Food For Thought - Chickpeas + 2 Recipes

I decided to bring back my Food For Thought series.

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Food For Thought Friday - O Messenger of Allaah! We eat, but do not become satisfied.

As-Salam Alaykum,

Let us revive the sunnah of eating collectively from one plate in sha Allah
Especially with our children that are fussy and messy eaters most of the time. Have patience because as stated below there are numerous blessings in eating together.

* This is a reminder for myself first and foremost and i hope you as a reader will benefit with me.

March 28, 2013 by AbdurRahman.org
Al-Wahshiyyi ibn Harb radiallaahu ‘anhu related that some of the Companions of Allaah’s Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

O Messenger of Allaah! We eat, but do not become satisfied.

So he said to them: “Perhaps you eat separately?”

So they replied: Yes.

So he said: “Eat your food collectively, mention the Name of Allaah upon it, then there will be blessings for you in it.”[1]

Shaykh Ibn al-’Uthaymeen said:

“This indicates that it is essential to eat collectively from a single plate. So if there are five or ten people, they should eat collectively from a single dish, depending upon the situation. Indeed, doing so is a cause for barakah (blessings) to descend, whilst eating separately is a cause for barakah to depart.”[2]

[1] Hasan: Related by Abu Daawood (no.3764). It was authenticated by al-Haafidh al-’lraaqee in his Takhreejul-lhyaa (214).
[2] Sharh Riyaadhus-Saaliheen (7/231) of Ibn al-’Uthaymeen.

http://salaf-us-saalih.com/2011/06/07/eating-collectively-from-a-single-plate/

Food For Thought Friday: Fatawa - Throwing Away Food

As-Salamu Alaykum Sisters, Greetings Readers,

I know it's been a while since i did a food for thought friday post, hope i can make it more of a regular thing.

We all throw food away it's an everyday thing in most homes especially if the food is not to ones liking or you cooked too much and don't refrigerate/freeze straightaway.

Today I'd like to share with you a couple of fatwa / Islamic rulings on this topic.

The first is from AlBaseerah.org and the second is from Alifta

Question: Is it permissible to throw away food in some instances like if it has gone bad or if it was burnt or it is not to your liking and you don't know anyone who will eat it. What about if too much was cooked and you don't know anyone to take to the excessive food?

Answer: The Shaykh حفظه الله said if a person has too much food and is unable to finish it, then it is permissible for him to put it in a pure plate, not in an impure plate in order for animals to eat from it or insects or birds. It is not incumbent upon him to eat everything as onions were presented to the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم and he did not eat from them and he permitted others to eat from the onions. A lizard as well was presented to the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم to eat from and he refrained from eating from it but he صلى الله عليه و سلم allowed others to eat from it. What is not permissible is that you put food that could be made use of, in an impure plate. Rather one should put the food in a purified plate in order for insects, animals, or birds, to eat from it

Answered by: Shaykh 'Abdur-Rahmaan Al-Ajlaan

Ruling on throwing leftover food in the garbage and spreading newspapers to eat on

Q 1: Is it permissible to spread newspapers and put food on them. If it is not allowed, what should we do after reading them?

Q 2: As for leftover food, some people put it in boxes, etc., and then put it out on the street for animals to eat; however, trash collectors put it in garbage cans with other trash. The question is: Is it permissible to throw out the food with other trash?

A 1:It is not allowed to spread the newspapers and eat on them or wrap things in them or humiliating them by any means if they contain some Ayahs (Qur'anic verse) or any mention of Allah (Exalted be He). If the case is as mentioned, then it is obligatory to keep them in a proper place, burn them, or bury them in clean earth.

 

A 2:If there are poor people who are in need of this food, then one must give it to them; otherwise, it should be put in a place far away from abuse so that animals can eat it. If this is not possible, then it should be kept in boxes or plastic bags or other containers and the municipalities should obligate the trash collectors to put it in clean places so that animals will eat it or some people will take it for their animals. This is done in order to keep the food away from being abused and wasted.

Source: Fatwas of Ibn Baz



 

Food For Thought: A Few Health Benefits Of Coconut Oil

Salam Alaikum & Welcome to another post here on At Home With Asmaa,

After my Coconut Oil Oat Cookies, i thought i would research and share more about the oil that has been named by some as "the healthiest oil in the world".

So what makes coconut oil different? well, Coconut oil is a saturated fat predominantly made up of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) as oppose to LCFA or long chain fatty acids found in most foods.

MCFA's have no negative affect on cholesterol and even lower the risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis.

Coconut Oil is easily digested in the body resulting in an increase in metabolic rate, more heat production as well as increased circulation. All good in aiding weight loss.

To find out more about these health benefits and others, including how coconut oil is good for both skin and hair, pop on over to http://www.naturalnews.com/036156_Coconut_oil_superfood_healing.html

Cooking with Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is heat stable, making it suitable for cooking at high temperatures, It is slow to oxidize, resists rancidity and has a shelf life of approximately two years or more; virgin coco creme / virgin coconut oil created through a wet-milling process has an indefinite shelf life.

So the next time you are making a curry why not try coconut oil as a base to fry your onions, garlic and spices? 

Food For Thought Friday - Sweet Potatoe

stockfreeimages

 

 

It's Friday, another week GONE and did i really appreciate the many blessings i have in my life?

 

Food is an absolute blessing Alhamduillah (All praise be to God), the fact we complain so much

about it, "there is nothing to eat" when your cupboards and fridge are half full, you have money in your purse, the thing is we are ever so picky, me included and for some nothing is every good enough INSTEAD we should think about the many people that have less than us both in terms of worldly and non worldly affairs i.e. religion.

 

A reminder to myself first and foremost: Give all thanks and praise to your creator more often and be content and satisfied with what you have and don't have because inshaAllah there is good in it.

 

I  wanted to start a weekly/monthly, depending how busy my stay at home days are, feature named food for thought friday i discuss and share health benefits of certain foods.

As i posted a sweet potatoe bread recipe recently, i found the following article fitting to start with.
 

Source : Healthy Muslim

The sweet potato is not actually a potato, or a yam. It is a nutritionally superior and versatile tuber that has a unique and distinctively sweet flavor. Here are some of the benefits of this delicious vegetable:

• High Nutritional Value Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of starch and therefore, energy. They provide some protein, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and a huge amount of carotenoids, including Beta-carotene. It is these and other phytochemicals in the tubers that make them such a powerful anti-cancer food. A mere 100g a day has been found to dramatically reduce the risk of lung cancer.
  
  
• Low glycemic index The glycemic index indicates the impact a food substance has on blood sugar levels. A high glycemic index means blood sugar levels can spike. diabetes and others who monitor their blood sugar levels seek to avoid foods with a high glycemic index or load. Sweet potatoes have a glycemic load of only 17, in comparison to a white potato, which has an index of 29. Their high vitamin B6 content also helps to keep blood sugar levels steady, helping to prevent mood swings and relieve depression. Recent research indicates that steaming or boiling sweet potatoes rather than roasting them helps to preserve their low glycemic index.
  
  
• Good For Your skin Their high levels of Vitamin E means sweet potatoes are a skin superfood. Orange-skinned sweet potatoes are rich in the anti-aging, antioixidant Beta-carotene, which is stored in the fat layer of our skin and protects against the damage from the sun's ultraviolet rays.
  
  
• A Versatile Vegetable Sweet potatoes are extremely versatile and make a wonderful health food for both children and adults alike. They can be boiled and mashed, roasted, or even juiced.

I hope you will enjoy the upcoming posts on food for thought friday and find a way to incorporate this sweet vegetable into your diet. I like to grate into salad (raw), roast along with other vegetables such as butternut squash or even in soup it would be tasty.

Do share with me your favourite sweet potatoe recipes in your comment.