SUPER SMOOTHIE AMOR

By Karimah bint Dawoud,

Muslim chaplain & well being writer.

The power of green juices is wonderful amazing vital ital!

Super Smoothie Amor

They are essential and this one is no exception. On Face Book one day I saw a friend of mine  Zainab Amor, had posted of version of this smoothie that had originally used yoghurt but Amor had substituted for protein powder. I’m not a big fan of protein powder or steroids for that matter and know that a great way to bulk up, if you must, is nuts…oh hazelnuts! No I’m just being silly, it was a 1970′s advert with catchy chorus of  “nuts oh hazelnuts!” But I’m serious about nuts.

So we substituted the yoghurt and protein powder for nuts, cashew nuts in fact and so the recipe got transmuted.

“Because you are worth it”.

Some times we block our own development because of money or our assumed lack of it, I know I’m  a victim of this fear of poverty belief which is completely confronted by my son who encourages me to go for it and think about quality and value.

Yes cashews are expensive but so is meat and process food, if you are having cashews nuts for breakfast and veggies the rest of the day, including pulses and brown rice, you are not, all day long spending more than few pounds on one person in money, believe me I did the Live Below The Line challenge on one pound a day for five days.

Here’s the recipe and it makes 3 large glasses, praise the Creator

1 cup of cashew nuts soaked overnight in 2 cups of water, drained and rinsed

1/2 pineapple, washed peeled and chopped

2 bananas, washed, peeled and chopped

2 cups of spinach, washed and chopped

 

Method

Place all ingredients in jug blender and top up with water to 1 litre mark and blend for at least a minute.

It’s a wonderful yummy green juice, if you haven’t had green juices before it might not be as sweet as you are used to but you will Insha’Allah learn to love the more natural tastes and the good it’s doing your mind body and soul.

This is super food drink for those of us suffering with anorexia, anemia, arthritis, artery diseases, and asthma. Depression, heart problems, menopause, ulcers.

This drink boosts the immune system in so many ways, protects the stomach and enhances the blood and bones, praise the Creator

Nutrition

Cashews contain high levels of copper which is good for producing red blood cells, keeping nerve cells and immune system healthy. They also contain tryptophan, an essential amino acid that supports the nervous system combating depression and insomnia; it also increases a person’s pain threshold. For tryptophan to be absorbed properly it needs vitamin B, C, folic acid and magnesium, some is  found in the rest of the cashew nut but also in other elements of this drink like the spinach that contain high quantities of vitamin C, well I never.

 People don’t usually think of spinach as containing vitamin C. 1 cup of spinach contains 30% of our daily required amount of vitamin C. Cashews contain manganese’s which is great for combating fatigue, tiredness.

Spinach also contains over 1000%!!! Of our daily vitamin K requirements, but what is vitamin K good for? It’s fantastic for the heart and preventing the arteries from clogging up with plaque. It’s also good for keeping the calcium in the bones. That means it’s great for those of us who have a genetic hereditary tendency to bone related diseases like osteoarthritis, osteoporosis. No wonder Pop Eye eats it.

Bananas strangely are good at combating cellulite, eat enough of them and you will get fat but with no cellulite…hmmm. Here is our good nutritional buddy with cashews, bananas have high levels of vitamin B6 and vitamin C that will help the wonderful amino acid, tryptophan, to do  it’s work. Vitamin B 6 is great for the nerves and vitamin C is anti-aging, anti-oxidant (keeps cells nice and bouncy) and boosts the immune system. It’s great for people with ulcers. Chemicals in the banana activates cells that produce the stomach lining, providing a thicker more mucous barrier against stomach acids. The next aspect of their magical properties is that they contain compounds called protease inhibitors that target bacteria that aggravate ulcers. They are a superfood but it’s not necessary to eat them with a fried white flour main meal unless you want to end up looking like Mama Cass.

Pineapple is my best friend, sweet and good, it is a blessing for people with arthritis, it contains a chemical called bromelin that combats arthritis, they’re also high in vitamin C which is an anti-histamine, wonderful for combating morning allergies attacks like hay fever and asthma.

There is more evidence to support pineapples positive affects in combating asthma than the rare occasion where someone may be allergic. I often wonder with research when these random studies come up who is financing that study.

If  asthma suffers would drastically cut down on their meat and dairy consumption and eat  more fruit and veg sales of inhalers would slump…hmmm.

