Oats-superfood

To see the health benefits of oats click on the link below:

http://health.learninginfo.org/benefits-oatmeal.htm

Dark Chocolate-superfood

Heart Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:

Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.
Other Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart:

it tastes good
it stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure
it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant
it contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants

www.thedailygreen.com

Tomatoes-superfood

For the Health Benefits of Tomatoes see the link below:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Health_Benefits_of_Tomato

Blueberries-Superfood

For the Top 10 Health Benefits of Blueberries see link below:

http://www.womenfitness.net/blueberries.htm

Kale- Superfood

Health Benefits of Kale:

The high calcium and magnesium content of kale helps in building bones and is a good food for those suffering from osteoporosis. Vitamin A and C are antioxidants that protect against many degenerative diseases.

The high fiber content of Kale improves the digestive health and protects against colon cancer.

The high potassium and low sodium content of Kale makes it an alkaline food and helps those who suffer from acidity and other digestive disorders. Potassium also reduces blood pressure and helps in fighting heart disease.

Being a cruciferous vegetable, Kale contains sulfur compounds which help in fighting cancer.

http://www.life123.com/health/weight-loss/super-foods-weight-loss/14-super-foods.shtml

Sweet Potatoes-superfood

Health Benefits of Eating Sweet Potatoes


-Being rich in dietary fiber, sweet potato lowers the risk of constipation, diverticulosis and colon and rectal cancer.
-Sweet potatoes have been found to helpful in minimizing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
-Sweet potato is a good snack for those trying to lose weight. It induces a feeling of fullness soon and thus, helps control food intake.
-Consumption of sweet potatoes has been known to help avoid stroke, by bringing down the harmful effects of low-density cholesterol & preventing blood clots.
-The presence of beta-carotene in sweet potato helps the body fight against free radicals and thus, prevents cancer.
-Since sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index, they can be consumed by those suffering from diabetes, without any apprehensions.
-The high amount of potassium in sweet potato helps the body in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance as well as cell integrity.
-Sweet potatoes have been found to be beneficial for blood purification as well as lowering of blood pressure.
-Owing to the presence of iron and calcium, sweet potatoes ensure proper blood flow and also improve bone density.
-Regular consumption of sweet potato is good for stomach ulcers and inflamed conditions of the colon.
-Being rich in vitamins and minerals, sweet potato is good for people involved in heavy muscular work.

http://enrichingyourkid.blogspot.com/2009/07/superfood-sweet-potato.html

Goji Berries-superfood

What Makes Goji Berries So Special
For thousands of years, goji berries have been an Asian medicine food. This amazing berry has up to 300 times more vitamin C than oranges, 15 times more nutritional iron than spinach, 6 times more amino acids than bee pollen, more beta carotene than carrots, extremely high levels of antioxidants, significant immune system boosting capabilities, much resulting from 4 unique polysaccharides, and one of these having the potential of stimulating the increased production of HGH (Human Growth Hormone). HGH is the master hormone in the body that communicates with the other hormones to function better as we grow older. When HGH levels increase, sometimes symptoms of aging are slowed down, and occasionally even reversed.

Goji berries also have 21 trace minerals, including cancer fighting selenium and germanium. Some studies have shown increased T-cell production in some HIV positive patients. Some diabetics have experienced a lowering of their insulin dependency. Blood work results have shown significant improvements in many areas as well. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the berries are the lifespan extention improvements amongst those who eat them on a regular basis.

http://www.gojijuiceblog.us/

Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers

Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers

3/4 cup of dried chickpeas (2 cups cooked)
1 1/3 cups of roasted or cooked pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
dash of cayenne
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup of chickpea flour
1/2 - 2/3 cup of bread crumbs
generous handful of fresh basil and parsley, chopped
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Soak the chickpeas in enough water to cover overnight. Drain, transfer to a pot, cover with fresh water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover and cook until the chickpeas are soft - roughly 1 hour. Drain and set aside.

To roast the pumpkin, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place chucks of the pumpkin flesh on a baking sheet and brush generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Cook until the pumpkin can be easily pierced with a fork (roughly 20 - 30 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and mash.

Put the pumpkin in a food processor, along with the chickpeas, spices, onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, egg and herbs and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the chickpea flour and enough bread crumbs until the mixture is moist but thick and dry enough to shape into patties. Stir in the salt and pepper.

