Tag Archives: Food

May 09 2013
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Food, Health

Filler Foods

Eating low-calorie foods that fill you up can help cut your calories and control your hunger at the same time. This combination can help you reach and keep a healthy body weight.

Water-rich vegetables are a great filler foods. Good examples include celery, cucumbers, lettuce, hearts of palm (palmito), radishes, carrots and alfalfa sprouts. Fruits are another good choice for the same reason. For example, grapefruit is almost 90 percent water. As an added bonus, fruits and vegetables provides you with necessary nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

filler_foods

High-fiber soups also work well as low-calorie filler foods. Legumes, such as beans and lentils, are rich in fiber and protein; add legumes to your soups and stews to satisfy your hunger with fewer calories.
Other filler foods include whole grains that would fill you up for a long time because they contain fiber and complex carbohydrates. Boiled whole grains like oatmeal and brown rice can give you energy and lasting power. Low fat whole grain pretzels and crackers are good healthy snacks.

Choose from a variety of low-calorie filler foods to keep your diet interesting.

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May 02 2013
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Food

Perfecting Lemon Sorbet

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I love making desserts, even though I don’t enjoy eating them. I have made ice-cream before, but it was a total disaster. It tasted like ice, without any signs of cream. This time I thought of making sorbet. I fell in love with sorbet the first time I went to Italy in 2008. I remember going to every restaurant and ordering lemon sorbet for dessert. Five years later, I decided to give it a shot and make my own.

Here’s something to empress your friends with at your next gathering.*

Lemon Sorbet:

5-6 lemons

1½ Cup Granulated Sugar**

1½ Cup Water

Preparation:

  1. Zest 2-3 lemons or until you get  ⅓ cup of  lemon zest.
  2. Juice the lemons until you get 1 cup of juice.

Procedure:

  1. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine sugar and water until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Add the lemon zest.
  3. Stir until the mixture comes to a boil.
  4. Boil for 2 minutes.
  5. Add the lemon juice and stir the mixture for a minute.
  6. Remove the pan from the heat.
  7. Allow it to cool for 30 minutes.
  8. Strain the mixture to get rid of the lemon zest.
  9. Pour the mixture into a container, cover it and put it in the freezer.
  10. After 4-5 hours, or when it becomes semi-solid, mash it up with a fork and refreeze again.
  11. When frozen, place in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
  12. Cover and refreeze until serving time.

*This recipe is from Cuisine Magazine.

**When I first read the recipe, I thought granulated sugar meant powdered sugar, but it’s actually the normal white sugar. I used powdered sugar and the sorbet turned out fine.

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Mar 27 2013
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Food, Health

Food that can Improve Your Eyesight

Various foods are important for good eye health..

  • Carrots are a critical source of vitamin A and beta carotene as are all orange-yellow vegetables. Beta carotene converts to Vitamin A in the body and is a potent antioxidant.
  • Spinach and other green vegetables are a great source of lutein and zeaxathin, both being vital for eye protection from the sun.
  • Garlic and onions are rich in sulfur and aid the eyes by producing glutathione; this is a really great antioxidant for the eyes.
  • Cod, tuna, sardines and mackerel are loaded with DHA which supports cell membranes and help to reduce the likelihood of macular degeneration. It is highly recommended for dry eyes.
  • All fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that are vital for eye health, with those being vitamin A, C, E and will help to improve daytime vision.
  • Blueberries and grapes improve night vision with an increase in anthocyanins. They are able to quickly create a noticeable improvement in critical night vision.
  • Eggs are rich in sulfur which helps to protect the lens of the eye and prevent cataract development.

Link

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Mar 24 2013
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Food

Cinnamon Toast Rolls

I love it when desserts contain cinnamon. I never thought of making a “cinnamon-y” desert until I found this recipe. It’s so easy! All you need are 3 ingredients.

  • a dozen or so slices of very soft, fresh white bread
  • melted butter
  • cinnamon sugar

Here are the instructions from Cirlce-B-Kitchen

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cut the crusts from a slice of bread and roll until very thin.
  3. Spread both sides of the bread with melted butter and then sprinkle one side with the cinnamon sugar, making sure to cover very well.
  4. Fold each side into the middle and then gently roll up and place in a buttered mini muffin tin.  Spread a little more melted butter on each roll and sprinkle with a little more cinnamon sugar.  Alternately, you can fold the bread into a triangle, and then fold into another smaller triangle and place on a parchment-covered baking sheet.
  5. When all of the rolls are made, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are just starting to turn golden brown and get a little crisp.  Remove from the muffin tin to cool.
  6. If desired, drizzle with some icing made with powdered sugar that’s been moistened with a little milk.
  7. These freeze really well.  To reheat, place briefly in a microwave to thaw and then bake in a low oven (250 or 300 until warm and slightly crisp.  Alternately, you can reheat them in foil in the oven.

Whenever I decide to do these I’m posting the results on Instagram! But for now, here’s what they’re supposed to be like.

cinntoastrolls58

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Jan 21 2013
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Video

Camping in Kuwait

The video gives some tips on how to eat the food you love without regretting it afterwards. It’s easy to get tempted into eating fatty and juicy foods because they “taste” good. That is not an excuse. There are much healthier alternatives. It’s all about making the right decisions, especially when it comes to portion sizes.

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Jan 15 2013
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Ever Wondered

The Hazards of Reusing Cooking Oil

When people talk about bad restaurants, they usually say that they keep on reusing the same oil to deep fry their food. I always wondered why it’s a bad thing. It turns out that it is not necessarily bad all the time.

