Water - can it get any more basic than this!?

We all know water is essential. It's vital to the survival of all living things on Earth. However odd, many people don't drink enough of it.

Dehydration is often the reason for headache and fatigue. Furthermore, do you know water also helps weight loss and prevents weight gain? How?

Stop drinking so much juices, sugar added liquids and caffeinated beverages! Drink two glasses (16 lq. oz. or 500 ml) of water before breakfast, lunch and dinner! It's recommended to drink two liters of water each day, so that's a total of one-and-a-half liter of water (three-fourth of the recommended daily amount). Leaving only 500 ml to go, and keeps you from over eating (prevents weight gain)! It also cleanses your internal organs (detox & helps weight loss), prevents kidney stones, etc. One stone, many birds!

Paprika - excellent source of vitamin C & a wonderful addition to any meals!

I learned it from my Hungarian friends to have a raw paprika (or bell pepper) for breakfast, lunch and dinner! It might feel strange at first eating it for breakfast, but it tastes great and it really makes me feel good & energized!

Paprika contains almost double the amount of vitamin C than orange. Orange is acidic (and so as all fruits except lemon & lime), so it's not as healthy anyway. Paprika may even be cheaper!

Vitamin C boosts iron absorption from leafy greens, so it's a great addition to salad!

Paprika comes in many different shapes, sizes and colors. A few is spicy, many are sweet. I think it's good to eat something a little spicy from time to time, so try mixing them up!

It's so easy to prepare! Wash it, cut it in half (or into more pieces), take out the stem and the seeds. Serve!

For a healthy & tasty salad dressing recipe: click here

Brown Rice instead of White Rice - part 3

for 2-4 people

Hello friends, the long awaited alternative way to cook brown rice is finally ready! Now you can cook it on stove top instead of oven. Not only eliminate using an oven, but also the amount of rice you may cook isn't limited by the size of a baking pan anymore.

The what's:
1 cup long-grain brown rice
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 cups water

The how's:
Rinse rice until water runs quite clear, which takes at least 3-4 times of rinsing. Drain out as much water as possible. Heat a frying pan with oil on high. Once heated, put rice into pan and fry. Keep stirring until water pretty much dried. Then transfer rice into a small/medium size pot. Add water. First cook on medium high. When water starts to boil (bubbles start to form), then turn down heat to low. Put on a lid and cook for one hour. Then turn off heat and leave for 5-15 minutes before serving.

Attention!
(1) Do not stir or disturb the rice in any way when cooking!
(2) If water is already boiling before turning down heat, put a pair of chopsticks on the pot before putting on the lid. This helps to prevent water from boiling over the pot.

Tip:
May refrigerate or freeze the cooked rice for later use.

Link to "Brown Rice instead of White Rice - part 1": click here
Link to "Brown Rice instead of White Rice - part 2": click here

Breakfast Burrito - let's start the day healthily!

for 1 person

I've written a post about 10-grain rice. Perhaps eating rice or porridge for breakfast is not so appetizing. Lately I started to use the 10-grain rice (instead of potato or Mexican rice which is usually made with long grain white rice) for making breakfast burritos. It's simple, filling and yummy.

Part 1 - the what's:

1 piece tortilla

1 tbsp or more 10-Grain Rice

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp water

1 or 2 slices cold cuts

1/2 tbsp cooking oil

green/spring onion (optional)

salt & pepper, to taste

Part 2 - the how's:

Heat up a small frying pan with cooking oil in it. While waiting, add water, salt & pepper to egg and mix well. Heat up a large frying pan to get it ready for warming up a tortilla. Once the small frying pan is ready, add egg mixture and fry. When egg is half way done, add rice and continue cooking until egg is done and rice is warm enough.

Once everything is ready including tortilla, put cold cuts on the tortilla and put the rice & egg on top of it. Roll tortilla to make it into a burrito. Serve!

Alternative 1: Use milk instead of water if preferred. This is basically scrambled eggs. Adding milk or water makes the eggs more fluffy instead of rubbery.

Alternative 2: Cut up the cold cuts and add to the rice & egg mixture when frying or heat it up separately.

