All Good Things Issue 11
Vibrant Green Palak Paneer + Cranberry Fizz + Adaptogen & Miracle Muscle Oil
ISSUE 11 / AUG 1, 2021Â Â
Good Morning ...
The lockdown continues in Sydney, going on 6 weeks now. It is harder on the boys, I think. But we are coping as per usual with work, study, hobbies, walks, television shows and movies. With the onset of August, the last two days have been gloriously like Spring. The days are slightly longer, air is deliciously warm, skies are blue, magnolias are in blossom and you don't need to constantly rug up. It is a welcome change.Â
Shaking off the long winter stupor, I am back to walking 10K+ steps every day. I walk that much anyways but my goal now is to incorporate 30 minutes of continuous exercise and walking at a stretch for that amount of time is the best kind of exercise I find. For the past 7 days, I have been hitting that goal consistently even managing to walk 10km yesterday. After my walk, I always have a glass of cool water with this delicious Adaptogen. It contains Ashwagandha, one of the most ancient herbs from Ayurveda. Considered Rasayana in Ayurveda which means something that maintains youth, it reduces physical and mental stress, blood pressure, cholesterol, pain, inflammation and energizes you to the core. After I've had the Adaptogen for a couple of days, I feel this incredible boost of energy and mental clarity which is very refreshing. If you exercise regularly and/or have aches or pains, I highly recommend using a generous dab of this miracle oil and rubbing it in. Basically a mix of just Eucalyptus and Tea Tree Oils, it has the most beautiful soothing smell and ALWAYS works! I have recommended this to so many people, including children and young teens and everyone swears by how amazing it is. A light rub on your neck and shoulders at night puts you to sleep instantly.Â
I have been trying to capture native birds taking a dip in the pool and then flying up to a low-hanging branch and grooming themselves for a while now. They do this routine thrice, a quick dip, up to the branch, groom and then back down for another quick dip and then back up again. After the last time, they literally flutter and shake all their wings like a dog air-drying after a bath. It is fascinating to watch. But the buggers are too quick. And I always miss them with my Zoom lens. This time around I manages to catch the bird mid-flight after its last dip. So happy!Â
And then there is this magpie. The most unusual bird I have ever seen because of what it does. It has been hanging around the property since it was a baby, a tiny chick. We figured it had fallen out of a nest or something. It walked everywhere! Maybe it didn't know how to fly? But it literally walks around our gardens, over mounds of dirt, on the lawn, on the paved areas. It never flies. If you walk next to it, it will look up at you, completely non-threatened and then walk alongside you. It's bizarre and so cute at the same time!
And finally, meet Ginger - our black-laced red Wyandotte hen. She is feisty and curious and loud like Mango. She gets in our veggie patches and chases geckos. And she is one of the three who laid eggs this week. FINALLY! After 6 months, we have our first eggs of the year and I am very excited for scrambled eggs for breakfast again.
VIBRANT GREEN PALAK PANEER
Have you always wanted to make Vibrant Green Palak Paneer – bright green and fresh without any additives? My easy fifteen-minute recipe teaches you the traditional blanching technique that creates restaurant-style, traditional palak paneer. The greenest version you have ever seen. Lighter and utterly delicious too!
Â
How To Make beautiful Green Palak Paneer?
In the past, I have shared a recipe that uses frozen spinach/kale. An easy and convenient recipe when you can’t get your hands on fresh bunches of English spinach. In recent months, I have reverted to cooking Palak Paneer the traditional way. It is what creates a really vibrant green palak paneer like the kind you find in good Indian restaurants. And the flavour is reminiscent of rustic, roadside dhabas/eating shacks in India that sell hot Punjabi style Palak Paneer with gnarly naans.
Â
Firstly, can you believe that this recipe only takes fifteen minutes? You need about 250 grams of spinach. I find 3 bunches of English spinach yields this amount. I pick the leaves, wash them really well and then blanch them in hot boiling water for a minute or two before dousing them in an ice-filled cold water bath. This stops the cooking process and retains that vibrant green colour.
