AL'ARD ORGANIC EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Al'ard Extra Virgin Palestine Olive Oil

HEALTH BENEFITS OF EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL Liquid Gold - Gift of Life! True 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a light and delicate addition to many wonderful dishes, and it is also one of the most health-promoting types of oils available.

Olive Oil is extremely rich in monounsaturated fat; a type of fat that researchers are discovering has excellent health benefits. No other naturally produced oil has as large an amount of monounsaturated fat as Olive Oil -mainly oleic acid. Additionally, the olive contains a high quantity of polyphenols and antioxidants, including hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein, and tyrosol.

To preserve these beneficial qualities, it is essential to press the olive as close as possible to the time it was harvested from the tree. Al'ard olive oils have been pressed within an astonishing 6 hours from the time of harvest! As the greatest example of monounsaturated fat, Olive Oil is a prime component of the widely researched Mediterranean Diet.

Olive Oil is a natural juice, which preserves the taste, aroma, vitamins and properties of the olive fruit. Olive Oil is the only oil that can be consumed as it is, in its natural state, freshly pressed from the fruit! All other oils are chemically processed, refined, and/or chemically extracted.

OLIVE OIL & YOUR HEART
Arteriosclerosis: It has been shown that olive oil has an effect in preventing the formation of blood clots. It has been observed that by avoiding excessive blood coagulation, olive-oil-rich diets can satisfy the effect of fatty foods by reducing blood clot formation, thus contributing to the low incidence of heart failure in countries where Olive Oil is the principal fat consumed.

CHOLESTEROL
Olive Oil lowers the levels of total blood cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. At the same time it does not alter the levels of HDL-cholesterol (and may even raise them), which plays a protective role and prevents the formation of fatty patches, thus stimulating the elimination of the low-density lipoproteins.

ANTIOXIDANTS IN OLIVE OIL
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), carotenoids and phenolic compounds are all antioxidants whose activity has been demonstrated in many studies, revealing further advantages in the prevention of certain diseases and also of ageing. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is particularly rich in these substances and it has a strong antioxidant effect, protecting against damage from free radicals and against the formation of cancer.

OLIVE OIL & OSTEOPOROSIS
Olive Oil appears to have a favourable effect on bone calcification, and bone mineralization is better the more olive oil is consumed. It helps calcium absorption, thereby playing an important part during the period of growth and in the prevention of osteoporosis.
Olive Oil is a nutrient of great biological value. Like all other fats and oils it is high in calories (120 to 130 calories in 1 tablespoon of 15ml). However, experience shows that there is less obesity amongst the Mediterranean people, who consume the most Olive Oil. It has been demonstrated that an olive-oil-rich diet leads to greater and longer-lasting weight loss than a low-fat diet. It is accepted better because it tastes good and it is a stimulus to eat vegetables.

OLIVE OIL DURING PREGNANCY & CHILDHOOD

Olive Oil plays a key role in fetal development during pregnancy and a shortage may have pernicious effects on the baby's subsequent development. It has been demonstrated that the post-natal development of babies of mothers who consumed Olive Oil when pregnant is better in terms of height, weight, behaviour and psycho-motor reflexes. The fetus needs vitamin E to grow. The newborn baby also needs a store of vitamin E to fight against the oxidative stress caused on entering an oxygen atmosphere.

Although not very abundant in Olive Oil, it is present in sufficient quantity thanks to the resistance of Olive Oil to oxidation. Therefore, both the amount and the type of food consumed in the diet during pregnancy play a key part in the metabolic adaptations that occur in the mother and in her functional relationship with her fetus.

AL'ARD OLIVE OIL IS ALSO GOOD FOR THE FOLLOWING
1) Knees or joint pain
2) Slowdown aging
3) Improve skin complexion and hair
4) Constipation
5) Improve overall immune system
6) Make up remover
7) Massage oil for body and face
8) Probiotic benefits

AL'ARD NABULSI SOAP
100% Palestine Olive Oil soap
Best for those with sensitive skin, eczema & psoriasis
Natural & moisturizer cleaning
Can use as facial soap, will not dry out your skin

Handcrafted, handmade, handwrap by the women cooperative members from Nablus, West Bank, Palestine from the Nablusi 10th century recipe.

