Tofu & Soba with Lemon Ginger Dressing

When I returned home from work yesterday, I was totally starving. It was a long day for me at work, and I ended up skipping lunch because of that. I knew that I needed to have something in my tummy as quickly as possible, or else I'd end up cleaning out the oh-so-many bars of dark chocolate in my pantry. I set myself a challenge - dinner within 15 mins. On weekday nights like this, the usual answer to my growling tummy will certainly be Japanese Soba Noodles. Last night was not an exception. 

What was different was that I did shake things up a little by trying out a new Soba recipe that I stumbled upon on Steamy Kitchen's blog. I am really glad I tried this recipe - it was scrumdidilyumpshus! I made some small changes to the original recipe, but I still have Jaden to thank for posting this awesome recipe on her blog. Mr FTC and I cleaned out what was meant to be for 4 persons. We can be really piggish sometimes (or perhaps most of the time)?

One of  my goals for 2011 is to explore new menu options and recipes. Since the start of the year, I have challenged myself to add variety to the meals that I prepare. By taking part in the Cookbook Challenge 2011 and reading more food blogs, I have found myself making dishes that I never would have made last year. Despite this goal, I still find myself making humble bowls of Soba for an easy weeknight dinner at least twice weekly. Mr FTC and I really enjoy having Soba for dinner because it is fast, simple, healthy and tasty. While I cannot quit cooking Soba for dinner, I am resolved to try new Soba recipes!

About Soba Noodles

Soba noodles are traditional Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour. In Japan, it is a common dish during new year as it is a symbol of longevity. They are almost as thick as spaghetti, and can be eaten hot or cold. It is served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup. While it may be a new year dish, Japanese love their soba, and have them throughout the year. Soba noodles can usually be found in its dried form in supermarkets and asian specialty stores. 


Since it is made of buckwheat flour, It is a nutritious noodles substitute for people with gluten intolerance. However, do note that not all soba noodles are gluten-free. To my friends who are on a gluten-free diet, do be reminded to read the ingredients:) Different brands have different buckwheat content, and many brands actually use wheat flour as a binding agent. Noodles with higher buckwheat flour content will be darker in colour (and will usually be more expensive too). The 100% buckwheat noodles that I use is shown below. It's called 'Nishin Jyuwari Soba'. It cost about A$5.60 per 200g. If you are living in Melbourne, Asian grocers with a wide range of Japanese products should stock this. I will usually get mine from Fuji Mart (near Prahran Market) or Great Eastern (on Russell Street). 

Nishin Jyuwari Soba
100% Buckwheat Noodles 

Tofu & Soba with Lemon Ginger Dressing

Adapted from Jaden of Steamy Kitchen 

(who adapted from Heidi Swanson www.101cookbooks.com who adapted it from Culture & Cuisine Magazine who got it from Pomelo Restaurant)

Ingredients: 

• 300g dried Soba noodles
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 250g firm tofu 
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
• 1 green onion, chopped

Dressing:

• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 inch section of ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup Tamari Soy (or soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1.5 tbsp sesame oil

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. While the water is boiling, combine all the ingredients except for oil in a food processor. Alternatively, you can mix the ingredients in a bowl just like I did. Slowly drizzle in the oil into the mixture.
3. Cook the Soba noodles according to package instructions, and drain.
4. While the Soba noodles are cooking, drain the tofu, pat dry and cut into cubes. Heat a non-stick frying pan with sesame oil over medium heat, and cook tofu until all sides are golden brown. 
5. In a large mixing bowl, toss the soba noodles, sesame seeds, dressing, and tofu together. Mix well.
6. Serve in bowl, and top with some chopped green onions. Enjoy!

Serves 4 

For other healthy recipes, check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesday. 

For other gluten-free ideas, check out Gluten Free Wednesday.

Recipe: My Favourite Bircher Muesli

Happy Australia Day to all my friends who are living in Australia! I hope that you guys and gals are having a good day so far!

What qualifies as a great morning for you? For me, it will have to satisfy the following equation:

Good Workout + Good Breakfast + Good Company + Good Soy Latte = Great Morning. 

This morning was one of those mornings:) After not being able to run/workout properly because of a recurring knee injury, I finally managed a 60 min workout on the elliptical trainer at home. I have been doing a lot more upper body strength training and yoga lately because of my knee pain. The sweat-it-out elliptical workout this morning certainly made me feel much better. 

After the hour on the elliptical trainer, I rewarded myself with some of my favourite bircher museli.  I can't really remember where I got this recipe from, or who actually gave me this recipe. What I do remember is that it has been my favourite for a long time! I don't usually buy apple juice from the stores, but because J bought some the other day, I decided to soak some of my oats last night, before going to bed. 

