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Delicious Carcinogens: Beware, Popular Foods Can Grow Cancerous Cells

In many cases, cancer is linked to an unhealthy diet. Luckily, you can influence them yourself. By avoiding the following 5 foods, you prevent cancer.

Tasty but carcinogenic: These foods “feed” cancer cells

Research on the subject of nutrition and health is constantly coming up with new findings. Due to the large number of studies, it is sometimes difficult to keep track. In addition, there are sometimes contradictory results.

Stiftung Warentest categorizes five popular types of food that are suspected of promoting cancer. However, not all of them are clear to what extent they actually promote cancer. For example, the effect of milk is controversial (see below). Nevertheless worrying: All five end up on the plate or in the glass of many people every day.
Processed meat (sausage)
(Red meat
milk
alcohol
sugar

1. Processed meat: highest cancer risk level

The results on processed meat are particularly alarming: The “WHO” even classifies sausage, ham, cured, smoked and salted meat products as having the highest cancer risk level 1 – and thus on a level with tobacco smoking. Although the risk of dying from the effects of smoking is 175 times higher, processed meat is said to be responsible for 34,000 deaths worldwide every year.

The WHO therefore recommends eating as little sausage as possible, as it promotes cancer formation. According to test.de, “frequent daily consumption of more than 50 grams can increase the risk of colon cancer by 18 percent”. The recommendation for red meat is as little as possible up to a maximum of 500 grams per week. So steak and ground beef are also carcinogenic?

The findings of the “International Agency for Research on Cancer” are not quite as clear here, which is why red meat is classified as “probably carcinogenic” (category 2A). However, a connection with colon, pancreas and prostate cancer is also possible here. According to current assessments, poultry, game and offal are not of concern.

2. Milk: causes and prevents cancer

The results on milk are particularly interesting: While small amounts, i.e. 0.2 to 0.8 liters, can protect against colon cancer, consumption in large quantities is said to increase the risk of cancer. According to the German Society for Nutrition, calcium from dairy products can increase the risk of prostate cancer in men.

In women, on the other hand, small amounts of milk may protect against breast cancer.

One looks in vain for milk on the list of the WHO or the IARC. This does not mean that milk cannot be carcinogenic in certain cases. However, the current research situation does not allow milk to be clearly classified as carcinogenic.

3. Alcohol and sugar: directly and indirectly carcinogenic

According to the WHO, the influence of alcohol is clearer: “Alcohol increases the risk of cancer in any quantity.” The IARC assigns alcohol to Category 1. This means that just complete abstinence eliminates the negative effects of alcohol. However, the more you drink, the higher the risk. It also doesn’t matter which type of alcohol: each is considered a risk factor for various types of cancer in the oral cavity, esophagus, throat, liver, colon and breast.

If you don’t want to do without, you should follow this rule of thumb: women should only have one drink a day and men should have a maximum of two drinks a day, experts advise. A drink is already 0.1 liters of wine or 0.3 liters of beer.

Conclusion: A healthy diet has a major impact on the development of cancer

A balanced and healthy diet with lots of fruit, vegetables and legumes makes more sense.
However, the risk of developing cancer can never be completely eliminated. Even if you completely avoid the foods mentioned, do a lot of sport and eat healthily, you can still get a malignant tumor.

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Delicious Menu Ideas for Grilling

Tasty and easy ideas for grilling. Regardless of whether you want to grill salads, a vegetarian grill menu, or a juicy piece of meat, there is no season for the true friend of the barbecue. Because barbecuing is possible all year round.

Whether it’s traditional meat, delicacies for vegetarians, crusty bread, or desserts and fruit: we’ll show you the best recipes for your grill menu. Because nowadays not only meat is on the grill. Your barbecue menu can be more varied than ever.

Preparation of a grill menu

If you have invited a lot of friends to the barbecue, you have to prepare for many different tastes and preferences. You’re probably asking yourself a lot of questions: What’s the best way to prepare side dishes? Can a grill be easily converted into a smoker? And what equipment is necessary to bake a cake on the grid?

Many modern devices are equipped with several grates. This allows you to prepare several components of a dish at the same time. If you want to conjure up an entire menu from the grill, you need ideas for grilling, good planning, and space on the fire. With our tips and grilling recipes, the next barbecue will be an unlimited pleasure.

1) The appetizers for grilling

Finger food is a good place to start your menu. You can fall back on countless recipes that are otherwise known for conventional preparation methods. Especially when it comes to skewers, there are no limits to your imagination. So you can combine fruity ingredients with hearty ones. Use pieces of vegetables with meat, pumpkin with shrimps, or figs with bacon. The appeal lies in diversity and variety.

