Homemade Fuller's Earth Clay Mask

My commercial clay mask ran out, so I decided to make my own detoxifying clay mask.

Did a little research, and found out about this clay called "Fuller's Earth", which is perfect for my skin's needs because I have oily skin, and I want a mask with skin-lightening properties.
According to MountainRoseHerbs.com, Fuller's Earth is "a sedimentary clay that has been widely used as a skin-lightening agent and is best known for its ability to be applied as a 'facial bleach'. Because of its enormous drawing capabilities, Fuller's Earth is the number one choice for oily skin and those prone to acne. It literally draws oil from the skin and has been used industrially for this exact purpose." Purchased a bag of cosmetic grade Fuller's Earth from MountainRoseHerbs.com, and when I received it I started experimenting with a few ideas on the web to come up with a suitable mask.

Some said honey would be good if you don't want the mask to be too drying, others added tea tree oil, or mixed it with rose water. For my first batch, I mixed the clay with honey, lemon juice and tea tree oil, but I didn't really like the end result because it was a little too moisturising and I did not feel the tightening effect at all. Made the mask again today, and I think I have a winner:

1 heaped tea spoon of fuller's earth clay
concentrated green tea
a few drops of tea tree oil (I added three)

Mix the green tea with the clay till you reach the desired consistency, then add tea tree oil. Apply onto a clean face. When the mask dries completely, rinse off with warm water.

Initially, I decided to go with water and tea tree oil. As I was mixing it all up in the kitchen, it suddenly crossed my mind that I could use green tea instead because of its wonderful benefits: apparently, when it is applied topically, it has detoxifying and antihistamine-like effects. I put a green tea bag into a mug, added a small amount of hot water, and started "mashing" the tea bag with a spoon to get really concentrated green tea really quickly. Added the green tea to the clay in small amounts till I got the consistency I desired, then added the tea tree oil. Applied the mask with my fingers, then sat around and waited till the mask started to dry and I began to feel the tightening effect characteristic of clay masks. The tea tree oil made the mask really tingly and had a "cooling" effect on my skin. One thing that I observed though, was that parts of the mask turned bright green, effectively showing me that the water had evaporated, while parts remained dark green, indicating that it was still relatively high in water content. I put quite a thick layer on my face because I made a little too much, but I think the next time I'll apply a thinner layer.

My skin felt really clean and refreshed after I washed off the mask. I'll probably have to try this a few times to see its long term effects, but for now I am very pleased with it!

Homemade Beeswax Lipbalm

I've been searching for a natural replacement for Vaseline and chanced upon a recipe from this website.

The recipe calls for 1 ounce of beeswax and 1/2 cup of baby oil. I replaced the baby oil with organic virgin coconut oil because I didn't want to use mineral oil in my lipbalm.
To fill up a 2 oz jar, you will need:

1/2 ounce organic beeswax
1/4 cup organic virgin coconut oil

Melt the beeswax in a double boiler. I just put it in a bowl over a pot of boiling water on the stove. After the beeswax has been melted, stir in the coconut oil. You have to keep stirring till it cools completely, and because I am such a lazy person I put the bowl on ice so that it would cool faster. As you stir, you will realise that the mixture is solidifying. When it reaches the consistency of Vaseline, it is done. The beeswax I used was a golden yellow, so the mixture was pale yellow in colour. Store it into a 2 oz glass jar.

I tried it on my lips last night, and I woke up with very moisturised lips. I am very pleased with this recipe. Other recipes on the web add shea butter, Vitamin E oil, and other essential oils, but this simple recipe does it for me.

I bought my beeswax from here, in case you were wondering! The shipping was quick, and the beeswax is of a good quality; it is a pretty golden yellow colour, with a strong honey smell.

Eggplant "steaks"

I wanted to make these lotus root cakes for dinner tonight but the supermarkets I went to were all out of lotus roots (and i went to TWO).

So.... As I walked down the supermarket aisle wondering what I was going to do, I saw a flash of purple: eggplant. I love eggplant. I've featured two different ways of using eggplant in this blog so far, so here's a third:

Miso-glazed eggplant

Eggplant is really such a versatile vegetable, and it's pretty!! Plus it's really good for you. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say it's low in calories, high in fibre and chockfull of vitamins.

The eggplant I used was pretty big so I divided the recipe by 3 and the glaze was just enough. Though I have to say it's not so much a glaze as it is a thick sauce. I used pre-seasoned miso because that was all I had on hand, though i know shiro miso would have been a much better fit. Didn't use that much oil too, I sliced the eggplant into quarters and just rubbed them with a little olive oil... Pan seared them because I was too lazy to broil them, but I did pop them into the toaster oven so that the sauce would caramelise a little. Garnished with a little sesame oil, raw sesame seeds (calcium!!) and spring onions.

I call them "steaks" because it really felt like I was eating a cut of meat; the eggplant is very filling and I felt good after I was done- the eggplant is "heavy" enough to make you feel like you had a full meal, yet light enough so that you don't feel gross after you're done.

