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These photos fell through the cyber cracks and didn't make it to my report from last weekend's cookery class in Wingham, Northern New South Wales.

Battered Fresh Coconut, Raisin, Ginger and Coriander-stuffed Potato Vada with Chili and-lime-laced Fresh Mint Chutney, Herbed Tomato Raita and Flame-toasted Pappadam.

Cream-laced Spinach and Fresh Seared Panir (Palak Panir) with Mustard and Urad Dal-scented Lemon & Roasted Cashew Basmati Rice.

Our batch of milk fudge balls (Gulab Jamuns) frying in fresh ghee before being plunged into syrup.

Ahoy, thar she blows! The Great Brown Whale! It's the veritable Moby Dick of Confectionery. A succulent, spongy Gulab Jamun, submerged in a heavy cassia, star-anise, rose and cardamon sugar syrup. Heaven in a teacup!

The Two Brothers Potter, aka my grandchildren Sebastian and Toby.

'Priori Incantatum!'

While shopping last week, I noticed some seville oranges in my local gourmet fruit shop. These are famous bitter oranges that lend themselves perfectly to authentic marmalade making. I purchased six.

The most marvellous thing about marmalade making is the amazingly large yield. I started with two seville oranges, that weighed 250 grams each. I first quartered the oranges and removed the pips. I chopped the oranges roughly and threw them in a food processor, along with one medium-sized de-pipped chopped lemon, shredding them all finely. I deposited this fruit pulp in a large bowl.

I took the remaining seville oranges that I had bought and juiced them. I added two cups of orange juice to the pulp, along with four cups of water. I placed all the orange and lemon pips into the soaking pulp also. I left the bowl sitting overnight, though the recipe did not specify doing that.

Next morning I poured this pulpy mass and all the liquid into a large saucepan, and placed it on full heat.

I brought the mixture to the boil, reduced it to a simmer and cooked it for one hour with a tightly-fitted lid. This is the first stage of marmalade making: softening the fruit. As it softens, the pectin content from the fruit pips is introduced into the mixture. This natural pectin is what will eventually set the jam.

After one hour, I checked the pulp; it was very soft. Now came the most important part. I added 1.5kg of sugar to the simmering softened pulp. I used raw sugar, which works very well.

I turned up the heat to full, stirred the sugar and pulp mixture as it returned to full boil, then left it boiling hard for 25 minutes on full heat, without stirring.

After 25 minutes the marmalade looked dark and jammy. To test whether it was ready, I took a teaspoonful of mixture and placed it on a small plate that had been chilling in the freezer. I popped it back in the freezer and left it for one minute.

This is a critical step. If the marmalade overcooks it will be very dense and firm. If it needs more cooking, the end result will be runny. At this stage you must decide whether to keep the marmalade on the heat for a little while longer, or remove it. It can be tricky to tell because it is still a molten liquid.

I took out the cold plate and pushed my finger gently through the marmalade sample. It left little wrinkles in its wake. This was a sign that the marmalade was done. Off the heat!

I had sterilized and heated some glass jars as well as their metal lids in the oven, and they were hot and ready.

After taking the marmalade off the heat, and allowing it to cool a little for 10 minutes, I poured it through a large funnel and filled my jars. Look how much marmalade I made from 2 oranges, 1 lemon, 2 cups of orange juice, 4 cups of water and 1.5kg sugar - 3.2kg of marmalade!! Those large jars weigh 1.2 kg, (over 4.5 pounds)including the jar-weight.

And that's the marmalade above, after setting and cooling in the jars with tight lids for an hour or two. It has a wonderfully intense bitter/sweetness, and vastly better than any shop-bought product.

Jackie from Florida wrote:

"There are so many different types of sugar showing themselves in the bulk section: sucanat, evaporated cane juice, fructose, raw, etc. I'm confused. What is the difference? Are some better than others?"

I replied:

"Sucanat and evaporated cane juice are not commonly available in Australia, at least by those names, so I cannot exactly say what they are best for, and how they differ from raw sugar, my favourite. Allow me to hand this question to Devadeva, a very wise and kitchen-savvy fellow blogger who also lives in Florida."

I did in fact refer Jackie's question to Devadeva, who sent this excellent reply:

"Hare Krishna Jackie! Your question is really a good one. Basically, the darker the sugar, the more unprocessed it is and the better it is for you. it contains more of the natural molasses, and therefore is more nutritious. The darker sugars, in my opinion, are less addictive, more satisfying and more wholesome tasting. That being said, they do impart a certain earthy color to what you are making and have a distinctivd flavor which is more pronounced the darker you go.

