Foodarrific

Sometimes the simplest dishes are the most delicious. On a hot day when anything that’s quick to cook and easy to swallow is a bonus, I like to make steamed eggs.

Only a few ingredients are required for this wholesome steamed egg dish:

• 2 eggs
• 2 salted eggs
• 8 half-shells of water
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• spring onions, fine chopped
• cilantro, finely chopped
• fried shallots

Beat all the ingredients together. Pour into a metal plate and steam over slow heat for 20-25 minutes or until egg mixture is firm. Remove from the steamer and garnish with finely chopped spring onions and cilantro, and a handful of fried shallots.

It’s quicker than applying an eyelash enhancer and I can’t say I’ve ever used one before.

Filed under: Foodlish TalkPUQuick & Easy CookingRecipeszzub by Chili Queen - No Comments →

One of our favorite things to eat on vegetarian days is homemade meatless quesadilla, my version.

As with most things that I cook, I don’t really have the recipe. This is what you will probably need but feel free to adjust the portions based on what your family likes:

• red (tomato) sauce
• onion, sliced into rings
• tomatoes, sliced into rings
• mushrooms
• bell pepper
• cheese
• tortilla

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Spread red sauce on the tortilla as a base. Layer on the onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers and top with cheese. Fold the tortilla in half. Bake for about 20-30 minutes and you’re ready to dig in.

We love quesadillas because they’re both healthy and delicious and so easy you can practically whip it up in an underground storm shelter if you had to.

Filed under: Foodlish TalkHealthy EatingRecipesVegetarian by Chili Queen - No Comments →

It’s been way too long since I last baked a apple pie. At my daughter’s request, I decided to bake 2 pies – one for dessert and the other to be saved for later.

So since I was at the grocery store to pick up some bar supplies, I decided to grab some puff pastry squares. Yes, store-bought because I’m too busy (or too lazy) to make my own.

• 10 puff pastry squares
• 2 green apples, diced small
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 egg yolk, beaten

I had the oven preheated to 200 degrees F.

Combine apples, honey, cinnamon and flour in a bowl and mix well. Place a spoonful of apple filling in the middle of the puff pastry square and fold neatly into a triangle.

Press down the sides and seal with the tines of a fork. Make some holes on the top of the puff with the fork to let air escape. Brush with egg wash.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

That’s it, so simple!

Filed under: Foodlish TalkFruitsRecipesSnacks & Desserts by Chili Queen - No Comments →

Who doesn’t love chocolate chip cookies? Well, I know they’re big in this household only this time, we’re going to bake them ourselves.

The very simple recipe we used:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Cream butter and sugars together.

2. Add in egg.

3. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Add slowly into butter mixture and mix well after each addition.

4. Finally, add chocolate chips.

5. Use a spoon or ice-cream scoop to heap spoonfuls of the dough onto a greased baking tin.

6. Bake in preheated oven of 375 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

These chocolate chip cookies are so good your kids will stop their nintendo ds games to grab their fill, I guarantee. You must give these a try!

Filed under: Foodlish TalkKid-friendlyRecipesSnacks & Desserts by Chili Queen - No Comments →

Tempura is a hot favorite in our household and even more so now that I’ve started making it myself for our vegetarian days. With some miso soup to go with my yasai tempura (vegetable tempura), we’ve got an entire Japanese meal at home.

I’ve got my wasabi (green mustard), soy sauce and instant miso soup sachets in 3 flavors – tofu, seaweed and green onion.

The instant miso soup is so easy that I just need to add hot water and all those dried ingredients in the sachet instantly popped to life! The thing I love most is that it’s sodium-reduced too!

The tempura batter is easily whipped up in a large bowl with 1 cup flour, half cup cornflour, pinch of salt and pepper and icy cold water. I’m not one to measure ingredients to a T but these are just to give you an idea.

Mix everything together to a consistency thick enough to coat the veggies. I used sweet potatoes and broccoli here but you can use shrimp and any number of your favorite veggies. Deep fry till golden brown.

The dip is just some wasabi in a small dish with a drizzle of soy sauce stirred together. But be warned, will instantly send a powerful sting right up your nose. If you can get someone to capture that fiery moment on a digital camera casio, it will be priceless (just kidding ).

And there you have it, yasai tempura and miso soup for the whole family without forking out the big bucks.

Filed under: AsianFoodlish TalkRecipesVegetables by Chili Queen - No Comments →