As part of the whole being a bit healthier tonight I made Asian Lettuce Cups for dinner. Some call this San Choy Bow too. The basic idea is that it is a mixture of mince, vegetables and seasoning served in lettuce leaves. To eat you roll up the lettuce leaf and take a bite.

I've made San Choy Bow before using one of the packet saunces that you add to the mince. I found this be too sweet so thought I'd try to make it from scratch. I didn't have everything in the cupboard that the recipe called for, so I substituted ingredients. You can find the recipe here at Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks.

I used sesame seeds, Pork mince, fresh cabbage and carrot, and bean sprouts instead of sesame oil, chicken mince, coleslaw mix and water chestnuts. There are many different variations out there for this dish. I think the best thing to do is consider your own tastes and adjust the ingredients accordingly. It is a pretty healthy dish. I followed it up with fresh rock-melon and some raspberry yoghurt.

Asian Lettuce Wraps  (adapted from Hezzi-D's)
NB - As an entrée this would serve 4-6, as a main it serves 3-4

2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil

4 cloves of minced garlic

1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger 
2 mushrooms

500g of Pork or Chicken mince

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

2 cups of mixed sliced cabbage and carrot (you can use Coleslaw mix)

1/2 cup of bean sprouts

3 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon of Sweet Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon of sesame seeds

1 Tablespoon of chilli (I used minced chilli paste)

1 head lettuce (I used Cos but Iceberg works great too)

Today has been so much fun. As I stated in previous blog entries I have been trying to eat healthier and lead a healthier lifestyle. In fact I am exceedingly proud of myself, this week I went to the gym 4 days. Yay!

This weekend we decided to do a movie marathon of the Aliens' and Predator movies. Now if you are going to be watching a bunch of movies snacks, and more specifically, popcorn, are definitely in order. I decided to make us real popcorn (not the microwave stuff we normally get) with the idea that it would be healthier. Here is the recipe I used.

Popcorn Recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup of popping corn

3 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil

large saucepan and lid

2 tablespoons of butter

salt to taste

Pour the oil into the pan and add 3-4 grains of corn to the oil. Place the lid on the pan and place it over the heat on high. Tip the lid slightly to the side to allow steam to escape. (NB I accidentally missed this step and ended up with steam dripping back down into the oil causing a great deal of spitting oil)

Once you hear the corns pop remove the pan from the heat. Remove the lid from the pan after a few seconds (just enough to ensure the corn does not pop out of the pan on you) and add the rest of the popping corn. It will sizzle at this stage. At the lid back to pan and place it over the heat, tilting the lid slightly again.

Shake the pan to ensure that all the grains are being heated. Continue to shake the pan as you hear the corn pop. This will ensure that you will not have any burnt popcorn.

Pour the popcorn into a bowl.

In the hot pan quickly melt the butter. Pour the melted butter through the popcorn in small batches, stirring the popcorn continuously to coat it with the butter. Do the same with the salt and enjoy some nummy yummy homemade popcorn.

This quantity was enough between my boyfriend and I to stave off hunger pains. If you are after a more substantial serve double or even triple the measurements.