Chicken Fajita Soup has all the fragrant aromas of a sizzling fajita but in a wholesome soup instead. Warm and comforting, this slow cooker recipe is extremely quick and easy to prepare. Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker and just simply let it do its job! At the end of the day, you will get a complete meal in a bowl! You can even add in more vegetables like celery, zuchinni or yellow squash, if preferred.
​
Kian and I have been on our Slow Carb Diet (derived from Tim Ferris's book "The 4-Hour Body) for almost 8 months now and we are still on it. This Chicken Fajita Soup recipe is perfect for our diet. It is low in carbohydrates, gluten free and I believe paleo and Whole30 friendly as well. Even Bella and Jamie enjoys this soup immensely.

Chicken Fajita Soup
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
2 lbs Chicken Breast (approx. 3 pieces of chicken breast)
40 oz Chicken Stock
1 14 oz can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 medium Orange Bell Pepper (diced)
1 medium Yellow Bell Pepper (diced)
1 medium Yellow Onion (diced)
3 medium Carrots (cut diagonally)
8 oz Mushrooms (sliced)
6 cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
1 portion Taco Seasoning (get recipe here)
Cilantro (chopped)

Cooking Method
1. Prepare taco seasoning as instructed here and set aside.
2. Place chicken breast at the bottom of the slow cooker pot. Then place petite diced tomatoes, diced orange & yellow bell peppers, onions, carrots, mushrooms and garlic on top of it.
3. Sprinkle taco seasoning all over and pour in chicken stock.
4. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
5. Once ready, remove cooked chicken breast and shred the meat using two forks. Place shredded chicken breast back into slow cooker and keep warm until ready to serve.
6. Top with chopped cilantro before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings 

Shredded Chicken Rice Noodles, more commonly known to Singaporeans as Shredded Chicken Hor Fun, is like a previous recipe I had shared before (Fried Rice Noodles with Egg Drop Sauce). This fuss-free recipe does not require any frying at all. All ingredients are boiled and blanched instead, making it a healthy well-balanced meal. It is so wholesome and satisfying. A perfect weeknight dinner option, especially since school has started or will be starting soon for most families.

Shredded Chicken Rice Noodles
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from The MeatMen Sg

Recipe
Ingredients
12 oz Rice Noodles
12 oz Chicken Breast
5 Stalks Choy Sum (Chinese Flowering Cabbage) or Spinach
1/4 cup Beansprouts
5 Dried Chinese Mushrooms
4 1/4 cup Chicken Stock
1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1/2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
3 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
1/3 oz Rock Sugar
2 tbsp Cornflour
3 tbsp water

Cooking Method
1. Rehydrate dried Chinese mushrooms by placing them in hot water, covered, until they are soft. Remove stems, slice them and set aside. Strain the liquid and set aside 1/4 cup of it for later use.
2. Bring 4 1/4 cups of chicken stock to a boil. Place chicken breast in boiling stock for 10 minutes. Turn of the heat after 10 minutes and allow chicken breast to cook in the residual heat. 
3. Remove chicken breast. Once cooled, shred it or cut them into long strips. Set aside.
4. Place 1/4 cup of the mushroom soaked water and sliced mushrooms into the pot of chicken stock. Season with 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 3 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil and 1/3 oz rock sugar. Bring it to a boil.
5. Mix 2 tbsp of cornflour with 3 tbsp of water. Pour mixture into chicken stock pot and simmer until the broth thickens.
6. Bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Use it to blanch the rice noodles and beansprouts. Drain and place onto serving dish.
7. Blanch choy sum and place on top of rice noodles in serving dish.
8. Pour sauce and mushrooms over and top with shredded chicken.

Serves 2

Goji and Pineapple Chocolate Bark is an easy and yet decadent sweet treat that features dark chocolate with an Asian flavor with interesting ingredients like Goji berries, otherwise known as Wolfberries.

Last month, Kian and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary and we managed to go on a short getaway without the kids. We spent the weekend at Travaasa Austin Resort, was embraced by nature and enjoyed a compelling menu of inclusive guided adventures, culinary classes, fitness and wellness workshops etc. One of the culinary classes we took was "Mastering Chocolate & the Mysteries of Cocoa" taught by Chef Marko Ellinger. One of the recipe was chocolate bark. It was so quick and easy to make but yet attractive enough for when you have guests or at parties and events. I was particularly pleased when Chef Marko suggested using Asian ingredients like Goji berries, sesame seeds and ginger.
​
This recipe features Goji berries, pineapples, dried cranberries and sesame seeds. But you can really add any toppings you like and make it your own!

