food benefits

Why drink Green Tea?

Green tea has been used as a medicine for thousands of years, originating in China but widely used throughout Asia this beverage has a multitude of uses from lowering blood pressure to preventing cancer. The reason that green tea has more health benefits attached to it than black tea is (apparently) due to the processing. Black tea is processed in a way that allows for fermentation whereas green tea’s processing avoids the fermentation process. As a result, green tea retains maximum amount of antioxidants and poly-phenols the substances that give green tea its many benefits.

Here’s a list of some of its amazing benefits — benefits that you may not have been aware of. Some of these benefits are still being debated, so please do your own research if you want to use green tea for medicinal purposes.

1.       Weight Loss. Green tea increases the metabolism. The polyphenol found in green tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories.

2.       Diabetes. Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.

3.       Heart Disease. Scientists think green tea works on the lining of blood vessels, helping keep them stay relaxed and better able to withstand changes in blood pressure. It may also protect against the formation of clots, which are the primary cause of heart attacks.

4.       Esophageal Cancer. It can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, but it is also widely thought to kill cancer cells in general without damaging the healthy tissue around them.

5.       Cholesterol. Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.

6.       Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It is said to delay the deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies carried out on mice showed that green tea protected brain cells from dying and restored damaged brain cells.

7.       Tooth Decay. Studies suggests that the chemical antioxidant “catechin” in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions

8.       Blood Pressure. Regular consumption of green tea is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

9.       Depression. Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves. It is this substance that is thought to provide a relaxing and tranquilizing effect and be a great benefit to tea drinkers.

10.   Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial. Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating everything from influenza to cancer. In some studies green tea has been shown to inhibit the spread of many diseases.

11.   Skincare. Green tea can apparently also help with wrinkles and the signs of aging, This is because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Both animal and human studies have demonstrated that green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage.

How Much?

These are some of the many benefits but the reality is one cup of tea a day will not give you all the abundant gains. The jury is out on how many cups are necessary; some say as little as two cups a day while others five cups — and more still say you can drink up to ten cups a day. If you are thinking of going down this route, you may want to consider taking a green tea supplement instead (it would keep you out of the bathroom).

Another thing to point out is that there is caffeine in green tea — so if you are sensitive to caffeine then one cup should be your limit. Green tea also contains tannins (which can decrease the absorption of iron and folic acid), so if you are pregnant or trying to conceive then green tea may not be ideal for you. You can try mixing green tea with other healthy ingredients such as ginger.

http://www.lifehack.org

Chilli Paneer

1 pack paneer cut into cubes.

1 tsp cruched garlic

1 tsp crushed ginger

salt to taste

colourful peppers chopped

spring onion chopped

1or 2 tsp chilli sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sweet and sour sauce

2 tbsp plum sauce

1 tbsp corn flour (optional)

Marinate the paneer in then make the sauce using garlic, ginger, salt and all four sauces. Fry the marinated paneer in a frying pan using about 2 tbsp of oil and set aside. In the same pan add another 2 tbsp of oil and stir fry the onion and veg, add the fried paneer and toss in with the veg, pour the sauce and cook a further few min. This will be a little fry but if you wish to make it saucy then dilute the corn flour in 1/2 mug water and add to the paneer and cook a few min.

Stuffed Paratha

Make normal paratha dough which will make about 8.

Skin, chop and boil about 8 large potato's

2 or 3 crushed green chilli

salt to taste

1/2 finely chopped tiny pepper (any colour or use more then one colour)

1/4 cup sweetcorn

1 bunch spring onion, chopped finely

hand full of chopped coriander leaves

3/4 block of grated cheese (optional)

Mash the over boiled potato's using the back of a fork, add the rest of the ingredients even cheese if u wish to use. The picture above is with cheese filling but not all of my family like cheese so I do half with and half without. Mix altogether using your hands, once well combined make tennis ball size ball out of them and leave aside.

Taking your normal amount of dough roll out the paratha about the size of a saucer, place the potato mixture in the middle and gather the dough upwards as if you are sealing the ball. Then roll out like normal but using one way directions only and very slowly or the filling will push out. As you roll rotate the paratha. The thickness of the paratha should look double to the normal plain one you make.

