Menopause Articles
Saturday, June 21st, 2008
Serves 4
You could call this the Moroccan Antioxidant Salad just from its glorious colour. An ideal summer starter, this salad makes a fine accompaniment to spicy vegetable and grain dishes and strongly flavoured fish dishes. Adding tofu to the salad would mean that the phytoestrogen content is increased.
Ingredients
- 2 large juicy navel oranges
- 350g (12oz) baby carrots
- 1 head of chicory
- Pinch of cinnamon or 1 tablespoon orange flower water (optional)
For the dressing
- 1 tablespoon clear honey
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon linseed oil
- 1 tablespoon golden linseeds
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons coriander, finely chopped (optional)
- Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
Method
- Peel the orange, removing as much of the white pith as can. Using a sharp knife, slice the fruit horizontally into very thin round slices and then cut these in half, reserving the resulting juices for the dressing.
- Scrub the carrots and pare them into long shreds.
Trim the chicory of its base and discard the outer leaves. Separate the inner leaves.
- Place the shredded carrots, chicory leaves and orange slices in a salad bowl.
- Chill briefly. Just before serving, beat the dressing ingredients together with the reserved orange juice until they are well blended.
- Season to taste.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss carefully until well coated. Sprinkle over some cinnamon or orange flower water if you like.
Variation: this salad is also good sprinkled with some lightly toasted pine nuts. You could also toss in a few cubes of tofu to create an excellent light meal or snack.
Plenty of beta-carotene, from the orange fruits and vegetables. Phytoestrogens from the carrots and linseeds. EFAs from the linseeds.
From Marilyn Glenville / Lewis Essons’ Healthy Eating for the Menopause
Posted in Moroccan Carrot and Orange Salad | No Comments »
Saturday, June 21st, 2008
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 175 g (6 oz) split red lentils
- 600 ml (I pint) water
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon soya oil
- 2 large eggs
- 150 ml (1/4 pint) soya milk
- 200 g (7 oz) tuna chunks in soya oil
- black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped nuts
Method
- Wash the lentils and bring to the boil in a pan with 600 ml (1 pint)
water. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are soft and most
of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Sweat the onion in the oil until it begins to soften.
- Separate the eggs and beat the yolks and So Good together. Whisk
the egg whites until stiff.
- Flake the tuna fish and include the juices from the tin.
- Combine the lentils, onion, tuna, egg, Soya Milk and black pepper.
- Fold in the egg whites using a metal spoon.
- Pour the mixture into a shallow, greased ovenproof dish, sprinkle
the surface with the nuts and bake at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for
30 minutes or until it is set and brown.
from Maryon Stewart’s The Phyto Factor
Posted in Tuna and Lentil Bake | No Comments »
Saturday, June 21st, 2008
Serves 4
Lentils are a wonderful source of phytoestrogens because they contain all four isoflavones. Further plant hormones are found in the rice, cinnamon, parsley and soya yogurt. The almonds are a good source of essential oils, but use them only very lightly toasted or raw to avoid destroying the nutrients
Ingredients
- 175g (6oz) green lentils
- Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
- 450g(1lb) basmati rice
- 125g (4 1/2oz) seedless raisins
- 2-3 pitted dates, chopped
- 2-3 dried figs, chopped
- 1 tablespoon rose water or orange flower water
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat- leaved parsley, plus more whole sprigs to garnish
- 125g (4 1/2oz) split blanched almonds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Yogurt, preferably soya yogurt, to serve
Method
- Rinse the lentils well and put them in a large pan of fresh water.
- Bring to the boil and boil for 20—30 minutes until just tender, adding salt only after the lentils start to soften (otherwise the skins toughen). Drain well.
- While the lentils are cooking, rinse the rice well under running cold water, drain and then put into a pan of boiling salted water. Bring back to the boil, stir well, lower the heat and simmer until just tender, 8—10 minutes. Drain well.
- Mix the dried fruit, rose water or orange flower water and cinnamon in a bowl.
- In a large heavy-based pan, arrange layers of rice, lentils and dried fruit, seasoning each layer and sprinkling some parsley and almonds over the top (reserving some of each for garnish).
- Drizzle over the olive oil, cover and cook very gently for 15—20 minutes.
- Serve garnished with some parsley sprigs and accompanied by a bowl of yogurt.
Phytoestrogens via the lentils, rice, cinnamon, parsley and soya yogurt. The dried fruits are rich in antioxidants.
From Marilyn Glenville / Lewis Essons’ Healthy Eating for the Menopause
Posted in Lentil and Fruit Pilaf | No Comments »
Saturday, June 21st, 2008
Stroganoff is a lovely way to vary the taste of tofu by marinating it so it can pick up all the different flavours. The rice or noodles will supply additional phytoestrogens to those in the tofu and the mushrooms, and the onions are believed to help prevent bones from thinning.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon no-added-sugar Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
- 225g (8oz) soft tofu, cut into bite-sized strips
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large onions, halved and sliced
- 15g (1/2oz) butter
- 225g (8oz) chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 300ml (1/2 pint) sour cream or crème fraîche
- Lemon juice to taste
- Boiled basmati rice or fresh egg noodles, to serve
Method
- Well ahead of time, mix the soy and Worcestershire sauces with half the paprika and some seasoning in a shallow bowl.
- Toss the tofu strips in the mixture and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan and sauté the onions with the paprika until the onions are translucent.
- Add the marinated tofu with any liquid left in the bowl and continue to sauté until the tofu is well browned all over and the onions lightly browned.
- Transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl and keep warm.
- Heat the remaining oil in the pan with the butter and sauté the chestnut mushrooms until well coloured.
- Add the contents of the bowl back to the pan, together with the sour cream or crème fraîche.
- Mix well, season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice, and bring back to a simmer for a minute or two.
- Serve with rice or noodles.
The rice, noodles, tofu and mushrooms will all supply good amounts of phytoestrogens.
From Marilyn Glenville / Lewis Essons’ Healthy Eating for the Menopause
Posted in Tofu and Mushroom Stroganoff | No Comments »
Saturday, June 21st, 2008
Serves 6
Figs contain pectin, a soluble fibre, which is good for the bowels and also helps to lower cholesterol levels. They also contain an enzyme called ficin, which aids digestion, and are a good source of calcium. The soya yogurt provides the phytoestrogens in this dessert and the pistachio nuts bring essential oils.
Ingredients
- 18 ripe figs
- 85g (3oz) pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped, reserving a few for decoration
- 4 tablespoons honey
- zest of 1 large orange, grated
- 175ml (6fl oz) soya yogurt
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Shave off a thin sliver from the fat end of each fig so they will sit upright without falling over.
- Cut a cross in the top end of each fig, to about halfway down.
- Ease the figs open, squeezing the bottom halves if necessary.
- Mix together the chopped pistachios and honey.
- Spoon this mixture into the figs and bake for about 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly.
- In a small bowl, mix the orange zest into the yogurt.
- Spoon this into the figs and decorate with the reserved pistachios before serving warm.
The soya yogurt is an excellent source of phytoestrogens and EFAs are present in the pistachio nuts.
from Marilyn Glenville / Lewis Essons’ Healthy Eating for the Menopause
Posted in Baked Figs | No Comments »
