Stir-fried Beef Kailan with Oyster Sauce

Chinese broccoli, or gai-lan (kailan), is a nutritious green leafy vegetable and a member of the Brassica family of vegetables. Also known by its botanical name Brassica var alboglabra, gai-lan broccoli is commonly used in Chinese cuisine, especially in stir-fries or steamed and served with oyster sauce. Potential health benefits of gai-lan broccoli include protection against cancer, cardiovascular benefits, asthma relief, and improved eye health.

Source: http://www.healwithfood.org/health-benefits/gai-lan-chinese-broccoli.php#ixzz3IoSnXAFt

Ingredients

2 pkts Kailan ( I purchased mine from a nearby supermarket)
100-150 grams of beef - slice thinly or you can also use beef sukiyaki
4 chopped garlic
11/2 inch of ginger- sliced thinly
1 red chili- slice thinly
2 tbspn sesame oil

Seasonings:
1 tbspn light soya sauce
2 tbspn oyster sauce
1 tbspn sweet soya sauce

1 tbspn cornflour- add a little water and mix well

Methods;

1) Marinate the beef with the seasonings, chopped garlic, ginger and chili for about half an hour.

2) In the meantime, blanch the kailan in boiling water with a lil olive oil added to it for a few seconds, drain the water and set aside. Make sure the veg don't turn too soft.

3) Heat the pan with sesame oil and fry the marinated beef till the meat is tender. Add a lil water to make sure the beef  don't become too dry. Add the cornflour mixture to thicken the gravy. Lastly, add in the kailan and stir for a few seconds before turning off the heat. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Mutton Chop

Cook your very own Mutton Chop minus added food coloring and msg. This popular Indian dish is my family's favorite! It is so easy to prepare and so delicious!  Hope you'll enjoy this dish as much as my family does.


Mutton Chop:

Ingredients;

1 kg mutton ( slice thinly)
1 packet cili paste ( or 1 bowl of blended dried chillies )
7-8 limes ( limau kasturi) -get the juice
1 tbspn cumin powder
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup sugar
Some salt to taste
1/2 cup of olive oil for frying

Garnish:
some potato wedges- fried or air-fried
some slices of tomatoes
a can of green peas
some slices of cucumber 
some sunny side up eggs

 

Method: 

In a bowl, mix well the chilli paste, cumin powder, tomato sauce and lime juice & marinate the mutton with the mixed paste & leave for abt 1/2-1 hr. Heat olive oil & cook the marinated mutton for abt an hr till the meat is tender. Add a lil water every now & then to prevent the gravy from getting too dry. Once meat is tender, add the sugar and salt to taste and cook for about 15 minutes more and you're done. Garnish as shown in the pix below. Enjoy! Do comment below once you've tried this recipe. Happy trying!

Healing Chicken Soup

This Chicken soup recipe is not only delicious but also very therapeutic as it contains all the beneficial ingredients in helping the healing process especially during cough and cold. It's one of my family's favorite dish that can be taken with rice or baguette. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken - cut into 12 parts, skin removed

4 large red onions

2 green chillies

6 cloves of garlic

1 1/2 inch ginger

2 tbspn black peppercorns

2 tbspn cumin powder

1 tspn tumeric powder

2 tbspn soup powder

2 litres of water

3 potatoes- skin peeled and cut into quarters

2 carrots- cut into cube

some sea salt to taste

2 of each; cardamon spice, cloves and star anise

some olive oil for frying

Garnish:

a handful of chopped Chinese parsley and spring onions 

some fried red onions (optional)

Methods;

1) Blend 3 large onions, green chillies, ginger, black peppercorns, the cumin powder and tumeric powder into a thick paste.

2) Slice the remaining onion and set aside. Heat some olive oil into a cooking pot and add the sliced onion and the spices and fry till fragrant. Then add the soup paste and fry further for about 3-4 minutes.

