Thursday 31 July 2014

Cooking Oils


I often get asked what oils are best and healthiest to cook with so here are my top tips-

  1. Never cook with cheap canola/sunflower oils.
  2. Use Olive oil or coconut oil for cooking-especially if you have high cholesterol or heart issues. Coconut Oil contains medium chain triglycerides and no cholesterol so it wont elevate bad cholesterol-your LDL's. Olive oil is the cornerstone of the mediteranean diet which has been proven to lower your risk of heart disease.
  3. Only use rapeseed oil if you suffer with a sluggish bowel or constipation-it can have a laxative effect.
  4. Extra virgin olive oil is for dressings only-too low a smoke point for shallow frying with ie.it will burn.
  5. If you do HAVE TO deep fry please throw out the oil afterwards. Once used once the oild will contain free radicals that can cause ill health.
  6. If baking use coconut oil for making cakes,flapjacks and buns instead of butter.
  7. Use sesame oil as a seasoning for dishes especially asian cuisine(it is in my satay recipe on www.facebook.com/taramcanning).
  8. Keep your cooking oils away from direct sunlight, as it can cause rancidity.
  9. Never!!!use margarines-they contain hydrogenated or trans fats which are extremely toxic-even in baking...
Coconut Oil is solid at room temperature

The better the quality of olive oil the stronger the smell of olives.

Monday 28 July 2014

What to eat when you can't eat anything - Week 12

It's my last official week of the intolerance, after this I'm free to re-introduce all of the foods I've been avoiding - and you know what, I'm really not that bothered about bringing them back in to my life! This may be because I made some really tasty meals this week, including two raw dishes and my own take on a Boojum style burrito bowl.

I think I'll wait until I can't avoid a food - if I'm in someone's house for example, or see something that sounds amazing on a menu - and then see if I have any adverse reactions. I've gotten used to my new lifestyle, and I'm really enjoying feeling better, so I don't want to jinx it by going crazy too soon. I'm going to stop doing this blog series though, it's a lot of work looking for a bunch of new recipes every week, especially in this weather when I'm not really in the mood for cooking new things that might not be particularly tasty or satisfying.

Breakfast

1. I had a craving for strawberries this week, possibly due to the wonderful weather we've been having so I tried a Strawberry Overnight Oats recipe and it was so cool and refreshing and easy first thing in the morning. I just mixed 1/3 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 banana, 1/2 tbsp chia seed and 5 chopped strawberries together in a bowl and left it covered in the fridge overnight. You can make any variations you like, it's such a flexible recipe :-)

Lunch

1. My workmate Michelle posted this recipe for Raw Energising Soup on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NutritionSpecialist. To be honest, it's something that I never would have tried unless someone else tried it first as it sounded so odd. I just made a couple of changes: I used peanut butter instead of almond, left out the seaweed powder as I don't have any and replaced the soy sauce with Bragg's Aminos. It tasted really nice, and I'll make it again soon but It's something that you wouldn't eat too much of it at a time, as the flavours are quite strong. About half a bowl per person is plenty.  It's inspired me to look up more raw soup recipes, as they are the perfect food for this heatwave - I may do a blog post on them, when I've tried a few.

In case the recipe is not readable from the photo here it is again:

 (serves 4)
100g spinach leaves
1 courgette
1/3 cucumber
1tsp wakame seaweed powder
8 basil leaves
2cm fresh ginger root, grated
2tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp almond butter
250ml water
black pepper to taste

Just wash the veg and chop the cucumber and courgette, and blend everything. 

2. I made this raw samosa filling for lunch this week also, as I had all the ingredients on hand except the miso, which I replaced with Bragg's Aminos. It's not strictly raw as I don't think Bragg's Aminos is a raw food, I also didn't make the wraps, I just used rice paper wraps that I bought in my local Asian shop. I didn't make the raita either as it was too much work but I was really happy with how they turned out, even without a sauce. They're surprisingly filling as well as really healthy. The recipe doesn't state how many it makes, but a full batch made 6 samosas.

