Chewiness Quinoa

Today, I would like to have something different for supper beside rice and noodles. Quinoa, tiny golden seeds came to my mind.  I like quinoa because it tastes delicious, it is fun to sound - (ki-No-a), it has chewiness texture, it cooks fast and it is nutritious.  You can find it at any organic stores.

And it is very easy to prepare:
1.  Remember to rinse quinoa before you cook

2. Prepare the ingredients:
    a. 1 cup quinoa
    b. 2 cup water
    c. 1/2 teaspoon salt
    d. 1 tablespoon olive oil
    e. 1 teaspoon garlic power
    f.  1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)

3. Mix all the ingredients together and cook for 15 minutes.

4. Sprinkle some spring onion on the top.

Alfalfa Sprout

"Hmm....  I would like to have some raw salad before my meal for healthier life."  

In this day of vegetables treated with chemicals, picked before maturity, shipped thousands of miles and stored many days.  It will be refreshing to try a really crisp, fresh food.  Let's start sprouting seeds!  

Sprouting Directions:

Directions for one quart sprouting jar.  If you are using a 1/2 gallon jar, double the amount of seeds.

1. Obtain high quality untreated alfalfa seeds which have been tested for germination.  

2. Place 2 tablespoons alfalfa seeds soak for 4 hours.

3. Drain the water from the jar.  Rinse seeds in fresh water again drain again.

4. Lay the jar at an angle in dark place.

5. Rinse and drain seeds twice or three times a day.

6. On the third day of sprouting, rinse the hulls off your jar & place the babies alfalfa in indirect sunlight to develop chlorophyll.

7. The 4th, 5th, 6th... days, enjoy your fresh alfalfa with your favorite dressing.

• Even the youngsters enjoy growing a crop for their meals.

Rosemary Plant

I added a new plant - Rosemary in my lovely home's garden.
This small pot of plant looks beautiful in my little garden, and it is very easy to take care.
I like its fragrance.  I don't need to have dried rosemary leaves spice in my kitchen, but just go to my garden can get some fresh one when I need them.  Very handy!

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is widely used as a spice when cooking, especially in Mediterranean dishes. It is also used for its fragrance in soaps and other cosmetics. Traditionally, rosemary has been used medicinally to improve memory, relieve muscle pain and spasm, stimulate hair growth, and support the circulatory and nervous systems. It is also believed to increase menstrual flow, act as an abortifacient (causing miscarriage), increase urine flow, and treat indigestion. Almost none of these uses have been studied scientifically in humans. However, one study in humans found that long term daily intake of rosemary prevents thrombosis.

In the lab, rosemary has been shown to have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants can neutralize harmful particles in the body known as free radicals, which damage cell membranes, tamper with DNA, and even cause cell death. Also in the lab, rosemary oil appears to have antimicrobial properties (killing some bacteria and fungi in test tubes). 

Reported by University of Maryland Medical Center