Quinoa Patties with Broccoli

I made these patties to share it with one of my Zumba buddies. She was telling me that she is not a fan of quinoa and she finds them too bland and boring. I don’t blame her as I find them tasteless and boring too. So I invited her over to try these patties out. Guess what, she loves it. She had a few and I packed some for her to take home too.

I’ve made this before but this time I added some steamed broccoli to it. You can actually add other type of veggies like carrot, grated zucchini, chopped spinach and other cheeses to it. Get creative! I pan-fried these as I prefer them this way but you can always bake them in the oven until golden brown. You can serve this with salad or have it as it is.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Carlos is not a fan of cauliflower and I hardly buy any of it but when I saw them on sale for $0.99 each, I just have to buy a couple of it. I roasted some and used the rest to make this soup. The weather here is getting much cooler so it is always nice to have some warm soup with crusty sour dough bread in the evening. I like my soup to be light and not too creamy so I make a slightly healthier version with more chicken stock and less dairy. Well, is not completely healthy as I add some bacon for the topping :)

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Baked Pasta in Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

Is fall season and there were all kinds of pumpkins around and they were really cheap too. There are only two kinds of pumpkins that I like. One of it is Kabocha and the other one is butternut squash. I don’t buy them too often as Carlos is not a fan of it so if I cook it I will be the only one eating it. Pumpkin is not only good for pies or dessert but they can be used for savory dishes too.

 I am a bit under the weather because of the intense heat here in Northern CA and I am craving for some creamy and comforting food like pasta but not too keen of adding too much cream or tons of fat in it. So pumpkin comes to the rescue. Pumpkin puree make great base for pasta sauce as it’s naturally creamy so it gives you an alfredo like texture without any heavy cream in it. I like penne pasta so I used it in this dish but you can use any type of pasta of your choice. As for the pumpkin try to use fresh pumpkin instead of the one from the can as I think fresh one taste so much better.

Baked Eggplant with Garlic Sesame Dressing

I am trying to cut down on meat in my diet and I am cooking more vegetable dishes for myself. I still cook meat as Carlos still like his meat. Anyway I love eggplants (aubergine/brinjal) cook in any style. Did you know that eggplant skin contains a powerful antioxidant called nasunin? Nasunin is supposed to be good for brain health, helping to protect the fats in brain cell membranes (which protect brain cells from free radicals). Eggplant is also an excellent source of fiber and manganese. So it is good to have more eggplant in our diet.

Initially for this dish I plan to steam the eggplant but I was too lazy to take out my big steamer so I end up putting them in the oven. I actually like it better this way as the eggplant is not too mushy and by baking, it gives it a nice toasty aroma. To some people this dish might sounds bland but it is far from being tasteless. The soft eggplant just soaks up all the yummy dressing. They were so good and all I need is just this one dish for my meal.

Baked Panko Parmesan Zucchini Crisps

My two zucchini plants have been giving me a few zucchini and since Carlos is not a fan of it I have to find ways to finish them up all by myself. I put them in my Korean pancakes, my curries and make it into this healthy snack. I coat them in panko breadcrumbs as they are much lighter and give the zucchini much crispier texture. They are great as snack, appetizer or side dish to any burger meal. This is much healthier than potato chips because they’re baked and not fried. Since I had it as snack I did make a dipping sauce to go with it but you can use any type of dipping sauce of your choice.

Roasted Maple and Bacon Butternut Squash

One of my favorite things for autumn and winter is the abundance of squash in the market. Two of my favorite kinds are the kabocha and butternut. They are naturally sweet, low in calories and full of vitamin A and C. I usually like to roast them up and serve it as side dishes. I prepared this particular side dish to take it to a Thanksgiving get together at a friend house. It was so well received by everyone even by the non squash fan and I thought I should put the recipe here as I will be making it again soon. I simply tossed it with olive oil, salted and pepper and when it is nearly done roasting I add some maple syrup, cinnamon and cayenne pepper to it. It gives this dish a sweet, salty and slightly spicy flavor.