3) Add in the water and leave to boil. Once the water is boiling, add the chicken parts into the soup and the sea salt. Add in the potatoes and carrots 3-4 minutes later and cook till the meat is tender and the potatoes and carrots are done. Turn off the heat and garnish with the chopped parsley and spring onions when serve. 

Chicken Soup heals.

Down through the ages, homemade chicken soup has been valued and appreciated for its

soothing and healing qualities when it comes to colds and the flu. I decided to investigate what it is about chicken soup that makes the ailing patient feel better, so I reviewed several studies, including the pioneering work by Stephen Rennard, MD at the University of Nebraska. All the research agrees that chicken soup helps break up congestion and eases the flow of nasal secretions. Many say it also inhibits white blood cells that trigger the inflammatory response, causing sore throats and the production of phlegm. Chicken also contains an amino acid called cysteine that is released when you make the soup. This amino acid thins mucus in the lungs, aiding in the healing process.

When combined with nutrient rich veggies, homemade chicken soup can definitely help the healing process in those who fall prey to colds or the flu!

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/021260.html##ixzz3DarkkkTh

Nadia's Easy Banana Nut Muffins

Did you that that banana muffins can improve your kids' moods?

Bananas can improve your kid’s moods because they convert the tryptophan (an amino acid) that is inside of bananas to serotonin. Make banana muffins and you have a way to keep your kid’s spirits high. - See more at: http://www.livinghealthymom.com/healthy-muffins/banana-muffin/#sthash.f9M0nfaR.dpuf

I'm going to share with you Banana Nut Muffin recipe which is super easy, delicious and healthy as compared to normal muffins as I replaced white sugar to brown sugar. Happy Trying!!

Duration in preparation: About 1/2 hour

Makes  24 small cups.

Ingredients

4 large over-ripe bananas 

200 gm self-raising flour

200 gm butter

200 gm soft brown sugar

1 tspn bicarbonate soda

2 eggs

1 tspn vanilla essence

200 gm macadamia nuts halves

Methods:

1) Preheat the oven at 180 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

2) When butter has melted, add in the brown sugar and stir continuously till the sugar has dissolved and leave to cool for a while.

3) Sieve the flour together with the bicarbonate soda and set aside. Mash the bananas well. Pour the melted butter and sugar mixture over the mashed bananas and mix well using a wooden spoon. Add the eggs and vanilla essence. Lastly, add the flour and the macadamia nuts and stir till it formed smooth batter. 

4) Pour into muffin cups about 3/4 full and bake for about 15-20 minutes till the muffins turn golden brown. Serve with tea/warm milk. Enjoy!

Prawn Pesto Pasta

• Ingredients:
  
  
  - 1 pkt spaghetti ( boil with some olive oil, drain and set aside)
  - 1/2 Kg prawns (de-vein,wash and set aside)
  - 5-6 cloves chopped garlic
  - some pepper,sea salt taste
  -a cup of sliced button mushrooms
  - 2 tbspn olive oil
  
  
  Pesto sauce;
  
  
  2-3 handfuls of sweet basil leaves
  1 clove of garlic
  2 tbspn shredded parmesan cheese
  1/2 cup olive oil
  1-2 tspn lemon juice
  1 handful of toasted pine nuts
  
  
  For the pesto sauce, Pound all the ingredients except for the Parmesan cheese into a paste or you can also use a food processor. Then add the cheese and mix well. The paste shouldn't be too smooth.
  
  
  
  
  Methods:
  
  
  1) Pour 2 tbspn of olive oil into a cooking pot and fry the chopped garlic till fragrant. Add in the prawns, sea salt,pepper and mushrooms. Once the prawn is cooked, add the boiled pasta and mix well. 
  
  
  2) Pour the pesto sauce over and mix well.Garnish as shown in the pix below with some roasted pine nuts, cherry tomatoes & parsley. Serve warm.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Note: Since you already add in the sea salt into the pasta, you don't need to add any salt in the pesto sauce.Hope you'll enjoy this simple and delicious recipe!

Easy Overnight Oats with Strawberries and Yogurt.

