Danderma's Blog, page 34

Recipe: Quinoa & Pomegranate Salad

I’m still experimenting with using quinoa and I realised that I prefer eating cold quinoa mixed in some sort of salad instead of hot quinoa as I’m still not used to the taste of hot quinoa. Yesterday I decided to try and make a quinoa salad so basically I just grabbed whatever was in my fridge and chopped it up to make a nice healthy low-fat quinoa salad with ruby-like pomegranates seeds peeking through.

Obviously the star ingredient in this dish is the quinoa which I have prepared and kept in the fridge in advance, all I had to do is take it out of the fridge and fluff it with a fork and it was ready. If you don’t have ready-to-eat quinoa in the fridge you can prepare it easily as I’ve written before in my mushroom quinoa risotto recipe. Basically for every measure of quinoa you use double the amount water with a sprinkle of salt, put them together in a pan and bring to a boil on high heat then reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 15 minutes until all the water is gone and the quinoa is double in size. Here is a video I found on Gcalories blog that explains it better (link).

Juicy pomegranate are the second star in this salad and since the quinoa is flavourless it’s the pomegranate flavour that’s prominent. I had a pomegranate in the fridge that I didn’t know what to do with so I decided it was going to be a pomegranate feast. What do you need?

Ingredients – serves 1:

1/2 a pomegranate – 1 cups of COOKED quinoa (about 160g cooked quinoa) – five tablespoons cooked chickpeas – half a cucumber, a bunch of mint leaves, chopped – a bunch parsley, chopped – a bunch of fresh thyme, chopped – a splash of olive oil – a splash of pomegranate molasses, salt & pepper, a dollop of mustard, a splash of lemon juice – a dash of summaq powder – 25g of low fat feta cheese.

How to:

1- In a bowl place the quinoa, the chickpeas, the pomegranate seeds, and the chopped herbs.

2- halve and deseed the cucumbers then cut into small quarters, add to the mix.

3- In a small bowl combine the olive oil, pepper, summaq powder, pomegranate molasses, mustard, and lemon juice. Whisk until you have a dressing.

4- Add the dressing to the salad, sprinkle with salt and mix gently.

5- Crumble the feta cheese and mix slowly into the salad.

6- Douse the salad with some more summaq powder and serve immediately!

Easy, no? It cannot get any easier and if you have all the ingredients within arms reach and your quinoa ready you will prepare it in five minutes, ten minutes tops!

Because of the pomegranate, molasses, and summaq combination the salad had a sour-sweet kick that is both delicious and refreshing. The feta cheese adds a salty edge and the cucumbers add a nice salad-y crunch.

It was made in five minutes and gone in another five, that’s how good it was. It kept me full yet feeling very light for a very long time and I didn’t get the urger to eat something sweet afterwards for I’ve already had some sweetness in my main meal. Quick, light, vegetarian, protein packed, and healthy salad!

What do you think? Would you try quinoa in this salad? How do you eat your quinoa?

The Social Face Masks

She beamed widely, a happy content smile emitting warmth in her heart as she was reaching for her nude blush. Someone once told she was of a pure heart, baby-like with no games, no shadows. She revelled in the fact that she went out into the crowds with no mask on. She wore nothing on her face but her true opinions, her feelings always dangling like a charm bracelet from her sleeves.

For a while she thought she was doing well. People praised her quality of being honest and open. She was a good listner, easy to talk to, and no one would dare call her cold, or aloof with an agenda.

Her beam wavered slightly as her lower lips began to tremble, threats of an incoming-storm began shining inside her eyes. She put down the brush, closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. When she opened them a second time she took a long hard look at her eyes in the mirror. There, no more shiny beacons threatening to ruin her mascara. Another look at her face showed how perfect her makeup was, not a flaw in sight, and everyone would approve. Every other mask wearer would approve. She almost choked, feeling the weight of every single atom of cosmetics that touched her innocent face, but then she remembered…

As she remembered, the pinball of feelings began to jump and down again inside of her. They are all the same. They praise your lack of masks, they wish there were more of you around, they take advantage of the fact that you’re dependable and honest. Yet in the end they’d put on their very own masks, laugh their fake smiles, and look down on you for not wearing a mask of your own, turning their heads away in disgust and walking away from the tattered pieces of your exposed soul.

