If you want to get vitamins into your body without taking supplements, you should be aware of the best sources of vitamins.
There is nothing wrong with most supplements, but there is no substitute for good nutrition.
So let’s look at what is available to you when you are looking for the best sources of vitamins:
Hazelnuts: contain vitamin B1. Peanuts are also known as nerve-boosters, because vitamin B1 acts on the nervous system. Without it, the body cannot break down carbohydrates and cells are left without a source of energy. Other sources are yeast and wheat germ.
Fish: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, it is also rich in vitamin A, which is essential for vision, skin beauty and is important for building teeth and bones. It also contributes to heart health.
Whole grains: contain vitamin B3, which provides energy for the body and strengthens the nervous system and muscles. It is also found in meat.
Cheese: Cheese contains vitamin B2, which is important for the optimal functioning of metabolic processes and aids digestion, the proper utilisation of food and its conversion into energy.
Liver: Contains vitamin B6, which plays an important role in the formation of red blood cells and is involved in the release of stored energy. Liver is considered the best source of vitamin B6.
Soy: Contains vitamin B5, which can cause excessive sleepiness, muscle aches and fatigue. If you want to avoid these, eat as much soy, liver and egg yolks as possible.
Carrots: carrots contain vitamin B13, which protects against liver dysfunction and also slows down ageing. It is also rich in vitamin A.
Eggs: Contain niacin, a protective vitamin for skin tissue. It has an important role in the processing of fats and carbohydrates and in growth. It can also be found in the liver.
Crumble the butter with the flour. The yeast should be leavened in a little lukewarm milk. Then to the flour add the yeast, egg, sugar and a little milk if needed. Knead into a mass. Divide the resulting dough into 3 parts. Stretch each of the three into a baking dish. Put the first one in the pan, spread apricot jam on it and sprinkle with icing sugar nuts. Place the second sheet on top and spread the jam on top and sprinkle with the icing sugar. The third sheet is to cover the whole thing. Prick the dough with a fork and leave to rise for 1 hour. Bake in a medium hot oven. When done, coat the still warm dough with melted chocolate. Once the chocolate has hardened, you’re done.
Christmas salad is an essential dish on the festive menu.
Salad recipes for Christmas usually consist of some kind of mayonnaise or tartar sauce recipe.
However, we now present a recipe for a fruit salad, which is flavoured with liqueur and served with oranges to make it really festive. It tastes great on its own, but with a little chestnut puree, whipped cream or custard, it’s simply irresistible. Although fruit salads are not common in winter and ingredients can be a challenge to find, with the right recipe it shouldn’t be a problem.
Let’s see what you need for this Christmas fruit salad recipe:
– 4 kiwi – 2 apples – 1 pomegranate – 1 lemon – 4 oranges – 2 bananas – 1 bunch of grapes – one whole clove – 3 cl fruit liqueur
The mixed fruit salad takes about 20 minutes to prepare.
Peel the fruit first. Cut off the tops of the oranges, scoop out the insides and put the remaining peels away to serve. Cut the kiwi, apple, banana and strawberry in half and pour into a bowl. Then add the pomegranate seeds and grape seeds. Just put the fruit salad in the fridge for a few hours, covered, to allow the flavours to blend well. It’s time to serve. Take out the carved oranges and dredge them with cinnamon sticks.
Your salad is ready.
Fruit salad for dinner?
A fruit salad can be a healthy and easy dinner choice, especially for someone on a diet or weight control, as it is low in calories and healthy. However, it should not be forgotten that it is also high in sugar.
First, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Separate the eggs, put the whites in one bowl and the yolks in the other. Beat the sugar with the egg yolks until thick and pale. Then stir in the ground almonds, flour and baking powder. Beat the egg whites with a whisk until stiff. Fold the beaten egg whites into the almond mixture. When it is ready, pour it into a baking dish. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Then let the dough stand for 10 minutes. Then cover with the cloth and put it in the fridge for 1 hour. To make the delicious buttercream, just whisk the butter and icing sugar until fluffy, then add the cocoa powder and water. To make the filling, whip the cream. Stir in the cocoa powder and sprinkle with a little sugar. You need to take the dough out of the fridge and cut around the edges with a knife. Sprinkle a little icing sugar on the stretching board or whatever you are working with, then place the sponge base on top. Spread the chocolate and cream filling on top and gently roll up. Put it on a plate and spread the chocolate buttercream on the finished roll. You can use a fork to form a pattern that resembles bark. You can even sprinkle fruit on top to taste.
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and work into a dough. Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Roll out the dough and cut out shapes as you like. Place them on a flat baking tray and place in the preheated oven. Bake for about 6 minutes, then remove from the pan while still hot! It is recommended to dip the biscuits in melted chocolate, to taste of course.
Walnut and coffee horseshoe recipe:
These ingredients are enough to make 48 horseshoes.
– 100 grams of wholemeal flour – 5 grams ground coffee – 50 grams finely ground walnut kernels – 15 g cocoa powder – 50 g icing sugar – 100 g butter – 60 g white chocolate – 1 egg yolk
Preparation:
Put the flour in a mixing bowl, then add the ground nuts, icing sugar, coffee and cocoa. Crumble the butter into the nut and coffee flour. Add the egg yolks and then knead it into dough. The dough should rest in the fridge for 1-2 hours and then divide into 8 parts. Roll the 8 pieces into thin rods. Shape the dough into horseshoe shapes and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 8 minutes. The ends of the horseshoes should be dipped in melted chocolate and once the chocolate has set, they are ready to eat. It takes only 60 minutes to prepare, is relatively easy to make and you don’t need many ingredients.
You can make one of these recipes too, as they are all very simple and you can surprise your family with these delicious treats.
Many people cannot imagine Christmas without fish. But there is more than just the traditional chowder and fried fish. Now we offer a special recipe for fish lovers!
Rub the thoroughly washed and cleaned fish slices inside and out with lemon juice and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes. Beat the eggs slightly. Chop the walnuts into small pieces or chop them finely and mix with the breadcrumbs. Drain the fish slices thoroughly, using paper towels to remove any moisture. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground white pepper, then coat in flour, beaten egg and nut breadcrumbs. In a large pan, heat 2-3 fingers of coconut oil, add the fish and cook over a moderate heat, turning carefully, until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel and soak up the oil, then arrange on a flat plate lined with lettuce leaves and garnish with lemon wedges, parsley and walnut sprigs. This dish is only good fresh, so start cooking when all the guests have arrived. Parsley-buttered potatoes, chips or rice pudding go well with it.
It’s true that vegetables aren’t the main thing at Christmas, but they can make meat dishes much healthier.
Here are some great vegetable rounds that are good for everyone but especially for those on a diet.
Have celeriac instead of baked potatoes: celery is also very good steamed and mashed instead of potatoes. The thing to watch out for is that you need to give it some time to soften completely, as it will just lose its characteristic flavour.
Courgette pasta: Just chop the vegetables into long strips. You can also slice them with a simple knife. First cut into thin sheets and then cut long, narrow strips. Note that it needs much less cooking than a normal pasta. If you prepare it separately, you only need to boil it in a little salted water and then toss it into the sauce as the last ingredient.
Carrot strips: as with the courgettes, the carrots can be cut into strips and then roasted. They can be delicious if you toss them in a little honey-mustard sesame seeds.
Cauliflower rice: use a shredder to grind the cauliflower into the size of a grain of rice. Once this is done, fry it in a pan with a little oil. You can cook it without oil in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius on a silicone paper. In both cases you should stir occasionally, and finally season to taste.
Cauliflower puree: Steam or boil the cauliflower in a little salted water. When ready, mash with a fork or a stick blender until very tender. Add salt, pepper or nutmeg to taste.
Broccoli puree: Just like cauliflower, you can make this in the same way. You can even mix the two and it will be beautiful as well as delicious.
