Monday, June 18, 2012

Fresh Vegetable Marinade

Portions: 12
Serving size: 3/4 cup per serving
Ingredients
  •     3 cups raw broccoli flowerets
  •     3 cups cauliflower broken into flowerets
  •     2 cups mushroom, sliced
  •     1 cup green pepper, sliced
  •     1 cup celery, sliced
  •     1/2 cup sugar
  •     2 teaspoons dry mustard
  •     1/2 teaspoon salt
  •     1/2 cup vinegar
  •     1 cup olive oil
  •     1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
  •     1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Preparation

    Cut broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Combine with mushrooms, pepper and celery.
    In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients to make marinade. Mix well and pour over vegetables. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.
    Use a slotted spoon remove vegetables from marinade before serving.

Nutrients per serving*

  •     Calories: 174
  •     Protein: 2 g
  •     Carbohydrate: 10 g
  •     Fat: 14 g
  •     Cholesterol: 0 mg
  •     Sodium: 112 mg
  •     Potassium: 250 mg
  •     Phosphorus: 50 mg
  •     Calcium: 33 mg
  •     Fiber: 1.9 g
* Analysis adjusted for portion of marinade not consumed
Recipe submitted by DaVita dietitian Joyce from Texas.

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Chicken Pepper Fry -Ramadan Special

Ingredients:

  • For the Chicken:

    • 1 kg chicken, cut into pieces
    • 1/2 lemon, juiced
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
    • 3/4 tsp salt
  • For the Masala:

    • 3 tbsp coconut oil
    • 2 medium onions, sliced
    • 2 green chilies, slit
    • 1.5 inch ginger, crushed
    • 1 pod garlic, crushed
    • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns (coarsely ground)
    • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (coarsely ground)
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp garam masala (optional)
    • 1 tbsp coconut vinegar
    • Salt to taste

Instructions:

  1. Marinate the Chicken: In a bowl, combine the chicken pieces with lemon juice, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, and salt. Mix well and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

  2. Prepare the Masala: Heat coconut oil in a pan or kadai. Add the onions and green chilies. Saute on medium heat until the onions are light golden brown.

  3. Add the ginger, garlic, and curry leaves. Saute for another minute until fragrant.

  4. Add the ground black peppercorns, fennel seeds, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and garam masala (if using). Stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes.

  5. Pour in the coconut vinegar and season with salt to taste.

  6. Cook the Chicken: Add the marinated chicken pieces to the pan and coat them well with the masala.

  7. Cover the pan and cook on medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.

  8. Uncover the pan and increase the heat slightly. Stir occasionally until the gravy thickens and oil starts to separate.

Tips:

  • You can adjust the amount of black pepper according to your spice preference.
  • For a richer flavor, use coconut milk instead of water. Add it after the chicken is cooked and simmer for a few minutes.
  • This dish is traditionally served with steamed rice, parotta, or appam.
  • During Ramadan, this dish can be enjoyed for Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) or Iftar (evening meal).

Ramadan Special Touch:

Since this is a recipe for Ramadan, you can add a few special touches:

  • Dates: Finely chop a few dates and add them to the masala along with the spices. This will give the dish a hint of sweetness that complements the peppery flavor.
  • Fried Shallots: Fry a handful of thinly sliced shallots until golden brown and crispy. Sprinkle them over the cooked chicken pepper fry for a bit of extra crunch and texture.

Enjoy this delicious and flavorful Kerala-style Chicken Pepper Fry during Ramadan!

