random tips about school prawns

Hi everyone!

I just want to quickly share one (very)random tips with you.

It’s about school prawns.

I bought half a kg of school prawns today, and when I got home, I de-headed and peeled them.

My random tips today is don’t throw away the school prawns’ heads. Why? Because we can make stock with those tiny heads.

And, they’re yummy for Tom Yum soup!

How to make prawn stock:

1. Boil water in a small stock pot. While you wait, rinse the prawn heads under running water- just enough so that it produce clear stock instead of dark brown.

2. Reduce the heat and add the prawn heads (and 1-2 coriander root if you have!). Cover with the lid and let it simmer for 5-10mins or until the prawn heads turn pinkish-red.

3. Get rid of the heads and there you have- a beautiful prawn stock!

Thank you for reading my random tips- I hope you find it useful!

until next time

Lest we forget- Happy Anzac Day 2013

Hi everyone

Just want to quickly share this post with you-

with all respect and gratitude, lest we forget, happy Anzac day 2013!

courtesy of Rosalina Indriani, my cousin, taken this morning

If you’re thinking to have a twist on your Anzac day baking this year, why dont you try these two lovely recipes I found:

* Baked Anzac Doughnuts by Emma Stirling of The Scoop on Nutrition

* Anzac Day Muffins from Weigh it Up website

until next time- and have a wonderful public holiday

the sun is shining outside!

home-made bread and it’s dairy free!

Hi everyone!

I just want to share with you my family recipe of  home-made bread. It’s originally my grandmother’s. It’s very simple to make!

If you have a bread machine, you simply add the ingredients and wait for the machine to do the work! If you like myself, don’t have any bread machine, then you’re in for a good arm workout

just kidding.

it’s fun. it’s hands on and the kids can be involved in the process. I think it’s a great weekend (Saturday morning perhaps) indoor activity!

Ama‘s Bread Loaf

makes 2 small loaves and 5 bread rolls OR 2 big loaves

10 g yeast

700 g plain flour (500 g of high protein/bread flour and 200 g plain flour)

1 tbsp of dairy/soy/nut free margarine (I use Nuttelex)

2 cups warm water

110 g sugar

2 tsps salt

for the wash: 150 ml of water and 2 tsps of sugar

for topping: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, any seeds you like

How?

If you have a bread machine, follow its instructions. 

If you do it manually, then here it goes:

1. Mix the yeast, a cup of water and 200 g of flour. Leave it in a warm place. This process helps to activate the yeast. While you set it away, weigh the rest of the ingredients and mix everything in a big mixing bowl.
2. Once the yeast mixture is bubbling and expanding, mix them into the rest of ingredients. Knead them for a good 10-15 minutes, or basically until the dough comes together and soft. How to knead? punch, pull and press the dough. this is where the fun begins!
3. Once you’ve done with the kneading, shape a round dough, place it in a mixing bowl and keep them somewhere warm. I put them inside my oven. Now, we’ll wait until it’s doubled in size, should take around 1-1.5 hrs depending on how warm/cold where you are. In summer time, I found it’s doubled in size in 40-50 minutes. Today, I waited for 1 hr.
4. Once it’s doubled in size, punch the dough! It will shrink the dough and knead them again for 5 minutes. After that, you may divide the dough into 2 even portions for 2 big loaves or I split them into 3 and make 2 smaller loaves and 5 bread rolls. I also mixed in some poppy seeds. By all means, you may use chia seeds, linseed, poppy seeds, any seeds you like! Or keep it plain and simple
5. After splitting them into even portions, leave them in a bread tin or round tin, whatever you use and we wait again for about 20-30 minutes. This process will finalize the yeast activity before we bake them. At this stage, you may start pre-heating your oven at 160C.
6. Last step is to brush the top of the bread with the wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds (if you like, of course!). Bake them for 25 minutes.
7. Once it’s done, it should sound hollow when you tap the bottom bit. It should be golden in colour and your house will smell like a bakery. Wonderful smell and it will definitely wake up your neighbour ;P  we then brush the top of the bread with dairy/soy/nut free margarine or butter (if you’re not allergic/intolerant to dairy). the margarine will seal its moisture and keep the bread soft and not dry.
8. Bon apetite

I love this bread, I could eat (a lot of) it by itself! It’s such a comforting feeling, sipping a warm cup of tea while waiting for the bread to bake then enjoy it fresh from the oven. Yum. Yum. Yum.

