Ingredients:
1 oz. sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated in hot water for about 10 min.
1 3/4 cups garbanzo beans ( or 1 can), drained and rinsed
3 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP tahini
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 TBSP. minced fresh Italian (flat) parsley leaves (opt.) (processed, or added after as a garnish)
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. paprika
Instructions: Process first 9 ingredients until smooth and completely blended. Mix olive oil with paprika and drizzle over the top before serving.
Serve as a dip with crackers or oven-baked corn chips. Hummous is also great in a sandwich or as one of the ingredients in a pita sandwich.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Recipe: Quick and Tasty Vegan Party Dip- In – A – Hurry
Here's a Quicky Party Dip Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 container Tofutti Sour Cream (12 oz. container) or use one of the Sour Cream recipes below (I like to use a combination of recipes #1 and #2 or a combination of recipes #1 and #3.).
Approx. 1 tsp taco seasoning (kind with no MSG)
1-2 tsp. onion powder (or dehydrated chopped onion )
1 tsp dried garlic granules or garlic powder
1-2 tsp salt-free seasoning optional
1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 envelope Miso-Cup Delicious Golden Vegetable Soup, or equivalent package of onion soup, vegetable soup, (no MSG) or a veg. bouillon cube
Salt, to taste
Other herbs and spices, fresh or dry, your choice (For example: dill, thyme, tarragon, basil, etc.)
About 8-10 artichoke heart halves (canned in oil) (in water, less calories)
About 2 TBSP sun-dried tomato slices,pieces, or halves (canned in oil) (dried and rehydrated with water for less calories)
Instructions: Assemble all ingredients, place in a food processor, and process until well combined and artichokes and sun dried tomatoes are broken into small pieces.
Sour Cream Recipe #1 (Makes about 1 ½ cups)
Ingredients:
½ cup cashew butter
2 TBSP lemon juice
Salt
1 cup cold water
Instructions: Combine first 3 ingredients in food processor. Add cold water slowly until it reaches desired consistency.
Sour Cream Recipe #2 (Makes about 1 cup)
Ingredients:
½ lb. firm tofu
2 TBSP oil
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 ½ tsp. sweetener, your choice
½ tsp. salt.
Instructions: Combine ingredients in food processor until blended.
Sour Cream Recipe #3 (Makes about 1 ¼ cups)
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups light silken tofu
3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP tahini
¼ tsp. salt
Instructions: Combine ingredients in food processor until well blended.
Ingredients:
1 container Tofutti Sour Cream (12 oz. container) or use one of the Sour Cream recipes below (I like to use a combination of recipes #1 and #2 or a combination of recipes #1 and #3.).
Approx. 1 tsp taco seasoning (kind with no MSG)
1-2 tsp. onion powder (or dehydrated chopped onion )
1 tsp dried garlic granules or garlic powder
1-2 tsp salt-free seasoning optional
1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 envelope Miso-Cup Delicious Golden Vegetable Soup, or equivalent package of onion soup, vegetable soup, (no MSG) or a veg. bouillon cube
Salt, to taste
Other herbs and spices, fresh or dry, your choice (For example: dill, thyme, tarragon, basil, etc.)
About 8-10 artichoke heart halves (canned in oil) (in water, less calories)
About 2 TBSP sun-dried tomato slices,pieces, or halves (canned in oil) (dried and rehydrated with water for less calories)
Instructions: Assemble all ingredients, place in a food processor, and process until well combined and artichokes and sun dried tomatoes are broken into small pieces.
Sour Cream Recipe #1 (Makes about 1 ½ cups)
Ingredients:
½ cup cashew butter
2 TBSP lemon juice
Salt
1 cup cold water
Instructions: Combine first 3 ingredients in food processor. Add cold water slowly until it reaches desired consistency.
Sour Cream Recipe #2 (Makes about 1 cup)
Ingredients:
½ lb. firm tofu
2 TBSP oil
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 ½ tsp. sweetener, your choice
½ tsp. salt.
