Healthy Spring Summer Rolls

Have you ever realised that you just go with the flow and you desperately need to stop and stare? This has been my condition for couple of weeks recently until I just couldn't neither sleep well, nor relax. And then I decided it was time to change. Maybe not fully change everything but at least my attitude. Because in the end work is just work and "life is what you miss when you are busy making your own plans", right?

Nowadays, we are victims of a speedy life when time is precious and everything is done on our ways. But the thing is, when we are trying to recall even what we ate yesterday we can hardly remember the menu... Hm... Of course! If a person eats, watches a movie, talks to a friend and checks an extremely interesting Instagram account she has bumped into by chance and all of it simultaneously, the brain does not really concentrate on a particular activity. Which means that our body is actually not really expecting the food we are consuming at such moments and we do not even notice how we eat our daily portion in a bite. 

And therefore another trend gets even more popular. SLOW FOOD. Slow living, slow time, slow food... Whatever you call it. We have to just go back to the basics. Eating and enjoying each bite. Because that is what brings us the most benefit. Add a good company to this, cook your food together and then enjoy it at the big table. That is what a slow life should be like... 

My input in the slow living today is a wonderful recipe of spring rolls. Made in the summer but that does not matter because they taste perfect during any season. Done very quickly. And suitable even for parties.

Ingredients:

yields 8 rolls

8 rice paper sheets (*easy to find in the Asian stores)

200 g fresh salmon

1/2 avocado

1/2 yellow bell pepper

1/2 cucumber

10 cherry tomatoes (*my choice San Marzano)

2 cups salad leaves

1 cup precooked black rice

1 cup precooked quinoa

Philadelphia cheese 

fresh herbs

soy sauce

1 tsp Wasabi

The trick with the rice paper is that you need to soak it in a cold water in order to make it flexible and sticky. So prepare a bowl with cold water and set it aside. Wash the veggies and cut them into pieces (medium size, not turning into mush). Wash salmon loin and cut it into long pieces about 1 cm wide and 0.5 cm thick. Put the first sheet of rice paper into the water and keep an eye on it. The water should just cover it. Wait until it gets flexible and take it out. Put it on a plate and start filling. So just put a salmon string into the middle, Then some rice beside it, add veggies alongside, Philadelphia and herbs. Then fold as shown below.

   

Do the same with the second sheet and continue until you wrap all of them. As you've already understood you can use any vegetables you like and be creative.The original recipe would contain sushi rice but using black rice or red rice, quinoa will be much healthier and more beneficial for you so the choice is up to you :)

Serve the rolls with say sauce mixed with wasabi. Just dip the roll into the sauce and enjoy the taste...

Fro home-made to gourmet. 

XoXo

Anastasiya

The easiest and healthiest recipe of salmon steak with stirred veggies

New day, new inspiration, new discovery... The last weekend I bumped by chance into an interesting book by Sarah Wilson "I quit sugar Cookbook". The first impression after diagonal reading through some pages left controversy feelings in my mind and I decided to check it out. Could not walk away without it. From the very beginning I dove into the world of Sarah's nutrition, comparing the facts and figures with my knowledge. Some things were quite surprising for me and the theory itself left some discussions in my head. So I decided to try it. I QUIT SUGAR, in other words. For the next 8 weeks I am avoiding sugar in its pure condition and also hidden in the ready products. By these means I will clean my body from sugar and change my attitude to it. I strongly believe, we can live without sugar. And those, who say "NO, I need sugar", are only very angry with themselves because of this weakness. Wanna try with me? Let's rock our bodies and fulfill them with pure energy. Let us find the balance with our souls. Believe in yourself and get started.

The first week will not be a big problem for me as I already avoid sugar in its pure form. I will still eat dried fruit in moderation and some fresh fruit (green apples, raspberries, blueberries, kiwis), although in the book they are already in "Do not touch"-list. Thus I think it is a good step to start, so join me and clean your body within the next two months.
I will follow up with more details and our further steps in the next posts. Meanwhile I am happy to share the first recipes to make your week sugar-free and vitamin-boosted.

