taste sensation! It could be fun tasting and tweaking recipes to please the palette of even the pickiest eaters.

The vast array of color available in a raw food diet will make your table look pleasing and inviting to all. A table set for a regular meal may look tempting with some variety of color in the vegetables chosen, but not as stunning as a table set for a raw food vegetable meal. For one when veggies are cooked, they lose important vitamins as well as their vibrancy of color to a degree. It will be exciting to see how people will be eager to sample each and every dish.

You can set a buffet setting and arrange the wonderful array of colors in a creative way. You can put out crudités in a variety of shapes with different kinds of dip at the start of the table along with other appetizer type foods. A large bowl of organic greens can be placed in the center for a base for individual salads your guests can put together. Different whole raw nuts can also be put in bowls surrounding the greens.

Some main course dishes you can use are Vegan Pizza, for which there are many good recipes online. Some organic spaghetti squash with a raw organic tomato sauce perhaps, or zucchini noodles sliced with a spiral slicer. Spring rolls made with cabbage leaves stuffed with fresh greens and whole fruits and nuts may be nice as well.

As with every good dinner party, dessert is the coupe de grass. There are so many to choose from. Of course fresh whole fruits are a gimme…but there are great recipes for cheesecakes, puddings, raw brownies, pies and tarts made with fruits and crusts made from raw nut bases…oh my!!! You can even make raw “ice cream” by freezing smoothies made earlier in the day. I believe they work well if you just add a little less water. As with the raw veggies, you can make your dessert table as colorful and appealing with the vast colors of whole fruits.

All in all, I’m sure that your guests will be both stuffed and pleased with the spread you created just for them. As we all know a raw food diet is full of fiber and therefore very filling. You may want to put the desserts out a little later than you would with a regular food dinner party. Give the guests time to digest and make room for the yummy ending to a tasty meal.

Bon Appétit!!

This cooking demo from Progressive International demonstrates how to use the 5-in-1 Egg Slicer to prepare eggs every way you could imagine! Slice, dice, halve and wedge eggs with the unique 2-part wire cutting screens. From egg salad to deviled eggs, the 5-in-1 Egg Slicer makes preparing hard boiled eggs easy! Learn more about the 5-in-1 Egg Slicer here: progressiveintl.com

Raw Food Diet Recipes – Pistachio Honey Butter (No Butter) Spread – Free Raw Recipe

This is one of my favorite raw food diet recipes. It’s so easy and can be made in minutes. This free raw recipe for pistachio honey butter spread has the consistency of chunky honey butter. We used to spread honey butter on hamburger buns and eat them without the meat when I was in college. I use this spread all the time. It is versatile. Kids love it as well as adults.

I use this spread on many veggies including organic raw celery. Just cut off the ends of the celery and scoop the pistachio honey butter on. It’s also great on mini sweet peppers. Try the miniatures that are red, orange and yellow. Cut off the end and cut in half and remove the seeds. Scoop in the honey butter spread. Or try the large red, orange and yellow sweet peppers and cut them in wide strips and scoop on. If you don’t care for sweet peppers or celery this pistachio spread will change your mind. You can get bags of the miniatures sweet peppers at Costco but they’re not organic.

Keep in mind that non-organic peppers can have a lot of pesticides on them. Many farmers’ markets have peppers available and they’re easy to grow in your home garden.

I always buy my raw honey at a farm where I know it’s raw. The supermarket raw honeys are not raw, even though they claim to be. They are heated and therefore pasteurized losing precious nutrients.

Pistachios also go good with beets so if you’re using raw beets in a beet salad recipe or spiralized in a spiral slicer. Try some pistachio honey butter with or on the beets.

Equipment needed: food processor Ingredients needed: pistachios, organic raw honey, Celtic salt or sun-dried sea salt and lemon.

1 cup raw pistachios 1 tablespoon organic raw honey Dash of Celtic salt or very tiny pinch of sun dried sea salt Splash of fresh lemon juice

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and process until a little creamy. It’s best with tiny chunks of pistachios so watch closely. If you prefer larger chunks it won’t take long so keep checking. The spread will be thick and will be a little hard to get out of the processor bowl. Keep it in the refrigerator. It will get a little harder when it’s cold so take it out a little early if you want to spread it easier. Keep in an airtight jar. Keeps a week or more.