Â
You don’t need a lot of spices for this dish as the flavour of spinach needs to come through green and strong. My recipe is a really light and healthier version of the traditional recipe without compromising on the taste. In my recipe notes, I share a tempering technique I use to add an extra layer ...
On my Cooking Wishlist this week
Trying new ways to up my protein intake every single day via Vegetarian/Pescatarian means and a slice of salmon either pan-fried or steamed i my goto. These 6 Healthy Salmon Marinades are super easy, delicious and offer a great variety.
My next breakfast is going to be these vibrant Beetroot Pancakes With Dill & Carrot Lox!
Loving this Edamame Salad With Brown Rice. And Ottolenghi's Zucchini & Ciabatta Frittata.
Have 4 heads of cauliflower (so cheap right now!) and going to make a BIG DOUBLE BATCH of this Aloo Gobi! Yum!
These Spiced Black Beans With Turmeric Cauliflower look mighty delicious too. Also Tony Dan's Vegetarian Tofu Dan Dan Mian. And Korean Fried Cauliflower OMG!
Going to bake this Apricot, Cardamom & Chocolate Cake.
 Â
This week my cookbook/book reading pile has some beautiful oldies and one new Italian bakes/dessert book that arrived last week. All the other cookbooks besides the new one are much loved, thumbed, stained copies that I cook from quite regularly. (from top to bottom)
Wholefood Baking - Jude Blereau
Scandinavian Green - Trine Hahnemann
Peace & Parsnips - Lee Watson
La Vita E Dolci - Letitia Clark
Root Stem Leaf Flower - Gill Meller
Plenty More - Yotam Ottolenghi
Bala Bangles (source - Bala)
I have recently discovered Bala Bangles. They are aesthetically pleasing weights you can add to your wrists or ankles when you walk or work out to up the burn factor. They look really cool and might be my birthday present next month. Does anyone have them? Do you love them?
So I am from the pre-Youtube generation like most of you. My entertainment channels are more legit - movie networks, streaming services showing high-quality shows, award-winning works of filmmaking. Unlike the new generation who use Youtube for entertainment, Youtube is more tutorials, cooking shows and DIY videos for me. In recent times, I have realised that there are some really cool people doing cool things and comedy is one of them. My younger put me on to Stephen He and his video on "How Asian Parents Flex" cracked me up! (This is true for Indian parents to and I could totally relate .. plus if you don't know what FLEX means, it means to show off obviously :)) and on that topic there is another of his videos "When 007 Has A Gen Z Villian!". Hilarious! Especially because James Bond (my generation) obviously has no clue what half of the terms Generation Z is using, mean.
AND if you are stuck in lockdown, handling home learning, working, multitasking and trying to put your kids to bed at night .. this Battle With Kids video by the daddy of all stand-up comedians Michael McIntyre will definitely have you in chuckles!
Do you do this too? When you come across a heartwarming story or something mighty inspirational, you show it to the kids and open it up for discussion? I do this all the time! Not only does it give us food for thought but is a great learning tool and insight into human behaviour and morals. Like this old story that has resurfaced recently and is doing the rounds of social media of how Spanish athlete Ivan Fernandez Anaya pushed Kenyan runner Abel Mutai to victory at the 2012 London Olympics in the 3000-meter steeplechase when the latter became confused with signs and slowed down before the finish line.Â
And with that, I sign off and wish you a good one! Until Next Weekend :)
Cranberry Fizz
Makes – 1
*
3oz (90ml) Cranberry Juice
1oz (30ml) Lemon/Lime Juice
1 oz (30ml) Vodka
Sparkling Water
1/2 cup ice
lemon/lime wheel, to serve
*Â
Place ice cubes in a tall tumbler. Pour cranberry juice, lemon juice and vodka over the ice. (Skip vodka for a mocktail version)
Top with sparkling water.
Garnish with a lemon/lime wheel. Enjoy.
I have limited copies of my cookbook Tasty Express - a labour of love filled with over 100 of our family's most tried and tested and exciting 30-minute recipes inspired by street foods of the world. Mostly Vegetarian recipes that go from breakfast to quick dinners in a heartbeat. They make great gifts for you or a friend!
