Cruciferous vegetables - Broccoli and cauliflower soup

What happened? The clocks went back and I went from wearing cotton and bare feet to jeans and woolly socks in the space of two days. After an incredible March, autumn is finally upon us and the cooler temperatures will put soup back on the menu. I had some broccoli and cauliflower in the fridge left over from my organic bob box and didn’t feel like eating meat so I came up with the soup below. I have added butter beans and yoghurt to thicken the soup and to increase the protein content.

This recipe gives me the opportunity to quickly talk about cruciferous vegetables, the family from which broccoli and cauliflower originate. The cruciferous family, which also includes cabbages, bok choy and brussels sprouts, has been the subject of many studies for its cancer fighting properties. These are most likely due to numerous antioxidants or phytochemicals contained in these vegetables which inhibit oxidation and prevent the deterioration of cells and organs. Studies indicate that consumption of vegetables like cruciferous veg is associated with a lower prevalence of some types of cancer and heart disease. However, the same effect has not always been observed when antioxidant supplements are used.  Other constituents in the vegetables might be important which is why it is so important to eat lots of fruit and veg and not just supplement with tablets. Other advantages of these types of vegetable include soluble fibre, protein, Vitamin C, folate and potassium.

·       Tbsp olive oil

·       1 carrot finely chopped

·       1 onion finely chopped

·       Piece of celery finely chopped

·       2 cloves garlic finely chopped

·       Tsp of cumin seeds

·       Head of broccoli separated into florets

·       ½ cauliflower separated into florets

·       1 litre of homemade chicken stock

·       400g of cooked butter beans

·       Cup of full fat natural yoghurt

·       Chopped parsley

·       Salt and pepper

Gently fry the carrot, celery and onion in olive oil until soft, then add garlic and cumin seeds and continue to fry for a couple more minutes. Stir in the broccoli and cauliflower and add chicken stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer until the vegetables are soft. Add butter beans, simmer for a couple more minutes and then puree the soup with a hand blender. If the soup is not thick enough, simmer without a lid to reduce. Before serving, stir yoghurt through the soup and season to taste. Serve with fresh parsley, a drizzle of flaxseed oil and sourdough bread.

References

Jukic, K. 2010. Fruit and Vegetables Lecture. University of Sydney

Mann, J. & Trusswell. A. S. 2007. Essentials of Human Nutrition. 3^rd Ed. Oxford University Press

USDA Nutrient Database

Maman champignon date slice

I recently completed an experiment to determine the β-glucan content in oats and barley so I thought this was an appropriate recipe to post. Believed to reduce cholesterol, β-glucan is found in high concentrations in oats and barley (you may have see the advert about porridge oats on Australian TV). Like starch, β-glucan is a chain of glucose molecules. However the bonds in β-glucan differ in spatial arrangement and consequently cannot be broken down by our digestive enzymes. β-glucan is instead destined for microbial fermentation in the colon like other dietary fibres. Due to its chemical make-up, β-glucan is termed a soluble fibre. Many studies have proven it can reduce cholesterol, possibly by binding with bile acids (which make cholesterol) and excreting them in the faeces.

Naturally lowering cholesterol is a matter close to my heart since Marcus has familial high cholesterol – the type that is difficult to manage without statins. I therefore try to include oats in the diet as much as possible. Barley actually has a higher β-glucan content than oats so I will be making sure I include more barley in the future. This is a recipe from my mum which brings oats and dates together to make a delicious and nutritious snack. I have altered the recipe slightly to bring the Glycaemic Index (GI) down a little – australian dates tend to have a higher GI than other varieties.

• 150 g dates - put in pan with water and simmer to make a paste - can use more or less of water and dates
• 150 g Flora – it does lower cholesterol after all…
• 120 ml of honey (I’m using snow gum honey at the moment)
• 280 g oats – use small oats if possible
• Handful of chopped nuts - walnuts or pecans

Line smallish tin with greaseproof paper. Melt flora with honey then add oats and nuts. Spread half on bottom of lined tin - press lightly with fingertips. Spread dates on top and add rest of mixture - press lightly with fingertips. Bake in oven until golden brown – about 180 - for about 20 -25 mins. Leave to cool and cut whilst still in tin and warm into desired slices. When cooler lift onto cooling tray and when really cold take off grease proof and leave to set.

Kiwi and Lime salsa

I never know what to do with kiwi fruit apart from just eating it as is. Few foods deliver as much vitamin C, in fact, just one kiwi fruit can provide double the recommended daily intake. It also contains an enzyme which breaks down protein making it a brilliant complement to meat. Kiwi fruit works equally well with vegetables by enhancing the absorption of iron from non animal sources (due to its C content). So you see, kiwi fruit can be eaten alone or with food, its all good. So, how about making a salsa which can be served on the side of either a vegetable or meat/fish dish. The tartness of kiwi works fantastically with lime, it only takes a few minutes to make and trust me, its delicious on top of an Indian curry.

