Mid-Autumn Festival Family Gathering Dinner

This year as my mum is in KL, we decided to have a small family gathering at my place to celebrate the Mooncake Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival. These are the simple and easy dishes I cooked for the dinner. All the dishes are divided into 2 portions; 1 table for the adults and another table for the children!

Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup - forgot to take the photo with the soup in the bowl. So, just an ugly photo with the soup still boiling in the pot, hahaha...

Buttered Prawns

Grilled Turmeric Ikan Selar with Banana Leaf which I sourced and adapted the recipe from Wendy of http://wendyinkk.blogspot.com/

Mixed Vegetables with Enoki Mushrooms

Steamed Egg Tofu with Minced Meat

Chicken Tempra (Nyonya Dish). This is really deliciously yummy which I sourced and adapted the recipe from Cindy of http://www.yummylittlecooks.com/2012/08/chicken-tempra.html

BRIGHT KIDS

1)  A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.

The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.

The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.

Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.

The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'.

The teacher asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?'

The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'.

2)  A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.

As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.

The girl replied, 'I'm drawing God.'

The teacher paused and said, 'But no one knows what God looks like.'

Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, 'They will in a minute.'

3)  One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head.

She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, 'Why are some of your hairs white, Mum?'

Her mother replied, 'Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.'

The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, 'Mummy, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?'

4)  The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture.

'Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor..'

A small voice at the back of the room rang out, 'And there's the teacher, she's dead..'

5)  A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood.
Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, 'Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face.'

'Yes,' the class said.

'Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?'

A little fellow shouted, 'Cause your feet ain't empty.' 

6) The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples.
The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray: 'Take only ONE . God is watching.'

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.

A child had written a note, 'Take all you want. God is watching the apples.'

Strawberry + Cucumber + Cherry Tomato = Refreshing Drink

 

Another refreshing drink I juiced for a beautiful Saturday morning. It is very easy. 

 

Ingredients are strawberries, cucumber (cut into chunks) cherry tomatoes and some water. Then, dump everything into a blender or juice extractor.

 

Here is your refreshing drink, ready in a minute!

Enjoy your refreshing drink and have a nice weekend!! :)

Simple Pan-Fried Salmon with Dried Basil

It is very easy to cook salmon fish cos' no matter how you cook it, it is still deliciously yummy provided you don't overcook it and very little oil is needed.  My children like it to be pan fried as they like the crispiness of its skin.  

This is a very simple dish which I pan-fried it with dried basil.

Ingredients :

- 2 pcs of salmon fillet (washed)

- 1 thumb sized ginger (washed and crushed)
- butter

Seasonings : (to taste)
- salt
- pepper
- soy sauce
- dried basil leaves

Method :

1) Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper.

2) Heat wok or pan and grease it with butter. Take note not to over grease it.

3) Saute ginger and pan fry the salmon fillet on both sides.

4) Sprinkle dried basil and soy sauce on both sides.  Then, slightly pan fry both sides again.

5) Serve it with some lemon juice.

I'm linking this post to September 2013 Cooking With Herbs Blog Challenge hosted by Lavender and Lovage.

Homemade Peach Jam

We like homemade jams and all the jams that I made, seemed to 'disappear' quite fast!  This time I made Peach Jam.  The peaches my hubby bought were very sweet and ripe.

Ingredients :

- 8 peaches (washed thoroughly, removed seeds and cut into small chunks)
- 1 lemon - (juiced)
- 1 tablespoon of grated lemon peels
- 3 cups of granulated sugar

Method :

1) Blend peaches in the blender.
2) Transfer the puree to a medium sized pot.
3) Add sugar and grated lemon peel.

4) Cook the puree on medium heat. Half way through, add lemon juice. Continue to cook on medium low heat for about an hour or when it begins to thicken.

5) Let it cool completely before transfer to an airtight container.
8) Refrigerate it.

 

Beet + Parsley + Strawberry = Cleansing Juice

Coriander leaves, Chinese parsley, cilantro or daun ketumbar is known as the best cleansing treatment for kidneys and it is natural! Besides it is very rich in vitamin K, vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin C, iron and folate.

Health Benefits of Parsley :

1) Parsley is good for the heart.

2) Good for strengthening the urinary bladder and preventing kidney stones.

3) Cleansing of blood vessels.

4) Prevent the occurrence of osteoarthritis and inflammatory polyarthritis; a type of rheumatoid arthritis.

5) Used for treating menstrual problems.

6) Treat digestive problems, anemia, diarrhea, gallstones, gout, insect bites, liver congestion.

7) Strengthening teeth.

8) Weight loss.
Source : E-mail received from a friend

Here is a healthy juice using parsley, beet and strawberry. Beet (click for more info) has a lot of benefits too. Take note that there is no exact measurement and you can add any veggie or fruits that you like.

