The Power Of Two.........

The Times of India just featured this article on food combinations; combining specific foods will actually enhance the beneficial properties of those foods – they will be more beneficial than if they were eaten alone. I have mentioned many of the foods that are listed in the article in this blog already but I think this info takes it to another level.

Broccoli and mustard:

The combo of Broccoli and Mustard wouldn’t be the first two food items that I would think about combining but broccoli contains sulfurophane which is both anti-carcinogenic and anti- diabetic. Mustard contains the enzyme myrosinase which assists the body when absorbing sulfurophane. 

Tomato and Olive Oil:

A combination that most people will be more readily accustomed to. These two  go hand in hand thanks to the influence of Italian cooking. Additionally, if I have learned one thing from writing about healthy eating it is basically that I should be eating tomatoes for town and country. As already discussed tomatoes contain lycopene which is a potent anti-carcinogenic and olive oil is an anti-oxidant and a source of good cholesterol. Lycopene is better absorbed into the body in the presence of olive oil. When absorbed it becomes highly beneficial for the heart and it purifies the blood.

And here is a recipe that contains all four of the above ingredients; it is a salad so the tomatoes are uncooked and the broccoli is only cooked for one min………….but it also contains one and half cups of mayonnaise, obviously you can reduce this to whatever amount you want. The recipe is by the American cook, Ina Garten. Ina’s recipes are known for being a little decadent but they are also known for containing as much fresh produce as possible, she lives in the Hamptons and owns a famous restaurant there called the Barefoot Contessa. The reason I included her recipe is because I made her white chocolate chip cookies before and they were pretty amazing, also my sister has one of her cook books and she tells me that her recipes actually work. Ina herself is an interesting character she worked in the White House under Ford and Carter as the budget analyst, part of her remit involved writing the budget for nuclear energy, I can see how relocating to the Hamptons and opening a gourmet food store seemed like a nice idea after a job like that, even if she did turn the small gourmet food store into an empire.

Recipe: Mustard Chicken Salad

Ina Garten