Sunday, October 31, 2010

Italian Platter


I have made this Marinated Yogurt Cheese Balls from scratch.  I have made this using Sheep's milk yogurt. It has the same consistency of Ricotta Cheese.
 It's really delicious!!

I have created this platter, so that it resembles the Italian flag. I have made this because I am a big fan of rustic Italian food.

Buon Appetito!!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Science & Nature: The Truth About Food

Be Healthy Takeaway Tips
                           
                               
Here are the top takeaways you can incorporate into your daily routine to make sure you're helping your body fight disease:

To make sure you’re getting the recommended 18g of fibre a day follow the list below::

Wholemeal spaghetti (3–4 tablespoons = 150g) - 5g of fibre
Shredded wheat (2 biscuits = 44g) - 4.4g of fibre
Bran flakes (4 tablespoons = 30g) - 4g of fibre
Wholemeal bread (2 average slices) 4g of fibre
Parsnips (3 tablespoons =80g) -3.8g of fibre
Peas (3 tablespoons =80g) - 3.8g of fibre
Lentils green (2 tablespoons = 80g) - 3g of fibre
Blackberries (2 heaped tablespoons = 80g) - 2.5g of fibre
Dried apricots (4 apricots = 30g) - 2g of fibre
Muesli (3 tablespoons = 30g) - 2g of fibre
Porridge (4 tablespoons = 100g) - 1g of fibre

Here are some suggestions of what to feed your friendly bacteria:

Oatmeal
Flax
Barley
Other whole grains
Greens (especially dandelion greens, but also spinach, collard greens, chard, kale, mustard greens, etc.)
Berries and other fruit
Legumes (lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, navy beans, white beans, black beans, etc)

To reduce your risk of heart diseases try these handy hints:

. To get the right balance of fruit and veg follow the rainbow rule and have at least one food (fruit or veg) from each of these colour groups every day: Blue/Purple, Green, White/Brown, Orange/Yellow, Red.*
. Eat oily fish, unsalted nuts and moderate dairy intake.
. Make fatty meat products a treat rather than a daily necessity.
. Use a small amount of olive oil when cooking instead of butter.
. Our evo dieters began the study with an average salt intake of 12g per day (twice government recommendations). This fell to just over 1g per day on the diet and contributed to a fall in total blood pressure. To reduce your salt intake don’t add it to food, instead try out different flavourings with your foods such as spice, herbs or lemon juice.
. Cut down on carbohydrates and buy wholemeal bread and rice and pasta.
. If your gas is causing you problems here’s some ideas on how to reduce it through what you eat and how you eat it:
. Try not to eat your food too quickly and chew it properly - when you gulp down your meals, you swallow more air.
. Avoid overeating - when you're overfull your stomach tries to make room by getting rid of some gas
. Avoid smoking and chewing gum - both of these make you produce more saliva, which means you swallow more air
. Avoid foods with a high quantity of unabsorbable carbohydrate for example beans and broccoli. A good rule is to avoid foods which contain lots of air such as bread.
. Feed your good bacteria with prebiotics
. Get some exercise - it'll keep your bowels moving normally.
. Try adding these foods to your diet, all report having beneficial effects on flatulence: Coriander, Fenugreek, . Seeds, Cloves, Cumin, Cinnamon, Fennel

Here’s how to get the most from the garlic you eat:

. Cut the garlic into small pieces - by doing this you will retain more of the allicin.
. Eat 4-5 cloves a day to obtain the best results.
. Eat Spanish Morado, the common supermarket one.
. To combat bad garlic breath add at least one sprig of chopped, fresh parsley at the end of your garlic feast.

* Remember that frozen, dried and canned vegetables all contain goodness so don’t be put off if you don’t have time to shop for fresh foods every day.

Via http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/

Monday, October 4, 2010

Seafood and Mascarpone Fettucine


Amongst the other delicious recipes that Italy has brought us, this is definitely no exception. Italy is and always will be a foodlover's heaven....

Friday, October 1, 2010

Beetroot Dip


Ingredients:

50g Pine Nuts
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
25g Stale Bread (Crusts Removed)
2 Large Cooked Beetroot (not pickled), cut into cubes
1 tbsp Tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 large Garlic Clove (Crushed)
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A little olive

Method:

1. Put the pine nuts on a baking tray and toast them in an oven preheated to 180C/Gas Mark 4 for five to seven minutes, until fragrant. Leave to cool.

2. Warm a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and dry-fry them, until they start to darken and release their aroma. This should take less than a minute, so be careful not to burn them. Crush the seeds with a pestle and mortar.

3. Break the bread into small chunks, put in a food processor or blender with the pine nuts and blitz until fine. Add the beetroot, tahini, most of the garlic, a good pinch of the cumin, half the lemon juice, a little salt and a good grind of pepper, then blend to a thick paste.

4. Taste the mixture and adjust it by adding a little more cumin, garlic, lemon, salt and/or pepper, blending again until you are happy with it. Loosen with a dash of oil if you think it needs it. Refrigerate until required but bring back to room temperature to serve. Serve this with dry pita bread triangles.