How to plant Beetroot

As I was working in one of my online jobs, I encountered this article on how to plant Beetroot.  I'd like to share this with you as I find it helpful to those who like to plant their own veggies for salads and for other food needs.

What is Beetroot?

Wisegeek says, also known as the garden beet, the beetroot is a sweet, maroon root vegetable.  Beetroot is a healthy, low-calorie food filled with fiber.  It is known to help improve health conditions such as high blood pressure.  The leaves of the red beet can also be eaten. 

The source further says, beets can be consumed in a variety of ways.  If consumed raw, beets should first be peeled.  The top and bottom of the root should also be removed prior to ingesting.  Beets can also be boiled, sauteed, pickled, fried, juiced, steamed, pureed, grilled, or baked.  When cooking beets, the skin may be left on until it is loose enough to fall off, retaining the vegetable's vivid color.

A common way of serving beetroot is as a side dish or salad component.

Eating beets is often suggested as part of a low-fat diet to help prevent heart disease.  A single serving of beetroot contains only 36 calories.  In addition to fiber, the vegetable provides a good source of folate and potassium.  Its leaves are also considered a good source of nutrients, such as iron and calcium.

Really good vegetable, isn't it?  So get yourself some beetroot seedlings from your local store or buy it online.

You can also inquire from www.awapuni.co.nz.  This website is the source of this gardening tips on how to plant Beetroot.

Below is Tod Palenski's (www.awapuni.co.nz) article:

 

Once you've got your beetroot seedlings, it's simply a matter of working out where to plant. them.  Beetroot like well-drained, friable (breaks apart in your hands) soil. 

They grow well next to brassicas, like broccoli and cauliflower, which take longer to mature and spread out.  This means you can plant beetroot in the spaces in between your brassicas, and harvest them before the brassicas start needing the extra room.





Alternatively, they grow great in pots.  Wherever you plant, simply dig a little 3 cm deep hole, place the seedling in the hole and fill in with soil.

They like moisture as they start to develop, so keep them well watered.

In around 10 to 12 weeks, they should be ready.  The great thing about beetroot is they can be eaten at any size, just dig them up and enjoy.

 

So there you go!  You now know how to plant Beetroot. No more worries running out of beetroot.


Put a smile on your face while gardening, be happy.  It is believed to guarantee good harvest.


Good luck!

Paris Hilton's Diet

I wonder what's keeping Paris Hilton slim. She's always been thin. I hope she's getting enough nutrition.

What's Paris Hilton's diet?

Let's check her ref and kitchen cabinets. What's her favorite food, her daily diet and do's & don'ts.

A glimpse of Paris Hilton's diet in my next post.

Free Online Textbooks

Being subscribed to the Wendy Boswell - About.com Web Search Guide, I am kept informed of techniques in doing google searches and best sites to search from.

Recent email that I received was about finding places on the web where free online textbooks can be found and downloadable.  This could be very helpful to students who have minimal budget for textbooks.

Continue reading: http://inamothersmind.blogspot.com/p/learn-from-here.html

How to Cook Quinoa

I found this high definition video on How to Cook Quinoa.  I thought I should share it here to reinforce what we learned about cooking Quinoa.

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Source: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/6068693/how_to_cook_quinoa/

Health benefits of Quinoa

Science had tagged Quinoa as "superfood" because it is full of phytonutrients, antioxidants and can help balance your blood sugar.  Quinoa is a delicious whole "grain", easy to digest, contains high quality protein and fiber.  Always mistaken as a grain, Quinoa actually is the seed of a herb-like plant from the Goosefoot family.  It is not a new crop; in fact, it was cultivated by the Incas 5000 years ago.  They call it the Mother Grain.  It has been the staple food of the Incas and it thrives even at high altitude and poor soil.





Quinoa, pronounced as KEEN-WAH, is fluffy, a bit crunchy and slightly flavored when cooked.  Its cooks and tastes like grain, the reason Quinoa can be good substitute for grains.

 

The greatest value of Quinoa is its being gluten-free and easy to digest.  Some of the nutrients of Quinoa are:

• Rich in Fiber - eases elimination and cleans colon.

• Magnesium - helps relax your muscles and blood vessels. 

• Manganese and cooper - Act as antioxidants to get rid of cancer and disease-causing substances.

