Raw Cheese Cake

\ Leave a Comment \ by

_MG_1479

I’ve been craving for nice cool sweets as a snack recently and been meaning to try to make “raw cheese cake” to see what all those fusses are about.

So here it is…my very first attempt to make “raw cheese cake” with no cheese. This delicious dessert is gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free, but has a full of flavour and nutrition in it!

I soaked 200g of raw cashew nuts in water for about 6 hours, then drained and washed them. Put them in the blender with two table spoons of coconut oil, a cup of frozen blue berries and a heap teaspoon of maca powder. Whiz all up until you get a nice smooth texture. Pour into the mold and set in the fridge before you serve. You can also keep them in the freezer for a hot summer day!

Did you know cashew nuts have a lower fat content than other nuts? 75% of this fat content is unsaturated fatty acids, and 75% of this unsaturated fatty acids is oleic acid a.k.a omega-6, which is good for your cardiovascular system. Cashew nuts are high in antioxidant and a good source of protein, fiber, potassium, vitamin B, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, selenium and copper. On top of that, soaking nuts not only releases the enzyme inhibitors but also starts the gemination process, which releases the good enzymes and nutrients.

This awesome dessert blew my mind away!

Firstly, it has a beautiful creamy texture like a real cheese cake. It is super-easy to make – no baking involved, don’t need to measure ingredients accurately. You can be creative with ingredients to make other types of cheese cake, for example, lemon, green-tea, chocolate, you name it! It is incredibly easy to digest cause it is made of soaked and blended nuts. It definitely fills you up with a little piece and satisfy your sweet tooth or teeth 🙂

_MG_1477

Posted in: Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian \ Tagged:

Vegetable Stack with Blue Cheese

\ Leave a Comment \ by

_MG_1466

Another vegetarian dish I made up from what I have in the fridge!I made a jar of char-grilled red capsicum and caramelised red onions last week, which lasts in your fridge for a couple of weeks. It means that you can save time when cooking and it is a great addition to other dishes.
I highly recommend preserving vegetables like this so that you can quickly grab from the fridge and make something up when you are in hurry or don’t have many ingredients in the fridge.
I always have some kind of pickles and kimchi in my fridge, never run out of it! Also it is fun to make them.
Tonight I just needed to cook some eggplant and zucchini in the pan and stack up all the vegetables in beautiful layers:) I try to have as many colours of vegetables as I can on my plate. It is good for you and looks pretty too.
As a treat, I also put some gorgonzola cheese on top. When I tried blue cheese for the first time, I was in a shock why people consume this moldy cheese which both looks and smells horrible. Seriously it smells like old socks >.< After some courageous attempts and my taste buds have developed over years, now I’m so enjoying this distinctive flavour of blue cheese and it is one of my favorite cheese. Especially French and English ones, so yummy! A good combination is blue cheese with a slice of pear, caramelised onion and walnut wrapped in prosciutto. Juste delicieux!

_MG_1467

 

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, My recipes

Sunday Lunch

\ Leave a Comment \ by

_MG_1438

My relationship to raw food started about a year ago after I saw this guy on TV, who runs a raw kitchen/ cafe in Fremantle. He was showing how to make a dehydrated bread and zucchini pasta, etc.
I thought it would be one of those fad diet thing, but found out after a fair bit of research and studying nutrition, raw food actually provides good nutrients and vitamins to your body.
Of course, certain foods I believe are better to be cooked to be absorbed into your digestion system, for example carrots and tomatoes.
I’m not on a strict raw diet, but perhaps 50:50?! depending on how I feel. Sometimes I feel like a refreshing raw salad, but sometimes crave for a nice warm hearty soup.
What I’m trying to say is…it is all about a balanced diet 🙂 Do whatever works for you and do not judge other people. I like the way I eat and hope other people don’t frown on me or anything.

_MG_1440

I try to cook a variety of food during the week, but sometimes run out of idea or just don’t want to think about menu!Weekend is like that at times. I don’t feel like cooking much (being lazy >.<). So normally my fridge cleaning project starts haha:)
I made some Asian inspired salad for light lunch.
We had a soft boiled egg sitting on mixed salad and slices of firm tofu (rice noodles for Daniel). I also drizzled soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds on top.
It’s crunchy, refreshing, light and nutritious, and surprisingly very filling.
This salad is actually a left-over from last night. I grated a half zucchini, one carrot, spring onions and mint leaves. I had it with a small bowl of mixed grains for my dinner.
See how lazy I get on the weekend? Just make a big batch of salads and have it with either noodles or rice or fish or chicken or….whatever you feel like!

_MG_1442

Posted in: Lunch, My recipes, salads

Grilled Halloumi Cheese on Ratatouille

\ Leave a Comment \ by

_MG_1391

I like all sorts of cheese but halloumi is one of my favorites when I cook vegetarian dishes.

Halloumi cheese is a semi-hard brined cheese made from a goat’s and sheep’s milk. Because it has a high melting point, it is perfect for frying or grilling.

I don’t normally put any oil in the frying pan or grill because it releases natural oil itself and gets beautifully caramelised outside.

Its unique flavour and texture is hard to describe if you haven’t had one. It’s salty and crispy outside but soft inside.

Ratatouille also, stewed vegetables, is a beautiful vegetarian dish I often cook. I chop up all the vegetables I have in the fridge such as onions, eggplant, zucchini and carrots.

Add some passata sauce, season and cook them until they are all tender. Garnish with some herbs ( I used mint last night ).

A good thing about stewing veggies like that and making a big batch of it is that you can have it as breakfast or lunch next day.

You can crack a couple of eggs on top of ratatouille and cook in the oven until eggs are slightly set but still runny inside. It would be a yummy but super easy breakfast:)

P

 

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes

Power balls

\ Leave a Comment \ by

2013-12-06 10.08.322013-12-06 10.07.47

My morning routine is getting up early (well..3am all this week..damn insomnia!), going for a morning walk for an hour and having a shower.

My breakfast is mostly smoothie or tea with a couple of home-made muffins. I did try some oat porridge and muesli before, but not a big fan of it.

I have the best concentration after my breakfast, so try to get some studying and reading done.

It has been almost a month since Daniel and I started studying for French getting ready for our holiday next year.

We go to the class every Thursday night together though I find myself I have to try a lot harder to catch up with other students.

I am certainly enjoying learning new language although it is very challenging in terms of pronunciation and grammar (masculine and feminine >.<).

Taking all these into my brain requires so much energy than doing anything else.

I always have some snacks handy in the fridge.  I made a few of these raw gluten-free power balls this morning.

Simply blend a small banana, natural protein power, black chia seeds, cacao powder, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, goji berries, LSA and one chai tea bag.

Ingredients can change depending on what I have in the cupboard or my mood (?). It helps me to cut down my cravings on sweets and last until lunch time.

It is heaps better than those sweets or snacks from the packet for sure 🙂

 

Posted in: Gluten Free, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian