Wednesday, June 25, 2014

YOGHURT PASSION FRUIT ICE POPS


When I blog food I feel very guilty because I find myself cooking up food secretly, putting an ear out for approaching footsteps and hiding the results from all family members until I can find the time to take photos. It feels almost criminal.

Most of the time I succeed. No one noticed these ice pops in the freezer or the traces of evidence I left behind or even wondered at my super poker kitchen face. I'm such an actor.

My besan presented a whole bowl of beautiful passion fruits that she had planted, nurtured and harvested from her orchard about 5 days ago. Thanks so much!




I have been presented passion fruit in the form of bottled cordials from Indonesia before. They (those who gifted them to me) always used the name Markisa. And these friends were all Indonesians and were so proud of their Markisa in a smiley and adorable markisa-only-exists-in-Indonesia kind of way. It was only many years later that I equated markisa to passion fruits and then finally to Malaysia slash South East Asia. At the time I was convinced they were a purely Indonesian thing. Some people would call that gullibility. I call it culinary disinterest. At the time.

Anyway, back to the future. I allowed them to ripen a little more in the bowl, as suggested by Yasmin, until the skin gets crinkly. When they did become crinkly I cut one open and saw how beautifully slushy and gooey they were inside. I scooped spoonfuls into my mouth. Passion fruits are deliciously very sweet and very tart in equal measure. So, so lovely.



These ice pops were so easy to make. Just some stirring and scooping and pouring.  But not so easy to photograph. Pergh! Now I remember the real reason I stopped blogging.

Anyway.............

Do add much more honey than I did to counter the tartness of the yoghurt. Otherwise these pops were perfectly delicious and creamy and gives a little crackle when you crunch on a seed. Almost like a poppy seed.

1 cup of low fat Greek yoghurt
2 Tbs of honey or more
passion fruit insides from 6 - 7 passion fruit, scooped out

Cut  passion fruits in half. Scoop out the insides and strain half of the fruit meat through a sieve leaving the seeds behind and juice in a bowl. Discard the seeds. Add the rest of the unstrained passion fruit to the strained juice and stir.

Measure 250 ml or 1 cup of greek yoghurt into a bowl, add honey until its sweet enough for you and then add the passion fruit. At this point you could add some milk for a more milky taste. Stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed and creamy.

Pour into popsicle moulds and freeze. Enjoy.

The only reason I used low fat yoghurt was for health. You could use a cream and milk combination. or just pure Markisa juice.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

JUICE IT THEN POP IT IN AN ICE POP MAKER OF NOPRO



I am convinced that juicers and blenders are the two greatest kitchen inventions to help improve and maintain good health. But of course sometimes we need variation in presentation.

I stumbled across this Nopro Ice Pop maker. And what is really special about it is the fact that I could use a good old popsicle stick that I can get anywhere! No more custom popsicle handles to gather or keep safely. I had to share.

Also fruit juice popsicles on sticks look good in a food photo for a blog apart from being healthy of course. They do. This is a Nopro Ice Pop Maker from Amazon.

I ordered one and can't wait to get it. I know I've not been blogging diligently but that's because I have been eating healthy. I know I can still blog healthy food. I'll get to that soon.

I know it's summer over there although it's summer here forever. So what better way to celebrate a hot summer or a searing hot tropical weather than making gorgeous juicy and fruity and healthy cool pops on a stick, no? Yes actually.

So if you and I think alike just pop over here to find out even more on the Ice Pop Maker of Nopro. Gee ..I like that name ...for some reason.

As soon as mine arrives I'll make some pretty ones. Promise. I'll make a smoothie pop and take some pretty pics.

Isn't it neat? Woohoo..plus it's only $16.38 and ships everywhere. Its HERE!


Sunday, May 18, 2014

JUICING

Image Source: Healthy Food Team


After my son's wedding more than a year ago, headbands, fabric flowers and everything else were mere distractions.

Truth was, I was becoming somewhat unhealthy. And concerned. My lipid profile wasn't at its best because my LDL rose. I know that we only live once. I'm not a cat. I doubt that I have nine lives.

So, apart from whining to anyone who would listen I thought a little exercise wouldn't hurt aka 'would be good'. I go to a beautiful park near where I live, do 4 large laps (40 minutes) of some really brisk walking, sweat it out, look for a spot on a slope facing east which is where the view of the lake and the gorgeous hills happen to be and do a little sunbathing, just my legs and arms, for some vitamin D. I do some yoga that I can still do (thank god!), swing for happiness on one of those exercise apparatus, under the trees, then a quick zip home for breakfast of blended raw oatmeal, ground flax seeds and honey and occasionally with some fresh orange juice and bananas in it as well.

You see, I've become boring. Too boring to be an interesting cakes and cookies and yummy food blogger. That was why and when I stopped.

Then someone whispered, "Well, blog healthy food then." I heard but didn't take action because healthy food is boring.Think about it, no more cakes, cookies and butter. The idea didn't move me emotionally. I'm a woman who's driven by passion and I wasn't passionate about food without oil, coconut milk, butter, eggs, sugar and other happy ingredients.

Then came juicing because I did juice, once upon a time, until cleaning the juicer became a complete nuisance. That was 12 years ago.

However, juicing got my attention once again when I saw the Breville. Gosh, it's sleek! It's the JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus. It's sleek, I'm telling you, and easy to clean, like 1,2,3. The reviews were great. And that was what I could afford, a mid-range juicer. And I'm passionate about juicing. Well all right, I'm passionate about the juicer too.

I searched for all the reasons to revive juicing and to slip it back into my routine and for the reasons I should spend a few hundred (after conversion) on a juicer. I found tons. Of reasons I mean.

I'm a huge juicing fan now, again. And I honestly think everyone should be too.

Juicing recipes abound. Think : oranges, apples, pineapples, star fruits, rambutans, and yes...Romaine lettuce, bak choy, brocolli, spinach...all those bitter greens that I (and my children) dislike, the tastes of which could be neutralized with squirts of lemon and lime, to fight the cancers, the cholesterols, to meet your daily recommended requirements, to cleanse and give you instant nutrient absorption.

Forgive me, I don't mean to sound like a dogmatic healthier-than-thou, pontificating about the benefits of juicing, but truly the benefits are endless. It's almost a sin not to juice.

Trust me. Check out this gorgeous drooling juicing machine here and drool.

This is what it looks like...Check it out here for a detailed review or go straight to Amazon to get one if you like.



Monday, March 17, 2014

LOLA ROSE ~ HEADBANDS & OTHER GORGEOUSNESSES



These are what have been keeping me busy ~ just in case anyone was wondering ~




Headbands for little girls or big girls ~ I make and sell them at LOLA ROSE
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lola-Rose/719209288119046



They are put together from fabric flowers i handcraft myself ~ Finally i have found something I love doing OUT of the kitchen and without having to wash up after! I also have a fabric flower and brooch bridal bouquet in the making ~ I hope not to disappoint myself. Flower making is awesome....except when you burn your fingers with hot glue from the glue gun ~


I think I have found my calling....to make flowers that don't need watering. 

Have a wonderful day and do pay me a visit at LOLA ROSE ~ flower lovers, headband lovers, fabric lovers  will love this place ~ Promise.



xxx

Zurina


LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails