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| White Chocolate Coconut Lava Cake |
Food Diary (December 29, 2011)
Breakfast: Rolled oats with raisins, sunflower seeds and flax seeds
Lunch: Chickpea pilaf
Dinner: Brussel sprouts with pasta, hummus
If you like white chocolate and coconut, there is no reason why you shouldn’t like this lava cake. Its quite delicious, there’s nothing more to say! The recipe is available here. As you can see the cake was slightly underbaked, hence the lava really flowed generously, a bit too generously. Still very delicious, but I will complain, I am human after all.
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| Chickpea pilaf |
Today's Favourite Photo
Red Velvet Chocolate Blossoms
Today’s Favourite Blog
A study earlier this year by a nonprofit research center in Phoenix analyzed 80 brands of beef, pork chicken and turkey from five cities. The study found that 47% of the meat contained the bacteria staphylococcus aureus and that 52% were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics. In layman’s terms, when you go to the supermarket to buy one of these brands of pre-ground meat products, there's a roughly 25 percent chance you'll consume a potentially fatal bacteria that doesn't respond to commonly prescribed drugs.
If you use pre-packaged ground beef to make a hamburger, it's probably best to cook the meat through rather than keeping it rare. Even antibiotic resistant bacteria can be killed by sufficient heat. Alternatively grind your own meat or have your trusted butcher do in in front of you! Or go to McDonalds or other fast food chains, they seem to be safe.
The article in NY Times is quite long and detailed. If I understood the article correctly, the Food and Drug Administration is doing something about it. They are aware of the health risks of administering antibiotics to healthy farm animals and in 1977 they proposed to withdraw its prior approval of putting penicillin and tetracycline in animal feed. In other words they had plans to not allow use of antibiotics in animals feed. FDA’s procedures require it to issue two “notices of opportunity for a hearing”. These were put on hold by Congress until further research could be conducted. In the meantime the industry was allowed to continue using antibiotics. This issue was on hold until two weeks ago when FDA decided not to fight against this antibiotic use. They are requesting the meat industry to voluntarily comply. FDA has less money than the meat industry so guess who will win?
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Oh, yeah, that lava cake looks amazing...love the atypical flavor combination! And fun to see Yummy Chunklet's great cookies here, too. Ugh on the ground meat...I now only buy it from a local butcher shop who grind their own...but still cook it thoroughly!
ReplyDeleteWhooo ... lava burn, sugar burn, calories not burning fast enough! :( Looks and sounds amazing tho. Now who's being different?
ReplyDeleteThose cookies would be great for Valentines Day.
Mmmm ... bacteria burgers, yum. I sure hope the butcher's grinder is clean and not already contaminated with a layer of bacteria when he grinds my meat. I'd rather grind my own.
That last article reminds me of that movie Fast Food Nation-enough to put you off your food!
ReplyDelete"Blossoms" must be an American thing as I've never heard of such cookies, but they look gorgeous! Your brussels sprouts pasta would surely be lovely too :)
ReplyDeletewill be the lava under baked? Thanks for these beautiful sharing. Wishing you a blessed New Year 2012.
ReplyDeleteLizzy: thank you, white choc and coconut is great.
ReplyDeleteping: YOU:)
There is always the risk of the butchers grinder harboring bacteria. I suppose you can always sanitize your butchers grinder before he grinds your meat:) You will get a discount this way.
The study applies to the US where the sample was collected. I think their unique/special meat raising methods probably creates more risk than in other countries
Lorraine: that was a good documentary
Hannah: It’s the first time I heard of blossoms as well. Americans finding new terms and methods to increase sugar consumption, it’s a very creative nation.
Sonia: lava cake should be underbaked but mine was more underbaked than normal!
And...that is yet another reason why I'm super happy I don't eat meat.
ReplyDeleteI'm much more of a vanilla person than a chocolate person...so I'm totally enamored with that lava cake.
Lava cake once more! I think I will have to wait a bit before trying it. I have had too much sweets recently...
ReplyDeleteI suppose in the US all the industrially produced meat contains these bacteria as you explain the daily antibiotics feeding is the main problem), but when the meat is ground the bacteria multiplies maybe? It's crazy how confident people feel about packaged meat (I know several people who are disgusted by butchers, selling high-quality meat with free-range certificates from small producers, practically without any risk, but buy happily packaged meat in supermarkets). Or maybe they are happy to ignore such facts as daily antibiotics or the fact that the animal suffers to make them eat tons of cheap meat?
OOO Lava cake!! I want!! I think it is time eat more vegetable and less meat:D
ReplyDeletethis is the first time i've seen a lava cake that's non-chocolate. definitely checking that out now!
ReplyDeletescary story about the meat though. i thinkt hat's why it's always a good idea to get your meat form a source you trust, say from butchers you trust, or the farmers' market, which i'm lucky to work at (:
I like the look of the pilaf dish. Great mid-week, sit in front of a DVD kind of a meal - very welcome now after so many parties. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo! My second appearance on your list! I'm honored. And, that lava cake looks really delicious. I'm going to try this weekend!
ReplyDeleteJoanne: I hope this does not discourage you from getting back to meat someday
ReplyDeleteSissi: yes lava once more, I love lava! I can understand having too much sweets this time of the year.
I read somewhere that bacteria does multiply faster with ground meat because there is more surface area.
Not so long ago people killed their own animals or bought from places other than supermarkets. Maybe there was marketing by the meat industry to convince people that supermarket or mass processed meat is more hygienic. This will start to change sooner or later
Quay Po: I think so
Shu Han: non-choc lavas are not very common
Hotly Spiced: exactly, it’s a break from the heavy dishes
Yummychunklet: good luck
Wow, that lava cake with coconut looks fabulous! I love coconut.
ReplyDelete