Option: Add cheese or any additional ingredients as preferred. Please pay attention to how much can fit into a tortilla.

Pico de Gallo - very versatile!

Both pico de gallo and salsa are Mexican side dishes. However pico de gallo is often mistakenly called salsa. The basic difference is that pico de gallo is chunky and not blended. It can be used as a garnish for grilled steaks, a side dish for BBQ, a dip for tortilla chips, a topping for tacos, and be added into burritos. Mixing a few tablespoons of it into some mashed avocado, you have guacamole! Mmmh...

4-6 tomatos, diced
yellow onion, diced
cilantro, chopped
1/2-2 serrano or jalapeño chillies, seeded for less spicy and finely chopped
1-2 lemon or lime
salt

Note: I prefer to use roma tomato, because I think it tastes more flovarful.

Origin of Stir Fries

Stir fry is a typical Cantonese cuisine. Canton has a mild climate all year round due to it's located on the southestern coast of China, where an abundant of fresh food is available in general. Therefore Cantonese cuisine emphasizes on preservation of freshness and natural flavors.

The main idea of stir fries is to put food into a preheated cookware at high temperture and cook quickly (by stiring). Each ingredient is added in a strategic manner so nothing is overcooked, and whenever necessary, each ingredient is cooked separately then mix together at the end.

Related recipes:

Stir fried meat with vegetable

Stir fried zucchini

Blackened Salmon

for 2 people

You'll need the previous blog Blacken Spices to use this recipe. Not only it's flavorful, but it also perserves the original flavor of the meat within it. It looks very presentable too! Mmmmh...

The what's:

400-500 g (0.88-1.1 Lb / 14-17.6 oz) salmon filet, skinless or not depends on your personal perference

blacken spices

olive oil

The how's:

Cover salmon with oil. Rub spices on both sides of fish. Preheat frying pan on high heat, and pour remaining oil in pan. Add more oil as needed. Once it's hot, place fish in it. Cook each side until surface of fish is sealed and browned.  Turn heat to low and cook until fish is thoroughly cooked.

Suggestion: Great with a fresh salad! Please see my blog "All Natural Salad Dressing" for something healthy & refreshing to balance out the grease!

Blacken Spices

I keep a small bottle of this mix of spices to use for making a quick presentable meal. It's so helpful when I don't feel like going through the trouble of marinating. It tastes salty, spicy and a little garlicky. Here is a list of ingredients, and please see the next blog Backened Salmon for an example of how to use it!

The what's:

4 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp while pepper

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp thyme

1 tbsp salt

Pumkin Soup - cozy!

I probably should have posted this 2 months ago when pumpkin season began. Well, better late then never! It's more convenient to use a kabocha pumkin, since no peeling is necessary. However, I don't think it affects the flavor much if using a regular pumpkin. Then this would be one way to use that scraping from the Halloween pumpkin!

Part 1 - the soup:

1.5 kg pumpkin, peeled & cubed

or kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), cubed & no peeling needed

50 g butter

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled

a pinch cumin

1 L chicken stock

1 L water

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp crème fraîche

salt & pepper

Put butter into a large deep pan at medium high heat. Cook (sweat) onion for 5 mins or until onion becomes transparent. Add garlic, cumin, chicken stock and water. Turn heat to medium. Once boiling, simmer at low heat for 20-30 mins. Add crème fraîche and maple syrup. Use a handheld blender to blend the soup, so all ingredients become liquidity.  Finally, salt & pepper to taste. Serve!

Alternative 1: Instead of using 1 L chicken stock and 1 L water, I cook a chicken with 2 L water for 2 hrs at low heat (first at medium high, then turn it down once water is boiling) the night before. Skim off the fat the following day, before use.

Alternative 2: If a handheld blender is not accessible to you, use a regular blender.  You'll need to do it in batches, since the blender is probably not large enough.

Part 2 - the croutons (optional):

2 slices whole wheat bread, cut into small cubes

a pinch nutmeg

a pinch cinnamon

1 tsp white sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven at 350°F (180°C or gas mark 4).  Prepare the baking tray by covering the tray with a sheet of aluminum foil and brush a thin layer of oil.  Spread the bread on the tray.  Sprinkle all ingredients one by one.  Gently mix them.  Bake for 7 mins or until slightly golden brown.

