Bacon Wrapped Potato Roses

When I saw Potato roses (tasty.com) this video, it reminded me on the rose shape of some buns or tarts that I had made few years ago.
Peach Rose Tart
Ham & Cheese Bun
Pumpkin Rose Mantou

But these loaded with carbs yet sinfully tasty savoury bites definitely are my big kids' favourite to serve as main or sides.

Bacon Wrapped Potato Roses 
Recipe adapted from Potato roses (tasty.com)
Ingredients:
6 strips bacon
About 4-5 medium size potatoes
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
some ground black pepper to taste
6 - 7 tablespoon parmesan cheese

About 1 tablespoon olive oil to grease the muffin cup.

Instructions:
Prepare a 6-cup muffin pan or 6 individual aluminium cases

Lightly grease the muffin cup with olive oil, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.  Position the rack in the center of the oven.
*Note : The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust accordingly.

Peel potatoes and slice them using a mandoline or vegetable slicer.

In a big bowl, combine potato slices, olive oil, black pepper, rosemary and salt.  Stir and toss well to coat the potato slices.

Place 1 strip of bacon on a big plate or clean cutting board.
Arrange the potato slices along one edge so they are slightly overlapping (about 15 - 20 potato slices) *note: use 2 strips of bacon and more potato slices for a bigger rose.

Sprinkle evenly about 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese onto the potatoes.

Roll up the bacon and potatoes to form a rose shape and put it in the cup of a muffin pan.  Repeat the process.

Cover the muffin pan with aluminium foil and bake for 60 minutes.  Remove the foil in the last 10 mins and continue to bake until the potatoes are cooked through and the edges are brown and crispy.

Transfer the potatoes to a serving platter, serve immediately.

Enjoy these tasty bacon wrapped potato as main or sides with some greens.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

This is the second time I made baked chicken nuggets.  As compared with the deep fried ones, of course baked nuggets are less oily.  From tonnes of baked chicken nuggets recipes one could refer to (online or cookbooks), I like only straight-forward non-frill preparation. I've learned that buttermilk tenderize meat, so obviously to 'soak' the chicken with some buttermilk. For the crumbs, if you are unable to find bread crumbs, cornflakes are also "do-able".

So here's my easy baked chicken nuggets .... of course do marinate the meat for few hours (or best overnight) in the fridge for a more flavorful and tastier nuggets.

Baked Chicken Nuggets
Serves 3 to 4 pax
Ingredients :
350g Chicken fillets (cut into bite sizes about 3cm cube)
150g buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt & some crushed pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried mixed herbs

For the crumbs
80g to 100g Cornflake (put inside Ziploc bag, sealed and crush them to fine crumbs)
Crushed pepper and pinch of salt.

Method:
Marinate the chicken with ingredients in a Ziploc bag, sealed and leave in the fridge for few hours (or overnight).

Position the rack in the center and preheat oven to 200°C.
Prepare a baking tray with lined baking paper.  Meanwhile, combine cornflake crumbs, salt and crushed pepper in a bowl.

Drain the buttermilk and coat chicken in crumb mixture.

Place the chicken pieces in a single layer on the lined tray, repeat the process.

Bake, turning once during cooking, for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown.

We are dipping these tasty baked chicken nuggets in buttermilk ranch dressing.  This is also very easy to make ... just remember a must have 2 important ingredients buttermilk & mayonnaise :)

For the sauce, recipe adapted from : Simply Recipes with slight adjustment made below.
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
120g buttermilk
55g mayonnaise (add more if you prefer a slightly thick texture)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Crushed black pepper & pinch of salt to taste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon paprika (omit if you want your sauce to be pure white colour)

Method:
Combine buttermilk and mayonnaise in a bowl and stir till fully mixed.
Add in the rest of the ingredients, mix well and adjust the taste to your preference.
Cover and keep in fridge till serving of nuggets.

Hmm ... very addictive ! I wanted to stop at the 3rd piece of nuggets ... but somehow I kept dipping and munching "non-stop".

