tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559053830515163862024-03-12T16:00:44.017-07:00Low GI Cooking & Lifestyle choiceApplicable to DubaiLazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-73382226359821741082011-03-10T21:03:00.000-08:002011-03-10T21:03:14.968-08:00Dubai Food Festival "Taste of Dubai"Most waited by all foodies event in Dubai. Unfortunately i could not go to it last year - so this year i panned my visit way ahead of time! It started on Thursday 3rd at 1 pm and I was there by 2 pm!! Early you say - i will too - it was still kind off "under construction" (as everything in Dubai).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbGHdCqxj-eG0dqDoC2Kob_Yv-CD9wKwwLgfmKk0Li94iN94s5BZjOj_Op2Ng-tvqCo8Kat_C5agE6Z5Vh7NARRdLaLklY9rcOCxZuAenOWg_SfBbYbL2HeWI9u7HzL9QLB5uGdP9a7-I/s1600/DSCN2929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbGHdCqxj-eG0dqDoC2Kob_Yv-CD9wKwwLgfmKk0Li94iN94s5BZjOj_Op2Ng-tvqCo8Kat_C5agE6Z5Vh7NARRdLaLklY9rcOCxZuAenOWg_SfBbYbL2HeWI9u7HzL9QLB5uGdP9a7-I/s320/DSCN2929.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> But i had my reason to head there so early - reason is early sign up for cooking classes! The one thing i was looking forward to so much. Miele hosted their cooking school second year in a row and they are very professional. Hope they will open soon permanent cooking school here in Dubai.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5A_4wkVwKwBkMbApWD0ThQ_ed_Y7EZ1a1B9bdAREGcq3ljujQZi-ns4mjeoX8O3qxJdSWbE18qFbY7S3owCughXnMjxLCtowoliXujMXiiYFnylrXO_BJhssfnHVhyx_ZKUqu7yRBNu9q/s1600/DSCN2924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5A_4wkVwKwBkMbApWD0ThQ_ed_Y7EZ1a1B9bdAREGcq3ljujQZi-ns4mjeoX8O3qxJdSWbE18qFbY7S3owCughXnMjxLCtowoliXujMXiiYFnylrXO_BJhssfnHVhyx_ZKUqu7yRBNu9q/s320/DSCN2924.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>That days - was quite and I managed to sign up for 3 classes. First I signed up myself and Khaled for separate tables to make pan-seered Sea Bass with cauliflower puree. It turned out really beautiful for me and fire-like experience for Khaled - his pans were smoking black and Cheef had to come down to remove burning pans and discard the oil.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDdEVwXiFTiegvVpNCFDt_ncncgqH1TJtputsl-7a4RrbWeooj_ZeokZMplzn0vamjfHjD1WViDhBIDNG7Ef9EP71EKjrTLajfFynfi7eXwcBgdZSUzpWL48nRRuApE4bwr_rrYDapMqg/s1600/DSCN2933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDdEVwXiFTiegvVpNCFDt_ncncgqH1TJtputsl-7a4RrbWeooj_ZeokZMplzn0vamjfHjD1WViDhBIDNG7Ef9EP71EKjrTLajfFynfi7eXwcBgdZSUzpWL48nRRuApE4bwr_rrYDapMqg/s320/DSCN2933.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfVv4NH4T_LVY3tNc4qGr0IgDjY_3EtrgeCo9vxL_nheQhgNU09oWN9aQwuE0YuzHnTzV5BHQlBWLaTy1Tbs8MR4-K5o_CuahvI3HmnJrqDmm-MjPNfFESgrqU70eKyBXVz5BZqb3w-ZH/s1600/DSCN2935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfVv4NH4T_LVY3tNc4qGr0IgDjY_3EtrgeCo9vxL_nheQhgNU09oWN9aQwuE0YuzHnTzV5BHQlBWLaTy1Tbs8MR4-K5o_CuahvI3HmnJrqDmm-MjPNfFESgrqU70eKyBXVz5BZqb3w-ZH/s320/DSCN2935.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I will add recipe for this beauty in the next post. Really simple and quick!<br />
Next class we had - right after this one - was "Duck Breast with Warm Lentil Salad and Orange Seared Chicory". We did this class together on the same table and nothing went n fire, thank god, this time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6iU4NXOLtK1ZpvvfEptWCyvoNiyh4LjDxbXB3lay_lzbMX6U_E_UH6aN84Ucf-s2p4T5QNW3DndfXi7hZ-lAtL8nJGvC9CyAtS-xIQOSYi-pAoi_T02Z0ohpdpk4FZ9MbtsWUSwcN4pa/s1600/DSCN2941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6iU4NXOLtK1ZpvvfEptWCyvoNiyh4LjDxbXB3lay_lzbMX6U_E_UH6aN84Ucf-s2p4T5QNW3DndfXi7hZ-lAtL8nJGvC9CyAtS-xIQOSYi-pAoi_T02Z0ohpdpk4FZ9MbtsWUSwcN4pa/s320/DSCN2941.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-16771782242539027832011-02-21T05:32:00.000-08:002011-02-21T05:32:56.312-08:00My ScheduleI wake up at 7:30 or 8:00 am every day.<br />
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Have ½ litter of room temperature water on empty stomach, while sitting on the bed. Do not rush to get out of bed too quickly – let blood flow slowly after awakening. Sit-down on the side of the bed and count till 20 - since it takes 9 seconds for blood flow to come back to normal after sleep. And never drink cold water – even during the day. <br />
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Start preparing breakfast porridge on the stove, while doing my bathroom routine. <br />
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Have Breakfast minimum after ½ hour after your water in the morning. Or most of the time I am packing my breakfast with me and heading for yoga practice. I would have eaten my breakfast ½ hour after Yoga or Pilates. It should be well balanced protein/carbohydrates breakfast. I will give my menus and recipes later on.<br />
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Lunch is normally at 1 pm – not to let myself go too hungry. It is normally going under best food plate guide: ½ - vegetables cooks or raw, 1/3 – healthy non-gluten grains, 1/3 – lean protein from animal or non-animal source. <br />
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Brief walk after and before lunch. <br />
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Around 4-5 pm I am normally going hungry again. So it is time for a healthy power snack – like nuts, toasted buckwheat or quinoa crisps, nuts, vegetable sticks, avocado shake (with apples or with skimmed milk), nuts etc. <br />
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I go home after work, dry brush my body with natural brush followed by nice comfortable shower. <br />
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Then I start preparing dinner, which normally have at 8:30 pm.<br />
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11:00 I am normally in bed, just relaxing and not distracting myself with any actions or thoughts. Put some lavender/chamomile oil mixture in to the aroma oil lamp to relax. <br />
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I am asleep most of the days before midnight, to let my body fully regenerate.Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-34853950570102035382011-02-21T05:18:00.000-08:002011-02-21T05:18:24.244-08:00Fitness RoutineIn addition to all this changes in my diet – I follow pretty easy exercise routine on daily basis:<br />
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1. I do Yoga at least 3 times a week. Yoga Is great body and mind work out. There is poses for everything in your life: your cravings, your reproductive system, your muscles and mind. I will be posting more interesting information on benefits of yoga practice and my experience. <br />
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2. I do Pilates at least once a week – just to give some intense muscle work out, since I am not fan of fitness machines.<br />
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3. I walk. At least ½ an hour per day during my lunch break - I go to the further restaurant or make a walk in the mall, since many times I drive there to have lunch in Organic Supermarket in Dubai Mall. <br />
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Sport speeds up my metabolism and I can enjoy my favorite foods with less guilt for it -)Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-85956787088339352392011-02-21T05:05:00.001-08:002011-02-21T05:05:22.401-08:00CYL Part III: Challenges and New PlanNow after my body eliminated a lot of toxins, I had to think on Diet Plan suitable for me to mentain healthy living. <br />
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I am not a big dieting person myself. Meaning I cannot avoid eating some products strictly, life for example they suggest in Candida Diet. It would be impossible for me to do. I also studied Atkins Diet – but found it gross to get all my nutrition from mainly animal protein sources, and I do not believe that eliminating Carbohydrates will do any good. On the other side I was truly believing in whole-grains and “Good” carbs properly described in Yogic Books and supported by Food’s Glycemic Index studies. So many options – so many diets. But – on the other hand a lot of sources guiding you to go Gluten Free and eliminate whole grains and wheat. <br />
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Candida Die advises to start with very strict diet and eliminate all the foods which possibly causes allergies and intolerances. I omitted this step and did Food Intolerance tests – just to make sure that are the possible foods to avoid completely and which ones are tolerable. <br />
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My Food Intolerance List contained following allergic reactions: <br />
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Number 1 and 2 Allergy to: gluten (oats, barley, wheat etc.) , chicken egg, spirulina algae, cocoa beans<br />
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Number 3 Allergy (stronger intolerance): kiwi fruit, sunflower seeds, peanuts <br />
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Foods to avoid: milk (cow) products, eggs, yeast, glutten<br />
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So I had to opt for gluten free after all… <br />