Garnish: mint (optional)

My favorite mix of peppercorns - just in case you don't already know about it...

I found this in the French & Belgium supermarkets.  Maybe it's actually very common, but it's new to us.  My husband and I are loving it! I use it in almost every recipe that calls for pepper.

In addition to the usual black & white peppercorns (poivre noir & poivre blanc), there're also:

green peppercorn (poivre vert)

pink peppercorn (baies roses)

allspice (poivre de la Jamaïque)

Duck Breast with Cassis

for 2 people

 

This dish is made with a sweet French wine Créme de Cassis.  If you like your meat pink, this is for you.

Part 1 - the duck:

1 duck breast (about 0.8-0.9 lb or 350-400 g)

salt & pepper

Season duck breast with salt & pepper on both sides.  Preheat a frying pan on low heat.  Place duck breast with the skin side facing down.  Turn heat up to medium.  Cook for 10-12 mins.  The fat under the skin will melt in this process, so pour it out into a little bowl from time to time.  (If the duck is more than 400 g, it would take longer than 12 mins.)  Once the fat is rended, turn the duck around and turn off the heat.  Leave it in the pan and on the stove for 10 mins. No lid is necessary in the entire time.

Note: I usually prepare the ingredients for the sauce after I season the duck.  It gives the seasoning a little extra time to settle into the meat.

Part 2 - the sauce:

2 tbsp shallot, finely chopped

4 tbsp (60 ml) créme de cassis

2 tbsp raspberry jam

4 tbsp (60 ml) balsamic vinegar

a generous knob of butter (optional)

In a different frying pan (a large one), put in the duck grease.  Preheat on high.  Saute shallot for a few mins.  Turn down the heat to medium.  Add créme de cassis and mix well.  When boiling, add raspberry jam and balsamic vinegar.  Mix well.  Simmer to reduce the sauce, so the sauce becomes thicker.  Keep stirring to keep from burning.  Once reduced.  Add butter if you like.

Attention: I find the part to reduce the sauce the trickiest step.  Don't try to save time by turning up the heat.  Be patient!  Try simmer it for about 8 mins.

Part 3 - serve:

Slice duck in about 5 mm (about 1/2 cm or 1/4").  Arrange the slices on a plate.  Spoon the sauce on the slices as if drawing some lines or circles.  Not so much as if drowing the slices.

Suggestion:  Serve with bread or rice, and a fresh salad.  May use the sauce also as a salad dressing.

Original source: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-duck-breasts-with-cassis

All Natural Salad Dressing - eat more fresh raw vegetables!

I like homemade stuff. In addition to the pesto sauce in a previous post, another homemade favorite is this salad dressing. I learned about this one from a friend in Brussels. It's definitely healthy and non-fattening!

Part 1 - the what's:
1-2 lemon or lime, juiced
a good extra virgin olive oil (for every portion of juice, use double amount of oil)
1-2 tbsp honey
sea salt and pepper
some herbs, fresh or dried (for example, parsley, thyme), optional

Part 2 - the how's:
I usually squeeze the juice first, mentally note how much juice I have, then add twice the amount of olive oil. Afterward I add the rest of the ingredients.

Tips: I like to put everything in a jar (for example, an old jam jar), so I can mix it by simply closing the lid and shaking the whole thing. It's also convenient for storing.

Attention: It's only good for a few days in the refrigerator.

Options: May use balsamic vinegar or other flavor of vinegar in place of or in addition to the juice for different flavors. Also, may use sugar instead of honey. However, both vinegar and sugar are not so healthy.

Brown Rice instead of White Rice - part 2

It's tricky to cook a tasty brown rice. Many people even think there's no way for brown rice to taste good. After some research and testing, I finally find a simple way that works. The only drawback is that it has to be cooked in an oven. Rest assured, I'll continue to experiment and find a way that works on a stove top!

