Coffee Chocolate Cupcakes

This is my second attempt at baking cupcakes. I have a very long way to go to master the art. As my husband is a coffee lover, I baked this batch. This recipe is very simple and easy to bake; also it can be doubled or tripled to bake more cupcakes.

This recipe makes 7 cupcakes and each cupcake provides approximately 356.5 Calories.

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

1 tsp instant coffee granules

30ml warm water

60g butter

80g caster sugar

1 egg

1 tsp cocoa powder

75g All purpose flour (Maida)

40g ground almonds

60g dark chocolate

90ml milk

For the butter cream:

50g butter

100g Icing sugar

1tbsp milk

1tbsp coffee

Method:

For the cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and prepare cupcake cases on baking tray.
2. Combine instant coffee and water and set aside.
3. Mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add egg and mix until combined.
5. Sieve together flour and cocoa powder and add half to butter mixture.
6. Melt the chocolate and add to the butter mixture.(I melted in the microwave)
7. Add milk, remaining flour/cocoa and coffee to butter mixture and mix well.
8. Divide into cupcake cases and bake in preheated oven for approximately 55 minutes.
9. Leave them to cool on a wire rack and don’t ice with the frosting till cupcakes are absolutely cold.

For the butter cream:

Beat butter until creamy and then fold in icing sugar and coffee, adding a little of each at a time until you reach the required quantity and taste.

Recipe by  Chaya Ranasinghe

Dialysis

End stage renal disease (ESRD) is a condition when kidneys have lost all or most of their ability to function with GFR < 5ml/minute. The treatment of ESRD includes dialysis – haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) – and Kidney Transplantation.

The process of dialysis involves cleansing the blood of metabolic wastes, based on the principle of osmosis and diffusion. A semi-permeable porous membrane is used in dialysis to separate the patient blood carrying excess fluid and metabolic wastes and the hypotonic “dialysis fluid” called dialysate. Through osmosis and diffusion, the metabolic waste and excess water move into the dialysate. The pores of the semi-permeable membrane do not permit large particles like protein and RBC to pass through, but smaller water-soluble molecules can pass.

In Haemodialysis (HD), patient’s blood circulates outside the body through what is commonly referred to as an “artificial kidney machine”. An opening is created to connect an artery and a vein. Blood leaves the body via the artery, into the dialyser and after cleansing, flow back to the body via the vein as shown in the picture below.

In Peritoneal Dialysis (PD), the patient’s peritoneum is used as the semi permeable membrane and excess water and metabolic wastes are removed by injecting the dialysis fluid into the peritoneal cavity as shown in the picture below. After some time, the fluid with the metabolic waste is drained out from the peritoneum. Peritoneal dialysis is less effective than haemodialysis and can result in loss of intact large molecular proteins also.

For long-term use, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) maybe used based on facilities available. In this, the dialysis fluid is exchanged 4-5 times daily.

The objectives of dietary management in ESRD with dialysis are to maintain balance of protein, energy, fluid and electrolytes, calcium and phosphorus, while making up losses of water-soluble nutrients lost in the dialysate.

The Nutrient requirement for adults with End stage renal disease based on type of therapy is as follows:

Therapy	Energy (Kcal/kg BW)	Protein (g/kg IBW)	Fluid (ml/day)	Sodium (g/day)	Potassium (g/day)	Phosphorus (g/day)
Haemodialysis	35	1	500 + urine	Variable	2- 3	1 – 1.2
Intermittent Peritoneal Dialysis (IPD)	30 (40-50 for repletion)	1.2	500 + urine output	2 – 3	2 – 3	1 – 1.2
Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD)	25 (40-50 for repletion)	1.2	Minimum or 2000 ml/day + urine output	6 – 8	3 – 4	1.5 - 2

Also read on other Diseases of the Kidney in the Diet Corner column.

Post by Faiz Lahori

Cooking Frozen Food -Thawing

The first and foremost step of cooking frozen food is to bring back the food to a normal temperature or thawing the food. The frozen food has undergone physical, biological and chemical changes and hence has cannot be cooked as such. A change in temperature of the frozen food has to be brought about so as to make it suitable for cooking without causing its spoilage. The purpose of thawing frozen foods thoroughly before cooking is to ensure that during cooking the food is heated sufficiently to kill harmful bacteria.

