'Full of veg' tomato sauce

"This is a great sauce to have up your sleeve. When it's made properly it will have a lovely, sweet flavour just like tomatoes. After your children get used to eating it, you can whiz the vegetables up a bit less each time until, eventually, you won't have to whiz it at all. This recipe makes quite a big batch. I tend to make loads at one time, let it cool completely, then bag it up and freeze it.

Nutritional Information - Amount per serving:

• Calories 193kcal
• Carbs 25.6g
• Sugar 19.7g
• Fat 5.3g
• Saturates 0.8g
• Protein 6.5g

Serves 6

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 2 small onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 small leek, chopped and washed
• 2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 2 courgettes, grated
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 large pinch dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 x 400 g tinned plum tomatoes
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and seeds removed, grated
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat a large saucepan (big enough to hold all the ingredients) over a medium heat. Pour in a good lug of oil then add the onions, leek, celery, peppers, courgettes, carrots and herbs. Cook the whole lot slowly for about 20 minutes with the lid on, until all the vegetables are nice and soft but without any colour at all.

Add the tomatoes, squash, 500ml (17½fl oz) of water and a pinch of salt and pepper to the vegetables. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 30 minutes until the squash is soft.

Fish out the bay leaves and allow the sauce to cool slightly before blitzing with a hand-held blender until nice and smooth. Have a taste and season with a little more salt and pepper if needed".

Fonte e imagem: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/-full-of-veg-tomato-sauce

A beautiful sorrel risotto with crumbled goat's cheese

"The sorrel is flash-cooked here, then stirred though right at the end of cooking. This gives the risotto a vibrant green colour and a really fresh taste. I think goat's cheese adds a beautiful creaminess, so I've roasted some here. Crumble it over the risotto when you serve it – it balances the flavours beautifully.

Nutritional Information - Amount per serving:

• Calories 525kcal
• Carbs 72.3g
• Sugar 6.3g
• Fat 13.7g
• Saturates 6.6g
• Protein 17.8g

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 litres organic vegetable or chicken stock
• olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 sticks celery, trimmed and finely chopped
• 600 g risotto rice
• 250 ml vermouth or dry white wine
• 1 goat's cheese, approximately 100g
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 dried red chilli
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 whole nutmeg
• 300 g sorrel, washed and dried
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1-2 handfuls Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus extra for serving
• ½ lemon
• extra virgin olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan and keep warm. In a separate large pan, add a splash of olive oil, the onion and celery, and cook gently for about 15 minutes until softened. Add the rice and turn up the heat a bit. Keep stirring to stop it catching. After a minute or two, pour in the vermouth or wine and stir constantly until the alcohol has evaporated, leaving the rice with a lovely perfume.

Turn down the heat and add a ladleful of warm stock. Keep stirring until the rice has fully absorbed the stock, then add another ladleful. Continue to add the stock, one ladleful at a time, until it's all absorbed. This should take about 15 minutes and give you rice that is beginning to soften but is still al dente.

Meanwhile, pop the goat's cheese onto a roasting tray, sprinkle over the fennel seeds and red chilli, and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Next, heat a deep saucepan on a medium heat, then add 1 tablespoon of butter, a splash of olive oil, the garlic and a good grating of nutmeg. Once the butter has melted, add the sorrel and cook for about 2 minutes, moving it around until it's just wilted down. Take the pan off the heat, let the sorrel cool slightly, then chop it finely and season to taste.

Take the pan of rice off the heat, add the chopped sorrel and beat in the remaining butter and grated Parmesan. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice, then check the seasoning and add a little salt and pepper if needed. Pop a lid on the pan and leave the risotto to rest for a minute, while you remove the goat's cheese from the oven.

Dish up your risotto, grate a little lemon zest over the top, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, and top with another grating of Parmesan. Serve with the lovely roasted goat's cheese on the side for everyone to crumble over the top".

Fonte e imagem: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/rice-recipes/a-beautiful-sorrel-risotto-with-crumbled-goat-s-cheese

Arroz de Atum no Forno

"Ingredientes
120.00	g	Atum em lata
150.00	g	Cebola
5.00	g	Alho
200.00	g	Cenoura
200.00	g	Tomate pelado
5.00	g	Sal
400.00	g	Arroz Agulha
300.00	g	Aipo Rama
5.00	un	Ovos
15.00	ml	Azeite

Preparação

•Abrir a lata do atum e escorrer bem;
•Descascar e picar a cebola e o alho, e ralar a cenoura. Picar o aipo;
•Refogar ligeiramente em azeite, a cebola, o alho, o aipo e a cenoura;
•Juntar o tomate pelado;
•Juntar o atum escorrido e envolver bem;
•Deixar o atum absorver os aromas todos no tacho tapado;
•Rectificar temperos;
•Cozer o arroz em água abundante e com sal;
•Depois de cozido, escorrer;
•Colocar no tabuleiro por camadas;
•Arroz, atum e arroz;
•Partir os ovos, e fazer ovos mexidos numa frigideira com um pouco de azeite;
•Depois de os ovos estarem passados, com um garfo separar os ovos para se obterem farripas;
•Colocar essas farripas de ovo por cima do tabuleiro do arroz e atum;
•Levar ao forno para alourar.

