Tag: Recipe

Easy Almond Pastries

15 Comments

Hello all!  I’ve been so busy working on the Update for Envylope!  It has beautiful themes to choose from (I guess I find them beautiful may coz I did the designing LOL).  Hopefully it’ll be out next week!  I haven’t been doing much experimentation cooking to be honest. Hope to in the next few weeks.  I made Almond Pastry this week for guest for tea.  It’s a friends recipe from Bangkok – so I can’t take credit for it… But its very nice, easy and yummy!  Here are pictures to entice you 🙂

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Don’t they just look lovely?  And here are some close-ups!

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Yummyyyyy…

Easy Almond Pastry

Bakes: A huge batch

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup almonds
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 packet Jus-Rol Puff Pastry
  • Some milk for brushing

Method:

  1. Preheat oven as shown on package.
  2. Put almonds in a food processor till its fine.
  3. Melt butter.  Mix butter, almonds & sugar in a bowl.
  4. Roll out pastry and cut in small squares.
  5. Fill pastry with filling and close it.  It doesn’t matter exactly how you close it, as it looks nicer when it opens up a bit in the oven anyways!
  6. Pop in the oven and check on it.  Should be done by 12-15 mins! 🙂

Yeap and that’s it.  It’s really easy!  Also, because you brush it with milk instead of egg – it’s vegetarian, this makes it easy with all types of guest.  Let me know what you think!

xx

B

  1. Brus.h some milk in the oven

 

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Vegetarian Tuna Avocado Jacket Potato Topped with Chia Seeds

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Hello all!  Yesterday I wanted to eat a Jacket Potato but without all the cheese, just something different.  So I whipped this up – to add to B’s easy collection of Recipes 🙂  

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And then I thought.. Let me just add Chia Seeds to it for a boost in health 😉

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Vegetarian Tuna Avocado Jacket Potato with Chia Seeds

Bakes: How ever many potatoes you bake, I baked 2!

Ingredients:

  • 2 Jacket Potatoes
  • 1 Packet Vegetarian Tuna
  • 1 Avocado
  • 2 Tbsp Mayo
  • 1 can Sweet Corn
  • 2 Tbsp Chia Seeds
  • To taste:  S & P, mustard, tabasco

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 200 C.
  2. Wash the potatoes.
  3. Cut a cross in the middle of the potato.
  4. Poke all sides with a fork for even baking.
  5. Bake for 1 hour 20 mins.
  6. In the meantime, wash the tuna with a strainer to remove excess oil.
  7. Mix tuna with Mayo, salt, pepper, tabasco, mustard.
  8. Add sweet corn to the mixture.
  9. Put this mixture in the potato when it’s done.
  10. Top it up with pieces of Avocado and sprinkle Chia Seeds on top!

My husband really enjoyed this for lunch 🙂  So it’s definitely going to be something we have more often.  I’ve just been in the whole AVOCADO mood. 🙂  Hope everyones been fab! 

xx

B

Chinese Style Glazed Ginger Brussel Sprouts Stir Fry

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Hello everyone!  So yes I have been up to cooking – but its been pretty busy with Envylope so I’ve not been posting much.  But I must.  I must.  Just simply because I really do enjoy blogging!

So I wanted something easy, quick and healthy as a stir fry to have with Tofu Hoisin Steaks (the easiest Tofu dish you can ever whip up).

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And a close up of the greens…  The texture was just right and so was the sauce!  

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It was yum!  Being Vegetarian you have to try to like all kinds of vegetables otherwise it’s pretty limited!

 

B’s Chinese Style Ginger Glazed Brussel Sprouts

Makes: Enough for 3-4 people

Ingredients:

  • 1 packet Brussel Sprouts
  • 3-4 Chestnut Mushrooms, sliced
  • 2-3 carrots, sliced
  • A tsp of ginger, cut into strips
  • 2 Tbsp Seasame Oil

Ingredients for Sauce:

  • 4 Tbsp Soya Sauce
  • 1 heaped Tbsp Cornstarch
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • Pepper

Method:

  1. Put 2 Tbsp of Sesame Oil on pan.  Cook Ginger on low flame.
  2. Mix Sauces in a Bowl with a whisk.
  3. Add vegetables to the pan.  I like the order of Mushrooms-Carrots-Brussels. 
  4. After vegetables are all cooked (about 8-10mins), add the sauce to the pan and stir it in.
  5. It will be done in 2-3 mins!  Let the sauce thicken and glaze the vegetables 🙂

Hope you enjoy it! 

xx

B

Foodie Fridays: Chinese New Year Salad – Yusheng

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I got to eat amazing Yusheng this year.  For those of you who haven’t tried it- you are seriously missing out on life itself.  It’s got the crunch, the flavour and meaning behind it.  It’s amazing.

