Braised Brisket with Blue Cheese Pear Salad

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I’ve just come back from my holiday with in-laws today. We went to Sydney and Melbourne to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 60th for a week. Walking around the city, shopping, cruise on NYE, catching up with Dan’s family, etc. A week has gone so fast and now back to 40 degree heat in Perth!! Yep..holiday is over though I’m glad to be back home since I struggled with food while traveling. I find it is hard to stay healthy when you have to eat out for a week although you try to make good choices such as salads and sushi. It is just not the same as I wouldn’t know all ingredients, seasoning, sauce, etc in there. Especially being gluten intolerant and sensitive to fatty foods, my stomach can go very wrong and take a long time to recover >.< I seriously need any kind of vegetables for a week! Craving for greens at the moment. Anyhow I’m all unpacked now and settling back in my home.

I braised a big beef brisket in wine and some spices for dinner about a week ago just before we went off to Sydney. I put the leftovers in the freezer so that I don’t have to think about what to cook or rush to make something when we come back. You just need to make some vegetables or salads to go with it. You can see here a succulent and huge piece of beef on his plate and slices of tofu on my plate further up, though we shared same salads. I love a combination of crunchy walnuts, sweet pears, bitter greens, salty blue cheese and sour balsamic reduction. It is by far one of my favorite salads. I used Gorgonzola cheese here, but any kind of blue cheese would work depending on how strong you want it to be. Ooh..makes me hungry:)

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, My recipes

Basil Cashew Rice Cake

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Lunch12

I had a baking spirit again this morning. I was making a basil pesto, then thought why not making rice cakes with it?
The base of rice cake is plain rice flour and a small teaspoon of salt and sugar.
Then I topped with blended basil and cashew nuts, and steamed for about half an hour.
Once it’s cooked, dress it with drizzle of honey and pink peppercorns.
I didn’t plan it but it looks quite Christmasy 🙂
It is moist and sweet at the bottom layer then crunch and savory from the basil pesto layer.
Yummy!

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

Pumpkin Soup

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Lunch8

My aunty lives in a country side after she and her husband retired. They now have a huge block of land full of organic fruits and vegetables that she is busy looking after. Thanks to her, all our family gets to eat fresh foods delivered to the door. She not only has a farmer’s hat but also is a great cook! She just has these magic hands that make all fresh produce turn out to be great dishes. Before I came back to Perth, she packed me a couple of bottles of freshly squeezed sesame oil, dehydrated pumpkin powder and concentrated plum tea. I always worry about losing the food items at the customs though it was fine this time. Hooray!

I made a pumpkin soup for lunch today using dehydrated pumpkin powder. My aunt harvested pumpkins, sliced them, dehydrated in the full autumn sun, and pounded to the powders – Yes! a long process, but it really boosts all the goodness in the pumpkins. These magic powders have full of packed nutrients; an antioxidant beta-carotene that fights against cancer, a provitamin for vit A, that is good for your eyes,  vit C for immune system and skin, a great source of fibre, potassium and zinc. I love using pumpkin in my cooking since it is so versatile. Great for soup, roasted pumpkin salad, stuffed pumpkin, stir-fry, etc.

I put two heap tablespoons of pumpkin powder, vegetable stock and handful of pine nuts in the small pot. Boil for about 5-10 mins in medium heat until it is cooked, then blended with a stick blender until you get an ideal smooth consistency. I like mine to have a bit of chunky bits and spicy, so blended about half way and added some cayenne pepper. It was so warmly and filling!

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

Summer Salads

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Lunch6

I recently bought a veggie spiraliser on-line, which is great for making “pasta” (zucchini pasta here). I decided to use it today and felt like making lots of salads, so went down to the local market to get some fruits and veggies. Getting close to Christmas (nothing opens over holiday here..boo hoo!) everyone is mad shopping to stock up all the foods they need for a few days. I just realised all morning is gone shopping, making salads and cleaning up the mess that I created in the kitchen. I wish I could concentrate on reading and studying as much as I do on cooking 🙂

Anyhow after spending hours in the kitchen, I ended up making about four different salads for the weekend, which are zucchini pasta salad (photo above), roasted beetroot and pumpkin salad, potato and green bean salad, and lastly watermelon and cucumber salad with cottage cheese (photo below). I like keeping it simple. So dressing for all salads pretty much consists of apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, mustard seeds, pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil. Simple dressing like this not only has low calories but also doesn’t ruin the original taste and vibrant colours of the veggies. Just the way I like it!

I might take some of these down to the park on the weekend for a little picnic since the weather is so great here, only about 30 degrees. Despite a good weather, I’m dying to have winter Christmas with lots of snow! Ah..homesick again. I hope everyone has a safe, healthy and happy holiday.

Lunch7

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

Vanilla and Cacao Raw Cheese Cake

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Here is my second attempt to make “raw cheese cake”.

This time I added vanilla in the first bottom layer and cacao powder in the second layer. I added a bit of vanilla yogurt when blending, which helped to get smoother consistency. Very happy with that:)

Who doesn’t like vanilla and chocolate flavour? Well..It has always been my favorite ever since I was young. Even now when it comes to choosing dessert menu, vanilla + chocolate or either one always attracts me. Vanilla panna cotta, chocolate mousse, chocolate truffles, vanilla bean ice cream, mmm,, sounds yummy but unhealthy >.<

I purchased a packet of cacao powder from the local health shop a while ago and started using in baking and making dessert instead of using chocolate or cocoa powder. Unprocessed raw cacao powder contains high anti-oxidants, magnesium, iron, copper, calcium, potassium and zinc. It helps to regulate blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and build the immune system. It is also an aphrodisiac and mood enhancer. Not to be confused with cocoa powder, the nutritional value is definitely so different. Colour and smell is very similar to cocoa powder, but it has more bitter taste than sweet. Knowing all that, there is no guilt any more having a piece of chocolate muffin, chocolate brownie, hot chocolate or chocolate cheese cake like this, as long as you make them healthy at home. It is good for you!

I picked up beautiful lavender today on the way home after my morning walk. It’s hanging upside down at the corner of my computer screen now. It looks gorgeous and smells amazing. I’m so lucky to have kind neighbors who have nice herbs out on the streets:)

Raw Cheese Cake

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