Super healthy Wholewheat Carrot Muffins

I came across these super healthy (super yummy) muffins and decided to make them for my hubby and my toddler. They are a great alternative to unhealthy, sugar laden carrot muffins and are made with wholewheat flour and maple syrup instead of refined sugar. They were immediately wiped out in my house! Enjoy :)

Prep- Time: 30 mins
Baking Time: 15 mins

MAKES 12 MUFFINS

WET INGREDIENTS
1 Cup low fat greek yogurt
3/4 cup Vegetable Oil (I used Sunflower oil)
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Real Canadian Maple Syrup
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

DRY INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Plain Wholemeal Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 Tsp Ground Ginger

3 Medium Carrots, Grated (About 1.5 cups)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F)
2. Lightly grease a 12 hole muffin tin 
3. Mix all the wet Ingredients and gently whisk to combine
4. Mix all the Dry Ingredients
5. Add the Dry Ingredients to the Wet Ingredients and mix
6. Gently fold in the carrots into the mix
7. Equally spread the mix between the 12 muffin holes
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted removes cleanly
9. Allow to cool
10. Top with low fat cream cheese and devour! 

Original recipe found on mylovelylittlelunchbox.com 

Burgers & Chateaux at La Cava

A few weeks ago, I was invited to an event at La Cava, Rosewood Abu Dhabi's wine cellar, to sample their new concept of Burgers & Wine. Every Monday Night, their chef Francisco Sanabria will prepare 2 delicious burgers, one red meat and another white meat, and their sommelier Isael Goncalves will pair each burger with a red wine or a white wine. 

The burgers include mouth watering concoctions like the Classic Wagyu Bacon Cheese Burger, the Acapulco Crab Burger, or the Hickory Barbecue Burger. Each burger is served with the MOST delicious fries with options like retro curly fries and potato skins and you get 2 wine glasses. What a great combo! 

Both my husband and I WIPED OUT our burgers (OMG hands down the best burger in town!) and I would have finished every single curly fry if someone didn't come to chat with me! I highly reccomend you take your friends and try these burgers on Mondays :)

La Cava is located at the Rosewood Hotel on Al Maryah Island. The wine cellar is stocked with about 1,500 premium wines and the ambiance is very refined, yet relaxed and inviting. Perfect for after work drinks or cosy dinners. The Burgers & Chateaux event is on every Monday from 6 to 10 pm. 

Sally's Cakes

Last week I visited the La Lupe Halloween market in Abu Dhabi and discovered an absolute ARTIST cake maker than everyone must know about! So first perhaps a little background about what happened to me. I was invited to a Halloween party in the evening and had been planning all week to bake cupcakes to take to the host. I bought icing, boxes of cupcake mix, plates to serve the cupcakes, amazing cake holders with flying bats and pumpkins to put each one in and super cool toppings. The works! Then a few hours before the party, I managed to burn the cupcakes with no time to make new ones!!! :(

Luckily, the first stand I saw when I walked into the market was Sally Cake Away. She was selling the most incredible Halloween cakes I had ever seen and showed me photos of other stuff that she had made in the past. Ladies, THIS is the lady to order your next speciality cake from. Not only are they beautifully crafted, they are absolutely delicious! 

Here are a few of Sally's favourite cakes 

Sally's cakes can be made with a wide range of fillings like butterscotch and silky chocolate ganache. (Seriously, YUM!)

 All cakes are made to order so you can be as creative as you like in your requests! 

