Changing to a healthier diet

Hi to all regular visitors.

I've been a bit under the weather lately, so I thought what better time could there be, so I decided to get a full check up at the GP.

All is good....well mostly. It does reflect in my blood results that I have been living a bit of a good life. I have a very high cholesterol count. Now you may have already have a mental image of me, let me assure you, I am NOT over weight. Infact my BMI (Body Mass Index, ideal weight for ones height) is well within range. I lead an active lifestyle, walk/run 5 km 4-5 times a week and TaeKwonDo 2 times a week. I also have 2 sons, 4 yo and 2.5 yo. I don't smoke and I drink alcohol maybe once a week, if that.

Understandably, I was a bit shocked to learn of this.  Too late to sit around worrying about. Like every situation in life, we have choices. My choices are; commence on regular medication, or change my diet to reduce cholesterol, and get checked out again in 3 months. I chose a change in diet.

The search has begun. I have realised that I have most of the ingredients already, I was just using them in the wrong way. I have found many tips on reducing cholesterol. I also need to create a meal plan (sounds boring I know) and also a regular shopping list. It's things we all know, but don't really do. There is a lot of information out there, and in true form, I WANT IT EASY! I will start putting up recipes as soon as I can. I have found some desert recipes too, but I'm sure there is a way of making my favourite foods low cholesterol. I will work on that one. It's fish and salad for dinner tonight. The silver lining?? Dark chocolate is good for you.



I want to see my boys grow up and lead a full and healthy life. I also want to teach them the right way of enjoying food. I hope you can join me on this unexpected, yet challenging journey. 

So..........here we go !

Hungarian Tart

This is a a beautiful shortbread biscuit base, with a layer of strawberry jam, topped with grated dough. I remember having this when I was little, loved it then, and now my 2 sons love it too.

*125g butter (room temperature)
*2 tblspoon cooking oil
*1 egg
*2 tblspoon castor sugar
*1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups plain flour
1 cup jam for spreading (I used strawberry)

• Preheat oven to 180 deg celcius.

• Line a baking tin (25x25 cm) with baking paper/ wax paper

Beat together all *wet ingredients

 

Add baking powder and flour, mix until it forms a dough

    

Divide dough in to 2 portions.

Spread half in to pan, and prick with a fork.

Spread jam onto base

Grate second portion over jam

Bake for 30 minutes until golden

Enjoy

Gluten-Free Crusty Bread (Boule)

Here is a recipe from the same chefs as my previous post, and that's Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. My cousin requested a gluten free version, so I found this.  I have not tried this recipe, I have cut and pasted from another site, as I did not know how to share on my blog. They have published a book, which I am about to purchase on Amazon.com. If you do try it, please share your thoughts and some photos too, thanks.

ENJOY

Recipe from this book

"

When Jeff and I set off to write HBin5 we knew it would include gluten-free recipes. It was the #2 request from our readers of ABin5, more of a plea than a request. The options for buying gluten-free bread are both unsatisfying and expensive, two qualities we try to avoid. We wanted to create wonderful bread that anyone, celiac or not, would want to eat. Along the way we learned a lot about baking with flours that don’t have gluten, which is what gives wheat breads their desired texture and ability to rise. It took several failed attempts, some sleepless nights and ultimately the advice of experienced gluten-free chef Shauna from Gluten Free Girl before we landed what we think is a dynamite crusty loaf, that just happens to be gluten-free.

Several readers have asked about our olive oil dough on page 238. While the Crusty Boule has a chewy and toothsome texture, the bread made with the olive oil dough has a much lighter, almost fluffy interior. Replace the neutral flavored oil in the Crusty Boule recipe with olive oil if you prefer the texture of that loaf. They are both wonderful and give you fantastic options for free form loaves, sandwich breads, pizzas and even crackers. You will find all of these, plus many other gluten-free breads and awesome sticky buns in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

For those of you who are celiac or just baking for someone who is you will find all of the directions and tips for handling gluten-free dough below. It is just as easy as our other recipes, but requires slightly different techniques and a new list of ingredients.