Health benefits of pistachios. The green color in pistachios is actually chlorophyll which is very good for us. The greener the nut the more chlorophyll is contained in it. Pistachios are alkaline-forming, not acidic. They’re good for constipation, help purify the blood and help tone the kidneys and liver. Always use raw pistachios not dry roasted. Roasting removes many of the good properties. Pistachios have protein, good fat, Calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, copper, beta carotene, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), folic acid (B9), and tocopherol (vitamin E).

Try experimenting with other veggies and you’re sure to find others that this pistachio honey butter is good on or with. This is just one of many easy raw food diet recipes that you can fix and eat and help you enjoy good health in the process.

A second vlog?! WHAT?! Yeah that’s right, what of it? I won’t have time to upload one tomorrow due to travel. SO HERE YOU GO! ———————– Follow Me!!! www.twitter.com WEAR ME!!!! kylegrantvlogs.spreadshirt.com

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Some of the Most Important Tools For Your Kitchen

One of the popular essential kitchen tools could be the multi-purpose manual can opener. There is simply no other process to open most canned foods, plus a separate bottle opener or church key is generally among the first kitchen tools to disappear in an unexpected. A reputable regular can opener lasts for years with minimal repair and enable homeowners to open cans when there is no household power accessible. A multi-purpose manual can opener is likely one of the most essential cooking area tools for all stages of adult living. Knives are also important kitchen tool, since they facilitate both food arrangement and service.

A set of steak knives is essential for cutting through meats and other fibrous meals. A quality chefs-knife is functional enough for dicing veggies. Knives are used for carving meats and perhaps rough peeling. Other essential knives to own are paring knives for processing vegetables and fruits. Fillet knives for preparing beef and fish servings, plus a butchers-knife for breaking down sizable meats. For uncooked food preparation, peelers and graters can be vital kitchen tools. A vegetable peeler will make short work of peeling carrots, potatoes, cucumbers, and other raw vegetables with skins or peels. Foodstuff for instance hard cheeses and whole spices must be grated, so a grater with several different blades is likewise a main kitchen tool. Many beginning cooks commence by using a four-sided grater displaying a coarse grater, fine grater and cheese slicer on the exterior walls. Occasionally, food preparing requires a tad bit more horsepower, so blenders and food processors are also essential kitchen tools.

A food processor with a number of unique blade attachments can execute several services to the cook. Ingredients can be blended together in a puree or just mixed for any salad. Dough can also be needed from a food processor, or equipped in an extra essential kitchen tool- a standing mixer.

To make the blending or preparing tasks, we need an electric blender with variable speeds is likewise an important tool to the cooking area. Other essential cooking area tools involve the measurement of materials. No kitchen must be without measuring spoons, measuring cups, or a type of kitchen scale. Recipes hinge along the cook’s ability to gauge proper portion sizes, so an entire set of measuring equipment with readable gradations may be a wise investment. You should definitely acquire both wet and dry measuring tools, considering the fact that you can find a positive change between cups of water and then a cup of flour. At last, a further set of kitchen tools all kitchens requires are spatulas, spoons and ladles. All food needs to finally be served, so that it is important to obtain the suitable tools to spread the food safely from pan to plate. Serving spoons can have a solid bowl, like the wooden spoons used for stirring sauces, or they will be slotted for serving ingredients held in boiling water or both. Ladies are usually important for serving soups, stews, and other dishes with both liquid and solid ingredients. A spatula is an essential instrument for food preparation and for offering foods from a hotplate or grill.

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Copper Cookware – Secret Tips For Cutting and Serving Cheese, and Making Heavenly, Cheesy Meals!