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It was time for me to identify best for myself. I made a rough idea about the Goals I wanted to achieve:<br />
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1. To lower blood sugar (Dec’2010 – 5.08)<br />
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2. To eliminate Yeast from my diet<br />
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3. Limit Antibiotics intake (even the ones from non-organic red meat and chicken)<br />
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4. Limit and avoid as much as I can gluten<br />
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5. To have cow milk/products not more often than once a week <br />
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6. To consume foods law in GI Index<br />
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7. Opt for more organic products<br />
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It was it. Then seeing this Goals was easy to make a Food list, which helps me do my grocery shopping and even orders in restaurants:<br />
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Foods to avoid: <br />
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- Everything White: sugar/flour/rice <br />
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- Everything Sugar: fructose, sucrose, maltose etc. <br />
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- Gluten: barley, oats, wheat, kamut, rye<br />
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- Everything Eggs: including pastry, breads, and all the hidden eggs in some cereal/crisps or spreads<br />
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- Everything Yeast: including hidden yeast in bullion stocks and some supplements <br />
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- Some Fruits: melon, grape, orange, fruit juices <br />
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- Some nuts: pistachio (very high in mold) and peanuts (I am allergic to)<br />
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- Aged cheese <br />
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- Coffee, green tea<br />
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- Sunflower oil and seeds<br />
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- Mushrooms and truffles <br />
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- Cocoa Beans<br />
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- Vinegars all except for Apple Cider Vinegar<br />
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- Beer (high yeast and sugar contain)<br />
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- Soft drinks/energy drinks (I do not drink hem for more than year now but noted down just in case) <br />
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Foods to limit:<br />
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- Fruits – one per day <br />
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- Milk and Milk Products (from caw milk) – to limit to 1-2 per week preferably Organic (to omit antibiotics)<br />
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- Tomatoes<br />
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- Lentils<br />
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- Wine – pure sugar – so be cautious of drinking any alcohol <br />
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- Some veggies: pumpkin, turnips, beetroot, carrot <br />
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- Some Non-glutinous grains, like millet for its Medium Gl Index.<br />
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Food to enjoy:<br />
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- All vegetables raw or lightly cooked <br />
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- Avocadoes – stabilizes blood sugar<br />
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- Chicory root – stabilizes blood sugar and replaces coffee<br />
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- Goat/sheep Milk Products: cheeses, yogurts etc. But no to Aged Cheeses!<br />
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- Other equivalents of milk: almond, rice, quinoa <br />
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- Proteins: fish, beans, chicken, lamb, beef (but to limit red meat)<br />
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- Nuts and seeds: preferably soaked in water over night and/or dehydrated <br />
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- Non-glutinous grains: quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, wild and brown rice<br />
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- Oils: coconut, sesame, olive, almond, flax, pumpkin seed<br />
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- Herbal Teas: especially Pau D’Arco (for it anti fungal/parasites properties), Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Peppermint, Licorice, Lemongrass, Detox Herbs to support your guts <br />
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- Supplements: garlic, calcium, Vitex, Probiotics, Multi-Vits (I take for supporting my fertility function)Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-54304631293955533752011-02-21T03:40:00.000-08:002011-02-21T04:00:58.361-08:00Change Your Life Part II - Start Off DetoxI was making a lot of research - i was looking and all possibly related to the subject themes - most of the websites everybody knows about - <a href="http://www.webmd.com/">Massive WebMD</a> , <a href="http://www.thecandidadiet.com/">Candida Diet & Detox</a> , <a href="http://franlife.blogspot.com/">Fran's Ayurveda Blog ,</a> <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/index-3.php">Recipes on Whole Foods Market</a> and many many more... I also got some book on yoga and Low GI Diet.<br />I figured that the only one way to become healthy and wake up fresh is to eat right food. I was also previously suffering from recurrent Candida infection - which also was one of the main pushes to start becoming healthy eater.<br />First off all i decided to start off Detox and Colon Cleansing. Here some few point on it:<br />1. Quite a few clinics doing it in Dubai - I chose the semi-governmental one <a href="http://www.dubaihtc.com/">Dubai Herbal and Treatment Centre</a> .Some more information on the procedure you can see <a href="http://www.dubaihtc.com/DepartmentArticle.aspx?ArticleID=100">here.</a><br />2. Start preparing for this in advance by following easy detox plan. I could not afford following harsh process of not eating for 7 days as advised On Candida Diet <a href="http://www.thecandidadiet.com/cleansing.htm">website</a> . So I just limited food intake to only vegetables, vegetable soups and drunk 2 Phsillium Husk Drinks during my first Colonic Session.<br />3. Repeat Colonic Hydrotherapy at least 3 times - once every week. All the week I was opting for light meals, consisting mainly from vegetables or fish (the easiest to digest). 72 hours after colonic are the most sensitive - so be really strict of what you eat in otherwise stomach will have quite a trouble to digest.<br />During this 3 weeks of colon cleanse - I was prescribed to take Probiotics - twice daily 1,000 mg, and dietary fiber blend - 2 scoops at night time. All this to help my body to restore micro flora of my intestine. Also I was taking one capsule of "Gut Cleanse" Formula three times daily on empty stomach (i still have some of those pills - which i keep on taking one to two pills daily just for sake of finishing the box).<br />Some more points on detox plan:<br />- Drink a lot of Detox Tea or Detox Drink or Vegetable Soup during the day in addition to plenty of bottled water.<br />- Book spa of your choice and go there for detoxifying massage/body wrap,<br />- Also do not forget to hop in the sauna for a few sweats. Sauna - is called to be one of the most beneficial options to get rid of all the toxins in body.<br />- Dry brash with natural brash everyday before shower. Dry Brushing Technique is well described <a href="http://www.naturalhealthtechniques.com/HealingTechniques/Dry_Brushing_Technique.htm">here</a> After this three weeks - i felt better - I had less craving for foods (or did not have at all), more energy, my skin cleared up, my stool became more regular. Overall experience was fantastic - I felt and i did finally something really good for my body and my body was responding quite well.Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-54198570004569632642011-02-13T03:07:00.000-08:002011-02-13T03:07:49.868-08:00Change You Life: Part I - Came to RealizeI love food! I love all different cuisine, flavors, exotic ingredients, sweets and chocolates! I used to enjoy ordering pizza to the house with loads of cheese and mushrooms! I was indulging into sweet ice cream during shopping... Ahh... I am sure there are so many woman like me out there - who knows what i am talking about. <br />
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Recently I started reading a lot about healthy lifestyle, foods and fitness. I realized that time has come to become more healthy and start paying off my body for all the bad stuff (alcohol, bad food choices, unhealthy sleeping routine and lack of exercises) I did. <br />
