Flaky Bites Three Ways

A pie crust, pumpkin puree with brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg;  purple yam with cinnamon; and banana with candied pecans, honey and cinnamon.  Oh, so yummy!

1.)  PUMPKIN BITES

Here we go again. Pumpkin…pumpkin…and… more pumpkins.  This time it’s for snacks.  They’re made with pumpkin puree and brown sugar sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg.  The brown sugar caramelized as it bakes.  Mmm… sounds good already! 🙂

These pumpkin bites are so flaky and super easy to make.  Another recipe to get your children involved.  They’re going to have so much fun cutting the dough with different cookie cutters.  What a memory would that be!   They are great to serve during the holidays.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner.  They will be here before you know it.

If you want something different to snack on for a change, try these flaky bites.  They are delectable!  🙂

Going to a farm to pick your own pumpkins is such an adventure for children.  Imagine the joy and the smile on their faces.  Priceless!  Making a decision which pumpkins to pick makes it more exciting.  We do this every year and my children love it!  They are looking forward to pick pumpkins again this year.  🙂

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin puree
• 1 store-bought pie crust or you can make it from scratch
• 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
• ground cinnamon
• nutmeg

Preparation Methods:

Unroll the dough. Cut the dough using your favorite cookie cutter.  I used a medium cookie cutter.  One pie crust dough yields 9 pieces of flaky pumpkin bites.

Top the dough with pumpkin puree and brown sugar.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.  If you want it sweeter, mix 1/2 cup pumpkin puree with brown sugar and cinnamon and  nutmeg (according to your taste) as your filling.

Place another cut dough on top.

Using a fork, seal the edges by pressing down the dough.  Brushing the edges with liquid or eggs before sealing them is not necessary.   You still get the same result.  No, the filling won’t overflow on the sides while baking as long as you follow the ingredients called for in this recipe.

Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake for 20-25 minutes.*

Serve warm with a glass of milk.

2) PURPLE YAM (UBE) BITES

You can either use a premade purple yam spread or you can make it from scratch.  It’s entirely up to you.  Follow the above instructions for the purple yam.  You only need two ingredients for the purple yam bites.  A good substitute for this would be sweet potato.  🙂

3) BANANA PECAN BITES

You will need a very ripe banana plantain (a must), candied pecans, honey, and cinnamon for this recipe.  Wow!  It looks appetizing even when the picture is blurry.  It makes you want to eat it.  Yum!

Thinly cut banana plantain crosswise. Set aside.  Place cut dough on baking sheet.  Put banana plantain and pecans on top.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and squeeze about two drops of honey on top.  Sugar or honey is necessary to balance the saltiness of the crust.  You may use brown sugar or white sugar if you prefer and place another crust dough on top and pressed down to seal the edges.  Or, you can leave them as they are.

Bake at 350 degrees until the crust turns brown and the honey caramelized.

Serve warm with a glass of milk.

*Note:  Due to variations on all ovens, baking time may require adjustments.

Chocolate and Classic Maruya (Banana Fritters)

The plantains I bought were ripening fast and if I waited another day, they would end up in a trash can.  So, I thought about the snack I used to have growing up called Maruya.  Maruya is a Filipino snack that is usually eaten as a mid-afternoon snack or merienda. It is prepared by dipping thinly sliced bananas in batter and fried then tossed in sugar. Some shaped them like a hand or a fan and others mashed the bananas and mixed them in the batter and fried.  They are regularly sold as street food and it’s popular among the students during recess.

My version is a bit different than the norm.  I made two different flavors. One is chocolate and the other is the classic flavor with a twist.  I called them Maruya chips.  It’s because I cut the bananas crosswise.  My children had them as their snack today.  I probably didn’t have anything left to take pictures with if I didn’t stop them from consuming them all.  🙂

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Prepare the ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 2 large plantains, cut crosswise about 1/2 inch( very ripe plantain is best)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup almond milk or fresh milk
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• zest of whole orange
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• Powdered sugar (optional)
• oil for frying

Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl; set aside.   In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine milk, egg, nutmeg, vanilla extract and orange zest in another bowl.  Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture and mix until well-combined.  Half the batter and add 1/2 teaspoon cocoa in one of the batter; set aside.  You should have two flavors of batter.  One is chocolate and the other the classic.

