In the Northern Hemisphere, the weather is turning cooler and Autumn is just around the corner. When we cook, our thoughts turn to warm, hearty dishes that fill the house with comforting smells and make the kitchen come alive with warmth. Squash, root vegetables, soups or stews, and fresh breads are the perfect foods for this time of year. Fill your kitchen with these delicious, (mostly) nutritious vegan dishes this Fall and watch your guests’ faces light up as they realize how amazing vegan food can be. Best of all, you don’t have to be a master chef to make any of these recipes.

Appetizers

It’s surprising how many people have never tried hummus. It’s a filling chickpea-and-tahini spread that goes great on raw veggies, pita bread or even crackers. Hummus is delicious any time of the year, but in Autumn it’s even harder to resist hummus made with roasted red peppers and garlic. This hummus recipe is quick and easy because it uses canned chickpeas and red peppers, but if you prefer you can cook your own chickpeas from dried and roast your own red peppers.

Bread and oil is a classic quick, inexpensive, and extremely yummy appetizer. The best part is that you can customize the taste in so many ways. It just takes a bit of olive oil, some dried seasonings and high-quality bread. The olive oil is the most important part; spring for the extra-virgin if you can. It has a pure, delicate taste that lower qualities can’t match. You can even use flavored or infused olive oil, either homemade or bought in the supermarket. Simply mix olive oil with a few pinches of dried herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary, dried red pepper and sage, a bit of garlic powder and some salt and pepper. This isn’t an exact science, so simply mix your seasonings in to taste. Warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave and serve with crusty whole-grain bread. Adding a few drops of high-quality balsamic vinegar to the oil just before serving adds an unforgettable flavor.

We can’t say enough good things about stuffed mushrooms. The little white cap mushrooms are usually pretty inexpensive, and making stuffed mushrooms isn’t nearly as complicated as the finished product makes it seem. This recipe for Garlic and Rosemary Stuffed Mushrooms includes butter, but you can easily substitute a non-dairy equivalent to make the recipe vegan. It’s definitely worth it. But there’s no need to heat up the whole oven to roast your garlic if you have a toaster oven handy. Just cut off the top of the head, peel off the outer layer of skin, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil and roast in the toaster oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Casseroles

Beans are so important for vegetarians and vegans; they give us the necessary protein and fiber to keep us going strong. This simple bean and rice casserole is cheap and easy and contains three different kinds of beans. You can dress it up with some cumin, garlic and chili powder to give it a taco-like taste. Or add some Italian seasoning and vegan sausage crumbles, and substitute zucchini and carrots for the vegetables to make a delicious Italian casserole.

Lentils are like a superfood for non-meat-eaters. They’re cheap, chock full of protein, quick to prepare, versatile and (we think, anyway) very tasty. This French Lentil Casserole has a unique sophisticated flavor that doesn’t taste anything like the bland pasty lentils that many of us were forced to eat as children. The croutons on top give a lovely texture; again, substitute a non-dairy margarine for the butter in the recipe to make it vegan.

Macaroni and cheese is a really difficult meal to give up when you go vegan. Especially if you grew up in America, mac and cheese is a classic comfort food that’s present at lots of family gatherings. This Vegan Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe uses soy cheese, which is avoided even by many vegans. But in this recipe, the soy cheese is spruced up with some additional ingredients and actually tastes similar to dairy mac and cheese.

Side Dishes

Parsnips are a wonderful, if underused, vegetable. They taste sort of like a cross between a carrot and a potato, and if you mash them along with potatoes they add a unique nutty and tangy taste. Parsnips are just coming into season in the Autumn and are available through most of winter. Try this amazing sweet and hearty recipe for Ginger Roasted Winter Vegetables for an experience unlike any other.

Sweet potatoes are an icon of the season. They are sweet, filling, and – luckily – very healthy. These Baked Sweet Potato Sticks are sort of like a healthier version of French fries. They couldn’t be easier, and they accompany a variety of meals very nicely. Try serving them with a vegetarian meatloaf and green salad for a delicious and healthy vegan meal.

This Green Bean Casserole may take a while to make, but it’s absolutely worth it. Use up the fresh green beans that are perfect right now from the garden or farmer’s market and this amazing casserole will blow you away. And when you dig into the recipe and start making it, it’s not as complicated as it looks at first glance.

Soups, Stews and Chilis

This Curried Carrot Bisque from the always-fabulous vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz may require a trip to the grocery store (unless you have curry powder, coconut milk and three pounds of carrots at home) but you’ll be impressed with the results. The flavors of the curry powder and carrots melt together in an unbelievably tasty combination that will warm you to the core.

