0 Pancake batter [1]

This happy meal actually took place yesterday morning - a beautiful start to a beautiful weekend with beautiful food and most importantly, with beautiful company - mum, sam, and granny. Such a rare chance to get three-generations to gather.

I was so enticed by the drop-dead-salivating-inducing pancakes by Ashley over at Edible Perspectives, as well as the literal food porn that accompany GingerGirl's single-serve breakfasts. I could handle it no longer. Off I went to buy a pancake/waffle mix from the ever trustworthy Bob's Red Mill. Specifically, a 10-grain mix with baking powder and buttermilk powder all mixed in. All I needed was to throw in some milk and eggs, and do some flipping action. It sounds easier than it is; I have experienced failed pancakes of all sorts: burnt, stodgy, doughy, floppy etc. But yesterday I was Determined To Master THE PANCAKE.
I can't say I'm fully over with my fear of eggs and oils. Instead of 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons of oil (for 1 cup mix), I did one real egg and one chia egg (1 tbsp chia seeds, 3 tbsp water), and nixed the oil completely. The result couldn't be any better - the batter fluffed and puffed and stretched tall and proud as it heated up in the non-stick pan (I didn't even have to coat it with oil), as if trying to test it limits of how far it could stretch. In the end, 1 cup flour mix yielded 9 souffle-like pancakes, just so I know the serving size estimation in the future
My only regret was I wolfed down the pancakes too quickly, leaving no time to analyse the improvements needed. It was too good, especially with durians, chocolate, JEM nut butter and strawberries are involved. Pillows of Heavenly Goodness.
Now, for the exact recipe

Basic pancake batter [1] (BRM's 10 grain pancake/waffle mix)

• 1 cup flour mix
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 egg
• 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened

1. Make the chia egg by stirring chia seeds into water. Let stand 15 min (can be prepared the night before if you're to inpatient to wait in the morning)
2. Whisk the egg and add in chia egg and almond milk
3. Create a well in the flour and mix in the wet ingredients. Do not overmix (it's okay for the batter to have some lumps).
4. Heat a small non-stick pan over low heat. Spoon batter into pan (about 1/4 scoops) and heat each side for about 1.5-2 min.
5. Cover each cooked pancake with a kitchen towel to keep moist as you cook (an agonizing wait, I know)
6. Finally, pour/sprinkle/scatter on the toppings!

The contrast of cold durian against the steaming fluffy cloud-like pancakes was out-of-the-world. Better than four-seasons anytime.
Three more days, two more exams, but hardly in a mood to study!

0 Juiced

It must be the weather. Of late I have an indescribable craving for juices - fruit juice as well as juicy fruits. Yesterday I bought a 750ml glass bottle of Why Not? biodynamic carrot juice (imported from Germany) from RFG. Poured it over [Superfood Greens spirulina/hemp granola + chia + protein powder] this morning. It was so carroty and fresh and you could almost feel the vit A/C coursing through your veins. + a juicy October sun plum on the side, with additional snackies like homemade butter, JEM caramelly maca almond butter & some nuts. Yum.

0 Berry Banana Morning

New star ingredient: Waitrose Blueberry Coulis!

There's only one ingredient on the list, which is 100% blueberry puree. But if there's no preservatives whatsoever, I wonder how the coulis manages to be packed without going mouldy. Anyway the coulis had a bright, tangy sharp flavour, clearly just blueberry goodness without the sugar nonsense.

Paired with fresh chopped strawberries, mashed banana, and spiked with cinnamon and vanilla, my steelies could not have been more awesome. The nut butter frenzy continues with four toppings today! Chunk of Laughing Giraffe vanilla almond macaroon, Jem red maca almond butter, Woodstock Farm almond butter and my homemade peanut/almond/flax/sesame butter.

I froze the rest of the blueberry coulis into ice cubes because I know I wouldn't be able to finish the package within 2 days as recommended. Makes as awesome after dinner dessert especially with the repressive humidity + blisteringly hot weather going on now.

0 Turning Japanese

Woo hoo! Admist the business, I still managed to get in a lip-smacking meal. Tamari dumplings (steamed) from Real Food Grocer, plump with no less than 10 ingredients including carrots, mushrooms, bean curd, French beans and chestnuts. The crunchiness of the filling contrasted nicely against the silky smooth skin (for once, no thick, clumpy dumpling skins!), and each mouthful was a joy of savouriness. I'm so glad they opened an outlet at Novena. 4 dumplings downed, I continued with a California salmon roll from Cold Storage, and another tobiko gunkan sushi (the rice was compressed till almost cake form), home-double-boiled herbal black chicken soup, one giant Driscoli strawbby and half a Fuyu persimmon. Gosh, I feel like a piggy after typing all these, but my tumms is filled and happy!