It’s time to step out, she reminded herself, and to leave home without that social mask is like stepping into a bloody battle sans a weapon and shield. Now let’s see, which social mask should she pick out today? The spoiled rich mask? The mischievous mask? Perhaps the religious mask? How about the glamorous diva mask? Hmm should it be the I’m perfect and know it all mask today?

The social poker face mask will do for now…

Tasting Chocolateness’s New Menu

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of dining in Chocolateness new Avenues branch and trying out the new items on their menu which will be introduced on their opening day this upcoming Thursday. It all started last week when I received a chocolate-y invitation for the opening night of Chocolateness. 

What’s more befitting an invitation for a chocolate place other than chocolate? A spoon with a block of chocolate actually, to be dunked in hot milk and turned into hot chocolate. I saw it and I immediately remembered winter and I have to say, I am so glad we are in September already with summer behind us! I can’t wait for the cold days to arrive.

Sunday at 7:30 P.M. I was at the door of Chocolateness new branch, located in the SoKu district of the Avenues mall right next to Nestle Toll House, Melanzene, and Little Ruby.

The interior of Chocolateness is lovely, twice as big as their first branch in Burj Jassim with different seating areas and engraved wooden panels on the ceiling, walls, and table tops. Trendy, modern, and colourful.

The wood panels were done by a local Kuwaiti guy. The menu was drawn up by local Kuwaiti chefs, the boxes were designed by a local Kuwaiti designer, and the packaging are all environmentally friendly and used from recycled material. Talk about a local Kuwaiti talent collaborating together under the umbrella of Chocolateness which is also a local Kuwaiti business that started one day selling molten chocolate cakes in a booth at GUST university fair.

The seating area with the big plush arm-chair looked so relaxing. I could almost imagine myself diving into a chair and overdosing on chocolate as I enjoyed some quality relaxing time chatting with my friends.

Now for the menu tasting, there were plenty to choose from in the savoury department but we opted for the new items only. Now what did we order?

We started with cold drinks: the original mojito and a passion fruit mojito. Mine was the passion fruit mojito and it was really, really good.

Mixed leaves Salad with avocados. It was good and light. Why the salad? To compensate for the amount of chocolate we planned on consuming later :p

Cheesy spinach balls with a side of marinara sauce. These I liked a lot.

Although all you can see is green inside it wasn’t very spinach-y. The spinach gave a nice subtle kick to the taste even though I’m not that crazy about spinach. It did have a spicy note to it by the way but nothing too severe.

Next to arrive was the BBQ burger. I didn’t taste it personally but to me it looked like a home-made burger which some people might like and others won’t.

Vegetarian mushroom lasagna. I didn’t try it myself but I was told it was good plus the portion was just right for one hungry person looking for something savoury before indulging at a chocolate-y dessert.

Speaking of dessert, here is comes. My chocolate attack was accompanied with a cup of Earl Grey tea.

We ordered two desserts and the owner of Chocolateness Rakan Al-Fadhala brought  over two more desserts that he recommended. The first dessert we ordered was the bread pudding. If you are looking for something warm this is for you.

Nutella Pudding, recommended by Rakan Al-Fadhala.

This was warm and very chocolate-y. If you think Nutella is too heavy you better sit that one out but if you are a fan and want something warm then order this instead of the bread pudding. It arrives with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

My favourite dessert of the night, the one I saw on instagram and was dreaming about all day long was the new Block 3.

What is it and why the block 3? Well, its three nutty brownies arranged together to hide a crème brûlée center and doused with chocolate sauce! Yum!

Can you blame me?

To me it was very good, perhaps the best thing I’ve had all night long. I almost polished it off entirely on my own. I loved it but some might find it a bit on the heavy side.

