Healthy January 0.4

Herbal tea

This time we made a hot drink, an herbal tea that combines those plants that remind us of Italy and that also have healthy properties for our body such as promoting detoxification.

Nettle is native to all Europe — Urtica dioica, called ortica in Italian, is an herb with amazing properties! First of all, nettle leaves are extremely nourishing and a great source of iron and antioxidants, which has little to do with detox, but it’s something we —especially us ladies— should always remember! Nettle is also mildly diuretic which means that it can support the urinary tract and stimulate water retention. It can also work as an antihistamine, helping with allergic responses.
Another amazing herb that comes from Souther Europe and is largely used in Italian cuisine is liquorice. This herb can promote detoxification in the cells, help getting rid of the mucus after a chest infection, improve elimination with its mild laxative effect.
In the mix Giulia and I also put fennel seeds, diuretic and soothing for the gut, and anise with its antimicrobial and anti-oxidative properties.


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11056414/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27141606/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0944711318305555

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Detox tea per 500ml water
3 g dried nettle leaf tea
3 g dried liquorice root
3 g fennel seeds
2-3 anise seeds

Healthy January 0.2

Artichokes in olive oil and parsley dressing

My obsession with artichokes goes as far as trying to smuggle two small plants with pot and soil in my suitcase from Sardinia to grow them in London. They arrived safely but suffered a few injuries on the way. 

Sadly I also failed in my attempt to grow them in London, all of them died after one month of incessant rain.

The Sardinian variety is with spikes, which I found difficult to find in the UK. I have just recently seen that the brand Natoora sells them online. (This post is not sponsorised)

Some time ago I visited the Blue zone of Sardinia, an area with a high longevity rate among the inhabitants, and speaking with some of the oldest inhabitants it seems that many like to eat artichokes. So I consulted my blog partner Giulia, to know more about these delicious vegetables from the nutritional point of view. 

“Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus is without any doubt one of our favourite flowers from the Mediterranean region, the area where Italy is located and where Jennifer and I come from.
Artichoke is an edible thistle (a flowering plant) and it is absolutely delicious —you can’t blame us for loving it so much!

When cooked artichoke has a succulent meaty pulp and a sweet and nutty taste. You can also eat it raw —mainly the inner part known as the heart— but the consistency is definitely more fibrous and the taste is bitter.
This chubby green thistle is also packed with nutrients and health-promoting benefits. Artichokes are low in fat and rich in fibre which make them a great food for our digestive system and our heart health. They also contain a good amount of antioxidants, vitamin C, K and folate, and important minerals, such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and iron.

Medical research has found that this plant, which has been used for centuries for its benefits, may help balance cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Another great reason to consume artichoke as both a vegetable or an extract is the protective and stimulating effects it may have on our liver and gut health. The fact that this plant is also so high in fibre —especially a soluble fibre called inulin— makes it a prebiotic food, which can help improving the intestinal flora.

As we don’t waste anything in Jenny’s kitchen while we prepare our recipes, we used those inedible leaves we removed from the artichokes before cooking to make a tea. This tea has a bittersweet taste and it is a great drink to stimulate digestion and liver health. “

This recipe is great served as a starter to complement a cheese or cured meats board or even as a side dish.

This is the best season for Artichokes so make sure you don’t miss them!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30308247/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22435514/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26310198/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29520889/

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Recipe

Serves 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes 

Cooking time: 35 minutes 

INGREDIENTS

8 artichokes

1 lemon

1 tsp salt 

50ml white wine vinegar

1l water

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

a handful of fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Artichokes oxidise when cut, therefore rub some lemon juice into your hands before touching them. 

To prepare the artichokes remove about some of the harder outer leaves until you are left with the softer ones. Cut most of the stalk, leaving about 1 cm. Trim the stalk into a point and chop about 2-3 cm off the tips of the leaves.

Slice them in a half and then cut the so called “beard“ just below the leaves. 

Place the artichokes in a large bowl with water and the juice of two lemons (this will prevent them from turning black).

In a large pan bring the vinegar and water and 1 tsp of salt to the boil. Add the artichokes and let them simmer for about 30 minutes. 

Leave to cool down into their own liquid.

Now we will prepare our dressing. Finely chop the parsley. In a small bowl pour in the olive oil and spoon in your parsley.

Pat-dry your artichokes with a table cloth and pour some of the parsley oil previously made on the top. 

You can add a squeeze of lemon juice for extra sharpness if you prefer.

Healthy January 0.1

Italian-style Zucchetti with lentil 'meatballs'

After a well deserved break I am back with a new series of images and recipes Giulia and I created for January.

I am aiming to post one recipe a week every Friday.

This months theme is Detox. As we know January is for many “Veganuary”, for others “Dry January”. I have never been a great fan of these trends, because it is like saying that you can feel at peace with yourself by being a good person only for 30 days, when you have been bad all year round.

I think we should try to do be moderate most of the times, but I understand many of us have been naughty throughout Christmas and NYE and we are desperately trying to recover the damage done both to ourselves and the environment.

So for these reasons we created some fun recipes to give a break to your body, eat something nice and tackle climate change at the same time.

For this recipe we played on the concept of spaghetti meatballs but using lentils ‘meatballs’ and spiralised courgettes instead of spaghetti.

You will need a spiraliser for this recipe to make your courgettes look like spaghetti.

Giulia is an expert nutritionist and she gave me some insight about the ingredients used here.

“Some great plant-based foods that are rich in proteins are nuts & seeds (pumpkin seeds, hemp, linen seeds, etc… almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios…) and legumes such as beans and lentils, but also eating whole grains can help you reaching your daily protein intake which is 0.8g per kilogram of body weight.

We prepared these lentil polpette (balls) with tomato sauce and zucchetti (zucchini spaghetti) as we wanted to show how easy it is to cook vegan and still use some of those comforting flavours which remind us of home.
Lentils can be a great alternative to meat. They are definitely high in protein, containing about 9g of protein per 100g, and they are also rich in fibre which make them a good food for our digestion and blood-sugar balance.

Courgette spaghetti instead of regular wheat spaghetti for reducing refined carb consumption as well, on top of increase fibre intake.”

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Prep Time: 40 minutes 

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes 

Serves 2 people

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INGREDIENTS

FOR THE LENTIL BALLS (32-35 balls)

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp paprika

1 shallot

1 tsp oregano

80g potato

100g dry lentils

2g salt

one twist of black pepper

a handful of parsley

50g oat flour

TOMATO SAUCE

1 tbs olive oil

1/2 onion (45g)

1 garlic clove

1 red chilli

3g salt

400g tinned chopped tomatoes 

2 small courgettes spiralised

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak the lentils in water for about 1-2 hours.

Fill a pan with water and bring to a boil. Cook lentils for about 30minutes or until they are soft. 

For better results taste your lentils to check when they are ready.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into  small cubes. In a separate pan cook the potatoes previously cut in boiling water for about 25 minutes. 

Now in a food processor blend in the lentils to form a smooth cream, then mash your potatoes and incorporate them into the mix together with the rest of the ingredients. 

Using your hands shape the mix into balls of about 3cm diameter. Then roll the balls into the oat flour to form a coating.   

Arrange the lentil balls in a large tray previously covered with baking paper.  

Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes or until they fully cooked and crunchy on the outside.

To make the tomato sauce, finely chop the onion and the chili and slice the garlic in a half. 

Take a small pan to cook these ingredients together in olive oil for about 3-4 minutes. 

Then pour in the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Season to taste. 

Then lightly blanch your spiralised zucchini in boiling water for 30-60 seconds.

Now you can assemble the plate with all your ingredients.

We hope you will enjoy it!