Quicklinks: the recipes I use regularly edition
Posted by kathryn in Vegetable recipes and Main courses
I thought I’d do something a bit different with today’s Quicklinks. Usually I post a round-up of what I’ve been reading: new information, recipes and resources. However instead today I thought I’d link to a group of recipes I use all the time.
I enjoy cooking and love trying out something new. However we also have our staples. Recipes which are used over and over and over again. And in amongst these are a number written and published by other bloggers.
I’ve probably linked to most of these before, when I first saw them. However since then I’ve tried them out and really liked them. Plus more significantly, I’ve found they fit our food needs and lifestyle. So, over time, they’ve become part of the standard repertoire of meals in our house.
So the list below is what I’ve found to be the most useful Quicklinks:
- Brilliant Broccoli: I make Heston Blumenthal’s broccoli first spotted on The Wednesday Chef all the time. It’s the simplest of recipes, but some crazy alchemy occurs in the pan and the results are brilliant. So much more than the sum of it’s ingredients.
- Black bean burritos: We’re having this less often as we move into summer, but during winter Wendy’s black bean and sweet potato burritos were at least a fortnightly occurrence. Since Wendy guest posted on Limes & Lycopene on making stock her egg drop soup has also become a favourite.
- Pickled radishes: It’s another simple idea and a side dish rather than a meal, but I’m in love with Lucy from Nourish Me’s version of Kylie Kwong’s pickled radishes. I’ve made them with both radishes and baby turnips. And I’ve been considering trying a beetroot version. They’re a useful food, which really bumps up the flavour of a meal.
- Huevos rancheros: If I’m working from home I often make a version of Smitten Kitchen’s huevos rancheros. It’s the kind of recipe you don’t have to follow exactly, and I can put together with what’s in the house. But I love the central idea of cooking the egg on the tortillas.
- Soy bombs: I was sceptical at first. Even had a few problems with the technique, but I can’t believe how good Cindy’s soy bombs are. Once you have the knack they’re quick and easy to make. The flavour is full and they have this wonderfully light texture. They are on high rotation in our kitchen and I think would suit even the tofu avoiders out there.
- Caramelised onion sauce: You know I’m a fan of tahini, so it should come as no surprise that I often make Cassie from Veggie Meal Plans’ caramelised onion and tahini sauce. It makes a plain meal into something special and so far I’ve matched it with fritters, falafels, salads and frittatas.
- Tofu scramble: I’ve always thought tofu scrambles to be just a bit too vegetarian, until I tried Johanna from Green Gourmet Giraffe’s version. She couples it with roasted vegetables and the results are pretty darned good. It converted me anyway, and now we have this regularly.
What are the recipes that you cook regularly?
Photograph by Greenhem.
Book review: Bottomfeeder by Taras Grescoe
Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity and Reviews
I’ve been buying some books recently. All sorts of volumes. Books about food, nutrition and cooking. As well as some meaty stuff on sustainability and the ethics surrounding what we eat.
Reading them has made the last couple of months an interesting, interesting time; with thoughts, issues and food ideas swirling around in my head.
I’m going to include some occasional short-ish book reviews on Limes & Lycopene. And the first one is Bottomfeeder.
I first read about Bottomfeeder on Katrina’s blog Kale for Sale. After her positive review I ordered a copy from my local bookshop.
While it seems like one of those worthy books, the sort of thing you know you should read, but don’t really want to, Bottomfeeder is an absolute beauty.
In it Taras Grescoe goes on a world tour, eating fish as he travels. He interviews restauranteurs and marine biologists, visits fish markets and joins fisherman out on their boats. All the while looking at the effects we humans are having on sea life.
Each chapter tells a story. About a location and a specific fish. From oysters in Chesapeake Bay, cod sold at the local chippy in Britain, through to sardines in the Med, shrimps in India and bluefin tuna sashimi in Japan, Taras Grescoe examines how what we eat impacts the local fish stocks. And the local environment.
It’s an alarming book. Grescoe’s account of our declining marine environment is worrying reading and he doesn’t shrink from the complexities and difficulties we face.