Dinner

1. I made this Crispy Peanut Tofu & Cauliflower Rice Stir Fry dish as I bought a cauliflower and wanted to try making something different with it. I think it was one of the best tofu dishes I've ever made, and I'm going to see if non-tofu lovers like it too. It looks like a lot more work than it actually is - you just have to let the tofu dry for at least an hour and a half, throw it in the oven while you make the marinade and prepare the vegetables, and then fry up the veggies and cauliflower rice while the tofu sits in the marinade, then keep the veggies warm while you quickly fry up the tofu. It's definitely worth the time for a restaurant-quality tofu dish. Just make a lot of it - it's impossible to stop eating it! 
Or if you prefer, you can just use regular rice instead of cauliflower, and maybe roast some vegetables with the tofu instead of stir frying them to save some time?

2. I haven't had rocket leaves at all this year, and our new nettle pesto by Wild About inspired me to try a Rocket and Avocado Pesto recipe. This was such a quick and tasty dinner. The only variation was that I sprinkled some sunflower seeds on top, as I felt the recipe needed a bit of crunch. The next time I make it I think I'll blend the seeds with the pesto itself, and maybe add some sundried tomatoes if I have some. While it was a tasty and quick dinner, I think it would work better as a side dish with maybe a piece of fish, chicken or quorn chicken.

 3. I was staying with a friend recently, and needed something tasty that would be a filling and easily transportable dinner. I made my own variation on a Boojum Burrito Bowl - I added lime and coriander leaves to cooked brown rice, stir-fried up some vegetables and black beans with my own healthy Taco Seasoning recipe (no artificial ingredients), and topped with a simple tomato salsa. Some guacamole would have been perfect with this too, but I was afraid it would go brown before I had a chance to eat it so I reluctantly left it out.  


Snack
I made these Blueberry pancakes in a Jar one evening when I felt like a snack. They're great as they don't need to be fried, and there's very little washing up. I just used two small glasses and it worked fine. It would also be a great breakfast option I think.  


I'll post back in a few weeks to let you know how I'm getting on with my more relaxed regime.
Happy eating and good health!  

Monday 21 July 2014

What to eat when you can't eat anything - Week 11


I can't believe I only have a couple more weeks to go before I can start reintroducing foods back into my diet. I'm definitely going to leave both dairy products and wheat as the last stuff I reintroduce as I have a feeling that they're the big two that were having a negative effect on me. I'm also going to keep up the smoothies as much as possible, it's great knowing you've eaten at least 2 servings of fruit and veg before you even leave the house in the morning.There are foods I'm definitely going to cut back on though, I really don't crave many of the foods I've been off for the last 2.5 months. It's so interesting how the human body can break any habit, if given enough time and incentive! I still miss my crisps though ;-)
I haven't been cooking much these days, the weather has been so warm and muggy that I'm really not in the mood for cooking. I've mostly been relying on the trusty bbcgoodfood website for meals that are quick and easy.

Breakfast

I've just been taking advantage of all the great deals on fruit and veg around the city and making tons of smoothies for my breakfasts. 

Lunch

1. I thought this Puy Lentils with Smoked Tofu dish sounded really interesting and filling. But I think all my substitutions might have ruined it. All the smoked tofu I could find had wheat-based soy sauce in the ingredients so I just marinaded plain tofu in Liquid Smoke and added extra to the dressing along with extra smoked tofu. I also replaced the balsamic vinegar with apple cider vinegar. Unfortunately it didn't taste very exciting. But I have to give it high marks for being so healthy.http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/puy-lentils-smoked-tofu

Dinner

1. I found this recipe for Summer Courgette Risotto and thought it sounded much easier than a regular risotto as you don't have to keep adding stock gradually and stir for ages. I was right, it was tasty and it made quite a large batch. 
2. On the second day I felt it needed some kind of protein accompaniment so I made this simple Rosemary Lentil dish to eat with it (I had a lot of fresh rosemary to use up, I had half a tin of lentils left to use and I thought the flavours would complement each other. This a also great dish to have cold as part of lunch even, but it gets a bit boring on its own.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/843645/rosemary-and-garlicky-lentils

