Breakfast in a jar: chia oat pudding with coral glass jelly

I love making beautiful ensemble for breakfasts. Something like this. We feel jolly looking at it and eating it. The lil' fella was so happy when he saw this. He finished them all. 

This is an easy one, almost like the overnight oat and chia pudding that we've been eating daily, but it has an additional layer, which is the coral g;ass jelly as the bottom layer. Coral glass is a type of seaweed. It is also commonly known as sea bird-nest or the poor man's birdnest, as it resembles birdnest in terms of their dense collagen and high nutrients content. 

According to an info by Matanjun et al, 2009, coral glass jelly contains 10times richer amount of collagen than birdnest, 37 times more calcium than cod liver. It is low in fat and calories but bursting with nutrients like magnesium, iron, sodium and calcium. 

You can see more about it in this previous post. 

To prepare the bottom layer

*2-3tbsp soaked and cleaned coral glass jelly (see previous post on instructions to clean them)

*1/2 cup of fresh milk 

*1tbsp dark muscovado sugar 

Or here's another recipe using apple juice 

*2-3tbsp soaked and cleaned coral glass jelly 

*1 cup of apple juice 

Boil everything in a pan and continue to stir until the coral glass jelly dissolves. Pour into glass jar to set in the fridge. 

In another container, prepare the chia seed and oat pudding with 

*2/3 cup of rolled oat 

*1 cup of fresh milk

*2tbsp chia seeds 

For more idea on the chia seed or overnight oat recipe, please refer here. 

Combine everything and stir until the chia seeds are distributed evenly. Let set in the refrigerator. 

The next morning, pour the chia and oat pudding onto the coral glass jelly. Top with chopped fruits or nuts. 

Chia seeds bun

Mulberry and Chia Seeds Bun

My quest of cooking with chia seeds everyday (ie. to incorporate chia seeds into everything I cook or bake) started last Friday. Then on Saturday I made a beautiful banana and chia seeds cupcake. On Sunday morning, I made chia seeds omelette for the lil' fella. Oh, on a side note, it's amazing how fast kiddos grow. At 22month old, the lil' fella is already having two-way communications with us. When we picked up his grandma and grand-aunty from their house, his grand-aunty just casually asked him, have you eaten? To all our surprise, he answered, egg-egg and 'choi-choi' (which is vege in Cantonese), which was exactly what he ate that morning. I was in awe! 

Guess I need to be very careful what I feed him. Hahahaa.. not that I would feed him much sort of unhealthy stuffs anyway. Actually, I'm getting nervous if he would complain to his grandma that I only feed him oat and salad. Oppssss..

Oh yes, this was his breakfast which he described to his grandma. 

Today I baked some very very soft and fluffy chia seeds buns. I didn't have anything fancy in this bun, only chia seeds. Hahaa.. Chia seed is the fancy stuff then. Well, that's because I wanted to bake these and bring some to our very dear family friend, now in Palliative Care Unit in the Hospital Duchess of Kent in Sandakan. I didn't know about Palliative Care.  Palliative Care is a specialized medicare care for patients with serious illnesses (yet without guaranteed cure). It focuses on providing patients with relief from pain and stress of the serious illness, whatever the diagnosis. I felt down everytime I think about it. 

Anyway, I wanted to bake these for her, because the last time I saw her, she was telling me about this method of baking bread that yields really soft bread (ie the scalded dough method) and she had been wanting to try it but she couldn't because of her condition. I told her yes, this method works and I have been baking with it all this while. Refer to this previous post if you want to know more about this method. The addition of chia seeds into this recipe, combined with the method of scalded dough, made these buns super soft and fluffy. I hope Aunty R will get to try it and she'll love it. 

Scalded dough 

• 100g bread flour 
• 70g boiling water 

To prepare the scalded dough, pour boiling water over flour and stir with folk until combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator. Keep for 20min before use, can keep up to 12hours in refrigerator. 

