Thread: Healthy, simple and yummy

Yep, butter lettuce is good.

You might expect celery to be an innocuous enough food, but I've read allergy to it is not uncommon.

I'd be happy to trade a reaction to celery for one to the entire "red foods" group .

Deep red or bright pink fruits and vegetables should be eaten every day, recommends the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Nutrition research shows that red and bright pink fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals, such as lycopene and anthocyanins. Phytochemicals, substances found only in plants, help your body fight disease and promote good health.

Lycopene helps reduce the risk of several types of cancer, including prostate cancer.

Other red fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries, raspberries, and beets contain anthocyanins, a group of phytochemicals that are powerful antioxidants that help control high blood pressure and protect against diabetes-related circulatory disease.

Best Sources of Lycopene

Spaghetti Sauce
Tomato Juice
Tomato Paste
Tomato Soup
Watermelon
Guava
Pink Grapefruit
Fresh Tomato

Best ‘Red’ Sources of Anthocyanins

Red Raspberries
Strawberries
Cranberries
Red Cabbage
Kidney Beans
Sweet Cherries
Beets
Red Apples
Red Onion
Red Beans

I think it's easy to incorporate the red fruit and veg into our diets, but here are a few simple recipes for inspiration's sake.

Chickpea Salad with Red Onion and Tomato


INGREDIENTS

• 19 ounces garbanzo beans, drained
• 2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley/cilantro
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon/lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, red onion, garlic, tomato, red pepper, parsley/cilantro, olive oil, lemon/lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Chill for 2 hours before serving. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve.

Tomato, Cucumber and Red Onion Salad with Mint





INGREDIENTS

• 2 large cucumbers - halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 large tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS




In a large bowl, toss together the cucumbers, vinegar and salt. Let stand at room temperature for an hour, stirring occasionally.

1. Add tomatoes, onion, mint and oil to cucumbers and toss to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Red fruit salad

(A little more trouble and with rather more exotic ingredients, but a good base for creative subsitutions)

1 large pink grapefruit
8 oz. seedless watermelon
6 oz. raspberries
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced

Grate 1 teaspoon of the grapefruit rind and set aside. Over a large bowl to catch the juice, peel the grapefruit and carefully peel off the membranes surrounding each segment. Put each peeled segment in the bowl. Gather the separated membranes and squeeze the juice out of them in your hands over the grapefruit.

Cut the watermelon into 1 inch cubes, enough to make 1 1/2 to 2 cups. Add the watermelon and raspberries to the grapefruit. Sprinkle the sugar and mint over the fruit and toss very gently. Set aside for 15 minutes to let the sugar and other flavours mingle. If you're making the salad ahead of time, cover and refrigerate.

Sprinkle the grated grapefruit rind over the salad before serving and garnish with whole mint leaves. Serves 4.

Orange and Yellow fruits and vegetables contain beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, flavonoids, lycopene, potassium, and vitamin C. These nutrients reduce age-related macula degeneration and the risk of prostate cancer, lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, promote collagen formation and healthy joints, fight harmful free radicals, encourage alkaline balance, and work with magnesium and calcium to build healthy bones.

Yellow/Orange
Apricots
Butternut squash
Cantaloupe
Cape Gooseberries
Carrots
Golden kiwifruit
Grapefruit
Lemon
Mangoes
Nectarines
Oranges
Papayas
Peaches
Persimmons
Pineapples
Pumpkin
Rutabagas
Sweet corn
Sweet potatoes
Tangerines
Yellow apples
Yellow beets
Yellow figs
Yellow pears
Yellow peppers
Yellow potatoes
Yellow summer squash
Yellow tomatoes
Yellow watermelon
Yellow winter squash

Summer Veggie Soup





1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 cups vegetable stock or broth
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper,dced
1 zucchini, thinly crosswise
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds; don't let the garlic brown. Add the tomatoes, oregano and cumin and saute until the tomatoes are softened, about 4 minutes.
Add the stock and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and bring to a simmer. Add the carrot and bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes longer. Stir in the lemon,coriander and pepper.


Chilled curried carrot soup




2 TBLsps. vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsps. curry powder
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (home made or low-salt)
2 stalks celery, sliced
tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. Tabasco pepper sauce
Few cups water
Low fat plain yoghurt

In a large saucepan heat oil; cook onion and curry 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth, carrots, celery, cumin and Tabasco pepper sauce; mix well. Cover; simmer 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add water as needed.Chill in fridge.
Serve with spoonful of yoghurt and add Tabasco if desired.

* Experiment with ginger, lemon/lime and cayenne using the basic carrot soup .



Chilled yellow pepper soup with chives






5 medium onions, sliced
olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, mashed
/2 cup dry white wine
9 pounds yellow bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 17 1/2 cups)
4 cups chicken broth or water
1 cup sour cream
Garnish: 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives



In a 6- to 8-Cook onions in oil, stirring. Stir in garlic paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until liquid is reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Stir in bell peppers and broth and simmer, covered, until peppers are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

In a blender or food processor purée mixture in batches (use caution when blending hot liquids) until smooth and transfer to a large bowl. Season purée with pepper and cool completely. Chill soup, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days.
Add spoonful yoghurt on serving.Garnish soup with chives.

Black Bean Burgers




INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup black beans (pre-soaked and cooked in boiling water until a little soft)
• 1 green pepper, cut into small pieces
• 1 onion, cut into small pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3-4 jalapeno peppers, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup oatmeal flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. If grilling, preheat grill and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty. (If you like, leave some beans unmashed for a crunchier texture).
3. In a food processor, finely chop pepper, onion, jalapenos and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs & oatmeal until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Make patties.
6. Grill for about 8 mins on each side or bake for about 15 - 20 mins.

You can vary this basic recipe in numerous ways - experiment with different bean mixes, vegetables and spices. (The burger in the pic appears to contain carrot, which should work quite well.)

Make a big batch and freeze some.

For an easily made "sauce" to go with these, mix a cucumber and a small pot of plain yoghurt in a blender. Add coriander, garlic, onion, lemon/lime, mint, dill pickle ... whatever you like, to taste. A cool, fresh -tasting sauce contrasts nicely with the spiciness of the burgers.