However, it’s beautifully written: full of humanity, a sense of history, humour and smart commentary. Plus wondrous descritions of the actual fish themseves: the often bizarre creatures from the deep we catch and eat, yet know so little about.
Taras Grescoe is a fish eater and after writing and researching the book, he is determined to keep on eating fish. However he wants to choose fish that is managed and caught sustainably. Therefore at the very end of the book, separated into the three groups No, Never; Depends, Sometimes and Absolutely, Always, is a list of what fish to eat and what to avoid.
While there is an increasing amount of information available on many aspects of eating sustainably, I’ve found good, smart information on fish hard to find. Taras Grescoe’s book fills many of these gaps.
If you’re interested in climate change, sustainability and where the food you eat comes from, then Bottomfeeder is an important book.
Making a better breakfast each morning
Posted by kathryn in Breakfast
While it can be tempting to just bolt down a bowl of cereal before dashing out the door in the morning. Or even to forget breakfast altogether. Having a decent, low GI, nutritionally complex breakfast really does set you up for the day.
Whatever your normal breakfast, there are a few simple strategies you can use to make it a better meal.
What is a good breakfast?
Breakfast is your first meal of the day.
And number one – you should all be eating it.
Going without breakfast means you’re playing nutritional catch-up for the rest of the day. It means you’re not topping up your blood sugar levels until late morning or lunch-time. Which means you’re going to be more tired than you should be during the morning. And in my experience most people who don’t eat breakfast over-eat at their other meals.
The breakfast you eat should last you at least three hours. Which means choosing something low GI, with a bit of protein. And the more nutritional variety you can get the better.
If you’re a cereal eater
Cereal can be an excellent breakfast choice. A good cereal is low GI and contains plenty of fibre. However many cereals are high in sugar and contain an ingredients list as long as your arm.
If you’re a cereal eater, here’s how to make your breakfast better:
- Choose a better cereal: The best cereals are high in fibre (at least 8%) and low in sugar and salt. Try to avoid cereals which have more than 10% fat and keep away from kid’s cereals – as they’re invariably chockablock full of sugar. Many contain more than 40% sugar, which is about 3 teaspoons in a small 30g serve. A good cereal will include a variety of grains, with maybe some dried fruit. There’s quite a bit of information about cereals on the Choice website.
- Add some nuts or seeds: Whatever cereal you use, by adding a few extra bits and pieces you can really bump up the variety and nutritional goodness of what you’re eating. Sprinkling over a spoonful of nut and seed mix, or LSA is a quick and easy way to add more fibre, minerals, protein and antioxidants.
- Top with some fruit & yoghurt: A spoonful of yoghurt and a bit of fruit are brilliant on cereal. They can make a bland cereal interesting. Plus they’ll add vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants to even the most basic mix.
How to make this easy:
- Pouring some cereal into a bowl and then adding a couple of spoonfuls of extra goodies doesn’t take a lot of time in the morning. Put all your breakfast ingredients in one part of the cupboard so they can be grabbed together.
- You can make it even easier by pre-mixing nuts and seeds into your cereal. If you take breakfast to work, portion out the cereal into ziplock bags on the weekend. Add a spoonful of nuts and seeds to each, then you’re ready to go each morning, no effort required.
- Rather than splitting small tubs of yoghurt, I tend to buy large containers and just use a spoonful at a time. It’s a cheaper way of using yoghurt too.
- If you don’t want to chop fruit up in the morning, use tinned.
If you’re a toast eater
Toast is a popular breakfast choice. It’s quick, easy and tasty. Many workplaces have toasters, so you can also make it at the office. If you’re a toast eater, here’s how to make your breakfast better:
- Choose a low GI bread: White fluffy bread just doesn’t cut it for breakfast. You’ll stay fuller for longer (and also be getting important fibre) if you choose a multigrain, wholegrain or sourdough loaf.