Instructions: Combine ingredients in food processor until blended.
Sour Cream Recipe #3 (Makes about 1 ¼ cups)
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups light silken tofu
3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP tahini
¼ tsp. salt
Instructions: Combine ingredients in food processor until well blended.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Recipe for Vegan Spinach Pizza
My husband, who is vegetarian, but not vegan, loves the Spinach Pizza that Pizza Star in Menton, Southern France makes. Here is a recipe that I've been working on for a Vegan equivalent:
Vegan Spinach Pizza
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Crust:
1 pizza crust recipe (about 12 inches) (your choice) I'm lazy, so I let the bread machine mix the dough.)
Pizza mixture (enough for two pizza crusts):
Combine in a food processor and mix until well blended (smooth):
1 cup cashews (soaked for at least a couple of hours in hot water, changed twice. It's easiest to just start this in the morning.) Drain and rinse before using.
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (opt.)
Add and process (pulse):
1 lb. medium to firm tofu
2 TBSP lemon juice
Add and process (pulse briefly to mix -- not too long or the mixture gets very green!):
2 tsp. each, chopped fresh tarragon, basil, parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh dill
Place mixture in bowl and mix with:
1/4 lb chopped fresh spinach (hard stems removed) or baby spinach
After rolling/spreading crust dough out and placing in pan, brush with olive oil and let it rise, covered, in a warm place, for about 15 min. Spread mixture onto pizza crust to within 3/4 inch of the edge of the crust.
(You can also top it with some artichoke heart halves, rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, or any other topping you may choose. Don't worry if you have no toppings -- it's great just plain.)
If you want, spray the pizza with oil before placing it in the oven.
Bake at 400 degrees F. for around 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from the oven when the edges of the crust are slightly browned.
(I'm also thinking about adding 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes to the mixture. I haven't done this yet.)
Vegan Spinach Pizza
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Crust:
1 pizza crust recipe (about 12 inches) (your choice) I'm lazy, so I let the bread machine mix the dough.)
Pizza mixture (enough for two pizza crusts):
Combine in a food processor and mix until well blended (smooth):
1 cup cashews (soaked for at least a couple of hours in hot water, changed twice. It's easiest to just start this in the morning.) Drain and rinse before using.
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (opt.)
Add and process (pulse):
1 lb. medium to firm tofu
2 TBSP lemon juice
Add and process (pulse briefly to mix -- not too long or the mixture gets very green!):
2 tsp. each, chopped fresh tarragon, basil, parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh dill
Place mixture in bowl and mix with:
1/4 lb chopped fresh spinach (hard stems removed) or baby spinach
After rolling/spreading crust dough out and placing in pan, brush with olive oil and let it rise, covered, in a warm place, for about 15 min. Spread mixture onto pizza crust to within 3/4 inch of the edge of the crust.
(You can also top it with some artichoke heart halves, rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, or any other topping you may choose. Don't worry if you have no toppings -- it's great just plain.)
If you want, spray the pizza with oil before placing it in the oven.
Bake at 400 degrees F. for around 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from the oven when the edges of the crust are slightly browned.
(I'm also thinking about adding 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes to the mixture. I haven't done this yet.)
Why Not Chicken?
When people ask why I am a vegan, they usually want the short version of the answer. But the answer to that question is too broad, and impossible to answer in 1,000 words or less. So, let’s narrow the subject down a little as to the health reasons why I don’t eat birds or bird embryos. Many people who are trying to eliminate beef and pork from their diet, frequently turn to eating the carcasses of chickens, turkeys, and other birds, thinking that they are substituting a “healthy” protein alternative for red meat. One of the reasons that red meat is usually avoided is because it is replete with saturated fat. But people are misled if they think they are avoiding dangerous fat by eating the body of a bird. A three-ounce serving of chicken with skin has almost three teaspoons of chicken fat . (That’s saturated fat!) Without skin, the chicken still has 1.2 teaspoons of artery-clogging fat to create havoc in your bloodstream. And people who eat large amounts of animal flesh tend towards thin, easily-fractured bones, known as osteoporosis. The equation is simple: the higher the amount of excess protein, the greater the amount of calcium loss from the body’s bones, which exits through the kidneys. The countries of the world who tend toward higher consumption of poultry and other meats are plagued with higher rates of osteoporosis.
