Cook n Taste

Cook and taste. The last 6 weeks were great because members of our group took a course in food and nutrition and learn about food allergies, labelling, sugar, refined foods,healthy eating and how to stay healthy by eating the right types of food and minimise the chances of getting diseases.
The course is run by NHS in collaboration with Change4Life

Salmon Fish Cakes (Baked) they were delicious, simple to make and Healthy.

Fruit Scones
Pizza
Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry
Blueberry and Apple Crumble
Salmon and Fish Cakes
Carrot and pineapple muffins
Chicken Tikka Masala
Plum Crunchies











For more recipes go to:

http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/pages/dinner-recipe-book.aspx

Lemon Vinaigrette

Old lemons.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (can use hazelnut or walnut oil)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice.
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard.
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped.
• 1 clove garlic, crushed.
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt.
• Pinch freshly cracked black pepper.

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients together and stir really well.
2. Store in a bottle with a good sealing lid or cork so that the vinaigrette can be vigorously shaken before each use.

Salad

There are many varieties and combinations of salads but the it is the ingredients in the dressing that makes all the difference. Here are a few suggestions.

Waldorf (Apple and Celery) Salad

Raw apples, celery, walnuts and raisins.

Method:
Dice up some apples and celery and add chopped walnuts and raisins. Mix with a dressing of mayonnaise, lemon juice and black pepper and serve immediately or store in a sealed container to prevent the apple going brown.

Easy Potato Salad

Cooked boiled potato

Method:
Cut the potato into bite-sized chunks. Mix with chopped chives and a dressing of a crushed clove of garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and tarragon.

Rice Salad

Cooked rice or couscous

Add chopped tomatoes, red peppers, cucumber, raisins and chopped walnuts to the rice and mix with lemon vinaigrette.

From Eat Well, Waste Less; An A-Z guide to using leftovers.

Nutrition for Kids

http://support.pcrm.org/site/DocServer/Nutrition_for_Kids.pdf?docID=801

Cook and Taste

We had a cook and taste session yesterday at the Venture Community Centre( W10 5YB), after the African dance and it is just a perfect timing as we were hungry after that workout.
Although we did not do any cooking, we had fruits, pitta bread and humous which was healthy and nutritious and I cannot think of a better lunch than  that; all the foods that make up a nutritious and healthy meal.
We also did a session on the "Eat well Plate" which demonstrate what items of food we need to have a balance diet on a daily basis. A combination of vegetables, dairy and fats and oils(to be taken in moderation) in order to have all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs. But importantly to make fruits and vegetables a part of your diet daily.

Here is a picture of the "Eat well Plate"

Basic Crumble -Vegetable

Suitable for summer vegetable crumble:
Courgettes,red peppers,aubergines & tomatoes.

Ingredients

• Approx 400g of a combination of the above vegetables (raw)
• 2 onions
• 25g margarine or butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 30ml tomato puree
• 30ml horseradish sauce (optional)
• For topping 200g plain flour or 200g of a combination of flour and oats
• 75g butter

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 170⁰C/340⁰F/Gas mark 4 .
2. Dice or chop the vegetables, slice the onion, and melt the butter in a casserole dish, fry the chopped onion for about 3 minutes until soft. Stir in the flour, removing as many lumps as possible gradually adding in the stock stirring all the time until you have a smooth sauce
3. Add the chopped vegetables, tomato purée and horseradish sauce, if using salt and pepper, cover with a lid and place in the oven for 45 minutes.
4. Transfer the mixture to a large pie dish.
5. For the topping, put the flour or combination of flour and oats in a bowl and chop up the butter into the flour.
6. Using your hands, gradually blend the butter into the flour until it is evenly distributed and the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
7. Scatter topping over vegetables and bake for 30 minutes.

Recipe from: Eat Well,Waste less by Bish Muir

How Alcohol Affects Your Body

Your Brain-Alcohol, even in small amounts,causes irreparable damage to the brain cells;some die and others are altered.

Your Heart- Alcohol increases the risk of hypertension, stroke,and damage to the heart muscle.

Your Lungs-Alcohol; depress respiratory functions.

Your Reproductive System-In men, alcohol can damage cells in the testes, causing impotence, sterility, and possibly enlarged breasts. In women, alcohol can can cause irregular menstrual cycles and malfunctioning of the ovaries.Alcohol has also been linked to birth defects in infants and to fetal alcohol syndrome.

Your Liver-Because your liver must filter alcohol from the blood, alcohol affects it more than any other organ of your body:

• Excess calories in alcohol are stored as fat in the liver.
• Functioning liver cells die from alcoholic poisoning.
• Scar tissues replaces dead cells, causing cirrhosis.

Your immune system-Alcohol weakens the body's defense against infection and breast cancer.

From the book, You -Turn by Hans Diehl and Aileen Ludington.