Braised Chicken With Black Fungus

Ingredients
- 4 pieces black fungus
- 1/4 chicken
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 cup water

Seasoning
2 tbsp light soy sauce

Preparation
1. Soak black fungus in water until soft and cut into halves
2. Chap chicken into small pieces

Method
1. Heat up sesame oil in a wok. Stir fry black fungus over medium heat until fragrant.
2. Add chicken pieces and stir fry until fragrant and evenly mixed
3. Pour in water, turn to medium heat and braise for 10 minutes
4. Season with light soy sauce. Serve.

Stir Fried Chicken With Tumeric

Ingredients
- 1/4 Chicken
- 2 pieces turmeric
- 2 slices ginger
- 1 tbsp tumaric powder
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 cup water

Seasonings
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp sugar

Preparation
1. Cut turmeric, capsicum and garlic into slices
2. Rinse chicken and cut into small pieces

Method
1. Heat up some oil in a wok. Stir fry turmeric ginger and garlic until fragrant over medium heat.
2. Add turmeric powder and stir until well mixed
3. Add chicken and stir fry evenly
4. Season with salt and sugar
5. Pour in water. Cover with lid, braise over medium heat for about 20 minutes and serve.

Pan Fried Chicken Thigh With Tomato Sauce

Pan Fried With Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 chicken thigh
- 1 tomato
- 1 shallot
- 1/2 cucumber
- 6 tbsp cooking oil

Marinade
1 tsp tapioca flour
a pinch salt
1 tbsp light soy sauce

Sauce
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
a pinch of pepper powder
2 tbsp water

Preparation
1. De-bone chicken thigh
2. Rinse cucumber and cut into slices
3. Cut tomato into wedges and cut shallot into pieces
4. Scald shallot and tomato in boiling water
5. Combine chicken thigh with Marinade for 1/2 hour.

Method
1. Heat up cooking oil in a wok. Place marinated chicken thigh in the wok and spread it flat. Pan fry until both sides of chicken thigh is golden brown and cooked. Remove and drain.
2. Arrange fried chicken thigh, cucumber, tomato and shallot in a place.
3. Put all sauce ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Pour the sauce over chicken thigh and serve.

Braised Chicken Feet

Ingredients
- 1 piece cinnamon stick
- star rise
- chicken feet
- 2 Chinese mushrooms
- 500ml water
Seasonings
- 3tbsp light soy sauce
- some dark soy sauce

Method
1. Bring water to boil in a pot
2. Clean the chicken and put them into boiling water
3. Add star anise, cinnamon stick, chinse mushroom and seasoning to the boiling water.
4.Bring to a boil over high heat. Braise over low heat for 1 hour.

Braised Balsamic Chicken

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 teaspoon garlic salt

ground black pepper to taste

 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 (14.5 ounce) can

diced tomatoes
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

1.     Season both sides of chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper.

2.     Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook seasoned chicken breasts until chicken is browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add onion; cook and stir until onion is browned, 3 to 4 minutes.

3.     Pour diced tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken; season with basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips to help you eat whole grains

Tips to help you eat whole grains

• At meals:

  • To eat more whole grains, substitute a whole-grain product for a refined product – such as eating whole-wheat bread instead of white bread or brown rice instead of white rice. It’s important to substitute the whole-grain product for the refined one, rather than adding the whole-grain product.
  • For a change, try brown rice or whole-wheat pasta. Try brown rice stuffing in baked green peppers or tomatoes and whole-wheat macaroni in macaroni and cheese.
  • Use whole grains in mixed dishes, such as barley in vegetable soup or stews and bulgur wheat in casserole or stir-fries.
  • Create a whole grain pilaf with a mixture of barley, wild rice, brown rice, broth and spices. For a special touch, stir in toasted nuts or chopped dried fruit.
  • Experiment by substituting whole wheat or oat flour for up to half of the flour in pancake, waffle, muffin or other flour-based recipes. They may need a bit more leavening.
  • Use whole-grain bread or cracker crumbs in meatloaf.
  • Try rolled oats or a crushed, unsweetened whole grain cereal as breading for baked chicken, fish, veal cutlets, or eggplant parmesan.
  • Try an unsweetened, whole grain ready-to-eat cereal as croutons in salad or in place of crackers with soup.
  • Freeze leftover cooked brown rice, bulgur, or barley. Heat and serve it later as a quick side dish.

