Western Food Archives ⋆ Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby

Creamy Garlic Pesto Chicken

Chris-budgetpantry — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 13:21:27 +0000

Still thankful for being able to work from home because this means I can cook more “fancy” dinners like this. Made this with the cooking cream that a kind neighbour blessed us (contactless blessing ok!) cos she doesn’t have the time to cook and doesn’t want to waste food.

I served this with chunky potatoes tonight. The best part? The roasted garlic and peppers! Soooooo good!! Crazy burst of flavours with every mouthful. Hope you’ve had a nice dinner too!

Creamy Garlic Pesto Chicken (budgetpantry.com)
Makes 2-3 servings

What you need:

2 pieces chicken breast, butterflied
15 cloves garlic, smashed
1 small red onion, minced
1 small red pepper, sliced lengthwise
1 small green pepper, sliced lengthwise
2-3 shitake mushrooms, sliced
200ml cooking cream (I use Bulla)
2 tablespoon green pesto
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon oil
Pinch of salt
Flour for dredging

Steps:

Clean and pat dry chicken breast. Dredge in flour and shake off excess.

Heat up 1 tablespoon butter and oil in a skillet. Brown chicken breast for 4 minutes, then turn over and cook for another 4 minutes till done. Remove and set aside.

In the same pan, add remaining butter and scrape the brown bits towards the center. On low heat, fry minced onion, smashed garlic, sliced peppers and mushrooms till wilted and soft.

Mix in the cooking cream and pesto. Stir everything together. Season with salt to taste.

Return the chicken breast to pan and simmer for a minute. Spoon cream over chicken repeatedly as you’re simmering. Serve with chunky potatoes.

ENJOY!!

Note: if you have an airfryer, you can save some time while prepping and extract more flavour out of the peppers and garlic this way: in the baking tray, toss garlic and peppers together with some olive oil. AF at 190C for 15 minutes. Add this mixture along with the oil to step 3.

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Kid-friendly chicken quinoa casserole with mashed potatoes

Chris-budgetpantry — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 13:44:57 +0000

Before we know it, we’re in the final month of the year! It’s crazy how fast the year has gone by. This year, I’m thankful for the chance to explore different recipes for cbb, and I feel really lucky that she welcomes my creations with her open ~~arms~~ mouth!

I’ve always believed that coming up with new recipes for kids aren’t really difficult – I mean, what can they eat right? Lai lai qu qu also those few things. The core ingredients are the same fish, meat, veg, rice.. it’s just the presentation and textures that are different.

I could easily use these ingredients to cook a chicken, broccoli and potato soup and serve them with rice… cbb loves her soups but it’s also nice to create something different for her. So instead of chunky potatoes I decided to blend them into a creamy mash, then add some quinoa cos she loves to chew, and of course we can’t leave out the protein (chicken) and vegetables (broccoli and cherry tomatoes).

I love cooking this dish in my CorningWare® casserole. Did you know that CorningWare® can go straight from the freezer to stovetop or oven? Yes, you don’t need to worry of the glass shattering due to a sudden change in temperature. Made of a revolutionary glass ceramic material called Pyroceram®, CorningWare® was developed by scientists to protect the nose cone of the space shuttle from incredible and extreme temperature changes. It comes with a 10-year warranty for the base vessel and 2-year for the lids against thermal breakage too.

CorningWare® has always been a large part of my childhood memory; my 82-year-old aunt is an ardent fan – her CorningWare® still cooks well for the past 50 years. CorningWare® proudly celebrates her 60th anniversary in 2018.

I served this dish in our Corelle® dinnerware, which is made through a unique patented hub lamination process that thermally bonds three layers of glass; core glass in the middle with top and bottom layers of very clear ‘skin’ glass. The lamination results in glass dinnerware that far exceeds the normal strength possible for any single glass composition. I love it that it’s super durable and non-porous, resistant to permanent staining, breaking and chipping – Corelle® is backed by a one-year warranty against chipping, crazing, and cracking.

The design featured here is called ‘Moonlight’. Take advantage of the year-end promotions now to fill up your kitchen!

Tip: Click here to see my other baby food recipes. Will be adding more soon :)

Kid-friendly chicken quinoa casserole with mashed potatoes (budgetpantry.com)
Serves 3 adults and 1 baby

What you need:
5 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 boneless chicken thigh or breast, each about palm sized
2 handfuls of cooked broccoli florets, either blanched or steamed
1 cup cooked quinoa (cook half cup raw quinoa according to package instructions)
100g shredded cheddar cheese

Seasonings for mashed potatoes
25g butter
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon snipped spring onions
Half tablespoon salt (can omit for kids)

Marinade for chicken
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
Half tablespoon sugar (can omit for kids)

Steps:

Make the mashed potatoes: In a large oven-proof casserole, cook peeled potatoes in boiling water till tender, about 20 minutes. If you can push a fork through the potato, it’s done. Drain the water and return casserole to stove for about a minute to cook off the excess water. Mash in the same pot with a hand-held blender till creamy and smooth (or simply use a fork, whisk or masher), then add all seasonings for the mashed potatoes (above).

