Health & Lifestyle: Salad: Good Health In A Bowl #AD

 

A healthy meal doesn’t have to be boring. Yes, you read it right. Not because you don’t like vegetables or certain kinds of food, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a bowl of salad for you. Salad is one of the most flexible food recipes in the world. Whether you’re a vegetarian, pescatarian, or eat a mix of everything, one way or another, there is a salad recipe that suits you. It can be a mix of everything or simply put the ingredients that match your diet or preference. It’s like a complete DIY kit for healthy living. Here are some ingredients that you can add to be part of your healthy bowl of goodness.

Raw greens are usually the base of a salad. You would want greens that are crispy and vibrant without any signs of wilting or yellowing. The most popular greens are lettuce. You may opt for leaf lettuce or romaine lettuce as they’re the ones that are richer in vitamins.

Fresh fruits can be very flexible. Aside from being a healthy snack or dessert, you can also incorporate them in your salad. Some of the common fruits mixed in salads are apples, oranges, pomegranates, or you can also squeeze some lemon juice into your mixture.

Other vegetables are commonly the body of a salad. While greens are also vegetables, there are other colourful gifts of nature that you can mix in your salad to make them more colourful and healthier. Some common vegetables are carrots, cucumbers, onions, mushrooms, and peppers.

Nuts and seeds are a great addition to your salads. They are tasty and add crunch to your meal. Both are packed with protein fibres, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fat, too. They also help with weight loss as they can help burn fats and regulate your food intake. Common nuts in the salad are almonds, pistachios, cashews, and walnuts, while some seeds that are usually added are pumpkin seeds and chia seeds.

Beans and legumes are packed with nutrients that can be a good staple in your healthy diet. They help lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and heart diseases. They are also rich in antioxidants that fight other diseases and ageing. You can add black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, and many others for added texture, flavour, and nutrients.

Cheese is an excellent source of calcium, protein, and fat, aside from the added flavour contributing to a salad. You can use goat cheese, feta cheese, parmesan, or cheddar cheese, depending on your preference, but any of them makes a good pair with any salads.

Proteins like meat complement salads well. By adding protein to your salad, you are making it a more filling meal. You may use red meat, chicken, hard-boiled egg, or fish as your protein. It is essential to keep in mind to opt for lean meat for a healthier choice.

Dressings

Creating delicious dressings for your salad is crucial as it will enhance the flavour of your chosen mixture of vegetables, fruits, proteins, and other components. Aside from adding value to its appearance, salad dressing also helps digestion. There are three main types of salad dressing that you can choose from.

Vinaigrette is a mixture of oil, vinegar, herbs, spice, salt, and pepper. While you can decide what ingredients to use to make your vinaigrette, using healthy options will give you more benefits. You can opt for extra virgin olive oil for extra flavour for oils, or you can use canola oil for a light and neutral-flavoured oil.

The creamy dressing uses mayonnaise, yoghurt, sour cream, or milk as a base. Many people love creamy food, and if you are one of those people, this kind of dressing will enhance your salad game. There are many kinds of cream that you can use as a base, but you can choose yoghurt if you are cutting calories. It contains low calories and fat than the others, and it is also higher in protein.

Cooked dressing resembles a creamy consistency, but instead of using a creamy base, it uses cooked egg to thicken the mixture. It may also contain vinegar, flour, mustard, salt, pepper, and butter, depending on how you want your dressing to taste. You can skip putting hard-boiled eggs in your salad if you are opting for this kind of dressing. Always remember to include healthy ingredients like light butter for less saturated fat and calories.

Add-ons:

To maximise the benefits you are getting in your salad bowl, you can add these supplements to your salad dressing for additional health benefits.

Turmeric

You may have heard of this spice as part of Asian cooking being a common ingredient in curries. But aside from its wide use in cooking, this root is packed with curcumin widely used to make medicines. It is said to help manage pain and inflammation, high cholesterol, liver disease, heartburn, and stress. One way to add healthy benefits to your bowl of salad is to add turmeric powder to your salad dressings. Just add a teaspoon and your salad is healthier than ever.

CBD oil

Cannabidiol or more commonly known as CBD oil, is extracted from the hemp plant. Although it comes from the family of Cannabis, this excellent oil natural supplement does not cause psychoactive effects. Instead, it is believed to be packed with many therapeutic benefits. Many people use CBD oil for pain relief, inflammation, stress, anxiety, and management of other health conditions. Aside from these benefits, you can also use CBD oil for general wellness. Adding a few drops of CBD oil to your salad dressing will add more health benefits to both your body and mind.

Ashwagandha

Aside from helping your body fight stress, ashwagandha is also packed with other health benefits. It has been used for centuries to enhance concentration, increase energy in the body, lower blood sugar levels, and boost testosterone levels. It is rich in withanolides which helps manage inflammation and tumour growth. A tablespoon of ashwagandha in your salad dressing can make a difference and provide additional therapeutic benefits.

