Banana-Walnut Loaf

Aside from the fried/baked pork dish that I cooked, I also baked banana-walnut loaf.  There wasn't any special reason other than the fact that I had bananas that were getting too ripe for my liking.  I do not even know why I bought bananas in the first place since I am not much of banana eater.  Maybe I was thinking of making a shake or something but for some reason I got sidetracked and ended up with overripe ones...hehehe...no problem though as this dish save them.



Bananas. by the way, are great ingredients in making your smoothie a lot creamier without adding too much milk or dairy products.  It can even be used instead of the dairy products.  I slice them about an inch to a couple of inches in size and then wrap them in parchment paper and freezer bags.  Pop them in the freezer until they are frozen and use them instead of ice to make a smoother and creamier smoothie.  I believe I posted about this tip somewhere in the blog about a year ago.



Anyways, I had some overripe bananas and free time so I baked these babies.  I used a little bit of olive oil along with the butter when I made these.  The result is a very moist and slightly dense banana cake that taste really good.  They taste even better the following day...even after they have been in the fridge overnight.  To make them soft and moist after being the fridge, I usually pop a slice in the microwave and heat for about 10-15 seconds but the time will be dependent on your microwave.




This morning I had a cup of coffee with a slice of banana walnut loaf  and a very hilarious episode of a Korean drama that is currently airing entitled "A Gentleman's Dignity"  It stars Jang Dong Gun and Kim Haneul along with a bunch of other korean actors/actresses.  Jang starred in an American movie entitled "A Warrio's Way" with Kate Bosworth in 2010.  I only watched the first part of that movie but it didn't pique my interest so I didn't finish the entire movie.  A Gentleman's Dignity though is different-it is hilarious, witty, sexy, crazy, heart-warming, and heart-wretching all at the same time.  The dialogue exchanges between Haneul and Dong-gun are really good. Right now, they have about six episodes out and I cannot wait for the next installment.  I didn't think I would say this but the writer (who is also the writer for Secret Garden which I did not like)  is doing a good job and hope she will continue to do so until the end....




Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

4 large ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

a pinch of salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350F


2. Spray loaf baking pan with non-stick spray or coat evenly with oil.


3. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well and set aside


4. In another mixing bowl, add butter, olive oil, honey,and sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy.


5. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.


6. Stir in mashed banana and vanilla.  Mix well.


7. Add flour-baking soda mixture and mix into the batter.  Do not overmix .  


8. Stir in walnuts and transfer to a loaf baking pan and bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.


9. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Mango Parfait

Summer!  The only thing I like about it is that it brings with it all the wonderful fruits that I like.  One of those fruits is mango... something that is abundant in the Philippines.  Growing up, I do not remember doing much with mangoes in terms of using it in dishes.  My mom would occasionally use it as an ingredient for agogo ... hehehe not a-gogo dancers but a homemade frozen snack wrapped in a small plastic container made up of milk, fruits, sugar, and water.


... back to mangoes, we usually just eat it raw, either ripe or unripe.  For ripe ones, we just peel and eat.  Of course, you have to discard the pit...hehehe.  For unripe mangoes, we peel it then eat it with salt and soy sauce or with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste)...so delish,

Living in Southern California, I am thankful that we get a lot of tropical fruits such as mango, papaya, buko (young coconut fruit),  and rambutan (occasionally)....even at the regular grocery stores, if you're lucky.



Making this dish is quite simple since the only hard part is peeling, slicing, and throwing the mango flesh into the blender to puree it.  The rest is just layering the other ingredients.  Depending on how sweet the mango is, you can opt to add sugar or not.  I didn't add any on mine since it is sweet enough.  I also puree the fruit since it was ripe and soft without adding any water.  The result is thick and concentrated just like I wanted.

Both the yogurt and granola were bought from WholeFoods the other day.  For yogurt, you can use anything that you prefer- part skim, low fat, non-fat, regular- just make sure that it is plain (or, at least I prefer it that way) to prevent it from competing with the flavor of the mango.