Chili is a must for when the weather starts turning cool. Serve it up with some vegan cornbread or homemade Italian bread and it’s a feast! The great thing about chili is that it takes on a different personality every time you make it. This vegetarian chili recipe is a great place to start, but play around with your chili to get it just the way you like it. Add vegetables, vary the amount of liquid, and change up the spices until it’s perfect. When making a vegan chili, there are several ways to get that distinctive “meaty” flavor. Some additions we’ve tried: cocoa powder, dark beer, and balsamic vinegar. Don’t try them all at once, though!

If you’ve never had a soup or stew made with miso, you’re missing out. The fermented soybean paste imparts a salty, rich flavor to whatever it’s in. This hearty Vegetable Stew with Red Wine and Miso is great served over rice or mashed potatoes, or just scooped out of a big bowl with a big spoon.

Desserts

Autumn is dominated by apples. They’re in season, and if you go to a you-pick orchard, you can make a perfect family day out of picking and preparing the apples to make this amazing Whole-Apple Crisp. The recipe just needs a little modification to make it vegan: use vegan margarine instead of butter, agave nectar or maple syrup in place of the honey, and soy yogurt instead of Greek (or omit the yogurt and serve it with some soy ice cream).

If apples aren’t your thing, this delicious Vegan Pear Baklava is just as sweet. You can again use agave or maple syrup instead of the honey. The finished product is something like a pear crisp without the crunchy topping. The nuts between each layer provide a delicious contrast in flavors and textures.

Rice pudding is another of those comfort foods that a lot of us miss when going vegan. The stuff you buy ready-made in the stores is full of dairy, but this vegan Slow Cooked Rice Pudding is just as rich and surprisingly simple to make. It’s perfect for chilly autumn evenings, and it’ll hold you over until breakfast – when you’ll probably want another bowl!

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Trying to limit the environmental impact of your kitchen? No matter how many food scraps you compost or eco-friendly detergents you use, there are your traditional old appliances, encouraging you to do things the bad old way. They need to be rethought, incorporating all that we now know about sustainably closed loops and thrifty environmentalism…and here are two designs from the forefront of that kitchen eco-revolution.

(Image via: Dezeen)

The Flow2 Kitchen doesn’t rely on fancy electronics – but it is a technological marvel. Aside from a little plumbing and wiring this unit is a free-standing sideboard complete with sink, cooker and refrigerator. The key to its success is “low-tech” physics, cycling round in an energy-conserving, resource-hoarding loop. Newly washed pots drip their excess water onto edible plants. The fridge uses evaporating water to suck heat away from it – yep, no electrical supply needed (your utility budget will sniffle with joy). Food scraps go into the built-in vermicomposter, where your very own population of worms will nibble it down into compost ideal for the garden or for those plants under your drip-tray. And if you have kids…what better demonstration of the entire point of recycling?

(Image via: Kontrastblog)

But perhaps you like hi-tech – and perhaps you have more than a little money to throw around, in which case can we interest you in the rather science-fictional delights of the Brand Aion? The work of French designer Antoine LeBrun, the Aion works in a similar way to part of the Flow2 by conserving water, diverting any excess into the plants housed in the lid.

(Image via: Kontrastblog)

However, shut the lid and things get really clever. The whole device turns into a low-energy dishwasher – using a vegetable soap created by the plants growing above it. You keep track of how far along the cleaning cycle it is via the digital readout glowing on the front. Meanwhile, all that greenery is cleaning upwards as well, by scrubbing the air in your kitchen and leaving it as pristine as your crockery. When it becomes available (yes, it’s still in the early stages of prototyping), expect this device to get everyone in a lather.

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There’s often a large amount of difference between community service and innovative design. Canstruction is an annual event that’s aimed at changing that. The design event is held in cities all around North America, Australia and across the world. Over an 8-12 week period, teams of engineers, architects and students band together to create fascinating and amazing sculptures out of thousands of cans of food.

Following a public exhibit of the sculptures, all of the food is donated to local food pantries and shelters. Created in 1992 by the Society of Design Administration, Canstruction has collected over ten million pounds of food. More than 130 local competitions are expected to be held in the 2009/2010 season.

These amazing structures really are feats of engineering. The competition lets top architects and engineers show off their design skills to a huge audience while doing something good for the poor in their city. Canstruction is sponsored by contributions from local associations in every city, and visitors are invited to make additional donations of canned food or cash when coming to see the exhibit.

But more than being a great art exhibit, a chance for engineers and strut their stuff and a unique philanthropic project, the Canstruction sculptures are an innovative way to create low-waste, ecologically friendly art. The materials used don’t create an additional negative environmental impact and just go to show that incredible things can be made from ordinary, everyday materials.

