Common Purslane Is A Perennial Superfood Plant

Wow, I learn something new every day! I’m a city girl, and don’t know much about botany. Outside of well-known plants, I’m clueless. I did not know the following existed until last week! Here’s what I learned ...

Common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is exceptionally easy to grow and naturalized all over the world. It’s very adaptable in all climates, though it thrives in warm, sunny, and dry conditions. Somewhat invasive, it is a highly resilient, drought-tolerant succulent that grows as a weed in nearly all soils, preferring well-drained, sunny spots. It is a summer annual in cooler zones and a perennial in warm climates.

If you’re as ignorant as I am, you might be tempted to remove it from your backyard or cracks in your concrete and toss it into the garbage, but no, you shouldn’t! Here’s why:

Common purslane is a nutrient-dense superfood. It is packed with omega-3 fatty acids (the highest amount of any land-based plant), along with high levels of vitamins A, C, and E and minerals like magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium.

Its high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation in the body, the risk of strokes, and support a healthy heart. Its high content of antioxidants supports immunity and skin health. Its mineral richness supports bone health and regulates blood pressure. The plant also contains small amounts of vitamins B1, B2, B3, folate, copper, and phosphorus. This nutrient-dense powerhouse is low in calories at 16 calories per 100 grams. Studies indicate it also helps reduce insulin and blood sugar.

Purslane is a tasty weed that is categorized as a leafy green vegetable. It has a slightly salty and tart taste, and just like spinach or watercress, you can toss it in salads or on sandwiches. Mix it into grilled vegetables or add to stews.

Calorie for calorie, purslane is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on earth! It may look like a weed, but looks are deceiving! Now that I know what a common purslane is, I want to grow some in a flower pot. I’m curious to taste it. How about you?

One note of caution: If you find purslane in your neighborhood, be sure it hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals before eating it.

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Greek Yogurt Reese’s Cups

Both photos: Instagram here

I've been making my own version of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for years, sometimes for Christmas. I have never actually made cups, but I spread my mixture of peanut butter, eggs, and sugar onto a cookie sheet, bake it, top it with a melted block of chocolate, and then cut it into squares to eat. Delicious, here’s that recipe. 

There’s an entirely new recipe floating around the internet that I recently tried. Per serving, it has more grams of protein, no sugar or eggs, requires no baking, so it's faster and easier to make ... the reason I wanted to try it. There are too many uploads of the recipe to know who originated it ... and I tweaked the ingredients myself to improve it. Many of the posters use powdered peanut butter and protein powder, which I do not stock. A few add maple syrup. I think it's tasty without additional sweeteners. Another change I make is adding a tad of milk to the melted chocolate because after the chocolate melts, it re-hardens during the refrigeration stage, and you don’t get an even amount of chocolate with each bite. Making a chocolate ganache spreads more evenly and maintains its consistency as a chocolate topping. So the following is my version of the recipe, which is ultra satisfying:

Greek Yogurt Reese’s Cups

Ingredients:

2 cups of plain Greek yogurt

4 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter

1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips (or any chocolate you have)

1 tablespoon of milk, then add drops if needed

Optional: Sugar, dark bown sugar, honey, or maple syrup to taste. I omitted the sweetener.

Directions:

1) Soften the peanut butter in a microwave, then stir the Greek yogurt into it. If you buy peanut butter powder and/or protein powder, feel free to use them, but the recipe also works with just peanut butter. Add sweetner if using it. Pour into 2 dessert dishes.

2) In a separate bowl, combine your chocolate and milk and toss into a microwave to melt, then stir to make a ganache and spread over your 1st yogurt peanut butter mixture.

3) Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer. Makes two 1-cup servings.

This recipe is good for eating a healthy sweet as a lunch, which is how I ate it. There are days I don’t want a lot of lunch or a fussy lunch with a lot of cleanup, so this recipe is a keeper. Try it too if you wish!

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Breakfast Oatmeal Carrot Apple Cake

We violated this cake before I knew I’d post a photo of it.