Overnight oats have been making a huge wave lately as it is not only so easy to prepare which doesn't require any cooking process but also healthy and nutritious! I tried making overnight oats twice already for my breakfast and I must say I'm already in love with it. Gone are the days where I dread at the thought of having to cook my oats and having to wait a while longer for it to cool down before I can actually have em. Now, all I need is to throw all the ingredients in a glass jar with lid and keep it in the fridge and my oats are ready to serve in the morning. You can heat it in the microwave oven if you want it warm. I love having mine cold. Here are the recipe:


1 cup rolled oats
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon Chia seeds
1 teaspoon raw honey
1 lil pinch of seasalt
some yogurt (optional)
some chopped strawberries

Method

1) Pour the rolled oats, almond milk, seasalt, honey and chia seeds in the glass jar and mix it well using a wooden spoon. Cover the lid and refrigerate overnight.

2) When serve, pour some yogurt on top of the oats and top it up with some chopped strawberries. Easy peasy. Great for busy working adults and school kids where time is very limited in preparing healthy and nutritious breakfast.

P.S. If you can't find almond milk, you can also use cow's milk.

Spicy Chicken Scezhuan

I learn to cook this recipe from my beloved Dad. He's a really good cook & an expert when it comes to Chinese dishes as he used to assist my mum at their Chicken Rice stall when he was well. Every time I visit my Dad at the stall. he will cook this dish for me using beef slices which is my favorite dish of his. You can also replace chicken meat with beef slices. Hope you'll love this easy, quick recipe.

P.S. You do not need to use salt in this recipe as all the sauces use in the ingredients already contain salt in them.


Ingredients:

500 gm chicken fillet- sliced
10 cloves garlic- chopped
1 large onion- chopped
11/2 inch of ginger- slice thinly
some curry leaves
1 red capsicum- sliced
4-5 dried chillies- cut into halves, soak in water to remove seeds and drain.
1 tbspn coarse black pepper
3 tbspn sweet soya sauce
1 tbspn light soya sauce
1 tbspn dark soya sauce
1 egg
1 tspn cornflour- mix with a lil water
Optional- 1 tbspn chilli paste (if you want the dish to be more spicy)
1 tbspn sesame oil
2 tbspn olive oil

Methods;

1) Heat the pan with olive oil and sesame oil and fry the dried chillies & curry leaves till fragrant then add onions, chopped garlic& ginger and sautee for a minute

2) Add the chicken meat and fry till the meat is cooked. Add all the sauces, pepper &chili paste(optional) and keep stirring till the chicken meat turns brown. Add in the sliced red capsicum and cook for a minute longer. Add a lil water if the gravy is too. Pour the cornflour mixture and stir constantly till the gravy becomes thick in consistency. Lastly, break an egg in the gravy and stir it for a min and turn off the heat.

3) Serve hot with warm rice. I served this dish with brown rice and blanched broccoli as shown in the pix below as it was a hit with my family members!

Mee Bandung

Ingredients:

- 1 kg egg noodle 
- 1 cup dried chillies 

- 3 large onions

- 4-5 cloves of garlic 

- 3 tbspn soup powder ( I use Adabi brand) 
- 1 tbspn cumin powder

- 4 large tomatoes (2 for blending & 2 quarted)

- 3-4 tbspn olive oil 

- sea salt to taste 

- 1 tspn sugar to taste
- 2 ltrs of water

- meat of your choice. I use prawns, beef slices & fishcakes.

- 4-5 eggs. 

1 packet Chye Sim ( blanch in boiling water with a lil olive oil added to it for abt 1 min- drain and set aside)

Methods:

1) Blend the dried chillies, onions, garlic & tomatoes with some water in a food processor into a
smooth paste. Mix the soup powder & cumin powder in the paste.

2) Heat the olive oil, fry the paste till fragrant. 

3) Next, add about 2 ltr of water and bring to boil. Then add the beef slices and cook till the beef is tender. Add the prawns and fishcake Add salt and sugar to taste. Add more water if tje gravy is too thick. 

