GF Cinnamon Cookies

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Lunch15

I’m not really into sweet foods and never order cakes or cookies at the cafe. Having said that, I do have a morning/ afternoon slump when I don’t eat snacks. So I tend to make some muffins and bars and keep them in the freezer so that I can easily grab when I feel like one.

These cookies are gluten free and sugar free. I used…

4 eggs
75g coconut flour
one heap spoon of cinnamon powder
one teaspoon of ground nutmeg
one teaspoon of fennel seeds
one teaspoon of coconut oil
pinch of salt
pinch of chai tea ground
You can add honey or coconut sugar or maple syrup or whatever you have in your pantry for sweetness (optional)

I mixed all ingredients in a mixing bowl, adding a teaspoon of brewed chai tea a little at a time until I get a right consistency to make a cookie dough. Roll them up and bake for about 25 minutes in the preheated oven (180). It turned out to be perfect 10 lovely balls.

Cinnamon is one of my favourite spices. I sprinkle ground cinnamon pretty much everywhere both in savoury and sweets. I mix cinnamon, ginger and honey to make a nice warm tea. Definitely love using cinnamon when making home-made muffins and bars. For savoury use, it is also great in curries, sauté vegetables, tagines, braising meat and so on. You can create Moroccan/ Middle Eastern inspired dishes at home. Apparently you can use as a room spray as well, which I haven’t tried yet. Ah, we have a cool cinnamon drink in Korea, too. Boil water, cinnamon sticks, slices of ginger and brown sugar in a pot until all flavours come together for about 30 minutes. Cool it down and keep it in the fridge. It is so refreshing and hydrating when drunk cool.

Cinnamon has been used since Ancient Egypt as a medical source. Amazing health benefits of cinnamon include regulating blood sugar (thus good for diabetes), reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, fighting against fungal infection, boosting brain function, effective for menstrual pain and infertility and warming effect (good for a cold and flu). It is by far one of the super foods and I swear by it. I just had two of those balls with cinnamon tea for morning snack and it is hard to resist to go for another one. Delicious!

 

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

Earl Gray Coconut Muffins

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Earl Gray is one of my favorite teas (yes, I am a tea drinker).

It is full of antioxidants fighting against free radicals in your body, boosts your immune system, has a calming effect if suffering from depression, anxiety and stress, and also aids with digestion. Most of all, it has a beautiful scent and taste with or without any addition of honey or milk. I believe all teas are good for your health though it sounds very appealing to me 🙂

I think it goes really well with baking and dessert dishes among other teas such as cakes, muffins, panaa cotta, ice cream, cookies, macaroons, endless…Just thinking about all that makes me drool hehe:) I made these muffins for Daniel’s breakfast topped with coconut and ginger maple syrup and he finished all (a good sign!). Only a few days left until 2014. Where has this year gone? I really need to look back this year and plan for the new coming year….

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian

Braised pork with rice and crunch salad + coconut bread

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Lunch

I’m not a big fan of eating meat (pork here) though I try to incorporate a variety of protein in my cooking for Daniel.
I cooked braised pork shoulder in Asian barbeque sauce. It just fell apart when I tried to pick it up with tongs after being cooked in the oven for about 3 hours. You know that is a good sign as well as a nice smell around the house 🙂
For the salad, I mixed grated carrots, beetroot, red cabbage, bean sprouts, coriander and parsley.
So crunchy and refreshing – goes well with hearty meat dish like that.

Pork is considered as quite fatty meat, though depending on what cut you buy and how you cook, you can eat them healthy.
Pork is high in vital nutrients such as phosphorus, selenium, zinc, potassium and copper. Vitamin B1 found in pork helps the growth and repair of muscles and nerve tissue. Riboflavin for skin health, vitamin B6 for metabolism, iron for energy, zinc for immune system, protein for building muscles. So if you choose unprocessed lean cuts and trim most visible fat, it is good for overall health.

I also baked a coconut bread which turned out to be so moist inside and crusty outside. I’ve become a huge fan of coconut after studying nutrient.
Well..I was scared of having any fats in my diet. I used to have everything non-fat or diet products just because “fat” sounded so bad and fattening to me.
It turned out I was totally wrong. You need GOOD fats, not BAD fats in your diet. Coconut is one of the good ones. Yes, it has a high saturated fat content (about 92% of the fatty acids). But you need good quality saturated fatty acids for the health of your bones, protecting your liver and heart.

Coconut stabilises your blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, hydrates you. Also lauric acid found in coconut oil has strong antifungal and antimicrobial properties.
It is extremely stable in heat, which means, unlike other types of oils, it doesn’t get oxidation and release free-radicals (causing cancer) while cooking. On top of all that, it can be used for pretty much everything e.g. cooking, baking, moisturiser for your skin and hair, etc. So I always keep a jar of coconut oil next to my stove for cooking and also under the basin to use on my skin after shower.
It smells amazing when you bake with coconut flour or flakes. It tastes good and fills you up because of its high fat content and dietary fibre.
So try to use more coconut products – coconut water, coconut oil, coconut flour, coconut flakes, coconut butter, coconut cream, never ending…….

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Posted in: Baking, Dinner, Lunch, My recipes \ Tagged: ,

Banana Choc chip muffin

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2013-12-05 11.58.57

Baking always calms me down. I don’t know why.

I didn’t get a good sleep last night and wasn’t feeling concentrated while doing my study this morning.

So I decided to do some baking 🙂

I like home-made muffins and bars at home as it’s a lot healthier than those from the bakeries or cafes.

Very simple ingredients – ripe bananas, choc chips, cacao powder, eggs, self-raising flour, walnut oil, pear puree (that I made on the weekend to use for cooking and baking)

Chocolate and banana flavour marry well together.

Posted in: Baking, My recipes, Snack