Me getting ready

With the hubby

Live band performances

With our friend, Roger

***

Anyway, how is your Sunday going? We had brunch cum newspaper-reading-time at the coffee shop this morning.  I was craving for a bowl of laksa, so I bought one.

Yesterday (Saturday) I made a microwaved cinnamon raisin apple in the morning to kick-start the day. It does look like a bloody apple eh, like your could make that for Halloween. He thought this apple looked like a rotten apple O.o It is good, trust me :)

Cinnamon + raisin + apple. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Serve warm!

Did you know

You can toast nuts inside the microwave: Use 1 teaspoon of butter for every 1/2 cup of nuts. Cook on high 2 1/2 to 5 minutes. Stir every 30 seconds. This can be done without the butter. Even granola can be made in the microwave! If you give it a try let me know :)

***

I also made a cake in the microwave (the traditional one)  real quick. It was a 5 minute chocolate mug cake. What a nice and a fun way to make a small cake! Plus you don’t have to worry about over indulging :)

Can you tell how light and moist the cake is?

Couldn’t wait to dig in!

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake.

The recipe is adapted from Not Quite Nigella and this is my modified version.

Ingredients (Makes 2)

• 4 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• A pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp oil (I used canola)
• Splash of vanilla extract
• 2 microwave safe coffee mugs or ramekins

Method: Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl. Add in the milk, oil, vanilla extract, egg and mix well. Pour mixture into mugs (at the halfway mark) and place the mug on a plate in . Microwave one mug at a time. Cook for 1 minute on medium heat. It will bubble and rise as it cooks, so make sure you provide ample room for that. Leave it for a few seconds, then microwave for another 30 seconds on medium again. The mixture will solidify, but still look a little molten. That is fine because it will continue cooking on residual heat. Overcook it and you get a chocolate rubber ball.

Marmite + Ham + Cheese + Lettuce + Honey Dijon Mustard

Old fashioned chocolate cakey muffins and lemon muffins (a slightly healthier version) that I baked during the weekend. I’ve posted the recipe on Tipomme D’amour. Check it out!

I stole some of the husband’s kit kat to top my muffins lol.

My greedy cat stole and ate one of the lemon muffins O_o  The entire muffin including the muffin paper!! Chat bien greedy hein!

Part of today’s breakfast was thick and creamy.This passion fruit yoghurt is pretty thick and yammy!  High in protein. I am looking for low fat Greek yoghurt but I can’t seem to find any low fat version. Gotta check at The Market place tomorrow.

I made a cake in 5 minutes the other day – thanks to the Microwave!

But the cake didn’t turn out nice. Will try another version next time.

Going to bed now. Goodnight!

Soon after I came back home I prepared dinner. I’ve been experimenting with quinoa lately and tonight I made quinoa-stuffed aubergine.

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

• 1 aubergine
• 2 small shallots chopped
• 1 medium grated carrot
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• Olive oil
• Soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste (not too much salt because of the soy sauce)
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried Oregano
• Crushed walnuts
• Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cup water

Method:

1. Slice the aubergines in half lengthways (2 halves). Deeply score the white flesh in a criss cross pattern. Dribble olive oil over the aubergines and cook in pre-heated oven on a medium temperature for 15 – 20 minutes.
2. To cook the quinoa: Place quinoa and boiling water in a pan and bring back to boil – simmer for about 15 minutes or until cooked.
3. Meanwhile fry the chopped onions, carrot and crushed garlic in olive, adding  oregano, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add the cooked quinoa.
4. Scoop out the aubergines from their shells and add to the carr0t mixture. Spoon the mix back into the aubergine shells. sprinkle with crushed walnuts and mozzarella cheese and place back in the oven on a low heat for about 15 minutes.
5. Serve hot.

Before

And after. Yum!

For dessert I made my first creamy chocolate tofu pudding!

