'Breaded' Cheesy Zucchini Sticks & Stuffed Cheesy Potato

Recipe for the chicken can be found here.The only difference here is that I added some dried rosemary as well.

It was my first attempt at baked potato & I'm pretty satisfied with the result eventhough I didn't add in bacon bites (my fave but not a very healthy choice of topping). The only other less savoury factor is that it takes more than an hour to bake it.

Ingredients:

1 small organic potato

1 tbsp of milk (I used the milk leftover from the zucchini recipe below)

2 tbsps of grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C & bake potato for an hour or till tender.

2. Remove from oven & when it's cooled enough to handle, make a vertical cut halfway through it. Scoop out the pulp into a bowl, leaving a thin shell.

3. Mash the pulp, mik & 1 tbsp of cheese. Spoon the mixture back into the potato shell & top with the rest of the cheese.

4. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes till the cheese turns a nice golden brown.

This was real gooooooood! The inside was oozy & creamy while the roasted cheese on top complemented it perfectly. It was such a pity that i couldn't make more as the other 3 potatoes had sprouted (from underneath which I had no way of knowing since it was sealed in the packaging and hence not quite visible) & so I had to throw them away most unfortunately.

'Breaded' zucchini fries with a twist! Instead of using the usual breadcrumbs, I substituted them with wheat germ which is more nutritious.

Ingredients:

1 organic zuchhini, cut into fries

1/2 cup of wheat germ / breadcrumbs (easier to coat than wheat germ)

2 tbsp of grated parmesan cheese

Some freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup of fresh milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Spread out wheat germ onto a folded aluminium tray (for easier washing later) & bake for 1 to 2 minutes (must keep a close watch as mine was slightly charred & I had to scoop away & remove the blackened bits).

3. Remove from oven & pour into a bowl with the cheese & pepper. 

4. Pour milk into another bowl & dip the zucchini sticks into it.

5. Then, coat each with the wheat germ mixture.

6. Place them on the aluminium tray & bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of your sticks, till they turn "toasted brown" in colour.

They're such a healthy alternative to French fries, and the best part is that they taste just as good too...juicy & sweet on the inside, with a crunchy coat & slight tinge of saltiness from the cheese!

Beneficial Combination:

Milk + Potato =  Supplement nutrition & enrich nutrients

Vermicelli in Papaya Chicken Soup with Red Dates & Wolfberries

While this is not my first attempt at cooking papaya soup it certainly was without a doubt, THE best! I usually cook it with fish & the result is a very sweet-tasting soup. Armed with the intention to enhance the nutritional value of the soup, I decided to add in some red dates & wolfberries.

Ingredients (serve 2 adults + 1 toddler)

1 small green papaya, cut into 1 inch chunks

2 big + 12 small red dates, seeds removed

50g of wolfberries

1.5 litres of water

1 chicken leg + 1 small drumstick

150g of Origins brown rice vermicelli, soaked in water for 15 minutes

Directions:

1. Place papaya & dates into a big pot filled with water, bring to boil & simmer for 2 hours.

2. After 45 minutes, blanch the chicken first by placing it in a small pot with just enough water to cover it. Bring the water to a boil then remove the chicken from the heat, drain, rinse before adding it into the big pot.

3. 15 minutes before the time is up, add in the wolfberries.

4. Lastly, add in the vermicelli to warm it up for 2 minutes, then serve immediately.

I scooped up two bowls of soup before adding the vermicelli as it usually causes the soup to become more bland. To my astonishment, the soup still tasted extremely sweet even after the addition of the vermicelli. My BB finished one big bowl of the vermicelli & even requested excitedly for the small bowl of soup which I've set aside for him. Daddy-O came home early unexpectedly & luckily there was enough for the both of us. It's always such a joy to see my loved ones eating healthily & enjoying themselves in the process <3

Tomato Cheesy Omelette

If you've been following me for a while now, you probably would remember that I always had problems frying omelettes with my WMF pan after being too accustomed to using non-stick pans. I finally nailed it this time as practice indeed really makes perfect! Of course, this feat was nevertheless accomplished with the help of some pointers from another experienced cook (none other than my dearest eldest sister). Behold . . . The strategy for achieving perfect omelette, as shared below ^.~

Ingredients:

12 organic cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters

2 eggs, beaten

Parmesan cheese, grated

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 tomatoes & eggs together then pour into the pan. Lower the fire & let it cook for a minute or two.

