Banana Raisin Bran Muffins

Having a healthy breakfast for a good start in the morning is essential, especially for kids. As I need to find some healthy breakfast and snack recipes for the whole family, I chanced upon Annabel Karmel's website, which consists of so many healthy, practical and homemade recipes for baby, toddler, kids and family. I have fallen in love for those creative, healthy and cute kid's recipes, especially for picky / fussy eater! Her recipes are easy to follow especially for busy working parents.

As I was keen by using oats, bran, whole grain and fruits to bake some muffins last weekend. I found this Healthy Breakfast - Raisin Bran Breakfast Muffins which I would give a "thumb up" for it. By using bran-flake cereal, spices, raisin and milk. She turned this muffin into a delicious and healthy breakfast. Thus, I did some modifications on this recipe by adding mashed banana in it. I would tell, the taste is simply irresistible. The fragrant smell of banana and the mouth-watering taste of the bran & raisin, simply satisfying! Besides, the texture of the muffins is so moist and soft, you just can't stop popping one after another! Trust me! My son and my hubby did. Both of them finished half of the batch in no time. I find making muffins in smaller cup is better for kids to handle.


I used Alive - Light 'n' Tasty Triple Berry Whole Grain Cereal Flakes for this recipe as I found this newly launched product is really good. It consists of whole grains & fruits, perfect ingredients for this recipe. It is low in fat and high in fiber that helps in digestion. Are you a muffin lover and a health conscious foodie? Try this recipe and I am sure you will surely like it. *wink*

Not forgetting, Easter is around the corner, I would like to wish all who celebrate this special day, have a BLESSED EASTER! We will have a break this weekend, having a small gathering with family members to celebrate this special event at home. See you soon!

Recipe adapted & modified from Annabel Karmel - Raisin Bran Breakfast Muffin Makes 18 mini muffins Ingredients: 100g bran-flake cereal - (I used Light N Tasty Triple Berry Whole Grain Cereal Flakes) 250ml warmed milk - (I used Full Cream Milk) 120g Cake flour/Plain flour 100g soft dark-brown sugar 100ml sunflower oil 1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon 50g dried raisin (soaked with water) 1 large egg (at room temperature), beaten 1 medium-sized fully ripen & soft banana (approx. 5-6 inches), mashed Method: 1. Soak dried raisin with water for 2 hours. 2. Pre-heat oven to 200ºC/400ºF. Line a muffin tin with paper cups. 3. Put cereal in a bowl with the milk and leave it to stand for 5 mins or until soft. 4. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices into a large bowl. Mix well. 5. Mash banana with a fork or masher. Drain raisin. 6. Stir in raisin to the flour mixture. Beat egg, dark-brown sugar and oil, mix well and add into the flour. 7. Stir in mashed banana and soaked cereal. Stir and mix well until a soft dough is form. 8. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups (fill to top). (You may sprinkle some bran-flakes cereal on top of the muffins before baking). 9. Bake for 15-20 mins at 400ºF or until risen. 10. Cool for 5 mins in the tin then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days. Note: • Baking time and temperature might vary depending on the oven's function and muffin size. • You may need to adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste. For original recipe, please go to Annable Karmel - Raisin Bran Breakfast Muffin recipe!

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Shimeji Stir-fried with Mixed Vegetables

Having a simple stir-fried is simply a delicious and healthy dish for any meals. I will surely include a vegetable dish in my cooking for lunch or dinner to make sure that we have a complete wholesome meal every time. Thus, adding various color of vegetables in our daily meals is very important. Hence, this simple Shimeji stir-fried with mixed vegetables is one of my favourite. This multi-color vegetable dish with Shimeji mushroom is indeed nutritious and easy to cook dish, especially for working mom like me!

A taste of crunchy bite of the mushroom and mixed vegetables bring us more appetizing feel. I would love to eat them with the Chinese traditional way, using a pair of chopsticks with a Chinese bowl of hot steamed rice. It reminds me a lot of childhood sweet memories! Isn't great to savour and enjoy your meal with a smile on your face? Let's start wokking!

