19 Sweet and Savory Oatmeal Toppings courtesy of soon-to-be Norton cookbook author J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (@TheFoodLab) on Serious Eats.
19 Sweet and Savory Oatmeal Toppings courtesy of soon-to-be Norton cookbook author J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (@TheFoodLab) on Serious Eats.
1. Spinach
ALL leafy greens should be eaten in abundance but spinach is my absolute favourite because it’s easy to buy, easy to use in recipes and salads and is delicious. Baby spinach or fully grown spinach are nutritional powerhouses and are incredibly alkaline.
As with all green foods, spinach is rich in chlorophyll, a potent alkaliser and blood builder.
It is also super high in vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, vitamin c, vitamin b2, calcium, potassium, vitamin e, dietary fiber….need I go on?
I doubt there is a more all around healthy food on earth and I highly encourage you to eat spinach throughout the day, every day.
2. Kale
Kale is another leafy green beauty that is widely known for its cancer-fighting, cholesterol-lowering, antioxidant-rich, detoxifying goodness.
Less popular than spinach, but only because it has a history of being cooked poorly (like cabbage) – when done right it is absolutely delicious.
If you eat kale 2-3 times per week you’ll know it. Like spinach it is massively high in vitamin k, vitamin a and vitamin c and being leafy green it also has a huge chlorophyll content.
The reason it is so powerful against the cancer fight is that kale contains at least four glucosinolates. I don’t want to lose you here by using words like glucosinolates – all you need to know is that as soon as you eat and digest kale, these glucosinolates are really easily converted by the body into cancer fighting compounds.
Also quite amazing for lowering cholesterol, it should be noted that steamed kale is more effective for cholesterol lowering than raw.
3. Cucumber
The beauty of cucumber is it’s water content – 95%. That is phenomenal and you won’t find that anywhere else. It’s the daddy of water-content. This of course makes it an incredibly hydrating food to consume, that ALSO contains superb amounts of antioxidants, including the super-important lignans. These highly beneficial polyphenols have more commonly been associated with the cruciferous vegetables, but their content in other veggies such as cucumbers is gaining more and more attention.
Cucumbers contain a right load of lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol (don’t try to pronounce), three lignans that have a huge and very strong history of research in connection with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease as well as several cancer types, including breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers.
The best thing about cucumber is that they provide the base for practically every alkaline soup, smoothie and juice – giving you a very alkaline, very nutritious base that also tastes great.
In terms of the actual nutrient RDA per serve, cucumbers contain fair amounts of vitamins K and C, and slightly less of vitamin A and the B vitamins. Cucumbers also contain the following alkaline minerals: calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, selenium, copper, manganese, iron and zinc.
4. Broccoli
Broccoli is just a must. If you are serious about living with health, energy and vitality you simply have to eat broccoli, if not on a daily basis, then at least 4 times per week.
Broccoli has been proven over and over and over again to be incredibly powerful in inhibiting cancers, supporting the digestive system, the cardiovascular system, the detoxification processes in the body and also supporting the skin, metabolism, immune system, being an anti-inflammatory and providing ample antioxidants.
Sound good?
Eaten steamed or raw its a hugely alkaline, hugely nutritious food. Please, please, please eat lots and lots of it. Put it in salads, juices, smoothies, soups…steam it with other veggies – you can even roast it if you’re having sunday lunch.
Don’t let a meal go past without thinking to yourself “how could I get some broccoli in here?”
5. Avocado
I eat a LOT of avocado. Not a salad, smoothie or soup goes by without me adding at least 1/2 an avocado per person. I probably eat at least five-seven per week, myself.
Now, I know a lot of people give avocado a bad rep because it is a high-fat food (85% of it’s calories come from fats) – but this is totally insane. These are good fats that will not make you gain weight. If anything, due to the high content of oleic acid (making it an omega 9 fat and very similar to olive oil), it can lower total cholesterol level and raise levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) while lowering low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), also known as the “bad” cholesterol. Oleic acid also slows the development of heart disease, and promotes the production of antioxidants.
These beneficial omega oils also help speed the metabolism, actually leading to weight loss rather than gain.
So now we’re over the fat issue, avocado also contains a wide range of other nutrients that have serious anti-inflammatory, heart health, cardiovascular health, anti-cancer, and blood sugar benefits.
Containing key antioxidants such as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, selenium and more – it is a powerful, alkaline, nutrient-dense superfood.
6. Celery
Celery, like cucumber is a favourite because it’s alkaline AND really high water content, so is used very frequently as a base in juices and soups (not so much smoothies as you have to juice it first…and then you have double the washing up).
One of celery’s big benefits is it’s vitamin C level, which has the well known benefits – but two of it’s lesser known nutrients are phthalides which have been shown to lower cholesterol and coumarins which have been shown to inhibit several cancers.
The beauty of vitamin C rich foods are that they help with the most common and most challenging health concerns – they support the immune system, inflammation (so helps with arthritis, osteoporosis, asthma etc), and vitamin C also helps significantly with cardiovascular health.
If you are on a weight loss journey, you’ll also be happy to hear that this alkaline staple contains plenty of potassium and sodium and so is a diuretic – meaning it helps rid the body of excess fluids.
7. Capsicum / Bell Pepper / Pepper
The antioxidant superpower, bell pepper is one of my all-time-favourites because it is sweet, crunchy and refreshingly delicious. You can use it in almost any meal raw, grilled, fried, roasted and it is always a winner.
