Stevia, Chives, Rosemary, Fennel, and Cilantro -- The Joy of Living Green!

In our front-yard collard patch, last fall's collards have survived. We continue to cut leaves off the plants. Last night we had stir-fried collards with broiled salmon; tonight we
enjoyed collards in wraps with hot Italian sausage.

Mint is growing near the rocks piled in the patch. Soon we'll set out some onions in the collard patch. Today we bought stevia, chives, rosemary, fennel, and cilantro. We plan to start those herbs in pots inside the house.

Stevia, a tropical popular herb, is growing in popularity as a sugar substitute. Stevia's small green leaves are thirty times sweeter than sugar, and they can be dried. If our efforts succeed we'll save grocery money spent on Splenda©, Alterna©, and sugar.

We selected garlic flavored chives with long, flat leaves. They will be delicious on baked potatoes, in salads, and in stir-fried collard greens. Chives do not dry well, but the chopped leaves can be frozen.

Rosemary, ah, rosemary! We love it. Rosemary is very pretty in the garden. It is a great flavoring for polenta, marinades, salad dressings, soups, sauces, gumbo, chicken, fish, lamb, and pork. Since it flavors Creole, Cajun, and Middle-Eastern food like nothing else, rosemary is an essential in Louisiana kitchens. We use it dried, but we prefer it fresh. I hope our crop flourishes.

Fennel has a mild anise flavor. The bulbous stems can be served raw like celery or steamed. Their flavor will enhance stews, soup and collard greens. Paul likes to eat the
seeds.

Cilantro is important in Mexican dishes, which are important in our diets. It also flavors Mediterranean and Oriental dishes well. For a garnish it is unsurpassed.

All the plants we grow will help our personal economy, our health, and the world's ecology. Write me at Mary@CollardLovers.com to tell me how you are living green.

New Collard Greens Recipes

Visit The Collard Patch at Amazon.com for some new collard greens recipes. Check the blog entries there.

What We Are Doing Now

On BlogTalkRadio Paul Elliott and I have a new radio talk show called GreensCast. We appear there occasionally and speak with interesting people, friends and family, to discuss a variety of subjects. No matter what our program is about, we always share information about the preparation of delicious food. Check our archived shows there. Also on our BTR blog we have posted several recipes that we wish to share with you.

Our programs include a useful interview of Dr. Mike Stanley, my son-in-law, by Paul about food safety in preparation and storage. Mike, a veterinarian and an Air Force veteran, has a wealth of experience in public health and food safety.

Another popular show is an interview with the famous marketer and cookbook author Willie Crawford. He discusses with us the way he cooks collards, and his background.

Paul and I are the authors of The Collard Patch, the world's best collard and cornbread cookbook. It is not only a book of recipes; it is also a book of stories and nutritional information about collard greens, the Cinderella of dark leafy greens. We believe that collard greens are important for maintaining good health. Collards, one of the most delicious foods imaginable when prepared appropriately, furnish a wealth of nutrients while remaining incredibly low in calories.

One of the beautiful aspects of collard greens is that they can be grown almost anywhere. They love cool weather and tolerate a mild amount of frost. These beautiful plants make excellent ground cover in yards. Also they can be used to add interest to flower beds. In a time when people are seeking more intriguing flavors than ever before because our taste buds have grown up and when people are needing to spend a smaller percentage of their budgets on food, we recommend growing collard greens.

Nutritionists consider green leafy vegetables such as collards to be one of the leading foods, as far as food value is concerned. They are nutritious when eaten raw, added to vegetable juices, or prepared in delicious dishes much as spinach has been traditionally prepared. There is a theory that the chlorophyll in them removes environmental toxins, such as heavy metals and pesticides from the body. Some people consider them to be a liver protector.

I cannot prove all these ideas, but I do know they are a source of iron, calcium, beta carotene (precursor of vitamin A), soluble fiber, and manganese. They provide vitamins C, K, B1, B2, and B9. Collards have potent anti-cancer properties, antiviral, and antibacterial components including diindolylmethane, sulforaphane, and selenium. There are only 46 calories in one fourth pound of cooked collards.

