Avocado Tomato Salsa (Delia Smith)

Allright, I'm not a trend setter, I'm a trend follower instead
Everytime Cook Like A Star launches the star chef of the month, I always start with browsing through their website, or their cookbook if I own one
And then I'll look through what others make, and almost 100%, I'll end up listing down what I shall make from them
And this month is no exception either LOL

Another mouthwatering dish from Delia Smith I saw at Mich from Piece of Cake I coudn't resist :)

What you need:

1 ripe firm avocado
2  firm tomatoes
1 shallot (I used 3)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (I used large lime)
1 heaped tbsp chopped fresh coriander (I used 2 tbsp)
a few drops of tabasco sauce
salt, black pepper
sugar (I added)

Method:

1. Skin the tomatoes b y pouring boiling water over them, leave it for a few minutes, drain and slip skin off when cool to handle
2. Cut in half, hold each half over a saucer (cut side down), squeeze gently to extract seeds
3. Chop tomato finely
4. Halve avocado, remove stone and cut each half into quarters and peel off the skin
5. Chop into small dice, while slice the onion thinly
6. Combine everything in a bowl, add in seasoning, lime juice, coriander and tabasco
7. Civer with clingwrap and leave in the fridge for at least an hour before serving

I had this refreshing salsa with my homemade chicken burger, delish!
I will make this again with grilled salmon, just like what Mich did
Thinking about it makes me drooling already, yum! :)

I'm submitting this post to:

 

* Little Thumbs up with theme of the month of March: "Tomato", organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Doreen from my little favourite DIY

 

 

 

*  Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Mich from Piece of Cake
 

Below are blogging friends cooking and baking using recipes from Delia Smith :)

What I Cooked During CNY

Singapore weather is getting crazy for the past week! It's so hot and humid in the morning til afternoon, and suddenly dark clouds hanging in the air before it pours, for awhile, which doesn't help much in clearing the heat and humidity

As a result, Ian had his slight flu last week, and I had the "priviledge" to get the virus from him *sigh*
Started with sore throat and turned to slight cough, and then gave me a good feeling of recovery yesterday morning
However, as the cough almost disappeared, yesterday afternoon I started to have stuffy nose and headache :(
At the same time, Ian's runny nose was also back yesterday, and this time with quite bad phlegmy cough and slight fever :(
This morning after back from running errands, I still felt unwell, and as I'm writing this post, I drink my hot ginger tea to clear my blocked nose :S
Still have my bodyache and headache, after this I will take my medication and crawl to my bed to have my beauty sleep :)

Just want to share what I cooked during Chinese New Year last month
Not many, as most of the time we're outside
And the menu also wasn't really much different from the previous years
I just cooked what I felt like eating at that point of time, and usually it's always back to the same thing
Nevertheless, we enjoyed them so much :)

Chinese New Year's eve, always the same menu, just like the previous years :)
Chicken hotpot soup with all our favorite ingredients, fried taukee and fried cuttlefish balls

This hot chilli padi dipping sauce is really good and addictive, first time I made this, recipe is from Noobcook

What you need:

10 chilli padi (bird’s eyes chilli), sliced (I used 5 red)
3 large red chillis (I added)

4 cloves of garlic, cut

2 tbsp light soy sauce

juice of 2 limes

1 tsp sesame oil

some sugar (I added)

Method:

1. Using a food blender, blend chilli padi and garlic cloves together. Transfer to a small bowl.
2. Add light soy sauce, sesame oil and lime juice and sugar to taste

Below is stir fry scallops, shitake mushrooms and brocolli in oyster sauce, I made this last year, you may view the recipe HERE , accompanied by crispy fried fish

 

Recipe for this delicious, crisp on the outside while juicy in the inside as follows...

