# Healthy and Delicious Food



## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Hey all, there has been a request for healthy, delicious recipes and so I'm starting a thread on just that. Let's all share our favourites, and also recommend cook books that really make the grade!

I'm going to start with a real favourite: Harira. This is Ramadan food Muslims use to get through their daytime fasting periods. It's full of super stuff and I always feel better after eating it. You can cook it with or without meat.


*Harira Soup*

200g dried chickpeas (garbanzos)
350g dried brown or green lentils
200 g broken-up vermicelli or spaghettini pasta
500g cubed lamb (or beef, or chicken) - optional
1/2 cup olive oil
1L hot water and enough vegetable or chicken stock powder for quantity
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
2 bay leaves
1tbsp sweet paprika
1tbsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon
1/2tsp chilli powder or 1/2 finely chopped red chilli
4 crushed garlic cloves
2 diced onions
2 sliced and chopped red capsicums
2 diced potatoes 
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes (or equivalent chopped fresh ripe tomatoes)
1 big bunch flat leaf parsley
1 big bunch coriander (cilantro)
Crusty bread and fresh dates to serve on the side

Soak the chickpeas in water overnight, then cook in plenty of water until tender (while preparing rest of recipe). Set aside until needed.

Heat the olive oil in the biggest cauldron you have and sautee the onions on medium heat until glassy and starting to soften. At this stage, turn up the heat, add meat cubes and possibly more oil, and start to seal the meat. (If you haven't got experience doing this combined without burning the onions, you can use a separate frypan to do the meat, and combine later.) When the meat is mostly done, add the garlic, celery, red capsicum, potatoes, grated ginger, and all the spices (but not the fresh herbs), stirring gently. Add the hot water and stock powder, reduce heat, and simmer.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and add lentils, and the set aside chick peas (because most varieties of chick peas can always benefit from more cooking - or go to a Lebanese deli and ask for a decent tender-cooking variety - these are larger than what you get in a supermarket). When the lentils are nearly cooked, add the broken pasta and continue cooking until pasta is al dente. Then drain the whole lot into a colander.

Meanwhile, you'll be continuing with the meat/vegetable pan. Some people just use the juice of a lemon, I like to whizz the whole (unsprayed) lemon in a blender and add the whole lot because it adds zest and depth. Try using small amounts of whizzed lemons at first and work up to the full amount next time if you like that taste.

When the meat and vegetables are ready, I like to use a stick blender to blend at least half of the pan's contents to give me a nice thick texture. Yes, I blend at least half the meat too. You don't have to do this.

Then, add the diced canned tomatoes and drained chickpeas / lentils / pasta to the main cauldron. (If you use fresh tomatoes, add them with the capsicum etc earlier on.) Turn off heat, add finely chopped parsley and coriander (I use my blender) and stir and taste to see if your seasoning needs adjusting or you need more stock. You should have a _very_ thick, chunky soup.

This dish always tastes better on the second day, when the flavours have fully developed. It's excellent for re-heating, and the quantity will last for days (plus it freezes well). It's about an hour to make the whole lot but it then sits in the fridge and gives you several amazing meals in-between other cooking over the next four days (don't keep it longer without freezing). I never get sick of this stuff. If you're feeling under the weather, this will really lift you. Traditionally Harira is served with a good crusty, crunchy bread (toast wholemeal Lebanese flatbreads if you don't have a nice crusty loaf) and fresh dates.


This is a fairly involved recipe, but worth it. If you're a bit of a novice cook, don't be frightened off, I promise to post some really simple recipes soon!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Thanks, Sue! what a great idea! I have to think if I have ANY healthy recipes. I have a poor diet, and it shows.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Good idea - because I struggle to be able to include the words healthy and delicious in the same food description!!!!


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Gosh, Jaydee, I guess having a Mediterranean background gives people an edge, as there are hundreds and hundreds of healthy, delicious recipes to make. A good start would be to look through books on recipes from Italy, Greece, Spain, the erstwhile Yugoslavia, Morocco, Lebanon, Cyprus, etc - especially the peasant fare, which is not usually filled with excess fat and sugar, and is brimming with fresh vegetables, pulses etc.

I picked up a South American cook book from a library sale the other day and that too has some wonderful mouthwatering recipes made from healthy ingredients. And then there's Asian stir fries etc... 