Enjoy!

*Ama in Indonesian means grandmother- or at least that’s how I called mine

April Recipe ReDux- (allergy friendly) Very Vanilla Cupcake!

Hi everyone

How is everyone doing?

Hope everyone is well- and excited for April’s Recipe ReDux. The theme this month is:

April – The Cupcake Conundrum – Cupcakes: Yes or no? Can you not get enough cupcakes…or are you so over the cupcake trend? If you think cupcakes never go out of style, show us your most delicious ‘ReDux-ed’ mini-cake creation. Or if you’re in the camp that cupcakes have been a bit overdone, share your favorite hand-held dessert destined to be the next big trend. Inspiration for this month’s theme is courtesy of The Meal Makeover Moms.

I think it is a little challenging. Cupcakes are easy to make, however it is not easy to find the best cupcake: pretty, delicious, healthy and creative in one. Until now, I have not found the ultimate cupcake recipe. Hence I am really looking forward to reading what’s everyone doing this month!

Please do not go away from my page after you read the sentence above. ;P please have a little faith in  me- as I have the ultimate allergen friendly cupcake recipe! This recipe has been tried and tested in my kitchen, more than once! Yippee Yippee for everyone who is allergic to dairy/soy/egg/nuts/wheat/gluten. Also, for all the mums who ever need to bake safe-for-everyone-to-eat-at-a-party cupcakes! This recipe is da’ bomb! Look no more, peeps!

Dea’s Allergen Friendly Very Vanilla Cupcakes

dairy free, soy free, nut free, egg free, wheat and gluten-free

makes 20 cupcakes 

  

 

 

  

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I love this recipe so much. This recipe ‘invention’ was part of my research last year. I was trying out a lot of allergen friendly recipes and this recipe is a combination of a lot of recipes, textbook’s knowledge of food functionality and my own crazy idea. And finally I am satisfied with this recipe. The texture is really fantastic- it is exactly the same as gluten containing cupcakes. It is soft and spongy.

  

The taste is delicious. It tastes as nice as dairy and/or egg-containing cupcakes. I have tested this cupcakes with my colleagues, friends, and family. All came back with great feedback!

If I were to improve this recipe further, I would want to improve the colour. It’s looking a little pale. If you are not fussy with food colouring and really want to make this cupcakes more attractive, you could always add food colouring (or natural one using beetroot/spinach/carrot juice). I personally like it as it is. Yes it’s a little pale, but this cupcake is really basic hence it is safe for everyone to eat. We don’t have to ever worry about giving this cupcake to a child- it won’t make the child sick from any allergy or intolerance. unless if we give them too many cupcakes, of course LOL

I hope everyone enjoy my post today- and hopefully have a chance to try out my recipe! all feedbacks are welcome

Don’t forget to check out other’s Recipe ReDux cupcakes creation! Follow the link below!

If you enjoy this post, why don’t you share it with your friends and family?

a quick catch up from me!

Hi everyone!

It’s been forever since I updated Grainddiction- at least that’s how long I felt. I’m sorry I’m so slow this month.

I promise it’s for good reasons!

As obvious as the title, it’s gonna be a quick update from me, what’s been happening with me this month.

Firstly, this month I am the sub editor of the month for The Scoop on Nutrition of Emma Stirling. yes that Emma Stirling! Yay- for a month I get to spend time with her, and actually learn from her how to utilize social media effectively and efficiently to spread nutrition messages. Below is a quote from Emma’s blog, The Scoop on Nutrition on Sub of the Month.