We devote a large amount of our time encouraging people to eat more collard greens. When we tell people about this project, some of them find us slightly insane. We, however, are devoted to this cause. We have appeared at book signings, crafts fairs, civic club meetings, radio interviews, and cooking shows on television in Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and Wisconsin. We are willing to go throughout the country to promote the use of collard greens.

This recipe is an example of a collard greens dish that is packed with all the good things we need to eat without unnecessary calories. The taste is great.

Wilted Collards with Flaxseed

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil with 2 tablespoons minced garlic in a big deep skillet.
Toss in 1 pound finely chopped tender collard green leaves.
Heat and wilt five minutes or until tender.
Add some salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes.
Turn off the heat. Add 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon red vinegar.
Top with ¼ cup toasted flaxseed.

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Shopping at Central Market

Central Market
HEB Food-Drugs #/546
320 Coit
Plano, TX 75076
Phone: 469-241-8300
Store Hours: 8 a. m. to 10. p. m.

Central Market is the essential place to shop. It is a grocery store like no other.

Entering, you will go through the produce section. Fresh produce is not something on the periphery of the store. Instead it is important. There are fresh vegetables and fruits organically grown from all the right places. We like the bananas and the Brussels sprouts. I've never seen such a varied selection of potatoes. The precious little fingerlings of infinite variety are fun to select. They taste delicious. The artichokes are outstanding.

After winding through the marvelous displays of fresh fruits and vegetables, you will find yourself in the meat market and fish market. Let's check the leg of lamb. I love it! If you are not traveling too far, buy one. (Or perhaps you should buy a cooler.)

My favorite part of the store is the section deep inside the store where you can weigh spices and put them in your own bags. I love the spices, as well as many of the other food items there -- coffee, nuts, candy, peanut butter, honey, cereals, flours, meals – displayed in an endless array. Sounds expensive? No. Actually these items are less expensive than prepackaged items. The curry and the chile powder mix are the best. We usually select a big bag or two of Wasabi peas (dehydrated English peas coated in Wasabi and horseradish) to munch on the way home and for days to come. We like the flax seed, which are incredibly delicious and noted for their salubrious properties. If you lose us in the store, look here. We stay here about an hour.

Did I say what my favorite section is? It is the bakery. Our favorite bread is the white chocolate apricot. We eat it toasted or straight out of the package. Don't miss the most delicious item in the store
being made by expert cooks on the spot – tortillas. I like the little golden ones with sun-dried tomatoes and flecks of pepper in them. When I pass there, I admire these and the ladies usually hand me one to cram into my starving mouth.

What I really like most in Central Market is the selection of cheese. Along the walls there are coolers with every kind of cheese imaginable. What makes this section special is the station in the middle of the floor where someone is making mozzarella cheese balls in olive oil and garlic. Buy a jar of these and serve them on very special occasions. When you pass, the cheese preparer will give you a morsel. My advice: go there first and pass the section several times as you shop. The taste is splendid.

There is a section of sausages and prepared meats. We usually select the hot Italian sausage, the bratwurst, the Jalapeño cheddar sausage, the salami with Jalapeños. By the time we arrive in this section, which is my favorite, the shopping cart is too full to hold anything else.

And there is a deli section. Since we have already filled our cart, we don't buy things here, although it is the most intriguing food in the store.

On the way out, we will pass through the florist's section, where the flowers are unusual and inviting. By the time we arrive there, we are loaded with food. There is no more space in the car to place flowers.

You owe it to yourself to shop at Central Market at least once in your life.

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Take a trip to Natchitoches!

If possible go see the Christmas Lights of old Natchitoches, Louisiana.
As you approach the quaint downtown with its brick streets, you will see rows of antique and gift shops. Arrive before dark so you will have time to look at all the fleur de lis displays in the little shops. A horse with a carriage will be waiting to take you on a tour.


Enjoy an authentic Natchitoches meal – meat pie or gumbo. We recommend Lasyogne's.

The lights are a splendid display along the Cane River Lake.

