Ten "Rainbow New Year Dishes" rich in lutein and anthocyanins, helping the whole family to develop immunity!

The Lunar New Year is coming soon. It would be great to reunite and celebrate the New Year during the epidemic, and to eat New Year dishes and build immunity at the same time! The Nutrition Department of Taichung Veterans General Hospital has launched the "Rainbow Diet" which combines delicious food with enhanced defense. It is rich in antioxidant nutrients such as lycopene, lutein, anthocyanins, etc., which help regulate immunity. It has also designed a set of ten colorful, delicious and healthy New Year dishes to accompany everyone to have a good New Year.

What is a rainbow diet? "Rainbow Diet" Nutritionist Liu Lijun from the Nutrition Department of Taichung Veterans General Hospital said that this is a diet recommended by the American Cancer Society, which is used to encourage everyone to have a plate rich in colorful vegetables and fruits such as red, orange, yellow, green, white, blue, purple and black, like a rainbow. Fruits and vegetables of different colors contain different plant compounds (phytochemicals, natural chemical components found in plants), such as the well-known lycopene, lutein, anthocyanins, etc., which have different health effects such as antioxidant, anti-cancer, and immune regulation.

Here is an introduction to the nutritional value of foods of various colors:

Red foods: contain phytochemicals such as lycopene, ellagic acid, and quercetin, which have health benefits such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune regulation. Representative foods include tomatoes, beetroots, red bell peppers, red onions, cherries, cranberries, pomegranates, strawberries, watermelons, etc.

Orange foods: contain carotene, bioflavonoids, carotenoids, curcumin and other phytochemicals, which have health benefits such as antioxidant and endocrine regulation. Representative foods include carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, turmeric, oranges, cantaloupe, papaya, etc.

Yellow foods: contain lutein, zeaxanthin, bromelain, gingerol, nobiletin, rutin and other phytochemicals, which have health benefits such as antioxidant, enzyme activity, gastric motility regulation, and promotion of healthy intestinal flora. Representative foods include corn, ginger, potato, pumpkin, yellow bell pepper, banana, pineapple, carambola, etc.

Green foods: Contain catechins, chlorogenic acid, chlorophyll, flavonoids, folic acid, isoflavones, tannins and other phytochemicals, which have health benefits such as anti-oxidation, cardiovascular protection, and reduction of macular degeneration and cataracts. Representative foods include asparagus, broccoli, snow peas, green vegetables, green apples, olives, green lemons, green tea, etc.

White foods: Contain polyphenols, sulfur compounds, phytoestrogens and other phytochemicals, which have health benefits such as antioxidant, cardiovascular protection, and immune regulation. Representative foods include cabbage, white radish, white onion, garlic, mushrooms, pears, etc.

Blue, purple and black foods: contain anthocyanins, flavonoids, resveratrol, phenolic acid and other phytochemicals, which have health benefits such as anti-oxidation, memory enhancement, emotional balance, and nerve protection. Representative foods include eggplant, purple cabbage, purple sweet potato, blueberry, purple grapes, etc.

In addition to containing different phytochemicals, fruits and vegetables of different colors are also rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and other nutrients that are beneficial to the body. Based on the rainbow diet principles, the Nutrition Office of Taichung Veterans General Hospital has selected tomatoes and red peppers as red foods; pumpkins and carrots as orange foods; corn, pumpkins, and yellow peppers as yellow foods; asparagus and cauliflower as green foods; cabbage, white radish, and mushrooms as white foods; purple sweet potatoes and purple cabbage as blue-purple-black foods, and designed a set of colorful and delicious New Year's dishes to share with everyone. I wish you all a colorful mood and a happy New Year.

Defense-enhancing rainbow New Year's Eve dinner-menu (for 8 people)

1. Fried purple potato balls

Ingredients: 500 grams of purple sweet potato, appropriate amount of tapioca flour, appropriate amount of fine breadcrumbs.

practice:

1. Steam the purple sweet potato until cooked, add tapioca starch while it is still hot and mix well.

2. After it cools down, continue to knead it evenly with your hands.

3. Roll the purple sweet potato dough into strips, cut into small pieces and roll into small balls.

4. Dip the purple sweet potato balls in bread crumbs and fry them in oil for 1-2 minutes. When they float up, remove them from the oil and drain.

2. Colorful Shrimp Spring Rolls

Ingredients: 8 shrimps, 8 pieces of Vietnamese spring roll wrappers, 160 grams of purple cabbage, 160 grams of carrots, 160 grams of asparagus, 80 grams of alfalfa sprouts, 80 grams of adzuki bean sprouts, 200 grams of corn kernels, and 80 grams of raisins.

practice:

1. Wash all the lettuces and set aside. Cut the purple cabbage and carrots into shreds. Boil the shrimps and set aside.

2. Soak the spring roll wrapper in drinking water for one second on each side, then take it out and place it on a plate.

3. Place all ingredients into the spring roll wrapper, roll up from the bottom first, then wrap from the sides and roll upwards to complete.