2) Side dishes for your grill menu

Simple side dishes for your grill menu are quickly prepared and prepared. Grilling vegetables or potatoes baked in aluminum foil are suitable for this, for example. Bread or baguette can also be baked directly on the grill for your barbecue. Basically, the larger the bread, the longer the cooking time. Therefore, it is usually advisable to bake “small rolls” for a menu. As a result, the valuable cooking surface is not occupied for too long. You should also prepare salads for grilling as a fresh side dish.

3) Grill fish, meat, tofu, and co

For the preparation of meat, fish, and vegetarian specialties, modern devices are equipped for any type of preparation. Roasting devices for spit roasts, special presses for the perfect burger patty, but also roasting pans for the traditional Spanish plancha grill are now available in every well-stocked specialist shop.

Preparation of fish

Fish lovers can prepare a perfect menu with simple tips for grilling trout and fish. Because if you want, you can turn your kettle grill into a smoker in no time at all with the help of a screw-on flamed salmon board. In addition, the right herbs and spices can round off the menu.

Meat dishes

With good preparation, most dishes can be cooked later with little effort. Larger pieces of meat or a whole roast, wrapped in aluminum foil, can be prepared over medium heat without having to do much. In order not to leave anything to chance, the core temperature can be monitored with a roast thermometer. Depending on the size and type of food to be grilled, this will help determine the optimal cooking time. Also, note our tips for grilling chicken.

Vegetarian grill ideas

Many vegetarians don’t want to do without a barbecue. And that’s no problem! Pretty much any vegetable can be prepared deliciously on the grill. Vegetarian grilled dishes are suitable for everyone. Here you can buy delicious grilled cheese. Or prepare eggplant and corn on the cob for your vegetarian friends. Or put some watermelon and sheep’s cheese in aluminum foil and season it to taste.

4) Ideas for grilling dessert

There are also no limits to the imagination when it comes to dessert. Here, too, you can save time with clever preparation. You can try out creative ideas for grilling. How about grilling fruit or pastries?

Fruit and fruits

Grilling fruit is very popular and a great grilling idea. For this, you have to cut the fruit into pieces. After that, you can marinate it with spices like vanilla, cinnamon, lemon juice, or honey. This gives the fruits a special touch.

Sweet pastries for the grill

Alternatively, you can prepare sweet pastries, such as biscuits or small cakes, on the grid. Even with delicious puff pastry something is quickly conjured up. A grill with a lid, which can reach a high cooking temperature, is better suited for this than a simple open charcoal grill. But with biscuits or cakes, the smoky taste is usually not desired. That’s why you should use a gas grill here. Or use pizza stones. Since these cover a large part of the embers, they are well suited for this.

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Almonds: Healthy, Delicious and Unsustainable?

Almonds are popular in the kitchen and cosmetics and new products are constantly coming onto the market: almond milk, almond flour, almond cream, even almond-based vegan cheese is in the refrigerated section. Are such products really healthy and sustainable or just hip and delicious?

We clarify where the almonds come from in the trade, what varieties there are, what almond oil, almond milk and almond butter are all about – and how sustainable almond production is.

Where do the almonds come from?

Almond trees probably originally come from Southwest Asia, but this cannot really be clarified today, as it is not always clear whether the occurrence is wild or caused by planting. Today, wild almond trees grow particularly on the eastern Mediterranean coast, in Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. There are also almond trees in Germany – but not wild.

In the Vorderpfalz and on the southern wine route, the climatic conditions are suitable for almonds, so that almonds were grown there until the 1940s. To this day, the almond trees bloom in many places in the spring in a sweet pink. Globally, most almonds are now grown in the US, but about 10 percent of global almond cultivation takes place in the EU, mainly in the Mediterranean region.

Are there different types of almonds?

There are basically three groups of tonsils:
sweet almonds used in baking and desserts,
Cracked almonds for raw consumption in nut mixtures to crack and
Bitter almonds, which are used in small amounts to flavor liqueurs (Amaretto), for example. Due to their high content of hydrocyanic acid, among other things, bitter almonds are not suitable for consumption. During the production of the baking ingredient bitter almond oil, the hydrocyanic acid is extracted from the oil.

