Beautiful Summer morning. I woke up craving for some sweet breakfast this morning. My usual breakfast muffin didn’t seem that sweet enough for some reason. I can be like that (blame my hormones whenever I have a sweet tooth >.<) So I decided to make some pancakes. Crack one egg, pour a bit of almond milk, add 100g buckwheat flour and a splash of soda water as you whisk. Same as when you make batter for fried food, this bubbly water adds a lightness to the dish. To satisfy my sweet tooth, I filled and topped with honey, frozen berries and nectarine compote that I made last week. It is quite handy to have a jar of home-made fruit compote in your fridge so you can use on desserts and baking or….just straight out of the jar. I boiled and simmered nectarines with honey, chia seeds and acai powder in a pot with a bit of water. After fruits lose their shape, use a stick blender to whiz up until smooth. Taste to see if you need additional honey. Pour into a steralised jar and keep refrigerated. You can use seasonal fruits – nectarines, apples, plums, berries, figs, etc. I like adding something like ginger, cinnamon or cardamom to spice it up. Yum! I was thinking a dollop of yogurt would be nice on the side. Great for breakfast or dessert! Happy tummy now..
Leek Frittata with Mediterranean Orzo Salad
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.
- Â the flavonoid kaempferol provides protection to the lining of blood vessels, thereby lowers the risk of hypertension.
- Â as the allium family they lowers blood pressure, good for cardiovascular health.
- Â low calorie and high fibre content helps to lose weight.
- Â they can fight chronic low-level inflammatory status such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis.
- Â antioxidants in leeks help to fight against free radicals which cause chronic disease and aging.
- Â 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 🙂
Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Lasagna with Kale Chips
I made a vegetarian version of the traditional meaty lasagna last night for “Meatless” Monday. Meatless Monday is an international campaign, no meat on Mondays to improve your health and the health of the planet. It started quite a while ago in America in 2003 and runs in over 20 countries, mostly high meat consuming countries. I am very positive about this movement, not that I want Australians to turn to vegetarians or vegan. But it’s a fun program that you can think about your health and environment at the start of the week and come up with some interesting vegetarian dishes. I don’t need to follow this rule since my diet is already 90% vegetarian though I try to cook a vegetarian dinner at least x 1-2 a week for my hubby.
A traditional lasagna is a nice comfort food, but can be quite heavy loaded with ground beef and cheese. You can make a healthier version and have a generous serving of veggies by simply replacing ingredients. You can make it gluten-free by using gluten-free lasagna sheets or just layers of sliced vegetables such as eggplant and zucchini. Bechamel sauce is traditionally made of butter, flour and milk that gives a nice creaminess and builds a lasagna shape. To make a healthier version (gluten-free and dairy-free! yay!), you can use creamed tofu, celeriac purée, cashew cream or white bean purée. These substitutes don’t compromise flavour at all but in fact adds more protein and fibre. I find a beauty of making lasagna is when it shows beautiful layers when you cut into it. I used pumpkin mash, slices of sweet potatoes, Parmesan cheese and sage leaves – simple ingredients but nice flavour. I served with bitter crunchy kale chips which compliment this dish very well. This would be a fabulous dish for a potluck dinner or a holiday party as well.
Banana Muffins
I bought a few bananas a few days ago and kept in a fruit bowl with green apples >.< My mistake..I realised this morning they had black spots all over – ripened too quick!
To keep bananas fresh for longer, you can
- pull bananas apart from the bunch: apparently they stay yellow longer when stored apart.
- cover ends of the bunches with aluminum foil or plastic wrap: bananas like many fruits release ethylene gas at the stem naturally which browns and ripens fruits.
- keep them in a warm location, not in the fridge.
Having bananas on daily basis has an array of health benefits.
- assists in weight loss because it’s naturally sweet and so curb your sweet tooth. Great morning or afternoon snack!
- helps with digestion and bowel regularity. Pectin in bananas aids digestion and also insoluble fibre travels through digestive tracts and sweeps off all waste.
- supports your heart function. Bananas help to sustain blood sugar and lower blood pressure because they are high in potassium and low in salt.
- makes you happy because of the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
- Did you know? You can also use inside of banana skin to polish your leather shoes or handbag too. Nothing gets wasted!
They are so good for you. Though, personally I’m not a big fan of sweet fruits like ripe bananas, well most tropical fruits. So I decided to use them to make some banana muffins. Ripe bananas create beautiful sweetness in muffins and bread. I mashed one ripe banana with a fork and added one egg, 1 heap spoon of honey, 150g spelt flour, 1tsp baking powder, 1tsp of cinnamon powder and a pinch of Himalayan salt. Ah, I also grounded toasted hazelnuts and almonds and mixed through for more nuttiness and crunchiness. Then put them in 4 muffin cups and baked in the preheated oven (180) for about 30 minutes. Cool them down and enjoy!
Dinner with Friends
Happy CNY! Normally CNY is a pretty big national holiday in Korea. Everyone gets together and indulge themselves with healthy festive foods. I didn’t use to like being called to the kitchen by my mum and aunties, which meant no playing but working. They made me open the jars of spices and sauces when they needed extra hands. We all had to sit around and make hundreds of dumplings which I was not good at and very slow. After hours of cooking, a big table full of nice food and drinks was for guys. Kids had a small table set-up next to it with less food because adults and kids don’t sit together in old days. I understand now, though, kids are messy eaters and noisy. Then of course these lucky guys just eat and leave. More work for women who didn’t even eat a proper meal because they were busy replacing the empty plates for new ones and feeding kids. I felt sorry for my mum and aunties on CNY after seeing how much physical work they actually do for a family gathering. Having said that they didn’t seem to mind at all, a lot of giggling and chit-chats happening in the kitchen. It was all about cooking with love! Oh good memories 🙂 I think some families don’t do this kind of big gatherings any more nowadays because they are busy with their life or rather want to go on overseas holiday. But really, family comes first, nothing more important than that. I would love to be back home for CNY which unfortunately I haven’t done for almost 10 years since I’m living far away from my family. So this year I’ve decided to invite some of my friends and their partners over for dinner to celebrate CNY and have a feast. Bring back my spirit of feeding “the family”!
Entree
– Creamed spinach& artichoke on tea bread
– Pork buns
– Mango salsa in wonton cups
– Caramelised pear and onion crostini
Main
– Black tea braised pork on rice
– Crispy potato with thyme and broccoli salad with blue cheese and mustard vinaigrette
– Caramelised carrot, dates, orange & quinoa salad with pomegranate dressing
Dessert
– Lemon panna cotta in a tea cup with home-made sesame honey comb
I wish you all an amazing, prosperous and peaceful 2014 x