Grilled Halloumi Cheese on Ratatouille

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I like all sorts of cheese but halloumi is one of my favorites when I cook vegetarian dishes.

Halloumi cheese is a semi-hard brined cheese made from a goat’s and sheep’s milk. Because it has a high melting point, it is perfect for frying or grilling.

I don’t normally put any oil in the frying pan or grill because it releases natural oil itself and gets beautifully caramelised outside.

Its unique flavour and texture is hard to describe if you haven’t had one. It’s salty and crispy outside but soft inside.

Ratatouille also, stewed vegetables, is a beautiful vegetarian dish I often cook. I chop up all the vegetables I have in the fridge such as onions, eggplant, zucchini and carrots.

Add some passata sauce, season and cook them until they are all tender. Garnish with some herbs ( I used mint last night ).

A good thing about stewing veggies like that and making a big batch of it is that you can have it as breakfast or lunch next day.

You can crack a couple of eggs on top of ratatouille and cook in the oven until eggs are slightly set but still runny inside. It would be a yummy but super easy breakfast:)

P

 

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

Power balls

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My morning routine is getting up early (well..3am all this week..damn insomnia!), going for a morning walk for an hour and having a shower.

My breakfast is mostly smoothie or tea with a couple of home-made muffins. I did try some oat porridge and muesli before, but not a big fan of it.

I have the best concentration after my breakfast, so try to get some studying and reading done.

It has been almost a month since Daniel and I started studying for French getting ready for our holiday next year.

We go to the class every Thursday night together though I find myself I have to try a lot harder to catch up with other students.

I am certainly enjoying learning new language although it is very challenging in terms of pronunciation and grammar (masculine and feminine >.<).

Taking all these into my brain requires so much energy than doing anything else.

I always have some snacks handy in the fridge.  I made a few of these raw gluten-free power balls this morning.

Simply blend a small banana, natural protein power, black chia seeds, cacao powder, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, goji berries, LSA and one chai tea bag.

Ingredients can change depending on what I have in the cupboard or my mood (?). It helps me to cut down my cravings on sweets and last until lunch time.

It is heaps better than those sweets or snacks from the packet for sure 🙂

 

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

Green salad

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2013-12-06 09.47.29

It is a hot day here today. I didn’t feel like cooking or anything for lunch, being lazy in this heat >.<

So I made up this green salad with honeydew (melon), brussel sprouts and mint.

You can have some yogurt dressing or citrus dressing on top, though I just liked it by itself.

Sweet from melon, bitter taste from brussel sprouts and refreshing minty taste.

As well as the taste, this salad is so good for you.

Raw brussel sprouts have a cholesterol-lowering benefits and has a great quantity of glucosinolate which is well known for the cancer protection and detox.

These little guys also have so many vitamin antioxidants therefore it is good for inflammation-related conditions and digestive system as well.

Vegetables are so good for you and are a pack of vital nutrients. cannot stress enough 🙂

I should have listened to my mum when I was little. Eat your GREENS!!

 

Posted in: Gluten Free, Lunch, salads, Vegetarian

Icy Poles

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2013-12-05 12.12.55

I made these icy poles last week and kept in the freezer for a hot summer day.

I blended about two cups of watermelon, squeeze of one lemon and handful of mint. Ah! don’t forget a sprinkle of cayenne pepper for a kick:p

Being a Korean, I like hot spicy food even in sweets e.g. chilli chocolate

This icy pole is so refreshing and hydrating for you, and better than store-bought ice creams >.<

I’m going to experiment different flavours of icy poles this summer with seasonal fruits.

Mangoes, peaches, strawberries, kiwis, what else????

Posted in: My recipes, Snack

Banana Choc chip muffin

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2013-12-05 11.58.57

Baking always calms me down. I don’t know why.

I didn’t get a good sleep last night and wasn’t feeling concentrated while doing my study this morning.

So I decided to do some baking 🙂

I like home-made muffins and bars at home as it’s a lot healthier than those from the bakeries or cafes.

Very simple ingredients – ripe bananas, choc chips, cacao powder, eggs, self-raising flour, walnut oil, pear puree (that I made on the weekend to use for cooking and baking)

Chocolate and banana flavour marry well together.

Posted in: Baking, My recipes, Snack