P is for pomegranates

pomegranatesWhile researching this post, I learned that pomegranates have a very long history and have often appeared in art, literature and mythology, writes Dr Susan Aldridge, HS guest blogger and freelance writer and editor based in London, with an interest in medicine, health, science and food/nutrition.

I came across the painting Prosperine, painted by the pre-Raphaelite Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1874. I’d seen the painting before but had forgotten that the Roman goddess is holding a pomegranate. According to myth, she was kidnapped by Pluto, the god of the underworld and could only return to earth if she had not consumed any underworld food! Unfortunately, she had eaten six seeds from the pomegranate and was condemned to spend six months of the year in Hades. Thus, the pomegranate in the Rossetti’s painting is a symbol of captivity.

This is a happy coincidence, for Rossetti’s Prosperine is in Tate Britain and we’re off there this afternoon, as part of NYE outing to see the Edward Burne-Jones (another pre-Raphaelite) exhibition. So I’ll take another look at that famous pomegranate.

The pomegranate fruit should be a symbol of health, rather than captivity, because the hundreds of tiny seeds (known of arils) that it contains are packed with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory phytochemicals called punicalagins. They also contain a conjugated linolenic acid (CLAs) called punicic acid. Research on cells, lab animals and humans suggest that the punicalagins may help prevent or manage a whole range of health problems, including cancer, arthritis, joint pain heart disease, high blood pressure, while CLAs have been shown to help with obesity, high blood pressure and insulin resistance.

You can buy a whole pomegranate for about a pound at the greengrocer – much cheaper than the pre-packaged seeds. Releasing the seeds can be messy though – I scored the fruit around the centre and twisted it into two halves and then just break the seeds out from the clumps inside into a bowl, and then picked out the bits of pith. Then there’s 100% pomegranate juice which is more expensive than other fruit juices, but is great to add to plain water with a slice of lemon as a healthy hydrating drink or to top up a home-made juice.

Winter pomegranate juice

Serves one

This combines pomegranate with cranberries, another winter fruit. Two pomegranates provide about 100ml of juice. The spinach adds a touch of green, without detracting from the delicious taste of this juice.

One box of cranberries

Two pomegranates, seeded
8 oranges, peeled

100g spinach

One inch piece of root ginger, peeled

Juice all ingredients and drink immediately.

Super pomegranate salad

Baby kale leaves

Olives

Cubed feta

Seeds

Walnuts

Avocado

Pomegranate seeds

 

Pomegranate fruit salad

Four to six oranges/satsumas/clementines, peeled and segmented

One mango, peeled and cubed

50g pomegranate seeds

Mint leaves, chopped, to decorate

Cinammon, to sprinkle
Mix the oranges/citrus fruit with the mango.  Scatter with the pomegranate seeds, decorate with the mint leaves and finish with a sprinkle of cinammon.

Next time. P is for Peanut Butter

 

Festive recipes

Festive SusanI’m already seeing too many articles about how to deal with excessive consumption at Christmas. My advice is simple, writes Dr Susan Aldridge, HS guest blogger and freelance writer and editor based in London, with an interest in medicine, health, science and food/nutrition.

Use the season as an opportunity to give your food a festive touch by including a touch more spice. In this blog, I’m focusing on ginger and cinnamon, both of which contain some interesting phytochemicals which are good for your health.
Ginger contains potent anti-inflammatory compounds known as gingerols. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that I include ginger in every juice I make. You can also make it into a tea, by merely pouring boiling water onto a few thin slices of peeled root ginger. Add a pinch of turmeric and/or squeeze of lemon if you like, to make a healthy hot drink.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the inner bark of the tree of the same name. The bark is either used direct, in stick form, or ground to make a powder. The characteristic festive odour of cinnamon comes from the compound cinnamaldehyde, which is thought to be responsible for its glucose-lowering properties (below). It also has anti-bacterial properties, which is why cinnamon oil/candles are good to burn in the winter months – they might help you ward off colds and flu. Like ginger, cinnamon is also rich in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory phytochemicals. A sprinkle of cinnamon goes well with a healthy breakfast of Greek yoghurt and blueberries.

Studies suggest that an intake of up to two tbsp. per day of cinnamon may help reduce blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity, which could help prevent Type 2 diabetes.

Ginger and berry smoothie

I made a discovery here – frozen mixed berries contain redcurrants and blackcurrants which are hard to source at the greengrocers. They work better in a smoothie than a juice, so this has to be made in two stages – extract the ginger into a juice which is then added to the smoothie.