Thawing is the process of melting the solid food product or defrosting the frozen food items. Quick thawing is desirable as it keeps microbial population in check. Slow thawing of frozen food causes loss of food quality due to concentration effects and also causes separation of cells due to physical rupture of cells in between and within the food. The process of thawing will take varying length of time depending on the type of food being thawed and the size of the food, for example it will take as long as 48 hrs with large frozen foods. Repeated freezing & thawing can be very detrimental to the quality of foods. Quick thawing can be easily attained with the help of hot water, steam or microwave heating.

Image Courtesy: http://pixgood.com/

Depending on how much time you have, there are three accepted ways to safely defrost frozen foods.

There are three safe ways to defrost food:

• In the refrigerator
• In cold water
• In the microwave (Most importantly, follow instructions from manufacturer)

Foods such as meats should be first defrosted by keeping in the refrigerator and consequently adopting other method of thawing.

Sometimes the frozen foods can be better defrosted by placing it in cold water and changing the water every 30 minutes.

The option of defrosting in microwave should be resorted to only after carefully reading the manufacturer's instructions and if the freezer bag is tolerant alone to defrosting in microwave it is not advised to cook in the microwave itself.

For faster defrosting, place food in a leak proof plastic bag and immerse it in cold water. Change water every 30 minutes. After thawing, cook immediately.

For defrosting ready meals always follow the instructions on the packet.

Many ready prepared foods can be safely cooked directly from the frozen state because the manufactures have designed the cooking method to ensure that the food is properly cooked. Therefore, if the pack tells you to ‘cook from frozen’ it is important to do so, as this will give the best results. Always follow the cooking instructions on the packaging carefully. Always cook vegetables from frozen in order to preserve the nutrients.

Refreezing thawed foods is not advised from a safety or quality point of view. The main reason is to avoid the risk of improper defrosting methods, i.e. thawing at room temperature for too long a time or letting the thawed food get too warm before refreezing is started.

Thawed foods should be treated as carefully as chilled foods, i.e. kept in the refrigerator. Thawed frozen foods should be cooked as soon as possible. Care should be taken to ensure that juices released after thawing do not drip onto the refrigerator surfaces – therefore, thawed meats should be stored covered at the bottom of a fridge for no more than 24 hours. 

Post by Faiz Lahori

Tiramisu

Who doesn’t love tiramisu?  Only those of you who have never tried it. Before I begin anywhere, this desert contains too many calories in just 1 bite. If you are on a weight loss diet, I’m sorry. J But for those of you who care nothing less, please do try it.

Traditional tiramisu is a popular coffee-flavoured Italian dessert. It’s made of ladyfinger biscuits (also called sponge fingers) dipped in strong coffee, layered with cream, cheese, eggs mixture and topped with powdered cocoa. In the traditional tiramisu mix, rum is added. (Which is a big NO NO) And that is why I call it the halal tiramisu.

Though the ingredients may sound complicated and the dessert itself looks exotic, it’s pretty simple to make. Here is a step by step process.

The ladyfinger biscuits turn into a soft fluffy cake when it absorbs all the cream cheese. 

The real recipe for tiramisu calls for mascarpone cheese, which is quite expensive and not easily available too. Not to worry, cream cheese works beautiful. I have used this particular brand.

Mix 200g of cheese and 3 tbsp of sugar till smooth.

Separate 3 egg yolks from the white in a bowl. To the eggs add 4 tbsp of sugar and mix well.

Use a double boiler for this step. The bowl of eggs must sit in a pot of boiling water. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring continuously till the deep yellow colour of the yolk turns milkish yellow (Cooking for too long may cause the egg yolks to scramble/clot. Keep stirring.)

Pour this egg mixture into the cheese mix immediately and stir well. To this add 2 tbsp of strong coffee.

Whip up 1 ½ cups of cream. I have used one sachet of powder whip cream. You can alternatively use fresh cream and whip it up.

For those of you who don’t have an electric beater. Pour ice water in a large bowl. Use a steel container to whip up your cream. Keep the container immersed in the water. This will help whip up the cream faster. Whip till the cream forms soft peaks. (Takes atleast 5 minutes and an aching arm)

Fold in the whipped cream into the cheese and egg mix. Your custard for the tiramisu is ready.

Now, time to arrange the masterpiece! Use a large deep dish for layering the lady finger and custard. Keep the coffee ready in a flat dish to dip the tiramisu.

Dip each ladyfinger into the coffee mix (The coffee is strong so don’t dip too much, just a bit here and there) and arrange in the dish.

