My newsletter for June

A dessert, straight from heaven

Irresistible profiteroles!  

Lentils

Going strong for thousands of years

This small legume offers a wealth of nutrition with a mighty history. Lentils belong to the first foods that humans cultivated. Archaeologists have found 8.000 years old lentil seeds in the Middle East. Lentils are even mentioned in the bible.

Compared to other dried beans, lentils are quick to prepare. There are numerous varieties with colours ranging from light yellow and orange to dark brown. They don’t need to be soaked overnight and easily absorb flavours from spices. Lentils contain a lot of fibre, plenty of minerals, complex carbohydrates and a lot of protein without any fat. If you want to loose weight, they should be on your menu.

The fibre of legumes not only keeps your bowels going, it also helps the body to absorb the calories slowly thus avoiding a hike in blood sugar and insulin levels. This is especially important for persons who suffer from diabetes.

Lentils also provide two B-vitamins and big amounts of six important minerals, among them folate, magnesium and iron. Folate is especially important for pregnant women as it helps forming the nervous system of the unborn baby. It is equally important for grown ups as it supports the human metabolism to get rid of homocysteine, a byproduct of digestion. This substance damages artery walls and increases the risk for heart disease.

Magnesium relaxes the walls of arteries and veins thus improving the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. The iron in lentils helps the body to form blood as it is a part of haemoglobin, the red blood cells which transport oxygen through the body. It is also required by the human metabolism for important digestive processes.

Lentil Cream

Heavenly Healthy!

Here I introduce a vegetarian recipe which I have more or less created myself. I write more or less because it is inspired by the vegetarian sandwich spreads which you find in health food stores all over the world.

I have taken the flavours of the Greek lentil soup which I adore. This soup is dominated by tomatoes, garlic and oregano. Instead of making a soup however, I add just enough liquid to obtain a cream. You can serve this cream as a snack with crackers or bread. I like to stir in some red wine vinegar which adds a bit of tang. You can use the cream also to make healthy sandwiches, for example for your kids’ tiffin boxes. It is great topped with any kind of cheese.

Lentils not only offer a wealth of nutrition, they also taste wonderfully rich and earthy.

Wishing you happy cooking, always!

Kornelia Santoro with family

 

Ingredients

(for 4 big servings):

• 2 cups lentils (masoor dal)
• 2 packets tomato puree (200 ml each)
• 3 big carrots
• 1 medium size beetroot
• 4 big onions
• 4 big cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Method:

Unlike other legumes lentils don’t need to be soaked overnight. You can use any type of lentils you like. I prefer brown masoor dal for this recipe because it has a round, earthy flavour. 

Wash the lentils and place them into a pressure cooker. You can prepare the lentil cream in a normal pot as well; it just takes a lot longer to cook. Peel the carrots, the beetroot the onions and the garlic and grate them. Add the vegetables to the lentils in the pot. Pour in the tomato puree, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 750 ml water into the pot and mix everything well. Add salt and pepper, the bay leaves and the oregano.

Close the pressure cooker, switch on the flame and boil the lentil cream for half an hour after the first whistle. In a normal pot you have to cook the lentils for at least one hour, stirring occasionally. The lentils should melt in your mouth. You might have to add some extra water also, but not much. At the end of the cooking time you should have a thick cream, not a soup.

When the lentils are cooked, open the pressure cooker. If there is any water left, you have to boil it some more minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and taste the cream. You might have to add some more salt and pepper. Take out the bay leaves and store the cream in airtight containers. You can keep it in the fridge for at least one week.

Go for red beans

Red beans detoxify your body

Red beans, also called Rajma, kidney and Pinto beans are known as ‘Phaseolus vulgaris’, which means ‘common beans’. They all trace their origin to a common ancestor bean in Peru. Spanish explorers brought them to Europe in the 15th century and Portuguese traders introduced them to Asia.

Beans are not only a cheap source of good protein; they also contain plenty of cholesterol-lowering fiber. A cup of cooked kidney beans provides almost half of the recommended daily intake for fiber. This fiber prevents blood sugar levels from bouncing up and down after a meal, making beans easy digestible for people with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.

Furthermore they supply us with the trace mineral molybdenum which helps our bodies getting rid of sulfites. Sulfites are preservatives found in many industrial foods. Big amounts of folate, magnesium, manganese, iron and niacin (Vitamin B1) make red beans an excellent ingredient for any healthy diet. These minerals and vitamins support a healthy heart, improve your memory, help keep your heart healthy, boost your antioxidant defense and provide plenty of fat-free energy. If you want to lose weight, eat plenty of beans.

More recipes at Kornelia's Kitchen 
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Wholewheat Flour

Atta: full grains ensure complete nutrition

Wheat is an ancient grain, which humans eat for more than 12,000 years. It played a vital role in the sacred rituals of many cultures. Greek, Roman, Sumerian and Finnish mythology had gods and goddesses of wheat.

Although I do not pray to the goddess of wheat, it plays an important part in feeding my family. In my kitchen I practically never use white flour, only whole wheat flour or atta, as it is called in India. This has one reason: White flour lacks the bran and the germ of the wheat grain, the parts which offer the most nutrition. From a health point of view refining flour makes no sense at all. Whole wheat is  a good source of dietary fiber, manganese and magnesium which help prevent many diseases.

Different research studies show that eating frequently whole grains can help avoid type 2 diabetes and the forming of gallstones. Food rich in fiber keeps your colon moving and can help to protect you and your loved ones from breast and other hormone related cancers, colon cancer, childhood asthma and heart disease.

Recently scientists claimed whole grains may be even more beneficial as is known today. According to press reports research methods have overlooked many powerful phytonutrients in whole grains. It seems that for years researchers have only measured “free” forms of phytonutrients, which are immediately absorbed into the bloodstream. The “bound” forms however are attached to the walls of plant cells. They must be released by bacteria in the intestines to be absorbed by the body.

This does not matter so much when you analyze fruits and vegetables, as they have more than 70 per cent “free” phytonutrients. But in whole grains “bound” phytonutrients make up 99 per cent, which so far have been ignored. This may help explain the low risk for colon cancer of populations eating diets high in fiber-rich whole grain.