Canstruction builds are often community events, with spectators being invited to watch the structures go together. The Super Bowl XLII Host Committee invited Canstruction to build two Giants helmets as part of the 2008 Super Bowl weekend festivities, and families were invited to watch it take place. Canstruction sculptures have also appeared at major events like Oddysey of the Mind, the NeoCon World’s Trade Fair and various conferences and gatherings around the world.

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With a burgeoning global population that has ever-growing needs for both food and housing, many architects are looking up for sustainable solutions that will prevent further sprawl and provide fresh food to urban residents. Vertical farms and skyscrapers that incorporate various functions like housing, recreation, work and tourism are like miniature self-sufficient cities, complete with transit and on-site energy production, minimizing the building’s carbon footprint and that of its residents.

La Tour Vivante: International Sustainable City

(images via: Atelier SOA)

La Tour Vivante is a vertical farm skyscraper with a light-shading skin that wraps around the structure and admits sunlight to targeted locations for both functional and aesthetic purposes. Designed by French architecture firm Atelier SOA, the skyscraper’s sustainable features include wind power, reclaimed rainwater, biogas production and on-site food production.

The architects explain, “The separation between city and countryside, urban planning and natural areas, places of living, consumption and production is increasingly problematic for sustainable land management. The concept of Tour Vivante aims to combine agricultural production, housing and activities in a single system.”

Toronto Sky Farm Concept by Gordon Graff

(images via: The Rathaus)

Designed by Gordon Graff when he was a Masters of Architecture student at Waterloo University, the Toronto Sky Farm concept seeks to provide enough food for 35,000 citizens per year. Though that may not be nearly enough to feed all the residents of downtown Toronto, it’s a start. Sky Farm would stand 59 stories tall with half its power produced by methane from plant waste. The hydroponic farming system would be fed with fresh water from Lake Ontario.

House of Peace Hotel in Tanzania Inspired by Nature

(images via: Inhabitat)

When WOW Architects set out to design the ‘House of Peace’ hotel in Tanzania, they found inspiration for its sculpted shape in the geological processes that shape rock formations in nature. With gentle slopes and greenery peeking out between floors, the concrete hotel is an interpretation of the way plate tectonics create hills, which are then molded by weather and stratified by sediments. Even the texture of the walls is drawn from that of fossils often found in such hills.

Almeisan Tower Brings Sky-High Sustainability to Dubai

(images via: Gizmag)

Though it’s unlikely to ever be built, the Almeisan Tower concept is nevertheless a fascinating peek at the ways in which we may be able to provide food for ourselves in the future.  Created by architect Robert Ferry for a competition to design a tall emblem structure for Za’abeel Park in Dubai, Almeisan Tower would use solar cells and large mirrors to generate its own power as well as the power required to run the rest of the park.

Axis Mundi’s Wacky Pop-Art Idea for MoMA Tower

(images via: Design Boom)

Though it was Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, Jean Nouvel, who was actually selected to design the expansion of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, another architect almost stole his thunder. Axis Mundi submitted an alternative design idea for the tower, with a stacked design that features vegetated walls and gigantic reproductions of iconic pop art. Firm founder John Beckmann said of the concept, “Instead of disguising the rich potential of towers that have a mix of uses, we looked for a way to express that diversity.” The resulting mixed-use mishmash certainly stands at a stark contrast to Nouvel’s sleek, contemporary winning design.

Entangled Bank: Green-Walled Eco-City

(images via: ArchDaily)

Charlotte, North Carolina firm LITTLE designed the Entangled Bank concept, a holistic design that “combines heavy duty technological prowess with artistic integration of systems”, as a juror of the Re:Vision Dallas competition described it. The concept connects various elements of community like housing, recreation, work and tourism in a sustainable shell that includes a living wall, wind turbines and an onsite biogas plant.

XERO Project Envisions Sustainable Dallas

(images via: David Barker + Partners)

While the Entangled Bank concept turned heads and made it to the top 3 in the Re:Vision Dallas competition, it was the XERO Project that took first place. The David Barker + Partners/Fletcher Studio design is based around the question, “What if one block in Texas became the sustainable model for the world?” The design envisions a high-density, zero-energy, agriculturally oriented pair of buildings that include public orchards, community gardens, food stalls, restaurants, retail space and housing. The design also imagines connecting the building to greater Dallas with intersecting greenways.

The Zuidkas Sustainable Tower in Amsterdam

(images via: Plus Mood)

How green can a skyscraper get? Architectenbureau Paul de Ruiter decided to find out with a design commissioned by the Government Buildings Agency of the Netherlands for a mixed-use building in Amsterdam. De Ruiter aimed to achieve the highest score possible on a range of environmental objectives to help the government determine a future standard for sustainability in architecture. The design consists of a glass envelope that accommodates a variety of ‘green houses’ – atria, CO2 greenhouses and hybrid greenhouses – in addition to offices, homes, a school and retail facilities.

