Two typical summer dishes, and very healthy!

A few months ago, the summer period just started, we saw a series of tips for a healthy summer. Do you remember? Among other aspects to take care of ourselves, we remembered that it is the season for a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as oil-rich fish such as sardines and white Tuna, rich in omega 3, with all its benefits. Let’s take advantage of it! To do this, today I am talking about two very typical summer dishes: marmitako and gazpacho.

Marmitako

In summer, White Tuna is at its best and we can enjoy it in several ways. One of our favorites is the marmitako.

The name of this recipe comes from the casserole with which it is made, the kettle “marmita” (the name marmitako comes from the Basque language and means from the “marmita”) which was one of the few items that the arrantzales (fishermen) took on the boat (it is a typical recipe of fishermen from the north, Euskadi, Cantabria and Asturias).

Marmitako is made with seasonal produce: potato, peppers, onion, and tomato and, of course, tuna.

I will also tell you a trick so that the potato becomes resistant starch (in this way, its glycemic index decreases and we achieve that our blood glucose does not rise so much quickly; In addition, we achieve that it has a very interesting prebiotic function for the intestine). How do we do it? We cook the potato; let it cool in the fridge for 24 hours and then we use it in the kitchen normally.

I recommend you take advantage of the summer to prepare a traditional marmitako (searching the Internet you will find many recipes). And if once the season is over you feel like it, in this blog you will find some alternatives with preserves: marmitako con cogote, like Margarita’s; or one of these three recipes by Agustín: “italian marmitako”, marmitako salad, warm marmitako lasagna with tomato vinaigrette…

Gazpacho

In addition to being made with typical summer products (to encourage responsible consumption) such as tomato, garlic, onion, green pepper and cucumber, gazpacho provides us with a series of very interesting benefits for our health:

Large amount of fiber (although when passing it through the food processor, it loses part of it) so it helps us fight constipation, control cholesterol and is satiating.
Hydration: due to the amount of water it has, it is an ideal meal for the summer and these very hot days.
Thanks to tomato and pepper, it has an interesting contribution of vitamin C and lycopene, with its great antioxidant action: therefore, it prevents and helps fight certain degenerative diseases, such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, dementias, some types of cancers …
Within the properties that garlic and onion have, they stand out that they are powerful antibacterial and antiviral, in addition to improving blood circulation and blood pressure, among other properties.
Adding a little extra virgin olive oil, we add monounsaturated fatty acids.
If you also add a little of boiled egg and bread (always wholemeal), we make a nutritionally complete meal.

Today there are also many recipes for gazpacho in which other foods are added such as beets, watermelon, melon…

Ah! We can also combine it with canned fish.