For Malaysian can click  AT MY LAZADA SHOP   to purchase or you can leave your comment for any inquiry. You can also leave your email and message at the contact form.

What do I do when I've got nothing to do?

What do I do when I've got nothing to do? Today I cook crocodile meat..........

No......changed my mind. Cannot find.......

So I used chicken............

Spicy Nutmeg Chicken

Hollywood celebrities love their chicken......

Guess who loves chicken?

The Nutmeg
Aptly dubbed Myristica fragrances ("musky scent") by some long-ago botanist, nutmeg grows on a number of islands in the Caribbean—Trinidad's neighbor Grenada, which until recently produced 20 percent of the world's supply, proudly displays nutmeg on its flag—yet it's a relatively new arrival to that part of the world.

Nutmeg tree

The tree is indigenous to the Banda Islands in what is today the Indonesian province of Maluku, also know as the Moluccas Islands, and Indonesia still produces the majority of the world's nutmeg.

For millennia it grew only in Banda, which made the two spices it produces—nutmeg, the seed's kernel, and mace (see "Nutmeg's Other Half,", the red web covering it—a rare and hard-won commodity. Nutmeg arrived fashionably late to the European table—after the turn of the 11th century, far later than, say, pepper or cardamom—and its novelty only intensified its allure.

Along the medieval spice route, every time nutmeg changed hands—from Bandanese producers to Arab traders, from Byzantine spice merchants to Venetian ones—somebody profited, and nutmeg's price increased exponentially.

In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when physicians began prescribing nutmeg as a cure for the plague, the price spiked even higher—one small sack of nutmeg represented enough capital to purchase a house in London and a servant, too—and the newly formed Dutch and English East India companies waged a ruthless struggle for control of the Moluccas. The Dutch prevailed, at least for a time.

An 18th-century French adventurer named Pierre Poivre is credited with breaking the Dutch monopoly by smuggling seedlings out of the Moluccas and replanting them on the island of Mauritius, and as nutmeg plantations proliferated in Sri Lanka, Zanzibar, and the West Indies, the price of the spice plummeted.

Today most of the world's nutmeg is produced in the Spice Islands of Indonesia and the West Indies, especially Grenada - the "Nutmeg Island."

Most of us consume more nutmeg than we realize, in everything , food and drinks, include Coca-Cola.

Understand the makeup of the nutmeg.
The nutmeg is the inside part of a yellow fruit from the nutmeg tree, namely the kernel. The ripened fruit splits open to reveal a hard, black nutmeg. This nutmeg is dried for culinary usage. Mace is the inner case of the nutmeg and looks like webbing. Mace has a more delicate taste than nutmeg.

Three musketeers

Spicy Nutmeg Chicken

A/ Nutmeg Syrup
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon rum

1/  Preparation for the nutmeg syrup.
In a saucepan, combine the 3/4 cup of water along with the sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg.
Mix thoroughly & bring to a boil, then reduce heat & cook, stirring for 1 minutes.
2/  Combine cornstarch & water & mix thoroughly, stir in to the nutmeg syrup and mix well.
3/  Remove from heat & stir in the rum, then set aside.

B/ Seasoning for the chicken
4 chicken thighs
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup nutmeg syrup

1/  Season the chicken thighs with garlic, onion, salt, pepper, soya sauce, ground ginger and nutmeg syrup for 4 to 6 hours. Chill in the fridge.
2/  Lined the baking tray with aluminum foil.
3/  Preheat oven to 200 deg c.

4/  Bake chicken thighs for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and turn oven temperature to 190 deg c
5/  Baste the chicken thighs with the balance nutmeg syrup mixture. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil & return them to the oven to bake for at least 40 minutes, basting frequently.
6/  Remove aluminum foil, set the oven to grill mode. Grilled for 4 to 5 mins until slightly charred. 
7/  Serve hot with additional syrup mixture, if desired.

The meat is soft, tender and very moist.

Even Julia loves chicken.