Some people really do not enjoy the taste/results of natural sweeteners because they are so accustomed to life with white sugar. But as you can see with most dietary changes, there may be a slight adjustment period for the tongue; however the tongue is very adaptable and open to change. Especially if that change is towards whole foods. Your body will thank you for it.

So here is a brief run down on those sugars.:

Sucanat is a made up term which stands for SUgar CAne NATural. So basically this is your purest sugar, most closely resembling it's source of origin in nature: sugar cane. It is almost always sold under the brand Wholesome Sweeteners (as most natural sugars are in the US) and if you follow this link you can read about the good stuff retained by the minimal processing, which includes iron, calcium and other minerals and vitamins.

It is by far my favorite sweetener, although I don't use it for everything. I definitely use it whenever brown sugar is called for, such as peanut butter cookies gingersnaps and barbecue sauce. The granules are very large and round but it is a soft, moist feeling sugar.

Turbinado, raw sugar and demerera sugar are essentially the same thing, with slight variations attributable to the place of origin and processing. These sugars are also minimally processed, although more so than sucanat. They retain molasses so are also more nutritious than white sugar. These sugars are have large, tannish brown crystals and can be used for all cooking and baking, although it may take a while for their crystals to dissolve.

Because of this, some people prefer not to use them in cakes, where creaming the butter and sugar together is an important process. These sugars also lend an earthier color to things and impart an ever so slight wholesome flavor. They are to be used measure for measure to substitute white sugar, although you will probably end up using less because the surface area of the crystals is greater with this natural sugar.

Evaporated cane juice is a natural sweetener which has been clarified and purified to give it a lighter color. It has not been chemically processed or bleached with animal bones. It does retain molasses and is the color and consistency of beach sand, however, it is the least nutritious of all the sugars mentioned. That being said, it is the most versatile. It behaves just like white sugar, except it is totally natural. It is great in baking, cooking, for preparing drinks or in jam making. It would adulterate the color of your final product and tastes just like sugar cane juice. How bad can that be!

Fructose is not good. Stay away from fructose. While although it has a low glycemic index, it is white white white and therefore should be avoided like cheddar cheese on pizza. Apparently it is metabolized differently than other sweeteners and studies with lab mice have found that fructose will make you fat (so lets subsidize it!!!). For lots of info on fructose, most of which you need a Phd in science to understand, visit this Wikipedia link.

Other sweeteners line the shelves of health food stores and even the natural foods section in chain supermarkets. Agave nectar is now being touted for its low glycemic index and is becoming very popular. It is able to boast a low glycemic index because it is 90% fructose.

There is a lot of info available online and what sweetener you choose to go with is really a personal decision based on what is important to you. And although buying from the bulk bins is cheaper than getting a small pre-packaged bag of Wholesome Sweetener sugar, it still is expensive. If you can special order a 50lb bag from your favorite shop, you will save a good amount on sugar and the stores usually give an additional 10% off quantity orders.

If you don't have the space to hoard a 50lb bag, you can always split it up with some friends. This is just my suggestion because in my house, even without jam making, we go through a lot of sugar. I personally like to have sucanat, evaporated cane juice and turbinado all on hand. Hope this is helpful. Devadeva dasi"

(A good answer, don't you think? Devadeva already published the letter on her blog, but she doesn't mind me reproducing it here, since I was the original refer-ee.)

Sandy from Perth asks:

"I am wondering if you have a really good recipe for Scrambled Tofu. I am new to vegie eating and as a result of your article in "Spice" magazine I have begun to explore much more. I am trying to keep my family interested in my new way of cooking and breakfast is an area I really need some help with. Thanks for the inspiration"

My reply:

"Hello Sandy, Thanks for the letter. Glad to know my article in Spice Magazine was inspirational. Here's a recipe for scrambled panir cheese. Replace the cheese with tofu (omit steps 1-6), and there you have it. Prime Products in Northbridge has black salt, the magic ingredient. Best wishes, Kurma.

Scrambled Panir (Curd) Cheese

You need little by way of equipment to make curd cheese: a 2 - 6 litre pan, or larger (depending on the quantity of milk), a stirring paddle or wooden spoon, a colander, and some new cheesecloth. You will need the following ingredients for an easily manageable home batch of panir.