I tweaked a recipe for a (no fat, no flour, no sugar) healthy cake because had I not done so, it would have been a big, uneditable glob of gooey mess. There is no way you can make a fluffy cake with just fruit, applesauce, and oatmeal. Oatmeal will always be chewy, and not in a good way, if you transform it from cereal to cake! Moreover, cake is not good with zero sweetness. Still, I was intrigued by the recipe. Life is not always an either-or situation! Sometimes you can eat a no-compromise, full-out, high-calorie cake, and at other times you might choose to eat a little healthier. IMHO, you’ll want a real carrot cake when hosting dinner guests; to satisfy a dessert craving, or on your birthday ... and the following Oatmeal Carrot Apple Cake for a Sunday breakfast:

Breakfast Oatmeal Carrot Apple Cake

oatmeal flakes, 2 cups ground in a food processor (Grinding makes oatmeal finer and less chewy because it absorbs more moisture.)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs

1 teaspoon lemon juice (Lemon juice, vinegar, or buttermilk are 3 ingredients that causes baking soda to rise.)

1 cup applesauce

1 cup milk

2 small apples, shredded (about 1 cup)

1 cup carrots, shredded

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup raisins (I add to keep a sheet cake moist for extra days.)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice (or the equivalent of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice)

Butter to grease the baking pan.

Directions:

1) Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl, one by one. I stirred with a fork.

2) Thickly butter a 9” by 9”  square baking pan. There’s no other fat in the cake!

3) Pour and spread the cake batter, then pop it into a preheated 350 degree F oven. Bake for about 30 minutes.

4) Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Low-Fat Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese

About 2 cups (or more) of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Mix and keep adding powdered sugar until you get the desired thickness.

2) Spread on top of the cake.

So what did I add to the Facebook recipe?: Flour, sugar, milk, lemon juice (your cake won’t rise without it), raisins, butter for the pan, and a low-fat cream cheese frosting. Whoever posted the original recipe did not make the cake. If they had, they wouldn’t have ended up with cake! You don’t have to be a professional baker to know it.

What motivated me to make this recipe was ... I had all the ingredients in my pantry, and a bowl of oatmeal didn't sound all that appealing. This is how my senior mom and I are eating our oatmeal this Sunday morning. A close enough 2nd to real full-fat carrot cake to be tasty. Good texture like carrot cake. Breakfast oatmeal, our way!

I’ll leave 2 links below for traditional and flakier carrot cakes to eat, not for breakfast but as dessert.🥕

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Milk Street’s Stir-Fried Cumin Tofu

Photo: Milk Street

Take a look at what I’m making for dinner tonight! Often, I have a packaged block of tofu in my refrigerator. It’s a no-fuss protein that rarely spoils, and usually I toss cubes of it into my sesame noodles to make the dish more substantial. Tofu makes quick meals in less than 30 minutes!

So how thrilling to come across another fast meal that uses totu! Cumin is a strong spice, but when used in the right amount, it’s super tasty. I love cumin on roasted carrots, among other foods. In this dish, we’ll use cumin and red pepper flakes to spice what is, on its own, flavorless tofu.

The recipe featured on a 2022 episode of Milk Street was shared with Katu here. Check out both websites. I love watching Milk Street episodes. For our convenience, I’ll also put the recipe below. If only linking, it might disappear one day, and as a reader of online content myself, I appreciate not having to click, click, click just to see a recipe:

Milk Street’s Stir-Fried Cumin Tofu

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
14-ounce container firm OR extra-firm tofu, drained, patted dry, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick planks
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly crushed OR 2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

In a pie plate or shallow bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Add the tofu and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Pat the tofu dry in the pie plate. Sprinkle with the cornstarch and toss to coat, gently pressing to adhere.

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the tofu, distributing it in an even layer, and cook until golden brown and crisp on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the tofu and cook until golden brown on the second side, another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Wipe out the skillet.

In the same skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until barely smoking. Add the onion and cumin; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is charred in spots and slightly softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper flakes, then cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the tofu, remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of water. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Off heat, taste and season with salt and black pepper.

Debra’s Tweaks:

I’ll either tenderize broccoli florets or mixed vegetables (green beans, carrots, corn, and peas) to toss into the dish after the onions are charred. Perhaps I’d also make brown rice as a side for a complete dinner. This would also make a delicious dinner if you had a dinner guest over, by adding a glass of wine and a cheese platter while they wait for this main course to arrive on the table!

Fast food never has to be junk food!

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A Fire Blanket For Your Home

A very inexpensive safety tool to consider for your kitchen, fireplace, or grill area is a fire-retardant blanket. In the event of an accidental fire, you toss the blanket over the flame to smother it out before it spreads to the rest of your home. It’s a safety precaution you could prepare every member of your family to know how to handle in such an emergency.

The fire-retardant blanket sells for as low as $5 on online retailer Temu, and it is available at Walmart and Amazon.

