Seafood Pesto Spaghetti

I was left with some cilantro pesto and I was trying to think of a different way to use it instead of making my usual pesto pasta. After much thought, I still couldn't come out with a better way to use it except to pan-fry some chicken breast cutlets and spread the pesto on top before serving. If I prepare it this way, then I would have to prepare at least two sides to go with my pesto chicken cutlets and make it an American dinner. Mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus sounded like a great side dishes. BUT, more work for me! So, ended out making this seafood spaghetti instead. All in one as my hubby preferred this better than the other version. Yeah, it's boring but he loved it! By the way, mine sharing what other way you used your pesto?



I added the juice from pan-frying the scallops and shrimps when mixing the spaghetti. You can also sprinkled a little crushed red pepper flakes before serving. Mmm...mmm... look at the bouncy shrimps and juicy sea scallops, who wouldn't want a bite?

My picky eater Evy who refused to try the chicken version was tempted to take a bite and hooked. She said, "Mmmm...hen hao zhi" and asked me to serve her a plate and cleaned the plate! :o)

Method:
Heat a saute pan with some olive oil. Fry the shrimps and sea scallops until cooked. Dish out and set aside. Heat the pan with more olive oil, stir-fry the broccoli and carrot until soften, add in the cooked spaghetti/pasta, shrimps and sea scallops, cilantro pesto and mix and blend well together, turn off the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.



This is my first time submitting my pasta entry to Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Once Upon a Feast. Do visit there to feast your eyes on the variety and interesting pastas that bloggers whipped up.

Steamed Banana Cupcakes

I have two bananas in the freezer waiting for me to use it and then I came across this recipe while browsing through tastespotting.com. Hers looked really good, so soft and fluffy that I just need to give this a try. What can I say, this steamed banana cupcake is truly delicious! It's just like what she said, sooooooo good!



I added 1/4 tsp. banana essence into mine as American banana is not as fragrant as the one sold in Malaysia. We finished the rest of the banana cupcakes the next day and they were still soft and fluffy. Really good and you all should try it.

Cilantro Pesto Spaghetti

Clear my fridge time! I need to clear my cilantro which I bought two weeks ago. The best way I know how is to make pesto out of it. I have been making cilantro pesto instead of basil pesto for years. Reason is very simple, I always buy cilantro and hardly ever buy basil. My cilantro pesto consisted of cilantro, garlic, walnut, olive oil and season to taste with salt, black pepper and sugar. We love it!

I stir-fried some sliced fresh button mushroom in olive oil until soften. Added carrots and the leftover chicken breast meats from KFC and stir in the spaghetti and toasted well with my pesto and dinner was ready.

Miso Sesame Seeds Baked Fish

I love quick and easy to prepare dish. Anything to cut down my preparation and cooking time is my best friend. And once I learned that I could use my oven to bake or steam fish, it was like striking gold to me. Because finally I found the healthier, quick and easy alternative.

I love to experiment with different toppings for my bake fish. After I read from Daphne and EMWK blogs that they used Miso in their baked fish, I was really interested to try it out (still waiting for them to post their version though! ;o)). My first attempt was a failure because I underestimated how salty Miso paste was and we ended out scraping all the Miso paste away before we ate the fish. The above picture was my successful second attempt. :o) Here sharing with you my recipe so that you won't make the same mistake I made earlier, especially for those who never try it before.

Gula Melaka Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert literary means "cooked cream". The mixture of milk, cream, sugar and gelatin made this dessert. V at EMWK first introduced me to this dessert and I totally loved it. She made her blueberries version. YUM!

When I saw this recipe posted by Yani, I just had to try it. I love Gula Melaka (palm sugar from Malaysia) and I could really taste how incredible this dessert will be in my mind. So, with the leftover heavy cream that I had, I started to make this easy dessert.

This is really divine but I found it to be on the creamy side. So, I would add 1 cup of milk as opposed to 1/2 cup of milk as she suggested next time. I put mine in the refrigerator to set (about 3 hours) instead of in the freezer for one hour. Sinful and delicious! My hubby and both my girls loved it too!

Asparagus Cooked in Two Ways

I think it's Asparagus Season here as it's on sales right and left at the grocery stores. So, I grabbed some. I always bought vegetable and fruit that were on sales for that week. And each week I would have something different. I prepared some marinated chicken breast slices, some carrots and chopped garlic and I was ready to cook dinner.


Cooked in spicy black bean sauce. This is for the parents of course.


Cooked in oyster sauce and added an egg. This is for the kids. Didn't plan to add an egg but I added too much oil, so why not? And it turned out so delicious and went so well with everything. So, sharing the recipe here with you.

Ingredient:

Asparagus, half bundle, about 2 cups, cut like the above
Sliced 1/2 chicken breast (marinated with soy sauce, sweet soy sauce & cornstarch)
1 small carrot, sliced
1 large egg
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Canola oil
Oyster sauce, about 2 Tbsp.

Method:

1. Heat wok with oil. When hot, add in the garlic, fry til slightly golden, add chicken slices. Stir-fry til the chicken is cooked. Add asparagus and carrot. Fry til the asparagus is almost cooked.

2. Season with oyster sauce, mix well. Break in an egg, break the yolk and spread around the veggie. Fry til the egg is cooked. Serve hot.