While I was preparing breakfast this morning, J drove to the nearby coffee shop and got me some of my favourite soy latte. He got back just in time for breakfast, and we enjoyed some of these together:) Just the perfect way to start the day!

My Favourite Bircher Muesli

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats (I used GF oats)
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 large green apple, grated
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt (I used vanilla flavoured soy yogurt) 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• maple syrup or honey (or sweetener of choice) - Optional

Directions:

1. Place the oats and apple juice in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2. Mix in the grated apple the next morning.
3. Divide the yoghurt between 2 bowls, top with the oat mixture, chopped nuts and honey. Enjoy!!

Cook's Note:

• Vegan Option: Use soy yogurt and substitute honey for sweeter of choice
• Gluten-Free Option : Consider using GF Oats instead 
• Dairy-Free Option : If you're dairy intolerant (just like me), try using soy yogurt. Substituting soy yogurt for  greek yogurt has certainly been a  real challenge for me in Melbourne because I haven't found a soy yogurt brand that I truly like. Back home, I used to buy Silk Live Soy Yogurt which is imported from the US. It tasted so much better!! Fortunately, for this recipe, the apple, chopped nuts and oats made the yogurt a lot more delectable!!  Do you have a favourite soy yogurt brand?

Easy Almond Butter Chewies

I am a big fan of easy, fuss-free recipes, so when I stumbled upon this recipe by Angela on Oh She Glows a few weeks back, I was absolutely delighted. This recipe seemed so easy and idiot proof, and the best part of it is that it uses my favourite nut butter - Almond butter (Peanut butter used to be my favourite). It is one of those recipes that I wanted to try immediately. However, because I was still holidaying in Perth, I had to bookmark it instead.

After learning about the goodness of almond butter last year, I decided to give it a try because it's said to be higher in Calcium, Iron and Vitamin E. I wasn't used to the taste of almond butter initially, but somehow the taste 'grew on me' and now I totally adore it! Now, I'm constantly on a lookout for recipes that require the use of almond butter. Crazy as it may sound, there are times when I actually eat almond butter straight out from its jar.

I have tried this recipe twice (with a few modifications) since I got back from Perth. The first time, I tried it with honey and dried berries, instead of rice syrup and chocolate chips. As honey is less viscous as compared to rice syrup, I mixed the mixture with a spoon, rather than heating it in a microwave. It held the balls together perfectly. I liked how the almond butter and dried berries complemented each other. However, I found the taste and sweetness of honey a little too overpowering.

Almond Butter Chewies with Rice Syrup and Choc Chips

I decided to make these Chewies for the second time this morning before going for my workout. This time, with fewer modifications from the original recipe. I used some Sweet William dairy-free chocolate chips and used a smaller quantity of rice syrup (2.5 tbsp instead of 3 tbsp), and it was sooo good! I ate part of the mixture even before making them into balls. I should really stop eating cookie dough and snack mixtures even before they are ready. Because of that, I only managed to pop 4 Almond Butter Chewies into the freezer.

I got back home after my workout, and tried another Almond Butter Chewy straight out of the freezer. Angela was certainly right about how wonderful these Chewies are when they are frozen. I know that it won't be long before I make another batch of these Chewies again. I will probably become my new favourite pre-workout snack or an on-the-go breakfast for this year!

Recipe: Chocolate Candied Orange

I may have had a severe sugar overdose, and these were the cause of it - Chocolate Candied Orange!

I was flipping through some of my cookbooks a few days back, wrecking my brains over what I should make for the Cookbook Challenge this fortnight. 

The theme for this fortnight - Citrus. I bookmarked a few recipes, but finally decided on trying the following recipe by Darina Allen because of several reasons. Firstly, I was intrigued by the idea of candying citrus fruits. While I may have tasted store-bought, crystallized fruits, candying fruits at home was a totally new thing to me - I really wanted to try out a new cooking technique. Secondly, I've always wanted to make use of the citrus peels that ends up in the bin every time I make some orange juice or grapefruit juice. Thirdly, I wanted to make something with dark chocolate. And lastly, I didn't have to go to the shops because I always have these ingredients on hand:) I knew I had to try this recipe! 


Chocolate Candied Orange 

Adapted from Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen

Ingredients:

• 5 oranges, scrubbed well
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 400g sugar
• 50g dark chocolate (I used 85% Dark Chocolate by Lindt) 

Directions:

1. Cut oranges in half and squeeze out the juice. Reserve the juice for another use, such as homemade orange juice or orange oatmeal. 
2. Put the halves of fruit into a large bowl (not aluminium), add the salt and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 24 hours.



