Chicken Chow Mein,Chop Suey !- Remember the first Chinese restaurants?



With a wonderfully wild freshness due to the overuse of
delicate herbs, this is a definite Clara favourite.

Hi there Babyboomers

We love Asian cuisine and Australia's multicultural immigration program lead to a diversification of cuisine, particularly under the influence of Mediterranean and South East Asian migrants.

Chop Suey

Remember the first Chinese restaurants?   So many of the dishes definitely had Chinese origins, but were modified to suit the western taste - I recall going to a Chinese restaurant  in US, which offered a side salad!   In Australia and US, an insipid menu by today's standards - Spring rolls, Dim Sims, Fried Rice, and Chop Suey which was 'assorted pieces of chicken, fish, beef, shrimp / prawns or pork and eggs, cooked quickly with vegetables such as beansprouts, cabbage and celery, bound in a starch-thickened sauce and  typically served with rice.   Then there was Chicken Chow Mein, consisting of celery and onions in a whitish sauce with crunchy noodles, and  Sweet and Sour Prawns or whatever - great if the sweetness and sourness were balanced but more often, particularly re  the US version, consisting of an overly thickened super sweet sauce.

Most Australian country towns, to this day, have a Chinese restaurant where the food can be decidedly gloopy (or surprisingly wonderful)  but fortunately this is usually balanced by a Thai or general Asian restaurant.


The featured Asian herb salad recently got the tick with key players  where it went perfectly with the first course of BBQ chicken skewers served Asian style. See link below

The wonderfully wild freshness is achieved by massive overuse of delicate herbs along with an Asian dressing.   We've come a long way!
Clara
ps - is there any gold left?

Ingredients
250g / 8 oz rocket (arugula) leaves - (rimmed of excess stems (substitute any peppery lettuce)
125g / 4oz each of mint, basil, coriander  (leaves picked from stems, washed and spun dry)
30g / 1 oz chervil if available
2/3 cup canned bamboo shoots - (preferably already cut into matchstick)
Dressing
2 shallots, peeled, halved, and finely sliced
l tbsp rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
l tsp sugar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp mirin
sea salt and pepper

For the dressing, mix the shallots, rice vinegar, and sugar together in a small bowl and set aside.
Trim any excess stems from the arugula, and pick the herb leaves from their stems. Rinse and spin dry the arugula and herbs. Cut the bamboo shoots into matchsticks.
To make the dressing, whisk the olive oil, sesame oil, mirin, sea salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Stir in the shallot mixture, then taste and adjust the flavors.
Very lightly toss the arugula, bamboo shoots, and herbs in the dressing, and serve, with chopsticks.

Link for chicken skewers belowhttp://fitinyourjeanscuisine.blogspot.com/2010/10/skewers-capture-finger-food.html
To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au or visit my website at www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

Leafy green vegetables - 'little black dress' of the vegetable world

Clara says 'Eat More Green Leaves' because we are grazers. Leafy green vegetables are like the 'little black dress' of the vegetable world. They go with just about everything and they’re appropriate for every occasion,Green leaves are perhaps the most anti-ageing of all foods and since I am passionate about my greens, once I start on them I seem to need to give all the good news. (below)

Obviously, the best way to eat greens is uncooked, fresh from the garden, with Spinach or Rocket being my favourites because of their versatility. They can be stir fried in a little olive oil, wilted by steaming for a very short time, but I love them when added to cooked vegetables, at the last minute for extra colour and super nutrition.

'Eat More Green Leaves' because we are grazers

Sichuan Style Spinach or Green Leaves
30g peanut oil
20 black peppercorns
4 dried red chillies
2 garlic cloves
2 bunches English spinach
Sea salt
30ml chinese wine
Dash sesame oil
Heat oil over medium heat, add groundpeppercorns and chilli until fragrant. Remove, add garlic, then wine, salt, spinach and cook until wilted and liquid nearly evaporated. Add seasoning, and chilli.