Products made from almonds: almond oil, almond milk, almond butter

Almonds are extremely versatile and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes or as almond oil in cosmetics. Very classic products based on almonds are:
Marzipan: Strictly speaking, only almonds, sugar and maybe some rose or orange blossom water belong in marzipan. The more almonds in the marzipan, the higher the quality.
Almond milk: To make it, almonds are ground into a very fine paste and mixed with water. When straining, you get almond milk, which can be used as food or cosmetics.
Almond oil is pressed from sweet almonds and bitter almonds, depending on the purpose. Almond oil is particularly suitable for sensitive and dry skin and for babies, but it also tastes delicious in desserts and flavored as bitter almond oil in pastries and liqueurs.
Almond flour is a by-product of almond oil production. This is the so-called press cake, which is usually offered de-oiled as almond flour. Oil-free almond flour is gluten-free and contains only a few carbohydrates, which is why it is suitable for celiac patients and as part of a low-carb diet.
Almond butter consists of finely ground almonds without any additives. Dark almond butter is made from unpeeled roasted almonds, white almond butter is made from peeled “blanched” almonds. Dark almond butter has a strong flavor and is good for baking, light almond butter can replace cream and is a wonderful base or addition to desserts or smoothies.

How healthy are almonds?

Half of the almond is fat, which doesn’t exactly make it body-friendly. Although the fat it contains has the same calorie density as any other vegetable fat, it is much healthier. This is due to the content of unsaturated fatty acids and good omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio. These healthy fatty acids have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system and cholesterol levels.

Furthermore, almonds contain about 20 percent protein, which is why almond butter and almonds are often used as a valuable source of protein in meatless cuisine.

The approximately 22 percent carbohydrates in almonds keep you full for a long time and, as a gluten-free alternative, are the basis of almond flour.

If the shell is still attached to the almond or if the ground almonds have not been blanched, almonds also contain a lot of dietary fiber, which not only prevents colon cancer, but also keeps you full for a long time because they only allow the blood sugar level to rise slowly.

The information on the nutritional values ​​of products made from almonds cannot always be made in general. For example, it is impossible to give general information about fat content, protein and calorie content for almond milk, since it always depends on how much water was used in the recipe to produce it or whether the milk was sweetened.

Almonds in themselves are very healthy in small amounts and are a valuable source of protein, but in larger amounts they contribute to an increased consumption of fat and then find themselves on the hips quite quickly. No wonder with around 700 kcal per 100 g! The rule of thumb is: A handful of nuts (approx. 25 g) per day is enough. By the way: The fact that almonds are a kind of “fat brake”, burn more fat than they deliver, or accelerate weight loss diets is pure nonsense.

Are Organic Almonds Better?

In principle, the use of pesticides is forbidden in organic farming – unlike with almonds from conventional cultivation. To combat pests, almonds are gassed with, among other things, phosphine, which is very toxic. Theoretically, little or no toxic phosphine should stick to the food after fumigation, but Öko-Test magazine found traces of it on nuts in September 2014.

Sulphurizing (a preservation method) is also forbidden in the organic sector, because this destroys vitamin B1 (thiamine), among other things, and the actually healthy almonds lose a vitamin. So it doesn’t just make sense to buy organic almonds in terms of pesticides.

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Freezing Cherries: This is How They Stay Delicious After Thawing

Freezing cherries is a good solution when you have too many left over to eat them all fresh. We’ll show you what you should consider when freezing the sweet fruits.

Freezing cherries – the preparation

Leftover cherries can be easily frozen and stored for more than ten months. Nothing can go wrong if you follow these five steps:

select cherries
In principle, cherries do not ripen after they have been harvested, so you should not choose cherries that are too light or overripe for freezing.

wash cherries
Wash the cherries in a bucket or sink, then drain and dry well.

remove stems
Once the cherries are dry, the stems should be removed. This step is mandatory, but you have the choice of whether or not you also pit the cherries. The fact that they can then be processed further speaks for freezing without a core. However, less juice is lost if you freeze them with stone. If you let them thaw briefly after you take them out of the freezer, the core can still be removed easily.

Freeze cherries: first of all, shock-freeze

shock freezing
Before you completely freeze the cherries, you should definitely do this intermediate step. The shock freezing ensures that the cherries do not later freeze into a large lump. This keeps them crunchy even after thawing. Shock freezing also preserves more vitamins, since the faster freezing forms smaller ice crystals, which are well distributed in the cherry. How it works:

Add the cherries one by one
Then put them in the freezer or in the freezer compartment of your fridge for two hours at the highest level.
Freeze
The last step follows: the actual freezing.
Now fill your cherries in containers and store them in your freezer.
In order to protect the environment, you should not use plastic utensils, especially not disposable plastic (such as freezer bags). Instead, try mason jars or stainless steel cans, for example. Cotton bags are also ideal.