Go here and click on the image to see a picture of the Natchitoches Christmas lights.

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Kindle

Amazon has a revolutionary way to read books. If you haven't seen this, take a look.



Kindle:
Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device


Product Overview (Quoted from Amazon.com)

Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
More than 88,000 books available, including 100 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
New York Times® Best Sellers and all New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN's Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.
Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
Holds over 200 titles.
Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
Includes free wireless access to the planet's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.

GreensCast - BlogTalkRadio - Collard Greens

This show is our first program on BlogTalkRadio. Here we are sharing recipes along with information about growing, preparing, cooking, and eating our favorite vegetable -- collard greens.


GreensCast - BlogTalkRadio - Collard Greens, Collards, Cooking, Health, Food, Gardening, Green Cooking, Greens, Living Green, Nutriton, Organic, Recipes, Southwestern Food, Thanksgiving Recipe, The Collard Patch, Delicious,

Great Cookbook Giveaway

Have you heard about the Great Cookbook Giveaway? It's going to make Internet marketing history.

Willie Crawford, a world-famous Internet marketer and noted cookbook
author, is asking his friends to give away electronic cookbooks. He's organizing the largest free list-building giveaway EVER.

(He's the author of the world's most famous recipe for
collard greens. You can get it in our cookbook, THE COLLARD PATCH.)

Willie and his wife Nancy have run a free recipes website for about
10 years. He told me that in November people start looking online
for holiday gift and cooking ideas.

He is expecting to have the largest free cookbook giveaway in the
history of the Internet. We're talking literally HUNDREDS of free
PDF cookbooks and cooking related ebooks.

The giveway started November 1, 2007. Go take a look. All you
need to do is drop by and get free electronic cookbooks: Great Cookbook Giveaway

Go there and get a free copy of "The Collard Notebook" and our free e-book
with reicpes from Flavored with Love.

Smoothies at Crescent City Coffee Shop

Yum! At Crescent City Coffee Shop, 1007 North Trenton Street, Ruston, LA 71270
(318) 232-5282, you can get a fruit smoothie made fresh by the attractive young men and women working there. (Most of them are students at Lousiana Tech or Grambling). As you watch, they toss a generous serving of fruit into a blender with a small amount of flavored syrup. Then they will ask you if you want whipped cream and how much whipped cream you want.

My mouth craves Strawberry Smoothies. I confess that after my first one I have not passed many minutes without thinking about having the next one. There is also a Four Berry Smoothie, which is a blend of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. Alexandra, one of the baristas, recommends the Peach Pear Plus. For adventurous palates, there is the Mango Tropics Smoothie, an exotic blend of mango, pineapple, and bananas.

With one of the eight different types of biscotti to go with your smoothie, you can have a light healthy lunch. There are three sizes of smoothies: 12 ounces, 16 ounces, and 20 ounces. Let your appetite and your conscience guide you. Or perhaps you would prefer one of those great big cinnamon rolls or a fresh warm muffin instead of biscotti.

Beignets are the most popular food at the Crescent City Coffee Shop. Mike makes these authentic New Orleans style fried dough temptations fresh in the shop. There are big ones and little ones. Also before 11:00 am, there are irresistible stuffed beignets, filled with ham and cheese or sausage and cheese.

While you enjoy your smoothie, look around for a newspaper or for someone with whom you can enjoy a lively conversation. If you don’t see any of your old friends, don’t despair. There are always people there who love to visit: soon you’ll have some new friends. If you have your laptop with you, check your e-mail while you enjoy your smoothie. Use the free WiFi; if you need a private connection, bring a cord to plug into the Ethernet.

I’ve noticed that the frappes are more popular than the smoothies, but I have not tried one because I’m too busy drinking the smoothies, Diet Cokes®, dark roast coffee, or hot blackberry sage tea with lemon.

Warning: Don't sit down in the Crescent City Coffee Shop unless you have hours to spend. You will have so much fun you won't want to leave.

