I'm Back + Olive Garden's Lobster Ravioli

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Vacation's over, and I'm back in the culinary saddle.  While I was away, I partook of my share of holiday treats.  Being the holidays though, I didn't photograph my meals or make notes as I feasted and spent time with family.

One Chinese restaurant is grateful, even if they don't realize it, that I wasn't "on duty" when I ate there.  Their  "spicy" Orange Beef was bland, and when I ate my Vietnamese Roll I found the Lime dipping sauce to be cloyingly sweet, with no citrus flavor.

Nevertheless, I did come across one note worthy dish while I was away.  Olive Garden has brought back their Lobster Ravioli for $18.99.  The menu describes the dish as (Ravioli filled with North American lobster and cheese, topped with a lobster Alfredo sauce, sauteed jumbo shrimp, basil and sun-dried tomatoes).

The "Alfredo sauce" was flavorful, tasting of cheese, garlic, and seafood broth.  Plus, I had six fairly good sized shrimp accompany approximately 20 ravioli.  The flavors were there.  Honestly though, they were cheese ravioli with lobster, since each pasta pillow was filled with a savory cheese blend and a few small pieces of lobster.

Olive Garden's Lobster Ravioli is tasty and filling.  Yet, it falls short of delivering the big chunks of lobster diners might expect.  Therefore, while I like it, I can only give Olive Garden's Lobster Ravioli 7 out of 10 stars.

Side Note:
You'll notice I put the term Alfredo sauce in quotes above.  I did so because a portion of food society claims there's no such thing as Alfredo sauce.

Having grown up in suburban America, I've become accustomed to a savory cream sauce served over pasta.   It's the version Olive Garden, and most other Italian/American eateries base their recipes on.

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Americanized Alfredo Sauce:

Ingredients
1/4 pound (1/2 cup) sweet butter, melted
1 cup heavy cream, warmed
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Method
Mix all ingredients. Pour over 4 servings of warm noodles (I use angel hair). Serve immediately.

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However, cuisine aficionados, such as Lynne Rossetto Kasper maintain Pasta Alfredo is a way of preparing a pasta dressing, rather than a sauce, named for the Restaurant Alfredo in Rome.

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Rome Style Pasta Alfredo

Ingredients
1 lb pasta,
1 stick (4 oz) butter,
1.5-2 cups Parmigiano Reggiano,
1 cup heavy cream,
1 clove of garlic,
salt & pepper to taste

Method
Melt the butter in the pan with salt and pepper. Add the garlic to the butter when melting but don't brown it. Add the freshly-cooked hot pasta to the butter and mix it together over low heat.  Then add cream in to the pasta and let the cream and butter will be absorbed by the pasta as you continue to toss the pasta.  Finally sprinkle on grated Parmesan cheese and keep tossing until the cheese joins with the coating on the noodles.  Season once more with salt and pepper if necessary end serve.

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Truthfully, I can't grasp the difference between a dressing and a sauce.  One could argue a dressing's cooked with the pasta while a sauce is poured over the pasta.  Yet, I've known spaghetti to be cooked with its sauce.

While I don't see the value in making the distinction between a dressing and a sauce, and I think Alfredo sauce does exist, if only because the populace has agreed it does, I will concede the idea that our version probably pales to its Roman counterpart.

Healthhy Seafood Omegas

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I'm hardly what one would call a health driven eater, much to the chagrin of my doctor.  I figure there are enough things I can't do, so I'm going to fully enjoy what I can do, namely, eat & drink.  Nevertheless, not everyone CAN eat whatever they choose, due to allergies and/or other conditions.

One friend of mine MUST avoid dairy, gluten, AND soy.  Recently, she was advised, by her medical professional, to boost her energy level by increasing the Omegas in her diet.

Subject: Fish Market | Date: 12/07/2005 | Photographer: Donar Reiskoffer | This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

Doctors call omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids “essential” fats because the human body needs them for building healthy cells and maintaining healthy brain & nerve function.  Growing evidence also suggests that Omegas help lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and age-related brain decline.

Since our bodies can’t produce these fats, we can only glean them from our foods.   Omega-3s come primarily from fatty fish, whereas Omega-6s come from plant oils such as corn oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil, as well as from nuts & seeds.

In order to provide her with some tasty ways to safely get what she needs, I went through my files, dug out some Omega-3 rich recipes, and altered them to fit her other dietary needs.  For example,  I took the cheese (dairy) out of the fish taco recipe and listed a gluten-free tortilla she can use.  Likewise, in the salmon recipe I replaced the soy sauce with umeboshi vinegar (an Asian vinegar made from pickled Ume Plums), which should offer the same flavor profile.

While not everyone has the same dietary restrictions as my friend, these are still tasty Omega-3 rich recipes.  They may even inspire you to alter your favorite recipes to suit your own needs.

Enjoy. :-)

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Fish Tacos

Red snapper contains 0.31 grams of omega-3 fatty acids in each 100-gram serving.

2 red snapper fillets (about 3/4 lbs. each)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of one lime
2 Tbs. cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup orange juice
1 oz. tequila
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
Black pepper to taste
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 gluten free tortillas (such as Rudi's Gluten-Free Tortillas), warmed
1 cup romaine lettuce, shredded

In a large bowl, combine garlic, lime juice, cilantro, orange juice, tequila, cumin, chili powder and pepper. Place fillets in bowl, toss gently to coat, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove fillets from marinade and place in hot oiled skillet. Sear on both sides, about three to five minutes per side. For each taco, place a portion of fish in the center of a warm tortilla. Top with lettuce and choice of salsa.

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Grilled Salmon with Ginger-Orange Mustard Glaze

Every 4 ounces of fresh wild-caught Pacific salmons such as Chinook, coho and sockeye, with naturally deep red flesh, generally provides 1 1/2 grams (1500 milligrams) to 2.3 grams (2300 milligrams) of natural omega-3 fatty acids.

4 (6 oz) salmon fillets (about an 1-inch thick)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup umeboshi vinegar (instead of soy sauce)
1/4 cup cream sherry (Cream Sherry doesn't have any dairy in it, but it is sweet and dark.)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons honey
green onion fans

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add salmon to bag; seal and marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes. Remove salmon from bag, reserving marinade.  Prepare grill or broiler by spraying with nonstick cooking spray. Cook 6 minutes each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork; basting frequently with reserved marinade.  Place remaining marinade in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Serve with salmon; garnish with green onion fans.

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Garlic Shrimp

Four ounces of shrimp provides about 350-375 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids.

