Blog/June 2009/Jun 26th

June 26th (See this week's devar torah)
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Hi again!

Not too many things to report this week, although the shabbat meals the girls and I prepared in honor of Esther's birthday were "ok" -- but not close to what she would have made. Not surprising, that. However, they were much appreciated by the recipient, which is as much as one can ask for.

Sarah found out this week that she has to take the "oral Torah" bagrut on Sunday, even though she didn't have the class! We are still trying to understand how the school could "miss the boat" so badly and make her take a test she's clearly not well prepared to take. They refused to excuse her from it, also; which I really don't understand.

Daniela has taken to knitting socks. I'm not sure "why socks?", but that's what she's doing. Hats too. So if I need a hat or more socks, b"h I can count on her. The first attempt at a sock looked kind of like a cast for a broken ankle -- but her work's improved.

Two weeks ago I mentioned that Hilbe (fenugreek) is a natural anti-diabetes medication. It's also a common spice, used primarily in Indian cuisine. There are fenugreek capsules sold as a supplement to help with blood-sugar control. They cost around 90 NIS for 45g (90 capsules, 500mg each). That works out to 2,000 NIS per kg. This week, Esther picked up a kilo of Hilbe in the shuq for 24 NIS -- 80 times cheaper. Then she found a health food store selling it for only 10 NIS per kilo, or 200 times cheaper than the packaged "supplement"! The supplement people aren't going to be getting out money any time soon.

Here's one recipe for Hilbe -- it's an adaptation for those of us who want to help control metabolic syndrome. Use it to spice up whatever you want; stir it into soups, or put it on your sandwiches:

• 3 tsp ground fenugreek seeds. pour (lots of) boiling water on them and let them steep several hours
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp hot red zchug
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 0.25 tsp cardamom
• 1 crushed red tomato
• 0.5 tsp salt

Put everything but the Hilbe in a food processor and grind together. Then drain off the water from the Hilbe (whatever is actual water -- the seeds will have become a gelatinous residue in the bottom of the dish). Put the Hilbe in the processor and whirl away several minutes, perhaps adding water if the mixture is too thick. It will thicken further as the seeds are broken down. Makes a cup or more of prepared Hilbe.

This recipe has a number of beneficial ingredients:

• Hilbe -- lowers triglycerides and cholesterol; reduces blood glucose levels
• turmeric + black pepper -- wide variety of health benefits
• tomato -- contains lycopene, a strong anti-oxidant
• garlic -- antibacterial; may have benefits for the cardiovascular system

Last week I mentioned the plumber coming to fix a leak in the ceiling of Daniela's room. I also mentioned that I didn't think it was really fixed. It turns out I was right; and in the meantime, the power to her room has been turned off because the GFCI to the house cuts off all our power if her room is powered on. That's because the electrical conduit in her room is still wet. The plumber is coming back this week, though; we hope he will actually fix the leak this time.

Until next week,
Shabbat shalom!

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