Corn Fritters with Fancy Sardines

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Corn fritters You often see corn fritters on breakfast menus. There is no rule here. It is good not only for beautiful breakfast menu but also great for lunch or dinner depending on what you serve with. I, in fact, made this for my hubby’s lunch box for tomorrow.

Corn is in season at the moment, packed with full of fibre, vitamin A, B and E. It is sweet and dancing in your mouth. Now onto sardines. Some might dislike its fishy taste and little visible bones in them, but you should be friends with them because they are an amazing nutritional punch. Sardines have a good amount of protein, healthy omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, iron and potassium. They are low on oceanic food chain which means low amount of mercury. Rich in vitamin D, yes, good for your bone health. So eat the sardines! It is great as a whole or smashed on fritters or toast. I made a balsamic onion relish and beetroot horseradish cream to go with the sardines so that they are not too fishy. Adding lemon, balsamic vinegar and olive oil can do a trick.

Ingredients

1 can of sardines in spring water
1/2 cup of buckwheat flour
1 egg
milk
1/2 cup of cooked corn
chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 tbsp of nutritional yeast
1 tsp of marjoram
1 tsp of all spice
1/2 tsp of curry powder
1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
2 tbsp of coconut oil
1 tsp of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Heat a pan on medium heat and drizzle with coconut oil. Add a heap tablespoon of batter into a pan and cook 1-2 minute each side until golden. I made four fritters with this batter. Serve sardines, balsamic onion relish and beetroot horseradish on the fritters. Drizzle olive oil and serve with green salad.

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

Miso Noodle Soup

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Daniel and I eat quite a bit of miso soup, especially on the weekend. A bowl of fermented goodness – I can have it everyday! You can have a bowl of nourishing miso soup for main when you add noodles, vegetables, whole grains and protein to make it more substantial. It is no longer just a side dish you have with sushi. You can imagine all variations and additions to this brothy soup. Mine has green tea soba noodles, shiitaki mushrooms, leeks, seaweed, fish cakes and tofu today. There is no strict recipe. Feel free to experiment!

  • Noodles: soba noodles, udon, ramen, rice noodles, buckwheat noodles
  • Veggies: zucchini, potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, eggplant, snow peas, edamame, bean sprouts, mushrooms, spring onions…any seasonal vegetables!
  • Protein: tofu, poached eggs, poached chicken, salmon or ocean trout, fish cakes
  • Toppings: toasted sesame seeds, fried shrimp, fried garlic chips, sliced spring onions, chopped coriander
  • Tips for miso broth: I choose to use a Korean brand Deonjang, but you can definitely use Japanese miso paste. But remember miso is a lot saltier so use less. Mix a miso paste and hot water in a small bowl before you add into your soup. Simmer vegetables in the broth long enough to infuse. A touch of tamari and a squeeze of lemon or lime can brighten the flavour at the end.
    Miso Noodle Soup
Posted in: Dinner, Lunch, My recipes, Vegetarian

Acai Bowl

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Acai BowlAcai berry is an inch-long reddish, purple fruit from Central and South America. Its combination of antioxidants, amino acids and omega fatty acids all help slow the aging process by boosting immune and metabolic function and removing destructive free radicals from our bodies. Acai contains anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant, which is also common in red and purple colour fruits such as grapes and blueberries. Acai’s ORAC level (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is over 3,500, which is hundreds of times higher than your average fruits like apples and bananas – Amazing! Also, the little Acai berry packs more grams of protein than an egg, and when combined with its host of omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, which helps to improve the quality of your hair, skin and nails. You beauty!

I made this breakfast bowl for Daniel this morning. It contains quinoa flakes, milk, Acai powder and honey topped with goji berries, cacao nibs, buckwheat, bee pollen and coconut. He is going to look so glowing and beautiful after this 🙂 You can also add a teaspoon of Acai berry powder into your drink, smoothies, cereal, muffins and cakes for an antioxidant boost. Have a good weekend, everyone x

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

Za’atar Roasted Chickpea and Carrot Salad

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Za'atarHave you heard of Za’atar before? I’m really into spices at the moment. I recently discovered about this spice blend through other food blogs. It is Middle Eastern spice blend made from the dried herbs, sesame seeds, sumac and salt. The word refers to wild thyme herbs. It’s commonly eaten with pita bread, dipping in olive oil and then za’atar. It’s also good for seasoning meat or veggies, sprinkling on hummus, and eating with labneh (cream cheese made from yogurt). It is aromatic, earthy and tangy.