** Wait, did I just say TOFU???? **

I had absolutely no idea what to expect from a pudding made with silken tofu. But you know what? It was amazing. Seriously, I didn’t expect it to taste this good and this creamy. If you have never eaten tofu pudding before, give it a try! I’m gonna make cheesecake tofu next time! The husband  however, thought that the tofu pudding tasted really weird!! FYI he’s not a fan of pudding or creamy things like custards  O_o

Ingredients

• Half a block of silken tofu (about 60 g maybe)
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 – 2 tbsp sugar (add more it you want a sweet pudding)
• A drop of vanilla extract

Method: Mix all ingredients into a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy. Pour into a small bowl and sprinkle with some nuts. Serve chilled.

I still have half a block of silken tofu in the fridge. I will make some more tomorrow :)

***

Time to go to bed now … Nite!

An old fashioned chocolate cake actually

The birthday boy - So not going to use thin long candles next time because they wouldn’t stand straight!

The candles wouldn’t blow out because I  used magic candles :)

It’s a moist and spongy cake

This cake is SO easy to prepare! Just dump all the ingredients into a food processor and then bake!

***

Old Fashioned Chocolate cake

• 100g plain flour
• 80g caster sugar (original calls for 100g but 80g was sweet enough for my taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 20g best-quality cocoa
• 50g unsalted butter + 35g applesauce (original calls for 85g soft unsalted butter)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
• 75ml sour cream (I used low fat)

Method

1. Take everything out of the fridge so that all the ingredients can come to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C and line and butter one 12 cm spring-form pan – you can use two if you want flatter cakes.
3. Now all you have to do is put all the cake ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarb, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream – into a food processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter.
4. Pour the batter  into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

I made a 12cm cake just for the two of us

I actually love the cracks!

***

Enjoy your Sunday! I’m making some super healthy, protein-packed and nutritious soup for tonight :)

Part of dinner was this.

Minty cucumber salad in tangy honey mustard sauce.

Two egg whites topped with a tablespoon of nutritional yeas, spinach jalapeno hummus and bread slices. I recently discovered nutritional yeast via food blogs and I’ve wondered what it tasted like. So the other day I bought a packet from carrefour Suntec (organic section) — 100g packet for $3.30. What can I say? It is awesome! It has this nutty cheesy flavour, it is a good source of protein and B-complex vitamins. I am seriously loving it because of its flavour :)

***

I forgot to post the Double Chocolate Pudding recipe … So here you go.  It is Yaaamiiiieeee … Light and not overly sweet.

Ingredients used. Cocoa and Corn flour are not pictured.

Cocoa, corn flour, soy cream, milk, egg, vanilla and sugar mixture

Placing into my small ramekins

Et voila!

The best part is licking the left overs :)

Recipe follows. Goodnight!!

Double Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients

• 2 tbs. cornstarch
• 1 cup low fat milk (you could also used soy milk)
• 1 cup soy creamer (you could also use double cream)
• 1/4 cup sugar (add more if you want it sweeter)
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate
• 2-3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

1. Combine cornstarch, milk and soy creamer in saucepan and stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Turn heat to medium and stir in sugar and cocoa. Cook whisking frequently, until mixture reaches a low boil. Remove from heat.
2. Add egg and whisk in. Return to heat and cook 3 or 4 minutes, until thick but not boiling.
3. Place chocolate in medium bowl and pour hot  milk mixture over it. Let stand for about a minute, then stir until melted and smooth. Cool for 15 minutes, then stir in vanilla.
4. Pour into small ramekins, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool completely at room temperature.
5. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight before serving.

Starting tonight … Microwaved frozen corn + TVP + Frozen hot dog + Hummus

Excuse the messy look

Tomorrow I shall clear some frozen prawn balls … will figure out what to do with them.

***

I tend to bake a lot during weekends especially when I am alone at home. Of course it depends on my mood too.

On Saturday Sunday, I baked a new batch of double chocolate brownies, so that I could freeze them and have one every night — which is exactly what I did with the previous batch. I have bookmarked a ton of chocolate brownie recipes (not just brownies but other stuffs as well). However I wanted something very easy to make, thus stuck to the same old recipe while adding extra cocoa and reducing the simi-sweet chocolate chips. Hey, at least it’s a teeny tiny bit healthier!