This recipe is great for breakfast and can even be prepared in advance for those mornings when you are in a rush to leave the house.  You can prepare the dish in an airtight container that's easy to transport by placing a layer of mango puree at the bottom then top with a layer of yogurt.  I'd leave adding the granola until the following day though since I am not sure how it will taste after it has been in the refrigerator overnight.  I prefer mine crunchy, not soggy.



This can be a cheaper and healthier alternative to those parfaits sold at places like Starbuck's which you may not think cost that much but the amount can add up if you buy the thing (like I used to) often enough.  Of course, I used to get not only the parfait but also a cup of coffee and bottle of Odwalla juice so I'd spend around $12- $14 easily in the morning.  That adds up to a significant amount in a year.  Money that you can use for more important stuff...like, say a new ice cream maker....opps, was I thinking loudly?  hehehe.  But seriously,for $12- $14 I can already make several servings of this parfait. The other good thing it that you can substitute mango for any fruit or berry that you prefer.



Ingredients:

Mango, peeled and pitted

Plain yogurt

granola

sugar, as needed

1. Place mango slices in a blender and puree.  Add sugar depending on your desired sweetness.

2. In a tall glass, place 3-4 spoonful of pureed mango, then top with a layer of  yogurt and top with granola.

Goguma Twigim

I love Korean food...truth be told, I think I like it better than Filipino food which is something that I grew up with....Ha! how's that for being nationalistic huh?  But, then again, I do believe that in my previous lifetime I might have been Korean.  Crazy, huh?  For some reason I have always been drawn to everything Korean - food, culture, entertainment.  Heck, even my Korean friend tells me that I am, in some ways, more Korean than she is... fine by me.

As I have mentioned I do love Korean food and am fascinated by their different dishes.  They have so many banchan (side disshes) that are being served at meal times that I often wonder how a regular Korean mom is able to prepared all of them while doing the rest of the household chores. Personally, I do like buying my banchan from the local market as it beats having to prepare each and every single one of them especially for those that requires extensive prep work as well and a mountain of dirty dishes.  Kimchi, for example, is not one of those side dishes that you prepare if you have a small family.  I think buying them from the market is a more practical alternative.  Every once in a while though I would get curious as to how some things are prepared that I would make them myself such as cabbage and radish kimchi but I do not think I will be making them again anytime soon.  Jjigae and main dishes though are a different matter since they taste better when they are freshly prepared as opposed to buying them from the market.  Goguma Twigim (fried sweet potato) is one of those that I can prepare at home and eat often.  They are really good as afternoon snack  and can be eaten as is or dipped in a soy sauce-rice wine vinegar-sesame oil dipping sauce.  

The preparation is actually quite simple which requires slicing the sweet potato into thin disks around 1/4 inch thick  then coating it with batter before it is deep fried in oil.  The good thing about this dish is that it requires just a few ingredients which can easily substituted from those that are found in the cupboard.  Don't forget to use ice-cold water as it is the secret to making the batter crispy when fried. Over the years, this has become one of my favorite as well as a comfort food as it conjure visions of home cooking.

Ingredients:

2-3 large sweet potatoes (Korean variety if you can get your hands on them)

3/4 cup of Korean frying batter mix ( can be substituted with all-purpose flour) + 1/2 cup for dusting/coating

1/2 cup ice cold water

1/2 tsp sugar

a pinch of salt

oil for frying

1. Wash sweet potato thoroughly making sure to remove any dirt on the surface of the skin then dry using paper towel.

2. Slice sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch thick round dish.  If you are using small sweet potatoes, slice it diagonally to get a bigger surface area.

3. Lay the potato slices in a single layer  and sprinkle with salt. Set aside while you prepare the batter.

4. In a bowl, mix water and 3/4 cup Korean batter mix.  Mix well until there are no lumps then set aside.

5. Transfer the sliced potatoes in a small ziplock back and add 1/2 cup of Korean batter mix.  Shake until every slice of potato is coated.  Shake excess and then coat each slice with the wet batter.

