Excuse my absence

It's been a long, long, long time since my last post. The entire summer just seemed to have flew by without me leaving a mark on my blog, so let me fill you in on what I've been doing. Over the summer, I've been relearning how to play a piano, revisiting my sketchbook, remaking some recipes...but the one activity I'd most like to share here is travelling. I went to Italy. Although most people say that the peak of summer isn't the best time to be in Italy, I had an amazing time there, experiencing the food, fashion, and culture. The weather was constantly hot and sunny and I felt like a sponge soaking in as much Italian warmth as I could. That meant acquiring a nice, healthy-looking tan, which, although probably wasn't healthy at all for me skin, ensured me I had no shortage of Vitamin D. Since pictures convey more than words, I will stop my descriptions here to leave room for...

Potato and mung bean biscuits

Toasted peeled mung beans

I recently watched a video clip of someone rubbing mashed potatoes into a bowl of flour as if rubbing butter into flour to make a pastry dough. I'd tried combining potatoes and flour into a dough before (as if making gnocchi) and rolling it out and baking it, but inevitably, the finished product always puffs up and becomes chewy. This time, I kept the recipe simple and added ground, toasted mung beans. The crackers are crispy but tender, and taste a little like baked potatoes.

The recipe: I boil 3 small baking potatoes with skin on, and peel them when they are cooked to fork tender and cooled. I grate the potatoes into a large bowl, crack in an egg, add 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp salt and mix until combined. I toast 3/4 cup peeled mung beans in a 300 F oven for about 8 minutes or until the beans at the very side begin to turn golden brown. I grind the toasted mung beans using a coffee grinder to make mung bean flour, add to the potatoes and mix to combine to create a soft potato dough. Finally, I stir 1 tsp baking powder into 1/4 cup whole wheat flour and add the flour to the potato  dough. I knead the dough until the flour is incorporated. I roll the dough to about 1/8 inch thick, cut into desired shapes using a pastry wheel, and place on a lined baking sheet. I sprinkle some sugar on top of the biscuits for a glittery look and bake in a 325 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until biscuits are crisp. Place on a cooling rack until cooled before enjoying.

I also used part of the dough into a pie tin for my cranberry cheesecake tart but I'll tell you about that one in a later post!

Soft coconut oat cookies

The smell of coconut prompts me to conjure images of calm swaying palm trees and lazy sweeping sea waves. These soft cookies are made with oat bran and coconut flour. Both ingredients not only make it high in fibre, but also give it a wonderful texture and delicious taste. The chewy softness comes from using liquid forms of sugar like corn syrup and condensed milk.

The recipe: Measure 2 1/4 cups oat bran into a bowl and sift 1 cup coconut flour with 1/4 tsp salt and 2 tsp baking powder over it. In a separate bowl, heat 1/4 cup unsalted butter with 3/4 cup corn syrup and 2 tbsp low fat condensed milk over gentle heat until butter is melted, and corn syrup and condensed milk are runny. Take the wet mixture off the heat and whisk 1/2 cup room temperature milk into it. Then add 3 egg whites at once and whisk vigorously to combine. Pour all the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined with a spatula. There's no need to worry about over-mixing here because there's no gluten. Since the dough is very soft, shape it into small logs (~5 cm diameter) using cling wrap and freeze it for 45 min to 1 hour. With a sharp knife, cut dough log into ~0.5 cm slices, place on lined baking sheets and bake in a 300 F oven for 10-12 minutes. Feel free to bite in whenever they cool to a tolerable temperature!

White chocolate green tea truffle cheesecakes

I decided to try a new recipe this weekend by combining green tea and white chocolate into a cheesecake. The idea was to use white chocolate to sweeten and add richness to the regular green tea cheesecake. It resulted in a truffle-like texture and a delicious sweet-tart taste due to the combination of white chocolate and green tea powder. I used mini-muffin tins to portion these cheesecakes.

The recipe: The crust: I combine 1/4 cup dark buckwheat flour, 1/2 cup barley flour, 3 tbsp melted butter, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar in a bowl and divide and press into the bottom of 24 mini-muffin tins. These bake in a 300 F oven for 10 minutes and allow to cool. The cheesecake: I combine 3/4 cup plain, light cream cheese with 1/2 cup plain, fat-free greek yogurt in a bowl. Then I stir in 3 oz melted white baking chocolate, 1 tsp green tea powder, and 1 tsp cornstarch. Finally, I add 1/2 cup liquid egg, and 1 tsp vanilla extract if desired. Once the cheesecake batter is thoroughly mixed, I divide it into the 24 mini-muffin tins and bake in a 300 F oven for 12-15 minutes. Once they cool for 10 minutes or so, they can be gently eased out of the muffin tins and and chilled for a few hours before serving. Yum!