Everyone knows that cheese and omelets go well together. So well, indeed, that one without the other is almost like cooking without copper cookware. However, very few people know these amazing tips on how to cut and serve cheese. First off let’s discuss what you’ll need:

1. A box grater in a bowl is essential. Shred that cheddar cheese, or even iceberg lettuce for tacos or the finest Parmesan/Reggiano for saffron risotto. The bowl will collect everything for you, and make it easy to clean the grater.

2. A cheese plane. This looks like a broad cheese slicer almost like a spatula, and is great for shaving thin slices off cheese “pies”.

3. Wooden spreaders for brie and triple cream cheese. These creamy cheeses are difficult to serve with anything else.

4. Guitar string with a short wooden dowel at both ends, like a homemade garrote. This is for cutting most resistant Gruyere, and works wonders.

4. Short flathead screwdriver for Parmesan and Romano. Yes, it works.

5. Slate floor tiles and smooth granite for cheese boards: Cut your salad or solo cheese on these, because rock keeps cheese cool.

5. Use unflavoured dental floss instead of a skeleton knife to cut soft (ie. goat or cream) cheese: pass it under the log of cheese, cross the ends over the top, and pull.

7. To serve cheese: A woodhandled pocket knife and a small mortar trowel can fit the bill nicely. You can also use these to serve pie.

Once you have your cheese, if you are making risotto, you’ll need a nice lined copper cookware risotto pot. If you want to make an omelette, you’ll need an unlined copper mixing bowl.

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Runner Beans – My Favourite Vegetable and the Most Important For the Amateur Gardener to Grow

Vegetable Growing tips.

Runner Beans.

I have been growing vegetables for the table for the two of us where we live in Herefordshire in the UK, for over twenty years; and I have lived in several places prior to this around Herefordshire, where I have also grown vegetables since 1973, so you could say that if my knowledge is on the amateur side, my experience is considerable.

So I have found things worth growing and others best left to the professionals, such as carrots and cauliflower, although this year I have grown a few carrots which were OK but not marvelous.

My all time favourites are, Runner Beans and not French beans), which too easily get tangled with weed as they are low growing), runner beans are up the canes and away before any weeds can catch them, (bind weed will make its way up later but can be easily controlled).

I start mine off in cardboard modules in the greenhouse, in the late spring, I use old cardboard toilet roll/kitchen roll inner tubes as the (pots) fitted into trays about 28 per tray is fine. I save the cardboard inners during the whole year from the kitchen and bathroom, and cut the kitchen roll inners in half so that they fit into a seed tray comfortably.

This means with a warm sunny greenhouse one can get them started before the frosts have finished, then plant them out when you feel it’s safe so to do. (this varies from year to year and from areas north and south). Then you will get your beans up and running to get the benefit of an early crop.

I would always err on the side of the risk of frost and replace the damaged plants if unlucky, but to get the benefit of the extra days in the ground as it warms up.

If you have a heated green house or propagator it will be easier to get them started early, but keep an eye on the medium term weather forecast before you decide to plant them out.

I plant a couple of rows then plant some more seed in the trays which will provide you with plants spaced by a few weeks apart; you may lose a few to frosts or slugs but you can replace them.

I always keep a few spare to pop in to replace the ones I lose as I go along.

The cardboard tubes will disintegrate in the soil after a few weeks and allow the roots to find their way into the soil with being disturbed too much. If you pick the right time to plant them out you will not disturb any of the tap root, and the will gallop up the canes.

And because you have to let them get to about a foot high, with the second set of leaves on the way, they are safer from pests.

I grow mine in the same bed or close to the same bed every year, which has had a trench dug and filled with manure/compost (every year) and then back filled a few weeks before I am ready to plant out, so that the ground has had time to settle. A good dressing of organic fertilizer is also a great help to a bigger crop, which can be raked in just before planting out.

For support I use bamboo canes most of the time but occasionally hazel poles cut earlier in the spring, which looks quite rustic.

I have found from experience that two rows planted about 12 inches 350mm apart with the same spacing between plants with the sticks crossing over at about chest height and supported both ends with a support cane to hold it up in the windy weather, which comes around in September when there is a lot of leaf to act as a sail to knock them down.

