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HOW TO COOK QUINOA

by November 17, 2017

QUINOA – it seems people either love it or hate it !!! Quinoa is quite bland by itself, but actually that makes it an excellent base for other flavours and this is where I love its flexibility.

Quinoa is a gluten free, high protein seed. Quinoa contains 9 essential amino acids which the body needs for repair. It is also a very good source of Lysine which is important for the formation of collagen which is important for healthy skin. Quinoa is a good source of healthy fats, especially oleic acid and alpha linolenic acid.

This is how to cook Quinoa perfectly every time.

I use the ratio of 1 cup Quinoa to 1 1/2 cups liquid. I use homemade chicken bone broth usually, as I find the broth gives it a delicious delicate flavour. You could use vegetable stock if you want a vegetarian version. (Most instructions say to use water).

Put the Quinoa into a fine sieve and run under lots of cold water. (This is important as it takes away the saponins which coat the grain – these are a natural coating which protects the grain, but they can give a bitter/soapy taste if not washed off) Put the drained Quinoa into a saucepan with your liquid of choice and bring to the boil. Simmer gently with the lid on for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, and leave the lid on to steam for 10 minutes. Fluff up the Quinoa with a fork.

These instructions should give you perfectly cooked Quinoa every time.

You can now add what ever flavours you want depending on how you intend to use it. It soaks up flavours brilliantly.

I use Quinoa as a substitute for rice sometimes, either to serve with another dish, or to do a fried Quinoa dish (like fried rice). It also makes a delicious salad. (recipes to follow!)

Quinoa lasts very well in the fridge so I always make a bit extra to add to soups or salads.

Quinoa comes in different colors which you can use interchangeably. The black one I have used here gives you a slightly more textured Quinoa.

ARABIATTA SAUCE FOR PASTA

by November 13, 2017

Last time I made my Roast Tomato Sauce I froze a portion and have used it to make this super quick and tasty mid week dinner.

Slice some smoked bacon (I used one packet – make sure it is dry cured and preferably organic). Saute the bacon in the pan on its own over a medium/low heat to allow the fat to be released and then it will brown slightly in its own juices. (If you use a good organic dry cured bacon, it should not release lots of water when you are sauteing).

Finely chop one red onion, four cloves of garlic and one red chilli and add these to the browned bacon. Saute on a low heat until the onion is transparent. Slice and add one red and one yellow pepper and saute again, until they are just starting to wilt.

Add the defrosted Roast Tomato Sauce and let it bubble away gently until the peppers are just cooked. You can add some pepper if you wish (although the sauce has been seasoned already) but you should not need salt as the bacon and the parmesan will add enough salty flavour. By the time you have cooked the pasta the sauce will be ready.

Serve with pasta or courgetti and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

AYURVEDIC COOKING

by November 9, 2017

I thought I would share a couple of things I learnt in the Ayurvedic cooking class I attended recently.

Ayurveda is an Indian holistic science which focuses on healing the body, mind and spirit through diet, lifestyle, medicinal herbs and therapies.

However, you don’t need to follow an Ayurvedic diet or lifestyle for the following points to be interesting to think about! These are all general principles, so may not suit everyone!!

Eat Seasonally – fresh, locally sourced and ideally organic as much as possible.

If you are not hungry, then don’t eat. Your body should tell you when you need to eat again. (If you are not hungry for lunch then you have had too much breakfast !!!) Ayurvedic principles would generally not include snacking between meals.

Ideally finish dinner by 7 pm (don’t eat afterwards) and leave 2 to 3 hours for digestion before going to bed.

Sip warm water throughout the day. Digestion requires warmth in your body, and drinking cold drinks dilutes the digestive fire!

Don’t drink with your meals as this dilutes your digestive juices – 1 hour before and wait for 1 hour afterwards.

Only fill your stomach 3/4 full when eating a meal – the 1/4 space left is to leave room for the digestive process to work, eg enzymes, gases have to have some room to move around to do their job properly!

Agni – good digestive fire – is vitally important for the proper digestion of food and in order to absorb all those vital nutrients from what you eat. Hence, taking the ginger tonic before eating and not drinking with your meals help to promote Agni.

GINGER TONIC

by November 9, 2017

I attended an Ayurvedic cooking class a couple of weeks ago, and will be posting some recipes I learnt over the next while.

But to begin, here is a ginger tonic I made, based on what I learnt in the lessons.

This is to be taken 1/2 hour before eating. You can take 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, depending on how hot you find the ginger. I really like it and can manage 1 teaspoon easily, but maybe start off with smaller amounts and see how you go.

