health

Romaine, Octopus And Bean Salad

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Trying to end 2015 on a healthy note :-).
Well, BS, I just don’t feel like cooking today 😦
Anyway, I could eat this salad for no reason any day, anytime, anywhere…….
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Bon Appetit ! Happy 2016 !
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Romaine, Octopus And Bean Salad

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Preparation :
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: grape tomatoes, scallions, julienned peppers, julienned red onions, cooked beans

: saute garlic paste in olive oil until fragrant

: add cooked diced octopus

: add vegetables, saute 2 minutes, season with salt, fresh oregano and freshly ground black pepper

: remove to bowl, add lemon juice, check/adjust seasoning, let cool to room-temperature

: just a picture of a pretty salad bowl 🙂

: cover serving dish with romaine

: add octopus salad, drizzle dressing from octopus salad all over romaine leaves, sprinkle with honey roasted corn kernels for crunch and additional flavor

: Romaine, Octopus And Bean Salad

: Romaine, Octopus And Bean Salad

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Beef Satay’s

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Although peanut sauce is one of my favorite condiments for grilled or broiled meat, today I opted for Thai Chili Sauce instead. The combination of the beef, rice, pickled cucumbers and chili sauce was absolutely delicious and I am sure that in the future I will be having this dish often, whenever a quick, light and tasty meal is in order 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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More Satay’s on ChefsOpinion
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Beef Satay’s

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Preparation :
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: season finely sliced strip steak with garlic paste, soy sauce, sugar, grd coriander, grd cumin, cayenne pepper and lime juice , let marinade at least two hours

: skewer meat onto pre-soaked skewers

: grill or broil satay’s until med/well

: previously, generously salt cucumber batons, let stand for 30 minutes, squeeze out excess liquid, discard liquid

: add chili flakes, sesame oil and a spritz of lime juice

: serve satay’s with thai chili sauce, pickled cucumbers and lime/scallion rice

: Beef Satay’s

: Beef Satay’s

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Shannons “Spinach & Fruit Smoothie”

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When I started to watch my nutrition some time ago, one of the first thing I tried were healthy smoothies. Usually bright green and healthy looking, with all kind of supposedly healthy ingredients, I had tried many of them in many different places. One thing they all had in common – they smelled and tasted awful 😦
So when I met Shannon the other day, I was naturally pessimistic, especially since she was selling a blender for a considerable sum of money which made me even more suspicious of the quality and taste of the free smoothie’s she handed out. I am not an expert on kitchen blenders and their prices and I think you usually get what you pay for, so I will leave the verdict for the actual blender to the experts of such equipment. I am however an expert on food-taste and -texture and can therefore wholeheartedly attest to the exceptionally great taste, color and smell of the featured smoothie. It is a recipe which will be a welcome addition to my “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food” meal plan.

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Cheers ! Life is Good !
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Link to “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”
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Spinach & Fruit Smoothie

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Preparation :
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: raw spinach, mango, banana, lime (with peel), pineapple (including core)

: put all ingredients in blender

: add ice and water

: blend at high speed until smooth

: Spinach & Fruit Smoothie

: Spinach & Fruit Smoothie

: Shannon Hewlett with my very own “Spinach & Fruit Smoothie”

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Red Rubies Salad

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This was all the food I consumed today (in two stages). I am surprised with how little food I get through the day sometimes without feeling hungry. Just a few short years ago, this would have been nothing but an appetizer for me 🙂
The great thing is that by eating a bit less quantity and a lot more health-conscious, I have stayed at the exact weight from February when I started with my “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food” Meal Plan, when I shed 28 lbs in one month.
It took me a while to get used to all those salad and fruits on a daily basis, but now I don’t want to miss them anymore. It also took a bit getting used to some of the other adjustments (mostly the absence of lots of refined sugar), but now I fully enjoy my way of healthier eating and therefore healthier living) 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”
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Red Rubies Salad

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Preparation :
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: mix diced red beets (red rubies) with Italian vinaigrette and diced onions

: romaine, baby arugula, sliced vine-ripened tomatoes, radiccio rosso, yellow grape tomatoes

: dress with italian vinaigrette

: arrange salad on serving dish, top with marinated artichokes

: top with batons of italian salami, bologna and sharp aged cheddar

: drizzle with buttermilk dressing, top with “red Rubies”

: Red Rubies Salad

: Red Rubies Salad

: Red Rubies Salad

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Summer Feast Salad

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Today the temperature was hovering around 100F and the humidity was almost unbearable.
So what, you say; You have A/C, you say….
Well, we do, but Bella and I spend half a day at the Topeekeegee Yugnee Park, which is just a few miles up the road from our house. It was very relaxing and beautiful, but oh so hot.
So when we got home, a light meal was in order and what better than a salad and a pool of iced tea to cool a scorched body down 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
I usually don’t use much fruit in my salads, but the firm, slightly tart nectarines perfectly complimented the cheese, salad and nuts.
P.P.S.
Instead of croutons I used tarallini (Small Taralli , (sometimes marketed as “Italian Love Knots”)

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Summer Feast Salad

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Preparation :
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: dress arugula and thinly sliced vine-ripened tomatoes with apple cider vinaigrette

