Popcorn is high on fiber, low on calories, but also packed with energy. Compared to sugar-filled candy or chocolate bars, popcorn is still a better (if not the best) choice for snack. If prepare correctly and eat in moderation, it can be considered a healthy snack for kids.

You should consider making your own popcorn rather than buying from outside. Firstly, the corn kernels are inexpensive. Secondly, it’s super easy-to-make, and not to mention the wonderful aroma that fills the air. Thirdly, it’s healthier as you can control the amount of sugar, butter and Trans fat that go into your family’s stomach. Needless to say, plain popcorn is the healthiest choice. But if you find it hard to accept the plain ones, then strike a balance by mixing half of the plain ones with whatever seasoned flavour of your preference.

Besides being an all-time favorite snack, popcorn can be a great science experiment for kids. Making popcorn is not only fun, it’s also an interesting “cooking with kids” project for parents. For smaller kids, it’s like magic to them when they watch how dried kernels explode and “transform” into popcorn. You can also let them see how the kernel pops in super slow motion from this video clip.

Although popcorn is a healthy and delicious snack, parents should take extra precautions for the health risks involved when introducing popcorn to their kids as mentioned below:

1. Be careful with the kernels that failed to pop. Biting into a hard kernel is painful and can cause broken teeth to your little ones. So, separate them out before serving.
2. Popcorn is NOT recommended for children under four because of the risk of choking, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Hence, kids need to sit down while eating their popcorn under close adult supervision.

My son is always curious about popcorn whenever he read about it or sees them from the television shows. After much consideration and lots of empty promises from this health-freak mommy, he finally got to taste his first ever (homemade) popcorn. He was so excited, grinning from ear-to-ear when he held his cup of popcorn for a photo shoot! Much to my “regret” for asking him to pose some eating actions, he conveniently finished off 2 cups in seconds before I could capture the right shot.    Of course, I’m no less smarter than him. I only put 20% of popcorn in the cup and filled up the rest of 80% with kitchen towel.  

In the end, I decided to swap him with his favourite soft toy to shoot for this post.  At least, it’s more “obedient” and my popcorn is “safe” throughout the whole shooting. But, I got a “scolding” from my son because I had messed up his ”pet” with the popcorn.

Craving for popcorns? Make some today and enjoy them while watching your favourite movies on the couch. (Honey! Shall we fix a date for movie this weekend? I will treat you with my special homemade popcorn.)

If you are still looking for super-easy snacks to entertain your guests during this forthcoming Lunar New Year Festival, popcorn is definitely going to be a great hit. Just be prepared to make double or triple the suggested amount for this recipe.

To find out more information about popcorn, please refer to this site.

>>>>> Click on page 2 below to get the recipe and tips on how to pop the corns and making caramel popcorn……

Since we first met till we got married, I have yet to see my hubby choosing salad as the main course for his meal.  I also didn’t really put much effort to convince him to try. I blindly accept the fact that it is not so easy to change an adult’s eating habit as compared to a kid’s. Until recently. that was my perception. Well,  now he loves salad!

When I told him that I will feature my rainbow seafood pasta salad in my recipe column «亲子厨房» in Kwong Wah Yit Poh, he agreed whole-heartedly and showed his full support by raising both his hands. Mimicking his father, my son did the same (not sure he understand what he is showing support for).

But, before this, there must be a catalyst that brings about this change, as well as a story behind it.  Certainly, it was not the result of having a gun over his head. It was my homemade salad that did the trick.

It was in April, one day after a heavy breakfast, we didn’t have much appetite for lunch. The hot afternoon sun was warming up the house with debilitating heat. I was in no mood to face a steamy hot wok. So it gave me the opportunity to suggest having Chinese chicken salad for a light lunch. Much to my surprise, my hubby obliged without any complaint or grumbling. After trying out this salad, he gave me a thumb up, saying he liked it. He then agreed that eating salad is not as bad as he thinks. Besides, it also makes him feel healthier. It’s an ideal light meal on days when he had eaten too much “sinful” food. He also welcomed my idea of having more homemade salads for meals in future. I was secretly thrilled as I have always hoped he will get himself on the right track to a healthy lifestyle.

As for my son, ever since I introduced salad to him, he treats it as a “treasure chest”. The more he “digs”, the more “gems” he “finds”. He is thrilled by the find of raisins, seeds, tomato, sweet corns, cucumber, prawn, dressings…… Hehehe! It’s a joy to watch him eat his salad with such gusto!