Soak it for 24 hours with salt water

3. Next day, discard the soaking water, put the fruit in a saucepan and cover with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer very gently until the peel is soft, about 3 hours.
4. Remove the oranges and discard the water. Scrape out any remaining flesh and membranes from inside the cut fruit, leaving the white pith and rind intact. Slice the peel into long strips or leave whole if you prefer. 
5. Dissolve the sugar in 250 ml of water, bring to boil, add the peel and simmer gently for about 30 - 60 minutes, until it looks translucent and the syrup forms a thread when the last drop falls off a metal spoon.

   

   It's simmering. I had to wait for 45 mins
6. Remove the candied peel with a slotted spoon.

    

   Candied Orange
7. Dip the strips of candied orange peel into melted dark chocolate. Arrange individually on a sheet of baking paper and leave to set.

Other Variations

• Cut the candied peel into 5 mm -1cm slices and roll in caster sugar and serve with coffee
• Instead of using oranges, Darina Allen also used grapefruit peel and lemon peel.

Storage

Transfer candied peel into sterilized glass jars. Pour the syrup over the peel, cover and store in a cold place or in the fridge. It should keep for 6-8 weeks, or longer under refrigeration

The Outcome

I was totally fascinated by the whole process of candying the orange peel, and the chocolate candied orange was absolutely divine. While I may love chocoIates, I'm usually not someone who likes adding sugar to my food. However, the sweetness of the candied peel grew on me, and I liked how it went so well with the coat of rich, dark chocolate. J and I had it along with our glasses of iced black coffee. I'm pretty sure this will be really popular amongst kids, and those with sweet-tooth!

As divine as it is, I'm not too sure if this is worth the hassle and effort. I have some doubts about the candying method used in this recipe. Why do we need to soak the oranges in salt water? Why must we simmer the oranges for such a long period of time? Is this the only way of candying fruits? I tried doing a search on the Internet, and it appears that there are candying techniques that are faster. I might study a little more about these candying techniques, and try a faster method next time instead! 


Do you have any experiences to share regarding the Candying technique?

Recipe: Healthy Japanese Harusame Salad

As it starts to get warmer in Melbourne, I find myself having more salads for lunch (and sometimes for dinner too). However, amongst the many different types of salads that I've had, the Japanese Harusame Salad is probably my favourite salad in the world - it's tasty, healthy, light and refreshing! 

What's on earth is harusame? Well, harusame is actually the Japanese name for mung bean thread noodles. It's gluten-free, and is lighter than rice vermicelli, making it perfect for salads.  In fact, this salad is a popular dish in Japan during summer. Growing up, I used to always bug my Mom to make this salad, and I remember having this salad every week when it got really warm and humid. My Mom knew how much I loved this salad, and gave me her recipe before I left home. Making this salad certainly brings back fond memories, and reminds me of home. I will usually prepare a bigger portion of this salad, and keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Unlike other salads that turn soggy easily, this salad still taste pretty good even after 3 days. It's certainly been a life-saver on days when I don't feel like slaving away in the kitchen on a hot summer day.   

Serves 2 (as main meal) / 4 (as side)

Ingredients 

100g Mung Bean Thread Noodles (from your Asian Grocer)

1 Cucumber, matchstick

1 Carrot, matchstick

50g, Shaved Ham 

1 tbsp, Dried Wakame Seaweed (from your Asian Grocer)

1 Egg (Optional - for making thin omelette**)

Roasted sesame seeds (Optional)

Dressing 

3 tbsp Rice Vinegar

2 tbsp Soy Sauce (or GF Tamari Soy)

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp granulated sugar 

Freshly ground pepper

Directions

All the dry ingredients assembled together. This has eggs and is for J:)

1. Boil noodles in a pot, according to package instructions. Drain water, and cool them with iced water. Drain and set aside.
2. Soak wakame seaweed in hot water for about 5 mins, and drain water when it is ready.
3. Make thin egg omelette** .
4. Cut cucumber, carrot, thin egg omelette** and ham into thin strips.
5. Place noodles in a medium  bowl and top with cucumber, carrot, cooked egg, ham and wakame. 
6. In another bowl, mix the all the ingredients required for the dressing.
7. Chill / Serve immediately. (My mom will always chill this salad. That's the way I like it too!)
8. To serve, add the dressing to the medium bowl, and mix all the ingredients evenly. Top with some sesame seeds. 

Pick up your fork, and let's dig in!!

Add the dressing to the salad, mix well, and sprinkle some sesame seeds!

** To make thin omelette:

Heat up a medium-sized nonstick frying pan over a low-medium heat with a thin layer of cooking oil. Beat the egg and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add about 1/3 of the beaten egg into the pan, and swirl it to ensure that the pan is evenly coated with a thin layer of the egg mixture. Cook the egg for about a minute, or until the egg is set. The edges of the egg should be dry, and the centre should be just cooked. Remove from heat and transfer the thin omelette to a plate. Repeat for the remaining egg mixture. 

