My little girl turned 3 today. She loves Totoro and fresh strawberries, so I got her a Totoro strawberry shortcake.

In Honor of Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham

Now that my eldest daughter is 3, she is showing more interest in reading. And I love it! I thought it would be a fun idea to create a Green Eggs and Ham breakfast theme.

I combined 3 hard boiled egg yolks, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon pureed spinach, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, pinch of salt and pepper, and a teaspoon of agave nectar. I then placed the mixture in the egg white cavities. For the ham, I cut them into small oval shapes and placed some pureed spinach on top.

Pie and Poi

What do you get when American pie meets a local Hawaiian staple?

 Pie and Poi!

That's what I created. It's a delicious mix of classic southern pie and local Hawaiian poi. Yup... there is poi inside this pie. It's also kid approved.


Pie and Poi Recipe:

• 4 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 3/4 cup Poi (smashed taro paste)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• unbaked pie crust (or homemade pie crust)

Preheat oven to 335° F in convection oven ( 350° F conventional oven). Poke small holes with fork all around base of pie crust. Combine all ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Pour over unbaked pie crust and bake for about 1 hour. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving. 

Chicken Adobo in Coconut Milk... and beach day!

We gathered up the swimsuits, beach toys, and the little red wagon and headed out to the beach! Couldn't have asked for better weather. Tried to get golden, but not quite there yet. Note to self: Take some swimming and surfing lessons.

Kids were starving. I made Chicken Adobo in coconut milk this morning. The process was easy with simple ingredients. The coconut milk cut through the acidity and balanced out the flavors.

Chicken Adobo in Coconut Milk:

• 4 free range chicken thighs (with bone)
• 4 free range chicken drumsticks 
• 1/3 cup coconut vinegar (or white vinegar, rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
• 1/4 cup low sodium light soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon whole peppercorns
• Peeled cloves from1 head of garlic (you can add even more garlic cloves if you like)
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• 1 Tablespoon Ghee or vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix the vinegar, soy sauce, agave nectar, peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves together. Poke each chicken piece with a fork. Marinate the chicken pieces with the sauce mix for at least 2 hours.

In a large cooking pan, melt the ghee and add the chicken pieces. Brown the sides of the chicken (about 7-8 minutes per side) on medium heat. Then add the marinade sauce, cover, and simmer until the chicken pieces are tender (about 90 minutes). Add the coconut milk and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from stove and strain (to remove the peppercorns and bay leaves) the sauce in a large serving bowl. Serve warm with rice.

Nourishing Spiced Turmeric Milk

Turmeric, a common Asian spice, contains many beneficial components that help our bodies heal from within. My mother cooked with it, and it was also part of her beauty regimen. She told me it helps lighten brown spots. I tried mixing turmeric powder with milk and applied it as a facial once and let me tell you... my face was yellow for a day or two! But I didn't let that deter my appreciation for this warm, exotic spice. When mixed with hot milk, it can help relieve a sore throat. Ideally, it should be drunk while very warm.

My recipe is quite easy. I heat 2 cups of milk (or unsweetened soy milk, rice milk, or almond milk), 1/4 teaspoon dried lavender buds, 3 pieces of sliced fresh ginger and 1/4 teaspoon organic turmeric powder. Once the milk starts to scald, I remove from the heat and cover the pot allowing the spices to steep for at least 20 minutes. Then I strain and mix in 2 teaspoons of honey and pour into individual tea cups.

The lavender buds gives the turmeric milk a wonderful floral aspect and has a calming effect.  My daughters love drinking this milk, especially my youngest (but only when it's cooled down a bit).

Revisiting A Favorite

When I lived in L.A. I used to frequent a restaurant that had spaghetti and mushroom sauce on their menu. It was the one dish I would always end up ordering. Sometimes, I would order their spaghetti with meat sauce and their spaghetti with mushroom sauce separately cause I had so much fun alternating the two flavors together in my mouth... kind of sordid, but not really.

Sadly, that restaurant is a hundred miles away. This means I would have to divert my cravings elsewhere...  but sometimes diverting doesn't work. So I decided to try and replicate the dish. Well, maybe not replicate but create something similar. I didn't have button mushrooms, so I used shitake mushrooms instead. I poured the shitake mushroom sauce over baked chicken on capellini pasta (my husband and kids love this pasta), and cheese toast on sourdough bread. Everything was good, but the mushroom sauce still needs a bit of tweaking (not quite the consistency I would like yet). My quest to create the perfect mushroom sauce recipe continues...