What you need:

300g tilapis fillet, cut into chunks
1 clove of garlic, grated
1 tbsp juice of large lime
1 tsp salt
a dash of pepper

To coat:
2 tbsp plain flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten
150g breadcrumbs

Sauce:
Mix together:
100ml mayonnaise
1 tbsp juice of lemon
1 tsp dijon mustard
a dash of pepper

Method:

1. Mix evenly fish with garlic, lime juice, pepper and salt
2. Coat fish with plain flour, dip in egg white and coat with breadcrumbs
3. Set aside til it's a little dry
4. Heat oil and deep fry til crisp
5. Serve immediately with the sauce

Below is stir fry Chinese leeks and fishmaw with beancurd, recipe is from Peng's Kitchen
Yum yum yum... all my favorite things inside :)

 

What you need:

20gm fish maw, softened

3 stalks spring onion, sliced

a thumb size ginger, sliced

about 2 cups water
20g beancurd sticks, softened (I added)
5 stalks chinese leek, sliced diagonally
1 tbsp sliced ginger
3 cloves of garlic, chopped

6 tbsp chicken stock

1 tbsp osyter sauce
1 tbsp chinese wine
1 tsp sesame oil
salt to taste

Method:

1. Place ginger & spring onion with water in a pot, bring to boil. Add fish maw and bring to boil. Lower heat and cook for 15mins. Drain away water. Slice fish maw into 3 cm length. Set aside
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil wok, add garlic & ginger. Stir fry for 1 min. Add leek and fry for 2mins.
3. Add beancurd, fish maw, chicken stock and seasoning. Simmer for 2mins. Remove from heat
    

Yes, that's all! The rest, we ate out LOL
Hopefully I will be able to cook more variety next year :)

Okay, it's late now... my bed is calling me, bye :)
Wish Ian and also me a speedy recovery okie.... DH is around during weekend so I at least can really rest, but this mummy need to get back to her superwoman duties on Monday LOL

Terengganu Braised Chicken & Stir Fry Loofah & Chinese Cabbage

The first Terengganu dish I cooked and not only me buy the whole family enjoyed it
Very delicious with a bowl of rice, and you do not need anything else, trust me
But for the sake of eating some portion of vegetables daily, I served this with a vegetable dish :)

Recipe is from Phong Hong's site

Here's the recipe with my modification...

What you need:

half chicken, I deskinned and cut
200g pork loin, pounded to tenderize, cut
6 hardboiled eggs
15 shallots, halved
3 cloves of garlic, halved
2 tbsp tauchew (preserved soya bean paste)
2 tbsp dark sweet soya sauce (kecap manis)
2 tbsp dark soya sauce
1/2 palm sugar
1 litre water

1. Blend shallots, garlic and tauchew til smooth
2. Sautee the blended paste with a little oil til fragrant
3. Add in pork slices, fry for 10 minutes
4. Add in water, dark sweet soya sauce, dark soya sauce, palm sugar and eggs
5. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes
6. Add in chicken and simmer til chicken tender and water lessened and thickened abit, around 30 minutes

And this is the vegetable dish, stir fry loofah and chinese cabbage

What you need:

1 loofah, peel and cut
1/4 chinese cabbage, cut
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
3 cm ginger, lightly pounded
1 lemongrass, lightly pounded
2 tbsp tauchew (preserved soya bean paste)
1/4 tsp sugar
1 spring onion, cut
400ml water
a little oil

1. Heat oil in a wok, sautee garlic til fragrant
2. Add in ginger, lemongrass, and sautee til soft
3. Add in tauchew, sugar and spring onion, sautee til soft, remove from wok
4. Using the same wok, bring to boil water, add in the sauteed seasonings
5. After the water boils again, ad in loofah
6. After loofah turns soft, add in chinese cabbage
7. After the water boils again, remove from heat
8. Serve immediately

I'm submitting the yummy chicken dish to Malaysian Food Fest (Terengganu Month) hosted by Lena of Frozen Wings

Grilled Chicken Kenny Roger's Style & Stir Fry Chayote With Garlic

Another finger licking good grilled chicken recipe

 

