Food For Sleep Deprived

Sleep is golden. Study shows that sleep deprivation is bad for women and can have real impacts on a person's overall health. If you are sleep deprived because of blogging ;-) here are some food that can help you regulate your sleep as well as food that should be avoided for they will keep you awake.

FOOD THAT HELP REGULATE SLEEP

Do eat bananas or starchy foods such as potatoes or cereal and eat them four hours before bedtime. Some people say pasta helps them sleep better when they are stressed, which makes sense because carbs can raise serotonin.

Also, combine unsweetened carbs with protein. High carbs and low protein snacks seem to help the brain use tryptophan, which you may recognize from your Thanksgiving turkey coma. The combination produces more sedating serotonin.

Other good snacks for sleep include: apple slices with peanut butter; small bowl of oatmeal with low-fat milk; and crackers topped with turkey slivers.

FOOD ASSOCIATED WITH INSOMIA

Not all foods will cart you off to Dreamland. Some, like rich or spicy foods, can give you insomnia. They can give you heartburn when you lie down. Also, sweets are a stimulant, so you shouldn't eat them within four hours of bedtime. And while decaf sounds innocent, almost all decaf has enough "caf" left in it to keep you up. Go for herbal tea instead.

FACTS AND FICTION OF SLEEP

Exercising at Night is bad
False: If you do it in the early evening, for example between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. about three times a week, exercise actually can help you sleep. If you go to bed a bit later than most folks, just remember to get your workout within three hours of bedtime.

Eating dinner by candlelight will help you sleep.
True: Not only is it romantic, but it does make you drowsy. You need to spend more time in dim light before bed in order to prepare for sleep.

Drinking alcohol at night helps put you to sleep.
False: This is a bad idea because while the alcohol may make you sleepy at first, it can wake you up later in the evening

Honey Walnut Shrimps

Honey Walnut Shrimps is one of the favorite dishes I love to order in a Chinese restaurant. The very first time I had this dish was during our vacation in Washington state in 2005. I have tried making it once, and it was pretty good. Every time we go to Boston, we usually eat at Jumbo Seafood and of course I never fail to order this entree.

HONEY WALNUT SHRIMPS

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup water
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
4 egg whites
2/3 cup mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 lb. large shrimps, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp canned sweetened condensed milk
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
Broccoli florets for garnish, steamed

DIRECTIONS:
1. Stir together the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and place walnuts on a cookie sheet to dry.
2. Whip egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Stir in the mochiko until it has a pasty consistency. Heat the oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat. Dip shrimps into the mochiko batter, and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
3. In a medium serving bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey and sweetened condensed milk. Add shrimp and toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the candied walnuts on top and serve.

Korean Food and Japanese Sushi

Hi folks, we discovered another resto around town, actually it's recommended by one of our friends, it's called Korean King BBQ in Canton, MA. They serve a buffet of Korean dishes and Japanese sushi, yummy! We tried it out last Sunday after mass, and they've got pretty good selections. We came just before opening at 11:30am and the place got crowded easily. Here are some of the stuffs I got - different kinds of sushi, potato noodles, marinated tofu, dumplings and more.

Guinisang Ampalaya (Sauteed Bitter Melon)

When I was little I never liked Ampalaya (bitter melon) because of the bitter taste. But I remember my mom had a way of somewhat eliminating some of the bitterness so my siblings and I will eat it. She sprinkled the sliced bitter melon with enough salt and sort of carefully massaging them for few seconds to make them sweat. Then she would rinse off the salt thoroughly and throws out the bitter juice secreted from the process. When I got older, I just developed the taste for it and it became one of the favorite vegetables I eat. We usually use bitter melon in Pinakbet and Guinisang Ampalaya (Sauteed Bitter Melon). This is how I make my Guinisang Ampalaya based from my recollection of how my mom did it and just added my own twist. My British hb loves eating this dish too ;-)

GUINISANG AMPALAYA

INGREDIENTS
2 medium pieces of Ampalaya, sliced thinly
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 pcs tomatoes, cubed
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp vegetable oil

PROCEDURE
1. Saute garlic, onion, and tomatoes until tender for about 3 minutes.
2. Stir in ground pork, add salt and pepper and cook until meat is tender.
3. Add the bitter melon and broth and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes making sure not to overcook the bitter melon.
4. Pour in the beaten eggs in a swirling motion and carefully stir to incorporate in the meat and vegetable.
5. Serve with steamed rice.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

When I run out of idea of what to cook for dinner, I sometimes copy the recipe at the back of the food box like Bisquick. I normally use Bisquick for breakfast pancakes but if you look at the back of the box there are wonderful recipe idea you can make. This is one of them.

