Avocado Shake or Smoothie

One of my fondest memories of childhood was during the summer season in our little island called Marinduque when my mom, in the stifling heat, gave us cold refreshments to help us cool down. Often, it would be a fresh fruit shake in the form of mango, papaya, banana, guyabano, or avocado depending on whichever tropical fruit was in season.

But you may wonder --- avocado? Certainly, it's not fruit! Well, in the Philippines it is! When we think of avocado, we think of eating eat just like any ordinary fruit. We don't really use it as part of a savory dish; we just enjoy it on its own. When you get the ripest avocado, it is almost sweet though you don't expect it to be mango sweet, of course. In fact, for most of us, the way to eat avocado without much ado is to just to open it up - remove the pit,  sprinkle a little brown sugar on it and then scoop out the flesh with the spoon. Yum! When we are feeling more adventurous, we also squeeze a little juice from the local lime (calamansi) to give it some zing! Even better.

For me, apart from making guacamole, the best way to make use of avocado is to turn it into a yummy smoothie or shake. Avocado is just perfect for a shake for it naturally has a creamy texture. We don't call it a smoothie in the Philippines - with or without ice cream or milk - it is always considered a shake. I suggest the use of regular milk when making the shake instead of yogurt or ice cream 'cause it can get very thick. That shouldn't stop you from eating it with ice cream or making an avocado ice cream for that matter - perhaps I should make one soon!

So before the summer is over and when you get the craving to grab some avocados in the supermarket why not try to turn it into a yummy shake for a change. Trust me, once you've had it, you'll never see avocado the same way again.

Ingredients

2 Avocados (ripe)

2 cups crushed ice*

1 cup milk, plus more if needed (for Paleo sub with Almond or Coconut Milk)

Honey, Agave or Sugar (3-4 Tbsp if using brown sugar), to taste 

*You may or may not wish to include ice. Since Avocado smoothie/shake can be quite thick, in the Philippines we use some ice to dilute it a little plus it's a summer drink so it has to be cold.

Procedure

Place the crushed ice in a blender. Top it with the avocado.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Process until smooth and thick to your desired consistency. You may need to add more milk if you want just an easy pour kind of shake. I like mine a little thick and creamy.

If you are feeling rather indulgent, add some whipped cream and garnish it with a cherry on top!

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Chicken, Cashew Nuts and Red Peppers in Sweet Chili Sauce

Usually, I like to plan ahead for what will be the menu for the week. I make a list of all the ingredients that I need and then buy them all in one go. This is to ensure that I don't have to do extra trips to the grocery during the week. But there are those days when things don't go as planned, either I suddenly don't fancy what I have originally thought I wanted to prepare or my family have other suggestions. We like to have a bit of flexibility! :-)

Anyway, I went to Meijer and saw some red peppers on sale. Red peppers are pretty expensive if they are not in season so I never buy them unless they are on sale or as in this case, a bargain! They were bunched in a plastic and were probably not in their best shape anymore hence they were on sale. I saw that they were still good though and if you cook them immediately you won't know the difference between the freshest ones available and the ones they're trying to get rid of.

But now, since I wasn't initially planning on using red peppers till I saw that they were dirt cheap, I had to think of a viand that I can use this with. I only had chicken available but they always pair well with peppers so that's good. But what else can I add to chicken and peppers? I was thinking Asian, something Chinese-inspired, that will go well with rice. 

I was considering using my South African Chutney for that sweet sour taste but I had second thoughts. Then I saw in the corner of my fridge, almost begging me to pick it up, was the sweet chili sauce. Perfect! It has peppers in it already, though the spicy kind of course, but it should complement the red peppers. To put some crunch and texture, I added roasted cashew nuts. Done! There goes dinner.

My husband loved it and that's all that matters! 