 
3. I also made this Cauliflower and Chickpea Coconut Curry during the week just to use up a load of vegetables (and also as many of my meals this week were protein or carbohydrate based). I added some broccoli, bok choy and courgette as I had them in the fridge. It reminded me of the Nigel Slater curry I made a when I first started this blog, but this was less work. It was REALLY tasty.
http://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-cauliflower-chickpea-coconut-curry/(photo taken from the recipe website)

4. This Smoked Haddock Gratin was one of the easiest dishes ever. I just left out the cheese, and used soy cream instead of regular cream, and it was ready to go in the oven in about 10 minutes. I also chopped up courgette, peppers, red onion and sweet potates and roasted them in the oven at the same time - easy dinner with minimal washing up. It works with any kind of smoked fish, I used smoked coley. I'll be making this one again and again! www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2155651/smoked-haddock-gratin-
Snack 
These Granola Bars were a great snack when I knew  was going to be working late. I just used whatever nuts, seeds and dried fruit I had in the house (mixed dried fruit including cherries, sunflower and sesame seeds, flax seeds, walnuts, peanuts and brazil nuts. I also added some plain chocolate chips to make them more of a treat. They tasted great, really filling and really healthy. http://ohsheglows.com/2014/05/20/feel-good-hearty-granola-bars/#ixzz35TmCDyE9


WHAT'S IN SEASON?


WHAT'S IN SEASON?

Broad Beans, Cucumber, French Beans, Runner Beans, Fennel, Kohl Rabi, Shallots, Blackcurrants, Redcurrants, Blueberries, Cherries, Strawberries

WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW?

What's in season in July? Well leading from last months' kick off, the vegetable garden starts to mass produce in July. The bean harvest starts in earnest to continue through to October, the berry season picks up from its slow June start with strawberries and blueberries ripening, and even the apple starts in late July, with some early varieties starting their season.

BROAD BEANS
As the season goes on, the beans get tougher, and need to be cooked slower and for longer, and by the end of the season the beans should be skinned to show the bright green, softer and more tender bean inside.Not only the bean and young pod can be eaten - the tips of the plants can be eaten, and are considered a delicacy.
Broad beans are similar to peas in that they must be eaten soon after picking, for the sugars soon turn to starch. If you have are growing them, and have too many to eat, you can blanch them and freeze them similar to peas. At the start of the season, when the beans are small and tender, they don't need long to cook, and if overcooked, broad beans tend to turn rubbery. 

BLACKCURRANTS AND REDCURRANTS

Blackcurrants, in turn, were used first as a medicine, for soothing sore throats, and as an additive to tea, before they were used in desserts. Blackcurrants have a very high Vitamin C content, and are now very popular in cordials.Blackcurrants are also good raw in summer puddings, and are best eaten in season, as fresh as possible.Redcurrants were cultivated before blackcurrants which weren't so popular because of their smelly leaves, and are popular in jams, accompanying a large range of foods from meat such as lamb, or a partner fruit such as blackberries, rhubarb or pears in jam-making.
BLUEBERRIES are excellent in pies and tarts, and a particular favourite is blueberry muffins, because the berry explodes within the muffin mix while being cooked, spreading the flavour, this also works with pancakes. Finally, they are also great in summer puddings.
Blueberries are currently enjoying much attention as their healthy properties become known. Like many purple fruit and vegetables, blueberries are rich in antioxidants and good for helping reverse short term memory loss.

CUCUMBER

Cucumbers have long been cultivated as a food, for over 3,000 years in fact. Cucumbers have little nutritional value since they are 96 percent water, and this makes them excellent as part of a balanced diet; they will fill you up when you eat them but require as many calories to digest as there are in the food itself.
Cucumbers are related to melons and prefer a slightly warmer climate than Britain, since they originally come from Africa and Asia. However, given the use of a greenhouse or a slightly warmer area, cucumbers are relatively easy to grow. 

