সোমবার, ৬ জুলাই, ২০১৫
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Invite some vegetables to lunch!
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE FARRO AND HAZELNUT SALAD
Serves 4, Prep: 15 minutes, Cook: 40 minutes
200g farro
500g Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed clean but not peeled, each cut into quarters
2tbsp olive oil
50g baby spinach leaves
1 small red onion, finely sliced
50g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
4 medium free-range eggs
1tsp red chilli flakes, for sprinkling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
Juice of ½ lemon
2tbsp cider vinegar
50ml extra virgin olive oil
2tsp coriander seeds, crushed with a pestle and mortar
1 Tip the farro into a medium saucepan and cover with 5cm of water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and continue to cook over a low heat for about 25 minutes until the farro is tender.
2 Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Place the artichokes on a roasting tray, drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until soft and cooked through.
3 Make the dressing by combining the lemon juice, vinegar, oil and coriander seeds and pour this over the cooked farro. Stir through the spinach, red onion and 25g of the chopped hazelnuts. Finally, add the artichoke.
4 Bring a wide saucepan of water to the boil. Poach the eggs gently in the water for a couple of minutes until softly set (2 eggs at a time might be easier than all 4 at once).
5 Taste and add more seasoning to the salad if necessary. Serve your farro salad warm, topped with the poached eggs, the remaining hazelnuts and a sprinkling of chilli flakes.
TASTY BITE
Farro has a beautiful nutty flavour and becomes tender quickly without turning mushy
GARLIC AND WHITE BEAN STEW WITH GREMOLATA
Serves 4, Prep: 15 minutes, Cook: 40 minutes
20 garlic cloves (about 2 bulbs)
25g salted butter
2 celery sticks, finely sliced into crescents
2 thyme sprigs
200ml white wine
1 x 400g can cannellini beans, drained
1 x 400g can butter beans, drained
2 bay leaves
250ml vegetable stock
75g young leaf spinach
3 tablespoons crème fraîche
For the gremolata
2tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 fat garlic clove, crushed
Zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons
1 Put the garlic cloves in a medium bowl with their papery jackets still on. Pour over boiling hot water, about 300ml, and leave for 2 minutes. Remove the garlic from the water, keeping the water for later and, as soon as the garlic is cool enough, remove the skins and cut each clove in half lengthways.
2 Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Add the garlic cloves, celery and thyme and cook slowly for 3-4 minutes, being careful not to colour the mix. Pour over the wine and increase the heat, allowing it to bubble and reduce by half.
3 Stir the beans, bay leaves, vegetable stock and garlic water into your pan. Reduce the heat to low and allow the pot to bubble at a languorous pace for 30 minutes, until the sauce has both thickened and reduced in quantity. Use a potato masher to gently mash some of the mixture at this stage, making the sauce a little thicker. Stir through the young leaf spinach just before serving and allow the leaves to wilt in the warmth of the stew.
4 Meanwhile, make the gremolata by combining the parsley, crushed garlic and lemon zest and juice.
5 Once the beans are beautifully tender remove the pan from the heat. Stir through the crème fraîche and season well. Serve in bowls with a spoonful of gremolata over the top.
TASTY BITE
Inspired by the Spanish Caldo Gallego stew, garlic is the star of the show here, but don’t be alarmed; the cloves soften in lengthy cooking and provide a gentle backdrop to the white beans.
HOT TIP
You can serve this with natural yoghurt or pesto instead of gremolata, if you prefer
RAINBOW CHARD MOZZARELLA AND HERB PANZANELL
Serves 6, Prep: 40 minutes, Cook: 10 minutes
300g rainbow chard
A thick slice of butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4-5 slices day-old ciabatta (roughly 100g)
1 × 200g ball of mozzarella
2tbsp (heaped) tarragon leaves
2tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1tbsp (heaped) chopped dill fronds
100g pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Start by cooking the chard. Remove any tough-looking leaves and roughly chop the stems and leaves into 4cm chunks. Heat the butter in a medium shallow pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and chard. Stir well and put the lid on. Steam for 3-4 minutes and remove immediately before all colour has left the stems.
2 Tear or cube the bread into 2-3cm chunks and put into a large bowl. Add the buttery garlic and chard mixture. Toss lightly to combine and evenly distribute all the ingredients.
3 For the dressing, mix together the olive oil and lemon juice. Pour over the bread and chard mixture, then leave to sit for 20 minutes in the fridge to give all the flavours a chance to combine.