Made from 100% flame-resistant fiberglass, it forms an airtight seal to quickly cut off oxygen and suffocate the flames. It has a 6 year shelf life, so there’s no need to replace it often. I have no idea what elements go bad in the blanket, but time seems to spoil many material things.

It’s a very practical, low-cost tool to keep your home a little safer.

If you wish to invest more, you could also buy a fire extinguisher. You’d have to have a place for family members to easily grab it, and they must learn how to aim and spray it. The blanket requires less mechanical know-how, but the low cost means if you wish, you likely could buy both fire extinguishing tools for your home. 

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9 Tips To Curb Hunger

As we age, it gets tougher to maintain the slender bodies of our youth. I do the best I can, but with each decade of life, I have accumulated a few extra pounds. Our metabolism slows, making it easier to put on weight and harder to shed those pounds.

A woman I went to school with rides bicycles for miles and miles and miles to burn calories, and only eats one meal a day. I’ve known daily joggers, too, but I don’t have the time or desire for hours and hours and hours of exercise. Walking 20 blocks or riding a stationary bike for 30 minutes is what I can sustain.

I’ll accept the inevitability of a few extra pounds, and yet I won’t let myself go completely; therefore, I must eat less food. Moreover, I also don’t wish to rely on drugs to suppress my hunger. So how do I control my appetite?

Here’s what I do to maintain a healthy body weight by curbing hunger:

1) Eat enough protein in each meal -- 30 grams or higher.

2) Drink a cup of skim milk with dinner. It keeps me full longer. 

3) Mostly eat 3 meals a day. If not hungry for breakfast or lunch, I may skip one of them, but usually I do eat a modest breakfast and lunch, and a dinner containing a protein, a starch, and vegetables. Another friend of mine only eats 2 meals a day, but usually I need 3 meals, and a small snack at night.

4) When hunger strikes in between meals, I see if drinking hot coffee or tea with skim milk quells my hunger pangs. Lately, I’m also trying Haymaker's Punch in between meals.

5) If all else fails, I’ll eat 1 or 2 pieces of fruit -- an apple, orange, pear, or banana, which I consider free food on days I’m hungrier. A carrot, celery stalks, bites of leftover cooked butternut squash or green beans, 5 - 10 almonds or walnuts, or a few Saltine crackers sometimes work as after-dinner snacks.

I cut up fruit and top it with nuts.

6) I avoid processed food and eat real food. It tastes better and is more filling.

7) I limit how often I eat carbs per day and usually save them for dinner. Eating lots of carbs a day only whets my appetite, yet doesn’t stifle my hunger.

8) I never eat sweets mindlessly anymore. Sweets are always a planned treat, like birthday cake, Christmas cookies, or Halloween candy. Sugar isn’t healthy for anybody. Especially as we age, we must limit our intake of sugar for health and weight reasons. As it turns out, the less sugar we eat, the less we crave. Outside of planned treats, I’ll only take 2 bites of a sweet.

9) Avoid lunch clubs with overweight people. Meet for coffee, walks in the park, or to discuss books. Don’t surround yourself with folks who live to eat often at pricy restaurants, but with people who eat to live and have healthier ways of socializing. Such meals are too rich and high in calories. You’d be wasting your time and money by not indulging when restaurant-hopping. Don’t put yourself in a position where it’s a mainstay activity instead of a special occasion like a family birthday or anniversary. It also helps to have a small, contained family, in lieu of 10 siblings.😛

I wish it weren’t so, but our metabolism changes, and so must what, how much, and when we eat. It’s a shame we have to put so much thought into eating, isn’t it? Unfortunately, we do!😣 

How do you control your appetite to maintain an acceptable (if not your youthful) weight?

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Have You Heard Of Haymaker’s Punch?

Photos: iStock

Haymaker’s Punch is a homemade hydration drink familiar to Colonial Americans that throughout the years farmers continued to drink during long hot days of working out in their fields. Also called Switchel, its benefits in addition to hydration are electrolyte balance, aiding digestion, boosting antioxidants, probiotics, and energy, plus managing blood sugar. It’s easy enough to make:

Haymakers Punch

Ingredients:

4 cups of ice cold water

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (I think organic has a better taste, so I’ve switched.)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried ginger (or juice)

3 tablespoons of sweetener - Use honey, dark brown sugar; or Stevia to taste, i.e., whatever you like.

Optional: Sparkling water to top it off. Try 1 to 3 parts.

