My 3 Dishes & Arrowroot with Black-Eyed Peas Soup for Dinner

Arrowroot with black-eyed peas soup: Skin & cut 1 arrowroot into big chunks. Add them with 280g of blanched pork bone meat & 50g of black-eyed peas to 2 litres of water & bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 3 hours.

The following were cooked simultaneously in my Techno 3-Tiers Electric Steamer.

Organic brown rice: 1 cup of organic brown rice soaked for at least 7 hours in water to remove the phytic acid. Pour away the soaked water & rinse a couple of times before adding 1.5 cups of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed fish with red dates & wolfberries: Top fish with 6 red dates (seeds removed & diced), 3 tbsps of wolfberries & some ginger strips then pour 1 tbsp of organic extra virgin coconut oil over it (Optional: add 2-3 tbsps of water for more 'broth'). Steam for 10 minutes.

Steamed probiotics fed chicken with organic green kiwi: Peel off the kiwi's skin & dice it. Top 1 chicken thigh & 1 drumstick with the kiwi & steam for 25 minutes.

Steamed organic ladies' fingers (okra) & tomato: Top 5 lady's fingers & 15 organic cherry tomatoes (cut into quarters) with 1 tbsp of organic extra virgin coconut oil & 1/8 tsp of dried basil. Steam for 10 minutes.

Slurpilicious soup! Another addition to my small growing collection \(~.^)/ First try using kiwi in my cooking as my mummy told me that it'll help to tenderise meat. Very refreshing taste when eaten with the chicken but the gravy is a tad too sour for me. I think golden kiwis will be the way to go as they're sweeter in nature. My husband, on the other hand, finds it 'just nice'. He also gave thumbs up for the fish as he likes the combined sweetness from both the red dates & wolfberries. Added a mental note to myself to add a bit of water next time so that there'll be more of the light 'broth'. As usual, my lit' food lover happily gobbled everything up..lolz!

Beneficial Combinations:

Ginger + Kiwi = Clear heatiness & stop vomiting

Pork + Tomato = For healthier stomach & digestion as well as invigorate spleen & replenish qi

Salmon with Pasta in Creamy Broccoli & Organic Potato Sauce

An interesting article which was shared by another mummy revealed that the leaves & stalk of broccoli are actually more nutritious than the florets. Thus, I decided to include them in my dish this time round.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

100g of Alce Nero Organic Spaghettini

100g of salmon

100g of broccoli including leaves & stalk

1 glove of garlic, halved

1 purple onion, quartered 

4 small organic potatoes, quartered

1 sprig of rosemary, stalk removed (can replace with 1/8 tsp of dried rosemary)

4 tbsps (sauce) + 2 tbsps (topping) of organic cheddar cheese

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Some pasta water

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a pot of simmering water till al dente. Drain & leave aside, leaving one cup of pasta water.

2. Steam the remaining ingredients, except broccoli & cheese, for 10 minutes (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender).

3. Add in the broccoli & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove salmon & some broccoli florets, add in 4 tbsps of cheddar cheese then blend. Stir in 1 tbsp of pasta water at a time till you get the desired consistency. Pour over cooked pasta, top with remaining cheese & EVOO & serve warm.

Simple, nutritious & yummy too!

Beneficial Combinations:

Garlic + Onion = Detoxification & anti-cancer effects

Organic Apple with Purple Sweet Potato Dessert

A twist to my boy's fave apple & sweet potato purée. As my boy is not much of a water drinker, this is one way to increase his water intake.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler + 1 adult):

400ml of water

1 purple sweet potato, diced

1 organic apple, diced

1/8 tsp of cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. Bring the sweet potato in water to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes before adding in the apple. Cook for another 10 minutes, mix in the cinnamon & serve warm.

Without any addition of sweeteners, this actually tastes naturally sweet. I think we're just too dependant on sweeteners & seasonings in our daily lives. Once you take that leap of faith to omit them, your taste buds will adjust gradually & you'll also start to embrace the natural flavours of food & eat more healthily with your little ones ;) Happie Grubbing!

Pork & Creamy Tomato Spaghettini

Woohooooo! I finally got down to cooking a creamy tomato sauce-based pasta. This idea struck me just before CNY but I wasn't able to try it then as I ran out of plain pasta & was left with only the vegetable pasta of which some actually contained spinach. With the knowledge that consuming spinach with cheese would affect both the digestion & absorption of calcium, I had no choice but to wait until I re-stocked my pantry. 

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

100g of Alce Nero Organic Spaghettini

100g of Australian corn fed minced pork

1 glove of garlic, halved

2 purple onions, quartered 

9 big organic cherry tomatoes, halved

5 stalks of organic French beans, quartered

1 bay leaf

5 fresh basil leaves (can replace with 1/8 tsp of dried basil)

1 sprig of rosemary, stalk removed (can replace with 1/8 tsp of dried rosemary)

1/8 tsp of dried oregano

4 tbsps (sauce) + 2 tbsps (topping) of organic cheddar cheese

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a pot of simmering water till al dente. Drain & leave aside.

2. Steam the remaining ingredients, except cheese, French beans & tomatoes, for 10 minutes (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender).