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Jackfruit: a Delicious Meat Substitute – But What About The Ecological Balance?

A new hype for vegetarians and vegans comes from the tropics: jackfruit conquers the palate as a meat substitute. We show how useful the fruit is as an alternative to meat and where you can already buy jackfruit.

Jackfruit grows in the tropics around the world and is usually eaten ripe and sweet in its countries of origin. Depending on the variety, a single fruit can weigh up to 35 kilos. The jackfruit tree can grow up to 20 meters tall, but bears its fruit on the trunk, making it easier to harvest. If you cut open the ripe fruit, a milky juice comes out that is reminiscent of glue. No wonder, because it belongs to the mulberry family – like the rubber tree (Ficus), which has the same sticky property.

In its countries of origin, the ripe jackfruit is served as a sweet dessert or eaten as a snack; similar to bananas, it is often dried into crispy chips. The kernels are also used: either dried and ground into flour or roasted as an addition to savory dishes.

Jackfruit has recently been rediscovered as a meat substitute. However, this is less so in their countries of origin than on the plates of vegetarians and vegans in western countries.

Jackfruit as a meat substitute

In order to use the tropical fruit as a substitute for meat in hearty vegetarian or vegan dishes, it must be harvested unripe. When ripe, their taste is reminiscent of fruit gum and would be out of place in goulash. Raw, however, the unripe fruits are inedible and hard, only their further processing makes them the fine-grained substitute for beef, pork or chicken.

In order to give the jackfruit tree enough strength to let a few jackfruit grow big, sweet and juicy, some smaller fruits are knocked off the tree unripe in the course of fruit growth. Every hobby gardener knows the method of “cutting out” the native tomato plants, every winegrower does the same thing in his vineyard on the vine.

Instead of disposing of these sorted unripe fruits, they are placed in brine for the local market or, more recently, processed into meat substitutes for export to western industrialized countries. The unripe, fibrous flesh is almost tasteless and can therefore be marinated to taste.

If the fruit pieces are cooked in a marinade and then seared, they are very reminiscent of meat. The crust also creates an almost perfect optical illusion. After all, it is the spices that determine the taste of meat.

Where can you buy jackfruit?

If you want to get started right away to conjure up a vegetarian goulash, a tender vegan “pulled pork” or a juicy burger, you won’t find what you’re looking for in every supermarket right away. Most of the canned or frozen pulp sold in Asian stores was harvested ripe. It tastes delicious, but it is only good as a fruity dessert, not as a hearty ingredient in meatless dishes.

If you are lucky enough to have the list of ingredients translated by the sales staff or do some research, you can also find unripe jackfruit pickled in brine in Asian, mostly Indian grocery stores. You can also find canned unripe jackfruit online. But before they can be used as an alternative to meat, they have to be cooked until soft by heating.

Jackfruit as a meat substitute: nutritional values ​​similar to potatoes

Jackfruit actually mimics the fibers of meat in texture, and with spices it’s possible to create not only a similar mouthfeel, but an almost identical taste. However, the jackfruit has less to do with the nutritional values ​​of meat. No wonder, given its high carbohydrate content, it is often served straight from the home garden as a substitute for rice in its countries of origin.

Nevertheless, jackfruit suppliers like to advertise their natural product with claims such as “nutrient-rich”, “rich in minerals”, “high in fiber”, “high in potassium”, “high in calcium and magnesium” and other advantages.

Basically, these statements are not made out of thin air, but a comparison with local food is worthwhile to decide for yourself whether it is really worth importing a jackfruit over thousands of kilometers (each per 100g):

Potassium: jackfruit 407mg; Potatoes 384mg, pumpernickel 192mg
Magnesium: Jackfruit 37mg; potatoes 22mg; Pumpernickel 54mg
Calcium: Jackfruit 27mg; potatoes 7mg; Pumpernickel 24mg
Protein: jackfruit 1.1g; potatoes 2g; Pumpernickel 4.84g
Fiber: jackfruit 4.15g; potatoes 1.56g; Pumpernickel 8.83g
While jackfruit’s reputation as a super-healthy meat substitute isn’t false, it’s also a bit blatant. As with avocados, the following therefore applies: only those who really use it to replace meat are actually better off ecologically. If you only put it on your plate for trend reasons or for alleged superfood nutritional values, you will find more ecological alternatives. (With this and other nutritional information, it should be remembered that the degree of ripeness, preparation methods, etc. also have an influence on the nutrients contained.)

Jackfruit instead of soy?