3/4 pound of Shrimp, large, raw, peeled, and deveined
3 tablespoons Olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes
Dash Salt
Chopped parsley

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until just pink. Toss in the garlic, crushed pepper, and salt. Remove the skillet from the flame and allow to sit for 4 minutes. Place the pan over medium-low flame and re-heat for about 2 minutes. Garnish with the parsley. Serve warm.

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Recipes print as a single pages for your recipe file or refrigerator.
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Shrimp Scampi? Really

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Yes, it's a national chain, but The Cheesecake Factory, besides offering an array of very rich desserts, delivers quasi-fine dining dishes at reasonable (not necessarily cheap) prices for mid-level earners.

I was there recently and ordered the Steak Diane & Shrimp Scampi.  The meal was described as, "Medallions of Certified Angus Beef Steak Covered with Black Peppercorns and a Rich Mushroom Wine Sauce. Served with Mashed Potatoes and Shrimp Scampi." 

When it arrived, half the plate featured chunks (not really medallions) of tender well seasoned medium rare beef covered in a delightfully peppery mushroom red wine sauce.  The opposite end of the plate featured the scampi.  A row of garlic mashed potatoes separated the two proteins.

The steak was wonderfully savory and slightly spicy.  The potatoes were rustically mashed/smashed, giving them a homespun texture which complemented the herbs and pleasant kick of garlic.  It was the shrimp scampi that was the surprise.

Typically, Shrimp Scampi is defined as, "a dish of shrimp or prawns grilled or sautéed in oil or butter and garlic," so I expected 4 to 6 garlic butter drenched prawns.  Instead, I received 3 large lightly breaded, well seasoned shrimp resting within a pool of basil/lemon cream sauce and chopped tomatoes.

The shrimp themselves had a nicely seasoned Italian-esc flavor & pleasant crunch.  The sauce was rich and savory with a hint of tartness from the lemon juice and a touch of sweetness from the tomatoes.  Ironically, I quit ordering their pasta for lack of a good cream sauce, then I ordered their Scampi and discovered one of my favorite cream sauces ever.

I can't bring myself to call it "Shrimp Scampi," but it's so good that I definitely wanted to be able to make it.  I couldn't find the specific recipe.  However, I found the recipe for Cheesecake Factory's Bistro Shrimp Pasta which uses, what looks like, the same shrimp & sauce.  I rewrote the recipe without the pasta or mushrooms, and posted the modified recipe below, along with a standard Shrimp Scampi recipe for comparison.

All things considered, I give The Cheesecake Factory, at Washington Square Mall, 9.3 out of 10 stars.

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Traditional Shrimp Scampi
There are hundreds, if not thousands of variations of this shrimp in garlic butter dish.  Yet, when one orders "Shrimp Scampi" one expects a course along these lines, give or take a garlic clove.

Serving Size: 4 Servings

Title: Scampi served | Photographer: Jon Sullivan This file 
is in public domain, not copyrighted, no rights reserved, free for 
any use.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. large (16-20 count) shrimp, shelled and deveined|
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil|
• 2-3 Tbsp. butter|
• salt|
• 3-4 slivered garlic cloves|
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flake|
• 1/2 Cup white wine|
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley|
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste|
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice|

Directions

1 Heat a sauté pan on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter melts, foams up and subsides, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. If using unsalted butter, sprinkle with salt. Sauté for a minute, or until you see the edges of some of the garlic just beginning to brown.

2 As soon as the garlic begins to brown, add the shrimp to the pan. Then add the white wine and stir to combine and coat the shrimp with the butter, oil, and wine. Spread the shrimp out in an even layer in the pan. Increase the heat to the highest setting and let the wine boil vigorously for 2-3 minutes.

3 Turn the shrimp over, or toss them so the cooked sides are mostly facing up, and boil the wine for another minute. Remove from the heat, add the parsley and toss to combine. Add the lemon juice and black pepper.

Serve alone, with crusty bread, over pasta, or over rice (for gluten-free version).

This recipe prints as page 2 for your refrigerator or recipe file.

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Cheesecake Factory's Shrimp Scampi
Based on what I tasted and extrapolated from Cheesecake Factory's Bistro Shrimp Pasta recipe

Serving Size: 6 Servings

Ingredients

Lemon Basil Cream Sauce:

• 1 Cup tomatoes (diced)|
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil|
• 4 Tbsp. butter|
• 4 garlic cloves, minced|
• 2 Cup heavy whipping cream|
• 2 Cup chicken broth|
• 1/2 Cup lemon juice|
• 4 Tbsp. cornstarch|
• 1/2 tsp. pepper|
• 1 Cup chopped fresh basil|

Shrimp Portion:

• 18 large (16-20 count) shrimp, deveined and shelled|
• 2 eggs, beaten|
• 1 Cup flour|
• 1 Cup Panko|
• 1 tsp. garlic powder|
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning|
• 3 Tbsp. butter|
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil|   

Directions

1. Saute tomatoes in oil until warm. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in large skillet. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add cream and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook about 8 minutes or until reduced by about half.
3. Whisk together fresh squeezed lemon juice and corn starch until smooth. Add pepper.
4. Add lemon mixture to cream mixture and whisk constantly for 2 minutes. Turn down to lowest heat just to keep warm.
5. Dip raw shrimp in eggs and then transfer to coat with Panko breadcrumb and flour mixture. Fry in butter and oil for a few minutes until golden brown. Allow them to drip on paper towel covered plate and cook the remainder of shrimp this way.
6. Add basil to sauce.
7. Cover the plate with sauce. Top sauce with tomatoes and 3 shrimp evenly spaced on plate.
8. Drizzle more sauce over shrimp & tomatoes and serve.

This recipe prints as page 3 for your refrigerator or recipe file.

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Celebrate National Caviar Day - 07/18/2013

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You've seen playboy spies order it while wooing beautiful women.  It's been consumed by almost every formal evening wear clad soap opera character on the afternoon airwaves.  Michelin ranked chefs use it to garnish a variety of opulent dishes from Wagyu Tartar with Spicy Mayo with Caviar & Garnishes to Shot of Avocado Cold Soup Garnished with Caviar to Warm Oysters with Cucumber & Caviar Butter.  The Hollywood elite snack on Deviled Eggs with Caviar at the  Academy Awards.  Arguably, the most classic way to eat caviar is as an appetizer consisting of a dab of caviar and a dollop of crème fraîche on toast points. If any single ingredient embodies the spirit of the fiscal elite, it's caviar.

The word caviar originates from the Turkish word khaviar, a variant of the Persian “khaya-dar,” which literally means “having eggs.”  While this food has typically been thought of as an upscale delicacy,  during the early nineteenth century, caviar was routinely served during free lunches in American saloons as a salty snack which stimulated thirst and enhanced beer sales.

