~ Rainbow Peanut Congee

Taken from:
Highlanders International

Description:
Brown rice porridge mix and peanuts~

Ingredients:

1 sachet (60g) Highlanders Rainbow Congee, or any brown rice mix

1/4 C white rice

1 can (120g drained) braised peanuts

750 ml water

Handful of red dates

Directions

1) Place rice, peanuts, and dates into the water in a saucepan and bring to boil.
2) Simmer for 10 - 15 min, or till grains are cooked. Serve =)

Remarks:
Hey, where's the rainbow colours of my rainbow congee? Well, sometimes we have to perceive things beyond what is written. For those curious, the term "rainbow congee" stems from the fact that the mix is made from 8 different ingredients (I thought the rainbow only has 7 colours?) - brown rice, mung beans, barley, buckwheat, pumpkin seeds, black glutinous rice, mushrooms and seaweed; and it's marketed as a form of "healthy rice".

Despite the plethora of ingredients added inside, the congee apparently only sports one obvious taste, that is brown rice. What happened to all the other ingredients? Perhaps they have only been added in minute amounts to justify the name of the product =p Combining one spoonful of congee with peanuts definitely enhanced the taste. I think that it would be better to cook the congee with chicken or any meat, which makes a world of difference to the taste (and appealed to me during the taste-before-you-buy session).

Next time around, I shall use the mix to make a sweet chinese soup dessert, that is red bean with brown rice paste. Sounds good? Of course!

Oh do you know what this signals?:

The durian season's coming! AHHHHH!!! ^ ^

~ Limpets Stroganoff

Taken from:
Allrecipes.com

Description:
Rich stroganoff with chewy limpets and mushrooms~

Ingredients:

110 g fettucine, cooked till al dente
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 small onion
200 g limpets, cut into chunks or sliced
50 g golden mushrooms
3/4 C chicken broth (1/4 11g stock cube in 180 ml water)
3/4 C milk
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring until softened. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and add limpets and golden mushroom. Cook until the limpets are browned. Remove to a bowl, and set aside.
2) In the same skillet, stir in chicken broth, being sure to stir in any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture has reduced by 1/3. Reduce heat to low, and return the mushrooms and onion to the skillet.
3) Remove the pan from the heat, stir together the milk and flour; then blend into the mushrooms. Return the skillet to the burner, and continue cooking over low heat, just until the sauce thickens. Stir in the parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4) Serve over cooked fettuccine.

Remarks:
I didn't know that I am allergic to limpets, which gave me very bad hives! I had to get a steroid and antihistamine jab from the doctor (a whopping $91 dollars in total), and fortunately that cleared my rashes really quick. I did a quick search on the net and found out that according to Auckland Allergy Clinic, limpets have heat-stable allergens which are released only when cooked. Well, no everyone gets such seafood allergies. What luck, how can I enjoy my abalone and escargots now?

Oh ya, back to the dish, it's really good and appetising.. Even Mum, after stuffing herself with 6 slices of bread, found it delectable. Since I had reduced my chicken broth to less than what the recipe called for, the sauce was just sufficient to coat each fettucine strand but not drench the whole dish in creamy goodness. Give this quick entree a try, but substitute the limpets with something else that doesn't produce heat-stable allergens =x

~ Rooibos Chickpea Couscous

Taken from:
Alive.com

Description:
Rooibos tea-infused couscous with a Mediterranean touch~

Ingredients:

1/2 C (100g) couscous

125 ml hot Rooibos green tea

1/2 can (15.5 oz) garbanzo beans, drained

1/2 C chopped tomatoes
5 olives, pitted and sliced

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp lemon zest

Salt and pepper

Directions

1) Pour green tea over couscous and let it stand for 5 min. Or make according to package instructions, replacing water with tea. Fluff with a fork.
2) Mix parsley, oil, lemon juice and zest together. Incorporate gently into the couscous. Season with salt and pepper.
3) Combine the rest of the ingredients and add to the couscous. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Remarks:
To tell the truth, I can't taste the Rooibos tea in my couscous, which was overpowering with lemon and olive oil. The tea can be substituted with plain water if one doesn't have it, or get creative with other teas or stock or what have you. This is my first attempt at whipping something culinary with the Rooibos tea that I've purchased quite some time ago.

