Easy Like Sunday Morning (Avocado Toast)

It’s a Sunday!

And it’s a day of rest, altho I’m sure for some, it’s pretty hectic spending time with family and kids and chores and errands and groceries and …. gosh, I’m feeling tired already.

Feel blessed you have things to do. Feel blessed you have people to do it with.

As for me, I’m taking a break and taking it easy. For lunch/brunch. 

There’ll be some face stuffing later with the tribe.

It’s been a lovely yet stressful week. (How can a mere seven days cause so many mixed feelings?)

Had someone very close to my heart visit for a few short days. It’s always too short. But it was good.

I miss her already.

That’s obviously not the stress part.

A word of advice on texting that most probably already know but we all need reminding, esp folks like me who have diarrhoea of the mouth and thumb/fingers.

Anything you type/text can be misread. It all depends on the other person who’s reading it, what kind of a mood they’re in, whether they’re menopausing/andropausing and possibly a host of past traumatic history they’ve gone thru and one word might just trigger some negative response. 

They could read it as a ‘Grrrr’ or as an ‘Awwww’. 

Sometimes concern can be misread as criticism … how? …. only they know. 

And sometimes, they’re just too damned sensitive. Bah! Humbug!

I have no energy for dramatics.

And then I find out I have no chickpeas …. AARRRGGHHH!!!

*Breath*

*count to ten*

Make do….

1 Avocado, nice and ripe

2 Garlic cloves, nice and chubby

1 can Canellini beans, Chickpeas would’ve been nice

1 handful coriander leaves

Juice of half a lemon

Drizzle of sesame oil

1/4 cup Grapeseed oil, or Olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Some toasted pine nuts

Plonk them all into a food processor except for the pine nuts (you can add it in but I like some crunch).

Buzzzzzzzzzzz

It’s up to you how smooth you like it

Sprinkle pine nuts.

Use as a dip, a spread on toast or toss with some cooked pasta (just add some grated parmesan for extra flavour)

Easy!

No stress ….. 

Overnight Oats

Some folks just don’t like eating oats. I’ve been told it’s boring.

Well …. YOU are boring. 

Oats are so boring you can actually make it very interesting. 

Growing up, mum used to dump an egg, milk and honey in my oats, cook it to a custardy yumminess and serve it to a delighted me. Don’t go eeww … custard IS made with eggs.

Just last week, a visiting good friend was talking about overnight oats. That triggered a childhood craving for oats …. but with a new and modern, healthy twist … no cooking and raw.

You know, it saves a ton of time in the morning. Just prepare it the night before and it’ll be nice and ready when you’re rushing for time the next morning. 

It’s yummy and keeps you energised til lunch …. sometimes I still don’t feel hungry at lunchtime and just have a light snack. How good is that? And that’s even after a tough 2-hour tennis game. Of coz that also depends on how much of the oats you consume.

This is my portion …

(I use a 200 ml jam jar)

3 - 4 heaped tbs rolled oats

1 tsp chia seeds (this makes it gooey. I love gooey oats …. oats are meant to be gooey. You can omit this if you don’t want it gooey. It’ll be a little coarser. I’m not a horse. I don’t like coarse and gritty down my throat)

1 tsp honey

1 good pinch of cinnamon

milk (filled to about 3 quarters of the jar)

Stir everything together and then add the fruits. You can also add the fruits just before eating.

diced peaches

blueberries

Put the lid on and leave in the refrigerator overnight. 

Yeah … overnight …. why do you think it’s called OVERNIGHT oats?

Tons of options:

Almond / soy milk

Yogurt (dilute a little)

Nuts

Other spices

Chocolate chips / syrup

Cocoa powder

Coffee

Raisins

Bananas

Your fav fruit

Whatevers ……

DO NOT be boring

Some Kinda Korean

Fresh, clean, simple flavors.

Just perfect for hot, humid days. 

I called it “Some Kinda Korean” so as not to have someone come after me telling me it’s not.

I used a Korean Beef Bulgogi Marinade. That’s all.

I love the simplicity of their summer dishes. It’s more of a salad. 

Easy, light, refreshing ….. preparation is easy too. My fav kind.

INGREDIENTS

Beef slices (for stir frying)

Beef Bulgogi Marinade (bottled, any brand will do)

Dash of sesame oil

White vinegar

Ground white pepper

Carrots, julienned

Spinach, cut into about 2” lengths (or your preferred greens)

Toasted sesame seeds

Oil for stir frying

* I don’t have exact measurements for this. Just use enough marinade sauce to coat beef generously. The vinegar was added to compliment the sweetness of the sauce. 

METHOD

Toss beef slices with the bulgogi marinade sauce, dash of sesame oil, dash of vinegar and ground white pepper into a baggy or container. Coat beef well with the marinade. 

Leave in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Blanch carrots and spinach (or just have them raw if you prefer. I like blanching the carrots as it makes it a little sweeter in flavor.)

Drain the veges.

Heat a little oil in the pan.

Stir fry the marinaded beef and remove from pan once cooked. Leaving it too long will make it tough to chew. 

If you have some liquid left from the marinade, add it to the pan and cook it down to a thick syrupy consistency. Otherwise, simply pour a small amount of bulgogi sauce from the bottle and heat through. Spoon over cooked beef.

Serve beef and veges over fluffy rice or just as a salad on it’s own. 

Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and devour!

Sandwich Maker Tofu with a Zesty Miso Dip

This is an amazing idea!

You just gotta try it out. 

I’m not writing particularly about tofu. I mean, seared tofu? Pffft!!! Anyone can do that. 

I’d seen this idea floating about on the net a while ago and it inspired me to sear some tofu to go with this amazing, tangy, spicy, sweet, sour, zesty, all-textures dip that mum used to make. Brought back a ton of memories…

Anyway, the dip calls for a Chinese fermented bean paste (tau cheong) quite similar to miso. I didn’t have that paste, I had miso. Miso it is. And I think from now on, I’d stick to miso. It’s just so good!

Right, the tofu. 

Everyone has a waffle iron/sandwich maker, right? No? What? Oh …..

Never mind. Whenever you can get your paws on one….

Like I said, it’s such a good way to sear tofu. 

Or hash browns, polenta cakes, mochi……yes, you read right. Mochi. Those gooey little things. It gets crispy on the outside and still soft and gooey on the inside. Yummers!  I’m sure there are more stuff that can be done with a sandwich maker besides a grilled cheese sandwich. Get creative, peeps!

There’s very little oil used too. And it makes a more even shade of sear.

INGREDIENTS

Firm tofu, cut into wedges or whatever shapes that’ll fit your sandwich maker

oil for brushing or spray

Dip: (This is just a guide. Adjust to suit your tastebuds)

1 - 2 tbs dried shrimp, toasted (like you would nuts)

1 tbs brown miso

Juice of 1 large lime (key lime)

2 - 3 tsps sugar

chillies, sliced

METHOD

Mix all of the dip ingredients into a small bowl except the toasted shrimp.

Stir to mix until sugar has completely dissolved. Taste and adjust accordingly.

Stir in toasted dried shrimp just before serving so that it remains crispy.

Leave aside.

Brush or spray the sandwich maker plates with oil. Place the tofu wedges on, cover and let the gadget do its work. When done, check to see if it’s browned or golden enough to your liking. Otherwise, cook a little longer.

Remove and have it warm with the dip.

Makes a great appetiser.

Banana Chia Power Smoothie

So you’re all pooped from the festivities. 

Need an energy booster? 

Or a cure for a hangover? (Do I sound like an ad?)

This was something I picked up from my travels. An instant energy booster. Yummy to boot.

Just the other day, I’d found it on our local grocer’s chiller and wait …. how much was that? You gotta be kidding me?! Forget it, I’ll make my own ….. 

It makes a great breakfast on the go as well. For someone (me) who isn’t into the whole shebang of slicing, toasting, pan frying, buttering, eat, wash and wash some more … this is just brilliant. 

Make it the night before and you’re all set to take on the world the next day!

INGREDIENTS

(Note: measurements are per 250 - 300 ml bottle / mason jars)

1 - 2 small bananas, sliced (this depends on how thick you want your smoothie to be)

1 cup apple juice

1 tbs chia seeds (too much of this and you’ll get pudding)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

honey / sugar (optional)

METHOD

Puree bananas and 1/2 cup of the apple juice in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Put 1 tbs chia seeds and ground cinnamon into bottle / jars. 

Pour in puree and top up with remaining apple juice, cap and shake to mix it up.

Leave overnight in the fridge.

Glug the next day … watch out, world!

Passionately Yours ... and mine

This is such a lovely and delicious way to eat passionfruit, I just had to share it. It’s so simple, many may have already tried it this way but I’ve only had my eyes and tastebuds tantalised at a Malay-Indonesian restaurant about a year ago. 

Recently, there have been a variety of passionfruit in the grocers and I had to try them all out. And with this really bad flu I’ve caught, it’s also a great excuse to medicate myself with it. Yes, with natural cures. I’m totally sensitive to drugs. 

INGREDIENTS

All varieties of passionfruit

All kinds of honey

METHOD

Cut fruit in half.

Drizzle honey on top.

Scoop and eat.

Cut another fruit into half.

Drizzle honey on top.

Scoop and eat.

Cut another ….. you get the idea.

Sprouting Ideas: Chia

You’ve heard of Chia pets. Chia seeds. I wrote a little about it a while ago while experimenting (messing around really) with it in a spiced peach jam.

Full of nutrition, minerals … healthy benefits.

Ground chia seeds are great in bread and cakes. 

Now come the sprouts. Great in salads and sandwiches. Saw this on several sites and I decided to give it a go. I love sprouts … all sorts. They’re expensive to buy. Dunno why … it’s so easy and quick to grow. 

