Simply Beautiful and Healthy Living is 1 year old and Simple Sweet Sour Prawns

Time really flies...  Simply Beautiful and Healthy Living is 1 year old today!  It has been exactly 12 months since I set up this simple humble blog of mine!  Oh... I just can't believe I can go this far! Hehehe..

I am proud to say that I have learned a lot from being a non-blogger to a blogger.  I still consider myself a new blogger cos' there are still rooms for improvement.  Initially my intention to have a blog is to post everything that concerns healthy lifestyle.  As time goes by, I started to share my recipes.  All my recipes are very simple and I find joy in sharing even though they are just  very simple and common dishes.

There is still one thing which I really hope that I have enough time  - to take beautiful and creative photos of  yummy foods cook by me!.  You see, most of the time whenever I cooked a dish and wished to share with my readers, I just grabbed the camera and started to click without actually aiming for a good shot.  I am sorry  I usually did it in a haste.  I regret that I don't have time to do all these.  Well, I promise myself that once I have ample time, I would do nice shots of those recipes that I am sharing.    Give me some time.... and I will do it!!

Another thing is that if you are constantly following my blog publicly or silently, you would realise that I don't have any baking recipe!  Yes, you are right!  When comes to baking, I am hopeless.  I also promise myself that I would learn baking when I have time and  if one day you do see my 1st baking recipe here, than you are sure that I have taken my first step in baking and am proud to share it with my dear readers.  Tell you what... I have all the baking tools from oven to pans, but all are for show only! So ashamed to admit this!  They are either still brand new (even though have been standing there for years), nicely packed in the store room or either have been used once or the most twice only!!!  

I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all my readers who have taken time to visit my blog.  Furthermore,  every single of your comment is being appreciated.  Without you all, I can't be here.  As at today, my page viewers have reached 29,982 and I am indeed pleased with the results.  Of course I can't compare with those experienced bloggers who have readers over hundreds thousands or even millions!  I really admire them!  I wouldn't be here today unless  someone out there bothers to visit my humble blog every once in a while. With that in mind I would really  like to thank each and everyone who follows my blog. It is indeed satisfying to see the readership and page views increasing each day. Last but not least,  I really appreciate it when a total stranger who cares to take some time to stop by, pays my humble blog a visit and give comments; especially with so many other super quality blogs around.  Once again, A BIG THANK YOU!!!! :)

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Ok, enough about my bragging...  To celebrate the 1st anniversary of Simply Beautiful and Healthy Living, here is a dish I would like to share with all my dear readers.  Hope you all like it! :)

Ingredients :

- 500 gm big prawns (cleaned and de-veined, marinated)

- salt (for marinate)

- pepper (for marinate)

Sauce : (to taste)

- 1 thumbsize ginger (washed and finely chopped)

- 1 tbsp garlic (finely chopped)

- spring onions (cut)

Sauce Mixture :

- 1/2 cup tomato ketchup

- 1/2 cup chili sauce

-1 tsp apple cider vinegar

- soy sauce (to taste)

- salt (to taste)

- sugar (to taste)

Method :

1)  Heat oil in a wok.

2)  Lightly deep fry marinated prawns and set aside.

3)  Saute spring onions, ginger and garlic until fragrant.

4)  Add sauce mixture and stir.

5)  Add in fried prawns and mix well.

6)  Dish out and serve hot.

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Spicy Fragrant Japanese Pumpkin (南瓜 nán guā) - Meatless Recipe

Japanese pumpkin (南瓜 nán guā) is extremely nutritious as it is high in Vitamin A, C, beta-carotene and also a  good source of carbohydrates.  It is easily available in Asia and if compared to the usual western orange pumpkin, is smaller in size but far more sweeter. It can be stir fried or made into puree or soups.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin :

1. Feel Fuller
Pumpkin seeds pack about 1.7 grams of dietary fiber per ounce, while mashed pumpkin has only 50 calories per cup and 3 grams of fiber. “Fiber helps keep you fuller longer, which keeps your appetite at bay so you eat less overall,” says nutrition and fitness expert JJ Virgin, author of The Virgin Diet.

2. Boost Vision
A cup of cubed pumpkin contains almost twice the recommended daily intake of vitamin A, which promotes good vision, especially in dim light, according to the National Institutes of Health. It has also been found to slow the decline of retinal function in those with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that can lead to blindness, according to researchers from Harvard. Bonus: Vitamin A also helps form and maintain healthy skin, teeth and bones.