Cook the chicken: Marinate chicken with sesame oil, low sodium soy sauce and sugar for half an hour. Air fry for 12 minutes at 180C, or pan fry till done. Allow to cool and cut into bite-size pieces.

Assemble and bake: In the casserole with mashed potatoes, top with cooked quinoa, broccoli and chicken pieces. Add shredded cheese and bake for 15 minutes at 200C till cheese melts.

TIP: You can substitute chicken with other meats, or use meat balls! If cooking quinoa in a rice cooker (I use half cup raw quinoa to 1.5 cups water), add in the broccoli in the last five minutes to cook together.

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Baby & family menu: Eggplant tuna bake

Chris-budgetpantry — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 05:06:05 +0000

Are you finding yourself feeding your baby porridge for every meal? I mean, cbb LOVES her porridge, but it’s nice to see her face light up whenever she tries something new, and I was going to make her grin today!

I’ve discovered that she loves anything with a tomato sauce base, and she prefers texture over smooth food anytime. That is why I thought this cheesy pasta bake would be perfect for her. This is great as a family dinner too. What I do is prepare everything according to cbb’s needs (that means no extra salt or sugar), and when eating, sprinkle some salt on our portions. I often eat it plain like so too, but Jason needs some added flavour.

The core ingredients for this dish: eggplant, capsicums, tuna, canned tomato, your choice of pasta, cheddar and mozzarella cheese. It was so good, even without extra seasoning. When serving it to your baby, you might want to run a pair of scissors through her portion. I recommend this for babies after a year old cos the vegetables can be chunky. But if if you cook it soft enough and cut them to a manageable texture, 9-12 month olds could eat it too. You know your baby better!

How to prepare your eggplant: wash and cut into half, then slice each half into 3 slices, like this:

Then score with a knife front and back, and arrange on plate and sprinkle salt. Let it sit for half an hour to draw out the moisture and minimise air pockets (so that it doesn’t soak up too much oil), then rinse and pat dry with paper towel. It’s important to get the eggplant melty soft, and I choose to do it over the stove top on extremely low heat and about 15 minutes pan-grilling time. Eggplant tastes amazing when done right.

If you’re not a fan of tuna, you can add cooked minced meat or chicken, but then that’s an extra step. Haha. This dish can also be made with most vegetables you have in the fridge. Sometimes I toss in some spinach together with the capsicums, or add some onions. It’s packed with vitamins and goodness, what’s not to love?

Baby & family menu: Eggplant tuna bake (budgetpantry.com)
Serves 3-4
What you need:

1 can tuna in water, drained
2 medium eggplants, sliced to ~1.5cm thickness and score diagonally front and back
2 capsicums, julienned (I used green and yellow)
3 small handfuls of short pasta (I used spirals. Penna and shells are great too)
1 can chopped tomatoes
Sprinkle of dill
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Sprinkle of salt (optional)
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Shredded cheddar cheese
Olive oil

Steps:

Preheat oven to 190C.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and lay out the eggplant slices. Cook each side for 10-12 minutes under low flame, till soft and melty. Don’t worry if the eggplant absorbs all the oil initially. It will gradually be released as the eggplant cooks. Repeat with the second eggplant. Dish up and set aside.

Add some oil in the pan and fry capsicums till tender. You may do this in another pan alongside the eggplant to save time. Set aside.

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and mix with tuna, canned tomatoes (scoop the tomatoes and add some of the juice – you don’t need the entire can), dill, garlic powder and salt (optional).

Now we assemble: Depending on the size of your baking dish, lay 4-5 slices of eggplant in a single layer at the bottom. Top with half the pasta and cheddar and mozzarella. Repeat with the eggplant, capsicums and the remaining pasta. Finish with somemore dill, mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

Bake at 190C for 10-15 minutes till cheese bubbles. If serving baby, run a pair of scissors through her portion to the texture she can handle. I recommend this for babies after a year old.

The post Baby & family menu: Eggplant tuna bake appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

IKEA Cook-Off: Cajun Salmon in Lemon Dill Sauce (20-minute meal!)

Chris-budgetpantry — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 05:04:42 +0000

Food Related Sponsorship
Disclaimer: This is a special post brought to you by IKEA. All ideas and comments are my own.

I’m very excited that IKEA has started selling responsibly-farmed seafood in its Swedish Food Market. Whenever I go to IKEA, it’s a must for me to order the poached salmon cos I adore the fresh and clean flavour with absolutely no fishy taste. Now I can buy good quality and sustainable frozen salmon to cook at home!

I picked up some salmon fillet (SG$20.80 for four pieces) from IKEA last weekend. Even before I was pregnant, I ate a lot of salmon cooked in a variety of ways. Now that I am 35 weeks, salmon features in many of my daily meals because it is a good source of protein and Omega-3 fatty acids. And most importantly, salmon fillets are easy to handle – just defrost overnight in the chiller, season lightly and airfry or oven-bake for a convenient and delicious meal.

I decided to sprinkle these with cajun seasoning and airfry them for 5 minutes. Of course, you may also oven bake or pan fry these over the stove top.