Has anyone tried sprouts on buttered bread? You know those dainty little things called cucumber sandwiches? Replace them cucumbers with sprouts, lashings of butter and lovely soft white bread …. or whatever healthy alternative soft bread you like. I’m going for something that pleases my tummy and fussy tongue buds …nothing healthy here …. oh … fine …. health food … ground chia seeds bread? Close your eyes while you chew on them … minus the crunch, they taste like cucumber…use your imagination.

Anyway …. I had fun growing these cute thingies. 

I’d used the plastic container for coffee machine pods. You can use old egg cartons, unglazed clay tiles, any shallow container. 

On clay surfaces, just sprinkle an even layer of seeds on a soaked tile. Give the seeds a spray of water and continue spraying it daily keeping them moist. They’ll turn into a gelatinous goop but it’s fine. They’ll sprout soon enough. 

Here’s what I did for mine …

STUFF

coffee pods container / egg carton

cotton buds

Chia seeds

water

METHOD

Wet the cotton buds and and fill each hole of the container. 

Sprinkle an even layer (do not over crowd the seeds) on the soaked cotton. 

Leave on a sunny window sill or any sunny area but not in direct sunlight. 

Sprinkle water on the cotton buds daily or whenever it looks/feels dry. 

It’s important to keep it moist.

Wait patiently for those cute thingies to sprout. 

Trim when sprouts are about 2-3 cm tall…about 2 weeks or so.

Throw out cotton and start all over.

Instant Jammin' - Spiced Peach Jam

 

 

 

This has got to be the fastest and freshest jam making process I've ever experienced. No cooking, fresh, refreshing and healthier too! I must say tho, the texture isn't quite as gooey and sticky as regular jams but you know that's all a bunch of sugar and pectin.

This doesn't rely on too much sugar nor pectin. It uses something that's popular in the health circles these days.... Chia seeds....botanic name: Salvia Hispanica.
Remember those days where you have all sorts of funny clay animal figures which you kept watering and eventually sprouted and gave them "hair"? Yup....those. Chia pets, they were called.
Now we ingest them instead of pasting them on figurines...the seeds, not the clay things. Nope...you won't get a hairy chest nor is it an alternative solution to hair loss. What you will get is some long list of health benefits. Go look it up, will ya. I'm talking jam here.
Immersed in liquid, the seeds turn into a gelatinous goop. Apparently, they absorb 10 times their weight in water!

My sis-in-law posted a link on her Facebook wall about this. The recipe called for fresh berries. Berries of any sort is expensive here and since this was an experiment, I wasn't gonna waste it if it doesn't work out. So, I'd decided to use up some canned peaches left over from a wannabe peach cheesecake....that's another story.

Amazingly, it worked. Why I doubted it in the first place, I don't know. Maybe I'd just doubted myself...my ability to get it right...I have this knack for screwing up the simplest of process.
And of course I can't keep it simple. I'd added some spices to liven things up.

An experimental jam.

INGREDIENTS

About 1 cup canned peaches, drained
1tbs chia seeds
Sugar to taste, or honey (I used sugar so as not to alter the peach flavours too much)

1 star anise
1 stick cinnamon


METHOD

Put the peaches and sugar in a food processor or blender.
Buzz til you get a texture that you like.
Stir in the chia seeds.
Place spices at the bottom of a jam jar and pour fruit purée over.
(You can use a spice infused syrup for a stronger flavour)
Seal and leave overnight for the seeds to absorb the liquid.

Note: since making this, I've discovered that this is a great way to make chutneys and mint jelly as well. Unfortunately, this doesn't keep too long since it's non cooked.

Why not experiment for yourself and do let me know what you've made and how it worked out for you.
 

 

Balsamic Onions Quinoa Patties & Quinoa Salad

(Guest post at Just As Delish)

Whoo! My first time doing a guest post!
Thank you Shannon, for asking. I'm excited! I'm nervous! I'm panicking!

Shannon asked. I'd said ok. I'd be honored. I asked Shannon if there is anything specific she'd like. She'd said no, no specific recipe. I asked if there are any special requests. And she'd said yes! It needs to be simple and healthy (ie. no deep frying, no loads of sugar/butter/cream). All of the above is what I am ... unhealthy. Now you see why I'm panicking? I'm doomed!
Ok, ok, I'm calm, I'm calm. I just need to see this as a challenge to my high-fat-cream-infused brain. 

Wait. What's this packet of healthy looking thing doing in my pantry? It stuck out like a sore thumb. The mother of all grains, Quinoa! (Well, according to the Incas, anyway).
How healthy is that? 
And when I told Shannon it's going to be quinoa, she said, "Quinoa? Isn't that too healthy for you?". Does she know me or what?

Like what you see? Want to find out more? Head over to Just As Delish and say hi to Shannon.

Thanks again, Shannon, for making me come up with something healthy. It's not as difficult as I thought it would be.