This is the vegetarian counterpart to scrambled eggs. Fresh curd cheese (panir) is scrambled with sour cream and sprinkled with black salt (which has a distinct sulphur-like flavour), spices, and fresh herbs to produce a stunning result. Scrambled panir is great for breakfast or brunch. Serves 4 - 6 persons.

6 litres fresh milk
4-6 cups yogurt, or 8 - 10 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar, or 2½ teaspoons citric acid crystals
2 tablespoons ghee or oil
½ teaspoon yellow asafetida powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3/4 cup cream or sour cream
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh coriander
1 teaspoon Indian black salt, finely ground (Indian Grocer Shops)

1. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed pan that allows plenty of room for boiling. Set it over high heat and bring the milk to a full foaming boil, stirring often to prevent scorching and sticking. Reduce the heat to low, and, before the foam subsides, drizzle in the lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid solution, or spoon in the yogurt. Very gently and slowly move the spoon through the milk in one direction.

2. After 10 or 15 seconds, remove the pan from the heat and continue to gently agitate the milk until large lumps of soft curd form. If the cheese has not formed after 1 minute, place the pan over the heat momentarily until the casein (milk protein) coagulates and leaves pale yellow-greenish whey. If necessary, add a little more acid agent.

3. As soon as the cheese has formed, remove the pan from the heat, cover it and set it aside for 10 minutes. If you want a very soft cheese, gently pour in 1 or 2 cups of hot water. When the cheese has settled under the surface of the whey, it is ready to drain.

4. Line a colander with 2 or 3 thicknesses of cheesecloth or some clean white cloth that has been dipped in water and wrung dry. Drape the corners and edges of the cloth over the sides of the colander. If you want to collect the whey, set the colander over another pan; otherwise place it in a sink. (Many sweet-makers in Bengal use this soured whey to make further batches of cheese, but you need a significant amount more than lemon juice to do the job - you need one part whey to four parts milk).

5. Remove the large lumps of cheese with a slotted spoon and place them in a colander. Gently pour the smaller pieces and remaining whey into the colander.

6. Gather up the corners of the cloth and twist it around. Hold the bag of cheese under a gentle stream of cold running water for 5 to 10 seconds. Gently twist the cloth to squeeze out the excess whey. Drain the whey quickly, allowing the curd to compact under a heavy weight until just firm, about 10-15 minutes.

7. Unwrap the curd cheese and break it into 2.5cm chunks.

8. Heat the ghee or oil in a large pan or wok over moderate heat. Saute the asafetida briefly, add the pieces of curd cheese and stir gently until well coated. Increase the heat and add the turmeric, paprika, salt, and pepper. When the curd cheese is well mixed, remove from the heat.

9. Add the cream or sour cream and the black salt, stirring carefully. Add the fresh herbs, mix well, and serve hot.

note: peeled chopped tomatoes can also be added toward the end.

Spring is here in the Southern Hemisphere. Some of my favourite flowers are starting to bloom. I picked some and offered them to Baby Krishna.

Left to right: Jonquil (narcissus), such a rich scent. And the tiny Australian native flowers sharing the vase are in season all over the place at the moment. I picked some on my morning walk. Don't know the name - does anyone know? The flowers are very sweet, and remind me of native frangipani.

The purple flowers are stock - a distict fragrance that's hard to put into words - heady, noble and uplifting.

Jasmine is popping out everywhere. The neighbour's vine spills over into our back yard. Such a wonderful aroma! The scent of jasmine for me is Spring Personified.

And last but not least is the slightly citrus, slightly vanilla mysteriously subtle Fresia, which grows wild around the neighbourhood. The beauty and fragrance of flowers is a living proof of God's mystic power and artistic brilliance.

A few days ago I asked you what I was:

Not born, but from a Mother's body drawn,
I hang until half of me is gone.
I sleep in a cave until I grow old,
Then valued for my hardened gold.

Some of you answered correctly. Yes, the answer is...

cheese

What's new in The Big Kurma House?

Well my latest sourdough loaves are the best ever. I added flax seeds and they seem to have created some special magic, texture wise. Honestly, it just amazes me how easy this bread is to make, and how delicious it turns out, every time. Moist, spongy, chewy, but firm, all at once. And toasted? The best! And all it contains is just flour, salt, water, and starter; nothing more, except the flax seeds.

