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Baked Yucca Root Fries Recipe

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Baked Yucca Root Fries Recipe

Cassava or yucca root was commonly consumed by the indigenous (Taino) people of the Caribbean. This starchy root is a rich source of carbohydrates and it contains a variety of minerals, nutrients and vitamins.

Many folks are discovering that Yucca Root is very tasty food. During a recent visit to the local Whole Foods, I came across Baked Yucca Fries. Overwhelmed by its crispy-garlicky taste, I was compelled to recreate the recipe at home.

Ingredients needed:

 

  • 1 lb. of peeled yucca root
  • Himalayan or sea salt (to taste)
  • Black pepper (to taste)
  • 1/4 cup of light olive oil
  • 1-2 cloves of finely grated garlic

 

Baking Instructions:

 

  • Boil the yucca root for 10-15 minutes
  • Remove from water and let cool to the touch
  • Cut into long strips about 1 inch wide
  • Toss gently in large bowl with olive oil and grated garlic
  • Place each strip of yucca on a cookie sheet that is non-stick
  • Place in preheated oven and bake 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes turning over once halfway through baking-time
  • Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes and enjoy warm baked yucca root fries

 

How People Feel Before Quitting Their Job

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How People Feel Before Quitting Their Job

People decide to quit their jobs for several reasons. Sometimes employees burn-out, get bored or frustrated with their work. Other times, there are personal reasons that require a career change. Also some employees feel that they are not appreciated for their contributions, or feel they have opportunities for growth.

Employees Do Not Feel Appreciated

If you do not feel appreciated in your current job, you may consider quitting. It can be challenging to give everything for a role and constantly feel that nobody sees or appreciates your work. Motivation can severely decline in this type of situation when an employee who otherwise would be good does not receive positive feedback from their supervisor or boss.

Lack of Recognition

The lack of recognition goes hand in hand with the lack of appreciation as to the reasons why people leave their jobs. If someone else takes credit for your work, a colleague receives a promotion based on your contributions, or your boss does not recognize the role you played on a project, it can make you feel devalued.

Poor Salary

If you do not feel you are being adequately compensated for your work, you can make you resign. This is especially true if you feel that there are significant wage discrepancies in your division, or you were skipped for a salary increase. A person who feels underpaid feels they add a significant value to the company, which can lead to resentment.

Personality Conflicts

While there will always be at least some minor personality conflicts at work, if you are continually dealing with someone you do not like, this may lead you to resign. Some people just treat us the wrong way, and if there is a way to reach a compromise or “agree to disagree”, small problems can accumulate over time. This is especially true if the person with whom you have the problem is your boss.

Poor Management

Mismanaged employees quit often because they feel professional management is lacking. If your boss does not train you properly or supports you in your job functions, it can be frustrating. People who feel they are adrift at work can become disenchanted with his or her post and quit.

There is No Possibility of Growth

If you get to the highest position you can get in a company, you may feel you have no other place to go professionally. This can make you feel that no challenges for you with your current employer. People who reach the top of their career ladder often give up and seek out new opportunities.

Limited Professional Development

Career professionals are always looking to improve their skills and learn new things. If your current employer does not offer professional development opportunities, you may feel “locked” from a point of view of professional enrichment. People who do not feel that their employers provide sufficient development opportunities can leave their jobs to look for opportunities elsewhere.

Lack of Challenges

If you think your job bland, you’re probably not feeling challenged. Static and monotonous positions often alienate people because there are new challenges for the taking. If you are someone who needs constant change, it can forced you to find professional opportunities elsewhere.

Boredom

Repetitive work can lead to boredom, which can lead to one business day feel endless. If you’re bored at work, you’re probably not performing with all your potential, which often means you’re not feeling happy. The need for emotions and new experiences can lead people to quit a job in favor of another.

Not Feeling Fulfilled

If you do not enjoy your job, your career will not make you feel fulfilled. Many people quit their jobs because they feel they are not making a significant contribution to their profession.

Doctor Strange Film Review

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Doctor Stephen Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) life changes after a car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he looks for healing, and hope, in a mysterious cult. He quickly learns that the select group in Nepal is at the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying reality. Before long, Strange is forced to choose between his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.

The film has been compared to the Iron Man series – also from the digital stable of Marvel. Only, more subtle, with scene changing liquid like graphics, and a deeper sense of philosophical musings – principally from the enigmatic Tilda Swanton as the Ancient One.

Perfect casting as Swanton is ethereal and full of mystique and her shaven head and emotionless tones capture every scene. No need for too many digital enhancements here, but the swirling deep copper colour sequences throughout the film add considerably to the darker mood as the plot develops.