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I did not straggle from much overweight to come to realize that my body and soul in need of detox. It just appeared to me because of i started thinking of family planning with my beloved husband and by the God's will to extend our family. <br />
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Firstly - I quit smoking in August 2010 via method "cold turkey" - it did not do any good though - i became very nervous and put on weight, what was making me even more nervous (poor husband - he had to go through all this). Then I got addicted to shisha (if anyone have ever tried it - they would say that this is even more damaging for lungs then regular cigarettes). After struggling like this for a while I figured that i might take my weight and tobacco cravings under control by doing heavy cardio and pumping in the gym. I was there every other day for 1,5 hours, even oh the weekend and managed to shed off a couple of pounds. But it was exhausting and time by time I was becoming very nervous and stressed over simplest things. I was very off balance - mentally and physically. I needed something to get myself together...<br />
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And there, it came to me - i had to look deep into root of my lifestyle - not just picking from the top. And I randomly did...Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-57409826865741053282010-05-02T11:26:00.000-07:002010-05-02T11:26:25.852-07:00Soba noodles with Tempura (Tempura-soba)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUEJWsk3ks8VDnOS6tGdU_IaLA1URKbgxWvYRG2jGudm6DVCQpfZTVsN_LdyjueRn1qLvJhUwBPmZWGAlyvtQeeYWw-qMkKBghBPgSNGKr2t0mUwFgrCUw3SZwVqL5WUoqWRqmCYouh0tn/s1600/tempura+soba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUEJWsk3ks8VDnOS6tGdU_IaLA1URKbgxWvYRG2jGudm6DVCQpfZTVsN_LdyjueRn1qLvJhUwBPmZWGAlyvtQeeYWw-qMkKBghBPgSNGKr2t0mUwFgrCUw3SZwVqL5WUoqWRqmCYouh0tn/s320/tempura+soba.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Japanese kitchen is impossible without tempura. I was looking at this recipe for long while and was always feeling a bit afraid of trying it. Deep drying was just not my thing, I thought.<br />
I went through some recipes, video tutorials and finally was ready for this experiment. To begin with - let me highlight some tips which were very helpful for me:<br />
1. Oil temperature should be about 160-170 C (320-340 F) for meat of thick and large pieces; about 170-180 C (340-360 F) for meat of a small bite-size pieces. For vegetables though - 160-170 C (320-340 F) is quite enough. Best way to determine temperature of oil is candy thermometer. But there are some hint ho to without. Tip 1: drop a few drops of batter into frying pan with oil and if it sinks to the bottom of the pan and floats up to the surface quickly than temperature is around 160 C. Tip 2: drop of batter sinks halfway to the bottom, and floats up quickly - about 170 C.<br />
2. Ingredients for deep frying should be put in order. First: pumpkin, sweet potato and carrot (all vegetables with a little smell). Second: squid, shrimp and sillago (and other seafood or meat).<br />
3. Do not deep fry many ingredients at once - they will overlap with each other preventing heat from distributing evenly.<br />
4. Before tossing ingredients in batter - pat them dry and sprinkle with some flour.<br />
5. Use really cold water, add few pieces of ice if needed.<br />
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I made tempura only with shrimps and served it over soba noodles in tasty stock. Soba can be easily substituted for udon.<br />
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Ingredients for Tempura:<br />
8 fresh shrimps in shell<br />
4 pieces of maitake mushrooms<br />
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Ingredients for Tempura batter:<br />
1 egg yolk + chilled water to make 3/5 cup (5 oz or 142-150 ml)<br />
3/5 cup of Hakurikiko flour (weak flour with gluten content 6 1/2-9 %)<br />
Oil for deep frying (canola is mainly used, hence does not have a strong smell)<br />
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Method:<br />
1. Wash shrimps in cold salty water. Remove the heads of the shrimps, devein and shell. Remove back vein with toothpick. Chop off the tips of the shrimp tails and gently press out moisture with a flat blade of the knife. If moisture remains in the tail - it will cause oil to sputter). To prevent shrimp from curling, make 3 incisions across the belly and open each of the cuts with hands to straighten the body. Wash and pat dry the mushrooms.<br />
2. To prepare the batter: sift the flour. In a mixing bawl, lightly beat the egg yolk and pour in chilled water to make 2/5 cup. Add the sifted flour, and stir briefly. Do not over-mix, other wise the batter will become too sticky.<br />
3. Dust shrimps and mushrooms with extra flour. Heat oil and start deep-frying while coating each ingredient with batter. Deep fry maitake first, than shrimps. Skim the oil surface to keep it clean. When the bubbles around the edges of each piece become small with the noise fading away - touch it with cooking chop-sticks. When the batter feels crispy, it is time to take it out of the pan. Place them on draining tray.<br />
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Ingredients for noodles:<br />
7 oz dried soba (buckwheat noodles)<br />
8 Tempura deep fried-shrimps (recipe above)<br />
1 inch green onions<br />
3-4 stalks trefoil<br />
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Ingredients for broth:<br />
3 1/3 cups water<br />
1 tsp granulated Dashi (Niboshi small dried sardines and bonito flakes flavor)<br />
3 Tbsp sake<br />
3 Tbsp soy sauce<br />
3 Tbsp Mirin sweet cooking wine<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
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Method:<br />
1. Bring water to the boil in a large pot. Place soba noodles in the pot, boil while stirring with chop-sticks. When the water rolls up to the edges of the pot, pour in 2/5 cup of cold water. It will reduce the boiling and make noodles harder. Cook for as long as prescribed on the package - mainly 6 minutes. Drain soba on the sieve, rub and rinse in running cold water to eliminate slipperiness.<br />
2. To prepare broth - bring water to boil with dissolved dashi. Add sake, soy sauce, miring and salt. Simmer for 1 minute.<br />
3. Put noodles into donburi bawls and put tempura on top. Pour on hot broth and garnish with green onions and trefoil stalks cut into 5 inch lengths.Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-78238526893752331852010-04-22T23:10:00.000-07:002010-04-22T23:21:18.679-07:00Death by Chocolate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJopxO_sf66yB19bmi1Xtmz_bEpn8_nL3utq4f-9yIAL2cQGceVuKsme3awk4Hi15a9nPkj8a4d9ccbm9rTFXaOfIjc4gX0Lyb7-WxHIMltsExP4Mdvcz-GxAVLhjTCNL0S1-HNmp81f3n/s1600/sour+cream+brownies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJopxO_sf66yB19bmi1Xtmz_bEpn8_nL3utq4f-9yIAL2cQGceVuKsme3awk4Hi15a9nPkj8a4d9ccbm9rTFXaOfIjc4gX0Lyb7-WxHIMltsExP4Mdvcz-GxAVLhjTCNL0S1-HNmp81f3n/s320/sour+cream+brownies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;clear: both; ">Sour Cream Brownies </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;clear: both; "><br /></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;clear: both; ">Adapted from <a href="http://pieceofcakeblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/rich-chocolate-snack-cake.html">Piece of Cake Blog</a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;clear: both; "><br /></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;clear: both; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />2 tablespoons premium cocoa powder (I love Valrhona)<br />6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces<br />7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into pieces (chocolate chips work fine, I like Ghiradelli)<br />1 3/4 cup dark brown sugar<br />4 large eggs<br />1/2 cup sour cream<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract</span></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;clear: both; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">1/2 cup dry cranberries<br /><br />Set an oven rack to the center position and preheat the to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, and spray with cooking spray.<br /><br />In a small bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa powder and set aside.<br /><br />In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Allow it to bubble for about 10 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute or two, and then whisk until smooth. Let cool for a minute while you prepare the rest of the recipe.<br /><br />In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and eggs until smooth. Whisk in the sour cream, salt and vanilla until well-blended. Stir in the chocolate and butter mixture, then fold in the flour and cocoa mixture just until it dissappears into the batter. Add dry cherries and mix.<br /><br />Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the until the brownies just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 30 minutes.<br /><br />Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a rack before cutting into squares.</span></div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-81017209836768071742010-04-16T01:52:00.000-07:002010-04-16T01:52:42.794-07:00Tofu and Wakame Miso Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0J8BGz6Lnw15vbD1CdfDjsvbPNVvqSIR7Q8mNnMpUJljz-XHVE6ymZn9QcxPOkApnYWtgTW7rj8-0iacwi53gfseu3cLa0i_Qh56mY5Sgnm48mdtqxjZc_4VBl0fZ9WK-SGt49Dv3-dWD/s1600/miso+soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0J8BGz6Lnw15vbD1CdfDjsvbPNVvqSIR7Q8mNnMpUJljz-XHVE6ymZn9QcxPOkApnYWtgTW7rj8-0iacwi53gfseu3cLa0i_Qh56mY5Sgnm48mdtqxjZc_4VBl0fZ9WK-SGt49Dv3-dWD/s400/miso+soup.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Gohan described in previous post i served with warming bawl of Miso Soup.<br />