Here’s what I found on Livestrong’s website:

For safety and quality, it is better to use fresh cooking oil each time you fry. However, if you deep-fry large amounts of food frequently, it is not always practical from an economic standpoint. By preparing food for minimal contamination of the oil and straining the oil to get out any food particles left over, you can reuse most oils as long as they are properly stored.

Bacteria and Free Radicals

If used oil is not properly strained and stored after it cools, bacteria can feed on food particles left in the oil. Unrefrigerated oil can even lead to the growth of Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism, a potentially fatal food poisoning. Refrigerating or freezing oil retards bacterial growth. Rancid — meaning old and stale — oil contains free radicals, molecules that can damage cells and lead to increased cancer risk, as well as affect the quality of your food. The good news is that your nose can easily identify rancid oil.

Storing Oil for Reuse

As soon as oil cools enough to handle, strain through layers of cheesecloth, paper towels or coffee filters to remove food particles. Store in a clean glass jar. Never mix it with unused oil. Seal the jar tightly, label it with the date, and refrigerate or freeze for no longer than a month. It may become cloudy in the refrigerator or freezer, but will clear at room temperature. Never reuse oil if it foamed or changed color during heating, or if it has an odd odor or smells like the food you cooked.

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Nov 19 2012
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Food

Starbucks Reserve Review

I was recently invited to attend an invite only event to get a tour of the newly opened Starbucks Reserve in Avenues. It is the 3rd Starbucks Reserve in the world alongside Amsterdam and Seattle. The interior gives a cozy and warm feel because the coffee shop is encompassed with wooden ceilings, furniture, and flooring. Not only is it the biggest branch world-wide, but it consists of two floors with a lovely view of Grand Avenue. The atmosphere is just wonderful considering that it is very Arabian. The food display is quite different than the other Starbucks branches we are used to. The great thing about Starbucks Reserve is that it provides customers with a selection of freshly baked goods. In addition, the coffee shop offers 2 new types of black coffee. At the end of the tour, I was given a gift that consisted of a Starbucks notebook, a mug, an exclusive coffee flavor and a coffee plant. I would really like to thank Starbucks Reserve for inviting me to this event!

I urge you to visit soon! You won’t regret it!

Written alongside BNM

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Nov 05 2012
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Fashion

The Avenues Phase 3

From experience, there is one thing that Kuwait does best: food. When franchises open up in Kuwait, they usually taste better than they do in the countries they originally came from. There have been countless times where I’d try a restaurant abroad and compare it to my tasting experience in Kuwait. Kuwait always wins me over. When it comes to food, we’re excellent, but when it comes to retail, we’re not as experienced. Shops always seem to be out of stock and the available items are usually a couple of months old. From my personal experience, I bought a couple of shirts from a clothing store in London (whose name I won’t mention). This same store is also found in Kuwait. When I came back to Kuwait, the shirts weren’t sold there. Three months later…the shirts were there, out of fashion and nowhere near the realm of trending fashion fads. Once again, I was disappointed.

Enough with that. SO, I haven’t been to the newly opened phase at The Avenues Mall. Judging from the innumerable photos on Instagram, the place looks beyond amazing. I was only able to view the new project from the exterior just a few days ago. It seems like there are a lot of new restaurants opened there, which I really hope are going to give Kuwait an all-new and extraordinary experience. Aside from the restaurants, there are new RETAIL stores. Hallelujah. It’s about time. Let’s just hope they don’t get ruined and continue to hold their glamorous fashionable touches.

P.S.: This means: less coincidences where people would be wearing the EXACT same outfits.

Awk-waaaaaaard.

Edited by: BNM

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Sep 18 2012
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Food

French Toast Waffles – Review

The other day, I was at Sultan Center looking for Eggo’s whole wheat waffles, when my eyes fell on something else. I have never seen it before, but apparently it has been sold there for a really long time. It was Eggo’s French Toast waffles. The name intrigued me and I couldn’t stop looking away from it. Just then I grabbed the box and forgot all about the whole wheat waffles. I couldn’t careless. I WANTED to try the new waffles. By the time I came back home I was too anxious to try it out that I didn’t mind having it as part of my dinner. I got out the toaster and took out a waffle from the box. Seconds later, the smell of waffles filled the air, but it was a new kind of smell. It was cinnamon-y and sweet. I kept telling myself that it’s okay, I can wait for one last minute. A strong feeling of excitement washed over me, the waffle popped out of the toaster and in my plate it fell (yeah right, but you get the picture). I grabbed the syrup and poured some of it on top. I sat down and quickly took a bite. It was heaven in my mouth. I still can’t believe I never heard of this french-toast-waffle-combination before. I devoured the thing so quickly that I ended up toasting another one. The second time I learned my lesson and savored every bite. It’s my latest addiction. The box finished in a matter of days. It’s so incredibly yummy that I can’t stop thinking about it.

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Sep 07 2012
2 Comments
Food

Blueberry Bread Recipe

Getting complements for my cooking or baking always makes my day. A couple of days ago I posted a picture on Twitter of a bread I baked. To be honest, I made it using a Betty Crocker bread and muffin mix, but it was the first time I bake something that gets so many positive replies! What was so special about it was that I decided to do the quick bread mix. Everyone that tried it thought it was cake because of its circular shape, so I played along with them. It was the fluffiest thing ever! It wasn’t too thick and the fact that it had blueberries made people feel good about themselves because it was “healthy”! Just a word of advice, make sure you get the exact same box in the picture above because there’s a similar one, but it doesn’t come with the bread recipe. The ingredients are very simple and should be available at your home. The only extra thing I added was the powdered sugar, you know, to add my extra touch.

Fresh out of the oven.. and before the photo shoot!

The grand finale..

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