Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

In school we used to go for these girls school District and All-Island Tennis Tournaments. The thing we used to look forward to the most was the amount of food we will be consuming during that week. Tennis matches were the best! Our team consisted of a bunch of really close friends who just constantly had fun. Up-to-date we still remember the silly things that we used to do at the matches and roll on the floor laughing. We didn't have superstar players but we always managed to at least bag second place. Jam and I were doubles partners, we were even on TV once because of this crazy intensely long match we played. Everyone at the tennis club knew who we were after watching that match, thus they came to watch the final match and we failed miserably at it. Whatever, we had fun anyway. 

So getting back to the food, I used to bring these massively awesome hotdogs and 'fried items'. I loved sausages, they were my thing and my team mates look forward to eating them because they were so so so good. The other favourite thing we did was buy a 600ml bottle of strawberry milk from the canteen. It was this gigantic pink bottle which finished in a few seconds because everyone just pounces at the person carrying it. And our all time favourite food at the tennis club was what they sold in the fancy gym attached to it. CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES. I have never been a fan of oatmeal for some weird reason. Always thought it was old peoples food. I was sceptical initially when everyone was buying it. The only reason we ventured in to the gym was because it was Air Conditioned and we couldn't bare the heat outside anymore. I'm glad we ventured in, because they were soo yummy. They had different flavours but the Chocolate one was my favourite. 5-6 years later I decided to make some at home. It was good. They get gooey after a day or two, initially they are a little cake-y. But it brought back fond memories. Missing and reminiscing. Good times, best food, great friends, awesome memories. Those were the days.

Your Challenge: oatmeal is healthy, so don't feel guilty.

Ready ---  Steady --- Bake!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

(Makes 25 approx.)

INGREDIENTS: 

100 g all-purpose flour 

15g unsweetened cocoa powder 

1g ground cinnamon 

95g margarine/butter

60g brown sugar 

85g white sugar 

1 egg 

4ml vanilla extract 

85g rolled oats 

70g semisweet chocolate chips (optional) 

3g baking powder (only if using Plain Flour)

2g baking soda (only if using Plain Flour)

3g salt  (only if using Unsalted Butter)

 

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease cookie sheets. Stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside. 

2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. 

3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Note: If you want it to be a bit more gooey than Cake-y, add a bit more butter or an egg OR reduce the amount of flour. If using plain flour, then reduce the amount of baking soda and baking powder to reduce it from fluffing up too much.

Ps: the batter tastes amazing. You have to have some raw. 

Challenge Accepted???

Enjoy!

Tosakanth

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I realised I hadn't eaten a proper meal in a few days, the last time I ate a full meal was Monday dinner and today is Friday. Whoopsy daisies. Just been lazying around at home doing useless stuff online. Thus I decided to switched on my housewife mode today and started cooking and cleaning. lucky for you I documented what I cooked. Anyway, arranged the cupboards because it looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off in there. Also arranged the counter-top and got rid of the 5 different types of black tea and put it all in one compact variety box. Finished off/threw out all the tiny bits and pieces that were leftovers just lying around in massive boxes and cleaned out my baking cupboard and arranged them in a methodical order. I may be a bit OCD. I'm an utter mess when I'm just chillin', but when I start cleaning I clean till everything is neat, tidy, orderly and shiny. In that way I'm a meticulous perfectionist, but most of the time I'm just lazy. 

Back to the food. I was going to make Tomato and Basil soup, but realised we didn't have any basil left. So made a fusion french onion tomato coriander soup thingy. Then I remembered that I came across this Sweet and Sour chicken recipe online. I love sweet and sour. I think it's a Lankan thing, because if we go to any Chinese restaurant you have to order Sweet and Sour Prawns and you can never get the same flavour/taste anywhere else in the world. So I gave it a shot because I've always wanted to make it. The sauce was really good, not exactly like the Lankan version but I guess if you add some carrots and pineapples and a lot of artificial colours you could perfect it. 

Your Challenge: make some Sweet and Sour to make you miss mother Lanka.

 

Ready --- Steady --- Cook!

Sweet and  Sour Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken Breading:
3-5 chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup canola oil

Sauce:
3/4 cups sugar

6 Tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

3 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

METHOD:

1. Rinse chicken, trim off fat or extras and then cut into 1 inch cubes.

2. Season with salt and pepper. 

3. Dip chicken into cornstarch and coat all the way and then into eggs.

4. Heat oil in large skillet. Cook chicken until browned. 

5. Place in baking dish. 3 chicken breasts can be in a 9x9 but 5 chicken breasts fits better in a 9x13.

The Sauce:

1. Whisk all ingredients until smooth. 

2. Then pour evenly over chicken. 

3. Turn chicken so the sauce gets on both sides and then put in the oven at 160C for 15 minutes. turn chicken and then cook for 15 more minutes.

Challenge Accepted???

Enjoy!

Tosakanth

Quick Cake in a Mug

So Podi-Peré and Lady Shwij came to visit me at my Crib of Awesomeness (yes, it's a real place. One at a time ladies, please!). Well technically they came to visit Schmelly my dog. Whatever! still counts. That Lady Shwij is such a useless bugger (lady), she's been 'trying' to visit for the last 2 months and finally ran out of excuses. Anyway, cooked a Lankan meal: Rice, Pol Roti, Chili Chicken, Dahl, and Vambatu, the lot. Stuffed our selves, gossiped like school girls, stalked like loners and laughed at Youtube clips, then craved some dessert. So Lady Shwij had the brilliant idea of making Cake-in-a-Mug. It literally takes like 5 minutes to whip it up. 3 minutes to mix the stuff 'thoroughly' under Lady Shwij's bossy supervision and then 2 minutes to microwave and 0 minutes to eat it. It was good, we may have put a bit too much peppermint and we were all rolling around with a chocolate food baby afterwards, but what-evs, twas still good. 