Each ingredient in the salad signifies a different meaning that provides luck for the New Year.  Chinese believe that the higher you toss the salad while mixing it – the more luck you get!  Just imagine, you’re given the green light to make a mess in a sophisticated restaurant.  It’s a child’s dream.  Oh – wait – it was really fun for me too.  Just wonder what does says about me 😉

I took a picture of it before eating it.  It was terribly tough to do that – as I couldn’t wait to dig in.  So happy that I was in Singapore during that period 🙂

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I really want to try to make it at home.  I did some googling – came across this recipe which I’m thinking of modifying a bit to suit me more.  Will post my version up when I try it out.  I think I might need to make a trip to the Chinese Supermarket for some ingredients though!

Hope everyone’s been quite the foodie lately!

xx

B

 

Foodie Fridays: B’s Easy Beany & Cheesy Tacos

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Hello all…!  Hope all of you are having a blissful Friday where you are eating merrily.  To celebrate the upcoming weekend of course 🙂

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Here’s a gorgeous, easy vegetarian meal for you all to whip up!  🙂  Hope you enjoy it! x

B’s Easy Beany & Cheesy Tacos

Makes: Enough for 2 people with a hearty appetite

Ingredients:

  • 1 can refried beans (El Paso Brand)
  • 6 Taco shells (El Paso Brand)
  • 2 fresh tomatoes, diced
  • Lots of cheese
  • Seasoning:  oregano, basil, turmeric powder (1.2 tsp), cumin powder (1/2 tsp) , black pepper, chilli powder (1/2 tsp), BBQ sauce, flaxseeds (1 tsp)

Method:

  1. Cook refried beans with some BBQ sauce, turmeric powder, cumin powder, black pepper, chilli powder, flaxseeds.  Cook for a few minutes. Keep aside.
  2. In a bowl mix tomatoes with oregano, basil and pepper.
  3. Fill tacos with bean mixture then tomatoes.
  4. Lastly top up with cheese.
  5. Bake till cheese melts!

Easy meal for a busy day – and I tried to sneak in flaxseeds and my husband didn’t know!  Yaey!  🙂

xx

B

B’s Oregano Cashew Spread

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Hello everyone!  I’ve finally tried a cashew spread that I’ve become reading on vegan blogs forever…  Although, a Vitamix seems to do a much creamier job.  Maybe one day I’ll finally invest in on – or maybe I’ll win one! Haha!  There’s always a benefit to being optimistic.  Or maybe Vitamix will read this and want to give me one. OK SO MAYBE.

 

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It kind of resembled Ricotta Cheese but a lot healthier 🙂

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I’ve been using it as a dip for carrots 🙂

 

B’s Oregano Cashew Dip

Makes: Enough for 2-3 people as a side

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup of soaked cashews overnight
  • 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice (depends on preference)
  • 1-2 tbsp of water
  • 1 tsp or more of oregano
  • Salt, Pepper and any other seasoning you like!

Method:

  1. Put everything in a food processor.  
  2. Taste and add anything else you might want 🙂
  3. Refrigerate a few hours and store in an air-tight container.

Hope you enjoy this vegan dish!  I absolutely loved it as a healthy alternative.  It’s very easy too 🙂

xx

B

B’s Vegetarian Chinese Crispy Noodles

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Hello all!  Today we felt like having noodles – okay when I say we I actually mean more my husband than me.  I rather make something that would be appreciated to be eaten.  The chef needs to be appreciated.  When the eater goes hmmmm – it makes the chef feel good about the hard work that went into it 🙂  Ok – I have absolutely no idea why I’m calling myself a chef and speaking in third person today! I’m going to stop. LOL 🙂

Chinese Crispy noodles involve deep-frying and I didn’t feel like something so unhealthy so I made the exact gravy and had it with boiled noodles.  However – for those of you who want to try it crispy – you can deep fry it or acti-fry it (less oil and same result).

