Quinoa Chickpea Cakes

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quinoa cakesWe hear a lot the dietary fiber is crucial for optimal elimination of toxins and regular bowel movements. But did you know that fiber also eliminates excess estrogen in your body? Insoluble fibre binds to excess estrogen in the digestive tract, which is then excreted by the body.

Estrogen balance is essential for achieving and maintaining fat loss. In men and pre-menopausal women, too much estrogen can cause toxic fat gain, water retention, bloating, and a host of other health and wellness issues. In fact, excess estrogen is as much a risk factor for obesity. Of course, there is a number of reasons why you get estrogen dominance – an exposure to estrogen-like compounds in foods that contain toxic pesticides, herbicides, and growth hormones, use of birth control pills and HRT, digestion issues, stress, poor diet and lifestyle. Symptoms of estrogen dominance is too much fat around your middle section and difficulty losing weight. It might even cause breast and prostate cancer.

So, you can see here how important your gut health is for a healthy body. Fibre is so crucial to remove all the waste out of your body. It is recommended that women from age 19-50 get 25 gram of fiber in a day. Good sources include wheat bran, corn bran, rice bran, the skins of fruits and vegetables (apples, pears, berries, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and carrots), nuts (especially almonds), seeds (particularly sunflower seeds), soybeans, dried beans, and whole-grain foods. Ask yourself at the end of the day, have I had enough fiber today?

This quinoa chickpea cake recipe is packed with gut loving fiber. Even better with fresh greens on the side. Delicious!
quinoa cakes1Ingredients (4 cakes)

50g quinoa
50g chickpeas, soaked overnight
a bunch of parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp oat flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
a pinch of Himalayan salt
coconut oil for frying

Rinse thoroughly and cook quinoa in a boiling water for 20 minutes or until cooked. Drain and set aside. Cook soaked chickpeas in a boiling water until soft and blend in a food processor until you get a paste consistency. Add all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add a bit more flour if the mixture is too wet. Cover and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Take it out of the fridge and shape the mixture into little patties. Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook the patties for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden brown. Be gentle when you flip. Drain on a paper towel if needed.

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

Vegan Banh Mi Salad

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Banh Mi SaladHave you heard of Banh Mi sandwich before? I have, but never tried. The Banh Mi translates to bread of baguette in Vietnamese. It is a French-Vietnamese fusion food born during the French colonisation of Vietnam. It is a crisp baguette commonly filled with barbeque pork, pickled carrots, cucumbers, coriander, jalapeno and the occasional spread of pate with a drizzle of sriracha sauce. My version of Banh Mi is a deconstructed, gluten-free and vegan salad with a Korean Gochujang dressing. It is light, crisp, fresh, healthy and loaded with flavour. You wouldn’t miss the bread or meat. If you are on the go, you can use this salad as fillings for sandwich, wrap or spring rolls in your lunch box.
Banh Mi Salad1Ingredients

For the tempeh
100g plain tempeh
1 tsp coconut amino sauce or tamari
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic
a squeeze of lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of coconut oil for frying

For other fillings
1/2 cup chopped lettuce leaves
1/2 cup sliced and pickled carrot
1/2 cup sliced cucumber
chopped spring onion
a bunch of coriander

For dressing
1 tsp thick Greek natural yogurt
1/2 tsp Gochujang paste
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Thinly slice tempeh and marinate in the sauce for 10 minutes. In the mean time, prepare vegetables and dressing. Heat coconut oil in a frying pan and add marinated tempeh. Cook for a couple of minutes each side. To assemble, put your salad veggies on a plate, top with the tempeh and a drizzle of the dressing.

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

GF Blueberry Coconut Pancakes

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coconut pancakesHere is a perfect weekend breakfast for you. It is gluten-free, grain-free, wheat-free, and sugar-free. Can you believe the pancakes are this good for you? You don’t have to feel guilty having sweet pancakes in the morning. I used yogurt made of goat milk (better for your digestion if you are sensitive to dairy), blueberries and Canadian maple syrup for topping, but add any of your favorite fruits, sweetener, nuts or dried fruits on top.

