Food Smelling Shampoo

I love Philosophy products, they always come up with some great food-smelling products. There were too many to choose from Sephora, lemon custard, pumpkin pie, vanilla birthday cake. I picked up a few realistic smelling body wash like lemonade and apple. More disappointing were the cocktail line (margarita, daiquri, mimosa) shampoo trio that I got.

This is one of my favorites, Cinnamon Bun. It smells like cinnamon ginger bread. What's great its a shampoo, bubble bath and body wash all in one. Good for travelling.

On the bottle, it gives you a recipe for creating your own cinnamon bun. Not tried it out yet. Let me know if it works out.

Philosophy's Cinnamon Buns Recipe

1/4 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 portion dry yeast
1/4 warm water
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 tablespoon soften butter
2 eggs

• Mix all ingredients except yeast, water, flour let it cool,
• Stir and dissolve yeast in warm water
• Add yeast to first mixtutre, beat until mixed
• Add 1 1/2 cup flour, cover and let rise for 1 hour
• Add remaining flour, blend well, knead until smooth.
• Put dough in greased bowl, cover, let rise until double its size.
• Punch down, shape rolls, let rise for 1 hour,
• Bake at 400 degree F (204 degree C) for 8 mins.

I wanna get this!

Recipe : Hippo Soup

This delicious and healthy soup is both medicinal and cleansing. One of my personal favorites, it is sweet and naturally fragrant, requires no added salt or seasoning. The Hippocrates Soup is also used as soup stock for my other soups and as a base for other recipes. All ingredients are organic where possible. Always get organic potato and tomato for this soup as the pesticide levels for these produce tend to be much higher in non-organic ones.

The soup is always served every lunch and dinner as a starter soup for Gerson Therapy (GT) patients. Its a pre-requisite menu for GT patients. While much of GT is directed to liver cleansing, this special soup is designed to help cleanse the kidney and nourish the body. No salt or other condiments should be added for obvious reasons.

The main medicinal ingredients are leeks, celeriac (celery root), parsley root. Potatos are added for carbohydrates and tomatos, garlic onions are added for taste. Here in Singapore, parsley root is rare and hardly available in the shops so I omit it. You can find celeriac (seasonal) in gourmet supermarkets like Tanglin Supermarket, Jasons, Culina. If celeriac is unavailable, replace with celery stalks.

Recipe : Hippocrates Special Soup
Makes four portion for two days

Ingredients (use organic produce where possible)
400g medium celeriac
250g medium onions
250g celery stalk about 3-4 medium stalk
500g roma tomatos
500g potato
400g leeks
300g parsley root (if available)
3-4 cloves of garlic (as desired)
1 stalk parsley herb (condiment)
filtered water

Method
1. Wash all the vegetables thoroughly, unpeeled, cut in small cubes.
2. Add just enough filtered water to cover the cut vegetables in non-aluminum based pot.
3. Cook all the ingredients under low heat 60-80 degrees Celsius for 1.5-2hours in firmly covered pot.
4. Remove tender and soft vegetables from heat, run through food mill/blender. Remove fibers or peels.
5. Blend still warm ingredients thoroughly till soup is thicky and creamy. Only blend the soup while its warm, otherwise the soup will form a sticky and starchy texture when cooled.
6. Allow soup to cool before storing in refrigerator
7. Make enough for about two days only.

Notes :
- You can vary the taste by adding semi-dried tomatos or roasted garlic to the soup.
- Portions of Leeks, celeriac, celery stalks, parsley root should remain as prescribed.
- The unblended version can be used as Vegetable Stock for other recipes.
- The soup should be cooked at low and slow heat to preserve its valuable nutrients and keep it easily digestible. In fast and high heat cooking, the cells burst and the minerals go out of their colloidal composition, it becomes more difficult to be absorbed.
- The soup pot must be non-aluminum and must have a closely tight heavy pot lid to prevent steam to escape.

Recipe : Charlie Trotters Bleeding Heart Radish Ravioli

Another Charlie Trotter Recipe, this I have yet to attempt because of its complexity.
He's in Singapore for the Singapore Sun Festival Oct 2008. Details are here.


From Charlie Trotter's Book "Raw"

Bleeding Heart Radish Ravioli With Yellow Tomato Sauce

This dish is time consuming and take literally days to make.

Ravioli

40 very thin slices peeled bleeding heart radish, each at least 1 1/2 inches in diameter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Celtic sea salt

1 1/4 cups Herb Cheese (see below)

2 large very ripe yellow tomatoes, seeded and cut into medium dice
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons fresh opal basil flowers or micro leaves

To Make the Herb Cheese:
Yield 1 1/4 cups

1 cup Cashew Cheese (see recipe below)
4 teaspoons filtered water
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon large flake nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Combine the Cashew Cheese, water, shallot, lemon juice, yeast, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the basil and thyme until evenly distributed. Taste and adjust with additional salt, if needed. Use immediately, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

METHOD
To make the ravioli: Use a 2-inch ring mold to cut each radish slice into a perfect round. Rub the radish slices with the olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt. Place 1 tablespoon of the cheese in the center of half of the radish slice. Carefully place a second radish slice on top of the spoonful of cheese and gently press the outer edges together to create a seal. Repeat to make 20 ravioli in all.

