Lifest yle 19
March 24 2014
Wise Words: Colourful Carrots By Móna Wise It’s hard to believe that the end is n i g h . Fo r m e, this is the end of a very long fiveyear stint at NUI Galway and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’ve grown weary of the studying lifestyle and am now longing to get back to work. Keeping motivated, especially during the last few weeks of class, is sometimes impossible as I find myself wondering, and even worrying about what the future holds for new graduates like myself. One of the things I find most therapeutic at this time of the year is a bit of weeding in the polytunnel. The lettuce leaves are thick and inviting, the green tailed onions and garlic are pert and proud and the carrots are already being picked daily and stashed into the kids’ lunch boxes. A more versatile vegetable has not been found. The humble carrot, gracing us with an almost unnatural shade of orange, can be sliced and diced into a frenzy of fabulous dinners or desserts at the drop of a hat. Pickled, puréed, roasted, glazed or braised, there are endless options for us to choose from when it comes to how we might integrate this nutritious vegetable into our diets. Although the tops are edible too, it is the tubular orange root we eat and leave the greens for the rabbits. Velvet soups and crunchy slaws are top of my list for hurried meals but once in a while I spend a little longer in the kitchen and work a little harder at making everything glow. Boiling carrots is not the most exciting way to prepare this vegetable so I recommend blanching them in boiling water for three or four minutes before sautéing them. Keep the carrot water you blanched them in and use it as veggie stock for soup or a pasta dish. Additionally, and especially if you have grazing toddlers, raw carrots are an excellent snack to introduce to a young child’s diet but they can be dangerous and many children choke easily if not watched like a hawk. Plenty of parents avoid giving their children (raw) carrots because of this, but I have a simple solution. A small plate of grated carrot is a much welcome – and colourful – treat for any toddler and helps greatly in improving their fine motor skills as they learn how to pick up something small in their fingertips and guide it to their mouths, thereby aiding in their hand-eye coordination. However, only 3% of carotene (which is metabolized into essential Vitamin A in the body) in raw carrots is released during digestion: this can be improved to almost 40% through cooking and adding oil which releases carotene into the digestive system. As versatility is the name of the game with carrots I am sharing two very different recipes for carrots. The first recipe is for glazed carrots. If you are, like many of us, strapped for time and resort to boiled carrots as a side dish every
few days (because you know the kids will eat them) then give this recipe a try. It livens up an otherwise ordinary dish and the lime leaves and honey make them finger-licking good. Cake. Be it carrot or not, we Irish love our cake. Finding a bakery close to home that makes and bakes delicious cakes is a true treasure. However, the perfect cake can also be made at home. Patience is one of the essential ingredients required when learning how to bake, and although Ron is an artisan baker, I struggle with learning how to ‘love’ baking. This recipe is one of my favourites because it seems like every time I bake it, it comes out perfect. That makes it one of the best in my book.
For the icing 85g unsalted butter, at room temperature 300g icing sugar 65ml maple syrup Optional garnish 100g toasted coconut 8 royal icing carrots How to prepare it
For the cake Pre-heat oven to 180ºC. Line a rectangular baking tin (8” x 12”) with parchment paper and grease it well. Grate the carrots and set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Using your electric mixer beat the eggs until well mixed. Add vanilla, sugars and oil and continue to mix until well incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients a few spoonfuls at a time, folding it in carefully as you go. Add the carrots and coconut and make sure they are mixed throughout the cake batter. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched lightly. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for ten minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Leave to cool for 1 hour.
Glazed Carrots Side dish for 4 pp What you will need
6 carrots, peeled 3tbsp honey 3 lime leaves (available at good Asian stores) 60g fresh coriander chopped 1tsp salt 1tsp pepper to taste 2tbsp olive oil How to prepare
Slice the carrots on a bias 1/4” thick. Once cut, blanche the carrots for 4 minutes in boiling water. Drain and transfer to a sauté pan with the olive oil, honey, lime leaves, salt and pepper. Sauté for two or three minutes and serve immediately garnishing with fresh coriander.
Carrot cake with coconut What you will need
For the cake 450g carrots, peeled 170g plain flour 2tsp baking powder 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda 1tsp salt 2tsp cinnamon 4 eggs 2tsp vanilla extract 115g dark brown sugar 55g caster sugar 300ml sunflower oil 200g desiccated coconut
For the icing Mix the butter, icing sugar and maple syrup with an electric mixer for 10 minutes. You can thin it down with a little water if you find it too thick to work with. To assemble the cake Cut the cake in half and spread half the icing on one layer and place the other piece of cake right on top. Finish the decorating of the cake by spreading the rest of the icing on the top and sides of the cake and sticking the toasted coconut to the icing. Garnish with royal icing carrots.
The Health Hub
Brain Power Salads By Rebecca Sweeney The weather is getting warmer (finally!), and summer is fast approaching, which means… exams are just around the corner! I know; it feels like we just did them right? So, ditch the hot soups for lunch, it’s time to munch on fresh salads that will give us all that brain power for studying. Here are a few of my favourites: Spinach Salad with Salmon, Avocado and Blueberries 1 cup smoked salmon, roughly chopped 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced 4 cups baby spinach (or mixed greens) 1/2 cup fresh blueberries 1/4 cup light feta 1/4 cup chopped walnuts Half a red onion, thinly sliced Balsamic vinegar dressing Quinoa Salad with Chicken, Avocado and Goat Cheese 1 cup cooked quinoa (add a stock cube when cooking to give extra flavour) 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes 1/4 cucumber (diced) 1 stalk of celery (diced) 4 cups chopped spinach 1 chopped cooked chicken breast (I put mixed herbs on mine when cooking) 1 large avocado, sliced 1/3 cup crumbled goat’s cheese 1/4 cup chopped walnuts Spinach: A diet rich in spinach can help keep your brain alert in old age. Researchers discovered that rats fed a diet containing a good helping of spinach performed far better on a memory and learning test. The vegetable is also packed with antioxidants which experts say can block the effects of free radicals - toxins produced by the body that damage cells and can lead to heart disease, cancer and strokes. Avocados: These increase blood flow to the brain, lower cholesterol, and aid in the absorption of antioxidants. Avocados also come with many antioxidants of their own, including vitamin E. Blueberries: The flavonoids in blueberries improve the communication between neurons, improving memory, learning, and all cognitive function, including reasoning, decision making, verbal comprehension, and numerical anility. Quinoa: Is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates and fibre to balance blood sugar while providing the essential glucose the brain craves. Happy studying!