Bake Pumpkin / squash butternut with no waste

Autumn is coming, so It is pumpkin season too!! :D I love pumpkin because the taste is good and it is full of nutrition.
In the past I always removed pumpkin skin when I cook it and discard the seeds too... I guess you do the same don't you?

I am surprised we can keep the skin as well as the seeds! So here is the recipe I found. I am so joyful and want to share with you. No more waste from now on :D

Ingredients
1 small pumpkin (about 1 kg)

Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Option: balsamic vinegar

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 220°c

2. Half pumpkin
Scoop the seeds out & keep them aside*
Divide 1/2 pumpkin into 2 again, with the skin facing you, cut them into 1/2"-1" wide

*Note: click here for the recipe to cook the seeds (coming up soon)

3. Line a baking sheet on a tray, sprinkle some olive oil on it
Dip sliced pumpkin on both side and line them on the tray
Sprinkle salt & pepper on the top

4. Bake the pumpkin for 15 mins, then take it out, flip over the pumpkin, put back to oven and bake for another 15 mins

You can sprinkle some vinegar on the top before serving.

Enjoy!

Petits beurre/ Marie tea biscuit

I love petits-beurre/ Marie tea biscuit, it has been my favorite biscuit since I was young. I remember good taste of the butter, and its crunchy texture. It is really delicious! :) I can eat a lot once I start...

• Ingredients - about 50 biscuits

• 200g butter

• 160g sugar (original recipe = 200g)

• 2g salt

• 125 g water

• 
  

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 500g flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

Instructions
1. In a small pot at medium heat, blend butter, sugar, salt & water
Turn off the heat once the butter melts completely, add in vanilla extract
Leave it to cool down for at least 20 mins

2. In a large mixing bowl, place flour & baking powder, mix well
Add in butter mixture, beat well until they blend together

Once the dough is formed*, flatten it with the spetula

Use a plastic wrap to wrap it and put it in the fridge for 3 hours, until it is hardened

*Note: the dough will not be firm, but soft & non-sticky. If you really found it too watery, add it a teaspoon of flour at a time

3. Line a baking sheet on a tray, you will need 2 trays and take turn to bake

After 3 hours, sprinkle some flour on the working surface

Preheat the oven to 180°c

Take the dough and separate it into 4 portions

4. For each portion, roll out the dough

- if you have petits-beurre biscuit cutter, use it

- Or you can use any cookie cutter to cut the dough

- Or you can simply use a pizza roller or a knife to divide the dough into smaller portion

Place the biscuits on the tray, leave some spaces between each biscuit

5. Bake for 12-15 mins or until you can see the edges become golden

Leave it cool before serving

Enjoy!

Whole wheat seedy Crackers

Another recipe of crackers, this one is flatter and the texture is different from the parmesan cheese crackers, it is crunchy and crispy. 

This recipe is healthier because it contains neither butter nor cheese.

Ingredients
150g whole wheat flour
140g all purpose flour, additional for rolling
1/3 cup poppy seeds*
1/3 cup sesame seeds*
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp olive oil
192g water

*You can use 2/3cup sesame seeds OR poppy seeds OR other seeds!

Instructions
1. In a mixing bowl, mix flour, seeds, salt, baking powder
Then add in oil and water, mix well

2. Place the dough onto a slightly floured working surface & knead 5 times
Divide the dough into 8 portions, cover with a towel or plastic wrap
Let it rest for 15mins

3. Preheat the oven to 230°c
Line a tray with baking sheet

4. Roll out a portion to 1/8", use a pizza roller or a knife to cut the dough into small pieces, then place each piece on the tray carefully with little bit of spacing between each piece

If there is room on the tray, roll out another portion, repeat step 4

5. When the oven is ready, put the tray into the oven and bake for 12mins

Note: You can also baking one side for 6 mins, then flip & bake for another 4-6mins

6. When the crackers are ready, place them on the cooling rack
When it is completely cool, store in air-tight container for maximum 2 weeks

Enjoy!

Coconut raspberry scone

This recipe is special because it contains coconut cream :) I also like the texture inside, it's like a cake which is soft

This is my experimental batches - 2 different forms, 1 batch baked in cupcake mould (in the middle), another batch baked without any mould & without freezing ahead

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

113g cold butter, diced

2-3 eggs
3/4 cup coconut cream

1 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Extra coconut cream
Extra shredded coconut
cane sugar

Instructions
1. In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder & salt
Add in diced butter, beat and mix well

2. Add in eggs & coconut cream, mix well
Add in raspberries & shredded coconut

It is normal that the dough becomes sticky but won't stick too much around the bowl

3. You can either follow method 1 or 2
Method 1 - Use a cupcake pan
- Preheat oven to 205°c
- Scoop the dough and place it in a cupcake pan, fill 80%
- Brush lightly coconut cream on the top, then sprinkle shredded coconut & cane sugar on the top 
- Go to step 4

Method 2 - Without any mould
- Line baking sheet on a tray
- Scoop the dough and place it on the tray, use the spoon to shape it like a ball
- Brush lightly coconut cream on the top, then sprinkle shredded coconut & cane sugar on the top 
- Place the tray into the freezer for 30mins
- Preheat oven to 205°c

4. Bake the scones for 20mins or until it becomes golden

Serve hot
Enjoy!