Enjoy ! Have a great weekend :)

Parsley Lime Rice with Mixed Herb Fish Fillets

My kids love butter fragrant fried rice and fried rice with egg & ham/sausage. These fried rice are very flavorful and they could eat a big plate.  Although I'm cutting down food rich in carbohydrate, oil and butter etc., still I don't want to deprive them from stable menu ... perhaps a healthier version. With lots of lime and lemon, fresh parsley and mixed dried herbs in the kitchen, I tried out this citrus flavor of lime juice mixed with cooked rice.

When I was mixing the cooked rice in the saucepan with lime juice, the aromatic citrus and parsley fragrances really made me salivating.

To pair with this tangy rice, I made some pan fried herb fish fillets in extra-virgin olive oil.

Recipe source/reference : Food.com
Below my modified version and served with pan fried fish fillets.

Parsley Lime Rice with Mixed Herb Fish Fillets
Serves 2 - 3 persons
Ingredients
2 cups of cooked Jasmine white rice (feel free to substitute with brown rice)
Juice of 2 big limes
1 bunch of chopped fresh parsley leaves (about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons full)

For the fish fillets:
2 large fish fillets (about 250g)  - cut into big chunks
1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

1 - 2 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil for pan frying the fillets.

Method:
Cook the rice with rice cooker.

Pat dry the fillets with kitchen towels.
Season the fillets with mixed herbs, salt and pepper. Set aside and let the seasoning set in about 30 minutes.

Heat a non-stick pan with medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil and pan fried the fillets 2 - 3 minutes on both sides, lightly browned.

In a saucepan over low-medium heat, combine the cooked rice with fresh lime juice and chopped fresh parsley. Quickly and gently mix well with a big wooden spoon for a few minutes.

Serve immediately, spoon the desire amount of parsley lime rice with some pan fried herb fish fillets. Squeeze some lime juice over the fillets if you like.

This new citrus flavor rice was very well received by my big kids.  Glad to enjoy a plate of fragrant tangy non greasy parsley lime rice. In future, I'll add some chopped lightly toasted walnuts or pine nuts to the rice :)

Orange and Parsley Salad

Do you like parsley?  I mean to eat a big bunch of fragrant parsley. .... Occasionally I would sprinkle a little minced spring onions, parsley on the food.  But my big kids don't appreciate such fragrances when they were young ... but now they do not mind just a little of them tossed with or sprinkle on food.

Chance upon this interesting recipe ... parsley and orange salad .... since I've got a bunch of English parsley in the fringe, so tried this for my dinner. Yes, I'm on a healthy diet to reduce some weight and cholesterol level :(

Recipe adapted from : Brooklyn Supper
Below my slightly modified version as I've omitted shallots and reduced the quantities.

Parsley and Orange Salad
serves 1
Ingredients :
1 bunch parsley, minced
1 shallot, minced (I omitted this)
1 big orange
1 to 2 teaspoons Extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt & ground pepper to taste

Method
Peeled and cut the oranges in thin wedges.
Gently toss the oranges with the minced parsley. Drizzle in the olive oil, and sprinkle a pinch of salt and dash of pepper.
Set aside to allow the flavors and taste to immerse.

Simple and easy to make! So how does this salad taste like? Sweet oranges with fragrance parsley has a distinct flavor with a hint of light peppery taste.

Well, healthy eating for a healthier me ^-^!
Have a blessed weekend !

Roasted Portobello Caps

My big kids love to indulge stuffed grilled/roasted cheesy mushrooms whenever we dine out at some western restaurants that served as appetiser. But I always find that those stuffed grilled/roasted mushrooms are often stuffed with "high-fat" ingredients (eg. bacon, loaded with cheese and butter etc.).

Love this full of flavor "gigantic" stuffed mushroom yet without all the high-fat ingredients.  Most of all, a fuss free and easy to prepare dinner on busy weeknight.