Pour half of the cream cheese custard on top.

Sprinkle cocoa powder with a sieve. (I dint have any cocoa at home, so I used my son’s Nesquick chocolate milk powder J)

Repeat again, with another layer of ladyfingers, cheese and cocoa dusting.

Cover with a cling wrap and keep it in the refrigerator overnight to cool.

This recipe uses 24 ladyfinger biscuits and serves 12 people. One serving of this recipe will provide approximately 182 Calories.

Here is what you’ll need:

200 gm cream cheese / Mascarpone cheese

1 packet ladyfinger biscuits/ Sponge biscuits

3 egg yolk

7 tbsp sugar (divided)

1 ½ cup whipped cream

2 tsp instant coffee

Cocoa powder (for garnish)

Method:

1. To a glass of water add 2 tsp of instant coffee.
2. In a large bowl mix the softened cream cheese with 3 tbsp sugar till creamy soft.
3. Mix 4 tbsp sugar with the egg yolks till dissolved.
4. Double boil the egg yolks sugar mixture till dark yellow turns pale yellow.
5. Add the egg mixture to the cheese. Add 2 tbsp of coffee and mix well.
6. To this add the whipped cream and fold it in gently.
7. In a deep dish, arrange the ladyfinger biscuits soaked in coffee.
8. Spread the cheese egg cream custard and dust cocoa.
9. Repeat again with another layer of ladyfingers and custard.
10. Dust with cocoa.
11. Chill overnight.

  Recipe by Zohra Sada

Nephrotic Syndrome

Nephrotic syndrome is a disorder where the kidneys have been damaged, causing them to leak protein from blood into the urine. It is also termed as Nephrosis. 

The causes of nephritic syndrome are progressive glomerulonephritis, disease such as diabetes, collagen disease or drug reactions, from exposure to heavy metals, or even from a reaction to toxin venom following a bee sting.

It is characterized by massive oedema and protinuria, hypoalbuminemia (low levels of albumin in blood), hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol levels in blood) and abnormal bone metabolism. Pedal (foot) and periorbital (around the orbit of the eye) oedema and ascitis (fluid in abdominal cavity) are common. The continued loss of protein may cause tissue breakdown and lead to malnutrition.

As the disease progresses, calcium or phosphate levels in blood maybe altered due to altered Vitamin D levels, resulting in oesteomalacia.

The major objectives of dietary management of this condition are to control and correct protein deficiency and correct and prevent oedema and maintain adequate nutrition to afford better resistance to infection.

The dietary guidelines for nephritic syndrome are as below.

Also read on other Diseases of the Kidney in the Diet Corner column.

Post by Faiz Lahori

Vegetable Chopsuey Rice

This is an easy quick recipe and at the end of a week all the remaining vegetable at home could be used in the dish. The vegetables can be colorful and cut into fancy shapes if this is being served to kids. Chopsuey is an easy way to add a lot of fiber into a meal. This is a family recipe.

This recipe serves 4 people and one serving provides approximately 222 calories.

Ingredients:

1 Carrot

50 g cabbage

2-3 beans

1 Onion

1 tsp ginger & garlic paste

Salt & pepper as per taste

2 tbsp corn flour

1 tbsp Soya sauce

1 tbsp Butter

1 Cup rice

Method:

1. Wash and cook the rice. Keep separately.
2. Whisk together soya sauce, salt and corn flour and add enough water to make up to a cup. Keep aside.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp butter and add the ginger and garlic paste. Sauté it.
4. Then add the carrots, cabbage, onions and beans and stir-fry over high heat for a minute.
5. Add the sauce mixture and cook, stirring continuously. When the mixture thickens adjust salt and pepper. Keep aside.
6. Transfer rice to a serving dish, pour the vegetables over and serve.

Recipe by Chaya Ranasinghe

Glomerulonephritis – Swelling in the small blood vessels in the head of the Nephron

Image Courtesy: http://www.unckidneycenter.org/

Glomerulonephritis is an inflammatory process affecting the glomeruli – the tuft of capillaries in the bowman’s capsule of a nephron in the kidney.  It is common in its acute form in children 3 to 10 years of age but can also occur in adults past the age 50. It starts suddenly and is short lived, it can either recover completely or lead to development of chronic nephritic syndrome. It is generally caused by streptococcal infection, renal infarction, acute polynephritis and metallic poisoning.