This beer promotion was cost effective due to the fact that America's waters were teaming with sturgeon.  In 1873, German immigrant Henry Schacht recognized this resource as being the proverbial gold mine it was, and began exporting caviar to Europe for the then high price of a dollar per pound.

Other entrepreneurs soon followed suit.  Much of the harvest shipped to Europe though, was labeled as the more coveted "Russian caviar," and shipped right back to the U.S. at a higher price.

But what is caviar, and why is it thought of as such a luxury food?

First, the term roe is used when referring to eggs harvested from various species of fish.  Caviar is a specific kind of roe, the processed salted roe of sturgeon, to be precise.  The female sturgeons have to be fully mature and loaded with eggs, 100-200 pounds.  The mother's are killed to harvest the eggs which are then hand packed and salted.

As for its expensive price, "real" or "traditional" caviar is only from sturgeon (Beluga, Ossetra, and Sevruga) from Russia and Iran.  Mature egg baring sturgeon are extraordinarily rare these days, due to the fact that pollution in the Black and Caspian seas is killing the immature fish.  The rarity and hands on preparation both contribute to driving the price of this seafood delicacy up to $114.50 per ounce for Russian Osetra Caviar and $16,000 per kilogram for Beluga Caviar, thought to be the best in the word.

Red caviar, on the other hand, comes from salmon, paddlefish, and/or lumpfish and can be found for as little as $3.50 an ounce.  Many of these low end versions though, are dyed with chemical dyes to make them red, and I personally find them to have unpleasantly strong fishy flavors.

Fortunately, entrepreneurs have begun to "farm" sturgeons in the US, China, and Canada, and produce less expensive versions of traditional black caviar.  American Hackleback Sturgeon Caviar can be found for around $21.80 per ounce.  While still not what the average buyer would call cheap, American sturgeon caviars are more affordable, for special occasions, and deliver the desired salty savory flavor one expects from a caviar.  The FEW times I buy caviar, this is the route I like to take.

Thursday, July 18th, 2013 is National Caviar Day.  I'm not saying one should take out a loan for an ounce of Beluga in order to celebrate the day.  Nevertheless, if you find yourself at your local specialty store, and you come across a moderately priced version of this delicacy, the upcoming observance may be the perfect excuse to try something new
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Egg & Anchovy Sandwich - Micro Blog

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I'm a mystery buff, and a fan of Rex Stout's culinary minded sleuth, Nero Wolfe.  In The Father Hunt sidekick Archie Goodwin snacked on an egg & anchovy sandwich while awaiting instructions from Wolfe.  Having a thing for anchovies, I wanted to try one of these sandwiches.

I found an egg and anchovy sandwich recipe, resembling what was described in the story, on the Australian Women's Weekly's site, of all places.  Their recipe feeds six people.  I altered it for one person.  My ingredient amounts aren't precisely 1/6 of their totals though, because my recipe doesn't have the sandwich maker leave an empty 1 inch margin between the fillings and the edges of the bread.   I also mixed a few teaspoons of yellow mustard with my mayo for an extra tang without the sharp vinegary bite straight mustard, sometimes, delivers.
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Egg & Anchovy Sandwich

INGREDIENTS 

3 tsp. mayonnaise
2 tsp. yellow mustard
2 thick bread slices
1.5 large hard-boiled eggs
4 anchovy fillets

PROCEDURE

Mix the mayonnaise & mustard together in a ramekin, or small bowl, until the mixture is pale yellow in color.  Spread some mayonnaise mixture generously over one side of each slice of bread. Place half the egg slices in mounds on one bread slice. Top with the anchovy fillets, then the remaining egg slices. Cover with the second piece of bread and press firmly on the edges to seal the sandwich. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve immediately.

The result is a tangy salty sandwich, with a nice umami undertone from the egg.  Served with a cold beer, this sandwich is perfect for any bar's menu or at home poker night.

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Food Scraps

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Food topics, which I wish to address, usually arise one at a time.  This time, four such topics seem to have cropped up all at once, some of which aren't quite meaty enough to support an entire blog post on their own.  Thus, I've decided to address all four topics, including; Oregon's new wine law, Anthony Bourdain's new series, and restaurant reviews of Newport Bay at Tanasbourne & Aloha Teriyaki; in this collection of "food scraps."

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Fill 'er Up Oregon

As of March 28th, wine drinkers can fill up their growlers at Oregon restaurants and grocery stores. Gov. John Kitzhaber signed the bill which allows businesses to sell consumers up to two gallons of wine in the reusable containers.

Vintners lobbied for passage of the bill, arguing that reusable growlers are environmentally friendly, because they use less glass and cork than standard bottles containing the same amount of wine.  Essentially, 2 gallons equals 7570.8 milliliters, therefore it would take more than ten standard 750ml wine bottles to hold the contents of a two gallon growler.   As a result, the consumer should save roughly $2.00 per every 750ml of wine purchased.

True, some of your "good" wines are aged in bottle.  Those aren't the wines Oregonians will be buying by the growler.   Rather, Oregonians will be saving money on young tasty everyday table wines.  I'm looking forward to buying wine this way, as soon as a grocery store near me hops on the bandwagon.

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Parts Unknown Feels Familiar

November 5, 2012 was a sad day for me, as The Travel Channel aired its last new episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, from Brooklyn. I was about to lose my weekly portal which allowed to eat vicariously through a knowledgeable uncensored, sometimes crass, tour guide.  Sure, I still had The Layover to fall back on, but that show deals more with travel tips than an examination of cultures.

Thus, I was happy when Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown debuted on CNN on the 14th.  Advertisements for the show would have viewers believe the focus of the show is on explaining news worthy events which have taken place in little known places around the world.  While we have been so far treated to brief histories of Myanmar and L.A.'s Little Korea, it should be noted that such history lessons were frequent features on No Reservations as well.

In a nutshell, Parts Unknown is essentially No Reservations with a new network.  Thus, the focus is happily still on the food.
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An Old Favorite Takes A Nose Dive In Quality

Newport Bay Restaurant at 2865 NW Town Center Dr, Beaverton, OR 97006, has sat behind Tanesbourne's Target store for years. In fact, I took my prom date there, for steak & lobster, over 20 years ago.

My mother and I were shopping last weekend, and decided to stop in for a bite of lunch. We started with the Hot Crab & Spinach Dip with warm tortilla chips for $9.99.  The dip did deliver the promised crab, spinach, artichoke hearts, and Parmesan cheese, but it wasn't seasoned and was completely bland.  Eating it was like having a mouth full of flavorless putty.

