Watercress Detox Soup

From http://www.simcooks.com/274/watercress-soup/

Watercress contains significant amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid, in addition to vitamins A and C.

Ingredients (Serves 2):
- 1 big bunch of watercress
- 1/2 lb to 1 lb lean pork- 1 tsp dried shrimp
- 1 tsp dried mini scallops
- small piece of ginger, sliced
- 6 cups hot water- salt and pepper to taste

Preparation and Cooking Method:
1. Wash watercress thoroughly and set aside.
2. Blanch pork in hot water to remove scum. Transfer pork to a slow cooker.
3. Add dried shrimp, dried mini scallops and ginger to the slow cooker.
4. Add water and set slow cooker to low heat. Cook for 6-8 hours using low heat or 4-5 hours using high heat. (I prefer to use the low heat setting for slow cooking. If I use a high heat setting, the slow cooker lid tends to rattle from the pressure created by the steam when the soup is boiling - that makes me nervy.)
5. When soup is ready, cut watercress branches into smaller 2-inch sections. Transfer to slow cooker and allow to cook for 3 minutes.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Discard pork and serve soup with watercress.

The best part about using a slow cooker is that the longer the pork is cooked, the tastier the soup becomes. Also, since the watercress is cooked only at the last stage, you can add in the watercress just before serving, preserving its nutrients.

Mini Shrimp Cocktail Bites

(kraftfoods.com)

16 Holiday RITZ Crackers
1/3 cup PHILADELPHIA Whipped Cream Cheese Spread
1/3 cup KRAFT Cocktail Sauce
16 cleaned large fresh shrimp, cooked
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions

1. Spread each cracker with 1 tsp. of the cream cheese spread.
2. Top evenly with the cocktail sauce, shrimp and onions.

Yield: 8 servings (Serving size: 8 servings, 2 topped crackers each)

Notes:
Keeping It Safe
Frozen shrimp can also be used to prepare these appetizers. To thaw the shrimp, place the bag of frozen shrimp in the refrigerator and let stand until thawed. Or, place the sealed bag of shrimp in a bowl of cold water and let stand until thawed, changing the water every 10 minutes. Never thaw the shrimp on the countertop.

EZ Kung Pao Chicken

Yield: 4 servings (Serving size: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar or rice vinegar
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 cup peanuts
4 scallions, white bulbs and green tops cut separately into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the sherry, and the 1 tablespoon cornstarch.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, water, and the remaining 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sherry, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch.

In a wok or large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat.
Add the peanuts and stir-fry until light brown, about 30 seconds.

Remove from the pan. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
Add the white part of the scallions and the red-pepper flakes to the pan and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

Add the chicken with its marinade and cook, stirring, until almost done, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the soy-sauce mixture and the scallion tops and simmer until the chicken is just done, about 1 minute longer.
Stir in the peanuts.


Variation
Cashew Chicken: Substitute the same amount of cashews for the peanuts.
Wine
Since the chicken is salty and spicy, the drink's first job is to refresh. An aromatic white wine such as a sauvignon blanc from California or South Africa will do nicely, as will your favorite cold beer.

Tofu Strawberry Smoothie

This tofu shake will be a great pick-me-up.

Ingredients :
- 1 pkt silken tofu
- 125g / 4oz strawberry jam
- 1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 50g /2oz fresh strawberries (optional)

Method:
Whizz the silken tofu with jam and vanilla essence in a blender until smooth.
Serve as it is, or stir in some sliced fresh strawberries.

Green Bean Soup in coconut milk

I watch my mum boil them thick with an orange peel and sago. The below recipe is offered by a friend who used to run a catering service. He says he's heard of boiling red beans with orange peel, but not green beans. Hello, appreciate diversity..

