EatingBritain.com » Veg

The good the bad and the ‘unhealthy’

Sarah Cabral — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:00:46 +0000

In fact, not only is the ‘alligator pear’ excellent for reducing cholesterol levels, it’s rich in vitamins and high in fibre so why do we dimly recall half remembered headlines that say otherwise? In some parts of the country one in 8 people thought Avocados were unhealthy according to a survey released today.

The research also shows that despite health experts agreeing that a fried breakfast every day is bad for your health, two thirds of us don’t see it that way. And a third still think that healthy foods are more expensive than unhealthy ones.

And while nine out of ten Brits agree that our tastes are becoming more adventurous, a third of us are still more likely to prepare a traditional ‘meat, veg and gravy’ meal than any other kind. At the same time, 64% of people profess a love for international cuisine

Here are two delicious avocado based recipes from Thomasina Miers

Tomatoes are certainly not the only fruit when it comes to making an authentic guacamole. Especially not if you live in Britain and are used to getting the under-ripe, tasteless ones we get in the winter. Gladly in Mexico, other fruits can be used just as well in place of tomatoes and, in the case of pomegranate seeds, much more dramatically. This is a guacamole full of anti-oxidants so great for a healthy pack lunch and beautiful enough to serve for a dinner-party. Try it whilst sipping a glass of good tequila.

Winter guacamole

1 small onion, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped (serranos if you can get them)
The pulp of 5-6 Hass avocados
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and finely diced
A handful of black seedless grapes, halved
The juice of a lime

The easiest way to make guacamole is in a large, heavy pestle and mortar or, in Mexico, a molcajete. Put the chillies and onion into the bottom of the pestle and crush to a paste with a couple of teaspoons of salt. Stir in the avocado pulp, mangoes and half the grapes. Season to taste with the lime juice and more salt, if necessary. Serve at room temperature decorated with the remaining grapes, with tortilla chips or pork scratchings.

Roast winter vegetables with avocado dressing

I love this recipe with roast butternut squash as a side dish but when you try the combination of roast celeriac, parsnips and carrots, drizzled in this avocado dressing, you won’t ever want to change. It makes a wonderful warm winter salad for lunch or even as an unusual starter for supper. Just put a little pile of the vegetables on small plates of rocket and drizzle over the dressing. It is not only incredibly good for you, but delicious to boot.

For the vegetables:
3 carrots, peeled and cut into fingers
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into fingers
1 medium celeriac, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 red onions, peeled and cut into rough chunks
100g pumpkin seeds
The seeds of a pomegranate

For the dressing:
½ clove of garlic
The flesh of half a small avocado
80ml light olive oil or sunflower oil
The juice of a lime
1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven 220C

Toss all the vegetables in a tablespoon of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 35-45 minutes until turning a lovely golden colour.

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan for about five minutes until golden and starting to pop. To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and whiz to combine. You should have a fairly thick dressing, a little like a mayonnaise.

Serve the vegetables with dollops of the avocado dressing and the toasted pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seed scattered over.

For more information visit www.hassavocado.com

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

British leeks have arrived

Sarah Cabral — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:30:00 +0000

Delicious dinners don’t have to cost the earth. On the British Leeks website there are a host of recipes – Six Easy Ways with British Leeks – to enjoy this versatile veg at the height of the British season. A recipe from their selection caught my eye as a nice change to our bangers and mash…

Sausage and Leek Casserole with Chive Mash
Serves 4
Cost £6.00 (for four)

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
8 pork sausages
1 Spanish onion sliced
200g sliced leeks
4 cloves garlic sliced
2 sticks celery sliced
Small bunch of sage leaves, picked
200ml white wine
400ml passata
400ml chicken
2 bay leaves
Salt and cracked black pepper
Small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

For the mash…

800g potatoes peeled and cut into 4
100g butter
300ml full fat milk
Salt and cracked white pepper
1 bunch of chives finely chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 180ºC / 350ºF

Fry the sausages in a casserole dish until golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon. You may need to do this in two batches.

Add the onions, leeks, garlic, celery and sage and cook until the mix starts to brown slightly

Add the wine, stock, passata and bay leaves and then season with salt and pepper. I used home made tomato passata, so it wasn’t quite as red as the shop bought stuff.

