VITAMIN B12:  
I was recently diagnosed as being low on vitamin B12, but I have digestion problems and  will be getting B12 by injection once a month so there is something more to it.  Keep an eye  on the labels of vegan food products that have vitamin B12 because the manufacturer might stop including it.

Here is information on vitamin B12 from an article, "Vitamin B12 in the Vegan Diet", by Reed Mangels, PhD., R.D. of the Vegetarian Resource Group:

"The requirement for vitamin B12 is very low.  Non-animal sources include Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula or T-6635+ nutritional yeast (a little less than 1 Tablespoon supplies the adult RDA), and vitamin B12 fortified soymilk.  It is especially important for pregnant and lactating women, infants, and children to have reliable sources of vitamin B12 in their diets. "Vitamin B12 is needed for cell division and blood formation.  Neither plants nor animals make vitamin B12.  Bacteria are responsible for producing vitamin B12.  Animals get their vitamin B12 from eating foods contaminated with vitamin B12 and then the animal becomes a source of vitamin B12.  Plant foods do not contain vitamin B12 except when they are contaminated by microorganisms or have vitamin B12 added to them.  Thus, vegans need to look to fortified foods or supplements to get vitamin B12 in their diet.  Although recommendations for vitamin B12 are very small, a vitamin B12 deficiency is a very serious problem leading ultimately to anemia and irreversible nerve  damage.  Prudent vegans will include sources of vitamin B12 in their diets.  Vitamin B12 is especially important in pregnancy and lactation and for infants and children." 

For the rest of the article plus references go to the following web address:

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm 

Thee article can also be found in "Simply Vegan: Quick Vegetarian Meals"" by Debra Wasserman and Reed Mangels, The Vegetarian Resourse Group, $14.95, www.vrg.org.

The Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula nutritional yeast is at the following web address in case you want to check out the price or see what the packaging looks like.
                    http://www.nextag.com/red-star-nutritional-yeast/search-htmlhttp://www.nextag.com/red-star-nutritional-yeast/search-html

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FIVE-DUMP CASSEROLE:   
Here is something more from VRG, a recipe idea from "The Vegetarian Journal", V.25, No.4, 2006, www.vrg.org.

"One-Pot Wonders" by Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD, CCE, pgs.12-13

According to Chef Berkoff, "Many of my older friends tell me about a Depression-era dish called a `Five-Dump Casserole'."To make a Five-Dump Casserole, take five different cans of food, dump them in a casserole and bake them.

Here are three casserole ideas from Chef Berkoff:

1.  Black beans (drained), kidney beans (drained), corn, salsa,  and a small can of chopped chilies.

2.  Corn, diced tomatoes (drained), tomato paste, mushrooms (drained), and chickpeas 

3.  Chickpeas, canned potatoes (drained), green beans, black olives (drained), and tomato sauce 

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TURKEY RECIPE:    
The recipe author's name and nutritional facts are at the web address below:

http://www.recipezaar.com/9809          

 TURKISH SPINACH        Serves 4-6
1 hour 40 minutes preparation

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium, onion, diced
4 fresh diced tomatoes
1 freshly squeezed lemon
2-3 crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bunches fresh spinach (washed extremely well and chopped)
1/2 cup rice
1/4 cup water

1.  Rinse and wash spinach very well to get all the silt off (I use all the spinach including the roots), it takes about 4-5 washes.

2.  In a large pot, heat oil add onions and sauté until soft.

3.  Add all the ingredients in sequence and bring to a boil.

4.  Reduce to low heat and cook until the rice is cooked.

5.  Eat as is or add a couple tablespoons Garlic-Yogurt sauce and enjoy!

6.  Garlic-Yogurt Sauce:  1 cup plain yogurt, 2-4 minced garlic (depending on how much garlic you prefer), salt to taste 

Method:  Combine all the ingredients and serve over your meal.

(c) 1999-2006 Recipezaar.  All Rights Reserved. 
                http://www.recipezaar.com    

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 APPLES: 
The following three paragraphs are quoted directly from the "Arbor Day" newsletter, September/October 2006, arborday.org.  The only thing I did was make three paragraphs  out of one long paragraph.

"Apples Make the Health News"
    
"Eat some quercetin everyday" doesn't exactly trip off the  tongue, but it is the scientists'  version of what we have been told since childhood about apples and doctors.  According to Cornell University food scientist Chang Y. Lee, apples are rich in the antioxidant quercetin, a chemical that neutralizes harmful free radicals of oxygen that result when cells produce energy. Quercetin even out performs Vitamin C in laboratory experiments and may hold promise for prevention or treatment of cancer as well as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.  

Dr. Lee reports that quercetin resides primarily in the skin of apples, which suggests whole apples are healthier for you than processed food such as applesauce.  All kinds of apples are apparently high in the substance, as are blueberries, cranberries and onions.  Tests in large populations of humans are needed to see if the results are consistent with lab experiments.  However, in an unrelated Finnish study reported in "Psychology Today", it  was found that people who ate the most whole apples had a  lower risk of stroke than those who ate the least. 

Other scientists, such as the team at the University of Massachusetts, have found that when elderly mice were fed apple juice concentrate at the human equivalent of 2-3 cups of apple  juice per day, they performed significantly better on maze tests and had less oxidative brain damage than those on a standard diet.

APPLE COBBLER IN A CROCK-POT
   
4 medium apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter - melted
2 cups granola
Pinch of Salt
   
Put apples in a crock pot.  Mix in remaining ingredients.  Cover and turn on crock pot to "low" and leave on about 8 hours.  Serve topped with whipped cream.  Serves 4-6.

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