4) Next, break the eggs into the boiling gravy and leave it for a few minutes till the eggs are cooked. Lastly add the tomatoes and turn off the heat.

5) Serve as shown in the picture below. Enjoy!

Easy Prawn Aglio Olio with Mixed Herbs & Broccoli

I have been cooking almost everyday in the month of Ramadan and today I feel like cooking something easy, light and nutritious. Might opt for an easy dish pasta dish today. Pasta. Did you know that pasta when cooked in olive oil, has several health benefits? One health benefits of pasta is in terms of the Glycemic Index - which measures how fast a food causes the blood sugar level to rise. Pasta is low in GI so it is suitable for diabetics as compared to eating rice. I will share with you my favorite easy recipe of Prawn Aglio Olio. Hope you'll love em.

Prawn Aglio Olio with Mixed Herbs & Broccoli

Ingredients;

1 packet spaghetti
1/2 kg- 1 kg prawns ( de-skinned, de-veined)
15 cloves garlic - coarsely chopped
Mixed dried herbs for pasta
Some white pepper
1 Broccoli - cut into bite-sized florets
Olive oil
Sea Salt

Methods:
1) Boil pasta with added olive oil & lil sea salt till cooked, drained & set aside.

2) Pour abt 3-4 tbspn of olive oil in a cooking pot & sauté garlic till fragrant then add a lil water & leave for a few mins. Next, add the prawn & once prawn is cooked, add cut broccoli & sea salt & simmer for a few sec. Next, add the boiled pasta & mix well for a few mins. Lastly, add the mixed dried herbs & white pepper & give it a good mix. You may add more olive oil if you find it too dry.

P.s. Red bird's eye chillies.(optional)

Black Pepper Beef In Sweet Soya Sauce ( Daging Masak Kicap )

Yesterday I realise that I haven't been cooking rice since the first day of Ramadan so I chose to cook my family's favourite dish of Black Pepper Beef with Sweet Soya Sauce with rice for iftar. Everyone enjoyed their meal. Alhamdulillah. Hope you'll enjoy it too!


Black Pepper Beef In Sweet Soya Sauce ( Daging Masak Kicap )


Ingredients:

1 kg beef ( thinly sliced)
10 dried red chillies ( cut, soak in water & drain)
3 large red onions ( coarsely chopped)
5 cloves of garlic
an inch of ginger
1 tbspn black peppercorns
1 tbspn cumin powder
1 cup of sweet soya sauce ( kicap manis)
4-5 cups of water
some olive oil for frying paste
some sea salt
3-4 potatoes (peel skin, quartered & fry in olive oil and set aside)
2 tomatoes (cut into cubes)


Methods: 

1) Blend, dried chillies with little water till it become a paste, then add in the onions, garlic, ginger, black peppercorns and cumin powder and blend it further till it becomes a smooth paste.

2) Heat cooking pot with some olive oil and fry the paste till fragrant. Add in the meat and fry for a few more minutes. Add in sweet sauce & 3-4 cups of water and cook till the beef is tender. Stir the gravy every now and then. Add in more water if gravy becomes too little. 

3) Once the meat is cooked, add in little sea salt to taste. Add the potatoes and stir for a while. Lastly, add the tomato cubes and turn off the heat. 

P.S. This gravy is best eaten with hot piping rice. Simple & delicious! 

 

Custard Dates & Raisins Bread Pudding

 Custard Dates & Raisins Bread Pudding

I had some leftover slices of baguette and made this delicious, creamy bread pudding for iftar yesterday. It turned out pretty amazing. My family loved it. It's both delicious taken hot from the oven or chilled & so easy to prepare! Here's the recipe,

Ingredients:

6 slices of baguette- cut into cubes ( better to use a day old ones)
2 cups of fresh milk
170 ml cream ( I used Nestle cream in a can)
1 cup sugar ( you can replace it with brown sugar for a healthier version)
6 eggs ( break into a bowl, add vanilla essense and beat with a fork & set aside)
10 pitted dates, chopped coursely
A handful of raisins
some cinnamon powder
2 tbspn salted butter
1 tspn vanilla essense

Methods:

1) Preheat the oven at 180 degrees celsius.

