Summer Minestrone

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Minestrone soup, meaning “big soup” in Italian, is great both in summer and winter. There is no standard recipe here. It changes from season to season using the best ingredients you can get your hands on. You can also clean up the fridge and throw in all your vegetable odds and ends. It is simply delicious and nourishing! I made a vegetarian version today but feel free to add beans or meat for additional fibre and protein.

The word minestrone means “big soup” in Italian
The word minestrone means “big soup” in Italian
The word minestrone means “big soup” in Italis great both in summer and winter. There is no standard minestrone recipe. It changes from season to season, using the best produce you can get your hands on. You can also clean out the crisper drawer of the refrigerator and throw in all your vegetable odds and ends, delicious and nourishing!

Summer Minestrone
Ingredients

1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of coconut oil
2 cups of chopped tomatoes or canned
1 carrot
1 potato
1 cup of cauliflower
1 cup of broccoli
1 tsp of harissa
1 bay leaf
2 cups of vegetable stock or water
salt and pepper to taste

Cook chopped onion and garlic with coconut oil in a pan until softened. Add other ingredients and stock to the pan. Bring it to boil and then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning in the last minute. Ladle the minestrone into the bowl. Drizzle olive oil and squeeze a lemon on top. Serve with bread if you like.

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

Home Made Granola

\ Leave a Comment \ by

GranolaI used to be obsessed with oats for breakfast. Granola with milk or yogurt, quick oat porridge, oat muffins, etc. It is whole grains and healthy, gives you energy in the morning, yeah! Oats may contain gluten though so if you are gluten-sensitive like me, you need to look for gluten-free oats. Granola is baked rolled oats cereal with nuts and dried fruits. My hubby has a bowl of granola with milk for breakfast, and I normally pick on it when I feel like snacking during the day (Yes, I have been getting my hands on his jar during the day. Sorry Daniel!). Store-bought granola can be loaded with sugar and oil. It is best to make your granola at home to limit the amount of sugar and fat contents. Or look for low-fat granola if you choose to buy from the shops.

Granola has a number of health benefits – fibre, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. Main ingredients of granola, oats, bran and nuts, contain a good amount of fibre which helps to regulate digestion and prevent constipation. It also controls your blood sugar level and keeps you feel full longer. Good fats from nuts, seeds and coconut oil helps to lower cholesterol, blood pressure and reduce inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid, in granola are essential for proper brain function. Granola also contains vitamin E which acts as antioxidant, thiamin and folate which helps energy metabolism and nerve function. Essential minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium are also found in granola.

The recipe is so versatile. You can pretty much add any of your favorite nuts, seeds and dried fruits in the home made granola. Easy, and way cheaper than the store bought kinds!

Granola1
Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup pepitas
1/4 cup dried pineapples
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp fine sea salt

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, coconut and wheat bran. Add the wet ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir well. Add the wet mixture (while still warm) to the dry mixture and stir making sure that all of the dry ingredients are fully coated with the wet ingredients. Spread onto a pan lined with baking paper and bake in the oven (180) for 45 minutes. Remove the pan from oven every 10 minutes and stir for even baking and crispiness. Cool granola before pouring into a bowl and adding dried fruits. It will crisp up as it cools.

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian

Choosing The Base of Salads

\ Leave a Comment \ by

I have to admit how disappointed I was when I went to BBQs here. Grilling chuck steaks and sausages in a synthetic lining, bottles of barbeque sauce, sad looking salads, heavy salad dressings… Or maybe I’ve just been to all bad ones. I’m not a huge meat eater and thus going to a BBQ means pretty starving for me. Salads, especially, look so unloved. It’s just a side dish no one really touches. Can you name more than five salad veggies? Here is a thing. If you are a fan of healthy eating and cares about what goes into your body, then there is a homework for you. Go down to the local market or farmer’s market on the weekend and explore salad veggies. See how they look like, their names, smells, tastes, texture. You will be pretty impressed there is a whole world of veggies out there from spicy arugula to tender butter lettuce. Just in case I haven’t told you yet, I love going to the grocery shopping as much as clothes shopping. I will list some of the examples with photos and nutrition facts below.

  • Butter lettuce: Good source of vitamin A, K and folate. Soft and buttery textured leaves.
  • Cabbage: Dense, waxy, crunchy texture. Red cabbage has twice the vitamin C as green cabbage.
  • Iceberg lettuce: You will all know this one. Light and crunch texture. A good source of vitamin K, but that’s about it. Not much nutrition unfortunately.
  • Radicchio: Purple round heads of bitter leaves. Rich in phosphorus, calcium, vitamin B and C. Beautiful both raw and grilled
  • Romaine: Rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, beta-carotene, vitamin A, B and C
  • Arugula (Roquette, Rocket): Peppery mustard flavour and nutty flavour. Contains anti-cancer properties.
  • Spinach: Tender, sweet, salty leaves. Rich in vitamin A, B, C, folate, iron, calcium and magnesium.
  • Kale: Sweet and tender greens. Very high in beta-carotene, vitamin K and C, calcium, anti-cancer properties.
  • Watercress: Peppery and tangy flavour. Rich in iron, calcium, iodine, folic acid, vitamin A and C, anti-cancer properties.

