Blending it down

I've recently started making smoothies for breakfast. I've been constantly exhausted lately, and I really don't want to be. There's just so much to do and accomplish! Work has been piling up and requires more energy than ever, I want to do all of the above plus bake and entertain (which I have, two weeks in a row), and go out with friends.

Breakfast has never been my suit. I love the idea of breakfast and breakfast foods (waffles, bacon, sausages, baked eggs), but my stomach has the tendency to react violently in the mornings. There was a point when I spent every morning rushing for the toilet. This went on for a couple of weeks. So I more often than not skip the meal, making do with a cup of coffee and a few biscuits.

In an attempt to feel better, I have been making myself smoothies, blending soymilk, oats and a banana in the morning and drinking this for breakfast. It's way more convenient than my usual hot oatmeal concoction - no need to cut up the banana and I can drink this during the drive to work. It gives me a nice boost of energy and helps me not feel like a ravenous lunatic by lunchtime.

I really love my morning fixes smoothie fix now - you basically get all the goodness of whole, fresh foods in a convenient, yummy mixture that tastes more like a treat than anything else. I expect I'll get bored with the combination soon, so of course other experimentations are in order. I'm thinking papaya, peanut butter, avocados, coconut milk/juice, almonds, chia seeds, toasted wheat germ, just to name a few of the stuff I might put in.

But all that fancy stuff can really add up, and it really doesn't have to. Just a few (mostly) cheap, basic ingredients have worked so well for me. .

The addition of the molasses really does it for me. I pay about 30 bucks for a large bottle, and consume 1 - 2 tablespoons today. Funny enough I purchased the molasses to bake Thomas Keller's chocolate chip cookies, which called for 1 tablespoon of molasses for an entire batch of cookies. So what was i going to do with the rest of the bottle?.

To my pleasant surprise there is a whole host of health benefits to consuming this stuff. A good source of iron, magnesium and calcium, plus the fact that it metabolises very slowly (unlike refined sugar)..

It makes a much better addition than honey or agave nectar, I think..

Your Basic, cheap, easy smoothie:.

1 banana (I refuse to buy the Dole brand bananas stores all over the Klang Valley are selling these days. Why pay for the fruit to be shipped all the way from South America by a giant American corporation when our own backyard yields sweeter, better-textured stuff???.

1 cup soymilk (organic and unsweetened).
2 tablespoons instant oats (I use Quaker).
1 - 2 tablespoons unsulphured blackstrap molasses (optional, but highly recommended).
Whiz everything in a blender and serve (duh). To bulk up Ak's smoothie I add 1 tbsp of peanut butter to his version. So I double the amounts above, whiz then pour out half for me. I then add the peanut butter and whiz again for AK's smoothie..

Avocado Smoothie (a meal in itself).

I made this for my younger brother, who loves avocado and is looking to bulk up. Just spoon the insides of 2 avocadoes (or 1 avocado and 1 banana) into a blender, add a handful of ice cubes and a teaspoon of sugar. Add a little cold water to help get everything going. You should get a smooth, sorbet-like texture. Taste and adjust the sweetness, or you might want to add a bit of lime juice for a little kick. If it's too thick, add more cold water and blitz again..

Oh, and as a general guide, here's a list of best and worst vegetables to eat I got off the web.

"Worst" List, buy them organic if you can afford it:

- Peaches
- Apples
- Sweet bell peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Lettuce
- Grapes
- Pears
- Spinach
- Potatoes

"Best" Produce, i.e. save your money and buy regular:
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Banana
- Kiwi
- Asparagus
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Mango
- Pineapple
- Sweet corn (frozen)
- Avocado
- Onion

Cold brew coffee

When it comes to coffee I am a downright peasant. Sure, I turn up my nose at pre-grated parmesan, margarine, etc etc. But when it comes to coffee I can't exist without plain ol' Nescafe. Always have, always will. I do order the occasional cappucinno or espresso when I meet friends at Starbucks or Coffee Bean, but that's mostly because, well, you're sitting in the cafe, you gotta order something, right? I am also steering clear of the current fad - Nespresso/CBTL capsule coffee machines. Most of our friends have already bought theirs. Me, I gotta have my daily shot of my (relatively) cheap caffeine every morning from instant Nescafe, and I'm set to go. I do brew coffee with my gorgeous Bodum French Press (a birthday gift from my mum) and my percolator for the fun of it. I love the process of brewing more than the drinking (Nescafe is all I really need), if I were to be entirely truthful. All in all, I do think that my wallet and the environment  ought to give me some credit. :)