I ordered the Grilled Fish Tacos (jalapeno tartar, corn salsa, house made slaw, soft corn tortillas) for $11.99.  Unfortunately, all the tartar sauce a slaw dressing was glopped in the center of the taco's unheated tortilla.  Thus, biting into the end gave me a mouth full of dry cabbage, carrot, and unarguably overcooked fish.  To the hostess's credit, when I called her attention to it she took one look at the fish and took the meal off our bill.

On the flip side, my mother actually liked her Dungeness Crab Blend & Oregon Bay Shrimp Mac & Cheese (creamy Tillamook cheddar cream sauce, red onions, bell peppers, herbs & breadcrumbs) for $14.99, calling it creamy & delicious with plenty of shrimp & crab meat.

What was once THE place to go for seafood has sadly devolved into a below par hashery.  Even given the Mac & Cheese and hostess's positive attitude, I'm forced to give Newport Bay at Tanasbourne 4 out of 10 stars, or a F- grade.  One might argue that I'm unfairly slamming the food for not being gourmet cuisine.   To such tongue cluckers I would point out, I wasn't expecting gourmet fare, but I WAS hoping for a pleasantly edible seafood lunch, which I just didn't get. 
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A Tasty Affordable Lunch


I routinely pass the Japanese Restaurant Aloha Kokiyo Teriyaki, at 20437 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy in Beaverton, OR, as I make my way to Safeway for groceries. Resting amidst a quasi biker-bar, Florist's shop, take & bake pizza place, and tax prep office, it's an easy place to overlook. However, after I bought my herbs and anchovies, to make Bagna Cauda I found my stomach running on empty, so I stopped in for lunch, with my friend Dani, THE PICKIEST eater I know.

I had the Bento Box (strips of chicken, strips of beef, and 3 pot stickers [I ate one before taking the picture], a bowl of steamed white rice and garnished with a half slice of orange). I'm not a fan of rice, so the host graciously replaced it with a bowl of steamed cabbage, broccoli, and carrots. Initially, I was surprised to find the pot stickers were crispy from having been deep fried.  Yet once I bit into one, I found the same soft chewy savoriness, I've come to expect from the traditional dumpling, just beneath the crunch of the light batter.  The dip added a pleasant extra layer of salty flavor as well.  The chicken & beef were both cooked 'til tender, seasoned nicely, and served under a sweet teriyaki sauce.  While delicious as served, I added a hit of Sriracha, supplied at every table, for an extra kick of heat.

Dani had the Chicken Yakisobi.  While the picture may make it look like a hap hazard miss mash of food, it smelled wonderful.  Typically, Dani will pick at her food during a meal, only eating some after conceding to the fact that she needs to consume nourishment to survive.  While I wasn't fortunate enough to taste the Chicken Yakisobi, its combination of chicken, vegetables, Yakisobi noodles,  and sauce was apparently delectable enough to entice her to wolf down every bite.

Aloha Kokiyo Teriyaki is definitely a purveyor of of Japanese fast food, but really good richly flavorful non-greasy Japanese fast food.  No this isn't gourmet cuisine either, but at $14.45 for both lunches plus soft drinks, it's a good place for an affordable tasty lunch.  I give Aloha Kokiyo Teriyaki 8 out of 10 stars, or an A grade.

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Buying Seafood

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A few years ago I wrote a piece on the fraudulent mislabeling of seafood, and how it was endangering people's health.  What dropped my jaw recently, is the idea that even when we know which species we're buying, we may still be buying substances that could make us sick.

Reportedly, 86% of America's seafood is imported, half of which is  raised on factory farms.  89% of these farm factory imports come from Asian countries.  This would be fine, except for the fact that much of what's being imported from these don't meet American health standards.  Unfortunately, the FDA's testing procedures haven't caught up to the times, which still require testing of only 2% of seafood imports per year.

Below are just a few frightening examples of what's coming through customs, according to a (10/23/12) article from The Business Insider.

• Tilapia in China's fish farms, are fed pig and goose manure — even though it contains salmonella and makes the Tilapia "more susceptible to disease." 

• In Vietnam, farmed shrimp bound for the US market are kept fresh with heaps of ice made from tap water that teems with pathogenic bacteria.  

• Bloomberg also notes that at the same company "there’s trash on the floor, and flies crawl over baskets of processed shrimp stacked in an unchilled room." 

• In May, ABC News bought 30 samples of imported farmed shrimp from across the country and had them tested for antibiotic traces. The result: Three of the samples contained detectable levels of antibiotics unapproved for use in the US. 

• According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a quarter of the food-borne illness outbreaks caused by imported food from 2005 to 2010 involved seafood — more than any other food commodity.

So, what can you do to protect yourself and your family?  The best thing you can do is to eat seafood from clean sustainable sources.  In a nutshell, fish & shellfish harvested from clean sustainable sources will be healthier when alive, thus will be healthier for us when we consume them.

Then the question becomes, how does a buyer know which seafood is sustainable?  Well, there are a few ways.  Like I said a few years ago, find a grocer you trust.  I can't stress this enough.  Any TV commercial can make any store chain seem like part of your family, but do your research.

Has your store made a public commitment to  using only sustainable seafood the way Costco, Safeway, & Whole Foods have?  If not, does your store at least promote sustainable seafood by clearly labeling your choices with a color code such as the following seafood quality & sustainability key, used by The Blue Ocean Institute?

Seafood Quality & Sustainability Key:

These fish contain levels of mercury or PCBs that may pose a health risk to adults and children. Please refer to http://www.edf.org/seafood for more details.

Species has a combination of problems such as overfishing, high by catch, and poor management; or farming methods have serious environmental impacts.

Some problems exist with this species' status or catch/farming methods, or information is insufficient for evaluating.

Species is relatively abundant, and fishing/farming methods cause little damage to habitat and other wildlife.

A fishery targeting this species has been certified as sustainable and well managed to the Marine Stewardship Council's environmental standard. Learn more at http://www.msc.org.

My favorite specialty grocer labels their seafood with a similar color-based system (I think they combined the green and blue categories into a single green category).  Yes, occasionally they sell seafood from the unsustainable red category, but those few items are always labeled with a BIG RED DANGER CARD, so buyers know exactly what they're getting and where it's coming from.

My general discount grocer doesn't use such a system.  Thus, I've been known to buy my freezables, potato chips, V8, etc..., at my general discount grocer a stop by my favorite specialty grocer to pick up wild Alaskan Coho Salmon filets for that night's dinner.  Yes, the fish costs more, sometimes 4 times more, that way.  However, buying seafood at such conscientious stores gives me the peace of mind which comes with knowing what I'm buying & putting into my body.

