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Sardine pâté and then there were three…
I haven’t had much time to blog lately as I’ve spent much of the Summer slaving over a hot stove (real punishment in 40°c of heat), producing food for an abundance of hungry guests. The latest ‘feast’ was a three-day party to celebrate my husband’s birthday (a big one – the birthday, not the husband ;-)).
I reached a rather random conclusion as a result of these preparations: hens are far more intuitive and intelligent than we are led to believe. Their relatively tiny heads are deceptive; during the week preceding The Birthday Party, while I was in full-blown production mode, our TWO hens managed to produce THREE eggs between them every single day. While I am convinced that this was a gesture of female solidarity, my husband claims it was their birthday present to him. As the French say ‘Chacun voit midi à sa porte’ (literally: ‘Everyone sees noon from their own front door’, or simplifed I suppose ‘To each his own’).
One of the things I made as a starter was this deliciously healthy and refreshing sardine pâté, which is full of anti-oxidants and omegas 3 and 9.
Ingredients (serves 8)
270g of bonelesss sardines (2 tins)
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
15 black olives, pitted
2 tablespoons of horseradish
2 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt
1 clove of garlic
1 red onion
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
black pepper and a pinch of salt to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Chill for at least two hours and serve with either French bread or raw vegetables (carrots, celery, fennel…) -
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Guest post: The importance of good nutrition with cancer
Today I welcome Jillian McKee, who has worked as the Complementary Medicine Advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance since June of 2009. She also has a blog.
Here is what she has to say about the importance of nutrition with regard to effectively fighting cancer.Cancer patients and the benefits of good nutrition
Cancer patients have a host of health concerns to attend to. As well the more obvious issues surrounding their course of treatment and their physical condition they must also look after their nutritional needs. Proper dieting is no cure, but it will help give patients the strength and energy to maintain a better quality of life throughout the process. Whether it is mesothelioma cancer or another form of cancer, there are many benefits to be had by maintaining high standards of nutrition through all stages of the disease.
Energy : To help them through the many difficult cancer treatments, patients should ensure that nutrition is enabling them to maintain good energy and strength levels. Chemotherapy and radiation are known to take their toll. Proper dieting will help replenish lost nutrients. Good nutritional practices will help the body maintain proper muscular levels.
Immune System : With all of the various invasive procedures that take place, cancer patients are always at risk of infection, further complicating their condition and knocking treatment off course. Protecting the immune system is vital. According to the National Cancer Institute one of the principal goals of good nutrition is to make sure patients have a strong immune system.
Wellbeing : High nutritional standards can lead to a better quality of life. The National Cancer Institute indicates that proper nutrition can help improve wellbeing. This can make the difficult days a little bit easier. Having the psychological strength to face another day is one of the primary challenges that cancer patients face.
Complications : One thing that physicians worry about is the existence of complicating conditions. They want to treat cancer directly without other worries. Nutrition can play a role in preventing other health problems. Good diet is closely linked to good heart health and good blood pressure. It will not, in itself, heal a patient, but it will provide a healthy environment in which to treat their disease. -
Flying school and birdseed sundae
There seem to be an awful lot of irresponsible parents around here. They have countless offspring and then leave them to fend for themselves while they go off galavanting, without even taking the time to check that their babies can fly properly first.
Luckily Léo, my son, is here to rescue them; He has a knack for finding himself in the vicinity of their nests when they tumble out and he snatches them up before sharp canines, beaks or hooves can cause irreparable damage. He feeds and waters them, gives them a bed in his bird youth hostel and then teaches them to fly. The only thing his hasn’t yet mastered is a feeling of satisfaction and contentment when they fly away from him for good; tears are shed. 🙁
In honour of our quick-to-learn, high-flying baby birds I created this delicious sundae. The only thing that is slightly unhealthy is the ice cream but as long as you use a good-quality full-fat one without too much sugar or additives it’s well worth the sacrifice. Ice cream also has fairly low GI, lowered further by the addition of the yoghurt, nuts and seeds. The rum aids digestion – that’s my excuse and I won’t be told otherwise. 😉
Ingredients (serves one)
10 cherries, pits removed
Two scoops of good quality vanilla ice cream
Two tablespoons of greek yoghurt
A tablespoon of dark rum
1 teaspoon each of : chia seeds, cocoa nibs, pumpkin seeds, dessicated coconut
2 teaspoons of raisins
2 teaspoons of chopped almonds
2 squares of 80% cocoa dark chocolate
1 teaspoon of coconut oil
Melt the dark chocolate with the coconut oil and a tablespoon of water over a low heat. Prepare the sundae, starting with the cherries, then adding the ice cream, yoghurt, rum and raisins, followed by the seeds, cocoa nibs and coconut. When the hot chocolate sauce is melted, pour it over the ice cream, yoghurt and seeds and finally add the chopped almonds.