Rooibos tea has this slight tinge of sweetness and is suitable for most people (pregnant women, infants alike) as it is caffeine-free and low in tannins. It possesses high antioxidant levels (not as much as green tea though) and minerals, as well as immune-modulating and chemopreventive effect. Do take note that there are different types of Rooibos tea - green and red aka fermented type. I've used the green one, but as I've mentioned before, get creative with anything you have on hand; after all, the sky's the limit (and hence the bluish background of my images.

Back to the dish itself, the addition of chickpeas seemed like a bonus to me, for they imparted a nutty salty flavour that complements the couscous. The chopped tomatoes and sliced olives livened up the dish with their contrasting colours, as well as giving it a Mediterranean slant.

I tried stirring in lettuce, but I didn't really fancy it as much as without:

~ Hummus and Salad Wrap

Taken from:
Mediterrasian.com

Description:
Healthy bread wrap with hummus and vegetable fillings~

Ingredients:

2 slices wholewheat bread

1/2 tomato, chopped

1 lettuce leaf, shredded

1 slice processed cheese

Directions

1) Flatten bread between two pieces of clingfilm with a pin roller.
2) Spread equal amounts of hummus in a horizontal line down the middle of each flat bread.
3) Arrange the cheese, lettuce and tomato on top of the hummus.
4) Roll up and cut each wrap in half to serve.

Remarks:
Hummus has been proposed as a healthier alternative over certain foods. In this case, it has replaced the butter that is usually spread onto wraps to impart moisture and taste. For comparable amount calories, hummus provides a greater variety of nutrients relative to butter. I particularly like its taste with the cheese and tomatoes. Kudos to those who advocate hummus in wraps!

Look, hummus has even been used as a pizza sauce!

~ Chye Sim Carrot Juice

Taken from:
Soyquickmilk.com

Description:
Antioxidant-rich juice~

Ingredients:

80 g of chye sim

1 orange

1 carrot

1 sprig of parsley

Dash of lemon juice

Directions:

1) Juice all together.

Remarks:
A mere search on Yahoo would yield a plethora of recipes for vegetable juices. But so far, those that I've tried doesn't taste that fantastic. Like most vegetable juices, this one tasted like puke to me, ew.


What exactly is the secret to making a good veggie juice?

~ Pork Salad with Honey Herbed Vinaigrette

Taken from:
Tiffany's

Description:
Roseate pork salad with a sweet zing~

Ingredients (serves four):

200 g lean pork meat, diced and cooked
1/2 C frozen mixed vegetables, steamed
1/2 melon gourd, cubed and steamed
1/2 C beansprouts, de-rooted and steamed
1/4 C Japanese cucumber, sliced
5 strawberries, sliced
1/2 C pickled beetroot cubes

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp flaxseeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Directions

1) Combine oil, honey, apple vinegar and oregano.
2) Toss the rest of the ingredients except the seeds together, and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Refrigerate for
3) Sprinkle with seeds before serving.

Remarks:
Literally everything that was leftover in the fridge was tossed into this salad. I like the rosy hue that was imparted by the beetroot albeit looking slightly on the unnatural side. Taste-wise, it was on the delectable side! Each ingredient was coated in a sweet tangy sauce in addition to its characteristic taste.

A colourful medley of ingredients:

This recipe makes a big serving:

Toss with soba and here you have lunch:

Marinate for an hour or two in the fridge and you'll get really pretty rosy pink soba as the soba really soaked up the sauce! I had taken a photo of it but I accidentally destroyed it =(

Actually I do have many more good things to say about this recipe, but I guess I better proceed to study for my 2 tests on this coming Thurs!

