Ever tried cooking a particular vegetable that your kid showed little or no interest in eating? If you did, would you give up after a few attempts? Then I urge you not to be discouraged as there is always a good chance of changing your little ones’ mind. You just have to be a bit creative in playing around with your cooking method and food presentation. That’s my little secret in tackling my son’s fussiness over certain vegetable that he dislikes initially.

By learning to cook a variety of non-Chinese cuisines, it opens up more cooking options to me. Take the example of eggplant (aubergine). When I first started cooking it using the common Chinese stir-fry method, my son only took a few bites. Then I discovered another method using Japanese seasoning. This time, he ate slightly more but didn’t give me that enthusiastic “Mommy, I want more!” look.

When I saw this Greek-inspired casserole dish (Moussaka) from Mitong’s blog (小小米桶的写食厨房), I felt confident that it was going to get my son’s taste buds excited as he never seem to ever get bored with bolognese sauce and cheese. The recipe shared a similarity to lasagna. The difference is layers of eggplants is used instead of layers of lasagna sheets. The dish is totally delicious and paired so well with pasta. You should see the speed in which my hubby and son walloped up the dish and pasta. By the time I finished my shooting, they had already cleaned up their plates. Yeah, we loved it very much. It was really a very satifying meal for my family. It looks like from hereon I will have no trouble clearing the eggplants in my fridge.

At first glance, the recipe looks complicated with its long list of steps. But, it’s a very versatile recipe. So, don’t be taken a back by it. It is actually very simple and involves only 3 basic steps: prepare ingredients (eggplants, sauce and cheese), assembly them in a casserole and bake. Get your little ones to help in the assembly process as it’s really fun and enjoyable!

This recipe guarantees zero leftover. The bolognese sauce is great for pasta dish. You can freeze any excess for later use. As for the eggplant and shredded cheese, you can turn them into a super easy side dish which is another hit in my family.

So next time if you have a little picky eater for eggplants at home, try this “never-fail” eggplant recipe. The result is definitely very rewarding. I bet your family will love it too.

>>>> Click on page 2 for recipe and step by step photo for baked eggplants with bolognese sauce….

>>>> Click on page 3 for recipe and step by step photo on how to make bolognese sauce…………..

I discovered moong dal (mung bean, 绿豆) through my Indian friend who introduced me to Indian cuisine some time ago. The husk of moong dal is green in colour, but the bean itself is yellow after de-husking.  It is commonly used by Chinese in making dessert (such as green bean soup and sweetened green bean paste). Amongst all the beans and lentils, split moong dal is the easiest to cook as it do not need pre-soaking or pressure cooking. It is also an excellent source of high quality protein that is easier to digest as compared to meat. Hence, the Indian ancient medical science Ayurveda recommends moong dal for children and the elderly.

This recipe is my own concoction. Although I uses very little mild Indian spices and herbs in this recipe, you are free to adjust the amount to suit your toddlers’ liking. It requires very minimum time and effort to create this dish. As this is a very versatile dish, you can easily recreate this recipe using any kind of lentils or beans such as green lentil, yellow lentil, red lentil, cow pea, chick peas etc. It is also a wonderful dish which you can hide include in your kid’s diet  a variety of vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, brinjals, beans, cabbage, raddish etc. Or, if you have to clear your leftover vegetables in the kitchen, this dish can be your solution. You can choose to make this curry either thick or thin, depending on whether you want to serve it with rice or chappati.

Despite its name, this dish is not spicy at all. Cooked with a variety of herbs and spices, the moong dal is infused with delicious flavour. The cooked pumpkin and tomatoes give it a velvety texture as well as enhancing its taste.

I love to cook this super-fast dish now and then as my son never seems to get tired of eating it over and over again. 

It’s good to start exposing your toddlers to cuisines from different culture so as to widen their choice of food  and they can grow up to be cultural rich.

Healthy food doesn’t need to be expensive. If you are looking for a quick and easy, healthy, hearty, meatless yet tasty meal without having to burn a hole in your pocket, this dish is just perfect for you.

Other reading reference: Click here

>>>>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for lentil and vegetable curry recipe and step-by-step photos…………

My Legume Love Affair is created by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook. This month, MLLA 22nd addition is hosted by Sowjanya of Ruchikacooks. You can participate by submitting an entry before 30 April 2010. Click here for the host line-up.

Lentils

Over the past two months, Singapore and Malaysia are hit by dry spell with no sign of abating anytime soon. Although it’s usually hot this time of the year, but it’s particularly bad this year. The weather is extremely hot and humid. I could feel the heat penetrating my skin when I went out to fetch my son from school at noon. Even walking under the shades along the pedestrian walkway, and armed with an umbrella and a cap, both of us would reach home with sweaty, stinky and sticky bodies. Uhh!

To overcome the weather-induced dehydration to our body, we drink lots of fluid to quench our thirst, rehydrate and clear the body heat. To do this, I have been making soups (especially soup with “cooling properties”) and herbal tea for my family almost every day since returning from my Lunar New Year holiday.

Some of you may wonder why I an featuring beetroot soup again as I have already done one earlier. True, but the one  featured here is not the same as it uses a different combination of ingredients. I chanced upon this wonderful soup recipe from Noobcook’s food blog.

(Noobcook is one of the blogs that I have been following even before I set up my own food blog. You can find many practical and easy-to-follow recipes in her fabulous blog. I also admire her food styling and photography skills. She is no longer a noobcook to me. I’m sure you will agree with me if you browse through her blog now. )

I know some people may find the beetroot soup “scary looking” for its bloody red hue colour. To my surprise, I did not receive such adverse response from my son. He simply adores this soup because of his favourite tomatoes. Tomatoes make the soup taste slightly sour yet appetizing. Nevertherless, he also enjoys eating all the chunky bits of beetroot, carrot, celery cubes found in the soup.

This is indeed a very healthy soup for kid as it combines all the nutritious vegetables such as beetroot, tomatoes, carrot and celery. I will definitely make this soup more often in future. Do you dare to drink it?

Note:

• If your urine turns pink after consuming beetroot, don’t panic. It’s harmless and will soon return to normal after peeing once or twice.
• For more information about the health benefits of beetroot, please refer to this post.

>>> Click on page 2 below for BEETROOT SOUP RECIPE…………….

Time flies. Tomorrow we bid farewell to Year 2009 and welcome Year 2010. Someone casually asked my opinion about the 2012 doomsday prediction. Well, my answer is whether it will come true or not, life still goes on. Why should I fear about it if I can choose to be presently happy. Be joyful and healthy, that’s my personal goal in life. It has been my New Year resolution for these years. What’s yours?

Since returning to Singapore a week ago, I has been busy cooking and baking in the kitchen. To occupy my son (who is still at home for the school holidays), I even got him to help out in the kitchen! We had so much fun making cheesy cookies (which will be featured in the next post) and baked potato with sausages. Do you know why my son is so keen to volunteer himself? That’s because he can act as a “food taster” and sample all my shredded cheese.

During my recent trip home to Penang, I discovered one quick and easy dish from my mother – fried eggs in tomato sauce. It was also one of my favourite dish since childhood. However, as a child, I do remember disliking the sight of chili shreds in this dish, and discard them immediately. Till now it is still a habit of mine even though eating chili itself is no longer an issue.

The simplicity of this home-cooked dish is what I like best. No secret or special method behind it’s cooking. It’s also the nostalgic feeling I get from the many fond memories the dish brings back to me. After sampling his grandma’s fried eggs in tomato sauce, my son has developed a love for it. So does my niece and nephew.

My mother learnt most of her cooking from my grandmother. That usually means no written recipe. Just from the words of mouth without any specific measurement for ingredients used. She cooks from past experiences. I’m so glad that she allowed me to “invade” her kitchen and jolt down the recipe for this dish to share with you. The ingredients and seasonings used are merely her estimation. You may need to adjust it according to your own preference. (P/S: Another recipe from my mother is grandma’s pancake.)

I must say that this is the simplest and quickest egg dish that I know so far. It’s definitely a great start-up dish for people who has never cooked before. A dish that can assure you to pass with flying colours! What else to wait? Get your ingredients and “wok” now!

>>> Click on page 2 below for recipe, more photos and steps-by-steps instructions………………………….

I brought my laptop with me during my recent holiday break in KL hoping to “squeeze” in some time to update my food blog. In the end, I decided to give my laptop a holiday break too. LOL!

Now that the holiday is over, it’s time to crank up my “engine” again and get back to my daily routine. I seriously MISSED the blogging world and can’t wait to share with you all the great recipes I tried and tested recently.