If you are not yet convinced to eliminate poultry from your diet – how about a nice plate of salmonella? Poultry is the principal carrier of this vicious bacterium. But, you say, the poultry that you buy is packed in a pristine Styrofoam and plastic-wrapped container. Salmonella is endemic in the poultry industry, with at least one in three of those pristinely packaged supermarket chickens infected with this bacterium that can kill or mame you. Not that bad, you say? Salmonella can cause severe dehydrating diarrhea, lung infection, infection of the nervous system, as well as a lingering arthritis, -- or, it can kill you. This is how salmonella insidiously creeps into your kitchen – chicken feed is laced with antibiotics, its volume is often extended with chicken manure infected with salmonella, thus producing infected chicken. (Yes, chickens are made to eat their own poopie!) (Beef feed is also extended with chicken manure, thus contributing to salmonella-infected beef.) (You may want to do an internet search for words such as “chicken manure as volume extender in poultry feed/ cattle feed”.) Kitchen knives, cutting boards, surfaces, and kitchen sponges easily spread the contamination to other foods in the kitchen. Salmonella is not the only potential danger. Poultry farmers have an unusually high rate of lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes, which is, interestingly enough, the most common cancer of chickens. It has not been conclusively proven that chicken lymphoma is directly linked to human lymphoma, but medical researchers who work with chicken lymphoma have contracted cancers of their own lymphatic system. Ignoring these facts will not protect you from being infected.
How about chicken eggs? An egg yolk has one of the highest concentrations of animal fat because Nature has designed it to be able to sustain the growth of a baby chick before it hatches. Egg whites are very high in protein, (too high for humans!), thus contributing to leaching out of calcium from our bones. Eggs have salmonella. Because chickens carry salmonella, they contaminate the INSIDE of their eggs with salmonella, before the shell is ever formed, so you can’t wash the salmonella off of an egg.
But, you may argue that chicken and eggs “taste so good.” I would disagree. Most of what you are tasting is the sauce and herbs and spices that have been added to the dishes. (Try boiling a piece of chicken flesh in water with no salt or flavorings of any kind, and tasting it.) And, anyway, are you sure that you want to eat something, solely because it tastes good? I’ve been told that antifreeze tastes good, but I also understand that consuming it can kill you. There are numerous alternatives to chicken and egg dishes, similarly flavored with sauces and herbs and spices, that are not harmful.
So, in a nutshell, the health reason why I don’t eat birds or eggs is: I want to stay as healthy as possible, so my later years will not be plagued with diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer (breast, prostate, pancreas, colon), arthritis, obesity, diabetes, kidney stones, macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune diseases like lupus, hypertension, high cholesterol and arteriosclerosis, diseases that many mistakenly look at as inevitable burdens of middle and later ages. (See, The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health, by T.C. Campbell, and T.M. Campbell )
To avoid posting a blog of inordinate length, I will cite only two books. (They will cite all the other references.) If you turn off the hypnotic drivel that has been played over and over in Western society’s mind, and truly absorb the contents and meaning of these two books, you need never ask why a person might or should be a vegan. The two books are:
1) Vegan Freak by Bob and Jenna Torres (This is a short and easy read.)
2) World Peace Diet, by Dr. Will Tuttle (This explains EVERYTHING.)
I wish you long life, good health, and happiness.