Kerala Beef Fry recipe -Ramadan Special

Ingredients
1.Beef -1kg
2.onions -2medium(sliced)
3.green chillies -6-8
4.ginger -1 chopped
5.coriander pwdr -2tsp
6.Garlic -8 pods
7.Tomatoes -2chopped
8.Cinnamon -1
9.Cloves -5
10.cardomom-5
11.Perunjeerakam 4 tsp
12.Blackpeppercorns 20
13.turmeric pwdr 1/2 tsp
14.pepper pwdr 1/2 tsp

Preparation Method
Mix meat with all ingredients except cardomom, cloves, pepper corns & perunjeerakam.
•Grind the above 4 spices to a masala.
•Now cook the beef with the ground masala & salt in a pressure cooker till cooked(appr. 15 min.) around 80% cooked.
•Heat the oil & splutter mustard seeds &add the chopped onions & saute & then the coconut peices & curry leaves till light brown.
•Now add the meat &cook till gravy is dry & dark brown  

Ramadan special -Beef Ularthiyathu

Ingredients
1.Beef (trimmed) ½ kg
2.Red chilli powder ¾ spoon
3.Coriander powder 1 tsp
4.Turmeric powder ½ tsp
5.Pepper powder ¼ tsp
6.Cummins (Jeera) 1 pinch
7.Cinnamon 2 pinch
8.Cloves 3-4
9.Cardamom 2
10.Shallots (sliced) 100 g
11.Garlic (flakes) 1 big clove
12.Ginger 1 piece
13.Curry leaves 2 sprigs
14.Coconut (cut into small pieces) 100 g
15.Vinegar ½ tsp
16.Salt to taste
17.Coconut oil 50 ml
18.Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Preparation Method
Grind all spices together into a fine paste.
•Marinate beef with the spice paste and keep aside.
•Add ginger, garlic, shallots, curry leaves, coconut, vinegar and salt to the marinated meat and mix thoroughly.
•Cook meat on a slow fire till tender.
•Temper beef with coconut oil, mustard seed, curry leaves, shallots and crushed garlic.
•Serve hot.

Nombu Kanji - Ramadan special Recipe

Ingredients for Nombu Kanji 
  •   Lamb or beef(minced) – ½ cup
  •  Broken rice – 2 small cups  (soaked in water and later drained)
  •  Green gram(Cheruparipppu) – ½ cup  (soaked in water and later drained)
  •  Vegetables(chopped) – 1 cup
  •  Onion(medium) – 2 nos  (thinly sliced)
  •  Tomato(medium) – 1 no  (finely chopped)
  •  Green chillies – 2 - 3 nos
  •  Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp
  •  Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
  •  Chilly powder – 1 tsp
  •  Cumin seeds(Jeerakam) – ½ tsp
  •  Coconut – ½ no
  •  Cinnamon(Karugapatta) sticks – 1 – 2 nos
  •  Cloves(Grambu) – 3 - 4 nos
  •  Salt – As reqd
  •  Coriander leaves(chopped) – A little
  •  Mint leaves – A few
  •  Ghee/oil – 1 – 2 tbsp
Preparation Method of Nombu Kanji - Ramzan special Recipe
1)Heat oil or ghee in a pressure cooker.
2)Splutter cumin seeds followed by cinnamon sticks and cloves.
3)Add onion and green chillies and sauté till the onions turn light brown.
4)Add the meat and sauté again till it too turns light brown.
5)Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté till you get rid of the raw smell.
6)Add tomato and sauté well till it gets blended well.
7)Add turmeric powder and chilly powder and stir well.
8)Add the vegetables, mix well and sauté for a while.
9)Add green gram and broken rice and mix well.
10)Fry the rice and dhal for a while. 
11)Add about 4 cups of water and mix well again.
12)Add salt and mix well.
13)Pressure cook for 5 –10 mins or till done.
14)Add thick coconut milk and mix well, if more water is reqd.:- Serve hot or warm.