CHERRIES

Cherries have a short season in the Ireland, mostly during July, and are very susceptible to changes in the weather, with greatly changing yields year to year. Take into account that the large retailers, supermarkets, strive for cosmetic perfection and a reliable supply, and it's no surprise that they source foreign more reliable cherries. 
It's important to buy cherries fresh, and not store them too long. More than any other stone fruit, they don't store well, another reason not to buy them in supermarkets when they'll have been in a cold supply chain for at least 2-3 days.

STRAWBERRIES

In Europe, large  strawberries are not the only ones available; particularly on market stalls, alpine or everlasting strawberries are available too; these are typically smaller, and very tasty. Strawberries don't stay ripe for long for a start, and when they are ripe, they are very easy to damage, even sitting in a plastic carton will damage them within a few days, and should be eaten as soon as possible after picking. Strawberries sold in the winter will have been picked when unripe, and ripened up using ethylene gas.

Recipes for strawberries seem unnecessary; serve them as fresh as possible, with lots of cream and sugar!

COMING SOON

Tomatoes, aubergine, beans, broccoli, radishes, shallots.
(Information was gathered from Food Fresh Central)
Michelle :)

Thursday 17 July 2014

Some of the great therapists in Health and Herbs.

Some of the great therapists in Health and Herbs. We are very lucky to have a great bunch of people working here. Call in and say hello and enjoy a free cup of herbal tea.




Wednesday 16 July 2014

Courgettes and more

If like me you try to eat seasonally and on top of that grow your own vegetables this is most definitely courgette time!I decided to try a 7 day recipe diary and record the results. I'm 5 days into it now and the feedback has been amazing.
Sometimes we get bogged down in 'audience reach' or 'facebook insights' to name a few of the marketing boxes we have to constantly tick but at the end of the day its all about the food. Generally everyone loves to be shown easy, tasty ways to cook and eat their food. We have to eat so we might as well do the best we can.
The Institute of Functional Medicine stated recently that 'for the first time in history, more people will die from the effects of obesity than from starvation worldwide'. You dont have to be a cordon blue chef to eat and buy healthy food. As a single mother of two people always me ask how I can feed us so  well and not need to break the bank to do it. And yes, I may be a chef and nutritionist but most of what I cook comes from my garden or local grocer. I dont buy in bulk so waste is kept to a minimum. The internet is a great way to find new recipes or ideas, you can even use websites like bbc.co.uk/food to key in some ingredients you may have left in the fridge and in seconds you have loads of ideas and off you go.
I came across a great facebook page the other day called 'Slow Cooker Recipes 4 Families' with lots of pictures and tasty dishes-I never knew you could do so much with a slow cooker!
If you are busy then cook in batches and freeze some, the nutritional value is kept as long as you eat the food within 3 months...so I guess what I am saying is to avoid the obesity trap less is more.
Man cannot live on courgettes alone but each of the recipes I did this week took no more than 10-20 minutes to do so give homecooking the love it deserves.You never know, we might see you on masterchef in a few years...

Monday 14 July 2014

What to eat when you can't eat anything - Week 10

I've been going through a total health kick in the last couple of weeks. Discovering spinach based smoothies has really opened my eyes to the ease of cramming as many vitamins and minerals as possible into my day. My shopping basket is looking RIDICULOUS these days - it's about 60% fruit and vegetables with some beans, tofu, lentils and grains in there as well. I haven't gotten around to trying a mostly vegetable-based smoothie, but it's on my list of things to do really soon. I'm really looking forward to trying more recipes from Blender Girl's website. 

Breakfast

1. Breakfast this week has just been a variety of Smoothies, depending what berries or fruit I'm in the mood for. I've also varied the amounts of chia seeds, oat flakes, added cucumber sometimes, left out (forgot!) the banana another time. They're always great and incredibly refreshing, and the variations are infinite! 


