Summer Buckwheat Stir Fry

 

Enjoy this light yet nutritious stir fry, packed with different flavors and bursting with energy xx.

Summer Buckwheat Stir Fry

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup buckwheat groats

1 cup water

Pinch sea salt

*2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1-2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger

2 spring onions sliced

1 garlic clove finely sliced

½ red pepper diced

1 cup sweet corn

1 cup broccoli florets (cut small)

¼ cup parsley finely chopped

¼  cup basil finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon toasted black sesame seeds

Lemon wedges

Preparation

Place the buckwheat into a pan. Rinse and drain with cold water a few times. Add the water, apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt.

Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Do not open the lid.

Remove from heat, let stand for 3 minutes and fluff with a fork.

Place a skillet on a low flame and swirl the olive oil to coat. Add the garlic, spring onions and ginger. Sauté for 10 seconds. Add the broccoli and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt; sauté stirring occasionally. Add the pepper and mix gently. Repeat with the sweet corn and the fresh herbs.

Add a small amount of water to cover the bottom of the skillet.

Place the buckwheat on top. Cover with a lid and heat through for about a minute.

Mix gently and serve garnished with toasted sesame seeds and lemon wedges.

*the apple cider vinegar makes the buckwheat easier to digest and absorb

 

 

 

 

Spicy Lentils

  

I decided to share this lovely dish as it is easy to make and is super nourishing. Lentils come in different sizes and colors - red, yellow, brown, green, and black. They are a powerhouse of nutrition including fiber, magnesium, iron, calcium, protein, and folic acid. Lentils are wonderful for the bones and help to strengthen immunity. They are stamina producing, and soothing for the emotions. You can add lentils to salads, stir fry's, soups or stews. This recipes adds a gorgeous zip with a variety of vegetables and spices. You can change the vegetables choice if there are ones that you prefer. 

Happy Cooking!

Spicy Lentils

Ingredients

1 cup french lentils rinsed (these ones are smaller and black in color)
1 onion diced
1 tomato diced
1 celery stalk diced
1 cup pumpkin or sweet potato cut into chunks
1 carrot diced
3 inch strip kombu
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinammon
Cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro finely chopped
1 tablespoon white miso diluted in a little water
Olive oil
Spring water

Preparation

Warm the oil in a heavy pot. Add the onion and saute for a minute.
Layer the tomatoes, celery, pumpkin, and carrot on top of the onions.
Place the kombu and lentils on top of the vegetables.
Cover the lentils with spring water.
Bring to a boil and add the spices. Do not add the sea salt or fresh ginger at this point.
Simmer, with a lid, on a low flame until the lentils are soft. It should take around 30 minutes.
Mix gently and season with the sea salt.
Continue to cook for another minute, mix again and turn off the flame.
Add the miso, fresh ginger, and cilantro and mix through.
Serve hot with freshly cooked brown rice and a lovely salad.

*You can add more or less of the spices depending on your taste

Enjoy!
Love Chef Mel xx

Eat Healthy with Melanie

My revised edition of Eat Me Now! is out under a new title Eat Healthy with Melanie.
It is packed with easy to prepare, yet yummy recipes. I encourage you to dive in and have a go at cooking some delicous, healthy, and satisfying dishes for you, your friends, and family.

You can get the book on amazon in any country.

Here is the link to amazon.com

hhttps://www.amazon.com/Eat-Healthy-Melanie-Macrobiotic-Students/dp/1796012874/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=eat+healthy+with+melanie&qid=1553699448&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Eat Healthy with Melanie includes -

• How to keep your immune strong
• Ways to eat healthy foods in college
• How organic, living food increase your energy levels
• How to heal the earth with the way you eat
• Natural and healthy ways to maintain weight
• Over 140 heavenly, sugar-free vegan recipes
• How to go green and get fit 

Step by step we can change the world for all living beings xx

Wintery Roasted Squash and Arugula Salad

I love this super, yummy salad that adds a touch of class to any meal. Or simply combine it with a lovely bowl of soup for a delightful lunch. Enjoy! Love Chef Mel xx

Wintery Roasted Squash and Arugula Salad

Ingredients

2 cups winter squash cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons fresh basil finely chopped
Olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups mushrooms, thickly sliced
4-6 cups arugula
½ block firm tofu crumbled

1-2 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar

Balsamic vinegar

Preparation

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Put the squash in a roasting tin with 1-2 tablespoons of oil, and season well with salt and pepper.

Roast for about 35 minutes, stirring once, until the squash is soft and colored round the edges.

Add the umeboshi vinegar to the crumbled tofu and mix well.

