Coconut quinoa with salty broiled sardines

A four-ingredient, pantry-only, nasi lemak-inspired recipe with a great texture and flavour balance. One tin of sardines, one can of light coconut milk, 3/4 cup of quinoa, handful of toasted silvered almonds (or other chopped nuts) will make about 2.5 servings.

1. In a dry pan, toast the nuts until golden brown, then set aside.
2. Next, toast the (pre-rinsed) quinoa until golden and nutty-smelling.
3. Add a can of light coconut milk to the quinoa, let the mixture come to a boil, and then turn the heat down to low/medium to simmer. Season with minced/powdered/pressed garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cover and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa has puffed, about 25-30 mins.
4. When the quinoa is almost done, open a tin of (skin on, bone in) sardines in water and drain well. Split the fillets in half and set down on a baking tray that has been lightly misted with cooking spray. If the sardines are unsalted, season generously. Broil for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the sardines are crisp and nicely browned.
5. Crumble the sardines into the quinoa, add the nuts, and mix well before serving. Optional: top with dried herbs (parsley or cilantro should work well) or with plumped sultanas.

Incredibly moist, absurdly simple flourless banana mug cake

Microwaveable mug cakes have gotten quite fancy these days, which rather goes against the spirit of the microwaveable mug cake IMHO. I am especially saddened by the recipes that require flour, which seems to me to be a messy and high-commitment ingredient that nobody owns these days unless they are fairly serious about baking. This is a nice, no-fuss “recipe” that you can make with literally one fork, one mug, one banana, one egg yolk, and some peanut butter.

1. To your mug, add a forkful of peanut butter and chunks from a ripe medium-sized banana. Mash well with said fork until until no lumps remain.
2. Add the yolk of one large egg, and honey/sugar if desired. Combine well. You can also throw in chopped nuts or instant oatmeal for more texture.
3. Microwave for ~1min or until cake is done. Dust with cinnamon. Serve immediately.