- Ramadan
- Flavour of the Month: Practical Parsley
- Article of the Month: Végétarisme et diabète
- Cooking Tips: A selection of miscellaneous cooking tips
- Recipe Update
- General News and Site Update
- Lentil Soup (Shourbet Adas) (vegan)
- Baba Ganoush (Eggplant Spread) (vegan)
- Fattoush Salad (vegan)
- Tabbouleh Salad (vegan)
- Vegetarian Khoresche Esfanaj (vegan)
- Couscous Beidaoui (vegan)
- Baked Eggplant (vegan)
- Sesame Cookies for Ramadan (lacto)
- Rice Pudding (Ruz Bilhaleeb) (lacto)
- Feasts of the Prophet - Ramadan and vegetarianism in Islam http://www.veg.on.ca/newsletr/janfeb96/Islam_recipes.html
- Tanpa Daging Masakan - The Vegetarian Culture of Malaysia http://www.veg.on.ca/lifelines/sepoc/malaysia.htm
- Islam and vegetarianism http://www.islamveg.com
- Captain Clint's Place - Ramadan on the Web http://capt.clint.home.mindspring.com/ramadan.html
- Allrecipes.com - Ramadan http://allrecipes.com/cb/w2m/seaspec/holiday/ramadan/default.asp
-
Tabbouleh
Salad (vegan)
-
Couscous
Beidaoui (vegan)
-
Lentil
Soup (Shourbet Adas) (vegan)
- Grilled Veggie and Pasta Salad (vegan)
- Milan Seitan Steaks (vegan)
- Three Bean Salad (vegan)
- Couscous Beidaoui (vegan)
- Vegetarian Khoresche Esfanaj (vegan)
- Baba Ganoush (Eggplant Spread) (vegan)
- Rice Pudding (Ruz Bilhaleeb) (lacto)
- Baked Eggplant (vegan)
- Fattoush Salad (vegan)
- Tabbouleh Salad (vegan)
- Lentil Soup (Shourbet Adas) (vegan)
- Sesame Cookies for Ramadan (lacto)
-
Spirite Restaurant and Lounge
-
Le Soleil
- Upstairs Jazz Club Bar New Review
- La Faim du Monde New Location!
November 2000
In this issue:
This year Islam’s holy month of Ramadan begins on November 27th in Canada (which incidentally is the day of our National election), so I thought it interesting and appropriate to write a few words about this holiday and to share some recipes of vegetarian food commonly consumed during this time.
Historically, Ramadan marks the period when Islam’s founder, the Prophet Mohammed, received the holy words from Allah (God) and put them down into the Koran in the 7th Century AD. During this period, Muslims follow a form of worship that realigns the body and the spirit. Ramadan takes places starting at the first sighting of the new waxing moon marking the start of the ninth month of the year in the Islamic calendar. It lasts for a full lunar cycle. During this period, Muslims abstain from food, drink and other sensual pleasures between sunrise and sunset. The aspects of fasting during the day and celebrating at night, represent the physical and spiritual parts of the Muslim. This duality reminds the observer that a right balance of physical and spiritual needs is necessary,
Fasting is not considered necessary for all Muslims. The elderly and sick are excluded from the physical stresses of fasting as are children, pregnant or nursing mothers and the mentally impaired.
Fasting is broken as soon as the sun sets and there is no more light visible in the sky. The fast should be broken with fresh dates (rutub or tamr), or regular table dates. If dates are not available, any fruit or water will do. The breaking of the fast is followed by prayer and a family meal. (1)
Now we get to the vegetarian part. While not vegetarian, Mohammed was believed to prefer vegetarianism due to his compassion for animals. Most of the food traditionally served at Ramadan is vegetarian, and some households will eat only vegetarian foods during this holy month, although fish is also permitted (2, 3).
1. Essentials of Ramadan, The Fasting
Month. http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/pillars/fasting/tajuddin/fast_1.html
2. Julian Bynoe. Feasts of
the Prophet - Ramadan and vegetarianism in Islam. http://www.veg.on.ca/newsletr/janfeb96/Islam_recipes.html.
3. Elijah Muhammad. How To Eat To
Live - Book I.
Recipes for Ramadan
Other Links:
Practical Parsley (or the devil's meat)
Parsley seems to have been around since the beginnings of recorded culinary history. Greek legend says that parsely originated from the blood of Archemorus as he was eaten by serpents. Consequently parsely was often used in funerary rites and it was customary to stew the leaves over corpses and to make parsley wreaths to decorate tombs. In European folklore, the plant's slow germination gave rise to the folk names of devil's oatmeal or devil's meat because it was believed that the went down to the devil seven times before the plant would grow. In Europe in the middle ages, parsely was used in death magic and if served with meals it was believed to prevent drunkenness. The Romans used parsely primarily as a flavouring and a breath-freshener. They also believed that the plant caused impotence.