Your Challenge:  whip up a couple-a Mug Cakes instead of Cupcakes.

 

 

Ready---Steady---Microwave!

Quick Cake in a Mug

(serves 2)

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons oil
1 dash vanilla
1 dash salt (optional)
1 dash baking powder (optional)

1 dash of mint essence (optional)

METHOD:

1. Put all ingredients in a large mug and mix well.
2. Separate batter in to 2 microwavable mugs

3. Microwave for 3 minutes.
4. You will see cake rise, but it will fall when you take it out of the microwave. Microwave times may vary. If it looks done 15 or so seconds earlier, take it out.
5. Serve with some ice cream or whipped cream.

Note: We used a gigantic mug and doubled the quantities. Don't fill the mug right to the top with batter, because it will overflow and make a huge mess like our one.

Challenge Accepted???

Enjoy!

Tosakanth

Chicken with Balsamic Cream Sauce

Pretty simple stuff really. Saw the recipe on this blog that did healthy recipes with low carbs. Since I was going through my balsamic vinegar phase and my diet week, thought I'd give it a go because I was super hungry and didn't have anything at home to eat. As usual I added my own twist to it. Didn't have heavy cream so used milk instead and added corn flour to make it thick. It was super. It didn't have a very strong balsamic flavour but it had a yummy gravy-like flavour. Therefore I think this would be a really good alternative for gravy during Christmas. Just a thought. Up to you.

Your Challenge: get on this awesomic balsamic trick!

 

Ready---Steady---Cook!

Chicken with Balsamic Cream Sauce
(Serves 2)

INGREDIENTS:

2 pieces Chicken Breasts

1/2 Onion, thinly sliced

4 Mushrooms, sliced
1/4 Red Bell Pepper sliced

1/2 Cup of Chicken Broth

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream or milk

5 tablespoons Butter

6 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
2 teaspoons Corn Flour  (if using milk instead of cream)
1 bunch coriander, chopped
1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese (optional) 

Salt and Pepper
  

METHOD:

1. Saute onions over medium heat in 2 tablespoons of butter until they are nice and caramelized - About 15 Minutes. Add the mushrooms and bell peppers and cook. When the onions are a nice golden brown and mushrooms and bell peppers have cooked, remove from the heat and set aside

2. In a separate pan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.  Place the chicken breasts in the pan.  Brown on both sides, remove from the pan and set aside (Note - they will not be all the way cooked at this stage)

3. De-glaze the pan with the chicken stock.  Use a rubber spatula to make sure you get all the chicken bits and butter off the pan. This helps to flavor your sauce

4. Add the heavy cream/milk, balsamic vinegar and corn flour and stir immediately. (so the corn flour mixes well)

5. Add mushrooms, onions and bell peppers and a little S&P, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes

6. Add the chicken back to the pan, turn heat back up to medium and saute until the chicken is cooked all the way through.  About 10-15 minutes.

7. Remove chicken breasts from the pan and plate. Add the Parmesan and coriander to the sauce and keep stirring until the cheese is completely melted in.

Note: Only add corn flour if you are using milk instead of heavy cream to make the sauce thick. If you are using cream you do not need to use corn flour as your thickening agent.

Challenge Accepted???

Enjoy!

Tosakanth 

Caramelized Balsamic Red Onion Soup

I realised I have this thing for Balsamic Vinegar. I always thought it was a fancy, hoity-toity thing to eat olive oil, balsamic vinegar and bread. I didn't understand why people just ate bread and oily vinegar together. Then I had some one day, I was like 'my heavens this is some good shit'. But you have to have the right kind of bread for it. A nice dense french bread or even sourdough. Love sourdough! Anyway, finally bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar because I was craving it. So I started adding it to everything I cooked. Since I love onions and I love balsamic vinegar, why not make a balsamic onion soup? Have to warn you: you must only eat this in small portions, don't drink gallons of it like I did, because the vinegar starts getting a bit intoxicating after a while and you feel like you're on a Redbull high or something. It was awesomely yummy nonetheless. But you must control your gluttonous tendencies with this.

Your Challenge: cook summin' super-sonic balsamic!

 Ready---Steady---Cook!

Caramelized Balsamic Red Onion Soup

(Makes 4 servings)

INGREDIENTS:  

1/4 cups olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 large red onions, thinly sliced 
5 Mushrooms, sliced

1 bunch fresh Coriander, chopped 

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 teaspoons salt 

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

2 tablespoons prepared mustard 

3 cups water 

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1 Chicken soup cube (Maggi) 

METHOD:  

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat for one minute. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan, and then add the butter. Once it melts, add the garlic, sliced onions and salt, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn golden brown, about 30 minutes.

2. Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and mustard, stir well, and cook for five minutes.

3. Pour in the 3 cups of water, and turn the heat to high. Add the Chicken soup cube, Mushrooms and Coriander and let it boil.

4. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Season the soup with black pepper and, if needed, more salt. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a crouton. Serve immediately with cheesy bread. 

Challenge Accepted ???

Enjoy!

Tosakanth