Cassava Leafs Saute (Tumis Daun Singkong)

2 bunches of cassava leafs
1 garlic clove
2 small red onion
1 stalk lemongrass, press a bit
1 table spoon salt
1/2 table spoon sugar
3 fresh chili (or to taste)
water
1 table spoon cooking oil

Clean the cassava leafs, knead with 1/2 tablespoon salt, boil with water till cooked, drain.

Heat cooking oil in a pan, add garlic and red onion, saute till aromatic.

Add cassava leafs, add a cup of water, then add lemongrass and chili, wait till boiled up.
Add salt and sugar, mix a while, remove and serve.

15 Who-Knew? Uses for Your Microwave

More than a popcorn popper, this versatile appliance was underutilized? until now.

1. Disinfect and Deodorize Sponges
Don't throw out the kitchen sponge that smells like last night's salmon. Soak it in water spiked with white vinegar or lemon juice, then heat it on high for 1 minute. (Use an oven mitt to remove it.) This will also disinfect any sponges you used to wipe up the juices from a raw chicken.

2. Cook an Entire Dinner in Under 10 Minutes
Not just the TV variety. We mean braised salmon with green beans and mashed potatoes. Use the microwave for any recipe that calls for braising, poaching, or steaming. Just subtract about three-quarters of the cooking time. Remember to stir liquids often to redistribute the heat, and always take the food out a minute or two before it's completely done, since it will continue to cook.

3. Disinfect Plastic Cutting Boards
Wash the board well, rub it with the cut side of a lemon, then heat for 1 minute.

4. Soften Brown Sugar
Keep the sugar in its plastic packaging, add a few drops of water, and heat on medium for 10 to 20 seconds.

5. Decrystalize Honey
Honey that has solidified can be brought back to liquid life by uncovering the jar and heating on medium power for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

6. Proof Yeast Doughs
Yeast doughs that normally take an hour or more to rise at room temperature can be proofed in the microwave in about 15 minutes. Place the dough in a very large bowl and cover with plastic. Place an 8-ounce cup of water in the back of the microwave with the bowl of dough in the center, and set the power as low as possible (10 percent power). Heat for 3 minutes, then let the dough rest in the microwave for 3 minutes. Heat for 3 minutes longer, then let rest for 6 minutes. The dough will double in bulk.

7. Heat up Health Aids
You use a microwave to reheat your coffee, so why not use it to heat and reheat gel packs for headaches? (Don't do this with a metal-wrapped pack.)

8. Warm Beauty Products
Warming up a hot-oil conditioning pack for your hair takes about 10 to 20 seconds and feels marvelous, as does briefly heating up a moisturizing facial mask. (Stir the mask and test the temperature with your finger before applying to your face.) And if hot wax hardens when you're only halfway up your calf, reheat it in the microwave. It's much less messy than using a double boiler.

9. Roast Garlic
It takes 45 minutes to roast garlic in the oven but less than 8 in the microwave. Slice off the top of the head to reveal all the cloves. Place the head in a small, deep dish, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of good olive oil. Spoon 2 tablespoons of water into the bottom of the dish, cover it with plastic wrap, and cook at medium power for 7 to 7½ minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before unwrapping.

10. Get More Juice From Citrus Fruits
A lemon or lime taken straight from the refrigerator is harder to juice than one left at room temperature or warmed slightly. To get the most juice, microwave citrus fruits for 20 seconds before squeezing.

11. Toast Bread Crumbs, and Coconut
The microwave toasts them in a quarter of the time it takes in a conventional oven. Spread them out on a plate and heat on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Keep in mind that they will continue to toast for about a minute after removal.

12. Warm Tortillas
Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel. Microwave on high (power level 10) for 40 seconds to 1 minute.

13. Toast Pine Nuts and Sliced Almonds
Spread nuts on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high (power level 10) in 1-minute intervals, tossing in between, until beginning to turn golden, 4 to 5 minutes.

14. Make Applesauce
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 pound peeled and diced apples (Macintosh, Fuji, or Gala are best) with ¼ cup water, 2 teaspoons sugar, and ? teaspoon cinnamon. Cover and microwave on high (power level 10) until the apples are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Mash with a fork or potato masher.

15. Make Homemade Popcorn
Place ½ cup popcorn kernels in a large microwave-safe bowl with 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil. Cover with a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high (power level 10) until the majority of the kernels have popped, 3 to 5 minutes.