Rakan Al-Fadhala also recommended we try the Morqab which, according to him, is the dessert with the most positive feedbacks from his family and friends. A cookie molten cake filled with chocolate sauce and topped with vanilla ice cream. How good does that look?

The Morqab is the kind of dessert you’d want to attack on a free day to get back at your diet. As you cut it open the chocolate sauce oozes from the inside, combined with droplets of melted vanilla ice cream. I have to say it was a sensational treat, cutting through the layers of cookie-dough like cake soaked with vanilla ice cream and rich chocolate sauce. It was my second favourite dish of the night.

After we sat back with a sugar overdone and a surge of endorphins after all that chocolate, the owner Rakan Al-Fadhala explained to us their commitment to social responsibility in the form of sponsoring different expos and events, giving back to those in need, deploying young Kuwaiti talents to provide whatever Chocolateness might need to operate, and their five-year plan for expanding in the GCC region and beyond. I look forward to the day I walk the streets of my favourite city in the world, push open the door of Chocolateness’s cafe and order the morqab after a long day of shopping. Thank you Rakan for your generous invitation and the delicious dinner. It was a pleasure meeting you and we wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavours.

Chocolateness’s new branch is located in the SoKu district of the Avenues mall right next to Nestle Toll House, Melanzene, and Little Ruby. It will open it’s doors on Thursday 5 September 2013 and there should be a big celebration that includes KTV’s band marching and playing songs all over the Avenues, not something you’d want to miss. For more information you can contact them for +(965)-22960606, check their website (link), or follow them on Twitter (@ChocolatenessKW) or Instagram (@ChocolatenessKw).

The Avenues Summer Carnival

When I first set foot on the Grand Avenues during the Avenues construction site visit, I could almost imagine a European like walkway lined with cafes and international shops. Then when the Avenues did finally open and became the place to be in Kuwait, it did feel like you were travelling every time you walk down it’s vast corridors. Last week, The Avenues decided to turn their shopping experience up a notch with the Avenues Carnival where performers from all over the world are brought to the Avenues, turning its hallways to their very own stages, and perform to entertain the shoppers.

The Avenues Carnival is from August 22 until September 11 and the shows are performed on daily basis. I’ve been there several times but never got to see anything except a fleeting glance a tall humanoid tree running away -I couldn’t keep up-. On Saturday I decided to spend the weekend at the Avenues chasing the performers from one show to the other with the aid of the Avenues information desks. The first one I caught was the levitating guy in orange sitting silently by Louis Vuitton while the gobsmacked shoppers looked on in wonder.

You can’t imagine my happiness as I stood among the crowd and watched the orange guy hanging mid-air. I felt like I was back in Covent Garden, watching the street performers in awe again. This is exactly what was missing in the Avenues, performers to entertain the shoppers as they walked by, reminding them of European markets. The next act I caught was this guy banging on a bunch of buckets and pans! He was good, children all around him were dancing in happiness.

I’ve taken a video of his performance, I hope it works.

avdrums

The next performance I caught was of this guy performing funny tricks. One of his tricks was placing a disposable latex glove on his head and blowing on it until he resembled Godzilla, or that’s how it looked to me anyway.

The children were very impressed with his tricks, he had a little yellow ducky watching as well, cute!

Next I kept going from one area of the Avenues to the next trying to catch the next act, I was told there was something at 6:30 P.M. in front of the Cheesecake Factory and as I went there to wait there were many people waiting for the performance.

The performance started at 7 P.M. but it was worth the wait. A Canadian guy, very funny indeed especially while trying to talk in Arabic, pulled out people that were watching and engaged them in his performance. He actually had to carry a guy to get him to participate.

He juggled knives and balanced them on his nose, got the shoppers to exercise a bit, got on his unicycle and juggled flame batons, all the while talking to the spectators and making them laugh.

He was by far my favourite performer of the day and around forty five minutes passed in laughter and fun.

The children in the crowd where the happiest. Many of them whipped out iPads to video the performance. When the performer took out the knives and the fire batons concerned mothers began to pull their children away but they wouldn’t budge no matter what the mothers did.