 

 

Nasu Dengaku/Grilled Eggplant with Miso Glaze

I will order this particular appetizer whenever they have it in the menu. It is light, silky texture and the savory miso glaze at the top. I just can’t get enough of it. Actually it is not difficult to prepare it at home. You can either grill it or just bake and broil it in the oven like I did. I used the Japanese egg plant from my garden but I’ve tried it with the Italian eggplant and they were just as good but it takes a bit longer time to cook though.

Ingredients:

3 medium size eggplants (I used 5 tiny ones)
Some vegetable oil – for brushing
Toasted sesame seeds – for garnish
Some sliced spring onions – for garnish
Some seaweed – for garnish

Malaysian Food Fest Kelantan Month Round-Up

When the hosting date of the Malaysian Food Fest for the state of Kelantan drew near I was very worried as I knew that it would be a very busy and crazy month for me. A new chapter in my life is starting as I am back into working world again. I know I will be crazy trying to juggle everything at once, my new daily routine and having to blog as well. As I had already said 'Yes' to hosting the Kelantan month, I would just do it and I intended to do it well.

Throughout my blogging years, I have come across some not so nice characters but for each of that, I have encountered the good ones that come tenfold. For that, I am very blessed indeed, as these good people come to my rescue when I needed them the most. I was very worried that I would not have enough time to do research, the write ups and not forgetting the cooking itself which is the very essence of this whole scheme. The cooking is relatively easy but finding an authentic recipe and the ingredients is a bit of a challenge as living far away from home means I have to do without so many ingredients that are essential in many of the Kelantanese recipes.

Throughout the MFF events I’ve learned many things and dishes from other states. One thing that stands out for me is authenticity of a dish. It cannot be determined per se as who is to say the dish originally came from one states. It is not uncommon in Malaysia for dishes to be begged or borrowed from other states, modified to suit local tastes and then claimed as their own. So let’s not be too critical or harsh if any of the dishes featured during this Kelantan MFF are not truly authentic. The whole idea of this feature is to introduce a specific region's food and encourage readers to try new and different foods outside their normal comfort zone.

I am glad that so many of you accepted the challenge and joined in the fun. A special thank you to Nor of Secubit Garam for spreading the word amongst the blogger community and to get so many of you to participate, and also going the extra mile of providing me many of the pictures that appeared in the introduction posting. Also a special thank you to Cik Manggis of Jom Masak Jom Makan Makan for being my number one supporter... cooking a Kelantan based dish almost on a daily basis and also my good friend Shereen for being there for me. Also thank you to those of you who have let me use your photos and recipes, and who answered my many questions. Once again, a big, big thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who participate and made Kelantan MFF a huge success with 99 entries and if I left out any of your dish in the round up please let me know and I will put them up. So without further ado here are all the dishes that I received.

Appetizer/Salad

Kerabu Sotong Kering by Gertrude of My Kitchen Snippets

Somtam/Papaya Salad by Vivian of Vivian Pang Kitchen

Somtam by Peng of Peng's Kitchen

Chicken Kerabu by Lena of Frozen Wings

Kerabu Taugeh Bersantan by Sheila of Nshafearee

Nasi Kerabu - Kelantan Dish 1

Nasi Kerabu happens to be my most favorite rice dish ever. I have this ex-colleague of mine name Jeff who used to live in Kampung Baru and I will get him to tapau (take out) for me every week. I've always wanted to make nasi kerabu but when I look at the long list of ingredients and the amount of afford putting into making a dish I tend to forgo it. Being overseas doesn’t help either as it can be quite difficult for me to get some of the ingredients but because of this MFF event I don't mind spending a few hours in the kitchen to cooked this meal as it is all worth it. The meal turns out great.

 

One of the key ingredients in Nasi Kerabu is the fish, specifically Mackerel. I was so confident I could head down to the Asian supermarket and buy some Mackerel, little did I know there is no such thing as a simple Mackeral here in the USA! I was confronted with Atlantic Mackeral, Pacific Mackerel, Indian Mackerel etc. I had no idea which one to buy as none looked familiar to me as they were huge..almost as long as my arm, I kid you not! The fish that I'm familiar with that normally accompanies my Nasi kerabu were all cute looking and petite. That’s just the first problem I faced. The second problem was that I could not find any budu (salted / fermented anchovy sauce). Nasi kerabu without budu is like Nasi Lemak without the Sambal or teh Tarik without the froth. You can do it but it's just not the same. These all changed when my good friend gave me half a bottle of budu brought all the way back from Terengganu. I just had to make this Nasi Kerabu by hook or by crook. No more excuses!

