Lemons

Lemons are one of nature's superfoods and an ingredient I use in quite a lot of my cooking.

There are so many reasons to incorporate lemons into your cooking and your life.  Here are some of them:

• Lemons are high in vitamin C
• Lemons are alkalising in the body
• Lemons kindle the appetite
• Lemons can reduce tension
• Lemons stimulate digestion and aid elimination
• Lemons are a powerful antioxidant
• Lemons can help fight infections
• Lemons are anti-carcinogenic
• Lemons can cause skin to be clearer
• Lemons kill bacteria
• Lemons are said to help cleanse the liver
• Lemons can be used topically for insect bites and stings
• Lemons can be used to clean your house

In ayurvedic medicine it is recommended to have lemon juice in a glass of warm water each morning to stimulate digestion.  Lemons are also seen to be vata balancing.  

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) lemons are considered sour and cooling for the body.

Recipes using lemons:

Chicken Karhai with Mint
Lemony Pasta with Vegetables
Lemon Sago Pudding
Rocket, Mint and Cucumber Salad
Tomato and Chickpea Salad

Lamb Saag

I'm not a huge fan of eating red meat however my body seems to struggle to maintain iron levels without it.  As a result, when I do eat red meat, I want it to taste as good as possible (which often means as little like meat as possible).  I find curries are a good way to cook meat because they are slow cooked and the meat is easier for the body to digest.  

Here is my version of a lamb saag.  Unfortunately I didn't get photos of the cooking process but hopefully the directions will be clear enough.

Ingredients:

Lamb

Yoghurt – ¼ cup

Mint leaves

Ghee or oil

2 onions

Ginger – 1 - 2 inches

Garlic – 1 clove

Cardamom pods – 3

Turmeric 1tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Cumin – 1tsp

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Tomatoes – 4 fresh or one can chopped

Spinach leaves 300-500g

Water/lamb or beef stock (1 – 2 cups)

Salt and pepper

Fresh coriander

Directions:

1.       Marinate lamb in yoghurt, ¼ ginger and finely chopped mint (an hour or so is enough, or even just as long as it takes to get to step 5).

2.       Finely dice onions and fry until soft

3.       Add ginger, garlic and cardamom pods and fry for several minutes

4.       Add turmeric, ground coriander, cumin, garam masala and fenugreek and stir one minute.

5.       Add lamb and yoghurt mixture and stir.

6.       Add tomatoes and chopped/torn spinach.

7.       Add water/stock – cook 50 mins

8.       Add chopped coriander – cook another 10 mins

9.       Season to taste.  Serve with basmati rice and a side of Indian Spiced Green Vegetables.

Tofu and Green Vegetable Stirfry with Noodles

This recipe for Tofu and Green Vegetable Stirfry with Noodles is a favourite at our house and one that both of my girls absolutely love.

 What you will need:

• Brocollini
• Green Beans
• Bok Choy
• Chinese Cabbage
• Tofu
• Peanut Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Tamari Sauce
• Oyster Sauce
• Rice Noodles

What you need to do:

1.    Cut the vegetables into small pieces.

 2.    Cut the tofu into cubes.

 

3.    Boil the rice noodles in a pot until cooked then set aside.

4.    Heat up the wok and add some peanut oil.

5.    Fry the tofu until it is golden brown.

6.    Put the tofu on paper towels to drain.

7.    Fry the vegetables in some sesame oil.

8.    Add a little tamari sauce and water if needed.

9.    Add the tofu and cooked noodles.

10. Stir in some oyster sauce.

11. Dish up into bowls and enjoy.

Peaches

It's coming to the end of the peach season and we have been fortunate enough to be getting some absolutely delicious peaches from our local fruit shop.  The peach is one of my favourite fruits and although there are many ways you can cook with them or add them to salads they never seem to last long enough around our house.

• Peaches are high in vitamin C, vitamin A and fibre.
• A large peach contains 10% of an adults daily potassium requirements.
• They also contain iron so are a great fruit for vegetarians and vegans.
• As with most fruits, peaches are high in antioxidants and do a good job of destroying free radicals in the body and preventing disease.