After the last performance I had to go home but I left the Avenues in a daze, a happy buzz in my head and a a big smile on my face. The lovely feeling stayed with me all throughout Saturday and even until Sunday, which for once I didn’t mind much at all.

Thank you The Avenues for such a spectacular idea and a great carnival! The carnival is not done yet, the shows are on until the 11th of September and I’m going back and searching for more to see! It’s not everyday you feel like you’re shopping in Europe without actually having to travel. If you haven’t seen anything, I strongly advice you ask the information desk to check where exactly the next performance is. Thank you the Avenues for making us happy.

Dinner at Pintxos Restaurant

There, at the very end of the Seif strip of restaurant overlooking the Seif Palace, sits a restaurant space that now has the name Pintxos. Many restaurants have come and gone in this particular spot, an Italian one if I recall correctly, then another Japanese one. None of the restaurants that opened in that spot were successful even though the area is popular and the restaurant space is big with lovely outdoors seating. It wasn’t meant to be I suppose.

For the past year or so the facade of the restaurant area was painted black and a “Pintxos” sign have been put up. Pintxos wasn’t officially open but it did accept private reservations. I’ve been waiting for a very long time for it to officially open and finally they did, two weeks ago!

I had the pleasure of dining there last Thursday and as I expected, I loved everything about it. Pintxos is a Spanish tapas restaurant concept with a bar-like look and feel. Dimly lit, with great music and a big fat menu chock-full of miniature platters thought up by the one and only Chef Ahmad Al-Bader, the man behind some of my favourite restaurants like Pizzetta, Burger Hub, Prime & Toast, Izakaiya, and The Butcher’s Den.

When I say dimly lit I mean dimly lit. As a matter of fact, I should probably say barely lit with nothing but a little electric candle on your table for company.

As you look up from your seat, you notice the little lambs nestled inside fabric-like cones of some sort all over the place. I’m not sure why but I was reminded of octopus tentacles as I saw them, hundreds of them, spread across the ceiling. They light they provided is very dim but they were something to see on their own!

As you settle down you are handed a little flash light to enable you to look at the menu and place your order, which took forever for us because there are plenty to choose from and we didn’t know where to start.

The great thing about the tapas-style menu is that you can order as many dishes as you want and they would still come in small portions. Most of the dishes were unusual combinations that you know would work. There are some interesting drinks on the menu especially one made with jalapeños peppers! Had my stomach been able to handle jalapeños I would have ordered it. Alas, I had ordered an apple vanilla mojito which was excellent.

Next to arrive was a basket of Patatas Bravas with a spicy side dip. They were gooood!

Next, Crusted Baby Mozzarella Balls with sun-dried tomato jam. They didn’t last long on the table.

This dish doesn’t look like it but it was my favourite. Burrata cheese with truffle oil and dark chocolate shavings, lip-smacking! The dark chocolate and truffles complemented each other perfectly and the creamy burrata was just the right backdrop to that combination.

Grilled Goat Cheese Crostini, really delicious.

Halloumi bites with watermelon dip. This was my second favourite dinner dish. The watermelon dip was awesome, I almost drank it! I used it with the patatas bravas as well!

Last but not least, the rib sliders. Juicy, tender, and gone in 60 seconds.

Our bill came to around 20 KD, not bad at all for a dinner out in a new restaurant.

We had such a great time at dinner we didn’t want to leave! The food was excellent with plenty to choose from, the music was good, there was a good crowd even though you couldn’t recognise them, and it felt like you were somewhere else entirely. You forget about the outside world and you can only concentrate on the food, your company, and your conversation. The service was fast and efficient but a tad too friendly, it was as if they were making sure you were OK with how dark it was inside and we kept reassuring them that we were fine and everything was OK. All in all, it was a great experience and I think Pintxos will be there to stay, I’m definitely going back.

