Sandwich Week 1

I always thought that sandwiches were too simple an affair to be considered a recipe that I would like to share with others. Simply because firstly, everyone’s personal preference is different, secondly there are tons of ingredients that could go well in btw two thick slices of bread. Being such a carb fan- I love bread more than I love noodles, rice or potatoes, I can simple have them for every meal. The more adventurous sandwiches involve putting like French fries in btw bread. I found this combination weird at first but when I thought about the Kebabs I had in Paris which consisted of a wrap encasing chicken kebabs, French fries, lettuce and a splash of their special sauce, I was won over. It actually tasted quite good. Nothing strange at all of having carb in btw carb.

 

Sandwich week started off with a group of us wanting to live a healthy diet at least once a week.So we designated Monday to be Sandwich Day. Previously we had Salad Tuesdays but after 4-5 months, it kinda died down. At least our legacy still lives since we will be embracing something healthy ( Sandwich with greens) as well? Or maybe not? Week one was a simple sandwich with ham, eggs, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes on walnut bread. Classic ingredients but uber tasty

To Complete the meal was a yogurt and fruit salad. 

Recipe

Ingredients: 

-2-3 slices of desired bread
-1 slice of cheese
-lettuce
-1 tomato, sliced
-2 slices of ham
-sunny side up egg
- fruits
-yoghurt


Steps:

Pretty self explanatory but I just topped my bread with the above ingredients and toasted them for 1-2 min till the cheese was all melty and oozing. Take a snap of your art piece and enjoy!

Varlhona cocoa oats in a jar

As you can see, I'm fairly addicted to oiaj. This time round I had some varlhona dark cocoa powder. Decided to mix a teaspoon of that magic into the overnight oats and the next morning, I was left with a very rich cocoa-y oatmeal. Topped it with some fresh grapes and bananas. Mornings are so much happier this way!

Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 quick oats
• 1/2 cup skim milk ( Or almond milk or soy milk )
• 1 tsp varlhona cocoa powder
• 1 tsp maple syrup ( Optional) 
• grapes
• 1 banana, sliced 

Directions: 

Place all the ingredients in the jar, shake to combine and leave to refrigerate overnight. In the morning, add nuts, granola, fruits to your oiaj and enjoy!! 

Pan Seared Scallops

The week before Chinese New Year while we were out shopping at the supermart, we chanced upon a box of Hokkaido Scallops. They were HUGE and little on the expensive side but mummy bought them with the intention of cooking them for reunion. Scallops = juicy and yummy. I was pretty excited to try the air flown scallops with broccoli that day but they were more than a disappointment to many. It was hard and rubbery. Sort of reminded me of the small dried chinese scallops that were used to make soup stock! Dad said maybe it was the quality of the scallops but ain't Japan seafood suppose to be fresh? It was probably overcooked so I asked mummy how she cooked them.

First she steamed them and then fried them together with the Broccoli. The funny part was when she told me she fried them EVEN longer just to make sure they were cooked thoroughly. 

The internet is a great tool to explore the world of culinary magic. With so many videos, forums and comments by fellow food lovers, it is not hard to master one or two techniques. I've visited a million and one sites on scallops not just to learn the perfect way to cook them but also to admire and drool over those awefully mouthwatering pics. One thing I know for sure, it's NEVER ok to cook them for too long. So how do you get those fine burnt crispy top of the scallops. One of them is searing the scallops till they brown. 2 min on each side. The rest is making sure the pan is hot enough for searing and ensuring that the scallops are DRY before placing them into the pan =]]

I seared a couple of the remaining uncooked scallops. Had to thaw them in the refrigerator and at RT for a couple of min. only to find them in a puddle of water. Drying them on kitchen paper though helped to remove some of the water but it was still on the wetter side. I reckon that frozen ones do give out alot of moisture. Will probably try out with fresh scallops next time and let you guys know the outcome ;)

haha eggs are a very important part of my diet. One of the staples in my life. This time it's cooked with asparagus, lottss of onions, prawns and cheese.

Lastly on the menu : prawns and asparagus with flamin hot sambal blachan sauce.

The End.

Bon appetit