Green Tea Crepe with Lemon-Rosemary Infused Maple Syrup

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Kale CrepeIt 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?

Kale Crepe1
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

Balsamic Brussel Sprouts and Lentils

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Brussel SproutsI’ve never eaten brussel sprouts when I was a kid. Did we have brussel sprouts back then? (makes me feel old now) So I don’t really understand why kids don’t love them, in fact loathe them. When I saw and tried them for the first time, I was amazed how sweet it was. Then I tried it raw because I like chewing on raw cabbage, not a good idea! Very spicy!

Brussel sprouts are loaded with vitamin A, folacin, potassium, calcium and fibre. It is also high in protein, but incomplete meaning they don’t provide all essential amino acids we need. So you need to pair with whole grains to make a complete meal. The best way of cooking brussel sprouts without losing nutrition is to saute them in a flash or roasting. Don’t boil them until they are dead >.< These little nutritious bombs like to go with something sweet like caramelised onions and fruits in this dish. Adding earthy lentils makes it more substantial good enough for a main dish. Plus I’m jazzing it up with balsamic reduction. I just love using balsamic vinegar! If you are not a fan of brussel sprouts, simply replace them with broccoli florets.

Brussel Sprouts1Ingredients

300g Brussel sprouts
50g French lentils
1 onion
1/2 tsp of minced garlic
1 tbsp of coconut oil
3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp of water
1/2 tsp of chilli flakes
salt and pepper to taste
a handful of dried cranberries
a handful of almond slivers

Cook lentils in boiling water for 20-30 minutes. Drain and rinse. Wash brussel sprouts and cut them in half. Slice onion. Heat a pan over medium heat. Begin by caramelising brussel sprouts, garlic and onion with coconut oil. Then add cooked lentils, balsamic vinegar and water. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until cooked and the liquid is evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle pomegranate and roasted pine nuts on top. You can also use dried cranberries and almonds or pecans instead depending on what you have in your pantry.

 

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

Broccoli with Millet and Chickpeas

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As of recent, my life has been a bit crazy with work, so I haven’t felt a whole lot like cooking. There has been a lot of pre-made salads and random left-over meals instead of thought-out dinners. A nice cooked dinner with time and effort is a pleasure of mine, though it is not happening at the moment. Well, I’m hoping it gets better as a new routine settles in eventually. I basically make a big batch of different salads on the weekend and have it straight out of fridge during the week. Legumes, grains and rice are great in cold salads and last long in the fridge. This salad is nice and clean. Crunchy raw broccoli, protein-packed chickpeas, creamy and fluffy millet with a simple mustard-vinegar dressing. I used raw broccoli here, but feel free to steam or boil if you wish.
broccoli millet saladIngredients (serves 2)

1 head of broccoli
1 cup of cooked millet
1 cup of cooked chickpeas
1 bunch of parsley
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine cooked millet, chickpeas, chopped broccoli and parsley in a large bowl. Mix all dressing ingredients in a separate bowl or a jar with lid. Pour the dressing over salad and toss together. Serve as main or sides.

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

Vanilla Coconut Chia Pudding

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Chia puddingAnother 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!

Ingredients

25g chia seeds
100g coconut milk
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla powder
goji berries and bee pollen for topping
Chia pudding1

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

Savoury Roasted Nuts + Chickpea Salad

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savoury nutsIf you are bored of chewing on plain raw nuts, try roasted nuts dressed in either savoury or sweet flavour. I’ve made vanilla and cinnamon roasted nuts earlier. This time it is salty and spicy savoury nuts 🙂 I used a coconut amino sauce, which is gluten-free and soy-free sauce containing 17 amino acids. If you don’t have it, don’t worry! You can replace with tamari or sodium reduced soy sauce. It is great on its own as a snack, but I also use as salad toppings (as below in chickpea salad) and a sprinkle on soup for extra flavour and crunch. Enjoy x

Savoury Roasted Nuts

100g raw almonds
100g raw pepitas
100g raw sunflower seeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp coconut amino sauce
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

Soak all nuts in water overnight. Drain and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Melt coconut oil for 30 seconds in microwave. Then combine with coconut amino sauce, cayenne pepper and salt in a large bowl. Pour the nuts into a bowl and mix well with a spatula making sure all nuts are coated with the sauce. Transfer the nuts onto a baking tray and spread evenly in a single layer. Place in the preheated (170) oven for 20-30 minutes or more until nuts are fragrant and crispy, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely before storing in an air-tight container. Store in the fridge or freezer.
Chickpea saladSo this is the salad I made after roasting some nuts. Chickpeas are a great base for salads and also add the buttery texture and hearty element. Sweet caramelised onion, rich blue cheese, salty roasted nuts and bitter greens are a match made in heaven. Delicious! It can be a complete dish on its own as well as a great accompaniment to any protein of your choice.

Chickpea Salad with Caramelised Balsamic Onion and Blue Cheese (serves 2)

100g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 cup of salad leaves
1 white onion
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
50g blue cheese
2 tbsp savoury roasted nuts
1 tbsp e.v.o.o
salt and pepper to taste

Put soaked chickpeas in a pot and cover with water. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until cooked. Drain and set aside. In the meantime, thinly slice onion and cook in a pan with coconut oil, balsamic vinegar and honey until caramelised. Season with salt and pepper. To assemble the salad, put cooked chickpeas, salad leaves, caramelised onion and crumbled blue cheese in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil and extra balsamic vinegar into a bowl. Gently toss to combine. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle savoury roasted nuts on top.

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