~ Craisin Tuna Salad / Sandwich Filling

Adapted from:
Realsimple.com

Description:
Simple and quick tuna and craisin filling~

Ingredients (serves two):

2/3 can (185g) tuna flakes in water

2 tbsp craisins

2 tbsp diced capsicums

1 tbsp Miracle Whip

Directions

1) Mix all together, refrigerate or serve on bread.

Remarks:
It's quite a change from the usual savoury tuna filling that I have. I found that the craisins didn't seem to meld well with the tuna, which means you can literally taste the tuna and craisins separately, but they were quite a delight to have around for a craisin adorer like me!

~ Classic Vinaigrette (served with Tomato and Avocado Salad)

Taken from:
Olive oil: the essence of the Mediterranean book

Description:
A classic vinaigrette with the deep flavours of extra virgin olive oil~

Ingredients:

1/2 tbsp vinegar

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1) Whisk vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.
2) Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly, until the vinaigrette is smooth and well blended.
3) Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Remarks:

"A taste older than meat or wine, a taste as old as cold water. Only the sea itself seems as ancient a part of the region as the olive and its oil." - Laurence Durrell.

What fine portrayal of the olive from a biographist! In English, it would mean that the olive seems as central to the life and history of the Mediterranean region as the sea, and which possesses a distinctive taste that no one can forget till now. Do correct me if I'm wrong.=)

Let's put the literature aside and concentrate on this impressive classic salad dressing. Tangy and slightly fruity, this vinaigrette over a simple mix of sliced tomatoes and avocado creates wonder, both for your health and palate. Serve this appetiser fresh!

~ Crustless Tofu Veggie Quiche

Modified from:
Vegweb

Description:
Low carb veggie quiche~

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 tsp oil
1 onion

2 garlic cloves
1/2 head broccoli, chopped into small florets

(1 slice of ham, diced)
1 carrot, sliced
1 brinjal, sliced
1/4 C chopped spring onions
1 packet silken tofu, drained
2 tbsp mustard

1/4 C milk

1 tbsp potato starch

2 slices of processed cheese

Directions:

1) Sauteed onion, garlic and meat together till slightly browned.
2) Add a tbsp of water followed by carrots. Simmer for 5 min.
3) Add in brinjal and carrot. Simmer till vegetables are soft, approximately 10 min.
4) In the meantime, blend tofu, mustard, milk, cheese and starch till smooth.
5) Combine tofu sauce with the vegetables, and spoon over 2 oven dishes.
6) Bake at 200 deg for 20 min, and 180 deg for another 10 min. Let the dish set for 5 min before serving.

Remarks:

This is the first time I've made quiche, and moreover it's a vegan one! Bro doesn't fancy tofu nor any dish with no "staple carbs" so it's a nono for him.

For me, I felt pretty healthy after having this. (until I threw my carb balance off with 20 odd tang yuans and two pong pia)!

The culprits:

The accomplices:

The dish smelt like cheese-flavoured Pringles chips, but didn't taste like it. The cheese taste was subtle, with a slight predominance over tofu. To add a little omegas and crunch into it, I'd sprinkled some flaxseeds over the top. The carrots were a joy to the dish, and the brinjal too! However, the broccoli tasted kind of sourish, I wonder why. Additionally, I would to see a more solid quiche, so I guess the water that was added to the stir-frying of vegetables was uncalled for.

~ Avocado Salad with Tuna Milk Dressing

Taken from:
Tiffany's

Description:
A treat for the heart

Ingredients:
1 can (185g) tuna flakes in water, drained

200 ml milk

1 tbsp potato starch

1/2 avocado, diced
1/2 large apple, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1 tbsp raisins
4 dried apricots, diced
Handful of roasted cashews

Directions:
1) Dissolve potato starch in milk in a saucepan, and stir in the tuna. Simmer for around 10 min to desired consistency. Set aside to cool.
2) Toss all the fruits, tomato and nuts together with the tuna milk dressing.