Chaga Powder

Chaga is a kind of mushroom that has been used for centuries for medicinal use. Due to its antioxidant properties, it is said to help manage blood sugar, inflammation, and cholesterol levels. It is also believed that it has the ability to fight cancer. You can mix a teaspoon of Chaga powder in your salad dressing for added benefits.

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Foodie Friday: Italian Style Orzo Soup (Vegan / Dairy-Free recipe) #WinterComfortFood

Comforting, filling, hearty bowls of food are everything to me right now, and I could honestly eat this Italian Style Orzo Soup for lunch every day until next March! It's also a great way to get some extra veggies into your diet if you find that you struggle to hit your five a day during the winter months.

Last month, I picked up a large packet of Orzo for a reduced price (I'm forever the yellow sticker bargain hunter!), and having never actually heard of it before, I decided to have a quick scour online for ways to use it. 

Orzo is an Italian pasta which is also known as risoni and it basically looks like small grains of rice which lend themselves very well to being thrown into soups, salads and casseroles. This instantly adds bulk and substance to any meal and with my penchant for hearty comfort food, it made sense for me to experiment with an Italian Style Orzo Soup recipe. 

After some tweaks here and there, I've finally perfected it into something which can be easily made on a Sunday evening and then heated up for speedy lunches throughout the week. And did you know that if you cool and then reheat carbohydrates such as pasta, you actually reduce those initial spikes in your blood glucose levels? Healthy and comforting - my favourite food combo!

Ingredients (makes around four servings)

• 200g Orzo
• 400g tin of Chopped Tomatoes
• 800ml Vegetable Stock
• 3 cloves of Garlic, peeled & crushed
• 1 small White Onion, finely diced
• 2-3 stalks of Celery, finely sliced
• 1 Red Chilli, finely chopped
• 1 Courgette, chopped
• 1 Red Pepper, finely diced
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 tsp Italian Mixed Herbs
• Drizzle of Olive Oil, for frying
• Salt & Pepper, to season

Method

• Add a drizzle of Olive Oil to a large and deep saucepan over a medium heat. Add the Onion, Garlic and Celery and cook for about 4-5 minutes to gently soften.
• Next, add in the chopped Red Pepper, Courgette and Red Chilli, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
• Finally, add all of the remaining ingredients - the Orzo, Chopped Tomatoes, Vegetable Stock, Bay Leaves and Italian Mixed Herbs. Continue to cook for a further 10 minutes, until the Orzo is al dente (or cook for a few minutes longer if you prefer your pasta softer), making sure to stir occasionally.
• Ladle into serving bowls and season with Salt & Pepper if desired - enjoy!

Storage tip: Once cooled, keep any remaining servings of the soup in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 2-3 days, making sure to thoroughly reheat it before serving. Unfortunately, cooked pasta turns mushy when it is frozen, but you could freeze the soup without the orzo and then cook a fresh batch of orzo to accompany it at a later date.

Have you tried Orzo before?

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Foodie Friday: Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup (Vegan / Dairy-Free recipe)

The weather is awful so it's time to embrace those simple pleasures in life, such as cosying up on the sofa with a hot bowl of homemade soup.  This easy Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup recipe will warm you up in no time at all!

Soups are a great way to use up leftover veg and once you get into the habit of making your own (and it's pretty addictive when you start), you'll quickly find that you'll never want to eat a ready-made can of soup ever again. Homemade really is best here and I'm sure you'll agree once you've tasted this delicious recipe.

I always try to make sure that I incorporate plenty of naturally red coloured foods into my diet as they are packed full of super-healthy antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A (beta-carotene), Vitamin C, manganese and lycopene, as well as being a good source of dietary fibre. Cooking tomatoes, in particular, helps them to release more of the antioxidant lycopene which helps to protect the heart and even lowers the risk of some forms of cancer.

Not only that, but roasting the tomatoes and red peppers for this recipe takes this soup to the next level up in terms of adding even more flavour, so it's well worth taking the extra time to do this, and once your soup is ready, you'll have a whole batch to see you through the week for some speedy lunches or dinners. Yum!

