Lemony Cashew Alfredo Vermicelles with Shrimp and Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

1 cup Cashew

1/2 Lemon of Juice

1/ 4 cup Parmesan Cheese

2 cups Water

2 cups Shrimp, shelled

1 bundle Swiss Chard, cut into bite size

2 bundles of Rice Vermicelles or pasta

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

Vegetable Oil

Direction:

1. To make the Alfredo sauce, soak the cashews with 2 cups of water until soften; about 6 hours. In a processor, combine cashews, soaked liquid, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; blend until it is smooth.

2. In a pot, heat up 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over high heat. Add garlic and fry until fragrant. Add shrimp; stir fry until it changes colour. Add Swiss chard and fry until it is wilted. Transfer the mixture into a bowl.

3. Fill the water in the same pot. Add salt. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Add vermicelles and cook until soften according to the package. Drain well.

4. Add the shrimp and Swiss chard mixture back to the pot and mix with the vermicelles.

5. Pour in the Alfredo sauce. Stir until it’s heated through. Serve the vermicelles with more Parmesan if prefer.

Tomato, Egg and Tofu Soup 蕃茄蛋絲豆腐湯

Sometime you want some soup but feel too lazy to make it. And this recipe is for such occasion. All you need is to scramble the egg and then let the soup to simmer for 15 minutes. Then, you have a bowl of nutritious soup. Hope you enjoy this recipe. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 large Tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 block medium tofu or silken tofu

2 Eggs, beaten

3 cups Water

1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. Heat up vegetable oil over high heat.  Add beaten egg.  Quickly stir fry until it is well cooked.

2. Add water and tomatoes.  Boil the soup until the tomatoes soften; about 15 minutes.  Add tofu.  When the soup comes to a boil again, turn off the heat.  Season with salt to taste.

One-Pot Palm Sugar Glazed Chicken Wings 椰糖雞翼

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs Whole Chicken Wings

30 gram Palm Sugar

4 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1/3 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon White Pepper Powder

3 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1/4 cup Water

3 tablespoons vegetable Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Cut the whole chicken into segments.

2. Heat up vegetable oil over high heat. Add chicken wings; stir fry until they turn colour, about 10 minutes.

3. Drizzle over cooking wine and allow it to evaporate. Add the rest of the ingredients; stir well. Put the lid on, continue to cook until the chicken wings are cooked through and the sauce thickens.

Chicken with Tomato Alfredo Sauce on Rice

If you are tired of curry, try this tangy and creamy tomato Alfredo.  As we often say, everything tastes better with a little ketchup on it.  It is proof again in this tangy chicken.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs Whole Chicken Wings, cut into three segments

3 Carrots, cut into bite size

1 Red Onion, chunks

5 Garlic Cloves, peeled and mashed

1 can Chickpea, drained and rinsed the chickpeas

2 tablespoons Flour

1/4 cup Butter

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine (optional)

1 cup Milk, 2%

1/3 cup Ketchup

3 tablespoons Worcester Sauce

2 tablespoons Sugar

Salt

DIRECTION:

1. Combine garlic, carrot, butter and vegetable oil in a deep pot.  Heat them up over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant and the carrots are nicely browned.

2. Turn the heat to high; add chicken.  Stir fry until the chicken starts to turn colour, about 10 minutes.  Add cooking wine and allow it to be absorbed.

3. Sprinkle the flour onto the chicken while stirring.  Then quickly add in milk.  Reduce the heat a little if the sauce thickens too quickly, and add more milk if needed.

4. When the sauce comes to a boil, add chickpea and onion.  Continuously cook until they heat through and the onion is slightly softened, about 10 minutes.  Season with Sugar, salt and Worcester sauce to taste.  It is delicious to serve with brown rice, pasta or naan bread.

Roasted Mini Potato with Cilantro Lime Sauce | 青檸汁焗薯

This flavour of these potatoes will probably remind you a little of Thai cuisine because of the cilantro, lime and fish sauce.  My husband and I love what this exotic flavour brings to the humble potatoes.  This recipe is even tastier when it is spicy, but my husband and my son can't handle heat so I omitted the chili here. If you enjoy spicy, just add chopped chilis into the dressing.

  

INGREDIENTS:

15-20 Mini Potatoes

Vegetable Oil

Salt and Pepper

DRESSING:

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Lime of zest and juice

1/4 cup Cilantro, stems and leaves, finely chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, peeled, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 tablespoon Fish Sauce

材料：

15-20 迷你薯仔

菜油

鹽和黑胡椒粉

汁料：

2 湯匙  橄欖油

1 個  青檸，刨皮和榨汁留用

1/4 杯  莞茜，莖和葉，切碎

3 瓣  蒜頭，去皮，切碎

2 湯匙  啡糖

1 湯匙  魚露

DIRECTION:

1. Add the potatoes in a mixing bowl.  Season them with salt and pepper and a drizzle of vegetable oil. Mix well.

1. 在一只碗內加入薯仔，下鹽、黑胡椒和少量菜油調味；拌勻。

2. Pour the potatoes onto a foiled roasting pan without crowding them.  Roast them in the pre-heated oven at 400F for about 20-25 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.