If you are not yet convinced to eliminate poultry from your diet – how about a nice plate of salmonella? Poultry is the principal carrier of this vicious bacterium. But, you say, the poultry that you buy is packed in a pristine Styrofoam and plastic-wrapped container. Salmonella is endemic in the poultry industry, with at least one in three of those pristinely packaged supermarket chickens infected with this bacterium that can kill or mame you. Not that bad, you say? Salmonella can cause severe dehydrating diarrhea, lung infection, infection of the nervous system, as well as a lingering arthritis, -- or, it can kill you. This is how salmonella insidiously creeps into your kitchen – chicken feed is laced with antibiotics, its volume is often extended with chicken manure infected with salmonella, thus producing infected chicken. (Yes, chickens are made to eat their own poopie!) (Beef feed is also extended with chicken manure, thus contributing to salmonella-infected beef.) (You may want to do an internet search for words such as “chicken manure as volume extender in poultry feed/ cattle feed”.) Kitchen knives, cutting boards, surfaces, and kitchen sponges easily spread the contamination to other foods in the kitchen. Salmonella is not the only potential danger. Poultry farmers have an unusually high rate of lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes, which is, interestingly enough, the most common cancer of chickens. It has not been conclusively proven that chicken lymphoma is directly linked to human lymphoma, but medical researchers who work with chicken lymphoma have contracted cancers of their own lymphatic system. Ignoring these facts will not protect you from being infected.
How about chicken eggs? An egg yolk has one of the highest concentrations of animal fat because Nature has designed it to be able to sustain the growth of a baby chick before it hatches. Egg whites are very high in protein, (too high for humans!), thus contributing to leaching out of calcium from our bones. Eggs have salmonella. Because chickens carry salmonella, they contaminate the INSIDE of their eggs with salmonella, before the shell is ever formed, so you can’t wash the salmonella off of an egg.
But, you may argue that chicken and eggs “taste so good.” I would disagree. Most of what you are tasting is the sauce and herbs and spices that have been added to the dishes. (Try boiling a piece of chicken flesh in water with no salt or flavorings of any kind, and tasting it.) And, anyway, are you sure that you want to eat something, solely because it tastes good? I’ve been told that antifreeze tastes good, but I also understand that consuming it can kill you. There are numerous alternatives to chicken and egg dishes, similarly flavored with sauces and herbs and spices, that are not harmful.
So, in a nutshell, the health reason why I don’t eat birds or eggs is: I want to stay as healthy as possible, so my later years will not be plagued with diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer (breast, prostate, pancreas, colon), arthritis, obesity, diabetes, kidney stones, macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune diseases like lupus, hypertension, high cholesterol and arteriosclerosis, diseases that many mistakenly look at as inevitable burdens of middle and later ages. (See, The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health, by T.C. Campbell, and T.M. Campbell )
To avoid posting a blog of inordinate length, I will cite only two books. (They will cite all the other references.) If you turn off the hypnotic drivel that has been played over and over in Western society’s mind, and truly absorb the contents and meaning of these two books, you need never ask why a person might or should be a vegan. The two books are:
1) Vegan Freak by Bob and Jenna Torres (This is a short and easy read.)
2) World Peace Diet, by Dr. Will Tuttle (This explains EVERYTHING.)
I wish you long life, good health, and happiness.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Why those Strange Green Javelins are So Good for You or, Asparagus: the Vitamin K Vanguard
In California, the first wave of the spring asparagus crop is upon us. If you’ve never cooked your own fresh asparagus, just looking at those aggressive little spears perched in your grocery display you might never be tempted to buy and cook them. But if you know the taste of freshly steamed asparagus, along with the plethora of health benefits it offers, you’ll never pass up a fresh bunch. Asparagus, believed to have originated in the Mideast, is a member of the lily family and is grown today in many parts of the world. Only 20 of its 300 varieties are edible.