2) Arrange the bread into a casserole and top the bread with the dates and raisins and set aside.

3)  Heat the saucepan, pour the fresh milk, cream, sugar & with a wooden ladle, keep stirring for a few minutes till the sugar dissolves. 

 4) Add the butter and keep stirring till the butter melts. While stirring, pour in the eggs slowly into the mixture and continue stirring for 1-2 mintes and turn off the heat.

5) Pour the mixture over the bread and with the back of a spoon, slowly press the bread till all the bread pieces is soaked in the custard mixture. Sprinkle some cinnamon powder over the bread. Leave it for 5 minutes and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes till the bread turns golden brown. 

Note: When baking the bread pudding, place bowl( oven friendly) of water in the bottom compartment of the oven to avoid pudding getting too dry.

Serve hot/ chilled. You can serve it with double cream or have it on its on its own. Hope you'll love it! Do comment below and let me know how it turn out alright?

 
  


 

Easy Salmon & Scallop Creamy Mixed Vegetable Fusilli with Brown Mushroom & Broccoli

Easy Salmon & Scallop Creamy Fusilli with Brown Mushroom & Broccoli

Ingredients:
1 pkt of mixed vegetable fusilli ( you can use normal fussilli if you want or any other types of pasta if you want)
Abt 200 gm of Salmon fillet (cut into cubes)
Abt 100 gm of scallops
10-12 cloves of chopped garlic
1 bottle of Alfredo Sauce (350 gm)
2 cups of fresh milk
A bowl of broccoli florets
Some olive oil
black pepper, dried mixed herbs and sea salt to taste
some chopped spring onions

Some sliced red bird eyes' chillies for extra spicy. (optional)


Methods:

1) Boil the pasta in boiling water with added a lil olive oil in it till the pasta is cooked. Drain and set aside.

2) Blanch the broccoli florets in boiling water with a lil olive oil added to it for 1 minute and drain & set aside.

3) Heat the saucepan, add few tablespoons of olive oil and sautee the chopped garlic till fragrant. Then add the cubed salmon and scallops and fry for abt 1-2 minutes and pour the Alfredo sauce over it and the 2 cups of milk. Add the sea-salt to taste, mixed dried herbs and some black pepper. Stir the sauce slowly for a few minutes and turn off the heat. Throw in the chopped spring onions in the sauce.

Serve:

Pour the cream sauce over the cooked pasta & blanched broccoli and serve hot. Super easy and so delicious.

Easy 3 minutes Hersheys Dark Chocolate Mousse

This rich Dark chocolate mousse recipe is so easy to whip up and taste heavenly. You will definitely impress your family or friends when you serve them with this dessert. It only takes about 3 minute to prepare this simple dessert.

Hersheys Dark Chocolate Mousse

Serve 5 wine glass.

Ingredients:

150 grams of semi-sweet Hersheys chocolate chips
150 ml cream
100 ml milk
1 egg

Methods:

1) In a saucepan, heat the cream and milk to almost boiling for about a minute.

2) In a blender, pour the chocolate chips, egg and the heated milk & blend in maximum speed for about 1 minute. Pour the mousse into wine glass and refrigerate for half an hour to 1 hour. Serve cold. I love topping my mousse with whipping cream and cherry. Enjoy this fuss-free dessert!

Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Dark Chocolate

Dark Chocolate contains many properties which are essential for good health.
It is rich in flavanoids which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants slows down aging process & protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, which helps to protect the heart. Chocolate also helps in the production of  endorphines, a feel good hormones  which gives a feeling of pleasure. It also contains serotonin, which acts as anti-depressant. You can read more from the link below to read more on the health benefits of dark chocolate, http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/p/chocolate.htm.

