I made an Orange Cornmeal Cake yesterday that I just had to share with everyone. It was so light and fresh... perfect for the warmer weather that has finally arrived. And as far as sweets go, it's not terribly naughty. It contains no butter- but olive oil instead. It has lots of orange flavor, so I could see it being wonderful with tea or coffee as a brunch treat also. The best part is that it is so, so easy to make! Happy Baking!
You'll need:
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for pan
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar, plus 1/3 cup for topping
1/2 cup dry white wine, (or orange juice)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
Orange segments, for serving (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with oil; line bottom with a round of wax or parchment paper, and brush paper with oil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, 1 cup sugar, and wine until smooth. Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and orange zest; whisk gently to combine.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1/3 cup sugar (topping will be thick). Bake until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
4. Cool in pan 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; invert cake gently onto a plate, and remove parchment paper. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely. Serve with orange segments, if desired.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Nausea in Pregnancy
This week, my sister officially announced her first pregnancy- and it's going to be twins! We are all so excited for her. She has been getting advice from friends and family left and right, of course including me. Here is my recommendation for nausea during pregnancy- often referred to as morning sickness, even though it can happen at any time of the day.
Nausea is generally experienced when your blood sugar is low. Hands down, the most reliable way to deal with it is to eat something, even though food may be the last thing you want to think about! Whether or not you feel hungry, take breaks throughout the day to eat small, healthy snacks at least every 2 hours. Nuts, fruit, or a few handfuls of popcorn are all good options. To prevent nausea in the morning, it's a good idea to keep a bland food such as crackers by the bed to eat if you happen to wake during the night. Also have a small, protein rich snack right before bedtime.
You may have also heard about acupuncture for nausea- in my experience, it really does help! One acupressure point you can stimulate yourself is located on your inner wrists. If you make a fist, you can usually see two tendons on the inner forearm near the wrist- the point is in between these tendons, about 2 inches up from the wrist crease. Using your thumb to press this point with moderate pressure can help alleviate nausea.
These recommendations can usually manage mild to moderate nausea quite well. If you have severe nausea leading to frequent vomiting, consult your obstetrician.
If you're interested in trying acupuncture for nausea in pregnancy, please contact me via my website at http://www.susanwallmeyer-acupuncture.com/ .
Nausea is generally experienced when your blood sugar is low. Hands down, the most reliable way to deal with it is to eat something, even though food may be the last thing you want to think about! Whether or not you feel hungry, take breaks throughout the day to eat small, healthy snacks at least every 2 hours. Nuts, fruit, or a few handfuls of popcorn are all good options. To prevent nausea in the morning, it's a good idea to keep a bland food such as crackers by the bed to eat if you happen to wake during the night. Also have a small, protein rich snack right before bedtime.
You may have also heard about acupuncture for nausea- in my experience, it really does help! One acupressure point you can stimulate yourself is located on your inner wrists. If you make a fist, you can usually see two tendons on the inner forearm near the wrist- the point is in between these tendons, about 2 inches up from the wrist crease. Using your thumb to press this point with moderate pressure can help alleviate nausea.
These recommendations can usually manage mild to moderate nausea quite well. If you have severe nausea leading to frequent vomiting, consult your obstetrician.
If you're interested in trying acupuncture for nausea in pregnancy, please contact me via my website at http://www.susanwallmeyer-acupuncture.com/ .
Spring Allergy Tips
From what I've seen in my patients this week, spring allergies seem to be at their peak. Most commonly people have itchy, red eyes, a sore throat, runny nose, sinus congestion, and sneezing. These symptoms are all due to a histamine reaction in our bodies primarily in response to tree pollens. From a Chinese Medicine perspective, they are usually due to an imbalance of the lung and spleen organs. What can you do to minimize the symptoms? Here are some tips.
- Don't exercise or run errands outdoors between 5-10am. This is the time of day when pollen counts are highest. They are even higher on hot or windy days. Do these activities in the mid to late afternoon instead.
- Avoid using a window fan- this can allow airborne pollens, mold spores, and pollutants to be brought into the home.
-Wash your hair before going to bed to rinse out the outdoor pollens that have accumulated during the daytime.
-Undress outside your bedroom if you've spent a significant time outdoors to avoid depositing the pollens attached to your clothing in the bedroom where you sleep at night.
-As beautiful as they are, at this time of year avoid flowers in your home. These may provoke sneezing attacks.
-Consider taking a Chinese herbal formula tailored to your specific symptoms. There are formulas that target symptoms only as well as formulas that treat the underlying imbalance causing you to be susceptible to pollens in the first place. Many times after taking one of the latter formulas for several months during the winter, patients report less severe reactions come springtime.
-I have also seen acupuncture alone greatly reduce allergy symptoms. Try acupuncture once to twice weekly to reduce sneezing, coughing, and sinus pressure.
If you have any questions or comments, or are interested in herbs or acupuncture to treat your seasonal allergies, please contact me at swallmeyer.acupuncture@gmail.com.
- Don't exercise or run errands outdoors between 5-10am. This is the time of day when pollen counts are highest. They are even higher on hot or windy days. Do these activities in the mid to late afternoon instead.
- Avoid using a window fan- this can allow airborne pollens, mold spores, and pollutants to be brought into the home.
-Wash your hair before going to bed to rinse out the outdoor pollens that have accumulated during the daytime.
-Undress outside your bedroom if you've spent a significant time outdoors to avoid depositing the pollens attached to your clothing in the bedroom where you sleep at night.
-As beautiful as they are, at this time of year avoid flowers in your home. These may provoke sneezing attacks.
-Consider taking a Chinese herbal formula tailored to your specific symptoms. There are formulas that target symptoms only as well as formulas that treat the underlying imbalance causing you to be susceptible to pollens in the first place. Many times after taking one of the latter formulas for several months during the winter, patients report less severe reactions come springtime.
-I have also seen acupuncture alone greatly reduce allergy symptoms. Try acupuncture once to twice weekly to reduce sneezing, coughing, and sinus pressure.
If you have any questions or comments, or are interested in herbs or acupuncture to treat your seasonal allergies, please contact me at swallmeyer.acupuncture@gmail.com.
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