Simple Chinese Braised Pork Belly

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

1. 800 gram pork belly sliced

2. 8 cloves garlic sliced

3. 8 dried shiitake mushrooms

4. 2 TBS sugar

5. 2 TBS dark soy sauce

6. 2 TBS light soy sauce

7. 4 eggs as desired (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-soak dried shiitake mushrooms with 1 cup of water for 3 hours

2. Heat wok with cooking oil.

3. Fry garlic until fragrant.

4. Fry pork belly for a couple of minutes.

5. Add sugar, stir and mix well.

6. Add 2 TBS dark soy sauce and 2 TBS light soy sauce, stir and mix well.

7. Add mushrooms and the water from soaking, stir and mix well.

8. When the water starts to boil, lower heat (no. 2.5 on my stove) and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

9. Boil eggs for 6 minutes. run cold water to cool down and remove the shell. Add into the pot and simmer along with the pork.

10. Serve with rice.

Additional Information:

This recipe is from my friend Li. It is a very simple and easy, but so tasty.

 Cut pork belly

 Heat pot with cooking oil

Fry garlic until golden

Add port belly

Stir

Add sugar

Stir

Add dark soy sauce

Add light soy sauce

Stir

Add in shiitake mushrooms and its water

Add in star anise

Bring to boil the water

Cover pot

Reduce heat to low (no. 3) and simmer for 30-45 minutes

This is the meat under simmering.

Pair Salmon & Milk for a Meal - Vitamin D & Calcium

Sorry about the half eaten food

Usually fish is eaten along with white wine. However, alcohol actually hinders the absorption of calcium and vitamin D. Thus it is a bad idea. According to WebMD:

"Since the body needs Vitamin D to absorb calcium, it is important to pair salmon and milk together in a meal. Ok, it sounds childish, boring and unsophisticated to pair it with milk, instead of white wine, but it is the wisest to do so."

This post is just for our family to remember that when we have salmon for dinner, we should drink milk as our beverage.

It may not look so cool and sophisticated to eat fish with a glass of milk, instead of wine, almost to being like a baby and its milk again, but that will be our family's choice :-)

Reference:

https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/alcohol

Flammkuchen - French-Swiss-German Pizza

Ingredients:
1. 1/4 cup fromage blanc or crème fraîche
2. Pack of 200 g mozzarella cheese
3. A handful of shredded Chedar cheese
4. 1 large onion diced
5. A sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.
6.  A sprinkling of dried of fresh chopped parsley
7. 1 tsp nutmeg (optional)
8. 1 egg (optional)

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 260 degree celsius.
2. Spread the crème fraîche mixture over the crust.
3. Distribute mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, onion over the pizza crust.
4. Sprinkle some black pepper.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Additional Information:

We feel in love with Flammkuchen, when we visited Switzerland a few years ago. It is so simple, yet so delicious. Since we are going for healthier option, we decided not to add the bacon.

This is a simplified recipe, but we were very happy with the result. We didn't fry the onion, nor did we add any bacons. We didn't add any nutmeg.

Though not traditionally part of the flammkuchen, we like to add mozzarella cheese as a topping. I think the onion and cheese were the main ingredients that makes it taste like a flammkuchen.

References:
https://www.craftbeering.com/tarte-flambee-flammkuchen-recipe/
https://greenhealthycooking.com/flammkuchen/
https://www.thebreadshebakes.com/2012/10/flammkuchen-pizza-with-a-german-twist/
https://www.masalaherb.com/flammkuchen-tarte-flambee/

Add mozzarella cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, dice onions.

 Add 1 tablespoon of wheat germ

Don and ready to serve :-)

Healthy & Nutritious All Ingredients Chocolate Energy Balls for Kids

Makes 10 energy balls

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients (1/3 cup):

1. 1 almond
2. 1 cashew nut
3. 1 pecan
4. 1 walnut
5. 1 Brazil nut
6. 1 tsp sunflower seeds
7. 1 tsp pumpkin seeds
8. 1 tsp pine nuts
9. 1 tsp chia seeds
10. 1 tsp goji berries (optional)
11. 1 tsp ground flax seeds
12. 1 tsp hemp seeds
13. 1 tsp wheat germ
14. 1 tsp wheat bran
15. 1 tsp rolled oats
16. 1 tsp carob powder
17. 1 tsp skimmed milk powder (optional)
18. 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
19. 1/4 vanilla powder

Wet ingredients (1/3 cup):

20. 1 dried date pitted or 1/2 banana
21. 1 TBS homemade hazelnut butter

Dusting ingredients:

22. 1 tsp cinnamon powder, carob powder or wheat germ

Directions:

1. Combine and mix well wet ingredients and dry ingredients into a dough and form into balls.

2. Dust with cinnamon powder, carob powder or wheat germ (optional).

3. Let it set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Enjoy or store in fridge for 5 days or freeze the balance.

Additional Information:

This is a slight tweet to the All Ingredients Energy Balls. I have replaced the Nutella with hazelnut butter and carob powder, which does not contain caffeine and is a perfect cacao substitute, and more suitable for kids. It is naturally sweet and gives it a more chocolaty and caramel like flavor that is all natural.