Gluten-Free Crusty Boule

Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves

2 cups Brown Rice Flour

1 1/2 cups Sorghum Flour

3 cups Tapioca Flour (also called tapioca starch)

2 tablespoons yeast (can be reduced but you will have to increase the rise time)

1 tablespoon kosher salt (increase or decrease to taste)

2 tablespoons Xanthan Gum

2 2/3 cups lukewarm water

4 large eggs, whisked together

1/3 cup neutral-flavored oil or olive oil

2 tablespoons honey or sugar

Mixing and storing the dough: Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt and xanthan gum in a 5-quart lidded Round Food Storage Container. Combine the oil, honey and water, set aside.

Dump the eggs into the dry ingredients and then stir while you pour in about 1/3 of the oil and water. Unlike our wheat doughs we do not add all of the liquid at once and stir. If you do that it will result in a lumpy dough.

continue to stir while you pour in another 1/3 of the liquid.

The dough will start to come together in a thick dough. Add the final 1/3 of liquid and

stir until the dough is nice and smooth. Cover with the lid, but do not snap it shut. Allow it to rest on the counter for about 2 hours. Place the dough in the refrigerator and store for up to 7 days. (I have a piece in the freezer and I will report back about how that turns out once I defrost it and bake it up. Stay tuned.)

On baking day take the bucket from the refrigerator. The dough will be quite fluffy still and you want to try not to handle the dough too much. Just like our other doughs the trick is to keep as much of the air bubbles in tact as possible.

Use wet hands to remove 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough from the bucket.

The dough will be quite scraggly when you take it out, just place it on a piece of parchment paper.

Use wet hands to smooth out the surface of the dough.

This may take dipping your hands in the water a few times…

to get a nice shape.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest on the counter for about 90 minutes. If your kitchen is very warm you may only need about 75 minutes.

30 minutes before baking time preheat the oven with a 5 1/2 quart Dutch Oven in it to 500 degrees. Be sure it is fitted with a metalReplacement Knob, the original plastic knobs can only be heated to about 400 degrees. To find directions for baking on a stone see page 237 of HBin5.

The dough will not have grown much while resting, but it will seem a little bit puffier. Use a serrated knife to cut slashes in the dough.

Remove the pot from the oven and take off the lid.

Lift the bread on the parchment and VERY CAREFULLY lower the parchment and bread into the pot, replace the lid onto the pot. Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes remove the lid, turn the heat down to 450 and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Once the bread is done baking remove it from the pot using a spatula.

Allow the bread to cool completely before eating or the center may seem gummy.

The loaf is also wonderful toasted and served with butter and marmalade. Enjoy!

To read an interview Jeff and I did about the gluten-free chapter of HBin5 visit Wasabimon.

10/12 update: WEIGHT of GLUTEN-FREE FLOURS

Brown Rice Flour: 1 cup = 5 1/2 oz = 160 grams

Tapioca Flour (Starch): 1 cup = 4 1/2 oz = 130 grams

Sorghum Flour: 1 cup = 4 3/4 oz = 135 grams

Corn Starch: 1 cup = 4 1/2 oz = 130 grams"

5 Minute bread

Impress friends and relatives with this one! This truly is a very easy, yet delicious bread.

When we first moved to this little town, I missed a few things. Fresh baked bread was one of them. Now if you have read previous posts you would realised that I am a little bit impatient with food. I like it fast, but never to compromise on the taste, or any of the other senses. I searched and searched, and here it is! Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. It's enough dough to make 4 small loaves, the rest, just keep in the fridge until needed.

3 Cups luke warm water
1.5 tablespoon granulated yeast
1.5 tablespoon salt
6.5 cups unsifted, unbleached, all purpose white flour

In a plastic food container with a lid (5L) add warmed water, it should feel slightly warmer than body temperature.
Add yeast and salt, mix a little to dissolve. (Don't worry if all is not completely dissolved)
Add all the flour at once, mix with a wooden spoon until mixture is uniformly moist, and no dry patches.
Cove container with the lid, not airtight, and allow mixture to rise at room temperature, until it collapses (about 2 hours)

Dough ready for refrigeration  or baking

You can use this mix to make bread anytime after this step. Since refrigerated dough is less sticky to shape, refrigerate overnight.
Dough can be kept for up to 2 weeks.



