Diet & Recipe Category: Medicinal

Easy ways to add probiotic-rich food to your diet

Recipes for probiotic food       follow the link for a 14 page recipe guide

For more information about probiotics in general.

Our 15 strain probiotic liquid culture

Are you  worried about pesticides?

“In a study about one of Korea’s infamous cultured foods, it was evidently observed that the probiotic strains found in Kimchi are able to completely degrade several kinds of organophosphorous pesticides within nine days of fermentation. In this study, they noted that various strains of lactic acid bacteria use these chemicals as one of their food sources.” 

People who embrace old fashioned, slow farm-style cooking and eating uphold the art of pickling, brewing and culturing food. This enhances flavours, makes fibrous food more digestible and provides a steady stream of potent probiotics, especially lactobacillus. We can easily maintain these gut friendly bacteria without needing supplements by eating regular helpings of traditionally fermented foods  every day. 

Our gut health affects our immune system, digestion, our emotions, energy levels and our brain function. So a sound mind in a healthy body with a healthy gut really does depend on the consumption of bacteria, fungus, mould and slime! They come from delicious fermented foods we can easily make and take ourselves.

Examples of fermented food: 

 

Sauerkraut, kimchi, yoghurt, amasi, kefir, cottage cheese, allpopular cheeses, olives, pickles like gherkins, tobasco sauce, soy sauce, Worchester sauce, tamari, natto, miso, sour bread, kombucha, beer, wine and pickled lemons. Learn how to make a few of them with my basic guidelines. Making your own kimchi is a good way to begin as it introduces lactic acid – a by product of anaerobic fermentation, giving it a sour taste, without adding vinegar.

Recipes for probiotic food       follow the link for a 14 page recipe guide

 

HEALTHY SAVOURY SNACKS

Heat oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

To save energy, use the oven for coking casseroles, cooking brown rice or pea dhal or roasting meat and vegetables.

1) Mix these dry ingredients together:

(Larger quantities can be kept in the fridge)

1 cup yellow pea flour

1 cup millet flour (or substitute with barley flour or oats)

1 cup rice flour

½ cup rice bran oil or olive oil

Optional: 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or equivalent sweetener)

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1-2 teaspoons spices: chilli, salt, kaloonjie, etc.

2) Add: 1 cup finely chopped leeks, celery, dhania, etc.

1 cup water or fruit juice

1 lemon chopped with skin, pips removed.

3) Process water and lemon till smooth and fine in an electric blender.

4) Pour the liquid into the other ingredients to make a soft, fluffy dough.

5) Spoon out blobs of the dough – about a tablespoon each time onto a greased baking sheet.

6) Bake in the 180 deg C oven for15 minutes. Then switch off, and leave for about 20 minutes to firm up. Then remove and cool on a rack. If left longer, they will get harder and become crispy.

Chocolate orange cookies and whole orange preserve

This is the ideal tea time cookie as a replacement for gooey chocolate cake. Take them with you if you know there will be no wheat free, gluten free alternative for you to eat. The use of a natural orange gives them a rich flavour and adds all the health benefits of the orange pith that helps to lower cholesterol and adds vitamin K to the diet. The orange preserve makes a nice addition to a lunch box and goes very well with a tiny square of bitter, dark chocolate.

Learning to multi-task in the oven.

Set oven temperature to 180 degrees C. I usually do this at suppertime and immediately add a baking dish of vegetables near the top of the oven. You can try halved sweet potatoes and slices of pumpkin, butternut, etc. in a little olive oil and some kaloontjie pepper and herb salt. Add some hamburger or homemade tuna patties or sausage to a lightly oiled pan to cook in the same oven. Meanwhile, prepare your baking mixtures. After about half an hour, the vegetables begin to soften at this temperature. Transfer them to the bottom of the oven and start baking the cookie dough. The cookies need 10 minutes at 180 deg. C and then switch off and leave for another 10 minutes. This gives you time to cook spinach or broccoli or make a salad. The whole meal as well as the cookies should be ready at the same time. The oven will still be warm. If you want really hard, crunchy biscuits, return some of the cookies to the oven for at least an hour. This oven can also be used to dry out celery for herb salt or to dry out the orange preserve overnight.

