One Pan Whole Wheat Spaghetti in Homemade Creamy Carbonara Sauce

What would you do when you've got a craving for creamy sauce pasta but yet there's no cream at home? The answer is "Do-It-Yourself!" & that's exactly what I did >.~ 

Ingredients (serves 1 toddler & 1 adult):

150g of organic sliced beef

5 mini portobello mushrooms, sliced

4 small red onions, sliced

1 garlic, sliced

1 big Japanese cucumber, diced

150g of Alce Nero organic whole wheat spaghetti

300ml of fresh milk

300ml of water

2 tbsps of organic extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO)

1/8 teaspoon of dried basil

1/8 teaspoon of dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon of freshly grounded black pepper

2 kampong eggs

4 tbsps of frozen self grated organic cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Heat up a pan & add VCO followed by beef slices to stir fry till they brown then scoop them out.

2. Add in the garlic. Once it starts to brown, add in the onions & stir fry with medium fire till they soften slightly.

3. Next, pour in mushrooms, basil, oregano & pepper. Stir-fry till the mushrooms are shrivelled & 'sweat', then pour in the milk & water.

4. Put in the pasta once the mixture start to boil & top with cucumbers.

5. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally till pasta is almost cooked.

6. Break the eggs, top with cheese then switch off the fire immediately. The remaining heat will cook the eggs. 

7. Plate the pasta, top with beef slices & some more cheese. Serve warm.

The end product? Even though the recipe uses milk instead of cream, it tastes almost exactly like the usual cream sauce pasta which I usually cook, but yet healthier. Cucumber seems like an odd ingredient in pasta but it happens to be one of the few vegetables that BB likes. He actually asked me to cut some for him to munch on when he saw me take it out from the fridge..lolz! You'll be pleasantly surprised to find that it complements a cream based sauce as its light flavour helps to combat against the richness of the sauce. 

Mummies or Daddies who've been following my blog, did you also notice something different in this recipe? Yes, you're right! To save time, I'm actually cooking the pasta in the sauce itself instead of cooking it separately. Just have to add extra water to your usual sauce (tomato, mushroom etc) so that by the time your pasta is cooked, the sauce would have reduced to a nice, thick sauce.

Beneficial Combination:

Garlic + Onion = Detoxification & anti-cancer effects

Egg + Milk =  Enhance the brain's memory function

Healthy Bubur Chacha - Purple Sweet Potatoes in Fresh Milk

After trying out the Milky Oats With Purple Sweet Potato for Breaky previously, I've cravings for it again but preferably a more soupy version so I omitted the oats today.

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh milk

2 middle size purple sweet potatoes, skinned & cut into small chunks

Directions:

1. Bring the milk to a boil. 

2. Add in sweet potato then simmer for about 15mins. Serve warm.

Omg!! The taste of this resembles it's counterpart, the bubur chacha even more! Without adding in oats this time, it has an even more distinct milky & sweet potato taste. Yums! Even though the little boy, a milk fanatic who very much prefers his milk straight from the source or cup, initially threw a tantrum after hearing that I was cooking a sweet potato dessert with milk; finally conceded and kept repeating 'Nice nice!!'

Beneficial Combination:

Milk + Sweet Potatoes = Prevent hypertension & arteriosclerosis

Milky Oats With Purple Sweet Potato for Breaky

I was having cravings for banana oats for breakfast this morning. To my disappointment, the bananas were too ripe & had turned brownish inside so into the rubbish bin they went. Since I've a pack of purple sweet potatoes on my countertop, I decided to try something new ;>

Ingredients (serve 2 adults & 1 toddler):

200ml of fresh milk

1/2 cup of organic rolled oats

1 medium size purple sweet potato, skinned & cut into small chunks

Directions:

1. Bring the milk to a boil. 

2. Add in sweet potato & oats then simmer for about 15mins. Serve warm.

What's the end result of my lil' kitchen experiment? The taste is kinda like a lighter version of bubur chacha. Fresh milk definitely doesn't have the strong fragrant of coconut milk but it also doesn't contain as much saturated fats present in the latter. Therefore, it's healthier too. The purple sweet potato gives the porridge a tinge of mild natural sweetness. What surprises me the most is the natural fragrant of the oats which fill my mouth as I chew on. I believe that without the addition of seasonings in my everyday meals, my palate has become more acute to the natural flavours or maybe because there aren't too much sweetness or saltiness to mask them.