I completed the meal with some blanched asparagus, IKEA’s mashed potatoes (SG$3) and their tangy lemon and dill sauce (SG$3.90):

READ MORE…

The salmon that’s sold at IKEA meets the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)’s certification for responsibly-sourced fish. Products carrying the ASC label comes from farms that limit their impacts on the environment and the community. Follow IKEA’s food journey and learn how they strive to take better care of our planet: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_SG/this-is-ikea/people-and-planet/energy-and-resources/#food

IKEA Cook-Off: Cajun Salmon in Lemon Dill Sauce (budgetpantry.com)
Serves 4

What you need:

4 pieces IKEA Salmon Fillet
1 packet IKEA Lemon Dill Sauce
1 packet IKEA Mashed Potatoes
Sprinkle of cajun seasoning
20 spears large asparagus, woody ends removed
1 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, quartered
(Optional) Cooked edamame beans

Steps:

Thaw salmon, mashed potatoes and lemon dill sauce in the chiller over night.

Bring a pot of water to boil and add salt and asparagus. Cook till tender, about 3 minutes, then flash dip in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Clean and dry salmon with kitchen paper. Sprinkle cajun seasoning and airfry in preheated AF at 180C for 5 minutes. Pan fry or oven bake if you don’t have an airfryer.

Meanwhile, heat up mashed potatoes and lemon dill sauce separately in sauce pan.

Assemble: Lay the asparagus by the side of the plate. Spoon mashed potatoes in the centre. Top with a piece of salmon and a spoonful of lemon dill sauce. Sprinkle edamame beans if using. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

The post IKEA Cook-Off: Cajun Salmon in Lemon Dill Sauce (20-minute meal!) appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

Crispy Cheesy Chicken Roll-ups with Perfect Italiano

Chris-budgetpantry — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 23:30:35 +0000

(Advertorial)

I’ve been wanting to make these crispy cheesy chicken roll-ups since forever. I’m finally getting to it!

What’s better than slicing into hot, crispy chicken to reveal a savoury, cheesy, melty filling? I decided to stuff these gems with baby spinach and Perfect Italiano’s Mozzarella and Parmesan Grated Cheese for that awesome stretchy texture and yummy cheesy taste. I added green chili padi to it for extra oomph – they’re not really spicy. If I could find Jalapenos, I would use them!

To make these, all you need to do is: sauté baby spinach till wilted then combine with sour cream, garlic powder, dill, salt, Perfect Italiano Mozzarella and Parmesan Grated Cheese, then spread the mixture on chicken breast. Roll up and dip in egg, flour and breadcrumbs. Fry till golden. Savour!

These were done in 30 minutes from start to finish. I’m a fan of simple, no-frills recipe which calls for minimal ingredients. It’s a bonus that Perfect Italiano’s cheeses pack so much punch that very little seasoning is needed to flavour your dish.

I like to combine both their Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese into a dish because they complement each other so well. Perfect Italiano’s Mozzarella Grated Cheese is mild flavoured and has a stretchy nature. It melts wonderfully to create the savoury texture my family loves. The Parmesan Grated Cheese has a sharp and savoury taste which balances the Mozzarella perfectly. I usually do a 1:3 Parmesan to Mozzarella ratio in my recipes.

Perfect Italiano cooking cheese is available in leading supermarkets. Whether you try this recipe or come up with your own creation, remember to share it with me by hashtagging #perfectitalianosg. If you need more recipe inspirations, go on over to the Perfect Italiano’s website to browse their amazing recipe library. They have a great collection of easy-to-follow recipes to inspire you all-year round.

Crispy Cheesy Chicken Roll-ups with Perfect Italiano (budgetpantry.com)

What you need:

4 large chicken breasts
200g baby spinach
150g Perfect Italiano Mozzarella Grated Cheese
50g Perfect Italiano Parmesan Grated Cheese
200ml sour cream
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 chilli padi, chopped
Half teaspoon salt
Sprinkle of dill
Sprinkle of black pepper
Oil for frying

To coat:
2 eggs, whisked
Self-raising flour
Japanese panko

Steps:

Heat up half a tablespoon of olive oil and add the garlic. Sauté the spinach till wilted. When cooled, squeeze out excess water with kitchen paper and set aside.

Combine the sour cream, Perfect Italiano Mozzarella Grated Cheese and Perfect Italiano Parmesan Grated Cheese.

Add a sprinkle of dill and half teaspoon salt.

Mix well, and combine with the earlier spinach. I added chopped green chilli but you can skip it if you don’t take heat.

Flatten each piece of chicken breast with a food mallet or the back of your knife. Season with black pepper and salt. Spread the cheese mixture on the surface and roll up, tucking in the edges as you go along. Dip in flour, then egg, and finally in panko. Repeat until all chicken breasts are rolled up.

In a frying pan, heat up about a centimeter of oil, enough to shallow fry the chicken breasts. When oil is hot, place each chicken breast carefully into the pan and fry, untouched, for 3 minutes each side, till crust is golden. Be sure not to miss the sides. Serve hot with your preferred sides.

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