Two servings
1kg bag of frozen berries
Pomegranate juice
Large piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
Defrost the berries. Take a handful and juice with the ginger. Then make a smoothie with this juice and the rest of the berries. Top up with pomegranate juice.

Festive soup

My mother used to make a delicious carrot and ginger soup. This is an extended version with more veg from the orange part of the spectrum and some pulses for added protein.

Four to five servings
Large piece of ginger, peeled and grated
Two tsps. ground cinnamon
Two onions, peeled and chopped
Four carrots, peeled and chopped
One red pepper, peeled and chopped
One yellow pepper, peeled and chopped
Two 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
100g soup mix pulses or red lentils
Rosemary and/or mixed herbs
Fry all the peeled vegetables with the ginger and cinnamon till softened. Add the tomatoes, pulses/lentils and herbs and simmer till pulses/lentils are soft. Top up with vegetable stock if the mix is too thick. You can serve this chunky or blend with a hand blender for a smoother soup.
Walnut turkey

When I cooked my first vegetarian Christmas dinner, friends joked about my ‘walnut turkey’. The recipe for my festive nut roast is slightly different every time and, this year, I’m returning to the walnut theme – not forgetting to add some cinnamon. Don’t wait for Christmas day – I’m rehearsing my walnut turkey this weekend!

Festive Susan
Serves four to six
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, finely chopped
200g mixed mushrooms, finely chopped
100g spinach
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
4 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
I tbsp. mixed herbs
100g walnuts, chopped
50g hazelnuts, chopped
100g crumbled Weetabix
3 large eggs, beaten
100g Pecorino cheese, grated
1 tsp Marmite
2 tbsp tomato puree

Fry the onion in the coconut oil till soft, then add the mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the spinach and stir till wilted. Make a paste with the Marmite and tomato puree in a little boiling water and add this to the vegetable mixture, with the tin of tomatoes. Set aside to cool. Stir in the Weetabix crumbs, nuts, cheese, herbs and cinnamon. Add the beaten eggs.  Stir until well mixed and transfer to a loaf tin lined with greased foil. Bake for around an hour. I served this with onion gravy, Brussels sprouts and carrots in the rehearsal meal. On Christmas Day, I’ll make a tomato and cranberry sauce and add roast potatoes with rosemary to the vegetables.
Have a happy and healthy Christmas!
Next time
. P is for pomegranates

Experiments with coconut

CoconutI’m just back from the Oceania exhibition at the Royal Academy and was struck by how many of the 200 artefacts from the Pacific on display used coconut fibre as a material, writes Dr Susan Aldridge, our dedicated guest blogger and freelance writer and editor based in London, with an interest in medicine, health, science and food/nutrition, provides her advice and three scrumptious recipes.

The coconut, which is the seed of a tropical palm tree, might be the most complete plant on earth. Besides the fibre, it provides flesh, which can be processed into oil, flour and milk, and water which comes from the centre of the nut. Meanwhile, the blossom of the palm provides a sweetener in the form of coconut blossom nectar.

So, let’s celebrate the coconut palm with some healthy recipes that use no fewer than five of its edible products.

Coco green juice

As coconut water is rich in potassium and known for its hydration properties, this juice is a healthy post-exercise choice.

Serves one
Bag of kale (or other green leaves)
One pear, chopped
Half a cucumber, chopped
One inch root ginger, peeled and chopped
Coconut water
Pure pomegranate juice

Juice the kale, pear, cucumber and ginger. Top up with coconut water and a dash of pomegranate juice to boost the antioxidant content.

Pink coconut smoothie

Coconut milk is rich in iron and zinc and adds a creamy, luxurious touch to this smoothie

Serves one
Coconut milk/coconut and almond milk
Carton of raspberries, strawberries or a mixture of the two
One tbsp. peanut butter
One tsp. matcha
Two tsps. cacao (or cacao and cinnamon) powder
Place berries in a blender/Nutribullet. Add the matcha, peanut butter and cacao. Top up with the coconut milk and blend.

Coconut biscuits

Coconut flour is pure coconut, derived from the flesh of the nut. It is higher in fibre and protein, and lower in carbohydrate than whole wheat flour. Coconut blossom nectar is classed as low glycaemic index (a value of 35, compared with 68 for white sugar).
I thought I’d need more than one go at getting these right. Substituting coconut flour for wheat flour is one challenge (it absorbs more liquid). Using chia seeds instead of eggs (a common vegan substitute), coconut blossom nectar instead of sugar and replacing butter with coconut oil pushes this recipe into unknown territory with respect to texture and flavour – the main issue being what quantities to use. I researched, but this is an original recipe, I promise. The flavour comes from the addition of the cacao plus cinnamon powder.