Mix these dry ingredients together in a large bowl with the oil:

For 24 small cookies

½ cup oat bran (or barley or millet flour)

½ cup rice flour

½ cup yellow pea or lentil flour

2 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

½ teaspoon ginger powder

1-teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 tablespoons brown sugar or stevia equivalent

½ cup olive oil

Blend the wet ingredients in an electric liquidizer/blender to make a smooth pulp.

1 orange cut in half. Squeeze out the juice and add water to make a cup full.

Coarsely chop the orange peel, remove pips and top stalk and add to blender.

2 tablespoons of sweet molasses

½ teaspoon citric acid.

Fold the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. It will rise into a wonderful fluffy mixture. Work with a light touch as you release each tablespoon of the dough onto the greased baking sheet. Use a fork in the other hand to shape the dough. Bake the tray in the oven at 180 degrees C. for 10 minutes. Switch off the oven and leave in for another 10 minutes. For a hard, crunchy biscuit they can be left in for another hour.
WHOLE ORANGE PRESERVE (orange biltong)

For people who love marmalade, here is a super, all-natural confection that is easy to make, especially if you are having a glut of oranges and want to preserve some of them. It’s a recipe that just works and the results are good.

Take 2 oranges, cut in half and squeeze the juice into the blender. Remove pips and top stalk area. Chop up the orange peel and process in the blender to make a fine smooth pulp. For a variation, also add fresh, chopped ginger.

Transfer the pulp to a fireproof glass jug with ½ cup brown sugar. You can add another tablespoon or two if you don’t have blood sugar issues. Microwave this mixture on full for 5 minutes. Stir well and microwave for another 5 minutes.

Enjoy that lovely fragrance!

To make the round discs, spoon out blobs of the orange mixture onto greased baking paper, leaving about 6 cm for each one. Dip your fingers in water and rub them down into thin discs of about 3mm thick. Allow them to dry in a warming drawer for a few hours or overnight in the oven after it has been switched off. They even dry in the sun, taking about a day. They are ready when they are no longer sticky and you can peel them off of the baking paper.

Keep the orange preserve stored in plastic containers in the fridge. Enjoy them as a dried fruit or use to flavour desserts. They can be slivered or finely chopped. Try home made ice cream and hot chocolate orange sauce or make chocolate custard and add pieces of orange preserve. (For more ways to enjoy healthier forms of chocolate refer to Healthy Happy Eating by Sue Visser pages 150 –151.)

Cooking vegetable casseroles in the oven – mutton, fish for turkey casseroles with vegetables.

This oven method is what I have been using for dinner parties for the past 10 years. It’s easy and convenient. When entertaining, prepare one or two casseroles to cook in the oven so you can enjoy the snacks and dips with your guests. A mild vegetarian curry will suit all blood types and cause no offence, even to vegan or Kosher guests. Make a separate meat casserole for the meat eaters. Turkey and mutton suit all blood types. For fish, use tuna, cob or salmon.

If you are entertaining, begin the dish at least 2 hours before the guests arrive. Then leave the oven on very low to keep everything warm. Make all your snacks and side dishes well in advance, preferably a few days ahead. Leave your vegetables or salad ingredients washed and ready to toss out at the last minute. (Or open a pre-pack, all done for you!)

Ingredients for a large vegetarian casserole to serve four people. Use fewer vegetables if you are adding some meat.

A selection of vegetables in season. Choose some or all of these:

For browning: 2 onions, 2 leeks, 2 red peppers, 1 aubergine, peeled and diced (not for Blood type A1 and O2)

For the casserole:

2 medium sweet potatoes, 1 cup of peas, 4 carrots, 4 baby marrows, 2 medium turnips, 10 green beans

2 chopped chillies if OK with everybody – otherwise serve as a sambal (see recipes)

6 sprigs of soup celery, very finely chopped

2 cloves fresh garlic (optional)

30ml olive oil

30 – 60ml rice flour to thicken

1 vegetable stock cube made into 1-2 cups of hot stock

1 cup lentil sprouts

2 tomatoes (not for A1 and B1)

1) Curry option: 2 tablespoons mild curry powder, ½ teaspoon herb salt, 1 teaspoon grated ginger.1-tablespoon coconut cream or powder, stirred in during the last half hour. This is when you will add the fish.

2) Tomato bredie (stew) option: I small can tomato puree, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, ½ teaspoon turmeric.

2) Tofu: add chunks of tofu during the last half hour. Or add some cooked black-eyed beans or baked beans.

