Aubergines Stuffed with Courgette and Walnut

Here is a recipe I created yesterday.  Its vegan, but you can always put some grated cheese on top if you are not vegan.  This is a lovely way to eat aubergine.  Aubergines and very good for the health. They are full of anti-oxidants and phytonutrients.  They are very good for cardiovascular health, helping the scrub the arteries and it also contains nasunin which is a phytonutrient that protects cell membrane from damage and helps protect the brain cell membrane and it also helps to relax the walls of blood vessels, improving blood flow.

3 medium aubergines cut in half
1 onion sliced thinly
1 or 2 cloves garlic
1 courgette/zuchinni sliced thinly
6 mushrooms halved and sliced
2/3 cup walnuts chopped
salt a pepper to taste
olive oil or coconut oil to brush on the
skin of the aubergine.

Heat oven to 340 degrees or 150 C.  Use a knife and possibly a spoon to scoop out the flesh of the aubergine leaving the edge of about 1/4 inch of flesh, so there is enough space to put the filling.  Set aside extra aubergine.  Brush the aubergine halves with olive or coconut oil.  Put in the oven while you are preparing the filling.
To make the filling, warm a large skillet/frying pan and add some oil (coconut or olive)
add the sliced onions and garlic.  Saute for 3 or 4 minutes and then add the aubergine.  Cook for another 5 minutes or until aubergine is soft.  Add the mushrooms, saute for another few minutes and then add the courgette/zuchinni and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
Remove from stove and add the chopped walnuts, mix well and then take the aubergine out of the oven and fill with filling.  About 10 - 15 minutes from when you want to eat them, put them back in the oven on 340 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes.
serve with some brown rice and salad.

CILANTRO MINT FAVA BEAN WALNUT HUMMUS

Hi Everyone,   I hope you are all doing well and that life is good.  I bought fava beans, but I cheated and bought already podded favas, but I still had the most tedious task to do, blanching and shelling, even though, after a few minutes you get into a rhythm and its like a meditation.  I created this recipe yesterday.  I have just finished eating some for lunch on a piece of fresh whole wheat bread from Tomar market.

1 kg fava/broad beans
1-3 cloves garlic
1 handful walnuts
4 - 6 tablespoon fresh coriander/cilantro or mint or both
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3-6 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Shell the fava beans and then blanch them for 2 minutes and peel.  They should be a lovely bright green colour.  Place them in a food processor with 1 - 3 cloves of garlic, handful walnuts, cilantro and/or mint, the lemon juice, salt and pepper

NESPERA BANANA FLAX SMOOTHIE

I created this one today and I'm very happy with the results.  In one I added almond butter and I loved it, my husband doesn't like it, so I left it out of his, and he really enjoyed his very much too.

1 cup shelled, seeded and peeled nespera/loquat

1 banana

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons golden flax seeds

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

1 teaspoon local honey (optional)

1 tablespoon almond butter (optional)

4 or more ice cubes

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.  Enjoy all the lovely vitamins, minerals phytonutrients and good fats in this delicious smoothie.   As I mentioned in my last blog post, nespera is very high in vitamin A and potassium, the flax seeds have omega 3's and also lots of fibre, black sesame is packed with calcium and other minerals.  The coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid and gets absorbs easily and is used for energy production.  It is also anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and anti-viral.  This smoothie is nutrient dense and delicious tasting.

A NEW LIFE FOR ME!

Hello Everyone,  I apologize for the very long break, but, here I am again!  And its a new life for me as we have moved to Central Portugal.  I feel so lucky to have been able to move here and begin a new chapter in my life.

Here in Central Portugal we have an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit, there are fruit trees everywhere.  In summer its a joy to be driving down a country lane, feel a little hungry and to be able to stop at any fig tree and pick a few figs!  A luxury coming from California where figs cost at least $6 for about 10 figs! I go to the market every Friday to buy all the fresh fruit and veggies I need for the week.  Its all local produce grown by local farmers, so its seasonal and you won't see nectarines or peaches from Chile in the winter.  We have lots of fruit trees on our land and right now in May, its Nespera (loquat) season.  I had never tried nespera/loquat before and I have to say, its divine.  I will be creating a recipe or two soon with it. I just did a little research about nespera/loquat and its is packed with vitamin A which is great for eye health, bone growth, reproduction and the immune system. It is also very high in potassium which is great for blood pressure, heart and kidney disorders  and also helps with anxiety and stress.  You can make a tea from the leaves and it is said to help with bone density loss, its also said to help regulate insulin and glucose levels.  If you make the tea make sure to use in moderation, as if over used can have some adverse effects like muscle aches.

I will be posting new recipes very soon and I look forward to sharing  these with you all.

Back in action again

Hello Everyone
I hope you are all doing very well.  As you may have noticed I haven't posted anything for a while .  So finally I will share with you a lovely dal recipe. 

 Black Lentil Coconut Dal

Recipe By     :  Chef Shobhan
Serving Size  : 4     Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    :
  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  1                cup  black lentils -- soak for at least an hour
  1                can  coconut milk
  1         tablespoon  ghee or coconut oil
  1           teaspoon  mustard seeds (black)
  1              small  onion -- chopped
  1                     jalapeno pepper -- chopped
  2           handfuls  spinach -- chopped
  1           teaspoon  ground cumin
     1/2      teaspoon  ground coriander
     1/4      teaspoon  ground turmeric
Drain and rinse the lentils and place in a medium sized pan and add the coconut milk.  Then add a cup of water.  Mix and bring to the boil.  Once boiling reduce heat to low and simmer for twenty minutes.
While the dal is cooking, in a separate pan melt some ghee or coconut oil, add the black mustard seeds.  Fry for a minute and add the onions, jalapeno and saute till onion brown a little.  Then add the spinach and saute or another minute, or until the spinach is wilted.
Add the contents of the pan to the dal when dal is soft. (around twenty minutes).  Stir it together and serve with brown basmati rice or nan.
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NOTES : Lentils are very high in calcium, a good source of protein, iron, phosphorus and copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber, folate and manganese.

No Cleanse Possible

Sadly,  I am not able to finish my cleanse as my mother just passed away.  I will revisit when I am done taking care of everything.
I will let you all know when I can do this again.  And maybe some of you want to sign up and do it with me!!  That would be fun, to do it with others.

Evening Time

All I can say is that I'm rather hungry and I cheated a little bit!  Great!  I ate half a roast potato and a tiny slice of chicken.  I had made it for the kids I work with and I just couldn't resist taking a bite.  But otherwise I am going strong.  Drinking lots of peppermint tea and water.
I can eat salad, broth and steamed veggies for dinner.  I shouldn't be too hungry. 
Now I feel like my hunger is calmed down somewhat and I am actually looking forward to eating a big salad with sunflower sprouts and avocado.  I am also going to have half a white sweet potato, so I am very excited to eat that, even without butter!