Spice encrusted salmon

I made this for friends yesterday by covering chunks of salmon on skewers with spices and throwing it on the barbie. Salmon tastes beautiful on the barbeque without any help from marinades etc but I love this spice mix because it’s so easy and tasty. You can do it with whole fillets as well (which is what I normally do).          

Being a cold water fish, salmon is pretty oily so you get a good dose of omega 3 fatty acids.  The Heart Foundation recommends that ALL healthy adults consume 500 mg of omega 3 every day by eating 2-3 serves of oily fish a week. For people at risk of heart disease, they recommend doubling the intake to 1000 mg a day. Fish contain different levels of omega 3. To ensure you are consuming 500 mg/day or 3500 mg/week, you must eat the right fish and the right quantity of fish. For example, the following weekly plan will provide the recommended amount of omega 3 for a healthy adult:

           

So you can see, it’s fairly easy to get omega 3 from marine sources as long as you eat the right amount and type of fish. If you ate a fish like barramundi, you would have to consume a whopping 450 g just to get 500 mg of omega 3. I’m not saying don’t eat barramundi (yum), just be aware that different types of fish possess different levels of omega 3. You can read more about how to get your recommended intake of omega 3 here.

Back to the recipe, this makes enough mix for about 2-3 pieces of fish…

• 2-3 pieces of salmon or trout
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• Salt and pepper

In a pestle and mortar, grind up the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds and mix with the other spices. Cover the fish pieces and barbeque.

References

Omega 3. www.heartfoundation.org.au

Jukic, K.  Fish and Seafood. School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Sydney

Easy barbeque for friends

I often worry about where I am going to find the time to cook when we have people coming over for dinner. When we lived in London, I would happily spend the whole day in the kitchen cooking and preparing for the evening’s festivities. But that’s because it was often cold and miserable and I had no desire to go outside! In Sydney, I’m either studying all weekend or its way too hot to spend the day in the kitchen.

This is why a barbeque is perfect. Less preparation, less cooking time and less washing up. While the barbie is heating up, bread with olive oil and some good olives prevent the hunger pangs. I cooked the following for some friends a couple of weeks ago. It was low maintenance, nutritious (apart from the saturated fat in the wagyu but we don’t eat it very often) and tasted delicious.

Main 

Barbequed wagyu steak

Sweet potato wedges

Lentil and pomegranate salad

Green Salad

Aubergine and goats feta salad

Dessert

Barbequed white peaches with lemon thyme with icecream

Wagyu beef is very high in saturated fat so is not suitable for people on a low fat or low saturated fat diet such as those with high cholesterol (yes that includes  Marcus).

Sweet potato wedges

• 4 sweet potatoes
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil

Preheat the over to 200^oC then wash the sweet potatoes and cut into wedges. Use a pestle and mortar to crush fennel and cumin seeds and mix with other spices. Rub the sweet potato quarters with olive oil and spice mix, then roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and tender.

Aubergine and goats feta salad

• 2 aubergines(eggplant)
• 200 g goats feta
• 1/2 pomegranate, seeds removed
• Handful of mint leaves roughly chopped
• Juice and zest from one lemon
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180^oC. Chop the aubergine into 1cm cubes, toss in olive oil and roast for 40 minutes or until tender. Allow aubergine to cool to room temperature and toss with goats feta, pomegranate seeds and chopped mint. Make a dressing with the lemon zest, juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and dress the salad just before serving.

White peaches with lemon thyme

• 1 peach per person
• Brown sugar
• Bunch of lemon thyme chopped
• Cream or ice cream to serve

Cut white peaches in half and remove the stones. Rub the cut flesh in brown sugar and chopped lemon thyme and then throw on the barbie when you are ready for dessert. You can barbeque both sides until the sugar has caramelised and then serve with yummy vanilla and elderflower ice cream (maggie beer).

The Future of Food - doco

This BBC two part documentary is coming to SBS next Tuesday night at 8.30 pm. I will definitely be watching this!

''Are we facing a global food crisis? We take our food for granted. Supermarket shelves groan with an incredible variety of produce, but in 2008 as food riots swept the world, we saw that the international food system is not as stable as it looks. Is this just the beginning of a new era of food? Travelling to different parts of the globe, this two-part documentary unravels the complicated web of links that binds the world together and asks what needs to happen to avert a major global food crisis.''

http://www.yourtv.com.au/program/the-future-of-food/263599/

Lentil and Pomegranate Salad

This lentil salad is an absolute winner. I have prepared it for barbeques, parties and picnics and I am always hounded for the recipe afterwards. I should have put the recipe up earlier and saved myself from repeatedly writing it down but I had forgotten all about it until summer came along. This salad is so easy to make, healthy, colourful and delicious. It’s a brilliant accompaniment to fish, meat or grilled cheese such as halloumi. Even those who don’t normally like lentils rave about this salad.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that legumes are good for you. They are high in vegetable protein, low in saturated fat, a good source of low GI carbohydrate, high in fibre and contain B vitamins, iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium. AND they are cheap… what’s not to like?