Don't use "Westernised" cookbooks of those cuisines...

I think one of the reasons healthy eating is associated with boring, insipid food in the West is because of what processed food companies have marketed as "healthy" foods to consumers. :shock: Might as well eat wallpaper glue.

Also I think it's the English influence on the cooking of English-speaking Western countries, which is generally not the healthiest type of cooking (remember "The Two Fat Ladies" which caricatured that? Haha!) - although there are recipes that are exceptions. The English traditionally served any vegetables boiled on the side and have tended to overcook their vegetables historically, plus cook too much stodge... I think Jamie Oliver is doing a good job lately reinventing some of that stuff to make it healthier and more delicious at the same time.

I'll get back to this. Happy New Year all!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Sue, I made a chili that's pretty much the same minus the pasta. Froze it in portions.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

...I just dug up the manuscript for some recipes I did for Grass Roots magazine here in Australia. I don't have to type them, I'm just cutting and pasting, so that suits me for now. They're a bit simpler than the Harira.


*Quick Flatbread Pizzas*

1 x large wholemeal Lebanese flatbread per person (or 2 x pita pockets)
To top:
Tomato paste and / or sliced fresh tomatoes
Italian herbs (basil, oregano,marjoram, etc)
Freshly ground pepper
Sliced capsicum, mushrooms, onions etc
Sliced salami and / or ham (optional)
Grated mozzarella or cheddar
Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

Toast your flatbreads on both sides under the grill, then smear with tomato paste, sprinkle with herbs and pepper, and top with everything except the cheese. Grill until the ingredients are cooked to your liking, then sprinkle on the cheese and grill until melted. This is a quick and tasty dish. The more vegetables you pile on, the better – so long as it all cooks through, of course! Far healthier and far less expensive than take-away pizza – and done in very little time. You can also do this on diagonally sliced baguettes, sliced ryebread or other substantial, preferably home-made bread.



*Our Irish Stew*

2 large onions
Vegetable oil for cooking
500g diced slow-cook beef (or other inexpensive, tasty cut)
1kg coarsely sliced or chopped potatoes, washed but skin on
1kg sliced juicing carrots
½ head green cabbage, sliced
2 tablespoons powdered chicken or beef stock
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 heaped tablespoon freshly grated pepper

Medium dice the onions and cook them over medium heat with some vegetable oil until glassy and tender. Turn up the heat and add the beef, stirring occasionally so that it seals on all sides and the onions don't burn. Add the chopped potatoes and enough water to just cover them. Stir through the stock, and cook on high heat until the potatoes are just tender. Then add the sliced carrots, mustard and parsley. Mix well and continue cooking on medium heat until the carrots are tender. By this stage the potatoes will be starting to disintegrate enough to thicken the stew beautifully. After taking the pot off the heat, stir through the sliced cabbage, then put the lid back on for a few minutes. By doing this, your cabbage will be semi-crisp and delicious instead of overcooked and attracting blowflies. The amount in this recipe will feed four very hungry people. If you have a large family or a cauldron, double your quantities. This dish is also great re-heated, so cook it in bulk to save time. If you grow your own potatoes, you're laughing with this dish. Juicing carrots are less then $1/kg and far tastier than the standard ones. They come in 5kg bulk packs, but just buy them and cook with them – they are inexpensive and super healthy, and go well julienned in stir fries, or as traditional carrots and peas, or grated into Bolognaise sauce and frittatas, or grated raw with tacos and in salads.



*Lebanese Lentils and Rice*

2 large onions
Olive oil
400g dried green or brown lentils
400g short-grain or calrose rice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Salad vegetables including lettuce, tomatoes and spring onions
Balsamic vinegar to drizzle

Medium dice the onions and cook them over medium heat with some olive oil until starting to brown. Traditionally the Lebanese caramelise the onions within an inch of their life, and you can do this if you wish. Then add 1 – 1.5 litres of boiling water, salt and pepper to taste, and the lentils, and slow cook until the lentils are nearly tender. The trick is that the water left at that point must be no more than what the rice you then add is going to absorb. You can always add more water as you go, but if you start with too much you will end up with a slush. I always work by feel here and it turns out all right, but if you have any doubts, cook the lentils separately, drain them, and add them to the rice cooked by absorption method in the main pot with the fried onions. This method is also better if you are going to use brown rice.