Main dough 

• 50g rice bran oil / grapeseed oil
• 250g water 
• 1.5tsp chia seeds soaked in 2tbsp water 
•  3tbsp dark muscovado sugar 
• pinch of salt 
• 300g bread flour (Hi-protein flour) 
• 100g all purpose flour 
• 1tsp instant active dry yeast 

Instructions 

1. I kneaded this using my trusty breadmaker. 
2. Add all the ingredients in the order listed above in breadpan. Select mode for dough. Press start. 
3. When the ingredients have combined together (about 5min into kneading), add in the scalded dough by pieces. 
4. After 1hr30min, a beep alert will sound indicating that the dough is ready. 
5. Remove the dough from the breadmaker. 
6. On a floured surface, punch the dough and knead a few times to remove trapped air. Form into about 200-230g (oh, I made four big buns with this dough). Brush top of buns with water, sprinkle with choice of topping (in my case, it was pumpkin seeds). 
7. Preheat the oven to 50deg for 3min. Turn off the oven. 
8. Place the bun in the oven for second rise (about 30min) or until the buns double their original size. 
9. Preheat the oven to 175degC. Bake the buns for about 15-20min. 

Banana and chia seeds cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

Who could resist a beautifully frosted cupcake? Definitely not the lil' fella. 

The texture is soft and fluffy, even on the next morning. 

My buddy Flora whatsapped me and asked if I would like to have some banana, she has abundant of them harvested at home. Immediately, I said yes. We haven't baked banana cupcakes for some time. And today, I felt like making something beautiful for the lil' fella and since I still have a little cream cheese and butter left over in the fridge, I decided to frost my delicious banana and chia seeds cupcakes. I frosted the cupcakes in front of the lil' fella. He was so amused. He shouted, 'Ice Cream!!' 'Ice Cream!!'.. Hahaa.. it does look a little like a mini ice cream. 

The cupcake is made from the best banana muffin recipe I tried out sometime back. You should try it if you're looking for a simple, yet delicious banana muffin. This time, I added 2 teaspoon of chia seeds into it and 2tbsp milk into the recipe, knowing that chia seeds does soak up some liquid. Now what is chia seeds? It's a small seed that comes with mighty nutrition, it has 3x more iron than spinach, 5x more calcium than milk, 7x more vitamin C than oranges and 8x more Omega 3 than salmon. I have shared about it in detailed in my previous post here. You should definitely take it if you hadn't. 

Recipe for cupcakes

• 3 medium banana, cut into small cubes 
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (or less than this if I have sweet banana) 
• 1 egg, beaten 
• 2teaspoon chia seeds soaked in 2tbsp milk for 10min 
• 1/3 cup rice bran oil 
• 2tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1.5cup all purpose flour

Instructions 

1. Using an electric hand mixer, whisk together chopped banana, egg, milk and chia seeds and oil until frothy. Set aside. 
2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. 
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients. 
4. Pour into muffin liner. 
5. Preheat an oven to 170degC. Bake for about 15-20min or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 
6. Let muffin cool down prior to frosting. 

Recipe for cream cheese frosting 

• 100g cream cheese, roughly chopped 
• 100g butter, at room temperature, roughly chopped
• 3tbsp icing sugar 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

In a bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whisk all the ingredients until soft and fluffy. Frost when the cupcakes has cooled down to room temperature.

NOTE:
I have baked few different variations of this recipe, among them include:

• Banana and cream cheese cupcakes (omitted the chia seeds, replaced with 2tbsp of chopped cream cheese) --> this version is super yummy!! 

This post is linked to the event Little Thumbs Up (August 2014 Event: Flour) - organised by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids) and Mui Mui (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe.

{Foodie Review } Kyoto Sushi Japanese Restaurant (Sandakan) - Best salmon sashimi in Sandakan

Today I'm in the mood for Japanese food. I've been doing some clean-eating this week, since it's TGIF, I've decided to treat myself to some nice Japanese gourmet. On a weekday we always go to Kyoto because (1) it's just few steps away from my shop, convenient (2) it produces fairly decent Japanese food, one of the very few ones I would be comfortable with, in Sandakan. FYI, I live in Sandakan, where we are restricted by choice in terms of international cuisines available. Japanese is one of the most easily found. 

