Cousin Siri’s low carb dinner
My cousin Siri (or P’Siriwan) sent me a photo of her Sunday dinner, with the following note:
“Today is my low carb day so here’s my meal. The sweet and sour peaches contrasted well with the bitter watercress, the crunchy nuts contrasted well with the soft panfried tofu.
I learned only recently that watercress is cruciferous*, a nice alternative to the boring broccoli.
A vegan meal that is filling, nutritious, easy to prepare, especially good for a hot day when one does not want to cook a lot.
I have a bush of butterfly pea so I have the luxury of edible flowers!!!
The salad dressing can be anything one likes, although I stick to the fruity theme, so I made the dressing from apple cider vinegar, honey, salt and black pepper.
Pan-fried tofu is very easy. I used tau kwa. I put a block on paper towel on it, pressed it down with a heavy pan for about 10-15 minutes to squeeze out excess water before pan-frying in a tiny bit of oil.
Tau kwa is so versatile and a good meat substitute. You can do anything with it: steam, boil, stew, pan fry, deep fry, bake, etc. The key is to dip it in your favorite sauce or seasoning as it takes the flavor of whatever is on it.“
(*cruciferous vegetables are low in calories and rich in folate (folic acid), fiber and vitamins C, E and K.)
Cousin Siri’s meals are usually healthy, but when we get together it’s more fun to have “fun food” like Thai green curry with laksa noodles. Once I cooked Thai red curry and brought it over to her place when she had some PhD students over for dinner. I was surprised by their healthy appetite, there wasn’t a drop of curry left by the end of the dinner. It was a lot fun.
Kelly’s high carb dinner
I haven’t seen Kelly for a while. Like my cousin Siri, Kelly has many talents. I am just discovering that Kelly also cooks well.
Kelly sent a photo of the meal she cooked over the weekend: a pasta dish inspired by Espie’s Baked Feta Cheese Pasta recipe (see earlier blog post), with steak, sausages and guacamole. And she made sangria to add a fruity cheer to the meal.
Conclusion
I would say that I would give two thumbs up for both cousin Siri’s low carb meal and Kelly’s high carb meal. There are days when I need a healthy meal and days when I need a hearty meal. The rule of thumb is: a healthy balance and a grateful heart.
By Chayo, HomSkil Editor 1, 10 August 2021
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