Add the sausages back in. Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 20 minutes

Meanwhile, place your potatoes in a medium sized pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until cooked. About 20 minutes

Once cooked, drain and mash the potatoes and add the butter and milk. Stir over a low heat until the butter has melted and the mash is piping hot. Season and add the chives. Set aside

Remove the casserole from oven, stir in chopped parsley and serve with the mash.

A really lovely warming dinner, showcasing the wonderful British Leek.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

It’s Pumpkin time!

Sarah Cabral — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:30:18 +0000

We’ve been so lucky with the weather lately and last weekend was no exception, on a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon, we made our annual trip to see the Pumpkin man of Slindon. This year’s display was an underwater scene and I just wish the sun had been shining in the other direction to bring out all the brilliant colours.

My pumpkin booty consisted of a Crown Prince, a Flying Saucer (Patty Pan), two Little Gem squashes and a couple of ornamental gourds. We didn’t buy a carving pumpkin for Halloween as they were a hefty £5 each!

I picked up a pumpkin and squash recipe booklet at the Farmers market and found a recipe for Little Gem squash that is so easy and perfect as a warming lunch.

Baked Little Gem Squash

Ingredients

2 Little Gem Squashes
1/2 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 tbspn butter or olive oil
Salt & pepper

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Cut the tops off to form a lid, pull out the fibres and seeds. You can dry out the seeds and plant them in the Spring or you can roast them and eat them as a snack.

Insert half of the garlic and tomato into each squash, followed by the butter/oil and plenty of seasoning.

Replace the tops and stand in a baking dish in some water.

Bake until tender, about 30 minutes. Add more water if the squashes begin to dry out and cover with foil if they start to burn.

Serve as they are but let them cool down a little first!

This dish can be made in the microwave too, in less than 10 minutes, so you could take a couple of ready-prepared Little Gems to work and enjoy something completely different on your lunch break. Place the prepared squash into a microwave dish, add 2 tbspn water, cover with cling film and cook on high until tender – about 8 minutes (for 2 squashes)

As an alternative to the tomato and garlic filling, you could add a little cream and herbs, or cooked mince.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Bio Driven to provide sustainable solutions for waste cooking oil

Sarah Cabral — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:30:11 +0000

It has been calculated that 225,000 tonnes of used cooking oil is thrown away every year in the UK. If this was all collected and refined, the resulting biofuel could generate more than 13,000-megawatt hours of electricity per year, the equivalent to the annual average consumption of around 2,200 households.

Based in Canterbury, Kent, Bio Driven offers a small commercial facility producing sustainable, compliant biodiesel for high-end users using only waste cooking oils and avoiding virgin or palm oils.

The needs and demands of food manufacturers, food logistics companies and commercial caterers have been investigated since the company was established in 2006. Bio Driven currently works with Carnival UK, Fred Olsen, Norwegian Cruise line, Royal Caribbean (including the largest cruise liner in the world called ‘The Independence of the Seas’) and others. The company plans to work with national and multinational food companies in the near future assisting with their waste management stream, promoting environmental awareness and cutting costs.

David Chalk, managing director of Bio Driven, said: “Our aims are to expand the envelope for currently available feedstock through R&D to the commercial production of Algae to compliment our available feedstocks. Ultimately we promote sustainability, acceptance and competitive price points for our products.”

Quality is paramount to Bio Driven’s production: biodiesel is processed using equipment sourced throughout Europe. The reactor vessels and filtering process are to food grade standards and the company’s is committed to becoming carbon negative with the installation of on-site combined heat and power from
biodiesel/glycerine in the not too distant future. The production process is already carbon neutral.

Chalk explains the company’s core activities: “We take in bulk oils from clients for processing and refining, which we sell on as biodiesel, but our expertise does not stop there. We have, through The Environmental Industries Commission and The Renewable Energy Association, developed industry networking and franchise opportunities to accommodate high volumes of bulk feed stock for biodiesel production within the UK to reduce fuel miles and costs.”

