Raw Salad...with lots of twists

You need the fibres, you need the vitamins and you need the freshness... you need a raw salad, nothing boiled, nothing 'enriched' with mayo...just plain crunchiness of fresh vegetables...

But sometimes can get boring...for me at least...

So what is to be done, without using additives and taste enhancers (chemicals as I call them)?

After going in circles for a few good weeks, while my intake of raws decreased alarmingly, the solutions jumped into my face: Pickles Avenue :-)

Use some salad leaves - whatever combination you prefer (or have in the fridge)...

Some cherry tomatoes - they taste better to me than the normal ones...

Take a few and just halve them..

then add some cheese - for protein -

A few cubes ...

Now the salad looks like this...

Maybe you want some meat protein instead of the cheese one... just go with something light, but tasty..

...and the salad now...

...Now the pickles  .... a few as you wish of any of these ...its totally up to your taste, imagination and daring... artichokes, mixed mushrooms...

..some olives... I always add olives... because I am using no longer a dressing, the sourness of the olives takes the place of  the vinegar ....

......

you must spoil yourself with some sundried tomatoes...and grilled aubergines maybe...

...add two slices of  wholegrain multiseeds toast - for extra crunchiness and lovely smokey aroma ...and thats you , ready with a lovely salad - yummi and low-GL as it can be....

Enjoy!

Lentil Soup

Lentils  - no matter the colour : red, green - represent a great low GL food: low in fats, high in fibres (soluble and insoluble), seems to protect against cancer and cardiovascular diseases...and the soup is really tasty...
don't believe my word for this...trust your own senses...

so, let's make that soup and judge...

225-250 grams of dried red lentils 
2 garlic cloves
salt, chilli powder if you like it hot
about 750 gr boiled water
the juice from half a lemon
to finish it - some fresh coriander or parley - chopped

1. rinse well the lentils, until the water is clean

2. put the garlic cloves through the garlic press and fry it a little, just to develop the aroma 

3.mix the soaked lentils, then add some spices - salt would be enough ...and some chilli powder maybe...

4. Transfer all in the slow cooker if u use one, and add the boiling water..put it on 'high' for maybe one hour......If u cook it in a normal pot, just leave it for about 40 minutes to boil...

5. as the last step - squeeze half of lemon, and add the juice...leave the soup to boil about 10 more minutes...

That's all.

Add some freshly chopped coriander (or parley) and enjoy it while hot ..or warm ... :-) 

Guacamole - yummiest

You can read everywhere about how good avocados are for you.

But I simply was not able to start myself to eat it.

It tasted strange.

I tricked myself by adding some chunks of avocados in a normal salad, and as it borrowed the tastes from the other vegetables, I hardly noticed it.

I have tried once some guacamole from the shop...aiii it tasted so awful, that I gave up buying it.

Today, I had to make a decision: having bought a pack of 4 avocados, not making too much salads lately to use them, must make up my mind: do I throw them away (and this is something I really hate to do) or I give guacamole another chance - and make some myself.

Found a fast recipe in Nigel Denby's book:

one bunch of coriander (me didnt have any)

1 clove garlic - he says optional , I say you must use it!

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

dash of tabasco ( I had none - so no idea what it does for the dish)

15 ml lemon juice (didnt have any so not used it)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 avocados (I had to use 3)

Just blend them and it's done.

For my taste, I had to add salt (maybe that's because I did not have lemon juice).

Done!

add some toast 

Home made guacamole

......and the taste was AWEEEEESOME...

I am a guacamole fan!
I confess: I am a guacamole addict!


Reference:
Nigel Denby (2005) - "The 7 day GL diet", Harper Thorsons, p.114

My LowGL fud: On Chickpeas

Chickpeas are low GL, so when we eat chickpeas based products, we do not get a spike in blood glucose response.

Some studies (1) show that chickpea based diets could help in prevention of  excess far accumulation induced by a high fat diet and could be beneficial in correcting the obesity-related diseases.

Another study (2) showed that chickpea flour added in the content of the pasta resulted in a lower glycaemic response in healthy subjects than in the case of wheat only pasta or lower LDL cholesterol - the 'bad' one (study 3).

As these indicate that chickpea is not only low GL, but beneficial in obesity management, I will try next days some chickpeas and chickpea flour recipes: some chickpea flour falafel, some flatbreads, some pizzas....mmm....