Some informations to ponder:
About Shimeji Mushroom
About Sugar Snap Pea

You may also like another Shimeji dish here! Ingredients: 160g Buna Shimeji mushroom (I bought those from Korea) 1/2 Carrot, slice thinly (you may cut into star shape or any preferred shape) 10 nos Sugar snap peas, trim the ends & peel off the 4 pcs Seafood tofu, halved (pre-packed fried tofu) 2 cloves Garlic, minced Seasoning (mix well): 150ml Water (water used to blanch the vegetables) 1 tsp Tapioca / Corn flour 1 tbsp Premier Oyster Sauce Dash of white pepper (optional) Method: 1. Trim off the bottom of the Shimeji mushroom. Rinse and set aside. 2. String peas by beginning at tip and pulling it down. Cut off stem ends and leave whole. Rinse and set aside. 3. Boil a pot of hot water. Blanch Shimeji mushroom for 1 min in the hot boiling water. Drain and set aside. 4. Follow by sugar snap peas & carrot, blanch for 1 min. Drain and set aside. 5. Heat up 2 tbsp olive oil, saute garlic until fragrant but not brown. Add in Shimeji mushroom, carrot and snap peas. 6. Stir fry for 1 min. Add in seafood tofu and stir fry for another minute. 7. Pour in seasonings. Simmer over low heat for 2 mins. Do not over-cooked the ingredients. 8. Dish up, serve immediately while hot. Enjoy! Note: • Blanch the vegetables beforehand, so that you do not have to stir fry for long time results to soggy vegetables. The vegetables & mushroom will have bouncy and crunchy texture when you bite on it. • Prepare all the seasoning in a bowl, slowly pour in the water from blanching the vegetables gradually and keep on stirring because the water is still hot. This will dissolve the tapioca/corn flour evenly. Or, leave the water to cool before use.

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Guest Post : Fish Spinach Patties

Guest post? Yes, my honour to be invited by my good friend, LK from Food-4Tots as a guest post this week. We share many things in common especially in cooking & parenting. LK is a dedicated mother whom insists on healthy home cook baby/toddler food ever since she became a mother. Her determination to provide her family healthy homecooked food had inspired me. She has encouraged me to prepare healthy homecooked food for my son. She has shared many healthy recipes on her food blog especially for toddlers/kids. It is definitely a good blog to visit if you are hunting for healthy homecooked toddler's food.

It took me a while to think of something healthy yet suitable for toddlers to post on her blog. It is indeed a big challenge though. Fish spinach patties came to my mind one weekend when I was about to cook lunch for my son. I love the idea of using fish, vegetables and potato in making patties as a wholesome recipe for toddlers/kids. It is full of carbohydrate, protein, fibre, vitamins & minerals that a growing child requires. This is also an effective way to coax kids who dislike vegetables to have greens in their diet. Hop over to LK's blog to check out the recipe! Happy trying!

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Steamed Red Beans Paste Bun/Pao

I was so keen to make steamed pao or bun long time ago. But, I was afraid it will not turn out nicely. The other day I was taking a stroll after work to some of the shop lots nearby my working place, I chanced upon a newly open baking shop. Thus, I was curious to take a peep at the baking shop since it looks great at the outside. It is only a small baking shop but selling most of the baking stuffs and conducting baking classes too. The staff was very friendly and helpful in introducing me their products and classes conducting by their Chef.

As I was taking my own sweet time going through from rack to rack, I saw their special pao mix, I thought it will be great to give it a try! I grabbed a packet of red beans paste too for the filling. The special pao mix came with an attached recipe, so it will be definitely a good choice for a novice like me to follow.

Hence, I searched the net to find some tricks and tips on making red beans paste pao/bun. I found this very useful step-by-step steamed red beans paste pao recipe at CHOWTIMES Through this site, I have learned the way to pleats the pao. The step-by-step guide with pictures really do me a big favour in making steamed red beans pao! Besides, CHOWTIMES also show us other tips on how to steam pao and some useful equipments. I managed to tried the pleating and the result is good though for a first timer! hehe....