And what's a man to do when he really doesn't know what to cook for dinner? Reach for Kurma's cookbook of course! Well, that's ok if you're not Kurma. As far as I am concerned, I check out what I have and cook whatever I feel inspired to eat. If you feel good about what you've cooked, it will digest perfectly well.

I cut a decent-sized purple-skinned sweet potato into large chunks, and put them in a foil wrapper, then steamed/roasted it in the oven. If the foil wrap is very loose but airtight, the vegetables cook beautifully. Beetroot turns out amazing.

Meanwhile I heated a wok and splashed in some olive oil, threw in some fresh green chili and a little shredded fresh ginger, a smidge of asafetida and a sprinkle of cumin seeds, then some decent-sized chunks of cauliflower, savoy cabbage and zucchini. A quick stir, then I splashed in a little water, and put a tight lid on top.

Then I took some slices of homemade organic panir cheese I had in the fridge and pan-fried them until golden-brown.

When the vegies were just tender, I threw in some fresh tomato, a little bit of parsley and mint from my garden, a sprinkle of salt, a micro-mist of raw cane sugar, the crispy cooked panir and the already-tender sweet potato. No evictions tonight.

Desmond from Gibraltar asked:

"I recently purchased your DVD encyclopaedia of vegetarian cooking and I was surprised to see a recipe for vegetarian scrambled eggs using cow's milk curd that included salt. My question is this: How does this preparation handle the incompatible food combination of salt and dairy products? According to ayurvedic interpretations such as those published by Dr. Vasant Lad or Swami Sada Shiva Tirth, salt should not be added to milk."

My reply:

Greetings! Thanks for the question. I think perhaps you have misunderstood the salt/dairy restriction. Yes you are correct in quoting your ayurvedic sources that salt should never be added to milk. But the restriction does not apply to products made from milk. When milk is transformed into cheese, buttermilk, yogurt, etc, it changes its nature, and no longer has the same qualities as milk.

There are innumerable ayurveda-friendly recipes for panir/chenna cheese-based, buttermilk-based, and yogurt-based savoury dishes that all have salt or kala-namak (black salt) added. These include matar panir, palak panir, karhi-based dishes (yogurt and besan, turmeric, salt, chili etc) and even salted drinks like salty lassi and buttermilk preparations that are highly recommended, digestive and nutritious. Hope this clears any misunderstanding.

Oh, better no doubt is a dinner of herbs,
When season'd with love, which no rancour disturbs
And sweeten'd by all that is sweetest in life
Than turbot, bisque, ortolans, eaten in strife!

But if, out of humour, and hungry, alone
A man should sit down to dinner, each one
Of the dishes which the cook chooses to spoil
With a horrible mixture of garlic and oil,
The chances are ten against one, I must own,
He gets up as ill-tempered as when he sat down.

- Lord Lytton (Edward Robert Bulwer Lytton) ("Owen Meredith")
Source: Lucile (pt. I, canto II, st. 27)

Here's some vision from my Saturday class in Wingham - my fourth in this charming New South Wales Mid North Coast town. It was a semi hands-on, semi demonstration class, and it worked very well.

Rolling potato balls stuffed with chili and ginger, fresh coconut, coriander and a hint of chopped raisins ready to be battered and fried to crispy perfection.

These six friends drove a substantial distance to be at the class.

This was our menu, by the way:

“Classics from the Subcontinent”

South Indian Mustard-infused Lemon Rice with Cashews & Fresh Coconut
Classic Fresh Panir Cheese with Spinach & Cream (Palak Panir)
Herbed Fresh Tomato and Yogurt Salad (Raita)
Crispy Battered Potato Puffs (Aloo Vadas) with Fresh Mint Chutney
Gujarati Fenugreek-scented Pumpkin Curry with Flame-toasted Pappadams
Succulent Saffron Milk Dumplings in Rose, Cardamom and Star-Anise (Gulab Jamuns)

We served all that in four separate tastings, with cooking in between, over 4 hours, as per the demonstration style. Students sat while I cooked, but the added hands-on meant more interaction and fun. That mixed style of presentation doesn't work in every kitchen, but it sure did in this one.

A bit of help with the final stages of cooking our freshly made farm-milk panir with spinach and cream.

Andrew and his partner have attended every one of my classes at Wingham and derive newer and newer inspiration each time. And yes, everyone chose to eat standing up, so I went with it.

