We all are inclined to enjoy a bit of junk food now and then, but in a fast-paced life in the Gulf it is all too easy to get into the habit of living on expensive takeaways. This is unhealthy and fattening. Many young professionals tell me they hardly every cook a meal because they do not have the time. But you can make a meal quicker than the time it can takes to get in the car and queue for a takeaway. Nutritionists worry about the high salt, sugar and fat content of takeaways; even if salad is included, it is usually only there as a garnish.
It is all too easy with so much fast food available to decide not to cook. But quick ready-made microwave meals can also be bland and soulless. If you can buy fast food really cheap it is because the ingredients too are just cheap and lackluster. They are over-flavored with fat and salt and who knows what else. If it is fake, give it a break.
We can easily get into the habit of grazing on sugary or salty snacks and fizzy drinks. The key solution is to know how to make homemade food fast. Knowing how to put together simple healthy meals quickly is a skill we all need.
Home cooking need not be lavish or beautiful; homemade food is simple and functional but it tastes good. Most children will say they love their mum’s cooking best. Children watching you cook are picking up life skills. There is never a good reason for having a takeaway breakfast, as a healthy breakfast can be made in minutes. A light lunch can be made in ten minutes. All it takes is a sandwich or salad or a bowl of soup with a roll. What our bodies want is simple nutrients from good quality food.
Our bodies are not looking for chemicals and preservatives found in food manufactured in a factory.
Homemade food always tastes good and is healthier.
While there are many cookery programs on television which are great entertainment the food is often produced to impress and also contains far too many ingredients not found in most home kitchens. So while we enjoy watching we don’t get around to making them ourselves.
When you cook for yourself you know what is in your food and you are eating fresh food and so are not adding preservatives additives or chemicals.
I am in favor of fresh local ingredients. Fresh local tomatoes are cheaper and taste better than those who have traveled thousands of miles. Recently on a family holiday on a Mediterranean island my children loved the taste of tomatoes ripened in the sun because they were so full of ruby red juice and tasted so sweet. Tomatoes were grown on the island and picked that morning. Many perfectly shaped tomatoes in supermarkets have traveled thousands of miles to reach the Gulf and are often picked green before they have had chance to ripen in the sun. Vegetables and fruit ripened in the sun always taste better.
Food that has traveled has usually been irradiated. Irradiation involves eradicating bacteria, mold, insects and other pests by using electrical beams or X-rays, or gamma rays, generated from the radioactive source Cobalt 60. This is done to give fruit and vegetables a long shelf life and to protect them during travel.
If you can, get up early in the morning and go to the fish market and buy a freshly caught fish and bake it in the oven with a little olive oil and lemon juice. Nothing tastes better. Serve with rice and salad. It is a traditional healthy meal. In a study conducted by Southampton University in 2008, researchers confirmed that children who regularly eat certain preservatives and additives are more at risk for attention disorders such as hyperactivity and bad behavior.
For the recipes in my column I look for healthy meals that are colorful, easy and quick to make. These recipes do not require many ingredients so most people will be able to make them. If you use fresh produce then you don’t need lots of ingredients and spices because the food has its own natural flavor. Casseroles and stews are great because they are made in one dish and all the flavors blend together. You can make enough for a few meals in one go. Recipes to look out for are ones that do not take a long time to prepare and do not contain too many ingredients.
Email me at [email protected] for 10 quick easy baked potato recipes.
Healthy recipe of the week
Amazing prawn salad for one (in 10 minutes)
Ingredients:
• 1 egg
• 1 baby lettuce, shredded
• 195 gr can sweet corn
• 1 carrot, coarsely grated
• ½ small cucumber, diced
• 100 gr cooked prawns
• 2 tbsp extra-light mayonnaise or yoghurt.
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• splash Tabasco sauce
• lemon wedge, to serve
Method:
• Boil the egg in a small pan of boiling water for 8 minutes, drain and run under cold water until cool. Shell, then slice.
• Layer the salad in a bowl starting with the lettuce,
• Add the sweet corn, carrot, cucumber, egg and finish with the prawns.
• Mix the mayo and ketchup with a dash of Tabasco, then pour over the top
• Serve with a lemon wedge, or a squeeze of lemon juice
Ask Alva
I have been following your healthy eating advice and now my BMI (body mass index) is about normal. I go to the gym twice a week but I still feel sluggish. I am 17 and spend a lot of time studying. Abdullah
I would suggest you now consider a new sport rather than dieting or more gym exercise. How about badminton, five-a-side football, tennis lessons or a weekly swim? This will help you relax, keep fit and it adds zing to an all-important social life.
— Alva
Email: [email protected]
HEALTHLINES: Homemade food can be ‘fast’ too
HEALTHLINES: Homemade food can be ‘fast’ too
Turkiye applies to have doner kebab protected under EU law
- Meat-based dish could join the likes of Champagne, Serrano ham if approved
- Bloc can apply protections based on heritage value, ingredients, method of production
LONDON: Turkiye has applied to have the doner kebab protected under EU law, Metro newspaper reported.
The bloc famously enforces strict regulations on certain foods — including French Champagne, Spanish Serrano ham and Neapolitan pizza — in order to safeguard their production and preserve regional culinary heritage.
Issues including the sourcing of ingredients, method and place of production all go into determining what can and cannot be labeled as a protected food, with harsh penalties for those found to be profiting from items deemed not to match the legal criteria.
The doner kebab will undergo a three-month evaluation process to determine whether it too will join the exclusive list of dishes and foodstuffs.
During the process, other countries will be permitted to challenge the application over similarities to their own products, as happened in 2021 when Italy voiced opposition to the Croatian sparkling wine Prosek receiving protected status due to its apparent similarities to Prosecco.
Traditionally formed of meat marinated in salt, pepper, a number of other herbs and spices as well as tomato puree and yoghurt, the doner kebab can contain beef, lamb or chicken.
It is placed on a skewer and rotated against a fire, with thin strips sliced off and served in a flatbread or pitta with lettuce, tomato and onion.
Beef and lamb slices should be 3-5 mm in thickness, while chicken should be thinner at 1-3 mm per slice.
The dish is believed to be worth around $3.6 million annually to Europe’s economy, according to the Association of Turkish Doner Producers.
Where We Are Going Today: Sawada cafe in Riyadh
Sawada cafe is located in a plaza overlooking Olaya Street, Riyadh, making it an ideal getaway from the bustle of the city.
The coffee shop offers specialty coffees and desserts, but what sets it apart is its ambiance, with a bohemian-influenced interior design style, soft lighting, and decorative wheat plants lining the walls of the seating area.
Eclectic paintings from Saudi artists are displayed on the walls, providing an artistic touch.
Sawada is ideal for those looking for a quiet and calm spot to relax with friends. It is also good for studying or working — if you can ignore the light, ambient music playing in the background.
Various seating areas are available, including booths bordering the walls and benches overlooking the barista area. A designated smoking area with seating is well separated from nonsmokers sitting indoors.
Customers can also grab their coffees and head to the outdoor seating area or take a walk on the path outside the cafe.
With so many coffee shops and cafes opening in Riyadh, it can be difficult finding authenticity when it comes to coffee beans. But Sawada’s quality is revealed in its V60 drink, a pour-over coffee that highlights the subtle and smooth flavors of the beans.
The menu is standard, with many local favorites, including Spanish latte, flat white, cortado, cappuccino, and tea. Iced tea, an ideal thirst quencher in Riyadh’s summer heat, is also available.
Sawada offers a variety of desserts that can be paired with coffee, including pecan tart, classic date cake, croissants, sweet bars made out of dates, and toffee crumble.
Our recommended options are the chocolate cookies, the classic cheesecake, and the San Sebastian cake. A Snickers and Ferrero Rocher cake also looked appetizing.
We tried the matcha, but the large amount of milk overpowered the flavors of the tea. We recommend trying the signature or Spanish latte instead.
For updates and more information, check Instagram @sawada.ksa.
Where We Are Going Today: ‘Jon & Vinny’s restaurant in Riyadh
- The atmosphere and decoration of the restaurant are standard, with wooden bench-style seating and walls decorated using pizza boxes
Los Angeles-based Italian restaurant Jon & Vinny’s has opened a location in Riyadh serving pizza, pasta, desserts and coffee.
Located in Al-Sulimaniyah, the Italian restaurant has four locations in the US, all in California: Fairfax, Brentwood, Slauson and Beverly Hills.
The Riyadh restaurant features a more casual laid-back dining experience as opposed to other Italian restaurants in the Saudi capital that offer a more refined dining atmosphere.
If you are looking for a luxury restaurant for a quiet date night, this is not the best option, but if you are searching for a trendy hang-out spot, Jon & Vinny’s is suitable for you.
The atmosphere and decoration of the restaurant are standard, with wooden bench-style seating and walls decorated using pizza boxes.
The restaurant founders, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, attended the grand opening in Riyadh on April 17, saying that their mission is to offer authentic food that captures traditional Italian flavors.
The prices on the menu are average, with dishes ranging from SR65-75 ($17-20).
The menu offers a wide variety of pizzas, from “The Rosy,” a tomato and olive oil pizza with parmesan, to the “The Lola,” with fresh burrata, tomato, basil olive oil and a dash of sea salt.
