Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Lemon Chicken

Made this dish tonight for the first time and it was delicious!!  Sort of like the lemon chicken you would get from a Chinese restaurant, but way better!  My kids weren't fond of the sauce, but you could just give the kids plain rice with a little butter and salt and the chicken without the sauce.  We also had green beans with it.  My hubby and I ate it over rice and it was awesome!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from Carol Fenster's 100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes cookbook.

LEMON CHICKEN

4 (5 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup gluten-free chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons dried chives or 6 green onions, green parts only, finely chopped diagonally, for garnish
4 cups hot cooked basmati rice, for serving

1)  Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels.  With a meat mallet, pound the chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap until slightly flattened.

2)  In a medium bowl, combine the 1/2 cup cornstarch and the salt.  Dip each chicken breast in the cornstarch mixture to coat thoroughly.

3)  In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Cook the chicken breasts until nicely browned and cooked through and the juice is no longer pink when the centers of the thickest pieces are pierced, about 5 minutes per side.  Remove from the skillet and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

4)  Stir the remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch and the ginger into 1/4 cup broth until smooth.  Add to the skillet, along with the remaining 3/4 cup broth and the honey.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in lemon juice, vinegar and lemon zest.

5)  Cut each chicken breast into 4 slices, slightly at a diagonal.  Arrange on a serving plate and pour the sauce over the chicken.  Sprinkle with the chives and serve immediately with the rice.

NOTES:

~I didn't use the chives or green onions, it's really just for a garnish, so it's optional.  For company, I would add it for sure!

~I used 4 chicken breasts and pounded them pretty thin - maybe 1/2 an inch.  I didn't serve it the way they recommend, but again, for company, you might want to go that route.  I just put rice on each plate, then bite sized pieces of chicken and then covered it with the sauce.  We have lots of leftovers, and I could have doubled the sauce for that much chicken.  For less leftovers, use two chicken breasts and then the amount of sauce above should be perfect.

~I used Minute (white) rice and it was great.


Monday, January 28, 2013

Bob's Red Mill Pancake Mix

My take on BOB'S RED MILL PANCAKE MIX:

We are on the hunt for a yummy boxed (or bagged) pancake mix!  Pamela's was my favorite, but we have had to stop using it because it is not dairy-free!  If you can have dairy, Pamela's is definitely the one I would recommend!

So tonight we tried the Bob's Red Mill.  I tried it plain and then I also added a little cinnamon.  It was very good!  No funny taste, no after taste, very thick and hearty.  I might even make them a little on the thin side next time.  It was so thick and hearty that I could only eat one!  My little guy had his with chocolate chips and he loved it.  Drew (my oldest) said it was yummy too - he eats his in silver dollars, plain, with a light dusting of powdered sugar.  Yes, when it comes to pancakes it our house, they are made to order.  It's not that way with most other meals!

So I may be adding this product to my list of favorites, but I have a few others to try first, so keep checking back!

All-in-all, I would recommend this product.  It was very tasty and you really couldn't tell that it is gluten-free.  Oh - and it's dairy-free too!!

Happy Pancake Making!

Kirsten

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Crab Cakes

Made these tonight for the first time and they were super yummy!  My boys didn't like them very much, but they did eat them.  My little guy liked them a little bit I think.  ; )  I thought they were outstanding!  I didn't have time tonight, but next time, I think I will make a sauce to serve along with them.  Maybe something a little sweet, since the crab cakes are a bit spicy!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: This recipe comes from Carol Fenster's cookbook called "100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes".


CRAB CAKES

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dried minced onion or 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or 1 tablespoon dried
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 large egg
1 tablespoon gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound lump crab meat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1 cup plain gluten-free bread crumbs
2 tablespoons canola oil, for frying

1)  Place a rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 300F.

2)  In a large bowl, combine the mayo, onion, parsley, mustard, Old Bay, egg, Worcestershire, lemon juice, salt and cayenne.  Gently fold in the crab meat and bread crumbs.

3)  Shape the mixture into 16 cakes, about 1 inch thick.  (The crab cakes can be refrigerated overnight at this point, if needed.)

4)  In a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the crab cakes and cook over medium heat until golden and crisp, 2-3 minutes per side.  Transfer the skillet to the oven to keep the crab cakes warm until serving time.

NOTES:

~I used real lump crab meat from Woodman's.  It comes in a can and it is about $19.00 for a pound, but it is worth it!  If you went out to eat, you'd be hard pressed to spend that little on dinner for 4, or even two!

~Mayo is actually dairy-free, but it does contain eggs.

~I didn't have any cayenne, so I left it out and they were still great, and even a little spicy from the mustard and the Old Bay!

~I don't think I got 16 cakes, and I did make mine small, at the thickness she recommends.

~I used cracker crumbs that I make from the Glutino Original Crackers.  That is pretty much my stand-by for bread crumbs.

~You can make Southwestern Crab Cakes by varying the recipe as follows:
In step 1, replace the Old Bay with 2 teaspoons Spice Islands Smoky Mesquite Seasoning and replace the lemon juice with lime juice.  Stir in 1 (4-ounce) can drained chopped green chiles with the crab and bread crumbs.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Sunbutter Crunch Granola

I just made this today for the first time and it was AWESOME!!!  My oldest son loves granola, but had been eating the Quaker brand, before going gluten-free.  There are some delicious gluten-free granolas that you can buy at the store, but they are super expensive, so I was looking for a more reasonable option to make at home.  This has a slight peanut buttery flavor from the Sunbutter and a natural sweetness from the honey and the salt rounds it out perfectly.  It's also gluten and dairy-free.  I hope my son likes it as much as I do!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: This recipe comes from Carol Kicinski's blog:  simplygluten-free.com


SUNBUTTER CRUNCH GRANOLA

1/4 cup creamy Sunbutter
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups certified gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1)  Preheat oven to 325F.  Spray a cookie sheet with gluten-free non-stick cooking spray.

2)  Combine the Sunbutter and honey in a large, microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave for 30 secons or until the Sunbutter has melted.

3)  Stir in the vanilla, salt and oats.  Make sure all the oats are coated with the Sunbutter mixture.

4)  Spread in an even layer on the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice while baking.  Let cool.  Mixture will become crunchy as it cools.

NOTES:

~Sunbutter is a spread made from sunflower seeds.  They will carry it in most natural food stores.  I got mine at Woodman's.

~I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats

~When you spread the mixture onto the cookie sheet, keep it all together in the middle of the sheet, don't allow "straglers" or those lone pieces will burn.

~ I set my timer for 7 minutes, stirred, another 7 minutes, stirred again and then cooked for another 6 minutes before taking it out of the oven and then stirred it one last time.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Banana Oatmeal Bars

These are a delicious and healthy snack for you and your kids!  I know a friend gave me this recipe, but I didn't write down who it was, so I'm sure someone will fess up after seeing it on my blog!  It doesn't get much easier than this - only 4 ingredients!!

Enjoy!
Kirsten


BANANA OATMEAL BARS

2 very large (or 3 medium) ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups quick oats (not instant)

(Optional:  1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce to add more moisture)

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.

2)  Mix ingredients together in a large bowl.

3)  Press dough into a lightly greased 9x9 baking pan.

4)  Bake for 30 minutes.  Cool on wire rack then cut into bars.

NOTES:

~I store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator

~You could also use pecans instead of walnuts

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe is delicious, gluten and dairy-free and my kids will eat the meat, the rice and sometimes the pineapple.  I have no idea where the recipe originally came from.  I have been making it for years and it's in my big book of recipes that I have clipped from various places over the years!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 (10 oz.) can pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
1/4 cup juice from the canned pineapple
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup gluten-free ketchup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1)  In a bowl, combine the chicken with the egg white, salt and cornstarch.  Stir to coat the chicken evenly.  Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

2)  In the meantime, whisk together the pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, salt and brown sugar.

3)  Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates.  Pour in the 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat.  It's important that the pan is very hot.  Add the chicken and spread the chicken out in one layer.  Let the chicken fry untouched for 1 minute, until the bottoms are browned.  Flip and fry the other side the same for 1 minute.  The chicken should still be pinkish in the middle.  Dish out the chicken onto a clean plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

4)  Turn the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil.  Let the oil heat up and then add the bell pepper chunks and ginger.  Fry for 1 minute.  Add the pineapple chunks and the sweet and sour sauce.  Turn the heat to high and when the sauce is simmering, add the chicken pieces back in.  Let simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  Timing depends on how thick you've cut your chicken.  The best way to tell if the chicken is done is to take a piece out and cut into it.  If it's pink, add another minute to the cooking time.