Now, if reality requires you to do all your shopping at a general discount grocer, where low price is THE bottom line, there are still some things you can do to arm yourself. Greenpeace published this 52 page pdf ranking the top 20 national grocers based on the strength and responsible implementation of their seafood policy.

On page 7, I was surprised to find Safeway ranked, above Whole Foods, as #1.  I was also surprised to see Trader Joe's, Costco (even with their aforementioned pledge), and Kroger (locally Fred Meyer's) ranked relatively low while Target, of all places, was ranked 5th.

 Of course, these rankings tell shoppers nothing about local chains such as WinCo, Albertsons, etc... If you find Safeway to be on the spendy side, and you frequent a local grocer, you can still prepare to make an informed purchase.   Many environmental watch dog groups, such as Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, publish and distribute free seafood sustainability charts, like the one below, to consumers and restauranteurs.

BEST CHOICES			GOOD ALTERNATIVES		AVOID
	Abalone (U.S. Farmed) Arctic Char (U.S., Canada, Norway, Iceland; Farmed in Recirculating Systems) Barramundi (U.S. Farmed in Fully Recirculating Systems) Capelin (Iceland, Wild-caught) Catfish (U.S. Farmed) Clams (Worldwide, Farmed) Clams, Softshell/Steamers (U.S. Atlantic, Wild-caught) Cobia (U.S. Farmed) Cod, Atlantic (Hook-and-line from Iceland and Northeast Arctic (by Norway, Russia)) Cod, Pacific (U.S. Bottom Longline, Jig and Trap) Crab, Dungeness (California, Oregon and Washington, Trap) Crab, Kona (Australia, Wild-caught) Crab, Stone (U.S. Atlantic, U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Trap) Crawfish/Crayfish (U.S. Farmed) Croaker, Atlantic (U.S. Non-trawl)		Barramundi (Australia, Farmed in Fully Recirculating Systems) Basa (Imported, Farmed) Black Drum (Trotline from U.S. Gulf of Mexico) Black Sea Bass (U.S. Mid-Atlantic, Wild-caught) Bluefish (U.S. Atlantic, Wild-caught) Bluenose (Southern Pacific, Wild-caught) Capelin (Canada, Wild-caught) Caviar, Sturgeon (U.S. Farmed) Clams, Atlantic Surf (U.S. Atlantic, Wild-caught) Clams, Hard (U.S. Atlantic, Wild-caught) Clams, Ocean Quahog (U.S. Atlantic, Wild-caught) Cod, Atlantic (Bottom Gillnet, Bottom Longline, Bottom Trawl & Danish Seine from Iceland & Northeast Arctic) Cod, Atlantic (Hook & line from U.S. Gulf of Maine)		Barramundi (Imported, Farmed in Open Systems) Caviar, Paddlefish (U.S. Wild-caught) Caviar, Sturgeon (Imported, Wild-caught) Chilean Seabass (Southern Ocean, Wild-caught) Cobia (Imported, Farmed) Cod, Atlantic (Trawl-caught from Canadian and U.S. Atlantic) Cod, Pacific (Imported, Wild-caught) Conch, Queen (Worldwide, Wild-caught) Corvina, Gulf (Gulf of California, Wild-caught) Crab, King (Russia, Trap) Crawfish/Crayfish (Imported, Farmed) Dab, Common (Danish Seine from Iceland) Dogfish, Spiny (Wild-caught from Canadian Atlantic and U.S.) Eel, Freshwater (Worldwide, Farmed)

These columns are longer than what is shown here, but you can download a COMPLETE printable PDF version of the Seafood Buyer's Guide from Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch.

Even stores that don't label health & sustainability  levels, must, by law, label the species and source (Tuna, Skipjack [Worldwide, Troll/Pole]).  Therefore, once you have your printed copy, it's perfectly fine to take it shopping to remind yourself which products are from healthy sustainable sources by matching the species and source from the product in the counter tot the appropriate column on the chart.   Assuming they label their products honestly, you should be able to make a healthy well informed purchase.
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Combat Cancer By Eating Healthy - A Guest Post By Jillian McKee

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Those who know me, or who have read this blog for any length of time, know that I'm a pleasure eater.   As such, I'll never be a health food extremist; I enjoy my red meat, bacon, cheese, eggs, and pate way too much to expunge them from my diet.   That being said I'm 42 years old, and I recognize the need to eat sensibly, and even proactively, in order to maintain good health.  A diet which includes salads, citrus, oil rich fish, and fiber is not only important to maintain, but can also be delicious.

Believing this as I do, when Complementary Medicine Advocate, Jillian McKee asked to post a guest spot on this blog, I agreed immediately.  Following her piece are a few recipes I've come across, which utilize some of the principles she discusses.

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Jillian McKee has worked as the Complementary Medicine Advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance since June of 2009. Jillian spends most her time on outreach efforts and spreading information about the integration of complementary and alternative medicine when used in conjunction with traditional cancer treatment.
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Cancer is a serious disease that can afflict anyone. It is important that everyone regularly has themselves checked for cancer. Upon being diagnosed with cancer, it is important that treatment is received and that there is proper education of the state of one’s condition. Besides the physician prescribed treatment, it is of paramount importance for those with cancer to live well, think good thoughts, and eat well.

For those with cancer, eating well is not a cure or treatment, but it can help the body be in the best possible condition to fight against the cancer. Nutrition is important for maintaining peak energy levels, keeping one’s mood high, and maintaining an overall high quality of life.

Among the most important foods to eat for those diagnosed with cancer is foods containing antioxidants. In our bodies, when stress is induced, harmful oxidation occurs which generates free radicals. These free radicals damage cells within the body and cause DNA mutations to occur which can cause cancer. Antioxidants are compounds that neutralize these oxidizing agents, preventing free radicals from being formed. Thus, antioxidants can help combat the negative side effects of stress placed on the body. Foods that are high in antioxidant concentration are vegetables and fruits.

Any citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, and limes are high in the antioxidant Vitamin C. Vitamin C is capable of not only neutralizing free radicals, but it is also important in collagen synthesis. Collagen is an important component of skin. Consuming high amounts of vitamin C containing fruits will help improve skin elasticity. Since radiation treatment for those diagnosed with cancer can be quite harmful to skin, Vitamin C containing food should help immensely with maintaining optimal skin quality.

Vegetables such as carrots, oranges, red peppers, and tomatoes contain compounds called carotenoids, which not only act as antioxidants but are also important in maintaining healthy eyesight. Those undergoing cancer treatments should pay special attention to their eyes since chemotherapeutic agents can damage eyesight.
 