Remarks:

I was too ravenous and impatient to wait for the tuna dressing to cool so I just had it warm, which wasn't that bad. The combination of salad was rather unique - sweetness of apple and dried fruits, creaminess of "guacamole", savoury crunch of cashews, cloaked in a rich tuna milk sauce. It's either love, or hate.

~ Lettuce Burger with Salmon Patty

Low-carb alternative - using lettuce instead of buns!

Yummy! Don't you feel happy doing your health a favour?

~ Broccoli Cheese Soup

Taken from:
Tiffany's

Description:
Broccoli-based cheese soup to warm one up in a cold cold day~

Ingredients (2 servings):
1 head broccoli, diced
1 tsp mushroom stirfry sauce
1 tbsp flour
1/2 C milk
2 slices processed cheese

Directions:
1) Blanch broccoli in hot water, and place the broccoli into a blender.
2) Blend in mushroom stirfry sauce, flour and milk.
3) Heat up and simmer mixture till desired consistency.
4) Serve hot with cheese

Remarks:

This is just another random and quick dish to incorporate the plain broccoli into something spectacular that kids will love :)

~ Tofu Avocado Salad with Wasabi Dressing

Modified from:
Taste of Zen (tofu avocado salad)
Moscow Food (wasabi dressing)

Description:
Creamy avocados, soft tofu, tangy tomatoes, crunchy almonds, all tossed together with spicy wasabi dressing~

Ingredients (1 serving):
1/2 avocado, diced
1 tomato, deseeded and diced
150 g tofu, drained and cubed
Handful of blanched broccoli forets (optional)
Handful of toasted almonds

1/2 tsp wasabi paste
1 tsp milk
1 tbsp Miracle whip

Directions:
1) Mix wasabi paste, milk and miracle whip together. For thicker consistency, omit milk and replace with miracle whip.
2) Toss avocado, tomato and tofu together in a large bowl. Serve with wasabi dressing and toasted almonds.

Remarks:

Ever since I've tried the avocado tofu salad at MOF, I've been hooked to the taste and wanted to try this recipe at home since it was cheaper to make it at home then to eat the restaurant. Further, the ingredients were simple and accessible. I didn't really follow the instructions from the sources I've googled on, just merely used them as references to make sure that I was on the right track. And on the right track I was! I love the creamy texture of the dressing along with the spicy kick that the wasabi paste imparted. Slather the dressing over the healthful combination of ingredients, and indulge in a gastronomical experience! It's really fun to try to squeeze every type of ingredient onto a small tsp too, try it!

~ Pasta and Mussels in Mango Cream Sauce

Modified from:
Allrecipes

Description:
Shelled treasures doused in an ocean of sweet tropical sauce~

Ingredients (1 serving):
60 g pasta
1 tsp oil
6 (or more) mussels
1/2 small onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1/4 C cucumber, chopped
1 small ripe mango, cut into cubes
1/4 milk
1 tsp corn starch
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Parsley (garnish)

Directions:
1) Cook pasta in salted water till al dente. Set aside. Cook mussels in the water for 3 min or till the shells have popped apart.
2) Heat up oil in a saucepan, and sauteed onions and cucumbers for 3 min till tender.
3) Mix in the garlic, ginger and mango cubes and cook for 5 min or till the mango is soft.
4) Dissolve corn starch in milk and pour into the saucepan. Cook for 5 min till bubbly and of desired consistency. Adjust to taste with salt and pepper
5) Stir in mussels and pasta to coat. Once heated up, serve garnished with parsley.

Remarks:

I've never really like shellfish (chewy texture of mushroom with a hint of the ocean), but that shouldn't be a limiting factor for creativity right? 