You should end up with a risotto texture. The lentils are full of protein and fibre and very good for you. Brown rice is also good, but rice is lower in protein than other grains,which is why serving it with lentils or other legumes is a good idea. Top your Lebanese risotto with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, spring onions and whatever else you like in a salad, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. That's right, you serve the salad ingredients on top of the warm risotto, and eat them together – heavenly! Also good cold or reheated, so increase your quantities if you wish.



*Beef and Vegetable Curry*

400g green or brown lentils
500g rice (jasmine rice works well; brown rice is the healthiest option and very nutty)
Salt
500g diced slow-cook beef
1 onion
Peanut or other vegetable oil
Curry powder or paste to taste
1kg pumpkin
400g fresh or frozen peas
800g tin diced tomatoes, or equivalent fresh

Cook the lentils until tender, and the rice by absorption method with salt to taste, and combine. Medium dice the onion and cook it over medium heat with the oil until tender. Stir in your curry powder or paste, and cook for another minute or two; then turn up the heat and add the diced beef. Stir occasionally so it seals on all sides and the onions don't burn. Meanwhile, peel and dice your pumpkin, and add it to the pot with just enough water to cook it. Depending on pumpkin variety, cook for 10-20 minutes until tender, then add the peas and tinned tomatoes. (If you are using fresh tomatoes, add them at the same stage as the pumpkin.) When the peas are tender, turn off the heat. Serve the curry over a bed of the combined lentils and rice. This dish reheats well. You can vary the vegetables according to taste and availability. This dish is also good vegetarian; just leave out the beef, maybe add some chickpeas for texture. 

We have used kangaroo in this dish as well (and in other dishes calling for beef) - it's Australian game meat, very lean, as good as venison. Last time it was because a boomer (male kangaroo) got a broken leg on the road and needed to be put out of his misery. Kangaroo is also readily available in Australian supermarkets.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

what is "capsicum"?


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Sadly I mostly see delicious as anything that involves chocolate or some form of spiced fruit cake at present!!!!
I'm in withdrawal from Christmas. 
Last night we had 
Chopped chestnuts (cooked), dried cranberries, chopped cooked spinach with added seasoning, garlic and basil mixed in low fat ricotta cheese and wrapped in filo pastry parcels served with a few peas, green beans, sprouts and mashed swede (rutabaga)


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

I was making a favorite (though not so healthy) recipe the other day that called for cream of chicken soup. I had none in the pantry and didn't want to make the 30 minute trip to the store for 1 item. Lo and behold, it is easy to make, and doesn't have all the preservatives and thickening agents of questionable sources:

Easy Cream of Chicken Soup:
1/4 cup butter or ghee
1/4 cup flour 
~16 ounces stock

Make a roux with the butter and flour and whisk in the stock over medium heat. Heat over low for about 10 minutes as it thickens, stirring occasionally to prevent burning the bottom.


SO easy, so yummy, and since we use grass fed butter with lots of omega 3 fatty acids, not terribly unhealthy. Best of all, I used stock that came from the carcass and scraps of our home-grown thanksgiving turkey.


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

Also, I have started putting spinach leaves in many of our dishes. It blends well with most flavors and adds a punch of vitamins and minerals and goodness.


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## dkb811 (Oct 15, 2013)

Great idea! I could use some healthy recipes to lower my cholesterol. The Irish stew sounds good with the Dijon mustard and cabbage added. It would be a change from my standby stew.


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## dkb811 (Oct 15, 2013)

I'm always on the look out for a great chili recipe. This is the one my family likes the best so far.
Game-Day Chili Recipe | MyRecipes.com

Anyone care to share your chili recipe?


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

jaydee said:


> Sadly I mostly see delicious as anything that involves chocolate or some form of spiced fruit cake at present!!!!
> I'm in withdrawal from Christmas.
> Last night we had
> Chopped chestnuts (cooked), dried cranberries, chopped cooked spinach with added seasoning, garlic and basil mixed in low fat ricotta cheese and wrapped in filo pastry parcels served with a few peas, green beans, sprouts and mashed swede (rutabaga)


What's wrong with that, JD? That's making me drool!  I'd personally just go full fat ricotta from a grass-fed dairy (like KJ explained) and have second helpings of everything!

Ever had your chestnuts roasted, as Maroni? So yummy...