Roasted Portobello Caps
(adapted from the cookbook EatingWell Fast & Flavorful Meatless Meals by Jessie Price & the EatingWell Test Kitchen)
Below my slight modification made in blue.
Ingredients:
4 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed
1/4 teaspoon salt (to sprinkle a little on mushrooms and remaining for stuffing mixture)
Ground pepper to taste

To make the stuffing mixture
15g breadcrumbs (I toasted 2 slices of wholemeal bread and crushed coarsely)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Cooking spray for the pan (I used olive oil)

Method :
1) Preheat oven to 220 °C.  Lightly grease a baking sheet or roasting pan with a little olive oil.

2) Remove the stems of the mushrooms, place gill-side up on to the prepared pan.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper on each mushroom. To roast for about 20 minutes or until soft.

3) While the portobello mushrooms are roasting in the oven, prepare the stuffing mixture. In a bowl, combine and mix well the remaining salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

4) Remove the tray of roasted mushrooms from the oven. Spoon 2 tablespoonful of mixture onto each mushroom cap.  Return the mushrooms to the oven and continue to roast for about 5 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are nicely browned.



I was too lazy to grind the toasted bread to make breadcrumbs ... toasted 2 slices of wholemeal bread and crushed them coarsely ... hee... hee ... my big kids thought mushroom stuffed with grilled chicken meat.  As usual, they complained "not enough cheese ...". Okay will top with more grated cheese for them when I make roasted portobello caps again.  But this is definitely my kinda light and delightful dinner, paired with a bowl of green leafy salad and slices of fruits. Enjoy !

I would like to share this delightful recipe and linking this post with :

 Cookbook Countdown #6

Hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Honey-Lime Chicken Soba Noodle Salad

I like to use slow cooker to make soups or braise meat as I don't have to watch over the stove fire.  Just dump all the prepared ingredients and add the required amount of water in the slow cooker, set the heat element accordingly and leave it to cook. It really saves my time to attend to other chores.

I reckon that this flavourful tangy sweet braised chicken goes well with a bowl of pipping hot steamed rice too. But I'd like to have a plate of fusion cold Honey-Lime Chicken Soba Noodle Salad first :)

Recipe adapted from Sweet Peas and Saffron

Below my slightly modified in quantity adjusted to our taste.

Slow Cooker Honey-Lime Chicken
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 large skinless chicken breasts (about 380g in total)
85g honey
120 - 150ml water (I prefer to have the water enough to cover the meat)
2 freshly squeezed lime juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of salt to taste

Method:
Wash clean and place chicken breasts in the inner pot of the slow cooker.

Put all the ingredients over the chicken, mixing a few times with a spoon and ensure the meat is thoroughly coated.

Cook on high for about 2 - 3 hours. Flip the chicken half-way through cooking if you wish.

Once cooked, remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks, set aside.

Reserve the *sauce for making the sesame vinaigrette and tossing in chicken as needed.

Chicken Soba Noodle Salad
Ingredients
2 bunches soba noodles
1 green and 1 red capsicums, cut into thin strips
Some purple cabbage, thinly shredded
Cucumber, shredded

Shredded Honey-Lime Chicken
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and some finely chopped spring onions.

To make the sesame vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
5 - 6 tablespoons of honey-lime *sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 teaspoons honey
½ teaspoon Dijon wholegrain mustard

Method :
Put all the dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake until well combined. Refrigerate for an hour.

Boil a pot of water to cook the soba noodle per instruction on packaging. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Combine the shredded honey-lime chicken, capsicums, cabbage and cucumber in a large bowl. Toss and mix half with the vinaigrette dressing.

Toss the soba noodles with remaining vinaigrette. Not to put to waste of that 3 tablespoons of remaining sauce from the slow cooker, I added in as well.

To serve, place some soba noodles on a plate and topped with the chicken salad.
Garnish with some sesame seeds and spring onions.

Note:
Adjust the quantity of greens/cabbage etc. to your preference.

Top with some seaweed strips the next time when I make this soba noodle salad.

I was quite sceptical that my family may not like the taste of sweet tangy chicken salad with cold soba noodle.  Glad that my family kinda liked this fusion dish.

Happy cooking and have a great week ahead!

  

Linking this post to Little Thumbs Up March 2016 Theme Honey organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen from My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Joycescapade.

