Blog Posts - Page 20 of 75 - Carma's Cookery | Tips for Unleashing Your Kitchen Creativity

How to Get Started on the Mediterranean Diet

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date October 1, 2019

By now you’ve probably heard a lot about the Mediterranean Diet. This eating pattern was named the best overall diet of 2019 and has been linked to preventing diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and certain cancers, and reducing inflammation. If you’re ready to do what’s right for your health, right now is a great time to adopt the Mediterranean-style eating pattern. And according to Amy Riolo, bestselling author, chef, television personality, and educator, getting started is easier than you might think.

“One of the best things about the Mediterranean-style eating pattern is that there’s no rigid ‘one size fits all’ daily intake list to stick to,” says Riolo, author of the American Diabetes Association’s The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook, 2nd Edition: A Flavorful, Heart-Healthy Approach to Cooking (American Diabetes Association, May 2019, ISBN: 978-1-580-40702-1, $22.95). “The guidelines are simple and easy to follow, and you get to eat delicious food without feeling deprived.”

The Mediterranean Diet centers around seasonal produce, fish and seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy, and small amounts of meat and sweets. While choosing from a cornucopia of foods, followers of this lifestyle can decide what they would like to eat and when. But with so many options it can feel overwhelming to get started. Here are some tips from Riolo to help you begin the Mediterranean Diet today.

Rethink your relationship to food.

“Food in the Mediterranean region is more than just fuel,” says Riolo. “Throughout the region, preparing and enjoying food is viewed as one of life’s greatest pleasures, a reason for socializing, a form of art, an act of worship, a means of gift-giving, culinary medicine, and much more. Restaurant dining is less important than sharing meals at home with family and friends. Remember this mindset as you incorporate more Mediterranean-themed meals into your diet. It will help you prioritize and even look forward to preparing healthier homecooked meals.”

Eat plenty of plant-based foods and seafood.

“To start following a Mediterranean-style eating pattern, plan your meals around plant-based foods including seasonal vegetables, fruit, and whole grains,” says Riolo. “Be sure to incorporate fish at least two to three times a week. Cook with olive oil. Enjoy dairy often and consume meats and sweets only sparingly. Try to cook as much of your food as possible and incorporate the freshest, highest quality foods you can find.”

Stock your Mediterranean diet pantry.

Having a well-stocked pantry saves you time, money, and stress when you’re ready to cook, and encourages you to eat healthfully. Begin stocking your pantry today. Don’t worry — you can take your time with this, purchasing a new item or two each time you visit the grocery store. When you’re done, you’ll have the foods and products needed to whip up a healthy Mediterranean meal.

Some essentials to buy first include extra-virgin olive oil; balsamic vinegar; baking goods like whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour; sea salt; canned black beans, cannellini beans, and dried lentils; canned tomatoes; canned tuna; whole wheat pasta; grains like basmati rice, couscous, and bulgur wheat; dried herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary, and sage; and spices and seeds such as cayenne pepper, coriander, ground ginger, cumin, and sesame, fennel, and caraway seeds. You can find a full list of Mediterranean pantry items here.

Keep fresh foods on hand too.

In addition to your stocked pantry of dry goods, you will need plenty of fresh proteins, veggies, fruits, dairy, and other items to create your meals each week. Plan to make weekly trips to the grocery store to buy fresh ingredients like fish fillets and chicken breasts; lemons; celery, carrots, and onions; assorted lettuces; potatoes and sweet potatoes; eggs; cheeses like parmesan, goat, and feta; and yogurt.

Find some simple and healthy Mediterranean Diet recipes.

You don’t have to be a trained chef to cook delicious homecooked meals, says Riolo. The beauty of Mediterranean cooking is that the ingredients are simple and the preparation methods are easy to execute. Start out with easy recipes. You can save more elaborate meals for holidays and special occasions. The Mediterranean Cookbook, 2nd Edition is a great place to find plenty of recipes that are big on flavor and easy to prepare. The Italian Diabetes Cookbook is another good resource.

Some Mediterranean Recipes to Try Out

Make a meal plan.

Plan your meals on a weekly basis. Start by deciding which dishes you would like to eat in the upcoming week. Take into consideration the time you will have for cooking, which ingredients you already have on hand (and what you’ll need to buy at the grocery store), and whether your meals contain healthy assortments of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Make a grocery list and a schedule of when you will prepare which dishes.

Plan ahead for busy days.

“A busy schedule doesn’t have to prevent you from preparing healthy meals,” says Riolo. “On days when you have an hour to cook, try preparing two quick main dishes, one to eat that day and one to keep for a day when you don’t have time to cook.”

