Pumpkin Cookies

T is well know by her baking skill. Last week, she brought us a box of pumpkin cookies. They are delicious. Before we realizing it, only 3 pieces left.

Matcha Latte

An herbal tea that has a savory nutty flavor and aroma. This Civil War-era coffee substitute is making a comeback.

Ingradients:

- 1 cup fat free mile ( almond milk, soy milk, rice milk)
- 1 teaspoon matcha powder
- Honey upon your taste

Preparation:

Bring 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, or cow's milk to a bare simmer in a small pot over medium-high heat.

Place 1 teaspoon matcha powder in a heatproof cup. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup boiling water, then almond milk, tipping cup slightly to help create more foam. Sweeten with agave syrup.

Matcha (green tea powder) is available at Japanese markets and other Asian markets, Wholefoods has it as well.

Here is Starbucks showing you how to make Matcha Latte
http://www.teavana.com/tea-info/how-to-make-a-matcha-latte

    

Grab A Mug! Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake in Your Microwave!

Microwave mug cake? Yes, it is super easy and tasty! Don't just take my word for it, try it and you will love it!

I don't like baking because I'm afraid of gaining too much weight and I have alway felt it requires too much work. I found the mug cake recipes at spoonful.com and could not help wanting to try them out. I started with the recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake because I happen to already have all of the ingredients in my cupboard! The result was great!

You can get a warm and yummy mug cake in 5 minutes( from the begining to the end)! The most amazing part is that everyone can make it in the office! Afternoon sugar rush? Well, grab a mug and make a cake!

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons flour - I used gluten free flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil- I used extra olive oil
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Directions:

In a large mug ( I used 1 cup size ramekin ) whisk (with a small whisk or large fork) together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt). 

Add the milk, vegetable oil and peanut butter. Whisk until smooth.

Cook in the microwave on high for 1 minute and 10 seconds. This recipe will rise a lot and then deflate. I know it's strange, but trust me it's delicious! Serve immediately!

Apple carrot celery juice

This morning, I made the apple carrot celery juice. It tastes great! It is also effective as a weight loss aid.

It's so effective is true for all juicing recipes; fresh fruit and vegetable drinks are very low in calories, surprisingly filling, and extremely nutritious.

The other factor that makes this particular veggie combo an ideal one when using a juicer for weight loss lies in the potassium and sodium ratio within the celery.

Celery has a balance of sodium and potassium that works to actually stimulate urine and help remove excess water and uric acid from the kidneys. 

Additional health benefits of this juicing recipe:
- Carrot is very high in Vitamin A, as well as Vitamins B and C, Iron and calcium.
- Apples are high in Vitamins and minerals, and are a good source of pectin and antioxidants.
- Celery has a compound called Phthalide, which can reduce high blood pressure by relaxing the vessels that blood flows through.
- Without adding any significant calories to your daily intake, you get a generous does of a wide assortment of very valuable vitamins and minerals.

3 Carrots
1/2 Cumcumber
1 Apple 
2 Celery sticks
( I added a small piece of fresh ginger for a kick)

Wash all fruits and vegetables well. Cut the ends off of the carrots before juicing them. It’s not necessary to peel or deseed any of the fruit or veggies; the juicer will separate it for you. However, in this recipe, you should peel the cucumber to avoid mixing the green color with the  orange color of the cattots. As we all know that orange and green mixed together will create color brown. Drink the mix immediately after you make it for the highest nutritional value.

Juicing fruits and vegetables is amazingly healthy. There is not a single bottled brand out there that can even come close to competing with what fresh juice has to offer. Aside from being more healthful, some mass produced juices are actually harmful because of their added preservatives and sugars. When you make your own at home, it’s not only fresh, it’s also 100% pure. 

Yummy Green Juice

I am on a mission to find the great tasting vegetable juice recipes. I am a foodie and want to live a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing the joys of life.

Today I made a yummy green juice. I was surprised how tasty this recipe was.

The body of this recipe is the green apple, a rich source of fiber, vitamins C, A, B6, riboflavin, iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, manganese and copper.

To make: Use 1 green apples, 1/4 cup of celery, 1/2 cup of broccoli and 1/8 cup of parsley, turn the juicer on and serve.

Note: this is a green (literally) recipe that is tasty on its own but if you prefer it cold, you may pour it into a glass filled a quarter of the way with ice.

Restaurant Week- Morimoto

 It was a summer Friday! Skipped work early and jointed a friend for lunch yesterday.