Result? The steamed pao/bun is really good. It is soft and moist. The red beans paste is smooth, smell good and melt in the mouth. So far, this is the most successful steamed pao that I have made and tasted at home. Unfortunately I have forgotten to snap some photos of the inside filling. Will remember to do it the next round... haha...

My hubby is a big fan of steamed pao, especially Char Siew Pao (Roasted pork steamed bun), but my son likes the original pao or man tao (plain bun) without any fillings. Such a tough job isn't it? I would like to try both using this pao mix again the next round, making a batch of Char Siew Pao and plain man tao. Do you have any other tricks to share with me?

Pao/Bun before steaming

Pao/Bun after steaming

Ingredients: 450gm Pao Mix (including instant yeast and shortening) 230gm Water Red beans paste Baking paper Bamboo steaming tray / rice cooker steaming tray Methods: 1) Cut baking paper into 2.5 in X 2.5 in square shape. Approx 12 pieces. 2) Prepare a bamboo steaming tray or a rice cooker steaming tray. If you choose to use bamboo tray, see CHOWTIMES tricks by cutting a pieces of round baking paper according to the shape of the bamboo tray. Punch some holes on it. (I used rice cooker steaming tray which comes with holes, see pic on my steamed egg cake post) 3) Mix the pau mix with water in a big mixing bowl according to the packet instruction. 4) Combine and knead with hands until soft dough is form. 5) Transfer to working surface, continue to knead for 10 - 15 mins until dough is elastic and soft. Rest for 20 mins. 6) Divide dough and scale, into ball of 30gm each. 7) Flatten it with your palm and roll it out with a rolling pin until a round circle shape is achieved. 8) Cut a small hole at the corner of the red beans paste packet. Squeeze a dollop of red bean paste (approx 25gm) onto the center of the dough. 9) Push the edges of the dough up and make a clean seal to cover the filling. Roll it a little with your palm to make a even round shape. If you want to make pleat on the pao, refer to CHOWTIMES 10) Place it on the baking paper. Put in the steaming tray. Proof for another 20 mins. 11) Boil a pot of boiling water for steaming. I put a small red dot on the pao with food colouring for decoration. 12) Steam at high heat for 8 - 10 mins. The pao/bun will double up the size after steaming. 13)) Remove from pot and rest on a rack. Consume while warm. Note: • You need to judge on your own observation during the kneading time. The dough should be elastic and soft. • You may use other fillings for the pao, such as pandan paste, meat, vegetables, peanut butter, jam or coconut. • Keep the balance pao in the freezer or fridge in an air-tight container and heat up when you are about to consume them. • While you are working on the small dough, keep the others in a bowl and cover with damp cloth to prevent the dough comes hard.

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Braised Pork Ribs with Mushrooms

Spices are my favourite ingredients to be used in Chinese cooking, especially using the braising method. Since childhood, my maternal grandmother will braised all sorts of dishes using spices in her cooking. Those grandchildren has benefited from her delicious and nutritious cooking using spices. I am one of them as I was taken care by my maternal grandmother since I was born, so do my younger sister. Being a Chinese, we were thought to appreciate Chinese cooking and dishes with spices since our younger age. In Chinese cooking, we use "braising", "double boiling" or "steaming" to enhance the taste and to preserve the goodness of the ingredients in it. Hence, the dishes will smell and taste heaven.

Besides Chinese, the Indian and Malays also have their own ways to in using spices to enhance the overall well being. No matter which methods we are using, spices are good in their natural way. Spices are well-known in their natural goodness & natural remedy to various ailments. But, pregnant women needs to be cautious or abstains of taking herbs & spices during pregnancy.

