Lava Queen

Crumbles are great because they are easy and flavorful. They are delicious, comforting and  the perfect bite for dessert AND breakfast! This version of apple and blueberry crumbles is not too sweet and the  thing I like best is the addition of lemon rind to the fruits, for a little zing.  Dessert for breakfast is as legit as cereal for dinner :D You can also add some roasted slivered almond or pecans, if you like. Ingredients:  (Yields 12 mini crumbles) 100g all purpose flour 25g icing sugar 45g unsalted butter, chopped 1 egg yolk Approximately 1.5 tsp iced water 1/2 small apple, grated coarsely  1/4 cup fresh blueberries, cut into quarters  1/2 tsp ground cinnamon  1 tsp finely grated lemon rind Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a 12-hole mini muffin tray.  Pulse sifted flour, sugar and butter in food processor til crumbly. I didn't have one so I just mixed them using hand.  Add egg yolk and enou...

Everyone loves sausages, be it kids or adults. But do we actually know what is really in the ones that we buy from supermarkets? I once watched a video comparing some (well-known) brands of sausages and what are the ingredients in them, and boy, I was kinda startled. Most contained only about 30% meat and the rest? Fats, skins, sinews and some unwanted parts etc. So, the thought of making my own sausages came to my mind.  But the problem was, it was hard to get the casing here where I live. In fact, I've never seen it in the supermarkets that I frequently visit. Some say have to search and order online and some said they used cling wrap. I didn't wanna use cling wrap coz I need to steam the sausages before pan-frying or freezing them... It's plastic, after all (The stories I've heard about harmful chemicals released from plastic after adding heat...). Therefore the idea was put on hold til I saw a mom posted how she made sausages using baking sheets lately. That id...

It rained almost the whole day last Saturday. Since it was still raining pretty heavily in the evening and I needed to buy some fresh milk at the same time, we went to the nearby Jaya One for dinner where there are plenty of restaurants/cafes to choose from, a Cold Storage and covered car park.  On cool rainy days like this, I usually crave for something hot and soupy like steamboat/bakuteh or something spicy. Thought of eating at Go Noodle House but it was full and there was a queue, so we gave it a pass. Then we saw Streat Thai and immediately the image of a hot bowl of spicy tomyam came to my mind. Yummmzzz. Without second thoughts, we headed straight for it. Possibly the Klang Valley's most distinctive destination for Thai street food,  Streat Thai offers a  spacious dining area and a kitchen that replicates the scene of food stalls in Thailand selling different types street food, including salads, noodles, stir-frying, BBQ-ing, desserts and beverages. It is said th...

Had some homemade applesauce sitting in the freezer from the apple jellies that I made the other day, so I decided to make some apple muffins with it. These muffins have no sugar and no egg. You can also turn them into allergy-friendly muffins by using gluten-free flour, gluten-free baking powder and replacing the fresh milk with unsweetened almond or coconut milk!  These muffins are quite delicious and my LO had 3 of them! Try and see for yourself! They may look a lil dry on the outside, but as you can see, they are pretty moist on the inside :D Ingredients: (Makes 9 half-sized muffins - fill the regular-sized tin only to halfway) 150g all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder  1 tsp ground cinnamon  1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 banana, mashed 40ml virgin coconut oil  1/4 cup fresh milk 1 small red apple, peeled and grated Preheat oven to 200°C and line the muffin trays with paper cups. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking...

Super duper easy 3-ingredient homemade ice cream. Made with real fruits with no added sugar, no artificial flavoring and no preservatives. You can even omit the cocoa powder and do it with only 2 ingredients! My LO doesn't really like plain avocados anymore, so I added cocoa powder to 'disguise' the green color lol. This ice cream is completely non-dairy and won't ruin your healthy goals! Ingredients: 2 medium sized ripe avocados  3 medium sized bananas, sliced 1.5-2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, depending on how chocolatey you like Freeze the banana slices beforehand. Scoop the avocado flesh and blend together with the frozen banana slices til smooth.  Blend avocado flesh together with the frozen banana slices. Add cocoa powder and blend til well combined and smooth. Pour into a container and freeze til ready to serve!  Add cocoa powder. Blend til smooth.