Directions:

Toss all the ingredients into a pitcher. Mix thoroughly and chill for a couple of hours for flavors to marry (as chefs say) before serving.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac recipe of Haymarker’s Punch is here. More old-fashioned natural hydration drinks are here.

Cocktail: FC-here

So I tried it. Although I don’t dislike it, I think it’s an acquired taste. For such as old drink that goes back 250+ years, it’s new to me! 

Healthier than soda, better tasting than lemon and hot water or vinegar and water (2 morning drink fabs). It has a tang but I don’t taste vinegar as much as ginger and lemon, so its more like a ginger-lemon ale. 

Sometimes we want a drink that is more than plain ole water, so I’m willing to give it a few tries. Certainly, I don’t hate it, and it may grow on me. How about you?

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Greek Yogurt + Fixings For An Easy Breakfast

I know the importance of a good breakfast but don’t have an appetite in the mornings due to busyness. 

With coffee I’ll just eat 2 Digestive Biscuits before getting my elderly mom up, freshened up, dressed, then microwaving her morning meal, either an omelette with cheese or ham and whole grain bread; or (2) a bowl of oatmeal with milk, peanut butter, a handful of chopped walnuts, fruit and a sprinkle of brown sugar on top. She has a good breakfast, but mine lacks the protein I need to start the day.

Many of us get extra busy in December so here’s a better breakfast that’s easy to eat and easy to cleanup with no pots or pans needed to make it:

Greek Yogurt Bowl

1 cup of Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon of peanut butter
fruit -- various to select throughout the week such as a handful of blueberries or strawberries. Half of banana. Chopped peaches, pears, or apples. (like the fruit I add to my mother’s oatmeal.)

3 walnuts

3 almonds - whole or chopped
1 teaspoon of one minute oatmeal

1 teaspoon of ground flaxseeds

a sprinkle of dark brown sugar or honey when I feel like it.

BTW, protein drinks are a decent fast breakfast, but are no substitutes for real food which is always the better choice. Protein shakes can be too heavy in minerals if consumed daily.

Greek yogurt with the addition of nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans), seeds (flaxseeds, sunflower, chia, pumpkin) and whole grains (oatmeal, millet, quinoa) is a healthy no fuss breakfast with enough protein and fiber.

When we know better, we really should do better. I will! With only one bowl to wash this breakfast gets the job done. 

On Friday, I’ll post a recipe for the perfect energy-hydration drink that’s been around since the time of our Founding Fathers! Do you have any guesses?

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Sweet Potato Pie

We made a sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving. Very easy and likely a tad healthier than store bought pie. I used this pie dough recipe previously shared. Mostly I buy pies at Fairway, but if I do bake a pie, I go all the way by making the crust too. If I go to the store because I don’t want to make a crust, I don’t return with a frozen shell but a delectable finished pie from Frairway, never going near the freezer. Done and ready to eat!

After making my crust, I made the sweet potato filling.

Sweet Potato Pie

30 ounces - about 4 cups microwaved, peeled and mashed sweet potatoes. {Feel free to use 2-15 ounce cans of sweet potatoes.  If using fresh mashed sweet potatoes you can add 2 teaspoons of white sugar. Canned ones are usually sweeten. If in light syrup, pour out the liquid.)

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning (or cinnamon)

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

A sprinkle of dried ginger

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter, softened - Use 2 - 3 tablespoons if you wish.

1/2 cup milk - I used 1%, but cream or evaporated milk is creamier.

2 large eggs

Optional: I tossed in 1/2 cup of applesauce for moisture and mass since I didn’t use the cream and lightened up the butter.

 

Directions:

1) One by one, I tossed the ingredients into a mixing bowl and incorporated them with an electric mixer.

2) Pour into your prepared pie shell. I didn’t do it, but if you put foil on the dough/crust edges after it bakes for 1/2 hour, it stays moisturer while the rest of the pie finishes baking. I could eat my crust fine but would have taken this extra step for guests. Heck, I’d have used cream for them too. We try to lighten up desserts for just ourselves.

3) In a preheated 350 degree F oven, bake for 50 - 55 minutes.

Remove, cool and slice. Enjoy!

image: Google

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How To Eat Split Peas If Not As Soup?

When temperatures drop, we make lots of homemade soups including split pea, lentil and bean. However, several of my friends and neighbors are pea soup haters, so we can’t share a batch and end up eating pea soup a day or two longer than we wish. Split peas are a rich source of protein, fiber, iron, folate, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. Although I like its creamy texture, after my last batch I began to wonder what else could I do with split peas?

