Vegetarian San Choi Bao

For days when you have too much lettuce in the fridge! The following ingredients serves 3 people as a main, if you add a side of steamed silken tofu. Ingredients are:
~ 9 large fresh lettuce leaves (cos or iceberg is best)
~ 425 can baby corn spears
~ 230g can water chestnuts
~ 190g can whole champignon (little mushrooms)
~ quarter of a brown onion
~ chopped fresh garlic
~ chopped fresh ginger
~ 2 tbsp soy sauce

1. Chop up the corn, water chestnuts and champignons then set aside.
2. Finely chop the onion, and fry with a little oil, garlic, ginger & soy, for a few minutes (or until soft).
3. Add the other prepared vegies and cook until heated through (again, a few minutes should do it).
4. Wash, dry and place 3 lettuce leaves on each plate, then top with the vegie filling.

(I adapted this recipe from a version on Taste.com.au)

Quinoa and Roast Vegie Salad

Having never eaten quinoa before, I had no idea what to do with it until I was given a packet recently. According to Wikipedia, it's so high in protein and other nutrients that NASA are investigating its use as a space food!

I made this salad with:
~ 1/2 cup quinoa (cooked to packet directions, using 1 cup water)
~ 1 chopped, roasted sweet potato
~ 1 chopped, roasted red onion
~ fresh chopped cilantro (continental parsley) stirred through at the end
~ steamed asparagus (to have on the side)

Reversible Doormat

I bought my Dad an ambigram doormat for Christmas (by Suck UK). It's welcoming at first...


...and then hilarious when viewed the other way:

Silken Tofu with Soba Noodles

I would say 2010 was the year I developed my obsession for Japanese things (I blame it on the trip to Tokyo), so naturally I've been eating a lot of soba noodles and silken tofu. This dish is super easy. To serve 3-4 people, you need:
~ about 100g soba noodles
~ 2 or 3 spring onions (scallions), chopped
~ 200g silken tofu
~ 1 tbsp rice vinegar
~ 1 tbsp soy sauce
~ 1 small red chilli, chopped (seeds removed for less spice)
~ some chopped fresh ginger
~ Japanese pickled ginger (to taste)

1. I cook the noodles first (according to packet directions) then put them aside.
2. Steam the tofu with the soy & vinegar.
3. Lightly stir fry the remaining ingredients - you can also add things like chopped red capsicum, celery, and mushrooms.
4. Serve in bowls with noodles at the bottom, then vegies, and top with the tofu & pickled ginger.

New Bedsheets

One of my Christmas presents this year was the Folk Birds bedsheet set from Urban Outfitters. I pretty much want to buy everything they sell.

Halloween Skeleton Cookies

I made these cookies for a Halloween party - basically they were just gingerbread men with appropriate icing decoration. A Google image search for "skeleton cookies" provided an abundance of inspiration ;)

Eggs Florentine

Hollandaise sauce is one of the unhealthiest things you can eat, but also the most delicious. Funny how that happens. I make it with:
~ 1 egg yolk
~ 30g butter
~ 1 tbsp water
~ a squeeze of lemon juice

1. Separate the yolk and white (I save the egg white to add to my poached egg later)
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over very low heat - the absolute lowest - then add the water, lemon juice & egg yolk.
3. Continuously stir until the mixture is smooth. You'll notice the yolk sortof cooking through, which is perfect, just don't overcook or let it curdle.
4. Turn off the heat and put aside until your other breakfast ingredients are ready. I like it with poached eggs, spinach and toast.

Cheats Baked Potato

My favourite 5-minute dinner is a microwaved potato, filled with whatever mangy leftovers I have in the fridge (like here I had chopped tomato, avocado, grated cheese and Sriracha chilli sauce). Red potatoes work best - pricked with a fork then microwaved on high for 5-6 minutes, turning once.