~ Oriental Apple Salad

Taken from:

Tiff's

Description:
Taste of the Orient~

Ingredients (2 servings):
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp thai chilli sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp fish flakes or fish sauce
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional)

1 apple, cut into cuts
1/4 head broccoli, blanched and separated
1 tomato, diced
1 carrot, julienned
2 stalks of asparagus, blanched
2 lettuce leaves, torn

Directions:
1) Mix condiments together to get the sesame dressing, and toss fruits and vegetables together in a separate bowl. Serve.

Remarks:

Yet another quick and healthy salad, certainly makes me very happy!

Tossed up salad:

~ Potato Chips Tuna Casserole

Taken from:

Tiff's

Description:
Cheesy pasta casserole topped with crispy potato chips~

Ingredients (1 serving, 8X4.5"):
80 g spaghetti, cooked till al dente

1 tsp oil

1 onion, diced
1/2 stalk celery, diced
1 can (184 g) tuna in mayonaise

1/4 C milk
2 slices of processed cheese
4 cheese-flavoured potato chips, crushed

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a saucepan, and sauteed onions and celery till slightly brown.
2) Stir in tuna and milk, and cook till bubbly.
3) Toss the spaghetti with the tuna sauce, and heat up.
4) Place spaghetti onto a 8x4.5" oven-proof dish, and cover with the remaining sauce.
5) Assemble cheese sliced over the sauce, followed by the potato chips.
6) Toast for 5 min, keeping a close lookout to prevent burning. Serve hot.

Remarks:

Made this for Bro, utilising anything appropriate that I can find from the kitchen. Well, you can't go wrong with canned tuna in mayonaise and cheese and potato chips.. so I reckoned he liked it :)

~ Mushroom and Sausage Soba

Adapted from:

Eating Pleasure

Description:
Unusual but tantalising fusion of the Eastern fungus and the Western bangers over soba~

Ingredients (1 serving):
1/2 tbsp minced ginger
5 Shiitake mushrooms
1 sausage, sliced
2 tsp oil
2 lettuce leaves, shredded
1 tbsp chopped parsley
100 ml water
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp corn starch, dissolved in 1 tbsp water
60 g soba, cooked

Directions:
1) Heat oil and ginger till fragrant, 2 - 3 min.
2) Sauteed mushrooms and sausage slices for 3 - 5 min till slightly browned.
3) Add in lettuce, 1/2 tbsp parsley, water and oyster sauce. Simmer for 5 min.
4) Stir in corn starch solution, and simmer till desired consistency before adding the remaining parsley.
5) Serve hot over soba.

Remarks:

K: "thrice-deli-cious" (which means "delicious deLicIoUs DELICIOUS~")

Not exactly a creative term, but still a positive comment for my attempt at a very quick dish!

~ Creamy Tomato Prawn Pasta

Modified from:

Exclusively Food

Description:
Sensational tomato pasta~

Ingredients (2 servings):
1 tbsp oil
9 large shrimps, peeled with tails on and soaked in sugar solution

4 crabsticks, cut into chunks
1 onion, diced

3 gloves garlic, crushed
1 C sliced spring onions

550 g tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/3 C hua diao wine
Salt and pepper

1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 C milk
250 g pasta
Grated cheese

Directions:

1) Cook pasta in salted water till al dente, and set aside.
2) Heat half of the oil, and cook prawns (drained) and crabsticks. Set aside.
3) Fry the onions, garlic and half of the spring onions in the remaining oil for 2 min without browning.
4 Add tomatoes, wine, salt, pepper, and chilli flakes, and simmer till the tomatoes are soft. Mash the tomatoes with the back of a spoon.
5) Stir in milk and the remaining spring onions. Simmer for 2 min.
6) Add the prawns and simmer till heated up.
7) Toss pasta in the sauce and serve with grated cheese.

Remarks:

If there was cream, there would be heaven!