Although a little over-baked (& dry), they tasted very cocoa-chocolaty! I got 16 mini squares. I gave some to sis and froze the rest.

While these brownies were oven-baked, I whipped something else for the week. I made breakfast muffins — healthy vanilla cornflakes muffins topped with dried fruits, a recipe adapted from  Heaven on a spoon breakfast  muffins. In case you are wondering, last week’s healthy blueberry muffins were consumed everyday, either for breakfast or after dinner (sometimes together with the double chocolate brownie!).

I used to prefer cakey muffins over dense ones. However I am starting to enjoy the latter  :) These tasted fabulous. I might skip the cornflakes next time as I could barely taste any. On the other hand, I enjoyed the lovely vanilla taste.

I topped each muffin with either dried apricots, chocolate chips or dried cranberries. My favourite has to be chocolate and dried apricots! Dried apricots give a tangy tart flavour.

Definitely a breakfast muffin cake — It has milk, corn flakes, flour, sugar and dried fruits.

Here’s my modified version. Goodnight!

Healthy vanilla cornflakes muffins topped with dried fruits

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbs cold butter
• 1 small egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2  cup buttermilk (or milk + vinegar)

Add-on

• A handful of cornflakes
• Pieces of apricots / cranberries / semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method: Sift flour, baking powder and salt  in a medium bowl. Add sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Whisk egg and milk together in another bowl until well blended. Add egg mixture to flour. Stir until just moistened. Gently stir in cornflakes. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Top with add-on of your choice. Bake for 20-25  minutes until skewer comes out clean from centre.

Since this is our special weekend, I took the day off  today so that I could relax, bake and cook!  I whipped quite a bit of things this AM!

First I made homemade Jalapeno Hummus. I  like hummus (great for dips). However I don’t like to spend $6 for a small tub of it. Solution? Make your own!

Making your own hummus dip is incredibly easy! The basic is chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), garlic, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. Jalapeno is the add-on.

Garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas) have a delicious nut like taste and buttery texture. They provide a good source of protein that can be enjoyed year-round and are available either dried or canned.

I re-filled my hummus tub. I got two tubs! Definitely so much cheaper :)

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 (410g) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil — I probably added less than that as I didn’t measure
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro — I skipped this
• 3 jalapeno peppers

Method

Place garlic in a food processor and process until minced, about 10 seconds. Add beans, lime juice and salt. Process into a puree. With the processor running, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Process until mixture thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Add cilantro and jalapeno and pulse throughout, about 10 seconds. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

***

Next thing I made was big bowl of Beet Corn Salad.

I have  not eaten beets for probably over 3 years (or more)!!  I like beets (though not a big fan) but I don’t know the reason why it took me so long to buy some!  O_o

Filling: 1 beet (boiled), 1 cup of corn, 4 small diced tomatoes, 2 hard boiled eggs, roasted nuts of your choice

The husband doesn’t like beets :D  After 9 years together, TODAY (only after having made the salad) I learned he has never eaten beets in his life — I am pretty sure he had but maybe can’t remember! I believe he won’t be able to tell if I secretly add some beets to his raspberry strawberry smoothies next time!

***

And finally, I made double chocolate pudding which I’m keeping for tonight! Will post recipe another day.

***

Some eats over the last few days.

Microwaved corn egg

Words of Caution when microwaving eggs: Eggs micro-cooked in their shells with EXPLODE!  Even out of the shell, eggs may explode in the microwave because rapid heating causes a buildup of steam. Always use a wooden pick or tip of a knife to break the yolk membrane of an unbeaten egg before micro-cooking to allow the steam to escape.

Lemon-Baked Salmon

Baby Spinach in mild creamy cheezy sauce

Baked Sweet Potato Fries – still a hit

Have a nice weekend everyone!!

I bought this 3.5 kg seedless watermelon on my way back home. It costs me only $2.50.

Expect to see much of this juicy fruit  in future posts.