Beneficial Combinations:

Milk + Oats = Has the effect of reducing fats & losing weight

Milk + Sweet Potatoes = Prevent hypertension & arteriosclerosis

Red Bean Oats Porridge - Another Immune Boosting Recipe

Another throwback recipe! The first time I tried something like this was in Seoul. Two big pots of red beans & pumpkin porridges outside a stall in a local market captured our attentions. However, to our surprise, it was salted, not sweet. Tasted equally yummy though. As I reminisced over the happy times in Korea, I recalled that I still had a pack of adzuki beans in my cabinet. Without wasting any time, I referred to my guide book for complements of these small red beans & found exactly what I needed..oats! So, here's my sweet version ^.^

Ingredients (serve 2 adults & 1 toddler):

1/2 cup of organic adzuki beans, soaked overnight (or at least 8 hours)

750ml of water

1/2 cup of organic rolled oats

Optional - 1 tsp of molasses or honey (pls exclude for babies less than 1yo)

Directions:

1. Rinse the soaked beans a couple of times then add into the pot of water. 

2. Bring the water to a boil then simmer for about 1hr 15mins or till the red beans soften according to your preference.

3. Pour in the oats & cook for another 15mins.

4. Add molasses or honey (best to wait till it has cooled down significantly before adding as high heat willl destroy some of the nutrients) to taste & serve warm.

Today's actually my second attempt & we still love this simple yet nutritious bowl of warm porridge in our tummies early in the morning. 

Beneficial Combination:

Oats + Red Beans = Enhance constitution & improve immunity

Apple Corn with Honey Dates Soup to Combat the Hazy Skies

Hello, everyone! I'm back after a seemingly long 'break'. First & foremost, thank you all for sticking around for the past few months!!! Despite the absence of new posts, I know some of you have still been referring to my blog for recipes & some inspirations. 

Many of you must have been wondering where I had MIA-ed to? Well, business was more or less as usual in my kitchen..lolz! My coming to 26 months old still essentially feeds on home-cooked food but I'll have to admit that I've started to close 1 eye to outside food since he's older now.Yes, only 1 eye, and not both. He may have an allowance of 1 to 2 'indulgences' per week, having the same food as us outside but I'll try to request for no salt & MSG for his portion. So far, our favourite restaurant with food that may be prepared as per the above requests is Fish & Co. Simply place an order of baked salmon or cod fish without any seasonings & sauces and he's ready to have them  (~.^) 

Food aside, I've been spending more time on his development for the last few months. With his rapid development in speech & his growth in awareness, my lil' BB is no longer that little..hee! His demand for attention has kinda increased exponentially. Thus, the focus in my blog may change slightly as well, with more emphasis on the 'Growth' aspect.

We've been more sociable as well. As my boy has not officially attended school yet, I've been meeting up with other SAHMs for playmates. These are good avenues for BB's social development & to learn how to share & interact with other children. Well, mummies need some support groups too, don't we?

Other than the Busy Bags exchanges which I've shared previously on Facebook, I have also made a Quiet Book for his 2nd birthday. This Quiet Book activity has only recently started to take off in Singapore. I've been wanting to share more but haven't quite gotten down to doing it. I promise though that it won't be long now : )

Lastly, I've also embarked on a wellness journey which I've procrastinated for like forever. I shall keep all of you in suspense for now but do stay tuned!

Enough for the catching up, let's dive straight into the recipe you've been awaiting for. With the bad hazy weather looming over our heads for the past few weeks, I have prepared this simple soup for my 'boys' at home. Consuming apples & corn together helps to boost our immune systems. In addition, mi zao helps to prevent the common cold as well as reduces allergic symptoms such as asthma & nasal inflammation by strengthening our lungs which I believe is what our bodies need most currently.

Ingredients (serve 2 adults & 1 toddler):

1.5l of water (2l if you prefer mild sweetness like myself)

2 organic apples, cut into wedges

2 organic corns, cut into thirds

2 Eu Yan Sang mi zao

Directions:

1. Bring the ingredients in water to a boil then simmer for 2h & serve warm.

I find this to be very thirst-quenching & throat soothing but a tad too sweet, especially for BB as his diet is still without much sugary stuffs. In view of this, I'll increase the volume of water to 2 litres for future attempts. Njoy the drink & bid the haze goodbye..soon, I hope!!

