Chili Salt

Pure salt is essential to life. The body is made from water and minerals, and all critical functions of the body require these essential minerals and trace elements. Sodium is an essential nutrient for the functions in your body, including controlling heart rate and the transmission of signals in the brain. You hear so much on the media now that you need to reduce salt consumption, but it has more to do with quality vs. quantity.

Processed table salt doesn’t have essential minerals anymore and hidden in most packaged foods, including drinks, candy, snacks, ice cream, cheese, processed meats, etc. On the other hand, sea salt or Himalayan salt is rich with over 80 essential trace elements and high in magnesium, calcium, and iron. It also alkalises your body, helps digestion, lowers blood pressure, decreases water retention, and supports the liver, kidneys and adrenals to work more efficiently. So you need to opt for a high quality and natural form.

To have a healthy sodium intake, limit processed and packaged foods and have more natural foods like fruits and veggies. If you are buying though, read the labels and choose for “less salt” or “low sodium”. Secondly, don’t be afraid to ask for no/ less salt at the restaurant because restaurant foods are full of salts and bad oils that are not doing your health any favors. Use a good quality salt at home. Use a variety of herbs, spices, vinegar and citrus juices instead of extra salt.

I like using pink Himalayan salt because it is unrefined and natural, easy to digest, helps hydrate your body after exercises, and has a hint of sweetness in it. You can make a refreshing drink with it. How? Mix coconut water, honey, cinnamon and Himalayan salt and drink on hot days or after exercises. It helps to balance electrolytes in your body. You can also make your own flavoured salt at home. My favorite flavours are chili, citrus, mushroom, thyme and celery. It is super easy and simple to do and it tastes awesome. So try today x
Chili SaltIngredients

1/4 cup of Himalayan salt
1 tsp of chili flakes
1 tsp of smoked paprika
1 tsp of dried lime zest

Mix all ingredients with your fingers, a mortar and pestle, or in a spice grinder. Store in an airtight glass container and allow to sit for a day before use.

Easy Chicken Stir-fry

Chicken Stir fryA bowl of chicken stir-fry on rice is quick, healthy, low-fat, gluten-free and well balanced meal with a full of flavour. Soy, garlic, ginger and chili creates a flavourful base of the dish. It is even better when you do a quick marinade of the chicken breast for 10-15 minutes. You might want to add a teaspoon of corn starch or rice flour if you want a thicker sauce. I like adding sesame seeds and sesame oil after cooking so that it doesn’t lose the fragrance and flavour over the heat. And use mixed grains for different texture and nuttiness, not just old boring white rice. Make a stir-fry and stay healthy x

you have time to meander down every isle

Ingredients

300g chicken breast
1 tsp of coconut oil
1 carrot
1 spring onion
2 tbsp of dark soy sauce
1 tsp of minced garlic
1 tsp of minced ginger
1 tsp of chili flakes
1 tbsp of honey
1 tsp of sesame seeds
1 tsp of sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of cooked rice to serve

Combine soy, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Heat coconut oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced chicken breast, carrot and spring onion to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes until golden and half-cooked. Stir the sauce into the pan and continue cooking until cooked. Take it off the heat, serve on rice, sprinkle sesame seeds and drizzle sesame oil.

 

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Lemon poppyseed cakeWhen I caught up with my dearest friend from Singapore, she told me that it is illegal to take poppy seeds to their country. I was so surprised. Why??? The reason being is that every gram of seeds has about 33 micrograms of morphine and 14 micrograms of codeine. So…they are happy seeds? πŸ™‚ That’s not enough to cause any ill effects from their use in baked goods, but it is enough to show up as a false positive result in drug tests. These seeds contain several vital minerals like zinc, calcium, magnesium, which is essential for the functioning of your body. They are an excellent source of carbs for energy and omega-3 fatty acids for healthy heart as well.

