First Video-Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Tuna Melt Pockets

Ingredients:

1 (170ml/ 6oz.) Can Tuna, drained and flaked

4 Tofu Puffs

¼ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 Green Onion

1 Tbsp Mayonnaise

½ Cup Water (for steaming)

How-To:

1. Finely chop the green part of the green onion

2. Add the green onion and mayonnaise to the tuna and mix well

3. Add water to a small saucepan. Put the steamer insert into the small saucepan and turn the heat to med-high and keep the lid on

4. Empty the tofu puffs and stuff them with the tuna mixture

5. Once starting to steam, line the tuna pockets into the steamer insert, sprinkle with shredded cheese and steam on medium heat for about 10 min ( you can tell by the melted cheese)

Wondering about the mysterious ingredient named "tofu puffs"? Here's what they look like :)

Tofu puffs are made from soy beans and it is a member of the big family of tofu products. It's a healthy ingredients because it contains no cholesterol and contributes a source of protein and calcium to a balanced diet. What I love the most about these puffs is that they can hold other ingredients in cute little pockets. Great for making side dishes and appetizers. Sunrise is one of my favourite brand because they use non-GMO soy beans~

Chickpea Hash Browns

Chickpea Hash Browns

Ingredients (yield 12 bite-size patties):

1 Cup Chickpeas, Dry*

1 Egg, Large

¼ tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper, Ground

¼ tsp Garlic Powder

¼ tsp Onion Powder

3-4 tsp Pure Olive Oil (for pan-frying)

*If using canned beans, use one 796ml (28 oz) can

How-To:

1.      Rinse or drain the cooked chickpeas

2.      Mash the chickpeas till they become slightly creamy but with some chunks (the texture is up to your preference J)

3.      Add the egg and spices into the mashed chickpeas and mix well

4.      Add oil to a non-stick frying pan. On medium heat, drop approx. 1 tbsp scoops of the mixture into the pan, slightly apart from each other

5.      Cook for approx 3 min till one side turns golden brown and flip to cook the other side for about another minute

Weekend Brunch Idea: Pancakes w/ Blueberry Sauce

See earlier post for pancake recipe: http://moussiekitchen.blogspot.ca/2013/02/puffy-pancake.html

Custom Frozen Berry Sauce
Ingredient:

-Frozen Berries
-Icing Sugar

How-to:
1) In a small sauce pan, add desired amount of frozen berries and turn on medium heat
2) Cook the berries until there's enough liquid to make the sauce
3) Thicken the sauce with icing sugar by adding 1 tsp at a time till the sauce appear to be slightly thickened (the sauce will become thicker when cooled)
4) Pour the gooey deliciousness onto your pancakes or waffles~Enjoy

Lazy FRiDaY Brunch: Curry Omelette

A tasty brunch to kick start a sunny weekend! Love the exotic curry flavor combined with the tasty freshness of the vegetables. 

Ingredients (make 1 omelette):

• 1 Egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Curry Sauce (I used leftover curry sauce from yesterday), OR 1/4 tbsp curry powder
• 1/3 Cup Thinly Chopped Fresh Vegetables (I used zucchini and celery) 
• Salt (Optional)

How to:

• Whisk egg till slightly foamy
• Add sugar and whisk, whisk and whisk till you get lots of foams (this will help to make the omelette  tender and fluffy)
• Stir in curry and mix well (no need to whisk too much at this point, as long as it's evenly mixed into the egg)
• Use med heat, add egg mixture into a non-stick pan. Do not stir
• Top vegetables on the the cooking egg
• Tilt the pan occasionally to evenly cook the egg
• When the top of the omelette is cooked (no liquid), add salt to taste if desired, and fold the omelette in half 
• Decorate and serve :)

*Sweet Valentine’s Treat* Coconut Marshmallow Fudge

Ingredients (Yield: 12 bite-size pieces)

1 cup Mini Marshmallows

1 cup Desiccated Coconut, Unsweetened

3 tbsp Milk

1 tbsp Butter, or Soft Margarine

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

¼ tsp Cocoa Powder

    Red Food Coloring

3 tbsp Sugar (Optional)

How To

     1.      Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray.

    2.      Heat milk in a small sauce pan on med-low heat till warm (add sugar at this point if preferred). Stir in marshmallows. Whisk constantly to avoid sticking to the bottom.

    3.      When all the marshmallows are melted, add the desiccated coconut and vanilla extract. Turn off the heat. Whisk till well blended.

    4.      Divide the mixture into two equal parts and tint half with cocoa powder and the other half with red food coloring. Make sure to add a drop at a time to reach the desired shade. I used about 2 drops of my gel food color to produce the color in the pictures. Gel food colors tend to give more vibrant colors than liquid food colors. Paste food colors are give the most intense colors and should be use with caution.

    5.      Pack the colored mixtures into the loaf pan. Layer one color at a time.

    6.      Be creative and decorate as you wish! (heart sprinkles would be cute)

    7.      Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set.

8. Remove from the pan. Cut into bite-size pieces with your favorite cutter.

9.    Pack into cute treat bags/gift boxes for your sweetheart~

This “fudge” recipe is quick and simple. If you skip the sugar, these are not too sweet. Great for health-conscious sweethearts. I’m sure Valentine’s treats need not to be too sweet because your thoughtful hearts are the sweetest gift after all. Have a wonderful Valentine's~xoxo

*Baked* Crispy Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients:

5 Chicken drumsticks, Skin-on, Bone-in (the mixture can easily make double my test batch)

1 cup flour, All-Purpose or Whole Wheat

1 tbsp Montreal Steak Spice 

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Salt

½ tsp Pepper

1 can (approx 2 cups) Coconut Milk, Butter Milk or Whole Milk

2 tbsp Butter, or Margarine (for baking the chicken)

1 tsp Butter, or Margarine (for dipping)

1 tbsp Sugar (for dipping)

How-To:

    1.  Soak chicken in coconut milk (salted with ½ tsp salt) for about 15min.

    2.  Mix all spices with 1 cup of whole wheat flour.

        3. Preheat oven to 400F (200C)

    4.  Line the baking sheet, covering all the depth and add 2 tbsp butter (mine has basil in it J) and melt it in the  preheating oven.

    5. Take chicken out of coconut milk and coat evenly with the flour/spice mixture. Do not discard the milk.

   6.    Place chicken 5 cm apart onto the baking sheet.

   7.   Bake each side for about 15-20min.

8. Coconut Dipping: Heat coconut milk (left from soaking the chicken) to a boil, reduce heat to low, thicken with the left-over flour/spice mixture (adding approx. 1tsp at a time), sugar and  butter. Make sure to whisk, whisk, and whisk to prevent the sauce sticking to the bottom of the pan.

9. Make it look pretty and yummy. Enjoy~

The chicken has a wonderful combination of flavors. The sweet and spicy coconut sauce reduce the heat and feels refreshing for the taste buds. I think it can be even healthier with the chicken skin removed. Boneless chicken breasts would be ideal. Next time I want to play with the texture by substituting whole-wheat flour with panko~