Day 17 & 18: Here are few (30) of my favorite things...

Another 2-in-1 day blog post after being on call overnight but I've been working hard on today's entry!

So in honor of a dear friend and avid blog watcher's 30th birthday, I present to you 30 of my favorite things...ingredients I love to have around and use all the time! Happy Birthday Raju!

1. Quinoa – if you haven’t tried this, it is a must! One of my favorite things to create from, this is a grainlike vegetable that is perfect for vegetarians. It is a protein with healthy amounts of all the essential amino acids. It’s gluten free, a great source of iron, magnesium, many of the B vitamins and calcium. Tips: Rinse before cooking to remove the soapy bitter coating. Use in place of rice, cous cous, boil into soups, turn into salads. For Indian cooking: use in khichdi, in place of soji in upma.
2. Oatmeal – lowers cholesterol, good fiber. Tips: hot oatmeal for breakfast is great and there are so many variations in flavor. If you have a slow cooker, just imagine hot slow cooked oatmeal waiting for you in the morning (use steel cut overnight because they take longer to cook). I like the quick cook oats to add to smoothies, breads, muffins, pancake batter.
3. Brown rice – the whole grain version of rice, contains vitamin B1, B3, iron, magnesium, fiber, and fatty acids. Tips: they take longer to cook. If you soak in warm water first, this stimulates germination with activates various enymes in the rice making it a more complete amino acid profile.
4. Nuts and nut butters – almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, pine nuts, peanuts. I love them all! We also always have a variety of butters at all times – peanut, almond, cashew, and sunflower butters. All are good protein sources and a source of healthy fats. Shelled pistachios are a favorite snack of mine because of the “Pistachio Principle” – you fool yourself into eating less through the act of having to de-shell and slow down consumption. Tips: add nuts to random dishes like your pasta, oatmeal, greens (sliced almonds on cooked kale, pistachio with your green beans), salads, blend into smoothies. Serve nut butters with fruit for a fantastic dessert!
5. Ginger – great for nausea and settling your stomach. Great during colds. Tips: add fresh ginger to stir fry, salads, teas. Think gingerbread and add dried or fresh ginger to other baked goods, muffins, cookies or oatmeal.
6. Garlic – claimed to help with heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol. Tips: for a sweeter taste try wrapping in foil and roasting in the oven before using. Add to soups, pastas, vegetables,
7. Turmeric – an anti-inflammatory shown to have anti-cancer properties which are enhanced when combined with black pepper.
8. Cumin – one of my favorite ingredients to use, helpful with digestion. Tips: great with Tex-Mex and Indian foods. Dry roast cumin seeds on slow heat until their fragrance fills the room, then grind for a perfect spice! Add to yogurt, guacamole,
9. Cinnamon – one of our healthiest spices. It can lower the glycemic load of other foods (how high your sugar spikes in your blood). Tips: sprinkle on fruit, oatmeal, cereal, baked goods, in your coffee.
10. Sesame – high in iron, magnesium, copper and calcium. They also contain vitamin B1 and E, and have phytoestrogens with antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. They come in varieties of raw, toasted, hulled, unhulled, and black. Ground up they become tahini and sesame oil is also a great cooking oil for stirfry. Tips: top salads, Indian style vegetables, add to yogurt for a flavorful dip, blend or use tahini in dressings, spreads or dips. Sesame oil is also great moisturizer for the skin.
11. Flax seed – high in fiber and omega 3 fatty acids (lower heart disease risk, health arthritis, may help with weight loss and Alzheimers). Tips: add to cereal, oatmeal, smoothies, baked goods. You can use it as a egg replacement.
12. Cilantro – now I know there are people that cannot stand the taste of cilantro…they think that might be a genetic thing which would be the only reason I could imagine for not liking it. Medicinal uses include diabetes, anxiety, lowering cholesterol, and as a chelator for heavy metals. Tips: great in Latin and Indian dishes. Add to store bought salsa for added flavor. Mix with your greens in salads.
13. Moong beans – used in Indian and other Asian cooking, they are available whole, hulled, split, and as sprouts. They are a great source of protein and fiber. Sprouts are high in vitamin A, B, C and E as well as potassium, iron and calcium. Tips: experiment with different spices – my favorite classic combo is turmeric, red chili powder, cumin-coriander blend, salt, lemon juice and cilantro.
14. Black beans – good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, helps prevent sugar from rising too high after a meal, high in protein and loaded with antioxidants in comparison to other beans. Tips: ideal in the classic rice and beans dish, added to salads, burritos, and also a great soup (blend it with an immersion blender for a completely different texture rich soup).