<br />
Ingredients (serves 2):<br />
1/2 cake of silken tofu (i used cutlet, hence had some left from gohan)<br />
20 g. wakame seaweed, reconstituted<br />
2 cups Dashi stock<br />
2-3 Tbsp red miso<br />
<br />
Method:<br />
1. Cut the tofu and wakame into bite-sized pieces.<br />
2. Pour the stock into pan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Add the tofu and wakame and remove from the heat before coming to the boil. Add the miso into the soup gradually while softening with some stock and dissolving on a ladle.<br />
Serve in individual bawls.Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-49138012855467846982010-04-16T01:44:00.000-07:002010-04-16T01:44:08.610-07:00Mixed Rice ("Takikomi-Gohan")<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IQPAPQ5MazK7NPfk8cVQZbIv8_wpBGMcQtTGegC048wO16KbP-TTogRpmNWFTgpKVE-2WPeBmEhFH8j5Hkq3oW0G6bP_Yi8UTrYjmzqDWVU8P0mBffaBj2rvqUhcUuPzSJzFtOI5GvDK/s1600/gohan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IQPAPQ5MazK7NPfk8cVQZbIv8_wpBGMcQtTGegC048wO16KbP-TTogRpmNWFTgpKVE-2WPeBmEhFH8j5Hkq3oW0G6bP_Yi8UTrYjmzqDWVU8P0mBffaBj2rvqUhcUuPzSJzFtOI5GvDK/s400/gohan.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Healthy and tasty rice dish with many ingredients. Everyone will love it!<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
1 cup japanese rice<br />
1/2 cup pearl barely<br />
1 packet of shimeji mushrooms (large)<br />
2 inch long carrot<br />
1/4 tofu cutlet<br />
<br />
For soup:<br />
4/5 cups dashi stock or water<br />
1 1/2 tsp. sugar<br />
1 Tbsp sake<br />
1 Tbsp Mirin<br />
1 1/2 tsp light soy sauce or 4/5 tsp dark soy sauce <br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
<br />
Method:<br />
1. Wash rice and barely 30 min prior to cooking and drain on colander.<br />
2. Cut carrots into julienne strips. Wash and drain mushrooms. Cut tofu into thin triangles.<br />
3. Pour in the stock, mushroom, carrots and tofu into pot, and heat everything. When it begins to boil lightly, add sugar and sake, and continue to simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and salt, continue to simmer briefly.<br />
4. Drain all ingredients through a sieve, reserving cooking liquid. Note: let all ingredients cool completely before cooking rice, hence it might start burning in the rice cooker.<br />
5. Place rice and barely into rice cooker, add simmering liquid. If there is not enough simmering liquid, add some water. Add solid ingredients from the sieve and mix everything lightly. Turn on heater. Note: water should be just a little bit above rice.<br />
6. When cooking is finished, keep the cooker covered and let stand for 10 minutes (do not use function "Keep Warm"!). Open the lid and mix everything. Serve warm with some trefoil if you like.Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-69669254964906933562010-04-02T11:05:00.000-07:002010-04-03T00:01:28.094-07:00Japanese Fried Noodles (Yakisoba)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2daPOx3MRpPSRUf3ro8PuTgVB61qi71OWiHJm5bj5mujy6cvFkVeMwpomgXKiCCjlqzzLEGUwAA_OZ-EBYex-PlKy-f8mp3MGloJB5aM91DtVMGY1nZVGiF04Uxl5mWGB24ZNd-Tu3HA/s1600-h/yakisoba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2daPOx3MRpPSRUf3ro8PuTgVB61qi71OWiHJm5bj5mujy6cvFkVeMwpomgXKiCCjlqzzLEGUwAA_OZ-EBYex-PlKy-f8mp3MGloJB5aM91DtVMGY1nZVGiF04Uxl5mWGB24ZNd-Tu3HA/s320/yakisoba.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>One of the most loved japanese dishes in our house (after curry of course). You just need some vegetables, any meat you like and yakisoba sauce. The sauce is a bit tricky - books and web offers quite a variety f possible ingredient, you can buy even ready one from japanese grocery or just use concentrate which comes sometimes in dry soba packs. (I will upload a pictures later of that type). I made yakisoba with Tonkatsu sauce base (Buldog Brand). It was recommended to me by some japanese couple shopping in japanese grocery.<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />2 portions (150 g. each) cooked soba noodles<br />60 g. chicken, cut into bite-size pieces<br />3 cabbage leaves<br />1/2 carrot<br />1/2 green bell pepper<br />3 stalks baby asparagus<br />3 baby corn<br />30 g. white mushrooms (keep in hot water if using dried)<br />2 Tbs. vegetable oil<br />Salt and pepper<br />For yakisoba "handmade" sauce:<br />1 Tbsp. oyster sauce<br />1 tsp. Japanese-style Workcestershire sauce<br />1 tsp. Tonkatsu sauce<br />2 tsp. soy sauce<br />2 Tbsp. Sake<br />Salt and pepper<br />For garnishing:<br />Green laver<br />Beni-shoga red vine-gared ginger.<br /><br />Method:<br />1. Cut chicken, season with salt and pepper. Cut the cabbage leaves into 3/8 inch wide rectangles. Peel the carrot and cut into thin stripes. Soak dried mushrooms in hot water. Cut asparagus and baby corns diagonally in three pieces. Slice green bell pepper into thin stripes.<br />2. Mix all ingredients for sauce in a small bawl and set aside.<br />3. Start stir frying in two portions (one for each). Spread 1 Tbsp. of oil over the frying pan or wok and add chicken, mushrooms and all vegetables. Stir fry for 3 minutes. Add noodles and fry. For better taste - fry the noodles until both sides are browned first, during drying drizzle 1 tsp. of sake or mirin on them to enhance the taste even more.<br />4. Add sauce to yakisoba in pan and stir to coat. Arrange on one plate and cover to keep warm.<br />5. Prepare second portion following above instructions.<br />6. Sprinkle on top green laver and garnish with beni-shoga red vinegar ginger.<br />7. Eat with <a href="http://lazyducky.blogspot.com/2010/04/marinated-cucumber-and-wakame-seaweed.html">marinated cucumbers with wakame seaweed</a> or kimchee (chinese pickles cabbage)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UXay9VZxgOFWzFYUun5FfT6muJ5kHsDI4MuzdrOsHzZ2pKqJ_zHZFYR5PK1xzn7ZaB59hyVZkqzEmqwXH9JdKb4dRn_MY4Nb7E2upvmEfN_BlTG5ncjwzwOWR6nAM-xJIvNY5EkEtyYT/s1600-h/yakisobaandpickles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UXay9VZxgOFWzFYUun5FfT6muJ5kHsDI4MuzdrOsHzZ2pKqJ_zHZFYR5PK1xzn7ZaB59hyVZkqzEmqwXH9JdKb4dRn_MY4Nb7E2upvmEfN_BlTG5ncjwzwOWR6nAM-xJIvNY5EkEtyYT/s320/yakisobaandpickles.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-11505405401381021712010-04-02T10:37:00.000-07:002010-04-02T10:37:27.572-07:00Marinated Cucumber and Wakame Seaweed (Kyui wakame no amazu-ae)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcNWxNky3weZaSW1pHCAR8Vyp4dM8nj_eDOrYq4lrMbwWyUEL83ro4fjXp1F0doEURnTtmlvObPT_wVhkAW5eLmf9bRUD9htwliHyP37_RL9BadTkPodnQWWUx-wc40NEU6U1xu3p_P0G/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcNWxNky3weZaSW1pHCAR8Vyp4dM8nj_eDOrYq4lrMbwWyUEL83ro4fjXp1F0doEURnTtmlvObPT_wVhkAW5eLmf9bRUD9htwliHyP37_RL9BadTkPodnQWWUx-wc40NEU6U1xu3p_P0G/" width="320" /></a></div>Quick japanese pickles dressed with sweet vinegar sauce. In original recipe in book "Recipes of Japanese cooking" one more ingredient being added - Shirasu Dried Young Sardine, but i did not have them on hands so made it just out of two ingredients: cucumber and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakame">wakame</a>.<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
1 cucumber<br />
10 g. wakame seaweed (salt cured)<br />
Pinch salt<br />
For sweet vinegar sauce:<br />
2 Tbsp. vinegar<br />
2 Tbsp. sugar<br />
pinch of salt (1/8 tsp.)<br />
2 Tbsp Dashi stock (from powder - i used <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombu">kombu</a> and bonito flavor)<br />
<br />
Method:<br />
1. Prepare sweet vinegar sauce: put vinegar, sugar and salt in a bawl and stir to dissolve completely. Add the stock and cool in refrigerator.<br />
2. Salt cucumber and roll onto a cutting board. Rinse in cold water and cut in a thin slices (edge cut technic). Soak in salted water until softened <i>(20-30 minutes)</i>. Squeeze out to drain extra liquid.<br />
3. Soak wakame seaweed in cold water to soften, string an cut (<i>if it comes in one piece - mine was already shredded)</i>. Blanch the seaweed in boiling water and soak in cold water <i>(I just run through it with a boiling water from kettle and then soaked in cold water to cool)</i>. Wipe it dry with paper towel.<br />
4. Let all ingredients prepared above rest in a refrigerator until immediately prior to serving. Drain the water of ingredients and mix well with the sweet vinegar sauce.<br />
<br />
