It's a long weekend in Canada so I did my cooking today (Monday). I have to run, so I'll keep this post short. Today's was ~2 hrs session again; make sue to use skin-on chicken thighs if you're making the gochujang coconut chicken; I used skinless and was smoking spices all morning in my condo and I'm coughing now lol

• Gochujang coconut chicken thighs
• Harissa chicken and halloumi skewer tray bake >> I didn't have any skewers so it's just baked separately and mixed into the dish
• Hainanese Chicken & Rice >> 2nd time making this. aboslutely amazing
• Ferrero Rocher cottage cheese cheesecake >> 2nd time making this too; delish
• Chia rose herbal tea >> easy way to get some fiber

Gochujang coconut chicken thighs

Makes 4 servings

816 kcal · 66g protein · 22g carbs · 55g fat per serving

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🛒 Ingredients

• 6 whole kaffir lime leaves, torn
• 8 whole (~1192g) chicken thighs, deboned, skin on
• 2 tbsp (~15g) gochugaru
• 2 tbsp (~14g) paprika
• 800 ml (~764g) coconut milk, 1 tin, full fat
• 2 tbsp (~11g) cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp (~36g) gochujang, adjust to taste
• 2 whole (~20g) shallot, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp (~19g) garlic powder
• 2 tbsp (~32g) tomato paste
• 4 clove (~12g) garlic, crushed </aside>

Instructions

1. Combine the paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, and gochugaru. Pat the chicken thighs dry and coat them thoroughly on all sides with the spice mix.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with minimal oil. Place the chicken thighs skin-side down and cook for 6 to 7 minutes — the skin will render its own fat. Flip and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until cooked through. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pan (with the chicken fat left in it), add the sliced shallot and crushed garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the gochujang and tomato paste to the pan, mixing well to coat the aromatics. Pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine. Add the torn kaffir lime leaves. Let the sauce simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to reduce and intensify in flavour.
5. Return the seared chicken thighs to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. Let them simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to soak up the flavour and warm through.

Chia rosé herbal tea

Makes 4 servings

24 kcal · 1g protein · 4g carbs · 1g fat per serving

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🛒 Ingredients

• 5 tsp (~22g) lemon balm, dried
• 2 tsp (~5g) rose hips, dried
• 0.5 whole (~34g) lime juice, juice of half a lime
• 1 tbsp (~2g) dried rose petals
• 0.5 tsp (~2g) hibiscus, dried
• 0.5 tsp (~4g) honey
• 250 ml (~250g) water, room temperature, for chia
• 1 tbsp (~12g) white chia seeds
• 750 ml (~751g) water, 190°F for steeping </aside>

Instructions

1. Add the white chia seeds to 250 ml of room-temperature water and whisk vigorously to disperse them. Cover and let sit, stirring once after 10 minutes and again after 30 minutes to prevent clumping.
2. Combine the lemon balm, hibiscus, rose hips, and dried rose petals in a vessel. Pour 750 ml of water heated to 190°F over the herbs and steep for 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Strain the steeped tea through a fine mesh strainer into a 1-liter bottle. Add the honey, lime juice, and the chia water mixture. Stir well to combine.

Ferrero Rocher cottage cheese cheesecake

Makes 4 servings

315 kcal · 12g protein · 37g carbs · 14g fat per serving

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🛒 Ingredients

• 1 tbsp (~7g) extra hazelnuts, chopped, for topping, optional
• 50g roasted hazelnuts
• 50g cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp (~5g) cacao powder, for topping
• 150g low fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp (~15g) water, for chocolate sauce
• 150g cottage cheese
• 0.5 tsp (~2g) vanilla essence
• 1 tbsp (~12g) cornstarch
• 1 whole (~44g) egg
• 80 ml (~107g) sugar-free maple syrup </aside>

Instructions

1. Add the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, egg, sugar-free maple syrup, vanilla essence, cocoa powder, and cornstarch into a blender. Blitz until completely smooth with no lumps.
2. Line a glass baking dish (approximately 630ml capacity) with parchment or foil. Pour the blended batter in. Scatter the roasted hazelnuts over the top and gently press them in. Cover the dish with foil.
3. Place the covered baking dish in the air fryer. Air-fry at 160°C (320°F) for 30 minutes until set around the edges with a slight wobble in the centre.
4. In a small bowl, combine the cacao powder with water, adding the water 1 teaspoon at a time and stirring until you have a smooth, drizzleable chocolate sauce. Once the cheesecake has come out of the air fryer, drizzle the sauce over the top and scatter the extra chopped hazelnuts.

