Week in Food

7th November 2009

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Polish grated beet salad

One of my favorite Polish foods is a simple grated beet “salad”. It’s not what American’s think of when they refer to a salad, just grated beets. This is a variation the traditional dish.

GET

• beets w/ tops
• 1 carrot
• pepper
• coarse kosher sea salt
• white wine vinegar

COOK

Cut beet tops off and reserve. Leave about an inch of beet top on beets. Place beets with skins and a pinch of salt in water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 min. Stick a fork in the beet to check if tender. Rinse with cold water and slush off the skins with your hands, they slide right off. Grate the beets and raw carrot. Add a touch of salt and taste.

You may like it as is: sweet and delicate. Try a bite with a bit of pepper and a touch of vinegar. If you like it, you can add the pepper and vinegar as you go or mix it into the whole batch.

This can sit in your fridge for at least a week. For a full Polish experience have it with pickled herring or a pork cutlet and mashed potatoes! For a Mediterranean spin dice instead of grating and add basil, goat cheese and olive oil. Just basil works nicely too.

As for the tops, I will post a recipe once I cook them later this week.

BENEFITS

Amazing beets. These colorful root vegetables contain powerful nutrient compounds that help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer. The pigment that gives beets their rich, purple-crimson color-betacyanin-is also a powerful cancer-fighting agent.

Beets are an excellent source of the B vitamin, folate, and a very good source of manganese and potassium. Beets are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49#healthbenefits

Tagged: AntioxidantFiberFolateVitamin Ccopperdairy-freeironlow fatmagnesiummanganesephosphoruspotassiumveganvegetarianvitamin bPolish

7th November 2009

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Saturday sweet potato, squash, kale and split pea soup

This soup was inspired by Ira’s Tuesday Night Split-Pea Stew, but has a flavor all of its own. Hearty, rich and heavy on cumin!

These proportions are for 6 qt  stockpot.

GET

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 minced leek
• 1 chopped red onion
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2-3 medium russet potatoes 1/2”cubed
• 1 Delicata squash 1/2” cubed
• 2 potatoes 1” cubed
• 1 sweet potato 1/2” cubed
• 1/2 cup yellow split peas
• 6 cups water or broth of choice
• 1 qt low-sodium chicken stock or veggie
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp lime or lemon
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp minced fresh sage (about 4 leaves)
• fresh ground cumin (use a mortar+pestle)
• 1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
• 3 leaves chopped kale

COOK

Saute onions and leeks until golden-brown. Once  they’re done add garlic, saute for about a minute. Add stock, water, then peas, squash, potatoes, bay leaf, lemon, salt, pepper and cook about 35 min or so, until veggies are soft. About 10 min before the soup is done cooking add the sage, cumin and nutmeg. Once the heat is off add the kale. It will add a lovely splash of color and flavor to the soup.

BENEFITS

Kale is one of the Organosulfur Phytonutrients that Help Prevent Cancer… these 10-15 glucosinolates present in Kale appear able to lessen the occurrence of a wide variety of cancers, including breast and ovarian cancers…” Rich in vitamins A, C, K and manganese.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38#healthbenefits

Potatoes are a very good source of vitamin C, a good source of vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber. Potatoes also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity. Among these important health-promoting compounds are carotenoids, flavonoids, and caffeic acid, as well as unique tuber storage proteins, such as patatin, which exhibit activity against free radicals.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=48#nutritionalprofile

Sweet potatoes contain unique root storage proteins that have been observed to have significant antioxidant capacities. This root vegetable is an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. This is an Antioxidant-Rich, Anti-Inflammatory Food. Both beta-carotene and vitamin C are very powerful antioxidants that work in the body to eliminate free radicals. Free radicals are chemicals that damage cells and cell membranes and are associated with the development of conditions like atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, and colon cancer.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64#healthbenefits

“Winter squash, like other richly colored vegetables, provide excellent sources of carotenes.  Generally, the richer the color, the richer the concentration.  They also offer a very good source of vitamins B1 and C, folic acid, pantothenic acid, fiber, potassium, vitamin B6 and niacin….”