That’s enough nutritional advice for one day, now we just have to put these super smoothies into practice.

A note of caution: Those taking blood thinning drugs (such as anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs), such as Coumadin, should avoid use of supplemental vitamin K as it can reverse the effects of this medication. Also, those on this medication should consult with their physician before increasing consumption of foods high in vitamin K.

 

More than Muesli

 As I was wondering what to do with an excess of yoghurt in my fridge  and my pledge to only eat meat once a week, I starting thinking “OK, oat bran, yoghurt, apples, black berries….hold on a minute  this is starting to sound like Bircher Muesli !”

More Than Muesli

 Having spent  many years  in the home of muesli, when I  was based in Switzerland , working as a fashion model in Munich, Rome and Paris, we used to eat muesli any time.

In Switzerland the muesli is something else, it’s made the night before and left to flavoury fuse together, its all pink where the black berry juices have blended with the yoghurt oats, since leaving Switzerland  and becoming more infused myself, with my spices, I now add haldi, zanjiabal and cinnamon to our muesli at Karimah’s Cuisina.

So brunch tomorrow will be Bircher Muesli and if you don’t know how to make it, the recipes is in my book, Heavenly Bites, The Best Of Muslim Home Cooking. This is a great recipe for Ramadhan to eat a the suhour time, before we pray fajr, morning prayer and begin our daily fast.

A CLUE……….

The Ingredients.

Oatbran…high in soluble fibre, great for those with cholesterol and its good for lowering blood sugar, so great for diabetics.

Oats…slow releasing energy  and great for the nerves

Yoghurt…better than milk, the bacteria it contains from fermentation compliments the human stomach more

Blackberry…high vitamin C , fibre

Apple…fibre, keeps blood sugar stable

Mixed nuts seeds….protein, omega 3 essential fatty acids, balance body system

Haldi…anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant which means  great for anti-aging, reduces blood clots in blood and reduces plaque in the arteries, this in turn combats risks of strokes.

Zanjibal …anti inflammatory,good for digestion, nausea, diarrhea, eliminates cancerous cells in ovarian cancer and slows down cancerous cell reproduction in bowel cancer

Cinnamon…anti inflammatory, reduces arthritis pain, anti-infection properties, affective against some ulcers, regulates blood sugar, food preservative. Good for menstrual cycle and fertility.

Heavenly Bites: The Best of Muslim Home Cooking

Warning; people taking blood thinning medication , should be cautious about using haldi  and  ginger as well as their tablets, personally I would ask my doctor if I could use the spices instead of the tablets, much more easy to control.

 

Hay Fever Smoothie May Improve Your Sex Life

Vitamin C is a natural anti histamine. Histamine is an organic nitrogen compound  that it is involved in the reactions of the body’s immunes system. It is also necessary for good gut function as well as the body’s nervous system. Because of its impact on the nervous system, it is important to have the right balance of histamine to stimulate correct erectile function. It’s a small and mighty compound involved in the magic 23 physiological functions of the body, mashallah.

Hay Fever Smoothie

So why, if it’s a good thing to we need to combat it? Histamine in the nervous system has neurotransmitters that stimulates, interesting, it also has neurons that are suppressive that protect the body against convulsions, super sensitivity and drug sensitization.

As we know it’s all about balance. Human beings are of different bodily not just emotional temperaments and some are more sensitive than others, this sensitivity can be used for the good of humanity but there is a price to pay sometimes when the pollens start to fly, this is where vitamin C comes into play.

In some people, The histamine irritates the upper respiratory tract which then becomes overly sensitive to incoming pollens, dust and other allergens. Good mucous membrane health is vital not only for the respiratory tract but also for the stomach, another mucous membrane.

Inshallah  we are going to get some of the new superfood camu camu from the rainforest, which is super high in vitamin c but for now we will use more easily available fruits to make this super smoothie that will inshallah calm down your reaction to the pollens around right now.

Ingredients

MAKES 750 ML enough for 2 adults large glasses or enough for 1 person to have first thing in morning and then have about 1 hour before magreb/sunset. Magreb, the twilight zone is  when the atmosphere cools and the pollen starts descending, so you need to start drinking before this time on  an reasonable empty stomach for it to kick in, it’s a great aperitif as well, praise the Creator.