Yesterday’s fruit platter – Thai mangoes, Fuji apples and Korea strawberries. The strawberries weren’t that sweet. I think  Korea strawberries were sweeter last year.

On Sunday night, I made minestrone soup for the week. Delish.

Tonight we had simple omelette - 2 eggs + salt + pepper + spring onions

And some of this pasta which was added to the minestrone – bought it in Malaysia last year at an Iranian mini mart

***

Did ya think I’ve forgotten about the Double Chocolate Brownie??

– If you’ve missed my Bittersweet Cocoa Brownie, you can find it here. –

A different recipe was used for the double chocolate brownies. They are cakey and light. I like them better than the bittersweet ones. I think I prefer cakey brownies over fudgy & dense ones!

Some chocolate oozing out …

Recipe follows … Have a great day or evening!

Double Chocolate Brownies adapted from one of my Baking books.

Ingredients (make 12 brownie squares)

• 80g (2 2/3 oz) butter
• 40g (1/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 72g (1/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar – original recipe calls for 2/3 cup which would be pretty sweet!
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 60g (1/2 cup) plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 100g (1/2 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven 180 Celcius (350 F).
2. grease a 20cm x 30cm(8″ x 12″) shallow baking tin and line with baking paper
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in the cocoa and sugar. Remove from heat. Add the eggs, stirring to combine
4. Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into the saucepan, then stir to combine
5. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine
6. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 30 min or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remember though, the chocolate chips may have melted and if your skewer hits one of those, it might look as if the mixture is still wet
7. Allow to cool in the tin, then remove and cut into brownie pieces

Nutritional Data: Per brownie square - 150 kcal, 8g fats, 9g sugars and 2.5g proteins.

[Edit: The brownie squares didn't look so much like these the following day as the coated cocoa powder was absorbed. The taste however, seemed to be getting better!]

I was short of butter. The original calls for 141g unsalted butter but  I only had about 100g left. So I used what I had plus 41g of unsweetened applesauce.

Black is beauty! I got about 22 of these babies.

The brownie turned out pretty nice. They are moist, dense and not very oily. Oh and not overly sweet too — I used slightly less that what the recipe calls for.

I wanted something more … bitter! So I dipped each brownie square into cocoa powder for that bittersweet taste!

This one was for my sister.

I spent my afternoon at her place talking to her while playing with the little niece. This is Claire after taking a nice bath.

Recipe for the Bittersweet cocoa brownie follows … Have a nice evening!!

***

In case you are wondering,  each square (if you get 25 squares from this recipe) is worth 90 kcals, 4.1g of fats, 10g of sugars and 1.4g of protein (if using butter and applesauce and without any nuts). I seriously don’t usually do these calculations, but you know I have about 16 of these babies in my kitchen! So it’s good to know!!

Bittersweet cocoa brownie (Original recipe from Smittenkitchen)

Ingredients: (makes 16 large or 25 small square brownies)

• 10 tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks or 141 g)  – I didn’t have enough butter but I had applesauce. So I used whatever butter that I had — 100g — and for the remainder I used 41g applesauce.
• 1 1/4 cups sugar (9 7/8 ounces, 280 grams)  – I used slightly less than that)
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (2 7/8 ounces, 82 grams)  — I used only 3/4 cup because I didn’t see the ‘plus 2 tbsp’!! haa. On top of the 3/4 cup and 2 tbsp, you will need extra for the coating.
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, cold
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (66 grams, 2 3/8 ounces)
• 2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional) – I didn’t use any nuts

Method

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
2. Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.
3. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.
4. Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 25 to 30 minute.
5. Let cool completely on a rack.
6. Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.
7. Dip each square into cocoa powder.

Yesterday we had a relaxing foot reflexology and shoulder massage, then headed to the movie store to get  a movie (Paranormal Activity) so that we could watch at night. We also bought some chicken wings & sushi on our way back home.

Today is pretty much staying home, TV, sleep and internet. And some baking too. I made these light and chewy chocolate rice puff balls this morning.

