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A smell of oranges and the crunch of fresh linen as light slips through the window. It happens seldom – only on special Sundays. Time for brunch. A luscious, languid meal with friends. A time for gathering, for celebrating, for indulgence, brunch is communal, relaxed, inventive – sheer bliss…
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ENERGY SALSA
What You Need 250g of firm tomatoes Here’s How Chop the garlic fine. Chop the onion, coriander, mint or basil and parsley in slightly larger pieces. Chop the green peppers and tomatoes into good chunky pieces. Combine them in a serving bowl, season and let the mixture sit in the fridge for 15 minutes so the flavors meld. Serve immediately or keep it in the fridge for up to 1 day. Other Ways to Go PINEAPPLE SALSA: Use 200g of fresh pineapple in good-sized chunks together with 1 red capsicum, 1 fine chopped chilli, coriander, mint, olive oil, lime juice and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard. |
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Delicious salsas and relishes have replaced many of the heavy sauces of the past. They are low in fat – sometimes even fat free, piquant, and a great way to add zing to anything from cooked vegetables and tortilla chips to fish and jacket potatoes. You can even eat them on rice or pasta. It used to be that salsas were served cold. Now you’ll find them atop cooked dishes as well. I like to serve this salsa on omelets for brunch, or at other meals with crudités or even as a topping for a baked potato. This recipe which is full of chopped chillies, tomatoes, onions and lemon juice is a true energy food. Made raw, it needs to be made fresh and will keep for no more than 24 hours in the fridge. Go easy on the chillies. You can always add more. But if you go overboard there is nothing you can do to reinstate the coolness of the vegetables afterwards. I like to cut my salsas rougher than most so you get a wonderful mixture of textures as well as flavors. Make them in a blender or food processor and to my mind they end up more like a soup than a salsa. |
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CHILLIES FOR HEALTH Most people when they think of chillies think of spice not of health. But chillies are a great addition to a health-enhancing diet – even in the smallest doses. One chilli boasts 100% of the daily recommended dose of the antioxidant beta-carotene plus as much as 200% of that of vitamin C. Both these nutrients help fight free radicals and therefore help protect against heart disease, cancer and early aging. They also strengthen immunity. In addition, chillies contain a plant chemical called capsaicin, which not only creates their fire but also helps prevent high LDL cholesterol in the blood and protects against the formation of blood clots. Throughout history chillies have been used to relieve pain as well. Recent research shows capsaicin has the ability to temporarily block chemically transmitted pain signals in the body. This is why you find it in natural ointments used to relieve arthritis and nerve pain. You will even find it in nose sprays helpful in clearing headaches. There is good evidence that capsaicin may even soothe pains of the mind and soul since it appears to trigger the release of the mood-enhancing endorphins in the brain.
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Wonderful life-giving foods, and information about what some of them can do to help prevent premature aging, protect you from degenerative conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, enhance your mood, intensify your delight in love-making, even encourage sleep inspired me to write Cook Energy, for help for all of these things is to be found in delicious foods. Recipe This Week Archives |