Recipe is from Melly's site

 

What you need:

 

1 free range chicken - cleaned

3 large onion

4 cloves of garlic

2 inches old ginger

 

Seasonings:

3 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp dark sweet soya sauce (kecap manis)

2 tbsp honey

enough black pepper

1 tsp chicken stock powder

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp butter

1. Chop onion, garlic and ginger, mix with a little water and blend til smooth
2. Mix with seasoning and put chicken in, marinade overnight
3. Take out chicken from the seasoning, put in the griller, smear seasoning all over and grill til cooked
4. Halfway grilling, smear the remaining seasoning

 

I cooked this vegetable dish to accompany the grilled chicken, just a simple dish of julienned chayote stir fried with garlic and seasoned with salt, pepper and a little sugar

Sweet and crunchy, nice :)

 

Indonesian Style Chicken Rice In Coconut Sauce (Nasi Ayam Semarang)

Indonesia is so big that even chicken rice has many different types
One of them which is I'm familiar with is the one originated from Semarang, the capital city of Central Java province
The city where I was born, hence my enthusiasm in practising to cook this dish :)

It's mainly coconut rice accompanied by a few dishes which are also cooked in coconut milk
Yum yum yum... Yeah, Indonesians love to cook dishes with coconut milk
God knows how the cholesterol level in this dish LOL
Such a big frustration to know yummy stuff is usually not recommended by dietitians wew....

What I cooked was the coconut rice accompanied by stir fry chayote in spicy coconut sauce, chicken and also eggs & tofu cooked in coconut sauce
Only 3 dishes to accompany the rice but it's pretty tedious to prepare even though it's worth the trouble since it cant be found anywhere in Singapore :)

Here's the recipe - it's from my mum...

For the coconut rice:

300g uncooked rice
100ml coconut milk (I mixed 60ml Kara coconut cream and 40ml water)
1 tsp salt
320ml water
3 pandan leaves

1. Rinse rice and combine well with coconut milk, salt and water
2. Set aside for 10-20 minutes, then add pandan leaves and cook in rice cooker

For the chicken dish:

1 chicken, cut

Blend together:
*1/2 tbsp coriander seeds, mix with a little water and grind
*5 shallots, chopped
*4 cloves of garlic, crushed
*a thumb size of turmeric, peeled and chopped
*a pinch of belachan (fried prawn paste)
*6 candlenuts - grated

2 bay leaves
water
salt, sugar
5 tbsp Kara coconut cream

1. Boil chicken with blended ingredients and bay leaves, water, salt and sugar
2. When the chicken half cooked, add in coconut cream and bring to boil
3. Lower down the heat, and simmer til thick coconut layer surfaced
4. Scoop the thick layer and transfer to a small pot, set aside
5. Bring the chicken to boil and off heat

For the tofu and eggs dish:

the thick coconut layer from the chicken
water
1 bay leaf
3 blocks of firm tofu - cut and fried til golden brown

5 eggs
2 cloves of garlic - crushed
palm sugar
tamarind paste mixed with water, mix well and strain
salt
dark sweet soya sauce (kecap manis)

1. First, cook the eggs first: Boil eggs for 15 minutes approx, drain and peel. In a small pot, boil the peeled eggs together with garlic, water, palm sugar, a little tamarind juice, salt, and dark sweet soya sauce. Bring to boil and simmer for 15minutes, til eggs browned - off heat and drain eggs
2. Mix thick coconut layer with water, add in bay leaf, fried tofu and the cooked eggs 
3. Bring to boil and simmer til thickened

For the stir fry chayote dish:

 

2 chayotes, peel and julienned, mix with salt and squeeze by hand - rinse well, set aside

4 shallots, sliced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

a pinch of belachan (fried prawn paste)

