THE KITCHEN

Fruit, vegetables and salads

An important part of any diet, a good portion of fruit, vegetables and green leaves each day is what is generally recommended.

Fruit is good for vitamin C, which is very important for us; freshly squeezed lemon and limejuice is a particularly good score. Both with a little hemp oil and a grate of fresh ginger as a dressing, over either beans or broccoli, tastes wonderful!
By making a fruit energy drink each day also enables you to eat more fruit.

Vegetables are mostly water but the remaining elements carbohydrates; protein, fats, vitamins, fibre, minerals, sugars and starches are essential for a healthy body.
Different colours contain different minerals; they did not say variety is the spice of life for nothing.
It is the rich green leaves that are best for us high in calorific for example spinach and kale, both can be eaten raw which is better for you. See recipe 4 lunches and snacks
The great root vegetables we have in this country, parsnips, turnips, Swedes and carrots together make a great mix for a casserole i.e. diced and added to some tomato sauce some vege-suet dumplings on top served with creamed potatoes and the bean or broccoli with lemon or lime ginger dressing, is simple healthy and wholesome vegetarian fare.
A lot of the vitamins and minerals are stored just under their skin and so pealing them is not as good as scrubbing them, the skin is good for you.

Salads and salad leaves play a major part in my diet, mixed with as many varieties as possible, up to 7 or 8 each year from our Green and Away garden with a honey mustard balsamic vinegar dressing, or just one type for instance, romaine or curly soft leaf lettuce with the cream of shelled French cream dressing. Salad dressings are something I love to make and we go through literally gallons of healthy dressings each season.
See Mayonnaise and dressings

The basics

Potatoes
Potatoes are something that I usually cook 5 out of 7 days, often prepared as described in the Onion description below. Also creamed, boiled with some mint, pan-fried as chips, roast or baked sliced in the oven in one of the many ways possible.

Onions
Often taken for granted, frying onions and if appropriate garlic together in a little oil until translucent, brings out their natural thickening and flavouring properties.
Try adding a teaspoon or two of paprika and chilli, then infusing them all for a few moments to bring out the flavour of the spices! Add some thinly sliced potatoes and a little salt, just cover with water and simmer gently until most of the juices are absorbed, resulting in delicious gravy.
This has enough flavour to be presented as a main dish, served with mixed vegetable, ginger and garlic stir-fry, steamed green beans drizzled with lemon juice and hemp or olive oil.

Garlic
For me the world would be slightly less if we did not have garlic and indeed onions. As well as its culinary properties it is a powerful herbal medicine, it is know to counter many infections, including those of the nose, throat and chest, it reduces cholesterol and blood pressure.
In Celtic traditions it is known as 'The all healer'.
Garlic is one of the ingredients first looked at in summer edition of Foods that heal.

Ginger
Revered in Asia since the earliest times both for its culinary and medicinal properties. Ginger is said help with relief to digestion, circulatory issues and travel sickness.
Ground dry ginger is very good for cakes and baking but for everything else fresh is best. The root can be prepared with the skin on using the fine side of the grater, the inside flesh seams to always go in the inside, leaving the skin on the other.
See Main Courses

Fresh herbs
They make a significant difference to any dish, add them at the last minute washed, chopped or shredded. From fresh basil comes pesto, coriander ads the final touch to a stir-fry.
Most fresh herbs are bright green and so very good for us. Parsley, coriander or basil for example, all make a great mayonnaise. Washed and picked then put in the blender, given a pulse to get them fine, a clove or so of garlic add, 2-3 dessert spoons of tahini a little salt and pepper and blended again, drizzled in a little hemp or olive oil, see how thick it goes. If you want it thinner for a dressing, it is so stable it can be thinned down with water.