Please visit her Facebook page HERE or contact 0501428377 

Sweet Potato, Pear, Broccoli & Quinoa

Ever since I started weaning my son at 5 months, the person that I have looked to for recipes has been Annabel Karmel. Her food is all healthy, all fresh and really yummy. Here is a recipe that sounds weird but is actually super nutritious! It will get your child eating their broccoli with no fuss and I added quinoa to it for extra protein. My son loved it :) 

Photo by Annabel Karmel

Best for babies  9 -12 months and over
Makes about 4 - 5 servings
Suitable for freezing

INGREDIENTS

15g Unsalted Butter

150g chopped Leak

250g diced Sweet Potato

150g diced Butternut Squash

200g pealed and diced pear

500g water

80g chopped broccoli

100g milk

50g grated emmental cheese

1/2 cup organic white quinoa

STEPS

1. Put the Quinoa in a saucepan with 1.5 cups of water and bring to a boil. When boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. It should be done in about 15 minutes. You can fluff it with a fork when ready
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the leak, sweet potato, pear and squash. Gently sauté over the heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the water

3. Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and then leave to simmer for about 20 minutes until tender

4. Add the broccoli and let it simmer for about 10 minutes until soft

5. Mix in the milk and the cheese 

6. If blending for younger children, blend until the mixture is nice and smooth

7. Put the mixture into small containers with 2 tablespoons of quinoa in each 

For the original recipe by Annabel Karmel, please click HERE 

Zuma Abu Dhabi

Last week I visited the newly opened Zuma Restaurant on Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi. Originally a contemporary Japanese restaurant from London, it is now a very popular chain with eight restaurants around the world. One of the most successful of these restaurants is the Zuma at DIFC in Dubai, which has won countless awards since its opening in 2009. 

While it was incredible difficult to get a reservation, the one week wait was definitely worth it. Located in a glass box opposite the Rosewood Hotel, the restaurant stretches over two storeys. Once you enter, you go down a glass elevator and find a large open dining space with a restaurant, bar, lounge, sushi bar and robata grill. Unlike most of the new restaurants in Abu Dhabi, Zuma was PACKED with people and had a very nice vibe with live music from their DJ. Almost every single table was occupied and this was on a Monday!!

The food is beyond yummy and the staff is very friendly and well trained. I highly recommend you try it! I am definitely going back! :)

(www.hoteliermiddleeast.com)

The restaurant follows the Izakaya style of dining where dishes are quite small and made for sharing. Everything is mouth-watering! 

Left to Right: Black Cod (HIGHLY reccomended!), Jumbo Tiger Prawn, Beef Tenderloin

Keep space for this chocolate souffle- OMG! 

The restaurant is quite big, has a nice vibe and was VERY full- you can sit on the dinner tables, at the sushi bar, robata grill, at the bar or in the lounge area

ZUMA is located right opposite the entrance of the Rosewood Hotel in a glass box structure

Visit their Facebook Page HERE for more details 

Have you dined at Zuma Abu Dhabi yet? How did you like it? 

Women love their burgers!

Today I have a light topic that I find very interesting :) Women in Japan don't usually like to eat big burgers in public because you have to open your mouth wide to take a bite. Let's start from the beginning:

Traditional way of putting lipstick to make mouths look smaller

(www.jodicobb.com)

In ancient times, Japanese women wearing traditional dress used to paint only the middle of their lips with lipstick to give the illusion that they have small mouths. This made them more attractive to men. This tradition has carried on until today - women in Japan cover their mouths when laughing too loud and usually when taking big bites. Until NOW...

(Source: Foodbeast)

A clever Japanese fast food Burger Chain, Freshness Burger, noticed that sales of their juiciest burger was only popular among men. So they created The Liberation Wrapper. Placing it in front of a burger allows women to open their mouths wide and enjoy the Classic Burger while appearing to have their mouths closed to the person sitting across from them! The invention was such a success that the chain's sales of Classic Burgers to female customers increased by 213% in one month!!!

For more details, WATCH MORE Here

I used to think that women only went to great lengths when it came to fashion - It seems we also go to great lengths to enjoy a good meal as well :)

What do you think of the Liberation Wrapper?