Plantagon Geodesic Vertical Farm

(images via: Inhabitat)

Swedish-American company Plantagon has come up with an unusual twist on the vertical farm concept: a geodesic greenhouse containing a spiral ramp upon which fresh crops can be grown in urban environments. Plantagon says the farm “will dramatically change the way we produce organic and functional food. It allows us to produce ecological [resources] with clean air and water inside urban environments, even major cities, cutting costs and environmental damage by eliminating transportation and deliver directly to consumers. This is due to the efficiency and productivity of the Plantagon® greenhouse which makes it economically possible to finance each greenhouse from its own sales.”

Vertical Park: Stackable Architecture for Mexico City

(images via: Archicentral)

Not only do we need vertical buildings that bring many functions into one building, preventing the destruction of what little green space we have left, but we also need structures that can meet our needs as they evolve. The stackable ‘Vertical Park’ concept by Jorge Hernandez de la Garza is a modular skyscraper designed for Mexico City, where space is definitely at a premium. Each module provides spaces for living, working, urban farming, water reclamation and solar energy collection.

Pyramid Farm

(images via: The Vertical Farm Project)

Architecture professors Eric Ellingsen and Dickson Despommier have dreamed up yet another way in which agriculture can be incorporated into urban environments in the future. The Pyramid Farm offers a self-sustaining ecosystem that are capable of producing a wide variety of food – including fish and poultry – while also minimizing waste as much as possible. It would even have processes in place to transform waste into energy sources that could run the farm.

Dragonfly Urban Farm Concept

(images via: Vincent Callebaut)

Few urban farm concepts are quite as visually stunning as Vincent Callebaut’s Dragonfly, a tall wing-like structure designed around the Southern bank of Roosevelt Island in New York City. This entirely self-sufficient concept features two oblong towers and 128 floors filled with housing, offices, laboratories and farms that would be tended by the building’s occupants. The greenhouse, which defines the space of the design, supports the load and is buttressed by two inhabited rings covered in solar panels.

Harvest Green Tower

(images via: Design Boom)

Romses Architects envisioned the ‘Harvest Green Tower’ for Vancouver, winning a competition held by the city of vancouver ‘the 2030 challenge’ to find new methods of green building that can help address climate change issues. The Harvest Green Tower produces food – including boutique goat and sheep dairy – and generates its own energy through wind and solar power. Incorporated within the tower are also residences, transit, offices, retail space and research facilities.

Aberrant Agriculture by Scott Johnson

(images via: Rat Haus)

The Aberrant Agriculture concept by Masters of Architecture student Scott Johnson not only combines vertical farming, residential, hotel and retail functions in one sustainable skyscraper, it also processes and sells the food that is produced within. The agricultural core of the building grows 12 ‘power foods’ including berries, garlic and beans and whatever the building’s residents couldn’t eat would be sold to the public.

Modular Skyscraper Additions Add Garden and Power Producing Space

(images via: Ecoble)

All of these ideas for the sustainable skyscrapers of the future are great, but what about all the waste that would be generated by tearing old buildings down, and wasting new resources to rebuild? That’s where this concept by Daekwon Park comes in. It’s a modular system designed to act as add-ons for existing buildings, adding space for outdoor recreation, vertical gardening and wind power generation as well as other functions as needed.

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Anti-Cancer Purple Tomatoes

(images via: Tomato Casual and The Great Beyond)

Fancy a little flower with your tomatoes? Not flour, flower – as in snapdragons. Researchers found that by injecting genes from snapdragon flowers into normal red tomatoes, the latter produced an increased amount of the pigment anthocyanin. Besides adding deep reddish and bluish tonnes to fruits like cranberries and blackberries, anthocyanin is a potent anti-oxidant that shows promise in inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, easing the symptoms of diabetes and relieving a number of age-related illnesses. Should human trials pan out, you may be seeing healthy purple pizza on the menu some day!

Hypoallergenic Tomatoes

(images via: Like To Cook and University of Szeged)

Allergic to tomatoes? It’s more likely than you think – up to 16 percent of people are sensitive to tomatoes, adding extra complications to life in a world of free-flowing ketchup, tomato sauce and burgers with the works. It’s not tomatoes themselves that are at fault, it’s a small protein called Profilin. By silencing two genes responsible for Profilin production in tomatoes, scientists can create non-allergenic fruit that are otherwise completely normal in taste, texture and appearance.

