January 28th, 2012
With so much focus on the amazing omega-3 benefits of salmon, another unique attribute of salmon may have been overlooked. There is one particular bioactive peptide called calcitonin (sCT) that is of special interest. The reason is because a human form of calcitonin is made by the thyroid gland, and we know that it is a key hormone for helping regulate and stabilize collagen and minerals in the bone and surrounding tissue. It appears researchers are learning more about salmon peptides – - including (calcitonin) sCT and researchers believe that we will hear more about salmon helping with inflammation, including inflammation of the joints.
Here’s what eating fish can do for you! (thanks to omega-3 fatty acids):
• Keep the Heart Healthy—-may help to protect against heart attacks and strokes by keeping cholesterol and triglyceride levels down, lowering blood pressure, stabilizing irregular heartbeats, and acting as a natural blood thinner
• Fight Depression—studies show that omega-3’s may help to improve mood and mental health disorders
• Reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease– preliminary studies show that eating fish may help to prevent this brain disease
• Prevent onset of Diabetes and help fight diabetes—-appears to prevent insulin resistance in those who have Type II diabetes
• Combat Inflammatory diseases—help reduce pain and inflammation from arthritis and other inflammatory diseases like lupus
Honeyed Salmon | Recipe for Life
Salmon with Honey-Soy Sauce
Serves: 4
2 cups coarsely chopped portobello mushrooms (optional)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons less-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons butter, divided use
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
4 (8-ounce) wild salmon fillets
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 green onions, sliced diagonally into 1/4-inch pieces
Cooked brown rice
Gently clean mushrooms with paper towel and remove stems. Preheat oven to 150°F. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce and mustard and set aside. Melt a tablespoon butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the salmon fillets, skin side down. Cook the salmon 4 minutes per side. Remove the skin. (Skin should remove easily.) Transfer the cooked salmon to an ovenproof platter or baking dish and place in a 150°F oven while you make the sauce. Melt remaining butter and add the mushrooms and garlic. Sauté to soften mushrooms. Add the wine to the hot skillet and deglaze the pan scraping all the bits with a spatula. Add the honey mixture to the skillet and boil for 1 minute. Stir the green onions into the sauce just before serving. Serve salmon over rice and drizzle with sauce.
Debbie Gore is a speaker, author and chef who shares her healthy strategies in workshops and in cooking demonstrations for corporations.
Tags: author, calcitonin, chef, Debbie Gore, Joint Health, Omegas, salmon, salmon recipes, speaker
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January 19th, 2012
When I need information about the world’s healthiest foods, I refer to this site and here is what they said about Kale verbatim. www.whfoods.org
Kale can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits if you will cook it by steaming. The fiber-related components in kale do a better job of binding together with bile acids in your digestive tract when they’ve been steamed. When this binding process takes place, it’s easier for bile acids to be excreted, and the result is a lowering of your cholesterol levels. Raw kale still has cholesterol-lowering ability–just not as much. In this soup, we steep them, but you still are getting more nutrients eating kale in a tasty way, because many people have no idea what to do with it so that it tastes good. This kale soup recipe with an Italian twist is amazing.
Kale’s risk-lowering benefits for cancer have recently been extended to at least five different types of cancer. These types include cancer of the bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from glucosinolates in kale play a primary role in achieving these risk-lowering benefits.
Kale is now recognized as providing comprehensive support for the body’s detoxification system. New research has shown that the ITCs made from kale’s glucosinolates can help regulate detox at a genetic level. Researchers can now identify over 45 different flavonoids in kale. With kaempferol and quercetin heading the list, kale’s flavonoids combine both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits in way that gives kale a leading dietary role with respect to avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.
Kale Soup | Recipe for Life
Serves: 6
Olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 leek, cleaned and sliced
2 large cloves garlic
1 small head green cabbage
1 bunch kale leaves, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large tomato, cored and diced
8 cups broth or stock (organic stock preferred)
2 Italian sausage casing removed
3 thick slices Italian bread (preferably with rosemary), diced
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained
Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat the olive oil to sauté the vegetables beginning first with the onion and leek to get the onion translucent and following with the garlic, cabbage, kale and carrots. (Do not add the tomato until the onion and leek are soft. Add the water and chicken stock and sausage. Allow to simmer 30 minutes. Add the bread and the beans and allow to simmer 10 minutes. Serve warm. Delicious and nutritious! A healthy recipe that is great for a chilly winter night.
Debbie Gore teaches the principles of healthy living. She teaches culinary classes and teaches classes about creating your life like a recipe with only the quality ingredients. Your health is a key component because “if” you feel tired or lousy, it is hard to find the recipe for fulfillment. Leave her a comment once you’ve cooked up this tasty recipe!
Tags: anti-cancer, Antioxidants, Cruciferous vegetables, Delicious, healhty recipe, Italian Kale and White Bean soup, Kale, Kale soup recipe, Nutritious
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January 8th, 2012
I am passing on two of my favorite recipes: Spice Rubbed Salmon and Quinoa Salad. I love this combo because it is so colorful! Salmon is so delicious prepared in this way and quinoa absorbs the delicious flavors that are added. Quinoa is a great source of protein and is better for you waistline than rice and potatoes. These recipes are company worthy! Colorful and delicious healthy recipes!
Recipe for Life-Quinoa-Salad
Spice Rubbed Salmon
Serves: 2
- 2 (8 ounce) pieces salmon
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Scant ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sliced leek
- Olive oil for sautéing.
Mix the pepper with the next 7 spices and spread over salmon. Allow to sit for 30 minutes before pan sautéing. Heat a tablespoon olive oil and sauté the salmon until cooked through. Remove from heat and tent to keep warm. In the same pan, add a teaspoon more oil and sauté the leeks until fragrant and beginning to brown slightly! Serve leeks over salmon. Additional vegetables (roasted) or a salad (Quinoa counts) pairs nicely with this.
Quinoa with Black Beans
Serves: 6
Salad
- 1 cup quinoa (Ancient Harvest brand pre-rinsed)
- 2 cups water
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 stalk minced celery
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 cup finely chopped spinach
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
- Pinch cumin
- Sea salt or Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
Dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 medium cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Cook the quinoa in the water according to package directions and let cool slightly. Add the beans and the next 8 ingredients. Place the dressing ingredients in a glass canning jar and shake to blend. Pour over salad. Season with sea salt or Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (salt with a kick). Serve at room temperature. May be refrigerated, perfect for lunch because it will be room temp by the time you eat it. Garnish with tomato and feta.
Tags: healthy recipes, quinoa, Quinoa salad, salmon, salmon recipe, spice rubbed salmon
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