Goji Berries and Pineapple Chocolate Bark
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, inspired by Chef Marko Ellinger at Travaasa Austin

Recipe
Ingredients
10 oz Dark Chocolate (I used Ghirardelli Dark Melting Wafers)
Goji Berries / Wolf Berries
Chopped Pineapples
Dried Sweetened Cranberries
Sesame Seeds
Vegetable Oil

Cooking Method
1. Line a 9 x 9 inch square baking tray with parchment paper. Coat it with some vegetable oil and set aside.
2. Place chocolate wafers in a stainless steel bowl over a double boiler (over a pot of hot water) on low heat. Stir constantly until it is smooth and melted. Do not allow water to boil.
3. Pour melted chocolate into the lined baking tray so that you have roughly 1/4 inch thickness.
4. Sprinkle goji berries, chopped pineapples, dried sweetened cranberries and sesame seeds (or any other toppings of your choice) on top of the chocolate.
5. Place in refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes until they solidify.
6. Once its ready, break them into pieces and serve immediately. May be kept in a ziploc bag or airtight container in the refrigerator for later use.

Lemongrass Jelly, a refreshing cold dessert that is also an excellent palate cleanser for your dinner parties. Simple and easy to make, this recipe has the bold flavors of ginger balanced with the subtle citrus flavors of lemongrass. Lemongrass is a frequent ingredient in Singaporean and Southeast Asian cooking. I've always enjoyed the essence and aroma of lemongrass - in teas, desserts, savory dishes (like curries) and even in essential oils and air fresheners. 
​
In this jelly recipe, it has a clean and crisp aroma with a distinct citrusy lemon flavor. Topped with the ginger syrup, it provides an overall purifying and refreshing effect. Hence, I reckon it would be a great palate cleanser in between or after meals.

Lemongrass Jelly
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from Daily Cooking Quest

Recipe
Jelly Ingredients
5 cups Water
3 stalks Lemongrass (white portions, cut into 2 inch sections and lightly pounded)
1/3 cup Sugar
1 packet Plain Agar Agar Powder (approx. 1/2 oz)
Lime 

Ginger Syrup Ingredients
3/4 cup Water
1/4 cup Palm Sugar (shaved)
1/4 cup Sugar
2 oz Ginger (skinned and lightly pounded)
2 pandan leaves (screwpine leaves) (rinsed and knotted)

Cooking Method
1. Prepare jelly first. In a pot, place lemongrass and sugar in 5 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes.
2. Remove the lemongrass, increase heat and add in agar agar powder. Stir until all agar agar powder has dissolved. Pour into molds and allow them to set in the refrigerator.
3. Prepare the ginger syrup next. In a small sauce pot, place shaved palm sugar, sugar, ginger and pandan leaves in 3/4 cup of water and bring it to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Strain and set aside.
4. To serve, remove jelly from mold and place on serving bowl or plate. Squeeze lime juice over jelly and drizzle some ginger syrup over. Garish with lime zest for more tangy flavors and colors.

Makes 4 servings (dessert portions)

Pandan Ice Cream is made with the fragrant and aromatic flavors of pandan leaves (aka screwpine leaves) and coconut milk. It is really easy to make and you do not require an ice-cream maker or machine. You'll also notice that this ingredient, pandan or screwpine, pops up regularly on my blog. This heavenly flavor is well loved by Singaporeans and a frequent ingredient in Singaporean cuisine and desserts. Some unique dishes that I have made using pandan, to name a few, are Pandan Cake, Kaya Coconut Jam and Hainanese Chicken Rice. 
​
​Last weekend, I made Pandan Ice cream for dessert at my Singapore National Day "makan" party at home. The familiar flavor of pandan brought back so much memories for my fellow Singaporean friends as well as international friends who have lived in Singapore. And it was perfect having it in the form of ice cream, especially during the Houston summer heat.

