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LIGHTER MEALS

  for days when you're just not that hungry

Eggs wraps with quinoa and pickled vegetables

7/9/2017

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Today was the first time that I cooked with quinoa.  It was quick, easy and I was super happy with the results.   While I could have followed the instructions on the package, I defaulted to the good-old fashioned staple of most Chinese kitchens -- the non-stick rice cooker.  It's simple.  Just add 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, and add a small pinch of salt.  eave it to cook for 15-20 minutes.  If you don't have a rice cooker, simply simmer the same proportions of quinoa and water in a non-stick pot for 15 minutes.

As a high-fiber and high-protein grain, it's an excellent food.  1/4 cup raw has about 160-170 calories, 31 grams of carbs (of which 3 grams are fiber), and 6 grams of protein.  The 1/4 cup cooks up to provide about 1 large cup of quinoa.

I've also been trying to cook a little more with sea-vegetables as they are full of healthy minerals.  In addition, they are reported to help the body detox heavy metals and other pollutants. On their own,  the flavor of sea vegetables can be a little over-powering, but added to pickled vegetables, the vinegar and textures of the other vegetables provided a good counter-balance. 

Happy experimenting with this new recipe!  I hope you have as much fun as I did.
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Cooked Filling
Quinoa - 1 cup cooked
Brown onion - 1/2, sliced finely
Garlic - 1 clove, finely minced
Rosemary - 3 large sprigs, leaves only
Sea salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Egg Wraps
Eggs - 4 medium sized
Olive oil - 1/2 tablespoon
Salt and pepper - to taste
INGREDIENTS  (Serves 2)
Pickled vegetables

Balsamic vinegar - 6 tablespoons
Carrot - 1 medium, julienned
Cherry tomatoes - 10, quartered
Seasalt - 1/2 teaspoon
Optional vegetables:
Dried seaweed (arame) - 1 large tablespoon
Winged beans - 2 stalks, sliced finely
Green chillis - 2 stalks, sliced finely (you can choose to deseed the chillis)
Adaptations for the pickle
If you find balsamic vinegar too acidic, simply replace it with 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice.  You can add 1/4 teaspoon of honey for sweetness.
You can replace the winged beans with 1/2 a cucumber, cubed, sliced or julienned.

Fresh Greens
Water cress - small bunch (or you can replace this with arugula, lettuce, mesclun mix)

PREPARATION
A) Pickled Vegetables
Place all vegetables for the pickle into a glass jar with a tight lid. 
Mix in salt and vinegar. 
Screw on lid and shake thoroughly.  Set aside for 15 minutes.
(Note:  this is best made the night before.  Extra pickles can be kept to add flavor and texture to other dishes).

B) Cooked Filling
Place garlic, onions and salt into a non-stick pan. 
Add olive oil and stir fry gently over medium heat. 
When browned, add rosemary leaves.  Stir fry for 1 minute. 
Add quinoa and mix.
Heat through and set aside.

C).  Prepare egg wrap
Beat 4 eggs thoroughly.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 
Add 1/2  the olive oil to a pan and heat gently. 
Add 1/2 the egg mixture egg and coat the pan evenly.
When cooked through, transfer onto 1 serving plate.
Repeat with the second egg.
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D) To serve
Place 3 tablespoons of the quinoa and onion mixture on only one side of the egg. 
Top with 2 generous spoons of the pickled vegetables. 
Add a few stalks of fresh water cress
Gently wrap over and cut at an angle into half.
Serve with a small side salad and top with additional herbs as preferred
#glutenfree #eggwraps #healthywraps #cookingathome #easyrecipe #balancedeating #quinoa #pickles #highfiber #seavegetables #arame #seaweed #eatingnutritiously #nutrientdense #detox
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Baked Peas & Pumpkin (with rosemary & feta)

6/18/2017

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When I am in the mood for quick vegetarian protein, I turn to frozen green peas! 

Each 1/2 cup contains only 60 calories, nearly 9 grams of protein and close to 4 grams of heart healthy fiber.  Did you know that over 75% of the fiber in frozen green peas are water soluble, making them extra good for you?  Water soluble fiber is documented for being able to lower the body's bad cholesterol,  while leaving the good cholesterol untouched.  This means you get to improve your good to bad cholesterol ratios, while digging into an comfort food! Your cardiologist and your heart will both thank you for this.  