Pintxos Spanish tapas restaurant is located in Al-Seif Strip right beside Burger Hub, Pizzetta, and Slider Station. They are open from 5 P.M. till 11 P.M. daily and you don’t really need to reserve a table. For more information you can check their twitter (@PintxosKw) or instagram page (@PintxosKw).

Movie Review: 2 Guns

One of my all time favourite actors is Denzel Washington. I’ve never been to a movie of his that I didn’t like, perhaps only Safe House and I found myself liking it eventually and watching it again when I thought I wouldn’t. Therefore when the trailer for 2 Guns kept appearing on movie screens I didn’t care much for what seems to be another Mexican drug cartel movie, but thought I’d see what would Denzel bring to the drug cartel movie.

How was it? I was bored out of my mind watching another Mexican drug cartel movie with Denzel Washington on it. Never before have I been that bored by a Denzel movie, the usual blood bullets high ranking officials going bad storyline but missing an important thing that made it a good movie. I’m not sure if you’ll get me if I say this but I thought it was missing the “glue” between the scenes, thing thing that made scenes make sense. A moment there the attitude of Denzel and Mark Wahlberg reminded me so much of Lethal Weapon, it was almost like a Deja Vu!

If I really am bored by a movie I would usually leave, but in this case and based on Denzel’s previous movie Safe House, I stayed put expecting some sort of twist in the end. None came, so if you happen to see the movie -and you should, so you can make up your own mind about it- and you feel like leaving but won’t because there might be something in the end, there is nothing. Just good old movie finishing and that’s it. I sat through it once but I don’t think I will sit through it again or bother with a DVD to add to my collection.

Cooking the Perfect Scrambled Eggs for Breakfast

A long time ago, when Google Reader was alive and kicking, I remember a fellow blogger posted a video of Gordon Ramsey preparing scrambled eggs. The only way I can actually crave and eat eggs is by eating them scrambled and not every restaurant can make them the way I consider them scrambled. You know yellow, creamy, with soft peaks and the entire thing in one piece. Ever since I saw the video I’ve wanted to make scrambled eggs at home but I never really got the chance to try and cook them until last weekend.

I had just bought a packet of hot rustic brown Egyptian bread and I couldn’t imagine having them any other way than stuffed with scrambled eggs and low fat cheddar cheese! I went online, google Gordon Ramsey making scrambled eggs, and voila! I had an excellent breakfast on my hands -and a few plates waiting to be washed in the sink, ugh-.

The Gordon Ramsey video is four minutes long and that’s how long it takes to make scrambled eggs indeed! Just follow his lead in the video and you will end up with the most delicious scrambled eggs ever, I only used a spoonful of skimmed milk instead of the crème fraîche he used and I sprinkled chopped parsley instead of chives on top! Turns out I’ve been scrambling the eggs the wrong way all these years! Now I know how, I can make happy scrambled eggs every weekend morning and enjoy them too!

Do my eggs look good? I sure hope so! Anyways here is the video, if it doesn’t work below here is the link to the video on (youtube).

Thanks to my fellow blogger for posting that video, I’m sorry I cannot remember who was it for the life of me, but I’m much obliged indeed. Next week I’m planning on using a different kind of bread and perhaps adding the cheese to the scrambled eggs directly. Now, how do you eat your eggs if you eat eggs at all?

Breakfast at Jones the Grocer in Dubai

For a while now I kept hearing raving reviews about a Jones the Grocer, an Australian franchise restaurant/deli/gourmet grocery shop that’s recently opened up in Dubai. I’ve seen pictures and read the reviews and could tell it was an excellent popular place that I’d love to visit. Therefore when I was in Dubai I made sure I head over for breakfast and go early, I’ve heard they are always busy with eager diners.

Located in Jumeriah and overlooking Sheikh Zayed Road, Jones the Grocer’s modern glass building is hard to miss. The beautiful building actually caught my eyes while driving on Sheikh Zayed Road before I knew that it was indeed the Jones the Grocer I was intending to visit. It stands alone next to a block of residential houses, there was another block of shops and restaurants nearby, but that’s it. You go to Jones the grocers, you go for Jones the grocer and have a good time there. After a few twists and turns we finally made it on that early second day of Eid morning.