Beneficial Combination:

Apple + Corn = Can make skin glow & improve immunity

Sesame Oil Chicken Rice with Organic Pumpkin & Red Dates Soup

This is another of my all-time faves - "one-pot" chicken rice imparted by my mummy! The usual ingredients include Chinese sausages & dried shiitake mushrooms but we're all aware that sausages are not exactly a very healthy option due to high sodium levels & the addition of preservatives. Thus, they've been omitted. As for dried shiitake mushrooms, i've asked my mummy where I could buy good ones but she told me she also can't really find them nowadays & advised me to use fresh ones instead. That was quite a dampening news as I've always like their richer flavours as compared to the fresh ones. To compensate for the missing aromas, I subsituted normal oil with sesame oil instead & the results were great!

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

1 chicken leg + 1 small drumstick

1/2 cup of organic 10 multi-grains

4 tbsps of sesame oil

1 tbsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch

1/2 cup water

50g of white bunashimeiji mushrooms

8 stalks of organic French beans, diced

Directions:

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with the cornstarch & half the sesame oil, and marinate the rice with the remaining sesame oil for at least 1 hour.

2. Add water to rice, top off with the chicken pieces & mushrooms then steam for 30 minutes (I'm using my Techno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer but rice cooker would do too).

3. Add the French beans & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove chicken pieces & give it a good stir to mix the ingredients evenly. Serve warm.

We both love the fragrance of the sesame oil in the rice. Be warned though that the rice is kinda wet & sticky partly due to the fact that it was cooked in my steamer where more moisture is added during the steaming process. Think along the lines of mui fan (which I happened to like too). Cooking it in the cooker should give you the usual rice texture if you're not a big fan of rice with lotsa gravy.

Ingredients:

240g of organic pumpkin

6 red dates, seeds removed

750ml of water

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients to a pot & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 2 hours.

Nothing fanciful but just a bowl of comforting sweet-tasting soup.

Beneficial Combination:

Pumpkin + Red date = Invigorating spleen & replenishing qi as well as restraining & inhibiting qi of lungs

Organic Penne in Creamy Pork with Portobello Mushrooms Sauce

After we came home from our second trip to the library today, I needed to whip up a quick luncheon & I knew just what to cook as I've been having this craving since the bottle of Bulla cream has been siitting in my fridge...hee! I had wanted to prepare this dish much earlier, however, due to unforseen circumstances (almost an entire pack of shiitake mushrooms turned mouldy), I wasn't able to cook it last week :(

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

100g of Alce Nero Organic Penne Rigate

100g of Australia corn fed minced pork

6 medium-sized portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 medium-sized purple onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

150ml of Bulla Thickened Cream (red label as shown in picture below)

100ml of pasta water

1 big handful of frozen peas

3 tbsps (sauce) + 1 tbsp (topping) of shredded organic cheddar cheese

Some freshly ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil for pasta & cook in simmering water till it's almost cooked.

2. Simultaneously, heat up some EVOO in a pan then add garlic. When it starts to brown, add in the onion followed by mushrooms & black pepper then sauté till the mushrooms start to shrivel & 'sweat'. 

3. Add in the pork to stirfry then pour the cream & pasta water into the pan & mix well.

4. As soon as pasta is ready, add the pasta, peas & cheese to the pan. Toss around to evenly coat the pasta with the sauce & let it simmer a while for the pasta to absorb the goodness.

5. Top with more cheese & serve immediately.

Burp! Absolutely satisfying meal but super fattening. Well, I'm sure it's alright since we don't eat cream everyday, not even once a month in fact. &, I know most people would tell me that I can afford to put on some extra kilos..lolz! This is so good that I think I'm going to tweak the recipe slightly to make a creamy mushroom soup one of these days. Thus, do stay tuned & happie grubbing!

Beneficial Combinations:

Garlic + Onion = Detoxification & anti-cancer effects

Garlic + Pork = Eliminate fatigue, improve attention & help enhance immunity

Peas + Pork = Diuretic (promotes the production of urine), stop diarrhoea & aid digestion

Pepper + Pork = Favorable for digestion & absorption of nutrients

Open Faced Sandwich with Avocado & Cheddar Cheese Scrambled Egg

I was brain-storming as to what I could do for breakfast with the remaining few slices of my bread. When I came across the ripe avocado on my countertop, this idea came to me instanteously!

