My first savoury recipe: Jajang Tteokbokki! (or  자장 떡볶이 for those that can read Korean ^ ^ /)

Inspired by Aeri's Kitchen and using the remaining vegetables in the fridge, I was able to whip this up in less than an hour. =D

Ingredients
- 1.5 cups of brown rice ddeokbokki (Korean rice cakes) *
- 4 - 4.5 tbsp jajang sauce
- 1.5 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 stalk long green onion, chopped
- 1 package (200g) frozen scallops, defrosted *
- 1 cup frozen vegetables, defrosted (opt.)
- 4 medium carrots, diced
- 3 cups of broccoli, cut into florets and separated from stalk pieces
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 5-6 cups water

Directions:
1) Steam carrots and broccoli until slightly cooked. They should have changed colour slightly but not become so soft that they can easily be pierced.
2) Mix jajang sauce with 2 cups of water. Combine well.
3) Heat one tbsp of vegetable/canola oil in a pot on medium-high. Combine green onion and garlic, and pan fry until fragrant (about 3 mins). Be careful not to burn the garlic.
4) Add in ddeokbokki, vegetables, scallops and diluted jajang sauce. Slowly stir in 2 cups of water.
5) Mix cornstarch with remaining water and pour into jajang broth.
6) Distribute sauce evenly among vegetables and ddeokbokki.
7) Cook until vegetables are soft and ddeokbokki is still semi-firm.
8) Remove from heat immediately and cover until ready to serve.

Makes 25 servings.

Notes
- To make this recipe to be vegan/vegetarian, omit the scallops. 
- To lower the number of carbs, substitute ddeokbokki with "cauliflower rice".

Nutrition:
(Per serving)

Calories: 47.6
Fat:  0.6 g
     Saturated: 0.0 g
Cholestrol: 2.6 mg
Sodium:  64.8 mg
Potassium: 66.6 mg
Carbohydrates: 8.3 g
     Fibre:  0.7 g
     Sugars:  1.0 g
Protein:  2.4 g
-----------------------------------
Vitamin A: 46.5%
Vitamin C: 18.4 %

This is some crazy stuff. Are you ready for it?

*DRUMROLLLLLLLL*

Salted Mocha Bread Pudding for Coconut Lovers!

A truly indulgent and satisfying dessert, this new take on classic (and might i add: overly sweet) bread pudding) is a combination of cold bagels and apples submerged in a salted mocha coconut milk custard sauce and topped with a sprinkle of perfectly toasted coconut flakes. Mmmmmmmmm~

If that doesn't already sound crazy awesome by now, then I'm sure a visual presentation of the specimen will persuade you of its delectableness.

Ingredients
< Salted Mocha Custard Sauce >
- 1 can coconut milk (14 oz.)
- 6 tbsp sweetened condensed milk *

- 1.5  tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp coffee granules
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1.5 - 2 cups water

< Bread Pudding >
- 1 3/4 cold bagels, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 small apples, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces (I used Red Gala apples)
- 3-4 cups water
- 2 tbsp sweetened flaked coconut
- 4 tbsp psyllium husk (opt.)

Directions:
1) Combine all ingredients for the custard sauce except for the coffee granules.
2) Dissolve coffee granules in hot water and add to the mixture.
3) Combine well. Add water to thin out the mixture. Mix well once again.
4) Allow to set in the fridge overnight.
5) Once set, it should become a pudding-like consistency. (At this point you can choose to set some
aside as a fruit dip, which I did! I used 3/4 of the mixture for making the custard sauce.)
6) Preheat the over to 375 F.
7) Combine bagel chunks and apple pieces a shallow dish.
8) Mix 3 tbsp of the custard with 1.5 - 2 cups of water and 2 tbsp of psyllium husk (if using).
9) Pour evenly over bagel and apple pieces. Repeat until all the custard has been used up.
10) Bake for 17 - 20 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature.
11) Enjoy it served warm or chilled!

Makes 10 servings.

Notes
To make this recipe to be vegan:
- Switch up the sweetened condensed milk for maple syrup or agave.
- I used Country Harvest's Oat & Honey bagels for this recipe as that was the only type of stale bread left
in our house. But feel free to use whatever type of bread you prefer - you may also want to substitute cornbread
for improved texture.

Nutrition:
(Per serving)

Calories: 175.0
Fat:  7.8 g
     Saturated: 5.3 g
Cholestrol: 3.0 mg
Sodium:  399.2 mg
Potassium: 70.5 mg
Carbohydrates: 21.7 g
     Fibre:  5.9 g
     Sugars:  13.0 g
Protein:  3.4 g
-----------------------------------
Calcium: 5.3 %
Iron: 8.2 %
Zinc: 3.5 %

Halloween spirit is in the air! First it was the spiced apple crisps and hearty turkey dishes for Thanksgiving (which, by the way, I spent at my desk accompanied by my trusty textbook and lecture notes instead of enjoying the gorgeous fall weather - extremely self-explanatory why I'm still griping about midterms), and now it's the chocolate phase!

Desperately trying to find something healthier and more filling to indulge in besides Halloween-themed Smarties ("Scaries") and chocolate chip oatmeal raisin cookies, I decided to mix together some good ol' pure pumpkin with some chocolate.

The result? Totally yummy chocolate pumpkin pudding cake minis that are low in cholestrol and rich in Vitamin A! ＾▽＾/

Ingredients
< Crust >
- 1 1/2 cup oats
- 3 tbsp margarine
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar *
- 1 tsp pure pumpkin pumpkin

< Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse/Pudding >
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar *
- 5 tbsp pure pumpking puree
- 1 cup water (add more/less if necessary)
- 1 tbsp half & half cream *
- 1 square Baker's unsweetened chocolate *
- 2 tsp potato starch

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 F.
2) Place all crust ingredients into a large bowl. Combine well. 
3) Press into silicon baking cups and bake for 12-14 minutes or until top is slightly browned. Let stand for at least 10 minutes or until the cups are cool enough to work with. While the crust is cooling, make the chocolate pumpkin mousse/pudding filling.
4) Add cream to chocolate and melt in the microwave. Required time may vary depending on your microwave manufacturer, wattage, etc. (I have a 1200 W Panasonic and melted the chocolate in two 20-second sessions, stirring and adding a little bit of water after each addition.
5) Once the chocolate has completely melted, fold in sugar and pumpkin puree. Add water, or more cream, to thin out the mixture accordingly.
6) Combine potato starch with 2-3 tbsp water and add to the mixture. Mix well.
7) Checking that the crusts have cooled completely, spoon the filling into each silicon cup.
8) Refrigerate until the cakes can be easily removed from the silicon cups (about 4-5 hours).
9) Enjoy!

Makes 11 mini-cakes.

Notes
To make this recipe to be vegan:
- Switch up the powdered sugar for raw honey or raw cane sugar
- Confirm that the baking chocolate you are using is vegan before proceeding
- Substitute the cream used during the chocolate-melting process with soy or almond milk

Nutrition:
(For each mini-cake)

Calories: 103.4
Fat:  3.5 g
     Saturated: 1.2 g
Cholestrol: 0.5 mg
Sodium:  9.9 mg
Potassium: 23.3 mg
Carbohydrates: 17.8 g
     Fibre:  2.0 g
     Sugars:  8.7 g
Protein:  1.9 g
-----------------------------------
Vitamin A: 30.0 %