*Tinyliny*: DH says capsicums are called bell peppers in the US. Can someone confirm?


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

A little anecdote from when I first tried to make Maroni (roasted chestnuts) myself: I was a teenager and didn't know you had to incise their shells. I nearly died of fright when suddenly there was this deafening machine-gun noise coming from the kitchen... the Maroni were exploding in the oven, which I promptly turned off. Then I quickly closed the oven door I'd partially opened to investigate, because there was serious shrapnel coming out of there... I went and hid in the garden until all the awful noise stopped, and I wondered if the oven would be dented... (it wasn't...)


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## Captain Evil (Apr 18, 2012)

You guys are making me want to learn to cook! Right now I do the cleaning and my husband does the cooking. I love lentils and spinach: I would love to taste some of those dishes!


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## Spanish Rider (May 1, 2014)

Sue,

That Harira sounds yummy! I really need to try that. Living in Spain, we eat a mix of traditional Mediterranean foods and American staples. Yesterday, it was creamed squash soup (no cream) and ribs, today it'll be Spanish lentils with chorizo (the healthy trick is to cook the chorizo in another pot, separate the fat, then add the chorizo).

I have a preteen son and a teenage son (who is 14 and already 6'3"), so I do a lot of cooking to fill those growing bodies (sometimes I feel like I do nothing else!). All of our meals are from scratch, except for the bakery bread I buy each day. I cringe at store-bought foods, with all those additives and unhealthy fats, and I'm always looking for new recipes to try (the boys call them my "experiments").

As for cookbooks, there is a Mediterranean cookbook that won prizes in 2013 and has excellent reviews on Amazon, called "Jerusalem". The recipes are vegetable-based and use lots of different spices to make things interesting. I just looked, and it's on sale! Originally $35.00, it's now $20 on amazon.com. On amazon.co.uk, it was 27 BPS and is now 12.65 BPS. Gotta go order it now!


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Hola, Spanish Rider!  Speaking of chorizos - I looove seafood and chorizo paella... Not much in the way of chorizo needed to impart a distinctive flavour... but I bet you get better chorizos in Spain than we do in Australian supermarkets...

Do you guys really use saffron to colour your paella? Costs an arm and a leg here, but I suppose you can pick your own if you live in crocus country...


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## TessaMay (Jul 26, 2013)

Here's one I like to make in the winter. It has a very addicting sweet/spicy taste that I haven't found in any other dish. 

Couscous Marrakesh
*
1 lb. couscous (2 ¼ c.) 
salt 
¼ c. oil 
1 c. onion, chopped 
1 tsp. coriander 
1 tsp. crushed red pepper 
1 tsp. cumin 
1 lb. carrots, in 1-in. chunks
2 green peppers, in ½-in. strips
1 lb. fresh tomatoes, in 1-in. wedges
1 lb. yellow squash, in 2-in. slices
12 oz green beans or peas
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
2 c. black raisins
2 qt. water 
Better than Bouillon vegetable stock (or other bouillon/broth - if using premade broth it replaces the water) 
*
Cook couscous according to package directions and set aside. 
*
In large pan sauté in oil next 4 ingredients with 1 tbs. salt.*
Add remaining ingredients; salt and pepper to taste. Cook just till vegetables are soft but slightly crisp., 10-15 min..
*
To serve. Arrange couscous around edge of a lg. serving platter. Arrange meat and vegetables in center; pour sauce over all. Garnish with parsley.
*
Note: This recipe also calls for ½ tsp. saffron, which I omitted due to cost.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

That sounds delicious, TM, and looks extremely healthy as well! 

I have a cookbook with similar sorts of things called "Moroccan Modern" - very interesting things coming from that region, and usually also very healthy!


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I make a lot of quiche's - I suppose pastry doesn't qualify as healthy but if you leave out the 'fries on the side' then not so bad!!
Butternut squash cooked and mashed with cumin and turmeric or curry powder 'to taste' put in a pastry case - I use frozen puff pastry - topped with grated cheese and then onions that have been sautéed in olive oil and mixed with a dollop of orange marmalade
Cook until the pastry is crisp


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Well, this is not a recipe per se, but I noticed in the posted recipes how little seasonings are included. I am big on spices and other forms of seasoning.

one of my all time fav's is White Truffle Oil. just a few drops in any kind of soup adds a wonderul , earthy dimension. it's especially well matched with anything pottato or rice based.

