A date with Mr. Choco

Yum yum yum ....

Yum yum yum ....

Hi everyone,

It has been a long day for me at work! I am not complaining … but I feel like complaining. hehehee.

I think I need a good dark chocolate to keep me on my feet.

Facts about chocolate:

Chocolate comes of age as a health treat.
There are few foods that evoke as much passion as this decadent treat. Folklore from many cultures claimed that consuming chocolate instilled faith, health, strength, and sexual passion. Once an indulgence of royalty, it is now a treasured and accessible – and yes, even healthy – treat.

Dark chocolate (as opposed to milk or white chocolate) contains healthful flavonoids similar to those found in tea, red wine, fruits, and vegetables. Studies have shown that small portions of dark chocolate can improve blood vessel flow and may improve blood sugar and insulin sensitivity to help reduce the risk of diabetes. But beware, chocolate candy has plenty of saturated fat and sugar, which can lead to weight gain, so enjoy small portions of as part of a healthy diet.

Care to join me?  :)

chocolate_11

Soup anyone?

Have you seen this green fruit or rather vegetable? I have never seen it when I grew up, mother never bought this vegetable. Or maybe it wasn’t around at that time.

I only seen this vegetable in the market since the last few years. But I have never bought or eaten it (maybe I have eaten it without knowing :)   ) . This plain looking vegetable never attract my attention, so I never bother to try it.

But two weeks ago I bought this vegetable and on the label it stated as “English gourd” – I am not sure what it is called in Malay language. If you have it in your country, what is the name of this vegetable?

Since I have never cook or eaten it before, I just tried cooking it like a soup with fresh shrimp and other ingredients such as garlic, onion, red chillies (more for adding color to the plain looking soup), thinly sliced leek and towards the end I added black pepper.

The verdict? I love the sweetness of this vegetable after being cooked.

Tonight I cooked the same soup again! :)   Care to join me?