Foodarrific

Vegetarian day is frequently a headache for me. The kids are not huge fans of veggie stir-fries which is standard fare for me on vegetarian days. These days, it’s been raining elephants and llamas, so going out to grab a veggie pizza or burger is out of the question.

If we stay home, I have to get creative and this recipe is one I concocted recently. Ta-da! Loaded potato slices.

These are very easy to make. Of course, it’s not as easy as swiping a bag of frozen french fries through a Honeywell Barcode Scanner, but these taste so good that my picky eaters called for an encore and I ended up making a second batch.

Here’s what you need:

• 4 large potatoes, skinned and sliced 1″ thick lengthwise
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 stalk cilantro, finely chopped
• 2-3 teaspoons lime juice
• pinch of salt
• grated mozzarella cheese

Yes, there’s quite a bit of cutting involved. Combine the tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a bowl. Leave aside for a while, then drain off excess juices. You don’t want that.

First I microwave the potato slices on high for about 2 minutes. Transfer them to a tray and space them out nicely. Spoon the tomato mixture onto each slice and top with grated mozzarella cheese.

Then I just pop the tray into my toaster oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese and potato edges brown slightly, and they’re ready to serve.

These loaded potato slices make a very yummy, very healthy meal as there’s no oil added and all the ingredients are fresh. With its vibrant colors, it’s also very presentable and you can serve it as an hor d’oeuvre. Try it, I’m sure you’re going to love it as much as we do .

Filed under: Appetizers & Hor d'oeuvresHealthy EatingKid-friendlyQuick & Easy CookingRecipesSnacks & DessertsVegetarianWestern by chili queen - 1 Comment →

I bought some taupok, or tofu puffs from the market because I was thinking of trying my hand at making my own vegetarian curry. But I changed my mind when my neighbor said she’d get me a tub of vegetarian curry from the temple.

So I decided to stuff the taupok with some meat and fry it. I think some restaurants serve this as an appetizer or hors d’oeuvres. Taupok is a roughly 2-inch square tofu puff that’s hollow inside.

So what you need is:

• 10-15 taupok, cut into half
• 100 grams of ground pork
• 2 cups of cooking oil
• salt and pepper to taste

The first thing I do is to season the ground pork with some salt and pepper, and leave aside while I cut the tofu puffs into halves.

Using a teaspoon, I stuff the ground pork into the hollow of each taupok half. Then I heat up the cooking oil on high heat and drop the taupok in, one by one.

I kept my stuffed taupok very basic as I was in a bit of a rush. But if you’re planning to serve these as hors d’oeuvres, you can pretty up the stuffing with shredded carrots and green (spring) onions.

I serve these hot from the wok with chilli sauce and ketchup right out of the bottle, provided there’s still any left after the kids are done pinching .

Filed under: Appetizers & Hor d'oeuvresAsianMeatRecipesTofu by chili queen - 2 Comments →

My kids want something to snack on while watching the Olympics. Since we don’t happen to have crunchy snacks around, I suggested making them chicken fingers and french fries. There was a huge resounding ‘yay’ from my kids!

I first made these chicken fingers a couple of weeks back. I was doing a post for Four Foods on Friday about oven bakes when the sudden inspiration for this recipe struck me like lightning.

The chicken fingers turned out to be an instant hit with my kids ! Okay, tell me, which kid doesn’t like crispy, crunchy boneless chicken pieces??

The recipe is very simple. I just use chicken breasts cut into broad strips and marinated salt, sugar, pepper and chilli powder for an hour now.

Again I’m using the ‘grandmother’s method’ of not measuring the ingredients but just using approximates. If you like spicy, add more chilli powder otherwise tone it down, it’s all up to you.

Then I drizzle a little cooking oil over the pieces to lightly coat them. Then dredge the pieces through a combination of flour and finely-grated parmesan cheese. Line up the strips on a greased tray and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or till golden brown.

Served with french fries, the kids tell me it’s just like eating McDonalds or KFC! Thing I love is these are oven-baked so they’re not greasy. They’re crisp and the parmesan cheese is what makes it taste so-oo good. Great Olympic finger food!

Filed under: Appetizers & Hor d'oeuvresKid-friendlyLunchbox IdeasPoultryRecipesSnacks & DessertsWestern by chili queen - 2 Comments →

I just haven’t been able to resist buying baguettes lately. My kids love the different toppings I’ve been putting on them. And obviously what better time to stuff yourself silly with baguette than when they’re on sale. Two for the price of one is so worth it.

I made this for breakfast last Sunday and again for lunch this week on my kids’ request. Simply lay strips of cheddar cheese slices along the length of the baguette and top off with a strip of streaky bacon. Pop them into the oven toaster for about 8-10 minutes.

I tell ya, the smell of bacon crackling in my oven toaster first thing in the morning is heavenly. I rarely buy streaky bacon but the bits of fat in it really do add a great sizzle of flavor.

If you’re making these as hor d’oeuvres for a party, you can cut the baguette into shorter lengths and stick a fancy toothpick in the center.

Filed under: $ave moneyAppetizers & Hor d'oeuvresBreads & PastriesKid-friendlyLunchbox IdeasNo Cooking RequiredOne-dish MealsQuick & Easy CookingRecipes by chili queen - 3 Comments →

Yesterday was the first day of the sixth moon on the Chinese calendar, a vegetarian day for me. So I made vegetarian spring rolls which, by the way, would be a tasty appetizer for your 4th of July party too.

To me, there’s always something mysterious about a springroll because you never quite know what’s inside until you take the first bite. I like mine vegetarian because, for one thing, it’s healthier and for another, it only needs three main ingredients.

Depending on the crowd you’re preparing for, you’ll need:

• 1 packet spring roll wrap
• 1 medium-sized Chinese turnip or jicama (see picture), shredded
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 clove garlic, diced

It’s very simple. First, I heat up some oil in my wok and lightly saute the garlic. Next, I add the carrots and turnip and saute for about 5 minutes, finishing off with a dash of salt, pepper and soy sauce to taste.

I usually let the filling cool off on a plate for a bit. It’s easier to wrap when you don’t keep burning your fingers .

Wrapping a spring roll isn’t hard at all. Just lay out the wrap on a flat surface and place 2-3 teaspoons of filling about 1 inch from the edge nearest you and to the left and right of the wrap.

The edge nearest me is where I start working from. Lift that edge and fold over the top of the filling. Then fold the left, then right side and roll forwards until you get a sorta cigar-like roll.

Seal the loose edge with a dab of water or egg white all along the edge. If I have to, I just press it a little to make it stick, otherwise the spring roll might burst open half-way through deep-frying.

Heat up a cup of oil in the wok. Deep-frying requires that the oil be very hot. If the oil is not hot enough, the spring rolls will absorb more oil and become greasy and heavy which also makes it very fattening.

Deep-fry till light brown and drain off excess oil on a sieve or a piece of kitchen roll. That’s it. All ready to be gobbled up . Even more yummy served with my homemade chilly dip recipe (it’s at the bottom of that post).

Filed under: Appetizers & Hor d'oeuvresAsianKid-friendlyRecipesVegetarian by chili queen - No Comments →