I also use "Stubb's Liquid Smoke". I don't use a lot, becuase it probably has a lot of sodium and chemicals, but it doesn't take a lot.

Soy Sauce is a flavor I could not cook without.

lemon juice and/or lemon zest.

apple cider vinegar, black and white pepper. and green oinions.

and, garlic . I now buy ready chopped garlic, in frozen cubes, so I just throw it in.
fresh ginger is a great season to pair with garlic.


and butter. of course, butter.

if you have only these seasonings, you can make a ton of great savory dishes. whether they are healthy or not depends on what else you put in.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I keep a load of herbs and spices - some I have to buy 'ready to use' some I freeze from fresh grown so I've got them all winter


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

SueC said:


> Gosh, Jaydee, I guess having a Mediterranean background gives people an edge, as there are hundreds and hundreds of healthy, delicious recipes to make. A good start would be to look through books on recipes from Italy, Greece, Spain, the erstwhile Yugoslavia, Morocco, Lebanon, Cyprus, etc - especially the peasant fare, which is not usually filled with excess fat and sugar, and is brimming with fresh vegetables, pulses etc.
> 
> 
> *Beef and Vegetable Curry*
> ...


Late to the party here, but I so agree with the above sentiment about Mediterranean food. I have a lot of cookbooks from these regions.
Although I don't have time to make a lot of dishes for myself (kiddo has extensive allergies, so I cook healthy mainly for him and eat the same) I just love a good paella and curry dish.

The above curry recipe reminded me of something I have been using a lot of from my garden- Pumpkin.
I grow all kinds of gourmet eating pumpkins and specialty winter squashes and have found them to be a delightful nutritious addition to my dishes.
I make home made chicken soup with rice (we are gluten free) in a homemade broth. When I find that I am wanting a more stew like consistency I add pureed pumpkin instead of a traditional starchy thickener. It adds a depth, creaminess, and body in a way that no processed starch can, and it does it without without changing the flavor at all! Yum!

Anyway, I have no recipes to add at this time but am going to try several on the ones you have posted Sue. Thank you!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

what a great idea! pureed pumpkin!


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

jaydee said:


> I make a lot of quiche's - I suppose pastry doesn't qualify as healthy but if you leave out the 'fries on the side' then not so bad!!
> Butternut squash cooked and mashed with cumin and turmeric or curry powder 'to taste' put in a pastry case - I use frozen puff pastry - topped with grated cheese and then onions that have been sautéed in olive oil and mixed with a dollop of orange marmalade
> Cook until the pastry is crisp


JD, you can really improve the nutritional profile of pastry by making your own - the kneading programme of a standard breadmaker does a fine job. The idea with pastry is to avoid using refined flour and trans-fats, and to change the nutritional breakdown from largely useless and harmful to actually containing decent nutrients. For a savoury pastry I use half good quality, locally grown, organic, fresh wholemeal flour and half oatmeal, with a little hot water added and just enough melted salted butter to give a good texture. For dessert type pastries, I generally use thirds of the wholemeal flour mentioned above, oatmeal and ground almonds, held together with just enough water and melted butter (and I don't add sugar, the oatmeal and almonds have natural sweetness, plus the filling will be plenty sweet).

Those healthier variations on pastry are delicious, and incredibly filling and sustaining in a good way (not in an "Oh no, I swallowed a brick" kind of way).

I don't have a particular issue with saturated fat - as long as it's from healthily farmed rather than industrially produced animals, and as long as the person eating isn't a couch potato.

Amish population health studies have baffled many because these guys eat a fair bit of stodgy food, and all their dairy is full-fat, and lard is used etc, yet they come out way ahead of average Americans. For one thing though, these guys are extraordinarily active all day long, unlike most modern people. And for another, all their stodge and saturated fat is organically grown, largely fresh, and free of modern additives. And, of course, they live in well-connected, interdependent communities, with zero unemployment and no stress from things like watching disasters on TV or becoming personally impoverished via communication technology... and probably with far less exposure to toxic industrial and agricultural chemicals than the average modern person...


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Do you guys eat pumpkin bisque in the US? Mostly pureed pumpkin, milk, chicken stock, and a dollop of cream. Variations with coconut milk are also to be had (some with red lentils and spices, but then it's no longer a bisque, while still yummy...)


