my website

some of you may know that I used to have a website and it got hacked.
Finally I got myself together and build up a website so that you guys can see what I do etc....

it is

http://www.wix.com/shokuiku/shokuiku

natural strawberry yeast

Strawberry yeast can be made so easily and the use is so versatile.
It is made by crushing the strawberry (make sure they are organic. Berry fruits absorb the petricides and other chemicals the most), and letting them ferment till they are sour and a bit bubbly.


First I made strawberry soy yoghurt with my home made soy milk.




the yoghurt was served with pumpkin cake with sprouted kamut.
I sometimes freeze the yoghurt in an ice block container and eat them on a hot summer day. (we didn't have many days like that this summer, did we....)



who said we need a yeast to make bread? I hardly eat bread that is made with instant yeast. I usually make my sourdough bread with fermented grains. this time I used the same strawberry yeast to make a muffin. I did not add any sweetners, so when I served it I served it with kudzu custard with vanilla and a dash of maple syrup




this is before steaming






and this is after.




it is quite fun seeing the dough become bubblier and rise up. you can use many other fruits and vegetables. Apples and grapes are quite common. but even onions can work as well!

super food

Super foods are everywhere and so trendy right now.
Purple Corn
Goji Berries
Lucuma Powder
Maca Powder
spirullina
cholorella
Camu Camu Powder
Cats Claw Powder
raw cocoa
Bee Pollen
Gubinge Powder
the list goes on...

“Superfood” is a word for a food that is particularly nutrient-dense, with more antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, enzymes or protein than most of the foods we are accustomed to eating.
I do have to admit I have some of them at my home. While they are indeed very nutritious, because they are usually exotic plant from far away how about the effect on environment?

i do make sure that they come from a company that you can trust.
They should be

Healthy...
- minimally processed
- no artificial additives to any of the products.
- source and develop products that are in their optimal nutritional state.
Sustainable...
-Produced without the use of synthetic fertilizers, or chemical pesticides and herbicides.
-Cultivated in such a way as to help restore native ecosystems, prevent erosion and support water conservation.
-Use traditional permaculture systems and where possible are shade grown using native canopy species.
Fair....
- produced according to Fair Trade standards, that involve producers and workers being paid not only a Fair price, but also being empowered with the skills and infrastructure to add as much value to the raw products as possible.
-Create healthy environments in which producers and their families live and work.
-Re-invest in community infrastructure such as educational, health and other essential services.

Important thing is that you don't rely on these exotic foods only. If you live on junk food, taking acai' berry powder will not guarantee you a good health. What you 'd need is an overall high quality whole food diet, consisting variety. whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds (properly prepared) and lots of different coloured vegetables.

coconut juice

It is so easy to consume so much soy products. I still do in a form of more natural and traditional state such as natto, tempeh, miso, tamari or soy sauce and tofu etc. However I do try to stay away from soy flour or highly processed soy milk as much as possible and having it too much. Soy products do have a good side as well. So may be I will do a proper article again on that. But today it is all about cracking a coconut!

My daughter and I have discovered coconut juices for sale lately and been enjoying the naturally sweet taste. They are quite expensive though. So when I saw a fresh drinking coconut I was ready to have a go myself.
It is surprising easy.
All you'd need is a good sharp knife. You can get to enjoy the coconut flesh as well. I will be making coconut milk out of that later.

So here is what you do....





Lay it on its side and use a knife to shave the white pith off the top of the coconut. rotate until you see the hard woody centre.








Find a natural stress line of the coconut (it is usually around the crown) and open using your knife. BE CAREFUL!








this is the water inside. Yep. it's clear like water but taste and see how sweet it is!!








Hardest part....drinking it








Soy milk is an easy and common alternative drink to other dairy drinks. but there are other beverages that are as useful.
rice milk
oat milk
almond milk or other nut milk
quinoa milk
and coconut milk or juice



