Happy Chinese New Year !

I'm so engrossed with everything happening right now that I have barely time to sit down and think. Well so much that I watch the days go by and by, and then at one point in time, I realise what's been happening.
Anyway, make sure to spend everyday respectfully. You live only once, which means that you are better off making it a worthy one.
On this note, I wish you all Happy Chinese New year. Enjoy.

Matcha (green tea) mini cheesecake

I made those last week and they tasted amazingly good. If you like green tea flavour and cream cheese, then this dessert is made for you. I can't wait to try new dessert recipes usingmy matcha powder.

MINI GREEN TEA CHEESECAKE RECIPE
Makes 24 mini cheesecake

Ingredients:
Filling-
250g cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 tsp matcha (green tea) powder

Base-
100g plain biscuits (butternut snap / digestive/ Oreo) crushed
25g melted butter

Method

Preheat oven 160 degrees (fan forced)

1. Mix biscuit and butter.
2. Spoon over mini muffins pan.
3. Bake for 5- 10 minutes

1. Cream cheese with sugar.
2. Add green tea powder.
3. Incorporate egg and mix until combined.
4. Spoon mixture over muffin pan.
5. Bake for 20 -25 minutes.
6. Let cool in pan and then refrigerate. 

Watermelon

I have never ever liked eating watermelon. I did not like the taste because I thought it was too sweet. Well, not anymore. You would not know that I was a watermelon non-eater because I truly enjoy it now. Watermelon is, in fact, really nutritious and classified as a super food. It is really healthy and so refreshing. It is truly the summer fruit.

Sweet potato fries

Sweet potato is a much healthier choice than normal potatoes. It is a super food, rich in beta carotene and contains lot of fibre. Plus, it is sweet and good for the heart. Well, I think that's enough reasons to hurry and make these fries. They are not only easy to prepare but also super delicious. I make them using a mini-oven grill.

SWEET POTATO FRIES

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato
Olive oil
Spices/ herbs
Salt

Method:
1. Peel the sweet potato and cut into chunks (preferrably chip sizes)
2. Toss in olive oil (enough to coat) , herbs/ spices and salt
3. Grill of about 8 minutes (flipping in between).

You will notice the outside will be slightly crunchy and the inside soft. That's what you want. Enjoy.

 

Throwback in the kitchen

This week was quite a healthy one (if of course you do not count the domino pizza which we had on Friday eek). I have heard a lot on quinoa, about how it is super nutritious, rich in protein (and what else- just know it's a super food). Well I tried in for the first time last week, through sunrice- you know the ready-made rice packets (they are definitely handy). It tastes surprisingly good (just quite like normal rice actually). So, when I save up a lil (they are quite pricey for sure), I will buy the seeds and cook it . I have seen how it is cooked already and it takes only 15 minutes.

First picture: Steamed green beans and asparagus
Second picture: Quinoa rice with the green veggies and a bowl of my lentil soup.
Third picture: Quinoa rice with pan-fried salmon.

These are a few of the healhty dishes of this week.

 

Time break

Alright so bear with me (and I'm not referring to the extremely hot weather and high temperature over here). I have so many many things coming soon and they are all so important and decisive for me. Sometimes these situations happen and they all come together, it's like never two without three sort of. Anyway I will be posting shortly back, hopefully if I'm still ........... after going through all of the pressure and all. So good luck to me and until later. A bientot!

Apple Frangipane Tart

Quick snap of my first home-made tart ever. An apple frangipane tart. I made my own sweet shortcut pastry and frangipane filling. It decided to top the tart with some sliced apples (I'm not quite an expert on placing fruits/ decorating yet but we'll get there *fingers crossed*). It turned out well considering it was my first. I will definitely make my own tart in the future. Though it is quite time consuming to make, I think it's worth it.

 

Matcha (Green Tea Powder) + Bubble Tea

I have finally received the long-awaited green tea powder by mail (muahahahaha). It came in this green packaging and I was glad it has a zip-lock. So today I have made matcha bubble tea (my simple version- see below). I plan to make some matcha desserts (buns, cake, cookies and so on) next time.

