PHYTONUTRIENTS - goodies found in plants only

Everyone's heard of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, but not everyone will be familiar with the benefits of phytonutrients. They are basically the beneficial (to human health) chemicals found in plant-based foods. Yet more reason to up the intake.
Thanks to Care2 for this useful chart.

WHOLEMEAL BREAD RECIPE with nuts and/or seeds

350g Farine Integrale (wholemeal) or Farine d’Epautre (spelt)

350g Farine 110 or 80 (semi-wholemeal or semi-refined)

2 x 5ml spoons sugar

1 x 5ml spoon salt

nuts and seeds as preferred

1 x 15ml spoon oil

425ml hand hot water

1 x 5ml spoon sugar

2 packs dried yeast

Mix yeast with water and 5ml sugar and leave for 15 mins until frothy.

Mix dry ingredients well, add yeast mix and oil gradually and mix well. Knead dough until soft and springy. Leave in a greased bag in a warm place to double in size. Knead again back to original size. Shape as desired and put into 1 large or 2 small greased loaf tins. Leave to rise again in the greased bag.

Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds and press into the dough.

Bake in hot oven for approx 25 minutes.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

EARL GREY TEA LOAF - YUMMY AND SO SIMPLE TO MAKE from Sue

The prep is done in a trice, then just let the oven do the rest.

INGREDIENTS

75g each of 3 dried fruits (eg raisins, sultanas, currants, chopped apricots, cranberries or chopped dates, you choose)
1/2 pint earl grey tea (using a bag)
250g/9oz refined flour (65)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
200g/7oz soft brown sugar
1 egg beaten

Soak the fruit overnight in the tea (leave the teabag in).
Pre-heat the oven 180˚C/Gas 4.
Drain fruit and add sifted flour, baking powder and spices. Mix in well.
Add sugar and egg and mix in.
Gradually add the juice from the soaked fruit (minus teabag!) until you get a nice gooey mix that will flop rather than pour into a 450g/1 lb loaf tin lined with greaseproof.
Bake for approx one hour. Check the cake is cooked by putting a skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Leave to cool for ten minutes.
Place an oval plate over the loaf-tin and reverse. Peel greaseproof off the cake and reverse onto a wire rack. Leave to cool.

The cake is delish on its own, with butter or, if a bit gooey, with a glob of cream. Leaf likes it like that.
Enjoy!

FIRST AND FOREMOST A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR FRIENDS, READERS AND CUSTOMERS

DISTURBING BUT HARDLY SURPRISING NEWS from Sue

Two issues ago, in The French Week, I noticed an article about carcinogens in food, primarily, although not exclusively, in food given to children. The results of a collaborative Franco/Belgian study are a serious indictment of the food industry.
As organic food sellers, we naturally have to do our nutritional health homework, which entails a lot of reading and research. We are not in the least surprised at these findings but very glad they are being brought to attention of the public. Here is the link to an article on the study in The Guardian - perhaps the most reputable and honest of the British papers these days.
I could go banging on forever about the desirability of eating organic, but with articles like these, I shouldn't need to. However, I can't pass up the opportunity to emphasize that food grown in degraded soil (i.e. full of herbicides, pesticides etc) will be degraded too. It might look great but it will inevitably be lacking in nutrients. 'We Want Real Food' by Graham Harvey is particularly interesting on this subject. Likewise animal products from industrially-farmed livestock fed the wrong food, treated regularly with anti-biotics and hormones to 'cure' their ailments and speed up growth are likely to be as bad for the humans eating them as for the poor animals themselves.
Food processing is what it says it is, put through a variety of processes which invariably remove the goodness - hydrogenisation for example, see this link for more info. And as for all the chemical additives listed in miniscule print on labels, not in my body thanks.
Having said I could go banging on, I find myself doing just that. Sorry. The article says plenty.

WINTER WARMERS

Legumes, beans if you like, are carbohydrate and protein combined and full of dietary fibre. Some people may find them hard to digest due to a lack of the enzymes that break down bean trisaccharides into simple sugars. They are also famous for producing gas! But that can be reduced, even eliminated, with a few simple tricks.
'Why bother?' you might ask. Well, they're bursting with other goodies (see our food values chart page) and in some parts of the world are an important staple, particularly where there's little or no meat in the diet. Traditional Chinese medicine maintains they strengthen kidney-adrenal function. Veggies and vegans use them in all sorts of dishes, such as soups, stews, casseroles, rissoles, patés and stuffings. Many are suitable for sprouting too.
There are loads of different beans available in bio and health shops, but the most common ones are red kidney, chick pea, split pea, black beans, white beans, azuki, mung and, of course, red, green and brown lentils.
PREPARING LEGUMES:
Soak for five to eight hours, then rinse before bringing to the the boil in unsalted water.
Remove any foam that comes to the top when they reach boiling point.
Allow to simmer uncovered for approx 20 minutes, then continue cooking covered until tender.
Seasoning with cumin, fennel seeds, ginger or bay leaves can help reduce gas.
Don't add salt until the beans are tender.
Add a tablespoon of cider or red wine vinegar in the final minutes of cooking.
they are now ready to use in your chosen recipe.
TWO OTHER POINTS:
Pressure cooking reduces gas.
If you've forgotten to put them to soak, cover the beans with water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for an hour before changing the water and continuing cooking.
If you're not used to beans, start with lentils then progress through azuki or black beans. I don't advise going all out for a bean feast, yet!

You'll find plenty of good legume recipes in vegetarian and vegan cookbooks - but I can particularly recommend Rose Elliot's The Bean Book.

MAMA SAUL’S GINGER BISCUITS

Thanks to Roz Symon for this delicious recipe

INGREDIENTS (makes between 15 and 20 biscuits)

100g unsalted butter * 75g dark brown sugar * 1 dessertspoon golden syrup * 1 heaped dessertspoon ground ginger * 110g Demi-Complet Flour (Type80 - Bise) * 1 teaspoon baking powder * 110g large porridge oats * Dried fruits/nuts/seeds of choice

Melt butter, sugar and golden syrup over a low heat, stirring constantly, add ginger and allow to bubble.

Remove from heat and add other ingredients. Mix well.

Divide and flatten by hand and place on a well greased baking sheet. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until light golden brown.

For those who tasted these yummy biscuits at Rosemary's venue and Hazel's art workshop - I (Sue) used sunflower seeds and chopped apricots.

QUICK AND EASY BREAD

This no yeast, no knead (so no rise) loaf is small and dense but not heavy. It is moist and full of flavour and lasts well.

240g spelt flour

45g small oatflakes

1·5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp poppy or sunflower seeds

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

1·5 tbsp sugar

150ml milk

3 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil

Poppy or sunflower seeds to decorate

Pre-heat oven to 350˚ F (180˚C) and line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk milk and oil and add slowly to dry ingredients, combining well. Shape and lay in small loaf tin. Press down into the corners and flatten the top with knuckles. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake for 50-55 minutes or until browned on top and cooked through (test with a clean knife or skewer to check). Leave to cool in the tin for about 10 mins. Turn out onto wire rack.

VARIATION: For more rise, add 2 tbsp water and get a runny mix which you can pour into the tin. I made some rolls tonight with this mix and they worked out well.