Makes 10 biscuits
Two tbsp. coconut flour
One tbsp. chia seeds
Two tbsp. coconut oil
One tbsp. cacao and cinnamon powder
One tbsp. coconut blossom nectar
Around 240ml boiling water
Heat the oven to 180°C. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the coconut oil. Then add the boiling water and mix well. Leave for about 10 minutes to melt the coconut oil and let the chia seeds create a gel. Make cookies from balls of the resulting dough, and cook in the oven on a greased baking sheet for around 25 minutes.
Next month. Festive special!

Experiments without potatoes

root vegsYou can replace potatoes with other root vegetables that contain more vitamins and fibre, without sacrificing any of the comfort or taste element. The recipes below would work well at a Halloween/Bonfire supper or party if you’re planning late autumnal events. Also, I’ve been struck by the number of food delivery bikes in my area over the last few months. Look, I know we’re all busy, but I personally think we’d all be a lot healthier in the long term if we invested a bit of time in learning to cook from scratch, so we know what’s in our food.

Our guest blogger, Dr Susan Aldridge,  freelance writer and editor based in London, with an interest in medicine, health, science and food/nutrition, provides her advice and three scrumptious recipes.

Decided to rebel a bit against the food delivery people (we all know who they are…) and made my first two recipes slightly complicated (for me!) in that they involve stages and sauces.

Fish and mushroom pie with cauliflower mash
Serves four

One onion, finely chopped
One pint full cream milk
One cauliflower, sliced into florets
One 400g tin butter beans, drained
Three hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Two smoked haddock fillets
Two cod fillets
One pack prawns
300g mushrooms, sliced and fried in butter
One tbsp. fish sauce
Chopped parsley
35g butter
Two tbsp. flour
Grated cheese
Sliced tomatoes
One tbsp. mustard

Preheat oven to 200˚C. Heat the onion in the milk with black pepper and herb salt to season. Simmer for 10 minutes and set aside. Measure out about 50ml for the mash. Meanwhile, place the fish in a frying pan, add the rest of the milk, a knob of butter and simmer for a few minutes, turning the fish part way through, until fish is tender. Flake the fish on a plate and set aside.

Now make a sauce by melting the butter, stirring in the flour to make a paste, Then, add the milk from the fish and stir till thick and smooth. Add the fish sauce and the parsley.
Assemble the fish pie by mixing the flaked fish, hard-boiled eggs and mushrooms. Cover with the sauce. Leave to cool while you make the mash.

Boil the cauliflower till tender and mix with the butter beans, reserved milk and mustard. Use a hand masher to make a smooth mixture. Now add the mash to the cooled fish to make a layer, and top with sliced tomatoes and grated cheese. Bake for around 30 mins, till the top is browned. Serve with two green vegetables (we had tender stem broccoli and green beans).

Vegetarian/vegan shepherd’s pie with root veg mash

Turnips, swedes and carrots are all significantly lower in carbs than potatoes and parsnips contain somewhat less carb. So, the mixtures give you a mash that is lower carb and higher fibre than regular mash and also contributes to your fruit and veg intake, which potatoes do not.

Serves three to four
Two onions, chopped
100g lentils
Two 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp. tomato puree
1 tbsp. mixed herbs
1 tbsp. cinnamon
Two carrots, chopped
One small turnip, chopped
One small swede, chopped
One parsnip, chopped
Flax seed or olive oil/butter/cream/milk

Make the lentil filling by frying the onions in coconut oil until soft, then add lentils. Heat through and add tomatoes, tomato puree, herbs and cinnamon. Cook until lentils are soft (around 20–30 mins) and, in the meantime prepare the mash.
Boil the root vegetables till tender. Then add oil (for vegan version) or butter/cream/milk (vegetarian version) to add smoothness. Add extra flavour by stirring in mustard and/or marmite.

Cool the lentil mixture for 15 minutes or so, to ensure the mash doesn’t sink into it. Then add a thick layer of the mash, finish with sliced tomatoes (vegan version) and/or grated cheese (vegetarian version). Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, until the top is brown. Serve with something green (eg stir fried spring greens or cabbage and shredded leek).