My japalang nut butter (mainly peanut, almonds, flax, sesame) is getting better by the day, as it releases its oils. It has a really strong flaxy flavour that paired well with the sesame-pumpkin-flax powder (double flax power!). I had this with Earnest's Mayan blend this morning, and a plum on the side.

Lunch was whipped up in a jiffy. Wheat noodles, teriyaki mackerel, lettuce and rocket, cherry tomatoes, and mashed avocado, tossed all together in a little of the leftover pasta water, topped with broad bean paste and some random seaweed shreds from a long time ago. So umami. A whole Washington Red apple on the side

I most probably bombed my sodium intake today with the Japanese theme. To more low sodium meals the next few days.

First of four presentations tomorrow - systematic reviews for Drugs & Clinical Trials module. And I havent even prepared my script. Which I shall do so NOW

0 Dysregulation

I think am self-destructive, or at least immune to stress, or maybe, have a damaged amygdala. Knowing very well that I have an assignment which deadline is imminent, exam in two freakin' weeks time, and untouched revision, yet I still am surfing the web like it's the holidays. Why can't I regulate my behaviour properly???

But I haven't been that relaxed and happy in such a long while. After church (7.30 AM service - a convert to early bird :)) I headed to Cold Storage at Takashimaya for grocery shopping. Unfortunately at just past 9 the shops were still closed. What [bad] luck. As such, it called for a detour to United Square's branch instead. But it proved a blessing in disguise because I scored a few discounted items and exotic buys. Like:

• Kashi cinnamon harvest (blame it on Amanda's influence! In fact I still have an unopened box of Dr. Oz's buckwheat flakes)
• 71% Ecuador dark chocolate block (Montezuma)
• Swiss farmer rolls (Swiss Bake) - 1/2 price!
• Pacific Almond milk (unsweetened) [couldn't bring myself to splurge on Silk's almond milk]
• Flavour Fall pluots - 1/2 price and in rather good condition still!
• Wild sockeye salmon [omegas yum!]

I think what put in a such a good mood was really today's breakfast: (last of) rolled oats (Binda Valley) cooked in unsweetened soy milk (Natura), sweetened with 1/2 mashed nana and raisins, upped with protein powder (Lifetime Life's Basic protein - the most neutral flavour thus far, compared to Sunwarrior and Vega Health Optimizer) and protein blend (real good food), spiced with cinnamon and chocolate chili and dressed with chocolate hazelnut butter (Justin's). A double whammy of chocolate would be bound to deliver a double whammy of endorphins and it sure did!

And then it was home sweet home. Managed to be a good girl and squeeze in a bit of work before spending ~2 hours (!) cooking and eating lunch, which was a ooey gooey curry & cumin bean stew (BRM whole grains and beans soup mix) with torned tortilla pieces, avocado, sardines (Boiromar), curly lettuce, cucumber, tomato, honey goat's cheese (Delamere) and beetroot relish.

A Jaffa sweetie (pomelo x grapefuruit) to end the meal. Guess what was found on Pubmed:

All applied methods showed that sweeties had higher antioxidative activity than grapefruit. Experiments on laboratory animals show that diets supplemented with sweeties, and to a lesser extent with grapefruit, increased the plasma antioxidative potential and improved the lipid metabolism, especially in the rats fed with added cholesterol.

Apparently a sweetie has more antioxidants than a grapefruit!

Lately people's been asking what I plan to do after I graduate. My PI is persuading me to consider PhD at TLL. For once, I really don't know what should my next step in life; so far it's been pretty straightforward: pri > sec > jc > uni, with the choice of school's quite [re-determined too. Pray for God's guidance in this.

0 Chocolate mole banana tofu soft serve

After months (years) from procrastination, I finally took out the food processor from the depths of the kitchen cupboards. Dusting off the layer of fine dust that had settled from under-usage, I set to create the much anticipated banana tofu soft serve.

This morning was a good lesson why you should never procrastinate - you'd end up missing up lots of good things in life!

I can't believe how such a simple no fuss recipe (if you can even call it a recipe) can yield such amazing wondrous results in less than a minute (or five if you consider washing up.) Thick, utterly smooth and completely flexible, tofu soft serves are definitely going to make more appearances (and so put my food processor to good use too!)