Today’s recipe is a quick and easy meal that’s great for both lunch and dinner. It’s the first time I paired okra (refer note) (also known as lady fingers) with chicken and tomato sauce. The taste from this combination turned out to be absolutely delicious. This is attested by my son’s fantastic appetite and increased speed in finishing his meal. Both of us cleaned up the whole dish in no time at all. Hahaha!

The tomato sauce used in this recipe is also suitable for cooking other dishes such as scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Its sweet and sour taste also blends well with chicken or fish on its own without having to add vegetables. The sweetness and sourness of this sauce can be adjusted according to your own preference.

As many people (including my hubby) dislike the tasteless, slimy texture of okra, this sauce is perfect for okra. Alternatively, you can also substitute okra with other vegetables like peas, broccoli and brinjal. The other option is to cook okra with chili shrimp paste, but it may not suit your toddlers’ taste bud.

Note:
Okra, besides its valuable nutrients, is a perfect choice for those looking for greens with a longer shelf life. For this reason, I love to stock up okra as I need not worry of it going bad like other perishable vegetables. I would wrap them with a kitchen towel, placed inside a zip lock bag and stored in the fridge in the vegetable compartment. Properly stored, okra can stay fresh for 4-5 days.

>> Click on page 2 below for Okra with tomato sauce recipe………

I am a big fan of Jamie Oliver, the famous English chef, not only for his unpretentious cooking style, but also his campaigns in promoting proper eating habits for kids as well as adults.

In 2005, he signed up as a dinner lady in the School Dinner TV series to challenge the junk food culture in schools by showing them that they too can serve fresh nutritious food that kids can enjoy eating as well. He actively campaigned for radical changes to have quality school dinners served in the UK.

He later wrote a new book in 2008 – Jamie’s Ministry of Food, backed by a TV show (also called Ministry of Food) to expand his food revolution. The idea is to inspire people to get back to the kitchen and start making simple, delicious food from scratch again.

If you visit the Ministry of Food’s website, you can find plenty of easy–to-follow recipes with detailed step-by-step instructions, photos and online cooking shows demonstrated by Jamie. I highly recommend this site to novices who want to learn the basic cooking skills especially for those who have never cooked western food before.

Amongst Jamie’s featured recipes, I decided to try out his meatball and pasta recipe and like to share it with you. The results turned out to be very satisfactory. Remember to watch the 9-mins video clip as it is a great help for you to understand the whole cooking procedure. The meatballs are easy-to-prepare and very flavourful as well with the usage of fresh rosemary and dried oregano. My son was so fascinated with the round-shape meatballs, he even claimed they resemble chocolate balls. However, the pasta sauce turned out to be a bit bland as I had omitted the chilli and balsamic vinegar as required by the recipe. Thus, I improvised using my own concoction of sugar, salt, tomato paste and chicken stock, adjusting the taste to my liking (note 1).

This is certainly a great recipe for people to kick start their cooking. If you have tried and like this recipe, remember to PASS IT ON to your friends so that more people will learn to cook.

“What we eat affects everything, our mood, behaviour, health, growth, even our ability to concentrate.” – Jamie Oliver.

I am submitting this dish to Presto Pasta Night, founded by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast, and hosted by Amy of Very Culinary this week.

>> Click on page 2 below for Meatballs and Pasta recipe……………

Have you seen a TVB Hong Kong cooking show called “SO FAR 苏 GOOD”? It is hosted by Susie Wong (苏施王). I love watching her show as she is straight-to-point, sprinkled with lots of typical Hong Kong humour.

Ingredients:
3 medium-sized eggs
2 medium-sized tomatoes (I replaced with 1 tomato and some canned diced tomatoes)
1 medium sized onion (chopped)

Seasonings:
Tomato ketchup
Light soya sauce
Sugar
Pepper
Cornflour (mixed with water)

Methods:
Group (A)
1) Boil water (volume should be enough to cover the tomatoes). Remove the stems of the tomatoes. Use the tip of a knife to cut a very shallow “X” on the bottom of the tomato. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water. Keeping them in for just 30 secs and taking them out quickly. Once the tomatoes get cooled, peel off the skin with your hands and dice.
2) Heat up wok with oil. Sauté onion until fragrant.
3) Add in diced tomatoes and simmer until they turn mushy.
4) Add in tomato ketchup (according to your personal preference). Start with 2 tbsp.
5) If it is too sour, add dash of sugar. If it is too sweet, add dash of light soya sauce.
6) If the tomato gravy is too dry, add dash of water.
7) Thicken with cornflour solution. Dish up and set aside.