•  For breakfast I suggest to use basic Old-Fashioned Oatmeal or Polenta Variation with mushrooms and bacon. These recipes will be the best choice to start your day full of energy and good mood.
• Lunch should always consist of healthy protein and vegetables, just like Rabbit under Creamy Wine Sauce with Rosemary
•  If you find yourself starving for something sweet, try Pumpkin sugar-free cheesecake or Granola snacks

And for dinner I prepared a special recipe today.

As a big fan of seafood and fish (and my free time) I always try to find the easiest way to cook it, without much efforts. As I already showed in my older recipe of Provencal Salmon with Fresh Salad it is preferable and much healthier to combine fish with veggies. A LOT OF VEGGIES ;)
Moreover, the recipe fits perfectly to the DETOX-nutrition plan "I quit sugar" and fulfils the body needs of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as a lot of vitamins.

Ingredients:

200 g salmon steak
salt and pepper
1/2 cup of broccoli
1 middle-sized carrot
1/2 lemon
1 tsp butter
1/3 cup hot water
sprinkle herbs of Provence

Fish doesn't need a lot of preparations or time. Wash the steak under cold water. Soak it with a paper towel, sprinkle with salt.

Tip!
Do not pepper fish or meat before you fry it, as the pepper will easily burn and add a biter taste. Always pepper before serving. This ensures spicy taste and better flavor.

In the frying pan melt the butter on medium-high heat. Place the salmon steak into the pan and cover with a lid. Fry 5 minutes from each side until golden-brown crust. Add 2 tbsp of water and leave covered under lid on a low heat for about 7-10 minutes. This will ensure the fish is ready inside as well. The main thing here is that salmon steak should not start burning. Therefore I usually add a bit of cold water and cook it on very low heat until ready.

The best recipe for a side dish is always veggies. The more colourful - the better. I love broccoli and strongly recommend them as a companion to fish or meat. The way to cook them is pretty simple, quick and easy. And as a result you get a perfect side dish and wonderful mood. Wash broccoli and cut them into little flowers ;) Peel carrot and cut it into peaces. In a saucepan mix the veggies and add about 1/3 cup of hot water. The water should cover about 1/3 of the veggie level. Do not be surprised that they are not covered fully. That is the tip and trick here. Heat the saucepan and cover it. The procedure of cooking will take here around 5 minutes. Then prepare a bowl with ice-cold water, take the vegetables out and put them into cold water. This is a shocking way to stop the cooking process in the veggies and ensure that all the vitamins stay packed in them. Finally sprinkle them with herbs of Provence and the best and easiest healthy side dish is ready to go :)

As you see it is very easy to prepare healthy meal. And if just think about the benefits from this: better health, balances nutrition, vitamin boost, money savings... Can you remind me why you are still going out for lunch?! :)

Go ahead and eat yourself healthy, Because good food is always a good idea.

5+1 best veggies for health

Vitamin-bomb, fiber, minerals, antioxidants... and way more. These are important ingredients you will find in our little colorful friends: fruits and vegetables. 

As advised by healthy eating experts and doctors of all over the world, we should consume 5 portions of fruits and vegetables every day. And one portion refers usually to a handful. Not a bowl ;) Even though in cherry season I would rather eat a whole cherry tree. 

Five to nine servings a day. But what are the vegetables we should choose to fight and prevent the diseases and boost our immune system? Read and you will find out.

Red pepper

Consume of red pepper will provide you with a high amount of vitamin C. It is not only a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin C helps iron to be absorbed. So in combination with an iron source red pepper would be the best choice to multiply the effect.

As the nutrition story might take a while, I will make a short summary. Red peppers:
- are rich in vitamin B6 and magnesium- takes our anxiety away (useful especially before period);
- provide us with vitamin A - good to improve night vision;
- have combination of vitamins A and C - for great antioxidant effect;
- contain lycopene, that prevents cancer.

Purple carrot

Have you ever tried purple carrots? Their fancy look attracts your attention from the first moment you see them. And they are not simply a colored variety of the carrots we are used to eat.

Purple carrots:
- can improve memory;
- are rich in vitamin A;
- improve our vision;
- can protect from heart attacks.

All in all purple carrots are known as a superfood that helps to control weight.