Photo credit: Istockphoto

Fish Tempura Soup Noodle

Fish Tempura Noodle Soup


Ingredients;

1 kg of rice noodle ( Boil with a lil olive oil for a 10-15 minutes till cooked, drain and set aside)
1 pkt Dory fillet (slice into cubes)
2 cups of tempura flour
1 cup cold water for the batter
1 cup soybeans
A handful of anchovies (ikan bilis)
2 tbspn of sesame oil
3-4 cloves of garlic - crushed
some sea salt to taste & white pepper
2-3 jug of water for the soup
a bunch of Chye Sim (sawi)

Olive oil for frying

For extra spicy:

Red bird eyes chillies
some light soya sauce

Methods:

1) Add a pinch of salt & some pepper to the cubed fillet and set aside. Mix cold water slowly into the tempura flour till the batter becomes smooth. Make sure it's not too watery.

2) Heat up the olive oil in a non-stick pan. Dip the fillet into the tempura batter and fry the fillet till golden brown and crispy. Set aside.

3) Prepare the fish soup broth. Pour 2 jugs of water abt 3 litres into a pot, add the soybeans, anchovies, crushed garlic and sesame oil and boil them for about 1/2 an hr to 1 hr. Add more water if the broth is too little.  Add sea salt & pepper to taste. Sieve the soup for a clear broth.

4) Blanch the Chye Sim in boiling water with a lil olive oil added to it for a few seconds and drain them.

Serve:

Serve as shown in the picture below.

Easy Sticky Toffee Date Pudding

Easy Sticky Toffee Date Pudding

This is my family's favourite dessert. They're so easy to make and taste heavenly. Hope you'll love them.


Make a dozen


Ingredients:

180 gm self-raising flour
3 large eggs
120 gm soft brown sugar
120 gm butter
100 ml water
150 dried pitted dates
1 tspn vanilla essence
1 tspn baking powder

Toffee Sauce;

120 gm light brown sugar
250 ml cooking cream
50 gm butter



Methods;

1) Make the sauce. Heat the cream in a pan with the sugar and butter until the sugar dissolves. Bring to boil and keep stirring until the sauce becomes rich and caramelize.Set aside to cool.

2) Put the dates in a small pan together with the water and boil for about 3-5 minutes till the dates becomes pulpy. Using a fork, mash the dates a lil and set aside.

3) Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla essence till creamy. Then add the eggs and beat further. Next add in the flour and baking powder and beat for about 2 minutes. Lastly, add the pulpy dates and stir well.

4) Pour the mixture into  2 1/2inch diameter cupcake moulds and bake in a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees for about 30-35 minutes until risen and firm to touch.Leave to cool slightly and remove from the mould and serve as shown in the picture topping each cake with the toffee sauce. You may add your favourite fruit to garnish.

Easy Guacamole Dip

Guacamole

 Guacamole is an avocado-based dip that originated with the Aztecs in Mexico^. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine it has also become part of American cuisine as a dip, condiment and salad ingredient. ( Source:wikipedia). Avocados are an excellent source of many nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin K and folate. They are a very good source of vitamin B6, pantotheinic acid, and potassium, and a good source of niacin, riboflavin, and many minerals.
Avocados are high in monounsaturated fat, a heart-healthy oil which may have other health benefits as well. Avocados are also rich in phytonutrients, including lutein and other carotenoids, which can help protect cells from damage.(Source: About.com)


Easy Guacamole Dip

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados - get the flesh
1 coarsely chopped red onion 
1 coarsely chopped garlic
1 red chilli- de-seed & coarsely chopped
A handful of corriander leaves
2 tbspn of lemon juice
1 large coarsely chopped tomato
some sea salt and pepper to taste

 Method;
  
1) Throw all the ingrediants into a food processor together with the lemon juice and sea salt and pepper and process the ingredients into a thick coarse paste. Add a lil water if necessary. Done. It's super easy. I just had my breakfast of toast with sunny side up egg and guacamole dip. It's so good. Happy trying!

