Denmark

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Denmark1
While I was in South Korea in May and July, I decided to go to Northern Europe for 10 days. Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland in 10 days! Yes, it was only enough to visit famous sight-seeing places though I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. Denmark was the first Nordic country of my journey. It takes about 11-12 hours direct flight from Korea to Copenhagen. Time difference? Europe is 8 hours behind, which means you get a massive jet lag. Worse for me cause I just cannot get over it for a couple of weeks, which means once I kind of get used to the time zone, I actually have to go back to Korea and struggle again. I tried to eat healthy and stay hydrated, plus a bit of nap on a bus. My breakfast was mostly oats, natural yogurt, fresh fruits and black coffee. Sometimes a slice of pumpernickle or rye bread if I feel like one. I also had trail mix and home-made power balls in my bag for healthy snacks. Well.. I tried but my diet wasn’t perfect while traveling when I couldn’t resist trying local food and wine. It is okay as long as you keep 80% healthy and indulge yourself the rest. Nothing wrong with that 🙂
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I had a beautiful lunch at one of the oldest hotels in Denmark called Skovshoved hotel, about 30 minutes drive from the city. There was a heavy shower on the way to the restaurant, then beautifully cleared up when we arrived. A stunning reflection of blue sky on the rain puddle, cool crisp air, green herb garden at the back of the restaurant, fresh food from local produce. It was perfect.
Denmark3The cycling culture in Denmark is pretty impressive. Apparently, about 80-90% of Danish who live in the city rides a bike, which means less pollution, traffic jams or car accidents. If you have been injured in a vehicular accident caused by a negligent driver, you may consult with a personal injury attorney to make sure that your rights are protected.

I couldn’t imagine to see this wealthy country has more bikes than cars on their way to work in the morning. People look so attractive and fashionable on them plus the city looks cleaner, healthier and more lively. Yes, Copenhagen is the city of bicycles. I think it would be a safe option for tourists, too, to hire a bike and have a look around the city. Maybe next time, when I get a hang of riding a bike 🙂
Denmark6

Posted in: Europe, Travel

Grapefruit, Avocado and Grilled Halloumi Salad

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Grapefruit saladGood thing about a cold season is the abundance of citrus fruits. Oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, lemons…among them I adore this beautiful pink grapefruit. Grapefruit can add a healthy and refreshing flavor to entrees, desserts and drinks. They are high in vitamin C and a half of a medium grapefruit has only 60 calories. It is well known fruit for weight loss because grapefruit is high in enzymes that burn fats, has high water content and has less sodium. A combination of these three characteristics make grapefruit a perfect food for increasing your body’s metabolism. Not only that, lycopene, a carotenoid pigment that is responsible for the red color, is a powerful anti-cancer agent. If one is worried about their body fat they could also opt for a painless cryoslimming technique. Other benefits of Grapefruit are fighting against common cold and fever, dissolving gallstones, boosting liver function, better digestion and enhancing immunity against infections.

This salad is embarrassingly so simple to make with only three ingredients – the salty flavor of halloumi cheese, creamy sliced avocado and sweet-tart ruby grapefruit. It is best to serve this salad when citrus is at its best and avocados are perfectly ripe. Perhaps serve with a beautiful fish? I like adding grilled halloumi cheese here, which has the different texture when cooked – brown and crispy outside, but still soft and gooey inside. Simple dressing made of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, olive oil and white wine vinegar brings all ingredients together. Sprinkle a good quality of sea salt on top to season.
GrapefruitAnother way of using grapefruits is preserving them in syrup. It can be used for grapefruit sweet tea, cakes, desserts such as adding on top of ice cream or panna cotta, etc. It is perfect for later use. I peeled and segmented about  5 grape fruits. As you do so, try to collect as much juice from the grapefruit into a cup as you can. Once all your fruits are segmented, place the grapefruit juice into a medium sauce pan along with maple syrup, grated ginger and a couple of sprigs of mint. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes. Then, strain out the mint leaves. Pack sterilized jars with grapefruit segments and pour the boiling syrup into the jar leaving a inch space. Cool it down completely before you put it in the fridge. I like adding a teaspoon of this syrup into my green tea, full of vitamins! Maybe use it for happy hour in gin, vodka or margarita as well?

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

Super Healthy Coconut Crunch

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coconut crunch
I’m so excited I came across this new ingredient for my gluten-free baking. It is organic coconut crunch! As good as it sounds, coconut crunch is naturally high in fibre, vitamins and minerals and a great source of iron for vegetarians. So what is it? After the extra virgin coconut oil has been extracted, the coconut flesh is then air-dried and processed to grounds with no bleaching, preservatives or additives. I’m glad nothing is wasted! It retains its natural brownish colour, nutty coconut taste and crunch texture, perfect for baking coconut cookies, fruit crumbles, cakes, etc. I purchased online but I’m sure you can find them in local health food shops, too.