4. Dipping sauce: Chop garlic and chili, add lemon juice, fish sauce, vinegar, and then add water to adjust the taste.

3. Braised fish in tomato sauce

Ingredients: 2 slices of sea bass fillet, 200 grams of red pepper, 200 grams of yellow pepper, 200 grams of green pepper, 200 grams of beef tomato, 30 grams of tomato sauce, 10 grams of garlic, 30 grams of soy sauce, and 20 grams of oil.

practice:

1. Wash and dry the fish fillets, cut the red, yellow and green peppers into small angular slices, dice the beef tomatoes, and mince the garlic for later use.

2. Dip the fish fillets in flour and fry them in a pan. Add chopped garlic and beef tomatoes and stir-fry. Add tomato sauce, soy sauce and water and simmer until cooked. Then remove the fish fillets and put them on a plate.

3. Add red pepper, yellow pepper and green pepper to the sauce, stir-fry until cooked, and pour the sauce on the fish fillets.

4. Hericium erinaceus stewed ribs

Ingredients: 800 grams of ribs, appropriate amount of Hericium erinaceus, 20 grams of garlic, 20 grams of scallion segments, 20 grams of ginger slices, 30 grams of soy sauce, 15 grams of rice wine, 5 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of oil.

practice:

1. Add oil to a hot pan, sauté garlic, scallion and ginger slices until fragrant, then add soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and water.

2. After the water boils, add in the ribs and Hericium erinaceus and stew until cooked.

5. Old skin and tender meat

Ingredients: 2 boxes of egg tofu, 100 grams of snow peas, 100 grams of carrots, appropriate amount of mushrooms, 30 grams of oil, 5 grams of soy sauce paste, 5 grams of garlic slices, 10 grams of chopped green onions, and 5 grams of black vinegar.

practice:

1. Dry the surface moisture of the egg tofu and cut it into pieces in a nine-grid pattern.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add egg tofu cubes and fry until golden brown, then remove from the pan and serve.

3. Put soy sauce paste, garlic slices, chopped green onions, and black vinegar into the pot and mix well. Add snow peas, carrots, and mushrooms and stir-fry until cooked. Pour the sauce on the fried tofu and it is done.

6. Carrot cake with nuts

Ingredients: 300 grams of carrot cake, 30 grams of oil, and appropriate amount of mixed nuts.

practice:

1.Cut the carrot cake into 3x3x3cm squares and set aside.

2. Heat oil, fry the radish cake and serve.

3. Sprinkle with nuts and mix well.

7. Sakura Shrimp and Cabbage Pancake

Ingredients: 300 grams of cabbage, 100 grams of carrots, appropriate amount of cherry shrimp, 100 grams of medium-gluten flour, 8 grams of salt, 2 eggs, 80 grams of water, and 30 grams of oil.

practice:

1. Shred the cabbage and chop the carrots for later use.

2. Mix all-purpose flour, salt, eggs and water into a batter, then pour in all the ingredients and mix well.

3. After heating the oil in a frying pan, pour in the cabbage batter and fry until both sides are golden brown before removing from the pan.

8. Stir-fried broccoli with ginkgo and mushrooms

Ingredients: 2 cauliflowers, 4 mushrooms, 100g carrot slices, 20g oil, some ginkgo nuts, some garlic slices, some salt

practice:

1.Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and slice the mushrooms for later use.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add garlic slices and mushrooms and stir-fry until fragrant.

3. Add broccoli, ginkgo nuts, salt and water, stir-fry and simmer until cooked before serving.

9. Fungus and Mushroom Chicken Soup

Ingredients: 800 grams of diced chicken thighs, 200 grams of fresh black fungus, appropriate amount of dried mushrooms, appropriate amount of wolfberry, appropriate amount of red dates, appropriate amount of ginger slices.

practice:

1. Blanch the chicken thighs and put them into the pot. Add black fungus, soaked dried mushrooms, red dates, wolfberries and ginger slices.

2. Add water and bring to a boil, then turn to low heat and simmer until cooked.

10. Pumpkin Sago

Ingredients: 500g pumpkin, 60g sago, 45g coconut milk, and appropriate amount of sugar.

practice:

1. Wash the pumpkin, peel it, cut it into small pieces, and steam it in an electric cooker.

2. Prepare a pot of boiling water, put in the sago and cook for three minutes, then turn off the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Then take out the sago, rinse with boiling water, drain and set aside.

3. Pour the steamed pumpkin into a blender, add water and sugar and blend into a paste.

4. Pour pumpkin puree into a cup, add sago and appropriate amount of coconut milk.