References
(1) Dietary chickpeas reverse visceral adiposity, dyslipidaemia, and insulin resistance in rats induced by a chronic high-fat diet 

(2) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814602004806

(3) http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?typ=pdf&doi=98143

My LowGL: Falafel

Obsessed over cooking falafel at home...checked many recipes, have forgoten them all and started to improvise:
1 can of chickpeas (whizz them well)
some onion
some garlic
one egg (i can't imagine how it would work without egg)
parsley
cumin
paprika
salt
pepper

mix them all

make balls - had to use flour as it was too sticky to my hands. here it got messy

get ready to fry them

I didn't have enough oil..so I had to flatten the balls

and voila the beauties

feedback: tasty...but I will go with more salt and pepper...and I must remember to buy some coriander seeds too....

Dips, dips, dips - low GL, no doubt...

Lazy late Friday...just walking around...seen these...mmmm...I'd buy some of them as were on offer...but hey....am I not able to put something together for myself?

So I started with the mushroom one: buy a 400g box of myshrooms, wash them, cut the stalks (think u need to truen them on both sides to cook).

Pan, 3 garlic cloves sliced, oil, fry them for a few seconds, add the mushrooms, keep stirring and turning them from one side to another...add salt and pepper if you wish  (could be done later too). When you think they are brown enough, just put them aside to cool down. When they are cold enough so you don't destroy the processor, just put them there and whizz them until they are small enough. Add mayo and some soft cheese (as much as you like), taste...and that's done. Put it in small tubs, and they are ready for your next day's snack.

The cheese dip is even easier to make: one onion, chop it, then in the processor. add cottage cheese, sour cream, grated cheddar...and some soft cheese if you want. If I would have (but I don't) I would add some fresh dill...or maybe some coriander...next time...small tubs, fridge, enjoy your snacks...

The dips are for the super lazy....fresh, from scratch, no preservatives or MSG or other stuffs, fast...and more, you are in control....is a dip empowering, or what?

Not too low GL..but festive :-)

step 1 Buy some nice pork (on offer)

step 2 sprinkle sea salt, black pepper and ginger (no idea if it goes with pork...but i have it in the cupboard)

step 3 leave it there for 20-30 mins, turn it over, sprinkle again then add some water and olive oil on top

step 4 make sure the oven is hot, leave it there on 200-225 degrees until brown-ish

step 5 turn the steak on the other side and start preparing the side dish - some mashed potatoes and a cabbage salad

step 6 put some candles on, add a gin and tonic and enjoy it!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

My Low GL Pancakes

Lately I can't be bothered with recipes.

I'm bored on keeping an eye on quantities and sequences...so I have decided to improvise. There are just a few cooking methods in the end, and those who invented any recipe were just experimenting themselves, right?

So why not me experimenting too? You can always add to any food some more salt , or sugar, and make it edible...

I have started a while ago my experiment period with soups...I'll share them in a post...

But this morning I thought: Pancakes

Recipe? No way..just go with the flow :-)

some whole flour - not too much, not too little, just imagine that how much you put there will get into your stomach this morning...feel how hungry you are and you know when to stop pouring.

add an egg - my mom told me that the egg is the one that makes ingredients stay together...and we need the pancakes to stay in one place in the pan.

then add milk...until it gets thin as cream....they say...too thin for my taste...I don't want a thin pancake...so I should add some more flour...but I change my mind...I'll add some sesame seeds...still not thick enough...mmmm...I'll add some oats....mixing I add until I think it's the right thickness.

Now pan, a little olive oil, when hot I add a ladle of batter in the middle of the pan...wait one minute maybe, turn it on the other side for another minute...done.

repeat the pan stuff until the batter ends...and here they are, my very low GL, no preservatives or nasty things (bag oils, bad E's), fresh, good smelling, yummi...

who needs recipes???

- on top maybe some honey and cinnamon...

How calcium can help weight loss

According to Smith (2008), when you dont have enough calcium in your diet (via diary and dark leafy greens mainly) then, your body starts conserving it.

Here is the mechanism:

• not enough dietary calcium, body produces higher levels of a hormone called calcitriol, which triggers an increased production of fat;
• as a result all the fat cells get bigger and ready to store more fat

Enough dietary calcium supresses the calcitriol production, the body breaks down more fat and fat cells shrink.

How much calcium? About 1gram a day. Calcium must come together with vitamin D, which helps the calcium absorbtion.

(foto credits) 

Smith, K (2008) - Feed Muscle Shrink Fat Diet, Meredith Books