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)

I wish to travel. There is this growing need in me to see more of the World than my own backyard. I love Brisbane, but my friends and family are always telling me about the other wonderful cities of the world. A colleague is currently in New York, a friend has recently moved to Melbourne, and a cousin lives in Florida. With this in mind (but knowing I can't currently afford to go anywhere) I think this weekend in Brisbane is made for me. In fact it is made for anyone who is even remotely thinking of doing any travel sometime in the future. Why?



Yes, it's the FREE Travel Expo time. Held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre everyone should go along to check out all the deals and travel companies on offer. There are even prizes to be won.

So what am I up to this weekend. Well, after my gym session I am thinking of visiting the Travel Expo of Course!!! And maybe catching a movie at Cineplex Southbank. And maybe having a coffee somewhere in South Brisbane.

What's on in the rest of Brisbane? Well everything from Tai Chi and Zumba at New Farm Park, to Beach Photography at the Wynnum Wading Pool. To find out everything that is on this weekend have a look at the Brisbane City Council Website. If you try out any of the events please let me know how it was.

On Saturday morning, after sweating my butt off at the gym, my boyfriend suggested we go for a coffee. Now I'm never one to say no to coffee so off we went to La Dolce Vita. I am always interested in trying out a new (for me) cafe and I am glad we decided upon La Dolce Vita.

Let me start with the service. The staff we polite and the service professional. I guess what I am trying to say is that while you get great service there is nothing that stands out about it. While there was nothing stand out about the service I would definitely return.

Now for the coffee. Simply, it was delicious, as were the sweets we tried. I had the mini chocolate filled cannelloni and my boyfriend the vanilla custard filled donut. We both thoroughly enjoyed the food and coffee.

Overall, while I was pleased with the food and service, and I  will return for their delicious coffee another time, there was just something missing from the experience. Unlike other Cafes I been to lately there was nothing to distinguish the experience from any other Cafe. Overall it was a positive experience and if you are looking for a good cup of coffee near the Wintergarden in Brisbane, definitely check them out.

I'm find that many of the foods I make tend to be inspired by other peoples recipes. Whether it is from Jaime Oliver, Heston Blumenthal, or other Bloggers, I tend to adapt their recipes to make them my own. I want to share with you some of these recipes. I hope to do this weekly.

This week I was looking for easy snack foods (healthy too if I could find it). Cravings of a Lunatic had a great recipe for taco dip. I found this to be inspiring because it showed me you can be a bit experimental with even the most basic idea. I particularly liked how she served it layered in a jar. I know it's not exactly healthy (my popcorn recipe was closer to healthy) but it sure looks yummy. I will definitely be trying this soon.



I love pickles and chutneys. I think I picked this up from my mother. I can even remember her making batches of Mango Chutney when I was young. I've often thought about making my own pickles and preserving fruit and vegetable. Foy Update really showed me what is possible when you take the time to plan and work out your individual requirements. She has done a series of 3 articles on preserving that are quite beneficial.



I always love visiting Leave Room for Dessert, and not just for the dessert recipes. Anita is a fellow Australian and I love the fact that she is continually challenging herself. Her recipes, her site, and her adventurous spirit are a complete inspiration to me. I love browsing through her Recipe collection. This week I found her Swedish Meatball recipe. I plan on trying it out soon.



Well, that is my list for this week. I hope you enjoy these blogs and recipes as much as I do. They are truly inspirational.

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.