Monday, May 20, 2013

Recipe: Protein-rich homemade sweet potato & pumpkin soup with moroccan veggie chips






















How do you boost the protein content in a veggie soup?

I enriched the soup with protein in 2 ways - and neither was using protein powder! 

Firstly, I added a can of butter beans to the soup before pureeing (you can't even taste them!). 1 can of butter beans contains 23g protein, not to mention 33 grams dietary fibre to also keep satiety at bay and keep you feeling fuller for longer.

The other way I enriched the protein content was by adding light & creamy evaporated milk. With double the protein and calcium of regular skim milk, evaporated milk is a great way to boost the protein and give your soup a nice creamy taste. Just be careful not to boil the soup once the evaporated milk has been added, it doesn't take too nicely to high heat! 1 can contains 30g protein and 900mg calcium. 


Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion diced
1 large clove garlic finely diced
1/2 kent pumpkin - peeled & chopped into cubes (keep the skin)
1 medium sweet potato - peeled & chopped into cubes (keep the skin)
Olive oil spray
1 tsp curry powder
2 x 18g sachets miso paste 
1 L water
1 x 400g butter beans or chickpeas
1 x 375mL tin light & creamy evaporated milk
1/4 cup fresh coriander - finely chopped (for soup)
1/4 cup fresh coriander - finely chopped (for chips)
Reduced fat greek yoghurt - 1 dollop per serve 

Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius

Soup
Heat olive oil in a large deep pot. Add onion and garlic, cook, stirring until soft and translucent. Add pumpkin, sweet potato and curry powder, stir over heat to coat all vegetables. In a 1L measuring jug place miso paste and fill with water, stirring miso in until dissolved. Pour water into pot over vegetables, stir, bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin and sweet potato are soft and almost mushy.

Drain a can of butter beans and place into a large food processor. When soup is ready, remove from the heat and gently pour over beans in the food processor. Place lid on and process for a minute or so, until the soup is smooth and lump free. 

Pour soup back into a large pot and over low heat stir in evaporated milk. Heat gently, but do not boil. Stir in fresh coriander. Serve into bowls with a dollop of greek yoghurt, a sprig of coriander and freshly cracked black pepper. 

Veggie Chips
While soup is simmering, place skins of the pumpkin and sweet potato on a baking paper-lined oven tray skin side up (don't overlap) and spray with olive oil. Place into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. Place chips into a bowl and sprinkle with fresh coriander and a little moroccan seasoning. Serve immediately while crispy & hot!


Sunday, May 19, 2013

Q&A: Mercury in fish

Q&A

Should I be worried about the mercury levels in fish? Are there any fish that I shouldn't be eating?


















Our national food standards organisation recommends that we consume 2-3 serves of fish per week (1 serve = 150g). Fish has many nutritional benefits, including being low in saturated fat, high in protein and containing essential omega-3 fatty acids. Mercury levels in mostfish are low, and it’s only certain types of fish that you need to watch out for. These are generally the big, long living or predatory fish that sit right at the end of the fishy food chain and gobble up all the other little fish, so it kinda makes sense that they will accumulate higher levels of mercury! So what fish should you watch out for?

Fish with higher mercury levels include:
  • billfish (swordfish, broadbill, marlin)
  • shark (flake)
  • orange roughy (deep sea perch)
  • catfish

If you like these types of fish it’s best to stick to 1 serve per week and no other fish that week.
 

Pregnant women, women planning a pregnancy and young children should have billfish and shark once a fortnight and no other fish that fortnight, or orange roughy/catfish once a week and no other fish that week.

All other fish, including some of our favourites - tuna and salmon (including tinned), are low in mercury so it’s safe for all people to consume these 2-3 times a week. 

More information?







Thursday, May 16, 2013

Q&A: Brown Rice or Basmati?

Hi team,

I thought I would try a new little trick on my blog. It's often sometimes the little questions that bug us, like Should I drink dairy or soy milk?, Do I need to pop a daily multivitamin? or How bad are those diet soft drinks really? If only there was a simple way to get that answer!

Well say no more. I'm trialing a new section on my blog. It's very original, I've called it Q&A (I know, right, awesome name). Q&A is your opportunity to quiz me on all the little things that you want to know, that will make a big difference to your daily life!

So without further ado... here's my first one. Enjoy!












Q&A

Why does brown rice have a medium GI and basmati rice have a low GI when brown rice contains more fibre and is less processed?


The GI of rice (brown or white) depends on itsamylose content. Amylose is a type of starch, and the job of this type of starch is to resist the process of gelatinisation. Gelatinisation is the process where rice absorbs water through its microscopic cracks and changes from a hard, indigestable crunchy grain (that could only ever be used for a blind bake) into something that's light, fluffy and ready to eat. The puffier a grain of rice becomes, the more it has gelatinised, and the higher GI it will have. Arborio rice has one of the highest GIs, while doongara rice has one of the lowest. 

Now although brown rice has many health benefits, including being a source of fibre and B vitamins, because it has a lower amylose content it will gelatinise more as it cooks, and this means it ends up with a higher GI.

So the best rices to choose are the lower GI varieties with a higher amylose content – these are basmati (58), Doongara or 'Clever' Rice (53) or Moolgiri medium grain. I have also noticed recently that some companies like SunRice have brought out a low GI brown rice, so these will also be a good option for people that like their brown rice. However, don't also forget, at the end of the day, the GI of a carbohydrate food goes out the window if you eat huge quantities, so keep your portion of rice to no more than ¼ of your dinner plate, and fill up on plenty of veggies!


















More information?


Do you have any hot topics that you'd like covered in my new Q&A? Drop me a line below. In the meantime, I'll just go back to daydreaming about the amazing holiday I had in Bali last year...


Saturday, May 4, 2013

Recipe: Homemade raw cacao, peanut, date & coconut balls

Wean yourself off peanut M&Ms with these deliciously tasty little bliss balls


















Homemade raw cacao, peanut, date & coconut balls
.... a little bit of bliss in every bite

Makes 20

2 cups natural muesli (such as Carman's Natural Bircher Muesli) or quinoa flakes (gf option)
1 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 raw pecans or almonds
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp water
1 shot espresso
Extra shredded coconut for rolling

Process muesli, dates, coconut, pecans, peanut butter, cacao, honey and vanilla in the food processor until they resemble breadcrumbs. Add water and coffee shot and process until it starts to come together. Add a little extra water if necessary.

Roll into small balls in your hands and finish by rolling in extra shredded coconut. Refrigerate until chilled and serve with hot cuppa. Bliss.

These balls contain a good source of low GI carbsprotein, good fats and antioxidants. The hardest part will be sticking to 1-2 balls at each sitting!



 
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