My Online Health Articles and Healthy Recipes

Love garlic? The Garlic Dressing, Firecracker Salsa and Roasted Garlic recipes below give you the taste you love, backed by the antiviral power of “the stinking rose.”

Garlic has a long history that dates back to as early as 5,000 years ago: Ancient Greeks and Egyptians used it for heart problems and headache; the Chinese used it for a variety of common ailments and to boost immunity. And modern scientific research confirms its curative powers. National Cancer Institute studies indicate that a diet rich in garlic may reduce risk of colorectal, stomach and prostate cancer by as much as half. Research also shows that garlic has antiviral properties that protect against infection and inflammation, may destroy certain flu viruses, and help to kill intestinal parasites.

How can this little “rose” do so much? It’s packed with nutrients, including vitamin A and vitamin C; the minerals potassium, selenium, phosphorus and zinc; and amino acids. It also has an unusually high concentration of the sulfur compound allicin, which is a strong antibiotic and the compound primarily responsible for garlic’s healing properties.

If a little garlic each day keeps the doctor away, what’s the best way to get it? Cooked or raw, all forms have health benefits, but raw garlic has the edge. The following easy-to-prepare salad dressing is a tasty way to get your daily dose:

Garlic Dressing
Serves 1-4

• 4 T. olive oil
• 2 T. grated parmesan cheese
• 1 T. lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Mix ingredients together and drizzle over salad greens.

And if you’re looking to heat things up, try the following fresh salsa recipe:

Firecracker Salsa
Serves 2-4

• 3 jalapeno peppers
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
• Salt, to taste

Remove stems and seeds from peppers. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and coarsely chop until the mixture gets to the consistency you want. Serve with tortilla chips.

And here’s a classic with taste that’s out of this world:

Roasted Garlic

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Peel away the outer layers of the skin, leaving the clove skins intact. Cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of the cloves with a knife.
3. Place the garlic heads in a regular baking pan or muffin pan, cur side facing up. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, “massaging” them with your fingers to make sure each garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft if you push on them gently.
4. Let the garlic cool so you can touch it. Use a knife to cut the skin slightly around each clove, and then pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the skins.

You can eat the roasted garlic as is or mash it with a fork to use in recipes. It also can be spread over warm French bread, mixed with sour cream for a baked potato topping , or mixed in with Parmesan and pasta.

Fresh garlic usually is the best for disease prevention, but eating raw cloves could cause gas or bloating. And not everyone enjoys the pungent aroma. If it bothers you, try a nutritional supplement instead. Research has shown that supplements containing an extract often work as effectively as fresh — without the garlic breath.

Photo by Alessandro Paiva

You might also be interested in these other recipes:

• Blueberry Recipes with Antioxidant Power
• Broccoli Recipes
• Asparagus Recipes
• Pasta Recipes to Boost Your Immune System
• Recipes to Control Blood Sugar
• Recipes to Help Your Vision
• Recipes to Keep Anemia at Bay

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