Health Benefits of Quinoa

Quinoa(pronounced as: Kween-wah) is one of the healthiest grains that has been under the covers for hundreds of years. It was until it was rediscovered by two Americans back in the 80’s after about 500 years when the Spanish first imposed their culture to the Incas (They started growing it in Colorado). For 5,000 years, it was the natives’ staple food. It was because isolated Incan farmers in Andes were able to hide growing quinoa that we’re able to lay our eyes on this “super crop”. The Indian natives of the Andes Mountains in Peru and Bolivia considers the crop to be sacred and a gift from the gods and the seeds were worth more than gold.

Today, this super-healthy grain is slowly gaining popularity; even as a substitute to other grains such as rice and millet. It’s been popularly added to salads and new quinoa recipes come out every now and then. In the near future, we might even be replacing wheat flour with quinoa flour in most of the breads baked in the world! I’d love to see that happen. It really might, and if it does we should learn of the benefits we can get from quinoa.

Benefits of Quinoa (Herrington, D. 2013)

1. High in protein -- its protein balance is similar to milk and has more protein compared to rice, millet or wheat.
2. A good source of riboflavin -- riboflavin helps reduce the frequency attacks in migraine sufferers by improving the energy metabolism within the brain and muscle cells.
3. The saponins from quinoa are used to promote healing of skin injuries in South America, making it a good antiseptic.
4. It's alkaline-forming. Although it is not strongly alkaline-forming, it is comparable to wild rice, amaranth, and sprouted grains.
5. It only has 172 calories per ¼ cup dry quinoa.
6. Since it is not related to wheat or grain, it's gluten-free. Millions are discovering they feel better and lose weight when they reduce gluten grains or at least wheat products.
7. It is a complex carbohydrate with low glycemic index. This is again good for weight management. I use it in a number of my health Boot Camps.

Sources:

Products at http://www.quinoagold.com/products.html

Herrington, D. 2013. Seven Reasons Quinoa is the New Health Food Superstar at http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/

Lobster & Sea Bass Moqueca Stew

Bass is one of the most popular fish in cooking recipes, and although there are a lot of fish being referred as bass, only black sea bass and striped bass are considered the true bass.

Bass may be also included in curries and savory fish recipes. Its taste and texture makes it excellent for soups, especially seafood soups served in bread bowls. Lobster & Sea Bass Moqueca Stew, from the name of the soup itself, includes seafood delights like lobster and fish fillets of sea bass.

Lobster & Sea Bass Moqueca Stew

 Ingredients:

• 2 bunches fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 2 bunches fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 large Sea Bass, cleaned
• 2 large lobsters, halved
• 10 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 6 onions, chopped
• 4 green peppers, de-seeded and chopped
• 2 bunch spring onions spring onions, finely sliced
• 6 limes, halved
• 2 tbsp light olive oil
• 1 pint coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons light olive oil
• ½ ladle dende oil
• 3 tablespoons salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Roughly chop nearly all the coriander and spring onion, leaving enough for garnish. Place the coriander, parsley, garlic, tomatoes, onions, peppers, spring onions and salt into a large heavy bowl. With a pestle, mash together all ingredients, gradually squeezing in juice of limes.
2. Take both fish and slash diagonally 3 times on each side. Stuff some of the mixed vegetables and herbs into the slashes and the centre of the fish and close. Take the halves of lobster and cover with vegetables and herb mix, leaving around half for later.
3. Heat a large saute pan with the olive oil. Arrange sea bass and lobster (placing flesh side down) in the sauté pan. After 2 minutes, pour over the coconut milk and bring to a gentle bubble. After a further 2 minutes, turn over the fish and lobster. Add the remainder of the vegetable and herb mix.
4. Cook for a further 10 minutes, when the fish and lobster are tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
5. Transfer to a large serving dish and sprinkle with remaining coriander and spring onions.

Add dende oil (is available) in a slow circular motion over the top.

*Cook’s Note: Dende Oil is an African palm-oil, widely used in the Brazilian state of Bahia and is difficult to obtain elsewhere. The dish is just as delicious without it.

Recipe courtesy Aldaci Dada Dos Santos, 2003, Image: Moqueca de peixe e camarao by Luca Nebuloni from pilotguides.com

A Healthy Way to Cook Swai Fish

The swai fish, unlike catfish which are found in ponds, is found in the rivers of Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam. This is a fish with white flesh and a more delicate texture as compared to catfish. The flavor is mild, making it versatile and suitable for a lot of healthy food recipes that needs white fish. It is available in fillets and nuggets, and depending on the recipe, this can be cooked in a variety of fish recipes.