EASY CHICKEN POT PIE

INGREDIENTS
1 bag (1 lb) Frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, drained
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup original Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

PROCEDURE
1. Heat oven to 400 deg. F
2. In an ungreased 2 quart casserole, mix vegetables, chicken and soup until blended
3. Stir remaining ingredients in a medium bowl with wire whisk or fork until well blended. Pour over chicken mixture.
4. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until golden brown.

Lobster Sandwich

Lobsters are very popular in New England states and they are always part of the summer experience. My girlfriend was so gracious enough to bring us two big pieces of live lobsters from Maine. It's our first time to cook live ones, we usually just eat them in restaurants, but we didn't do bad. I googled the way to cook it and hb made them into lobster salad. It was so delicious!

BOILING LOBSTER*

1. In order to boil your lobster, you will need a large pot with a lid.
2. Pour enough water in the pot to cover the lobster completely.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of sea salt for every 2 liters (4 pints) of water.
4. Bring the water to a fierce boil.
5. Grasp the live lobster behind the claws and drop it headfirst into the boiling water.
6. Cover the pot and once the water has started to boil again, start timing.
7. Boil the lobster for 10 minutes for the first lb of weight and then 3 more minutes for each extra pound. A two lb lobster will be done in 13 minutes, a 3 lb lobster in 16 minutes.
8. Once cooked, drain the lobster immediately and serve hot.

Alternate way of cooking lobster is by steaming, and here's how:

STEAMING LOBSTER*

You will require a longer cooking time to steam your lobster, however, many people say that the result is even better than boiling, giving you a succulent and tasty lobster meat.

1. Place a steaming rack to hold the lobster in the bottom of a large pot.
2. Pour 2 inches of water into the pot and add 1 tablespoon of sea salt.
3. Cover the pot with the lid and bring the water to the boil.
4. Once the water is boiling fiercely, place the lobster onto the rack, cover the pot and bring back to the boil.
5. Begin timing once the water is boiling again.
6. Steam the lobster for 14 minutes for the first lb of weight and then an extra 3 minutes for each extra lb. A 2 lb lobster will cook in 17 minutes, a 3 lb in 20 minutes.
7. Once the lobster is done, drain immediately and serve

LOBSTER SANDWICH

INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb fully cooked lobster meat
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
Celery, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 small scallions, thinly sliced
Wheat bread

DIRECTIONS:
1. Just combine the first five ingredients,
2. Chill until ready to use
3. Fill the bread with the mixture and serve.

*Source: helpwithcooking.com

Food Friday - Fried Shrimps with Cashew

This recipe is from my Wok & Oriental cookbook and one of the favorite dishes I cook when I have tons of veggies in the fridge. It originally calls for orange bell pepper, leeks and broccoli florets veggies but whatever veggies you have in the fridge is really fine, the important ingredient here is the sauce. In this dish I threw in sugar snaps, mushrooms, yellow and red bell pepper, and onions.

FRIED SHRIMPS WITH CASHEW

INGREDIENTS
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp cornstarch
pinch of superfine sugar
1 lb raw jumbo shrimps
4 tbsps vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 medium size yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 medium size red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup baby portabella mushrooms, quartered
4 ounces sugar snaps
3/4 cup unsalted cashew nuts
SAUCE
3/4 cup fish stock (I used chicken stock)
1 tbsp cornstarch
dash of chili sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix together the garlic, cornstarch, and sugar in a large bowl. Peel and devein the jumbo shrimps. Stir the shrimp into the cornstarch mixute to coat thoroughly.
2. Heat the oil in pre-heated wok and add the shrimp mixture. Stir fry over a high heat for 20-30 seconds, until the shrimps turn pink. Remove the shrimps from the wok with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and set aside.
3. Add the onions and mushrooms to the wok and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and sugar snap and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
4. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce and add the mixture to the wok, together with the cashews. Return the shrimps to the wok and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute to heat through completely. Transfer to a warm dish and serve immediately.

VARIATIONS:
This recipe also works well with chicken, pork or beef strips instead of shrimps. Use 8 ounces of meat instead of 1 lb of shrimps.

Food Friday - Mini Banana Muffins

I always buy banana and I slice some in my cereals every morning. But when I bought too much I always end up with overripe ones that I just make into banana bread or muffins. This one is a recipe for banana bread that I poured into mini muffin tray, I just shorten the baking time to avoid burning them up. This is one of my toddler's favorite afternoon snacks.

MINI BANANA MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. F (175 deg. C). Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or a 24 hole mini muffin tray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan or muffin tray
3. Bake in preheated oven to 60 to 65 minutes (in loaf pan) or 25 to 30 minutes (in mini muffin tray), until a tootpick inserted into center of the bread/muffin comes out clean. Let bread/muffin cool in a pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.