Meat floss,   also known as  rousung in Chinese,   is a dried meat product with a light and fluffy texture similar to coarse cotton. It  is a very popular food item in Chinese cuisine and  is one of the Chinese New Year goodies. You can use it as a topping for porridge/fried rice, filling  for sandwich, various buns and pastries, and even as a snack food on its own.  There are different versions of meat floss: pork, chicken, beef and also fish (less common). As I mentioned, we have soups quite often and most of the time, we don't eat the meat that was used to boil the soups because it becomes tough, dry and relatively tasteless. Still, it's a little wasteful to just throw them away, so I thought why not try making it into meat floss?  It's simple to make anyway. The basic steps? Cook meat, shred meat finely, combine shreds with seasonings, fry shreds over low heat until dry. That's all! At least it is healthier (You know exactly wh...

This is a healthy and nutritious soup, especially for those who love this bitter melon :) Bitter gourd - you'll either love the bitter taste or hate it. Chinese often cook bitter gourd soups when the weather is hot as it is believed to have cooling effects. Other soups with similar cooling effects are watercress, winter melon and old cucumber soups :D It helps to clear heat, brighten eyesight and detoxify the body.  Ingredients: 1 medium sized bitter gourd  1 medium sized carrot, peeled and cut into bite sized 10-12 red dates, pits removed  A handful of goji berries, soaked til puffy Approx 150-200g pork bones 1500ml water Blanch pork bones in boiling water for 5 mins. Rinse and set aside. Cut the bitter gourd in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.  Cut the bitter gourd into large chunks.  Rub a small amount of salt on the bitter gourd and then rinse off the salt with water. This helps to reduce the bitter taste of ...

A healthier option for snack and another way to 'hide' the vegetable. It's pretty easy to make and it's nice to eat with sweet chili sauce too (for adults). My breadcrumbs come with mixed herbs, so ended up the smell and taste of herbs was a little strong. Made 12 nuggets, LO ate 2 and hubby finished most of them, so I'm happy :D You could add a little bit of chopped chili for a kick, or maybe some crispy bacon too! Ingredients: (Adapted from an online recipe) 1/2 a cauliflower (Approx 350g), steamed 1/2 egg 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (Mine comes with mixed herbs) 1/2 tsp minced garlic or garlic powder. Cubes of cheddar cheese (The quantity and size depend on the size of the nuggets you are making) Ground black pepper and salt, for seasoning 1/2 cup all purpose flour  1 egg, beaten 1/2 cup breadcrumbs  Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper. In a bowl, mash cauliflower. Add the 1/2 egg, 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, minc...

This soup is suitable for constipation, dry skin and insufficient breast milk.  Papaya is the 'star' ingredient in this soup. It is neutral in nature, tastes sweet, nourishing and promotes digestion. It is also rich in antioxidants, especially vitamins A and C, which can help to prevent a number of health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer.  Half a papaya provides enough vitamin C you need for a day. Papain in papaya helps tenderize meat, making it easier for our stomach and intestines to digest. Papaya is known as the 'longevity' fruit because the vitamins can help prevent aging and ensures a healthy skin. Papaya is an essential food for pregnant women too, as it accelerates mammary gland developments and promotes secretion of breast milk. This soup also helps to prevent constipation that is caused by taking too many supplements during confinement period, nourishes skin and speed up recovery of wounds. Ingredients: 1 green papay...