Vegetable dipping sauce: just cut celery stalks and cucumbers into slices and make a broccoli puree. You can also make a very tasty sauce with it, all you need is a little yoghurt and some cheese.
During the end-of-year festivities, most of us have a high sugar intake, so let’s spend Christmas with less sugar.
In addition to the traditional Christmas cakes, there’s always a new dessert speciality to try.
The range of sweets is extended by snickerdoodles, meringues and other sweet ornaments that sooner or later end up in our tummies. If we resist the temptation of cakes, we can still easily find other sources of sugar. The advice of Zsuzsanna Bajor, health promoter and dietician, is worth considering!
Dried and candied fruits, jams and chutneys, all rich in sugar, are typical dishes of the season. If you look at the main course of the festive table with this in mind, you will also find a large amount of sugar. Just think of the delicate, caramelised aroma of steamed cabbage, or the sweetness of fragrant roasted vegetables, special soups and sauces. And if that wasn’t enough, the calorie content of sweet soft drinks and alcoholic beverages is also driven up by the amount of sugar they contain. If we don’t pace ourselves a little, we’re putting our bodies under a huge sugar load in just a few days.
How to start a sugar-free Christmas?
By knowing your sources, you can reduce the amount of sugar you take in to a fraction. The first thing to do is to resist sweets in the shops, and to keep alcoholic drinks in check. When preparing our meals, replace sugar (white or brown) with sweeteners that are healthier!
What to try
The natural fructose content of fruit can satisfy the sweet tooth in many of us. They can be eaten raw, juiced, baked, cooked or stuffed. With the spices used in cakes, apples, pears or even pumpkins can be made into a Christmas dessert without sugar. But if you want to stick to the usual sweet flavours, there’s plenty of choice. Some are low-calorie or moderate-calorie, with a glycaemic index much lower than sugar. Let’s take a look at some interesting examples.
Monk’s pear (Siraitia grosvenorii) is a tropical fruit with a characteristically sweet flavour. Its beneficial ingredients and low calorie content make it suitable for dieters and diabetics. To use, make tea or syrup from the dried fruit. Pour 3 litres of boiling water over half a fruit and leave to stand for 15 minutes. To make syrup, boil the tea for a further hour.
Molasses is the thick syrup produced in the manufacture of cane or beet sugar.
It usually contains 50% sugar, plus other dry matter (e.g. amino acids, antioxidant betaines). It is rich in minerals, with manganese and zinc contributing to balanced insulin synthesis and chromium promoting insulin action. Its glycaemic index is 55, so it does not cause a sudden rise in blood sugar. It can be added to drinks or tea, mixed into yoghurt or muesli, or used in cakes or breads.
Christmas is also about delicious cakes in many households. In case you don’t have an idea of what kind of cake to bake for your loved ones this year, we’ve got 5 great Christmas cakes with recipes for you.
Chocolate trunk
In the old days, this cake was decorated to resemble the pieces of wood that provided warmth in winter.
Let’s look at the ingredients:
– 4 eggs
– 12 dkg icing sugar
– 6 dkg ground almonds
– 1 packet of baking powder
Ingredients needed for the chocolate buttercream:
– 20 dkg icing sugar – 10 dkg soft butter – 1 tablespoon of warm water – 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
First, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Separate the eggs, put the whites in one bowl and the yolks in the other. Beat the sugar with the egg yolks until thick and pale. Then stir in the ground almonds, flour and baking powder. Beat the egg whites with a whisk until stiff. Fold the beaten egg whites into the almond mixture. When it is ready, pour it into a baking dish. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Then let the dough stand for 10 minutes. Then cover with the cloth and put it in the fridge for 1 hour. To make the delicious buttercream, just whisk the butter and icing sugar until fluffy, then add the cocoa powder and water. To make the filling, whip the cream. Stir in the cocoa powder and sprinkle with a little sugar. You need to take the dough out of the fridge and cut around the edges with a knife. Sprinkle a little icing sugar on the stretching board or whatever you are working with, then place the sponge base on top. Spread the chocolate and cream filling on top and gently roll up. Put it on a plate and spread the chocolate buttercream on the finished roll. You can use a fork to form a pattern that resembles bark. You can even sprinkle fruit on top to taste.