We are passionate about supporting dietitians and nutritionists to be strong communicators. Ultimately this helps our cause to see credible nutrition information in the media and online. Once a month a dietitian joins us as the guest sub editor. Usually this is final year nutrition or dietetics student, new graduate or someone with experience, but not in the digital world. The sub of the month gets their hands dirty in the newsroom, helps manage our facebook and Twitter chat and learns the ropes of blogging.

If you want to look at my bio at The Scoop, head over to Emma’s website- click this link. It will take you to my short bio

So this month, I help Emma manage her Facebook page, The Scoop On Nutrition page, together with Adelaide Giddens. Everyday, either Adelaide or myself, update The Scoop Facebook page on the latest nutrition news. Follow The Scoop on Nutrition Facebook page for an up-2-date nutrition news- and you will hear from me daily

I’m very very excited to be the sub editor of the month! I even joined my first #EatKit, monthly Twitter chat hosted by Catherine Saxelby of Foodwatch and Emma. It was really great to get in touch and hear from others and chat for an hour. Last night we talked about home-grown fruit and vegetables and urban foraging. How exciting was that!

Another exciting news is my graduation! I finally graduated, wearing the academic dress and all that, last Friday, 12/04/2013. It was such an eventful day. Graduated as Masters of Nutrition and Dietetic, from the University of Sydney. Very proud of myself a dietitian now, no longer a student!

My parents and sister flew up here from Indonesia to be with me on this special day. Below are pictures from my graduation day

me and my closest friends at uni- study partners, lunch partners, travelling partners, dancing partners- sisters! (from left: Anastasia Hourdas, Candy Lin and me) missing another friend- Michelle Ho

 

me and my family (from the left: my brother, my sister, mum, me and dad) missing my brother, Daniel, who is currently at Seattle

and then there is me. wearing Indonesian kebaya top and Dedittie’s sarong skirt

I want to also specially thank my family, mum, dad, brothers and sister for all the prayer and support for me, you have always been there for me- whenever I need the most.

Special thanks to my friends, Anastasia Hourdas, Candi Lin, and Michelle Ho, and all the MND 2012 girls and boy (you know who you all are!)- and lastly but not least- my special person, Pranav Gore for always always always been there for me, through my happiness and sorrow, you have always been my shoulders to cry, my ears to complain and my other hand to clap.

until next time, peeps! 

It’s Easter, Hallelujah!

Happy Easter 2013 everyone!

May this Easter bring you joy and hope

Share the love ❤

Recipe Redux- Buttermilk Pannacotta with Grapes and Rosemary Reduction

Hi everyone!

It’s time for Recipe Redux

This month’s theme is super interesting-

March – Green with Herb Envy – March means all things green: Sprouts of green popping up from the earth, window gardens of herbs, and wistful gardeners flipping through seed catalogs of green. This month, use any fresh green herb in a non-traditional way: Think strawberry basil ice cream, mint salsa, lemon thyme muffins or anything with marjoram!

I love herbs in my cooking. Back home (Indonesia), we use more spices than herbs, the only herbs we often use is probably parsley- although I might just speak for myself here. i’m not going to attempt a generalization LOL

When I came to Sydney, I was kind of forced to learn how to cook and found herbs are great! They boost the flavour of the dish- very aromatic and to be honest making cooking experience so much better. I hate cooking meat because it tend to smell (or maybe I am just not a good cook) (or maybe my nose is just too sensitive) (maybe I just miss my mom too much). By adding herbs, I found cooking much more enjoyable- the kitchen is full with beautiful fragrance. My ultimate herbs to use are parsley, coriander, rosemary, thyme and basil. I regularly use them in my cooking.

Recently I tried gardening my own herbs. However I keep failing. I have tried gardening my own herbs twice and both failed. I keep trying though. Do you have any tips for beginners like me?

At the moment, I am gardening basil, parsley and chilli, I put them in my balcony. I have had them since January and they are still alive! So proud by far the eldest herbs I have grown!