2 kiwis

½ pineapple

1 banana

½ litre water

Method

• wash and peel everything and place in either a jug blender or even use a hand held blender in a high sided glass or plastic container
• add water and blitz for about 30 seconds to 1 minute

Kiwis are also a super food and contain more vitamin c than oranges, wow! Pineapples as well as containing vitamin c are high in a chemical called bromelin which is a great anti-inflammatory.

Bananas contain large amounts of vitamin B6 which is great for your brain and nervous system, mosquitos hate the taste of it in your blood, they also contain significant amounts of vitamin C, potassium   and fibre. They are great for a sensitive stomach as well as all that fibre good for the your arteries and so good for the heart………………….loving  you for the sake of Allah.

Delightful Dhaal, Bangala Style

By Karimahs Cuisina. 

Members of KC have just completed  the global poverty project international challenge  to live below the line, food and drink one pound per day, it’s a real eye opener but it was also strange when we finished to attended what we would call a banquet, a fund raising dinner at the Water Lily in the East End.

Delightful Dhaal

 The meal included in its many dishes lentils and rice, I love the way Bengali do dhaal, and I told my sistar Nazia, that I could eat just the rice and dhal. Now back in the land of the Lush , where we can eat whatever we want our tastes have changed and this is our satisfaction this spring evening. 

This is a great healthy veggie comfort food, dhaal or lentils as they are also known, contain high levels of manganese which great for combatting tiredness. 

Ingredients

Serves: 4

• 200g masoor dhaal or red lentils
• 700ml water
• 200g onion, thinly sliced, divided into 2 portions, half and half
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped, 2 portions again.
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tea spoon  ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 100g cherry tomatoes chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 whole fresh green chilli
• 30ml ghee 

Method

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 40 mins

• Wash the lentils.
•  Combine the lentils and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add half of the sliced onions and garlic, keeping  the rest for later.
• Stir in the turmeric, bay leaf, tomatoes and salt.
•  Add the chillies, leaving them whole to add taste or cut in half to add heat.
•  When the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Cook until the lentils break apart and thicken slightly, about 20 minutes, add more water if they become too dry.
• While the dhall is boiling ,get on with the fried masala, in a frying pan, heat the ghee over medium heat until it melts.

•  Add the remaining  over onions; cook and stir until the onion has become golden, usually about 5 minutes.
•  Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is tender and dark brown, approximately 20 minutes but keep an eye on them.
• Stir in the rest of the chopped garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic golden brown, just a few minutes.
• Pour the contents of the frying pan into the cooked lentils and stir. Garnish with  fresh  salad and brown rice, on small plates…eat less, share more inshallah

 

IT’S HAYFEVER TIME AGAIN! WHOOOPEE!

Hayfever Allergy Fighter. 

As  I travelled around, fantasizing about burying my face in the fluffy pink cheery blossom that hangs in choochie clusters from our trees, I forget about the down side, the stinging eyes , the running nose, the tickle in the throat and cough all caused as reactions to the trees pollen that’s flying around as well now, what we call “hay fever”.

The best natural anti- histamine has got to be vitamin C, the natural stuff, from natural sources. This juice, first thing in the morning, will boost your immune system and give those allergy boys a run for their money, especially on an empty stomach.

Drinking this once in the morning is not enough to protect you from allergies all day lone, but with these quantities you can drink again before lunch and supper, ideally before Maghreb time because once the sun starts to go down the pollen comes down and things get worse fora little while.

All is Vitamin C is a great anti-oxidants that keeps  your skin younger for longer.

Hayfever Juice

 

So here we go, this will make 6 long, small glasses or 3 big tall glasses.

 Wash everything and peel kiwis

4 KIWI,

½ A PINEAPPLE

1 CUCUMBER

500ml WATER

IN  A JUG BLENDER OR HAND HEKLD BLENDER ,BLITZ WELL , MAYBE 1 MINUTE 

Eat with seven 7 dates and you’ll be ready for anything inshallah 

Pineapple is high in vitamin C and vitamin C is an antihistamine, which is what you need to fight pollen allergies.

 It’s great for arthritis and boosting your immune system. This fruit is high in a natural enzyme called bromelain , this is the key to this fruit’s health benefits .Bromelain is a protein digesting compound .