Only 2 ingredients but takes a bit of work and time, OR, you could opt to use those ready-made apple juice in cartons. Not only will that help you save work and time, they are also more 'yellowish' in color, which makes them more similar to the real beer. In order to avoid any added sugar, preservatives, artificial flavoring and coloring, I chose to make my own juice and then use the mush to make applesauce for other recipes :D 100% sugar-free jellies :D Because I chose to make my own juice, the color isn't as 'beer-like' or 'yellow'. Ingredients: 4 red gala apples, stems and cores removed 1 3/4 tsp agar agar powder Cut the apples into slices. There is no need to peel them. Put the apple slices into a pot  and add enough water to just cover them. Too much water and you’ll have pretty diluted juice. The juice may come out a bit strong, but it’s a lot easier to dilute the juice with extra water rather than trying to make the flavor ...

You know how your spouse sometimes take things for granted when you are a SAHM; they come back to quite a neat house (Not exactly spick-and-span, but at least not in a complete mess), with hot dinner prepared, clean clothes to wear, the kids are fed/cleaned, and then they start to think your 'job' at home is actually pretty simple and most of the time you are probably just sitting on the sofa  shaking legs ? This is what a lot of mommies have been complaining about recently, online and offline. Well, my thought is, let's trade for a day and see what happens? ^^ Here's what I did... Image taken from www.pinterest.com. Though my hubby helps in taking care of our LO and doing housework, sometimes he tends to 'forget' how much work I do at home everyday when he is at work, that I too need a rest and go out for some fresh air when he suggests staying in on weekends. I do bring LO out by myself at times, but can't really relax or enjoy much (It's a lil in...

Being a typical Cantonese, I grew up with soups. We used to have soup at almost every meal and now, it seems my LO has inherited this tradition too. She's a fan of soups and most of the time, she will ask for second helpings of the wholesome soups even when she refuses to eat everything else...  Beetroot can be considered as a very versatile ingredient. It can be used in salads, sandwiches, cakes, soups and even as a natural food dye coloring. Surprisingly, it  blends well into our Asian soups too. I still remember the first time I made this soup for my hubby (then boyfriend). He was a little terrified by the bright red colored soup, but after trying, he has been in love with it ever since. :D  I usually boil the simpler version of this with just pork/chicken bones, red dates and goji berries. Today, I've paired the beetroot with corn and carrot - to add extra sweetness to the soup. This healthy soup is naturally sweet and full of flavor that it doesn't requi...

Weather has been freaking hot for the past whole week. Tried some samples of this Spanish Jimbee melon while we were doing our grocery shopping this afternoon. It was super sweet and fragrant, so we bought one home. Instead of cutting and serving it the usual way, my hubby decided to give it a twist with one of his idol, Gordon Ramsay's recipes: melon with tequila & lime. Cold, fragrant, sweet melon tossed in tequila, maple syrup and lime dressing - a perfect refreshing dessert for such a hot weather! We didn't have a melon baller so we simply cut the melon into cubes. Slightly salty, bitter and zesty, with a sweet aftertaste! Ingredients: (Adapted from Gordon Ramsay's recipe) 1 Jimbee melon, chilled 2-3 tbsp silver tequila Finely grated zest of 1/2 lime, plus extra to serve Juice of 1/2 lime 2-3 tbsp maple syrup Tiny pinch of fine sea salt Few mint sprigs (leaves only), chopped Halve the melon and remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut the fle...

Cake baked in an orange rind is something I've always wanted to try ever since I saw it online, and I've decided to do it on a whim today. Was wondering just what cake to make and decided to go with chocolate since we all know chocolate sorta makes everything tastes better :P. Plus, I was concerned that a lighter cake might turn slightly bitter from being baked in the orange peel... What I can say for sure is that these were fun little cakes to bake! It is also a fantastic way to make a simple and wonderfully delicious dessert at home, or even at outdoor campfires!! The chocolate cake seemed to have a bit of orange flavor baked into it, and it certainly smelled delicious! Looks cute, isn't it? :D See how moist and chocolatey it is! Ingredients: 1 orange 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil 1 tbsp brown sugar (Add more if you prefer a sweeter cake, or if your orange is slightly sour) 1 egg 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour  1 tbsp cocoa powder  A pinch of baki...