Ingredients (makes four servings - simply double the ingredients to make a bigger batch if you're meal prepping)

• 4 medium-sized Red Peppers
• 400g Plum Tomatoes
• 1 small White Onion
• 1 stick of Celery
• 3-4 cloves of Garlic, depending on taste
• 2tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4tbsp Tomato Puree
• 400ml Vegetable Stock
• Salt & Pepper to season
• Drizzle of Coconut Milk (optional)
• Chilli Flakes (optional)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200C / Gas Mark 4. Cut the Red Peppers in half and discard the ribs and seeds. Halve the Tomatoes and Onion, and place everything on a baking tray, along with the Garlic to roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes until soft. 
• In a large saucepan, mix together the Vegetable Stock and Tomato Puree. Finely chop the Celery and add it to the saucepan, simmering over a medium heat for 10 minutes.
• Remove the peel from the roasted Onion and Garlic and add them to the saucepan for 5 minutes, before adding the roasted Red Peppers, Tomatoes and Olive Oil. Simmer for another 5 minutes to allow all of the flavours to infuse.
• Add a drizzle of Coconut Milk if using and transfer everything to a food processor. Blend until smooth and pour a serving into a bowl. 
• Season with Salt & Pepper, and sprinkle over some Chili Flakes if you like a little spice. Enjoy immediately whilst the soup is still hot with some slices of toasted sourdough.

Storage tip: Once thoroughly cooled, this soup will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days or it can be frozen in batches for up to a month. Ensure it is fully defrosted before reheating and always serve piping hot.

Do you enjoy making your own soup?

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Foodie Friday: Crispy Madras Tofu Bites with Turmeric Basmati Rice & Stir-Fried Veggies (Vegan recipe)

Think all Tofu tastes like a weird soggy sponge? You've been cooking it wrong! With a little clever know-how,  it's easy to transform this popular plant-based protein source into a deliciously crispy bite that you can add to any rice, noodles or stir-fry dish. Try it this way and you may just change your mind!

Tofu is definitely a love it or hate it type of food for most people and I can sympathise; the very first time that I tried tofu was from my local Chinese takeaway and it was awful. It had hardly been cooked and the accompanying thick sauce caused it to be horribly soggy in texture. I avoided tofu for years afterwards, until a vegan friend cooked up a batch at a house party and it changed my outlook on the humble bean curd forever.

See, the main thing to bear in mind with tofu is that the texture of it can be altered completely depending upon how you cook it, and it can be prepared in so many different ways. It's also worth experimenting with trying various brands because I've found that they don't all taste the same or have the same texture, even before you cook with it. The best kind that I always buy is organic and extra-firm, with my favourite brands being Clearspot (available in health food stores and online at Abel and Cole), and Tofoo which you can pick up in your local Sainsbury's, Waitrose or Tesco. 

Below is my absolute favourite way to cook with tofu as the end result has a pleasant crisp/bite to it and the Madras Curry Powder gives it lots of flavour. I love adding this to a hot bowl of homemade Turmeric Basmati Rice and plenty of Stir-Fried Veggies for a nutritious and totally satisfying meal that always fills me up! You can easily adapt this recipe by using different types of seasonings and spices with your tofu, and you can serve it with your favourite veggies and any kind of rice or noodles.

Ingredients (makes 2-3 servings)

• 280g of Extra-Firm Plain Organic Tofu (I used Clearspot)
• 2tsp of Madras Curry Powder
• 1 tbsp of Cornflour
• 1tbp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra for frying
• 150g Basmati Rice
• 2 tsp of Turmeric (I used Kiki Health)
• 3 Cardamon Pods
• 1 whole Star Anise
• Mixed Stir-Fry Veggies (I used Peppers, Mushrooms & Baby Corn)
• Soy or Tamari Sauce to serve (optional)

Method:

• In a large saucepan with a lid, add the Basmati Rice and 225ml of cold water. Add the Turmeric, Cardamon Pods, Star Anise and put the lid on. Bring to the boil, then reduce to the lowest simmer setting to allow the rice to steam for around 20-25 minutes, keeping the lid on for the whole duration. Alternatively, use a rice steamer.
• While the rice is cooking, prep the Tofu by gently squeezing out as much water as possible because the drier and firmer it is, the better the end result will be. Cut it into bite-sized cubes and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add the Madras Curry Powder, Cornflour and Olive Oil, mixing it with a spoon or your hands, so that the tofu is completely coated. Set aside.
• Heat up a large frying pan or wok to a medium temperature with a generous drizzle of Olive Oil. Slice up your Mixed Veggies and add these to the pan with the coated Tofu cubes. Stir fry everything for 6-8 minutes until the outside of the Tofu looks golden brown and crispy. 
• Remove the lid on the pan with the Basmati Rice and take out the Cardamon Pods and Star Anise. Fluff the rice with a fork and transfer to a serving bowl or plate. Add the Tofu and Veggies on the top with a splash of Soy or Tamari Sauce if desired. Enjoy!

Speedy Meal Prep Tips: You can make the Tofu a day in advance and store it in the fridge in a sealed container - just make sure to add the Cornflour before you're about to cook it. You can use microwaveable rice if you're short on time.

Are you a fan of Tofu? 

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