Try to mix 2-3 different variety of greens when you make a salad, for example, mild lettuce + crisp romaine + peppery arugula. That’s the foundation of your salad. Then you can add other ingredients like carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, what ever you feel like. Some suggestions for salad topping?

  • Crunchy: Nuts, pita chips, edamame, sugar snap peas, sweet potato, broccoli, pumpkin, beetroot, fennel, celery
  • Chewy: Dried fruits, sun-dried tomatoes, peas, corns, lentils, beans, tempeh
  • Fruity: apple, pear, nectarine, mango, berries, grapes
  • Creamy: cheese, hummus, yogurt
Posted in: salads, Vegetarian

DIY Kimchi Spring Rolls

\ Leave a Comment \ by

DIY spring rollsI’ve prepared DIY spring rolls a few times for our dinner or a dinner party. It is quick and easy. There is not much cooking involved since it’s all fresh raw ingredients. It is fun to make, definitely makes you chew and eat slow and you can pick and choose what ingredients you would like to put in your rolls. Don’t expect too much on the first one cause it tends to be a messy one, just like when you make pancakes.

Ingredients

Crunch: carrots, celery,cucumbers, bean sprouts, lettuce leaves
Fresh herbs: coriander, mint, basil
Noodles: rice noodles or cellophane glass noodles. Normally I don’t add noodles to my daily spring rolls because it makes the spring rolls more filling and I enjoy eating my spring rolls filled with extra vegetables.
Protein: seafood or meat or tofu
Rice papers: Spring roll rice paper wrappers are available in various sizes and thickness.
Dipping sauce: I like a tahini sauce with spring rolls. Mix tahini paste, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

1. Dip and rotate a rice paper in the bowl of water. Keep patting until it’s pliable, but not completely soft. If you leave it too long in water, it gets really sticky and hard to roll.
2. Lay wet rice paper on rolling surface. Arrange ingredients at about 1/3 closest to you so that you have a space to roll.
3. Do not over-stuff your roll, start small then continue to add more fillings that works with your size rice paper.
4. Gently pull away the edge of wrapper from work surface and roll over the filling. Tuck the fillings under the wrapper and then fold in the sides
5. Slowly start to roll away from you and tuck in your filling toward you to keep the roll tight.
6. Eating these fresh as you roll them is best. If you want to take leftovers to work next day, it’s best to wrap each spring roll individually so that they remain fresh and won’t stick.

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

Beets and Caramelised Onion Tartlets

\ Leave a Comment \ by

When Daniel went to Korea with me for the first time, I’m sure he had a bit of cultural food shock. My family, especially my mum, tried to give him Korean stamina foods since that’s what we do for the quests. She even cooked a big piece of steak for his breakfast. My uncle gave him a root of ginseng dipped in honey >.< I find we have quite a variety of stamina foods in Korean cuisine such as ginseng chicken soup, grilled eel, fresh oysters, rice and mollusc soup, octopus dishes and herbal medicine. Since then, Korean food must have grown on him. He became a fan of a ginseng chicken soup and fresh oysters, which he never tried and disliked before. Yes, they are quite different to Western stamina foods. But the common thing is that all stamina foods contain complex carbs, good quality of protein, iron and vitamins. Complex carbs produce glucose providing your body energy. Protein is important for growth and development, repair of the muscles and body tissue. Iron for the energy and vitamins for the strong immune system. There is a list of stamina foods in Western world that is oatmeal, beans, coffee, green leafy vegetables, bananas, lean meat, peanut butter, beetroot, red grapes and quinoa. Beetroot! Red dirt earthy taste bomb! I love it so much both in raw and cooked dishes. Studies show regular consumption of beetroot lowers blood pressure,  slows cancer growth, promotes digestive and colon health and boosts stamina. Amazing. So include more beetroots in your diet.

  • Add grated raw beets in your salad for extra crunch and bright red colour
  • Make home made pickles with beets
  • Add grated beets in your chocolate cake for a hint of beetroot flavour, intense colour and moist cake
  • Add into your soup either chunky or pureed
  • Make vegetarian patty burger with grated beetroot
  • Make a nice dip
  • Caramelise in the oven with balsamic and honey for a beautiful side dish
  • Make fresh beetroot juice
  • Make beetroot chutney
  • Any more ideas????

Enjoy health benefits of beetroot!

Beetroot tartIngredients (for 3 little tarts)

For the filling
1 grated beetroot
1 sliced white onion
1 table spoon of balsamic vinegar
1 table spoon of molasses
1 table spoon of pink peppercorn

For the crust
75g rye flour
25g wholemeal spelt flour
1 egg
a bit of cold water
a pinch of salt

Add ingredients for the filling into the deep skillet and cook for 20-30 minutes until they are caramelised. Let it cool aside. For the tart, combine flour and egg. Add water a little by little to get a dough. Divide the dough into three balls. Roll out and put the filling in the middle. Fold the edges around and put it in the preheated oven (180) for 15-20 minutes until crust is cooked. Serve with goat cheese and thyme sprigs on top.

Posted in: Baking, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes, Vegetarian