       I've eaten at Morimoto couple times for dinners. This time I tried the Grilled Wagyu Beef bento lunch box. The box came out pretty, but the tasting was mediocre, nothing was very special. What could I complain? $24 for a fixed menu which included all the dishes in the picture plus a drink- Virgin white lily and a dessert. Lunch like this is a luxurious. 

       Oh, I mustn't forget mention the pretty, psychedelic and  minimalist restroom! Each fully enclosed restroom has its own Toto washlet! Beyond that, was a mirror inflecting floating cherry blooms that continued on to infinity. Why didn't I check this out before? It is the best restroom I have seen so far. Now, I'm thinking about it and regret that I did not try the Toto washlet. Next time!

My Macarons' Journey - Day Four

     Ignoring the pouring rain outside, I decided to make my macarons anyway. I knew a secret weapon to fight the humidity - my air-conditioner.

 Improvements:
1. The filling came out perfectly this time.
2. Tant pour tant formed nice skin after rested almost 2 hours( I was hiding underneath a comfort cover to keep myself warm)
3. They were not burnt this time.
4. The tasting was close to the macarons , no longer tasted like chewy cookies.

The lessons for next time:
1. Use the correct measurements of all ingredients. My maracons were porous might caused by too much eggs.
2. My macarons are still too flat, I think I might have over beaten the meringue.
3. If I place an other baking sheet underneath as this time, I will need to rise the temperature to 310F.

     I feel I am one step closer to the success.

Palm's Prime Rib

Last night, dear Steve took me out for tasting the famous juicy Palm's Prime Rib steak. I was told that the Prime Rib was not on the Palm's menu, you needed to know about it and had to make the Prime Rib Steak reservation in advance.

After a few hours bowling, Ping-Pong exercising at Lucky strike. I was so ready for munching the steaks.

I guess, Steve wanted to see my reaction. He did not tell me anything besides his promise of how tender and juicy it would be.  So, as a routine, I ordered a salad and french fries as side dish. I love french fries with steaks!

Finished our salad, my stomach was almost full. Steve told me that the man sitting the table next to us was having the prime rib. The man was huge 6.4 F tall, heavy. He was close to finish his plate. In the soft lighting, I saw his plate was full of the blood.

"Am I going to eat so rare steak?" I could not help having some doubts.

Finally, our steaks landed on our table. OMG! I could not believe what I saw. They were massive. I hadn't seen such huge portion size of a dish for one person until then. One dish was enough for two or three people, and we ordered two. The people who sitting next to us busted out laughing. They were very curious to see how a cute and slim Asian girl was going to finish the massive Prime Rib. I was a little bit embarrassed.

I have to say that its less polished appearance was not the picture I had imagined. For the sake of its massive size, I took the picture.

Cut into the steak, put a small piece of it into my mouth. Yummy, the meat melted in my mouth, so tender and juicy. The steak was very simple in taste yet very authentic and not at all greasy or heavy. 


" That is what I want to see, the expression of your first bit! Isn't it great?" Oh, sweet Steve, Thank you for being so thoughtful! 


At the end, none of us finished our dishes. There was no doubt that we got every bit of the money's worth and more, even though, I have no idea how much they charge for it. It was just too big.  I could not able to touch the french fries at all. Steve shouldn't have encouraged me to order the side dish, since he knew the massive size of it. I guess, he was being generous. The manager came out, made a joke out of it" Do you know the restaurant police ? You can not leave until you finish your dishes." What a lovely night! 


Today, I cooked my lunch with the left over steak. I stir fried the red pepper, shiitake mushroom and the sliced steaks. No oil, salt added. It tasted great. I will have steaks 3 days in a raw. Then I will go back to my healthy diet without thinking about steaks for a while.

Mango Lassi

I love mango lassi the smooth texture and lovely color. 

Ingredients: 2 serve

1 large ripped mango

3/4 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt

2~3 teaspoon honey to taste

1/4 cup silk soy milk( optional)

Blending all ingredients on high speed about 30 seconds.

I tried both with and without soy milk. The picture shows without soy milk. it's thicker. I like to have a little bit soy milk. 

My Macaron's Journey- Day three

It is very ambitious for attempting to make Macarons.

I thought it was so easy when the first time I read a matcha macarons' recipe online. I bought all the ingredients and imagined the picture of the pretty little things coming out my oven. After three failed attempts, I realized that it would take a while to learn how to make it. I feel like that documenting the journey will be fun.

This is the picture of my third attempt. It is the best result, so far. 

There is nothing assembling macarons. Too flat and no foot. The filling is too running. BTW, the tasting is not bad at all. Just doesn't taste like Macaraons.