6. Fry in  heated oil until cooked and the outside turns golden in color.  Make sure that the fire is not too high that the batter burns before the potato slices are fully cooked.  Be careful not to burn yourself while frying.

7. Once cooked, remove from heat and then transfer to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.

8. Serve as is or with soy dipping sauce.

Soy sauce, Rice wine vinegar, and Sesame oil dipping sauce:

2 1/2 Tbsp Korean soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

finely sliced scallion

1. Mix soy sauce, sesameoil, and rice wine vinegaer in a bowl.  Stir to mix well.

2 Top with sesame seeds and scallion.

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Aigoo... my three-month hiatus from school has finally ended which meant that I am back to having tons of paper works, research, deadlines, and typing. The last three months has been a nice break from all the responsibilities. I totally enjoyed not having to use my brain so much which was great since I was in so much pain after the surgery that I probably wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway. Now that I am back in school, memories and stress that goes along with it came flooding back that I am at times feeling overwhelmed. So while I was staring blankly at the computer and waiting for some inspiration/enlightenment to come in order to finish my paper, I felt I needed a distraction and something to relax my mind so I can better concentrate.... plus I was a little hungry but too lazy to cook a full meal. I turned my attention to cooking something that I am very familiar with so it requires less use of brain power. Spinach artichoke dip!

Ahhh...spinach artichoke dip. It is something that I have been making for over 10 years and I still like it as much asI have the first time that I tasted it. This is such a crowd-leaser and always a hit at any gathering. The preparation is quite simple as it only involves mixing the ingredients then popping it in the oven to warm it up and brown the top/melt the cheese. I have been lazy lately as using the oven usually constitutes having to empty the entire contents then having to return them back once I have finished baking. My solution is to use my toaster over which works well for baking small portions but can hold up to about a quart size baking dish. Taking the dish is a little tricky though as there is not much space to maneuver so being burnt by the hot surface is more likely then when you use the oven so be extra careful. I usually use silicone oven mitts which are great at withstanding high temperature plus great at protecting the hands...hehehe

Ingredients:
1 package chopped frozen spinach, thawed
1 can artichoke hearts, finely chopped
2 (6 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1/3 cup grated romano cheese
1/4 cup gratedmozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Squeeze and discard liquid from thawed frozen spinach.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sour cream,and mayonnaise.  Mix well.
4. Add half of the grated parmigiano reggiano, half of mozzarella, thawed spinach, and artichoke hearts.  Mix well.
5. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
6. Transfer to oven-proof baking dish and top with remaining mozzarella and parmigiano reggiao.
7. Bake until cheese melts and turns slightly brown (about 10-15 minutes).
8, Remove from heat and serve warm.

Kinilaw nga Kapayas (Papaya in Vinegar)

Kinilaw or kilawin means raw food marinated in vinegar. This dish is not really kilawin per se but vinegar is added to semi-ripe or under-ripe papaya to add flavor. This is a common dish in the Visayan region of the Philippines. It can serve as an appetizer or an afternoon snack, which ever you prefer. Under-ripe or semi-ripe papaya has not fully ripen so the taste is slightly bland or just slightly sweet. The addition of vinegar and salt gives it a nice flavor but I recommend not to leave the papaya in vinegar too long because it will lose its crispness as well as become too sour to eat.

Ingredients:

1 under-ripe or semi-ripe papaya, seeded and peeled then sliced
1/2 cup vinegar
salt, according to taste

1. Combine everything together in a bowl and serve.

Arroz Caldo (Rice Porridge)

I am feeling a little down today so I made some arroz caldo to help lift my mood up a little bit. Arroz caldo (rice porridge) is the Filipino equivalent to chicken noodle soup. This dish is usually served to someone who is sick but also makes for a light meal or snack. This is the quintessential Filipino comfort food. Eating this dish just reminds me of home, family, of rainy days...

