January 8-14, 2017 is Folic Acid Awareness Week!
Folic acid is a water-soluble B vitamin which is easily broken down by the body. This means you are unable to store the vitamin over time and it is excreted in the urine.
Neural tube defects (NTDs) such as spina bifida and anencephaly have been linked to folic acid deficiency, as folic acid is critical during periods of rapid cell growth and division (such as during pregnancy). Therefore, an adequate intake of folic acid is essential just before and just after pregnancy.
Bean, Pea and Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup French-style lentils
- 4 cups water
- 200g trimmed green beans
- 200g trimmed sugar-snap peas
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 finely chopped red onion
- 100ml olive oil
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped mint.
Method
- Place 1 cup French-style lentils and 4 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile cook 200g trimmed green beans in a saucepan of boiling, salted water for 2 minutes. Add 200g trimmed sugar-snap peas and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup frozen peas. Cook for a further 2 minutes. Drain. Place in iced water for 5 minutes. Drain and combine with lentils and 1 finely chopped red onion. Whisk 100ml olive oil with 2 tbs lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently through salad. Scatter over ¼ cup coarsely chopped mint. Serve.
Source: https://www.delicious.com.au/
Avocado, Pumpkin Seed and Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seed oil or 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cider or white wine vinegar
- 1 firm ripe avocado, roughly chopped
- 1 punnet alfalfa, radish sprouts or baby cress, snipped with scissors
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 100 g baby spinach leaves
- 1 teaspoon nigella seeds or black sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Method
1. Whisk the oils and vinegar together in a large bowl and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss gently to combine. Pile the salad onto a large platter and serve.
Black-eyed Bean Mole with Salsa
Ingredients
For the salsa
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander
- ½ lime , zest and juice
For the mole
- 2 tsp rapeseed oil
- 1 red onion, halved and sliced
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp mild chilli powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 400g can black-eyed beans in water
- 2 tsp cocoa
- 1 tsp vegetable bouillon
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
Method
- Tip all the salsa ingredients into a bowl and stir together.
- For the mole, heat the oil in a non-stick pan, add the onion and garlic and fry stirring frequently until softened. Tip in the spices, stir then add the contents of the can of beans with the cocoa, bouillon and tomato purée. Cook, stirring frequently to make quite a thick sauce.
- Spoon into shallow bowls, top with the salsa and serve.
source: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/black-eye-bean-mole-salsa
Moong Dal and Spinach Soup
Ingredients
- One cup soaked yellow Moong Dal
- 1/4 bunch of fresh Spinach leaves
- Half tbsp Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- One tbsp Ghee
- Pinch of Hing
- A dash of Lime juice ( optional)
Method
- Wash and boil chopped spinach and soaked moong Dal with turmeric powder salt and water in pressure cooker for one whistle. It should be well cooked.
- Heat ghee in a tadka pan. Add hing and pour over the boiled spinach Dal.
- Mix well and serve hot with dash of lime juice
Chickpea Tikki
Chickpea Tikki is a popular North Indian recipe that is liked by the people of all age groups.
Ingredients
- 5 cup chickpeas
- salt as required
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 2 cup chopped carrot
- 5 teaspoon chopped green chilli
- 6 teaspoon refined oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1/2 cup chopped capsicum (green pepper)
- 1 tablespoon garlic
For Garnishing
- 1 cup chopped mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped onion
Method
- To make this easy recipe, add chickpeas, green chillies in a blending jar and blend them to make a mixture.
- Next, transfer the mixture in a bowl. Add capsicum, carrots, cabbage, ginger paste, cumin seeds and salt to it. Mix the ingredients well.
- Then, take a small portion of the mixture and shape them into round or spherical balls. Now, using your palms, flatten these balls to give them a shape of tikki.
- Now, take a non-stick pan and grease it well using oil. Place each tikki carefully and fry from both the sides until they turn golden brown in colour. Once the tikkis appear to be cooked, turn off the flame.
- Finally, place the chickpea tikkis on a serving plate. Garnish it with mint leaves, chopped onion, chillies and pair it with any chutney of your choice.