Baked salmon & broccoli in Asian style

Salmon is rich in omega 3, healthy food. I like eating salmon in Japanese way - sashimi :) but I also like frying salmon on the pan, the half-done salmon with crispy skin is delicious! What about in the oven? May be I can explore some other ways to make salmon, so here is baked salmon.

Ingredients
1 head broccoli, broken into florets*

4 skin-on salmon fillet
juice 1/2 lemon 
3 stalks spring onions, sliced

Optional: olive oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

* If you want to keep the trunks of the broccoli as well, use boiling method - see step 1 **note

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 180°C
Wash and drain the broccoli and, while still a little wet, lay them on the tray (no fillet for the moment)

Pour some lemon juice over broccoli. Bake for 10mins**

**Note: instead of baking the broccoli, you can boil the broccoli at medium heat flower part: 1-2mins & trunks: 5mins, run the broccoli immediately under cool water when time is up, drain water and set aside

2. After 10mins, take the tray out from the oven, push the broccoli aside, lay fillets with skin facing the bottom

3. Top with the rest of lemon juice on the fillets

Sprinkle spring onions & drizzle with a little olive oil over everything

Put the tray back to oven and bake for another 15mins

4. After 15mins, take the tray out from the oven once more, sprinkle everything with the soy sauce

Then return to the oven for 4 mins more until the salmon is cooked through

Serve hot with rice!
Enjoy!

Parmesan & seeds whole wheat Crackers

I love crackers, they are crispy and smell really good, because of the butter... but I like to have more seeds on the top, I better make mine so that I can put whatever I want on the top :)

This recipe is a good one, the crackers are crunchy and the smell of parmesan is very nice!

You can serve it as snacks or aperitif !!

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

120g cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup cream OR half and half*

Optional:
Sea salt
Sunflower seeds
Any seeds you like

*Cream 30% fat
Half & half = half portion of whole milk + half portion of cream 30% fat

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 230°C
Line 2 baking sheets on 2 trays, set aside

2. In a mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, pepper & cheese
Add in cold butter, beat well until the butter blends in the mixture
Add in cream, beat until all ingredients blend well

3. Separate 2 dough into 2 portions

4. Roll one portion out into thin layer about 1/8"

Sprinkle sea salt & seeds on the top
Roll the dough again so salt & seeds well attach on the dough

5. Use a pizza cutter or a knife to divide the dough into small portions (pre-cut)
You can also use a fork to pinch holes on the dough, but I found that is not a must

6. Put the dough in the oven and let it bake for 8-10mins or when the edge becomes golden color

7. Repeat step 4 - 6 for 2nd portion of dough

8. When the crackers are ready, take them out
Leave the crackers on a cooling rack until it's completely cool, then you can transfer them to a zip-log bag 
OR you can taste them immediately :)

Enjoy!

Korean stew beef & radish

I like this stew meat because I like tender meat. Also I like stew vegetables. I rarely eat steak or fried meat, it will be my choice when I eat out, definitely not at home.

I like this recipe because it is with Korean sauce, especially the white radish absorbs the sauce, awww, it is too delicious.... The sauce smells really good the whole house :)

Ingredients
500g beef (brisket)
Korean barbecue sauce, click here for the recipe

1 white radish
1/8 cup rice
salt

vegetable oil
1/4 Asian pear/ Chinese pear, diced
1 tbsp rice wine
1/2 cup Korean sauce
1 small rock sugar
hot water

Instructions
1. Soak the beef with korean barbecue sauce, ideally the whole night, or several hours
Tips: use zip lock bag to help, shake the beef and sauce to mix them well

2. The next day or after several hours you soaked the beef, prepare the white radish

In a pot, boil water. When water boils, add in rice and salt, then add in white radish
Cook it at medium heat until your fork can insert in the white radish

3. In another pot, I used Dutch oven, heat up oil, take out the beef from the fridge, add it in and fry it 
Add in diced pear & white radish

Then add in rice wine, korean sauce, rock sugar & hot water. You should be able to cover the beef and some of the radish

Let it cook at low heat for 1 hour - 1.5hour, until the beef becomes tender

4. After 1 hour, taste if salt is needed

Serve hot with rice
Enjoy!