Organic egg/carrot.

Such beautiful little things these organic produce.
From my man's collegue who has a hobby farm where
chicken and geese run around free and where herbs
grow wild in the sun.

So small too these ones that the egg disappeared in
my egg cup this morning. Plonk! I had to stick my nose
down and look for it in there while wondering how on
Earth that happened. Then it dawned on me that why
of course these little natural things have never seen
a day of spraying or a single hormone put into them,
making them tiny and oh so cute.

And the taste! So delicious.

Love,
E

The good food week.

I have gone bazumckhaz over food lately so I decided that this week
should be ALL about food. Whatever food you are having,
where you are having it, who you are having it with and where
did you find inspiration to do that.
This I decided while eating my second dinner of muesli and yogurt
while cruising the web visiting some of the most delightful foodie blogs out there. I need more. My body needs more.
So I am treating this pretty much like a little exercise to moi as well.
I'm thinking something in the lines of..how 'bout you care a little?
Or does that not make sense?
What I mean is that in these times of obvious stress and
overworking of ourselves we need to have some good times.
Some food times.
And by the end of this Dibadaba week I want everyone,
exactly everyone, to think out loud 'Oh boy was that a feast!'.



Love,
E

What's for lunch...?

roasted Brussel Sprouts and Garlic Brown Rice =)

Not fond of sauteed brussel sprouts, I heart it roasted.

Nutty and crunchy.

Beginning at Bouchon

This was how my January 1st started...

Dinner with mi familia at Bouchon in Yountville --- up North.

Bouchon is listed on my Restaurant Must-To-Go list.

Started by famed French chef, Thomas Keller

So I was super excited to go...

I like the ambience of the restaurant.

It is an upscale-casual joint. Good thing we didn't have to dress up b/c we are not that sort of family; unless we have to, that is =)

Anyway, about the food...

For appetizer: we had variety of Oysters. Oh, I heart oysters =)

And poached salmon with salad.

I had the Croque Madame w/ Black Truffle Pomme Frites.

The Croque Madame was oozing with goodness. And the Truffle Pomme Frites, to die for.

Dad had the Truite aux Topinambours [pan-roasted trout with roasted sunchokes, marinated mushrooms, toasted almond & beurre noisette]

This was delicious.

Mother had the poached Salmon w/ beets.

And Rej had the (pictured above the Salmon) Poulet Roti [roasted chicken with crispy spatzle, winter squash, chestnuts & white wine poached pears with whole grain mustard jus].

I liked it, but he wasn't into it =/ Oh well...

This is Rej's Mousse au Chocolat Noir.

It was rich, creamy, and chocolaty.

Divine...

I opted for a cup of coffee.

it was a lovely way to spend the first day of 2010.

Moroccan Kefta Tagine

I've been wanting to make this in ages...

And here it is... my Moroccan Kefta Tagine =)

Not bad for my first try.

Perfect with Baguette =)

What do you do when there isn't enough ice cream...

Why... you half the darn thing.
My smart Mikey-Ike literally halved this individual size strawberry Haagen Dazs.

Lesson: always purchase an ice cream - Always! Or else you'll be halving what is supposed to be yours.

Early Birds

Woke up early and quickly dashed off to the Market.
We missed out on these amazing eggs these past 3 Saturdays. I swore to myself that today I'd wake up extra early and wouldn't miss it again --- it paid off.

I love going to the Market before everyone does. Peaceful and the tourists are not awake yet (not that I have anything against them...). And I like looking at the produce nicely laid out - fresh and untouched.

Anyway, after the Market we headed back and had our delicious meaty-hearty brekkie.

For ages, I have been looking for really good Spicy Italian Sausage.
I tried different specialty stores, but to no avail

Until today, I think I finally found it @ Bocallone. *Yippie!

Above: Bocallone Spicy Italian Sausage w/ toasted baguettes.
Meaty and fresh (nothing like the store brand).

The "Soft boiled egg" - they're the kinda eggs that Nigella would have. Wasa. Half of the Spicy Italian Sausage. and Jamon Serrano.

And a cup of GenMai.