Walking through the glass doors, you find yourself in a big bright modern space, all steel and glass, cement flooring and delicious colourful food items. Your eyes dart left and right not knowing where to go first. Then your stomach growls and you know you’d like to start eating and you are given a lovely table by the window right away. Thankfully it wasn’t that crowded.

We placed our orders and it didn’t take long for them to arrive. The service was friendly and efficient, we started off with excellent coffee.

Fresh pineapple juice.

A glorious Jones the Grocer bread selection. Fresh, hot, and irresistible.

With a side of golden butter and fruit jam. I think we asked for the fruit jam as an extra though.

Jones English breakfast, with poached eggs, mushrooms, sausages, and  a grilled tomato.

My scrambled eggs on toast with a side of sauteed mushrooms.

The ambience was relaxed yet lively. It was early in the morning but it wasn’t loud or rushed, we ate in peace as we chatted quietly and watched other happy diners enjoy their breakfast.

On the table I saw this and learned that they give cooking lessons. I wished I had more time to attend one, perhaps next time.

When we were done we toured the grocery section. The sandwiches look absolutely delicious!

I wanted to grab a cheese sandwich for my plane back home but there wasn’t time sadly.

You could find anything, from flavoured pastas to coffees and condiments to fresh produce.

I liked the idea of this carton of veggies, I think they were organic. I wish we had something similar in Kuwait.

They also have gift hampers and you can make your own. A perfect idea for souvenirs.

I loved Jones the grocer, loved the food and the atmosphere. Personally, I regret not heading there for an excellent first Eid breakfast after Ramadan, the food was really good. One bad thing about our visit is that we thought the place was too hot, mainly since it’s made of glass and the extensive summer rays turns any glass building into a green house. Turns out they had a problem with the AC and had stated that in a billboard by the door that I saw on my way out. Perhaps that’s why it wasn’t very crowded that morning! I will definetly be going back the next time I’m in Dubai which I hope is very soon.

They say Jones the grocer is opening up in Kuwait and I really hope they do! Until then, you can visit their branches in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, UAE, or in Qatar. The one I’ve been to is overlooking Sheikh Zayed Road just opposite Time Square Center and next to Reem Al-Bawadi. For more informations and directions you can check their wesbite (link).

Recipe: Mushroom & Peas Quinoa Risotto

One of my birthday resolutions for this year was to become healthier, not for the sake of weight loss but for my overall well-being. I’m not twenty one anymore, not even 30, and this means my supply of youthful health is running out fast and the time has come to be smart about my choices. I remember an old man selling ice cream out of a cart in the street that we met last year. I wanted an ice cream -well it’s me after all- and my husband didn’t. The old man, with his beautiful toothless smile and deeply wrinkled face, told my husband to eat an ice cream while he still could.

I don’t want to live that way, sick and riddled with illnesses that prevents me from doing what I want and making me a burden on others. God blessed me with good health, I’m not going to throw that away by continuing to ruin my body as if I’m going to be young and healthy forever. In any case, yesterday I tried to cook the miracle grain quinoa for the first time and it was a success! I made a mushroom & peas quinoa risotto. Technically it’s not a risotto since no rice was used but it’s just like a risotto, only healthier with more protein and won’t wreck havoc with your blood sugar because of the white rice.

I didn’t make up the recipe, I got it from dietitian Ghanimah Al-Rayes whom I’ve been following on instagram for a long time now and I have to say, the way she makes her dishes so healthy and simple and her using of quinoa inspired me to try and incorporate it in my diet. I saw the the recipe of the mushroom & peas quinoa risotto on her instagram page (@GCalories) and on her blog (recipe) and found a video of how to cook quinoa, and couldn’t wait to cook it for lunch.

How to cook Quinoa? Basically for every measure of quinoa you use double the amount water with a sprinkle of salt, put them together in a pan and bring to a boil on high heat then reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 15 minutes until all the water is gone and the quinoa is double in size. Here is a video I found on Gcalories blog that explains it better (link).