Peaches are native to China and in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) they are considered a warming food.  In Ayurvedic medicine peaches are recommended for vata types and are seen as slightly warming and an aid to digestion.

About Healthy Eating

What is healthy eating?  The answer will probably be different depending who you ask or where you go to find information.  When my daughter was learning about diet and nutrition in her year three class at school they were looking at the healthy diet pyramid, which I remember learning about when I was at school, and nothing much has changed.  The diet pyramid most often depicted in books and on web-site looks something like the ones below:

Healthy Living Pyramid - Nutrition Australia

  

The Food Pyramid - US Department of Agriculture

The top pyramid is from the Nutrition Australia website and is a more elaborate version of the USDA one below it.  I found the USDA pyramid on a Diabetes website which I found interesting considering it recommends 2 - 3 servings per day from the 'Milk, Yoghurt & Cheese' group which, from the illustrations, seems to include ice cream and chocolate milkshakes!

These standard diet pyramids are an OK start I guess, but personally I think they advocate far too much animal protein and are not a great guide for truly healthy eating.

Another diet pyramid that is getting more press these days is the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, based on the traditional diet of the Mediterranean region.  This pyramid (two different versions are shown below) advocates a much higher intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes, nuts and grains, especially whole grains.   Dairy is eaten in moderation and predominantly as yoghurt or cheese, and red meat is eaten very infrequently.  The diet also has a high intake of good oils, like olive oil.

Interestingly, if you look at any traditional diet, the same recommendations would apply.  You can see an example of this in the Asian diet pyramid below:

I would highly recommend having a look at the Oldways website for more information.  They also have pyramids based on the traditional African and Latino diets.

Basically, if we make fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and healthy oils the basis of our diet, we are off to a good start.  Eating good quality seafood and organic meats once or twice a week can also be part of a healthy diet.  Red meat, refined carbohydrates and processed dairy products should only be a very minor part of a healthy diet, and we can manage well without them at all.

Moderation is the best option, and everyone needs to find their own balance.  A good way to begin is by introducing more vegetarian meals and learning to cook with sometimes unfamiliar ingredients, like lentils, pulses and whole grains.  Hopefully the recipes on this blog will be a helpful place to start.

About Tao Belly

Welcome to tao belly.

I recently decided that I wanted to create a family recipe book that I could one day pass on to my daughters.  It was after discussing the idea with them that this blog was born.  In the age of technology it seems an on-line family recipe book was a much better way of preserving my recipes and food ideas.  

My food philosophy centres around healthy food that is also delicious.  I am usually cooking for my two daughters aged 11 and 8, as well as my husband and I.  I'm a celiac and so all recipes on this blog are gluten free without exception.  I generally prefer to eat vegetarian food and, as I also don't eat much dairy, there are a lot of vegan recipes here too.

You may be curious about the title of this blog.  Tao is a Chinese word that is rather difficult to translate into English.  It is often translated as 'the way' or 'way' and represents the absolute principle underlying the universe.  It combines within itself the principles of yin and yang and signifies the way that is in harmony with the natural order.  In Taoism and Zen Buddhism, the object of spiritual practice is to 'become one with the tao' or to harmonise one's will with Nature in order to achieve 'effortless action'.

This reflects my philosophy of both life and food.  My goal is to cook using natural, whole ingredients where possible and to eat seasonally.  By choosing fruits and vegetables that are in season, and eating warming foods in winter and cooling foods in summer, we are treating our bellies with love and hopefully ensuring we remain healthy.

So I guess tao belly is designed to show the way to a harmonious belly and hopefully a harmonious life.

Welcome to taobelly

Welcome to tao belly.

I've started this blog to share some of my favourite recipes and food ideas.  My priority with food is to create meals that are healthy as well as delicious.  I have two girls aged 8 and 5 who are both my helpers and my taste testers.  All my recipes are gluten free without exception.  There are also lots of vegetarian and vegan recipes too.

You can read more about the blog name and my food philosophy on the about tao belly page on this blog.