Ingredients:
100g fennel leaves
100g Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
250ml extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
1) Simply place all ingredients into a food processor apart from the olive oil. Blend until smooth.

2) Pour the olive oil into the blender in a thin steam, blending until you have a smooth mixture.

Source: Pesto Recipes.

Ingredient List:
500g brioche or croissants, ripped into pieces
100g chopped pecans
100g melted butter
300ml full fat milk
200ml double cream
200g caster sugar
3 eggs
Dash of vanilla
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 170C and grease a large baking dish.

2) Place the bread into the baking dish, sprinkle with the pecans and the melted butter and leave to settle whilst you make the custard.

3) Whisk together the eggs with the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until smooth and fluffy. Combine the milk and the cream in a jug and gradually whisk the eggs into milk.

4) Once smooth, pour the custard over the bread and pecans and scrunch them together.

5) Put the baking dish into the oven and cook for 50 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Source: Bread Pudding Recipe.

Ingredients List:
250g ready-made shortcrust pastry or home-made
125g butter
100g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tbsp. plain flour
1 tbsp. brandy
3 dessert apples
5 tbsp. apricot jam

Directions:
1) Peel, core and thinly slice the apples.

2) Roll the pastry out to fit a 30cm fluted tart tin. Roll it over the pin and then unroll it over the tin. Press it into the bottom and sides and up the sides of the tin. Trim the excess but leave at least 2cm all around the edges and prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork. Put the tin in the oven to chill whilst you make the frangipane.

3) Preheat the oven to 200C and place a baking tray into the oven to heat up.

4) Cream together the butter and sugar until soft, light and fluffy. Add the egg, then the egg yolk, beating after each addition until fully combined. Stir in the brandy, then stir in the flour and ground almonds.

5) Spoon the frangipane into the chilled pastry and spread it so that it is even.

6) Arrange the apple slices over the frangipane in an overlapping spiral pattern, with one end of each apple slice being pushed into the filling.

7) Cook the tart for 15-20 minutes, until the frangipane begins to brown, and then turn the temperature down to 180C and cook for a further 20 minutes.

Leave to cool and then before serving, brush with the apricot jam.

Source: Apple Recipe.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup hot water
¼ teaspoon saffron
¼ cup olive oil
2 pounds rabbit, cut into 8 pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 cup cooked lima beans
1 cup green beans
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
6 cups chicken broth
4 tomatoes, diced
2 cups long-grain white rice
24 snails
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1) Stir water and saffron together in a small bowl; set aside.

2) Heat oil in a very large skillet or shallow stockpot over medium-high; add rabbit and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes total. Add onion and cook until golden, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add beans, garlic, and paprika; cook until fragrant, stirring, about 3 minutes.

3) Add broth, tomatoes, and rice; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook 30 minutes. Add snails and cook, covered, an additional 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Source: Paella Recipes.

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
¼ cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground chili powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup prepared relish (try any in our Relish recipe section)

Directions:
1) Combine chicken, lime juice, soy sauce, cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes in a bowl; cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

2) Preheat grill. Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off excess. Place on grill and cook until done, about 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately with favorite relish.

Source: Relish Recipe.

Directions:
1) Using a sharp knife, cut a cross on the flat side of each chestnut. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil; add chestnuts and cook 5 minutes. Drain. When cool enough to handle, remove shells from chestnuts and inner brown skins. Return chestnuts to pot; cover with fresh water and bring to a boil Cook 30 minutes, until tender. Drain and chop chestnuts.

2) Preheat oven to 350°F.

3) Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, celery, thyme, savory, and rosemary; cook until softened, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a large mixing bowl; add breadcrumbs and reserved chestnuts and mix well. Set aside.

4) Wash turkey with cold water; pat dry. Place in a medium roasting pan; rub salt and pepper into cavities. Loosely spoon reserved stuffing mixture into cavities. Close skin with skewers or kitchen twine, and time drumsticks together.

5) Roast turkey 4 hours, placing a foil tent over the roasting pan during the last half of roasting time. Remove turkey from oven, place on serving platter, and let stand 20 minutes before carving.

Kitchen Herb Garden

Love the smell of fresh basil or crushed mint? Well, think about growing your own herb garden. You may encounter an issue that is common in today’s condos and homes and that is a shortage of space.  So it is best to get a container herb garden to compensate for this. This small mobile herb garden is a better option than growing them on a regular piece of land. Not only is it more convenient to shade your herbs from harsh climates, insects and general changes in the weather, it also helps you to take advantage of the benefits of your herbs throughout the entire year.

However, looking after your container herb garden can be a tedious task since you will need to allocate sufficient time to care for the herbs and make sure that they get all the sunlight they require as well as ensure that the water content in the soil is maintained properly.

One of the advantages of having your own potted garden is that the more common herbs grow fast and don’t need fancy pots. You can use old coffee cans, chipped mugs and dishes to grow rosemary, basil and coriander, while old terracotta pots or even simple clay pots work great for thyme, sage, lavender and oregano.

However, one of the critical aspects to be aware of when you are first starting out is that you should always buy good quality, organic seeds. This is important as the quality and growth of your herbs depend upon the quality of the seeds. Check for the expiration or packing date and avoid any seed that shows discoloration or dampness.

Other than this, the location of the herb garden is of vital importance. Sunlight, shade and temperature vary for different herbs so before planning your herb garden, find out the kind of exposure the herb will need. Some plants like basil require dry air and warm soil while these are sensitive to cold weather so, if you are planting basil indoors, keep it near the window so it gets adequate sunshine.

