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...

chicken, mushroom, potato and spinach quiche

my sister , ezani made this for one of the magazine photoshoot...basically, you can just put anything you like as its filling...i just copy and paste this recipe from her blog, zestbyezani..

photo also from zestbyezani

i've made quiche before but using potato as it base...you can try it too here, tuna and cheese quiche..

Pastry ingredients:

2 cups flour

170g cold butter, cubed

Pinch of salt

5-8 tablespoons ice water

Filling ingredients:

6 pieces button mushroom / swiss brown, thickly sliced

1 brown/red onion, chopped

2 pieces of chicken breast, cubed

1 bunch spinach, roughly chopped

2 potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled until soft

3 eggs

¾ cup sour cream or cooking cream

¾ cup fresh milk/ full cream UHT milk

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Prepare the pastry. Mix flour with salt in mixing bowl. By using a butter knife, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs (or just blend in the food processor)

2. Add a spoonful of ice water at a  time and mix with a fork until mixture comes together to form dough. Knead dough slightly and wrap with cling wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a hot pan, fry the sliced   mushrooms with a little oil while tossing for a few minutes until brown. Remove from pan.

4. In the same pan, sauté the onion until soft, add chicken and cook the chicken until done. Throw in the spinach and cook until spinach is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Leave filling to cool while rolling out the pastry.

5. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C . Prepare a 12 inch tart tin / quiche pan or a few smaller tins.

6. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Sprinkle work surface with some flour and on the pastry pastry as well. Roll pastry to 3-5mm thickness using a rolling pin. Transfer onto the tart tin/ quiche pan and trim the edges.

7. Whisk together eggs, sour cream (or cream), milk, salt and pepper.

8. Arrange the filling ingredients (mushrooms, chicken and spinach, potatoes) into the pastry. Sprinkle with cheese. Pour egg and cream mixture to cover the filling.

9. Bake in 220 degrees C for 20 minutes, then lower to 170 degrees C for 40 minutes or until quiche is cooked and brown.

10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from the tin/pan.

*Note: For the pastry, only add as much ice water as needed until the mixture forms a dough that is not too wet and not too dry. Just nice.
For the filling, feel free to use any ingredients that you desire. For example you can use tuna, smoked salmon, different kinds of cheeses, different kinds of vegetables. It’s all up to you!
For making tarts and quiches, I love using a removable based tart tin as it will be easy to remove the quiche from the pan when it is ready.

crabmeat, tomato and mushroom open sandwich

a twist to a normal, typical sandwich...

2 slices bread (i used wholemeal bread)

dash of extra virgin olive oil

2 sticks of crabmeat

1 tomato, diced

button mushrooms, sliced

green bellpepper

salad leaves/lettuce

gherkins, sliced

onion, chopped

fresh yogurt

• heat oil in pan, saute the onion till translucent. add in crabmeat, mushroom, tomato and green bellpepper. cook till soft. remove from heat.
• to prepare the bread, splash some extra virgin on the bread and toast on pan till crusty.
• to assemble, spread some fresh yogurt on the bread. put the lettuce/salad leaves  and gherkins on top of that and spread the crabmeat mixture on top.
• serve immediately.

tommy crabbie bruschetta

this is another version of mine - tomato crabmeat bruschetta...this time using french baguette

6 slices of french baguette

extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic (for rubbing)

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

a bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped 

5 sticks crabmeat, sliced thinly

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlics, chopped

lime/lemon juice

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese

• preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• cut/slice the bread and arrange in an ovenproof pan
• rub the garlic on top of each slice of bread, then dash some olive oil on top
• toast the bread in the preheated oven for about 5 min
• meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan, saute half of the onion, garlic and crabmeat.
• remove from heat
• mix the tomatoes, the remaining chopped onion, coriander leaves in a bowl. add in the crabmeat mixture
• add the lime/lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste
• remove the toasted bread from the oven. top the bread slices with the crabmeat mixture.
• sprinkle some parmesan cheese
• return back to the oven for another 5 min or until the cheese melted
• serve warm

creamy mushroom bruschetta

this is my very own version of bruschetta...i didn't have baguette at home so i ended up using the normal wholemeal bread cut into triangles...


