Recipes

Beauty Foods – Part 3


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celery soup

Kidney Beans and Celery

Beans, beans… it turns out they really are good for your heart and your appearance too. Who knew?

They are chock full of all kinds of nutrients. Here’s a partial list of the benefits associated with those tasty treats.

  • Cancer prevention
  • Improved Brain and cognitive function
  • Stabilized blood sugar
  • Migraine prevention
  • Digestive health
  • Cardio vascular improvement
  • Increased energy
  • Bone health
  • Eye health
  • Weight loss
  • Stronger Nails
  • Hair health
  • Improved Skin texture
  • Anti-aging properties
kidney beans and celery

We’ve included a brief article that offers a succinct, yet informative discussion of the specific nutrients and their impact on each of the listed areas of health. CLICK HERE TO VIEW “39 Amazing Benefits Of Kidney Beans (Rajma) For Skin Hair And Health”

The bottom line is, by including kidney beans in your diet on a regular basis, you will improve the appearance of your nails, hair and skin.

Chili

chili

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 2 1/2 c tomato purée
  • 1 c salsa
  • 4 Tbsp chili seasoning
  • 1 15oz can light red kidney beans
  • 1 15 oz can dark red kidney beans

Preparation

  1. Combine the beef and onions in a skillet and sauté until the beef is browned and the onions are soft and translucent
  2. Drain the excess fat
  3. Combine the beef and onion mixture in a soup pot with all of the remaining ingredients and simmer on low for 2-4 hrs.

Kidney Beans and Cauliflower in Curry

Rajma Masala

This Indian dish is delicious and it’s easy to prepare. If you want to keep it vegetarian, use either water or vegetable stock instead of chicken broth. You can either serve it as a side dish or main course. You’ll probably want to serve it with rice either way.

Next week we will be doing Indian cuisine, which will provide you with several meat options.

kidney bean curry

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp veg oil
  • 1 lg onion, diced
  • 1 Cinnamon stick
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp fennel
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3 green cardamom pods, split open
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 14.5 oz can peeled plum tomatoes, strained
  • 1 Serrano chili, seeded and minced
  • 1 scant tsp salt
  • 4 14 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 c chicken stock
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 c cilantro leaves, loosely packed and chopped

Preparation

  1. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy soup pot
  2. Sauté the onion till translucent
  3. Add cinnamon, bay leaf, garlic, ginger, fennel, cumin and cardamom
  4. Sauté 2 min, stirring constantly
  5. Add cayenne, coriander, turmeric and garam masala
  6. Sauté, stirring constantly. 1 min
  7. Add tomatoes to the pot as you crush them in your hands
  8. Stir in Serrano chili, salt, beans, cauliflower and chicken stock
  9. Simmer on low, covered for at least 40 min
  10. Check on it occasionally and stir
  11. When you are satisfied with the texture, (it should be thick and creamy)
  12. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the cilantro and lemon juice
  13. Serve with rice

Celery

This seemingly bland little guy is packed with goodness too. Frankly, we’ve always assumed that celery was a non-caloric meal replacement for models and ballerinas stricken with body dysmorphic disorder.

chopping celeryIt looks as if the girls are onto something. Here’s a list of some of the benefits.

  • Weight loss
  • Reduces inflammation
  • Sweet breath- chew, chew, chew. Then you should be fine. The extra salivation whisks away odor causing bacteria. Obviously, if you’ve been eating garlic or onions, stronger measures need to be taken.
  • Calming- nature’s Valium. Good to know but once again, celery can only do so much. If you’re getting on a plane, a stick of celery won’t replace your zanax.
  • Digestion
  • Eyes- eye health isn’t just for carrots anymore
  • Blood pressure/ cholesterol
  • Heart health
  • Hair thickener- that’s a surprise. Pop some celery into your food processor and purée it. Massage it into your scalp and leave it for an hour. Then wash it out. Do it a couple of times a week for a month and you should see a difference.
  • We included this great article on ways to use celery to beautify your skin, hair and more.
  • We’ll just focus on some tasty ways to serve it.

Click here to view “26 Amazing Benefits Of Celery (Ajmoda) For Skin, Hair, And Health”

Cream of Celery Soup with Bacon and Croutons

We wanted to snub this one but we couldn’t once we heard about bacon and croutons.  We tried it and loved it. Cooked celery loses that slightly bitter taste. It becomes quite sweet. Give it a shot. Chances are, you’ll like it too.

kidney beans

Ingredients

  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 med leeks, thinly sliced
  • 3 med onions, finely chopped
  • 3 lg cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • A pinch of salt
  • A pinch of pepper
  • 2 lbs celery, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 8 c chicken stock or water
  • 4 oz bacon, finely chopped
  • 3 thick slices of crusty bread, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 c sour cream

Preparation

  1. In a large sauce pan, melt 4 Tbsp of butter and sauté leeks, onions and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper
  2. Over medium- high heat, sauté for about 10-15 min, until soft and translucent but not brown
  3. Add the celery and sauté for about 3 more min, stirring constantly.
  4. When the celery softens, add stock or water
  5. Bring it to a boil
  6. Reduce heat to simmer and heat for about 40 min, stirring occasionally
  7. While the soup cooks, sauté the bacon till crisp
  8. Remove the bacon and place it on paper towels to remove excess oil
  9. Leave the fat in the pan and add remaining butter
  10. Sauté bread cubes till crisp
  11. Place the crisp croutons on a paper towel to drain the excess fat too
  12. Purée the soup in batches in a blender until it’s smooth
  13. Return it to the pot and stir in the sour cream
  14. To serve- ladle soup into bowls and top with bacon and croutons

Delicious

Braised Celery

This delicate side dish is terrific as an accompaniment to a simple poached chicken breast, sliced and served with either a baked or mashed sweet potato. It may sound bland but the flavors actually meld together beautifully.

braised celery

Ingredients

  • 8 stalks of celery, trimmed and sliced diagonally into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2 c chicken stock or bone broth

Preparation

  1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan
  2. Add a pinch of salt and pepper along with the celery
  3. Sauté the celery till soft
  4. Add the stock and simmer covered for about 5 min
  5. Remove cover and continue to simmer for another 5 min or until the liquid evaporates and becomes saucy

Enjoy your beautifying bean and celery recipes.

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