Not many people know that Nasi Kerabu comes in a few colors other than blue although blue is the most popular color. Variations can be white (normal white rice), yellow (turmeric and cekur / sand ginger) which is called Nasi Kerabu Tumis and grey (from Mengkudu leaves / noni / Morinda Citrifolia ) which is known as Nasi Kerabu Hitam although blue is also known by the same name. In reality, there are so many different combinations of accompaniments and styles of cooking that it is quite impossible to list them all here. If you are interested, remember 'Google' is your best friend.

Baby Heirloom Tomato Salad

Carlos and I eat a lot of tomatoes. Between 2 of us we can eat 2-3 pounds a week. Our most favorite tomatoes are the plum and heirloom. We like heirloom variety as it has intense flavors. We were shopping at Trader Joe’s the other day and we came across these baby heirloom tomatoes. Aren’t they beautiful!!! They are just so colorful and so appealing. I can’t resist and bought a few punnet of it. With tomatoes like these, you don’t need to dress them up much as they are flavorful, juicy and sweet as it is. With just some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and you are good to go. If you like you can add a bit of chopped parsley or basil to it. This salad is great to accompany any meat dishes.

Fruity Roasted Beet Salad

I know some of you are not a fan of beet but I just love it. I can have it in my juice or salad anytime. I will have it fresh in my juice and for the salad I will usually roast it up. Roasted beets are delightful, sweet but very earthy and aromatic. I planted some beets this year but it didn’t grow very well. I think the soil is too hard so next season I need to buy some extra soil to top it up. Anyway, I took them all out last week as I won’t have the time to water them as often as we will be travelling again soon. I just roast them with some olive oil, salt and pepper and eat it with some salad. This beet salad is full of bright colors, refreshing and sweet earthy flavors.

Vegetable Croquettes

This is one of the best and tastiest ways to use up left over roasted vegetables from our previous roast chicken meal. A Croquette is a small, fried food roll with its main ingredients usually being mashed potatoes or ground meat (veal, beef, chicken, or turkey), fish or vegetables often encased in bread crumbs. The Croquette is usually shaped into a cylinder or disk, and then deep-fried. Croquette (from the French word croquer, "to crunch") gained worldwide popularity as they are great as snacks or appetizers.

Roast Baby Artichoke Hearts

In the part of the world where I used to live there is no artichoke. I never knew what Artichoke is until I came to America. I saw it at the farmers market and was intrigued by it. I have no clue how to eat it until I saw it on the food channel. The host of the cooking show was showing how to prepare the artichoke. He simply boiled them and eats it with a dip and out of curiosity I went and bought one too. I did the same and I was hooked.

Artichokes are not the most inviting of all vegetables. The spiny leaf tips prick your fingers and the downy interior choke can literally make you gag and cough if swallowed it. But once you work past all that, artichoke hearts are one of the most delicious, tender, and even beautiful vegetables around!

Artichoke comes in many sizes. If you like to eat the petal and heart it is better to get the large ones. Personally I prefer the smaller ones. Preparing it can be tedious that is why I will usually get the ready clean frozen ones from Trader Joe’s. On our way back from Monterey Bay, CA we stop by the Artichoke farm. I can’t help myself and bought a dozen of the small ones for just $1.00. It took me nearly half an hour just to clean them. I took some pictures of how to clean the small artichoke. For more information on Artichoke you can read it here and on how to eat the large artichoke you can refer to it here .