· 4 kiwi fruit, peeled and chopped into ½ cm cubes

· Juice of 1 lime

· 1 clove of garlic, smashed with salt

· inch of fresh ginger grated

· 1 red chilli sliced

· salt and pepper

Mash all ingredients together and place on the side of indian veg/meat curry. You can also add yogurt to make into a more cooling raita style accompaniment.

Bubble and squeak

My dad used to take me to the best greasy spoons in South London when I was a kid (and the best pubs). Anyway….. it was usually at the weekend and I fell in love with bubble and squeak - left over greens and potatoes from the previous evening’s roast dinner, mashed up and fried like a potato patty and topped with a fried egg. It was the best breakfast! Doesn’t sound too healthy I know, but if you reduce the oil in the frying pan and poach the egg instead, it’s pretty nutritious. I’m sure I’ve talked about how good dark green leafy vegetables are for you, maybe I haven’t, but I will do later. Trust me, they are extremely good for you so incorporate them into as many meals as possible. This is a great way to get them in at breakfast time (or any other time) and not waste leftovers from the night before.

There are some shocking statistics on food wastage. It was reported in the UK last year that Britons throw away 20m tons of food a year, over half of the food produced on farms and equivalent to half of the food import needs for the whole of Africa! Just last month, an academic from UWS claimed Sydney consumers throw away more than $600m worth of fresh food per annum. Don’t get me started on the US. So use left over’s wherever you can and cut back on buying stuff you just won’t eat. It’s all very well railing against GM foods but we make them a necessity if we just continue to over consume. I write this as a reminder to myself!

Moral of the story, eat bubble and squeak with an egg on top, its delicious!

Pumpkin Hummus

I could eat hummus every day, I love it so much. I have always enjoyed hummus, ever since I first tasted it when I was really young. I used to beg my mum to buy it but she insisted on making it herself. My mum makes everything from scratch but I always wanted ready-made supermarket food! I didn’t realise how lucky I was. History repeats itself and I would never buy hummus from the supermarket now unless really pushed for time. Not that ready made hummus isn’t good, some of it tastes excellent, but I like to have control over what I’m eating and know exactly what is in my food i.e. salt and oil content. I also like the variations of homemade hummus, such as this one with pumpkin. Hummus is a brilliant source of vegetarian protein and fibre making it a great snack or accompaniment to any meal. The tahini also provides essential fatty acids and minerals. I’m currently using unhulled tahini. It has a slightly bitter taste in comparison to hulled but being less processed, unhulled is higher in nutrients.

• 400 g cooked organic chickpeas
• 300g of cooked organic pumpkin
• 1 clove of garlic (or more if you like)
• 2 tbsp of organic tahini
• ½ lemon juiced
• ½ tsp of ground cumin
• Sea salt to taste (Himalayan is good)
• 1 tbsp of olive oil/flaxseed oil
• Water depending on how thick you like it
• Sweet Paprika

Chuck chickpeas, pumpkin, garlic, tahini and lemon juice into a blender and add water if it needs to be thinned down. Once blended, stir in the oil and cumin and add salt to taste. Spoon into a bowl and sprinkle paprika over the top. Yummy.

Grapefruitade

I'm a little bit lazy when it comes to grapefruit. If its the weekend, then I will make a bit more of an effort and cut them up properly. But if I want a grapefruit hit and its a nice sunny day, then I get out my citrus fruit squeezer and make a delicious grapefruitade. Its really really easy and quick to make and tastes divine, particularly on a hot day. I try and get all the fibre into the juice too so I don't miss out on the good bits!

• 1 -2 Grapefruit, juiced
  
• Tbsp honey (my favourite at the moment is Australian Blood Wood honey)
  
• Sparkling water (can't go past San Pellegrino)

Lemons can be used instead of grapefruit to make the more commonly known drink, LEMONade!

BOB Pizza

This week's BOBBERS will have received a yummy organic pizza base and lovely red roma tomatoes so I thought I would pass on my tomato sauce recipe in case you were wondering what to do with your base! Once you have made the tomato sauce you can top the pizza with goats cheese, pumpkin, grilled zucchini, garlic and parsley. You could also add some capers or olives, some fresh sardines or maybe parma ham. 

The tomato sauce is really easy:

• BOB roma tomatoes
  
• 2 cloves of garlic
  
• fresh basil/parsley
  
• oregano
• olive oil
  
• sea salt
  

Finely chop the garlic and lightly cook in olive oil until golden, then add the fresh chopped parsley or basil and quickly stir for 1 minute. Add the chopped roma tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes or until you have a nice reduced tomato sauce. Add sea salt and oregano to taste and then spread on top of your BOB organic pizza base and top with whatever you feel like. Buon appetito!