Nutmeg has an aromatic, sweet, spicy and woodsy flavor. It adds aroma and enhances the taste of the food.  

 Guess who loves chicken....?

Butter Rice 

Melt butter in sauce pan, fry chopped onion until slightly brown. Add in cooked rice and stir fry for 5 mins. Remove from heat, add in chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Serve rich butter rice with nutmeg chicken.

Mixed fruits salad 
Guava - slice thinly
Red water melon - cut thin slice
Yellow water melon - cut thin slice
Grapes -  whole

Fruit Salad Sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/ Mixed all the salad sauce ingredients and cook for 5 minutes. Leave to cool, drizzle on fruit salad before serving.

After dinner.....since I've got nothing to do.........

This is what I'm going to do............

If you've got nothing better to do......try this...
Nutmeg Facial Mask

Nutmeg, a cooking and baking spice, is often cited as a kitchen ingredient which you can use for your acne scars and blemished marks.

1/ For pimples and blackheads.
Mix 1 tbsp of ground nutmeg and 1 tbsp of milk in a medium bowl. Wash your face with your facial cleanser. Massage the nutmeg paste gently in circular motion, always moving upwards. Leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes for quick and visible results. Finally rinse the mask off with tepid water, clean your face with soft towel or facial sponge and pat dry. Tone and moisturize your skin with your usual skincare.

2/  For acne scars and exfoliation
Mix about half a teaspoon of nutmeg with about a quarter teaspoon of honey into a paste. Wash your face with your facial cleanser. Massage the nutmeg paste gently in circular motion, always moving upwards.Leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse the mask off with tepid water, clean your face with soft towel or facial sponge and pat dry. Tone and moisturize your skin with your usual skincare.
Note of caution.
Nutmeg is a strong astringent, and maybe too hash for sensitive skin. If you have sensitive skin, test this treatment on a small section of skin.

A note of caution: 
It is almost impossible to overuse nutmeg, because all you need is a tiny dusting of it to reap its taste and nutrition benefits. Overuse of nutmeg is known to cause palpitations, sweating, hallucination and other discomforts, so do use this wonder spice in moderation.

Cheers!

What's your favorite way to eat watermelon?

Watermelon is the perfect summer fruits and it can be enjoy in many ways. Watermelon is an excellent source of immune-supportive vitamin C. It is also a very good source of free-radical-scavenging vitamin A. In addition, watermelon is a good source of heart-healthy potassium and magnesium.

Cheerful, fun and delicious.

Let's make some refreshing juice.

Watermelon is extremely cooling and refreshing and being comprised of 92% water and  very low in calories.

Watermelon Lemonade
2 cups one inch cube watermelon
3 oz fresh lemon juice
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
crush ice
mint leaves

1/ Boil the water with sugar and leave a side to cool.
2/ Put the watermelon in the electric juicer to extract the juice.
3/ Mix the lemon juice,sugar syrup and watermelon juice. Add in the crush ice and garnish with mint leaves.  Serve immediately.

For nothing better to, another creative way to serve watermelon.
Watermelon Rubix Cube

 Cut watermelon and kiwi fruits into 1/2 inch square.

Stack together to form a cube. Garnish with mint leaves.

Refreshing Salad

2 cup watermelon chunks
1 cucumber - cut julienne
1 carrot - cut julienne
1 big onion - slice thinly
2 green  chilies - slice thinly
salt, sugar, vinegar to taste

1/  Season cucumber and onion with salt for 1 hour
2/  Mix carrot and chillie, season with salt, sugar and vinegar to taste.
3/  Serve chilled.

Beauty Detox Smoothies

Watermelon  has great anti-aging effect as it it high in collagen.

2 cups watermelon chunks
1 cup crashed ice
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tbsp sugar  (optional)
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Throw all the ingredients in blender and blend till smooth. Drink half an hour before meals.
   
Tropical delight

Slice the watermelon 1/2 inch thick.

Cut with cookie cutter.

Plant the mint leaves on the watermelon.

Sprinkle with salt and squeeze lime juice on the watermelon before serving.

Have a fabulous week ahead, Cheers!!