4. Sprinkle cheese over the omelette when it starts to firm up with still some raw parts on top. Then, use your spatula to carefully ease around the edge of it then fold it over in half. Cook till the eggs are fully cooked.

My small boy seemed to sense that Mummy was preparing something yummy for him as he ran up to his high chair, kept pointing fervently at it whilst making 'ummm' sounds, indicating with all his effort that he wanted to be carried & secured upon his culinary throne...lolz!

Wholemeal Cheddar Cheese Goldfish Crackers

The legendary goldfish crackers have always been one of my hubby's fave so I've been wanting to try this out for quite some time. I finally got down to it today. It was not difficult, just a wee bit more time consuming during the cutting.

Ingredients:

1 cup Origins wholemeal flour

8 oz (240ml) of organic cheddar cheese, grated

4 tbsps of cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 tbsps of water

Directions:

1. Add the flour & butter to a food processor & pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

2. Add cheese, 1 tbsp at a time & pulse. Then, add water, also 1 tbsp at a time & pulse. Feel the dough & if it shapes easily into a ball, it is ready.

3. Flatten between 2 pieces of greaseproof paper & chill for 15 minutes so as to make the butter cold to achieve puffier crackers.

4. Pre-heat oven to 180°C.

5. Roll the dough about 3mm thick (thinner = crispier but not paper thin), cut out your desired shapes & place them in neat rows on one of the greaseproof papers.

6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness of your crackers. 

7. Cool completely on a cooling rack before storing in an airtight container for up to 1 week (mine will be long gone before that..lolz).

I did three trays' worth in total. The first tray was a tad too brown but super fragrant & crispy. I find that there's a very slight bitter aftertaste but hubby insisted that they tasted great & he liked them as they were. I took out the 2nd tray slightly earlier & they were a bit softer in the centres. I asked my hubby which texture he wants for the third tray & he chose 'in between'. In the end, the third tray turned out the most ideal & the trick here is to remove them as soon as a faint fragrant aroma starts diffusing from the oven. I'm sure I'll be baking more of these very soon as both my 'boys' enjoy them tremendously ~.^

Breakfast of Milky Organic Blueberries Couscous

Another easy peasy healthy breakfast whipped up in no time at all (~.<)v

Ingredients (serve 1 adult + 1 toddler):

1 cup of fresh milk

60g of organic blueberries

1/2 cup of Origins organic couscous

1/4 tsp of pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Using low heat, bring the milk to a boil. Once it starts to bubble, off the fire & add in all the ingredients.

2. Lightly mash up most of the blueberries & stir them into the couscous. Once the couscous absorbs the liquid in 2 to 3 minutes, it's ready to be served! 

Both of us enjoyed the subtle sweetness from the blueberries as well as the vanilla extract's wonderful aromatic flavour.

My BB 1st Try on Huai San: Organic Rolled Oats Porridge with Garoupa & Chinese Spinach in 'Huai San' & Wolfberries Chicken Soup Base

婆婆 cooked a nice pot of fresh san yao or huai san (aka Chinese wild yam) with wolfberries & chicken soup and thus I decided to use it as a soup base for BB's oats porridge. According to my mum, there're two types of fresh huai san sold locally. They're either imported from China or Japan. The huai san from China are softer after being cooked. On the contrary, the Japanese huai san has a crunchier texture. In conclusion, the China ones are actually more suitable for toddlers' consumption. The following recipe is my mum's.

Ingredients (serve 3 adults & 1 toddler):

1 fresh huai san, sliced into 1/2 inch thickness

1 chicken, excluding the drumsticks & wings

1 big handful of wolfberries

3 litres of water

Directions:

1. Blanch the chicken first by placing it in a pot with enough water to cover it. Bring the water to boil then remove from heat, drain & rinse.