- Spread with protein: Instead of jam or honey, use a spread which contains a bit of protein. Hummous, peanut butter or a bean mash all make great breakfast toppings. These contain protein, minerals, antioxidants and more fibre. They’re much more nutritionally dense than traditional toast toppings.
- Top with some vegetables: Add some slices of tomato or cucumber, plus a few lettuce or rocket leaves and you’ll be making headway with your five serves of vegetables. You’ll also be adding vitamins, fibre, antioxidants and minerals to your breakfast.
How to make this easy:
- Freeze hummous or white bean mash in small portions. I’ve spread it into ice-cube trays in the past and then popped out into a bag once they’re frozen. You can get a couple of cubes out at a time, which saves wastage.
- Prewash lettuce and rocket leaves. You can also place a few days worth of leaves into ziplock bags, so they’re ready to go for for breakfast.
If you have a cooked breakfast
A cooked breakfast can be a substantial and filling way to start the day. However it’s easy to overload on the fat and eat too much. If you’re a cooked breakfast eater, then here’s how to make it better:
- Cut down the fat: Trim fat off bacon and use a non-stick pan for cooking, so you don’t have to add any fat. And lose the butter on the toast – you don’t really need it.
- Add some vegetables: By adding vegetables you’re improving the nutritional content of your cooked breakfast. It’s another good way of ensuring you get a vegetable serve with breakfast.
- Serve with wholegrain toast: Cut back on your toast, but make it a good bread: a wholegrain or sourdough. If you’re having eggs and some cooked vegetables, then one slice of toast is enough for most people.
- Have baked beans: Beans are legumes, and there are many nutritional benefits to including this food group in your diet. Baked beans are a good way of doing this. They’re convenient, tasty and you can add a spoonful to whatever else you’re eating.
How to make this easy:
- Trim the fat off bacon with a pair of scissors and then add straight to the pan. The fat that’s left will lubricate the pan. Alternatively you could grill the bacon, allowing the fat to drip off.
- There are some easy ways to add vegetables. Mix tomatoes and fresh herbs through scrambled eggs. Cook spinach and mushrooms in the same pan as your bacon. Or add slices of tomato and rocket to an omelette, while it’s cooking.
How are you going to make your breakfast better?
Skribit
I added this topic to Skribit and it’s top of the voting. So there’s obviously a few of you interested in breakfast. If you want to suggest another topic, or vote on what you’d like me to write about, take a look at the Skribit widget in the sidebar. Or for more information about Skribit and why I’m using it click here.
Muesli photograph by 3liz4, omelette photograph by roboppy, toast photograph by Wei.
Welcome to Sydney Morning Herald Readers
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
Today Limes & Lycopene has a mention in the Real (Food) Handbook found in the Sydney Morning Herald.
If you’re new to the site, welcome. My name is Kathryn Elliott, I’m a nutritionist in Sydney. On Limes & Lycopene I provide information, resources, recipes and food suggestions, all based around the theme of how to eat well.
What you’ll find on Limes & Lycopene
The site has been going for over two years and I post regularly, so there’s a lot of information here. You can browse through the different subject categories in the right hand side bar, but here are some suggestions on where to start.
Eating in season
Each month I publish a list of the fruits and vegetables currently in season. The latest list can be found here. While I’ve written about why I eat seasonally here.
Why you would benefit from a healthy diet
Do you think life’s too short to eat vegetables, exercise and limit your alcohol? Well here’s why I eat well and five strategies for making it easier to eat well.
How to improve your diet
If you’re trying to change the way you eat, then you’ll find lots and lots of information and tips on Limes & Lycopene. Some good places to start though are:
Recipes
Over the past two years I’ve published many recipes on this site. Some of the most popular are:
Eating more vegetables
If you’re not a big vegetable eater than take a look at my guide to the five serves to find out how much you should be eating.
Plus here are five easy ways to increase your vegetable intake.
Fancy a cooking challenge?
If you’d like to take part in a cooking challenge, then why not join in with the Pantry Challenge – what would you make from the list of 15 ingredients?