Ingredients :
- green beans
- water (qty up to you)
- pandan leaves crushed and tied into a knot
- rock sugar
- coconut milk from one nut (optional)

Method:
Cook beans and pandan leaves in water, reduce heat when it starts to boil. When beans are well-cooked, add sugar. When sugar is dissolved, stir in the milk.
Remove pandan leaves and serve hot.

Sparkling Fruit Salad

I intend to make this for my cell group retreat at year end! Yay! Will post the picture up if everything goes smoothly.

Ingredients:
3 honeydew melons
1 cup green seedless grapes
2 kiwi fruit 1 star fruit
1 green-skinned apple
1 lime
1 cup sparkling white grape juice

Melons: cut and remove seeds and cut off outer shell; dice.
Grapes: remove stems and cut in half.
Kiwi: peel and chop in quarters.
Star fruit: thinly slice.
Apple: core thinly, slice, and place the slices in a bowl with the melon grapes, kiwi, and star fruit.
Lime: thinly pare the rind and cut into thin strips. Blanch the strips in boiling water for 30 seconds, drain them and rinse them in cold water.
Squeeze the juice from the lime and toss into the fruit.
Place in refrigerator for one hour.
Before serving, place in bowls and add sparkling grape juice over top.
Sprinkle with lemon rind.

Serves: 6.

From Recipe Collection of Karen Pimental, former innkeeper

Stickbabe's Vegetable Heaven

I used to burn any vegetable dish I cooked. So if I can cook this, you can too, Tai Tai... I present you with Stickbabe's 'Vegetable Heaven'!

--> The wonderful texture and colour brings a smile and the capsicums sweetens your day.<--

Ingredients:

Sliced capsicum (red or yellow to give colour); green leafy vegetables (xiao bai cai is fine too); Soaked chinese dried mushrooms; garlic; pounded ginger (juice extracted); shallots; oyster sauce; sugar

Method:

1. Heat oil. Fry shallots, add ginger and garlic. Add green vegetables.

2. Add ginger juice to the water used to soak mushrooms. Add oyster sauce and sugar to taste.

3. Pour mixture into saucepan. Bring to a boil.

4. Add capsicum and mushroom. Sprinkle pepper (optional).

5. When everything looks cooked, serve!

Panna Cotta con Mango

My sis taught me how to make this. It's delicious, and proved to be a hit among friends. You can vary the amount of whipping cream to achieve different consistencies.

Since my sis is the one giving me the recipe, I reproduce it 'her style' - with ingredients and steps all mixed together. I hope you can understand. I'll try to elaborate.

Steps :
1. Heat saucepan - add 2 whipping cream
2. Add 1/3 cup of milk (try not to use HL milk, rumoured to produce a strange aftertaste)
3. Add unflavoured gelatine, dissolve it
4. Add 2 tbsp of sugar and honey
5. Remove and sieve
6. Dice mangoes into cooked mixture (more like she squashed the mangoes 1st)
7. Save some mangoes for garnishing (aha, too late if you followed Step 6)
8. Put into glass and refridgerate (huh what glass? i think she meant glass containers)

Ginger steamed milk pudding

I particularly liked a hot ginger steamed milk pudding found in a restaurant called Macau. Searches over the internet end up directing me to western puddings. But I found it at last!

Ingredients
Fresh milk - 1 litre; Ginger - 1 piece; White sugar 5 tbsp

Steps
1) Peel and wash ginger, grate to make 8-10 tbsp ginger juice
2) Filtrate the juice finely, divide into 4 bowl equally
3) Add in sugar, mix with ginger juice
4) Boil fresh milk, keep stirring until fully boiled, turn off the fire
5) Keep slowly stirring until milk becomes a little cooler
6) Pour milk into each bowl quickly
7) Serve few minutes later when milk become solidified


Remarks
Grate the ginger only before use, or milk cannot be form solidified
When milk is boiled, stir about 20 times slowly, it's right time to lower the temperature
Do not pause when pouring the milk into the bowls
Serve in hot temperature is better, or chilled for better feeling in Summer