Aside from its flavor, asparagus abounds in nutritive value. One cup of asparagus has only 43.2 calories, yet contains 114.8% of the daily value of Vitamin K (91.8 mcg). This vitamin performs a myriad of functions that benefit the coronary system. When you are cut, it is Vitamin K that initiates the healing process as it slows and stops the bleeding. Vitamin K helps the body absorb calcium preventing loss of bone density known as osteoporosis, prevents hardening of the arteries preventing heart disease and heart failure. Recent human trials suggest that it may be a preventive and treatment for many kinds of cancer. Asparagus contains folate which is also vital for healthy heart function and for DNA synthesis (thus preventing birth defects), and inulin, a carbohydrate which feeds the good bacteria in your colon. Other nutrients contained in asparagus include Vitamin A, C, many B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, and B6), manganese, copper, phosphorous, potassium and protein. Asparagus does contain purines, so if you have gout or a tendency to form kidney stones from uric acid, you may want to limit or avoid asparagus.
How To Prepare
Store asparagus in the dark back corner of the refrigerator with the bottom wrapped in wet paper towels. Eat asparagus within one or two days of purchase. Snip off a bit of the woody base before cooking. My favorite way to prepare asparagus is steamed, served with a lemon vinaigrette (See recipe below.), but you can also sauté it or roast it (alone, or with other vegetables such as garlic, summer squash, Portobello mushrooms, beets, etc.) If you’re in a hurry, and have no time to make a vinaigrette, just squeeze lemon juice over the asparagus, towards the end of steaming. It makes a great addition to a pasta dish tossed with olive oil, and your favorite Italian spices, or served beside protein cutlets such as soy, seitan or bean cutlets. Asparagus can be eaten hot or cold.
RECIPE FOR LEMON VINAIGRETTE
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 tsp each oregano, basil, and thyme
½ tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
Wisk ingredients together, zigzag over steamed asparagus. Store leftover cold.
Aside from its flavor, asparagus abounds in nutritive value. One cup of asparagus has only 43.2 calories, yet contains 114.8% of the daily value of Vitamin K (91.8 mcg). This vitamin performs a myriad of functions that benefit the coronary system. When you are cut, it is Vitamin K that initiates the healing process as it slows and stops the bleeding. Vitamin K helps the body absorb calcium preventing loss of bone density known as osteoporosis, prevents hardening of the arteries preventing heart disease and heart failure. Recent human trials suggest that it may be a preventive and treatment for many kinds of cancer. Asparagus contains folate which is also vital for healthy heart function and for DNA synthesis (thus preventing birth defects), and inulin, a carbohydrate which feeds the good bacteria in your colon. Other nutrients contained in asparagus include Vitamin A, C, many B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, and B6), manganese, copper, phosphorous, potassium and protein. Asparagus does contain purines, so if you have gout or a tendency to form kidney stones from uric acid, you may want to limit or avoid asparagus.
How To Prepare
Store asparagus in the dark back corner of the refrigerator with the bottom wrapped in wet paper towels. Eat asparagus within one or two days of purchase. Snip off a bit of the woody base before cooking. My favorite way to prepare asparagus is steamed, served with a lemon vinaigrette (See recipe below.), but you can also sauté it or roast it (alone, or with other vegetables such as garlic, summer squash, Portobello mushrooms, beets, etc.) If you’re in a hurry, and have no time to make a vinaigrette, just squeeze lemon juice over the asparagus, towards the end of steaming. It makes a great addition to a pasta dish tossed with olive oil, and your favorite Italian spices, or served beside protein cutlets such as soy, seitan or bean cutlets. Asparagus can be eaten hot or cold.
RECIPE FOR LEMON VINAIGRETTE
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 tsp each oregano, basil, and thyme
½ tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
Wisk ingredients together, zigzag over steamed asparagus. Store leftover cold.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Oven-Roasted Broccoli, A Real Treat
If you're tired of steaming broccoli or eating it mixed in salads or casseroles, try roasting it in the oven. It gives it a whole different taste, somewhat nutty in flavor. It's extremely simple, quick and delicious.
Recipe for Oven-Roasted Broccoli
Preheat oven to 300 or 350 degrees F (.
Spray broccoli with oil spray. (you can toss it with a quarter cup of oil, but it's higher in calories.)
Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
Spread out the florets of broccoli on a greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. (Cut large florets in halves or quarters so it all bakes evenly.)