To ask a question
If you have a nutrition or food question, then I’d love to hear from you. Tell me what you’d like me to write about by lodging your question in the Skribit widget in the right hand sidebar.
For more information about Skribit and asking questions click here
Subscribe to the newsletter
If you’re not a regular blog reader, you may find it easier to subscribe to my monthly email newsletter. The newsletter contains a round up of the most popular posts, links to recipes on other sites, plus a healthy eating homework exercise. You can subscribe here.
I hope you enjoy Limes & Lycopene and find lots of useful information.
I’d love to hear from you. You can leave a comment below or send me an email.
What are you doing to eat well at the moment?
Spinach photograph by Mary Mactavish, cherry tomatoes by Quite Adept, beetroot by sheriff mitchell and peaches by benprk
Quicklinks
Posted by kathryn in Weight loss, Breakfast and Quick recipes
Allrecipes
A few weeks ago I went to the launch of Allrecipes in Australia.
I’ve been aware of Allrecipes for a while – they always return high in Google search results. The site allows you to store your own recipes, search for others, rate recipes and connect with people who have similar food interests.
It’s a big resource – a few simple searches bring up hundreds and thousands of results. So it’s another place to go if you’re unsure what to cook.
The site is all user generated and there’s quite a variation in the quality of recipes and instructions.
In terms of health value – there’s a “Healthy” category, which is in the “Special Diets” group (am I the only one who thinks this is strange?). There are over a thousand recipes in this category. Although I would question the healthy-ness of some – a consequence of the site’s user-generated content.
There are also recipe collections for people with food intolerances – nut, egg, gluten, dairy and shellfish.
Have any of you used Allrecipes? How have you found it?
Photograph by Jek in the box.
Announcing the Pantry Challenge: Mark 2
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
Back in September I set a cooking challenge: given a list of 15 foods, what would you make for dinner?.
The Pantry Challenge was born from my belief that even with a limited range of long-life ingredients, you can still make a healthy meal from what’s in the cupboard.
Planning your meals and eating fresh food are really important strategies for health. But sometimes this falls over. Sometimes life gets busy, you run out of time and it feels like there’s nothing in the cupboards.
Cooking from the pantry isn’t easy. It can take some lateral thinking. But in September several of you rose to the challenge and we ended up with seven fantastic meals.
Risotto, a salad, pasta, paella, two types of of spicy chickpeas and a tagine. All made from a choice of just 15 ingredients.
And now I’m challenging you again. From the list below, what would you make for dinner?
- Olive oil
- Tinned tomatoes
- Tinned legumes or beans
- Soy sauce
- Frozen vegetables
- Flour
- Pasta or rice
- Tinned fish
- Eggs
- Bread
- Olives
- Meat from the freezer
- Fresh onions
- One spice or spice mix
- One dried herb or herb mix
The Rules
I’ve tweaked the list of ingredients slightly. However the basic rules stay the same:
- Make a meal using ingredients from the above list.
- I’ve allowed some flexibility in the list, for example you can choose your own herb, spice and so on. You don’t have to use all the ingredients but your recipes must only use these foods. No tweaking the list and no adding in extra sneaky ingredients.
- If you have a blog, post your recipe on your site and then send me an email. Please include a link back to this post, announcing the Pantry Challenge.
- If you don’t have a blog but still want to take part, then please, please do. You can email your recipe and any photos directly to me and I’ll include them in the round up.
- In your email please state your name, blog name (if you have a blog) and where you’re from. Include a link back to your blog post and feel free to also include a photograph of your dish.
- You can enter more than one recipe.
- The closing date for entries is Sunday 30 November.
- Due to time constraints I can’t accept late submissions.
- I’ll post a round up of the recipes and entries during the week following the deadline.
Let me know if you have any questions. Otherwise happy cooking . . . from the pantry.
Are you going to take part in the Pantry Challenge?
Spice photograph by Whirling Phoenix.
Which nutrients do you actually need?
Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients, Antioxidants, Carbohydrates, Fat and Protein
A while ago a reader asked me the question: which nutrients are absolutely essential and which ones are optional extras?