4 slices of bread (or baguette)
1 garlic, peeled
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
button mushroom, sliced
cooking cream
chopped parsley
parmesan cheese

• preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• cut/slice the bread and arrange in an ovenproof pan
• rub the garlic on top of each slice of bread, then dash some olive oil on top
• toast the bread in the preheated oven for about 5 min
• meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a frying pan. saute the onion and mushroom till soft. season with salt and pepper
• add 1-2 tbsp of cooking cream until all the ingredients are well coated
• add some chopped parsley
• remove the toasted bread from the oven. top the bread slices with the mushroom mixture.
• sprinkle some parmesan cheese
• return back to the oven for another 5 min or until the cheese melted
• serve warm

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

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 ...

cream puff and savoury puff

homemade curry puff - UPDATED!

60g margarine
120g flour
chilled water

enough curry puff filling

Mix the flour and margarine until it resembles crumbs. Slowly add enough chilled water, mix well until it becomes dough.

Roll the dough flat. Cut into round shape. Put some filling onto the dough. Fold into 2 and fold the edge to seal the puff.

Deep fry the curry puff until golden brown.

vadai

my favourite Indian delicacies!!! thanx to kak rinn for the superb and easy recipe...!!! tastes delicious!!

250g dhal

2 dried chillies, finely sliced

2 stalks cyrru leaves, finely sliced

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp fennel seed

1/2 tsp salt

oil

• soak the dhal for 4 hours


• toss dry


• blend the dhal till fine


• mix all other ingredients together with the dhal


• shape the vadai, using your hand and a plastic brushed with a bit of oil


• put the vadai on a greased pan


• deep fry on a medium fire till golden brown

special tuna and cheese sandwiches

i bought a bottle of mixed pickle from Tesco today....i made it into lovely creamy, tasty tuna and cheese sandwiches! this is my dinner today...

wholemeal bread

lettuce

alfafa sprout

tomatoes, sliced

tuna in water chunks

feta cheese, crumbled

mixed pickle

Italian salad dressing

• spread some pickle on the bread


• mix the tuna, feta cheese and a dash of Italian salad dressing


• spread the tuna mixture in top of the prepared bread


• top with tomatoes, lettuce and alfafa sprout


• cover the top with another bread slice

egg sandwich

made this for lunch for travelling to Swiss Garden Damai Laut....absolutely lovely....

wholemeal bread

hard boiled eggs

tomatoes, sliced

lettuce

mayonaise

curry powder

mixed herbs

• mash the eggs and mix with mayonaise, curry powder and mixed herbs


• spread some mayonaise on the bread. top with the egg mixture


• put some lettuce nad tomatoes on top


• the cover with another slice of bread

fried popiah

my mum made this for dinner last night....crispy and lovely...stored the unfried popiah in the freezer for later usage...Jihan loves popiah very much!

popiah sheets

carrots, grated

sengkuang, grated

shallots, pounded

garlic, pounded

shrimps

oil

• heat a little bit of oil in pan. fry the pounded ingredients till fragrant. add in shrimps



• add in the grated ingredients. mix well. add in salt.remove once you get the right consistency for the vegetables



• seperate the popiah sheet. put the filling according to the photos and fold and roll the popiah sheets according to the photos. secure the roll with flour mixture (mix some flour with a little bit of water, making it sticky consistency)



• fry the popiah until golden brown



• serve hot!

corn, cucumber and cheese pancake

actually i wanted to make a zucchini pancake (i saw it on tv once)...but apparently the "zucchini" we got from cameron highlands were in fact "cucumber"..hahaa...i seriously couldn't tell the difference!! i only found out when i was grating the "zucchini" and it just oozed with liquid

one grated cucumber

corn from one corn

cheddar cheese cut in big chunks

salt

pepper

flour

water

one egg

a pinch of baking powder

mix all the ingredients with enough water and flour to make a thick batter. then fry tablespoons of batter in a non stick fry pan with a bit of oil.

bean bread basket

ideal for breakfast for kids and their parents too...got this from Woolworth's magazine

12 slices wholemeal bread

2 tbsp melted butter

420g can baked beans

4 eggs

3 slices cheddar cheese

• preheat oven 180 degrees. trim the crust from bread slices and using a rolling pin, roll the bread slices lightly until thin. brush one side with melted butter


• press buttered side down into a medium muffin pab. bake for 10-12 min or until golden and crisp


• spoon the beans evenly into the bread basket. lightly whisk the eggs and pour over the beans. tar the cheese slices into small pieces and place some on top of each bread basket