By having them crossing over like a row of x’s the growing beans hang down and can be picked without trouble, join the x’s with a pole across from end to end tied to each x. I have found this to be preferable to wigwams and other fancy ways of building the sticks, my way provides plenty of sunshine for the plants and the pods are easier to find and harvest without damage to the growing plants.

Water them regularly never let them dry out, there is an old wives tale which says “water runner beans even in a rain storm” whilst watering play the hose over the leaves it encourages the setting of the flowers apparently.

I also tip the fresh grass cuttings from the lawn mower as a mulch beside the rows and between them to help conserve the moisture in the soil and discourage weed growth.

Pick them young and often to keep a steady flow of new pods coming on until the first frosts. Let the last few pods fill and ripen for next years seed, I normally keep some and buy some to keep them healthy.

My favourite way of preparing runner beans is, just hold them in my left hand across the palm and resting on the forefinger, and slice them quickly into diagonal pieces with a very sharp vegetable knife, (because they are young and fresh I hardly ever need to peel any stringy bits off the edges first). As long as you draw the knife without any sideways movement in a shaving motion you will not cut your fingers, but the knife must be sharp and practise slowly until you get the knack of it. Or you could buy a Spong bean slicer which works very well for the faint hearted or risk averse.

Place them in a pan or steamer for a few minutes until just cooked and still bright green, serve them straight from the pan or dress them with a knob of butter and a sprinkle of pepper.

I cook a small pan full, I eat as many as I can get on a plate as it reduces the amount of potato’s or rice that I may be tempted to put on my plate, (I have to keep control of my carb intake) then we keep any left overs for the dog as a breakfast treat, or add them to soups,salads or stews next day.

Yum! Yum!

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Helpful Kitchen Supplies For the Everyday Chef

Body: You do not have to be a professional chef to cook like one. In fact, you do not need any training at all to cook delicious and easy meals. For the everyday chef, it is all about having the right tools and equipment. You would not expect a mechanic to fix your car without the right tools, and you would not expect your hairstylist to cut your hair without the right tools. So, in order to cook wonderful meals for your family, be sure that you have the following items:

Knives Before you even make a sandwich or salad, it is important to have a great set of knives. In general, a set of five knives will get the job done. The largest knife in your set should be a chef’s knife, but you should also have a vegetable knife, a multi-purpose knife, and a slicer. Steak knives are also great, but they often are not sharp or precise enough for the average kitchen prep work. Along with your knife set, make sure that you have a sharpener. Believe it or not, dull knives are usually the cause of knife accidents in the kitchen. You should also make be sure that you have a few great cutting boards so that you avoid ruining your counter.

Mixing Bowls Though considered required kitchen equipment, many home chefs do not have an adequate set of mixing bowls. Though you can get by without mixing bowls, it makes almost any recipe much harder to complete. You should have at least two large mixing bowls, since you will use both for some recipes, as well as a medium-sized bowl and a small-sized bowl. Buying them as a set can save you a significant amount of money. Look for mixing bowls that have lids, so you can store food items as needed without plastic wrap. Additionally, choose bowls that are ceramic or stainless steel, as plastic bowls can take on weird smells and stains over time.

Cookware Every serious at-home chef should invest in some good cookware. Yes, you can purchase a mismatched set of pots and pans from yard sales and dollar stores, but the fact of the matter is that you get exactly what you pay for. Instead, spend the extra cash for cast iron pots and pans in a variety of sizes; making sure that the metal is not thin or uneven, which can mess up your cooking time. Also look for pots and pans that are oven-safe, as some recipes will ask you to move foods from the stovetop to the oven.

Cooling Rack Whether you are making cookies or muffins, chances are that you will need a baker’s cooling rack. Cooling racks help to cool items more quickly, since you are removing as much heat from the pan or baking sheet as possible and allow cool air to hit the product from all sides. In many recipes, without a cooling rack, your food will taste burnt or overdone. If you love baking, look for a multi-tiered cooling rack; otherwise, a single cooling rack will get the job done.