Get the whole family involved.

Getting other people in your household involved in meal prep can prevent any one person from feeling overwhelmed. Post a schedule on the refrigerator and delegate tasks. One person can make the salad, another can chop vegetables, and so on.

Supercharge your health with other Mediterranean lifestyle changes.

The foods you eat greatly impact your health. But people are healthiest when their overall lifestyle is geared toward wellness. So, in addition to adopting the Mediterranean Diet, Riolo recommends embracing the Mediterranean lifestyle as well. This includes getting plenty of exercise and physical activity throughout the day and participating in communal eating. Enjoy regular family dinners, lunch outings with coworkers, and frequent dinner parties with friends. And for optimal health and fitness, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

[divider]

[one_third] [/one_third]
[two_third_last]

Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.

[/two_third_last]

Tags diabetes, Mediterranean Diet

Recipes

Orange, Asparagus, and Avocado Salad

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date September 27, 2019

This Spanish salad recipe, provided by Amy Riolo comes from The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook, 2nd Edition: A Flavorful, Heart-Healthy Approach to Cooking, is both gluten-free and vegan.

Serves: 6 | Serving Size: 1 cup | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed (about 8 oz)
4 oz romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large orange, trimmed and cut into segments
1 large ripe tomato, cut into 12 equal pieces
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place asparagus in a pot of boiling water over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until asparagus is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain asparagus and submerge immediately in a bowl of ice water.
Divide lettuce evenly among six salad bowls or plates.
Combine orange, tomato, and avocado in a medium bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper until combined.
Drain asparagus and add to orange mixture. Pour dressing over orange mixture and stir gently to combine. Spoon mixture on top of romaine lettuce on plates and serve.

Notes

Choices/Exchanges
1/2 Starch, 1 Nonstarchy Vegetable, 1 1/2 Fat

[one_third] Calories 110
Calories from fat 70
Total fat 8.0 g
Saturated fat 1.2 g
Trans fat 0.0 g [/one_third]
[one_third] Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 90 mg
Potassium 370 mg
Total carbohydrate 9 g [/one_third]
[one_third_last] Dietary fiber 4 g
Sugars 4 g
Protein 2 g
Phosphorus 45 mg [/one_third_last]

[divider]

A graduate of Cornell University, Amy Riolo is considered a culinary thought leader who enjoys changing the way we think about food and the people who create it. Amy is a food historian, culinary anthropologist, and Mediterranean Diet advocate who makes frequent appearances on numerous television and radio programs both in the United States and abroad, including FOX TV, ABC, CBS, NBC, the Hallmark Channel, Nile TV, the Travel Channel, Martha Stewart Living Radio, and Abu Dhabi Television.

For more information about Amy, please visit www.amyriolo.com.

Tags diabetes, gluten-free, vegan

Healthy Living

Answers to Questions About Plant-based Eating

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date September 24, 2019

Having a diet rich in plant-based sources is becoming increasingly common, especially with younger generations driving the conversation around sustainability. In this post, James Collier, co-Founder and Head of Nutrition at Huel, a nutrition company offering a variety of plant-based powders and ready-to-drink beverages, answers some common questions about plant-based eating.

What is plant-based eating?

A plant-based diet is a diet that consists mainly of foods from plants. Such foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. Meat intake is minimal if any.

There are many reasons why people eat a plant-based diet including environmental, ethical and health concerns. I am not suggesting to eliminate meat from a person’s diet completely, however, reducing meat and animal food consumption is one of the quickest and simple ways an individual can reduce their carbon footprint.

What foods should we eat to achieve daily recommended nutrients, vitamins, minerals on a plant-based diet?

There are some easy ways to ensure, with a plant-based diet, you can get the recommended amounts of all nutrients:

Eat the rainbow.
As different color foods usually contain different levels of nutrients, it’s important to eat a variety. For example, the phytonutrient, lycopene which is an antioxidant that protects against cell damage and gives tomatoes its red color. While carotenoids, another group of antioxidants, give fruits and vegetables orange and yellow colors, such as carrots.

Get enough Vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12, which plays a vital role in helping the body produce red blood cells can usually be perceived as tricky to get enough of with a plant-based diet. The good news is, it’s really not. As a start, try incorporating plant-based milks that are that are fortified with B12, and calcium and vitamin D. Cereals, meat alternatives and some soy products are often fortified with B12 too. Taking a B12 supplement also rids any concerns.

