Useful tips & recipe from the dietitian live cooking demonstration at Custom Care Pharmacy

On Sunday August 17^th, we had our first dietitian live cooking demonstration at CUSTOM CARE PHARMACY. Rowena Leung, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator, demonstrated 3 dishes that can be used to substitute for rice, soup noodles and vermicelli. These can be very helpful for diabetes patients because rice, instant noodles and vermicelli noodles contain carbohydrates that can lead to increases in blood sugar.

Many people like to eat instant noodles because they are fast and easy to cook. At the cooking demonstration, we introduced Shirataki noodles, which are also fast and easy to cook. We demonstrated cooking Shirataki noodles in chicken broth, with bok choy and tofu, to make a soup noodles dish.  Guests who sampled the dish said that the noodles had a good texture and was not overly soft. Shirataki noodles are found in the refrigerated section in most supermarkets including T&T supermarket.

Chinese stir-fry dishes often use vermicelli noodles.  At the cooking demonstration, we used spaghetti squash to create a noodles-like dish in a mild curry sauce.  Spaghetti squash are usually found in non-asian supermarkets, such as No Frills or Loblaws. It is easy to cook and it can be flavored with curry sauce or tomato sauce. The full recipe for the curry spaghetti squash as well as the shirataki soup noodles are available for pick up now at CUSTOM CARE PHARMACY!  As promised to our guests, the recipe for the 3^rd demonstrated dish is listed below:

Quinoa, Black and White Bean Salad 

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1/3 c quinoa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 c  diced cucumber

¼ c diced red onion

¼ c fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

¼ c extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp cider vinegar 

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp coarse salt (we can use kosher salt)

1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper

• In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook quinoa until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and rinse.
• In a large bowl, whisk together oil, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, coriander, oregano, salt and pepper.
• Add quinoa, black beans, navy beans, cucumber, onion and cilantro, toss to combine.

For everyday cooking, Quinoa can be used in substitution or in combination with rice. At CUSTOM CARE PHARMACY, we now carry sprouted quinoa, sprouted flaxseed and sprouted oat, delivered to us from an organic farm in Ontario. 

Sprouted quinoa, flaxseed and oats have many benefits:

Improved Digestibility

This is because sprouting creates a high concentration of starch degrading enzymes that convert the difficult to digest starch molecule into a form that is much more easily assimilated by our digestive system. For this reason, many people with wheat sensitivities find that eating sprouted grain products is a great alternative to conventional grains and breads and causes them no pain or discomfort. Research shows sprouting also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors which leads to better absorption of minerals.

Increased Vitamin and Antioxidant Levels

Sprouting also increases the vitamin levels and antioxidant capacity. Besides the health advantages, increased antioxidant levels caused by sprouting also provides a longer shelf life so that you can keep an opened bag longer 

Probiotics

Sprouting causes the spontaneous formation of digestive friendly lactobacillus bacteria both in the acidophilus and bifidobacterium form. These serve as probiotics which aid in the digestion of all foods.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of adding sprouted quinoa, flaxseed and oat to your diet, come to Custom Care Pharmacy and ask our pharmacist today! 

Our next blog will be on tips for staying healthy and preventing flu in this upcoming fall season.