Bio Driven offers three areas of activity:

A simple cash purchase for bulk waste cooking oil for conversion to biodiesel within the Bio Driven plant and network facilities.
For companies wanting to use their own waste cooking oil for biodiesel in their logistics fleet, Bio Driven will introduce a fully-automated mobile facility in early 2009 using its trained staff to undertake the conversion on site, delivering biodiesel at no capital cost, reducing road miles, converting the waste stream to a cash asset and providing a sustainable solution to their waste cooking oil.
Bio Driven has the expertise to advise, install and train staff to operate a fully automated biodiesel plant tailored to each individual company’s requirement, for those with on-site bulk waste cooking oil.

Chalk commented: “Within the food processing industry, forward buying and hedging prices for feedstocks offers price stability, which is transferable to a company’s logistics/transport requirements, when converting the waste cooking oil to biodiesel. Working with Bio Driven will result in fuel price stability, significant savings and a greater understanding and positive contribution to current environmental issues.”

I really like the idea of recycling cooking oil and using it as fuel, I hope more companies like this pop-up all over the country!

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

10 Easy ways with watercress

Sarah Cabral — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:00:00 +0000

Watercress is a staple food among the Chinese, who believe it brings the body back into balance, both nutritionally and holistically. It’s particularly popular in stir fries, thrown in at the last minute and cooked until just wilted.
Fed up with plain old mashed potato? Add a peeled clove of garlic to the potatoes while they boil, drain and mash with a knob of butter and a spoonful or two of wholegrain mustard, then stir through a bag of roughly chopped watercress and plenty of ground black pepper.
The distinctive mustard flavour of watercress makes it a perfect partner to eggs. Use it to fill a classic omelette with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese or stir into softly scrambled eggs just before serving.
A great way to increase your vegetable intake is to empty a bag of chopped watercress into a pan of pasta just before serving.
Watercress perks up any sandwich, adding flavour and crunch. A favourite is with marmite.
In France roasts were traditionally served with gravy made from pressed watercress juice. An easier way is to pile a platter with leaves and serve your roast on a bed of watercress – it’s great for mopping up the gravy and meat juices.
Watercress mayonnaise is delicious served cold with poached salmon, asparagus or as a dip. And it couldn’t be easier: tip a bag of watercress into a liquidiser with a handful of parsley and blitz. Stir in 10 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of soured cream or natural yogurt and a teaspoon of French mustard.
For a classic fish sauce, sauté 2 finely chopped shallots and a celery stick in a pan with butter. Pop in a bay leaf, 1/2 glass of dry white wine, 1/2 pint of stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the leaf, add 1/4 pint of crème fraiche and simmer until reduced and slightly thickened. Add 2 bags of chopped watercress and heat through. Liquidise for a smoother version.
For a variation on salsa verde, blitz a bag of watercress, a handful of basil leaves, 1 clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Season and serve – tastes great with char grilled tuna.
For posh peas with the Sunday roast, cook some shallots until soft; add garlic, then watercress, peas, thyme and sugar. Add boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Take out the thyme and then stir in some crème fraiche. Delicious with lamb.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

10 great reasons to eat watercress

Sarah Cabral — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:00:35 +0000

Apples, broccoli and tomatoes are often cited as the “wonder fruit and vegetables” but watercress is a better source of vitamins C, B1, B6, K and E, iron, calcium, manganese and zinc. Only raw broccoli has more vitamin C and magnesium – however, it is much more often cooked in this country.
Watercress is believed by many to be an aphrodisiac. In Crete, islanders swear by its powers and ancient recipes are handed down from one generation to the next.
Watercress literally oozes beta-carotene which is needed for healthy skin and eyes. No wonder 17th Century philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon claimed it could “restore a youthful bloom to women”.
According to Cretan legend watercress grew in the springs of the Dikton Cave on Crete where god Zeus is said to have eaten the plant to fortify himself against his murderous father Cronos.
Watercress provides iodine and most B vitamins, including folic acid which is important for a healthy pregnancy.
Watercress is said to be a good cure for a hangover. For great “morning after” cocktail, peel and dice one mango and whiz in blender with 1 bag of watercress and up to 500ml of apple juice.
Watercress is a member of the healthy Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae) family, and therefore related to broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, rocket and radish. These vegetables are known to be excellent sources of certain natural phytochemicals, which are believed to have anti cancer properties. Watercress should not be confused with mustard and cress, a completely different species (cress comes from the Greek word meaning “to creep” and covers a host of growing salads.
Watercress contains lutein and Zeaxanthin,types of carotenoids that act as antioxidants, meaning they can mop up potentially damaging free radicals. Lutein specifically is considered to be very important for eye health. It also contains Quercetin, a type of flavonoid and a powerful antioxidant.
The ancient Greeks called watercress kardamon; they believed it could brighten their intellect, hence proverb “Eat watercress and get wit.”
Watercress is low in calories and fat. A serving of 80g (or a cereal bowl full) has just 18 calories and makes up one of the five daily portions of fruit and vegetables, as recommended by health experts.