Meat options:

1) Brown about 200g small chunks of turkey breast or dark meat with the onions, pepper or aubergines.

2) Add 1 or 2 thinly sliced tuna, salmon or cob fillets tossed in lemon juice, salt and spices of your choice. Add fish towards the last half hour of the casserole. For vegetarians: set aside some of the casserole before you add the fish.

3) Brown 250g diced mutton stew cuts or cutlets that are tender with the kaloonjie, coriander, cumin and mustard seed mix. I find it best to place them in a flat 6cm deep roasting dish, without the salt and just coated in the spices. Place close to the grill and turn the oven on to 180 deg C. to warm up. When the fat has browned, turn over. Now add the onions, green peppers, etc. Leave in the middle of the oven while you prepare the other ingredients and continue with the vegetarian casserole recipe. Cover the dish with an old baking tray for the main part of the cooking time.

You normally need about 2 hours on low heat. Then remove the lid and stir to check if it needs thickening. This makes a wonderful curry dish or tomato bredie (stew). Add some olives to make my “Greek” lamb. Transfer to a serving dish later. Leftovers freeze very well – nice if you want to prepare the whole dish in advance or cook a larger quantity.

Basic oven casserole method. Browning can be done in the oven in the baking dish. A flat 6-8 cm roasting pan works very well, and it can be covered with an old baking sheet during the main cooking time.

Vegetarian: Mix the coarsely chopped onions, aubergines and peppers with the oil, ginger, garlic, chillies and other seasoning you want in the roasting pan and place it in the middle of the oven. Switch on to 180 deg C. to bring to full heat. Leave them there for a while so the onions become quite crispy.

Now prepare the vegetables you have selected and chop up the celery. This saves on oven time. If cooking brown rice, yellow pea dhal or black-eyed beans, prepare them with boiling water and place in the oven. For basmati rice, prepare it with hot water in a covered dish and bake for only ½ hour. Remove when done.(See rice, legume and grain recipes for more options, cooking times and combinations.)

Now add your vegetables to the dish. Sprinkle over the rice flour. Pour over enough stock, so that it almost reaches near the top of the contents of the dish. Cover with a lid or baking sheet and cook in the middle of the oven for about an hour, with the rice, dhal, etc. For the first 20 minutes, leave on 180deg and then turn down to 120 deg.

After an hour, check on the casserole to see if more liquid must be added or stir in a little rice powder if it needs thickening. Now add the strips of fish and stir them in. Turn down the oven to keep everything warm. Just before serving, you can add a swirl of yoghurt or more coconut cream to the dish, if it suits everybody. Otherwise, offer them separately with the side dishes.

SAUCES, DIPS AND SALAD DRESSINGS

YOGHURT SAUCE FOR GREEN VEGETABLES, DIPS OR SALADS

Blend of a cup of yoghurt with a teaspoon of honey and a tablespoon of olive oil.

Add a dash mustard and some herb salt to taste. For a richer taste, add a tablespoon of tahini.

LIGHT AND LEAN ONION SAUCE

This sauce keeps well in the fridge. It can be served with green vegetables or used as a light, low fat dip.

1 large onion or two smaller onions

50ml lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

50ml olive oil

1 teaspoon herb salt

1 clove chopped garlic

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Light a candle when you work with raw onions or cook chillies, and you will have no more tears.

Peel and chop the onions and boil or steam them until tender. Alternatively, stir fry them in a tablespoon of the olive oil and let them simmer with a tablespoon of water on low heat until soft and glassy.

Cooked onions provide a creamy base for the sauce, without the burn!

Place all the ingredients in a deep bowl and process thoroughly with a hand-held blender. You can also use a food processor or an electric blender. Keep the sauce in the fridge.

Variations

Yogurt, chopped herbs, lemon juice or a little mayonnaise can be added to the basic sauce.

A red onion will make a beautiful pink sauce or party dip. Use 30ml balsamic vinegar instead of 50ml lemon juice.

Try the red onion sauce with steamed or roasted butternut. Top with fresh basil leaves or chopped parsley.

Use 30ml tarragon vinegar instead of 50ml lemon juice. This sauce is lovely with fish or chicken.

Add a small, fresh chilli instead of the mustard for more of a kick, especially for party dips.