Abalone Salad with Lime Chia Vinaigrette & CNY2016 Giveaway

Canned abalone is rather expensive here but a lot of people love to buy canned abalone for CNY celebration as it symbolizes abundance of auspicious feasts, wealth, luck etc. etc. (“年年包有余”). Hence, it’s a trend for 'a must have' abalone during CNY celebration for my family... to indulge the luxury dish once a year ... hee .. hee ! There are many ways to enjoy this delicacy … braised abalone with mushrooms & vegetables, add sliced abalone to treasure pot (pen cai) or prosperity toss “Lo Hei Yusheng” etc. etc. Somehow, I like abalone salad ... Abalone and Asian Slaw with Oriental Dressing shared last year.

When I saw the recipe shared by Angie's Recipes - Frisée, Artichoke, Sweet Pointed Pepper Salad with Lime Chia Vinaigrette, I know I must make the lime chia vinaigrette for my abalone salad ! Why ... somehow the pieces of artichoke looked like abalone at a glance ... hee .. hee!
Now, who's with me to feast this quick & easy luxurious abalone salad ?

Recipe source : Angie's Recipes
Slightly modified on the ingredients below
Abalone Salad with Lime Chia Vinaigrette
Dressing :
20 ml Extra virgin olive oil
50 ml Vegetable broth
20 ml Freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon Dijon wholegrain mustard
1/2 teaspoon Chilli flakes (omitted as don't have any on hand)
1 teaspoon Maple syrup
1 tablespoon Chia seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Salad:
Red & Green Coral Lettuce
1 canned Abalone (drained and sliced thinly)
Capsicum - sliced
Pomelo - any amount to your preference

Method:
Put all the dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for at least an hour to thicken slightly.

Arrange the lettuce, abalone, capsicum and pomelo in a big bowl.

Pour the chilled lime chia vinaigrette dressing and gently toss until just combined.

Ready to eat ! Enjoy !

Ta da ! A big bowl of abalone salad ... taste tangy refreshingly good ! Enjoy !

Let's toast to abundance of wealth and good health in the Year of the Red Fire Monkey!