Timer Even if your oven has a built-in timer, consider purchasing a kitchen timer. They are inexpensive and can come in very handy. After all, you may be cooking more than one food item at once, and a single oven timer can’t keep track of both. A small kitchen timer can also travel with you, so that you can leave the kitchen and not have to worry about not hearing the buzzer from your oven.

Recipe Binder Lastly, every home chef should have a recipe binder. As you cook more and more, you will begin to come across recipes you love and want to save. Some will be on small recipe cards, but others will be in magazines or online. You need a binder that can hold all of these recipes, no matter how big or small they may be. Look for a binder with plastic, like a photo album. That way, you can keep the recipe with you at all times while cooking without worrying about spilling something and ruining the recipe. Also look for a binder where you can see both sides of the paper or card you put in the binder, since many recipes are printed on both sides.

Just because you are not a professional does not mean that you can’t make restaurant-quality food in your home. Your kitchen simply needs the right tools to make that possible. Start out with the essentials, knives, pots, pans, and so forth, instead of spending money on fancy tools like egg poachers and ice cream makers. Once you have the basic equipment, you can start to purchase the fun items for your kitchen as well. Before long, you’ll have a great stock of tools and your family will be begging you to cook rather than wanting to go out to eat.

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Tips For Cooking a Healthy Meal

One of the best things you can do for your family is to cook healthy, nutritious and delicious meals. Science is proving what we have long suspected: the food you eat is largely responsible for how healthy you are. In addition, the eating habits you instill in your children are likely to be with them for the rest of their lives. Those are some very good reasons for serving your family the most nutritious meals that you can possible make. These tips will help you make sure that you are cooking and serving healthy meals to your family.

Serve whole grains like brown rice, bulgur wheat and kasha.

Rice is a staple in the diets of some of the healthiest populations in the world. Cooking rice can be tricky, but it’s surprisingly easy if you invest in a rice cooker which maintains the proper heat to cook rice without turning it into a gluey, sticky mess. Use a little olive oil to keep grains from sticking together and salt and season lightly. A rice cooker can also be used to cook other whole grains like bulgur wheat for tabouleh and kasha.

Include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your meals.

Fresh fruits and vegetables include fiber, vitamins and minerals that your body needs, along with extra water that helps you stay hydrated. Veggies and fruits are best served raw, but steaming and stewing are great ways to cook them as well, especially if you include the stewing juices as part of the meal. Keep produce fresh longer with Green Bags or Produce Keepers so that salads and fresh fruits are an appealing option for snacks.

Steam veggies and fish to preserve nutrients

Vegetables taste fresher and better when they are lightly steamed. You may even find that your children will eat up all their beans and peas without any butter or other heavy fats when they taste this good. Invest in a good set of steaming pans like a 4 piece Double Boiler and Steamer Pot or a 3 Tier steamer to cook meals all at once.

Add spices to your cooking arsenal.

Spices add more to your meals than flavor. Many spices contain important nutrients and trace minerals that are not found anywhere else. Chili and pepper, for instance, contain small amounts of capsaicin, an anti-inflammatory agent that promotes healthy digestion. Use fresh herbs if you can. It is surprisingly easy to grow them in your own kitchen when you’ve got a good set of herb pots, and invest in a good spice rack like one that can measure spices for recipes.

Send healthy lunches along to school and work.

Don’t let school lunches and take-out snacks sabotage your efforts at a healthy diet. Invest in a set of good portion control containers complete with ice packs so that you can send lunch along with them to school and work. You can even pack up fruit or veggie sticks with dip in containers designed to hold both and keep them separate until you’re ready to dip them yourself.

Grill meats instead of frying them in their own grease.

Enjoy the flavor of your meats without all the unhealthy fats. Grill them on a grilling rack instead of broiling or roasting in a pan that leaves roasts, ribs and burgers swimming in their own fat. There are many roasting pans with racks on the market. If you want something a little more compact, you can invest in a tabletop or counter top grill to cook your meats to perfection.

Serve fresh fruits for breakfast, desserts and snacks.

