Had A Little Discussion With My Cousin About Cooking Vegetables The Other Day. Many Cultures Seem To

Had a little discussion with my cousin about cooking vegetables the other day. Many cultures seem to overcook their vegetables while the Chinese seem to be masters of steaming and stir frying their vegetables perfectly, retaining their nutrition. It took me years to steam broccoli just perfectly, retaining that color and firmness. My trick is to steam it covered for exactly 10 minutes starting with cold water although the Chinese blanche it in hot water for just a minute or so for stir fries. How do you make your vegetables? Boiling, roasting, cooking or steaming? The consensus seems to be steaming is better for the most part or at least not overcooking it.

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For years I used to make vegetables wrong. Overboiling, frying the hell out of it and even steaming it all wrong. But having lived in Hong Kong for a period of years I got an appreciation of the benefits of making vegetables perfectly so it tastes beautiful while losing very little of the nutrients. Take this Gai Lan also known as Chinese broccoli, which funnily enough originated in Europe. All you need is to immerse this in boiling hot water for three minutes are you are done. It comes out tasty, crunchy and with a bit Sesame oil it is fantastic. And it has plenty of fiber to feed your good gut bacteria. Did you know that good bacteria feeds on fiber while bad bacteria feeds on sugar?

#gailan #chinesebroccoli #cooking #recipe #sesameoil #gutbacteria

Try this. Get some Pork Belly, marinate with Ceylon Cinnamon powder, Hungarian Paprika and salt and pan fry in coconut oil and serve over angel hair pasta with lots of vegetables. An easy family meal.  The Ceylon Cinnamon and Hungarian Paprika really amps up the taste. Better than store bought bacon. I add plenty of extra salt because Pork being a bland meat needs more salt and some of it falls away when frying. Yes, there is this belief that too much salt is bad for you but the thing is your salt intake per portion size will still be still under the recommended daily levels. It’s not like you will be eating a huge portion of Pork Belly, right? I would rather put extra salt in the Pork to give it that fabulous taste and have less salt (or zero salt) in the vegetables and the pasta. That combination is much better. The funny thing is salty Pork Belly makes you eat less meat and more of the vegetables and pasta. Then you can go one further and add more vegetables than pasta. A great way to trick the kids to eat their vegetables.

#salt #porkbelly #recipes #panfried #cinnamon #ceyloncinnamon #paprika #hungarianparpika #angelhairpasta #pasta #vegetables #pork #familymeals

I used to live in Hong Kong for many years and left for America the land of opportunity. But not good health. Hong Kong to my surprise has the best longevity in the World. This is despite heavy pollution, limited organic food, really cramped living conditions and low health care spending. Why do they live so long? Part of the answer may lie in the fact they eat a lot of fresh food. Unlike in the US where people shop once a week and either freeze or refrigerate their food, people in Hong Kong have really tiny kitchens. There is no space. So, they eat out. Virtually every day. There are plenty of inexpensive restaurants serving fresh food. Because of the massive scale, prices are cheap and food waste is  also reduced by cooking for many. And they eat plenty of fish. Glorious varieties of fish, often steamed. Vegetables too, made in the most amazing ways. For such a busy place there are plenty of outdoor spaces. You should see how many retired people get up early in the morning, gather in large groups and practice tai chi. It is truly a sight to behold. Afterwards they go to a restaurant with fellow retirees which may be building a sense of wellbeing. This is often done on a daily basis. The younger people are too busy to do this but they too meet in large groups at lunch time. Again, fresh food. In the evening they meet friends or work mates for dinner. It could be a simple place like a Dai Pa Dong (a no-frills restaurant) or a more expensive place for special occasions or somewhere in between. This social fabric and a huge variety of food may explain their longevity. I am so glad Hong Kong exposed me to the art of eating better and the social gathering. I have got to eat more fresh fish despite concerns about mercury. My fish skills are not great but I started with this expensive Halibut. It was out of this World. Next how to master Hong Kong style steamed fish. Got to live long and healthy. 

#longevity #fish #healthy #ageing #hongkong #family #freshfood #vegetables #socialintreactions #taichi #qigong #exercise #friendship #halibut #asparagus #rice #germanredcabbage

The fears of the Covid vaccine is understandable. Marcus Aurelius the Roman emperor known as the good emperor said “It is not death that a man should fear, but never beginning to live”. We will all die, but should we live in such fear that we forget to live? The benefits of the Covid vaccine at least the Pfizer vaccine more than outweighs any risks. Getting together with family and friends becomes normal. Even the most reclusive of us need people. If there is an elderly relative or a young child you reduce the risk of infecting them if vaccinated. Wearing those troublesome masks will become a thing of the past. Many employers especially in critical industries will not offer you employment. You get to travel freely. If you are single you can date again with less fear. And should something go wrong the United States government has the Counter Measures Injury Compensation program that takes care of you for any possible side effects caused by a Covid vaccine. Now that is a good guarantee. We are so lucky to have the best vaccine and insurance while other countries are crying for any vaccine. I got mine and nothing has fallen off yet. I would rather live well than die slowly from fear. Sometimes we have to have a little courage and be pragmatic. Life never goes according to plan.

#covid #vaccine #mrna #getvaccine #pfizer #benefits #dating #masks #travel #rewards #employment #family #friends #courage #countermeasuresinjurycompensationprogram #insurance #vaccineinsurance

You only need one New Year Resolution. Practice.