Butter Cookies - the MOST delicious cookies EVER

For the past few months, my Instagram Account (@MySmallObsessions) has been flooded with pictures of delicious cookies from Butter Dessert Salon. Every single tag line is something along the lines of 'YUM', 'DELICIOUS', 'OMG' etc. I decided that I absolutely HAD to try them and share my review with you :)

I contacted the owner Fatma (a lovely person btw!) and ordered a box of cookies. I swear, I have never tasted a more DELICIOUS cookie! She sent me their Nutella Sea Salt Cookie which is filled with real gooey nutella and sprinkled in salt to offbeat the sweat Nutella taste. The result is pure PERFECTION! I shared the box with a few of my chocoholic friends and we ALL had the same expression on our faces!

This cookie dosen't only look good, it tastes DIVINE!

If you love Nutella, you simply MUST try these cookies! And then secretly thank me when your mouth is full and you are thinking 'OMG I'm in Heaven!!!'

Butter Dessert Salon is located in Dubai and all orders are delivered. They only deliver to Dubai. 

Email butterdubai@gmail.com or call 04-2038513 for orders.

ENJOY!!!

Koi Restaurant at the St Regis Saadiyat - A Review

It's always exciting when a new and Fabulous restaurant opens in Abu Dhabi. The newest one is Koi Restaurant, a Japanese fusion franchise straight from Los Angeles. It is located at the St Regis Hotel in Saadiyat Island and is a definite MUST GO! For once, I found a restaurant with good food that was PACKED and had a very fun and vibrant vibe. In Abu dhabi! There was not one empty seat in the place. Now that's quite impressive :)

The decor of the restaurant is very modern Japanese with wooden walls and floors, a full-grass wall separating the bar area from the restaurant, a sushi bar, and really cool ceilings and columns. While the atmosphere is quite serene, the blaring music gives the restaurant a great ambiance. 

The Lounge area was just as full as the restaurant with a lit bar along one wall and low tables.

Quite a few of the people were having dinner here as well as drinks

Now onto the important part ... THE FOOD!!

The starters are absolutely mouthwatering & are made to share!

Clockwise from top left: Salmon with truffles, Yellowtail with jalapenos, spinach & mushroom salad, seaweed salad (Yum!)

My favourite dishes were the sticky rice with spicy tuna, grilled eggplant & lobster tacos 

The Lobster Tacos are so good you won't want to share! 

Unfortunately, the sushi menu is very basic with the simplest of options

Everything we ordered had no taste - The salmon, tuna, crab & yellowtail all tasted bland

To make up for the bland sushi, we over-ordered dessert!

Clockwise from top left: Ice cream sundae, creme bruler, chocolate sauce & brownies, fresh Mochi ice cream.

Everything was delicious with the Mochi being my favourite!

I absolutely loved KOI and highly recommend that you have dinner there! While the sushi isn't so great, the starters are yummy and the vibe is very Dubai-like. It is nice to find a new restaurant in Abu Dhabi which isn't deserted for a change! 

There is a very extensive main dishes menu which looked appetizing. I am definitely trying it next time! :)

The restaurant is PACKED so make sure you book! 

02- 678 3334 

Have you tried KOI at the St Regis?

Healthy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I have always loved Asian Chicken Lettuce wraps at restaurants but hate how fatty they actually are. (The peanut sauce by the way is LOADED with fat and calories!) Last night, I decided to make my own home-made version. After looking up many different recipes online, I made these to be low carb,  low fat, high in protein, and easy to make. The end result was PURE YUMM! 

These are great as an appetizer or a main dish with boiled corn on the side. 

Here is my step-by-step recipe:

Preparation Time: 45 mins - Yield: 6 large wraps

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE WRAPS:
- 500g Lean Minced Chicken
- 1/2 cup Quinoa
- 2 scallions (green onions)
- 2 carrots 
- 3/4 red pepper 
- 3/4 yellow pepper
- 1/2 packet enoki mushrooms
- 1 large iceberg lettuce
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or fresh ginger paste)
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon water

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE  SAUCE:
- 1/4 Cup Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sugar (you can also use Splenda)
- 1/2 Tablespoon Ginger
- 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil 
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic 

What To Do:

STEP 1: Shred the carrots, thinly slice the yellow and red peppers, & green onions. Trim the bottoms of the enoki mushrooms and rinse them under water. 