Next time, I will use the 3 days agged egg whites; let the batter form skin longer before placing them into the oven and the oven temperature should be 300F. I hope I can see something I can call " Macarons" even they won't be the perfect shapes.

I believe" Persistence" is the key to a success.

Ketchup Shrimp with Limey Qinoa Salad

Yes, cooking Shrimp with Ketchup! Sometimes, the simplest way is the best way. It is the best tasting shrimps I have had (just my not so humble opinion). The whole dish takes less than 15 minute! Believe me. Tasting so good with little effort. Who needs take-out?

Ingredients: 1 serve


5 jumble uncooked frozen shrimps ( I bought from Trader Joe's, defrost them very fast by using room temperature water, )
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
one scallion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
a few fresh torn basil leaves
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic ( minced)
1 tablespoon Ketchup
half lime ( zest and juice)
Salt / Black pepper to taste


Direction:


1. Bring 3 cups water to boil in a small pot, then add the quinoa. Don't worry how much water you can use. Once the quinoa has been cooked( it's about 10 minutes), drain it. Mix quinoa with basil leaves, cilantro, scallions, tomatoes, lime zest + juice and add pinch of salt+ black pepper to taste. The salad is done.
2. While the quinoa is boiling,  use Non-stick pan, heat up the olive oil and garlic, add the shrimps. cook for about 3~4 minute ( shrimps turn to pink color) . add 2 tablespoon ketchup. quickly stir fry for 30 seconds. The shrimps are done. Place the shrimps on tops of the Quinoa salad. Garnish with a few cilantro leaves. Dinner is ready!

Chicken Korma Recipe (Chicken in Rich Yogurt Curry)

I tried the chicken korma for dinner tonight.  It turned out quite good even though I didn't have all the ingredients. The chicken was so tender and tasty. I paired it up with my broiled asparagus and running yoke boiled eggs as the picture. I definitely will make it again. It's much easier to make than it sounds.
Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs chicken, cut into pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons butter, ghee or oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
2 cardamons ( I didn't use it, this time)
2 cloves( I used 2 stars instead this time)
2 bay leaves
4 black peppercorns, lightly crushed
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

Marinade:

1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Garam Masala( I didn't use it this time)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder or paprika
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt, lightly whipped
2/3 cup fried onions, lightly crushed( optional)

Method:

1. Marinate chicken with Marinade ingredients for 30 minutes to 1 hour ( I marinated it overnight)

2. Heat up wok with 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, stir-fry the items listed under Ingredients and let the whole spices to sizzle a bit until fragrant. Toss in the marinated chicken (with the marinade) and continue to stir-fry for 10 minutes.

3. Turn heat to medium-low, cover the wok and cook for 10~20 minutes, or until the oil slightly separates, chicken is tender enough and you have achieve the gravy consistency that you prefer.

4. Salt to taste, and add some water if the dish appears to be too dry. Dish out and serve with basmati rice or Naan bread.

Cook’s Notes:

Mutton, lamb, beef and vegetable makes delightful Korma as well.

If you prefer, substitute yogurt with cream or coconut milk, or a combination of them.

Frozen Banana dessert

Who needs ice cream when you can have frozen bananas? 

• 2 bananas
• Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt
• crushed almonds
• cinnamon
• Honey ( optional)

1. Line a tray with parchment paper.
2. Mix the Greek yogurt, cinnamon and honey together.
3. Peel the bananas.
4. Cut off ends from each banana, then insert the popsicle sticks. You don't need the sticks if you eat them with folks as I did.
5. Coat the bananas in Greek yogurt and almonds.
6. Lay the bananas on the parchment paper and freeze for 45-55 minutes. The bananas will be creamy and firm, but not completely frozen. The texture just like ice cream.

I used the left over yogurt, cinnamon and honey mixture as mask for my face while I was having the homemade spa treatment...

Lemony Shrimp Salad With Quinoa

Today is so hot. I made the lemony shrimp salad with quinoa for my lunch.

Serves 2/ Time: 15 m
Ingredients

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 pound cooked peeled and de-veined medium  
      shrimp
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lemon for the zest and lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt and black peppper
1 table spoon olive oil

Directions

Place the quinoa to boiling water until cooked. Then drain out the water and let it cool down.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the shrimp, tomatoes, basil, scallions, oil, lemon zest and jiuce, salt and black pepper and toss to combine. Serve over the quinoa.

You can use couscous instead of quinoa.

