Posted by HealthyBites at 9:06 PM

Rhubarb - Strawberry Pie

My Dear hubby bought me some rhubarb he found on sale, I had absolutely no idea what to do with it, and it stayed in my fridge chilling room for a good couple of weeks, till I found this lovely extremely easy yummy recipe.

And although my husband doesn'r like sweet stuff ( and I love sweet stuff to bits) we both LOVED it, so I'm sure anyone who hates rhubarb will fall in love with this Pie.

O ya don't forget to serve it vanilla ice cream ;) yummy

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sliced rhubarb ( I prefer very small slices 1 cm thick)
  
• 1 lb halved strawberries
  
• 3 tbsp corn flour( you can use instant Tapioca for better results)
  
• pinch of salt
  
• 1 pkg. (15 oz.) ready-to-use refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)
  
• 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/ 200°C.
2. Mix the rhubarb and the strawberries with the sugar, tapioca or corn flour, salt, and orange rind. Let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Turn into a pastry lined pan. Top with the pastry, trim the edge, and crimp the top and bottom edges together. Cut slits in the top for the steam to escape.
4. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350°F, and bake an additional 30-40 minutes longer. Cool on a rack. Serve warm or cold. If you do cool to room temperature, the juices will have more time to thicken.

Posted by HealthyBites at 7:21 PM

Easy Seafood lovers Thai curry

I would like to first thank Ruth and anonymous for their encouraging comments. It really helps when i feel lazy or too busy to post, so keep your comments coming, they're always welcome ;)


Let me tell you, this recipe is superb, i'm very sure you will love it to bits. I just tried it for the very first time and it's LOVELY !!!. And the fact that it's really QUICK to cook makes it more amazing.

Oh and don't worry about all the Thai ingredients, you can easily find them in any supermarket in the Asian/international cuisine isle. And since i'll be posting more Thai recipes you will surely be using the ingredients again and again.



Fish and seafood play an important role in Thai cuisine.If you like seafood, then you'll definitely love this appetizing dish , which combines delicate white fish with tender squid and juicy prawns.



Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil or groundnut oil
• 6 spring onions, roughly chopped
• 2.5 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
• 2-3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 400 ml (14 oz) coconut milk
• 150 ml (5 oz) fish stock
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 lemon grass stalk, broken in half
• 350 g (12 oz) white fish fillets, skinned and cut into chunks
• 225 g (8 oz) squid rings and tentacles
• 225 g (8 oz) large cooked peeled prawns
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp Thai soy sauce
• 4 tbsp snipped fresh Chinese chives
• cooked Jasmine rice (or basmati for substitute) topped with fresh coriander to serve

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan, stir fry the spring onions and ginger for 1-2 minutes. Add the curry paste and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the coconut milk, fish stock, lime leves and lemon grass. Bring to boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute.
3. Add the fish, squid and prawns and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the fish is cooked. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce and stir in the chives.
4. Serve with Jasmine rice with chopped coriander stirred through it.

Exotic mushroom tartlets

Posted by HealthyBites at 8:38 PM

Serves 4

Preparation time 25 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1tbsp chopped fresh thyme
  
• 340g block frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed
  
• 1tbsp olive oil
  
• 75g shiitake mushrooms, wiped and halved
  
• 125g oyster mushrooms, wiped and halved
  
• 50g walnuts, chopped
  
• 1tbsp water
  
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2tbsp double cream
  
• Salt and black pepper
  
• 25g Gruyère, grated
  
• 25g fresh white breadcrumbs
  

Directions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 6. Knead the thyme into pastry, roll out on a floured surface. Use to line 4 x 10cm tartlet tins. Line with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans or rice and bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove contents, bake for 5 minutes. Leave oven on
2. Heat oil and cook mushrooms until soft, but retaining their shape. Add the walnuts and water, and stir until evaporated.
3. Combine the egg and double cream and season to taste. Mix the cheese and breadcrumbs.
4. Pile the mushrooms into pastry cases, pour in the egg mixture and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake for 10 minutes until golden.
   

Pilau Rice and Tandoori Chicken with Onion Pickles

Posted by HealthyBites at 4:19 PM

So  what's cooking in the HealthyBites kitchen today?

I'm in the mood for cooking chicken and nothing can beat tandoori chicken. And serving it with nutty flavourful pilau rice is guaranteed to score sky high points in my husband's heart ;)

 
Nutty Pilau Rice 

Serves:4

Preparation Time:5 minutes

Cooking Time:20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 250 g long grain rice
  
• 120 g cashew nuts
  
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  
• 4 cloves
  
• 2 cardamom pods
  
• A 2cm piece of a cinnamon stick
  
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
  
• 6 shallots
• 120 g raisins
  
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
  
• 1 tsp saffron threads
  
• 500 ml boiling water
  
• salt
  
• 1 bunch of coriander for garnish
  
• oil for frying
• 1 onion for garnish

Directions:

1. Put the water to boil in a small pot and add the saffron threads. 
   
2. Thoroughly wash and drain the rice. This will get rid of most of the starch in it, enabling it to cook as individual grains.
   
3. In the pan, heat the 3 tablespoons of oil on a high temperature. 
   
4. Add the nuts, cloves, cardamoms, cumin seeds and cinnamon and fry for 2 minutes.
   
5. Add the shallots and fry for 2 minutes, till they are translucent. 
6. Add the raisins, salt and turmeric and stir for a few seconds.
7. Add the clean rice and stir well until all the grains have been coated with the spices. Add the boiling water. 
   