Chocolate mole banana tofu soft serve (serves one)

Ingredients

• 1/2 frozen banana, sliced
• 1/4 package firm tofu (I used Moringaga; silken would work too but probably would yield a slightly less thick texture)
• 1 tbsp chocolate mole powder (or 1 tbsp cocoa powder)
• 1 scoop protein powder (optional; I used Sunwarrior natural)

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor, blend.
2. Serve immediately or chill/freeze if you want a more ice-cream-style dessert

Recently, I'e been enjoying lots of fancy nut butter products too, including PB&Co cinnamon raisin swirl (so-so; good for a bit of indulgence); Woodstock farm creamy almond butter; Artisana cacao bliss (will please coconut fans, 2nd order from iHerb!); and Arrowhead Mills crunchy peanut butter (PB will always be my first love). From iHerb I also got Vega complete optimizer (natural) which was 60% off! So happy with the great deal! Shipment was faster this time round, taking about 2.5 weeks. I also got Chocolove chocolate with cherries and chilis. Chocolate mole is my new favorite flavour. The Mexicans have nailed it right!

Finally, last weekend I bought Nancy's kefir (beverage made from fermenting kefir grains in milk) and Kashi's seven whole grain puffs. Kefir's not cheap but the tangyness and benefits of it is far superior than any yogurt drink; can't be beat. Off to complete my to-be-due-soon essay!

0 Bring forth the bread and wine

Doesn't it just peeves you off when food goes missing mysteriously from the fridge? I've encountered this one too many times during my hostel days, but now it's happening at home! With the intention of making this intriguing ice cream bread, I had transferred a tub of So Delicious Chocolate Almond soy-based ice cream from the freezer to the fridge to melt it. I vividly remember the tub being at least 3/4 full, but when I set out to make the loaf, it had dwindled to a few trickles thanks to some hungry ghosts in the household. Annoyed, peeved and disappointed, what was I to do? The flour was already measured and it was too late to back out. I peered the fridge for ideas and... came up with this impromptu, just-whack-it recipe. I must say, it was quite a fun experience not to go by the books for once.

To state explicitly, this bread consists of spelt flour hydrated with chocolate almond soy ice cream and red wine (Hilltops 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon). Scientifically speaking, ice cream consists of milk and water and thus using it (melted) isn't such a off-shoot idea. Moreover, the aeration of ice cream would likely lend the dough a fluffier, lighter touch. As for the red wine, I added this on a gamble. I wasn't even sure whether the alcohol would interfere with yeast fermentation. But I proceeded anyway, with fingers crossed.

I was really apprehensive halfway through because I was slightly short of yeast (and hence the dough didn't rise as much), I couldn't use my bread pan because the dough was too little (using the last of the remaining spelt flour),the loaf couldn't stay in shape while shaping, and frankly, I fail at shaping. These worries melted away as the bread rose higher and higher in the oven. I baked it at 11 PM last night and couldn't wait for this morning to come! It is probably the only way that the bread could have a chance to completely cool before slicing; at other times, eagerness and curiosity always takes the better of me.

This morning, I was in for a treat. The results shot way out of my expectations; the bread was superbly divine! It boasted a sourish twang akin to sourdough, thanks to the wine. For the first time I took the effort to steam the oven (via water in aluminium tray) before baking the bread. All my previous breads were baked without steam (blasphemy I know). Boy, what a difference steam makes to the texture! Compared to the thick dense crusty exterior of my previous breads, this one was the complete opposite: thin and chewy and much kinder to the teeth. Look at that holey crumb! I downed two slices, one with Nuttzo seven-nut-and-seed butter and the other with a newly opened jar of Artisana pecan nut butter (50% off from BRP! Review to come soon!). To wash the awesomeness down was an equally awesome Sunwarrior protein shake of frozen 'nana, bloobs, almond milk (Silk) and espresso beans. Yummers TTM :D

Whole Spelt Red Wine Chocolate Ice Cream Bread
Makes one small loaf

Ingredients

• 227g (1 3/4 cup) whole spelt flour
• 60 ml melted ice cream (I used chocolate almond soy ice cream)
• 60 ml red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
• Water, as needed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp instant yeast (ideally should use ~1 tsp)
• Extra flour, as needed

Directions

1. Mix flour, ice cream, wine, salt to form a ball of dough. And extra water to achieve a tacky consistency if necessary. Let soak overnight. This step is to activate the enzymes in the flour, similar to making a biga.
2. The next day, mix in yeast. Shape to form a ball and let rise for about 2 hours or until 1 1/2 times the original size.
3. Punch down, shape to desired shape (e.g. boule or batard) and allow a second rise until 1 1/2 times original size.
4. Preheat oven to 200C. To create steam, place an aluminium tray filled with water at the bottom of the oven while preheating. (There are many other ways of creating steam which I shall not delve into.)
5. Bake for 35-45 mins. Remove steam pan after 8-10 minutes of baking. Towards the end, check for doneness. Internal temperature should reach at least 92C and toothpick should come out clean. Let cool completely before serving.