Ensure adequate omega-3 consumption.
If oily fish is not part of your eating plan, then foods such as walnuts, soy and flaxseed are ways to ensure adequate omega 3 consumption. Flaxseed is one of Huel’s six main ingredients and contains the omega-3 essential fatty acid ALA. Omega-3 fats are generally low in a Western diet and adequate omega-3 consumption is important to support cardiovascular health.

Keep your iron up.
Iron is not just found in meat food sources. Dark leafy greens, nuts and dried fruits are great sources of iron. Iron is crucial for oxygen transport, cognitive function and the immune system. Iron from plant sources can be harder to absorb, but again, there’s no need to worry. Iron absorption can also be increased by the presence of vitamin C which is found in lots of fruits and vegetables such as oranges and peppers. It’s where the idea of having orange juice with breakfast comes from — to increase the iron that is added to cereals.

How do you transition to plant-based eating?

Whether your motivation to increase plant-based foods to your eating plan is to improve your health or environmental footprint, incorporating higher amounts of plant-based foods can be achievable.

Make small changes over time.
Start by eating one plant-based meal a day. This will be easier to stick with rather than making large, unsustainable changes overnight.

Make some easy fridge swaps.
A good place to start is by swapping dairy milk with almond or oat milk such as Oatly. The rapidly growing plant-based meat industry lead by Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods is also providing shoppers with plenty of options.

Change your mindset.
Instead of thinking, “I can’t eat meat,” think about all the wonderful things you can eat and how beneficial these are for your health (and the planet). Stop focussing on meat as the hero on your plate and rather, build your plate with new and nutritious food choices.

[divider]

About the Guest Expert

James Collier is a Registered Nutritionist with 20 years of experience with the national health service in the UK. James is a renowned nutrition expert with over 25 years working in nutrition and dietetics. His experience also includes working in the NHS (UK) as a clinical dietitian covering an array of clinical areas.

He is also the co-founder of Huel, which has the mission of making nutritionally complete, convenient, affordable food, with minimum impact on animals and the environment. With this in mind, Huel’s products are 100% vegan.

[divider]

[one_third] [/one_third]
[two_third_last]

Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

[/two_third_last]

Tags vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

Recipes

Easy Mediterranean Baked Fish

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date August 22, 2019

Looking for the great recipes in life is an adventure in itself. When you’re looking for something that feels comforting, but also has the health benefits, it can be hard to find. Many people are moving towards the Mediterranean diet because it is plentiful in nuts, vegetables, as well as fish.

That said, many of us can find fish is a little bit too much. Therefore, here is a Mediterranean style recipe for fish that you can try out. This recipe for Mediterranean baked fish features a parmesan tomato sauce and is full to the brim with Italian herbs and seasonings. It feels hearty and healthy.

Ingredients

5 plum tomatoes
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pinch dried oregano
4 Tablespoons white wine
24 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
4 Tablespoons capers
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
3 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
18 oz flounder or sole fillets (Feel free to choose any fish you want as a lot of people don’t like an incredibly fishy flavor.)
6 leaves fresh basil, torn

Directions

Preheat oven to 430 F.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Put the tomatoes into the boiling water, and remove to a medium bowl of ice water.
Drain, then remove the skins. Chop, and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan (over medium heat).
Sauté the onion until tender.
Stir in garlic and oregano.
Stir in tomatoes, and cook until tender.
Mix in the wine, olives, capers, lemon juice. Finally, add the chopped basil.
Reduce the heat, blend in parmesan cheese, and cook until the mixture is reduced to a thick sauce.
Place the fish in a shallow baking dish. Cover with the sauce. Top the dish with the remaining basil leaves.
Bake 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

The great thing about this dish is that it can be a perfect accompaniment to a vegetable dish. If you are looking for an oven roasted vegetable recipe that’s easy, you can find plenty around.

Be sure that you go for the rainbow in terms of colors. The more colors in your vegetables, the better. The benefits of this dish, with the fish, vegetables, and that rich Italian sauces that it provides you with a healthy dose of protein, carbs, as well as lots of healthy fats. If you want to add a little bit extra to the dish, drizzle it in extra virgin olive oil, and it’s ready to serve up!

The Mediterranean diet is one of the best ways for a healthy heart, and this dish serves four people but is also an excellent way for you to give your children a colorful plate that’s also very healthy. The olives add to that being on vacation vibe and is a perfect dish for summer nights. Get yourself a glass of wine, relax on the verandah, and look out at the sun going down!

