Cricket Gossip, Alarming Health News, and Salade Marocaine

G'day!  The second beat-down of the Australians is over, thank goodness, and I've sent a little message to their captain Ricky Ponting via my article in the SportPulse online magazine.  Here's the link:

http://sportpulse.net/article/ashes-minced-meat-and-qeema-0

You know the recipe, we've posted it here earlier, and if you've tried making it, you already know how effective it is in making you feel stronger.  So if my advice is taken, our lads from Down Under should perform a little better in the next test match!

But enough about the Ashes, it's making me all sad.  I have some small cricket gossip about the Pakistan team!  Apparently, my public enemy #1, Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, will not permit 5 members of the team to leave the country!  The five, which include Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul, were supposed to go to Malaysia and shoot a commercial or do some promotional work.  Now they can't go because Mr. Butt is afraid they won't go to their training sessions or come back.  Hmmmm.  Is there any reason why they wouldn't come back Mr. Butt?  Do tell.  Oh, and I've just read that he denies everything.  Good grief.

And some further news.  That Haroon Lorgat guy, the president of the ICC, cricket's ruling body, said earlier this week that he hopes the three suspended pakistani players accused of spot fixing are found guilty.  He in fact said he'll be disappointed if they aren't found guilty.  Talk about being prejudicial!  If they're found to be innocent, isn't that a good thing?  I guess his way of thinking is that SOMEONE must be guilty, and SOMEONE must be punished for the whole mess.  I'm just hoping that these guys will be found innocent.  Or if they are found to be guilty, be lenient with Mohammed Amir.  He's only 19.  We all makes mistakes at that age, and it's not like he robbed a bank or punched someone's sister!

Anyways, I am looking forward to the Pakistan team's tour of New Zealand.  I'm ready for some of that Razzle-Dazzle, Boom Boom and Gullification!

And here's the alarming nutritional news:  We're getting fatter and fatter in developed countries.  We're getting so fat that we're now getting obese; the World Health Organization says it's because we're not eating enough vegetables and fresh food!  This is alarming indeed!  Obesity leads health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems...all because we're not getting enough veggies!   

So here is today's good news:  Salade Marocaine is a traditional salad from Morocco, which is ridiculously easy to make, and it is delicious.  Even people who HATE salad and raw vegetables love this salad.  So stop wasting time, and get your cutting board out!

Salade Marocaine
3 tomatoes, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 green peppers (capsicum), diced
1 cucumber, peeled unless it's the thin-skinned type, diced
a handful of chopped coriander (cilantro)
extra virgin olive oil or argan oil (from Morocco, rare but very good for you)
juice of 2 or 3 limes or lemons
salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder (optional)

Toss everything together, and let sit for a few minutes.  Eat and enjoy the deliciousness of the vegetables combined with the olive oil, salt and lime juice.  Heaven!

So no excuses!  Go eat your vegetables, and let's reverse this alarming health trend!  Salade Marocaine combined with Pakistani dishes will keep you fit, fabulous and gorgeous, just like Wahab Riaz the fast bowler!

Have a good one today.  Happy Cricket, Happy Salade Marocaine!