This week on Food Nation Radio Network we interviewed Professor Joe Cummins, Professor Emeritus at the University of Western Ontario about his paper entitled, Water Not Fit to Drink. This paper was written for the Institute of Science in Society. Professor Cummins has written papers in the past at the behest of the USDA and FDA, among other government organizations in the United States.

Here is what he had to say about fluoride in drinking water along with our comments about it: 

Professor Joe Cummins, professor emeritus of genetics at the University of Western Ontario, is one of the foremost scientists active in the campaign to protect the safety of crops, foods, human health, and the environment. Prior to joining Western in 1972, he taught genetics at Rutgers University and the University of Washington (Seattle) and since 1968 has been involved in a range of environmental issues related to mercury, asbestos, PCBs, pesticides, toxic waste, and genetic engineering. Prof. Cummins is the author of more than 200 scientific and popular articles and has published recently in Nature Biotechnology, The Ecologist, and Biotechnology and Development Review. He lives in London, Ontario, Canada.

Elizabeth Dougherty has been a food writer for over 10 years, attended culinary school and holds a Bachelor’s degree, Magna Cum Laude in Hospitality, Business and Labor Relations from NYIT. She has been a talk show host of nearly 200 episodes of Food Nation Radio which airs each Saturday afternoon at 4 on WWBA AM820 News and  other stations. You can read her articles and hear previous shows on her podcast page on the Food Nation Radio Network website and on Facebook.

(Photo/Elizabeth Dougherty)

This week on Food Nation Radio Network, Elizabeth talks to Attorney Joe Pippen about the recent controversy surrounding the length of Subway‘s Foot-long Sub and measures the sandwich to find out if it is as long as is advertised.

Here’s the YouTube from that segment: Food Nation Radio Network Measures Subway\’s Foot-long Sub

Elizabeth Dougherty has been a food writer for over 10 years, attended culinary school and holds a Bachelor’s degree, Magna Cum Laude in Hospitality, Business and Labor Relations from NYIT. She has been a talk show host of nearly 200 episodes of Food Nation Radio which airs each Saturday afternoon at 4 on WWBA AM820 News and other stations. You can read her articles and hear previous shows on her podcast page on the Food Nation Radio Network website and on Facebook.

Jeffrey Smith from the Institute for Responsible Technology explains exactly how Monsanto’s genetically modified corn is toxic to humans, according to a new French study from the University of Caen. In the stunning audio below, Smith details how this corn is designed to rupture the stomach of insects and what it did to the stomachs of humans during this study.

At the very same time President Obama continues to allow his appointees, Michael Taylor, in charge of food safety at the FDA, and Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, to maintain GMOs are safe, the White House holds events to “inform” and “educate” parents about healthy school lunches for children.

Here’s the audio from Jeffrey Smith (warning: graphic descriptions) with commentary from Food Nation Radio Network: Interview with Jeffrey Smith

There continues to be a disconnect among the FDA, USDA, the White House and Americans about what is safe to eat and disclosure about what Americans are consuming. Upwards of 90% of Americans want genetically modified foods labeled and a petition is still sitting up at the FDA containing well over 1 million signatures from concerned citizens requesting the FDA label GMOs. The FDA had given assurances months ago the agency would consider and respond to the petition. That has yet to happen. In 2007 on the campaign trail, Candidate Obama promised to label GMOs if elected. He has not done so and in fact, appointed Taylor and Vilsack with long-standing ties to Monsanto, a major developer of GMO seeds, instead.

Elizabeth Dougherty has been a food writer for over 10 years, attended culinary school and holds a Bachelor’s degree, Magna Cum Laude in Hospitality, Business and Labor Relations from NYIT. She has been a talk show host of nearly 150 episodes of Food Nation Radio which airs each Saturday afternoon at 4 on WWBA AM820 News and other stations. You can read her articles and hear previous shows on her podcast page on the Food Nation Radio Network website and on Facebook.

(Photo/Jeffrey Smith)

You can ignore the topic.

You can tiptoe around the subject if you want to.