This recipe combines two of my favorite foods:  peas and pumpkin!  Both are simple yet super flavorful and healthy foods, filled with complex carbohydrates and natural sweetness.  It ideally requires a little baking time, but at the end of the recipe, I've provided an alternative variation to cooking it so that you can save a little more time.

Happy cooking!

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INGREDIENTS
(4 for a main course, 6 as a side dish)

Frozen Peas - 3 cups
Pumpkin - 1/2 medium sized
Olive oil - 1/2 tablespoon
Sea salt - small pinch
Pepper - to taste
Rosemary - 2 sprigs, leaves removed, roughly chopped
Lemon rind - from 1/2 lemon, chopped
Feta or cheese - 2 tablespoons (optional)

Dressing
Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tablespoons
Hazelnut oil - 1 tablespoon
Water - 2 tablespoons
Garlic - 1 clove, minced
Balsamic vinegar - 1 tablespoon
Seasalt - 1/2 teaspoon
Organic brown sugar - 1 teaspoon


PREPARATION
Heat oven to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit

A) Peas and Pumpkin
Peas - rinse peas in water till defrosted.  Set aside
Pumpkin - cut into 8 wedges, remove skin.  Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper.
Heat a frying pan.  Add 4 wedges and sear on high heat for 1 minute.  Turn over using tongs.  Repeat one more time till skin is slightly blistered, browned.   Repeat with remaining wedges.
In a baking dish or pan,  add arrange pumpkin wedges.  Evenly distribute peas among the pumpkin. 
Rosemary and lemon zest - scatter evenly over dish
If using cream or feta cheese -- distribute in small chunks across the dish.

B) Dressing
Combine all ingredients into a jam jar.  Close lid and shake till thoroughly mixed.

C) Bake through and serve
Drizzle 3 table spoons over the dish.
Transfer to the medium rung of the oven.  Bake for 15-20 minutes. 
Remove and drizzle remaining dressing over the dish.  Serve hot.

D) Variations
If you are crunched for time
  • Pumpkin - coat with olive oil, salt and chopped rosemary and panfry as before. Set aside and keep warm. 
  • Peas - simply follow the package instructions and boil the peas.  Once drained,  toss immediately with 4 tablespoons of dressing and lemon zest.
  • To serve: place 1-2 slices of pumpkin on a plate.  Place 1/2 cup of peas on top and finish with crumbled cheese.
If you are vegan
  • Replace the cheese with "soy-cheese".

If you want extra texture or a spicy flavor burst
  • Add toasted pumpkin seeds or chopped almonds
  • Sprinkle a little praprika over the dish.
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#vegetarianrecipe #quickrecipe #vegancooking #homecooking #easyrecipe #eatingwell #beingwell #watersolublefiber #HDLLDLratio #loweingbadcholestrol #loweringLDL #vegetarianprotein #cookingmadeeasyforbeginners #failsaferecipe #hearthealthyrecipe
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Romaine salad with lemon vinaigrette

6/18/2017

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A few restaurants that I have tried of late have been doing a fresh take on the romaine lettuce.  No longer just used for Cesare salad, I like the way it is being presented cut into quarters. 

It was Father's Day today in Singapore.  My dad prefers the texture of ice-berg and romaine to mesclun mixes so I thought I'd add some crunchy raw leaves to his celebration dinner.  

I hope you enjoy making this super easy, super fast salad, which is perfect for the summer weather and a nice side dish to any BBQ.
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INGREDIENTS
(Serves 6 as a side dish, 4 as a main)
Romaine lettuce - 2 large bunches

Dressing
Lemon juice - 1 lemon
Lemon rind - 1/2 lemon, finely chopped
White wine vinegar - 1 tablespoon
Extra virgin olive oil - 3 tablespoons
Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon
Organic brown sugar - 1 teaspoon
Sea salt - 1/2 teaspoon

To serve
Walnuts or cashews or almond slivers - small handful
Fresh herbs - any type, optional
Black pepper - to taste
PREPARATION
A) Salad leaves
Remove outer leaves if turning brown.  Trim the base of the stalk off.  Cut each bunch length wise, right through the middle. Cut into either 1/4's or if very large, cut into 1/6's.  

B) Dressing
Combine all ingredients in a small jam jar.  Shake thoroughly till well mixed.  Taste and add a little more salt, pepper, lemon juice or sugar as needed.

C) Plating
Arrange at least 2 segments on a large flat plate.   Use a teaspoon to drizzle the salad dressing generously over the leaves.   Top with nuts and fresh herbs.   Using a pepper mill,  sprinkle over a little black pepper.