Salt and Pepper Stuffed Lotus Root

I love lotus root especially in my soup. I usually boil them with pork ribs and peanuts. Beside that I sometimes do add them into stir-fry. I like the sweetness of this root vegetable and also adding extra crunch to a dish. The lotus root is a root vegetable that is indigenous to Asia, and is found underwater. Similar in shape to a long squash, it is not uncommon for lotus roots to grow to a length of four feet. The exterior of this root is covered with a peel that is a reddish brown color in appearance, with a white interior that has the appearance of lace. The meat of the lotus root has a texture that is slightly crunchy, and mildly sweet.

When I saw Messy Witchen prepared the lotus root in a different way I knew I have to try it out. She adapted the recipe from Flavor Magazine. Inspired by her dish, I came up with this. Instead of cooking the fried stuff lotus in sauce I just give it a quick toss in salt and pepper.

Carrot Juice and Soy Milk Jelly - Day 18

I just love the vibrant color of this jelly. Don’t you just want to eat it? If your kid is not a fan of carrots, make it into jelly. I am sure they just can’t resist this. Since I have a huge bag of carrots in my fridge I was thinking what I can do with it using the Jelly Mould. I can’t think of much except juicing it with my Jack LaLanne’s Power Juicer and make it into jelly. After all I love carrot juice and it should taste good to in jelly and I was right.

Stir-Fry String beans with Shrimps

This is our favorite way of eating string beans. It is just a quick stir-fry with shrimps. Actually this is one of Carlos favorite dish. Sometime I will cook it with dried shrimps and sambal but since Carlos is eating I can’t do that. Just like how they cook it in the restaurant I like the string beans to be crunchy and not overcook. I will usually stir-fry them for a few minutes and dish them out before cooking the rest of the ingredients. This way the string beans will retain its crunch.

Kakiage/Japanese Vegetable Fritters

I always like this type of vegetable fritters. I remember I used to buy them from Jaya Jusco back in Malaysia. I am not sure if they are still selling this fritters at the Japanese food section. Anyway, Kakiage is a member of the tempura family, though these mixed vegetable fritters are less complicated to make than is usual for tempura. Kakiage is great to make when you need to use up the vegetables remaining in your fridge, like onions, carrots, bean sprouts, zucchini, sweet potato and etc. You can eat them on their own with your favorite dipping sauce or simple serve them with rice or a simple bowl of soba or udon noodles.

Corn and Potato Chowder

My 4 ears of corn have been sitting in fridge for over a week. We thought of having BBQ last weekend but we were invited to a party. So, before it turns wrinkle and dry I decided to make some chowder out of it. They are creamy thick soups with lots of chunky bits of sweet corns and potatoes in them. This chowder is so hearty, creamy, filling and it is a meal by itself. I served them with some pita chips.

Stir-fried Potato, Eggplant and Long Beans

I saw this delicious dish at Echo’s Kitchen and can’t wait to try it out. Since I am not a fan of green peppers I replaced it with green beans. I did some minor changes to it to suit my taste. The dish turns out really good even though there is no meat in it. The next time I cook this I will add some tofu to it. This will make a great vegetarian dish too. All you have to do is replace the chicken stock with water and the oyster sauce with mushroom sauce.

Ingredients:
From My Kitchen Snippets

2 Japanese eggplants – cut into chunks
2 medium size potatoes –cut into chunks
10 long beans – into 1 ½” length
1 medium size onions – cut into chunks
2 bird eyes chilies
2 cloves garlic
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp corn starch + 1 tbsp water – mix well

Stir-fry Long Beans with Chicken

It is not easy to find long beans here at my small Asian grocery store and if I see any I will definitely buy some. Since it is around summer I do see them appearing on the vegetable shelves. I actually like the lighter green and fatter version beans like the one we find back home but I can’t seems to get that variety here. The one sold here are much greener, thinner, and harder and takes a bit longer to cook. I like to make omelet, long bean rice and curries with it and this is one of those dishes that my mom used to cook at home and you will see it on our dinner table at least once a week.

Ingredients:

1 pound long beans – cut into 1 ½” length
1 piece chicken breast – removed skin and slice thinly
2 cloves garlic - chopped
1 shallot – sliced thinly
2 tsp black bean paste/tau cheong
1 tsp sugar
A few dash of pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)