The plot might as well be biblical in its antiquity. Fallen angel Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) is amok and must be stopped. Together with other students Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Wong (Benedict Wong) Dr Strange’s destiny, once recovered, is to surgically remove Kaecilius from wreaking his deadly wroth on the world.

As Master and student, Cumberbatch and Swanton excel together.  There’s an intense egoistical quality to Doctor Strange’s taut makeup. Under the Ancient One’s searching tutelage he must re-discover himself – it’s not just his hands that need to heal.

All super heroes need super powers, of course, and Doctor Strange’s cloak begins to take on a life of its own as well as various magical forces and weapons with flames and sparks forged from the fiery depths.

Visually, it’s a joy to watch. The breadth and scope will take your breath away. But that doesn’t mean that the effects in any way overshadow strong lead roles. Deft comic touches like when Doctor Strange confuses a wifi password for a spell, spring the audience back to its senses just when it threatens to get all encompassing.

As we as are drawn, ever deeper, into the magical world we find Doctor Strange right in our face, his terse temper and abrupt actions jolt us into following his every movement – mainly because we never know what’s going on in his head.

Okay, it may be comic book stuff, but we are both captivated by the performances and held captivate in a private world for just long enough to begin to understand its strange complexity, inner dynamics which bind some characters together and set others apart and the fluctuating forces that move and shape its ever changing vision of reality.

Inferno Film Review

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Famous symbologist Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) follows a trail of clues tied to Dante, the great medieval Renaissance poet. When Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), a doctor he hopes will help him recover his memories. Together, they race across Europe and against the clock to stop a madman (Ben Foster) from unleashing a virus that could wipe out half of the world’s population.

Well, that’s the official plot as far as it goes. And the whole film – even at two hours in length – fairly flies by. Hanks barely has time to solve the next puzzle before he’s off again in search of another missing clue in the cryptic crossword of Dante’s dance of life and death – all the while pursued by a myriad of goodies who are baddies, false friends, and government agents on their own agenda. And that’s all before he even has a chance to locate where the virus is really hidden.

Inferno begins with Hanks struggling to regain his memory having been apparently bashed on the head. In the penultimate scene he has a plaster on his forehead from another struggle. In between, he spends plenty of time scratching his head trying to work out what’s going on. In this he’s not alone.

But before we get ahead of ourselves – very easy when Hanks and Co are rushing from church to church to get to the baptismal font on time – let’s get back to the start.

Why try and wipe out half the world in the first place with a deadly virus? Well, it has something to do with getting back to the start – of civilisation and beginning all over again. Over- population can only be stopped by starting again with half the numbers – although how exactly half the world will die and the other half survive is beyond me.

Churlish of me to get all numerological when there’s a cataclysmic catastrophe on the watery horizon, I know. Put it down to a twisted genius who falls from grace (literally) in the opening scene.

Along the way there’s high jinks in the eves of a Florentine medieval church, with crashing results for someone. And an underwater finale, in a basement of another church, this time the Basilica cistern in Istanbul.

Irrfan Khan who plays Harry Sims, the shadowy head of a security firm and Elizabeth Sinskey (Sidse Babett Knudsen), Head of the World Health Organisation, and a former flame of Hanks, are part of the chasing pack with rogue operatives and honourable objectives which seem to conflict and coincide from scene to scene.

Khan, aided by Paul Ritter (Friday Night Dinner tv series) injects a much needed sense of sardonic humour into a plot which, at times, is too earnest for its own good.

Interestingly, filming mass crowd scenes in such historic squares, meant having two sets of extras. A background of tourists and sightseers milling around the palazzos and a circle of professional extras reacting to the action taking place immediately in front of them.

 

After the best-selling Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons books and films, Inferno is very definitely in the same vein. Just don’t let the virus get anywhere near it.

My advice is to sit back and enjoy the rollercoaster ride through the Renaissance. It takes a warped genius to start off the plot but it won’t take a genius to work out the ending. That’s one clue I can give away for nothing.

The girl on the train film review

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Commuter Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt) catches daily glimpses of a seemingly perfect couple, Scott and Megan, (Luke Evans and Hayley Bennett) from the window of her train. As chance would have it, they live a few doors down from Rachel’s former home where her ex, Tom (Justin Theroux) and his new wife, Anna (Rebecca Ferguson) and young child reside.

One day, she witnesses something shocking unfold in the backyard of the strangers’ home. Rachel tells the authorities what she thinks she saw after learning that Megan is now missing and feared dead. Unable to trust her own memory, she begins her own traumatic investigation, while police suspect that Rachel may have crossed a dangerous line.

