Baked broccoli and cauliflower pillows

my confinement period is over and now it's back to stay fit and healthy to shed those extra pounds (arrghhhh) ...

i'm starting with low impact cardio workout (20-30 minutes before baby screams for milk) and trying to eat clean and having fun cooking eat clean recipes at the same time trying to cut out unnecessary calories craving... eat healthy without compromising the nutrients that my baby needs in her breast milk..

so..i tried this quick and easy, delicious snack yesterday...

1 cup broccoli
1 cup cauliflower
2 eggs
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp dried mixed herbs
1 tbsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

• preheat oven to 200 degree celcius. grease a baking pan with a thin layer of oil
• blanch the broccoli and cauliflower in boiling hot water for about 1 min then remove and immersed in cold water to stop the cooking process
• chop the vegetables finely or pulse in the food processor for a few seconds to get the "rice" texture
• combine with eggs, onion, cheddar, breadcrumbs and seasoning. mix well
• scoop with your hands to make a firm ball and shape into a tater-tot shape
• place on the baking pan and bake for 20 min or until brown and crispy, turning over halfway
• remove from oven, enjoy hot with your favourite sauce

my verdict...easy, quick and tasty...

cheesy sauteed mushroom with eggs

simple dish that can satisfy your hungry tummy

200g fresh white/brown button mushroom, sliced

1/2 green/red/yellow capsicum, thinly sliced

5 eggs

1/2 onion, sliced

2 garlics, sliced

3 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

generous amount of parmesan/cheddar cheese

• heat butter and olive oil in pan, on medium heat
• saute onion and garlic till fragrant and translucent
• add in capsicum and saute
• add in mushroom, saute and season with salt and pepper
• make 5 holes on the mushrooms bed and break the eggs into it
• sprinkle lotsa cheese on top
• once the eggs are done and cheese melted turn off heat
• serve hot
• can be eaten on its own or with crusty bread

Spanish potato salad

i simply love potato salad...another simple version from sour cream package..easy to make...

1 kg potato
250 ml sour cream
2 tsp paprika
1/2 yellow capsicum, diced
1/2 red capsicum, diced
bacon rashers (i used crab meat slices)
1 tbsp oil
2 celery sticks, sliced

• boil potato until just tender, drain and set aside, keeping warm
• in a pan, heat oil. add in bacon rashers (or crab meat) and capsicum, cook till soft.
• add in paprika
• add in the sour cream to the mixture
• add the potato and let the creamy mixture coat the potato
• remove from heat
• finally, stir in the celery
• if you prefer cold potato salad, refrigerate before serving

potato salad

i like potato salad so much... this is adapted from the Midweek Meals Made Easy..

5 potatoes, boiled and cubed

2 tbsp dijon mustard

4 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp plain yogurt

chopped parsley

2 boiled eggs, quartered

1/2 can tuna in water, drained

blackpepper

• prepare the dressing while the potato is warm
• add mustard, mayonnaise, yogurt and parlsey and mix well
• add in parsley and dash of blackpepper
• in a bowl put in the potato, tuna and eggs
• mix in the dressing
• put in the fridge before serving

colourful crab and sweetcorn chowder

the kids simply love this colourful, creamy chowder...serve with crusty bread or pasta...from the mind mood foods book...

1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic, crushed
4 sticks celery, chopped
1 green capsicum, seeded and diced
350g potatoes, diced
175g button mushroom, sliced
300ml milk
450ml chicken/vegetable stock
225g canned sweetcorn, drained
225g white crabmeat, flaked
salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

• heat oil in a large saucepan. add the onion, garlic, celery and green capsicum and cook for 5 min, stirring occasionally
• stir in the potatoes, mushrooms and stock. cover, bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 min, until the vegetables are just cooked
• add the milk, sweetcorn, crabmeat and seasoning. bring back to boil then simmer for 5 min, stirring
• add the chopped parsley, then ladle into soup bowls
• garnish with parsley sprigs and serve with bread (i served with pasta for the kids)

potato, onion and herb bake

adapted from the Mind and Mood Foods Book...

a mouthwatering potato bake...a lovely combination of onion and herbs makes it too hard to resist...yummy!

6 potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh/dried parsley
salt and pepper
6 tbps (or more) milk
2 tbsp butter
fresh parsley, to garnish
sliced fresh mushroom (optional)

• preheat oven to 180 degree celcius
• grease an ovenproof dish. add a thin layer of potatoes over the base, top with a layer of onions and mushroom, sprinkle some parsley, then season with salt and pepper
• continue these layer until all ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of potato
• pour the milk over the potatoes and dot the top with butter
• cover with foil and bake for 1 hour
• then remove the foil and bake uncovered for further 30-45 min, until top is slightly browned
• garnish with chopped parsley

creamy potato and leek soup

this is a simple dish that my kids love very much...if you don't have leek in stock, you can substitute with onion...