1 tbsp blended red chillis (smooth)

water

2 tbsp coconut milk

salt, sugar, oil

1. Heat oil in a pan, stir fry shallots, garlic, belachan til fragrant
2. Add in chillis and add water
3. Add in coconut milk, followed by salt, sugar and bring to boil
4. Adjust the taste
5. Add in shayote, stir well briefly and off heat

Scoop coconut rice in a serving plate, together with chicken, tofu, egg and chayote

Serve immediately

Just to share, back there in the origin city, people serve this rice dish on a plate made of banana leaf and eat with spoon made of banana leaf. Somehow, eating this way makes the dish taste even more yummy but it needs skill and practice to master eating with the spoon, not so easy :)

I googled to let you see how the spoon looks like... here it is:

You see the long slim rectangle thing on your right side? That's the spoon :)

I guess this is another great dish to fill you up for those fasting..

I submit this post to LBT Ramadhan dishes August 2012

Baked Chicken Fries & Cabbage With Mung Bean Noodles

My kids love nuggets in all kinds (who doesn't?)
It's indeed delicious but it involves deep frying which I have been trying to cut down
So, this recipe from Little Corner Of Mine did excite me :)
It's not only healthier but it's also delicious my kids love it so much they still munched on this even after they're done with their meal :)

 

 

What you need:

(quantity depends on how much chicken breast used)

Skinless boneless chicken breast, slice into long thin strips

Cooking oil (I used canola)

Salt and pepper

All purpose seasonings

Eggs

Breadcrumbs

1. In a bowl, mix together chicken breast, salt, pepper, all purpose seasonings
2. Lightly beat eggs in a bowl, and spread breadcrumbs in a plate
3. Preheat oven to 200degC
4. Dip each chicken strip in the beaten eggs, and coat with breadcrumbs evenly
5. Arrange the strips on baking sheet lined with non stick baking paper
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, followed by broiling it for a few minutes each side to brown

To accompany the chicken dish, I cooked this vegetable dish - yummy!

Recipe is from WokkingMum

What you need:

Small cabbage, cut

1 small handful dried shrimp, soak to soften

40g mungbean noodles, soak to soften

100ml chicken stock

salt, a little sugar

3 cloves of garlic, minced

a little oil

1. Heat oil and sautee garlic and dried shrimp til fragrant
2. Add in cabbage, cover and cook for 8 minutes, medium high fire
3. Add in noodles, stir well
4. Add in chicken stock and cover, cook for further 4 minutes
5. Add in salt and sugar, adjust taste and off heat

Simple and really yummy :)

Indonesian Style Grilled Chicken (Ayam Bekakak) (Happy Call) & Stir Fry Beansprout With Silver Fish

Indonesian has many kinds of grilled chicken, some are nice, some are not so nice
It all depends on the marinade mixture, and also the cooking process
One important factor also how long the chicken is marinated

This grilled chicken can't be considered as nice, that's not exactly how it should be described, cos it tasted fabulous!
Definitely will make this again :)

I'm not sure why they named it ayam (meaning chicken) bekakak
What is bekakak? I'm not sure and I haven't asked any of my Indonesian friend so far
Maybe I should, but for now, let's just celebrate how tasty this dish is :)

What you need:

1 chicken, split the back, crushed lightly to flatten it
2 lemongrass stick, crushed lightly
2 bay leaves
2cm blue ginger, crushed lightly
1 tbsp tamarind, mixed with 2 tbsp water, mixed and discard the seeds
2 lime leaves
5 tbsp dark sweet soya sauce (kecap manis)
500ml water
3 tbsp cooking oil

Seasonings:
6 shallots
4 cloves of garlic
2cm old ginger
2cm yellow ginger
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp sugar

1. Put all seasonings in food processor and blend til smooth
2. Heat oil on frying pan, sautee the blended seasonings til fragrant
3. Add in lemongrass, bay leaves, lime leaves, blue ginger and cook til fragrant
4. Add in chicken, cook til chicken changed color
5. Add in water, kecap manis, cook til seasonings thickened and water lessened, turn to the other side ocassionally
6. Grill in the happy call pan over medium low heat, flip the pan til both sides golden brown
7. Each time flipping the pan, brush more seasonings