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

Yes, pumpkin and squash bisque. 
I have to leave off the animal dairy for kiddo and while I like coconut milk in some things, I haven't tried using it or almond milk in a recipe like this. 
Yet.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Thai soups often contain coconut milk and are so thoroughly delicious with their fireworks of lemongrass, fresh leaf coriander (cilantro), chilli, etc etc...


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I'm afraid I have about as much desire to make my own pastry as I do to go hand gliding!!!
We have a very good breadmaker so all our bread is home made - but without that I would be using shop bought.
I'm one of those people that cooks because they have to eat and not because they enjoy doing it.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

SueC said:


> Thai soups often contain coconut milk and are so thoroughly delicious with their fireworks of lemongrass, fresh leaf coriander (cilantro), chilli, etc etc...



I remember the first time I tasted Thai Yum Thom soup, about . . . let's see . . . 30 years ago. I was blown away. I'd never tasted anything with such an amazing combination of flavors.

there are so many great choices for exotic food in my area. it's one of the benefits of being so urban and having a very high percentage of immigrants.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Lucky location, then, Tinyliny. Here in Aus the best place I ever lived in terms of high-standard international food was Sydney. Just the basic (real) Asian take-out was superb. And lots of reasonably priced, excellent eateries from all imaginable cuisines. Here in a rural/regional area, you have to mostly cook authentic stuff yourself - and the eateries are ridiculously overpriced as well.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

jaydee said:


> I'm afraid I have about as much desire to make my own pastry as I do to go hand gliding!!!
> We have a very good breadmaker so all our bread is home made - but without that I would be using shop bought.
> I'm one of those people that cooks because they have to eat and not because they enjoy doing it.


What a shame, JD. Our TV presenter Andrew Denton says the same thing: If he could just take a pill instead, he would, he thinks cooking, and actually eating as well, are such awful interruptions to his schedule. (He once interviewed Nigella Lawson, and needless to say, it was a hilarious conversation!)

People like Andrew actually have the option of having cans of tube-feeding formula. I know several people who live on the stuff as they can't eat (can't swallow and / or choking hazard), they get this stuff via direct stomach line five times a day. Looks like a milkshake, is fortified with enough things to be OK as a long-term sole nutrition source, and smells a bit uninspiring, but that's OK as you never get to taste it anyway. It's called Jevity and is made in the US. One young lady I know has survived over twenty years on the stuff.

If you make your own bread in a breadmaker, though, JD, then letting it make your pastry isn't any more complicated. At least the shortcrust style stuff I posted before. Takes less than 5min and then you roll it out directly on the bottom of your (removable sides, spring form) cake / pie dish, on a piece of greaseproof paper, and shape the sides with your hands once you snap the spring part back on. Or just start with the roller and work the rest by hand.

I don't do pastries you have to roll and fold multiple times - like puff pastry, which I don't really like anyway and I suspect wouldn't handle the shift to healthy ingredients that well. If I absolutely must have a Danish, I occasionally buy one from the bakery. Choux pastry is fun to make though, and I don't make it often enough to worry about the nutritional shortfalls.


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

I'm a bit low on iron right now, so made a smoothie with spinach, an apple and frozen raspberries with water to loosen it off.

I tried it, and had to add a load of honey for taste, but it's not actually as bad as it looks!


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I like eating so no way could I survive on pills!!!
My breadmaker doesn't do pastry - just bread, poundcakes, pasta and jam
We only have something that involves pastry once a week anyway so no big deal to me to open a frozen package!!


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

tinyliny said:


> there are so many great choices for exotic food in my area. it's one of the benefits of being so urban and having a very high percentage of immigrants.


I have to agree. I've lived in quite a few places around the US, all within close distance to a major city, but by far I found the _variety_ of choices of high quality cuisine to be the best in the PNW. 
I mean each area I lived was great for what it was known for regionally, but in terms of quality variety beyond that, not so much.

Sue, it's funny you mentioned the supplement. My son actually has to be on something similar. Although he can eat and digest ok, his allergies and intolerances leave large gaps in his nutrition, so he drinks something that is made for children with severe GI impairments or who have feeding tubes. 
It's potent stuff that comes in different flavors for those who can swallow and have taste, and it does taste ok according to him..... but the burps? 
:shock:


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

jaydee said:


> I like eating so no way could I survive on pills!!!
> My breadmaker doesn't do pastry - just bread, poundcakes, pasta and jam
> We only have something that involves pastry once a week anyway so no big deal to me to open a frozen package!!