Calculo do Preço

Custo por pessoa: EUR 1.15"

Fonte e imagem: http://www.unileverfoodsolutions.pt/receitas/recipe_programm/show/2142-5746-0-R0039366.Arroz_de_Atum_no_Forno.html

Grilled Shrimp With Lemony Potato Salad

Con Poulos

Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 15m | Total Time: 25m

Ingredients

• 1 pound baby red potatoes (about 12)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds medium shell-on shrimp
• 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay)

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a medium pot and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and add 2 teaspoons salt.
2. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain, run under cold water to cool, and cut into quarters.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the potatoes, celery, and chives. Toss to combine.
4. Meanwhile, heat grill to medium-high. In a bowl, toss the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of the oil and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. In a second bowl, toss the shrimp with the seafood seasoning and the remaining tablespoon of oil.
5. Grill the asparagus, turning occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
6. Grill the shrimp until opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve with the asparagus and the potato salad.

By Sara Quessenberry,  August 2010

Fonte e imagem:
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/grilled-shrimp-lemony-potato-salad-00000000037813/index.html

Q. Organic—or Not? Is Organic Produce Healthier Than Conventional?

 "A. There are at least two good arguments for eating organic: fewer pesticides and more nutrients. Let’s start with pesticides. Pesticides can be absorbed into fruits and vegetables, and leave trace residues. The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, pored over the results of nearly 51,000 USDA and FDA tests for pesticides on 44 popular produce items and identified the types of fruits and vegetables that were most likely to have higher trace amounts. Most people have no problems eating conventionally grown produce but if you feel strongly about pesticide residues, the EWG’s list below should help you shop.
As for nutrients, in 2007 a study out of Newcastle University in the United Kingdom reported that organic produce boasted up to 40 percent higher levels of some nutrients (including vitamin C, zinc and iron) than its conventional counterparts. Additionally, a 2003 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that organically grown berries and corn contained 58 percent more polyphenols—antioxidants that help prevent cardiovascular disease—and up to 52 percent higher levels of vitamin C than those conventionally grown. Recent research by that study’s lead author, Alyson Mitchell, Ph.D., an associate professor of food science and technology at the University of California, Davis, pinpoints a potential mechanism to explain why organic techniques may sometimes yield superior produce.
It’s a difference in soil fertility, says Mitchell: “With organic methods, the nitrogen present in composted soil is released slowly and therefore plants grow at a normal rate, with their nutrients in balance. Vegetables fertilized with conventional fertilizers grow very rapidly and allocate less energy to develop nutrients.” Buying conventional produce from local farmers also has benefits. Nutrient values in produce peak at prime ripeness, just after harvest. As a general rule, the less produce has to travel, the fresher and more nutrient-rich it remains.
A 2008 review by the Organic Center of almost 100 studies on the nutritional quality of organic produce compared the effects conventional and organic farming methods have on specific nutrients. The report’s conclusion: “Yes, organic plant-based foods are, on average, more nutritious.”
Bottom line: “Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables in general is the point,” says Mitchell. If buying all organic isn’t a priority—or a financial reality for you—you might opt to buy organic specifically when you’re selecting foods that are most heavily contaminated with pesticide and insecticide residues.

Preferably Organic —Most Commonly Contaminated*
Peaches Apples Sweet Bell Peppers Celery Nectarines Strawberries Cherries Kale Lettuce Grapes - Imported Carrots Pears
If Budget Allows, Buy Organic Collard Greens Spinach Potatoes Green Beans Summer Squash Peppers Cucumbers Raspberries Grapes - Domestic Plums Oranges Cauliflower Tangerines Mushrooms Bananas Winter Squash Cantaloupe Cranberries Honeydew Melon Grapefruit It’s Your Call —Least Commonly Contaminated Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Broccoli Watermelon Papaya Eggplant Cabbage Kiwis Sweet Peas - Frozen Asparagus Mangoes Pineapple Sweet Corn - Frozen Avocadoes Onions *Listed in order of pesticide load Source: Environmental Working Group. Go to foodnews.org for updates." Fonte e imagem: http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/green_sustainable/organic_or_not_is_organic_produce_healthier_than_conventional?utm_source=YahooBlog_Brierley_15OrganicFoodsYouCanSaveOn_030210

What's Fresh: Trying to save money? 15 foods you don’t need to buy organic

By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.
"Although I enjoy the grocery store (maybe it’s because I’m a dietitian that I love checking out new products and comparing food labels), lately my husband is doing our grocery shopping.
His budget-friendly buys are great for our bank account. But they don’t always align with my interest in eating organically. We don’t buy everything organic, but pesticides can be absorbed into fruits and vegetables, leaving trace residues, and I’d prefer to not eat pesticides. Long-term exposure to them has been associated with cancer, infertility and neurologic conditions, such as Parkinson’s. (Here are 4 ways to reduce your exposure to pesticides.)
Anyway, one day he called me from the produce aisle. Andy wanted to know what on the list he truly needed to buy organic and what he could skimp on and buy conventional. (Does organic produce have more nutrients? Find out here.)
Fortunately, the Environmental Working Group (EWG, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization) has identified 15 fruits and vegetables that are least likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues. I told him to save money and buy those conventional:

1. Asparagus
2. Avocado
3. Broccoli
4. Cabbage
5. Eggplant
6. Kiwi
7. Mango
8. Onions
9. Papaya
10. Pineapple
11. Sweet corn (frozen)
12. Sweet peas (frozen)
13. Sweet potatoes
14. Tomatoes
15. Watermelon

EWG also identified 12 fruits and vegetables that are most likely to have higher trace amounts of pesticides. We buy organic:

1. Apples
2. Carrots
3. Celery
4. Cherries
5. Grapes (imported)
6. Kale
7. Lettuce
8. Nectarines
9. Peaches
10. Pears
11. Sweet bell peppers
12. Strawberries"

Fonte e imagem:
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/whats-fresh-trying-to-save-money-15-foods-you-don-t-need-to-buy-organic-999969/