Tags fish, Mediterranean Cuisine, seafood

Healthy Living

Getting Healthy: What You Can Eat To Improve Your Skin

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date August 20, 2019

When it comes to your health, there are a few aspects of it that eating different foods can’t help. That is absolutely true when it comes to your skin. It’s the largest organ in your body, and it often tends to reflect the way that you feel on the inside. If you’ve been eating lots of processed food, you may find that you start to break out. If you haven’t been getting enough sleep, you may find that you start to look pale and drawn. But luckily there are things you can do and foods you can add to your diet to improve your skin, keeping it glowing and gorgeous.

[two_third]

Improve Your Skin with Avocados

Not only are they delicious – what’s better than smashed avocado on toast in the morning? – but avocados are also great for your skin. They contain a lot of healthy fats, which can improve the way that your skin looks by keeping it moisturized and flexible, meaning that you’ll be less likely to develop wrinkles and more like to have skin that looks full. Avocados also contain a lot of vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that helps protect your skin, and vitamin C, which your skin needs to create collagen. Without vitamin C, your skin will end up looking rough and dry. [/two_third]
[one_third_last] [/one_third_last]

[two_third]

Improve Your Skin with Fatty Fish

There are few foods that are more generally good for you than fatty fish, or oily fish as it is sometimes known. Tuna, salmon, herring, and anchovies are all delicious – and great for your complexion. They contain a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, which will keep your skin looking glowing, supple and moisturized, along with reducing redness and acne by bringing down the inflammation in your skin. It also contains a lot of protein, which maintains the strength of your skin, and zinc, which along with fatty acids can reduce inflammation, as well as aiding the formation of new skin cells, meaning that any scratches or cuts will heal much more quickly. [/two_third]
[one_third_last] [/one_third_last]

[two_third]

Improve Your Skin with Sweet Potatoes

There are few comfort foods that are better than a baked sweet potato in the winter. Cut open the crispy skin, add some butter, and enjoy – and remember that it’s doing your skin a lot of good. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta-carotene, along with other foods like spinach and oranges. Beta-carotene converts to vitamin A in your body and which can help protect your skin from the sun, meaning that if you eat plenty of sweet potato and spinach, you will be less likely to get wrinkles and sunburn from the sun when you go outside. Make sure you wear sunscreen all year round, just in case! [/two_third]
[one_third_last] [/one_third_last]

Talk To Your Doctor

Don’t forget that it’s still important to make sure you speak to your doctor about any skin complaints that you may have. Websites like Inspire can help you work out any medications that might help you for skin conditions like acne and psoriasis, and the doctor will be able to talk it over with you and prescribe medication or creams that might be useful.

You don’t have to spend hundreds on face creams to get clear skin – explore the possibilities in your diet first!

[divider]

[one_third] [/one_third]
[two_third_last]

Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

[/two_third_last]

Tags avocado, fatty fish, salmon, sweet potatoes

Cooking Techniques Creative Cookery Flavor Blending

A Meat Lovers Heaven

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date June 19, 2019

Are you one of the meat lovers? When it comes to eating meat, you’re either really into all the different types of meat, or you really don’t care one way or the other. The world is divided as to how much meat we should be eating, and if we should be eating any at all. But all of these conspiracy theories created by people who love to shake the world, should not distract you away from the benefits of meat.

I admit, eating it in large quantities is not going to do your digestive system any good. But meat is something you’re most likely only going to eat once a day, in your evening meal. When you do, you’re getting so much protein and vitamins and minerals, that it would be a shame to give it all up. And some people have to eat meat or they’ll get sick!

But for those of you who are serious meat lovers, giving up is just not on the agenda. Eating meat is life, and the flavors it creates, and the texture it adds to a dish, just can’t be replicated. This article is dedicated to those of you who know you just can’t live without your meat fix. I’m going to show you the different ways you can step up your meat game.

Countries around the world have taken cooling meat to the next level, and simply sticking it in the pan and waiting for it not to be raw is not an option anymore. So if you’re ready to step up your game, sit back and relax, and see what you think of these ideas.

Different Ways of Cooking Meat

Let’s start off with the most important part. So many of people are missing out on beautiful tasting meat, simply because they stick to cooking it in the pan with just a little bit of olive oil or butter to make sure that it doesn’t stick. But this is most definitely not the way you should be cooking your meat, especially if you’re always looking for the finest tasting option.

True meat lovers own a smoker. Smoking meats is what so many big chain restaurants do in the U.S., and what nearly all of the smaller family businesses use. It’s literally the secret key–that’s not so secret–however, many people just don’t implement this cooking method.