Here are just SOME of the antioxidants bell pepper contains:
• Flavonoids
– luteolin
– quercetin
– hesperidin
• Carotenoids
– alpha-carotene
– beta-carotene
– cryptoxanthin
– lutein
– zeaxanthin
• Hydroxycinnamic Acids
– ferulic acid
– cinnamic acidOf these, the cartenoids are the most interesting. Impressively beneficial to our health cartenoids are highly researched and get a lot of attention in the health field…and bell peppers contain over 30 different members of the carotenoid nutrient family. The only other food that is close to this is tomato…and all other foods are also-rans.
Bell peppers have shown up in research relating to decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, macular degeneration, cancer, inflammation and more.
Alongside these lesser known or more complex-named antioxidants, bell pepper is one of, if not the best food source of the more common antioxidants: vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E.
In fact, bell peppers contain twice as much vitamin C as oranges.
I really want you to think about this: If you made a smoothie or juice containing just 1/2 a cup of each of these seven ingredients it would give you:
Vitamin K – 1326% RDA
Molybdenum – 13.5% RDA
Vitamin C – 243% RDA
Potassium – 35% RDA
Manganese – 68% RDA
Magnesium – 32% RDA
Vitamin A – 386% RDA
Fiber – 47% RDA
Calcium – 22% RDA
Iron – 22% RDA
Folate – 66% RDA
Vitamin B2 – 21.5% RDA
Vitamin E – 16% RDA
Vitamin B6 – 22.5% RDA
Vitamin B5 – 15.5% RDAALL IN ONE DRINK?
Can you imagine this? Leaving the house every morning having already consumed 243% of your vitamin c intake, 47% of your daily fiber needs, 68% of you manganese and 32% of your magnesium, over 22% of you vitamin B2 – imagine all of the incredible antioxidants? Before you’ve left the house?!
This really is giving you not only huge antioxidants, huge alkalinity, huge chlorophyll, huge detoxification nutrients – but if you want to go really mainstream – its giving you the recommended 5 Veg a Day before 9am!
Please give it a try – have a fresh vegetable juice or smoothie every morning for a week and let me know the effect this has!
herbed vinaigrette potato salad!
- 2 pounds small red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces (somewhere between quarters and sixths)
- 1 small (5-ounce) white onion, halved
- 3 tablespoons white or golden balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil (I used oregano)
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
recipe at the source!
(via healthlifelight)
the perfect summer feast
Spanish Rice with Black Beans
This is a mildly seasoned dish, so you fire and spice lovers will probably want to increase the amounts of jalapeno peppers and chipotle powder.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 green or yellow pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 – 1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and finely diced (add more or less to taste)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned fire-roasted, liquid reserved)
- 1 1/2 cup black beans (or 1 15-ounce can), rinsed well
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder (or other pure, mild chili powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or more, to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
(via 5crumpti0u5)
sun-dried tomato butter!
recipe at the source!
SALT AND SODIUM
10 tips to help you cut back
Think Fresh
- Eat highly processed foods less often and in smaller portions—especially cheesy foods, such as pizza; cured meats, such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and deli/ luncheon meats; and ready-to-eat foods, like canned chili, ravioli, and soups.
- Fresh foods are generally lower in sodium.
Enjoy Home-Prepared Foods
- Cook more often at home—where you are in control of what’s in your food.
- Preparing your own foods allows you to limit the amount of salt in them.
Fill Up on Veggies and Fruits—
- they arenaturally low in sodium
- fresh or frozen.
- Eat a vegetable or fruit at every meal.
Choose Dairy and Protein Food That are Lower in Sodium
- Choose more fat-free or low-fat milk and yogurt in place of cheese, which is higher in sodium.
- Choose fresh beef, pork, poultry, and seafood, rather than those with salt added.
- Deli or luncheon meats, sausages, and canned products like corned beef are higher in sodium.
- Choose unsalted nuts and seeds.
Adjust your taste buds Cut back on salt little by little—and pay attention to the natural tastes of various foods. Your taste for salt will lessen over time.
Skip the Salt
- Skip adding salt when cooking.
- Keep salt off the kitchen counter and the dinner table.
- Use spices, herbs, garlic, vinegar, or lemon juice to season foods or use no-salt seasoning mixes.
- Try black or red pepper, basil, curry, ginger, or rosemary.
Read the Label
- Read the Nutrition Facts label and the ingredients statement to find packaged and canned foods lower in sodium.
- Look for foods labeled “low sodium,” “reduced sodium,” or “no salt added.”
- Ask for low-sodium foods when you eat out; Restaurants may prepare lower sodium foods at your request and will serve sauces and salad dressings on the side so you can use less.
Pay Attention to Condiments
- Foods like soy sauce, ketchup, pickles, olives, salad dressings, and seasoning packets are high in sodium.
- Choose low-sodium soy sauce and ketchup.
- Have a carrot or celery stick instead of olives or pickles.
- Use only a sprinkling of flavoring packets instead of the entire packet.
Boost Your Potassium Intake
- Choose foods with potassium, which may help to lower your blood pressure.
- Potassium is found in vegetables and fruits, such as potatoes, beet greens, tomato juice and sauce, sweet potatoes, beans (white, lima, kidney), and bananas.
- Other sources of potassium include yogurt, clams, halibut, orange juice, and milk.
Lemon Poppyseed Shortbread
(via so-relatable)