Heat a deep pan with oil over medium-low heat.  Coat the sliced bananas by dipping them into the batter.  Add to the pan and fry on both sides until golden brown. Repeat the process for the remaining bananas.  Place cooked fritters in a bowl lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil then immediately add to the cinnamon sugar bowl and toss.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

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©annascuisine.wordpress.com (2013)   Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material herein without expressed and written consent from this blog’s author, Annabelle Bedell, is strictly and completely prohibited.

B & B Mini Pancakes

My morning routine during summer is to rise early and go for a run.  There’s a six mile walking path in our neighborhood.  It’s very convenient and the view of Bull Run mountain is breathtaking.

Breakfast time is normally busy for me because my family usually request a big breakfast. But sometimes, I don’t feel like cooking a complicated breakfast.  When you cook three different meals three times a day, sometimes, you just need a break and want something easy, especially after a six mile run.  Well, my boys requested “mini” pancakes for breakfast. I didn’t really feel like measuring in addition to mixing.  So, I have this box of premix pancake in the pantry that I purchased for “emergency”.  Emergency as in I am too tired or too lazy to cook type of emergency.   I know shame on me.  Hey, this doesn’t happen very often.  So, to add a little fiber and more flavor to the pancake, I added some fruits and made them berry-banana pancakes, or what I call B & B Mini pancakes drizzled with maple syrup.

Ingredients:

• Pancake mix
• Blueberries
• 1 medium or small banana; sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions:

• Follow the recipe directions on the box.
• Heat a griddle or a skillet over low heat and lightly coat with oil when hot.
• Scoop the batter onto the griddle or skillet about 2 tablespoons for mini pancakes.  Add the banana and blueberries on top of the pancake.
• Flip to the other side and gently press it down with the spatula for even cooking.  Let cook until the pancake springs back when touched.
• Drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Top with more blueberries if desired.
• Serve warm.

The Ultimate Hot Chocolate Oatmeal

Chocolate lovers, you would want to add this to your recipe collection.  Oh, so good!

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I’ve been reminiscing about my childhood lately and I can’t help but think about my parents, especially my mother.  I am so grateful for her perseverance with teaching my siblings and I how to cook and be responsible.  As a child, I just wanted to play with my  friends.  My mother was resolute when it came to teaching and discipline.

A mother’s cooking is special because it will stay in a child’s memory for the rest of her life.  It’s breakfast time and I was thinking about what to eat, preferably something that will give me that “pick me up”  feeling.  I remember my mother made this delicious chocolate oatmeal.  I was craving it, so I decided to make my own version using the Godiva hot cocoa that my friend gave me or the Ghirardelli premium hot cocoa chocolate mocha flavor.  Mmm…

You have probably tried everything there is for breakfast, right?  Well, you haven’t tried this.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet (1.58 oz.) of instant Quaker Weight Control Banana Bread oatmeal (has 7 g protein, 6 g fiber, 1 g sugar) or an oatmeal of your choice
• 1 tablespoon Godiva hot cocoa or Ghirardelli premium hot cocoa chocolate mocha flavor
• 1 cup water
• Fried plantain
• Fresh mango cubes
• Toasted coconut
• 1 oz. Ghirardelli dark chocolate, melted

Directions:

1. Add water to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Add the Godiva hot cocoa or Ghiradelli premium hot cocoa chocolate mocha and oatmeal. Stir.
3. Cook for 2 -3 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Serve in a bowl with the mango and plantain.
5. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and drizzle with the melted dark chocolate.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

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©annascuisine.wordpress.com (2013)   Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material herein without expressed and written consent from this blog’s author, Annabelle Bedell, is strictly and completely prohibited.