This Chinese chicken salad recipe is adapted and modified from Steamy Kitchen. I had omitted the deep-fried wonton skins and mandarin oranges, and replaced with hard-boiled eggs, raisins, sweet corns and sunflower seeds. This appetizing salad dressing is also my all-time favourite.  Cling!!!!  Time for a healthy lunch!  Anyone interested to join me?

Servings: 2 -3 persons

Ingredients:
1 poached chicken breasts – poached according to note (1) below and shredded with your fingers
2 hard-boiled eggs - cut into small wedges
1/2 Japanese cucumber - sliced thinly
½ ear of 1 sweet corn – steamed or boiled, kernel removed from cob
Handful of snow peas (around 10) – sliced diagonally (can be eaten raw or blanched over hot water and used shocking method to retain it greenness)
A few leaves of baby butterheads (or any salad green of your preference) – leaves torn or shredded
Handful of pine nuts and sunflower seeds – raw or lightly toasted
Handful of black raisins

Salad dressing:
3 tbsp honey (I used no water added honey)
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp sesame oil
1½ tbsp rice wine vinegar/ rice vinegar （白米醋）
1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (for mixing in step 3) – optional

Methods:

1. Prepare the salad dressing. Whisk together the honey, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard until very smooth. Then whisk in the sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. Cover with clip wrap and chill in the fridge.
2. Prepare all the ingredients.
3. Assemble the salad with all the ingredients. Drizzle on salad dressing. Alternatively, put all the ingredients in a salad bowl and mix with the salad dressing.

Notes:

1. How to poach chicken breast:
   Wash the chicken breast. Rinse and pat dry. In a medium pot, add the chicken breasts and fill with water or broth 1inch above the chicken. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher or sea salt to the water. Bring the pot to a boil and immediately turn the heat to low. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and cover. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Save the poaching liquid for cooking or soup. Besides salad, this poached chicken breast can also use it for Chinese congee. Just add it in when the congee is ready.
2. You can also substitute poached chicken breast with store-bought roasted chicken. For vegetarians, substitute with tofu (pan-fried).
3. To make the baby butterhead/ salad green cruncier, soak it in an icy water for 5 minutes and then drain.

 

Beetroot (甜菜根) is a new vegetable to me. I only started eating beetroot 2 years ago after my good friend, Alice from Bits of Taste n Life introduced it to me. I didn’t know that there are so many great benefits eating beetroot until I read about it from here and here. The benefits of beetroot are:
a) it is a rich source of carbohydrates, a good source of protein, and has high levels of important vitamins, minerals and micronutrients.
b) it is an excellent source of folic acid and is therefore recommended to women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
c) Betalins, obtained from the roots, are a type of antioxidant found in beetroot in fairly large quantities. You don’t need to eat much beetroot to take in a beneficial amount of betalin. Betalins are used industrially as red food colourants, e.g. to improve the colour of tomato paste, sauces, desserts, jams and jellies, ice cream, sweets and breakfast cereals.
d) it is a good source of potassium and magnesium.
e) it contains soluble fibre, which can help reduce blood cholesterol.
f) it also contains ‘carotenoids’ and ‘flavonoids’, which help prevent LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol from being oxidised and deposited in the arteries.
g) cooked beetroot is a great source of folate that can protect you against high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s and dementia. It is also crucial to the development of a baby’s spinal cord during the first three months of pregnancy, so a good intake of folate is important to prevent spinal cord defects such as spina bifida.
h) it is virtually fat free and low in calories. Although it has a ‘medium’ GI (Glycaemic Index) of 64, it has an extremely low GL (Glycaemic Load) of 2.9 which means it’s converted into sugars very slowly and therefore helps to keep blood sugar levels stable – which is good for the blood.

Beetroot can be eaten in many ways either raw (juice, sandwich or salad) or cooked (steamed, boiled). If your urine turns pink after consuming a lot of beetroot, don’t panic. It’s harmless and you’ll soon return to normal when your intake falls.

Today, I share with you my own version of beetroot soup. You can also find another beetroot soup recipe from Bits of Taste n Life .

Ingredients:
2 small size beetroots (about 320g) – slice each beetroot into 4 portions
1 carrot (about 150g) – cut into chunks
1 large sweetcorn (about 300g) – cut into chunks
1 big onion – chopped coarsely
12-15 red dates – remove seeds
200g pork loin – cut into chunks
1500ml water

Seasonings:
Salt and pepper to taste – optional

Methods:
1. Blanch pork loin in boiling water for a short while. Dish and set aside.
2. Bring water to a boiling point. Add in all the ingredients and re-boil the soup . Then simmer for 2 hours.
3. Add seasonings accordingly and serve.