• Complete protein - contains all 9 essential amino acids required by the body as building blocks for muscles.

• Calcium - high-levels of calcium beneficial to our bones, nails and teeth.

Quinoa as a whole grain, may help in preventing and treating artherosclerosis, breast cancer, diabetes and insulin resistance.

Quinoa has a coating called Saponin that is bitter and is mildly toxic. So it is important to rinse and soak the seeds first to remove this before cooking.  To make sure that Saponin is removed, tip your Quinoa into a sieve and hold it under running water for a few minutes.  You will know that the seeds are cooked when they turn translucent with a white edge and center to each seed as seen on the photo below.

There are many uses of Quinoa as food.  It can be used as substitute for rice, potatoes or pasta to go with a meal.  Could also be used in stews, stuffings, and desserts.  Makes great as quinoa porridge for breakfast.

Ideal too in the evening for quinoa is easy to digest, so you don't have to worry about getting a good night's sleep.

Quinoa is best for salads!

Get more about Quinoa recipes from here:  http://www.the-gluten-free-chef.com/quinoa-recipes.html

Gluten free Quinoa Salad Recipe

Another salad recipe worth sharing is a gluten-free Quinoa Salad Recipe that I borrowed from Savvy Vegetarian.  This one is easy to prepare and you are provided with the nutritional content.  Also, you will know what to get out from the main ingredient, quinoa.

The ingredients are:  quinoa, peas, carrots, pepper, tomato, cucumber, and a choice of other mix.

 

This makes 4 main dish servings and total preparation/cook time is 30 minutes.

Each serving (228 g) will give you the following nutritional data:

• 411 calories
• 37 g carbohydrate
• 26 g fat
• 317 mg sodium
• 7g dietary fiber
• 12 g protein
• very low in Cholesterol
• good source of Vitamin C
• very good source of Vit A, Vit K and Manganese
• Estimated Glycemic Load: 18.
• Gluten Free. 

The ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup snow peas, shell peas, celery, or green beans
• 1 - 2 small carrots, peeled and sliced thin
• 1/2 green or red pepper, sliced thin
• 1 medium ripe tomato
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or basil
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted sunflower seeds or toasted cashews 

The dressing: 

• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil  
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Options: Pinch of cayenne, garlic powder or fresh minced garlic, minced fresh or dried ginger

How to prepare:

1. The quinoa can be made ahead of time and refrigerated if you like
2. Soak the quinoa 5 minutes in cold water
3. Rinse thoroughly 2 times, pour off the water and drain through a large fine mesh strainer
4. Place in 2 qt pot with the water and salt
5. Cover the pot, bring to a full boil, turn the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes
6. Remove from heat and set aside to cool
7. Steam the carrots and green veg for 5 minutes or until tender-crisp, drain, rinse in cold water and drain again
8. Chop the tomatoes, herb and cucumber
9. Blend dressing ingredients with a whisk or shake in a jar
10. Gently combine veggies, walnuts, quinoa and dressing in a large bowl
11. Cover and chill, or serve immediately

Cooking tips:

1. Cook the quinoa ahead, keep in the fridge, and you can make this easy quinoa salad recipe in about 20 minutes.
2. Quinoa may also be cooked in a rice cooker, the same as you'd cook rice, or in a pressure cooker, 6 minutes high pressure, natural pressure release.
3. Optional Additions: Chopped scallions, dried unsweetened cranberries, raisins or apricots, Greek olives, minced jalapeno pepper, fresh mint, feta cheese, baked tofu cubes 
4. Walnuts go well with quinoa, but toasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds are also good. If you like black beans, try our tasty quinoa black bean salad. 
5. Serve with a green power salad for a quick summer meal. 

Helpful tips about Quinoa:

•  Quinoa has high oil content, so should be stored in the fridge or freezer to avoid becoming rancid

• A tight fitting lid is essential for even quinoa cooking

• Raw quinoa is coated with saponin, which will give it a bitter taste unless it has been removed in processing. Just in case, soak it for 5 minutes and rinse a couple of times. Those tiny flaky bits in the rinse water are the saponin

• When quinoa is full cooked, little white spiral "tails" will appear with the grains. That's normal.

• Because of its high protein content, quinoa is a satisfying meal with a few nuts and veggies added (see recipes below).

See more salad recipes from the Savvy Vegetarian website.