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, turning florets to other side at about 7 or 8 minutes. When the broccoli begins to brown just a little on the outside edges, it is ready to take out. Check at 12 or 15 minutes to see if it's done. Serve warm.
Recipe for Oven-Roasted Broccoli
Preheat oven to 300 or 350 degrees F (.
Spray broccoli with oil spray. (you can toss it with a quarter cup of oil, but it's higher in calories.)
Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
Spread out the florets of broccoli on a greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. (Cut large florets in halves or quarters so it all bakes evenly.)
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, turning florets to other side at about 7 or 8 minutes. When the broccoli begins to brown just a little on the outside edges, it is ready to take out. Check at 12 or 15 minutes to see if it's done. Serve warm.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Recipe for Oven-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Without all the extras such as butter, sour cream, cheese, etc., potatoes are low in calories, full of flavor, and rich in healthy nutrients. They contain fiber, antioxidant phytonutrients (carotenoids, flavonoids, etc.) as well as protein. Buy organic and LEAVE THE SKIN ON. The skin is the best part! Many varieties of potatoes have nutrients in the skin that are believed to lower blood pressure (kukoamines), support cell activity as well as support brain cell and nervous system activity and cardiovascular health (B6). Potatoes also contain Vitamin C, potassium, copper, and manganese.
RECIPE FOR OVEN-ROASTED FINGERLING POTATOES
2 - 5 lbs. fingerling potatoes
1/4 c or more olive oil (the more potatoes, the larger the amount of oil
handfuls of fresh sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, broken into peices
salt, to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 - 400 degrees.
Mix potatoes with oil in a bowl, turning until potatoes are coated with the oil, (I lift the potatoes and put them in another bowl eliminating excess oil) then mix with the other ingredients until evenly distributed. (Another way to avoid excess oil is to spray the potatoes with oil.)
Place in covered casserole dish or Dutch oven.
Bake about 20 minutes. Remove and mix ingredients with large spoon. Bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
(You can use other potatoes such as red, yukon gold, etc. and cut them into quarters or eighths.)
RECIPE FOR OVEN-ROASTED FINGERLING POTATOES
2 - 5 lbs. fingerling potatoes
1/4 c or more olive oil (the more potatoes, the larger the amount of oil
handfuls of fresh sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, broken into peices
salt, to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 - 400 degrees.
Mix potatoes with oil in a bowl, turning until potatoes are coated with the oil, (I lift the potatoes and put them in another bowl eliminating excess oil) then mix with the other ingredients until evenly distributed. (Another way to avoid excess oil is to spray the potatoes with oil.)
Place in covered casserole dish or Dutch oven.
Bake about 20 minutes. Remove and mix ingredients with large spoon. Bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
(You can use other potatoes such as red, yukon gold, etc. and cut them into quarters or eighths.)
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Winter Squash plus Yummy Quick Recipe
Butternut Squash and Acorn Squash are two of my favorite kinds of winter squash. Their sweet, red-orange flesh is packed with nutrients, they are quite low in calories, and simple to fix. One cup of cooked cubes is only 80 calories.
Winter squash contains, among other nutrients:
Vitamin A (beta carotene) – antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, prevents oxidation of cholesterol, helps prevent atherosclerosis, reduces risk of colon cancer
Vitamin C – reduces severity of conditions in asthma, osteoarthritis, diabetic heart disease
Potassium – lowers blood pressure
Dietary fiber – fights heart disease and cancer, protects the cells of the colon
Folate – prevents certain birth defects, breaks down homocysteine (so it reduces heart attack and stroke), prevents cancer in colon cells
Omega 3 fatty acids – reduces inflammation in the body, regulates blood clotting, promotes healthy cell membranes, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, inhibits thickening of arteries as well as helps them dilate, stimulates secretion of leptin (reduces cravings for sweets, simple carbs as well as regulates body weight and metabolism), helps prevent cancer cell growth.
Other nutrients include: manganese, B1, copper, B6, niacin-B3, pantothenic acid
It’s also rich in beta-cryptoxanthin an orange red carotenoid that may inhibit lung cancer.
