A large number of individuals in the West suffer from high blood pressure brought on by being obese or/ |and the high degrees of stress that modern life generates. Most sufferers are told to lose weight, take up yoga or hiking or take tablets for life. This means that most people end up taking tablets for life, because lifestyle alterations are so hard to accomplish.
However, there is one enjoyable manner of reducing your blood pressure and that is eating tasty food that does not need additional salt, because it is flavoured by other means. Here are three such recipes.
Recipe One: France
Leeks Vinaigrette (Poireaux En Salade)
Serves 4
12 leeks 1/4 cup olive oil 4 tspn vinegar of your preference black pepper, fresh ground 1 tbls fresh parsley, chopped mustard to taste
PREPARATION: Clean the leeks; cut off most of the green parts and wash meticulously, split if necessary, under cold running water. If they are large, split them lengthways; each piece ought to be around the size of a big stalk of asparagus.
Tie them into bundles in two places, place them in boiling salted water just enough to cover, and cook gently for 25 minutes, or until they are tender but not limp. Drain them well (but be certain to save the water to add to a soup).
The leeks may be presented in a serving dish or arranged on individual plates. Create your vinaigrette in a bowl, adding mustard to taste, and whisk the dressing well until it is almost opaque, or emulsified; pour it on top of the leeks.
Recipe Two: Germany
Birnensuppe (Pear Soup)
Serves 2
2 tbspn raisins 1 tbspn dry sherry 2 small pears, cored, peeled and sliced 1 1/2 cup water 1 inch cinnamon stick 1 pinch crushed aniseed 2 tspns granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
In small bowl combine raisins and sherry; set aside.
In 1-quart saucepan combine pears, water, cinnamon stick, and aniseed; bring to a boil and cook until pears are very soft, around 15 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and let cool. Transfer to liquidizer and process until smooth; pour into bowl or container and stir in raisin mixture, sugar, and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
Recipe Three: Greece
Fried Swordfish With Mediterranean Spices
Serves 4
1/2 cups white wine vinegar 1/2 tspn paprika 1/2 tspn red pepper flakes, dried 1/2 tspn oregano 1/2 tspn cumin, ground 1/2 tspn thyme 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 lb swordfish, cut in 1″ pieces olive oil for frying 1/2 cup white flour
PREPARATION: Mix first 8 ingredients in a medium non-reactive bowl. Add swordfish pieces; toss to coat. Cover and leave stand at room temperature at least 1 hour. (Can be marinated for up to 3 hours.)
TO COOK: Heat oven to 200F. Heat oil in a frying pan or an electric deep fryer to 365F. Transfer swordfish from marinade to a sieve. Drain swordfish; discard marinade. Pat swordfish pieces dry with paper towels, then toss in flour.
Working in batches to prevent overcrowding, fry swordfish until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain swordfish pieces on paper towel; transfer to a heatproof dish but keep them warm in the oven until ready to serve. (Can be kept warm in the oven up to 1/2 hour.)
Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on several of subjects, but is currently involved with work on high blood pressure charts. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at High Blood Pressure Recipes.