http://www.everynutrient.com/healthbenefitsofsquash.html

Dried peas are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. They are also of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. Dried peas also provide good to excellent amounts of four important minerals, two B-vitamins, protein, and isoflavones (notably daidzein). Isoflavones are phytonutrients that can act like weak estrogens in the body and whose dietary consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of certain health conditions, including breast and prostate cancer, amongst other health conditions.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=56

Tagged: AntioxidantVitamin CVitamin Kcopperfiberflavoniodsfolic acidlow fatmanganeseniacinpotassiumveganvegetarianvitamin avitamin bBlood sugarcholesterol-loweringisoflavonesproteinphytonutrients

1st November 2009

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Polish Sauerkraut

If you live near a Polish deli, Skalniak makes a very good basic homemade style sauerkraut. I’m not sure why the English translation on the label reads “processed sauerkraut”, the Polish text below read “home style recipe”.

To be sure you have a quality kraut you may want to look into making your own. From what I know it simply requires layering raw chopped cabbage with salt in an air-tight jar and letting it sit in a dark place at room temperature until it has fermented. I am actually looking into doing this myself and will post my results once I’ve made a first batch. Or get this book: Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, by Ellix Katz

To take advantage of saurkraut’s ability to promote the growth of healthy bowel flora, take a daily spoonful on an empty stomach and wait a half hour before eating other food.

BENEFITS

Raw sauerkraut will increase your libido!

Traditionally it has been used to treat constipation and to aid gut function. It is also rich in enzymes that can aid protein digestion and the health of your liver. Sauerkraut is a good source of Calcium and Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Archaeologists have discovered that fermented plant foods were first consumed by prehistoric hunter gatherers. The Chinese have been fermenting cabbage since 200 BC, and traditionally used sauerkraut juice as a cure for many common ailments. The Romans carried barrels of sauerkraut to prevent intestinal infections on long excursions, and Genghis Khan is said to have transported pickled cabbage to Europe in the 13th Century.

Apart from its deliciously tangy flavour, sauerkraut offers remarkable health benefits. The fibre and lactic acid bacteria improve digestion and promote the growth of healthy bowel flora, protecting against many diseases of the digestive tract. Finnish researchers recently reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, that the fermentation of cabbage produces compounds called isothiocyanates which appear protective against cancer.

http://www.thehealthbank.co.uk/nutrition_articles/sauerkraut.html

Tagged: FiberFolatePolishVitamin CVitamin Kcalciumcopperironmacrobioticmagnesiummanganesepotassiumvitamin brecommendations

1st November 2009

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Sunday Morning Egg

I love soft boiled eggs. I especially enjoy them in this lovely Polish egg holder.

This morning I had my two eggs with toast, watercress drizzled with olive oil, cracked pepper, coarse unprocessed sea salt. Simply delicious.

BENEFITS

Search: Egg

Tagged: aminiodinephosphorusFolateproteinquick-n-easyriboflavinseleniumvitamin bvitamin avitamin dVitamin EPolish

31st October 2009

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One of my all time favorite foods: BEETS

I have made numerous dishes with beets and will post them with time, but I wanted to make a brief mention now with this simple snack or side dish recipe.

GET

• medium sized peeled red beets
• olive oil
• pumpkin seeds
• cracked pepper
• sea salt
• fresh basil
• goat cheese (optional)

PREPARE

Slice raw peeled beets thinly. You can simply use the vegetable peeler to shave the beet into slices. Coat with olive oil, add the rest of the ingredients except the basil leaves and optional cheese. Toss well. Top with basil and cheese.

OPTION

You can use cooked beets for this dish. I prefer raw for nutritional reasons. When you cook beets, they bleed and loose some nutritional properties. If you choose to cook them, get smaller beets, scrub the skin lightly, leave 1/2 inch of the beet top in tact. Place beets in water with a pinch of salt, bring water to a boil and cook 15-20 minutes. They will still be firm, but slightly sweeter and softer.