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Filipino Tropical Sundae (Halo-Halo)

Summer is here.  The weather yesterday was extremely humid and warm.  The heat index was in the 100′s. Our air conditioning system was blowing non-stop.  It could hardly keep up cooling down our entire house. So, I planned on making halo-halo for dessert to cool off.  To those of you who don’t know what halo-halo is.  It is a Filipino dessert that is a  mixture of shaved ice and evaporated milk added with fruits, beans and ice cream, served in a tall glass or a bowl.

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Juliet Shirey, a friend of mine came to visit, and she wanted to eat some Filipino food. So, that’s what I prepared for lunch. It was just the two of us, so I served it family style like the way we do it back home. I cooked Pinakbet a la pobre, Caldereta with pineapple (my brother Ronald’s recipe), and Tortang Talong (eggplant omelet where you soak the peeled, roasted eggplant  in beaten egg and fried) and steamed white rice.   I called  the dish “a la pobre” because I added sardines instead of meat in the ingredients. It’s for people who can’t afford meat.  The meat in Caldereta is normally cut  larger than what you see in the picture but I wanted it cut in smaller pieces.

I haven’t had steamed rice since I changed my eating habits, but today was the exception. I can’t eat food prepared this way without rice; di pwede!

After lunch, I requested my friend to be a food critic.  I made her try the mango cake.  Yes, the mango cake!  Remember?  The cake I made for our anniversary.  I had three slices left. First bite, she said “oh!”  She said it melted in her mouth and the icing was perfect.  The cake is dense and I wanted to make some changes, but she said not to do it because it really goes well with the icing.

While my friend was enjoying the cake, my children reminded us about the halo-halo (mixed fruit dessert with ice cream) we were supposed to be having.  It would be the most refreshing dessert since it was very warm outdoors.  Sure, but I couldn’t find the ice shaver machine, so I used a blender as an alternative.

There are many different recipes for halo-halo out there. I always like to make my own with tropical fruits, such as Macademia nuts, coconut strings, mango, and pineapple.  Then, sprinkle it with toasted coconut and toasted pounded rice (pinipig).  Garnish it with fried banana and drizzle with chocolate syrup.  Oh, my! What an ultimate treat!  I call it  ”Filipino Tropical Sundae”. Sounds good doesn’t it?  I forgot to drizzle some chocolate syrup on mine, so don’t forget to add it when you make one.  Here’s a photo of my Tropical sundae.  Have a great summer!

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A special thank you to Venus Bowen for providing the halo-halo ingredients.  Thank you so much, Venus Bowen.

FILIPINO TROPICAL SUNDAE

My version of the halo-halo dessert

• 1/2 cup Almond Plus milk (has 5 grams of protein and less sugar content)
• 4 tablespoons Evaporated milk
• 1-2 scoops of protein powder (optional)
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 1 tablespoons sweet tapioca pearl (sago)
• 1 tablespoon pineapple tidbits
• 1 tablespoon red sugar palm fruit (kaong)
• 1 tablespoon green sugar palm fruit (kaong)
• 1 tablespoon azuki beans
• 1 tablespoon cooked plantain
• 1 tablespoon coconut sport strings
• 1 tablespoon fresh ripe mango
• 1 tablespoon jack fruit
• 1 scoop of purple yam ice cream (or vanilla ice cream)

Toppings:

• 1 teaspoon cooked pounded young rice
• 1 teaspoon Macademia nuts; coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon toasted coconut
• 1 teaspoon coconut sport strings
• Maraschino cherry with stem
• chocolate syrup
• Fried plantain for garnish

Instructions:

• Put all the above ingredients except the toppings, Almond milk, and ice cubes in a tall glass or a sundae glass like you see in the picture. Set aside.
• Add almond milk and ice cubes in the blender and blend until smooth.
• Scoop the milk mixture and add in the fruit mixture.
• Add one scoop of purple yam ice cream (or vanilla) on top of the milk mixture.
• Sprinkle with the toppings and drizzle with the chocolate syrup.
• Garnish with Maraschino cherry and fried plantain.
• Mix and enjoy.

Note:   You can add sugar if you prefer.