Goodness of Asparagus

Asparagus. Known for its goodness. These little tree like veggies certainly catch my attention at the market because they are a personal fav. They're packed with all kinds of nutrients and offer a delicious flavour. What's not to like?

Asparagus comes from the same family as garlic and onion. There are around 300 types of Asparagus in the world including one species from Africa which is considered poisonous. Asparagus is very easy to come by as it's grown all around the world.

People most commonly assume Asparagus is green but there is also white and purple stems that are cultivated and harvested for sale. The purple stems have a sweeter taste compared to the green and white stems. By far, the green Asparagus is the best to eat of the three. They are known to have many more nutrients and health benefits, including:

- Good source of fibre which helps with digestion
- Good source of folate which is essential in producing red blood cells
- Good sources of vitamin, A, B6, C, E and K
- Very high in anti-oxidants which helps in slowing down the ageing process
- Good source of glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps break down carcinogens
- A natural diuretic, it helps rid the body of excess salt
- Low in calories, so it makes a good snack
- It contains anti-inflammatory compounds which fight against type 2 diabetes 

Here is a quick and simple recipe I like to use when preparing Asparagus

Ingredients
1 Bundle Asparagus, bottoms cut
2 Tbps Balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Pinch of salt and cracked black pepper

Directions
Place Asparagus on baking sheets and drizzle with vinegar and oil. Pinch some salt and pepper before and after cooking in the oven for 15 minutes at 375C.

Remember when preparing Asparagus, steam, grill or eat raw. Try not to boil them because boiling pulls out most of the nutrients.

Enjoy!

How to make Bread

It is what sandwiches our deli meats together or what is used to dunk in or mop up food. From every drop of tomato sauce you want to gobble up from the bottom of your now empty plate of Spaghetti, to the creamy hummus you want to dip and enjoy as this vessel makes it easier to bring food to your taste buds...

Wow, that was the longest sentence ever. But, let's get to the point..that's right..

.. BREAD!

Here is a super easy recipe that anyone can try.

Ingredients

1 package Dry Active Yeast   (1.5 tsp if measuring loose yeast)

3 cups All Purpose Flour

3/4 cup Warm Water

1/3 cup Milk

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Salt

(You may add additional spice if desired. Some good options are thyme, oregano, rosemary or even 

cinnamon)

Directions

In a small bowl, add the package of dry yeast and warm water. Stir until completely dissolved.

In another large bowl, mix salt, sugar, oil and milk (and spice if using). Add yeast. Slowly mix in the

3 cups of flour. Get in there with your hands at this point and work the dough while in the bowl. 

When the dough starts to form, turn it over on your counter and knead for 2 minutes. Roll dough and shape into a small football. Place it in a greased loaf pan, and cover with towel for 80 minutes.

Once the time has passed, uncover and you will find the bread has significantly risen. Pop it into a 375F oven for 45 minutes. Since the loaf pan is greased, the bread should come out easily. Wait 15 minutes for the loaf to slightly cool to make for easier cutting.

It's hard to resist a slice of warm bread!

Enjoy!

Spice Nook: Cardamom

Cardamom is a favourite spice of mine. I grew up with the familiar aromatic taste of it in certain dishes, teas, coffees and desserts. Cardamom is native to India, Pakistan and Nepal. It is often used in Southern Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine and is gaining popularity in other world regions. Once an overlooked spice, Cardamom is now appreciated and cultivated in many parts of the world, including Guatamala, which is now the top global exporter.

There are two types of Cardamom - green and black.

For the most part, they taste identical, however the black cardamom has a smokiness to it. Both green and black pods contain seeds. Those seeds can be used on their own, or pulverised into a dust. I enjoy crushing the pod with the back of my knife and throwing it in while cooking. I love using cardamom with rice. I use it in rice pudding and garnish alongside with chopped pistachio's and honey. Also, I use it when I make coconut rice because it adds that something extra.

If any of you have tried Arabic/Turkish coffee, you will know that green cardamom is often ground up with the beans and packaged together. It offers a unique spice and scent to the coffee that puts this Java in a world of its own. It's also one of the top spices when making a garam masala for Indian cuisine alongside with black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and cumin.

Cardamom has also been used as traditional medicine in Asia for many years. Some of the claimed benefits of Cardamom are:

• Offers relief of sensitive tooth and gums (when chewed)

• Helps to speed up digestion

• Natural oil in seeds offers relief from gastritis irritation by coating and soothing stomach lining

• Offers anti inflammatory properties

• Produces circulation of blood in lungs which assist in asthma and cough

• Packed with essential minerals and electrolytes to help fight anaemia 

• Helps to break down kidney and gall stones

• Known to lower blood pressure

• Fights bad breath
• Once thought to treat snake venom (still used for this purpose in parts of India)

If you're new to trying cardamom, remember, next time you make a cup of tea, or order a cup of Turkish coffee, make sure to have this spice dropped in. If you like the flavour, start experimenting with your cooking.