You can pretend it doesn’t matter that in a 2007 campaign speech to Iowa farmers, then candidate Obama said that Americans had the right to know about the foods they eat. You can pretend it doesn’t matter he went on to say that if elected, he would label genetically modified food. Listen to that audio here:

Candidate Obama’s Promise to Label GMOs

(He didn’t and hasn’t done so.)

You can pretend it doesn’t matter that as president, Mr. Obama has appointed two men, Michael Taylor and Tom Vilsack to the most important food safety/food supply positions in the country. Both had ties to Monsanto. You can pretend the President and the First Lady are not part of one administration and one agenda that sometimes chooses big corporate interests over those of your children.

The overriding feeling is, it’s all YOUR fault, parents, some of your children are overweight. You are the ones feeding your kids foods considered by most to be unhealthy, like high fructose corn syrup, candy made with beet sugar (from genetically modified sources), and allowing your children to gain weight. The administration takes no responsibility for any of that, whatsoever. At the Childhood Obesity Summit in 2010, the First Lady said, “Our kids didn’t do this to themselves.” She’s right. The administration and Congress helped.

The issue of processed food and huge subsidies in the Farm Bill for companies producing corn for corn syrup, sugar beets for sugary foods and other less healthy foods is one that travels on both sides of the aisle. Some groups say it’s up to us, as parents and as voters to tell politicians we expect better for our kids. At the same time, one of the amendments to the Farm Bill would cut funding for school lunch. The Farm Bill in its current form is stalled in Congress, at this writing, until sometime next month.

A new study on genetically modified food conducted over ten years by Austrian, Turkish, Australian, Irish and Norwegian researchers was released in July of this year. The main focus of the study was corn and soy. Scientists found a correlation between consumption of GM corn and soy and increased weight gain among pigs, rodents and fish. The test subjects who ate the modified food experienced changes in their intestines as well, causing them to digest less protein from the food they consumed. Adverse effects to the immune system were also noted.

The most concerning outcome in the test subjects was organ changes to the liver and kidneys. Also, genes from the modified food were found in the blood. GMO proponents have maintained there is no danger in consuming genetically modified food since it “doesn’t stay in the body”. Hmm.

If parents want the best advice on feeding kids healthy school lunches this school year, the best plan is to seek out organic, local, whole foods from farms and grocers they trust. Stay away from processed food, food dyes, known allergens and non-organic soy, corn, sugar beets, canola, alfalfa and animals fed non-organic soy, corn or alfalfa in their feed.

Until these foods are properly labeled, as promised by the President, and parents know what they are feeding their children, it’s unfair to make parents feel guilty for the weight gain of their kids. The finger points right back at the hypocrisy of  the current White House administration.

Chew on that for a while.

Calls made to the White House requesting President Obama’s current position on labeling GMOs were not returned.

Elizabeth Dougherty has been a food writer for over 10 years, attended culinary school and holds a Bachelor’s degree, Magna Cum Laude in Hospitality, Business and Labor Relations from NYIT. She has been a talk show host of nearly 150 episodes of Food Nation Radio which airs each Saturday afternoon at 4 on WWBA AM820 News and other stations. You can read her articles and hear previous shows on her podcast page on the Food Nation Radio Network website and on Facebook.

I get emails and social media messages from readers and listeners once in a while.

Most of them are pretty benign. “How do I make braciole?” “How do I make pizza?” Very occasionally, I get some really interesting comments. “Sometimes your recipes sound erotic.”

Really?

Food Network is really the hallmark of that type of broadcasting, in my opinion, but maybe there’s such an association between the basic needs of food and sex that people get confused or the lines get blurred. In the wayback machine, there was even a segment on Seinfeld about the urges of food and sex:

Here’s the segment from Food Nation Radio Network that received a few savory comments: FNRN Celebrates Pizza

Elizabeth Dougherty has been a food writer for over 10 years, attended culinary school and holds a Bachelor’s degree, Magna Cum Laude in Hospitality, Business and Labor Relations from NYIT. She has been a talk show host of nearly 150 episodes of Food Nation Radio which airs each Saturday afternoon at 4 on WWBA AM820 News and  other stations. You can read her articles and hear previous shows on her podcast page on the Food Nation Radio Network website and on Facebook.

Got milk?

