Trini Food Thread.

[Flex]

Foods to help you detox
Wednesday, January 2 2013
T&T Newsday

Did you eat too many of the wrong things over the holidays? Ham, pork, turkey, pastelles, not to mention black cake, sorrel and alcohol? How about chocolate, candies, cookies, pies, cakes, and heavy, fatty foods?

And with Carnival already here – the fetes start in earnest this weekend – many people may be looking for natural ways to get their body back on track after an unhealthy eating period. Exercise, cutting out alcohol and refined sugars, and eating a healthy diet does wonders. But, a little extra help doesn’t hurt either.

Here are some healthy foods with natural cleansing properties. Include them in your next meal and get rid of that extra junk left over from the big feast.

Watercress

Think beyond delicate tea sandwiches and throw some peppery watercress into your next salad. It keeps free radicals away from your cells, helps energise cleansing enzymes in the liver, and is a natural diuretic.

Lemon Water

Lemons are a great source of vitamin C, which is known to help the body detox and burn fat. Some research suggests drinking water with lemon every morning is a good way to alkalise the body and help with digestion.

Dark Leafy Greens

There are many ways to get leafy greens into your diet — eat them raw, throw them into a broth, add them to juices, or saute them with a touch of olive oil. Leafy greens boost chlorophyll levels in the digestive tract, which helps the body get rid of environmental toxins like smog and herbicides.

Fresh Fruit

Fruits like papaya are full of vitamins, antioxidants, fibre, and just about any other good thing you can name. After filling your body up with butter and booze over the holidays, what better way to make amends than with a big fruit bowl?

Cabbage

Not only is cabbage eaten in many cultures for luck and prosperity around the New Year, it’s also known for its liver cleansing properties. Mix cabbage, apples, and caraway for a crisp treat for your palate and your liver.

Beets

Doctors recommend loading up on beets to people who have gallbladder issues. The fibre in beets helps increase the production of antioxidant enzymes in the liver, which help the liver and gallbladder eliminate bile and other toxic substances from the body.

Ginger and Garlic

Ginger and garlic are good friends to the liver because they help it get rid of free radicals that are built up in the body. Make yourself a healthy stir-fry and don’t be shy to season it with these two liver-loving foods.

Green Tea

You definitely want to be drinking a lot of liquids right now, and green tea is a great choice. It’s high in catechins — a flavonoid — which speeds up liver activity and increases the production of detoxification enzymes.

Wholegrains

Choosing wholegrains over refined grains should be a part of any diet — detox or not. Besides being full of nutrients and antioxidants, they’re incredibly high in insoluble fibre, which helps keep you regular. If you’re trying to flush the body of toxins, the last thing you need is to be bloated or constipated.

[zuluwarrior]

Watercress – loaded with vitamins, iron, calcium
Wednesday, January 2 2013

With deep green leaves, and crisp, paler stems, watercress is related to mustard and is one of the strongest-tasting salad leaves available. It has a pungent, slightly bitter, peppery flavour and is highly nutritious, containing significant amounts of iron, calcium, vitamins A, C and E and folic acid.

Many benefits from eating watercress are claimed, such as that it acts as a stimulant, a source of phytochemicals and antioxidants, a diuretic, an expectorant, and a digestive aid. It also appears to have antiangiogenic cancer-suppressing properties; it is widely believed to help defend against lung cancer. A 2010 study conducted by the University of Southampton found that consumption of watercress may also inhibit the growth of breast cancer. The content of phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) in watercress inhibits HIF, which can inhibit angiogenesis.

Another study suggested eating watercress daily can significantly reduce DNA damage to blood cells, which is considered to be an important trigger in the development of cancer.

The research found that in addition to reducing DNA damage, a daily portion of watercress also increased the ability of those cells to resist further DNA damage caused by free radicals.

In some regions, watercress is regarded as a weed, in other regions as an aquatic vegetable or herb. It’s sold in either bunches or bags, and is good combined in a salad with milder leaves, or made into soup.

When choosing watercress, go for crisp, dark green leaves, with no sign of yellowing or wilting.

Wash and shake dry just before you’re about to use it. Both the leaves and stems are edible – just trim off any tough roots.

Watercress is highly perishable, so store it in a perforated bag in the fridge and eat it within a couple of days.

Alternatively, treat it like a bunch of flowers and put in a glass of water in the fridge, covering the leaves with a plastic bag – it can last a little longer that way.

Here are some watercress recipes:



Watercress Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 potato – peeled and cubed

1 onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

2 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 pounds watercress, large

stems removed

1/4 cup whipped heavy cream

(optional)

1/2 cup watercress leaves for

garnishMethod

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the potato and onion, stirring to coat with the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium, cover and heat for five minutes.

