Turmeric

Turmeric is one of the spices that I use most when cooking. As a child I remember that there were two spices always at hand in our kitchen: the first was saffron and the second a bright yellow powder, which I later discovered was called turmeric or zard choobeh in Farsi, Whenever my mother, aunts or grandmother fried onions they would add turmeric to the pan. I find myself doing the same when frying onions as a base ingredient for almost all my meals. I recently read that the combination of turmeric and onions can help prevent colon cancer (something about a chemical reaction between the two). Turmeric has also been traditionally used for medicinal properties as an anti-inflammatory agent. Read more about the benefits of turmeric.

Its October here in the Netherlands. The weather has been getting wetter and colder by the day. After an afternoon spent riding around the city on my bike with only a flimsy umbrella to protect me from the rain, I decided I needed a hot soup to warm my body and soul back to life. I made red lentil soup and used turmeric as a base ingredient.

Red Lentil Soup

1 -3 tablespoons Virgin Olive Oil (for cooking purposes)

1 large onion (chopped)

1 clove of garlic (minced)

1 ½ tabled spoons of fresh ginger (grated)

2 teaspoons of Turmeric

1 teaspoon of Paprika

1 teaspoon of Cumin Seeds

2 carrots (grated)

5-6 medium sized tomatoes (skinned and chopped)

1-½ cup red lentils

5-6 cups of chicken, beef or vegetable stock (I used chicken)

1-2 dried small dried chili peppers (optional and depending on how spicy you like it)

2 Bay Leaves

Sea Salt and Ground Pepper for taste

Greek Yogurt

Skinning the tomatoes:

Place the tomatoes in a large bowl. Boil water and pour over the tomatoes in the bowl until the tomatoes are covered in water. Let sit for 2 minutes. The tomato skins should start to become loose. One by one take the tomatoes out of the water, peel away the skin and chop.

The Soup:

In a non-stick saucepan heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onions and turmeric. Mix well and let cook for 3 minutes. Add the carrots, garlic, ginger, paprika and cumin seeds and let cook for 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and mix well with other ingredients with wooden spoon (I always use a wooden spoon). Let the mixture cook for another 5 minutes. Add the stock, red lentils, bay leaves and dried chili peppers. Season with sea salt and ground pepper and stir. Bring to a boil; cover the pot and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Serve in bowls with a tablespoon of Greek yogurt on top.

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After dinner I relaxed with a recipe for a turmeric mask I found in the October 2010 edition of the Yoga Journal. My skin feels really soft and I am a happy girl.

Turmeric Mask:

Mix 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt (I used the Greek yogurt from dinner) with 1/3 tablespoon honey and a pinch of turmeric. Spread over the face evenly and enjoy!

Make Your Own Granola

I finally made my own granola! And you know what, it was so easy. And totally worth it because you can control the sweetness and put in your favorite ingredients (many granola cereals have tons of sugar). AND, according to my personal food taster, it was better than any cereal we ever bought. OK, he is easily pleased, but seriously, it was good! The maple gives it a smoky flavor, and the sweetness was just right.

Only takes an hour, with just a few minutes of preparation:

Ingredients:

3 cups of Rolled Oats (I like the Jumbo ones)

1/2 cup raw almonds, chopped (or other nuts)

a handful raw sunflower seeds (or other seeds)

1/2 cup real maple syrup (or you could use honey - use more if you like it sweeter)

1/2 cup coconut oil (or other vegetable oil, but this is by far the healthiest)

1/2 cup dried fruits (i used golden raisins, goji berries and dried cherries)

Obviously you can really change this recipe around, depending on what you have in your kitchen. But here are the basics:

Mix the oats, chopped almonds (I chopped them myself, takes about 5 minutes) and seeds with oil and maple syrup until well coated. (Coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils, especially for cooking because it can withstand high temperatures.) Spread evenly on a big baking sheet/tray. Bake at 120-130 C for one hour. Toss it around with a spatula every 15-20 min to make sure it's evenly cooking. When it's out of the oven, add the dried fruit - and that's it!

We had it for breakfast with soy/rice milk or layered with yogurt+ricotta and homemade raspberry jam. It also makes a lovely, personalized gift.

Soon...gotta try granola bars.