Pandan Ice Cream
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk (may use up to 3/4 cup if more sweetness is preferred)
1/2 tsp Pandan Extract
1/2 cup Coconut Milk

Cooking Method
1. Combine whipping cream and coconut milk in a mixing bowl. Whisk with an electric mixer until well combined.
2. Add in sweetened condensed milk and pandan extract. Whisk on high speed until a soft peak is form. The texture should be thick & creamy and coats the back of a spoon.
3. Transfer into a container and smooth out the top.
4. Freeze for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight.
5. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

"Old School" Fried Chicken Wings is a simple Asian crispy chicken wing recipe that has been around for a long time. It is even a staple item on the bistro menu of IKEA Singapore! These scrumptious crispy wings are also commonly sold in Singapore school cafeterias. And the cafeterias are called canteens or tuckshops back in Singapore. Hence, I also refer to these wings as Canteen or Tuckshop Chicken Wings. 
​
I made it for my Singapore National Day "makan" party last weekend and it was a huge hit! It is always great to get together with fellow Singaporeans, especially to celebrate Singapore's 52nd year of independence (SG52) and what makes us unique. We also had a wonderful multinational group of friends join us in our celebrations as well. And to give everyone a little taste of home, I made Nasi Lemak with dishes (recipes are on my blog) like Beef Rendang, Sayur Lodeh, Chicken Curry and these tasty "Old School" Fried Chicken Wings. We celebrated SG52 in true Singaporean style, with authentic Singaporean food! 

"Old School" Fried Chicken Wings
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from Spice n Pans

Recipe
Ingredients
5 lbs Chicken Wings
4 tbsp Oyster Sauce
4 tbsp Shao Xing Chinese Cooking Wine
1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
3 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Chicken Bouillon
1 tsp Salt
Dash of White Pepper Powder
8 tbsp Potato Starch (divided)
Oil (for deep frying)

Cooking Method
1. Clean the chicken wings and dry them with a paper towel.
2. In a large bowl, marinate the chicken wings with oyster sauce, Shao Xing Chinese cooking wine, dark & light soy sauce, chicken bouillon, salt, white pepper powder and 5 tbsp of potato starch. Mix well.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight.
4. Before frying, mix in remaining 3 tbsp of potato starch to the marinated chicken wings.
5. Heat oil to 375 degrees F. Fry the chicken wings for 5 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.

Gula Melaka Sago (Sago Pudding with Palm Sugar) is a typical Singaporean and/or Malaysian dessert using the three most prevalent ingredients in Southeast Asian cooking - gula melaka (palm sugar), coconut milk and pandan leaves (screwpine leaves).
​
This quick and easy dessert is simplicity at its best, with bland sago pearls drenched with creamy coconut milk and rich smokey palm sugar syrup. It quickly becomes a a wonderfully flavorful dessert that you won't want to stop eating once you've started digging in. An ultimate sinful dessert that will be so worth it!

Gula Melaka Sago
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
7 oz Tapioca Pearl Sago
9 cups Water (divided)
3/4 cup Coconut Milk
1/2 tsp Salt
1 packet Gula Melaka (palm sugar) (approx. 8.8 oz)
5 Pandan Leaves (screwpine leaves) (knotted)

Cooking Method
1. Bring 8 1/2 cups of water to boil in a pot. Save the remaining 1/2 cup of water for later.
2. Add in tapioca pearl sago into boiling water and stir often to prevent the pearls from sticking to each other. Let it cook until the sago pearls are translucent.
3. Drain the sago pearls and run it under cold water. Once cooled and drained, spoon the sago pearls into 4 bowls or molds. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to let it set.
4. Grate or chop gula melaka into fine pieces. Bring remaining 1/2 cup of water to boil in a small sauce pot. Add grated gula melaka and knotted pandan leaves. Stir and bring it to a boil. Allow it to thicken slightly, remove from heat and set aside.
5. In another small sauce pot, add coconut milk, salt and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Unmold chilled sago pearls into a serving glass or dish of your choice. Drizzle gula melaka syrup, coconut milk and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Scotch Eggs are a common British picnic food that consist of hard boiled eggs that is wrapped with sausage meat, breaded and deep fried or baked. 

