Geeky Cat Miusings

During the dreary winter months when it is cold and grey outside, the body and mind needs a lift. Many of us crave carbohydrates as a subconscious attempt to raise serotonin levels, a brain chemical that is responsible for our mood. I consider pasta a comfort food and love to add a hand full of pasta to my soups. I like to use a chunkier style pasta, such as elbow shells, to satisfy my carbohydrate craving since it gives me something to dig my teeth into. I often substitute the star pasta with a chunky pasta in my favourite recipe, Moroccan Chickpea and Stars soup (see below), a soup that lifts my spirit, warms and nourishes my body, and can be quickly made in 30 minutes.

It would take too long to describe all the health benefits of this wonderful soup so I will include just a few here to stimulate your interest. The beans and lentils in the soup contain vitamin b5, vitamin c, folic acid and zinc which are essential for the brain to make serotonin. The ginger has many health benefits including increasing circulation, particularly in the hands and feet, and thereby warming the body, it also increases metabolic rate, and it can aid in digestion. Onions fight infections, breathing problems, aid the cardiovascular system, and prevent cancer. Tomatoes also help fight cancer, heart disease, and cataracts. All the ingredients in this soup are healthy and they come together to make the dish very tasty so I hope you will try this recipe from Fresh at Home, a collection of popular recipes from a wonderful group of restaurants in Toronto called Fresh.

Moroccan Chickpea and Stars soup

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, diced

3 tbsp minced fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch ground cinnamon

Pinch allspice

Pinch ground coriander

Pinch ground cardamom

Pinch turmeric

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 cup red lentils

8 cups vegetable stock or water

1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas

1 cup white kidney beans, cooked or canned

1/2 cup pasta shapes

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat.
2. Stir in onions, ginger and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes or until onions are softened.
3. Add cinnamon, allspice, coriander, cardamom, turmeric and cayenne pepper; cook for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in tomato, lentils and stock. Cook for 15 minutes or until lentils are softened.
5. Add chickpeas, beans and pasta. Cook until pasta is done, about 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat. Stir in salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Serve.

Serves 4 to 6

The discussion about chocolate at the ROM yesterday was very engaging and interesting, thanks to the excellent speakers. I learned that the melting point of chocolate is 36°C which is just below human body temperature and therefore it melts in the mouth. If you let it melt slowly in your mouth you can notice the cool feeling on your tongue - since chocolate that is melting is using heat from your body to melt. I have always thought that chocolate has miraculous properties and apparently other people agree with me since they have named the chocolate plant Theobramba cacao, which means “Food of the Gods.”

If you are trying to kick a chocolate addiction, this may help: I have heard reports that the average chocolate bar has 8 insect legs in it. If you are happy about your chocolate consumption, as I am, you can just discard that fact and remember that the phenyethylene and anandamide contained in chocolate have anti-depressant properties. High levels of phenylethylamine, a neurotrasmitter, help create feelings of attraction, excitement, and giddiness. Eating chocolate also stimulates the release of endorphins, hormones that generate a feeling of pleasure and well-being. Chocolate also contains tryptophan, a chemical that the brain uses to make serotonin. High levels of serotonin produces feeling of elation. From what I understand, the levels of tryptophan in chocolate are a lot lower than other foods.

So if you see me looking happy, like a cat who just caught a mouse, you may know what my secret is.