What more reason do you need to include watercress in your diet? So get cooking!

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Celeriac Soup

Sarah Cabral — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:30:09 +0000

Celeriac is also known as ‘celery root,’ ‘turnip-rooted celery’ or ‘knob celery’. It’s a kind of celery, grown as a root vegetable for its large and well-developed taproot rather than for its stem and leaves. The taproot is typically used when it is about 10–12 cm in diameter; about the size of a large potato. Unlike other root vegetables, which store a large amount of starch, celery root is only about 5-6% starch by weight.

You can eat it raw or cooked. It has a tough, furrowed, outer surface which is usually sliced off before use because it is too rough to peel. Celeriac has a celery flavour, and is often used as a flavouring in soups and stews; it can also be used on its own, usually mashed, or used in casseroles, gratins and baked dishes.

The hollow stalk of the upper plant is sometimes cut into drinking straw lengths, rinsed, and used in the serving of tomato-based drinks such as the Bloody Mary cocktail. The tomato juice is lightly flavoured with celery as it passes through the stalk.

Celeriac is not as widely used as some other root vegetables, perhaps because it is harder to prepare and clean, but it is high in vitamin C, calcium and potassium and is definitely worth a little effort.

The following recipe was originally from Gold Top Milk but I’ve made a couple of modifications to suit my diet and it turned out really well. I used an extremely fresh celeriac from our farmers’ market and the smell took over the whole kitchen before I’d even sliced it open.

Celeriac Soup

Serves 6

25g (1oz) butter
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 potato, peeled and cubed (about 200g/7oz)
1 celeriac (about 750g/ 1 1/2lb) peeled and cubed – I used the stalk and leaves too.
600ml (1 pint) hot good chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
600ml (1 pint) Gold Top milk
300g (10oz) Spanish Chorizo sausage, skin peeled off – I love chorizo but it doesn’t love me or my tummy, so I missed it out.
Flat leaved parsley, whole leaves or roughly chopped

Put the butter and onion in a large pan and cook over a medium heat, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened but not browned.

Add the cubes of potato and celeriac, stir well and cook, covered over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour in the stock, half cover and cook for 30-35 minutes or until the vegetables are tender enough to mash.

Puree the mixture in a food processor until smooth. Pour it back into the pan, add the Gold Top milk, season well and warm through. Add more milk or stock to get the soup the consistency you like.

Slice the chorizo and put into a frying pan over a medium heat for a few minutes, turning the slices over until just browned on both sides and the flavoured oil is released.

Spoon the soup into bowls. Place chorizo slices on top and drizzle the oil over. Add parsley leaves and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.

Creamy and warming, this soup could even convert celery-haters!

For lots more recipe ideas check out www.gold-top.co.uk

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeriac

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Greek delights – Humous, Taramosalata and Melitzanosalata

Sarah Cabral — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:00:27 +0000

I’m a big fan of little dishes, like Spanish tapas and Greek meze, especially when they include dips.

Dips come in so many types, made from so many different ingredients, I love them. They’re perfect for a snack, lunch or BBQs; you can dip crisps, crusty bread, pita wedges, sliced veggies, bread sticks, pretty much anything you feel like.