So far, the most popular meat substitute products have been protein-rich specialties made from tofu or seitan. The consistency of seitan is also somewhat similar to that of meat, but it is not suitable for people who suffer from gluten intolerance (celiac disease) or who want to avoid gluten.

Soy itself is a higher quality source of protein than meat, but not everyone likes it, has a different texture than meat and, depending on its origin, has been criticized for contributing to the deforestation of tropical forests or for being made from genetically modified soybeans.

The jackfruit’s path to success seems almost pre-programmed: it is gluten-free, has nothing to do with genetic engineering, offers an extremely meat-like mouthfeel and contains little fat. Green light for the jackfruit BBQ? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple…

Allergy to jackfruit

It’s not well-documented yet, but there is a risk of immediate allergic reactions with jackfruit. So if you are allergic anyway, you should definitely start small. Cross allergies are possible, for example, in allergies to nuts and birch pollen.

Transport routes worsen the ecological balance of the jackfruit

Those who do without meat or animal products often do so for ecological reasons. Not only the love of animals is decisive, but also the knowledge of the catastrophic ecological balance of animal-based foods is leading more and more consumers to eat vegetarian or vegan.

And that’s exactly the catch with the new meat substitute: Because the jackfruit only thrives in the tropics (especially India and Bangladesh), it already has a significant carbon footprint when it comes to our stores. Irrespective of whether it is shrink-wrapped, preserved in cans or transported and sold deep-frozen: the fruity meat alternative has already used up a lot of fossil fuels before it is eaten.

We do not yet have any publicly available data on the precise CO2 emissions from jackfruit. Nevertheless, one should at least question the jackfruit from an ecological point of view. The life cycle assessment of regional, seasonal vegetables is probably better when consumed daily.

Because jackfruit is just about to become the new star among vegans and vegetarians, there are only a few farms that cultivate the fruit according to the guidelines of organic cultivation (see above: Buy jackfruit: preferably organic). On the positive side, jackfruit is typically grown in mixed cultures.

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Delicious Summer Coffee Recipes

Delicious iced coffee recipes and variations in summer. Summer is getting closer – the best time for delicious soft drinks and coffee with ice.

Make your own iced coffee and enjoy it

The coffee is not only a special pleasure hot, but also provides a special refreshment kick in summer. Do you love the taste of coffee and want to try something new? Iced coffee doesn’t just mean cold coffee, you can make it delicious in many different ways. The basis is usually cold filter coffee or espresso, but you have numerous options for refinement. We have summarized some examples for you here. In addition, you will learn about homemade and refreshing summer drinks.

1) The Classic (with or without shot)

For lovers of the pure and genuine taste of coffee, classic coffee with ice is a delicious, special kind of refreshment. And it’s so easy to prepare: Boil filter coffee and let it cool down. Now you can refine it according to your personal preferences. Sweeten it with sugar or the healthy sweetening alternative: agave syrup. Add a dash of vanilla or hazelnut liqueur for a very special aroma. Stir well and enjoy.

Iced coffee recipes for those with a sweet tooth

If you like it sweet, then we recommend a coffee with ice cream variation with delicious ice cream. Bourbon vanilla ice cream is particularly tasty with coffee. But depending on personal preference, you can of course also use chocolate ice cream or stracciatella ice cream. Add a dash of whipped cream and some chocolate sauce as a highlight. Or would you prefer chocolate sprinkles? A delicious, special kind of iced coffee. You can also add some cinnamon for a pleasant spiciness.

Coffee with ice for particularly hot nights

Are you invited to a party and are you looking for a suitable coffee with ice cream variation with an extra kick? How about an iced coffee cocktail? Refine your coffee with a high-proof liqueur, such as whiskey cream, coffee, or almond liqueur. Add a few ice cubes or crushed ice and the party mix is ​​ready. And it’s so delicious and refreshing. Our recipes for the best cocktails ensure even more cocktail variety in summer.

Frozen cappuccino

The frozen cappuccino is particularly popular in summer. You can easily make it yourself with a blender. Add a cup of espresso, some milk and brown sugar, and crushed ice to your blender and you’re good to go. When everything is perfectly blended, pour it into a glass and top it off with a delicious liqueur, if you like.

Tropical seduction

Try coffee with a difference. Not only ice cream and chocolate are suitable ingredients for a delicious iced coffee, but they can also be a little more exotic. Spice up your iced coffee with some pineapple juice and top off the mix with a cherry topping. You can add a few chopped pieces of fresh pineapple and the tropical iced coffee is ready. This will make you feel like you’re on vacation.

