FOOOD HACKS - PARTY

Using a SQUEEZE BOTTLE FILLED WITH CHOCOLATE, drizzle chocolate on top your desserts; cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries, brownies, etc. this will add that sophisticated aspect to your food.

Create a chocolate bowl for dessert USING A BALLOON. Dip an inflated balloon with your desired bowl size into melted chocolate. Let the chocolate set and harden on grease proof paper to form a base. Once set, pop the balloon and what you have left is a beautiful chocolate bowl to fill.

Add a twist to fruit salad by using a CARVED OUT WATERMELON. This will brighten up any summer party.

Create a Toppings Station for children’s parties using a UTENSIL TRAY. Toppings can include different coloured sprinkles, candy sprinkles, nerds, choc chips; the possibilities are endless!

 -Casey

REVIEW: Sakura Fresh Sushi

Sakura Fresh Sushi - Revesby

This is a little hidden sushi restaurant in Revesby. After hearing many good things from friends, I had to try it for myself! 

We ordered: 

Chicken Katsu Large roll $10: Chicken schnitzel with cucumber lettuce and mayo

King Prawn Large Rolll $10: Prawn with avocado, cucumber and carrots

Crab Goroke $8: Crab croquette

Takoyaki Balls $8: Fried baby octopus dumplings with mayo and bbq sauce on top 

Sashimi $17 (Small): Fresh sliced raw fish

Both the sushi rolls were freshly made, the rice was soft and the filling was flavourful. Especially the chicken Katsu the mixture of special mayo on top was THE BOMB. It made the whole dish. Would definitely reorder.

The crab goroke were nice, the pastry was soft and the filling inside was soft and juicy but would probably try something else on the menu next time.

Takoyaki balls did not disappoint, came out hot and bursted with flavour (literally.. be careful its super hot inside) give it a couple minutes to cool down. 

Sashimi tasted just like the description, they were fresh and went perfect with a bit of soy sauce and wasabi. 

Overall you can't go wrong going to Sakura. Although its a little bit of a drive for me I think its worth it for the amazing sushi and affordable price. Highly recommend! 

-Julie

Junk Food! Junk Food! Junk Food!

image from: http://www.craigbailey.net/wp-content/uploads/the-junk-food-remedy.jpg

Unhealthy food, known to us as Junk Food, has been rapidly taking over our food life.

Since the creation of junk food such as packet chips, donuts, ice cream etc, the average produced size is now 30% larger! In other words, we are eating more junk and junk and junk, and has become the norm. Consequently to the size increase, one muffin may already take up half our daily recommended consumption of calories! Now that is something to worry about. That muffin will not last you an entire day of work, not to mention pigging out at home afterwards. This is part of the reason as to why the number of obese Australians are slowly increasing yearly, as each serving we consume is expanding due to our wants for more. 

Studies conducted in 2016 by the CSIRO surveying over 80,000 people showed that employees who bought their own lunch tend to purchase food on the unhealthier side due to the cheap price and meal size, and employees who were given set lunches were more on the healthier side as their meals were managed and monitored by their company. 

Now after considering these facts, is it the problem that we eat too much junk food in terms of the number of items we eat, or is the portion size of junk food too big, which leads to obesity, and hence the need to diet?

Junk Food portions need to be reduced.

Many people out there do not know their limits. What limits you ask? How much calories are contained in a single serving of junk food, and how much you are recommended to consume daily. This is a very important factor to losing weight, as the more overload of calories, the less fat you will actually burn off, as you are gaining more fat than you can get rid of. Just because a chip packet is a certain size, it does not mean that that entire packet is considered one serving and you are required to consume the entire packet. It is designed that way to for marketing purposes, to attract your attention to purchase that particular product. One serving may actually be 5 chip pieces out of the 200 in the packet, in other words you may be gaining 40 times the actual allowable calorie intake. You're not to blame for not knowing, but you are to blame for not taking care of your health and in the end seeking for medical attention on obesity.  

In my personal opinion, the junk food size should be reduced, as people only feel satisfied and "full" after consuming the entire item, and hence it would be beneficial to the health if not as much junk food is consumed. This way, obesity levels will decrease and the overall health and mortality rate will most likely increase. Less people will be burdened with the need to diet, when they could be living just fine with the normal and recommended amount of junk food consumption. 

Feel free to read this following article regarding junk food in Australia and how it has affected our life. Please click here to access the article.

-Jenny

Superfoods!!

In order to perform at our optimal in our everyday life, it is important that we have a healthy diet. In order to boost our nutrient intake, it can be suggested that we add superfoods to our diet.

But what exactly is a superfood?

A superfood is a food that has an un-commonly high nutrient density, having significant health benefits. These foods are believed to have a significant amount of benefits beyond those of ‘common’ foods.  