Her concern was, she didn’t like most of the lycopene containing fruit and veg. Was her diet and health missing out?
I also added this topic to Skribit and it’s had quite a few votes.
So here’s my answer.
The 4 nutrient types
Nutrients are substances which enable us to live and grow. We humans obtain these nutrients from the food we eat.
Food is broken down by our digestive system, the nutrients extracted and used in the myriad of biochemical processes occurring in your body.
For humans there are four basic levels of nutrients; four priorities of nutritional need. In order of importance they are:
- Kilojoules
- Macronutrients: protein, fat & carbohydrates
- Micronutrients: vitamins & minerals
- Antioxidants
So which of these do we actually need?
Nutritional Need Number 1: Kilojoules
The most basic level of nutritional need is kilojoules (or calories). Pure energy, to fuel your body’s biochemical processes and functioning.
Without an adequate kilojoule intake the risk and damage to your health is severe.
At it’s most fundamental level we need kilojoules to keep us alive.
For most people in developed countries, inadequate kilojoule intake is rare. Instead, for many people an excess of kilojoules is the problem.
Nutritional Need Number 2: Macronutrients
After kilojoules, the next most important nutritional need is sufficient quantities of the three macronutrients.
Macronutrients are the dietary components we consume in the largest quantities: protein, fat and carbohydrate.
While these three provide the bulk of kilojoules in your diet, they are each important for your health in a number of ways. Carbohydrates are the preferred energy source. Protein is a structural constituent, making up muscles, enzymes, organs, hormones. While fat provides energy and insulation, and is part of the structure of hormones, skin and hair.
These three are needed for the effective working of your body. A macronutrient deficiency causes severe health disruption. Therefore after adequate kilojoules, your second nutritional need is effective amounts of the three macronutrients.
Nutritional Need Number 3: Micronutrients
Next in the priority list of nutritional needs are the micronutrients: substances obtained from the diet in small quantities.
Vitamins and minerals are classified as micronutrients. Micronutrients can act as catalysts, antioxidants, hormones, plus they can form part of the structure of your body.
Micronutrient deficiences cause severe health problems. However these problems build up over a longer period of time. Neglecting one or more of the micronutrients has a less immediate impact than missing out on kilojoules or macronutrients.
Nutritional Need Number 4: Antioxidants
The last nutritional need is antioxidants.
Oxidation is a type of chemical reaction which occurs all the time in your body. While it’s necessary for life, the by-products of oxidation are damaging. These need to be mopped up and disposed of – which is where antioxidants shine.
Oxidative damage occurs over a long period of time and it’s believed to be a component of many degenerative health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, macular degeneration, cancer.
There are many, many different types of antioxidants. And at the moment we don’t know how many you need and which are the most important. Part of the problem is they work off each other. Complex synergies between antioxidants are suspected.
Which nutrients do you need?
Nutritional needs are a complex issue. And there’s still much we do not know on this subject. At it’s most basic level you need kilojoules and the macronutrients. Without these your health will unravel rapidly and sharply. In the short term, these are the nutrients you need.
However, without vitamins and minerals your health will also suffer. A deficiency of vitamin C causes scurvy which can be fatal. A lack of vitamin B12 leads to neurological damage. Even in less extreme examples low levels of the micronutrients mean your body is not functioning at it’s most efficient. You will be more tired and at greater risk of ill-health than you should be.
While if your diet lacks antioxidants it’s unlikely to cause you a problem today, this week, or even this year. However your health will suffer in the long term. A lack of antioxidants will increase your risk of disease and suffering in the future.
In my opinion, to be healthy you need all of these nutrients. Simply staving off starvation and macro-nutrient deficiency is not enough. To be healthy both now and into the future, you also need those vitamins and minerals. And you need the antioxidants.
What to do?
If there is one particular food group you don’t like, then don’t force yourself. Leave it alone.
If you don’t like tomatoes and other lycopene containing foods then simply eat as widely as you possibly can from all the other antioxidant containing foods.
