Summer Salads

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Lunch6

I recently bought a veggie spiraliser on-line, which is great for making “pasta” (zucchini pasta here). I decided to use it today and felt like making lots of salads, so went down to the local market to get some fruits and veggies. Getting close to Christmas (nothing opens over holiday here..boo hoo!) everyone is mad shopping to stock up all the foods they need for a few days. I just realised all morning is gone shopping, making salads and cleaning up the mess that I created in the kitchen. I wish I could concentrate on reading and studying as much as I do on cooking 🙂

Anyhow after spending hours in the kitchen, I ended up making about four different salads for the weekend, which are zucchini pasta salad (photo above), roasted beetroot and pumpkin salad, potato and green bean salad, and lastly watermelon and cucumber salad with cottage cheese (photo below). I like keeping it simple. So dressing for all salads pretty much consists of apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, mustard seeds, pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil. Simple dressing like this not only has low calories but also doesn’t ruin the original taste and vibrant colours of the veggies. Just the way I like it!

I might take some of these down to the park on the weekend for a little picnic since the weather is so great here, only about 30 degrees. Despite a good weather, I’m dying to have winter Christmas with lots of snow! Ah..homesick again. I hope everyone has a safe, healthy and happy holiday.

Lunch7

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

Vanilla and Cacao Raw Cheese Cake

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Here is my second attempt to make “raw cheese cake”.

This time I added vanilla in the first bottom layer and cacao powder in the second layer. I added a bit of vanilla yogurt when blending, which helped to get smoother consistency. Very happy with that:)

Who doesn’t like vanilla and chocolate flavour? Well..It has always been my favorite ever since I was young. Even now when it comes to choosing dessert menu, vanilla + chocolate or either one always attracts me. Vanilla panna cotta, chocolate mousse, chocolate truffles, vanilla bean ice cream, mmm,, sounds yummy but unhealthy >.<

I purchased a packet of cacao powder from the local health shop a while ago and started using in baking and making dessert instead of using chocolate or cocoa powder. Unprocessed raw cacao powder contains high anti-oxidants, magnesium, iron, copper, calcium, potassium and zinc. It helps to regulate blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and build the immune system. It is also an aphrodisiac and mood enhancer. Not to be confused with cocoa powder, the nutritional value is definitely so different. Colour and smell is very similar to cocoa powder, but it has more bitter taste than sweet. Knowing all that, there is no guilt any more having a piece of chocolate muffin, chocolate brownie, hot chocolate or chocolate cheese cake like this, as long as you make them healthy at home. It is good for you!

I picked up beautiful lavender today on the way home after my morning walk. It’s hanging upside down at the corner of my computer screen now. It looks gorgeous and smells amazing. I’m so lucky to have kind neighbors who have nice herbs out on the streets:)

Raw Cheese Cake

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

Kimchi

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My darling Kimchi..

This is two jars of red and white Kimchi that I made a few weeks ago. Good to go now after a right amount of fermentation.
Kimchi is a Korean traditional side dish and one of the world’s healthiest foods.
Why it is good for you? It has high dietary fibre, but low calories. It is fully loaded with vitamin A, B and C, calcium and iron.

Most importantly, lactobacilli is found in Kimchi, that is healthy bacteria crucial for your gut health.
It helps with digestion, prevent yeast infection and fight against the growth of cancer.
It is made of cabbage mixed with garlic, chilly, ginger, onion, fish sauce and pepper.
Different types of Kimchi are made at different times of the year in Korea. Koreans consume so much of Kimchi everyday in every meal.

Myself? I didn’t eat this goodie for years when I moved to Australia.
I helped my grandma and aunty to make Kimchi in Korea, but honestly didn’t know all the ingredients and recipes. I was kind of scared of making them >.<
Then after a few attempts and failure, I can now make a okay Kimchi by myself. Yay! Definitely no where close to my aunties proper one, but it tastes fine by me:)

You need to wash chinese cabbage throughly and get rid of outer leaves. Cut them in halves and put lots of good quality salt between the leaves. Leave it for 30 mins up to one hour until the cabbage gets tender.
While you are waiting for this happen, you can make a paste that will go between the leaves, that consists of half cup of coarse chilli powder (not for white Kimchi), one table spoon of minced garlic, minced ginger, fish sauce, chilli paste and grated onion. Mix all together until you get a paste consistency and season with salt and pepper. You can add other vegetables here, like carrots, spring onions, chives, etc.
Rinse the cabbage and then mix with the paste really well. Put it in a sterilised jar and store in fridge for a couple of days before serving.