Asparagus, sweet potatoes with eggs

I tried a weird combination for today's dinner: broiled asparagus on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes, with two eggs on top. Seasoned with little salt and black pepper. All natural flavors and loaded nutrients. The picture came out very pretty as well.

Spinach, basil, mango and almonds smoothie

Monday morning, I just came up this idea for my breakfast- Spinach, basil, mango and almonds smoothie. I can not have enough of it. It's the best smoothie I ever had, so far.
Ingredients:
- Baby spinach( as much as you want)
- 4~5 basil leaves( big size)
- 1 cup frozen mango
- 1/2 banana ( optional)
- 1 cup soy milk
- 10~15 pieces of sea salt oven toasted almond
Pour all ingredients in blender. Blend on high for 30~45 seconds, then you have couple cups of delicious smoothie. It tastes so good and very healthy.

Eggs with Tomatoes Recipe

Today, I tried the eggs with tomatoes recipe with my own twists as the picture( serve for one or two. I was hungry and I ate all). It's a great brunch  option during the weekend. Quite tasty!

Prepare time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20~25 minutes
Total: 30~35 minutes

Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 2 sun ripped tomatoes ( you can use can tomato, but I always like fresh ingredients)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Begin by blanching, peeling, and chopping the tomatoes. Heat the olive oil in an skillet, add the garlic and the onion, and simmer the chopped tomatoes for about 15~ 20 minutes over a medium heat, seasoning them with salt and pepper.

While the tomatoes are cooking, preheat your oven to 385 F. Transfer the tomato sauce to the ramekins ( I have the 1 cup size Ramekins), leave room for the egg. Crack the egg on top of the sauce. Transfer the ramekins to your oven, and cook just until the egg whites have set, about 3~5 minutes. The yolks should be still running. Serve at once, with lightly toasted crust bread to mop up the yolks and tomatoes. I skip the bread and use the spoon instead.

Here is original recipe which is for family, server for 4.
http://italianfood.about.com/od/savoryeggdishes/r/blr1634.htm

My Diet Menu

It's the summer time now. I am on the diet mood. I lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks. I need to lose other 7 pounds  to achieve my goal. Besides, I have been running 3 miles almost every day, here are my typical daily meals. I feel full of energy and don't feel deprived at all.

Breakfast

Almonds, cooked oatmeal, banana and  yogurt meet up in your blender for a power breakfast. 

Ingredients: 

1 banana( best with brown flecks on peel)

1 cup ice ( optional)

1/4 cup yogurt - preferably Greek yogurt with honey ( or soy milk for less calories)

1/2 cup cooked oatmeal

1/3 cup almonds

• Instructions For:

  • Quick Banana Oatmeal Smoothie Recipe

Pour all ingredients in blender pouring ice in last. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until smoothie thickens.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Calories 380; Total Fat 15 g (Sat 2 g, Trans 0 g, Poly 4 g, Mono 8 g); Cholesterol 5 mg; Sodium 35 mg; Potassium 690 mg; Total Carbohydrates 53 g; Dietary Fiber 9 g; Total Sugars 19 g; Protein 12 g. Percent Daily Value: Vitamin A 2%; Vitamin B6 25%; Vitamin C 20%; Vitamin D 0%; Calcium 15%, 

Lunch

Low fat organic yogurt and Fruits

Dinner

Spicy and satisfying, the Asian-style shrimp spiked with sriracha pairs great with healthy ribbons of zucchini noodles. Of course, the shrimp would be fabulous on regular rice noodles, but when zucchini are so abundant this time of year, it makes for a perfect summer meal.

Ingredients:

8 medium zucchinis
1 lb shrimp (16 pieces), peeled and deveined, tails on
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, finely sliced
2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons butter with olive oil and sea salt
cilantro, chopped
basil, thinly sliced (chifonnade) (optional)

Directions:

Bring a medium pot full of water to a boil. Salt generously.

Using a julienne peeler or mandoline, create ribbons of zucchini noodles. Blanch the zucchini briefly in the boiling water, for about 2 minutes, until just wilted. Drain the zucchini noodles and set both the vegetables and water aside.

In a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until just translucent. Add shrimp, sriracha sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and a little black pepper, to taste. Stirring frequently, cook until the shrimp is just cooked through and pink, about 3 minutes. At the tail end of the cooking process, stir in about 1/2 cup of the reserved water to create a sauce, as well as the butter. Serve the shrimp on a bed of zucchini noodles, and drizzle with the pan sauce. Garnish with cilantro and basil (if desired), and enjoy! I substituted butter with Olive oil and salt