Through eating a wide range of foods, including plenty of vegetables and not eating too much, you’ll be getting the nutrients you need.
Tomato photograph by Vinduhl, jumping photograph by Sanja Gjenero, square meal photograph by Katiew, vitamin B12 molecule from Benjah-bmm27, strawberries photograph by chotda.
Spam, spam, spam
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
Over the last few days Limes & Lycopene has been suffering. Those bloody spammers have pushed through the defences and wreaked some havoc.
And all this coincided with my being away on holidays.
Which means it was a few days into the spam storm before I realised what was going on.
We have fixed the spamming problem, retrained the detector and all seems to be well.
However a big big big apology to any of you who, having subscribed to comments, received some emails containing spam. I’m quite upset and embarrassed to know this has happened. A big sorry.
Richard and I are working on a better plan for dealing with spam, and also an easier method for unsubscribing from comments. Which will minimise this problem in the future.
Thanks for your patience. And again a big sorry.
Quicklinks
Posted by kathryn in Weight loss, Salads and Pudding
- The middle bit of losing weight: Interesting post from Geek Into Shape. About being in the middle of your weight loss and the difficulties faced.
- More on stock: After Wendy’s guest post on making stock I was interested to read on The Guardian site about nail soup.
- Miso tahini dressing: Lovely, lovely recipe from Veggie Meal Plans for a pumpkin and chickpea salad. But it’s the dressing I particularly like – a combination of tahini, mustard, miso and orange juice.
- Small kitchens: Don’t let a small kitchen stop you from cooking good food. Smitten Kitchen has some good strategies for making the most of your space. It’s a subject close to my heart – as we also have a small kitchen.
- Honey & cinnamon ricotta: A beautiful dessert idea from Souvlaki for the Soul fresh ricotta with warm honey and cinnamon.
- Kitchen confidence: If a lack of confidence is stopping you from cooking, then this article from Chew on This may be useful. Some good advice, including “being prepared for failure” – it doesn’t have to be right every time.
Photograph from Wikipedia.
Q & A Thursday - what's happening?
Posted by kathryn in Blogging
I’ve decided to stop Q & A Thursday.
It’s been a tough decision and I know it’s going to disappoint some of you. But it’s proving unsustainable for me.
Plus I’ve stopped enjoying it.
I’ve realised over the last couple of weeks, that Q & A Thursday is sapping my creative juices and writing motivation. As Q & A Thursday has become bigger and bigger, I’m blogging less and less for the rest of the month.
I’ve thought about reducing my answers; making them shorter, more succinct. But that feels wrong. I’ve always tried to avoid the easy, bland, generalised answer, instead providing meaningful information, adapted to normal peoples’ lives. And writing quick answers seems contradictory to that goal. Short changing both you and myself.
Skribit
However I still want to know what you want me to write about. For me, the most interesting aspect of Q & A Thursday has always been finding out what people want to know.
Plus I’ve always wanted Limes & Lycopene to be a two-way street. A conversation between me and you the reader. And having some space where you have a say in what I write, is part of that conversation.
So while I’m abandoning Q & A Thursday, I’ve decided to install Skribit on Limes & Lycopene.
Skribit is a tool which allows you to nominate topics for me to write about and vote on your favourite ideas. I’ll then use this information as fuel for my blogging.
Plus I’ll be adding topics to the list, to gauge your reactions and interest.
This means there will no longer be one day dedicated to answering questions, instead it’s going to become a normal part of my blogging. Something I’ll do more regularly and include in the normal schedule.
How to use Skribit
If you look in the right-hand sidebar, you’ll see the Skribit widget. In it are the latest topic suggestions. At the bottom is a box containing the question “What should I write about”. You can use this to add a suggested topic, or vote on someone else’s idea.
Underneath that is a link to the Skribit site – where you can view all the current topics.
You can suggest topics anonymously or login with your name.
To set the ball rolling I’ve added some topic suggestions.
So start voting and let me know what you want to read about
And thanks to Duncan for pointing me in Skribit’s direction.
7 comments
21 November, 2008