5)  Taste the sauce and add more brown sugar if you like.

NOTES:

~I always use Kosher salt for cooking.

~I like olive oil for sauteing my veggies.

~I have made this without the ginger and it still tasted great, but of course, it's better with it!

~I have never had to add more brown sugar at the end - it always tastes great!

~Serve over white rice.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

My sister-in-law Martha is a wonderful cook and she gave me this recipe a few years ago.  Believe it or not, I can get my kids to eat it!  It's definitely not dairy-free, but it is gluten-free and you could definitely alter the recipe to make it dairy-free as well.

Enjoy!
Kirsten


CRUSTLESS SPINACH QUICHE

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
6 eggs
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained
4 green onions, finely chopped
5 fresh mushrooms, sliced

1)  In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese.  Add milk, eggs and pepper and beat until smooth.

2)  Stir in remaining ingredients.

3)  Transfer to a 10 inch quiche pan or a pie plate coated with Pam and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

NOTES:

~I used a 9 inch pie plate and it works just fine.

~The key to making this kid-friendly is to chop the veggies up small!

~Serve it with some cornbread and you have an easy and healthy meal!

Marie's Beef Tips

This is a family recipe that has been passed down from my husband's grandmother, Marie!  My kids even enjoy this dish (without the mushrooms) and it's one of mine and my husband's favorites.

Enjoy!
Kirsten


MARIE'S BEEF TIPS

2 lbs. beef stew meat
1 medium onion, chopped  (or 1 pkg. gluten-free onion soup mix, or 3 T. dried minced onion)
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon each, salt & pepper
2 cans beef broth
1 teaspoon granulated beef bouillon**
3/4 tablespoon gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
1 (8 oz.) package mushrooms (optional)
1/2 cup red wine

1)  Coat stew meat in gluten-free flour and brown in olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.

2)  Put meat into crock pot with onion, garlic salt, salt & pepper, beef broth, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms, and wine.

3)  Cook on low for 2-3 hours until meat is tender and can be easily pulled apart with a fork.

4)  Take meat out of crock pot and put aside on a plate, ladle out a cupful of the broth and whisk in a couple tablespoons of corn starch - then add back into crock pot.

5)  Break cooked stew meat apart into smaller pieces and add back into broth in crock pot.

6)  Serve over gluten-free noodles (I like Schar Brand pasta the best!)

NOTES:

~I prefer beef broth that does not contain any MSG - and I just use 1 box, instead of 2 cans.

~There is a lot of salt in this recipe, so you could omit the extra salt and use garlic powder instead of garlic salt and that would be fine.

~Omit the mushrooms to make it kid-friendly.

~I omit the beef bouillon and it still tastes great.  The one that I had at home contained gluten, so  make sure to check this if you are gluten-free!

~Rule of thumb on cooking with wine - don't use it if you wouldn't drink it!


Fudge Babies

One of my friend's used to have a cookie exchange every year and one year, my friend Ginger brought these awesome little chocolate balls of goodness!  They are simple, healthy and delicious!  Oh, and it's a sneaky way to get your kids to eat nuts and dates!!

Enjoy!
Kirsten


FUDGE BABIES

1 cup raw walnuts
1 1/2 cups pitted dates
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1)  Chop/blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

2)  Roll into little balls.

Makes 24-30

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Beef Pot Roast

This is my favorite pot roast recipe!

Enjoy,
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from foodnetwork.com - courtesy of Sandra Lee

BEEF POT ROAST

1 (12 oz.) bag frozen onions
1 (8 oz.) bag baby carrots
1 (8 oz.) package sliced mushrooms
1/2 pounds small new potatoes, halved
4 pound beef chuck roast
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (10.75 oz.) can gluten-free condensed cream of celery soup
1 packet gluten-free onion soup mix
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup gluten-free steak sauce

1)  In a slow cooker, put the onions, carrots, mushrooms and potatoes.

2)  Season the roast with salt and pepper and place it in the slow cooker on top of the veggies.

3)  In a small bowl, stir together the cream of celery soup, onion soup mix, beef broth and steak sauce.  Pour over top of roast.

4)  Cover and cook on high setting for 3 to 4 hours or low for 8 to 9 hours.

NOTES:

~I use about 3 or 4 medium sized yellow onions instead of the frozen.

~I have also used beef stew meat in place of the chuck roast.

~I use A-1 steak sauce.

~If you want to thicken up the broth, take out the meat and veggies when done, put the broth into a saucepan on the stove over medium high heat and add about 1/4 cup of gluten-free flour (sorghum flour works well, or cornstarch), stir constantly and bring to a boil, lower heat and cook until thickened.  Pour over meat & veggies and serve.

~If you use beef stew meat, your cooking time will be shorter than the times above.




Easy Chili

This is just your basic chili recipe - it's easy and delicious!  I like to make it in the crock pot and let it simmer for a few hours to really give it lots of flavor!  The recipe can also be doubled easily to feed a larger crowd - say for a Superbowl party!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

EASY CHILI

1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno chile peppers (optional)
1 (29 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (16 oz.) can chili beans, undrained
Salt & pepper to taste

1)  In a large saucepan over medium high heat, combine the ground beef, onion and bell peppers.  Saute for about 5 minutes, or until beef is browned.  Drain excess fat.

2)  Add the chili powder, garlic, bay leaf, cumin, chile peppers, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

NOTES:

~I do not use the jalapenos, it is spicy enough for me without them, but if you like it extra spicy, go for it!

~Don't forget to fish out your bay leaf before serving!

~I usually make it in the crock pot, so after draining the beef & veggies, I add them to my crock pot, which already has the rest of the ingredients in it.  Stir it well and cook on low for a couple of hours or more and enjoy!

~Don't forget the gluten-free cornbread on the side!  If you don't want to make it from scratch, Pamela's make an awesome cornbread mix!!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Allie's Awesome Buckwheat Pancakes by 1-2-3 Gluten Free

My take on ALLIE'S AWESOME BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES:

Since having gone dairy free, we cannot have Pamela's pancake mix anymore, so sad!!  So I am on the hunt for another pancake mix.  I may end up making them from scratch, but for now, I want a quick box mix to rely on.

I recently bought four different pancake mixes and we are going to try them one-by-one and see which one we like the best.

So this morning, we tried Allie's Awesome Buckwheat Pancakes by 1-2-3 gluten free and....well....they were not so awesome!

I thought the mix smelled a little funny, but I liked the texture.  I kept my batter thick and they puffed up nicely and made a nice hearty pancake, however, they seem to have a very strange after taste.

My 7-year old likes pancakes with just a light dusting of powdered sugar and he was almost in tears after the first silver dollar pancake he ate.  He really didn't like the taste that it left in his mouth.  I definitely noticed it too.  It was very strong when I tried a couple of bites of his plain pancakes.  I made mine with blueberries and I put a little maple syrup on them and it masked it a little bit, but I think we will move on and see if some of the other ones are better.

This mix tastes good when you are chewing it, but the after taste is pretty strong.  To me, it wasn't horrible, but I'd prefer to have pancakes without the after taste!


Sunday, January 20, 2013

Mexican Two Bean Chicken Chili

This is one of my favorite chili recipes.  I have been making it for years and many people have requested the recipe over the years.  My kids won't eat it yet, but I'm sure some day it will become a favorite of theirs too.  I love to serve it with some jalapeno cheddar cornbread with honey butter - yum!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

MEXICAN TWO BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

1 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 3/4 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (14.5 oz. each) cans chicken broth
1 (16 oz.) jar thick and chunky salsa (you choose the heat)
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1-2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin

1)  In a large pot, combine chicken broth, salsa and tomato sauce.

2)  Add chopped zucchini, beans, corn, shredded chicken, garlic and spices.

3)  Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes or until zucchini is somewhat tender, but not mushy.



Cheesy Potatoes

These are sinful, but absolutely amazing and very easy to make!  This is one of those great potluck dishes that everyone will want the recipe for!  This recipe is gluten-free, but unfortunately, not dairy-free.

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: This recipe came from my friend Stacy, so I'm not sure of the origin of the recipe.

CHEESY POTATOES

1 pound Velveeta
1 can cream of chicken soup (gluten-free recipe below)
2 sticks butter
1 bag frozen shredded hashbrowns
2 cups gluten-free cornflakes

1)  Melt Velveeta and 1 stick of butter in microwave until creamy.  Add soup and mix well.
 
2)  Put hashbrowns in 9x13 pan. Poor cheese mixture over the top and stir well.  Spread evenly in pan.
 