Fresh and fruity iced coffee

A fruity alternative is a fresh strawberry mix. Cut strawberries into small pieces and then add them to your iced coffee. This mixture is refined with one or two scoops of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. For those with a sweet tooth, a dash of chocolate liqueur can be added to top it off.

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Cooking Tips

7 Delicious Summer Smoothie Recipes

Many delicious smoothie recipes for the summer at a glance. Especially in summer, fruity smoothies are in great demand. They are ideal for breakfast, but can also be enjoyed as a light snack.

There are no limits to the preparation and any type of fruit and vegetable can be mixed and pureed. A self-created fruit smoothie is always a real boost of freshness. We’ll tell you delicious smoothie recipes for the summer.

Tips for blending a smoothie

Delicious smoothie recipes for every taste. The best way to do this is to observe the following smoothie tips:

  • if sour fruits are used, refine the smoothie with cane sugar
  • if the note of freshness is missing, add some lemon juice or lime juice
  • use a blender or blender for your smoothies

1) Exotic Mango and Pineapple Smoothie

  • 1 very ripe mango
  • 1/4 pineapple
  • 1 banana
  • the juice of an orange
  • 2 tablespoons coconut milk

Peel the mango and remove the flesh. Then cut the pineapple and banana into small pieces. If you like the taste of pineapple, you can also use a little more pineapple. Place the mango, banana, and pineapple in the blender and add the orange juice and coconut milk. Blend everything until it has a creamy consistency.

2) Banana and Blueberry Smoothie

  • 150 g fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 200 ml whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon brown cane sugar

Cut the banana into small pieces and put them in the blender with the blueberries. Then add the cane sugar and milk and mix everything until creamy. If the smoothie is too sweet, you can omit the cane sugar or add some lemon.

3) Raspberry smoothie with yogurt

  • 200g fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 100ml natural yogurt
  • 100ml milk
  • n.e. brown cane sugar

Wash the raspberries thoroughly and put them in the blender with the milk, the yogurt, and, if necessary, the sugar. Again, mix everything until the desired consistency is reached.

4) Kiwi melon smoothie

  • 1 apple
  • 1 kiwi
  • 1/2 honeydew melon
  • n.e. some water

Remove the peel from the apple, kiwi, and melon and cut it into small pieces. Put everything in the blender and let it blend until it reaches the desired consistency. The melon releases plenty of water, but you can add a little more water if you like. Crushed one-dice goes particularly well with this.

5) Red fruit jelly smoothie

  • 100g fresh or frozen blackberries
  • 100g raspberries, frozen or fresh
  • 100g currants, frozen or fresh
  • 250ml liquid yogurt

Wash all berries and put them in the blender. Be sure to remove the stalks from the currants. Now add the yogurt and mix well. A short blending time is sufficient, as the berry pieces should still be tasted in this smoothie. If you like, you can add some cane sugar.

6) Coconut Banana Smoothie

  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1 small coconut (of which the milk)
  • 100 ml milk or almond milk

In the first step, open the coconut and put its milk in the blender and add the 100 ml of milk. Then cut the flesh out of the nut into small pieces and put it in the blender. Now peel the bananas and add them to the blender in small pieces. Blend everything on high until you get a creamy mass. If the mixer is too weak, gradually add the ingredients.

7) Strawberry Buttermilk Smoothie

  • 125g fresh or frozen strawberries
  • 50 grams of raspberries
  • 250 ml natural buttermilk

Wash the raspberries and strawberries, remove the leaves and add to the blender with the buttermilk. Stir until you get a creamy consistency. Now pour the mix into another container so the buttermilk doesn’t get warm. In summer, perfectly frozen ice cubes or crushed ice fit in here.

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Freeze Cake: This is How it Stays Delicious

Freezing cakes is very easy and practical if one or two pieces are left over. With our tips, cake tastes even better after freezing.

Freezing cakes: You should consider this beforehand

Baked too much or in advance: Freezing cakes is the best solution for this and is also suitable for preventing food waste. Before you put the cake in the freezer, you should consider the following:

Wait for the cake to cool. At the same time, you shouldn’t leave it there for too long. The fresher you freeze it, the more flavor it will retain.
Cut the cake into pieces so you can thaw them individually later and don’t have to take everything out of the freezer.
Cakes and tarts that are decorated with cream should be frozen first before you wrap them. This will prevent the deco from being crushed. To freeze, you can place the cake on a plate in the freezer for a few hours.
Not all cakes are suitable for freezing:
In the case of cakes with icing or gelatine, this begins to crumble after defrosting.
The vegan alternative agar agar is also not suitable for freezing for the same reason.
Also, don’t freeze custard, jam, or buttercream pie fillings, as they will lose their flavor or become too soggy and watery.
However, it is not a problem to freeze choux pastry without filling.
For yeast dough, freeze before you let it rise.