It's what is in most of those frozen packages of pastry that I find nutritionally scary and I would no more put that in my body than pour a cup of sugar in my car's petrol tank...

Making pastry in any breadmaker is simply a matter of using the "knead only" cycle (which exists for making pizza dough and hand shaped loaves etc) and, if your breadmaker really doesn't have such a setting, just using the start of the ordinary breadmaking cycle and then turning the breadmaker off once the kneading is done. Re-set next time if necessary. I never use more than 5 minutes of kneading time before turning off the machine.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I only buy puff or filo pastry so the Breadmaker wouldn't work for me
I can see nothing in the ingredients list in either frozen product that scares me and since I don't use them in enough quantity as a source of nutrition also not a concern


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Trans-fats (partially hydrogenated vegetable fats) are often used in frozen pastry and generally it doesn't have to say so on the label, at least in Australia. These industrially produced synthetic fats are implicated in a whole pile of health problems including retinal detachment and nervous system disorders, and you don't need to consume much for it to start substituting itself into parts of your body it has no business being in. They are far worse than any other type of fat, including the much-maligned saturated fat, in creating a plethora of health problems: Their likeness was never seen in any body before humans started making these synthetic fats. European countries started banning them altogether in food a while back. Australia and the US are playing catch-up as usual. Fat is pretty important, not in the least because it makes up a large proportion of the brain (it's an electrical insulator and used there and around the nerves in general) and all the membranes inside and around all your cells. You'd want to make sure you're not getting any damaging substitutes there...

Besides frozen pastry, trans-fats are used in many processed foods, biscuits, and standard bakery items. One of the great things about making things from scratch is that you know exactly what goes in it...


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

You'd have to eat a lot of trans fats to cause yourself any sort of health problems - and as I don't I see no reason to worry about them.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Not so, JD: Read the research, and a good textbook on human physiology... and have a look at US food labelling requirements...


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## disastercupcake (Nov 24, 2012)

Hi all,

I'm a bit of a food freak, but I don't eat anything that doesn't taste good either! ;D It is entirely possible to eat well and eat WELL!

I always without fail follow these general guidelines; 
Eat only what is 
Whole
Fresh 
Pure

If it is not All Three, I wont eat it. 

I highly recommend the cookbook Nourishing Traditions, authored by the founder of the Weston A Price Nutrition Foundation, Sally Fallon. It's a great way to start learning how our not-so-distant ancestors ate to remain healthy and vital their entire (long) lives. 

I also really enjoy seafood, so I have many Japanese cookbooks and recipes to share if anyone is interested! If you like fancy eggs, try tamagoyaki. Heavenly.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Did I post my marzipan recipe here, I wonder? Commercial marzipan is now usually two thirds sugar, one third ground almonds - an insane amount of sugar - how can you even taste the almonds like that? When I make marzipan, I use at least two thirds ground almonds, and at most one third sugar. Add a teeny bit of water to the sugar in a pan, bring it to the boil, and when it's reduced sufficiently, turn the heat off, add the almond meal and a good splash of rose water (and natural almond essence if you like), and stir/knead with a wooden paddle, until it's pliable enough to mould. Heart shapes work well, covered in 70% dark chocolate (600g ground almonds, 200g max sugar does a nice heart-shaped marzipan "cake" - such as we have for our wedding anniversary annually). It's also nice rolled into logs covered in 70% chocolate, or rolled into tiny little "potatoes" that you then roll in cocoa to "dust" their outsides like new potatoes. Those are cute little treats.

I prefer marzipan to toffee because, although it's a sweet treat, it actually has something very useful in it: Almonds are full of wonderful things, like valuable plant protein, very healthy oils, Vitamin E and minerals. And the 70% cocoa dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants. We have things like that in moderation, and conventional sweets with no nutritionally useful content very rarely indeed (and in our opinion in this household, healthier treats also taste better anyway...). And, we keep physically active. A couple of little marzipan potatoes, or a slice of marzipan log, before mucking out, for instance, tends to make the chore get done faster! ;-)


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