Baked Parmesan Zucchini...

Happy Friday Folks!

Ingredients:

3 zucchini ( I cut mine in rounds but you can follow the recipe and cut length wise)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp dried thyme 

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Served with yams, roasted carrots and rotisserie chicken...

Recipe 

Garlic Prawns...

Helloooo Monday! 

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! Here's another recipe I've been meaning to post for awhile...Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pound raw shrimp tail on

1/4 cup olive oil

2 lemons, juiced and divided

5-6 cloves garlic minced

2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped plus more for garnish

1 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I opted out)

6 tbsp salted butter

1/2 tsp pepper

My Verdict: Praiseworthy. Here's another one I found on IG, and have added it to my recipe box. I love pairing this when I have a Mediterranean feast. Or enjoy it alone with pita or rice.

Directions:

1. Add the shrimp in a ziplock bag or medium size bowl.

2. Add olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, minced garlic, 1 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley, flour, cayenne pepper and pepper.

3. Toss well to combine, and marinate in fridge for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

4. Heat a large skillet on medium heat. 

5. Once hot add shrimp, be sure to add the garlic and season with salt and pepper.

6. Saute the shrimp until pink, 2-3 minutes on each side.

7. Remove the shrimp from skillet and set aside, leaving only the garlic.

8. Add butter and 1 tsp pepper to skillet.

9. Cook the garlic until it becomes caramelized and golden brown(watch out because left to long it will just get burnt).

10. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tbsp of chopped parsley and juice of 1/2 of a lemon.

Enjoy! Hope you love it as much as I do!

Buddha's Feast...

Ingredients:

3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp dark sesame oil

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 pkg (14 ounce) water-packed extra firm tofu (drained and cut into 1inch cubes) I prefer fried tofu like you see below

5 cups broccoli florets

1/2 cup peeled broccoli stems (I omitted this)

2 tbsp canola oil

1 1/2 cups carrots (1/4 inch cut diagonally sliced)

1 cup snow peas, trimmed

1 can (14 ounce) whole baby corn, drained (I omitted this)

1 can (8 ounce) sliced water chestnuts, drained (I omitted this)

1 1/2 cup sliced green onions (I chopped mine)

1 tbsp grated peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

I added baby bok choy instead of the water chestnuts and corn...

My Verdict: Praiseworthy. I've made this dish 5 times already since finding it online. Its filling enough to enjoy alone or with rice. 

Recipe

Banana Caramel Cupcakes...

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

4 mashed ripe bananas

1 3/4 cup + 1 tsp flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter (melted)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla paste (I used vanilla extract)

Icing

1 1/3 cup = 1 tsp icing sugar

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

1 tbsp honey (I used maple syrup)

3 tbsp cream cheese

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla paste (I used vanilla extract)

Frosting: I over whipped mine but still tastes divine!

Fresh out of the oven...

Plated and ready to go...

My Verdict: Praiseworthy. Bananas, caramel, cupcakes, what's not to love! Thank you Peony for the recipe! Adding this one to the recipe box!

Recipe

Peony Lim

Salmon Recipes...Japanese Dishes

Recently while catching up on my fave You Tube guru's I came upon Melodee's Channel and found myself glued to my iPad watching all of her videos! I immediately went out and bought ingredients to make the salmon dish she ate in the video...

Ingredients:

1 piece of salmon ( I got 100 grams)

1/2 a carrot (thinly sliced)

1 tsp of mayonnaise

salt and pepper

handful of spinach

2 tbsp of bonito sauce

1 tbsp of mirin

Ingredients:

1 piece of salmon ( I got 100 grams)

2 mushrooms (thinly sliced)

1/4 of a sweet onion (thinly sliced)

1 tsp of mayonnaise

salt and pepper

2 tbsp of bonito sauce

1 tbsp of mirin

Mirin Sauce

Bonito Sauce

I googled top brands, but these are the only ones available at T&T (local asian mart) that they carried in small sizes

