Inflammation Blaster Recipes

I found myself using my day off to do some inventing in my kitchen again; not because I really wanted to. The prolonged period of more idleness due to injury, the extra stress, and being at work too often and eating the cruddy food there is all taking a toll on me. I won't go into any more specifics than that. The resulting poor medical evaluation I got is forcing me to prepare for some dietary and lifestyle changes. I don't want to be relegated to start eating like a tofu-munching hippie, but I'd rather have some compromise and do that with some moderation than be setting myself on a course of being dependant on expensive medications, and then be perhaps afflicted by adverse side-effects from using them.
   
The stuff I made should be useful in countering many types of inflammatory problems in general, not just specifically my issues. Inflammation of one type or another is the major symptom of most chronic diseases. The challenge is to not feel deprived, and to use and substitute with stuff that I already like (or can at least tolerate). Because I was weighing and calculating proportions and quantities, I decided to translate all my activity into the following three recipes for sharing. The MyFitnessPal app on my smartphone did the rest of the calculations for any really anal people who need the specifics about the calories and nutrition, which are also transposed here.

Smokey Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

4        Red Bell Peppers, halved with cores, seeds, and green stems removed
2 Tbsp        Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Coat the bottom of a heatproof dish with olive oil as well as brush the outer skin of the pepper halves. Place and arrange the halves with the skin side up in the dish and put into the oven on the broil setting. Cook until the waxy skin of the peppers begins to blister and turn black. Remove from the oven, and then put the pepper halves into a ziplock bag. Press out the air, seal the bag, and allow the peppers to cool until lukewarm or cooler. Peel off and discard the blistered and blackened waxy skin away from the flesh of the pepper halves (the back of a knife works well). Once skinned, chop the pepper halves into fine bits. While the peppers are broiling, sauté

1        Small Onion, finely chopped in
1 Tbsp        Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and

Small pinch of salt

 

Once the onion is sautéed until translucent, add it with the peppers into a pot of at least 4 litre capacity* with

1 ¼ Cup        Chicken Stock
200 mL         Tomato Sauce

Heat the mixture to a boil, and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Using an immersion blender, purée the contents until it is a smooth and even consistency. While simmering, use a whisk to blend in

1 Tbsp        Smoked paprika
 
The whisking will also help remove some remaining bits of waxy pepper skin that may have been left on the pepper flesh.

Add salt to taste. Makes about 3 servings. Recommend serving with crackers or croutons.

Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 188; Total Fat (g) 10.9: Saturated (g) 1.7, Polyunsaturated (g) 1.3, Monounsaturated (g) 7.3, Trans (g) 0; Cholesterol (mg) 3.0; Sodium (mg) 844; Potassium (mg) 278.3; Carbs (g) 17.2; Fibre (g): 4.4; Sugar (g) 9.5; Protein (g) 5.2
Daily Percentage Value of: Vitamin A – 25.1%, Vitamin C – 9.7%, Calcium – 1.8%, Iron – 8.5%

 
Cauliflower and Roasted Garlic Dip

Take a whole garlic bulb and slice off the root end, and on the exposed root end drizzle about a teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a small sprinkle of salt. Wrap the bulb in a square of aluminum foil and place on a heatproof dish with the cut end facing upwards. Broil for about 15-20 minutes or until the bulb begins to soften. When cool enough to handle, remove the aluminum foil, and then peel the skins away from the cloves.

Add all the roasted garlic cloves to

400 g        Cooked and mashed Cauliflower, and
½ Cup        Plain Greek Yogurt, with a
Dash of salt and a sprinkle of Cayenne Pepper

Blend together with into a thick consistent purée. Chill before serving with crackers or raw vegetable sticks. Makes about 4 servings.

Nutrition per serving
Calories: 83; Total Fat (g) 2.3; Cholesterol (mg) 1.7; Sodium (mg) 350.8; Potassium (mg)72; Carbs (g) 12.7; Fibre (g) 2.1; Protein (g) 4.3
Daily Percentage Value of: Vitamin A - .5%, Vitamin C – 87.6%, Calcium – 8.4%, Iron – 4.1%

 
Lentil Hummus
 
500 g         Cooked Green Lentils (preferably grown in Saskatchewan)
½ Cup        Chopped Cilantro leaves
2 Tbsp        Tahini (Sesame Seed) paste
15        Pickled Hot Banana Pepper Rings
½ tsp        Ground Cumin
1        finely minced clove of raw garlic
1        Lemon's zest and juice
 
Drain lentils thoroughly, and then add the remaining ingredients in a high sided bowl. Use an immersion blender and whiz the mixture into a thick and even consistency. Use for dipping veggie sticks or crackers. Makes about 4 servings.

Nutrition per serving
Calories: 140; Fat (g) 4.9; Monounsaturated fat (g) 1.7; Cholesterol (mg) 0; Sodium (mg) 86.3; Potassium (mg) 53.1; Carbs (g) 16.2; Fibre (g) 0.6; Sugars (g) 1; Protein (g) 8
Daily Percentage Value of: Vitamin A – 2.7%, Vitamin C – 29.6%, Calcium - 3%, Iron – 4.1%
 
*- More so to keep from splattering the entire kitchen with redness when whizzing with the blender.