Healthier Papayas

(images via: Green Daily and ChrisChee18)

Now here’s a fun fact we bet you didn’t know: Half of all commercial papayas grown in the United States have been genetically modified to resist the Papaya Ring Virus. While GM papayas may not be any healthier for you or I, they HAVE saved the American papaya industry, which was nearly wiped out by the onset of this virus in the 1990s. The use of GM papayas does have one noteworthy consequence: genetically modified papayas are not allowed into Japan, the industry’s largest export market. Only non-GM fruit is sold to Japan; the rest is sold domestically.

Golden Rice: Kids Can See The Difference

(images via: Mythgarr, PRI and The Korea Times)

While rice is technically a grain, genetically engineered Golden Rice shares something with its vegetable cousins: a gene that produces Vitamin A, necessary to keep eyes healthy. The precursor to Vitamin A is beta-carotene which is found in yellow and orange vegetables like squash and carrots. It’s estimated that widespread consumption of Golden Rice, which will become available to farmers in 2011, will prevent blindness in as many as 500,000 children.

Yes, We Have No Non-GM Bananas

(images via: ABC News, HubPages and The Makan Club)

There’s a race going on – and if we lose it, we’ll also lose our bananas. Every last one. The culprit is Panama Disease, an incurable fusarium blight that has roared through Asian banana plantations and is poised to strike across the ocean to Latin America. The original export banana, known as “Big Mike”, was wiped out by PD and growers replaced it with the much more resistant Cavendish variety that originated in Vietnam. Now a new variant of Panama Disease has sprung up and the Cavendish looks to be going the way of Big Mike… unless scientists can engineer the fruit to fight the blight. To that end, researchers are looking at genes from an Indonesian wild banana from Indonesia that is resistant to PD To get the genes into commercial bananas, the genes are first implanted in a type of bacteria that is used to infect banana plants.

Fishy Strawberries

(image via: Freaking News)

If you think there’s something fishy about that ripe, juicy strawberry you just bit into, you could be right. Scientists have been experimenting with so-called “anti-freeze genes” found in cold water fish like Sea Flounder and Arctic Char. When implanted into fruits and vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes and strawberries, the gene acts to makes the plant in question more resistant to freezing in bad weather. The strawberries don’t actually taste fishy… though one imagines the flavor would be somewhat like fruit clamato. Yum!

Multivitamin Corn

(images via: Science Planet, 21-Food and Ars Lounge)

Peaches & Cream Corn is familiar to most of us but it’s understood that the corn only looks like fruit & milk; it’s not made from it. Now there’s a new type of corn that does incorporate the genes of foreign plants – not for good taste, but for a good cause. Multivitamin corn: it tastes good and it’s good for you! Scientists from Spain and Germany used genetic engineering techniques to cause South African elite white corn to produce three types of vitamins (Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Folic Acid) within its kernels. Beta Carotene, found naturally in carrots and squash, tints the kernels a curious shade of orange.

Viral Vegetable Marketing

(image via: UC, California Agriculture)

Studies conducted at the University of California have uncovered a novel way of using genetic engineering. In one case, zucchini prone to infection by viral diseases were able to not only survive, but thrive thanks to a gene taken from the offending virus which was implanted into the zucchini plant. The addition of only a single gene from the virus made a huge difference – note the rich, green color of the genetically modified plants above right compared with their unprotected brothers on the left.

Apple Cinnamon Apples?

(image via: WIRED)

Like cinnamon on your apples? How about IN them? That’s what you get with Cinna-Del, a genetically modified apple from agri-giant Monsanto that tastes sweet and cinnamony with every bite. Not to worry though, both the image and the concept of Cinna-Del apples are but a figment of some graphic artist’s imagination… for now.

Frankenfruits: Viral Veggies We’d (Not) Like To See

(image via: Freaking News)

It seems that when it comes to genetic modification, anything’s possible. The phab photoshoppers over at Freaking News took this particular ball and decided to run with it… some of these crazy combos look rather tasty!

With that last note in mind and knowing the capabilities of genetic researchers, it seems likely we may see genetically modified fruits & veggies even beyond our imaginations. Even though much GM research has gone towards improving the hardiness and nutritive value of our foods, one must recall an old TV margarine commercial in which it is said, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature!”

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Like something straight from a science fiction movie plot, animal studies seem to show that there are no theoretical barriers to our ability to regenerate ourselves. Once the stuff of legends, an impossible fantasy, the fountain of youth may be about to transition from myth to reality – the question is not when, but how it will be done and (most importantly) whether incredible longevity medicines and technologies will have a net benefit to the world or create more problems than they are worth.

(Image via: Wired)

In fact, while David Sinclair focuses a 21st Century revolution akin to antibiotics the results could be even more radical – picture a world where age-related diseases like diabetes, dementia and even cancer could be reversible or curable, our bodies able to heal themselves by tapping into our DNA as they did when we were first growing. This is not just about extending lives, then, but about improving quality of life and ending the hotly-debated question of whether it is worth staying alive when so many diseases take over so close to death.