3)  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
 
4)  Melt remaining stick of butter and stir in cornflakes. Spread evenly over top of potatoes.  Bake for another 30 minutes. 
 
Gluten-Free Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon butter
1 cube chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
 
1)  Whisk cold milk and corn starch in small saucepan over med-high heat until dissolved.
 
2)  Add butter, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
 
3)  Continue to whisk until boiling.  Turn to low and let simmer for 1 minute. 

Calico Beans

Another awesome recipe from my sweet friend Stacy.  Perfect for your summer parties and BBQ's!

Enjoy!
Kirsten


CALICO BEANS

½ pound bacon
½ pound ground beef
1 can kidney beans
1 can butter beans
25-30 oz can baked beans OR pork n beans

Sauce:
½ cup brown suger
½ cup sugar
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons molasses
½ teaspoon chili powder

 1)  Brown and drain bacon and beef.  Put in crock pot.
2)  Drain kidney and butter beans, add to crock pot.  Add baked beans (do not drain).
3)  Mix the sauce in a separate bowl.  Add to crock pot and mix well.
4)  Cook in on low for at least 4 hours, but they can cook longer to keep warm until ready to eat.  


Caramel Apple Salad

My friend Stacy gave me this recipe, so I'm not sure where it originally came from, but it is AWESOME!!  If you are dairy-free, you can't do the Cool Whip, and I haven't looked into non-dairy options for that yet, but I'm sure they're out there!  This is very easy to whip up and everyone raves about it and has seconds, and thirds!

Enjoy,
Kirsten
CARAMEL APPLE SALAD
6 small granny smith apples, skin on, cored and chopped (toss in lemon juice to keep from discoloring)
16 oz Cool Whip
3 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
6-8 Snickers bars
Caramel ice cream topping (optional)
Peanuts (optional)

1)  Mix Cool Whip and pudding mix together in a large bowl, mixture will seem a little lumpy.
2)  Add apples and snickers.
3)  Chill for at least an hour.  Before serving, drizzle with warm caramel sauce and peanuts (if desired).

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles

I just tried this recipe last week and the cookies were incredible!  They were soft, chewy and delicious!  You'd never know they were gluten-free!  The recipe uses Silvana's All Purpose Flour Blend - see post with the same name for the flour blend recipe.

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from my favorite GF/DF cookbook by Silvana Nardone, called Cooking for Isaiah.

GLUTEN-FREE SNICKERDOODLES

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons Silvana's All-Purpose Flour Blend
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup all-vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1)  Preheat oven to 375F.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2)  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon.

3)  In a large bowl and using a fork, beat together the shortening, brown sugar and 4 tablespoons granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Gradually beat in the flour mixture.

4)  In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.  Using a medium sized cookie scoop, scoop up rounds of dough and dip the rounded side of the dough into the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat; place 2 inches apart, sugared side up on the prepared baking sheets and bake until golden at the edges, about 10 minutes.

5)  Let cool for about 2 minutes.  Using a spatula, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTES:

~In the cookbook, the recipe is listed as Brown Sugar-Pecan Ice Cream Snickerdoodle Sanwiches, but I skipped the icecream part and just made the cookies.

~I used my KitchenAid mixer starting with Step #3 and it worked beautifully.

~A key to gluten-free baking is - things are always better if they are just a tad under cooked!  With cookies and brownies, take them out of the oven when look "almost" done!

Gluten Free at Chuck E.!

Chuck E. Cheese has jumped on the gluten-free band wagon!


Chuck E. Cheese's wants every child to experience the unleashed joy of a fun day at one of their stores.  Offering gluten-free menu options that moms and dads can trust to be safe and still taste great expands a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's from games to food and fun even for guests with the highest gluten sensitivities.  Try our individual cheese pizza and chocolate fudge cupcake at your local Chuck E. Cheese's today!

Gluten-free Menu FAQs

How many Chuck E. Cheese’s locations offer a gluten-free menu?
Chuck E. Cheese’s offers gluten-free menu items at more than 500 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

When will the gluten-free menu be available at all Chuck E. Cheese’s?
The gluten-free menu is available at more than 500 Chuck E. Cheese’s locations beginning Nov. 13.

How can I find out if my local Chuck E. Cheese’s offers the gluten-free menu?
Guests can inquire about their local restaurant’s gluten-free menu by contacting guest relations at 1-888-778-7193.

What items are on the gluten-free menu?
Chuck E. Cheese’s gluten-free menu includes a personal-size cheese pizza and an individual chocolate cupcake.

Did Chuck E. Cheese’s do any market testing of the gluten-free menu before rolling it out nationally?
Chuck E. Cheese’s tested offering a gluten-free menu in Minnesota and Iowa.

How much will the gluten-free menu items cost?
Chuck E. Cheese’s personal-size gluten-free pizza costs $5.99 at most locations in the U.S. The chocolate cupcake costs $2.99 in the U.S. or C$3.49 in Canada. Prices may vary slightly at some locations.

Why did Chuck E. Cheese’s decide to add gluten-free items to its menu?
Chuck E. Cheese’s wants every child to experience the unleashed joy of a fun day at one of their stores, but feedback from guests indicated that many of them were missing out on a classic experience with their friends due to gluten restrictions. Researching and developing a gluten-free menu that moms and dads could trust was the best way to ensure that children with gluten sensitivities have the same experience as those without.  While there are still more food allergies to address, gluten-free was one that we felt we could address at this time.

What makes Chuck E. Cheese’s gluten-free pizza different from other chains offering gluten-free pizza?
Chuck E. Cheese’s utilizes an innovative and unique process from kitchen to table that reduces the gluten-free pizza’s chances of encountering any sort of particle that might cross-contaminate the product and make it unsafe for a guest with strict gluten intolerance. Additionally, Chuck E. Cheese’s gluten-free cheese pizza is sold for the same price as its personal-size pizza with traditional crust.

Does Chuck E. Cheese’s work with any gluten-free product partners on either the pizza or the cupcake?
Chuck E. Cheese’s gluten-free pizza is manufactured and delivered to store locations by Conte’s Pasta and the chocolate cupcake is produced by Fabe’s All Natural Bakery. More information about Conte’s Pasta at http://www.contespasta.com/ and Fabe’s All Natural Bakery at http://www.fabesnatural.com/.

How were the partners evaluated and selected?
Chuck E. Cheese’s looked for partners who could work with the company to implement safeguards that significantly reduced the chances for cross-contamination in their gluten-free products. Those who could were then evaluated on taste to arrive at the final product partners.

Where is the gluten-free pizza made?
The gluten-free pizza is manufactured in Conte’s Pasta’s gluten-free certified facility in New Jersey.

How does the gluten-free pizza get from the kitchen to the guest’s table?
The gluten-free pizza arrives at Chuck E. Cheese’s locations from Conte’s Pasta’s dedicated, certified gluten-free facilities in frozen, pre-sealed packaging. The bake-in-bag pizza remains sealed while cooked and delivered, until it is opened and served with a personal pizza cutter at families’ tables by the adult in charge.  Under the same procedure, gluten-free chocolate fudge cupcakes from Fabe’s All Natural Bakery will remain in pre-sealed, single-serve packaging through preparation until opened and served at the table.

Are Chuck E. Cheese’s gluten-free menu options appropriate for children and adults with celiac disease?
Yes, Chuck E. Cheese’s gluten-free menu items are manufactured in dedicated gluten-free certified facilities and kept sealed from delivery to kitchen to table to prevent possible cross-contamination from outside particles.

Are Chuck E. Cheese’s gluten-free menu items endorsed by any nationally recognized organization dedicated to raising awareness about celiac disease?
Chuck E. Cheese’s pizza partner Conte’s Pasta is Certified Gluten-free by the Gluten-free Certification Organization (GFCO). Fabe’s All Natural Bakery’s products also proudly wear a Certified Gluten-free logo established by the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG).

Does Chuck E. Cheese’s offer gluten-free birthday parties?
Chuck E. Cheese’s doesn’t currently offer a gluten-free birthday party package, but guests are encouraged to add gluten-free options to existing birthday party packages by working with one of our representatives in-store, by calling 1-888-778-7193 or selecting the options as additions when reserving a birthday party online.

What is the nutritional content of the items on the gluten-free menu?
The gluten-free pizza is 370 calories per serving and the gluten-free chocolate cupcake is 380 calories per serving.

What is a "Baby Carrot" anyway?

I really didn't know what a baby carrot was exactly and I wanted to make sure that I wasn't feeding my family another GMO product - so I "dug" into the history of the baby carrot and here is what I found!  It's everything you could ever want to know about baby carrots - and more!

