In my opinion, if you are to have healthy relationship with food, you must gain an acute awareness of your own body. Everyone is different; each body will react differently to a different approach. In today’s society it is often neglected that the body and mind work together as one. Each influences the other and each may be observed and understood through the other.
In recent years, the media has been inundated with stories on the miraculous healing powers of certain foods, what’s good for you, what’s bad for you, we are so overwhelmed by the vast amounts of information regarding food and nutrition it’s hard toknow what to believe anymore. When an outrageous claim (usually too good to be true) is made surrounding the next “it” product, get a little curious, do some research of your own. What you’ll find a lot of the time is that there isn’t any substantiated evidence to support these radical claims. “Super Food” is one particular term that marketing companies have jumped on in order to justify their overpricing of products and whilst I believe most of these products are incredibly beneficial from a nutritional point of view, so are all our other whole foods. If fresh fruit and vegies had packaging, I’m sure they would become subject to some clever marketing and unfortunately we would probably have to pay triple for the newest “health food” on the market. My judgement is that all foods in their original state, as nature intended, are can be considered “health foods”.
Looking for inspiration, I started flicking through Meals that Heal, A Nutraceutical Approach to Diet and Health by Lisa Turner. This book provides a compelling argument that there is no substitute for whole foods; that the secret to good health lies in the life sustaining compounds called phyto-chemicals found in natural foods. Turner identifies the Dynamic Dozen: Phyto Profiles, which includes tomatoes, cruciferous vegies, soybean, whole grains, citrus fruit, greens, red/orange/yellow fruits, red/orange/yellow vegies, fish, nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, onions and garlic.
With fervency, I set about designing a meal that featured several of these phyto-chemical rich foods. What I’ve come up with is a sesame marinated tofu and wild mushroom cabbage roll with brown rice, snow pea sprouts and spring onion.
I find it most effective to marinate the tofu a day or two in advance for maximum flavour. For my marinade I used about 4 tbsp tamari, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 3 small red chillies, small knob grated ginger, 1 clove crushed garlic, squeeze of lime. Slice firm tofu into 1cm thick slices. Dry roast or fry off in a dry panto reduce moisture content so as to absorb more of the marinade. Bathe tofu in the marinade, making sure all pieces receive as much attention as the last. Seal inan airtight container and leave in the fridge so that all of the delicious flavours can marry.
Everyone seems tohave a different way of cooking rice, what I find achieves the best results is the absorption method. Put 1 cup of brown rice and 2 cups water in a saucepan with a lid. As the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to a temperate simmer and leave until all liquid has been sucked up into those tasty little grains.
Place a mix of mushrooms, I’ve used a handful each of shitake, enoki, king and oyster, and 1 grated zucchini in a pan with a few drop of sesame oil. Cook on the heat until you achieve a beautiful golden colour, take care not to overcrowd your pan.
Peel off the largest of the Chinese cabbage leaves, cut out the chunky bits of stem and place leaves into a pan of simmering water until tender. Remove and leave on a board to dry out a bit ready for assembly. Finely shred the remainder of the cabbage.
To assemble this compact little dish, lay out the cabbage leaves, over lapping two or three depending on their size, so that there are no gaps. In the centre of the leaves, lay a couple tablespoons of brown rice topped with some finely shredded cabbage, snow pea sprouts, some of the mushroom mix, finely sliced spring onions and finally some of the beautifully fragrant tofu. Make sure you accessorise with plenty of the marinade drizzled over. Start by rolling the side closest to you over the filling. Next fold in each of the sides as tight as you can whilst still working with absolute dexterity as not to tear the delicate cabbage leaves. Continue to roll into a cosy little parcel and we are ready to serve!
Tofu is a vegetarian source of high quality protein andiron. It is a good source of B vitamins, potassium, zinc and other minerals whilst being low in kilojoules and saturated fats. The beneficial effect of soy foods on heart disease, some cancers, osteoporosis and menopausal symptoms is the focus of much research.
Mushrooms are rich in minerals and B complex vitamins. They provide good amounts of potassium, selenium, riboflavin, thiamin, folate and B6. They are also one of the best plant sources of niacin.
Brown rice is a whole grain. Grains containcompounds called phenolic acids, powerful antioxidants that help protect thebody’s DNA from carcinogens. Whole grains contain vitamin E, which protectscells from oxidative damage, helps prevent cancer and heart disease and booststhe immune system. When you combine the brown rice with the tofu in this recipe, we create a complete protein.
Cruciferous vegetables are packed with various phyto-chemicals that can prevent various types of cancer. The protective effect is assumed to come from the bioflavonoids, indoles, monoterpenes and other plant chemicals that inhibit tumour growth and protect cells against damage from free radicals.The cabbage in this recipe is an excellent source of vitamin C and high in fibre.
Seeds are packed with a variety of healthful compounds. Being a natural energy reserve for plants, nuts and seeds contain enough nutrients to fuels the growth of plants until they are mature enough to produce their own energy sources. As such, they’re nutritional powerhouses, containing numerous compounds including protein vitamin E and fibre.
No comments:
Post a Comment