 It turns out, cooked split peas can be turned into nutritious dips, pesto or mixed with avocados to add protein to guacamole. Dips, pesto and guacamole are dangerous as we usually eat much more than a single serving! The dish I’ll try is an easy and chunky split pea salad -- food to chew!

Split Pea Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup green split peas, cooked

2 cups water

1 large chicken or any flavor bouillon

2 cups of chopped plum tomatoes (or any variety)

14 oz corn, cooked

1 medium onion, diced

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup organic vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon dijon or brown mustard

2 teaspoons or garlic to taste - fresh or dry powered work.

1 teaspoon or black pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

A sprinkle of soy sauce

More salt if needed after a taste.

1-2 teaspoons honey

Directions:

1) In a pot on the stove top bring the water and bouillon to a boil, then pour in the dry split peas. Cook uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes until the water evaporates. Remove the cooked peas to cool. With a shorter cooking time, they will soften without disintegrating into soup.

2) Toss all the vegetables and spices into to a big salad bowl and incorporate.

Optional step: If you want to get fancy, garnish with shredded extra sharp cheddar and chopped parsley.

Eat at room temperature or chill. Add brown rice, pasta, or quinoa for a complete protein and meal.

Split pea soup is healthy, filling and comforting. I’ll still make it this fall and winter, but I also look forward to trying something new, split peas not turned into a soup. The pea haters of the world don’t know what they’re missing.😋

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10 Superfoods Backed By Science

I’ve willing to try broccoli sprouts.

According to Harvard Health, John Hopkins, and other medical experts, the following are Superfoods based on science, i.e. backed by controlled studies proven to keep humans healthy:

1) Broccoli Spouts - are 3 to 4 day old broccoli plants that look like alfalfa sprouts, but taste like radishes. They are super rich in glucosinolate, an antioxidant that stops free radicals from hooking up to form cancer. The whole cruciferous family of vegetables including broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are super stars, but broccoli sprouts are like the espresso of coffee concentrated in glucosinolate.

2) Skim milk - Infants and toddlers need the fatty acids in whole milk to grow properly. For older children and adults the main benefit from drinking milk is its calcium. Skimming the milk leaves the milk with a greater percentage of calcium, 306 mg for skim vs 285 mg for whole milk per 8 oz cup.

3) Whole grains - Contain vitamins, minerals and fiber. They also have plant compounds similar to cholesterol that blocks your body from absorbing bad cholesterol.

4) Beans - The dietary fiber in beans flush cholesterol out of your body. You can count peas and peanut butter, which are also legumes, in a healthy diet.

5) Oranges - An orange a day provides an adult with a full dose of vitamin C + folate, heart-healthy B vitamins, fiber and hesperidia, a blood vessel booster found in the white spongy pith.

6) Salmon - Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids contribute to heart health by reducing triglycerides (the main constituents of natural fats and oils; high concentrations of triglycerides in the blood indicate a high risk of stroke), lowering blood pressure, and preventing plaque buildup. Additionally, omega-3s may reduce inflammation, which is linked to chronic conditions like arthritis and heart disease, and support brain function to prevent age-related decline such as dementia. In cooked canned salmon, you can also eat the calcium rich bones.

7) Dark chocolate - Contains antioxidants called flavonoids to make blood less sticky reducing the risk of clogged arteries. Eat a serving of 1.6 oz repeatedly over the course of a week to benefit. Also present is the mood enhancer phenylethyl. Good to know!

8) Tomatoes are high in vitamin C and lycopene, which has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. You must cook the tomatoes, though, for your body to metabolize the lycopene.

9) Olive oil contains vitamin E, polyphenols, and monounsaturated fatty acids, all which help reduce the risk of heart disease. Olive oil is 71% oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat. Studies suggest that oleic acid reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, and may even have beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer.

10) Berries are high in antioxidants such as anthocyanins, which may slowdown the cell damage caused by free radicals responsible for aging and disease. It turns out inflammation is very bad for our bodies. Berries reduce inflammation due to their high content of antioxidants, such as flavonoids and anthocyanins, which help fight oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Compounds like anthocyanins give berries their vibrant colors and have been shown in studies to lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, and protect against inflammation-related diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Many of us already know how healthy most of these 10 superfoods are, but once in a while we need a reminder least we forget. Bon Appetite!

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