Health Benefits of Sesame Seeds Nutritious and Paprika

Health Benefits of Sesame Seeds

Nutritious Morsels Contain Calcium, Magnesium, Copper & Lignans

Sesame seeds have been used throughout history as both a food source and for their oil.

Crunchy and versatile sesame seeds are delicious in halva (a Middle Eastern sweet), tahini (sesame seed paste), and hummus (dip); sesame seeds add richness to crackers and are oh-so-good as toppers for buns and homemade bread.

Health Benefits of Eating Sesame Seeds

Sesame seeds are high in these minerals:

• copper
• manganese
• tryptophan
• calcium
• magnesium

Sesame seeds also provide iron, phosporus, and zinc, vitamin B1(thiamin) and vitamin E. The minerals found in sesame seeds play a crucial role in health.

Sensoric quality

Sweet and aromatic. Some varieties show no pungency at all, others are fairly hot.

Mostly, paprika has a pleasantly fragrant aroma. The flavour ranges from sweet and mild to pungent and fiery. This is partly based on the processing of the peppers. The pungency of the ground paprika depends on whether or not the seeds and the stems are ground with the dried peppers. It is usually said that the redder the colour, the milder the paprika. Conversely, the more yellow the colour, the stronger the flavour.

Use

Paprika is often eaten as ground powder as a spice but sometimes also as a fresh vegetable. It is a common ingredient in Hungarian, Balkan, Middle Eastern and Central Asian cuisines. In Spain, Germany, Hungary, Central Europe and Turkey. Many Spanish, Portuguese and Turkish recipes use paprika for soups, stews, casseroles and vegetables. In USA it is often a garnish vegetable casseroles. In India stuffed paprika and for many cuisines for flavour or as vegetable. In Morocco, it is used in tomato dishes and salads. Chili powder from paprika is used in cuisines of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, South America and the Caribbean as well as the USA.

Paprika is an emulsifier, temporarily bonding with oil and vinegar to make a smooth mixture for salad dressing. It spices and colours spreads marinades, smoked foods, rice and almost any savoury dish. It can be combined with vegan butter, or oil to improve the taste for tempeh or soy.

It is important to remember that paprika has high sugar content (about 6 %) and burns easily. It releases its colour and flavour when heated. Thus sprinkling ground paprika over colourless dishes improves their appearance, but adds little to the flavour. In Hungary, this is called ‘A feast for the eyes ' and is used as a garnish and not as flavouring.

Paprika is unusually high in vitamin C. Hungary's Nobel prize-winning Professor Szent Gyorgyi first discovered the vitamin in paprika chile peppers. The capsicum peppers used for paprika contain six to nine times as much vitamin C as TOMATOES by weight.

High heat leaches the vitamins from peppers, thus commercially-dried peppers are not as nutritious as those dried naturally in the sun.

As an antibacterial agent and stimulant, paprika can help normalize blood pressure, improve circulation, and increase the production of saliva and stomach acids to aid digestion.

Paprika Storage

Paprika should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, preferably the refrigerator. Rather than paprika in a glass bottle, choose the one in the tin which will protect the contents from damaging light.

As with most ground spices, paprika will lose its flavor and potency with age. Use it or replace it within six months for best results.

Paprika Cooking Tips

The rich coloring of paprika not only enhances the visual appeal of foods, but it can also be used as a major flavoring as in Veggie goulash or Veggie Stew.

Be aware that when Hungarian paprika is specified in a recipe, you'll need to find a mild, sweet variety, preferably imported. Spanish paprika generally imparts a much spicier heat to foods. Be sure to check labels to ensure you are getting either the "sweet" (mild) or "hot" type that you desire.

However, even labels can be confusing. For example, the Hungarian "rose" or "sweet rose" variety is decidely spicy to the palate, although not as hot as cayenne.

Actually the paprika according to botanical views to be categorized as fruits. But in the world of cuisine it favors as vegetables group. Paprika can me make into cuisine and group into many category, it can be cooked in steam, consume it as salad etc.

LET FOOD BE YOUR MEDICINE AND MEDICINE BE YOUR FOOD!

PAPRIKA is Bell Pepper. Try this spice- food as part of your daily meals.

Recap- benefits having paprika in our meals.

- Rich in antioxidant vitamin C.

- Helps to fight off colds, asthma, bronchitis, respiratory infections, cataracts, macular degeneration, angina, atherosclerosis and cancer.

Further tips

There are more than just the red and yellow colours at the market. Check the labels carefully to ensure that you are about to purchase the flavour you most desire for your recipe:

Semisweet: has a very light and almost matte colour. Fairly hot and spicy.

Sweet: a deep colour that is somewhat mild and coarse in texture.

Mild: has an airy red colour, fragrant and mildly hot.

Delicatess: a powdery red that releases a delicious aroma when heated.

Rose paprika: packed with flavour (slightly hot) and has a very lovely rosey colour. Rose paprika is a Hungarian speciality.

Hot: from a sandy brown red to a sun-lit yellow you can expect a very hot flavour.

Recipe

If you have never incorporated paprika within your recipes or haven’t had the pleasure of tasting it and would like to give it a shot, try this simple recipe at home to get started:

Ingredients

4 large russet potatoes
1/4 cup of extra virgin oil (dark)
Salt and pepper to taste
Your preferred flavoured paprika from your local market

Cooking Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Wash the potatoes thoroughly. Feel free to keep the skin intact or peel partially/entirely. Cut the potatoes to a desired size. The thinner you cut them, the crispier they will become during baking.

Add foil to a shallow metal baking pan. Coat it with olive oil to prevent sticking. Sprinkle the salt and pepper (optional). Add the potatoes in a single file - do not overlap. Pour the remaining oil over the potatoes. Sprinkle a very light amount of paprika over the well oiled potatoes.

Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the potatoes for roughly 30 minutes. Remove the sheet, flip the potatoes over and add an additional desired amount of paprika to preserve fresh flavour.

Heat for an additional 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Keep in mind the varying heating times are according to different ovens, so keep an eye on the potatoes every 10 minutes or so to prevent over baking.

Eat Well ! Eat for your health !

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