Recipe Wednesday: Watermelon-Grape Kebabs

These kebabs are sweet, scrumptious and perfect for adults and kids. Plus, they take a while to eat so you can savor the flavor.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup watermelon cubes
- 1 cup grapes

Preparation:

Skewer watermelon cubes and grapes, alternating between the two. Place in freezer for about an hour, then enjoy!

Avocado

It is important to keep in mind that an avocado can contain as many as 400 calories, whilst a Mars bar has 230 calories. Obviously an avocado has far more health benefits and it includes monosaturated fatty acids that are more likely to be used as slow burning energy than stored as body fat. Yet if you are on a calorie-controlled diet, you must be sure to eat certain super foods, like an avocado, in moderation. It is best to limit yourself to one-quarter to one-half an avocado per day. 

Prepare Heart-Healthy Foods for Your Family

The keys to heart health are eating foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and sodium, replacing solid fats with healthy oils and including more foods high in fiber. Eating a well-balanced diet includes a combination of whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy.

Saturated fats and trans fats are found in fatty meat, full-fat dairy products, baked goods and many processed foods. Both types of fat raise you LDL — or "bad" — cholesterol level. Instead, eat more plant proteins such as beans and peas, fish, poultry and low-fat dairy foods. Start cooking with oils which are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

To add more fiber to your meals, switch refined grains, such as white rice or bread, with whole-grain options such as brown rice and whole-grain breads, cereals and pasta.

Next time you are at the grocery store, pick up some of these heart-healthy items:

• Beans, peas and lentils
• Soybeans and tofu
• Fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen or canned without added salt or sugar)
• Salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel
• Whole-grain breads, cereals and pasta, brown rice, barley
• Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts

Move It

Another way to reduce your risk of heart disease is to be active. Regular, moderate physical activity lowers blood pressure and helps your body control stress and weight. Be physically active in your own way, and start by doing what you can, at least 10 minutes at a time. Children and teens should get 60 or more minutes of physical activity per day, and adults should get two hours and 30 minutes per week. Encourage your family to take a walk after dinner or play a game of catch or basketball.

For more heart-healthy cooking tips and information on reducing your risk for heart disease, consult a registered dietitian.

Source: eatright

Recipe Wednesday: Recipe for Stir Fried Beans & Minced Meat in Coconut Cream By IQFoodPlatter

Ingredients

1 cup boiled brown Beans

2 cups Minced Meat

1/2 cup sweet Corn

1/4 cup Green Bell Pepper

1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper

1/4 cup green Peas

1 cup Coconut cream

1 medium size Onion, chopped

1 clove minced Garlic

1/2 teaspoon minced Ginger

Yellow Cameroun pepper or Scotch Bonnet Pepper to taste

2 cooking spoons Vegetable Oil

Seasoning cube to taste

Salt to taste

1/2 cup fried ripe plantain

Method

1. Boil the beans till soft but not mushy and set aside.
2. Season minced meat with seasoning cube, garlic, ginger, pepper and salt and allow to marinade for about 15 minutes.
3. Heat the oil fry the onion, add the minced meat and stir fry ensuring that you separate the meat chunks whilst frying. Reduce heat add a little water cover the pan and cook meat till water dry pies up.
4. When meat is cooked, add the beans, peas, sweet corn and peppers and stir fry. Taste and correct seasoning and hot peppers.
5. Add the coconut milk and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
6. Lastly, add the fried plantain stir into the dish. There you have your Stir Fried Beans & Minced Meat in Coconut cream.

Recipe Wednesday: Shrimp Filled Oat Dumpling in Coconut Curry Sauce By IQFoodPlatter

Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup Oat flour

2 pieces Shrimp

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon tomato purée

1 cup coconut milk

1 1/2 teaspoon Ginger strips

1/2 teaspoon Curry powder

2 large Carrots, chopped

1/4 cup green Peas

1/2 Onion

Scotch Bonnet Pepper to taste

Chicken seasoning cubes to taste

Method

1. Heat a frying pan and dry roast the oat flour for about 6 minutes until you start to smell roasted cereal. To get your oat flour simply blend breakfast oat in the dry ingredient part of the blender or buy the regular oat meal flour.
2. Let the flour cool.
3. In the meantime dress shrimps and chop into small pieces.
4. Fry the onion, garlic and a little pepper tomato puree and salt for about 3 minutes stirring through. Add a little water and cook the sauce till almost dry. Add the shrimps, lower the heat and cook till shrimps are cooked through. Take off the heat and set aside to cool
5. Add a little salt to flour and mix water with the flour to form a firm dough
6. Place the dough in a zip lock bag or and clean cellophane bag and roll out with a rolling pin. Cut into desired shapes. Place some quantity of shrimp sauce on the oat dough, cover with same shape of dough and seal edges by pressing with a fork or your hands.
7. Place coconut milk on fire. See how to make coconut milk in an earlier post. Add onion, ginger strips, pepper and chicken seasoning cube and salt to taste. Bring the milk to boil for about 3 minutes, add the curry powder, stir and drop the Oat parcels in the coconut milk. To cook on low heat for about 5mins. Add the carrots and peas half way through the cooking of the oats.
8. Serve the Oat dumpling warm.

Best source of vitamins? Your plate, not your medicine cabinet

Vitamin and mineral supplements from a bottle simply can't match all the biologically active compounds teeming in a well-stocked pantry.

By focusing on the big picture, it's easy to get plenty of the vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients you need to keep you healthy and prevent disease. Here are some tips.

Fiber. It's the part of plant foods that we can't digest. Eating foods high in fiber helps reduce total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol, improve blood sugar control, and prevent constipation. High-fiber foods also help with weight loss by making you feel full.

There are lots of high-fiber foods to choose from:

• brown rice
• bulgur (cracked wheat)
• barley
• oats
• nuts
• beans and lentils
• apples
• blueberries
• carrots

Vitamins and minerals. Vitamins are organic substances found in plants and animals. Minerals are inorganic elements from the earth (soil and water). Both are essential for normal growth and optimal health.

Here's a list of vitamins and minerals that are crucial for good health, plus the best food sources of each:

• iron — meat, poultry, fish, and beans
• vitamin A — carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale
• vitamin B₁₂ — meat, poultry, fish
• vitamin E — nuts, seeds, vegetable oils

Phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are chemicals made by plants. They are not essential to life, but they do have a positive effect on health. Diets rich in phytochemicals have been associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. They are found in fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains.

The following is a list of key phytochemicals, plus the best food sources of each.

• flavonoids — blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries
• carotenoids — orange vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and winter squash
• lycopene — tomatoes
• isoflavones — soy foods, such as soybeans (or edamame)
• resveratrol — red grapes
• catechins — teas

Be creative

Adding finely grated carrots or zucchini to pasta sauce, meat loaf, chili, or a stew is one way to get an extra serving of vegetables. Dip vegetables into hummus or another bean spread, some spiced yogurt, or even a bit of ranch dressing. Slather peanut butter on a banana or slices of apple. Try mashed avocado as a dip with diced tomatoes and onions, or as a sandwich spread, topped with spinach leaves, tomatoes, and a slice of cheese.

Recipe Wednesday: Ginger Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie

Ginger is most definitely the underdog of all spices! It is highly regarded for its therapeutic medicinal properties in healing nausea symptoms, digestive issues and gastrointestinal distress. It naturally contains anti-inflammatory compounds, and can also inhibit the growth of particular cancer cells. It is a staple flavor for a number of cuisines, it's a great addition to vegetable juices and most importantly, it is impossible to make a good chai recipe without it!

To see how awesome Ginger truly is try our simple yet powerful Anti-inflammatory Ginger Smoothie:

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana, 
• 1 inch ginger, grated 
• ½ tsp cinnamon 
• 1 cup coconut milk

What To Do:

1. Blend all ingredients together
2. Serve

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