RECIPE, WINTER SQUASH
If you don’t have a lot of time, here’s how to fix winter squash:
Set oven to 375 – 400 degrees. Halve or quarter the squash, scrape out the seeds and strings in the center.
Spray or lightly coat with olive oil, sprinkle cinnamon, a little nutmeg, a little salt. Add a sweetener if you like. (I have a spice jar with a plastic top on it for sprinkling and I combine cinnamon and stevia and shake it on the squash –this makes it sweeter yet adds no calories.) Another sweetener to use is agave nectar. You will need to coat the squash with this, or if cooking halves put in the "seed well.")
Put in a shallow pan or baking dish that has been coated with oil, add a little water ( ¼ – ½ inch). Bake for 45 min – 1 hour, if cut into halves. (Smaller pieces take less time to cook -- 25 to 30min. -- so if you’re in a hurry, cut the squash into smaller slices.) Some prefer to bake it for the first half of the baking time with the cut side down, placing it cut side up the second half of the baking time. Test with a fork; if it easily pierces the flesh, it's done.
Once baked, the squash can be eaten as is, or mashed and served as a puree, like mashed potatoes.
(If you’re in a real hurry, and you don’t mind using a microwave, it cooks in about 10-14 min. in a microwave – microwave safe dish with some water added.)
Winter squash contains, among other nutrients:
Vitamin A (beta carotene) – antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, prevents oxidation of cholesterol, helps prevent atherosclerosis, reduces risk of colon cancer
Vitamin C – reduces severity of conditions in asthma, osteoarthritis, diabetic heart disease
Potassium – lowers blood pressure
Dietary fiber – fights heart disease and cancer, protects the cells of the colon
Folate – prevents certain birth defects, breaks down homocysteine (so it reduces heart attack and stroke), prevents cancer in colon cells
Omega 3 fatty acids – reduces inflammation in the body, regulates blood clotting, promotes healthy cell membranes, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, inhibits thickening of arteries as well as helps them dilate, stimulates secretion of leptin (reduces cravings for sweets, simple carbs as well as regulates body weight and metabolism), helps prevent cancer cell growth.
Other nutrients include: manganese, B1, copper, B6, niacin-B3, pantothenic acid
It’s also rich in beta-cryptoxanthin an orange red carotenoid that may inhibit lung cancer.
RECIPE, WINTER SQUASH
If you don’t have a lot of time, here’s how to fix winter squash:
Set oven to 375 – 400 degrees. Halve or quarter the squash, scrape out the seeds and strings in the center.
Spray or lightly coat with olive oil, sprinkle cinnamon, a little nutmeg, a little salt. Add a sweetener if you like. (I have a spice jar with a plastic top on it for sprinkling and I combine cinnamon and stevia and shake it on the squash –this makes it sweeter yet adds no calories.) Another sweetener to use is agave nectar. You will need to coat the squash with this, or if cooking halves put in the "seed well.")
Put in a shallow pan or baking dish that has been coated with oil, add a little water ( ¼ – ½ inch). Bake for 45 min – 1 hour, if cut into halves. (Smaller pieces take less time to cook -- 25 to 30min. -- so if you’re in a hurry, cut the squash into smaller slices.) Some prefer to bake it for the first half of the baking time with the cut side down, placing it cut side up the second half of the baking time. Test with a fork; if it easily pierces the flesh, it's done.
Once baked, the squash can be eaten as is, or mashed and served as a puree, like mashed potatoes.
(If you’re in a real hurry, and you don’t mind using a microwave, it cooks in about 10-14 min. in a microwave – microwave safe dish with some water added.)
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Mighty Lentil and a Quick Lentil Soup Recipe
Behold the mighty lentil! The expression “Big things often come in small packages” comes to mind when I think of the tiny powerhouse of a legume that is believed to originate in central Asia. A half cup of cooked lentils is a mere 114 calories that are packed with nutritional content. This half cup contains 8.9 grams of protein, and a mere .376 grams of fat (with 0 cholesterol).