2. Place all the ingredients except wolfberries into a big pot, bring to boil & simmer for 45 minutes.

3. Add in wolfberries & simmer for another 15 minutes.

The fresh huai san has a texture more similar to tapioca rather than yam unlike its dried counterparts. Even though huai san is quite bland, the soup is very light yet sweet tasting. 

Ingredients:

250ml of soup with huai san & wolfberries

3 tbsps of organic rolled oats

1 piece of garoupa

60g of Chinese spinach, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Transfer the soup to a smaller pot then add the fish in & cook for 10 minutes.

2. Remove fish to cool slightly & to check for bones. Add oats in then cook for another 5 minutes before adding the Chinese spinach & cook for another 5 minutes. 

3. Top with fish & serve warm.

Surprisingly, BB liked the huai san despite its blandness. He actually pointed to it & asked for more. Another addition to my collection of soup recipes >.~

Beneficial Combination:

San yao + Wolfberries = Good for spleen & stomach, benefit lung & tonify kidney as well as concentrate one's attention

Organic Fusilli in Organic Pumpkin & Spinach Soup, Topped with Cod

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler):

1 piece of cod fish

50g of organic pumpkin, cut into small chunks

50g of organic baby spinach

3 tbsps of organic fusilli

Directions:

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

2. Steam both the cod & pumpkin together for 10 minutes (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender).

3. Add in the spinach & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove cod & flake. Blend the pumpkin with spinach to desired consistency. Pour over cooked pasta, topped with cod & serve warm.

Beneficial Combination:

Cod + Pumpkin = Prevent dry skin & cold

Hearty ABC Soup for Luncheon!

Nothing new to most people & loved by most, it comes as no surprise that this is a soup commonly served in my kitchen. Hence, I'd like to share this recipe for the benefit of either first-time mummies or mummies who are new to the entire cooking experience.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler + 1 adult):

2 pieces of probiotics fed chicken drumsticks

2 small carrots, sliced thinly

3 small organic potatoes, sliced thinly

1 handful of frozen peas

750ml of water

Directions:

1. Bring the water to a boil then add in carrots & potatoes. Simmer for 1 hour.

2. Add in the chicken & cook for another 1 hour.

3. 2 minutes before time is up, add in the peas. Serve warm.

I didn't serve this with rice as i know that my boy loves all the various ingredients & they would be pretty filling on their own. True enough, he finished everything to the last drop!

Beneficial Combination:

Carrot + Chicken = Promote the absorption & utilisation of protein

Organic Rolled Oats Porridge with Garoupa + Organic Pumpkin & Zucchini

We decided quite last minute that we would go out straight after our usual Sunday lunch at my Mum's, instead of coming home to prepare dinner before heading out again. Thus, I had to cook a double portion of oats porridge instead of preparing 2 different menus for lunch & dinner which I do when time permits.

Ingredients (2 toddlers serving):

500ml of water

6 tbsps of organic rolled oats

1 piece of garoupa

100g of organic pumpkin, diced

1 medium sized organic zucchini, diced

1 egg (omitted this time round as we had an 'overdose' off eggs the previous day), beaten

Directions:

1. Bring the water to boil then add the fish in & cook for 10 minutes.

2. Remove fish to cool slightly & to check for bones. Add pumpkin, zucchini & oats in then cook for another 5 minutes (will usually cook the pumpkin & zucchini for 10 minutes before adding the oats but as I would be transferring the porridge to a thermal flask to bring out, they would continue to 'cook' inside it.)

3. Add in egg, stir evenly & simmer till it's fully cooked.

4. Remove from fire, add in the flaked fish & mix well. Serve warm.

Beneficial Combination:

Egg + Zuchhini = Effectively relieve pain

Dinner of Pappardelle Mushroom Carbonara for 3

Special request of pappardelle from Daddy-O after we watched MasterChef Junior Season 3. So, I whipped up a mushroom carbonara with the leftover parmesan cheese from our X'mas dinner. It has been more than 10 years since I last did this sauce so l was keeping my fingers crossed that it would turn out alright.