4 potatoes, cubed
2 leeks, sliced
1 onion, sliced
600 ml chicken stock
2 1/2 tbsp butter
2 celery sticks, sliced
200ml cream (i used low fat cream)

• boil the potato together with the chicken stock until tender
• in another skillet, heat the butter on medium heat and add in leek, onion and celery and cook until soft
• once both are done, transfer the leek mixture into the chicken stock and add cream to it...
• let simmer for another 10 min
• serve warm with toasted crusted bread

* if you don't want to use cream, you can puree some of the ingredients after the soup is done and mix back into the soup...

roasted tomato soup

lovely, lip-smacking soup....a bowl of soup packed with vitamin A and all the goodness of vegetables...yummy!

adapted from 101 low-fat feasts book...

3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 potato, roughly chopped

600ml chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

• preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius
• put the chopped vegetables in a pan, sprinkle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. roast the vegetables in the oven for about 40 min.
• when ready, pour a little bit of the chicken stock into the pan and scrape the pan and pour the roasted vege into the remaining chicken stock
• puree the soup till smooth and creamy
• serve with pasta or crusted bread

simple tortilla wrap

fancy a simple dinner yet nutritious and delicious? try this one...

a tortilla sheet

fresh tomato salsa

plain yogurt

cheddar cheese

some left-over chicken or tuna

olive or baby gherkins or any other pickles

• warm the tortilla sheet on grill pan, remove from heat
• spread some yogurt
• top with salsa, chicken and cheese and other ingredients that you fancy in your tortilla
• wrap and roll the tortilla
• warm back the tortilla
• ready to serve

fresh tomato salsa

simple, lovely, aromatic and refreshing taste...!

3 tomatoes

1 cup sweet corn from can, drained

a bunch of coriander leaves, chopped

1 onion, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

lemon juice from 1/2 lemon

• combine all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste
• refrigerate for 1 hour before serving
• serve chill with nachos, tortilla or can be eaten on its own...

carrot soup

the kids love the soup so much...they ate them with rice and pasta and even on its own...packed with vitamin A and many more benefits in just 1 bowl!

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic, minced
1 litre chicken stock
4 cups carrot, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 cup plain yogurt

• heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat
• add in onion and garlic. saute until softened
• add in chicken stock, carrots, thyme. simmer, uncovered until vegetables are tender (about 40 min)
• in batches, puree soup in blender. add salt and pepper
• serve hot and garnish each bowl with yogurt

lovely dish...!

from vegetables for vitality

chicken, peas and capsicums

this lovely dish can be eaten with crusty bread or crackers and you can simply make it with some left-over chicken or turkey..!

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large sliced onion
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 chopped garlic
1 red, 1 yellow and 1 green capsicum, seeds removed and sliced
200g cooked chicken, diced
500g frozen green peas, thawed
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
grated zest of 1 lemon

• heat oil in a large frying pan
• add the onion, ginger and garlic, cook for 3 min.
• add the capsicums and cook for 3 min more
• stir in the chicken and green peas
• season with salt and black pepper, cook gently 2-3 min or until heated through
• add coriander leaves and lemon zest
• remove from heat and ready to serve

i ate them with high fibre crackers..i spread some natural yogurt and put this filling on top..yummy!!!

from the midweek meals made easy ...

tuna and cheese salad

very easy, tasty and healthy meal...!

mixture of green salads

tuna flakes in water, drained

feta cheese

Italian dressing

blackpepper

• wash the salad leaves and toss it


• mix the leaves with Italian dressing, feta cheese and tuna


• add some dash of blackpepper


• serve

baked potato and cheese frittata

recipe adapted from kak Ummi's blog...very easy to make and tastes yummy!!!! i ate a piece of it with green salad to accompany with....really love it very much!

4 potatoes, grated

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

2 sausages, cut into small cubes

2 onion, cubed

2 tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

blackpepper and salt

• preheat oven to 180 degrees. grease a baking dish


• squeeze the liquid out of the grated potaotes.