Along with all of the antioxidant properties of vegetables and fruits, they all provide high amounts of fiber. Fiber is undigested material, which passes through the digestive tract, and ushers forward the food and debris within the colon. Those receiving chemotherapeutic treatments should consume high amounts of fiber in order to both maintain colon health and to maintain regularity. The chemicals used in treating cancer can cause constipation or indigestion. Fiber from consuming fruits and vegetables on a daily basis can help alleviate these undesired conditions.

Fish, specifically oily fish can also be very beneficial for those suffering from cancer. Fish oil is high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids. These compounds are great for alleviating high blood pressure and depression, improving skin and eye dryness, reducing inflammation, and even slowing the growth of cancerous tissue. Consuming oily fish a few times a week should suffice for providing the body with the Omega-3 Fatty acids it needs. However, avoid consuming too much fish, since certain types of fish can be high in harmful chemicals such as mercury and PCB. In addition to Omega-3 Fatty acids, oily fish, and also peanuts and cashews, have high levels of the natural mineral Selenium. This mineral has been shown in studies to reduce the risk of cancer.

Soy containing foods, such as soya beans or tofu, contain an important family of compounds known as isoflavones. These organic compounds are considered both antioxidants and phytoestrogens. They help regulate hormone levels and through this mechanism, reduce cancerous cell proliferation. However, men should avoid consuming high amounts of phytoestrogens since they can act in a similar fashion to the female sex hormone, estrogen.

Foods high in Ellagic Acid are also great for their anti-carcinogenic effects. A variety of berries along with grapes are high in Ellagic Acid.  This acid selectively inhibits an enzyme, which catalyzes a reaction, which then allows cancerous tissue to grow and proliferate.

Eating healthy to help your body fight against cancer also includes knowing which foods to avoid. In general, foods that are not healthy and nutritious for people without cancer to consume are also not good for people with cancer to consume. As such, those undergoing cancer treatments should avoid foods high in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, and high fructose corn syrup. All of these compounds increase inflammation and blood pressure, which only increase the rate of cancerous tissue growth. Thus, avoid eating fast food and highly processed foods. Also, be sure to avoid grilled foods with grill marks because burnt food contains Benzopyrene, a known carcinogen.

If you are receiving treatments for mesothelioma or any other kind of cancer, eating healthy can help make your fight against cancer much easier. However, nutrition is only an aid to ending cancer, not a cure. More information regarding developing and maintaining a healthy diet during cancer can be found at- The National Cancer Institute. 

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From La Cucina Italiana Magazine, this first recipe combines citrus with my favorite oil rich fish, sardines.

Citrus Sardines (Sarde Agli Agrumi)

4 servings

Ingredients

• 2¼ pounds fresh sardines
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• ½ cup chopped herbs (basil, sage, rosemary, parsley)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Lemon, orange or cucumber slices for garnish

 Instructions

Clean the sardines, remove heads and scrub gently under running water to remove the scales; butterfly and fillet. Place the lemon and orange juice in a skillet and bring to a boil. Rest the sardines on top, side by side, slightly overlapping and sprinkle with the orange and lemon zest. Add the olive oil, ½ cup water, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle sardines with the chopped herbs, transfer to a serving platter, spoon the sauce over top and serve warm, decorated with lemon, orange or cucumber slices.

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This salad from Fitness and Freebies combines beans, tuna, and veggies into a high fiber single dish meal.

Italian Bean and Tuna Salad 
Recipe courtesy of American Dry Bean Board.

Ingredients

• 11 oz can baby lima beans, rinsed, drained
• 11 oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed, drained
• 10 oz can Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained
• 5 cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths
• 1/4 small cucumber, cut lengthwise into halves, seeded, sliced
• 3-1/2 tablespoons bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup tarragon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 11 ounces tuna steak, broiled or grilled, or canned white tuna in water, drained, flaked into small pieces
• 5-1/4 large lettuce leaves
• 2-3/4 basil or parsley sprigs

Instructions
Combine beans, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, and onion in large bowl. Add the next 8 ingredients (basil vinaigrette) and toss. Refrigerate mixture at least 4 hours for flavors to blend, stirring mixture occasionally. Add tuna to mixture 1 to 2 hours before serving. Spoon salad onto lettuce-lined plate; garnish with basil.

You can make the bean salad one day in advance and refrigerate, adding tuna 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Nutrition information per serving:
Yield: 8 servings
Calories: 625; Fat: 9.6g; Cholesterol: 37mg; Protein: 48.3g; Carbohydrates: 90.8g; Fiber: 24g; Sodium: 85mg; 13% calories from fat
Dietary Exchanges: Vegetable: 1.9, Bread: 5.1, Fat: 1.3, Very lean meat protein: 2.3 

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Finally The Mayo Clinic gives us a recipe for a refreshing high fiber dessert.

Summer Fruit Gratin


Ingredients 

• 1 pound cherries, pitted and halved
• 4 cups peeled, pitted and sliced mixed summer stone fruits, such as nectarines, peaches and apricots
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour

For the topping

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup sliced (flaked) almonds
• 3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar or firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons walnut oil or canola oil
• 1 tablespoon dark honey 

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Lightly coat a 9-inch (23-cm) square baking dish with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the cherries and stone fruits. Sprinkle with the flour and turbinado sugar and toss gently to mix.

To make the topping, in another bowl, combine the oats, almonds, flour, turbinado sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to blend. Stir in the oil and honey and mix until well blended.
Spread the fruit mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the oat-almond mixture evenly over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is lightly browned, 45-55 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutritional analysis per serving
Serves 6

Calories	224	Sodium	52 mg
Total fat	8 g	Total carbohydrate	38 g
Saturated fat	1 g	Dietary fiber	5 g
Monounsaturated fat	3 g	Protein	4 g
Cholesterol	0 mg

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Recipes print individually as pages 3, 4, & 5 for your fridge or recipe file.
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The Dining Restaurant at Multnomah Falls Lodge: Review

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First of all, it's nice to be back home and back online. Living in a motel, which reeked of tobacco smoke and Lord knows what else, as part of my house was being remodeled, was an exhausting experience. Returning home, after a week of; fast food take-out, nukable meals, mystery odors from Hell, limited TV, nausea, and no internet (I use a desktop PC); only to discover 1/3 of my computer's keys no longer functioned was positively disheartening. However a week and a half after the slay ride began, I'm pleased to say I have a new bathroom, complete with a heated floor; I'm adjusting to a new keyboard, I'm consistently holding food down, and I'm ready to write again.
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A week before work began on my house, Oregon experienced a few final days of clear skies and warmth. On the spur of the moment, my mother and I decided to enjoy the pleasant weather at Multnomah Falls Lodge. Spewing from natural underground springs that originate on Larch Mountain, white water rushes 620 feet down Multnomah Falls in two major steps, the upper fall plunging 542 feet to the lower 69 foot fall. Welcoming, tourists, photographers, and other onlookers is Multnomah Falls Lodge. Completed in 1925, the lodge provides visitors with an information center, gift shop, fast food snack bar, and a dining restaurant.