3. Add in the tomatoes as well as French beans & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf, add in 4 tbsps of cheddar cheese then blend to desired consistency. Pour over cooked pasta, top with remaining cheese & EVOO & serve warm.

Omzg!!! It was goooooooood (^.~)b With the addition of herbs, it tastes like bolognese but creamier & cheesier too. It was our first take on spaghettini & both of us enjoyed it tremendously. Much faster to cook than spaghetti but yet not too thin like angel's hair.

Beneficial Combinations:

French Beans + Garlic = Sterilise & detoxify as well as improve the taste

Garlic + Onion = Detoxification & anti-cancer effects

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

Pork + Tomato = For healthier stomach & digestion as well as invigorate spleen & replenish qi

Double-boiled Apple Zucchini Porridge with Garoupa

Any food with APPLE in it will always appeal to my boy so it came as no surprise that he totally enjoyed his dinner tonight ;)

Ingredients (serves 1 toddler & 1 adult):

5 tbsps of organic 10 multi-grains

1 organic apple, diced

1 organic zucchini, diced

100g of garoupa fillet

200ml of water

Directions:

1. Soak the grains in water within a ceramic pot overnight to remove the phytic acid. Pour away the soaked water & rinse a couple of times before adding 200ml of water.

2. Place the ceramic pot into a metal pot with a pot stainer (or on top of a steamer stand) & fill it with water to match the height of half the ceramic pot.

3. Bring water to boil, then let it simmer for 1 hour (please check occasionally to ensure that there is water left in the metal pot, especially for the first few times that you are attempting this method until you're certain on the required amount of water that would be needed without steaming away completely during the cooking process).

4. Meanwhile, start dicing the zucchini & apple then put them with the fish into the ceramic pot after 20 minutes.

5. Once the time is up (my induction cooker has a timer), serve warm.

Sweet Corn Omelette

Another recipe imparted by my dear Chef Mummy! Super simple yet, super yummy ;p"

Ingredients:

1/2 of a cob of corn, shredded & liquid slightly strained off using hands

2 eggs

Organic extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO)

Directions:

1. Heat up the pan till its sizzling hot (drop some water on the pan & the water will sizzle). 

2. Pour in some EVCO & swirl it around to coat the entire bottom of the pan. 

3. Mix the corn & eggs together then pour into the pan. Lower the fire & let it cook till the underside has turned slightly golden. Flip it over & cook till the eggs are fully cooked.

My boy loves it, most likely due to the sweetness in this corn omelette. Good to pair with rice or can be eaten alone as breakfast too =)

Organic Pasta with Amaranth & Egg Drop in Salmon Broth

Till date, I've always prepared BB's meals fresh on a daily basis. Many mummies, especially those who are working & thus face time constraints, would prepare purees / stocks typically once a week and store them by freezing and use them only when they need to cook for their little ones. 

"One final word of caution: All vegetables tend to form nitrates after cooking & during storage. These nitrates can transform into strong carcinogens in the intestines, so it is best to avoid refrigerating & re-heating vegetables, particularly leafy, green vegetables which concentrate nitrates when grown commercially." quoted from Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com.

I've also heard from close relatives of cancer patients that their oncologists have advised against eating refrigerated & overnight vegetables, even rice as these are potentially cancer-causing. In conclusion, I'll recommend only doing pure meat stocks without the addition of any vegetables. 

I've came to know about "Song Fish" from another mummy on Facebook & even made a trip down to their Chinatown Point outlet previously. However, i was hesitant to purchase as we'd take quite a while to finish their whole fresh salmon when one is only allowed 2 portions per week. After sharing with my Mummy about it, she expressed her interest too. Thus, I bought a pack to share with her. Priced at $20 per kg, it is much cheaper than those fillets sold in NTUC outlets (either $28 or $40 per kg). Furthermore, it consists of individually packed bags of salmon head, bones & 6 fillets for convenience. The best part is it is actually sashimi grade! Given this, it may even be more value-for-money than "Fassler Gourmet", another popular seafood shop which also sells fresh salmon. Point to note is that you'll have to slice it yourself if you purchase from "Song Fish". There's absolutely no turning back for salmon fillets sold between $9 to $12 per piece..lolz!

Ingredients:

1.5 litres of water

220g of salmon fish bones

Directions:

1. Put bones into the water & bring to boil then simmer for 2 hours. Remove bones & cool totally then pour into milk bags or containers to be put into freezer for freezing.

2. Transfer to chiller the night before you want to use it & it'll have thawed nicely by the next day.

With the ready stock, I use it to cook a simple luncheon.

Ingredients:

750ml of salmon stock

Salmon flesh from bones

3 slices of ginger

3 tbsps of organic pasta

50g of organic red amaranth

1 kampong egg

A dash of freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Transfer 750ml of stock to another smaller pot. Add ginger slices as well as pasta & cook for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, remove salmon flesh from the bones.

2. Add in amaranth & cook for another 3 minutes.

3. Pour egg in a slow & steady stream. Let it cook a while before stirring slowly to create the ribbon-like egg flower.

4. Mix in the flaked salmon, top with pepper & serve warm.

Note: Please be careful when you add pasta to the stock as it actually boiled over the rim instantaneously when I did that. This actually left me with only half the amount of stock I started with :/

Beneficial Combination:

Amaranth + Egg = Enhance immunity