And yes, I also had lettuce and cauliflower there. I still have the cauliflower, but I have lost my lettuce. It was fully grown and one morning, I found them disappear! I suspected caterpillar ate ‘em all- I did notice the lettuce had few holes here and there- but never realized it could all be disappeared.

In the light of herbs in a non-traditional way- my mind was thinking crazy ideas. However I wasn’t confident enough to pull off something like that.

So..I asked my special person to help. and this is his recipe.

Buttermilk Pannacotta with Grapes and Rosemary Reduction

For pannacotta:

600ml buttermilk

70g sugar

2 leaves of gelatine OR 10g powdered gelatine

1 tsp vanilla extract OR scrape of 1 vanilla bean

For reduction:

a cup of water

50g grapes (I use red globes grapes- my favourite but you can use whichever you like!), cut into halves

a sprig of rosemary

1 tbsp of honey

How?

1) For the pannacotta: warm up 200ml of buttermilk. simmer it, don’t let it boil. Once it’s warm, add in the vanilla.

2) If you are using the gelatine leaves, soak it first in cold water before using it to soften it. Then add it into the buttermilk. If you are using powdered gelatine, add it straight into the buttermilk.

3) Mix it until it is just combined. Add remaining buttermilk, strain and pour into mould/cup/mug- whatever you’d like Set it overnight in the refrigerator.

4) For the reduction: Bring the water to boil and add half a sprig of rosemary.

5) Add in the grapes and honey, then let it reduce to a syrup consistency (not yet honey thick, just syrup thick).

6) Once it’s reduced, take it off heat, add in the remaining half of a sprif of rosemary and let it cool. Once it’s cool enough to handle, peel and de-seed the grapes (this is optional step).

7) Gently remove the pannacotta from the mould (it is wobbly!) and serve with the reduction.

When I first removed the pannacotta from the mould, I thought I wasn’t gonna make it through Recipe Redux this month ;P it was really wobbly- and slippery.

However after a few seconds holding my breath, it was out pretty on the plate.

Tasting time. Honestly, I thought it would be just like normal pannacotta. boy I was wrong.

It was really delicious. the combination of grapes and rosemary- completely blows my mind (and taste bud). The flavour is so warm, earthy and humble.

If you have never tried making pannacotta- then this recipe is a must-try!

I was really anxious about the wobbly pannacotta, so perhaps i would add in a bit more gelatin next time. however the flavour is just perfect!

I am really looking forward to seeing the creations by fellow Recipe Redux-ers. Don’t forget to check them out by clicking the link below!

Until next time! – and I hope you enjoy my recipe

a quick quote on Dietitian’s Day 2013!

hi everyone-

On this special day, I just want to quickly share with you a quote from the Heart Foundation in relation to heart disease risk reduction:

To reduce your risk of heart disease, the Heart Foundation recommends maintaining a balanced diet eating a variety of foods including 2 & 5 fruit and vegetables a day, wholegrains, lean meats, oily fish, low reduced or no fat dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes and oils. A healthy, balanced diet is just that – balanced. It does not involve cutting out any food group entirely.

Australian Guide to Healthy Eating 2013

Today is the official Registered Dietitian Day (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly American Dietetic Association). Although it’s celebrated mostly in the US, we are proudly honouring this profession here in Australia, too.

Quoted from DAA:

Accredited Practising Dietitians: The experts in nutrition

When it comes to selecting a healthy eating pattern there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. DAA encourages Australians to take a longer-term view to nutrition and health, based on the recommendations of the Australian Dietary Guidelines, and to seek expert advice and support from an Accredited Practising Dietitian.

APDs are university-qualified in nutrition and dietetics, undertake continuing professional development in nutrition, and comply with DAA’s guidelines for best practice.

Have a wonderful day everyone- and Happy Dietitian’s Day to me and my fellow dietitians all over the world! 

For more information on Registered Dietitian Day, click here.

To find an APD near you, click here. 

For more information on the new Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, click here. 