Monday, July 04, 2011

Natural Benefits and Curative Properties of Barley

Barley US Penny ($.01) for size comparison (pe...Image via Wikipedia Barley has many medicinal virtues. Pearled barley, which is the form the grain is largely eaten and consumed as a food by invalids. The malt prepared from barley is used in the preparation of malt extract for the incorporation in the diet of the infant and the invalid.
 The partially germinated and dried grain is the source of malt extract which is more nutritious than the un malted barley. Malt extract consists chiefly of dextrin and malt sugar and contains the ferment diastase enzyme which is developed during the malting process. This ferment diastase possesses the power of converting starch into dextrin and sugar, thus assisting in the digestive of starchy or farinaceous foods.
•Digestive System Disorders :- The pearl barley has always been used by orient traditional physicians for the healing and the rejuvenation of the digestive system. A simple, yet effective folk remedy was to make a barley
Barley contains eight essential amino acids.[35][36] According to a recent study, eating whole grain barley can regulate blood sugar (i.e. reduce blood glucose response to a meal) for up to 10 hours after consumption compared to white or even whole-grain wheat, which has a similar glycemic index. The effect was attributed to colonic fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates. Barley can also be used as a coffee substitute.

Hulled barley (or covered barley) is eaten after removing the inedible, fibrous outer hull. Once removed, it is called dehulled barley (or pot barley or scotch barley).Considered a whole grain, dehulled barley still has its bran and germ making it a nutritious and popular health food. Pearl barley (or pearled barley) is dehulled barley which has been steam processed further to remove the bran.[38] It may be polished, a process known as "pearling". Dehulled or pearl barley may be processed into a variety of barley products, including flour, flakes similar to oatmeal, and grits.
Barley—Low GI, Low GL
Now let’s get back to barley, an exceptionally nutritious and healthy food for humans. On average, pearl barleys have an extremely low GI—25—and a relatively low GL—11—an excellent combination. We say “on average” because for most foods, many factors can affect these values, e.g., age, ripeness, processing method, cooking method, the presence of additives (salt, sugar, spices, butter, etc.), and the presence of other foods in the same meal. Any of these could significantly change the GI and, therefore, the GL of the individual food in question—and, therefore, of the overall meal. For that matter, these values can vary from person to person and even in the same person from day to day. So averages are all we can go on.

There are also differences among the different varieties of a given food, such as the cultivars of barley (cultivars are to barley as varietals are to grapes—they’re members of the same species, but with significant, sometimes dramatic, differences in composition and appearance). One barley cultivar that stands out is called Prowashonupana.  “Prowash,” as it’s called for short, was developed in the 1990s by plant breeders at Montana State University as a hulless cultivar that’s low in starch, high in protein, and very high in fiber—it has two to three times the amount of fiber as most other cereal grains.2

Prowash Is Naturally Rich in Healthful Beta-Glucan

A major portion of the fiber in Prowash is a highly beneficial soluble fiber. It takes the form of viscous polysaccharides called beta-glucans, which are known for their ability to reduce cholesterol levels.*3 In barley, the beta-glucans are found throughout the entire kernel, whereas in most other grains, they’re concentrated in the outer bran layer and can thus easily be lost in processing.

brew and sip throughout the day, while restricting intake of other foods. This folk remedy has helped many people even to this day.
The barely brew is prepared by boiling one-quarter cup of all natural pearled barley in about 2.5 litres of water. When the water has boiled down to about 1.25 litres, it should be strained carefully. This all natural barley brew helps digestive rejuvenation in two ways. It has a demulcent or soothing
 response and relieves the burning digestive actions. It has also a mucilaginous response and introduces a natural oily substance which helps to protect the abraded mucous membrane of the digestive system. Once the digestive system is thus soothed and healed, it can promote better assimilation of foods.
•Fever :- Barley is also useful in fever and all inflammatory conditions on account of its soothing properties.
• Urinary Disorders :- Barley gruel with butter milk and lime juice is an excellent diuretic carbohydrate food. It is highly beneficial in the treatment of urinarv disorders like nephritis and cystitis.
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Cranberry juice-The health enhancing benefit