Linking this post to Cook & Celebrate Chinese New Year 2016 hosted by Yen from GoodyFoodies, Diana from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids

~~~~~《《☆☆》》~~~~~

To welcome the Year of the Red Fire Monkey, 10 cooking bloggers have come together to bring you the chance to *win a $500 ang pow! (Terms and Conditions Apply).

So join us in ushering the new year and maybe you will be the lucky winner this year!

To enter, please complete the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is brought to you by:

Diana from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe

Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids

Alvin from Chef and Sommelier

Ann from Anncoo Journal

Amy from Amy's Baking Diary

Charlynn from My Baking Cottage

Karen from Luvswesavory

Sharon from Delishar

Victoria from Victoria Bakes

Weilee from Wei Lee's Passion

*One Prize of SGD500 will be sent to one winner via Paypal (or bank transfer within SG). An email will be sent to the winner to notify him/her of the win. Should the Organiser (Diana) not receive a reply within 48 hours, another winner will be selected. This contest is also opened to overseas participants. 

祝大家:
猴年大吉  万事如意
心想事成  年年有余

Wish you luck, happiness, prosperity and abundance of blessings !

Fig Salad with Walnuts and Mint

Fig is a soft pear-shaped fruit with sweet dark flesh and many small seeds, eaten fresh or dried. It's not very often that I spotted fresh figs in the supermarket as they are seasonal fruits but dried figs are available all year round. I often use dried figs to make soups or desserts.

According to info: The fig tree is a member of mulberry family. Although commonly referred to as a fruit, the fig fruit is actually the flower of the tree, known as inflorescence, in which the flowers and seeds grow together to form a single mass. The flower is not visible, as it blooms inside the fruit.

Chance upon this healthy refreshing fig salad that's so easy to prepare.

Recipe source & adapted from:
Cook & Be Merry

Fig Salad with Walnuts and Mint
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients :
12 ripe figs
30g raw walnut halves, very coarsely broken up.

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey

Garnish :
Some mint leaves, wash clean and slice thinly length-wise
Dash of ground black pepper & pinch of salt to taste

Method :
1. Wash clean the figs, cut into quarters and place on big serving dish. Scatter the walnuts over figs.

2. In a small bowl, mix well the olive oil, lemon juice and honey with a spoon.

3. Drizzle dressing over the figs. Dash of black pepper and pinch of salt over the top.

4. Sprinkle some sliced mint over figs and serve immediately.

Love this tangy sweet salad with a hint of minty flavour. Enjoy!

Fish Bang Chick

Boy : Mom, you are turning the meat upside down, inside-out, left to right .... what are you searching ?
Mom : I'm trying to find the piece of cheese that "giap" sandwich in between the chicken and fish !
Girl : Ha ha ! Fishy Chicky Bang Bang !

Manhattan Fish Market is one of my big kids' favourite dining places as they love the deep fried seafood + french fries. Sometimes, their promotion menu is also quite value for $$$ too that it won't burn a 'big hole' in mom's purse. I'm not a fish lover but occasionally I don't mind having a plate of Fish & Chips with loaded chilli sauce (instead of tartar sauce ... lol).  Some weeks ago, we dined at the restaurant and a menu called Fishy Chicky Bang Bang that caught my attention ... with intro :
It's a match made in cheddar cheese heaven with dory fillet on one side and chicken fillet on the other. 

With that bang bang thing in my mind, I try to replicate something similar for our dinner.  Yea, I've not been making deep-fried stuff lately, so it's about time lol ... (gosh! I dislike the cleaning up in the kitchen though).  I don't have the recipe but roughly make the batter and come up with this ....

As I don’t wish to infringe any copy right, shall call this ....
Fish Bang Chick
Note : I cut the cheddar cheese half, cut the chicken and fish into almost the same squarish sizes and able to cover the cheese when sandwiched together.

Ingredients :
2 skinless chicken breast, butterfly slice halves and cut into 4 pieces for each breast meat. Total 8 pieces.
Season the chicken with some salt and pepper for at least 30 minutes.

300 - 400g Dory fillet cut into 8 squarish size
Season the fish with a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

4 slices Cheddar cheese (halves each slice to make 8 pieces)

1 - 2 tablespoon cornflour

Cooking oil - enough to cover the meat for deep frying in pan.

Ingredients for batter :
100g plain flour
20g cornflour
Pinch of salt & pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
100ml - 150ml *water

Method :
In a clean dry bowl, mix flour, baking powder, egg, salt & pepper together.

Whisk in *water gradually until the consistency is smooth but thick and will coat the back of a spoon.
*do adjust the texture with more or less water.

To sandwich the chicken & fish :
Lightly coat one side of the chicken with cornflour. Then place a slice of cheese on the meat coated with cornflour. Top the cheese with fish fillet.

Heat the cooking oil in frying pan on medium-high flame.

