Breakfast | Insun Lee

Raw Snack Bars with Oats and Figs

November 6, 2014 6:03 am \ Leave a Comment \ by Insun

I adore little dried figs for snacking or adding into salads. Soft and gooey outside when you bite into it, then little seeds pop up in your mouth. Such a nutrient-dense funny little fruit! Figs are beautifully sweet and juicy when you can get them fresh from the markets. Dried figs are relatively easy to find all year around and naturally sweetness in them is just amazing. Why are they good for us? Dried figs are high in both soluble and insoluble fibre, which helps your digestion and blood sugar level. One serving (about a half cup or 4 big ones) can provide you 12% of daily value for calcium, which makes them one of the calcium-rich foods, good for your bone health. Not only that, figs are abundant in essential minerals such as potassium, magnesium. iron and antioxidants.

I cannot believe how easy and quick to make these snack bars at home with no nasty and artificial ingredients that you normally get from the packets. Most ingredients are there in your pantry. So all you need is a couple of minutes to blitz your food processor 🙂 These snack bars are loaded with goodness and yumminess, great for a snack with a cuppa, a treat in your lunch box, before or after exercise or when you feel like sweets in the evening. Any time of the day x
Ingredients (makes 4)

100g rolled oats
100g soft dried figs (soak in warm water for a couple of minutes if you have hard ones)
2 tbsp raw honey
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp pepitas
1 tsp cinnamon powder
a pinch of Himalayan salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you get a paste consistency. Add a bit of water if the mixture is too dry. Transfer the mixture into a container and press firmly with a spatula. Set in a fridge for 30 minutes before cutting.

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

Spinach Onion Frittata

October 19, 2014 6:45 pm \ Leave a Comment \ by Insun

I had a bag of white onions from last week’s shopping and wanted to make something that shines onions. Pickles? Onion jam? Soup? Stuffed onions? Balsamic onion! I like making a big jar of it now and then, which can be added to home-made vegetarian patties, grilled meat or temphe, bean salads, etc. Today I made frittata using sweet balsamic onion along with spinach and peas. Eggs are packed full of protein, amino acids and 11 different vitamins and minerals. They are also easily digestible and jam packed with vitamin D and healthy cholesterol. This recipe is healthy, quick and easy to prepare, oodles of flavour and easy on your wallet. Any leftovers? Enjoy next morning for nutritious brekkie or in your lunch box. Great for either warm or cold x
Ingredient (serves 2-4)

Balsamic Onion
2 white onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp raw honey
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme
a touch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Spinach Onion Frittata
1 cup of packed spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 cup of green peas
1 cup of balsamic onion
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
4 eggs
50g grounded almond
1 tbsp sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

To make balsamic onion, heat coconut oil over medium heat in a pan, add sliced onions and cook until fragrant. Add other ingredients and cook until liquid is reduced. Take it off the heat and set aside. Crack the eggs in a large bowl and gently whisk. Add the rest of ingredients except sesame seeds into a bowl and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a baking tin, lined with baking paper, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Place in the preheated (180) oven for 40 minutes until cooked.

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

GF Banana Date Loaf

October 12, 2014 7:10 pm \ Leave a Comment \ by Insun

I used to live in a house with a beautiful garden when I was up until 8 years old. I have great childhood memories there, helping my parents with gardening, riding a bicycle, playing with my dog and rabbits, having a little picnic lunch with friends when the sun was out, etc. There was an giant acasia tree, an orange tree, a jujube tree and all sorts. Fresh juicy fruits straight from the trees were delicious. Then we moved to an apartment. I’ve been living in an apartment with no garden or backyard pretty much since then. Well, good thing was that my parents didn’t have to spend every weekend looking after the garden as they both worked full-time. I felt safer and more convenient when I was home after school looking after my little brother. Oh, I miss my childhood when I could run around the garden in bare feet and be closer to the nature. We need more of that these days, don’t you agree? 🙂

You might have tried jujube either fresh or dried. Jujube (Korean date) is called Daechu in Korea. Fresh ones taste like a mini apple, crunchy, sweet and slightly sour. Dried ones are commonly used in Korean herbal medicine since they are anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, antioxidant and are believed to alleviate stress. How to use dried jujube? You can make a jam or tea with dried jujube, cinnamon and honey, which I used to drink when I have coughing and flu symptoms. Add into a chicken soup to add more flavour or use in baking muffins and cakes. Korean jujube is definitely not as sweet as the dates you normally use, so add more of them or other sweeteners like honey, maple syrup or stevia.

