Peanut Cookies

This is not a low-fat recipe, so be forewarned. But peanut cookies are a once-in-a-while indulgence of mine, which is necessary for the enjoyment of my life! Peanut cookies are usually made around Hari Raya in Malaysia and Singapore. When I was growing up, one of life's simpler pleasures was awaiting the end of the fasting month, so I could partake in the delicious treats made at home for the Hari Raya celebration, one of the treats I loved being the peanut cookies. Now that I am away from home, I try to replicate the treats I enjoyed when I was younger.

This recipe I tried is fantastic because it is so easy to follow. If I could do it, I think anyone can because I am not much of a baker.

Peanut Cookies

Ingredients:

250g ground peanut powder

200g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

110g icing sugar (or castor sugar)

1/4 tsp salt

140g corn oil (or peanut oil)
Egg wash:1 egg yolk lightly beaten with 1 tsp water

Method:

Mix ground peanut powder, plain flour, baking powder, icing sugar and salt in a big mixing bowl till well combined. Pour in oil slowly and mix till a dough is formed. You might need a little more than the stated amount if the dough is too dry. Shape into small bite-size pieces. Place about 2cm apart on lined baking sheet. Apply egg wash. Bake at 170C for 18-22 minutes or till golden brown.

Notes:

You can buy ready-made peanut ground powder, but I like to do it myself - I think it tastes better that way. Roast 250 grams of peanuts in a pan, then grind them into powder in a blender.

Use icing sugar instead of castor sugar to get a finer textured cookie.

Do not add too much oil or the cookie will be too crumbly.

Enjoy!

Garlic Pita Chips

I just love bread. Bread has received a lot of flak over the past few years. Everyone I know is into some form of a low carbohydrate diet. And bread, especially white bread, is on the to-avoid-eating list. I indulge in my fair share of breads now and then, but I have found a perfect bread that fits my requirement of being healthy, low fat, filling and tasty. That's the wheat pita bread. I love pita bread so much that I need to always have a ready stash of it sitting at home in my freezer.

Pita bread has about 110 calories. I usually fill with it with salads, tuna, lean meats or scrambled eggs to make a lunch or dinner pita sandwich wrap. But I also use pita bread to make tasty homemade snacks. Recently, I noticed that Trader Joes have on their shelves Crunchy Pita chips on the snacks aisle. Now I love shopping at Trader Joes, but I can just as easily make pita chips at home myself.

And so can you. Enjoy this simple and healthy recipe :)

Garlic Pita Chips


Ingredients

Pita Bread
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dried Rosemary
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°. Cut pita bread into wedges (you can determine the size you want - I usually cut them into 8 wedges). Lightly coat one side of each pita bread with the olive oil using a brush. Sprinkle with garlic powder, dried rosemary, and salt to taste. Arrange pita bread wedges in a single layer on baking tray. Bake at 425° for 6 minutes or until golden.

Eat with hummus, or a low-fat dip of your choice.

This recipe has been inspired by Martha Stewart (with some of modifications).

What's for Dinner?

We are all aware of the importance of a nutritious yet low-calorie diet, but it difficult to find interesting recipes that are both delicious and healthy. A high fat diet has been implicated in many diseases amongst them obesity, diabetes and cancer. But a fast-paced lifestyle also leaves many of us, working professionals, with little time to prepare wholesome home-cooked meals.

I know I get discouraged when I look at the multitude of recipes that call for hard-to-find ingredients and timely preparation methods. Ordering take-out on those nights when you return home from work dead tired can appear as an easy option - I have been guilty of it myself! Still, I know that ordering take-out each night is hardly the route to the healthy lifestyle I want. There is too much grease (you know they don't use that extra virgin olive oil), too much fat, too much salt out there.

Over the years, I took charge of my diet and began cooking almost every night (yes!) while continuing to lead the busy and full life that I have. It is not impossible to create delicious yet healthy meals on your own without having to slave over the stove.

In this blog, I will provide a list of easy-to-prepare, easy-to-follow instructions for delicious and healthy low-fat recipes as I prepare them for myself. The recipes I use will be inspired from around the world, with a stress on fresh ingredients you'd have readily available in your kitchen, flavor and color. If I do not attribute a source, then the recipe will be of my own creation.

Anyone who has more than a passing interest in improving his or her health through better nutrition will find this recipe blog useful.

Happy reading :)