I loved the way it looked.

ImageDoesn’t it just look delish with the veggie chicken topped on it?  It gave it a really new chewy texture!

B’s Vegetarian Chinese Crispy Noodles

Makes: Enough for 3-4

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • Broccoli
  • Carrots
  • 1 can of Water chestnut
  • Baby corn
  • Chinese dried mushrooms (soaked in hot water for 10 minutes – cut the stalks off)
  • 1 cup of vegetable stock (I used OXO cube)
  • 2 Chicken fillets (You can use Quorn steak strips too!)
  • Sauces/Seasoning: 2 tbsp-Soya Sauce, 1 tbsp-Dark Soya Sauce, 1 tsp-Sweet Sauce, 1 tsp-Chilli Powder, 2-3tbsp-Mushroom water, Cornstarch (1 heaped tablespoon mixed with water)

Method:

  1. Saute ginger then add carrots and brocolli in sesame oil.
  2. Oven bake chicken and cut into strips. (Yummy!) 🙂
  3. In a separate pan, boil thin egg noodles. Drain the noodles once done.  (To fry the noodles- deep fry the cooked noodles)
  4. Mix sauces/seasoning in a bowl with vegetable stock.
  5. When vegetables are cooked and sauces to it and bring to a boil.  Add water-chestnut and mushrooms.
  6. Lastly, add cornstarch mixture and let it thicken to desired consistency.

Makes a one-pot vegetarian meal.  Easy to make and healthy 🙂

Enjoy!

x

B

B’s Basil Pesto Brushchetta (Without Garlic)

23 Comments

Yummy.  Home-made pesto cannot be compared to the store bought kind at all!  It simply melts in your mouth. I made the pesto a day earlier as I wanted it to sit in the fridge overnight to make it more flavourful.  Pesto and Brushchetta are both notoriously famous for their garlic flavour.  I however do not like garlic.  I find the smell rather pungent and the after-taste deadly.  So here you have it Basil and Brushchetta without garlic.  Feel free to add garlic if you like the taste as it does enhance it for garlic-fans!

Here’s a picture of my masterpiece 😉

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Doesn’t that just look gorgeous?  YES – food can look gorgeous.  😉

Here’s what I did..

First I made the pesto…

ImageBlend. Blend. Blend.

Then I used my home-made bread (pan-toasted first) and topped it with everything.  Ready to go in the oven!

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And out it comes!  All ready to feast on.  It screams EAT ME NOW! 🙂

B’s Basil Pesto Brushchetta

Makes: As many as you spread! 

Ingredients for pesto:

  • 2 cups of basil leaves (removes stems of course!)
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/3 cup of cheese (I used cheddar as that’s what I had at home!)
  • Salt and pepper

Ingredients for Brushchetta:

  • Pomodoro Fresh Tomatoes
  • Bread (toasted first)
  • A bit of cheese
  • Fresh Basil leaves (torn for the garnish)
  • Salt and Pepper

Method:

  1. Blend basil leaves, pine nuts and cheese together using a food processor.  Add olive oil and blend again.  Add salt and pepper.
  2. Toast home-made bread.  I like doing this on the pan as I love how it comes out 🙂
  3. Spread basil pesto on bread, top with chopped tomatoes.  Add salt and pepper.
  4. Top with some cheese.
  5. Put in oven (about 190 C) till cheese has melted.

YUMMYYYYY!

Enjoy 🙂

xx

B

Foodie Fridays: B’s Kitsune Udon Recipe (Japanese Noodle Soup)

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Hello happy humans!  It’s Friday 😉  I love sleeping in on Saturday – the feeling is just magical.  So I’ve had a busy day involving completing my App’s ICON!  How amazing is that?  I’m terribly excited.  🙂  Coming back to Foodie Fridays –  I’ve been eating healthy food at home to compensate for fatty food that will be coming my way (weekend).  I had udon noodles and veggies at home – and thought it would be a healthy vegetarian lunch for my husband and I.  It’s been so cold in London, so it was really comforting as well. This is an easy meal to whip up too when you are busy but do not want to eat out of a packet! 🙂

FYI: Work with two pans – it’s faster and easier to serve the noodles then pour the soup mixture on top!