Plated and ready to eat...rice and miso soup would be great sides to accompany this

Directions for both:
Preheat oven to 350 F
On a baking sheet, place enough tin foil for the slices of salmon to be fully wrapped and covered.
For the carrot and spinach:
place the slices of carrot on the tin foil
lay salmon on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then the mayonnaise
top with spinach and pour on the mirin and bonito sauce
fold the tin foil over and wrap the salmon tightly closed
Bake for 15 minutes

For the mushroom and onions:
place salmon on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then the mayonnaise
top with mushrooms and onions, then pour on the mirin and bonito sauce
fold the tin foil over and wrap the salmon tightly closed
Bake for 15 minutes

If you try these recipes send me a pic, I'd love to see! Enjoy!

Eggplant Dip...Kashkeh Bademjoon

1 Eggplant (next time I'll try this recipe with Japanese Eggplant, I found this one had too many seeds)

1 onion (chopped)

2 garlic cloves (crushed)

1/2 cup Sour Cream or Kashk

4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

And the meal...Garlic Prawn Recipe coming soon!

My Verdict: Praiseworthy. I am absolutely addicted to eggplant dip from Zeitoon. There was a time I ate Persian food every week and this was a must! I googled and found a recipe and decided to try it. I'm so pleased with the results, definitely time consuming for this meal but was well worth the wait!

Instructions:

Peel and cut eggplant into 1" rounds. On wire rack with paper towels, lay eggplant on and salt both sides. Add another layer of paper towels and top with something heavy ( I placed 3 cookbooks). Leave on for 1 hr, this will help expel the excess liquid.

Preheat oven at 400 F bake eggplant for 20 minutes. Flip and continue baking for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.

During this time chop onions and garlic. In a pan on medium heat add 1 Tbsp of EVOO, add onions and sauté until soft. Lower heat to low and caramelize, mine took about 28 minutes. Add the garlic in the last 2 mins. Set aside 1 Tbsp of onions for garnish.

In a bowl add the eggplant and onion garlic mixture and mash with a fork. Add the sour cream and pepper to combine. You can transfer to a serving dish, but I kept mine in the same bowl(less dishes to wash yay! lol) Add the onions from earlier as garnish. 

Here's another recipe that's quicker...

Readers if you try this recipe I'd love to see your creations! tag #passorpraiseblogbakes 

Here's my IG: kngap

* update round 2 with lots of butter on the garlic prawns

Banana Oat and Coconut Muffins...

Ingredients:

1-2 or 1/2 Cup Super Ripe Banana (Mashed)

1/2 Cup Oat Flour

1-2 scoops Protein powder

2 Tbsp Coconut Flour (3 Tbsp if you're omitting the protein powder)

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Egg

1 Egg White

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

1/2 Tsp Cinnamon (Optional)

2 Tbsp Mini Chocolate Chips (I only used 18 to sprinkle on top)

Yields: 6

Using a fork to combine everything...

After 20 mins of baking and cooling off...

My Verdict: Praiseworthy. I found this recipe on IG from a feed I follow: fithealthyrecipes the original recipe came from lean_lisha

Preheat oven to 350 F
In a bowl whisk all dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients until combined. I didn't have any protein so I skipped this option and added another tablespoon of the coconut flour instead. I also added the cinnamon as I love anything with it!
At this point you can fold in your mini chocolate chips, or do what I did and place them on top.
Spray your baking tin and fill it evenly to fit the 6. I used a medium sized ice-cream scoop for convenience. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy! And if you do bake these tag me! #passorpraiseworthyblogbakes

* round 2 this time with coconut flakes 

Apple Cinnamon and Sugar Croissants...

Ingredients: 2 apples (I used fuji)

3/4 of a stick of butter (I only had salted)

1 Pillsbury Crescents Roll

I rough chopped my apples or you can use slices

Fresh out of the oven...