Doesn't that look healthy and tasty! It's banana, blueberies, spinach and nectarine - just add protein or porridge or whatever you like plus the liquid of your choice.










Lunch

1. I tried moving away from bean burgers for a while with this tofu burger recipe. It tasted good, but not great - another dish that's good enough for my lunch, but not one I'd try to get people who eat meat to try! 

2. I had it with the healthy ketchup from Chocolate Covered Katie's website that I was dying to try. This was really good and so quick and easy to make! I added the garlic and left out the ginger. Also, I only roasted the tomatoes and onion for about 20 mins which was enough time to caramelise everything. I think it would be perfect with fries and/or my favourite bean burger recipe. http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/08/05/healthy-ketchup/

3. I also made a peanut-kale salad to accompany the tofu burgers. I thought this would be amazing as I love all the flavours in it, but it was a little too bitter for me. Possibly it was the kale's fault, or mine for leaving out the carrot. I'll try making it again before deleting the recipe from my laptop, but I'll use spinach next time

Dinner

1. I found a vegan curry paste with no ginger in it in my local Asian shop (on Abbeygate Street, Galway) and made my first Panang fish curry with salmon, bok choy, fresh spinach, sweet potato, red onion, coconut milk, basil leaves and a dash of Braggs liquid Aminos (soy sauce alternative). I know, I know, why did I care if it was vegan if I was adding fish to it?! Because I can use the paste again to make a vegan curry for friends, that's why! It tasted really good, but I need to try it again without fish to see how the paste itself tastes. My apologies for not including amounts, but I always just wing it with Thai paste-based curries. I use about a tablespoon of paste per tin of coconut milk, and then see how much fish and vegetables I can fit into the pot. 














2. I haven't had any Quorn products since before I started my intolerance regime - I found it too easy to eat loads of Quorn-based dishes, which meant that I wasn't including enough veggies in my dinners. But I had a craving for comfort food that was a bit different so I tried this Chicken and Lentil Stew http://agoodappetite.blogspot.ie/2009/12/chicken-and-lentil-stew.html. I used Quorn chicken pieces and vegetable stock and replaced the carrots with courgettes and it came out really tasty. To me it tasted like the chicken stew my mother used to make, but since I haven't had chicken in about 15 years, I could be wrong. It was a success with my other half who still eats chicken though, so that has to mean something! 

Snack

1. Here's a great snack to make if you're using the oven for something: I made these Spiced Chickpeas before as a pre-dinner nibble for a vegan dinner party and they were gone in minutes. You can use whatever spices you like - I like a simple curry powder mix or a mexican spice mix. They takes only seconds to prepare (just drain and rinse a tin of chickpeas, toss in spices, and put in oven), and are great when you have the munchies in front of the tv: http://frugalveggiemama.blogspot.ie/2006/07/baked-chickpea-snack.html

2. Kale crisps are another great snack if you have kale that you don't know what to do with. These are so easy too, they just not as filling as the baked chickpeas, but they taste really good, and again the spice variations are endless: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/kale_chips.php

Friday 11 July 2014

Raw Chocolate & Coconut Pieces

Raw Chocolate & Coconut Pieces


All you need is
Coconut oil
Cacao powder
Coconut flakes
Cacao nibs
Date syrup

Sorry guys but I don't really do measurements.

Approx 100gr of the powder in a food processor
50gr coconut flakes
3 tsp melted coconut oil
2 tsp cacao nibs

Blend and slowly add about 1/4 jar of the date syrup.
It all depends on your taste buds.

Pop it in the fridge for a couple of hours and then slice and cover in coconut flakes.



Yummy. Enjoy.

Michelle


Tuesday 1 July 2014

Introducing the Herb Garden at the Small Crane Saturday 5th July

I am delighted to be introducing and talking about the Herbs that we have planted with the community at the Small Crane this Saturday, 5th July at 12pm. It will coincide with the Open Day at Health and Herbs in aid of Enable Ireland so please come along if you are in the area.


