Happy New Year loves! For the year 2020, I would like to improve the wellbeing of my family and myself thus the Beko Healthy Cooking Workshop came in handy for me to learn how to create healthy dishes easily in no time!

I know many of us who are working mothers don't spend a lot of time cooking at home because prep time is a pain but with the right appliances and cooking tool it will turn this difficult task into an easy one. 

Pre-packed food isn't ideal long term due to all of the preservatives, additional salt, and added sugars, and it’s particularly bad with things like salad dressings, pasta sauce, and soup hence home cook meals are the best way when it comes down to healthy eating.

During the Beko Healthy Cooking Workshop, we learned two easy recipes - Blueberry Yoghurt Scones & Cottage Pie that'll be easily loved by the entire family and it's really easy to prepare especially when I had the handy home appliances from Beko.

Blueberry Yogurt Scones

Ingredients:

✔50 gm all-purpose flour

✔50 gm oatmeal flour

✔150 gm whole wheat flour

✔50 gm honey/maple syrup

✔5 gm baking powder

✔5 gm baking soda

✔1 tbsp vanilla extract

✔A pinch of salt

✔5 tbsp plain yogurt

✔2 tbsp coconut oil

✔1 egg

✔80 gm blueberries (fresh/frozen)

✔Zest of an orange

✔A pinch of cinnamon powder

Directions:

#1 Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius

#2 In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt

#3 In a separate bowl, add yogurt, vanilla, coconut oil, maple syrup, and egg whites. Mix until well combined. The pour into the bowl with dry ingredients and stir until just moist. The mixture should be crumbly.

#4 Gently fold in blueberries

#5 Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead. Form dough into a 6-inch circle into 6 wedges.

#6 Brush the top of the circle with coconut oil and honey and sprinkle some cinnamon powder on top.

#7 Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown

Cottage Pie

Ingredients:

✔1kg beef, minced

✔2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

✔10 gm leek

✔1 red onion diced

✔2 sticks celery diced

✔2 cloves garlic diced

✔1 tbsp tomato puree

✔6 sun-dried tomatoes chopped

✔500 ml beef or chicken stock

✔4 sprigs thyme

✔3 bay leaves

✔Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

#1 In a non-stick pan, add beef and fry for about 5 minutes until brown. Set aside.

#2 In another pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook on low to medium heat until soft for about 4 minutes

#3 Add the leek and fry for 2 minutes

#4 Return the beef to the pan and add garlic, tomato puree, sun-dried tomatoes, and pepper. Fry for 3 minutes.

#5 Add the herbs and stock into the pan and allow to simmer on medium heat, uncovered for 25 minutes.

#6 Then turn to low heat and simmer for further 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

#7 Once cooked, remove the bay leaves and thyme stalks.

#8 In a large pot over medium heat, boil potatoes, cauliflower and celeriac for 10-20 minutes, season with salt and pepper.

#9 Drain the vegetables and blend in a food processor until smooth. Then, slowly add milk until desired consistency achieved.

#10 Spread the beef and vegetables into a casserole dish and top with mash.

#11 Level the mash with a spatula and brush some olive oil on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degree Celsius or 25 minutes

Thank you Beko Malaysia for organizing such a meaningful workshop for us, it was great learning new alternatives to try in my household, it has opened my awareness and allowed me to experiment more with healthy dishes.