Monthly Archives: April 2013

Making Life Good Recommends

Posted on April 30, 2013 | Leave a comment

MLG_recommends

You may have noticed that there are a fair number of food, food product and service recommendations on this website. The purpose of these recommendations is to share ways to lead a healthy lifestyle, enjoy food and make life good. A lot of care and consideration goes into the recommendations you find here.

Making Life Good recommendations strive for great taste, nutrition, enjoyment, relative ease of preparation and most importantly a way to Make Life Good through healthy eating. The recipes you find here are created and tested myself and on various guests until there is a high level of taste enjoyment.

Our food and food product recommendations are discoveries that are found anywhere in the world, through a constant journey to locate amazing food experiences everywhere. Whenever possible, I have personal conversations with the purveyors of the product to learn the back story. If not, the products are tested myself and repeatedly with various friends and guests. Every product that I ever recommend here is one that I use regularly myself, share and purchase for others. I hope you enjoy our recommendations and they make life good for you-

Yours Truly,

Vivian Law

 

 

 

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Posted in Making Life Good Recommends, Vivian Law

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Recipe: Banana Coconut Bread (gluten free)

Posted on April 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

Banana bread is a food that some little people in my life really love to eat. I’ve tried many different recipes and this one is a current favourite. This banana coconut bread is really easy to prepare, delivers great banana flavour, and the extra nutrition of coconut flour (fibre, iron, healthy fat).

3-4 very ripe bananas

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

3 large eggs

3/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mash banana until fairly smooth in consistency. Whisk in coconut oil, honey, eggs and vanilla. Mix in coconut flour, baking powder and salt with a wooden spoon. Stir until well combined, mixture will be thick. Pat batter into mini silicone loaf pans (consistency is best with mini loaf pans). Bake for about 30-45 minutes or until the slightly brown around the edges. Slice and enjoy warm or store in a airtight container, refrigerated for up to 3 days.

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in gluten free, Healthy food, healthy recipe, Healthy snack, Recipe, Vivian Law

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Recipe: Coconut Black Rice

Posted on April 5, 2013 | Leave a comment

Black rice is something I have tasted sporadically over the years in various forms of Asian  fusion cuisine. Earlier this year, I had coconut black rice served with fish in Kauai and then as coconut black rice pudding at Foxley.  Both were delicious and I had to learn how to make it. Black rice contains fiber and antioxidants in addition to its interesting taste and texture. Here is my recipe for coconut black rice, a dessert I have served topped with mango and strawberry to delighted guests. The rice also makes a nice alternative breakfast topped with fruit and nuts. The grated fresh coconut is a nice touch and dry shredded coconut works as well. Omit the sugar and cook for less time if you wish to serve it as more of a savoury side dish.

1 cup black rice, soaked overnight or a few hours in water and rinsed

2 cups water

1 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons of organic sugar

1/4 cup grated fresh coconut or shredded unsweetened coconut

Bring rice, water and coconut milk to a boil in a pot. Remove the lid and simmer on low heat until water is absorbed or rice is desired tenderness, about 45 minutes. Stir periodically, check for doneness, and add more water if necessary. Stir in sugar and coconut before serving. Serve warm, topped with fresh mango and/or strawberries if desired. Enjoy!

 

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Posted in antioxidant, gluten free, Healthy food, healthy recipe, healthy treat, plant food, Recipe, Vegan, Vivian Law

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Recipe: Sweet Potato, Pineapple and Pork Stew

Posted on April 2, 2013 | Leave a comment

This sweet potato, pineapple and pork stew is a great blend of sweet and sour flavour. The recipe is inspired by one I came across many years ago in Eating Well magazine. Essentially, it has become my healthier version of sweet and sour pork:

1-2 shallots, minced

1 small piece of ginger, minced

1 pound of lean pork stew cubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups of strained tomatoes

2-3 medium sweet potatoes, cubed

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

1/4 teaspoon cumin

salt and pepper to taste

chopped cilantro and green onion for garnish

In a large saucepan or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Lightly brown shallots and ginger for a minute. Add pork, season with salt and pepper, and brown all over. Add strained tomatoes to the pot, then cumin, sweet potatoes and pineapple. Cover, bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cilantro and green onion. Enjoy over brown rice if desired.

 

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Posted in healthy recipe, Recipe, Vivian Law

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