Bromelain is anti-inflammatory, effective at reducing swelling, so if you are suffering from hay fever at the moment, with swollen sinuses and sore throat, pineapple will help treat your condition but on an empty stomach, if you have it with food the bromelain will assist in the breakdown of protein in the food. It’s also good for arthritis and gout. High in vitamin C, inshallah will protect you against free radicals that attack healthy cells.

 Kiwis  have more vitamin C in them than oranges, more potassium and less calories than bananas and are a good source of beta carotene ,good for your immune system, your eyes, respiration and anti oxidants.

Cucumbers are mentioned is Islamic medicine. the  cucumber is known as QITHTHA

From the Sunnah, narrated by Abd’ Allah bin Jaffar, it is related that the messenger of Allah salah ala alaihi wa salem used tom eat cucumber (qiththa) with dates(rutab) Tirmidhi At’ima – 37.

They are cold in the first degree and dry in the second. In Islamic medicine known to cool heat in the stomach, so good for ulcers.

 They are anti-oxidant and anti inflammatory. Cucumbers are now known to contain lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol–three lignans that have a strong history of research in connection with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease as well as several cancer types, including breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

 

Disclaimer, I am not yet a qualified nutritionist but soon inshallah, so this advice is based on my own experience of what works for me, should you have any questions or doubts please consult a medical doctor.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW A SECRET …….

Its easy to do the things we find easy;some people
find fasting easy, some people find praying easy, some people find
doing good deeds easy BUT Islam is complete religion, with guidance
to enable us to be more rounded human beings, so we should also look
at those aspects of the deen we find difficult and attempt to rectify ourselves in those areas as well, we should all be in process of constant positive change , getting
closer to Allah.
 That way we become more dynamic.Challenge Yourself! It takes a little change to make a big difference.

Challenge Yourself

LIVE BELOW THE LINE, DAY 5

Alahmdulilah I’m so glad Is tarted this challenge from Sunday night, I am so tired, lack energy, concentration and my body hurts more than usual.

One Pancake, Half A Banana &Yoghurt

had my kiwi/banana/water smoothie, looking forward to my pancake, half banana and yoghurt, a friend of ours is coming to stay , so we will probabley have  the last of the fish soup for lunch and alhmdulilah that will b it

She has invited me to a fundraising dinner tonight,inshallah i’m having a naughty 24 hours of eating what I want then including some things I’ve learnt from this week ; less eat less, smaller plates, smaller portions and ask my mum to help me plan what I’m going to eat for the week inshallah

Live below the line, day 4 REFLECTION

Day 4 of living on one pound a day for food and drink, no tea , no coffees, nothing fried, nothing sweet, truthfully its not nice, and inshallah I’m so glad that tomorrow is the last day, so glad I started the night before and looking forward to a fundraising dinner tomorrow night, inshallah, it has made me realize how being extremely poor (not these fat people on benefits who eat takeaway every night, that’s not poor) anything nice is a treat, it would be great to make fried pakoras when we do FEED THE NEED, grated carrot, courgettes and onions, in chickpea batter and fried, inshallah they will go down a treat.

In the western world, some people lack cooking skills and some are just lazy, some need help because they are disabled , that’s different,  some are just slaves to junk and over consumption of food that’s expensive and makes them more ill. Everybody should take this challenge and it would affect people in different way;some it would make more reflective  some think about how to economize more and be more frugal yet healthy, some it would kick start them on eating smaller portions and so on but I think all politicians should be made to do this and no cheating.

If you think you are man enough to do this challenge, please sign up to the following link

http://www.madeineurope.org.uk/campaign/lbl

LIVE BELOW THE LINE, DAY 4 Lunch & Supper,Salmon and Nettle soup

This LIVE BELOW THE LINE is a team effort from Karimah Cuisina’s members and VIP volunteers, this recipe comes from an idea from one of our older, wiser mature members, she reminded us of the fish heads that we buy in White chapel market  in the east  end of London.  A pound a day in the UK is not really enough for optimum nutrition so we decide to go foraging for nettle, dandelions and anything we could get at this time of year.

Salmon & Nettle Soup

With a bit more research we found that salmon and nettle soup was something the American Indians use to and still eat, so we knew we were on the right track.