• mix the potatoes, eggs, sausages, tomatoes, onion, parsley and 1/2 of the cheese. add in some salt and blackpepper


• pour the mixture into the prepared pan


• sprinkle the remaining cheese on top


• bake in the oven for 40 min or until cook


• serve with salad

jamie oliver's english onion soup

saw this in Jamie at Home...he used simple, fresh ingredients from his gardens to whip up this soup, but we didn't exactly follow the complete recipe...

onions (lots of them, maybe around 20-30 - a mixture of the different types would be nice), sliced roughly

leeks (it's basically a giant spring onion), sliced

stock (beef, chicken,etc)

oil

vegetables (eg carrots, broccoli, capsicum, cellery, potato, whatever u like, really)

beef or chicken pieces

Cook the onions and leeks in a bit of oil on slow heat. Cook it down for 25-30 minutes until it breaks down into a brown mush (it doesn't look pretty, but trust me, the taste is dinamite. cooking the onions slowly releases the natural sugar and caramelise the onions).

Pour in your hot stock. Bring to boil and add in the meat, and the rest of the veges. Cook until the meat and veges are tender.

Ratatouille

ratatouille with spaghetti and meatballs

Jihan licking her fingers..yumm..yummy..

i made Ratatouille with spaghetti and potato meatballs for dinner last weekend....my Jihan simply love the dish sooo much...!!! and to my surprise, she ate everything in the Ratatouille...

i took this recipe from Flavours magazine and came out with my own version....

1 long purple eggplant and salt for sprinkling

3 tbsp olive oil

1 zucchini, cut into cubes

1 onion, cubed

1 red capsicum, seeded and cubed

1 green capsicum, seeded and cubed

2 garlic, chopped

4 tomatoes, cubed

3 tbsp tomato puree or to taste

1/2 tbsp rosemary

1/2 tbsp thyme

brown sugar to taste

ground blackpepper and salt to taste

**you can add sun-dried tomatoes and olives if you like....

• split the eggplant lengthwise, sprinkle some salt to draw out the bitterness. leave for 30 min, then drain and cut into cubes
• heat oil in pan. add the eggplant and cook until lightly browned. remove and set aside
• cook the zucchini the same way.
• in the same pan, cook the onion until translucent (add more oil if necessary)
• add the capsicum and cook until tender
• add the garlic, eggplant, zucchini, tomato and tomato puree. cook for 1 min
• then add the rosemary and thyme
• simmer over low heat for 1 hour ( i can't wait this long because we were hungry already. so i simmered for about 30 min)
• season with salt, pepper and sugar
• remove from heat, allow to cool and refrigerate if not using immediately. the taste will develop overnight

fried asparagus with shrimp paste (asparagus goreng belacan)

i simply love this one..

asparagus

3 red chilli }

2 shallots }

2 garlic } pounded

dried shrimp }

shrimp paste (belacan) }

oil

fresh shrimp

• heat oil in wok. add in pounded ingredient, fry till fragrant.


• add in fresh shrimp.mix well


• add in asparagus. fry till cook


• serve

** do not overcook the asparagus. it should be crunchy...

Thai glassnoodle salad

i tried out this recipe from Mat Gebu's blog...it really kicks your tastebud!!! below is my version...

100g glassnoodle

1 cup water

1/2 cup groundnut fried without oil and pounded (i didn't put any)

300g prawn (i used prawn mixed with squid)

1 onion, thinly sliced

coriander leaves, chopped

spring onion, chopped

carrot, sliced

cabbage, sliced

tomato, chopped

for the sauce:
3 lime, juiced

4-6 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp sugar

6 bird's eye chilli, sliced

3 garlic, chopped

• soak glassnoodle in water for 10 minutes. drained.


• meanwhile, blanch prawn and squid in water and remove. blanch the glassnoodle for 2-3 minutes and remove


• combine all ingredients for the sauce. add in glassnoodle and prawn and squid with the vegetables. mix well. serve.

stir fry vegetables with white mushroom

another simple and healthy veggie recipe:

carrots, sliced

capsicum, diced

tomato, cubed

cabbage, sliced

white mushroom, sliced

parsley, chopped

garlic, chopped, onion, chopped

little bit of oil

chicken slices

salt and pepper

• heat oil in pan. stir in garlic, onion and chicken slices


• add other vegetables (except white mushroom and tomato). cover for 2 minutes


• add in tomato and mushroom. cover until vege a bit soften


• season with salt and pepper


• remove from heat

**cover the vegetables to prevent the loss of goodness of vegetables and it can speed up your cooking time

tomato salsa

my sister made this...very simple to prepare and and tastes very refreshing...want to know the recipe..? wait, let me ask her first...i wasn't there when she prepared the dish....

ok guys, here's the recipe:

tomatoes, chopped

coriander leaves, chopped

onion, chopped

red chillies, chopped

lime juice

salt

** can add minced garlic and dash of black pepper if you wish (as suggested by zaitgha)

• mix everything together, according to your taste. put in refrigerator for a while and serve chill