*smiling*

Taste Test: natto, gooey fermented soy beans

*This article is from BoingBoing.net. I thought you maybe interested in this...

By Lisa Katayama

In Japan, we eat soy all the time. For breakfast we have rice with natto and miso soup with tofu; for dinner we pop edamame into our mouths in between chopsticks-full of vegetables sauteed in soy sauce. I always assumed it was good for you, until I came to California and my health-conscious American friend told me that soy was actually really bad for you. So which is it?

Here's what we know about soy: unprocessed, it's a great source of digestible protein and has tons of vitamin B, calcium, and folate — all things that are good for you. It also contains isoflavones, and here's where things get tricky. Some studies prove that isoflavones are beneficial, while others have shown that it promotes breast and prostate cancer. Soy has also been called out as an agent of brain cell aging and thyroid dysfunction, too.

In her recent book The Jungle Effect, San Francisco-based physician Daphne Miller — who studied low cancer rates in Okinawa extensively — writes:

While Okinawans take in over 80 percent of their soy in a relatively unprocessed form as tofu, edamame, soy flour, soy milk, or miso, people in the United States eat a similiar percentage of their soy in a processed form. Our soy foods are heated, mashed, and denatured to create a vast array of substances ranging from Tofurky to fillers for tuna fish to ice-cream sandwiches... while whole foods offer valuable protection, concentrated or denatured derivatives of these foods are having the opposite effect.

The bottom line, at least for now, seems to be that good soy prevent cancer and bad soy might promote cancer. Good soy = tofu, soy sauce, miso, natto, edamame. Bad soy = soy protein powder, energy bars made with soy, fake hot dogs, tofurky.

A lot of Western people think natto — fermented soy bean — is gross because of it's gooey texture and stinky smell, but it's one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast. It's filled with protein and great for a post-workout snack, too. If you're still iffy about it, why not combine the foreign with the familiar and cook some natto spaghetti? The slippery texture of the pasta cuts the gooeyness a little, and in my opinion this is a gentle way to ease natto into your culinary life.

Every installment of Taste Test will explore recipes, the science, and some history behind a specific food item.

Images via Jasja Dekker's Flickr and Gaku's Flickr

Weekend

Mikey-Ike made this for me. He's like my personal chef or rather I'm his taster - lol.
Olive roll. Mortadella. Salami. and a little bit of Mayo.

Just what I needed... on a Cold Fall Night.
Hot Cocoa with Vanilla Marshmallow on top.

Still on the food path.

So as you might know breakfast is my
all time favourite meal. Most days when
I do my yoga practice in the morning I
enjoy not one but TWO breakfasts.
Normally I have oatmeal with honey,
fruit and almonds right after the training
followed by say a toast with beans during
lunch time.
All this because
1) I get super hungry waking up at 5.30
2) Come 7.30 I have already cranked the
downward dog for two hours
3) I despise lunch as a meal

So yeah anyway what I was coming to was
that sometimes it just happens that I get sick of
my oatmeal and just make this easy muesli instead.
It is by the lovely Donna Hay.

Peach and Coconut Granola

3 cups oats
1 cup flaked almonds
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups shredded coconut
2 cups chopped dried peaches

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Mix oats and almonds and set aside.
Cook honey, oil and vanilla over high heat
until the honey has melted.
Pour over oats and mix well.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 min or until muesli
is golden. Stir through the coconut and peaches
and allow to cool. Serve with vanilla yoghurt.

You must try it. It is divine!



Love,
E

Bake Sale at Kichenette

Started my Day with these treats.

KichenetteSF - "spontaneous, organic, covert, nourishment"
They are located near the Docks in a 'huge' warehouse.
Be there as soon as they Open, otherwise you'll be Sorry (they're open from 11:30am - until they run out...)
They don't serve the same thing everyday... Also, the chefs are apparently different everyday.

Earlier today, I found out that they were having a Bake Sale. When I saw the menu... I did not have the courage to refuse - I'm sorry =/. I am hopeless sometimes - no discipline.


the sleepy hollow:
mini meyer lemon meringue tartlet, mini red velvet cupcake, cheesecake lollipop

the chocolate gobblin’

mini chocolate chile tartlet with creme fraiche, cheesecake lollipop with cocoa nibs, red velvet cupcake

*Mmmm...