Combine the tomatoes, chives, olive oil, and vinegar in a bowl and mix gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

ASSEMBLY - Using a slotted spoon, spoon one-fourth of the tomato mixture into the center of each plate. Arrange 5 ravioli over the tomatoes, overlapping them slightly. Spoon some of the juices from the tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with the basil flowers.

WINE NOTES: There are a number of good possibilities here. Sanigovese springs to mind because it is one of the few red wines that is not flabby when paired with tomatoes. Isole e Olena Chianti is light-bodied, fruity red. During peak season, when tomatoes are at their sweetest and ripest, a Barbera from Vietti or Dolcetto d'Alba from Pio Cesare would be a good choice.

Charlie Trotter's Mango Coconut Curry

I can't afford to pay for the S$1000 dinner to Singapore Sun Festival Charlie Trotter event. Here's a Recipe from his book. The Event posted here

From Charlie Trotter's "Raw"

This is my favorite, its easy and quick. Not a fan of cashew milk, plus its difficult to get bland raw cashews. Most cashews in Singapore are roasted and salted and extremely expensive. I replace it with almonds or sometimes rice milk.
For substitutes I use normal lime instead of key lime.
Agave syrup instead of maple. I also add soaked mejol dates for a further sweet texture.

Mango, Coconut And Curry
Serves 2

Publish Post

1/4 cup chopped young Thai coconut meat
1/2 cup coconut water
1 mango, peeled, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked for 8 hours in filtered water and drained
1/4 cup cashew milk
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed Key lime juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup maple sugar
1 1/2 cups crushed ice
1 teaspoon Indian Spice Mix or sweet curry powder, plush extra for garnish

Combine the coconut meat and coconut water in a high-speed blender and process until smooth. Remove half of the puree from the blender and reserve. Add the remaining ingredients to the coconut puree in the blender and process until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses and spoon an equal amount of the reserved coconut mixture on top of each glass. Sprinkle each serving with a pinch of spice mix.

Tart de fruite - Raw and Vegan

Here's a recipe I love and quite easy to make.

Its raw and vegan, the crust is made up with nuts


Tart Crust
2.5 cup almond
3/4 cup pitted medjool dates (you can get them from mustafa supermarket, singapore or health food stores)

In a blender, mix all the ingredients until it is coarse and combined in a doughy texture. Press the mixture into 3 inch tart crust. Refrigerate until firm (about 1-2 hours)

Filling
1 cup raw cashews (soaked 4 hours)
1 cup coconut meat
1/2 cup agave syrup
2 tablespoon vanilla extract

In blender, till smooth. Refrigerate to set (2 hours). It will form firm creamy texture.


For serving
Fill the cream filling to the tart shell, top with fresh fruits, serve immediately.

Recipe : Vegan Chermoula

Chermoula is a North African marinade used for meat, poultry and fish. It's a popular marinade used in Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. Here I use it for vegetarian dishes like grilled eggplant, roasted capscium and squashes like zuchini or yellow squash.

The recipe is modified for Gerson Therapy cancer patients which omits strong aromatic spices and oils in their strict diet.

Recipe : Chermoula
Makes around 500ml marinade

Fresh Ingredients :

• 1 red onion
• 5 garlic cloves
• 90g organic coriander, including stalks
• 150g organic Italian Flat leaf parsley
• 1 strand saffron
• 1/2 bunch organic mint leaf

Other Ingredients :

• 1.5 Tablespoon Ras el Hanout
• 200ml Flax oil
• 1/2 lemon - juiced

Modified Ras el Hanout :
(roast the mixtured spices in low to medium heat in wok)

• 1 bay leaf (pounded finely)
• 1 teaspoon thyme (pounded finely)
• 1 teaspoon ground mace
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground anise
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed (pounded finely)

Optional for Non GT patients :

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• I teaspoon turmeric
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Method

1. Blend in food processor for 1 min, all the fresh ingredients and roasted Ras el Hanout except flax oil and lemon juice. Texture should be pesto-like.
2. Slowly add small portions of Flax oil and lemon juice to the mixture till thick and paste form.
3. Cover marinade mixture to eggplant, sweet capscium or squashes. Grill.
   

Recipe : Sprouting your own food

Ever have trouble digesting beans or grains properly?
Want a great and cheap way to stay healthy?
Sprout them!

For those into Raw and Living Foods, sprouts are an essential part of the living diet.