here is the list of positive facts about coconut water/juice

1 Coconut water is a nutritious beverage. it contains natural sugars and a complex array of vitamins and minerals and has less than 2% fat.
2 Coconut water can be used as intravenous solution. It has the same concentration of electrolytes found in human blood. During World War II, doctors treating wounded soldiers used coconut water to give emergency plasma transfusions when they ran out of IVs. This is why coconut water is also called the "fluid of life".
3 Coconut water is good for controlling cholesterol. Researchers have found positive effects of this wonder juice on patients with cholesterol by helping in the prevention of atherosclerosis, otherwise known as the hardening of arteries.
4 Coconut water helps in revitalizing the reproductive system. Fresh coconut juice extracted from green coconuts is known to increase libido and enhance sexual performance. Men and women who tried drinking it regularly reported an increase in sex drive and an improved sex life.
5 Coconut water has shown to act as an antioxidant. Drinking fresh coconut water is reported to clean out many types of destructive free radicals in the body. It also protects the hemoglobin in the blood from nitrate-induced oxidation.
6 Coconut water aids people with constipation problems. This natural juice has a laxative effect. Drinking lots of coconut water everyday improves bowel movement by loosening the stools.
7 Coconut water is known to treat urinary infection and bladder problems. Medical research has shown that consumption of coconut water is very effective in dissolving kidney stones and helps prevent bladder infections. Since coconut juice is a natural diuretic, it increases urine flow, preventing the buildup of kidney stones and flushing out existing ones.
8 Coconut water is a natural sports drink. If offers the same amount of electrolytes and potassium found in conventional sports drinks with less calories and without the artificial ingredients added.

caramel coated apples

another friday market at my daughter's school.
This week was our class' turn so I decided to make toffee apples.
Toffee apples? don't they use butter and refined sugar? yes they do.
how about vegan toffee apples. They use margarine (which I don't like using) and again refined sugar.
my version of toffee apples came out more like caramel but they were still yummy. i have to say the apples inside were as good as the caramel. (organic of course!)
for caramel I used white spelt flour, sunflower oil, maple and rice syrup. Probably next time I wouldn't put as much as oil as I did today though.

origami gift from japan

We recently received these gifts from my mum's friend in Japan. Mum said she heard so much about my daughter from my mum and wanted to make her something special. She said seeing a photo of my daughter gave her such a beautiful feeling that she wanted to do something to give that back....

they must have taken a long time to make... and I was thinking how special it is to be able to make someone you don"t even know happy in that way without knowing.
I wonder if I have ever been able to? even a little tiny bit?
I'm positive that I have... and everyone in this world has....

thank you to all the people who came into my journey of life

more shops

two more exciting shops that will be carrying the truffles!!!
they are just trying them out to see. So Please support them! buy them today. (though chocolate is still very ying. do not indulge yourself too much.)

my daughter's kitchen creation

My daughter is into making salad from the garden lately. Last night she made this beautifully presented herb salad(!) all from the garden.
Cucumber, marigold and some secret herbs (her own secret mixture), drizzled with our lemon juice.
It is good to involve your children to cook. It will prepare them for later years and it will get them to eat more vegetables! learning to pick, wash and chop is a necessary skill that every kids should learn.
And hopefully it will lighten your work at the kitchen (!?)

sunrise

I get up early between 5 and 5:30am I am up. Maybe do some yoga or stretching. read a book or study. seeing a beautiful sunrise like this is something many people miss out. I love the stillness of the early morning. Now I can get myself for a busy day again.

omega3

I read in one of those health magazines the other day about omega3. You know it is important to get this essential nutrients in your diet. If you don't eat fish, where can you get it from?
Omega 3 family include
LNA (flaxseed, hempseed, canola oil, walnuts, butternuts, leafy greens and soy)
EPA (fish, seaweed, microalgae)
DHA (fish, eggs, microalgae)

how much you can convert LNA and EPA into more user friendly DHA depends on your biological chemistry, diet, stage of your life and environment.
If you are vegan or near-vegan, make sure your diet include plenty of plant based LNA, EPA (flaxseed and seaweed are the best!) and try not include so much omega 6 to keep the good balance ratio of omega6 and omega3 (that means stay away from lots of processed food!) The optimal ration is 2:1 - 4:1

There is a great product you can purchase in australia now. I think this is the only DHA oil you can get (except krill oil which is I am not sure vegan)

some good statement

I just got this book out from the library.
there are some great statements that made me think deeply about how I see myself. How many people could confidently say this to themselves. "I love you. I really really love you. I enjoy living my life with you. My love for you is constant. All the love in our lives begins with us."


UNIQUENESS
We are unique and different expressions of the one life. There has never been anyone like me before, and I rejoice in my uniqueness. I am neither too much nor too little, and I do not have to prove myself to anyone. I choose to cherish and love myself as the divine, magnificent expression of life that I am. Being me is an exhilarating adventure! I follow my inner star, and sparkle and shine in my own unique way. i love life, and I love me!