Fuss-free big bowl meals

I decided to write a post about my favourite big bowl meals today.
What are big bowl meals?
Essentially they are meals where you throw everything into one bowl and you have your meal. Fuss-free (because i am a student fuss-free is ESSENTIAL) and all you need is a spoon and you’re set.

BOWL 1. Quinoa with potatoes, asparagus and onions

BOWL 2. Sushi bowl

BOWL 3. Kimchi fried rice with seaweed strips and sesame seeds (I use short grain brown rice for roughage, and apparently raw sesame seeds are so much better for us, but it’s up to you!)

BOWL 4. Short grain brown rice with grilled eggplant with teriyaki sauce and seaweed strips (I used commercially produced seaweed rice sprinkles for more flavour) - A/N: Be careful with how much teriyaki sauce you use, at a hundred calories a serving don’t go overboard! Also, if you don't like eggplant, corn works as a great substitute!

BOWL 5. Short grain brown rice with chinese preserved radish omelette and leafy greens in oyster sauce - this was my favourite quick meal growing up; even till today this combination is comfort food for me. Tried to find a recipe online but none of those that came up were to my liking. Chinese cooks tend to approximate portions, so just eyeball everything.

Easy Chinese preserved radish omelette

Minced garlic
Preserved radish (chopped)
2 eggs (beaten)
Vegetable oil for frying
Pepper to taste

1. Rinse the radish to get rid of some of the salt; it’s still gonna be really salty so there’s no need to add salt. Squeeze to remove excess water.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in the wok/frying pan, sauté the garlic till browned, then add the preserved radish and sauté till fragrant.
3. Spread the radish out uniformly in the pan, so that it forms an even layer (wow writing coherent cooking instructions is really hard), then pour the beaten egg over it.
4. Flip the omelette when one side is done, and cook the other side.
5. Season with pepper when done.

As for the leafy greens in oyster sauce, it’s just a combination of vegetable oil, minced garlic, vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces, oyster sauce, and pepper to taste: Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan, add minced garlic and sauté till browned. Throw in the leafy greens and cook till they are a little wilted, then add oyster sauce and a little water if you don't want it to be too salty. Season with pepper and serve.

If you want soup to go along with the big bowl meals, a couple of spoons of miso paste that has been pre-seasoned with dashi and bonito in boiling water will give you a quick, fuss-free soup. Fuss-free really is my buzz-word today :DDD

Broccoli and shiitake garlic cream pasta

I was craving something creamy and did what I could with the ingredients I had on hand.

Broccoli and Shiitake Garlic Cream Pasta

1 portion wholemeal pasta (I used fusilli but any kind of pasta works, really)

1 tbs unsalted butter

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 handful broccoli florets

4 emperor shiitake mushrooms, sliced

150-200ml whipping cream

coarsely ground sea salt

coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 tsp thyme

1. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water. When done, set aside.

2. Heat the butter in a pan, sauté onions and garlic over high heat until the onions turn translucent.

3. Throw in the garlic and shiitake mushrooms, continue to sauté until the broccoli turns bright green and the garlic begins to brown.

4. Add the whipping cream, turn down the fire to medium-low heat. Add more whipping cream if necessary.

5. Season with sea salt and thyme.

6. When the broccoli looks cooked, add the cooked pasta and sauté until all the pasta is covered with the cream sauce.

7. Pour the pasta into a large bowl, add the black pepper and more salt to taste. Serve.

You can make this dish with a combination of different vegetables. I think asparagus and shiitake mushrooms would work nicely. Alternatively, you could replace the whipping cream with half-and-half, and add parmesan cheese for more flavour. If you like to add white wine to your cream sauce, a tablespoon would give it a nice sweetness.

Eggplant and garlic spread

I've been crazy over a particular recipe lately.
If you love eggplant, you’re gonna love this; I got it from Student’s Vegetarian Cookbook by Carole Raymond. It features easy, quick recipes perfect for the lazy, hungry, broke vegetarian student, like me! This recipe has a lot more garlic in it because I love the garlicky flavour; if you don't like garlic that much, cut the garlic down to 1 clove only.

Eggplant and garlic spread

1 eggplant (approx. 1 pound)
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons onion, minced
Salt and pepper

I didn’t follow her instructions exactly; I pricked the eggplant all over with a fork, sliced it into half and zapped it in the microwave till soft. Then I scooped the flesh out and threw the eggplant flesh, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and onion into the blender. When it was done I seasoned it with salt and pepper to taste. Makes things a lot easier; you don’t have to mince the garlic cloves and onions! I hate mincing. Mincing is terribly tedious. The blender is my best friend!

Easy Hummus

I made the hummus for dinner tonight; this recipe makes a medium sized bowl, which should be able to last a few days in the fridge:

Hummus

1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans (i used chickpeas because they were cheaper)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 yellow onion
2 heaped tbsp tahini
1 tbsp brine from can of chickpeas
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Throw everything into a blender and blend; season with salt, pepper and paprika. If you feel the hummus is still a little thick, add more lemon juice or brine till you get your desired consistency.