The Lowdown on Sprouts:
- Enzymes , digestion and Nutritional info

Sprouted beans, grains, nuts and seeds essentially help to pre-digest complex carbohydrates and proteins by breaking down into simpler carbohydrates and free amino acids. It also removes anti-nutrients like phytates, enzyme inhibitors making it easy for the body to use less enzymes, hence easier for digestion. Some sprouts like seeds, grains and legumes even increase enzyme content such as proteolytic and amylolytic enzymes in our bodies. These are essential in digesting complex proteins and carbohydrates. Sprouted beans also helps reduce gas and flatulence in the body.

Some of the most nutritious are rye, fenugreek, wheat, mung bean, lentils, and alfalfa. The increase of vitamins in sprouts is tremendous during the sprouting period, compared to the unsprouted seed. Studies from India and Asia show increases in carotene and vitamin A, Dr. C.W. Bailey of the University of Minnesota showed, in a study attempting to establish the importance of enzymes in the human body, that vitamin C value increased by 600 percent in sprouted wheatgrass.

Many Brassicas sprouts (such as broccoli, cabbage, mustard, radish) contain high amount of anti-oxidants and increased vitamins and minerals.

According to John Hopkins University researchers estimates that a three day Broccoli sprouts contains 20 to 50 times the anti-oxidant compound sulfurophane than matured broccoli. Radish seeds may also have the anti-cancer potential according to Australian researchers (Australia Department of Primary Industries Queensland)

How to Sprout (takes 2-3days)

Sprouting is easy, a little time consuming, but its highly nutritious and great low budget option for those who find organic produce too expensive.

• Soak your beans in filtered clean water for 12-24 hours (depending on beans). Quality of water is important if you want your sprouts to taste great.
  

• Use a wide mouthed glass jar and filling up to one third of it with seeds. Sterilise the glass jar with hydrogen peroxide. Fit a piece of mesh (or muslin netting) over the mouth of the jar with a rubber band. The jar should be airy and slightly exposed.
  

• Rinse and drain the beans four times for every 8 hours, Find a cool place out of the sun to keep your jar tilted downwards at an angle to keep your beans oxygenated. Cover with tea-towel - beans need darkness to germinate.

• Rinse the beans with fresh filtered water. This is important. Germinated seeds/beans in our tropical and humid weather encourages bacterial and fungal growth. But regular rinsing with water oxygenates the seeds, preventing fungal growth. If sprouts smells bad, dump it and restart.

• When sprouts are ready, give them final rinse. Sprouted tail should be at least 2 times the length of the bean/seed

• Make sure the sprouts are completely drained of fluids and lightly moist. Store them in the fridge in a glass jar or zip-lock bag.

More information of sprouting times for various seeds and beans are found in http://www.sproutpeople.com

Further reference
-Book: "Sprout for the Love of Every Body"by author Viktoras Kulvinskas
- Raw and Living Food Website http://www.living-foods.com/articles/

Best way to Juice a Pomegranate

When I visited New Delhi, India a while back, I got addicted to the freshly prepared Pomegranate juice which took 4 people to prepare it. One person to cut and peel the skin, two people to remove and separate the juicy pips from the fruit, one to juice it through a specially made Pomegranate juicer. It is a laboriously task, pomegrante juice was not readily available just anywhere even in New Delhi. I only got to taste it in a New Delhi town club which provided a sunday buffet fest for its members.

Being in Singapore where we don't grow our own food, and we pretty much import everything(Talk about having big carbon foot prints) We get fruits as far as South Africa or Egypt. It was pomegranate season a few weeks back and at the local supermarket, I spotted Pomegranates from Afghanistan. The country is famous for its beautiful fruits like apricots and grapes, pity we don't get them here. I was excited! Fruits from an exotic warcountry!

Transporting these Pomegranates from this remote place to our city I suspect would have been difficult with the bad transport network over there. I could'nt imagine how much effort it took for these large beautiful pomegranates to reach our supermarkets.

It was worth the effort and it was more expensive compared to the ones from India. The Afghan pomegranates were sweeter and have a deeper ruby red color compared to the pale pink ones we regularly get from India. I got a few Afghan pomegranates from the supermarket and decided to juice them.




Juicing pomegranate was time-consuming and require pain-staking patience to remove the juicy dark ruby red pip one at a time. I had previously tried it before and failed miserably by squeezing it with muslin cloth. It resulted in disappointingly little juice with much of the precious nectar soaked by the cloth. A previous time, I ran the pips through a blender and it resulted in a bitter cloudy liquid because I juiced the white bits with it to save time.

The best way I found was cutting the pomegranate in half, and slowly pick the pips individually without breaking the ruby red sap.





I ran the pips through my new cold press juicer and it worked!. A whole fruit gave me half a glass of deep ruby nectar.



Yes it was worth all that effort and probably try it again next season. Meanwhile it is back to drinking bottled pomegranate juice for the moment.