TODAY is Independence Day. On this day, October 1, Nigeria became an independent country from British rule. Independence Day of Nigeria is celebrated with great zeal. A lot of activities such as selling and buying of Nigerian foods, clothing, flags, souvenirs and many more go on. Today on our healthyeating column, we focus on vegetable rice served with avocado shake as one of the many wholesome foods that can be used to mark Independence Day.Vegetable rice is very delicious; it tastes good and is a favourite food to many people. It has rice, vegetables such as red, green pepper, tomatoes, onion, carrot, chicken and rice as its base ingredients.We all know that vegetables are good sources of vitamins (vitamin C, A, E and fibre) and phytochemical (chemical substance that are found in plants) and they have many health benefits. Heath officials, doctors, dieticians are always telling us to consume as much vegetables as we can because of their many health benefits.Apart from vitamins and phytochemical from vegetables, this nutritious dish also supplies a high biological protein (from chicken used for preparation), calcium and iron, which have both preventive and healing properties.Consumption of vegetable rice helps in preventing many illnesses such as constipation (difficulty and infrequent evacuating of excessively hard faeces), diverticulitis (intestinal disorder that results to little holes forming in the sides of the intestine), cancer, obesity (excess fat in the body), premature aging, and cardiovascular diseases (heart disease), which include hypertension, stroke, and arteriosclerosis (clogged a or blocked artery as a result of fat and cholesterol deposit).There are many other health benefits that one can get from eating vegetable rice. Use this nutritious dish to mark the Independence Day and enjoy all its health benefits.IngredientsQuantitiesRice 350gChicken1kgGreen beans 100gRed pepper(tatashe)2 mediumGreen pepper1 mediumTomatoes Onion 1 medium bulbGarlic2 clovesCarrot2 medium sizeOlive oil8 teaspoonsMaggi cubes 2Thyme (half) teaspoonCurry powder (half) teaspoonSaltA pinchMethod of preparation' Wash and parboil the rice.' Peel and chop the onion.' Season the chicken with slices of onions, maggi cube, salt, thyme and curry powder.' Remove the threads, chop and wash the green beans.' Peel and chop the carrots.' Boil the green beans and carrots in salted water and drain.' Wash and crush the tomatoes.' Peel and chop the garlic.' Wash the red, green pepper and cut into cubes.' Heat the ol in a large flat frying pan and saut the onion, when it becomes transparent, add the crushed tomatoes, pepper and the vegetables stir for two minutes.' Add the parboiled rice.' Keep stirring and add little salt.' Simmer for about 5 minutes.' Add the seasoned chicken, chopped garlic and reduce heat continue simmering until the rice is done (tender, loose and dry).' Remove from heat and let set for 5 minutes.' Arrange in a serving dish and decorate with sweet red and green pepper (red and green tatashe)' Serve hot with chilled (cold) Avocados shake.Avocado shakeThe mixture of avocado, apple, honey and milk makes a very pleasant, refreshing and nutritious drink. It is rich in vitamins C, flavonoid and magnsium. It also supplies potassium, fibre and B and possesses many therapeutic / healing properties. Intake of avocado shake provides energy to the muscle cell, helps facilitate relaxed sleep and preventa constipation.It also prevents liver disorders, asthma attacks and has protective effect upon the arteries.Ingredients QuantitiesAvocados2 medium sizeApples2 medium sizeMilk200ml (4/5 cup)Honey2 tablespoonsMethod of preparation' Peel, empty out the seeds and chop the apple and the avocado.' Place all the ingredients (apple, avocado, milk, and honey) in a container.' Blend until a consistent, lump-free mixture is obtained.' Serve cold with vegetable rice.E-mail: chineloeby@yahoo.com
Click here to read full news..