Thanks a lot for the great recipe experience to "Recipes of Japanese Cooking by Yuko Fujita"Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-66438985704635110232010-04-01T06:56:00.000-07:002010-04-01T07:00:16.296-07:00Kusa Mahshi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAgmsXRmf4wqXxvHv01oVdgBQIvIbuCA1ArHwgLddUonsWk0R3ziwyRPoLBXwI_dPcRZhFQrAnDvPnpCOAhVZtok2Nj8j4wg7vMsD-RkDTvJEdheqy8inGyQi3Dqe8tpI4YgIhxvoUfOB/s1600-h/DSCN2037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAgmsXRmf4wqXxvHv01oVdgBQIvIbuCA1ArHwgLddUonsWk0R3ziwyRPoLBXwI_dPcRZhFQrAnDvPnpCOAhVZtok2Nj8j4wg7vMsD-RkDTvJEdheqy8inGyQi3Dqe8tpI4YgIhxvoUfOB/s320/DSCN2037.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Kusa Mahshi is arabic name for minced meat stuffed baby zucchini. Usually made in tomato sauce or yogurt sauce. <div><br />Ingredients:<br />6-8 mini zucchini, middle part removed<br />150 g. minced lamb<br />100 g. rice soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes<br />3 garlic gloves<br />Salt and pepper<br />1 tsp. Baharat (arabic 7 spice mix)<br />1 tsp. dry mint<br />1 can diced tomatoes<br />2 Tbsp. Tomato paste<br />1 bouillon cube Maggi<br /><br />Method:<br />1. Prepare zucchini by removing flesh from the middle. Wash a pat dry.<br />2. Fry minced lamb for 5 minutes and mix with previously soaked in boiling water rice, baharat, sat, pepper and 1 minced garlic glove. Set aside to cool.<br />3. Put a shallow pan on the medium fire, add 2 cups of water and dissolve one beef or lamb bullion cube. Bring to boil and add can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste and bring to a simmer.<br />4. Stuff zucchinis with cooled meat mixture, do not reach 0,5 cm till the top of zucchini.<br />5. Add remaining minced garlic and dry mint to tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper.<br />6. Add stuffed zucchinis to simmering sauce, cover with a lid and let it simmer on very law heat for 30-40 minutes. Do not over boil - zucchinis should be soft but not mashy to touch.<br />7. Serve hot with tomato sauce over vermicelli rice. Sprinkle with mint.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSZhEocS0HI-SbFo7LvncyqL9nUTU2iVlf0Rs0tWzTKX13MTNcvqidej0Lew_OK5CD9CQ9AVLtovVzfj40zcQuTdGjMVjClfTr2DRa0Foi4vuCeze6SzM0W8DpheP4rbyddd9i8RzlpBb/s1600-h/kusa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSZhEocS0HI-SbFo7LvncyqL9nUTU2iVlf0Rs0tWzTKX13MTNcvqidej0Lew_OK5CD9CQ9AVLtovVzfj40zcQuTdGjMVjClfTr2DRa0Foi4vuCeze6SzM0W8DpheP4rbyddd9i8RzlpBb/s320/kusa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Sahtein!</div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com1Dubai - United Arab Emirates25.25 55.324.9394805 54.833081 25.5605195 55.766918999999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-78211990485668925822010-03-20T00:31:00.001-07:002010-03-20T00:54:28.611-07:00Japanese Curry<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkL_-UpSfmHR-1IG9q5H4_scXgptxWDJeFdueZFKLkEe8dQy-RbBxgjN0gcwxq5lmayiadDVkXrFjNj7u-Fh2XeyThzYN6QhzIaZFZoprsesRsz-Ip9me3kB5V0GscrtQdTelEiUseCbfQ/s1600-h/japanese+carry+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450615516440931314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkL_-UpSfmHR-1IG9q5H4_scXgptxWDJeFdueZFKLkEe8dQy-RbBxgjN0gcwxq5lmayiadDVkXrFjNj7u-Fh2XeyThzYN6QhzIaZFZoprsesRsz-Ip9me3kB5V0GscrtQdTelEiUseCbfQ/s320/japanese+carry+2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Loving it, Loving it, Loving It! I cannot explain the taste of it - you just have to try! Authentic recipe calls to use ground beef in this recipe, but why not to experiment and tailor it to your liking? I do it vegetarian, with chicken pieces or over Katsu (breaded beef or chicken). This one is with some dried mushrooms bought from Japanese grocery!<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />1 medium carrot<br />1 medium potato<br />1 medium onion<br />1/2 cup of dried mushrooms<br />1 cm fresh ginger<br />1 clove of garlic<br />1/2 block of "Golden Curry" Roux Medium Hot<br />Salt, pepper to taste<br />Dashi Stock or Chicken/vegetable stock<br />1 cup Japanese steamed rice<br />Pickled ginger or Kimchee for serving (not pictured)<br /><br />Method:<br />1. Cover mushrooms with boiling water and let it stand for 30 minutes.<br />2. Cut onions: first cut each half of the onion into 3 wedges and dice in three parts. So the onion pieces should be pretty chunky.<br />3. Grind ginger and garlic.<br />4. Cut carrot and potatoes in medium size cubes or using Japanese technique for cutting into angles.<br />5. Add some canola oil into sauce pan and fry ginger and garlic for 1/2 minute.<br />6. Add onions, potato and carrot and stir fry for 1 minute.<br />7. Add mushrooms along with a water, add more water or dashi stock (you can use chicken stock from the cube).<br />8. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and cover with lid. Let it simmer for 20 minutes.<br />9. Add "Golden Curry" Roux and let it dissolve in simmering liquid of the stock. Keep on the law heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The dish is ready when all vegetables are cooked through. Be careful and do not over boil so the potato will not lose its form.<br />10. Remove from the heat - let it stand for 10 minutes, during this time the sauce will settle and become thicker.<br />11. Serve over steamed Japanese rice and eat with pickled ginger and Kimchee.<br /><br />So good!!!!!!!!!!!!Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-24580294284811575002010-03-20T00:07:00.000-07:002010-03-20T00:28:31.150-07:00Green Wheat with Chcken ("Freekeh Ma Dajaj")<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EFUffvSwhLhykGrJ_BWs1_tqgmSenKtXBAPG8odLxhHedY0g4ZDlFVQLNJLc9py7XJChvXCO-Kw3a6oVu70PrHVo-vMUkoYz_4JgaF6BdKfVZCLILqX81VgO2EKuiMMTuX1NnYfRTQm3/s1600-h/freekeh+final+large.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450610131262338450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 234px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EFUffvSwhLhykGrJ_BWs1_tqgmSenKtXBAPG8odLxhHedY0g4ZDlFVQLNJLc9py7XJChvXCO-Kw3a6oVu70PrHVo-vMUkoYz_4JgaF6BdKfVZCLILqX81VgO2EKuiMMTuX1NnYfRTQm3/s320/freekeh+final+large.jpg" border="0" /></a> One of my favorite Middle Eastern Dishes. Freekeh (or Farik) - is the type of cerela made from green weat which goes through a roasting process in its production. The wheat is harvested while the grains are yellow and the seeds are still soft; it is then piled and sun-dried. The piles are then carefully set on fire so only the straw and chaff burn and not the seeds. It is the high moisture content of the seeds that prevents them from burning. The now roasted wheat undergoes further thrashing and sun-drying to make the flavor, texture, and color uniform. It is this thrashing or rubbing process of the grains that gives this food its name, farīk or “rubbed.” The seeds are now cracked into smaller pieces so they look like a green bulgur. It typically served with chicken, but variation with Lamb is aslo possible.<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />1/2 Chicken cut in pieces with bones and skin on<br />1 cup Freekeh<br />1/2 large onion<br />Olive oil<br />Toasted Pine Nuts<br />Water enough to cover chicken<br /><br />Spices:<br />1/2 tsp. cinnamon<br />1/2 tsp. cardamom (or pods)<br />1/2 tsp. nutmeg<br />1/2 tsp. Baharat (Arabic Spice mix)<br />Black pepper corns<br />Salt to taste<br /><br />1. Prepare the chicken and boil it with spices until cooked.<br />2. Wash freekeh in large amount of water discarding dirt and stones. Drain in colander for 30 minutes.<br />3. Remove cooked chicken from stock, sprinkle with spices, brush with a bit of olive oil and cook in hot oven for 15 minutes just to give it some crispiness.<br />4. Drain stock.<br />5. Cook some diced onions in the skillet with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil until translucent. Add freekeh and cover with chicken stock - 3 cm. above surface. Bring to boil, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Give it a stir once in a while or add more water or stock if needed.<br />6. Serve in one plate, garnish with toasted pine nuts or browned onions.Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-57729692175407640952010-03-12T21:34:00.001-08:002010-03-12T22:01:30.332-08:00Buffalo Chicken Wings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FUsq3JKv1_aZef6nl0y7itAyk9Bvk6E3Ay99gcV9ZABN8AWaqx5JLBDtCftZwAMxINVkbg6mga0mP33_56HvQcMPDvUw8mEe6QXbjtWz-RDonIATYju5HkWSYRwk8bBQhGX2dJccHque/s1600-h/DSCN1343.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FUsq3JKv1_aZef6nl0y7itAyk9Bvk6E3Ay99gcV9ZABN8AWaqx5JLBDtCftZwAMxINVkbg6mga0mP33_56HvQcMPDvUw8mEe6QXbjtWz-RDonIATYju5HkWSYRwk8bBQhGX2dJccHque/s320/DSCN1343.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447988999471180802" /></a>American Classic for beer night at home!<div><br /></div><div><i>Ingredients for crispy wings:</i></div><div><i>5 pounds whole chicken wings</i></div><div><i>1 tsp. salt</i></div><div><i>1 tsp. black ground pepper</i></div><div><i>2 Tbsp. hot sauce</i></div><div><i>2 Tbsp. vegetable oil</i></div><div><i>1 1/2 cup all purpose flour</i></div><div><i>Non-stick oil spray</i></div><div><i>1 cup of Buffalo Sauce (recipe below)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Method:</div><div>1. Cut wings into three sections: "tip", "flat" and "drum". We will use two bigger ones only for this recipe - but the smallest section "tip" can be reserved to make chicken stock.</div><div>2. To the bowl of chicken wings, add salt, pepper, hot sauce and oil. Toss to coat evenly.