Food Adventure

We were invited to a small dinner at Mikey-Ike's parents house down south.

It was very lovely and the food was amazing.
Mikey-Ike's Mum, is I think one of the best cook I've ever met - seriously!

She made us traditional American dinner.

Mashed Potatoe, Greens, and a huge steak - just what my tummy was craving for...


These twice baked potatoes are to die for! I crave for this...
Creamy and the texture is always just right.
And after eating mashed potatoe, the potatoe skin is delish to munch on.

Not sure if this is "traditional American," I learned to eat (from Mikey-Ike, he is part Latino) my steak with these: Jalapeno, horseradish, and salsa ^_^

for Dessert...

Homemade Caramel Apple.

Oh... Über goodness!

Happy Halloween!

I hope things are well with you...

We go one dinner at a time.

1. Fry tofu, chicken or meat with any vegetables you like.
I heart broccoli. Big time.


2. Slice carrots in thin slices and chop up a heap of coriander.


2. Mix boiled rice noodles with fresh bean sprouts.


4. Place a bit of everything in the middle of a round rice paper.
Don't worry too much about how much to put as you will learn
as you go. Then turn the sides towards the middle and start rolling
away from yourself. Finally wet the top bit a little so it will stick
and kep the juicy rolls intact.


5. Ready! Good to go into belly but you might want to take these
babies through the dipping sauce plate first.

This is what the whole procedure kind of looks like.
And how cute is he?

Love,
E

Passion Fruit

I went to Rainbows grocery.

Initially my agenda was to look for dende oil (or palm oil) for this Brazilian dish I wanted to make.

As I was looking around, I saw these funny looking fruits. When I looked up I saw that what I was holding was a... (dragon fruit!). It made me smile looking at it.

Beside it was a Passion Fruit! *hallelujah* I went bananas! Actually, I felt like a light was shining on me - lol (i know cheesy)
Anyway, it was a bit expensive so I decided to just get one and see it how it is - I've never had it here.

The passion fruit on the left is the one I'm more familiar with. The one on the right was the one they had at the grocery store.

It was an ambrosia.

Charity and Solidarity

As you know SEA (SouthEast Asia) Pacific has been ravaged by typhoons, tsunami and earthquakes these few days.

People, like the food carts in the City got together last week to show support and donate a portion of their revenues to the victims in the Philippines. Mikey-Ike and I went to a couple of them. Food cart festivities on Wednesday night (not pictured) and last Friday.

This is Little Skillet.

In my book, they have the best fried chicken (don't worry we make sure those chickens are organic and sustainably raised) in the City. And waffles!
Mouthwatering. Juicy. And fresh.

These goodies are from the SweetCart lady. It's a chocolate cupcake with peppermint icing. OMG! It was divine! I'm kinda picky with my cupcake texture - I like it a bit fluffy and light. This one hit the right spot =)

And - I learned how to make a cupcake sandwich (photo below).
*Hold the top and bottom of the cupcake, and lightly twist it to separate the top and bottom. Then take top with the icing and flip it over, so that there's only icing between the two pieces of cake - Like A Sandwich =)

We had a bowl of Brazilian food called Moqueca de Camarao (Shrimp Stew, Bahian style), or I think it was. It was muito delicioso!

And also to-die-for brownies with chocolate mousse on top. I devoured it before I could take a photo of it - so bad.

We arrived a bit early (Mike-Ike didn't want to miss out on the fried chicken), when we got there we were probably the first 10 people. And we left after our scrumptious meal. Later on,I heard that everyone had a good time for a good cause.

Sydney Int'l Food Festival

To get people charged up about the Sydney Int'l Food Festival, "national flags of participating countries were recreated using popular local foods of each nation." - Toxel.com

Vietnam

Spain

South Korea

Lebanon

Japan

Italy

India

Greece

France

Brazil

and Australia

Awesome ha...