Inspired by Gordan Ramsay's Scotch Eggs with a Twist recipe, I played around with the recipe and added Chinese Sausage, specifically "Yun Cheong" (pork and duck liver Chinese Sausage), for a slightly sweet and smokey savory flavor. In one of my previous post, "Low Carb Chinese Sausage and Chives Cloud Bread", I used and wrote a little about Chinese sausages. Chinese sausages (commonly known as "Lup Cheong" in Cantonese) is a pork meat sausage that is cured and has a slight sweet and savory flavor, with similar textures to salami. In this recipe, I used "Yun Cheong", a pork and duck liver Chinese sausage that has a close resemblance to boudin in terms of texture and color. I was also unable to find plain sausage mince so I went ahead with a mild Italian flavored one and did not season it. If you're using plain sausage mince, you could season it with salt, pepper and any herbs of your choice.
​
These little hand grenades was an absolute party in our mouths, with the egg yolks still soft and runny on in the inside. I scored two thumbs up from my family!

Scotch Eggs with an Asian Twist
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, inspired by Gordan Ramsay

Recipe
Ingredients
7 Eggs (1 beaten)
1 1/4 lbs Mild Italian Sausage Mince
1 cup Chinese Pork and Duck Liver Sausage (Yun Cheong) (finely diced)
1/4 cup Green Apple (shredded)
1 cup Plain Flour
1 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Oil

Cooking Method
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, gently lower 6 eggs into boiling water using a ladle to prevent the eggs from cracking.
2. Cook for 4 1/2 minutes. Drain hot water immediately and cool eggs with cold water.
3. Peel shells off eggs by cracking it slightly and placing it back in the water. Water should seep into the egg and allow you to peel off the shell quite easily. Set aside.
4. In a bowl, mix mild Italian sausage mince with finely diced Chinese pork and duck liver sausage and shredded green apple. Mix well.
5. Prepare an assembly line of plain flour, 1 beaten egg and Panko bread crumbs that is seasoned with salt and pepper.
6. Divide the sausage mince mix into 6 portions and carefully wrap each hard boiled egg with it. Make sure it is not too thick of a coat as that would make it too dense.
7. Next, dredge each meat wrapped egg with the plain flour, then egg wash and finally coating it with the seasoned Panko bread crumbs. Press down the bread crumbs gently into the meat wrap to prevent the crumbs from falling off and burning while frying.
8. Heat a pot of vegetable oil, about 4 inches deep. Fry the meat wrapped eggs for about 8 minutes on medium heat until they are golden brown.
9. The meat should be cooked and the egg yolks still soft and runny.

Makes 6 servings.

Milo Mousse is a dessert that I created using Milo, a chocolate and malt powder that is mixed in with hot water or milk to produce a beverage that is popular in Singapore. Originating from Australia, it is produced by Nestle and marketed & sold in many countries. Most commonly sold as a powder in its iconic green tin, Milo is also available as a premixed drink, a snack bar, ice cream and breakfast cereal in Singapore. It is readily available in most Asian supermarkets here in the US.

In Singapore, a popular way of consuming the drink Milo is by adding ice to it. It is known as Milo Ice (alternatively, Milo "Peng" in Hokkien). Iced Milo is even available at fast food restaurants such as McDonald's. And I do have friends and family who claim that McDonald's in Singapore has the best Iced Milo. It is also commonly served  locally in kopitiams and prata shops in various versions such as "Milo Dinosaur" (a cup of Milo drink with an additional spoonful of undissolved Milo powder added on top of it), "Milo Godzilla" (a cup of Milo drink with vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream on top) and "Neslo" (Milo drink mixed with Nescafé instant coffee). Really cute names, huh!?
​
Milo is so versatile that I thought it would taste great as a mousse.  And it sure did. The flavors brought back so much memories of my childhood in Singapore. I added some cocoa krispies to give it some texture and Bella & Jamie enjoyed their dessert immensely! So much so that they wanted to lick the glasses.

Milo Mousse
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/8 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
3/4 cup Milo (chocolate malt powder)
2 cups Cocoa Krispies

Cooking Method
1. In a large bowl, add sugar to heavy whipping cream. Whisk (I used an electric mixer) until a firm peak is formed.
2. Mix Milo powder with sweetened condensed milk together until a smooth paste is formed.
3. Add Milo condensed milk mixture to the whipped cream and fold in gently, mixing well.
4. Transfer mousse into a piping bag and pipe mousse into martini glasses or any glass or cup of your choice. Layer or top with cocoa krispies.
5. If refrigerating before serving, layer or top with cocoa krispies just before serving to prevent krispies from softening.

Makes 4 servings