Dip the 'sandwiched' meat into the batter, coat well and slowly drop it into the hot oil. Lower the flame to medium to prevent batter being burnt too quickly.

Deep fry about 6 - 8 minutes or until golden. Over turn the meat 2 - 3 times in between the frying process.



Oh ! where's the cheese ? Melted inside ...

Boy : Nice, can taste the cheese.  Should put 2 big thick slices of cheddar cheese next time ! Good.

Well, that's our 'giap' & bang  Fish Bang Chick! ha.. ha..  Although we really enjoyed the crispy deep-fried entrée and my big kids said that the taste is quite close ... somehow I think I should try with beer batter (heard of it) ... Ha.. ha ... Meantime, taking a "short break" from oily homemade fried food now. 

Happy cooking  ^-^! Have a great weekend !

Submitting this post to the event : Little Thumbs Up - April 2015 Theme Chicken organised by Bake for Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Diana from the Domestic Goddess Wannabe 

 

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I was introduced to this dish when my family was relocated to Shanghai about 12 years ago. I was not used to the local Shanghainese food back then. So I cooked simple & easy meals daily with some 'elaborated' cooking on some weekends. Groceries shopping at supermarket gourmet section saw those ready breaded chicken meat wrapped with ham & cheese. All I need was to pan or deep fried, served with soups & salads and it became my kids' favourite dish.

According to info:
Chicken Cordon Bleu is a French-inspired poultry dish. A delicious French classic, Chicken Cordon Bleu is made by rolling with ham & cheese, then breaded and pan fried, deep fried or baked. 
Cordon Bleu' is a French term, literally translated as 'blue ribbon', that originally referred to an award for culinary excellence given to women cooks! The term can now apply to any superior cook (yes, men too), and also to this dish.

When we returned home after 3 years of short stay in Shanghai, I tried to find the ready breaded Chicken Cordon Bleu in the local supermarkets but don't seen available. So I Google for the recipe and I've made quite a few times, with variations of serving different side dishes, with creamy sauce to the entrée.

Here's sharing this baked version of Chicken Cordon Bleu, recipe adapted from skinnytaste with slight modifications made in blue below.

Chicken Cordon Bleu
Servings: 3
Makes 12

Ingredients:
cooking spray (I used olive oil)
12 thin sliced (36 oz total) skinless boneless chicken breasts, 3 oz each
salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1 tbsp water
60g seasoned breadcrumbs (I used panko breadcrumbs)
45g grated parmesan cheese
5 oz (6 slices) thinly sliced lean deli ham, sliced in half
6 slices (4.4 oz) Sargento reduced fat Swiss cheese, cut in half

Directions:
Preheat oven to 230°C. Spray a large non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray.
(I set my oven temperature to 180°C, lightly greased the baking sheet with olive oil)

Wash and dry the chicken cutlets; lightly pound the chicken to make thinner and lightly season with salt and black pepper.

Lay the chicken on a working surface and place a slice of ham on top of the chicken, then the cheese and roll, setting them aside seam side down.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and egg whites along with water to make an egg wash.

In another medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.

Dip the chicken into the egg wash, then into the breadcrumbs.

Place chicken onto the baking sheet seem side down. Spray the top of the chicken with more cooking spray (omitted) and bake about 25 minutes, or until until cooked.

Dinner is ready !

Enjoy !

Happy baking & cooking  ^-^! Have a great day!

Submitting this post to the event : Little Thumbs Up - April 2015 Theme Chicken organised by Bake for Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Diana from the Domestic Goddess Wannabe 

 

Almond Milk Braised Chicken, Corn and Asparagus

I remembered reading this recipe at Zoe's blog sometime ago and was wondering then "braised chicken with almond milk really taste that good?! ... "

While I consume almond milk occasionally and like to mix it with cereals or just boil as hot almond milk tea with mint leaves, I've never tried cooking with almond milk. Well, watching the video and reading this caption twice ... so, what am I waiting for ... go go go cook this for our weeknight dinner !
Feed your family Curtis' almond milk braised chicken with corn and asparagus for dinner tonight.

Recipe adapted from Curtis Stone at coles website.
Below slight changes made as I don't have enough almond milk, and omitted basil leaves.

Almond Milk Braised Chicken, Corn and Asparagus (Curtis Stone)
Ingredients :
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
7 pieces chicken (mixture of drumsticks, breast meat)
1 Onion, thinly sliced
150g frozen Corn Kernels
1 tablespoon Fresh Ginger, finely chopped
2 teaspoon Garlic, finely chopped
500g Almond Milk
1 1/2 cups Thai Fragrant White Rice
250g Asparagus, cut into 1cm pieces on an angle
100g Coconut Milk

Some prepared ingredients 

Method :
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Season the chicken with salt on both sides and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Transfer the chicken to a plate and return the pan to medium-high heat. Drain any excess fat from the pan, leaving one tablespoon on oil in the pan.

Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, then add the corn, ginger and garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Add the almond milk and return the chicken to the pan. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then reduce the heat and gently simmer, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour. (As I used smaller size chicken pieces, I simmer the meat for about 25 minutes)

While the chicken is cooking, cook the rice according to packet instructions and keep warm until serving. (I simply used the rice cooker to cook the rice)

Add the asparagus and basil leaves (omitted) to the chicken and cook for 2 minutes or until the asparagus is tender.

Add the coconut milk and stir to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve the chicken in bowls with the broth and vegetables, along with the rice.

While the pot simmer with covered lid on stove, my big boy came in and he commented that the strong aroma was very nice. I really don't know how to describe it ... the fragrance of sweet corn, ginger and milky almond.  It was towards the end of the cooking I smell the fragrance of coconut too!

My girl returned from school, she asked 'what's for dinner, mom?'
Mom replied 'a Curtis Stone's recipe', and I saw a big smile on her face. Jamie Oliver and Curtis Stone are her favourite celebrity chefs ^-^!

Yummy-licious!

This big plate of rice is for my boy !

Served hot with rice ... they just 'Mmm ... very nice! ... good!' Okay we were hungry... hee hee! Almond milk braised chicken, corn and asparagus ... delicious & tasty dinner!
Boy: mom, cook this again :D
Enjoy!

Happy cooking and have a great weekend!

See ... the meat is so tender soft !

Submitting this post to the event : Little Thumbs Up - April 2015 Theme Chicken organised by Bake for Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Diana from the Domestic Goddess Wannabe 

 

And

Also submitting this post to Best Recipes for Everyone # 8 :

April 2015 Event Theme: Fun with Almonds 【玩转杏仁】 
organized by Fion of XuanHom’s Momand co-hosted by Doreen of My Favourite Little DIY

Baked Chicken Parmesan

Few months ago, I cooked Chicken Parmigiana as my big kids loved cheesy stuff. With some grated parmesan cheese in the fridge, I wanted to whip up this dish again. But I dreaded the long long list of ingredients and find that the cooking steps were quite cumbersome though ... "Cook the chicken for about 2 minutes per side in the frying pan, then transfer to a baking sheet and bake in the oven ..." 

Oh ! Got 'short-cut' :D Chance upon this recipe which seems simplified and is pretty easy and straight forward to whip up some baked chicken with parmesan cheese for our weeknight dinner ... lesser cooking utensils to wash ... Gosh! Lazy old me ... hee hee!

Recipe adapted from simply recipes baked chicken parmesan, with slight changes made as I've halved the recipe and omitted certain spices/ingredients not available.

Baked Chicken Parmesan 
INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
1 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small can tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of salt and dash of black pepper

Chicken:
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lime juice
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (or deboned thighs)
50g Panko breadcrumbs
90g finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

METHOD
1) Prepare the sauce. In a large saucepan, heat the garlic and oil together over medium high heat until the garlic starts to sizzle. Pour in the tomato sauce, sugar, dried rosemary, a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until sauce about 10 minutes. Taste sauce, adjust seasoning if necessary, cover and keep warm.

2) Preheat oven to 200°C (the oven temperature may vary, do adjust accordingly).
Cut each chicken breast half in half for smaller pieces. With a meat pounder, pound the chicken pieces to flatten them to an even thickness - between 1/4 - 1/2 inch. You might find it easier to put the chicken between layers of plastic wrap before pounding.

3) Whisk together mustard, lime juice, salt and dash of pepper a large bowl, add the chicken pieces, tossing to coat well.

4) In another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, grated cheese, and dash of pepper. Mix well and add in the melted butter.

Transfer to a shallow plate. Dredge the chicken pieces 1 piece at a time in the crumb mixture, coating completely. Press the crumbs in gently to adhere and transfer to a stick-free baking sheet. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 - 18 minutes.
Note: At about 7 minutes into baking, I used tongs to turn chicken over and bake until golden brown and cooked through.

Serve with a side of rice or pasta. Ladle sauce over the chicken.

Hee hee .. a nice big 8 !

Both my big kids loved it very much. Enjoyed our dinner with tender juicy baked chicken parmesan ... yummy!

Happy baking & cooking. .. have a great week ahead ^-^!

Submitting this post to the event : Little Thumbs Up - April 2015 Theme Chicken organised by Bake for Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Diana from the Domestic Goddess Wannabe