Pour in the chicken stock and the milk, bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for ten minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the watercress and simmer, uncovered, for four to five minutes, or until watercress is just cooked.

In small batches, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, season to taste, and ladle into individual bowls. (Note: Place in refrigerator if not serving at this point.)

Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired and garnish with watercress leaves.

Serves six



Pea and watercress soup

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion , finely chopped

1 garlic clove , roughly chopped

1 medium potato , cut into small

chunks

500ml vegetable stock

300g frozen sweet peas

100g watercress

leaves from 2 mint sprigs, plus

extra to garnish

100ml double cream



Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then gently fry the onion and garlic for five minutes or until soft. Add the potato, stock and 500ml water, then simmer for seven minutes until the potato is just cooked.

Scatter in the peas and watercress, stir, cover, then simmer for three minutes. Add the mint leaves and blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Stir in the cream and season to taste. Serve ladled into bowls, scattered with more mint and some cracked black pepper.

TIP: For entertaining, crumble a small handful of feta over each portion or, for a non-veggie option, pan-fry some bacon and scatter over the top.

Serves four



Watercress, Melon

and Almond Salad

Ingredients

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

root

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 bunches watercress, trimmed

and chopped

2 1/2 cups cubed watermelon

2 1/2 cups cubed cantaloupe

1/3 cup toasted and sliced almonds



Method

In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, sugar, and ginger. Gradually add oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add watercress, watermelon, and cantaloupe to dressing and toss to coat. Transfer salad to plates, sprinkle with sliced almonds and serve immediately.

Serves four



Watercress and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 bunches watercress

(12 ounces each), trimmed

1 large or two small cucumber,

halved lengthwise and thinly sliced



Method

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and mustard; season with salt and pepper. Add watercress and cucumber; toss to combine. Serve immediately.



Watercress Salad with

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes

(about 1 pound total), peeled

and cut into 2-inch-long

matchsticks

3 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon

olive oil

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

2 bunches watercress

(12 ounces total), stems trimmed

4 ounces feta, crumbled



Method

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with racks on upper and lower thirds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes with one tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast on upper rack, until tender, 30 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway through.

On another rimmed baking sheet, toss walnuts with cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon oil. Bake on lower rack, until golden, six minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, honey, and remaining two tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper.

Add watercress, and toss to combine. Serve topped with sweet potatoes, walnuts, and feta.



Watercress, Pear,

and Cashew Salad

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil,

such as safflower

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 bunches watercress (about 1

pound total), tough stems

removed

1 pear, cored and thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped unsalted

cashews



Method:

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, lime juice, and soy sauce. Add watercress, pear, and cashews; toss to combine. Serve immediately.



Chicken and Watercress

Filled Tortilla

Ingredients

2 small flour tortilla

2 handfuls watercress

2 tsp low fat mayonnaise

200g sliced, cooked chicken

2 tomatoes, diced

½ small red onion, finely

chopped



Method

Spread each tortilla with the mayonnaise and pile on a handful of watercress.

Top with the sliced chicken, tomato and red onion.

Roll up tightly and cut into two

Serves four



Open-Faced Egg, Bacon, and

Watercress Sandwich

Ingredients

1/4 baguette or a hoagie roll

Grainy mustard

mayonnaise

2 slices bacon

1 hard-cooked egg, sliced

Small handful watercress,

thick stems removed

Coarse salt and ground pepper



Method

Slice baguette in half lengthwise and spread bottom half with equal parts mustard and mayonnaise. Layer with bacon, egg, and watercress.

Season with salt and pepper.

 

[g]

That sounding more like penance rather than a diet

Thanks nevertheless, high on health low on taste, always the case

[pecan]

A close family friend from Moruga use to make me cress tea when I was a child. I need to make it more - both for the claimed nutritional benefits and for cherished childhood memories.

I'll try those recipes too. 

Aye G, "high on heath and low on taste" not necessarily true.  Beet, cabbage, fresh fruit, garlic, ginger = those are all supreme in taste.

[ProudTrinbagonian]

Watercress makes a mean salad....
make with fresh cabbage, cucumber, tomato, onion, pepper, black pepper and olive oil...eat that with some avocado.... dais good eating. Always feel like a million bucks after eating that

[Brownsugar]

Ah need to bookmark this thread.....ah eat real junk this season!!.....

[Deeks]

Watercress makes a mean salad....
make with fresh cabbage, cucumber, tomato, onion, pepper, black pepper and olive oil...eat that with some avocado.... dais good eating. Always feel like a million bucks after eating that

 

[D.H.W]

Lime Water first thing when you wake up. Guarantee purge

[pecan]

Watercress makes a mean salad....
make with fresh cabbage, cucumber, tomato, onion, pepper, black pepper and olive oil...eat that with some avocado.... dais good eating. Always feel like a million bucks after eating that

last night ... a simple water cress and baby spinach salad with olive oil/pineapple flavoured white balsamic vinegar, some sea salt and black pepper.  Yes.