Melon and pineapple are great snack foods and make wonderful breakfasts and desserts. Take some of the tedium out of the peeling, slicing and wedging with a melon slicer that’s designed just like an apple corer, but a whole lot bigger. You can slice cantaloupes, honeydews, even watermelons, with one easy motion, making it a lot easier for you to serve healthy fruits to your family.

Control what goes into your family’s foods by making supermarket staples at home yourself.

The peanut paste scare drove home what a lot of us have know for a long time, you can’t control what goes into everything your family eats, especially if you are serving store-bought foods. Pick up a few specialty appliances to make homemade foods that your family loves, some options are a peanut butter maker, a yogurt maker or a food dehydrator to make your own fruit leather, yogurt and peanut butter.

The most important things to keep in mind when trying to make your family’s diet healthier are these:

- Whole foods are generally better. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and nuts will go a long way toward improving your diet. - The more refined something is, the less healthy it is likely to be. Skip white breads and white rice and avoid snacks made with white sugar. - You can almost always make it healthier if you make it yourself.

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Food Contamination and Coeliacs

Even if you are following a gluten-free diet sometimes, unknowingly, you can be eating gluten. This is what we call “contamination”.

Contamination is a real threat to Coeliac sufferers and it can happen in many different ways. In our years of experience at FG Roberts, we have noticed some common mistakes and we’ve been working hard to raise awareness and improve the quality of life of Australia’s Coeliacs.

Avoiding Contamination is simple but it requires discipline, rigorous attention to detail and vigilance. Always read the labels and when or if you are in doubt, do not be afraid to ask if you are uncertain. Eventually, avoiding gluten becomes second nature.

Below are some further points to be considered:

1 – Never reuse oil which may have previously deep fried foods containing wheat or flour containing gluten, to prepare gluten free food.

2 – It is always advisable to use separate utensils, baking trays, bread and cake tins, cutlery, crockery, toasters, bread slicers, dough rollers, rolling pins etc. for preparing and serving gluten free foods. Thoroughly clean all benchtops and work areas when changing to gluten free food preparation.

No shortcuts or compromises are acceptable as even minute quantities of gluten can cause severe and immediate reactions in some individuals. Even when the impact is not so blatantly obvious with a Coeliac there is nearly always damage associated with the unintentional or accidental ingestion of gluten.

3 – Try to avoid chips in cafeterias and restaurants where they also serve other deep fried foods containing gluten, as these foods are usually prepared in a common grill or deep fryer and may contain traces of gluten.

4 – Never bake / roast food with and without gluten at same time. For example, baking lasagna and roasting a chicken in the same oven could potentially cause gluten contamination of the chicken.

5 – Do not toast / heat bread for a Coeliac in the same toaster used for normal bread as gluten containing crumbs may contaminate the gluten-free bread.

6 -Thoroughly wash any container where you will store gluten free foods in case you previously have stored gluten containing foods in them.

7 – Avoid drinking coffee from unknown places or brands. Poor quality coffee may be mixed with products containing barley and hence gluten.

8 – Pay attention to the lollies you choose. Some (e.g. glucose lollies) may have been dusted using wheat starch, which contains 100 p.p.m of gluten, to prevent them sticking together. Read the labels of such products carefully.

9 – When eating in restaurants you should err on the side of caution, selecting the simpler options. As a general rule you should avoid food with gravies, sauces, salad dressings and grilled or fried meats or seafood.

If unsure, talk to the waiter or chef to explain and make sure they understand your requirements. Keep in mind that:

- Gravies, sauces and dressings are often thickened using wheat flour or starch.

- The grilled and fried meats may have traces of gluten residues from prior meal preparations or after being seasoned or battered or crumbed with product containing gluten. Most batters and crumbings are wheat based. However there are gluten free alternatives.

10 – Japanese and Chinese food restaurants serve food with soy sauce. Soy, miso and tamari sauces may contain gluten.

11 – If you have Coeliac kids and they are going to a party, talk to the host in advance regarding the food being served or about your child taking their own food. If you can, suggest a menu with gelatin or popcorn. If unsure, feed the child before the party so that he or she can have fun without being hungry.