Ingredients (serve 2 adults + 1 toddler):

1 pack of 250g of pappardelle

160g of fresh emperor shiitake mushrooms (bought directly from Mycofarm), sliced

1 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

3 eggs, beaten

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp of dried basil

A dash of freshly ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil for pasta. Add cheese (reserve some as toppings for later) to eggs, mix well & put aside.

2. Heat up some EVOO in a pan & add garlic. When it starts to brown, pour in the mushrooms, black pepper & basil then saute till soft. Throw the pasta in the water to cook simultaneously.

3. As soon as pasta is ready, drain & reserve 1/2 to 3/4 cup of pasta water. Immediately add the pasta to the pan, toss with the mushrooms to coat & remove from heat.

4. Pour the cheese & egg mixture over the pasta & immediately stir evenly (pasta must be hot enough in order for the eggs to be cooked). Add some pasta water to make it creamier. 

5. Top with more cheese & serve immediately for the adults' portion. As for the portion for BB, I put it back onto the stove to cook for a while more to ensure the eggs are thoroughly cooked.

The taste is good although we found it a tad too dry, as it had probably dried up slightly after my phototaking session..lolz! Anyway, I'll definitely increase the amount of the cheese & egg mixture as well as add in more of the pasta water in future. 

Buttered Prawn Bisque Couscous

As I was removing the prawns' heads & shells to prep for a prawn omelette, I noticed how fresh the heads were with their bright red roes. It would have been such a waste to throw them away & so I decided to keep them for subsequent use as a soup base. The following day, an idea came to me! I've always loved prawn or crab bisque so maybe I could try replicating them at home. It sounds complicated, right? But it's actually pretty easy peasy to prepare.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler):

10 prawn heads

4 peeled prawns

1/4 cup of Origins organic couscous

1 cup of water

A handful of peas

2 stalks of organic leaf lettuces

1 tbsp of unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil & add in the prawn heads to cook for 15 minutes.

2. Pour in the prawns & cook till they start to turn red. Remove the prawn heads then add in couscous followed by lettuces & peas. Simmer till the water has been absorbed by the couscous which should only take between 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, stir in the butter then serve immediately. 

I tried a mouthful & it was yums! I must make a mental note to cook more for myself the next time round. Sinful but worth every bite of it ;P'

Beneficial Combination:

Peas + Prawn = Enhance body's immunity

Homemade Chicken Mushroom Balls in Carrot, Spinach & Egg Drop Soup

Being inspired by another mummy blogger who has been using her homemade mushroom powder (her recipe can be found here) as a natural seasoning, an idea struck me. Adding freshly diced mushrooms to minced chicken sounds delicious to me too ;) The initial plan was to steam minced chicken mushroom with tofu but as it was quite a chilly day & I had some spinach in the fridge, I changed to cook one of my fave childhood soup, the spinach egg flower soup!

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

50g of minced probiotic fed minced chicken

1 big emperor shiitake mushroom (bought directly from Mycofarm), diced finely

1 tsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch (new addition to my fridge & it's non-GMO)

1 tsp of sesame oil

750ml of water

1 medium sized carrot, sliced thinly

60g of organic baby spinach

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Marinate minced chicken with sesame oil & cornstarch for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

2. Bring water to a boil in a pot, add in the carrots & cook for 15 minutes.

3. Mix the diced mushrooms evenly into the chicken, roll into 12 twenty-cents balls before putting into the pot & cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add in spinach followed by pouring egg in a slow & steady stream. Let it cook a while before stirring slowly to create the ribbon-like egg flower.

5. Once the egg is cooked, can remove from heat (to prevent overcooking the spinach which can actually be eaten raw) & serve warm.

My lil' food critic seemed to like every single ingredient in the soup, even the spinach! He has never voluntarily pointed to any vegetable other than peas & asked for more but yet he did that more than once for the spinach (which is not even new to him). The chicken balls were tasty with the fragrant mushroom bits & even the meat texture is quite smooth, likely due to the addition of the cornstarch.

