After many years of tea drinking, I've recently gotten very interested with flower / herbal teas (because I now know where to get them!)

Tea for today offers many health benefits; let's go thru by individual herbs.

Pak Kei / HuangQi
~ is of warm properties
~ promotes urination (diuretic)
~ used for treating cold and respiratory infections
~ strengthen immune system
~ is antibacterial and antiviral
~ protects liver
~ promotes tissue regeneration
~ can lower blood pressure (large dosage)
~ can increase blood pressure (small dosage)
~ regulate blood sugar

Jiao Gu Lan
~ antioxidant
~ promotes longevity
~ is a calming adaptogen
~ anti aging
~ improves digestion
~ improves fat metabolism
~ improves endurance in the body
~ regulates hormonal functions
~ prevents constipation
With so many health benefits, I'm happy to drink this every other day..

Have you had days where you woke up feeling really hungry, wanting to eat some tasty good food (not fast food), but just too lazy to cook up a storm?

Today is one of those days..
I wanted something salty, with meat and veggies..
I don't wanna wait for the rice to cook.. too long..

I did the lazy cooking..
One bowl of veggies and meat, cooked together in soy sauce.. yumm!
Served with Amaranth Tea.. A meal prepared in about 30 mins
Voila!
My healthy brunch: Nutiritious as it includes the orange, purple colored veggies, mushroom for anti aging properties, meat for protein, garlic and onions for good immune system.

Ingredients:
- brinjal
- carrot
- minced meat
- fresh mushroom
- garlic
- onions
- soy sauce
- salt


Some freshly boiled flower tea is always so soothing.
Today I chose the Amaranth Tea:

Ingredients:
- 12 flower buds
- boiling water

Amaranth tea is good for skin health, and also has anti aging properties :)
*vain pot*
Oh, it can also help to regulate menstrual function.

The tea has very light sweet scent, and has no strong taste. I like to take it plain, without sugar.
I find this refreshing..
Tinted in pink.. very girly me thinks!

Yeah ok, so it doesn't sound very convincing I know. But its a fact that oats are good for health. Here are some whys:

~ Oats make us calmer. Its a natural anti-depressant.

~ It has Inositol which maintains the blood cholestrol level. (The Boyfriend can prove this.. his health report came back alot healthier since I "forced" him to eat oats hehe. He now loves it!)

~ Oats protects us from bowel cancer because of its high fibre content.

~ Unrefined oats can be eaten on regular basis to reduce stress while cooked oats will relieve fatigue.

Okay enough of benefits. But it is boring to eat the same thing everyday, eh?
For me, I mix in my milk tea (some ppl find me weird, but try it, taste good), mix with hot water and some prunes and bananas, or just plain oats with some sweetened milk.

Recently Momma taught me another recipe with oats, the salty version and here's how I prepare it:

Ingredients: (basically what you fancy eating) I like mine this way-
- Minced meat
- Onion (chopped)
- French beans / cabbage (finely chopped)
- Mushroom (any type) (sliced)
- Oats (of course)

Just heat the pan with some oil, and saute onion.

Add in meat and mushroom and stir for a few minutes.

Add in french beans / veggies.

Season with salt / soy sauce.

Add a cup of water, and pour in oats.

Keep stirring until simmer.

Ready to serve! Yummm... I love it. Keeps me full!

Mmmm some healthy, easy to make dish.

Ingredients:
1 pound soft tofu
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced white onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 ounces diced mushroom (button / portabella)
1 tbsp lemon juice
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
1/3 tsp thyme
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp turmeric
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Dijon or honey mustard
3 tbsp snipped fresh chives
4 chive blossoms

Directions:

1. Drain tofu, place on a clean kitchen towel. Draw the corners of the towel together, twist around tofu to drain water.

2. Heat oil until hot, but not smoking. Add onions and sauté until coated with oil. Reduce heat, continue to stir until translucent, about 8 minutes.

3. Add garlic and mushrooms

4. Cook briefly, add in lemon juice, continue to cook for about 7 mins

5. Add in tofu and toss.

6. Stir in all the remaining ingredients except chives, cook for 5-8 mins.

7. Stir in chives, adjust seasonings.

8. Garnish with chive blossoms.

Recipe from Yoga Journal :)

Got this from Yoga Journal dated back in 1999!
Also known as: Glycyrrhiza Glabra

Benefits of Licorice:

• Aphrodisiac (taken with milk and sugar)
• Soothe bowel and kidney irritations
• Cleanse the colon
• Strengthen the liver
• Mild laxative to expel mucous from lungs
• Good to treat sore throats
• Relieves canker sores, eczema, psoriasis.
• Heals herpes (sprinkle powdered roots onto clean sores) (WTF?)
• General abdominal pain, asthma, depression, insomnia
• Menstrual difficulties, nausea, tooth decay

The Nutrients:

• Vitamin B and E
• Choline
• Biotin
• Inositol
• Glycosides
• Isoflavanoids
• Triterpenoids
• Sterols
• Amino acids

Too much of a good thing can become harmful; so use moderately. Excessive use may cause:

• increase sodium
• water retention
• elevate blood pressure
• increase cardiac dysfunction

Licorice Tea:

by decoction:-

Put 1-2 teaspoon of dried licorice into pot/saucepan. Add one cup of water for each teaspoon of licorice. Bring mixture to boil and simmer on low heat for 10-20 mins. Add honey / apple juice after simmerring.

Can't find pictures of these, anyone tried before?

Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups sifted powder sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Beat sugar, vanilla, lemon peel, and 6 tablespoons of butter until well blended.

Add eggs one at a time.
Add flour and baking powder. Dough will be sticky.

Transfer the batter to a large pastry bag fitted with a large round tip.
Pipe batter into small rings onto cookie sheets about 2" apart.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Make the glaze by melting the 1 tablespoon of butter over low heat.
Add sugar, water, lemon juice and vanilla, stir continuously.
Brush hot cookies with warm glaze.

Let cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool
completely.

Weather sucks these days, and many fall ill.
Worse, Swine Flu is here! Lets down some Green Juice~!

• 1 cup kale
• 4 stalks celery
• 1 1/2 pears
• 1" piece of fresh ginger
• 1/2 lemon, zest and pith removed

Yum!