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| Chocolate semolina cake with salted peanut crumble |
Breakfast: Missed
Lunch: Red curry chicken liver with rice
Dinner: Lentil spread on sourdough toast, cucumber and pickled apple salad
Recently I have been baking quite a bit with semolina, and enjoying it! Its a nice change from using plain flour. The Chocolate Semolina Cake with Salted Peanut Crumble is my latest experiment. The cake was light with a slightly grainy and crumbly texture while the crust of the cake was quite crispy. The sweet salty crispy peanut crumble brought another dimension to this cake. Using a plate when eating this cake is advisable unless you are fond of cleaning the crumbs from your table top and floor. The recipe is available here.
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| Red curry chicken liver with rice |
Today's Favourite Photo
Upside down pear chocolate cake
Today’s Favourite Blog
The raw food trend is getting quite a bit of attention. Supporters of raw diet believe that raw fruits, vegetables and nuts are the richest sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other nutrients. This article discusses to what extent different vitamins and minerals are affected by cooking.
Vitamin C: “Heat readily destroys thiamine (B-1) and vitamin C,” says Mary Hartley, RD, MPH Nutritionist for Calorie Count. Scientific American reports that cooking tomatoes for just two minutes decreases their vitamin C content by 10 percent.
Lycopene: Lycopene is an essential nutrient found in tomatoes and other red berries and fruits. One study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that one kind of lycopene is made more bioavailable by cooking. “Lycopene is a carotenoid, and all carotenoids, along with phenolic acids and flavonoids, are enhanced by cooking,” says Hartley. She adds that studies have shown that carotenoid-rich foods are best eaten in the presence of fat or oil.
Vitamins A, D, E and K: These vitamins appear to be unchanged by cooking.
B Vitamins: B vitamins can be lost through boiling because they are water soluble. To decrease the loss of water soluble vitamins, choose cooking methods that minimize the use of water, such as grilling, roasting and microwaving. Making soups and stews will preserve some of these vitamins in the broth.
Enzymes: The myrosinase enzyme family and indoles found in cruciferous vegetables contain anti-cancer compounds that are destroyed by heat. Bok choy, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, cress, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga and turnips are all cruciferous vegetables. Cooking these vegetables also destroys goitrogenic enzymes that interfere with the formation of thyroid hormone. “It’s always a tradeoff,” Hartley reminds us. “With some nutrients becoming more available and others becoming less available, when food is cooked.”
The conclusion on whether raw food is better than cooked food depends on the food and how it is prepared. There is no simple answer unfortunately. Cooking kills bacteria which is particularly important when it comes to meat and animal products.
I saw a documentary that did tests on raw and cooked food and the result was that we can get more energy from eating cooked food. Cooking changes the cell structure and as a result it aids in digestion and releases more energy. That’s the reason why those on a raw food diet need to eat a lot more food to get the same amount of energy that you can get from eating cooked food.
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The chocolate semolina cake looks luscious! It reminds me of a Guinness gingerbread I sometimes make (and yes, I clean the crumbles from the plate, the baking dish etc.).
ReplyDeleteI must say I really enjoy observing your experiments with one ingredient or recipe. You don't just stop at the surface, you dig deep down... Obviously cookies and the varieties of ANZAC biscuits are here the first thing I think about, but I also adore the number of herring dishes you have presented and now the semolina! I make sometimes a semolina cake, but it's very soft (like a custard) and I am surprised to see semolina use in cookies and now in this cake. Thank you for sharing all your experience, in a sincere way and regardless the result! I really appreciate it!
As for the raw food I always knew about the vitamin C, but I have recently discovered a tomato sauce (cooked and even processed in a bottle) is healthier than raw tomatoes. Since then I look at the ketchup in a different way ;-)
I had to do a double take with that pear cake!
ReplyDeleteCare2 has some great information.
ReplyDeleteinteresting information on raw vs. cooked foods. i think we need a balance of both - fresh enzymes are definitely necessary for good digestion as well as cooked veggies for different types of nutrients - like steamed kale has way more nutrients!
ReplyDeleteThe chocolate semolina cake looks terrific, esp. that salted nutty topping.
ReplyDeleteI've read a lot in support of both diets. I do like trying raw foods though although it seems a bit hard to find!
ReplyDeleteThat cake is oohlala!!!
ReplyDeleteMmm the crumble on top of that cake sounds super delicious! Totally worth getting crumbs all over my floor.
ReplyDeleteSissi: thank you so much for your kind comments, it is much appreciated. I try to share my experiences with the recipes as accurately as I can, whether good or bad! I know those semolina cakes you are talking about, I have tried those and they are moist and delicious. And Guinness (and other stouts) are great to drink on its own and also to cook with! And Guinness bread is awesome too!
ReplyDeleteYummychunklet: OK!
Angela: it is an excellent site, I love it
Junia: a combination of raw and cooked foods would be perfect, then it keeps everyone happy!
Angie: thank you
Lorraine: I agree, some of the items are difficult to find in fresh form
Maris: awesome description
Joanne: totally worth…
Interesting notes on the raw food debate. My chiropractor keeps telling me to consider going raw and I'm just not buying it. I do try follow his philosophy of: if you can't catch or pick it, don't eat it. Which is essentially, stay away from processed foods.
ReplyDeleteLook at that upside pear cake! i would have picked that photo too! Gorgeous and i love your red curry chicken you had for lunch. yummy
ReplyDeleteI've been in support of both raw and cooked because I researched the same concept on multiple occasions in grad school. I think the "raw foodies" are just as healthy as un-raw but the whole concept is exactly as you say, it is complex so it can be hard to twist around into " raw enzymes are good/bad".
ReplyDeletestop missing breakfast!