Don't worry if it looks like there isn't sufficient wet ingredients in the beginning. Once you start massage the dough, it gives out more oil, and it will form into sticky dough. If not, adjust with more nut butter or just a dab of water.

When I have the time, I form it into different shapes such as flower, heart-shape, star, etc. You can also let your kids play with it as an kind of edible play dough.

Sometimes I don't add goji berries, if I feel that my kids have consumed too much of them.

 Add 1 teaspoon of wheat germ

 Add 1 teaspoon of wheat bran

 Add 1 teaspoon of hemp seeds

  Add 1 teaspoon of  ground flax seeds

  Add 1 teaspoon of chia seeds

 Add 1 teaspoon of carob powder 

 Add 1 pinch of vanilla powder

Add 1 pinch of cinnamon powder

 Add 1 teaspoon of sunflower seeds

 Add 1 teaspoon of pumpkin seeds

 Add 1 teaspoon of goji berries

 Add 1 teaspoon of pine nuts

 Add 1 teaspoon of skimmed milk powder (optional)

 Add 1 teaspoon of rolled oats

Add the nuts - 1 cashew nut, 1 Brazil nut, 1 walnut and 1 pecan, 1 almond. 

Include separately the wet ingredients - 1 dried date pitted and 1 tablespoon of homemade hazelnut butter flavored with carob powder

Chop the nuts and seeds (I use my nut chopper or you can chop with a knife).

Mix all the dry ingredients together.

The dry ingredients will fill a 1/3 cup. Add 1 tablespoon of homemade or store-bought hazelnut butter and 1 dried date pitted.

Mix in the wet ingredients and wet ingredients together into a dough

Form into balls.

Sprinkle with cinnamon powder, carob powder or wheat germ.

It is best to place in the fridge for 30 minutes and you are ready to enjoy :-)

15 June 2019:

15 June 2019 (3Y30D)

All Ingredients Chocolate Energy Balls

Makes 10 energy balls

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients (1/3 cup):

1. 1 almond
2. 1 cashew nut
3. 1 pecan
4. 1 walnut
5. 1 Brazil nut
6. 1 tsp sunflower seeds
7. 1 tsp pumpkin seeds
8. 1 tsp pine nuts
9. 1 tsp chia seeds
10. 1 tsp goji berries
11. 1 tsp ground flax seeds
12. 1 tsp hemp seeds
13. 1 tsp wheat germ
14. 1 tsp wheat bran
15. 1 tsp rolled oats
16. 1 tsp carob powder
17. 1 tsp skimmed milk powder (optional)
18. 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
19. 1/4 vanilla powder

Wet ingredients (1/3 cup):

20. 1 dried dates pitted or 1/2 banana
21. 1 TBS homemade Nutella

Dusting ingredients:

22. 1 tsp cinnamon powder, carob powder or wheat germ

Directions:

1. Combine and mix well wet ingredients and dry ingredients into a dough and form into balls.

2. Dust with cinnamon powder, cacao powder or wheat germ (optional)

3. Let it set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Enjoy or store in fridge for 5 days or freeze the balance.

Additional Information:

This is the energy balls where I have included all the nuts and seeds in the ingredients to include all the different nutrition, since all nuts and seeds have different nutrition strength. For example, just eating 1 Brazil nut a day covers more than 70% of the RDI for selenium, while sunflower seeds contain the highest amount of Vitamin E compared to other nuts and seeds.

Don't worry if it looks like there isn't sufficient wet ingredients in the beginning. Once you start massage the dough, it gives out more oil, and it will form into sticky dough. If not, adjust with more nut butter or just a dab of water.

 Add 1 teaspoon of wheat germ

 Add 1 teaspoon of wheat bran

 Add 1 teaspoon of hemp seeds

  Add 1 teaspoon of  ground flax seeds

  Add 1 teaspoon of chia seeds

 Add 1 teaspoon of carob powder 

 Add 1 pinch of vanilla powder

Add 1 pinch of cinnamon powder

 Add 1 teaspoon of sunflower seeds

 Add 1 teaspoon of pumpkin seeds

 Add 1 teaspoon of goji berries

 Add 1 teaspoon of pine nuts

 Add 1 teaspoon of skimmed milk powder (optional)

 Add 1 teaspoon of rolled oats

Add the nuts - 1 cashew nut, 1 Brazil nut, 1 walnut and 1 pecan, 1 almond. 

Include separately the wet ingredients - 1 dried date pitted and 1 tablespoon of homemade Nutella

Chop the nuts and seeds (I use my nut chopper or you can chop with a knife)

Mix all the dry ingredients together

The dry ingredients will fill approx. 1/3 cup. Add 1 tablespoon homemade Nutella and 1 dried date pitted

Mix in the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients into a dough

 Form into balls.

Sprinkle with cinnamon powder, carob powder or wheat germ.

It is best to place in the fridge for 30 minutes and you are ready to enjoy :-)