Hainanese Chicken and Rice

Makes 4 servings

973 kcal · 57g protein · 105g carbs · 36g fat per serving

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🛒 Ingredients

• 900g chicken thighs
• 0.5 tsp (~3g) salt, for chicken
• 4 tbsp (~78g) sriracha
• 600g chicken broth, for rice
• 2 whole (~30g) green onion, for ginger scallion sauce, finely sliced
• 2 (~30g) green onion, to taste, for serving
• 2 tsp (~4g) chicken bouillon powder
• 20g ginger, for ginger scallion sauce, finely minced
• 12 clove (~36g) garlic, for chili garlic sauce, minced
• 4 tsp (~17g) sugar
• 6 tbsp (~81g) neutral oil, for ginger scallion sauce
• 2 tsp (~9g) sesame oil, for chicken
• 2 (~1g) salt, to taste, for ginger scallion sauce
• 20g ginger, for rice, roughly sliced
• 1 tsp (~3g) turmeric powder
• 4 tbsp (~60g) sambal oelek
• 20g ginger, for chili garlic sauce, minced
• 12 clove (~36g) garlic, for rice
• 4 whole (~60g) green onion, for rice
• 200g cucumber, sliced, for serving
• 400g jasmine rice, uncooked
• 4 tbsp (~62g) chicken broth, for chili garlic sauce
• 2 (~160g) cilantro, to taste, for serving
• 2 tsp (~9g) sesame oil, for ginger scallion sauce
• 2 tbsp (~30g) lime juice </aside>

Instructions

1. Place the chicken thighs in a mixing bowl. Drizzle over the sesame oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat evenly and set aside.
2. Add the jasmine rice, garlic, ginger, green onions, chicken broth, chicken bouillon powder, and turmeric powder into a large pot. Stir briefly to combine, then place the seasoned chicken thighs on top of the rice.
3. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked through.
4. Add the finely minced ginger, sliced green onion, and a pinch of salt into a heatproof bowl. In a small pan, heat the sesame oil and neutral oil together over medium-high heat until shimmering or just beginning to smoke — watch it closely to avoid overheating. Carefully pour the hot oil directly over the ginger and scallion mixture and stir to combine.
5. Add the minced garlic, minced ginger, sambal oelek, sriracha, chicken broth, lime juice, and sugar into a bowl. Stir well until the sugar dissolves and everything is combined.
6. Once the 20 minutes are up, lift the chicken thighs out of the pot and set aside. Cover the pot again and let the rice rest for another 10 minutes. Scoop the rice into bowls or meal-prep containers, top with the chicken, and arrange the cucumber slices, cilantro, and green onion alongside.

Harissa chicken and halloumi skewer tray bake

Makes 4 servings

554 kcal · 40g protein · 66g carbs · 15g fat per serving

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🛒 Ingredients

• 3 tbsp rose harissa paste, divided: 1.5 tbsp for rice base, 1.5 tbsp for skewers
• 200g chickpeas, drained
• 1 (~0g) salt, to taste
• 1 tsp (~3g) garlic granules
• 400g chicken breast, diced
• 500 ml (~526g) chicken stock
• 100g cherry tomatoes
• 150g halloumi, cut into cubes
• 180g basmati rice, rinsed
• 1 tsp (~2g) smoked paprika
• 200g frozen peas
• 1 (~0g) black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp (~21g) honey
• 1 whole (~119g) red pepper, large, cut into chunks </aside>

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan / 390°F). Allow about 10–12 minutes for it to come to temperature.
2. In a large baking dish or roasting tray, combine the rinsed basmati rice, drained chickpeas, frozen peas, and chicken stock. Add 1½ tbsp of the rose harissa, the garlic granules, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Stir well until everything is evenly combined.
3. In a large bowl, combine the diced chicken, halloumi cubes, red pepper chunks, and cherry tomatoes. Add the remaining 1½ tbsp rose harissa and the honey. Mix well until everything is evenly coated.
4. Thread the coated chicken, halloumi, red pepper chunks, and cherry tomatoes alternately onto skewers. Lay the finished skewers across the top of the rice-filled baking tray.
5. Cover the tray with a sheet of baking parchment, then tightly cover with aluminium foil. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes.
6. Remove the foil and baking parchment from the tray. Return the tray to the oven and bake for a further 5–10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the skewers are lightly golden.