BENEFITS

Amazing beets, these colorful root vegetables contain powerful nutrient compounds that help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer. The pigment that gives beets their rich, purple-crimson color-betacyanin-is also a powerful cancer-fighting agent.

Beets are an excellent source of the B vitamin, folate, and a very good source of manganese and potassium. Beets are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49#healthbenefits

Tagged: AntioxidantFiberFolateVitamin Ccopperironmagnesiummanganesephosphoruspotassiumvitamin bRAWdairydairy-freeveganvegetarian

31st October 2009

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30 min Impromptu Winter Veggies

I was on my way home one of the first blustery Fall evenings and had an insatiable craving for potatoes and carrots. It turned out a delicious and pretty meal.

GET

• scrubbed, cubed potatoes with skins
• 1/2” biased cut carrots (cut at an angle)
• stemmed, chopped kale
• chopped big red onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• grated ginger
• lemon juice
• agave syrup
• sea salt
• cracked pepper
• olive oil
• butter

COOK

Place potatoes in plenty of water with a pinch of salt. Boil and cook until tender. When the potatoes are cubed they cook fast. Check them with a fork after about  8-10 minutes of boiling. They should be quite soft, but not crumbling. Drain, add butter (sub w/ olive oil for vegan opt) and salt to taste. Mash to desired consistency. I like them a little chunky, the skins add a nice texture too.

While the potatoes are cooking, you can get two skillets going, one needs a lid. Saute onions with salt and pepper until golden on low heat, stir occasionally, about 10 minutes.

In the other pot heat oil. Add garlic and ginger, saute on low heat for about a minute, then scoop out and reserve. Add carrots, lemon juice and pinch of salt to oil, cook on low heat with lid on for about 10 minutes, stir every minute or so. Add agave to taste just before the carrots are done cooking. Once the carrots are off the heat, return ginger and garlic, toss well.

Arrange the potatoes, carrots and kale on plate. Top the kale with the hot onions and a touch of olive oil and a splash of vinegar. Salt and crack pepper if needed.

BENEFITS

“Organosulfur Phytonutrients that Help Prevent Cancer… these 10-15 glucosinolates present in Kale appear able to lessen the occurrence of a wide variety of cancers, including breast and ovarian cancers…” Rich in vitamins A, C, K and manganese.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38#healthbenefits

Carrots are an excellent source of antioxidant compounds, and the richest vegetable source of the pro-vitamin A carotenes. Carrots’ antioxidant compounds help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer and also promote good vision, especially night vision.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=21

Potatoes are a very good source of vitamin C, a good source of vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber. Potatoes also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity. Among these important health-promoting compounds are carotenoids, flavonoids, and caffeic acid, as well as unique tuber storage proteins, such as patatin, which exhibit activity against free radicals.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=48#nutritionalprofile

Tagged: quick-n-easyveganvegetarianVitamin Kvitamin aVitamin CmanganesephytonutrientsAntioxidantvivitamin bcopperpotassiummanganeseFiberflavoniods

30th October 2009

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Quick+Simple Salmon+Veggies

GET

• Wild Salmon fillet(s) with skin
• fresh basil
• cauliflower florets
• 1/2 ” thick cut carrots
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 red onion
• fresh nutmeg
• sea salt
• cracked pepper

COOK

There are no ingredient ratios here. Adjust to how many people you want to feed.

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Wash salmon well and dry with paper towel. Pour a little olive oil into an oven safe dish and cover the salmon well with the oil. Rub salt and pepper onto the belly of the fillet, put washed basil leaves where you will place the salmon- in a pattern if you like, place fish belly down onto basil. Make sure the top (skin) of the fish is well covered with olive oil, rub liberally with salt and cracked pepper. Let stand until you’re done sauteing the onions.

