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

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.

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!

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.

Stir Fried Zucchini - a very easy Chinese dish

for 3-4 people

Part 1 - the what's:
1 zucchini (courgette), cut off both ends and discard
1-2 tbsp cooking oil

1/2-1 tsp salt

Part 2 - the how's:
Cut zucchini in half in the long way, then slice into approx 1-1.5cm (0.5") thick sections. Preheat a frying pan with oil in it. Add salt and stir to distribute it over the pan. Add zucchini and continue stirring. When most of the light part of zucchini turned somewhat transparent (similar to the effect of oil getting on a piece of paper), remove from heat and serve!