All posts filed under: snacks

Dried Cranberry Butter Cookies

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It has been raining for days here. I enjoy a rainy day from time to time. I would brew a pot of tea and read a good book. However…after two, three, four, five days of rain, I usually start to have sad and miserable feeling. It’s really humid and WET! I am pretty sure my poor dog and cats share the same feeling since they can’t run and play at our backyard. Anyway, life goes on. We need rain. It’s good for the lawn, the trees, the flowers and many other things. Don’t forget the rainbow! 🙂 In order to cheer myself up, I do what I usually do…baking! Bake something that smells delightful and tastes yummy. What would that be? The cranberry butter cookies. These cookies are so easy to make. All you need to do is just beat the butter and mix the rest of ingredients together. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes. You will have delicious cookies ready for you. INGREDIENTS All purpose flour – 200g Dried cranberries – 80g, chopped Egg yolks …

Hazelnut Soft Bread

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Hey guys. I hope you are having an amazing day. I have a sweet soft bread recipe to share with you today. It looks like my desire for soft bread is still going strong. Last week, I used some hazelnut spread to make this sweet bread as my afternoon snack. When I said it’s sweet, it was actually not that sweet. I am watching my sugar intake. Anyway, all the sweet taste came from the organic honey I added in the filling. It’s just perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon. Apart from honey and hazelnut spread, I added some cream cheese as well to give it a rich texture. If you like it sweeter, you can add some brown sugar, rice malt syrup or just add more honey. I used a round baking tray to shape the bread into a flower and garnished with some almond slivers. Feel free to use almond flakes if you prefer. The bread can be eaten cold or warm. I prefer to have something warm in a …

Monday!I need chocolate cookies!

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Hello there! I wish everyone is having a great day! 🙂 Somehow Monday is always the busiest and longest day of the week for me. If I need something to lift my mood, it will be these chocolate cookies. 🙂 Crisp, crunchy, full of dark chocolate and almonds. It goes well with tea or coffee. I don’t like milk chocolate much, but I am a super fan for dark chocolate. Studies show that dark chocolate actually helps us to deal with stress and improve our brain function. See, a good reason to have a little bit of dark chocolate everyday. However, don’t over indulge. 😉 I always have some Lindt 70% or 85% Extra dark chocolate bars in my kitchen. I used 85% one in this recipe. I love Lindt dark chocolate. (No Ads here!) The texture is extra smooth. The taste is very well-balanced. This chocolate cookie recipe is simple and easy. After you bake it, let it cool completely and store in a airtight jar. Then, you can enjoy it anytime you want. Makes 30 small …

Broccoli Tofu Bites

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I have to say these are yummy and healthy. I made two batches last week. My husband loved it. He had some for dinner and then popped two more in his lunch box. Normally, he is not a big fan for broccoli and tofu. This recipe has three of my favourite ingredients. Broccoli is full of fiber and vitamins, and Tofu is a good source of protein, iron and calcium. Then, there is the black rice/Forbidden rice, which is packed with antioxidants and fiber. (Fiber! The more the better! 🙂 ) I reckon it’s another way to eat more vegetables and tofu. I used store-bought tea infused firm tofu. You can just use firm tofu instead if you can’t find one. They are super easy to make. If you have a food processor or a blender, it will do all the work for you. My food processor is not big enough, so I just let it chop everything for me. Then, I mixed it in a bowl with a spoon. I used a baking tray to bake …

Scallion Pancakes (olive oil version)

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I probably mentioned in my previous posts that my mom came here for a visit last month. Since she only can stay with us for two months, I must make the most of it during her stay. We did some travelling, Fraser Island, Tasmania (I will write about it once I get a chance) and some places in Brisbane. If you follow my Instagram (here), you probably have already seen some photos. Anyway, apart from travelling, finally I have had opportunities to cook some traditional Chinese family dishes with her, like the dumplings, pork buns, minced pork noodles and many other things. The scallion pancake is one of them. I remember I used to eat tons of it when I was a teenage. My best friend and I went to a small eatery near our school to have the pancake as our afternoon snack almost every single day when we were in high school. Because it was so yummy, we always ate too much. By dinner time, we just couldn’t eat anything anymore. My best friend’s …