Tomato

 Choline found in tomatoes can improve our sleep quality, memory and muscle conditions.
Extra bright and juicy, these veggies have the following positive effects on our health:
- alpha-lipoic acid helps to reduce insulin level, aand convert glucose into energy;
- vitamins A and C plus folic acid help to keep women health;
- high amount of lycopene made tomatoes very popular among self conscious popularity, as it prevents cancer.

Strongly recommend to include tomatoes in salad as you can see here.

Avocado

Although avocado is technically a fruit, also known as alligator pear, I constantly take it as a vegetable and therefore include it in here.

Avocado provides us with nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, including potassium (controls blood pressure), lutein (improves vision), and folate (cell reparation).

As a good source of B vitamins, avocado assists our skin and hair nutrition. Moreover vitamin E is known as powerful antioxidant.

High in fat (24 g/ 100 g) avocado should be eaten in moderation. 50 calories are equivalent of 1/5 part from middle sized avocado. But 19 g of these 24 g of fat is monounsaturated, and it is a "good" fat, that helps to lower cholesterol. Mashed avocado is the best alternative to butter. And did you try prawns on mango-avocado salsa? It is a perfect combination worth to try.

Green beans

Green beans are a perfect source of the following vitamins and minerals:
- vitamins A;
- vitamin C;
- vitamin K;
- folate;
- magnesium;
- iron;
- thiamin;
- riboflavin;
- potassium.

Green beans contain high amount of chlorophyll, which can block the carcinogenic effects that appear when you fry at high temperatures.So if you like fried meat, for example, make sure you choose green vegetables as a side dish to decrease your risk.




Positive effects from consuming green beans are:
- for pregnant women - protect their infants against neural tube defects. One cup of green beans provides approximately 10% of daily folic acid needs and 6% of iron.
- help to fight depression;
- improve bone health;
- prevent cancer etc.

Garden Cress

The last, but nor least - garden cress. I count it as +1 to all the best veggies for our health. Did you know that this tiny pretty grass can prevent cancer with potentially higher force than a lot of vegetables?

Additionally to that garden cress is:
- Good for Your Vision and Eye Health;
- even better source of vitamic C than Oranges;
- a provider of positive effect for our heart and blood system;
- supercharged with vitamin K;
- good for our teeth.

How to Maximize Nutritional Value of Garden Cress

The best nutrition value of garden cress begins immediately after harvest. So, one of the best ways to maximize the health benefits of garden cress is to grow your own cress and harvest it as needed. You can grow cress at home following the steps here.

5-10 portions of vegetables and fruits a day and you are fully charged with vitamins and fiber. Variety is the best factor when choosing.

Eat fresh and stay healthy.
Take care.

Light and hearty salad with chicken liver

Having mostly no idea of the chicken giblets as a kind of food in childhood, I've become a big lover of those now. As they are a good source of protein as well as a lot of vitamins and minerals I often include them in my menu. Once I've had some chicken liver in the fridge and was very hungry I decided that I have to cook something very quickly. Yet, healthy. Therefore I had to create a recipe that is suitable for every level and cooking experience. It is easy, quick, healthy and soooooo delicious ;) Lets go straight to Number 1 :)

You will need:

100g of chicken liver

6 cherry tomatos

1 little cucumber

1/4 of medium red onion

4-6 spinach leaves

pepper, salt
1 t.sp of mustard
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 tsp of water
1/2 tsp of honey

2 tbsp soy sauce

Tipp!

If you don't have spinach you can replace it with any type of salad that you like.

Preparation:

Wash the liver in cold water and dry it with a paper-towel. Heat the pan with a sprinkle of coconut oil or any oil you prefer to fry on. Fry the liver for a few minutes from every side. Add some water and cover the pan for 3-5 minutes. After the liver is ready add 2 table spoons of soy sauce and fry a bit more so that the liver becomes darker because of the sauce. Meanwile prepare all the veggies. By preparing I mean - wash them, chop and mix them in plate. On the veggie-pillow put hot juicy liver. Spice the salad with some pepper and salt. Mix honey, mustard, oil and water and pour the salad with your honey-mustard sauce.

Eat well and stay fit. Bon Appetit ;)