This marks the end of my whole spelt flour series of breads. Check out the others!

• Whole spelt sandwich bread: classic bread for everyday use
• Whole spelt cinnamon walnut bread: for the sweet tooth
• Whole spelt potato garlic bread: onto the savoury side
• Whole spelt pizza dough

What next? Rye? Multi-grain? Oh, the possibilities!

5 Gifts and thanks

Thank you for the wonderful time at Venus Transit, the opportunity to meet new people, make new friends and learn new information about the wondrous world. Above all, praise to the glorious magical universe of His divine design, His creation.

We helped to set up those ground sheets. No joke considering the humid weather of late. On a side note, isn't UTown so pretty?

Thank you for the watching over the safe delivery of the iHerb order.

I was beginning to wonder if my order of SunWarrior protein powder and Nuttzo seven nut butter, made without tracking (save $), was ever going to make it to my address. Given that this is my first online purchase, I was all the more worried. But it finally did arrive, two-three weeks later, and with freebies inside to boot! So freakin' excited to try out the stuff in tomorrow's breakfast. Even Batman's excited too! Stay tuned for the review.

Thank you for blessing the world with wondrous fruits and foods.

If Eve was tempted by the apple, durian would be my forbidden fruit. Baked Mao Shan durian steel cutters with Cashew Coconut Dream was a tropical paradise and provided good fuel for lab work later. It's NOT a weird combination; tastes just like a warm version of durian chendol :D

For my first lab session, I learnt how to distinguish between male and female flies, and virgin from old flies. Post-lunch I did CNS dissection of third instar larvae. I must have gruesomely killed about 50 would-be flies today alone, in the name of Science. Every time I close my eyes now I see abdomen stripes, guts and bug eyes staring back at me, demanding for their souls back.

2 iHeart iHerb

I'm so excited! I just made my first online purchase through iHerb for Sunwarrior classic protein powder (natural) and Nuttzo seven nut and seed butter (original). Thanks to a discount code provided by wildchildurbancity, I got $10 off my first purchase. Best yet, the international shipping fee is so darn cheap! Only $4 for purchases more than $40.00 and less than 4 lbs. Being the ever budget conscious me, I made sure I maximized my transaction by ordering the most I could under 4 lbs. So that's why I chose Nuttzo nut butter even though there were so many unbelievably cheap Artisana nut butters I would have bought. Once the total weight exceeds 4 lbs, you have to ship by DHL/UPS which fees escalate tremendously.

I'm no stranger to protein powders. One of the most frequent complaints regarding protein powders is the texture: gritty, sandy, chalky to downright nasty, I've experienced them all. I find soy protein (Bob's Red Mill) the worst, whey protein (Beneprotein, Propass) slightly better but they do not settle well. The best yet is egg white protein (Peter D'Adamo Protein Blend Powder O) which turns out fluffy when microwaved (imagine scrambled egg whites) and gives great body and volume to oatmeals. Then there's meal replacements: Amazing Grass meal (nasty), Spirutein (better in taste but full of sugars) and Ensure/Ensure Plus (the best yet).

Since my current Protein O is about to finish, it was a good time to look out for new brands to try. Sunwarrior has received pretty rave online reviews so I'm putting my bet on it through iHerb. Their classic protein powder is a raw, vegan rice protein made from sprouted whole grain brown rice, including the germ, endosperm, and bran. One scoop provides 17g protein in a complete amino acid profile. Interestingly, their other product, the Sunwarrior Blend that is made from various proteins, include cranberry protein. Sure I've heard of rice protein, pea protein and hemp protein, but cranberry? Isn't that a fruit? From their website, it appears that the cranberry seed contains 25% protein in addition to lots of fiber. Exotic stuff.

As for Nuttzo, I was introduced to it by KathEats. I have not seen it in Singapore so it makes sense to purchase that online. I'm always game for nut butters.

Now, to do some advertising. Check out iHerb for some really good offers (including up to 40% discounts!). International delivery is unbelievably cheap and quick. If you're a first time buyer at iHerb, don't forget to quote YAF589 before you check out to enjoy $5 off your bill!