Container herb gardens flourish well when the soil is rich in nutrients. Make a good mix of clay, sand and soil so that the moisture content is high without being wet all the time. Clay chips are an excellent alternative to damp, lumpy soil as they are able to retain the water for a longer time.

Each herb requires a different moisture level, so check online or look in a reference book for details regarding the moisture content of each herb that you intend to plant. Once your seeds are planted, keep them moist since the proper way of watering these small containers is essential. Root rot is a common ill that develops from over watering, but for the most part, herbs require dryer soil for optimum growth. Some planning and due diligence can enable you to have a flourishing container herb garden that you can enjoy for a long time.

Bell Peppers

Making a garden salad for lunch? Don’t forget to add some bell peppers. Not only do bell peppers add color – especially the red ones – but they really boost the nutritional value of a salad. What are the health benefits of bell peppers?

Health Benefits of Bell Peppers: Red or Green?

Both red and green bell peppers are nutritious, but if you don’t know which one to use, choose the red ones. Red bell peppers are a good source of lycopene, a carotenoid that’s not found in green peppers. Lycopenes are the same bright red carotenes that give processed tomatoes their nutritional punch. Plus, some studies show that lycopenes help to lower the risk of heart disease and prostate cancer – although its benefits against prostate cancer have recently been called into question. The lycopene found in red peppers has the most powerful antioxidant activity of any member of the carotenoid family including carrots.

Health Benefits of Bell Peppers: They’re Good for Your Heart

Lycopene rich red peppers are a particularly good choice for heart health; but green peppers keep you out of the cardiologist’s office too because they’re a good source of cholesterol lowering soluble fiber. Bell peppers also contain B6 and folate to help lower homocysteine levels. High homocysteine levels have been associated with a higher risk of heart disease. Bell peppers are also an excellent source of the powerful antioxidant vitamins A and C which help to wipe out free radicals that oxidize cholesterol and lead to heart disease. There’s 162 milligrams of blood pressure lowering potassium in a cup of bell peppers – another positive for heart health.

Health Benefits of Bell Peppers: They’re Good for Your Eyes

Red bell peppers are an especially good choice for protecting vision. They’re an excellent source of lutein, a carotenoid that helps to lower the risk of macular degeneration of the eyes – the most common cause of age-related visual loss. Eating bell peppers may also reduce the risk of developing cataracts due to their high levels of beta-carotene and vitamin C.

Health Benefits of Bell Peppers: They’re an Excellent Source of Vitamin C

Bell peppers are a surprisingly good source of vitamin C with 175 mg. in a single cup. Studies have shown that a diet rich in vitamin C may lower the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis and reduce inflammation in those who already have it. Vitamin C is also important for a healthy immune system and for building strong collagen to better support skin and joints. Oranges aren’t the only good source of vitamin C!

Other Benefits of Bell Peppers

Because red bell peppers are such a good source of carotenoids, they may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. Plus, they’re so low in calories you can eat them to your heart’s content. One word of warning. Red bell peppers are often heavily sprayed with pesticides, so buy them organic when you can.

Cooking Peppers

Know you know all about the benefits of bell peppers, you’ll surely want to be getting more of them in your diet. Try the pepper recipes collection for some inspirational recipes for bell peppers.

Fad diets will generally suggest that you cut important food groups out of your daily intake. This is harmful to your health because your body needs the nutrients from each of the food groups in order to run properly. When you don’t provide your body with some of these nutrients it will have to work harder in order to get them and this can leave you feeling run down and cause you to become malnourished. You will want to stay away from any and all fad diets which suggest that cut out entire food groups from your daily consumption.

Many fad diets will ask you to live off of only one food for long periods of time. Some examples of these diets include The Cabbage Soup Diet, The Apple Juice Diet, and The Pineapple Diet. There are many problems with diets such as these. One thing that is harmful about these diets is that you will be denying your body of many different nutrients. Your body will look to other means to try to get those nutrients from itself. You will get sick more easily due to the fact that your immune system will be run down. You will have problems focusing and concentrating because you will begin to suffer from mental fatigue. Your body will begin to turn to your muscle and begin tearing it down trying to nourish itself.

Other fad diets will promise you wonderful results from eating foods from different food groups at different times of the day. They will suggest that you only eat so many servings of certain foods so many times during the day, or even the week. When you start to follow one of these fad diets you will find that it can be far too time consuming and confusing to do for the long haul. Also, when you begin to mix your foods together once again you will see that your weight will come back on and generally more will follow. The important thing to remember when you choose a diet is that you want it to keep the weight off forever and you want it to help you to become a healthier person.

List of ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray.
1/2 cup of apple juice.
1 cup of carrots, shredded.
1 cup of celery, chopped.
1/2 cup of onion, chopped.
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.
8 cups of cornbread dry cubes.
2 cups of apple, peeled and chopped.
1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped.
1/4 cup of wheat germ, toasted.
1 cup of chicken broth, defatted.

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray.

Add the apple juice, shredded carrots, chopped celery and chopped onion; cook until tender.

Stir in the nutmeg.

Lightly coat a 3-4 quart casserole dish with nonstick coating spray.

Place the cornbread cubes, apple, walnuts and wheat germ in casserole dish and toss lightly.

Add the onion mixture.

Drizzle with enough broth to moisten and toss lightly again.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Source: Stuffing Recipes.