Happy Reading!
Kirsten

The Origin and Evolution of Baby Carrots

In the 1980's supermarkets expected carrots to be a particular size, shape, and color. Anything else had to be sold for juice or processing or animal feed, or just thrown away. One farmer wondered what would happen if he peeled the skin off the gnarly carrots, cut them into pieces, and sold them in bags. He made up a few test batches to show his buyers. One batch, cut into 1-inch bites and peeled round, he called "bunny balls." Another batch, peeled and cut 2 inches long, looked like little baby carrots.

Bunny balls never made it. But baby carrots were a hit. They transformed the whole industry.

A "true" baby carrot is a carrot grown to the "baby stage", which is to say long before the root reaches its mature size. The test is can you see a prTrue Baby Carrotsoper "shoulder" on each carrot. These immature roots are preferred by some people out of the belief that they are superior either in texture, nutrition or taste.

They are also sometimes harvested simply as the result of crop thinning, but are also grown to this size as a specialty crop. Certain cultivars of carrots have been bred to be used at the "baby" stage. One such cultivar is 'Amsterdam Forcing'. You will see them in the stores and are normally very expensive and displayed with some of the green showing to "prove" they are a "real" carrot.

There is also a baby variety called Thumbelina, or Paris Market shaped like a golf ball.

Tired of the wastefulness he was seeing, Mike Yurosek whittled "babies" from grown-up cast off carrots.

"Manufactured" baby carrots , or cut and peel, are what you see most often in the shops - are carrot shaped slices of peeled carrots invented in the late 1980's by Mike Yurosek, a California farmer, as a way of making use of carrots which are too twisted or knobbly for sale as full-size carrots. Yurosek was unhappy at having to discard as much as 400 tons of carrots a day because of their imperfections, and looked for a way to reclaim what would otherwise be a waste product. He was able to find an industrial green bean cutter, which cut his carrots into 5 cm lengths, and by placing these lengths into an industrial potato peeler, he created the baby carrot. The much decreased waste is also used either for juicing or as animal fodder. Perhaps most important, the baby-cut method allows growers to use far more of the carrot than they used to. In the past, a third or more of a carrot crop could have been easily tossed away, but baby-cut allows more partial carrots to be used, and the peeling process actually removes less of the outer skin that you might imagine. They are sold in single-serving packs with ranch dressing for dipping on the side. They're passed out on airplanes and sold in plastic containers designed to fit in a car's cup holder. At Disney World, and McDonald's burgers now come two ways: with fries or baby carrots.
There is nothing "wrong" with manufactured baby carrots. They are a food that humans have enjoyed for centuries, probably millennia, chock-full of goodness that we need to keep our bodies functioning. Mr Yurosek died in 2005. Read the full story here.


Transformed to the core
The baby-cut boom also transformed the industry from its roots up. Before, growers were more interested in a bulky carrot with more of a tapered shape. But those were hard to chop into baby shape, so plant breeders worked to create varieties that were longer and narrower, allowing a producer to get four cuts instead of three on each carrot root, which is the part of the plant we eat.

They also found they could limit the diameter size of carrots by increasing the density with which they were planted — a discovery that helped them harvest more carrots per acre. (This sort of change wasn’t new for carrot growers: Up to the 1950s, when carrots were sold with their leaves intact, they were bred for hearty leaf growth. That stopped after grocers started selling just roots.)

Today’s carrot is also now bred for uniform color. Because the cutting process exposes much of the root to the buyer’s eye, producers don’t want their bags of carrots to be colored like a paint palette. With baby carrots or cut-and-peel carrots, you can see the core of every chunk,. The growers would like every carrot in that bag to look like every other one. Growers also obsess about texture and taste. You might find carrots far sweeter than they were in the past, and that’s intentional. Researchers found much of their appeal as a snack came from their sweetness, especially for perennially sweet-toothed kids, and bred them to have more natural sugar and less of the harsh taste that comes if you do a poor job of peeling.

The new varieties’ names reflect the change in growers’ needs: Prime Cut, Sweet Cuts, Morecuts.

What is perhaps most important, the baby-cut method allows growers to use far more of the carrot than they used to. In the past, a third or more of a carrot crop could have been easily tossed away, but baby-cut allows more partial carrots to be used, and the peeling process actually removes less of the outer skin that you might imagine — in part because growers, who are selling by weight, don’t want to take off more than they need to.

And what’s left over after the initial processing can still be used in even smaller products, or squeezed for juice.

There is no doubt that baby carrots are a fun snack and are a great way to introduce healthy foods into the often French fry and fast food driven diets of children and teenagers, because from the snacking perspective, they are convenient and satisfying. Even in the busiest jobs, like agents working in a business answering service or doctors treating patients at a hospital, the baby carrot has almost universal appeal. Want a little crunch with your lunch? Try a carrot!

What happens to the left over pieces of carrots?

It mainly goes to animal feed, though I also know of some, where it can go to juice and for pulping into baby foods/soups etc. There seems to be two attitudes - 1. it is "waste" (for animal feed). 2. It has a commercial value and is passed on to the food processing industry.

The problem is that the cutting down/shaving process is designed to do just that, it is rarely commercially viable to ensure the shavings are collected effectively to remain clean and safe to pass on to the food industry. It's ok for animals!.

Because it is not a consistent left over, in terms of size, the cuttings do not go to salads or other fresh products. The carrot cake producers buy shredded carrot made from whole big carrots as it easier to process that way and you get more for your money.

The "waste" is becoming less and less as the machines get more efficient. For example many of the modern computer/laser guided machines can make 3 babies out of one carrot.

Some Statistics:

bullet In the US over 172 million tonnes of carrots are processed into baby peeled carrots.
bullet In the US baby peeled carrots sales exceed US$400 million per annum.
bullet Overall carrot consumption in the US has increased by 33% through the introduction of baby peeled carrots.
bullet In the US annual consumer spending on baby peeled carrots exceeds US$2.00 per head.
bullet In 1999 baby peeled carrot purchases passed whole carrots. 94% of US consumers purchased baby peeled carrots
bullet 90% had bought whole carrots. Purchases of baby peeled carrots were even ahead of fresh salad mixes.
bullet Baby peeled carrots have the lion's share of the carrot category accounting for over 80% of all retail carrot sales.
bullet Up until 2000 baby carrots have dominated US produce department's with excellent growth ahead of all other produce items.
From Field to Supermarket Shelf
bullet
In the field, two-story carrot harvesters use long metal prongs to open up the soil, while rubber belts grab the green tops and pull.
bullet
The carrots ride up the belts to the top of the picker, where an automated cutter snips off the greens.
bullet
They're trucked to the processing plant, where they're put in icy water to bring their temperature down to 37 degrees to inhibit spoiling.
bullet
They are sorted by thickness.
bullet
Thin carrots continue on the processing line; the others will be used as whole carrots, juice or cattle feed.
bullet
An inspector looks for rocks, debris or malformed carrots that slip through.
bullet
The carrots are shaped into 2-inch pieces by automated cutters.
bullet
An optical sorter discards any piece that has green on it.
bullet
The pieces are pumped through pipes to the peeling tanks.
bullet
The peelers rotate, scraping the skin off the carrots.
bullet
The carrots are weighed and bagged by an automated scale and packager.
bullet
Finally placed in cold storage until they are shipped.
Strictly "baby" means immature, pulled from the ground before they reach full size. Originally that was the case, nowadays they have developed miniature strains which are mature when small in stature!

Real baby carrots (miniature version of full size) are what they are, about 3 or 4 inches in length.

Baby "style" cut carrots (those whittled down from larger carrots) started off by the "inventor" as being approx 2 inches in the 1980's, and have remained so, more or less, ever since.
Here is the full story of the popular Baby Cut & Peel carrot:
 It all began in the mid 80's ago when Mike Yurosek of Newhall, California got tired of seeing 400 tons of carrots a day drop down the cull chute at his packing plant in Bakersfield. Culls are carrots that are too twisted, knobbly, bent or broken to sell. In some loads, as many as 70% of carrots were tossed.