Sotong Masak Hitam ( Black Squid Gravy)

This is one of my favorite Malay dish which I love to eat with Basmati rice and stir-fried spinach and sambal belacan! Learned to cook this dish from my late-grandma. It's so good even my MIL asked me for the recipe and I'm sharing it with you. Hope you'll love it.


Sotong Masak Hitam ( Black Squid Gravy) 

Ingredients:

1 kg of medium large squid ( clean & slice them into thick rings- keep some of the ink for the gravy)
2 stalks of lemongrass  
Some olive oil  
sea salt to taste

For the gravy;

6-7 green chillies
3-4 green bird's eyes chillies ( optional-if you want it spicier)
2-3 large red onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 inch of ginger 
1 1/2 inch of tumeric
1 cup of water for blending

Methods:

1) Blend all the ingredients for the gravy into a smooth paste.

2) Heat the olive oil and fry the lemongrass for a while then add the paste and fry for about 5 minutes till fragrant.

3) Add the squid together with the ink and with a wooden ladle, keep stirring till the gravy changes color as shown in the pix. Cook the squid for about 20 minutes till the texture of the gravy becomes thick and the squid tender.

4) Serve with hot piping rice & stir-fired veg of your choice & sambal belacan! Yums! Happy trying!

All about Eggs.

Eggs.


Eating more eggs is a fantastic way to give yourself a health boost. Eating whole eggs is vital: the goodness of eggs is found in the yolk (containing over 90 percent of an egg’s calcium and iron) and the white (containing almost half the egg’s protein). If you’re not eating eggs regularly, here are five reasons why you should. Read: 5 reasons to eat more eggs ,http://www.besthealthmag.ca/eggs

I love eggs & had poached egg and salmon on toasted baguette spread with cream cheese & side salad for breakfast earlier. Took me less than 10 mins to prepare this simple nutritious brekkie. I love poached eggs especially on warm toast! Here's a video (one of the best) I've taken from youtube showing how to poach an egg. To have best results, make sure you use really fresh eggs. Let the egg boil for about 2-3 minutes.  Happy trying!

Poached egg.

Nadia's Berries Yoghurt Parfait

Nadia's Berries Parfait.

Made these super easy nutritious parfait for the family earlier for snack and they're a hit! My family simply loves having yogurt for dessert or snack.


Ingredients:

A pkt of 1 ltr plain yogurt
some chopped strawberries
some blueberries
2 bowls of wholemeal cereal ( I used Great Grains Crunchy Pecans)

Methods:

1) Using glasses as shown in the pix, arrange starting with the cereals, followed by the berries and top with yogurt.

2) Repeat the steps till you have what is shown in the last pix. It's super easy and so yummy!

   

Nadia's Easy Egg Ramekins with Smoked Salmon and Brown Mushroom

Nadia's Easy Egg Ramekins with Smoked Salmon and Brown Mushroom.

Serve 2

Ingredients:

100 gm Smoked Salmon - sliced them into smaller pieces
1 clove of  garlic- chopped
2 stalks of brown mushrooms - sliced
some chopped spring onions (scallions)
1 packet of cooking cream
1/2 cup of milk
2 eggs
1 tspn of olive oil
some sea salt and pepper to taste

Methods;

1) Heat the oven at 180 degrees.

2) Heat the frying pan and sautee the chopped garlic till fragrant. Then add the brown mushroom and the sea salt  & pepper to taste & fry for a few seconds. Turn off the heat.

3) Add the Smoked Salmon, cooking cream, milk the chopped scallions into the frying pan and mix well using a fork.

4) Divide the  mixture into 2 & pour into ramekins. Slowly break an egg in each ramekin. Place the ramekins in a baking tin filled 1 1/2 inch of warm water.

5) Bake for about 10-15 minutes till the eggs are cooked. Sprinkle some black pepper & paprika over the egg ramekins & serve with side salad for a wholesome meal. Happy trying!