D) Variations
If you're not vegetarian,  feel free to add a little roast or poached chicken to this salad.   Alternatively,  some salty panfried haloumi cheese or crumbled feta cheese and olives would also go nicely.
#highfibereating #paleo #homecooking #quickrecipe easyrecipe #summersalad #summereating #cleaneating #lemonvinaigrette #eatyourgreens #lemonzest #romainesalad #crunchysalads
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Lemongrass and coriander corn chowder

4/11/2017

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Most people who've eaten at my home know that I love to add fresh herbs and spices to the dishes. While they might seem like they are there for color and texture, I often add as many herbs and spices for their curative properties.  I am also usually pretty careful about the quality of the oils I use too.   This soup is filled with just a few of my favorite things:  lemongrass,  tumeric, corriander, onions and coconut.   These come packed with heaps of anti-inflamatory, anti-oxidant and anti-microbial benefits.  It's also gluten and dairy free! 

This recipe was inspired years back from a wonderful trip to the Datai, in Langkawi Malaysia, where I had the pleasure of ordering something quite similar for dinner at the restaurant one evening
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 Ingredients (serves 6) 

​Soup

White onion, 1 large
Lemongrass, 8 stalks
Olive oil, 2 tablespoons
Tumeric,  1 small root (or 1 teaspoon of powder)
Sweetcorn (preferably GMO-free), 6 ears
Water, preferably filtered, 3 cups
Coconut cream, 5 cups (I like Kara brand) 
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Coriander* oil  
Corriander leaves and roots, 1 large stalk
Olive Oil: 5 tablespoons
​* - also called cilantro
A) Prepare Ingredients
Onion - chop roughly into squares
Lemongrass - cut off long stalks,  and set aside.  Cut hearts into rough rings.  
Coriander root - clean and chop. 
Tumeric - if using fresh tumeric, remove skin and grate roughly into shreds. 
Sweetcorn - remove husk.  Roughly cut off kernels for 5 ears of corn using a knife.  For last ear of corn, removely more gently and neatly -- reserve separately. 
Water - boil and set aside. 

B) Cook Soup
In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over low heat.  
Brown onions slowly to release sweetness.  
Raise heat.  Add lemongrass hearts, coriander root and continue to cook. 
Add corn kernels and heat through.
Add boiling water and lemon grass stalks.  
Turn up heat till soup is on a rolling boil. 
Then, turn down heat and simmer till sweet corn is cooked through. 
Remove from heat.  Discard long lemong grass stalks. 
Put soup through a blender or food processor and pulse till smooth. 
Take a colander or fine sieve and strain the soup through.  
Discard what is retained in the colander (note:  I often run 1/2 cup of water through this to remove the remaining "flavor) and add to the soup. 
Return the soup to the pot.  Add the reserved corn kernels and reheat.   
Add salt and pepper to taste. 

​C) Finishing Oil
Heat a little water and blanch the corriander leaves and roots.
Quickly remove and place in cold water to retain color. 
Roughly chop and add to the olive oil.  
Pulse thoroughly using a hand-held blender. 
Set aside. 
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D) Assemble and Serve
Fine a nice soup bowl or plate.  
Fill with soup.  Add a drizzle of the finishing oil.   

​Serving notes: 
It's quite a rich soup.  I often like to serve this in a little tea cup and let my guests decide if they would like a second helping. 

If you are not dairy intolerant, you can replace the olive oil with a little butter.  If you like it less rich, feel free to replace 1 cup of coconut milk with regular milk or low-fat milk. 

#glutenfree #diaryfree #homerecipes #dinnerpartyrecipe #tumericbenefits #coconutbenefits #lemongrassrecipe #asianfusionrecipes #antioxidantrich #antiinflammatory #cookingwithflavor
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  • HOME
  • DEVELOPMENT AND GROUP COACHING
    • RESUME WRITING
  • THE FREEDOM PROGRAM with RTT
  • HEALTH PROGRAMS
    • THE HAPPY-BODY-HAPPY-ME PROGRAM
    • THE PETER PAN PROGRAM
  • MY STORY
  • IN THE MEDIA
  • 10 EASY HABITS & RECIPES
    • RECEIPES >
      • BREAKFAST
      • LIGHTER MEALS
      • BIGGER MEALS
  • VLOGS AND BLOGS
  • CONTACT