In a large non-stick pan, heat a shallow pool of olive oil over medium heat. Fry the patties until golden on each side (roughly 3 - 5 minutes per side). Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

Serves 4-6.

http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-11-30T17%3A32%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=7

Feta Cheese & Cumin Crackers

Feta Cheese and Cumin Crackers

1 cup of spelt flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
5 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 tablespoon of cumin seeds, roasted and ground
1 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup of milk

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt, cumin, olive oil and feta. Rub together with your fingers to combine.

Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the milk. Stir until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for roughly 45 minutes.

Divide the dough in half. On a well floured board, roll the dough out until it is roughly 1/4 inch thick. Cut into roughly 2 1/2 inch rounds and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Roll out the extra dough and repeat.

Roll out the second portion of dough and repeat the process until all of the dough is gone. Prick the discs with a fork.

Bake the crackers in a preheated 350 degree oven until they are brown on the top - roughly 25 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Yields roughly 20 crackers, depending on how large you cut them.

http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-02-08T21%3A05%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=7

Corn Cakes with Fresh Chunky Salsa

Corn Pancakes with Fresh Chunky Salsa

For the Corn Pancakes:

3/4 cup of unbleached white flour
3/4 cup of cornmeal
1 1/2 cups of corn (fresh or frozen - thawed if frozen)
1 cup of milk (I used yogurt)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 of finely chopped fresh cilantro
olive oil for frying

For the Salsa:

2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 hot green chili, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 tablespoon of olive oil
sea salt to taste

To make the Corn Pancakes, combine the flour, baking powder, corn meal and salt in a medium large bowl. Add the corn and stir in the milk (or yogurt) and cilantro until just combined. If the mixture is too dry, add more milk or yogurt.

Heat a few teaspoons of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Spoon in roughly 1/4 - 1/3 cup of batter per pancake (roughly 2 inches wide). Cook until browned - roughly 5 minutes - and flip and cook the other side until browned. Add more oil as necessary. Keep the pancakes warm in a 150 degree oven until ready to serve.

To make the Chunky Salsa, combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well to combine. Serve over the hot corn pancakes.

Yields roughly 2 - 4 servings.

http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-03-31T11%3A04%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=7

Baked Chickpea and Brown Rice Patties served with Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Paste

Baked Chickpea and Brown Rice Patties served with Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Paste

2 cups of cooked chickpeas (roughly 2/3 cup dried)
1 cup of cooked brown rice (roughly 1/2 cup dried)
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup of peas, steamed or boiled until just tender
1/2 cup of goat cheese
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 jalapeno peppers, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
3 - 4 tablespoons of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 - 2/3 cup of whole wheat flour
olive oil

Soak the dried chickpeas in enough water to cover overnight. Soak the rice in 1 cup of water overnight. Drain the chickpeas, transfer to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer until the chickpeas are tender - roughly one hour. Drain and transfer to a food processor.

Bring the rice to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed - roughly 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Now add the onion, garlic, goat cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, jalapeno peppers, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cumin, cayenne and salt to the food processor with the chickpeas. Process until smooth. Now add the parsley, brown rice and peas to the mixture and pulse a few times to combine. Transfer to a bowl and stir in as much flour as you need to get a dough that you can shape into patties.

Coat your hands with some olive oil and shape the mixture into small patties. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of each patty with a bit of olive oil and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Turn the patties and cook for another 15 - 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Serve hot with sun-dried tomato paste or any other sauce or chutney you desire.

Yields roughly 20 patties.

http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-08-14T16%3A50%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=7

Pumpkin Cheesecake (or Crustless Pumpkin PIe)

Pumpkin Cheesecake (or crustless pumpkin pie)

2 cups of fresh pumpkin puree
4 large eggs (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups of cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 tablespoons of honey
4 tablespoons of rum or kahlua

Grease a 9 inch glass pie plate generously with butter or oil.

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pie plate and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for roughly 45 minutes or until the cheesecake is set and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.

The cake can be served with freshly whipped cream or with a bit of caramel sauce drizzled over top.

http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/

Apple Oatmeal Flax Cookies

Recipe for Apple Oatmeal Flax Cookies
original recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flax meal (ground flaxseed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup Sucanat (or sugar)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups quick oats
2 medium apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup walnuts
Directions
In a bowl, mix the flour, flax meal, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat together oil, Sucanat, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in the oats, apples, flour mixture, and nuts.
Spoon out cookies onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cook seven to eight minutes, or until edges are slightly brown. Place cookies on a cooling rack.

http://www.fitsugar.com/5324399