You can get little smokers that can sit in your garden while your meat is slowly smoke-cooked. This type of cooking method is the best with brisket and steaks, simply because it produces that deep smokey flavor while leaving the meat so tender and juicy. You’d have to do your research as to how long to cook each meat, but generally, you’ll have to learn by trial and error. This is a super good, long term investment, and I promise you won’t regret it if you give it a go for the summer!

Different Meats To Try

If you call yourself a meat lover, I have this question for you: How often do you venture outside the common two? The two types of meat that most people seem to eat are chicken and beef. Pork seems to be the meat left out of the picture so often, but it’s one of the most flavorsome meats when you cook it right. But this is the part that so many people get wrong, including myself. How many times have I made pork and ended up with a dry lump of meat? I’ve lost count. My husband, on the other hand, makes an awesome pork steak that is juicy and flavorful! Go figure.

The problem with cooking port often starts with the cut. If you don’t get a good cut of meat, it won’t come out right. So first of all, think about sourcing something such as brine pork ribs. Ribs are massively underestimated, but when seen on a menu in a restaurant, soon they get the standing ovation they deserve.

However, at home, it’s just not common to see pork ribs. Here’s the scoop: This dish starts in the morning. Get a big enough dish, and coat the ribs in your favorite BBQ sauce. Go a bit fancy, and source one that you know restaurants use. Leave it to soak all day, and then slow roast them in the oven in the evening. That strong BBQ flavor, alongside juicy slow-cooked meat, is a winning combination. Have a side dish of beans, corn on the cob, and maybe a few chips or fries, and you’ve got yourself a succulent meat dish we know you’ve been sleeping on!

The Best Country for Meat Lovers

If you really love meat, then you should definitely think about going on a little meat lovers adventure around the States. So many restaurants serve the craziest meats, cooked to perfection. Just going there simply to eat food is enough, but you’re all aware of the super cool things you could do alongside that. So do your research, and find out what states are the best for well-cooked meats!

And don’t stick to the obvious, sit-down restaurants either. Some of the best pulled pork I’ve ever had was cooked in a smoker in the parking lot of an Ollie’s in Maryland.

Tags meat

Cooking Techniques

Tips on Tenderizing Meat

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date May 9, 2019

Mastering the skill of tenderizing meat can mean the difference between an enjoyable meal and a tough-to-chew hunk of meat. From wagyu beef to pork loin, the best cuts of meat are those that have been tenderized. If you go to any of the best restaurants and order a meat dish it will be easy to chew and full of flavor because they make the effort to tenderize the meat.

However, this is not always the case when you purchase inexpensive cuts from supermarkets, which is why it is important to tenderize the meat. The same goes for when it comes to meal kits. Read meal kit reviews to ensure the meat provided is tenderized, if indeed included. If not, it’s your job to do this! Let’s take a look at the different ways you can do this…

Tenderizing Meat with Enzymes

The first method involves using foods that contain enzymes that will break down the muscle tissue in the meat. This includes enzyme-rich foods, such as kiwi, pineapple and ginger, as well as acidic foods, for example, wine, yogurt and vinegar, and also citrus fruits, like limes and lemons.

If you follow this approach you will need to create a marinade, using either one or several of the ingredients that have been mentioned. You should then marinate the meat for anything from two to 24 hours, depending on the strength of the marinade. Another option is to purchase a meat tenderizer to sprinkle on top. These tend to be enzyme based and therefore they have a similar effect.

Of course, be careful with this technique. I once cooked chicken in a pineapple and when I pulled the dish out of the oven, the chicken was mush!

Tenderize Your Meat with Muscle

If you don’t want to follow this process, then you could tenderize the meat by pounding it instead. This works really well with skirt steak, round steak, and flank steak. You should begin by getting rid of the excess fat. Don’t cut it all off, as you will need to leave some for flavor. Once you have done this, pop the meat in the freezer for approximately half an hour. You don’t want the meat to freeze, but you want it to get cold.

After half an hour has passed, take the meat out of the freezer and place it on a chopping board. This is vital to protect your kitchen counter. The last thing you want is to whack your worktop with a steel mallet. Now you can use the mallet to tenderize the meat. Simply pound the meat on both sides until it is nice and tender. This approach is effective because it breaks down the fibers, which will make it much easier to chew.

Tenderizing meat is one of the most important processes for cooking steak effectively, empowering you to enjoy the best, most flavorful meat. These two processes mentioned above are highly effective and you will immediately notice the difference if you do not usually tenderize meat before cooking it.

Tags meat, tenderize