Tuesday, December 6, 2011

hazelnut and almond sweets


1/3 cup of sugar

1 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup of milk

1/4 cup of almond butter

1/4 cup nutella hazelnut spread



1 + 1/2 cups of rolled oats



<3 Add the butter, milk and sugar to a saucepan over a medium heat and stir continuously until the

mixture comes to a rapid boil after continue to boil mixture for 1 minute

<3 Remove the pan from the heat and stir in almond butter and nutella spread

<3 Then stir in oats and mixed it well

<3 Form balls and rolled them into a mixture of chopped toasted hazelnuts and almond (can use miniature muffin paper cups or wax paper )

<3 You can also make them decorative with marzipan (optional)


Thursday, November 3, 2011

Tofu Shrimp and Cabbage Wrap (dumpling / wonton)


     Almost everyone loves dumplings/wraps filled with their favorite filling. Here, I've made an appetizing yet delicious "Tofu Shrimp and Cabbage Dumpling Wraps ". You can be creative and have your own creativity in terms of shape and taste to personalize to your own preferences. Below, here is what I did ...



1 lb medium shrimp shelled and deveined
saute with 1 tbsp oil for 3 minutes on high heat.
It should be slightly cooked and cool





Shallow fry these and you get.................



Or use the same dumplings / wraps also in soup...............


Home made shrimp stock with sherry, soy sauce, 
sesame oil, lots of green onions, salt and
pepper to taste. simmer on low heat
add dumpling/wrap and allow to
 simmer for 5-7 minutes
Do not boil because dumplings will break open

















Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Saute vegetables





Here are some vegetables that are very delicious and very, very simple to do...and to mention these veggies are nutrious for us too.

RECIPE 
1-2 tbsp oil ( I used canola oil but feel free to use any oil of your choice)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
 (1/2 tsp) or 1slice of ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp chilli ( optional)
2 sprigs of green onion or a small shallot chopped
~ 20 fresh snow peas and 20 sweet peas chopped lenght wise
1 small diakon sliced and  into sticks ( diakon may be bitter when eaten uncooked, but saute for a few minutes and you would not believe the sweetness of this root).
1 small carrot sliced into sticks --- I pre-cooked the carrot for a few minutes so that all the vegetables have approximatly the same cooking time
11/2- 2 tbsp of stir-fry sauce
dash of pepper


1. Heat oil in a saute pan
2. Add the first five ingredients and saute for 2-3 minutes
3. Then, add the rest of ingredients except the carrots and sauted for 5-7 minutes or to your desire ( I tend to like my veggies with a little snap XD ) 
4. Now, add the carrots and sauted for another 2-3 minutes
P.S. you and also add shrimp if you like since it compliment this dish beautifully

For this dish I did not add salt simply because the stir- fry sauce already have salt but ofcouse you should taste and adjust your salt and peper to your dishes always.
Enjoy!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Seafood Dinner


Fresh tuna steaks and wild caught large scallops shallow pan fried with sea salt and black pepper

complimented with lemon or lime pieces, chopped scallion and red onions, along with organic medium hot green chili


various types of seafood

 accompanied by a finger salad such as carrots, diakon, tofu, celery tomatoes, olive and onion

typical Friday night dinner that I usually prepared for my family along with rice, chinese bok choy and eggplant salad. Basically my children  will each have their favorite dish on Friday's


Cantalope for desert


ENJOY!


Sunday, August 14, 2011

Middle Eastern Pancake (Qatayef)

This is a family recipe for making taditional qatayef stuffed with various types of nuts and drizzled with honey


PAELLA

PAELLA--- I really do not have a paella pan,however, I promise to invest in one soon. But, that didn't stop me from preparing this delicious meal


SALADS

now this cucumber salad can compliment and seafood dish...






this fruit salad make a lovely desert


Saturday, August 13, 2011

ORANGE CARROT SALAD




6 carrots peeled and boiled, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
2 oranges segmented and / or juiced 
1 tbsp parsley
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Mixed all ingredients and let marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight
ENJOY!