MATCHA BUBBLE TEA

For 1 cup

You need:
2 Tbs tapioca pearl (already cooked)
1 Tbs honey
1 1/2 Tsp matcha (green tea) powder
1 cup cold milk
3 Tbs warm water
 Sugar (optional)
 Ice cubes (optional)

 Steps:
1. Dissolve the matcha and honey in warm water.
2. Add milk, then the pearls.
3. Serve. Enjoy.

Note: For sweeter version, you can either add sugar and put more honey.

 

Almond Meal

Since this year I'm into trying new dishes, then why not create your own ingredients as well (alright, maybe this doesn't make sense). What I'm referring to is to make your own -say- almond meal which I did to make my frangipane filling and this was so incredulously simple that I cannot believe it myself (for all I know). Anyway I use a coffee grinder to ground the almonds (appliance that was sitting in the cupboard, getting old and waiting one day to be used- and I guess 2014 was the year!). Right, so all I did is put the raw almond in the machine and pulse a few times and ta-da (magic), I had ground almond before me. There was a few bit and pieces that remain, so you have re-ground them a few times again and again...but is so worth it.

Tips: Do not pulse continuously for it will create almond butter.

Pineapple Jelly

For New year's lunch dessert, I made pineapple jelly (true, I can't believe it's already over one week since). Considering that we are in summer on this side of the world, I decided to go for a refreshing and light dessert (no cake or ice cream will do) and this is when the idea popped into my head. My mum once or twice made it at home. I chose to use the pineapple cans, so that I can reserve the juices and syrup to make the jelly. This jelly is not too sugary, but if you want something sweeter, just stir in some sugar (a couple of teaspoons). I like the balance that this jelly offers: there is a tangy side to it and it's easy to eat (and to make).

PINEAPPLE JELLY

Ingredients:
2 cans of pineapples crushed (one in juice and one in syrup)
Water
Sugar (optional)
14g agar agar

Steps:
1. Drain the canned pineapple into a sieve, reserving the liquid.
2. Mix the liquid with the agar agar and add water until it makes 900 litre.
3. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and bring to boil.
4. Once boiled, mix in the pineapple pieces and pour over a heat proof dish.
5. Let the jelly set at room temperature. Once cooled, the jelly will start to harden. Pop in the fridge to set completely. Cut into pieces and serve.

 

 

Galette des Rois/ King Cake

For Epiphany I made the traditional galette des rois. Normally a bean is place in the cake, so that whoever finds it in his share is crowned king for the year. A tradition you will understand by the birth of Jesus Christ when the three kings went their way to find him accompanied with gifts. It is basically a cake-ish dessert made with puff pastry and almond filling. It is really delicious. You have that crunchiness on the outside and the sweet almond filling in the inside: great combo. Have a look here at the photo below and for the recipe click here  (it's a step by step process, very easy to follow).

Dinner: Egg tofu stir-fry

This will be a really short post about what I cooked for dinner the other night. I have always been fond of egg tofu (I really like the texture and the taste). So we really like to order sizzling tofu when dining out because it looks like a really special dish to me. Well, not anymore, since I finally cooked it myself (obviously not quite like the restaurant-version) and it turned out surprisingly good. It's so easy to cook actually and I will definitely try it again (substituting/ using new ingredients). Isn't this the best thing about home cooking- you can choose the ingredients. Right, have a look.
I'll be posting recipes soon. So until then, stay tune and happy healthy eating :)

 

Veggie Egg Toast

I made those after watching the video from Aeri's Kitchen. It's actually called a street toast and since I had all the ingredients on hand (and it looks so tasty), I decided to make it. The filling is basically an omelette (using cabbage and carrot). Now I can affirm that those toasts are really delicious, simple to cook and make a great combination altogether. I also added avocado on my toast to make it slightly healhier.

Throwback in the kitchen

This is what I cooked for Friday dinner- beef capsicum.

