#raw #food #beauty

Chocomole!! #avocado #cacaopowder #dates #vegan #vegetarian #food #yummyness

My Bento Lunch- Scrambled Eggs with Stirfried oat groats and veggies~

Ex-roomie visited us today before her one year sabbatical and she cooked for us! Very happy to see her again :).

It’s a cheeeeesy spaghetti meatballs.

… burp! :P

*all satisfied*

Anatomy of a great salad meal

Inspired by my previous post on how to make my go to dressing, you actually need some greens to pamper ;).

Most of my friends don’t like to eat salads, unless a big dollop of ieuw prepacked dressing is mixed with it, masking the true flavour and crunchiness of the greens. What’s left is a lifeless mushy green, swimming in a pool of some ieuwy sauce…

I’m here to revamp your veggies! I used to be one of them, until I started experimenting in the kitchen. When making a salad, there are a few things to keep in mind.

One of the biggest mistake which I encounter a lot, is seeing salads not having a lot of depth. Most of the time two different kinds of greens are tossed together, with some grated carrot along the way and that’s it. 

I wouldn’t be interested when I would have to eat that *smirks*. The key is to keep it simple, yet interesting. Play with different kinds of structured veggies and don’t mask their own natural flavour with some weird store bought sauce. 

Have at least three different kinds of leafy greens in it (arugula, romaine lettuce, spinach etc~ the sky is the limit). Add two/three different kinds of coloured greens. For example red pepper, red beets, asparagus, tomatoes (technically a fruit), cucumber etc. Better yet, if you want to have a deeper depth, grill them, to add that smoky feel to it.

Adding protein will add another dimension to it, whether it’s from animal (cheeses/meat), natural (seeds/nuts/beans) or better yet, both. Make sure to toast the seeds or nuts beforehand to give them that lil bit of crunchiness. 

Most importantly, don’t forget to add fresh herbs. They are like my favourites to fire up my appetite. Add chopped dill, basil, coriander or even some edible flowers! 

Making a salad is like building character. The person you are today is due to the circumstances and choices you have made in the past. And couldn’t you agree more on the fact that people with character are more interesting? ;)

Up till this day, I haven’t encountered a combination which doesn’t works. All greens go hand in hand. Work with what you have by trail and error and you’ll find your go to salad :).

I recommend to go to a farmers market in your neighbourhood. Veggies are at their best at the moment. And yes, try to work with fresh local produces as you will definitely notice a difference. 

Another important tip which I would like to share, after washing and drying (very important step, we don’t want our salad to swim in a pool of water no?), shred the leafy greens by hand, instead of chopping it with a knife. The flavours will be more intense… I promise!

So tell me, what is your go to salad? :)

Here’s one of my favourite go to sauce, a honey mustard dressing, which I would like to share with you. It has been a go to recipe for most of my salad pics here on tumblr.

The beauty of this is that it’s quick to make and delicious on about any summer salad you can imagine! Don’t be taken aback with the raw garlic (unless you’re on a date!), adding some freshly chopped garlic will add that lil bit of zing which makes you crave for more…!

While making this, most of the time I roughly eyeball the measurements, so having a see-through jar is a must. Just taste and tweak along the way…

——-

• 1/3 extra vergin olive oil (not 1/3 of the jar, but the amount of dressing you make)
• 1/4 freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 honey
• 2 tbs mustard (add depending on your taste and I like to use the grainy one)
• 1-2 garlic cloves (dependant on how garlicky you would like it ;) and after chopping, let it sit for 5 min*)
• a lil bit of cayenne pepper (omit if you don’t like it spicy)
• pinch of salt
• some herb if you have (here, I used a twig of dille)

——

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake it! Dancing around while shaking it will add some fun making this ;).

*****You can increase the health benefits you receive from garlic by letting it sit after you’ve chopped it or crushed it. If you give your chopped/crushed garlic time to sit before changing its temperature (through cooking) or its pH (through the addition of acidic food like lemon juice), it will give the alliinase enzymes in garlic an opportunity to work on behalf of your health. For example, research has shown that microwaving or boiling garlic in uncrushed, whole clove form will deactivate its enzymes, preventing these enzymes from working. For this reason, we recommend that you chop or crush the garlic cloves prior to heating. According to research on garlic preparation methods, it only takes 60 seconds of microwaving whole cloves to lessen some of garlic’s health benefits. By contrast, many of garlic’s health benefits (including its anti-cancer properties) are preserved if the whole cloves are crushed and allowed to sit for 10 minutes prior to cooking [source].

Once in a while, this is nice.