Part 1 - the trick:
In order to avoid a mushy result, the trick is to keep the rice thinly spread in the cooking container. You can use any cookware as long as it's oven safe. The larger the opening of the cookware, the more rice you may cook.

Very important! Do not stir, poke or disturb the rice while baking!

Part 2 - cooking:
1 cup brown rice, long grain
1 baking pan, in this case I use a 9" / 22 cm (diameter) baking pan
2 cups water

Preheat oven. Rinse rice until water runs clear. Mix rice and water in the baking pan. Bake it at 350°F (175°C) uncovered for 30 mins. Then cover it with aluminum foil and bake for another 30 mins. Serve!

Once cooled, may freeze rice for later use.

Brown Rice instead of White Rice - part 1

Background:
Rice is a staple food in Asia, and Asian diet is known to be healthy. However do you know that white rice has virtually no nutrient values? Just pay attention to how it can last almost forever when stored properly in a dry cool place, and no bugs even want to bother with it.

Having said that, I recently switched to eating brown rice. It wasn't easy for me since I ate white rice almost every day my entire life, but why would I want to put something in my body that even bugs are not interested, right?

Not only brown rice is much healthier than white rice. It's also more filling, so it's an added benefit for those who are trying to be slim. Futhermore, it's even more environmentally friendly!

Boiled Mackerel Fillets in Japanese Sauce

When it comes to mackerel, I love the way Japanese prepares them -- both cooked and raw! It brings out the unique flavor of the fish. By the way, this recipe taste even better if barbecued!

Part 1 - marinade:

4 fillets mackerel
1/4 cup (2 fl oz or 62.5 ml) soy sauce
1/4 cup (2 fl oz or 62.5 ml) mirin (Japanese sweet wine, which contains less than 1% alcohol)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp ginger root, grated

Marinade for 2 hours or at least 20 mins.

Part 2 - cooking:
Preheat oven. Cook fish on the highest temperature (boil/grill position) for 5-8 mins. Serve!

Option: This marinade tastes good with sardines, too!

10-Grain Rice 十穀米: Nutrient packed! Great for breakfast! - part 2

Above, from left to right:
Top row - brown rice, millet, buckwheat, wheat.
Bottom row - spelt, black sticky rice, foxnut, lotus seeds.

Please note if you have food intolerance or allergy with any of the ingredients listed below, don't use it and use substitute if you can. For example, lentil, wild rice, red cargo rice. The goal here is to eat more of the unrefined grains.

Part 1 - the grains:
1. 糙米 brown rice, long grain; Naturreis Langkorn; riz long complet - this is the unmilled/unpolished/unrefined version of white rice.
2. 小米 millet; Hirse; millet
3. 小麥 buckwheat; Buchweizen; sarrasin
4. 蕎麥 wheat or spelt; Weizen oder Dinkel; blé ou épeautre
5. 燕麥 oats; Hafer; avoines
6. 麥片 oatmeal/rolled oats; Haferflocken; flocon d'avoine - preferably steel cut oats.
7. 黑糯米 black glutinous/sticky rice; Schwarzer Klebreis; noir riz glutineux - often sold in Asian supermarkets.
8. 芡實 foxnut; Fuchsnuesse; euryale ferox - often sold in Asian supermarkets.
9. 蓮子 lotus seeds/nuts; Lotusnuesse; graine de lotus - often sold in Asian supermarkets.
10. 紅薏仁 Job's Tears; Hiobsträne; Larme-de-Job. It's refined version is sold as "pearl barley" in Asian supermarkets. The unrefined version appears reddish brown in color.

Ingredient names listed here are first shown in traditional Chinese, then English, German and French. Hopefully this will be helpful when shopping.

Part 2 - cooking:
Take a equal amount of each ingredient, for example 2 tbsp each, and note how much they measure up to when together in a container like a glass. Let's say 1 cup. Rinse the grains really well until water runs clearer. At least 4 or 5 rinsing. Then add 1 cup of water, since there's 1 cup of grains. Then soak for 4 hrs. Then add 1 1/2 more cup of water and cook in a rice cooker.

Option: May cook in a cooking pot instead. First on medium high to high. When the water starts boiling, turn down to low. Keep lid on and cook on low for 45 mins to 1 hr. If you're still new at making this, pay attention in case the water boils over or drys out.