When baking bread:

Line a flat tray with baking paper and sprinkle with flour (I used a pizza tray). The dough will sit on this to bake.
Sprinkle dough in container with flour, pull of 1/4 chunk of dough.
Sprinkle with more flour and shape into a ball by pulling on all sides, to the bottom. This step should take no more than 30 - 60 seconds.
Place on the floured surface on the flat baking tray, allow to rise for approx 40 minutes. No need to cover, and it may not rise much at this stage, don't be concerned.

Preheat oven at 230 deg celcius/ 450 Deg F. Place a metal tray on the bottom of the oven.

I used kitchen scissors and snipped the top in 3 places in a line, to look like chevrons.
Place the dough in the oven. Pour a cup of water in the tray at the bottom of the oven to create steam, close the door immediately to trap steam. This creates a crusty bread.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until crust is golden, firm, and sounds hollow when tapped.

ENJOY

Homemade Tortillas

I thought I'd make a quick and easy meal a few nights ago, so I pulled out the Taco kit, courtesy of Old El Paso. My two young boys, aged 2.5 and 4 just loved it. They loved it so much, that there were no soft tortillas left for my husband, who was yet to come home from work. We live in a remote Australian town, so I did not have the convenience of popping down to the supermarket. What to do? how hard can it be? Well, it turns out..............it's not that hard, and so much tastier too!

2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp fine salt
3/4 water (room temperature)
4 tblspoon vegetable oil

• Place flour and salt in a large bowl.

• Add oil and water.

• Mix with a spoon, then gather up dough in the bowl with your hands to form a ball.

• Let rest for about 10 minutes.

• Divide dough into 8 portions.

• Knead a portion a little, then roll into a circle.

Divide dough into 8 portions

Roll out a portion, approx 3" circle

Heat a heavy based pan on the stove.

Cook tortilla, until golden brown speckles form, then turn over and cook until the same.

Golden brown speckles

Enjoy

Quick Pancakes

I have no idea where or when I came across this recipe. All I know is that I have been making it for a very long time, and as usual, have changed things around over the years to suit me, and you can change it to suit yourself too. I find it very quick and easy, and my boys love it.

1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup milk

Ready for the pan

Bubbles appear when ready to flip over

• Mix all ingredients with a whisk until batter is smooth.

• Heat pan on medium.

• Spray with oil, or pour in small amount oil for cooking.

• Pour in about 1/4 cup of batter into pan, cook until bubbles appear on top.

• Serve with butter and maple syrup.

ENJOY

Notes:

Add more or less sugar, to your desired taste.

Add more milk for a weaker batter, less milk for a thicker batter.

If using a non stick pan, no need to spray oil.

You can substitute the plain flour and baking powder by using 1 cup cake flour/self raising flour. I found that it's not as fluffy when cooked, but it still works.

You can store unused batter in the fridge for use the next day.

Store leftover pancakes in the fridge, reheat covered in the microwave for about 10 sec.

Eggs Benedict

A fantastic breakfast, and oh so easy to put together. I've used store bought sauce, frozen spinach, and shaved ham. Another easy meal, and delicious.

2 eggs
2 English Muffins
2 slices ham
chopped frozen spinach
Hollandaise sauce

• Bring a pan of water to the boil

• Line a small bowl or teacup with cling wrap/ plastic wrap

• Crack 1 egg per wrapper

Bowls lined with plastic wrap

Twist tops to seal

Place eggs in boiling water

• Bring sides together and twist the top to seal

• Gently place in boiling water for approx 1.5 minutes.

• Toast muffins.

• Defrost and heat spinach in microwave.

• Meanwhile, fry ham, just until heated through.

• Butter hot muffins, top each half with ham, spinach, egg

• Heat sauce according to packet instructions, then pour over eggs.

ENJOY

Notes:

For a more posh breakfast, replace ham with smoked salmon, and frozen spinach with fresh spinach.