Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Lamb and Lentils

Lentils are a low-glycemic index legume that are high in fiber, folate, thiamin, manganese and contain approximately 18 different amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Lamb contains all of the essential amino acids along with a significant amount of potassium and phosphorus. Combing lamb with lentils provides a healthful and tasty meal. Adding vegetables to lamb and lentils will increase the nutritional value especially fiber and vitamin A.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/483415-lamb-lentil-bake/#ixzz1ngLv1H1j

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Mint

Many herbs are easy to grow and abundant at food stores. Herb gardening has been around for centuries...used for medicinal purposes, to flavor foods, and for their nutrient properties. We can harvest, rinse, dry and bottle, but what else can we do?
Mint is an herb that grows like crazy and often needs to be cut-back or grown in a container. Many people decide to grow a small amount in a pot on their window sill. Others prefer to pick up a few sprigs at their local Farmer's Market
Herbs grown for consumption should be grown in a place where animals do not have access. Always rinse your herbs well before storing or eating. There are many good reference books for herb gardening, one is: Encyclopedia of Herb Gardening, Consultant Editor Francis Hutchinson, ISBN 1 877019 94-1.
A few mint leaves can be a great addition to iced tea or a green salad. But, It's also good in Smoothies. 
Place the following ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth (serving size = 1):
Recipe 1: 4 oz. orange juice 
1 medium banana 
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 tsp. honey 
2 large or 4 medium mint leaves (rinsed)
Recipe 2: 
4 oz. cranberry juice 
1/2 fresh, peeled orange 
1/8 teaspoon crushed (powder form) cloves 
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 
2 large or 4 medium mint leaves (rinsed)
Recipe 3: 
4 oz. pineapple juice 
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
half of an avocado (peeled and pitted) 
2 large or 4 medium mint leaves
Certainly you can experiment and have fun with different ways to incorporate herbs into your smoothies.

Saturday, February 4, 2012


Ideas for Lent:
Fish from clean waters contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and essential amino acids. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish per week. Tomatoes provide fiber, vitamins A and C, and the antioxidant licopene. Combining fish and tomatoes with the smooth texture of sour cream will provide a mouth-watering meal.
Bake
Rinse and pat dry fish such as tilapia, flounder or orange roughy and place in a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray. Cook the fish half-way and then top with a blend of stewed or fresh chopped tomatoes, shredded Parmesan cheese, minced onion, halved garlic cloves, oregano, pepper and sour cream. Squeeze the juice from fresh lemons over the cooked fish before serving on rice and top with dried parsley to add color to the fish meal.
Pan-Fry
Rinse, pat dry and rub a mixture of flour, bread crumbs, paprika, parsley and pepper over both sides of boned fish such as sole, cod or tilapia. Place the coated fish in a fry pan with hot olive oil and brown on both sides. Add a mix of cubed tomatoes, sour cream, snipped chives, pressed garlic cloves, lemon zest and oregano or marjoram to the pan fried fish and continue cooking until the fish flakes easily.
Sandwiches
Grill salmon steaks that have been lightly coated with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Top the cooked salmon steaks with thick tomato slices and sour cream that has been whisked with crushed garlic cloves and dill. Serve the dressed salmon steaks between two thick slices of toasted bread such as Texas toast, rye or ciabatta bread. For a quick sandwich, blend imitation crab meat with sour cream, fresh dill and finely minced, sweet onions. Serve the crab blend on sandwich bread with Roma or beefsteak tomato slices and lettuce.
Pasta
Boil whole wheat rigatoni and blend with a simmered mix of tomato sauce, tomato slices, chopped red, yellow and green bell peppers, sliced black olives, oregano, garlic and pepper. Fill a platter with the pasta blend and then top the pasta with cooked white fish or salmon and sliced lemon rounds. Place a large dollop of sour cream that has been mixed with dill and lemon juice on top of the fish. You can also blend light, canned tuna with angel hair pasta, small chunks of tomatoes, sour cream, extra virgin olive oil, capers and fresh oregano.