Total damage: $98 for the 1N hotel stay + cab fare to and fro the airport. Disappointment? Nay....it's a sign......... =P
We've been rather busy with the past weekends. Robinson sale, talk @ CPF, HPB's healthy lifestyle roadshow that we chanced upon which we've gotten our BMI calculated and received goodie bags :) The item that enticed us to join the "Uncle and Aunty" queue - 750g brown rice. Don't tell me you didn't queue for free stuff before...I bet the Ben and Jerry's queue is longer than this.
Uncle Tan and I participated in a workshop organised by PA and thought I could share the recipes for those who are interested in a fuss free nutritious food which doesn't require any cooking.
It was a small class held in Cuppage Plaza, a quiet little open space outside the cafe "NutriHub - the Organic Fushion Cafe".
The trainer is a former nurse and her last stint was working with the National Cancer Centre. Her medical knowledge has somewhat made the workshop more interesting and educational. We've picked up a number of useful tips on how we process the food for health benefits.
How can healthy food be delicious? Well, you'll never know till you try and well...sometimes it's a matter of how your mind is being programmed :)
Good things are meant to be shared, so here are the recipes:
Cashew Fig Milk
Ingredients for 1 serving (approx 300ml):
- 12 cashew nuts
- 1 Medjool date
- 1 Fig
- 200 ml filtered drinking water
- 5 ice cubes
Method:
1. Wash and soak cashew nuts overnight in filtered dirnking water.
Note: Apparently cashew nuts and almond nuts are 'acidic' in nature and are not good for the body if taken without getting rid of their acidity by soaking them. It's better to eat raw nuts than those pan fried or roasted as the fats from the nuts will turn to hydrogenated oil which is unhealthy for the body, and that explains why some would feel bloated after eating these processed nuts. If you still prefer your nuts to be crispy, you can lightly toast them but the best is to dehydrate them using a dehydrator.
2. The following day, discard the water and rinse it before adding them to the blender.
3. Remove the head of the fig and cut into 4 pieces.
4. Remove the head and seed from the date.
5. Wash the fig and date before mixing them with the cashew nuts, water and ice cubes and blend them till smooth.
We were all surprised by the sweetness and taste. The smell is a little weird but everyone likes the taste. The first pic is the milk. You can replace the cashew nuts with almond nuts (12 pieces) or brazillian nuts (3 pieces). Similar to fruit juice, try to consume it within 2 hours.
Swiss Museli
Ingredients for 1 serving (approx 300ml):
3 tbsp of rolled oats (organic if you are the purist)
10 pcs of shelled walnuts
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp sunflolwer seeds
1 tsp white & black sesame seeds
1 tbsp raisins or wolfberries
200ml filtered drinking water
1 tsp lemon juice
Fresh fruits i.e. banana, payaya, apple, strawberry, kiwi etc.
Method:
1. Rinse the rolled oats, nuts and seeds and dried fruits (raisins/wolfberries). Pour them into a clean container and soak it in 200ml of drinking water. Keep the container overnight in the fridge.
2. Remove it from the fridge the next morning and pour it into a bowl. wash and cut fresh fruits to add into the bowl and add 1 tsp of lemon juice into it, mix well and serve.
If you prefer it warm, you could cook the oats then mixed in the nuts to cook. Preferably not to add in the fruits as their enzymes would be destroyed under high temp which loses its nutritional value.
Fruity Nutty Tart
Ingredients for 5 to 6 tarts:
Crust
Walnut - half cup
Almond - half cup
Medjool dates - 3 to 4 pcs
1 pinch of rock/ sea salt
1 pinch of 5 spices powder (optional)
Filling
Banana - 1 to 2 pcs
Kiwi - 1 pcs
Medjool Dates - 1 to 2 pcs
1 tbsp Psyllium Husk (this is good at making food stick together, similar to gelatin)
Method:
1. Soak almond 3-4 hrs and drain dry. Wash walnuts and dates
2. Use a food processor to blend all ingredients for the crust. Chopped and pulse into fine pieces and blend well into a sticky mixture.
3. Divide the nutty paste into 5 - 6 portions. Place each portion into a tart cup. Mould the paste to form the tart crust. You can refer to the pic above.
4. Use food processor to blend all ingredients except strawberry for the filling together. Wait 1 - 2 mins for the psyllium husk to expand and form the sticky texture. Cut strawberry into halves and use as topping.
5. Place 1 - 2 tbsp of the filling on the tart crust and add fresh strawberries as topping.
Chill the crust/ tart if possible to harden it further.
Personally, I found the banana taste a little overpowering. Perhaps can reduce the amt or consider other fruit filling.
After the workshop, we were served lunch - organic fried beehoon with beans and mushrooms with organic thai green/red chilli. Sedap!!! Desert was organic green bean soup with kelp (or seaweed I think) and sweet potato.
This cafe serves organic food besides selling organic items and conducting classes of this sort. You could visit tthem at www.nutrihub.blogspot.com or pop by the cafe to take a look at Cuppage Plaza (behind OG Orchard, near Centrepoint) at B2-25. Open daily from 10am to 7pm and closed on Sun and PH.
Have fun trying :)