: top with gorgonzola, avocado and nectarines

: sprinkle with toasted cashew nuts

: top with tarallini and fresh basil

: Summer Feast Salad

: Summer Feast Salad

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Guilt Free Banana Icecream

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Image by pkgbranding

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Guilt Free Banana Ice Cream

Guilt Free Banana Ice Cream With Sugar-Free Whipped Cream And Sugar-Free Strawberry Coulis

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Since I have started to live a healthier life style, my one problem is how to satisfy my sweet tooth without feeling guilty. The solution to my dilemma are sweets without refined or artificial sugar/sweetener, which are increasingly hard to find. So I took to thinking about new recipes which will make me happy with their natural sweetness and are not too offensive to my diabetic restrictions. The following one is definitely a keeper ! 🙂
An added bonus to this recipe is that you don’t need an ice cream machine for its preparation. I used to have one, but I threw it away after a while because the churning cylinder took up too much space in the freezer department of my fridge.
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P.S. :
This Ice cream is ready for consumption after about 4.5 hours in the freezer. If you freeze it longer or overnight, you might want to put it from the freezer into the cooler for 15 -20 minutes to facilitate easier spooning (That’s spooning of the ice cream kind, not the other one – although….. 🙂 )
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P.P.S. :
If I would still drink alcohol, I would have added a shot of brandy or dark rum to this baby 🙂
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: chop 4 large bananas

: blend 1 large banana with 1 cup organic peach nectar (or any other organic fruit nectar), 1 cup cream cheese, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 cup heavy cream, a dash of organic vanilla extract and 2 tablespoon organic honey

: mix with chopped bananas

: freeze in a shallow container, stir with a fork every 1,5 hours

: after 4,5 hours – ready to serve

: Guilt Free Banana Ice Cream

: Guilt Free Banana Ice Cream

: Guilt Free Banana Ice Cream With Sugar-Free Whipped Cream And Sugar-Free Strawberry Coulis

: Guilt Free Banana Ice Cream With Sugar-Free Whipped Cream And Sugar-Free Strawberry Coulis

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Curry Ribs

This recipe uses my standard curry base/sauce, of which I always have a few containers in the freezer.
You can of course make any type of curry base in which you braise your ribs, but this dish is pretty easy and fast to prepare when you start out with a great, readily prepared base/sauce and take it from there. Just remember, when you simmer the ribs, you must add the same amount of water to the base/sauce as will evaporate during the cooking process, so that you end up with the same textured sauce you had when you started. I suggest you don’t add too much water at first and add more as needed while you go.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Hans’ “Easy Does It” Curry Recipe

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Naan Recipe
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Preparation :
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: saute chilies, tomatoes, scallions, onions and garlic paste in butter until onions are opaque

: add curry sauce/base

: add water or stock of your choice

: add single-cut pork ribs

: cover, simmer until ribs are tender but not falling apart

: if sauce is too thick, add more liquid, if sauce is too thin, remove ribs and let sauce reduce to preferred texture

: freshly baked naan

: Curry Ribs

: Curry Ribs

: Curry Ribs

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Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

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Chirashizushi . In my book, sushi does not get better than that!
I am of course aware of the fact that I am in the absolute minority with this opinion, but I just can’t get myself to join the millions of fans of raw fish, so this version of Chirashizushi is my very own ticket to sushi heaven 🙂
Great quality / perfectly cooked sushi-rice with smoked eel , poached shrimp and a chili-soy-yuzu dipping sauce – there you go, baby, sushi perfection without the fuss and sky-high price tag of “the other perfect sushi”.
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Please note that some Chirashizushi dishes contain raw fish.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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How to prepare perfect Sushi Rice
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More Chirashizushi
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Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: smoked eel

: perfectly cooked sushi rice

: add the shar-zu

: incorporate shar-zu

: notice the sheen and all rice kernels are individual and whole

: the good stuff…..

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 47 – Smoked Salmon On Naan

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What better way to start a day ? –
A wonderful breakfast, followed by a two hour walk around the lake.
Bella had a great start too – same breakfast, then she spotted three squirrels on our walk, which absolutely made her day (both the salmon, which she ate and the squirrels, which she chased) 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to more “Breakfast of Champions”
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Breakfast of Champions # 48 – Smoked Salmon On Naan

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Preparation :
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: Brush hot naan with butter, sprinkle with kosher salt

: top generously with smoked salmon

: add freshly ground black pepper, onion rings and capers

: add boiled eggs, lemon slices, basil and dollops of greek yogurt,

: Breakfast of Champions # 48 – Smoked Salmon On Naan

: Breakfast of Champions # 48 – Smoked Salmon On Naan

: Breakfast of Champions # 48 – Smoked Salmon On Naan

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Vanilla Pudding Chock-Full With Berries

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Ever since I have started to eat healthier, my sweet tooth has suffered.
I had no problem giving up alcohol and I had no problem to stop smoking, but giving up on cake and patisserie remains a daily challenge, I miss my sweet’s terribly.
I am eating and enjoying a ton of fruits, but sometimes that just does not do the trick. I am a fairly good cook but a lousy patissier, so my sugar-free desserts are a bit lacking in finesse and variety.
Having said that, I DO have a few great options for sugar-free or at least refined-sugar free desserts. The following is one of my favorites because of its creaminess and richness.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Sweet ! (Sometimes)
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Vanilla Pudding Chock-Full With Berries

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Preparation :
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1/3 cup Honey
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
5 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
lots of fresh, washed and dried berries

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