According to Ayurvedic principles, It is good for digestion (hence taking 1/2 hour before you eat), good for your bodies detoxification process, good for constipation and good for a general feeling of sluggishness.

I did not measure anything – I used one large piece of ginger, peeled and chopped, a good squirt of raw honey, juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/4 teaspoon of black salt. I then chopped everything together in the food processor.

This keeps very well in the fridge for one week.

Black salt is an Indian ingredient and has a distinctive smoky smell and flavour, but if you did not want to buy this, use a good quality sea salt or Himalayan salt instead.

Raw honey is important, as it has not been heat treated in any way, and therefore it retains all its natural vitamins, enzymes and phytonutrients.

KOMBUCHA

by November 6, 2017

Fermented beverages have been around for centuries. Kombucha, a fermented drink made from tea, is a good aid for healthy digestion as it can help repopulate the gut with healthy bacteria and it is also a good source of B vitamins.

I have been making Kombucha for a while now and this is how I do it. Put 1 litre of filtered water (I use Evian as I don’t have a water filter on my tap) in a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Once boiling turn off the heat. Add 100 grams of unrefined sugar and disolve. Add 8 tea bags (I use 4 white tea and 4 rooibos but you can use black, white, green or a combination) and swish around to infuse, then leave it to cool completely. Once cool, take out the tea bags. Add another litre of water and 200 mls of Kombucha (from previous batch or if you are doing it for the first time, buy a bottle of Kombucha for your starter). Put the liquid into your (sterile) bottle/jug and carefully slide your scoby into the liquid.

Cover with paper towel secured by an elastic band and put somewhere warm and darkish for approximately 10 days. After 7 days you can begin to taste it and see if it is to your liking. If you leave it too long, it will begin to taste vinegary and the longer you leave it the more like vinegar it will taste. If you leave it too long, don’t worry, throw out the liquid, keeping your scoby and just redo the above process.

 

 

The scoby might float around on top, be at the bottom or even be sideways, all this is OK. Also there might be brown stringy bits floating around and this is OK too. If you see mould on your scoby, then throw it and the liquid out as that is not good!!! I have been doing this for months now and have never had mine go mouldy.

 

 

Once your Kombucha is ready you need to bottle it. Sterilise your bottles and have them ready and cold (not hot). Take your scoby out of the jug and you will find it has grown another smaller one which will be attached. This is the baby scoby and the original one is known as the mother. Pull them apart and you can now use this baby scoby to make another batch of Kombucha or you can give it away to someone else to get them started. Both mother and baby can be used to make a new batch.

Fill your bottles with your Kombucha then put them somewhere warm and darkish for a few days. This period is when the Kombucha begins to carbonate (become fizzy). I generally leave mine 3 to 4 days and then put it in the fridge which stops the carbonation process.

 

 

Sometimes little tiny baby scobies might grow in the bottle and that is OK too. I strain my Kombucha as I am bottling it and I find this seems to mostly stop that happening.

This recipe for Kombucha gives you a pleasant, refreshing but not sweet drink. Some Kombucha you buy in the shops would be much sweeter and much fizzier than this.

(I have never second fermented my Kombucha with additional flavours, but I am going to try it next time, so will let you know how it goes. My understanding is that this makes it much more fizzy.)

WINTER RED SALAD

by October 23, 2017

A quick, easy and delicious winter salad. Using the grater attachment on the food processor (this makes it easy !) grate 1/2 small red cabbage, 1 bulb fennel, 3 small raw beetroot and 4 small to medium carrots. Drain and rinse in a colander one can of chickpeas and combine with the grated vegetables. Make a dressing using the juice of 1 large lemon, extra virgin olive oil, one 1 large garlic clove (crushed) and some salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix thoroughly. This salad lasts really well for a few days in the fridge, everything goes pink but that is just the juice of the cabbage and beetroot.

The chick peas provide a good source of protein. They are also a good source of fibre, both soluble and insoluble.

Beetroots are high in phytonutrients (due to their bright red color) and they are an excellent source of folate and minerals such as manganese and potassium.

Red cabbage is also high in phytonutrients. Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable, and these vegetables help the liver to produce the enzymes it needs to detoxify the body of potential toxins. Red cabbage is also an excellent source of Vitamins K, C and B6.

Carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A. The carotenoids in carrots (the bright orange color) are a powerful antioxident. They are excellent for the immune system and also for the health of our eyes.

Fennel contains high levels of Vitamin C which is a powerful antioxident. It is also a great source of Fibre, Potassium, Molybdenum, Manganese and Folate.

The Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the dressing is rich in Vitamin E and a great source of monounsaturated fat (a healthy fat our body needs).

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