Friday, August 12, 2011

BEETS SALAD

1 bunch beets
1/2 of a lemon ... juiced
1/2 tsp finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp good olive oil
dash of vinegar
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp parsley and celentro chopped finely
salt and pepper to tasted

Method:
Boiled beets until tender, pealed and cut into bite sized pieces
Add all remaining ingredients and mixed well
Let marinated for at least 1 hour before served but this salad in better tasting
when marinate overnight
ENJOY :)

FRUIT SALAD


Something Simple can become elegant

Monday, July 25, 2011

HARIRA ( Chickpeas Soup)


HARIRA
1 large onion, grated
1 stick of cinnamon
1/2 cup lentils
3/4 cup fresh tomato puree(can tomatoe puree work well too)
chopped flat leaf parsley, about 1/2 cup
chopped fresh coriander, about 1/2 cup
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
pinch of saffron (optional)
1 cup chickpeas soak in water overnight, or 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. In a pot add ( p.s. if adding meat put a little oil and saute meat cubes for a few minutes then add the following ingredients) lentils, tomato puree, parsley, coriander, celery, onion, cinnamon, ginger and saffron. If you are using soaked chickpeas, add them now. Add 8-10 cups of water, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chickpeas are tender. (If you are using canned chickpeas, add them after the 30 minutes)

2. Reduce the heat so that the soup bubbles gently and allow it to cook partly covered for an additional 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3.serveand garnish with lemon

4. P.S. meat of your choice can be added to this soup as well

LAMB COUSCOUS





2 lbs of lamb
olive oil
2 onions, chopped
pinch saffron threads
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground dry ginger
1 lb carrots, quartered lengthways
1 lb small turnips, quartered
3 med zuccini, quartered lengthways
2 lb pumpkin (calabaza)
2 tomatoes, skinned and quartered
bunch coriander, tied into a bunch
bunch parsley, tied into a bunch
salt and pepper
1 pk couscous ( use 1/2 of pack)
P.S. need to use a couscous steamer

1. In a large bowl, drizzle the oil over the couscous with dash of salt and with 1 cup water, stir and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Couccous need to be steam for about 3 time so that the garins is properly cooked therefore, repeat the process from steps 2 to 4

2. Put lamb into a pan with oil and fry for about 3-5 minutes, then add onions, saffron, paprika, ginger and salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. add 5 cups of water or stock, Bring to the boil, simmer gently for 30 minutes and at the same time steam couscous 1st time into the steamer that's on top of the couscous pot.

3. Add the carrots, 2 cups hot water and turnips and continue to simmer for 20 minutes. steam couscous for 2nd time , fluff with a fork to seperate the grain and simmer gently for another 20 minutes


4. Meanwhile, add the rest of the vegetables and steam couscous for 3rd time , fluff with a fork to seperate the grain and simmer gently for another 20 minutes

5. serve like the picture above. :) :) enjoy.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

HOMEMADE MARSHMELLOW MINI FONDANT CAKE

Home baking for my son's graduation which he took to his school for all his classmates. We ( my daughter and I)  made marshmellow fondant, cake, royal icing and basically eveything was made from scratch for about 50 children













Monday, June 20, 2011

Steamed Bitter Melon



STEAMED BITTER MELON

recipe:- Its not too bad, just give it a try you will never know :) :)

1 bitter melon sliced
1 tsp salt
2 tsp soy sauce
black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cp water
green onions

steps:
1. sliced bitter melon and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt--- wait about 7-10 mins then used your hands to massage the bitter melon (try not to break it) and squeezed excess water from it
2. Heat a skillet with 2 tbsp olive oil on med-low heat
3. add bitter melon, water covered and steamed for 5 minutes
4. reduce head to low and add dash of black pepper, 1 tsp of sugar, 2 tsp of soy sauce and sprinkle with green onion and simmer for another 3-5 mintues
5. add 2 eggs lightly whisked and give it a few gemtle toss ( optional)
6.continued simmer for another 3 minutes or until egg is cooked.