We did not order a lot cos there were just the two of us. I went for my usuals ie the very freshly sliced thick and succulent salmon sashimi and a nabe dish. The thing I love about Kyoto is that its serving is pretty generous for the price we pay. Half of this plate of salmon sashimi already fills up half of my tummy. Usually when I frequent Japanese restaurant, I have this habit of checking with the waiter if the salmon used for sashimi is fresh. Over here at Kyoto, I almost don't need to check cos it is usually fresh. This round, we are lucky to get a very vibrant freshly sliced cut. I can taste the omega goodness in it. Feeling very nourished as I write about it now. Check out the photos on its color (hahaa.. that's all you can savor, cos you can't smell nor taste it from photos). I have not edited the color. That's exactly how vibrant it is. Or maybe .. I do have good camera. 

My second favorite from Kyoto is its Nabe. I usually go for seafood nabe or the niku (beef) nabe. This time, as you realize, I went for the beef nabe. It does not come with rice, so for rice-lovers, you may need to order a bowl of rice to go with it. Again, its portion is generous! My hubby and I share it while he also finished his Tori Katsu Curry Don. 

Salmon Sashimi RM26

Thick and succulent sashimi. Check out the vibrant color. I didn't edit this pic. 

Niku Nabe RM23 (right) Tori Katsu Curry Don RM15 (left)

So again, if you're in Sandakan and in a gastro-mood for Japanese, try Kyoto Sushi Japanese Restaurant. 

Here's their details: 

Kyoto Sushi Japanese Restaurant 

089 236 318 

Lot 132, Block 14, Prima Square, Mile 4, Sandakan 

Tips: for lunch especially on weekends, I usually go just before 12noon, before the lunch crowd to guarantee myself a table. If you have their Kyoto membership card, you will also entitle yourself to 10% off the total bill. 

This is me, fooling with my camera. I also took photo of my hubby. But he told me not to post it cos he hasn't shaved. Since he was the one who paid for our lunch, I guess I would just follow suit :p 

  

Breakfast: A vibrant start

Breakfast spread for the lil' fella and I. 

Brunch take-away packed for dear hubby. 

Every once or twice in a week, I 'treat' our body to breakfasts like these. See the way I use the word 'treat'? I'm not sure if my hubby will agree with the use of word 'treat', he may think it's a torture to eat breakfasts like these, but all I know, our body will definitely thank us for it. Raw vegetables are bursting with enzymes and antioxidants. The cooking / heating process destroys or deactivates these enzymes. By eating them raw, we are actually helping our body to digest them and absorb the good stuffs much easier and quicker. We're also helping our liver and kidney to lessen their workload-of-the-day for having less chemicals to be processed. The more processed the food is (more additives added into it) the more work our organs need to do. When there's less work to do, our body will channel the energy to other important tasks like detoxifying or rejuvenating (repairing). Now you get why I describe this as a 'treat' to the body? 

My hubby suffers from the occasional build up of uric acid near his joint (which he complains of the very subtle aches on his wrist). Even though he exercises on a regular regime, it is still not possible to flush out the uric acid build-up effectively. This shows, staying fit - is more than just exercise. It also involves diet of fresh fruits and vegetables (more vegetables than fruits, to be exact, no point stuffing ourselves with durian or mangosteen that does more harm than goodness), drinking little or no caffeine (which would not happen for my case - am a caffeine addict), having a low intake of alcohol (checked!) and a lifestyle with minimal stress (hopefully, checked too!). 

Now .. you wonder why this post. This isn't what I usually blog about. This week has been quite gloomy. We've been bombarded with news of close friend and distant friends diagnosed with cancer, dying of cancer and passed away. Obviously there are more than two cases here that I'm referring to. More and more people are diagnosed of cancer. It must have got something to do with the toxins build-up in our body. So do your body a favor. Treat them an occasional retreat by having a rejuvenating breakfast. 

