‘The combination of staying active, eating a diet rich in calcium and ensuring you are not vitamin D deficient offers great opportunities to improve bone and muscle health and to reduce your risk of osteoporosis and fractures.’

Professor Cyrus Cooper, President of the International Osteoporosis Foundation

This month Deb Worgan offers five recipe ideas that are rich in calcium.

Creamy Mushroom, Chicken and Asparagus Bake

Ingredients:

1½ tablespoons olive oil, plus 1½ teaspoons, divided
200 gm sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons flour
2½ cups milk
2 teaspoons chopped tarragon
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into pieces
1½ cups cooked brown rice
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
¼ cup breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 ºC. In an ovenproof pan, sauté mushrooms and onion over low heat, stirring often for about 10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for about 1 minute. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until the liquid thickens. Stir in tarragon, salt and ¼ cup parmesan until melted. Add asparagus, rice and chicken. Remove from heat.

Toss breadcrumbs with the remaining 1½ teaspoons oil and ¼ cup parmesan in a small  bowl. Sprinkle this over the chicken mixture.

Bake for 15 minutes until the mixture is bubbly and the topping is golden.

Note: 865 mg of calcium in 2½ cups milk and 250 mg of calcium in ¼ cup parmesan cheese.

Almonds

Make almonds your go-to snack or eat almond butter instead of peanut butter.

Note: 200 mg of calcium in a ¼ cup of almonds.

Sardines on toast

Easy, cheap and available. Mash them directly onto your toast or fancy them up with olive oil, mayonnaise, chilli or
cottage cheese.

Note: 325 mg of calcium per 2 large sardines.

Chocolate tahini fudge

Ingredients:

200 gm dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup tahini
1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
½ cup pistachios, roasted and chopped

Method:

Grease and line a slice pan.

Melt chocolate in a double saucepan.

Remove from heat and stir in balsamic and tahini. Add seeds and pistachios. Spoon into lined pan and smooth out.

Refrigerate for four hours before removing from the pan and cut into pieces.

Note: 320 mg of calcium in ½ cup tahini, 140 mg of calcium in 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and 80 mg of calcium in ½ cup pistachios.

Super green veggie fritters

Grate or chop ½ cup onion, 1 cup each spinach and kale, 2 cups broccoli and 4 carrots into small pieces. Combine the chopped vegetables with ½ cup corn kernels, minced garlic and chives in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk 4 eggs, add them to the vegetables and stir gently to combine. Slowly add in ½ cup wholemeal breadcrumbs, ½ cup wholemeal flour and ½ tsp baking powder and mix well. Add ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, stirring again. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan then place large spoonfuls of mixture in the pan. Flatten them gently to form a patty and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on either side. Once cooked, remove from the pan to a plate in a warm oven and repeat until all mixture has
been used.

Note: 250 mg of calcium in 1 cup kale, 250 mg of calcium in 2 cups of broccoli and 85 mg of calcium in 1 cup spinach.