How to make the Mushroom, Peas, and Quinoa Risotto?

I didn’t use the exact same recipe of Gcalories, I’ve taken away the garlic and added a splash of milk to make it seem creamy. I also didn’t sprinkle it with parmesan and instead sprinkled it with chopped parsley. It took all of 30 minutes from scratch to prepare only and the taste wasn’t bad at all. If I had used cream and cheese and plenty of salt it would’ve turned amazing but I am trying to be healthy and lose some weight on the way here. Anyways here is what I used, for Gcalories exact recipe you can click here (recipe).

Ingredients – serves 2:

1/2 a small white onion – 2 cups of COOKED quinoa (about 320g cooked quinoa) – 2 cups of sliced mushrooms which is about half a blue packet – 1 cup frozen peas – 1 cup water – two tablespoons low fat milk - a splash of olive oil – Salt & Pepper – a few chopped parsley leaves.

How to:

1- Heat up the olive oil and fry the onions until they are tender.

2- Add the mushrooms with the lemon zest, salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms change colour and you can see their juices oozing.

3- Add the peas with the cup of water, season with salt & pepper, and cook for two-three minutes.

4- Add the quinoa and mix everything up, add the milk and stir gently until the contents in the pan resemble a risotto.

5- Serve immediately and sprinkle some chopped parsley or parmesan cheese on top.

And here is my mushroom, peas, and quinoa risotto!

My husband saw me try and cook quinoa and he wanted to try it too. As I was taking pictures of my dish he brought over his and I almost laughed. He was trying to be healthy by sticking celery sticks in his quinoa risotto dish, transforming it into a dip.

I have to say that combo didn’t taste bad either.

How does quinoa taste? Quite tasteless actually and it would take any flavours that you’d infuse or dress it with. In the risotto dish I didn’t miss the rice at all, had I not made it myself and known it was quinoa it wouldn’t have mattered much.

My only take with quinoa flavour is that it does need a lot of salt to bring it out or enhance it. Or maybe because I’m just getting to know it? I’m already thinking of plenty of ways to cook my quinoa next but the thing is it’s always sold out so what precious little amount I have I must use wisely. I might also update this post with pictures of my cooking the quinoa and the risotto when I make it again and I’m so going to do so.

What do you think, would you prepare quinoa this way? Do you have a favourite way of preparing your quinoa? Do please share, I need inspiration

Movie Review: Jobs

When I knew Jobs movie was in the cinema I wanted to go see it right away but I was put off by the unbelievable amount of bad reviews and feedbacks I got. Some said it was the movie was boring, others said the movie was all shot in a boardroom, others hated Ashton Kutcher as Jobs, other thought it was a complete waste of time, etc. I was reluctant to go to be frank, but then I’ve always had a mind of my own and different taste than everyone else so I’ve decided to go see it and decide for myself.

To be frank I enjoyed the movie and didn’t think it was bad at all. True, it wasn’t entirely accurate. True, it didn’t cover most of Steve Jobs important stops and milestones while he was alive and true it ended abruptly. The man had so many achievements in his life and I guess the movie makers decided to focus solely on his rise and fall as Apples iCEO. In my humble opinion naming the movie Jobs wasn’t a good choice, Apple would have been more suitable. For example, it doesn’t say what Jobs went to do after he was forced out of Apple and how he created Pixar and got us Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, and the rest of the movies. It doesn’t also shed light on the fact that he was adopted, how his parents brought him up, how he met and married his wife, how he fought cancer, and many other things that would’ve made the movie a true biopic of Steve Jobs and not just Apple.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I should warn you then that many people were huffing in boredom while watching and the little kids upfront turned into rabbits, jumping up and down the chairs. This movie is not for everybody and if you go watch it you must know it is solely about Jobs founding Apple and not about the fascinating yet complicated person Steve Jobs was. If you’ve read the Steve Jobs biography you might like the movie much better as you’d be able to connect the dots in the story and know what was left out and what was not.