I also steamed a pomfret with some sesame oil with ginger strips. To be honest, my palate is getting used to appreciating the natural taste of food without any salt added. I've heard people commenting that the food would be tasteless. On the contrary, my taste buds have in fact become more sensitive to the different natural flavours embedded in each food. Sometimes when we dine out, I seem to be the only one who find the dishes too salty. Mummies & Daddies, you'all can try eating the same food as your little one too. Gradually, you'll become healthier with them too!

Beneficial Combinations:

Carrot + Chicken = Promote the absorption & utilisation of protein

Egg + Spinach = Improve the absorption of vitamin B12 as well as help to treat insomnia & upset caused by yin asthenia

Homemade Honey Blueberry Jam Another Style

I used to make blueberry sauce for waffles or pancakes but since I had a loaf of failed brioche (texture resembled more of normal bread) on my tabletop, I needed jam so I tweaked my precious recipe to present you this.

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh organic blueberries

1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

1/2 tbsp of lemon zest (about 1/2 a lemon)

1/2 to 1 tsp of Origins Organic Raw Honey, to taste (please omit honey if your lil' one is less than 1yo)

1/4 tsp of pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch (optional)

Directions:

1. Pour the blueberries into a pot & mash them up depending on whether you prefer your jam to be smooth or slightly chunky.

2. Add everything in, except corn starch, then mix well.

3. Bring mixture to a boil & simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly. You may add corn starch for it to thicken faster or just cook till it reduces to your desired consistency.

Ta-dah! Your homemade jam is done in just 15 minutes & you know exactly what went into it \(~.<)/

Other than the jam sandwich, I also gave him some cottage cheese & organic raisins. 

As expected, he targeted the raisins, one of his fave regular healthy snacks, first. Then, he explored the sandwich & I knew without a doubt that my lil' bread lover will enjoy it. It's not difficult to see from the following collage that it is fingerlicking good too..lolz! The cheese was the last item left but it did not take him long to empty his plate when I handed him a spoon. In fact, it was the first sign that he's almost ready to spoon feed himself =)

Last but not least, I'm so loving my Munchkin's Silly Sandwich Cutters! They come in 3 different designs & yes, I've succumbed to temptation & bought all 3..hee ; ) The elephant & penguin ones will enable me to make simple food art in no time & BB can entertain himself while doing his puzzle sandwiches ~.^

Beneficial Combination:

Honey + Lemon = Detoxification & treatment of common flu

Our Dinner with PaPaPa

Daddy-O is having reservist training this week & would be back earlier and so we decided to have dinner at home. Apple porky bone soup was already prepared during lunch & warmed up just before dinner was served.

Stir-fry organic Xiao Bai Cai with garlic: 1 clove of garlic, mashed slightly & 1 pack of xiao bai cai, washed & cut into smaller pieces, separating the stalks & leaves. Add extra virgin coconut oil to a hot pan followed by the garlic. Let it cook till starts to brown then add in the stalks & stir fry on low fire for 1 minute. Add the leaves in, stir fry till the leaves have turned a darker green & remove promptly.

Prawn scrambled eggs: 6 medium prawns shelled & cut Into smaller pieces (keep the heads to cook prawn bisque). Add some extra virgin coconut oil to a hot pan followed by the prawns. Stir fry till they start to change colour. Beat 3 eggs (I only used 2 as used up the rest earlier on for my brioche bread), pour over the prawn & let it spread evenly over the pan. Let it cook & set slightly then stir fry gently to combine the ingredients.

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

Organic brown rice: 1 cup soaked for 7 hours in 1.5 cups of water. Steam for 35 minutes.

Steamed fish with organic cherry tomatoes: 1 fish & 9 tomatoes, halved. Pour some sesame oil over the fish & top with ginger strips. Steam for 10 to 15 minutes depending how big is your fish.

Really glad to see that BB's appetite has almost fully returned. He ate an entire bowl of rice with the dishes & yet managed to finished the big bowl of soup I left for him (I usually don't feed him soup during the meal as he'll keep asking for the soup instead of eating his rice).

Beneficial Combinations:

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

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

Harmful Combination:

Garlic + Red Dates = Indigestion