Diet: homemade spread is better!

Diet: homemade spread is better!

Easy to prepare, adaptable to your liking, excellent for our health: spreadable starters are really good when they are concocted by us. Flavors guaranteed!

      

What we like in fine weather is to rediscover the taste of vegetables from the sun and their beautiful flavors. Cold starters are perfect to whet your appetite and lend themselves to buffets. For that, let's bet on spreads. Whether you prepare them the day before or the same day (keep them cool), you will not spend hours in the kitchen and your loved ones will appreciate it just as much!

Full of fiber, vitamins ...

On the menu, in the mezze family - appetizers from Greece and Turkey - tzatzíki will bring its lightness, provided of course that you use cottage cheese with 0% or 20% fat. Rich in water and protein, calcium, and vitamin D, it is full, thanks to cucumber, of valuable fibers for digestion. Still from the Mediterranean rim, hummus has many advantages. Its cooked chickpeas are rather digestible and provide fibers that promote the balance of the microbiota. Its vegetable proteins will also satisfy us. Finally, let's not forget that it remains a little fatty (and therefore caloric), because it is prepared with olive oil and tahini, sesame puree. But homemade and in reasonable quantities, it is a staple of spreads.

 A blend of avocados and tomatoes, guacamole highlights its vitamins E and K as well as its omega 6 and 9, which are good for our cardiovascular health. The lycopene from its tomatoes and the vitamin C from lemon juice also has strong antioxidant power. Extremely simple, eggplant caviar provides few calories but a good dose of antioxidants and fiber. We add cumin known for its anti-inflammatory properties and its help with difficult digestion. Finally, fish lovers will enjoy the salmon or mackerel rillettes rich in omega 3 which help the brain function properly. In addition, their proteins will provide a good supply of amino acids to maintain muscle mass.

 

With or without bread?

All these starters are spread on a little bread, preferably wholemeal, rye, or on pita bread. Another possibility: the small vegetable sticks immersed in these preparations will greet a crunchy start to summer, rich in vitamins. They can thus compose a light dinner, complete as we like and… as our health likes.

 

The virtues of homemade

Control the amount of salt and fat, avoid preservatives and hidden sugars ... what we cook at home is prepared from a limited number of ingredients. Quite the opposite of ultra-processed foods (see p. 88) produced by industry and which contain multiple additives intended to improve flavor, appearance, or preservation. At home, let's rely on spices (cinnamon, cumin, ginger, etc.) or aromatic plants (basil, coriander, garlic, etc.) to add flavor to our preparations.

do it yourself recipes are taken from "Do it yourself!", by Séverine Augé and Louise Browaeys. Photographs by Charly Deslandes. Ed. Larousse

• Fish rillettes

Preparation: 5 min

Cooking: 8-12 min

For 400 g of rillettes:

200 g of cooked fish (tuna, mackerel, sardines, etc.) or 300 g of raw fish

- 200 g of cream cheese

- 4 sprigs of chives - 4 sprigs of dill

- 1 C. 1 teaspoon of pink berries

If using raw fish, remove the bones and steam it for 8 min if it's fillets and 12 min if it's steaks.

Let cool, remove the skin, and crumble the flesh with a fork. If using cooked fish, crumble it straight away.

Chop the herbs and mix them with the fish, cream cheese, and pink berries. Season generously.

Tip: Serve with a few slices of bread or with seed cracker cookies.

• Guacamole

Preparation: 10 min

For a bowl: 2 avocados

- 2 tomatoes - 1 shallot - 10 sprigs of cilantro - juice of 1 lime - 1 tsp. 1 teaspoon ground cumin - 1 pinch of fleur de sel, - 1 pinch of ground pepper (optional)

Mash the flesh of the avocados with a fork. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into small cubes. Chop the shallot and cilantro.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Tip: To keep beautiful guacamole longer and prevent it from turning to persimmon, keep

the core of an avocado and place it in the mixture. Also, cover the bowl with aluminum foil

or beeswax wrap, which will prevent contact with light.

Finally, keep it cool.

• Tzatziki

Preparation: 15 min

Rest: 45 min

For a bowl: 1 organic cucumber - 8sprigs of mint - 5 sprigs of parsley - The juice of ½ lemon - 1 pinch of chili powder - Fleur de sel - 1 Greek yogurt

Cut the washed, unpeeled cucumber in half lengthwise. 

Salt and let it drain for 15 minutes in a colander. Rinse it and dry it with a clean cloth.

Chop the herbs. In a large bowl, mix them with cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, and chili.

Season, then refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

• Humus

Preparation: 10 min

For a bowl: 300 g of cooked chickpeas - 10 cl of olive oil - The juice of ½ lemon - 1 tsp. tahini or

golden sesame - 1 tbsp. coffee from ras el-hanout

Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then place them in the bowl of a blender.

Add the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini (or sesame), ras el-hanout, and a good pinch of salt

and pepper.

Tip: if you want a less thick hummus, add 5 cl of cold water to the preparation.

• Eggplant caviar

Cooking: 45 min

Rest: 10 min

For a bowl: 2 eggplants - 1 tbsp. olive oil - 1 tbsp. 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Heat oven to 200 ° C (th. 6-7). Prick the eggplants all over with the tip of a knife.