Quick Pastry Finger Food

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Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all have a great start of the week. Today, I have a simple easy quick recipe to share with you. I love making this recipe because the biscuits are great as snacks or party food. You only need few minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to bake. It tastes great and goes well with cocktails, wine or just beer.  One sheet of puff pastry can make tons of it. If you cannot finish it, you can always store them in an airtight container for later. I make these savoury biscuits for myself very often. It’s my perfect afternoon snacks, light and crisp with heaps of sesame seeds and poppy seeds. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. xoxo INGREDIENTS Puff pastry – 1 sheet Paprika Poppy seeds Black sesame seeds White sesame seeds Salt Egg – for egg wash INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 180°C. Let the puff pastry sit at room temperature until it softens a bit. Use a sharp knife to cut the pastry to the size …

Sweet Red Bean Steamed Buns (Dou Sha Bao)

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We all have our own way to remember the one we loved, the one we lost, the one we would like to spend more time with but no more chances. I pretty much grew up with my granny. My parents were both working. Granny was the one fed me, walked me to school, taught me things, and cared for me. She passed away many years ago. I never forget her smile, the stories she told me, and the taste of her food. Chinese New Year is just five days away. It’s a festival for family, and I really really miss her. I always loved the red bean buns made by granny. She made them so delicious but light. I ate tons of it when I was a kid. I loved them as my breakfast before school or a snack after school. She always made the red bean paste at home. I started doing the same thing these days. You can buy bean paste in any Asian supermarket I reckon. However, I found the paste I get from the …

Cucumber crepes with tuna

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Made these for family brunch last Saturday. They are really simple and easy to make. We always have some canned tuna in the pantry. After making the crepes, throwing in whatever vegetables you love with some tuna. Roll up! It is just delicious and not heavy at all. Perfect option for a quick breakfast/lunch. Healthy too, I reckon. 🙂   INGREDIENTS: Cucumber crepes (Makes 3-4 medium size crepes) egg – 2 Olive oil – 2 tablespoons water – 1 tablespoon coconut milk – 3 tablespoons plain flour – 1/2 cup cucumber – 110g, grated onion – 1 (the green part), finely chopped salt and pepper Filling: green onion – 3-4, cut in 5cm length cucumber – 1, thinly sliced red bell pepper – 1/2, sliced canned tuna – 2, your choice avocado – 1, sliced INSTRUCTIONS: Grate cucumber into a bowl, add all ingredients for crepes, and mix well. Heat non-sticky pan on medium heat (with or without oil). Spread batter into the pan and cook one side. Flip the crepe and cook the other side. Top with cucumber, …

Savoury white sesame flatbread (Shaobing)

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I am not 100% certain flatbread is the appropriate name for Shaobing because it’s not exactly flat and also has round shape. Anyway, it will do for now. It’s one of my favorite breakfast food when I was a kid. My mum made it quite often. It can be sweet or savoury, with filling or without. It has so many layers, crispy outside and soft inside. When you bite, you get a mouthful of sesame aroma. It’s a perfect afternoon snack too with some green tea. Cut it into 4 pieces and share with friends. This recipe is for savoury white sesame Shaobing (flatbread) without filling. You can use black sesame as well. Try it to make sandwiches with ham. 🙂 Makes 10 INGREDIENTS Dough: plain flour – 380g dry yeast – 3/4 teaspoon caster sugar – 15g salt – a pinch olive oil – 40 ml lukewarm water – 205g Savoury Sesame paste: tahini – 95g sesame oil – 10g salt – 1 teaspoon plain flour – 45g paprika – 1 teaspoon five spice powder …

Mini Maltese pastizzi

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We had a trip to Malta last year. Although at the end we had to cut our stay short because of a family emergency, I will never forget the beautiful country and the yummy pastizzi. Traditionally, it has ricotta or pea flavors. You can find it everywhere in Malta. I remembered we went to Mr. Maxims Pastizzeria to try it out for the first time because it has good reviews on tripadvisor. The truth is I think you can buy a tasty pastizz in any pastry shop or cafes. I can’t remember how many pastizzi I had during our stay, and I have never had so much pastry in such a short time. I created a mini version here because my biggest cookie cutter is only 8 cm. Hope you enjoy it. 🙂 Makes 27 INGREDIENTS 130g dried split peas 1 onion, finely chopped 1 teaspoon curry powder 3 sheets of puff pastry salt and pepper 1 egg to make the egg wash salt and pepper Olive oil round cookie cutter INSTRUCTIONS Soak the dried …