P.S. adjust soy sauce to your desire. I like to add a little soy sauce and extra green onion when bitter melon is finish steamed.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Father's Day Dinner

Dinner is simple yet enjoyable

Steamed Basmatie Rice With Green Onions


Stir Fry Chicken With Steamed Zucchini


Stir Fry Vegetables With Shiittake Mushrooms and Kelp



Here is Dinner I've made for my husband (habibi) for Father's Day



Saturday, June 18, 2011

Seafood Vegetable Soup






   With a little research, I am able to bolg the basic benefits of some of my favorite vegetables that are in this soup recipe I am about to share with you. Kelp is a seaweed that is brownish-green in color and it contains potassium, iodine, and calcium. As we all know that iodine is a natural trace element needed in tiny amounts to keep your thyroid and metabolism to work properly.Shiitake mushroom are loaded with minerals protein and vitamins that are use to fight cancer and many other health problems.

Here goes the recipe for
 Seafood Vegetable Soup

6 cups water
8 Shiitake mushrooms
3 big strips of kelp
2 carrots chopped
1 medium potatoe, chopped
1 small turnip chopped
4 Chinese Bokchoy
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. fish fillets
Noodles (optional)
green onion for garnish

1. Combine the first six ingrediants in the soup pot, simmer on medium heat for about 10 mins. 

2. Add the rest of the ingrediants except fish and noodle. Then cook for another 7-10 mins.

3. Add the fish and noodles in for about 7-10 mins.

4. Serve and garnish with green onions.



ENJOY!



 

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Saute chinese (napa) cabbage with plum sauce

Saute Napa with Plum Sauce
Saute Napa with Plum Sauce:- can be serve with rice, ginger-garlic black bean chicken or simply the way it is ... as a side dish -- recipe

1 small head of chinese (napa) cabbage-- washed and drained well then chopped into bite size pieces
2 tsp plum sauce
1 clove garlic chopped
small piece of fresh ginger minced
dash of black pepper
1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Garnished -- optional

* heat pan very hot on high heat
add 2 tsp oil of your choice ( I used canola oil)
add napa to pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes then add all ingredients
mixed well and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.( feel free to cook vegetable to your desire but I enjoy vegetable with a crunch) and there you have it :) "Deliciously Simple" :)

TIPS: napa cabbage releases lot of moisture it pan is not hot enough

 bitter melon
Ginger-garlic black bean chicken    and  Saute Chinese( napa) cabbage with plum sauce
                                                                                                                  

Friday, June 10, 2011

Pan Fry Fish

PAN FRY FISH


This recipe is as easy as 1, 2, 3 for all the fish lovers or non lovers who should give this recipe a try.. All you need is a little time and you will enjoy your own tasty creation. As we all know fish is important in our daily diet and most of the time diet supplement can not replace all the vitamins and minerals we get from seafood. From my own experience, my children are not great fans of fish or vegetables, however, by preparing and presenting dishes in an appetizing way for my children, the just enjoy their meal with out whining. This is what you will need:

 For the spices, adjust it to you taste but I've used: 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, thyme, cayenne pepper and of-course dash of salt --- 1 pound of fish fillets. Mixed the spices together and add 1/2 of the spice mixture to the fish fillets and the other half to the flour mixture (1/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup corn meal -- used flour of your choice). Basically it should look like this:-

 Next lightly whisked 2 eggs


 1.     Coated each fish fillet on both sides in egg mixture then do the same in flour mixture

2.      Mmmm this look delicious already :) .We are ready to pan fry

 3.     Place frying pan on medium  heat. when oil is hot, place prepare fish fillet and cook for 1-2 minutes on each sides ( depends on the sizes of the fish fillet you can increase on decrease cooking time or look for desire color).

 Yeah! My kids are ready to eat but before serving I have to do a presentation or else you know what they would do " mom, we do not like to eat fish-- hehe"
 So, this is what I did, I use some green radish (found it in the Asian supermarket), some pre-cook carrot and Japanese cucumber. With a little imagination I did this...

My kids even ate everything even those slight peppery raddishes and you know what! They didn't even whine. Hopefully when you try this it works for you. ENJOY :)