Sweet potato and beetroot chips with rosemary and spicy dip
Serves two

Two sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges
Two beetroot, sliced into chips
Olive oil
Rosemary, chopped
For the dip
Tub of quark (plain or flavoured – I used tomato and basil)
Tub of fresh chilli pesto

Heat the oven to 180˚C. Add the sweet potato chips to a bowl and toss with the rosemary and olive oil. Place on one half of a baking tray lined with foil in the oven. Meanwhile, toss the beetroot with rosemary and oil and place in the oven on the other half of the tray when the sweet potato has been cooking for around 15 minutes. Cook for a further 15 minutes till browned. Make the dip by mixing the quark and the pesto (multiple other combos are available of course – try cottage cheese, soy sauce and peanut butter, for instance).

Apologies for the length of the first two recipes. November’s recipes will be simpler!
Next month – experiments with coconut

October in a nutshell

Nuts OctoberIf you want to add one healthy small change to your lifestyle this October, can I suggest you include more nuts in your diet? Nuts may be high in calories, but they’re good calories with the fat content being of the unsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 variety. They are also high in fibre, vitamins and minerals, writes Dr Susan Aldridge, freelance writer and editor based in London, with an interest in medicine, health, science and food/nutrition.

Only two Brazil nuts a day will give you your daily dose of selenium, a mineral which is essential for good immunity (especially relevant with the cold and flu season coming up), while almonds are rich in vitamin E, hazelnuts in folate and walnuts are packed with heart healthy antioxidants.

There has been no shortage of research into the health benefits of nuts. The biggest health benefit of all is, of course, living longer, so I will quote just one study. A 2013 report from the long-running Nurses’ Health Study and Healthcare Professionals Follow-up Study, covering nearly 120,000 people showed that in 30 years of follow-up, those who ate nuts every day had a 20% lower mortality rate.

Including nuts in your diet couldn’t be easier ¬– just treat yourself to a handful (30g a day would be about right to enjoy the benefits) or use peanut butter on toast, slices of apple or celery or in a smoothie. In the following recipes, I’ve taken it a bit further by using nut milks, nut oils and I finish with the ‘ultimate’ nut burger.

 

Nutty pink smoothie

Serves one
One carton of raspberries or strawberries
One tsp matcha powder
One tbsp. linseed meal
One tsp. raw cacao powder
One tbsp. chia seeds
One tbsp. turmeric latte powder
One tbsp. nut butter
[the above list is my current mix of smoothie additives]

Add all the above to your blender or Nutribullet, then top up with hazelnut milk. Blend and drink immediately.

 

Autumn salad with walnut oil dressing

A friend gave me some cucumbers from her garden. So fresh and delicious, I made them the basis for a salad that contains nuts and uses a walnut oil dressing.

Serves two
Three carrots, shredded
One cucumber diced
Handful of nuts (I used flaked almonds)
One tbsp. mixed seeds
Two spring onions, finely chopped
Dressing
One tbsp. walnut oil
One garlic clove
Sea salt
Lemon juice
One tsp mustard (I used horseradish mustard)

Mix all the salad ingredients. For the dressing, bash the garlic with the salt in a mortar and pestle to make a puree and then whisk in the lemon and oil. Dress and serve.

Vegan nut burgers

So lots of restaurants and pubs are doing vegan burgers now. I’ve never made a burger in my life, so I thought it was time to jump on this particular healthy bandwagon. These are dead simple – just nuts and red onion. No rice, chickpeas, spinach, halloumi…

Serves four
100g mixed nuts, ground to a coarse powder
Egg replacement _ one tbsp. flax seed meal whisked in three tbsp water and left till it forms a beaten egg-like gel
One red onion, finely chopped
Herbs and spices to flavour – I used cinnamon, chilli powder and freshly ground black pepper
Two tbps. tomato puree

Place the nuts, onion, herbs and spices into a bowl. Now, my big worry was that this mixture would not stick together with the vegan egg (of course, use a real egg if you prefer – I’m not vegan myself and this would have been fine). I added the tomato puree as well for a bit more moisture and the consistency was just right. Shape into patties and fry in coconut oil for about five minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time, which should leave both sides lightly browned. The mixture keeps well in the fridge (I had this over three days).

Now for the fun bit…building your burger. When eating out, I’ve found that even if the vege/vegan burger is good, the dish is let down by being wedged inside a plasticy, tasteless white bun. So try wrapping this in pitta bread, a decent fresh wholemeal roll or even toast…Obviously there are lots of things you can use as a base and topping for your burger. We had sliced avocado and tomato on the base and jalapenos and spicy mayo on the top.

Next months. November is seed time.