Arroz caldo is made by boiling rice until it becomes soft and thick. Addition includes eggs, chicken, garlic, onion, and ginger. It is seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little soy sauce. This dish is served warm with toppings such as fragrant fried garlic, a few drops of knorr liquid seasoning, and chopped green onions.

Arroz caldo is perfect for rainy days and fall because it is served warm. Aside from that, it also invokes warm memories of the not-so-distant past for me. It also gives me warmth and comfort when things are not going the way I want them to go...

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
1/2 lb chicken, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 inches ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 Tbsp soy sauce
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 egg, beaten slightly
6 cups water
oil for sauteeing

Topping (optional)

sliced hard-boiled egg
crispy fried garlic
a few drops of knorr liquid seasoning or soy sauce
chopped green onions


1. Heat pan over medium heat then add oil.
2. Add ginger garlic, and onions and saute until fragrant and translucent.
3. Add chicken and saute until brownish in color.
4. Add rice and continue to saute for about 3-4 minutes
5. Add water and bring to a boil then simmer until rice is soft and chicken is cooked. If needed, add more water. Stir occasionally to prevent bottom from burning.
6. Season with soy sauce, salt, and pepper according to taste.
7. Add beaten eggs while stirring mixture to distribute eggs evenlly and cook for another minute or two more.
8. Remove from heat and transfer to serving dish.
9. Top with toppings, if desired.

Ginataang Mais (Sweetened Corn in Coconut Milk)

This is a classic Filipino recipe which is usually served as an afternoon snack. It is made of cream style corn, whole corn kernels, sweet rice (also known as glutinous rice), and coconut milk. Sugar is added to sweeten it. It can be served either warm or cold. The coconut mil as well as the cream style corn gives it a creamy and rich flavor and texture.


Dishes that uses coconut milk, like this one, is very common in Asian cuisine and Filipino cuisine is no exception. You can usually buy canned coconut milk in Asia market but I remember back in the days in the Philippines, canned coconut milk was not readily available (not sure if it is now) and most household usually grate their own coconut meat then painstakingly extract the coconut milk manually. That is a really hard process and I do not know if I will be able to do that now...too much work is involved in extracting the coconut milk. The advantage of doing that though is that the coconut milk taste fresher. Another advantage is that it is thicker because you can opt not to add water if you want.


Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) can cream style corn
3/4 cup frozen corn (you can also use canned corn)
3 cups coconut milk
1 cup sweet (glutinous) rice
sugar, according to desired sweetness
6 cups water

1. Place a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add sweet rice and water. Simmer until rice is soft and almost all of the water has been absorbed. Stir occasionally to make sure that the bottom doesn't burn.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to simmer until corn is soft and done.
4. Remove from heat. May be served cold or warm.

Turon (Banana and Jackfruit Wrapped in Spring Roll Wrapper)

It's just another manic monday...wish it were sunday...coz that's my fun day...hahaha...whoa! where did that come from? Gosh it has been a while since I heard that song which would probably clue you in on how old I am...hehehe...Ahhh, I think I am really getting old because there are a lot of things that I used to be alble to do that I can't do anymore. It's okay though because getting old can be compared to an old wine that only gets better with age...hehehe.

Today, I made turon which is a fried Filipino dish made of banana and jackfruit wrapped in spring roll wrapper then coated with syrup. This can either be served as dessert or snack. It is sometimes sold by street vendors usually around mid-afternoon. Ahhh, that brings back old memories...

The banana used in this recipe is saba (burro) banana which is commonly found in the Philippines. This variety has a thick peel and usually shorter than a regular banana found in the regular American supermaket. The taste and texture also differs from the regular banana. Jackfruit, on the other hand, is also common in the Philippines but it can also be found in other parts of Asia such as Bangladesh, India, Thailand, and Malaysia. It is a huge fruit which has several segments and each segment encloses a huge seed (about the size of a chestnut). It can be eaten raw once it has ripened or used in dishes when it is in its unripen stage. In the States, canned jackfruits are available in Asian markets. Frozen jackfruits can also be found in Filipino stores.