Other reading references:
http://www.lovebeetroot.co.uk/healthy_info/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beet
http://newbeingnutrition.com/wordpress/beetroot-benefits/
http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/radio5/elderlycooking/20081020.html

If you have other wonderful beetroot recipes, please share with me.

I am submitting this recipe to Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB#157), which is now being housed by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Wiffy of Noob Cook.

Mashed potato is my hubby’s all-time favourite since he was a child. Now it has become my son’s favourite too! I love to use the sweetcorns from this soup to mix with my mashed potatoes because they are extremely juicy and delicious after absorbing all the nice flavours from the soup.

Ingredients:
2 potatoes
2-3 tbsp butter (melted)
Fresh milk
½ corn-on-the-cob
Spring onions (chopped)

Seasonings:
Salt and pepper

Methods:
1. Use a potato masher, wooden spoon or fork to mash the potatoes.
2. Add butter and seasonings.
3. For a fluffier mash, add hot milk in a slow steady stream and keep stirring. Stop when you have reached the consistency you desire.
4. Sprinkle some spring onions for garnishing.

Note:
Instead of using the potatoes from the soup, you can cook your own potatoes. Place potatoes (with skin) in a pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil and allow to cook for 15 mins or until it is fully cooked and soft. You can test it by using a fork to pierce into it.

If you are in a rush and need to cook 1 dish-meal cum soup, then this soup is the perfect choice! It is not only as easy as ABC but also a wholesome soup for the family. All of the ingredients (except for the fish bones) are edible. You can serve it with rice or pasta. Hence it is considered a “ZERO wastage” soup. Guess what have I done to the sweetcorns and potatoes in the soup? I had created another dish. The answer is here!

Ingredients:
380g salmon fish bones (you can substitute with lean pork or chicken bones) – blanch over boiling water, put into a soup bag
2 large potatoes (about 300-400g) – cut into 4 for each potato
2 carrots (about 200g) – cut into chunks
1 large sweetcorn (about 360g) – cut into chunks
3 tomatoes (about 300g) – sliced
1 stalk celery (about 100g) – cut into chunks
1 white onion
2 bay leaves
1500ml water

Seasonings:
Salt and pepper to taste

Servings: 9-10 persons

Methods:
1. Bring water to boil. Add in fish bones, onions, sweetcorns and bay leaves. When the soup re-boils, turn the heat to lower and simmer for 2 hours.
2. After half an hour, add in potatoes, carrots, celery.
3. 5 mins before turning off the heat, add in tomatoes.
4. Season with salt and pepper.

Other similar recipes:
- corn chowder
- corn soup
- Italian pasta soup

Chowder is a special kind of thick soup from New England in the USA

Below is the recipe adapted from Children’s Healthy & Fun Cookbook .

Ingredients:
1 large onion
200g fresh, frozen or tinned sweetcorn
1 large carrot
350g potatoes
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 bouquet garni (optional)
1 bay leaf
1.2 litres vegetable stock
300ml milk

Seasonings:
Salt and pepper to taste

Methods:
1. Peel and roughly chop the onion. Scrub the carrot and then thinly slice it. Finally, peel the potatoes and then cut them into small pieces.
2. Hear the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and saute over a medium heat for 8 mins or until soft and slightly golden. Stir the onion occasionally.
3. Next, add the corn, carrot, potatoes, bouquet garni and bay leaf to the onions. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the stock and bring to the boil.
4. Reduce the heat to medium to low. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the milk and cook for a further 5 minutes.
5. Scoop out some of the vegetables and blend the rest of the soup until smooth. Return the vegetables and blended soup to the pan and warm through.

Tips:
1. If you prefer a chunky soup, leave out step 5. Otherwise, blend all the mixture in step 5 until the soup is creamy and smooth.
2. You can serve it with bread rolls, rice or pasta.
3. For a delicious smoked flavour, add chunk of smoked haddock to this soup. Add the fish in step 4 with the milk and simmer for 5 mins or until cooked.

Ingredients:
2 corn-on-the-cob sweetcorns
1 large carrot
1 white onion
Handful of mushroom stems (I had collected these stems from my previous cooking and stored them in the freezer) – optional
Fish bones
2 slices ginger
15 red dates (removed seeds)
1200ml water

Seasonings:
Salt and pepper to taste

Methods:
1. Wash fish bones. Blanch in hot water.
2. Defrost mushroom stems, wash and set aside.
2. Cut sweetcorns, carrot, onion into big chunks.
3. Bring water to boil. Add in ingredients and bring soup to boil again.
4. Reduce to low heat and boil for 2 hours.
5. Turn off heat and add in seasonings.