Don’t pass your local herb garden without valuing nature’s herbal healing bounty. Health and Herbs have taken on board the raised flowerbeds in the Small Crane. 

We started in Autumn 2013 and have been delighted to find so many of the plants have thrived and nature has sent very helpful wild guests to add to the wealth of herbs for healing.

Many of our native weeds and cultivated plants have medicinal properties. 
I will describe some of those you can find in The Small Crane that you might not have thought of or known how to use. 

Thyme and sage are familiar from your cooking, but have you ever wondered why these plants have been used for meat dishes? The reason is that they have strong anti-microbial actions. Before the invention of fridges meat was stored for days wrapped in sage and thyme. They reduced the incidence of food poisoning that caused unpleasant side effects at a time that also pre-dates indoor plumbing and en-suite bathrooms. This is a good example of knowledge gleaned from experience rather than scientific data. 
Thyme is effective as a medicine for cough and chesty conditions because it is antiseptic and antispasmodic. Sage is particularly helpful as a gargle for sore throats and as a mouthwash. This is because it contains resins, these are large sticky molecules that adhere to the lining of the tonsils and gums and have an antiseptic effect. The traditional knowledge has been validated by scientific research.
Chickweed is an abundant herb and weed, it is cooling and soothing for eczema and other irritating rashes. We make this into a soothing cream.

Feverfew looks like a pretty daisy like flower and is known as the migraine plant. Traditional knowledge led to the common practice of eating a feverfew leaf in a sandwich as a preventer and treatment for migraine headache. Science has validated this use of the plant because anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic constituents have been identified in the herb. Today we usually use feverfew as a capsule or tincture because it is such a bitter herb. I usually use nervine and adaptogen herbs in conjunction with Feverfew when treating migraine. 

Nervine herbs have a strengthening effect on the nervous system and adaptogens support the action of the adrenal gland hormones, we rely on these when coping with stress.


Horseradish is an example of a pungent herb; it stimulates the same taste receptors as the Japanese paste called wasabi. It stimulates the digestive juices and for this reason it is served with heavy meats. The pungency also stimulates the mucous membrane secretions of the nasal passages and is used for chronic sinus infection, usually in conjunction with Ginger and Cayenne. These herbs improve the blood circulation to the sinuses, which is important in order to deliver any therapeutic intervention to the sinuses. Thyme and Horseradish work well together for sinus problems. Horseradish is best-used fresh, grating the root and add to Sinus Tea, this is a blend of herbs containing Thyme, Elderflower, Peppermint, Plantain and Yarrow. Plantain is a weed that is so common you walk over it and past it on such a regular basis you don’t ever see it. Check it out as Plantago lanceolata or Plantago majora. The both have nourishing effects on the mucous membranes and a cooling effect on any inflammatory digestive condition. It grows around the cobbles inside the walls of the flowerbeds at the Small Crane.

Dandelion Roots and Leaves are used for nutrition and for medicine. Add dandelion leaves from your garden to any salad, they add a bitter tastiness to bland salads. Start with one or two leaves to add ‘bite’ to your salads. Dig up dandelion roots, chop small and simmer until soft. Leaves stimulate elimination through the kidneys and the root stimulates bile secretion. Bile is your laxative and helps eliminate cholesterol and toxins and it aids healthy gut function.

Other herbs include Borage, Fennel, Pineappleweed, Mint, Wild leeks, Mallow, Wild Strawberries, Lemon Balm, Fennel, dock, Shepherd’s Purse, Raspberry leaves and Wild Strawberries.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter to find out about herbs walks, herb of the month features and relevant news events on a regular basis. 
Call into our clinic at Health and Herbs and dispensary any time for advice regarding any health problems or just for a cup of tea.

Otherwise I hope to see you at the Small Crane (close to the Jesuit Church on Sea Road) on Saturday, 5th July at 12pm where I will be delighted to talk you through the herbs in the garden.