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

Pumpkin Wild Rice Salad with Miso Dressing

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miso dressingHow much do you pay attention when you are eating? Thing is we have so much food around us these days. We eat while working, watching TV, driving, talking on the phone, walking on the street. We are so good at multitasking. Your brain is not engaged in eating. You don’t even know what is going into your mouth. Your arm just moves automatically from food to your mouth like a reflex. No signs of fullness. You need to eat more to feel satisfied. I’ve done that and been there and still do sometimes, unfortunately. I used to shovel down protein bars (evil to your body!) at work because I was “busy”. It was a pathetic excuse there is not even 10 minutes for myself, enjoying my food at work? I’m shaking my head right now. I love eating and I think it should be a healthy and pleasurable experience. Your food needs a full attention. I know it is extremely difficult to change your habit, but I’m sure you all agree with me here we need to eat “mindfully” for the sake of your own health.

miso dressing1Here are some mindful eating tips that I try to stick to. If you have any more helpful tips, feel free to add here 🙂

1. Listen to your stomach. You need to feel hungry before you are eating, but not starving otherwise you tend to overeat. Have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty, not hungry.
2. Choice of your food. Is this going to be good for my body and soul? If a piece of chocolate makes you happy, then go ahead. Enjoy it without feeling guilty.
3. No distractions. We have a house rule. No TV while eating. It should be a couple/family time without distractions.
4. Look, smell and taste your food.
5. Chew your food and put down your fork between bites.
6. Stop when you feel about 80% full. You are not wasting food on your plate though. Keep the leftovers for later or next day. If you are not good at this (me>.<), put less food on your plate or use a smaller plate to control your portion size.
7. This is a bit Korean way, but we say “thanks for the meal” before eating at the table. It is not like a religious thing. We thank for the soil, sun, rain, farmers, etc that brought that food to the table. Be grateful!

pumpkin wild riceIngredients

100g wild rice
2 cups pumpkin, cubed
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Himalayan salt
a bunch of coriander
1 tbsp sunflower seeds

For miso dressing
1 tsp miso paste (or less if you don’t like strong miso flavour)
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tbsp sesame oil
pepper to taste

Put chopped pumpkin in a large bowl. Add melted coconut oil, cumin and salt into a bowl and toss to combine. Bake them in the preheated oven (180) for 20-30 minutes until cooked. Rinse wild rice and cover with a plenty of water in a saucepan. Bring it up to a boil and simmer on low heat for 40 or until cooked. Drain and let it cool. To assemble, combine cooked wild rice, pumpkin, chopped coriander and sunflower seeds in a large bowl. Pour the miso dressing and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving plate.

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

My Version of Raw Baklava

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Raw BaklavaI don’t know much about baklava. In fact, I’ve seen them around at the Turkish or Greek restaurants, but never tasted it before. Bronze glazed pastry on top, thick nut layer in the middle, strata solid bottom, drenched in sugar syrup or honey or some sort. It looks seriously sweet, but the colour and aroma from pistachio nuts, cardamom, rose water and cinnamon is truly appealing. I wanted to try it. I wanted to make a healthier version – gluten-free, refined-sugar free, butter-free.

Ingredients

50g of pistachio nuts
50g almond meal
20g flaxseed meal
1 tbsp of water
20g chia seeds
6 dates
1 tsp of coconut oil
1 tsp rose water
1 tsp of cardamom
1 tsp of cinnamon
a pinch of Himalayan salt
1 tbsp of raw honey

Mix all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you get a dough consistency. Pour the mixture into a little container and press with the back of the spoon. Set in the fridge or freezer. After a few hours, take it out of the fridge or freezer and cut into little diamonds. Drizzle raw honey and sprinkle more pistachio nuts over the top. I keep the rest of mine in the freezer and take it out 10 minutes before serve.

 

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

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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When it comes to comforting winter snack or meal, I think of my childhood. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite veggies. They are golden and sweet when baked. In cold winter days, my mum used to make baked sweet potatoes in the oven. They are wrapped in news papers so that they don’t dry out too much while cooking. After a long long wait about an hour, you open a parcel like opening a present. You have to be careful because of hot, very hot steam comes right out on your face. I just cannot wait to dig in so I don’t even feel my fingers burning, but I know it is best biting into it when it’s hot. Chewy outside but incredibly moist and sweet inside. Very comforting and warming winter snack! Oh, I miss winter in Korea. As simple as can be, these baked sweet potatoes are stuffed with feta, sun-dried tomatoes – the tastes of the Mediterranean. Don’t peel the skin for extra nutrition that sweet potatoes can offer. Sweet potatoes have more vitamin A, vitamin C and more fiber than normal potatoes. The color-related pigments in sweet potatoes (orange, purple) are valuable for their anti-inflammatory health benefits. They are also excellent for your digestion.
Stuffed Sweet PotatoIngredients

2 sweet potatoes
50g feta cheese
1/2 onion
chopped black pitted olives
2 large sun-dried tomatoes
chopped parsley
1 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 tsp of coconut oil
1 tsp of Himalayan salt

Pierce each sweet potato several times and place them directly on middle oven rack. Bake until the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a knife and cooked through, about 45-60 minutes depending on size. Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle. While the sweet potatoes are baking, make the topping. Cook sliced onion with coconut oil in a pan until caramelised. Mix together remaining ingredients in a small bowl and set aside until the sweet potatoes are done. Slice sweet potatoes lengthwise down the center to expose cooked insides, top with feta mixture and serve.

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