Pasta With Corn and Ricotta

Ingredients

400g of pasta
Olive oil
1 garlic clove
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
250g drained can of sweetcorn kernels
250g ricotta cheese
1/2 bowl of chopped parsley or rocket leaves
Grated Parmesan 

Method

Cook the pasta according to instructions, until al dente. Drain, (reserving 3 tablespoons of cooking water) and cool.

In a frypan heat a tsp of olive oil and cook crushed garlic. Then add the lemon zest and the sweetcorn and heat through. 

Remove the frypan from the stove and stir in the ricotta. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon and any seasoning. 

Finely chop the parsley (or rocket). Then mix into the corn and ricotta. 

Add the reserved water to the ricotta sauce, and stir in, Then add to the pasta and stir through. Top with Parmesan.

Recipe Stars

Yellow corn contains polyphenols, and carotenoids (like lutein and zeaxanthin), which have antioxidant activity.

Al dente pasta takes longer to digest, and so has a slower release of glucose into the bloodstream.

Parsley is rich in polyphenols like apigenin, quercetin, and ferulic acid, with potent anti-inflammatory properties.

Quote of The Day

Keep looking up… that’s the secret of life. Snoopy.

Cracked Wheat (Bulgur) and Mushroom Salad

Ingredients

1 cup of cracked wheat

1/4 cup of tomato pasta sauce mixed in to make 2 cups of water

125 grams of sliced mushrooms  (can cook the mushrooms and allow to cool, or raw)

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

Dressing (mix 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon olive oil and a dash of mustard in a bowl)

Method

Fry the onion in a small amount of oil. Add cracked wheat and the 2 cups of water with mixed pasta sauce. 

Half cover saucepan with lid and increase heat. When it is simmering, reduce and mostly cover with lid and allow to cook until almost absorbed. Cover with lid and let steam.

Allow to cool.

Mix together with mushrooms, parsley, and dressing. Add a smidgen of salt and pepper if desired.

Recipe Stars

Cracked wheat (bulgur) is high in dietary fiber, which can help lower bad cholesterol (LDL).

The resistant starch in cracked wheat promotes the production of butyrate, a beneficial SCFA, which may help prevent colorectal cancer.

Regular consumption of edible mushrooms may confer neuroprotective cognitive health benefits. (1.)

Quote of The Day

Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Augustine of Hippo.

Lemon Delicious Pudding. Too Easy!

Ingredients

One tablespoon butter

4oz. sugar (113 grams)

2 tablespoons flour

2 lemons

I pint milk (570 ml)

2 egg-yolks

2 egg-whites

Method

Cream butter, add sugar, then flour, then rind of one and juice of two
lemons. Add milk and beaten egg yolks to mixture, and lastly fold in stiffly beaten egg-whites. Pour into a greased fireproof dish and cook in temperate oven (375 deg. F. gas, 425 deg. electric), standing in a baking dish of hot water for 45 minutes.

Recipe Stars

Lemons contain polyphenols, which are beneficial plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that contribute to various health benefits.

Quote of The Day

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. Søren Kierkegaard.

Yummy Ginger Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of plain or gluten free flour

125g crystallized ginger cut into smaller pieces

1 egg

185g butter

3/4 cup caster sugar

60 g blanched almonds

Method

1, Sift flour and add in sugar and ginger

2. Melt butter, allow to cool and mix in egg (reserve a tiny amount of egg to brush top of cake)

3. Add butter and egg to flour mixture

4. Press into a 20cm flan tin

5. Decorate with almonds and brush with egg

6. bake in moderate oven (200 °C) for 45 minutes.

7. When cooked and firm, cool cake in tin.

Recipe Stars

Ginger effects has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects.

Quote of The Day

The growth of knowledge depends entirely upon disagreement. Karl Popper.

Green Beans and Mushrooms in Rich Tomato Sauce

 Middle Eastern stew of green beans and mushrooms in a rich tomato sauce

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
450 g green beans (frozen or fresh)
1 onion
1 garlic clove
300 g mushrooms
1 can crushed tomatoes (400g)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder

Method 

1. Chop the onion, garlic and chilli finely, and cook in olive until onion is transparent. Add the turmeric and paprika.

2. Add beans and cook until soft and starting to brown.  Add sliced mushrooms and cook on medium-low heat covering the pan with a lid.

3. Add the can of tomatoes and the rest of the spices.

4. Cook for a few minutes before adding a little boiling water. Simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.

Serve with seeded bread.

Recipe Stars

Legumes such as beans, lentils, peas can help reduce cholesterol, blood glucose, and lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. 

Mushrooms are rich in the B vitamins: riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid, which helps to protect heart health. 

Thought of The Day

Between hindsight bias, fake causality, positive bias, anchoring/priming, et cetera et cetera, and above all the dreaded confirmation bias, once an idea gets into your head, it's probably going to stay there. Eliezer Yudkowsky

Eggplant, Tomato and Cannellini Beans

Eggplant, Tomato and  Cannellini Beans

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil



1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

450 g (1 lb ) eggplant, cut into cubes



1 can (400 g/ 14 oz) crushed tomatoes

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

2 cans (400 g/ 14 oz) cannellini beans, drained

1/2 cup (125 ml) water

Fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Pinch of salt

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a frypan over medium heat and cook onion for 3-4 minutes or until transparent.


2. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

3. Add the eggplant,and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring, until golden.

4. Add in the crushed tomatoes, thyme, cannellini beans and water. Increase heat and then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with bread and sprinkle with parsley.

Recipe Stars

Eggplant contains various antioxidants such as α-carotene, lutein, lycopene, kaempferol and myricetin.

Cannellini beans contain fiber and protein and are a good source of many micronutrients.

Quote of The Day

Young blood must have its course, lad, And every dog his day. The Water-Babies, by Charles Kingsley.

Easy Flat Bread and Bean Mince Filling

Easy Flat Bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup Greek yogurt

Method

1. Mix the flour and baking powder together.

2. Add half yogurt and mix in. Keep adding yogurt until you get dough consistency.

3. Divide the dough evenly into 6 pieces and roll into balls. Then flatten the dough and brush with oil and pan fry both sides for 3 mins. 

Bean Mince Filling

Bean Mince Filling

Ingredients

200g of lean minced meat
1 can of 3 bean mix (drained)
1 300g jar of tomato salsa (your choice of mild or hot)
1/2 cup of frozen corn

Method

1. Cook mince in a frypan until cooked through.

2. Add bean mix, corn and tomato salsa. Cook for a few minutes until heated through.

Serve with flatbread and Greek yogurt (optional)

Easy Flat Bread and Bean Mince Filling

Recipe Stars

Beans are low in fat, high in fibre and a source of protein. 

Diets high in vegetables and fruit are a key factor in primary cancer prevention.

Thought of The Day

 Strong women don’t have ‘attitudes’, we have standards. Marilyn Monroe.