References:

Eat for Health. 2013. Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Available from https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/the_guidelines/n55i_australian_guide_to_healthy_eating.pdf

Heart Foundation. 2013. Heart Foundation response to claims in David Gillespie’s Toxic Oil.

Dietitians Association of Australia. 2013. Available from http://daa.asn.au/for-the-media/hot-topics-in-nutrition/food-and-nutrition-conspiracy-theories-wear-thin-with-nutrition-experts/.

how toxic is Gillespie’s new book- Toxic Oil?

Hi everyone!

Hope you’re doing well.

Today, I want to share with you my take on David Gillespie’s new book: Toxic Oil, which was recently published in Australia.

Gillespie is a corporate lawyer turned into an author (http://sweetpoison.com.au/?page_id=2). His first book is Sweet Poison Why Sugar Makes Us Fat.

It has brought so much controversy as he is neither a dietitian/nutritionist nor a health professional nevertheless saying that sugar is poisonous. (and i’m thinking- where did all these come from!)

Today, we won’t be talking about his first book but his latest one- Toxic Oil: Why vegetable oil will kill you and how to save yourself.

Before we start, I just want to make myself clear that I am just lining out the position statement on this book by Heart Foundation, released in February 2013. I have no interest or association with anyone or any food industry. I am here, as a dietitian, to reach out and inform the evidence surrounding this book. Why did I do it? Just because it is my interest to get the right message out to consumers and public. Because it bothers me that someone can publish a book based on theory which is against the national guideline, against the scientific evidence.

This is what the description of the book- from Itunes Books:

Everything you believe about fat is wrong.

Polyunsaturated oil – everyone knows it’s good for you, right? Wrong! And we all know artery-clogging, cholesterol-forming saturated fat is bad for you, don’t we? Wrong again! In his previous book Big Fat Lies, David Gillespie showed that these ‘truths’ are in fact myths, based on poor research and bad evidence.

‘Vegetable oil’, which isn’t made from vegetables at all, but manufactured from seeds, has systematically replaced saturated fats in our diets over the past one hundred years, but our rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer are higher than ever.

There have been many studies done in the past. All chronic diseases, including heart disease, are not caused by only one particular thing. There are always a few factors affecting heart disease in an individual. Take Mr.A- he is a successful businessman, a smoker, exercise everyday, eat quite healthily with occasional junk food. Can he have a heart disease? Maybe. And if he did have a heart disease, could we really pinpoint the cause? Is it the smoking? Is it the occasional junk food? or is it the stress? or perhaps the combination of everything? It’s really complex and it’s difficult to determine a single cause.

Literatures show that replacing saturated fat in your diet with unsaturated fat, in particular polyunsaturated fat, reduce your heart disease risk. This is in contrary to what Gillespie says in his book. The Heart Foundation believes that the claim in his book is dangerous, misleading and wrong (quoted from the position statement by Heart Foundation). If you follow such advice, it could lead to the rapid development of serious health conditions.

This position statement regarding unsaturated fats and heart disease risk is not only by Heart Foundation, but also by the worlds leading health organizations, such as World Health Organisation, British Heart Foundation and American Heart Association. On national level, this is supported by Dietitians Association of Australia and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC- contributor of our Australian Guide to Healthy Eating).

So, now you see what I meant- how could a lawyer give such advice- not to mention advice against world leading health organization?

The Heart Foundation, like other health organizations, is committed to helping Australians lead a healthy lifestyle by recommending advice based on good quality, strong scientific evidence and is continually reviewing the evidence.

To cut the story short- everyone, don’t be afraid of healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats). 

Image from http://www.livestrong.com/article/399182-safflower-vs-sunflower-oil/

Evidence shows that omega-6 polyunsaturated fats reduce your bad or LDL cholesterol and increase the good HDL cholesterol, which helps to lower the risk of heart disease.

and what about saturated fats? until this date, the literatures still strongly stand that saturated fats and trans fat are unhealthy fats. too much of it increases cholesterol and over the time causes the build up of fatty material on the inside of your blood vessels. These material blocks the blood flowing through the blood vessels and is a major cause of heart disease (stroke or heart attack). If you can imagine, you’re watering the garden with your water hose. If we are being slack and say- there is soil and dirt built up on the inside of the water hose, over the time the water flow is reduced and eventually blocked completely. no water coming out of the other side of the water hose=no blood flow which means no oxygen to the heart and brain thus stroke or heart attack occur.

