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.

Home cookin

Comforting home cookin in a nutshell. Organic meatloaf, mashed sweet potatoes, and  buttered Jasmin wild rice! After eating all this, you can find us laying out in the yard... relaxing.

Meatloaf Recipe:

• 1 lb free range, organic ground shoulder roast beef
• 1 tablespoon cooked oatmeal (or one slice of bread crumbs. You can also use 1 tablespoon of cooked brown or white rice).
• 1/4 cup organic frozen peas
• 1 free range egg
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• dash of black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of organic agave nectar ketchup
• 1/3 cup whole milk

For the meatloaf sauce:

• 1/2 cup organic agave ketchup
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp black strap molasses (unsulphured)

Preheat convection oven to 335ºF (350ºF for conventional ovens). Combine all meatloaf ingredients together in a mixing bowl, and spread over a loaf pan or casserole baking dish. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and spread on top of the meatloaf mixture. Bake for 70 minutes.

Banh Xeo Crispy Vietnamese Crepes

My mom would order these at Thai restaurants when I was young. I always liked them, but I never knew what they were called, or that they were of Vietnamese origin. Oddly enough, I started having cravings for these crepes, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what to call them... shrimp and vegetables wrapped in that yummy crispy thingy. Through some random gastronomical divine intervention, I was led to the promise land... YELP! After a friend recommended a Vietnamese restaurant in town, I decided to yelp it and low and behold, someone had posted a picture of the Banh Xeo Crepe! Of course I was overtaken with excitement... I finally discovered the actual name of this long lost crepe... Bahn Xeo! Bahn Xeo! So after looking up various recipes, I was able to tweak it a bit so that it would be the right consistency; just how I remembered as a child... lace-like crispy batter on the thin side. I'll be serving this for my family tonight.

Banh Xeo Crepes

For the batter:

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Combine everything in a blender until fully mixed. Rest the batter for about 30 minutes.

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup raw minced shrimp (you can use whole shrimp if you like about 8-10 pieces)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup shitake mushrooms (cut into small pieces)
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• Mung bean sprouts 

Sautee the shrimp and green onions in a little bit of oil. Add the shitake mushrooms and combine with the rest of the mixture. Add salt and pepper and set mixture aside in a bowl.

Heat a nonstick pan or skillet ( I use Earth Pan) with a tsp of ghee or vegetable oil until hot. Add about 1/2 cup of the crepe batter. Swirl the batter around in the skillet.You should notice the batter will start bubbling. Add the cooked filling in the center and the mung bean sprouts on top. Continue to cook until the edges start to turn brown and crispy (don't mess with the crepe too much or it will break). The crepe will start to look dry. Fold over one side and serve with chili sauce or Thai cucumber salad sauce.

The cucumber salad sauce

• 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Agave Nectar
• 2 Tablespoons Water
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 Cucumber (peeled and diced)

Combine the rice wine vinegar, agave nectar, 2 tablespoons of water, and salt over low heat until combined. Transfer to a small bowl and allow to cool. Add the diced cucumbers. (You can add chili peppers and diced red onions as well).

Gluten Free Swedish Pancakes

I've yet to meet a single being who would snub off a plate of pancakes. I mean, who doesn't love pancakes?  My inspiration for today's breakfast was from a story I loved watching when I was a little girl... Pippi Longstocking! She was such a smart and crafty little girl. She could do EVERYTHING. She could even whip up a batch of Swedish pancakes from scratch on a whim. I always thought they looked delicious and rustic,  but never tried them... until today! These pancakes are also gluten free.

They turned out delicious. My kids were asking for thirds.

Gluten Free Swedish Pancakes
  

• 2 eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup white rice flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter

Beat the eggs together in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of milk and whisk until well blended. Add in the brown and white rice flour and salt. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the melted butter and the remaining 1/2 cup of  milk. Rest the batter for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter onto a large, already heated buttered pan (low-medium heat) until the surface isn't shiny, flip and cook the other side (about 2-3 minutes per side).I served it with homemade stewed blueberries and creme fraiche. My children like it with jam and butter.

*make sure to stir the batter before pouring onto the hot pan (brown rice flour has a tendency to sink to the bottom of the bowl).

*If you want the classic taste of Swedish pancakes, you can use all purpose flour instead of rice flour.

Golden Garlic Flakes

Fried garlic flakes are very common in South East Asian cooking. Personally, I love them. They are healthy and add nice flavor as a condiment. I put them on top of steamed fish or conjee (rice porridge), or added to pasta dishes for flavoring. It can be considered an acquired taste, especially for the little ones. Hopefully one day they'll grow fond of it as much as I have. Here is my take on them. I don't deep fry the flakes, but instead I lightly stir fry them in pastured ghee or organic coconut oil. Any vegetable oil can be used.

Golden Garlic Flakes

• 6 medium garlic cloves (peeled)
• a pinch of sea salt
• 2 teaspoons of ghee or any vegetable oil

Roughly chop the peeled garlic cloves.
Add pinch of salt to the chopped cloves and combine well. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Heat ghee/vegetable oil in a pan on low medium heat until hot.
Add the garlic flakes and keep stirring for 2-3 minutes until color becomes a light shade of gold (keep stirring and don't walk away. Garlic burns easily).
Remove from stove and allow to cool (can be stored in an open bowl).
* You can stir fry a bit longer for a crunchier texture, but the flavor will be a bit bitter.