Nettle are packed with iron and vitamin c and are still free from the clutches of most major supermarkets, so go out and get yours. You will need gardening gloves or rubber gloves, to be used right up until the point they go into the pot, after that it’s all plain sailing and they are just like spinach.

Salmon and nettle soup 3 portions , this not a great soup the next day.

Fish head 50p

2oo g carrot 10p

400g potatoes 19p

250g onions 7p

Dry herbs, salt and pepper 9p

2 cloves garlic 3p

10ml vegetable oil 2p

Water

INGREDIENTS

• Vegetable oil
• water
• 1 salmon head and fileted body and tail, 50p, the fishmonger has taken eh filets off and you get left with the rest
• 250 g  7p Onions chopped
• 2 cloves of Garlic, 3p crushed and left for 1-3 minutes to oxidize and get full benefits
• 200g carrots 20p
• 400g Potatoes 19p
• 3 cups washed drained and chopped Nettles
• 1 tea spoon of either Dill, tarragon, chervil, mixed herbs 3p
• 1 tea spoon Sea salt 3p
• 1 tea spoon pepper or 1  small red scotch bonnet pepper  for extra heat3p
• 3 litres of water, from tap or filtered

METHOD

• Soak fish , spine and tail in a large bowl of salty water for 15 minutes at least, then rinse and drain
• In a large pot at oil, chopped onion and garlic and fry till golden, add fish, salt and pepper/scotch bonnet and  water , bring to boil
• Then turn down low and cook for 30 minutes
• Take off heat and use colander to pour fish stock, that’s the soup, into another clean large saucepan
• Leave the fish head, spine and bones to cool down, save scotch bonnet pepper if you can find it.
• When the fish is cool, take the flesh off the fish head and spine and place in clean bowl, some people like to eat the eyes.
• The new saucepan of fish stock place on stove and turn heat on medium
• Wash peel and chop carrots and potatoes and add to heat fish stock
• Add herbs spices  and scotch bonnet pepper back into soup
• Bring to boil then turn down medium /low heat for 20 minutes covered
• After 20 minutes, add the chopped stinging nettles and cooked covered for a further 1o minutes
• Then test to make sure veggies are reasonably soft but certainly not falling apart
• Take out a few of the potatoes, smash them and add back into soup and stir, this will give the soup some thickness
• There you have it a cheap tasty soup.

 

LIVE BELOW THE LINE, Day 4, breakfast

When you are used to eating healthy, this LIVE BELOW THE LINE is a real challenge.

However it makes you think, I thank the Most High Creator, Allah, Gd, for those of us at Karimahs Cuisina and MADEin Europe,Islam channel,. Eco Muslim and Meriemme’s sistar, the will power to take this challenge and persevere till the end inshallah.

If anyone thinks its a piece of cake….sorry darling its not.

In Islam we believe that there are 2 appetites  the appetite of the stomach and the appetite of the sexual desire, you are truly blessed if you can master both of them.

Fed up with the starchy carbohydrates we decide to up the anti with fruits and veg as you have seen from recent posts.

Kiwi & Banana Smoothie

Today’s offering is  a kiwi and banana smoothie, using half of the banana  and a kiwi with water blended  banana naturally add creaminess to anything, its not Innocence and its not like it  usually ones we drink but it will give our system a much needed  boost of vitamins and mineral to get things going. My gums are not feeling great and another one of our sisters is really getting tired.I noticed the last few days the hay fever symptoms coming on and they desperately need vitamin C to combat them, as vitamin C works as an  anti histamine  that means, strawberries, kiwis, oranges etc, which we can’t get as part of this challenge as fruit would take up too much of the cost and we are not drinking that concentrated rubbish just like the  GMO corn contained in vitamin C tablets.

One Pancake, Half A Banana &Yoghurt

Less starchy carbohydrates and more simple sugar carbohydrates like fruits, means 1 pancake, the other half of the banana and yoghurt still, for the much need bacteria that are created by fermenting milk.

Not having enough food affect concentration and depriving the masses of sufficient nutrition is one way of controlling people, on the other hand there are people in the western world that are more than clinical obese, you would be surprised at what you may think is chubby is actually medically obese…………hmmmmm.

There is still time to get involved in this challenge  you can do you 5 days between now and the end of June, if you are man enough remember in Arabic man includes woman as well) if you are man enough, then see this link and sign up.

http://www.madeineurope.org.uk/campaign/lbl