Both herbs and spices are excellent antioxidants, which work to neutralize attacks made by free radicals against the body. Cinnamon is often used as an antidote for diarrhea and stomach upset as well as a metabolism booster. Ginger speeds metabolic rate, plus it inhibits nausea and vomiting often caused by morning sickness or motion sickness. Regular consumption of garlic can decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It also aids digestion and prevents flatulence. Recent research shows garlic to be beneficial in the treatment of diabetes.
References from: here and here

I had deepen my knowledge of using spices in culinary enhancements since my confinement period where my son was born about 5 years ago. The confinement lady has taught me a little on cooking Chinese confinement food using herbs & spices during the end of my confinement. Hence, I began to hands on when the confinement lady has left after a month. I would cooked for my meals with plenty of gingers, cinnamon sticks, star anise, garlic, shallots, cloves, wood fungus, mushrooms & much more. I truly enjoyed the savoury taste of a pot of braised pork ribs with spices at that time. Since then, I will cook more food using spices with braising method.

Now, I have started to explore other recipes with spices, such as Masala Chai - Indian Spiced Tea. I prepare it with plenty of spices & ginger to enhance the tea. It has become my family favourite tea now and it surely tastes awesome with added fresh milk from the Indian milk supplier every week. Meanwhile, I am learning how to cook Indians & Nyonya curries with spices from my Mother-in-laws, which is good in cooking traditional curries with many tricks & tips! Need to brush up my skill in cooking variety of Malaysian food. (*wink)

Besides spices, mushroom is also full of nutrition goodness too. Enoki is also one of my favourite in various dishes. Enoki mushrooms are edible mushrooms which are very popular in Asian cuisine, especially in Japan. The delicately flavored, interesting looking mushrooms are also cultivated and sold in other parts of the world, although they are most widely used in Asian and fusion foods. Before using enoki mushrooms, rinse them thoroughly and trim off the roots at the base of the cluster. Enoki mushrooms can be eaten raw or cooked. Add them to salads, sandwiches, soups, pasta sauces, and stir-fried rice and vegetable dishes. To retain the delicate flavour of the mushrooms, add them at the end of the cooking process.
Reference from:
Goodness Direct
Wisegeek

Hence, I have prepared myself a pot of braised pork ribs with mushrooms and spices for lunch and a cup of Indian Spiced Tea for tea time to satisfied my cravings! haha... such an indulgence weekend for me! Need to work out and diet soon!

Another recipe on spices to be shared:
Braised pork ribs with spices

Ingredients: 300g Pork ribs, chop into pieces 10 nos Chinese dried mushroom 100g Enoki - Golden mushroom 1 piece of Dried bean curd sheet 600ml water Herbs & spices (rinse & pat dry): 1 whole roasted garlic 2 nos Shallot, remove skin 1 piece of Cinnamon stick 2 nos Star Anise 1 inch of Ginger, slice 6 pcs of Black peppercorn Seasoning: 1/2 tsp Salt 3 tbsp Light soya sauce 1 tbsp Dark soya sauce 1 tsp Shio Xing Rice wine. Method: 1. Wash and blanch pork ribs with hot boiling water. Drain & set aside. 2. Wash and soak chinese mushroom with hot water until soft. Cover it. 3. Wash and cut away the roots of the enoki mushroom. Set aside. 4. Heat up 2 tbsp of sunflower oil in a cooking pot. 5. Saute herbs & spices until fragrant. Approx 2 mins. 6. Add in pork ribs and stir occasionally. Leave it for 5 mins. 7. Add in water, simmer under medium heat for 5 mins or until water started to boil. 8. Add in seasonings, stir well. Braise under low heat until pork ribs & mushrooms are soft. 9. Rinse & soak bean curd sheet for 1 min, drain and cut into 8 long stripes. 10. Add in bean curd sheet and enoki mushroom to the pot. Simmer at medium heat for 5 mins or until bean curd sheet is soft. 11. Dish up, serve while warm with hot steamed rice. Note: • You may substitute pork ribs with chicken. • You may need to adjust the amount of water in this recipe. If the water is insufficient during the simmering time (step 8). Add another 100ml of water. The gravy should be semi-thick and concentrated at the end of the simmering. More info on spices here: Fitness Magazine

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