easy peasy onion soup

when i cooked this soup 2 days ago, the aroma of the caramelized onion filled the entire house...it made everybody felt hungry and their stomachs started growling...this is such an easy recipe without compromising its superb, delicious taste...serve the hot soup with toasted crusted bread and cheese..walla!

4 onions, thinly sliced

1 litre beef stock

2 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup butter

• in a pot, melt the butter
• add in the onions and fry till soft and let it caramelized for about 20 min. cover and stir occasionally
• add in the beef stock and the bay leaves
• let simmer on low fire for about 1/2 hour or more ( the longer you leave it, the greater the taste)
• season with salt and pepper
• serve hot with toasted crusty bread and cheese

chicken with mushroom

this is another lip-smacking dish that will keep your saliva drooling for more.....for a more creamy version, scroll down for amendments...

3 cups sliced mushroom (i used fresh white and brown button mushroom)

1/2 chicken, cut into pieces (or you can just use chicken breasts)

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

2 tbsp + 2 tbsp butter

1 cup mozarella cheese, shredded

3/4 cup chicken stock

1 carrot, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced

• preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius
• heat 2 butter in pan, sauté the mushrooms, carrots and bell peppers. set aside
• dip chicken into beaten eggs, then roll into bread crumbs
• in the same pan, over medium heat, brown both sides of chicken (add more butter if needed)
• arrange 1/2 of the mushroom at the base of a casserole dish. place the chicken on top of the mushroom. then, arrange the remaining vegetables and mushroom on top of the chicken.
• add in the chicken stock to the pan
• sprinkle the cheese on top of that
• bake in preheated oven for 30-40 min or until the chicken is no longer pink.

for a creamier version, substitute the chicken stock with a can of cream of mushroom - more lip-smacking!

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...

spaghetti with chicken, sun-dried tomato and feta cheese

i love the taste of sun-dried tomatoes...this dish can be made with some left-over chicken from the previous night...

1 packet spaghetti (prepared according to the package)

1/4 cup olive oil

4 garlic, crushed

2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes (or more), chopped

feta cheese, crumbled

cooked chicken, sliced

1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

• mix in olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, chicken, feta and parmesan cheese. stir in the coriander and season with salt and pepper
• stir into the spaghetti, mix well, serve warm

mushroom and potato soup

Imtiaz's version - with pasta

making your own mushroom soup..? it is not impossible...very easy and nutritious too... i've browsed through a few recipes and in conclusion i've came up with this simple but marvelously tasted recipe...!

150g fresh button mushroom, chopped (you can use can mushroom as well)

1 litre chicken stock

4 potatoes, diced

2 bay leaf

5 tbsp butter

2 onion, chopped (you can use leeks as well)

ground black pepper

salt

1 cup yogurt/sour cream/cream + 1/4 cup flour(optional)

• melt 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat. sauté the mushroom until lightly brown. remove from heat and set aside
• melt the remaining butter. sauté the onion till fragrant and translucent.
• add in the chicken stock and bay leaf. add in the potatoes. cover and let simmer till the potatoes are tender.
• season with salt and pepper
• once the potatoes are done, remove the bay leaf. add in the mushroom. let simmer for a few minutes
• puree half of the mixture and return the pureed soup into the pan.
• mix the yogurt and flour till smooth, add into the soup to thicken.

you can also add some carrots to the soup after you sauté the onions.

because it contains potato, once you've pureed the soup it automatically thicken the soup. the optional yogurt mixture is not necessary. but it added extra taste to the soup. (or you can add the yogurt without the flour)

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 ...

Strawberry Yogurt Brulee

i like this dessert...easy to make and lovely taste...the kids love them too...!

500g strawberries
juice of 1 orange
500g natural yogurt
100g castor sugar

• slice strawberries and divide between 6 serving glasses
• sprinkle over the orange juice, spoon over the yogurt
  
• chill until ready to serve
• to make the caramel: tip the sugar into a small pan with 2 tablespoons of water. heat gently, stirring to dissolve the sugar. boil the mixture until it turns light caramel colour.
  
• pour the caramel a little over the dessert
• leave for 10 min before serving

took the recipe from 101 low-fat feasts book...

homemade decorated cookies for jihan's birthday

jihan's birthday cake at school

jihan's birthday cake - simple butter cake "Snow White in Fantasy Garden"

Red Velvet Cake - Imtiaz's birthday cake

Winnie the Pooh version....lovely! with cream cheese frosting...

recipe from JoyofBaking.com

Red Velvet Cake:

2 1/2cups (250 grams) sifted cakeflour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (15 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsaltedbutter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated whitesugar

2largeeggs

1 teaspoon purevanillaextract

1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowlsifttogether the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape downthe sides of the bowl.Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the freezer for at least an hour. (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

** i used yogurt instead of buttermilk....the cake turned out to be moist and fluffy....!

chocolate mud cake

my very first attempt in making chocolate mud cake with chocolate ganache for my dad's 59th birthday!