12 – When you try any new food you should be aware of any possible impacts on your body. You may be sensitive to ingredients other than gluten. e.g. lactose, fructose, nuts, eggs, sesame, salicylates, flavourings, preservatives, colourings and other potential allergens.

13 – Prescriptions drugs in the form of tablets or capsules may have wheat and hence gluten in their composition. Read the instructions, contact the manufacturer if in doubt, and if necessary talk to your doctor to find a replacement.

14 – Don’t fall for traps such as eating just the “burger” from a cheeseburger, or just the cheese from a pizza, or the meat and vegetables from a soup made with pasta/noodles. The contamination has already happened.

15 – Always contact the Customer Services department at the companies where you have questions or when you want to introduce new products into the diet of a Coeliac and have questions.

16 – Do not use malt vinegars or anything containing malt as these are made using barley and wheat and therefore contain gluten. Be wary of rice malt as this is often made on the same equipment as ordinary malt.

17 – Always check on colourings as some of these may be wheat based and may contain gluten e.g. some caramels.

18 – Always ask about hamburgers, sausages and other small-goods as they often contain wheat flour (and therefore gluten) as a filler and or binder. Sometimes gluten is used for the chewy texture it imparts. Fortunately many sausages etc. are now made gluten free.

19 – Watch for crumb contamination in butter and other spread containers where Coeliacs and non-Coeliacs are sharing the same spread containers. It is probably best if Coeliacs have their own spread containers.

We have heard of a couple where they each had their own pantry, toaster, butter dish and spreads etc. to protect the wife from any accidental gluten contamination. This is extreme but was effective as she was hyper-sensitive to the merest presence of gluten.

20 – Try to find manufacturers who are exclusively gluten free as this is your best guarantee of a safe and uncontaminated product: stick with and support reliable suppliers. Let them know you appreciate their efforts.

Remember: When in doubt, don’t take the risk!

You can access our blog and articles to learn more about Coeliac Disease and gluten free diets.

Paul Smith

Progressive Tower Slicer Available at Kitchen Collection. www.kitchencollection.com
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KitchenAid Mixer Attachment Pack – It’s Like Giving Your Stand Mixer A Swiss Army Knife!

People who love to cook are going to want to get the KitchenAid Mixer Attachment Pack. It gives the home cook a whole new dimension of cooking options to experiment with. Every meal, from breakfast to desert, will be improved with the new set of appliances that come with this attachment set.

With the KitchenAid Mixer Attachment Pack you get a food grinder, slicer, shredder and also a vegetable and fruit strainer. These attachments come in handy whether you are making a salad or grinding burger. The best part is that they are simple to attach and are easy to wash. Most parts are dishwasher safe.

Think about how much space this set will save you. When you take a look at all of the different appliances you would need if you wanted to do everything that the KitchenAid Mixer Attachment Pack does you would need a full restaurant sized kitchen. That’s what’s so great about KitchenAid. Plus, These attachments fit easily into a drawer or cupboard.

You can do everything from grinding homemade breadcrumbs to burgers with the grinding attachment. If you want to make healthy turkey burgers, then this is the product for you. In fact anyone who wants to grind fresh lean meats will love this product. This grinder even lets you make your own special homemade sausage.

Besides grinding burgers you can also make everything from carrot salads to exotic salsas. The different attachments on the KitchenAid Mixer Attachment Pack are easy to change in and out. They offer you the flexibility that a good stand mixer attachment should.

Fantastic deli favorites like coleslaw and decorative vegetable chips are easily made with the attachable vegetable cones. This means that the next time you have a big party you can do most of the food prep yourself. Making your own food will save you a lot of money. With the help of your KitchenAid Mixer attachment pack you can forget about hiring caters or buying ready made food platters from the supermarket.

There is a helpful instruction manual included that shows you exactly how to use the included attachments. Not only that, but also this booklet will give you great ideas about food preparation that you might not have thought about. These attachments are a great addition to any KitchenAid stand mixer. They improve your cooking abilities and will let you make healthy meals without all of the hassles of using multiple appliances.

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