Alazzas farm

Malabar spinach

Also known as Indian spinach, Ceylon spinach, basella, vine spinach

This food is very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Niacin, Vitamin B6 and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Malabar spinach is a successful replacement in any recipe that calls for spinach, including all the classics: spinach soup, soufflés, quiche, omelet’s, frittatas, and with a little butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper. It can be cooked like chard but with more substance. Like okra, it has a mucilaginous quality when cooked at length. An infusion of the leaves is a tea substitute. The purplish sap from the fruit is used as a food coloring in pastries and sweets. The color is enhanced by adding some lemon juice.

Sweet Peppers

When Christopher Columbus discovered sw

eet peppers on his travels in the New World, he thought he could make a fortune importing the delicious vegetable. However, the sweet peppers grew fine in their new, Mediterranean home. They remain a popular ingredient in Italian and Spanish dishes today.

When young, sweet peppers -- or bell peppers as some call them -- are green. There are also yellow, orange, purple and brown varieties. Red sweet peppers are actually green peppers left to ripen on the vine for a longer period of time. The sweetest peppers are red, yellow and orange, while green and purple peppers tend to have a more tart flavor. Peppers are actually fruit! The white ribs inside a pepper that we all trim away actually contain heart healthful bioflavonoids so use them in your soups!

The Nutrition Factor

Bell Peppers are one of the most highly contaminated with pesticides so they are an important organic choice.Peppers are an impressive source of vitamins C and A, as well as folate. They are also high in fiber . When very mature, and red, they contain lycoene -one of the best antioxidants. Peppers consist mostly of water so the added bonus is they are low in calories.

Pepper Partners
Sweet peppers taste great with eggplant, tomatoes, summer squash, onions, garlic or corn. As for herbs, try basil or marjoram. Other good flavor partners include vinegar, capers, olives, mozzarella, goat cheese and Parmesan.

Swiss Chard

A Healthy Dose of Vitamin C for Antioxidant Protection and Immune Support, Swiss chard is an excellent source of vitamin C just one cup of this cooked vegetable supplies 52.5% of the daily value for vitamin C. Vitamin C is the primary water-soluble antioxidant in the body, disarming free radicals and preventing damage in the aqueous environment both inside and outside cells. Inside cells, a potential result of free radical damage to DNA is cancer. Especially in areas of the body where cellular turnover is especially rapid, such as the digestive system, preventing DNA mutations translates into preventing cancer. This is why a good intake of vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.

Ginger extract healing properties

Remarkably, ginger extract is even more effective than many cancer drugs at shrinking tumors. Commonly consumed across the world in small doses in food and beverage products, the medicinal properties of ginger extract far surpass even advanced pharmaceutical inventions!