I just like looking at this cake – little dots of poppy seeds, moist inside and nicely browned outside of the loaf. Plus, it has the nuttiness, the crunchiness and the very distinct flavour from poppy seeds. Toasting these guys creates a nutty and sweet flavour. I think it needs more zingy lemon flavour and sweetness though. So if you have a sweet tooth, definitely add more sweetener or drizzle lemony icing on top. I packed a half of the loaf for my friend to take home. I’ve done so much baking recently and they are not disappearing quickly enough. Cakes, anyone? πŸ™‚

Ingredients

200g self-raising flour
6 eggs
50g brown sugar
1 tbsp of honey
50g olive oil
1 lemon zest and juice
50g of poppy seeds
a pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a loaf pan with a baking paper. Toast poppy seeds in a pan for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Take it off the heat and set aside. Lightly beat the eggs in a mixing bowl. Add all ingredients in and stir to combine. Then pour the mixture into the pan and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until cooked or a skewer comes out clean. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Healthy Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolateI have a long list of favorite comforting foods. Hot chocolate is one of them. Once you taste this healthy hot chocolate you won’t be able to order one at the cafe cause the cafe one is way too sweet. My version is made of raw cacao and almond milk, full of goodness and guilt-free. Raw cacao is full of antioxidants and happy hormone serotonin, boosting your immune system and mood. Almond milk has plant protein, healthy fats and vitamin E for healthy heart and glowing hair and skin. Trust me on this! It tastes incredible as good or even better than the conventional recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup of almond milk
1 tablespoon of coconut sugar (or any kind of sweetener you have)
2 tablespoons of raw cacao (not cocoa! don’t get confused >.<)
a pinch of sea salt
a pinch of cinnamon powder
a pinch of vanilla bean powder (paste or extract is fine)

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently. Stir and make sure all ingredients combine together. Pour into your favorite mug and enjoy x

Anniversary Dinner

We just celebrated our 2nd year anniversary yesterday. Time flies! Two years already. How fun was it on our wedding day 2 years ago. A few my family members flew over from Korea. We had to take them around Perth for a week, you being a driver and me being a tour guide. Thankfully nice weather on our wedding day (we had a wedding in wineries). Cute red mini cooper. Beautiful mums. Oops, we were running a little late and forgot to take flowers for mums. So the best man gave them hand-picked garden flowers instead. Bruno Mars for our wedding aisle song. Happy tears. Lots of hugs and kisses. Lots of wine. I fell on my bum at the table because I didn’t know Daniel was pulling my chair out when I was sitting down. Touching speeches. Good catch ups with friends and family. It all happened so quickly. Happy anniversary honey and love you ν•˜λŠ˜λ§ŒνΌ λ•…λ§ŒνΌ xxx

Thyme and Olive Bread such a beautiful combination, fragrant thyme and salty black olives. If you haven’t tried it yet, you must. My trick, using a water spray when you put the dough in the oven makes a nice crust outside, but still moist inside.Β 
Thyme Olive Bread
Grilled Saffron-Infused Polenta with Mushroom Ragu It is a little time consuming this dish because you need to make polenta ahead of time with saffron and then grill in a pan. But it’s totally worth it! Always remember, polenta is quite blend by itself, so it needs a generous amount of seasoning and something like saffron makes it extra special. I sauteed mushrooms in a splash of balsamic vinegar – yum!
Mushrooms on polentaGrilled mullet with Pear Salad
I pan-fried mullet in coconut oil for a beautiful crispy skin and served with pear, dried cranberries and almond salad dressed in mustard vinaigrette.
Grilled MulletOsso Bucco
Daniel’s favorite. Yes, you are a meat lover πŸ™‚ 3 hours of braising in lots of spices finally paid off. Meat is falling off the bone and the sauce is nicely reduced. Best part – when you hold that bone and suck bone marrow!
Osso BuccoCoconut Panna Cotta with Mango, Citrus maple syrup and Pink peppercorns
something light for dessert. I used coconut milk, no creme, to make panna cotta and served with fresh mangoes to make it more tropical. You might think it is weird to sprinkle pink peppercorns in sweets, but geez it is divine!
Coconut panna cotta