Vietnamese-Australian Baklava

Earlier this week I arrived in Australia where I'll be for about 16 days.

My elderly father is slipping away and my sisters and I have gathered to say goodbye to our dear old dad who is in a nursing home on Phillip Island.

I've referred to Phillip Island in this blog. It's where my family spent the summers and where my parents subsequently retired. Nestled in Western Port Bay, it's about 75 miles south east of Melbourne.

It's a small island, maybe 20 miles long and 5 wide, with a population of about 7000 permanent residents. However, over the summer the influx of vacationers swells the population to around 40,000.

Though Phillip Island is, for the majority of the year, small-town rural Australia (60% of the island is farmland devoted to grazing sheep and cattle), it is nevertheless, a microcosm of my home country.

For the next couple of weeks, I'll be exploring and blogging about the food culture here since it typifies the rest of the country and it will help keep my mind occupied when I'm not sitting at my father's bedside.

Additionally, because I anticipate doing quite a bit of (emotional) eating--and like any foodie, whether it's emotional eating, or a simple or gourmet meal, I like my food to be interesting, flavorful, colorful, healthy and always scrumptious--I thought it'd be fun to share what I am buying, cooking, and eating.

The day after I arrived, I picked up some basics at the supermarket, which included two must haves: Vegemite and Tim Tams.

Vegemite, if you haven't heard of it, is a black, tar-like yeast spread which most Australians grow up eating on sliced bread with butter. It's comfort food to us in the same way that bread spread with peanut butter and jelly is comfort food to most Americans.

I can get it in the U.S., but a big bottle here is the same price as a small bottle in Boulder CO., so I bought a big bottle (I'll take whatever is leftover back to Boulder with me).

I can also buy Tim Tams in Boulder, but again, they're half the price here. Like Vegemite, Tim Tams are comfort food. Rich and divinely delicious, this ubiquitous Australian biscuit is two chocolate wafers sandwiched together with chocolate cream and then dipped in more chocolate.

There's a fat attach in every Tim Tam: a 95 calorie biscuit (cookie) contains almost 5 g of total fat. Last night I had two and half cookies after dinner. The remaining half has teeth marks around both ends. What can I say; it was a very emotional day.

This morning I walked the main street of the township of Cowes (the main town on the island) and noticed three bakeries within one block.

Now this is normal since Australians love fresh baked bread, cakes, tarts, cookies --both country style and gourmet-European style-- the kind of caloric and carb-heavy foods I rarely reference on this blog, except within the context of posts on "foods to eat sparingly."

Judging by the expanding girth of the average Australian (and the fact that there are 3 thriving bakeries in one block), baked treats are apparently being consumed regularly here, rather than sparingly.

This morning, I was just another average Australian, which means I popped into the bakery my mother used to frequent--one that is owned and operated by a Vietnamese-Australian family-- and purchased a piece of (Greek) baklava and a (French) croissant for around $5.

That's the baklava above, well on the way to being consumed, by me, at morning tea time while I was working at my laptop.

July of last year, I wrote about hosting a Greek, South African exchange student when I was a teenager. Helen brought with her a classical Greek cookbook and she taught my mother and me how to make a number of traditional dishes, including baklava.

The Vietnamese bakers must have learned how to make their baklava from a Greek too because their version is excellent. Full of nuts with a hint of cinnamon, and just enough honey syrup to moisten the layers, it was worth the mid-morning indulgence.

It's almost lunchtime now, and I'm making myself leftovers from last night's dinner which was pan-seared Australian salmon and salad. (Chances are I'll be finishing off the half-eaten Tim Tam for dessert.)

I'll post that meal tomorrow, because I want to share how I improvised and added a key ingredient to a delicious baby spinach, cashew nut and Parmesan cheese dip that I bought to go with my fish dinner.

One thing I discovered at the supermarket is that the range of gourmet, but affordable, fresh vegetable and nut dips-cum-sauces is fantastic here -- so good, they're worth recreating at home!

Sole with Yams, Zucchini and Capers

This week on Market to Mouth the theme has been simple meal ideas for a spring, liver detox.

Starting with Monday's raw muesli and veggie juices, followed by Tuesday's baked sole with spinach, and then
yesterday, I had an enormous bowl of raw salad at Mad Greens.

I haven't just been writing about meals for detoxing the liver, this week I've been walking my talk in the effort to do my own detox.