Humous

Ingredients

420 g chickpeas (cooked,drained and rinsed)
2 tsps tahini paste
3 tbsns olive oil (or if your olive oil is strong, mix with rapeseed oil).
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tspn cumin powder (optional)
1 lemon juice
salt

Put the tin of cooked chickpeas (must be rinsed), garlic, spices, tahini, olive oil and lemon juice in a food processor and blend together.
Add extra lemon juice and/or water to make the consistency that you like.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika (optional)

Taramosalata

Ingredients

85g Cod roe (smoked)
150ml Olive oil & rapeseed oil mixed 50:50
1/2 lemon juice
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tbspn fresh parsley, chopped.
Boiling water

Soak roe in cold water for 2hrs, then rinse, drain and peel skin.
In a bowl, mash the roe to a pulp with a fork.
Mixing with an electric blender, gradually add the lemon juice.
Gradually add the oil (as if making mayonnaise) until it becomes solid and dry.
When it is at the lumpy, dry stage, whilst mixing, gradually add a little just boiled water until it reaches a smooth mousse consistency.
Note: Do not add the water until the mix is solid, otherwise it will separate.
Stir in the parsley and garlic.

Melitzanosalata

Ingredients:

1 large aubergine
100ml extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of wine vinegar
1 cloves of garlic, crushed
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Pierce the aubergine with a fork and char on the grill, or over an open flame (alternatively, grill for 10-15 minutes) until the aubergine turns black and is very soft. Set to cool and drain on a rack with paper towels underneath.

As soon as it can be handled, peel by hand (the skin will come off easily), and transfer to a bowl. Chop the pulp into small pieces with a knife, and mash with a fork. With a wooden spoon, stir in oil and vinegar slowly, alternating between them, until well blended. Stir in garlic, salt, and pepper. Serve chilled or at room temperature. This goes well with salty cheeses and fish meze like anchovies.

Theses dips are all very different in flavour, you have the nutty-ness of the humous, the creamy fishy-ness of the taramosalata and the fresh earthy-ness of the melitzanosalata. All three have a fair amount of oil but if you mix the olive oil with rapeseed oil, you get a milder flavour and the added health benefits. Plus you’re not going to eat them everyday, everything in moderation!

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

How to skin tomatoes

Sarah Cabral — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:30:08 +0000

Tomato skin can be fairly difficult to digest, particularly if you already have digestive problems. I cut down on tomatoes for ages as they don’t really agree with me but then I started removing the skins and it makes a big difference.

It’s an easy thing to do and works equally well whether you are going to eat the tomatoes raw or cooked.

Take a sharp pointed knife and score a cross on to the bottom of each tomato.
Then put them into a bowl and cover with freshly boiled water.
Leave in the water for 30 seconds to a minute or until the skin at the cross point comes away very easily.
Drain the tomatoes, cover with cold water to stop them cooking and making them easier to handle and drain again.
Remove the skin, it should now peel away easily. Then just continue preparing them as you had planned.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Crunchy green salad

Sarah Cabral — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:00:31 +0000

I recently had a Japanese-styled salad and fell completely head over heels for it! The main ingredient was broad beans, which are a great favourite of mine. They’re in season at the moment and if you’re lucky enough to grow them, they’re at their sweetest and best straight from the plant.

Broad beans have a robust flavour and are highly nutritious; full of phosphorous, vitamin A and C and are notably rich in protein. They can be eaten raw (best young & peeled), or steamed, boiled or stewed. Broad beans are very popular in Portugal and I grew up with them as a part of my everyday diet.

I love podding fresh broad beans, splitting open the sturdy green pods to reveal beautiful pale beans sitting in downy softness. This salad calls for raw broad beans and it’s easy to remove their pale skin, exposing the bright green bean within. It can take some time to peel a lot of beans if you’re making the salad for a few people but believe me, it really is worth it. So stick on the radio and sing away whilst you pod and peel!

Crunchy Green Salad
(Serves 1 or 2 as a side dish)

500g Broad beans (in their pods). Removed from pods and peeled.
50g Sugar snap peas
1 small Courgette, sliced thinly (I find it easier to use a vegetable peeler than a knife)
1 small Chili
Fresh coriander (a handful)

Dressing
2 Tbspns Rapeseed oil
1 Tbspn White wine vinegar
Dash of Sesame oil
Dash of Soy Sauce

Toss together all the salad ingredients.
Mix the dressing ingredients and adjust to your taste.
Drizzle the dressing all over the salad and serve.

Apart from peeling the broad beans, this is really quick to make and it tastes so fresh and crunchy. Delicious summery flavours and a great accompaniment to fish or chicken.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh