Tag: healthy

Vegetarian Lasagne

Today I’m going to share a great vegetarian lasagne recipe I found in an old Australian Healthy Food magazine.

We have just returned from a quick get-away in Melbourne. The food at all the little cafés and restaurants is always great.

We went to this out of the way little Italian place and had the best lasagne and tortellini. Though these were not vegetarian dishes it did remind me of this recipe and I thought I would share it.

This Vegetarian Lentil and Ricotta lasagne is full of flavour, quite filling and is a great way to get more vegetables into your diet. I halved the below recipe and it fed 2 people for 2 nights.

Vegetarian Red Lentil and Ricotta Lasagne.

Ingredients

½ cup red lentils

2 teaspoon Olive oil

3 garlic cloves – crushed

1 large onion – chopped

1 small red capsicum (**I left this out as we don’t like capsicum)

**I added sliced mushrooms instead

2 zucchinis – sliced

1 stalk celery – sliced

2 x 420g cans diced tomatoes

2 tablespoon. tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 ½ cups ricotta cheese

12 lasagne sheets (I use Gluten Free sheets)

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

¼  cup grated parmesan cheese

 

White Sauce ingredients

1/3  cup corn flour

3 cups milk

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

 

Method

*Preheat oven to 180 c.

*Rinse the lentils then put them in a pan with enough boiling water to cover them. Simmer for 30 minutes then drain.

*Heat oil in a large pan and add garlic & onion. Cook for approx. 2 minutes. Add the celery, capsicum and zucchini and cook for 2 -3 minutes.

*Add lentils, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and 1 ½ cups water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for approx. 30 minutes.

*Meanwhile make the White Sauce.

*Mixing the corn flour with 2 tablespoons of milk until smooth. Pour into a saucepan with remaining milk and stir over low heat until the mixture thickens. Add the nutmeg and add pepper to taste.

*Put the ricotta into a bowl and mix in ½ cup of white sauce.

*Spread a layer of tomato lentil mixture over the base of your lasagna dish. Then put a layer of lasagna sheet. Add another layer of tomato lentil mixture and top with a layer of the ricotta mix.

*Keep layering the lasagna sheets and then tomato and ricotta layers till done.

*Pour over the white sauce and sprinkle with the grated cheeses.

*Bake for an hour, covering with foil if the top starts to brown too much.

Let it stand for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Enjoy.

Till the next post,

Live Clean and Prosper

Slow Cooker Osso Buco – recipe

Today I’m sharing a favourite recipe – Slow Cooker Osso Buco.

We are back from our road trip holiday which was spent mostly in the warmer North Queensland. It is definitely cooler here in the South East.

At this time of year, we generally use our slow cooker a lot more to make some lovely winter warmer casseroles. One of our favourites is Osso Buco.

Not only does the slow cooker method save time, it also keeps so many nutrients in the dish. Making this style of cooking so much healthier.

It is a very simple, nourishing dish that is so easy to make, so today I thought I would share our recipe.

Slow Cooker Osso Buco

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

4 slices of beef osso buco (approx. 800g)

1/2 large brown onion, diced

1 stick of celery diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

4 mushrooms sliced

1/2 cup red wine

1 400g can crushed tomatoes

2 tubs Continental Beef Stock Pot Sensations

4 sprigs of thyme

3 bay leaves

Method
  • Heat oil in a non-stick frypan over medium high heat. Add the slices of osso buco and sear until browned on both sides. Transfer into the slow cooker pot.
  • Then add the onion, celery to the frypan and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, adding a tbsp or 2 of water to the frypan to loosen up the mix and add the lot to the slow cooker pot.
  • Then into the pot goes the diced carrots and sliced mushrooms
  • Followed by the canned tomatoes, wine and the stock, then stir to combine. Add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
  • Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
  • Discard sprigs of thyme and bay leaves.
  • Serve with mashed potato or rice and steamed green vegetables. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top prior to serving, if desired.

Sweeteners – Stevia, Erythritol and Xylitol

Today’s post is about some other sweeteners – Stevia, Erythritol and Xylitol. Are they healthier?

My last post was about the better-known artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose. So today I decided to explore the other popular sweeteners that are available. I was interested to find out if they were a better option or not.

So, after a bit of research, this is what I have found.

First, let’s look at Stevia

Stevia is sweetener derived from the leaves of a plant. The stevia plant is part of the Asteraceae family, related to the daisy and ragweed. The particular species Stevia rebaudiana, is a plant native to Paraguay and Brazil. In those countries the people have used leaves from the stevia bush to sweeten food for hundreds of years.

The active compounds are steviol glycosides, which are considered to be 250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar or sucrose. These compounds also have the added advantage on containing zero calories, which makes it very popular in the weight loss and diet industry.

Is Stevia a healthier option?

The properties of Stevia have been studied for over 100 years. Both earlier and current studies not only confirm the safety of Stevia leaf preparations but also find more and more benefits of its consumption for human health.

These studies have shown that not only is stevia safe for people with diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity but also can be used for the treatment of these diseases or prevention of their complications.

In addition to its sweet compounds, Stevia leaves contain many other biologically active substances, which have beneficial effects for human health. It has been discovered that stevia has anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, anti-tumour, anti-cariogenic, anti-inflammatory and bacteria killing properties. There is also data on the protective effects of Stevia on the digestive system and skin disorders as well as on common complications associated with metabolic syndrome

Next, a look at Erythritol

Erythritol is a common artificial sweetener. Erythritol belongs to the family of sugar alcohols also known as polyols. Polyols are naturally abundant in fruits and vegetables, like grapes and mushrooms as well as in fermented foods like soy sauce. It is also made inside our cells as part of normal metabolism. But when used as a sweetener, erythritol levels are typically more than 1,000-fold greater than levels found naturally in foods.

It is the only polyol that is non-caloric, providing no energy to the body. The majority of erythritol cannot be metabolised by the body and is excreted unmodified into the urine without changing blood glucose and insulin levels.

Erythritol as sugar replacement can be found as tabletop sweetener, in beverages, chewing gum, chocolate, lollies, and in bakery products. Due to its mild sweetness, it allows a volume-for-volume replacement of sugar.

Any health benefits?

Studies have found that there are some benefits to consuming erythritol. These include being a free radical scavenger with the ability to conduct anti-oxidant activity while circulating the body before it is excreted. So far, the only known side effect relating to Erythritol is possible flatulence and a laxative effect when consumed in excess.

And finally, Xylitol

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is commonly used as a sweetener. Xylitol occurs naturally in small amounts in plums, strawberries, cauliflower, and pumpkin; humans and many other animals make trace amounts during metabolism of carbohydrates. It can also be artificially produced, mainly from plant materials chemically or by fermentation.

The white crystal-like granules of Xylitol have a taste and aroma similar to white sugar as well as the same sweetness. However, the body absorbs xylitol more slowly than sugar/sucrose, and xylitol supplies 40% fewer calories than an equal mass of sucrose.

Xylitol is stable enough to be used in place of sugar in baking, but because xylitol and other polyols are more heat-stable, they do not caramelise as sugars do.

Any health benefits?

Xylitol also has some health benefits. It has been found to increases saliva production, which helps in treating dry mouth or xerostomia. It improves breath odour and reduces infections in the mouth. The consumption of xylitol also assists is the absorption of calcium and B vitamins and helps to maintain healthy gut function.

With regards to known side effects relating to xylitol, these include possible intestinal discomfort and a laxative effect when consumed in excess.

 

If you are trying to limit your sugar or sucrose intake, there are many options available to you. The 3 sweeteners mentioned in this post, can be used together or individually. They are also all easily accessible and can be purchased from the supermarket.

Hopefully this post and the last will assist you in finding the right choice in sweetener for you. If you have any doubts, always seek assistance from your chosen health professional.

We hope you have found this information interesting.

 

Till the next post,

Live clean n Prosper.

Sources – National Library of Medicine, Pub Med Central – LiveScience – Wikipedia –