Gingerbread
Gingerbread is on almost every Christmas table. It is one of the most famous desserts at Christmas.
Let’s look at the ingredients:
– 1 kg fine flour
– 1 pinch of salt
– 300 grams of icing sugar
– 300-400 grams of honey
– 3 eggs
– 3 tablespoons margarine
– 50 grams of baking soda
– 30 grams cinnamon
– 10 grams cloves
– 1 packet gingerbread spice mix
Mix together the flour, icing sugar and spices and finally beat in the eggs whole. Then add the margarine. Mix by hand or with a mixer. You may want to put the honey jar in a glass of hot water to keep it lukewarm. Once mixed, pour in the honey. The dough is ready. Cover with a tea towel and leave to stand for 3-4 hours. If the dough cracks, don’t be alarmed, knead until it is nice.
Then divide the dough into several parts. Roll out one piece at a time. You should stretch the dough to about 3-4 mm thickness. When this is done, cut out the gingerbread with the shape you like. Put the moulds on a baking tray and place in the oven over a medium heat. Be sure to stand by it because the gingerbread will burn quickly. Once you can smell the spices it’s worth checking. You can decorate to taste at the end.
Gingerbread
Bishop’s Bread
Bishop’s bread used to be a traditional Christmas cake, but nowadays it is a little forgotten. That’s why it’s included in this article. Go ahead and make it!
Ingredients needed:
– 30 dkg sugar
– 30 dkg flour
– 10 dkg raisins
– 10 dkg walnuts
– 10 dkg milk chocolate
– 10 dkg dried fruit
– 5 eggs
– 2 dl milk
Chop the walnuts and mix with the flour, then the milk chocolate and dried fruit. Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks with the sugar until frothy, then sift in the flour mixture. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and slowly fold into the prepared cake mixture. Butter the deer backbone baking tin, sprinkle with a little flour and pour the prepared batter into it. Heat the oven to 160 degrees and bake until golden brown.
Gerbeaud
In our country (Hungary) it is more of a Christmas cake, as it is a delicious dessert. Make it!
Ingredients needed:
– 35 dkg flour
– 20 dkg butter
– 20 dkg apricot jam
– 20 dkg chopped walnuts
– 10 dkg chocolate
– 5 dkg sugar
– 2 dkg yeast
– 1 egg
– milk
– icing sugar
Crumble the butter with the flour. The yeast should be leavened in a little lukewarm milk. Then to the flour add the yeast, egg, sugar and a little milk if needed. Knead into a mass. Divide the resulting dough into 3 parts. Stretch each of the three into a baking dish. Put the first one in the pan, spread apricot jam on it and sprinkle with icing sugar nuts. Place the second sheet on top and spread the jam on top and sprinkle with the icing sugar. The third sheet is to cover the whole thing. Prick the dough with a fork and leave to rise for 1 hour. Bake in a medium hot oven. When done, coat the still warm dough with melted chocolate. Once the chocolate has hardened, you’re done.
Nutty, poppy seed bejgli
At the end, there’s the bejgli, which I’m sure everyone in Hungary knows. It is an essential Christmas must-have.
Let’s look at the ingredients:
– 1 kg of flour
– 25 dkg butter
– 10 dkg sugar
– 4 dkg yeast
– 2 egg yolks
– grated zest of 1 lemon
– 1 dl milk
– sour cream
Ingredients for the delicious filling:
– 60 dkg of ground nuts or poppy seeds
– 1 egg
– icing sugar
– icing sugar or pine nuts or coconut
– grated lemon zest
– milk
First you need to ferment the yeast in lukewarm milk, then crumble the butter with the flour. Make a well in the middle of the flour, then pour in the yeast, egg yolks, grated lemon zest, sugar and sour cream. Mix until you have a stiff dough. Work the finished dough until smooth, it is considered good if it is bubbly and separates from the sides of the bowl. About 3 bars of bejgli can be made from this amount. The dough should be left to rise for 1 hour, then divide it into 3 parts and roll out on a floured board. Mix the poppy seeds or walnuts with the sugar, lemon zest, vanilla sugar and a little milk, but only enough to make a crumbly filling. Roll up the dough neatly, brush with the egg and place on the floured baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes, then brush again with the egg and bake in a medium hot oven until beautifully red.