Turon coated with syrup
Ingredients:

6 ripe burro banana, cut into quarters lengthwise
1 can jackfruit, drained and then slice into thin strips
spring roll wrappers
brown sugar, according to desired sweetness
oil for frying

1. Take a quarter of banana and few slices of jackfruit. Place in the middle of a spring roll wrapper then sprinkle with a quarter of tsp of brown sugar.
2. Wrap as shown in the pictures. Moisten the end with water to secure.





3. Do this until all of the bananas and jackfruit has been used up.
4. To fry, heat oil in pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add a few turon and fry until golden in color.
5. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.
6. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with muscovado syrup.

Muscovado syrup:
1 cup muscovado (or you can use brown sugar)
1/2 cup water

1. Place a pan over medium heat.
2. Combine muscovado and water and stir until dissolved
3. Cook until syrup thickens
4. Serve with turon.

Cinnamon Fruit Pouch with Warm Cinnamon sauce

This is a variation of the spinach pouch that I posted a couple of days ago. This one is a sweet version which can either be served as a snack or dessert. I used apple, pear, and peach for this recipe which I sprinkled with cinnamon and brown sugar then wrapped in a wonton wrapper.

The fruits will produce liquid when sprinkled with sugar and makes it a little harder to wrap in wonton wrapper as it will tear easily. The trick that I used is to let the fruit and sugar/cinnamon mixture stand for about 15 to 20 minutes then I drained and discarded the liquid. Even after I drained the liquid, I noticed that the bottom of my pouches was becoming soaked with the liquid so I wrapped the pouches again in another wonton wrapper which seemed to do the trick. I also placed the pouches in the freezer for about 20 minutes just to harden any fluid that may have formed.


When frying these pouches, the temperature of the oil is very important. It has to be hot enough that the frying and browning of the wonton wrapper will only take a short time as this will help harden and make the wrapper crispy. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan so as not to lower the oil's temperature Be careful though when frying in hot oil as it may splatter and burn you. As always, use splatter guard to prevent the oil from splattering all over you and your kitchen.

Although the wonton wrapper stays crisp for a while once fried, it is better to serve these warm as the taste is not as good when it has cooled. The possibility of the bottom turning soggy is also higher the longer the pouches sits after it has been fried. I served these with warm cinnamon sauce. Too bad I did not have any vanilla ice cream...I think this would also go well with it.


Ingredients:

1 apple - peeled, cored, and diced finely
1 peach - peeled,cored, and diced finely
1 pear - peeled, cored, and diced finely
2 Tbsp brown sugar (adjust according to desired sweetness)
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
wonton wrappers
oil for frying

1. 1 a large bowl, mix apple, peach, pear, cinnamon and sugar. Let is stand for 15 to 20 minutes
2. Drain any fluid that has accumulated.
3. Take a tablespoon full of filling and place in the middle of a large wonton wrapper. Gather the edges to form a pouch then twist slightly adn pinch to seal.
4. Take another wonton wrapper and repeat the same procedure. Use small strip of wonton wrapper to tie and secure.
5. To fry: Heat oil over medium high heat. Fry 3-4 at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden in color.
6. Drain excess oil in a paper towel lined plate.
7. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with warm cinnamon sauce.


Warm Cinnamon Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup water
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice

1. Heat saucepan over medium low heat. Combine sugar, flour, water, and lemon juice. Mix until sugar and flour is dissolved.
2. Continue stirring and cook until it thickens.
3. Add butter, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Mix until dissolved and well incormporated.
4. Strain mixture to remove undissolved particles.
5. Serve warm



Sauce recipe adapted from here