Q and A Excerpt from Jo Lee Magazine

Q:  I always seem to get sick when the seasons change and I’m curious to know: what is your top immune boosting food?  Fredrick – St. John’s, Canada 

Use a crock pot to make stock over night

AB:  There are many foods that have immune boosting compounds, but my all time favorite, Fredrick, has to be homemade chicken stock.  Chicken stock has immune boosting and anti-inflammatory compounds that help to prevent and mitigate infectious diseases.  Adding fresh garlic, ginger and chilies to a robust stock takes the immune fighting properties to the next level by enhancing anti-microbial activity and increasing circulation.  Throw in a lot of fresh vegetables for good measure and you have a meal that keeps colds and flus at bay.

Q:  Have you heard of a new grain “Freekeh?”  Stewart – Livepool, UK

AB:  While freekeh may be new to the North American diet, it is a traditional grain that has been used in Arab and Egyptian cooking forever.  Stewart, Freekeh is green wheat that is picked when the wheat is still soft, stacked in the sun to dry and then burnt to remove the chaff and straw.  This gives the freekeh or “green bulgur” a unique nutty flavour.  From a nutritional standpoint freekeh has good amounts of both fibre and protein.   

Q:     Every time I hard boil eggs the yolk goes grey around the edges.  What am I doing wrong?

A:   The grey colour is commonly seen when you over cook eggs.  Although the eggs are still safe to eat the discolouration can turn some people off. To cook the perfect hard boiled eggs: Place eggs in a pot, covered with ½” of water, bring to a boil and let boil for 1minute, remove from heat and let sit for 12 minutes, run under cold water and store!  Hard boil a dozen eggs at the beginning of the week and you have many quick and nutritious snack options; slice into a salad or sandwich, make devilled eggs or eat whole with a little salt and pepper.