(Image via: Wikipedia)

Diseases are thought to “originate in damage caused to our mitochondria by free oxygen radicals. These are an inevitable byproduct of turning chemical energy into our body’s fuel, but corrode mitochondrial DNA, eventually causing organs and systems to malfunction and shut down. Fix the mitochondria, say scientists, and the rest of you won’t break down. What’s offered isn’t a protraction of physical decrepitude, but a slowing of the biological clock.” (Wired)

(Image via: Nelson Dewey)

The legendary fountain of youth is known as a rare prize, something a single individual or small group might find, covet and keep secret from the rest of the world. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this modern development, then, is the fact that all major pharmaceutical are dumping major money into research, to the tune of hundreds of millions or more. In short: when the resulting miracle drug hits the market it might cost just a few dollars due to the fierce competition.

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Scientists have said for years that it takes thousands of years for plastic to decompose – so how did a 16-year-old figure out how to make it work in just three months using local and household materials? The short answer is: a science fair, bacteria, a desire to see plastic bags put back into planetary cycles more quickly and, perhaps, a broader-than-usual sense of what is possible in the world.

In a small high school in a small town, teenager Daniel Burd made a simple mixture of water and landfill dirt and added a plastic bag, only to discover that a rapid rate of decomposition resulted. After experimenting with temperatures and other variables he isolated the microbacteria that made this miraculous process possible.

The inputs are inexpensive and the outputs have low environmental impact. In short: this is a potentially scalable solution to one of the biggest environmental problems on the planet – plastic bags we produce at a rate of 500 billion per year that clog our oceans, pollute our land, kill animals and take up landfill space the world over.

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Have you heard that old saying ‘a little of what you fancy does you good’ ? Well when it comes to some foods I’m afraid its just not true.They can kill you. Surprisingly, even some of the everyday staples of our diet like the humble potato can cause death if we’re not careful but if your tastes run to more exotic delicacies like the Japanese puffer fish, so highly prized by oriental gourmets, then eating becomes a deadly game of culinary Russian roulette. Here are a few dishes you might think twice before ordering.

Fugu (Puffer fish)

(image via: kodiakak)

Fugu (or puffer fish) is one of the most celebrated and notorious dishes in Japanese cuisine. Because it is so lethally poisonous if prepared incorrectly, chefs have to undergo rigorous training and be officially licensed to prepare it. The final test they undergo before being licensed, incidentally, is having to eat a piece of Fugu that they have prepared, which must focus the mind wonderfully. Even a tiny drop of toxin from the Fugu can leave unfortunate diners paralyzed and dying . It contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodoxin in the organs, especially the liver and ovaries, and also the skin. The poison horrifyingly paralyzes the muscles while the victim stays fully conscious, and eventually dies from asphyxiation. There is no known antidote. Bon appetit.

Sannakji (raw baby octopus)

(image via: learnsomethingnewtoday

In Korean cuisine, sannakji or sannakji hoe is a raw dish made from a live small octopus that has been cut into small pieces and served immediately, usually lightly seasoned with sesame or sesame oil. The nakji pieces are usually still squirming on the plate as they are eaten. Because the suction cups on the arm pieces are still active when the dish is served, the danger is that pieces will stick to the mouth or throat and make the diner choke. Some people like to feel the pieces wriggling as they swallow but for safety it needs to be chewed very thoroughly.

Ackee Fruit

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The Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica and features in its cuisine. When picked before it is fully ripe, the fruit contains a chemical that limits the body’s ability to release the backup supply of glucose that is stored in the liver. That supply is essential because once the body uses up the sugar immediately available in the bloodstream, an event that usually occurs several hours after eating, it depends on this glucose to keep blood sugar levels normal until the next meal. Without it, blood sugar plunges dangerously. Enough people have died from eating unripened ackee to make it illegal to bring the raw fruit into the U.S although that restriction doesn’t apply to canned and properly processed ackee.

Almonds

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Contrary to popular belief almonds are seeds rather than nuts. They have a unique taste and have been one of the most popular ingredients in pastry kitchens for centuries. The problem is that they are full of cyanide, a deadly poison. In fact cyanide poison is often said to leave the tell-tale smell of almonds. Heating destroys the poison but untreated bitter almonds are so dangerous that their sale is illegal in some countries. In the USA, for example, only the sale of almonds that have been processed to remove all traces of poison and bacteria is permitted.