Freezing cakes: this is how it works

No matter what you use to freeze the cakes, it is important that you pack them as airtight as possible. This will prevent freezer burn and preserve the flavor for longer.

Place individual pieces in a freezer bag. By the way, you can use the freezer bags several times if you rinse them well. A plastic-free alternative is a cotton bag in which you can freeze dry sponge cakes, for example. Wrap the cake well in the bag.
You can also freeze cakes wrapped in wax paper. However, the cake only stays fresh for a few weeks.
Plastic food storage boxes are the right size if you want to freeze multiple kitchen items together. The same applies to lunch boxes made of stainless steel.
You can even freeze leftover cake in glass casserole dishes and casseroles. So that the glass does not crack in the freezer, you should only fill the container 3/4 full with cake and only close the lid when the cake is frozen. To keep the individual pieces from sticking together, you can separate them with paper from bakery bags or wax paper.
While they’re often recommended, it’s best not to use cling film or aluminum foil to freeze cakes. Because these disposable products end up in the garbage after a single use.

Freezing cakes: defrosting

If you want to eat the frozen cake, you take it out of the packaging or the container in which you frozen it. Let it thaw at room temperature for about three to five hours. Frozen cake will keep in the freezer for about four months. After that, it loses its flavor and firmness.

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Cooking Tips

Process Grapes: These 3 Ways are Easy and Delicious

Grapes are in season in midsummer. 3 delicious recipes to process grapes.

Our grape season begins in July. Maybe you are lucky enough to have vines in the garden or on the balcony yourself, which will give you a rich harvest. Perhaps you have also received grapes as a gift and do not want to eat them all pure. The sweet fruits can be processed in many different ways and can be preserved for a long time – for example as grape juice. But there are other delicious recipes:

1. Process grapes into jam

Another classic is grape jam. It tastes so much better when you make it yourself than from the supermarket. You can make grape jam in large quantities without hesitation – if stored airtight and protected from light, it will keep for several months. Grape jam is also suitable as a gift for friends and family.

For three to four jars of grape jam you will need:
800 g grapes, with or without seeds
1 vanilla bean
2 tsp cinnamon
1 packet of preserving sugar – alternatively you can also use agar agar. Then you should always store the jam in a cool place. It also has a slightly shorter shelf life.
Clean, sterile jam jars.
That’s how it’s done:
Wash and hull your grapes and place them in a large enough pot.
Mash them gently with a large spoon and then let them boil in their own juice for about five to ten minutes.
Then pass the crushed grapes through a sieve, catching any seeds and coarse scraps of skin.
Then return the grapes to the pot and warm them up. Then add the pulp of the vanilla and the cinnamon.
Then stir in jam sugar or agar agar and let everything simmer for a few minutes.
Depending on the type of gelling sugar or agar agar, it takes a different amount of time for the mass to set. Test the firmness by putting some of the jam on a plate and waiting a moment. If it is nice and firm, your jam is ready and you can take it off the stove.
Pour equal parts of the mixture into your jam jars, screw them on tightly and turn them upside down. After 5 minutes, turn them right side up.
Tip: You can refine grape jam with other fruits of your choice. Plums or apples, for example, go particularly well with it. Chop these into small pieces before adding them to the grapes and then proceed as described.

2. Process grapes into jelly

If you like it a bit lighter, you can also process your fruit into grape jelly. It goes well on bread or as a delicious dip, for example with a hearty cheese board.

For three to four glasses of jelly you will need:
1 kg of grapes
500 grams of jam sugar or agar agar
fresh ginger (to taste)
freshly squeezed lemon juice
a clean cotton cloth
Jelly or jam jars (sterile)
That’s how it’s done:
Wash the grapes and put them in a large pot.
Pour in enough water to just barely cover the grapes.
Let everything simmer for about 30 minutes.
Then put everything in a permeable cotton cloth and place this in a large sieve over a collecting bowl.
Allow the grape pulp to strain through the cloth for at least 12 hours.
Finally, press the remaining fruit pulp out of the cloth by twisting it.
Now put the juice with the preserving sugar and a few dashes of lemon juice in a saucepan. If you like, you can also add some finely grated ginger. Let everything simmer for about five minutes.
Finally, pour the still warm jelly into jars that have been rinsed hot, screw them tightly and place them on the lid. After five minutes you can turn them over.
Tip: If you like it exotic, you can refine your jelly with tart spices. Cardamom, for example, tastes great as a spicy contrast in sweet jelly. Add about half a teaspoon of cardamom powder to the grape juice for boiling, or let some dried cardamom seeds boil with the jelly.

