Wizard Recipes

To continue the subject of previous post, let’s now see the disadvantages of consuming these oleaginous fruits and seeds , because, believe it or not, there are some worth mentioning

Disadvantages :

-         First of all, you must know that these fruits and seeds contain 40-60 % fats, so they contain a lot of calories! Be careful when consuming these if you’re on a diet

-         The so called ‘good fats ‘ -non saturated fats- also contain 9 cal/g, meaning 45 cal/ tbsp

-         Our organism consumes less energy for fat assimilation, so calories from fats fatten more than calories from sugars!

-         Coconut and palm oil contain only saturated fats and no cholesterol, but lose all nutrients found in vegetable oils.

-         When heated, oil releases toxic products and fried foods can cause indigestion due to the formed crust. The only manner in which we can take advantage of all oil nutrients is consuming it raw.

-         Fat hydrogenation represents a process of adding Hydrogen to a non saturated fat (liquid) to make it oxidation resistant and to transform it into solid fat. So margarine is born !

-         Hydrogenated fats are very dangerous for our health, because they increase LDL, TGL, insulin resistance and decrease HDL. THESE FATS ARE CONTAINED IN LOTS OF PRODUCTS, SO BE CAREFUL AND READ THE LABEL EVERYTIME!

-         Margarine has the same amount of calories as butter, but does not contain cholesterol. As the margarine is softer, is also healthier. It contains less hydrogenated fats.

-         Fats do not dissolve in water or acid environment- this is why these ones float in the gastric liquid in our stomach. Once in our intestine, these get mixed with enzymes from the gall bladder, digestive and pancreatic enzymes, forming an emulsion that is soluble. People suffering from gall bladder or digestive problems may have serious trouble when consuming fats, so be careful!!

Due to their high calorie content, these cannot be consumed by themselves, but only along with other products, in small quantities, to take advantage of their qualities only. Fats need carbohydrates in order to be metabolised- metabolising only fats doesn’t lead to glucose, the only energy producing chemical of the organism.

So please do consume:

-         Dried seeds and fruits with cereals and milk

-         Oil of any kind added to fresh or cooked vegetables, in salads or pasta and rice.

Small secrets worth knowing:

-Every kind of vegetable oil is a mix of saturated and poli non saturated fats in diverse proportions. The more saturated an oil is, the more solid it is.

-If you put olive oil in the fridge, you can notice that at the bottom of the bottle this becomes dens due to the mono non saturated fats. Sun flower oil, being poli non saturated, remains liquid in every condition.

- Corn oil is excellent for cooking

-Remember: NONE OF THE VEGETABLE OILS CONTAIN CHOLESTEROL

- All vegetable oils contain the same amount of calories, no matter if they are made of olives, sun flower, nuts, corn, Soybeans

-extra virgin olive oil is the best quality of olive oil you can get.

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Fruits (nuts, olives, peanuts, almonds, avocado and coconuts) and seeds (sun-flower, pumpkin) contain a high caloric content, being rich in unsaturated fats, minerals (zinc, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and selenium), vitamins (B and E) and proteins. These fruits and seeds can be consumed as they are or used for producing oil.

Oleaginous Fruits

Advantages:

-         Due to the high content of minerals, these stimulate the immune system and increase the body’s capacity to protect itself.

-         Decrease cholesterol level, assuring a good blood fluidity, arterial wall elasticity and a normal blood pressure

-         Improve male fertility and sperm quality

-         Nuts ameliorate PMS symptoms through B6 vitamin content.

-         Olive oil is the best absorbed by the intestine and improves intestinal transit and digestive functions, preventing constipation.

-         If you hold olive oil in your mouth for a few minutes, it maintains teeth whiteness and gum health

-         Rich in mono non saturated fats, olive oil is good for your heart, whereas sun flower oil has a high content of E vitamin, being a good antioxidant

-         Pistachio contains Iron and Calcium

-         1 fist of peanuts or nuts per day increase intellectual performances

Avocado is one of the least fruits rich in oils and E Vitamin fruits; E vitamin helps cicatrisation, maintains skin quality, improves immune system, diminish heart disease risk

Like I was discussing yesterday, meat has its ups and downs… Take into consideration also the following:

Here are some secrets to achieve your goal: a healthy tasty meal:
-Cut off all white fatty parts from raw meat before cooking it
-Cook the chicken with the skin, but remove it before consuming the meat.
-For healthier cooking, don`t add oil to the meat; add water or beer, wine, tomato   juice, spices and herbs… It gives a better taste and with a lower health cost
-The meat is fresher when the color is lighter, so chose pink pieces of meat if you want them tender.
-Boil the meat in already boiling water, in order to keep the nutrients sealed in the meat. If making soups, use cold water
-Don’t buy already minced meat. It has a high fat content. Prepare it yourself from low fat meat. It takes longer but it’s healthier.

Here are the calories table for 100 g of raw meat:

CALORIES FOR 100 G OF RAW MEAT
CHICKEN, TURKEY 100 CAL
BEEF 120 CAL
PORK 120 CAL
LIVER 150 CAL
LAMB 160 CAL

Also, keep in mind that:

- the meat from the chicken legs contains 3 times more iron than the chicken breast
- chicken leg contains more fat than chicken breast
- chicken and turkey skin is made 100% form fat
- goose and duck are richer in iron than chicken and turkey
- 150 g of roast beef contain 20% of the daily needed quantity of iron for women and 25% for men.

Here are some tips and tricks for successful cooking!

• when making a BBq, grease the grill a little bit so that it doesn’t stick to it. In order to remain juicy,

don`t poach the meat, and add salt when you serve it (or prepare the marinate  and leave it to soak

up for 24 hours for best results).

• Leave the steaks to rest for 4,5 minutes before cutting!
• Cut the steaks before you put them on the plate!

• The water for cooking spaghetti must be boiling before you add them. Also, you can add a little bit of butter or oil to prevent sticking to the pot.

• Rice gets cooked faster if kept in cold water before.

• Potatoes for mashed potatoes remain white during cooking with you add a little bit of vinegar in the water.

• Use warm milk for preparing the mashed potatoes, to give it a plus of flavor.

• Cook the soup at a small flame, to keep it clear.

• Mushrooms don`t go dark when cooked, if soaked for 5 minutes with water and vinegar.

• Grated apples remain white if sprinkled with a little bit of lemon juice.

Salads are good, tasty, and most of all healthy! but what can offer us a better taste of the ingredients? What can combine best the vegetables in order to achieve an exquisite taste? the asnwer is THE DRESSING! don`t forget this (one may consider) small detail!!! It is the sprinkle of novelty that makes your salad one of a kind!

Here are some dressing ideas for making your salad the best! just choose the most appropriate!

1)Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Whisk together first 7 ingredients until blended. Gradually whisk in olive oil

2) Easy dressing (best for Caesar Salad)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients in blender or processor. Blend until smooth.Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3) Tsatsiki Dressing

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup cucumber, peeled and seeded.

Peel and seed cucumber and chop into very small chunks. In food processor blend half of the cucumber with all other ingredients. Stir in remaining half cup of cucumber. Chill or serve over green salad or chicken salad.

to be continued…