It was common for our ancient ancestors to eat up to six pounds of leaves per day, ie a grocery bag full of greens each and every day? Calorie for calorie, they are perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, can help prevent age-related cognitive decline and may also reduce your risk of skin canceramong many other effects. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats.
Almost Carb-Free, with the carbs that are there packed in layers of fibre, which make them very slow to digest.


Perhaps the star of these nutrients is Vitamin K. A cup of most cooked greens provides at least nine times the minimum recommended intake of Vitamin K, and even a couple of cups of dark salad greens usually provide the minimum all on their own. Recent research has provided evidence that this vitamin may be even more important functions.
Vitamin K
•Regulates blood clotting
•Helps protect bones from osteoporosis
•May be a key regulator of inflammation, and may help protect us from inflammatory diseases including arthritis.
Fat-soluble vitamin, so make sure to put dressing on your salad, or cook your greens with oil.
Quick-cooking Greens
These greens can either be eaten raw or lightly cooked. Six cups of raw greens become approximately one cup of cooked greens and take only a few minutes to cook. Spinach, Chard, Rocket, Beet Greens, Dandelion greens, Sorrel and Cabbage belong in this category.
Greens should be dry or almost dry, after washing; store in a bag with as much of the air pushed out as you easily can. I like to put a barely damp paper towel in for just the right amount of moisture. Then, put them in the vegetable drawer of your fridge.



To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au or visit my website at www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

Look at me, Nonna!! From the warm fuzzy distance of grandparenting

Nonna tip - don't get the age wrong as I did once
but never ever again!

Hi Babyboomers
It's wonderfully fulfilling to watch grandchildren develop - to witness the ages and stages, be able to give out treats generously, to have fun etc - from the warm fuzzy distance of grandparenting.

A big weekend sleepover which felt like Christmas where one's attention is scattered in many directions and the house is full of stuff.

Now it's quiet and orderly - we return to normality with lovely memories of spontaneous hugs, Poppy makeovers and tricky questions.
Nonna Clara - Facilitator of Clever Craft and Good Kitchen x

ps - Poppy's snoring was also recorded - something I have always threatened to do but have never quite been courageous enough.

To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au or visit my website at www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

GPS gets a grandmother back on the road

I dedicate this blog to my mates, LWL (ladies who lunch) who started at the same school as FIRST-TIME teachers. Lovely catch up - great communication. And the reason I purchased my TOMTOM. All will be revealed..............

LWL - Circa mid to late 60's- teachers



It arrived today - my first non book purchase on-line



You are going to help me find my way!



Hi Babyboomers

I haven't made any decisions yet re an I Pad or Android, despite a reply to my technical question, from a friend who has one, "I can't really tell you what's so good about it.  I'm in love with my ipad. It makes me happy just to think about it."

But I did make another important purchase. And here it is....... A TOMTOM! Love the name - makes me feel as though it's going to communicate to me how to get where I want to go.

So where do you want to go, Clara?

The answer is. "To where I decide to go." Therein lie choices, not only re destination, but how I want to get there.

OK, so here's the history - Ladies who Lunch - LWL - destination was via a route I chose not to take. I don't do expressways anymore ever since the unfortunate journey via the airport from Artarmon to an address in Artarmon. Well - I got into the wrong lane - then was afraid to go sideways fearing that I would be lost forever.

So, everyone else was still driving out of their comfort zone, except me - which was confronting and cost a lot.
After councelling from the group, when I saw a special deal on the net re TOMTOM, I decided to go for it.

When I told G about it, he said I really didn't need it, because I didn't drive anywhere out of the area. So I said, "The less I drive, the more fearful I become." He understood and is supportive - we had a lesson even,  where I drove to IKEA land via GPS and felt good about it. He agreed to shut up re my other driving habits - Yeaaah!

So - TOMTOM has arrived and I need to read the manual. Hmmmmmm
Clara


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