CHANGING MY THINKING
It is time for me to acknowledge that I create my own reality with my thoughts. If I want to change my reality then it is time for me to change my mind. I do this by choosing to think and speak in new and positive ways. I change my life when I change my thinking.

CHILDREN
I can teach but I cannot force.

RELATIONSHIP
Relationships are wonderful, and marriages can be wonderful, but they are all temporary because there comes a time when they end. The one personI am with forever is me. My relationship with myself is eternal, so Im choose to be my own best friend. I choose to love and accept myself and to talk to myself as I would to a beloved person in my life.

drying

Did I write about sprouted flour?
You know with the grains you eat they should be soaked beforehand. It is even better if you can leave them to sprout a little bit sometimes.
But how about flour. the flour you get already milled from stores are not soaked before. and are they even washed? You can't be too sensitive to that all the time but if you can mill your flour you can do all that.
Though it does take a bit of an effort so I usually use my sprouted flour for pancakes and buscuites etc. when I make sourdough bread, which will be left to ferment anyway, I choose to use an easier option.





sprouted and dried kamut grain




quickly milled in vitamix

I usually keep the flour in the freezer for maximum freshness.


Other thing that is worth doing is drying vegetables. You can almost dry everything. cabbage, daikon (my favourite), carrot, mushrooms, zucchinis... The umami, its flavour becomes concentrated and it is good when you need a bit of fridge clean up!
I do have a dehydrater but why waste all that energy if there is free sunshine! I also think the sun gives the vegetable all that positive energy as well.







daikon and sweet potato (I love these red variety ...sweeter than orange one. )

another retail shop for my raw chocolate truffles

hooray!
another shop which sells my raw chocolate truffles.
The vegetable connection on brunswick street is a beautiful speciality shop that sells fresh veges, fruits, bread, deli products and other grocery products.
They have been operating since 1941!




The vegetable coinnection
255 Brunswick Street Fitzroy 3065
Phone: +61 3 9417 2788 Facsimile: +61 3 9486 0443 Email: shop@fruitnveg.com.au

me at work

As you know I cook at friends of the earth on Tuesdays.
just thought I will post these photos of me in action...















good to see empty plates....






that is ME! over the hot stove

more sweets...

Now that the weather is warmer I am making more sweet things.
I don't usually like to have sweet bakings (even though I do enjoy making them) these are some of many I baked over the holiday.
At Foe, we usually get our sweets from vegan organic bakery but because they had a holiday (even though Foe cafe didn't!) I made a few cakes and brownies when they were off.

more occasional desserts for me and my daughter are something that are not so drying,
creamy seasonal fruits with kudzu,
kanten jelly
and on these really hot days
smoothies and fruit icecream.

Our ice cream is so easy and flexible.
it could be made of just frozen bananas creamed just before serving. Or If I feel like it I make it with nuts, tofu or non-dairy milk.
left over smoothies can be frozen and eaten as frozen pops too.

soy milk yogurt

Because the weather has been so warm I have been making soy yogurt. (I can leave it outside to set instead of using oven to keep the temperature)
I don't drink soy milk or use processed soy products usually but at least you will get some good bacteria in the yogurt and by making my own soy milk I can sprout the beans a little bit for easier digestion and use Okara (left over soy fibre) for something else.

All you need is
500ml soy milk
2 tablespoon soy yogurt(unpasteurised)
or
4 tsp acidophilus powder ( I use Inner Health dairy free powder)

yogurt smoothies, raita, frozen yogurt mixed with homemade berry jam..... so endlessly versatile

medical findings

I do feel like there is so much information about what is healthy and unhealthy. It can be very confusing. Add to that you may have noticed that it can change over time as well. Chocolate and red wine were bad but now they are called anti-oxidant. forget the carbohydrate for weight loss to no fat diet. So what is to believe?
Also what if you become sick and are advised to take a certain drugs by your doctor. Are you sure what you are given are not harmful? How about the certain preservatives in the processed food you buy. They may not be classified as harmless but how about in 20 years time?

Here is something you should read. Interesting thing is this article is from a mainstream publication.

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/01/23/why-almost-everything-you-hear-about-medicine-is-wrong.html