Attack of the clones

The FDA has recently determined that "meat and milk from clones of cattle, swine, and goats, and the offspring of clones from any species traditionally consumed as food, are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals." (Read the full press release here.) Until now, meat and dairy farmers had agreed not to sell any products that were from clones or offspring of clones. This latest decision clears the way for cloned beef, pork and dairy products to enter the food system. The FDA has also stated that food from cloned animals need not be labeled as such, because "food derived from these sources is no different from food derived from conventionally bred animals."

Frankly, this makes me squeamish. I can't pretend to challenge the science or methodology of the study, so I'll admit that my squeamishness may be entirely irrational. But there it is. I don't want to eat bacon from a cloned pig, or drink milk from a cloned cow. I just don't.

I fully support the use of cloning animals to develop cures or treatments for human ailments. I support cloning human embryos for the same purpose. But cloning for food? Isn't that a scenario out of some futuristic movie that nobody expects to come true?

My benign reaction is that, if we have reached the point of cloning animals in order to have enough meat or dairy products to feed ourselves, then as a society we are probably eating too much of those products. My more sinister reaction is that it is probably the large corporations who are behind the idea of cloning animals for use in the food supply. The FDA alludes to this, stating, "clones are intended to be used as elite breeding animals to introduce desirable traits into herds more rapidly than would be possible using conventional breeding." Hmmm. Elite breeding animals. So Harris Ranch finds the biggest, heartiest cow among the thousands of cows in its feedlots, and it clones that cow (as many times as it wants), giving it an endless supply of super-breeders of big, hearty cow DNA.

Seriously, this stuff makes me feel nauseated.

I'm curious about whether others feel the same way, or whether I'm overreacting. After all, cloning is standard practice in horticulture. We drink wine from grape clones. We eat apples from cloned apple trees. Why do I feel differently about milk and meat?

Homemade lara bars

Happy New Year to all!
While I don't make formal "resolutions," I do have some goals I set for myself. One of my eating goals for the coming year is to craft more of my foods by hand. Another goal is to eat more whole foods and fewer processed foods.

Happily, I have recipes to share with you that achieve both of these ends. The recipes are for homemade "Lara Bars", a type of nutrition bar that uses only whole, natural ingredients. Below are the recipes I've come up with so far, followed by a bit of commentary about nutrition bars.

By the way, I'm indebted to my friend Mary, for directing me to this blog post in which the author reveals her basic technique for making Lara-type bars. I used her technique to come up with a few of my own recipes. Thanks, Mary!

Jill's "Lara bar" recipes:

Basic recipe for 1 bar: 1 tablespoon wet ingredients (such as dates or raisins), 3 tablespoons dry ingredients (such as nuts), 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon spices (optional). (See specific recipes further down.)

Basic technique: Take each of your ingredients and chop them in a food processor. (Make sure to chop the nuts pretty finely; otherwise, they won't incorporate as well.) Put each of your ingredients in separate bowls (see photo). Measure out the ingredients as below and mix them together in a bowl with a spoon or by hand, until you can form a ball. Cut a piece of wax paper (8 inches or so) and place your ball on the wax paper. Use this to help you flatten and shape your ball into a bar- about 1 1/2 inches wide by 4 inches long. Then wrap in saran wrap and store in your cupboard. Voilà!

Here are the recipes I've made- please experiment with the technique and let me know if you come up with other variations!

Apple Pie: 1 T. dates, 1 1/2 T. walnuts, 1 T. dried apples, 2 t. almonds, 1/2 t. raisins, 1/4 t. cinnamon

Ginger Snap: 1 T. dates, 2 T. almonds, 1 T. pecans, 1/4 t. ginger, 1/4 t. cinnamon, 1/16 t. cloves

Oatmeal Raisin: 1 T. raisins, 2 T. oats, 1 T. walnuts, 1/4 t. cinnamon

Cranberry Walnut: 1 T. cranberries, 3 T. walnuts

Nutty Cookie: 1 T. dates, 2 T. walnuts, 1 T. almonds, 1 t. raisins, 1/4 t. cinnamon

Cinnamon Roll: 1 T. dates, 2 T. walnuts, 1 T. almonds, 1/2 T. raisins, 1/2 T. cashews, 1/4 t. cinnamon


Keep in mind that these are the quantities to make 1 bar. If you already know which is your favorite, I'd recommend multiplying the recipe by 16 or so, making a huge ball, spreading it out on wax paper on a jelly roll pan, and then cutting them into bars from there.

I also recommend shopping in a store that has bulk bins for items like almonds and dates, which will definitely save you money.


Good luck and let me know if you have any questions about this recipe.

*****
Here are my thoughts about nutrition bars. I'll admit, I'm a huge fan of them. Clif, Lara, Luna- they're all so delicious, practical, and (relatively speaking) good for you. When choosing a bar, I used to pay attention primarily to the nutritional information. I looked for fiber, high protein, low sugars, and not too much fat. I also looked for vitamins.

Recently though, I began to shy away from the nutritional information and started paying more attention to the ingredient list. I liked the idea of eating nutrition bars whose ingredients I recognized. With my new approach, I started favoring Lara bars over other brands. Lara bars use only whole foods and spices as their ingredients. Indeed, most of their flavors are comprised of five ingredients or fewer. Compare, for instance, the ingredient lists on the following bars (two of my favorites):

"Cherry Pie" Lara Bar: dates, almonds, unsweetened cherries

"Nutz Over Chocolate" Luna Bar: LunaPro (soy rice crisp [soy protein isolate, organic rice flour], organic toasted oats, organic peanuts, organic soy flour, organic soymeal), organic brown rice syrup, organic coating (organic evaporated cane juice, organic palm kernel oil, organic cocoa, organic soy lecithin, organic vanilla), organic peanut butter, vegetable glycerin, inulin (chicory extract), peanut flour, natural flavors, sea salt.

Which one sounds more appealing to you?

Don't get me wrong- I love the taste of some of the Luna and Clif bar varieties. And Clif Bar recently developed a sub-brand, "Nectar," that competes directly with Lara in its insistence on whole, recognizable ingredients. So I think that's a fine choice, too. But better still- if you have the time and energy- would be to make your own. Good luck!