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

3 slices of homemade purple sweet potato bread

3 kampong eggs

3 tbsps (for eggs) + 1 tbsp (topping) of shredded organic cheddar cheese

1 avocado, pitted & mashed

1/2 tsp of lemon juice

A dash of freshly ground black pepper

Some organic extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO)

Directions: 

1. Add lemon juice to the avocado & mix well. Spread generously onto 2 pieces of bread (may lightly toast the bread if desired) & set aside.

2. Beat eggs with the cheese. 

3. Heat up some EVCO till hot. Pour in the eggs & lower the fire to lowest heat. Use a spatula and push inwards to the centre from around the edges. Switch off the fire when the eggs are softly set but yet slightly runny & scoop out the adult's portion. Continue to stir fry the remaining eggs till fully cooked for BB. 

4. Scoop on top of the avocado spread, top with some more cheese & pepper then serve immediately. 

BB finished his with a dollop of plain yogurt & some organic raisins in no time at all. It was a blessing in disguise that BB was having a bit of running nose & I decided not to let him drink the fresh milk which is supposed to create more mucus.

(Note: best not to consume milk with this meal. Refer to 'Harmful Combination' below) 

Healthy & delicious homecooked breakfasts always make the start of our days a better one...I hope they'd have the same greatness on you too! Enjoy!

Beneficial Combination:

Egg + Milk = Improve memory skills

Harmful Combination:

Lemon + Milk = Can affect gastrointestinal function

My Mummy's Bestest Wantons, Ever!!!

These are without a doubt my favourite wantons in the whole wide world. As people always say "Mummy knows best!" Regardless fried or soup, hot or even cold, they will still taste so gooooooood! Anyone who has had the privilege of savouring them would certainly attest to it. Well, at least to me they will & would always be ;P" 

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult): 

240g of Australian corn fed minced pork

5 prawns, shelled & diced

8 water chestnuts, skinned & diced

Generous amount of chopped spring onions (missing in mine as I've forgotten to ask my hubby to buy when he did the groceries)

1 tbsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch

1 tbsp of sesame oil

1 pack of wanton skins

360ml of thawed salmon stock

A dash of freshly ground black pepper (can replace with a few slices of ginger)

3 stalks of organic xiao bai cai 

Pot of water

Directions:

1. Marinate the pork with cornstarch & sesame oil for at least an hour.

2. Add in the prawns, water chestnuts & spring onions then mix evenly.

3. Put a tsp of the mixture onto the centre of a wanton skin (the side with more flour facing outside), fold it half & slightly press the edge of the filling to close it up properly. 

(Note: May have to wet the wanton skins slightly if they've dried up & hardened.)

4. Repeat till all the wanton skins have been used up.

5. Bring the pot of water to boil & add in the wrapped wantons to cook.

(Note: By not cooking them in the stock, it will ensure that your soup won't have a strong ghee taste.)

6. Meanwhile, add the pepper to the salmon stock & bring it to boil in another pot. Form meatballs with the remaining mixture (I actually kept about 100g of it for his dinner as the portion was a bit too much for both of us) & cook them in the stock. Add in the xiao bai cai when the meatballs are almost cooked & cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

7. Remove the cooked wantons & put into a bowl. Top with the salmon stock & xiao bai cai then serve immediately.

The efforts in prepping this dish is definitely worth the while. Trust me on this. My boy finished everything in his bowl & even asked for more which I gladly refilled with more meatballs & soup. The salmon stock which I've frozen previously really came into good use too. With all the preparations required for the wantons, I'm glad that I didn't have to prepare seperate ingredients for a broth to go with them. Especially when you've a clingy BB for the day. One thing I will like to improve on is the skins as they're not homemade. My only consolidation is at least they don't contain preservatives. Maybe I'll be more advantageous & up to the 'challenge' one day. But, not today..hee ~.^ Let's wait a few more months till my boy can be Mummy's lil' helper in the kitchen.

Beneficial Combination:

Pepper + Pork = Favourable for digestion & absorption of nutrients