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

Superb Cheesy Avocado Egg Rolls

Inspiration came as I was prepping a simple lunch for BB. Instead of the Open Faced Sandwich with Avocado & Cheddar Cheese Scrambled Egg which I intended to replicate again, I decided at the eleventh hour to change the method to pan-frying the egg since I was kinda craving for it. The image of an egg-roll immediately appeared in my mind so that's how the end product came about ;)

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

4 kampong eggs

1 avocado, slightly mashed

1 tbsp of grated organic cheddar cheese (can double the amount if you prefer it to be more cheesy)

1 tbsp of organic virgin coconut oil (EVCO)

1/8 tsp of freshly grounded black pepper

Directions:

1. Mix 1/2 tbsp of cheese into eggs & beat well. Combine the remaining cheese with the mashed avocado.

2. Heat pan till hot then pour in the EVCO & turn to medium heat to prevent it from smoking. Once the oil starts to 'ripple' very slightly, pour in the egg mixture.

3. Once the egg is almost fully cooked, spread the avocado mixture & sprinkle the pepper over it. 

4. Off the fire & let it cool down slightly before using a spatula to carefully loosen the egg from the pan. 

5. With the help of the spatula & a pair of chopsticks, carefully roll it up from one side to the other. 

6. Transfer to a chopping board (for cooked food / fruits) & cut into 3cm pieces.

I'm quite thrilled with the outcome of my first attempt at an egg roll. As my boy was snacking on some cheese when I was busy grating it, I used cheese sparingly to ensure he doesn't consume too much sodium within the day. I'll definitely add more the next time to up the cheesy factor! BB did like it too but he 'complained' that it was spicy & was thus more interested in another of his fave, tomatoes, instead. My  other 'boy', on the hand, told me that it looks super yummy & asked me to cook it for him soon..hee >.~

In addition, I can't help but mention that I'm getting better at cooking with my WMF stainless steel pan. Practice really makes perfect! At least I don' have to worry about toxic materials being emitted at high temperatures or due to scratches in non-stick pans. So, Mummies or Daddies who feel that you can't cook well, persevere & one day I'm sure you can do it too..keep fighting!!!

Burgers with Homemade Beefy Patties & Portobello Mushrooms with Buttered Peas

This meal turned out totally differently from what I had planned initially..lolz! I chanced upon organic miso the day before so I bought some & had wanted to cook a soba in miso soup. However, I saw the bread buns that we had purchased supposedly for breakfast which I'd almost completely forgotten about. As usual, my lil' bread lover got so excited upon overhearing me muttered the word 'bread'. Thus, with the new turn of events, I asked if he wanted a burger to which few kids would be able to resist that temptation, right?

Ingredients (supposedly for 1 toddler but my boy couldn't finish so I ate 1 too):

50g of organic minced beef

1 tsp of sesame oil

1 tsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch

1 egg, white separated

A dash of basil

A dash of oregano

2 big portobello mushrooms 

1 tsp of organic VCO

2 tbsps of freshly grated organic cheddar cheese

2 big handfuls of Watties frozen garden peas

2 tbsps of water

1 tsp of unsalted butter

2 burger buns (I used the sesame loaf from Green Pumpkin Japanese Bakery at Nex)

Directions:

1. Marinate beef with sesame oil, cornstarch, egg white, basil & oregano for at least 15 minutes.

2. Preheat oven under Grill setting, max temperature (260°C) for 5 minutes.

3. Drizzle the underside of the mushrooms with the VCO & grill for 5 minutes. 

4. Half the beef & use a spoon to form 2 circular patties. Grill for around 10 minutes till they turn slightly brown on the surface.

5. Cut the buns into half, without seperating them. Lightly beat the egg yolk & spread it over the insides of the buns & grill for 2-3 minutes till the egg is cooked & bread lightly toasted.

6. Top the mushrooms with 1 tbsp of cheddar cheese each & bake for another 10 minutes.

7. Add 2 tbsps of water to the peas then also grill for 2-3 minutes till softened & cooked. Drain the water then melt the butter over the hot peas & mix well.

8. Assemble the burger by putting the beef patty on the bun then cap on the mushroom with cheese. Lastly, top with the bun & serve warm with the buttered peas.

I couldn't help but mention the most hilarious thing that happened while I was prepping lunch. My boy was so elated & grateful for his upcoming meal that he repeatedly thanked me for it..hahaha!! His impromptu luncheon turned out yummilicious!!! I remembered my first attempt at homemade patties weren't quite as successful as I found them too dense with oats added. Yet, this time round, I didn't even have time to do any research & simply jumped right into the preparations with just my gut feel. I was still kinda worried initially as i had pre-marinated the beef with sesame oil which is more commonly used for Chinese cuisines. To my surprise, the patty was quite tender with a faint fragrance from the herbs plus the juice from the portobello mushrooms complemented it nicely. Furthermore, the crispy toasted bread had a slight sweetness to it so all the flavours just seemed to come together in a perfect symphony in my mouth. No wonder BB devoured his in no time at all..lolz! I'm so going to replicate this again for my other 'boy' soon ~.<

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

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 =)

