Potato and Carrot Salad

Potato and Carrot Salad

Ingredients

2 cups cooked and cooled diced potatoes

1 cup shredded raw cabbage

1 cup diced cucumber

1 cup grated carrot 

1 dessertspoon grated onion

Salad dressing

Lettuce leaves. 

Method

Combine potatoes, cabbage, cucumber, carrot, onion, with salad dressing, flavour with salt and cayenne, serve in lettuce leaves.

Note: Potatoes can be cooked in the microwave. First place them in a microwave-safe container with a little water, cover, and microwave on high for about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size and number of potatoes. Check for tenderness and continue cooking in 30-second intervals, if needed, until soft.

Simple Salad Dressing

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of vinegar (either balsamic, red wine, or apple cider)
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Add ingredients to a jar and replace lid, Shake and pour over salad. Toss.

Recipe Stars

Sulforaphane, a phytochemical with anticancer and antibacterial properties, is found in cabbage.

Cucumbers contain phytonutrients called cucurbitacins, which can have anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and anticancer properties in small doses.

Quote of The Day

Make a habit of two things: to help; or at least to do no harm. Hippocrates

Asian-Style Spinach Salad

Asian-Style Spinach Salad

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sunflower oil 

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 clove crushed garlic

Pinch chilli powder 

4 cups of roughly shredded young spinach leaves 

1/2 cups of diced celery

3 .shallots, sliced, including some of the green 

Method

Cook the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over low heat until lightly golden and toasted. Cool and add to a salad bowl. 

In a cup, mix the oil, soy sauce, garlic and chilli powder, with a spoon. 

Add. the spinach, celery and shallots to the salad bowl, toss lightly with the soy dressing and sesame seeds. 

Chill for I hour.

Recipe Stars

Sesaminol, a sesame lignan found in sesame seeds, has strong antioxidant and anti-cancer effects. Sesaminol helps prevent Parkinson's disease by activating the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway. (1.)

Quote of The day

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears. Nelson Mandela.

Chinese Stir-Fried Eggs and Tomato

Chinese Stir-Fried Eggs and Tomato

Ingredients

2 large eggs, mixed together

2 medium tomatoes, peeled; and cut into chunks

2 green onions, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

Pinch of salt and white pepper 

Sunflower or canola oil

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil to high heat and cook scrambled eggs, untl 80% cooked. Set aside.

2. Turn down heat to medium, and add 1 teaspoon oil. Sauté minced garlic about 10 seconds,

3. Stir fry diced tomatoes for about 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Add white part of green onions to tomato chucks. Cook for about 3 minutes.

5. Finish with chopped green onions, salt, white pepper to your taste. Serve 

Recipe Stars

Eggs are one of the best sources of choline, found mostly in the yolk. Choline is important for brain function and overall health.

Quote of The Day

I have dreamed in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind. Emily Bronte

Bean and Beef Burgers

Bean and beef Burgers

Ingredients

1 cup of canned bean mix, rinsed and drained

400g ( 0.88 pound) of minced beef

1/4 cup of finely chopped red onion

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Pinch of salt and pepper

Method

1. Put drained beans into a large bowl and mash beans with a potato masher. or fork

2. Add beef, onion, cumin, salt and pepper; mix to combine. 

3. Shape into 4 burgers and grill, broil or pan-fry until cooked through.

Place burgers on wholemeal buns or seeded toast. Serve with beetroot, grated carrot and greens.

Recipe Stars

The protein and fibre in canned beans slow digestion, which can help regulate the body's blood sugar response.

Beef is an excellent source of iron, specifically heme iron, which the body absorbs more efficiently than the non-heme iron found in plant-based foods. (iron cured my migraines)

Quote of The day

Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance. Epicurus

Tomato Bread Pie

Tomato Bread Pie

Ingredients 

About 1 kilo (21b) sliced tomatoes,
Wholemeal sliced bread
Leftover sliced cold meat 
2 eggs mixed together (seasoning of choice to add to egg mixture e.g. oregano or cinnamon)

Butter

Sprinkling of grated cheese

Method

Grease a pie dish. Then add a layer of sliced tomatoes. Then a layer of cold meat sliced thinly. Then a layer of sliced buttered bread. Repeat.

Beat the eggs well, and pour them over the top. Sprinkle with grated cheese, and bake till brown on top.

Recipe Stars

Tomatoes contain antioxidants such as lycopene that increase heart and brain health.

The fiber in wholemeal bread can help promote digestive health.

Quote of The day

Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind. Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Cherry Cheesecake

 Cheery Cheesecake

Cherry cheesecake is an easy, no-bake recipe.

Ingredients

15 digestive biscuits or Graham crackers
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup cream cheese at room temperature
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
300g 10 oz. sweetened condensed milk
300g 10 oz. can pitted cherries in juice

Method

1. Break up crackers and place into a plastic food bag. Then, crush with a rolling pin until they are like fine breadcrumbs.

2. Gently melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and stir in the crushed crackers until they are completely coated.

3. Pour the mixture into a flan pan (or springform pan) and spread the mixture with the back of a spoon until it evenly covers the base and sides.

4. Chill the cracker base for 30 minutes.

5, Beat the cream cheese and add the condensed milk and lemon juice, whisking all together until smooth.

6. Drain the cherries. Scatter them over the chilled cracker base.

7. Then, pour the filling over the cherries, using a spatula to smooth the top.

8. Chill 2-3 hours or overnight.

Serves 8-10.

Recipe Stars

Cherries contain melatonin promoting more restful sleep. Melatonin also has anti-inflammatory effects through multiple mechanisms.

Quote of The Day

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others. Pericles

Jam Drop Biscuits

Jam Drop Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups of Plain flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

3/4 cup of sugar

1'2 cup of butter

2 eggs

Low sugar fruit jam

Method

Beat butter and sugar to a cream, add the eggs, then flour, and baking powder. 

Shape into balls about the size of a walnut; press holes in top, and fill with jam. 

Bake in a quick oven. (using a convection mode where hot air circulates evenly)

Recipe Stars

The butyric acid content of the moderate use of butter provides benefits for intestinal health.

Quote of The Day

Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past. George Orwell, 1984