Ingredients

1 cup of dried jujube
1/2 cup of strongly brewed chai tea
1 carrot, grated
1 large ripe banana
2 tbsp tahini
a pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g almond meal

Soak dried jujube in chai tea for 10-15 minutes to rehydrate them. In the mean time, mix grated carrot, meshed banana, tahini, eggs and honey in a large bowl. Drain, (preserve some of the tea), deseed and roughly chop the jujube. Add them into a bowl along with chia seeds, cinnamon, baking powder and almond meal. If the mixture is too dry, add a little bit of preserved tea. Combine well with a spatula and transfer to a loaf pan. Bake in the preheated oven (180) for 30-40 minutes or until cooked. Allow to cool and enjoy.

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

Green Tea Crepe with Lemon-Rosemary Infused Maple Syrup

September 21, 2014 2:58 pm \ Leave a Comment \ by Insun

It must be a hormonal thing I’m getting a craving for something sweet this week. I cannot stop snacking on my muffins and power balls and still am not satisfied >.<

Sugar is so emotionally addictive. We crave for it when we are happy, sad, upset, bored…or is it just me?! However maybe I have a strong will power cause I never chew on chocolate bars or fudge or something like that out of packet. Evil sugar can modify your genes I reckon. If you grow up with it at earlier age, it is hard to kick the habit and you get withdrawal symptoms when stopped. I personally didn’t have much sweets when I grew up in Korea (thanks mum, love you loads!) but I’ve seen parents here giving kids sweet foods for either rewards or bribe. Not to mention, you often see huge cakes drenched in sugar and heaps of lollies in kid’s birthday parties. Kids do not need that much sugar, or anyone really! For us, grown-ups, not only your health but your beautiful skin gets compromised. Excess glucose from the sugar binds to the skin’s protein and turn them brittle and stiff and cause cell inflammation. So skin appears to be dull and aged. It is hard to live a sugar-free life though since sugar is all hidden these days (watch out for fat-free products!).

If you buy fresh fruits and vegetables and cook at home, you are pretty safe from these bad guys. When you feel like something sweet? it is okay, don’t be too harsh on yourself. Just make a healthy snack with natural sweetener such as maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, stevia, molasses which are my favorites. Your body will appreciate it with more energy, slim waist line, healthy hair and skin, better sleep and just happiness. Well..just my thoughts on sugar anyway. Let’s move onto this amazing green tea crepe recipe, shall we?

Ingredients (2 crepes)

20g flaxseed meal
50g buckwheat flour
1 tsp of macha powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
50g water
1 tbsp of coconut oil
a pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp of cottage cheese

For Lemon-Rosemary Maple Syrup
half of a lemon
1 sprig of rosemary
100g of 100% Canadian maple syrup

For crepes, add flaxseed meal and water into a bowl and let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it becomes a gel form. Add other ingredients and whisk gently until you get a thin pancake consistency. Add more water if you need. Heat the non-stick pan over medium heat, add coconut oil, pour the half of the crepe mixture into the pan and swirl around so that the batter fully coats the pan in a thin layer. When the edges are crispy and lifted from the pan, it’s time to flip gently with a spatula. Crepe is really thin so it only takes a minute to cook. For the syrup, add sliced lemon, rosemary and a good quality maple syrup into a saucepan and warm it up for 10 minutes on low heat until it’s all infused. To assemble, spread cottage cheese on the crepe and fold twice. Drizzle the maple syrup and put a slice of lemon and rosemary for garnish. You can keep the leftover maple syrup in the sterilised jar in the fridge.

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

Vanilla Coconut Chia Pudding

September 8, 2014 12:25 pm \ Leave a Comment \ by Insun

Another chia recipe. I know I use quite a lot of chia seeds in baking, but this pudding really shines these little awesome guys. All you need to do is mix all ingredients in a jar, shake shake 🙂 and refrigerate it overnight. It is gorgeous and creamy next morning, perfect for on-the-go breakfast. If you don’t like the gel texture, you can mix with oats and fresh fruits like meshed banana. I also like a variety of healthy desserts with chia pudding for example make parfaits instead of using whipped cream, simply freeze in a mold and make yummy popsicles and add into your smoothie to make it thick and creamy. Be creative and play with flavour combinations and exciting toppings. Vanilla-coconut is my favorite!