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.

Pasta, Peas and Broad Beans

Ingredients (serves 4)

500g of pasta

2 cups of frozen peas

2 cups frozen broad beans

1/3 cup of olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 cup of chicken stock

11 fresh spears of asparagus, cut into 5cm pieces

1 lemon

Method

1. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

2. cook peas and broad beans in a saucepan for 1-2 minutes. (can remove skins from broad beans if prefer) Set aside.

3. In the frypan, cook the onion win some oil over medium heat until soft. Add stock and cook for 5 minutes, Add asparagus and cook until just tender. Add peas and braod beans and cook 2-3 minutes

4. Add the remaining oil to the pasta and the broad bean mixture, along with 1/2 teaspoon of grated lemon rind and 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. 

Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Recipe Stars

Broad beans are rich in protein and fiber.

Anti-inflammatory nutrients in peas can help lower the risk of inflammatory conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis.

Thought of The Day

What family doesn't have its ups and downs?  Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Seafood Spaghetti

Seafood Spaghetti

 Ingredients (for 2)

100g dry spaghetti

200g marinara mix

1 clove crushed garlic

1 onion, finely chopped

1 sliced capsicum

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 cup of baby spinach 

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil

Method

1. Cook the pasta until al dente and set aside, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.

2. Heat 1/2 the oil in a frypan and cook marinara mix for about 3 minutes, until cooked through. Set aside.

3. Using the same pan, use the rest of the oil and cook onion and capsicum, for a few minutes until soft.  Add tomato and reserved liquid and soy sauce and cook for a few minutes until sauce thickens.

4. Reduce heat to low and add the pasta. Stir though spinach and marinara mix.

Recipe Stars

Nitrates in spinach may promote heart health. 

Capsicums contain vitamin A and beta carotene and are rich in lutein, a carotenoid, which prevents eye macular degeneration.

Thought of The Day

May I have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

The Serenity Prayer

Tomato and Tuna Bake

Tomato and Tuna Bake

Ingredients

5 medium potatoes

5 medium tomatoes

1 425g can of tuna in spring water, drained and break up lumps

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 1/2 tablespoons plain flour

2 cups milk

1/2 cup of grated cheese

Pepper

Method

1. Peel and slice potatoes and microwave to soften.

2. Oil an oven proof dish and place half of the tomatoes on the bottom. Top with the tuna.

3. Add the remaining tomatoes in a layer on top. Then layer the potatoes. Set aside.

4. Add the oil to a frypan and stir in the flour, over low heat, until it becomes a smooth paste. Add pepper.

5. Slowly stir in the milk, stirring as the sauce thickens. Add the gated cheese.

6. Pour the cheese sauce over the tomato, tuna, potato layers. Bake at 180 C (356 °F.) for 20 minutes.

Recipe Stars

Lycopene in tomatoes can improve heart health, aid sunburn prevention, and protect against certain cancers.

Canned tuna packed in water may be higher in docosahexaenoic acid DHA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid.

Thought of The Day

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. Maya Angelou.