Not born, but from a Mother's body drawn,
I hang until half of me is gone.
I sleep in a cave until I grow old,
Then valued for my hardened gold.

What am I?

A couple of recent photos of my grandchildren, Toby and Sebastian.

Annette Greenhalgh runs the Duck Under the Table cookery school in Wingham, where I am teaching on Saturday. Annette also owns one of the biggest dairy herds in the area. There are 700 Holstein Fresian cows milked every day at 'Bungay Bungay' (Aboriginal for 'midday'). Seventy percent (70%) of dairy cows in Australia are Holstein Fresians, by the way.

Wingham, 10 minutes drive from Taree, is nestled in the lush Manning Valley of New South Wales's Mid North Coast, a predominantly dairy region. My train to Taree departs at noon, and arrives there this evening. Here's some pictures from a previous class held there. Yes, that's me, unshaven ruffian as I was.

The crew were on the edge of their seats for the three-hour ride.

I'll be out of blog and correspondence range until Sunday, since I'm travelling 'au naturel' (without my computer). You'll be hearing from me later (as if you didn't know).

Paul from the Blue Mountains wrote asking for a recipe for the famous Australian Anzac biscuits (cookies). Here they are.

Aussie Anzac Bikkies

Famous Aussie Bikkies that are quick to bake. Makes 24.

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup coconut
½ cup butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup or treacle
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 150° C / 300° F. Combine the oats, flour, sugar, and coconut in a bowl and mix well.

Melt the butter and syrup together in a small saucepan.

Boil the water in another small saucepan. Sprinkle the soda into the boiling water and add this to the melted butter and syrup. It will froth up. Add this foamy mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.

Place tablespoonfuls of the mixture on 2 large buttered trays.

Bake in the upper half of the oven for 20 minutes, or until the cookies are golden. Allow the bikkies to cool a little on the trays before removing.

Serve when cool.

Note: for a slightly different textured Anzac that melts in the oven to a crisper consistency, use 2 tablespoons golden syrup and 3 tablespoons boiling water.

A Dyslexic man walks into a bra...

I promised you a chance to see a full photo essay of the ecstatic Sri Krishna Janmastami in Melbourne. Thanks to Rasanandini dasi, you can see it here as a very professional slideshow..

Enjoy!

Charles P from Genève, Switzerland writes:

"My partner is severely intolerant to wheat. Can you share some alternatives please, especially in light of the whole GM foods nightmare?"

My reply:

Here's a list of non-grain flours. Some you may not have encountered.

Amaranth flour: Milled from the seeds of the amaranth plant, this flour boasts a higher percentage of protein than most other grains, and has more fiber than wheat and rice. It is also higher in the amino acid lysine, which some food scientists believe makes it a more complete protein than flour made from other grains. Amaranth flour can be used in cookies, crackers, baking mixes, and cereals.

Arrowroot flour: The rootstalks of a tropical plant are the source of this flour, often used as a thickener for sauces and desserts; the finely powdered arrowroot turns completely clear when dissolved (giving gloss to sauces), and adds no starchy flavor. Because of its easy digestibility, it is also an used as an ingredient in cookies intended for infants and young children.

Barley flour: This mild-flavored flour made from barley grain contains some gluten.

Buckwheat flour: A common ingredient in pancake mixes, buckwheat flour is also used to make Japanese soba noodles. It is available in light, medium, and dark varieties (the dark flour boasts the strongest flavor), depending on the kind of buckwheat it is milled from. You can make your own buckwheat flour by processing whole white buckwheat groats in a blender or food processor.

Chestnut flour: This tan flour is made from American chestnuts, the meaty, lowfat nuts that are often served as a vegetable. The flour is a little sweet and is traditionally used in Italian holiday desserts.

Chick-pea flour (also called chana, gram flour or besan): This protein-rich flour is made from dried chick-peas or chana dal. This flour is used commonly throughout India, and in parts of the Mediterranean as well, in pancakes, pizzas, dumplings, soups and stews.

Corn flour: This is made from whole cornmeal, ground to a floury consistency.

Cornstarch: This silky ingredient is made from only the endosperm (starchy part) of the corn kernel. Avoid wheaten cornflour. It is used to thicken sauces and to create baked goods with a particularly fine texture.

Gluten-free flour mix: Some health-food stores carry this three-grain mixture of rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour. It can be substituted for 100% of the wheat flour in many recipes.