Chocolate Rice Puff Balls

Ingredients (make about 20)

• 2 cups rice puffs
• 1/2 cup ground oat
• 1/2 cup ground almond
• 1/3 cup corn syrup (more if mixture doesn’t stick)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• Toasted seeds (sunflower, pumpkin etc.)
• 2 tsp icing sugar
• Melted chocolate (just a little, about 2 tsp) for a nice chocolaty taste
• 3 tsp cocoa powder (and more to sprinkle at the end)

Method

Mix all ingredients together using a spoon or your hand. Hands are the best. Shape into golf ball size and place in mini muffin papers. Sprinkle with cocoa powder over the chocolate balls. Place in the fridge inside a sealed container. Enjoy!

… into these peanut butter filled cocoa oat balls. They are like rocks.

I made a bar version too … But I prefer the mini balls.

Here’s the recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 to 1 cup peanut butter (plus more for the filling)
• 3/4 cups honey (or corn syrup)
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine at room temperature
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 1/3 cups rolled oat
• 2 tablespoonful cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds or other nuts of your choice
• 1/2 cup raisin (optional)
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven 170 C
2. In a large bowl, stir together peanut butter, butter, honey and vanilla until smooth
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well
4. Place some into your palm, add a little bit of peanut butter in the middle. Close and shape into mini balls (smaller than the size of a golf ball)
5. Place the balls into a greased tray
6. Bake for about 20-25 mins

Note: You can also coat those mini balls into your favourite chocolate sauce

* As I’m typing this, I am watching Star Choice from the AFC channel and I am seeing a bunch of Mauritians trying out some famous singaporean food  :)

Regarding my previous post, a good news can be anything eh :)  I’m trying to stay optimistic. As for the comments, they will not appear immediately after you hit the submit button because I have been getting a lot of comment spams and I’m tired of having to delete them every time. So I’ve enabled the comment moderation. As for the recipe for the cheesecake brownie that you have requested, it’s in the previous post.

Yesterday I had a long day at work, starting at 7 am and ending at 6 pm — I normally start work at 9 am but we had to do a roadshow in the early AM. It’s more busy at work these days, especially around this time when the year-end Singapore Marathon is around the corner. Many (esp. companies) want to customize their running vest etc. etc.

Today (Saturday) I woke up at 7 am but went back to sleep till 10ish. Boy did I feel better after a good night’s sleep! I have been wanting to try OSG Healthy Halloween Cookie Dough Balls for a few days now, and today I finally made some! I modified the recipe  because I didn’t have all the ingredients that the original required.

I don’t know how the original tastes (I know they must be really yummy) but the one that I’m holding definitely tastes great! * Recipe at the end *

I was so into making these balls that I forgot to eat my late breakfast. I went straight though to lunch instead. I made myself an easy chicken wrap! Lettuce + tomatoes + green pepper + onions + cajun chicken + dijon mustard + tomato sauce. And I had 2 of the chocolate balls.

I had a haircut not long ago. I trimmed my hair and I have a bit more of fringes now. I wanted something different but I look pretty much the same. I wanted to cut my hair short (as in just above the shoulder) but I chickened out :) I won’t dye / highlight my hair anymore. Well at least for now.

Anyway…

Here’s the recipe for the chocolate cookie dough balls. Recipe adapted from OSG.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 cup ground raw cashews (I used 3/4 cup ground raw almonds  because I didn’t have cashews at home)
• 1 cup ground oats (I used 3/4 cup)
• 1.5 cup ground walnuts (I only used 1 cup ground walnuts because I didn’t have enough!)
• 1/4 cup Agave Nectar (I used less than 1/4 cups of honey — I don’t think they sell Agave Nectar here)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (I didn’t have coconut oil, so I used canola oil)

Flavors:

• 1 heaping T of carob powder (skipped these)
• 1 heaping T of cocoa
• Shredded coconut (skipped these)

Method

1. Dough: Grind up raw cashews and oats in a food processor. Place cookie dough ingredients (except for cocoa, carob and coconut) into a large bowl and mix by hand or with a spoon. Mix until a dough forms and you can make a large ball. If your dough is too sticky add more ground walnuts or cashews to make it thicker. Divide batter into 3 equal parts and place in 3 small bowls. In one of the parts mix in the cocoa powder. In another part, mix in the carob, and in the last part just leave it as is. This will form the three flavours of balls. Pop the balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and pop into the freezer for 10 mins.
2. Melt chocolate. Remove balls from freezer and dip into the chocolate if preferred. Sprinkle with chia seeds. Roll other balls in coconut. Pop into freezer to set again and then remove and leave at room temperature. Easy as that!

