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 ... :-) 

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?

Juices: Spinach and pepper punch

150g baby spinach leaves
2 yellow peppers, seeded and cut into strips


Reserve a couple of strips of pepper; feed the spinach and peppers through juicer
Pour into glasses and serve with the reserved sticks of pepper.


to get a creamy spinach and pepper punch add 125 ml of natural yoghurtl

Juices: Strawberry and Oatmeal Smoothie

115g strawberries
1 tablespoon fine oatmeal
1 teaspoon honey  - if
4 tablespoons yoghurt

Put the oatmeal in blender, add 125 ml of boiling water. Leave it for 10 mins


Put all other ingredients, and blend until smooth.

You can replace strawberries with a banana, but you get a high GL

Juices: Banana and Blueberry Yognog

1 banana peeled
50g blueberries
225ml natural plain yoghurt

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth
Pour into glasses and serve

Juices:Carrot and Apple Juice

 for 2 glasses

2 large carrots, trimmed
2 apples cut into wedges

Feed the carrots and apples through a juicer
Pour into glasses and serve

i dont have a juicer and anyway i wouldnt drink juice only...so i got a carrot and apple smoothie...i added some water....i guess it would go better with some milk....and great with some yoghurt...i'll try them next time...

Super Veg Juice

1 red pepper, sedded cut into strips
1 yellow pepper, the same
few spinach leaves
2 carrots trimmed
3 sticks celery
1/4 cucumber, peeled

Feed the vegetables in the order losted through a juicer
Pour over ice in a glass

If you want a sweet veg juice, add 1 peeled, cored and seeded apple.

Juices: How to

Therer we have - juices and smoothies

A juice contains only the juice of the fruit, a smoothie contains the whole fruit.

From the low GL point of view, we should always choose smoothies: they contain fibre and this makes them much lower in GL than the plain juice.

How much?
Juice
For one glass (225ml): 4-5 apples; 3-4 oranges/half pineapple; 4-6 medium tomatoes; 5-6 large carrots; 2 grapefruits; 300gr of grapes; 1mango and a half; 4-5 pears

Use fruits and vegetables that are in peak condition. prepare them just before you use them. If you need to keep in the fridge, add a fewe drops of lemon to avoid discoloring. Dilute the juicew when you drink it, or it will be much too high in sugar.

Smoothies
these are 100% fruit.
When you add yoghurt, go for the low fat one, avoid the fruit flavoured ones, usually have added sugar.
Milk - go with semi-skimmed or skimmed
Dairy substitutes: tofu (high in protein, low in fat, good source of calcium and vitamin E); soy milk; rice milk, oat milk; coconut milk.
Banana and avocado add creamy texture and good flavor.

When blend, put the liquids first in blender. Derin k them as soon as you make them. You can modify the thickness of the smoothie with liquid.

When finished, wash your blender as soon as possible.

Low-GL Lunch: Fish

While at Sainsbury doing my fud shopping, I had a flash...'I'd have some fish tonight'. And here I go to the frozens...as I like to buy more and keep them in the freezer...while browsing, I get hit by another flash....why should I buy frozen and not fresh? ok, it might be a little more expensive...but I'm not going to buy for a whole battalion...

So here I go now to the fresh fish counter...scallops...salmon...huge prawns...trout...mmmmm...I am curious for a long time to find out how does the thing called 'haddock' taste like...I pick two fillets...and here I go now to cook it...

I remember how my mom was cooking the fillet at home....some onion and carrots, the fillets, some salt and pepper, olive oil drizzle and some wine (sorry, no white in stock, only some red) in the oven for maybe 20 mins at 200 degrees.

Meanwhile I think it would be nice to have some sauce over my smoked undyed haddock... blitz my chopped tomatoes with 2 cloves of garlic, and then heat them in a pan with olive oil, salt, pepper , thyme and basil...

Boil some whole basmati rice (60g no more for a portion)...

...and a huge salad - this time i bought a mix of watercress, spinach and rocket plus some normal salad for volume, one tomato and some green pepper, onion by default....salt, balsamic vinegar and a lil' olive oil....

Its effing low GL and unbelievably tasty....don't just believe me on this..try for yourself!...:-)

Low-GL Lunch: Squash and feta rosti

serves 2

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
2.5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
325g firm squash, such as butternut, peeled, deseeded and coarsely grated
100g feta cheese, crumbled

Heat the oil in a small non-stick frying pan, add the onion and caraway seeds and cook until the onion is softened and golden.Add the ginger and grated squash and stir-fry gently for 3-4 minutes to combine the ingredients and soften the squash.