So here it is, hope you like it too.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Peanut Oil
1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-size chunks
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
6-8 Tbsp Sweet Chili sauce (depending on how spicy you want it to be)
A little water to dilute the sauce, if desired
1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts

 Procedure

Heat oil in a medium skillet. When hot, add the garlic cloves and let sizzle for a minute. Add the onion and sauté for a couple of minutes.

Stir in the chicken pieces and sauté just until they change their color, about 2 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper.

Add in the diced red pepper and cook for another 3-4 minutes. I like my red pepper crunchy so I don't overcook it.

Pour in the sweet chili sauce (diluted with a little water) and coat the chicken and the peppers. The sweet chili sauce I have is the one used as dipping sauce for spring rolls. 

Once the chicken and the peppers are fully glazed, add in the cashew nuts. Cook for another minute.

Serve immediately with steaming rice on the side. Yum!

Note: I dilute the chili sauce with a little water (1-2 Tbsp) and taste it to get to the spice level that I like or at least what my family can take!

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Champorado (Filipino Chocolate Rice Porridge/Pudding)

 Back in the Philippines, I remember those lazy saturdays when you can get up later than usual, have a late breakfast and just relax. Of course, one of our classic Filipino breakfast (that doesn't involve fried rice or eggs or even meat....yes, admittedly there is rice but at least it's not fried!) is champorado - chocolate rice porridge.

Who can resist chocolate rice? I can't!

This version is a little richer than the usual champorado. In fact, when my hubby tasted it he thought I should serve it more as a dessert rather than as breakfast. Oh well, for me it's good either way!

Instead of just using water to cook the rice, I use a combination of coconut milk and fresh 2% milk. Evaporated milk, which is more readily available in the Philippines, is fine too. 
It came out really creamy and yummy and enhanced the flavor of the chocolate.
If you wish to have this for breakfast, I recommend using only half of the coconut milk plus some water as stated in the recipe. But if it will be used as dessert, then go ahead and use the entire can and leave out the water for a much creamier version.

So enjoy this champorado either at breakfast or after a meal as a dessert. Top it with with vanilla ice cream or even chocolate chips if you are feeling really indulgent! :-)

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups white glutinous or sticky Rice
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Cocoa powder
• 3 cups Water
• 1 (12 oz.) can Evaporated Milk
• 1 (14 oz) can Coconut Milk
• 1/2 cup brown Sugar, or to taste
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

                                                                                   
Procedure

Wash and drain the rice well. Place in a large deep pan and mix with the unsweetened cocoa powder. Pour in the water and stir. Bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, adjust heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has mostly dried up and the rice is tender about 20-30 minutes

Pour in the evaporated milk and coconut milk. Stir. Add the brown sugar and chocolate chips. Stir until everything is combined and the color is even. Continue to cook uncovered for another 10 minutes or so on low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the consistency and thickness is to your liking and the milk has been fully heated through. If it's too thick simply dilute with a little water or milk. Adjust sweetness to your taste.

Serve in individual bowls with additional milk and sugar on the side and perhaps a few sprinkling of extra chocolate chips! Traditionally, we eat it with dried salted fish. But, you don't have to! For dessert, simply top with vanilla ice cream and serve warm. :-)

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Enjoy this yummy chocolatey treat!

Mango Smoothie

Oh summer! The perfect time to make fruit smoothies/shakes in the Philippines. Truly, the best way to cool down in a hot country.

While summer in Michigan does not get as hot and humid like the Phils (thankfully!), it's still great to make fruit smoothies to cool down. It's a good way as well to make my kids drink their fruits. Who can say no to freshly made fruit shakes! Mine don't!

When it comes to fruit smoothies, hands down, Mango Smoothie reigns supreme for me. The next one on my list would be Avocado Smoothie (yup, you read it right! Avocado is considered fruit in the Phils! More on this on my next post...)  and then.... Guyabano (Soursop fruit) Smoothie. The last one I miss terribly cause I have never seen the fruit ever in any grocery store here. But, let me not forget, Papaya Smoothie, it can rival any of the three in taste if you find the ripest juiciest one! 