Eat with chilli paste

To make chilli paste:
4 large red chillies, discard seeds and cut small
4 shallots, cut small
2 tsp prawn paste (belachan)
salt, sugar

1. Put all ingredients in food processor, blend til smooth
2. Heat a little oil on frying pan, fry the blended ingredients til boiling
3. Off heat

Another dish which you won't be satisfied with only 1 bowl of rice! :)

And this is the companion:

What you need:

100g silver fish
4 handful of beansprout, cleaned and rinsed
5 shallots, slice thinly
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large red chillies, discard the seeds and cut small
sugar, salt and cooking oil

1. Wash silver fish well (to reduce the saltiness), and pat with kitchen towel
2. Heat a little oil on frying pan, fry silver fish til crispy, golden in color, drain and set aside
3. Using the same pan, add a little bit more oil, heat and sautee shallots and garlic til fragrant, add in chillies, and mix well
4. Add in beansprout, mix well til well cooked, add in silver fish, mix well
5. Add sugar and a little salt (you don't have to add salt if you feel it's salty enough with the silver fish), mix well
6. Off heat

Simple but it made a great companion to the chicken :)

Pan Fried Tilapia (Happy Call) & Stir Fry Mixed Vegetables

I have just purchased ochre jumbo Happy Call double sided pan, after much consideration for the past few weeks and seeing the craze going on among food bloggers

For my first experience, I chose fish since no doubt I love fish, but every encounter with fish on normal frying pan has never been pleasant at all
The smoke, the smell, the splattered oil, the super oily fried fish, the tedious stove cleaning...

I was very satisfied with the whole process and the result as well, really worth buying! :)

The fish was cut into two, marinated and fried, and the frying process has turned to a pleasant experience this time :)
Too bad one of the fish lost its precious tail LOL

I've done this recipe before, you may view it HERE

And this is the companion, stir fry mixed vegetables

What you need:

2 cloves of garlic, crushed
carrot, sliced
cabbage, cut
salt, pepper, light soya sauce, a little sugar, water, a little cooking oil

Heat oil on frying pan, sautee garlic til fragrant, add in carrot, followed by water, stir well
Add in salt, pepper, light soya sauce, sugar, lastly, cabbage
Simmer til vegetables turned soft enough (I like vegetables with crunch)
Adjust taste, off heat

Simple, yummy and nutritious meal, isn't it? :)

Crispy Fried Fish & Stir Fry Leeks

It has been quite sometime since the last time I posted in my blog.. busy with holiday and down with flu, in fact the whole house was, started with the kids, me and then DH.
Thank God I'm fine now, only slight cough left

Now, here's one cooking I managed to make for family during festive season
Pictures were taken by my Balckberry phone since my camera was not in town at that time :)

Crispy fried fish...
This might look just like any other flour coated fish fillet, I cooked a simple one last year,  but this one is different, it's better, even though the recipe is not as simple as I thought
But it does give me the texture I like, crisp on the outside and soft juicy inside, yum!

Stir fry leeks...

I cooked this dish last year, pls click here for the recipe

Here's the recipe for the fish...

What you need:

A

500g fish fillet (I used sutchi fillet)

4 tbsp flour

B (batter)

2 eggs

6 tbsp potato starch

6 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

some ice water

2 tbsp oil

C (marinade)

2 tbsp egg white

1 tsp salt

2 tsp potato starch

4 tsp wine

2 stalks spring onion (crushed)