Green Banana Dessert (Es Pisang Ijo)

1 bunch of bananas (plantain), steam, remove peel
300 grams wheat flour
1 egg, dough
1 table spoon pandan paste or another green paste to make the batter green
10 cup of water
a little bit butter or margarine

Gravy:
200 grams wheat flour
1 cup thick coconut milk
2 cup sugar
10 cup of water

Syrup
sweet thick milk
ice cube

Mix well wheat flour, water, egg, and Pandan paste. Heat butter in a pan, pour 1/2 cup of batter, wait till the surface cooked, remove (this will form a green omelet)

Take a green omelet while it's still hot, put as the rough side at top, put 1 banana, packed with omelet by rolling it, then twist both of the tips so all banana covered with green omelet. Do this till all the batter and banana used up

Gravy: mix all ingredients, cook till thick, remove

To serve: take one green banana, put into a bowl, add ice cubes, pour the gravy, then syrup and sweet thick milk.

How to Fulfill Your Daily Protein Requirement

The human body uses protein to repair damaged cells and to build new ones. Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at NYU and author of What to Eat, estimates that the average adult man needs about 65 grams of protein a day and the average adult female needs about 55 grams. Some sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization say you can maintain a healthy diet with even less.

What does this actually mean in terms of food choices? The National Institutes of Health explains that most people can meet their daily protein requirement by eating two to three small servings of a protein-rich food a day.

Examples of a single serving of protein include:
1 egg
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
2-3 ounces of red meat, poultry, or fish (about the size of a deck of cards)
½ cup of cooked dried beans such as black beans or chickpeas

Whole grains, seeds, and some vegetables also contain protein, so consuming enough is not difficult even if you don’t eat meat. Vegetarians and vegans can easily get what they need by balancing complimentary proteins such as corn and beans or rice and tofu. Nutritionists used to recommend combining foods at the same meal, but research now shows that is unnecessary.

Spinach Saute with Fresh Garlic (Tumis Bayam Bawang Putih)

2 bunch of spinach, take the leaf
1 garlic clove, shred
2 small red onion, shred
salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cooking oil

Heat the cooking oil in a wok
Put the garlic and red onion shred, mix them till aromatic

Add the spinach leafs, mix it again, use a high heating
Add salt, sugar, and pepper, beat them about just 1 minute,

Remove from stove, serve.

Cooking Tips: Unevenly Grilled Meat

When you grill, pull your steaks [or other meat] out of the refrigerator one hour ahead of time so they can come to room temperature.

East Java Traditional Black Beef Soup (Sop Rawon)

600g Beef rump
20g Ginger roots
30g Turmeric roots
50g Garlic

100g Shallot
50g Candlenut
20g Red chili
5g Kaffir lime leafs
30g Lemon grass

200g Black Nut (Kluwek) use the meaty part
10g Coriander Powder
2g Bay leaf (Salam)
20g Galangal
3g Cumin

Salt to taste
White Sugar to taste
White Pepper Powder
Cooking oil

Clean the beef rump and cut into cubes.
Blend shallot, garlic, ginger, candlenut, turmeric, red chili and black nuts (kluwek) until smooth.

Heat pan and put all blended ingredients and saute until cooked and fregrance.
Add beef rump cubes and water to make the stock.
Put kaffir lime leafs, salam, galangal, lemon grass and boil until beef is tender.
Season with coriander powder, cumin, salt and sugar according to taste.

Serve this soup with steamed rice, salty egg, small beans sprout, and shrimp crackers.

More Brain-Boosting Foods

A good diet improves your health, but also boosts your energy. Create a shopping list of these must-have endurance foods recommended by Dr. Mike Moreno, author of The 17 Day Diet: A Doctor’s Plan Designed for Rapid Results.

Hot chilies: Contains the fiery-tasting chemical capsaicin. Capsaicin stimulates circulation, aids digestion, opens your nasal passages and, even better, sends a feeling of euphoria straight to your brain.

Legumes: Provide glucose to fuel the brain, and the fiber they contain slows the absorption of glucose, helping to maintain stable levels of energy and support alertness and concentration overtime.

Beef: Loaded with vitamin B1, which protects myelin, a fatty substance that helps facilitate communication among cells.

Romaine lettuce: High in folate, a B vitamin important for memory and nerve cell health.

Spinach: Packed with iron, which is involved memory, concentration, and mental functioning.

Tuna: Full of omega-3 fatty acids, which help build and maintain myelin.

Yogurt: A probiotic food that has been found in many studies to boost mental alertness.