Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Museli


Recently, after reading other wonderful foodie blogs, I've been obssessed with oatmeal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and oh yea, snacks. But my primary preference is the steel cut oatmeal because I love its nuttiness and chewy texture.


I passed by my local health food store and found the museli was on sale. Usually, this breakfast stable is quite expensive and I'm too lazy to assemble my own. So when I found this on the aisle, I quickly grabbed a few bags and stored them in my closet. Yes, my closet. They're all mine! :)


Here's a little history on museli for all your curious folks...


Muesli was introduced by the Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Brenner around 1900. He wanted to serve wholesome and fresh food to his patients, so he came up with this combination - raw rolled oats, dried fruits, seeds, and nuts.


A typical museli recipe usually soaks the museli in some orange juice and then add in some grated apple and other fruits. Of course, you can also treat museli like a cereal and mix it with yogurt, milk, or cook in water as a hot meal! It's all in your imagination! I personally just like to eat it with some plain yogurt. Swiss yogurt perhaps? :) It's a filling snack and breakfast when topped with a chopped banana and berries. Drizzle some organic honey or agave and serve as a healthful dessert! There are many a times I used this as a quick and yummy dinner when I don't feel like turning on the stove. But be careful, it's not exactly low calories, so aim for the unsweetened kind. Museli is definitely better than granola in my humble opinion. :)

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Salmon


The only food that's stopping me from becoming a vegetarian are...salmon and dairy. Yep. I tried to take them away from my diet, but I always go back to them. I don't want to restrict myself too much, so I eventually settled to become a pescatarian. We often crave for certain food or food of certain texture when we're not feeling well. Some maybe for salty snacks like chips, sweets like chocolate, or creamy goodness like soup. Me? I crave for salmon. Maybe it's a cry out for my body's need of protein. Before I stopped eating animal meat, I craved chicken, but now, it's salmon (and sometimes yogurt). And miraculously, I often feel 'happier' and better after a 'fishy' meal (but the fish probably wasn't too happy to swim in my stomach *_*). Salmon is one of the healthiest fish out there. We all know it's rich in omega 3 and provides a good source of protein. Visually, I love its bright pink color (as long as it's not artificial). I can totally distinguish if a piece of salmon is of good quality or not. If I ever splurge on a meal, it's definitely on fish. Wild-caught salmon definitely tastes fresher and more 'organic' than farm-raised ones. I can settle for store brand oatmeal, 99 cent stationery, but when it comes to produces and fish, I don't mind paying a little extra for them. I mean, they're contributing to my health and I think it's totally worth it. Anyone would like to name their comfort food? :)

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Pomegranate



Never thought I would like this fruit. Well, it is a big hassle to eat it because of these little 'seeds'. But once you get pass the trouble of 'deseeding', you'd enjoy the natural sweetness and amazing flavor of this exotic fruit. Pomegranate has only gotten popular in the past few years. It has always been forgotten, until people started to pay attend to 'unknown' fruits like acai. If you don't have the time to get the seeds out, I'd suggest to get the juice instead. More expensive, but I think it's actually quite fun to go through the labor to eat the fruit itself. :)




There are so many different ways to use a pomegranate. Whether it's using the juice to making a dressing, the seeds in a salad or just eat it as it is, it's delicious all the same! Try it out!


Monday, December 15, 2008

Hummus


I think we ALL (well, maybe not all), but most would agree that hummus is not only yummy, but it's nutritious as well. Hummus comes in lots of variations and from different countries, but my favorite is still the Israeli hummus, which is creamy and silky due to the addition of good quality tahini. I'm too afraid to make my own hummus because the best one is made from scratch, that is from soaked chickpeas. I think hummus is best paired with warm pita bread. Tearing off a piece and scooping the heavenly dip is my ideal lunch. Check out this blog that's dedicated to hummus! http://humus101.com/EN/

Edamames - Soybeans




What's one of the most popular appetizers in a Japanese restaurant? EDAMAME! People might think....beans as an appetizer?? Hmm...but once you give them a try, you'd like it too! Edamames are so nutritious, especially for vegetarians. They are high in protein, fiber, and other vitamins/minerals. It also serves as a healthy snack too!




Here's a quick stat:


Here's what you'll find in a half-cup serving of shelled edamame (or 1 1/8 cup edamame in the pods):
120 calories
9 grams fiber
2.5 grams fat
1.5 grams polyunsaturated fat (0.3 grams plant omega-3 fatty acids)
0.5 gram monounsaturated fat
11 grams protein
13 grams carbohydrate
15 mg sodium
10% of the Daily Value for vitamin C
10% Daily Value for iron
8% Daily Value for vitamin A
4% Daily Value for calcium

Kabocha - Pumpkin


A lot of my favorite bloggers swear by pumpkin oatmeal. :) I've never tried it...yet, but the photos they told are amazing. I've my own version of oatmeal as well, which I'll share of course! But for this post, I want to praise pumpkin...not just any pumpkin, but the Japanese kind called kabocha. I first experienced this delicious vegetable when I taught English in Japan. My Japanese friend let me try her grandmother's boiled kabocha and I felt in love. Because kabocha is very hard, the Japanese like to boil it in mirin, some soy sauce, and a little sugar. The kabocha then comes out so tender and moist. But I'm lazy. Don't have time to go through that process, so I buy the frozen kabocha from a Japanese market. It is quite expensive (like all Japanese things, right?), but a little goes a long way. Here's a picture of the frozen kabocha.
There are lots of way to use kabocha. Here's a website as a starter http://japanesefood.about.com/od/vegetable/p/japanesekabocha.htm

Satsuma Imo - Japanese Sweet Potato



I'm not a fan of yams and conventional potatoes, but somehow, I loooove Japanese sweet potato (satsuma imo). Its natural sweetness and starchiness ground me so. Japanese love to use it as a dessert or in bread, but me, I just like to steam it and eat it with the skin on! Here's a bit of info to read on this amazing food http://www.specialtyproduce.com/index.php?item=1782
http://japanesefood.about.com/cs/vegetables/a/sweetpotato.htm

Saturday, December 13, 2008



I baked this pumpkin pie! It actually came out sweeter than it should be...oh well.
Oh Wow. I was on a blog hiatus...well, not really, I've only written one blog post and just left it there. But after my addictions to reading so many amazing blogs (which I'll list on mine to share the wealth :) ), I think it's time to write what I want to say as well. So please. Any constructive comments or ideas would be appreciated!

Thanks!