Health benefits? Sumac is rich in gallic acid. It is anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory. Amazing thyme is rich in thymol and carvacrol which is also anti-septic, anti-microbial and powerful antioxidants. It also helps with the digestive system and eliminate drowsiness and depression, improve your memory and mood by increasing dopamine and serotonin. Sesame seeds contain lipophilic antioxidants, which may prevent age-related diseases.

I’m making this salad to take to my friend’s BBQ tonight. Yes, feed some goodness to the crowd! She and her husband are off to a 2 or 3-year-long-caravan trip soon. Her husband is originally from Melbourne. So after going around up north, Broome and Alice Springs, they will eventually move back to Melbourne where we can meet up again hopefully in a couple of years time. I’m so excited for them and cannot wait to hear about all the random stories about camping. I’ve never done real camping before. We call it “Glam-ping” in Korea (Daniel will nod his head). We enjoy all fun parts like barbequing, playing games, relaxing in the tent or caravan car during the day, campfire, chit-chats at night. Then we go and sleep in hotel, which means no sharing dirty bathrooms or uncomfortable air-mattress. The hotel we stayed in Jeju island for our honeymoon actually has a package for it. There is even guys setting up the barbeque and cleaning up afterwards. Well..maybe it is a bit extreme, but sounds good to me 🙂 I should try real camping one day.

Making saladIngredients

1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas
3 carrots
2 cups of green salad
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp of za’atar spice blend (1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, 2 tsp ground sumac, 4 tbsp dried thyme and 1/2 tsp sea salt blended in a food processor)
1 tbsp of pepitas
1 stick of feta cheese

For dressing
1 tsp of za’atar spice blend
1 tsp of tahini paste
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp of e.v.o.o
a squeeze of lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Combine cooked chickpeas, sliced carrots, coconut oil and za’atar spice in a mixing bowl. Put it in the preheated oven (180) for 30 minutes until cooked, tossing them occasionally. In the meantime, make a za’atar-tahini dressing. Combine roasted chickpeas, carrots, chopped tomatoes and green salad with half of the dressing. Transfer to a salad bowl. Sprinkle pepitas and crumbled feta cheese. Drizzle the rest of the dressing on top.
Za'atar salad

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

Sweet and Spicy Edamame and Broad Beans

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Edamame1You might have tried edamame as an entree or side dish at the Japanese restaurant. It is just a fancy name for cooked green soybeans in the pod. Edamame are a powerhouse of nutrition. They’re low in fat and calories and high in protein (one of the few plant sources of complete protein), fiber and almost every other essential vitamin and mineral. Good news for ladies? Because soy is also a good source of calcium, it helps those with osteoporosis or osteopenia (decreased bone mass, which I’ve got unfortunately). Studies also have suggested that soy also helps alleviate symptoms of menopause. Don’t worry guys. It may have positive effects on preventing prostate cancer, too. So enough on nutrition facts! How do I use them? Make a great snack, of course, as the recipe below. Other suggestions are edamame hummus with healthy pita chips, mashed edamame on toast, in your casserole or stir-fry or salads. It all sounds yummy, right? I like cooking them in the pods. Then it is fun to peel them, pop the beans into your mouth and lick on your fingers. It is a fabulous appetiser or healthy snack. I hope you try this recipe x
EdamameIngredients

200g frozen edamame in shell
200g frozen broad beans
1 tsp of soy sauce
1/2 tsp of raw honey
1/2 tsp of minced garlic
1/2 tsp of chilli flakes
1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
1 tsp of sesame oil
1 tsp of sesame seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Boil frozen edamame pods and broad beans in a boiling water for 1-2 minutes and drain. In the meantime, mix other ingredients in a bowl. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the soy mixture in. When it starts to bubble, stir in edamame and broad beans and cook for 5-10 minutes, keep stirring until the liquid is evaporated.

Posted in: Gluten Free, salads, Snack, Vegetarian