</div><div>3. Add flout to large plastic bag and pour in chicken wings. Shake to coat the wings in flour.</div><div>4. Cover two baking sheets in foil, spray them with non-stick spray. Place the floured wings evenly on the pans in one layer, spray the tops of the wings lightly with oil.</div><div>5. Bake in preheated 200 C oven for 30 minutes, then turn over each wing and bake for another 30 minutes, or until wings are golden brown and coating is getting crispy. </div><div>6. Transfer wings to a large mixing bowl. Pour the sauce (recipe below) over the hot wings and toss with spoon or spatula to completely coat.</div><div>7. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving, so the sauce will soak into the skin.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Buffalo Sauce:</i></div><div><i>8 Tbsp. Louisiana hot sauce (best, but i used Tabasco, hence did not find the one)</i></div><div><i>8 Tbsp. unsalted butter</i></div><div><i>1 1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar</i></div><div><i>1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper</i></div><div><i>1/8 tsp. garlic powder</i></div><div><i>1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce</i></div><div><i>Salt to taste</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Method:</div><div>1. Mix all ingredients in saucepan, bring to a simmer over law heat, stirring occasionally, an then turn off the heat.</div><div><br /></div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-83197701039663940622010-01-29T23:06:00.001-08:002010-01-30T00:07:58.935-08:00Fish with Sesame Paste Sauce ("Samak Bil Tahina")<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTIs8AkUr81wAE7sr3hmUrE6ujR3UNHIRrh8V0CjnK6mESxsE-zbem_L2zDGLeqiNGNDz23j3HE2SFrv8botcPwHmpRjQ8qrUY4xOjsyOYdjDhluJywRvdrOV7r3njEIOn6bUhm6jofNT/s1600-h/sumak+ma+tahina.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTIs8AkUr81wAE7sr3hmUrE6ujR3UNHIRrh8V0CjnK6mESxsE-zbem_L2zDGLeqiNGNDz23j3HE2SFrv8botcPwHmpRjQ8qrUY4xOjsyOYdjDhluJywRvdrOV7r3njEIOn6bUhm6jofNT/s320/sumak+ma+tahina.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432425887372686450" /></a>One of the best arabic dishes! <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahina">Tahina</a> sauce goes perfectly well with fish. <div><br /></div><div>Ingredients:</div><div>500 g. fillet of white fish (hammour) </div><div>Salt, pepper, olive oil</div><div>1/2 tahina (sesame seed paste)</div><div>1 cup water</div><div>juice from one lemon</div><div>1/2 onion chopped </div><div>2 cloves of garlic</div><div>Pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, green onions</div><div><br /></div><div>Method:</div><div>1. Prepare fish: wash, discard any left over bones, pat dry, season from both sides and drizzle with olive oil. </div><div>2. Bake in preheated to 180 C oven for 10-15 minutes. Time depends on if you cook one big peace or two smaller ones. Do not over bake.</div><div>3. Prepare sauce: mix tahina, lemon juice and water and bring to a light boil, just to dissolve the paste. In another skillet fry some onions with garlic in 1 Tbsp. of olive oil, add to tahina mixture and mix well.</div><div>4. Remove fish from the oven and spread tahina sauce over it. Place back to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.</div><div>5. Garnish with fried pine nuts and green onions on top.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sahten! :-)</div><div><br /></div><div>PS: for side dish i made some basmati rice with turmeric and raisins: </div><div>1. Wash 2 cups of basmati rice until water will become clear. Let it drain in a sieve for 30 minutes. </div><div>2. Heat some olive oil in heavy pan and fry rice for 2 minutes until coated well in oil and extra liquid evaporated. </div><div>3. Add 3 cups of boiling salted water and close the lead, leave on law heat for 10 minutes.</div><div>4. Open the lead and quickly drizzle 1 tsp. of turmeric over rice, close the lead again and cook for another 5 minutes or until rice cooked through and fluffy.</div><div>5. In small skillet heat 1 Tbs. of olive oil, add washed and dried raisins and fry for a minute. </div><div>6. Add to rice and mix all together before serving. Or just drizzle over rice on serving plate.</div><div><br /></div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-35623216004823692532010-01-19T08:15:00.000-08:002010-01-19T08:42:45.136-08:00Korvapuustit - Finnish Cinnamon Rolls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9YhNsgFkxG7A7WmpZpCxiGdkEa2KeNYgSG9LnK05h30X5CSsezF1zsdF4uXIm9Omhiq_eW9B5hmQJYZuBovc_T2HBqfKPDHikWbONBYRvhLsctI8S2sB74YxSluOO33eXROObaTyuJC4/s1600-h/+cinabon+rolls.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9YhNsgFkxG7A7WmpZpCxiGdkEa2KeNYgSG9LnK05h30X5CSsezF1zsdF4uXIm9Omhiq_eW9B5hmQJYZuBovc_T2HBqfKPDHikWbONBYRvhLsctI8S2sB74YxSluOO33eXROObaTyuJC4/s320/+cinabon+rolls.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428485445828140162" /></a>I love cinnamon! It is so delicious with yeasted dough. I did not want to make those thick and sticky "Cinabon" rolls. Quite opposite, i love baked goods to be not as fattening as they might be. Those rolls you can by in europe in supermarkets, did not try them freshly baked though, but they sell them just in plastic bags which can be stored over time. This is how i made them.<div><br /></div><div>Ingredients:</div><div>1 packet of active dry yeast (10-11 g.)</div><div>250 ml. milk</div><div>100 ml. sugar (I put 75 ml.)</div><div>450-500 g. flour </div><div>1 tsp. cardamom powder </div><div>75 g. buter at room temperature</div><div>1/2 tsp. salt</div><div><br /></div><div>Filling:</div><div>2 tbsp. butter at room temperature</div><div>2 tbsp. cinnamon powder</div><div>3 tbsp. sugar</div><div><br /></div><div>Egg for brushing</div><div>Sugar for sprinkle</div><div><br /></div><div>Method:</div><div>1. Mix cardamom, sugar and and salt dissolve in slightly warm milk. </div><div>2. Sift most of the flour and mix with yeasts. Pour into milk mixture and mix until smooth. </div><div>3. Add butter and remaining flour, keep mixing until dough will not be sticking to the mixing bawl.</div><div>4. Cover with plastic film and let it rise in some warm place, until double in size. 40 minutes to 1 hour. </div><div>5. In meanwhile mix together cinnamon and sugar. Prepare butter, softened at room temperature and brush.</div><div>6. Kneed dough after rising for few minutes, then roll into rectangular 40 by 50 cm. </div><div>7. Spread the butter over it, keeping 1 cm from one side. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon filling. Roll into roulade. </div><div>8. Cut it diagonally, so one side of it will be about 5 cm, and another 3 cm.</div><div>9. Place rolls on the baking sheet, lined with baking paper leaving 5 cm. space between.</div><div>10. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it double in size (40 minutes or so).</div><div>11. Preheat oven to 225C. </div><div>12. Beat egg yolk with a little bit of water and brush the rolls.</div><div>13. Press with a spoon in the middle down. Sprinkle with some sugar or cinnamon on top. </div><div>14. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lovely for breakfast! My BF loved them! I wish you too.</div><div><br /></div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-74574998758698851012010-01-14T21:17:00.000-08:002010-01-14T21:31:09.086-08:00Leek and Potato Soup with Pesto<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-w8FxaSyH6wPad_v4IOOq0o0_gCBJm7JGHhd-oZ868cVMwwURrsHLs42NBb4GLVW-vTlR_e2i6306243t9XpEFsizXc-d5QuXE7ieBbjvhLyX-ZHJiECMxmAS6tvFjKboZv-mFc0Lcnho/s1600-h/potato+and+leek+soup.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-w8FxaSyH6wPad_v4IOOq0o0_gCBJm7JGHhd-oZ868cVMwwURrsHLs42NBb4GLVW-vTlR_e2i6306243t9XpEFsizXc-d5QuXE7ieBbjvhLyX-ZHJiECMxmAS6tvFjKboZv-mFc0Lcnho/s320/potato+and+leek+soup.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426831820200668082" /></a>Light warming dinner for "cold" Dubai winter. After New holidays and baking, nice to have some healthy meals. <div><br /></div><div>Ingredients:</div><div>500 g. big potatoes </div><div>1 Medium Leek</div><div>1/2 white onion</div><div>1 garlic clove</div><div>1/2 -1 l. vegetable stock</div><div>1/2 milk or cream or sour cream</div><div>Thyme</div><div>Red pepper flakes</div><div>Salt and White pepper</div><div><br /></div><div>Method:</div><div>1. Finely chop onions and garlic. </div><div>2. Wash leak well, discarding outer layer. Cut in slices only white part.</div><div>3. In heavy bottom pan, heat a little of olive oil and fry onions, leeks and garlic for 5 minutes.</div><div>4. Season with red pepper flakes.</div><div>5. Wash and scrub potatoes, without peeling. Slice into thin rounds.</div><div>6. Add potatoes to pan and let it sweat for 3 minutes, mixing with another vegetables.</div><div>7. Add stock. Boil until tender. </div><div>8. Remove from heat, give it a swirl with electric mixer until smooth, add milk. </div><div>9. Return to the heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring sometimes. Add more stock if the soup is too thick. </div><div>10. Garnish with some pesto on top and croutons.</div><div><br /></div><div>Healthy eating! </div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-30450788982083111492010-01-07T21:38:00.000-08:002010-01-07T22:30:57.357-08:00Macarons: First Experience - Advise Needed!!!