STEP 2: Wash the lettuce leaves well and leave them to dry on kitchen paper

STEP 3: Cook the Quinoa. Put 1/2 cup of quinoa with 1.5 cups of water in a pan (ratio of 1:3). Cover it till it boils then reduce the heat to a simmer. Move it around with a spatula every few minutes. It will be thoroughly cooked in 10-15 minutes (when all the water is gone). Let it cool. 

STEP 4: Heat 2 Tablespoons of canola oil in a large pan. Pour in the minced meat and break it up as it cooks. Remove from the heat when all the chicken is cooked (approx. 5 mins) and put it in a coriander to drain the fat. Return to the pan. When the chicken is cool enough, further break the chicken into minced pieces. 

STEP 5: Add the red peppers, yellow peppers, shredded carrots, enoki mushrooms, & green onions to the chicken. Pour in the ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, water and hoisin sauce and cook for a few minutes. Your mix is ready when the peppers are soft. (This smells DIVINE btw!) When the mix is well cooked, cover with a lid to keep warm.

STEP 6: Make the sauce. Mix all the ingredients mentioned above. It is quite strong so only use a little for each wrap.

STEP 7: Assemble the wraps. Fill each lettuce leaf with 1  tablespoon of Quinoa, 2.5 tablespoons of the chicken mix and 1 Tablespoon of the sauce.  

*Tip: My lettuce leaves were too big and collapsed with the weight of the mix. If they collapse, use a toothpick to keep them contained. Buy smaller iceberg lettuce or even better, lettuce cups if you find them at the supermarket. 

*Optional: Add shredded almonds or peanuts to each wrap for additional crunch. 

Bon Appetit! These chicken lettuce wraps are truly DELICIOUS! 

4 Days in Saint Tropez

I just got back from 6 really fun weeks in the sun in Europe! I took a mini trip to Saint Tropez on the French Riviera for four days and I thought I'd share my trip with you. While it isn't my MOST favourite summer destination, the shopping is fantastic and the food is delicious! Partying is tons of fun and staying there for a few days is a very well-rounded vacation. You can do a million things in one day - just expect to splurge because everything is super expensive! After all, it IS the destination of choice for the International Jetset and superstars! :)

Here are a few of the highlights of my trip 

I absolutely LOVE the beach there!

Super Yachts dot around each of the beaches with their owners stopping by for lunch 

Hermes Birkins and Kellys are the bags of choice by most women - in the most exotic of skins.

This mini Kelly is in a size that is extremely hard to find! 

Bagatelle is the newest beach to open this year

Their 'Vegetable Platter' is delicious!

EVERTHING is hyper-inflated in Saint Tropez!

This 'Tomato Salad' consists of 2  plainly chopped tomatoes in a bowl

It cost 21 euros (AED 105) - 

If I bought them in the supermarket, I could have gotten 10 kgs of tomatoes for the price of 2! 

You can find a sheesha EVERYWHERE (at the beach, at the hotel, in bars) -

They are a lot prettier than in the Middle East & a whole lot more expensive! 

Shopping is an absolute JOY! 

CHANEL & DIOR are housed in cute little villas 

Chanel has a swimming pool inside, & Dior has an outdoor cafe

(wutisfashion.com)

The town has local fruit & veggie stalls, designer boutiques, vintage shops, furniture shops and multi-brand stores all stuck together in the narrow streets.

You never know what store you will come across next and its very easy to get lost!

(www.elle.com)

Byblos Hotel - Saint Tropez's oldest boutique hotel 

Poolside cocktails before dinner are A MUST for some people & outfit watching!

(www.selectyachts.com)

One of my favourite things to do is have an ice cream or coffee at the port & watch the super yachts docked 

At Villa Romana 

A Stunning sunset

Have you ever travelled to Saint Tropez?