Yurosek had always been a "think outside the carrot patch" guy. In the 1960s, Yurosek and Sons was selling carrots in plastic bags with a Bunny-Luv logo, a cartoon that got the farmers in trouble with Warner Bros., which was protective of its Bugs Bunny brand. Instead of bringing in lawyers and spending a fortune, Yurosek recalls, "I said to my wife who is a pretty good drawer, 'Hey, draw me up about 50 bunnies, would you? Then we'll send them to Warner Bros. and ask them to tell us which ones we can use.' "  The entertainment giant picked one, and Bunny-Luv lived on for the price of a pencil. The farmer continued growing carrots, and throwing them out, for decades. But in 1986, Yurosek had the idea that would change American munching habits. California's Central Valley is dotted with farms, fruit and vegetable processors, and freezing plants. Yurosek knew full well that freezers routinely cut up his long, well-shaped carrots into cubes, coins and mini-carrots. "If they can do that, why can't we, and pack 'em fresh?" he wondered.

First he had to cut the culls into something small enough to make use of their straight parts. The first batch was done in a potato peeler and cut by hand. Then he found a frozen-food company that was going out of business and bought an industrial green-bean cutter, which just happened to cut things into 2-inch pieces. Thus was born the standard size for a baby carrot.

Next, he sent one of his workers to a packing plant and loaded the cut-up carrots into an industrial potato peeler to take off the peel and smooth down the edges. What he ended up with was a little rough but still recognizable as the baby carrot of today.

After a bit of practice and an investment in some bagging machinery, he called one of his best customers, a Vons supermarket in Los Angeles. "I said, 'I'm sending you some carrots to see what you think.' Next day they called and said, 'We only want those.' "
 
The babies were an economic powerhouse. Stores paid 10 cents a bag for whole carrots and sold them for 17 cents. They paid 50 cents for a 1-pound package of baby carrots and sold them for $1. By 1989, more markets were on board, and the baby-carrot juggernaut had begun. Today, these "babies" come from one main place in the US: Bakersfield, California. The state produces almost three-quarters of U.S. carrots because of its favourable climate and deep, not-too-heavy soil. Every day, somewhere in the state, carrots are either being planted or harvested (20 million pounds in 2006).

Which is why Bakersfield is home to the nation's top two carrot processors: Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms. In the early 1990s, Yurosek sold his company to rival Grimmway. The Bunny-Luv logo still can be found on Grimmway's organic carrots. But it's Bakersfield's other carrot producer, Bolthouse, that carries on the Yurosek tradition. Yurosek's grandson Derek is Bolthouse's director of agricultural operations.

The Industry calls them "Minis" and have brought about a carrot-breeding revolution, says the USDA's Simon, who also teaches horticulture at the University of Wisconsin. Carrots originally were sold in bulk, straight from the farm. The first advance was the "cello" carrot. Introduced in the 1950s, these were washed and sold in newfangled (at the time) cellophane bags. "Cello carrots had to look like a carrot, and that was enough," Simon says.

Enter the baby carrot. Suddenly carrots were "branded." Instead of just carrots, they were Bunny-Luv or Bolthouse or Grimmway carrots. Consumers could remember the name, and if they got a bad carrot, they wouldn't buy that particular brand any more. Breeders got to work, getting rid of woodiness and bitterness. They also bred for enhanced length, smoothness and a cylindrical quality that lets processors clip off as little of the tip as possible.
Balancing these with the desirable sweetness and juiciness is a delicate task, Simon says. The faintly bitter taste is essential to what makes a carrot taste like a carrot. "I've had carrots that have more of a flavour note of peas or corn," he says.

Get the carrot too juicy and it breaks in the field. "There are some carrot varieties so succulent they're amazing, but they're like glass," Simon says. "Consumers like juicy carrots, but if they're all broken, you can't sell them."
None of this was done with fancy genetic engineering. "You just grow lots of carrots and look at them and taste them," Simon says. Breeders started experimenting with seed from varieties culled in the past for being too long to fit into the plastic bag.

"Prior to baby carrots, the ideal length for a carrot was somewhere between 6 and 7 inches," Simon says. Now they're typically 8 inches long, a "three-cut" that can make three 2-inch babies. And breeders are edging toward fields of even longer carrots. "You make it a four-cut, and you've got a 33% yield increase," Simon says.

The baby-cut boom transformed the industry from its roots up. Before, growers were more interested in a bulky carrot with more of a tapered shape. But those were hard to chop into baby shape, so plant breeders worked to create varieties that were longer and narrower, allowing a producer to get four cuts instead of three on each carrot root, which is the part of the plant we eat. They also found they could limit the diameter size of carrots by increasing the density with which they were planted — a discovery that helped them harvest more carrots per acre. Mr Yurosek is often referred to as the "Father of Baby Carrots". By simply cutting carrots into 2-inch sections, he won a well-earned place in agricultural history. Equally deserved is his legacy in business lore. Yurosek transformed an industry by addressing a common problem. Whereas most growers focused their energies on production excellence, Yurosek addressed another ingredient required for success: customer relevance. Sadly he died of cancer in 2005.

Why is one little carrot so important?

Some children refuse to eat vegetables and many won’t touch a carrot unless it can be used as a sword during playtime. Sometimes it can feel like it’s just not worth the bother to try and feed them vegetables at every meal. But according to the World Health Organization, eating vegetables like carrots can help prevent blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency.

Vitamin A deficiency partially or totally blinds nearly 350,000 children from more than 75 countries every year. Roughly 60 percent of these children die within months of going blind. 

However, vitamin A deficiency is preventable. One cooked carrot has approximately 150% of the Recommended Daily Amount of beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A. Vitamin A helps to prevent night blindness, dry skin, poor bone growth, weak tooth enamel, diarrhoea and slow growth.

The greatest health benefits come from eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. The American Institute for Cancer Research has estimated that a diet high in a variety of fruits and vegetables may prevent 20 to 33 percent of lung cancers.

The cartenoids found in greens, broccoli and spinach may help protect against other cancers. Eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables supplies a whole range of nutrients, which provide the kind of protection originally attributed to betacarotene alone. Unfortunately, most children are not interested in cancer and disease prevention so it is parents who have to resort to sneaking nutrition in the foods kids love. And the Baby Carrot plays it part.


Over 40 brands are sold, marketed under such names as Premier and Bunny-Luv, and more modern names to reflect what the consumer wants, like Prime Cut, Sweet Cuts, Morecuts. The market now also covers things such as baby-cut but also sticks, chips, dipping packages, shredded carrots and juice.  The Future  Packaged carrot products have become so ubiquitous that the industry has levelled off in per-capita consumption. Americans are still eating 50 percent more carrots than they were, but ironically, the carrot has regained such an important position on the shopping list that some in the industry worry it could be losing its value as a premium product. (And some of that drop, they point out, could also be because peeled products actually offer more edible carrot per pound. Buying less doesn’t mean eating less.)

With that in mind, researchers are always looking for ways to spice up the carrot. Producers want to darken the color of carrots, not just for aesthetics but also because the deeper orange signals more beta-carotene, an antioxidant that serves as one of the best sources of vitamin A, for which carrots are renowned. Scientists are pushing the color curve - producing white, red and purple carrots that are actually the colors of the roots of carrots that were originally grown 1,000 years ago. The rainbow colors give growers still more marketing options - especially for kids, who seem drawn to items that look like someone was having fun with crayons - and could even be mixed together in a variety pack. Look for a Rainbow Pack at a store near you!

Eat 'em Like Junk Food Campaign

In 2009, after a decade of steady growth, Bolthouse's carrot sales went flat. Sales of baby carrots, the company's cash carrot, actually fell, sharply, and stayed down. Nobody knew why. This was a big problem. After a series of focus groups and surveys something interesting was discovered. People said they were eating as many carrots as they always had. But the numbers clearly showed they were buying fewer. What people meant, it turned out, was they were as likely as ever to keep carrots in the fridge. When the recession hit, though, they became more likely to buy regular carrots, instead of baby carrots, to save money. But people used to eating baby carrots weren't taking the time to wash and cut the regular ones. And unlike baby carrots, which dry out pretty quickly once a bag is opened, regular carrots keep a long time. So people were buying regular carrots and then not eating them, and not buying more until the carrots they had were finally gone or spoiled.


Bolthouse had never marketed its baby carrots. It just sent truckloads to supermarkets, where they got piled up in the produce aisle. A new advertising campaign was needed.

The concept was "To have a great advertising idea, you have to get at the truth of the product. The truth about baby carrots is they possess many of the defining characteristics of our favourite junk food. They're neon orange, they're crunchy, they're dippable, they're kind of addictive - They're just cool and part of your life. If Doritos can sell cheeseburger-flavoured Doritos, we can sell baby carrots." A new jazzy packaging portfolio was created, aimed primarily at junk food addicts and it soon became a roaring success.