15. Chick peas – a cup of these has 12g of fiber (half the daily requirement) both insoluble (reduces cholesterol and risk of heart disease) and insoluble (helps digestion). They are high in folate and iron. Tips: smaller sized ones have thinner more tender skins. Cooked chickpeas can be refrigerated in their liquid for up to 4 days.
16. Almond milk – great tasty milk substitute. Watch which product you purchase and try to stick with unsweetened to decrease added sugar. It does not have much protein or fiber, but is also low in calories. Tips: try in chai, cereals, as coffee creamer, or to add creaminess to savory dishes instead of heavy cream.
17. Greek yogurt – high in protein and if you get lowfat or nonfat without fruit the sugar content is low. If you want the fruit kind, watch which brands have high sugar contents. Tips: add granola, whole grain cereal, berries, cut fruit, honey, bananas for a great breakfast or snack. Or use the plain kind instead of sour cream or mixed with savory ingredients to make a dip.
18. Bananas – reduced risk of colorectal and breast cancer, they have moderate amounts of potassium, manganese, vitamin B6 and C. Tips: ask my brother about his curried bananas. Raw bananas can also substitute for potatoes in Indian and Jain cooking.
19. Mango – lots of antioxidants protecting against heart disease and cancer, good amount of vitamin A, fiber and small amount of vitamin E. Tips: just eat them, especially when in season…they are amazing!! Try a green mango if you haven’t before.
20. Blueberries – really high in antioxidants plus with potassium, vitamins B, C, and E. They are also an anti-inflammatory. Tips: when picking berries, the darker ones have more antioxidants. Add in cold or hot cereal, smoothies, pancake batter, or eat plain.
21. Pineapple – great to eat in the morning because it has a natural enzyme that help with protein breakdown, a little jumpstart to your day’s digestion work. Also good source of vitamin C and manganese. Tips: add to Thai food for an added sweetness to your spice.
22. Lemon/Lime – Great cleansing properties, help the immune system, and I like to use these as flavor boosters so you can decrease the amount of salt in a dish. They also have vitamin C, B6, potassium, folic acid and phytochemicals with antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Tips: squeeze on salads for dressing instead of rich dressings high in fat, add to warm water and honey for a sore throat soother or a great detoxifying morning drink. Add to bean dishes for a fuller flavor.
23. Tomatoes – lycopene (antioxidant for the eyes and protects against prostate cancer), vitamin C, vitamin A. They come in so many varieties – this summer, try an heirloom (the oddly shaped sometimes purplish black looking ones that are kinda pricy but so good. Tips: raw, sauce, stewed, sundried. Try them all. I love summer ripe tomatoes sliced with a drizzle of olive oil, cracked black pepper and a touch of salt as a snack.
24. Avocados – they contain the best kind of fat (monounsaturated oleic acid), nut help block the absorption of bad fats (cholesterol). They are high in lutein (helps with eyesight), potassium and folate (which can decrease risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease). They are low in pesticides. Tips: we all know guacamole, but try slices topped on salads, soups (black bean!!), or in sandwiches. Or make it sweet as a base in smoothies or homemade vegan chocolate pudding.
25. Spinach – rich in antioxidants and chock full of all sorts of vitamins and minerals. Tips: I always have a bag of frozen spinach on hand to add some green to many dishes. Try in pastas, stirfry, Indian dals or vegetables, mixed with beans for Tex Mex foods.
26. Kale – great fiber to help lower cholesterol, anti-cancer properties, Tips: try making kale chips, add kale to juices/smoothies, add to soups like minestrone.
27. Eggplant – good for high cholesterol. They also help form free radicals and contain potassium and folic acid. Tips: try making your own baba ganoush. Or a tapenade you can use as a spread. Great in Indian vegetable dishes especially baingan bharta. (although I must say as a child I did not enjoy them).
28. Agave nectar – sweetener that comes from the same cactus plant that you make tequila out of. It’s sweet, people use it instead of sugar, and we can feed it to diabetics at this point. It’s about 1.5 times as sweet. Tips: it dissolves better than honey, so it is easier to stir into hot beverages. Try the different flavors and see what is right for you. It comes in light, amber, dark, and raw..
29. Honey – sweetness with vitamins and minerals. It gets graded based on a number of factors including water content, flavor, aroma, absence of defects and clarity. Tips: great as a cough syrup especially because you cannot overdose. Remember, no child less than 12 months should get honey because of the risk for botulism. Also add to teas, in baked goods, and hot//cold cereals. Add to homemade dressings for a hint of sweetness.
30. Dark chocolate – contains flavonoids and one small square can be good for you! Tips: The higher the percent cacao the better, but get up to at least 75%. Note, twix are not a healthy substitute.