Located on the lodge's second floor, the restaurant consists of two high-ceilinged dining rooms. The first features a slanted ceiling and walls of glass which provide a clear view of the falls. The second room, done in dark stone walls and an espresso colored wood beam ceiling, offers diners the coziness of a wood burning fireplace. Given the grandeur of the rooms and the restaurant's promise of, "upscale Northwest style cuisine with an emphasis on fresh local ingredients," I figured we were in for a real treat.

Lunches are served with; Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, or French Fries; and a spear of dill pickle. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Salad Sandwich & Fries for $12.50 and a Widmer Hefeweizen for $4.50, and she had the Reuben & Fries also for $12.50.

Smoked Salmon Salad Sandwich - I live by a set of culinary rules. One such rule dictates that something called a "Smoked Salmon Salad Sandwich" should, at least vaguely, taste like salmon, smoked or otherwise. What I got was an orange heap of mayonnaise based glop, a piece of Swiss Cheese, and some lettuce between two mayonnaise slathered pieces of bread. I wouldn't have minded the thickly applied "salad" oozing from the sandwich after every bite, if it had actually tasted like SOMETHING. While "cold' isn't generally thought of as a flavor, if pushed to describe the taste of the sandwich, cold and mushy are the only words that accurately describe what I ate.

Reuben - This sandwich fit the generally accepted definition of a Reuben Sandwich; corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese, with a Russian dressing between slices of rye bread. Admittedly, the traditional ingredients were there. Yet, there was so much dressing and sauerkraut brine on the sandwich, that the bread became a soggy mess after the first few bites, forcing her to eat it with a knife and fork.

Sides - The fries were a typical shoestring cut, but somewhat under seasoned. The dill pickle was even on the bland side and was fairly soft to the bite.

Granted, The Dining Restaurant at Multnomah Falls Lodge is known for its dinners, and we were there for lunch. I have to say though, if they have trouble delivering a decent sandwich, I'm not about to risk twice the price on their Bacon Wrapped Ribeye or Herb Rubbed Prime Rib. I'll stick to the snack bar next time.

 I give The Dining Restaurant at Multnomah Falls Lodge 3 out of 10 stars.
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Seafood Fraud Hurts Consumers

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Back on April 7th, I did a piece on mislabeled foods. Based on the findings of a class in New York, I calculated that 1 out of 6 foods (16.7%), may be mislabeled. I thought this was an outrageously high number. However, calculations regarding fish and seafood, released to the press last week, make my numbers look comparatively optimistic.

According to one Seattle news site, after a year of sporadic DNA testing, the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) concluded that one third (33%) of fish imports have been mislabeled. Also released, was a report from the independent watch dog group, Oceana. The report entitled,“Bait and Switch: How Seafood Hurts our Oceans, our Wallets and our Health,” claims that fish and shellfish are mislabeled up to 70% of the time.

People intending to buy North West Red Snapper may actually be buying Catfish, Rockfish, Tilapia, Nile Perch, Mahi Mahi or the less sustainable Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper. You just bought some Grouper? Maybe you did, or you may've brought home filets of Catfish, Hake, Tilapia, Pollock or Nile Perch. Packages of Bluefin Tuna may in fact include Bigeye Tuna or Yellowfin Tuna. And, while it's hard to mistake another fish for Salmon, given its pink flesh, Salmon at your local grocery store may very well come from a fish farm, to spite the words “wild-caught” on the label.

Some people may be shrugging and thinking, "Last night's fish tasted good, whatever it was. Who cares?" Well, I can think of many reasons why consumers should care they're being duped. I covered many of these reasons; moral & legal objections to fraud, possible food allergies, and some consumers' attempt to buy sustainable foods; in my April piece. Since this is a food blog though, let's talk about flavor.

I'm most familiar with Salmon, so I'll use them as my example. When Salmon swim in the wild, they burn fat. When caught, eaters are sold fish which is mostly protein laced with a moderate amount of Omega-3, healthy fat. On the flip side, farm Salmon, which have less room to swim, develop a higher ratio of fats, and these fats are the less heart healthy Omega-6 fats. While increased fat content translates to increased flavor in beef and pork, farm raised Salmon are left with an oily taste and texture due to the higher fat content. Thus, when farm raised Salmon are labeled as being wild, consumers are being tricked into buying an inferior product for the price of a superior one.

So, what can consumers do to make sure they're getting what they're paying for? Eaters with means can ideally, drive to a coastal town and buy seafood as it comes off the boat. Barring that, buying shellfish in the shell and scaly fish with their heads and tales in tact, won't tell the average buyer if the purchase was wild caught or farm raised, but it's a good way to ensure you're at least buying the right species. Those of us who are fiscally incapable of buying a whole fish at a time, need to find a seller we trust and rely on that seller, even when rival supermarkets advertise, seemingly great, sales.

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Summer's here! If you're lucky enough to come across a whole wild Salmon this summer, here's what you do.

Grilled Salmon Recipe

Ingredients
1 whole salmon,
1 large lemon,
1 large red or white onion,
parsley,
olive oil,
salt & pepper to taste

Procedure
Stuff your Salmon with slices of lemon & onion, and a few sprigs of fresh parsley. Season the inside with salt & pepper to taste, drizzle the skin with olive oil, wrap the fish in a double layer of aluminum foil, and seal both ends. Bring your outdoor grill to maximum heat and place the Salmon on the grill. Cook approximately 10 minutes per inch measured at the thickest part (usually 40-50 minutes total cooking time), and make sure to flip it every 10 minutes. To test for doneness, make a small incision in the thickest part near the backbone. If there is any visible transparency, the fish is not done. The fish will be opaque when fully cooked.
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In Food Labels We Trust?

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When watching campaign speeches, reading op-eds, reading book reviews, etc..., most of us know we're partaking of opinion, which may, or may not, reflect reality from our perspective. We accept that going in. However, when we read labels at the grocery store, we expect to be reading rock solid facts about what we're planning to put into our bodies. Recently, students from Trinity High School in New York City, revealed that some food labels may in fact be as misleading as typical campaign promises.

