Mira Twiti is the President of the West LA Bird Club, 310-358-2951, email: westLABirdClub@aol.com. For a great book on a reluctant chicken owner, read "My Fine Feathered Friend" by New York Times food critic William Grimes. Mira spoke about the photographs of chickens in the book, "Extraordinary Chickens" by Stephen Green-Armytage.
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Phil Lempert is the Supermarket Guru. You can find lots of information on shopping at www.supermarketguru.com
Phil spoke about the three major brands of veggie burger - Morningstar Farms, Boca Burger, and Gardenburger.
His favorite is "Chef Max's" variety of Boca Burger. He also enjoys the new Burger King veggie burger, and is a fan of Tofurkey.
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Martha Rose Schulman is the author of "Every Woman's Guide to Eating During Pregnancy" published by Houghton Mifflin. You can visit her website and find out more at www.pregnancydiet.com
-Making nutritious meals quickly is all-important during those exhausting first and last months of pregnancy. Corn tortillas have more nutrients and less fat than flour tortillas. Quesadillas are assembled in minutes. Here are a few versions.
Classic Quesadillas
For each quesadilla:
1 corn tortilla
2 heaped tablespoons grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, or a combination
Salsa (homemade or commercial)
-Heat the tortilla over medium-high heat in a dry skillet. Turn it over and sprinkle the grated cheese over the surface. When the cheese begins to melt, fold the tortilla over with the help of a spatula. Heat for about a half a minute, then flip it over and continue to heat until the tortilla is lightly browned in places. Remove from the heat and serve with salsa.
Good Source of: Vitamins A (cheddar), B12 and C, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Calcium, Folacin, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc
Low-Fat High Protein Quesadillas
Makes 8 quesadillas
Make up this low-fat filling and keep in the refrigerator so that your quesadillas can be as quickly assembled as the above version.
1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
1/3 cup grated Monterey Jack
8 corn tortillas
salsa (green or red, cooked or uncooked, commercial or home-made) for serving
----1. Blend together the cottage cheese and grated cheese in a food processor until completely smooth.
----2. Heat the tortillas, one to three at a time, in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until flexible. Turn over and top each tortilla with 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Fold the tortilla over. Heat through, turning the folded tortilla over from time to time, until the cheese melts and the tortilla browns in spots. Don-t worry if some of the cheese runs out onto the pan (it probably will). Transfer to plates and serve hot, passing salsa to spoon over the top.
Good Source of: Protein, Vitamins B12 and C, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Folacin, Magnesium, Phosphorus
Quesadillas with Black Beans
For each quesadilla:
Add to the above quesadillas (classic or high-protein low-fat) 2 tablespoons cooked black beans (canned are fine). Top the cheese with the beans and proceed with the recipe.
Quesadillas with Greens
Add a tablespoon or two of chopped blanched greens to the quesadillas after topping with the cheese (regular or low-fat version).
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Angja Aditi is the live food chef at "The Inn of the Seventh Ray" restaurant, 128 Old Topanga Canyon Rd, Topanga. 310-455-1311. The raw food menu is served Wednesday to Sunday.