well.... it's been a very, very long time since our last ingredient of the week! my life has been pretty crazy for the last few weeks... so i haven't really been focusing on the blog. but i have been cooking some pretty epic food (that's my way of dealing with stress!) slowly but surely they will be popping up here! so for this installment of ingredient of the week, i chose garlic. love love love love love love love. i can't get enough garlic. some people don't like it raw or find it way too overpowering, but i just love it. i mean, who doesn't like waking up with garlic breath in the morning? or having their hands smell like garlic for 2 days?! well.. i don't exactly like those parts but you just gotta put up with it! in fact, my duvet actually smells like garlic. it's an issue. doesn't exactly put me to sleep...
anyways. yes, garlic. we all love it. so let's talk about why you should eat more of it! garlic is a cardiac savior. first, garlic is rich in sulfur-containing compounds such as thiosulfinates and sulfoxides, which give it that distinct smell, as well as most of it's nutritional benefits. one benefit of these compounds is that they dilate our blood vessels, helping our blood pressure stay under control. they do this by blocking the activity of angiotensin II (man, never thought HKIN 191 would ever come in handy!!). angiotensin II is a peptide protein that helps out blood vessels contract (then causing blood to be forced through a smaller space, increasing the pressure). by blocking this, the sulfur-containing compounds found in garlic can minimize the unecessary contractions of our blood vessels and therefore the unwanted increased blood pressure.
another health benefit from these compounds is lowering of our triglyceride and our total cholesterol levels. but, the major cardiac benefit that these compounds provide is cardioprotection, meaning they protect our blood cells and blood vessels from inflammatory and oxidative stress (ie: damage). basically, highly reactive oxygen molecules wreak havoc on the linings of our pretty little arteries and veins. this damage can cause plaque to form which, in turn, can lead to heart attacks and atherosclerosis. the sulfur-containing compounds found in garlic minimize this by inhibiting the activity of inflammatory causing mechanisms in the oxygen molecules. another compound, ajoene, helps to prevent clots from forming inside our blood vessels by preventing platelets in our blood to become too sticky. ajoene helps maintain a kind of "stickiness homeostasis", if you will.
ok, time for a change! let's stop the cardiac talk -- garlic also has amazing anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal properties, and has been used throughout all of history for treating illness! various compounds in freshly crushed garlic show huge benefits in controlling infection from worms, yeasts, bacteria and viruses. they've been used on burn victims, stomach ulcers, and on bacterial infections that are not responding to antibiotics. that's pretty awesome if you ask me! i really could go on about antioxidants, vitamin C, selenium, anti-inflammatory/arthritic properties, increased iron metabolizing properties, cancer prevention etc, etc. that garlic provides... but i'm tired of writing. basically, garlic is a superfood when it comes to your health, and if you're not eating it.. then you better start! it basically cures everything!
so, now onto the meal i used an epic amount of garlic in. i made a traditional greek lentil soup called Φακές/fakes (pronounced fah-KESS). yes. yes, i know. it sounds like fuckers. ha ha ha ha. but of course, that's not what the old greek ladies are saying! anyways, its quite an easy recipe to make, all you have to do is chop and let cook!
what you need:
1 1/2 cups of brown lentils
1 onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
8 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 potatoes, cubed
4 cups water/chicken broth (i used half of each)
2 bay leaves
2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
step 1:
after sifting through the lentils for rocks and twigs, put them into a large pot and cover with water. bring to a boil and cook for ~15 minutes. while this is cooking, take the time to chop up all of your ingredients. when cooking time is up, strain into a collander.
step 2:
in the same pot, add olive oil and saute your onions until translucent. add in the celery and cook down for a few minutes. add your sliced garlic, bay leaves, oregano, potatoes, tomato paste and water/broth. let simmer for ~30 minutes, stirring frequently, or until lentils are soft.
step 3:
ladle into a bowl and spoon the red wine vinegar on top. this may seem weird to people who haven't tasted this before, but you need to add this. it lifts the entire dish to a new level! and of course, soak up the liquid with a nice piece of crispy bread! enjoy!
anyways. yes, garlic. we all love it. so let's talk about why you should eat more of it! garlic is a cardiac savior. first, garlic is rich in sulfur-containing compounds such as thiosulfinates and sulfoxides, which give it that distinct smell, as well as most of it's nutritional benefits. one benefit of these compounds is that they dilate our blood vessels, helping our blood pressure stay under control. they do this by blocking the activity of angiotensin II (man, never thought HKIN 191 would ever come in handy!!). angiotensin II is a peptide protein that helps out blood vessels contract (then causing blood to be forced through a smaller space, increasing the pressure). by blocking this, the sulfur-containing compounds found in garlic can minimize the unecessary contractions of our blood vessels and therefore the unwanted increased blood pressure.
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| good for your health, and keeps away vampires : ) |
ok, time for a change! let's stop the cardiac talk -- garlic also has amazing anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal properties, and has been used throughout all of history for treating illness! various compounds in freshly crushed garlic show huge benefits in controlling infection from worms, yeasts, bacteria and viruses. they've been used on burn victims, stomach ulcers, and on bacterial infections that are not responding to antibiotics. that's pretty awesome if you ask me! i really could go on about antioxidants, vitamin C, selenium, anti-inflammatory/arthritic properties, increased iron metabolizing properties, cancer prevention etc, etc. that garlic provides... but i'm tired of writing. basically, garlic is a superfood when it comes to your health, and if you're not eating it.. then you better start! it basically cures everything!
so, now onto the meal i used an epic amount of garlic in. i made a traditional greek lentil soup called Φακές/fakes (pronounced fah-KESS). yes. yes, i know. it sounds like fuckers. ha ha ha ha. but of course, that's not what the old greek ladies are saying! anyways, its quite an easy recipe to make, all you have to do is chop and let cook!
 |
| fakes lentil soup: simple flavours, but delicious! |
1 1/2 cups of brown lentils
1 onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
8 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 potatoes, cubed
4 cups water/chicken broth (i used half of each)
2 bay leaves
2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
step 1:
after sifting through the lentils for rocks and twigs, put them into a large pot and cover with water. bring to a boil and cook for ~15 minutes. while this is cooking, take the time to chop up all of your ingredients. when cooking time is up, strain into a collander.
step 2:
in the same pot, add olive oil and saute your onions until translucent. add in the celery and cook down for a few minutes. add your sliced garlic, bay leaves, oregano, potatoes, tomato paste and water/broth. let simmer for ~30 minutes, stirring frequently, or until lentils are soft.
step 3:
ladle into a bowl and spoon the red wine vinegar on top. this may seem weird to people who haven't tasted this before, but you need to add this. it lifts the entire dish to a new level! and of course, soak up the liquid with a nice piece of crispy bread! enjoy!
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