Silver Strip Blaasop

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The silver-stripe blaasop fish is considered a delicacy in some ports in the Indian Ocean, but it contains a poisonous substance in its liver, skin and reproductive organs which can cause fatal muscle paralysis and breathing or circulation problems if eaten by humans. Deaths from eating this fish have been reported across the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt and Israel, prompting the Hellenic Center for Medical Research to send an urgent notice to port authorities to warn fishermen about the toxic qualities of the fish, saying “This fish is a source of poison for human beings if eaten, with a high risk of fatality.”

Cherries

(image via: deniseskitchen)

Cherries are a popular and much-loved fruit, used widely in cooking, liqueur production, or eaten raw. They are from the same family as plums, apricots, and peaches and like these other fruits contain highly poisonous compounds in their leaves and seeds. When the seeds of cherries are crushed, chewed, or even slightly injured, they produce prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide). Deaths from eating cherries are rare but its as well to remember not to suck on or chew the pit.

Giant Namibian Bullfrog

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In parts of Africa these giant bullfrogs are apparently a local delicacy. The French, as we all know, love their frogs legs, but they wisely leave the rest of the amphibian alone. The Namibians, on the other hand, eat the whole thing, and therein lies the danger. The poisonous secretions in the skin of the bullfrongs can cause kidney failure and death. Apparently, lining your cooking pot with wood absorbs the poison and also stops your frog sticking to the bottom of the pan, a handy tip to remember if you want to take your chances.

Potatoes

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Usually the only risk we run with eating potatoes is piling on too much weight, but even this ubiquitous vegetable has an even darker side. Potatoes (like tomatoes) contain poison in the stems and leaves and even in the potato itself if it is left to turn green. The green coloring is due to a high concentration of a glycoalkaloid toxin. Potato poisoning is rare, but it does happen from time to time. Death normally comes after a period of weakness and confusion, followed by a coma. The majority of cases of death by potatoes in the last fifty years in the USA have been the result of eating green potatoes or drinking potato leaf tea.

Mushrooms

(image via: diseaseproof)

Mushrooms good, toadstools bad, right ? Unfortunately its not as simple as that. They aren’t different plants and in fact ‘toadstool’ is just a slang word for mushroom. Some are edible but some can be deadly and picking the right ones is not a job for an amateur. Most mushroom poisoning (mycetism) results from people eating wild mushrooms that have been incorrectly identified as safe. The symptoms can range from mild gastro-intestinal disorders to death. It’s not only a bad stomach or an early demise you need to worry about either. Psilocybin mushrooms (magic mushrooms or ’shrooms’) are a hallucinogenic that can have unpredictable mental and physical effects.

Fast Food

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Fast food like burgers and fries, in moderation, isn’t going to do much harm, but as a society we seem to really struggle with the concept of ‘moderation’. The result of a runaway fast-food lifestyle in the west can be seen in the present obesity epidemic and also in rising levels of heart disease and premature death. Despite advances in medical science they say this is the first generation where children are not expected to live longer than their parents and a lot of that simply comes down to diet. It might seem strange to include things like burgers and fries in a list of deadly foods, but in terms of contributing to illness and death the western ‘fast-food’ diet outstrips all of the other more exotically dangerous edibles we’ve looked at here by a long way. Agree or disagree, at least its ‘food for thought’.

Negative Calorie Foods: Fact or Fiction?

Some foods are harder for the body to digest. Some scientists say the net effect of eating them is a calorie deficit. These are called negative calorie foods.

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All food has caloric content, so the term “negative calorie foods” may sound misleading. Some scientists say that since some foods are harder for the body to digest, the net effect of eating them creates a calorie deficit. In other words, the body burns more calories processing negative calorie foods than the foods actually contain. In theory, the more of these foods you eat, the less calories you take in, making them great for those trying to lose weight. However, negative calorie food diets are controversial, and not everyone agrees that negative calorie foods even technically exist. In any case, the fruits and vegetables on the negative calorie list are still healthy foods that should be included in any balanced diet.

Negative Calorie Berries

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Berries are unique among the negative calorie foods in that they contain moderate amounts of protein. Protein is extremely important in dieting, and many people forget they need it, preferring instead to sacrifice heavier foods in favor of those that are relatively empty of nutritional value. Most berries are tasty enough to eat on their own, and since they’re already “finger food” they’re easily portable. They’re rich in antioxidants, Vitamin C, and a host of other nutrients that boost your immune system (something else that’s good on a crash diet). Cranberries and blueberries help flush out your system, and are often used in the case of bladder infection for just that reason. Blueberries are also known, along with raspberries, to contribute to sustained eyesight. All these factors mixed with an extremely low calorie count (at an average of just 50 calories per cup for most berries) make berries a highly desirable negative calorie food.

