Red Velvet Cupcakes

I picked up the recipe from the Food Network website, and boy was it yummy. It was Lama's birthday and I decided to make it for her as a gift. The secret as you will read in the recipe is sifting all the dry ingredients well (I did so 3 times) -> I didnt make variations such as changing it to whole wheat flour, as if I've never baked a cupcake before I find it best not to change the recipe first until I taste it.

The icing was also a bit too buttery and less cheesy for my taste, so I think I need to put more creamcheese next time. This is my favorite cupcake (I've ever made)!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/red-velvet-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/index.html

Artichoke Pesto Bagel

We like eating in this restaurant called CIRCLES in Dubai. The selling point of it is that it serves dough made in NYC for their bagels. The concoctions are yummy but I figured I could make them - so we ordered some frozen bagels and took them home. Mabel came over tonight and I made some Pesto inspired bagels...basil was so expensive in the store I ended up just buying the ready made ones and mixed the artichokes.

I also pan roasted some chicken breasts marinated with olive oil, mustard and soy sauce for 'Mabel and Andy's bagels. For me, I just put greens and some sliced artichokes on top and just ate half a bagel because it gets too heavy - you can save the top for another meal. We ended dinner with some natural yogurt mixed with some honey, bananas and strawberries .which I froze about 2 hours before dinner. I topped it with brown molasses, a crushed walnut. Yummy!

Pesto Artichoke Spread

1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped

12 cup pesto sauce

* mix, add salt and pepper to taste

* spread 2 tbsp of the pesto artichoke spread on bottom bagel

* Slice pan fried chicken, put on top, add cheese if needed

* Serve with any type of bagel (I served it with sundried tomato-bagels)

Baked Spinach!

I havent been cooking as much lately, since I was out in Delhi for 5 days, back to Dubai and travelling again. After that I get a stomach flu and am down for 2 days. I was inspired to cook when I got better - Andy still got hungry after eating the baked spinach (it was a little bit light) but enjoyed on another dinner (when Simon was over) the tofu steak with teriyaki sauce.

Not posting the baked spinach recipe because it was too light and not enough for a meal. What I will post though is the salad I invented - "Blanched Potato and string bean salad" I accidentally half cooked the potato (the outer was fully cooked and soft, the inner core was still hard)

Ive been reading this book called "The Tao of Health, Sex and happiness" which talks about a variety of things related to Tao philoshopy - one part has an intensive explanation on nutrition and the value of eating things raw. So this partly cooked salad is cooked just right so its not too hard to eat, but retaining all its nutritional values!

Blanched Potato and string bean salad

* 1 red skinned potatoe (bring water to a boil and wait 10 min until potato is 1/2 cooked)

* 2 cups thin string beans, cooked for about 1-2 mins, then washed with cold water

* chopped green onions to sprinkle

* Dressing, mix:

1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp finely chopped sun dried tomatoes +

1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp kikoman, 1 tsp brown rice vinegar

Pan Fried Goat Cheese Salad

We had friends over again tonight, this time Dave a Kiwi friend of ours and his girlfriend Caroline. I didnt have much time tonight as Andy and I wanted to squeeze in one of our crazy-fast workouts and I was tired (and attempting to even go out after) so we wanted to make something simple. Andy and I ate this salad at the Bice restaurant here at Hilton, Dubai and I decided I could make it. The goat cheese is so savoury that I think you can just serve a slice shared between two people (dont slice it too thin or else the cheese melts).

Luckily Caroline loved goat cheese and Dave, well he likes to eat anything!

We also served some veggie burgers, but that was easy because we just bought Amy's veggie burgers with spinach leaves and sundried tomatoes.

Orange Vinaigrette

1 shallot, chopped and sauted in 1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup orange juice, bring to a boil until stick - then mix with

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 tbsp vinegar (I use brown rice vinegar)

Pan Fried Goat Cheese

* coat sliced goat cheese logs in whole wheat flour (about 1/3 inch in thickness)

* then dip in egg (beaten + 1tbbsp water) - then finally dip into this mixture

* mix 1/3 cup finely grounded almonds + 1/3 cup bread crumbs + 1/2tsp salt and pepper

Place over salad greens (I like spinach leaves), cherry tomatoes, strawberries and salt and pepper!

The other photo is sundried tomatoes and feta cheese scrambled eggs - Andy cooked this for breakkie and it was so yummy! No recipe required, just beat some eggs and milk, season with salt and pepper then mix in feta cheese and sundried tomatoes! yum!

Asianized Risotto

Andy and I had friends over for the evening. He had made a special request for me to re-do the Walnut Miso Soba recipe because he liked it so much.

I know you usually have risotto as a main, but the Walnut Miso Soba was going to be the strat of the night - but I was juste excited to try cooking it so I decided I'd serve a little of it with some protein for the meat eaters since the soba was vegan. I researched a bit and it seems the secret to it is a) good arbori rice or risotto rice; b) giving it time to slowly simmer, adding broth slowly.

I made a variation and
* used Dashi broth instead of vegetable broth
* reduced the amount of cheese
* poured some sesame oil instead of olive oil
* cooked it for 1hr and 45mins
* red wine instead of white

* reduced the amount of butter to 1/2

* added 1/2 cup brown rice

The results were amazing - right consistency, enough taste. It also tasted lighter (but still yummy) than most risottos because it didnt have heavy cream in it. Because it had wild bron rice in it, it was also much more chewy. I actually just served 1/2 cup to each person with some chicken teriyaki and cold tofu (for Rita who was vegetarian too) and they were pretty satisfied.

The cupcakes were less than stellar - I had put a solid hershey kisses inside it, and it did not melt. My idea was it would be like a cupcake souffle, haha...it was a tasty (but not yummy looking one.

Mushroom Risotto
1.5 cups Arbori
1/2 cups wild brown rice
7 cups Dashi soup
1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup thinly sliced portobello or shitake mushrooms
1/2 parmesan cheese (grated)
1/2 red wine
1/8 cup sesame oil

1//2 cup butter
salt & pepper to taste

* 1 tbsp chopped garlic
* 1 tbsp chopped onions

* cook in sesame oil the chopped garlic and onions
* add in mushrooms and green onions
* add in rice
* stir in the red wine then the butter (it will melt on its own)
* add 1 1/2 cups of the broth at a time
* when the rice absorbs the broth, pour 1 1/2 cups more and so on
* when almost done, stir in the red wine

Not posting the chocolate cupcake recipe, will still need to perfect it!