The From Scratch Body

Radishes - a wonderfully flavourful addition to salads and perfect for pickling - we look at some of its health benefits! We also make a quick and delicious leftover meal; egg fried rice with vegetables.

Welcome to The From Scratch Body! I’m Liv - and I believe that anyone can cook. Since being diagnosed with endometriosis, I have been on a journey to find out what food makes me feel great. By cooking from scratch I have not only started feeling much better, but also fallen in love with cooking completely! Join me for my weekly food topic and recipe here on my podcast, and check out my website for the transcripts and more. Find me on Instagram, and on YouTube.

What is The From Scratch Body?

Singer and actor Liv Austen has turned a health issue into a passion for cooking, by taking control of every ingredient that goes in to her meals. Every week she shares something she has learned from cooking from scratch, and goes through a recipe she loves, so you can cook alongside the podcast. Cook from scratch - your body will thank you.

I love peppery additions to salads and other dishes, and radishes definitely have that lovely kick to them. Plus they just look so fresh and have that amazing crunch! Here’s what I’ve learned about them.

Refreshing crunch in your salad
There are different kinds of radishes, but the most common (in my part of the world, at least!) is the red skinned one. Lovely and red/pink on the outside and white and almost glassy on the inside, they have a unique look - but also a really great crunchy texture, not to mention a wonderfully, almost surprisingly peppery kick to them that can be hard to come by in other ingredients. They are also brilliant pickled!

Radishes have some great health benefits. They contain potassium, folate and Vitamin C, and also some fibre. As you may expect, they are low in protein and fats, but if you toss them in a well balanced salad you can cover all nutritional properties easily!

We’ve looked at benefits of folate, Vitamin C and potassium before, but a new one to look at, which I find very interesting, is sulforaphane. This phytochemical is converted in your body and can help reduce the risk of cancer by protecting your cells from DNA damage!

Radishes contain antioxidants, which help your heart and lower inflammation levels in the body. They may even have anti-fungal properties and help prevent yeast infections and thrush! Black radish also stimulates digestive juices, and help your liver function.

Some people are allergic to radishes, although that’s quite uncommon. You may want to keep your radish consumption moderate if you have thyroid issues or diabetes, but you’d have to eat quite a lot for it to ever become an issue!

Oh and don’t forget, you can eat the leaves of a radish as well! Don’t let anything go to waste.

Do you like radishes? How do you use them in the kitchen? Message me on Instagram @TheFromScratchBody!

When you have leftover rice and just a handful of vegetables and an egg, you can quickly whip up this delicious meal for lunch or dinner! Better than a takeaway!

Yes, you can reheat rice.
You can reheat rice. Reheated rice can absolutely cause food poisoning, but it’s not actually reheating rice that is the problem - it’s whether the rice has been stored at room temperature for too long the first time around, which allows bacteria to grow, or of course, if it’s been stored for too long in the fridge. If you cooked a bit extra for last night’s dinner and put it in the fridge as soon as it was cool, there should be no problem with reheating it the next day. Just be sure to heat it thoroughly! Also, don’t reheat rice more than once. You’ll start losing track of how long it’s been out and how many times it’s been reheated, which is no bueno. Anyway, with that out of the way, let’s make one of my favourite quick lunches!

Egg Fried Rice with Vegetables
For 2 people

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 5-10 minutes

1 tbsp sesame or peanut oil

1/2 onion, diced

1 thumb size chunk of ginger, finely chopped (or ground ginger or ginger paste)

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped (optional)

Leftover cooked rice

Leftover veg (like broccoli, pepper, carrot, mushrooms, tomatoes)

2 eggs

1/2 stock pot in water (or homemade stock!)

Juice from 1/2 lime

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce/oyster sauce (optional)

Salt and pepper

A pinch of chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric… whatever seasoning you want!

Optional: coriander or parsley, crispy fried onions, sesame seeds, nuts

Instructions
Needless to say there are tons of options here. Be lead by what you have and how much you’d like to make! Start off by gently sautéing the onion until soft in the oil and add the ginger and garlic if desired. Chop up your veggies and fry them - add some water and stock as you go. After a couple of minutes, add the rice and blend everything well. Make a hole in the middle of the pan and pop your eggs in. Mix the eggs straight away with everything else. Add sauces like soy and fish sauce, squeeze the juice of half a lime over it all and season as you wish - salt, pepper, chilli powder (or chopped up chilli), etc. When it is all thoroughly cooked and hot and well mixed, add in some coriander, sesame seeds or anything you have that you’d like to add in, and top with some crispy fried onions or toasted nuts! This is an insanely cheap and quick lunch or dinner which can get you tons of nutrition in one go. Enjoy!

Did you make the egg fried rice? What does your version look like? Share on Instagram and tag @TheFromScratchBody and hashtag #TheFromScratchBody so I don’t miss it!