M-J’s Original Piquant Yam Casserole

Boiled yams, sliced fresh jalapeños, crushed pineapple and cream cheese are seasoned to your taste (I use Tajín chile-lime-salt seasoning from México) and baked in a dish after being crushed and mixed with my Braun hand-mixer. ©M-J de Mesterton Thanksgiving, 2011

Elegant Cook, Elegant Cuisine, Elegant Potatoes, Elegant Thanksgiving Recipe, Elegant Vegetables, Elegant Yams,M-J de Mesterton Original Recipes, Pineapple

Click Here to Read M-J’s Main Website, Elegant Survival

>M-J’s Original Sauce Ragú

>

Sautéed Vegetables for M-J’s Sauce Ragú

Bread rises at left of stove, using the warmth from sautéed vegetables.

Click to Enlarge

The Second Stage of Cooking M-J’s Sauce Ragôut Involves Incorporating Liquid Ingredients

Third Stage of Cooking: Simmering for Nine Hours Yields a Rich, Dark Meat Sauce

This mixture of ground beef, celery, capsicums, bacon, onion, tomatoes, garlic, spices, herbs and wine will cook for nine or ten hours on very low heat, and become a zesty, rich meat sauce ragôut or ragú. Ideally, after the initial sautéeing and mixing process, the sauce would be put into a slow-cooker or Crock-Pot (by Rival).
Recipe and Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton

Courtesy of M-J de Mesterton

M-J’s Original Sauce Ragú

Sautéed Vegetables for M-J’s Sauce Ragú

Bread rises at left of stove, using the warmth from sautéed vegetables.

Click to Enlarge

The Second Stage of Cooking M-J’s Sauce Ragôut Involves Incorporating Liquid Ingredients

Third Stage of Cooking: Simmering for Nine Hours Yields a Rich, Dark Meat Sauce

This mixture of ground beef, celery, capsicums, bacon, onion, tomatoes, garlic, spices, herbs and wine will cook for nine or ten hours on very low heat, and become a zesty, rich meat sauce ragôut or ragú. Ideally, after the initial sautéeing and mixing process, the sauce would be put into a slow-cooker or Crock-Pot (by Rival).
Recipe and Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton

M-J’s Original Sauce Ragú

Sautéed Vegetables for M-J’s Sauce Ragú

Bread rises at left of stove, using the warmth from sautéed vegetables.

Click to Enlarge

The Second Stage of Cooking M-J’s Sauce Ragôut Involves Incorporating Liquid Ingredients

Third Stage of Cooking: Simmering for Nine Hours Yields a Rich, Dark Meat Sauce

This mixture of ground beef, celery, capsicums, bacon, onion, tomatoes, garlic, spices, herbs and wine will cook for nine or ten hours on very low heat, and become a zesty, rich meat sauce ragôut or ragú. Ideally, after the initial sautéeing and mixing process, the sauce would be put into a slow-cooker or Crock-Pot (by Rival).
Recipe and Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton

M-J’s Original Sauce Ragú

Sautéed Vegetables for M-J’s Sauce Ragú

Bread rises at left of stove, using the warmth from sautéed vegetables.

Click to Enlarge

The Second Stage of Cooking M-J’s Sauce Ragôut Involves Incorporating Liquid Ingredients

Third Stage of Cooking: Simmering for Nine Hours Yields a Rich, Dark Meat Sauce

This mixture of ground beef, celery, capsicums, bacon, onion, tomatoes, garlic, spices, herbs and wine will cook for nine or ten hours on very low heat, and become a zesty, rich meat sauce ragôut or ragú. Ideally, after the initial sautéeing and mixing process, the sauce would be put into a slow-cooker or Crock-Pot (by Rival).
Recipe and Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton

Apple Tart, Pie and Antique Noritake

Apple Tart and Antique Noritake, by M-J de Mesterton

M-J’s Recipe for Elegant Apple Pie Appears on The Elegant Cook

M-J’s Blueberry-Fruit Smoothie Revisited

M-J’s 2009 Article on Health-Enhancing Blueberries

Ginger, Chilean black grapes, plain yoghurt, bananas, apples, oranges, frozen blueberries, strawberries and a bit of honey are blended in an Osterizer for a health-enhancing morning drink.
~~M-J de Mesterton, 2009

Yams and Sweet Potatoes: Versatile, Health-Promoting Vegetables

Yams and Sweet Potatoes

Eating yams or sweet potatoes every day is believed to be one of the reasons  the people of Okinawa, Japan, have the longest average life expectancy in the world.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the yam is “neutral” in nature–somewhere between yin and yang. Its properties can help to tranquilise the mind, preserve youthful skin, nourish the spleen, stomach, kidneys, aid in digestion, and contribute to a feeling of fullness, something that can aid both dieters and poor people.

Yams contain vitamin B6, which can soothe the mind as well as boost immunity. Rich in linoleic acid and fibre, yams not only help to alleviate constipation, but can also reduce cholesterol build-up blood vessels, a process which helps prevent arteriosclerosis and thrombosis.

The yam is rich in protein, vitamins A , E and C, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, magnesium, and potassium. Although its vitamin B1 and B2 content is six and three times higher than that of rice respectively, 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of yams produce only 99 calories, a one-third the amount that rice contains. Because yams are alkaline foods, they can help decrease body fat. Acid foods lead to fat-storage in the human body. Yams and sweet potatoes also contain lycopene, which is believed to help prevent prostate cancer. A hormone-like, anti-inflammatory  compound called dioscin exists in both yams and sweet potatoes, as well as vitamin C and carotenoids.

Sweet potatoes and yams have the same qualities, even though they are from different families, so substituting the root-vegetable known as sweet potato for yams is perfectly acceptable and will yield the same health-results when eaten. If the yam or sweet potato is too sweet for your liking, there are several ways to incorporate them into your diet that will make them seem less so. For example, a well-scrubbed yam may be chopped into matchsticks or slivers, fibrous skin and all, and added to a stir-fry. Adding soy sauce to sweet potatoes and yams will give them a more balanced taste. Soaking them in Himalayan salt solution will also do wonders for the flavour of sweet potatoes and yams.

The shirataki noodle, which contains soya and yam flour, is considered an excellent weight-loss food because it is low in carbohydrates while being high in glucomannan, a high-quality fibre (fiber).

A stir-fried dish of shirataki noodles, yams, onions, ginger, pineapple and peanuts is pictured here in a previous post at Elegant Survival News.

~~M-J de Mesterton, January 2nd 2010