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Guy Fawkes Night: Remember Remember The 5th of November

On November 5th every year the British celebrate ‘Bonfire Night’ or ‘Guy Fawkes Night’. This is an outdoors night time celebration that involves fireworks, sparkers, a bonfire and the construction of a straw ‘Guy’ that is ultimately tossed on the fire. Inevitably Guy Fawkes Night is also associated with some very typically British dishes such as Bangers and Mash or Shepherd’s Pie. Interestingly while the celebration has evolved into innocent family entertainment, its roots are macabre.

Thermogenesis – Food and Drink to Warm you up this Fall

Houston’s hit a cold spell this week. With temperatures plummeting suddenly into the 50’s I’ve lit a fire and am suddenly in the mood to cook up a batch of soups and stews. When looking up recipes I stumbled upon some interesting theories about what we can eat and drink to help raise our body temperature. I also learned what ‘thermogenesis’ means…

Irish Food Culture on the Emerald Isle and in the Air

Connecting through Dublin on both my outbound and return flights between Houston and England, I feel compelled to write about Irish food. I could pretend that I took a little trip into the verdant glory of the Emerald Isle. I could make out that I enjoyed a few days sampling the delights of Irish cuisine while knocking back a few pints of Guinness…

But the reality is, all I saw was the inside of Terminal 2 (although I did at least get to enjoy a traditional Irish cooked breakfast). Not to be deterred, I will use my imagination instead and with a bit of luck take you on a journey through the kitchens of Ireland in my imagination.

Cheshire Cheese, Salty Marshes and Roman Soldiers

So continuing where I last left off…I survived the dried-out, boxed airline food and landed sleepily at Manchester Airport on the final leg of my 4-flight journey home to visit family. My final destination would be Cheshire, a 40 minute Uber ride in a southwesterly direction, where I would remain for the next 10 days in a picture postcard village named Tarporley.

Cheshire is a county covering 905 square miles and has a population of around 1 million. It is mostly rural, with a number of small towns and villages supporting the agricultural and other industries which produce Cheshire cheese, salt, chemicals and silk. Cheshire is a bit like Devon. Not in geography, nor in climate, but in that whenever people are asked to think of a food from these counties, they can usually only think of one thing. And in Cheshire, that is cheese.

Global Flavors On The Fly – Tips for Airport Dining

At 4.30am yesterday morning I was sitting in a cold, deserted departure lounge at Dublin airport, huddled in a cheap fleece blanket, waiting for my connection to Manchester (UK). I was overtired and cold, having been in transit for almost 24 hours. This was my fourth consecutive flight since leaving Houston, a route that had forcibly taken me indirectly through Dallas, New York and Ireland in cramped, coach-class seating all the way home. I looked down at the Aer Lingus lime green breakfast box on my knee. “Rise and shine, it’s breakfast time!” exclaimed the cheerful message on the outside of the packaging. I couldn’t have felt less like eating the contents: A dried out blueberry muffin and 4 fluid ounces of warm OJ concentrate served in a tightly-sealed, foil lid cup, guaranteed to spill in my efforts to open it. Airport dining in its least glamorous form…

The Low-Down on Low-Carb Eating

A low-carb diet is generally used for losing weight. Some low-carb diets may have health benefits beyond weight loss, such as reducing risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. You might choose to follow a low-carb diet because you want a diet that restricts certain carbs to help you lose weight. On the other hand you may just want to change your overall eating habits. Or perhaps you just enjoy the types and amounts featured in low-carb diets. Whatever motivates your interest in a low-carb diet you should check with your doctor before starting any weight-loss diet, especially if you have any health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease. But why are carbs important and what are some other considerations when choosing a low-carb diet?

6 Characteristics of Sustainable Food

EatFlavorly endeavors to source our ingredients from sustainable origins. But what does sustainable food really mean? The American Public Health Association (APHA) defines a sustainable food system as one that provides healthy food to meet current food needs while maintaining healthy ecosystems that can also provide food for generations to come, with minimal negative impact to the environment. In other words, the idea of sustainable food is built on principles that further the ecological, social and economic values of a community as a whole. Meanwhile, sustainable eating is about choosing foods that are healthful to our environment and our bodies. How can you tell your food source is sustainable? Here are 6 tell-tale signs:

Microwave Meals – Kitchen Convenience or Hidden Health Risk?

In the 1940s, Percy Spencer at Raytheon was testing a magnetron — a device that generates microwaves — when he realized a candy bar in his pocket had melted. This caused him to wonder if the energy from radio waves could be used to cook food. He placed popcorn kernels near the tube; within minutes, he was snacking on the world’s first microwave popcorn. This accidental discovery would lead him to develop what we now know as the modern-day microwave oven. Over the years, this kitchen appliance has become almost statutory in every domestic and commercial kitchen. Yet questions surrounding the safety of microwave ovens remain. Is the radiation used by these ovens safe for humans? Does radiation destroy nutrients in our microwave meals? And is microwave packaging safe?

Native American Cuisine: Celebrating Tribal Tradition

Native American cuisine is the basis of many traditional regional dishes in North America. The first Native Americans allegedly traveled from the Old World into the New World across the Bering Land Bridge that joined Siberia to Alaska 15,000 years ago. Although it is hard to know for certain how, when, or why the Asian ancestors of the Native Americans first appeared in North America, it seems they either brought no animal or plant foods with them, or that none survived.

Whole Food Advantage: What is it and why should we listen?

According to Merriam Webster the term whole food means “a natural food; especially an unprocessed one such as a vegetable or fruit.” While there’s no official criteria for a whole food diet, most would agree that it consists of minimally processed food as close to its natural state as possible. Experts agree this is a smart way to eat as it encourages nutritious options from all the food groups.

At Healthy Gourmet we are proud to prepare our meals using all-natural ingredients and without artificial preservatives. Consequently, our meals are packed with the nutrients and taste that nature intended and do not have added sugars, starches, flavorings, or other manufactured ingredients. In this way, we believe that Healthy Gourmet’s approach to preparing meals is as close to whole food as we can make it. What are some examples of whole food, why should we eat them and how can we incorporate them into our diet?