Simple Button Mushrooms

I promised a couple of you to post some 'quick' solutions; a few recipes that were simple yet healthy, out of the ordinary and super yummy.
Here is another one. It comes of out Gordon Ramsay's 100% Ramsay cookbook I got from my mother-in-law (thanks Audrey. I seem to be using it quite often!).

What you need (side dish for 4)

•4-6 tbsp of extra virgin oil (and some extra to drizzle on top afterwards)
•500 g of button mushrooms (clean and the big ones, halved)
•3 medium sized shallots (peeled and sliced in rings)
•100 ml of white wine vinegar
•1 tbs of fresh tarragon (or 1/2 tbsp if it is dry)
•crushed pepper and salt to taste

What you do

•in a wide pan (I like to use my wok) heat up the oil and put the button mushrooms in the pan after you have brushed them clean (use a brush or a piece of kitchen paper. Do not rinse them with water! They will suck up all the moisture). Do not allow the oil to smoke but it does have to be hot enough, otherwise the mushrooms will not sear but boil....

•after approximately 5 minutes, the mushrooms will start getting golden brown. Now it is time to add the shallots

•once the shallots are translucent, add the white wine vinegar by pouring it all around the edge of the pan (this way the vinegar will evaporate some, instead of the mushrooms sucking it all up)

•crush some salt and pepper to taste

•remove the pan from the heat after letting the vinegar evaporate first for 3 minutes

•add tarragon and drizzle some olive oil on top before serving

Remarks

This is a dish that you could easily prepare a day or even two ahead of time and keep in the fridge to then serve at room temperature.This is actually what Gordon Ramsay recommends. I have often prepared this dish when I am in a hurry and serve it warm, as a side dish to a grilled piece of fish or meat.

Can't afford to relax? Consider the alternatives.

I just LOVE The Oprah Magazine! I cannot always get it where I live, but I usually can find it at Amsterdam airport and when I do, boy it is a real treat!
In the February 2013 issue the magazine dedicated a whole section to finding 'ahhhhh moments'. I would like to share with you Emma Haak's very graphic 'Your Body in Stress'. The article is simple, to the point and will give you an idea of the importance of cherishing the beauty of now.

Brain Strain
Stress starts here. When your body goes on high alert because of a real or perceived threat, your brain sets off your fight-or-flight alarm system, triggering your adrenal glands to release a flood of hormones—including adrenaline and cortisol, which increase your heart rate and blood pressure. Unfortunately, because so many of us are chronically stressed, our fight-or-flight response never shuts off and our cortisol levels remain elevated, potentially increasing the risk for depression, hypertension, and possibly some cancers.

Stomach Upsets
Roughly 25 percent of people say stress gives them an upset stomach or indigestion, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association. Here's why: Prolonged anxiety slows digestion as your nervous system directs its energy toward the organs and muscles most critical to survival. This, in turn, can cause nausea, constipation, cramping, and bloating.

Memory Loss
Stress-prone people are about 40 percent more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment, according to a study from Rush University. Researchers believe that high levels of stress hormones may damage or shrink the hippocampus (an area deep in the brain that's responsible for long-term memory).

Heart Ache
Chronic stress can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that drama with a spouse or close friend could increase your risk of heart problems by up to 34 percent.

Fertility Trouble
The hormones released by your body's stress response may suppress ovulation, according to research from the Emory University School of Medicine. A separate study found that women undergoing IVF were 2.6 times more likely to get pregnant if they also participated in a stress-management program.

Tomatoes To Go

There are tomatoes and...tomatoes. If there is one vegetable in the world that cannot fool you and tell you it is organic and grew in the sun -when it has not- it must be this red fruit. Spread throughout the world after the Spanish colonization of the Americas, in cooler climates they grow in greenhouses -but can never measure up to the real thing.
They do belong to a variety of plants called 'nightshades' (just like eggplants and peppers) and to some people, they can cause health problems. Eat them sparingly.

What I love about tomatoes is that they are versatile and make the perfect side dish... in less than a minute.

•wash the tomato in medium hot water
•cut it in half
•sprinckle some Himalayan salt and fresh pepper
•drip some avocado oil over it (1)
•top it with a pinch of oregano

Here I served it with 100g of wild Sockeye salmon and a 2 egg omelet.

(1) Never tried avocado oil before? If you can find it at your local grocery store, do it today! The buttery, velvety taste is amazing, like no other oil you have ever tried before.

Grilled Butternut Squash

Even though I get kind reviews about my blog postings, my friends often comment that they do not always have the time or the patience to prepare the type of recipes I sometimes post and could I maybe give them some ideas for 'simple solutions'. Is it possible, they ask, to eat healthy and avoid inflammatory substances when one is in a hurry?
Most certainly! Here is an idea to compliment a grilled piece of fish or meat. It's so simple, that you wouldn't think of it .... (unless a good friend reminded you of it).


Ingredients (side dish for 2)

•1 small butternut squash, washed, sliced in half in the length, seeds removed
•1 tbs coconut oil

•pepper and salt


What you do

•preheat the oven to 200°C

•cover the bottom of your oven dish with coconut oil
•put the butternut squash in the oven dish upside down; spice it up first
•put the dish in the middle of the oven and cook for 40 min. or until soft