In a non stick frying pan slightly cook the paratha without any oil/ghee, cook just enough on both sides that the dough looks semi-cooked, put aside and continue with the rest. The advantage of doing it this way is that when you do fry them they will be less oily a also what you don't use you can freeze.

To fry add either oil or ghee which ever you wish and cook both sides until golden brown in colour, don't over cook it or the cheese will come out, don't forget the mixture is already cooked and the paratha is also half cooked. Enjoy.........

Corn Style Chicken

1 lb boneless chicken cut into chunks
1 tin cream style corn
1 tin chopped tomato
3 tbsp oil
2 med onion's sliced
4 green chilli's whole
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 chilli powder
chopped coriander leaves
2 tsp crushed garlic 
1/4 of each green and red pepper cut into chunks

Heat oil and fry onion's until lightly brown, add tomato tin. garlic. salt, turmeric, chilli's and chilli powder and cook for a while then add chicken, cook until chicken is nearly done then add peppers and the cream style corn cook until well cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice or bread.

Spinach and Sweet Potato Curry

300g veg stock

750g sweet potato chopped

1 onion sliced

250g fresh baby spinach

2 fresh garlic sliced

1 fresh red chilli sliced

1 tsp dhanya powder

1/2 tin plus tomato chopped

salt/pepper to taste 

3 tbsp oil

In a pan add sweet potato to the stock with onion and boil for a few min then simmer, add spinach and the rest of the ingredient and cook until sweet potato is tender. serve with rice.

Maaria's Cinnamon and Ginger Cookies

This is a really easy recipe to do with your kid's my daughter Maaria made them all on her own.

3 oz margarine

3 oz caster sugar

3 oz light brown sugar

1 med egg

6 oz plain flour (or wheat free flour)

1/2 tsp baking powder

4 oz milk or plain chocolate drops

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp ginger powder

All you do is combine all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl using a wooden spoon  making sure all the flour is mixed in well. on a baking dish lined with grease proof paper spoon drop (this will depend on how big or small you want your cookies) the mixture leaving enough space between each one and bake for 10 min on 180 degrees or 350F.

HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!

Savory Puffs 

Ready rolled puff pastry cut into 12 squares

1 beaten egg

grated cheese

fresh chopped tomato

chopped green/red pepper

sweetcorn

salt/pepper to taste

green chilli's if desired

dried parsley

Brush your cut squares with the egg, then basically add your topping in the center of the square like as if you are making a pizza, last add grated cheese, sprinkle some dried parsley and bake in the oven for 15 min or until golden brown. Great for kid's lunch boxes or a quick snack.

Shepherds Pie

1 lb mince either chicken, lamb or beef (washed and drained)
2 large onions chopped small
1 tin tomato chopped
2 tsp garlic crushed

6 large peeled potato's

1/4 tsp turmeric

2 tsp chilli powder (can reduce to 1 if too hot for kid's)

A handful of carrot's and pea's

3 tbsp oil

First boil the potato's, try to over boil them as this will make it easy to mash and I find chopping them first and then boiling is quicker and easier. While the potato's are boiling in another pan fry onion's in the oil until golden brown then add tomato and all spices and cook until all tomato lumps have dissolved then add mince and cook until water has disappeared, add veg and cook for a further few min. (if using fresh veg then cook a little longer) Once potato's are boiled drain for a few min, using a fork mash all the potato's add salt to taste and generous amounts of butter and mix well until smooth. layer your mince into a oven dish then the mash and again a few nobs of butter and finely sprinkle with parsley and bake for 30 min and then just brown under the grill. serve with salad.

Peanut Butter cookies

wheat free

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup caster sugar

1 med egg

chocolate chips about a hand full

All you do is mix the four ingredients together until well combined, make small balls and place them on a greased baking dish, once all done using a fork press lightly on each ball and then bake for 15-20 min depending on the oven.

POTATO SOUP

1 small chicken fillet cut into cubes

4 med to large potatos peeled and cut into chunks

1 cube chicken stock

1 med onion chopped into chunks

1 tbsp of butter

salt/pepper to taste

parsley

1 pint water

Heat butter and add onions, cook for a while then add all the rest of the ingredients except for the water, cook until chicken is cooked then add water and cook for a further 10 min. Once done using an electric blender blend the soup until all becomes smooth, sprinkle some parsley and enjoy with fresh bread.