Recently another foodie fad caught my eye (I am shamelessly behind it all- be it caramel, salt in desserts. But I try, people, I try). Cold brew coffee. According to the Curious Cook Harold McGee in his NY Times article, cold brews tend to contain less caffeine and less acid. Less caffeine, hmm. Not too sure about that. Less acid is most welcome. McGee also claims that cold brews taste fruitier and more refreshing. And it's so easy, people. Like, ridiculous. Just steep coffee grounds overnight in water (room temp, cold, I've come across recipes for both - if you can call them recipes). Strain and store in fridge. Pour over ice cubes, add milk  and sugar syrup. Duh. If this is too easy for you, this wonderful site that warrants a lot more vistis has some pretty detailed instructions on getting the best out of your cold brew. I tried 12 hours at room temp and another 12 in the fridge. My brew came out still slightly acidic - next time I'm gonna try using a milder blend, and steep in the fridge instead of at room temp. After all, unlike dumplings or cookies, this is one recipe easy enough to warrant multiple attempts at perfection :)

Gingery Watermelon Slushie

There are times that call for hot chocolate, there are times that call for watermelon slushies. Sometimes both on the same day, what with the scorching afternoons followed by heavy midnight downpours that feel as if the heavens themselves are heaving on us we've been seeing. That, and a bit air-conditioned induced cosiness of course.

Today was watermelon day.

This came about originally from my overwhelming urge to eat healthier last week. I rose early on Saturday morning, grim and determined to avoid the weekend crowds at the local super. After coffee and pepper biscuits (vowing that tomorrow's breakfast would be different), I set off. From the super I lugged back bagfuls of lurid purple dragon fruit (antioxidants!!) and half a watermelon, arms burning all the way.

Of course when I got home I realised that I would never be able to finish everything before they started deteriorating. Now who else would I turn to in times like these other than the Domestic Goddess herself? Inspired by how she concocted watermelon dacquiris on her "trashy"episode of Nigella Bites, I followed suit and cubed, bagged and froze my watermelon. Genius.

Today was the day I decided to use them. So simple its embarassing really - I just whizzed the frozen pink chunks with a bit of water to loosen it all up, voila. To counter any acidity or "wind" that such a beverage might induce, I wisely added a spoonful of instant ginger tea I brought back from my last trip to BKK, which also served as a sweetener and added a real nice kick to a supercool drink.

Masala Chai

I have a new love, from India it comes.

The woodblock print placemat is from Anokhi, a beautiful ethical textile shop/boutique/cafe in Jaipur

Masala chai tea, or really really strong spiced tea.

I have never been a tea person. Coffee is, and always will be my caffeine of choice.

But sometimes (more often than not nowadays), a cup of sweet comfort, in all its spicy, milky goodness, is in order.

The miniature painting is from a handmade paper shop in Johari Bazaar, near the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur

I bought this adorable tin of tea in my attempt to spend the last of my rupees at the Mumbai Airport. Turns out all the prices were in US dollars :)

Now I worry about where I am going to get my fix once this stash runs out. Madhur Jaffrey has a recipe in her book - but I have to make 6 cups every time I feel like a fix. Hopefully I will be able to find some in Penang. Miri, of course, is hopeless.

Something to cool down with

OK, I have to admit - I'm too embarassed to use the name we've given this drink as this post title.

I came up with this concoction in a spirited effort to "cool" AK down, and find a way to get some fruit into him, short of tying him down and force-feeding him or wheedeling him like a mother does a stubborn child. Now one does NOT want to mother her partner, whether she is older than him or not. But that's another story.

Nowadays he sweet-talks me into making this for all the time. I can't remember how we came up with this embarassingly ridiculous and over-the-top name, though.


The weird thing is, the name was actually meant for another drink - longans with ice-cream soda and lots of ice. This is different, less sugar, cooler and healthier. And somehow the name "Scuba Diving Dragon" (hey, the longans are supposed to represent dragon eyes - although their Malay name means Cats Eyes, confusing - in soda water, i.e. swimming, i.e. scuba diving....sorry)



Like I said, it would've been better not to know.

This is a good way to make not-so-palatable, but sadly it's all we can get in this forsaken place, fruit. Bananas, papayas and jackfruit only last a couple of days before turning into compost but apples and pears last for weeks in our fridge. And most of the apples and pears that are reasonably priced enough to buy here make for lousy eating. So here's the recipe we use to get them down:

1 or 2 Chinese pears (or apples should you prefer)
Honey to taste
About 7-8 ice cubes
A little water

Cut the pear into cubes. In a blender, put in your ice 1st, then the pears, then the honey. Whiz it all up and serve this ice-cold slush immediately in a tall glass and a fat straw.