4 Just before serving, toss through the mozzarella, herbs and pine nuts. Season and serve, preferably when you are holidaying in Italy!
HOT TIP
The general rule with chard is to cook the leaves as you would spinach and the stalks as you would asparagus
PUMPKIN TERRINE
Serves 6-8, Prep: 45 minutes, Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes
2 long courgettes, thinly sliced lengthways (you can use a mandolin)
Olive oil, to grease
500g pumpkin flesh, peeled, deseeded and cut into 7.5mm thin slices
70g rocket leaves, plus extra, to serve
75g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
75g blue cheese, crumbled
250ml double cream
2 medium free-range eggs, beaten
1tbsp Dijon mustard
20g Parmesan, finely grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
900g/2lb loaf tin (23 × 13 × 7cm)
1 Brush the courgette slices with oil and then griddle (see tip) over a high heat for 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden and softened. Preheat oven to 160°C/140°C fan/320°F/Gas Mark 3. Brush the loaf tin with oil to lightly grease.
2 Lay the strips of courgette across the base and up the sides of the tin – don’t worry about any overhang, this can be tidied away later. Finish each end with more charred strips, reserving some for the top.
3 Arrange a third of the pumpkin over the courgette and top with half the rocket, half the chestnuts and a third of the blue cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Make another layer using half of the remaining pumpkin. Top with the remaining rocket and chestnut and half of the remaining blue cheese. Season and then add a final layer of pumpkin.
4 Put the cream, egg, mustard, Parmesan and the remaining blue cheese in a medium bowl. Season and whisk gently until well combined. Pour the cream mixture over the pumpkin. Gently tap on the work surface to ensure the cream has run into any small holes. Fold over any overhanging courgette slices and then top with the remaining slices to cover.
5 Put on a baking tray and cook in the preheated oven for 1¼ hours or until the pumpkin is tender and the mixture is just set. Remove from oven and set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly. Turn out onto a platter and use a serrated knife to cut into eight thick slices.
TASTY BITE
For a variation, replace the pumpkin with butternut squash.
HOT TIP
If you don’t own a griddle pan, simply fry the courgette slices until they are a little charred
STRIPY COURGETTE TOMATO AND POLENTA TART
Serves 4, Prep: 20 minutes, Cook: 1 hour 10 minutes
For the polenta crust
500ml hot vegetable stock
140g polenta
1tbsp unsalted butter
50g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the tart
1tbsp olive oil
2tbsp crème fraîche
1 courgette, thinly sliced
2-3 medium tomatoes, sliced horizontally into thin slices
1tbsp thyme leaves, plus extra to garnish
25g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
21cm square tart tin
1 Start by making the polenta crust. Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan and pour the polenta into the water. Keep your pan over a low heat and, using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture constantly, thrashing out any lumps that try to form. Continue for around 6 minutes until the polenta is very thick – it’s a good idea to set a timer as it is easy to think you’ve done enough stirring at the 2-minute mark!
2 Remove the mixture from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan and stir until they have disappeared. Then stir through the beaten egg and a healthy seasoning of salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and allow the polenta to cool slightly.
3 Lightly grease the tart tin with olive oil. Put the polenta in the centre and, using a spatula or oiled fingers, gently tease it up the sides of the tin to create the sides of the crust.
4 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Smother a thin layer of crème fraîche over the base of your tart and top with alternating slices of courgette and tomato. Finish with the thyme leaves and the Parmesan.
5 Cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 45 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove and allow the tart to cool for 5-10 minutes to allow it to ‘come to’. Serve in slices.
TASTY BITE
This recipe is a very informal version of a tart – it’s a little bit messy, a mixture of courgettes, tomatoes and silky crème fraîche. The polenta base is gluten-free and adds a wonderful texture and flavour.
ASIAN SLAW
Serves 6, Prep: 10 minutes, Cook: 5 minutes
20g vermicelli noodles (also known as glass noodles)
½ head sweetheart cabbage, finely sliced
¼ small head red cabbage, finely sliced
60g mangetout, sliced on the diagonal
1 large green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
6 small spring onions, finely sliced
A large bunch of mint, roughly chopped, keeping a few leaves whole to garnish
150g salted, roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, keeping a few whole to garnish
For the dressing
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2tbsp fish sauce
1tbsp caster sugar
Juice and zest of 2 unwaxed limes
1 Soak your noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and run under cool water until the noodles are separated. A good trick is then to take scissors to your noodles, cutting them into shorter lengths; this makes the noodles a little more manageable to eat.