 

Breakfast and Weight loss

Breakfast, don't skip it!


One of the secrets to successful weight loss is to kick-start our metabolism as soon as possible after we wake. The best way to do that is to eat breakfast. In fact, nothing, including exercise, gets our metabolism going as fast again after eight hours of restful sleep as eating a healthy breakfast!

When we skip breakfast, not only does our metabolic rate stay low, so too does our blood sugar levels. Low blood sugar levels resulting from missing breakfast often leads us to feel lethargic.

Low blood sugar levels in the morning eventually make us feel extra hungry later, which sets us up for impulse snacking, or eating overly large portions of food at lunch and dinner.

When we eat breakfast, our body feels nourished and satisfied, making us far less likely to over eat during the rest of the day.  

To read more, go to:  http://www.weightloss.com.au/diet/diet-articles/breakfast-and-weight-loss.html

Easy Dates & Cinnamon Smoothies.

Easy Dates & Cinnamon Smoothies. This smoothies is best served during breakfast as it contains all the essential vitamins and minerals & provides energy needed by the body. As dates already are naturally wonderfully sweet, you need not add any sweeteners in this smoothies which makes it a very healthy drink.

-Makes 5 cups.

Ingredients:

10-12 pitted dates
1 ltr of milk
few crushed ice
cinnamon powder

Methods:

In a blender,  blend all the ingredients except for the cinnamon powder till smooth and frothy. Pour into cups and top the smoothies with cinnamon powder and serve immediately. It's so simple to make and so delicious. Try it!

Health Benefits of Dates.

Dates.

Dates are one of the most popular fruit in Peninsular Arabian. Dates are not only wonderfully sweet, they are also full of vitamins and minerals beneficial for our overall health.

• 1. Promoting Digestive Health, Relieving Constipation – Fiber is essential for promoting colon health and making for regular bowel movements. The insoluble and soluble fiber found in dates help to clean out the gastrointestinal system, allowing the colon to work at greater levels of efficiency. Some other benefits relating to fiber and colon health are reduced risks of colitis, colon cancer, and hemorrhoids. (Dates could even be coupled with other home remedies for hemorrhoids.)

• 2. Boosting Heart Health – In addition to promoting colon health, fiber is also known to boost heart health.

• 3. Anti-Inflammatory – Dates are rich in magnesium – a mineral known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. One study found that ”inflammatory indicators in the body such as CRP (C-reactive protein), TNF (tumor necrosis factor alpha), and IL6 (interleukin 6) were all reduced when magnesium intake was increased.” Further, inflammation in the arterial walls was also reduced with magnesium intake. Based on magnesium’s anti-inflammatory properties and the findings of this study, magnesium can effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other inflammation-related health ailments.

• 4. Reduced Blood Pressure – Magnesium has been shown to help lower blood pressure – and again, dates are full of the mineral. Additionally, potassium is another mineral in dates that has several functions within the body, aiding with the proper workings of the heart and helping to reduce blood pressure.

• 5. Reduced Stroke Risk – After evaluating 7 studies published over a 14 year time period, researchers found stroke risk was reduced by 9% for every every 100 milligrams of magnesium a person consumes per day. The research can be found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

• 6. A Healthy Pregnancy and Delivery – Further adding to the health benefits of dates, one study performed by researchers at the University of Science and Technology set out to discover how the date fruit impacted labor parameters and delivery outcomes. After studying 69 women for a year and 1 month, the researchers found that “the consumption of date fruit in the last 4 weeks before labour significantly reduced the need for induction and augmentation of labour, and produced a more favourable, but non-significant, delivery outcome. The results warrant a randomised controlled trial.”

• 7. Boosting Brain Health – Some studies, such as one found in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that sufficient vitamin B6 levels are associated with improved brain performance and better test scores.

Source: http://naturalsociety.com/health-benefits-of-dates-7-reasons-eat-date-fruit/#ixzz30Cad6KnN
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