Enjoy!

EASY Caramel

Making caramel is fun. Making it when it's super easy raises the question, "Why not make this more often?"
Well, the answer is because it's SOOOO sweet and addictive..


BUT, if you're looking to make this decadent stuff to spread on or within a cake, to dip fruits in, or to eat straight out of the can (I won't judge,) here is an easy recipe you can follow. Just make sure you have time to keep a watchful eye on this.

Ingredients
1 can of sweetened condensed milk



Directions
Remove label from can of sweetened condensed milk. Drop in deep pot of water. Let simmer/light boil on its side for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Turn off heat, drain water and let can sit out for 6+ hours before you open it.
My advice is to boil 2 or 3 cans at once because it does use up burner electricity. You can store unopened cans away for a few weeks, so why not?

Caution! DO NOT open after boiling. If you open can too early you will risk burning yourself. Also, DO NOT let the water in the pot boil off. Add water from time to time to make sure can(s) are fully submerged. Not doing this will cause the can to explode if the water boils off.

Happy Carameling!

Enjoy!

Easy Nutella Brownies

In honour of World Nutella Day, I thought I'd share this very simple brownie recipe that has the rich creamy nutella taste. These brownies are sinfully good! They wont stick around too long once out of the oven.

Ingredients

2 cups nutella

1 cup flour

1 tsp salt

4 large eggs

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup melted butter

3/4 cup crushed hazelnuts

(you can substitute coconut flakes or chocolate chips instead of hazelnuts)

Preheat oven to 325F. Combine flour and salt in bowl. In another bowl, on medium speed with an electric mixer, or in your stand up mixer, beat eggs, nutella, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth for about 2 minutes. Slowly add the flour/salt and melted butter and mix until incorporated.

Grease a 8" pan or any square brownie pan you have. Pour batter into pan and bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool for at least an hour. Spread nutella over the top. Cut, serve and enjoy!

Spice Nook: Ginger

I've been tempted to reflect on Ginger in this post. I just got over some stomach virus and enduring it was awful.... until I added some ginger. I don't think I have to do much convincing on ginger being very beneficial. We've heard through the years from almost everyone.

Ginger, or Ginger root is of the plant Zingiber. It has been cultivated in Southern Asia for thousands of years and is now grows in places like the Caribbean. It has been used for promoting good health for thousands of years by ancient medicine and is still respected today for its healthy properties.

Ginger can be consumed in many ways from boiled in water, to cooked with food, and even chewed on. It also comes powdered and can easily be sprinkled on anything, however in this state the benefits are far less compared to fresh ginger.
Ginger, when consumed raw, produces a hot taste, and when pickled the natural sweetness can be enjoyed.

Here are some benefits of consuming ginger:

• Shown to fight cancer cells, especially ovarian cancer
• Aids in respiratory health
• Improves absorption of essential nutrients into the body
• Helps to clear mucus from sinuses
• Aids in fighting motion sickness, nausea and vomiting 
• Promotes good digestion
• Reduces flatulence 
• Acts as an anti-inflammatory and aids in joint and muscle pain
• Has been proven to strengthen the immune system which in turn helps flight other potential illnesses

I like to buy fresh ginger from the market. I wash it really well and then stick it in a zip lock bag and pop it in the freezer. I am one to grate my ginger for everything from my teas to dinner dishes, and I find that it's much easier to grate from frozen. 

A tip!

If you're feeling under the weather due to a stomach virus or have very bad nausea, here's A tip! Boil 1 cup water, add 1 tsp fresh grated ginger and 1 tsp honey. Mix well and let a Camomile tea bag steep for a few minutes. Drink this 2-3 times a day when ill. It will ease the sickness and aid in proper digestion. 

Baba Ghanouj

At some point in ones life, theyve heard that funny word Baba Ghanouj. After the initial giggle, they realise it's actually a delicious dip made of roasted eggplant, roasted garlic and spices.

Here is a very simple recipe for this delicious dip.


Ingredients
1 medium sized Eggplant
1 head of Garlic
2 tbsp Tahini paste
2 tbsp Lemon juice
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Salt

Place the eggplant and head of garlic (chop the top off) in a 375F oven and let roast  for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes.


When the eggplant has cooled, peel the skin off and cut off the top. Squish out the delicious roasted garlic as well.

Place the eggplant and garlic in a small food processor and add the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Pulse for 1 minute, and tada! Garnish with pine nuts or pomegranate seeds and parsley or thyme and olive oil. Today I topped with olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika and black pepper.  You can enjoy with pita bread, veggie sticks or even as a side dish like I did with dinner. Enjoy!