Note: The base to these cheesecakes can be substituted with the base for the purple cheesecake or a traditional graham cracker cheesecake base if preferred.

Buckwheat banana pancakes

There are many healthy ways to start a day. Homemade buckwheat banana pancakes is one of those ways. These pancakes are soft and fluffy on the inside and have a thin, crispy coconut crust on the top and bottom. They are also very easy and quick to make.

The recipe: I peel and chop 2 medium-sized, ripe bananas and place in a bowl. Then I separate two eggs and place 1 egg yolk in the bowl with the bananas and the 2 egg whites in a clean bowl for whisking later. I add 3 tablespoons of buckwheat flour and 1/4 teaspoons of salt to the banana and egg yolk. Using a fork, I mash the bananas and thoroughly combine the flour and egg yolk and set aside. Using a whisk, I beat the egg whites until it holds a soft peak. As I preheat a non-stick pan, I gently fold the beaten egg whites and banana mixture together, leaving a few small lumps. The pancake mixture is ready. I add a about a teaspoon of margarine to the pan and swirl it around. Before I spoon the pancake mixture onto the pan, I sprinkle some dried, shredded, unsweetened coconut where I plan to place my pancakes. I then spoon my pancake batter into the pan (about 3-4 tbsp of batter per pancake), sprinkle over some more coconut, and let the pancakes cook unit small bubbles start to pop on the upper surface (about 2 minutes). I flip the pancakes and let the uncooked side brown for another 2 minutes. The first batch of pancakes is ready to serve!

Since there's such a high banana content in these cakes, I find that they are sweet and moist enough to eat on their own, but they can certainly be topped with any pancake topping of choice. By the way, these pancakes happen to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. Who would've guessed?

Disclaimer: Please note that this recipe has not been reviewed by FAI or medical experts. Avoidance is the only accepted course of treatment for food allergy. Always verify ingredients or food products by checking with the manufacturer and/or your physician to ensure that any foods are safe for your unique allergy issues.

Healthy high fibre fruit-nut-coconut granola bars

The nice weather makes me think of going for long hikes, and the thought of long hikes has prompted me to make these nutritious and delicious granola bars. They have protein and fibre, crunchiness and chewiness, sweetness and saltiness, and are just delightful in every way.

The recipe (in case you want to try these too):
Ingredients to toast:

• 2 cups wheat bran
• 1 cup oat bran
• 3/4 cup chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews
• 1/2 cup uncooked wheat berries
• 1/4 cup quinoa

Other ingredients:

• 1/3 cup defatted soy flour
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup chopped dried pitted dates

Binder ingredients:

• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup margarine (I used a reduced fat and it worked just fine)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (dark brown sugar, if you can find it)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 – 4 tbsp water

Heat wheat bran, oat bran, and  almonds in a dry skillet separately until you smell a toasty smell. Allow them to cool on a baking tray while you toast wheat berries and quinoa in a hot, dry skillet, covered with a fitted lid. Shake the skillet periodically and listen for the popping sounds inside. Once the popping sounds have almost subsided, remove the grains to another baking tray to allow for cooling. The wheat berries and quinoa are now puffed and crunchy. While everything cools, gather and measure the "Other Ingredients" list.

To bind everything together, heat peanut butter, margarine, and brown sugar on low heat. Once mixture is smooth, more runny, and combined, toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Finally, add egg whites for structure, and enough water to until a crumbly cookie-dough texture forms. Press mixture into a flat, ~1.5 cm layer on two lined baking sheets and bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Slice these into bars while they are still warm. These bars are tasty whether warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Happy trails!

Note: Don't use non-stick skillets because the dry heat and abrasiveness of the grains will damage the non-stick coating. Of course, feel free to make substitutes to suit your liking.

Resurface to salads

Crudité Monster: celery, carrots, cucumbers

Berry Salad: blueberries, strawberries, kiwi

I've finally finished my exams and term work! I can't believe another school year has finished already. Now that I can devote more time to doing things I enjoy, I've been guiltlessly dreaming up new recipes and crafty projects to try out. So I'd decided to snack on some fruits and Crudités while I fantasized what sorts of recipes I should try out first...