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaeIx8e5fz0xlkY9Dmys_PND-UefhTJJprOuwH26tzYUhSvbAa8vsu3Xl-cY4pssccLsK-laLdEfnBDuI3uOYWYdI7ZWapaYntWhjKFsEVzU3OE-ytsImIqfkUXC9C13AqMLxK3hxTXRI/s1600-h/mcarons1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaeIx8e5fz0xlkY9Dmys_PND-UefhTJJprOuwH26tzYUhSvbAa8vsu3Xl-cY4pssccLsK-laLdEfnBDuI3uOYWYdI7ZWapaYntWhjKFsEVzU3OE-ytsImIqfkUXC9C13AqMLxK3hxTXRI/s320/mcarons1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424240004641844674" /></a>It was challenging! I always wanted to try them, but was pretty scared. So decided to make only few. Took one egg, separated white part and kept it at room temperature from morning to evening. As advised by most of the articles - eggs should be aged minimum 4 days. Mine were in the fridge for 5 days after purchase and the last day at room temperature. Another essential rule - all ingredients should be precisely weighted. One more, helpful (but nor essential) is that any coloring should be only powdered substance - i used Green Tea "Matcha". <div><br /></div><div><i>Ingredients: </i></div><div><i>38 g. egg white (from one large)</i></div><div><i>42 g. powdered almonds</i></div><div><i>76 g. powdered sugar</i></div><div><i>19 g. granulated sugar</i></div><div><i>some Matcha for color </i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Method:</i></div><div>1. Combine ground almonds and powdered sugar in food processor and sift through a fine sieve.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">Some articles advices to put this mixture on the baking sheet and dry in the oven for 5 minutes. I did not do this. Added Matcha to the mixture.</span></div><div>2. Beat egg whites in clean dry bowl, until they hold soft peak.</div><div>3. Slowly add granulated sugar and beat until mixture is glossy and holds stiff peaks.</div><div>To check: turn bowl upside down - they should not move.</div><div>4. Add one third of almond mixture and fold gently with spatula to combine. </div><div>5. Add remaining almonds and sugar to meringue in two steps. Do not overfold, but fully incorporate all ingredients.</div><div>6. Spoon the mixture into the pastry bag with plain half-inch tip. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">Alternatively you can use a plastic bag.</span></div><div>7. Pipe one-inch mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with baking paper.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">Once piped, bang the sheet down on a counter top to flatten any mounds and bring up air bubbles.</span></div><div>8. Leave unbaked macarons out to dry for 1 hour. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsO9sOKFvb4L5DbOwC0jsLTx72PrsJv3xHc3iy1f5wttBKyg8wsqka68OoB_SQhVjVsfF9oODxAJ9EX1zM4wmAynbckZW72N7lLPfBqcWVJaIkbxyw0H2DXyRVvUp0WhCdsoNZ_SIITZI/s1600-h/macarons4.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsO9sOKFvb4L5DbOwC0jsLTx72PrsJv3xHc3iy1f5wttBKyg8wsqka68OoB_SQhVjVsfF9oODxAJ9EX1zM4wmAynbckZW72N7lLPfBqcWVJaIkbxyw0H2DXyRVvUp0WhCdsoNZ_SIITZI/s320/macarons4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424249994839757506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">We have a high humidity level in Dubai, so i opened an oven door and placed macarons on the rack on the door.It took half an hour. To check if macarons are dry enough - touch their top with a finger tip - if it is no longer sticky - then they are dry enough.</span></div><div>9. Bake macarons for 20-22 minutes in preheated to 140C oven. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">Here I faced a challenge - my oven is not maintaining static temperature and i had to run around for a while to adjust the temperature every once in a while. I guess it effected final result :-(</span></div><div>10. Cool on rack before removing from the baking paper, 15 minutes or so.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">To remove easier - sprinkle some cold water under baking paper. Do not keep them for a long on the baking sheet - in other wise they will become soggy. </span></div><div>11. Let cool completely and keep in air tied container in the fridge or fill with any cream. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">Hence i made only few as a tester party - i did not trouble myself with making a filling - just put some ready bought lemon curd.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Resolution:</i> Even though macarons did not crack and they had a beautiful shape and even developed their famous "belt", they were not quite alright - the batter inside the macaron was pretty wet (kind of unbaked), so if there is anyone out there knows why, please do let me know :-( </div><div>I do not give up and next experience to follow.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div><br /></div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-70448095231632421422009-12-25T23:29:00.000-08:002010-01-07T22:33:09.434-08:00Risotto with portobello mushrooms (Risotto Ala Fungi)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFtDc7gTABCmFJR5wFMpEaBD8ytofUsVQth_RRNPJ6gXNemAFgAAgzflJPaOwnLj1oocWp8FmanYqztaNW4b64MD-KB900j2f-ltbjbGmVhthoHFHlwYdCTDKomtmCwm236iH8FQ_o6rz/s1600-h/risotto+ala+fungi+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFtDc7gTABCmFJR5wFMpEaBD8ytofUsVQth_RRNPJ6gXNemAFgAAgzflJPaOwnLj1oocWp8FmanYqztaNW4b64MD-KB900j2f-ltbjbGmVhthoHFHlwYdCTDKomtmCwm236iH8FQ_o6rz/s320/risotto+ala+fungi+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419444106642139314" /></a>Loving risottos!<div><br /></div><div>Ingredients:</div><div>(serves 2)</div><div><br /></div><div>2 medium fresh portobello mushrooms</div><div>1 shallot, finely chopped </div><div>1 clove of garlic, minced</div><div>1 litre vegetable or chicken stock</div><div>1 cup Arborio rice</div><div>1/2 cup white wine (Marsala or other flavorable white wine)</div><div>2 Tbsp. butter</div><div>1 Tbsp. Virgin Olive oil</div><div>30 g. grated Romano cheese</div><div>20 g. grated Parmigiano cheese</div><div>Handfull chopped parsley </div><div><br /></div><div>Method:</div><div>1. Slice mushrooms in medium chunks. Put stock on low fire and keep it simmering during all cooking time. Stock should be hot, so when it will be added to rice it will not stop rice from cooking though. </div><div>2. Heat 1 Tbsp of butter and 1 Tbsp. of olive oil heave skillet (i used cast iron) on medium heat.</div><div>3. Add shallots and garlic and fry until transparent. Keep stirring all the time.</div><div>3. Add half the mushrooms to pan and fry for about 2 minutes, until mushrooms will become slightly brown. </div><div>4. Add rice and fry for 5 minutes, keep stirring until rice is fully covered in oil.</div><div>5. Pour wine. Let it be evaporated by 1/3.</div><div>6. Reduce heat to law, add remaining mushrooms and 1 cup os stock, season with salt and pepper. Keep adding stock and stirring for 15-20 minutes. Next cup of stock should be added only after previous one absorbed and level of liquid dropped to 1/3. Do not stop stirring. If you run out of stock add some hot water.</div><div>7. After 15 minutes pass - try the rice. If it is almost tender, but slightly hard in the middle - it is done. Simmer until remaining liquid will be absorbed by 90 %. </div><div>8. Stir in 1 Tbsp. of butter and all grated Romano. Remove from heat.</div><div>9. Close your pan with lid and let stand for few minutes. at this point risotto will gain its creaminess.</div><div>10. Stir in some parsley and serve. Garnish with some Parmigiano and more parsley. </div><div><br /></div><div>Bon Appétit! </div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-14516424026788893742009-12-19T08:00:00.000-08:002009-12-20T00:20:29.604-08:00Daring Cooks Challenge Dec'09: Salmon En Croute<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIYWiQ3EpJFhQqC_COVxjA2GQwZQA8y59quL3hH31Fth7z_FGUkhIvkJHhjqc2dyG6gca7put0fV0hKP7m4PBAdM3pSrnvoDM5ijG5DIbHxR0XyfelAiEDACJheGjS7aWNmXmqxHdgpqK/s1600-h/salmone+en+croute.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416978380583025922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIYWiQ3EpJFhQqC_COVxjA2GQwZQA8y59quL3hH31Fth7z_FGUkhIvkJHhjqc2dyG6gca7put0fV0hKP7m4PBAdM3pSrnvoDM5ijG5DIbHxR0XyfelAiEDACJheGjS7aWNmXmqxHdgpqK/s320/salmone+en+croute.jpg" border="0" /></a>I am not a member of daring kitchen yet, but hopefully soon will be. Anyway bumped into so many blogs lately cooking this lovely dish. I followed a recipe for ingredients from <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4371/salmon-en-croute">Good Food</a> and techniques described by <a href="http://www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/cookalong-live/cookalong-live-the-series/week-1/create-the-perfect-salmon-en-croute-08-10-20_p_1.html">Gordon</a>. So basically my variation is made of two layers of salmon as per Gordon but with spinach-cream cheese stuffing, like in original recipe on BBC Food website. <div><br /></div><div>Ingredients:</div><div>150 g. of cream cheese</div><div>130 g. of baby spinach and basil </div><div>500 g. of salmon filet </div><div>1 sheet of short crust pastry </div><div>1 egg for brushing pastry</div><div>salt\pepper</div><div><br /></div><div>Method:</div><div>1. Preheat oven to 200 C.</div><div>2. Prepare a baking trey: butter it and dust with a pinch of flour. </div><div>3. Grind baby spinach, basil and cream cheese into paste using mixer.