Negative Calorie Fruits and Citrus

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At an average of less than 40 calories per fruit, citrus is extremely lightweight for the amount of space they can fill. Loaded with Vitamin C and high in fiber, citrus fruits will help even out your digestive system, and in high enough amounts, even flush it. While not the greatest thing to think about when talking about food, when talking about dieting it’s like the holy grail. Adding citrus fruits to your list of negative calorie foods will greatly increase your chances of getting that weight off and staying healthy in the process.

Negative Calories Melons

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Melons are fantastic summer filler foods with probably the biggest calorie deficit you can get. Since they’re mostly water, they help keep you hydrated which in turn is great for every single bodily function. On top of that they usually run at around 20 calories per wedge, which would be the same size as a 40 calorie citrus fruit or an entire cup of berries. It wouldn’t be very good to try melons alone, they should be part of the trio throughout the day along with berries and citrus.

Negative Calorie Vegetables

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Ah vegetables. Loathed or loved, they’re just plain good for you, in every way. Everyone knows celery as a nearly-zero calorie food already, but it wasn’t until recently that it became an obvious poster child for negative calorie foods. The real kicker is that celery may be very, very low calorie at only 5-8 calories per stick, but most other veggies follow not too far behind it. Vegetables mix the best (nutritional) qualities of citrus, berries and melons by holding mostly water-weight, containing decent amounts of protein, loads of fiber and they’re rich in nutrients. With all that going for them, all you need are the taste buds to match and you’re all set to follow an extremely effective negative calorie diet.

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Plants, bark, roots, and vegetables with strong flavors have been used for thousands of years.  Spices were one of the main products in early international trade and a major reason that some European nations sought to expand their colonial holdings.  Many of today’s popular pungent plant-based flavors are the same as their equally desirable fore-bearers.

Habanero Peppers and Scotch Bonnet Peppers

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Allegedly two of the most spicy chili peppers on the planet.  Habaneros originated somewhere on the Yucatan Peninsula, where a vast majority of the world’s supply is still cultivated today.  They are a major ingredient in the cuisine of Mexico.  Scotch Bonnets are of the same species as Habaneros, though they have a distinct flavor and are mainly cultivated and used in the Caribbean on islands like Jamaica and Haiti.

Cinnamon Tree

(images via Kevin, whitecat singapore and santheo)

The cinnamon sticks that people toss into their apple cider comes from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree, an evergreen that grows in tropical climates.  Though most of the cinnamon today is produced in Southeast Asia, the highest grade of the spice is grown in Sri Lanka and Southern India.

Lemongrass

(images via themissiah)

Lemongrass is a widely used spice in Asia.  It has a slightly spicy, citrus-like flavor.  Though it is a favorite ingredient for curries and stir fries, it also acts as an insect repellent.  A species of lemongrass, citronella, is especially useful for keeping mosquitoes at bay.

Turmeric Root, Galangal, and Ginger Root

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Ginger is a popular rhizome that has had a long history as an ingredient in everything from breads to curries to tonics and teas.  It is the most widely known of the world’s rootstocks.  Turmeric is a more pungent relative of ginger.  It is used in Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Africa.  It’s orange-yellow color makes it a popular natural dyeing agent.  Galangal resembles ginger, but has a earthy, slightly citrus-like taste.  The raw root is quite hard and is used in various tonics.

Clove Tree and Pepper

(images via Midori and katjung)

Cloves were one of the first spices traded during the colonial era.  They are grown throughout the Indian Ocean, from Madagascar to Indonesia.  Though large amounts of the spice can be toxic, it is often used in Indian and Chinese natural remedies.  Pepper is one of the most universal spices.  It is cultivated throughout the world and is used in some way by every major culinary culture in the world.

Anise

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Anise is a popular spice in the Mediterranean and Western Asia.  It has various culinary uses and is also used as a flavoring agent for various forms of regionally produced liquor such as absinthe and sambuca.

Ghost Chili

(images via WMathi)

This is one of the world’s spiciest peppers (the spiciest, according to Guinness).  Grown in India, it is said to produce a burning sensation in the mouth that will not negate for 30 minutes.

Garlic and Mustard Plants

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Garlic is another widely used flavoring agent.  It also has been used for its health benefits (anti-viral and anti-bacterial) and as a general tonic.  Mustard seeds are used in cooking and to make the popular condiment, mustard sauce.  The greens, which share their flavor with the seeds, though not as strongly, are eaten in salads, stews and stir-fries.

West Indian Arrowroot

(images via Rimbun Dahan)

Arrowroot is used as a starch and thickening mianly in Caribean cuisines.  It was popular in England during colonial times.  Some historians claim it was first cultivated by native tribes in the Caribbean more than 7,00 years ago.

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