Where does the consumption of honey at Christmas come from?
In popular belief, honey was believed to sweeten life and it was also believed that those who ate honey at this time of year were protected against throat problems all year round.
Acacia honey:
Acacia honey produced in Hungary is considered Hungaricum because of its special quality and is a sought-after export product. The taste is not characteristic, therefore it is recommended for those who are new to honey. It contains very little pollen. Soft and less acidic, high in fructose, it keeps its original consistency for a long time. It is good for coughs, indigestion, strengthening the nervous and immune systems.
Lime blossom honey:
The colour of linden honey is darker than that of acacia, ranging from light yellow to amber. It has a strong, characteristic linden scent and a slightly bitter taste. Relatively difficult to crystallise. Its beneficial effects are well known in colds, sore throats and coughs. In the case of respiratory illnesses associated with fever, it has a more intense effect when consumed in combination with linden. Its consumption is also recommended to combat nervousness, restlessness and insomnia. Because of the bitter taste of this honey, it is not recommended for cooking and baking, as the bitter taste is intensified by the heat.
Chestnut honey:
High in minerals, this yellowish-brown honey has a chestnut blossom scent and a slightly bitter aftertaste. It can be spread on bread and scones or consumed in herbal teas.
Mixed floral honey:
The colour ranges from pale brown to dark brown, depending on the composition of the honeys it contains. It tends to crystallise. The honey is collected by bees from precious wild flowers, fruit trees and herbs and is therefore considered to be a high quality honey. Experts consider it to be among the most valuable honeys.
Sunflower honey:
Golden-yellow in colour with a sourish taste. It crystallizes very quickly, forming large, coarse crystals that settle to the bottom of the pot. A liquid, dilute layer remains above the crystals. It has good colouring properties, making it the most sought-after honey by gingerbread makers. Its high colouring power makes it a sought-after export product for the food industry. For this reason, it is mainly recommended for baking and cooking. It has a diuretic effect and is also known to have a mild antipyretic effect. Due to its acidity, it should not be consumed by people suffering from hyperacidity.
Rapeseed honey:
Liquid light-coloured honey, snow-white when crystallised. It crystallises very quickly. It forms small crystals in a characteristic way, making it an excellent honey for cream. Pure rapeseed honey does not have a very pleasant taste. It has an alkaline chemistry and is therefore also medicinal in cases of gastric acidosis and is edible and even recommended. Because of its high iron content, it is also recommended against anaemia.
Raspberry blossom honey:
Rich in potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus minerals, vitamins C, B, A. It is effective against inflammations of the throat and mucous membranes. Raspberry honey is also excellent for relieving spasms, muscle relaxation, menstrual cramps, and has analgesic properties.
Because of the propolis content of propolis honey, the beneficial effects are also stronger.
Like all honeys, this honey can be used externally, but its bactericidal and fungicidal effects are more intense, and it strongly inhibits the multiplication of viruses. When consumed internally, it has a very strong anti-inflammatory effect. Propolis honey is also effective in the treatment of gastritis and enteritis, because it not only kills or inhibits the reproduction of the pathogens that cause the disease, but also helps to relieve diarrhoeal symptoms due to its tannin content. Consumption of propolis honey is recommended for everyone with 3-4 teaspoons per day, except for people with hyperthyroidism and those allergic to honey, propolis, pollen. Another advantage is that honey enriched with propolis has a much more pleasant taste than propolis tincture and is also more suitable for children. Before regular consumption, small amounts should be tested for allergic symptoms.