• As snacks:

  • Snack on ready-to-eat, whole grain cereals such as toasted oat cereal.
  • Add whole-grain flour or oatmeal when making cookies or other baked treats.
  • Try 100% whole-grain snack crackers.
  • Popcorn, a whole grain, can be a healthy snack if made with little or no added salt and butter.

• What to look for on the food label:

  • Choose foods that name one of the following whole-grain ingredients first on the label’s ingredient list:

    Whole grain ingredients

    • • brown rice
      • buckwheat
      • bulgur
      • millet
      • oatmeal
      • quinoa
      • rolled oats
      • whole-grain barley
    • • whole-grain corn
      • whole-grain sorghum
      • whole-grain triticale
      • whole oats
      • whole rye
      • whole wheat
      • wild rice
  • Foods labeled with the words "multi-grain," "stone-ground," "100% wheat," "cracked wheat," "seven-grain," or "bran" are usually not whole-grain products.
  • Color is not an indication of a whole grain. Bread can be brown because of molasses or other added ingredients. Read the ingredient list to see if it is a whole grain.
  • Use the Nutrition Facts label and choose whole grain products with a higher % Daily Value (% DV) for fiber. Many, but not all, whole grain products are good or excellent sources of fiber.
  • Read the food label’s ingredient list. Look for terms that indicate added sugars (such as sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, malt syrup, maple syrup, molasses, or raw sugar) that add extra calories. Choose foods with fewer added sugars.
  • Most sodium in the food supply comes from packaged foods. Similar packaged foods can vary widely in sodium content, including breads. Use the Nutrition Facts label to choose foods with a lower % DV for sodium. Foods with less than 140 mg sodium per serving can be labeled as low sodium foods. Claims such as “low in sodium” or “very low in sodium” on the front of the food label can help you identify foods that contain less salt (or sodium).

• Whole grain tips for children

  • Set a good example for children by eating whole grains with meals or as snacks.
  • Let children select and help prepare a whole grain side dish.
  • Teach older children to read the ingredient list on cereals or snack food packages and choose those with whole grains at the top of the list.

Cortisol and Stress: How to Stay Healthy

Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com'sMedical Review Board. Cortisol is an important hormone in the body, secreted by the adrenal glands and involved in the following functions and more:

• Proper glucose metabolism
• Regulation of blood pressure
• Insulin release for blood sugar maintanence
• Immune function
• Inflammatory response

Normally, it’s present in the body at higher levels in the morning, and at its lowest at night. Although stress isn’t the only reason that cortisol is secreted into the bloodstream, it has been termed “the stress hormone” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body.

Small increases of cortisol have some positive effects:

• A quick burst of energy for survival reasons
• Heightened memory functions
• A burst of increased immunity
• Lower sensitivity to pain
• Helps maintain homeostasis in the body

While cortisol is an important and helpful part of the body’s response to stress, it’s important that the body’s relaxation response to be activated so the body’s functions can return to normal following a stressful event. Unfortunately, in our current high-stress culture, the body’s stress response is activated so often that the body doesn’t always have a chance to return to normal, resulting in a state of chronic stress.
Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as:

• Impaired cognitive performance
• Suppressed thyroid function
• Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
• Decreased bone density
• Decrease in muscle tissue
• Higher blood pressure
• Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences

• Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of metabolic syndrome, higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!

To keep cortisol levels healthy and under control, the body’s relaxation response should be activated after the fight or flight response occurs. You can learn to relax your body with various stress management techniques, and you can make lifestyle changes in order to keep your body from reacting to stress in the first place. The following have been found by many to be very helpful in relaxing the body and mind, aiding the body in maintaining healthy cortisol levels:

• Guided Imagery
• Journaling
• Self-Hypnosis
• Exercise
• Yoga
• Listening to Music
• Breathing Exercises
• Meditation
• Sex
• Other Techniques

Cortisol secretion varies among individuals. People are biologically ‘wired’ to react differently to stress. One person may secrete higher levels of cortisol than another in the same situation. Studies have also shown that people who secrete higher levels of cortisol in response to stress also tend to eat more food, and food that is higher in carbohydrates than people who secrete less cortisol. If you’re more sensitive to stress, it’s especially important for you to learn stress management techniques and maintain a low-stress lifestyle.