We soon learn that Rachel is an alcoholic slipping vodka from a water bottle. She’s lost her job and her alimony money appears to be spent on a season ticket to nowhere; which is where she’s heading for, faster than the express train can take her.

Is Rachel is an unreliable witness; both to her own feelings and has she truly lost the plot? Well, the plot line itself depends on it. If her version of reality is coloured by the bottle and her ex’s account of what happens when she hit it too hard, then can we really believe anything she tells us?

Emily Blunt is excellent as a woman falling apart before our very eyes – her own blood stained eyes revealing desperation and determination in equal measure. Seeing is disbelieving and if she can’t trust herself how can the viewer hope to distinguish fact from fiction?

Both couples suspect her motives, hardly surprising when she doubts her own intentions at times. Is she stalking her ex, and what designs does she have on his young child? Pretending to be a friend of the missing Megan, to her husband, to search for clues, hardly helps her cause, either.

This is a film where the search for truth (who killed Megan) seems, in part, an internal search for redemption and self-belief. Where’s there’s murder, manipulation is never far away and relationships are rarely what they seem. The fate of Rachel and the two couples are inextricably linked. It gradually becomes a case of working out who has the most to lose and to hide – and that doesn’t just apply to Rachel.

Add in a psychiatrist (Edgar Ramirez) and it soon becomes clear that Rachel is not the only troubled soul on the street.

Strong female leads and an all-female finale ensures that The Girl on a Train will leave you gripping the carriage rails. Buy a return ticket and ride with Rachel in this tale of suburban subterfuge, side-tracked all the time by false signs – just don’t pay much attention to the announcements on the way.

Is Ginger a Natural Pain Relief Alternative?

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Ginger vs. Ibuprofen

Wondering if there’s a natural alternative to over the counter pain medication?

One of the most commonly used drugs in the United States is ibuprofen. Now in defense of Ibuprofen, there are times that you may need fast relief for severe pain.

Whether you have a mild headache, sore muscles or any other pain, Ibuprofen can provide relief within 30 minutes or so.

However, there is more and more data being released that this drug can lead to long-term side-effects.

Ibuprofen Side Effects and Health Concerns

According to this article in *Time Health, studies are showing side-effects such as:

 

  • stomach and intestinal damage
  • liver failure
  • hearing loss
  • heart disease and strokes

 

Ginger as a Natural Pain Relieve Alternative

If you experience mild headaches and sore muscles from time to time, or even on a daily basis, before you reach for a couple of Ibuprofen or any other over-the-counter pain reliever, perhaps you should consider the pain-relieving benefits of ginger.

According to a 2013 study published in the Journal Arthritis, ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory spice and is considered more effective than ibuprofen for pain relief.

The study revealed that while drugs like Tylenol or Advil do block the formation of inflammation; ginger actually blocks the formation of the inflammatory compounds–prostaglandins and leukotrienes–and also has antioxidant effects that breakdown acidity and inflammation within the joints.

In addition to being a powerful pain-reliever, ginger is also among the healthiest spices on the planet.

Powerful Benefits for your Body

Loaded with nutrients and bioactive compounds, ginger also has powerful benefits for your body and brain when consumed daily.

Some commonly known medicinal benefits of ginger:

 

  • anti-fungal
  • anti-parasitic
  • anti-bacterial
  • anti-inflammatory
  • anti-viral

 

Ginger Can Treat Nausea, Even Morning Sickness

There is a long history of using ginger to help with sea sickness and upset stomach. There is also some evidence that shows ginger can help with nausea the day after chemotherapy.

But throughout the ages, ginger appears to be most effective when it comes to “morning sickness”, or nausea related to pregnancy.

Twelve studies, involving a total of 1,278 pregnant women, recently concluded that 1 to 1 ½ grams of ginger each day can significantly reduce symptoms of nausea.

Although ginger is considered safe and has no known adverse reaction with medications, be sure to talk to your doctor before taking large amounts if you are pregnant or undergoing treatment for illness or disease.

Ginger for Muscle Pain and Soreness

The daily use of ginger (fresh or in capsule form) has been shown to be effective against exercise-induced muscle pain and minor day-to-day pains.

Researcher Christopher D. Black, of the department of kinesiology at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville has said that the “Daily consumption of ginger resulted in moderate-to-large reductions in muscle pain following exercise-induced muscle injury”.

While ginger does not have an immediate impact, meaning you could not take a ginger capsule and reduce muscle soreness within 30 minutes; instead it is suggested that consuming ginger or taking supplements as part of a daily routine can be effective at reducing the day-to-day progression of muscle pain.

The Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Ginger Can Help With Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a common health problem for people as they age and athletes. The condition itself leads to a breakdown of the joints causing pain and stiffness.

However, “Research shows, that at a cellular level, ginger can affect certain inflammatory processes,” says Roy Altman, MD, now at the University of California, Los Angeles, whose University of Miami study concluded that ginger extract could be a substitute to drugs like Ibuprophen and Tylenol.

His study compared the effects of ginger extract versus placebo in 247 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and found that ginger reduced stiffness and pain in knee joints by nearly 40 percent.

Ginger May Lower Blood Sugars

While research on this topic is relatively new; it is being investigated that ginger may have powerful anti-diabetic properties.

In 2015, a study of 41 participants with type 2 diabetes was given 2 grams of ginger powder per day, which resulted in lowered fasting blood sugar by 12%.

This ginger powder also dramatically improved HbA1c (a marker for long-term blood sugar levels), leading to a 10% reduction over a 12 week period.

Researchers from the University of Sydney discovered that extracts from the Buderim Ginger (a ginger plant grown in Australia) is rich in gingerols (the major active component of ginger rhizome) can increase the absorption of glucose into muscle cells without the use of insulin, and may, therefore, assist in the management of high blood sugar levels.

Reduce Menstrual Cramps

Traditional use of ginger root is for minor pain relief, and this includes menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea) or the pain felt during a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Menstrual pain is mostly the result of increased production of hormones known as prostaglandins, which produce contractions in the uterus and result in cramps or pain.

Over-the-counter painkillers like ibuprofen work by reducing prostaglandin production. However, it comes with significant side effects and, long-term, can cause gastrointestinal distress and bleeding.

Ginger has also been shown to reduce the production of prostaglandin and thereby alleviate uterine contractions and pain – but is completely safe and free of side effects.

While turmeric is widely recognized for its anti-inflammatory effects, ginger can dramatically reduce inflammation AND pain.

Lower Cholesterol Levels with Ginger

High levels of LDL lipoproteins (the “bad” cholesterol) can occur in many people due to genetics, poor diet, smoking and lack of physical activity and are linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

More often than not, medications like statins are prescribed in order to reduce cholesterol numbers.

However, the foods you consume can also have a strong influence on LDL levels.

In a 45-day study of 85 individuals with high cholesterol, patients were given 3 grams of ginger powder per day which resulted in a significant reduction in most cholesterol markers

Ginger has many compounds like sterols and stanols that have been proven to be a natural blood-thinner and can reduce the amount of fats in the blood and protect against blood-clotting, which can lead to strokes and heart attack.

Ginger May Help Prevent Cancer

Cancer is a very serious disease affecting millions of people around the world. It is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells.

Ginger extract is being actively studied as an alternative and effective treatment for several forms of cancer as the anti-cancer properties in raw ginger is a substance called 6-gingerol.

In a 2012 study, the British Journal of Nutrition wrote that ginger extract produces significant effects in a wide range of prostate cancer cells, both in the inhibition of new cancer cells forming and the death of existing ones.

In fact, the study suggests that ginger extract can inhibit the growth and the progression of prostate cancer cells by as much as 56 percent.

Another recent study conducted by the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology in India focused on a particular substance found in ginger root and compared it with the chemotherapy drug Taxol (i.e. Paclitaxel) as relates to breast cancer stem cells.

Using three-dimensional models, they determined that Taxol had very little effect on breast cancer stem cells. However, 6-Shogaol, an active component in ginger root appeared to directly target the cancer cells.

Here is more information regarding the exact molecular components of ginger and the breakdown of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of [6]-gingerol, [8]-gingerol, [10]-gingerol and [6]-shogaol:

Effective Home Remedy for Infections

Gingerol, a bioactive substance in ginger, can inhibit the growth of many different types of bacteria and help lower the risk of infections.

Long hailed as an effective home remedy for throat infections, the juice from a piece of raw ginger is often used to cure a cough or help relieve allergy symptoms.

It is also effective against oral bacteria linked to gingivitis and periodontitis and other inflammatory diseases of the gums.

Natural Immune System Booster

According to the University of Michigan Health System, ginger contains volatile oils, which have antimicrobial, diaphoretic, cough-suppressant, expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger is also considered an immune system booster.

In addition, ginger also contains sesquiterpene, a chemical compound known to eliminate rhinoviruses, agents that cause the common cold and may also be effective against the RSV virus, a common cause of upper respiratory tract infections.

Information on MadWash.com is for education purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of a professionally trained doctor nor substitute conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, talk to a physician.