Stock Congee with Carrots

Prep Time : 5 min
Cook Time : 1 hour 30 min (Inactive)
Yield : 1 toddler serving
Freezer-friendly : No

Well, as it was the first week after the Chinese New Year holiday, as expected, late wake-ups, rushy mornings etc etc.

I have found a quick way to cook fresh congee for my pre-schooler everyday, the trick is to use frozen stock/soups. It makes the congee/porridge taste amazing without much preparation work. You can actually wake up, throw in everything into the smart cooker, and go back to sleep.

I have not taken a photo out of the rushy morning but hope I am able to do so in the coming weeks if this congee is back on demand.

Here is my quick & easy recipe:

Ingredients :
350ml of frozen vegetable stock (stored in breastmilk bag)

1/4 cup of rice
2 tbsp of diced carrots
Water

Steps:
1) Run the breastmilk bag under tap water until you can 'move' the frozen stock by squeezing it.
2) Squeeze out the frozen stock into a small pot under low fire to melt it.
3) Wash rice and diced carrots. Put into rice/smart cooker.
4) Once the frozen stock is half melted, pour into the rice cooker, add water until the level of cooking 1 cup of rice as marked in the cooker.
5) Select 'Congee' mode and go back to sleep!

School Lunch (Feb'16 Week3)

MONDAY

White bread with wild blueberry jam
Hard-boiled egg

Dried blueberry

How to make hard-boiled egg soft enough for toddler:

Put egg in a pot of water, bring to boil, wait 1 minute, turn off fire, close lid, wait 20 minutes. Peel & serve


TUESDAY

Stock congee with carrot



WEDNESDAY
Stock congee with carrot (well, my toddler asked for it again)


THURSDAY
Stock congee with carrot (still not yet bored)


FRIDAY
Stock congee with carrot (Is this a chef recommendation?)

School Lunch (Feb'16 Week4)

MONDAY - Holiday (Chap Goh Mei)

TUESDAY 

Easy brocolli pasta

WEDNESDAY

Milo cupcake with psyllium husk

Cooked ham

Hard-boiled egg

How to make hard-boiled egg soft enough for toddler:

Put egg in a pot of water, bring to boil, wait 1 minute, turn off fire, close lid, wait 20 minutes. Peel & serve.

THURSDAY (NO SCHOOL)

FRIDAY

Porridge with potato and lotus root soup base
(use the same recipe but replace carrot with potato)

Brocolli Pasta

Prep Time: 15min

Cook Time : 10min

Yield : 2 adult n a toddler serving

Freezer friendly : No

My toddler serving is not in the photo as I have already put into the thermos to keep warm. Saw this recipe on pininterest yesterday and thought of giving a try today, but internet is not working at my house this morning, so I just guess...here is my steps.

Ingredients:

1 cup or 8oz pasta

1/2cup of brocolli florets 

Water and pinch of salt

Ice water

1 tbsp pomace olive oil

1 clove garlic, diced

1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper

Steps:

1) Bring water and pinch of salt to boil in a pot. Add pasta and brocolli florets and cook according to pasta cooking time, in my case, 8 min.

2) Drain pasta and brocolli, reserve 1 cup of the water, put pasta and brocolli into a bowl of ice water. After cool for about 1 min, drain pasta and brocolli.

3) Heat oil on wok on high heat, add garlic and fry until fragrant and starts to brown.

4) Add pasta and brocolli, then cheese, stir until combined, add salt and pepper to taste, lastly add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water.

5) Stir until all heated through, serve or keep in thermos for a warm school lunch!

Note : I would soak brocolli florets in  distilled white vinegar and water solution to remove impurities. 1 part of vinegar to 10 parts of water. Soak for 20 min and rinse with filtered water and use in cooking.

Original recipe:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/07/easiest-pasta-and-broccoli-recipe.html?m=1

Psyllium Husk Wholemeal Pancake

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Yield : 16 pancakes (6cm diameter)

Freezer Friendly : Yes

This round, using the fluffy raw wheat germ pancake recipe, i replace portion of the all purpose flour with wholemeal flour and replace raw wheat germ with psyllium husk for a boost of fibre. 

Ingredients:

3 eggs

35g brown sugar

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp baking powder

80g all purpose flour

40g wholemeal flour

2 tbsp psyllium husk (Optional)

50g fresh milk

10g pomace olive oil

Steps:

1) Crack egg, add sugar and honey. Beat with electrical mixer for 3 minutes.

2) Fold in sifted baking powder and flour using spatula.

3) Turn non-stick wokto low heat.

3) Add psyllium husk, milk and oil into mixture, use folding motion to mix well.

4) Use a big spoon (about 3 tbsp)drop batter onto centre of wok slowly from distance of 2 inches, let the batter spread into circle naturally.

5) When bubbles are seen ( about 40 seconds), flip the pancake to the other side. You will see the pancake rise (Do not flip/touch the pancake at this point). After 40 seconds, flip the pancake to see if it's cook, it should have the same colour as the other side.

Fresh Orange Juice

Prep Time : 10 min

Cook Time :-

Yield : 4 glasses

Freezer friendly :No

Ingredients:

2 fresh oranges

2 cups filtered boiled water

1 packet probiotic (optional)

Steps:

1) Squeeze the juice of the orange using a juicer. Strain the juice to remove pulp.

2) Add water and stir.

3) Add probiotic and stir.

4) Serve chill and finish within the day.

2 Ingredients Sweet Potato Pancake

Prep Time : 2 min

Cook Time : 5 min

Yield : 6-8 mini bites

Freezer friendly : No

Ingredients:

1 small sweet potato (steamed)

1 egg

Little olive oil

Steps:

1) Mashed sweet potato, add in egg, mix till combined.

2) On low heat, heat some oil, use a table spoon, drop a spoon of batter into wok, repeat until pan is full, fry for about 1 min each side. 

Condensed Milk Cheese Cake

Prep Time : 15min

Cook Time : 1 hour 45min

Yield : 6 inch cake

Freezer friendly : No

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks

1 egg

50g condensed milk

50g all purpose flour

125g cream cheese

35ml pomace olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice (to enhance flavour)

3 egg whites

30g brown sugar 

1 tsp lemon juice

Steps:

1.  Preheat oven at 150C. Line the bottom of a 6" round tin with parchment paper.

2.  Melt cream cheese and heat oil in seperate bowls in oven at 150C for 3min. Whisk cream cheese, set aside.

3. Add sieved flour into heated oil, stir until combined.

4.  Mix yolks, 1 egg and condensed milk until well combined.  Set aside.

5. Pour yolk mixture into the cream cheese, mix well, then add in flour mixture, whisk until well combined.  Set aside.

6. Beat egg whites untill foamy, add in lemon juice, then add sugar and beat until just reaching stiff peak. Overbeating will makes it harder to mix the meringue and yolk mixture.

7.  Fold 1/3 meringue to the yolk mixture using spatula. Repeat with 1/3 then the remaining.

8. Pour in batter to baking tin, tap few times on countertop to release air bubbles.

9. Bake in water bath method for 30min, then turn to 130C for another 75min.

10. Once done, remove from oven, invert to cool for 5min and remove the cake by running a knife along the side of pan, invert the cake onto a plate, let cool completely.

Original recipe:

http://bakingmom80.blogspot.sg/2015/08/condensed-milk-cheese-cake.html?m=1