P/S: the lil fella is turning 22month old in a few days time. Guess what? He actually loves eating the raw salad leaves. He loves munching on the tomato and of course, the croutons were his favorite. Instead of finishing his portion of overnight rolled oat with yogurt topped with his favorite cereals, he helped me cleaned up my plate of raw salad. 

Easy vege stew rice

My mommies network of friends would rejoice when they see me preparing rice dishes for my little boy. Out of convenience and my own 'lazziness' I always prepare pasta for my little boy, so I seldom share on recipes for rice dishes. Recently the mommies in Healthy Food for My Baby facebook group has been talking about how they fried rice or prepare rice stew using some prepared vege puree. So I decided to try it with my rice stew this morning. Interestingly, it did turn out nice. It made the rice stew extra creamy and very fragrant. There were leftover after I packed them in the thermal container for my boy's lunch, so I also packed the balance for my lunch. 

I love cooking my rice dishes for my boy this way. It makes it soft and a little mushy. My mom dislike it, probably my hubby wouldn't like it cos they like their rice dry with good bite. I hope my son likes it this way. I am not sure yet, cos so far he hasn't shown much preference for neither dry cooked rice or rice simmered in stew or stock. 

Recipe 

• 4tbsp super rice grain (which I prepared by mixing together brown rice, millet, quinoa, red lentils and amaranth), soaked for overnight in the fridge. Soaking makes it easier to cook and to be absorbed. 
• 1-2tbsp rice bran oil (for cooking) 
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced 
• 1/4 onion, finely minced 
• 1/4 medium carrot, finely cubed 
• 3cups of chicken and vege stock 
• 3tbsp roasted vege puree (for recipe, please refer here)
• Seasoning of your choice (I used a little liquid amino by Bragg's)  

Instructions: 

1. Heat up the wok with rice bran oil. 
2. Stir in garlic and onion. Fry for about 1-2min. Stir in cubed carrot, fry for another 2min. 
3. Stir in soaked rice grain. Fry for another 2min. 
4. Pour in stock and vege puree. 
5. Simmer for about 20-40min or until all the liquid are absorbed. 

Animal pasta bake with creamy roasted veg sauce (Safari pasta by Mogli)

Encourage healthy eating and active learning at the same time 

My boy loves animals. I think now at 21mo, he knows at least 50 animals' name if not more. I love this organic animal pasta by Mogli (product of Germany). It only needs about 10 minutes of boiling and the pasta is soft. The thing about my son, he wants to know what he's eating. For every bite he takes, he will look at it, and tell out it's chicken or fish, or egg, in this case, it's animal's name, ie lion, crocodile, monkey, bear bear, elephant etc. I found it difficult to identify the animals when it isn't cooked. But interestingly, they are more easily distinguished once cooked. 

This recipe was made for his Sunday's late lunch. I prepared the sauce in the morning and baked it around noon time while he was having nap with his dad. When it was done, I just left it out on his little dining table so my hubby could let him eat it when he woke. Oh.. I went out with my mom to the hospital to visit a close family friend who got hospitalized. When I got back, I found out that he almost finished (okay.. he ate about 80% of the dish) which was great (that means he loved it) and it was quite a decently big portion for his little tummy. 

Here's the recipe 

First, prepare these vege to be roasted 

• 3 tomato, skinned and cubed 
• 80g pumpkin, cubed 
• half a cob of sweetcorn, kerneled 
• half a zucchini, cubed
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced 
• half an onion, finely minced 

Thoroughly combine these prepared vege in a baking tray with the following marinade and cover with alum foil

• 2-3 tbsp basil-infused olive oil 
• pinch of salt and pepper 
• 1/2 tsp pizza and pasta seasoning herbs (optional) 

Preheat the oven to 180deg C. Roast the above veg for about 45min to an hour or until all the veg are soft. 

Leave to cool. 

Once cooled, puree the veg to turn into sauce. Add water or milk if the veg is too thick to be pureed. 

Cook the safari pasta (about 2-3 tbsp) in boiling water. 

Once cooked, combine the pasta with the roasted vege sauce with a tablespoon of cream cheese and serve. 

*I baked it a little in order to keep the dish warm.