[ProudTrinbagonian]

What's the verdict on Apple Cider Vinegar?

I hear it's good for losing a few pounds if you drink it with water but I have also heard it causes Ulcers (especially if you don't dilute it properly)
I've been drinking a tablespoon of ACV with a glass of water in the night and it have me heading to the bathroom throughout the night...due to its diuretic effects
I drink Bragg brand...
I have also taken it when I feel a cold coming down and it helps get rid of it before it starts

anyone else try ACV?

[ProudTrinbagonian]

Watercress makes a mean salad....
make with fresh cabbage, cucumber, tomato, onion, pepper, black pepper and olive oil...eat that with some avocado.... dais good eating. Always feel like a million bucks after eating that

last night ... a simple water cress and baby spinach salad with olive oil/pineapple flavoured white balsamic vinegar, some sea salt and black pepper.  Yes.

Spinach and watercress good for your hair too

[Brownsugar]

I could never quite understand how something as sour as Lemons could alkalise the body.....

[Deeks]

Saw this article on CNN today.  Mods allyuh could move it to the food section.

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2014/03/05/trinidadian-doubles/?hpt=hp_bn11


Cara Reedy is an Executive Assistant at CNN. She previously wrote for Eatocracy on being a small cook in a big kitchen, St. Louis' Provel cheese and her family's soul food traditions. She caveats that doubles aren't pretty (as pictured above) but they sure are delicious.

The Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn has been home to a vibrant Caribbean and African American community since the great migration of the twentieth century. African American people moved to northern states to escape the racial segregation of Jim Crow laws, while at the same time Caribbean people moved to New York for better employment opportunities. The slow Southern charm mixed with the warmth of the Caribbean people make it a neighborhood unlike any other.

When I arrived five years ago, I was a Caribbean food novice. I soon caught up and caught on to the wonderful flavors. My favorite discovery is doubles, a Trinidadian street food that is a Bed Stuy breakfast tradition.

Despite its plural name, a double is a singular sandwich made of two pieces of fried bread (bara) filled with curried chickpea stew (channa) and then topped with tamarind chutney, kuchela (chutney made of green mangoes) and pepper (a vinegary sauce made from scotch bonnet peppers).

Channa and bara are direct descendants of chole bhature, a Punjabi dish of crisp, puffed bread served with a heavy chickpea stew. During the late 1800's Trinidad and India were both part of the British empire. Indian people emigrated to Trinidad as indentured workers to farm the land. They brought with them their food and culture.

The legend goes that Emamool Deen was selling channa and bara in Princes Town, Trinidad, when the customers started asking him to double the bara. He named the creation "doubles."

My personal love affair with doubles started on my way to the subway my first full day in the neighborhood. I noticed a tiny shop with a line out the door. The windows were opaque with steam, making it impossible to see inside. But the smell of hot oil and curry was wafting through the air.

The sign said "Doubles" but at the time I had no idea what that meant. What I did know was whatever it was, it was going to be dinner.

Because most of the little shops in my neighborhood close early, I raced home from work to catch the mysterious food. At 5:30, the shop was shuttered and the smell of oil and curry was long gone. I was absolutely determined to have this curry goodness, so I got up early the next morning and waited on line.

Stupidly, I didn't bother to Google "doubles," so when it was my turn to order, I was lost. There were no menus, just a steam table of items I couldn’t make sense of through the steam. I panicked and stood there with my mouth open. The entire staff of the shop was staring at me. I could feel the impatience growing from the people behind me in line.

After what seemed like an eternity, (it was probably only a few seconds) one of the staff broke the awkward silence and said "Yes."

I blurted out "I'll have a double." That seemed to be sort of correct, because then she asked “You want tamarind and pepper?” I said, “Sure.”

Then she quickly laid two round pieces of bread on some wax paper, spooned out something on top of one, spooned some sauces on top of that and stuck the top piece on, twisted the wax paper around it and dropped it in a brown paper bag, which I immediately stuffed in my purse.

Unfortunately, the grease bled through my purse by the time I got to work. My disappointment over my ruined bag soon disappeared after I bit into the creation. The soft fried bread filled with chickpeas, sweet tamarind and spicy pepper chutney is quite possibly the perfect food

At that moment doubles became an addiction. I got up early every day, to stand in line. I tried out all the extra toppings on the steam table. (salt fish, herring, spinach, potatoes and more). Every morning as I ate my doubles, the pungent smell of curry and oil flowed through the newsroom. Some of my co-workers started begging me to bring them Doubles. Once I did, they too were hooked and I became a one-woman doubles dealer. I was transporting large bags of doubles on the A train from Bed Stuy to Manhattan every day.

