Crisis Turned Opportunity

The Chinese have a saying that crisis and opportunity are two sides of the same coin. With the severe drought hitting the breadbasket of our country and destroying a large portion of the corn crop, can we turn this crisis into an opportunity?

We know that too many everyday food products have corn syrup for sweeteners. There's corn in most grocery items. The corn is most likely genetically modified but without labeling, consumers are in the dark. Corn syrup sweeteners add to the obesity pandemic, especially in soda pop and juices that children drink.

This may be a time to wean ourselves from those products, eat lower on the food chain and try out new and safer sweeteners.

KC Thorson, who teaches Wellspring cooking classes, has introduced us to alternatives to the corn belt products.

"Corn can be defined as a cereal grain with proteins that are similar to those in other cereal grains, such as wheat. As such, many today who are suffering with Celiac disease, grain and/or gluten sensitivities report reac- tions to corn gluten. Corn can be difficult to avoid as various forms of this grain are used in many food and personal care products."

KC suggests 6 fast, easy and delicious ideas for substituting corn ingredients, in your kitchen:

1. Prepare beverages at home. There are many delicious and fruity teas available today to satisfy the palates of both kids and adults. Sweeten with raw organic agave nectar for a more natural, deliciously sweet flavor and add ice. Use sparkling mineral water and add a squirt of fresh organic lime, lemon, orange or grapefruit juice. Sweeten with Stevia or raw organic agave nectar. Agave nectar is harvested from the cactus in Mexico.
2. Use arrowroot flour in place of cornstarch to thicken or bake. Arrowroot flour is derived from a plant source and is metabolized as a vegetable starch in the body. 
3.   When making chowders and/or thick soups, use asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash or sweet potato in place of creamed/blended corn. Just blend until smooth with a little water or coconut cream in your food processor. These substitutes will not spike the blood glucose and are consid- ered anti-inflammatory in the body. 
4.  Avoid canned, jarred and pre-prepared foods. Most processed foods contain corn products. Use organic condiments that carry only real food ingredients such as organic low-sodium Tamari sauce, non-soy Vegenaise, organic miso, organic herbs and seasonings, organic/natural mustards, nutritional yeast and raw organic apple cider vinegar. 

5. Purchase local, pastured (grass fed & finished)    beef/pork products, organic poultry and farm fresh organic eggs, wild caught Pacific fish, and wild meats such as venison, buffalo, elk, and duck in place of conventional meats. Pastured and organically raised livestock are allowed to graze as was naturally intended. Conventionally raised livestock are fed corn, cereals, fillers and animal by-products.

    6. Dessert dishes, quick breads and crusts can be made using garbanzo (chickpea) bean flour and/ or "garfava flour" (combo of ground garbanzo and fava beans). These flours give dishes a cornbread type flavor and texture, carry a lower glycemic load and are higher in fiber and protein."

    

   KC Thorson
   Owner
   K.C.'s Kafe - your Organic Cooking Coach!