3 Nature & nuture

What makes Sunday so special? It's always associated with a laid-back hippie vibe, coffee-on-the-patio and hearty brunches. Today encapsulated exactly the prototypical Sunday - good food, good mood and good company.

First off: breakfast in a mug! Or, more using the more popular term, smoothie-in-a-bowl (SIAB).

And it's not just any smoothie; it's a top-grade Mao Shan Wang oat/amaranth protein smoothie, with some strwabs and banana thrown in for goodm measure. Power-packed with nutrients!

Recipe

Flesh of 1 durian seed, best use mao shan wang

1/4 frozen banana, sliced

1 gigantic U.S. strawberry

1/4 cup Silk (vanilla) soymilk

1 ice cube

1/4 cup basic amaranth muesli, soaked overnight with 1/4 cup Silk (vanilla) soymilk and 1 scoop O+ protein powder

Toppings: 1 spoonful almond butter!

Directions
Mix & get those blender blades chuggin' and top with almond butter.

Outcome
Thick, creamy & hearty shake that could pass off as a pudding, strongly flavored with the potency of durian, with undertones of strawberry essence. The banana was barely detectable, although it probably served to give that creamy consistency.

It was back to church after a three week hiatus and today's topic was on repentance, befitting for the period of Lent. Using Mark 1:15 as the grounding scripture - "The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" - the pastor guided us on the hows of repentance: change of mind, change of heart, and change of life. It almost sounds like making new year's resolutions. After all, both boil down to the same thing - pausing to reflect, recognize mistakes, and take corrective changes. Things that are being increasingly rare in the fast-paced world.

Anyhow, since Daddy has gone back to Malaysia, Mum & I took the opportunity to explore far-flung nook-and-crannies of Singapore. We went to Marmalade Pantry at the Stables (Fairways Drive).

Despite - or maybe because of - being tucked amidst the lush greenery of Bukit Timah, Marmalade Pantry was as crowded (with tai-tais/expats) as it could get. Service fell a little short and I suspected they served our food to the wrong table, causing us to wait impatiently. Eventually, my Crabmeat Linguine ($24) and mum's Seared Scallops Linguine arrived.

Calling it crabmeat sauce would really be a misnomer; it was more like a crab ragout, thick and chunky from the generous portion of shredded crab meat and coated with a spicy tomato sauce. The linguine could do with a minute more of cooking; it was slightly too al dente. It was tasty, no doubt, and the pine nuts gave a nice touch to the flavours, which would otherwise border on being too one-dimensional. I suffered from the bitter pine nut aftertaste though.

After lunch, we wanted to explore the stables but it was restricted to club members only. However, we were lucky and got to spot one which was out exercising. It had an interesting spotty color and you can actually see its number branded on it's coat.

Having had a heavy lunch, dinner was a light affair, but no less delicious. A salad of massaged kale with grilled chicken!

The baby kale leaves were purchased from Cold Storage at a rather offensive price. But since kale is so difficult to find in Sg, I decided to buy it. Anyway, I'm not playing with words when I say massaged kale. Kale is tougher vegetable than the normal spinach or rocket, and so by massaging it with acid (lemon/lime juice and/or cider vinegar) and oil, it breaks down the leaves a little and also imparts flavor.

Basic massaged kale salad and possible mix-ins (for one)

Handful of baby kale leaves, chopped
Dressing

1 tsp lime juice (or lemon)

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp raspberry balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp walnut oil

1/8 avocado, chopped
Mix-ins

Cherry tomatoes, chopped

More chopped avocado

Grilled chicken & capsicum satays

Sunflower seeds, roasted

Directions
Using cleaned hands, mix the leaves with the dressing ingredients for about 1-2 minutes until the leaves turn a brighter green and well-coated with a sheen of avocado and oil. Add the mix-ins and let stand for a little.

Outcome
The action of massaging the kale was quite therapeutic and during the process, you can actually feel the leaves becoming softer. The avocado, which will get slightly mashed from the massaging, will coat the leaves nicely. I liked how the raspberry vinaigrette balanced the zing of lime and vinegar with a touch of sweetness. And of course, the nuttiness of the toasted sunflower seeds and walnut oil! The chicken & capsicum satay was bought by Mum from Jasons supermarket and was pre-marinated. All I had to do was to grill it. I added that in for some protein. It produced a simple yet tasty salad!

Dinner is served, with a frozen & toasted ciabatta slice (Cedele) topped with smooshed avocado.

If only every day could be a Sunday... - but that would make Sundays lose it special meaning, wouldn't it?