Baobab, why we should be using this little known superfood
Recipe of the Month – Burger ‘n Chips
I’ll have a burger and chips please
How can you turn the ultimate bloke’s chow down into something that’s good for you? It can be done, read on!
The burgers in question are Oliver McCabe’s ‘Lentil and Cashew Burgers’ from the ‘Fuel Food Cookbook, they’re simple to make and taste wonderful. They’re full of protein, fibre and vitamin C, gluten free and low GL.
Burger
Ingredients
145g red lentil, rinsed and drained
350ml water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
115g red onion, finely chopped
100g kale, washed and shredded
70g toasted cashew nuts, finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon Himalyayan fine rock salt
30g oat bran
Rapeseed oil, for frying
Method
- Place the lentils and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 25 minutes, until the lentils are soft and the liquid is absorbed.
- Use a spatula to scrape the lentils into a medium-sized bowl. Add the apple cider vinegar and mash well.
- Heat the olive oil in a wok over a low heat. Add the onion and sauté for 7 minutes, until softened. Add all remaining ingredients except the oat bran and sauté for 7 minutes more, until all the vegeables are tender. Add to the lentils with the oat bran and mix well. Leave to stand for 1 hour, until cool.
- Form six medium-sized burgers with clean hands. Heat a little rapeseed oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the burger for about 5 minutes per side, until cooked through and golden on the outside.
Healthy Heart Naturally – more than COQ10 and Fish Oils Supplements?
As Ireland continues on the road to becoming Europe’s most obese nation avoidable deaths and diminished quality of life due to heart disease are still part of our health climate. Better heart health is achievable through lifestyle choices and, where applicable, preventative and remedial supplementation. Coronary heart disease involves damage and narrowing of arteries and veins resulting in the heart having a more difficult job to fulfill its function of pumping blood around the body resulting in an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Firstly reduce your exposure to the risk factors that predispose to heart disease. These include being overweight, smoking, excessive stress, insufficient exercise, raised cholesterol and diabetes.
A heart healthy diet includes lots of whole grains and vegetables, healthy fats from fish and vegetable sources, soluble fibre to both regulate the digestion and reduce cholesterol (oats and oat products like oat bran and oatcakes come to mind here) and heart healthy herbs such as garlic and turmeric.
Hawthorn is a very effective and quick acting remedy for high blood pressure.
If elevated cholesterol is a problem due to lifestyle or hereditary causes Red Yeast Rice (taken with COQ10 which is sometimes included in the supplement), Plant Sterol tablets (Irish made brand Zerochol comes to mind) and Soya Lecithin can all be beneficial.
Recipe of the Month – Ollie’s Fuel Food Veggie Bake
As we get closer to our cookery demo day with Oliver McCabe in Murphy’s Barn on Saturday May 7th we’re enthusiastically trying lots of recipes from his book. Both Ruth (full credit to her for these beautiful images of her creation!) and I cooked his Fuel Food Veggie Bake and were in agreement that it was hearty, comforting, wholefood at its best so it’s the recipe we want to share with you now. What can I say? If you don’t have the book it’s well worth the purchase (we have signed copies for €20) and if you’d like to take it a step further, meet Olly and hear about his unique food philosophy at first hand then put Saturday May 7th in your diary right now.
I was so impressed with the use of millet in this recipe and felt this powerhouse grain needed looking into more, want to know more on millet, just click here.
Ingredient Focus – More About Millet
Think magnesium, think millet.
It’s not everyday I cook millet, in fact I always thought it rather bland. My mind was changed when I made Oliver McCabe’s delicious FoodFuel Veggie Bake where millet makes up one layer with vegetables, lentils and a sweet potato topping – yummy!
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Maganese
- Tryptophan
- Phoshorus
- Fibre
- B vitamins
- Antioxidants