Legumes must be cooked to inactivate the toxic substances found in the uncooked state. I presoak lentils in room temperature water overnight to decrease the phytic acid content inherent in raw grains and legumes. Phytic acid binds to important metals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, preventing their absorption into the body. It also inhibits digestive enzymes essential for breaking down protein and carbohydrate. Once soaked, I drain and rinse the lentils and then cook them on a low heat with a piece of kombu seaweed which increases their digestibility. Legumes contain long chains of largely indigestible complex sugars called oligosaccharides which are often the cause of the discomfort people experience when they eat beans and lentils. Kombu contains the enzyme which breaks down these oligosaccharides and adds a nice dose of trace minerals such as Iodine.

I love love love pomegranates and while they are in season, I will use every opportunity to use them. Yes it’s a bit of a pain to remove all the seeds and the juice stains everything it comes into contact with but the reward is delicious, colourful and nutritious.

• 1 cup of Australian blue/puy lentils
• 1 piece of kombu
• 2 tbsp of salted capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 pomegranate, seeded
• Zest of 1 lime
• Juice of 1 lime
• Handful of chopped mint/dill (optional)
• Olive oil
• Pepper

Cook the lentils as above until soft but not mushy. Remove the kombu and rinse lentils under cold water. When cool add the pomegranate seeds, capers and lime zest and toss. Then add the lime juice and a little olive oil and pepper. You can add finely chopped fresh mint or dill to serve.

References

Jukic, K. Legumes and Nuts. University of Sydney 2010

The Weston A. Price Foundation. www.westonaprice.org

Diet Related Chronic Disease - latest US figures

In between my vaguely successful attempts at genotyping mice (I'm currently working in the nutrition lab in the School of Molecular Bioscience, Sydney Uni), I have been reading the new USDA Dietary Guidelines. Take a look at the stats on diet related diseases in the US, really scary stuff!

Note the figures for osteoporosis - this can be reduced if people eat more calcium containing foods and undertake weight bearing exercise. Australian women fall short of eating the recommended daily intake (RDI) of calcium which ranges from 1000 mg a day to 1300 mg a day pre and post menopause respectively. Making matters worse, only 30 - 40% of calcium is absorbed from food whilst sodium, a high protein diet, caffeine and ageing increase its excretion (a whopping 150 mg of calcium is excreted with every 50g of protein ingested).

The best bioavailable source of calcium is found in dairy foods (milk, cheese, yoghurt). Milk provides approx. 230 mg of calcium per 200 ml regardless of its fat content. The same amount of calcium can be ingested in 120 g of plain yoghurt and 30 g cheese. Other good sources include nuts and seeds, tinned fish with bones, spinach and legumes. Vitamin D helps the absorption of calcium and it is recommended you spend a few minutes in the sun every day without sun screen. Osteoporotic fractures can lead to long term pain and disability, loss of independence and premature death. Simply put, you can reduce the likelihood of having an osteoporosis related fracture by eating the right amount of calcium, doing weight bearing exercise and getting a little sun!

References
USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
FSANZ Australian Food Composition Tables 2006
Samman, S. Calcium. School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Sydney

Banana and Date Smoothie

I had this smoothie at a cafe in the Middle East over Christmas. Such a perfect combination of flavours – I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it earlier. At the time I was hungry but didn’t feel like eating a large meal. This smoothie was the perfect remedy for curbing the hunger pangs. I was determined to make myself one as soon as I got home but forgot all about it until this weekend when I rediscovered it in a café in Avalon. It was a hot day, too hot to eat a proper lunch, so once again I turned to this smoothie for a quick fix. I use full fat milk and yoghurt so I get a good combination of fat, protein and carbs in one drink. You can of course swap for low fat dairy options or soy.  Dates are high in fibre, non haem iron, selenium and potassium. They can help reduce cholesterol, improve bowel function, build blood and prevent oxidation in the body. They are also rich in other vitamins and minerals such as B complex, calcium and magnesium. Dates contain lots of simple sugars making them ideal for an instant energy boost. Bananas are also high in potassium, fibre, magnesium and B6 and in simple sugars when ripe. I like to combine these fruits with full fat dairy in an attempt to slow down the absorption of the sugars into the bloodstream. You could add a couple of prunes for extra fibre if you like. This is a calorie-laden smoothie but it tastes good and its full of good stuff.

• 1/3 cup of boiling water
• 4 dried dates (pitted)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 ½  tablespoon of organic full fat natural yoghurt
• Organic unhomogenised full fat milk

Soak the dates in the hot water for 30 minutes until soft. Then combine the dates, soaking water, banana and yoghurt in a blender and blend until smooth. Add milk to a smoothie thickness of your liking as you blend.