FIERY RED DIP

This dip contains tomatoes and red peppers, so use the alternative recipe if you need an all-type red dip. If you can find some fresh peppadew peppers, you are in for a treat as they have a unique flavour, with quite a hot tang. This dip can be served with carrot and celery sticks, apple slices or lightly steamed green beans for the lean and light eaters, or offer thin slices of rye toast or rice crackers.

3 fresh peppadew peppers, minus the pips and chopped

Or: 6 bottled peppadews

Or: 1 large red sweet pepper with a small chilli

1 large chopped tomato

1 clove fresh garlic

½ teaspoon herb salt

50ml lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

50ml olive oil

1 small sweet potato, chopped and boiled

Blend all the ingredients together, using a hand-held blender or a food processor.

ALTERNATIVE RED DIP FOR ALL BLOOD TYPES

Some people, especially blood type A, don’t enjoy chillies and A-secretors and B-secretors need to avoid tomatoes, so here is a milder red dip.

2 carrots, chopped and boiled till soft

2 teaspoons paprika powder

50ml lemon juice or 30ml balsamic vinegar

50ml olive oil

½ teaspoon herb salt

2 teaspoons honey or brown sugar

1 clove fresh garlic

1 tablespoon chopped onion

Blend all the ingredients together, using a hand-held blender or a food processor.

Variations

These red dips can be served at parties. When next you serve a cream of vegetable soup, add a swirl of yoghurt and top it off with a blob of red dip. Serve the red dip with fried slivers of ostrich meat, fish or chicken. Spread red dip onto rice crackers and add a pile of fresh lentil sprouts, mixed with grated cheese.

RAISIN RELISH

This sauce is very versatile and can be used on salads, vegetables, for dips, on yoghurt and even breakfast cereals. It can be made on the spot, and the sweetness can vary according to your requirements. The raisins make it very sweet –far sweeter than just adding raisins to a dish. The combination of raw onions with raisins is said to be very healthy. By adding lemon juice or vinegar and some oil, the Glycaemic Index of the raisins is lowered to a more tolerable level.

1 very small onion, chopped

100ml seedless raisins

50ml lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

Optional: the grated rind of a whole lemon

100ml olive / grape seed / canola oil

A pinch of herb salt

Blend all the ingredients in a tall container, using a hand-held blender. Taste it and you will find that you cannot really detect the onion! Add more onion to make a more savoury relish for salads or serve as is on salads, cereals or yoghurt.

Variations

1 Breakfast or desserts. Leave out the onion and salt. Add a chopped apple and a little more lemon juice. Serve with yoghurt, fruit salad or with chopped bananas for dessert. Add a pinch of ginger or cinnamon powder. Use this mixture to make the morning oats or muesli more interesting.

2 Vegetable or curry relish. Add a large, chopped onion and more lemon juice or vinegar. Add a small chilli and some ginger, if liked, for a quick chutney for your curry. Spoon this mixture over steamed root vegetables like butternut, sweet potato or parsnips.

3 An unusual salad. Chop up a few lettuce leaves into the bottom of a salad bowl. Sprinkle on some olive oil and lemon juice and a dash of herb salt. Top with raw, parsnips or carrots and butternut. Spoon over some raisin relish and garnish with a few onion rings.

ECONOMICAL PESTO SAUCE

Pesto sauce is usually made with pine nuts that are very expensive. This recipe uses ground-up sesame seeds, almonds or walnuts. Parmesan cheese can be substituted for pecorino cheese, made from sheep’s milk.

100ml olive / rice bran / sunflower oil

50ml lemon juice / apple cider vinegar

3ml herb salt

1 clove garlic, peeled

6 small spinach leaves

10 sprigs fresh basil

100ml grated parmesan cheese

50ml ground-up sesame seeds / almonds / walnuts

Tip the oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic into a tall container. Add a third of the chopped green leaves and process with a hand-held blender. Keep adding more leaves. If the mixture gets too solid, add a little more oil or lemon juice. Stir in the grated cheese and ground-up seeds or nuts. Do not worry if the mixture looks a bit runny. After a day in the fridge the sauce becomes more solid. It keeps well in the fridge.
KALOONTJIE SUBSTITUTE FOR PEPPER

Grind together: 1 tablespoon each of: Kaloontjie seeds, coriander, cumin and mustard seeds. Add a teaspoon of dried chillies for an extra kick. Use generous quantities when cooking meat, fish, vegetables, casseroles, etc.