Millet flour: This yellow flour is high in protein and easy to digest. It may make baked goods somewhat coarse-textured and dry. Substitute it for no more than one-fifth of the wheat flour in a recipe.

Oat flour: Milled from either the entire oat kernel or the endosperm only, oat flour is frequently used in ready-to-eat breakfast cereals. You can make your own to use in baking by grinding rolled oats in a food processor or blender (1-1/4 cups rolled oats will yield 1 cup oat flour).

Potato flour (potato starch): Steamed potatoes are dried and then ground to a powder to make this gluten-free flour, which is commonly used in baked goods for Jewish Passover (when wheat flour may not be used).

Quinoa flour: Higher in fat than wheat flour, quinoa flour makes baked goods more moist. You can make your own quinoa flour by processing whole quinoa in a blender; stop before the flour is too fine - it should be slightly coarse, like cornmeal.

Rice flour, white: This very fine-textured flour is made from polished white rice.

Rice flour, brown: Because it contains the bran, brown rice flour contains more fiber than white rice flour.

Rye flour: In combination with wheat flour, rye flour, which contains some gluten, is most commonly used in breads. Light, medium, and dark varieties (with dark having the strongest flavor) are available.

Sorghum flour: A staple grain in many parts of the world. Sorghum flour works well in breads when combined with bean flours.

Soy flour: Another useful alternative.

Tapioca flour: Milled from the dried starch of the cassava root, this flour thickens when heated with water and is often used to give body to puddings, fruit pie fillings, and soups. It can also be used in baking.

Water-chestnut flour (water-chestnut powder): This Asian ingredient is a fine, powdery starch that is used to thicken sauces (it can be substituted for cornstarch) and to coat foods before frying to give them a delicate, crisp coating.

"Evidence of how unsuitable meat is for human digestion is the relationship established by numerous studies between colon cancer and meat-eating. Meat-centered diets are almost always high in fat and low in fibre, resulting in a slow transit time through the colon and allowing toxic wastes to do their damage.

Peter R. Cheeke, professor of Animal Science at Oregon State University, writes,

"Rates of colorectal cancer in various countries are strongly correlated with per capita consumption of red meat and animal fat, and inversely associated with fibre consumption. Even the most dedicated Animal Scientist or meat supporter must be somewhat dismayed by the preponderance of evidence suggesting a role of meat consumption in the etiology of colon cancer."

Moreover, while being digested, meat is known to generate steroid metabolites possessing carcinogenic (cancer-producing) properties. True carnivores move raw meat through their digestive tracts quickly within about three hours. Humans, with their long digestive tracts, take between twelve and eighteen hours to process and digest flesh.

Because the environment of the digestive tract is warm and moist, the meat rots and creates free radicals, unstable, destructive oxygen atoms that can cause cancer, premature aging, and other degenerative conditions. These free radicals are released into the body during the long digestion process.

As research continues, evidence linking meat-eating to other forms of cancer is building up at an alarming rate.

William Castelli, M.D., director of the Framingham Health Study and the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, writes,

"A low-fat plant-based diet would not only lower the heart attack rate about eighty-five percent, but would lower the cancer rate sixty percent."

Some of the most shocking results in cancer research have come from exploration of the effects of nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are formed when secondary amines, prevalent in beer, wine, tea, and tobacco, for example, react with chemical preservatives in meat.

The US Food and Drug Administration has labeled nitrosamines – one of the most formidable and versatile groups of carcinogens yet discovered, and their role in the etiology of human cancer has caused growing apprehension among experts.

Dr. William Lijinsky of Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted experiments in which nitrosamines were fed to test animals. Within six months he found malignant tumors in one hundred percent of the animals. The cancers, he said, "are all over the place; in the brain, lungs, pancreas, stomach, liver, adrenals, and intestines. The animals are a bloody mess."

There are few current studies of the effects of nitrosamines on the human organism; that they are carcinogenic has long been proven. People who eat meat of any description are at risk."

from 'The Higher Taste - A Guide to Gourmet Vegetarian Cooking and a Karma-Free Diet', 2006 edition, chapter one, 'Health and a Meatless Diet".

You can also hear some of my kirtan recordings at the recent Janmastami celebrations at the Melbourne Hare Krishna Temple if you go here.

It'll take a minute or two to download, so be patient. Happy listening!