Anyway, I can go on and on 'cause there are many other tropical fruits that you can use for a fruit shake in the Philippines. I have even tried Durian shake and amazingly loved it!

In the Philippines, we pride ourselves in having the best mangos in the world. I have yet to taste another one which can equal ours. Pardon me, but all Filipinos will say this! :-) Carabao Mangos (picture below) when ripe to perfection are the best for fruit shakes.

These mangos, which look like Champagne mangos, are from my province, Marinduque. They are so nice and sweet too!

I am just thrilled that at least I can find some nice mangos here so I can satisy my mango cravings.

For the smoothie, I used the Mexican Ataulfo Mangos and the Champagne Mangos (the latter is really a variety of the Ataulfo kind). The only difference is the Ataulfo one is really sweet while the champagne variety is more sweet-tart. I found out that Ataulfo mangos are actually bred from seeds of the Manila Mangos (yes, the famous Philippine ones) which were combined with other mango seeds from somewhere else. Am no expert but I do taste a bit of Manila Mango sweetness there, so perhaps it's true! At least, am getting some Philippine mango there!


Ingredients

4 Ataulfo ripe mangos or 4 Champagne mangos (use the latter if you wish to have a sweet-tart shake reminiscent of a green mango shake)

* The photo below shows only 3 mangos but I actually used 4 of them.

1 1/2 cups crushed ice

1/4 cup milk, or to taste (optional)
Sugar (2-3 Tbsp), or to taste 

Procedure

Rinse the mangos. Wipe dry.  To get the mango flesh, you can cut off either side of the mango down to the part where your knife touches the seed (you want to get as much mango flesh). 

Then, cut lengthwise and then crosswise across the flesh down to the skin. They call this the hedgehog style of cutting a mango. See below. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Repeat with the remaining mangos.

Place the crushed ice at the bottom of the blender. Then add in the mangos.



Pour the milk, if using. Add the sugar too. I use between 2-3 tablespoons.

Then turn on the blender to mix all the ingredients. I use the shake or smoothie button on my blender. 

Serve immediately!

For a change, mix the mango with raspberries or any other fruit in season.

Happy Summer!!!

Abby's Chicken Curry

I maybe Asian but I was never fond of curry dishes. The Filipino cuisine is not generally spicy compared with our other Asian neighbors. But then I married my British husband, Mark, who is so into curry. He got me into it and now I really love curry dishes and will often cook it for my family.

Here's a chicken curry recipe that we love - spicy bite with a hint of cinnamon sweetness.

Ingredients:

1 kilo / 2 lbs (about 8 pieces)  trimmed chicken thighs
1 tbsp each - butter and olive oil
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tbsp curry powder (I usually use 1 tbsp each of mild and hot curry powder)
1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

3 plum tomatoes, diced
salt and pepper

1-2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp chutney (optional)

Procedure:

Heat the oil and butter in a deep pan. Brown the chicken on both sides. If you don't like the skin you can remove it after the browning. Set aside.

In the same pan, saute the garlic and onion  in the pan drippings until aromatic about 1-2 minutes. Lower the heat and then add all the spices (curry powder, turmeric and ginger). 

Put the chicken back into the pan and coat with the spices. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the chutney). Stir. Don't worry if it seems to be dry, it will eventually create its own sauce.

Bring to a boil. Cover then simmer for about an hour or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.

Stir in the chutney (if using). At this point there would be a lot of sauce which is great to pour on rice. Adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper and a little sugar, to taste.  Serve with freshly boiled rice and thick plain yogurt (if desired).

Note: 

This dish may be prepared a day ahead so the flavor is fully absorbed by the chicken thighs. Also, you will be able to skim the fat right off if refrigerated a day before it is served.

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God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.   Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;  though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. (Selah)   Psalm 46: 1-3