A couple of weeks ago a rash appeared on my torso, and as I mentioned on Monday, my metabolism is in need of a re-boot!

The skin is a great indicator of the state of the liver: rashes, dermatitis, acne and so on are mainly linked with liver function or rather a sluggish liver.

Once the liver does it's job, eliminating toxins and purifying the blood, then ailments like skin conditions begin to clear. I'm beginning to notice a difference already; 4 days into my detox diet, my skin isn't as inflamed.

In addition to modifying my diet (minimal saturated fat, no sweets, more raw veggies and fruit, no alcohol but lots of filtered water), I'm also supplementing with Milk Thistle extract since it supports liver function and it cleanses the blood.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that any kind of diet is not easy. I love to cook, and eat what I cook, so making a conscious choice to not cook and eat certain foods, and to also avoid sweets (very difficult for me since I love sweets) is a real challenge.

However, I'd rather feel better, and have healthy-looking skin, than ignore the symptoms and eat on regardless, all the while knowing that what I'm putting in my mouth is contributing to the way I look and feel.

And like most people, I put on a few pounds over the winter, which tend to drop off on a detox diet.

Loose a few pounds, jump-start your metabolism (so you have more energy) and improve the look of your skin -- if that's the result, then why not muster up the discipline to stick with a 'clean' diet for a couple of weeks!

Making the most of the remaining piece of frozen sole (featured in Tuesday's post), I've come up with another light and simple fish meal. Since fish is absent saturated fat, it's a great protein source while on a detox diet.

White fish, such as flounder, cod, sole, tilapia, trout etc. are low in omega oils, but while doing the detox diet, it's not such a bad thing to steer clear of oilier fish like salmon, and shellfish, which though low in omega oils are high in cholesterol.

Sole with Sweet Potato, Zucchini and Capers
1) Into an oven-proof skillet, place half a thinly sliced yam (or regular potato if you don't have an orange yam on hand).
2) Slice a zucchini and place it over the potato.
3) Either place a whole fillet of your choice of white fish over the vegetables, or slice the fillet into pieces and dot those pieces atop the vegetables (as in the pic above).
4) Dot the fish with chopped green onion and a spoonful of capers, sprinkling some of the caper juice over the fish and veggies.
5) If you have fresh herbs on hand, lay some leaves over the fish and veggies. Any herb will do, since, no matter the herb, it'll add flavor. You could also use dried herbs, if you wish.
6) Drizzle a couple tablespoons of water over the lot, put a lid on the skillet, and put it into a 350-degree oven for about 15 mins.

To Serve: As you can see in the pic at left, once cooked, this meal presents beautifully. Gently lift portions of the potato and fish from the skillet onto a plate, and pour some of the pan juice over the fish.

Squeeze lime or lemon juice over the lot, or add the lime / lemon juice to a warm glass of water and drink this with your meal.

Warm lemon water is the perfect beverage to drink first thing in the morning or during the day and or with meals, especially while on a detox diet.

Sole with Wilted Spinach and Bacon

After yesterday's raw food, including two juice meals, I'm inclined to want a heartier meal.

Though not so heavy that the liver-cleansing effect of a raw muesli breakfast and veggie juice for lunch and dinner are completely thwarted.

Actually, for breakfast today, I made another bowl of raw muesli, adding it to hot oatmeal cooked with a pinch of cinnamon and ginger, and a dob of orange marmalade.

Once the oatmeal was soft, I stirred in the raw, grated apple and spooned the lot into a bowl, topping it with the seeds mentioned yesterday.

Lunch was a different matter.

Now quite hungry, rather than reach for something fatty or carbohydrate heavy, something that would undo the best intentions of Monday's raw meals, I made a hot lunch consisting of fish and spinach.

Heartier than a raw juice lunch, nevertheless, this is still a light meal (because it is absent saturated fat), one that I think of as a good transition meal after a day of liquid.

It's highly nutritious, easy to digest, low in fat and full of phytonutrients, and it has flavor and texture.

Obviously it's not the sort of thing you can whip up without access to a kitchen, so it's more likely to be an evening meal for most.

The fish is sole (I had a frozen pack of two fillets in my freezer). You can use flounder, cod, tilapia or check Seafood Watch for the best sustainable white-fish choice in your area.

The bag of mixed braising greens I referred to yesterday (which I buy at Whole Foods), has spinach and arugula in it too, so though this sounds laborious, I picked the spinach and arugula out of the mix to wilt for this dish.