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And the end result:

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Healthy veggies & tofu 🙂

B’s Kitsune Udon (Japanese Noodle Soup)

Makes enough for 2 people

Ingredients:

  • 2 packets Udon Noodles
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 5-7 mushrooms, chopped
  • Asparagus, chopped
  • Some tofu, chopped in cubes
  • Seasoning:  1 tsp Mushroom Seasoning Powder, 1 TBSP Miso Paste, 1 cube of OXO Vegetarian Stock, pepper, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp soya sauce

Method:

  1. Cook Udon noodles – boil in water (follow package instructions)
  2. Put about 1 tbsp of sesame oil and stir fry mushrooms.  After a few minutes add carrot then asparagus.  Add a bit of water and cook.
  3. Add water and miso paste.  Keep stirring till fully dissolved,  Add soup stock and all seasoning.  Add the tofu.
  4. Serve on top of noodles!

Note:  Kitsune Udon is usually prepared with fried tofu which is available in Asian Shops.  It has a spongy texture and absorbs flavour very well.  However the fat sitting on my stomach right now is not allowing me to eat that kind of tofu.  SO THERE YOU HAVE IT. Low fat.  You can change the veggies to your liking –  I just used up what I had in my pantry!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!  I’m going for some retail therapy this weekend.  It’s been a hectic week -that’s why I’ve barely posted!

xx

B

Easy Fresh Home-made Artisan Bread…!

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We have stopped buying bread in our house and I make it instead.  When I told my brother, he implied I have become a miser. It was pretty funny comment, I was like huh?  NO!  I don’t bake bread to save money. YES, it is a cheaper alternative but really switching to home-made bread is not going to get me haute couture with the saving!  I would need to bake 20000 loaves to justify a LV bag (I’m not into justifying my purchases btw!) hahaha.  Why do I bake bread?  It’s so tasty and so easy. Usually yeast creeps me out.  I have yeast-o-phobia – the whole bubbling process makes me sick.  However,  I came across this recipe and the simplicity of it made me want to try it.  The recipe was adapted from Artisan Bread in 5 minutes!  I changed the flour from all-purpose to strong white as that’s what I had on hand.  I loved it!  Will be trying multi-seed next time.

Advantages of home-made bread:

  • YUMMY (most important!)
  • Healthy – the recipe has zero oil.  Compare this 4-ingredient bread recipe to any store-bought that has 20 ingredients which are unnecessary! (It’s alarming if you read the ingredient list)
  • Cost-effective (20000 loaves baked can buy you an LV BAG LOL)
  • Your house will smell of fresh bread…Mmmmmm.

WARNING:  AFTER BAKING THIS, THERE’S NO GOING BACK!! A picture of my beautiful baked loaf…

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Doesn’t that just look gorgeous?  The first time I baked it, I was amazed too.  How can something that simple to whip up, be that mouth-watering? Hmmmmm….

Here are a few snaps to demonstrate how I made it…

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Mix the ingredients together for 2 minutes… Flour, Yeast, Salt and Lukewarm Water.  Amazingly easy. 😉

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Cover with a foil and keep it away for 5 hours.

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After 5 hours, it will look like this!  It’s extremely slimy to work with (on the first day)… But this is the dough!

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Yummy… Bread slices pan fried. OMG. I have died and gone to heaven at this point.

I am typing this recipe by memory btw!  This emphasises on how easy it is, and how often I bake it!

EASY HOME-MADE ARTISAN BREAD

Makes: Enough 2 big loaves or 3 small loaves

Ingredients:

  • 6 1/2 cup strong white flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
  • 3 cups lukewarm water

Method:

  1. Mix wall the ingredients together with a wooden spoon in a big bowl (as it will double in size later)
  2. Cover with a foil for 5 hours.
  3. Use a knife to divide dough into half (I’d recommend a day after as it’s slimy on the first day!  Hard to work with, but not impossible!)
  4. Form a ball and cover with flour.
  5. Grease a small roasting tin with butter and place dough there for half an hour.
  6. Preheat oven to 235 C.
  7. With a knife cut 3 lines in the bread (so air can escape while baking!).  Also dust a bit of flour for aesthetics.
  8. Bake for 33-34 mins and leave to cool on a wire rack.  Place some water (about 1 cup) in another roasting tin and put beneath the bread.

Notes:  The dough can stay in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 weeks!  I’ve personally only tried till a week as my husband loves bread!  I prefer making the dough a day in advance as I find the dough much easier to work with.