Part 3 - eating:
Once it's done and cooled. Store in a plastic food storage box and refrigerate. If you use 2 tbsp of each grain, then you'll have enough for several days for one person.

In the morning, I scoop out an ice cream ball size of this (more if you want). Heat it up in a sauce pan with a little water for a few mins. Eat it plain, with milk, soy milk, fruits, cold cuts or an egg. Be creative! I don't use sugar for this recipe, because less sugar is better for health.

10-Grain Rice: Nutrient packed! Great for breakfast! - part 1

The story:
My friend in Hong Kong told me about this Chinese recipe. It's said that a Shaolin monk, age 103 but looks 60ish and still goes about like a young man, claims the secret is having a bowl of 10-grain porridge everyday. There're also many stories about how it helped cancer patients to achieve great recoveries and improve skin condition.

I know this sounds magical, but the fact is that whole grains (unrefined/unpolished) do have a very high nutrient value. Therefore I think it's no wonders that it provides such great benefits. We are what we eat!

BBQ Vegetables: It's barbecue season! Let's BBQ! - part 4

Alright, how about some vegetables - a healthy balanced diet! No problem, here we go! This is another dish can be cooked on a grill or in an oven!

Part 1 - prepare vegetables:
1 zucchini, sliced
1 butternut squash, peeled and sliced, discard the wider section at the bottom
1 eggplant (aubergine), sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 sweet yellow corn, cooked and sliced in thick sections

Part 2 - marinade:
100 ml (3.5 fl oz or 2/5 cup) balsamic vinegar
200 ml (7 fl oz or 4/5 cup) olive oil
1 tbsp thyme
salt & pepper

Mix the above ingredients (except oil) in a large mixing bowl, and put vegetables in it. Mix well, then mix in oil.

Note: Since it's unnecessary to prepare this ahead of time, it would be more time efficient to do this after the charcoal is lit.

Part 3 - cooking:
Barbecue!

Alternative: Preheat oven at the highest temperture. Then place vegetables on a baking pan with aluminum foil with the shinny side up. Bake for 10 mins and turn vegetables around. Bake for another 10 mins. Zucchini, onion and corn may need less baking time. When done, serve!

Option: I also like to brush some honey on the food at the end.

Adobo Chicken - a yummy Mexican BBQ dish: It's barbecue season! Let's BBQ! - part 3

In case you think chicken wings are a bit too fattening, here is one with chicken breasts!

Part 1 - marinade:

4 chicken breasts (2 pairs)
1 cup (250 ml or 8 fl oz) orange juice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
0.5 tbsp white vinegar, just the simple plain vinegar that's clear in color.
0.5 tbsp achiote seeds
1 tsp basil
1 tsp cinnamon powder
0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
0.5 tsp black pepper
0.5 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Slice the thick area of the chicken breasts in half to make thinner pieces. Mix the above in a medium size bowl and then place the chicken breasts in it. Marinade for 2-6 hrs.

Part 2 - cooking:
Barbecue! Once done, slice into stripes and serve!

Thai Chicken Wings - one of my favorites! It's barbecue season! Let's BBQ! - part 2

My Thai friend whom I met in Frankfurt taught me this absolutely delicious dish! It can be cooked either on a grill or in an oven. Remember to marinade them 2 nights in advance!

Part 1 - marinade:

18 chicken wings
12 tbsp soy sauce
8 tbsp sugar
4 cloves garlic minced

Mix the last 3 items above in a large bowl and then place the wings in it. Arrange them to make sure all sides of the wings have the sauce on them. Place in refrigerator. After a day, turn them around so the wings have coverage on different sides. Leave in the refrigerator for another day.

Part 2 - cooking:
Barbecue!

Alternative: Preheat oven on the highest temperature (boil/grill position) for 10 mins. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil with the shinny side up and brush it with a thin layer of oil. After baking for 10 mins, turn temperature down to about 210°C and bake for another 10-15 mins. Serve!

Option: I like to brush some honey on the wings as they are being barbecued, or at the end if baked.