(The above information is taken from a more detailed piece by Douglas McGray writing for the Fast Company - read the full article )

$25m campaign to Get Kids to Eat Carrots by branding them like junk food - According to USA Today, a group of producers will unveil a sophisticated media campaign designed to drive a wedge between the munching public and our snack foods, a wedge in the shape of a carrot. This campaign will include repackaging carrots for school vending machines in bags that resemble Doritos (both orange, little-finger size, crunchy, so consumers probably won't even notice the difference, right?) (Left, Halloween "Scarrots" 2010)

vending machine baby carrot bags Baby Carrots Vending Machine 2010

A few words of warning, and the viable alternative - Citrox!
Baby carrots are not as nutritious as full whole carrots, because a lot of the goodness in carrots is contained in the skin and just below it. This is removed in the baby carrot making process.
After harvesting, the carrots are mainly washed in chlorinated water, just like our drinking water, and cleaned to remove dirt and mud. Some finished baby carrots are washed, or dipped, by a further chlorine solution to prevent white blushing once in the store. There is no evidence that this is harmful, but it is worth knowing about!. However organic growers use a citrus based non toxic solution called Citrox (The ProGarda™), the natural alternative to synthetic biocides for the decontamination of fresh produce, food and beverages. Citrox technology incorporates a truly holistic approach designed to increase the effectiveness and profitability of food and beverage production processes. A brief overview of this product here.
All Citrox products are made from natural extracts or naturally derived compounds. Some of them are permitted for use in organic production (e.g.: fruit & vegetable decontaminant) or certified organic (e.g.: pre-harvest treatment products). All the Citrox derivatives are completely non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, non-corrosive, and non-tainting in use. They can actually be added to foodstuffs. They are formed by the bioflavonoid extracts and a range of completely natural organic acids, this combination having highly synergistic effects in all their many applications. The ProGarda™ decontaminant range has been specifically formulated for the decontamination of fruits and vegetables. These products are viable alternatives to the use of chlorine (or other compounds or systems) for decontaminating fresh fruits and vegetables. More about Citrox here.
According to Randy Worobo, an associate professor of food microbiology at Cornell University, you need not worry. As reported in Prevention magazine, he says carrots are not preserved in bleach but rinsed in a chlorine wash that's recommended by the FDA to kill bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli. Most pre-cut produce, including frozen vegetables and fruit salad, is washed with this or similar sanitizers.
Baby Cut and Peeled Carrots are treated with chlorine. It is used as an anti-microbial treatment to control potential contamination in the finished product. Carrots that are treated with chlorine are subsequently soaked and rinsed with potable water to remove the excess chlorine before being packaged.
Sanitizers that can be used to wash or to assist in lye peeling of fruits and vegetables are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in accordance with the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act as outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Ch. 1, Section 173.315.
Chlorine is routinely used as a sanitizer in wash, spray, and flume waters used in the fresh fruit and vegetable industry. Anti-microbial activity depends on the amount of free available chlorine (as hypochlorous acid) in water that comes in contact with microbial cells. The effectiveness of chlorine in killing pathogenic micro organisms has been extensively studied." For more information on the use of Chlorine as a routine anti-microbial sanitizer, you can visit the following government web site;
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol3no4/beuchat.htm
 
More on the Chlorine scare
 
What about the chlorine? Some carrots are washed with chlorinated water. This water must have a pH (acidity) between 6.0 and 7.0. The concentration of chlorine in the water should be between 100 and 150 ppm (parts per million). The time of contact between the carrots and the chlorinated water should not exceed 5 minutes. This must be removed from the carrots by rinsing with potable water or using a centrifugal drier. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the use of chlorine as a antimicrobial treatment is a current accepted practice in the processing for all fresh cut ready-to-eat vegetables.

This ‘Chlorine’ is most likely sodium hypochlorite also known as chlorine bleach. It is used as a disinfectant and antimicrobial in many industries. It is made by reacting a sodium hydroxide solution (also know as caustic soda or lye) with elemental chlorine gas. All of these chemicals are made from sodium chloride, also known as salt. Next time do some research look up cholera if you want a glimpse of what the world was like before the wide availability of chlorine disinfection!

Like other ready-to-eat fresh vegetables, baby-cut carrots are rinsed or sprayed with very diluted chlorine to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination, and then thoroughly washed and bagged. This process is approved by the FDA and accepted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, with strict rules for what concentration of chlorine can be used and how long the carrots can be exposed. Chlorine is similarly used as a disinfectant in public water supplies and sometimes in poultry processing. It is toxic at high concentrations, but there is no evidence that trace amounts left on food and in water are harmful to health.

Is this dangerous? Chlorination is a well-known and well-tested way to disinfect food products. Our tap water is chlorinated as well. When you disinfect something, that means that you kill the bacteria that are present. Chlorine kills bacteria. It can also kill us, or be very bad for us. The bleach you use to clean and disinfect your toilet, contains chlorine. Do not drink it. This will kill you because it is far more concentrated than we can safely ingest. The diluted chlorine in your tap water and in your baby-carrots, presents no proven danger whatsoever. It is precisely to make the carrots safe that the chlorine is used.

As a side-note, it is interesting to know that the term "chlorine" is something of a misnomer. Chlorine, in its natural state, is a highly reactive gas that forms compounds with other products. When chlorine is added to other products, it will react virtually immediately to form compounds such as hypochlorous acid (when chlorine is added to water) and sodium hypochlorite (when chlorine is added to a sodium hydroxide solution). These compounds in turn disinfect the water. When we talk about chlorine, and even about free chlorine, these compounds are usually what we are referring to.

Note: there are certain compounds of chlorine that do cause cancer. Does chlorine cause cancer? No. While medical science is not an exact science, and we must always be vigilant, there is at present no evidence whatsoever that chlorine causes cancer or could be a facilitator for cancer. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have not classified chlorine as to its human carcinogenicity.

The solution used to wash carrots is NOT the same as in swimming pools.

More on White Blush
It is caused by drying of the damaged (peeled) tissue as the carrots are exposed to air. During storage air can dry out the surface of carrots due to lack of humidity. The carrots may also shrivel due to the lack of moisture. In contrast, whole carrots retain their protective peel, so it takes longer for this problem to occur in them.

It is simply the carrot drying out. Try it out for yourself. Take a fresh, normal carrot and cut it in half. Wait. The same white covering (which is officially called white blush) will appear on the cut. Baby carrots will show a lot more white blush for a very simple reason: their skin has been removed and therefore, the entire carrot dries out. Methods of inhibiting the formation of white blush discoloration on freshly processed carrots.

When many fruits (i.e., apples, pears, peaches, avocados, and bananas) and vegetables (i.e., beans, potatoes, mushrooms and many root crops) are bruised, or are cut, peeled, or processed in any other way that causes tissue injury, a black or brown discoloration appears at the site of the tissue injury within a few minutes due to enzymes of the melanosis reaction. This discoloration problem has been the subject of much study, because of its obvious economic importance to the food processing industry.

Unlike other fruit and vegetables as detailed above, carrots do not develop black or brown discolorations after suffering tissue injuries due to enzymes of the melanosis reaction. Consequently, the carrot is an ideal vegetable to process shortly after harvest into a form that is ready for consumption. Of the estimated 3 billion pounds of carrots that are marketed in the United States each year, approximately 20% are peeled soon after harvest to be sold as fresh miniature carrots, carrot sticks, carrot coins, carrot shreds, and other forms of fresh processed carrots.
 
Whole, unprocessed carrots may be stored under refrigeration for many weeks without significantly deteriorating. However, freshly processed carrots that have been in refrigerated storage for just a few days begin to develop a whitish, chalk-like appearance on their abraded surfaces. In the carrot processing industry, this whitish, chalk-like appearance is known as "white blush."
 
The rate at which white blush appears on processed carrots is a function of the physiological condition of the whole carrots prior to processing, the degree of abrasiveness that was present in the processing, the chemical treatments that were applied to the carrots, if any, and the humidity levels and the temperatures at which the carrots have been stored. For example, variations in the physiology of the whole, unprocessed carrots caused by different degrees of environmental stresses during the growing period, such as heat stress and drought stress, will result in variations in the onset of white blush formation under given storage conditions. Carrots that were grown in poorly irrigated fields tend to form white blush discoloration more rapidly, than do processed carrots that were grown in well irrigated fields.
 
White blush discolourisation is unsightly and unappetizing. As a result, consumers invariably associate white blush with distastefully old carrots, even though the taste and nutritional value of processed carrots are not affected by the appearance of white blush. This fact leads to significant commercial waste when processed carrots are pulled from the shelf due to the appearance of white blush even though taste and nutrition are not being effected.
 