Do you have a jar of coconut oil in your pantry? I hope so. I used to use olive oil and canola oil for cooking, but all I have now is coconut oil for cooking and e.v.o.o for salad dressing. When I started studying nutrition, my eyes almost popped out when I looked at the fat components of different types of oils. OMG! coconut oil has 90% saturated fat! It must be bad for you, right? We are all brainwashed by the media saying “saturated fat is bad for you” and we are driven to buy “low-fat” “no-fat” products. The answer is actually No.

Coconut oil is made up of medium chain fatty acids which is more stable on heat, light and oxygen compared to long chain fatty acids in olive oil. When you heat up the olive oil in a pan, for example, you are exposing the oil to heat, light and oxygen. The structure of the long chain fatty acids then get unstable and oxidated, which will put our body under stress when eaten. The major saturated fatty acid in coconut oil is lauric acid, which is believed to increase the total/HDL (good cholesterol) ratio. Other health benefits of coconut oil include hair and skin care, weight loss, increased immunity, better digestion and metabolism. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you all need to throw away other oils and buy coconut oil. What I do and believe is use coconut oil or ghee in cooking and using high heat. Oother types such as olive oil, flaxseed oil, avocado oil and macadamia oil are best unheated in sauce or salad dressing. Keep all oils away from UV and heat as much as you can, as well. If you have any other opinions or suggestions on oil, feel free to comment below to share 🙂

The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. – See more at: http://scepticalnutritionist.com.au/?p=844#sthash.jvLFUmsi.dpuf

Ingredients (serves 2)

1/4 cup coconut flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup coconut milk or yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
a pinch of Himalayan salt
2 tbsp coconut oil
yogurt, blueberries and maple syrup to serve

Add all pancake ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Let it sit for 5 minutes so that the coconut flour absorbs all liquid. Heat coconut oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Spoon the batter into a pan and cook the pancakes 1-2 minutes each side until golden brown. It is easier to keep them small and carefully flip with a spatula. Serve warm with thick yogurt, blueberries and maple syrup on top.
coconut pancakes1

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

Raw Shaved Asparagus Salad with Marinated Mushrooms

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raw asparagus saladAsparagus is loaded with good nutrition. It is a good source of fiber and protein, and essential for good digestion and immunity. It also contains a number of anti-inflammatory compounds, antioxidants for anti-aging, vitamin K for healthy blood clotting and bones, vitamin B for stable blood sugar level, vitamin A for better eye sight and potassium for kidney function. Glutathione in asparagus is a detoxifying compound that helps break down carcinogens and other harmful compounds like free radicals. It contains high levels of the amino acid asparagine, which is a natural diuretic and fantastic for fluid retention in some people.

Unfortunately, asparagus do loose nutrients as they cook, so there’s no doubt eating asparagus raw will give you the most benefits when it comes to nutritional value. It is important to know though which methods are the best to avoid substantial loss. If you choose to cook them, first of all, no overcooking your veggies! Best cooking method is steaming which preserves a lot of nutrition in them. Next is grilling al dente. It should be still firm. No boiling! unless you drink all that boiling water, too >.<

This recipe is using marinated raw mushrooms, but if you don’t like the taste of raw mushrooms, feel free to lightly grill them instead.

Ingredients

1 bunch of asparagus
300g button mushrooms
1 cauliflower floret
1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp coconut amino sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sesame seeds
alfalfa sprouts for garnish

Grate cauliflower using a box grater to make a cauliflower rice. Wash and shave asparagus into thin strips. Wash and roughly chop parsley. Marinate thinly sliced mushrooms in coconut amino sauce, salt and pepper for 10-20 minutes. To assemble, gently toss marinated mushrooms, parsley and shaved asparagus, put over the bed of cauliflower rice. Garnish with alfalfa sprouts and sprinkle sesame seeds. Drizzle more amino sauce if you desire.
raw asparagus salad1

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