Oat and cranberry cookies

Ingredients (makes 24):
125g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g brown sugar
4 tbsp instant oats
100g cold butter, cut into small pieces
50g cranberry, soaked in hot water

Method:
1. Sift flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add sugar and oats, and mix well.
2. Add butter and rub in the mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles rough bread crumbs. Add cranberries, then form a dough with the mixture. The dough should not be too sticky or soft. If it is too dry, add a few drops of cold water.
3. To make the cookies, roll the dough into small balls and place them about 3cm apart on a greased baking tray. The cookies will spread and become flat when baked.
4. Place tray in pre-heated oven at 200 deg C for about 25 minutes until they turn golden brown.
5. Remove from oven and place the cookies on a wire rack to cool before serving.

Tips:
1. These cookies are the crispy version. If you want them to be even crispier, try substituting brown sugar with white sugar.
2. If you prefer your cookies to hold their shape instead of spreading out, refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours before baking.
3. Store the cookies in air-tight container. They can be kept for about 3 to 4 weeks.

Recipe source: Today newspaper

Seafood casserole

Perfect dish for Christmas.

Ingredients (serves 2 to 3):
200g Prantalay Seafood Mix (from NTUC, to thaw, follow instructions on the packet)
125g parmesan or cheddar cheese, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
500ml milk
4 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a pan. Fry onions until lightly browned. Add celery and carrots and fry for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add seafood mix and fry for 2 minutes. Set aside.
2. Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix in the flour and butter with a whisk until well blended. Gradually blend the cheese into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place celery, carrots and seafood into a medium baking dish. Spoon the cheese sauce into the dish and toss with the rest of the seafood mixture. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over.
4. Without covering the dish, bake it in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or grill under medium heat until the surface is brown. Serve hot with bread.

Recipe source: Today newspaper

Cheesy vegetable pie

An eggless recipe.

Ingredients (makes 12.5cm pie):
Filling:
60g butter
40g plain flour
500ml milk
800g mixed vegetables, diced and steamed
180g frozen peas
100g grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

Pie crust:
300g plain flour
1.5 tsp ground cumin (阿拉伯茴香)
1/2 tsp ground chilli
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
160g butter
Enough cold water to knead dough

Method:
Filling:
1. Heat butter. Add flour. Stir over heat until bubbling. Remove from heat and add the milk gradually.
2. Return to heat and boil until the mixture thickens. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Pie crust:
1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl. Rub in butter till mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add enough water to make the ingredients cling together.
2. Wrap pastry in cling wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Divide dough into portions. Roll out 1 portion on floured surface to fit the greased pie dish. Prick all over with a fork and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. Spoon in the prepared filling. Roll out the remaining pastry to cover the pie dish. Trim and seal the edges. Bake until golden brown.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine

Finger buns

An eggless recipe.

Ingredients (makes 14 to 16):
600g plain flour
4 tsp instant yeast
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp vanilla essence
100g sultanas or raisins
80g mixed peel
50g shredded coconut or mixed nuts
400ml milk or water
80g butter
50ml extra milk, for glazing
Icing sugar for dusting

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200 deg C. Put all ingredients, except the extra milk and icing sugar into a mixing bowl.
2. Mix and knead to form a smooth pliable dough. Cover bowl and leave aside for about 45 minutes, or until dough doubles in size. Knead dough for about 5 minutes. Divide into 14 to 16 portions. Roll and shape each portion into a 12cm long piece.
3. Place the buns on prepared baking trays, leaving space for the dough to rise. Leave aside for 10 minutes or until the dough has risen. Bake buns in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Brush with milk immediately and leave to cool on wire rack. Sprinkle with icing sugar when cool.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine

Strawberry tart

An eggless recipe.

Ingredients (26cm flan tin):
250g butter
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
125g caster sugar
60g rice flour
140g self-raising flour
190g plain flour
250g strawberries, halved
125g strawberry jam

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Beat butter, lemond rind and juice and sugar until creamy. Sift rice, self-raising and plain flours together. Stir into lemon mixture in 2 batches.
2. Press together gently and knead lightly until smooth. Press evenly into greased tin.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in the tin. Turn the shortcake onto a serving plate. Arrange strawberries. Warm jam in a pan, strain and brush over strawberries.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine

Cheesy corn cakes

Ingredients (makes 12):
175g plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
125ml fresh milk
200g sweet corn kernel
5 slices of cheese, cut into small pieces
2 tsp canola oil
2 tbsp chopped spring onion (optional)

Method:
1. In a mixing bowl, add eggs and milk to flour. Mix well until smooth.
2. Stir in corn, cheese and spring onions.
3. Heat half the oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add 6 spoonfuls of the mixture in 6 dollops to the pan. Flatten each out slightly with the back of a spoon, keeping them separate. Cook over medium heat until golden brown (about 1 1/2 minutes each side).
4. Remove from the pan and repeat the same process with the rest of the mixture.

Tips:
Goes well with tomato ketchup.

Recipe source: Today newspaper

Low-fat chicken and mushroom pie

Ingredients (serves 4):
Filling:
340g chicken breast, without skin
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
115g white button mushroom
115g white Japanese mushroon (optional)
55g green peas
1 tbsp chopped pasley (香芹)
1 tbsp plain flour
15g butter
300ml skimmed milk

Pie crust:
185g self-raising flour
20g butter
80ml skimmed milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method:
Filling:
1. Melt butter in a pot and put in 1 tablespoon of plain flour. Mix well. Add milk bit by bit, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth.
2. Put in chicken breast, mushrooms, onion, carrot, green peas and parsley and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a deep baking dish.

Pie crust:
1. In a large mixing bowl, rub butter into self-raising flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add milk bit by bit until it forms a soft dough.
2. Roll out to fit the top of the baking dish, seal edges, and brush on beaten egg. Set oven to 180 deg C with upper/lower function.
3. Bake on lower shelf for 30 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Recipe source: Today newspaper

Chocolate chips and walnut cookies

Ingredients (makes 18):
110g unsalted butter, softened
70g soft brown sugar
70g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
140g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
120g chopped walnut
180g chocolate chips

Method:
1. Beat butter with both types of sugar in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add egg and beat until smooth. Then add vanilla essence and mix thoroughly.
2. Add flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda to the mixture, a little at a time, and stir everything together well.
3. Stir in chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.
4. Spoon small mounds of cookie mixture onto greased baking trays, leaving wide spaces between the mounds.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 deg C for 10-12 minutes, until they are evenly brown.
6. Remove cookies with a palette knife and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine