Newsletter – September 18

Bolognese suace – a family favourite loaded with hidden veggies. This sauce is the essential ingredient in a variety of dishes from vegetable lasagna to chilli con carne.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 2 hr
Serves: 12
Calories per serving: 331
Carbohydrate Sugars: 5.8g

Ingredients

2 onions
1.5kg ground beef
optional: 8 rashers smoked streaky bacon, cut into small pieces
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopeed
2 large courgettes, grated
2 tins plum tomatoes (400g each)
250ml good quality beef stock
150ml dry white wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp basil
handful of chopped fresh parsley
olive oil, for fying
pepper and salt, to taste

How to make:

1. Fry the onions and garlic on a low heat until soft. Set aside.
2. Brown the mince in batches from all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go along. You’ll need to do this in batches.
3. If using streaky bacon, fry until crispy.
4. Combine the meat, onions and garlic, tinned tomatoes, wine and beef stock in a big pot. Add the carrots, courgettes, and celery and season with thyme and basil.
5. Bring to the boil and simmer for at least 1 hour.
6. Should the sauce become too thick, add more beef stock.

Notes: The above recipe is calculated on the basis of 12 servings. If you use the sauce as a base to another meal, you’d have to adjust the nutritional info.

Carbohydrate sugars: 1.4g

Ingredients:

For the coconut base:

120g (1/2 cup) good quality coconut oil
100g (3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp) coconut flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
optional: 1 tsp sweetener (such as powdered erythritol, available from health food shops) or 4 drops of liquid stevia, widely available (equivalent to 1 tsp of sugar)

For the mascarpone cream:

250g (1 very generous cup) mascarpone
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp sweetener of choice (I use the brand Sukrin)
200g (1 cup) strawberries

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180 Celsius/360 Fahrenheit.
2. Blend your eggs with the coconut oil, vanilla and sweetener, if using.
3. Sift in the coconut flour and combine.
4. Your dough should be soft, but not too sticky. If needed, add a little more coconut flour to get the right consistency. You can also stick the dough in the fridge for 10 minutes to cool it down – this will also make it easier to roll out.
5. You now have 2 options: either roll out the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper, or press it directly into a pie form that you have greased well with coconut oil.
6. Bake for around 10 minutes or until lightly browned at the edges.
7. Now make your filling: separate the eggs and beat the egg whites in a clean, dry, porcelain or metal bowl with a hand-held or electric metal whisk without stopping until stiff peaks form.
8. Combine the mascarpone and the egg yolks, then add the vanilla and sweeterner.
9. Gently fold in the stiff egg whites.
10. Once the tart base has cooled down, add the mascarpone mix.
11. Cool in the fridge until serving (at least 1/2 hour).
12. Just before serving, add the strawberries – sliced, halved or whole, however you prefer.
13. Optional: decorate with mint leaves.

There are over 30 areas within this cancer group here are just a few that your dentist can detect at your examination. It is vitally important that even if you have full dentures that you visit us at least once a year to have your soft tissues checked.

• mouth and lips
• voice box (larynx)
• throat (pharynx)
• salivary glands
• nose and sinuses
• area at the back of the nose and mouth (nasopharynx)

Mouth cancer is the most common type of head and neck cancer.

It can affect a number of areas in and around the mouth, including the:

lips
tongue
inside of the cheeks
floor or roof of the mouth
gums

Symptoms of mouth cancer can include persistent mouth ulcers and/or a lump in your mouth, both of which may be painful.

Read more about mouth cancer.

Laryngeal cancer develops in the tissue of the larynx (voice box).

Symptoms of laryngeal cancer can include:

a change in the voice, such as persistent hoarseness
difficulty or pain when swallowing
noisy breathing
shortness of breath
a persistent cough
a lump or swelling in your neck

Read more about laryngeal cancer.

Doctors don’t tend to use the term “throat cancer”, as the throat (pharynx) includes many different parts that can be affected by cancer.

The main areas that can be affected are the:

oropharynx – the part of the throat at the back of the mouth
hypopharynx – the part of the throat connecting the oropharynx to the gullet and windpipe
nasopharynx – the part of the throat that connects the back of the nose to the back of the mouth

The most common symptoms of cancer in the oropharynx or hypopharynx include a lump in the neck, a persistent sore throat and difficulty swallowing.

Macmillan Cancer Support has more information about oropharyngeal cancer.

Salivary glands produce saliva, which keeps your mouth moist and helps with swallowing and digestion.

There are 3 main pairs of salivary glands. They are the:

parotid glands – located between your cheeks and your ears
sublingual glands – located under your tongue
submandibular glands – located under each side of your jawbone

Salivary gland cancer most commonly affects the parotid glands.

The main symptom of salivary gland cancer is a lump or swelling on or near your jaw, or in your mouth or neck, although the vast majority of these lumps are non-cancerous. Other symptoms can include numbness in part of your face and drooping on one side of your face.

To read more about salivary gland cancer, visit Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Nose and sinus cancer affects the nasal cavity (above the roof of your mouth) and the sinuses (the small, air-filled cavities inside the bones of the nose and within the cheekbones and forehead).

The symptoms of nose and sinus cancer are similar to viral or bacterial infections, such as the common cold or sinusitis, and include:

a persistent blocked nose, which usually only affects 1 side
nosebleeds
a decreased sense of smell
mucus running from the nose or down the throat

Read more about nose and sinus cancer.

Nasopharyngeal cancer affects the part of the throat that connects the back of the nose to the back of the mouth. It’s one of the rarest types of head and neck cancer in the UK.

Symptoms can include:

a lump in the neck, due to the cancer spreading to the lymph nodes (pea-sized lumps of tissue that make up part of the immune system) in the neck
a blocked or stuffy nose
nosebleeds
hearing loss (usually only in 1 ear)

He had to have a laryngectomy. They caught it early enough to operate and although it has taken a year he is a success story and is now looking forward to having a new voice implanted into his throat at the end of this month if he is suitable. As you may imagine it has been a lengthy process getting him here but we are one of the lucky families that still have our father. When you have a family member or friend who go through something like this your opinions change towards cancer and it becomes very close to your heart. My father has full dentures and was unaware as most people tend to be that when you have full dentures it is still essential you visit your dentist every year for your examination. With every examination your dentist will routinely do an oral cancer check. We play a vital part in keeping you healthy.

This site has some great ideas and tips for you to host your own coffee morning. Also some great downloads for some recipes and games that make your morning unique.