No Pasta Lasagna with Potato and Mushroom

Ingredients

Potatoes

2 large russet potatoes (peeled and trimmed into blocks)
1/4 cup olive oil
pinch coarse salt

Mushrooms

1/4 cup olive oil
2½ cups thinly sliced crimini mushrooms (stems removed)
1¼ cup thinly sliced oyster mushrooms (stems removed)
1¼ cup thinly sliced portobello mushrooms (stems and gills removed)
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
3. Using a mandoline, slice potatoes 1/8″ thick.
4. Arrange potato slices in single layer on parchment.
5. Brush with more oil, and sprinkle with salt.
6. Cover with second piece of parchment paper.
7. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. Set aside.

Mushrooms

1. Heat oil in large saute pan. Add mushrooms.
2. Cook mushrooms on medium heat until all the liquid has disappeared.
3. Add shallots and chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Remove from heat, cool slightly.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. On a baking sheet, create a layer of potato topped with a layer of mushroom mix. Alternate ingredients, creating three layers of mushroom and ending with a layer of potato.
3. Place another baking sheet on top of lasagna with a weight (5 lbs) on top. Allow lasagna to compress for 1 hr.
4. Before serving, place lasagna in preheated oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until warmed through.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: ciao!

Banana Spinach Smoothie

Ingredients

• 100 g frozen banana
• 180 ml soy milk or cow milk
• 20 g to 40 g spinach
• 1 to 2 tsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• honey and coconut powder to taste

Banana slices to garnish

Coconut Miso Ramen

The new ramen is added to a ramen shop in Tokyo recently.

The broth is made with chicken and pork bones. After skimming all the fat, organic coconut oil, miso, soy milk and almond milk are added to make the white-colour soup.

The toppings are grilled chicken with miso, purple cabbage sprout, spinach and cashew nuts.

Uncovering the Effects of Cooking, Digestion on Gluten and Wheat Allergens in Pasta

Researchers trying to understand wheat-related health problems have found new clues to how the grain’s proteins, including gluten, change when cooked and digested. They report in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that boiling pasta releases some of its potential allergens, while other proteins persist throughout cooking and digestion. Their findings lend new insights that could ultimately help celiac patients and people allergic to wheat.

Gianfranco Mamone and colleagues point out that pasta is one of the most popular foods in Europe and the U.S. Most people can eat it without a problem. But for those with wheat allergies or celiac disease, an autoimmune reaction to gluten, cutting the grain out of their diets is necessary to minimize symptoms. These symptoms can include abdominal pain, diarrhea and — in the long run — damage to the small intestines. Mamone’s team set out to gain a better understanding of what happens to the potentially trouble-making proteins in pasta when it’s cooked and consumed.

In the lab, the researchers cooked store-bought pasta and simulated how the body would digest it. They found that while some gluten proteins persisted throughout the cooking and digestion process, other allergenic non-gluten proteins are lost during boiling as they almost completely leak into the cooking water. This suggests that for people with particular types of wheat allergies unrelated to celiac disease, eating pasta might cause a weaker reaction than wheat products that are baked, the researchers say. Their findings also contribute to understanding the chemistry of gluten digestion.

Source: American Chemical Society

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