Tag Archives: Mediterranean

Spiced Rice

Spiced Rice may be served with: Curry, Stews, Sauces. Here presented with almonds and soy beans

Flavorful rice that can be a great additive side dish, especially with curry, stews and sauces. See instructions below to add a creative aspect to this delicious plate!

 

 

 

 

 

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cup’s Rice
  • ½ onion diced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 4 whole cloves
  • ½ cinnamon bark (1 inch or 2.5 cm in length)
  • 2 cloves of cardamom
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tsp turmeric (optional)

Rice should be washed by placing into a bowl and covered with water, carefully remove water. Repeat process 3 times.   Allow rice to remain in water for 30 minutes, remove water from rice and set aside. (If rice is not pre-soaked add another ½ cup water to dish when rice is added to pan for a total of 3 ½ cups)

Over medium heat add oil to a large frying pan with onion, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom; cook for 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add rice and incorporate well with onion and spices.  Add 3 cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Fluff rice with 2 forks and recover pan.

BE CREATIVE:

  1. May add vegetables to this dish before water is added to rice.
  2. May add Saffron or Tumeric to dish at end of cooking.
  3. Rice can be placed into a mold pan upon completion of cooking.  Allow to cook for 20 minutes, invert pan to release formed rice and top off with almonds and soy beans.

Suggested dishes to accompany Spiced Rice: Permjit’s Chicken Curry, Paratha, Raita,  Chicken or Veal Parmesan, Florence Italy’s Peposo

Raita

Serve Raita with Permjit's Chicken Curry

Raita adds flavor to any Indian meal and also assists in cooling down the palate’s “hotness” brought on by the spices used in food preparation. Serve on the side with Permjit’s Chicken Curry,  Paratha,  Spiced Rice

Serves 6-8

  • 500 g low fat yogurt
  • 1 Cucumber shredded (remove water of cucumber)
  • 1 Carrot Shredded
  • 1 ½ tsp Roasted Cumin
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 pinches black salt

    In a bowl, whisk yogurt for 3 minutes, this will add air and provide a lighter taste to the Raita.  Add all ingredients to yogurt and continue to whisk together. Set aside in refrigerator.

    Paratha

    Paratha

    Paratha is a bread that accompanies Indian dishes that resembles a tortilla. Paratha can be made plain or may have spices kneaded into the dough.

     

     

     

     

     

    Serve with Permjit’s Chicken Curry, Raita, Spiced Rice

    Serves 10-12 Paratha

    Ingredients:

    • 2 ½ cups wheat flour (wheat flour may be softened (OR may substitute 1 1/2 cups wheat flour and 1 cup white flour.)
    • ¾ c cold water

    Heat a tortilla pan over medium heat.

    In a large bowl add ingredients together to make a soft, but slightly sticky, dough mass. Break pieces of dough off the size of tennis balls (for smaller Paratha use golf ball size dough pieces).

    Knead dough until soft but slightly sticky.

    Flatten and roll into a circular disk with a thickness of a dime.

    Roll out dough until thin as a coin.

    Place dough disk onto hot pan and allow to cook about 1 minute per side, until slightly brown or toasted. Air pockets will appear and may even become pillow like if left on the heat. Remove and place into a basket to keep warm. Repeat cooking instruction until completed.

    Place dough onto heated pan to quickly fry Paratha

    Permjit’s Chicken Curry

    Chicken Curry

    Curry, a general name that sends most salivary glands into over drive.   This recipe has journeyed from India, Africa, America and Europe delighting the taste buds of many and providing dietary medicinal benefits as well. The following curry sauce is easy to do.  Follow the directions to achieve a tasty dish just by simply layering in the flavors.

    Two important tricks to making this recipe are:  1. Keep 2 cups of water on hand to slow down cooking . 2. Constantly stir to prevent food from overcooking.  Serves 6

    • 2 onions finely minced (emulsified)
    • 1/2 c.  oil (may use:  sunflower, vegetable, canola, peanut , or olive)
    • 2-3 bay leaves
    • 1 tsp Roasted Cumin (may warm cumin in a dry pan over low heat for 1 minute)
    • 2 cups water (to be used in small amounts through out cooking)
    • 1 Tbsp Ginger
    • 4 Green Chilies diced (may add 2 more chilies for a spicy flavor)
    • 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic (5 Garlic Cloves)
    • ¼ c yogurt
    • 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
    • 2/3 c Tomato Sauce
    • 5 lb’s( or 2 kilo) cubed chicken
    • ½ c Cilantro
    • 1 ½  tsp Salt
    • ½ tsp Saffron or Tumeric
    • 2 tsp Fenugreek (or Methi Sookhi)
    • 1 tsp Cumin

    Begin by peeling and then mincing 2 onions add 1/4 cup water to emulsify the onions.