Unfortunately, I started to gain weight after a couple of months, so I had to quit cold turkey. I walked to the subway on the other side of the street, to stop myself from getting in line. I’m OK now and have limited myself to once a month, but If I ever leave Bed Stuy, I will have to make them myself.

Try this recipe from Epicurious.com

[100% Barataria]

Nice article Deeks.  "A and A" in their old location used to have a very long line on mornings.  Trincity in Richmond Hill and Sandy's in the same both have pretty good doubles, not quite 5th street Barataria standards but close

[socafighter]

TRINI TO D BONE
Doubles half-century
Published: Guardian
Monday, July 14, 2014
As told to BC Pires
 


Despite the nickname, Sleepy is always alert behind the barra box.
My name is Sleepy and I’ve been selling doubles for over 42 years.
 
Just say, “Sleepy Doubles, St Helena,” and everybody know me. My real name is Balram Colai but if people read in the papers about Balram, they wouldn’t know is Sleepy.
 
I started off selling doubles under the planes in Piarco International Airport, right by the plane. The people in the tower used to give me green light to ride across the runaway and sell under the wing. Sometimes, the pilot would see me waiting to cross and radio the tower and tell them not to let me cross until after he land.
 
So people could come down the plane stairs and buy doubles.
 
I used to be on the ramp and all in the hangar and thing. Those were the days. You can’t go anywhere near the airport now.
 
People’s carry my doubles all over.  It have some Barbados people, some St Lucian, some Jamaican, when they come, they buy by the hundreds. To take back. My doubles travel all over the world, up to the Middle East and all.
 
Ten cents was for doubles when I started. Now is $4, some places, $5. When my father got sick when I was around 13-14, I stopped school and started selling doubles to maintain the family. I never finished school. But I have nothing to regret because, with this work, I educate all five of my children. I have eight grands. I take care of all of them and my original family with doubles.
 
Sleepy is a nickname a guy just give me. He say, when I wake up, I always looking sleepy. To do this work, you have to get up early in the morning. So you’s look sleepy.
 
I used to ride my bike down to St Helena Junction but, every day, before I reach the junction, I sell out. People used to walk up the road to meet me, to make sure they get they doubles, and children nearly get bounce. So that is why I stop riding the bike.
 
Sleepy & Son is me and my son, Ramesh. They’s call him, “Apache.” All doubles people around St Helena buy from me but I never buy doubles from anybody. You can’t get doubles like mine anywhere else, so it don’t make sense, I buying.
 
The rush hour is 7.30am to half-nine; but, on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, is from half-past five straight until finish, ten o’clock, most of the time. We prepared from the evening before. My wife gets up around 1 o’clock. I get up around 3.30am.
 
When I go home 10am, I don’t sleep.  Just take a little relax, start over to prepare for the next day. Because is a lot of work. People see the sales, but not the preparation.
 
I’s carry the madam to cinema, watch a little Indian movie, but I like to see my movies home. I have real action movies. I go on Netflix. I have a 62” TV hook up on stereo, to computer, everything. My wife pops corn and we good right there. So I feel like I in cinema when I home.
 
By the help of God, I never encounter any bad experience in doubles. Nobody never try to rob me or nothing.
 
Nothing troubles me. Because I walk with the Lord, and he is the major man in any business or walk of life.
 
The best thing about the job is meeting pleasant customers. I have real nice customers. Christmas and any holidays, a lot of customers bring gifts for me! I don’t think there’s any bad part, except maybe when the weather is rough. But I have a shelter so even bad weather don’t bother me.
 
A Trini is about having good fun. And when they go and have their fun, every morning, they come looking for Sleepy. Lime whole night and look for Sleepy doubles to have a revival. They begin their day with me.
 
Trinidad & Tobago is my homeland. It used to be pleasant long-time, but not again. But we have to live with it. In St Helena, compared to other places, we have it nice.

[socafighter]

Ok folks ....how many tried Sleepy doubles...??

Is it good ?

[100% Barataria]

Nice story man, really nice, imagine coming off a plane and buyin doubles, love that

[soccerman]

Nice story man, really nice, imagine coming off a plane and buyin doubles, love that

That's the first thing after leaving Piarco for me. Think I'll have to look for Sleepy next time.

[capodetutticapi]

Two doubles with heavy pepper and ah chicken sandwich......the sandwich people still they

[Brownsugar]

I feel I going and look for him this weekend self.............yeah.  I eh have nutten to do.....

[Bakes]

The best part for me was him talking about hanging out with he wife at home, and giving praises to the Lord.

[Peong]

Yeah I forgot to big up this article.  The lazy asses out there need to follow examples like this man.