Seriously once you make one, you will realise it is not that hard and it is so versatile to use for other dishes. You can have it with rice, noodles, meats or even with salads.
I find myself I don’t get much digestion problems in Korea as long as I stick to Korean traditional diet since it is mainly rice, vegetables, fermented foods and some meat and fish.
It is so nice to see other food bloggers who try to make Kimchi at home and put recipes up. I should promote more Korean food myself because it is so good for your health.
Eat more Kimchi and your gut will be smiling 🙂

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Posted in: Gluten Free, My recipes, Vegetarian \ Tagged:

Beetroot salad

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Beetroot is one of the yummy vegetables that I tried for the first time in Australia. I think you can find them in the markets in Korea nowadays though it is unusual vegetables still.
I only tried canned pickled beetroot for the first time >.< well..I didn’t know much about it anyway.
It was nice though texture was mushy, very sweet and sour, thanks to canned food, full of preservatives.
Then I recently started using beetroot more in my cooking since I discovered all the good things about this amazing little friend.
Beetroot is rich in calcium, iron, vitamin A and C, a good source of fiber, manganese and potassium.
The rich purplish red colour is betacyanin, a strong antioxidant and anti-cancer agent.
It helps to beat high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, anaemia, fatigue and constipation.
Sounds good to me:)

You can eat raw like me by grating and putting in salads or make home-made pickles (don’t buy canned pickles! please) or roast in the oven with a drizzle of balsamic.
Since it is scorching 38 degrees here today, I didn’t even go close to the oven or stove today.
Cold salad is a way to go!
For this awesome red salad, I mixed orzo, carrots, beetroot, celery, zucchini and mint leaves.
Season with good quality herb salt and pepper.
Drizzle olive oil and lemon vinegar. Sprinkle sunflower seeds and sliced dried figs.
I made this to take to my friend’s son’s birthday picnic party tomorrow. Hopefully everyone enjoys it!
My mum sent me a couple of photos of snowing in Korea. It is a festive season soon, Christmas..New year..
I miss Winter Christmas..wearing a thick coat, scarf, beanie and gloves..walking around streets full of beautiful lights and Christmas trees..having hearty warm winter foods..
That’s how Christmas should be to me, not in 40 degrees heat 🙁

Posted in: Lunch, My recipes, salads, Vegetarian

Sushi

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Sushi (well..a.k.a Kimbap in Korea) used to be a special meal for me when I grew up.
We had a picnic day in Spring and Autumn twice a year when I was at school. Sushi was a must dish that everyone brought in their lunch box and compared whose tastes and looks better. I liked that excitement the night before, waiting for a picnic day, sometimes sleepless night with a big smile on my little face. Mum used to get up really early and made noises in the kitchen to make my lunch box when I was still sleeping in bed. Then I wake up and walk to the kitchen. The kitchen bench is a full of colourful ingredients like a rainbow. Spinach, carrot, pickled radish, ham, cheese, eggs, some herbs, etc. My family ends up having mum’s sushi for breakfast, lunch and dinner that day. She made the prettiest sushi in the world and it, of course, tasted delicious! Ah..nostalgia..my childhood food 🙂

I know sushi has become a big trend of healthy take-away food. To me, though, western sushi has so much rice and no flavour compared to Korean sushi. And did I mention it is a bit pricy for a small roll of sushi >.<
I normally make one myself home because it is so easy and fun to make. If you haven’t done it before, it may look a little intimidating task but trust me on this! You just need to practice a couple of times until you get the hang of it. Always the first one is the ugliest, exactly like when you make pancakes. I used two cups of sushi rice and some vegetables to make two big rolls. A bit of chilli sauce to spice it up as well. I find it helps to have the sharpest knife you’ve got at home in runny water before you slice them up so that rice doesn’t stick to your knife and ruin your beautiful sushi. Writing this post…I think myself I really should call this Kimbap, not sushi!!!!

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