ROSE BUDS WITH HONEY RECIPE. JASMINE BUDS WITH HONEY RECIPE. SPINACH SOUP RECIPE

ROSE BUDS WITH HONEY.  JASMINE BUDS WITH HONEY.

 SPINACH SOUP RECIPE

HOW CHARMING...HOW ADORABLE

ROSES

Rose perfumes are made from “attar of rose” or “rose oil”, which is obtained by steam distilling the crushed petals of roses. The weight of oil extracted is about two thousand flowers to produce one gram of ESSENTIAL OIL.

 An associated by product of this, is “ROSE WATER”, which is used for cooking, cosmetics and medicine. ROSE WATER is widely used in Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine.

In France, “ROSE SYRUP” is made from rose petals extracts. In the US, this French ROSE SYRUP is used to make rose scones and marshmallows.

The aggregate fruit of a rose is called "rose hip" known to contain vitamin C

Rose is the name of color halfway between red and magenta on the HSV (RGB) color wheel.

Red roses are used to make “Rose red dye” and being used to dye wool.

Rose red color matches well with green.

MENU FOR SUPPER:  ROSES BY MOONLIGHT - This beautiful  recipe name was given by 
 My Adorable One- How charming....

MENU FOR BREAKFAST:  JASMINE BUDS- Such a fragrant flower

As for me, I eat 3 rosebuds with honey  for  supper, eat nothing else at this hour. Remove and throw away the outer petals, cut each bud into half. Pour over honey or nectar. Enjoy, it’s traditionally believed to help maintain youthful skin, but i eat only twice a week.

JASMINE BUDS     A TRADITIONAL NUSANTARA RECIPE  

I do the same for jasmine buds, 7 buds a day, during breakfast. I am not a 
health or beauty freak, I just simply enjoy eating them raw…


 so, if you are a health or beauty freak, eat rosebuds and jasmine buds  twice 
a week for each - perhaps with honey, nectar or salad dressing. Enjoy.

JASMINE:

Jasmine, a member of the olive family, is also used for making jasmine tea, jasmine syrup, ESSENTIAL OIL and jasmine ABSOLUTE used in perfume and incense.

There are about 200 species of jasmine flower, I am referring to the one (buds) as shown in the photo above. It is the national flower of Indonesia, by the name “melati putih”. It is also the national flower of Pakistan, Philippines, Hawai and Tunisa. In Malaysia we call it “bunga melur”.

Used in perfumery and aromatheraphy, ABSOLUTES are similar to ESSENTIAL OILS. They are concentrated, highly-aromatic oily mixtures extracted from plants.

Essential oils can be produced through steam distillation techniques.

Absolutes require the use of solvent extraction techniques.

NECTAR:

Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants, either by the flowers, in which it attracts  pollinating  animals ( such as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds), or by extrafloral nectarines. Nectar is produced in glands called nectaries

Nectar is an ecologically important item, the sugar source for honey.

For a complete breakfast, I normally eat the food above- but the one in the photo is too much, I eat only half of that and I bet you all too. See my earlier post on meat balls..

http://cooking-varieties.blogspot.com/2011/10/suji-meat-balls-recipe-authentic-meat.html

COLOR PIGMENTS;

Best eat the 5 color varieties of fruits and vegetables, for maximum nutritional value. They are green, orange/ yellow, red/blue , white and red.

The green color of leafy veggies is due to the presence of the green pigment, chlorophyll.  Chlorophyll has been proven effective against cancer.  The darker the green, the higher the content of vitamins. (examples-broccoli, lettuce, zucchini, kiwi)

The yellow/ orange color of fruits and vegetables are due to the presence of “carotenoids”, which are also affected by normal cooking processes or changes in pH. (examples- papaya, carrots, oranges, sweet potatoes, mangoes, corn, cantaloupes(honey dew melon) and apricots).

 The red/ blue color of some fruits and vegetables  (e.g.  blackberries, blueberries, grapes, beets, eggplants, figs and red cabbage ) are due to “anthocyanins”  (antioxidant compounds) which are sensitive to changes in pH.

When pH is neutral, the pigments are purple  and when acidic, red and when alkaline, blue. These pigments are very water soluble. Anthocyanin is believed to be good for a healthy heart. Fresh blueberries contain more anthocyanin.

The white and brown group- garlic, onions, bananas and mushrooms. Their particular phytochemical is allicin, which would help to prevent certain cancers and which would be good for heart health.

The red group. They contain lycopene, (an antioxidant) which could reduce the risk to contract prostate cancer  and many more health benefits. Its effect would be even greater when tomatoes are cooked. Their flavor is destroyed in the refrigerator.  Hold them at room temperature. Other red fruits and vegetables are red carrots, red watermelons, dragon fruit and papayas (but not strawberries or cherries).

SPINACH SOUP:

Cook first then blend.

Saute garlic in 1 tsp oil, add chicken broth. You may use chicken cube stock and add water to it. When boiled, add in salt, pepper, minced yellow capsicum and spinach.

After 2 minutes, turn off fire, immediately pour veggies into a bowl and let cool.

Do not leave veggies in cooking pot as  the heat  makes them overcooked.

When cooled- blend. When ready to serve, boil again on high heat, the moment it boils, turn off fire.

Water-soluble nutrients are destroyed with prolonged cooking time. When you cook vegetables in water, those nutrients will leach into the cooking liquid, so try to use the cooking liquids in soups and stews.