Monday 28 November 2011

{GO GREEN} Basil, Chilli and Garlic Spaghetti, Pistachio Crumbed Chicken plus Avocado Milkshake

Now till end of December 2011 is our annual end year school holidays where most of the kids get to enjoy a long holiday break before the new school term starts in 2012. Since we often had late breakfast during this period of time, I would cook something rather simple, fast and in small portion just enough to fill our stomach till tea-break or dinner.

Here we have some really quick to prepare spaghetti with nutty oven baked pistachio chicken plus a cup of smooth and creamy avocado milkshake for our brunch.



BASIL, CHILLI AND GARLIC SPAGHETTI


Nothing beats a plate of freshly cooked spaghetti which is infused with garlic fragrant olive oil. This Basil, Chilli and Garlic Spaghetti is something quite similar to Aglio e Olio(spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and chilli peppers) but with twist of changing the usual chilli peppers into fresh chilli. The addition of the Basil leaves also adds in extra peppery and mint flavour to this simple dish.

(serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
200g Spaghetti
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Small Red Chilli, chopped finely
3 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
50g Fresh Basil Leave


Method:-
1. Cook pasta in large saucepan of boiling water until tender. Drain, reserve 40ml of the cooking liquid.

2. Meanwhile, combine oil, chilli and garlic in a small frying pan; heat gently for about 5 minutes on low heat until fragrant.

3. Return pasta to pan with the chilli oil, reserved cooking liquid and basil leaves; stir gently to combine.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with extra lemon wedges if you like to have some zesty taste.


Overall this pasta dish is not as spicy as it sounds like according to the ingredients used. But if this is to be served for kid(s), you could either reduce the number of chilli used or omit the adding of chopped chilli for the kid(s) portion.



PISTACHIO CRUMBED CHICKEN


I have tried sesame seeds or herbs crumbed chicken as well as pork in some of the local restaurants but making some using pistachio nuts would be something new. This dish requires minimum time and effort to prepare if you get ready the nuts before hand by using a grinder or pounder.

(serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 25 minutes)

Ingredients:
120g Roasted Pistachios
1 Egg White
6 Chicken Tenderloins/Fillets


Method:-
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Process pistachio nuts until finely chopped; transfer to wide shallow bowl and set side.

3. Beat egg white in another wide shallow bowl with fork. Dip chicken in egg white then nuts to coat.

4. Place chicken on oiled wire rack over oven tray; lightly season with salt and pepper.

5. Bake chicken for about 25 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with Spaghetti above or as finger food.


We love the nutty fragrant release from the pistachio crumbs when goes with the tender chicken fillets. You can eat them plain together with the spaghetti above or served it as a finger food with some lemon/wasabi mayonnaise to draw the flavour of this dish.



AVOCADO MILKSHAKE WITH GULA MELAKA


Avocado is one of my favourite fruit when doing my shopping list in the supermarket. I love to use them in Main Course, milkshake, desserts or serve as one of the ingredients in salad. This fruit has a delicate flavour and buttery texure which make them great in salads, sandwiches, desserts and etc. If you are interested you could read more about this fruit HERE.

(serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes)

Ingredients: 
2 Ripe Avocado, halved
2 Cup of Fresh Milk
50ml Gula Maleka Syrup
Some Crashed Ice, optional


Method:-
1.Simply put all the ingredients into a blender and pulse it for 20 seconds till smooth.

2. Pour into serving glass and top it with 1 tablespoon or more of the gula melaka syrup, give is a swirl and serve.

There are many different ways of making this avocado milkshakes where some likes to add honey to sweeten the taste while others add in Milo or melted chocolate for more enhance flavour. Do share with us if you have another great way of making your very own Avocado milkshake which we could try too.



