Dietary recipes using broad beans, potatoes, and radishes: stir-fried broad beans, mashed potatoes with scallion oil, fresh mushrooms and radishes, etc.

Stir-fried broad beans

Fresh broad beans

winter bamboo shoots

Strengthens the spleen and stomach, removes dampness and promotes bowel movement

preserved vegetables

Prepare 500g of fresh broad beans, peel off the old and young skins, and wash them; wash 30g of preserved vegetables and 50g of winter bamboo shoots separately.

Cut the winter bamboo shoots into cubes; cut the preserved vegetables into bunches.

In a bowl, combine soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, MSG, salt, and sugar to make a seasoning sauce. Heat oil in a wok, sauté minced ginger briefly, add the prepared seasoning sauce, add a suitable amount of stock, thicken with cornstarch slurry, drizzle with sesame oil, toss the wok, and serve.

★ There are many ways to prepare broad bean dishes, such as braised broad beans, spicy broad beans, sweet and sour broad beans, and stir-fried broad beans. The ingredients used for stir-frying can also be flexibly chosen. This dish is intended for weight loss.

★Benefits of Broad Beans Broad beans have a fragrant, sweet, and slightly glutinous texture, making them a delicious vegetable in late spring and early summer. They contain protein, starch, lecithin, and phytohemagglutinins, making them a valuable medicinal vegetable. They are believed to strengthen the spleen and stomach, dispel dampness, and promote bowel movements, thus aiding in weight loss.

Scallion Oil Mashed Potatoes

Good nutrition, good for weight loss

Prepare 300 grams of potatoes and wash them; wash 2 scallions.

Steam the potatoes until cooked through, peel and chop them, mash them into a puree, and mix in salt; chop the scallions and set aside.

Heat oil in a wok, add scallions, then add mashed potatoes. Stir-fry until well combined, add MSG, and then remove from heat and plate.

★This dish features soft, tender potatoes and a pleasant aroma of scallions. There are many ways to prepare potatoes; depending on personal taste, they can be cooked into curry potatoes, stir-fried potato shreds, or braised potato slices; they can also be stir-fried with green peppers, carrots, etc.

★Key to Cooking: Many people believe that potatoes are rich in carbohydrates and will make you fat. In fact, these carbohydrates themselves do not cause weight gain. It is only when potatoes are cooked with high-fat "companions" that they become fattening. For example, frying potato strips or mashed potatoes in oil will cause weight gain. Potatoes absorb oil very quickly, and fried potato strips become a high-fat food. Therefore, vegetable oil must be used when cooking, and the amount of oil should be controlled.

★Health Benefits of Potatoes Besides carbohydrates, potatoes also contain high-quality protein, essential amino acids, various vitamins, and minerals beneficial to human health such as magnesium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, making them widely popular. Because their sugar and protein content is lower than that of an equal amount of flour or rice, they not only provide the body with essential nutrients but also help prevent excessive energy intake and storage, hence they are also known as a "weight-loss vegetable."

Fresh mushrooms and radishes

Radish and fresh mushrooms

Promotes fat metabolism and helps with weight loss and fitness.

Prepare 500 grams of radish, wash it; prepare 100 grams of fresh mushrooms, clean them.

Cut the radish into 5 cm long strips; slice the mushrooms into 0.3 cm thick slices.

Blanch the radish strips in boiling water, then rinse them with cold water and drain. Heat peanut oil in a wok, add the radish strips and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add sliced ​​fresh mushrooms and stir-fry briefly. Add chicken broth, salt, rice wine, sugar, and minced ginger. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. Add MSG, thicken with cornstarch slurry, drizzle with sesame oil, and serve.

★Nutritional and Health Benefits of Radishes There's a folk saying: "When radishes are ripe, doctors weep," meaning that when radishes are in season, illnesses greatly decrease. Radishes function to regulate qi, aid digestion, resolve phlegm, relieve coughs, clear heat, and promote urination. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* states that radishes can "benefit the five internal organs, lighten the body, and make one's skin fair and delicate," demonstrating their multifaceted health benefits. Radishes have the highest vitamin C content among common vegetables. Furthermore, radishes are effective in lowering cholesterol, reducing the incidence of coronary heart disease and hypertension, and preventing and treating senile asthma and edema. Therefore, they are suitable for obese individuals and those with various complications.