Group B
1) Separate egg whites and egg yolks.
2) Beat egg yolks. Add in light soya sauce (salt should not be used) and pepper.
3) Mix with some cornflour solution to produce a fluffy texture. (I learnt this tip from a cookbook).
4) Combine with egg whites and stir until it is well-combined. Do not beat the egg whites.
5) Heat up wok with oil under high heat. When the oil is hot, pour in the egg mixture. (The egg mixture will not stick to the wok if the oil is hot enough). Stir quickly until the eggs are firm and set. Dish up and pour over group A. Use a spoon to mix well the scrambled eggs and tomatoes. Serve.

Since we are still in Chinese New Year celebration mood, which last for 15 days, I like to name this dish as “黄金满屋，鸿运当头”(House gets laden with gold, prosperity has arrived)! This auspicious name is derived from the colour combination of this dish. Yellow (egg) signifies gold and red (tomato) signifies prosperity. If that sounds auspicious to you, why wait? Try it out.

Before posting the photos I shot in Penang, I would like to begin my 2009 posting with a food recipe.

Do you like salad? I never have a chance to made one so far as my Emperor is not supportive enough for this idea. But after all the Christmas and New Year festive celebrations, I desperately need one now. Remember what I mentioned in my last post? It is my 2009 New Year resolution! As we know, another festive celebration is approaching – Chinese New Year. During this period, we will have to attend family reunion dinner and friend and relatives’ open house. All the yummilicious stuff are awaiting for us!! If I don’t seriously watch my diet now, then I have to prepare to upgrade my clothing size after CNY. Oh, no! please don’t let this happen to me!!!!

Today I would like to share with you a light, simple and healthy recipe I found from my favourite cookbook – “Children’s healthy & fun cookbook”. Although this was my 1st attempt in making salad, to my surprise, my son could accept raw vegetables such as baby butterhead. He loved eating it so much. I guess it was because most of the ingredients used in this salad were his favourite (ie tomato, corns, raisin and prawns) and the thousand island dressing provides extra flavour to the salad.

This salad is very versatile. You can mix and match any ingredients using your own creativity. Below is my own modified version that is enough to serve both my son and me for today’s lunch.

Ingredients:
60g pasta shells – cooked and drained well
4 large prawns – cooked and peeled, cut each prawn into 4 portions
1 medium size tomato – removed seeds and chopped into cubes
½ ear of large sweet corn – steamed or boiled, kernel removed from cob
1 small Japanese cucumber – removed seeds and chopped into cubes
Handful of black raisins and sunflower seeds
A few leaves of baby butterhead (cut into strips)

Other ingredients you may consider:
- small tomatoes (ie cherry or roma tomatoes), carrot, potato, avocado, lettuce leaves, green peas, capsicums, celery, cooked egg, pine nuts, ham,  chicken (instead of prawn), tofu (instead of prawn for vegetarian)

Dressing (thousand islands sauce):
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tsp lemon juice (start with 1 tsp)
2 drops of Tabasco sauce (optional)
Dash of pepper
Sugar or salt (if necessary)
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for mixing later)

Methods:
1) Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the pasta and follow the cooking instructions on the packet. Drain well and leave to cool.
2) Prepare the dressing, cover with cling wrap and keep in the fridge.
3) Prepare all the ingredients.
4) Put all the ingredients into a salad bowl and mix well with the dressing. Alternatively, you can divide the ingredients between the serving bowls and then drizzle over the dressing. Serve and enjoy!

I am submitting this pasta salad to Presto Pasta Night, founded by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast, and hosted by Ivy of Kopiaste this week.

Other recommended colourful dishes:
- special egg rolls with rice, salmon and spinach
- millet porridge
- stir-fried capsicums & cucumber with stewed vegetarian mutton

Since I started cooking for the family, I used a lot of tomatoes in our meals because they are my little “big” boy’s favourite. He can eat any types of tomatoes be it raw or cooked, with or without skin, with or without seeds. In short, he is a TOMATO lover!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Generally most of us know that tomato contains lycopene (the red pigment in tomato). It is a powerful antioxidant that can also fight cancer cells. How about those interesting facts mentioned in here and here?