What are some of your favourite summer recipes?

Delightful Grilled Peaches

"I can't believe you haven't tried grilled peaches! They taste so much sweeter and better!" That was what my friend, Melissa, said when I told her that I've never had grilled peaches before. 

Motivated by this comment, I started flipping through cookbooks for a grilled peach recipe. I chanced upon this recipe that looked healthy, and bookmarked it because I was intrigued by the use of balsamic vinegar. 

Peach + balsamic vinegar + Greek yogurt  = ?

How would such a combination taste? I finally tried this a few days back, when I wanted some mid afternoon snack. The outcome was blown me away. Melissa was right! The peaches were much sweeter, and its natural sugars are released and caramelized after it's been heated. The balsamic vinegar was a perfect complement to the peaches, and the creamy and smooth yogurt was an ideal accompaniment. 

This would certainly make an fabulous dessert or even breakfast this summer! 

Delightful Grilled Peaches

Adapted from Fabulous food, minus the boombah by Jane Kennedy 

Ingredients

4 Peaches

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 tsp Greek Yogurt

Serves 4 

The beauty of simplicity

Directions

1. Heat a griddle or barbecue.
2. Cut the peaches in half and remove the stones. 
3. Place the peaches flesh-side down and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the fruit has a nice brown colour. 
4. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and a dollop of yogurt before serving.

The 'Could-Have-Been-Harder' Treadmill Workout

Today's workout was a session of interval training on the treadmill. I love interval trainings for the following reasons:

1. It's a time-saver.I get to burn more calories with a harder exercise regime, but with the same amount of time
2. I don't get bored (This is a BIG one) . I get bored easily, and need variety to keep me going. Interval training alternates between intensive and less intensive cardio exercise, and it makes the exercise session feel shorter. Workouts can become pretty boring for me when I  exercise at a constant pace for 60 mins - time seems to crawl for long, steady cardio sessions. 
3. It's efficient. Research has shown that there is greater burn during and AFTER the workout. The higher intensity of an interval training workout maximizes one's metabolism for many hours after the workout.

I started my gym session with this workout that I'd found on FitSugar (initially) ,but only managed to follow the first half of it because for some reason, my legs couldn't keep up with the pace today. I really wanted to follow FitSugar's workout, but it was simply too hard for me. As such, I modified the above interval training plan, and ended up with the following instead:

Time	Speed (mph)	Incline	RPE*
00:00-05:00	4.0	2	1-3
05:00-8:00	6.0	1	4-7
8:00-9:00	7.0	1	8-10
9:00-12:00	6.0	1	4-7
12:00-13:00	8.0	1	8-10
13:00-16:00	6.0	1	4-7
16:00-17:00	7.0	1	8-10
17:00-20:00	6.0	1	4-7
20:00-21:00	8.0	1	8-10
21:00-24:00	6.0	1.5	4-7
24:00-25:00	6.5	1.5	8-10
25:00-28:00	6.0	1.5	4-7
28:00-29:00	7.0	1	8-10
29:00-32:00	6.0	1	4-7
32:00-33:00	7.0	1	8-10
33:00-36:00	6.0	1	4-7
36:00-45:00	4.5	2	1-3

FitSugar's workout was a challenging one for me, and it certainly got me out of my comfort zone. Though I may have made some changes to the original plan, it was still a challenging workout for me. When I do get strong and fast enough, I'd hope to revisit the original workout, and complete it:)
How do you overcome workout boredom?

Recipe: ABC Oatmeal

I woke up this morning, craving for a comforting bowl of oatmeal. I simply love having a warm bowl of oatmeal for breakfast! It is fast and easy to make, and the best thing about it is that it's healthy and REALLY satiating!! 

J bought a box of blackberries on Saturday, and I thought it would be perfect substitute for blueberries in my regular ABC oatmeal! In case you're wondering what ABC oatmeal is, that's Almond Butter + Berries + Cinnamon Oatmeal. I'd usually use blueberries for my oatmeal, but decided on using blackberries this morning. The result - simply awesome!!

ABC Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup oats (or GF oats)
• 1/4 cup blackberries (or blueberries)
• 1/2 tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water
• Honey / Preferred Sweetener (optional)

Directions:

1. In a small pot, cook oats in water for about 5 mins. 
2. Stir in almond butter and cinnamon. Reduce heat, and add berries (reserve some for topping). 
3. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until berries are soft. 
4. Transfer cooked oatmeal into a bowl, and add honey if preferred. Top oatmeal with some fresh berries. 
5. Enjoy! . . .