Swai fish may also be added to other dishes. The nuggets may be cooked and then tossed with pasta and other seafood for the perfect, healthy, and filling seafood pasta. This fish flakes quite easily and with the perfect mix-ins and some bread, it can be made into a sandwich. It may also be made into an open-faced sandwich by adding some olive oil, olives, cheese, and probably a bit of capers. Some recipes may even be developed on your own as you get to know this fish better.

Swai fish is a perfect alternative to the usual food fish, just to give the menu planning a bit of variety by introducing more fish to the list. This is a fish easy to cook, even with novice cooks starting out in the kitchen as it goes well with a variety of other ingredients and can be cooked using a lot of cooking techniques.

Wahoo(Ono) Tacos

Wahoo is a very tasty fish that’s found in tropical and subtropical areas with an elongated body covered with small scales. The wahoo as food has a very delicious and tempting flavor and can be cooked in a lot of ways. If desired, the leftover meat may be flaked and included in sandwiches, salads, quiche, pizza, dips, or other easy appetizers.

One of the easiest way to cook this fish is baking, which combines fish with mayonnaise, lemon and lime juices, pickle relish, and chopped chives. Baked fish recipes are easy to make, even for beginners, and fast enough that it does not take much time to prepare. Dishes like these may be served by a novice cook in a potluck party or get-together if the choice to make is something healthy as opposed to ordering pizza. 

You can make tacos with wahoo as well, and the recipe below shows us how. While the original fish taco was made with deep-fried fish, this recipe — made with sautéed fish — is a delicious and fresh version. This recipe is easily doubled, which makes it a great dish to make when entertaining a crowd.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 jalapeños, stemmed and chopped
• 1 pound wahoo, or another flaky white fish such as mahimahi or cod, cut into 4 pieces
• Salt, to taste
• 8 fresh corn tortillas
• Mexican crema, homemade or store-bought
• Fresh tomato salsa
• 2 limes, cut into quarters
• Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

First marinate the onion. Put the onion in a small bowl and pour in enough red-wine vinegar to cover it well. Set aside for at least 30 minutes or up to several weeks. Next, pour the olive oil into a small bowl and add the ancho chile powder, oregano, cumin, chopped cilantro, and jalapeño. Mix well. Place the fish on a dish and pour the marinade over it, making sure to coat the fish well on both sides. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes. Heat a nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade and place it in the hot pan (there is no need to add more oil). Season the fish with salt. Cook the fish for 4 minutes undisturbed, then turn over, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and flake the fish into the pan with a fork, making sure to mix in all the marinade that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Set aside. Place four of the tortillas on a plate and sandwich them between 2 slightly dampened sheets of paper towel. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Place the warm tortillas in a towel-lined basket or plate and cover. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. To assemble the tacos, place a heaping spoonful of the marinated flaked fish onto the center of a tortilla. Top with the marinated onions. Serve accompanied by Mexican crema and salsa. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs.

Traditional Mooncakes

Mooncake (simplified Chinese: 月饼; traditional Chinese: 月餅; pinyin: yuè bĭng) is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiujie). The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching, when mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals.

Mooncake (月饼) is often consumed during Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节), with the full moon on the night of a 15th day of the 8th lunar month, as well as the traditions of moon gazing. Having many different fillings, it could also be eaten as easy desserts after a meal.

Traditional Mooncakes (recipe)

Makes 12-13 mini mooncakes (50 grams mould)

Ingredients:

For the dough:

100g of plain flour

4ml of alkaline water

70g of golden syrup

25ml of vegetable oil

¼ tsp of vanilla extract

For filling:

430g lotus paste or any paste that you like

(I'm using lotus and red bean)

Egg wash:

1 egg and 1 tbsp water

Method:

1. In a bowl, add golden syrup, alkaline water, and vanilla extract, stir to well combine. Add in oil, mix well.
2. Add in plain flour, mix with a spatula to form a soft dough. Gently knead the dough using a spatula till smooth, about 30 seconds.
3. Wrap with cling wrap and leave to rest for at least 3 hours. 
4. Preheat your oven to 180C/160CFan-forced.
5. Dust the dough with some flour. Give the dough a few light kneading to smooth it.
6. Divide dough into 15g pieces. Shape each dough into a ball. 
7. Divide the filling paste into 35g pieces. Shape each dough into a ball.
8. Roll each dough over some flour. Dust hand with flour and flatten each dough into a small disc. Wrap it around the filling and shape it into a ball. Dust hand with some flour to avoid the dough from sticking.
9. Lightly dust the wrapped dough with some flour. Place it in the mooncake mould and press the mooncake out. Place mooncake on a baking tray line with parchment paper.
10. Spray some water on the mooncakes. This will help to prevent the mooncakes from cracking during baking.
11. Bake it for 10mins. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 25 minutes. This is to prevent the filling to expand so that the crust will not crack.
12. Brush the top with some egg wash. Return to oven and continue to bake for another 12 - 15mins until golden brown.
13. Leave the mooncake to cool completely and store in air tight containers. Wait for a day for the mooncakes' skin to soften before serving.