Image from http://www.wisegeek.org/how-does-artery-plaque-build-up.htm

the last thing I want to talk about is margarine. there is a claim that margarine and some oils are unhealthy because they undergo industrial process and have trans fats.

this was true a gazillion years ago. margarine in history (this was years and years and years ago) did contain trans fat due to the hydrogenation process (converting oil to a solid spreadable margarine).

However, Australian margarine nowadays are made from locally grown polyunsaturated and monounsaturated plant seed oils, water, milk and salt to taste. The most important thing is hydrogenation is no longer used in margarines and polyunsaturated oils on the supermarket shelf contain negligible trans fats. 

Image from http://www.hospitalityinfocentre.co.uk/Fats%20&%20OIls/margarine.htm

If you see preservatives on the label- it is often citric acid or lemon juice and is put to keep the spread tasting fresh. And what about carotenoids? it is there for colour.

I hope I’m not confusing anybody here! What you have to remember from this rather-long-post are:

1. there is no reason to be scared of polyunsaturated oils. use them wisely, i’m not saying that you should drizzle generously, but there is absolutely no harm in using polyunsaturated oils.
2. saturated fats and trans fats are unhealthy fats. they can be found in butter, processed foods, junk foods, biscuits and cookies, etc. we should minimize them in our diet. 
3. Australian margarines contains almost no trans fat. if there is, it would be negligible and we shouldn’t need to worry!
4. I would never recommend anyone to buy this book. waste of money for incorrect information. head over to a trustworthy website such as Heart Foundation website, DAA website, etc. even better, find an Accredited Practising Dietitian near you, if you need help! we are here to help!
5. pass this message to your friends and family! we want everyone to get the right, evidence-based information. 

If you need more information on Heart Foundation’s statement on Gillespie’s book Toxic Oil, please click Heart Foundation statement – Toxic Oil – David Gillespie Feb 2013 (1) for the complete statement.

For more information about the Heart Foundation position on healthier fats, click here.

For more information about the Heart Foundation position on saturated fats, click here.

For more information about the Heart Foundation position on sugar, click here.

If you want to know what Paula Goodyer of Sydney Morning Herald has to say about Gillespie’s Toxic Oil, click here. I was really glad when she stated “I’m inclined to take dietary advice from respected nutritionists, rather than lawyers.”

References:

Heart Foundation. 2013. Heart foundation response to claims in David Gillespie’s Toxic Oil. 

Images of Gillespie’s Toxic Oil book and its description are from iTunes- Books website https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/toxic-oil/id602050247?mt=11.

Image of Gillespie’s Sweet Poison book is from iTunes- Books website https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/sweet-poison/id491198216?mt=11

Disclaimer: this post is intended only for education and is based on Heart Foundation’s statement which you can find on the references or Heart Foundation website. I am not associated with any industry or organization. and I did not receive any monetary reimbursement for this post. 

healthy picnic this weekend? yes you can!

hi everyone

summer had ended last week and it’s the beginning of autumn, here in Australia.

we started the season with lots of rain last weekend, but we’re hoping to see the sunshine this coming weekend. as i don’t want to miss out on this beautiful weather, i am planning to host a picnic!

if you are planning for a picnic soon, i have something that you might find useful.

healthy picnic. is it possible? yes of course!

i have a very useful resource on how to host a healthy picnic, and i would like to share it with you all.

it’s part of the Australia Healthy Weight Week in January 2013.

you can download the resource here: AHWW How to host a healthy PICNIC

so, make sure you read this information before you head to the supermarket!

hope you have a great picnic in this beautiful weather!

until next time!