I had carrots, pumpkin and celery that I needed to use before they start to deteriorate. So I made a soup! A very healthy one, without any oil or dairies added. Two weeks ago it was a healthy vegetable chowder.

I didn’t follow any recipe as this soup is straightforward to make. Just  dice the celery, carrot and pumpkin into big chunks. Then boil them until tender. Once they are tender place them all in a blender or food processor. Then add the seasonings – salt, pepper and curry powder. You can add other stuffs too. And the taste? Simply delicious! I’m happy when I see him eat all these hidden vegetables :)

Guess what I made next?

Waffles! I used the recipe from the  link that Angele sent me but changed it a little bit. I also added some semi-sweet chocolate chips to my waffle batter. Oh my … it was lovely. The chocolate filling oozes out when you bite! The waffles were very light and fluffy too because I’ve separated the whites from the yolks.

With all those carbs in my blood (including yesterday’s rice), I was definitely ready for my 23 km run this afternoon! Burn baby burn! I made sure that I drank plenty of water prior to my run as I didn’t want to feel dehydrated like last week.

Although the sun was hiding behind the clouds most of the time, the weather was still warm when I started to run at 3.50  pm. The run was good. Every steps that I took felt great! After my run I cleaned the house as I didn’t have time to do it yesterday. Well I only vacuumed, mopped and threw away stuffs that have accumulated over the past week.  The husband is working out at the back of our place right now.

I had a turkey breast sandwich just now. This will be tomorrow’s lunch too! Bought this smoked turkey breast from Carrefoure the other day. For only 25 kcals per slice, it tastes great!

Here’s the recipe for the waffle and a couple of more pics.

Ingredients (Makes about 6 waffles)

• 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• 2-3  tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 beaten egg yolks
• 1 and 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 egg whites – beaten stiffly
• Vanilla essence

Photo above: I was initially planning to make lemon waffles. That’s why there’s a lemon in the picture. I also had only 1 egg left when I took this picture.

Method

Mix all dry ingredients (except the sugar).

Combine yolks, milk and vanilla.

Stir into dry ingredients. Do not over mix.

Stir in oil and mix.

Beat the egg whites with the sugar until stiff.

GENTLY fold in beaten egg whites, do not over mix.

Adding some semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter.

So today I baked a simple basic dark moist chocolate cake. Initially I wanted to reduce the amount of butter (and add some applesauce instead) but I thought it’s better to stick to the original recipe first. The only thing I changed is the amount of sugar. I reduced to 3/4 cups and it turned out to be just nice for my taste! Not too sweet.

The cake is really moist and nice :) I had to try a piece before making a chocolate glaze.

And after making a chocolate glaze with dark chocolate, here’s the end result!

Here’s the recipe for a basic dark moist chocolate cake.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 (140 g) cup plain flour
• 1/4 cup (30 g) cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp hot water
• 1 tsp instant coffee powder or granules
• 1 cup caster sugar (200 g) – I used 3/4 cups i.e 150 g because I don’t like my cake to be too sweet
• 2/3 cup butter (150g)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 3/4 cup water

Method

Preheat oven 175° C

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

Dissolve the coffee with hot water. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well. Beat in the coffee and vanilla essence. Gently fold in the flour mixture alternating with water.

Pour the batter into a greased baking pan. I used a springform pan (removable sides and bottom).

Bake at 175° C for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

For the chocolate glaze, I used  unsweetened dark chocolate, cocoa powder,  some butter and and a couple of teaspoons of sugar.