This is what I ate for Saturday lunch- fish and chips with salad.

...and I finally got those wall stickers by mail (these are genius and so cool- let your creativity sparks)

Bubble Tea (homemade)

I remember posting this post last year on how I like bubble tea. Honestly I'm less of a fan now, ever since I seriously considered the amount of sugar in it (yes I am not so thrilled about it- which make me realise that I'm becoming more health-conscious, which is a good thing). I rather have normal tea (no milk, no sugar).

Anyway, ignoring the previous lines, I finally made my own bubble tea and yes it's not rocket science (I might even add it's super easy and cheap to make at home). I cannot believe I just made them now. Anyway I'll write about how I made them. I saw a lot of different techniques on the web (obviously google my friend and my second new friend youtube), but all eventually lead to the same thing. I think what really matters is the taste. Right? So here is my simple version of how to make bubble tea.

BUBBLE TEA

What you need:
1/2 cup tapioca pearls (I bought mine at the asian grocery's store- really cheap) + water to cook the pearls

For the syrup:
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

For the tea:
Milk
2 tea bags of your favourite tea + hot water to infuse

Directions:
1. Cook your tapioca pearls per instructions on the packet (mine said bring 4 cups of water to boil; then add the tapioca pearls; when the pearls start to plump, cover and leave for about 10 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, to make the sugar syrup, pour all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves.
3. Once the tapioca peals are cooked, drain in a strainer, rinse and pour in the syrup.
4. To make the bubble tea, pour about 2 tablespoon of the pearls mixture in a glass (or per liking).
Add in the tea and milk per tasting.

...and here you have it: homemade bubble tea and it tastes just like the one in the shops.

Christmas Tree Cookie

I know this is a long overdue post. Remember I bought the cookie set a few days ago (see post here). I finally decided to make them and I reckon that my cookie tree turned out great. Here to prove it are some photos. The cookie itself was almost like shortbread. Now we simply have to wait until December to make another one. Let the countdown begins. So...until December it is ;)

 

 

 

Crepes

Hi there! I'm back (yay) and with new recipes and good (healthy) food. I hope you're all having a great beginning of the year. I've been off for 3 days and there is already so much to catch up with. To be honest I'm not sure where to start. Okay, rest assured- there is no need to panic.

Alright, it's decided. I will start off with some crepes. This is thin version of the usual pancake and my mom used to make it at home. This recipe is adapted from the cookbook 'Commonsense Healthy Cooking'. This book is amazing and contains countless easy and like the title says 'common' dishes.
These are best served with nutella or maple syrup (since the crepe itself is not sweet, unless you want it to be naturally sweet, then feel free to add more sugar for a sweeter version). At home, we used to fill it with some dessicated coconut sugar mixture and roll it up. Either way, if you have some time to spare or fancy some sweet breakfast (instead of the usual tea/coffee/milk with toast), then trust me, this is a great accompaniment to your brekkie. I forget to mention that it was my first time making crepes by myself and the result was very satisfying. The texture and taste were just wonderful. Now, keeping to my resolutions, I will post the recipe, including photos of the procedures. Enjoy :)

CREPES
Time: 30 min + 30 min standing
Yield: 6 crepes

1/2 cup plain flour
2 eggs
1 cup (250 ml) skim milk
Cooking spray
30g butter
1/2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Sift flour in a large bowl and make a well. Mix the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla extract.
2. Pour in the wet mixture onto the flour and incorporate slowly.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Heat a 20 cm non-stick pan. Melt 1/2 tbs butter and spray with cooking oil enough to cover the whole surface. Pour 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan and swirl. Cook for one minute (until base is golden), flip over and cook for another 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Repeat to make 6 crepes.
Sprinkle with dessicated coconut and icing sugar. Serve with maple syrup or nutella (or a fruit puree for a healthier tint).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year !

I wish you all an incredibly Happy New Year 2014.
More posts coming soon -yes- I'm taking some time off (a lil one) until later.
(yay first post of the year, glad to see 2014).
Cheers :)