His and Hers

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Food blog10

Asian flavour in a bowl tonight. Daniel’s had soy braised beef on green tea soba noodles, and mine was tofu patty instead for vegetarian and gluten free. I haven’t had red meat for a long time and white meat sometimes, though I feel totally fine since I’m trying to have more legumes, nuts and tofu.

One of the problem nutrients in some vegetarian diets is Protein. Well.. the other nutrients include iron, vitamin B12, zinc, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids. Protein is vital to many physical functions such as growth and maintenance, digestion (all enzymes are made of protein), production of some hormones, immunity, fluid& electrolyte balance, pH balance and energy. Protein requirements are 56g a day for adult men and 46g a day for adult women.

If you don’t consume animal protein, you need to make sure you have 2-3 serving of lysine foods a day. Examples are…
1/2 cup of cooked lentils, peas, edamame, tofu, tempeh, garbanzo, kidney, pinto
1/4 cup of peanuts or pistachio
3oz of soy meat
1 cup of soy milk or cooked quinoa

Tofu is one of my favorite ingredients. I eat about 3 times a week. Tofu has been found to be a great source of calcium and vitamin E. Consuming tofu regularly helps to lower bad cholesterol, alleviates symptoms related to menopause, and lowers the risk of cancer, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Isoflavones found in products even scavenge free radicals preventing premature aging. So you should eat more tofu! 🙂

You can use tofu as a meat substitute in cooking – steamed, stir-fried, pan-fried, grilled, etc. If you find it a bit blend, obviously add your favorite spices and sauce to it. I personally like it by itself with some vegetables. As to my previous post, you can even use tofu for desserts like cakes and pudding.

Posted in: Dinner, Lunch, Uncategorized

Mushrooms and Brie on Toast with Vegetable Tian

\ Leave a Comment \ by

IMG_0619

This recipe would be nice for a light lunch or brunch on the weekend.
It is so perfect flavour combination – creaminess of brie cheese with wild mushrooms. You can make soup, bisque, pizza, risotto, omelet, pie, canape..endless.. You name it! It will work beautifully. On to the vegetable Tian, it is originated in Provence, the south of France. Tian refers to the baking dish and roasted vegetables – the word explains all. It can be topped with some cheese, but I prefer it simple, fresh and clean taste. These two dishes together on the plate look elegant and tastes so good. Every mouthful has a punch of flavour!

Simply arrange alternating layers of slices of sweet potato and zucchini in the baking dish, and bake in the oven with fresh thyme and e.v.o.o until it’s all cooked. You can add eggplant or tomatoes as well. When it comes out of the oven, colours and presentation looks stunning. I reckon it is definitely a wow factor when you have dinner parties.

IMG_0620

Posted in: Breakfast, Lunch, My recipes

Candied Ginger

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Candied Ginger

I remember I disliked my grand parents’ lollies when I was little. They used to have ginseng candies, candied ginger, herb drops, all these non-kids-friendly flavours. I couldn’t stand the smell of them. But now I’ve all grown up. Obviously my taste buds have changed (matured rather) and I really enjoy bitter, earthy, tart and astringent taste.

I had a little bag of dark ginger chocolate from Coco Black, a famous chocolate place in Melbourne, a couple of weeks ago. My obsession starts – when I like something from the restaurants or cafes or shops, I tend to find a healthier way of making it and trialing at home. I tempted to replicate those chocolate balls at home though using candied ginger bought from the supermarket seems to have heaps of sugar and preservatives in them >.< After searching online and visiting a couple of blogs I discovered it is not that hard to make sugar-free and healthy candied ginger at home. Yay! I went down to the shop this morning and got a beautiful young ginger root as big as my hand. I had a big grin on my face, so glad to find it since they sometimes have dry and tough ginger at the shops. It was so soft and juicy inside. I didn’t even have to peel the skin. So I just used the back of the knife to scrap off dirt a little and sliced them up. Put slices of ginger, water and honey (1:1 ratio) in the pot and boil for about 40 minutes. Strained them, coated with coconut flour, baked on the rack for about 20 minutes to dehydrate them. The result is amazing! mmm..the whole house smells like ginger while cooking. Little bites are chewy, gingery and  has subtle sweetness from honey. No sickening sugar taste! Awesome! Only one thing that I’m not happy about? I bought a huge ginger (about 250g) and it ended up a small handful of candied ginger as they shrink a lot. I want more!!!!

Food blog9

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

Grilled Eggplant

\ Leave a Comment \ by

IMG_0602

Eggplants are very popular ingredients in Korean food. Mum used to make this little side dish – cooked strips of eggplants in soy garlic sauce. It is so simple but delicious!

Following the previous post on having colourful foods, eggplant is obviously PURPLE – powerful antioxidants. Essential phyto nutrients in eggplants improve your blood circulation and nourish your brain. On top of that, it is low in calories and high in dietary fibre. It fills you up for long and is great for your digestive tract. Ah remember, all these goodness is concentrated in the skin, so do not peel and throw it away! I never really peel my vegetables unless I absolutely have to. You can use any sorts of cooking methods with eggplants – grill, bake, roast, stew, steam.

I sliced the middle section of eggplant about 1 cm thick. I made a crisscross pattern cut on one side, smeared a teaspoon of miso paste and grilled until it’s golden brown. Then garnished with cottage cheese, pink pepper corns and fresh thyme leaves. You will fall in love with this robust grilled eggplant flavour:)

IMG_0604

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

Colours On The Plate

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Food blog8

Our dinner last night was nice and colourful. I made meatballs on risoni for Daniel’s main and put some fermented veggies on the side. Home-made sauerkraut, Kimchi and balsamic braised onions – yum and full of probiotics!

Multi-coloured foods just don’t look pretty on the plate. They are also good for your health. Phytochemicals are substances that occur naturally in the plants and are thought to work synergistically with vitamins, minerals and fibre, boosting essential nutrients in them. Eating five servings of veggies is important, but also eating a variety of colourful foods helps to achieve optimal nutrition and promote good health.

Briefly listing different colours here…

– Red: Lycopene act as a powerful antioxidant protecting from cancer and heart disease. e.g. Tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava, cranberries, beets
– Orange/ Yellow: beta cryptoxanthin, beta carotene and alpha carotene can be converted to vitamin A in your body, which is important for your vision, immune system, skin and bone health. e.g. Carrots, mango, cantaloup, winter squash, sweet potato, apricot, papaya
– Green: chlorophyll in green fruit and vegetables have anti-cancer properties. They are also an excellent source of vitamin K, folic acid, potassium, carotenoid, and omega-3 fatty acid. e.g. Brocolli, cabbage, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, kiwi fruit, celery, kale
– Blue/ Purple: anthocyanin content in these coloured foods is antioxidants and helps to keep your heart and blood pressure healthy. e.g. Eggplant, prunes, plums, blueberries, blackberries, pomegranates
– White: alicin in white foods promotes heart health and reduce heart disease. e.g. Cauliflower, onion, banana, potato, parsnips, garlic, ,mushrooms

So overall, the more colours you eat, the better your health gets. I know it is hard if you are not used to eating fresh whole foods or have a hectic lifestyle with no time to prepare your meals. But it is totally worth spending a bit of more time and effort on changing your diet step by step because it will totally change your energy level and overall health.

My tips are…

– Plan ahead
– Try new/ unfamiliar foods rather than getting stuck with one type of food
– Take notice of colours when grocery shopping
– Swap something out for another colour such as strawberries to oranges
– Make small changes in your food habits – more plant foods means more colours!
– Be creative and have fun when preparing your food

I hope it helps x

Posted in: Dinner, My recipes