    Over medium heat, add oil to a large pan along with onions, cumin and bay leaves. Allow ingredients to saute` for 8 minutes until brown, stirring constantly as to not burn! Next, stir in 1/2 cup water to slow down cooking and prevent onion from burning.

    Combine ginger into onion base and allow to cook for 2 minutes constantly stirring. Blend in Chiles and Garlic saute` for 1 minutes.  Add 1/4 cup water.

    Incorporate the cubed chicken breasts  into onion and spice base, the chicken is white after 5 minutes.

    Add in the Yogurt, Tomato Paste and Tomato Sauce always stirring for about 5 minutes.

    Lastly stir in one at a time, cilantro, salt, saffron/turmeric, Fenugreek, Cumin add in rest of water (about 1 cup of water.) Allow all flavors to simmer together for about 2 minutes.  DONE!!!

    Serve with Paratha bread,Spiced Rice, Raita

    Path

    You are What You Eat! Improving Your Skin…

    How are you aging compared to others in your age group? A question that we do not easily hide from, as the lines on our face tell a story of  our experiences, happiness, defeat’s and triumph’s!

    Our own collagen production slows down as we age, drooping and sagging on our body starts to appear. Expensive cream’s are bought and applied early in the morning and late at night with hopes that their magic will work and turn back the hands of time.  While it’s true that moisturizer’s can help reduce the velocity of water loss from our skin, beware of cream’s that indicate a topical collagen to reduce aging.  Research shows that certain cream’s can promote aging, as their collagen droplets are too big to be absorbed by the skin.  Instead, what we should be doing is eating our way to a healthier and younger body, so that our skin is receiving  a proper combination of nutrients to promote collagen synthesis through both animal and plant foods.

    Vitamin C is required to improve skin elasticity and slow aging!

    Collagen is  not only skin deep, it is a fiber found within connective tissue through out the body including:  skin,  tendons, ligaments, teeth, bones and organs.  Collagen’s main job is to protect  tissue and provide the body with support. These unique fibers are made from protein and have large amounts hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine. Both of these amino acids must be present for development of all types of collagen and are needed to provide the appropriate amount of strength and flexibility.

    A good food source of proline from animal is Egg Whites. Wheat Germ is a high quality plant proline.  Fish has an abundance of animal lysine, while legumes (especially peanuts), nuts and seeds are a strong source of plant lysine.

    The key macro-nutrient Vitamin C  needs to be present, in order to convert  proline into hydroxyproline and lysine into hydroxylysine (both amino acids present in the collagen form).  While most plants foods are full of vitamin C, eat those fruits and vegetables with bright colors, for a total of 5 a day to keep replenishing this water soluble vitamin. (Enjoy an additional 4 servings of Green Vegetables  per day.)

    From time to time collagen damage may occur from diseases. Garlic is food that improves collagen damage and has two principle sulfur nutrients: an amino acid taurine and lipoid acid, giving garlic the unique ability to support damaged collagen fibers.

    Lastly, consume foods from two categories of phytonutrients: catechins and anthocyanidins. Research shows that catechins found in Green Tea have been shown to help prevent breakdown of collagen. While anthocyanidins are found in red-blue Berries and Fruits (cherries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries) which help the collagen fibers link together and strengthen the connective tissue, providing you with healthy skin that keeps you from premature aging.

    By:  Kim Crocker

    References:

    Leslie CA, Conte JM, Hayes KC, et al. A Fish Oil Diet Reduces the Severity of Collagen Induced Arthritis After Onset of the Disease. Clin Exp Immunol. 1998;73(2):328-32.

    Mirhadi SA, Singh S, Gupta PP. Effect of Garlic Supplementation to Atherogenic Diet on Collagen Biosynthesis in Various Tissues of Rabbits. Indian Heart J.1990;42(2):99-104.

    Nandhini TA, Thirunavukkarasu V, Ravichandran MK, et al. Taurine Prevents Fructose-Diet Induced Collagen Abnormalities in Rat Skin. J Diabetes Complications.2005;19(5):305-11.

    Thirunavukkarasu V, Nandhini, Anuradha CV. Fructose Diet-Induced Skin Collagen Abnormalities Are Prevented by Lipoic Acid. Exp Diabesity Res. 2004;5,(4):237-44.

    Bloomenkrantz N, Asboe-Hansen G. Effect of (+) catechin on connective tissue. Scand J Rheumatol. 1978;7:55-60.

    Han B, Jaurequi J, Tang BW, Nimni ME. Proanthocyanidin: a Natural Crosslinking Reagent for Stabilizing Collagen Matrices. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2003;65(1): 118-24.