Plated and ready to eat...

My Verdict: Praiseworthy. The other day I had an apple croissant from Whole Foods and ever since then I've been craving more. This recipe is a cross between a churro and an apple pie! = Yummo

Recipe:

Follow the instructions on the package on how to roll and wrap.

Heat oven at 375 F and bake at 15 minutes.

Readers if you try this recipe I'd love to see your creations! tag #passorpraiseblogbakes gosh thats a long hashtag lol

Here's my IG: kngap

Brazilian Cheese Bread...

Fresh out of the oven...

I used a mini size ice-cream scoop and it yieled about 35 

My Verdict: Praiseworthy. This is the second time I made these, and they truly are addicting! I managed to find this gem on IG from the colorfulfoodie! 

Ingredients:

1 Sweet Potato 

1 Cup Shredded Cheese (your choice, but I used Chedder)

1 Cup Tapioca Flour

1 Cup Low Fat Ricotta Cheese

1 egg

2 egg whites

Directions:

Preheat oven at 400 F 

Wash and dry your sweet potato. Prick with fork all over and bake for 30 mins. Flip and continue baking for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 F

In a bowl add sweet potato and mash with a fork. Add flour, ricotta cheese, egg and egg whites. Combine everything and fold in shredded cheese. Spray a baking sheet and spoon on balls or use an ice-cream scoop for convenience. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Don't leave them in longer than 30 mins or else they look like this!

Still edible and tasty if you like them super crispy!

Readers if you try this recipe I'd love to see your creations! tag #passorpraiseblogbakes 

Here's my IG: kngap

Thanksgiving Dinner I made and first time baking of the cheese bread...

Chicken Chorizo Spinach and Egg Breakfast...

Ingredients:

1 Chicken Chorizo Sausage (found mine at Whole Foods)

1 Handful of fresh spinach or more to your liking

1/4 of avocado (can season with salt and pepper)

1/4 of an onion chopped

1 egg 

1 tsp butter or olive oil for pan

My Verdict: Praiseworthy. Here's a quick recipe for breakfast that serves 2. I used a chicken chorizo sausage I found at Whole Foods, and removed the casing. In a pan set on medium-low heat add butter, allow to coat pan. Add onion and fry until semi translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add sausage pieces and cook until no longer pink ( depending on size of sausage this can take 5-8 mins.) I added spinach at the end and cooked until it wilted about 2 minutes. Set aside in plate/bowl. I used the fat from the sausage pieces to cook the egg. That's it! Serve and enjoy :)

* you can try different sausages from Whole Foods, the possibilities are endless:)

Yam Fries with Guacamole, Sour Cream and Bacon...Inspired by IG

I came upon this recipe on Instagram recently and decided to recreate it...

I used the store bought pre-cut yam fries

Sour cream

Avocado with salt and pepper mashed

1 sprig Green Onion

3 bacon strips

My Verdict: Praiseworthy. Follow the instructions on the package of the yam fries. I baked both the fries and bacon at the same time. I wanted the bacon to be super crispy so I left it for about 20 minutes. 

I also purchased a jar of japaleno peppers but for the life of me couldn't open it. I was so hungry, I gave up after a couple tries. They still tasted delish without, but if you want some heat add some pepper.

This will be perfect for movie night or a sports event. Apart from the bacon and sour cream this was pretty healthy.

Burrata Tomato Cucumber Salad...

This salad reminds me of one I used to have from L2, this one is super easy to make and very filling...

Ingredients:

3/4 Cucumber - peeled and cut (it's hiding underneath)

3 Tomatoes (I removed the seeds and cut them bite size)

1 tub of burrata cheese (next time I'll use half these were a bit too much to eat)

1/4 of red onion 

handful of basil

Extra Virgin olive oil, Balsamic Vinegar and Red Wine Vinegar ( I eyeballed about 3-4 tbs worth)

salt and pepper to taste

TGIF happy weekend everyone!