A Special Gift: THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT by Beatrix Potter

Peter Rabbit at THE COLLARD PATCH


Beatrix Potter's THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT is, in my opinion, one of the great masterpieces of all time. When Paul Elliott and I were co-authoring THE COLLARD PATCH, I wanted to offer something special to the readers of our story cookbook.

We found a treasure! We decided to make THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT available to our readers. This is the original book, THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT. (If you live outside the United States, please check the copyright laws in your country before downloading this book.)

Go to the lead at the bottom of any page in THE COLLARD PATCH to find a lead to download the book. If you set your printer in black and white, you can download some of the pictures for your children to color.

Get This Amazing Collard Story Cookbook, The Collard Patch, Now!

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A Free ECookbook of Our Favorite Christmas Recipes

Christmas Cookbook - a collection of our best family recipes for the holidays assembled in one place. They are classics along with our families' latest innovations. Delight through the holidays to the sights, smells, and delicious tastes of some of the best food you'll ever put in your mouth! This book covers everything-from appetizers to party foods to breakfast to Christmas dinner to desserts to gifts to food with children to what to do with your gifts. (value: $19.97)

Availiable FREE at The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Midnight Clear

Houston – Carolyn Forche`, national best-selling author and motivational speaker, just returned from the book launch of The Midnight Clear, a collection of Christian and Christmas-themed stories of love, hope and inspiration by 20 national female African American authors. Many of the authors, such as Carolyn, are award winning, national best-selling authors. Sixteen attended the launch event held at Copeland’s Buckhead Restaurant in Atlanta, GA this past weekend. The book is published by KNB Publications in Atlanta. Forche's story, The Best Christmas Promise Ever, chronicles the riveting account of her 3-year vigil with a dying sister, and God's miraculous, near-death delivery, that stunned the Chicago medical community.

She is author of the award-winning Colors Come From God … Just Like Me, (Abingdon Press), which has sold nearly 30,000 copies. She hails The Midnight Clear as a first and one-of-its kind publication, that will touch and inspire the lives of people everywhere. The book was released in late November, and is already getting very positive reviews nationally.

Forche`, who is busy scheduling a number of book-signings here in Houston and in her native home, Chicago, says the book was timed for Christmas release and makes the perfect gift for anyone. Reading the “page-turner” contributions from the various authors on the plane home made her feel “privileged to be a part of such a stellar group of talented writers.” She applauds the efforts of Kendra Norman Bellamy, publisher and author of many best-selling works, whose genius in pulling together some of the best writers in the country has made this publication a sure-to-be best seller as well. Carolyn may be contacted at her office, (281) 914-0422.

Real Women Eat Chiles -- One day only – December 7, 2006!

What's this all about? Read on...
I am very excited to be able to tell you about my friend
Jane Butel and her award winning book "Real Women
Eat Chiles". For the last month, Paul Elliott and I have been
helping her put together an awesome “Real Women Give Away”
featuring her wonderful cookbook for the 2006 Holiday season.
When you order a copy of Real Women Eat Chiles right now,
as a thank you for your support, you will receive a complimentary
collection of gifts.
(Combined together, all of these gifts are worth over $685 and you
get them as a bonus, at absolutely no charge.)
Real Women Eat Chiles is full of fabulous spicy, Santa Fe-style
recipes and delicious, health-tested quick ideas for great, easy meals.
The inspiring stories about women and chiles remind us that the secret
to weight-loss without a diet is high-energy, healthy food!
This gorgeous gift book is perfect for:
· girlfriends
· teachers
· mothers
· sisters
· daughters
I recommend the reading for any woman who is a high achiever or who wishes to be!
But you must act now as this offer is for a limited time! Go here right now and check this out:
http://www.janebutel.com/realwomen.html
Remember, you must act today!

***MARK HENDRICKS' 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS 06 OFFICALLY LAUNCHES ***

It's here and it's live now.... It's now in its 4th day!I've already spotted several things and started downloadingbut if you haven't gotten over there yet to take a look...be sure to do it soon before the huge download rushbegins...This only happens once a year — so download everything you want while you can...=======> http://www.collardlovers.com/12days/

We are including a Christmas Cookbook for you in that bonus package!