</div><div>4. Cut salmon fillet in two halves, along the spine (so the salmon will be separated into back side and slimmer belly side). Dry salmon with paper towel. Spread spinach mixture on top of one side and cover it with another. </div><div>5. On slightly dusted with flour table, roll out pastry sheet. Place prepared stuffed salmon in the middle and fold it into the envelope, like on the Ramsay's video (link above), do not forget to brush the ends with egg, so they will become sticky. </div><div>6. Place salmon on baking trey folded side down. Make three holes with a knife on top, brush with beaten eggs, season top of the pastry with freshly ground salt and pepper.</div><div>7. Bake for 30 minutes, until crust will become nicely golden.</div><div><br /></div><div>In my opinion, two layers of salmon is too much and with only one layer like in recipe from Good food. But the folding technique and these seasoning on top of the dough is great idea. It gives to plain short crust great flavor!</div><div><div></div></div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-52789890266896277422009-12-18T23:24:00.000-08:002009-12-18T23:58:39.451-08:00Tvorog - russian farmercheese<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0wjodqt9pVab-kLjJJygtcA68HI6TsPyAE24bIt97bv-UtTNWeGohyphenhyphen08QgrDghLV01zQ-HFPeblxXPeRlfSTOh7LAXVIOFeoC_e7iTADi1pTPx3p3GeZ660BcLsHQbJx6cjNnaTmUjsJ/s1600-h/tvorog.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0wjodqt9pVab-kLjJJygtcA68HI6TsPyAE24bIt97bv-UtTNWeGohyphenhyphen08QgrDghLV01zQ-HFPeblxXPeRlfSTOh7LAXVIOFeoC_e7iTADi1pTPx3p3GeZ660BcLsHQbJx6cjNnaTmUjsJ/s320/tvorog.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416845430345890674" /></a>Tvorog is russian farmer cheese. Its consistency is very similar to cottage cheese or ricotta. Just it tastes a little more sourer then ricotta and should be a little more dry. Tvorog is very popular in russian cuisine. It is eaten as breakfast, popular in baked goods, as a children's food (hence it dairy product and high in calcium). <div><br /></div><div>The easiest way to make tvorog is from the "tvorog making ferments" (you can purchase them in russian special shops. Or from kefir, sour cream or natural yogurt (acting as a ferment). </div><div><br /></div><div>Recipe 1 (sour tvorog)</div><div><br /></div><div>Ingredients:</div><div>(300 g. of tvorog may be produced from each 1 liter of milk)</div><div>3 litres of milk</div><div>+ 1 cup of kefir or 1 cup of sour cream or 1 cup of yogurt 0r "tvorog making ferment"</div><div><br /></div><div>Method:</div><div>1. Heat milk in stainless still pan over medium heat until T will reach 70 C, stirring time by time.</div><div>2. Pour milk into the glass jar, add used by you ferment and close it with a lid. Leave it in room temperature over night or 24 hours. Clots will appear in milk. </div><div>3. Heat water in big pan, place an opened glass jar with milk into the boiling water (place a kitchen towel on the bottom of the pan to prevent overheating of the glass jar). Keep it there on ow heat for about 10 minutes. The why should separate and all the curds will float. </div><div>4. Remove the jar from the heat and let it cool to almost room temperature. </div><div>5. Line your colander with cheese cloth (or muslin) and pour the mixture into the colander. Reserve the whey - you can use in any recipe calling for butter milk or to make healthy pancakes. </div><div>6. Let it drain for 30 min to 1,5 hours. Depending on how dry you want to have your tvorog.</div><div>Ready! Store it for maximum a week in air tight container or freeze to use in bakery.</div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div>Recipe 2 (soft milky texture tvorog, very similar to ricotta) </div><div><br /></div><div>Ingredients:</div><div>(from 1,5 liter of milk 350 g of tvorog)</div><div>1,5 litres of milk</div><div>1,5 litres of plain yogurt</div><div>5 drops of vegetable rennet (optional) mixed with 0,5 tsp. of water (to increase speed of</div><div><br /></div><div>Method:</div><div>1. Mix milk and yogurt in big stainless still pan. Place over law to medium heat and let it reach 80-85 C. Do not stir. </div><div>2. Remove from heat, cover with a lid and let it cool to room temperature. </div><div>3. After it cooled down - make a cross with a wooden spoon to break the clots. Line the colander with cheese cloth, pour the mixture into it and let it drain until the mixture will reach desired texture. </div><div><br /></div><div>My preferred option is number one, because tvorog ended up with lovely sour taste, just like it should be originally. But the second option is much faster. So i use both. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the picture is tvorog mixed with some sugar and sour cream, topped with strawberry puree and some more sour cream. I had it for my early lunch at home. </div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-7344993270271979952009-12-18T22:52:00.000-08:002009-12-18T23:09:33.087-08:00Nigella's Marsala Pears<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP731VtIvmUpWNv7W3nObQolmFV9iV8lZTYPK6ZVc3Ot4u-qsCmyjfvVwRgRegdrJfkdgAF6IqUpMa93Pa6vq8SgKiEljE_nSet8n_6_OtguRpO5005ydW7aXdGlNKQi0KKk1cFCryaPuF/s1600-h/marsala+pears+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP731VtIvmUpWNv7W3nObQolmFV9iV8lZTYPK6ZVc3Ot4u-qsCmyjfvVwRgRegdrJfkdgAF6IqUpMa93Pa6vq8SgKiEljE_nSet8n_6_OtguRpO5005ydW7aXdGlNKQi0KKk1cFCryaPuF/s320/marsala+pears+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416836598963155858" /></a>I love to make a wine evenings at home! Get good DVD to watch, bottle of good red wine and of course cheese. I usually used to prepare a regular cheese board with some grapes and fresh bread. But this time felt like making something different and at the same time not to exclude tradition of pairing wine with good cheese. Suddenly remembered that i watched how Nigella once was preparing her snacks for wine dinner with friends. And woa-la! This dish's preparation time is 30 min as maximum, but it is sooooo delicious! Sweet pears complement mild gorgonzola just perfect and walnuts'a appearance also is far from boring. Highly recommend you to try it for your wine evening!<div><br /></div><div>Ingredients:</div><div>2-3 pears cut lengthwise in 8 parts (skin and core on)</div><div>2 Tbsp. olive oil </div><div>3 Tbsp. Marsala </div><div>2 Tbsp. honey</div><div>50 g. walnut halves</div><div>500 g Gorgonzola (i made a cheese board for two, so used only 200 g)</div><div><br /></div><div>Method:</div><div>1. Heat oil in a large heavy pan over medium heat. Prepare your pears.</div><div>2. Fry pears for 3-4 min. on each side or until softened. </div><div>3. Meanwhile whisk Marsala and honey together in a cup or small bowl.</div><div>4. Add Marsala mixture to the pears allow to bubble and become syrupy. Transfer the pears to serving plate, reserving the syrupy mixture in the pan.</div><div>5. Add walnuts to the same pan and stir fry them for about a minute or until they are slightly darkened and sticky all over.</div><div>6. To serve, transfer the walnuts to serving plate along with any remaining juices and place the gorgonzola onto the plate. </div><div><br /></div><div>Original recipe adopted from <a href="www.bbc.co.uk/food">BBC Food</a> </div><div><br /></div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-755905383051516386.post-84331972986114396962009-12-18T22:36:00.000-08:002009-12-20T00:18:53.430-08:00Pumpkin Bread<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUp6S7EL-92_5eU4RjzvO4AhEJQFlWitfmsbrMpKG5LDD7k7knsq7y_ZKEqmDLXL-xt0aWodux9c7g2eJIi9-qVfngQ5P088Ric2ngi42CU32choR0GRIaa4TkM-ICSBcoEZDXw2tly6xz/s1600-h/pupmkin+bread.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416832850532932642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUp6S7EL-92_5eU4RjzvO4AhEJQFlWitfmsbrMpKG5LDD7k7knsq7y_ZKEqmDLXL-xt0aWodux9c7g2eJIi9-qVfngQ5P088Ric2ngi42CU32choR0GRIaa4TkM-ICSBcoEZDXw2tly6xz/s320/pupmkin+bread.jpg" border="0" /></a>Winter started in Dubai finally. Raining a lot. This pumpkin bread is perfect winter dessert bread, the recipe is very easy and you can add anything to it! I made 2 loafs: one with dried cranberry and another with semi-sweet chocolate chips. <div><br /></div><div>Ingredients:</div><div>(makes 2 loafs) </div><div><br /></div><div>3 cups all-purpose flour (can be substituted to whole wheat flour)</div><div>2 cups sugar (i substituted one of them to brown sugar) </div><div>1 tsp. ground nutmeg</div><div>1 tsp. ground cinnamon</div><div>1 tsp. ground cloves </div><div>1 tsp. baking powder</div><div>1/2 tsp. baking soda</div><div>3 eggs A grade</div><div>2/3 canola oil</div><div>1 can of Libby Pumpkin Puree (without spices)</div><div>1 cup of chocolate chips </div><div>1 cup of dried cranberries </div><div><br /></div><div>Method:</div><div>1. Mix together all ingredients, add pumpkin puree, eggs and oil.</div><div>2. Separate dough in two equal parts. Add cranberry to one and chips to another. Mix well.</div><div>3. Bake in preheated to 350 F (180C) oven for 45 min to 1 hour. Do not over bake! It has very delicate slightly moisture texture. </div>Lazy_Duckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13407074884006333509noreply@blogger.com0