• bake for 15-20 min or until hot and golden

Turkish samosa

I got this from mamafami’s fotopage…I did not make enough currypuff filling for it, so for another samosa, I used blueberry filling…

I’ve altered this recipe to half, managed to get 2 pillows of samosa

225g flour
1 tsp baking powder
110g margerine (I used butter)
1 egg, lightly beaten
3-4 tbsp water from the fridge

filling: currypuff filling or anything that you like

Sift flour and baking powder
Rub in margarine to form crumbs
Add egg and mix well
Pour in cold water bit by bit till a soft and smooth dough formed
Roll flat. Place a line of filling at the end of pastry. Roll it once.
Put another line of filling and roll it once. Continue doing it until the end pf pastry
Brush with egg yolk
Bake in a preheated oven 180 degrees till golden
Let cool a bit . Cut the samosa into pieces

cinnamon rolls...

we always like cinnamon rolls at Saint Cinnamon...this is my first attempt making the cinnamon rolls...thanks to kak lynn for the recipe...the dough is very soft even on the next day...i add some flavours to it by putting chcolate chips, banana and raisins...1 dough but 3 different flavours!!

300g high protein flour

2 tsp instant yis

1/8 tsp salt

40g caster sugar

1 egg

50ml whipping cream

100ml full cream milk (UHT) - i used fresh milk

1 tsp bread improver - i did not use this

50g butter

Filling

200g brown sugar - i used castor sugar

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 egg (glaze)

• mix everything in a mixer (except the butter) with medium speed until it become dough


• add in the butter and mix again with high speed until it becomes soft and elastic


• cover and let it doubled


• then knock the dough and put in the fridge for 30 minutes


• take out the dough and roll flat


• glaze with egg


• sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon powder


• i add some chocolate chips/banana/raisins


• roll the dough and cut (about 1 inch)


• arrange in pan and let it doubled


• bake in a preheated oven (190 degrees) for 15 minutes

roti jala

my mum's recipe...very easy to make...

2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp tumeric powder

2 1/2 cup fresh milk/coconut milk

2 eggs

• put everything in a blender and blend


• using the roti jala mould, make a lovely swirl on a hot pan until cook


• stack 2 pieces together and roll it


• serve with curry

Tuna cheese muffin

from Mat Gebu's blog:

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp castor sugar

1 tsp baking powder*

120 g flour*(*mix together and sifted)

80 g tuna in oil

50 ml fresh milk

50 g mozarella cheese

1 clove garlic, chopped

pinch of salt

• whisk the egg, sugar, garlic and salt


• add in the tuna and mix well


• add in the flour mixture alternating with milk


• put in the cheese


• fill 3/4 the muffin cup with the mixture


• bake in a preheated oven 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes

** i kind of like the taste (like jemput2 tuna) but the texture is quite flat and not fluffy and it sticks to the paper cups...my suggestion is grease the muffin pan and scoop directly the batter into the muffin fan..

pizza

the breadmaker making the pizza dough

garlic sausage with capsicum

spicy tuna

i managed to make 2 large pizza with half of this recipe and topped with 2 different toppings... yummy!!!

pizza dough:

500gm flour

8g salt

10g yeast

250ml water

1 tbsp oregano

pinch of sugar and salt

30g olive oil

mix the flour, yeast, salt, sugar and oregano together

add in water and olive oil. mix well and knead till soft and smooth dough is formed

cover let rest for 40 minutes or until dough doubled the size

punch the dough (to let the air out)

divide into 2 balls

roll flat and place on a greased pan. lightly prick the dough with fork

bake in a preheated oven 200 degrees for 10 minutes

remove from oven. spread the pizza sauce and put the toppings you like and top with mozarella and cheddar cheese on top

bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts

(I JUST PUT EVERYTHING IN THE BREADMAKER AND LET IT DO THE JOB!)

pizza sauce:

4 tomatoes soaked in boiled water for 5 minutes then peel off the skin

250gm tomato puree

250gm BBQ sauce

30gm oregano
1 bay leaf

2 cloves garlic- finely chopped

1 onion- finely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

heat oil in pan

add in the garlic and onions, fry till fragrant

add in all the other ingredients. cook till the sauce thickened.

toppings:
i used spicy tuna for 1 pizza and another 1, i just topped with sliced garlic sausage and capsicum