Add the feta and mix well. Pat down the mixture in the pan and draw it in from the sides, to make a cake. Leave over a medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, to firm and brown the base.

Put the pan under a hot grill for a further 5 minutes to brown the top. Cut in half and serve.

Low-GL Lunch: Sun-dried tomato dressing

serves 2

4 sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained and quartered
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon anchovy essence (or anchovy paste)
freshly ground black pepper

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Low-GL Lunch: Lime and soy dressing

serves 2

2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons avocado oil (or olive oil)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl .

Low-GL Lunch: Orange vinaigrette

serves 2
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1 garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Low-GL Lunch: Root vegetable and goat's cheese salad

serves 2

200g root vegetables, coarsely grated (sweet potatoes, swedes or parsnips, celeriac and carrot)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
30g walnut pieces
25g raisins
100g hard goat's cheese, cubed
sesame oil, to drizzle
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

Place the grated vegetables in a large bowl. Heat the oil in a small pan and when hot add the black mustard seeds. when the seeds start to pop, pour them over the vegetables. Stir in the walnuts, raisins and goat's cheese. Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle over the coriander.


Serve with a chunk of soda bread or a spoonful of couscous.

Low-GL Lunch: Leeks in red pesto and tofu sauce

serves 2

4 medium leeks
4 tablespoons red pesto
75g tofu
juice of 1/2 lemon
125-150ml vegetable stock
freshly ground black pepper
30g hard goat's cheese or other hard cheese, finely grated


Trim and wash the leeks and slice each one in half vertically. Place in a steamer or a lidded colander over a saucepan of boiling water and steam for about 10-15 minutes, until soft.

Meanwhile, mix the pesto, tofu and lemon juice together ina bowl and add sufficient stock or vegetable juice to make a thick pouring sauce. Pour into a saucepan and bring to simmering point. Add black pepper to taste.

When the leeks are cooked, put them in a heat-proof dish, pour over the sauce, and scatter the grated cheese on top. Place under a hot grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese has browned on top, the serve.

Serve with some rye bread and mixed leaves drizzled with some dressing.

Low-GL Wraps: Sesame, spinach and poached egg wrap

serves 2

1 heaped teaspoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
250g fresh spinach, washed and coarsely shredded
1 tablespoon lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
2 pancake wraps

Heat a wok or frying pan, put in the sesame seeds and dry-roast gently until golden. Set the sesame seeds aside in a small bowl.
Heat the olive oil in the pan, add the onion and garlic and cook until they are turning golden. Add the spinach leaves, lemon juice and pepper. Stir-fry until the spinach is wilted then set aside.

Break the eggs into a saucer and slide them into a pan of boiling water to which a dash of vinegar has been added. Poach the eggs until firm, then lift them from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain while you reheat or make the pancakes.

Put half the spinach mixture and one egg on a pancake, sprinkle over hald the sesame seeds, and fold the pancake over. Leave in the pan for a few minutes for everything to heat together. Repeat with the second pancake.

Low-GL Wraps: Wild mushroom and Parma ham wrap

serves 2

2 tablespoon olive oil
250g mixed wild mushrooms
6 sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, cut in strips
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
freshly ground black pepper
2 pancake wraps
2 handful mixed salad leaves
walnut oil, to drizzle
2 slices Parma ham, cut into strips
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the mushrooms, tomatoes and lemon zest and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked. Stir in the parsley and black pepper.

Place each wrap on a plate, put a handful of salad leaves on each and drizzle over the walnut oil. Put half the mushroom mixture, a slice of Parma ham and some lemon juice on each and roll them up to finish.

Low-GL Wraps: Basic pancake wraps

100g buckwheat flour
1 large egg
300 ml liquid, (150 ml milk, 150 ml water, or all water)
freshly ground black pepper

Pour the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and break the egg. Using a whisk, gradually add the liquid, whisking well, until the mixture has the consistency of thin cream.
Depending on the size of the egg, you may need a little more or less fluid than the quantity specified. Grind over some black pepper.
Heat a flat-based frying pan until hot , wiping a little light flavoured oil over it with kitchen paper while it is still quite cool. When hot, pour an eighth of the mixture into the centre of the pan, tilting the pan to spread the mixture. Cook for a minute or two, until the pancake begins to bubble round the edge. Flip it over with a spatula and continue cooking for another minute or two.

When the pancake is cooked, turn it on to a plate lined with cling film and continue making pancakes - the mixture should make eight pancakes. Continue stacking the pancakes separated by cling film, on the plate.