The classic symptoms of glomerulonephritis are haematuria (blood in urine) and proteinuria (protein in urine). Odema and shortness of breath can occur as a result of sodium and water retention and circulatory congestion. Tachycardia (Faster heart rate) and elevated BP may also be present. The patient is aneroxic leading to feeding problems. Presence of oliguria (lower urine production) or anuria (no urine production) and uremia (urea in blood) shows development of acute renal failure.

As a part of dietary management, adequate proteins should be given unless there is development of oliguria or anuria. Salt is restricted in case of oedema, hypertension or oliguria. Sufficient simple and complex carbohydrates have a protein sparing action. Fat should be given based on tolerance. Bed rest and antibiotic drug therapy are the main treatment. The fluid intake will be adjusted to output including losses in vomiting or diarrhea.

The dietary treatment of this condition is as follows:

Also read on other Diseases of the Kidney in the Diet Corner column.

Post by Faiz Lahori

Frozen food - Brief Insight

A very common sight - an entire row of refrigerators and deep freezers in supermarkets dedicated to storage of frozen foods. This change in the market is due to busy schedule of working class people who cannot often spend time on visiting the supermarkets. Thus, came the concept of preserving food so as to improve its shelf life as well as make non-seasonal foods available anytime to all.

Freezing is the simplest, easiest & quickest way of preserving food stuffs. It does not completely destroy bacteria, molds and yeasts but does significantly retard their growth. Gradually changes in colour, texture, flavour & nutritive value caused by natural enzymes in foods continue.              

At one place where frozen foods are known to have a longer shelf life they are also accompanied with physical and chemical changes.

Freeze drying of food can be done at home as well as commercially. Almost all types of food can be frozen - fruits, vegetables, meats, cooked foods etc., and the essential requirement of freezing being a cold storage or a refrigerator or deep freezer.

Freezing starts from surface of the food and progresses gradually to the core of the product. Preservation is possible because of the greatly reduced water content which inhibits the action of microorganisms and enzymes that would normally spoil or degrade the substance.

Changes that occur during freezing are as in the below diagram:

The process of freezing results in changes in the frozen products:

The main advantages of frozen food are the convenience of storing these foods, their availability throughout different seasons, increased shelf life of the food and preserving food. The various disadvantages of  frozen food are the physical and chemical changes caused in the food due to the process of freezing.

Post by Faiz Lahori

Spring Roll Filling

Crisp and crackly, full of tender yet crisp veggies. This recipe of spring roll filling is more on the Chinese version. If you have a chicken breast handy, cook it separately in butter. Season with ginger and garlic paste along with a dash of red chilli and salt. Once cooked, shred finely and add to the done vegetables. Now this is an optional step. For totally vegetarian filling just go ahead with the recipe.

The trick for making good spring rolls is not getting the vegetables completely cooked and soggy. Moisture ruins the wrap and then storing and defrosting becomes a disaster. Keep the flame on high throughout and cook the veggies for few minutes only. And do not add the salt till the very end. Salt makes the veggies wilt and lose moisture and that’s a big NO NO.

This recipe will make 20 spring rolls.

Here is what you’ll need:

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 carrot grated

1 spring onion

¼ capsicum sliced

1 tbsp corn / olives/sprouted mung beans

1 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp black pepper

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp soy sauce

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. In a large wok, heat butter and add the cabbage and spring onions. Stir fry on high flame for a minute or two.
2. Add the grated carrot and capsicum. Toss the vegetables around for another couple of minutes.
3. Add the soy sauce, black pepper and salt and switch off the flame.
4. Mix in the spring onion leaves, corn/olives/sprouted mung.
5. Squeeze in the lemon juice.
6. At this point add the shredded chicken pieces if prepared. (Optional)
7. Your filling for the spring roll is ready.

For chicken:

1 chicken breast cubed

1 tsp ginger garlic

1 tbsp butter

½ tsp salt

½ tsp red chilli powder

Method:

1. Heat the butter in a pan. Add the ginger garlic along with the chicken.
2. Sprinkle the salt and red chilli.
3. Once the chicken gets completely cooked and soaks up all the moisture switch off the flame.
4. Once cooled, shred it into fine pieces and add it to your veggies.

Now now! Don’t judge my pictures and don’t ask me how to neatly roll up the spring rolls. Me clumsy. Me messy. Me no neat. L This recipe is for making yummy delicious filling for the spring rolls. So go ahead. 

Recipe by Zohra Sada