Monday, March 28, 2005
Gastronomy lessons in Oz [I]
Moving to a new land and being in full control of what you eat, of course I'll change what goes inside me. I'm pretty sure if my parents read my blog they'll be more than a little upset, but well it's my tummy afterall. Better to ground some facts before I get to the food - aussies lurve everything 'healthy' which also means anything high in the 'good' and low in the 'bad' (this will become clearer later on); and of course nothing here save authentic Viet/Italian/Greek cuisines and some significant others can rival what I get back in Asia in terms of taste and dosh.- Muesli, low in fat/cholesterol/GI (glycemic index: when it's low it allows for slow release of energy), eaten with 99% fat-free diet yoghurt with the token apricot and peach bits.
- Honey, the best is reputedly Manuka in Oz, and of course bought from the organic section in Vic Mkt, drizzle onto wholemeal toast or muesli to add punch.
- Genmaicha, or green tea with toasted rice, I dunno if it is slightly heaty but we can't go too wrong with tea. Buy it loose and place them in strainer to make drinking a less messy affair.
- Choya, the plum wine/liquer with reputed health benefits.
- 98.5% or 99.9% fat free soy milk with very little calories to boot. Add it to milo, and then a dash of ground cinammon for the added kick.
- Rooibos, with apple, cinammon, vanilla or just plain, as the caffeine-free replacement for tea (oooh simply addicted to this marvelous brew) and coffee and to receive all those antioxidants.
- Almonds, macademias, walnuts and pecans ground and sprinkled generously on cereals, salads and baked fish fillets.
- Smoothies blended from overripe/sour/slightly yucky fruits (like pears, nectarines) with generous dashes of yoghurt/sorbet/soymilk (make sure you lowfat everything).
- Herbs by the kilos, be they oregano flatleaf parsley basil mint marjoram, for baking grilling soups carbs.
lux at 6:50 pm