Slice onions into long, thin strips. Heat oil in skillet or pot (with lid), add onions, salt, pepper, saute about 10 min until golden, add carrots, cauliflower, about a 1/4 cup water and cover with lid. Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender. About 5 minutes. A couple minutes before you remove from heat add grated nutmeg to taste.

To save time, when you’re ready to add the veggies to the onions, first put the Salmon in the oven on the middle rack for 8 minutes. Then turn the heat up to broil and place the fish in the broiler until the skin gets a little crispy about 1 minute. It might bubble up a little, just don’t char the skin. You want to eat the skin. The fat between the meat and the skin contains much of the nutrients Salmon has to offer. And crisping the skin like this makes it tasty even to the squeamish skin eater.

BENEFITS

Salmon is low in calories and saturated fat, yet high in protein, and a unique type of health-promoting fat, the omega-3 essential fatty acids. As their name implies, essential fatty acids are essential for human health but because they cannot be made by the body, they must be obtained from foods. Wild-caught cold water fish, like salmon, are higher in omega-3 fatty acids than warm water fish. In fact, the fat composition of salmon has recently been evaluated as superior not only because of its rich omega-3 content, but also because of its great ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s and its health-supportive balance of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. Each of these features in the fat composition of salmon helps reduce risk of unwanted inflammation and help maintain the integrity of our immune and circulatory systems. In addition to being an excellent source of omega-3s, salmon are an excellent source of selenium, a very good source of protein, niacin and vitamin B12, and a good source of phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin B6.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=104#healthbenefits

Carrots are an excellent source of antioxidant compounds, and the richest vegetable source of the pro-vitamin A carotenes. Carrots’ antioxidant compounds help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer and also promote good vision, especially night vision.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=21

Cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and kale, contain compounds that may help prevent cancer. These compounds appear to stop enzymes from activating cancer-causing agents in the body, and they increase the activity of enzymes that disable and eliminate carcinogens. Sulfur-containing phytonutrients promote liver detoxification, cauloflower being part of the cruciferous vegetables family contains both glucosinolates and thiocyanates (including sulforaphane and isothiocyanate). These compounds increase the liver’s ability to neutralize potentially toxic substances.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=13

Onions are rich in powerful sulfur-containing compounds that are responsible for their pungent odor and for many health-promoting effects. Onions contain allyl propyl disulphide, they are very rich in chromium, a trace mineral that helps cells respond to insulin, plus vitamin C, and numerous flavonoids (antioxidants), most notably, quercitin.

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=45&tname=foodspice

Tagged: essential fatty acidsproteinseafoodseleniumniacinvitamin bphosphorusmagnesiumvitamin aphytonutrientschroniumVitamin Cflavoniodsantioxidant

29th October 2009

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Ira’s Tuesday Night Split-Pea Stew

Here’s a wonderful recipe from my friend Ira, something she “threw together”.

You’ll need a big stockpot, about 10 qt.

GET

• 3 Tblsp olive oil
• 1 big onion
• lots of crushed garlic
• 2 red peppers
• 2 zucchini 1” cubed
• 2 potatoes 1” cubed
• 1 sweet potato 1” cubed
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1/2 cup yellow split peas
• 7 cups water or broth of choice
• sea salt
• black pepper
• ground cumin

COOK

Saute onions until golden-brown, add peppers and zucchini, cook until tender, once  they’re done add garlic, saute for 30 seconds. Emediatley add about 7 cups water or broth, add the rest of the ingredients. Split peas take a long time to cook, about 45 min or so. If too much water burns off, add hot water to thin.

BENEFITS

Dried peas are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. They are also of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. Dried peas also provide good to excellent amounts of four important minerals, two B-vitamins, protein, and isoflavones (notably daidzein). Isoflavones are phytonutrients that can act like weak estrogens in the body and whose dietary consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of certain health conditions, including breast and prostate cancer, amongst other health conditions.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=56

Tagged: blood sugarcholesterol-loweringfiberhealthyisoflavoneslow fatproteinsoupsplit peastewsweet potatoevegetarianvitammin Bzucchiniphytonutrientsvitamin B