These cookies are for everyone to enjoy. For the better health, I used the amazing chia seeds to replace eggs. Coconut oil and coconut palm sugar is used instead of butter and refined sugar. Nutty tahini and a hint of Himalayan salt is also going to add a richness and satiety, you will never miss a store-bought sugary cookies ever again. On top of that, it is embarrassingly easy and quick to make when all ingredients are ready in your pantry. Be responsible cause I know you cannot stop after just one x

Ingredients (x6-7 cookies)

Strongly brewed espresso
15g chia seeds
50g coconut sugar
50g coconut crunch
50g brown rice flour
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
a pinch of Himalayan salt

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine with a spatula. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until chia seeds swell up and coconut crunch/ flour absorb all moisture. Spoon a cookie batter onto a lined baking paper and gently press with the back of spoon into rounds. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Let it cool completely and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.

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

Honey Glazed Salmon on Fluffy Millet

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salmon and millet2Want to boost calcium and magnesium in your diet? Here is a great vegetarian source for strong healthy bones.

First of all, yummy nutty sweet gluten-free grains yet inexpensive and easy to prepare. It is millet! If you haven’t heard of it or seen it, you can find them in health food shops or markets or online. It looks like couscous or quinoa. It is an ancient seed originally from African and Northern China. Why is it good for us? It is naturally gluten-free, non-allergenic, easy on digestion and alkylising your body. Millet is also rich in iron, B vitamins (Niacin to lower your cholesterol), magnesium (helps with migraine and heart disease), calcium, serotonin (great for your mood), fibre (helps with constipation) and protein (great for a vegetarian diet). So how do you use this awesome guys? You can add to your salad, make patties, use grounded millet in baking healthy muffins, serve stir-fry or protein with it, make stuffing or make a bowl of creamy porridge. It is so versatile!

Sesame seeds are also loaded with calcium and magnesium. Eating a teaspoon of sesame seeds a day can help provide 28% (based on a 2,000 calories diet) of the calcium needed daily. I like lightly toasting them just before use to maximise nutty fragrance and flavour.

Today, I made honey glazed salmon served on fluffy millet and corn. Fresh, delicious, nutritious and full of calcium and magnesium. Your tummy will love it 🙂

salmon and millet

Ingredients

100g salmon fillet
2 tbsp raw honey
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp soy sauce

100g millet, soaked 6-8 hours
1 tsp coconut oil
100-200g water or vegetable stock
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 cup of corn
2 bunches of coriander
Himalayan salt and grounded pepper to taste
a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds

Mix honey, olive oil and soy sauce and marinade salmon for half an hour. Then pan fry for 3-4 minutes each side over medium heat. Set aside. For the millet, soak 100g of millet in water for 6-8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse off to remove the phytic acid. Heat coconut oil in a pot over medium heat. Add finely chopped onion, corn and millet. Stir for about 5 minutes until onion is fragrant and translucent and millet is well coated with coconut oil. Then add water or vegetable stock to cover millet, put a lid and cook for about 10-15 minutes in low heat until water is all absorbed. You can add more water depending on how you want your millet to be cooked (fluffy or moist). Stir occasionally. Turn off the heat, season and stir in roughly chopped coriander. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let it sit with a lid on for a few minutes before serve. Serve flaked salmon on warm millet. Garnish with fresh coriander and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds.

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes, Uncategorized \ Tagged: ,

Goji Chia Jam

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Goji chia jam If you want your jam to be sugar-free, raw, rich in EFA’S, dietary fibre, full of antioxidants, essential vitamins and minerals, this is the recipe for you. Perfect on a slice of bread, mixed in with natural yoghurt or as topping on morning breakfast bowl. It is super healthy, naturally sweet and nourishes you from inside out. My mum used to make a tea out of it together with cinnamon and honey, perfect in winter when I get a cold because goji berries are high in vitamin C and boost your immune system. This amazing fruit has all essential amino acids, high concentration of protein, great for vegetarians. On top of that, it is naturally anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. So eat more of these guys!
Goji chia jam1Ingredients

100g goji berries
20g chia seeds
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp vanilla powder
zest and juice from one orange
water to soak goji berries

Soak goji berries for an hour. Place soaked goji berries, chia seeds, honey, vanilla powder, zest and juice from orange in a food processor. Blend until you get a jam consistency. Taste and adjust sweetness. Transfer to a glass jar and keep refrigerated. If you don’t like a taste of goji berries, you can add blue berries or raspberries into this.

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