Mar
2014

Grain Quiz!

categories: Eating In, Food Allergy Tips

Hi folks!

While I am trying to reduce the amount of grains I eat at home, it certainly is hard to fill up on just veggies, fruits, nuts, and eggs! Therefore, I thought I’d share my home stash of grains in the form of a quiz: can you identify these grains?

What are these GF-permissible grains?
What are these GF-permissible grains?

A. Sarawak red rice

B. Red quinoa

C. Mixed quinoa

D. Millet

E. Buckwheat

The best kind of rice to get is organic wild rice. Sadly, I have not seen this available here in Malaysia. Also on a sad note, while quinoa is an excellent staple, it is no longer an ethical grain thanks to irresponsible global trading. If you want to buy quinoa, please get the “fair trade” kind as we don’t want to deprive poor South Americans of their nutritious staple.

BONUS QUESTION: Which grains are not gluten free but often seen in the gluten-free aisles because they are marketed as “health foods”?

Cous cous

Kamut

Spelt

Semolina

Atta

Bulgur

 

All the above are not okay!

Peace,

Daisy

 


Mar
2014

Local Organic “Pesto”

categories: Eating In, Recipes

I’ve always loved pesto dishes but find organic basil leaves and pine nuts too expensive to buy here in Malaysia. So I’ve made a “local” version of pesto using bok choy or choy sum (or any local vegetable, really) and rice noodles. Enjoy!

Hey presto! Local Organic Pesto!
Hey presto! Local Organic Pesto!

INGREDIENTS

For Pesto

3 large handful bunches of bok choy, choy sum, kangkung, or any local green veggie

50g of walnuts

8-10 tablespoons of organic extra virgin olive oil (get a good one)

Salt and pepper to taste

For Noodles

1/2 packet of organic brown rice meehoon (make sure it is 100% rice)

10-15 small organic cherry tomatoes

1 small organic carrot, shredded

1 cup organic mushrooms (Erringhi are cheap and fantastic)

2 tablespoons of  butter (I’ve started to use Goat Butter and *love* it!)

1 stalk of organic leeks, chopped finely

5 cloves of garlic, diced

 

METHOD

1. Soak meehoon in water for a few minutes.

2. Melt butter in (glass) pan.

3. Add leeks and garlic, and very quickly after, the mushrooms.

4. Add in meehoon.

5. When noodles are softer, add in carrots, tomatoes, and very quickly (like after a minute!), turn off heat. The more raw your veggies, the better!

6. Separately, wash and blend ingredients for pesto in a blender or food processor. You may need to add a little water if the mixture is too dry to be blended.

7. Add pesto on top of noodles, and enjoy!

Peace,

Daisy