Category Archives: Salads

A bag of carrots is a staple food in my fridge. I chew on it for a snack, add into my salads, stir-fries, cakes and muffins. It is cheap, versatile, yummy, nutritious and lasts long in the fridge as well. I had to make a salad with what I’ve got in my fridge today – of course, carrots are in it. All you need is only three ingredients that I believe we all have in the fridge and pantry. Miso dressing really makes a difference here. It tastes even better next day as the rice absorbs the dressing and flavour develops even further. So it is a good idea making a salad a day before or a few hours before serving.

Ingredients

2 carrots
1 cup of wild rice
a bunch of coriander

For dressing
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp Deonjang or miso paste
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp Himalayan salt
pepper to taste

Wash and chop the carrots. Mix all dressing ingredients in a bowl. Toss the carrots in the dressing and bake in the preheated oven (180) for 20-30 minutes until cooked. In the meantime, cook the wild rice in a boiling water for about 40 minutes until cooked. Drain and set aside. To assemble the salad, simply toss carrots, wild rice and roughly chopped coriander in a large bowl. Transfer to a serving plate. Drizzle more dressing if you like.

How many times do you actually chew before swallowing? Less than 10? These days we tend to get distracted or rush through the meal time. I’m sure I’m not the only one. I also tend to sit in front of computer or TV while eating. Sorry mum. She has told me to chew 30 times before swallowing ever since I was little. 30 times!!!

So why is chewing so important? Digestion begins in your mouth, not your stomach. Your teeth and digestive enzymes in the saliva break down food, which helps your body to absorb more nutrition from the food. Chewing produces more endorphins, a pleasure of eating. It also increases circulation, immunity and energy. Here are some tips I try to do. To enjoy the whole eating experience, take a couple of deep breaths before eating. Eat with your eyes and nose first. Enjoy every mouthful of food. Put your knife and fork down while chewing. Enjoy the company and have a nice conversation with your loved ones. Your meal time should be 20-30 minutes. Hope it helps x

For Sweet Potato Chips

1 large sweet potato
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste

Slice sweet potato into little sticks. Put them in water for 10-15 minutes to get rid of starch. Pat dry them with a paper towel. Toss with oil and spices. Bake them in the preheated oven (200) for 20 minutes until cooked.

For Greek Lentil Salad

1 cup of cooked French lentils
2 tomatoes
1/4 cucumber
a handful of chopped parsley leaves
30g crumbled feta
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
a squeeze of lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and cook lentils in boiling water for 20-30 minutes until cooked. Rinse and drain. Mix cooked lentils, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, parsley and feta cheese in a large bowl. Season and dress with a simple vinegar dressing. Transfer to a serving bowl.

For Savoury Bread

1 1/2 cup self-raising flour
1 cup chopped spinach
5 large sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup green olives
1 tsp capers
1/2 cup artichokes
3 large eggs
50g feta cheese
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp baking soda
salt and pepper to taste

Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients into a bowl and combine well with a spatula. Transfer the mixture into a loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven (180) for 45-50 minutes or until cooked. If the top gets too brown, cover with a foil.

Salad dressing is easy to make at home without any added nasties that you get from the commercial ones. It obviously tastes fresh and a lot better for you. I like adding Asian flavours to the fresh salads and Western dishes. All you need is a few simple ingredients in your pantry to be bold and creative. A little tricky, but taste as you go so that a dressing or sauce has a balanced flavour – salty, sweet, sour and a little spicy (because I like chili!). Here is a list of my staple ingredients in Asian cooking. Try to use good quality ingredients and home-made ones are even better.

• Coconut amino sauce or Tamari
• Sesame oil
• Vinegar: balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, white wine vinegar
• Maple syrup or honey
• Tahini paste
• Deonjang and Gochujang paste
• Grated ginger, garlic, shallot

What can I say. Crispy, crunchy and light apple and fennel combine to create a perfect winter time salad. Subtle anise flavour in fennel is great for your digestion and helps with inflammation in your body. If you are not a fan of raw fennel, try to slice as thin as you can and marinade in dressing so that the acid will tenderise it and mellow the flavour while still leaving plenty of crunch. I promise you will be pleasantly surprised. Slight tart and sweet apple combined with fennel is a match made in heaven, plus this Asian dressing adds a bit of surprise. It is a great accompaniment to a grilled chicken, pork or fish.

Apple Fennel Salad with Asian Dressing

Ingredients

1/2 baby fennel
1/2 green smith apple
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts
a bunch of coriander

For Dressing
1/2 tsp Deonjang or miso paste
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
a squeeze of lemon
salt and pepper to taste

I’m definitely on a salad kick at the moment. What not to love making beautiful salads. I like the simplicity of making them, yet the complex flavours and textures that I can create with raw veggies and a light yummy dressing to combine all together. It is an art!

Everything Chopped Salad

Ingredients

1 cup chopped grape tomatoes
1 cup chopped continental cucumber
1 cup chopped beetroot
1/2 avocado, chopped
1 bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

For Dressing
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tbsp olive oil
juice from 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking breaks down the cellulose in vegetables so they are a bit more digestible, but the healthy beta carotene in carrots needs fat in order to be absorbed. Roasting carrots in coconut oil, spices and a squeeze of lemon juice is the perfect way to get all nutritious, and so delicious on their own. Especially, cumin and carrots is a match made in heaven.

Cumin can boost your metabolism and immune system, improve digestion, and give you energy. The seed is rich in antioxidants and iron which may help women at certain times of the month. Many people say they are deficient in iron and feel run down; 1 teaspoon of cumin will give you 15.5% of the daily recommended value.Ingredients

a bunch of carrots
1 tsp of coconut oil
1 tsp of honey
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of smoked paprika
1 tsp of Himalayan salt
pepper to taste
1 tsp of olive oil

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Wash the carrots, don’t need to peel. On a foil-lined baking sheet, toss carrots with 1 tablespoon coconut oil, cumin, smoked paprika, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Roast until tender about 20-30 minutes, flipping them half-way through. Drizzle olive oil and squeeze a lemon to serve.