This tiny little legume can do the following for your health:
The fiber (7.8 grams) in the lentils has two significant effects on your health: the soluble fiber has a substance which grabs cholesterol and escorts it out of the body. The insoluble fiber increases stool bulk, prevents constipation, helps prevent digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis. If that’s not enough, lentils keep your heart healthy, reducing the risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease. The magnesium in the lentil is a calcium channel blocker, which improves flow, oxygen and nutrients as blood makes its way down the vascular highway. Fiber also balances blood sugar levels while it provides the body a steady supply of good, slow-burning energy. The molybdenum and folate lower levels of homocysteine. (Homocysteine is an undesirable as it damages artery walls and increases risk of heart disease.) Lentils also provide nutritional content such as tryptophan, manganese, iron, protein, phosphorous , copper, vitamin B1, and potassium.
Lentils cook fast, too. Green lentils take about 30 minutes and red lentils take about 20 minutes. Here’s my recent favorite recipe for lentil soup. If you keep the lentils ready in an air-tight jar in your cupboard, and combine them with a few simple ingredients you will have a quick, protein-packed healthy soup for lunch or dinner. (Recipe follows.)
Lentil Soup with Indian Spices (Serves about 4 people)
Ingredients:
2 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 small carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 TBSP fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
½ TBSP. ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. ground coriander
¼ tsp. cayenne
1 and ½ cups dried brown lentils (picked through and rinsed)
6 cups vegetable stock
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
About 1 tsp. salt (to taste)
Pepper
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice (opt.)
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, sweet potato, carrot, and garlic. Cook covered until softened (about 10 minutes.) Add the juice from the tomatoes, finely chop the tomatoes, and add them to the pan. Stir in the ginger, cumin, coriander, cayenne and bay leaf. Add lentils and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add the chopped cilantro, season with salt and pepper, cook for 10 minutes more. Stir in lemon juice (opt.) and serve hot. Buen Provecho!
This tiny little legume can do the following for your health:
The fiber (7.8 grams) in the lentils has two significant effects on your health: the soluble fiber has a substance which grabs cholesterol and escorts it out of the body. The insoluble fiber increases stool bulk, prevents constipation, helps prevent digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis. If that’s not enough, lentils keep your heart healthy, reducing the risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease. The magnesium in the lentil is a calcium channel blocker, which improves flow, oxygen and nutrients as blood makes its way down the vascular highway. Fiber also balances blood sugar levels while it provides the body a steady supply of good, slow-burning energy. The molybdenum and folate lower levels of homocysteine. (Homocysteine is an undesirable as it damages artery walls and increases risk of heart disease.) Lentils also provide nutritional content such as tryptophan, manganese, iron, protein, phosphorous , copper, vitamin B1, and potassium.
Lentils cook fast, too. Green lentils take about 30 minutes and red lentils take about 20 minutes. Here’s my recent favorite recipe for lentil soup. If you keep the lentils ready in an air-tight jar in your cupboard, and combine them with a few simple ingredients you will have a quick, protein-packed healthy soup for lunch or dinner. (Recipe follows.)
Lentil Soup with Indian Spices (Serves about 4 people)
Ingredients:
2 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 small carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 TBSP fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
½ TBSP. ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. ground coriander
¼ tsp. cayenne
1 and ½ cups dried brown lentils (picked through and rinsed)
6 cups vegetable stock
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
About 1 tsp. salt (to taste)
Pepper
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice (opt.)
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, sweet potato, carrot, and garlic. Cook covered until softened (about 10 minutes.) Add the juice from the tomatoes, finely chop the tomatoes, and add them to the pan. Stir in the ginger, cumin, coriander, cayenne and bay leaf. Add lentils and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add the chopped cilantro, season with salt and pepper, cook for 10 minutes more. Stir in lemon juice (opt.) and serve hot. Buen Provecho!
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