To date, white blush has been controlled primarily by washing freshly processed carrots with chilled water, usually in a hydrocooler, followed by refrigeration and/or by packaging of the freshly processed carrots in specialised containers, including some that maintain modified atmospheres within the containers. Chlorine has also been added to the chilled water treatments for sanitation purposes, and primarily to control microbial bacteria growth on the processed carrots. However, depending upon the above variables, the onset of white blush may only be delayed for a few days. Therefore baby carrots tend to have a shorter shelf life.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

This is a super delicious recipe from my cousin (Kristin).  It's healthy and delicious and very easy to make!  This one isn't so "kid friendly", but I had to include it on my blog because it ROCKS in my opinion!!

Enjoy,
Kirsten

ROASTED SWEET POTATO SALAD

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
Garnish:  fresh rosemary

1)  Preheat oven to 450F.

2)  Coat a large roasting pan with gluten-free cooking spray.

3)  Toss together the sweet potatoes and 1 tablespoon of the oil in the pan.

4)  Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender and roasted, stirring after 30 minutes.

5)  Whisk together remaining 1 tablespoon oil, honey and the next 5 ingredients in a large serving bowl.  Add warm potatoes and toss gently.

6)  Cool and garnish if desired.

NOTES:

~I made this a day ahead and warmed it up in the microwave just to take the chill off.  You could even take it out of the fridge and leave it on the counter for a while before serving, to bring it to room temp and it would be great!

Tilapia - is it good for you?

I recently read some things about tilapia that concerned me.  I read that a huge number of them are farmed in China and many of these farms are feeding the fish feces, yes, that's poop!  As if that weren't bad enough, I read that they not only contain the healthy Omega-3 fats, but they also contain an even higher amount of Omega-6 fats, which are not good for you!  So I dug a little deeper and here is what I've found!  The second article below is very lengthy, but it has a wealth of information and I highly recommend reading it!  You will be a tilapia expert when you are done!

Here is my take on tilapia, after reading both of these articles, so if you don't have time to read them, consider this a summary:

Most tilapia is farmed, either in Latin America or Asia.  The majority of the tilapia consumed in the U.S. is from China and their farms are virtually unregulated.

Seafood Watch lists tilapia raised in the United States as a “best choice,” tilapia from Latin America as a “good alternative” and tilapia from China as “to be avoided.”

The tilapia coming from Latin America is fresh, but that number is quickly declining.  The tilapia coming from China is frozen and that number is rapidly increasing.

Much of the fish that China exports is what producers call “refreshed,” which means it is frozen and packed in carbon monoxide to preserve color so it can be thawed and sold in fish displays, where it will appear to have been recently caught.  Fish can also be fed hormones including testosterone, and as for the "poop", who knows what China is feeding them.  I'm not sure if that fact is true or not, but I do know that many of the farmed fish are being fed diets of mainly corn and soy, which as you may know, is almost all GMO (genetically modified organism), which raises other concerns.

While many types of fish have the healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and healthy fish oil that we can benefit from, Tilapia's levels of Omega-3 are minimal and the amount of fish oil in them is unclear based on the fact that the amount of Omega;3's and fish oil is directly related to their diet - it comes from them consuming algae and other naturally occuring aquatic plants in lakes.  Farmed fish are not eating naturally occuring vegetation.  Tilapia also contains a higher amount of Omega-6 fatty acids, than it does Omega-3's.

You may not have heard so much about Omega-6 fatty acids. Like Omega-3s, these are polyunsaturated and help lower blood cholesterol levels, however they are thought to play a role in clotting function, are inflammatory and susceptible to oxidation — thereby possibly increasing risk for blood clots, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and cancers.

The article states: "While a portion of tilapia (wild) has 135 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids, a portion of salmon has over 2,000 milligrams. And farmed tilapia may have even less than wild tilapia because fish acquire omega-3s by eating aquatic plants and other fish."

So, will I be serving tilapia to my family?  Here is my own personal opinion, I will not purchase tilapia that is farmed in China.  I will try to buy fresh if possible and if I find a good source for fresh tilapia, I will let you know!  I might look into a healthier option for our weekly fish dinner.  I think tilapia is okay (except what's coming from China), but if you can substitute a fish that is much healthier for you, why wouldn't you?

You can decide what is best for your family and I hope these articles make that choice a little easier for you!

Kirsten




This article comes from the Mayo Clinic website and was written by 2 Mayo Nutritionists:

Catfish and tilapia: Healthy or harmful?

By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.


There's an interesting discussion in this month's "Journal of the American Dietetic Association." What it boils down to is this: Is the fatty acid mix in catfish and tilapia healthy or harmful? The debate has even reached the popular press. Why all the fuss?

First off, since 2000, catfish and tilapia rank as two of the most popular fish consumed in the United States thanks mainly to their taste and relatively low expense. And both contain heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Consumption of these types of fatty acids is thought to be associated with reduction in blood pressure and reduced risk for certain cancers, inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, and even mental decline.

You may not have heard so much about a second ingredient they contain, omega-6 fatty acids. Like omega-3s, these are polyunsaturated and help lower blood cholesterol levels, however they are thought to play a role in clotting function, are inflammatory and susceptible to oxidation — thereby possibly increasing risk for blood clots, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and cancers.

The National Institutes of Health funded study by Weaver and colleagues looked at the favorable omega-3 fatty acid content and unfavorable omega-6 contents of commonly eaten fish and found that while catfish and tilapia contain both, they contain a high amount of unfavorable omega-6 fat.
They report that a 3-ounce portion of catfish or tilapia contains 67 and 134 milligrams respectively of the bad fat (the same amount of 80 percent lean hamburger contains 34 milligrams, and bacon 191 milligrams).

Does this mean you should give them up? No! The rebuttal by Harris is in the same journal. He says the logic of judging fatty fish by the amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fat contents is flawed. Governmental and professional organizations haven't used such a ratio for years.

He also says that to think that eating catfish or tilapia — because of its high omega-6 content — is more risky in terms of heart disease than eating bacon or hamburger is "flawed."

My take? I'm going to continue to eat fish — at least twice weekly. I'm going to choose a variety of fatty fish — including tilapia and catfish along with others especially high in the good fats such as salmon, tuna and mackerel.

P.S. When you see this on the evening news you can say that you got the scoop here.



I also found a very lengthy article from the NY Times on Tilapia and I found it very informative and worth the read!!

Another Side of Tilapia, the Perfect Factory Fish

Americans ate 475 million pounds of tilapia last year, four times the amount a decade ago, making this once obscure African native the most popular farmed fish in the United States. Although wild fish predominate in most species, a vast majority of the tilapia consumed in the United States is “harvested” from pens or cages in Latin America and Asia.
      
Known in the food business as “aquatic chicken” because it breeds easily and tastes bland, tilapia is the perfect factory fish; it happily eats pellets made largely of corn and soy and gains weight rapidly, easily converting a diet that resembles cheap chicken feed into low-cost seafood.
       
“Ten years ago no one had heard of it; now everyone wants it because it doesn’t have a fishy taste, especially hospitals and schools,” said Orlando Delgado, general manager of Aquafinca.
Farmed tilapia is promoted as good for your health and for the environment at a time when many marine stocks have been seriously depleted. “Did you know the American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice a week?” asks the industry Web site, abouttilapia.com. But tilapia has both nutritional and environmental drawbacks.

Compared with other fish, farmed tilapia contains relatively small amounts of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, the fish oils that are the main reasons doctors recommend eating fish frequently; salmon has more than 10 times the amount of tilapia. Also, farmed tilapia contains a less healthful mix of fatty acids because the fish are fed corn and soy instead of lake plants and algae, the diet of wild tilapia.
      
“It may look like fish and taste like fish but does not have the benefits — it may be detrimental,” said Dr. Floyd Chilton, a professor of physiology and pharmacology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center who specializes in fish lipids.
       
Environmentalists argue that intensive and unregulated tilapia farming is damaging ecosystems in poor countries with practices generally prohibited in the United States — like breeding huge numbers of fish in cages in natural lakes, where fish waste pollutes the water. “We wouldn’t allow tilapia to be farmed in the United States the way they are farmed here, so why are we willing to eat them?” said Dr. Jeffrey McCrary, an American fish biologist who works in Nicaragua. “We are exporting the environmental damage caused by our appetites.”
       
Defenders of tilapia aquaculture point out that this young and rapidly growing industry has begun improving standards and toughening regulation. The two-year-old Aquaculture Stewardship Council, the brainchild of the conservation organization WWF and I.D.H., a Dutch sustainable trade program, is rolling out an inspection program for tilapia farms independent of the industry. Those that choose to participate — and pass — will receive labels identifying their product as “responsibly farmed.”