8. Cover the pan and turn the heat to low, allowing the rice to cook gently in its spices. This should take about 12-15 minutes.
   
9. Whilst the rice is cooking, chop the coriander roughly. Slice the onion and brown in a little oil. Keep both aside, ready for garnishing at the end.
   
10. When the water is absorbed in the pan, test the rice by tasting it to see if it is done. If necessary, leave for another minute or two, with the lid on.
    
11. Garnish with the chopped coriander and the crispy browned onion slices, thereby adding extra taste and colour to this dish.
    
12. Serve straight from the pan. Also goes well with any type of curries.

Tandoori Chicken

A very easy recipe. Can either be done in the oven, or griddled, or BBQ'd -would taste great whichever way you choose. I serve it with Onion chutney .. yummy.

Ingredients:

8 Chicken joints (skinless)

1 cup natural yogurt

2 tbsp tandoori masala (a mix of spices you can buy it from asian food stores, if not, contact me for an easy recipe)

1 tbsp grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

salt & pepper

2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)

Directions:

Mix the ingredients in a bowl or sealable bag and marinate the chicken pieces after slashing them with a knife for annywhere from 4 hours to overnight, if you really are in a hurry, then at least 30 minutes.

1. Make a few slashes in each chicken breast and place into a plastic bag.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the bag and seal, then squish to make sure the meat is covered in the marinade.
   
3. Refrigerate for 30 mins minimum, longer if you have the time (preferably 4 hours to overnight)
   
4. Heat oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas6 and roast for 30 mins or until the chicken is cooked through. 
5. Serve it with Pilau Rice and Onion Chutney, 

Extremely fast and easy Onion Pickles  Recipe:

Goes well with the Tandoori Chicken and with most grilled dishes. 

Pickled Onions can be made instantly and add a wonderful color. And the best part -dropping them in boiling water takes the edge off the onions. Try adding them to burgers for an extra crunch. All we can say is ‘ENJOY’!

Ingredients:

• Onions - 1/2 small, sliced
  
• Tandoori Masala - 1/2 tsp
  
• Lemon Juice - 1/2 cup, enough to submerge onions
  
• Salt - to taste
  
• Red Food Color - 1-2 drops
  

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, heat up 1 cup of water. Once it reaches a boil, take it off the flame.
2. Add the Onions into the water, cover and let it sit for half hour.
   
3. Drain the water out and put the onions into a serving bowl.
   
4. Add the Lemon Juice, Salt, Tandoori Masala and Red Food Coloring.
   
5. Mix well and it is ready to serve.
   

Tips:

The pickled onions have a long shelf life in the refrigerator.
You can use whole pearl onions instead of regular onions for a
more authentic look.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Posted by HealthyBites at 3:31 PM

Oh ya, forgot to mention,this pasta dish goes vey well with the Cream Mushroom Soup. It's very easy and fast to make :)

Here it is:

Cook Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 to 6 

Ingredients

• Salt
  
• 500g whole-wheat or whole-grain spaghetti
  
• 750g pounds mixed mushrooms - shiitake, crimini, any that catch your eye at market
  
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
  
• 2 leeks
  
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  
• Freshly ground black pepper
  
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tbsp dry thyme)
  
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
  
• 1/2 cup cream
  
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, for topping ( I use cheddar when I run out of Parmigiano)
  

Directions

1. Heat water to a boil for the pasta, salt water, drop in pasta and cook to al dente.
   
2. Wipe mushrooms clean with damp towel. Remove woody stems. Thinly slice the mushrooms.
   
3. Heat a large deep skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until deeply golden and tender, 10 minutes.
   
4. While mushrooms cook, halve the leeks lengthwise. Cut off a couple of inches from tough tops. Trim off root end. 
5. Thinly slice the leek then vigorously wash in a large bowl of cold water, separating all the layers to free of grit. 
6. Let leeks sit a few minutes then lift out of the water and dry on kitchen towel.
   
7. Add leeks to mushrooms along with garlic and season with salt, pepper and fresh thyme. 
8. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more then add stock, reduce half a minute then stir in cream and heat through. 
9. Toss pasta with mushrooms and adjust seasoning. Top with grated cheese at the table.

Cream Of Mushroom Soup

Posted by HealthyBites at 2:10 PM

Cream Of Mushroom Soup

A deliciously warming for a chilly winter's day. I will serve it with Crusty bread.

Serves: 4

Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

• 60 g butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 leak, chopped
• 200 g mushrooms, chopped
• 3 tbsp flour
• 340 ml milk
• 460 ml chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place the pan over a low heat, add the butter and leave it to melt.
2. Add the vegetables (the diced onion, celery, leeks and mushrooms).
3. Sweat them in the butter for about 5 mins without allowing them to colour
4. When the vegetables are soft and onions translucent, add the flour and mix it in well.
5. Add the milk and chicken stock and stir
6. Before leaving the soup to cook, season it well with salt and pepper.
7. Leave the soup to cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. After the 25 minutes and when you see the soup has turned creamy, pour it into a liquidizer and blend until no bits remain.
9. Taste the soup and if necessary season again then ladle it into a large bowl and serve with crusty bread.

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Back to Blogging

Posted by HealthyBites at 1:34 PM

So I'm Finally back to Blogging. If you notice I stopped shortly after posting about morning sickness. I was pregnant and it wasn't easy, but it was fun and the outcome is a cute baby boy (Eyad) who is now 4 months old.

Now that I'm up on my feet again, Let's get Blogging Yippee

Everyday, I'll try to post what I'm planning to cook or cooked and let you know how it was. You'll find different cuisines, I like change, So let's see what we're cooking today.....