Sure, if that’s what you want to call it. A glass of milk today is virtually unrecognizable from the milk people consumed in the mid-1800s. Today’s version is pasteurized to kill any possible microbes and toxins, and affects flavor, vitamins and amino acids. Hormones are given to some dairy cows to increase the yield of milk, which, some say, are causing our children to grow faster and larger, physically maturing sooner than ever before. In a European study published last year, 20 different chemicals were found in the average glass of milk, including antibiotics and painkillers.

Proponents of raw milk say they prefer the cow’s milk they consume to be in a more natural state and believe the risks are minimal when purchasing from responsible dairy farms. They believe their children have less milk allergies and less childhood health issues when they drink raw milk, compared to its chemical-laden counterpart.

Food Nation Radio Network asked the FDA about their policy on raw milk sales and consumption. They referred us to their website which clearly states the agency does not believe the consumption of raw milk is safe and can contain dangerous pathogens such as staph, salmonella, E. coli and listeria. To date, 30 states allow raw milk sales and consumption within their state and 20 do not. The FDA prohibits commercial sales of raw milk across interstate lines. All of the information on the site begs one question.

Why do we serve any raw foods at all in this country?

Sushi, oysters, steak tartare, carpaccio, chocolate mousse and many more dishes seen in restaurants every day all contain raw ingredients that carry the very same health risks cited by the FDA about raw milk. Why are all of these allowed to be served (with a warning) to consumers, yet raw milk is not?

Recently we interviewed a mom who regularly purchased milk from an Amish farmer for six years. She tells a story I never thought I’d hear in America, of armed agents storming into a dairy farm in rural Pennsylvania. Listen to this unbelievable story here: Raw Milk & The FDA

Elizabeth Dougherty has been a food writer for over 10 years, attended culinary school and holds a Bachelor’s degree, Magna Cum Laude in Hospitality, Business and Labor Relations from NYIT. She has been a talk show host of nearly 150 episodes of Food Nation Radio which airs each Saturday afternoon at 4 on WWBA AM820 News and other stations. You can read her articles and hear previous shows on her podcast page on the Food Nation Radio Network website and on Facebook.

Tired of that same old pot roast or stew? This recipe elevates that simple chuck roast to a fine dining experience. The best part is, there is absolutely no work involved except for the stirring of that creamy, savory risotto. But that’s a labor of love, right? Here it is:

Ingredients

2 1/2 lb chuck roast
16 oz frozen pearl onions
8 oz whole button mushrooms
750 ml white wine
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground, black pepper
Arborio rice, 1 cup, uncooked
1 TB olive oil
2 TB cold butter
1 medium tomato
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
parsley for garnish

Method

Empty the bag of frozen onions into a crock pot or dutch oven. Season the chuck roast with the salt and pepper and put on top of the onions. Add the thyme and mushrooms over the top. Pour the white wine over the roast. Cook according to crock pot directions. If using a dutch oven, bring up to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat for two to two and half hours. Remove the roast to a plate and keep warm.

Using a two quart saucepan over medium high heat, add the olive oil and 1 TB of the butter. When the butter is melted, add 1/2 cup of cooked onions from the roast and 1/4 cup of the mushrooms. Cut the tomato into 1/4″ dice and add to the pot. Add the rice and stir for about 2 minutes, until the rice almost starts to toast. Ladle one cup of stock from the roast into the rice and stir slowly with a wooden spoon. Continue adding stock and stirring until the rice is al dente (about 18 minutes). Take off the heat and stir in the other TB of butter and the parmesan. Serve on a platter with the beef shredded over the top.

This week on Food Nation Radio Network (WWBA/WXMR) we talked about what produce is ready right now. However, we’ve been holding out on you, because we’ve been growing our own veggies/herbs with a tower from Prodigal Organic Towers. 

