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.