BOSCH STYLINE MCM 4100 FOOD PROCESSOR


For an early Christmas Gift, I got this Bosch MCM 4 Compact Food Processor which is a real space saver in modern cubic form with a one coupling position for the bowl and blender. Its compact design is perfect for smaller kitchens with tight worktop areas, while its integrated drawer allows storage within the appliance so accessories do not get misplaced.

So for the 1st test I have use the juice blender to make my Avocado Milkshake which could be done in just a few seconds. I would be sharing with how to make some pie dough, pizza or even bread dough using the food processor function on this product. So stay tune for more updates.

And for those who had recently bought the Bosch kitchen products (Bosch MUM8, MUM5 kitchen machine or MCM 4 food processor) remember the closing date for the "Original Recipe Contest" is on 30th November 2011.Or you could read more on the contest HERE.

20 comments:

  1. I am so jealous of your food processor! Great recipes, I love pistachios, so that chicken looks amazing. Great photos!

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  2. Ellena, Thanks for sharing this lovely set meal. Sounds so easy and delicious... can prepare this for coming Christmas holiday. :)

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  3. Hi Ann and Dara,

    Thanks for your kind comments :) This is indeed a simple dish that can be done anytime of the day.

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  4. Hi Ellena, just dropped in for the first time and nice to see a beautiful food blog from a fellow Singaporean! Well done and keep it up! Dear hb will certainly love the avocado milkshake :)

    Rima
    www.bisousatoi.com

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  5. Parsley Sage29/11/11 8:40 pm

    Avocado milkshake!  That's amazing!  In fact, I love this whole meal :)  Buzzed

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  6. Hi Rima,

    Thanks for dropping by. You have a awesome blog too! Love the banana bread and muffins that you have baked,

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  7. Wow what a lovely spread. 

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  8. Nasi Lemak Lover30/11/11 8:58 pm

    All sound so nice and quick to prepare !

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  9. It's ok to eat more for breakfast..and lighten up towards end of the day e.g dinner :) that being said, to have this entire "green" meal for brunch is entirely perfect! so healthy and nutritious. I like the use of fresh chili into the pasta; and love that swirl of gula melaka into the avocado shake.

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  10. First of all, I always enjoy the whole meal plan that you share.  It gives readers an idea of what type of dishes go together.  I've never include nuts in cooking (I think, as long as I remember) and the pistachio chicken looks very interesting to me as my husband loves pistachio!  Avocado milkshake - I've never had it but that's something I'm always curious about...and avocado ice cream.  I have to try one of these days to find out if I would like it. :-)

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  11. I just read that pistachios are very good for those with high- cholesterol. Thank you for share 

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  12. Thumbs up for the lovely meal spread! :) I've tried this avocado milkshake before, in Singapore, and I remembered it being a very rich drink :D
    What a GREEN meal you have there ;)

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  13. These look so good, and extremely healthy. I love it that you even bother to reserve a sprig of fresh basil for garnish, which adds that extra fresh touch. Thanks for sharing!

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  14. Hi Ellena, what a complete that is. I like to prepare pasta the same way as u do, sans the fresh herbs cos I can't get them fm my neighborhood supermkt. Anyway, canu share more abt your food processor? What is the cost and special functions ( it must be good such that u would treat yourself to an early Christmas gift)? I guess u can also use it to blend chilli , nuts and brown rice? Michelle

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  15. Thanks Christy :) Yup Avocado milkshake is indeed a rich drink which is just as good as any smoothies :p

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  16. Talk about avocado ice-cream maybe i could try making some if I can find some decent fruit around the supermarket :p

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  17. Hi Michelle, Thanks for the kid words. Yup I would be sharing a post on this food processor plus trying out hopefully a few recipes with it :)

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  18. Hi, can we use gula melaka sugar instead of the syrup? Or do they sell the syrup in stores?

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    Replies
    1. Yup. In Singapore they do have Gula Melaka Syrup in either Giant or Sheng Song. U can check it out under the baking ingredients section :)

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Regards
Ellena (Cuisine Paradise)

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