The whole container recycles the water in it, there is no soil, no bugs and it’s on a timer. They couldn’t make it any easier to grow your own organic plants at home. Here is their website for more info: http://prodigalorganictowers.com/

In addition to growing things, I’ve been cooking up some menus for the Easter holiday. Here’s a couple of tested menus you can access right here at http://elizabethdougherty.com:

http://elizabethdougherty.com/2011/06/09/spring-pea-soup-with-lime-crema-chicken-breasts-poached-in-red-wine-and-star-anise-and-five-spice-fingerlings/

http://elizabethdougherty.com/2011/06/10/herb-encrusted-rack-of-lamb-with-a-buerre-rouge-potatoes-dauphinoise-with-gruyere-and-spring-aspargus-with-roasted-garlic/

More and more, I’m so proud and excited to live in the Tampa Bay area with chefs and restaurants that are really dedicated to providing fresh, local food. Yes, we eat healthily for the most part, but sometimes you’ve got to just let go and live a little.

This is the Mezza Luna from Bella’s in South Tampa. It’s fried from their fresh Mezza Luna (half moon) pasta stuffed with cheese, however, it still manages to stay light and the sauce has that rich tomato taste without being too acidic.

There are many things I love about this restaurant, there are too many to list. It’s not that it’s full of snooty culinary masterpieces. That’s not the point of this place. It’s a true neighborhood restaurant. When you walk in, you feel warmly at home. The servers are friendly without being intrusive and the food is generally very good. (The tiramisu, which I’ve written about before, is the best I’ve ever eaten.)

The pizza oven does not disappoint with crispy pizzas served all day and on their late night menu. (The only change I requested is I wanted the prosciutto put on after the pizza was baked, otherwise it gets a little tough.)

If you have kids and you are looking for some house-made meals instead of the super-salty overly processed choices, check out Outback. Have you been lately? My son swears by their version of mac n’ cheese made with penne pasta. I tried it too. So cheeeesy. 

I had always been taught that when you want a great steak, go to one of those very expensive steakhouses where they tell you the whole story of the cow’s life and how long they age their steaks, etc. When I found out that Zagat had rated Outback’s steaks as the best in the country by a chain restaurant, I wanted to taste it for myself. I hadn’t eaten at an Outback in years, and my last impression was “meh”. That has all changed now.

The filet with a wedge salad is a reasonably priced, very flavorful dish. The filet I tried was fork tender and perfectly grilled over wood. It had that smoky flavor going on in the background and the cool, blue cheese dressing on the wedge was a great counterpart. There are some dishes where simple is just fine by me, as long as the quality is there. This is one of them.

If you want a special night out, away from the franchises and chains, check out one of my favorite restaurants in Tampa, Pane Rustica. These people have a habit of making their meat dishes brontosaurus-sized. About a week ago, I tried their short rib and there was nothing short about it. It was huge and tender and savory and completely satisfying. Wow. I just had a little flashback there. Here’s a picture so you can share the yearning with me. 

That’s not all I had that evening. Have you ever had a veal cheek? I hadn’t either and I dig when restaurants use all the “parts” and don’t waste anything. It’s what being a good restaurant/chef is about. That’s the challenge and they really stepped up with this veal cheek and pasta dish. Just when I thought the short rib was the most outstanding part of my evening. This was love on a plate. 

You probably already know by now, neighborhood Italian places always have a soft spot in my heart. Well, recently we had Bill Murphy on the show. Remember those great one-tank trips he put together? Yep. That’s the guy. You can still find his books around town. I found some at Haslam’s, but I digress. Bill recommended this little Italian restaurant in St. Pete Beach called Gennaro’s. 

It’s not big. It’s not fancy. The food is exactly what you would expect and hope for. The red sauce is made with love, the garlic bread is an actual loaf of Italian bread smeared with garlic butter and baked until toasty hot, the baked pasta dishes are overflowing with cheese, bubbly and browned on top and it’s not expensive. I really debated not even writing about Gennaro’s because I want to go back and I don’t want it to be too crowded! This was my manicotti, hot and steaming right from the oven.

By the way, if you find yourself at the Columbia Restaurant with out of town friends in Ybor or you just feel like taking in the view at the Pier, it doesn’t mean you always have to have a Cuban sandwich. They have several Italian crossover dishes like their version of an eggplant parmesan pictured here. It’s got capers and olives in it, giving it some extra pizzazz and the sauce a good kick. Did you know they also have a gluten-free menu? All you have to do is ask for it. 

I’ll see what sorts of trouble I get into over the next several days, fork in hand, eating around. Have a tasty week.