=======> http://www.collardlovers.com/12days/

The Collard Patch was featured on John Folse's "Stirrin' It Up" on October 4, 2006. To hear the radio program, go to this link:

http://www.CollardLovers.com/jfolse110406.mp3

Get This Amazing Collard Story Cookbook, The Collard Patch, Now!

Get This Amazing Southern Cookbook, Flavored with Love, Now!

RECIPE: Stacey Pardue's No Sugar Added Lemon Ice Box Pie

No Sugar Added Lemon Ice Box Pie
(Some of my television viewers have reported that the Crystal Light lemonade adds too much tartness. You may need to use only a 1/2 package depending on your taste buds.)


1 small box sugar free vanilla instant pudding mix
1 3/4 cups skim milk
1 tub Crystal Light lemonade powder (to make 2 quarts) or 1 package Kool Aid lemonade powder plus 1 cup sugar substitute
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 ounces fat free Cool Whip
1 low fat graham cracker crust (See recipe below!)
Combine pudding and milk; add lemonade powder and lemon juice.

The above recipe is quoted from http://www.wafb.com/

Fold in 1/2 of the Cool Whip. Pour into crust and refrigerate until set. Top with Cool Whip.
Yield: 8 servings Calories: 215Fat: 4 grams


Low Fat Graham Cracker Crust
Reduce the fat and calorie content of your recipes by making your own graham cracker crusts! You may find that 1 cup of crushed graham crackers is sufficient for a small pie.
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (about 8 full-sized crackers)
2 tablespoons sugar substitute or 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons liquid Butter Buds
Place all ingredients in small mixing bowl and mix with a fork until moistened. Press into 8 or 9 inch pie pan prepared with nonstick cooking spray.
Yield: 8 servings Calories: 40Fat: 1 gram


WAFB <http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=1385316&nav=menu57_10_2>

-----
Get your copy of FLAVORED WITH LOVE at www.FWLCookbook.com

RECIPE: Stir Fried Vegetables

Stir Fried Vegetables

Stir fry these ingredients in a wok as listed :

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

12 garlic pods, finely chopped

2 cups carrot s, chopped

2 cups collards, chopped

2 cups cabbage, chopped

1 Fuji apple, coarsely chopped

Pinch baking soda

1 tablespoon Madras curry

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons Teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons raisins

3 tablespoons orange marmalade

Serve in bowls or over rice. Two servings.

An Offer You Cannot Afford to Miss

"Here's How To Grab Your $3,757.23 Book Buy Business Bonus Bonanza...absolutely FREE!"!
Go right now to www.CollardLovers.com

You have to grab these bonuses today, November 2, 2006, or not at all. This is a one-day offer.

BONUS BANANZA

We have some exciting news for you! We are giving away bonuses worth more than $3,000 to everyone who orders The Collard Patch at Amazon.com on November 2, 2006.

These bonuses include cookbooks, help with producing and marketing your own cookbook, self-help literature, generalized marketing, thousands of free recipes, software . . . and so much more.

Go to our Bonus Bonanza page and discover what we are giving away.

Go to http;//www.CollardLovers.com/bonuses and follow the directions.

Our Prater's Mill Country Fair Experience

Well, the anticipation of the Prater's Mill Country Fair in Dalton, GA, this past weekend was certainly well-placed. There were about 10,000 visitors over Saturday and Sunday!

Our cookbook, The Collard Patch, sold very well. We met so many delightful people. Of the ones we met, some were from TN, AL, MS, SC, KY, and LA, in addition to many from all around the home state of GA.

The history of Prater's Mill is intriguing, and the volunteers demonstrated that grain can still be ground into flour, corn meal, and hominy grits. We bought both white and yellow cornmeal and wheat flour.

One of the local matriarchs, Mrs. Smith of the Goodner-Smith Family, was selling delicious homemade jellies and we laid in a supply of that also.

It was a wonderful weekend experience both as a spectator and as a vendor.

Check back this week for a surprising announcement!

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