Put everything into a blender. Add water. Then blend. I like to use blender as I like my juice with fiber. You can use juice extractor too. Add honey should you prefer it sweet. As for me, I did not add honey for this juice.

In order to have maximum benefits of any juice, I usually take it early in the morning; 1 hour before breakfast.

Watercress Soup

Watercress soup is believed to be very effective in lungs cleansing.  Besides, it has cooling properties and is suitable for heaty body. 

I used to cook watercress soup using meat or just a sweet version; vegetarian soup. 

Ingredients :-

 

- 1 kg of watercress, use stems and leaves - washed
- a handful of  dried red dates
- 4 kurma (hahaha... I supposed to use honey dates but didn't realise that I have run out of stock.  So, I used kurma instead as it was available then).

- Ginger (washed and crushed)
- 3 litres of water

Method:-
1)  Put all ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer the soup for about 2 to 4 hours. (I simmered for 2 hours only).

2) Serve hot. 

Beetroot + Grapes Juice

Beetroot has had a great PR job over recent years, being hailed as a ‘super food’ by numerous experts.

Health benefits of beetroot

Find out about the top 5 health benefits of beetroot and how you can make sure you’re getting your daily dose – without resorting to pickled beetroot from a jar!

Beetroot Is Your Liver’s Friend
The beta cyanin in beetroot can help detox your liver, having a knock-on effect for your bloodstream, by helping the body to eliminate toxins and potentially preventing the build-up of fatty deposits.
So if you have found yourself ‘over-indulging’, adding some raw beetroot or beetroot juice to your diet can help you recover.
Then again, why save it just for the ‘morning after’?!

Beetroot Juice Can Prevent Strokes & Heart Attacks
Beetroot juice has been shown to reduce high blood pressure. It affects an estimated 25% of the world’s adult population and is a significant factor in coronary heart disease and strokes.
Researchers at Barts’ Hospital (London) and the London School Of Medicine found that drinking 500ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce high blood pressure, for over 24 hours after drinking.
Whilst most of us wouldn’t fancy a pint of red stuff every morning, the research gives us a very big hint that including at least some beetroot in our diet on a daily basis will be good for us.

Beetroot Is Packed With Nutrients

Beetroot leaves can be eaten raw when young.
Beetroot is a super-storehouse of both vitamin C and iron, which is great news for your body. Both are essential elements for health, but many of us struggle to absorb enough iron. Luckily, good old Mother Nature included extra vitamin C in her beetroots and this vitamin helps increase iron absorbtion!
Vitamin C is water soluble, which means it leaches out of veggies when you cook them in water. So the easiest way to get your combo-fix is to eat raw beetroot.
Incidentally, young beetroot leaves are a better source of iron than spinach!
The roots are a good source of many other vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, phosphorous, magnesium and B6.

Beetroot Can Cheer You Up
Beetroot has been shown to contain the compound betaine, which enhances the production of the body’s natural mood-lifter seratonin. So it would seem that munching fresh beetroot can literally make you smile.
Betaine is also really useful for cardiovascular health.

Immune System Booster
Beetroot’s amazing range of vitamins and nutrients have been shown to boost your immune system, helping you better fight off infection. These nutrients help stimulate the reoxygenation of cells and the production of new blood cells. Pretty important stuff!
Source : Raw Food Journey

So, here's a healthy drink to share with you all. There is no exact measurement as it depends on individual's preference. :)

Ingredients :

- Beetroot (washed and cut into cube)

- Grapes (washed)

- Honey

- Water

Method :

1)  Put beetroot, grapes and water into the blender.  I didn't use the juice extractor because I prefer my juice with fiber; so blender is the best choice.

2) Blend until smooth.  Add honey.

3)  Serve chilled.

Stir Fried Swiss Brown Mushrooms with Chinese Leeks and Eggs

Mushrooms have a surprisingly high nutritional value. They are low in calories, cholesterol-free, fat-free, high in protein and fiber and low in sodium. Besides, they are also high in nutrients such as selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D and more.

With more than 14,000 kinds of mushrooms in existence, only 3,000 of those are edible and about 1,400 are actually recognized as poisonous.

Mushrooms are not only nutritious, they are delicious too! That's the reason we love mushrooms; any type of mushrooms and I can cook it anyway I like! Here's a dish of Swiss Brown Mushrooms with Chinese Leeks and Eggs.

Ingredients :

- 100g of mushrooms (1 box is 200g and I used only half) - washed and cut
- 3 stalks of Chinese Leeks - washed and cut
- 4 eggs (beat)
- ginger (sliced finely)
Cooking oil

Seasonings : (to taste)
- Salt
- Soy Sauce

Method :

1) Heat oil in a wok. Saute ginger until aromatic.

2) Add leeks and mushrooms. Stir well. Add salt.

3) Add beaten egg and let it set. Then mix well. Add some water if it is too dry.

4) Lastly, add soy sauce and stir.

 More mushrooms in your diet are not only tasty; they're good for you too!