1 tsp ginger juice

1. Rinse fish. Cut into thumb sized thick pieces and pat dry (make sure it's really dry)
2. Combine well C, then add fish pieces and set aside for around 30minutes
3. Beat egg, and continue mixing with each of the other ingredients B, adding oil last, into a batter
4. Coat fish with a little flour and then combine well with the batter
5. Heat enough oil for deep frying, turn fire into low and place the battered fish into the oil one at a time, stirring to prevent them from sticking together. Deep fry over medium heat
6. When the fish float, turn the heat up to fry further for another 30seconds til crispy. Remove and drain well

I'm submitting these dishes to  Aspiring Bakers #15: Auspicious Dishes for CNY (January 2012) hosted by Wen of Wen's Delight

Roasted Green Beans

This is such a quick and easy way to prepare green beans. I love roasting vegetables because they taste so much better to me than steamed or sautéed. I simply seasoned these green beans with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, garlic powder, and olive oil then roasted them in the oven. They paired perfectly with my pork roast and mashed potatoes and they tasted delicious. Sometimes simple food is the best food.

Roasted Green Beans:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 1/2 lb of fresh green beans, ends trimmed
• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil then coat with cooking spray.

Trim the green bean end then wash well. Place the green beans on the baking sheet then drizzle them with olive oil. Season the beans with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and garlic powder, to taste.

Place into the oven and roast for 7-8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder AND Giveaway Winner

It's been cold and rainy here in Portland and I was craving something warm and comforting for dinner. I decided to make a big batch of veggie soup. I found this cheesy vegetable chowder recipe on Lulu the Baker that looked amazing. It was simple to make and smelled fantastic while simmering on the stove. It was cheesy, flavorful, and filled with veggies and potatoes. This one was a huge hit with my entire family especially my daughter who asked for the leftovers for lunch the following day.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder:

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by Lulu the Baker

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup of carrots, diced finely
• 2-3 stalks of celery, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour (divided)
• 6 cups of homemade vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 cups of potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2/3 cup of milk
• 2 cups of broccoli florets
• 2 heaping cups of sharp cheddar, shredded

Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the onions, carrots, and celery then sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic then cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon of flour then stir until well combined and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetable or chicken broth and mix well. Add the potatoes then cover with a lid and simmer for 35-40 minutes; add the broccoli florets and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until all of the vegetables are softened. Add the last tablespoon of flour to the cheese and toss to coat evenly then add to the soup along with the milk. Stir frequently until the cheese has melted and is well combined. If you want an even thicker soup, mix some broth with some corn starch to make a slurry then add to the soup and stir until thickened.

Side Note: Tossing the cheese with the flour helps the cheese not separate when it's added to the soup.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

GIVEAWAY WINNER:

The winner of the Fujima mini cooking torch is comment number 170:

Renee said...

Found you this morning as I was looking for a new recipe for homemade noodles and I've been lost in your blog ever since. Beautiful photos, do-able recipes of a wonderful variety of foods and even a Thanksgiving give away! You are now bookmarked and I'll be visiting often!

Congratulations Renee! Send me an e-mail with your mailing address so your new torch can be mailed to you.

Eggplant With Petai In Chilli Sauce

Yummy dish that doesn't need any companion and really, it makes you say "more rice, please!" *grin*

Recipe is from Hesti's site with slight modification

What you need:

2 large eggplants (cut each into four and fry til cooked)
15 petai, halved
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
salt, palm sugar
3 tbsp oil to sautee the sauce

For the sauce:
Blend together:
6 big red chillies
1 red bird's eye chilli
5 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
1 tomato

Heat oil, sautee the blended ingredients, add in petai
Add a little water, mix well, add in salt and sugar
Add in beaten egg while stirring continuously til fibrous, followed by light soya sauce and sesame oil
Adjust taste
Add in cooked eggplant, gently stir til well mixed
Let it simmer for a few minutes, off heat

Roasted Sweet Onions with Herbed Bread Crumbs

I found this recipe in the August issue of Saveur magazine. I love sweet onions and roasted veggies are my favorite so this recipe called my name. The recipe called for fresh thyme and oregano but I didn't have any so I replaced them with fresh basil. The onions were sweet and tender and the herb crust gave them a nice crust and flavor. This was a wonderful side dish - I may have to make it again over the upcoming holidays.