★Radishes can help with weight loss because they contain substances like mustard oil, which can promote the metabolism of fats. Therefore, eating white radishes regularly can help with weight loss.

Stir-fried Carrots, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Water Chestnuts

Carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and water chestnuts

Aids digestion, strengthens the spleen and stomach, and lowers blood lipids.

Prepare 150 grams each of soaked shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and water chestnuts, and wash them separately.

Cut the shiitake mushrooms into strips; make six grooves about 0.6 cm deep along the grain on the carrot, then slice it into thin slices (in the shape of a chrysanthemum); peel the water chestnuts and slice them.

Heat oil in a wok over high heat until it reaches 80% of its smoking point. Add carrot slices and water chestnut slices and stir-fry until they are 80% cooked. Remove and set aside. Leave some oil in the wok, heat it, add shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add carrot slices, water chestnut slices, MSG, soy sauce, sugar, and chicken broth. Stir-fry evenly, thicken with cornstarch slurry, drizzle with sesame oil, and sprinkle with pepper.

★This dish is characterized by its unique shape, crispy and delicious taste, high nutritional value, and benefits for weight loss.

★Benefits of Carrots Carrots contain various essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, as well as abundant carotene, giving them high nutritional and medicinal value. Traditional Chinese medicine has long recorded the benefits of carrots. Li Shizhen's *Compendium of Materia Medica* from the Ming Dynasty states that it can "regulate qi, nourish the middle jiao, benefit the chest, diaphragm, intestines, and stomach, soothe the five internal organs, improve appetite, and is beneficial without harm." Modern medical research shows that in addition to aiding digestion and strengthening the spleen and stomach, carrots also have effects such as lowering blood pressure and blood lipids, strengthening the heart, and anti-cancer properties. Regular consumption of carrots can also prevent night blindness. It has been reported that the longevity of the Japanese is related to their frequent consumption of carrots. Therefore, carrots are a highly nutritious and weight-loss-friendly vegetable.

Braised bamboo shoots with shepherd's purse

Prepare

Knife skills

Nutritious, low-fat, and blood pressure-lowering

200g of cleaned winter bamboo shoots; 100g of shepherd's purse, cleaned and prepared.

Boil winter bamboo shoots in boiling water until cooked through, then soak them in cold water until softened, and cut them into 1.5 cm wide and 3 cm long pieces; blanch shepherd's purse in boiling water, cool it in cold water, and chop it finely.

Heat oil in a wok over high heat. First, stir-fry the bamboo shoot slices for a few seconds, then add shepherd's purse, salt, rice wine, and chicken broth. Simmer over low heat until cooked through. Add MSG, thicken with cornstarch slurry, drizzle with scallion oil, and stir well before serving.

★In the ingredient substitution section, shepherd's purse can be replaced with pickled mustard greens, or stir-fried with tofu skin, shiitake mushrooms, or fresh broad beans, which also has a weight loss effect.

★Nutritional Value of Bamboo Shoots Winter and spring bamboo shoots are favored for their delicious flavor. However, some believe that while bamboo shoots are delicious, they have little nutritional value, consisting mainly of coarse fiber, and that eating too much will make one appear "old." This is a misconception. Bamboo shoots are exceptionally nutritious, rich in protein, fat, sugar, calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, and vitamins B₁, B₂, and C. The protein content in bamboo shoots is almost twice that of potatoes and seven times that of radishes, and the protein also contains a rich variety of amino acids, approximately 18 different kinds. Not only are bamboo shoots low in fat and sugar, but they also have a unique advantage: they are rich in fiber. Fiber is an essential nutrient for treating illness and promoting longevity; some call it the seventh nutrient for humans. Bamboo shoots play a unique role in weight loss.

★Uses of Shepherd's Purse: Shepherd's purse can be stir-fried, eaten raw in salads, used in soups, and made into dumplings, pancakes, and tofu soup. It ranks among the top vegetables in protein content and is also relatively high in trace elements such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron, and manganese. It also contains oxalic acid, tartaric acid, and malic acid. In today's trend towards raw, wild, and green foods, shepherd's purse is a highly recommended vegetable. Shepherd's purse is also a good medicinal herb; it has a mild, sweet taste and is cooling in nature. It has diuretic, heat-clearing, blood pressure-lowering, and hemostatic effects, making it suitable for obese individuals and those with hypertension.