Cranberry juice was first made by American settlers in 1683. It is a love it or hate it beverage. For those who like it, it has a number of health benefits. Let me share some of those.
Emulsifies Fat
This is for all of you that have some excess fat to lose. According to Nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., C.N.S., Cranberry juice contains high levels of organic acids, which have an emulsifying effect upon fat deposits. She generally suggests it along with some flax seed or flax seed oil.
Urinary infections
When it comes to urinary tract infections caused by a strain of E coli bacteria, cranberry juice compounds may help. Some of the compounds in the juice block the bacteria from sticking to the cells in the body, so that the body can more easily flush the bacteria out.
Respiratory Infections
Study results in 2002 suggest that cranberry juice may inhibit a type of bacteria that is a common cause of ear and respiratory infections in children. This is according to researchers at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
In this study it was found that cranberry juice can inhibit certain strains of Haemophilus influenzae, a type of bacteria found in the nose and throat of 75% of healthy children and adults. The bacteria can also cause infections, and may be responsible for up to 40% of bacterially-derived middle ear infections.
In this study, the researchers found that the juice could prevent certain strains of the bacteria from sticking to red blood cells or mouth cells, a step that can allow the bacteria to linger in the body. It seemed that the juice inhibited the bacteria's pili, the hair-like structures that allow them to adhere to surfaces. The juice had no effect on strains of Haemophilus influenza that lacked pili.
While the results took place in test tubes, this certainly would be something to keep in mind for children and adults who get throat and ear infections.
Don't overdo the juice!
I do want to warn you that excessive consumption of juices. Drinking too much fruit juice can contribute to obesity, the development of cavities (dental caries), diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal problems, such as excessive gas, bloating and abdominal pain. Children especially, as their bodies are smaller for the amount of juice ingested.
Recipe
Consider this more of a medicinal drink than a beverage, and you will do fine. Probably 3 cups a day for an adult, and a half cup 3 times a day for a child, until symptoms abate. 
1 tea bag of Green Tea or Chai Green Tea
(Chia green tea contains ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and clove along with green tea)
2 cups unsweetened Cranberry Juice
Bring one pint of water to a rolling boil. Insert your tea bag and steep 3 to 6 minutes. Pour into a one quart container. Add two cups of unsweetened Cranberry Juice. Store in the refrigerator and use within three days.You can drink this cold or warm it up and drink. If you have used regular green tea you can add a very small pinch of any of the spices mentioned above that is in the Chia tea, for more flavor.
Health benefits
Cranberry juice is known to have various health benefits. These include: Cranberry juice contains phytochemicals, which may help prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. Cranberry juice is high in oxalate, and has been suggested to increase the risk for developing kidney stones, although more recent studies have indicated it may lower the risk.Cranberry Juices are usually free from artificial colourings, making them suitable for those who do not consume food dyes.
 Cranberry juice and urinary tract infection (UTI)
A known claim is that cranberry juice may help prevent and relieve the symptoms of urinary tract infections by primary and secondary means. The primary means works on the bacteria directly by altering the molecular structure of the fimbriae on the pathogenic strains of the bacteria that cause the infections.The properties of the proanthocyanidins in cranberries prevents the bacteria from adhering to the surface of the bladder and urinary tract.[5] The secondary means works indirectly on the bacteria by changing the intravesical pH (the pH of the bladder's contents) making it more acidic.
However, a recent randomized control trial was unable to show that among women with an acute UTI, drinking cranberry juice (8 oz of 27% twice daily) would reduce the incidence of a second UTI.
 Health issues
Although cranberry juice may help prevent growth of bacteria, its pH may be as acidic as 2.3–2.5, which is more acidic than most soft drinks, which could potentially dissolve tooth enamel over time.
Historically, cranberry fruits and leaves were used for a variety of problems, such as wounds, diarrhea, diabetes, stomach ailments, and liver problems. Most notably, cranberry products have been used in the hope of preventing or treating urinary tract infections. The berries are used to produce beverages and many other food products, as well as dietary supplements in the form of extracts, capsules, or tablets.
Research has examined the use of cranberry in preventing urinary tract infections but study sizes have been too small to provide a definitive answer. Recently, an NCCAM-funded study in Clinical Infectious Diseases found that cranberry juice—given to college-aged women who just recovered from a bladder infection—did not prevent urinary tract infections from coming back. 
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