Place a tablespoon of oil into a skillet over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and a little salt and pepper, and sauté for a few minutes.

In a serving bowl, add the squash and the just-warm mushrooms with the arugula and tofu.

Add the basil and a generous dash of balsamic vinegar.

Mix gently and serve.

Pan Fried Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce

 This is probably the best pan fried tofu you will have ever have. The secret is soaking the tofu in boiling salted water before frying. It makes for the most delicious and crispy dish which is light and nutritious. I have added a Korean style sauce with garlic for a zip and zing. 
By the way these recipes are teasers from my upcoming book.
Enjoy and happy holidays! Love Chef Mel x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pan Fried Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

½ block firm tofu cut into rectangles – about 10

½ cup water

½ teaspoon sea salt

Sauce

1 clove of minced garlic

1 scallion finely sliced

Shichimi

1 teaspoon rice syrup

1 tablespoon shoyu

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 heaping teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

Place the tofu into a bowl and add the salt.

Mix gently with hands.

Bring the water to a boil and pour over the tofu. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

Remove the tofu from the water and place on a plate. Dry each piece of tofu with an unbleached paper towel.

Heat 2 tablespoons of sesame oil in a pan. When hot, add the tofu.

Fry on one side for about 3-4 minutes.

Turn over and repeat on the other side for another 3-4 minutes.

Remove and place on a serving dish.

Place garlic, rice syrup, shoyu and sesame oil into a bowl and mix together.

Add a generous shake of shichimi. Let sit for about 5 minutes and then put through a small strainer to remove the garlic pieces.

Add the scallions.

Pour the sauce over the tofu and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Nabe Style Cooking

Exert from Eat Me Now - One Pot Cooking

Often we feel that we have little time to cook healthy foods. We fill our lives with so many activities that we forget to nourish ourselves.  ‘One Pot’ Cooking is a great answer to those busy times and a fantastic way to put top quality fuel in our ‘gas tank’.. This style of cooking is considered to be one of the oldest and dates back many centuries. It has also been used throughout the world. One Pot Cooking is a quick and easy way to set hearty, satisfying meals on the table.

Another benefit to all-in-one cooking is that it saves time. It takes away some of the anxiety of trying to get many dishes finished at once. One pot cooking is a complete meal although a fresh salad or hot brown rice can add an extra dimension.

One-pot meals can vary from savory stews and spicy noodles to heartwarming skillet dinners. Plus, one-pot meals are a great way to use up leftovers and the combinations are endless.

Think about the clean up!  You don’t have to wash every pot in the kitchen. Furthermore, many one-pot meals are not particularly 'sensitive,' so you don't have to stand over them to make sure they cook 'on the dot.'

Nabe Style Cooking

Nabe meaning cooking pot is a complete meal because it contains noodles, tofu and vegetables.  It is a relaxing and nourishing dish that helps you to feel soothed after a busy day.  Nabe is also good for improving circulation and is very warming.

 

Ingredients:

 1 packet udon noodles lightly cooked for 1 minute and rinsed

 1 bunch watercress rinsed and sliced

1 cup winter squash finely sliced

 2 cups Chinese cabbage rinsed and sliced

 1 carrot washed and finely sliced

 2 shiitake rinsed, soaked for 10 minutes and finely sliced

 1 cup snow peas washed

Nabe

 1/2 block tofu cut into rectangles

 1 inch piece kombu rinsed

 6 cups spring water

Dipping sauce:

 3 tablespoons shoyu

 2 tablespoons mirin

 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar

 1/2 cup spring water

 Shichimi 5 spice seasoning (optional)

Drop hot sesame oil (optional)

Garlic finely chopped (optional)

Ginger finely grated (optional)

Utensils: Traditional nabe pot or sturdy, deep pot with lid

Preparation:

Place the water and kombu in the pot and bring to a boil on a medium flame.

Remove the kombu and save for use in another dish. Meanwhile prepare the vegetables.

Arrange the vegetables (except for the watercress), noodles and tofu attractively in sections around the pot.

Cover with a lid.

Bring to a boil on a high flame. As soon as it boils, turn off the flame and add the watercress.

Mix the shoyu, mirin, vinegar and water in  a small bowl. This is the dipping sauce.

Serve from the pot: To serve, place a little dipping sauce in individual bowls. Add a selection of noodles, tofu and vegetables and pour the hot broth over the top. Garnish with a little 5 spice seasoning, garlic or hot sesame oil, if desired.

Note: A great variety of vegetables can be used. Try winter squash, summer squash, daikon, cauliflower, pieces of fresh sweet corn or string beans. The tofu can be deep-fried for a richer taste. Oysters or white fish can also be cooked in nabe.