Nonya Mixed Veggie

This is a vegetarian dish which is usually cooked on the 1st day of the Lunar New Year. I think it is a nice and healthy dish especially on occasional like Lunar New Year where meat is the main course.

Ingredients:
10g of black fungus
15g dried mushrooms
2 pieces of dried sweet bean curd skin
20g of dried lily flowers
5g of fa cai (fatt choy)
200g of cabbage
150g of carrots
10g glass vermicelli (Tang Hoon/Dong fen)
5pc of Garlic, coarsely chopped
2pc of red fermented bean curd
Light soya sauce

1) Soak black fungus, dried mushrooms,beancurd skin, dried lily flowers and fa cai separately in water.
2) Remove all the hard bits and pieces from the black fungus.
3) Cut the dried mushroom into half if it is too big.
4) Cut the beancurd skin into smaller pieces.
5) Shredded the cabbage into pieces
6) Diced the carrot in circular shape of 0.5cm.
7) Soak the glass noodle into water and remove it after 2 mins.
8) Pour 2tbs of olive oil and heat the pan until it is hot.
9) 'Throw' in the garlic, fermented beancurd, black fungus, dried beancurd, golden mushroom, carrot and stirred and mixed well.
10) Add soya sauce according to your taste.
11) Add in the cabbage and cook until it is soft.
12) Last, add the glass noodle and fa cai. Adjust the taste with minimal of salt.

Chicken & Vegetable Soup

It is easy to prepare a pot of soup that is light and healthly for everyone.

Do it a try and let me know if you like my recommendation.

Ingredients (serves 5)
2 chicken drumsticks (Remove skin and visible fat)
3 cups water
1 carrot, diced
1 potato, diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery
1 Tomato slices ( Do not remove the skin)
1/2 tsp salt and Pepper Garnishing
A handful of wolfberries
5 pc of red dates

Method :

1) Boil drumsticks in water for 30 minutes.
Remove and shred. Return bones to stock.
2) Add vegetables (celery, onion, carrots, potatoes) to boiling stock. Simmer until cooked. Remove chicken bones.
3) Add shredded chicken.
4) Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Useful tips:
For added dietary fibre, it is best to eat the carrots and potatoes with the skin on·
Wolfberries is good for eyesight and it can enhance the sweetness of the soup too.

Healthy Juices

Healthy Fruit/Vegetables Juices to recommend:

1) Carrot + Ginger + Apple
Function: Boost and cleanse our system.

2) Apple + Cucumber + Celery
Function: Prevent cancer, reduce cholesterol, and eliminate stomach upset and headache.

3) Tomato + Carrot + Apple
Function: Improve skin complexion and eliminate bad breath.

4) Bitter gourd + Apple + Milk
Function: Avoid bad breath and reduce internal body heat.

5) Orange + Ginger + Cucumber
Function: Improve Skin texture and moisture and reduce body heat.

6) Pineapple + Apple + Watermelon
Function: To dispel excess salts, nourishes the bladder and kidney.

7) Apple + Cucumber + Kiwi
Function: To improve skin complexion.

8) Pear & Banana
Function: Regulates sugar content.

9)Carrot + Apple + Pear + Mango
Function: Clear body heat, counteracts toxicity, decreased blood pressure and fight oxidization .

10) Honeydew + Grape + Watermelon + Milk
Function: Rich in vitamin C + Vitamin B2 that increase cell activity and strengthen
body immunity.

11) Papaya + Pineapple + Milk
Function: Rich in vitamin C, E, Iron. Improve skin complexion and metabolism.

12) Banana + Pineapple + Milk
Function: Rich in vitamin with nutritious and prevent constipation

Balanced Diet

Our body requires mixture of appropriate amount of nutrients ranges from 40 - 60 types to maintain a well-being balanced diet. Below is a food pyramid which is able to provide a general guidelines as how much nutrients a body needs.

My advice is to eat appropriately till 70 - 80% full and abstain yourself from eating after 8pm.

Benefits of a breakfast

The right breakfast foods can help you concentrate, give you strength – even help you maintain a healthy weight.

Studies has shown people who habitually eat breakfast tend to have better attitude toward work, higher productivity and better ability to handle tasks that require memory. Those people also have better endurance, concentration and problem solving ability.

Breakfast allows one to achieve their desired calories and nutrients which an individual need.
It is linked to many health benefits, including weight control and lower cholestrol levels.

To sum the points: A low colories breakfast can help to give you:

1) A more nutritionally complete diet, higher in nutrients, vitamins and minerals
2) Improved concentration and performance at work
3) More strength and endurance to engage in physical activity
4) Lower cholesterol levels

You can make a healthly breakfast in a few minutes.
Few examples:

Breakfast 1
A tuna & tomatoes wholemeal sandwich + 1 glass of milk

Breakfast 2
Oatmeal + 1 hardboiled egg

Breakfast 3
Cereals with milk + 2 slices of Mushroom Hams

Never ever skip your breakfast no matter how rush you are for work or school as it is the most essential meal of a day.

There is a saying: Eat like a king in the day, eat like a prince for lunch and eat like a pauper for dinner. Remember and Practice it.

Health Food 3 - Healthy Steam Almond Cake

Today is a special day for me. It is the day I am born...haha and that happened to be long time ago. Anyway, who cares, age is but a number.

Happy Birthday to myself. Wishing all my wishes will come true.

My sister will be steaming me an Almond cake. Yes, steaming.. not baking.

Here is the recipe:
Steam Almond Cake
Ingredients
250gm Butter
250gm Brown Sugar
4 bigs eggs
1/2 tsp of Vanilla essence
300g plain flour
1tsp sodium Bicarbonate
250gm Diced Almond flakes

Method:
1) Mix the butter and brown sugar well with medium speed.
2) Add one egg at a time to the mixture, stir well.
3) Add in 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
4) Add in the sifted flour & sodium bicarbonate , mix well
5) Add in the Diced Almond Flakes and mix well.
6) Pour the mixture into a pan lined with baking plastic
7) Cover the pan with Aluminim foil.
8) Steam for 30 mins with high heat
9) Reduce to low heat and continue to steam for another 60 - 80mins.

PS: For those who are health conscious, I will strongly recommended to reduce the brown sugar from 250gm to 150gm and replaced it with dried mixed fruits like cranberries or raisins.

The cakes is perfect with a cup of green tea.

Health Beverage - Green Tea

It is a quiet morning and I am starting work today, 开工大吉。。
According to the chinese horoscope, it is a good day for me to start work today.
Hopefully, the Ox Year is a good year for me.
Haha...
Now, I am waiting for my hongbao and the 2 oranges from my boss.
During the new year, there were always so much goodies that I could not resist.
Pineapple tarts, Beehive cookies, are my favorites new year foodies.
With all these cookies saturated with fats, it is always nice to go along with a cup of green tea.
As an anicent chinese proverb: " Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one day" How true it is. Without it, I think I will put on with kilos of weight.

Green tea is the best beverages I have known of which can helps to flush out the extra fats and detox our body system.