Sole with Wilted Spinach and Bacon
1) Wash a handful of greens, i.e. spinach, arugula, kale.
2) Slice a rasher of turkey bacon (optional). I use Applegate because it carries the Certified Humane stamp, which has become increasingly important to me now that I do my best to avoid factory-farmed meats.
3) Toss a chopped green (spring) onion into an oiled pan with the bacon, saute gently; add the greens, stir.
4) Place your piece of fish over the vegetables, drizzle with the juice of a lemon, lime or even an orange. If you have fresh herbs on hand such as thyme, oregano, or sage (dried herbs would be fine too), dot the top of the fish with your choice of herbs.
5) I had some leftover cooked rice in the fridge, which I tossed into the pan too -- any cooked grain would work, if you want the meal to be more substantial.
6) Cover the pan with a lid and steam cook for about 10 mins. or until the greens have wilted and the fish is done but still moist.

To Serve: Spoon onto a plate, season to taste, and drizzle with more citrus juice if you like. Et Voila, a delicious light lunch or dinner that's easy on the digestion and highly nutritious.

Meatless Monday

Raw foodies advocate a diet of at least 75% raw food such as fresh fruits, vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, seaweeds, and beans.

Undoubtedly, there are health benefits to eating lots of fresh, organic, live and enzyme-rich foods. But 75% of your daily food intake, that's a lot of cold, raw food!

Upon googling "raw food diet," I did note some precautions and they include the disclosure that a raw diet may not be appropriate for children, people with anemia, and people at risk for osteoporosis.

Additionally, Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese Medicine suggest that a raw diet is not always appropriate in cold climates or for people with a deficient constitution.

So it's important to consider carefully your overall health and subsequent dietary needs before embarking on an ongoing diet of mostly cold, raw foods.

Frankly, it's not a lifestyle diet that I could embrace daily and over a long period of time, particularly living in Colorado where snowy winters will last 5 months, prompting me to prepare warming, heavier cooked meals.

However, as the snow and ground thaws, and longer, warmer days encourage more outdoor activity, I've been noticing that my constitution is sluggish and in need of a bit of a boost.

Given that I don't reach for coffee to overcome sluggishness, I thought Meatless Mondays would be the perfect day to eat raw, meatless meals.

I'm thinking a series of raw food --perhaps even all-juice meals-- meatless Mondays would be a great way to detox my system over the spring in preparation for lots of fun summer activity.

With that in mind, today I began my meatless Monday with a raw-muesli breakfast (pic at top).

Raw Apple Muesli
1) Grate an apple into a bowl.
2) Douse with the juice of half a lime.
3) Sprinkle with a mix of raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and raisins.

For more substance, you could add the raw-apple muesli to cooked oats, rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat -- the latter three are high-protein whole grains.

For lunch and dinner I've decided to juice.

Last summer I came across a barely-used juicer at a garage sale. At $5 it was an incredible deal and I used it quite a bit June through August.

Over the winter, it sat dormant -- a bit like me.

I've dusted it off and I'm putting it to use again with the juice meals I'm making this Meatless Monday.

Vegetable Lunch Juice
1) Pick several handfuls of organic veggies from your crisper. I chose carrots, purple cabbage and celery. To counteract the cabbage-y flavor, I added an apple, which sweetens the juice (as does the carrot).
2) Wash your choice of veggies (and fruit) and run them through the juicer.
3) Add the juice of half a lime or lemon; it will add piquancy and draw out all the flavors, in the same way salt does.

Vegetable Dinner Juice
1) I have a bag of mixed braising greens which are delicious sauteed, but you can also juice them. Wash a couple of handfuls.
2) The greens will be quite bitter so I'm adding a couple of carrots and if I had a red beet, I'd probably add that too. Beets are also sweet, more so than carrots.
3) This will make quite a dense and beautifully colored juice--the beets will add a pink hue to the green and orange.
4) Adding the juice of half a lime will bring out the rich, raw vegetable flavors. If the juice is too dense, add some filtered water.
5) And if a glass of juice for dinner leaves you wanting for more, serve your juice with a bowl of grains, such as one of those mentioned above: rice, millet, or quinoa and sprinkle the bowl with nuts and seeds.

One day a week of raw foods and no meat seems very manageable to me, especially now that we're out of the winter deep freeze.

I have to say though, I couldn't do raw every day. I know by tomorrow morning, I'll be looking forward to a hot, cooked breakfast!