Creamy Organic Beefy Pumpkin Baked Pasta with Asparagus

I remember one of the fave dishes which I liked to cook when we first moved in to our place was baked rice & pasta. However, it has never reappeared from my kitchen since then. Oh ya! The reason being that I had a bad encounter which kind of discouraged me from preparing it again. Due to wear & tear, my oven glove 'gave way'. As I was removing a casserole from my oven, I felt a sudden sharp stinging pain. The 'thinned' glove wasn't protecting me from the scalding hot casserole. Instanteously, my fingers succuumbed to the heat & I dropped it, only missing the oven door by inches. There it was, our dinner & my fave casserole shattered, on the floor. Somehow, from then on, I stopped making them. Today's the day to conquer my phobia & I am glad I did.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler + 1 adult):

100g of organic beef

100g of organic pumpkin, diced into big chunks

3 small purple onions

1 clove of garlic

3 stalks of thick asparagus, sliced

100g of organic pasta

1 tbsp of shredded organic cheddar cheese (exclude toppings for the pasta)

1 tbsp of shredded Parmesan cheese (exclude toppings for the pasta)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a pot of simmering water till just tender. Drain & leave aside.

2. Steam all the remaining ingredients, excluding the asparagus & cheeses, for 15 minutes (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender).

3. Preheat oven to 200°C.

4. Once the 15 minutes is up, add the cheeses & blend to desired consistency. 

5. Pour over cooked pasta, add in the asparagus & mix well.

6. Transfer to ramekins then top generously with more of both cheeses (ratio of cheddar to parmesan is 1:4 as cheddar tends to be saltier).

7. Bake for 15 minutes or until top is golden. Scoop out & serve warm.

There's always a fail-proof way of knowing if my boy likes a particular dish - he'll ask for it the moment he has swallowed the previous mouthful. &, this beyond any doubt was one that he certainly enjoys..lolz! The sweet pumpkin sauce & the roasty fragrance from both the dual salty cheeses complemented each other well. Given a choice, I would have used mozzarella instead of cheddar but since it was an impromptu decision & I only had these 2 cheeses in my freezer, I just had to make do with them. Mmmm, imagine the cheese oozing in every mouthful...oooooh, NICE! Well, the mission during my next trip to the supermarket will definitely be to search for a healthy mozzarella ~.^

Beneficial Combinations:

Beef + Pumpkin = Tonifying spleen & replenishing qi as well as detoxify & alleviate pain

Garlic + Onion = Detoxification & anti-cancer effects

'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

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 ~.^

Pre-Xmas Dinner of Roasted Chicky, Baked Kale Chips & Cheesy Pumpkin Mash for my BB

The recipe for the roasted chicken thigh has been shared previously at Basil Baked Chicken Thigh for BB.

Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables but it's not commonly eaten in Singapore. One reason could be that it's not readily available. Only selected Cold Storage outlets actually carry them. My mum tried to stir fry it once with pork in Chinese style for BB but it turned out too chewy so we didn't feed it to him. It actually has quite a sweet taste to it. I recalled seeing it being baked as chips on TV once & it seemed pretty easy so I tried it out previously. However, after putting it into the oven, I had to nurse my boy to sleep. When I asked my hubby to check & remove it as the time was up, they had already turned yellowish & tasted slightly bitter so they ended up in my tummy instead. 

My "Mummies group" friend was so kind to give me some this time round, so they were being 'monitored' constantly & they turned out perfecto! Crispy with a unique fragrant aftertaste. I'll definitely be making more of them as healthy chips for the family (~.^)v

Ingredients (1 toddler meal portion):

1 stalk of organic kale

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Wash & try to dry them as much as possible (if not, the residual water will have a 'steaming' effect & they'll not become crispy).

3. Carefully tear the leaves from the thick stem into bite-sized pieces.

4. Drizzle & toss with oil & spread out as a single layer then bake for about 5 to 8 minutes till the edges are slightly brown but not burnt.

5. Let them cool for about 3 minutes to further crisp up & it's snackies time!

In addition, I also attempted on something different - cheesy roasted pumpkin mash. As expected, the toasted pumpkin has a stronger flavour then the usual steamed version. &, BB likes them both ;)

Ingredients:

Half of a wedge of organic pumpkin, cubed.

EVCO

Some organic cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Drizzle & toss with EVCO then bake (can be steamed too) for 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Mash the pumpkin then add in cheese & mix well till cheese has melted.

Beef Bolognese ala My Style for my 16M27DO BB

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

100g of organic minced beef

2 handfuls (about 20) of organic cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

1 small yellow onion, cut into halves

1 clove of garlic, chopped finely

1 dried bay leaf

1/2 tsp of MasterFoods Spaghetti Bolognese Blend

2 stalks of romaine lettuce, torn into halves

1 cup of organic fusilli pasta

Directions:

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

2. Steam the rest of the ingredients, except lettuce, for 10 minutes (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender).

3. Add in the lettuce & steam for another 5 minutes.

4. Remove lettuce to cut into smaller pieces. Remove & discard bay leaf then blend the rest till desired consistency (I like mine a bit more chunky with bits of beef). Pour over cooked pasta & serve immediately.

Note: I usually cook the pasta & prepare the sauce concurrently to save time.

Beneficial Combinations:

Garlic + Lettuce = Prevent bleeding gums & vitamin C deficiency

Garlic + Onion = Detoxifiy & anti-cancer effect