3. Process grapes into compote

A savory and sweet compote can also be made from grapes. For example, you can serve grape compote with whole grapes as an alternative to cranberries with hearty autumn dishes.

You need:
1 kg of grapes
500ml white wine
400ml of water
150 grams of sugar
1 vanilla bean
4-5 cloves
coarse peppercorns
mustard seeds
That’s how it’s done:
For your grape compote, put all the ingredients except the grapes in a large saucepan and let them cook for about 15 minutes.
You can add vanilla pods to the brew for a vanilla taste. You should scrape them out first though.
Meanwhile, wash the grapes, stir them into the boiling quantity and let everything boil down for another five to ten minutes.
Then remove the vanilla bean and cloves from the broth and let the compote cool down.
If you don’t have any grapes in your garden, make sure you only buy local fruit. Grapes grow in large quantities here in summer. It is therefore unnecessary to buy grapes from abroad that have been transported long distances.

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Food

Strawberries are Healthy: This is What Makes the Delicious Fruits so Valuable

Strawberries are healthy, that’s for sure. But why actually? What are the most important nutrients and vitamins? And why are organic strawberries healthier?

As the days get longer, the annual strawberry season is approaching. Strawberries provide you with important vitamins and essential minerals and fiber.

Strawberries not only have a positive effect on health. You can also easily eat them in large numbers without it being noticeable on the scale. Because strawberries contain just 32 kilocalories per 100 grams – half as many as most apple varieties. Bananas, for example, have around 90 kilocalories, and avocados even 130.

Strawberries contain a lot of folic acid (vitamin B9)

Folic acid is a B vitamin and should not be neglected in a healthy diet. It plays an essential role in cell division processes, which in turn are responsible for growth processes. Therefore, pregnant women have an increased need for folic acid. Women who want children should also eat more foods with a lot of folic acid.

Strawberries contain plenty of vitamin B9. 250 grams of strawberries have 110 micrograms of folic acid. The daily requirement of adolescents and adults is 300 micrograms. In pregnant women, the daily requirement is almost twice as high.

Potassium makes strawberries healthy

The mineral potassium is indispensable for the human organism. Together with sodium, potassium transmits signals between cells, for example between nerve and muscle cells. So without potassium you would not be able to move or read this text. It also helps maintain healthy blood pressure and even reduces the risk of stroke.

Strawberries provide a healthy base of potassium. However, you still need other foods to provide you with sufficient minerals and to eat healthily. For example, spinach, cashews, peanuts, and kidney beans are high in potassium. In addition to potassium, strawberries also contain large amounts of manganese, copper and zinc.

Strawberries contain more vitamin C than oranges

you read correctly Oranges and lemons are rightly known for being high in vitamin C. Nevertheless, they cannot compete with the local strawberry.

A quantity of 150 grams of strawberries already covers the daily requirement of vitamin C. Ripe and darker strawberries contain more vitamin C than lighter ones.

If you consume enough vitamin C, the nutrient strengthens your immune system and your health. A slight deficiency can manifest itself in tiredness and bleeding gums.

Strawberries are carriers of healthy fiber

Fiber can bind large amounts of water. This allows food to pass through the digestive tract more easily, preventing constipation.

In addition, dietary fibers are the basic nutritional basis for intestinal bacteria. The more fiber you give them, the better they work and the healthier you feel. In addition to strawberries, numerous types of vegetables such as broccoli or peas, legumes, nuts and seeds are excellent sources of fiber.

Secondary plant substances are essential for health

The positive effects of strawberries on health are due to the numerous vitamins, minerals and dietary fibers. However, recent studies show that secondary plant substances can also have a major impact on health. Strawberries contain polyphenols and flavonoids as secondary plant substances.

A study from the University of California suggests that polyphenols can strengthen the cardiovascular system and prevent diseases of the nervous system. They are also said to help against obesity and even fight esophageal cancer.

Flavonoids are responsible for the red color of strawberries. They have an antioxidant effect and can destroy so-called “free radicals”. Too many free radicals in the body are suspected of contributing to diseases such as cancer, arteriosclerosis or arthritis.

However, secondary plant substances should only be consumed through food and not through dietary supplements. Secondary plant substances only work in interaction with other nutrients. Taking supplements alone can even be harmful to your health.

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