In a nod to its growing popularity, this year tilapia’s will be the first of 10 fish certification programs to be initiated. Aquafinca, which began adopting more environmentally friendly cultivation in 2006 to better appeal to large corporate customers like Costco, this year became the first farm to pass an initial inspection.
      
Proponents say tilapia aquaculture will only grow in importance because it provides food and jobs in a world of declining fish stocks and rising population. “There are going to be more farmed fish each year,” said Kevin Fitzsimmons, a biologist at the University of Arizona. “Think about it: if we tried to get beef from hunting, there would be a lot of hungry people.”
       
From Africa to the World
Native to lakes in Africa, this versatile warm-water fish was deployed by many governments in poor tropical countries around the world in the second half of the 20th century to control weeds and mosquitoes in lakes and rivers. In a cistern or pond, a few fish yielded dietary protein.
In retrospect, that global dispersal “maybe was not the best idea,” said Aaron McNevin, a WWF biologist who is coordinating the development of standards for tilapia farms, because tilapia “is one of the most invasive species known and very hard to get rid of once they are established.” Today, wild tilapia has squeezed out native species in lakes throughout the world with its aggressive breeding and feeding.
      
By the 1990s, businesses saw opportunity in farming this hearty species, which tolerates crowding and does not need expensive meat-based feed. Using selective breeding, scientists created today’s industrial strains: big, fleshy fish with tiny heads and tails, and intestines that allow them to absorb food faster. Farmed tilapia reaches its sales weight of about two pounds in roughly nine months of intensive feeding.
      
“Nature is for maintaining species; what we do is make fillets,” said Danilo Sosa, a technician at the tilapia breeding pens of Nicanor Fish Farms, outside Managua, Nicaragua, plopping a tilapia used for breeding on a wooden table and scanning the chip in its gut that identifies its breeding line.
Last year, more than 52 million pounds of fresh tilapia were exported to the United States, mostly from Latin America, as well as 422 million more pounds of frozen tilapia, both whole and fillet, nearly all from China, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
      
The growth has been abetted by the creation and marketing of new products like fleshy “tilapia loins” — even though fish do not possess that anatomical feature.
For United States shoppers picking up tilapia from China or Honduras or Ecuador, there is little guidance. “It’s such a complicated job for consumers to decide what to eat, with aquaculture production expanding so rapidly,” said Peter Bridson, aquaculture research manager of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which produces the popular Seafood Watch, an independent consumer guide to buying sustainable fish.
      
The new sustainability standards being developed for aquaculture will be tailored by species to address their diverse environmental risks. For tilapia, that means fish cages can be placed only in lakes where tilapia already live, and must be designed to prevent escapes. To limit overtaxing of lakes, the new guidelines establish water quality rules for oxygen and phosphorus, a product of fish waste.
      
Fish farms may not use prophylactic antibiotics. But even the new rules allow for some practices considered unacceptable in the United States, where cage farming in lakes is generally forbidden. In many states, tilapia must be housed in specially designed pens with roofs to prevent birds from carrying the fish elsewhere; their waste is often collected to use as fertilizer rather than released. Also, the new standards allow for baby fish to be fed testosterone even though markets like Whole Foods will not buy hormone-treated seafood.
      
For the moment, Seafood Watch lists tilapia raised in the United States as a “best choice,” tilapia from Latin America as a “good alternative” and tilapia from China as “to be avoided.” Less than 5 percent of the tilapia consumed in the United States is farmed within its borders, and that is mostly whole fish. Dr. Bridson said these rough ratings were largely based on the presence of effective monitoring in those places and how farms disposed of their waste.
      
The Pollution Problem
But many biologists worry that the big business of tilapia farming will outweigh caution, leaving dead lakes and extinct species.
      
Dr. McCrary has spent the past decade studying how a small, short-lived tilapia farm degraded Lake Apoyo in Nicaragua. “One small cage screwed up the entire lake — the entire lake!” he said of the farm, which existed from 1995 to 2000.
      
Waste from the cages polluted the pristine ecosystem, and some tilapia escaped. An aquatic plant called charra, an important food for fish, disappeared, leaving the lake a wasteland. Today, some species of plants and fish are slowly recovering, but others are probably gone forever, said Dr. McCrary, who works for the Nicaraguan foundation FUNDECI.

That experience explains why Dr. Salvador Montenegro, director of Nicaragua’s Center for Aquatic Resource Investigation, has spent a decade fighting to close the much larger Nicanor tilapia farm in a remote corner of Lake Nicaragua. “This kind of intensive fish farming jeopardizes a lake that is a national treasure, already under stress from pollution,” he said, once comparing its effect to allowing 3.7 million chickens to defecate in the water. Weaker fish, like the rainbow bass, have been disappearing from Lake Nicaragua as the number of tilapia has increased, said Ben Slow, a local fisherman.
      
But David Senna, the manager of Nicanor, said the company’s cages occupied only a tiny fraction of the lake, in an area with deep water and strong currents sufficient to carry away fish waste; it has taken monthly water samples to prove it. While he acknowledged that early on there were some escapes — one involving 10,000 tilapia — he noted that tilapia were introduced to Lake Nicaragua in the 1980s, “so if they’re going to take over, it was already doomed.”
      
Nutritional Concerns
For doctors, the debate has centered more on tilapia’s nutritional benefits, or lack thereof. Like all fish, tilapia is a good source of protein, with few of the unhealthy saturated fats in red meats. But unlike most other fish, tilapia contains relatively little of the fish oils that medical research has shown assist brain development and protect against heart disease, stroke and abnormal heart rhythms: a pair of omega-3 fatty acids.
      
“When people talk about the need to eat more fish, they are using that as a metaphor for fish oil, DHA and EPA,” said Edgar R. Miller III, associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “So what do we do about the fact that tilapia and catfish, which are farm raised, have very low levels of these compounds?”
      
While a portion of tilapia has 135 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids, a portion of salmon has over 2,000 milligrams. And farmed tilapia may have even less than wild tilapia because fish acquire omega-3s by eating aquatic plants and other fish. “They are what they eat,” Dr. Bridson said.
In farmed tilapia, raised largely on corn and soy, omega-3 levels depend on how much fish meal or fish oil the farm’s breeders mix in. While most fish species need a good helping of these fatty acids to grow, herbivorous tilapia grow decently with little or none. And there are compelling reasons to skimp on fish meal or oil additives: they are costly and create more pollution.
      
“The content can vary dramatically and the consumer won’t know it,” said Bruce Holub, a professor of nutritional science at the University of Guelph in Ontario, who said that omega-3 levels should appear on every fish label.
      
He and other experts echo the industry’s message that tilapia is nonetheless beneficial to eat as a lean source of protein and one that still contains some omega-3, where protein alternatives like red meat and chicken have none. But others are concerned about research showing that another type of fatty acids, the so-called omega-6 acids, outnumber the beneficial omega-3s in farmed tilapia by a factor of 2 to 1. Some research suggests that ratio increases the risk of heart disease; in salmon and trout the ratio is reversed.
      
With this in mind, the Mayo Clinic advises patients that some typically farmed fish, like tilapia and catfish, “don’t appear to be as heart-healthy.” More research will be needed to see whether improving fish feeds enhances tilapia’s health benefits, and whether the omega-6 levels in tilapia are significant relative to its already high prevalence in the American diet.
      
The Choice
Although environmentalists long battled to shut down Nicanor, the Nicaraguan fish farm is failing for another reason: cheap frozen tilapia fillets from China.
      
Imports of frozen tilapia to the United States rose 30 percent in 2010, as fresh fillet imports dropped 2 percent, reducing demand from smaller producers like Nicanor. Much of the fish that China exports is what producers call “refreshed,” which means it is frozen and packed in carbon monoxide to preserve color so it can be thawed and sold in fish displays, where it will appear to have been recently caught. Even in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, the tilapia on supermarket shelves is from China.
      
“People wanted to pay $3.99 a pound for this frozen stuff rather than $5.99 for fresh, especially during the recession,” said Mr. Senna, the Nicanor manager. Chinese fish farms are regarded as poorly regulated, Dr. Bridson said, which is why the world needs clearer standards for sustainable fish farming and consumer labeling. Until then, the biggest producer offering the cheapest product is poised to win.
      
“If I have 100 tilapia in a pond, I may have happy tilapia because they have room to swim, but I won’t be able to sell them since I won’t get access to the global market,” Dr. McCrary said, adding that, for now, “there’s no tilapia equivalent of free-range chicken.”