Dear NYC

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time squareNY1One of my besties lives in NYC. She moved out to NY a few years back to become a physio and seek for a better lifestyle. The move to a foreign country must have been hard as I’ve done it 10 years ago and I totally understand what she has been going through. Well I would love to be with her as a companion when she needs me though NY is so far far far away from Australia. Thankfully she met a great guy who takes a good care of her and they are happily married. I visited her last May spring time over there and enjoyed wandering through the very heart of the city, enjoying some cheesy sightseeing, exploring little streets and devouring delicious foods. One of the things I miss most is, of course without doubt, New York bagels. You cannot beat fluffy dark pumpernickel bagel smothered with a thick generous amount of cream cheese accompanied by a black coffee. We accidentally found this awesome place called Zucker. If you happen to visit NYC, please check out this place. It is so ridiculously good. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I visit my dear friend and NYC again next year. So I’m making a open sandwich, great for breakfast or lunch. Easy to assemble though flavour combination works so well – pumpernickel, goat cheese, beetroot and balsamic. Delicious! This is how I treat myself to beat post-NYC blues 🙂 Please look for my previous post if you are wondering how to make bagels at home here.
chevreonpumpernickleIngredients (single serve)

1 pumpernickel slice
50g goat cheese
1/2 beetroot
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
a drizzle of balsamic glaze
pepper to taste
green salad to serve

Grate beetroot and mix with balsamic vinegar. Set aside. To assemble, place pumpernickel slice on a plate, spread goat cheese and top with beetroot. Drizzle balsamic glaze and season with pepper. Serve with green salad on the side.

Posted in: Breakfast, Lunch, My recipes, NYC, Travel, Vegetarian

Watermelon Chia Juice

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watermelon chiaI don’t know if I can call this recipe. Sometimes there are recipes or the things I make that are too simple and ordinary to share. I still post here anyway just to give you an idea what you can do with chia seeds. Chia seeds are a well known nutritional bunch – less calories, more fibre, loaded with antioxidants, high in omega-3 fatty acids, great vegan protein source. You can use for baking, making puddings, jam and smoothies. Awesome awesome ingredient you need to stock up in your house!

Summer definitely brings an abundance of beautiful sweet fruits. When I grew up in Korea, the way I know it is nearly summer is by finding mountains of little watermelons at the markets. Mum used to make a yummy fruit punch with watermelon and melon balls – my after-school treat. Oh I miss it so much! I don’t understand why kids need sugary cordial or artificial juice these days. This healthy drink truly takes me back to my childhood, full of a summer vibe in it. Refreshing watermelon, bright pink colour and energising chia. I think it would be a mighty fine addition to your Christmas table or in your little picnic box.

Ingredients

2 cups of diced watermelon
1 tbsp of chia seeds
lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp of maple syrup or raw honey
a pinch of sea salt
1 cup of sparkling or soda water

Put all ingredients except sparkling water in a blender and blitz until all combined. Chill in the fridge and add sparkling or soda water before serving. You can replace it with coconut water if you are not a fan of carbonated drink.

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

Mushroom and Sunflower Seed Pate

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sunflower seed pateSunflower seeds are a good source of selenium which helps to control cell damage and prevent from cancer. Minerals such as magnesium and copper in sunflower seeds are beneficial for your skin and hair and bone health. A handful of sunflower seeds (about 30g) has more than half of the copper you need daily. They are also an excellent source of vitamin E that acts as antioxidants and helps to protect cell damage from free radicals. It is easy to add them into your breakfast cereal, salads, bread, muffin and soup. I made this vegetarian pate with sunflower seeds, which is a great snack or party finger food. Oh you can even add into your sandwiches or wraps. Lightly cooked mushrooms give a rich, smokey and earthy flavour. You can also replace mushrooms with roasted capsicum or sun-dried tomato or avocado for different flavours.

sunflower seed pate1Ingredients

100g sunflower seeds
200g button mushrooms
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp coconut amino sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
a squeeze of lemon
1 tsp Himalayan salt

Soak sunflower seeds for a couple of hours or overnight. Rinse and drain. Lightly toast in a pan over medium heat. Take it off the heat and set aside. Roughly chop mushrooms and cook with coconut amino sauce, garlic, cumin, thyme for 5 minutes or until cooked al dente. Put toasted seeds and mushroom mixture into your blender, add olive oil and lemon, and process until you get a desired pate consistency. Season as you go. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight so that the flavour can develop. Serve with raw veggies, bread, chips or crackers.

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

Cherry Pumpkin Almond Salad

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I cannot think of a better way to welcome in summer than this pretty colourful salad with sour cherries. It looks very Christmasy indeed. Holiday cooking can be so involved with ham, fruit cakes, pavlova, etc which would easily make you feel ten kilos heavier in a couple of days. Frankly, I would be just happy to have a few of my favorite salads accompanied by a chilled sangria, which I’m going to do this Christmas, yes! I think when it comes to create the best foods either salads, pizza or desserts, the rule of thumb is to make it simple, using a choice of a few ingredients. Well balanced flavours and texture makes a great dish without overdoing or over complicated. For example, this salad consists of sweet roasted pumpkin, sour cherries, salty creamy feta, bitter sweet spinach, crunchy nutty almonds and zingy balsamic. What not to love? You will have to try hard not to dance with your shoulders 🙂 Devour every bite of it x
cherry pumpkin almond saladIngredients (serves 2)

1 cup of sliced pumpkin
1 cup of pitted cherries
1 cup of spinach salad
a handful of toasted sliced almonds
30g feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic glaze

Place pumpkin on a baking tray and cook in the preheated oven (180) for 15 minutes or until cooked. Combine spinach, pumpkin, cherries, crumbled feta in a large bowl. Dress with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle toasted almonds and drizzle balsamic glaze before serve.cherry pumpkin almond

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

Chickpea Tofu Salad

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I recently discovered this soy-free and easy-to-make tofu on the internet (here and here). Burmese or Shan tofu it is. My grandma and aunties used to make tofu at home, which takes so much time and effort and in fact is daunting for me to do on my own. On the other hand, this chickpea tofu requires only three ingredients and is dead simple similar to making polenta. Compared to soy tofu, it is has a nice nutty flavour. Perfect for making chips, salads, fillings for sandwiches or wraps, topping up your soup or adding in stir-fries. I think adding other flavours into the tofu mixture would be nice such as oregano, chilli flakes or sesame seeds. Have fun making x
chickpea tofuIngredients (2-4 serves)

150g chickpea flour
a pinch of salt
450g boiled water or stock

Place chickpea flour and salt in a large bowl. Bring water or stock to a boil in a pot. Pour it into a bowl slowly as you whisk rapidly so that it gets thick with no lumps. Pour the mixture into a tin lined with a cling film and spread the surface evenly with a spatula. Let it cool and refrigerate more than an hour or until it firms up. Loosen the edges with a knife or spatula and slice portions as needed.

I cut it into little squares and lightly pan-fried a couple of minutes each side in coconut oil. Then served with watermelon, goat cheese, greens and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

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