Warm Creamy Brown Rice Cereal

I take comfort watching my children consume a nourishing bowl of warm, creamy cereal in the morning. There's just something soothing and cozy about it. But to be honest,  I was quite surprised at how fast they can empty their bowls AND ask for more! I simply add 1 cup of brown rice farina to 3 cups of boiling water for 7 minutes. I place individual servings in bowls and add a teaspoon of organic blue agave nectar, 2 tablespoons of whole milk and garnish with pastured butter and coconut flakes or fresh/dried fruits such as cranberries. I  also alternate mornings adding bananas to the cereal instead of agave and mixing it until smooth in a blender. Yum! Yum!

Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken)

I welcome every opportunity I have exposing my children to different cultures, languages, and food. Of course it would be wonderful if they could develop a sense of culture and appreciation for diversity at such a young age. My eldest daughter, Misha, asked what I was making for dinner tonight. I showed her a picture of Chicken Makhani, and she happily said, "please make this for me". And so I did. Chicken Makhani, also known as butter chicken, is very rich and vibrant in flavor and color. I gathered whole spices in my pantry and toasted them to bring out the flavor. Then I grounded it up in a coffee grinder. I enjoyed making this dish.

Sweet Corn Brunch Tart

Every Monday morning (actually every morning), things get kind of hectic around here... and my kids don't cut me any slack. They are what I like to refer to as "morning people". As for me? Not so much. Tired eyed and weary, I already anticipated the predictable routine. My kids waking up earlier than us (the tired parents), running around and then demanding a delicious breakfast be served to them the minute they sit down at the table. This morning, however, I was prepared. I made a savory breakfast tart for them the night before so that when I'm suddenly jolted out of bed, I can just dash to the fridge and slice a piece of  tart ready to be served and eaten. Voila... instant gratification! I'm so glad they loved it. This was my first attempt at making a savory tart...all by chance.

I needed to clean out the fridge and noticed a carton of Nuefchatel cheese just waiting to go bad. I also caught a glimpse of some unused frozen sweet corn (I also had some Farmer Cheese that wanted to join the party) and before I knew it, a breakfast edible was born... Sweet Corn Brunch Tart!

 Sweet Corn Brunch Tart Recipe
  
Filling:

• 1 cup Nuefchatel cheese (or cream cheese)
• 1 and 1/2 cup sweet corn (frozen, thawed;)
• 2 oz Farmer Cheese (optional)
• 3 Tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
• Dash of grated nutmeg (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 egg

Combine the Nuefchatel cheese, sweet corn, nutmeg, paprika, and salt in a food processor. Add the egg and continue blending until smooth. Place everything in a mixing bowl and stir in the farmer cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. Set aside or store in the refrigerator.

Oat Tart Shell:

• 1 cup oat flour (or all- purpose flour)
• 1/4 cup grounded rolled oats
• 4 Tablespoons of chilled, unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a mixer, or food processor, mix all the dry ingredients until well combined. Slowly add the cold butter cubes a little at a time, mixing slowly until texture resembles bread crumbs. Add in the water  and mix just until the dough comes together. Place in plastic wrap and flatten. Chill in the refrigerator for at  least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375ºF (360ºF for convection oven) After dough has been chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface and place over a tart mold.Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights (beans, rice, etc) and par bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, pull out of oven and allow to cool for 10 more minutes. Lower oven temperature to 285º F (270ºF convection).

Once tart shell has cooled down, place the sweet corn filling onto the center and spread all around. Bake tart for 1 hour, 20 minutes. Cool on a rack and serve room temperature.

Chillin' Sweet Cherries and Bananas

Had to make something refreshing to cool us all down on this beautiful, hot summer day. Organic sweet cherries are in season so I bought some at the local store. I sliced 1/2 cup of the sweet cherries along with one banana into little slices/pieces and placed them in the freezer overnight. The next day, I just placed all the frozen fruit in my blender/food processor.

When I made berry smoothies for my daughters, I always thought to myself if I could just omit the liquid and blend the frozen berries together. Well I did just that and the results resemble a fruit sorbet minus any adder sugar or sweeteners. I pulsed the frozen fruits in a food processor a little at a time until they started sticking together. Then I blended the fruits until smooth. I served my daughters this with fruits and toasted almonds.