3. Lower Blood Pressure
Pumpkin seed oil is full of phytoestrogens, which research shows are beneficial for preventing hypertension. When researchers fed rats a diet supplement with the oil, they found that it helped lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in just 12 weeks.

4. Sleep Better
Pumpkin seeds are rich in tryptophan, the amino acid that contributes to post-Thanksgiving dinner sleepiness, says Virgin. Tryptophan is also responsible for helping the body make serotonin, the feel-good neurotransmitter that helps you relax and unwind. Not only do pumpkin seeds promote better sleep, the serotonin will improve your mood, says Virgin.

5. Protect Your Package
Pumpkins — especially the seeds — are rich in beta-carotene and other antioxidants with cancer protective properties, says Virgin. And pumpkin seeds could be especially healthy for men. Researchers in Taiwan found pumpkin seed oil blocked unhealthy prostate growth in male rats. A quarter cup of the seeds also contains about 2.75 mg of zinc (about 17 percent of the recommended daily intake for adults), which contributes to male sexual health. When young men in a Wayne State University study restricted their dietary zinc intake, they had significantly lower levels of testosterone after 20 weeks.

6. Have a Healthier Heart
All that fiber can also help protect your ticker, research shows. One Harvard study of over 40,000 male health professionals found that those who ate a diet high in fiber had a 40 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease, compared to those who ate a diet low in fiber. A more recent study by Swedish researchers found that women who ate a diet high in fiber had a 25 percent lower risk of heart disease compared with women who ate a low fiber diet. Men benefitted less, likely because they’re more likely to get their fiber from breads, while women are more likely to get their fiber from healthier sources, like fruits and vegetables, the researchers write.

That means pumpkin-laced desserts won’t quite cut it. For a healthier way to add pumpkin into your diet, adding pumpkin chunks to a roasted vegetable medley, or sprinkling pumpkin seeds on top of your salad. Feeling even more creative? Try pumpkin puree in place of nut butters as a spread, Virgin suggests. And for an energizing morning smoothie, blend a high-quality protein powder (like vanilla DailyBurn Fuel) with coconut milk, chia seeds, pureed pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Happy fall indeed!

Source : dailylife

Japanese pumpkin is very delicious when stir-fry with Thai basil (九層塔 jiǔ céng tǎ).  Here's the recipe I created at the spur of the moment when I was wondering what to do with the leftover Thai basil.

Ingredients :

- half Japanese pumpkin (washed, de-seeded and cubed)

- 2 sprigs of Thai Basil (washed)

- 1 tsp dried shrimps

- 1 red chili (washed, de-seeded and sliced)

- 1 thumbsized ginger (washed and crushed)

- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)

- 1/2 cup of water

- soy sauce (to taste)

Method :

1)  Heat oil in a wok and saute ginger and garlic until fragrant.

2)  Add dried shrimps and fry until aromatic.

3)  Stir in pumpkin and chili.  Stir fry for a while and add water.

4)  Cover and simmer until pumpkin is semi soft and add in Thai basil and soy sauce.

5)  Stir and mix well.  Dish up and serve immediately.

Note :

I did not add salt to it as I feel that soy sauce itself is sufficient to enhance the flavour of any pumpkin dishes.

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Stir-fry Bok Choy with Grey Oyster Mushroom (Meatless Recipe)

I always make it a point to have meatless meals twice or thrice a week.  I am not a vegetarian but just a bit health conscious.  So, whenever I prepared meatless meals for my family, I would make sure that the meals are nutritious and healthy.  Besides fresh veggies, tofu, mushrooms, beans, nuts, grains and legumes are my favourite for meatless meals.  Whether you are a vegetarian or just trying to eat healthier, these ingredients are packed with essential nutrients and are delicious too!

Bok choy is one of the veggies I used to cook. It is high in vitamin K which can be beneficial in the prevention of  osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer.  Besides, it is very delicious.  I stir fried it most of the time and occasionally I cooked it with noddles soup.  Here's a simple and nutritious stir-fry bok choy with oyster mushroom.

Ingredients :

- 1 packet of grey oyster mushroom (washed and torn into pieces)

- 1 big bunch of bok choy (washed and cut)

- 1 thumbsized ginger (washed and crushed)

- 3 cloves garlic (washed and crushed)

Seasonings : (to taste)

- oyster/abalone sauce or soy sauce

- salt

- Chinese cooking wine

Cooking oil

Method :

1)  Heat oil in a wok and saute ginger and garlic until fragrant.

2)  Add bok choy and give it a quick stir fry.

3)  Add in mushrooms.  Stir and mix well.  If too dry, add some water.

4)  Stir in seasonings and serve immediately.

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