Pomegranate Pumpkin Quinoa Salad

pomegranate

Another antioxidant rich food – Pomegranate! It’s loaded with vitamins and potassium. Researches show this power fruit buffers the effects of free radical damage, increase oxygen levels to your heart and reduce the redness of arthritis. It also reduces risk of cancers, especially prostate and breast cancer.

These juicy little guys are a great snack as it is – so yummy popping in your mouth. You can also make juice. Pomegranates are one of the few fruits where juice is as beneficial as the fruit or seeds. I recommend using on salads like me, which not only gives a lovely presentation but also provides a beautiful sweet and acidic flavour. I warn you, though, when you cut open pomegranates and take all these seeds out it will stain your fingers, clothes and kitchen bench. I was so excited about cutting and squeezing the fruit, and next thing I realised was it’s a little late to wear my apron. Oh well.. it’s fun cleaning all up after cooking too, isn’t it? >.<  To prevent all this mess, you can soak pomegranates in the bowl of water and work in the bowl, removing seeds from the flesh. All seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl, so you need to drain well afterwards.

pomegranate salad

I used butternut pumpkin, quinoa, shredded green and purple cabbage, red onions and green salad today. It looks so vibrant and colourful!

Examples of other salads that go well with pomegranates? Think about 3 things – colours, flavour and texture.

I think it goes well with…
– roasted sweet potato, pine nuts and green salad
– prosciutto, caramelised pear, blue cheese, roasted pecan
– Mediterranean cous cous salad
– shaved fennel and orange salad
– wild rice, feta cheese and green salad
– apple, walnut and kale salad

Need protein? Try with…
– duck
– chicken
– prawns
– cheese, especially pan-fried halloumi cheese

There you are.. there is plenty to try if you didn’t know how to use pomegranates in your food. Personally I don’t think you need salad dressing here. Just season and drizzle a good quality of e.v.o.o. I’m going to add Moroccan spiced chicken breast to that salad for dinner tonight. What is your choice? x

 

Purple Carrot Salad

IMG_0091

I felt like something sweet and spicy salad today and came up with this little sexy salad made of beautiful dark purple carrots. I just love the colour of purple carrots. We already know carrots are high in vitamins, especially vitamin A for your eyes, plus a good source of dietary fibre. Purple carrots have extra antioxidant power because of unique anthocyanins, which combat free radicals in our body. It tastes earthy when eaten raw but cooking them creates amazingly sweet flavour. Well steaming and quick stir-frying minimises losing all the goodness in them, but if you choose to boil, make sure cooking the whole carrots without slicing them. As I mentioned before, try different colours of foods on your plate. Why not trying purple carrots instead of their orange cousins today for extra antioxidant boost:)

I sliced 3 carrots and caramelised in a pan with a table spoon of coconut oil. Then cooked further with a knob of  grated ginger, a teaspoon of cumin, fresh thyme, sage leaves, maple syrup and a little bit of cayenne pepper for a kick. It’s so delish with tahini dressing. When you make tahini dressing, keep checking until you have a right consistency and a balance of sweet and sour flavour. I used tahini paste, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup here. It goes quite well with carrot salad.

tahini and carrots

 

His and Hers

Food blog10

Asian flavour in a bowl tonight. Daniel’s had soy braised beef on green tea soba noodles, and mine was tofu patty instead for vegetarian and gluten free. I haven’t had red meat for a long time and white meat sometimes, though I feel totally fine since I’m trying to have more legumes, nuts and tofu.

One of the problem nutrients in some vegetarian diets is Protein. Well.. the other nutrients include iron, vitamin B12, zinc, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids. Protein is vital to many physical functions such as growth and maintenance, digestion (all enzymes are made of protein), production of some hormones, immunity, fluid& electrolyte balance, pH balance and energy. Protein requirements are 56g a day for adult men and 46g a day for adult women.

If you don’t consume animal protein, you need to make sure you have 2-3 serving of lysine foods a day. Examples are…
1/2 cup of cooked lentils, peas, edamame, tofu, tempeh, garbanzo, kidney, pinto
1/4 cup of peanuts or pistachio
3oz of soy meat
1 cup of soy milk or cooked quinoa

Tofu is one of my favorite ingredients. I eat about 3 times a week. Tofu has been found to be a great source of calcium and vitamin E. Consuming tofu regularly helps to lower bad cholesterol, alleviates symptoms related to menopause, and lowers the risk of cancer, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Isoflavones found in products even scavenge free radicals preventing premature aging. So you should eat more tofu! 🙂

You can use tofu as a meat substitute in cooking – steamed, stir-fried, pan-fried, grilled, etc. If you find it a bit blend, obviously add your favorite spices and sauce to it. I personally like it by itself with some vegetables. As to my previous post, you can even use tofu for desserts like cakes and pudding.

Mushrooms and Brie on Toast with Vegetable Tian

IMG_0619

This recipe would be nice for a light lunch or brunch on the weekend.
It is so perfect flavour combination – creaminess of brie cheese with wild mushrooms. You can make soup, bisque, pizza, risotto, omelet, pie, canape..endless.. You name it! It will work beautifully. On to the vegetable Tian, it is originated in Provence, the south of France. Tian refers to the baking dish and roasted vegetables – the word explains all. It can be topped with some cheese, but I prefer it simple, fresh and clean taste. These two dishes together on the plate look elegant and tastes so good. Every mouthful has a punch of flavour!

Simply arrange alternating layers of slices of sweet potato and zucchini in the baking dish, and bake in the oven with fresh thyme and e.v.o.o until it’s all cooked. You can add eggplant or tomatoes as well. When it comes out of the oven, colours and presentation looks stunning. I reckon it is definitely a wow factor when you have dinner parties.

IMG_0620

Grilled Eggplant

IMG_0602

Eggplants are very popular ingredients in Korean food. Mum used to make this little side dish – cooked strips of eggplants in soy garlic sauce. It is so simple but delicious!

Following the previous post on having colourful foods, eggplant is obviously PURPLE – powerful antioxidants. Essential phyto nutrients in eggplants improve your blood circulation and nourish your brain. On top of that, it is low in calories and high in dietary fibre. It fills you up for long and is great for your digestive tract. Ah remember, all these goodness is concentrated in the skin, so do not peel and throw it away! I never really peel my vegetables unless I absolutely have to. You can use any sorts of cooking methods with eggplants – grill, bake, roast, stew, steam.

I sliced the middle section of eggplant about 1 cm thick. I made a crisscross pattern cut on one side, smeared a teaspoon of miso paste and grilled until it’s golden brown. Then garnished with cottage cheese, pink pepper corns and fresh thyme leaves. You will fall in love with this robust grilled eggplant flavour:)

IMG_0604