2. 薯仔倒上已舖好錫紙的焗盤上。放入已預熱至400F 的焗爐烤若20-25分鐘，似乎薯仔的大小而定。

3. Meanwhile, combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl; whisk it together until the brown sugar is dissolved.  Set it aside.

3. 同時間，在另一只碗內加入所有汁料材料；拌勻靜置。

4. When the potatoes are roasted until slightly brown and soft, remove them from the oven and add them into the dressing immediately.  Mix to coat the potatoes with the dressing.  Serve.

4. 當薯仔焗至微金黃和軟身，從焗爐取出。倒入汁料，小心拌勻；上桌。

Basil Baked Polenta | 香焗九層塔玉米糕

Polenta is made of cornmeal and is in porridge form when cooked.  Once it cools, it will solidify and it can be used for frying, grilling and baking.

If you want a change from roasted potato for a side dish, a light baked polenta is a good choice. My family likes polenta that is baked until very crispy outside and still soft inside.  Sometimes we serve it with a dash of sweet paprika, and sometimes we eat them with ketchup as if you are eating French fries.  Today, I bought a big bunch of fresh basil at the Farmers' market. So I decided to use it to flavour the polenta.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tube Polenta (I used Aurora Polenta)

1/2 cup Basil, Fresh

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

材料：

1 條  玉米糕

1/2 杯  九層塔，新鮮

1/4 杯  菜油

鹽  調味

DIRECTION 做法:

1. Roughly chop the basil leaves; add them into the vegetable oil. Add salt; mix well.

1. 九層塔切碎，加入菜油和鹽；拌勻。

2. Cut the polenta into 2 cm rounds.

2. 玉米糕切成2厘米厚塊

3. Coat the polenta with the basil oil mixture.  Line them on parchment paper without over lapping them.

3. 把每塊玉米糕沾上九層塔油，把其排在已舖好焗紙的盤上。

4. Bake at 400F for about 25 minutes, or until the outer layers are crispy.

4. 用400F焗若25分鐘，或至外層香脆。

Tomato Beef Egg Drop Soup with Rice | 蕃茄牛肉蛋花湯飯

Almost every family has its own recipe for egg drop soup.  Although the basic ingredients are around tomatoes, beef, and egg, there are so many ways to play around with them to make the soup suit your taste buds and the weather.

The soup my mom made when I was little had very little red meat because red meat was a luxury throughout my childhood.  Mom then would add lots of tomatoes and eggs to enhance the flavour and nutrition.  The tangy flavour always brought up our appetite especially on some hot days.

Thankfully now that meat is no long a luxury for us we are able to add as much beef as we like.  This soup is a quick and healthy recipe that is great to make on a weekday.  Hope you will enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS: (4 servings)

3 Tomatoes, large, cut into wedges

150 gram Beef

4 Eggs, beaten

1 bunch Cilantro, leaves only, rinsed

1 stalk Scallion, cut into around

4 cups Water

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

4 bowls Cooked Steamed Rice, Link

Seasoning:

4 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Sugar

1/3 teaspoon White Pepper, ground

1 teaspoon Sesame Oil

1/3 teaspoon Salt

材料：(4人份)

3 個。蕃茄，切瓣狀

150 克  牛肉

4 隻  雞蛋，打勻

1 束  莞茜，葉部份，洗淨

1 條  青蔥，切粒

4 杯  水

2 湯匙  菜油

4 碗  白飯，連結

調味料：

4 湯匙  豉油

1 湯匙  糖

1/3 茶匙  白胡椒粉

1 茶匙  麻油

1/3 茶匙  鹽

DIRECTION :

1. Slice the beef against the grain into 1/2 cm thick stripes.  Combine them with the seasoning; mix well.  Set it aside.

2. In a soup pot, add vegetable oil and heat it up over high heat.  Add tomato slices.  Fry them until they start to become soft; about 2 minutes.

3. Add beef and fry until it starts to turn colour.  Add water, cilantro, and scallion.  Continue to cook until the soup comes back to boil again.  Slowly add in the egg in a ribbon style.  Turn off the heat and serve it with cooked steamed rice.

做法：

1. 牛肉逆紋切成半厘米薄片。下調味料；拌勻。

2. 在湯鍋內下菜油，用大火燒熱。下蕃茄，炒至開始變軟；若2分鐘。

3. 下牛肉片，快炒至其開始變色。下水、莞茜和蔥。繼續煮至湯翻滾。將蛋慢慢倒入鍋內形成蛋花狀；離火。 配以白飯食用。