~ Tomato is a fruit (Do you agree? Definitely not me)
~ When choosing your tomatoes, be sure to pick those with the most brilliant shades of red. They have the highest amounts of betacarotene and lycopene.
~ Store them at room temperature, as putting them in the fridge will alter their ripening process and ruin their flavor
~ Cooked tomatoes are a more concentrated source of lycopene than raw ones
~ Cooking the tomato in olive oil allows your body to absorb the lycopene better.
~ Tomatoes don’t lose any of their nutritional value in the high heat processing , making canned tomatoes and tomato sauce are both just as viable and beneficial as fresh tomatoes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are a tomato lover like my son, then try this simple and tasty fresh tomato soup. This recipe adapted and modified from BBC Good Food.

Ingredients:
800g tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 small carrot
1 celery stick
3 tbsp tomato puree
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
600g hot vegetable stock ( I use chicken stock)
Dash of dried basil and oregano
A pinch of salt
Dash of ground black pepper
A good pinch of sugar

Methods:
1) Cut each tomato into quarters and slice off any hard cores (they don’t soften during cooking and you’d get hard bits in the soup at the end).
2) Chop onion, carrot and celery stick into small pieces.
3) Spoon oil into a large cooking pot and heat it over a low heat.
4) Hold your hand over the pot until you can feel the heat rising from the oil, then tip in the onion and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook it until translucent.
5) Add in carrot and celery and cook the vegetables until they are soft and faintly coloured. This sho uld take about 10 minutes. Stir them 2-3 times so they cook evenly and don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
6) Add in tomato puree and stir it around so it turns the vegetables red.
7) Add in fresh tomatoes.
Add in sugar, dried basil, dried oregano, bay leaves and black pepper. Stir to mix well.
9) Put the lid on the pot and let the tomatoes stew over a low heat for 10mins until they shrunk down in the pot and their juices flow nicely. Stir occasionally to keep everything well mixed.
10) Slowly pour in the stock, stirring at the same time to mix it with the vegetables. Turn up the heat as high as it will go and wait until everything is bubbling, then turn the heat down to low again and put the lid back on the pan. Cook gently for 25 minutes, stirring a couple of times until the tomatoes break down and become slushy looking.
11) Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool down. Discard the bay leaves.
12) Blend the soup until smooth.
13) Pour the puree soup back into the pot and reheat it over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until you can see bubbles breaking gently on the surface.
14) Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings (salt, pepper and sugar) if needed.
15) Add more tomato puree if the colour of the soup is not deep enough red.
16) Serve and enjoy!

Other recipes using tomatoes:
Zucchini with prawn and tomato in sweet chilli sauce
ABC soup
Baked beans with tomatoes and potatoes
Spaghetti bolognese

I have been asked myself these 2 questions since I started cooking western food. Coming from a typical Chinese family, I have never tried zucchini before. After going through my cookbooks and browsing all online recipes, I just realized that there are so many ways to cook zucchini ie baked, grilled, stir-fry and stew. Below is a recipe adapted and modified from Jaden’s website. I had removed the deep-fry basil because I prefer to have some sauce for my dish under such a hot weather.

Ingredients:
10 medium sized prawns
½ zucchini (sliced thinly)
1 medium sized tomato (cut into 8 wedges)
1 tbsp chopped garlic

Seasonings for marinating prawns:
Dash of sugar, salt and pepper

Seasonings for stir-frying:
3 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
½ tbsp chilli sauce (If you prefer spicy food, put 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp water
2 tsp sugar

Methods:
1) Clean, peel and de-vein the prawns. Pat dry with kitchen towels. Marinate them with the seasoning. Keep in the fridge for ½ hour.
2) Using enough oil (5 – 6 tbsp to fully cover the base of the wok), heat up wok with high heat. Layout all the prawns on the wok and let them fry untouched until they turn pink. Flip over the other side and continue frying until the prawns turn pink and curl up. Do not overcook prawn. Dish up and place on kitchen towels to absorb excess oil. Set aside.
3) Return heat to medium high. Leave 1 tbsp of the remaining oil to sautée garlic until fragrant.
4) Add in zucchini slices and stir-fry for 1 minute. Tossing every 15 seconds until zucchini is just barely soft in the middle and still firm on the outer edge.
5) Add in tomato wedge and stir-fry for another 1 minute until the tomato turn slightly soft.
6) Add in seasonings and mix well with zucchini and tomato. Lastly return the cooked prawns to coat with the rest of the ingredients. Turn the heat to high and stir-fry quickly for 8-10 seconds. If the dish is too dry, add a bit of water. Dish up and serve.