Students were teamed up with scientists from the Rockefeller University and the American Museum of Natural History to see if they could extract DNA from common household items such as feather dusters. During the project, they tested 66 foods from various grocery stores in the area, and discovered something startling. Eleven of the sixty-six groceries tested weren't actually what their labels said they were.

Mislabeled Foods Included:*

"1. Shark meat is what was advertised in the store but the DNA testing proved it was Lates niloticus, a fresh water fish from Africa - commonly known as Nile Perch.

2. A product labeled "anchovy" came back as Protosalanx chinensis, which is actually not anchovy but a type of smelt fish.

3. One item was labeled "red snapper," but the DNA testing showed it was Lutjanus malabaricus, which is actually a different type of fish called the Malabar blood.

4. At a specialty store, a product labeled "sheep's milk cheese" was tested and proven to be cheese made with cow's milk.

5. Another item labeled "sturgeon caviar" was tested and the DNA came back as Plyodon spathula, a fish commonly known as the Mississippi paddlefish.

6. "Pacific Ocean smelt" was what was advertised in the store, but the DNA testing proved it was actually Odontesthes gracilis. It is not smelt, but a silverside family of fish.

7. "Frozen yellow catfish" DNA tested as Odontesthes gracilis. According to the fish database, this is not yellow catfish.

8. A dog treat labeled as "venison" (deer meat) tested as beef.

9. A fish sample that was labeled "mackerel" was tested and came back as Sardinella atricauda, a fish commonly known as Bleeker's black tip sardinella.

10. One product that was labeled "Jewfish" came back with DNA that showed it was actually Nemipterus furcosus, a fish commonly known as fork-tail threadfin bream.

11. A product labeled in Chinese translated to "Branchiostoma lancelet amphioxus, but DNA tests proved it was Salangichthys microdon, a fish commonly known as Japanese ice fish."

The statistical implication is that one out of every six foods we buy is mislabeled. Sure, it's theoretically possible that these kids just happened to pick the only eleven mislabeled foods on the shelves, but the proposal of such an explanation would make even the most reckless gambler balk. Mathematically speaking, it's far more likely that these eleven samples represent a portion of what's available from our stores' shelves and counters. However, the one in six ratio can't be thought of as a solid number until the project has been duplicated repeatedly with much larger sample sizes. Nevertheless, it's unfortunately clear that a level of deception exists regarding the foods we buy.

Some people may shrug and say, "Paddlefish eggs probably taste as good as sturgeon caviar." These people are missing the point. Substituting cheaper goods for the genuine article is fraud, pure and simple. Beyond the issue of legally defined deception however, lies a much more important consideration. We have the fundamental right, unwritten though it may be, to know what we're putting into our bodies.

Shoppers depend on labels for a variety of important reasons. Some people of faith need to eat Kosher or vegan in order to walk a particular spiritual path. Others avoid eating non-sustainable fish and other ingredients for moral and ecological reasons. Then there are those who have food allergies, diabetes, and other conditions, in which case the wrong ingredient could sicken or kill the eater.

The question is, what can shoppers do to protect themselves? I've been hunting for the answer to this question all week. After reading I don't know how many articles; emailing the FDA, a professional chef/caterer, a much read cheese writer; and participating in a number of other conversations, I must report the answer to be a resounding, "not much."

I'm lucky. From where I live, I have access to two very nice Farmers' Markets, three if I take the train to Portland State University, where I can buy produce, and a few other staples, directly from the source. Plus, my favorite cheese monger and wine seller happens to be my sister in law. She's educated enough in what she sells that I can trust what I buy from her shop.

Yet, even with Farmers' Markets and gourmet specialty shops, I eventually have to go to my local supermarket for corn flakes, canned soup, and baloney. Without my Bat-DNA-Testing-Kit from my utility belt, I pretty much have to accept a label's word as to a package's content, unless I'm super-familiar with a particular meat or fish, or it's a glaring error (trout in place of salmon).

I really don't like the fact that we have no way to independently determine the contents of our food, now that we know some labels are misleading. Still, the fact that "some are fraudulent" means that most are legally accurate. Keep in mind though, legally accurate labels can be deceptive if shoppers are unfamiliar with the legal definitions of terms companies routinely use to describe their products. With this in mind, I've researched some food labeling terms and clarified their actual meanings.

Fortified, enriched, added, extra, and plus: These terms mean that nutrients, such as minerals and fiber, have been removed to make room for vitamins to be added during processing. If fiber matters to you, look for the terms 100% whole-wheat bread and high-fiber.

Fruit drink: This means you're buying a fruit flavored beverage, most likely containing little or no real fruit juice. If your intent is to put actual fruit juice into yourself and/or your kids, look for products that list the percentage of juice in the product.

Made with wheat, rye, or multi-grain: Again, without the word "whole" as a modifier, such products may contain very little whole grain.

Natural: This can be the most misleading term of all, since it only means the manufacturer started with a natural source. Once it's processed though, the end result may not resemble anything found in nature. If it's important to you to eat foods provided by mother Earth, or close to it, look for the terms "100% All Natural" and "No Preservatives."

Organic food: First, ALL produce, meats, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs, and grains ARE organic, since they're carbon based and were once alive. They're even 100% organic. If you want to buy foods which are produced using environmentally sound methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives, look for labels that say "Certified Organically Grown."

Sugar-free, fat-free and trans-fat-free: These terms DON'T mean the foods in question have NO sugar, fat, or trans-fats. They mean, the foods contain less than .5 g of sugar per serving, less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, and less than .5 g trans-fat per serving. None of these terms means the product in question is necessarily low-calorie. The manufacturer may have added ingredients to compensate for missing sugars and fats by boosting flavor, and the product may have no fewer calories than its sugary fatty counterpart. If you're counting calories, you're far better off paying attention to the number of calories per serving.

Lite: This term, when applied to food and beverages, describes a food or drink that contains fewer calories than usual, but may not necessarily contain a low number of calories. If product X has 450 calories per serving, X Lite may have 425 calories per serving. Again, pay attention to the number of calories per serving.

Ham in natural juices, Ham water added, and Ham and water product: These product labels, in the order listed above, indicate how much water remains in the ham after its final processing. If the ham has less than 20.5% but is at least 18.5% protein, it can be called "ham with natural juices". A ham that is at least 17.0% protein and up to 10% added solution can be called "ham water added". Finally, "ham and water product" refers to a cured hind leg of pork product that contains any amount of added water. Buying a "ham and water product" may very well mean you're buying more water than meat. A"HAM" only label means the product contains 20.5% protein and no water, or a minimal amount of naturally occurring water.

Happy Shopping! :-)

*List of mislabeled foods found at www.myfoxny.com.