Roasted Sweet Onions with Herbed Bread Crumbs:

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 2 large sweet yellow onions, cut into 1/2" thick rings
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 5 tbsp panko crumbs
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the onions then, using your hands, rub the oil so the onion is evenly coated on both sides. Season the onions with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Place the onions, keeping them as intact as possible, into the baking dish.

Bake, turning onions, until soft and and lightly caramelized, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the panko crumbs, butter, parsley, fresh basil, and minced garlic until well combined. Sprinkle evenly over all of the onions slices. Continue baking until the topping is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Broccoli with Garlic, Pine Nuts, and Asiago Cheese

I am always trying new ways to make broccoli in hopes that my kids will eat it. I decided to try sautéing the broccoli in a skillet then adding a bit of fresh garlic, toasted pine nuts, and asiago cheese. It was awesome! My daughter didn't care for the cheese but my son thought it was pretty good. I really loved the garlic flavor on the broccoli along with the tasty nuts and salty cheese. It was super simple to make and tasted really great.

Broccoli with Garlic, Pine Nuts, and Asiago Cheese:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Dash of crushed red pepper
• 1-2 tbsp of pine nuts, toasted*
• 1 tbsp asiago cheese, grated

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the broccoli florets and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and place in a serving bowl. Add the toasted pine nuts and asiago cheese. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

*To toast the pine nuts, simply put them in a DRY skillet (no oil needed). Cook on low for a few minutes, stirring often, until they start to get golden brown.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Tomato, Squash, and Feta Gratin AND a Giveaway **GIVEAWAY CLOSED - WINNER ANNOUNCED**

I found the fifth and final recipe for Cookbook Week* in The New Sonoma Cookbook by Connie Guttersen RD, PhD. This cookbook is filled with over 200 simple recipes for a healthy, more delicious way to live. I love that there is a whole range of recipes - breakfasts, soups, roasts, desserts, and holiday meal ideas. I saw the recipe for this gratin and decided to make it for dinner. It was really easy to make and tasted flavorful and delicious. I adapted it a bit by using tomato basil feta and fresh basil instead of plain feta and oregano. It turned out to be a big hit with my daughter, husband, and I but my son didn't care for it. His loss our gain.

*Cookbook Week: I was recently sent 5 wonderful cookbooks (food blogger perks) so I decided to do a recipe from each book this week - October 10-14, 2011 - (First recipe),(Second recipe), (Third recipe), (Fourth recipe).

Tomato, Squash, and Feta Gratin:

Adapted recipe by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by Connie Guttersen, RD, PhD - The New Sonoma Cookbook

• 1-2 tsp garlic olive oil
• 1 zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick coins
• 1 yellow squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick coins
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato basil feta
• 6-7 small vine ripened tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray.

Place the sliced zucchini and squash coins into a bowl then season with a bit of olive oil, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; toss to coat evenly. In another bowl add the green onions, garlic, fresh basil, and feta cheese and mix well.

Lay the zucchini slices in the pan, slightly overlapping them like shingles. Sprinkle with some of the feta mixture. Layer the yellow squash slices on top of the zucchini, slightly overlapping them like shingles. Sprinkle with some of the feta mixture. Layer the tomatoes on top of the yellow squash, slightly overlapping them like shingles. Sprinkle with the remaining feta mixture. Drizzle with some olive oil if desired.

Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the top is slightly browned. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes prior to serving. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

GIVEAWAY - **GIVEAWAY CLOSED - WINNER ANNOUNCED**:

The generous people who sent me my cookbook want to give one of my readers a copy too. All you have to do to enter this giveaway is to leave a comment on this post. Remember, if your are going to leave an anonymous comment, you must leave your name or e-mail address so I will have someone to contact if you are chosen. The contest ends on Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Good luck!