2 Meanwhile, make your dressing by combining all the ingredients. Allow it to sit for a few minutes, if you have the time. The garlic will infuse with the lime juice and it will taste all the better.
3 The next step is super simple. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and use a ‘lifting’ motion to make sure the whole salad is dressed.
4 Serve with fresh mint and a few peanuts sprinkled on top.
TASTY BITE
The lime, mint and fish sauce all sit together beautifully in this salad, but it’s the crunch of the salted peanuts that really finishes it off.
WANT MORE IDEAS?
These recipes are taken from Take One Veg by Georgina Fuggle (£15.99, Kyle Books. Photography: Tori Hancock). Women’s Fitness readers can receive a 20% discount, including p&p, at www.kylebooks.com.
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রবিবার, ৫ জুলাই, ২০১৫
21 Killer Yoga Photos That'll Have You Dusting Off the Mat
June 21st, 2015 wasn't just Father's day or the Summer Solstice (if you're in the appropriate hemisphere), there was another event celebrated officially for the very first time on June 21st of this year: The International Day of Yoga.
Created by the UN General Assembly in December of last year, it was the first official celebration of a day inspired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a speech to the UN in September of last year, Prime Minister Modi said yoga was "an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition" that is 5,000 years old and, "embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being."
This, maintained Narendra, was something worth celebrating... and the UN General Assembly agreed. Which is why on June 21st, as some were opening Father's Day presents and others were hailing the longest day of the year and the arrival of summer, many many (many many) people around the world were getting out their yoga mats and celebrating something entirely different.
In honor of the first official and very successful celebration of this day, we've put together a collection of killer yoga images captured by talented members of the 500px community who contribute their work to the 500px Marketplace.
Captured in yoga studios, forest glens, mountain tops, and even a couple in the largest salt desert on Earth, we think these 21 images represent the sublime art of Yoga in all its glory:
To license any of the images above, just give them a click to head straight to the 500px Marketplace. And if you want to see more, you can find a lot more yoga awesomeness on 500px by clicking here.
A version of this post was published on the 500px ISO blog on June 21st
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
RSP Chiseled Phase 1: Day 3
Varicose vein treatment
Do you have unsightly leg veins that make you shudder at the thought of getting your legs out in summer? H&F Chief sub Emma Lewis got hers checked out…
I have pale Celtic skin, so unluckily for me, any imperfections show up quite obviously. I have a patch of spider veins on the side of my right calf, and more behind my knees. I also had some very noticeable larger veins that I was slightly worried might turn into varicose veins in later years, so I decided to get my legs looked at by an expert and see if I could sort out my mental and physical leg issues!
I went to leading private clinic The Whiteley Clinic in London for a consultation with consultant vascular surgeon Gabriele Bertoni. After clinical staff checked the blood flow in my legs using a machine and did an ultrasound scan to see if there were any veins that could turn into varicose veins, I was told I was a low one out of five on a scale of risk from zero to five.
While this was reassuring, they did say that it’s hard to predict if any veins could turn nasty in the future and explained about a process called sclerotherapy. It’s a treatment where a foam containing oxygen and carbon dioxide is injected into troublesome veins to kill them off. This would get rid of my unsightly bigger veins, which should, in turn, decrease my risk of varicose veins. I decided to go ahead and get this done rather than risking varicose veins in the future. It also hopefully helps kill off the ‘feeder’ veins to my spider veins, which may fade as a result (if not, you can have microsclerotherapy to deal with these a few months later – as the name suggests, this is a similar treatment on a smaller scale).
I lay on a treatment bed in the clinic and had around 10 injections into my lower legs. It was a little painful as the needles went in, with a slight burning sensation just after, but it was all over in 45 minutes. The assistant wrapped compression bandages around my legs straight after the injections to help the foam do its job.
After the procedure, I had to wear thigh-length compression socks, over the bandages, solidly for two weeks. I wasn’t even allowed to take them off to have a shower and I wasn’t allowed to play any sport (it would have been pretty tricky anyway, given how tight the bandages were!). I’d recommend having the treatment done in the winter months as your legs get hot with all those layers on, plus it gives your legs time to heal before leg-bearing season.
It’s now several weeks since the sclerotherapy and the large veins (which feed the spider veins) have gone. I'm happier having my legs on show already and am hoping the spider veins will fade over time, but it’s not an overnight miracle process – you have to allow several months for the effects to become fully apparent.
The Whiteley Clinic (thewhiteleyclinic.co.uk) has branches throughout England.
Foam sclerotherapy costs £846 plus consultation fees.