By Ameera Rahim
For as long as I have been cooking I've enjoyed the taste of garlic. The smell when cooking it, brings such a delight to me and it enhances my meals. Not only does it make foods taste better, it's good for you! I have read to get the most from garlic before cooking it “To maximize the health benefits, you should crush the garlic at room temperature and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes. That triggers an enzyme reaction that boosts the healthy compounds in garlic. “
In the winter time especially, my family uses garlic for it's medicinal purposes. If you didn't know garlic has many benefits.
Studies have shown that a garlic enriched diet may in fact protect people against different cancers, such as breast, prostate and colon cancer. SubhanAllah! Allah has given us many foods and herbs, and we can either treat our foods like medicine and make good use of it, for the sake of our lives and out family's lives. Food, however can also act as a poison and we are often heedless of what we eat and how we eat.
As a breastfeeding mom I have read that babies who taste garlic in the milk, tend to nurse for a longer period of time. When my recent son was born a couple weeks ago, I wanted to make sure that our breastfeeding experience from the beginning would be nutritionally packed and done properly. Wanting to know different foods that would help increase milk, I ran into an article mentioning garlic and talked to people who have tried it. My husband made me a drink that was infused with garlic and yes I can say it is tried and true. Longer nursing helps with the increase in milk supply.
If you happen to have a newborn baby or a slightly older child that you are breastfeeding and they get sick with cold , you would want to intake more immune boosting foods like garlic. With older children, blending garlic and adding it in foods helps. With my older children I make, what I like to call an “Immune Boosting Spaghetti” especially in the winter. We add blended garlic, vegetables and flax seed/ wheat germ and put it in the sauce. The children enjoy it and do not notice they are eating a very immune boosting dish, Alhamdulilah.
Besides garlic being a means to possibly prevent cancer and helps to boost the immune system, it also has anti-fungal properties which studies have shown helps to prevent or eliminate yeast infection.
Also studies have shown it helps with the well being of the heart and promotes healthy blood circulation. Alhamdulilah for the blessings in having a healthy halal and delicious food.
I love to make garlic bread with fresh garlic. Here is a recipe for cheese garlic bread:
Garlic and Cheese Bread In Under an Hour:
Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup cheese
2tbs sugar
3 teaspoons of garlic powder or your choice of how many cloves
¾ cup milk
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 egg
1. Mix together the flour, sugar, garlic powder and cheese in a large mixing bowl.
2. Whisk together the vegetable oil with the milk and egg.
3. Stir the wet mix into the dry ingredients.
4. Pour the mix into a greased 1lb loaf pan.
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted near the middle comes out clean
Alhamdulilah garlic bread is good with spaghetti, lasagna, and as a snack. The children love to eat it for lunch, I have to stop them before its all gone! Garlic is something every family should have in their home. I really prefer the garlic cloves instead of the powder, Alhamdulilah I think you can taste it more in your foods. Plus its fresh!
The next time you go grocery shopping dont forget the fresh garlic. Your body will thank you for it!