Corn Fritters with Bacon and Maple Syrup

I discovered the magic of sweet, savoury and salty. I should have known. Coming from a chinese background, many of our snacks and dishes are sweet and savoury. However, it is only recently that I tasted bacon with maple syrup and was wow by it.

Corn fritters in shops are usually made of flour. Attempting to eat cleaner, I substituted it with almond meal instead. Corn is not exactly paleo- but I'm not really a strict paleo eater. It's a lifestyle guideline about eating clean and fresh that appeals to me. I love corn and the sweetness of it (probably a vegetable with too much sugar, but it's ok occasionally). Surprisingly, the almond meal provided it a little fluff and texture. I added baking soda so that the mixture is slightly lighter.

Crisp bacon, syrup and corn fritters together? A light but fulfilling lunch. I'm not that fearful of fat anymore- but try to make sure that my meat is grass fed and organic as much as possible.

Maple syrup is sugar but probably the lesser of the evil as it is less processed. We bought some back from US where it is so much easier to find maple syrup than Australia! We managed to obtain Grade A- I think it means purer? Amazing stuff. A drizzle is more than enough.

Corn Fritters with Bacon and Maple Syrup (Makes around 8 fritters)
1 cup of almond meal
2 eggs
1 chili chopped
1 tsp of garlic
1.5 cups of corn kernels
1/2 cup of almond milk

6 slices of bacon- free ranged
drizzle of maple syrup

Mix almond meal, eggs, chill, garlic, corn kernels and milk together. Heat pan with coconut oil. Spoon mixture into pan. Turn after 3-5 minutes. Cook till done.

Mean while in another pan, sizzle bacon till crisp.

Serve fritters with bacon and syrup.

Stir Fry Garlic Sprouts with Tofu

There was a time where cooking chinese vegetables as a side dish consist of oyster sauce bak choy, or kai lan. Then I ventured out and started frying broccoli. Then cabbage, then asparagus, mushrooms..so forth.

Thank goodness my eyes started to see other vegetables available in our farmers market. I have grown to experiment and use other kind of vegetables in Chinese cooking. If not, our side dishes were getting a tad too boring. Further, I need to tell you and prove to my parents and grandparents that we are indeed eating our vegetables..... even though we have left home years ago.

One of my favourite is garlic sprouts. It stays fresher in the fridge for a longer period of time and has a nice crunch to it. Recently, I paired it with some tofu and realised how nice both texture goes together. Firm and soft tofu together with garlic sprouts. Quick fry of everything in 10 minutes and side dish done.


Or it could be a main dish itself.

Stir Fry Garlic Sprouts with Tofu
1 bunch of garlic sprouts, washed and chopped in desired length
1 tablespoon of garlic
1 5 spice tofu sliced
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
2 tablespoon of hua tiao jiu

Saute garlic. Add garlic sprouts. You may need 1/4 cup of water then to prevent veges from drying out. Simmer and add tofu and other sauces. Toss around for 5 minutes. Serve with hot rice.

Creamy Coconut Almond Sweet Potato Soup

It's amazing how a few new ingredients can make a boring old soup more interesting. Adding peanut butter to soup was Joanne's Eat Well with Other's great idea. I took that, and used almond paste + almonds instead to jazz up the soup.

I came across almond paste after a stint of trying to be healthy and avoiding peanut butter-mainly for nutritious reasons. I mean, every calorie count so why swallow something when it isn't good for my body? I will never be anti peanut butter though, I like those stuff too much to dislike it. However, if I have a choice, I would choose almond paste over peanut butter. Almond paste has a fresh nutty aroma that I enjoy with crackers/toast/salads and now...soup!

I have always though that sweet potatoes goes very well with coconut milk. It reminds me a lot of thai cooking I think. Somehow, the combination makes a very creamy and heart warming soup. Perfect for those who wants something warm for winter, and for our sometimes chilling nights in spring.

Creamy Coconut Almond Sweet Potato Soup (serves 6-8)
1 kg of sweet potato peeled and chopped
125 ml of coconut milk
2 tablespoon of almond paste
2 red chilis chopped
1 ltre chicken stock
250 ml of water
handful of almonds
1 tablespoon of garlic

Saute garlic and sweet potato in deep pot. Add in almond paste and almonds. Add a little water if too dry. Then, add chill. Toss everything for 5 mins before adding stock and water. Pour and simmer for 20 mins. Blitz it through. Pour back into pot. Season and add coconut milk. Serve with cracked pepper.

Haloumi and Pea Fritters with Smoked Trout

 Happy Friday!!! Fridays are usually a funny day for me. I'm looking forward to the weekend, but somehow, slightly reluctant to cook. It's feels like "Yay! I should be able to enjoy and take time out to cook" but ended up with "hurry up! it's the weekend!"

Although I have to confess, sometimes, it feels like that through the week.

There are some Fridays, where I go real simple. Like plain grilled salmon with salad on the side. Or a grilled steak with some veges. All these doesn't take me more than a 15-20 mins to cook up.

But sometimes, I get bored. Flipping through Donna Hay magaines, I came across a recipe grating haloumi and using it as a base for fritters. It's pretty much savoury pancakes for dinner. Brilliant idea.

Best of all, less brain cells to kill with the thinking of "what's for dinner!"

Haloumi and Pea Fritters with Smoked Trout (enough for 4)

1 cup of plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped dill
1 tsp of lemon rind
2.5 cups of frozen peas
120 grams grated haloumi
seasoning
250 grams of smoked trout
1 lebanese cucumber- using a peeler, peel thin slices.

Combine flour, baking powder, egg, buttermilk, dill, lemon rind, peas, haloumi and seasoning. Stir till well combined.

Heat pan with some oil. Cook 2 tablespoons at each time, 3-5 mins on each side. Place smoked trout and cucumber slices on top. Serve with some sour cream or attack if desire.