If you want to add egg yolks in it.

1. You need to divide the egg yolks and white and steam the yolks for 5 minutes then cool.
2. Reduce the amount of filling paste. Both paste and yolk add up to 35 grams. (For mini mooncake, I suggest you to half the yolk for each cake after you cooked)
3. Flatten the round paste, in the center add one egg yolk. Roll into ball.
4. Follow the rest of the steps in the video.

recipe from www.youtube.com/zatayayummy

Turbot Fillet en Papillote with Cream of Lemon Sauce

The turbot has a good flavor, with firm flesh which makes it great to be added to everybody’s healthy meals, which require the fish to hold its shape, like stews and soups. The flavor of the turbot is mild and good, so there are a lot of fish recipes which this can be used.

The turbot has a lot of recipes to try from appetizer recipes to main course that is delicious and healthy. For those novice cooks, there are also easy dishes to try for the family to be introduced to healthier foods rather than dialing delivery. But for those willing to take the challenge, this recipe: Turbot Fillet en Papillote with Cream of Lemon Sauce by Fabrice Morel is definitely wonderful dish to try.

Turbot Fillet en Papillote with Cream of Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 fillets of turbot approx. 120 gm each
• Dash of white wine
• 2 carrots
• 2 zucchinis
• 1 red pepper
• 2 onions
• Basil
• Dash of soya sauce
• 4 tablespoons (60 mL) créme fraiche, Devon cream or thick sour cream
• Juice of 1 fresh lemon
• Olive oil (enough to coat bottom of wok or skillet)
• Pinch of salt, preferably fleur de sel

Preparation Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)
2. Cut all vegetables into fine strips
3. In a wok or skillet, preheat olive oil and add vegetables
4. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, adding salt, pepper and soya sauce
5. Remove from stove
6. In a bowl place 4 tablespoons of créme fraiche and add freshly squeezed lemon juice, making sure the cream stays thick in texture
7. Place the thinly sliced vegetables into a Culinary Parchment Cooking Bag (one bag can be used to cook 1 to 2 servings)
8. Place the fillet of turbot on top of the vegetables, adding a pinch of salt on top
9. Add a dash of white wine with 1 tbsp of lemon cream and a basil leaf on top of the turbot
10. Close the bag by folding 3 to 4 times, crimping to seal
11. Place bag(s) on a cooking tray and bake for 10 to 12 minutes

Recipe source: paperchef.com

Pan-fried Turbot with Wild Mushrooms

The flavor of the turbot is mild and good, so there are a lot of fish recipes which this can be used. The turbot has a lot of healthy recipes to try from appetizer recipes to main course that is delicious and healthy. For those novice cooks, there are also easy dishes to try for the family to be introduced to healthier foods rather than dialing delivery.

As a main course, they may be cooked pan-fried, like the pan fried turbo fillet with violet artichokes, a very healthy Mediterranean recipe with a very delicate flavor. They may also be pan-fried with wild mushrooms, mashed potatoes and cream sauce. The recipe below shows us how.

Pan-fried turbot

with wild mushrooms, mashed potatoes and cream sauce

Ingredients

• 55g/2oz butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 x 150-175g/6-7oz turbot fillets, skinned
• For the cream foam
• 175ml/6fl oz white wine
• 175ml/6fl oz fish stock
• 175ml/6fl oz double cream
• For the mushrooms
• 55g/2oz butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 200g/8oz mixed wild mushrooms
• ½ lemon, juice only
• 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• To serve
• mashed potato

Preparation method

1. Heat a frying pan until hot and add the butter and the olive oil.
2. Season the fish with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place into the pan when the oil and butter are sizzling hot. Cook the turbot fillets for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown all over.
3. For the cream foam, pour the white wine into a pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Boil until reduced by two thirds, then add the fish stock. Bring back to the boil and cook until the liquid has reduced by two thirds.
4. Add the cream, bring back to the boil and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.
5. For the mushrooms, heat a clean frying pan and add the butter and the olive oil. Once hot add the shallots and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
6. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further two minutes, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the lemon juice and parsley.
7. Using a hand blender, blend the cream sauce until light and foaming.
8. To serve, place a large spoonful of mashed potato into the centre of each plate. Place a turbot fillet on top of each and spoon the mushroom mixture around the edge of the potato. Spoon a little of the sauce foam over the mushrooms and serve.

Recipe by James Martin at bbc.co.uk