1. Sweetbreads
Sweetbreads is the name of a dish made of the thymus gland or pancreas of a young animal, usually a lamb or calf. The two organs have very different biological functions, but look fairly similar and so are considered, for the purpose of cooking, to be comparable. Thymus sweetbreads are slightly longer and more irregular, with pancreas sweetbreads being larger and more rounded. In modern Western cooking, thymus sweetbreads are more common. In Argentina and Uruguay, sweetbreads (mollejas) are usually used for an asado. In northern Spain, they are cooked as a stew in an earthen casserole. |
 |
 |
2. Yuca
The cassava root (yucca) is long and tapered, with a firm homogeneous flesh encased in a detachable rind, about 1 mm thick, rough and brown on the outside. The flesh can be chalk-white or yellowish. Cassava roots are very rich in starch, and contain significant amounts of calcium (50 mg/100g), phosphorus (40 mg/100g) and vitamin C (25 mg/100g). However, they are poor in protein and other nutrients. Cooked in various ways, cassava is used in a great variety of dishes. The soft-boiled root has a delicate flavor and can replace boiled potatoes in many uses: as an accompaniment for meat dishes, or made into purées, dumplings, soups, stews, gravies, etc.. Deep fried (after boiling or steaming), it can replace fried potatoes, with a distinctive flavour |
3. Vegetables
Contain: Protein, Fiber, Vitamin A (carrots), Folic Acid (greens), Vitamin E, Calcium (greens/pulses), Iron (greens). Although most vegetables contain high amounts of water, they do contain large quantities of nutrients. Green leaf types such as cabbage or lettuce have no calories and root vegetables have very few. Frying vegetables will increase its calorie count 3 or 4 times so boil, bake or steam them instead. As with eggs, the 'rawer' the vegetable the more nutrients are preserved, so raw carrots, beans and peas will all retain their high fibre counts which are lost through cooking. Pulses like beans and peas are particularly high in fibre and protein. |
 |
 |
4. Olive oil
The greatest exponent of monounsaturated fat is olive oil, and it is a prime component of the Mediterranean Diet. Olive oil is a natural juice which preserves the taste, aroma, vitamins and properties of the olive fruit. Olive oil is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed as it is - freshly pressed from the fruit.
The beneficial health effects of olive oil are due to both its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and its high content of antioxidative substances. Studies have shown that olive oil offers protection against heart disease by controlling LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels while raising HDL (the "good" cholesterol) levels. |
|
|
Our suggestion
|