Herbalists consider parsely a kidney and liver tonic, as well as a digestive. Parsely was traditionally used to treat swollen eyes and epilepsy, but is now more commonly used in a tea to help treat bladder problems, rheumatism and flatulence. Washing you face with parsley water is said to help clear your complexion. Parsley is also a very nutritous herb. It is a great source of vitamin C and folate, and is also rich in iron, calcium and vitamins A and B. Despite being an excellent source of folate, too much parsley may not be good for pregnant women since it may promote menstruation.
As a culinary herb, Parsley brings out the flavour of foods and combines especially well with other herbs. It is versatile, being used as both a garnish and as a vegetable in its own right for recipes like tabouleh (parsley salad). Parsely is a common ingredient in many herb butters and sauces. England's parsley sauce, traditionally served with fish, and Frances's sauce tartare and sauce ravigote are another two examples. Persillade is a French blend of chopped parsley and shallots is traditionally added to dishes at the end of cooking to enhance both the flavour and appearance of the dish. In northern Europe, parsley is sometimes deep fried as part of a fondue.
Parsley is a biennial plant native to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. It was later introduced to the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. It is widely cultivated as a garden herb in Europe and North America and prefers rich, moist soils. The plant itself is about 2 feet tall, with a stout taproot and branching stems. The bright green leaves are deeply segmented and tightly turned over in the most common variety found in northern Europe and North America. Another variety with flat leaves is more commonly used in southern Europe. In its second year, the plant gets small yellowish-green flowers which appear in the early summer. Parsely freezes well and, although available, is unsuccessful dried. For tips on freezing parsley, visit Drying and Storing Herbs.
Parsley recipes:
Josiane Gagnon. Végétarisme et diabète. Le Clinician 2000;Août:31-39.
Vegetarianism is a good healthy dietary choice for most people but may be especially healthful for treating and/or preventing type 2 diabetics. Studies have shown that diets rich in complex carbohydrates and dietary fibre, and low in saturated fat are beneficial to helping type 2 diabetics control their blood sugar levels, even, in some cases, enabling them to reduce medications. A vegetarian diet fits this profile and has also been shown to help reduce the risk of devulopping cardiovscular diseases like high cholesterol and high blood pressure, ailments commonly associated with diabetes. This review article concludes that a vegetarian diet can therefore help stabilise glycemia in diabetics as well as reducing their risk of having cardiovascular disease complications. Site of the Month
Sorry no site this month. Cooking Tips
Adding yogourt to recipes while cooking:
To prevent curdling, whisk the yogourt until smooth and then add to the hot dish slowly.
Peeling tomatoes:
Drop the tomatoes
into boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove and drain under cold, running
water and then gently rub the peel off the tomatoes.
Cleaning chilis:
Pull out stalks of
the chilis and, holding them under cold running water, slit them open with
a sharp knife. Remove the seeds. (The seeds are hottest part
of the chili and can be used in recipes if you really want a strong "kick".)
Be careful not to put your hands near your eyes whem handling chilis.
For particularly strong chilis, wearing disposable gloves is advisable.
Toasting fresh chilis:
Remove the seeds of
the chilis and cut the flesh into large flat strips. Place them on
a baking sheet and broil the chilis in the top of the oven until the skin
is blistering and black. Remove from the grill and then place the
chilis in a plastic bag or container to steam for 20 minutes. This
will make the chilis easy to peel if peeling is necessary. This also
works for common peppers.
Toasting large dried
chilis:
Remove the seeds of
the chilis and tear the chili itself into large flat peices. Heat
a frying pan until very hot. Place flat strips of chilis in the pan,
holding them down with a fork or spatula for a few seconds on each side.
Do not allow them to burn or they will become bitter.
Braising vegetables:
Cook veggies over
moderate heat with sufficient vegetable stock to cover them. Reduce
the liquid to 15 percent (one sixth) of the original amount and then add
seasonings to make a sauce.
I added or modified reviews for the following restaurants:
I've also started to add a section on
Montreal's districts and neighbourhoods. Additions and suggestions
are always welcome.
In the next few weeks look for two new
sections to the web page.
First will be a section for vegetarian poetry,
spoken word, lyrics or creative prose. Second will be a page devoted to
Veggie International, a small but growing vegetarian network based here
in Montreal.
Monthly Electronic Newsletter,
e-mail Amandas_Kitchen-subscribe@egroups.com
| or go to the e-groups
web site to subscribe |
If you have comments or suggestions,
email AmandasKitchen@yahoo.ca
|
vegetarian and vegan cooking to everyone's kitchen. |
Disclaimer: This newsletter and the Amanda's Kitchen web site are not prepared by a registered dietician, nurse, doctor or other medically-qulaified individual. Any health and nutrition information provided by Amanda's Kitchen is designed to support, not replace, information provided by a registered dietician or healthcare provider. Where appropriate, Amanda's Kitchen has endeavoured to support information contained on the site and newsletter by providing references to source data and, where possible, specific HTML links.
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