Superfoods are known to support:

·       Athletic Performance

·       Healthier skin

·       Increased energy

·       Weight loss

·       Healthy Heart

·       Anti-ageing

·       Joint health

·       Digestion

·       Cleansing and detox

·       Immunity

Top 8 Superfoods to include into your daily diet:

1. Chia Seeds - Native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala and is especially high in Omega-3 fatty acids, helping to reduce food cravings due to their high soluble fibre content.
2. Spirulina - A plant-based supplement that contains a high amount of B, C and E vitamins, betacarotene and the minerals calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and zinc, and protein.
3. Flaxseed - Also known as linseed, Flaxseed is one of the world’s best plant based sources of omega-3s. Additionally, it is high in fibre, protein and is rich in antioxidants, and is beneficial for helping maintain heart health.
4. Berries - Berries, such as blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries are high in antioxidants and vitamins, proving wonderful for our bodies.
5. Virgin Coconut Oil - Although coconut oil is largely a saturated fat, it’s made up of predominantly medium chain triglycerides which are believed to have many applications in healthy foods and skin care, as well as being a great source of energy.
6. Maca Powder - A root found in Peru that is most commonly consumed in a powder form. It is used to improve energy and stamina.
7. Goji - The Goji Berry comes from a shrub native to China and contains an extraordinary list of essential vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants. Goji berries have a higher level of vitamin C per gram than oranges. Goji berries also contain calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and selenium and are full of fibre and carotenoids which help support eye health.
8. Tumeric - Tumeric is native to Southern Asia and acts as an anti-inflammatory, aids digestive heatlh, decreases cancer risk and support detoxification.

-                     -  Remy 

The Show Stopping Squiche

A squiche you ask? Perfect for a summer day's picnic, it’s a sweet quiche and definitely not just a custard tart. It's totally unique and you have to try it.

INGREDIENTS:

for the pastry

·      500 g plain flour

·      220 g butter

·      100 ml water

·      1 egg

for the bottom tier (moroccan)

·      9 egg yolks

·      75 g caster sugar

·      500 g whipping cream

·      1 tsp saffron

·      1 shard almond brittle

·      1 handful dried apricots

·      1/2 bunch mint

·      1 pinch dried rose petals

for the middle tier (vietnamese)

·      9 egg yolks

·      75 g caster sugar

·      500 ml whipping cream

·      1 stick lemongrass

·      2 slices ginger

·      1/2 bunch mint

·      1/2 bunch coriander

for the top tier (japanese)

·      9 egg yolks

·      75 g caster sugar

·      500 ml whipping cream

·      1 tbsp matcha powder

·      2 tsp wasabi

·      1 shard sesame brittle

for the brûlée

·      200 g demerara sugar

STEP-BY-STEP-GUIDE:

MAKE THE PASTRY

Blitz the butter and the flour together in a food processor until it forms a breadcrumb texture. Slowly pour the water into the food processor until the dough comes together. You might not need all of the water. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for an hour.

MAKE THE TART CASES

Cut the dough into half, then cut two thirds out of one half. Roll each bit of dough out on a floured surface to about 3mm thickness and drape the largest over a 24cm tart tin, then repeat for 20cm and 10cm tart tins. Gently press the dough into the corners and trim off any excess so that you’re left with a clean cut, flush to the edges of the tin. Line the inside of the dough with greaseproof paper and pour in baking beans (or dry rice). Put it back into the fridge for 30 minutes.

COOK THE TART CASES

Preheat the oven for 200ºC and bake the tart case for 15 minutes before removing the baking beans and greaseproof paper. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and bake for another 10 minutes then lower the temperature to 130ºC. Allow the pastry to cool to room temperature.

MAKE THE CUSTARD

*note that each custard recipe makes enough to fill a large tart case* 

Add the flavouring ingredients to the cream (if you’re making all three tarts then pour the cream into three separate pans and add relevant flavours) Bring the cream(s) to a boil. Whisk together the yolks and the sugar (if you’re making all three tarts then do this is three separate bowls). Very slowly pour the hot cream over the eggs while constantly whisking, repeat for each flavour. Transfer the custard to pouring jugs.

BAKE THE CUSTARD

Place the tart tins onto baking trays and put them back into the oven. Pull the oven rack out slightly and carefully pour the custards into the relevant tart tins. Slide the racks back into the oven and carefully close the door. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until the middle just has a slight wobble (the smaller tarts will be closer to 30 minutes, while the larger will be closer to 40).

COOL

Once cooked, remove the tarts from the oven and allow them to cool to room temperature in the tins. You can eat at room temperature or cool in the fridge for a few hours.

FINISH AND SERVE

When ready to serve grab the demerara sugar and scatter over the top of the custard. Use a blowtorch to caramelise the sugar, being careful not to burn the pastry. Decorate your tarts with complimentary flavours like nut brittles, herbs and dried fruit! Serves 20

For a instructional video, head to the youtube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K99eO9GFIGY and watch the SORTED team teach you how it's done. 

If you do make this amazing dish, please submit photos to our twitter @fooodadventures as we would love to see your creations. Until next time

- Hanna