The Versatile Oatmeal

Oh...oatmeal, how we all (well, most of the bloggers) adore you. I see you in almost every breakfast choices of the blogs I read. You can be paired up with so many sides - pumpkin, cinnamon, chocolate, berries, yogurt...you're so versatile, you're omnipotent!

I was reading Health magazine and it featured, you guessed it, oatmeal. Besides eating oatmeal, it also has other external usages as well! Did you know that we can make an inexpensive, yet effective facial mask by mixing 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 1/2 cup of hot water and 1/4 cup of honey? Blend these ingredients together and apply the mixture on your face for 10 minutes and rinse. Oats' saponins cleanses and exfoliates your skin. Just don't eat off from your face. :)

lentil tofu broccoli stew for lunch

I had a bit of time in the afternoon and I knew I was going to have yogurt for dinner (fast and painless). Since there's some left over lentil in my fridge, I decided to make a lentil, tofu, and broccoli stew. In this concoction, I also added some cayenne pepper for a nice spicy kick, black pepper, garlic, some scallions and riped cilantro and carrots. Then to really pump up the protein content, I also added some chickpeas, which I soaked from scratch! =) Anyway, you tell me if this looks appetiting or not, but it tasted good!

Creative webpage for individualized vegetarian meatloaf

I can get pretty lazy when it comes to cooking sometimes. When you're tired, you just want to make something simple and easy (aka yogurt with museli for moi). I had a chance to eat a vegan meatloaf at a hippy vegetarian restaraunt last month and I felt in love with the idea of a meatless 'meatloaf'. I wanted to omit eggs and breadcrumbs, instead, wished to incorporate whole grains and beans instead. I was researching on the Internet and came across this amazing webpage where you select the ingredients you want in your meatloaf and it comes out with all the measurement for you! Granted that this 'personalized' recipe has never been tested before, but having a blueprint to design your own recipe is pretty cool to me and I can experiment with it anyway I want! So check it out. I might try to make one this weekend and will post if I do. :) But here's a picture for you feast on for now.

Let me know if you decided to make one too!

http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html

Wheatberries

Lately, I've been obsessed with wheatberries. Ever since I found the miracle of a pressure cooker, I can make whatever grains I like without watching the stove 24/7. Now, I can use raw beans instead of canned beans, whole grains instead of instant kinds and make fresh congee (rice porridge)! I love to add wheatberries into my steel-cut oatmeal. I love the nuttiness and the bite to them. I like to avoid a creamy oatmeal and prefer a chewier one. Yes, I like to chew my meal, so no mushy food for me. :) Definitely give wheatberries a try. They keep the oatmeal interesting and you can throw some in your salad, chili, or yogurt to round out your basic food groups!

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/4 cup (46 g)
Nutrient Amount %DV
Calories 160 Calories from Fat 5 Total Fat 1 g 1% Sodium 0 mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 35 g 12% Dietary Fiber 6 g 23% Protein 5 g Iron 10%
Basic cooking instructions: Add 1 cup grain to 3 cups boiling water. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 2 hours (50-60 minutes if presoaked).

Happy Lunar New Year

Happy Lunar New Year everyone! It's tomorrow (Monday) according to the lunar calendar and it's going to be the year of the ox. I'm excited because I'll be driving to a Buddhist temple with my mom to celebrate this special day. I'm sure it's going to be packed with worshippers, but it's all about the festivity, right?

Check out this website to discover YOUR zodiac sign and see what your luck and aspirations will be this year. :)

http://www.theholidayspot.com/chinese_new_year/zodiacs.htm

The Power of Herbs

Herbs - any part of a plant used for culinary, medicinal, or spiritual usage. But here, like talk about the culinary usage. Walking down the supermarket aisle or at your local greenmarket, there are so many varieties of herbs - basil, rosemary, cliantro, mint, sage...Some are bitter, sweet, or tart. We can use herbs for marinating food to bring out natural flavors (calorie free!) and they also have nutritional values that are often overlooked. Depending on the herb, some should be added towards the end of the cooking process (like basil) because they wilt quite quickly, whereas others should be added early, such as woodsy herbs like rosemary. My favorite herb is cliantro, which can be found in many Asian cooking. What's yours? :)

Afternoon munchies

Eeek! Even with eating a substantial lunch, I always get the mid-afternoon munchies. I try not to overdo it and I try to incorporate protein (for sustaining power), carb (sense of filling) and veggies (fiber) together. Do you succumb to your afternoon munchies (if you have one) or do other things/activities to distract yourself?