Gorgonzola and Honey Pizza

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Gorgonzola Pizza

If you’ve never put honey with blue cheese, you will get pleasantly surprised how wonderful it is. I tried this pizza when I was in Korea, one of the Italian restaurants. They put just two ingredients on top of paper-thin pizza, Gorgonzola cheese and pesto, and serve with honey in a dipping bowl. What you do is grab a slice of pizza and dip in honey. It’s a delectable sweet and salty dish. Easy to put together yet complex in flavour! This combination works really good served as a starter on crostini or salad with slices of pear or apple or figs. Yum!

Red Salad: Mix cumin, grated beetroot and carrot with coriander. Season with salt and pepper. Dress with  coconut vinegar, lemon juice and e.v.o.o.

Stuffed Green Capsicum: Cook minced beef in a pan with garlic, ginger, chilli and soy sauce. Clean the inside of the green capsicum and fill up with cooked beef. Put it in the preheated oven (180) for 20 minutes until capsicum is soft and tender.

Gorgonzola Pizza: Roll out the pizza dough nice and thin. Spread pesto at the bottom and arrange caramelised onion, slices of figs, Gorgonzola cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic chips and walnuts. Put it in the oven for about 15 minutes. Add a drizzle of honey just before serve.

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Posted in: Baking, Dinner, Lunch, My recipes

Leek Frittata with Mediterranean Orzo Salad

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Leek frittata

I found a giant leek at the local veggie market today. I don’t know why I get so excited when I find humongous vegetables or fruits 🙂 Leeks belong to the family of Alliaceae like onion and garlic. They are very low in calories but packed with healthy nutrients and phytonutrients.

  •  the flavonoid kaempferol provides protection to the lining of blood vessels, thereby lowers the risk of hypertension.
  •  as the allium family they lowers blood pressure, good for cardiovascular health.
  •  low calorie and high fibre content helps to lose weight.
  •  they can fight chronic low-level inflammatory status such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis.
  •  antioxidants in leeks help to fight against free radicals which cause chronic disease and aging.
  •  they are a good source of vitamins and minerals

They have very mild flavour and works well with other vegetables. My favorite way of cooking leeks is sautéing with a drizzle of olive oil and white wine and serving with a piece of white fish. Another way is to make an omelet or frittata with sauteed leeks. Cook finely sliced leeks in a pan until they are softened and then mix with whisked eggs and milk. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Because this frittata can be a little bland I wanted something salty and zingy salad on the side. So I made this salad using olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, cooked orzo, goji berries, toasted pepitas and green salad. Protein from eggs tick! Carbs from orzo and veggies tick! Good fat from olive oil and nuts tick! Taste also tick! I think it ticks all the boxes 🙂

Leek frittata2

 

Posted in: Baking, Dinner, Lunch, My recipes, salads

My Weekend Lunch

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Tofu lunch

My weekend comfort food is tofu just by itself. I know some people will frown on me, but I don’t care I like them so much. What I’m about to write is the reason why I try to indulge myself with tofu only on the weekend. I’ve written health benefits of having soy in blog before. I don’t want to confuse you, however, there are some bad news. There is some evidence showing that isoflavones in soy can interfere with your endocrine system and hormone balance. It can possibly reduce fertility in women, contribute to premature puberty, link to some cancers when consumed in large amounts. Don’t worry I’m not talking about fresh tofu and the fermented ones like miso, tempeh and tamari. I am talking about more packaged and processed soy products that you consume even without knowing such as protein bars, cereals, soy milk, vegan substitute products, etc. These bad guys have high phytic acid which can interfere with mineral absorption. The bottom line is that soy has a good source of plant-based protein and fibre. So enjoy in moderation and avoid processed soy products.

My lunch was steamed tofu and bok choy with home-made chili capsicum chutney. It looks seriously red and spicy, but the sweetness from red capsicum actually calms down the heat of the chillies. I made a big batch and put it in a sterilised jar which can last up to weeks. You can adjust how hot you want your chutney to be. My ingredients are red capsicum, birds eye chillies ( I used five!!!), garlic, ginger, maple syrup, cinnamon powder, ground nutmeg, coconut oil and balsamic vinegar. I could use some more cayenne pepper for a challenge >.< You need to cook them until all ingredients are softened and sticky. Then whiz up in a food processor. I left all the skin of chillies and capsicum for a source of fibre, but get rid of them if you don’t like that texture. This chutney comes really handy for me as a chilli lover. A great addition to melted cheese, warm soup, steak for Daniel, stir-fry, or even on raw veggie sticks. Enjoy x

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

Raw Kale Salad

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Kale Salad

Having raw salad can be a little challenging for your digestion. I don’t go 100% raw diet, but when I cook my veggies I always cook them al dente with very little water to preserve all good nutrition. I made sautĂ©ed kale salad with garlic and mushrooms before. Today it is massaged kale salad with cottage cheese, walnuts and pomegranates. It is super easy to make. And wilted kale has soft texture although it is raw.

5 heads of kale
1 table spoon of coconut oil
a table spoon of coconut vinegar (white wine vinegar if you don’t have it)
a teaspoon of celery salt (sea salt or any kind you have at home)
100g cottage cheese
handful of walnuts (any nuts of your choice)
1 pomegranate
pomegranate molasses
salt and pepper

Wash and drain 5 heads of kale. Get rid of tough stems and tear leaves into small pieces. I then added kale leaves, coconut oil, coconut vinegar and celery salt in a big mixing bowl. Make sure your hands are clean. Start massaging and wilting down kale (it should take only a few minutes). Mix cottage cheese, walnuts and pomegranates to the kale salad. Serve with pomegranate dressing – pomegranate molasses (you can use pomegranate juice + honey instead), coconut vinegar, e.v.o.o, salt and pepper. It can easily serve 4-6 people. Just add your preferred protein on the side.

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

Tofu Steak with Carrot Salad

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Tofu steak

Seasoned and grilled, tofu breaks out of its typical image of being bland and tasteless. Tofu is so versatile you can put any spice or sauce of your choice. Growing up in Korea, one of my favorite dishes was pan-fried tofu with soy sesame sauce. It is damn simple but so tasty.

For tofu steak, you need to pat dry a block of firm tofu, slice about 1cm thick, lightly coat with rice flour and spice, pan-fry with coconut oil for about 3-4 minutes each side until outside is brown and crispy. I like mine to be still firm texture, but for more crispy skin you can use egg and breadcrumbs. You can serve grilled tofu with salads like me or serve with rice and soy sauce for more Asian flavour. Some people marinate tofu for hours or even a day before cooking if you want tofu to soak up all the flavour. To make soy dressing, combine soy sauce or tamari, minced garlic and ginger, chopped spring onion, sake or cooking wine, sesame seeds and sesame oil. Drizzle over the steak and enjoy!

For the salads I mixed cooked French lentils, grated orange and purple carrots, red onion and green salads. It is raw, refreshing, crunch and colourful.

Tofu steak

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