One thing to note is that the pizza is quite authentic compared to other options in the city. The pizza crust is crispy, light and airy, allowing the freshness of the tomatoes and herbs to shine through.
Unlike other Italian restaurants, Jon and Vinny’s also offers different options for crust dips, such as ranch, garlic, buffalo, creamy Italian, pomodoro and olive oil.
In terms of drinks, the options on the menu include juices, soft drinks and caffeinated beverages such as americanos, cappuccinos and other coffee.
You may try the house-made lemonade, which is refreshing but a bit on the sour side. It is definitely great for guests looking for something tangy and refreshing for the Saudi summer heat.
For pasta options, you can try the pesto pasta, known on the menu as the pesto parmigiano oregano. The pasta is perfectly cooked al dente and the sauce is tasty but nothing new or innovative.
The lemon pasta and the spicy fusilli are the two highlight dishes of the restaurant.
When it comes to meat, there are limited choices on the menu. You may try the braised meatballs with ricotta and garlic bread.
The meatballs are very flavorful and seasoned well, with the flavors of the spices in the meatballs complimenting the simple and fresh red sauce.
The garlic bread which is offered with the meatballs is a bit on the charred side.
Another notable option on the menu is the Caesar salad with cheese sticks.
The freshness and quality of the ingredients shine through in the simple dishes.
The restaurant is very trendy and social-media friendly. The wall of Jon and Vinny’s pizza boxes is the perfect backdrop for photos.
Although the restaurant is small, it does offer an open-style kitchen where guests can approach the kitchen area and see the chefs cooking each meal.
For dessert, the restaurant offers a variety of sweets, including cheesecake and chocolate cake.
You will find the staff incredibly friendly.
Jon & Vinny’s offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, and is open from 8 a.m. to midnight.
Renowned London restaurant and Emirati fashion label launch t-shirt collection
DUBAI: Acclaimed Persian restaurant Berenjak Dubai, hailing from London, has joined forces with Shabab Intl. to launch a range of stylish t-shirts.
In sleek black, the t-shirts – now on sale at the restaurant – feature a Berenjak-inspired print on the back. The logos of both the restaurant and Shabab Intl. are depicted on the front.
Images for the launch campaign were shot by Dubai creative Cheb Moha, who leads the fashion label.
“We’re thrilled to be at Berenjak,” he told Arab News. “Personally, I am a huge fan and make it a point to dine there at least once especially when I’m in London.”
Moha’s deep appreciation for Berenjak stems from an enduring passion for Persian cuisine and cultural heritage, he said.
“Having Shabab there is particularly special for us, and I am confident that it will open doors for more collaborations. With our Shabab community present, it is exciting for them to witness this crossover between our origins and the spaces we inhabit at the restaurant. We are thrilled to stand alongside Berenjak and to have Shabab represented there.”
Moha added his t-shirt designs aimed for simplicity and clarity.
“I wanted to incorporate our identity with Berenjak’s identity and the identity of (the) city we are in, which is Dubai,” he said.
“If you notice, the graphic on the back of the t-shirt is sort of sun shaped. That is part of the Shabab spirit, the sunrise. And if you look in the windows, Berenjak also has a sun motif in the glass. I wanted to incorporate that and feel like there is a nice synergy between both brands.”
Moha also feels there is a crossover between fashion and food. “I feel like there’s always been a pipeline between both. They do complement each other in some way,” he said.
Berenjak, founded by chef Kian Samyani and award-winning London restaurant group JKS Restaurants, is a renowned Persian restaurant that has made its mark by bringing a contemporary twist to classic dishes.
Where We Are Going Today: Kaak Al-Farah
Kaak Al-Farah — which translates as “the cookie of joy” — is an Instagram shop that offers kaak, a traditional date-filled treat enjoyed in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries.
A cherished part of celebrations such as Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha, weddings and baby showers, kaak are similar to maamoul cookies, which include semolina.
Kaak Al-Farah makes each cookie with care, using ornate molds to shape the date-stuffed dough. After baking, the cookies are packed in a beautiful reusable box.
Made from locally sourced ingredients, including wheat, dates and traditional Saudi flavors such as cardamom and cloves, each bite is a celebration of the region’s rich culinary heritage.
What makes Kaak Al-Farah stand out is not just the delightful taste of the cookies but also the thoughtful packaging which reflects the essence of Saudi culture.
The round box features designs redolent of the joyful spirit found in Saudi communities, including a cheerful ring of colorful flowers symbolizing happiness and beauty and a portrait of a lady representing peace and love. Added to each box is a personalized greeting card.
Kaak Al-Farah delivers to various cities throughout the Kingdom and can be found on delivery apps including The Chefz and Hayak.
For more information, visit their Instagram profile — @kaak.alfarah.
